IN PRAISE of GOD's UNCHANGING LOVE a Note from Our Senior Pastor, Dr
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MESSENGER IN PRAISE OF GOD'S UNCHANGING LOVE A note from our senior pastor, Dr. Jonathan Beck I N S I D E : Feature, 3 Missions, 4 Women, 5 Children, 6 Discipleship, 7 Youth, 8 December Preview, 9 All Saints, 10 Calendar, 11 PASTORS In Praise of God's Dr. Jonathan Beck [email protected] Unchanging Love Rev. AnnaKate Rawles by Dr. Jonathan Beck [email protected] The Christian’s thankful disposition does not come from Rev. Janet Davis wishful thinking or a Pollyanna innocence, but from a Minister Spiritual Formation deep trust in God’s goodness. So many of the Psalms [email protected] speak to this grounding of hope and gratitude. “The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.”(Psalm 145:13) And read slowly STAFF this beautiful passage: “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness Morgan Clark and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and Youth Minister righteousness looks down from heaven. The LORD will indeed give what is Jessika Horner good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and Children & Family Minister prepares the way for his steps.”(Psalm 85:10-13) The most basic affirmation Nora Huete of life is the great YES we shout to God for his faithfulness and love. Business Manager However, in the struggles of life we can sometimes lose sight of God’s grace Mishell Dykes at work in our lives. Martin Rinkart is a great example of someone who was Membership, Worship able to keep his eyes on God and express his gratitude in the midst of dark Slides, & Bulletin times. Rinkart was a German pastor who served in the walled town of Darlene Brown Eilenburg during the horrors of the Thirty Years' War of 1618-1648. Eilenburg Communications, became an overcrowded refuge for the surrounding area. The fugitives Messenger, Web, Facebook suffered from epidemics and famine. At the beginning of 1637, the year of Frank Ruholl the Great Pestilence, there were four ministers in Eilenburg. But one Safe Sanctuary Staff abandoned his post for healthier areas and could not be persuaded to MaryBeth Bonin return. Pastor Rinkart officiated at the funerals of the other two. As the only pastor left, he often conducted services for as many as 40 to 50 persons a KDO Director day—some 4,480 people in all. In May of that year, his own wife died. By the Kim Smuck end of the year, the refugees had to be buried in trenches without services. KDO Associate Director In the midst of that, Rinkart wrote this verse for his children to recite: ‘Now thank we all our God, With hearts and hands and voices; Who wondrous things hath done, In whom this world rejoices. MUSIC STAFF Who, from our mother's arms, Hath led us on our way, Jan Schluter With countless gifts of love, And still is ours today.’ Music Director Julianne Korn Some studies have shown how our early family experiences determines our outlook for the rest of our lives. A loving family teaches us openness to life 9:30 am Music Leader and others, and fosters a disposition of mutual care and concern. A faithful Phil Sparks family teaches trust and adventure because you cannot fail when Organist surrounded by those whom you can always count on. No matter your earthly family background, your heavenly Father surrounds you with faithfulness and love from the day you enter the family of God. We can always give God thanks for his love and faithfulness at all times. ‘I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your CONTACTING THE CHURCH faithfulness from the great assembly. Ps. 40:10 Phone: (504) 834-9910 Even better, we can share God’s faithfulness and love with those who do not www.munhollandumc.org know Him yet. Perhaps they will say, ‘Yes!’ to God’s invitation to became part of His family. SPECIAL ARTICLE HOME Sweet HOME By: Nancy Hudson Miller, Lay Leader When I was a child and teenager growing up in a very small town in Louisiana, our Methodist ministers and their families always lived in a parsonage right next door to the church. We kids played and prayed with the preacher’s kids, always realizing that, sooner or later (usually sooner in little towns), those kids, their mother and their preacher dad would move on to another Methodist church and yet another parsonage throughout their father’s ministry. It wasn’t until I was quite a bit older that I understood that the church Conference provided those houses for the families and that they were maintained by the Conference. In the late 1980’s the Conference began to allow the churches to own those parsonages. I always wondered where those ministers went to live when they retired. Now I know…the options are very limited! In the larger churches, the movement to encourage ministers to own their own homes began to take hold, and today most ministers in larger churches are paid a housing allowance in their compensation package to assist in buying homes and building equity in a house. When those ministers move along to another church, this equity will enable them to buy another house while they are still active in the ministry or to purchase a retirement home when that time comes. But what about all those ministers not given the opportunity through the years to purchase a home during ministry and their retirement? They’ve lived in parsonages during all of their ministry and many of them have no viable place to go upon retirement. There’s no parsonage if you’re no longer a preacher! While they can use a certain amount of their accrued pension for such a purchase, it greatly reduces their monthly pension. In realization of this issue and in concern and compassion for such ministers and their wives (in many cases their widows), the Retired Minister Homes Board, Inc., was formed. The Board is now an independent foundation and seeks to purchase homes which are then leased to retired ministers for a nominal amount. The Foundation pays for the upkeep and insurance on these homes. There are currently 31 such homes across the state of Louisiana. The Board is hoping to acquire more homes, as there are many, many ministers slated to retire in the next 10 years. The Retired Ministers Homes Board, Inc. is asking each congregation to designate a Sunday offering to be designated to the housing needs of retired ministers. Even ‘pocket change’ is helpful, I have been told. The monies will be used for purchase and upkeep of houses. And for those philanthropists ever eager to get a tax deduction, the gifting of a house is most appreciated! We are designating Sunday, November 20, 2016, as the special day to help with this very important ministry. Thanks for all you do. Go Do By Rev. AnnaKate Rawles Colossians 3:17 says “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” it's that time again! Contact Debbie Holman for more information at [email protected]. Remember the movie “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,”? It was a sad, funny tale about a fictional group of women who have been friends for decades, sharing life’s “ups and downs” from grade school through middle age and beyond? I was reminded of this story recently when I attended the funeral of a childhood friend’s husband. My friend was surrounded by her own circle of “Ya-Yas”, friends whose lives have formed an interwoven strand of shared tragedies and triumphs which bind them together and strengthen them when life’s difficulties occur. Although people who are born and by Pat Mitchell raised in New Orleans often choose to stay to remain connected to their deep roots; there are those whose paths have taken them away from familiar places and faces. If you find yourself feeling isolated and cut off, you can connect with other women in the church in meaningful ways that grow deep friendships lasting a lifetime. The simple definition of friendship is a relationship between people who care about each other. But as we all know, friendship has many aspects, with shared interests and values topping the list. So, how do we go about building these relationships? First of all, if you are a follower of Jesus, you have been adopted into the family of God. In Mark 3:5, Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister. .” What better place to find potential lasting friendships than in the body of Christ where women are devoted to doing the will of God in the world? More than blood ties, proximity and familiarity, our faith and shared desire to be obedient draw us into sisterhood in Christ. At Munholland there are many different ways to connect with other women. Do you enjoy Bible study and discussion? There are several small groups based on studying and applying scripture. Do you enjoy visiting and encouraging others? The Care Team needs you! Are you fulfilled by cooking and sharing meals with those in need? We have teams who prepare, deliver and serve meals at Mt. Zion and St. Mark’s. Do you enjoy knitting and crocheting? The women of The Shawl Ministry get together once a month to share their faith and love by creating comforting shawls and chemo caps for those undergoing medical treatments.