A Pleasing Aroma to the Lord: Consecration Sunday, 2018 Congregations that approach financial stewardship from a biblical perspective do not view the money Christians give to their church merely as a way to pay its bills. Rather, such congregations see financial contributions as a way to help people grow spiritually in their relationship with God by supporting their church’s mission and ministry. Our congregation has selected the New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program as a way to teach the biblical and spiritual principles of generous giving this year. Our theme will be “A Pleasing Aroma to the Lord,” which is based on the sacrifices in Leviticus. Leviticus is often viewed as an outdated book of rules, but, in reality, it calls us to consider how the presence of a holy God affects how we live in every single area of human life. Ultimately, it’s about bringing all that we are and all that we have before Jesus as an act of devotion (our sins, our lives, our relationships, and our possessions). New Consecration Sunday is based on the biblical philosophy of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, rather than on the need of the church to receive. Instead of treating people like members of a social club who should pay dues, we will treat you like followers of Jesus Christ who want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. New Consecration Sunday encourages people toward proportionate and systematic giving in response to the question: ‘What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?’ During morning worship on Consecration Sunday, we are asking each person to make their financial commitment to our church’s ministries in this community and around the world as an act of devotion to God. 1 Stre ams of Life To boldly make and nurture disciples of Jesus Christ 9700 Dry Fork Road, Harrison, OH 45030 Phone: 513-367-4990 E-mail: [email protected]Web: mymw.org Pastor Justin Fuhrmann
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A Pleasing Aroma to the Lord: Consecration Sunday, 2018
Congregations that approach financial stewardship from a biblical perspective do not view the money Christians give to their church merely as a way to pay its bills. Rather, such congregations see financial contributions as a way to help people grow spiritually in their relationship with God by supporting their church’s mission and ministry.
Our congregation has selected the New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program as a way to teach the biblical and spiritual principles of generous giving this year. Our theme will be “A Pleasing Aroma to the Lord,” which is based on the sacrifices in Leviticus. Leviticus is often viewed as an outdated book of rules, but, in reality, it calls us to consider how the presence of a holy God affects how we live in every single area of human life. Ultimately, it’s about bringing all that we are and all that we have before Jesus as an act of devotion (our sins, our lives, our relationships, and our possessions).
New Consecration Sunday is based on the biblical philosophy of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, rather than on the need of the church to receive. Instead of treating people like members of a social club who should pay dues, we will treat you like followers of Jesus Christ who want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. New Consecration Sunday encourages people toward proportionate and systematic giving in response to the question: ‘What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?’ During morning worship on Consecration Sunday, we are asking each person to make their financial commitment to our church’s ministries in this community and around the world as an act of devotion to God.
Every person who completes a Giving Card does so voluntarily. We urge people who feel strongly opposed to completing a card to attend. The procedure is done in such a way that no one will feel personal embarrassment if he or she chooses not to fill out a card.
We will do no home solicitation to ask people to complete cards. During morning worship our guest leader, Rev. Suzanne Allen (Assistant to the District Superintendent, Ohio River Valley District), will conduct a brief period of instruction and inspiration, followed by members making their commitments as a confidential act of worship.
We will encourage participation in Consecration Sunday events through the Consecration Sunday Team and Spiritual Leadership Board. Since we will make no follow-up visits to ask people to
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Streams of Life
To boldly make and nurture disciples of Jesus Christ
complete their cards, we will make every effort to inform, inspire, and commit everyone to attend Consecration Sunday worship on October 28.
Thanks in advance for your enthusiastic participation in Consecration Sunday events.
Pastor Justin
The Journey 2.0………The Journey 2.0 has been launched and Praise God for the welcoming response from Disciples of Miami Whitewater UMC. Starting Point (Lead by Christina Swafford and Robyn Helm) is filled and Fundamentals of the Faith (Lead by Taunya Montgomery) is almost full. This path called The Journey 2.0 is an intentional discipleship path allowing the Words of God, Community with other Christians and intentional study to assist in our awareness of God's plan to grow us to be like Jesus. These studies plant seeds, search our hearts and open our lives to being molded into the being what Jesus created us to be.
In November of this year, you will begin to see brochures and marketing of this intentional discipleship path. A path only you can choose to take. The Journey 2.0 will assist you in the development of your faith, your prayer life, your stewardship, your belief in Jesus, your understanding of the Holy Spirit, and your ability to read and apply God's Word to your life. This path will discuss what unconditional love looks like, as well as other studies Jesus wants you to consider.
God physically shaped Adam from the clay of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life. The apostle Paul referred to our bodies as “jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV). Job concurred: “Your hands have made me and fashioned me . . . You have made me like clay” (Job 10:8-9). This gives us a biblical warrant for thinking of the events and influences of our lives as His hands and fingers, shaping us like a potter shaping clay.
First, the Bible tells us we are wonderfully made. And we are made in the image of God. His hands are on your life. He knows how to apply pressure, how to release His grip, and how to score your life with His fingernail, how all of it designed to make you a vessel fit for His use. Sometimes, He even places us in the kiln where we experience the heat.
Romans 8:28 says that God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, but the next verse gives us His purpose: “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
Our heavenly Father wants to use the events we encounter each day as tools with which to shape our lives and direct our path. He wants to deepen our faith, to develop within us the quality of endurance and to make us replicas of His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Sometimes, we think we’re unusable, unredeemable. We’ve done something for which we feel shame and guilt, and we think God can no longer do much with us. Our problems are occasionally of our own making, and our pain arises from our own stupidity. But when we bring our sin to the Lord, confess it earnestly, nail it to the cross of Christ, and surrender it to the power of His shed blood, God can take our sins and shame and spin them into a design that glorifies Jesus.
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Today, make it your journey to learn, develop, grow and shape into the plans of the Master Potter. Intentional Discipleship is key as you think of being formed and re-formed by the hands of the Master Potter who is crafting you and me into vessels of honor,
Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way.Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.Mold me and make me after Thy will,While I am waiting yielded and still.
His Servant,Joan Hittinger
Children’s Ministry
Miami Whitewater is a church full of possibilities. I believe we are a loving church family that is hungry for Jesus and wants to be Jesus’ hands and feet in our community. One great opportunity to do that is right in our own church on Sunday mornings.
Jesus gives all of us a mission to make disciples, and children’s ministry is an important part of that mission, both for us as individuals and for Miami Whitewater as a church family. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” In this passage, Jesus is calling his disciples to make way for kids to come to him. Today, Jesus calls us to do the same – to make way for kids to come to him. We can’t do this by standing to the side and letting kids find their own way; we have to be a loving, active presence in their lives.
This is our goal in children’s ministry at Miami Whitewater: to be a loving, active presence in kids’ lives and point them to Jesus, teaching them to be disciples from an early age. To do that effectively, we need volunteers to help in our kids’ worship time and in the nursery each week. Depending on your interests and gifts, this could involve leading a lesson or simply being there to love the kids and develop relationships with them. Very few ministries offer the opportunity to make the kind of lifelong impact that you can make in children’s ministry, so don’t miss out!
If you aren’t sure if you want to make a long-term commitment to this ministry, you are welcome to “test drive” it for a few weeks and see if you think it is a good fit for you.
Please contact Melissa Fuhrmann at 815-216-7060 or [email protected] if you are interested in serving.
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Melissa Fuhrmann was hired as the Director of Children’s Ministries as of September 4, 2018. Melissa will receive ministry direction from her In Pillar Leader, Joan Hittinger. Normally all of the staff directly reports to the Senior Pastor for items like personnel requirements another leadership activities. To avoid the situation of a spouse reporting to their spouse, Melissa will be a direct report to Sue Schwartz (our Lay Leader).
Dan SimpsonSpiritual Leadership Board Chairperson
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A Few Updates from the SLB
The following is a report from the Spiritual Leadership Board (SLB) for the month of September 2018.
Members of the SLB include: Lynn Anderson, Wes Brown, Dale Henn, Joan Hittinger, Dave Kalota, Dennis Meyers, Sue Schwartz, Dan Simpson, Terri Sturdevant and Linda Van Often. Pastor Justin Fuhrmann is an active participant with the SLB.
1) Melissa Fuhrmann was hired as the Director of Children's Ministry as of September 4, 2018. Melissa will receive ministry direction from her Up Pillar Leader Joan Hittinger. Normally all of staff directly report to the Senior Pastor for items like Personnel requirements and other Leadership activities. To avoid the situation of a spouse reporting to their spouse, Melissa will be a direct report to Sue Swartz (our Lay Leader).
2) We are currently accepting applications for The Nursery Coordinator. Internal applicants have until September 30, 2018 to apply.
3) Fall Retreat:
a. Was held during weekend of September 29b. Objectives for Weekend
i. Establish Next Steps / Clear Sense of Direction for the Next Yearii. Begin Ministry Action Plan Process
4) The Church Conference is being planned for November 5, 2018 at 6 pm. The major topics will include:
a. Election to the Spiritual Leadership Boardb. 2019 Breakthrough Goalsc. 2019 Senior Pastor pay packaged. Membership Review
5) Immediate upon completion of the Church Conference on November 5 we will present the 4th Quarter State of the Church.
6) We continue the multi-month process of reviewing the Guidelines, Policies and Procedures, and Job Descriptions that are relevant to SLB work.
Blessings,
Dan Simpson
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We are the family friendly, Christ-loving church on the corner
LAST WEEK FOR THESE POSITIONS!!!!
Karen Kilgo has served faithfully as our church organist for the last few years. She never really wanted this role, but stepped into it in order to fill a need for a season. Karen has decided she would like to focus on her areas of passion, namely leading the choir and leading hymns through singing (something she really misses). As a result, she has asked the Spiritual Leadership Board to open a search for a new accompanist to play in our traditional service. Karen is willing to job share, if needed. Interested parties should submit an application to [email protected] by October 1. Applications can be found at http://www.mymw.org/files/hr_documents/application_for_employment.pdf. An audition is required.
Position: Accompanist for Traditional ServiceReports To: Primarily: Traditional Music Director
Secondarily: Senior Pastor
Review Period: January 1 to December 30
Desired Credentials: Miami Whitewater church member (or willing to become)
Minimum Experience: Proficiency in Piano / Keyboard
Status: Part time
General Duties: To provide keyboard accompaniment during traditional Sunday morning service
Responsibilities:
1. Demonstrates proficiency on piano / organ as well as knowledge of traditional UM hymns2. Perform musical accompaniment for the following elements of traditional worship service
as directed by the Traditional Music Director: prelude, offertory, hymns, communion, postlude
3. Perform musical accompaniment for special services such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Christmas Eve, etc.
4. Perform musical accompaniment for choir rehearsals and performances, as needed5. Assist Traditional Music Director, as needed6. Other responsibilities as may be directed by the lead pastor or HR team
Compensation and Benefits: Based upon experience, then reviewed annually based on merit / job performance. This is a salaried position.
As a member of the Miami Whitewater Christian community, all staff is expected to treat each other, all ministry leaders and congregants, and the general public with the utmost professional courtesy and respect. This includes all written and interpersonal communications while providing an extra measure of grace, patience and understanding as may be needed to convey that we are truly the hands and feet of Christ.
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Position: Paid Nursery Worker – Part Time (Sunday A.M. and Small Groups)Reports to: Director of Children’s MinistryMission: To boldly make and nurture disciples of Jesus ChristSummary of the Position: The Paid Nursery Worker is to provide dependable, safe, secure, and nurturing care to children (birth to age 5) during our Sunday morning worship experiences, during special services / events, and occasionally during small group events.Job Description and Responsibilities:Personal Qualifications: Committed follower of Jesus Christ, who feels a call to serve God in the nursery Models high standards reflective of a disciple of Christ in personal, family, and devotional life Love for children and families Ability to reach out, connect, and relate with children and families
Responsibilities: Responsible for providing age-appropriate childcare, including feeding, changing diapers, escorting to the
bathroom, maintaining a safe environment, putting children down for naps, holding or sitting with children and cheerfully interacting with children through games, stories, play, and prayer.
Create environments and conduct activities that are fun, interactive, and honor Jesus Christ. Recruit, train, and schedule volunteer servants in adherence with church Safe Sanctuary policies. Be polite, friendly, and courteous to all children, parents, and volunteer servants. Straighten room and clean any toys / beds / etc. before leaving and upon arrival (as necessary). Stay until all children are released to their approved parent or guardian. Provide regular ongoing communication to the Director of Children’s Ministry. Must demonstrate, in their practice of ministry and their personal life, a commitment to the core values,
mission, vision, and theology of Miami Whitewater. All other duties as assigned by the Director of Children’s Ministry.
Specific Skills and Abilities Required: Team player, capable of working under authority Outgoing and friendly personality Strong people skills Good with children and families Dependable and prompt Flexible to the demands of ministry Positive witness to the church in the community Able to pass a background check and adhere to church Safe Sanctuary policies
Education / Experience: High school diploma or the equivalent (preferred) 2 years’ experience in a pre-school, school, childcare, nursery, or children’s ministry setting (preferred) 3 references (required)
Expected Work Hours: Childcare hours include every Sunday (9am-12:30pm). 4 Sundays (not holidays) off per year (approved at
least a month in advance); must arrange for a volunteer in your place. You are expected to work all Sundays, even if it falls on a holiday. Due to the nature of our work, we always
have services on Easter and Christmas Eve. Additional services / events may be required, including, but not limited, to Ash Wednesday, Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, Vacation Bible School, Christmas Eve, small groups, and other outreach events.
Compensation and Benefits: Weekly honorarium; reviewed annually; depends on experience and job performance.
How to Apply: Submit application for employment to [email protected] by October 1. Application found at:
Thursday Evening - How about enjoying a snack from the grill or a lite supper before getting into God's word. Every Thursday at the Old Farmhouse we eat at 6:00pm and then get into a Bible Study at 6:30pm. Come join in any Thursday.Car Show - Well, when it rains sometimes it pours. And sometimes it may not pour down much, but still rains ALL DAY. Unfortunately on September 8th it RAINED and RAINED. For the first time in twelve years we had to cancel our CAR SHOW. We appreciate everyone who helped with the preparation and soliciting sponsors. We have had other years when it rained in the morning or in the afternoon, but never ALL day. Thanks again to all who donated time and money, and those willing to donate time on that Saturday. We had a group at church in the morning that day watching it rain while we enjoyed biscuits and gravy and prayed. Well, we all know that the Lord answers prayers in HIS time. I think September 8th was one of those "Not now maybe later" answers.Our Car Show is a great event benefitting the community. Through the profits from the Car Show we are able to make a donation to the Harrison Outreach Pregnancy Center, as well as provide funding for our CAR PROGRAM, which benefits single mothers in need of transportation help. This is a year round program. We have been able to bless a single mom with a car at least once every year since we started the program. We also help other moms throughout the year with car repairs, as our budget allows.While the Car Show was cancelled this year, we still have Gift Certificates courtesy of our sponsors. We are thinking of having a Basket Raffle to help raise funds for our program. More information to come.Saturday Breakfast - We meet the fourth Saturday of every month at 8:00am at the Old Farmhouse. It doesn't matter what the weather is, we always have a warm, hearty breakfast. Outside, if you prefer, or inside, we have a seat for you. After the fellowship and breakfast we have a short devotion. It's always a great way to start your weekend. The food is always free. We do take up a collection to help the Missions that we support.Men's Choir - We had our first rehearsal for the year in October, but unfortunately most were not able to attend. The next rehearsal is October 7th, I believe at 6:00pm. Since September was so lightly attended, you haven't missed a thing yet. Join us in singing some old favorites. This is not a big time commitment and fun time.
Math Life Lesson #8 - "Understand your thought process."I'm sure you remember your Math teachers saying "Show your work". It isn't always sufficient to have the right answer, but "Why did you make that decision?", "How did you draw that conclusion?"In life, it's important to make those same questions about our thought process. Even though we have the right solution (or so we think) - Is it? Do we need to think through the process on how or why we made that decision? Sometimes it may make a difference, sometimes maybe not.I recently led an Eagle Board of Review for a young man who is a Math Major at Miami University (he had skipped a couple of grades and is just now 18). As a fellow Math major, I told him about these Math Life Lessons that I had come across. I told him that even though he had
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statements that he had completed his Eagle Service project, he still needed to show the Board the booklet or "Show Your Work". He passed.As a grandparent, I naturally get the "Why" questions from my granddaughters. It's interesting to see their faces when you give them an answer and you can tell that they are trying to understand the thought process.Peace in Christ,Joe Kihm
United Methodist Women
Good Golly!! It seems I just said hello to September and it’s almost gone already. Where did it go? It sure hasn’t seemed like fall with the temperatures and rain. Maybe by the time you read this, things will have changed a little, and we can get more in the mood to celebrate fall with the Harvest Carnival on October 13. Hope you’ve got it marked on your calendars. Clarien and Kuzaan are sure working hard to make this a fun event for everyone – young and old(er), so we hope you plan to attend.Speaking of which – our UMW members have been asked to volunteer to make cakes or other types of sweets for prizes for a cake walk. I’m sure you all remember the “walks” – it’s been a while since I’ve taken part in one. Anyway, we will need quite a few (preferably cakes since it is a cake walk!), and we need volunteers to “man” the booth. You needn’t be in the booth the whole time, just an hour would help a lot. If you would like to volunteer to help, please let Vera Dunsieth know. Terri Sturdevant will be assisting Vera, so you can also contact her. She will be around asking you to help make a cake (or other sweet) and see what flavor you’d like to bring! Your help in any area (either / and / or) would be tremendously appreciated. This will be an event for the adults in the crowd.* * * * * * * * * * * * *BAZAAR TIME!!! IT’S SNEAKING UP ON US! Plans are moving along for the celebration of a “Frosty, Starry Night!” Rita Skeen will be taking names for food donations and kitchen help, so be sure to get in touch with her. Marilyn McKnight will be looking for donations for the Christmas Booth, so get them ready to bring in the week before the bazaar.I (Rose Bauer) am looking forward to all the Gift items you will be donating. You may bring those in to me any time now. Remember, it can be anything you would enjoy receiving, whether you need it or not! Everything, naturally, must be in topnotch condition for gift giving, please. I hope that all of you crafters are busy little bees getting your items made for Karen Kilgo’s Craft Booth.Be sure to get out all of your cookie and sweets recipes for the Gourmet Booth. Carrie Haessig will be in charge of the booth with the very capable assistance of Terri Sturdevant. Cookie tins of all sizes are needed.Next meeting is October 8.Til then….
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Blessings to all!Your Officers
The YAH meeting will be a tour of Beau Verre Riordan Stained Glass Studio and lunch (cost is $16.00) in Middletown on Thursday, October 18. Reservations and payment need to be to Shirley Knollman no later than Sunday, October 7. We will leave the church at 10:00am. If you ride in the church van, it cost $5.00.
Just a few short notes for me – as you have probably noticed, the newsletter is mostly in one font and the same size. It is due to some people having difficulty reading the other fonts I was using. So, I picked one I liked and hope you enjoy it too!
We are once again getting low on our plastic hand-out containers in the kitchen. If you have any at home that you are not using, please bring them in to the church. Also, since I have you on that subject, the UMW needs tins (metal or plastic) for the Bazaar. They must be of the Christmas variety and no larger than 8” x 8”, please. You can put them on my desk in the front office or give them to me if you see me. Any containers would be greatly appreciated and will be sold for a good cause.
The next Women’s Breakfast will be on Saturday, October 6 (that’s my birthday!!!) at 9:00am. For those who have volunteered to bring food or drinks, I will email you the week before the meeting to remind you of your offerings. Thank you, in advance, for your wonderful service to our meetings and to the Lord! REMINDER: We will not have a meeting on November 3 due to the Christmas Bazaar. We may have one the 10th. I will let you know.
Please remember to pray for those on the weekly prayer list and those in the weekly email blast. If you don’t currently receive the prayer list or email blast and would like to, please let me know, because as we all know, prayers work wonders and we all need them!
As we look ahead to the future,
Remember, the Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
Terri
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The Spiritual Leadership Board will meet Thursday, October 11 at 6:00pm. Meeting will be held at CMC-B bldg. Food will be furnished.
Core ValuesLoving Relationships Authentic CommunityTransformation by Grace Sacrificial ServiceRisk-Taking Mission Passionate WorshipFervent Prayer Biblical LivingStrong Christian Families Servant Leadership
Men’s Chorus
Have you noticed that the men’s chorus has been missing in the 9:30am service? Have you missed their smiling faces as they sing their favorite gospel songs?
When the chorus last met in December 2017, the men were faced with a big decision – to disband or take some time off. During 2017, several men had been forced to leave the group due to health problems and there weren’t enough men left to sing all of the parts. After some discussion, it was decided to take some time off.
However, with fall approaching, it’s time to start up the men’s chorus again! The next rehearsal will be Sunday, October 7 from 6:30 to 8:00pm.
If you like to sing men’s 3 and 4 part gospel harmony, check out this group. Rehearsals are once a month and the guys usually sing 4 to 5 times a year in the 9:30am service. If you have questions, please see Karen Kilgo.
Choir
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Do you love to sing 4 part harmony?Do you love to sing 4 part harmony with other people who love to sing 4 part harmony?Do you love to share you love for God while singing 4 part harmony with other people who love to sing 4 part harmony?
If you managed to follow that AND answer “yes” to any of those questions, you and the choir are meant for each other.
The choir began rehearsing in September and will begin singing in the 9:30am service on October 7.
Practices are Wednesday evenings from 6:30 until 8:00pm. Please see Karen Kilgo for more information.
Christian One LinersGod doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.Forbidden fruits create many jams.Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.He who angers you, controls you!Don’t give God instructions – just report for duty!Don’t put a question mark where God put a period.
Helping Hands MinistryFamilies helped by the Miami Whitewater United Methodist Church
Food Pantry for 2018
FOOD PANTRY OUTREACH BY THE NUMBERS
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God's word:
“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD. Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
