Gruene UMC Newsletter April 2018

The GRUENE UMC NEWS

April 2018

New Sermon Series: It’s a New Day: Living in the light of the resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus was an event that surprised the earliest followers of Jesus and forced them to rethink everything they thought they knew about Jesus, themselves, and the world. They believed that the risen Jesus inaugurated God’s new creation, making it possible to become new and different kinds of humans. In this series we’ll explore how the New Testament unpacks the significance of the resurrection for every aspect of our lives.

April 15 | A New Vision - Luke 24:13-35

This Month • Benefit for Blanca • Mother/Son Event • Vacation Bible Party • New Safety Certification • Mission Update

April 22nd | A Living Hope - 1 Peter 3-7

• Recycled Treasures Sale

April 29th | Groaning and Liberation - Romans 8:18-25

• Family Promise

May 6 | In the seed - 1 Corinthians 15:35-42 May 13 | All Things New - Revelation 21:1-5 May 20th - Pentecost | Acts 2:1-4

We need helpers on Friday, April 6th from 10am-6pm and on Saturday, April 7th from 7am-3pm. No experience Necessary!! If you have been doing your Spring cleaning, please drop off items ONLY on Friday, April 6th from 10am-6pm at the back porch. PLEASE – No Furniture or Electronics. For more info contact Laura McFall at laura.mcfall@att.net.

Missions & Muffins April 12th meeting will feature “Drum the Program.” Please join us on the 2nd Thursday, 9:30am at MoTown for a time of fellowship and fun! For more info contact Laura McFall at laura.mcfall@att.net.

Coffee & Fellowship meets every Thursday morning at 9am in MoTown. Join us for hot coffee and conversation. If you would like to learn to crochet the plastic bag sleeping mats we can show you how! These mats have been a big hit at Steve’s Pantry and Church by the River. Bring a size P crochet hook – we have plenty of “plarn” ready to

Say Yes to the Dress.. was a success!

What a beautiful Say Yes to the Prom Dress Event! God provided beautiful dresses as well as beautiful girls! A big thank you to all the volunteers who loved on the girls and made them feel extra special! Also, a big thank you to those who donated dresses, accessories, gift cards, and money. Because of your graciousness, we gifted 46 girls with dresses and accessories, and we donated 52 dresses to another prom event in the community. You have blessed these girls with an opportunity to have a special night! THANK YOU!!

Gruene Tree Learning Center News The month of March was joyfully a busy one! To start, we enjoyed a full week of Dr. Seuss fun…crazy hair day, sock day…you name it… the kids and teachers did it! Next up we started our Gruene Garden! Kids got to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, radishes, and onions. I love giving the kids an opportunity to get their hands dirty! To be honest, when I asked the kids where do they think vegetables come from, their response was HEB!!! I giggled…yes

they do, but HEB has to get them from somewhere! And finally after Spring Break, our BUGS were delivered! This year we will have Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Praying Mantis. Another highlight to the month of March with our kiddos! God is so good to GTLC! He blesses us everyday and I pray to never take it for granted!

Blessings, Ms. Rebecca

Gruene Tree Learning Center Director

Gruene UMC 2018 New Partners in Ministry so far..

Jay & Tracy Rogers Reid & Mary Anderson Brian & Connie Bidne Mariah Davis Merlin & Andrea Friesenhahn

Michael & Terry Hardwick Richard & Jaycee Keady John & Kristen Lamb Lauren Pearce Jay & Tracy Rogers Britney Schovajsc Rebecca Trammell David & Caren White James & Maiara Younger

NURSERY NOW HIRING! The nursery at Gruene United Methodist Church is looking for people who would LOVE to show God’s love to our youngest members (ages newborn– 4yrs.) here at Gruene. The hours are Sunday from 9am-12:30pm and one night during the week for a few hours. The pay is based on experience. Any questions, contact Nursery Director Brandi Carnes at brandi@grueneumc.org.

Family Promise Is Coming! April 8th- 15th Hey, Gruene United Methodist! We will be hosting Family Promise

April 8 - 15. We are in need of volunteers to help set-up and tear down the rooms, clean laundry, stay overnight, and bring prepared meals and hang out with our guests. We are also in need of donations of new or gently used twin-sized linens (flat sheets, fitted sheets, pillow cases), bath towels, and washcloths. Any and all help is much appreciated. If interested, please contact Amy and Jesse Franklin at anenome10@hotmail.com or 210-213-0704.

By Pastor Brock

By Pastor Brock “Life changing”, “transformative” are just a few of

I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs

the words I kept hearing last month. You see, I had

within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of

the blessing of joining a group from Gruene on a

water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in

mission trip to El Salvador with Living Water

the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the

International, and those were some of the many

olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the

words used to describe the experience. At the most

cypress together, so that people may see and know, may

basic level, the goals of the trip were to help drill a

consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has

water well in a community and to help educate

done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”

that community about water hygiene and related

Isaiah 41:17-20.

health issues.

As a group we all knew before

leaving for the trip that there was much more to

Well, of course! Who else but God makes rivers

this mission trip, something much deeper than the

flow, trees grow and springs spring?

physical acts of drilling and educating. We had discussions about this before leaving. And, oh how there was so much more, so much deeper than we even expected. To help explain the depth of the

experience, I want to share some excerpts from one of our daily devotionals we worked on during our week in El Salvador.

We engage in work that is close to the heart of God – like providing safe water – so we can point others to what God has always been doing. God has always been loving us and providing for us. Every drop of water you will ever drink in your life was there in the beginning with God, a reservoir of blessing stored up for you. Our job is just to open our eyes to see God’s reality – we’re provided for

“The poor and needy search for water, but there is

to become the provision for someone else (Genesis

none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I

12:1-3). And water just happens to be the most

the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

fundamental expression of that provision we could offer.

Isaiah’s passage wasn’t the only vision of water

Even through language

God gave a prophet. Ezekiel had visions of God

barriers and other challenges

and the rivers of the waters of life. Jeremiah

deep relationships were built.

wrote of a time when God would lead people out

Most of us had never experi-

of exile beside streams of water. Joel had visions

enced this level and depth of

of a day when water would flow out of the

community before. The

Lord’s house. Zechariah wrote of a time when

village of Jocotillo accepted us

living water would flow out of Jerusalem. Amos

into their community

dreamed of a time when God would let justice

immediately, opened their

flow like a river and righteousness like a

homes and hearts to us with no reservations. We

never-failing stream. Isaiah had visions of us

worked

drawing water from the wells of salvation. He

more

saw a day when water would gush forth in the

together and

wilderness and streams in the desert, burning

even cried to-

sands

gether. Yes,

becoming pools, the thirsty ground

bubbling springs.

scripture when heaven and earth are all one, all is reconciled to God, the Lord is united with his bride, The Church, the water of life, clear as crystal is flowing from his throne, and together “Come! Whoever is

thirsty…take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17) This reconciliation is the ultimate work of God. It’s enormous, it involves inviting the thirsty to drink, and we get to be a part of it right here,

right now!

Wow, we all get to take part in God’s “reconciliation” work each and every day. In El Salvador this mission team got to invite the thirsty to drink, not only physically drink clean, safe water but to drink this “water of life”. Sharing this living water was the greatest gift of all. And like most things with our spirituality the most powerful way to do this is through relation-

ship.

soccer), ate together, learned together, prayed

many tears

Those prophetic visions point to the last scene in

the two are saying

together, played together (soccer, soccer and

were shed on our last day.

Our team can

take comfort in knowing that we now have 100 plus new brothers and sisters in Christ, our Christ that lives and loves forever.

You may have heard of Living Water International before. Gruene UMC has partnered with them for the last five or six years to sponsor the building of water

wells. Thank you for your part in that. Living Water International is an amazing organization that does great work regarding clean water all over the world. If you want to learn more about this trip or more about Living Water International I would love any opportunity to visit with you, flag me down on campus or contact me brock@grueneumc.org

I also encourage you to learn more about Living Water International by visiting their website at https:// www.water.cc.

Your Ideas Are Needed Your Missions Team wants to hear from you.

The Team meets the first Wednesday of every

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be

month @ 6:30 in Steve’s Pantry here at Gruene.

thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them

Come hear what your Missions Team is up to,

will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will

come share your ideas and most important of all

become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal

come help shape what LOVE looks like in 2018.

life.”

Or you can email Brock at brock@grueneumc.org

John 4:13-14

Your Missions Team In the month of March, with your help, the Missions Team was able to support the following ministries:

•

https://www.asphome.org Spring Break youth mission trip to West Virginia with ASP.

•

Additional washer and dryer in Steve’s Pantry.

The Pantry now has three sets of washers and dryers to help even more people.

•

Team to support.

When you move to help those in need, God moves in you. When you change the lives of oth-

Scholarships for Gruene’s high school summer mission trip with Appalachia Service Project (ASP)

•

with any ideas of projects for your Missions

Fifty (50) Spanish language bibles for Living Water International trip to El Salvador.

In February your Missions Team was able to help support the construction of a fully accessible home for a local wounded warrior through the Nine Line Founda-

tion.

Click on the link below to check out the time-lapse

video of this build. https://ninelinefoundation.org/causes/sgt-eric-morante -usmc-ret/ It truly is amazing what a community can accomplish when working together.

ers, they have a way of changing you.

Pastor Brock (brock@grueneumc.org)

Church By The River Did you know that Gruene puts on a service for our friends in need down by the river under the bridge at IH-35? Yep, and it is awesome. We worship with music and a

brief message, we share Communion, we share a meal, we share donated clothes, food and toiletries. Most important of all, we love on some amazing folks. The next Church By The River is Saturday, April 28th. Come check it out. We meet at Gruene at 8:45 to load up supplies then we head down to the river. For more information or to help out with CBR please email Brock at brock@grueneumc.org.

Office Volunteers Needed!

The Office Angels need volunteers to help fold Sunday bulletins on Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m. If you have an hour to spare on Friday mornings, we would LOVE to have you Join us. For more information, please contact Nadia at the church office at (830) 625-7200 or email at nadia@grueneumc.org.

Item of the Month This month Steve’s Pantry is collecting kids underwear & travel size shampoo & conditioner. These donations will help benefit our friends who visit Steve’s Pantry.

Please drop your donations off in the baskets in the gathering space at the church.

Thank you in advance for your donations and support!

April 18th – June 6th @6:30 p.m.

New 8 week Bible Study Series: Meeting Jesus in the Bible and in Your Heart Dates: April 18th – June 6th Time: 6:30 – 7:45 p.m.

Where: MoTown Easter is game changer on the Christian calendar because Jesus rose from the dead. None of us were there to see this awe-inspiring moment, but that doesn’t exclude us from experiencing a relationship with the risen Savior. Jesus the Christ is risen; He is alive, present, and active in your life! Join us for an 8-week study to learn who Jesus in the Bible and how it informs how we recognize Jesus in our hearts. Hope you will join us and bring a friend! For more info contact Pastor Aaron Carter at aaron@grueneumc.org.

Coming Together Bible Study Class will be starting a new series APRIL 8th The name is “The Six Miracles of Calvary.”

They meet Sundays at 11:00 a.m. in Motown room 302.

For more information, please contact Pam Mills at pjsmkay@satx.rr.com.

Rev. Dan Harrington - Senior Pastor Dan@grueneumc.org

Brandi Carnes - Nursery Director brandi@grueneumc.org

Rev. Brock Gillman - Associate Pastor brock@grueneumc.org

Amy Howell - Children and Family Ministry Director amy@grueneumc.org

Rev. Aaron Carter - Associate Pastor aaron@grueneumc.org

Alyssa Rowe - Director of Student Ministries alyssa@grueneumc.org

Nadia Hoffman – Administrative Assistant nadia@grueneumc.org

Rebecca Goossens - GTLC Director gruenetreelearningcenter@gmail.com

2629 E. Common St. New Braunfels TX 78130 (830) 625-7200 Fax: (830) 625-7208

www.grueneumc.org OFFICE HOURS M-F, 8:30 - 4:30

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES 8:30, 9:40 & 11:00 a.m. (Main Building) 9:50 a.m. (Motown) “Come…be you, be filled , be loved. Go…be joy, be hope, be love. Be His! ”

See What’s Happening There are so many fun and exciting groups here at Gruene! To find out what’s going on, check us out on the Gruene UMC facebook page or on our website, www.grueneumc.org.