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May 2007The Pastor’s ColumnBy Rodney Newman
Easter Glow
We had a glorious Easter celebration this year. Each service opened with the singing of Charles Wesley’s Christ the Lord is Risen Today accompanied by the bells chiming and the sopranos soaring on the descant. Who can forget Matt Bergman belting out the spirited solo on the gospel-inspired anthem joined by drums and guitars? During the 11:00 service, little Coulson Batchelor brought a glimpse of the resurrection to all of us as he greeted the congregation on his baptismal day.
The weeks following Easter Day have been special as well. Local groups Banish Misfortune and Calliope House have blessed us with their haunting melodies and lively presentations of music from the Celtic tradition. In our first services, Mariann has played beautiful piano pieces inspired by this same musical style.
We are taking these six weeks of Eastertide to learn from the teachings and practices of the early Celtic Christians in Ireland and Scotland. Their understanding of the faith shaped by the perspective of John’s gospel sounds a little different to our ears accustomed to the Western tradition emanating from Peter and Matthew’s gospel. But John’s more mystical approach opens new ways of seeing God in our everyday world and the interconnectedness of all creation.
I appreciate the congregation’s willingness to explore this vein of our theological heritage and to learn some new songs along the way. The wisdom of the Celtic Christians inspires us with their deep devotion to Christ and their profound confidence in God’s care. These ways of experiencing God and living our faith may come from an ancient time but they abound with fresh insight and life.
Graduation Sunday May 13
Please contact the church office to let us know of any other high school, college, or technical school graduates not listed so we can be sure to include them in the celebration.
Crown Heights Café
The last Café of the spring is scheduled for May 30. Everyone is invited to come to the Fellowship Hall between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. for a delicious meal and enriching fellowship.
Endowment Scholarships Available The Crown Heights UMC Endowment Trustees offer college scholarships to members of our church. Eligible applicants need to be currently enrolled in college for the fall 2007 semester and be a member of this church. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please contact Stacy at the church office to receive an application. Applications need to be filled out and returned to the church by Wednesday, May 23.
Wedding Raychel Hall and Scotty Williams were married on April 21. Raychel is the granddaughter of Bill and Charlotte Peavler. Baptism James Coulson Batchelor was baptized on April 8. Coulson is the son of Josh and Danielle Batchelor and grandson of Dan and Barbara Batchelor. Special Gifts In memory of Helen Friesen to Mobile Meals Patrick and Jerri Kelly
In honor of Charles E. and Mary U. Earnheart Donna K. Earnheart
In memory of John W. and Anna P. Mullins Donna K. Earnheart
This Month in Worship by Reverend Newman Our Celtic sermon series got off to a good start in April. We conclude with three Sundays in May. Musical groups, The Counterfeit Bards and Emerald Flame will complement our services on May 6 and 13. The 13th will be a special day as we honor our graduates and celebrate Mother’s Day along with the singing of our Children’s Choir. We end the month by moving into the second half of the liturgical year by celebrating the third major holiday in our calendar, Pentecost. Sermon Titles & Texts
Psalm 19 Fifth Sunday of Easter
James 5:13-20 Sixth Sunday of Easter
Hebrews 11:8-16 Ascension Sunday
Romans 8:14-17 Pentecost
Chancel Choir Dates by George Massey Lenten Music Series Many thanks to our Chancel Choir, instrumentalists, and handbells (especially Joy and Tyler!) for your superb performances on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday! We offered many varied compositions and I received many nice compliments concerning our efforts. Children’s Summer Musical We will be soon be announcing details about our Children’s Summer Music Camp. We hope to find a suitable week when the majority of families will be in town. Chancel Choir Schedule We will continue our Wednesday evening rehearsals through May 23 and sing in Sunday morning services through the month of June. We will take off July and August and return in the fall on Wednesday, September 5.
Youth Ministry News by Tyler Kirk Congratulations Graduates! We congratulate our graduating seniors. We’re proud of you. Everyone is invited to a reception in their honor on Sunday, May 13, at 9:30 a.m. in the Youth Room. Summer Traveling This summer I am traveling to Puebla, Mexico to study Spanish at Upaep University. I will leave May 19 for Mexico City and return mid-August for school. Gabe Lane from our church will be filling in for me over the summer. We are in the process of working out the plan for the summer programming. Let me or Gabe know your ideas. I have enjoyed my service at Crown Heights for almost a year now and look forward to returning in the fall. Have a great summer!
United Methodist Women News Executive Committee Meeting May 8 at 6:00 p.m. The UMW Executive Committee will meet Tuesday, May 8, at 6 p.m., in the Parlor. Please attend if you are an officer or a Circle chairperson. All others are welcome to join us. If you have questions, contact co-presidents Susie Wallace, 524-1204, or Betty Langer, 521-1236. Jewelry Sale for Missions Sunday, May 13
Are you looking for that perfect gift for the special woman in your life – possibly a last-minute Mother’s Day or graduation gift? On Sunday, May 13, you will have an opportunity to view and purchase beautiful, unique glass jewelry. Each piece has been individually handcrafted by Crown Heights’ member Connie Harris. The display itself is a feast for the eyes which could be compared to a miniature Chihuly exhibit, but at reasonable prices. The UMW will have this wearable art displayed between the worship services and immediately after the second service in the breezeway. Profit from the sale of these items will benefit upcoming Crown Heights Volunteer in Mission trip scholarships. Missions Not Alone Day – Success! On April 21, about twenty persons from our church joined with others from First Presbyterian, and our host church, Crown Heights Christian, to begin a day of community service with a worship service. Our Pastor led a litany and prayed a blessing on the volunteers. Marcia Brown's baby blanket team then gathered in our own Fellowship Hall to produce an unprecedented 86 baby blankets, over double of last year's number! Bruce Pitts led the largest team to four local houses to clean up yards. Greg Jorgensen took a small team to clean up the Putnam Heights Elementary School area. And the carnival at the same school led by Janet Kingsolver was a resounding success. Many local children enjoyed the rides, food, and games. They also contributed valuable playground painting time . . . in the wind! Special Thanks to:
A phone message was left at the church from one of the recipients thanking us for the beautiful work that was done on their yard. She said, “Only God could repay such awesome work that they did.” It was a very successful mission event! We look forward to supporting the community again in 2008. Thanks for everyone's prayers as we made our community a better place.
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 Last updated: April 16, 2008. © 2002-2006 Crown Heights United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved. |
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May 6 All Creation Sings 