The
Messenger
The Newsletter of the Saugerties United Methodist Church
Church Office # 845-246-7802 Dr. Buddle’s Cell Phone # 1-845-706-0418
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10: 10b NRSV
“The Chapters of Life”
As we read a book we find that it is divided into chapters with various titles, frequently containing new information as we go through the book. We can read as few or as many chapters as we wish depending on the amount of time we have. James M. Barrie writes “The life of every person is a diary in which the person means to write one story and writes another; and the person’s humblest hour is when that person compares the volume as it is with what it was hoped to be.”
I believe each of us can identify with this statement. Life evolves changing from one chapter to another, each one being a surprise. The things that we expected to happen sometimes materialize and at other times don’t come to pass.
Regardless, this concept of seeing life as different chapters brings me hope because regardless of how one chapter ends, there is another chapter to go through. As the book doesn’t end with a few chapters so our lives go through the chapters or stages. If we see life from this perspective, I believe that it can put things into their proper scheme of things.
Jesus brings us great comfort in the knowledge that He wants our life to be good. He is also the good shepherd who goes with his sheep through the events of life. John Newton, in his hymn Amazing Grace, writes in verse 3 “through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ‘tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” We give thanks to God for that great truth.
If the chapter that you are currently in is good, then enjoy it. If the chapter you are in is bad, then have the knowledge that the chapter will close and a new one will begin. You are not in one chapter (good or bad) for ever.
Now do we always feel great about the chapters we are in or have to go through? No we don’t, some chapters we would rather skip. Some chapters we would like to edit out of the book entirely.
As I look back
on life there are some chapters that I wish I could rewrite but you
know what? The book of Life
goes forward, there are no rewrites or going back. We cannot get stuck
on what we cannot change. The chapters
that are yet to be written are the ones that we have some control over.
What do you wish to write in these
chapters of your life? The pages of 11 months of 2006 are ahead of us
but they soon become the former chapters
of our lives so let us go through them with our God who supports us.
George
Whitefield said “Take care of your life and the Lord will take care or
your death.” Let us live in that
assurance.
Sermon Snapshots
Feb. 12th - “Following Jesus For The Wrong Reasons” Luke 9: 51-62
The Scripture passage says that Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem.” These words tell us a great deal about the way Jesus sets us out on this particular journey. Obviously, He does not approach the Holy City as a casual tourist. Luke is letting us know that Jesus made a decision to have it out with his enemies. Nearly two-thirds of Luke’s gospel is about that sheer determination of Jesus to lay down His life.
Why do you follow Jesus? What are the conditions for your loyalty to Him? To begin with, we meet two of the inner circle of followers, James and John. They are called the “Sons of thunder” because they had tempers. They, like we, want to be on the winning side, not the losing side. Follow Jesus and you will be on the winning side is our thinking. Nothing gives us greater satisfaction as Christians that to imagine the ultimate defeat of those who disagree with us. So do James and John believe– and they are roundly rebuked by Jesus.
We move on to another reason for following Jesus. That is to follow Jesus on an exciting adventure of faith. The result is, Jesus says, that we are to be servants of others. Not too much fun is it?
Jesus offers the invitation to follow him and one person responds by saying, let me first go and bury my father. That’s understandable but Jesus replies, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
Another condition for following Jesus that is rejected in this passage is “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Another reasonable request isn’t it? Surely no one would quarrel with this request? But listen to Jesus, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks bach is fit for the kingdom of God.” No experience, no friendship, no loyalty can be permitted to dethrone Christ from being Lord over life.
Time after time WE set the conditions under which we will follow Jesus. But He has other conditions in mind.
Feb. 19th - “The Sweet Poison of Self Pity”
Exodus 16: 2-12
God had brought the people of Israel out of their slavery into a new life in the wilderness. Their response? To feel sorry for themselves. It is a custom common to the human race. There is not one of us who at one time or another has drunk of this drink. We feel so sorry for ourselves. Others have it better than us but woe is me I don’t! Self pity is sweet but it is a poison. It makes us repulsive. It immobilizes us, stops our growth.
There is much self-pity in the Bible but it is also true that it does not approve of it. The prophet Jeremiah felt very sorry for himself. God has little patience for self pity though. Paul had some self-pity but God told him to get over it. In the Bible is the message that people are not to feel sorry for themselves, but to think of their work on this earth, work given them of God. This was the attitude of Jesus. The Biblical attitude not only tells people to move on, but it reminds them of the goodness of God to them. This moved Paul to say if God is on our side, who can be against us? Nothing can separate us from that love...only we ourselves can do that. We can refuse to believe in that love or live in it.
If we dwell in self-pity it will kill us. Obedience and surrender to God’s love heals us from this disease.
Feb. 26th - “Love Suffers Long and Is Kind”
Romans 12: 1-3
Not one of us has attained to the fulness of the life in Christ. All of us are incomplete and unfinished Christians. The story of the Good Samaritan shows us that our mercy and good will should be extended to not only our inner circle of people but also to those who occupy areas far removed from our own. Let us never forget that our religion requires of us more than one finds in others. The Christian can never be on the level of the average person. It isn’t easy to be a Christian and no one should say that it is. It is hard to be a Christian. Our immediate reactions to others are not always entirely Christian. We struggle with our natural human tendencies and struggle to become what our Father in Heaven wants us to be.
If we do the
right thing then we can leave everything else in the hands of God. In
times of stress and difficulties
with others, may God give us the strength to deal graciously with all
people remembering that love suffers long
and is kind.
Member Care
The Member Care
Committee visited Norma Ponko and Dorothy Faulkner, both at Golden
Hill, on January 2.
The visits were very enjoyable as we were able to share memories of
family, friends and the church. Dorothy
shared with us that it was her husband who built the railing in the
front of the altar. On January 14 we visited
Louise Nolan and Joan Zuckerman at their beautiful home on Lighthouse
Drive. Louise will be 100 this year and
she still has that same twinkle in her eyes that everyone remembers. We
had a very enjoyable visit with Joan,
who spends most of her time caring for her mother and their home. We
will next visit Louella Messineo. If you
know of someone who needs special attention from the Member Care
Committee, please contact the Pastor, the
Church Office or Joan Robinson.
Sunday School News
During February the Sunday School will emphasize missions. On February 5 we will support the Souper Bowl of Caring by asking everyone to bring donations of non-perishable food to the church for the Saugerties Food Pantry. On February 26 we will hold our annual Cake Walk during Sunday School to raise money for the Children’s Home of Binghamton, NY. This home for children is supported by our conference. It not only provides a home for children who do not have one, but it also provides outreach services for children with problems. Watch for more information about the Children’s Home that will be on display during coffee hour.
What is the Cake Walk? For those not familiar with our Cake Walk, it works like this. Children pay 25 cents to play the game. There are circles marked out on the floor in the Fellowship Hall and each circle is partitioned into 8 pieces. The children march around the circle to music. When the music stops, the children stop on a numbered piece of the circle. A number is drawn and any child on that number wins a cake. All others will be given a cup cake or cookie. We ask each family to supply a cake for the event. The teaching staff will supply cup cakes or cookies.
Karen Black ended her duties as Sunday School Superintendent on January 1, 2006. We all wish to thank her for the tremendous job she did for the last three years. She will continue to aid the Sunday School in its many activities. Replacing Karen are Joan Robinson and Karin Squires, who will serve as co-superintendents.
Please note – if Sunday School has to be cancelled because of inclement weather, a phone chain has been created and each family will get a phone call from one of the teachers.
Souper Bowl of Caring!!
“Lord, as we enjoy this Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without even a bowl of soup to eat”. This simple prayer at a worship service years ago planted a seed in the hearts of those who believed they could make a difference and has led young people throughout this Country to use this Super Bowl Sunday as a special time to help those in need in their communities.
Super Bowl Sunday is coming (February 5th ) and we will be joining with thousands of people in our Country to seek donations of food for needy people. Our collections here at our Church will provide food for our local food pantry.
Since 1993, over $28 million has been raised for charities across the Country. Let’s make 2006 at our Church even more successful than we were in 2005!
Our Sunday School will have a “soup pot” available in the Narthex before and following the church service on Sunday, January 22nd and January 29th for your food donations...and on February 5th for your donations of food and/or money. You may also send your donations payable to Saugerties United Methodist Church to the Church office. 100% of the food and money collected will be donated to the Food Pantry here in Saugerties.
Please join with our
young people in this most important effort.
Thank you!!
Ann Mittag
A Midnight Run in NYC
On December 27th my friends, Leah Cacchillo, Cassie Gohl, and myself participated in the Midnight Run in New York City. The Midnight Run is a non-profit program set up to help the many homeless people of NYC. It provides comfort to them by providing hot soup, coffee and bagged lunches, toiletries, as well as clothing, shoes and blankets to help protect them from the cold weather.
We first met at the Yorktown Heights UMC to sort clothing, bag toiletries and prepare the food before departing for NYC. From there, the 40 of us split into two groups. Each group was to go on separate runs that included 3 stops each.
For us first-timers, it wasn't exactly what we expected. We had almost expected to see the homeless the way we saw them on television, angry, mean, dirty and in rags. Once we got to the city, we realized how misleading that stereotype was. We found people who were willing to walk blocks and blocks for what little we had to offer them. Almost all of them were extremely polite, and all were very grateful for what we were doing. It was amazing how easy it was to strike up a conversation about sports, politics or anything else with them. These people were amazingly friendly and some were even willing to get the food and clothing for others who were either too cold or unable to easily move.
I really have to thank everyone from our church who so graciously donated the numerous bags of clothing we brought down to Yorktown with us. We quite literally gave everything away.
The three of us from Saugerties were very moved by the experience. It made us all realize how much of our everyday lives we take for granted: beds to sleep on, heat, running water, etc. It was even heart-wrenching when we had to leave not knowing where all those people would end up. This is an experience I feel every person should try at least once. It gave me a great appreciation for what I have, as well as those I have as a part of my life.
One man in particular remains in my mind. He has been on the streets a few years now but he was telling us that he was finally able to get a job that would start in January which would enable him to at last have a home. Just knowing that he had not given up hope but was able to drastically change his life for the better brought smiles to our faces.
It is a wonderful feeling to know we were able to help so many people at such a hard time in their lives. Seeing God's mercy at work first hand is something I will always remember.
Teryn Squires
Saugerties UMC
Youth Retreat planned for May
The NY Annual Conference Council on Youth Ministry has scheduled an all-conference spring retreat May 12-14 at Epworth Camp and Retreat Center in Accord, NY. "One World Under God: Empowering Youth Through Interfaith Understanding" is the theme. We are hoping to take the youth of our church to this retreat. Anyone interested in attending should see myself or Alisa Jones.
Karin Squires
“Simple Gifts”
Sharing the Arts
Back by popular demand!!
SUMC will once again be hosting an art show celebrating our “hidden” talents.
On Friday evening, February 17th, please join us for an official opening of the Simple Gifts Art Show and Sale. Starting at 6:00 p.m., enjoy beautiful art and join in the potluck dinner and Family Game night. The art show will also be open Saturday, February 18th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and again from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Your final opportunity to enjoy this wonderful art will be Sunday, February 19th, after church and from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Please join us and make this art weekend a success!!
Call for Entries:
“Simple Gifts– Sharing the Arts”
It’s been a year and a half, so you must have lots of new work. Please bring us your art to display and enjoy!!
We welcome any original
art in any medium. Please bring your art to the fellowship hall on
Wednesday, February
15 between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. If you have any questions, or if this
time is not convenient for you, please call Al
McDowell at 246-4888, Emily Arter at 246-0456 or Alisa Jones at
247-0958.
Announcing the
“Mid-Winter Blues”
Potluck Dinner
and Family Game Night!!
Who: Everyone!!
When: Friday, February 17th, 2006; eat at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Our Fellowship Hall, surrounded by great art!
What: Eat, converse, enjoy art, and play some fun games if you wish.
Please bring a dish to share, and feel free to bring a good group game if you have one.
For more information:
Emily Arter 246-0456 or
Alisa Jones 247-0958
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
Knitting Anyone?
Warm Up America is a
non-profit group that helps people make a difference by piecing
together afghans for
people in need. I’d like to get the yarn ball rolling at SUMC. Anyone
interested can knit or crochet the 7x9
“squares” so a patchwork as “varied as the faces of America” can be put
together. Any patterns or colors may be
used, just avoid wool or wool blends. Call me for more info or if you
would like to donate yarn or needles.
Thank you.
Cathy Graves
246-0425
www.WarmUpAmerica.com
ANNUAL
CHOIR CHILI SALE
The Wesley Choir will
have its annual Chili Sale in Saturday, February 18th. The
cost will still be $6.00 per quart
and can be picked up at the church on Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00
p.m., or on Sunday morning.
Sympathy goes to Cathy Graves on the death of her step-father in Ohio on January 16th, 2006. His name was Maurice Mallory and was ill for sometime.
6/ 1960 - Mary & George Pardonner
