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The Network NewsletterJune 12, 2008
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 1 Pet 4:10 (NIV) Sunday the 1st of June was a foretaste of heaven. On
that Sunday all three of our services and the people of Grace UMC
gathered for worship for a 10:45 service in our Worship Center. We had
so many people there we ran out of regular communion bread and had to
take some of the delicious bread from the refreshment table in order to
finish serving everyone!
Thank you for “using your gifts to serve others.” It is a joy to serve the Lord with you. Your Pastor, SPECIAL DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR June 16– Trustees 7PM in library Wednesday
Night Worship This Summer!
Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. Ps 149:1 (NIV) A survey of our congregation taken several months ago revealed that many of our members are away on the weekends during the summer but are in town during the week. The survey also revealed that many people would be interested in attending a worship service during the week if it was made available. Therefore, we’ll give it a try! We will hold special Wednesday night worship services on the third Wednesday of June, July, and August this summer.
Come and sing a new song unto the Lord. Come and make new friends. Come and bring old friends. Come and support our brothers and sisters as they grow in their faith and service. Let’s assemble the saints and praise the Lord! Doug Baltimore
County Christian Work Camp
Reserve and Serve Reserve the dates—July 21st through July 25th—to serve at the Baltimore County Christian Work Camp this year. In the past we have helped clean up yards, painted ramps, built porches, trimmed trees, and cleaned up trash. Typically the people we serve are elderly and poor and are very appreciative of the help. We always work hard and have a great time. You can serve for a part of a day, a single day, multiple days, or the whole week—whatever fits you schedule. You need not have special building skills to serve. Please contact Amanda Shultz for more information or to sign up. Thank you!
Proverbs are short and easy to read, but filled with wisdom about how to get the most out of God’s gift of life. Topics will include: work, finances, priorities, sex, attitude, and discipline.
Dates: All Tuesdays in June & first two
Tuesdays in August Spruce Up Our Nursery
Pastor Doug plans to spend one morning or afternoon a week on
this project until it is completed. Amanda Shultz is leading a team to remove
broken toys and clean all remaining toys on June 21st at 9AM. Doug or Amanda
would love to have lots of company and help! If you are interested in helping
spruce up the nursery please let Doug or Amanda know. Thank you. God’s Presence Photo/Art/Poem Project
Last Sunday Pastor Doug used photos of nature to help convey the message of his sermon. In that spirit we invite anyone of any age to submit photos, drawings, collages, poems, essays, etc. that remind us of the many ways God makes His presence known to us. Submissions will be displayed in Stone Chapel and in the Worship Center for everyone to appreciate and enjoy. Unleash your creative talent.. Encourage your family to look
for God’s presence. Share with the church how you see God revealing Himself to
you. Bring your submissions on Sunday or to the office during the week. We’re
eager to grow in our appreciation of the presence of God in our world.
March 12, 2008
Have you ever wondered why Mays Chapel was chosen to merge with Grace UMC? I think we were selected for several important reasons: 1. Mays Chapel is a loving church family with many
varied worship opportunities. 2. Mays Chapel is only 3 miles from Grace UMC. 3. Mays Chapel and Grace share a common concern for
local missions. 4. Mays Chapel has many people with the skills and
experience needed to arrange for the sale of the Grace property. 5. Mays Chapel is a healthy and growing church. It clear from the above that we have been blessed by God in many many ways. The best thing we can do in response to that blessing is to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and give Him glory both now and forever!” Your Pastor, PS—Thanks to Carolyn Lutz for help preparing this
newsletter! Special Dates for Your Calendar April 23 - Flower Workshop –
12:30 in Music Room LAST WOMEN'S NIGHT OUT BEFORE SUMMER For all those who wish to get their women's fellowship fix in before the summer break, be sure to come to the last event this spring on Friday, May 2 at 6 p.m. when we will be watching and discussing the classic "Casablanca". Women's night out will then take a vacation for the summer and start up again on Friday, September 5. The new season will promise an exciting new format, with rotating hosts offering their own take on their favorite flicks. Have a favorite film you'd like to share? Contact Julie Kays at loyoso @ excite.com or to reserve a night in the 2008-2009 season. Nick Bufano Begins Journey Toward Ordained Ministry One of the greatest joys a church family can have is assisting one of its members to go into the ordained ministry. At present, our very own Nick Bufano is beginning the journey into ministry. Nick has been serving as a part-time interim pastor at the Hereford Charge for the last two months. When that assignment finishes he hopes to take another part-time but year-long assignment beginning in July 1st. This summer he plans to attend License to Preach School at Wesley Seminary. The following year Nick hopes to take a full-time appointment and attend Wesley Seminary in pursuit of his Master of Divinity degree. Until he begins seminary Nick plans to continue teaching full-time in the Baltimore County Public Schools. Nick is married to Joy Bufano (who often leads our Kid’s Time and is also a teacher) and has three children Josh, Alison, and Gabriella. Joy and the kids hope to attend Mays Chapel until Nick is settled into a full-time appointment. Mays Chapel can do a lot to support Nick and his family as they begin this new and very demanding adventure: we can pray for them, we can love them, we can listen to them, and we can offer scholarship support. (Our Ad Council will consider giving scholarship support at its next meeting on May 12th.) Another way we can encourage Nick is to be present when he preaches. Currently he is scheduled to preach on May 25th and we hope to hear him on a couple of Wednesday nights this summer as well. Until Nick and his family are “launched” it is our job to fill them to overflowing with the love of Jesus. We want them to have plenty of love to share wherever God calls them to serve.
Youth Sunday
May 18th at 10:45 Contemporary Service
Baltimore County Christian Work Camp News Mark your calendars for Baltimore County Christian Work Camp to be
held July 20-25th. BCCWC is a great way to help improve the homes and
lives of those in need in our community. All are welcome ...no special
skills required. Come for an afternoon or the whole week. For more
information, contact Amanda Shultz at arshulz @ comcast.net. March 12, 2008
We’re definitely not trying to keep it a secret. In fact, we want everyone to know. Mays Chapel gives the first two percent of its general offering to missions beyond our local church! Praise the Lord! In the past we used our missions funds to support the Brown-Whales in Africa. Now that they have returned home, we are now sponsoring the reverends John and Bonnie Campbell ministry in Lithuania. Since very few of us know about the Campbells and their ministry, I thought we could use the bulk of this month’s newsletter to introduce them and tell their story. My connection to John Campbell goes back to my college days when he was briefly my pastor. Subsequent to that connection, my church financially sponsored their ministries in Alaska as well as sent work teams to help with construction there. (The teams came back raving about the fresh salmon they were fed and telling hair-raising tales of having to watch out for bears when they went to the shower building on the camp site where they were housed.) It’s appropriate that we talk about supporting missionaries as we enter into the Easter season. The wonderful news that Christ is risen is still being spread around the world from Timonium, to Africa, to Lithuania and to the ends of the earth. May God bless you as you serve our risen Lord. Your Pastor, PS—Thanks to Carolyn Lutz for help preparing this
newsletter! Special Dates for Your Calendar Mar. 16 – Palm Sunday!
Beginning in July of 2007, the Rev. John Campbell was appointed as the new District Superintendent for the Lithuania United Methodist Church. Rev. John Campbell is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries currently serving as the District Superintendent for the Lithuania United Methodist Church. Prior to this assignment, which began in July of 2007, John was a missionary in the Alaska Missionary Conference. He was first commissioned as a missionary in 1986. He served two times in Alaska, from 1986-1995 when he was the founding pastor of two congregations, Aldersgate in Juneau, Alaska and the United Methodist Church of Unalaska, on an island in the Aleutians. John then returned to the Baltimore Washington Conference, which is his home conference and served for six years. He went back to Alaska in 2001 where he and his wife Bonnie co-pastored churches in Fairbanks and then in Anchorage. John was born in Baltimore, Maryland and was ordained a deacon in 1972 in the Baltimore Conference and then and Elder in 1975. He is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College with a B.A. in Religion and also a graduate of the Methodist Theological School in Ohio with an M.Div degree and also a Master of Arts in Christian Education. He has served churches in West Virginia and Ohio as a student and several churches in the Baltimore Washington Conference. Rev. Campbell and his wife Bonnie, who is also a pastor and missionary in Lithuania, are parents of 4 adult children and are grandparents of 6 grandchildren all of whom live on the east coast of the US. John Campbell is available for Covenant Relationship support. The website for the Lithuania United Methodist Church is: www.lithuaniaumc.org . (excerpted from Lithuania Link Jan. 2008) New rental space opportunity for ministry in Vilnius The good news is that we were recently relocated into
our new church space. The rent is high but, thanks to a very generous
commitment by the folks in Michigan, and our ongoing support from our
West End UMC in Nashville we were able to start a whole new life for us.
I say a new life … because we now are in a terrific location for
attracting folks from the many high rise apartments that surround us.
Additionally … our new church is located just across the sidewalk from a
two large schools … one for younger children and one for youth. Pastor Herb and one of our members constructed two
rooms … one for the smaller kids and one for the youth … in the large L
shaped room. And meanwhile, the owner agreed to have the place painted,
hung electrical lights in the ceiling and installed a sink for our new
kitchen. Bonnie M. Campbell, pastor
Beth Oliver, along with many helpers, provided a
delicious dinner which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Don’t miss the
Seder Meal next year!
Figuring out hospitality in Lithuania Our first service in the new space was Nov. 11. It was in a huge
L-shaped room with no lights, but large windows on two sides. The first
Sunday was a bit of a disaster because the kids went wild, running
around during the entire service and sailing paper airplanes. (Our
church is more than 80 percent children and youth.) So that week we set
about constructing two rooms within the larger space – one for the
little kids and one for the teenagers. The owner installed fluorescent
lights in the ceiling throughout. “Sveiki.” “Welcome.” See www.lithuaniaumc.org
Excepts from John and Bonnie’s Christmas letter Christmas is of course about the One who was incarnate in the world
and brought challenges and hope. We are grateful for the challenges and
thankful for the hope that comes through our faith but is also
experienced in those who care and pray for us. I have been to Frankfurt, Germany for a meeting of Bishops and Superintendents from all the United Methodist Churches in Europe. Then we had several days of our annual "consultation" with folks from the General Board of Global Ministries and Bishop Olsen. Immediately following that weekend I was in Oslo, Norway for a couple of days for training for new Superintendents. This weekend I had my first charge conference and survived. Oh, in the middle of all of this we had our final exam for Lithuanian language. Our teacher was kind and didn't put a grade on the paper but showed the things we got wrong. Bonnie passed, me we aren't so sure about but the important thing is that we continue to work on learning the language. We will continue with a tutor after the first of the year and a short break. Our daughter Jill and her fiancé are coming for a few days between Christmas and New Years and so we are excited about this. Bonnie's Mom has been in the hospital in Pennsylvania, is now in transition back to her apartment. We wish for all of you a blessed Christmas and holiday.
Join us for Easter March 23rd |
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2005-2008 Mays Chapel UMC, All rights reserved. |
Ideally,
the services will help us grow closer to God, closer to each other, reach out to
new people who cannot attend on Sunday morning, and give Mays Chapel members who
are considering pastoral ministry experience in preaching and worship
leadership. 
Summer
Drop-In Small Group: Proverbs
In
order to better care for our children and in order to create an attractive space
that will encourage new guests to bring their children and become active in the
church, the Trustees have identified sprucing up our nursery as a top priority.
The nursery walls need to be spackled and sanded in preparation for painting and
everything in the room needs a thorough cleaning. (New carpets may also be
installed.) 
Pastor
Doug is beginning a new sermon series which focuses on the many ways God reveals
His presence to us. For example, God reveals Himself through nature, through His
Word, through worship, through the witness of others, and in many other ways.
New
District Superintendent Appointed to Lithuania
Our
dream now … is to really reach out into this new community. We may be
able to add another staff person to coordinate an after-school program
for all of the children who attend school … right next door. We could
also serve as a humanitarian center and provide food, clothing and
nursing support to the families who live there. With God’s help … and
lots of prayer … I believe we will grow to become a place for people to
become a community of faith, to get their physical needs met … and to
grow in Christ in their spiritual lives. And as Mark 10:27 puts it …
“With God, all things are possible.” 
On
Saturday, March 8th at 5:30PM in the Worship Center Rabbi Ted Simon led
about 50 Mays Chapel members and friends in traditional a Seder Meal.
Rabbi Simon was born and raised a Jew and became convinced that Jesus is
the expected Messiah. 
Our
Good Friday Service will prepare us for the joy of Easter by helping us
focus on the traditional Stations of the Cross. Using visual images,
special music, hymns, and prayers we will remember that “we were bought
for price.” The service will be held on Friday, March 21st at 7PM in the
Worship Center.