Dear Church Family,

During the month of May, our denomination, The

United Methodist Church, will undoubtedly make the

national news. At least every four years this happens.

WHY? Because it’s General Conference time!

I share with you now information about General

Conference from our denomination’s United Meth-

odist Communications.

General Conference is always intended to help our

local United Methodist Churches. We remember that

General Conference, the top legislative body of The

United Methodist Church, is a vital part of our connec-

tion gathering next month, May 10-20, 2016 at the

Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Some 864

delegates, elected from around the world, will gather

to set policy and direction for the church, as well as

handle other important business. Meeting every four

years, General Conference is the only entity that

speaks for the entire denomination. The United Meth-

odist Book of Discipline, updated every four years,

incorporates changes made by General Conference.

Our West Ohio Conference of which our own Linden-

wald United Methodist Church is a part of will send

elected delegates to General Conference.

Probably, the best-known aspect of General Confer-

ence is the legislation. At the 2016 General Confer-

ence, legislation will be presented and debated on

human sexuality, the budget of the general church

for 2017-2020, a more global church structure, the

ordination process for our pastors, the formation of

a hymnal revision committee, and much, much more.

So, from the above information we know that General

Conference receives reports, votes on legislation, and

passes a budget—but it’s more than just a business

meeting! It’s like a very big family reunion when The

United Methodist Church gathers from around the

world in one, single location. There will be times of

worship and celebration as well as a time to remem-

ber our history.

The theme of the 2016 General Conference comes

from Jesus’ words found in Matthew 28:19-20—“Go

therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of

the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything

that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with

you always, to the end of the age.”

Truly, the local church is the place where the most

significant life-transforming work of disciple-making

takes place! So, even though General Conference may

seem far removed from our local Lindenwald United

Methodist Church, the work at General Conference is

intended to facilitate the making of disciples in order

to transform the world.

When the United Methodist Church makes the news

next month and if you have questions or concerns,

please call me at the Church, 513-863-8822 so that

we can talk.

See you at Church!

May 2016

Lindenwald UMC . . . a Stephen Ministry Church

Our Mission Statement: The LUMC exists to make disciples!

Winds of the Spirit

Barnabas Cards

These postcards (with our church’s picture on

them) can be sent out to encourage someone you

know or to let someone know you’ve missed

them! Just fill in your message, the person’s

name and address and return to the church

office. We’ll take care of the postage and getting

them in the mail. Look for them in the Sanctuary,

Welcome Center and the tables in Fellowship

Hall!

Free Community Meal

Feeding the Body & Soul Community Meal offers

a free meal to those who may be hungry and

have no food. This meal, on Saturday, May 21,

2016, is free and open to the public and will be

served from 5:00 to 6:30pm. Our food pantry

is also open during those same hours and bags

of groceries are given to those in attendance.

Transportation is available, if needed.

Prayer Drive ThruPrayer Drive ThruPrayer Drive Thru

The next Prayer Drive Thru is on Thursday,

May 5, 2016, from 4:30 to 6:00pm (weather

permitting), when we open our parking lot to

our community for drive thru prayer. As you're

driving home, stop in and our prayer team will

listen to your request and pray with you.

Volunteers are always needed; call Freda

Halderman if you’d like to help.

Dance Ministry RecitalDance Ministry RecitalDance Ministry Recital

Come to Fellowship Hall on Thursday, May 26

at 5:00pm and see what the children in the

Dance Ministry have learned. All are welcome

to attend!

Worship News For May!Worship News For May!Worship News For May!

New Sermon Series

Please join us for Sunday worship in May when Pastor

Val’s sermon series will be entitled, “Bring Your Popcorn!”

This new sermon series will be based upon the book

by Matt Rawle called Hollywood Jesus: Connecting Christ

and Culture. Pastor Val will have movie clips during her

sermons in May illustrating the major points she’ll make

during the sermons.

Special Sundays in May

May 1 ~ Holy Communion

May 8 ~ Mother’s Day, honoring all women

May 15 ~ Pentecost Sunday

May 22, Pledging Sunday for Our Capital Campaign

May 29, Memorial Day Sunday and Noisy Sunday (One

service today, 10:30am in the Sanctuary)

Noisy Sunday, May 29, 2016

Our Noisy Sunday Offering on May 29 will go to our

Children’s Summer Week-Long Program entitled, “Joy in

Jesus.” This was formerly called “Summer Shine.” This

year’s week-long summer program for children will take

place July 11 through July 15 here at our Lindenwald

Church!

Christian Education Committee

The next Christian Education Committee Meeting is on

Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 1:00pm at Applebee’s in Fairfield,

Ohio.

Save Those Empty Pill Bottles

The Missions Team continues collecting pill

bottles (both prescription and over-the-counter) for

Matthew 25 Ministries. This is a ministry that helps

in all parts of the world and is located in Cincinnati,

Ohio. They collect used pill bottles in order to shred

and then sell to companies that recycle. They then

use this money to support their outreach. There are

containers in the Welcome Center and Fellowship

Hall in which you can place your empty pill bottles.

Labels do not need to be taken off as they are shred-

ded also. If you prefer, you can take a marker and

mark through the name on the label.

LUMC Food Pantry

Don’t forget our Lindenwald Food Pantry. Watch for

the following items when you’re out shopping . . .

• 12 oz. cans of tuna

• Canned chicken breast; Spam

• Spaghetti and Spaghetti sauce

• Regular size can of vegetables

• Regular size can of fruit

• Pancake mix and Pancake syrup

• Macaroni and Cheese

• Beans

Peanut Butter and Jelly

UMW Circle Meetings

Friendly Circle—May 4 and June 1 @11:15am at

LaRosa’s Restaurant in Fairfield

Mizpah Circle—May 12 and June 9 @ 1:00pm in

Room 204

Genesis Circle—May 14 @ 9:00am in the LUMC

Kitchen and June 14 @ 6:30pm, place TBA

Caring Cards For Our Homebound

Birthday cards are available in the baskets in the

Welcome Center and in Fellowship Hall for the

Caring Card Ministry. There are no May birthdays,

but you may still send a “Thinking of You” card,

etc. Place your completed cards in the basket; we

will address and mail them each week. Special

thanks to all who have embraced this ministry.

Teddy Bear Ministry

Missions continue to collect Teddy Bears or any

other soft, stuffed animals that will fit into a gallon

zip-lock bag. These stuffed animals will then be

taken to local Police and Fire Departments to be

given to children in order to comfort them when

they are in a stressful situation. The bag includes a

message that reads, “This beary special pal comes to

you with love, hugs, and prayers. Jesus loves you!”

It includes the church name and address as well.

Anybody who wishes to help may either purchase a

bear or make a donation by putting money in an

envelope and marking it “Teddy Bear Ministry” and

putting it in the offering plate. There is a marked

container in the parlor for the teddy bears. (Note:

On March 21, Rita Green delivered 16 teddy bears to

the Fairfield Police Department.)

Sojourners Fundraiser in August

On Saturday, August 13, 2016, we will have a

Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for “Sojourners” and

their “Baskets of Hope” which are given to men and

women as they enter their recovery program.

Join us in our Lindenwald Church’s Fellowship Hall,

4:00 to 6:30pm, sponsored by our Mission Commit-

tee. Additional details will follow.

Children’s Department—Joy in Jesus

Summer Week Program

Listen very closely, do you hear children laughing,

playing and learning about God’s love and Grace!! It

must be that time of year for our fun Summer Week

Program to begin soon. The theme this year will be

the Joy in Jesus!

The Summer Week Program will begin on July 11–

15th from Noon to 3pm. The kids will embark on

a journey to learn how to celebrate, give thanks,

healing, teaching and more on faith and community!

Our Bible verse through the week will be: “The joy

of the Lord is your strength” Neh. 8:10.

It will take the whole church and community to

welcome in the children and their families. We will

need volunteers in the kitchen, craft teachers, group

leaders and assistants to help with music, and help

the Bible teachers and sports team.

If God is calling you to help with the Summer Week

Program this year, please let me know what God is

calling you to do, and we can make it work.

Here are a few dates to remember:

Bible Team Meeting on May 5th at 10:00am

Kitchen Meeting on May 10th at 7pm.

Teen Party on June 23rd starting at 7pm in the

Fellowship hall

If you have any questions or concerns regarding

the program please contact Lisa (513-203-3587).

In God We Trust

Lisa Gebhart

Graduate Recognition

Sunday, June 12

For those who have graduates at any level of educa-

tion, please submit a baby picture and a graduation

picture to our Church Office for Graduate Recognition

Sunday. Please let us know of your graduate’s future

plans by Monday, June 6. We will enjoy a PowerPoint

presentation of our graduates during both services at

9:30am and 11:40am. After the presentation, we will

present a special gift to each graduate. Please let us

know if your graduate will be present on this day.

E & MT Scholarships Now Available

For those students who will be entering collage this

summer or in the Fall, applications are now being

accepted for a scholarship through our church’s

Education and Ministries Trust Committee. You

must be a church member in order to qualify for this

scholarship. Applications are available in the church

office. Questions? Please talk to Pastor Val or Gene

Beller.

$75,000 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN$75,000 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN Please be aware that in the weeks ahead, you will

hear more about our Church’s Upcoming Three-Year

Capital Campaign, which will be an opportunity for

additional “sacrificial giving” over and above our

yearly pledge/giving to our operational budget.

Within this newsletter you will find a letter to the

congregation from your Finance Team with more

details on the campaign. If you have questions now

though, please contact Finance Chair, Bob Brabbs

or Trustee Chair, Matt Hoffman or Pastor Val.

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL

Pastor’s Class . . . Pastor Val’s class meets each

Sunday in Room 204 at 10:45am and everyone is

welcome to attend. Currently this class delves a

little deeper into the sermon series, “Bring Your Pop-

corn!” (You’ll find more information about this series

elsewhere in this month’s newsletter.)

Emerging Bible Study Class . . . Jim Mullaney leads

this class which meets at 10:45am in the Chapel. They

currently are studying the Book of Mark. If you are not

already involved in a Bible Study program now is a

good time to get started. The Emerging Bible Study

class is for all levels of study, whether you are a sea-

soned Bible student or never looked at Scripture. The

focus in this class is on what the Bible says and how it

applies to us today. There are three class rules: 1) eve-

ryone participates; 2) all discussion stays in the room;

and 3) we don’t have to agree or correct one another

for our thoughts on the text—we all have to come to

our own conclusions.

Adult Sunday School . . . Melissa Backscheider leads

this class which begins at 10:45am in Room 209. They

are currently studying Ecclesiastes and then will

study the gospels. Everyone is welcome to attend this

class.

Something Borrowed

When a Sunday school teacher told her class that

Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb, one girl raised

her hand to share an insight. “I know why,” the girl

said. “It’s because Jesus only used it for three days.”

The Beginning of Mother’s Day

In 1907, a lady in Philadelphia, Anna Jarvis, began

lobbying for a day when our nation would honor

mothers. She persuaded the leaders of the church her

mother attended to designate the second Sunday of

May as Mother's Day. After Mrs. Jarvis had written

countless letters to political authorities across the

nation, by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in

almost every state. In 1914, President Woodrow

Wilson proclaimed Mother's Day a national holiday.

He chose the second Sunday in May for the annual

celebration. The second Sunday in May was the

anniversary of the death of Mrs. Jarvis' mother.

A Mother’s Day Hymn

Sing praise to our Creator God!

Earth prospers from the way

God “mothers” each new child into

This world day after day.

God fabricates in motherhood

A channel from above

That longs to share with every child

God’s Comfort, Grace and Love!

Sing praise to our Creator God,

Who “mothers” us from birth!

Providing what we truly need

Throughout our lives on earth.

~ Peggy Ferrell

Dear Lindenwald Church Family,

Our Lindenwald United Methodist Church will

begin a Capital Campaign in May! Our Finance

Committee along with our Trustees and Leader-

ship Team have all made this important decision

as we look to the future needs for our physical

church facility and church-owned parsonage

home.

As with all churches, our Lindenwald United

Methodist Church (which is over sixty years old)

requires regular maintenance, updates and oft

times major repairs. We have been very fortu-

nate in the past several years to have sold some

residential properties owned by our church and

then placed that money into a capital fund to be

used only for major repairs and renovations for

our church owned properties. We have also been

able to save money on maintenance, updates

and even some major repairs by relying upon

our Trustees who donate parts and their labor.

However, at this point in 2016, our Church’s

capital funds (those funds which can only be

used for major repairs and renovations) are

down to a minimum amount. Each year, we

require on average between $11,000 to $13,000

for these major repairs and renovations. Our

current balance is $10,000.

In order to ensure that our Lindenwald Church

will have enough capital money to handle a sud-

den major repair, such as the replacement of a

larger air-conditioning unit for the sanctuary—

we have made the decision to move forward

with a Capital Campaign in May. We want to

raise $25,000 per year for three years, totaling

$75,000. Our hope is to cover all the capital

needs for upcoming, likely repairs (based on the

current age of our equipment and repairs need-

ed so far) as well as complete other repairs that

we have been delaying.

Major repairs we anticipate in the next three

years include the following: sanctuary air-

conditioning unit, extensive plumbing repairs,

roofing repairs, church van repairs, boiler #2

replacement (boiler #1 was overhauled in 2014

for $20,000), fence replacement on north park-

ing lot, kitchen renovations, fellowship hall

repairs, sealing the church parking lot again,

new carpeting and new appliances for church

parsonage home.

Major repairs we would like to be able to

afford if we meet our goal of $75,000 include

the following: energy efficiency updates, plaster

repair on ceilings in balcony area, updates to

lighting systems and to audio-visual systems.

Please be aware that our 2016 Capital Cam-

paign is in addition to our pledges we have

already made to our Church’s Operating Budget

for 2016. This is all about sacrificial giving as

we anticipate the major repairs and renovations

needed by our Lindenwald Church in the very

near future.

You will hear much more about our 2016

Capital Campaign in the weeks ahead. We hope

you will prayerfully join us in helping with our

upcoming Capital Campaign.

Serving together in Christ,

Your LUMC Finance Committee

Contact Information Phone: 513-863-8822

Email: lumc@lindenwaldumc.org

Website: www.lindenwaldumc.org

LUMC Staff

Senior Pastor, Rev. Valerie Waibel

Youth Director, Tony Brown

Children’s Director , Lisa Gebhart

Organist/Choir Director, Nancy McCormick

Adm. Secretary/Office Manager, Linda Rouse

Custodian, Glen Chastain

Treasurers, Megan Bell, Arline Hatter

Financial Secretaries, Jerry Smith, Carrie Titus

Church Office Hours

Monday through Friday

8:00am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 5:00pm

Lindenwald United Methodist

3501 Pleasant Avenue

Hamilton, Ohio 45015

Is it enough to think today

of all our brave, then put away

the thought until a year has sped?

Is this full honor for our dead?

Is it enough to sing a song

and deck a grave; and all year long

forget the brave who died that we

might keep our great land proud and free?

Full service needs a greater toll,

that we who live give heart and soul

to keep the land they died to save,

and be ourselves, in turn, the brave!

~ Annette Wynne ~