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First United Methodist Church 118 West Jackson Street Morris, IL 60450 815-942-0809 Return Service Requested Postmaster: Dated Material—Do Not Delay
Non-Profit Organization Permit 127 US Postage
Morris, IL
For prayer requests during
church office hours, call the
church office. After church
office hours call Paula Steffen
(815-922-2870).
Sunday’s church service
is broadcast on WCSJ—
95.7 FM on Sundays at
11:00 am.
We are pleased to offer a new Hearing Loop system in our sanctuary to aid guests with hearing
loss. If you wear hearing aids with a telecoil, the system will either automatically amplify the
sound or you may need to turn that function on. If you do not wear hearing aids or if they do
not have the telecoil, you may request use of a headset from the Welcome Center.
June Spirit Alive is
due in the church
office by May 20.
Spirit Alive
May 2018
A Note From Your Pastor . . .
This has been an interesting year in that 3 special days on the Christian calendar have also
happened to fall on other holidays. In 2018, Valentine’s Day fell on Ash Wednesday; April
Fool’s Day fell on Easter, and Earth Day fell on the lesser-known Good Shepherd Sunday.
These combinations of days happen rarely—the last time was in 1956, and the next time
will be 2029—but each of these combinations of holidays offers interesting insights. Valen-
tine’s Day already has some connections to faith, in that there were several Christian mar-
tyrs named Valentine, although we don’t know much about their lives. When Valentines’
Day falls on Ash Wednesday, it’s a good reminder that our worth doesn’t lie in romantic
love or partnership; instead, we find our identity in the God who created us out of ashes,
and loves us into new life in spite of our sins.
April Fools’ Day and Easter seems like an especially strange combination, but it’s a combi-
nation that actually makes a lot of sense! April Fools’ Day is a day of laughter and prank-
pulling, and some of the earliest Christian theologians described Easter as the day that God
played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. Some early Christian
Easter services even included scripted laughter. Easter is a day of joy, and laughter can be
healing and even subversive—because we can only laugh at things that we are not afraid
of. On Easter, we can laugh at sin, at death, at the devil—at all the monsters that once ter-
rified us, but that we believe Jesus has conquered. So if you pranked your friends on Easter,
let them know that you had good, theological reasons for doing so.
Good Shepherd Sunday isn’t as well known as Ash Wednesday and Easter, but it falls every
year on the fourth Sunday after Easter, when we read the parts of the Gospel of John
about Jesus the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-10, John 10:11-18, or John 10:22-30, depending
on the year). This year, Good Shepherd Sunday was also Earth Day. As we meditate on the
image of Jesus shepherding his flock, we can remember that God created us in God’s image
and charged us with caring for the earth and its creatures. We are to care for God’s creation
with as much care and attention as Jesus cares for us, his sheep.
Our next major Christian celebration is Pentecost, which falls on May 20 this year. Like eve-
ry other day of the year, May 20 has lots of weird, unknown holidays attached to it
(Flower Day, Baking Day, etc.), one of which happens to be Eliza Doolittle Day. This
month’s challenge is to find the theological connection between Pentecost and Eliza Doolit-
tle Day. The first person to tell me the connection will be awarded a fabulous prize.
In Christ,
Pastor Laura
Pastors Robert Sathuri [email protected] Laura Wilson- Underwood [email protected] Financial Secretary Judy Burns [email protected] Church Secretary Julie Pierce [email protected] Choir Director Sandy Gordon Organist Cheryle Larson Custodian Denny & Kathy Jackson Preschool Director Sharon Alonzo Hand Bell Choir Director Millie Dyer
Hospitalized . . . Dave Finch Rich DePung
Beginning of Life Eternal . . . Remember those families who have lost loved ones over the past month:
~ Paul & Diane Sprole and family on the death of his mother, Anne Sprole.
~ John & Marissa Darlington and family on the death of his mother, Brenda Darlington.
~ Gerry & Nadine Matteson and family on the passing of his sister, June Olson.
~ Charles Butts and family on the passing of his mother-in-law, Leah Dannar.
~ Joyce Redford and family on the death of her sister-in-law, Mickey Redford.
~ Katie Messing and family on the death of her mother, Gretchen Peterson.
~ Sheldon & Mary Davis on the passing of her brother.
~ Kathy Slater and family on the death of her granddaughter, Sabrina Slater.
We want to thank Ann Dorrough for her almost 14 years as a faithful money counter on Monday morn-
ings. She has moved to Montgomery to live with her son. She will be greatly missed.
Thank you to everyone who donated and purchased items at the ASP Auction. We raised $16,915.
ASP Team
What a great week! Rummage sale was a huge success due to all who helped in any way. If you sorted, priced,
shopped, provided food or prayed for us, we thank you. Many hands make light work and we sure had a lot of
hands in this mission project.
Register for Vacation Bible School!
“Rolling River Rampage”
June 11-15
9:00 am – 11:30 am
FUMC invites children of all ages to experience the ride of a lifetime with God at Rolling
River Rampage Vacation Bible School! This white water rafting adventure includes excit-
ing music, amazing science, creative crafts, fun games, and memorable Bible stories that
will help children know God is always with them as they ride the rapids of life! The adventure runs from Monday June
11th through Friday June 15
th at 9:00 am – 11:30 am. Registration is open for children in preschool through grade 5 on-
line at www.cokesburyvbs.com/fumcmorris18. Registration forms will also be available at the Welcome Center begin-
ning May 1st. Also, be on the lookout for our rolling VBS supply bulletin board! It contains needed supplies for our VBS
rafters! It will be outside of the sanctuary May 5th and 6
th. Don’t forget we have the tub in the Narthex for empty paper
towel tubes, frosting cans, and 4-inch high Pringle cans too! Remember volunteers are important! Please answer the
call! If you have any questions, please contact Sue Hall at 815-942-4739 or Sandy Bednarik at 815-941-1856.
Saturday, May 19
Appetizers After Worship
Please feel free to stay for
appetizers & fellowship
with friends.
Book Club is meeting on
Monday, May 7 at 4:00 pm
to discuss “50 Women Every
Christian Should Know” by
Michelle DeRusha.
Sunday School Teacher Appreciation
Sunday, May 20th
The Education Committee would like to thank the
teaching and support staff who worked hard to
provide Sunday School programming this
year. We will honor these persons during the 9
am worship service on Sunday, May 20th. We
hope that all of the teaching and support staff will
be able to be present to receive our apprecia-
tion. A huge thank you to all for sharing your
gifts and participating in this vital ministry.
UMW Circle News
~ Executive Board: Tuesday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m.
~ “Soul Sisters” Girl’s Night Out: Friday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m.
~ Wednesday Circle: Wednesday, May 16 at 12:30 p.m. at the church
~ Martha Circle: Thursday, May 17 at 9:00 a.m. at the church
~ Rebekah Circle: Thursday, May 17 at 1:00 at Barb Chandler’s
~ God’s Girls: Thursday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the church
~ Assembly: May 17-20 in Columbus, Ohio
May Birthdays
3 Connor Greve
Abby Wilkinson
4 Bailey Easson
5 Nancy Gordon
Kristine Lestina
6 Joel Munson
Todd Weist
7 Ruth Herman
9 Troy Kief
Michael Woodard
11 Natalie Fitzmaurice
Lori Poore
13 Gary Anderson
Liz Bates
Matthew Ellsworth
14 Drew Ehrler
Marcus Nix
15 Kathy Jackson
Jacob Packley
16 Michelle Chronister
Evelyn Trenter
17 Gregg Nadess
18 Orin Acker
Aaronda Murphy-Neuwirth
19 Barbara Ewalt
Jordan Ramirez
Jim Zelinko
21 Lorraine Heffner
22 Robert Matteson
23 Cody Spiezio
Maggie Thomas
25 Grant Magers
26 Zach Davis
27 Molly Hoffman
28 Caitlyn Butler
Janice Harty
Lynn Sampson
30 Avery Rees
Jeanette Ringer
31 Robert Bates, Jr.
Clare Bates
Sandra Lisy
Haley McDonald
The Morris Hospital will no long-
er be notifying the church when a
member is admitted. If you or a
family member is admitted to the
hospital please call the church
office for a pastor visit.
GIRLS NIGHT OUT
(Formerly known as Mother/Daughter Banquet)
May 4, 2018 at 6:30 pm
“Soul Sisters”
Tickets on sale every weekend and in the church
office during the week
Adults = $11
Children 3-10 = $6
2 & under = free
Thursday, May 3
Noon
Grundy County Courthouse
There will be a retirement celebration
for Pastor Steve Heilmann at the Grace
Lutheran Church on Sunday, May 20
from 2-4 pm. All are welcome to at-
tend.
May 6 End of Year Extravaganza TBA
May 6 Pack the Pew 9:00 am
ASP Training Session #3 7:00-9:00 pm
Hello everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Maggie
Thomas and I’ve been going to this church since confirmation in 8th grade. My
family had been attending church elsewhere since I was born, but we all knew
that it was time for a change in our lives. Who knew that almost ten years of
membership in the United Methodist Church later, I would be telling people that
I’m headed to Duke University in the Fall to attend seminary in the UMC. Certain-
ly not me!
When people find out that I wasn’t raised in the Methodist church, they
often ask me what prompted my family to change denominations, uprooting our
church life in Mazon and joining a Methodist church in downtown Morris. There’s a myriad of answers I could give,
but for this short time I’ll name a few. First of all, this congregation is so welcoming and friendly. There’s not a new
face that comes through the door that isn’t welcomed by someone else, whether they’re on the welcoming committee
or not! Secondly, this church has a rich history in Morris and Grundy County. We just finished up celebrating our 175th
year of being a congregation and are now looking towards the next 175 years! And finally, this church has strong sense
of mission. Whether it’s operating the PADS homeless shelter, coordinating with We Care of Grundy County to help
families with food or other necessities, or the youth service programs like trips to the Midwest Distribution Center in
Chatham or ASP trips each summer - you don’t have to look far to see this church’s commitment to missions.
When I look at these three attributes of this congregation: welcoming, historic, and service-oriented, I can’t
help but be excited about the opportunities this brings us for the Wesley Center. How can we use this new space to
focus on the future of not only our congregation but the future of Grundy County and the surrounding communities?
How will we be welcoming and servants to others through the Wesley Center? After school programs for underserved
youth? A safe place for our friends without homes to hang out during the day? A spot for people to pop in and grab a
quick meal for lunch or dinner? A meeting space for scouting troops, 4-H groups, or others in the community who
have passions like art, reading, or fellowship? What excites me most is that the possibilities with the Wesley Center are
endless!
I look forward to seeing the Wesley Center take root in Morris. It’s encouraging to see a congregation wanting
to support and serve this community in a new way, to look towards the next 175 years of being a church. There’s no
doubt that this project is a big undertaking financially as well as visioning-wise. I believe that the Wesley Center is an
amazing opportunity to reach out to those in the community who have never been to church, left the church, or don’t
even believe in God. By pointing the focus of this project to be about being of service to those outside of our church’s
walls, we are the hands and feet of Jesus. By providing radical hospitality and a safe place for people to gather and be
in community with each other, we are spreading the Gospel. As this project continues, I challenge each of us to think
about how can we continue to grow and serve others while serving God? I think that the Wesley Center is a great
place to start.
Mobile Meals
Even though it is spring, school will be winding
down soon and summer will be here! As you
plan your summer events please remember that
July is our church family's turn to deliver Morris
Mobile Meals. The sign-up poster will be on the
church bulletin board beginning May 12th.
Please consider taking a route. Thank you for
thinking about this wonderful mission oppor-
tunity for our Morris neighbors!
The church needs volunteers to mow the church
lawn, Pastor Laura’s and Pastor Robert’s lawn,
‘Muffler’ property and Wesley Center. Please
sign up by the week on the bulletin board. The
church has a mower in the garage attached to
Laura’s house. If you have questions see some-
one on the Trustees Committee. Goal is to
have the lawn beautiful for Saturday & Sunday
worship.
Summer Church & Office Hours begin May 29. They will be 8:30 am-noon &
1-2 pm Mon.-Thur. and 8:30-noon on Fri. The church doors will lock at 2:00
pm and unlock 15 minutes prior to scheduled evening meetings. Make sure
your meetings are on the church calendar. If you need to get into the church
during non-office hours please contact the church office 24 hours prior to
make arrangements.
We would like to recognize graduates of our church at the worship service on Sunday, May 20 at 9 am. If
you have a young adult who is a member of or attends this church regularly and is graduating this year from
8th grade, high school, college or graduate school, please let us know. Complete this information and
return to the church office by May 15. Please provide a picture of your graduate to be used during the ser-
vice. You can e-mail it to [email protected] or drop it off in the church office.
Student’s Name: _____________________________________________________________________________
Parent’s Name: ______________________________________________________________________________
Grade & School Graduating from: ______________________________________________________________
If college, with what degree?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Future Plans : ________________________________________________________________________________