The Messenger November 2017
HOPE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Sunday 8:30am - Plover, 202 Smith Street
9:00am - Sunday School - Pocahontas
10:00am - Pocahontas, 306 2nd Avenue NW
3:45pm - Plover - Wednesday School - 202 Smith Street
Pastor Kris Frank Cell: 712-577-2630 email: [email protected]
Church Office Mon.-Fri. Hours: 9:00-3:30pm
email: [email protected] Ph. 712-335-3663 Fax: 712-335-3406
Keep in touch with Hope UMC: hopeumcia.org
Hope UMC—Pocahontas, Havelock & Plover
NEW WORSHIP SITE: PLOVER
8:30 a.m. - Nov. & Dec. Plover Peace Circle
Lunch & Bake sale
Sat., Nov. 4, 2017
10a.m. - 1p.m.
Hope United
Methodist Church
Plover Center
*Bake Sale - Early Birds
pie & coffee $3
*Several kinds of nuts
*Lunch: Adults $7
Children to age 12 - $3
pulled pork or hot turkey
sandwiches, salad, pie, coffee
SOUP & PIE SUPPER
Wed., Nov. 1, 2017
4:30-7:00pm
Hope United
Methodist Church
Pocahontas Center
$7-adult
$4-children 5 to 10
4 & under-free
From the library…
We’ve all heard of, maybe even read one of the “Chicken
Soup” books. Each of these selections contain about 100
inspirational, heartwarming short stories. Easy to pick up
and read one or two stories even if you only have a few
minutes!
Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul
Chicken Soup for the Father’s Soul
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Treasury
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Empty Nesters
A Second Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul
Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul
These books will be displayed in the “Book Nook” located in the Fellowship during the
month of November. And YES!! You can check them out during that time! Simply sign your
name on the book card from the inside cover of the book, then place the card in the pocket
on the “Book Nook” display.
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The $7,000 goal for the purchase of a Safe-T Home has been reached!
Thank you to everyone for your generosity!
UMW news
Bible Verse: Hebrews 12:14
"Make every effort to live in peace
with all mankind and to be holy;
without holiness no one will see God."
Circles collect World Thank Offering.
Charity Circle Meeting--Nov. 2; 9:00 a.m. Family Table
Truth Circle Meeting--Nov. 2; 7:00 p.m. Donna Hudson's
Peace Circle Meeting--Nov. 8 at Plover
November 4 is the Plover Bazaar and nut sales. Plan to attend and enjoy the lunch and pur-
chase those wonderful nuts!
November 6: District Spiritual Growth Study at Washta. See the UMW bulletin board for de-
tails. This is also the Thanksgiving Ingathering Day at Cherokee.
November 15 at 1:30 the Executive Committee will meet to work on the 2018 booklet.
Looking ahead to December.
Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m. Christmas Vespers. Committee 1 Truth
Circle will make the cookie plates.
Enjoy the beautiful fall colors and be thankful for the blessings of church and family.
5th Quarter Event
Following the football game on Friday, October 20th, we had 19 kids attend our 5th Quar-
ter Event, a collaboration
between Hope Youth Group and the Prairie Faith Partners Youth Group. We played games,
ate lots of great snacks, and just enjoyed an evening of fun. We plan to host another event or
two during the upcoming basketball season, so be looking for announcements in the fu-
ture! Also, THANK YOU to anyone who provided snacks or pop!!!
Food + Teenagers = Successful Gatherings
Youth Group
We will have Youth Group as usual on Wed., November
8th. There will be NO YOUTH GROUP on Wednesday,
November 22nd due to Thanksgiving Break.
Advent Bible study in Plover meeting Friday mornings:
Faithful, Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph by Adam Hamilton.
Contact Candace
Sunday School/Wednesday School Christmas Mission Project:
During the month of November, the Sunday School/ Wednesday School kids
will be passing around those “Jingle Cans” again! Loose change ( paper bills
work too! ) will be collected, and in December sent to UMCOR to aid in hurri-
cane relief. We want to teach our kids that we can be “helping hands” and
share the love of Jesus with our neighbors in other parts of our country! So please start
gathering up those coins, and help those cans jingle, jingle, jingle!!! Our name is HOPE....
let’s share some!!!
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Lectionary Scriptures
Nov 5 Joshua 3:7-17, Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37, 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13, Matthew 23:1-12
Nov 12 Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25, Psalm 78:1-7, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13
Nov 19 Judges 4:1-7, Psalm 123, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Matthew 25:14-40
Nov 26 Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24, Psalm 100, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46 Dec 3 Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 13:24-37
Carolyn & Adrian Hanson 11/3
Kevin & Megan Hauswirth 11/12
Rob & Heidi Freeburg 11/16
Walt & Mary Phillips 11/17
Ray & Ernella Van Horn 11/19
Bernard & Jerri Arnold 11/27
Bethany Brown 11/3
Krystal Davidson 11/3
Abigail Leu 11/4
Clara Barnhardt 11/5
Randy Barnhardt 11/7
Bryan Rahn 11/7
Kristen Davis 11/8
Nicole Arnold 11/10
Breyanne Minkler 11/11
Wayne Hulsebus 11/11
Jean Peterson 11/13
Allan Minkler 11/14
Donna Hudson 11/15
McKenna Trimble 11/18
Darlene Poss 11/19
Melissa Rahn 11/20
Monica Plantz 11/21
Caralynn Kerns 11/22
Carolyn Wheatley 11/23
Lars Hulsebus 11/24
Josee Slama 11/24
Carlee Leeper 11/26
Judy Timan 11/28
Donate to
United Methodist Committee on Relief
(UMCOR)
The 2017 hurricane season was devastating… in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin Islands. And on the other extreme, the devastating wildfires
in northern California left many dead and thousands of homes destroyed.
For all affected, the recovery will take years.
By mid-October, UMCOR had received $15 million from donors in response to U.S. disasters.
The directors of the UMC Board of Global Ministries and UMCOR approved $7 million in
grants for hurricane and other disaster-relief work. The UMC is committed to disaster relief
and 100% of all donations go directly to relief efforts.
To donate, make checks payable to Hope UMC and put Disaster Relief or Hurricanes or
UMCOR in the memo line.
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THANKSGIVING ingathering
The 38th Annual Thanksgiving Ingathering will be held on
Saturday, November 4, at the Western Iowa Convention
Center, Cherokee. The program begins at 10:00 a.m.
The kits have been packed and are ready for delivery to Cherokee. Your generosity is over-
whelming! Thank you to all who helped sew the bags for the school kits – I think there were
at least 8 sewers.
There are 90 school kits, 43 health kits and 12 sweaters ready to go. Thank you, thank you,
thank you!! Next month will be a report on the blankets.
WORSHIP ASSISTANTS †
Nov 5 Carol Hallman Liturgist
Nov 5 Walt & Mary Phillips Fellowship
Nov 5 Bill & Monica Plantz Fellowship
Nov 5 Russ & Julie Waterman Comm. Stwd's
Nov 12 Donnie McLain Liturgist
Nov 12 Tim & Elaine Cook Fellowship
Nov 12 Bob & Joan Reinhart Fellowship
Nov 19 Mary Phillips Liturgist
Nov 19 Mary Turner, Mary Ford Fellowship
Nov 19 Jerry Severson Fellowship
Nov 26 Ann Harrison Liturgist
Nov 26 Carol McCurdy Fellowship
Nov 26 Keith & Kathy Johnson Fellowship
Nov Acolytes - Chase Cook, Caden Freeburg
Nov Ushers - Jack Gould, Rob Freeburg, Don Schendel, Jeff Shearer
Nov Greeters -
north door: Bill & Monica Plantz
south door: Chris & Pam Radig
east door: Judy Pursley
west door: Bev Hopkins
DATE
POCAHONTAS
HAVELOCK/PLOVER
TOTAL
Oct 1 76 26 102
Oct 8 73 21 94
Oct 15 65 24 89
Oct 22 70 25 95
Worship Attendance at Hope UMC
FREE SATURDAY SUPPER
Saturday ~ Nov 25th
Serving from
5 - 6:30 p.m.
At HOPE UMC,
Pocahontas Center
There will be many opportunities to help prepare,
serve and clean-up.
Watch for the clipboard in worship
Or call 712-335-3663
UDMO Food Pantry Sunday
November 12, 2017
Advent Small Group Study
Hope UMC is again offering an Advent study for those who want to join in the study.
Following are the details:
Title: Because of Bethlehem, Love is Born, Hope is Here by Max Lucado
When: 4 week study, possibly starting the last week in November
Cost: Books are approximately $11.00 each
About the study: A remarkable gift can arrive in an unremarkable package. One
did in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. No one expected God to come the
way he did. Yet the way he came was every bit as important as the coming itself.
The manger is the message. In this four-session video Bible study, Max Lucado ex-
plores how the One who made everything chose to make himself nothing for us.
He experienced hunger and thirst. He went through the stages of human develop-
ment. He was taught to walk, stand, and wash his face. He was completely and
genuinely human. Because of Bethlehem, we no longer have marks on our rec-
ord . . . just grace. We have the promise that God is always near us, always for us,
always within us—and that we have a friend and Savior in heaven. Long after the
guests have left, the carolers have gone home, and the lights have come down,
these promises endure.
SIGN UP: if you want to lead or
just participate in this study, please
fill out a slip on Sunday morning
OR call the church office.
LAST DAY TO SIGN UP:
Sunday, November 12th so books
will arrive in time for the study to
begin!
How can we go wrong with a study whose ending tag
is “Hope is Here?”
Leadership Team Meeting
October 12, 2017, 7:00 p.m.
Friendship Room
Pocahontas Center
Attendance: Pastor Kris, Allan Frevert, Carol McCurdy, Carol Hallman, Donnie McLain, Linda
Ferguson, Joan Reinhart, Moira Hopkins, Dixie Gottsch and Judy Timan.
Donnie called the meeting to order. Pastor Kris read from 1 Thessalonians 5 and opened the
meeting with prayer.
The September minutes were corrected to read “5 out of every 6 people wanted the Leader-
ship Team to proceed "with the blend” and “SPRC met with DS Tom Carver”. Allan moved to
accept the minutes as amended. Dixie seconded the motion. Ayes all.
Allan gave the financial report. The September opening balance was $6,861.18. September
offerings were $16,535.14 and disbursements were $10,630.79. The bank balance at the end
of September was $12,767.94. The finance committee will pay the general church and confer-
ence ministries apportionments for May and June. Pastor Kris’s compensation is $500 per
week. Allan moved to accept the financial report. Joan seconded the motion. Ayes all.
The Soup and Pie supper is Wednesday, November 1. Ticket prices will remain the same. Ta-
bles will be set up after worship Oct 29th.
Pastors Report: Charge Conference is Sunday, October 22, 2 pm, at the Pocahontas Center.
The finance committee requests that all committees submit budget requests by October 15th
so the 2018 budget can be prepared.
Pastor Kris, in preparation for charge conference, asked what did we do to accomplish the
goals set for 2017. Many positive examples were discussed but there were also areas of
missed opportunities. 2018 goals were set stressing moving forward with optimism.
Pastor Kris recommended one or two portable mics to use during the sharing of joys and con-
cerns. Carol M will let the chr. of the trustees know.
Ministry Team Reports
SPRC – Linda reported that the committee will meet October 16.
Missions – Dixie reported. 21 community members (plus 3 take-outs) attended the Septem-ber Saturday Night Supper. 35 meals total were served. 20 participated in the UDMO Hunger Walk. $1,467 was raised and sent to UDMO. October is Blanket Month. A special offering will be taken the last Sunday in October for the Military Bible Sticks.
Outreach & Member Care – no report
Education – Moira reported. The committee met this week. They recommend continuing the Advent and Lenten studies. The Advent study will need to start in November. The first 5th Quarter event for 6th - 8th graders was very successful. The next one is October 20th. The chil-dren’s Christmas mission project will be for hurricane relief. The children’s Christmas program at Plover and Pocahontas is December 10th.
Nominations – Donnie reported that the ministry teams for 2018 are nearing completion. People have been very receptive to accepting positions.
Trustees – Carol M. reported that Brad has secured Matt Wood for snow removal at the church.
Worship – Carol H. reported. A meeting will be scheduled in early November.
UMW – Joan reported. Today was the quarterly executive meeting. The changes that took place in 2017 were evaluated and there were some modifications for 2018. The UMW will be assuming the nut sales with help from the Plover ladies.
Carol H. reported on work with the Secretary of State to draw up Articles of Incorporation for a new entity for Hope United Methodist Church of Pocahontas, Iowa. These articles follow the statutes of Iowa and the United Methodist Book of Discipline. Allan moved to move ahead with plans to finalize the work started 22 years ago. Carol McCurdy seconded the mo-tion. Ayes all. Carol will get another legal opinion and the opinion of District Superintendent, Tom Carver.
Current Year’s (2017) Goals
1. Shift from Fellowship to Hospitality: because our life in the church is not just about us.
2. Shift from Worship as an Event to Worship as a Lifestyle: participating in God-centered worship with others helps us to continue worshiping as a lifestyle.
3. Shift from Membership to Discipleship: membership says it’s about me. Discipleship says it’s about God & others.
4. Shift from Serve US to Service: we need to take the next step from Missional Gestures to Ministries of Engagement. Change a Child’s Story will help us start to do this.
5. Shift from Survival Mentality to Generosity: we are called to be generous people because God is a generous God.
What are you learning as you are living out these goals?
1. Food Pantry, Saturday Suppers, Fifth Quarter, and Free Furniture are signs of outward fo-cus. Fellowship and hospitality need to be defined in a measureable way.
2. We have Advent and Lent studies, but need to add more. This also seems vague to us now.
3. It’s a work in progress. We had a unified service this summer but missed opportunities to include those from outside of Pocahontas Center in leadership of services and fellowship.
4. We did well with buying a Safety Home for Haiti, Change a Child’s Story, and delivering meals. We are still working on strengthening Saturday Suppers.
5. We are survivors but really have not begun to thrive yet. We haven’t yet changed our mindset. We are generous in many ways but could do better in our financial stewardship.
Discerning God’s Preferred Future
Based on your current reality, what is God asking of your congregation at this time?
It has been a tough year. We need to own our goals and not let them just be words on paper. We also need to celebrate, both in worship and through our media, our accomplishments.
What are your goals for next year to help you accomplish what God is asking of you?
1. We need to generate positive conversation about our church in our communities. Let’s host outstanding events (Soup & Pie, Christmas, Easter, Fifth Quarter, …) that the commu-nity will want to talk about rather than our survival mentality.
2. We need to build community within Hope Church so that we may build up the community outside of Hope Church. We need to intermix the members of the various centers and re-ally get to know each other. Ask each other for help or contributions. Participate in all our events. Practice welcoming each other so that we may welcome others into the life of Hope Church.
3. Finish the Blend conversations by incorporating as Hope United Methodist Church with the State of Iowa and writing our covenant. Letting this process drag out for decades has drug down our church. Let’s finish it and move forward as a hope filled church.
The next meeting will be November 9.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Timan
Leadership Team Secretary pro tem
Encourage One Another
As we continue our time of transition, please stop and take a moment to remember a
time that you were feeling down, frustrated, or just totally alone. Not a great feeling,
right? We’ve all been there at one time or another.
Now, stop and think about a time when someone unexpectedly called to say hi, or
stopped you uptown to chat and see how you were doing, or simply invited you out for
coffee…which was just the pick-me-up you needed. What a wonderful feeling, right?
Well, we need to be doing the same thing for our church family, as well as, those we
know in our community. One way you can do that is to use the encouragement cards
in our registration pads. Grab a notecard and envelope, and jot a quick note to some-
one God has laid on your heart. You can even drop it in the offering plate if you have
it addressed!
Also, if you haven’t seen someone in awhile, you could also give them a quick call
and let them know they are missed, and ask if there is anything you can pray for with
them. Bottom line, simply let them know that you care, and that they are missed. Af-
ter all, isn’t that what Jesus expects? Matthew 25:40 states, “...Truly I tell you, whatev-
er you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Let’s step out of our comfort zone and follow Christ’s example and show our family
how very important they really are to us!