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The
Messenger First
United Methodist Church of Mexico April, 2011 From the Pastor…
A very zealous young preacher came upon a farmer working in his field.
Being concerned about the farmer’s soul the preacher asked the man, “Are you
laboring in the vineyard of the Lord, my good man?” Not even looking at the
preacher, and continuing his work, the farmer replied, “Naw, these are
soybeans.”
“You don’t understand’, said the preacher. “Are you a
Christian?” With the same amount of interest as his previous answer the farmer
said, “Nope, my name is Jones. You must be lookin’ for Jim Christian. He
lives a mile south of here.” The young, determined preacher tried again,
asking the farmer, “Are you lost?” “Naw, I’ve lived here all my life”,
the farmer answered.
“Are you prepared for the resurrection?”, the frustrated preacher
asked. This caught the farmer’s attention, and he asked, “When’s it gonna
be?”
Thinking he had finally accomplished something the young preacher
replied, “it could be today, tomorrow, or the next day!” Taking a
handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his brow, the farmer remarked, “Well,
don’t tell my wife. She don’t get out much, and she’ll want to go all
three days!”
“Are you prepared for the
resurrection?” That’s the part that finally gets the attention of the
farmer, and that’s the part that gets our attention, too. Of course, the
“young” preacher in the story is talking about the personal
resurrection, while this old preacher wants to talk to you about the
resurrection of Jesus at Easter.
The good news of Jesus overcoming death at Easter is not only the
centerpiece of our faith; the resurrection from the dead of Jesus, our Christ,
is the very best news that we will ever hear! By his victory over death, Jesus
claims new life both for himself and for each of us.
Just like the farmer in the story, it sometimes takes a while for the
“Good News” to sink into us, but once it does we’re like the farmer’s
wife: we “want to go”, we want to hear, and be a part of the story every
day.
Hope the rest of your journey through Lent is meaningful, and your
Resurrection Day is joy-filled. Sincerely,
Bill *************************************************** Easter
Services April
21: Maundy
Thursday, 7 pm: Service of Holy Communion at First Presbyterian Church, Mexico. April
22: Good
Friday, 7 pm: Dramatic Worship service, including the Christian churches in the
area. April
24: Easter
Day, 7 am: Sunrise Worship Service on the hill at Diane & Jim Barbur’s
home, with
Easter
Day, 9:45am:
Morning Worship Service. ********** What Is Easter? Easter is the most
important holy day of the Christian faith. For Christians, Easter
marks the discovery of the empty tomb and the return of Jesus from death; it is
the liberation of all humans from the consequences of our stubborn refusal and
inability to follow God. What
Christians Do on Easter
The Easter Service is
not some sort of a stand-alone thing. It
is part of a series of events, the devotions of Holy Week, that the early Church
treated as one worship service. It
starts at the Thursday of the Command (also 'Holy Thursday' or 'Maundy
Thursday'), which marks Jesus' mandates to serve, to take Holy Communion, and to
love
as He loved. On that day Jesus was betrayed and arrested. At
the end of the Thursday service, the altar (sometimes the whole sanctuary, the
halls and entryways) is stripped bare and treated as if preparing for a funeral.
That's because it is for a funeral
-- Good Friday is the day of Jesus' execution, the first day of Jesus' death. Today,
Good Friday services are usually in the early evening, but tradition puts it at
mid-afternoon, when the gospels say Christ died. The
Catholic tradition has a lengthy Easter Vigil of believers awaiting
Christ's return by acts of worship, for Saturday or the early morning
hours of Sunday. The empty tomb was
discovered at sunrise on Sunday morning, so Christians often start celebrating
the resurrection with worship at sunrise, with more worship services throughout
the morning. Traditionally, the
church uses the Easter services to baptize new adult believers, after using the
Lent period for teaching them about the faith. There are some ways
to celebrate Easter that families can do, together: ·
Easter
plants,
such as tulips and Easter lilies. They're plants that hide themselves
underground during the winter, and pop out around Eastertide. It's
a symbol of rebirth and resurrection. ·
Hot
cross buns.
(Yes, I'm not supposed to eat them, but I usually sneak just one....). They have
the cross marked on them, in icing. ·
Teach
the Easter story
to your kids. No, not the one about
the Great Big Bunny. Teach them the one about the Christ who lives. As
with Lent, it's helpful to have them see it from the perspective of the others
involved -- Mary, Peter, the tomb-sealers, angels, those walking the road
to Emmaus, and so on. One thing
which narrows our faith is how we see Jesus through hindsight, as His on-looking
supporters who know exactly what's going on. That
is not the place where we meet Christ. We
meet Christ through the witnesses found in the Gospels -- some scornful, some
scared, some puzzled, some at a loss for word, all of them sinners in
need of what Christ is doing on Holy Week, all in need of a resurrection. · Another way into the Easter story is to have each child go over a specific Gospel scene of the resurrected Lord, in as much detail as they can, with a nudge to go a little bit further. If they're older, start asking them the 'why' questions. Don't be satisfied with a simple answer, ask a follow-up. · Go on a nature walk. Maybe it's right there in your backyard, if you've got large enough natural areas there. Or, maybe in a park or arboretum, if they're open. Look closely -- really closely -- for the budding signs of flowers and trees, or maybe the baby animals coming out for the first time. Of course, the plants only work in areas
where there is spring, which is how it works in the temperate parts of the
northern hemisphere, where Christianity (and Christian tradition) first took
root. But the story-telling and the
buns apply anywhere. ©
1995 - 2010 Robert Longman Jr.; Spirithome.com; off-line only. (Check out spirithome.com for a wealth of information on many spiritual topics.) Save the Date for Upcoming ASAP Events: May
22: Family Fun Day at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park June
12: The Tug Hill Players Celtic Music As of now the ASAP fund balance is $ 40,565.14. Thanks to all who help the elevator fund to rise to the next level. Memorial
Recognition with Gratitude Ralph
Schmidt Memorial: Twenty-five
new fellowship hall tables. Arene
Staplin Memorial: Silver Service for 100 and vinyl tablecloths. ****************** UMCOR
– JAPAN Thank you to all who contributed to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), for the relief and recovery work they are doing to aid Japan following their most recent disasters. The total donated on work they are doing to aid Japan following their most recent disasters. The total donated on March 20, was $643. Blessings… “How
little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of,
and which no other people on earth enjoy!” Thomas Jefferson ATTIC TREASURE SALE When?
Saturday, May 14, 10am to 4pm, Fellowship Hall Why?
To help support the many mission projects of the Outreach Committee by
contributing treasures for us to sell (no clothes, please), and/or by coming to
the sale to secure attic treasures. How?
Treasures may be brought to the church prior to the sale date and stored
behind the partition in the fellowship hall.
All proceeds go toward the mission work of the church. OPERATION
CHRISTMAS CHILD Do
you ever wonder…. *What
happens to a shoebox after you drop it off?
*How do the boxes get to all the other countries?
*How the children react once they receive their box?
*If there's a follow-up program? *How
and when Operation Christmas Child got started? These
questions and others will be answered at a round table discussion on Saturday,
April 9, from 10 to 11:30 am, at the Vorea Community Church, 12 Waggoner
Rd., Richland.
There will be a carpool going, so if you'd like to join the group, call
963-3646 or 963-3566.
Thank you for your support in this exciting and far- reaching ministry. ****************** The
Hope of Eternal Life… All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for His children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting Him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. 1 Peter 1:3-6 ****************** News from the Outreach
Committee Where we are sending the
money ($826) collected from the arks……. $200 children’s orphanage
in Latvia ****************** Summer Camp Fundraising Chocolate bar sales.
Each child attending a church camp will be asked to fundraise for
themselves. Call Melissa Maciejko (963-1066) to order a box of chocolate bars for your child to sell. As in past years the Men’s Club will continue to offer scholarships to help financially support youth going to camp. ****************** APRIL'S
IMPORTANT DATES April
2: Red Cross Blood
Mobile, VFW Post THANK
YOU, THANK YOU, TO: ~
Dave and Andy Munger for making the corn-hole game for the senior apartments. ~
Marlea Munger for sewing the corn heating bags for the seniors at the
apartments. ~
Both Susan Comerford and
Alice Nakaza for donating furniture to the Senior High Youth Group Room and to
the Attic Treasure Sale. ~
Andy Munger, Marlea Munger, and Mike Freihofer for moving some of the furniture
into the church. ~
Terry Grimshaw for
putting up the wooden stars around the cross in the sanctuary…and to Duane
Morton for taking them down before Lent began. ~
Had & Linda Fravor for taking down all 54 electrical window candles and
storing them for next year. ~ Esther Granger and Barb Lindovski for the weekly attention to the upkeep of the church kitchen. ********************************* Congratulations
on the Births of: Cameron
Davidson Broughton Born
February 16, 2011 Great-grandson
of Nancy Davidson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Abel
Robert Lewis Helker Born
March 4, 2011 Son
of Kyle Helker And Grandson of Jerry and Shawne Helker ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Morton
Lee Jones Born
March 5, 2011 Son
of Carrie (Morton) and Joseph Jones Grandson
of Duane & Sue Morton ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Benjamin
Edward Parker Born
March 20, 2011 Son
of Charles and Jessica Parker Grandson
of Chuck and Dotty Parker ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:16 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our Sympathy to… The
family of: Mary
Ellen Rector Who passed on March 24, 2011 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Congratulations
to… Steve
and Donna Mowry Who
became members of our church on Sunday, March 13, 2011 UMM
Annual Italian Feast All
you can eat Spaghetti,
meatballs, Italian sausage, Lasagna, Salad,
Bread, Desserts, and Beverages Adults
- $8; 5-12 years - $6; 4 & under – Free! Take-outs available. For deliveries please call: 963-3936 Bread
and Broth: A Lenten Bible Study sponsored by the Lake Effect Cooperative Ministry Continues… The
final two gatherings of the Lenten Bible Study will take place as follows: April
3
Mexico UMC
John the Baptist & Beef
Barley April 10 Trinity UMC Jesus and Lamb Stew Young
Women’s Bible Study When:
Monday evenings, 7-9pm, Mid-Winter
Bash Fun! The Senior High Youth Fellowship brought a mid-winter party to the residents who live in the North Street Senior Apartments in Mexico on Sunday, February 27. The youth fellowship donated a corn-hole game to the seniors and also gave each resident a hand-made corn bag to heat for soothing of any discomforts they may have. The corn bags were sewn by Marlea Munger and filled by the youth. The corn-hole game, which is similar to a bean bag toss game, was built and painted by Dave Munger and his son Andy Munger. After playing corn-hole with the seniors the whole group enjoyed snacks, cake, hot chocolate and tea. Summer
Church Camp Fundraising Chocolate bar sales will soon begin! Each child attending a church camp will be asked to sell chocolate bars to fundraise for themselves. Please call Melissa Maciejko (963-1066, to order a box of chocolate bars for your child to sell. As in past years, the Men’s Club will continue to offer scholarships to help financially support youth going to camp. MONDAY’S
MEAL UPDATE Spring has arrived and the soup pots at Monday’s Meal are still bubbling every Monday. The cooks, helpers, and dishwashers are ready to serve up hearty bowls of soup to all who enter in – 11:30am-12:30pm. Following are the cooks scheduled so far for the month of April. If you like to cook, please contact Maggie Palmer to be added to a team. Remember too, that cooks are reimbursed for all ingredients that go into the soup pot! Thank you to all who support Monday’s Meals and to all who come to eat the soup! April
4: Maggie Palmer and
Donna Mowry ********************************************** Our
Most Precious Possession… Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands. Obey them and live! Guard my teachings as you most precious possession. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Proverbs 7: 1-3 ********************************************** Recipe Corner:
This
recipe, filled with both ham and cheese, offers a tasty option to add to your
Easter day breakfast or dinner table. The
creator of the recipe is Nellie Roberts and the recipe can also be found in our
church cookbook “Treasures From Heaven”, on page 70*.
Ham
and Cheddar Loaf 1
pound frozen bread or pizza dough, thawed
¼ cup mayonnaise 1
package shaved smoked ham
1 egg, beaten 1
cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tablespoon parmesan cheese Roll
dough to 12x8 inch rectangle. Top
dough with ham, leaving half- inch border around all sides.
Mix cheddar cheese and mayonnaise, spread over ham.
Moisten edges of dough with water. Roll
to shape of bread loaf. Pinch side
ends of dough to seal. Place seam
side down on lightly greased baking sheet. Cut
three diagonal slits on top of dough with knife.
Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle
with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400
degrees for 30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
* To purchase a cookbook for yourself or as a gift, please contact Sue Morton at 963-3566. Easter
Flower Sale to benefit
The
Grace Moore Scholarship Fund The
flowers will be $12.00 this year. If
paying by check, please make it payable to: The
Grace Moore Scholarship Fund. In
Memory of: _____________________________________________________
(and/or) In
Honor of: _______________________________________________________ Sponsored
by: __________________________________________________________________ Total
number of Easter flowers @ $12.00 each: __________ This coupon can be mailed to PO Box 255, Mexico, NY 13114, or place coupon with check or cash in a collection envelope marked for Easter Flowers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spring
Cleaning? The
date for the Annual Attic Treasure Sale has been set by the Outreach Committee:
Saturday,
May 14. We welcome any spring cleaning treasures that you discover and need to pass on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This
month’s newsletter was sponsored by: Duane
and Sue Morton
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Need to Contact our Church?? Our
Church Phone Number: 315-963-3066 Our
Church Website: www.mex1umc.com Our
Church email address: fumcmexico@verizon.net |