Thanksgiving… a chance to rest up before the big push to Christmas…or is it? The thing is, Thanksgiving is not specifically a Christian Holiday. Don’t get mad at me for saying that. What I mean is that it isn’t a Holiday mandated or connected to anything that is uniquely Christian. One can be of any religion or no religion at all, and still “give thanks”. It really was started as a way to remember the courage of our American Pilgrim ancestors. They courageously survived their first year, or so, by overcoming starvation, loss of crops, sickness, and fights with the Native population. Tradition says that they overcame many of those obstacles through making peace with the Indians. As an act of thanks they had a feast to celebrate their survival. Who did they thank? The easy answer is God… after all, they were a Christian colony. It would have been entirely appropriate for them to take a break from all the hard work and hardships and thank God for their survival. I suspect they were thanking each other for the support of their community. Without their coming together they wouldn’t have survived. They looked after each other, they shared meager supplies with each other, and they nursed each other through sickness. I think they also thanked their Native neighbors. The Indians shared of their food, taught the Colonist better planting practices and better crops to grow. The Indians were very crucial to the survival of the small colony. Without each other and without the Indians we possibly wouldn’t be here today!
That isn’t the whole story, though…they did thank God. God who helped them survive the voyage to the New World. God, who helped them survive that first year. God, who used non-Christians (the Indians) to help them learn to survive in their new home, certainly was with them each step of the way…even to encouraging them to make peace with their new neighbors. Their thankfulness wasn’t a frivolous thing. It came from the painful experience of watching their friends and families die. It was a thankfulness that came from the recognition that without each other, without their Indian neighbors, and without God they would not be alive!
So…this Thanksgiving…I hope that each of us can think deeply about how God has given us one more year. One more year to thank Him, one more year to thank our neighbors (and hopefully to live in peace with them) and one more year to thank each other for the support, love and guidance we have received from each other.
“Thank You, God, and thank all of you”.
Grace and Peace in Jesus,
Pastor Bill
photo credit: Mike Licht
October 4, 2009
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AUGUST MEETING
The August board meeting was postponed and the minutes of that meeting had not been approved at the time this issue was published.
GRAPEVINE
The deadline for the November issue of “The Grapevine” will be October 21st. If you have anything you would like published please contact Ron Dexheimer at 647-1717 or email fishermandex@msn.com. The December issue will be the last issue to be mailed. Copies will be available in the narthex for those who do not have email addresses. If you have an email address and wish to be notified when the newsletter is available online please provide it to Ron. The Grapevine is now online at ecopwgrapevine.blogspot.com.
FOOD PANTRY
Our food pantry is very low and the church is not able to provide for those who are in need. Non-perishable foods of all types are needed to replenish the pantry. Then next time you grocery shop pick up a little extra and bring it for the pantry. Please put anything you bring in the kitchen and it will be put in the pantry. All applicants for assistance from the pantry are screened for need and a record is kept of those who are helped. Here are some suggestions for food donations.
Any canned goods to include canned meats or fish.
Paper towels, toilet paper etc.
Dry goods like Hamburger Helper, instant potatoes, etc.
Jars of peanut butter, jelly, etc.
Anything else you can think of that will not spoil in storage.
MISSION NEWS
On October 4th we will be receiving a mission offering for Peacemaking and World Missions. Twenty-five percent of the offering will be used locally by the YWCA program for battered women.
On October 18th the annual Pueblo CROP walk will be held. CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. The walk is symbolic of the distance traveled each day by impoverished people of the world to obtain food and water. Beginning October 4th there will be a table set up in the narthex to receive donations for CROP. Again, twenty-five percent will remain in Pueblo and will go to the Tom & Louie Cupboard Thanksgiving Food Drive. The walk begins at the SRDA parking lot at 1 p.m. and will circle HARP 2 times. We welcome anyone who wants to walk. If you would like to get donations from friends and family outside the church, feel free to do so. See Ann Berndt for donation sheets.
There are two new mission events coming up in November. On November 8th we will be holding an Alternative Giving Fair featuring Church World Service projects and Heifer International projects. This is a great gift for people who have too much “stuff” already. You’ll be hearing more about this in October. On November 29th the first Sunday in Advent, we will have “Sweat Suit Sunday”. You get to dress comfortably in a sweat suit and will be asked to bring a sweat suit or pajamas in a variety of sizes to be give to the YWCA for the battered women who they help.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
After the worship each Sunday there will be several Bible studies offered in the Kinderkirk building. Children’s Sunday School can be found in the church building. Starting October 4tth and continuing for 6 weeks a new member, baptism and confirmation class will be offered. The location of this class has not been determined. Listen for an announcement on Sunday.
Posted by Ecumenical Church of Pueblo West at 9:14 PM
OCTOBER EVENTS
Oct 3 – Men’s Breakfast @ 8:00 am
Oct 10 Rocky Mountain Lace Guild 9:00 – 1:30 pm
Oct 13 – Worship Committee
Oct 17 – Tatting Class @ 6:30 pm
Oct 15 – Board Meeting @ 7:00 pm
Oct 24 – PW Quilters 10:00 to 3:00 pm
Oct 25 – Mission Sunday
CONTINUING EVENTS
Mon @ 5:30 – Parenting Class
Tues @ 9:30 am – Angel Pin Ministry
Tues @ 6:30 pm – Care to Wait
Wed @ 5:30 pm – Fellowship dinner
Wed @ 6:00 pm – Adult Bible Study
Wed @ 6:30 pm – Youth & Children
Groups
Wed @ 7:00 pm – Choir practice
ORDER OF WORSHIP
Beginning Sunday, October 4th there will be one worship service. The service has been redesigned to include the best of both of the previous services. Worship will start at 9:20 am with an organ prelude.
More emphasis is being placed on smooth transitions and an even flow to the service.
The order of worship will be as follows.
9:20 – 9:30 Prelude
Announcements
Song of Greeting by the Praise Team
Sounding bells and candle lighting by acolytes
Call to Worship
Pastoral Prayer
Songs of Worship
Offering
Doxology
Responsive Psalm
Scripture Reading
Special Music
Children’s Moment
Sermon Communion and Song
Song of Benediction (2 verses)
If you have favorite songs that you would like to have sung during Songs of Worship please write them down and leave at the office. Pastor Bill is working on a communication card on which you can provide input on several areas of ministry and the worship service.
What exciting times we live in! There is so much going on… I don’t know if more is going on or we just get more information about what is going on. It has been said that we live in the “age of information”. I think that may be true. In a time when there is so much information available on every subject known to the human race, it can get sort of confusing about what information to share. We don’t want to add to the information over-load, but we do need to keep people informed. What is one to do?
It makes me think of the Apostle Paul who said, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Cor 2:2-3) Wow! Paul was so brilliant. He was an extremely well educated man, with a very sophisticated understanding of Greek culture and language. He was very well versed in many aspects of Greek philosophy, yet he while he is with the Greeks (Corinth was a Greek city) he didn’t make that claim. He only talked about Jesus and what Jesus had done for those who believe in Him.
Years ago, when I was a salesman, I carried a card in my front shirt pocket. The card simply had K.I.S.S. printed on it. That simple card was an important reminder to Keep It Simple Stupid! Yes, a reminder for me to not over complicate what I was doing. The more simple things are the less that can go wrong in trying to explain them. I think sometimes we Christians need a KISS card. Something to remind us that this whole thing about being a follower of Jesus is not rocket science, so that only the smart or well learned can do it. No, it is as simple as the age old song…”Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” We receive all of this because God cared enough to give us His only Son.
As you go through the next few weeks, remember that when it comes to your relationship with God, there is really only one thing to know…no, not what does KISS stand for. What we all have to remember is …”Jesus Christ and Him crucified”!
September 3, 2009
SEPTEMBER EVENTS
Sep 8 – Men’s Breakfast @ 8:00 am
Sep 10 – Worship Committee
Sep 11 &12 – Flea Market & Plant Sale @ 8:00 am
Sep 13 – Ice Cream Social @ 5:00 pm
Sep 14 – Parenting Class @ 5:30 pm
Sep 20 – Congregational Meeting @ 10:00 am
Sep 21 – Fellowship Sewing @ 9:30 am
Sep 21 – Tatting Class @ 6:30 pm
Sep 24 – Pastor Leadership Training @ 9:30 am
Sep 24 – Board Meeting @ 7:00 pm
Sep 27 – Mission Sunday
CONTINUING EVENTS
Tues @ 9:30 am – Angel Pin Ministry
Wed @ 5:30 pm – Fellowship dinner
Wed @ 6:30 pm – Youth & Children Groups
Wed @ 6:30 pm – Bible Study
Starting on Tuesday, Sep 15 – Care to Wait
THIRD ANNUAL PLANT SALE
The Paradise Memorial Garden will host it’s Third Annual Plant Sale on Friday, September 11th and Saturday, September 12th. The sale will run form 8:00 am to 3:00 pm each day in the parking lot near the garden. This year’s sale will also include a craft sale featuring garden art. Some of the featured items will be bird baths, hummingbirds on a stake, pottery mushrooms, and plant charms. Please contact Shirley Stanelle if you or a friend would like a space to sell hand crafted items with a garden art theme.
REPORT OF THE PRESBYTERY CONSULATION TEAM
The consultation team identified five strengths, five concerns and presented five prescriptions (solutions). Due to space limitations only the concerns and prescriptions will be addressed here.
Five concerns
1. Mission & Vision: Congregation needs a clear mission and compelling vision.
2. Not Organized and Staffed for Growth: The church is not designed or staffed to achieve the mission and vision of a growing church.
3. Decline of Members: In the last five years the church has lost nearly half its members (49&).
4. Community Outreach: The community ministries are ineffective in connecting service projects with attracting new members.
5. Sunday Morning Worship: The worship services and music are not strategically outward-focused and designed for a particular population.
Prescriptions
1. Mission & Vision: The pastor in conjunction with the Executive Presbyter will write an outwardly-focused Mission Statement of the congregation for its approval by the Board and communication to the congregation by October 4, 2009.
2. Not Organized or Staffed for Growth: With consultation from Gary Weaver, the Board will align resources, responsibility, authority and accountability for the Board, the Pastor, the Staff and the Congregational Members to accomplish their mission work together by November 29, 2009. The Pastor’s primary responsibilities will be changed from “congregational care” to “mission leader.”
3. Decline of Members: The Board will be trained to restructure the church’s ministries to effectively prepare for, receive, and fully assimilate new people into the worship and community live of the congregation by October 25, 2009.
4. Community Outreach: All ministries will be aimed at community targets with the mission of connecting new people with Christ and Christ’s body.
5. Sunday Morning Worship: One of the current worship services will be redesigned that is relative to the needs of the current congregation. The other worship service will be designed in music and style and given priority as to the time and day best suited for target populations by April 4, 2010 (Easter Sunday).
A Congregational Meeting will be called by the Board to vote to accept or reject this Report without amendment by September 20, 2009.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JULY MEETING
The July 23rd Board of Directors meeting was opened with prayer and called to order by President Diane Preuss Devotions were led by Stacey Burns.
GRAPEVINE
The deadline for the October issue of “The Grapevine” will be September 21st. If you have anything you would like published please contact Ron Dexheimer at 647-1717 or email fishermandex@msn.com. Written copy can also be left at the church office. The Grapevine is now online at ecopwgrapevine.blogspot.com.
REPORT
CHANGE
It is one of the great constants of life. Whether because of the slow and gradual erosion of time, or swift and cataclysmic moments of trauma, change happens to everyone. People change; relationships change; jobs change; technology changes; indeed life itself can be described as a process of continual change. Some changes are positive: a new friend, a new house, a financial windfall; while others are negative: a tragic loss, a job layoff, the upheaval of natural disaster. Either way, change produces stress. The Bible teaches two great truths about change. The first is that despite the changing world around us, God is changeless and dependable. The second is that God calls for an inner change of heart, called repentance, that produces an outer change of lifestyle, called obedience. .
Posted by Ecumenical Church of Pueblo West at 7:08 PM
July 30, 2009
AUGUST EVENTS
Aug 1 – Men’s Breakfast @ 8:00 am
Aug 2 – VBS Follow-up Reception @ 6:00 pm
Aug 10 – Worship Committee @ 7:00 pm
Aug 12 – Worship Committee @ 6:00 pm
Aug 16 – Church Picnic/Ice Cream Social 4:00 pm
Aug 17 – PWCA starts
Aug 17 – Fellowship Sewing @ 9:30 am
Aug 23 – Mission Sunday
Aug 27 – Finance Committee @ 6:00 pm
Aug 27 – Board Meeting @ 7:00 pm
Aug 30 – Combined Service
CONTINUING EVENTS
Tues @ 9:30 am – Angel Pin Ministry
Wed @ 6:00 pm – Youth & Children Groups @ 6:00 pm
PICNIC
The Ecumenical Church of Pueblo West will hold it’s annual church picnic on August 16th at 4:00 pm. A meat and drinks will be provided by the church and the Board of Directors. The remainder of the meal will be a pot luck so please bring salads, beans, potato salad etc. as well as desserts. It is possible that PWCA will provide their water slide for the event. There will be sports equipment available for both young and old. This is a great time for all ages to get together in a setting, other than church service, for fun and fellowship. Please plan to attend.
AMBASSADORS
IN WHAT WAY MIGHT CHRISTIANS BE CALLED GOD’S AMBASSADORS?
BIBLE READING: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21
Christians represent the Kingdom of God
An ambassador is an official representative from one country to another. As believers, we are Christ’s ambassadors, sent with his message of reconciliation to the world. An ambassador of reconciliation has an important responsibility. We dare not take this responsibility lightly. How well are you fulfilling your commission as Christ’s ambassador?
BIBLE READING: Exodus 7:1-14
Christians represent God
God called Moses his ambassador. An ambassador represents another country, another type of people, and often another point of view. We are each God’s ambassadors-representing to the world that Christians are a different kind of people with a different lifestyle. Much of the world knows nothing about God except what it sees in the lives of God’s people. What kind of God would they think you represent? Taking note of how you come across to others gives you a good indication of how well you are representing God.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The April meeting of the Board of Directors was called to order on April 23rd by President Diane Preuss. Devotions and prayer were led by Diane Preuss.
Randy Schade presented the PWCA Financial Report. The school had a net gain of $939.40 for March.
Joy Cress reported on the safety issues brought before the board in February. She stated that the trees are looking a lot better, but she would like them to be trimmed up a little bit more. The hallway door has been tabled until later in the summer.
Joy Cress proposed an additional Kindergarten class for the 2009 – 2010 school year. The school is also looking into offering a home school option. The use of space at Majestic Baptist is still being explored.
Margaret Diaz and Bennie Dahlquist reported that a thrift shop steering committee has been created. The thrift shop will be called “Thrifty Threads Etc.” A store has been located in the same strip mall that houses the “Solid Ground” café. Lease negotiations are underway. The Angel Pin ministry has been asked to help with start up costs.
Pastor Bill reported that on June 7th a Sunday evening praise team led service will begin. It will be an informal gathering to share what’s going on in the lives of attendees.
Pastor Bill reported that the roof looks bad! The properties committee is getting informal bids on it. The roof is in four different sections and each sections can be completed separately.
Pastor Bill presented options on building security.
There continues to be problems and breakdowns with the vacuums. It was suggested that three cheaper models be purchased and assign them to certain locations
Board meeting dates and times will be changed to the 4th Thursday of each month beginning on May 28th through October 2009. November and December meetings will be on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Meeting time remains at 7:00 p.m.
GRAPEVINE
The deadline for the July issue of “The Grapevine” will be June 21st. If you have anything you would like published please contact Ron Dexheimer at 647-1717 or email fishermandex@msn.com. Written copy can also be left at the church office. The Grapevine is now online. You can access it at ecopwgrapevine.blogspot.com. If you have an email address please send an email to Ron so he you can give you notification of when the Grapevine is published.
JUNE EVENTS
Jun 2 – Vision Team meeting @ 6:30 p.m.
Jun 6 – Men’s breakfast @ 8:00 a.m.
Jun 10 – Worship Committee @ 7:00 p.m.
Jun 12 – Worship Committee @ 6:00 p.m.
Jun 12/13 – Yard Sale
Jun 15 – Fellowship Sewing @ 9:30 a.m.
Jun 15 – Tatting Class @ 6:30 p.m.
Jun 17 – Youth & Children @ 6:00 p.m.
Jun 19 – Lamphear/Hinckley Wedding @ 6:00 p.m.
Jun 20 – Tea in the Garden @ 11:00 a.m.
Jun 21 – Children’s Pageant/Father’s Day/Continental Breakfast
Jun 24 – Youth & Children @ 6:00 p.m.
Jun 25 – Finance Committee @ 6:00 p.m.
Jun 25 – Board Meeting @ 7:00 p.m.
Jun 28 – Newman Anniversary
RECURRING EVENTS
Tuesdays @ 9:30 a.m. – Angel Pin Ministry
Tuesdays @ 5:00 p.m. – Care to Wait
Wed @ 5:00 p.m. – Dinner
Wed @ 6:00 p.m. – Bible Study
GARAGE SALE
On June 12 and 13 the Ecumenical Church of Pueblo West and PWCA/Kinderkirk will be working together on one big garage sale to benefit both the church and the school. Are you doing your spring cleaning and are ending up with a pile of stuff? Stuff is what garage sales are made of. You may donate your stuff by either bringing it to the church office or call the office (548-3088) to have your stuff picked up. Do you have a spare minute? If you do, consider volunteering to help make this the best garage sale ever. No special talent needed. Contact Nancy Keller at 547-2318 or email pankeller@hotmail.com to volunteer.
TEA IN THE GARDEN
The Gardenin’ Angels are planning a special day of pampering for all who attend the Tea on Saturday, June 20th. Arrive at 11:00 a.m. in the front courtyard and after you receive your name card, enjoy the fruit and cheese buffet until the tour of the Paradise Garden begins. After the tour, relax among the foliage and be served small finger sandwiches, scone with jam, crèmes and fancy deserts. A choice of three kinds of brewed tea will complete the lunch. Penn Parmenter will speak on “Gardening and Herbs” followed by a question and answer period. Penn lives on a ranch near Westcliffe. She and her husband, Cord, maintain 15,000 square feet of gardens. They teach classes at the Denver Botanic Gardens and give workshops throughout Southern Colorado. This is a fund raiser for the Garden. Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $7.00 for children 10 and under. Contact Sharon Shaub for more information. Wear an elegant hat.
The Hospitality Ministry has devised a plan for rotation of church members to organize and serve at church events, including potlucks, fundraisers, memorial services/funerals, weddings, and other events that may require our services. You may be needed for any one of a variety of needs: cooking, serving, greeting, setting up and/or cleaning up, providing desserts, etc.
We have established three groups and have begun to fill our rosters in order to use these groups for the Tuesday evening “Care to Wait” meal. We are including those of you who signed up to help with that program. We in the process of calling others listed in the new directory. By including as many people as possible, we expect to minimize the number of times each person is called on to serve. We thank you in advance for your willingness to help!
Frances Matthew, Mona Novak, and Kathy Sherwood, Hospitality Ministry Chairpersons
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