THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER “Serve, Teach, and Love As We Grow In Faith” ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ APRIL 2017 The Empty Grave: Fact or Fiction Abraham Lincoln never claimed to be a Christian. His closest friends agreed that Lincoln was not a Christian in any orthodox sense of the word, regardless of the religious language in some of his speeches. Lincoln was not believed to be a “Christian” at age 20 nor at age 50. When he was making an old woman's will, he could, at her request, repeat for her a psalm he had memorized. After the death of their young son, Eddie, Mary joined the Presbyte- rian church and Lincoln rented a pew in the church, and became friendly with the minister; but he would not himself become a church member. He said, “Probably it is to be my lot to go on in a twilight, feeling and reasoning my way through life, as questioning, doubting Thomas did.” It was still the day of Jesus’ Resurrection. His closest followers were holed up “behind closed doors” as they were afraid that they would be next to be arrested. Jesus appeared to those who were present and sent them out into the world to share His Spirit with all. Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared and, when the others told him what had taken place in his absence, he refused to believe in the Risen Savior without visual proof. Eight days later Jesus appeared again, this time in Thomas’ presence. Jesus told Thomas to touch the holes in his hands and side. Thomas responded with, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus then said, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet be- lieve!” I find it interesting that Abraham Lincoln apparently could not grasp the concept of a Savior who would die for his sins. As he himself said, he preferred to “reason” his way through life. It causes me to wonder if his lack of faith in a Risen Savior has anything to do with the lack of joy found in most pictures and depictions of Lincoln. I also wonder about Thomas, who traveled with and listened as Jesus told his followers (many times) that he would have to die and then would return in three days. How could he refuse to believe in the Risen Savior without absolute proof. And yet today, in 2017, there are millions who did not witness Jesus’ resurrection and yet believe that it is true. I am absolutely convinced, without a doubt that Jesus not only died on the cross, but that he was resurrected on the third day. For me, the empty grave is absolute fact. How do I know without a doubt? Because I have felt Jesus’ grace wash over my life, cleansing me of the sin of my past. I am witness to the positive changes Jesus’ life, death, and res- urrection have made in my life. He removed my anger issues long ago. His presence and influence have benefited my relationships, my family, and my own self-image. My prayer for you this Easter is that God gives you the ability to see with new eyes what Jesus’ death and resurrection can and will do to give you new life and a joy beyond words. Easter Blessings, Pastor Kathy
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THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER “Serve, Teach, and Love As We Grow In Faith” _____ _____ APRIL 2017 The Empty Grave: Fact or Fiction
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THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
NEWSLETTER “Serve, Teach, and Love As We Grow In Faith”
Sincere sympathy is extended to the family and friends of
Myrtle Kelley who passed away on March 18, 2017.
Memorial Gifts UNDESIGNATED FUND
In Memory Of:
Warren Loveland from the Chuck & Ruth Buswell
MUSIC FUND
In Memory Of:
Warren Loveland from Margaret Rewald
Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus and his disciples dined together for the last time before his death. The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for commandment (mandatum), which Jesus talked about when he told his disciples that he was leav-ing them “a new commandment,” that they “love one another...just as I have loved you, so you are to love each other.” Although the focus of the Maundy Thursday ser-vice is Jesus’ institution of Holy Communion.
ends at 10:15 a.m. (Children are encouraged to attend
church with their families at 9:00 a.m. They will be dis-
missed to go to Sunday School following the Children’s
Message). The Sunday School classrooms are unsuper-
vised until 9:20 a.m. Please remain with your child until an
adult arrives.
Like our Facebook page Black River Falls Sunday School
to see photos of our activities. You can also go to the
church’s website, www.brfumc.org for photos and other
information.
YOUTH BIRTHDAYS
APR 6 Stephanie Brauner
APR 12 Annaliese Rave
APR 30 Lauren Lund
FAMILY SUNDAY: There will be NO Family Sunday in
April because of Easter Sunday, however the Sunday
School classes will be singing with the Choir on Palm
Sunday, April 9 during Special Music. Sunday School
will resume after Special Music.
ROTATION MODEL: The Sunday School classes will
continue doing the “Symbols of Holy Week” Rotation
Model in April. In this Rotation the children will read
stories related to the Holy Week and will learn the events
of the Holy Week. Ask your child about the “Resurrection
Eggs” we have been using in the classrooms.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!!!!!
NO SUNDAY SCHOOL EASTER SUNDAY, April
16,. There will be 2 Worship Services offered at 7:30
a.m. and 9:00 a.m. After the 7:30 a.m. Worship Ser-
vice, join us in the Fellowship Hall for a breakfast to
raise money for the Trunk or Treat event that will be
held in October.
SUNDAY SCHOOL YEAR END PROGRAM, “Fun in
the Son”, will be held May 21 at 9:00 a.m. Watch for
more info in the May newsletter. An email will also be
sent.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL will be held August 14-
17. A meal will be served from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
with a VBS start time of 6:00 p.m. We are in need of
substitutes, teachers, and helpers for VBS. Contact
Beth Bue if you are able to help us out.
RECYCLING: Thank you to everyone who has brought
in ink cartridges and cell phones for recycling. This fund-
raiser is used to purchase Vacation Bible School supplies.
Please continue bringing in your ink cartridges and old
cell phones. There are boxes in the front entryway, by the
Church Office, and by the Youth Rooms for the ink car-
tridges and cell phones.
If you know of someone who is in the hos-pital or who is working through medical issues at home, please call the church of-fice so that the Pastor is aware of the need and can respond accordingly.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ If you know of an individual or family that is working through health issues, hospitali-zation, or some other crisis and could benefit from the gift of a meal, please call the church office and Jill will pass the in-formation to our Caring Meal Crew.
Our Church Family Night menu for the month of April: April 5 Cold Sandwiches Chips Raw Veggies Desserts Beverages April 12 Holy Week—No Dinner April 19 Barbecues Chips Baked Beans Desserts Beverages April 26 Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches , Tomato Soup Desserts Beverages Every week there will be hot dogs and peanut but-ter/jelly available. Plan to join us on Wednesday evenings. Everyone Welcome!! A free-will offering of $4.00 per person or $10.00 per family is requested if you are able to pay. Your contributions for the meals will help us to be able to continue this program and have meals available for our youth each week. Thank you.
There’s still time to
sign up for summer camp!!!!
Summer Camps for all ages are pro-
vided at Pine Lake and Lake Lu-
cerne. The power of camp is lifelong
friendships, outdoor adventure, positive Christian
role models, and meaningful conversations. The
campers that attend camp share with us how their
faith is strengthened and how they become closer to
God. If you are interested in attending camp this
summer check out www.WIUMCamps.org or con-
tact camp coordinators, Beth Bue 715-284-7494 or
Suzanne Goldsmith 715-896-0224.
Come and Eat Easter Breakfast with your Church Family! Sunday, April 16 - 8:00-9:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Menu: Crockpot Eggs, Cinnamon Rolls, Mini Muffins, Fresh Fruit, Juice, and Coffee
Free-Will Donation Proceeds will go toward candy for Trunk or Treat here in our church parking lot in October
Did you know that you can sponsor the Bulletins or the Radio Broadcast on a Sunday in memory or in honor of loved ones? The cost is:
Bulletins—$20.00 per Sunday
Radio Broadcast—$100.00 per Sunday You can also provide Altar Flowers for a special Sunday. Please call Jill in the Church Office (715-284-4114) to schedule the Sunday of your choice.
Health Kits for
Homeless Shelters and Programs Can you imagine starting your day without
being able to brush your teeth or not having soap
and a wash cloth with which to wash your face? The
Mission Outreach Committee will soon be packing
health kits for homeless men, women, and children
at Harbor House, Superior, WI and at Northcott
Center, Milwaukee.
Each of these health kits will cost approxi-
mately $15 to $18. To defray these costs, a special
collection will be held during the worship service on
May 7. If you choose to write a check, please make
the check payable to the Black River Falls United
Methodist Church and write “Health Kits” in the
memo line.
In 2016, thanks to the generosity of this con-
gregation, the committee was able to pack 32 kits.
All of the items for each kit must fit into a one gal-
lon zip-lock plastic bag. We have an ample inven-
tory of unused zip-lock plastic bags from previous
years, so let’s now try to fill them!
Good Friday, also known as "Holy Friday," is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday. Good Friday commemorates the day Jesus died on the cross. Jesus was believed to have died the Friday before the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday).
Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was defi-nitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27). How-ever, the results of Christ’s death are very good! “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) We learn in I Peter 3:18 that, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.” So, although Friday was not a “good” day for Jesus, through Jesus God made Friday a good day for all of us, who are redeemed through Jesus’ death.
This year we will offer a combined Taize’/Tenebrae worship service with reflective singing, meditative read-ings, and the extinguishing of the candles in the sanctu-ary.
Good Friday Taize’/Tenebrae Worship Ser-vice: April 14, 7:00 pm
I Second the Emotion: Untangling Our Zany Feelings by Patsy Clairmont
Author Patsy Clairmont tackles a subject most women feel at a loss to approach—their feelings. She takes one of the most popular topics at the Women of Faith conferences and shows how we can deal with a turbulent emotional life. This book is about helping us to untangle those emotions, finding where they hide and exposing them to God's grace. The author's command of God's Word, and unique humor bounce the reader between laughter and tears, helping us find grace, freedom, and a sense of humor in life's darkest times. Let God help you get untangled! You will find this book in the nonfiction section, call number 284.4 CL Rhoda Gulso