PASTOR’S NOTES

Dear Members and Friends of CUMC:

As always, it gives me great pleasure to meet with you through the Pastor’s Notes every month. May the Lord our God continue to be with you as we continue on this Christian journey.

I thank God for the Music Ministry at CUMC. Kudos to Pamela Stahl, our Minister of Music; Brewer Clark, Organist; and Dr. Kenneth Newby, Gospel Choir Director. Even though I can’t hold a tune, I enjoy singing. However, I’m reminded that the Psalmist said, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands (100:1); “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises: (98:4). Therefore, I will continue singing praises to the Lord. In addition, I was reminded of this when I read an e-devotional by Chuck Swindoll, titled “Music’s Effective Ministry.”

When we sing praises unto God, we drown out negative thoughts. I know it makes the devil real angry when we lift up our voices to the Lord. As saints of God, we’re commanded to sing praises to our Creator. Who deserves our praises more than God? In the music industry, hip-hop, rhythm and blues, jazz, oldies, rap, and reggae seem to be overshadowing sacred music. In most stores, gospel and inspirational music only have a small section; however, let this not stop us from singing unto the Lord our God.

I am reminded that when David was anointed to be the next king of Israel, King Saul became depressed. According to scripture, “the Spirit of Lord departed from him and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him…Saul said to his servants, ‘Provide me now a man who can play well and bring him to me.’ One of the servants said, ‘Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skilled in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person, and the Lord is with him.’ Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “…send me your son David, who is with the sheep’ …and so it was that whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him” (1 Samuel 16:14-23).

With this in mind, may we continue to praise the Lord our God.

Last but certainly not least, especially to all the fathers, grandfathers, uncles, godfathers, brothers, male mentors and other fathering persons, may you have a HAPPY FATHER’S DAY.

I certainly would be remiss if I did not congratulate all the graduates who will be graduating from high school and college. Clinton United Methodist Church members graduating are: Conrad Carter, Lilly Jalloh, Chidinma Mbakwe, Somto Mbakwe, Ugo Mbakwe and Anthony Oghogho. Hearty congratulations to all!

In Christian fellowship,

SIGNED DOROTHEA BELT STROMAN,

Pastor

$C:\Documents and Settings\Barbara\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\R24ZFH0X\MCj02922520000[1].wmf$ j0398587.wmf

THE

Bible has

in it 3,566,480

letters, 810,677

words, 31,175 verses

1189 chapters and 66 books.

The longest chapter is the

119th Psalm. The shortest and

middle chapter is the 117th Psalm.

The middle verse is the 8th verse of

the 118th Psalm. The longest name

is in the 8th chapter of Isaiah, verse 1,

and contains 18 letters. The word and

occurs 46,627 times; the word Lord 1,855

times. The 37th chapter of Isaiah and the 19th

chapter of II Kings are alike. The longest verse is

Esther 8:9; the shortest verse John 11:35. In Ezra

7:21 are all the letters of the alphabet except the letter “j”.

The finest piece of writing is Acts 26th chapter.

The name of God is not found in Esther. The Bible contains

knowledge, wisdom, the mind of God, the state of man, the way

of salvation, the doom of the sinner and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy; its precepts are binding; its histories are true,

and its decisions are immutable. It contains light to guide you, food

to support you and comfort to cheer you. God was 2,500 years getting ready

to write the Bible; 1600 years writing it; and has been 1900 years fulfilling it.

The word boy occurs in the Bible three times and the word girl two times.

Christ is the key to the entire Book. Forty men were employed in its making.

It was written by doctors, farmers, fishers, kings, shepherds, old, young,

rich, poor, learned and unlearned. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff,,

the pilot’s compass and the soldier’s sword. Do not neglect your Bible.

It is a mine of wealth and health to the soul and a river of pleasure.

It is given to you in this life and will be opened to you at

the judgment and it is established forever. If you want a

Crown of rejoicing when Jesus returns to earth again,

Read your Bible and lead lost souls to Christ and

you will have a rich reward when He comes.

II Timothy 2:15 is the key that will

unlock the sacred Book to you.

Read, hear, keep what

it contains and you will

always be happy and prosperous. (Revelation 1:3)

The Lord bless you and keep you.

NOTICE FROM THE STAFF.

We apologize for the many glitches that occurred in posting the May issue of the Spotlight to the web site preventing many of you from receiving it in a timely manner. Hopefully they have all been ironed out and the June issue of the Spotlight will be readily accessible through our web site: www.gbgm-umc.org/clintonumc-md. Thank you very much for your patience and understanding. We also would like to thank Rev. Bryan K. Fleet, Pastor, Mt. Zion-Warren United Methodist Church for his offer of assistance in training those involved in posting the Spotlight to the web site.

MATURE ADULT MINISTRY (Lunch Bunch).

The Lunch Bunch met for another hearty lunch consisting of roast pork loin and Maryland crab cakes on May 21. The theme was Memorial Day and the room décor, table decorations and favors were representative of Memorial Day, the first holiday of the summer. Our chefs went out of their way to provide a bountiful meal from main course, vegetable dishes, salads and dessert. If you go away hungry from one of these sessions, it’s your own fault. Customarily, the Lunch Bunch meets on the third Wednesday of the month. However, with Vacation Bible School being held at the church during the week of June 16-20, May Lunch Bunch was the last one here at the Church until September 17. The August Lunch Bunch will meet at Country Buffet, Waldorf, Maryland, on August 20. See you then. Have a safe and fun-filled summer.

TRUSTEE’S CORNER/TRUSTEE’S FUND RAISER.

Have you returned your tax levy/donation to the Church yet? The levy sheet appeared on page 10 of the May issue of the Spotlight. All monies received from this fund raiser will be used to refurbish the church marquee. To those who have favorably responded, we heartily thank you; to those who haven’t, there’s still time.

A new ice machine has been purchased for the kitchen. We were blessed to receive a donation from a local Lions Club. That donation was used towards the purchase of the ice machine.

New procedures have been put in place regarding Church Security and renting the church for weddings and other affairs. You may access the new rental procedures on our web page.

Don’t forget our first Fish Fry/Barbecue/Yard Sale is July 12. The Mental Health/Health Awareness Committee will be holding a blood drive at this time as well.

(Carolyn Woodard, Trustee’s Chair)

UMW HAPPENINGS.

Thank you to all who helped make our yard sale held on May 31 a success. Again the refreshment stand was very popular. Thank you to those who donated goodies to be sold and those who helped man it. We also would like to thank the men and youth of the church for helping us to set up and clean up.

Don’t forget to contact Bunny Bryan through the Church Office (301) 868-1281, for information and to make reservations for our Retreat scheduled for October 24 through 26 at Turf Valley Country Club, Ellicott City, Maryland. In case you haven’t heard, Rev. Loretta Johnson will be our Worship Leader again this year. Please call as soon as possible if you’re interested in attending because they need a head count in order to get a firm count for lodging.

Thank you to the UMM for the beautiful carnations presented to all the mothers following the 10:30 service on Mother’s Day, May 11.

Our next regularly scheduled meeting will be here at the Church on Sunday, June 8, following the 10:30 service.

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Hi! I guess you found us… Seriously, I wanted to see how easy it is to get to read the “SPOTLIGHT.” The address is: www.gbgm-umc.org/clintonumc , but after you use it once, just type in the first few letters, and the rest fills in. It seems clumsy, but anything new requires a trial period. I imagine it’ll be easier each month. Anyway, congratulations to those who worked so hard to make it work!!

The youth of Clinton UM Church celebrated Youth Sunday on April 27^th with song (the Wesley Choir) and an excellent skit complete with sinners, Satan, and God. I was told on excellent authority that what each person said is not written to be memorized like a script, but their own words – and that takes some talent!! The Men’s Choir did an excellent job singing “No, Not One.”

Vacation Bible School is almost upon us!! Time really flies!! The dates are June 16-20, from 9am to 12noon. At this time there’s a long list of supplies needed – and a long list of helpers needed as well. This year it’s titled SonWorld Adventure Park, A Thrilling Ride With Jesus!! Let’s all pray for the success, then go and volunteer!

You know I’m always especially interested in the music – and Mother’s Day, May 11, was no different. The Chancel Choir sang “In Gratitude We Come” and were accompanied in part by Norville Hughes on flute. Then they sang “Seek Ye The Lord,” a great favorite of mine – and the soloist was Nurbert Hughes. And he did the greatest job!! It truly left goosebumps!! The sermon was a tribute to mothers by: David Holmes, Pam Stahl, Shurrell Bell, Alli Pryke, Brian Harper, Safiya Terry Joseph, Malcolm and Nadia Terry and Pastor Stroman.

I would like to extend sincere sympathy to those who have lost loved ones recently. Bunny Bryan lost her brother-in-law, Willie Edwards; Ed Howard lost his sister, Calista Whitaker; Carol Hughes lost her sister, Vernice James; Chuck lost his brother, Harry Bowman; and Pastor Stroman lost her first cousin, Lester Belt. Just go on with life – each day is a little easier than the last. And we pray that your pain may be eased.

The 10:30 service at our church on May 18 was different, really different. I knew what was happening from the beginning but most of the congregation didn’t. Our pastor, Pastor Stroman, preached at the 8:00 am service, then accepted an invitation to preach at the later service for Woman’s Day at Grace United Methodist Church, Takoma Park, Maryland. We had a guest speaker coming so it’d all work out fine. Cameron Barron was liturgist, but he was reading every announcement in the bulletin, and his prayer was perhaps a bit longer than usual. Until finally he had to “fess up”, our guest speaker hadn’t arrived. But, like a knight riding to the rescue, Nurbert Hughes volunteered to preach. Off the top of his head, unplanned, he gave an excellent sermon. Later, I was congratulating him, and he said, “Sometimes you just have to let go and let God” and he certainly did.

I have an idea. Our church is having financial concerns, as you all know. Our government is mailing each of us a check. Now, to most of us, that money is not really needed – the bills will be paid and food put on the table without it – so why not give a substantial amount of it to the church. All would be lovely, but just a portion would bring you a blessing from our financial people. Think about it!!

We still don’t know what the church’s new phone number will be – will let you know when we do! So have a lovely spring, just don’t forget to give me a call and let me know WHAT’S HAPPENING! (Lea Bowman)

LIBRARY COMMITTEE.

Library Committee Update. The inventory has been completed. We ask for your continued support, patience and understanding by not removing any books. Bibles are stacked on top of a shelf and are available any time. We will be removing all unnecessary books from the shelves. Watch for an upcoming book fair, when all books not needed for a Church Library will be available for the taking. There are many sets of encyclopedias, World Books, Year Books, and Child Craft Books that have been donated to the Library. These will be removed. If any one has information where these books may be of value, notify the Library Committee. If we do not get a response from the congregation concerning the disposition of these books, the Library Committee will make the decision. One last request, please do not donate any books to the Library at this time. (Barbara Marsh, Library Committee)

MISSIONS COMMITTEE.

Covenant Agreement – Baltimore Washington Conference.

Bishop John R. Schol, Area Bishop of the Baltimore-Washington Conference and Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa of the Zimbabwe Area Annual Conference, signed a new covenant agreement at the 2008 General Conference. With delegates from both conferences present, the covenant was signed on a table that was made from trees salvaged from Gulfside Assembly in Waveland, Mississippi, a United Methodist Retreat Center that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

The Baltimore-Washington Annual (regional) Conference and the Zimbabwe Annual Conference, have been in a covenant relationship for 11 years. The two conferences will focus on issues such as theological training, community and economic development, young adult ministries, preaching, biblical studies and leadership in the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area.

2008 General Conference – April 23 – May 2, 2008.

The 2008 General Conference had a 140-member team of interpreters and technicians for the nearly 300 international delegates. Translation was available for nine languages: American Sign Language, French, German, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swahili. The interpreters worked in two-person teams, allowing each a slight break after 30 consecutive minutes of translations.

This year marked the largest increase in the need for interpreters since the service was first officially offered in 1984.

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR): Myanmar (Burma) Emergency.

If you would like to contribute financially to the relief efforts occurring right now in Myanmar due to the damage from the cyclone and resulting tidal wave, contributions can be made to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). In the memo section of the check

write: “advance #3019674, Myanmar emergency.” Checks may be sent directly to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115 or to the Conference Treasurer at BWC and they will then forward the funds to UMCOR.

Thank you in advance for your care, concern, and prayers for the families affected by this disaster.

Dos and Don’ts for Churches in an Election Season.

Churches and religious organizations qualify for exemption from federal income tax, and are generally eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

However, there are ways churches may jeopardize or even lose this status, and one is a concern each election season.

According to the IRS Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations, churches must not “participate in, or intervene in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.”

But there are more “dos” than “don’ts” regarding churches’ political activity.

Churches can:

Discuss issues, provided the discussion does not exhibit preferences for or against specific candidates.

Distribute voter-education materials and sponsor “get out the vote” campaigns.

Host a candidate if all other candidates are invited.

Serve as a polling place.

Invite a candidate in a non-official capacity, such as a groundbreaking ceremony, provided the person is not introduced as a candidate, no mention is made of his or her candidacy and the event is not promoted as an appearance by “Candidate X.”

Lobby for certain issues, provided the time spent in this endeavor is “insubstantial” compared to other church activities.

Rent out their property to candidates or political parties provided the space is not provided for free or for a discount not offered to anyone else.

Churches cannot:

Openly take sides in an issue, specifically espousing or denouncing the views of any particular candidate.

Distribute materials biased toward or against a particular candidate, or distribute materials provided by a candidate or political party.

Raise money for a candidate or political party.

Clergy members may take sides for or against a candidate or issue provided they are doing so in an individual capacity, not as a church representative. They may not use the pulpit, church publications or any other forum related to the church to declare their individual preferences. (Doreen Tilghman, Missions Committee Chair)

MENTAL HEALTH/HEALTH AWARENESS COMMITTEE.

The Health Awareness/Mental Health Ministry and the Trustees of Clinton UMC are hosting a Blood Drive for INOVA HEALTH SYSTEM: Inova Blood Donor Services. The Blood Drive is scheduled for Saturday, July 12, 2008 in conjunction with the Yard Sale and Fish Fry that is being held by the Trustees. According to the Inova Blood Donor Services, there is an immediate need for most blood types. Although 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood, less than five percent actually donates. More donors are urgently needed every day, seven days a week, to save lives.

During the months of June and July information will be available for you to read about donating blood and forms will be available for you to sign up to donate. All healthy eligible people are encouraged to participate. (Glenna Graves, Health Awareness/Mental Health Ministry)

LITURGISTS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY.

If you cannot for some reason serve as liturgist for a given date listed below, please call the church office at (301) 868-1281, by noon, Tuesday, of the week, you are to serve so a replacement can be found. The name listed first is the 8:00 am liturgist; the second is the 10:30 am liturgist. Thank you very much for your dedication to Clinton United Methodist Church.

JULY 6.

Carol Bell (both services)

JULY 13.

Brian Harper/Nurbert Hughes

JULY 20.

Brewer Clark/Chuck Bowman

JULY 27.

Sheila Holmes/Lloyd Brown

SPEAKERS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY.

JULY 20.

Trevor Bourne (both services)

PHILIPPIANS 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

THE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK

I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly.

So I asked, “Why did you just do that?” This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.”

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so… “Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.”

SCRIPTURE & THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8, New International Version)

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY’S VERSE.

“Lord, humble us gently.” That is one of my friend’s favorite prayers. I like it, too. But thank God that Jesus was not gently humbled. While I hate he had to go through agony, his self-emptying humility the fact that was stark, bold, drastic, and outrageous. But I am to have this same attitude when it comes to reaching the lost and loving God’s children.

MY PRAYER.

God, you are all-powerful and yet you emptied yourself to redeem me. May I be more selfless in my attitude and treatment of others, like Jesus was with me. In his name, I pray. Amen.

(Rev. Bryan K. Fleet, Pastor, Mt. Zion-Warren United Methodist Church)

THE COLLECTION PLATE.

Here is a true story about a nine year old boy who lived in a rural town in Tennessee. His house was in a poor area of the community.

A church had a bus ministry that came knocking on his door one afternoon. The kid came to answer the door and greeted the bus pastor. The bus pastor asked if his parents were home and the small boy told him that his parents take off every weekend and leave him at home to take care of his little brother. The bus pastor couldn’t believe what the kid said and asked him to repeat it. The youngster gave the same answer and the bus pastor asked to come in and talk with him. They went into the living room and sat down on an old couch with the foam and springs exposed.

The bus pastor asked the kid, “Where do you go to church?” The young boy surprised the visitor by replying, “I’ve never been to church in my whole life.” The bus pastor thought to himself about the fact that his church was less than three miles from the child’s house. “Are you sure you have never been to church?” he asked again. “I sure haven’t,” came his answer.

Then the bus pastor said, “Well, son, more important than going to church, have you ever heard the greatest love story ever told? And then he proceeded to share the Gospel with this little nine year old boy. The young lad’s heart began to be tenderized and at the end of the bus pastor’s story the bus pastor asked if the boy wanted to receive this free gift from God.

The youngster exclaimed, “You bet!” The kid and the bus pastor got on their knees and the lad invited Jesus into his little heart and received the free gift of salvation. They both stood up and the bus pastor asked if he could pick the kid up for church the next morning. “Sure,” the nine year old replied.

The bus pastor got to the house early the next morning and found the lights off. He let himself in and snaked his way through the house and found the little boy asleep in his bed. He woke up the little boy and his brother and helped get them dressed. They got on the bus and ate a donut for breakfast on their way to church. Keep in mind that this boy had never been to church before.

The church was a real big one. The little kid just sat there, clueless of what was going on. A few minutes into the service these tall unhappy guys walked down to the front and picked up some wooden plates. One of the men prayed and the kid with utter fascination watched them walk up and down the aisles. He still didn’t know what was going on.

All of a sudden like a bolt of lightning it hit the kid what was taking place. These people must be giving money to Jesus. He then reflected on the free gift of life he had received just twenty-four hours earlier. He immediately searched his pockets, front and back, and couldn’t find a thing to give Jesus. By this time the offering plate was being passed down his aisle and with a broken heart he just grabbed the plate and held on to it. He finally let go and watched it pass on down the aisle. He turned around to see it passed down the aisle behind him. And then his eyes remained glued on the plate as it was passed back and forth, back and forth all the way to the rear of the sanctuary. Then he had an idea. This little nine year old boy, in front of God and everybody, got up out of his seat. He walked about eight rows back, grabbed the usher by the coat and asked to hold the plate one more time. Then he did the most astonishing thing I have ever heard of. He took the plate, sat it on the carpeted church floor and stepped into the center of it. As he stood there, he lifted his little head up and said, “Jesus, I don’t have anything to give you today, but just me. I give you me!”

I do love Jesus. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I will be nothing. Without Him, I am nothing. With Him I can do all things. (Phil 4:13)

JUNE GREETERS SCHEDULE

Greeters are asked to arrive at the church 15 minutes before the service begins, wear a “Greeter” tag, and welcome each person with a smile and handshake. “Greeter” tags can be found on the table in the Narthex. If you are unable to greet on an assigned date, please call the church office, 301-868-1281. Thank you very much for your dedication to Clinton United Methodist Church. The assigned greeters for the month of June:

June 1 8:00 a.m. Narthex: Karen Taylor

10:30 a.m Narthex: Dorothy Forrest

Ed. Wing: John Tyree

June 8 8:00 a.m. Narthex: Tina Fields

10:30 a.m. Narthex: Shirley Jackson

Ed. Wing: Sandra Jefferson

June 15 8:00 a.m. Narthex: Dr. Sandra and Ronald Jones

10:30 a.m. Narthex: Mbakwe Family

Ed. Wing: Mbakwe Family

June 22 8:00 a.m. Narthex: Bob & Sandra Miley

10:30 a.m Narthex: Bob Burdette

Ed. Wing: Barbara Burdette

June 29 8:00 a.m. Narthex: Patricia Stephens

10:30 a.m. Narthex: Wade & Gloria Garrett

10:30 a.m. Ed. Wing: Jody Marsh

JUNE ACOLYTE SCHEDULE

June 1 Valentine Grant, II and Vedall Grant

June 8 Matthew Oghogho

June 15 Emeka Mbakwe

June 22 Ihuoma Mbakwe

June 29 Rachel Cain