Country Talk - July 2012 by Amlin United Methodist Church

A newsletter for the Amlin United Methodist Church community

C OUNTRY T ALK AmlinUMC.org

July 2012

The Message “Train children in the way they should go; when they grow old, they won’t depart from it.” - Proverbs 22:6 Let’s all be in prayer and support for our Vacation Bible School ministry this month!

Amlin’s VBS “Pandamania” last summer was a huge success! With over 50 participants and 30+ volunteers, it was a week-long celebration of faith, fun and fellowship. Join us this year!

VBS unites church family and builds faith Don’t miss your chance to be involved in the biggest event of the year! God hasn’t retired, you ing evidence that God is know. doing great He’s as busy things all now as he’s around us. ever been. At Sky VBS, But until you we will be on see that with the lookout for your own eyes, Register today! God Sightit’s tough to have ings... everyParticipants a vibrant faith. day clues that & Volunteers God can seem God is preAmlinUMC.org distant or impersent, passionsonal. ate, and powGod is active in our erful. everyday lives…we just A God Sighting is simhave to learn to look. ply an acknowledgement We have to make it a that God has done habit to keep an eye out something. It’s giving for the daily overwhelmGod credit where credit

is due. It’s developing a God-focused view and grateful heart. We will discover that we can see God in things like Scripture, people, circumstances, and nature. When God Sightings are made to be a part of everyday life, one’s faith will grow. Why? Because at SKY VBS participants will actually God see at work. Not because he’s suddenly shown up but because they finally have eyes to see…and at last, they’re looking.

Contemporary Service Praise Team seeks more musicians The second service worship team is ready to grow! We are looking for more singers, bassists, keyboardists and guitarists to work into a rotating schedule. If God has given you a heart for contemporary worship, and you sing or play one of these instruments, please consider sharing your gifts with the praise team and congregation. Stage band experience is a plus, but musicians with a willingness to learn are also welcome. Practices are Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday mornings before the 11:00 service. If this ministry interests you, please contact Jason Hissong, jhissong@gmail.com or 614-570-8815.

“Thank you!” to generous member ...for volunteering to clean the chapel each week

Dick Moore has volunteered to step up to become the regular cleaning person for the chapel building, which previously was done by several members of the congregation. This is an extremely generous offer and Jason Bevington, as current volunteer coordinator, sincerely welcomes Dick in taking over these responsibilities. On behalf of Jason, and the rest of the volunteer group, thank you very much for taking this on, Dick!

In My Own Words

The story of how Amlin United Methodist Church has changed one person’s life Two years ago I moved to Hilliard from Worthington. Although Hilliard is only 16 miles from Worthington, I felt like I was picking up and starting all over with my family! After settling in, I quickly realized I wanted to find a church in Hilliard so we could make connections on this side of town. I visited several

churches but, it wasn’t until I started looking for preschools that I discovered Amlin UMC. Shortly after my son Jake started preschool, I realized this would be a great place to attend church! What I love most about AUMC is the small town feel. I enjoy the friendly people and appreciate that people greet us by name on

Sunday mornings. There are many things I value about Amlin UMC, but what I am most thankful for is The Run for God program. I never expected a running ministry to have such a huge impression on my life. Because of Run for God, I have been able to share my passion for church with my friends and family.

I’ve been reminded of how rewarding it is to set a goal and reach it. I’ve met new people and have been inspired and motivated by all of you in the Run for God program. I also found out that I like to run and will continue to challenge myself. But most importantly, I learned I CAN do all things through Christ! I am excited to be run-

ning my race for God here at Amlin and I Beth Lham on look forward to seeing what God has in store for this congregation! Thanks again for Run for God! Beth Lhamon

Have an Amlin PO Box? For years, Amlin UM Church has been providing newsletters to those who have an Amlin PO Box as a way to connect with our immediate community. If you’d like to continue receiving our newsletter, please send an email to AmlinUMC@aol.com and let us know. If you don’t have email, give us a call at 771-1904. We’d be happy to keep you on the list. We’d also be happy to stop sending a newsletter to homes that don’t care to receive our newsletter. This will reduce waste, and also reduce our expenses. We will continue sending newsletters to every resident who contacts us. Thanks! “Upper Room” daily devotional books for May/June are available on the foyer table in the Chapel and on the welcome desk in the New Life Center. Large print copies are also available. For those of you who like to do

your reading on a computer, you can access the Upper Room Daily Devotional online very easily. Simply go to www.UpperRoom.org and look for “Today’s Devotional: the day’s topic”. It is the same as what appears in the magazine.

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Please keep the following persons and situations in your prayers. If you have a prayer request, you are invited to share it during worship, write it in the Friendship Pad, or contact Pastor Steve or the church office. We will list prayer requests in the bulletin and newsletter, unless you prefer not to have them printed. Names will remain on the list for one month, unless otherwise directed. Brittany & Family Char The Creek Family Delaney Angie Dick Pam Ellis Family of Irene Foulk Stephen Gussler Gary Ian Phil Hart Family & Friends of Nick Harris The Hoffman Family

Jessica Josh Huffman Jill Johnson Bob Jones Jessica Emily Kerr Pearl Kirby Lori & Eileen Terry & Betty Litterist Maggie Lyons Hayley Marfurt Chelsea Matz Sue McCary

Family and Friends of Harriet Morton Eddy Myers Lynn Nichols Olivia’s grandmother Peggy James Palsgroves Emily Rader The Rumpf Family Zach Ruppel Jim Sears Teresa Schutt Doreen Scurlock Family of Maurine Shaver

Lewis & Marjorie Shultz Gary Sollmann Christopher Spencer Courtney Spencer The Spencer Family Family & Friends of Pastor A. Stephen Rylee Stillion Theresa Mary Kay Withrow John Woerner Logan Yoder Bobi & John Zeek

Country Talk is a monthly publication of Amlin United Methodist Church, issued at the beginning of each month. The deadline for articles is the 20th of each month for the next month’s issue. Articles and photos should be put in the church’s DropBox account, in the “Newsletter” folder. If you need access to the DropBox account, please contact the office at AmlinUMC@aol.com. If you have other questions, email Jennifer Sayre at jlsayre@columbus.rr.com.

Regular Sunday Morning Schedule 9:30–10:30 Traditional Worship* & Sunday School in the Chapel 10:30–11:00 Fellowship Time for Both Services in the New Life Center 11:00–12:00 Contemporary Worship* & Sunday School in the New Life Center 12:00 p.m. – Fellowship Time in the New Life Center *Nursery care (birth through 2 years) is provided in the New Life Center throughout the morning. Sunday School is for ages 3 through grade 6 is held during both services. Children start in the worship service and are dismissed following “Children’s Moments.” They move to the Fellowship Hall, where they participate in lessons including songs, prayer, bible study, etc.

Those searching for jobs The people, ministries, finances & growth of our church Our world, our leaders, and our troops

Contact Information: Phone: 614-771-1904 Email: AmlinUMC@aol.com Website: www.amlinumc.org Pastor Steve Putka Email: sputka@me.com Church Office: Interim Hours by Appointment with Pastor Steve Putka Treasurer: Pam Ellis By appointment, call 761-1371 Financial Secretary: Becky Kent By appointment, call 446-2359

grown together and become closer as a church family. I love being your pastor! My wife, Wendy, and our children feel like Amlin is their home. Thank you From Pastor Steve Putka so much for extending your warmth and care to us, as “How Time Flies!” we have extended the same to you. We have stayed together through some difficult initial changes, and you have been so forgiving and kind to me as I have This month, we will mark one year made my share of missteps and errors along the way. together in ministry at Amlin United We have also celebrated more than a few victories, Methodist Church. How time flies! It seems like just yesthrough God’s guidance. terday I was meeting people for the first time, and was I write this message on June 24, the day I was handed symbols of mission and ministry by various memhanded keys to the beautiful new office space that bers of the congregation. you have provided for me. I now have dediAt my first Sunday at Amlin, I spoke about my cated space at the church for reflection and We’ve had a year recent trip to the redwoods of California. While study, and even more importantly, for pritogether. Like the visiting them, I learned that their roots are quite vate pastoral conversations. You have exRedwoods, shallow, and that redwoods only grow tall in our roots continue tended hospitality to me in your homes, groves. Like the redwoods, it is only through to interconnect to blessed our family at Christmas, and shared interconnecting our own roots as people that we become stronger your hearts. This space also serves as a can become stronger, more stable, and be able to and more stable, symbol, offering another kind of space. reach heavenward, reaching our God-given poalways reaching You have provided me a physical place tential as individuals and as the church. In that heavenward. here at Amlin, in addition to the room you first message, I asked the Amlin family to make have already made in your hearts. Our roots space for me and my family, that we might grow will grow strong together, and I am deeply grateful to together. God for all of you. So how are our roots developing together? Personally, Blessings! I am amazed when reflecting on how much we have

The Pastor’s Message

One mom rides in memory of two Amlin members while raising $1,200 to support cancer research Like most of us, I have lost loved ones to cancer. I have lost grandparents and dear friends. As a pharmacist, I have seen more people than I can count lose the battle to cancer. I have participated in fundraisers, bake sales, and walks to help raise money for cancer. While it felt good to do something, it just never seems to be enough. Cancer keeps winning. Over a year ago we lost a member of our church family, Dan Pompeii, to brain cancer. Dan was 38. This past winter we lost our beloved Irene Foulk to cancer. The same week we lost Irene, a 7 year old in my girl scout troop

lost her mommy, to my office and Brenda Stillion, to spoke about The breast cancer. One Pelotonia Ride to End week after Cancer. that, another The Pelolittle girl in tonia is a my troop bike ride. found out Riders can that her register to daddy, Josh ride 25 to Huffman, 180 miles. had stage 3 This is the malignant fourth year Robin Thompson for the event. melanoma. Where In the first 3 Help Robin to does it end? years, Peloraise $1,200 for tonia has When will it cancer research! raised 25.4 stop? How Donate online do we stop million dolpelotonia.org it? How do I lars. All of Search stop it? the money Robin Thompson goes to the What can I rider profile do? James CanRT0022 It was in cer Hospital this moment at OSU. of wanting and needThe ride will take ing to do more that place on August 11th my answer arrived. this summer. As of A representative June 18th there are from Pelotonia came 5,082 riders regis-

tered and more than 3.3 million dollars raised. Signing up to ride in the Pelotonia is a leap of faith for me. Riders must pledge to raise a minimum of $1,200. In addition to this steep fundraising commitment, I am not an athlete. I had to take the baby seat off of my bike. (My youngest daughter is 7). I am riding in the 25 mile race which starts in downtown Columbus and ends in Pickerington. I know I have been called to do more, to ride in memory of Irene and Dan and Brenda as well as many other family members and loved ones. More importantly I ride in honor

of the fight my friend Josh and others like him are going through right now. I pray that this little effort I make will somehow help bring an end to this terrible disease. I am asking for everyone’s help to meet my fundraising commitment. Donations can be made online by visiting pelotonia.org and simply looking up my name, Robin Thompson. (Rider profile RT0022). Thank you for all of your help, love, support, and prayers.

Cedar Point, kick-off party planned for youth group The summer is for fun with Amlin teens All youth in grades 712 are welcome to participate in Amlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Youth Group. Meetings will be held after church service from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. on June 24 and July 22 We will be going on a trip to Cedar Point on July 18. The sign-up was in May. Any youth and their friends ages 7-12 grade are welcome to join us! On August 18, we will

be having our Youth Group Kick-Off Party at Mychal Ellis's house from 12;00-4:00 pm. For this event, we invite all incoming 7th graders to join us to help start planning a new year of youth group while getting to know one another. For more information, please contact Emily Kerr at emilykerr10@gmail.com.

Don't be a stranger! Please sign in! We are starting to take advantage of more functionality in our church management system. Part of this involves more robust attendance tracking than Amlin has done in the past. In order to ensure accuracy, please sign the friendship pad as it passes by on Sunday morning. If you have recently moved or are unsure whether the church has your current address/phone/email, please include those as well. Thank you! Amlin Unite

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W! Support UM Cut this out on and post it

This year the UMW will continue collecting donations for the Westside Free Store with a monthly theme. The overall focus is collecting the small, mostly consumable items that are seldom covered by usual donations. We will take the items to the Westside Free Store at the end of each month. We appreciate everything you are able to do to help the growing number of individuals needing assistance in these economic rough times. As you do your own shopping please keep in mind the themes for each month and consider contributing to the program. July: shaving supplies August: new underwear September: new socks October: hats, scarves, gloves November: first aid (no medicines) December: shampoo For more information, please contact Mary Vulic & Jane Fink, Mission Projects Coordinators

The Youth Group participates in a variety of activities. Here, they led an early service on Easter Sunday where they toasted marshmallow peeps.

Remember: take attendance at church meetings, events We are recording attendance at all Amlin UMC meetings/events for reporting to the UMC. We will be using attendance sheets at all church functions. If you are in charge of the meeting or, even just attending, please be sure these sheets are completed. The sheets will be available on the Welcome Desk in the New Life Center and on the table in Fellowship Hall. Thank you for your cooperation!

UMWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s branches of love reach far & wide Soups and Salads Lunch Fundraiser This fundraiser is scheduled for Sept. 9. Proceeds will go to the Living Water project. Fair Trade Coffee/Tea A reminder that our group continues to have coffee and tea for sell through the Fair Trade Coffee Project. These are available in the NLC each Sunday. Monthly Meeting Our next meeting will by July 12 at 7:00 pm. in the Fellowship Hall. All women are invited to attend monthly or occasionally, when schedules permit. All are welcome!

Preschool Scholarship There is now a UMW "preschool scholarship" of $300 for the coming year. It will be renewed at the discretion of the UMW group and awarded at the discretion of the preschool teachers. Memorial Tree The UMW has received a gift certificate for a memorial tree to be planted on the church grounds. We will look at possible locations and consider a plaque to honor both Mary Spencer and Irene Foulk. For more information, please contact Nancy Chattoraj

Funds raised used for pastor’s office, new fridge Congratulations to the Donatos fundraiser winners! For April, Jane Fink wins! And, for May, Mary Vulic wins! They each received a $25 dollar gift card from Giant Eagle. Thanks to all that bought the coupon books. This money helped to buy the new refrigerator in the chapel. The second burger

bash at Wendy’s June 15 was a great success. We enjoyed fellowship and of course Wendy’s delicious cuisine. We raised $257, which will be donated to Pastor Steve’s new office fund. Thanks to all of you that support the Special Events Team in our endeavor to raise funds for church projects.

The paints that Jackson Reed used earlier this school year are put away until he returns in the fall. There are only a few spots left for the ‘12-’13 school year.

Preschool looks for a few new faces Well, we wrapped up the year, the toys are asleep, the paint is waiting patiently to make more masterpieces, and the chairs are feeling lonely....but we all know how fast summer goes. We do have some spots open for the fall. Our new Monday/Wednesday morning class has 3 spots open (3 year olds) The Tuesday/ Thursday morning class has 1 spot open (4 year olds) And the Tuesday /Thursday afternoon class has 2 spots open.(3 -4

year old mix) If you know anyone who has a preschooler could you be a dear and pass on my phone number or email. I would love to fill the spots ASAP. Thank you for your continued prayers for the preschool. God will bring us some fabulous children and families, I am just so excited to see who He sends! Love Your Preschool Gal, Marybeth AmlinCommunityPreschool@gmail.com

(614)771-1904

Would you be willing to help with a Service Ministry on Sunday mornings? We are looking for new people willing to commit to serving as Lay Reader, Usher, Greeter, or Nursery Volunteer. Our hope is to get enough people not already serving so the rotation will be one time every two or three months. This is a very easy but very important way to help! Please contact Eugene Pauley at sepauley@aol.com or 614-570-8706 and he will get you signed up! Thank you for your consideration!

Would you be willing to help clean God’s house? Our church is seeking God’s servants willing to rotate weekly cleaning/ custodial duties in the NLC. You will share a turn no more often than once a month. This will be light to moderate cleaning, restocking of bathroom supplies, and other miscellaneous duties that can be performed at your convenience. Checklist provided. For interest in helping with the NLC cleaning, please contact Bev Hart at bhart@worly.com or 614-519-3971. Thank you for your consideration!

Members of the United Methodist Women’s group collected donated items and assembled health kits

25 health kits presented at Annual Conference Twenty five health kits packed with necessary toiletries and wellness supplies are among 3,000 or more kits on the way to our four National Mission Institutions in West Ohio thanks to the generosity of our congregation, as well as United Methodist congregations throughout our district. Cities receiving the kits are Dayton, Toledo, Cincinnati, and Columbus, with remaining kits to be distributed nationally and globally by UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief). After the Amlin United Methodist Women collected the supplies, which in-

cluded nail clippers, soap, wash cloths, and bandages among other emergency items, volunteers assembled the kits that were then presented for a blessing to the Annual Conference by Pastor Steve Putka and Delegate James Oldham. Health kits are often the immediate need of many who have limited access to medical resources, especially after disaster or unfortunate circumstances occur. Thank you for the generous contributions that made our kits part of this worthwhile cause. - Jane Fink

udios

Photos cour tesy of Trish Halterman , Lucky Lola St

Congratulations to all of our 5k finishers - 31 representing Amlin UMC in all!! Through hard work, a lot of sweat, and possibly a few tears, we made it to the finish line. What an amazing accomplishment! During the past 14 weeks we have all learned a lot about ourselves and grown closer together as a group through discussion and shared miles. We will continue to meet on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. at Homestead Park (by the blue caboose). Please join us! Whether you are already a runner, looking to become a runner, or planning to walk, we welcome you with open arms!

The next 5k we are going to do together is Dash for Donation which benefits Lifeline of Ohio (organ donation education and facilitation). The race is July 14 at 8:30 a.m. and you can sign up online at http:// www.dashfordonation.org/ for $20. If you sign up by July 10, please let me know (becky.kent@me.com) and I can pick up your race packet so you don't have to drive to Front Runner. Keep on running! For more information, contact Becky Kent at Becky.Kent@me.com

Service Ministry Schedule July

Worship Service

July 1 Communion

July 8

July 15

July 22