Excerpts from the March 2020 UMC Compass Newsletter
Riverview United Methodist Church
4012 W. Court St. Pasco, WA 99301
Mailing address: P.O. Box 2306 Pasco, WA 99302
Phone: 509-547-5981; Office Email: riverviewumcpasco@gmail.com
From the Pastor’s Desk
Last month I wrote about the acronym BLESS and said I would explore each of the lines in future Compass articles. Here they are:
Begin with prayer…
Listen to the needs of others…
Eat with others…
Serve the needs of others…
Share your story, when appropriate...
So lets Begin with prayer. Just about everybody who follows Jesus agrees that prayer is essential to the life of faith. Yet many people are frustrated with their own prayer. I don’t think this is odd or new. I know that there are times that I’m frustrated with my prayer life! The underlying question is WHY? One reason is misunderstanding about the nature of prayer. It isn’t something that comes naturally and Jesus taught the disciples on about prayer. His teaching is the Lord's Prayer which many of us know by heart. It is the model prayer and praying it each day is a wonderful way to pray. And yet many still feel like they are missing something when it comes to prayer.
What is prayer?
One of the best answers I have found to that question is the introduction to the book Prayer-Finding the Hearts True Home by Richard Fos-ter.1 The book is in print and I encourage you to read it. It’s a wonderful resource on prayer. The introductions sets the stage and I will share the first two sections here-
Coming Home: An Invitation to Prayer Richard Foster
True, whole prayer is nothing but love. St. Augustine God has graciously allowed me to catch a glimpse into his heart, and I want to share with you what I have seen. Today the heart of God is an open wound of love. He aches over our distance and preoccupation. He mourns that we do not draw near to him. He grieves that we have forgotten him. He weeps over our obsession with muchness and manyness. He longs for our presence.
And he is inviting you—and me—to come home, to come home to where we belong, to come home to that for which we were created. His arms are stretched out wide to receive us. His heart is enlarged to take us in.
For too long we have been in a far country: a country of noise and hurry and crowds, a country of climb and push and shove, a country of frustration and fear and intimidation. And he welcomes us home: home to serenity and peace and joy, home to friendship and fellowship and openness, home to intimacy and acceptance and affirmation.
We do not need to be shy. He invites us into the living room of his heart, where we can put on old slippers and share freely. He invites us into the kitchen of his friendship, where chatter and batter mix in good fun. He invites us into the dining room of his strength, where we can feast to our heart’s delight. He invites us into the study of his wisdom, where we can learn and grow and stretch…and ask all the questions we want. He invites us into the workshop of his creativity, where we can be co-laborers with him, working together to deter-mine the outcomes of events. He invites us into the bedroom of his rest, where new peace is found and where we can be naked and vulnerable and free. It is also the place of deepest intimacy, where we know and are known to the fullest.
The Key and the Door
The key to this home, this heart of God, is prayer. Perhaps you have never prayed before except in anguish or terror. It may be that the only time the Divine Name has been on your lips has been in angry expletives. Never mind. I am here to tell you that the Father’s heart is open wide—you are welcome to come in.
Perhaps you do not believe in prayer. You may have tried to pray and were profoundly disappoint-ed…and disillusioned. You seem to have little faith, or none. It does not matter. The Father’s heart is open wide—you are welcome to come in.
Perhaps you are bruised and broken by the pressures of life. Others have wronged you, and you feel scarred for life. You have old, painful memories that have never been healed. You avoid prayer be-cause you feel too distant, too unworthy, too defiled. Do not despair. The Father’s heart is open wide—you are welcome to come in.
Perhaps you have prayed for many years, but the words have grown brittle and cold. Little ever hap-pens anymore. God seems remote and inaccessible. Listen to me. The Father’s heart is open wide—you are welcome to come in.
Perhaps prayer is the delight of your life. You have lived in the divine milieu for a long time and can attest to its goodness. But you long for more: more power, more love, more of God in your life. Believe me. The Father’s heart is open wide—you too are welcome to come higher up and deeper in.
If the key is prayer, the door is Jesus Christ. How good of God to provide us a way into his heart. He knows that we are stiff-necked and hardhearted, so he has provided a means of entrance. Jesus, the Christ, lived a perfect life, died in our place, and rose victorious over all the dark powers so that we might live through him. This is wonderfully good news. No longer do we have to stand outside, barred from nearness to God by our rebellion. We may now enter through the door of God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. --
Every time I read these words I’m reminded that God’s heart is open wide and prayer is the key! We are invited by God to be with him in the here and now. Through Jesus we have access and an invitation. What more do I/We need?
Next month we will continue to explore prayer through what Jesus taught about it and how he lived a life of prayer. Till then I invite you to pray the Lords Prayer every day. It is a wonderful Len-ten discipline.
As always please contact me if you have any questions or concerns!
In Christ,
Pastor Derek
revderekriverumc@gmail.com, (509) 380-2263
United Methodist Women
March Meeting We hope to see you at our March 11th meeting at 1pm in the fellowship hall. Our meeting will begin with a presentation by Kaylie McGuckin about her upcoming mission trip to Ghana.
Eldeena Maxson Memorial Scholarship We are proud to announce that the scholarship applications are available at the church office window! The scholarship is available to:
•A high school senior or student to attend a college, technical school, or seminary.
•A member or constituent of Riverview United Methodist Church.
•An individual who has not previously received this scholarship award.
The scholarship submission deadline is April 15th. The recipient will be notified by Riverview UMW in May. Please return the completed application in a sealed envelope marked Eldeena Maxson Memorial Scholarship to the church office, Janet Johnson, or Kathy Pfister.
Scholarship money is designated for tuition, fees, books, and housing during the next academic year after it has been awarded. The scholarship award will be up to $500 and will be issued after proof of registration and a student number has been assigned by the institution to the Riverview UMW. The check will be issued to the educational institution, or in certain cases, to the student if the monies are used for off campus housing.
Jackson Seed Ministry The UMW is collecting vegetable seeds to send to the Jackson Seed Ministry. This ministry collects and distributes vegetable seeds to low income families and individuals of southeast Ohio. The goal of this ministry is to help these families and individuals to grow some of their own food which helps them stretch their food budget and increase their access to fresh produce.
Please have seeds dropped off at the church by Sunday, April 5th.
Bite 2 Go and Second Harvest
Thank you for your support to the church’s general fund. Those funds make it possible for us to sponsor the Bite 2 Go program for Twain Elementary. We are able to meet the need for 38 kits for students each week! Second Harvest thanks each of you too! This kind of support is how they were able to provide food that is equivalent to 70,000 meals each day last year.
Thank You Our extended family would like to thank everyone at the RUMC for their kind words, cards of sympathy, and many offers of help following Maxine’s death. It is difficult to express how much your support has meant to us. Thank you. Lee Rogers
Camping/Mission Scholarship Scholarships are available to assist youth and scouts that would like to attend a summer church camp, a scout camp, or a mission trip. One scholarship ($200 maximum) per attendee is available each calendar year. To request a scholarship, please contact the office to receive the scholarship application. The completed application will need to be turned in 3-4 weeks before the event.
Information that may be considered in the approval of the scholarship is:
• Regularly attends and participates in youth group.
• Regularly attends church.
• Boy Scout member in good standing.
• Financial need.
Dinner for 8 Returns!
The purpose of this ministry is NOT to be a bible study. Instead, it is a chance for small groups of members to have fellowship outside of the church walls. During this time, it is the hope that each participant gets to know the other participants a bit better. The groups will meet once a month for three months. Each month the time commitment should be around one or two hours. There will be groups that meet at restaurants and others that will decide to meet at each others’ homes and do potluck style meals. Children are welcome! If you would like your child(ren) to participate, just note this during sign up. Sign up cards are by the office window or contact the office and we will be happy to help!
Bite 2 Go for Spring Break
RUMC will be putting together bags of additional food to give to the 38 students at Twain Elementary that are part of our Bite 2 Go program. These spring break bags will help ensure that the kiddos have plenty of food during the break.
Items can be dropped off in the office or in the collection boxes located in the fellowship hall. Please have items to the church by March 29th.
Remember, all items need to be pull-top or easy open—NO tops requiring a can opener! Also, all items must be shelf-stable, ready to eat, and not require heating/cooking.
The following is a list of items that are needed.
Vienna sausage Ravioli SpaghettiOs
Nutrition bars Fruit cups/pouches Beef sticks
Peanut butter or cheese sandwich crackers
The more that is donated, the more they can receive!
Camping/Mission Scholarship - Scholarships are available to assist youth and scouts that would like to attend a summer church camp, a scout camp, or a mission trip. One scholarship ($200 maximum) per attendee is available each calendar year. To request a scholarship, please contact the office to receive the scholarship application. The completed application will need to be turned in 3-4 weeks before the event. Information that may be considered in the approval of the scholarship is:
• Regularly attends and participates in youth group.
• Regularly attends church.
• Boy Scout member in good standing.
• Financial need.
Riverview United Methodist Church
4012 W. Court St. Pasco, WA 99301
Mailing address: P.O. Box 2306 Pasco, WA 99302
Phone: 509-547-5981; Office Email: riverviewumcpasco@gmail.com
From the Pastor’s Desk
Last month I wrote about the acronym BLESS and said I would explore each of the lines in future Compass articles. Here they are:
Begin with prayer…
Listen to the needs of others…
Eat with others…
Serve the needs of others…
Share your story, when appropriate...
So lets Begin with prayer. Just about everybody who follows Jesus agrees that prayer is essential to the life of faith. Yet many people are frustrated with their own prayer. I don’t think this is odd or new. I know that there are times that I’m frustrated with my prayer life! The underlying question is WHY? One reason is misunderstanding about the nature of prayer. It isn’t something that comes naturally and Jesus taught the disciples on about prayer. His teaching is the Lord's Prayer which many of us know by heart. It is the model prayer and praying it each day is a wonderful way to pray. And yet many still feel like they are missing something when it comes to prayer.
What is prayer?
One of the best answers I have found to that question is the introduction to the book Prayer-Finding the Hearts True Home by Richard Fos-ter.1 The book is in print and I encourage you to read it. It’s a wonderful resource on prayer. The introductions sets the stage and I will share the first two sections here-
Coming Home: An Invitation to Prayer Richard Foster
True, whole prayer is nothing but love. St. Augustine God has graciously allowed me to catch a glimpse into his heart, and I want to share with you what I have seen. Today the heart of God is an open wound of love. He aches over our distance and preoccupation. He mourns that we do not draw near to him. He grieves that we have forgotten him. He weeps over our obsession with muchness and manyness. He longs for our presence.
And he is inviting you—and me—to come home, to come home to where we belong, to come home to that for which we were created. His arms are stretched out wide to receive us. His heart is enlarged to take us in.
For too long we have been in a far country: a country of noise and hurry and crowds, a country of climb and push and shove, a country of frustration and fear and intimidation. And he welcomes us home: home to serenity and peace and joy, home to friendship and fellowship and openness, home to intimacy and acceptance and affirmation.
We do not need to be shy. He invites us into the living room of his heart, where we can put on old slippers and share freely. He invites us into the kitchen of his friendship, where chatter and batter mix in good fun. He invites us into the dining room of his strength, where we can feast to our heart’s delight. He invites us into the study of his wisdom, where we can learn and grow and stretch…and ask all the questions we want. He invites us into the workshop of his creativity, where we can be co-laborers with him, working together to deter-mine the outcomes of events. He invites us into the bedroom of his rest, where new peace is found and where we can be naked and vulnerable and free. It is also the place of deepest intimacy, where we know and are known to the fullest.
The Key and the Door
The key to this home, this heart of God, is prayer. Perhaps you have never prayed before except in anguish or terror. It may be that the only time the Divine Name has been on your lips has been in angry expletives. Never mind. I am here to tell you that the Father’s heart is open wide—you are welcome to come in.
Perhaps you do not believe in prayer. You may have tried to pray and were profoundly disappoint-ed…and disillusioned. You seem to have little faith, or none. It does not matter. The Father’s heart is open wide—you are welcome to come in.
Perhaps you are bruised and broken by the pressures of life. Others have wronged you, and you feel scarred for life. You have old, painful memories that have never been healed. You avoid prayer be-cause you feel too distant, too unworthy, too defiled. Do not despair. The Father’s heart is open wide—you are welcome to come in.
Perhaps you have prayed for many years, but the words have grown brittle and cold. Little ever hap-pens anymore. God seems remote and inaccessible. Listen to me. The Father’s heart is open wide—you are welcome to come in.
Perhaps prayer is the delight of your life. You have lived in the divine milieu for a long time and can attest to its goodness. But you long for more: more power, more love, more of God in your life. Believe me. The Father’s heart is open wide—you too are welcome to come higher up and deeper in.
If the key is prayer, the door is Jesus Christ. How good of God to provide us a way into his heart. He knows that we are stiff-necked and hardhearted, so he has provided a means of entrance. Jesus, the Christ, lived a perfect life, died in our place, and rose victorious over all the dark powers so that we might live through him. This is wonderfully good news. No longer do we have to stand outside, barred from nearness to God by our rebellion. We may now enter through the door of God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. --
Every time I read these words I’m reminded that God’s heart is open wide and prayer is the key! We are invited by God to be with him in the here and now. Through Jesus we have access and an invitation. What more do I/We need?
Next month we will continue to explore prayer through what Jesus taught about it and how he lived a life of prayer. Till then I invite you to pray the Lords Prayer every day. It is a wonderful Len-ten discipline.
As always please contact me if you have any questions or concerns!
In Christ,
Pastor Derek
revderekriverumc@gmail.com, (509) 380-2263
United Methodist Women
March Meeting We hope to see you at our March 11th meeting at 1pm in the fellowship hall. Our meeting will begin with a presentation by Kaylie McGuckin about her upcoming mission trip to Ghana.
Eldeena Maxson Memorial Scholarship We are proud to announce that the scholarship applications are available at the church office window! The scholarship is available to:
•A high school senior or student to attend a college, technical school, or seminary.
•A member or constituent of Riverview United Methodist Church.
•An individual who has not previously received this scholarship award.
The scholarship submission deadline is April 15th. The recipient will be notified by Riverview UMW in May. Please return the completed application in a sealed envelope marked Eldeena Maxson Memorial Scholarship to the church office, Janet Johnson, or Kathy Pfister.
Scholarship money is designated for tuition, fees, books, and housing during the next academic year after it has been awarded. The scholarship award will be up to $500 and will be issued after proof of registration and a student number has been assigned by the institution to the Riverview UMW. The check will be issued to the educational institution, or in certain cases, to the student if the monies are used for off campus housing.
Jackson Seed Ministry The UMW is collecting vegetable seeds to send to the Jackson Seed Ministry. This ministry collects and distributes vegetable seeds to low income families and individuals of southeast Ohio. The goal of this ministry is to help these families and individuals to grow some of their own food which helps them stretch their food budget and increase their access to fresh produce.
Please have seeds dropped off at the church by Sunday, April 5th.
Bite 2 Go and Second Harvest
Thank you for your support to the church’s general fund. Those funds make it possible for us to sponsor the Bite 2 Go program for Twain Elementary. We are able to meet the need for 38 kits for students each week! Second Harvest thanks each of you too! This kind of support is how they were able to provide food that is equivalent to 70,000 meals each day last year.
Thank You Our extended family would like to thank everyone at the RUMC for their kind words, cards of sympathy, and many offers of help following Maxine’s death. It is difficult to express how much your support has meant to us. Thank you. Lee Rogers
Camping/Mission Scholarship Scholarships are available to assist youth and scouts that would like to attend a summer church camp, a scout camp, or a mission trip. One scholarship ($200 maximum) per attendee is available each calendar year. To request a scholarship, please contact the office to receive the scholarship application. The completed application will need to be turned in 3-4 weeks before the event.
Information that may be considered in the approval of the scholarship is:
• Regularly attends and participates in youth group.
• Regularly attends church.
• Boy Scout member in good standing.
• Financial need.
Dinner for 8 Returns!
The purpose of this ministry is NOT to be a bible study. Instead, it is a chance for small groups of members to have fellowship outside of the church walls. During this time, it is the hope that each participant gets to know the other participants a bit better. The groups will meet once a month for three months. Each month the time commitment should be around one or two hours. There will be groups that meet at restaurants and others that will decide to meet at each others’ homes and do potluck style meals. Children are welcome! If you would like your child(ren) to participate, just note this during sign up. Sign up cards are by the office window or contact the office and we will be happy to help!
Bite 2 Go for Spring Break
RUMC will be putting together bags of additional food to give to the 38 students at Twain Elementary that are part of our Bite 2 Go program. These spring break bags will help ensure that the kiddos have plenty of food during the break.
Items can be dropped off in the office or in the collection boxes located in the fellowship hall. Please have items to the church by March 29th.
Remember, all items need to be pull-top or easy open—NO tops requiring a can opener! Also, all items must be shelf-stable, ready to eat, and not require heating/cooking.
The following is a list of items that are needed.
Vienna sausage Ravioli SpaghettiOs
Nutrition bars Fruit cups/pouches Beef sticks
Peanut butter or cheese sandwich crackers
The more that is donated, the more they can receive!
Camping/Mission Scholarship - Scholarships are available to assist youth and scouts that would like to attend a summer church camp, a scout camp, or a mission trip. One scholarship ($200 maximum) per attendee is available each calendar year. To request a scholarship, please contact the office to receive the scholarship application. The completed application will need to be turned in 3-4 weeks before the event. Information that may be considered in the approval of the scholarship is:
• Regularly attends and participates in youth group.
• Regularly attends church.
• Boy Scout member in good standing.
• Financial need.
