The

Messenger

The Newsletter of the Saugerties United Methodist Church

Church Office # 845-246-7802                                                              Dr. Buddle’s Cell Phone # 1-845-706-0418

         “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” John 10:3

“COMING TO THE RESCUE”

            I went outside to see if I could get him back into safety, but each time I approached him he ran away frightened of me. I rang the neighbor’s doorbell (at 7:45 a.m.), but there was no one home. Shortly a pick up truck pulled up and it was the son of my neighbor and I told him what was taking place. He began to look for the dog that he was watching for his parents while they were on a trip. I asked him what the dog’s name was and he responded “EG.” The young man started to comb the area while I went to his house and sure enough there was the dog back in the yard. I called the dog by his name and he not only came to me, but went to the gate and waited for me to open it for him.

            I said to our organist Matt Jones that there is a sermon in this story. The elements are: 1. Fear. 2. Name. 3. Gate. Each one of us want to be free to do what we want to do and freedom is a wonderful thing, but you certainly need to know what to do with it. “EG” had been left alone and was so panicked by his freedom that he sought to escape the yard which represented his security. Upon getting on the other side of the fence he didn’t know what to do or where to go. He just wanted to “get home.” Second, “EG” didn’t trust me until I called him by name. The gospel writer John in our quote above states how the gatekeeper, Jesus, opens the gate and calls us by name thus putting us to rest. St. Luke says, “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

            The knowledge that Jesus is at the gateway that leads from this world to the next is reassuring and can take away our fears of what is on the other side.

            I am glad that I was able to come to the rescue for “EG” that day in April, but I certainly am blessed with the knowledge that Christ comes to our rescue when in our lostness he finds us and leads us into the fold of God.

This is a lesson not only for the end of our earthly life, but for the living of the days of our lives.

Fanny Crosby wrote, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.”

Once we have been rescued, then our duty calls us to assist others to be rescued and find the safety of living with our Lord.

Duane D. Buddle, Pastor

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Sermon Snapshots

June 18^th - “Closing the Gap” Luke 16: 19-31

On today’s gospel lesson, Jesus is telling us to be different. Living as we do in an overwhelmingly materialistic society, Jesus commands us to be different. Today we will look at the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is self-centered, vain and gluttonous. He lives the good life. Lazarus, on the other hand, is in a bad way. He has no money, no resources. He has sores all over his body and he must beg for his food. Does anyone want to be Lazarus? It certainly doesn’t sound very attractive, does it? In scene two of the parable we are in Hades where Lazarus is on the good side and the rich man is calling out in need. In scene three, the rich man, acknowledging his own final defeat, expresses concern for his five brothers who are still living. In other words the characters of the rich man and Lazarus are fixed, but what is not fixed is the fate of the brothers. Their possibilities are open based on their ability to change.

Where are we in the parable? Where do you see yourself? I believe that we are in the role of the brothers who have an opportunity to change, to reorder our priorities, to rise above modern society’s materialistic standards. Jesus comes to close the gap that exists between human beings bringing us all closer to him.

June 25 th - “The Insiders and the Outsiders”

                        Luke 6: 27-49

The blessed are those who are unable to give themselves anything, because they are poor, hungry, mourning for others, persecuted for righteousness sake. They have given up everything. How much can God ask of people? To be completely defenseless and vulnerable, to live without pride is completely contrary to our very nature as human beings. Nevertheless, we in the church see ourselves as the kind of people who are righteous because we are on the inside of things and all others are on the outside. There are the good (us), then there are the bad (them... those who are outside the church). Is that what is all about? Or are we all called, as sinners, to serve the Lord and accept those who, like us, stand in need of God’s love and forgiveness? Jesus reminds us not to judge lest we be judged, but that is a very difficult thing for us to do in reality. “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you?”

Christ confronts us at the point where our beliefs must come together with our actions. He did what He said. He did what He believed.

Sunday School News

June 4^th - The two members of this year’s Confirmation Class will join the church– Justin Mentz and Kevin Byrne. Congratulations to Justin and Kevin.

June 11^th - Children’s Day. This is our last day of Sunday School. The Sunday School is conducting the worship service at 10:45 and will be practicing during regular Sunday School time. The High School Class has developed the service and Lindsey Heuvel will deliver the sermon. A picnic will follow the service at the small pavilion at Cantine Field.

June 18^th - Graduation Sunday. Our five graduating seniors will be honored during he service– Lindsey Heuvel, Sarah Maines, Christopher Quirk, Michael Robinson and Elliott Travis. Each senior will receive a special Bible from the Church. Congratulations to Lindsey, Sarah, Chris, Mike and Elliott!

Sunday School will resume on September 10^th.

All – Church Picnic

The all-church picnic will be held on June 11, starting at around 12:30 p.m. at the small pavilion at Cantine Field. Each family should bring their own meat (hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.), but there will be sign-up sheets for each family to donate one part of the rest of the picnic. The Parenting Class is helping to organize the event. We hope everyone will join us.

Time to Get Ready for July 4^th

It’s never to early to think about hot dogs; especially when combined with parade watching. Our church has sold hot dogs, lemonade, etc. during the 4^th of July parade for quite a few years.

You can help hold expenses down for this fund raiser by donating to the cost of the hot dogs and paper products, or when you see individual bottled water on sale, (around 12 oz. Or 16 0z.size) you can buy them and donate some to the sale. We could also use individual size packs of potato chips, etc.

Stewardship

What does stewardship mean to you? Have you ever thought of it as a partnership with God, where we show our thanks for the blessings He has bestowed upon us by taking care of the building in which we worship Him, by taking care of other children of God who are less fortunate than ourselves, by sharing the gifts and talents that he has endowed each of us with for the enrichment of His Kingdom. After two years of studying the Bible and the journey of God’s people through the Old and New Testament, the Disciple 1 Class ended with a challenge – that the class members use their talents to continue on their journey as disciples of Christ. Let each of us think about that challenge, and as a part of that challenge, our commitment to this church and its programs. The Stewardship Committee is organizing and planning the campaign for this fall. If you would like to be a part of the committee, let Brenda or Paul or Joan know.

            Your Stewardship Chairs,

            Brenda & Paul Mentz, and Joan Robinson

Vacation Bible School

This year Vacation Bible School, sponsored by the Saugerties Council of Churches, will be held from July 24 – 28 at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. There will be classes for children from 4 year olds through 6^th grade. Older students may volunteer to be aides in the classes or help with crafts.

The program runs from 9:00 – 12:00 each day and there will be a VBS parade on Thursday evening. The theme this year is “Trading Places – Trip Around the World.” The children will do crafts and have a snack each day. To enroll students, call Margaret Todd at 246-5966. For more information, call Joan Robinson.

Special Summer Covered

Dish Social Hour, July 8^th

Some of us miss the covered dish dinners we used to have with the Men and Women’s Club so let’s get together for some good Methodist cooking. Some of you might want to eat and run but there will be some after dinner activities for those who want to participate.

1. For those interested In Monday night Bible Study, we’ll get together to select a course from 3 or 4 ( all between 6 to 8 weeks).

2. A video of a play, "St. John in Exile" starring Dean Jones will be shown in another room for those interested in seeing it.

3. Some other activities are pending.

Bring your covered dish at 6PM on Saturday, July 8 and enjoy good eating and camaraderie.

June Birthdays

                        12 - Karin Squires

                        14 - George Pardoner

                        30 - Karen Byrne

July Birthdays

8 - Elliott Travis

                        14 - Keith Kopycinski

                        21 - Nancy Forsythe

August Birthdays

                        10 - Paul Mentz

                        12 - Agnes Ward

                        13 - Blanche Cramer

                        23 - Camille Arter

                        23 - Brenda Mentz

                        23 - Marilyn Short

                        29 - Rankin Travis, Jr

July Anniversaries

1/ 1950 - Millie & Gerry Rosenberger

            13/ 1957 - Marilyn & Leslie Short

August Anniversaries

4/ 1990 - Lisa & Keith Kopycinski

            10/ 1974 - Blanche & Art Cramer

            12/ 1967 - Marilyn & Bill Bucher