August  2004

The Pastor’s Column

By Rodney Newman

 Faithful

   I received word this week that Jayne Montgomery had died. Jayne was one of the members of my church in Purcell and one of the finest persons I have known.

   Our connection predates my appointment to her church. Ann and I knew her daughter, Holly, when we lived in Tulsa. When we arrived in Purcell we discovered even more of her standing and respect in that community. She and her husband, Henry, had established a law practice together some years before and had been of service to hundreds of area residents. When Henry began to develop Alzheimer’s disease, Jayne faithfully maintained the practice while also tending to Henry’s care.

   Everyone loved and respected Jayne. She greeted you with a smile and you always felt better having been in her presence. Even into her 80s, she could be found teaching children’s Sunday School, visiting the nursing homes, and supporting young people in their education.

   Jayne always exuded hope and joy even though her life experience gave her ample reason to be bitter. When her first husband was lost at sea during World War II, Jayne responded by entering law school at OU to provide a future for their little baby. While there she met Henry Montgomery who embraced Jayne and her daughter then welcomed two more daughters into their lives. Tragedy struck again when she lost one of her daughters, only 40 years old, to brain cancer and then her robust husband to the lingering effects of Alzheimer’s. Through it all, Jayne chose to greet life as full of possibilities. She even found love late in life; three years ago I officiated at her wedding to Bob Looney.

   Whenever I think of someone who models the way of Christ, I think of Jayne Montgomery. She gave of herself with no expectation of return and loved every person regardless of their station in life. We’ll miss you, Jayne. May all the angels bear you to your rich reward.

Vacation Bible School

August 9-13

All children from preschool to fifth Grade are invited to come learn about heroes in the Bible, such as Daniel and Esther. They will also discover the hero inside themselves.

We begin each night with a snack supper at 5:30 with bible school from 6:00 to 8:00. We’ll have activities, games, and, of course, snacks.

Call the church office to register any child who wishes to come.

August Sunday School Series

Once again this year all the adult and youth Sunday School classes will gather in the Youth Activities Room for a special series of lessons during the month of August. This year’s theme is Christianity and the Arts. We begin the series with Judith Hankins. Judith designed and made the new paraments and stoles introduced on our anniversary Sunday. She will discuss Christian symbols and the meaning of liturgical art.

Announcements 

Natalie Rose Shalin was born on July 21, 2004 in Houston, Texas. She weighed in at 7 pounds 7 oz and was 20 inches long. She is the daughter of Sara and Kevin Shalin. Proud grandparents are Ken and Lucia Copeland.

This Month In Worship

Tell Me A Parable

New Testament scholar Leander Keck notes that the parables of Jesus are not simply cute ways of illustrating a point; rather, they invite us into a different way of seeing the world. This month, we’ll explore some of these parables from Luke’s Gospel where Jesus speaks right to the heart of our cherished assumptions.

                                             Reverend Newman

Sermon Titles & Texts

August 1        Youth Sunday

                      Colossians 3:1-11

                   Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

August 8        Choosing One’s Neighbors

                   Luke 10:25-37

                   Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

August 15     A Roomful of No-shows

                   Luke 14:15-24

                   Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

August 22     The Burden of Being Oldest

                   Luke 15:11-32

                    Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

August 29     An Annoying Plaintiff

                   Luke 18:1-8

                   Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Children’s Ministry

Summer Sunday Morning Schedule

 9:30-10:00     Gathering assembly for ages 3 to 5th grade in the library/choir

                    room.

 10:00-10:45     Age level classes. Pre-K to 1st grade are in the creation room. Grades 2 to 5 are in the yellow room on the end of the east hall.

Coming this Fall!

 We will begin rotational Sunday School in September. This method of teaching using learning centers will provide many opportunities for more people to be involved in our children’s ministry and bring renewed excitement to our curriculum.

Music Ministry

Fall Rehearsals

Just a reminder that Chancel Choir (7:00 p.m.), Handbells AND Children's Choir (6:00 p.m.) begin on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8. This is a change for the Children's Choir, so please make a special note of that. We have some great music for the children this fall and they will also begin rehearsals for the Christmas Pageant that will be presented on December 19, so please make a special note of this change.

The Christmas Cantata that will combine all of our Musical Ensembles will be on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12 at the 11:00 a.m. service.

Mission News

Skyline Clothes For Kids

The smile on a kid's face as they try on new clothes for school is a precious sight. Knowing they can begin the school year in new clothes and shoes helps them feel good about who they are. Thursday evening, August 12, is our night to help children go shopping for their new school clothes. We will meet at the church at 5:30 to go to the Skyline Urban Ministries McKee Center for the 'shopping evening'. If you would like to be a part of this adventure, call Marcia Brown, 525-2722. If you would like to help provide some of the new clothes or shoes for the kids just bring them to the church and place them in the colorful cart in the garden room. All sizes are needed. Or you can give money to buy what is needed, by writing "Skyline Clothes for Kids" on the envelope or check.

Skyline Peanut Butter Drive

The Skyline Urban Ministries Food Pantry is serving about 75 individuals each day, 5 days a week, with groceries for their families. Skyline's food pantry is trying to meet the needs of people who find themselves in troubling times. Sometimes Skyline must close the doors soon after opening because the number of families that can be served on that day has been reached.

One of the staples of each bag of groceries given to the families is peanut butter. It is a favorite of children and adults alike and several meals can be made from 1 jar. Last year during VBS over 100 jars of Peanut Butter were donated by the Crown Heights church family. We'd like to be able to go beyond that number this year. The week of August 8 - 15 is your chance to donate peanut butter for this drive. Bring your jars to the church any time during the day or evening or during worship and we'll see that Skyline gets them all the following week. October is our designated month to donate canned food to Skyline. This Peanut Butter Drive is an additional way to serve those in the city who are in need.

Whiz Kids To Resume in September

Becoming a friend and mentor to a child is one of the most important gifts a person can give a child. Helping that child learn to read is even more of a gift. You have the opportunity to do both each Thursday afternoon throughout the school year with children from the Crown Heights neighbor-hood who attend Putnam Heights Elementary School. Whiz Kids is a program that pairs a suburban church (in our case Mayflower Congre-gational Church) with an urban church (Crown Heights UMC) to help tutor and mentor children who are at risk in their school. We pick the children up from school at 3 p.m., come back to the church for a snack, reading time, and a Bible story/game time. Then we take the children to their homes at 5 p.m. The tutors stay with the same child all year, so a relationship and trust can be built. With that trust the child can learn so much more and can know they are cared for by a Christian adult. If you would like to be a Whiz Kids tutor call Janet Kingsolver (524-3895) or the church office. We begin our second year of Whiz Kids in early September, so call soon.

Mission Trip to Rio Bravo

 If you haven't heard about the trip to Rio Bravo yet, you may be missing out on one of the most spiritual, fun, and growth opportunities of your life. On December 27 a group of the Crown Heights UMC family will depart for a week of service to the people in Rio Bravo, Mexico. We will be building 2 casitas, which are small block homes, and working in a medical clinic during the week. A wonderful New Year's Eve celebration is being planned for the group before they leave to come home on January 1. To be a part of this group, or for more information, call Bruce Pitts (843-7684).