Vernon United Methodist Church
Our Newsletter

JUNE 2008

ROBERTA'S REFLECTIONS

MINISTRY IN A CHANGING WORLD

Do you remember: metal ice cube trays, televisions with dials, and white gloves and hats in church? It was a time The Wizard of OZ was the TV highlight of the year. Now we have hundreds of channels available through cable and satellite from all over the world. I sat in the Jungle Tower Hotel on the Amazon in Brazil and watched the Olympics on tv run by a generator! As a child I was thrilled with my newfangled "Give a Show Projector" that showed cartoon pictures on the ceiling with the mighty power of a AA battery and light bulb. Today we can download any movie ever made onto our laptop and play it in the back seat of a car or on a plane. People had to go to the library to look up information. Today many Americans have computers that can give not only printed information, but show us paintings from the Sistine Chapel in a matter of seconds. In the church we remember when music was limited to a piano or organ and it was the same twenty hymns that your grandmother sang? A "new" hymn was written in 1930

No one in the USA would deny that our culture has changed, however, the average worship service and methods of operating in many local churches do not reflect the change. Natural Church Development as an ongoing program in our church will help us reflect on needed changes to our worship service and other aspects of our church. I hope that you are in prayerful anticipation of the changes that God will bring to our loving faith community.

Rev. Roberta L. Williams

GRADUATION CONGRATULATIONS

Krystle Turkington from Hawaiian Pacific University.

Cara Waltman from Enrico Fermi High School in Enfield, CT.

PRAYER WARRIORS AT WORK

The Natural Church Development team of Prayer Warriors has been hard at work and our prayers appear to be having a positive influence on the NCD process as it moves forward in our church. We see this in the successful participation of our church members in the recent survey questionnaire as well as the progress that the Health Team is making. These are exciting times for us! We have been meeting on Sunday mornings during coffee hour for a brief time of sharing and to get our weekly prayer assignments. We will continue working closely with the Health Team to carry out God's purpose for our church. All are welcome to join the Prayer Warrior team. There are no dues or hard and fast rules. All that's needed is a belief in the power of prayer and a desire to see something miraculous happen in the life of our church. Come, join the adventure!

Dave Howe - CPW

TRUSTEES

Pelletier Builders have submitted the plans to the building department for the Building Permit. Construction is still set for July thru August - so construction should be done by September.

A special thanks to those who were available to help with the springtime clean-up chores on Saturday May 24th. A good number of chores were accomplished. Your hard work and dedication is much appreciated.

If you remember last month's Lamplighter article I mentioned that there are quite a number of other tasks that need to be tackled throughout the coming months. Well the next big Work Day is only 2 weeks away on Saturday, June 14th. That is PAINT DAY, yes I know it is really Flag Day, but I need a number of people to be waving paint brushes that morning instead of flags. The goal is to paint the Jerusalem and Capernum rooms as well as the entry portico and doors. If enough people are available, I would like to try the bathrooms also. Please let me know if you are available to help that day.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Here Comes Summer!

I know, it's hard to believe that June is just around the corner. Time flies when you're having fun!! We enjoyed yet another of our famous pot roast suppers on May 17th; served nearly 150 and took in close to $1500. Many thanks to those who made this a success. Thank God for the fun and fellowship that we all enjoy and enable during these special times. Our challenge for the summer months is to keep our pledges up to date That does not appear to be a problem for our "100% club" members. Let's all do our best to keep the positive momentum going. As you can see, the Building/Renovation fund is approaching $70,000 and we still have another month or so before construction starts. Praise the Lord for this good news!.

Fund balances at the end of April, 2008, are as follows:

Dave Howe: Chair

WORSHIP COMMITTEE

As the month of May winds down, we once again are thankful to our mothers and to all those women who in some way or anoher supported us just like our mother would. It was great to see all the flowers on the alter rail honoring and remembering those special women in our lives. Don't forget that fathers get their turn on June 17th.

Pentacost Sunday was celebrated on the same Sunday as Mother's Day and it was indeed special the way Roberta reminded us that as the church celebrated its' birth on that day, so too are mothers "born" with the birth of their children.

Looking ahead to June worship celebrations, we will once again change our order of worship over to the summertime bulletin. We all look forward to the open hymn sing time where we get to sing some of our favorite songs.

I would like to encourage everyone to make a commitment of their own to be in church throughout the summer months. Everyone is blessed by your attendance. When you do go away on vacation, let me go so far as to challenge you to go visit a new church wherever you me be. We all talk about what a delight and a blessing it is to have visitors - well go and be a blessing to others. And when you come back, bring a bulletin, an experience, or some thoughts on their worship service and let me know what you found to be uplifting.

Please, whenever you are away from your church family - pray for us and remember we will be praying for you!

MISSIONS

Tri-Town Pantry
A huge THANK YOU to all who donated items for our food drive!! Our shopping cart was filled from top to bottom. Special thanks also to Kevin and Colleen Morgan for delivering the items to the pantry and to David Howe for returning the shopping cart to Stop & Shop.
Remember that we continue to collect items for the pantry throughout the year. Items can be placed in the collection bin outside the Jerusalem Room.

Heifer Project
We will be closing the current fund collection on June 15th. (and immediately beginning a new one - so keep on bringing in those empty refundable bottles & cans!).You might want to pick up one of the World Ark magazines from the table and read up on the different animals and their importance to the people who receive them.
We will be passing out "selection" lists and asking each of you to "spend" the money.
As an illustration of just how important Heifer International is to the peoples of the world, here is some information on Heifer International's presence in China and its response to the recent earthquakes there:
"More than 8,000 families participate in Heifer development projects in the region hardest hit by the quake. Heifer's central office is in Chengdu just 50 miles from the epicenter of the quake. Heifer's China Country Director, Chen Taiyong, with staff members Gan Jiyun and Cheng Peilin took emergency supplies collected by Heifer's staff to Du Jiangyan City, which was badly hit. They went to several severely damaged areas in Xiang'e Township to deliver clothes, quilts, drinking water and food.
Heifer International's office in Chengdu, China was rocked by the quake but its 30 staff members were unhurt.
Heifer is a development agency rather than an emergency relief agency, but Heifer's staff immediately set to work collecting supplies to send to the devastated region. Even before relief agencies depart, Heifer will begin efforts to redevelop damaged farms and communities to restore its projects there. With 28 projects in Sichuan and Chonging, each serving about 300 participating families, Heifer has a total of more than 8,000 families in the affected area. In the mountainous quake zone, Heifer provides mainly goats, pigs and other small animals because the people have small farms without the ability to support large ruminants."

"Fifty impoverished farm families participating in a Heifer International development project in Jiangmio Community in Shouxian in eastern China have collected $300 (2,050 yuan) to help victims of the devastating May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province in western China. Per capital income in the region is about $220 a year. Another Heifer development project in Shicaogou in Chengde County also mobilized 60 Heifer families to collect $180 (1,250 yuan) for relief aid for quake victims
Heifer groups throughout China have been raising support and aid for those in the earthquake-hit areas. The farmers wanted to share their feelings and ideas, to show their caring for the survivors, and to take action, said Chen Taiyong, Heifer's China Country Director.
Zhu Yuntao, a member of one of the project families, said, "All the time we talk about helping each other. Heifer helped us and now it's our duty to help those who are suffering from the earthquake."
Zhu Zhonghao, from another project family, said, "Heifer China started its projects first in Sichuan. Sichuan people are our project partners and we see them as our families. Their trouble is also ours. We'll try everything we can to support them to overcome present difficulties."
Liu Guang, a project partner said, "As project partners, we are all obligated to join the relief efforts."

Collections at annual conference:
NEUMC will again have a collection site at annual conference for kits and supplies for UMCOR. We have already assembled a number of Health Kits which will be taken to conference. Also at conference there will be a collection of old cell phones. These will go to Safe Havens and be reprogrammed with emergency numbers and given to those in at-risk situations and for the elderly. Even the older phones can be accepted - they are disassembled for parts.

Blanket Sunday:
June 15th will be Blanket Sunday. We will be asking for donations to give to Church World Service for the purchase of blankets to be used in disaster relief efforts around the world. Whether it is an earthquake, a cyclone, a flood, a fire, or a tornado, one of the immediate needs is for shelter and protection. A blanket can provide so many things: warmth, coverage for lack of clothing, coverage as a tent from the elements, a carpet from the damp, a "tote" for belongings, it can even be used as a blanket. Church World Service has been and will continue to provide blankets as an immediate response to disasters worldwide. Think about the comfort that a blanket brings to you and remember those who go without.

Mission Garden:
Looks like the garden will have tomatoes (several varieties), bell peppers, cubanelle peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, acorn squash, yellow squash, beans, peas, carrots, perhaps lettuce & spinach. Also some zinnias and other flowers.
If you could give a little time as a seeder, weeder, waterer, or picker, please let me know. Any time you can contribute is appreciated.

Holy Land Pilgrimage Opportunity
A 10 day Holy Land pilgrimage, October 29 - November 7, 2008, will be hosted by Rev. Walter Wnek of Wesley UMC in Wareham, MA. The tour will include visits to Jerusalem, Capernaum, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Haifa as well as many other features including the Dead Sea, Masada and a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. The trip is well priced at $2269. For a brochure, please call 508-291-8633.

Red Cross Blood Drives: For an appointment to donate, call 1/800-GIVE-LIFE (448-3543) In June:
Tuesday, June 10th, from 12:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Rockville General Hospital, 31 Union Street
Wednesday, June 11th, from 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Vernon Manor, 180 Regan Road

Sunday, June 15th, Father's Day
Sunday, June 15th, Blanket Sunday