Vernon United Methodist Church
Our Newsletter

MARCH 2009

ROBERTA'S REFLECTIONS

Lent, Passover, and Easter intertwine on the calendar. That is because Israel's story is our story. The Hebrews have been redeemed out of slavery in Egypt, just as we have been redeemed by the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ out of our slavery to sin and death. And now, like Israel, you and I are making our way through the wilderness of a changing Church and new way of worshipping God. We study Natural Church Development as a means of finding a new path for telling the old, old, story in this rapidly changing world. We are midway between century old hymns with organ music and streaming video and Power Point. The goal of telling the Gospel message in the contemporary culture and language of the people lies ahead of us as the promised land lay out ahead of Israel. We hope that we get there with all the tribe, young and old, traditional, and new thinkers.

But as we journey on this Lenten pilgrimage of ours toward finding a deeper relationship with God enhanced by the new hymns on the wall and high technology, surely we, like Israel, find ourselves in an uncomfortable wilderness. Israel was threatened by heat and thirst. We are threatened by two generations of unchurched people and a church that has never "done it this way before". The same God who created the world created the people who made Power Point and worship videos, wrote new hymns, and designed new worship space. It used to be that one bouquet of flowers dead center did it. Now we have fountains, fire, and drums and rolling streams.

Moses knew who was in charge of all life. Moses knew that he is not leading his people. God is. Israel's question was, "Is the Lord with us or not?" We remain on our secular level, and never see God's working among us. Look around, God is guiding your individual lives and the life of this church on a pilgrimage toward his good kingdom.

Jesus Christ has promised that he will be with us always, even to the end of time. We are not alone as we journey through all the difficulties of our evolving worship experience. We do not mean to turn God's sanctuary into a movie theater, but we do not want to ignore the possibilities of using technology to enhance our understanding of God and our relationship to God. We will leave that to the Amish.

Rev. Roberta L. Williams

LENTEN SOUP, SANDWICH AND STUDY

Lent is upon us and the seasonal Soup, Sandwich and Study group will be held Thursday evenings at 6:00p.m. beginning March 5th and continuing each week through April 2nd. Phyllis Goehring and Lempi Hannaford will be coordinating the meals and Jim Haag will be coordinating the study activities. Please contact Phyllis or Lempi if you are able to help out with set up, meal prep and clean up. Please contact Jim Haag for more information about the study curriculum and if you would like to participate in leading the study for an evening.

Kathy Jo Winters

WOMEN'S COMMUNION BREAKFAST

The date for the 36th Annual Women's Communion Breakfast has been set for Sunday March 29th at 7:00 a.m. This event is open to all women in the area. It begins with a Communion Service, followed by a delicious breakfast served by the men of the church. This year the program will be a bit different from years past. The play, Changed by his Love written by Audrey Surma will be presented. This play is made up of six monologues of New Testament women: Martha of Bethany, Abigail and the Widow's Mite, Dorcas, Seamstress for the Poor, Mary of Bethany, Lydia, Woman of the Purple and Priscilla, the Tentmaker. These New Testament women tell warm and human stories that women of today can easily relate to, from the priority of tiresome household chores (Martha), to encountering the business world (Lydia and Priscilla). Each woman's "ordinary" life is transformed by the renewal of knowing Jesus. A $5.00 donation is requested per ticket. See Carl Tyler III for tickets.

Kathy Jo Winters

CHURCH COUNCIL/LEADERSHIP TEAM MINUTES
2/18/09

Attendees: Dave Howe, Lydia Dingle, Bob Mattern, Rev. Roberta Williams, Kathy Jo Winters, Jim Haag, Roger White, Colleen Morgan.

Lay Leadership/Nominating (Roberta): The Council reviewed the list of Church Officers and Committee Members. It was accepted, as corrected. Action Item: Bob will distribute the list to the Council (Done - see attachment).

Leadership Team Proposal (Dave Howe): Dave distributed a revised proposal for the VUMC Leadership Team that included some changes and clarification. After reading it, we had a lot of discussion and agreed to adopt this model for our new "Church Council/Leadership Team". What we liked about it is the proactive vs. reaction approach, and the shared leadership that is needed for those committees that do not have a chairperson. So the former Church Council will now be the Church Council/Leadership Team. Below is a revision of the Model, based on our discussion. We agreed to first work on the Nurture and Evangelism areas. We need to create a list of tasks in 3 categories - tasks typically done by the committee, tasks the committee would like to do, and other tasks listed in the conference committee guidelines.

Action Items:
· Dave will create two lists. The first is of tasks that the Nurture Committee does and the second is of tasks they would like to do. He will then send them to Roberta by March 2nd.
· Bob will ask Karla Ebrahimzedah to do the same for the Evangelism Committee (or another member).
· After Roberta gets the lists, she will review the lists and add tasks listed in the conference guidelines to the 3rd category of tasks and send it to Bob by March 9th.
· Bob will distribute to the Leadership Team by March 11th so the Team can review.

NCD Update (Kathy Jo): No new activity, but there will be an action planning retreat on March 21st at Wesley UMC. Action Item: Roberta will revise the NCD Prayer Team's prayer and include it in our weekly worship service during the Concerns & Celebrations prayer.

Community Voice (Bob):
Kathy Jo shared that a church member is concerned about the consideration the State of CT is giving to allowing liquor to be sold on Sundays. Action Item: Roberta offered to author a letter that will have places for signatures of church members/constituents.

Next meeting: March 18th at 7:00 p.m.

Bob Mattern

CHURCH COUNCIL / LEADERSHIP TEAM ADOPTED MODEL FOR VUMC REVISED
2/19/09

Churches comprise members with various talents. Some have leadership capability and many do not, but are willing to pitch in and help. Obviously, the larger the church membership, the larger pool of leaders that is available. Conversely, as churches shrink in size, the pool of possible leaders shrinks, sometimes to the point where there are not enough leaders to match the task/committee break-down described in the church's' program plan. This appears to be the point where VUMC is now.

We agreed to form a revised Council to be called the "Church Council / Leadership Team". It will be comprised of the Chairs of Church Council, Trustees, Finance, Missions, SPRC, Worship, Christian Education, the Lay Leader, the Pastor, and one or two members at-large to be chosen by the Committee on Lay Leadership. Bob Mattern volunteered to be the Chair and Secretary. The responsibility of this team is to plan, prioritize, implement and oversee the work of the church; especially in those areas where no committee leadership/structure exists. This includes the following areas: Finance, Trustees, Outreach & Mission, Worship, Christian Education, Nurture, SPRC, and Evangelism. We agreed that the primary responsibility for each area resides with the committee, if there is leadership/structure. As of February 2009, the Nurture and Evangelism Committees have no leadership, and therefore will be the first areas for the Leadership Team to address. The Committee on Lay Leadership would remain as separate entities.

First the Leadership Team will identify the most urgent needs, such as a need might be identified in the area of Nurture for some kind of fellowship activity for the church family or a need might be identified in the area of Evangelism to formulate a plan to attract new members. After a needed task is identified, the Leadership Team would identify willing workers to respond to the need. The first to be asked will be those listed as committee members in the area being addressed, but the Team also has the opportunity to get non-committee members involved.

We decided to meet once a month, as the Church Council did, to engage in team-building, review progress, and identify and formulate response to emerging needs. The first meeting or two will be devoted to simply identifying the various tasks within the Nurture and Evangelism areas. These tasks will include tasks historically done, tasks that the committee would like to do, and other tasks listed in the conference booklet for that committee area.

Bob Mattern

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The Christian Education Committee met on Sunday February 15th to discuss the status of classes for children and adults and to plan for the future. The children's class continues to meet during service and will focus on New Testament stories leading up to Easter with a focus on relating Bible events to their lives today. The adult class will continue to meet on Sundays from 9:15 to 10:00 a.m. using a combination of the Upper Room and the Serendipity Bible as guides for weekly discussions. Both classes are open to all. For questions about the children's class you can contact Lydia Dingle or Kathy Jo Winters. For questions about the adult class you can contact Dave Howe. The next meeting is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. on March 8th and will focus on special and short term educational programs for children and adults. This meeting is open to all. Please see Pastor Roberta or Kathy Jo Winters with questions or suggestions.

Kathy Jo Winters

TRUSTEES

Roof project status report:

Nothing new to report since February's Lamplighter. Winter has been stubborn this year, but there are signs that spring is not too far away. With the upcoming switch to daylight savings time only a couple of weeks away, Spring will not be too far behind. Once the weather gets above 40 degrees on a more regular basis, then the final portions of roof replacement can happen.

Some of the larger projects around the church have been scheduled for later in the year to help spread the cash flow a bit more evenly throughout the year at the request of the Finance Committee. Other smaller ones are being planned and scheduled for the upcoming Spring. It is always nice to be able to open windows when you paint walls, clean rugs and floors. So before too long, shake off those Winter doldrums and get ready to spruce up the place.

As always, if you should find something that needs fixin', make sure you let one of the Trustees know so that we can take care of it. Remember, this is your house also. Let's take great care of it - for we have been entrusted with a great gift.

Jim Haag

WORSHIP COMMITTEE

Holy Week Services:

Maundy Thursday Service - April 9
VUMC will be holding a Maundy Thursday service downstairs in the fellowship hall at 7:30p.m.

Good Friday Service - April 10
Wesley United Methodist Church , East Hartford - more information to follow.

Easter Morning Sunrise Service - April 12
Fox Hill Tower at Henry Park starting at about 6:00 a.m.

Traditional Easter Sunday Service - April 12
Here at VUMC at 10:30 a.m.

The Worship Committee would like to remind you that we would like to hear from you regarding any experiences that you may have had visiting with another church locally or while traveling. Come to a worship committee meeting or just let one of the members know about your thoughts on their worship service.

Next meeting is March 11 at 7:00p.m.

Carl Tyler III

FINANCE

A Year of Challenge!:

The first month of the year 2009 is behind us and the challenge has emerged as we look at the deficit in the Program & Ministry Fund. In a sense, some of this deficit was expected, but unanticipated furnace repair and snow plowing costs have caused it to be much larger than anticipated. We will hope to chip away at this in the months ahead, but we will have to monitor costs very closely, hope that our pledgers keep their pledges up to date, and hope that those who don't pledge will be a bit more generous in their giving. With God's help and our commitment, we can rise to this challenge. Let's do it!

Fund balances at the end of January 2009, are as follows:

Dave Howe, Chair

A NOTE FROM THE NCD PRAYER WARRIORS

The prayer warriors are actively supporting the Health Team, but we would like to encourage every member of the church family to keep the Health Team in their daily prayers as the Health Team seeks to discern God's will for our church.

Dave Howe

MISSIONS

March is UMBRELLA MONTH at VUMC:

Please bring in new umbrellas during this month. We will be donating them to Tri-Town Shelter and Cornerstone's shelter. Many of their clients must take public transportation or walk to employment and shopping. An umbrella will keep them dry while waiting.

PLAN USA
It is through Plan USA that VUMC has sponsored foster children in various countries over many years - Elube James in Malawi, Africa has been our most recent foster child.
Last December Slumdog Millionaire went into release in theaters throughout the US and wowed audiences. It won many film awards and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards (and won 8 of them). The story is set in India against the backdrop of Mumbai. Audiences catch glimpses of the "train station culture" and what life is like for the children of the slums.
Anil Kapoor has a starring role in Slumdog Millionaire and has donated 100% of his acting fee to Plan's Universal Birth Registration campaign in India. It is estimated that 36% of births go unregistered.Without a birth certificate, access to health care, education and other services is limited, and unregistered children are more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. In 2008, Plan's projects in India resulted in the registration of 111,279 children and the issue of 57,402 birth certificates. To read more about this Plan project as well as stories from Burkina Faso, Nairobi, Nepal and other areas, check out the PLAN magazine available in the fellowship hall.

Heifer Project: We continue to add to this project with the help of those who bring in refundable bottles and cans and those who redeem them. There is a large number of Heifer Project/World Ark magazines available on the tables in the fellowship hall. Take one or more home and read the stories of the animals and the difference they make in the lives of people around the world. The coin jar also accepts donations of any change or folding money you may have cluttering up your pockets.

Camp Aldersgate:
The 2009 brochures are here. You may not have children to send off to camp this year; however, you may have a friend, relative, or neighbor who is looking for a great place to send a child. Take a brochure and pass it on!
Volunteer Opportunities:
Camp Aldersgate is holding three work camps.
Check out the poster in the fellowship hall for details on these-
· Trailblazer Camp: April 24-26 · Aldersgate Cleanup & Work Weekend: May 15-17

Good Friday Walk:
Yes - it's coming up sooner than you think! The annual walk is scheduled for Friday, April 10th. VUMC will, no doubt, again have several members walking -and seeking your supportive pledges. Remember that although the major portion of the proceeds from these walks goes to supporting and mentoring Black youth in Mississippi and Alabama, a good portion also goes to support our local Tri-Town Shelter.
VUMC has been asked to provide a few of the items to sustain the walkers (juice, grape jelly, small chocolate bars, hard candies) There is a sign up sheet in the fellowship hall if you are able to donate any of these items.

Fall Mission Trip to New Orleans Area for Hurricane Recovery

Skip and Mary Ann Danforth will be leading another group of teams south this fall, and it is not too early to think about being a part of that. The teams will be working with Southeast Louisiana Disaster Recovery, an organization heavily funded by UMCOR. The weeks are November 1 to 7 and November 8 to 14.

There will be three teams organized. On November 1 to 7, we will stay in Slidell and work either along the north shore of Lake Ponchetrain or across the bridge in New Orleans. On November 8 to 14, there will be two teams: one in Slidell and the other staying in the town of Dulac, LA and working there. Dulac is a small, isolated community out on the bayou southwest of New Orleans. It is primarily populated by Homa Indians. For the first week, we would ask you to deal with Dick and Jane Thompson at 109 Washington Street in Manchester, CT 06042 (1-860-647-7099, spotanpuff@aol.com). For either of the groups on the second week, contact Skip and Mary Ann at PO Box 1747, W. Chatham, MA 02669 (1-508-430-0778, KiteSky@comcast.net). However, if you have trouble reaching either family, feel free to contact the other.

You will be expected to arrange your own transportation and pay about $250 toward registration, room, board, team van rentals for our time there, and other minor expenses.

Let's keep our college students in our thoughts and prayers. Remind them that they are very much a part of our VUMC family. Drop a note, card or email to them occasionally.

Stephanie Curtis
Living & Learning Center
Box 117
633 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05045
Email: UscuttingXedgeED@hotmail.com

Jessica Ebrahimzadeh
(This semester she is in Australia and is having a hard time adjusting and getting acclimated.)
Unit 31 Kooloobong
Northfields Ave
Wollongong, NSW 2500
Email:
je972@uow.edu

Michael Cappiello is attending the University of Hartford. I'm sure he will get it if you drop a card to his home address at
71 Vernwood Dr,
Vernon, CT 06066

Red Cross Blood Drives: For an appointment to donate, call 1/800-GIVE-LIFE (448-3543) More than 600 blood donations are needed EVERY DAY in Connecticut!

Monday, March 9th, 1:00 to 6:00p.m.
Ray Seraphin Ford
100 Windsor Ave (Route 83), Rockville

Thursday, March 26th, 1:00 to 6:00p.m.
St Bernard Church
25 St Bernard Terrace, Rockville

The next meeting of the Mission & Outreach committee will be Thursday, March 12, at 7:30p.m. (following the Lenten study) at VUMC. These meetings are open to everyone.

Lydia Dingle

MARCH SCRIPTURES

MARCH WORSHIP ATTENDANTS

LAMPLIGHTER DEADLINE
APRIL ISSUE

Please submit (preferably by e-mail) any articles you have for the April issue by Friday, March 27th. Anything not received by 6:00p.m. on that date will not be included in the newsletter. Thank you for your cooperation.
Roger White – editor, pro tempore
E-mail vumcnews@sbcglobal.net

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