THE HUB-BUB Hudson Lake Mennonite Church

Esther Lanting, Pastor

7503 N. Walker Rd.

New Carlisle, IN 46552

574-654-8388

Vol. 15 No 4 April 2012

Thoughts from the Pastor

At the 2011 General Assembly in Pittsburg, Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) adopted seven

priorities to guide the future work and direction of the Mennonite Church. Realizing the

importance of working at things over a longer span of time, these goals are proposed to guide

us to 2020. These priorities are:

1. Christian Formation

2. Christian Community 3. Holistic Christian Witness 4. Stewardship 5. Leadership Development 6. Undoing Racism and Advancing Intercultural Transformation 7. Church-to-Church Relationships

What do these seven priorities actually mean? What is Christian formation, anyway? Christian Formation,

the first and highest priority is described this way:

. to fashion and mold our lives after that of Jesus Christ.

This seems like a good thing; certainly those who follow Jesus would endorse this goal. And even many

who dont believe that Jesus is God/Gods son, would still say that what Jesus taught is good stuff and

how Jesus lived his life is model-worthy. Some of what Jesus lived and taught includes: loving God and

everyone else (including your enemies), forgiveness, hope, justice, reconciliation, generosity, the value of

all Gods creation and respecting creation, humility, the value of all gifts i.e. no one is more important than

anyone else, caring for one another. Sounds like an ideal model to me. Christian formation means that we

try to live as Jesus lived, do what he did, speak as he spoke. The more we live, do and speak as he did, the

more this becomes who we are. The more we read about Jesus, the more we know and understand. The

unique piece for Christians is first of all, making a commitment to Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is that

commitment that calls us to model ourselves after Jesus and forms us into people whose lives reflect this.

But one doesnt have to be a Christian to see and understand the value of what Jesus taught and lived, and

how this sort of lifestyle would only make the world a better place.

So how does Christian formation happen? The short answer: by what we make a regular part of our

worship and every day life. Things that form us include, but are not limited to: regular Bible reading and

reading in general (it makes a different what kind of books you read); regular worshipboth individual and

as a group; the songs we sing during worship and other times; the rituals we see and participate in; times

of silence; praying the Lords Prayer every Sunday; speaking the Words of God each Sunday..

Do you see Hudson Lake Mennonite Church working at Christian formation? If so, how? And what are the

things you do that form your life in Christ-like ways?

Next months Hub-bub will look at the next priority or two.

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April 8April 8April 8April 8thththth - Easter Worship 10:30 EDT Breakfast 9:15 EDT

April is National Humor Month International Guitar Month Keep America Beautiful Month

Lawn and Garden Month National Poetry Month National Pecan Month Records and Information Management Month Stress Awareness Month

Special Dates April dates

April 1st April Fools April 2 Reconciliation Day April 8-14 National Library Week April 6th Good Friday April 8th Easter April 10th Golfers Day April 13th Scrabble Day

April 14th National Pecan Day April 22nd National Jelly Bean Day April 27th National Prime Rib Day

Dianes Health Tips Backache Part 2

The leading cause of back pain is thought to be muscle strain. The symptoms may be sudden and severe leaving one to think that it must be something more than muscles. Actually it is a problem that has been developing over a long period of time. A byproduct of any muscle activity is acid. It is the presence of these acids that give us the familiar sensation of simple muscle fatigue. When high levels of acids accumulate in the muscles they cause irritation that can turn into pain and interfere with normal electrical impulses to the muscle tissue. Problems with acidic buildup are often made worse by dehydration. So with the first sign of pain, immediately drink two large glasses of water. This often gives relief with minutes. The body needs a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily to keep acidic wastes from building up in muscles and other tissues. Next time well offer some tips on how to avoid the muscle problems in the first place.

----- From Nutritional Healing: A Practical A-Z Reference to Drug-free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, and Food Supplements by Phyllis A. Balch. Phyllis Balch was a certified nutritional consultant who received her certification from the American Association of Nutritional Consultants and was a leading nutritional counselor for more than two decades.

March Anniversaries Zippo

April B-days... 03 Joel Lederman 06 Wyatt Berkheiser 10 Janet Nace 14 Edna Beachy 15 Janine Berkheiser 16 Garry Heminger 17 Esther Lanting 19 Margaret Bonen 25 Nate Grondsma 29 Lisa Nace Simmons

Aoccdrnig to a rseearch sduty at

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mttaer in what order the ltteers in a word are, the only iprmoetnt

thing is that the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can

be a total mses and you can still raed it wouthit porbelm. This is

bcuseae the huamn mind deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef,

but the word as a wlohe.

Can you read these? If you can read these you have a strong mind. 7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15.

According to research studies, it doesnt matter in what order the letters in a word are, or if numbers are substituted for letters. The only important thing is that the first and last letter are in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole.

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A BIBLE PUZZLE

The names of 30 books of the Bible are hidden in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu , keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people however will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fundraising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that his puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that these books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also keep in mind that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you complete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mass exodus, there are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God bless.

Spring Strawberry Spinach Salad Prep Time: 15 Min Ready In: 15 Min Serves: 4

Ingredients 1 bunch spinach, rinsed 10 large strawberries, sliced 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup white wine vinegar 1 cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions 1. In a large bowl, mix the spinach and strawberries. 2. In a blender, place the sugar, salt, vinegar, and oil, and blend until smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

Bada Bing Bada Banged Potatoes Prep Time: 10 Min Cook Time: 50 Min Ready In: 1 Hr Serves: 20

Ingredients 5 pounds small new potatoes 3/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup melted butter 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions 1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). 2. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of water. Cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; gently cook potatoes until tender but still firm, about 20 minutes. Drain. 3. Place potatoes on a greased, rimmed baking sheet. Smash the warm potatoes with the heel of your hand or a small pan to flatten slightly and break the skin. 4. Mix together the olive oil, butter, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, red Pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; add the potatoes and toss well. Return coated potatoes to baking sheet, leaving 1/2 inch space between each potato. 5. Roast potatoes in the preheated oven until lightly browned and slightly crispy; about 30 minutes. Place hot potatoes on a large platter; sprinkle with parsley and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

News from Church Council Last Meeting: March 18,2012

Next Meeting: April 24th 5:30/4:30 @ KRMC

Electric over budget For reasons we cant figure out, the electric bill has doubled over the past few months. Trustees/treasurer are checking into the cause. Meanwhile, we ask every one to double check to make sure all lights are off upon leaving the church building mid-week if you come in for some reason. A good policy: if you turned them on when you arrived, turn them off when you leave.

Vision meeting follow up Amy Schrock will remind and encourage people to bring an image that speaks to them of healing and hope. Could we ask people to share a 100-word testimony about their particular visual representation? Note: people can ask Amy to make something visual if they have an idea of something but dont know how to make it into a visual. Maybe at summer business meeting, we could explore all the images together and see what God is saying to us through these? Ideas around our vision statement that involved parts of worship (like 100 word testimonies during the worship service) will be brought to elders to see if this would fit with whats already planned. In addition, Heidi King could contact our sister church in Holland and see how they work at extending healing and hope.

Donation to cover Spring cleaning A generous donation was given to cover a one-time spring cleaning of the inside of the church building by an outside professional or other competent cleaner. The trustees will check into this. If any of the donated money remains, the donor suggested painting the fellowship room which is beginning to look tattered. We give thanks for this unexpected and generous gift.

Delegates for IN MI Conference Annual Sessions Les and Nedra Gnagey have a conflict during annual sessions this year. It is church councils responsibility to find replacements when this sort of thing happens. Elsa Littman has agreed to attend as the elder representative. It was agreed to just send three (3) delegates this year. Annual sessions are in Detroit which will entail extra travel and lodging costs.

Snow removal We will give Davis a gift card for the amount budgeted for snow removal. Esther will pick this up and get it delivered.

Gift Discernment Committee replacement Mary DeVos has resigned from her position on Gift Discernment. We are saddened by this. It is church councils job to find someone to fill this position. Sandy Henderson has agreed to do so.

Another worship service at CTV? Wed like to see this happen. The elders will look into this.

Lilly Grant application Esther reported that the grant application got mailed at 1:31 p.m. March 12th the last day to get it in. She shared about some of the details that came together the previous Thursday and Friday before the grant was due. She asked council to respond to the following questions:

How do you feel about the grant? What do you like about it? What energizes you about the proposal? What cautions do you have? Anything in the grant that you think would

not work? We will hear back in late June. Esther reported that the odds of getting a second grant are slim.

Building Worship Closets A suggestion/request was made to take the two metal cabinets out of the hallway and build floor to ceiling cabinets to store items used for visuals in worship. They are currently being stored in various places. No decision was made but trustees will look into this.

Esthers Covenant Renewal Esthers covenant ends June 8, 2012. A review was done last year with positive results. The congregation will need to give a vote of affirmation if they want to extend another 3-year covenant to Esther. The congregational chair is in charge of this process.

Heifer Project A suggestion was given to do the Heifer Project as one of our mission projects. We usually keep a mission slot open for things that come up after projects have been approved by the congregation at our summer business meeting. We can do this in May.

HLMC

Be Green at Work Green living isn't just for home. You can follow a few simple suggestions and make your

workplace more environmentally friendly, as well.

Reduce paper. When printing, use both sides of a piece of paper in order to conserve. Keep a scrap paper pile for misprinted or unnecessary documents to either print on or write on. Try to

reuse envelopes as many times as possible to cut down on waste. Also, consider purchasing a mesh or cloth coffee filter as opposed to disposable paper filters.

Reduce your waste. Bring your own coffee cup or water bottle to work to avoid buying

Styrofoam or paper cups and throwing them away every day. Also, bring your lunch in a reusable container rather than a disposable paper bag. Lastly, make sure your company has an easy-to-use recycling program and that everyone is educated on how it works.

Be conscious of your supplies. Some office supplies are better for the environment than

others; for example, try to use paperclips rather than adhesive tape, and use crayons or colored pencils instead of solvent-based markers. Consider refillable pens and mechanical

pencils rather than disposable ones.

TOP TEN PREDICTIONS FOR 2012 With all the problems the World is facing, it can be unsettling to the mind. Here are ten predictions that are true!

1. The Bible will still have the answers. 2. Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on Earth. 3. The Holy Spirit will still move. 4. God will still honor the praises of His people. 5. There will still be God-anointed preaching. 6. There will still be singing of praise to God. 7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people. 8. There will still be room at the Cross. 9. Jesus will still love you. Jesus will still extend salvation when people come to Him. Source Unknown

UPCOMING DATES (all times listed are Eastern Daylight Time)

April 01 Palm Sunday 06 Good Friday Quiet Reflection, 5:00 and Soup, 6:00 @ HLMC Joint Good Friday Service, 7:00 @ NPCF Hamilton 08 Easter Breakfast, 9:15; Worship 10:30 15 Guest Speaker/Worship Service: James Krabill, Director of Mennonite Mission Network 24 Church Council, 5:30 @ KRMC 22 Earth Day 27 Arbor Day

May 13 Mothers Day

June 05 Dianna Miller memorial service 15-17 IN MI Conference annual sessions, Detroit 17 Fathers Day

Sunday, April 15th

James Krabill Mennonite Mission Network

Sharing Stories from around the world Hudson Lake Mennonite Church

10:00 a.m.

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt

Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there. ~Clarence W. Hall

Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless. ~Charles M. Crowe

The story of Easter is the story of God's wonderful window of divine surprise. ~Carl Knudsen

Earth Day - April 22 Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint of ecology. Earth Day was first observed in San Francisco and other cities on March 21, 1970, the first day of Spring. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year. Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 International Earth Day. Source: Wikipedia

More Examples:

-Justice may right the wrongs but

forgiveness heals the hurt. Seek

forgiveness beyond justice.

-No loving relationship is free of

hurts. Bind up the wounds of love

with forgiveness.

-Forgiveness is the only real

prescription for the pain you feel

over someone elses behavior.

The healing choice is yours to

make.

Forgiveness Therapy

By David W. Schell

Move beyond being a victim of

others actions and discover the

freedom that is yours in

choosing therapeutic

forgiveness. The 35 liberating

lessons contained in Forgiveness

Therapy can help you to put

yourself back in control,

transcend the most hurtful of

circumstances, and make the

healing choice of wellness over

bitterness.

Available for check out soon.

An example:

-Know that forgiveness is possible

even in the most hurtful

circumstances, even toward

someone you may not trust or

respect, even when someone

doesnt seem to deserve

forgiveness. It is a testimony to the

goodness your Creator instilled

within you from the first moment of

your being.

Mennonite Agencies and their leaders

L E N A K A C L E M G L R F U R Q P E H S X S A L D D V Y K I D S I E F O G E B G H P W E M H A T L O U K S A Y R F M C X F N S W O I N R C B L R E S B I A G T T D Y P K C M C W D R X R B A G J Q I R D D V G I P F Y E L S Z M P D T T J U G L N E U B X N U S K C Q R N G I J V L V E D T X N L A F Z C X N I J C J W U M O X X P R P A Z E N A Z C F R R J X J V F S O L K T D D P M W H E D Q H H I O O M H D Q N X Z I B F E Q D S M N K W C K F G N S E M R R N C C M S E K A L T A E R G X T K S P G K R Y J G A N I B I M S V O R E M F B D X R O T M A P Y Z L R I R Y U T O C U P K R E L U J I W B C L G Q E F Y G G I I P H A Z O D N E Q V E W S R V Y V T H R N N P S I L R Q K A C N C M Z I I A W B S E T E H M Z T R G Z Z L Z S A A W E S A A X H D U H K G E D Q T O C A F S F W G C Q N R U C Y T E O D N D O K S R M P I J P J E I E I J J R J A Z H H B U X A Z P U Y E N G S V D D P H T G N A D M J N J I Z Z A Q S K Z D T N S S E T K T V U D X N A U M I A N A B O Q N F K C R T W D I I F Q D F S A Z E C V W X N R R Y B Z N X R E N A O V W U T N L E O D E I Y H O T M F F T Q O H L D U U X M A L I N C I O X N O X W S N T E E R R B A A D K S U D W E Z W C B E R E F E G S E T P H W R O J G L T X A M T N I J B P M C G Z X I G N E T H M H S O R T T S D Y I D E L I J N U S I F J R S J D S S J N N U A R F A I I K K I I T B T O O R I N I Z R G F H N Z T C F T A O O D M I M U M Y P D X K X N G P N E S B O M V E B V P T B Z C U L M N U A G S Z E S O W J W F S O O M C B H A N B E C N A I L L A S E C I V R E S H T L A E H E T I N O N N E M E R N R C P T E J M R G W F T U T A M S I S F F W P Z Y D R E D C N G N K E E O F T Y B Q R O I E K I X D A N M I L L E R J N Y A X K J C E K S M N D Q Y J H E M U C B N W G I O D X O I O Q M D O K C D L L F J M E H N N L P F I L E O B E T H A N Y C H R I S T I A N S C H O O L S J M S E L L R J H Y N A K P L W N M A L R B O H Z W I U H Y L S Z Q C M A Q M X A Z M L F D O B G U E J L D Y W G Z U J X Z L U O G A G D Z L J A A T S X B E O R B Q E M X T X E N L O K G Z S V W D V E Y Q A N M O X N G H G R W P V B L E B K Z D V I U H Y Q F G R W L X R C A J Z K S W C G T E C M M P L Z G Y E N F F I T S K C I R K Y C M F A S M D V S N A P N Q E X L M N L I W U U B K C K A K O P S T T T R Z Z J U T N U U I C I V S U O U D U B W E F J L B S O C U Q R L C C I K Q N N W J B R E H N Q B V F D G M V Q Z U M D J L R L Y I G I Q U R V E G H A L W H M E G A N E L L I S O N W U N L G M G K N P M D A C D S A G K B X B A

1. BETHANY CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS - ALLEN DUECK; 2. AMBS - SARA WENGER SHENK 3. EMU - LOREN SWARTZENDRUBER; 4. GOSHEN COLLEGE - JIM BRENNEMAN 5. GREAT LAKES MCC - ZENEBEE ABEBE; 6. MDC - GOLDENROD MEGAN ELLISON 7. INDIANA MICHIGAN MENNONITE CONFERENCE - DAN MILLER; 8. MENNO MEDIA 9. MC USA - ERVIN STUTZMAN; 10.MENNONITE MISSION NETWORK - JAMES KRABILL 11. MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE - ARLI KLASSEN 12. MENNONITE DISASTER SERVICE - ARLETA MARTIN 13. MENNONITE HEALTH SERVICES ALLIANCE - RICK STIFFNEY