A Lenten history lesson - WordPress.com · 2020-03-03 · From the UMM: 60, plus or minus 1, attended the Sweetheart Early Brunch. Consumed were: six pounds of bacon, seven pounds

March 1 First Sunday in Lent

March 6 World Day of Prayer

March 7 Bob & Cookie Armstrong 50th Wed-ding Anniversary Open House 2-5 pm

March 8 Daylight Sav-ings Time begins– spring ahead!

March 8 UMM Break-fast 7:30 am

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M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

March Thoughts

1

Pastor’s

Pondering

2

F.U.E.L. Youth

Group & Children

3

UMW/UMM

Food Pantry

Calendar

4

5

6

Birthdays/

Anniversaries

Church Happenings

7

S P E C I A L P O I N T S

O F I N T R E S T

A Lenten history lesson

Though the date of Easter varies, the majority of the Lenten season occurs during March.

In fact, the word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon words lenctentid (meaning “March”)

and lencten (meaning “spring”).

The first reference to Lent dates back to 325 AD, in one of the 20 canons decreed at the

council of Nicaea. By the eighth century, Christians started observing Lent, and a 10th-

century monk named Aelfric connected the use of ashes and “the Lenten fast” to the pre

-Easter period.

Lent lasts 40 days to represent Jesus’ time in the wilderness, when he was tempted by

the devil. The six Sundays that occur between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday aren’t

counted as part of Lent; instead, as the traditional day of worship, they’re considered

“mini-Easters.”

Prayer around the world Travel writer Rick Steves, who’s a Christian, believes travel can help us see God. He writes of gaining new insights into prayer from a so-called “whirling dervish” (a sort of Muslim monk) in Turkey. Before demonstrating how he prays, the man explained to Steves: “When we pray, we keep one foot in our commu-nity, anchored in our home. The other foot steps around and around, acknowl-edging the beautiful variety of God’s creation … touching all corners of this great world. I raise one hand up to acknowledge the love of God, and the other hand goes down like the spout of a teapot. As I spin around, my hand above re-ceives the love from our Creator, and my hand below showers it onto all of his creation.” Most of us probably won’t add whirling to our prayer practices! And we likely already pray for people near and far. But what if we pictured ourselves both anchored at home and stepping out among God’s whole creation? What if we imagined God’s love pouring into us, then out of us onto all the world? How

might such an approach to prayer influence how we live?

Pray relentlessly. God is always listening!

During Lent, Lord, help us grow in faith, hope and love — “and the greatest of these is

love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, NRSV).

P A S T O R ’ S P O N D E R I N G S R E S T & R E F R E S H Y O U R S O U L

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Stop, look and listen

Lent, the season of the church year that’s associated with repentance, began on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 26 this year). While some people deny themselves by giving up something for Lent, others prepare for Easter through

special Bible studies or devotions.

Christians observe Lent for these reasons: • It causes us to STOP. Lent says, “Stop and rest awhile,” as well as “Stop doing wrong.” • It tells us to LOOK. Look inward for an honest self-examination. Look upward to see the cross of Christ of-fering healing and love. Look forward to the hope of the Resurrection. • It tells us to LISTEN. Listen to the words of Christ. Listen to the voice of God. Listen to the winds of the Spirit of God. Stop, look and listen. These three words aren’t only important for our safety in travel; they’re also helpful

for our journey through the 40 days of Lent.

We have kicked off the Lenten Season with Ash Wednesday and it will last 40 days until Easter Sun-

day. During this time of Lent, people will be giving up something or implementing change in their

lives; such as drinking pop, cussing, giving more time to the church, praying more, engaging less in

activities outside the church and more with faith growing activities involving the church. Every year

Christians get into Lent by giving something up in honor of Jesus Christ that gave His body and blood

as an atonement for our sins.

I would encourage you this year to set aside time to be in Christ’s presence and to have thankful hearts

that reflect upon His love and not to give up anything, but realize and appreciate that Christ has given

His life that through His grace your sins are forgiven and you have a new life in Him. Read and reflect

on Psalm 23 NIV, 1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pas-

tures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths or

his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will fear no evil, for you are with

me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my

enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow

me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

In particular I love verse 2-3, 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet wa-

ters, 3 he refreshes my soul.

In this season of Lent may we not just give up some habits but rather be in the habit of silent reflection

on how Christ leads us beside still waters and how He refreshes our souls. Not just in Lenten Seasons

but in all seasons may we take time to lay down and rest and be refreshed by Jesus Christ as our Lord

and Savior. Know that Christ calls us before Him that we might receive His love and grace and find

His peace. Rest and be refreshed by Christ’s grace and love during this Season of Lent.

Christ’s Peace and Blessings be upon you,

Pastor Paul

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+23&version=NIV#fen-NIV-14240a

F . U . E . L P R O G R A M M A R C H


March Sunday School

Fathom is a Bible study for teens that covers the Old and New Testaments in 18 4-session studies. The lessons are a blend of narrative and traditional theological approaches to understanding the Bible story. Each lesson will focus on one passage that will launch into the larger context of God's story, and how that story is meant to be theirs.

March Youth Group

Every teenager's life is loaded with undeniable evi-dence of God's incredible plans for them, but who helps them unpack all those details to discover why they were born?

This curriculum prepares you for the privilege of doing just that. It equips students that God has three dis-tinct calls on their life: the primary call of being trans-formed into Christ-likeness; the secondary call of thriv-ing in their seasonal roles; and the "This I Must Do" call to be part of something that is larger than them-selves.

March Special Events

Movie and Pizza night will be March 8th from 4-6:30pm

come enjoy the movie “Courageous” and enjoy some

pizza and fellowship.

Upcoming Events

The youth will be helping with the Easter Egg hunt this

year.

EASTER EGG HUNT

APRIL 11, 2020

10-11 am

*We are looking for the following

items*

1.Candy

2.Hard boiled eggs

3.Volunteers

Please see April if you have any

questions.

On behalf of the youth we would like to thank

our church family for helping us raise $350 at

the Soup and Salad Luncheon. Your dona-

tions will help our youth with summer activi-

ties including attending Christian Youth Festi-

val (CYF) and Youth Annual Conference

(YAK )this year.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to our Children’s

Church younger youth who helped our older

youth with table setting, dish washing and

many other chores.

Be who God meant you to be and you will set the

world on fire.”

—St. Catherine of Siena

THE GIVING TREE

Support our students and give to youth missions. Our project

for the months of March and April

The Giving Tree is located in the educational wing of our

church on the wall between the restrooms. People can pull

down an envelope and fill it with the number on the enve-

lope, put your name on it and place in the offering or turn it

in to the office.

U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T M E N & W O M E N

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The United Methodist Women

The United Methodist Women will meet on Thursday March 19th at noon in the church parlor. Carolyn Poorman is in charge of the main dish.

Pastor Paul will be sharing about his trip to the Holy Land.

Vickie Ullom

On Sunday Feb. 9th, Kim Harvey, representing Heartbeat of Morrow County was our speaker, at the same time the UMW provided other parts of the worship service. The focus of United Methodist Women this year is Maternal and Child Health. We partnered with Heartbeat to provide some needed materials and supplies. Many donations were brought in as a “Shower” for Heartbeat.

Nancy Burdsall

Pictured are supplies and donations given to Heartbeat of Morrow County

The United Methodist

Women’s group meets the

3rd Thursday of the

month during the school

year for lunch

The United Methodist Men’s group meets the

2nd Sunday of most months at 7:30 am.

The United Methodist Men The next UMM Breakfast will be Sunday March 8th at

7:30 am in the Fellowship Hall. All men are invited.

Don Burdsall

From the UMM: 60, plus or minus 1, attended the

Sweetheart Early Brunch. Consumed were: six pounds of

bacon, seven pounds of sausage, eight dozen eggs, 30

biscuits and a large can of sausage gravy, one and half

boxes of waffle mix, bunches of mixed fruit and lots muf-

fins. So it appeared to me that all ate well and everything

seemed to taste like "more". Thanks to all who came and

enjoyed. Those of you who helped, a real big THANK YOU!

Don Burdsall

Some of the helpers and cooks for the Sweetheart Early

Brunch. A good time was enjoyed by everyone!

Personal Care Item Drive for the

Food Pantry — We will be collect-

ing band-aids as the personal

care item for the month of March

You can bring your donations to

church and place them in the

basket at the back of the sanctu-

ary, or drop them off during nor-

mal office hours (Mon-Fri 9AM-

1PM).

C A R D I N G T O N C O M M U N I T Y F O O D P A N T R Y


Pantry Update — Our delivery

dates in March are the 3rd &

17th. We can always use help

putting food on the shelves and

moving cases from skids to the

shelves in the store room.

Our Church’s turn to staff the

pantry is March 11th.

The produce market is March

10th from 2-4 pm at the Carding-

ton First UMC.

THE PRODUCE MARKET DISTRIBUTION

The produce market will be held at Cardington First United Methodist

Church, 300 S Marion St. on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Park in the

rear parking lot and enter through the side sanctuary door. The time is

from 2-4 pm. The Produce Markets are open to anyone including those out-

side of Morrow County.

Cardington Community Food Pantry is open to residents living in Morrow

County or living in the Cardington-Lincoln school district in Marion County.

(Proof of address is required once a year)

The pantry is open on Wednesdays (No pantry on 5th Wednesdays of a

month). Pantry hours are 9:00 am until noon.

The Cardington Community Food Pantry has published a

“Cookbook” This project was made possible by a grant received

from United Way. It is available for purchase and for our Food Pan-

try clients. The cookbook may be purchased at the Food Pantry

and in the church office.

Regular Food Pantry hours: Wednes-

days, 9 AM-Noon (no pantry on 5th

Wednesdays)

Produce Market

Second Tuesdays,

2—4 PM at Cardington First UMC

Deliveries

First & third Tuesday each Month at

10 AM (approx)

The pantry continues to need plastic

grocery bags. You can drop them off

on Sundays or during office hours

during the week

(Mon-Fri, 9A-1P).

Our church is to provide volunteers to

staff the pantry on the 2nd week of

each month.

A prayer for neighborliness

O God, we pray for a broader vision of the needs of humanity, and a deeper compassion to fill those needs; for a planting of the seeds of con-cern for all humanity in our hearts; for a tapping of the wells of generos-ity. May we live together as people who have been forgiven a great debt. May we be gentle, walking softly with one another. May we be un-derstanding, lest we shall add to the world’s sorrow or cause to flow needless tears. May we be as anxious for the rights of others as we are for our own. May we be as eager to forgive as we are to seek forgive-ness. May we know no barriers of creed or race or sex, that our love may be like Yours — a love that sees all people as Your children and our kin. May we be ministers of humanity.

—Peter Marshall

C A R D I N G T O N F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H Page 6

MARCH 2020

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 F.U.E.L. 4-5:30 pm

2 3 Mid Ohio Food Bank

delivery 10 am

Mission/Evangelism

Meeting 7 pm

4 Food Pantry 9am-12

noon

5

Women’s Bible Study

6:30 pm

6 7 Bob & Cookie

Armstrong 50th

Wedding Anniversary

Open House 2-5 pm

8 UMM Breakfast 7:30 am Youth Plan meeting 11:30 am F.U.E.L. 4-5:30 pm

9 10 Produce Market

2-4 pm

Ad Council 7 pm

11 Food Pantry 9 am-12

noon

12


6:30 pm

Girl Scouts 6:30 pm

13 14

15

F.U.E.L. 4-5:30 pm

16 17 Mid Ohio Food Bank

delivery 10 am

Finance meeting 7 pm

18 Food Pantry 9-12

noon

19 UMW luncheon

12 pm

Women’s Bible study

6:30pm

20 21

22

F.U.E.L. 4-5:30 pm

23 24 Food Bank Pantry

Brunch 9 am-1 pm

25 Food Pantry 9-12

noon

26 Fold Newsletters

12:30 pm


6:30pm

Girl Scouts 6:30 pm

27 28

29

F.U.E.L. 4-5:30 pm

30

31

W O R S H I P , M E E T I N G S & S P E C I A L

Weekly

Food Pantry Wednesdays, 9AM—Noon

Women’s Bible Study Thursdays 6:30

PM

F.U.E.L. Youth Group (Grades 6-12)

Cardington Community Blood Drive!

The next Blood Drive being held in our

church Fellowship Hall is Saturday April

4, 2020 from 8 AM to 1 PM .To call for

an appointment dial

1-800redcross or log on to

www.redcross.org

Special dates • First Sunday in Lent, March 1,

2020

• World Day of Prayer, March 6,

2020

• Second Sunday in Lent, March

8, 2020

• Daylight-Saving Time be-

gins, March 8, 2020

• Third Sunday in Lent, March 15,

2020

• First day of spring, March 19,

2020

• Fourth Sunday in Lent, March

22, 2020

• Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 29,

2020

Reminder

On March 8

Spring Ahead

Each Sunday

8:30 AM Worship

9:20 AM Sunday School

10:30 AM Worship

3/02 Max Weise

3/03 Luke Bradford

3/07 Kinnedy Ratliff

3/07 Dave Plowman

3/07 Carolyn Poorman

3/09 Ryan Spires

3/09 Roger Thomas

3/10 Tim Smith

3/11 Leland Parfitt

3/11 Brooklyn Parfitt

3/11 Fiona Parfitt

3/12 Shirley Robinson

3/14 Rick Barlow

3/18 Crystal Spires

3/18 Michael David Stetson

3/25 Tess Ruehrmund

3/26 Nathan Bush

3/26 Carolyn Halley

3/28 Sam Miller West

3/29 Jacob Spires

3/30 Jane Lingrel

3/07 Bruce & Tammy Parfitt

3/16 Paul & Bonnie Franklin

3/24 Ron & Janet Pine


An Irish blessing

May God grant you always A sunbeam to warm you. A moonbeam to charm you, A sheltering angel So nothing can harm you, Laughter to cheer you, Faithful friends near you — And whenever you pray,

Heaven to hear you.

Shamrock

St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach people about

the Godhead. Holding up a shamrock, he challenged

them, “Is this one leaf, or three?” Inevitably, people

replied that it was both, prompting St. Patrick to draw

the analogy that so, too, is God: one God in three Per-

sons — the Holy Trinity.

Certificate of Recognition

In appreciation for providing vital and significant contribu-

tions to the American Red Cross and the communities we

serve.

Cardington First United Methodist Church is recognized for

their commitment and dedication and contributions given

to help recruit, educate, and inspire blood drive donors and

volunteers in an effort to ensure a safe and

adequate blood supply for patient’s in need.

Calendar year 2019 collected 162 products,

which can save 486 lives!

“No winter lasts for-

ever; no spring skips

its turn.”

—Hal Borland

Easter Flowers We will be taking orders for flowers to be placed in the

sanctuary in memory of or in honor of loved ones for our Easter service

on April 12, 2020. Easter Lilies, Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinths will be

available at $8.50 each and may be ordered until March 22. Order

forms are in the weekly bulletins or you may call the church office to

order.

Confirmation Class and Membership Class

Pastor Paul will be leading classes beginning April 19 through May 24,

2020 at 9:20 am for the confirmation class . The membership class

will be after the 10:30 am worship service on the same dates. Please

notify the church office if you are interested in joining the church.

F I R S T U N I T E D M E H O D I S T C H U R C H

300 S MARION STREET

CARDINGTON, OHIO 43315

“Come Share the Joy!”

Minister .............................................................................................................................................. Pastor Paul Turner

Youth Director .............................................................................................................................................April Williams

Church Secretary ..................................................................................................................................... Cathy Honaker

Church Custodian .........................................................................................................................................Dean Brown

Church Telephone/Fax .................................................................................... (419) 864-0015; Fax (419) 864-0025

Parsonage Phone ................................................................................................................................ (419) 718-8048

E-mail address ................................................................................................................. [email protected]

Web Site ...................................................................................................... http://cardingtonfirstumc.wordpress.com

Facebook (Group Page).................................................... find us under “Cardington First United Methodist Church”

Early Worship Service ........................................................................................................................................ 8:30 AM

Sunday School .................................................................................................................................................... 9:20 AM

Morning Worship Service ............................................................................................................................... 10:30 AM

TLC Small Group ............................................................................................................................. Sundays, 6-6:59 PM

Women’s Bible Study .................................................................................................................... Thursdays, 6:30 PM

Choir Practice ......................................................................................................................... 7:00 PM on Wednesdays

FUEL (Faith Used in Everyday Live) — Youth Fellowship (every Sunday).................................... 4-5:30 PM (Gr. 6-12)

Church Office Hours ............................................................................................................ Monday-Friday 9 AM -1 PM

C A R D I N G T O N F I R S T U M C

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U M C N E W S L E T T E R

Sent in Christian Love to:

A Lenten history lesson - WordPress.com · 2020-03-03 · From the UMM: 60, plus or minus 1, attended the Sweetheart Early Brunch. Consumed were: six pounds of bacon, seven pounds

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