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First United Methodist Church of Salida
“Love, Live, Give As You Have Received”
4th & D Streets (P.O. Box 945)
Photo by: Licia Iverson Salida, CO 81201 (719) 539-2755
Ministers: Everyone; Pastor: Calob Rundell 719-539-2755 (O), 720-879-2267(C); Office Administrator: Licia Iverson; Organist: Rod Schleicher; Organist Emeritus: Virginia Imig;
Lay Leader: Van Ricketts 719-395-6329; Church Council Chair: Ken Leisher 719-221-3691 Pastor’s e-mail: [email protected] Church website: www.salidaumc.org Church e-mail: [email protected]
Pastor’s Ponderings From Rev. Calob Rundell
30 Years Later, or The Shepherds
After Christmas
Dear Friends,
Before I get into my musing for this month, please
take a look at the new things
we have going on. There’s a
new men’s Bible study,
we’re using new visual
technology in worship, and
our new small group worship
experience called Lift is
happening. You’re invited to
be a part of these cool new
things that are going on.
It’s now January 2016, and
Christmas 2015 is in the past. Presents have been
opened, candles lit on Christmas Eve, and all our
favorite holiday songs have been sung.
But before we rush headlong into a new year, there
is one aspect of the Christmas story that I would
like to examine and meditate on.
What happens to the shepherds after Christmas, and
what does that tell us about our own lives?
In the Christmas story that is found in scripture,
there are shepherds nearby Bethlehem. As Mary is
giving birth to the baby Jesus, a glorious show of
angels proclaims to the shepherds that something
truly amazing and unique is happening. The
shepherds, most likely full of wonder and just a
little bit afraid, go to Bethlehem and find the holy
child as the angels instructed.
The tale of the shepherds on that day has been re-
imagined and replayed in a multitude of ways. But
where do they go after they leave the side of the
manger? What to the shepherds do
on the day-after Christmas? How do
they live, after having seen the birth
of the much-anticipated Messiah?
We don’t know the answers to those
questions. The shepherds disappear
from scripture and from history
completely after that one day. But
we can use what we do know to
ponder what the experience of those
shepherds might have been.
We know that the shepherds heard that the long-
awaited Messiah was born. We know that they saw
the baby Jesus, and that the whole experience was
so compelling that they “spread the word
concerning what had been told them about this
child.” (Luke 2:17)
But then what? We know that the public ministry of
Jesus did not begin until he was a full grown man,
possibly as late as 30 years, three full decades, after
the event the shepherds witnessed. We know that it
Pastor’s Ponderings continued on pg. 2…
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Pastor’s Ponderings continued from pg. 1…
was not until that time that Jesus began to attract
followers, train His disciples, and live-into His
divine role as the Messiah.
What would it have been like to be one of those
shepherds? What would it have been like to hear
and to see this amazing and joyful thing, but then
have to wait for 30 years before anything really
comes of it? What would it have been like to know
that Jesus is finally here and real, but then have to
spend decades before Jesus does the next big thing
happens?
In our lives, we may be able to relate to those
shepherds. We may have experiences that are
miraculous and amazing and divine. We may have
moments like the shepherds did, when we feel that
God has come so close to us and that there is so
much hope about what will happen next.
But, in our lives as with the shepherds, we may be
waiting awhile before that next soul-moving
experience comes. It may be months, or years, or
decades, before another time comes when we feel as
close to God as we did in that moment of divine
presence.
That’s because the story that God is telling is a very
long story. It stretches from the very beginning to
the very end of time, and even beyond those
parameters. Truth be told, given the average life
expectancy of a poor person in Roman occupied
Palestine two thousand years ago, some of those
shepherds may not have lived to be around for the
ministry, death, and resurrection of the Jesus they
had seen as a baby. Because the story that God is
telling, the story that we are a part of and the story
that we are invited to help tell, doesn’t fit neatly
into our time frames.
So how do we live, if we may have to wait 30 years
for the next big event from God to come our way?
We do the stuff God calls us to do. We worship. We
pray. We sing. We celebrate the sacraments. We
feed the hungry. We advocate for justice. We
continue to love God and we continue to love our
neighbor.
Like the shepherds after Christmas, there will be
times when we may have to wait in the story God is
telling. And like the shepherds after Christmas,
there will be times when we bask in the miraculous
wonder of the amazing grace that only God can
bring into the world.
Peace,
Calob
The Men’s Group will meet for Breakfast on Saturday, January 9
th, 2016 at 8:00
IN CENTURY HALL
All men are invited to attend!
Any questions please see Leon Stanton!
Faith Book Club
Tuesday, January 12th
at 10:00AM in
the Parlor.
Everyone is invited.
The Next Church Council Meeting will be held on
January 12, 2016 at 10:00AM in Century Hall!
February Monitor Articles
are due on or before
Monday, January 18th
Thank You!!! Licia
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THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS
January Ushers - Coordinator: Ginny Cunningham January 3 Cindy & Paul Wilson January 10 Ginny & Jerry Cunningham January 17 Susie & Hal Brown January 24 Jerry Long & Dick Isenberger January 31 Barb & Larry Williams
January Liturgists - Coordinator: Karen Yerkey January 3 David Hearn January 10 Van Ricketts January 17 Dick Isenberger January 24 Leon Stanton January 31 Available
January Fellowship Hosts - Everyone
January 3 Available January 10 Available January 17 Available January 24 Available January 31 Available
Sign-up sheet for “Fellowship Host” is on the bulletin board in Century Hall.
PLEASE consider signing up with a friend!
You’re Invited to Lift!
Our new small group worship experience, called Lift, is up and running. Lift is a very non-traditional and informal time of prayer, song, storytelling, and sharing the sacrament of communion.
When: Mondays, 6:34-7:15pm Where: 1110 East Sabeta, Poncha Springs. In the Little River Ranch neighborhood.
You’re invited to check out what Lift is all about, and to invite others to check out Lift. To help in inviting others, we have business-card sized invitations to Lift that you are welcome to have. You can get some in the church office or from Pastor Calob.
All the details about Lift can be found at salidaumc.org/lift
January Birthdays are: Jan. 1 Calob Rundell Jan. 1 Sharry Reid Jan. 2 Fred Jackson Jan. 2 Wilbur Richardson Jan. 8 Ben Gregg Jan. 12 Leon Stanton Jan. 16 Christine Richardson Jan. 22 Karen Yerkey Jan. 23 Jean Rodenbeck Jan. 29 Judy Naviaux
January Anniversaries are: Jan. 1 Bill & Mary Reeves Jan. 6 Ralph & Judy Eyler
“Heaven at 11:00”
Join us each Wednesday at 11:00am in the Parlor for 20 minutes of Contemplative Prayer (Silence)
Please Note: we will not meet on Wed. January 6th.
Any questions please see Licia Iverson or Sherry Welton
Save The Date!
Our Annual Church Charge conference is scheduled for Sunday,
Feb. 7th at 12:00pm. Please have all committee reports for 2015 to
Licia by January 15th. Thank You!
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Our 2016 Financial Pledge Commitment Cards are currently at the church. Thank you to those who have returned their pledge cards.
If you have not yet pledged, we welcome you doing so in January. You may bring your pledge card to the church office or mail it to: Salida FUMC, PO Box 945, Salida, CO 81201. Please write: “Attn: Financial Secretary”, on your envelope. Your 2015 FUMC Giving Statement will be available later in January.
Your pledge information is strictly confidential. If you have any questions, please speak with our Financial Secretary, Dick Isenberger, (719) 530-0270 or [email protected].
The Permanent Endowment Fund
of Salida UMC
The Permanent Endowment Fund was created in
2006 for the sole purpose of providing financial
support for the charitable purposes of the Church
with its principle objectives being the “ promotion
and development of religious, charitable and
educational activities. ’’
The funds available to be used are calculated as
90% of the earnings on the Fund for the previous
year. The principal cannot be spent. Currently the
funds are invested with The Rocky Mountain
Conference United Methodist Foundation in the
form of CD’s as well as an account in a local bank.
Those wishing to make a gift may do so by making
a check to the church with the memo that it is for
the Endowment Fund. Gifts may be noted as being
in honor or memory of an individual and can be
listed on the plaque in Century Hall if desired.
New Men’s Bible Study
Mondays, 10am, Century Hall
Starting January 4th
Calling all hombres, dudes, and bros. You are
invited to be a part of a new Bible study that Pastor
Calob is leading on Monday mornings. For the first
few weeks, this new group will be studying the
story of the Exile. This historic event spans several
books of the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old
Testament) and informs our Christian theology of
hope. Come join this group for learning and fun
fellowship.
SAVE THE DATE
DISTRICT CONFERENCE
SATURDAY, MARCH 12
TIME/LOCATION TBA
A BROCHURE WITH ALL THE DETAILS
WILL BE COMING SOON.
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We’re Using Our
New Technology
And
We Need Your Help
On Christmas Eve, we used our new video
technology for the first time during worship. We
received very favorable feedback from those in
attendance and we are looking forward to reaping
the benefits of this latest addition to our worship
experience.
We will be using our new video tools to display the
words to hymns and liturgy on Sunday mornings.
But, we need volunteers who are willing to “run”
the video displays during worship.
THIS TASK IS SUPER EASY! We will be using basic
PowerPoint slides (which Pastor Calob will prepare)
on Sunday mornings that are controlled with a
simple remote. All you will need to do is push a
button on the remote to move through the slides.
The training for this task takes about 45 seconds.
If you are willing to help with this easy task on
Sunday mornings, please let Pastor Calob know.
Your help will be greatly appreciated and will
greatly enhance our worship experience.
We’re Getting Ready for Raft Guide Dinners 2016
With the beginning of 2016 comes the initial planning for all of our annual programs and events. One of the important ministerial outreach programs of this church is our Summer Raft Guide Dinner program.
This next summer will be our 5th year of providing Food, Faith and Fellowship through a weekly delicious hot meal, access to the hot showers, a FREE hygiene table of health and first aid items, a FREE library of all types of books for them to take with them and share, weekly after dinner activities such as a musical jam session,
board games or cards, or a movie with popcorn and all the trimmings!
Thanks to the help of so many, this program has grown from serving an initial 5 raft guides at our first dinner in 2012 to an almost consistent 60-65 guides a week. Each week takes about 25 volunteers to provide and prepare each meal and to help with the actual serving, engaging in conversation with the guides and helping to clean up. There are SO MANY ways to support this outreach. More on that later….
Over the next few months, we will feature articles in our Monitor from various volunteers and from the guides themselves, about their experiences of these dinners. More importantly, you can learn about ways to support the 2016 dinners. Our hope and prayer is that you will learn more about the value of this outreach and be willing to respond to how God may be inviting you to participate in it.
Last summer, throughout 10 weeks of dinners, we served over 713 meals to the guides and volunteers who shared the evenings with us. The guides represented 38 different states and one was from Japan. They represent many different rafting companies who serve our summer visitors and residents throughout the entire valley. It is quite an inspiring sight to see, when they come together weekly, here at the church.
Through your generous giving last year we received $1232.18 in contributions specifically to the Raft Guide Dinners. Our summer expenses of $1030.85 were for weekly supplies, reimbursements for food items and additional hygiene products when needed.
On Sunday, January 31st, our church will participate in the 5th Sunday Giving. The “Raft Guide Dinners” has been named the recipient of your additional tithe that is received on that day. Please mark “Raft Guide Dinners” on the memo line of your check, if you choose to offer a 5th Sunday donation. We appreciate our financial support. It is one very important way to help with this program.
Be watching for future articles in the Monitor from the Raft Guide Volunteers and the Raft Guides themselves, each month from now until the 2016 dinners begin in June.
We’re looking forward to constantly improving this program through prayer, presence and practice. We celebrate that it is clearly a way to be the Hands and Feet of God. And it is good…
With Gratitude, Licia
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Prayers, Praise & Celebrations
Thank You to everyone who went Christmas Caroling on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 20th. We enjoyed the fellowship of singing together and the joy was tangible as we shared beautiful music through the halls of Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, Columbine Manor Care Center and at the homes of various church members. Special thank you to Dixie and Leon Stanton who welcomed us back to their home for hot chocolate and desserts.
Norma Smith – We are so grateful that Norma is home and continues to heal from her hip fracture. Keep up the good work, Norma!
Jody West - Please continue to keep Jody West in your prayers. After a couple of postponements of her surgery date, Jody is scheduled to have hip replacement surgery on Thursday, Jan. 7th. We trust and pray that God’s blessing will be with Jody and all those who will be caring for her. We will keep you posted as we know more.
Tom Henning - Please continue to keep Tom Henning in your prayers. Tom is close to completing his 5 weeks of radiation. He and Donna have made the best of their stays in Denver during the weeks and have enjoyed being home on weekends. It will be good to have them back in Salida very soon!
Virginia Imig – Virginia wishes to thank you for all the cards, calls and prayers while she was recovering from her hip replacement surgery.
Lori Isenberger – Please keep Lori in your prayers. On December 14th, Lori fell and broke her hip. Following a successful surgery to repair her hip, she is recovering at Columbine Manor Care Rehabilitation Center. Lori expresses her gratitude for all the prayers, cards, calls, flowers and the prayer shawl from the church. We will let you know when Lori is up for having visitors, but until then, please keep her close in your prayers. We know that with God’s Healing Love, Lori will get stronger and stronger every day.
Pat Miller – Please keep Pat in your prayers. Pat recently spent a couple of days in the hospital to help stabilize her oxygen levels. She is home now and is doing very well! We will let you any updates when we have them.
Thank You to everyone who helped with our Fudge Force Fundraiser this year! It was a huge success thanks to so many fudge makers and sellers! We will let you know the final details in the near future!
Please send your prayer requests, updates, celebrations, or announcements to
Licia in the office at: [email protected]
(Mark your calendars NOW!)
Ongoing Weekly Scheduled Items Include:
Mondays: Men’s Bible Study – 10:00-11:00am, Century Hall Lift – A Small Group Worship Experience, 6:34-7:15pm, Poncha Springs – Ask Pastor Calob for directions Wednesdays: Bible Study, 9:30-10:30am, Century Hall
On Jan. 6th, Bible Study starts at 9:00 & NO Heaven @ 11:00 Heaven at Eleven! Contemplative Prayer Gp. 11:00am 20 min. Silence, Parlor Thursdays: Church is closed for cleaning, 12:00-2:00pm Fridays: Church Office is Closed Sundays: Choir Practice, 9:00am, Choir Room
Fri, Jan 1 Happy New Year – 2016 Sun, Jan. 3 Communion Sunday Tues, Jan 5 Trustees Meeting, 10:00am, Basement Sat, Jan. 9 Men’s Breakfast, 8:00am, Century Hall Sat, Jan. 9 Un-Decorate the Church, 9:00am Tues, Jan. 12 Church Council Meeting, 10:00am, CH Tues, Jan. 12 Faith Book Club, 10:00am, Parlor Fri, Jan. 15 Church Committee Reports Due Mon. Jan 18 Care Team, 10:00am, Parlor Mon, Jan. 18 Monitor Articles Due! Tues, Jan. 19 Finance Committee Meeting, 10:00am,
Basement Wed, Jan. 20 KHEN Board Meeting, 6:00pm, CH Thurs, Jan. 21 NAMI Support Gp, 6:30-8:30pm, Bsmt. Sun, Jan. 24 Troop Donations Due, Century Hall Mon, Jan. 25 GARNA – Training, 7:00-8:30, Basement Tues, Jan. 26 Pack Troop Boxes, Lutheran Church Bsmt. Sat, Jan. 30 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
7:00-3:00, Basement – By appointment Sat, Jan. 30 Salida Aspen Concerts Board Mtg, 10:00,
Century Hall Sun, Jan 31 Fifth Sunday Giving – Raft Guide Dinners
Save This Date:
Sun, Feb. 7th – Church Charge Conference after worship
