THE MESSENGER FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF WAUSAU september 2015 FROM PASTOR JERRY’S DESK Never-Before Revealed Secrets of the Bible! In 1997, a book called The Bible Code was published by a journalist named Michael Drosnin. The point of the book was that the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament contained secret messages, many of which foretold the future. Sometimes this code could be retrieved by counting “equidistant letters.” Suppose you took every fiftieth Hebrew letter in Genesis (not counting spaces) and then put them together, adding spaces where necessary. It might spell out a secret message! Or here’s another way it might work. Put all the Hebrew letters of a Bible book in rows, with the same number of letters (say 100) in each row, and print them in squares with justified margins. It would look like a Word Search puzzle. Then, just as with a Word Search, you try reading it backwards and forwards, up and down, and diagonally. Amaz- ingly, words appear! By this method, Drosnin found that the ancient Hebrew manuscripts predicted the assassinations of both JFK and Yitzhak Rabin! (In the consonantal Hebrew: YPhK and RBN.) The book sold millions of copies. But it’s just possible that Drosnin was working with a few suspect presuppositions. For instance, he presupposes that God was involved in the writing of the books right down to the individual letters. He also presupposes that the apparent meaning of scripture – the stories, songs, laws, teachings, and speeches – are at one level just a pretext for other, hidden, messages. And he presupposes that the current events of about the turn of the 21 st century were just so darn important to God that the writing of the Bible was shaped by God’s need to insert messages about our time in books written thousands of years earlier. Think about it! The Bible predicts JFK’s death! We must be incredibly important if even the Bible is really all about us! As I say, I think all these presuppositions are, shall we say, suspect. But Drosnin worked with one other premise, which I believe is accurate. He presupposed that people would uncritically accept any rubbish so long as it had the word “Bible” attached to it. That much, at least, is true. Why is that? Because we know that the Bible is somehow from God, but we don’t really know what’s in it. Why don’t we know the Bible? Because, let’s face it, it’s hard. It’s written in literary forms that we aren’t familiar with, using strange metaphors, referring to people and places we’ve never heard of. It’s long, and it’s confusing. It already feels like a secret code to us, so Drosnin’s bilge sounds credible. This fall, we’re going to try to make the Bible more accessible, in two ways. First of all, on Wednesday nights and during Sunday education time, I’ll be repeating my Scripture Core class, surveying the actual content of the Bible and showing how it fits together. Second, in my sermons, I’m going to talk about strategies for approaching the Bible, with sensitivity to its own time as well as to ours. I’m going to talk about what the Bible really is – and what it isn’t. Because the Bible actually matters – not as a weapon or a gimmick, but as a doorway to discovering God yesterday, today, and forever. Phone 715 842-2201 Website: www.fumcwausau.org
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Transcript
TH
E M
ES
SE
NG
ER
FI
RS
T U
NI
TE
D M
ET
HO
DI
ST
C
HU
RC
H O
F W
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SA
U
september
2015
FROM PASTOR JERRY’S DESK
Never-Before Revealed Secrets of the Bible!
In 1997, a book called The Bible Code was published by a journalist named
Michael Drosnin. The point of the book was that the original Hebrew text of
the Old Testament contained secret messages, many of which foretold the
future.
Sometimes this code could be retrieved by counting “equidistant letters.”
Suppose you took every fiftieth Hebrew letter in Genesis (not counting
spaces) and then put them together, adding spaces where necessary. It might
spell out a secret message! Or here’s another way it might work. Put all the
Hebrew letters of a Bible book in rows, with the same number of letters (say
100) in each row, and print them in squares with justified margins. It would
look like a Word Search puzzle. Then, just as with a Word Search, you try
reading it backwards and forwards, up and down, and diagonally. Amaz-
ingly, words appear! By this method, Drosnin found that the ancient Hebrew
manuscripts predicted the assassinations of both JFK and Yitzhak Rabin! (In
the consonantal Hebrew: YPhK and RBN.) The book sold millions of copies.
But it’s just possible that Drosnin was working with a few suspect
presuppositions. For instance, he presupposes that God was involved in the
writing of the books right down to the individual letters. He also presupposes
that the apparent meaning of scripture – the stories, songs, laws, teachings,
and speeches – are at one level just a pretext for other, hidden, messages.
And he presupposes that the current events of about the turn of the 21st
century were just so darn important to God that the writing of the Bible was
shaped by God’s need to insert messages about our time in books written
thousands of years earlier. Think about it! The Bible predicts JFK’s death!
We must be incredibly important if even the Bible is really all about us!
As I say, I think all these presuppositions are, shall we say, suspect. But
Drosnin worked with one other premise, which I believe is accurate. He
presupposed that people would uncritically accept any rubbish so long as it
had the word “Bible” attached to it. That much, at least, is true.
Why is that? Because we know that the Bible is somehow from God, but we
don’t really know what’s in it. Why don’t we know the Bible? Because, let’s
face it, it’s hard. It’s written in literary forms that we aren’t familiar with,
using strange metaphors, referring to people and places we’ve never heard
of. It’s long, and it’s confusing. It already feels like a secret code to us, so
Drosnin’s bilge sounds credible.
This fall, we’re going to try to make the Bible more accessible, in two ways.
First of all, on Wednesday nights and during Sunday education time, I’ll be
repeating my Scripture Core class, surveying the actual content of the Bible
and showing how it fits together. Second, in my sermons, I’m going to talk
about strategies for approaching the Bible, with sensitivity to its own time as
well as to ours. I’m going to talk about what the Bible really is – and what it
isn’t. Because the Bible actually matters – not as a weapon or a gimmick, but
as a doorway to discovering God yesterday, today, and forever.
Sunday, September 20
8:00am - Morning Chapel
10:00am - Worship
“Morality Tale or Story”
2 Samuel 11-12
Sunday, September 27, United Methodist Women
8:00am - Morning Chapel
10:00am - Worship
“Prescription or Description”
1 Corinthians 11:2-16
*We observe Open Communion. All are welcome at
God’s table.
Sermon Series: The Problem with the Bible
Sunday, September 6
8:00am - Morning Chapel with Communion*
10:00am - Worship with Communion*
“What Do We Do with This Stuff?”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Sunday, September 13
8:00am - Morning Chapel
10:00am - Worship
“Science or Meaning”
Genesis 2:18-25
Other Events: First day of Sunday Morning classes
Church Purpose:Church Purpose:Church Purpose:
Live and Share God's LoveLive and Share God's Love
NON PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 542
WAUSAU, WI 54403
The Messenger First United Methodist Church of Wausau
YTD 2015 Total Expenses compared to YTD 2014 14,325.71 lower
YTD 2015 Other Income compared to YTD 2014 13,654.72 higher
YTD 2015 Endowment Transfer compared to 2014 15,000.00 higher
2015 Financial Audit Report
Every few years, we bring in an outside auditor to look over
our books, examine our processes, and make suggestions.
After all, the money we manage was entrusted to us by you
for ministry. We had an audit in 2012, and this past month we
had an accountant from Hack CPA come out and spend two
weeks with Karen Kellbach, our Financial Records
Supervisor. Here is a summary of his report.
Gary, the accountant, did find a few discrepancies that he
could not reconcile. In the end, we had to adjust our balance
by adding $254.66 to our books. That’s how far we had gotten
off balance in three years. Gary’s comment on this: “A high
degree of accuracy by your current financial records
supervisor is indicated by there being few errors found
and that the requiredamount of adjustment was a
relatively small dollaramount considering that last time
we assisted with a reconciliation was August 31, 2012.”
Gary did make some suggestions on things that the finance
committee can work on: consolidating and updating our
policies into a single document, establishing a regular external
review of bills paid by electronic fund transfer, and most of
all training a second person as a back-up to Karen Kellbach.
So long as she is the only one who knows how to perform
many of our financial tasks, we are exposed to considerable
risk of confusion.
So there are some things to work on. But you needed to know
that we are continuing to be careful with the money you give,
that Karen has (again) been shown to be trustworthy. Part of
your stewardship is to give financially to the church; part of
our stewardship to you is to be faithful and careful with those
gifts.
September 12 - Church Workday
On Saturday, September 12, between 8:00am
and 2:00pm, the Board of Trustees and the
Aesthetics Committee invite everyone to drop by
the church and help with some deep cleaning and
small maintenance. Donuts will be provided in
the morning, and we will grill lunch in the
courtyard. Quilters are especially invited to use
their talents to create a new banner for the
Fellowship Hall.
Yes, we know it’s ArtRageous Weekend. It will
already be a good day to be downtown. Spend
some of the day with us, and then enjoy the
attractions and exhibits that start two blocks
away.
CARE
Page 3
Savvy Seniors
will meet at
11:30am on
M o n d a y ,
September 14 (not on the 7th, which is Labor
Day), at Red Eye on Washington
Street.
Milestones
Deaths: Several of our members
are grieving for loved ones who
have died. We grieve with them.
We grieve with Joe Riehle, whose
mother, Belle Riehle, died June 6.
We grieve also with Carrie
Hockerman, whose grandmother,
Ethel Cairns, died on July 4.
We grieve with Sue Carole
Volovsek, whose mother-in-law,
Olga Volovsek, died on July 21.
And we grieve with Beth Rohland,
who lost two family members in
one week. Beth’s cousin, Deanna
Witte, died on August 2, and then
Beth’s grandmother, Wilma
Gilmore, died on August 5.
Be in prayer for all who mourn,
especially these we know and love.
Baptism: But we also rejoice. We
welcomed Wynter Tesch into our
fellowship on August 23 through
the Sacrament of Baptism. Wynter
will begin our Confirmation
program this fall as she seeks to
deepen her faith in Christ. A Dementia-Friendly Church - Special Class Offered
Through the Downtown Memory Café, First UMC Wausau has already
reached out to the seniors of our community who struggle with memory loss
issues - in themselves and their loved ones. But is there more we can do?
Starting Wednesday evening, September 9, Cindy Wachsmuth of Azura
Memory Care (and a regular volunteer at our Memory Café) will offer a four-
session exploration of dementia for those seeking to help, especially in the
church. Sessions include “Praising Beyond Dementia” and “Cognitive
Rehabilitation and Memory Enhancement: Evidence-Based Interventions for
Older Adults.” People interested in working with our Memory Café, this class
is ideal for you, as it is for those who are dealing with dementia personally.
Class will begin at 6:00pm, September 9, 16, 23, and 30, after dinner at
5:15pm.
* Signifies an honored elder in a senior facility. We invite you this month to
remember these members in your prayers.
1 Janet Wyrick Jace Cole 2 Jerry Evans Chloé Larson 3 Morgan Stamp 4 Dawn Decker Jerry Volkman 6 Will Wyrick 7 Ray Nowaczyk Kathryn Schmidt 8 Rob Rybarczyk 10 John Burke 11 Grace Wylie 12 Barbara Day Sue Carole Volovsek
14 Dan Emmerich Julia Ebert
16 Betty Fraser* Cheyenne Schepp Ginny Grothe
17 Jim Boelz Bruce Brandenburg Patty Gokey
18 Ann Harmon
19 MaDonna McMahan Joyce Scheffler Curt Day Jessica Wenzel
20 Leah Stratton
21 Florence Ross* Mary Borchardt Dave Branson Martie Pahris
22 Catherine Koss
23 Lawrence Muelver
24 Dave Seiser Cathy Hamblin
25 Bernadette Bruner
26 Betsy Larson
27 Nick Harvey Dennis Sauer Lisa Dahl
28 Leslie Waterman
29 Kay Harmon
30 Doris Carlson James Wadinski Porter Emmerich
CARE / OUTREACH
UNITED
METHODIST
WOMEN
Circle Meetings
September 3 - Love-Hope Circle
5:30pm - Chang Garden
7:00pm - Church Parlor
September 9 - Mary-Faith Circle
9:15am - Church Parlor.
Other Upcoming Events
August 27
6:30pm - Executive Committee
September 2
9:30am - Sunshine Gals
September 19
9:00am - District Annual Gathering;
Wisconsin Rapids
September 27
UMW Sunday
September 29
6:30pm - Unit Meeting
Page 4
GROWING FAITH
COMMUNITY GARDEN
The ecumenical community garden
that our church supports, along with a
half-dozen other downtown churches,
is looking for volunteers to help with
the watering and harvesting of the
vegetables.
We also need straw bales! The
community garden is looking for straw
bales for next year’s garden. If you
are interested in volunteering or have
bales that you would like to donate or
that we can purchase, please contact
Jeff at 715-571-3418 or 715-848-
8378 .
Part of caring for each other is getting to know each other outside of
church - as real people. Preferably real people with hot dogs, hot cocoa,
and marshmallows. Here’s your chance!
September 27, after church, join a caravan to Willow
Springs Gardens (5480 Hillcrest Drive, off Highway K) for
an afternoon of fall games and fun. Good for kids, for
parents, for singles, for all.
Cost: $6/adult or $2/child
(The Packers play Monday of that week.)
Mission u Report
Wisconsin United Methodist Women’s Mission u wrapped up Friday, July
25, with an Overview Day of spiritual growth, hymns, and fellowship.
The 4-Day event with three studies was held at the Westwood Conference
Center in Wausau July 20-24. Including Overview Day, 200 people
attended Mission u. Between the 4-Day event and Overview Day, $2,143
was raised for the UMW Mission Pledge and $900 was raised for United
Methodist Children's Services.
On Overview Day, Michelle Hopp led a Bible Study on Luke 13:10-17
talking about Jesus’ loving interpretation of the law, Dr. Larry Goebel
talked about John 9:1-41 and disability theology, and Rev. Fernando Siaba
led the cultural study on Latin America. Finally, Laura Ida and Rev. Mary
Kathryn Pearce summarized the “Created for Happiness” study.
SAVE October 4TH FOR THE WAUSAU AREA CROP WALK
For the 38th year, area residents have an opportunity to participate in an
anti-hunger walk that benefits people in need around the world as well as
those receiving assistance from our local food pantries.
CROP is a relief effort of Church World Service. Twenty-five percent of
the funds raised will go to The Salvation Army, The Neighbors Place and
local pantries. Walkers or their sponsors may choose one of 180 cooper-
ating religious and non-sectarian relief organizations (see Interaction.org).
We will walk the first Sunday in October, beginning at 12:30 p.m. at the
Marathon Park bandstand. There will be 2k, 5k and 10k routes to
accommodate walkers of all ages and abilities. For more information or to
request a pledge envelope, call Margaret Getzin at 715-842-9254.
Page 9
Conference and Connections
Introducing Forrest Wells
In 2014, the Wisconsin Annual Conference voted to
re-organize our district structure and add one District
Superintendent to the four we already had. The
Conference was responding to the sense that churches
no longer knew their DS. Often it felt that a DS only had
time to deal with churches in crisis. But churches that
were doing well - or even just getting by - are also a part
of our conference connection.
Through this change, we are now a part of a new
district called the North Central District, and we have a
new DS, Forrest Wells, who is already living here in
Wausau. Since we should be seeing him regularly, you
should know a little about him.
Forrest comes to this role after serving as the Lead
Pastor at the Cargill UMC in Janesville; but before that,
he was a District Superintendent in the Madison area.
He knows this area though. One of his first appoint-
ments was in Plover.
Forrest is known in the Conference as a listener,
someone who can work well with others despite
personality and theological differences. He is a member
of the “Clergy Covenant Team,” which was formed for
the purpose of teaching ministers how to get along with
each other. He approaches the superintendency as a
pastor first and administrator second.
Just before taking his new role, Forrest took a sabbatical
leave. Half of his planned leave - a trip to the Galapagos
Islands - was cancelled when the boat he was supposed
to take sank; but before that, he spent several weeks in
Turkey in the ancient cities that witnessed the rise of the
church. Here is Forrest on that trip:
Join Bishop Jung on a Pilgrimage
to the Holy Land
Join Bishop Jung on a ten-day journey to the Biblical
Lands of Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan February
16-25, 2016. Extend the trip with the option of an
additional four days to explore more of the Wonders
of Jordan and Petra. Flights will depart from Chicago
to Tel Aviv. For any questions, contact Rev. Forrest
YTD 2015 Total Expenses compared to YTD 2014 14,325.71 lower
YTD 2015 Other Income compared to YTD 2014 13,654.72 higher
YTD 2015 Endowment Transfer compared to 2014 15,000.00 higher
2015 Financial Audit Report
Every few years, we bring in an outside auditor to look over
our books, examine our processes, and make suggestions.
After all, the money we manage was entrusted to us by you
for ministry. We had an audit in 2012, and this past month we
had an accountant from Hack CPA come out and spend two
weeks with Karen Kellbach, our Financial Records
Supervisor. Here is a summary of his report.
Gary, the accountant, did find a few discrepancies that he
could not reconcile. In the end, we had to adjust our balance
by adding $254.66 to our books. That’s how far we had gotten
off balance in three years. Gary’s comment on this: “A high
degree of accuracy by your current financial records
supervisor is indicated by there being few errors found
and that the requiredamount of adjustment was a
relatively small dollaramount considering that last time
we assisted with a reconciliation was August 31, 2012.”
Gary did make some suggestions on things that the finance
committee can work on: consolidating and updating our
policies into a single document, establishing a regular external
review of bills paid by electronic fund transfer, and most of
all training a second person as a back-up to Karen Kellbach.
So long as she is the only one who knows how to perform
many of our financial tasks, we are exposed to considerable
risk of confusion.
So there are some things to work on. But you needed to know
that we are continuing to be careful with the money you give,
that Karen has (again) been shown to be trustworthy. Part of
your stewardship is to give financially to the church; part of
our stewardship to you is to be faithful and careful with those
gifts.
September 12 - Church Workday
On Saturday, September 12, between 8:00am
and 2:00pm, the Board of Trustees and the
Aesthetics Committee invite everyone to drop by
the church and help with some deep cleaning and
small maintenance. Donuts will be provided in
the morning, and we will grill lunch in the
courtyard. Quilters are especially invited to use
their talents to create a new banner for the
Fellowship Hall.
Yes, we know it’s ArtRageous Weekend. It will
already be a good day to be downtown. Spend
some of the day with us, and then enjoy the
attractions and exhibits that start two blocks
away.
CARE
Page 3
Savvy Seniors
will meet at
11:30am on
M o n d a y ,
September 14 (not on the 7th, which is Labor
Day), at Red Eye on Washington
Street.
Milestones
Deaths: Several of our members
are grieving for loved ones who
have died. We grieve with them.
We grieve with Joe Riehle, whose
mother, Belle Riehle, died June 6.
We grieve also with Carrie
Hockerman, whose grandmother,
Ethel Cairns, died on July 4.
We grieve with Sue Carole
Volovsek, whose mother-in-law,
Olga Volovsek, died on July 21.
And we grieve with Beth Rohland,
who lost two family members in
one week. Beth’s cousin, Deanna
Witte, died on August 2, and then
Beth’s grandmother, Wilma
Gilmore, died on August 5.
Be in prayer for all who mourn,
especially these we know and love.
Baptism: But we also rejoice. We
welcomed Wynter Tesch into our
fellowship on August 23 through
the Sacrament of Baptism. Wynter
will begin our Confirmation
program this fall as she seeks to
deepen her faith in Christ. A Dementia-Friendly Church - Special Class Offered
Through the Downtown Memory Café, First UMC Wausau has already
reached out to the seniors of our community who struggle with memory loss
issues - in themselves and their loved ones. But is there more we can do?
Starting Wednesday evening, September 9, Cindy Wachsmuth of Azura
Memory Care (and a regular volunteer at our Memory Café) will offer a four-
session exploration of dementia for those seeking to help, especially in the
church. Sessions include “Praising Beyond Dementia” and “Cognitive
Rehabilitation and Memory Enhancement: Evidence-Based Interventions for
Older Adults.” People interested in working with our Memory Café, this class
is ideal for you, as it is for those who are dealing with dementia personally.
Class will begin at 6:00pm, September 9, 16, 23, and 30, after dinner at
5:15pm.
* Signifies an honored elder in a senior facility. We invite you this month to
remember these members in your prayers.
1 Janet Wyrick Jace Cole 2 Jerry Evans Chloé Larson 3 Morgan Stamp 4 Dawn Decker Jerry Volkman 6 Will Wyrick 7 Ray Nowaczyk Kathryn Schmidt 8 Rob Rybarczyk 10 John Burke 11 Grace Wylie 12 Barbara Day Sue Carole Volovsek
14 Dan Emmerich Julia Ebert
16 Betty Fraser* Cheyenne Schepp Ginny Grothe
17 Jim Boelz Bruce Brandenburg Patty Gokey
18 Ann Harmon
19 MaDonna McMahan Joyce Scheffler Curt Day Jessica Wenzel
20 Leah Stratton
21 Florence Ross* Mary Borchardt Dave Branson Martie Pahris