HUMC Newsletter May-Junel 2013 Edition

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it,
Nor the lights or its décor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp –
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kind from seventh grade Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, “What’s deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake.
And why is everyone so quiet, so somber – give me a clue.”
“Hush, child,” He said, “they’re all in shock. No one thought they’d be seeing you.”
JUDGE NOT! Remember…just going to church doesn’t make you Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.
Every saint has a past…Every sinner has a future!

-Author Unknown
(Submitted by Bill Edwards)

“Now there was a great wind…but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.” (I Kings 19: 11-12)

The NSRV translates v, 12B “and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.” The more familiar, “a still small voice,” is gone. The sound of silence is a fascinating phenomenon, one that we in the 21st century find very difficult to incorporate into our lives. Communication is blasted at us from radios, television and movies. In many respects, we are losing the ability to really listen to the silence.

S.I. Hayakawa, in Language in Thought and Action, says that some people “never listen to what is being said, since they are interested only in what might be called the gentle inward massage that the sound of words gives them. Just as cats and dogs love to be stroked, so do some human beings like to be verbally stroked at fairly regular intervals; it is a form of rudimentary sensual satisfaction.”

Elijah was surrounded by the sounds of the earth – earthquake, hurricane winds, fire that consumed everything in its path. Yet, in the midst of all this thunderous noise came the quietly powerful and life-consuming sound of the presence of God. It was so real, so life-changing, that Elijah went forward to face the “sounds of silence.” What about us? What will it take for us to hear God’s voice? Is there a space in our lives in which we actually listen for God, or are we just too busy being bothered by the noise of the world? When we pray, do we really hear any voice other than our own?

It may be that the sound of God’s voice – the “sound of sheer silence” – is something which surrounds us constantly, had we but ears to hear it. But God refuses to be involved in a shouting competition with things that distract us. To hear, to really hear, God’s voice requires from us both patience and intentionality. Prayer does not come to us naturally. It is many things, but above anything else, it is a discipline. Learning to pray, like learning to hear, is also learning to listen!

~Reverend Brewer

RECYCLE YOUR INKJET CARTRIDGES
The children of the church are now collecting empty inkjet cartridges for recycling. The Children’s Ministry will receive up to $4 for each cartridge recycled. Simply place old cartridges in a plastic sandwich bag and deposit into our collection box located in the church office. Most businesses simply throw their empty cartridges away, so you may want to check at your workplace to see if they would donate their used cartridges. No large laser cartridges are accepted in the program.
In addition to raising money for our Children’s Ministry, recycling inkjet cartridges has a positive impact on the environment. Consider this: Nearly a million of these cartridges are thrown into our landfills every day. Less than 5 percent of cartridges produced are recycled. It takes a thousand years for the plastic to decompose.
NOTE: Epson cartridges will be accepted but we get no funds for recycling them. If you have questions or want to see the list of acceptable cartridges, please see Charlotte Morgan.

THANKS FOR MAKING VBS A SUCCESS!
Praise to Almighty God, and, thanks so very much to everyone who came to VBS, helped prepare and worked during VBS. The God’s Everywhere Fun Fair June 17-21 was awesome. Attendance averaged 40 children a day, and they enjoyed the assemblies, music and Bible stories. Decorations in three locations around the church were over the top. The Innovative Science Center was educational and engaging. Crafts were cool and well- organized. Everyone loved the Global Games (Recreation) Center in the CLC and outside. Snacks were super. And, we enjoyed fantastic photos of all our fun (see below). Thank you again, everyone, who lovingly gave of themselves and invested time and money to share the love of God with all our children as well as others in our community.

UPCOMING NEWS FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS
Since VBS, we’ve taken a break from meeting on Wednesdays. We will begin again with a Creek Stomp for children and teens on Wednesday, July 31st from 3 -6 p.m. at the Morgan’s spot on Cane Creek. All children 13 and younger must have an adult parent/guardian present with them. Everyone should bring several sandwiches to share. Chips and cookies will also be appreciated. The Morgans will supply ice, water, lemonade, tea and watermelon. Everyone should also bring lawn chairs, sunscreen, bug spray, an old towel, and old tennis shoes or water shoes that you can wear in the creek. Please do not bring any pets.
On Wednesday, August 7th, children 5th grade and under will have a Back to School Bible Bash in the CLC from 5:30-6:30 p.m. We’ll play scripture games and have snacks, take a “creation walk,” paint stained “glass” window crafts and finish with musical games.
Many new Wednesday worship activities are planned for the fall, gathering in the basement from 5:30-6:30 p.m. For example, we’ll make and take baked goods to the Fire Station to thank them for their service and take a tour. Some fun, large group art projects are planned. We’ll experience some musical experiments with many instruments and play more games inside and out. We’ll visit the nursing home again and take other mini-field trips.
We will meet on most Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the basement. The general, long-standing rule is we don’t meet whenever school is closed. For example, if school closes due to bad weather (floods or snow) we will cancel our Wednesday night activities on those days. When school is closed for Fall Break, October 7-11, we will not meet that Wednesday.
Remember we have Sunday School for all ages from 9:30-10:15 a.m., and all children 5th grade and under are invited to come and to join in on all our fun activities on Wednesdays evenings .And bring your friends!

~Ms Charlotte Morgan, Children's Minister

Christopher Boardman’s music group, Te Deum Laudamus, would like to announce the release of their newest album, “August,” this month.

The album, sponsored by Jennifer Bowen, features Christian music arranged and recorded by Mr. Boardman and artwork designed by his daughter, L’lage. The cover art was inspired by the month of August, and includes the month’s birth-stone and other summer themes, making it a thoughtful gift for someone who has a birthday, anniversary, or other special event in the month of August. The album includes a “Thinking of You…” section with space to include your own note on the back of the front cover.

The CD album will be sold for $5 dollars, and the proceeds for this album will be divided as follows:
* all proceeds of the albums sold in our church will go to our youth and their needs;
* all proceeds of the albums sold at the Strand will go to the Strand Theatre;
* all proceeds of the albums sold at the Library will support the Friends of the Library;
* and all proceeds of the albums sold in other churches will support local missionary Shasta Carroll and her work in Mali.

Te Deum Laudamus has the music material and the artwork already lined up for 11 more monthly-themed CD albums, and all proceeds would sponsor our church and local ministries. However, Mr. Boardman says that to produce 100 albums by the cheapest packaging possible costs $200 dollars. If you would like to see a specific ministry supported and would be willing to sponsor an album that would raise $500 dollars for that ministry, please contact Kathryn Kozlinski or Christopher Boardman.