Messiah’s Monthly Messenger Vol. 19, No. 7 • July 2019 THOUGHTS FROM OUR PASTOR Greetings Sisters and Brothers in Christ, I give God all the Glory and Praise for being appointed as your Pastor. I look forward to all the ministry and mission work we will accomplish together. So, what does that really mean? Being a Pastor… To many people, it is the person who is in-charge of OR responsible for a church or congregation. Merriam-Webster defines pastor as a spiritual overseer and gives the history or etymology from the 14th or 15th century English translation of a French word for herdsman or one who is responsible for feed. Some other common titles: priest, parson, clergyman, cleric, padre or father, and finally preacher (of which I am not a fan, to me it has an incorrect connotation). I like to think of pastor in relation to pasture. You know… pasture, a place where the flock comes to be fed, cared for, encouraged and supported, to lay down their burdens, to rest from their daily activities … so that they can then go back out into the world strengthened and prepared for whatever comes their way. The pastor is one who cares for and guides the flock. A person who has been called to support, heal, encourage, offer direction, definitely challenge from time to time, all-the-while staying faithful to their Lord and Master. From time-to-time I will share some of my background: where I was born, raised, educated, where and when my call to ministry occurred, and many other bits and pieces of my personal history. HOWEVER… My most immediate responsibility is to get to know you, what your individual faith and life stories are, understand our call to ministry in this community, and see how I can offer guidance on this walk of faith together. I have already mentioned to some folks that I will ask a lot of questions… the who, what, when, where, why, and how – open-ended questions. This is done so that I can gain knowledge and understanding, so please do not be offended when I ask. When you visit me in the office, I will probably be streaming music. On a monthly basis, I hope to share current Christian music that I am listening to. I am a huge fan of Crowder, his newest CD “I Know a Ghost” is getting lots of airplay on Christian Radio right now. I have a couple songs which I really like, but the song “Red Letters” might be my favorite. Give it a listen, then let’s talk about it! Who is your favorite artist? What style or genre of music do you listen to? Is that different than your preference for ‘church music’? If so, why? Shalom, God’s Peace Be With You. Pastor Randy Zeiler Messiah United Methodist Church 1300 N. Beaver St. York, PA 17404 717-843-4574 www.yorkmessiahumc.org [email protected] Sunday Service: 10:30 AM Sunday School: 9:15 AM CHILDREN’S MINISTRY DISCIPLE TOWN For July, students in grades K-6 will have activities and projects on the second floor on these dates: July 21 and July 28. During the rest of the month, busy bags and books are prepared in the first floor coat room and library. If you have something to contribute to the newsletter, you can email me at [email protected] or drop a note in the newsletter mailbox at the church by July 20! All creative ideas are welcome! July 14 and August 25 are designated Messiah UMC t-shirt Sundays. You can wear your Messiah t-shirt or a green t-shirt if you so choose! PARAMENTS FOR THE SANCTUARY We need to replace the white paraments in the Sanctuary (altar frontal and pulpit and lectern scarves). If you would be interested in contributing to this fund, please let Debbie Haar know. You are welcome to put a donation no matter how small in an envelope with the notation parament fund and place it in the offering plate. We would like to be able to order the new paraments by September 1 to have in place on All Saints Sunday in November. We greatly appreciate any donations that you might make towards this project. 2 | Page SPONSOR FLOWERS JULY LITURGISTS We need someone to sponsor flowers on July 7 Sunday, September 1. If interested, please Mindy Inners contact Debbie Haar or the church office. Thank you! July 14 Chuck Gembe July 21 PASTOR BOB’S NEW ADDRESS: Beth Green Robert Vizthum July 28 8865 Center Pointe Drive Liz Berger Baldwinsville, NY 13027 UNITED METHODIST WOMEN We will be having our annual indoor summer picnic on Monday, August 19, 2019! We will be having a salad bar and potato bar for dinner and a sign-up sheet will be posted by July 7 on the UMW bulletin board near the West entrance. Potatoes and Salad will be provided but we are asking participants to bring a potato or salad topping along to share with the group. We are also looking for any Flamingo decorations you may have. Please contact Debbie Haar if you have something we can borrow! Our program is entitled “Do the Flamingo” and we will share a Julia Bettencourt devotional followed by a presentation from Nicole Smith from the York Health Bureau who will give a presentation on falls prevention and A Matter of Balance. All the women are invited attend as well as men to learn about the Matter of Balance class that could possibly be held at Messiah. We will be also be inviting the ladies from Calvary UMC and St. Paul’s UMC in Manchester. Any questions, please contact [email protected]. 3 | Page ITEMS NEEDED FOR 2019 YORK CITY DAY CAMP Sandwich and snack bags; paper plates (lg thin plates); 9 oz. paper cups; napkins; 10 inch heavy duty paper plates; Spaghetti sauce; Peanut butter; Jelly (strawberry or grape); Cereal; Pop tarts; lemons; food coloring; baking soda; cornstarch; dish soap; corn syrup. Crafts: Modeling clay (the kind you bake to harden); printer paper (2 pks); brown lunch paper bags; beads (any type); flower pots; soil; seeds or plants; microfiber gloves; plastic pipettes. Items can be put in the box under the west entrance bulletin board. Thank you! RESTAURANT FUNDRAISERS Thank you for supporting the restaurant fundraisers for Messiah! Many of us eat out after church, so why not support our church? To date, we have raised $342.11!! We are still waiting for the Primanti Bros. figures to come in. This is such an easy way to raise funds, as it does not cost us any money to set these up. Since July is a busy month with July 4th, Pastor Randy’s arrival, church picnic and vacations, we are taking a break this month. Thank you for your support and look for next month’s location in your August newsletter! MISSION CENTRAL HUB NEWS Our local Mission Central Hub has chosen a new project and requests our help: School backpacks for students at Goode Elementary school. Our congregation is asked to buy and donate composition books. We'll be collecting these items for the remainder of the school year. There is a donation basket at the West Entrance until mid-July. Thanks for your help with this project! If you have any questions, please contact Carol Peel. 4 | Page HELP WANTED Looking to help grow Messiah? Do you have an idea to reach out to our neighbors? Fundraising ideas? Willing to make a few phone calls or some copies? Don’t want to present your idea at a meeting? Write it out and put it in an envelope with Outreach/Activity meeting on it and we will discuss it. Pastor Randy will be joining us for this brainstorming and planning session Wednesday, July 17th at 6:30 pm, location to be announced. I am hopeful the parlor will be too small and we will need a larger room! Can’t attend?? You can call or email me with ideas, concerns or suggestions: 717-818-7462 or [email protected] -Amy Olson Shewell UNITED METHODIST MEN Prayer Breakfast & Meeting Prayer Breakfast Saturdays at 8am Thursdays at 8am Round the Clock Diner Astoria Diner on Rt. 30 1900 W Market Street, West York July 6 August 3 July 18 September 7 August 15 October 5 September 19 November 2 October 17 December 7 November 21 December 19 5 | Page THE INFLUENCERS By Judy Berger I had begun my second year of teaching, had just moved into my first apartment, and was trying to figure out life. I was stressed and I had a tendency to worry about everything. That’s when I met Irma Gainer, or rather that’s when God put Irma in my life. Irma was a teacher’s aide, assigned to my special education classroom. She was the mother of three and a pastor’s wife who had recently lost her husband and was now raising her youngest son alone. Newly employed, Irma, I am sure, was also trying to figure out life and her new circumstances. Irma stood 4’10” but what she lacked in height she made up in spirit! Though life was not easy for her, Irma remained strong in faith. She prayed about everything and stayed optimistic and full of hope. She was an amazing friend who, by example, helped me in my faith journey by bringing me into a closer relationship with God. When I was going through a particularly difficult time that year, Irma gave me a slip of paper which contained this scripture: “Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.