Volume X II Issue 1
January 2009
Inside this issue Anniversaries/ Birthdays
3
Altar Flowers
5
Bible Sunday
6
Calendar
7
Date Night
5
Finance Note
5
Finance Team Update
5
From Roots to Wings
4
L.I.F.E. 101
Back
Mailbox
2
New Position
5
Offering Envelopes
4
Parent s Day Out
4
Prayer List
3
Senior Moment
6
UMW
3
Ushers Needed
5
Worship Schedule
6
From Pastor Keck. . . Thank You! That is my message coming out of the Christmas season and entering into the New Year. Personally, I have received many cards, cookies and gifts from you that I have been enjoying immensely. You have made my first Christmas at Marengo United Methodist Church a loving, joyful and wonderful occasion. Congregationally, I want to thank you for the many gifts that were given during Advent and Christmas. They were too numerous to list here, but let me not a few. Thank you for all your work in putting together our Christmas Pageant. It was a real joy to behold the laughter and lighthearted retelling of the events leading up to the birth of our Savior. The children were fantastic as was our blue grass band. Thank you for this year s Cantata. On a particularly cold morning, with the temperature at arctic levels, the members of
our choir warmed us with their voices, as they sang of the impending birth of Jesus Christ. A special thank you to everyone who came to our first Live Nativity at Cody s Farm. The numbers of people willing to gather in a barn on a cold winter night was impressive. I am particularly grateful for those who worked so hard to host this service, beginning, hopefully, an annual tradition. Thank you to everyone who created such a touching 11 p.m. Christmas Eve service. The words, carols and music created a warm, sacred space for us to gather to worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. All of these and many more made this Christmas a very special and memorable experience. I feel blessed to have been a part of Christmas in Marengo. With a deep sense of gratitude,
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M A I L B O X
Merry Christmas to our church family, We miss all your smiling faces. We have been very busy over this last year. Our daughter Cheyenne s Cystic Fibrosis has progressed and there have been more hospital stays. She is now on the transplant list for new lungs. We will be meeting the transplant team in St. Louis, Missouri in about 2 1/ 2 months. It will take several days for the tests to be run. The doctor told us about 1 to 2 years for a viable match. We are very optimistic. She is in good spirits. Cheyenne is an awesome child. Her strength is amazing sometimes she is so sick and that smile never leaves her face.
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We wanted to say that we completely enjoyed the Live Nativity worship on Christmas Eve. It was worth the cold and the antics of the crazy cow as it truly brought a warm Christmas feeling over our whole family. Thank you to everyone who planned and participated in this to give us a wonderful Christmas memory! Merry Christmas, The Hoffman family
Merry Christmas to all, Love, Mike, Peg, Cheyenne, and Michael Schultz
Many T hanks! Dear Friends, Thank you for the health kits and flood bucket supplies that you provided to the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in November. These items will help us provide aid to people who are experiencing poverty or other devastating events in their lives. Your support and generosity are greatly appreciated! The work at the MMDC continues to go well and the volunteers are kept busy with preparation of flood buckets and health kits, sewing school bags and childrens hospital gowns, filling school bags and preThank you for all your cards, comforting words, and prayers at the loss of our mom.
paring mailings. From January 1 to September 30, 2008, 1,626 volunteers, from 368 different churches in 17 different states, giving 18,649 volunteer hours have served at the MMDC this year and we have received 174,706 pounds in in-kind donations. We shipped to Liberia and Haiti in 2007 and in January of 2008 we have shipped once to Ghana. Many lives have been touched throughout the United States and in developing countries around the world through shipments made from the Center. Your gift will allow this Thank you to all of our talented MUMC members and friends who were a part of making December
Love in Christ. The Margaret Margo Pace Family
and Christmas worship so beautiful and meaningful!
work to continue. You may find current information concerning MMDC s activities by visiting our web site at www.midwestmissiondc.org. Clicking on the tab marked Kits and Needed Supplies will give you precise information about preparing and shipping any of the kits. Thank you again, In Christ, Pat Wright, Executive Director Midwest Mission Distribution Center
I want to say thank you to everyone who purchased Christmas wrapping supplies. We raised $91 for the Buras mission fund and Educare Foundation! Thank you! Vanessa Angelo
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U nited Methodist W omen Wednesday, February 11th UMW general meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. in fellowship hall. The program will be: Bishop's Interfaith Tour Highlights: Gaye Ann was present at this program and found it so interesting and uplifting that she wanted you all to have the opportunity. Join us as we learn together. There will be no pop quizzes! Wednesday, January 28th Esther Circle will meet at 1:00 p.m. at the home of Hazel Buehler. Thursday, January 15th Ruth Circle will meet at the home of Judi Alden
Food for Thought Give me a good digestion, Lord, And also something to digest Give me a healthy body, Lord, With sense to keep it at its best. Give me a healthy mind, Good Lord, To keep the good and pure in sight. Which, seeing sin, is not appalled But finds a way to set it right. Give me a mind that is not bored, That does not whimper, whine or sigh Don't let me worry over much About the fussy thing called "I" Give me a sense of humor, Lord, Give me the grace to see a joke, To get some pleasure out of life And pass it on to other folk
Lifting up our church family in prayer Prayers for Health and Healing:
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BIRTHDAYS Jack Carder Ken Miles Ronald Voller Cathy Koplin Linda Jakubowski Amy Kays Colleen Cowan Harrison Hoffman Evan Elliott Beverly Baser Emma Gailloreto James Zenk Andrew Bourke Terry Pace Dewey Meinders Dorothy Otis Rachel Tomasi Ruth Romine Bruce Swonguer Grace Chamberlain Marty Wilcox Sylvia Bohlander Megan Calbow Tom Kirchhoff David Johnson Becky Knisley Hazel Buehler
LaVerne Ryman, Debbie Oakes mother; Lauri Monti, Bonnie Voller s sister; ANNIVERSARIES Marge, Bruce Elliott s mother; Marcia Simons; George VanMeter III, Dawn HoffKevin & Lisa Hillner man s brother; Sean Romine; Joe Mangano, Tom Mangano s father; Brenda Rudy & Nell Gron Ferreira; Karen Apel; Gary Stoklosa; Tom Anderson; Judy, Susan Gieseler s sister in law; Frank E. Gualillo of Yorkville, NY, father of Frank D. Gualillo; Jackie Rob- Steve & Dorothy Otis erts, Brenda Ferriera s Aunt; Emily Hill, friend of Betty Jacoby; Jan Crisman, Lynette Paradiso s mother; Donna Oakes, Chris Oakes mother; Scott Kominowski, friend of the Hoffman s; Sydney Ives, friend of Bonnie Voller; Sheri Johnstone; Arthur Overhage, friend of Brenda Ferreira; Ann Locovare; Don Duthron, friend of Audrey Anderson; Fred & Barb Trask; Shirley Vaughan, friend of the Hoffman family; Janet Swonguer s father Prayers for Comfort and Support: For those facing unemployment; Cindy Clavey; Isaiah Burnside, Pat Merritt s grandson who is currently in Iraq; Steve Tradewell; Our Country s leaders; Military Men & Women and their families Prayers for the Homebound: Katie Loomis Prayers for those in Nursing/Rehab: Sheri Johnstone; Ann Locovare; Bev Parke; Norm Finnell; Robert Grass; Dale Jenne; Genelle Skeels; Mildred Walters
2 4 4 5 8 9 10 12 13 14 14 14 18 20 21 21 21 22 23 26 26 27 28 29 30 30 31 15 28 28
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From Roots to Wings $220,000.00 Total offering received to date
$170,000.00
Pledges received from pledge drive
$120,000.00 $70,000.00
57796.55
1 2 3 4
$218,745.
$20,000.00 1
2
3
4
Offering Envelope Facts From time to time I like to talk about the importance of the offering envelope and why they help the record keeping of the contributions. First off the offering envelope allows the giver to tell me how they want their contribution allocated. For example if you contribute $50.00 and it is to be divided between general fund and building fund a person may write $25.00 on the line by general fund and $25.00 on the line by building fund and then I know your wishes. Capital Improvement is a line used for contributions that are given to be used for repairs of the current structure. General fund contributions given are used for the fiscal budget which is available to anyone who would like to see a copy of the church budget. Building fund contributions go to pay the mortgage of our building. The contribution line marked other can be used for flower donations, memorial money, mission money, etc. Now when the money is received there is a team of counters who take the money and/ or checks out of the envelopes. They verify that the name is on the envelope, remove the
money from inside the envelope and if it is a check they put the check number on the envelop. Then the counters balance all the cash and checks to the envelopes and they actually deposit the money in the church bank. Then I take the envelopes and put the contribution to your personal account and I must balance to the counters. This is a check and balance system. It makes my job so much easier when I am working on the computer if the offering envelop is used then I have no question in my mind what you want done with your contribution as well as I have a paper trail for you if there are questions later. So please use offering envelopes and please put your name on the name line on your offering envelop. I appreciate your help in using the envelopes to make my job easier.
Happy New Year from the PDO staff and students. I hope everyone was able to get some rest and relaxation over the holidays. Our PDO fundraiser with Wisted's did well. We made just under $100. Thank you to everyone who went out and shopped to help support our program. Every bit helps when it comes to making PDO the best it can be. I also want to let everyone know that the Parent's Day Out will be featured in the upcoming issue of the Marengo-Union View. This is great way to let people out there know about us, so look for the article!
Thank you, Sally Hoesel God's Blessings, Liz Fischer PDO Director
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A N ote From Your Finance Secretary 2009 offering envelopes are available for pick up in the church narthex. If you would like offering envelopes and did not receive any please let me know. It is much easier for tracking contributions with the use of offering envelopes. If you have any questions regarding your final contribution statement that will be mailed shortly after the New Year please let me know. I can be reached by leaving a message for me at the church office, by calling 815-5445963 or emailing me at sjhoesel@msn.com.
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Finance Team Update On behalf of the finance team I would like to thank each person/ family who made a 2009 pledge commitment. To date we have received 2009 pledges totaling $111,888.76. For that we praise God for those gifts. As you know the purpose of our pledge drive is for the members of the Finance Team and the Lead Team to plan the budget and programs for the upcoming year and to have a clear picture of what gifts we can expect to receive through the general fund giving. General fund giving is that with which we learn tithing. God asks the first 10% be given as a tithe to the church which is the general fund. Gifts given to the building fund and to capital improvements should be given above and beyond the tithe to general fund.
As Pastor Keck talked about during his stewardship sermons we are holding the line this year with our budget as we all understand the economic situation of our country. But we do need everyone s help in supporting the church. It is important to remember that God has given all of this beautiful church and we need to always let God know he is first in our lives and that we appreciate all He has given us. If you have not made your pledge commitment to general fund it is not too late to do so. If you need a pledge commitment card there are cards at the church or you can contact me and I will get a card to you. Sally Hoesel, Finance Team Leader
Announcing a N ew Position
U shers N eeded
Date N ight
Given the dynamic and growing musical ministry of our church, we have decided to help organize our music program by created a new position of Director of Music Ministry. This position is the focal point to the coordination and development of our musical programs. We have a diverse range of musical groups and many talented musicians. Blending and directing them into our worship and fellowship experiences is the responsibility of the Director of Music Ministry. It is our strong belief that this position will help to encourage, organize and grow our music ministry.
We are in need of ushers for 2009, especially for February 8:30 am worship and July 8:30 am and 10:15 am worship.
For children ages 2 - 6 accompanied by a parent or parents or grandparent.
If you would be interested in being an usher, please call the church office at 815-568-7162.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:00 p.m. Marengo United Methodist Church
Altar Flowers
We will be reading Bear Stories and going on a Bear Hunt! Please be prepared to find Bears! Good walking shoes are advised. Perhaps we may need a few flashlights.
Betty Meinders has accepted this new position, starting in January of 2009. We are excited to have her enthusiastic leadership to this new position and role. I know you join us in wishing her well in her new position.
The 2009 Flower Calendar is posted in the Friendship Room. If you would like to sign up to purchase the flowers the cost is $15, which you can place in the offering plate or drop off at the office during the week that you have signed up. Please list the occasion/ reason for the gift and by whom the flowers are given. Thank you.
Please RSVP to Gaye Anne & Richard Anderson at 815-568-8806 or Barb & Jack Carder at 815-5685716. We are planning to have a Date Night the last Tuesday night of each month in 2009. Hope to see you there!
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A Senior Moment. . . (for the chronologically challenged) By Ann Stein
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!! You know you're now living in 2009 when .... You accidentally enter your password on the microwave. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20, 30 or even 60 years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
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Anna Mangano dancing as Snow Queen in the December 2008 production of the Nutcracker
And some quotes: "On cable TV they have a weather channel -- 24 hours of weather. We had something like that when I grew up. We called it a window! "I know God won't give me more than I can handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much! -- Mother Theresa Happy New Year! And "walk on the sunny side"
Come Celebrate God s Presence W ith U s! Sermon Series: Cast Away
Bible Sunday On January 25th, we will be presenting Bibles to our Third graders. This will occur at our 10:15 a.m. service. However, we will have their Bibles displayed in the narthex prior to both services. We encourage you to help us present these gifts by signing your name in their Bibles.
Sunday, January 11, 2009 Message: PLAN We try to keep our lives in control. We plan everything. Sunday, January 18, 2009 Message: Out of Control How we all need to realizes that we are not in control of anything. Sunday, January 25, 2009 Message: Bigger Purposes Than Mine We need to be open to life s surprises and take advantage of them.
Children Receiving Bibles: Jessica Ferreira Emily Hoffman Maisie McMenamy Sean Lewis Romine Also, a representative from Gideons International will be at both services to share with us the work in distributing Bibles around the world. Samples of some of their Bibles will also be on display in the narthex. Join us for this special Sunday.
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We are on the web!
NON-P ROF IT ORGANIZATION
www.marengo-umc.org
U.S. P OSTAGE
www.marengoumc.ning.com
P AID MARE NGO, ILLINOIS 60152 P E RMIT #28
119 East Washington Street Marengo, IL 60152 815-568-7162 Fax: 815-568-7163 Email: info@marengo-umc.org
L.I.F.E. (Learning Intended for Everyone) 101 Exploring Church Membership Our goal at Marengo UMC is to help people develop a lifestyle that maximizes all the purposes for which God created us. Our L.I.F.E. Series of four four-hour classes is your roadmap to that spiritual growth. If you take all four L.I.F.E. classes, you will be on your way to being the kind of disciple God wants and the world needs. Exploring Church Membership is the first of the L.I.F.E. classes. This seminar will teach you about Marengo UMC s mission, vision, and core values. You will learn what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be a member of Marengo UMC. If you are considering membership at Marengo UMC, the first step is to attend our L.I.F.E. Class 101. If you are already a member and you want to get on board with Godsmission for our church, Godsvision for your life, and a strategy for fulfilling both, we encourage you to take L.I.F.E. 101 and renew your passion for Christ and your membership vows. Exploring Church membership takes place on Sunday, January 25th from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. with a break for supper. Sessions will be in the Conference Room or Fellowship Hall, depending upon the number of participants. Child care is available with advance sign-up. You can register by talking to Pastor Keck, calling the church office (815-568-7162), or e-mail us at info@marengo-umc.org.