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On the Web: www.esumc.at
The English-Speaking United Methodist Church of Vienna
From your pastor… Surely the Lord Is in This Place
Taking one of the stones of the place, Jacob put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he
dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God
were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said... "Know that I am with you
and will keep you wherever you go...." Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this
place—and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other
than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Genesis 28. 11-17
Now that summer holidays are here, are you going some place? I will be going to the US next week—to
Montana, which is also known locally as the last best place. Montana is the place where I was born, where
my children were born, where I have lived and worked most of my life. I know my home state well, but
every time I return home, I discover it anew.
For sure, I will go to Glacier National Park. I hear the bear grass (a beautiful wildflower with white
blossoms) is especially abundant this year in that place. It is my favorite flower, blooming in one of my
favorite places. I will also go to Flathead Lake, the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River.
The Methodist Church has a summer campground there where I’ve spent many summers with youth. It is
another of my favorite places.
I am keenly aware that God is in these places. It is as if I am standing at the gate of heaven when I am
there. Notice how the story of Jacob speaks of “this place” which is infused with the holiness of God’s
creation, and where angels ascend and descend to commune with God. Like Jacob, we are to rise from our
sleep of thinking that we know the places in our lives so well that we don’t expect to discover anything
new. But we must awaken to the present moment, in every time and place, to become more mindful of the
Holy One who is lovingly and faithfully present with us and will keep us wherever we go.
Continued…..
Summer 2013
Living spiritually means that
we want to continually
awaken to that kind of won-
der, and to see the place
where we are (even if it is
very familiar to us) as if for
the first time. When we do
this, we are more mindful that God is with us, that
we live in the house of God, and that we may join
the angels ascending and descending on the ladder
of each holy moment.
Wherever you go this summer, take time to expe-
rience a holy moment. And know, that the love of
God surrounds you in every place.
Pastor Kathy Young
News from the Finance Committee
1. Support for Austrian Flood Relief:
Your generous offering in support of the Austrian Flood Relief
amounted to 410,—EURO. We have donated 500,—EURO to the
victims of the recent floods via the Diakonie. Thank you for your
contributions.
2. VIGC Summer Concert:
A BIG THANK YOU to our VIGC, who has held a successful
VIGC Summer Concert on 15.06.2013 and supported our church
with an amount of 450,—EURO.
3. “Fund Raising Activities”:
For 2013 we have budgeted an amount of 11.800,—EURO income
from “Fund Raising Activities”. The reason is that we have to
compensate for reduced income from the US- churches as well as
reduced EoGs from our church. Up to date the income from Fund
Raising Activities is 940,—EURO, which is about 8% of the
overall amount. By God’s grace and with your support we can
reach the goal. Any ideas for contributions are highly welcome.
We honored our Matura graduates on June 23rd. Chrystel
Doko is leaving in July to study at the University of Dundee,
in Scotland. Shelley Mangan will be studing at the FH
(Fachhochschule) here in Vienna. Barima Asomaning will
be furthering his studies. May God bless their future
We are also looking
forward to congratulating
Cynthia Sseruwagi.
Cynthia graduated from
the University of
Edinburgh in Scotland
and got a BSc with Honours in Biomedical
Sciences. May God bless her future endeavors!
The flash mob below was at the Austrian Methodist
Annual Conference. Pastor Kathy is in green in the
middle.
COMMUNITY NEWS
We bid farewell and Godspeed to the Doko family at the end of June.
Bruno has relocated to Belgium for a new job. Lucette and Chrystel will
join him for the summer. Chrystel will attend the University of Dundee,
Scotland in the fall, and Lucette plans to resume her job in Vienna in the
fall. As this new chapter in their lives unfolds, we hold them in prayer.
Sylvia Chiemezie and her children plan to relocate to South Africa this
summer. Sylvia was recently married. We pray God’s blessings on them
as they make this transition. In these next weeks, may we communicate
our love and care to the family as they get ready for their move.
The Pastor Parish Relations Committee has prepared a questionnaire
and they ask for your input. The Committee hopes to determine how to
improve the way ESUMC serves, teaches and shares the Gospel, and how
to encourage faith development and maintain healthy Christian relation-
ships. The questionnaire is confidential, and we hope everyone in the
ESUMC will participate. If you did not receive a copy of the question-
naire and would like to have one, please contact the church office,
Sylvia Ackwonu recently has returned to Vienna from Ghana following
the death and burial of her mother. We offer our condolences and lift
prayers of comfort for Sylvia and her family in this time of sorrow and
remembrance.
The husband of Paulina Analena, and the father of her daughters, Dag-
mar and Jasmine, has died. Let us pray for peace and clarity for this fam-
ily as they make plans to return to Ghana in August to honor his memory.
Special Dates in July Sunday, 7 July
11:15 Holy Communion, Worship and Summer Sunday School
Sunday, 14 July
11:15 Worship, Birthday Sunday and Summer Sunday School
Sunday, 21 July
11:15 Worship and Summer Sunday School
Sunday, 28 July
11:15 Worship and NO Sunday School
Special Dates in August
Sunday, 4 August
11:15 Holy Communion, Worship and NO Sunday School
Sunday, 11 August
11:15 Worship, Birthday Sunday and NO Sunday School
Sunday, 18 August
11:15 Worship and NO Sunday School
Sunday, 25 August
11:15 Worship and NO Sunday School
Young Families’ Bible Study
Please contact Melissa if you are interested in
participating. Melissa Scherer
Women’s Bible Study
Meets every Wednesday at 10.00. All women are welcome.
Please contact Jennifer Meidl if you would like more information
([email protected]) Children are welcome!
Resumes September 11th.
Vienna International Gospel Choir
Rehearsals are Fridays at 18.00. All are welcome.
Contact: Sigrid Anusie ([email protected])
Men’s Fellowship
All are welcome! Contact George Ackwonu for more information.
([email protected]) Resumes in Autumn.
Intercessory Prayer Group
This small group will resume September 12th at 18:00 every
Thursday evening in the Wesley Room. Join us if you are
interested or contact Hayford Boateng ([email protected]) for
more information.
Bible Study and Small Group Opportunities
The English-Speaking United Methodist Church
of Vienna
Rev. Kathy Young, Pastor
Sechshauser Strasse 56
1150 Vienna, Austria
Office Phone (+43 1) 895 8175
Parsonage Phone (+43 1) 892 0080
Email: [email protected] -
Vacation Bible School
The Outreach Ministry and the
Sunday School Ministry will jointly
organize a Vacation Bible School
(VBS) in July 2013, as an outreach
project for children between 6 and 12
years old. If you would like to be involved in this project, please do
approach Melissa, or Tinu or send an email to church's office
([email protected]) with your contact details and we will get in
touch with you!
Tinu and Melissa
Summer Sunday School Summer Sunday School is for kids
through 4th grade. They will meet
on July 7th, 14th and 21st. There
will be NO Sunday School in the
month of August. Regular Sunday
School will begin a new Year on
September 8th. The Nursery will be
open for children under age 4, all
summer. However, there will only be
one attendant in the nursery this
summer.
Young Families Bake Sale Report
Total amount collected : €864.58.
Total amount expended : (-€398.21)
Expended for:
- Matching fund campaign
- Christmas gift for church nursery workers
- Sunday school for supplies
Thank you Young Families!
Lay Speaker Servant Training
There will be a Lay Speaker English speaking course
offered by the German Central Conference of the
United Methodist Church. The basic course will be
September 20-22, 2013, and November 1-3, 2013. Two
advanced courses one “Leading Worship and
Preaching“ will be offered September 20-22, 2013, the
second, “Our Wesleyan Roots“ will be offered
November 15-17, 2013. If you would like more
information please contact Pastor Kathy or Hayford
Yaw Boateng.
