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THE VINE NEWSLETTER OF BELLAIRE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
MAKING DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORLD MARCH 2017 VOLUME 53 ISSUE 3
F R O M T H E PA S TO R Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruc5on, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. — Ma>hew 7:14 It’s almost always easier not to do it. I’m thinking in par6cular about this training plan that I'm working to prepare for a half marathon in April. Six days each week, I have runs of varying lengths scheduled on my calendar. And tomorrow, when it comes 6me for my four-mile run, it will be easier not to do it. It will be a whole lot easier to plop down on the couch aBer a long day than to lace up my shoes and go for a nighCme run. Easier, yes. BeEer? No. I’m training with a goal in mind, and each step along the way helps me get closer to that goal. Being disciplined in taking those steps each day will keep me on the path to success. The season of Lent has begun. For Chris6ans, this is a 6me of inten6onal discipline and self-denial. Historically, one of the ways that Chris6ans have observed Lent is through the prac6ce of “giving something up.” You have maybe done this before—abstained from chocolate or soda or television or some other such thing as a way of marking Lent and observing a Lenten discipline. If that’s something you’ve decided to do this year, I encourage you to keep it up! That discipline, even though it may be difficult, can bear real fruit in your life. Giving something up for Lent (also known as “fas6ng) can be powerful, but not because you’ll finally learn that you can live without that Dr. Pepper. It’s powerful, because fas6ng is a 6me-tested prac6ce of our faith that makes space for God’s grace in our lives. You may indeed learn that you can live without Dr. Pepper if you give it up for the six weeks of Lent, but you will also discover a liEle more deeply that you can rely on God's generous provision in all parts of life. On the next page of this newsleEer, I’ve included resources for some other 6me-tested prac6ces of our faith that I invite you to consider making a part of your Lenten discipline. First, I hope you will plan to aEend our weekly Lenten Bible study and worship (Tuesdays at 7:00pm). Gathering with you all to read and explore the scriptures is one of my most favorite things to do, and I'm very much looking forward to it. Second, we have put together a scripture reading guide for each day of Lent. There is no subs6tute for a daily, individual encounter with God through scripture. I’m confident that if you s6ck with this plan (or another of your choosing), by the 6me Easter rolls around, not only will you have read a large chunk of the scripture story, you will have grown in your knowledge and love of God. Finally, I have included a guide for daily reflec6on called the examen. I plan to incorporate this into my life throughout Lent, because I know that God is ac6vely working in my life every day—but rarely do I pause to reflect on it. This will be my Lenten discipline —to consider how God is at work each day and what God would have me do next. These are just a few op6ons, and there are many forms that a Lenten discipline can take. Each of them, if undertaken in earnest, will open up space for us to experience God’s grace more deeply. Each of these disciplines, if we are faithful to them, will lead us further down the path of discipleship. But as with most things, it will be easier not to do them. Easier, yes. BeEer? No. I’d love to hear what your Lenten discipline is and what you're learning from it. Give me a call at (713) 666-2167, or email me at sduffin@bellaireumc.org. In Christ, Pastor Seann
FAITH PRACTICES Connect to God through Scripture Join us for a special Bible study led by Pastor Seann for five weeks during Lent. We will meet on Tuesdays from 7:00-8:00pm in the BUMC Chapel. Each week, we’ll take an in-depth look at two different scripture passages and one of our “Ver6cal Habits” for building a rela6onship with God. Each session will include music by Kenneth ScoE Peters and Holy Communion.
Daily Bible Readings for Lent To help you connect to God through scripture every day, we have put together this Lent Bible reading plan. Use it to deepen your discipline in daily scripture reading over these next six weeks. March April 17 — James 4 1 — 2 Corinthians 1 1 — Philippians 1 18 — James 5 2 — 2 Corinthians 2 2 — Philippians 2:1-3:1 19 — 1 John 1 3 — 2 Corinthians 3 3 — Philippians 3:2-4:1 20 — 1 John 2:1-28 4 — 2 Corinthians 4 4 — Philippians 4:2-23 21 — 1 John 2:29-3:24 5 — 2 Corinthians 5 5 — 1 Thessalonians 1 22 — 1 John 4 6 — 2 Corinthians 6:1-7:1 6 — 1 Thessalonians 2:1-3:5 23 — 1 John 5 7 — 2 Corinthians 7:2-16 7 — 1 Thessalonians 3:6-4:12 24 — 2 John 8 — 2 Corinthians 8 8 — 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:28 25 — 3 John 9 — 2 Corinthians 9 9 — MaEhew 21:1-11 26 — Gala6ans 1 10 — 2 Corinthians 10 10 — John 12:1-11 27 — Gala6ans 2 11 — 2 Corinthians 11 11 — 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 28 — Gala6ans 3:1-4:7 12 — 2 Corinthians 12 12 — Psalm 70 29 — Gala6ans 4:8-5:1 13 — 2 Corinthians 13 13 — John 13 30 — Gala6ans 5:2-26 14 — James 1 14 — John 18:1-19:42 31 — Gala6ans 6 15 — James 2 15 — Psalm 31 16 — James 3 16 — MaEhew 28:1-10
Self-Reflec?on during Lent The daily examen is an ancient way of praying at the end of the day. In it, we reflect on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and to discern God’s direcDon for us. Here is a brief daily examen if you would like to try it during Lent. You can learn more at www.ignaDanspirituality.com. 1. Give Thanks. Thank God for this day, for your life, for all you are and have, and for God’s Word. 2. Pray for Light. Ask God to let you see the day as the Holy Spirit sees it, and to show you what to do. 3. Find God. Look at your day in the light of the Spirit. Look back over morning, aBernoon, and evening. Who talked with you or worked with you? Did you get done what you meant to do? 4. Anything wrong? Do you trust that God is with you when you fall? Where you were ungrateful, repent and offer thanks. 5. What now? Look forward in hope. What have I to do now? What have I to avoid?
AHEAD IN WORSHIP LENT 2017 | March 1 - April 16 The season of Lent aords us an opportunity to pause and take stock of our rela6onship with God, our faithfulness in the prac6ces of the faith, and what ways we might need to grow. This Lent at Bellaire UMC, our worship series will focus on entering into, renewing, or rebuilding our rela6onship with God—both in our individual lives and also as a congrega6on. Our Ver6cal Habits series will pair rela6onal words with worship prac6ces to help us understand more about worship and how it is a primary place where we form a rela6onship with God. In March, we will explore confession, praise, lament, listening, and supplica6on as worship habits that can help us know God (and share ourselves with God) in deeper and more wonderful ways.
HOLY WEEK
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Easter Vigil
Thursday, April 13 | 7:00pm
Friday, April 14 | 7:00pm
Saturday, April 15 | 8:00pm
Sunday, April 16
C O N N E C T I N G AT B U M C
Mid-Week Dinner — Connec?ng people to people. Get to know other BUMC members this month! Have dinner at the church on Tuesdays beginning March 7th. We will enjoy home cooked meals prepared by Sunday school classes, our youth group, and other ministry groups and individuals. Dinner will be served from 6:00-7:00pm, so come when you can to enjoy this 6me of fellowship!
Community Outreach Group — Connec?ng people to service. The BUMC Community Outreach group meets on the third Wednesday of every month in Room 123 from 5:30-7:00pm. This group helps lead our church’s efforts with CCSC, SEARCH Homeless Services, and the Chimney Rock Children’s Center. All are welcome to aEend, and please contact Barbara at barbara@nowotnycpa.com for more informa6on. Below right: Members of the Community Outreach Group serving at CCSC.
Mission Day — Connec?ng people to service. The Central South District of the UMC will host a work day at Genoa UMC on Saturday, March 25. This is an opportunity to serve a sister congrega6on in Houston and is great for individuals, couples, or families. Work will involve landscaping, cleaning, light carpentry and construc6on, and pain6ng. Contact Pastor Jim Love at (713) 666-2167 or jlove@bellaireumc.org for more informa6on.
Z O E PA RT N E R S H I P Late last year, our church collected a Christmas offering that would support ZOE, a ministry that empowers impoverished children around the world with the training and resources to become self-reliant and never need charity again. This was a first step in a mul6-year partnership with ZOE. Over the next three years, we will be the Hope Companion for a working group of 60-100 children in the African country of Rwanda. Here’s a brief update on our partnership, the difference your giB is already making, and what we can expect in the months and years ahead. Last month, the children in our working group began their amazing journey of transforma6on. During these first mee6ngs they have experienced understanding, compassion, and acceptance from the other children. From desperate situa6ons, they have been shown a future of many opportuni6es. And they have discovered that their ZOE program facilitator/social worker and Bellaire UMC believe that they are valuable individuals and can achieve great things with God’s help—a sharp contrast from how others in their community have viewed and treated them. When ZOE first enters a community to help children, they begin by engaging the local leaders. ZOE staff members explain how ZOE is an empowerment program, helping the children to help themselves. Although this is oBen a different approach than local leaders are accustomed to, it resonates with leaders who want to see sustainable change in their village. ZOE staff members, who are indigenous to each country in which they operate, understand local customs, challenges, and resources available so when they meet with the community leaders they quickly gain trust and support. Once the children have been iden6fied by community leaders and brought together into working groups they begin working toward making their own future beEer. The children elect leaders, make rules to guide their mee6ngs, choose a group name, and decide when and where to hold weekly gatherings. Immediately, the children begin training on the topics of food security, health and disease preven6on, business management, and child rights. If they have access to land, they are provided seeds to start gardens and plant crops. If they have not been aEending school, ZOE provides uniforms and other resources to get them back into classes. The children are provided grants so that they can start small businesses to generate their own income. Most importantly, they begin to experience that they
are not beyond God’s love. Though many are orphans, they indeed have a Father in heaven who loves them. All this happens within the first six months! ZOE staff members are currently making home visits to record informa6on about dependents and caregivers. This is also a 6me to assess if any emergency interven6ons are required to alleviate health issues, abusive condi6ons, or inadequate shelter. During these first couple months there will be children who decide they are not ready for the empowerment program and others who will be invited to join the groups by those first iden6fied. In a couple months we will have a list of names and a picture of our working group. Later in the year we will have a full report of what the group has accomplished during their first year with ZOE. In the mean6me, if you have any ques6ons, please contact Pastor Seann. You can learn much more about ZOE at www.ZOEhelps.org.
IN JUST THREE YEARS, ZOE HELPS CHILDREN TO Be Secure ZOE’s social workers ensure children know about their rights, are free from abuse and exploita6on, and can find a safe place to live. Children learn skills such as farming and animal husbandry at monthly mee6ngs. Then, ZOE provides them tools, seeds and farm animals so they can grow and raise their own food. When children need a home, ZOE provides the necessary materials and their peer working group assists in construc6on. Be Healthy ZOE’s social workers teach children about ways to stay healthy, including boiling water before drinking, washing hands and dishes, and proper nutri6on for a balanced diet. ZOE provides children with mosquito nets and blankets to keep them safe from insect-borne diseases. Children learn about the causes and preven6on of HIV/AIDS, and how to care for those who are infected. Orphans oBen form an6-AIDS clubs and perform at local events to help educate their communi6es. Be Connected When children first join the empowerment program, ZOE brings them together into a Working Group of 50-100 fellow orphans from their community. This group becomes a new family, able to support one another in many ways. ZOE connects children to their community leaders, and helps them connect to God through their local church. ZOE’s social workers help children reunite with their rela6ves and siblings who have had to leave home. Be Prepared When children graduate aBer three years in ZOE’s program, they are prepared to care for themselves and their younger siblings. They have secure, dependable sources of food and income. Through ZOE, children have access to micro-grants, voca6onal training, and business start-up materials. Working Groups will frequently reach out to assist other orphans in their villages. These children are prepared to become leaders in their church and community. Want to know more about how you can support our partnership with ZOE? Contact Steve Smith at steve@roveroaks.com or Pastor Seann at sduffin@bellaireumc.org.
MINISTRY NEWS Master Planning Project Cathy Beathard, Master Planning Team Chair As I remember back to the Methodist church of my youth, my experiences looked completely different from what I encounter in the Methodist church of my adulthood. Our lives have become so full of stuff—technology, work pressures, traffic, more ac6vi6es that we and our children can handle, economic stress, family stress, and so much more. As our society has dras6cally changed over 6me, so must our church community. Even as the world changes, we are clear about our mission at Bellaire UMC. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transforma6on of the world. And we do that by connec6ng people to God, connec6ng people to people, and connec6ng people to service. Our facili6es play an important role in fulfilling this mission of making disciples. Under the guidance of the Board of Trustees, Bellaire UMC is prayerfully undertaking a master planning exercise in order to create a road map for current use and future growth of our ministries, finances and facili6es. The process of crea6ng a master plan requires an explora6on of the visions and philosophies of the church leadership and its congrega6on. It can serve as a catalyst for propelling a church to the next level of ministry, and it will help us realize our strengths and weaknesses. This journey includes looking to the past, the present, and the future so that we move forward with what already works and create new opportuni6es to meet the current and future needs of our community. We have hired Merriman, Holt, Powell Architects, a firm that specializes in liturgical master planning and design. Our building commiEee has been busy interviewing the ministry leaders of our church and formula6ng ini6al goals. Our next step will be to host a series of town hall mee6ngs to hear from you, the congrega6on. What would you like to see happen at Bellaire UMC? Romans 12:5 reminds us: “So in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.” We are the church together, and together we will prayerfully discern the future course of Bellaire UMC. We invite your reflec6ons and prayers as we move through this journey together. Ques6ons? Comments? Please contact Cathy Beathard cbeathard@comcast.net.
Stay Connected! We send out weekly email updates about what’s happening at the church. If you don’t already receive them but would like to, email Pastor Seann at sduffin@bellaireumc.org to add your name to the list. Like us on Facebook to find out about special events and stay connected to your church family. www.facebook.com/bellaireunitedmethodist
Caring Ministries at Bellaire UMC Margaret Miller, BUMC’s Congrega6onal Care Coordinator and Director of Children’s Ministry, has recently felt God calling her to focus her 6me and service more intently on the caring and prayer ministries of our church. Margaret has always had a passion for serving in these areas, and she wants to concentrate on expanding them in the year ahead. As Margaret leverages her giBs in caring and prayer ministries, she will step back from her current responsibili6es in children’s ministry. We are grateful for Margaret’s leadership in children’s ministry over the past five years, and we are excited about her con6nued service in caring ministries and the new opportuni6es it will provide for our church to minister to those in need. While Margaret will lead this ministry, caring for others in need is a responsibility of every church member. So be on the lookout for ways that you might be part of our church’s caring and prayer ministries. Or, feel free to reach out to Margaret at mmiller@bellaireumc.org as she leads these teams to help us fulfill our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transforma6on of the world.
Blessing of the Animals — Saturday, April 1 Steve Smith, Lay Leader Our pets are beloved members of the family, and they deserve to be showered with blessings! So don’t miss Saturday, April 1! Bring your dogs, cats, parakeets, guinea pigs, fish, or other pets to the Blessing of the Animals at Bellaire UMC from 2:00pm to 4:00pm so they can receive an individual blessing from one of our pastors. This annual event honors St. Francis of Assisi who was declared patron saint of animals and ecology because of his special devo6on to the animal kingdom. Blessing of the Animals will take place on the front lawn of the church and in the adjacent parking lot. In addi6on to your pet receiving a blessing from Pastor Seann Duffin, Pastor Jim Love, Pastor Diane McGehee, or Pastor Trey Burns, you can visit with several pet experts at the event. BUMC member Dr. GarneE Von Eiff from Southwest Animal Clinic will be on hand to answer ques6ons regarding your pet’s health and well-being. You can learn about the wonderful ministry provided by the human and canine volunteers of our own Faithful Paws pet therapy program. Get advice on helping your best friend look its best from Rover Oaks’ professional groomer Sherry Nicks. Visit with the pet nutri6on experts of Natural Pawz. Consider adop6ng an adorable new pet from one of the pet rescue groups who will be on site. And find out about the wonderful programs offered by non-profits AniMeals on Wheels, Rescue Bank and Southeastern Guide Dogs. Finally, you will receive a FREE commemora6ve photo of your pet’s individual blessing from Nikky Lawell Photography! Most important, this is a community outreach program and everyone is welcome to aDend. So please invite your family, friends, neighbors and perfect strangers to come along. Let’s all work together to make this fun event a community blessing!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Men’s Ministry Cookout — Saturday, March 18 — 11:00am-3:00pm Get to know other men from Bellaire UMC, and invite your friends to join you for this casual event. Bring your own meat to cook on the grill, and bring your March Madness bracket as we watch the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Contact Kenneth at kspeters@bellaireumc.org for more informa6on.
FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY IS BACK!
Friday, April 7 5:00-8:00pm
Bellaire UMC Front Parking Lot Local Food Trucks | Snow Cones Music | Games for Kids Vaca?on Bible School — June 12-16 We will once again welcome children and families from our church and our neighborhood to learn about God’s love and how to follow Jesus for this summer’s Vaca6on Bible School. This year's adventure will be in the Maker Fun Factory, where kids will learn that they were made by God and made for a purpose. Can you help make this a great VBS? We need volunteers of all varie?es. Contact Pastor Seann at sduffin@bellaireumc.org if you are able to help!
HAHO 2017 Over the past several years, Bellaire UMC’s Have a Heart for Others dinner and auc6on have raised over $100,000 to directly support our church’s mission efforts as well as community ministry partners like Chris6an Community Service Center, Amazing Place, and CanCare. Here are some scenes from this year’s event at which we raised more than $26,000.
Financial Stewardship Update Year-to-Date Financial Snapshot Income through February 15: Expenses through February 15: Difference:
$147,825 $158,989 -$ 11,164
Thank you for your faithfulness in suppor6ng the ministry of Bellaire UMC! Each giB makes a difference and helps us fulfill our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transforma6on of the world. Lives are changed at this church and in our city because you give. If you have ques6ons, please feel free to contact Elizabeth Lloyd, the BUMC Business Administrator, or Pastor Seann at (713) 666-2167. Thank you! Have you considered giving online? It’s an easy, convenient, and secure way to make a one-?me gie or to set up recurring contribu?ons. Learn more at www.bellaireumc.org/give.
4417 Bellaire Blvd, Bellaire, Texas 77401 www.bellaireumc.org 713-666-2167 Bellaire United Methodist Church
THE BELLAIRE UNITED METHODIST NEWSLETTER USPS 048-820 is published semi-monthly by Bellaire United Methodist Church. Periodical postage paid at Bellaire, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address change to, The Bellaire United Methodist Newsletter, 4417 Bellaire Blvd., Bellaire, TX 77401, 713-666-2167; FAX 713-663-6397. Second Class Postage Paid at Bellaire, TX 77401