Flint District NEWS Detroit
Conference
The
United Methodist Church
Theme:
Faithfulness, Friendliness, Fruitfulness
1309 N. Ballenger Hwy., Suite 2 Dr.
Andrew A. Allie, District Superintendent
Flint, Michigan 48504-7519 Jacqueline
K. Euper, Project Director
810-233-5500 Elaine
Condon, Administrative Assistant
Vol.
13 - No. 3 O March 2008
Seek the Lord and Surrender to Him
Matthew
6:9-10
As we enter
the season of Lent, I want to remind each of us to continue seeking the Lord
and surrender to Him. We all experience
that type of need or hunger that drove Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5-10) up the
tree. The hunger known all too well by
those of us who have learned that having it all is not enough. Although Zacchaeus was rich and powerful (a
chief tax collector whom the people both feared and hated) he was also
needy. He needed God. He needed Jesus.
Zacchaeus
was one of myriad persons who sought Jesus for all kinds of reasons. But all had one thing in common with each
other and with you and me. They were
seeking, and we are seeking. They could
have been seeking any of the many things we human beings long for. Some of us, having reached the end of
ourselves, may come to the point of a new start. That is what the Lenten Season is about.
Zacchaeus
came down from the tree and welcomed Jesus gladly. Being in the presence of Jesus caused
transformation in Zacchaeus. He stood up
and said, I will give half of my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have
overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as
much. What happened to Zacchaeus is a
picture of what can happen to each one of us; it is indeed what needs to happen
in every life B dramatic transformation and
spiritual renewal. It begins with hunger
with a sense that there has to be more.
Soul hunger or God hunger is the same for everyone. And the only way to have God is to surrender
to Him.
The
Dictionary defines surrender in this way: to yield to the power, control or
possession of another ..., to give (oneself) over to something (as an
influence.) People surrender every day.
They yield to peer pressure and they give themselves over to temptation,
but this kind of surrender does not open the door to spiritual renewal. The right surrender involves yielding or
handing oneself up to the purpose of God and giving oneself up to the power of
God’s Kingdom. Surrendering is admitting
that we can’t handle life without God.
Surrender
means to obey God. We come to God on His
terms, accepting that He is God and
that He can
do with us whatever He wants to do with us will be for our ultimate good. Surrender is a process of abiding in, testing
in and yielding to Jesus. When we
continually surrender to God, our lives will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Surrender
involves our conduct, thoughts, feelings, relationships, time and cares. All of this boils down to one point; that we
resign from being the ultimate rule of our lives and yield to the righteous
rule of God. Amen.
-
Andrew A. Allie
PERSONALS
- Bob Boyler, former Executive Director of the DOPNH
experiencing health problems.
- Martha Guenin, Trustee of the Flint District Board of
Missions recuperating from surgery.
- Dr. Donald E. Hall experiencing health problems.
- Joey Hruby, secretary, Davisburg UMC experiencing
health problems.
- Prayers for those serving in the military. Please pray for their families especially the
children as they face the uncertainties in their lives.
- Prayers for the victims and displaced persons who
are coping with the devastation caused by the tornadoes, hurricanes, floods,
and fires, and those who are helping them.
COKESBURY 2008 VACATION
BIBLE SCHOOL - THEME: SURFIN’ THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES: Our
United Methodist Publishing House has created another fun-filled summer program
for all ages at your local church. The
new children’s preview kit is available in the Flint District Office. If you would like to borrow it to show to
your VBS committee, contact Jackie Euper at 810-233-5500, ext. 362. A blow up surfboard is also available for
your week of VBS (first come-first served).
FLINT DISTRICT YOUTH NEWS
Thanks to the 314 adults and
youth who attended the U-NITE lock-in at Genesys Athletic Club in January. Your faithful participation continues to be a
blessing!
Upcoming Flint DYC dates:
- March 2 - Mission
Bowl-a-Thon
- March 7-9 - Youth Lay
Speaking - Davison UMC
- April 6 - Elections,
Swartz Creek UMC
WIN-WIN-WIN REPORTS 663 -
NEW MEMBERS - We continue to
celebrate the victory of this undertaking.
Fifty-six of our 71 churches participated in this program. We are forever grateful to everyone who
played a part in this endeavor. Thank
you, thank you and thank you. May we all
continue to be willing to do whatever it takes to grow our churches and Make
Disciples of Jesus Christ. Amen.
DISTRICT PRAYER TEAM - The Flint District has an email prayer chain for
district concerns. Email notices will be
sent out once or twice per month, as well as mailing prayer cards. If you have a prayer concern or desire to be
added to the prayer chain, please contact Jackie Euper at tjeuper@tm.net.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE ! !
BISHOP’S DAY FOR EVANGELISM AND
STEWARDSHIP
SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2008 B 8:45 A.M.-3:30 P.M.
SWARTZ CREEK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
7400 MILLER ROAD
SWARTZ CREEK, MICHIGAN
THEME: COME, GROW, GO IN CHRIST
EXPERIENCE: KEYNOTE ADDRESS,
WORKSHOPS, FOOD, WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, ETC.
We
expect every church, every church on the District to be
represented. Registration forms are now
available at every local church on the District. Please call The Reverend Timothy C. Dibble
(248-627-3125), Mary DeDolph (810-743-0159) or the District Office
(810-233-5500, ext. 361) for further information. We are expecting a great turnout ( between
350-400 ) in attendance. Please help us
promote this last time event. No
exception, every pastor is firmly encouraged and expected to be present.
I
thank God for each one of you as we continue to be willing to do whatever it
takes to grow our churches and Make Disciples of Jesus Christ.
-
Andrew A. Allie
Asbury Family
Development Center
1653 Davison Road, Flint, MI 48506
A Word of Thanks B
The Asbury Family Development Center would like to thank the many area
United Methodist churches for the generous out-pouring of support we have
received since opening in October of 2006. We are in our second year of
operation and things are growing quickly. Our goal for 2008 is fifty families
and we now have over forty families signed up. Twenty-five to fifty
participants attend nightly for educational and family support, a nutritious
dinner, and community fellowship. Our challenge is as always providing food. We
have been blessed with a new volunteer, Rob Malcomnson, whose parents attend
Davison U.M.C. Rob is a real expert in healthy food selection, procurement and
preparation and is guiding us as we endeavor to seek out more healthful,
organic foods. I’m happy to report the children are responding positively to
these different food choices. We are all eating lots more raw vegi’s and
drinking our milk. Currently we are seeking a grant and some space in the old
Homedale School yard for a community garden this spring. If all goes well we’ll
be Flint city farmers with enough produce to last all next year. We invite
anyone interested in volunteering or just coming for a visit to contact
Ann-Renee Covert at 810-252-5239. You can also check us out in the Mission
Jubilee. Again thank you, your continued support is helping to bring Christ’s
love into lives that might not have otherwise ever seen Him.
Sincerely In His Service,
Ann-Renee Covert,
Coordinator
The Asbury Family
Development Center
OUR CONNECTIONAL MINISTRY
Up-dated Flint District Calendar of Coming Events
February 17, 2008 -
Chicken Buffet Dinner, Masonic Temple Dining Room, 755 S. Saginaw St., Flint,
MI. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. This
Chicken Buffet Dinner is sponsored by the United Methodist Women of Court
Street UMC. The proceeds are for the UMW
Missions Projects. Cost $8.00 per
person, $5.00 for 12 and Under. Everyone
is welcome. Call Court Street UMC
(810-235-4651) for tickets or purchase tickets at the door.
March 1, 2008 - Bishop’s
Day on Evangelism and Stewardship - Come, Grow, Go: Enliven, Equip, &
Enrich Your Church to Build God’s Kingdom.
Hosted by Swartz Creek UMC,
7400 Miller Road, Swartz Creek, MI 48473.
Registration begins at 8:45 a.m. and the day will close at 3:30
p.m. Our keynote speaker will be Dr.
Robert E. Bailey who is a much sought after speaker and teacher on stewardship
and evangelism. Your event will include
six exciting, interesting and challenging workshops from which to choose. Your church has received flyers and
registration information. Pastors and
laity, young and old, are expected!
March 2, 2008 - DYC
MISSION Bowl-a-Thon (NEW DATE). Grand Blanc Lanes, 5201 Saginaw St., Grand
Blanc, MI - Youth and Adults. 2:30 p.m.
Registration - 3:00-5:30 p.m. Bowl Three Games.
All proceeds will be sent to the Youth Council in the Liberia Annual
Conference of the UMC in West Africa.
Cost: $25 minimum donation per person (includes 3 games of bowling,
shoes and a gift to Liberia youth).
Check out the flyer enclosed in this newsletter. Questions?
Call Jackie Euper (810-233-5500, ext. 362).
March 7-8, 2008 - Lay
Speaking Ministries Workshop, Court Street UMC, 225 W. Court St., Flint,
MI. Please call the District Office (810-233-5500, ext. 361) for a copy of
the flyer.
March 7, 8, and 9, 2008 -
Flint District Youth Basic Lay Speaking, Davison UMC, 207 E. Third St.,
Davison, MI 48423. Please call Jackie Euper (810-233-5500, ext. 362) or
Rev. Susan M. Youmans (810-653-5272) for information.
March 14, 2008 - Flint
District United Methodist Women’s 28th Annual Prayer Breakfast -
Celebrating the Holy Spirit - Speaker: Rev. Weatherly Verhelst,
Waterstone Village Banquet Center & Catering,
8033 N. Dort Hwy., Mt. Morris, MI 48458 - Registration begins at 8:45 a.m. Cost:
$10. Please contact your local unit for
registration information.
April 12, 2008 - VIM
Festival of Opportunities 2008 - First UMC, 1500 N. Water St., Owosso - 9:00
a.m.-4:30 p.m. Featured Speaker is Rev. Clint Rabb,
Assistant General Secretary for Mission Volunteers, General
Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. There will be breakout sessions for the
following topics: Katrina Relief
Opportunities - Bolivia - Liberia - Haiti - Poland (Teach UM) - Czech Republic
- Mexico - Zimbabwe/Africa University - USA VIM Opportunities - VIM Opportunities
in Michigan - Medical Teams - Fund Raising methods for - VIM Teams - Youth
Opportunities - Stage 2 ER Training - Early Response Training (all day) - Team Leader Training
(all day). Cost: Suggested donation of
$10 will be taken to cover the cost of lunch and speaker’s expenses. For those taking leader training, an
additional cost of $25 includes the price of the training manual. For those taking Early Response Training an
additional cost of $15 will cover training materials. Questions?
Please call 989-725-2201.
May 10, 2008 - Spiritual
Growth Conference for Men - Sponsored by the Flint District United Methodist
Men, Lake Fenton High School Auditorium - 8:00 a.m.-2:35 p.m. Put
this date on your calendar and watch for further information.
CALLED SPECIAL SESSIONS OF THE
DETROIT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
AND THE
WEST MICHIGAN ANNUAL CONFERENCE
SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2008
LANSING CENTER, LANSING, MI.
Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton, following consultation and concurrence by all
district superintendents and the executive committee of board of ordained
ministry of each conference is calling a special conference session for both
the Detroit Annual Conference and the West Michigan Annual Conference to meet
together on April 5, 2008 beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Lansing Center in
Lansing, Michigan. The purpose of this
conference session will be to vote on the proposed new creation of the Great
Lakes Conference in response to the 2006 Annual Conference motion approved by
both conferences and to vote on the appropriate resolutions necessary to
facilitate the transition to a new conference.
The specific proposals for these actions are found in the materials
mailed to clergy and lay members of the 2007 Annual Conferences, respectively.
The Voting Items Book and
all other information B current and past B can be accessed on the Conference web site ...
www.umc-detconf.org.
CLARIFICATION ON APRIL 5, 2008 VOTE
TO CREATE THE GREAT LAKES ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Here is a Discipline
paragraph that will solve most of the questions surrounding the April 5th
eligibility of who can vote. 602.5 B The lay member or alternate, whoever was last seated
in the annual conference, shall be seated in a special session of the annual
conference when convened; provided that no local charge shall be deprived of
its lay member due to death, serious illness, or cessation of membership. Under such circumstances, another lay member
may be elected by the charge conference.
In addition the following
was received from Paul Thomas:
If you have an alternate selected
from last year, that person should be the one going. If not, your charge
conference should elect one. My
understanding of the Discipline is that we are not out to deprive a local
church of its vote. If last year’s lay
member or alternate can’t get there, your church has to elect someone to
represent the church for the April 5th event ONLY.
POEMS FOR ALL SEASONS
A Collection of Holiday Poems
The Reverend Samuel P. Jones, author
This collection of poetry is
a must-have for all who seek confirmation of their holiday spirituality, sure
to appeal to both the casual and more sophisticated readers. Poems For All Seasons - A Collection of
Holiday Poems presents the rhythmic expressions of the author, who transferred
his life experiences and love of writing into a collection of heartfelt
renditions covering every occasion from New Year’s to Christmas.
For additional information
http://www.poemsforallseasons.com/ or http://www.lulu.com. Rev. Jones email
address is samp.jones@yahoo.com.
FLINT DISTRICT BOARD OF MISSIONS
OFFERS CHURCH OF THE YEAR GRANT
A Church of the Year grant
application has been mailed to every church.
The $6,000 grant is included in your Flint District Board of Missions
and Church Extension 2008 budget. ALL
churches are eligible regardless of membership or financial status, and all
requests will be carefully considered.
To be considered ALL INFORMATION REQUESTED on the form must be
received by the District Office, 1309 N. Ballenger Hwy., Suite 2, Flint, MI
48504 no later than April 4, 2008. This
is a firm deadline!
COMMON GROUNDS COFFEE HOUSE
SWARTZ CREEK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
7400 MILLER ROAD
SWARTZ CREEK, MI
Common Grounds Coffee House
at the United Methodist Church of Swartz Creek - 7:00 p.m., Saturday, March 1,
2008. Come for the Bishop’s Day Event
and stay for the concert that night!
This monthly outreach event is a not-for-profit ministry of the Common
Grounds Team. We present family friendly
music and fellowship in a Christian atmosphere the first Saturday of each month,
along with all the coffee and snacks you care to enjoy. A donation of $5 per person or $10 per family
is suggested. In March, the music will
be presented by Jay Freeman. On April 5th
we welcome folksinger Bill Iisles. For more information contact Rev. LuAnn Rourke at 810-635-4555 ext 204, or email
lrourke@umc-sc.org.
YOU ARE INVITED TO THE FALL VIM TRIP WITH THE
HAITI SCHOOL PROJECT
NOVEMBER 7-14, 2008
The team will visit several
sites and meet people in various settings.
If you would like to join the Haiti School Project team as we work and
worship with our Haitian partners in mission, contact Curtis Bartz for information and an application. Call 313-278-4849 or email jbartz@mich.com.
CONFERENCE YOUTH ASSEMBLY (CYA)
AUGUST 6-10, 2008
ADRIAN COLLEGE
Fellowship & Dance B Inspirational Worship B Fun and Food B Leadership
This four-day camp
experience at Adrian College is designed to build leadership for high school
youth (completed 8th grade).
This event is planned and led by the youth of the Conference Council on
Youth Ministries. Price includes meals
and four nights in the college dorms.
Grant money is available to your church.
The registration form is available at www.daccym.org. Questions can be directed to Laurie Kaufman
de la Garza, adult advisor of the CCYM at laurie.kdlg@sbcglobal.net or
906-428-4623, or to John Hart, YSF Adult Advisor, at 248-649-2396 or
248-321-1723, email jophhart@flash.net or 1894 Chatham Dr., Troy, MI 48084.
Faith Development News
God has inspired Christians for many
generations to serve the Lord through prayer using blankets and shawls in
diverse ways. The Faith Development Committee of the Flint District Council
Ministries has been collecting information about such ministries. Over the next few months, we would like to
report to you how some churches in the Flint District are touching lives
through this prayer ministry.
Clarkston UMC
The idea for our prayer shawl ministry came from Rev
Char Cowdin, our former DCE here at Clarkston. This
has been a ministry of her current church, Lexington UMC. Char gave us the
pattern, and we have been meeting since the summer of 2005. There are about 14
members of the group and we meet weekly in the CUMC parlor throughout the year.
We are the Monday Knitters and meet from 1-2:30 pm. We have given away
65 shawls already, along with 3 children’s sweaters, 8 Sunshine hats for
women going through chemo; 47 knit hats for persons in the military and
112 baby caps for the neonatal unit at St.
Joseph Mercy hospital in Pontiac. One of our founding members, Gen
Gordon, (90+ years old), has moved to Greenville, Michigan, and started this
ministry at her new church. We have great fellowship and have occasionally met
at each others’ homes for luncheons. It is also an interdenominational group,
drawing from 3 other churches besides Clarkston UMC. Each hand knit item is
blessed by the group with prayer, and the date of the blessing is noted on a
tag for the receiver to know.
Some of our notes from recipients:
- ”Thank you so much for the
beautiful hat ! what happiness you bring..” M.
- ”What a wonderful ministry you
have ! I never dreamed I would be a recipient of a prayer shawl - I know it’s
knitted with love!” M.
- ”Thank you for my blessed shawl”
J.
- ”Many wonderful memories of the
time we shared at Clarkston came to me as we opened this precious gift” J
- ”When I received the prayer shawl
at the hospital, I felt the love with which it had been knit- my heart was
overwhelmed . . . the blessing prayer will forever be remembered. It brought me
peace and comfort.” K
- ”There are not enough words to
thank you - when I’m up in the night and can curl up in it - it’s a great
feeling.” G
Rev. Christine Wyatt cwyatt@clarkstonumc.org
Minister of Adult Education 248-625-1611 Ext. 226
Clarkston UMC
If you have a similar ministry or
want to start one, would you please call 810-687-2318 or e-mail mpotter60@charter.net Thanks and God bless you!
Bonnie
Potter, on behalf of Faith Development Team