Marengo United Methodist Church VO LU ME X I
Inside this Issue: Anniversaries & Birthdays 6 Buras Mission Trip 5 Calendar 9 Children s Christmas Prog. 10 Christmas Tea 7 Disciple 11 Financial Note 7 Genesis Study 7 God s Little Princesses 10 Grateful Praise 3 Have You Heard? 8 Library News 4 L.I.F.E. 201 10 M.O.R.E. 3 Operation Christmas Child 5 Parent s Day Out 4 Prayer List 6 Roots to Wings 2 Senior Moment 4 UMW 3 UMW Luncheon 8 Wesley Fellowship Groups 10 U.M.C.O.R. Mission Trip 5 Worship Schedule 11 Youth Group Events back
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We do it all the time, whether we are aware of it or not. We do it nonverbally and verbally. We depend upon it, yet none of us is its master. You are doing it right now, as you read this newsletter and reflect upon the words of this page. I am speaking, of course, of communication. As you read this article, you are engaging in an effort to understand what I am trying to say. In return, I am struggling to find the most appropriate words and phrases to convey my thoughts, ideas and intentions to you. On Sunday mornings, we struggle to communicate with each other about God, life and the gospel of Jesus Christ. In your daily life, you struggle to be understood and to understand others. It is a constant struggle. As an experiment, take some time and observe how much of life and our world is devoted to communicating with each other - phones, blackberries, beepers, computers, televisions, radio, books, signs, magazines, newsletters, mail, email, instant messaging, the internet, movies, theatre, music, advertising, conversation, physical gesturing, sign language, conversation, clothing, art, math, symbols and signs. The list is practically endless. Communication is a highly complex and nuanced activity, which is comprised of multivalent forms and functions. So prized and important is effective communication, that those who master a form of communication are often labeled as artists. For artists possess the ability to powerfully convey highly significant thoughts, feelings and ideas in a manner and form that shape and challenge us. There is genuine artistry to effective communication. The plays of William Shakespeare, the art of Leonardo De Vinci, the oratory of Abraham Lincoln are all examples of masterful artistry artistry that captures and communicates profound and life changing thoughts, experiences and ideas. One of the central purposes of the church is to communicate, to convey the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to our world. We are to powerfully re-present the life, meaning and message of the Christian faith. Done well, it is life changing great art. Communicated poorly, the voice of the church becomes a meaningless, discordant babble. Our goal must always be to communicate with great artistry. As we continue to grow as Christians and as a church, let us also grow as artists of the gospel! Your Fellow Christian Artist, Continued on page - 2
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In an effort to communicate more effectively and artistically as a congregation, we have commissioned the creation of a new logo for Marengo United Methodist Church. The intention of this logo is to communicate something unique and essential about our congregation. It is both a sign and a symbol for Marengo United Methodist Church. As a sign, it identifies our church as Marengo United Methodist Church, a United Methodist congregation. Yet the color of the text is maroon, identifying with the colors of the town of Marengo. As a symbol, there is an emblem to the left of the text. The emblem is maroon and green. The green color is reflected in the leaves of a tree, located in the center of the emblem. The tree s trunk is made up of people with out-stretched arms. This is to symbolize the fact that we are a congregation focused on spiritual growth. Individuals and families grow in their faith and become a living tree of life. Around the tree is a green ring with the words Real faith for real life. As a congregation, we have decided that we are to be a church that equips people with a faith for real life. We do not seek a faith that removes us from real life. Nor do we seek to be part of the world without a real faith Our goal as a congregation is to equip people with a real faith for real life. We encourage you to embrace and display this new logo as we make products available for you to purchase.
From Roots to Wings $220,000.00 Total offering received to date
$170,000.00
Pledges received from pledge drive
1 2 3 4
$120,000.00 $218,745.00 $28589.55 $70,000.00
$20,000.00 1
2
3
4
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Or, Don t believe everything you read! Grateful Praise will be performing again this year at Saturday Night on Main Street from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on October 11 for the Settlers Days celebration. If you happened to read the brochure that tells the schedule of events, you may have wondered about the Praise Band from First Methodist Church (who is that?) scheduled at 8 p.m. that night. That was a triple oops : wrong name, wrong church, wrong time! Whew!! Mistakes happen, but now we need to get the correct information out there! Please pass the correct information on to others. AND we hope to see the families and friends of Marengo UMC at the South end of State Street at 5:30 p.m. as we literally go outside to the community with our praise music! October is a busy month for the UMW. Don t forget Wednesday, October 8th is the UMW Luncheon at noon. This year it will be at the home of Gaye Anne Anderson. Flatlanders will cater the meal which will include: Vegetable Lasagna, Salad, Rolls, and carrot cake. The price is $10. RSVP by October 5th to Brenda Rommel at 815-568-3501. The UMW Mission Team meeting that was scheduled for October 3rd has been cancelled. The team met in September on the 26th at the home of Brenda Rommel. Esther Circle meeting location has been changed. The Circle will meet at the home of Ruth Wagner, 1030 Circle Court , Marengo, 815-568-8380) on its scheduled date of Wednesday, October 22nd at 1:00 p.m. Ruth Circle will meet at the home of Betty Jacoby at 850 Cayuga Trails.
Ar e you cleaning house this fall? Did you know that M.O.R.E. not only takes donations of food, but also clothing and miscellaneous household items? Right now the center is shor t on those items, especially childr en s clothing. So gather those extr a items and take them to the M.O.R.E. Pantr y at 829 Gr eenlee Str eet in Mar engo. For mor e infor mation call 815-568-7950.
More on M.O.R.E.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Did you know a donation of only $15 to M.O.R.E. will pr ovide a Thanksgiving Dinner to a needy family in the Mar engo/ Union ar ea? Your $15 donation will pr ovide a family with a 12-14 lb. tur key, stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes, 2 veggies, and a desser t. You can make your donation by sending it to Mar engo ar ea OutReach Enter pr ise, P.O. Box 32, Mar engo, IL 60152-0032. For your convenience, ther e ar e a few pr e-addr essed envelopes available in the Nar thex. You can contact M.O.R.E. at 815-5687950 for mor e infor mation.
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Settlers Days, a celebration of our Marengo. How well do you know our community history? Can you answer these questions? Some of the seniors have been in Marengo a long time. Let's see how well we know our town! 1. What was Marengo's original name and why was it changed? 2. When did telephone service start in this area? 3. What happened to the Marengo Railroad Depot? 4. When did we get our first traffic light? 5. What was the movie theater originally? 6. Where was the popcorn stand located? 7. How many cheese factories were located around the Marengo area? 8. What women's group met in the basement of MUMC? Answers will be given in the next Mustard Seed! There will be fun and food for all at Settlers Days. Be sure to check the schedules for events. The big craft display and sale will be held at our church.
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Remember to check out the great books, videos, and CDs in our library. The FREE basket will always have some free stuff in it! Take what you want, bring back what you want, add anything you would like to share with others. Take note of the suggested chronological way to read the Bible. He wants us to read His book! If you would like to volunteer to help in the library, it will be much appreciated. There is not a big time commitment. Here at Parents' Day Out we are off and running! We have had a successful start to the year and everyone is settling in nicely. The 1-2 year olds have enjoyed story time and have practiced identifying and sorting colors. The 3 and 4 year olds will be learning about apples, and have already gotten
Soul Food: "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are -- no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought. You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. His food and drink are the best meal messy with a finger painting project! This year you'll ever eat." Matthew 5:5-6 the staff has placed a "Giving Tree" outside of the classroom with requests for needed items. Please feel free to take a look and see if there is anything you can help out with. It would be greatly appreciated. Also, just a reminder that we will be holding a clothing resale here at MUMC, October 11th from 9-4 pm. If you have any children's clothing you would like to donate we will gladly take it. We are requesting sizes newborn through 14-16, and can take donations here at the church until Thursday October 9th. Get in there and clean out those closets! God's Blessings, Liz Fischer, PDO Director
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This year we will be collecting items used to create Flood Buckets. Items to be collected include:
Last year, members, friends, and families of MUMC packed and collected 55 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. This year we are going to extend the information out to the community. We will have public drop off days during the month of November! For those of you who have not heard of OCC, the mission is to fill a shoe box full of age and gender appropriate toys, school supplies, and hygiene items. Then drop it off at the church between Nov. 3rd and Nov. 16th. The boxes will then be taken to a collection sight in Rockford during OCC National Collection Week. From there, they are sent to one of the six regional offices across America. They are inspected and prepared for their trip overseas. The boxes are then placed in a little boy s or girl s hands in time for Christmas. If you would like more information and to watch testimonies of children receiving boxes, go to: www.samaritanspurse.org.
Terry cloth hand towels (15 x25 or 16 x27 ) Children s Blunt Scissors Pencil sharpeners (plain, small, no emblems, individual) Ruled paper (pad, spiral, or loose leaf) Scouring pads Sponges Scrub brushes Clothes line (two 50 or one 100 ) Clothes pins Latex gloves Work gloves Dust masks 24-bag roll of heavy duty trash bags (33-45 gallon) We will deliver the items to U.M.C.O.R. (United Methodist Committee on Relief) in Baldwin, LA where volunteers assemble Health Kits and Flood Buckets. Supply donations need to be received by October 19th. For questions or more information, contact Duane Oranger at 815-568-8250.
DROP OFF INFORMATION FOR MUMC We will be collecting packed shoe boxes at MUMC on November 3rd - 7th from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and again November 10th - 15th from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Information on how to pack a box will be available at the church starting on October 12th or you can visit www.samaritanspurse.org. Thank you!!
N ovem ber 1-9, 2008 It s here again, our annual fall trip to Buras, LA. This mission was formed to help Trinity United Methodist Church and their community, in response to Hurricane Katrina. The work is looooong from done and we need YOUR help. If you are interested in going, please contact Chris Angelo (815) 568-2860 or send an e-mail to mochachew2@aol.com . If you want to help financially, put a donation in the offering basket and label it Buras Mission Trip. We will be having two meetings in October prior to our departure; more info is to follow.
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J ohn Thr ockmor t on Reno Tomasi Fr ank Gualillo Bill Piper Br et t Simons Lynet t e Par adiso J ill Rucker Br uce Cowan Ryan Elliot t J ane Cowan Br it t any Elliot t Mar iah Tr adewell Alecia Yur s Connie Boxleit ner Edit h Dar ling J oseph Mangano Kim Pollnow J ulie McDonald Chr is McMenamy Br ian St r uckmeier Br it t nei Ellis Susan Gualillo Emily Hof f man Camer on Miller Mar j or ie Mur r ay Rut h Wagner Bob Gr ass Clif f Simons Naomi Adams Danielle Simons J udy Andr ews Rudy Gr on Genelle Skeels Megan Hanelt Pet er Voller Richar d Evans Bob Rucker William Huebsch
Tom & Audr ey Ander son Duane & Diane Or anger J ohn & Molly Wyr ost ek Andr ew & Sar ah Bour ke Har r y & Dawn Hof f man Chr is & Kim McMenamy Tom & Lisa Kir chhof f Bill & Br andy Weir ich Clif f & Mar cia Simons
1 1 3 7 11 12 16 19 26
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2 2 3 4 4 6 6 10 10 11 11 11 12 13 14 15 15 16 16 16 18 19 20 20 20 20 21 21 22 22 25 27 27 29 29 30 30 31
Prayers for Health and Healing: Donna Oakes, Chris Oakes mother; LaVerne Ryman, Deb Oakes mother; Robert Cummins, Susan Gieseler s dad; Brenda Rommel; Lev Lappin and his friend; Scott Kominowski, friend of the Hoffmans; Errol Alden; Cathy Manthei; Ron Carel, Rudy & Nell Grons son in law; Linda Resenbeck, Rudy& Nell Grons daughter; Sean Romine; Sydney Ives, friend of Bonnie Voller; Sheri Johnstone; Arthur Overhage, friend of Brenda Ferreira; Laurie Monti, Bonnie Voller s sister; Ann Locovare; Don Duthron, friend of Audrey Anderson; Whitney & Taylor English, Brenda Ferreira s nieces; Brenda Hemmingsen, friend of Lisa Kirchhoff; Susan Gieseler s sister, Debbie Leuders; Evelyn Thompson; Abigail Mendoza, friend of the Skow family; Beverly Parke; Ryan Stevens; Gary Kawal; Norm Finnell; Mary Ghastin, friend of Mary Pflueger; Fred & Barb Trask; Connie Sandmans sister, Lois Howard; Shirley Vaughan, friend of the Hoffman family; Ron Kadamus; Janet Swonguer s father, Ben Horton; Ryan Justen; Carter Gilbert; Maurice Kimball; Helen Davis; Sharon & Bill Bankson Prayers for Comfort and Support: Family and Friends of Gladys Sandman; Family and Friends of Verla Madge Adams; Ruth Romine and her family on the death of her brother; Isaiah Burnside, Pat Merritt s grandson going to Iraq; Family and Friends of Dorothy Muench; Steve Tradewell; Military Men & Women Prayers for the Homebound: Katie Loomis Prayers for those in Nursing/ Rehab: Bev Parke; Norm Finnel; Madge Adams; Robert Grass; Dale Jenne; Genelle Skeels; Margaret Pace; Mildred Walters
An Annual Conference gathering to Welcome Back Bishop Hee-Soo Jung is planned for Sunday, October 12, at 4:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Downers Grove (1032 Maple Avenue). The afternoon will begin with a time for worship and welcome, which will be followed by a reception to greet Bishop Jung and his wife, Rev. Im-Hyon Jung. At the July 15-18, 2008, session of the North Central Jurisdictional Conference of The United Methodist Church, Bishop Jung was reassigned to serve a second quadrennium as the Episcopal Leader of The Northern Illinois Annual Conference.
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Meet important biblical figures up close and personal when you read the #1 book in the Bible. Star Studded! THE CREATOR, Adam, Eve, the Serpent, Cain, Abel, Noah, the Ark, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Esau, Jacob, Joseph and his brothers. You ve heard about them, now get the full story the inside stuff and grow in your understanding of the foundation of our faith. Study begins Sunday, October 5 at 9:45 AM on stage in the basement and will meet for 11 weeks. Sessions will be 75 to 90 minutes. There is a nominal cost for the student book. Sign up in the office and then show up on the 5th! Contact Russ Murray with questions. (815-568-5739)
PDO has a giving tr ee with r emovable leaves. Each leaf has a supply named on it that is needed for classr oom time use. This is a way we can all help PDO and the childr en who benefit by the PDO pr ogr am. If a family takes a leaf off the giving tr ee and makes a pur chase, then this can be added to your contr ibution statement thr ough the chur ch. Ther e ar e two ways to notify me of the pur chase. 1. Ther e is an envelope that has been cr eated wher e you can put your r eceipt in the envelope and mar k that you ar e giving a donation to PDO and I will r eceive that infor mation and add the contr ibution to your contr ibution account. 2. Give me the r eceipt and I will take car e of the contr ibution. Any time money is given to a mission pr oject and/or pur chases ar e made to help a mission pr oject or a chur ch pr oject, the contr ibution can be used as a tax deduction. Anytime a mission pr oject is br ought befor e the congr egation and you wish to give a donation, it can be put thr ough the chur ch counter s. Then it will be included on your giving statement at the end of the year . If you ar e now completely confused by this, call me and I will talk you thr ough the pr ocess. Sally Hoesel
815-544-5963.
Ladies, you are invited to a Christmas Tea on Tuesday, December 2nd, 7:30 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall. The Christmas Tea is almost a magical evening filled with music, conversation, and an inspirational message. Tables will be set with linen tablecloths, beautiful centerpieces, and the fellowship hall will be illuminated by candlelight. We invite you to start off your holiday season in this very relaxing, elegant, and inspiring way. Nancy Richard will provide beautiful Christmas musical selections. Janet Cowan will be our speaker. Tickets, at $6.00, will be available after Sunday, November 2nd from Clara Piper, or call Clara at 568-6891.
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Brenda Rommel would like to thank everyone for the many cards and prayers while she has been recovering from rotator cuff surgery. Brenda is on the mend and progressing quickly and hopes to be back out and about soon!
WHAT:
UMW Meeting & Luncheon
WHEN:
Thursday, October 9th 12 Noon
WHERE:
Gaye Anne Anderson s home
Congr at ulat ions t o Tim & Robin Ballar d who welcomed Br aden Walt er on May 30, 2008. He was 6 lbs. and 15 oz. of pur e j oy!!! Congr at ulat ions also t o pr oud gr andpar ent s Wally and Linda J akubowski.
1042 Circle Court Marengo MENU:
Vegetable Lasagna Salad & Rolls Carrot Cake
COST:
$10
RSVP:
By October 5th to Brenda Rommel (815-568-3501)
Our love and prayers are with the family and friends of Verla Madge Adams, who passed away on September 16, 2008. And also with the family and friends of Gladys Sandman, who passed away on September 26, 2008.
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The WFG that meets at Chuck & Judy Andrews on Monday nights will resume meeting beginning on Monday, October 6th. The group will change their meeting time to 7:00 p.m. Call Chuck and Judy if you would be interested in joining their group. 815-568-7746. The Tuesday night WFG welcomes new members! We will be meeting again on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the youth room (upper level of the church). We are beginning a study this fall entitled, Doing Life Together. It is based on the five biblical purposes (that are acknowledged in our churchs mission statement). Please come join us! Any questions, call Gina at 815-568-0524.
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The L.I.F.E. Program Learning Important For Everyone is our strategy for equipping our members with a growing vital faith. A Closer Walk with God is the second of the L.I.F.E. seminars. It is open to members only because these classes build on each other. The purpose of the seminar is the same goal that Epaphras had for the Colossian Christians. He said, That you may become mature Christians and that you may fulfill Gods will for you (Col. 4:12). That s what God wants us to do. God wants us to grow up. Ephesians 4:14-15 also says it well: We are not meant to remain as children but to grow up in every way into Christ. So the focus of L.I.F.E. 201 is on the healthy spiritual habits that every Christian needs to develop in order to grow to spiritual maturity. This seminar will equip its participants with the skills they need to begin these habits, continue these habits for life, and develop a faith that will work no matter what life throws at you. If you are a graduate of L.I.F.E. 101, this is your next step in your spiritual development. Call the church office, talk to Pastor Keck, or e-mail the church at www.info@marengo-umc.org to sign up for L.I.F.E. 201. L.I.F.E. 201 will be offered on Sunday, October 19th from 3:00-7:00 p.m.
O Savior , Wher e A r t T hou? Do you have a little princess in your home between the ages of 4 and 7? Would you like to have her blossom into the princess that God means her to be? We would like to encourage her by inviting her to join a Wesley Fellowship Group just for God s little princesses! Call Sue Rowley, 815-568-7110 or Judy Andrews, 815-568-7746 if you have any questions.
Informational meeting Sunday, October 26th 11:30 a.m. To discuss rehearsal times, parts, etc.
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October begins a new sermon series based on the devotional Book Three Simple Rules
(Wesleyan Way of Living).
Sunday, October 5, 2008 Message: Charting a New Course
Sunday, October 12, 2008 Chapter One Message: Do No Harm Sunday, October 19, 2008 Chapter Two Message: Do Good Sunday, October 26, 2008 Chapter Three Message: Stay In Love With God
If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples John 8:31, The New Jerusalem Bible In this verse, Jesus issues a challenge to those who would be his disciples: Take up residence in my teaching, he says. Spend time with me, he says long enough to feel at home with me. But with this challenge, Jesus also includes a promise: to make a home in my Word, he says, is to find a home in my Way. The nature of discipleship, Jesus says, is like the lifetime of labor it takes to establish a place of growth and nurture, refuge and redemption, trust and hope. In the end, becoming a disciple, like making a home, is its own reward. DISCIPLE offers us a challenge and a promise. The challenge is to see the regular, in-depth study of Scripture, designed to develop biblically nourished persons committed to discipleship, as the foundation for all congregational ministry. The promise is that all who come to Scripture allowing it to have its say will, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, experience a power that changes priorities and redirect lives. DISCIPLE guides small groups of persons to submit themselves to examination by Scripture, to put themselves under the power of God s Word, and to be changed by God s Word. If congregations desire members whose way of life as individual Christians and as faithful community is transformed by the way of Christ, then studying Scripture is an essential step to take. For everyone. Imagine Imagine the members of Marengo UMC shaped by a shared knowledge and understanding of the whole biblical story and its connection to their lives. Imagine a congregation whose life together is nourished by the fruits of transformational Bible study. Imagine a church where every adult and older youth has read and studied the Bible from Genesis through Revelation and has spent time prayerfully considering their gifts as disciples and their roles as servant-leaders. Imagine a congregation led by laypersons with a deep awareness of the nature and purpose of the church developed through their study of Scripture. DISCIPLE at Marengo UMC This fall we will again offer the introductory course to DISCIPLE Bible Study. You have to take DISCIPLE I before you can take all other studies in the DISICPLE program. What is DISCIPLE I? DISCIPLE I: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study A 34-week study of the whole Bible A study requiring daily reading of Scripture A study featuring group discussion each week based on careful preparation A study calling on persons daring enough to put themselves under the power of God s Word, and to be transformed by God s Word Disciple Bible Study will begin on Wednesday, October 26th at 6:30 p.m. Groups are forming now! If you are interested in participating in DISCIPLE please talk to Pastor Keck or e-mail the church at info@marengo-umc.org.
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119 E. Washington Street Marengo, IL 60152 Phone: 815-568-7162 Fax: 815-568-7163 E-mail: info@marengo-umc.org
ATTENTION SR. HIGH YOUTH!! Beginning on Sunday, October 12th, 2008, we will begin a youth fellowship group for you. It will take place from 8:45 9:45 a.m. in the Youth Room. You have been asking for an organized group and this is it. We will cover every day topics and how the scriptures can help you through some of the tough situations you face.
This past August we held a lock-in, but coming Friday, October 31st we will be having with Stellar Kart, Article One and Starlit Platoon a Lock-Out. Leave your sleeping stuff at home, as there For Jr & Sr High Youth will be none of that going on. Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 6pm Don your best costume and Judson University meet us at MUMC at 6pm to 1151 N. State Street go Trick-or-Treating on Elgin, IL 60123 Washington street and from there we will Cost: $17.00 per person head to a haunted house or corn maze, then to a late night movie, we will then We will meet at the church at 4:00 p.m. and car pool to the event. catch a late night snack and see where else the night will take us and will return to MUMC at 7 am Saturday morning. Contact RSVP by October 5th to Deb Oakes 815-263-1563 or Deb Oakes or Pastor Keck for more details. 815-568-9778.
Superchick Tour Concert