Gather Up the Fragments

In a recent issue of Weavings magazine, Flora Slosson Wuellner reflected on the story of Jesus feeding the multitude with a handful of food. She noted that in John’s Gospel, Jesus instructs the disciples to “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” Most people would have seen the scraps as something to be discarded, no longer of any use. But Jesus saw these leftovers with a much different perspective. He regarded them as sacred; that when brought together in a new way they would be transformed into something wonderful again.

The season of Lent provides us an opportunity to acknowledge the fragments of our lives and to lift them to God for healing and wholeness. The sermons during Lent this year will focus on the healing of our brokenness: our broken pasts and dreams, dashed expectations, suffering, and wounded souls. I invite us all to be a little vulnerable, to be honest with ourselves and with God in holding up our broken places to a God who cares and sees these fragments of our lives as sacred.

Ash Wednesday Service

March 1 at 6:00 p.m.

We will gather in the sanctuary for this special service as we mark the beginning of Lent. It will be a time of music, prayer, and the reading of Scripture to prepare our hearts for a time of repentance. We will include a service of burning where

you may write your concerns and hopes on a slip of paper then commit

it to the flames as a prayer. Everyone will be invited to come forward

to receive the imposition of ashes in the sign of the cross on your

forehead.

Crown Heights Café Reopens

The Crown Heights’ Cafe is back "by popular demand." Sally Hayes and Company hosted opening night February 22. The Crown Heights’ Cafe will be open once a month through the end of May and with good reviews there are plans to continue in the fall. Bring your families and friends and come to the Fellowship Hall on the last Wednesday evening of the month between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Enjoy a delicious meal prepared by those who lovingly share their gifts of hospitality. Come relax, eat, and fellowship along with your church family in a "kid friendly" place. Meals are served "hot and ready" at only $3.00 per person. What a deal!

Upcoming Cafe Dates: March 29, April 26, May 31.

 UMW Executive Meetings

The UMW will be having Executive meetings on the last Wednesday evening of each month through the month of May beginning at 6:00 p.m. Chairpersons and one member from each of the current active Circles are encouraged to attend these meetings as each Circle needs to have input when planning future events and making decisions on how we can use our resources most effectively. To facilitate these meetings, each of the three established Circles (Share, Amity, and Deborah) will share in the responsibility of presiding over the meetings and coordinating activities during a 4-month period.

Share Circle – January – April

Amity – May – August

Deborah – September – December

At our meeting in January, a budget was voted on, ideas for "group building" and fund raisers were discussed, and a time-line set to put together a new UMW directory.

This Month in Worship

Lenten Series on Healing our Brokenness

 

We begin our journey toward the cross and Easter this month with communion in both services on March 5. We continue with music, hymns, Scripture readings, and prayers that guide us through this significant season of Lent.

 

Sermon Titles & Texts

 

  March 5   Gather Up the Fragments

                     John 6:1-14

                     First Sunday of Lent

 

                     March 12   Don Vaught, Guest Preacher

                     Second Sunday of Lent

 

   March 19   What Dreams May Come

                     Romans 4:13-25

                     Third Sunday of Lent

 

March 26   How Good Do We Have to Be?

                  Matthew 7:12-14, 21-23

                     Fourth Sunday of Lent

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Music Ministry

by George Massey

 Lenten Music Series

During the five Sundays preceding our Palm Sunday John Rutter service, we will present the five movements of John Leavitt's Missa Festiva. This beautiful Mass will serve as an excellent introduction to the Rutter requiem on Palm Sunday and our Holy Week services.

Palm Sunday Musical Service

On Palm Sunday, April 9, we will present an all John Rutter musical service. The central selection will be his wonderful Requiem (Abridged). This superb composition is in seven movements that form an arch-like meditation on the themes of life and death.    The first and last movements are prayers offered on behalf of all humanity, movements 2 and 6 are psalms, 3 and 5 are personal prayers to Christ, and the central Sanctus is a glorious affirmation of divine glory. We feel this will be a very moving musical journey as we begin Holy Week.

 We will also present a section from his Te Deum for our Introit and a wonderful composition for organ as our Prelude. To highlight the dramatic content of this composition, Robert Trobaugh will serve as narrator and seven of our youth and children will also assist in the presentation.

 Children’s Ministry

by Jenifer Thompson

 Children’s Sunday School

March 12 the children will begin a new curriculum, Easter Go and Tell. The Bible verse is: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mathew 28:19). They will be learning that Jesus rose from the dead, and through Jesus, God offers new life to people everywhere. They will discuss how each of us has unique abilities we can use to tell the good news of Jesus.

A big thanks goes out to the new Sunday School teachers: Hannah Chancellor in the 3-4 year old room, Melissa and Sean Milburn in the 5-7 year old room, and Roxie McKnight and Ann Newman in the 8-10 year old room.

Children’s Choir Sings

March 5 during the 11:00 a.m. service

Acolyte Schedule for March

          5     Jordan Rice & Mitchel Williams

         12     Sam Endicott & Zach Armstrong

         19     Carus Newman & Johnathan Higgins

         26     Jacob Wallace & Jordan Rice

 

March Children’s Moment

                      5     Choir Sings

                     15     Lee Endicott

                     19     Jenifer Thompson

                     26     Jan Zisman

 

February Nursery Volunteers

                      5     Sean Milburn

                     12     Janet Kingsolver

                     19     Shelly Giese

                     26     Susie Wallace

 

Dates to Remember

 

March 19  Please bring candy to the children’s department for our Easter Egg hunt on April 16. Thanks for your donation.

April 2       Children’s Outreach Baby Shower for Infant Crisis Center during Sunday School. Bring a wrapped item to donate to the Center. The most needed items are formula, diapers, and wipes.

April 9       Palm Sunday Children’s Choir singing during 11:00 a.m. service.

April 16     Easter Egg Hunt on Church grounds during Sunday School (Don’t forget to dress in your Easter best)

 

Youth Ministry

by Mike Slack

 

Youth & Parents

 

Our participation in OCU’s Youth Service Day on March 4 is almost here. The schedule is as follows:

 

1:00 p.m.         Gather and Register

1:30-2:30 p.m.  Group Games

2:30-5:45 p.m.  TIME OF SERVICE IN COMMUNITY

5:45-6:30 p.m.  Hamburgers on the Quad Lawn

6:30-7:30 p.m.  Time of Worship

Everyone needs to sign an insurance waiver. You can pick one up this Sunday morning or evening. We will meet at the church at about 12:45 then van over to OCU then return to the church at 7:40ish. If you have any questions about the event please shoot me an e-mail with questions, comments, and concerns.

There is a lot of important youth information in this week’s newsletter. If you are not receiving the e-mail but would like to, please send an e-mail to mike@crownheightsumc.org requesting addition to the list. Have a great week! Grace and Peace.

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Missions

Pray for DeLene and Her Team

DeLene Moore is off again on a United Methodist volunteers medical mission. She and 10 other nursing students, professors, and a doctor will spend several days in March bringing medical care, smiles, hope and love to those who are in need in Mexico. If you would like to make a donation to help buy medicine and supplies, contact DeLene. We can all support this team through our prayers for their mission to these remote areas.

 Not Alone Day – Saturday April 22

On Saturday, April 22, our church will join with several congregations in our neighborhood to share the good news that “God is with us, we are not alone.” This coordinated effort will reach out to our neighbors with a message of care and acts of fellowship. We will join in such projects as holding a carnival and a health and information fair for the neighborhood, building wheelchair ramps, and writing cards of encouragement for shut-ins.

Please set aside Saturday, April 22, to be involved in this event. There will be sign up sheets at the church for you to commit to some activity on that day. For those with other commitments, you can participate beforehand to aid those working on the actual day. Look for more information in next month’s Trumpet.

 Saturday Night Alive

 Volunteering for Saturday Night Alive at Skyline was a very memorable experience. It was humbling to watch the people come in carrying everything they owned in backpacks and plastic sacks. They were so appreciative of the food that we gave them and were very grateful to be able to take extra food “home” with them. Partaking in the worship service was the most moving part of the night. These people were down on their luck, yet their faith was still strong. They really listened to what the preacher was saying, and they sang along to the hymns. Although they may have left with full stomachs, we left with full hearts and a greater appreciation of how blessed we truly are.

Glendon and Jayne Hudson