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GOOD NEWS YOU CAN USE

for

Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church

April/May 2008

Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church
2201 County Road 900 East Champaign, IL 61822
Church Phone Number: 359-6183

Rev. Dr. L. Rachel Berry
E-Mail Address: rachel.berry@sic.edu
Home Phone Number: 359-0196
Cell Phone Number (emergencies only): 618-499-0565

Spring is certainly a wonderful symbol of new life! In the bitter cold winter it is so hard to believe that things will ever blossom again! Hard to imagine when one looks out at the barren landscape that there is life rumbling beneath that frozen turf. Amazing how just one warm day can awaken that life and things start to bloom!

This metaphor should surely help us believe in God's ability to bring new life out of what looks like death to us!

God can also bring new life to us as individuals and as a church! Just as a warm day coaxes out the crocuses, so the warmth of the Holy Spirit, can stir spiritual growth in us.

As we think about all the activities we will be doing to prep our yards and gardens for the spring, let's think about what we can do to prep our souls and our church for new growth.

Be thinking and praying about this and perhaps when we all come out for the ALL CHURCH SUPER FUN CLEAN-UP AND GARDENING DAY on April 26th, we can brainstorm as we pull weeds together! The book of Acts is a great one to read at this time of year. It tells about the excitement following the Resurrection of Jesus, the radiant power of the Holy Spirit, and all the new life in the community of believers. Check it out!

God bless,
Rev. Rachel J

The best way to reach Rev. Dr. Rachel Berry is via e-mail at rachel.berry@sic.edu. You can also reach her on her home phone - 359-0196. In an emergency you can contact her on her cell phone at 618-499-0565.

Thinning out your flowers or groundcover? Rev. Rachel would love to have cuttings for her home garden! Just bring them to church or call her (359-0196) and she will come pick them up! She is also looking for decorative rocks if you know of a good source for those.

Local Mission Opportunities:

Helping Hands - Please remember to bring your donations of toilet paper and/or crackers to Mt. Vernon by the first Sunday of each month. Monetary donations are also accepted (make checks payable to Mt. Vernon UMC).

Salt and Light - They accept stained and unusable clothing. Clothing must be placed in a plastic bag, tied, and marked for recycling. Salt and Light makes a little bit of money from recycling unusable clothing.

Confirmation Class Starting
A confirmation class will be starting in April. Please contact Rev. Rachel if you are interested in attending this class.

First Saturday Breakfast
On the first Saturday of each month, members of Mt. Vernon meet for breakfast at Baker's Square in Champaign, at 8:30 a.m. The next first Saturday breakfast will be held on April 5. Everyone is invited to come and share good food and good fellowship.

United Methodist Men's News
The Mt. Vernon UMM will be holding their monthly breakfast and fellowship on Sunday, April 20, at 7:30 a.m. This group meets the third Sunday of each month (September-May). Please contact Bob Sherman (586-4490) for details. All men are welcome to attend.

United Methodist Women's News
The next meeting of the morning circle of the Mt. Vernon UMW will be on Thursday, April 10, at 9:30 a.m., at the church. Wilma Sherman will be the hostess. All morning circle meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month (September-December and March-July). If you have any questions or ideas concerning this group, please contact Myra Francis.

The next meeting of the evening circle of the Mt. Vernon UMW is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, at 6:30 p.m., at Rev. Rachel's home (1706 Ridge Road, Champaign). Please bring a dish to share (Judy Cameron will provide the meat and drinks). All evening circle meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month (September-May). If you have any questions or ideas concerning this group, please contact Judy Cameron or Sam McCall.

All women are invited to attend these circle meetings. Watch your newsletters and weekly church bulletins for news involving future meetings and events.

Did You Know...
There is a link to the "Upper Room" on the church web site. This link takes you right to that day's devotional. So if you don't have a paper copy of the "Upper Room" or want/need to check it from work, this link is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

Mt. Vernon's web site - www.gbgm-umc.org/mtvernonchurch

A Note from the
Newsletter Editor
This will be the last edition of the newsletter until the September/October edition. (The deadline for items to be included in that newsletter will be August 15th.) In the meantime, please refer to your weekly church bulletins or the church's web site for upcoming events, etc. Have a great summer!

Lorie Hatfield
Newsletter Editor

A Reminder or Two…
* Please remember to contribute to the organist's payroll fund. A suggested donation would be $50.00 per family per year.
* If you no longer use church keys that you may have in your possession, please return them to Joan Neef as soon as possible.

Thank you!

News Regarding Members of our Church Family
Please continue to keep Anna and Marion Birks and their family in your thoughts and prayers. Anna and Marion appreciate your continued prayers, cards, and visits.

We mourn the passing of Thea Collins on February 5th. Thea was a long-time member of Mt. Vernon and she is deeply missed by many, many people. Please continue to keep Thea's family in your thoughts and prayers.

Please keep Dottie Nickell and her family in your prayers as they continue to grieve the passing of Dottie's granddaughter, Brittani Endres, who passed away on January 21st.

Teresa Sherman is spending the spring school semester in England (until around the end of May). She would really enjoy hearing from her church family. You can contact her by e-mail (tas5587@aol.com) or by sending her a note or card. Teresa's mailing address is:

Lincoln Hall
University Park
University of Nottingham
Nottingham NG7 2QU
ENGLAND

Get well wishes go out to Virginia Stout as she continues to recover from shoulder surgery. Hope you are feeling better every day!

Twinkies and Root Beer:
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie. The old man gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted.

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, "Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

2008 Budget: $63,047.00
Monthly Need: $5,253.92
Weekly Need: $1,212.44

2008 Offerings:
January: $3,703.50
February: $2,046.00
March: $6,363.30
Year-to-Date: $12,112.80

(Total offerings should be $15,761.76. We have a $3,648.96 deficit.)

Balances as of March 31, 2008:
Checking Account: $9,952.39
Savings Account: $1,433.14
Time Deposit: $21,376.99

Lorie Hatfield

Newsletter Editor
Contact Information

Lorie Hatfield
1902 Country Squire Drive
Urbana, IL 61802
384-9038 (evenings)
E-mail: loriehat@yahoo.com

For Mt. Vernon:

Thank you to Lorie Hatfield for updating the Church Directory as of August 2008 !!!

If anyone has any changes to either the Mt. Vernon or Shiloh portions of the directory, please let me know so that I can pass the changes on.

Lorie Hatfield

Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church
2007 Leadership

Church Council
Charles Arbuckle*
Phil Francis**
Robert Sherman
Kathy Biehl
Joan Neef
Jeffrey Graham
Lorie Hatfield
Myra Francis
Ruth Brock
Cheryl Manuel
Liz Reis

Board of Trustees
Robert Sherman*
Barry Couch
Marion Birks
Roger Reis
Joan Neef
Donna Brown
Ron Manuel
Jean McCall
Dave Weckhorst
Jeffrey Graham

Finance Committee
Kathy Biehl*
Phil Francis
Charles Arbuckle
Lorie Hatfield
Tracy Cameron
Doug Graham
Tracy Hitt
Joan Neef
Jeffrey Graham
Robert Sherman
Liz Reis

Pastor Parish Committee
Joan Neef
Phil Francis
Marcy Hitt
Richard Rayburn
Jeffrey Graham
Charles Arbuckle
Tracy Cameron
Liz Reis

Lay Leadership Committee
Charles Arbuckle
Ruth Brock
Bob Biehl
Lorie Hatfield
Barbara Gerdts
Lynn Weckhorst
Gloria Rayburn
Liz Reis*

Lay Leadership Secretary
Vacant

Lay Leader
Charles Arbuckle

Annual Conf. Lay Member
Jeffrey Graham

Church Treasurer
Lorie Hatfield

Nurturing Ministries Representative (Education, Worship, Stewardship)
Sam McCall

Outreach Ministries Representatives
(Church and Society, Mis-sions Health and Welfare,
Christian Unity and Inter-religious Concerns, Religion and Race)
Myra Francis*
Katie Manuel

Witness Ministries Representatives
(Outreach, Evangelism, Membership Care,
Spiritual Formation, Communication, Lay Speaking)
Lorie Hatfield*
Anna Birks

Cluster Representatives
Myra and Phil Francis

UMW President
Myra Francis

UMM President
Robert Sherman

Church School Superintendent
Vacant

Alternate Lay Member of Annual Conference
Judy Hardwick

Child Advocate
Ruth Brock

Recording Secretary
Cheryl Manuel

Parsonage Committee
Jean McCall*
Anna Birks
Charles Arbuckle

Audit Committee
Robert Sherman
Tracy Hitt
Gary Darling

Communion Steward
Jan Darling

Church Historian
Phil Francis

NOW Committee Coordinator
Myra Francis

* = Chair
** = Vice-Chair