Contents: Message from Pastor ........................................... 1 Worship Schedule................................................. 2 United Methodist Women ................................... 3 Bazaar Buddies ..................................................... 3 Children & Youth Ministries ................................. 3 Prayers of Joys & Concerns .................................. 6 Birthdays & Anniversaries .................................... 6 Calendar ............................................................... 7 and more! November 2015 supply. I am constantly thanking God for my life, for the Colby community, for all the ways I am supported in my personal life and in my ministry with you. The second part of every prayer, after glorifying God, is to express my thanks for my life and its bounty to God and Jesus Christ. Have you noticed how much generosity surrounds us? The ability to replace a roof from past gifts to the church, the hours of maintenance and repair work, the beautiful piano cover that warms our new piano, both gifts of members. You cannot look at any part of Colby UMC without being grateful for the efforts of our community. We are surrounded by generosity. Which brings me to point of this month’s message, stewardship. It is unfortunate, but most of the needs of the church, like life in general, comes down to money. Colby has been generously supported in the past, but we are suffering the same societal changes that all churches are feeling, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Memberships is down as is the level of support some families can afford. The sad news is that the cost of maintenance of the building and the staff we employ does not change and, in fact, goes up. You should be seeing a stewardship appeal letter from our Finance Chair Bernie Hargrave in your mail box. Please consider your gift prayerfully and generously, and return your pledge card in the next two weeks. There is a chill in the air, the weatherman is calling for a parade of rain storms headed our way from the Pacific, the leaves on the tree outside my office is brilliant red and orange and Starbucks is pushing Pumpkin Spiced Latte. I am swimming in an ocean of cliché and greeting card images. There is no denying fall is hear, and Thanksgiving is upon us. I have even started hearing the days counted down until Christmas. Even though Advent does start this month, please allow me to savor one holiday at a time please, and Thanksgiving is on my mind. We take our abundant food supply for granted most of the time. But our forebears were not so lucky. Most of us can trace our roots to people of the land, farmers and ranchers for whom crops failures, floods and droughts were not inconveniences but matters of life and death. This was particularly true for the first European settles on American shores. These first arrivals had come across a vast ocean at no small peril, leaving Plymouth England on September 6, 1620, and arriving in what would become Massachusetts on December 11, 1620. Think about that; they arrived at the end of autumn and needed to create shelter, find food and struggle to stay alive. Nearly half of them died that terrible winter. But the survivors carried on into the spring and summer and grew crops, made friends and learned from the original Americans they encountered, and in the fall, a year after their arrival, they celebrated with a 3 day feast and harvest festival to thank God for the bounty of the land. That was the origin of the American Thanksgiving tradition. Could you celebrate and thank God after ½ of your friends and family had died? That is true gratitude. Just surviving where so many had died. The pilgrims celebrated with gratitude and generosity, from what we would call a very meager Message from the Pastor Continued on page 2...
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Contents: Message from Pastor ........................................... 1 Worship Schedule ................................................. 2 United Methodist Women ................................... 3 Bazaar Buddies ..................................................... 3 Children & Youth Ministries ................................. 3 Prayers of Joys & Concerns .................................. 6 Birthdays & Anniversaries .................................... 6 Calendar ............................................................... 7
and more!
November 2015
supply.
I am constantly thanking God for my life, for the
Colby community, for all the ways I am supported in
my personal life and in my ministry with you. The
second part of every prayer, after glorifying God, is to
express my thanks for my life and its bounty to God
and Jesus Christ.
Have you noticed how much generosity surrounds
us? The ability to replace a roof from past gifts to the
church, the hours of maintenance and repair work, the
beautiful piano cover that warms our new piano, both
gifts of members. You cannot look at any part of Colby
UMC without being grateful for the efforts of our
community. We are surrounded by generosity.
Which brings me to point of this month’s message,
stewardship. It is unfortunate, but most of the needs of
the church, like life in general, comes down to money.
Colby has been generously supported in the past, but
we are suffering the same societal changes that all
churches are feeling, particularly in the Pacific
Northwest. Memberships is down as is the level of
support some families can afford. The sad news is that
the cost of maintenance of the building and the staff
we employ does not change and, in fact, goes up. You
should be seeing a stewardship appeal letter from our
Finance Chair Bernie Hargrave in your mail box.
Please consider your gift prayerfully and generously,
and return your pledge card in the next two weeks.
There is a chill in the air, the
weatherman is calling for a
parade of rain storms headed our
way from the Pacific, the leaves
on the tree outside my office is
brilliant red and orange and
Starbucks is pushing Pumpkin
Spiced Latte. I am swimming in
an ocean of cliché and greeting
card images. There is no denying fall is hear, and
Thanksgiving is upon us. I have even started hearing
the days counted down until Christmas.
Even though Advent does start this month, please
allow me to savor one holiday at a time please, and
Thanksgiving is on my mind. We take our abundant
food supply for granted most of the time. But our
forebears were not so lucky. Most of us can trace our
roots to people of the land, farmers and ranchers for
whom crops failures, floods and droughts were not
inconveniences but matters of life and death. This was
particularly true for the first European settles on
American shores.
These first arrivals had come across a vast ocean at
no small peril, leaving Plymouth England on
September 6, 1620, and arriving in what would
become Massachusetts on December 11, 1620. Think
about that; they arrived at the end of autumn and
needed to create shelter, find food and struggle to stay
alive. Nearly half of them died that terrible winter. But
the survivors carried on into the spring and summer
and grew crops, made friends and learned from the
original Americans they encountered, and in the fall, a
year after their arrival, they celebrated with a 3 day
feast and harvest festival to thank God for the bounty
of the land. That was the origin of the American
Thanksgiving tradition. Could you celebrate and thank
God after ½ of your friends and family had died? That
is true gratitude. Just surviving where so many had
died. The pilgrims celebrated with gratitude and
generosity, from what we would call a very meager
Message from the Pastor
Continued on page 2...
2
Date Scripture & Highlights
November 1, 2015 23rd Sunday after Pentecost Holy Communion
Read: Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24 (UMH page 755); Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44 Sermon: “Dreams and Disappointments”
November 8, 2015 24th Sunday after Pentecost
Read: Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17; Psalm 127; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 Sermon: “Gifts of Devotion”
November 15, 2015 25th Sunday after Pentecost
Read: 1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18) 19-25; Mark 13:1-8 Sermon: “Enduring Love”
November 22, 2015 Reign of Christ Sunday
Read: 2 Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 132:1-12 (UMH page 849); Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37 Sermon: “Gratitude, An Act of Prayer”
November 29, 2015 1st Sunday of Advent UM Student Day (Special Offering)
Read: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10 (UMH page 756); 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36 Sermon: “Hope to the Hopeless”
November Worship Plans
Personal PA Systems Now Available!
During the month of November we will be testing a personal PA system to assist people who need help hearing the service. Please try out the system if you think it might help you. There are headphones and a personal receiver, so you can adjust the volume to suit your personal needs.
On Sunday, October 25th, we tried the system for the first time and had a bug or two, particularly problems with static noise. With Bernie Hargrave's help, we think we have minimized that problem. If we had a system, it would be professionally installed and tested to assure best possible sound.
This system is on loan from the Regional Media Center. To permanently install a similar system here at Colby would cost around $1000.
Please let us know your thought on how useful the system is for you and how it could be improved. Happy improved listening!
Do you remember the words you spoke at your
membership ceremony upon joining the church? It is on
page 48 of the United Methodist Hymnal. “Will you be
loyal to The United Methodist Church, and uphold it by
your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your
witness?” The answer is “I will”.
Your gifts to the church should be an act of worship
and thanksgiving rather than a burden to bear. There are
expectations of community support in the Bible that
guided the ancient Jewish and Christian communities.
You can look and explore them if you wish. I would
rather look to Rev. John Wesley, who died almost
penniless, but a very rich man indeed, saying, “Gain all
you can, save all you can, and give all you can.” We
follow a tradition of generosity and gratitude that began
with a few brave preachers of the 17th century who
founded the church we are proud to call Methodist.
Thanks be to God.
Message from the Pastor ...continued
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November UMW Meeting
The UMW will be meeting on November 4th at 7pm.
The UMW meetings are an opportunity for women at Colby United Methodist to strengthen our community of women and support each other in fellowship.
The purpose of UMW “is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.”
If you have any questions, please give us a call. Phone numbers listed below.
Ledine Wilson Jennifer Sather President Vice President (360)876-3245 (360)871-0244
Bazaar Buddies
What is Bazaar Buddies? A group of women who get together to make things (and have a lot of fun and laughs while working) to sell at our annual November Bazaar.
When & Where do they meet? At church in the upstairs front classroom (unofficial ‘Buddy Room’) on Mondays from 10am-2pm. (Don’t forget to bring your lunch.)
What kind of things do they work on? Aprons, potholders, embroidered dish cloths and pillow cases, baby blankets & sweaters, hats, ornaments, and assorted decorative and kitchen items.
What do they do with the money made at the Bazaar? The money raised in the Bazaar is used to support local, national, and international organizations that help those in need. Some of the organizations we support are South Kitsap Helpline, Kitsap Community Resources, Stand-up for Kids, Etta Project, Coffee Oasis-Port Orchard, Discovery Alternative High School, UMCOR, Tacoma Community House, and Red Bird Mission.
If you have an idea or have seen something in a magazine or on Pinterest, that you think would be a good item, bring it with you and give the group a try.
If you have any questions, please contact Cindi Irish (360) 871-1376.
Youth Group!
Colby’s Youth Group meetings are on Sundays at 12 noon.
Keep an eye on Facebook and check with John Mueller for more details.
Dorcas Circle The Dorcas Circle meeting is on the last Saturday of the
month, November 28th 9:30am - 2:00 pm
Bazaar Buddies, PM (aka Sewing Buddies)
Bazaar Budddies, PM meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm - 8:30pm. If you’ve ever wanted to help make items for the Fall Bazaar, but couldn’t make it on Monday mornings. here’s your chance. Bring an idea that you’d like to work on or come go through the idea folder to see if something appeals to you.
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Colby UMC Website Updates!
If you haven’t checked out Colby UMC’s website in awhile, take a look! It is always changing and we have added some new content.
One of the new items added to the website is in the “About Us” section under “Our History.” The document “Looking Back—History of Our Church” (circa 1974) has been added. This document has some wonderful information about the history of our church and how we came to be who we are today!
To view this document and other information, go to our website http://www.colbychurch.org/
General Conference 2016
The 2016 quadrennial legislative meeting of the United Methodist Church will take place from May
10-20, 2016 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. The local host committee is
responsible for providing hospitality to visitors as they arrive and spend time in the host city,
Portland, Oregon. This page, www.GC2016PDX.org is a source for information about how volunteers can help in the hosting process, and information about Portland for guests to explore. This is the place to register as a volunteer for General Conference 2016.
You can now register online as a potential volunteer. The online system will let you say what dates you are available, and request specific types of tasks. It will take thousands of volunteer shifts to support the conference, so people from all over the Western Jurisdiction are invited to come and be part of the conference. Note: This is not where you should volunteer for positions as Marshalls and Pages. Those will be on thewww.umc.org/GC2016 page in March.
The theme of GC2016, “Therefore go,” is based on the Great Commission set forth in Matthew
28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV) General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church which meets once every four years. The conference can revise church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs.
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Letter from Lee Morrison
Saludos from the Southern Hemisphere! I have been in Asuncion with my son Dan and his family for just under three weeks now, enjoying hot spring weather for a week, then cool, rainy days eerily reminiscent of my own neck of the woods. My two grandkids are growing up more quickly than I would like, Matthew now a skinny 16 almost as tall as his dad with a deepening voice and sunny personality, and Maddy a slim, 12-year-old senorita with waist-length brown hair and her favorite mini iPad. Their cousin Ayelen and Pharmacists Tia Martha, her husband and daughter Martina also live with Dan and his wife Isabel, and they all work in the family compounding pharmacy, "Higia," which they bought two years ago. There are also the dogs Rudy, Faz, Pitu, Buster and Isabel's beloved Muky, and the cats Calizi, Yoshi, Blue who is black, Aurora and a sizable tortoise named Canon. Quite a household! The day after I arrived, Dan whisked me off to see the dermatologist who is trained in Mohs surgery and organized my skin cancer operation for the following Wednesday. As Mel once complained, "I wasn't emotionally ready," but we turned up early that day and I enjoyed a three-hour ordeal with two stages of surgery before the doctor stitched me up, bandaged my face, and sent me home with orders to take it easy for 10 days. Of course I followed the doctor's orders! Last Friday dermatologist removed all +20 stitches and admired her work. I wasn't as thrilled as she was, but conceded she had done a good job. Now the vertical and horizontal incisions are fading rapidly and I am assured the scars will disappear in time. I brought a couple of books with me, Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and Adam Hamilton's "Revival," the text for the Bible Study group, which I finished a couple of nights ago. What a preacher John Wesley was! Until he died at 87, he had delivered more than 40,000 sermones indoors, outdoors, in marketplaces and fields, covering 250,000 miles mostly on horseback. Despite being banned from many churches, he never gave up in his quest to become an "Altogether Christian," even preaching once on his father's grave in Epworth! His last sermon was given a few days before he died. All of us "Almost Christians" need to follow his example! I particularly liked his emphasis on "musical good works" in Methodist church services, and his younger brother Charles was both a minister and author of over 4,400 poems, many of which were set to music and are still found in Methodist hymnals today. On my last Sunday at Colby we sang his "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing..." I understand from Jullie that several volunteers from the Congregation are filling in for the two missing sopranos, Midge and me. (We may end up being listeners instead of performers when we return.) Besides reading, I have resurrected my dormant Spanish, since some of the family members don't understand English. Last Sunday ten of us gathered around the dining room table for family lunch, and 7-year-old Martina had the honor of giving the blessing. She giggled a lot, stumbled with her words, and needed fatherly help before the "Amen!" came out loud and clear. By then our lunch was lukewarm, but we all clapped appreciatively! Well, before you know it, my time here with doctors and family will be up and I'll be back in Port Orchard. I miss my church family, but am loving the visit with part of my own family. Till I see everyone in church, I send carinos, abrazos and much love to all, Lee (aka Morrison)
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If you have a prayer request, please contact: Ev Small (360) 871-2045 or
Diane Bishop at [email protected]
Joy and Thanksgiving The gift of friendship
Health Concerns Continued prayers for Ev Small’s father as he heals. Connie Fessler’s friend Bud Aossey and his wife May, as Bud
recovers from a double knee replacement. Prayers for Vera Brown as she recovers from complications of a
leg injury. Continued prayers for Janie Hinds as she deals with the pain of
shingles
Wisdom and Courage to seek and do God’s Will All church leaders, here at Colby and everywhere
National & World Concerns Prayers for the victims of Hurricane Patricia Pray for racial, political, and economic tolerance to heal the
divisiveness in this world. Wisdom and guidance for our elected leaders
Peace, Strength, and Encouragement Please pray for Carl and Marion Hill. Carl will be going on
hospice care when he returns home from the hospital. Friends and family of Robert Thackery mourning his passing Prayers for the homeless, for those seeking employment,
struggling with addiction, struggling with mental illness, and dealing with domestic violence issues.
For all those struggling to find God’s way
Protection All active duty military, including Rusty Hoffman & Aaron Hoff
Ongoing Prayers Claudia Geasland continuing to recover from surgery Karen Whitley who was diagnosed with cancer Continued prayers for Ken and Edie Peckham
Birthdays & Anniversaries
November Birthdays 3 Diane Bishop 7 Bill Irish 14 Cheryl McCallum 18 Elaine Rogers 19 Edie Peckham 22 Sarajane Rants 25 Jerry Sather Duana Dugan
November Anniversaries 1 Bruce & Janie Hinds 3 David & Debbie Frost 6 Joe & Marie Dick 15 Don & Elaine Rogers
Calls, Cards, and Casseroles
At some time or another, everyone needs some extra care. As a congregation, we seek to support
one another through times of illness, hardship, and grief. Everyone can be a channel of God’s blessing through congregational care.
Jennifer Sather coordinates these effor ts. Please let Jennifer know if she can call on you to offer care. You may specify if you’re able to send cards, make phone calls, offer rides, visits, short respite care, and/or meals.
Contact Jennifer at (360) 871-0244 or [email protected]
“Do all the good you can.
By all the means you can.
In all the ways you can.
In all the places you can.
At all the times you can.
To all the people you can.
As long as ever you can.” ~John Wesley
Feeding the Low Income and Homeless
Our church helps feed the low income and homeless on the last Friday of the month at the First Lutheran Community Church located at 2483 Mitchell Road SE in Port Orchard. We need volunteers to help out. We start at 2:30pm.
Please contact Bonnie Anderson at (360) 871-3117 for more information.
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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 9:00am Choir Practice 10:30am Worship with Communion 12pm Youth Group
2 10am Bazaar Buddies
3 6:30-8:30pm Bazaar Buddies PM
4 7pm UMW
5 7pm Trustees
6 7
8 9:00am Choir Practice 10:30am Worship 12pm Youth Group
9 10am Bazaar Buddies
10 6:30-8:30pm Bazaar Buddies PM
11
12
13
14
15 9:00am Choir Practice 10:30am Worship 12pm Youth Group
16 10am Bazaar Buddies
17 6:30-8:30pm Bazaar Buddies PM
18
19
20
21 9am Men’s Breakfast
22 9:00am Choir Practice 10:30am Worship 12pm Youth Group
23 10am Bazaar Buddies
24 6:30-8:30pm Bazaar Buddies PM
25
26 27
28 9:30am Dorcas Circle
29 9:00am Choir Practice 10:30am Worship 12pm Youth Group
30
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Colby United Methodist Church PO Box 4299, South Colby, WA 98384 Phone: (360) 871-3365
Pastor’s Email: [email protected] - Office Admin Email: [email protected] - Website: www.colbychurch.org Pastor: Brian Nelson Editor & Production: Duana Dugan
The Staff of Steeple notes reserves the right to edit submitted articles for clarity and to fit available space.
Colby United Methodist Church SE Harvey & Southworth Drive SE PO Box 4299
November 2015 Meetings & Upcoming Events
1-29 Sundays Choir Practice 9:30 am 1-29 Sunday Youth Group 12:00 pm 2-23 Mondays Bazaar Buddies 10:00 am 3-24 Tuesdays Bazaar Buddies PM 6:30 pm 4 Wednesday UMW 7:00 pm 5 Thursday Trustees 7:00 pm 6 Friday Holiday Bazaar 9:30 am - 4:00 pm 7 Saturday Holiday Bazaar 9:30 am - 2:00 pm 21 Saturday Men’s Breakfast 9:00 am 26 Thursday Thanksgiving Day - Office Closed All Day 27 Friday Day After Thanksgiving - Office Closed All Day 28 Saturday Dorcas Circle 9:30 am
November 2015
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