Good Shepherd United Methodist Church
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church 1201 Leta Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80911 (719) 392-5782 Good Shepherd United Methodist Church – January 2020 Thoughts from Terilynn UMC SCHISM IS INEVITABLE Like an impending divorce due to “irreconcilable differences,” the United Methodist Church is preparing to split. The clashing over LGBTQ inclusion has reached the defining moment this year. Decisions must be made as to how to split, when and who gets what. The General Conference meets in Minneapolis, Minnesota May 5-20, 2020. The number of legislative plans to be considered is daunting. Plans designed to hold as much of the UMC together as possible, keep the name, and the cross-flame emblem. Plans to organize 2 to 4 different Methodist splinters and create a United Methodist umbrella. Plans for gracious and amicable exits which allow churches to take property, clergy credentials and membership to form new denominations. Depending on legislative decisions made at Minneapolis GC2020 as well as the Judicial Council’s rubberstamp, schisms could be neatly organized or a disorganized walk out-walk away. For Methodists who would have preferred to not deal with disagreements over LGBTQ inclusion in membership, marriage, and ministry, the disturbance is moving closer to the local church’s backyard. Most plans call for individual congregations to choose which way their members will go. To know more about the future of the United Methodist Church and how it could affect Good Shepherd, our church leaders are hosting a district-wide focus group session on Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. All United Methodists are invited to meet with facilitators Rev. Kent Ingram, 2020 GC clergy delegate and/or Rev Tiffany Keith, Western Jurisdiction clergy delegate. Ingram and Keith will guide information about the many different options and routes Mountain Sky Conference leadership is considering. The session is also about listening to us as we give feedback about the various scenarios being explored throughout the denomination. Our comments will be shared with the MSC Pathways Team which was recently created to provide greater perspective to our General Conference and Western Jurisdiction Lay & Clergy delegates. Serving Christ is an adventure! 2 Good Shepherd United Methodist Church – January 2020 News From United Methodist Women Did you know that United Methodist Women is the largest denominational faith organization for women, numbering over 800,000 members? Units affiliated with United Methodist Churches exist throughout the United States and work around the world to support U.S. and international projects that improve the lives of women, children, and youth everywhere. Last year, Good Shepherd’s UMW unit supported such mission projects as UMCOR (our on-going collection of hygiene kit supplies), Days for Girls (supplying sanitary supplies to women and girls who lack access to such items), and TESSA (local non-profit working to end domestic violence). Additionally, we funded our pledge to missions through UMW of $1620, and funded Good Shepherd’s financial support ($795) of missionary, Donna Pewo, in Clinton, OK. Our local unit of UMW will kick off our 2020 year at 9 a.m. on January 4. Join us as we discuss plans for the coming year and the ways in which we live out our Purpose by knowing God, developing a supportive fellowship, and reaching out in mission around the world. The 2019 officers will supply refreshments and our standard meeting responsibilities. Everyone else—just come! Mary Ann Tabor WHAT DO YOU THINK? A CHANCE TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS As United Methodists prepare to decide the future of our denomination, delegates to General Conference 2020 want our input. General Conference 2020 will be a momentous one—one that changes our organization, our denomination, and our lives as United Methodists. 3 Good Shepherd United Methodist Church – January 2020 Rev. Kent Ingram and Rev. Tiffany Keith, delegates to the 2020 General Conference and the 2020 Jurisdictional Conference are conducting focus sessions in the Colorado Springs area to find out what congregations want them to know, as they represent us at General Conference in Minneapolis from May 5-15. Good Shepherd is hosting one of the focus session groups here on Thursday, January 16, at 6:30 p.m. This is the opportunity for us to learn more about the issue and some of the proposals for schism, as well as to express our thoughts to the delegates about reorganization. Currently, there are four primary proposals for reorganization with suggestions ranging from splintering into three or four different denominations to remaining intact with punitive restrictions. If you would like to see these proposals as they appear now, let me know. I will be happy to provide a chart for you, so that you can compare them side-by-side. This focus group is open to all. We have invited other United Methodist congregations in the vicinity to attend, too. Please come. Mary Ann Tabor MISSIONS FEATURE FOR JANUARY Good Shepherd is blessed to have active participation in various mission activities. Our congregation has a covenant relationship with Donna Pewo, the missionary serving at the Clinton Church and Community Center in Clinton, Oklahoma. Our emergency food pantry is open weekly for the people in our area. And Good Shepherd supports mission work all over the world through our conference offerings. This month, we are featuring the UMCOR hygiene kits. As you know, our local unit of United Methodist Women has been sponsoring the collection of emergency kit items every year since 2004. And last year, with your most generous help in donating items and building the kits, our church mission trip team took 300 hygiene kits from Good Shepherd to UMCOR West. Yay! We accept any of these items all year long. Just leave them at the Welcome Center and we’ll take care of them from there. THANK YOU. Hand towels (15X25 up to 17X27 inches) terrycloth only Sorry, no kitchen towels of microfiber fabrics. Wash cloths Bars of Soap (3 ounces or larger in original wrappers) Sorry, no Ivory or Jergen’s, due to moisture content. Combs (no pocket combs—must have at least 6 inches of teeth) Toothbrushes (adult size without a dentist’s office information) 4 Good Shepherd United Methodist Church – January 2020 Nail clippers Regular size adhesive bandages (any brand but no odd sizes) 1 gallon zip-lock plastic bags MaryAnn Tabor and Mary Humphreys INSIGHTS—Adult Study Our founder, John Wesley, had such a high regard for education and knowledge that he established the forerunner of our modern study groups. He led the Holy Club, a study group started by his brother, Charles, when they were both college students. Later, John even encouraged women to lead classes and occasionally preach. (Wow, this was in the 1700’s.) While most of us do not spend 3 hours every evening in Bible study and pray for several minutes of “every waking hour,” as John Wesley did, we often comment about how much we have grown personally through study, especially study in the presence of others. When we share learning with others, we learn from each person as much as we learn from any materials. That’s what I like so much about our Insights adult Sunday school class. We share leadership duties and engage in animated discussion. We acknowledge that we do not all think alike, but we can respect each other’s ideas. Won’t you come and join us January 12 as we begin a 6-week study on Mike Slaughter’s book Revolutionary Kingdom: Following the Rebel Jesus. Mary Ann Tabor January Birthdays/Anniversaries Steve Smith 4 Amanda Cribbett 6 Maria King 9 Vanda Skadden 10 Barbara Sterry 11 Mary Jean Ciemiewicz 13 Jim DeRubis 20 Ben Wentworth 21 A.J. Johnsen 21 Judy Hodges 21 Tamara Garman 21 Beverly Weinert 23 Brenda Ledeboer 25 Lonnie Garman 25 5 Good Shepherd United Methodist Church – January 2020 Judy Henke 30 Bob Rickard 31 Worship Schedule January 5 EPIPHANY OF THE LORD BREAD OF LIFE – What are you hungry for? John 6:1-21 Holy Communion Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46 January 12 BAPTISM OF THE LORD BREAD OF LIFE – You are what you spiritually eat. John 6:24-35 Noisy Offering Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9 January 19 BREAD OF LIFE–Read the Spiritual Food Label John 6:35,41-51 Scripture: Isaiah 49:1-7 January 26 BREAD OF LIFE–The Perfectly Balanced Spiritual Eating Lifestyle John 6:51-58 Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-4 February 2 BREAD OF LIFE – Challenges of the Healthy Spiritual Diet John 6:58-69 Holy Communion Scripture: Micah 6:1-8 Taking Down the Greens Join us January 5, following church service, as we take down the “Greens”. Story Behind the Song: ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are We three kings of Orient are bearing gifts we traverse afar; field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. O star of wonder, star of light, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light. Every reader has probably seen a Christmas pageant where three young boys dress up as the three kings, complete with crowns and gifts, while the choir or congregation sang “We three kings.” This hymn may be the primary reason for this tradition and is a peculiarly American contribution to the repertoire of this season. The author and composer, John Henry Hopkins, Jr. (1820-1891), was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received his education at the University of Vermont and at General Theological Seminary in New York City, graduating in 1850. Hopkins then became the first church music instructor at General Theological Seminary and was the founding editor of the Church Journal (1853-1868).