CLOVER RIDGE CHURCH NEWS
JANUARY 2016
A NOTE FROM PASTOR MIKE
Pastor Mike is
available to meet
by appointment
and can be
contacted on his
cell phone at
(319)551-3874.
Please call first
in case he has
been called away.
Hello Clover Ridge UMC,
I like to say if I find someone who says it as good as or
better than I ....and I think it is meaty, I pass it on! Such
is the case of this month's Pastor's article. My wonderful
wife wrote it for her church newsletter and I have it here
below modified a bit by me to our church.
1 Peter 4:9a "Be hospitable to one another..." NKJV
Dear Friends,
As I am writing this, the celebration of Christmas is still before
us. When you read this, 'Christmas' will be over for 2015.
One of the important parts of the Christmas story is the part about
the innkeeper who was not able to offer Mary and Joseph
accommodation in his inn. However, he 'thought outside the box' and
found shelter for them in a rather unorthodox way...making them
feel as welcome as he was able. Another word for that is
"Hospitality". Hospitality is an important characteristic of the
church. How do we care for each other? How do we provide
hospitality for visitors? I find this quote interesting:
"Seven minutes are all you, (churches), get to make a positive first
impression (on visitors). In the first seven minutes of contact with
your church, your first-time guests will know whether or not they are
going to come back. That's before a single worship song is sung and
before a single word of the message is uttered. Obviously your guests
aren't making a logical decision based on the integrity of the
preaching, the character of the church staff or the clarity of your
doctrine. They are not weighing pros and cons of worship styles and
theological viewpoints... Instead, they are taking clues about your
church's atmosphere and the people's friendliness on a much more
rudimentary level. Their subconscious minds are working overtime
to evaluate their compatibility with this new environment."
“Fusion” by Nelson Searcy (2007) p. 49-50
What do visitors to OUR church find in their first 7 minutes in our
building?
1. One of the ways that we are trying to be more hospitable is to post
signage.
(Continue on Page 2)
(Continuing from page 1)
2. Other ways that we can work on are to be aware of allergies. Latex
gloves/balloons/paint, peanut butter and gluten are a few of the more common allergens that
people face today. What are ways that we can provide for and protect folks from these sorts
of things?
Safety - While at first glance it might not occur to us that safety is closely connected to
hospitality, in my opinion, they walk hand in hand. In the winter we need to sand and salt
the walks and it is good to have our car parkers in service so the older or handicapped do
not have to walk on our slick parking lot. Areas of the church inside and out are well-lit.
3. Other ways we can work on are to discourage the young people from running in the
building, both for their own safety as well as the rest of us who might collide with a runner.
(Parents, will you please help with this?)
4. Our church nursery has now been re-purposed into a "cry room". The cry room is
outfitted with a speaker so the worship service can be heard, a rocking chair, and changing
table for the use of worshipers who need to take a little one out of worship for a short time.
There are toys there for the little ones to play with, (please remember to put the toys back
when you are done using the cry room), and it is a place where a care-giver might calm a
crying baby, have privacy when feeding or changing a diaper. We have Koala changing
stations in both the men’s and women’s bathrooms. This is a signal that little ones and
families are welcome and provided for in our church.
What other ways occur to you that might make our church seem to be even more
hospitable?
Serving Jesus with You,
Pastor Diane
Pastor Mike continuing...
I'd like to hear your responses and ideas on hospitality. Email, phone or stop in the office
to share your ideas. As I think about welcoming, several things stick out to me. We need
signs to help new people find things. When you see someone you don’t know, that looks like
they are new, introduce yourself by saying, “I should probably know you but I do not, I am
(Give your name) what is yours?" We also can invite people to stay for the fellowship time
after worship, (but not to pressure them). We need to make sure new people do not sit by
themselves at fellowship time!
God help us to be welcoming to all!
Pastor Mike
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Women’s Group News: There were 24 persons who attended the “DIVALICIOUS”
show at the Iowa Artist Theater in Amana on December 4th. The Clover Ridge Women’s Group
organized this church event. It was a very nice evening (weather wise) and a nice show with 2
people from our congregation performing.
CONTINUE ANNOUNCEMENTS…
Church Family Christmas Dinner: On December 13th a Ham/Turkey dinner was
served in the Fellowship Hall. There was a $5 charge for adults and children were free. There
were approximately 55 plus persons served with a profit of $280.00 that went towards the
General Fund. Thanks to everyone who attended. We used up some of the left-over’s from the
Auction Night Supper.
NATIVITY SCENE: The large nativity in the sanctuary was purchased by the Clover
Ridge Women’s Group. They have more pieces to purchase to complete the whole set. As I am
writing this article I was informed that the rest of the pieces were purchased by the Women’s
Group. If you would like to donate to the Nativity to help cover cost that would be much
appreciated, Contact Deb Hall or Shirley Lowe.
CHRISTMAS DECORATING TEAM: Thanks to the following people who helped get
the church decorated for Christmas on December 2 nd: Gay Mercer, Dorothy Snell, Nadine
Thompson, Nancy Africa, Louie & Sheryl Hein, Roger & Shirley Lowe, Gary & Deb Hall,
Terry Voss, and Marlene Wasendorf. Thank you also to Dick and Betty Smith for preparing
lunch and doing the clean-up afterwards. Everyone brought a dish to share. Thanks to Dann
Harwood who just happened to be running to Menards and picked up some items that we
needed.
JANUARY MILESTONES
Happy Birthday To:
1: Brock Ferry
5: Dorothy Snell
6: Randall Hoskins, Jean McCormick
Krista Barnell
7: Kathryn Martin
8: Richard Hatton, Nevaeh Cecak
9: Debbie Erenberger
15: Amanda Sproat
18: Nathan Gross, Debbie Sproat
20: Sadie Donahue, Elliot Beltz
22: Mary Messerschmitt,
Brandie Gross
24: Andrew Ward
26: Aiden Gross, Natalie Christ,
James Balk, Brody Bries
28: Tom Albert
29: Spencer Beltz
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY:
14: Joe & Krista Barnell
21: Don & Carolyn Dillinger
Clover Ridge United
Methodist Church
th
125 5 Street North
PO Box 87
Walford, IA 53251
PHONE:
319-846-2349
PASTOR MIKE E-MAIL:
[email protected]
We’re on the Web!
Find us at:
www.cloverridgechurch.org/
Sunday Morning Schedule
Sunday School - 9:00 am
Sunday Morning Worship - 10:00 am
Wednesday Prayer - 11:00 am
About Our Organization…
Clover Ridge is a United Methodist
Congregation in Walford, Iowa. Our
church is made up of people from
Walford, Fairfax, Cedar Rapids, Norway,
Amana Colonies, Marengo, and other
places too! We are an evangelical Bible
believing church who loves Jesus
Christ!
If you have anything to contribute to the February newsletter, please submit it to Pastor Mike or
Sharyl Voss ([email protected]) by Sunday, January 24th, 2015. Thanks!
CLOVER RIDGE CHURCH
PO BOX 87
WALFORD, IA 52351