To welcome spring, Garfield is holding a spring festival on May 16^th from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Wolfsville Ruritan Park on Brandenburg Hollow Road.  This event will be held rain or shine, but will be moved to the church on Stottlemyer Road if it should rain.

For your enjoyment the music and entertainment will be provided by Blue Grass Blend and by Faith Ministries.

So that you will not be hungry while your are enjoying the entertainment there will be hotdogs, steamers, ham sandwiches, baked goods, French fries and vegetable soup for sale.

The children will have fun to as they play “quarter games” and a moon bounce will be available for the younger children.  All games will of course come with a prize.

Also there will be kitchen knives on sale by the Women’s group. These knives are of good quality and a variety of sizes and widths.

You do you want to miss this evening of fun, fellowship and gospel music.  It is family fun in your “backyard”. Tell your friends.

 

On May 4^th at 6:00 there will be a Vacation Bible School planning session.

Vacation Bible School is just about 6 weeks from now so your help; input and ideas are needed and welcomed.

This year we will be looking at Paul and Rome the underground church.  This is sure to be an exciting time for all involved.

Mark your calendars now for June 15^th through the 19^th and bring your children, grandchildren, friends, neighbors and everyone.  No one wants to miss this.

As in years past, the week will end with a VBS party with the return of the famous Garfield Water Slide.  Then on Sunday, of course will be Youth Sunday, a service everyone is sure to enjoy.

 

 

Three pews full of children gathered in our sanctuary to hear the love, power, and grace of God as we retraced the last week of Jesus’ life.

 From playing board games to making fake sushi to playing on the playground, we were blessed to share the love of Christ with the kids who came to Spring Break Camp.

Thank you for your donations of time, scholarships, snacks and toilet paper tubes!

 

 

 

Well it’s May and that means that the young people of our church are now focusing their attention to our summer plans and activities.  We are thrilled to be a part of the Spring Festival and honored that the church leadership would ask us to help in this new venture.  Summer looks like it will be a season of new ideas and of course we will be taking advantage of the warm weather for some fun.

First up in June will be VBS which will require participation from many volunteers especially our youth!  As in years past we will be helping with organization, music, entertainment, and wherever else we are needed.  That’s the greatest ability of our young people; they can adapt. 

Following that on June 21^st is one of the greatest days on the church calendar: Youth Sunday.  This year like all others our youth will be sharing their God given talents and abilities.  This Sunday is always so inspirational and a heck of a lot of fun.  Many of us will be running around asking for help from our kids, youth, and young adults.  We will need everyone to participate in order to make this the best Youth Sunday yet.

Also as Summer continues, be looking for details for our new young adult bible study that will be starting, and don’t forget the youth sponsored retreat and camping trip for the church.  There will also be news coming for activities involving younger age groups as well. 

Please as always we need your prayers.  Make an effort to pray for these specific activities on a daily basis.  If you can, choose a member of our group each week to uphold in your daily prayers, and then when you see that person in church ask how their week has gone.  Without prayer our activities will never reach their full potential so please help us in the simplest way possible.  PRAY!

 

June 7^th we will be honoring the graduates. Each year we honor those who in our congregation have graduated from high school, technical school or college.  Those honored are children and grandchildren of members and friends of our church.

If you or your child is graduating please let Pastor Katie know so that we can get the Bibles and college gifts.

 

 

The Men’s Breakfast is starting back up again on May 9^th at 8:30 at the Parlor House in Waynesboro, PA. 

To kick off this event, they are inviting the entire congregation.  Bring your spouse, your friends, your neighbors.  This is a time of fellowship, devotional and good food.  Each person is responsible for their own breakfast purchase. 

 

This summer, Pastor Katie will serve as the pastor at Camp Manidoken ’s Adventure Camp for 5^th and 6^th graders, July 5-10^th. We would love to have a group of our young people in 5^th and 6^th grades come to camp! We are also in need of some adult volunteers (18 or older) to serve as counselors that week. Pastor Chris will be serving that week as well, with High School students. High Schoolers are also invited to come. Both groups will participate in high ropes courses, canoeing, hiking, and daily Bible Study, and other activities.  If you are interested in serving or would like to send your youth to camp, please let Pastor Katie know. Forms are available on her desk.

 

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Last spring, they had to take some trees out of our yard. Two trees, to be exact. One from each side of our house. They were leaning – or something – but whatever the reason, they are gone now. And my yard now has two big round circles of dirt in the midst of our grass. It makes our yard look terrible. Like something is missing. Or two something’s to be exact!

As the spring rain has begun to fall and things are starting to bud, Chris and I decided to buy a bag of grass seed and try to grow grass so that our front yard would look better. As we walked into the Home Depot, we were amazed at the grass seed selection. Apparently there are all kinds of grass. It might all look the same to my untrained eye, but there are all different kinds. Kentucky something and Blue grass something else. How were we to know what to do? Which type of grass would grow in our yard? Would it work in the sun and the shade and would we have to water it everyday?

Chris and I must have had a helpless look on our faces, because a kind man in an orange apron came up to us and offered to help. He asked good questions – about our soil, about our rain, about the sun and shade, and finally helped us settle on a bag.

With new found confidence, inspired by this grass expert, we began to work up the soil in these circular spots. Then we planted the seed.

As we were planting and watering, I thought about how God is calling us to do wonderful things here at Garfield. As we move forward, seeking out the vision and plan that God has for our church, it is much like Chris and I shopping for grass seed. None of us are experts. God alone is the “vision expert.” God alone has the key to the ministries that will flourish and grow in the soil of Garfield United Methodist.

And the same is true for our lives. God is calling you to wonderful things – to fruitful things. And often in our lives and in our hearts there are big brown spots of dirt. Only God knows what the plans are for that soil, what ministry, what love can grow in that place. And when we turn it over to God, amazing things can happen.

Friends, I hope during the month of May, you will join with me in praying for our church and our congregation daily, as we seek to see the plans that God has for us, as individuals, and as the church of Jesus Christ here at Garfield.

May you and your families be blessed! Peace, Pastor Katie

 

On April 4^th several members and friends gathered at the church with Pastor Katie and Conference Guide Matt Poole to explore the vision that God has for Garfield.

We had many discussions about what Garfield does well and where Garfield can improve.  It was agreed upon that our Sunday School is a priority as well as meeting the needs of the unchurched in the community.

Rev Poole gave us a demographic of the surrounding area of Garfield.  They are people age 54 or under with traditional family backgrounds that are looking for a church that is emotionally uplifting with services that are blended with Tradition and contemporary and of course recreational and fun.

Those in attendance looked at the faith development and how we as a church must meet all demographics of faith.  Those demographics are:  those who are not yet following Christ, those who are seeking to follow Christ, those who have chosen to follow Christ and those who are committed followers.

With this information several committees will be formed to help define this vision and the forward/planning committee will be working closely with those committees.

 

 

The Kings Kids Youth Group is planning a weekend camping retreat, open to everyone, for this summer.  They are tentatively planning it for the last weekend of July (26-28). 

The Youth will be hosting the event open to everyone interested in a weekend of camping, fellowship, and renewal. 

We will be camping at Mason Dixon Campground, located near Frostburg.  The campground has sites ranging from basic tent sites to pull through with water, electric, and sewer hook ups.  So whether you have a tent, a camper, an RV, or just interested in camping please plan to attending.  Contact Philip Reid or Andrew Brown if you are interested.  More details will be coming soon!

 

The descending dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he …. saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove” (Matthew 3:16, NIV). The three-rayed nimbus around the dove’s head identifies the Spirit as a member of the Trinity. A dove shown without the nimbus is a symbol of peace.

 

New members will be received into the church on May 31^st during the worship hour.  If you or someone you know would like to be a part of our church family either by confession of faith or transfer, please see Pastor Katie at your earliest convenience.

 

On April 11^th over 60 people enjoyed an egg hunt and breakfast with the Easter Bunny.

After getting your picture taken with the Easter Bunny, the games were played, eggs were hid, breakfast was served and fun was had by all.  But don’t forget all of the fun coloring the eggs, finding the hidden eggs and opening the plastic ones to find the “prize”.

 

Right after God granted Solomon his request for wisdom to govern, the wise king faced a dilemma about a baby. King Solomon ingeniously solved a dispute between two women who both claimed to be the child’s mother (see 1 Kings 3:16-28)

But who was the mother of Solomon?

A. Zipporah

B. Abigail

C. Queen of Sheba

D. Bathsheba

The answer is in 2 Samuel 12:24.

 

Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday of May, is a time to remember and appreciate people who have served or who are now serving in the military.

Today, service members are volunteers who willingly leave their families and homes to serve as protectors, defenders and servants of our beloved country. Their roles often involve great danger, perilous missions and harm to their bodies, minds and spirits.

Let those in military service know that you appreciate their service and sacrifice on behalf of America. Pray for them, speak appreciatively to them and let them know of your support.

 

 

The Price of Children

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock!  That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,               * $741.38 a month, or           * $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day! * Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich"   Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!                 * Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.                  * More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. * Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies. * A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.          * A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites

* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:                 * finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,                 * play hide-and-seek,            * catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, * watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and * wishing on stars.

* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, * taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,            * filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:
* first step,                  * first word,                 * first bra,                    * first date, and * first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits! Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren!