Excerpts from the September 2018 UMC Newsletter
From the Pastor’s Desk
Dear Friends, As Summer turns to Fall I would like to share with you several things I’m excited about!
First, please welcome our new office administrator Janiece Stroup! She is hard at work learning all the church office procedures and doing a great job. The office hours are Sunday through Thursday from 9am till noon. Janiece will be at the church on Sundays supporting the Sunday School and worship service. Please welcome her when you have the chance!
Second, the Summer Sermon series from the Acts will come to a close on September 2nd. I’m starting a new sermon series on September 9th titled Grace Matters! We Methodists believe in and value God’s amazing grace. During the four weeks of the Grace Matters! series we will explore many of the interesting facets of God’s grace and how we experience it in and through our lives.
What do I mean by grace? Bishop William Willimon says “Grace pervades our understanding of Christian faith and life. By grace we mean the underserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever present Holy Spirit.” We experience God’s grace as undivided but it “precedes salvation as ‘prevenient grace’, continues in ‘justifying grace’ and is brought to fruition in ’sanctifying grace.’” (1) The Grace Matters! sermon series will explore each of these facets of grace and their implication for our lives!
Third, I am teaching an adult Sunday School class that will mesh with the Grace Matters! sermon series and allow those who attend to discuss and engage the sermon scriptures and ideas in an open discussion format. The class is called Insight! . It starts on Sunday, September 9th at 8:30am in the church library. Check it out and you will be blessed!
I’m excited to see how God moves through the ministries of our church this fall. There are many ways that you can be involved so be attentive to the announcements, weekly eNews and the Compass Newsletter.
As always please contact me if you and questions, thoughts or suggestions!
Remember God’s grace is everywhere!
Pastor Derek 509-380-2263, revdererkiverumc@gmail.com
- William Willimon United Methodist Beliefs: A Brief Introduction 2007 Westminster John Know Press. pg73,74
ATTENTION!!!! It’s Country Store Time!
The annual United Methodist Women’s Bazaar will be held on Saturday, October 27th from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
The proceeds of our sales will go to local and national mission projects as well as worldwide missions. Worldwide, UMW members raise millions of dollars each year. These dollars help support schools, hospitals, and give scholarships to deserving women.
We will serve a chili bowl lunch after 11:30 a.m. which will include salad, home made pie, and beverages for $7.50. This year will also include some home baked goodies, white elephant items, crafts, and some other vendors.
The knitting group always has many beautiful items for sale and they donate their funds. For years they have contributed their money to the Church’s “New Spaces” fund.
We hope that all our members will attend and support this worthwhile cause. We always need volunteers to help out too. There are a couple of vendor table spaces available for $20.
Please call Aneda Evans at 491-1551 if you have questions. Hope to see you there!
United Methodist Women
We will resume meeting on September 1st at 10:00 a.m. All are welcome to attend. Meetings are held the first Saturday of the month at the church. Please note the time change to 10:00 a.m. We have a social time upon arrival, a business meeting, and then a program.
September’s program will be presented by Joyce Bauermeister on Mission U, a weekend of learning and fun. Mission U is an opportunity to study current issues impacting society with particular attention to the responsibilities of women in fulfilling the mission work of the church.
I hope you can join us September 1st at 10:00 a.m. and learn what a wonderful advantage of learning Mission U offers. —- Kathy Pfister
Youth Group
BBQ, Game Night, and Planning Wednesday, September 19th 6:00 pm—8:30 pm Derek and Laura’s home 8107 Chehalis Drive; Pasco Parents and youth welcome for a fun evening! Please bring your favorite side dish or desert to share.
Annual Clothing Exchange: September 22 9:00 am—Noon This is event started several years ago to support the community’s needs. Any clothing, shoes, and accessories that you no longer want can be donated and dropped off at the church during office hours starting September 16th. Men's, women's, children’s...all sizes are accepted. If you have items that are just worn out, place them in a bag labeled clothing recycling. On September 22nd, you are invited to participate along with friends, family, and neighbors to look through the clothing and take home whatever you want. There is no cost. Whatever is left over will be placed in the Goodwill Trailer. If you want to help with this event please contact Laura McGuckin at 509-380-2198.
Goodwill Trailer: September 22-23 9:00 am-5:00 pm. We will be collecting items for the Goodwill Trailer which will be located in the church parking lot. The money raised will go to Boy Scout Troop 945 that meets at our church. If you need someone to pick up items from your home, please talk with Laura McGuckin and she will arrange a pick time. We cannot take large appliances. Thanks for your support!
No yard sale! This year, the church will not be hosting a yard sale. The Goodwill Trailer is taking the place of the yard sale fundraiser.
Trustees Corner
We did not have a meeting in August due to the absence of several members but there have been several items that required attention this past summer.
• Two trees that were growing in our south fence line have been removed. A section of the fence also needed to be replaced due to damage from the trees. Thank you Alan Kleinbach for over-seeing the completion of this effort.
• A routine inspection by our heating and air conditioning contractor revealed that the A.C. units needed some repair. They also detected a small gas leak in the furnace room. Both conditions have been repaired.
• Both the interior and exterior lights of the church have been upgraded and/or repaired recently thanks to John Pettigrew and Nanette Walkley respectively. The lights illuminating the cross are working again but do still require some re-focusing.
• We have had some persistent water leaks associated with both the water heater and back-flow system in the furnace room. They are now repaired thanks to Nanette’s persistence.
• The Trustees decided to continue having volunteers clean the church for the rest of the year. Our Hispanic sister church, La Vida Positiva, has offered to mop the kitchen floor and clean the rest rooms. They have also offered to clean the carpet in the sanctuary (what a blessing). Our own members will clean the rest of the rooms. We do need someone to clean the classroom on a weekly basis. It’s a great way to help support your church if you have a spare hour in your week.
Lee Rogers
Chairman Trustees
Finance Committee The absence of a mortgage has lifted a big financial burden from the church’s budget. Thank you for your financial generosity that made this possible! Please be mindful that the church will continue to have ongoing expenses. The financial offerings to the church have been down for the summer.
School Supply Drive Thank you for a successful back to school supply drive! More than three overflowing boxes of supplies were given to Mark Twain Elementary to distribute to students that are in need of supplies.
INSIGHT! Delving Deeper Into The Sunday Scriptures and Sermon. A New Adult Sunday School Class. Join with Pastor Derek in an open and wide ranging discussion of the scriptures and ideas explored in the days sermon. Starts Sunday, September 9th. 8:30am– 9:30am in the Church Library.
Choir Kickoff! First rehearsal will be on September 9th, at 11:30 a.m. following fellowship time. Any and all are welcome! A previous knowledge of how to read music or any previous musical experience is not required. All that is needed is a love of music. We usually practice and sing roughly three Sundays month, not counting special holidays seasons like Christmas and Easter. Our first choir anthem will be during the worship on September 16th. If you have any questions, please talk to David Riddle. Hope to see everyone there!
Staff Parish Relations - SPR During the month of July, the SPR posted an opening for an Administrative Assistant. Resumes were collected until the first week of August. The committee met and selected qualified applicants and scheduled interviews for the second week of August. After the interview process, the committee met and selected Janiece Stroup for the position. She is a mom of 4, recently completed her bachelor’s degree, has many years of volunteer experience for different organizations and is eager to put her skills to use at RUMC.
