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FIRST UNITED FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCHMETHODIST CHURCH
Ministry TeamMinistry TeamMinistry Team
Ministers The Worshiping Congregation
Pastor
Chuck Rager
Christian Education Director Renee Meyer
Administrative Secretary
LaVerne Schimpf
Custodian Ginny Volberding
Newsletter Editor
Karen Nenstiel
District Superintendent Kay Alnor
Bishop of Great Plains
Conference Ruben Saenz, Jr.
Ogallala, Nebraska 69153 www.methodistchurchogallala.com
TTHEHE MMESSENGERESSENGER
First United Methodist ChurchFirst United Methodist Church
Pastor’s Page 2
Welcome New Members 3
Meetings This Month 3
United Methodist Women 4
Thank You Notes 4
Meet the New Bishop 5
An Activity Page 6
Youth Activities 7
Tax-Free Gifts to Church 8
“Dinner around the World” 9
Link Union Concert 10
Stewards for October 11
IN THIS ISSUE
Heritage Sunday
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Celebrating 130 years of Methodism
in Ogallala and 65 years
in our current beautiful sanctuary
One worship service at 9:00 A.M. will include
a video of pictures from the building of our church;
Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr. preaching
Lunch and program following church
at the Quality Inn
featuring Special Music
and honoring 50-, 60- and 75-year members
Please note: there will be no Sunday School and no 11:15 worship
service on Sunday, October 9. Everyone is encouraged to participate
in the Heritage Sunday celebration!
A few items for you to ponder:
We are delighted to be able to host a Gospel Concert on Tuesday night
October 25 at 7 P.M.
The group Link Union will perform a gospel concert in our sanctuary.
Link Union is a family of talented musicians from Lebanon, Missouri. This sev-
en-member group will play a variety of gospel music, some traditional and
some contemporary. They play a variety of instruments and their vocals are
excellent.
Link Union performed a concert in Ogallala earlier this year for the
Ogallala Arts Council. Persons who attended that concert at the High School
came away very impressed with the skills and enthusiasm of the musicians.
We are privileged to be able to bring Link Union to Ogallala United Methodist
Church for a gospel concert. It is open to the public, so invite some friends
and neighbors. A free will offering will be received to help offset the cost of the
event.
A second item to ponder is that you are invited to be a part of our Tues-
day morning Bible Study. We meet at 9:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall down-
stairs. You do NOT need to be a Bible scholar to participate, and the fellow-
ship is wonderful. We are doing a study of Corinthians, and you are invited. It
is not too late to start participating in our Tuesday morning Bible Study.
Also, there are other small groups which invite your participation. Sun-
day morning Sunday School has classes for most ages; Wednesday night
Youth Group; United Methodist Women; Disaster Response Team; Saturday
morning Men’s Group; and Choir (Handbell and Vocal) are other opportunities
to get involved and enjoy fellowship. Call (308)284-8455 for more information
on any of these possibilities, and we can get you connected to the right person.
See Me Sunday,
Rev. Chuck Rager
Page 2 October, 2016
“Door”
A door symbolizes our
invitation to engage in
prayer and personal
relationship with Jesus:
“Knock and the door will
be opened to you.”
(Matthew 7:7, NIV)
Conversely, a door
represents Jesus’ desire to
be invited into our lives
and hearts: “I stand at
the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice
and opens the door, I
will come in and eat with
that person, and they
with me.”
(Revelation 3:20, NIV)
Christian
Symbols
Page 3 The Messenger
Board of Trustees & Future
Needs Committee on
Wednesday, October 5, 7:00
p.m.
Finance Committee on Thurs-
day, October 6, 5:00 p.m.
Administrative Council on
Wednesday, October 19, 7:00
p.m.
Meetings This Month
New members were welcomed into the folds of Ogallala First United Methodist Church
on Sunday, September 18. Pictured in the front row above are: Barbara Barent, Tom
Andersen, Eileen Andersen, Arlene Dahlgrin, Kim Dahlgrin, and Eloise Childers. In the
back row are: Dick Jones, Evan Jones, Sharon Jones, Madeline Huntimer, and Ginni
Huntimer. We welcome you all into our church family!
If you have ideas, pictures or
articles to submit for the November
issue of The Messenger, please
have them turned in no later than
Friday, October 21, 2016. Earlier
submissions would definitely be wel-
comed and appreciated!
Submissions may be made to
the Church Office, or you may e-
mail them directly to your newsletter
editor at:
Thanks so much for your help!
Friday, October 21
Robin Rankin from Mid Plains Com-
munity College will our be guest speak-
er at the October 13 general meet-
ing. At the September general meeting
we had 31 attend; that was great
Mona Radcliffe
UMW President
Page 4 October, 2016
United Methodist Women
October meetings
UMW General
Thursday, October 13
12:00 noon
luncheon and meeting
in Fellowship Hall
Circle 1
Thursday, October 27
9:00 am
(Radcliffe)
Circle 3
Thursday, October 20
2:00 pm
Hess Lounge
Circle 5
Monday, October 17
6:00 pm
Hess Lounge
United Methodist Women in Service and Mission
Believe it or not it is time to think
ahead to 2017! The church secretary,
Vern, is anxious to work on the year-
book for 2017. We really appreciate
her doing this. Circle chairmen, please
give your 2017 meeting dates, hostess-
es, devotion leaders, and other perti-
nent information to Vern by October
25. Also update your membership list.
Thank You Notes
A mother asked her little boy to please get the broom from the back porch. “But it’s
dark out there!” he protested.
“Don’t be scared,” Mom said. “Jesus is out there. He’ll take care of you.” When the
child looked skeptical, his mother continued, “Jesus is everywhere. You’ll be safe.”
After a moment, the boy went to the back door and cracked it open. Peering into
the dark, he called, “Jesus, if you’re out there, will you please hand me the broom?”
Thank You from the Ragers
We would like to thank you one and
all for the gesture of kindness and hon-
or you bestowed on us that glorious
Sunday in August. The plaque is beau-
tiful and treasured. The card and gift
were very kind and generous. Thank
you very much.
We feel very blessed and honored
to be a part of this church family.
Again, thank you very much, and
God Bless You all.
Pastor Chuck and Roberta Rager
The pictures for the directory have
been taken! Now we wait patiently for
the finished product to be completed.
As we wait, I want to thank the persons
who were part of the Host/Hostess
Team with me to help get everyone
signed in on their picture taking day.
These are the individuals who sat at the
table in Fellowship Hall, smiled at you,
filled out the paperwork and chatted
with you as you waited for your photog-
rapher to call your name.
Thank you to:
Judi Adkins Roger Adkins
Teresa Davis Dorothy Glenn
Cena Graves Bev Johnson
Doris Keller Phyllis Reed
Mona Radcliffe Jane Terrell
Judy Markussen
Thank you all for being on the Host/
Hostess Team with me and serving so
cheerfully!
Roberta Rager
He’s Everywhere!
The Messenger Page 5
We need your help in keeping our
contact data up-to-date! Please be
sure to keep the church in mind when
you have changes in home address, e-
mail address, or phone numbers.
The Post Office will forward first-class
mail for you, but newsletters are re-
turned, and the church must pay extra
postage on each returned item. You
can help us avoid that expense.
If you have a seasonal change of
address, it is helpful if you will let us
know when you are leaving and when
you will return.
Thanks for your participation!
Address Updates
Sunday,
October 9
On September 1, 2016, Ruben Saenz
Jr. launched his term as the resident bish-
op of the Great Plains Annual Confer-
ence of The United Methodist Church with
offices in Wichita and Topeka, Kansas,
and Lincoln, Nebraska.
Bishop Saenz will participate in the
Ogallala First United Methodist Church’s
Heritage Sunday celebration on Sunday,
October 9
A native of Rio Grande City, Texas,
Saenz earned a bachelor's of science de-
gree in secondary education from Stephen
F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches,
Texas, and was a high school teacher and
coach in Rio Grande City for six years until
he began working full time at a small busi-
ness that he and his wife started in 1984.
In 1993, they sold their business and
moved to Dallas, where he began studies
at the Perkins School of Theology at
Southern Methodist University. When he
earned his master of theology degree at
Perkins, he was presented with the Perkins
Faculty Award for the student who best
exemplified the goals and mission of the
school. In 2009, he received his doctor of
ministry degree from Perkins.
During his pastoral career, Saenz
served churches in Dallas, El Paso and
Edinburg, Texas.
In those congregations, he addressed
the issues of generational, social and sys-
New Great Plains Bishop to Visit Ogallala UMC
temic poverty that plague the region. In El
Paso, Saenz led the congregation to cre-
ate and implement the Levantate – Get Up
computer literacy program, targeting single
mothers who were unemployed because of
factory shutdowns so they could enter the
job market at a sustainable wage level.
Saenz and his wife, Maye, have four
children, Aaron (Iris), Christina (Matthew),
Ruben III, and Isaac, and are expecting
their first grandchild later this year.
Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr.
In 1936, a group of pastors
launched World-Wide Communion Day.
Amid the Great Depression, they were
looking for a way to meet people’s spir-
itual needs and unite Christians in their
dedication to Christ.
The observance,
now known as World
Communion Sunday,
is held on the first Sun-
day of October. For
eight decades, it has
served as a reminder that Christians
around the globe share the same meal
in remembrance of Jesus.
In Communion
Answer: A (See Proverbs 20:4, ESV; Jeremiah 5:24; Jude 1:12.)
Page 6 October, 2016
A Bible Quiz
An Activity Page for Younger People
A. Matthew
B. Jeremiah
C. Proverbs
D. Jude
It’s intriguing to think of people in Bible
times experiencing the same cycle of
seasons we do. Which of these books
doesn’t mention autumn?
Thanks for participating!
The Messenger Page 7
meets on
Wednesday, October 5,
and Wednesday,
October 19, at7:00 P.M.
in Fellowship Hall
SONSHINE SINGERS
rehearsal on Friday,
October 7, at 4:00 p.m.
Sing in church
on Sunday, October 9
at 9:00 a.m.
All kids from
Kindergarten age up
are invited to come sing.
The Sunday School Kickoff for Fall
2016 was observed on Sunday, Sep-
tember 11, with a “Dinner around the
World.” Seven teams participated and
provided an amazing variety of foods.
On the following Sunday, Septem-
ber 18, Christian Education Director
Renee Meyer announced the prize win-
ners, as follows:
Best Decorated Booth/Best Theme
“Sea of Galilee”
by Connie and Richard Johnson
Best Dressed
“America”
by the Cowboy Capital Consultants
Best Food
“Germany”
by the Balcony Bunch
Best Variety
“Switzerland”
(with chocolate)
by the Church Staff
Best Authenticity and Solo Perfor-
mance
“Russia”
by Greg and Tatiana Beal
Dinner Around the World Prize Winning Teams
Best Food Presentation with Label-
ing/Best Use of Stainless Steel and
Pegboard
“Tiny Bits”
by the Missions Outreach Committee
The highly qualified judges for the
event were Janean Lindauer, Caleb
Johnson, Ramona Upright and Roberta
Rager.
The Peoples’ Choice Award, as
voted by all those attending the dinner,
was given to the Cowboy Capitol Con-
sultants for the third year in a row.
As an added attraction, the Cowboy
Capital Consultants asked participants
to guess the number of corn kernels in
a jar. The winner of the contest was
Dennis Davis. The jar contained
15,000 kernels, and Dennis submitted a
guess of 14,752, only 248 kernels off
the correct answer. Dennis will receive
a $25 beef draft. Congrats, Dennis!
Thanks to the team members, the
judges and everyone who participated
in this year’s “Dinner around the World.”
It was a rousing success for all!
(Please check out pages 8-9 of this
issue for our gallery of pictures of the
dinner.)
Give More to Your Church and Pay Less in Taxes
Page 8 October, 2016
On December 18, 2015, President
Obama signed a bill retroactively rein-
stating the Charitable IRA provision for
all of 2015 and removing any expiration
date on the provision, thereby perma-
nently extending the rollover. This law
allows an individual who is 70½ or older
to gift up to $100,000 from his or her
IRA directly to a qualified charity, such
as your church, without having to recog-
nize the IRA distribution as taxable in-
come.
Here’s how it works:
The law allows those 70 ½ or older to
transfer up to $100,000 from an IRA to
their favorite charity or church – tax
free.
The gift must be made directly from
the custodian of your IRA to the church.
Your tax-free rollover gift will be ex-
cluded from your gross income.
Your gift can count toward your re-
quired minimum distribution.
Please contact your financial advi-
sor and/or Anita Crisp, Executive Direc-
tor of the Nebraska United Methodist
Foundation (877-495-5545) if you have
any questions.
The Messenger Page 9
“Dinner around the World” on September 11
Page 10 October, 2016
Tuesday, October 25
Concert Time: 7:00 pm
Ogallala United Methodist Church
421 N. Spruce Street Ogallala, Nebraska
Open to the Public / Free Will Donation
Event Information: 308-284-8455
Lebanon, Missouri
Oct. 2 Greeters 9:00 Jim & LeAnn Ayres, Ken Hagge Fellowship John & Sheila Turner, Wendell & Ramona Upright Nursery 9:00 Rose & Ryan Holechek Acolyte 9:00 Kaden Walker Children’s Moment 9:00 Jonnie Peterson Ushers 9:00 Group 6: Larry & Shirley Schlem, Lyle & Barbara Nootz, Chuck & Nancy Graff, Larry & Doris Keller, John & Sheila Turner Oct. 9 Greeters 9:00 Jim & Becky Plate, Herb & Karen Knudsen Fellowship Heritage Sunday Nursery 9:00 Carmen Troxel Acolyte 9:00 Elliott Pickering Children’s Moment 9:00 Teresa Davis Ushers 9:00 Group 7. Jim & LeAnn Ayres, Allen & Janice Cerny, Herb & Karen Knudsen, Casey & Emily Mack Oct. 16 Greeters 9:00 Bev Johnson, Norm & Rhonda Duba Fellowship Draucker family Nursery 9:00 Collette VanBorkum Acolyte 9:00 Jackton Rezac Children’s Moment 9:00 Ginny Steinke Ushers 9:00 Group 8:Lloyd Johnson, Pete Knudsen, Bud Haney L.D. Walker, Ted Slagle, Jim Hixon Oct. 23 Greeters 9:00 Cliff & Shirlee Knispel, Jim & Dorothy Glenn Fellowship Buck & Judy Markussen Nursery 9:00 Kelly Crymble Acolyte 9:00 Tyler Benda Children’s Moment 9:00 Penny Benda Ushers 9:00 Group 9. Buck Markussen, Eric Troxel Parker Reil, Hunter Reil, Ryan Holechek Oct. 30 Greeters 9:00 Buck & Judy Markussen, Milly Schwasinger Fellowship ? ? ? ? Nursery 9:00 Shalee Krajewski Acolyte 9:00 Parker & Peyton Catlin Children’s Moment 9:00 Carmen Troxel Ushers 9:00 Group 10: Fred Olmsted, Dave Sheldon, Todd Neill, Dave Baltzell, Sharen Terry, Cena Graves Nov. 6 Greeters 9:00 Roger & Judi Adkins, Barbara Draucker Fellowship Penny Benda Nursery 9:00 Judy Cross, Kelly Smith Acolyte 9:00 ? ? ? ? Children’s Moment 9:00 Jonnie Peterson Ushers 9:00 Group 1: John Stulich, Lonnie Peters, Craig Draucker, Jeff Peterson, Jim Persinger
If you would like to have your name added to the rosters for any of the service opportunities listed above, please contact the church office.
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The Messenger Page The Messenger Page 11
STEWARDS FOR OCTOBER, 2016
One service at 9:00 A.M.
followed by Heritage Sunday Dinner
and program at the Quality Inn
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Our Vision: “To be a dynamic church, sharing and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ”
Our Mission: “To love God, love each other and extend that love beyond our church”
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T h e M e s s e n g e r
F i r s t U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h
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R e t u r n S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d
