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Pastor Andy’s Letter • Beautiful Feet NewsFirst United News • Milestones • Attendance • Church CalendarAugust 2013Andy Huette, Sr. Pastor Brett Monge, Youth Director
407 W Seventh Street, PO Box 280, Gridley, IL 61744 309-747-2299 www.1stu.org
Dear Church Family,
August Church Calendar4 Village of Hope Team Meeting 10:20 am
7 Monthly Prayer Meeting 7:15 - 8:00 pm
11 Global partners, Austin & Anna H. visiting 9:00 am Presentation in Family Center 10:30 am
12-19 Village of Hope Mission Trip20 EPG Preschool screening 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
25 One Another Meal 10:00 Family Center
Sunday Worship ServicesMorning Worship 9 am-10 amJ.A.M. (ages 3 - PreK) 9 am-10 am every SundayChildren’s Church (grades K-3) 9 am-10 am 1st & 3rd Sunday
Jr. High Youth Group4 Summer Gathering 6-9 pm Family Center18 Summer Gathering 6-9 pm Progressive Dinner
Sr. High Youth Group7 Hang Out 7:30 pm at First U
This crew of men enjoyed a camping and canoe trip to Turkey Run the last weekend of June.
Sincerely, Andy
Kicking It Old School! - Vacation Bible School
Men’s Ministry Canoe Trip
In the fall of 2011, after witnessing the nu-merical growth that had occurred at First Unit-ed Church, the Leadership Council began to look ahead at the future and to think about fu-ture staffing needs. In January of 2012, we be-gan looking for assistant pastoral help, and in the spring of 2012, the Leadership Council was talking with Grant Stauter about his interest in pastoral ministry. In May of 2012, Grant was offered a hybrid position here at First United that we called “Pastoral Apprentice.” For a one year agreement, Grant worked one day a week here at church in pastoral ministry, beginning a men’s ministry, leading a prayer meeting, tak-ing classes from Urbana Theological Seminary, and also joining me in a number of additional pastoral responsibilities. This past spring, the Leadership Council began praying, discussing, and planning about First United ministry needs and Grant’s future role here at First United.
After evaluating multiple possibilities, dis-cussing them as a Council, and then meeting with Grant, we are excited to announce that beginning in September, Grant will be joining the First United staff in a part-time, 20 hour a week role as Discipleship Pastor. This role will be focused on encouraging individuals to grow in their faith and live as faithful disciples of Christ beyond Sunday mornings. We are thankful for the flexibility and accommodation shown by Grant’s business partner to allow him to continue with the painting business and still
have this opportunity to serve at First United in pastoral ministry.
The Leadership Council is excited to offi-cially bring Grant on the pastoral team for a number of reasons. We know Grant well and, likewise, he knows the history and culture of our church. We trust him as a man who is first and foremost committed to following the Lord as a disciple. He has proven through his ser-vice to this church that ministry is not merely a job, but a calling in his life. In hiring him, we are convinced we are adding a shepherd-leader who is eager to serve the congregation. Additionally, in this past year of working with Grant, I was able to see that he and I worked well as a team in ministry. Grant demonstrated a readiness to learn while also spurring me on in ministry with insight and wisdom. Further, Grant’s philosophy of ministry—his vision for First United and his definition for “success” in ministry—are in alignment with the core val-ues we seek to embody at First United.
On Sunday September 1st, the Leadership Council looks forward to formally commis-sioning Grant in his new role during our wor-ship service through a time of prayer. Please continue to pray for Grant and his family as he enters this expanded role and pray that through his ministry First United Church will be strengthened to the glory of God!
Thank you to Anne Wettstein for the photos.
“The basis of how we know that we are in relationship with God is not how we feel but the fact that he says we are. The test we are to apply to ourselves is objective rather than subjective. We are not to ferret around inside ourselves for evidence of spiritual life but to look up and out and away to God and his word.” —John R.W. Stott, Basic Christianity, page 158. (available in our library)
Open Bibles
Our Core Values Open Bibles One Another Beautiful Feet Spiritual Growth Authentic Worship2 3
Attendance & Offering6/30 310 $4,5227/7 200 $7,9637/14 278 $7,246 7/21 233 $4,6007/28 380 $6,482
August MilestonesBirthdays
1 Irma Grusy1 Dave Ihlenfeldt2 Bob Wettstein3 David Zeller7 Kathy Hany8 Tanner Benedict8 Joann Liming9 Darci Poppen9 Hunter Stanhouse9 Christine Zeller10 Dan Gonder10 Kevin Yergler11 Jimmy Bridgers15 Shirley Carr15 Cindy Fairchild18 Alicia Allen22 Sophia Hall22 Saylor Welsch31 Becky Stoller
Anniversaries9 Ken & Janell Hall10 Dan & Stephanie Gonder14 Dennis & Margie Stauter27 Doug & Bev Nelson
Library Corner
The Missions team hosted two lunches for our global partners visiting in July and their First U adoptive families.
Our partners in Jerusalem shared about their work among Muslim people.
Brian Johnson with G.O. Ministries, helped start a seminary for Dominican and Haitian pastors. He is the lead teaching pastor. His wife, Josanne, is an active partner with G.O., and their son, Alex, com-pleted an internship there this summer.
Joe and Amy Flammer, serving in New Zealand, visited us on June 30. Joe is the lead teach-ing pastor at the church plant, Rechurch.
Village of HopeMission Trip Itinerary
First U’s mission team leaves for Village of Hope, Guate-mala on August 12. Their itinerary for the seven days will look something like this.Monday, August 126:28 am Depart Bloomington IL; through Atlanta11:12 am Arrive Guatemala City (12:12 pm in Illinois)
Tuesday, August 13 - Saturday, August 17Prayer walk and tour of Village of Hope Start VOH work projects Build bunk beds and storage cabinets for homes Sort clothing donations Lead VBS at village of Chituk Assist teaching English and PE at public school Deliver food baskets
Sunday, August 18Church in Antigua (the town, not the island)Lunch, shopping, sightseeing in Antigua
Monday, August 1912:22 pm Depart Guatemala City (1:22 pm in Illinois) through Atlanta9:28 pm Arrive Peoria
The VBS offering raised $1774.33. The money will be sent to Village of Hope to purchase shoes for children. For many children, it will be their first pair of shoes. The shoes will be purchased in Guatemala to support their economy.
If you missed Mission Revolution at First United in March, you have a chance to attend it at Eastview on Au-gust 25.
The same speaker, Todd Ahrends, of the Traveling Team, will share three of the 45-minute sessions he taught here. The conference starts at 5 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m.
The event is free but ad-vance registration by Au-
gust 21 is required. Register online at Eastview’s website: www.eastviewchurch.net/ministries/outreach/global-outreach/g-o-nights.
A sack lunch dinner will be served with a suggested donation of $5.00. Childcare provided for ages 0-12.
For more information con-tact, Denny Foor at First U. or at Eastview: Julie Probst, 309-451-5024.
The Marriage YouAlways WantedMarriage ConferenceSaturday, September 7
9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Moody Bible InstituteTorrey-Gray Auditorium
820 N LaSalle BlvdChicago, IL 60610
Cost: $40 per person”Buy One, Get One”
First U will pay for 1/2 of eachcouple’s registration costs.
Contact Keri Hany forFirst U’s group registration.
309-747-2299 oremail: [email protected] Deadline:
August 30
www.moodyconferences.com
2013 Surplus GivingWe’ve disbursed the second quarter
surplus giving checks. Each of the three beneficiaries received $2,031.14 for the second quarter. There was no surplus in the first quarter due to the planned Deep and Wide project expenses.
The Surplus Giving Plan is based on a target cash reserve of three months of budgeted expenses plus the Capital Im-provements Savings Account plus any additional identified needs (i.e. Deep & Wide Expenses) identified jointly by the Church Leadership Council and the Fi-nance Committee.
We disburse 50% of the surplus in the first two quarters of the year in the event we have unexpected expenses during the year. In the third quarter, we will disburse 75% and at year-end, 100% of the surplus will be disbursed.
2013 Surplus Giving BeneficiariesLifesong for Orphans
G.O. Ministries seminaryin the Dominican Republic
Common Word Institutein Jerusalem
Using personal anecdotes and careful examination of Scrip-ture, Carolyn McCulley chal-lenges single women to regard singleness not as a burden, but as a gift from God that allows them to perform a unique role in the body of Christ.
Check it out!
Mission Revolution: de ja vu
Caring for Beautiful FeetAround the World Corn Festival
Harvest Days, September 5-7Get involved and share the love of Jesus while
also displaying First U’s core values at the Corn Festival. The Local Outreach team is sponsoring a booth at the September 5-7 festival in El Paso.
We need volunteers to man the booth in 1-1/2 hour time slots on Thursday and Friday evenings and all day on Saturday. Sign up to partner with your spouse, family member(s), friend(s) or any-one interested in getting more involved at First U.
If anyone is interested in entering a float, please contact Tiffney Palmer to work out the logistics. For specific questions, please contact these mem-bers of the Local Outreach Team:
Sign up information:Jowanda Grace,[email protected]
Booth hand-out information:Tiffney Palmer, [email protected]
General questions:Becky and Jeff Stoller, [email protected] Krone (CLC) [email protected]
Booth set up/tear down:Brian Buchanan, [email protected] Kaupp, [email protected]
“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”Luke 6:38 ESV
Dan and Christi Ucherek, missionaries to Village of Hope, shared with the children’s VBS classes and at the program.
Jake Foor was commissioned on July 28 to his missionary work with Next Worldwide. He will be leading short-term mission trips with a vision of dis-cipleship and leadership training for young people.
