to You
"BRINGING
ALL INTO THE FAMILY THROUGH PEACE"
Vol, XXXIV lssue
No. 5 – May 1, 2012
Peace United Methodist Church, Richland Center, WI
Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Worship Service 10:45 a.m. (9:15 @ Trinity)
If you looked at this online newsletter please e-mail the
webmaster, Carol
Kramer. Thank you.
Contents
(Click on underlined title to jump to
article. Use "Back" button to return to Contents.
Giving Means Thinking Positively
Bake Sale Fundraiser for Mission Trip
General Conference 2012 Needs Our Prayers
from the Church Mouse: Deadline
All
Things Considered . . .
Grace
and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; grace that
provides divine assistance for daily living and peace to comfort us through all
circumstances of life through the power of the Holy Spirit. I have come to
realize something about life; grace and peace work in my life through my
attitude!
Attitude
is an interesting thing! Believe it or not, it’s more important than facts or
the past or education. Attitude is more important than money or circumstances,
failures or successes! In fact, attitude is more important than what any other
person will think or say or do to you or about you. Attitude is more important
than appearance, giftedness or skill. One more thing, attitude will make or
break a family or organization, business or church.
The
amazing blessing that every person has is this . . . every day,
we have choice and power over our attitude. We cannot change our past or the
way other people act, and we cannot change the inevitable. But we do have power
over our attitude! Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll
explained that he is convinced that life is 10% what happens to a person and
90% how a person responds to it. And so . . . we are blessed with the ability
to be in charge of our attitudes.
Every day the Spirit of God provides Christians with the power to trust God,
and the Lord makes this point when we are directed in the Psalms to “rejoice in
the Lord”? God tells us to rejoice in the Lord when you are in a good mood or
when circumstances are not going well! We are to rejoice in the Lord at all
times and one of the most refreshing things in human experience is the God
empowered ability to respond to the challenges of life by faith and not be
enslaved to our instincts or emotions.
In fact,
we are told in Proverbs 17:22 that, “A cheerful
heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a
persons’ strength.” That means that the antidote to stress is laughter. If you
have children or grandchildren, I promise that fifteen minutes of playing with
them every night will do more to invigorate you from the day’s tensions than
whining or having a stiff drink. If you don’t have children around, just act
silly with someone you care about for a quarter hour. It’ll do you so much good
that you’ll make it a habit.
Why am I
talking about attitude or laughing? Recently as I was waiting in a check-out
line of a store, I heard one gentleman comment that most of the Christians he
knew had faces as long as mules and they looked like they had just sucked on a
lemon. If he wasn’t exaggerating, think of the poor testimony of faith that
Christians make to unbelievers by their misunderstanding of attitude! What a
terrible misrepresentation of the God who gives meaning to our lives. After
all, without joy, what is the meaning of life?
Here is
my point - there is a very serious side to humor and attitude! What you laugh
at tells a lot about our character and self-image. But laughter itself should
never be considered a waste of time or a distraction - why? Because God shines
through when people laugh! So as we prepare to enter into summer, remember that
we are representative of God - so lighten up. Devote some energy this week to
learning to laugh at the comedic twists and turns of life because you may be
the only Bible that some people may ever read.
God Bless,
Pastor
Bill
Tongues of
Fire
Reminiscent of the Pentecost account in Acts 2, when “tongues of fire” rested
on the disciples’ heads as the Holy Spirit birthed the church,
images of flame symbolize the Spirit. Sometimes a tongue of fire is paired with
a dove and set on a red background – other symbols of the Holy Spirit. Fire may
also indicate spiritual fervor and zeal in a Christian’s life.
“The best inheritance
a mother can leave her children, is a Christian
example”.
Giving Means
Thinking Positively
“Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times.” (Ephesians 5:16 - The Message)
As we
begin the month of May in our church, we’re making the transition from spring
to summer. We’re moving from a busy, busy time to a little bit slower schedule
over the summer with generally lower attendance (unless you live in a vacation
area!). The “snow birds” return from the south and others are missing due to
vacations and other activities.
What is
God calling you to give this summer of your
time, your talents and your treasures? Do you have time to help clean and paint
some Sunday School rooms? Do you have a talent to
offer during
Here are some
thoughts to share as you move through this summer:
1. Be positive when inviting members and friends to the church
to give. Your church does good work and you are inviting others to invest in
that ministry.
2. Giving to God is not a transaction. Anytime you give anyone
a gift it is a reflection of your relationship. Your commitment to the church
should be a reflection of your relationship with God in Chris and the Church.
3.
People give to change lives.
4.
Money is never an end in itself in the church. Money is a tool for ministry. A
bank account that is bursting at the seams but not used for ministry is like
having a sanctuary no one is ever allowed to enter.
5.
Churches that have regular stewardship campaigns receive more money from their
members that those that do not. You get what you ask for, not what you wish
for.
This has
been brought to you by the Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation
Sun
1-888-903-9863 or wumf@wumf.org
May Friendship Day
May
Friendship day will be held on Friday, May 4, at 9:00 a.m. at the Keyesville St. Mary’s Church in the Madonna Hall. The goal
of this May Friendship Day is to help each Church United Member recognize the
diversity that women bring to our community.
The
United Methodist Women of Willow Valley will bring us the program with the help
of Deb Niemeyer and volunteers of the Family Thrift Shop.
Be sure
to mark this date on your calendars and come to have an interesting program and
socialize with other United Church Women members. We will be meeting in the
Church parking lot at 8:15 a.m. to car pool.
All
women are invited to the May Friendship Day event. If you have any questions,
please see Betty Doherty.
SPOTLIGHT ON MISSIONS
The May
Dr. Chris Hena with Heathy Women, Healthy
Chris Hena has been associated with the General Board of Global
Ministries (GBGM) for 21 years, most recently in
Over the
past six years, while on annual vacation to her home in
Her
March 16 e-mail to the Mission/Outreach Committee thanked us for our past
prayers and support and requested that we consider continuing to support her in
the current missionary pursuit, but understood that we would go where the Lord
leads. After much reflection on the possibilities and consultation with others
members of the congregation, the Committee has decided that we will continue to
support Chris as she sets forth with a renewed vigor in a worthwhile cause. In
response to our e-mail confirming this and asking for updates on her progress,
she wrote on April 10:
“With a grateful
heart, I would like to say how much I appreciate you . . . decision to continue
your support to God’s work through me and HWHL. I will remain faithful,
committed and bring integrity to what I do there in
In Him,
Chris
Lowell & Claudia Wertz, Joy in the Harvest -
The
latest update we have on
Peace
and Trinity Churches are joining forces to plan and fund a mission trip in
June-July 2013 to
While
the dates of travel and length of stay are uncertain at this point, both
churches are dedicated to fund-raising efforts to help off-set the costs for
those who wish to go. It is still to be decided how many people will be
involved in the trip itself.
The
first fund-raising even will be a bake sale on May 9 at the Richland County
Bank, starting at 9:00 a.m. and continuing until sold out. Many other events
are being discussed and the committee is open to suggestions about the focus of
other occasions to provide variety and innovation, as well as proven success of
established means of involving the community in this worthwhile cause.
For
those wishing to donate baked goodies, you may bring them to Peace between 8:30
a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday or on Wednesday starting at 8:30 a.m. to the
Bank. There will be someone to let you in at the bank prior to 9:00 a.m.
United
Methodist Camps 2012
“Welcome
to the
Our
camps are:
▸
▸
Main lodge and dining hall accommodations for groups up to 2100.
▸
Cottages - three private, two bedroom cottages to rent by the day or week.
▸
▸
Susanna Wesley House - fully furnished 4 bedroom, 2 baths overlooking
The camp is located 5 miles south of Wautoma
off of Highway 73. Turn east on County Rd YY and proceed one mile to the main
camp entrance.
▸
NEW in 2012 - Youth Lodge housing up to 24 people!
▸
Milton Giese Dining hall - a beautiful dining and meeting facility overlooking
▸
▸
Cabins - nine three-season rustic cabins in the Dellwood
area - each sleeps 10.
Variety to Choose From
There
are quite a few different camps to choose from. Whether a child, middle school,
high school or adult, you can choose the camp that fits you or your family the
best. Yes, families are encouraged to attend various Family Camps as well.
If you
have a special needs person, there are also camping opportunities for them as
well. For more information, please contact the Camping office at
1-877-WIS-CAMP.
There
are several camping booklets available in both foyers for you to take and look
through. Each camp has an explanation of what the participants will be doing
along with who the leaders will be.
Can’t
afford to go to camp this year? Relax! Scholarships through the Wisconsin
Conference are available. The office has the scholarship forms for anyone who
wishes to stop in and pick one up.
Please
note Pastor Bill will be attending the Elementary Alive Camp in July and The
Christian Disciple Farm in August as he did last year.
In-carnation
The
official flower of Mother’s Day is the carnation, the favorite flower of the
mom of the holiday’s founder, Anna Jarvis. Over time, the custom arose of
wearing a white carnation on Mother’s Day if your mother has died and a red one
if she’s living. The English word for carnation comes from carnis,
Latin for flesh. From the same root comes incarnation, God’s coming to earth in
flesh. Thus, carnations remind us of our loving mothers as well as our loving
Savior.
Bake
Wednesday, May 9th
9:00 a.m. - until everything is gone
Richland County Bank
WHAT: A Bake
WHY: To help support those who will be going on the Honduras
Mission Trip.
The IMI (Impact Ministries International)
Mission Planning Committee is having a Bake Sale in the
Richland County Bank lobby on Wednesday, May 9th.
Anyone wishing to donate some baked
goodies may bring them to Peace on Tuesday, May 8th, from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30
p.m. or to the bank on the 9th. Set-up will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the sale
starts at 9:00 a.m. when the bank opens the doors to the public.
All money received from the bake sale
will go to help support those individuals who wish to go on the mission trip to
This is a SPECIAL joint project with Trinity UMC.
If anyone is interested in letting the IMI
Mission Planning Committee know of additional ways to raise money, please get
in touch with them.
Barb Nimocks
(647-6764) is the chair, Cheryl
Johnson (grannyj@mwt.net),
Dory Wallace
(dorywallace@gmail.com) are also on the committee
representing Peace.
Ingathering
2012 Kids’ Kits
The following items are to be included in the Kids’ Kits.
Please no “extras” and everything MUST BE NEW!
1 toothbrush
1 toothpaste
1 wash cloth
1 kid shampoo
1 comb
Hair clip / ponytail holder
1 flavored lip balm
l travel-size tissue box
6 pencils
1 board
book
1 coloring book
1 pack of party-favor size play
dough
These items must be placed in a 1 gallon plastic-zipper bag.
The Kids’ Kits will be used for Harbor House, United
Methodist Children’s Services, and Northcott
Neighborhood House.
Deadline for bringing in your Kids’ Kits is Sunday, May 27.
The kits will be going to the Annual Conference with our delegate or Pastor
Bill the end of May.
General Conference 2012 Needs Our
Prayers
The United Methodist
General Conference takes place every four years. This year’s Conference is in
It is at the General Conference where all the decisions for
our denomination are made. We need to be praying for the Delegates as they travel
from all over the world, the speakers and the issues before them. Pray for
God’s will to be done at this Conference.
There is a resource
available “50 days of Prayer before & during General Conference 2012”.
Please log onto http://50daysofprayer.upperroom.org to make it possible
for every local congregation to pray with and for the 988 delegates. This is a
free site.
Thanks, Mom
Dad came
home to find toys all over the living room, dirty dishes stacked in the sink,
clothes piled in the laundry room, beds unmade and kids still in their pajamas.
The house was a wreck, like nothing he’d seen before.
Worried,
Dad rushed upstairs to find Mom reading a book in bed. “Are you okay?” he asked. “What happened?”
“You
know how you always ask what I do all day?” Mom
replied. “Well, today I decided not to do it.”
Memorial Day
Is it enough to think today
Of all our brave, then put away
the thought until
a year has sped?
Is this full honor for our dead?
Is it enough to sing a song
And deck a grave; and all year long
Forget the brave who died that we
Mighty keep our great land proud and free?
Full service needs a greater toll,
that we who live
give heart and soul
To keep the land they died to save,
And be ourselves, in turn, the brave!
–Annette Wynne
Please remember our
soldiers from all wars on Memorial Day. Whether they have left this earth or
are still with us today, we wouldn’t be a free
nation if it wasn’t for them and the sacrifices they made.
The Gentle
I’d like to sow the barren spots with all the flowers of
earth,
To leave a path where those who come should find but gentle
mirth;
And when at last I’m called upon to join the heavenly throng
I’d like to feel along my way I’d left no sign of
wrong.
–Edgar A. Guest
Red, Hot and Blowin’
How
shall we describe the Holy Spirit, revealed in the Pentecost experience of the
church?
RED - the color of
fire, which crackles, spreads and consumes what it contacts. So does the spirit
of God move with electricity through people, from person to person as we
interact in the gospel. The Holy Spirit is the power
of God to cleanse and animate his people to spread his influence and reign.
Pentecost shows us that God intends to conquer the world through his word,
spread by us.
RED - is also the
color of blood, as in the blood of martyrs. The martyrs are witnesses who went
the full distance. The Holy Spirit is unquenchable, becoming more powerful in
God’s people when they are under attack. God gives the Spirit of boldness; his
Word does not die. Pentecost challenges us to represent the name of Jesus
boldly.
HOT - Two disciples
received teaching from the risen Jesus, and they felt their hearts burning
within them (Luke 24:32) So the Holy Spirit moves on the Word of God and turns
sad hearts to joy, infuses confidence where there was fear, and creates faith
where there was doubt. Pentecost urges us to pray for the heat of the Spirit to
warm our inner selves.
BLOWIN’ - Like the
wind. The spirit is at one time God’s gentle breath, at another time it blows
with hurricane power. Like the wind, the Spirit will not be controlled or
directed by any human being, and the force is hardly predictable. So Pentecost
urges us to be open to surprises under the rule of the Spirit, to be ready for
changes of curse and new directions.
–St. Timothy Lutheran
Church,
Pentecost Sunday is
May 27th.
Susanna
Wesley wrote, “Self-will is the root of all sin and misery.” Mrs. Wesley raised
19 boys and girls. From their infancy, she put her children into a regular
routine.
To
insure a calm, quiet household, she taught them to cry softly. The children ate
what they were given at meals and were not allowed to eat anything between
meals. They went to bed at eight, except in case of sickness, when they were
expected to take medicine without complaint.
The
following rules for child training were followed by Mrs. Wesley and though they
are over 200 years old, many of them could be applied by Christian mothers and
fathers today.
1.
To prevent lying, do not punish a child who confesses fault and promises to
amend.
2.
No sinful act should ever pass unpunished.
3.
No child should be punished twice for the same office and should not be
upbraided with it afterward.
4.
Obedience should be commended and rewarded.
5.
Any effort to please, even if badly performed, should be commended.
6.
Allow no one to take property from the owner, though it were
the value of a pin, without consent.
7.
Strictly observe promises, and leave a gift, once given, to the disposal of him
to whom it was given, unless it were conditional and the condition not met.
8.
Require no girl to work until she can read very well.
9.
Teach the Lord’s Prayer as soon as the child can speak.
10. Require all
to be still at family prayers.
11. Give
them nothing they cry for, and only that which they ask for politely.
12. Subdue
self-will in a child so as to allow Christ an opportunity to be Lord.
–The Christian Church
UMW Calendar
at a Glance – Month of May
1st - 6:00 p.m.
Mother-Daughter Banquet
“Welcome to
Guest speaker: Joan Bethke
2nd - 9:00 a.m. -
Thrift Shop
3rd - 6:00 p.m. - DKG
Banquet
4th - 9:00 a.m. -
Church Women United
May Friendship Day
17th - 1:30 p.m. -
Lesson: Madalene McCauley & Arlene Fruit
Hostesses:
Ramona Adsit & Arlene Fruit
22nd - 9:00 a.m. -
Thrift Shop
30th - 11:30 a.m. -
PWEO (Place TBA)
May Friendship Day on Friday, May 4th is
sponsored by the Church Women United. This year the event is being hosted by
St. Mary’s Church in Keyesville. The program will be
presented by the UMW of Willow Valley UMC. All women are encouraged to attend.
Dear Peace UMC,
Thank
you for your sympathy. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. It meant a lot to us.
The
Family of Lela Grim
“With
Special Thanks to all of you. To know you is to know people who are kind,
considerate, and thoughtful. To know you is to be grateful for the special
things you do. For everything you’ve done . . . for being the special people
that you are . . . thank you so very much.”
Thank
you for all the cards and prayers. It’s so nice to have special friends at a
time like this.
God
Bless all of you.
Gordon Bailey
Church Mouse
Let me tell you I’ve had a very interesting
month! It all started when the cat caught me and had me by the tail. Pam came
into the office and scared the cat so I got away. Unfortunately, Pam caught me
and taped me to the thermometer on the piano in
the sanctuary. Confused? Let me tell you it was a whirlwind night and unfortunately,
I lost. I’m free again and hopefully will try to stay good and out of Pam’s way
or her feet. Can’t promise though.
Back to my story. When you know who got to the office the
next day, Pam left her a note as to where I was stuck and why. SHE took a
picture of me with her cell phone and sent it to Pastor Bill. Pastor Bill then
sent her a text back and said I looked like a
“cool mouse”. Make that a COLD mouse and you’ve hit the nail on the head. Talk
about indignities! That dog-gone cat just sat there in the pew and laughed at
me. I’m gonna think up something to do to that cat in
the near future. In the meantime, I’m trying to stay as far away from Pam as I
can get. She gets wicked with scotch tape!
As for
other things happening in the office, well things are quieting down and that
seems to be fine with old what’s her name. She said
something about getting caught up on stuff. I thought she was doing pretty good, but she says she’s not. Ok, I’ll go along with that.
As for me? Well, I’m looking forward to the free food
banquet on the 1st. Mother-Daughter Banquet. Then the bake
sale on the 9th and all those lovely goodies that will be brought to church
before going to the bank. Well, I’ll just have to take a taste
sample from them to make sure they pass inspection.
Other
than that, it’s been sort of quiet. So I think I’ll remind everyone of the
deadline for the June issue of Peace To You: Monday,
May 21, at noon.
Now I
think I’ll just go find a nice quiet spot to hide so I can get started on MY
banquet for the 1st.
Carl & Joan Bethke
Vern Clark
Joan Wheeler
5-06
Terry Nimocks
5-13
Arlene Fruit
5-20
Rol McCauley
5-27
Cheryl Johnson
5-06
Lois Anderson & Jean Marshall
5-13
Jay & Doris Kanable
5-20
Dean & Wyvonne Braithwaite
5-27
Marlene Mathews &
NURSERY WORKERS & HELPERS:
5-06
Patty Grell
5-13
Connie Dunn
5-20
Michelle Woodman
5-27
Anya Drone