The Spire The Monthly FUMC Newsletter August 2018 Dear Friend, How do you handle folks asking for financial assistance? It is a question that I have been asked several times. At the heart of the question are feelings of wanting to be of genuine help to others, but wondering what the best approach may be. For what it may be worth, let me offer some tips that I have found helpful. #1 Trust your instincts. If you are approached by someone asking for money, pay attention to your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable with the situation, for any reason, it is perfectly fine to politely tell the person, "I cannot help you today." No further explanation is necessary. If, on the other hand, you feel like you want to offer some assistance, that is alright as well. One of the statements I often hear is that we don't know whether this is a legitimate need. My response to that is the desire to err on the side of compassion. Yes, in some cases folks may be taking advantage of my charity. In other cases, there may be a legitimate need. I cannot be sure which is the case. But, I would rather err on the side of generosity toward those in need. If someone takes advantage of my kindness, that is on them, not me. #2 There are other legitimate ways to help beyond direct financial contributions. Love Chapel has a food pantry, Brighter Days offers shelter to the homeless, Hot Meals provides a meal every day of the week (Mondays at 5:00 p.m. here at First UMC.) These services often have counselors who work with the complex needs people face. If you are not familiar with the resources in the community, there are brochures outside the church library and you can share these with anyone requesting assistance. #3 It is ok to refer folks to church staff. Every first Sunday of the month, First UMC receives the Helping Hands donations to assist people in need. We don't typically provide cash assistance, but we have gift cards and other ways of helping people through this fund. If you are uncertain how to help someone, it is preferable to ask them to come to the church office throughout the week. This raises one of my personal points. I made a decision several years ago not to provide assistance on Sunday morning. For one, it often requires time that I do not have available while preparing for worship and Sunday School. I will politely tell the individual to come to the church office Monday Friday and I will be
Transcript
The Spire The Monthly FUMC Newsletter August 2018
Dear Friend, How do you handle folks asking for financial assistance? It is a question that I have been asked severaltimes. At the heart of the question are feelings of wanting to be of genuine help to others, but wonderingwhat the best approach may be. For what it may be worth, let me offer some tips that I have found helpful. #1 Trust your instincts. If you are approached by someone asking for money, pay attention to yourinstincts. If you feel uncomfortable with the situation, for any reason, it is perfectly fine to politely tell theperson, "I cannot help you today." No further explanation is necessary. If, on the other hand, you feel likeyou want to offer some assistance, that is alright as well. One of the statements I often hear is that we don't know whether this is a legitimate need. My response tothat is the desire to err on the side of compassion. Yes, in some cases folks may be taking advantage of mycharity. In other cases, there may be a legitimate need. I cannot be sure which is the case. But, I wouldrather err on the side of generosity toward those in need. If someone takes advantage of my kindness, thatis on them, not me. #2 There are other legitimate ways to help beyond direct financial contributions. Love Chapel has afood pantry, Brighter Days offers shelter to the homeless, Hot Meals provides a meal every day of the week(Mondays at 5:00 p.m. here at First UMC.) These services often have counselors who work with thecomplex needs people face. If you are not familiar with the resources in the community, there are brochuresoutside the church library and you can share these with anyone requesting assistance. #3 It is ok to refer folks to church staff. Every first Sunday of the month, First UMC receives the HelpingHands donations to assist people in need. We don't typically provide cash assistance, but we have gift cardsand other ways of helping people through this fund. If you are uncertain how to help someone, it ispreferable to ask them to come to the church office throughout the week. This raises one of my personal points. I made a decision several years ago not to provide assistance onSunday morning. For one, it often requires time that I do not have available while preparing for worship andSunday School. I will politely tell the individual to come to the church office Monday Friday and I will be
able to dedicate more time and focus to hearing their needs. The same would likely be true if someone metme just prior to a meeting or other event during the week. I would recommend this for all our church staff asa way of balancing our opportunities to serve and our commitments to the church community. When thetiming is not good, I simply say to the individual that I cannot help them at that moment but suggest timeswhen I am available to talk further with them. In helping those in need, I have had some wonderful experiences. Sometimes folks have come back to tellme that things have gone well for them. On a few occasions folks have come to the church wanting to payback the assistance they were given so that someone else might benefit. That is always inspiring. Whether to give to someone, how to give to someone, how to respond in these circumstances is alwayschallenging. We want to be caring and helpful, but we aren't always sure about the best to respond. But atour heart, we seek to be a congregation that is led by God's love as we reach out in a multitude of ways toall those around us. Pace bene (Peace and all good things), Howard
In This Issue
Church Picnic
Sunday School
Trustee Update
Music News
Join us on SundayEvenings!
Youth News
LTP News
Prayer Shawl
Alive
Book Club
We need you tocomplete our picture!
Acolytes and Crucifers
UMW
Daily Devotions
Sunday School MissionProjects
Our Church Family
Weekly Announcements
Spire Deadline
Church Picnic
The church picnic is Sunday, August 5 at 11:30 a.m. A unified service willbe held in the Sanctuary at 10:00 a.m. All are invited to this fun afternoon. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Chicken and drinks will beprovided. Allergy friendly items can be provided upon request. AuctionDuring the picnic an auction will be held benefitting the Mission Trip toGuatemala in March 2019. Come prepared to bid on both live and silent auction items during theChurch Picnic. Our very own Leighton Turner will be auctioneer the liveauction. Here are just a few of the unique auction items:
View the Church (and the rest of Columbus) from 2500 feet in a 30minute flight for up to 3 passengers. Enjoy a delicious dinner for four and a boat ride on Harrison Lakecourtesy of Chef/Captain Jim Rumsey.
Would you like to hear all of your favorite hymns in one churchservice? If you are the winning bidder, you can pick the hymns for aSunday Service with the assistance of Kevin Butler or JuliannaJeromeDrerup.
And many more fantastic items, including tasty treats by some of thechurch's best bakers.
Sunday School
Sunday School Begins on Sunday, August 12
Children and YouthChildren and Youth
Deep Blue Little Ones Toddlers and Young PreschoolersRoom 310Little Ones will hear of the importance God places on people and howimportant they are to God. Good Shepherd PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st GradeRoom 314Children in Good Shepherd will hear the Bible story using wooden figures inthe telling of the story. They are given the opportunity to make it their ownstory by choosing an activity such as an art project or using the woodenfigures to retell the story on their own. Deep Blue Submerge 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, and 4th GradeRoom 313Elementary students and their loving adult parent or mentor are invited tothis class TOGETHER, which includes exciting stories, science experiments,arts and crafts, animated video storytelling, and active gamesall combinedinto a livingfaith experience that will help children discover what it means tobe a disciple of Jesus Christ today!
Submerge 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, and 8th GradeRoom 312Submerge includes adventure, exciting stories, science experiments, artsand crafts, animated video storytelling, and active gamesall combined into a
livingfaith experience that will help children discover what it means to be adisciple of Jesus Christ today!
High School Sunday SchoolRoom 316Highschoolers will wrestle with current events topics and short term studiesand discuss how these current events intersect with their lives. This classwill begin the school year with Adam Hamilton's study Unafraid.
Adult Digging into the Bible
Room 116Starting August 12, The Digging into the Bible Sunday School class willstudy Adam Hamilton's Moses. All are welcome to attend.
Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain TimesChapel
To launch our season, there will be a special Sunday School session
studying Adam Hamilton's Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in
Uncertain Times. This is a five session class, and will be held on August12, 19, and 26; then September 9 and 16. Pastor Lisa Cottingham and
Sarah Campbell will be co-leading this class.
The Men and Women of Faith, The Traveler's Class and the High SchoolClass will all be joining this study.
Trustee UpdateStained Glass Windows
After a few months of extra light entering our sanctuary from the west, youmay notice that stained glass windows have been reinstalled. Thanks toMominee Studios and our capital campaign, repair, cleaning, andreinstallation of these windows is now taking place. This will be ongoing forthe next few months, including exterior repainting and storm windowinstallation. In the meantime, we'd encourage you to look closely at thewindows on the west side of the sanctuary and compare them to the yettoberemoved windows on the east side. You'll see a striking difference!
Security System
The trustees are pleased to report that a new security system has beeninstalled. We now have exterior video monitoring as well as a new integrateddoor access control system on some of our exterior doors. Just days afterthe cameras became live, we were able to use the cameras to catchsomeone wreaking havoc in one of our gardens.
Church and preschool staff will be undergoing training on the new system,and we will be working out a plan for how we think the system will be bestutilized for our daytoday business, evening programs, and weekendservices. We will be tweaking the system as we learn, and we appreciateyour patience as we try to find the best compromise between safety andaccessibility.
Kitchen Water Heater
We are also pleased to report installation of a new tankless hot water heaternear the kitchen dishwasher and three bay sink. This should greatly reducethe amount of time it takes to get hot water to this location.
Upcoming Changes
We have many more improvements in store. Keep an eye out in the nearfuture for HVAC upgrades, technology improvements in the sanctuary, andsidewalk fixes.
Music News
2018 Fridays@FirstSeptember 21, 2018 @ 7:00 p.m.
Harmonic Brass from Munich, Germanywww.harmonicbrass.de
Friday, October 19, 2018 @ 7:00 p.m.
Arkady Orlovsky, Cello and Tamara Orlovsky, Piano
Friday, November 30, 2018 @ 7:30 p.m.
Celebrate the Season First United Methodist Church Music Ministry
December 14, 2018 @ 7:00 p.m.
The Burchfield Brothers with vocalist, Mark Murphywww.burchfieldbrothers.com
Friday, March 29, 2019 @ 7:00 p.m.
Purdue Varisty Glee Clubwww.purdue.edu/pmo
Friday, May 31, 2019 @ 7:00 p.m.
Dr. David K. Lamb, Organ
If you would like more information about a certain concert please check outthe websites listed below those events or the church website. If you have ideas about where we should be advertising our Fridays@Firstevents please send Kevin Butler a note. Your help and your ideas are greatlyappreciated.
Ding Dong Merrily at FUMC!The Chancel Ringers will resume rehearsals for the fall 2018 season onTuesday, August 28, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the music center. Come join thisfunloving bunch as we embark on another season of ringing joy throughoutthe church. You'll never know how much fun bell ringing can be until yougive it a try. If you have questions talk to a current bell ringer or KevinButler for more details.
Lift Every Voice on Sing!The Chancel Choir will resume their rehearsals on Thursday, August 30,2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Music Center. Lift your voice in song and join us aswe continue the tradition of musical excellence here at FUMC. Your voice isneeded and wanted for this fun group. Take a chance and join us for "a viewfrom the choir loft." Talk to any current choir member or Kevin Butler formore details.
Children's Choir
Sounds of Joy Sounds of Joy is a children's choir for children ages 3 years 1st grade.
Sounds of Joy meets each Sunday from 10:00 a.m. 10:20 a.m. in room312.
Sounds of Celebration
Sounds of Celebration is for children in 2nd grade 6th grade. EachSunday, Sounds of Celebration will meet from 5:30 6:30 p.m. in the MusicRoom.
Join us on Sunday Evenings!Everyone is welcome to join us for dinner at 5:00 p.m., approximately everyother week. The dinner schedule is the same night that our LINCS with KidsSmall Group meets. On those nights we will also have Evening KidsConnections from 6:00 7:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Check the churchbulletin, Facebook (@fumcfamily) or Instagram (@firstumcyouth) for info onwhat is available that night!
Youth News
Youth Connect
Youth Connect (youth group) will meet on Sundays from 5:30 7:30 p.m. in
room 316. We start each session with Highs and Lows and then have a timefor worship, Bible study, fellowship and games.
Youth Leadership
The Youth Leadership Team is comprised of 68 members and meets
quarterly to plan for the youth group.
20182019 members are: Maia Campbell, Helen Rumsey, Elise Lasell, SamiHeathcote and Caroline Emerick.
Learning Tree Preschool NewsThe toys are all organized, the cubbies are all clean, name tags are all hung,the floors have been waxed, and our teachers are all ready to welcomepreschoolers into their classes! The first day at Learning Tree Preschool is Wednesday, August 15. For the20182019 school year, there are 150 students enrolled at Learning TreePreschool and 25 staff members! The church playground also has a new addition, a wonderful new pergola toprovide a bit of relief from the sun on those hot late summer school days.
Thank you to Jim Burke and his Cummins Team for installing our newshade.
Prayer Shawl Do you like to crochet or knit? Would you like to be a member of a small
group with a mission? The Prayer Shawl Group is looking for new members
to help with their mission, to provide a shawl or lap robe to people
experiencing a difficulty in life such as illness or death. We also knit and
crochet an item for those who attend Hot Meals. This year we are doing hat
and scarf sets. It you would like to know more about us, call Betty Welch at
372-6529, or Ginny Newsom at 376-6260. We meet in the library on the first
Tuesday of the month from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Please join us in the
library on Tuesday, August 7 at 10:30 a.m.
Alive
The 2018 Alive trip included serving at two local community ministries,speakers, tons of amazing music and spending a week laughing, crying,praying, dining, playing and getting to know each other, all 28 of them, withGod moments interwoven in all of it. Thank you to everyone that made the trip possible!
Book Club
On Sunday, August 19, the Book Club will meet in the church library to
discuss Clair Huffaker's novel, "The Cowboy and the Cossack." This uniquestory, set in 1880, tells of fifteen American cowboys who deliver a herd of500 cattle to Russia. They must get the cattle to a famine stricken town deepin Siberia with the help of a band of Cossacks. In order to succeed, they willneed to develop trust and mutual respect. All are welcome to join us for thisconversation which begins at 6:00 p.m.
As a reminder, if you purchase one of these books at Viewpoint, tell themthat it is for the church book club and you will receive an additional 10%discount.
We need you to complete our picture!
Are you looking for a way to serve YOUR church? Love working withChildren or Youth? Consider teaching a Sunday School Class, having funleading the youth group or working in the nursery next school year! The timecommitment is flexible do it one time, once a month, once a quarter, everyweek or anything in between! We each have unique talents and abilitiesand FUMC needs you to be a part of the picture! Planning is under way andall that is missing is you! Contact Sarah Campbell (8123722851) to seehow you can fit into our puzzle!
Acolytes and Crucifers
Acolytes and Crucifers are needed for both the 9:00 a.m. and the 11:00 a.m.
worship services. Please sign up here.
UMW
United Methodist Women
UMW BoardThe UMW Board will meet on the last Wednesday of August instead of thefirst Wednesday in Sept. It is important for all of the circle leader and unitofficers to attend. We will meet in the Blue Room at 10:00 am onWednesday, August 29, 2018. Please contact Jeri Alhbrand if you cannotattend.
Please plan to attend a very important meeting on Monday, September 10.
Naomi CirclePlease join us for our next meeting on Monday, August 13 at 7:00 p.m. inthe Blue Room. The topic of this meeting will be planning.
Miriam CirclePlease join us on Wednesday, August 15 at 1:00 p.m. in the Blue Room forthis meeting.
Daily Devotions
If you would like to receive daily text devotions from Family Ministry Team,please sign up by texting "@fumcdevo" to 81010.
Sunday School Mission ProjectsElementary/Middle School/High School Sunday School classes will bechoosing a new mission project to support this year in Sunday school. Lookfor more information soon about possible giving opportunities. Please cometo class with your ideas to discuss!
Good Shepherd will continue to accept offerings each Sunday morning to gotowards Heifer International.
Our Church Family
Congratulations on the baptism of Wills Charles Miller Stewart! The Church mourns the loss of Mac Randall and Robert Evans.
Weekly AnnouncementsDid you miss the Sunday morning announcements? Our weeklyannouncements are now available on our website.
Spire DeadlineDo you have news to share with the congregation? Please send allinformation to Annie Tennis by the 20th of the month.
