Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
1
STAFF Pastor
REV. MICHAEL PIKE
Music Director
& Organist—TBA
Sexton
DAVE VENANCIO
Church Secretary MARYTERESA HICKS
July/august 2020
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR MIKE
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Saturday at 5:00 PM
Sunday at 10:00 AM
Fellowship follows in the
Parish House
Children’s Church School
during Sunday
worship service
PUMC
2732 EAST MAIN ROAD
PO Box 265
Portsmouth, RI 02871
Office: 401-683-4005
www.pumcri.org
What We REALLY need . . .
During times of crisis and world wide pandemic (like we have had since mid March 2020) which place us ALL at Home or under quarantine, working from home, going to school from home, or jobless, or hug-less, and in seemingly endless lonely isolation . . . we have the “opportunity” to reassess and even reset our priorities. I have repeatedly been told over the years, that the Chinese word / symbol for crisis contains the concept of new opportunity within the crisis. Well, I don’t know about YOU . . . but I find it hard to see any opportunities while I am scared out of my mind and overwhelmed with the daily news and the fear of catching the virus. But when we stop overthinking long enough to trust God and pray . . . some things become a little more clear. We have the chance to make some changes . . . in addition to the ones that have been forced upon us. Be gentle with yourself and everyone else . . . we are ALL struggling and those who are say they are NOT . . . must have a problem with lying, or self deception, or lots of money (and no television.) Some folks find it easier to come to terms with all the massive changes that are happening around us, and near us, and within us, and everywhere we look. But not ME . . . I HATE Change – (I was in mourning for a week when they stopped making one of my favorite shampoo products a few years ago). But after I get done with my pity party (no one else attended) . . . I find hope in what God ALWAYS does . . . to bring good out of evil – God Will Make A Way ! Look up the song by Don Moen and give it a listen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsMAXhc0QTs It is worth your time to take a break . . . and let faith be re-kindled in your heart and spirit. One of the life change practices I have tried is this . . . I am asking myself “what do I REALLY need to be happy and to survive ? / What does my family REALLY need ?” (I never knew how important toilet paper was for example). Now I know for sure . . . (after many weeks of internal doubts and fear-filled worries) . . . I can make it with a whole lot less than I originally thought ! A person once asked my friend Jesus Christ what we really need . . . in order to live a good life and make it into heaven . . . our Lord’s answer was simple, but not easy – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength . . . and Love your neighbor as yourself. If we do these two things . . . we will live a life worth living . . . and thrive instead of only surviving. These two commands (not suggestions) sound a little too simple . . . to make that much of a difference . . . but they REALLY do. This is a case of exactly what a famous person (G.K. Chesterton) once said . . . “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” Try it . . . and you will learn . . . that we all have a “God shaped hole” in our hearts that only GOD can fill. And life is only worth living when we get outside of our own little “world” and change someone else’s “world” for the better – with LOVE.
Rest in the knowledge that God loves YOU and has an amazing plan for your life. The Coronavirus did not catch GOD “off guard”. God is at work to bring changes that we could never imagine . . . right before our very eyes ! What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived — the things God has prepared for those who love him - these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. (1 Cor 2:9 ) YOU have the power to affect whether those changes are for the better . . . or for the worse . . . of your soul - by whether you love and trust God every day or not. Pray for the ability to see what God Sees and do what God would want YOU to do ! GOD is ALL you REALLY need. AND IF we will seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness [put God’s work first and do what GOD wants] – all kinds of other blessings will be added unto us ( Matthew 6:33)
In Christian Love,
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
2
June 30, 2020
Letter #4
Dear PUMC Family,
Greetings to all of you from the PUMC Re-Gathering Task Force. We met again today to continue our planning for eventual resuming of in-person worship services. We know that you are just as anxious as we are to resume our face-to-face worship services on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings, and we are doing everything we can to make that possible. Our primary concern is the safety and health of our parishioners and staff. Our previous letter (#3) dated June 10 explained many factors that are influencing our decisions. This letter will not rehash those explanations, but instead will provide you the status of where we are today.
As you know, Governor Gina Raimondo has announced the start of phase 3 in Rhode Island. In summary, this will allow gatherings of larger numbers of people, but continues to require social distancing and the wearing of masks. Unfortunately for PUMC, the size and shape of our sanctuary will accommodate only about 25 people while maintaining the six-foot social distancing requirement. We are not willing to exclude anyone from weekly worship, and it is not feasible to have both a ZOOM service and an in-church live worship. Therefore, we will not yet begin in-person worship services, but instead will continue for the foreseeable future with our ZOOM services. We have examined many different alternatives, some of which you suggested, but so far have not found any feasible alternative other than continuing with ZOOM. We know that many of you will be disappointed with this decision. But it is important to remember that, even if we were to restart in-person worship, the experience will not be what you were used to before COVID. First, there would be no singing, either by the choir or congregation. Every study we have reviewed strongly advises against singing in confined spaces. While we would be able to greet and speak to each other, there would be no hand-shakes or hugs. It would be a very sterile service. In addition, we would have to keep windows open through the summer, without using any fans. Meanwhile we hope you are noticing improvements in our ZOOM experience. We are learning more every week and trying to put the things we learn into practice. Our learning curve is huge and we appreciate everyone’s ideas and encouragement. Soon we hope to be able to include recordings of some past choir member performances. We are also continuing to look into the possibility of a ZOOM choir.
We’re working as quickly as we can to move forward in a safe and healthy manner. Thank you for your patience and support. Please keep our church family in your prayers as we journey together.
Love you all,
Bob Wheeler for the Re-Gathering Task Force:
Karen Meyer
Dick Taylor
Cliff Jeffries
Bob Wheeler
Pastor Mike
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
3
PAGE ITEM
1 Message from Pastor Mike
2 Update from the Re-Gathering Team
3 Contents
The Basics PUMC Mission Statement
4 How to Reach Pastor Mike Staff Hours July/August Birthdays
5 Announcements
PAGE ITEM
6 Message from Dick Taylor
7 Portsmouth Praises
8 God’s Community Garden
9-10 July/August Calendars
Portsmouth UMC
Mission Statement “Live our faith in ways that will bring people to Christ: by Worshiping God, Growing in faith, Reaching out, and Serving people in need, in order to build a community that continues
Christ’s earthly mission.”
Tell us your email address…
If you received the newsletter by U.S. mail and have an email address, please forward it to Maryteresa at the office:
Church Council Representatives
Church Council Chair John Meyer
Church Council Secretary Susan Soderlund
SPRC Allison Handren Pam Burns
Education Lori Bessette
Finance Dave Brock
History/Memorials Carol Hutchinson
Lay Leader/SPRC Dick Taylor
Missions Fred Dube
Nominations Pastor Mike
Public Relations Maryteresa Hicks
Treasurer Amy Woynar
Trustees Cliff Jeffries Jeannie Ingraham
Congregational Care Committee Bryn Weymouth
Worship Karen Meyer
Phone numbers available in the Church Office at
401-683-4005
T H E B a s I c S
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
4
HOW TO REACH PASTOR MIKE
Please feel free to call my work cell number . . . or text me . . . at 401-787-4971 (We no longer have a home phone at the Parsonage) or please try emailing me at [email protected] if you need a written reply.
WHEN PASTOR MIKE IS NOT AVAILABLE ...
PASTOR’S DAY OFF Pastor Mike’s day off will be Mondays. Please call or email the office ([email protected]) if you need help.
PASTORAL CARE If you need pastoral care during these times, please call the office. Local pastors are available to visit while he is gone.
**Pastor Mike will be on vacation July 20-27, 2020
Staff Hours
Rev. Michael Pike: Pastor Mike will be on Vacation July 20-27
Pastor’s Work cell # 401-787-4971
Email at [email protected]
Maryteresa Hicks
(Church Secretary) hours are:
The office is officially closed due to the coronavirus however
mail, email and voicemail will continue to be picked up and
replied to.
Email at [email protected]
or call at 683-4005
July:
5 Ally Costa
Bob Waddicor
7 Tricia (Camisa)
Hackett
8 Jimmy Wilson, III
12 Deana Wilson
14 Ryan Wilson
John Cochran
16 Elizabeth Cochran
17 Rose Barboza
19 Ashley McMillian
Dan Smith
22 Teri Sparling
23 Craig McMillian
25 Milly Grinnell
28 Frank Faria
Taylor Hendricks
29 Barbara Dietz
August:
2 Cassandra Martin
4 Emily Frantz
7 Janet Schlosky
8 Gar Weymouth
Bob Martley
12 Matthew Wilson
14 Emily Charette
15 Linda Wood
19 Alyssa Cardone
22 Anne Andrade
24 Carlton Johnson
27 George Anderson
28 Bonnie Waddicor
29 Norma Stinson
29 David Brock
30 Cliff Jeffries
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
5
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Clements' Market Friends' Fund Thanks to all of you who either dropped your receipts off at the church, mailed them to me or put them in my hand while I was out taking my daily walk. Today (7/02), I submitted a $20,000 package of receipts. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to hear from Clements'. On average, it usually takes about 4 or 5 weeks, but I have a feeling that Friends' Fund activity has been slow of late, so maybe we'll hear from them sooner. That said, the effort on our end never stops so please turn in your receipts as soon as you can. You can drop them off at the church or mail them to me. The more receipts I have to work with, the easier it is to put together the individual $500 packets (and I need to do 40 of those every time in turn in a $20,000 batch)! Thanks again to all of you who have helped. ~John Barker
Meals On Wheels For anyone age 60 and over and in need during this pandemic, Meals on Wheels of Aquidneck Island is providing 1 meal a day, 5 days a week available through the Edward King House. If you are not already registered at the Edward King House, call them at 401-845-5501, M-F, 10am-4pm.
ZOOM Worship Pastor Mike invites everyone to think of someone who they do not see at the ZOOM Worship meetings and invite them to worship and help them connect via ZOOM.
Devotionals Upper Room Devotionals, Our Daily Bread and The Good News Today newspaper will be available for pick up outside the church at the entrance by Pastor Mike’s office in a plastic container. Come by and pick one up. You can also go to thegoodnewstoday.org to access the newspaper.
Portsmouth Nursery School will open the first part of September and will operate safely in accordance with Department of Human Services requirements. Children will be welcomed and dismissed outside in the playground area instead of using the regular ramp and side entrance. Sue Hill and the board have been working hard to plan for how they will operate to maintain a safe learning environment in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nominations All current officers, committee members and leaders are being asked to stay in their current roles through Sept. 30, 2020. Contact Pastor Mike if you cannot fulfill your leadership or committee role. PUMC Choir will meet outdoors this Sunday, July 12 at 2PM in the church parking lot.
Choir Photos If anyone has any recent photos of the choir, we would like to borrow them to make copies to be used during ZOOM Worship. Please email as an attachment to the office or send via snail mail.
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
6
Message from the Lay Leader, Dick Taylor:
Hi Folks. I hope you are well and staying healthy. This too will pass.
As you can imagine, with the “Shelter-In-Place” requirements and worship services being conducted on-line, you are not afforded the normal opportunity of utilizing the passing of the plate to offer your gifts to God. In addition to mailing your gifts directly to the Church, I thought this might be a good time to review a function of our on-line giving program, (MoGiv) that you might not be aware of. MoGiv is really easy to use and I would encourage you to use it. MoGiv can be accessed from the Church website ( go to www.pumcri.org and select “About” and then “Online Giving” (in the pull down menu) or at https://pumcri.org/about/online-giving/ ) or find it directly using the URL https://give.mogiv.com/pumcgive The feature I wanted to review concerns how to split a donation to multiple funds or causes. Below I have a mockup of the initial screen. Under Donation there is a box labeled “Fund”. In the box click on the down arrow and you will be presented with a list of funds, including: Pledge, Mission Shares, Pastor’s Discretionary Fund, Special Appeals, Memorials, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, End of Year Appeal, Intervarsity CF, UMCOR, Other, Improve Signage & Appearance and Military Bible Sticks. Select a fund, (normally Pledge) and enter an amount in the Amount Box. If you want to donate to an additional cause press the plus sign + below them (in front of the ADD DONATION words) and you will be presented with additional boxes to enter the Fund and the Amount, (See graphic example below) When this process is complete, press the “Submit” button. As simple as that . . .
May God bless you, your family and friends,
Dick Taylor, Lay Leader
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
7
PORTSMOUTH PRAISES
-PRAISES for all the people behind the scenes who are keeping our church running: Pastor Mike, Maryteresa Hicks, Dave Venancio, John Meyer, Karen Meyer, Dick Taylor, John Barker, Allsion Handren, Cliff Jeffries, Bob Wheeler, Dave Brock, Amy Woynar, Sue Soderlund, Fred Dube, the Church Council, the Staff Parish Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Re-Gathering Task Force. I'm sure I have omitted someone's name and for that I apologize. I am offering our thanksgiving for those people I know who have been actively involved in meeting the needs of our church, most often by zooming, email, or phone. -PRAISES also for all the caregivers, who continue to shop and assist the members of our congregation, who still need it. -PRAISES for Chris and Craig McMillian who will be moving to New Hampshire this summer. Praises for all they have given to the life of our church. Both have sung in the choir, Craig chaired the Trustees, and Chris was Treasurer and taught Sunday School, as well as being a teacher for the Portsmouth Nursery School, and has been my backup for the prayer chain, when I was on vacation or unable to be in church on Sunday. They have been strong witnesses for our Lord and Savior. We wish them well in their new community and know, in our hearts, that we were blessed to have them in our community for so many years. Godspeed Chris and Craig! -PRAISES and thanksgiving for Denise Kelly, who has headed up our Soup Kitchen Committee for more than 20 years. Denise has posted the sign-up sheets and made announcements to the congregation, made sure the church was open on Thursday morning so people could drop off food, went to the church on Thursday at 3pm to pick up the food and brought it to St. Paul's Church in Newport. Once there, she worked tirelessly with her team, keeping things warm, setting up tables, making coffee, being a runner, washing dishes, and cleaning up. She always insured that she could get that time off from work. Denise enlisted her husband, Gene, to assist in everything she did. At this point in time, Denise and Gene are moving to Maine in the coming year to be near their son. Denise has been a faithful disciple helping to feed the less fortunate. God's blessings go with you, Denise and Gene. Have a blessed, safe, healthy summer. ~Carol Hutchinson
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
8
GOD’S COMMUNITY GARDEN
Farm Stands are open at Calvary UMC in 200 Turner Rd, Middletown and St. Paul’s UMC, 12 Marlborough St, Newport on Wednesdays from 10-11:30am.
Growing God’s Church through Gardening
If you have ever volunteered in God’s Garden outside our church, you are truly blessed. If I had not taken the opportunity to work in the garden this past year, I would have missed many blessings and opportunities to serve others through this wonderful ministry. Being here with my family for just a year while my son-in-law was at the War College, I didn’t have much time to get involved. But God led me to Calvary Church and to God’s Garden. I’m no master gardener, but I do love playing in the dirt. I love being outdoors and watching things grow and the seasons change. I love the meditation of gardening, the spiritual discipline of gardening, of losing myself in the goodness of hard work, of using all my senses to watch, listen, smell, feel and taste God’s goodness in the food He grows through the use our hands and feet. I love doing all this with the purpose of feeding God’s children in need and sharing His love in this way. During this Covid-19 experience, we’ve seen firsthand the importance of those “essential” workers, not only on the front lines in hospitals but of those helping to feed all of us during this time of shut down— the grocery store workers, the take-out restaurants, the farmers and truckers—and even God’s Garden, helping to feed those in need locally. I’ve learned a lot about gardening this year. And I’ve met the most amazing ladies—awesome gardeners, incredibly strong, kind and welcoming, they support one another as they work tirelessly to minister to others in this way. It’s not easy dealing with weather extremes and aching joints but they keep showing up and being faithful. They’ve taught me a lot just by watching them. As I am weeding, digging, planting, or picking, I am in awe of God’s goodness and His provision for us, how He miraculously makes things grow, and how He grows us as we participate with Him in whatever He’s doing in the world. During this past year, I’ve also been reading Inner Gardening by Diane Dreher. It’s a wonderful book about gardening through the seasons, but it’s also a book about tending the garden of our inner selves and souls throughout the seasons of life. It’s a book any gardener or wannabe gardener would love. My year here in Newport and Middletown was cut short by this hideous virus and soon I’ll be off to the desert of New Mexico. But I loved every moment of worshiping with God’s people at Calvary UMC, and every moment of working in God’s Garden with these lovely ladies, and I just want to give thanks for all of you and your ministry to me with your welcoming presence. You have blessed me for a lifetime and I give God thanks for my short time with you. God bless you in the days and years to come, as you continue to welcome and minister to those who come for a chapter or a lifetime. ~Love and prayers, Cindy
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
9
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 12:30-Bible
Study
ZOOM
2
3 4
5pm– Worship
Service
ZOOM
Communion
5 10 am
Worship
ZOOM
6
7 pm Bible
Study ZOOM
7
8 12:30-Bible
Study
ZOOM
9
6:30 SPRC
ZOOM
10 11
5pm– Worship
Service
ZOOM
12 10 am
Worship
ZOOM
Outdoor choir
mtg 2pm
13
7 pm Bible
Study ZOOM
14
6;30 Finance
ZOOM
15 12:30pm-Bible
Study
ZOOM
16
17
18
5pm– Worship
Service
ZOOM
19 10:00 am
Worship
ZOOM
20
7 pm Bible
Study ZOOM
21
22 12:30-Bible
Study
ZOOM
23
24
25
5 pm– Worship
Service
ZOOM
26 10 am
Worship
ZOOM
27
7 pm Bible
Study ZOOM
28
6:30 Church
Council
ZOOM
29
12:30-Bible
Study
ZOOM
30 31
**Pastor Mike on vacation July 20-27.
JULY 2020
NEWSLETTER OF THE PORTSMOUTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH JULY/AUGUST 2020
10
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
5pm– Worship
Service
ZOOM
Communion
2 10 am
Worship
Communion
ZOOM
3
7 pm Bible
Study ZOOM
4
5 12:30-Bible
Study ZOOM
6
7 8
5pm– Worship
Service
ZOOM
*Camp Mtg
9 10 am
Worship
ZOOM
10
7 pm Bible
Study ZOOM
11
7:00 Finance
ZOOM
12 12:30pm-Bible
Study ZOOM
13
14
15
5pm– Worship
Service
ZOOM
16 10:00 am
Worship
ZOOM
17
7 pm Bible
Study ZOOM
18
6:30 SPRC
ZOOM
19 12:30-Bible
Study ZOOM
20
21
22
5 pm– Worship
Service
ZOOM
23 10 am
Worship
ZOOM
24
7 pm Bible
Study ZOOM
25 6:30 Church
Council
ZOOM
26 12:30-Bible
Study ZOOM
27 28
29
5 pm– Worship
Service
ZOOM
30 10 am
Worship
ZOOM
31 7 pm Bible
Study ZOOM
AUGUST 2020
*Portsmouth Camp Meeting: Sat. Aug. 8 at 6pm
(RSVP required)
(more information on Facebook)
