Phillips & Hawkins UMC Connectionphillips-umc.org/assets/pdfs/2013.Sept-Oct.pdf · Phillips & Hawkins UMC Connection 1 Open hearts ... has planted eternity in the human heart, but

Phillips & Hawkins UMC Connection 1

Open hearts….Open minds…Open doors… The People of the United Methodist Church

Pastor Loretta Waughtal Office: 115 Center Avenue

Phillips, WI 54555

Church: 715-339-3120

Parsonage: 715-339-4961

Cell: 608-386-1862

Email: [email protected]

Upcoming Events Pastor’s Sabbath

Every Friday

Collection for Food Pantry First Sunday of month

Church School (P)

Wednesdays, 3:30-5

September

5 Clergy Day, Stevens Point

11 Church school and Confir-

mation begin, 3:30 p.m. (P)

12 Worship at Pleasant View,

10:15 a.m. and Regency,

11 a.m. (P)

UMW, 2 p.m., (H)

Ad Council, 6 p.m. (H)

17 Circuit 4, Tomahawk, 1:30

p.m.

18 Ad Council, 6:30 p.m. (P)

19 PPRC meeting, 6 p.m. at

Phillips

23 Fall Bible Study begins, A

Disciple’s Path, 7 p.m. (P)

25 Insurance changes seminar

for pastor, Wausau, 9:30 a.m.

28 Phillips Fall Festival

29 Church school worship kick

off and Harvest Dinner &

fundraiser (P)

30 A Disciple’s Path, 7 p.m. (P)

continued on page 2

Phillips & Hawkins UMC Connection

A bimonthly newsletter for members and friends September/October 2013 Issue #5

Continuing the Conversation

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under

heaven…Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He

has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see

the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

—Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11 NLT

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday,

ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-

around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what

God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so

well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.

Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside

out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to

it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level

of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed

maturity in you.

—Romans 12:1-2 The Message

As I write this letter I have been thinking about the change of

seasons. We have experienced a full summer with ordination, annual

conference, bible studies, vacation bible school, and visiting; along with

our everyday lives, some have spent time nurturing gardens,

vacationing, preparing for and attending the county fair, attending 4-H

or scout camps, participating in summer sports, preparing to head off to

college (or have your child head off to college), etc.

Yes, it has been a full summer; but now we turn our attention to

preparing for a new season and all that goes with it. Even though it feels

more like the middle of July than the end of August as I write, we trust

that fall is just around the corner and change will come. Change is

something we come to expect (we know that seasons change and there

is a time for everything) and some change we even enjoy. I know I love

the change when fall finally arrives and the leaves become beautiful

shades of yellow, orange, and red and the temperatures become a more

comfortable 50-70 degrees.

But, there is some change we may not be so happy to see. Change

that seems to force itself on us; like when the community we live in

ages and begins to shrink, when families move to other communities

because there is no longer a local school or sustainable jobs. When

those kinds of changes occur around us it leaves us prayerfully asking

difficult questions and searching for faithful answers about being the

church as we seek God’s wisdom, trusting that “For everything there is

a season, a time for every activity under heaven…[and] God has made

everything beautiful for its own time.” continued on page 3

mailto:[email protected]



Hawkins Update

At its August 8 meeting the UMW packed and sent two boxes of

children’s items to the United Methodist Children’s Services.

August 17 we served a meal for the family of Wally Kubicz

following a graveside service.

August 25 we celebrated our 100 year anniversary with a special

service that included the history of the church and recognition of many

special people who worked over the years to keep this church active and

alive with God’s Spirit.

The service was followed by coffee, dessert, and fellowship.

Members of Bethel Lutheran Church gave us a beautiful bouquet of red

carnations in honor of this milestone and joined us for the fellowship

time.

—Secretary, Pat Filipiak

Special thanks go to: Dinah Hahn for gathering and sharing the

church history and for putting together the history booklets; Pat Filipiak

for putting together a historical picture display; Patty and Dean Brayton

for sharing a beautiful musical meditation during the service; and to all

who brought refreshments and helped serve during the fellowship time.

Community Ecumenical Choir Fall Concerts Planning has begun for the 2013 community

ecumenical choir fall concerts. The program

theme this fall is Light; Dolly Hadden will be the

conductor this fall. Rehearsals will begin on

Tuesday, Sept. 17 at Ogema Baptist Church at

6:30 p.m. and run through Tuesday, Nov. 12. The

concerts will be held on Sunday, Nov. 10 and

Sunday, Nov. 17 with locations to be determined.

At the concerts they will collect a free-will

offering that will go to local charities. The spring offering went to the

Price County Salvation Army, the Lincoln County Salvation Army, and

St. Vincent DePaul in Phillips; they each received $200.

If you enjoy singing please plan to join this ecumenical choir; they

always welcome new members.

Worship at Hawkins

Scripture Readers September

1 Jim Richards, Cassidy

Pocius

8 Suzi Neilson, Wilma Balsis

15 Pete Filipiak, Gene Notz

22 Jean Richards, Barb

DeVault

29 Pat Filipiak, Todd Lemke

October

6 Dinah Hahn, Woodene

Stevens

13 Jim Richards, Shirley

Severson

20 Suzi Neilson, Trish

Johnson

27 Pete Filipiak, Wilma Balsis

Upcoming Events cont.

October

2 Men’s breakfast, 7 a.m. (P)

3 Clergy Workshop, Pine

Lake


10 Worship at Pleasant View,

10:15 a.m. and Regency, 11

a.m. (P)

UMW, 2 p.m. (H)

12 Harvest Bake Sale and

Bazaar, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (H)


15 Circuit 4, Minocqua, 1:30 p.m.

16 Ad Council, 5:30 (P)



.



Happy Birthday! September 1 Andy Lind (P)

7 Lindsey Olson (P)

Vicki Lemke (P)

13 Christina Hrad (P)

Pat Filipiak (H)

Doris Lemke (H)

15 Jason Barnet (P)

Naomi Nyberg (P)

16 Dennis Lemke (P)

17 Donna Lind (P)

Myron Hrad (P)

18 Steve Barnet (P)

19 Ferne Koci (P)

Jeanne Nyberg (P)

Mary Willett (P)

22 Tristan Anderson (H)

24 Michelle Edwards (P)

25 Elaine Monteith (H)

28 Aaron Hrad (P)

October 2 Lettie Kosmer (P)

4 Ann Schancer (P)

7 Rose Tomlinson (P)

9 Keith Trewyn (P)

Della Radwanski (H)

12 Kirk Bolles (P)

Jed Miller (P)

14 Suzi Neilson (H)

18 Zach Lemke (P)

19 Jim Richards (H)

27 Julie Olson (P)

Barb Nyberg (P)

Amanda Zbacnik (P)

29 Dave Olson (P)

31 Fred Balsis (H)

Happy Anniversary! September 10 Mike & Lette Kosmer (P)

27 Bill & Dinah Hahn (H)

Conversation continued

There is also change that challenges us to step out of our comfort

zone and grow, moving us beyond the way we are accustomed to

believing or doing—we could call this change, transformation.

Over the summer we heard through the Namesake Bible study and

sermon series that God loves us so much he sent Jesus to reveal God’s

love and invite us into an intimate relationship with him. We witnessed

a few examples of God changing people as he walked with them and

gave them new names (or reinforced the power of their original names).

We witnessed the transformation in these people as they walked with

God—remember Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Naomi, Daniel and his

friends, Peter, and the unnamed woman—and we were invited to

imagine ourselves in that kind of intimate relationship with God.

This fall we will have the opportunity to build on that foundation as

we “walk,” A Disciple’s Path, exploring discipleship from a distinctly

Wesleyan perspective. As we walk this Path we will be guided in taking

the next step in discipleship as we are transformed into dynamic,

engaged followers of Jesus Christ.

I hope many of you will join me beginning Monday, Sept. 23 on this

adventure in discipleship as we, with God’s help, “take our everyday,

ordinary life—our sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around

life—and place it before God as an offering,” (Romans 12:1) letting

God bring out the best in us as he transforms us into faithful disciples

“for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3b).

God bless you as you seek to know and love God fully!

Pastor Loretta

Updated financial report for July and August.

Thank you for your diligent support of our churches. Hawkins is up to

date on all expenses and Phillips is up to date on everything except

apportionments at this time. As always if you have any questions about

the budgets contact Pastor L, the ad council chair, or the financial

secretary.

Please continue your faithful support of our churches by your

prayers, your time, your talents, and your witness. Hope to see you in

church soon.

God bless you!

Hawkins Annual Total Budget: $32,033

Monthly Amount Needed: $2,669

Average Monthly Giving for July: $903 August: $1851

Phillips Annual Total Budget: $61,509

Monthly Amount Needed: $5,126

Average Monthly Giving for July: $3,578 August: $3,704 (as of 8/18)



Phillips Church School Update

Church school will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 11 from

3:30-5 p.m. for grades kindergarten through sixth

grade. Confirmation classes will also begin on the

same date.

This fall’s topics for the K-3 grades include

From Judges to Kings: I am called to be a servant

of God; David the King: God’s love is with me all

the days of my life; Prophets and Kings: The Bible

teaches me how God wants me to live. The 4-6 grade class will focus on

The Bible is about...

Please send $20 per family to cover the cost of snacks before church

school. Also, let us know if your third or fourth grader has not received

a Bible from the church.

On Sept. 29, the church school and confirmation class will be

participating in the worship service. Following the service we will be

sponsoring a Church School harvest potluck dinner, featuring foods

from our bountiful gardens as well as grilled brats. We will also have

the drawing for the beautiful quilt that was donated to help fund church

school. We are suggesting a donation of $10 to put your name in the

drawing once and $20 to put your name in the drawing three times

(remember these amounts are just suggestions). Please plan to have

your family attend this special service and fundraiser.

If you know others who may be interested in joining us, please

contact Julie Olson at 339-3998 or at [email protected].

Thank Bank Offering This is a reminder to those who are collecting coins in your Thank

Bank boxes or cans: these thank offerings will be collected during the

worship service on Sunday, Nov. 24 so remember to count your

blessings.

If you are new to the idea of Thank Banks the UMW ladies started

collecting these offerings throughout the year as they remembered the

many blessings they received from God each week—remember a

blessing, drop a coin in the bank. When the UMW disbanded they

decided to continue collecting Thank Bank offerings and invited the rest

of us to join them. If you would like to start counting your blessings

now through the Thank Bank offering there are some banks available in

the church office.

The ladies also decided that this offering would support another

ministry started by the Phillips UMW, the Coats for Kids project

through the Phillips School District which began in 1986, helping

supply winter coats for less fortunate families with children. This

ministry has grown through the years with other churches,

organizations, and individual donations making its continuation

possible. We hope our church family will help us continue to support

this community mission program with Thank Bank offerings.

Worship at Phillips

Scripture Readers September

1 Prue Alm, Peggy

Gutheridge

8 Luke Heidenreich, Greg

Potter

15 Callie Podmolik, Ashlee

Podmolik

22 Tyler Potter, Donna Lind

29 Peter Dahlie, Gail Redmond

October

6 Jed Miller, Dave Olson

13 Sheryl Barnet, Annette

Gernaey

20 Susan Kelley, Jodie

Kadlecek

27 Julie Olson, Kathy Schilling

Altar Committee September

Prue Alm

October

Barb Nyberg

November

Grace Upson

December

Kathy Schilling

Greeters & Ushers September

Joel & Barb Nyberg

October

Gabay family

November

Grace Upson

December

Trewyn & Kosmer families




Thank You!

Thank you to all who helped me

celebrate my ordination in June.

And thank you for the gift of

money; I was able to purchase a

black clerical robe and will

always think of you when I

wear it as I lead worship on

special occasions.

—Pastor Loretta

Prayer in the Name of Jesus

As we have gone through the Namesake Bible study and sermon series

this summer there has been so much to take in. In the sermon series I

tried to share important highlights from our study that would strengthen

our relationship with God. There is one topic that didn’t come out in

any of the sermons and I think it is important enough to share because it

affects our prayer lives and what it means to pray in Jesus’ name (as he

invites us to do in Scripture; see John 14:13-14).

What is important to remember is that Jesus is not giving us a

spiritual blank check—telling us that whatever our wish or whim, if we

tack Jesus’ name to the end of our prayer, we will receive that thing. As

we have learned through our studies, in the Bible a name is the picture

of someone’s character, it tells us who the person is. So, when Jesus

invites us to pray in his name, he wants our prayers to be shaped by who

he is—his character, desires, and essence.

To do that we have to be self-aware, asking ourselves the motivation

behind our prayers. Praying in Jesus’ name is also a sign of intimacy

that assumes we know him well enough to know what kind of prayer

would honor his name. It comes with the responsibility of learning

enough about who God is that we can say those words at the end of a

prayer with the confidence that we know what God wants.

Praying in Jesus’ name means we don’t pray to point God to our

desires; we pray so that God will point us in the direction of his

character, shaping us and our hearts. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we

should ask ourselves if the prayer reflects our sincere desire to have

those things that reflect Jesus’ lordship, character, and love done on

earth as in heaven. When we pray, we should ask:

Lordship: Are you asking God to be in charge of the situation? Or

are you taking charge, assuming you know what’s best? (Read Luke

6:46; what does it say about Jesus’ Lordship?)

Character: When you pray this prayer, is Jesus’ character reflected

in you? Is this a prayer that Jesus would pray? (Read Matthew 20:28

and John 15:13; what do you learn about the character of Jesus?)

Love: Are you praying this prayer out of love for all involved? Will

the fulfillment of this prayer mean that God’s love is spread? (Read

John 15:9-12; what do you learn about love?)

Jesus came so we can know he is a God not only to be worshipped

and revered but also to be approached with our smallest needs as well as

our deepest desires, as we allow God to shape us. Jesus is the ultimate

self-revelation of God and when he came to earth, it was an invitation

for us to know God intimately in a way that no one had ever known him

before.

You are precious to God, so important, that he invites you to know

him on a first-name basis. He wants you to talk to him about all of your

burdens and joys, your hopes and dreams. And he wants you to use his

name to call on the strength, power, and character of the One who

overcame death when you are looking to overcome things in your own

life. —Namesake: When God Rewrites Your Story, Jessica LaGrone, pgs. 170-172



Remember to pick up your Upper Room devotional. There is a donation box next to the devotionals to help cover the cost.

Requested donation is $.50 for regular and $1 for large print edition to

help cover the cost of the subscription.

Mission News

Support Our Missionary Remember to support our

missionary, Paul Webster, by

putting $5 the month of your

birthday in the little white

church in the back of the

sanctuary. As a church, we have

committed to help support his

mission work in Africa. If we

will all participate during the

month of our birthday it will go

a long way in helping to meet

our obligation to Rev. Webster.

If you would like to read

more about Paul’s ministry you

can access his newsletters on

the Wisconsin Conference Web

site at: www.wisconsinumc.org

then look under the Missions

tab; or you can like his face

book page.

Greeting Cards If you would like to purchase a

beautiful, inspirational greeting

card (birthday, anniversary, get

well, etc.) and benefit the

church contact Shirley Cress at

339-4406.

Newsletter Deadline

Our next newsletter will come out

the first part of November. Please

submit your committee reports and

other news to Pastor L by Oct. 20.

You can leave your news items in

the church office newsletter mail

slot, mail it to 141 Center Ave.,

Phillips, WI 54555, or email

[email protected]. You

participation is needed for the

newsletter to be really useful.

Memorial Committee Report

Gifts of music In July our church purchased a Yamaha electric organ using funds

from the Foster/Storll memorial fund. This fund was started by Louise

Foster Zorn in memory of her maternal and fraternal grandparents,

Richard and Gunda Storll and George and Mary Foster, and her parents,

Edwin (Red) Foster and Eunice Storll Foster. Contributions have been

made over the years by family members and friends. The purpose was to

purchase a useful gift for the church when needed.

George Foster served the church as Sunday school superintendent

for many years. The Women’s Society named a Ladies Aid group the

Mary Foster Circle. The Storll family was known for their musical

contributions to the church and community.

The church is fortunate to have three musicians to play the organ at

the present time. They are Sheryl Barnet, Vicki Lemke, and Julie Olson.

The Nyberg families donated to the general memorial fund in

memory of Evelyn Davis. It was requested that their gifts be used for

music in the church. Our three musicians (Sherry, Vicki, and Julie) will

decide how to use these funds for church and Sunday school music.

A new look for the kitchen Plans are in progress to install new counter tops in the church

kitchen. The memorial funds for this project were received from the

Ann Marcott and Inez Michek families and the United Methodist

Women (before they disbanded). Inez and Ann were both involved with

the UMW and spent many hours working in the kitchen so it was

decided this would be a good way to honor their memories.

You can give a gift of any size to the memorial fund in memory of a

friend or loved one; this gift can be designated toward a specific need or

project in the church (one that may have had special meaning for the

person you are remembering) or left undesignated to be used as the

memorial committee and ad council see fit for the benefit of the church.

All gifts are appreciated and will be used with care.

—Sally Huml, Memorial Committee

http://www.wisconsinumc.org/




Phillips’ Fall Festival

The Phillips UMC will once again have a Cranberry Creations

booth at the Fall Harvest Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28. Sign

up at the church to bring your favorite cranberry creation or to

work a shift in the booth (or both). This is a great opportunity

to be the face of our church in the community and to raise

funds to help our church. Contact Julie Olson at 339-3998 for

more information.

Fall Bible Study Opportunity

A Disciple’s Path is an engaging approach to discipleship from a distinctly Wesleyan perspective. Whether used

as an introduction for new members or a renewal course for existing members, the program guides individuals

to take the next step in discipleship and become dynamic, engaged followers of Jesus Christ.

The study combines a Wesleyan understanding of our growth in God’s love and grace with the time-tested

practices of spiritual discipline expressed in the membership vows to uphold the church with our prayers,

presence, gifts, service, and witness. Participants will develop spiritual practices, discover their unique gifts, and

become engaged in ministry that brings transformation in their own lives, the lives of others, and the world.

The Daily Workbook contains six weeks of daily readings (five per week) that guide participants in learning

and practicing seven essential spiritual disciplines:

Prayer

Scripture Meditation

Corporate Worship

Small-group Community

Financial Generosity

Gifts-based Service

Invitational Evangelism

Each day’s reading includes a Scripture, a message for the day, questions and prompts for personal

reflection (with space provided for recording responses), and prayer. A special introductory section includes

material on the history, beliefs, and structure of the church and answers to frequently asked questions.

The Companion Reader (not necessary to participate in the study) provides invaluable insights that enable

both participants and leaders to dig deeper into the spiritual practices essential to the life of discipleship. Each

chapter corresponds to a week in the Daily Workbook, providing biblical and theological background on the

week’s theme from a distinctively Wesleyan perspective. Perfect for enhancing personal or group study and

reflection, answering questions, and providing material for worship planning during a congregation-wide

emphasis.

This six-week study will begin on Monday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.; if you can’t make it to all of the sessions you

will still benefit from completing the workbook. Let Pastor Loretta know you want to participate by Sept. 15 so

she can order books. You will need a workbook (cost is: $9.10); there is an optional companion reader you may

want to purchase but it is not required (cost is $8.50). Look for the sign-up sheet at church.



Disaster happens…You can help!

Provide disaster relief, teach lifesaving skills, prepare adults and children for disasters, or comfort families

of service men and women during emergencies. This is the start of your volunteer career with the

American Red Cross! Utilize your talents and time building a safer, more resilient community. Expect a

long-term commitment that is flexible to fit your needs. Now is the time to go through the application

process. The Wisconsin Disaster Training Conference scheduled for October will provide you with all the

trainings you need in one weekend to start your volunteer experience. For more information contact us at

877-618-6628 extension 5822, [email protected] or apply online at

redcross.org/volunteer.

Your willingness and effort in this matter are greatly appreciated. If you have questions regarding this

or how to start the application process, please feel free to contact us at any time at 877-618-6628 x5822 or

[email protected]. If you feel that you would benefit from some volunteer information

materials to distribute, please reply to us and we would love to send some over to you! Please let us know

if you have any other contacts or places in your community we should connect with. Thank you for your

time and your help!

Phillips & Hawkins United Methodist Churches

115 Center Avenue

Phillips, WI 54555

http://www.redcross.org/support/volunteer

Documents

Phillips & Hawkins UMC Connectionphillips-umc.org/assets/pdfs/2013.Sept-Oct.pdf · Phillips & Hawkins UMC Connection 1 Open hearts ... has planted eternity in the human heart, but