September 2005

The Bellringer

Newsletter of the Andover United Methodist Church

From the Pastor's Desk

Are you as excited as I am about what is beginning here?  I have only been with the Andover United Methodist Church for a few weeks, but I have found a wonderfully welcoming and loving church family, in which everyone I've met has been kind and generous, forgiving of all my mistakes, and eager to be involved in the work and life of the church.

Even in the heat of midsummer Sunday mornings, our worship services have been full of enthusiasm and fun.  Our children have brought their own gifts and made beautiful pictures for bulletin covers, adults have been eagerly volunteering to act as readers, greeters or pianists, and we have been enjoying singing some of our favorite hymns. 

The church building has been spruced up in a variety of ways, and the sanctuary should be all freshly painted by the time of our next worship service.  The flowers have been blooming impressively, despite the hot weather, because of some careful volunteer attention.  In the driveway, weeds are being cleared out, and our church sign is being renovated.  (Even after several weeks, though, I still find it surprising to see my name listed on the sign!).  The nursery school will be opening doors to another group of students, and it will be exciting to have everything fresh and ready for their arrival.

We've begun to plan a whole series of autumn activities, to be of service to the community and make our church's reputation more widely known.  I have been really exhilarated after both of our most recent planning meetings, because of the energy and spirit of all the people who have participated.  At the end of last week's worship service, we kicked off our planning meeting with a terrific congregational brunch-at which I think I gained five pounds, much to Marsha's dismay!  It was so much fun for me to see everyone bringing in food, organizing the tables, and cleaning everything up together.  Afterward, everyone helped move all of the sanctuary furniture into the hallway, to help simplify the painter's job. We have such a great cooperative spirit!  That spirit will be of tremendous importance in serving the community around us.

As I've said again and again, the important thing for us to focus our attention on is our mission in the Andover area and in the world.  Please don't forget to tell your friends about all the things we are doing together!  Each of us can be an important part of that mission, and I'm terrifically happy to be here to share in that work.  And I'm grateful for the chance to share in all the fun!

Grace and Peace,

  Dan

Ink Cartridge Recycling

Please participate in the Homestead Nursing Home Ink Jet Recycling Fundraiser.  There in a box on the shelf in the Narthex for depositing your used ink jet cartridges from personal computers.  The proceeds are used to improve the lives of the residents.  Please support this mission of our church and encourage family and friends to do likewise.  Thank you.

Sunday school NOTES

We are really excited about the beginning of a new school year, seeing our old friends and meeting new ones.  Sunday school classes will begin on Sunday, September 18th at 9:30 with classes for all ages.  Rally Day will be full of surprises.  Tell a friend!

CAR WASH

For Hurricane Relief

Andover United Methodist Church, Andover Preschool and members of the Andover Borough Fire Department will be holding a car wash on Saturday, September 17th from noon to 3.  We will be accepting donations for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.  Please come and help!  We'll need people to help pass out brochures and accept donations as well as wash cars!

We will also be collecting the following needed items:  toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, soap, shaving cream, razors, batteries, flashlights, notebooks, coloring books and crayons.  Betty Mitchell will be coordinating getting the donated items to the Homestead for their "Care in a Shoebox" relief program.

Soup and Bake Sale

Saturday, October 15th 10 to 2

We will be offering our "world famous" soups and baked goods to warm you from the early Autumn chill.  Please support this fundraiser by contributing homemade soups or baked goods or by stopping by to purchase something to take home.. We also welcome fall crafts, pickles, or jellies to offer for sale. If you are interested in helping with or supporting this fundraiser please call Tilly McPeek at 973-383-4478.

Rada Cutlery:

Now offering a variety of gift sets as well as kitchen items to fit all of your needs.  Several new items are now available, such as "gifts in a jar", stoneware, cookbooks and 100% soy wax candles. All profits are used for utilities and other monthly expenses.  Check us out at the soup and bake sale or call Tillie at (973)383-4478 or Esther at (973)347-4278.

Bulletin Artists Needed!

All children and adults are encouraged to create pictures of Bible stories and other church themes to be used for bulletin covers in future weeks.  Prizes will be available for good pictures!  Have fun, this is church!

Choir rehearsals will resume on September 15th at the church at 7:30 p.m.  Please come join us and make a joyful noise!

Liturgists and Greeters Wanted

If you would like to volunteer to read at an upcoming service, please sign the sheet in the narthex or contact liturgist coordinators Shirley Henry and Sallie Glemboski.  No experience necessary!

From the Finance Committee:

Many people take advantage of the bright colors and gentle weather of early Fall to enjoy their vacations. Naturally, though, the ongoing expenses of running the church do not stop. If you are planning a trip away from the area, we hope you will, if possible, make your regular offerings before you leave, to help defray the church's costs. Your generosity is always much appreciated

We all owe a great deal of thanks to the trustees for all of the great improvements in the church building this summer. There are, of course, always a number of other important improvement projects in need of funding. If you would like to help finance any such project, either as a memorial or simply as a gift, please contact the pastor or any of the trustees.

New Pastor at AUMC

Since our last issue of the Bellringer, AUMC has welcomed our new pastor, Dan Gepford and his family, from Madison, New Jersey. A graduate of the College of William and Mary and Duke University Law School, Dan served 28 years as an attorney for AT&T. He recently chose to retire early from corporate life, in order to attend Drew University Theological School on a full-time basis. Another attorney, Dan's wife, Marsha, also graduated from William and Mary and Duke. One of the couple's daughters, Susan, is a recent college graduate, who also lives in Madison. Their older daughter, Anne Mocko, is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Chicago, where she lives with her husband, Bryan Mocko. Dan and his family are delighted to be part of the AUMC family.

Dan can be reached  at 973-906-2691 or by e-mail at dgepford@optonline.net.

Food Pantry Update

It was agreed that the food pantry items being stored at the parsonage should be donated to a local group.   Clearly, this type of ministry is very necessary, but can be best administered by someone who has the mechanism in place to disperse the items.

After some research, the Sussex County Division of Social Services (SCDSS) was contacted.  They already have a very active food distribution system, and said they would be glad to receive whatever we could provide.  On August 23, all the canned goods and non-perishables were loaded up and taken to their office on Church Street. The whole bed of my truck was filled with what I would estimate to be about 500 pounds of food.  The people there were very helpful in unloading all of this and were delighted to receive our contributions.

Sadly, there is always a need for food donation items, not just by the SCDSS, but by other local groups such as Manna House, Samaritan Inn, and others.  In addition, I know that some people are still interested in making food donations.  Therefore, I have placed two large plastic tubs in the narthex into which anyone who so desires can place nonperishable food items.  When they get filled, or if there is some special occasion (such as for holiday food baskets) or disaster (like the Hurricane Katrina victims in the Gulf States) we can direct your gifts where they will do the most good.

Trustee Notes - Autumn 2005

The long hot summer is over; the kids are back in school, and those of us who don’t care for the heat can once again emerge from the air conditioning.  We can finally sit outside comfortably and enjoy the glorious works of God’s creation.  I am very excited at the bright prospects for the future at the Andover United Methodist Church.  Many persons have been working very hard to repair and spruce up the sanctuary and the parsonage - and it shows! 

The comments I have been receiving about the fresh coat of paint, the dry-cleaned and pressed drapes and the resurfaced tile floors have been enthusiastically and unanimously positive.  The greatest reward of all for me personally is seeing the smiles on everyone’s face as they gaze about the sanctuary with looks of happy shock!  I would be very remiss if I failed to offer my sincerely thanks to everyone who made all these enhancements possible.  It serves to reinforce our belief as Christians that through God, all things are possible.  I encourage each of you to suggest to a friend or neighbor, or possibly someone who you haven’t seen in a while to come out and see all our good works.

This fall, I think we must maintain the positive momentum we have and continue in our stewardship of our church facility.  The trustees have several projects that we would like to get underway, which, (thankfully!) won’t cost us much money, such as washing the windows.  Please feel free to contact myself any of the trustees if you would like to help out with these activities. 

God Bless All of You!

Dan Streeter

Andover United Methodist Church Route 517, P.O. Box 368 Andover, NJ  07821    

Phone:  973-786-5225

PRAYER LIST:

Please remember in your prayers:

Lillian Eagleson                        Donna Rozsas

Lorraine Hedden           Gene Brusko

Helen Roth                    Frances Bischoff

Ida Lippincott                        Maryann Pillion

Joshua Hedden                      Michael Forma

Ann Kehoe                    Judy Hawke

Shannon Melder           John Roszas' father

Rose Welsh                    Fran Klingener

Diane’s cousin Claudia          People of Africa

Andover UMC                        Andover Preschool      

Dorothy Morookian                Pastor Chad and Shannon

Martha & Martin Meisel                   Hedy Mascnzio

Troy Widgren in Iraq               Barbara Prior

Elvia and Sophia Hernandez Peter Lobeck

Kimberly Williamson                 Barbara Rosen & Family

Wanda Seely                          Peg Thomas's brother Neil

Kaitlyn Morgan                       Jean Current

Carol Pittenger                       Noel Lelak

Irena Hackett                         Those in the Sudan

Tsunami Victims of Southeast Asia  

Women & Men in U.S. Military

The Victims of Hurricane Katrina and Relief Workers