Reminders
March 2 PPR meeting, 7:00 pm at Arma
March 10 Arma Administrative Board, 7:00 pm
March 14 Arma Chicken Noodle Dinner, 11:00 am
at Northeast High School Cafeteria
March 14 Girl Scout Sunday
March 21 One Great Hour of Sharing
March 28 Gospel Program, 1:00 pm, Arma Church
Youth group meets every Sunday at the parsonage. All junior high and senior high youth are welcome to join us for fellowship and Bible study.
All are invited to attend Bible Study and Prayer Group at the parsonage on Tuesday evenings.
A new contemporary Wednesday evening service will be starting March 3. Services will be at 7:00 pm. Come and fellowship with us. This will be a special time where your faith will be enriched and grow in your love for the Lord, and your fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
March Birthdays
Mar 4 Lane Webb Mar 14 Clarence Ryder
Mar 4 Sara Ryder Mar 14 Keith Baker
Mar 8 Shirley Edwards Mar 17 Jesse Waymen
Mar 9 Wilma Lollar Mar 21 Brian Garrett
Mar 10 Virginia Clarkson Mar 21 Frank Rodich
Mar 12 Audrey Kumer Mar 31 Wanda Royse
Mar 14 Catherine Denier
Kitchen Cleanup
A busy group of workers took over the Arma church kitchen early in February and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned! Thanks to Mildred Nicoletti, Eda Wosel, Sonny and Ernestine Anselmi, Clem Stafford, Lou Sorrick, Emma Lou Ales, Dorothy Chirafisi, and to Murray Lockwood for working on the basement.
Everything was removed from the cabinets and washed, along with the refrigerators and stove. Sonny took down all the curtains in the kitchen and basement, washed them and put them back up. He also cleaned all the fans.
The kitchen looks great now, and we would like to keep it that way. For that reason, we are asking 2 or 3 people to go over it again early in March for a quick cleaning. Please see Rev Stephenson if you are willing to give an hour or so the first or second week in March.
Basement Painted
We would like to extend a big thank you to Sonny Anselmi for painting the basement at the Arma Church.
Arma Choir
The church choir is practicing for music specials on Palm Sunday and Easter morning. If you like to sing, you are welcome to be a part of the choir. Practices are scheduled for March 8, 15, 29 and April 5. All practices are on Mondays, 6:30 pm.
Finance Committee
The Arma United Methodist Church sent pledge cards for 2004 in the February newsletter. Pledges have been coming in and we appreciate the offerings. Thank you for supporting your church. It takes your continued support to maintain the church building, pay the utilities, and provide a good worship program.
Outreach
If you have a friend or neighbor you would like to invite to church, you might want to give them a Sample Worship CD. Call the church offices (347-8336) to obtain a Sample CD or Cassette.
Easter Lilies -- The Arma church again plans an Easter Lily display in honor of deceased family member. The deadline for ordering the lilies is Monday, March 1. However, Phyllis Hay is trying to obtain lilies beyond this deadline. If you would like to order a lily in honor of your loved ones, please call Phyllis at 347-8626 or 347-4606
Children and Youth Protection Workshop
A children and Youth Protection Workshop will be held March 28 from 2:00 - 5:00 pm at the First United Methodist Church in Pittsburg. Anyone who works with children and youth in any of our church settings is required to have this training. For more information, contact Pastor Jolene at 346-8336.
Philanthropic Opportunity for Church through Estate Planning
The Arma Administrative Council is sharing an opportunity for any individuals who might be interested in providing a charitable contribution to the church. Allianz (a for-profit company) has a financial product available that would allow an individual to grant a contribution to the church through an annuity (minimum annuity of $50,000 and maximum of $2,000,000). The annuity currently has a rate of return and structure that would allow an individual to earn back the amount of money contributed to the church.
The annuity product was offered to the church through George Barberich of New England Financial. If anyone is interested in pursuing this product that would provide a charitable contribution to the Arma Church, please contact George Barberich at: 231-6947.
Arma March Greeters
March 7 Roger & Agnes Doue
March 14 Clarence Ryder & Lou Sorrick
March 21 Youth
March 28 Colton & Heather Morris
Gospel Sing
Sunday, March 28, the Family and Friends Band will host a gospel sing at 1:00 pm at the Arma Church. The group will perform again that evening at 6:00 pm. at the Farlington Methodist Church. All are invited to join this presentation of gospel music.
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Grace News ---
On February 16, Betty Eurit, Susie Taylor, Norma McCabe, Eva Gartner and Emmaline Rodich went to visit with Stella Mosler in El Dorado Springs, MO. We went to lunch and then back to Stella’s to visit. Stella wants to say “hi” to all her friends at church.
The next trip for UMW will be to Springdale, AR on March 15th. We will lunch at A.Q. Chicken.
Hymn for the month of March will be “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”.
The next fund raiser at Grace will be a spaghetti dinner on April 1st from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
United Methodist Church U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Arma/Pittsburg Grace ARMA, KS 66712
P.O. Box 489 PERMIT 6
Arma, KS 66712-0489 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
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Arma Chicken Noodle Dinner
Sunday, March 14, 11:00 am - ??
At: Northeast High School Cafeteria
Price: $5.00 for adults
$3.00 for children under 12
Carryout containers will be availab.e
We are making noodles at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, March 3. Let us know if you can help us make the noodles. Volunteers still needed to work that Sunday. Just call Emma Lou Ales (347-8658) or Joan Cleland (347-4696) to sign up for a shift. Pies also are needed for the noodle dinner.
ARMA/MULBERRY/PITTSBURG GRACE
MARCH 2004 NEWSLETTER
Notes from Pastor Jolene Stephenson
The highlight of the year for Christians is Easter, the day when our Lord rose from the dead. Lent is a forty day season of preparation for Easter. Lent always begins on a Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday.
Why 40 days? Because, Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. Lent, then, is our tome of fasting, prayer, temptation and repentance. Lent has been a custom, which Christians have practiced for most of the last two thousand years.
However, just to confuse things, Lent is actually 46 days rather than 40 days. Why? Because the 40 days of Lent are suppoed to be days of fasting, which means days of discipline and self-restraint. But Sunday, the Lord’s Day, should never be a day of fasting, but a day of celebration! So each Sunday we suspend our Lenten disciplines and celebrate. Lent is 40 “fasting” days spread out over a total of 46 days beginning on Ash Wednesday.
Put simply, Lent is a time to examine ourselves carefully. Here are some questions upon which you might pray and mediate during Lent:
· Am I sharing gladly what I have with others, especially the stranger and the poor?
· Do I have a gracious and patient attitude with others, especially those who irritate me?
· How is my devotional and prayer life progressing? Am I listening to God more and complaining less? Is it time for a change or a growth in my Bible Study and prayer Life?
· What are the lurking sin problems, which still plague me?
· Am I as thoughtful and forgiving of family as others, or do I take my frustrations out on them?
· Do I speak up for the maligned and oppressed, or do I remain silent in order to remain popular?
Have a blessed Lenten Season
Pastor Jolene