United Methodist Women
Let our Light Shine Forth
Annual
installation & membership meeting
Sunday, January 21, 2001
5:15 pm:
registration
5:30 pm: dinner $6.00
6:30 pm: business meeting
6:45 pm: installation
7:00 pm: program – speaker
All women of the church
interested in mission work, spiritual growth and education are encouraged to be
involved with one of the most active organizations in the church. Come join us for an evening of activities to
start a New Year!
Adult Sunday School offers a
‘Winter of Wisdom’
You’re
invited to attend a study of the Book of Proverbs that will increase your
knowledge of God and provide you with practical wisdom that can be used every
day. The class will run eight
consecutive Sundays, with a different topic each week:
·
Jan. 7th ~ How to be Wise
·
Jan. 14th ~ Don't be a Fool
·
Jan. 21st ~ God's Wisdom for the
Businessperson
·
Jan. 28th ~ Being a Good Friend
·
Feb. 4th ~ Spouse Selection and Management
·
Feb. 11th ~ Family Matters
·
Feb. 18th ~ Guard your Thoughts and your Tongue
·
Feb. 25 ~ Your Relationship with God
If you are interested please meet in the
third room off of Tiber Hall on the dates listed above at 9:30 am. New members are encouraged to attend; a deep
knowledge of the Bible is not a prerequisite. Any questions can be answered by
Bob Koszkalda at 238-0883, Jim Boyer at 572-4976 or Jill Peck at 572-6008.
Capital
Campaign Update!
Our Capital Campaign, Multiplying God's
Love, is off to a great start. Through the date of our First Fruits Sunday,
December 3rd, we received approximately $121,172 with an additional
$12,597 received in the subsequent two weeks. These funds have been invested
(until property is found) in an account which is easily accessible but pays a
high rate of interest.
We are thankful for the diligent stewardship of this
congregation in responding to God's desire for us to vibrantly share the Gospel
in our community.
New member classes offered
Are you interested in becoming a
part of the fellowship of this church?
Adult new member classes will be held on Sunday, January 21 and Sunday,
January 28 from 2 to 6 pm at the church; and on Sunday, February 4 from 6:30 to
9:30 pm at the North Inlet parsonage.
New members will be received into the
church on February 11 at both services.
Child care will be available if needed.
Please call the church office (238-6135) to sign up or for more
information.
What’s New At SUMC
Hear ye! Hear
ye! Are you a real “ham” in
front of people? Do you enjoy acting,
even a little? Then do we have a show for you!
We are putting together a DRAMA TEAM to participate in various worship
settings. If you are interested or need
more information contact Pastor Paula (238-6135 or Paulak@Strongsvilleumc.org)
or Gregg McCort.
Did you know…that
we are in the process of launching a Contemporary Worship Time? You didn't?
Well don't be the last to know about this exciting new worship experience
coming to SUMC. Keep your eyes open and
your ears listening – you will not want to miss out on the exciting
announcement forthcoming!
From Pastor Paula’s Desk
Cast
all your cares on Him, for He cares for you. I
Peter 5:7
Outside our bedroom window is a beautiful
maple tree. In the spring and summer it
offers shade to the corner of the house and the patio below. In the winter it stands barren and looks
lifeless. However, I know it is resting
for a short time before it breaks forth in bud again. While it appears lifeless, it is not useless.
Below it, at the corner of patio, stands
a bird feeder my sister purchased for me one Christmas several years ago. It is made from old barn siding and looks
kind of rough. The tree which it stands beneath offers the birds a place to rest
and wait their turn at the feeder. It
is not only the birds that find the tree useful but several squirrels make
their way from the closest branch to the feeder as they take a quick turn
munching in these days of winter. This
sight each morning brings me joy. In
the midst of hectic days it is a gentle reminder of God's faithfulness and love
for me. The bright red of the cardinals
and the blue of the blue jays against the falling snow are reminders of God's
care for me. In our times of suffering
and pain, in the joys and sorrows, God often paints for us a beautiful day
which indicates He is never far from us.
Even if the tree in my yard appears
lifeless right now, remember it is not useless, for it cradles some of the most
delicate of creation in its branches.
Picture my tree, bird feeder and the loveliest birds which remain
through the winter when you feel very alone. Allow this vision to be a reminder
that you are being cradled in the arms of the Creator right now.
Rest in His arms of love,
Paula
Sometimers
On January 20 we will have our annual
visit to a restaurant to shake the post-holiday “blahs.” The Strongsville bus
will leave the church at 6:30 pm to take us to Stancato’s Restaurant. Total cost of $20.00 will cover your dinner,
tip, tax, and the bus. Reservations and money must be given to Betty Smith no
later than January 14. Won’t you please join us? Sometimers is open to all adults (couples
or singles) who just want a good time and good fellowship.
Elizabeth
Circle
Elizabeth
Circle will meet on Monday, January 8 at 7:30 pm in the church atrium. Please watch the church bulletin for
details.
Lydia
Circle
The ladies of
Lydia Circle will not meet in January.
Take time to rest up from your busy holidays. We will resume our schedule
in February.
Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year!
Grace
& Betty
Look what’s new in our church
library
Start off the
new year with food for your soul by checking out these new library books!
Stories
for the Heart is a collection of timeless stories of compassion and
encouragement which should be read over and over again. Thank you Friday Fellowship for purchasing
this book in the name of Ruth Ziman.
The
Friendship Cake by Lynne Hinton is a spirited novel involving five
women as they knead their sorrows and joys into loaves of bread and their hopes
and dreams into pecan pies. It is a
celebration of women, faith, friendship, and southern food.
Thank you to an
anonymous donor for financing the purchase of some new reference books for the library. Keep watching as these books will begin to
appear in the near future. What a
generous gift!
Friday Fellowship
Treasure Time! All seniors are invited to join the Friday Fellowship for lunch
at the Senior Center at noon on January 19.
The program will be a sharing time as each is asked to bring one of your
“treasures.” This could be something
you enjoy doing as a hobby, part of a collection that you have been adding to
over the years, or something that you have treasured as part of your family
heritage…. you choose. Please see or
call Betty Smith at 238-7379 for reservations.
Thought for the Day
“Label jars, not people.”
January
Birthdays
Jan. 1 Barb Krivos
Jan. 2 Sue Barkfelt
Jan. 3 Kathleen Hendon
Jan. 9 Eileen Bambam
Jan. 10 Dorothy Kinat, 82 yrs.
Jan. 11 Bob Buschman, 98 yrs.
Jan. 14 Bob Smith
Jan. 20 Frieda Kara
Jan. 21 Kimiyo Schultz
Jan. 25 Rachel Knauss, 90 yrs.
Jan. 30 Faye Brown, 92 yrs.
Thanks
to outgoing Trustees!
The current Trustees would like to thank Dwayne Tompkins and Dave
Kochheiser whose terms expired this December, 2000.
We extend very special gratitude to Karen Ransbury, who has been the Trustee Chairperson for the last
two years and whose term has also expired.
If you’ve noticed a lot of improvements around the church recently, you
can probably attribute it to Karen’s leadership.
Thanks to all of you; it’s been a pleasure to serve with you.
The Trustees
January 6 is celebrated as
the Day of Epiphany. It represents the
visit of the Wisemen to Bethlehem. Although it signals the end of the Christmas
season in our church calendar, it commemorates a significant event for us to
acknowledge.
The
word epiphany is an unusual word that
we obviously don’t use in everyday speech.
Webster’s dictionary defines it as the manifestation or appearance of a
god or supernatural being. With our
finite limitations just considering the supernatural aspect of God gives us
something to ponder!
But
our God with His unlimited capabilities and His all-encompassing love chose to
take on human form. First He revealed
Himself to His chosen people through the shepherds. They had the honor of being the first Jews to learn of the
Messiah’s entry into the world and to worship Him. And He also made himself known to the rest of the world through
the Wisemen. They worshipped Jesus and
honored Him by giving valuable gifts.
May the Holy Spirit enable us to worship with an awesome appreciation
for our God of love and compassion and to give to God the gift of our lives in
service and thanksgiving.
“Entering the house where the baby and
Mary his mother were, they threw themselves down before him, worshiping. Then they opened their presents and gave him
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Matthew 2:11 The Living Bible
“The astrologers
(wisemen) brought gifts and worshiped Jesus for who he was. This is the essence of true worship—honoring
Christ for who he is and being willing to give him what is valuable to
you. Worship God because he is the
perfect, just, and almighty Creator of the universe worthy of the best you have
to give.” The Living Bible Commentary
Confirmation Corner
January 7 & January
21
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Confirmation Class
January 7
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Confirmation Parent Meeting
Confirmation Classrooms
PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND!
January 14 &
January 29
NO CONFIRMATION CLASS
February 2
NEW DATE!
Confirmation Class to Temple Israel
Logos parents to meet January 7
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not
turn away from it.” Proverbs 22:6
The winter semester of Logos is fast
approaching, with about 75 children signed up.
There will be an important parents meeting on January 7th between the 9:30 and 11:00 services (place
to be announced). Please plan to attend this short meeting.
It takes many helping hands for this
ministry to succeed. As you know, with
Safe Sanctuaries upon us, two adults need to be in each classroom at all
times. Please look over your calendars and
set aside one or two nights when you can assist in your child’s classroom along
with helping in the kitchen and at playtime.
We will have sign up sheets at the parents meeting. If you do not sign up, the teachers will
assign you a week.
We have several needs before the session
begins on January 11th: 3rd
grade Bible Hour Teacher, Table Parents and Substitute Teachers. Please contact us if you would like to fill
one of these positions.
We are looking ahead to the 2001-2002
year and the following positions are available: two co-directors, a cook and a family time coordinator(s). We are
asking for everyone's prayers for Logos.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our children to be strengthened in
God's word.
Please contact Carol Perri (238-1041) or
Lynne Koszkalda (238-0883) if you have questions or feel called to help out in
any way.
We look forward
to seeing you on January 7th.
Westside Community House
As
usual, the members of our congregation can always be counted on to be extremely
generous when it comes to helping others. Thank you for helping to make 60
families happy when they received their “family boxes.”
Russ
McKee helped us take an extra carload of presents to West Side Community House
on Monday, December 11. Viola LeCastro, Eileen Bambam, Dolores Huhn, Ginny
McKee, Alice and I spent the morning unpacking all the presents from our church
and others in the District. All of this help was greatly appreciated.
Thank
you also for the calendars, unused Christmas cards and other gifts for the Seniors’
Christmas.
In
addition, some generous checks were received from a few members of our
congregation to be used for additional Christmas gifts and the Christmas party.
Again, thanks are in order.
Many
families had a happier Christmas because of all your generosity.
With
our thanks,
Alice
Waltz & Eleanor Bohlander
WSCH
Advocates
Thank
you on behalf of Angel Tree!
The Logos Upper Grades Class wishes to
thank you for your generous support of Project Angel Tree again this year! So many of you responded to our class
project that we were able to touch the lives of thirty-seven Angel Tree
children this Christmas! Gifts were delivered on December 17th
and 23rd on behalf of their
imprisoned parent and in the name of Jesus Christ. Fruit baskets were given to the guardian or custody parent to
encourage them. Bibles or Christian
themed books were left at each home.
We trust that God will use Angel Tree
2000 well into the future to touch the lives of our Angel Tree children and
their families.
Angel
Tree impact does not stop at the homes of these children, however. Angel Tree reaches into our prisons to touch
the hearts of men and women who have made bad choices. Through Prison Fellowship and Angel Tree,
they get the chance to nominate the children they’ve left behind to receive
Christmas gifts. But only when people
like you show the compassion of Jesus Christ do the gifts actually arrive. Your involvement completes the program,
giving lost people reason to hope and to believe that God is good! Thank you
for letting your light shine!
Missionary
Update
Congratulations
to Thom and Chris Denman, two missionaries supported by this church. They are Joy Center directors at Red Bird Mission
in Beverly, Kentucky. The Joy Center
regularly has about 70 people in their worship service, and the two-room school
which has been in use was no longer adequate. A new addition, built by the
congregation and mission staff, was dedicated in a special Celebration of Joy
on October 8th. We give thanks for God’s work, through these two
dedicated missionaries, and for God’s work in the lives of the people who are
touched through the Joy Center.
Notes from the Nurses
Can
you believe the new year is here? Now is the hard part – making a New Year’s
resolution. There is no time like the present to become physically fit and lose
weight, especially after all the delicious holiday foods. Not only will you
feel mentally better and have more energy but your body, especially your heart,
will thank you, too.
Join
a fitness club or even walk four to five times a week. Remember, exercise is
more beneficial when you do it at least four times a week for a minimum of 30
minutes.
On
Sunday, January 28, check to see how your heart is doing. The nurses will be in
the parlor after each service to check your blood pressure.
A
blood drive will be held at the church in February. Watch for more details in your bulletin and signs throughout the
church.
Sincerely,
Gail Spence & Betsy Mowry
Joys & Concerns of the Congregation
Marriages
Congratulations
to Carrie Hennon & Bryan Stehura,
who were married on December 23. The
ceremony was performed by Rev. Mowry and Rev. Santomen. Carrie is the daughter of Chuck &
Carolyn Hennon.
On
November 18, Rev. Mowry married Chad
Wessner & Stacey Fitzgerald in our sanctuary. Congratulations to Chad & Stacey, and our regrets that this
was omitted from the December Wesley News.
Baptisms
We
rejoice with the family of Jorge and Kristine Madaleno, whose daughter Izabel Alana McLain Madaleno was
baptised on Sunday, December 10.
Deaths
The
prayers and sympathy of the congregation are extended to the following members
of our church family:
to
our church lay leader, Tammy Domann and her family, upon the death of her
husband, David Domann;
to
Sandy Ogle and family upon the death of her aunt, Anna Graham;
to
Ruth Guzzo and family upon the death of her mother, Mae Bogdan;
and
to Linda and Bob Hall and family upon the death of Linda’s mother, Alma M.
Young.
Hats
off to recent graduates
Congratulations
to three of our members who have recently received college degrees:
Ryan McCleaster graduated from Bowling
Green State University on December 23 with a B.S. in Education.
Mark Willcocks graduated from Purdue
University on December 16 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.
Kyle Muskoff received a Master of
Electrical Engineering degree from Ohio State University on December 8.
From our church’s mailbox
Dear friends at SUMC,
Thank
you for your visits, cards and prayers during my recent illness. Your thoughtfulness means so much.
In
Christian Love,
Nancy
Dawson
***************
Dear friends in Christ,
I
wish to thank you for the many get well wishes, cards, and visits during my
recovery from my fall in August. A special thank you to Rev. Ron and Pastor
Paula for their many visits to me both while I was in the hospital and later,
at Southern Hills Rehabilitation Center. I hope to be back with you at church
in the near future!
Yours
truly,
Ethel
Wagner
***************
Dear Congregation,
We
are grateful for all the prayers given to us. Our prayers will be answered.
In
Christian Love,
Virginia
and Bob Cook
***************
Dear Congregation,
Thank
you for all the cards for Howard. As of
this writing, he is back in Southwest Hospital again. Hope things are getting better.
Sincerely,
Sue
Barkfelt
A whole new year is mine today. . .
May I be wiser, Lord I pray!
I’d strengthen friendships, old and true,
And learn to cherish new ones, too;
To keep on learning and to grow
A little better as I go.
To cast aside each grudge and grief,
And hold fast to a firm belief
That life is joyous, gracious, good,
When lived in terms of brotherhood!
To welcome fun, and play awhile,
To lighten work with a happy smile!
To thank the Lord and every day
Remember Him, and kneel to pray
In gratitude for strength and health
And blessings which are all my wealth!
This year’s a gift from God to me
To spend, or use, or set me free. . .
A whole new year is mine today. . .
May I be wiser, Lord, I pray!
Lilita Pinney
News
from Red Bird Mission
Dear Friends and Supporting Churches,
Last
week several of our church members met together to have the sanctuary decorated
for the first Sunday of Advent. Then Sunday morning we woke to God’s beautiful
two to three inch snow covering. The scenes in Ideals magazine weren’t
any more spectacular. The snow stuck to everything and made a beautiful winter
wonderland. Many were able to come to
church and make it a very meaningful beginning to the Advent season. The exciting thing was we were able to have
school the next day even though most of the schools around us dismissed. The
roads had been cleared, which was an improvement.
We
are experiencing a great school year. I
have a wonderful helper in the library.
We are very grateful to you who send lists of books you are willing to
donate. This way we can be more selective in what we receive. Also thanks for the Campbell Soup labels and
Box Tops for Education. We have been
able to purchase many Accelerated Reader tests and other teacher supplies.
Thank
you for your prayers and support. God
has blessed the work here in many ways. Continue to pray for the students and
work in all areas in the mission. May
God bless you for your willingness to share.
In
Christian Service,
Phyllis
Crouse
From the Pastor's study
“What Is Important”
“For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21
A newspaper clipping
from a number of years ago tells about the home of Phyllis & Larry Casper
which caught on fire in the middle of the night. The Caspers rushed frantically
around the house, grabbing up as many belongings as they could. The firemen
couldn’t save the little house. As the Caspers watched it burn, they kept
thinking of things they should have grabbed on the way out. The newspaper
article quotes Phyllis as saying, “We picked up such silly things, like
bathroom scales and dog pans; and we left irreplaceable family pictures,
valuable papers, silverware, and so many things that were more important.”
As we enter a new
year, we must ask the question: What is really important? We will never have
all the time that we desire, therefore we have to make some decisions about
which aspects of our lives will receive more time and energy than others.
So we make
resolutions. We try to prioritize our lives around matters of spiritual growth,
family, work, social life, hobbies, school, and anything else that comes along.
So much to do; only so much can be done; only certain things can be attempted
and even fewer things can be accomplished. What is really important?
Jesus, in the
statement above, reminds us that what we consider important is where we will
put the majority of our energy, focus, and time. Thus, we need to be very clear
about what we see as the priorities of life. What do we see as the most
important for us?