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March 2007
The Pastor’s Column
By Rodney Newman
Changing Seasons
The recently concluded sermon series on rites of
passage opened a number of opportunities for conversation. In my
preparation, I gained a greater appreciation for the care the church has
taken in recognizing the many stages of our life’s journeys. At each step of
the way, at every crossroad, we are reminded of the grace of God and given
the invitation to renew our commitment to our faith.
Many of you expressed appreciation for the dialogue
sermon with Rev. David Wilson from the Indian Missionary Conference. He
reminded us that our rituals are often diverse but also flexible in adapting
to changing times and locations.
The season of Lent brings another set of rituals, all
of which seek to shape us into the image of Christ. Some people give up
something, such as desserts or one meal a week, and others take on
something, such as visiting nursing homes or writing notes to friends. We
have already felt the dust of ashes on our foreheads. During Holy Week we
will gather to commemorate the Lord’s Supper and pray the lonely prayers
from the cross.
 During the Sundays of Lent, we have a display of small
candles by the pulpit. I encourage you to make a visit, light a candle or
two, and use that as a way to focus your prayers this season. As we stated
in our discussion on conversion, we live a life of repentance, we constantly
experience God in new ways. Let’s encourage each other in our spiritual
development even as we support one another through the seasons of our lives.
Lenten
Giving Tree for Missions
 Giving
on behalf of others is a traditional way to observe the season of Lent. You
may support
specific United
Methodist mission agencies through our giving tree. Select a particular
ministry
you wish to support
from the trees located in the narthex of the church and in the lobby of the
Youth Activities
Building. These trees have cards with the mission’s name and an amount
representing a
percentage of our church’s gift toward that cause. Take a card and return it
with
a check to the church
for the prescribed amount. Or you may wish to give a gift of any amount
to be used where most
needed in our missional giving. You may do so by mailing a check to the
church office or dropping your gift marked Easter Offering in the
offering plate.
St. Patrick’s Lunch
Sunday, March 11
 Get
an early start on your St. Patrick’s celebration with a special lunch at
noon on March 11. Come to the Fellowship Hall for Sally Hayes’ food
including shepherd’s pie, potato soup and cheese soup, green salad, and
Irish soda bread. Enjoy authentic Irish dancing provided by Jean Hill’s
School of Irish Dance.
Crown Heights
Café
March 28
Join
us Wednesday, March 28, for a time of fellowship and food at the Crown
Heights Café. This informal meal is served from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m. The
cost is $3.00 - $4.00 for adults, $2.00 for children 3 -11, and children
under 3 are free.
Subsequent dinner dates are April 25 and May 30.
Special Gifts
In Memory
of Del and Billye Bowman
Katherine
Berryman, Carol Bowman and Janis Riebe
In Memory
of Billye Bowman
William and
Eileen Dunn
Tech
Help Requested
Do you have computer
skills or audio digital media knowledge? We would like to enhance our
communication technology and we need someone who can help us transfer and
edit our digital recordings onto the computer for distribution. If you can
help or know someone who can, please call the office.
This
Month in Worship
by Reverend
Newman
The
Gospel of Luke guides us through the season of Lent this year. I encourage
you to make these texts a part of your devotions as we reflect together on
the cost of discipleship and the generous love of God.
Sermon Titles & Texts
Mar 4 Costly Honesty
Luke
13:31-35
Second
Sunday of Lent
Mar 11 Unequal
Equation
Luke
13:1-9
Third
Sunday of Lent
Mar 18 Searching Obsession
Luke
15:1-10
Fourth
Sunday of Lent
Mar 25 Bent But Not Broken
Luke 13:10-17
Fifth
Sunday of Lent
Chancel
Choir Dates
by George Massey
Easter
Handbells
We do
appreciate your participation in our two Easter services on Sunday, April 8.
We will have our dress rehearsal for the Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday
services on Saturday, March 31, 2007
from 10:00 a.m. until noon. We will only need the handbells for thirty
minutes of the two hours so we will determine that half hour when we
rehearse during March.
Chancel Choir
Just
a reminder that our dress rehearsal on Saturday, March 31, 2007 from 10:00
a.m. until noon will be for the Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday services.
Please note that we will appreciate your being robed at 8:00 a.m. on Easter
Sunday for the first service. (Breakfast will be served in between the
services!)
Children’s
Ministry News
by Ryan Steer
Children and Children’s Choir
We will rehearse our Palm Sunday palm procession and our
special anthem on Palm Sunday at
10:15 a.m.
 Easter
Egg Hunt
March 31
We will have our egg hunt early this year.
Make plans now for the Saturday before Palm Sunday, March 31, at
10:00 a.m. for this
festive time.
Youth News
by Tyler Kirk
March
4 is Confirmation Sunday! Congratulations to all the youth who went through
confirmation. Come and support the youth this Sunday at the 11:00 a.m.
service.
During youth on March 4 we will go to the Ronald McDonald House to prepare a
meal! I hope to see all the youth there for this great opportunity to serve.
We will meet at 4:00 and be done around
6:45 or 7:00 p.m.
The
youth would like to thank every one who participated this year in
confirmation through mentoring and sponsoring! Everything has worked out
really well. Thanks a lot.
Missions
Whiz Kids are:
·
Smart kids –
and kids still learning to read up to their potential.
·
Inquisitive
kids – and kids who can’t always read the answers to their questions.
·
Active kids
– and kids who quietly sit and read with their special tutor.
·
Loving kids
– and kids ready to receive more love.
·
Surprising
kids – and kids who inspire us with their insights, joys, and successes.
Whiz
Kids are here in our church each Thursday afternoon. We have opportunities
for more caring adults to be a part of this ministry so that even more
children can know the joy of this fellowship and learning experience. Call
Janet Kingsolver at 524-3895 for information on how to become a part of this
mission to the children in our neighborhood.
Habitat for
Humanity Day
March 17
Contact Cindy Krone at
613-7562 for details.
Not Alone Day
April 21
We're
counting down to April 21 for this year's “Not Alone Day.” We're joining
with Crown Heights Christian and First Presbyterian churches to help our
local community. Look at these ways you can participate:
- Refurbish
a house
- Check
smoke alarms
- Work
on yard cleanup
- Improve
our local Putnam Heights Elementary
- Make
baby blankets
- Make
cards for shut-ins
- Provide
lunch for those working
- Make
cookies for fire and police stations
These
are preliminary areas of support. Let me know of other areas of interest to
you that you would be willing to lead. I'll provide sign-up boards in the
Garden Area (where you've signed up for Pumpkin Patch support) to contribute where
you'd like!
Let's
get a massive group to help our own community and as we share God’s love in
service with our neighbors. Call me with any questions –
Greg Jorgensen
at 840-1878.
United Methodist Women News
The
Crown Heights United Methodist Women
Executive Committee (unit officers and circle chairpersons) will meet
Wednesday, March 14, at 6 p.m. Any and all are welcome to join us, but we
especially would like to have at least one person from each circle there.
Is
UMW for you?
United Methodist Women isn’t just any church women’s group; it’s one of the
largest women’s organizations in the world and is organized for
MISSION. In addition to
fellowship and spiritual growth, UMW members around the world collectively
support more than $20 million in mission projects each year. Crown Heights
United Methodist Women not only support worldwide missions through our
pledge, but we also support local missions such as Skyline Urban Ministries,
NSO, and Cookson Hills.
Crown
Heights
has three evening circles and two daytime circles that meet monthly for
support, spiritual growth, and FUN. If you are interested in becoming a part
of a circle or finding out more about UMW, contact co-presidents
Susie Wallace
at 524-1204 or Betty Langer at 521-1236.
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