As most of you know the week of June 15^th-22^nd was a huge week for the youth of Garfield. The week began with the Spring Hike through Cunningham Falls where we were able to view the beauty of God’s creation. It was a great way to get things started. The hike was followed by a riveting week of vacation bible school where there was an excellent group of kids and I think both children and adults had a lot of fun. However, the fun didn’t stop there, the week ended on the 22^nd with an entire day of activities lasting on all through the night.

The 22^nd began with an amazing Youth Sunday service where worship was lead entirely by the Youth of the church. Attendance was well over 200 people, and I can safely say that everyone who attended was truly blessed. At the service music talents such as instrument playing, singing and dancing were displayed along with a few skits and an amazing performance by the vacation bible school group. This all led up to an inspirational sermon which told us why we don’t need to worry because we have God on our side. Her sermon was followed by a farewell from Reverend Reid and a delicious luncheon downstairs. After the luncheon there were several activities for the youth including volley ball, basketball, and badminton. The favorite however, was the pool and water slide that was out on the front lawn. This provided hours of entertainment for everyone. Throughout the day we had about 30 youth members and adults attending the fun activities.

After everyone had a chance to dry off from the water slide another delicious meal was served. Later the teen/young adult Bible Study, The Top 13 Questions about God met for the first time.  Sixteen people attended this first meeting and participated in excellent discussions talking about the 1^st question “How do I know God Exists?” The conversation was so riveting that the group met for over 2 hours! The evening continued with the movie Ice Age: The Meltdown and concluded with a relaxing Bon Fire outside where everyone enjoyed a s’more or two. The day was truly a fun and wonderful day, and I want to say a personal thank you to all those attended and helped to make it possible. The support of the Garfield Community is truly appreciated. Without your help, support, and prayers, this amazing day would not have been possible. So thank you once again!

The youth activities do not end here. The new bible study for ages 13-30 will continue to meet the 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of every month with the next meeting date being July 6^th. We will be discussing: “Which is Right: Evolution or Creation?” There will also be a group for the younger youth meeting the 3^rd Sunday of every month. I encourage everyone to get involved. Thanks again for your continued prayer and support.

Did you miss Vacation Bible School this year?  I pray not.  We had a grand time with over 30 children in attendance and everyone had a great time. 

The theme for VBS was Outrigger Island Living God’s Unshakeable Truth.  The classes came in “waves” of God’s truth is real, Jesus is God’s Son, Jesus is the only way, the Bible is God’s word and my actions show what I believe.

As always there were plenty of lively songs, fellowship, learning and “snacks” which was really closer to a meal.

The week long event was ended with the now famous Garfield Water Slide.  Even though many adults thought it was too cold, the children went down the slide over and over and was a little disappointed when it got too dark to continue.

Vacation Bible School at Garfield, what a blast.

 

As we move forward as a single station church, it is time to reevaluate our vision, hopes and dreams for Garfield . You are invited to come to a "Catching A New Vision" session on July 19th from 9:00 am to Noon. We will spend time in Bible Study and prayer, and share our hopes and dreams for our congregation as we move forward. All are invited to attend.

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Coming to Sunday School in July – Fool’s Gold.  No not the movie staring Kate Hudson, but the book by John MacArthur.

In an age of open-mindedness, many believers accept too much with to little discernment, resulting in great confusion and compromise.

Arthur John MacArthur and other contributors are going to define the principles of biblical discernment and use them to address several contemporary Christian issues.  They will provide straightforward biblical critiques of some popular but unfortunate Christian trends such as watered down preaching and questionable best selling books and will end with a practical plan for cultivating discernment in the Christian Life.

 

--submitted by Pastor Katie

During July and August, I am going to leave the robe at home and I invite you to do the same! Come just as you are – ready for a family reunion, heading to a ball game, or perhaps just wanting to fish!

Worship will also feel a bit different this summer. Each week, we will start worship with a short hymn sing. You will be invited to pick two or three hymns that you love to sing to start worship. So be thinking about what you would like to sing this summer!

 

Time to Bite Into A Lemon – Plunge Into The Pool

I love watching Eden try things for the first time. A couple of weeks ago, we were out to dinner with Chris’ parents and they suggested she try a lemon. After squeezing most of the juice out, we let her suck on it. What a face! She squished her lips together, shook her shoulders a bit, and then let out a huge laugh! She loved it so much I had trouble getting it out of her hands. Now every time we go out to dinner Eden reaches for the lemons!

The same was true when she went to the pool for the first time. Chris was officiating at a wedding down in Cambridge and we stayed at a hotel with an indoor pool. With a bathing suit from her Grandma, Chris and I held Eden as she experienced the pool for the first time. As we dipped her feet in, she looked very unhappy. Not sure what to do, we let her get wet to her belly. The unhappy face stayed. Dipping her to her shoulders, Chris began “swimming” around with her. As her feet kicked and he spun her around in circles, finally a smiled appeared. And then her giggle. It took a while, but she finally enjoyed it – I think!

 

 

The thing about starting something new, about trying something never tried before, about beginning again, is that it is often uncomfortable. Just like we would rather wear the same old pair of jeans (regardless of the holes in the knees), it is easier to do things just as we have always done then try something new. Because the way we have always done things is comfortable. But sometimes, we have to buy new jeans. And sometimes we have to try new things.

 

When Moses was leading God’s people to the Promised Land, he was certainly starting something new. The Hebrews who had been enslaved in Egypt no longer knew what it meant to be free. For generations they had been slaves and this new path of following Moses through the desert was very uncomfortable. More than once they wanted to turn around. More than once they wanted to go back to the way things were. And yet God had a new and different plan for their lives. A plan that would bring great blessings.

My favorite piece of scripture from the whole Exodus story comes in chapter 13. Verse 21 and 22 read: “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” As the Hebrew people began their new journey, as the continued along the way, the Lord was with them – always. Never did the Lord’s presence leave them wandering alone. Never did they have to journey alone. Never did they have to wonder where God was in the midst of all of this, because God was journeying with them. God never left them.

Being the sole pastor of Garfield is a new thing for me. I had gotten comfortable always being able to stand in Randy’s shadow. Yet, it is time for something new. It is time for me to bite into a lemon for the first time, to jump into the pool, to find a new pair of jeans, and to begin again. To start something new.

And it time for you, as a community of faith to begin something new too. To take a leap of faith, splashing into the pool of God’s grace, hoping that it will be fun. To pick up a new pair of jeans, knowing that it won’t be the same, but trusting that they will fit. To bite into a lemon, trusting that while it might make us squish our face for a moment, we will enjoy it.

We are called to try something new knowing that God will never leave our side. We are called to try something new knowing that God will lead us, wherever God is calling us to go.

 

 

As we go full station, Garfield has applied and received an equitable compensation grant from the conference. This grant of $12,000 from July 2008 to July 2009, will help pay for our pastoral expenses and is not to be repaid. Because Garfield has faithfully paid their apportionments, we were eligible for this grant.

To prove our commitment to be a growing community of faith, we have committed to focus more fully on stewardship, begin a visitation ministry to reach the homebound members of the community, and to begin a Worship Committee.

 

The annual Sunday School picnic is just around the corner.  On August 2^nd we will gather at the picnic woods at the corner of Garfield and Brandenburg Hollow Roads to witness to and worship with our community.

This is a fundraiser for our church and everyone’s help is needed.  If you can help make soup, set up, teardown, fry French fires, work at the white elephant or bake stands or with the children’s games, you are asked to call or see one of our picnic coordinators

What you can do without leaving your house, without letting a coordinator know, and something you probably do every day that makes a big difference is pray.  Pray for good weather, pray for people to come, pray for good fellowship, pray for the health of our community and for our church.

Everyone can do something for the picnic….DO IT.

 

 

 

 

For the summer, our soup and study will get bread! Switching to sandwiches, we will have been studying Rich Stevenson’s Secrets of the Spiritual Life. Meeting on Wednesday from noon to about 1:30, the study will continue through July 31^st .

Please see Pastor Katie for details or if you need a ride. All are welcome to attend.

 

Beginning in July, we will be starting a Worship Committee to evaluate, plan and lead worship on Sunday mornings. Our first meeting will be July 16^th at 7:00 pm. Please see Pastor Katie for details.

 

 

Income	2007	2008
Month	7713	8006
YTD	39976	42559
Expenses	2007	2008
Month	7953	9462
YTD	38840	47185
Sunday School/Missions	2007	2008
Sunday school	213	190
YTD	838	1113
Missions	1253	635
YTD	4797	2814
Attendance	2007	2008
Worship	325	429
YTD	1661	1945
Sunday School	104	105
YTD	364	512

  

Over 200 people gathered on June 22^nd to wish the Reid Family the best of luck in their new position at Emmanuel UM Church.

The service was lead by our youth with a special tribute to Rev Randy and his family.  The church presented to the Reid family a mantel chime clock which was inscribed with the years of service at Garfield.

After the service we went to the fellowship hall for a meal with the Reid family.  As expected the ladies of the church did a fabulous job on the meal

 We will miss them very much.  However we know that God has great things in store for them and we send with them with God’s blessings and our prayers for success.

 

 

 

The 224^th Annual Session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church was held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center on the Potomac, National Harbor Maryland May 22 – 24^th.  The theme of this year’s conference was “Poured Out: Serve Like Christ”; this was chosen by the Young Adult Clergy of the Conference, who lead the three worship experiences.  “The concept of being poured out is for making room for God in your life”, as stated by Rev. Stacey Cole Wilson, pastor of Mount Winans UMC in Baltimore and Co-Chair of the Worship Committee.

Mark Miller, Director of Music at Drew Theological Seminars in New Jersey, graced us again this year with his melodic styling.  Mark is a charismatic musician who seems to have been born to inspire and lead congregations to worship with music.

In the State of the Church address, Bishop Schol encouraged those in attendance to develop disciples that will live out their discipleship in bold, audacious and extreme ways, serving like Christ as they grow disciples, spiritual leaders, churches, and missions.  The Bishop took a moment to applaud the 272 congregations that have achieved at least three Act 2 Fruits over the past three years; and by God’s Grace under the direction of Pastor Katie Bishop and Randy Reid, Garfield was one of the 272.  This includes paying their full appointment, attracting one new member for every 25 worshipper and growing attendance by at least two percent.  This puts us half way toward our goal of at least 600 Acts 2 Fruits churches by 2012.  The Bishop called upon the attendees to consider their callings to ministry in face of a shortage of ordained pastors.  The Conference is facing a shortage of 45 full-time pastors.  The projections for the next ten years are for approximately 30 pastors are expected to retire each year.

The proposal to move from nine districts to eight was overwhelmingly passed; previously the idea of increasing the number of districts to ten was on the table but ultimately rejected.  The new eight-district system will go into effect July 1.  This new alignment will give the conference four regions with an almost equal number of churches; each region will be staffed by two district superintendents, three guild staff and two administrative staff.  This alignment will save the conference approximately $250, 000 dollars a year. 

The Council of Finance and Administration (CFA) have established a permanent sub-committee to continue the work that began in 2007 by the Apportionment Task Force.  The Connectional Giving Committee has representatives from each of the four conference regions, including laity, clergy, CFA members, and Conference staff.  In addition to researching the 10% of Conference churches that have experienced significant swings in apportionment allocations between 2007 and 2008, the committee also feels that part of their job is to educate and communicate to the local church members what the apportionment system is.  This is in response to a December 2007 survey sent to pastors and local church lay members that showed only 41% feel that local church members understand the system.

Conference members adopted a 2009 budget of $18, 829, 745, an increase of 2.9% over 2007.  This budget allows for half of a percent decrease in the benevolence factor from 22.5% to 22%.  This is keeping with the Council’s commitment to minimize the benevolence factor from 24.8% in 2005 to the 22% for 2009.  Equitable compensation base salary for pastors was increased by 3.3% to $35, 577.  The Connectional Giving Committee was instructed by Conference members to examine the rising utilities cost and how this effects the apportionment.  And it was announced that for the eleventh year the Baltimore-Washington Conference has paid 100% of its apportionment to the General Church.

Greg Davis of Cokesbury, the Denominations Bookstore presented the Conference with a check for $13, 571, which was passed along to the Central Conference, to assist with the Pastors Pension Fund.  The members voted to send this money because many clergy there face uncertain financial futures upon their retirement.

The members voted to endorse Rev. Peggy Johnson to be a candidate for Bishop from the Baltimore-Washington Conference.  Rev. Johnson, pastor of Christ United Methodist Church of the Deaf in Baltimore, will be recommended to the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference in July.  They will be voted to select one bishop to serve in that jurisdiction.  Eighteen men and women were ordained as Elders and one woman was ordained a full member Deacon.  There were also 15 provisional members who were commissioned.  During the Service of Passage of the Appointments we honored 36 retirees that represented over 900 years of service.

In closing it was announced that an adjourned session of the Annual Conference will be held later this year to discuss apportionments and stewardship issues.  Additionally, the next session of the Annual Conference will be held June 4 – 6^th 2009 at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore.