March, Page 1 From Your Pastor: Lisbon United Methodist MARCH 2019 MARCH 2019 MARCH 2019 MARCH 2019 THE LAMPLIGHTER THE LAMPLIGHTER THE LAMPLIGHTER THE LAMPLIGHTER Inside this issue: Worship Committee Finance Lay Leader Paint Party Fundraiser Plant Sale Afternoon Circle And MUCH more! Lenten Theme for 2019: Jesus, the Fountain of Life With our observance of Ash Wednesday on March 6 th , another forty- day sea- son of Lent begins for us as the people of God. Long characterized as a &me of re- flec&on and repentance, these seven weeks are a &me to inten&onally quiet our spirits in the midst of a busy world and seek God’s voice of love and grace. Times of reflec&on o,en cause us to realize that we do not always live up to our calling as faithful followers of Jesus. However, because God loves us more than we can know, we are offered the gi, of forgiveness; we are given the gi, of recon- cilia&on through Christ. As the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 36: “How precious is your steadfast love, O God….For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Focusing on Jesus, the one who washes away our sinfulness, allows us to be restored to right rela&onship with God and with one another. We will have a visual reminder of Jesus as the fountain of life with an actual fountain in our sanctuary during Lent. Please feel free to come to the fountain prior to worship and write on one of the stones provided. Share your trespasses, your confessions, your need for God and place the stone within the fountain as a symbol of the sinfulness which Je- sus will wash away. As we journey through the weeks of the Lenten season which are in the month of March, we will share these gospel lessons: First Sunday of Lent, March 10: Luke 4.1-13 Temptaon Second Sunday of Lent, March 17: Luke 13.31-35 Blessed Third Sunday of Lent, March 24: Luke 13.1-9 Bearing Fruit Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 31: Luke 15.1-3, 11b-32 Homecoming May God’s peace be with you as God leads us through this holy season. God’s blessings, Pastor Elizabeth
Transcript
March, Page 1
F r o m Y o u r P a s t o r :
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T H E L A M P L I G H T E RT H E L A M P L I G H T E RT H E L A M P L I G H T E RT H E L A M P L I G H T E R
I n s i d e t h i s
i s s u e :
W o r s h i p
C o m m i t t e e
F i n a n c e
L a y L e a d e r
P a i n t P a r t y
F u n d r a i s e r
P l a n t S a l e
A f t e r n o o n
C i r c l e
A n d M U C H
m o r e !
Lenten Theme for 2019: Jesus, the Fountain of Life
With our observance of Ash Wednesday on March 6th
, another forty- day sea-
son of Lent begins for us as the people of God. Long characterized as a &me of re-
flec&on and repentance, these seven weeks are a &me to inten&onally quiet our
spirits in the midst of a busy world and seek God’s voice of love and grace.
Times of reflec&on o,en cause us to realize that we do not always live up to
our calling as faithful followers of Jesus. However, because God loves us more than
we can know, we are offered the gi, of forgiveness; we are given the gi, of recon-
cilia&on through Christ. As the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 36: “How precious is
your steadfast love, O God….For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see
light.”
Focusing on Jesus, the one who washes away our sinfulness, allows us to be
restored to right rela&onship with God and with one another. We will have a visual
reminder of Jesus as the fountain of life with an actual fountain in our sanctuary
during Lent. Please feel free to come to the fountain prior to worship and write on
one of the stones provided. Share your trespasses, your confessions, your need for
God and place the stone within the fountain as a symbol of the sinfulness which Je-
sus will wash away.
As we journey through the weeks of the Lenten season which are in the month
of March, we will share these gospel lessons:
First Sunday of Lent, March 10: Luke 4.1-13 Tempta�on
Second Sunday of Lent, March 17: Luke 13.31-35 Blessed
Third Sunday of Lent, March 24: Luke 13.1-9 Bearing Fruit
Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 31: Luke 15.1-3, 11b-32 Homecoming
May God’s peace be with you as God leads us through this holy season.
God’s blessings,
Pastor Elizabeth
March, Page 2
Humble yourselves,
therefore, under
God’s might hand,
that he may li you
up in due �me.
1 Peter 5:6
W O R S H I P C O M M I T T E E
The worship commi>ee met on February 17th. We discussed plans for the next
few months.
We thank Verne for training Dean Logan on how to operate the PowerPoint
slides he uses on Sunday mornings. We request that he train one other person.
This will be a great help when Verne is away or sick.
We will be using a new tune for our sung communion response. You will note
that it is the tune of Amazing Grace.
Our Lenten worship décor will include a fountain this year. Thanks to Glenys
Gardner we will be able to write our sins on rocks and have them washed away,
represen&ng that Jesus washed away our sins.
Our back bulle&n board remake is in progress. Watch for a new covering and
some artwork.
We will be having special services for Lenten and Easter seasons. Ash Wednes-
day is March 6th. Palm Sunday is April 14th, and Maundy Thursday is April
18th. Easter Sunday is April 21st. We encourage you to bring your friends and
family to these meaningful services.
We are looking for some people to help lead the service on May 5th. Pastor
Elizabeth will be returning for UMW training late Saturday night, so Sue White
will be organizing the service. Please let Sue know if you would like to contrib-
ute in any way.
God’s Grace and Peace,
Sue White
F I N A N C E I N F O R M A T I O N
Newsletter Finance Information - as of February 2019
Annual Budget Amount for Operating Expenses $ 124,888.34 Monthly Budget Amount for Operating Expenses $ 10,407.36
Total February Income $ 5,663.92
Total February Expense $ 8,083.21
Total YTD Income $ 10,647.12
Total YTD Expense $ 17,145.45
March, Page 3
F I N A N C E C O M M I T T E E
A special thank you is extended to the A,ernoon Circle group, who for the months of January and
February enjoyed a potluck luncheon at the church, instead of traveling to a restaurant. At the end of
each meal a special collec&on for Mission Shares was taken. We appreciate all the crea&ve ways that
the congrega&on uses to help us meet our Mission Share obliga&on.
P L A N T S A L E
A F T E R N O O N C I R C L E
Another successful potluck was held for our February lunch, well a>ended and we raised $91.00 for
mission shares. Thanks to all who par&cipated.
March 20th we will be dining at Angelo’s in Lisbon. You can either meet us there, for 11:45 or we will
carpool from the church, mee&ng at 11:30. Please let me know if you would like to join us, so I can
make a reserva&on.
Carolyn Jones
353-8691
E V E N I N G C I R C L E
Our March mee&ng will be held on Sunday, March 3rd, instead of our regular mee&ng day of March
5th. We decided at the February mee&ng, because of low a>endance at our mee&ngs this winter,
that maybe if we meet the first Sunday, directly a,er church, we would have be>er a>end-
ance. Future mee&ng dates will be discussed at the March mee&ng.
Carolyn Jones
President
According to the calendar, the first day of spring is 23 days away!! A,er a long, cold and white winter
we all are anxious to get outside and find those first signs of spring; green chutes coming up in our
flower beds, surveying the damage that the winter snow and wind le, behind, looking for those first
buds on the trees and making sure our lawn mowers are ready for mowing! Once again, we will hold
our annual plant and bake sale in May. We will be working again with Bush’s Bushes, but we would
love to have any plants/shrubs that you maybe spliMng or thinning out from your own gardens. If you
need pots, let us know. We have many that we would like to see filled for our sale. For anyone that
likes to paint, we have many clay pots that are available for pain&ng or decora&ng in other ways.
More informa&on will follow in the next issue of the newsle>er. If anyone has any ques&ons, please
speak with Trudy Duval
LUMC Mission Statement:
“The Lisbon United Methodist Church welcomes, nurtures, and serves all
people with the love of Christ.”
March, Page 4
Think Spring Paint Party at Think Spring Paint Party at Think Spring Paint Party at Think Spring Paint Party at LUMCLUMCLUMCLUMC
Where a painting is brought to life by you and is as unique as the person Where a painting is brought to life by you and is as unique as the person Where a painting is brought to life by you and is as unique as the person Where a painting is brought to life by you and is as unique as the person painting it!painting it!painting it!painting it!
Join us at Lisbon United Methodist Church on Saturday, Join us at Lisbon United Methodist Church on Saturday, Join us at Lisbon United Methodist Church on Saturday, Join us at Lisbon United Methodist Church on Saturday,
March 30March 30March 30March 30thththth at 3pm.at 3pm.at 3pm.at 3pm.
Take some &me for yourself and come create this beau&ful
pain&ng. Bring your friends & family and enjoy a relaxing a,er-
noon.
Spacing is limited so secure your spot by making your $30 payment by 3/16/19 via PayPay paypal.me/MaineCoffeeAndCanvas, note "March 30th Fundraiser" or reach
There will be refreshments & door prizes!There will be refreshments & door prizes!There will be refreshments & door prizes!There will be refreshments & door prizes!
March, Page 5
L E N T E N S O U P A N D B R E A D
Rather than a tradi&onal Bible study for Lent this year, you are invited to try something new.
Please consider this your invita&on to a simple meal of soup and bread four &mes in the Lenten sea-
son. We’ll share the meal and then converse together about some aspect of Jesus’ journey toward
Jerusalem. No cooking, no reading in prepara&on, no in-depth Biblical knowledge required for this
&me together! We’ll gather at 6:00 pm.
Please put these dates on your calendar and join us: Wednesday, March 27; Wednesday, April 3;
Wednesday, April 10; and Thursday, April 18. This final date is Maundy Thursday; we’ll share our meal
at 6:00 pm and then join together in the sanctuary for our Maundy Thursday service of worship at
7:00 pm.
F Y I : S P E C I A L M A R C H M E E T I N G S F O R P A S T O R E L I Z A B E T H
In the wake of the General Conference session held in February, I am required to a>end three
mee&ngs as a follow-up to the decisions made at the conference. These mee&ngs will be held on:
Saturday, March 9; Thursday, March 21; and Sunday a,ernoon, March 24 (laity and clergy are invited
to this conversa&on).
In addi&on, I will be traveling to Brockton, MA on Friday, March 22 to a>end the semi-annual
mee&ngs of two conference commi>ees on which I serve: the Conference Commission on Archives
and History and the New England United Methodist Historical Society (NEUMHS). I will be overnight
in Boston that evening in order to a>end the 150th
Anniversary celebra&on of the United Methodist
Women for our en&re denomina&on at Boston University on Saturday, March 23 as NEUMHS presi-
dent and worship organizer.
I share this info so that you will know that clergy are called to serve beyond their local church in
various ways. I enjoy the privilege of this service but am always glad to be back at home with all of
you.
U M C O R S U N D A Y W I T H S P E C I A L O F F E R I N G
The Fourth Sunday in the season of Lent has long been designated as the annual Sunday on which
a mission offering is taken for the UMC. You may know it historically as One Great Hour of Sharing
Sunday. Now we call it UMCOR Sunday which stands for United Methodist Commi>ee on Relief, the
mission arm of our denomina&on.
Please remember that not one cent of your special offering is used for
administra&ve costs. Those costs are borne by our mission shares which means that 100% of your gi,
is used for mission work here at home and in other places in God’s world.
Special envelopes will be included in the worship bulle&ns that day; thank you in advance for your
generous gi,s.
Due to illness our new feature “Get To Know Your Congrega&on” will be postponed &ll our April
newsle>er! If you want to be featured be sure to grab an informa&onal form in the narthex. They
should be available within the next week.
G E T T O K N O W Y O U R C O N G R E G A T I O N
March, Page 6
F R O M Y O U R L A Y L E A D E R
During my daily devo&ons I came across this twist on a twelve step program. Maybe it will
inspire your spiritual journey during the season of Lent.
Jacob le, Beersheba and went to Haran. He came to a certain place and camped for the night
since the sun had set. He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to
sleep. And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky;
angels of God were going up and going down on it. Gen. 28:10-17
Benedict of Nursia used this passage to deal with the subject of humility. Using the metaphor of
Jacob’s ladder, he discusses twelve steps of humility.
1. The Call to Ascend the Ladder of Humility . Everyone that exalts himself shall be
humbled; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. The way of ascending is
humility; the way of descending is pride. If our heart is humble we shall be li,ed to
heaven.
2. The First Step of Humility; Reverence for God. The first step of humility is to have a
constant reverence for God before our eyes.
3. The Second Step of Humility; doing God’s Will. The second step on the ladder of
humility is rejec&ng our own will and desires and, instead, doing God’s will.
4. The Third Step of Humility; Obedience to Others. The third step of humility by which
we ascend to heaven is when, because of our love for God, we submit ourselves to
another in all obedience.
5. The Fourth Step of Humility; Enduring Afflic8on. The fourth step of humility is
accep&ng the hardship of the commandments and enduring with pa&ence the injuries
and afflic&ons we face. But in all things we shall overcome because of Him who loves
us. Our Lord teaches us that when we are struck on one cheek, we must turn the other;
when asked for a piece of our clothing, give the whole thing, when asked to go one mile,
go two; when we are cursed by others, we must bless them.
6. The Fi9h Step of Humility; Confession . The fi,h step of humility is to keep no secrets
from the one to who we confess. Confess to the Lord, for He is good. His mercy
endures forever.
7. The Sixth Step of Humility: Contentment. The sixth step of humility is to be content in
all things. Knowing that we have nothing in this life, the Lord is always present with us.
8. The Seventh Step of Humility: Self-Reproach. Humble ourselves and say with the
Psalmist, “But I am a worm, and I am the reproach of all, the outcast of the people.” The
Scriptures teach us that it is good to be humbled so that we may learn God’s
commandments.
9. The Eighth Step of Humility: Obeying the Common Rule. We must obey the great
commandment, love one another as God loves you.
Con&nued on the next page
March, Page 7
F R O M Y O U R L A Y L E A D E R , C o n t .
10. The Ninth Step of Humility: Silence . The ninth step of humility is to withhold our
tongue from speaking, keeping silent un&l we are asked. Spend more &me listening
than speaking.
11. The Tenth Step of Humility: Seriousness. This is more for the life of a monk, but we
can remember not to take ourselves too seriously. A balanced life includes seriousness,
joy, and laughter.
12. The Eleventh Step of Humility: Simple Speech. We are to speak gently and not with
a loud voice. A wise person is known by the fewness of their words.
13. The Twel9h Step of Humility: Humble in Appearance. When we worship, we should
adopt a posture of reverence.
Benedict says that if we ascend all of these steps of humility, we shall arrive at that love of God
which, being perfect, casts out all fear.
St. Benedict of Nursia. The Rule of St. Benedict in
English. Ed. Timothy Fry. Collegeville, MN:
Liturgical Press, 1982.
Wishing you God’s Grace and Peace,
Sue White
Lay Leader
B I R T H D A Y W I S H E S
Happy Birthday to the following church members celebra&ng a birthday in March!
(f you know someone to be added to our list please let Erica Soie> know)
4th- Jacob Morse 12th- Peg Cherry
5th- Marie Russell 17th- Maddy Cornish
Courtney Brooks 19th- Sco> Ramsay
8th- Patsy Stevens 22nd- Hannah Cornish
9th- Ma> Wile Robert Kazimer
Joe Wolfe 29th- Annmarie Owns
10th- Sue Ramsey 31st- Carolyn Dobson
Marcus Wile
March, Page 8
D I S C O V E R I N G T H E P O S S I B I L I T E S U P D A T E D
G R E A T N E W S
LUMC’s Discovering the Possibili&es team has had one phone mee&ng with our new coach, the Rev.
Rick McKinley. Rick advised us to begin our work by reading a book together. We are using Roadmap
to Renewal: Rediscovering the Church’s Mission by Douglas Ruffle. The author encourages those using
this book to: “Know your community. Know your mission. Know your strengths and challenges. Know
where you are going. Reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ!” For those reasons, we are
educa&ng ourselves as a team so that we can share these learnings with all of you.
Further updates will be shared during announcement &mes and in this newsle>er. Please keep the
work of the team in prayer. It’s members are: Trudy Duval, Dean Logan, Monica McCusker, Martha
Palmer, Sue White, and the pastor. Any of us would be happy to talk with you about our work on your
behalf.
Several years ago, LUMC learned of the 20-30 students in the Lisbon School system that was homeless.
We immediately reached out to find out how we could help. These students were added to our prayer
list as we collected personal hygiene items, snacks, and coolers for those families living in local motels,
food and other necessi&es as well as making monetary contribu&ons to the program helping these stu-
dents. One student was the recipient of a beau&ful quilt made by members of the congrega&on. Our
prayers were answered. Kathy Mar&n is the Homeless Liaison for Lisbon students and recently sent me
the following e-mail:
Thank you for reaching out. Rick is correct that we only have four to five students that are falling in the
McKinney-Vento eligible criteria. At this �me, three of our students are doubled up with rela�ves to
make the situa�on a more consistent living situa�on. Once we determine a student is MV, we offer re-
sources and services as necessary. During the year, the school's MV team meets with the student to
determine if their needs are s�ll being met. At this point in �me, all of our students are supported and
have the resources they need to be successful at school as well as have support systems for their basic
needs. If this should change, I will certainly let you know. Thank you again for reaching out and think-
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