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Zion United Church
of Christ July 2015
Inside This Issue
1 Pastors Peace
2 Palm of Prayer
3 Worship Ways
4 Community & Conference Clamor
5 This Months Events
6 Butterfly Room &
Inspiration Station
7 Celebration Occasions
8 Worship Whirl
Carl and Helen Hoepp-ner have made Zion's front doors look like
new! What a wonder-ful labor of love! Thank You!
The Lamplighter
Zion United Church of ChristEstablished 1880 105 N. Mary,
Mayview, Missouri 64071-8224
Phone and FAX: (660) 237 - 4355
PASTORS PEACE
HATS OFF TO AMERICA!
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay
down his life for his friends." John 15:12-13 NIV "Hats Off to
America!" is the theme for the 2015 Mayview Picnic. Believe it or
not, this theme makes me think of the layers of two proverbial
onions--one called "Violence" and one called "Love". What does it
make you think of? We are once again celebrating the birth of our
country with patriotic songs and the colors of the flag. This is
the 239th birthday of our country--can you believe how young we
are? It took tremendous effort and per-sonal sacrifice for our
country to become independent from British rule--our history is
fascinating, and unfortu-nately very bloody. A prevailing question
arises, it seems, whenever the subject of war is discussed, and
certainly the war that gained us our country's freedom. "Could we
have done it any other way?" The onion called Violence holds layers
embedded with a euphemism for freedom--the ability to use lethal
force. After all, this is how our country was liberated from
British rule, this is how the slaves were freed, this is how
America maintains its status of superiority. "In God We Trust" is
on our money... The Violence onion has layers that cause us to cry
painful tears when cutting through them. There are layers of
suffering, loss, fear, pain, heartache, PTSD, broken
re-lationships, poverty, brokenness--ending in a black core of
corruption, hatred and death. But the Love onion has layers deeper
and stronger than Violence--layers of forgiving sweetness
flourishing in relationship, peace, healing, courage, perseverance,
crea-tivity, joy--its core the finality of death through violence,
in the perfect love of Jesus' dying for us, taking upon himself the
total extent of our chosen separation from Love. But not only
that--Jesus' resurrection has destroyed the slav-ery to death and
destruction the world seems to crave,
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The Lamplighter We are called to love each other as Jesus loved
us, and to recognize that he loved us so much that he gave his life
for us, so that we, all of us, can live. This is Freedom! So often
we cannot see our way past violence in retaliation, revenge or
"just war". There are other ways to practice sacrificial love,
primary of which is forgiveness. We are made to forgive, to listen,
to serve, to encourage, and to give of ourselves to one another.
"Hats Off to America!" should be in humility as we step out to
serve and to be there for one another, even when afraid and
unsure--the power of Love far outweighs the power of violence,
hatred, fear, and greed. But our focus must change, right now, one
step, one day at a time. In God's Grace,
Pastor Kristin
PALM of PRAYER 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is
the one who
takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 (NIV) Concerns Please continue
to surround in love and prayer, those experiencing health
difficulties &/or recovering from surgery, the loss of
family and friends, & those adjusting to new seasons in their
lives: Christopher Benson, Kyle Benson, Family of Lisa Kaiser,
Roger Nolte, Family of Bob Grubb, Will Ogans Aunt Cath, Roy
Marchetti, Charlie Lewis, Helen Meyrand; family and friends of Max
Tyler, Gary Anders and daughter of Scott & Sally Soendker;
Family of Lillie Jennings brother; first responders; military
personnel and their families; families around the world that are in
the midst of disease, natural disasters, immigration crisis,
tensions, conflicts, acts of violence and wars which are going on
in different parts of the world. Joys Amy Burns is Employee of the
Month at her hospital Newborn Wyatt Robinson is finally home!; El
Dean Dickmeyer attended her 68th class reunion!; Mayview Community
Garden is growing!; Tim Wright and Amber Bertz are engaged;
preparations for Mayview Annual Picnic and Worship are well under
way--let's
celebrate together July 11 and 12!
ZION UCC WORSHIP WAYS BOARD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION A float will
be entered in the Mayview Picnic parade and will be created the
morning of the event, July 11th. This years theme is Hats Off to
America. We need to get volunteers ready to prepare the best (and
of course to get supplies, etc.) Please speak with Amy Hoefer about
volunteering! Remember, there's a potential prize out there, not to
mention honor at stake--First Baptist came in first last year!
MISSION COMMITTEE The Festival of Sharing kit for July is BABY
BUNDLE PAK 2 Receiving Blankets, 2 Sleepers( 1peice or gown), 1
sweater or sweatshirt for warmth, 2 undershirts or onesies, 8-12
diapers (cloth or disposable), 2 diaper pins if (cloth diapers are
enclosed). Please send newborn to six month sized items. Place
items in a 2 gallon zip lock bag. You may contribute complete kits
or items for kits as you are able. Money may also be placed in the
envelopes provided on the table and placed in offering plate or
given to committee members. Festival of Sharing is October 17. Save
the Date for the CROP Walk for Hunger on Sunday, September 27 at
3:00 p.m.
SAIL NEWS Several of us attended the Lafayette Area Fellowship
meeting in April at Bethel UCC in Concordia. The program was
provided by the Blue Springs Terrace (for retired pastors). With
motivation from that program, we set June 9 as a day to go help at
the Terrace. A car load of us set out from Zion to arrive at 8:30
am at the Terrace. We were welcomed with refreshments while
planning the work day. Our talents let us help trim bushes, pull
weeds, and paint. They made sure we had plenty of water to drink
and served us a delicious lunch. We had good fellowship with the
residents and other volunteers there for the day. Among the regular
volunteers at the Terrace are two originally from Zion Virginia
Fieth Knocke and Ken Fleischmann. Yes, both of them help most every
Tuesday at Blue Springs Terrace! On the way to BST we viewed our
own Community Garden and all that's growing, and spoke with a
worker about the beautiful and much more developed Blue Springs
Community Garden. What a wonderful project we have right here in
Mayview for both adults and children. There is a great picnic table
to paint, weeds to pick; we need mulch and we can use bling, and we
can do it as community and individuals. Tell your friends--this
needs to be a mutual effort of Mayview and we will reap the
benefits of its health and growth!
TREASURERS TWITTER May Current Expenses $4,077.25 May Current
Receipts $5,260.45 Current Difference $1,183.20
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Community, County & Conference Clamor
Conference Annual Gathering (aka CAG) REBUILD RESTORE RENEW
Reflections from Elaine Hudson, Pastor Kristin & Juanita
Wright
This was probably the best Conference Annual Gathering I have
attended. There was so much positive energy and a feeling that our
Church is not just talking, but putting impetus to action. I would
encourage everyone to attend, young or mature, confident in your
faith or still searching. The speakers and music were
life-changing. Meeting and talking to others from congregations
large and small, from all over the state, helps put in perspec-tive
what we can do to change the world in our small corner of it, one
step at a time. Even looking through the vendors booths from the
many agen-cies our Conference serves and supports gave me a wider
view of all our Church and Conference do
in the Community, local and globally. Elaine
Elaine Hudson, Juanita Wright, Martha Hawthorne and I just
returned from Conference Annual Gather-ing of the United Church of
Christ, where we ex-perienced a lively revival. Bishop Yvette
Flunder from City Refuge Church in Oakland, CA was the Keynote
Speaker, and one of the things she spoke of was how 80% of church
is culture and 20% is theology. She spoke of how she loves
chitlins--some love kimchi--some love...hagus, and although we
don't all enjoy each of those cultural "delights", it is so
important to appreciate their importance and uniqueness. Yes, often
diverse and unique parts of the Body are overlooked, and we waste
all the rich resources available! We all have very special gifts
which we need to share in the Body of Christ within the church and
beyond its walls. This summer let's talk about how we can share and
interact with and appreciate
our cultural diversity! Pastor Kristin
I want to say thank you for letting me be one of your delegates
to the CAG. It turned out to be a gift! I say that because I wasnt
particularly excited about attending. I had attended wider church
meeting previously and they were just okay. I would always gain
something from attend-ing and there would definitely be highlights.
This meeting was definitely the best wider church meet-ing that I
have attended. I know that is partly be-cause of where I am on my
journey. I wish that more of you would be able to find the time to
at-tend the wider church meetings. Yes, we worshipped every day of
the meet-ing. Thursday evening was a traditional service at
Columbia UCC including communion and the mes-sage by our acting
conference minister, Rev. Dr. Allen Fluent. We ended the service
singing This is a Day of New Beginnings, Friday evening was a more
rousing service with Yvette Flunder, our keynote speaker, providing
the message. We ended that service singing We Shall Overcome. Then
Saturday, we worshipped more informally as we sat around the tables
finishing our lunch. That service we ended singing Here I Am, Lord.
Those songs used to close the worship services are a good
representation of how we are working to REBUILD/RESTORE/RENEW the
Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ.
During discussions at the CAG, I was able to examine my thoughts on
racism and my thoughts on the death penalty. Just stop and imagine
for a few minutes what it would be like if there were no racism in
our world! Everyone would have the same opportunity and everyone
would be treated with respect. Those two things alone are huge!
There was information available from many organizations associated
with the United Church of Christ. I gathered information and
contacts that could potentially be advantageous for out Endow-ment
Fund here at Zion. It is really hard to give a summary in a few
short paragraphs of what was available over the three days of the
gathering. I will talk more with anyone about the meetings and will
share with you any information I have. Again, I say, THANK YOU for
sending me.
Juanita
Being a child at home alone in the
summer is a high-risk occupation. If
you call your mother at work thirteen times an hour,
she can hurt you. Erma Bombeck
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LAFAYETTE AREA COUNCIL The next meeting of the Lafayette Area
Council will be July 27th at 7:30 pm at Salem UCC Higginsville.
MAYVIEW COMMUNITY BETTERMENT Please be sure to check out the
City of Mayview Facebook page, and new website
www.mayviewpicnic.com.
MAYVIEW 150 CLUB UPDATE The last meeting was June 7, at 2 PM.
Plans are moving along for our Sesquicentennial Celebration in
2016. It was noted that the cookbook has 300 or so recipes, but
Jane Vahrenberg requested more from present Mayview residents and
young peo-ple. Austin Aardema Faigh volunteered to facilitate a
very popular game--2 Liter Ring Toss (it also may be at the picnic
this year!) Research is being done by attending other
celebrations/events . If inter-ested in helping out, please contact
Chester Fox at 660-237-4465. There will be a banner made to be
displayed at the 2015 Mayview Picnic, and a booth will be set up to
sell t-shirts and take orders for the cookbook. There will be no
meeting in July, due to the 2015 picnic. The next meeting will be
August 2, at 2 PM, at the Community Building. Wouldn't it be great
to have a booth of specifically Mayview(ish)-made items for sale?
Oh, the possibilities are endless!
STEPPINGSTONE AUXILIARY MEETING On June 8, 2015, Rev. Andy
Mockridge shared an incredible devotion which reflected the hope
and excitement of 2015 Conference Annual Gathering June 4-6 in
Columbia, and reminded us all that what each one of us does, no
matter how seemingly small, is very important in making a
dif-ference in our world. We are God's hands and feet, moving
forward in love. Steppingstone's Mission is partnering with the
community to assist children, youth and their families in their
individual quest for health and wholeness through quality,
faithful, and profes-sional services. They are a vital part of
Missouri, and our continued supported is always needed. The next
shower for apartment items will be in September, and the next
meeting is September
14.
18 You will be secure, because there is
hope; you will look about you and take
your rest in safety. Job 11:18 (NIV)
For her summer job, my 18-year-old
daughter arranged interviews at sev-
eral day-care centers. At one meet-
ing, she sat down on one of the kid-
die seats, no simple task for most
people. The interview went well, and at the end, the
day-care center director asked the standard ques-
tion, "Can you give me one good reason we should hire
you?" "Because I fit in the chairs." She got the job.
EXPRESSION SESSION Thank Yous Thank you very much for the Love
you sent me from your church. I thank the Lord for my church
family, and the love and kindness you give me. My second family in
Christ. Hugs and Kisses. Love, Sadie Miller
Thank you so much for the thoughtful cards, prayers, well wishes
and money you sent our family! We truly appreciate it all and
sometimes those prayers and well wishes are what got us through the
day! We can't wait for all of you to meet our sweet Samuel! We are
grateful for the continued support and prayers! The Burroughs
Family P.S. Please take note of our new ad-dress! David's parents
have been receiv-ing a lot of our mail! 7791 Linn Grove Road
Odessa, MO 64076 Thank you all so much for the card and prayers.
All is good. Kathleen Cramer
And so with the sunshine And the great bursts of leaves
Growing on the trees, Just as things grow fast in movies,
I had that familiar conviction That life was beginning over
again
With summer F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby
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Fun at Royals Stadium!Youth Group
Love is the most important thing in the world, but
baseball is pretty good, too.
Yogi Berra
The Lamplighter
Fellowship9:30 A.M. Worship10:00 A.M.
July 4, 2015 Independence Day July 5, 2015 Vespers, 3:45 pm John
Knox Village Festival and Fireworks, Higginsville, 5pm July 6, 2015
Outlook Club, 10:30 am July 9, 2015 Mayview MO Foundation Meeting,
6:30 pm July 11-12, 2015 Mayview Picnic, Parade & Worship July
11, 2015 Parade, 6 pm July 12, 2015 Mayview Community Service, 10
am City Park Pie Auction and Pot Luck First Baptist Church preaches
Zion UCC hosts Zion AME also participates July 15, 2015 BCE, 6 pm
July 16, 2015 Council, 7 pm July 17, 2015 Lamplighter Articles Due
July 26, 2015 Pulpit Exchange w/Ebenezer UCC Reverend Bob
Atkinson
Copyright 2011 The Zondervan Corporation
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My religious/spiritual believes have made me use my remaining
days more wisely. I am acutely aware of the books I choose to
write, the grief recov-ery talks I give, and how I answer the
emails I re-ceive. Recently I received an email thank you from a
woman who had read one of my books. In an attempt to help, friends
told her to "be strong," read the Bible more, and let God carry her
emotional load. This well-meaning advice only added to her stress.
While reading the Bible and turning our worry over to God or a
Higher Power can help, in the end, we are the ones who must help
ourselves. As Rabbi Kushner points out, God has given us
intelligence. "The God I believe in does not send us the problem:
He gives us the strength to cope with the problem." Let
intelligence, coupled with religious/spiritual be-liefs, lead you
to a new and rewarding life. Written by: Harriet Hodgson
http://www.harriethodgson.com Copyright 2012
Reprinted with permission from the author.
INSPIRATION STATION 2015 Daily Guidepost for Sunday, June 7
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of
it. --- 1 Corinthans 12:27 (NIV) One of the recent trends in the
food world is what's called nose-to-tail eating ---- creating
dishes from all parts of an animal. Hence the
rise of foodie-favorite dishes like crispy pig's ear, spicy
beef-tendon chips, and buffalo-style pigs' tails. As I revisited
some of my favorite meals of years past, it occurred to me that
such cooking is redemptive. Chefs take cuts that might otherwise
have been neglected and wasted. They find the good in them. And
they transform them into culinary pearls. Might there also be a
lesson here for the church? In the church, we often fail to honor
all parts of the diverse body of Christ. We engage in an
ecclesiastical version of what, in the kitchen, would simply be
called waste. Of course, it takes effort to cook nose-to-tail, and
it likewise takes effort to build a church where the individual
gifts and skills of its members are not just honored but also well
utilized. It's not easy, but it certainly is right. As believers
invited to sit at the Lord's banquet table, we're asked to share
His bounty with the world. If we don't use all the resources we
have, how much harder might it be for others to taste and see that
the Lord is indeed so very good? Dear God, help us recognize the
good in one another and the gifts with which You have equipped each
of us.
The Lamplighter BUTTERFLY ROOM 3 And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto my-self; that
where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:3 (KJV)
Grief Help: What Religion Can and Cannot Do for You The death of
four family members in 2007 caused me to examine my
religious/spiritual be-liefs. I had so many questions. Why did so
many family members die? Why did my daughter die now? Would I
survive such tragedy? The an-swers to these questions didn't come
quickly; rather, they evolved with meditation, prayer and time. I
belong to a liberal religious community and members rallied to
help. My husband and I met with our minister several times. She was
ex-tremely kind and helpful and we knew the church safety net was
there for us if we needed it. Yet we were aware of the things
religion/spirituality cannot do. Bob Diets discusses these things
in his book, "Life After Loss." He says religion cannot grant us
immunity from loss, bring back the de-ceased, or act as a shortcut
through grief. How-ever, religion can provide motivation for
recovery and counter loneliness. My religious community was
supportive and offered practical help, such as delivering food.
More than four years have passed since my family members died. Of
all the deaths -- my daughter, father-in-law, brother, former
son-in-law -- my daughter's death has been the most painful.
Feelings were roiling inside me and a week after my daughter died I
sat down at the computer and poured out my soul in words. Writ-ing
was, and continues to be, a spiritual experi-ence for me. During my
journey I discovered religion cannot do my grief work; I had to do
it myself. My religious/spiritual beliefs influenced my grief work,
but the "in the trenches" work was my responsi-bility. I had to
face the pain, create a healing path, set new goals, and work
towards them. Facing my own mortality was something else I had to
do. Rabbi Harold S. Kushner discusses mor-tality in his
best-selling book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." All
living creatures will die, he begins, but humans are the only ones
who know it. This realization changes our lives. "Knowing that our
time is limited gives value to the things we do," he explains. This
realization impacts our decisions, according to Kushner, "because
we don't have time to do everything."
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The Lamplighter
Celebration Occasions
July Birthdays
Date Birthday 5 Tyler Sanders
9 Dalton Koch
10 Karen Neher
11 Connie Sanders
Scott Alvested
15 Garrett Fiegenbaum
17 Marvin Schemmer
20 Kenneth Jungerman
28 ElDean Dickmeyer
Martha Hawthorne
Administrative Affairs
Reverend Kristin Aardema Faigh
Home(660) 237- 4902 Church (660) 237-4355
[email protected] Cell (660) 641-1038
Scott Alvested Council President (816) 230-4450
Angie Lawson Church Secretary
(660) 237- 4355 [email protected]
Jenny Holt Newsletter
(660) 237 - 4923 [email protected]
Teresa Begemann Organist
(816) 633 - 4133 [email protected]
Dawn Stuart Custodian
(660) 237 - 4355
Serving Souls
July ACOLYTES GREETERS
5 Trinity Alvested Carrie Begemann &
Elaine Hudson
12 Tanner Burns Mike & Amy Burns
19 Alyssa Hoefer Dwight & Denise
Dickmeyer
26 Kristen Johnson Darrell & Lori Fiegenbaum
Office Hours
Pastor Secretary
Tuesday
8:00 AMNoon
Wednesday
6:008:00 PM Wednesday
5:009:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AMNoon
Reminder!
The deadline for submissions for the August newsletter is
Friday, July 17, 2015. Send your submissions to:
[email protected] or [email protected]
Or Call (660) 237-4923
July Anniversaries
5 Brad & Rachel Begemann
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Zion United Church of Christ 105 North Mary St. Mayview,
Missouri 64071-8224 Generous - Loving - Dedicated Christians Sunday
School 9:30 am Worship at 10:30 am ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
The Lamplighter July 2015
Zion UCC Mission Statement The avowed purpose of our church
shall be:
To worship God, to proclaim and teach the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and to celebrate the Sacra-ments; to experience Christian
fellowship, to build unity, and to practice charity within this
congre-
gation and the wider church; and to share this witness of Jesus
Christ throughout the world.
Summer Worship Whirl
Traditional Worship 10:00 AM Sundays
Come As You Are Service 10:00 AM Monthly - 3rd Sunday
Sacred Conversations and Fellowship
9:00 AM Sundays
Communion 10:00AM Monthly 1st Sunday & Special Holidays
Church Council 7:00 PM Monthly
Board of Christian Education 7:00 PM Monthly
SAIL (Serving All in Love) 7:00 PM Monthly - 4th Tuesday
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