Celebrate UMCOR Sunday (formerly One Great Hour of Sharing)

on March 11, 2018

Your generous giving to UMCOR Sunday (formerly One Great Hour of Sharing) is what allows UMCOR to act as the arms and legs of Christ’s church, moving toward the

most vulnerable in their darkest days. Convinced that all people have God-given worth and dignity—without regard to race, religion or gender—together we are assisting those impacted by crisis or chronic need. Because you give, the United Methodist Church’s compassionate response to human suffering continues today. Look for your special donation envelope in the March 11th

service bulletin.

Our hearts ache and our spirits grieve as once again senseless violence and

evil has taken the lives of innocent people. I invite you to join me in praying for

the victims and families of the shooting yesterday at Marjory Stoneman Doug-

las High School. Our prayers are with our United Methodist brothers and sis-

ters in the communities of Parkland and Coral Springs, Florida as they seek to

be the presence of Christ during this horrific time.

Like you, I watch and listen as people attempt to make sense of events like

this. I hear the discussions that attempt to find a reason and then ultimately a

solution. We must lead and be engaged in the conversations that address the

moral and spiritual decay in our society. We must lead and be engaged in the

conversations that work toward ending all acts of violence and evil, including

gun violence. We must lead and be engaged in the conversations that seek to

address the hopelessness, fear, and spiritual yearnings found in each person.

We must confess our lack of compassion, passion, and urgency in offering the

Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and action to the world around us.

Ephesians 6 remind us of a powerful truth: "for our struggle is not against flesh

and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces

of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly

places." The words of Jesus in John 12 invite us to claim and proclaim a

promise as well - "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who

believes in Me will not remain in darkness."

May we allow the light of Jesus to continue to transform us and then may we

take that light into the darkest parts of our community and world, trusting that

light to penetrate the darkness. The light of Christ is our hope, our source of

peace and the true solution for transforming change in us, in others and in our

world. Let us boldly offer Jesus!

Grace and peace, Bishop Mark J. Webb

Time, Talent and Treasure Auction In the spring our Confirmation class will be sponsoring a church wide “Time, Tal-ent and Treasure” auction to raise money for a gift they’d like to present the church. Everyone is welcome to participate, either by donating an item or a tal-ent or service, or by bidding on the talents and treasures we collect. For in-stance, you might have an item you would be willing to donate that we all could bid on. Or, you might be willing to donate a service depending on your talents. It might be making a dinner, playing the piano, babysitting, treating someone to a day of sailing, a photography lesson…you name it, the possibilities are endless! So start thinking about what you would be willing to donate to our first “Time, Talent and Treasure“ auction and look for the dates to be announced. Any ques-tions or fabulous ideas, please see Judy or Pastor Mary.

North Buffalo seniors in need of transportation to and from medical and other appointments have been able to access an aging in place program sponsored by the Parkside Community Association (PCA). North Buffalo Neigh-bors originally focused on enabling Parkside seniors to live confidently and com-fortably in their own homes. The program actually serves a much broader area of North Buffalo. And more volunteer drivers are needed. The PCA is looking for volunteers willing to donate their time to our senior neigh-bors. Volunteers pick up seniors at their homes, take them to their appointment and then bring them back home. A typical round-trip is two hours. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact PCADirector@gmail.com or call (716) 838-1240.

“I've grown very fond of shawarma (a

Middle Eastern wrap) which I was first in-troduced to by my son in Brooklyn...

I was especially pleased when a local shawarma take-out place opened on Parkside across from the Zoo. Marge and I would get a good walk in, strolling over to pick up our order of 2 chicken shawarmas. We basked in the sun setting over the park as we walked to and back from Shawarma City. I introduced a few friends to the restaurant and raved about their simple but con-sistently good fare to others. Imagine my surprise when I called to order and found they had closed that location and now only had a Niagara Falls Blvd site. What a loss, I thought. I will miss all the joy that place had given me and those that shared it with me. I think to myself, why did this shop fail, when it had provided me with such blissful meals and strolls through the neighborhood, and made such healthy and reasonably-priced meals. Sometimes you don't realize how much you cher-ish something, until it's gone, and then you wonder why it's gone and what else you could have done to help keep it. And so it is with a church. You enjoy and relish the support and camaraderie and shared experience of worship and mission. You contribute what you can in wealth and in time in ways that you feel gifted to give. But you wonder, is it enough, what else are we miss-ing that needs to be done. So beware complacency, I have found my avenue to do what I can. It is through work and repairs that I feel complete and satisfied with my contribution to our mission. Each may search for their own gift to give.

Your friend, Bob Waddell

Dates to remember for Lenten Season March 25 - Palm Sunday

March 29 - Maundy Thursday March 30 - Good Friday (Office Closed)

March 31 - Holy Saturday April 1 - Easter Sunday

!

CENTRAL PARK PRAYER LIST Marge & Bob W., Robert Ware, Anne & Emilia, Mark, Louise, Marilynn S. Pat-rick R., The family of Patrick M., David, Amy B. , Nina & Geno, Shirley & Dennis B., Hector & Gwen T., Donna H., Bill J.

Imagine No Racism Event In July of 2016, the Northeastern Jurisdiction of The United Meth-odist Church unanimously approved a resolution for every Annual Conference to confront the sin of racism in our own hearts, our churches, and our communities. Upper New York Area Resident Bishop created a task force, known now as the Bishop’s Task force on Eliminating Racism, to start strategizing ways to confront this deeply embedded issue across our Conference. The task force is now ready to help the rest of the UNY Conference to act. The task force has called this new ministry “Imagine No Racism,” drawing inspiration from our denomination’s successful Imagine No Malaria campaign. Like Imagine No Malaria, Imagine No Racism will unapologetically identify the disease of racism and offer concrete ways to bring healing. Across the Conference clergy and laity have been asked to set aside Saturday April 21 (12:30 p.m.- 4 p.m.) for the Imagine No Ra-cism Launch Day; simultaneous events will be held across the Con-ference in every District. Our Niagara Frontier District will gather together at the Clarence Unit-ed Methodist Church, 10205 Greiner Rd, Clarence, NY 14031. Pastor Mary wishes to extend an invitation to all of our members to join in the launch of this important initiative.

ENJOY A NIGHT OF GOSPEL MUSIC With “Sweet Inspirations” March 11, 2018 at 6:30pm, FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 8210 BUFFALO A V E N I A G A R A F A L L S , N Y 1 4 3 0 4 ALL ARE INVITED! BRING A FRIEND! Refreshments to follow. For information call: 930-4661