Seat cover Project
Once again Bishop Keaton has asked us to collect “Seat Covers” for children and youth throughout the Detroit Annual Conference. We will give our collected underwear to the Rainbow House again this year. Please consider purchasing some new undies sized for a child or youth and bringing your donation to the church during the months of March and April. A collection box will be located in the Gathering Room. Thank you!
UMW NEWS
Thank you to Bobbi Sundquist and Judy Rost for bringing us a wonderful and meaningful “Call to Prayer and Self Denial” meal and program in February.
We are having a renewed interest in the UMW Reading Program. There are four categories and you can read as few as one book from each category to participate. Please talk to me (Jane Yaeger) or Bobbi Sundquist if you want more details.
UMW will be joining the UMM in a Pasty Sale on Saturday, March 13th. HELP IS NEEDED! We need people on Friday, March 12th, to prepare vegetables and pastry, and on Saturday for many jobs. Please see Kathleen Kewley or me if you can help or if you have any questions.
During Wednesday Night Live on Wednesday, March 17th, we will have all kinds of goodies for sale. Please help by baking or buying!
Our “World Thank Offering” is our next meeting. Please join us at the church at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, April 13th.
Check these out....
-Our friends, Voices of Peace, will be performing at the Community covenant Church, 1123 13th Street, in Menominee, on Saturday, March 20th, 7:00 PM. A free will offering will be taken.
- Natalie Grant will be performing at Blesch Auditorium on Friday, March 26th, 7:00 PM. Also performing will be Britt Nicole and Phil Stacey. Tickets are $20 to $40 (VIP tickets include artist meet and greet.) Call 1-800-965-9324 for more information on where to purchase tickets. This event is sponsored by WPFF and the Northern Lights Clinic.
- There are about 10 people interested so far in traveling to the Milwaukee Public Museum to see the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit. There are three dates that most everyone interested in going can go. They are April 24; May 22 and June 5. The tickets will need to be purchased soon so please see Jane Yaeger if you are interested and let her know the date you are available to go. ($24 over age 60; $26 adult) Information about the exhibit can be found on line at www.mpm.edu. Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible: Ancient Artifacts, Timeless Treasures brings together archaeological objects and manuscripts to tell a story 2,000 years in the making. Witness actual Dead Sea Scrolls and other early biblical artifacts. The largest temporary exhibit ever produced by the Milwaukee Public Museum, Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible explores the archaeological history of the Holy Land during the period the Scrolls were written, from the third century BCE through the first century CE. The exhibit also tracks the discovery of the first Scrolls and subsequent realization of their extraordinary significance.
- A new Christian gift shop, Abundant Joy Gift Shop, has opened at 1309 13th Street. The store features inspirational gifts and home décor along with positive attitude products, seasonal, and faith based gift items. Hours are 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, M-F, and 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturdays.
Kudos....
Kudos to Dawn Thoune for being named a “Service Care Star” for excelling in the Bay Area Medical Center’s service care standards for her work as a coding supervisor in health information management.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday services will be held in our sanctuary at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM on April 4th. Who are you going to invite?
2020 Vision Group Looks Ahead
It's now official: a group meeting informally – with the knowledge of the Administrative Council has been approved to consider how we will do ministry in our new building in the years to come. The group’s name has a double meaning and reflects the twin purposes of the group: Twenty-twenty vision is normal accurate clear sight – and we in the group wish to see clearly what God intends us to do to minister to those both within and without the walls of our new building. Secondly, A.D. 2020 is only 10 short years away. We wish to clarify a vision of what our church ministry might be by that time.
In our last meeting the end of January, we agreed that the model we followed for development of our physical building was appropriate to shaping our growth in ministry. We find this image used to express the growth of the people of God even in several places in the New Testament. One of them is in Paul's letter to the Ephesians:
”Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
We noted several parallels with renovating our physical building:
1) Some parts are brand new – like the offices and entryway. We think that God may lead us into brand new activities with brand new people. We are not clear yet what those things may be but we want to help the congregation listen to God and be prepared to act.
2) Some parts of our building – like the gathering room – have been substantially renovated. In the same way, it may be necessary to re-tool some of our approaches. One example is having our greeters at the main entrance rather than allowing newcomers to wander halfway through the church to find where the sanctuary is.
3) Some parts of our building – like the sanctuary – have had only minor changes, like removing the paneling and using the wall for projection. In that sense, we expect some aspects of church live, like Sunday morning worship to continue on into the future with perhaps minor changes to scripture readers or announcements or the sort. Some parts of our building – like the stairs to the balcony – haven't changed at all. Probably there will be things in our future ministry which also will not change.
4) Just as the building process took much planning and prayer, so we expect that understanding God's leading us as a people into the future will require similar attention. So that is why we are here to serve the congregation in that task.
The 2020 Vision Team is not a closed group. There are some people who may have the desire to be involved until we have served our purpose. Others may choose to participate only as they have a particular concern or idea to share. In either case, all are welcome. Our meetings will be announced well in advanced. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Lay Leader, Keith Akins at 906/863-7387 or kpembrook@gmail.com.
From the Worship Committee
We are restructuring the usher and greeter responsibilities for the 10:30 AM service. The greeter at the main entrance (off the parking lot) will be a separate responsibility from ushering. If you love meeting and greeting people and feel that you would like to be of service in this way, please contact Barb Akins (863-7387). You would probably be scheduled once every 4-6 weeks. We need people who will be committed to being there on their scheduled day by 10:00 AM. The schedule will be handed out to the greeters in advance, and if you can’t make the scheduled date, you will need to take the responsibility of changing with someone else on the schedule. If you think you might like to do this but aren’t quite sure exactly what you need to know or what you have to do, don’t let that hold you back! We will be glad to provide any help and instruction you need. Our goal is to have the new system in place beginning with the first Sunday in April.
Lenten Schedule
Although we are not officially participating in the ecumenical Lenten services, you are invited to attend any or all of the Lenten services being offered this year. A light meal is being offered at each church at 6:00 PM preceding the worship services which begin at 6:30 PM. The schedule is below.
- March 3rd: First Presbyterian Church in Menominee with Rev. William Clyma preaching.
- March 10th: Peach United Church of Christ in Marinette with Rev. Keith Kolstad preaching.
- March 17th: Pioneer Presbyterian Church in Marinette with Rev. Darrell Diers preaching.
- March 24th: St. James Lutheran Church in Marinette with Rev. Craig Mansur preaching.
-Maundy Thursday, April 1st: To be announced.
- Good Friday Tenebrae Service, April 2nd: 7:00 PM here at our church. Details to be announced.
Basket Auction
The church and the Boy Scout Troop 1177 had a joint venture fundraiser on February 17th. The Boy Scouts put on a spaghetti dinner and at the same time the church held a basket auction. We had 36 baskets donated and raised $787.00. This money will go into the building fund. Everyone had a great time! I would like to thank everyone for their contributions and their help with the auction. In true UMC-Menominee fashion everyone rolled up their sleeves and helped in some way. Some helped by making baskets, others came for the dinner and bid on the baskets, many helped set up and run the auction. The men's club helped in the kitchen by washing dishes! It was truly a full church effort! Thank you again! GOD IS GOOD!
Liane Callow,
Nurture chairperson
Mission of the Year
FYI: Menominee First UMC has received $4, 122.66 so far from being the Marquette District Mission of the Year!
Wednesday Night Live Continues
“Wednesday Night Live” is continuing through for the month of March. Donations remain the same: $4 for adults; $1 for children; or still only $10 for a whole family. The WNL meals are open to anyone in our church or communities. Invite your friends to join you for a home-cooked meal (that you don’t have to cook or clean up after!) and great fellowship.
Evelyn Meiner Circle
You are ALL (men too!) invited to the March meeting of the Evelyn Meiner Circle. Barb and Keith Akins will be presenting a program about their recent trip to Korea and Thailand. We will have a slide presentation as well as a display of items from the area. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm in the basement fellowship hall.
Health Kits for Haiti
Jane Yaeger will be taking our collected health kits to a distribution center at the beginning of April. Let’s try to get all of our supplies collected by March 28th, Palm Sunday. Laurie Tousley will still do your shopping for you if you choose to donate $12 instead of purchasing the supplies yourself. If you want Laurie to shop for you, please give her your donation by March 21st. Thank you for all of your support for Haiti and other troubled parts of the world. Note: The Detroit Annual Conference will NOT be collecting health or sewing kits during the annual conference this year so all kits need to be completed by March 28th.
Food Safety Training
Delta and Menominee Counties’ Public Health Department is offering food safety training free of charge to anyone involved in providing food to the public. Training topics will include foodborne illness causes and prevention, an overview of Michigan’s food safety program, sanitization procedures, hygiene requirements, and the inspection process. this is an excellent opportunity to become more knowledgeable in food safety. (Note: This training does not certify an individual for compliance with certified manager requirements.)
The course runs about three hours. Courses are indicated below. Call Menominee’s Environmental Health Division at 906-863-4451 to register. Registration is necessary, as class size is limited.
Tuesday, March 16th---Menominee
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM CST
or 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM CST
Room 100 at AmericInn,
2330 Tenth Street
Thursday, March 18th---Escanaba
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST
or 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM EST
Room 2020 at M-TEC Center
2000 North 30th Street
Bishop's Day 2010
“Called Out - Creating New Places for New Faces” is the theme for Bishop’s Day 2010. Saturday, March 27th is the day and Gladstone Memorial UMC is the place for the Marquette District event. The day will include workshops, opportunities for worship and fellowship, a message from Bishop Keaton, and lunch, all for $10. Steve Sjogren will provide the keynote address: “Catching a Serving Vision for Your Community.”
Workshops include:
- “How to Reach your Community” with Steve Sjogren
- “The Growth Experiences of the Indian River UMC” with Gary Step
- “Looking at Where God is Moving Us by Facing Change in the Local Church” with Jerry Devine
Everyone is invited to attend this event; members of the committees on Outreach, Nurture, and Worship are especially encouraged to attend. Registrations are due March 13th.
If you are interested in attending, see Pastor Phil ASAP to get registered and arrange for a ride.
