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The MessengerThe Newsletter of the First United Methodist Church, Greene NYJanuary, February, March 2019 Edition____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Happy New Year to you and yours!! As we look to the new year ahead, full of hope and promise, and as we consider our “new year resolutions,” let us make the bold choice and resolve to live as Jesus lived. The devotion this time is filled with the basics of what it takes to do that. As devoted disciples, we must become devoted to discipleship which means finding a way to spend time with Jesus every day. In 2019, we will talk a lot about building a discipleship plan for our church so everyone has the opportunity to grow in relationship with and in likeness of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This is what discipleship is all about and it takes discipline, hence the name. May the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit be with you throughout the year ahead. God bless you!Living as Jesus Did Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 How did Jesus live each day? Is it possible for us to live as He lived? Here are five things to consider: The first is His dependency. Jesus lived each day dependent upon His Father. He did not live independently, think independently, or act independently of His Father. He spoke what His Father wanted Him to say and He did what His Father wanted Him to do. He received from His Father all He needed for each day. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 We can also live each day in complete dependency upon the Lord. He is our strength, our life, our sufficiency, and He is the source of all we need. The second is His faithfulness. Jesus lived each day in faithfulness to what His Father called Him to do. Jesus stayed true to His Father's plan and will for His life. He didn't drift away from it or follow it half-heartedly. ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:23 As followers of Jesus Christ we can be faithful to what God has called us to do and do His will whole-heartedly. The third is His obedience. Jesus lived each day in obedience to His Father's will. Jesus not only obeyed His Father, but He obeyed Him without delay. He obeyed willingly and joyfully. As 1 Peter 1:14 tells us we must live as obedient children. Obedience to God's will in our lives is a choice we can make each day. As God's children, He trains us to be obedient because He knows what is best for us. The fourth thing is His motivation. The reason Jesus lived the way He did was because He wanted to fully glorify and please His Father. He lived to please only His Father and have His approval.So we make it our goal to please him 2 Corinthians 5:9a The motivation of our hearts should be to please Him. There is nothing higher than that. When we live to do what is well pleasing in His sight we will know His smile of approval upon our lives. The fifth thing is His empowering. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived each day in the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. All that He did in His public ministry was under the anointing and empowering of the Holy Spirit. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 Since His ascension to the right hand of the Father, Jesus has made it possible for each of us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to have His power in our lives. It is by the Holy Spirit's presence, fullness, and power that we can walk as Jesus walked and live as Jesus lived.Grace and peace, my friends,Pastor MicheleA Card of thanks: John & Jan Carr We wish to thank everyone who has sent cards, food and given prayers for us while we are in “sick bay.”We were married in this church almost 65 years ago and always had love and support from a loving and caring church family through all the good and sad times. A NOTE FROM THE TRUSTEES Colin Evans, Trustee Chair The Trustees have been busy! First of all, I would like to thank everyone who helped during the church Clean-up Day. It was a great success! We would also like to welcome Andy Estabrook and Terry Loveless as the newest members of the committee. Many people have asked about the parsonage being empty the majority of the time. First of all, please know that if the parsonage was rented out, even for a short time, the building would be taxable which would bring other complications. The Trustees have discussed some options and found after research, that we would only have cost savings of less than 1% if we were to close down the parsonage completely. It is important to note that the parsonage only costs approximately $2,500 to stay open heated and with water turned on.598170023685500This figure includes the limited heat that is used for the Pastor’s office and the electricity. Some of that cost is also insurance and other costs that wouldn’t disappear if we moved the office to the church. The Trustees have decided to continue to have Pastor Michele keep her office in the parsonage! The Trustees have voted to undertake a few important projects including painting the social room and replacing the two rear doors and hardware. We have also decided to start planningto renovate our church bathroom downstairs and make it handicap accessible. We feel this project is necessary. We have just begun the process so we will provide updates as we move forward. We appreciate your patience as we update our place of worship, 1428751270000 UNITED METHODIST MENFrom David BarnesThe 2019 Lenten Men’s Communion and Breakfast is scheduled this year for Saturday, April 13th at Central United Methodist Church on Nanticoke Avenue in Endicott. Schedule of activities are: 7:15am Coffee Hour/ Registration 8:00am Worship and Communion After worship, breakfast and business/program. This event has been in existence for over 60 years in the Oneonta District and only a few years since our church was switched over to Binghamton District. The host church always wants to know how many to expect, so the contact person this year is Knud Hansen. He can be reached by calling 607-754-0882 or emailing atKhansen3@. Please feel free to use either method to let them know you’re coming. -1905012636500 2019 from David Barnes The Upper NY Camp and Retreat Ministries (CRM) is excited to announce that registration is now open for the 2019 Summer Camp & Retreat programs. CRM is pleased to offer a wide variety of programs including the classic favorites and new adventures. All of these programs offer opportunities for spiritual growth and renewal, and diverse styles of meaningful worship experiences. This year during our large and small group times, we will learn how God calls us to be Agents of Change in our communities, and how we can transform those communities through generosity, compassion, inclusion, justice and forgiveness. Program details are available on line at: summer-camp-20192. -15598616943300 By Kay ClarkUnited Methodist Women will meet at 9:30am on Thursday, January 17th at the home of Kay Clark (114 Cutler Rd., up by the car wash). We will be making Valentines.On Thursday, February 14th and Thursday, March 21st we will also meet at Kay Clark’s home at 9:30am. We’re doing that to conserve on fuel usage at church. As always, all ladies are invited to join us! NATIVE AMERICAN MINISTRIES from Scott ClarkAn anonymous 17th Century Prayer from Crow Country: (sounds like John Wesley, doesn’t it?) Please be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of the Creator, and none can say why some fields blossom while others lay brown beneath the harvest sun. Take hope that your season will come. Share the joy of those whose season is at hand. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices in life no more easily made. Give! Give in any way you can. Give in every way you can. Give whatever you possess. Give from your heart. To withhold is to wither. Care less for the size of your harvest than for how it is shared, and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace. A Poem from a Red Cloud School student: Tell me about your story. Was there blood, sweat and tears? Maybe there was some glory, over your last 100 years. Within your homeland, prisoners they were. A powerful people, a powerful prayer. See the strength, feel the pride, run with nature, nothing to hide. A little more heartache, it will never last. Strong in their ways, set in their path. Walking in beauty, all the way Walking in beauty, the natives say. Brought them home – home to stay. This is our story of blood, sweat and tears. No, there is no glory, but we will be here The next 100 years. Written by Lavelle (10th grade)3.563880111620500Why Do We Have an Applefest? Personal reflections by Kay Clark Well, we “pulled it off again!” We have done this for 32 years! Originally, Harry and Virginia Davis had an idea and thus it began! Over the years, many, manypeople from our church and the community have helped it grow into what it was Saturday 9/19/18! Two people came into our lives at some point, Jacky and Ron Sullivan, who taught us how to market our efforts. They have come back numerous times, including this year, to help. They had us dress up in old fashioned clothes (Earl was Abe Lincoln!), stood by the Greene NY sign at the intersection of 206 and 12 with a new car from the sponsoring dealership and we had made a commercial for TV. Tons of People came and the Applefest has grown and grown since. We even had it the year of the 2011 flood when we had to move up to the Lions Park. The little girl, Leslie, in those ads and pictures is now the co-chairperson along with her husband, David Gorsline and their 2 little children, who have attended since birth! We are passing it down through the generations to spread God’s Word through our caring actions and by providing a good, wholesome, family fun day for over 10,000+ people (police estimate) each year. Why do we do this work? Why is this Applefest still happening, you ask?!! It is so much work! With each and every event or task our little church puts on, we “build” something here in Greene for others and for the people of FUMC and in our hearts. It is something unique and special and is NEVER THE SAME! It costs us nothing! We just have to participate in any little way we can. This feeling has built up since last year, and now that event #32 is over, it has started to grow again! What is it you say? You thought it was an Applefest? SURPRISE! It is more than a day! I found an old piece of paper in a picture album from 1987 when the parsonage kitchen was rebuilt. Let me quote two paragraphs from that newsletter. It explains what happens when we have an event or any other gathering where we work together; where we share ourselves with others in the name of Christ. Actions tell it all! “ As the work progressed, day by day, there was a common story that began to emerge around the kitchen (Applefest in this case). It was a story shaped by the problems encountered and solved by ideas shared and carried out together, by the offering of diverse gifts to a single task. “Call ______” one said and tell them we need help! The call was made, and they came.”“What they built was something not planned for---the church has always referred to it as ‘koinonia’, a Greek word signifying fellowship in Christ or a sense of community. It is something very, very special that is always born in mystery, and that is always a step beyond our understanding. In the experience, each one takes what he needs and gives what he can, and that is enough. Those who shared in the obvious task of building a kitchen (Applefest) became deep friends in the midst of ‘koinonia’.”(First United Methodist Church newsletter, February 1987).We offer this unique experience to our church friends, crafters, vendors, and other not-for-profit groups in and around Greene! I hope you all experienced this awe at the Applefest! The choirs singing surely gave me goosebumps with some powerful words in those songs. So, save the date for #33 on 9/28/19. God does have a sense of humor and all kinds of ways to bring us together to spread His Love in unique ways—this time through our kind and loving presence at the Applefest again!! Join us and your faith, and a special bond and love for your neighbors, will grow beyond your belief.Addition after dispersing of the monies:Unlike what some think, the Applefest does NOT pay for the daily working of our church. Yes, we do make some money, but we have always used the profits to do the extras- like furnaces, roofs, carpets, stove, trustee issues of repairs, etc. Of late, we are using our profits to pay back the conference for monies loaned to us to cover our pastor’s insurance benefits because we have not been able to pay those bills. The pastor’s package is vital to keeping a pastor in our pulpit. We share her now with North Fenton to help pay our bills, so we only have the benefit of a pastor on a 60/40 sharing schedule. We used to have a full time pastor. We struggle to pay the heat and light bills and to pay our secretary/ treasurer who works only about 20 hours a month and our sexton who works only a few hours a week. Some of our staff have even chosen to wait a week to cash their paychecks until the monies are covered in the bank!! We have definitely been struggling. So yes, we need the Applefest right now to help pay our bills, but what happens when one of the three old furnaces quits or we need candles for the pulpit. Even simple things are not being purchased. We spend nothing extra, just for the necessities. If you have new ways to raise monies, let us know please. Get involved!! We need everyone! We have a lot of active families and oodles of children attending now. Keep our ministry to Greene NY alive. We need lots of workers for Christ. 4.BIRTHDAYS IN JANUARYANNIVERSARIES IN JANUARY 6. Anita VassilNo Anniversaries listed for January 9. Emily Dunckle 10. Bob Clark 11. Roxanne Bell 13. Kevin Rounds 24. Grant Sullivan 26. Mary Zaengle, Bud Zaengle 28. Julia Amell 31. Bettie Baldwin BIRTHDAYS IN FEBRUARYANNIVERSARIES IN FEBRUARY 6. Anholie CroninNo Anniversaries listed for February 7. Addison Rowe 9. Ray Sullivan, Ann Marble 16. Jacob Acevedo 19. Ruth Young 22. Ashton Craver 23. Lester Crampton 27. Scott Craver BIRTHDAYS IN MARCHANNIVERSARIES IN MARCH 1. Matthew Carr, Barbara Hinman, Julie DietrichNo Anniversaries listed for March 4. Betty Dietrich 6. Danielle Lord 7. Sarah Mata, Gordon Hinman 10. Ernest White 11. Jeffrey Williams 13. Jason Evans 16. Adelyn Gorsline 19. Sara Acevedo 20. Brian Hebbard 22. Pastor Michele 25. Bethany Sortman, Jason Burghardt 30. Terry Hebbard 31. Irene Barnes, Janette Hicks Not listed on our birthday/ anniversary list, or listed incorrectly? Please send an email to joycebesemer@ or put a note in mailbox # 11. Thanks!GREENE AREA CHURCHES NOTE:Sunday, February 3rd: We will once again be collecting Soup & Crackers to donate to Greene Area Churches’ Food Pantry on Super Bowl Sunday. Bring your offerings of canned soups and crackers to the church THAT SUNDAY and place them on the altar rail to be blessed during worship. Sunday February 10th and 17th:We will be collecting a special Love Offering, in addition to our normal offering, in support of Greene Area Churches which will be used to supplement their budget in support of local concerns and scholarships.Please plan accordingly and please don’t let this impact your normal offering to our church. Thank you!5.ATTENDANCEOctober November December 7. 49 4. 75 2. 67 14. 75 11. 80 9. 60 21. 58 18. 64 16. Not listed 28. 55 25. 31 23. 67 24. 150 + 31. Not listedLECTOR SCHEDULE:Jan 6YouthFeb. 3. YouthMar. 3 Youth 13 Dianne Evans 10 Leslie Gorsline 10 Lisa Loveless 20Debbie Barnes 17 Lorna Eroshevich 17 Debbie Barnes 27Lisa Loveless 24. Ray Sullivan 24. David Barnes 31. Leslie GorslineCOUNTERS:Jan 6 Merelyn Rogers/ Carol FaughtFeb. 3. Merelyn Rogers/ Lisa Loveless 13 Merelyn Rogers/ Scott Clark 10. Will Trass/ Carol Faught 20 Janette Hicks/ Dave Barnes 17. Janette Hicks/ David Barnes 27 Judy Kelly/ Kay Clark 24. Will Trass/ JudyUSHERSJan 6Merelyn Rogers/ Lorna EroshevichFeb. 3.Lorna Eroshevich/ Edie Miller 13Esther Williams/ Edie Miller 10.Mary Webb/ Edie Miller 20Mary Webb/ Judy Kelly 17.Esther Williams/ Merelyn Rogers 27Edie Miller/ Carol Faught 24.Judy Kelly/ Carol FaughtMar 3Esther Williams/ Edie Miller 10Lorna Eroshevich/ Carol Faught 17Mary Webb/ Judy Kelly 24Esther Williams/ Mary Webb 31Lorna Eroshevich/ Edie MillerCOFFEE HOUR:Jan 6Team # 5Feb 3Team # 3Mar 3 Team # 1 13 Team # 6 10 Team # 4 10 Team # 2 Turn clocks ahead 1 hr on Saturday 20 Team # 1 17 Team # 5 17 Team # 3 26 Team # 2 24 Team # 6 24 Team # 4 31 Team # 5Team # 1: Kay & Scott Clark, Jason Evans, Merelyn Rogers, Donna Baker, Julie Dietrich, Betty DietrichTeam # 2: Specht family, Alan & Maryanne Lord, Judy Halstrom, Ketcham family, Sexton family Corky & Bernie Rockwell, Peg Moxley & Cleon Salisbury (go South for the winter)Team # 3: Esther Williams, Jan Carr, Gloria Dayton, Lorna Eroshevich, Kristin, Jason & Naomi BurghardtTeam # 4: Millie Turner, Becky McMullen, Judy Kelly, Carol Faught, Jennifer, Kylie & Liam Griffin Jeanne Kennicutt goes to Arizona for the winterTeam # 5: Edie Miller, Sondra Acevedo family, Kevin Rounds, Linda Gray, Loveless family, Fish family, Estabrook familyTeam # 6: Barbara Hinman, Dave & Debbie Barnes, Mary Webb, Mary Gibbs 6. January 2018SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday1. NEW YEARS DAY2.3456EPIPHANY78Choir 7pmTrustees 7pm910Soup & Scripture 6pm111213COMMUNIONInstallation of Leadership/ anointing1415Choir 7pmGAC 7pm at First Congreg.16Finance 6pm17UMW 9:30amSoup & Scripture 6pm1813081076835Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 1/18-2500Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 1/18-251920HUMAN RELATIONS DAY 21Rev Martin Luther King Day observed 22Choir 7pm2324Soup & Scripture 6pm2526272829Choir 7pm3031Soup & Scripture 6pm Pastor Michele can be reached by cell phone: 910-260-0660 or email: revmicheleclark@Office hours in Greene: Wednesday and Thursday, 1:00 – 4:00pm “The Messenger” is published quarterly and digitally maintained on our NEW Website. Please check it out at . Printed copies are available in the vestibule at church for those who prefer to read from a hard copy. Office hours for Joyce: Tuesdays & Thursdays 10:30 am – 12:30pm or as needed. February 2019SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday 123Soup & Cracker collection for GAC Souper Bowl Sunday* Church meal after worship w/Love Offering45Choir 7pm67Soup & Scripture 6pm8910Love Offering for GACUMC SCOUTING SUNDAY1112Choir 7pm1314UMW 9:30amSoup & Scripture 6pmValentines Day15161718PRESIDENT’S DAY19Choir 7pm20Finance mtg 6pmAd Council 7pm212223242526VBS Planning mtg. 6pm First Cong.2728 * Sun. Feb. 3: after worship we will have a meal together with Love Offering to benefit the General Fund. Pastor Michele can be reached by cell phone: 910-260-0660 or email: revmicheleclark@Office hours in Greene: Wednesday and Thursday, 1:00 – 4:00pm “The Messenger” is published quarterly and digitally maintained on our NEW Website. Please check it out at . Printed copies are available in the vestibule at church for those who prefer to read from a hard copy. Office hours for Joyce: Tuesdays & Thursdays 10:30 am – 12:30pm or as needed. March 2019SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday1World Day of Prayer2345Choir 7pm6Noon Lenten Service, RCCAsh Wed. 7:30pm service Lent begins7Soup & Scripture 6pm8910First Sun in Lent1112Choir 7pm1314Lenten Service at Central Bapt. (Noon) for First AssemblySoup & Scripture 6pm1516172nd Sun in Lent1819Choir 7pm2021UMW 9:30amLenten Service (Noon) First Cong.Soup & Scripture 6pm2223243rd Sun in Lent25262728Lenten Service (Noon) lst UMC2930314th Sun in Lent -271653094615NEW FOOD PANTRY CHALLENGE DURING MARCH AND APRIL: Watch for bulletin announcements.020000NEW FOOD PANTRY CHALLENGE DURING MARCH AND APRIL: Watch for bulletin announcements. Pastor Michele can be reached by cell phone: 910-260-0660 or email: revmicheleclark@Office hours in Greene: Wednesday and Thursday, 1:00 – 4:00pm “The Messenger” is published quarterly and digitally maintained on our NEW Website. Please check it out at . Printed copies are available in the vestibule at church for those who prefer to read from a hard copy. Office hours for Joyce: Tuesdays & Thursdays 10:30 am – 12:30pm or as needed.-653157792300THE MESSENGERFirst United Methodist Church32-34 S. Chenango StGreene NY 13778 ................
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