The Messenger
Monthly Newsletter of Hillcrest United Methodist Church
October 2016
Laity Day with the Bishop
A CALL TO HOPE
October 15, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. EDT
Dear Friend in Christ,
Laity Day with the Bishop is a great opportunity for all lay persons in the Indiana
Conference to connect, learn, and grow together. October 15, 2016, will be a special
day as we gather at Castleton UMC in Indianapolis with Bishop Julius Trimble and the
laity across Indiana for worship, workshops, and fellowship. We would love for you to
be a part of it!
We believe the laity of the church are called to be fruitful in their congregations and
communities by spreading hope. Laity Day with the Bishop will encourage and
challenge you to embrace the hope of Christ and share it with your church, your
community, and the world.
Please register for the event and encourage others in your church and our district to
join you. Hopefully, you could even offer to carpool. Everyone is invited, no matter a
member’s level of involvement in the local church; this is an open event for all. There is
no cost for the event, but those who would like a boxed lunch can pre-order one for
$10. Learn more and register now through October 2 at www.inumc.org/laityday16.
We hope to connect, learn, and grow together through this meaningful day! Please
spread the word so that all lay persons in your church and district know they are
invited to be a part of this special day.
Looking forward to being together,
Jane Harper-Alport and Jim Pinkerton
North District Co-Lay Leaders
THE MESSENG ER
PAG E 2
October Special Days Celebration
This ‘n’ That
District Connection Day
November 13
3:00 p.m.
Elkhart Faith UMC
Susanna’s Kitchen
Our next day of serving is October 3.
Questions? Contact
Henrietta McCaul at 264-1688.
The JOY Group (singles 50+) will meet for lunch
at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, October 13.
Questions? Contact
Henrietta McCaul at 264-1688.
Mark your calendars for December 3
when we plan to have another
successful Cookie Walk! Sign-up
sheets will be put out next month. We
want LOTS of cookies and will need
help the night before to get the trays
ready and the day of to help sell.
Remember, all our profit goes directly
to the church to be used where most needed.
Be on the lookout for the sign-up sheets.
Thanks!
—Maria Purciarele
October birthdays and anniversaries
will be celebrated Sunday, October 2,
in the HeBrew Café after the worship
service. Everyone is welcome as we
eat cake and sing to those of our
congregation with special days in
October.
Birthday Cake Schedule:
October: Bev Slaughter
November: Jo-Ann Smeltzer
December: Patty Moore
If you would like to provide a cake for a
celebration, please sign up on the sheets posted
on the HeBrew Café bulletin board. If there are
any questions, please see, call, or e-mail
Tracy Donati: 849-2803, [email protected].
Sam Rotman Concert
October 9, 6:00 p.m.
McCoy Baptist Church
134 St. Clair Ave., Elkhart
Mr. Rotman is a Julliard-trained, renowned
international concert pianist who has given over
2,800 concerts in 60 countries and has been
among the winners in five piano competitions,
both in the United States and Europe. He
presently performs approximately 110 concerts
in 10 countries each year.
Mr. Rotman is a committed Christian and very
eager to share how God has worked in his life
through Jesus Christ.
No tickets are required, but a free-will offering
will be taken.
Questions?
264-3240.
Please contact Julie Lininger at
THE MESSENG ER
PAG E 3
Primetimers
Thursday, October 20
Soups
gather @ 11:30
lunch @ noon
Hello! Fall has arrived, and are we ready? Well, I
have a wonderful surprise for you this
month. Gordon Roberts and Larry Slessman will
be coming to give you some tips on
woodcarving. They belong to a woodcarvers’
group in Goshen. They do some really fun
things, and I'm sure you will enjoy this
program. Just bring yourselves, $2, a dish to
pass, your happy faces, and we’ll be set to
go! Nancy and Jerry will still be on vacation so
we will need your help. The main dishes are
soups. If you signed up to bring soup, please
don't forget; otherwise, we might go
hungry. Ha! Ha! See you soon.
Hillcrest Community Childcare Ministry
Our annual Martin's coupon
book sale will begin
October 24 and end
November 4. The books
cost $5.00 but are filled with
coupons to use when you
shop at Martin’s. You may even end up saving
that much off of your groceries. Don't forget
that these make great gifts, too. Just contact
Teresa at 266-7427 to get yours.
We have openings in all of our daycare classes.
Spread the word! Again, contact Teresa if
interested.
Don’t forget to sign up your Martin’s Advantage
card so we can earn points. Please note that this
year we are required to sign up even if we were
signed up before. Thanks!
Happy Fall,
Jane, Nancy, and Henrietta
Teresa Irelan
HCCM Director
Fish Fry
The next Caregivers’ Support Group will meet
October 27 at 1:30 p.m. for an hour in
Pastor Mike’s office. We have good discussions
to help each other cope on a daily basis as a
caregiver. Everyone is welcome.
Thank you to all who helped make our 2016 Fish
Fry a success! We couldn’t have done it without
you. Once the numbers are tabulated, we’ll give
a report to the church.
Bruce Fortin, Patty Moore, Wayne Rowe
2016 Fish Fry Co-Chairs
Adult Learning Opportunities
Sundays, 10:30 a.m.
Lifestyles Class—”Half Truths,” Patty Moore,
Facilitator, HeBrew Café classroom.
Pastor’s Class—Pastor Mike’s office (C3).
THE MESSENG ER
PAG E 4
October’s Mission of the Month
CROP Walk
Church World Services, the umbrella organization for CROP Walk, targets areas where education and
advocacy are components in confronting the root cause of hunger. CWS raises awareness about hunger,
poverty, water access, trade, human rights, climate change, peace building, and other issues.
When CROP began in 1947, CROP was an acronym for the Christian Rural Overseas Program. Its primary
mission was to help Midwest farm families share their grain with hungry neighbors in post-World War II
Europe and Asia.
Today, they’ve outgrown the acronym but retain it as the historic name of the program. CROP Hunger
Walks are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Services and organized by local
congregations or groups to raise funds to end hunger at home and around the world. Elkhart’s CROP Walk
is October 2 at Island Park.
Statistics show that almost 20 percent of families here in Elkhart are nutrition insufficient. Imagine your
children crying themselves to sleep because they are hungry. Or your child going to school hungry.
25 percent of the money collected will stay here in Elkhart. It will go to Church Community Services to
purchase food for the food pantry. They are able to purchase food at a much reduced price.
Hillcrest Church has the opportunity to join with other churches to raise money for the hungry. Please
know that our monies are needed to make a difference both locally and around the world. Give as you can
to meet this great need for so many that are hungry. THANK YOU and God bless you!!!
Thank You,
Missions Committee
I am again doing the Operation Overseas (sending boxes to our deployed soldiers). Lists
are already out at the Welcome Center, and the table will be set up in the Narthex soon.
We sent 45 boxes last year, and I would love to be able to send at least than many again.
I will be going to numerous businesses in our area asking for donations. After speaking to
the principal at Eastwood Elementary, we’ve decided that the children there will be
making cards and letters to send as well. I will have blank cards on the table so anyone
who wishes can add their own letter.
Boxes will be mailed out the first of December so the table will be set up for donations thru November 27
and will be removed after the service that day.
Cost per box this year is $16.75. The price went up $2.95 from last year! And that is with the military
discount. Besides products, I will gladly accept money donations. Any extra will go for products. If there any
questions, please call me at 848-4246. Thank you so much for your continuing support.
Thank you,
Maria Purciarele
THE MESSENG ER
PAG E 6
Your Presence
September 4
September 11
September 18
72
72
62
Congregational Giving
General Fund
In the Know
Did You Know?
* A pumpkin is a member of the Cucurbita family
which includes squash and cucumbers.
* Six of the seven continents can grow
pumpkins. Antarctica is the only continent
where they won’t grow.
* Morton, IL, the self-proclaimed pumpkin
capital, is where you'll find the home of the
Libby corporation's pumpkin canning industry.
* The Irish used to carve turnips, but when they
immigrated to the U.S., they found pumpkins a
plenty and much easier to carve.
* Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A.
* Pumpkin flowers are edible.
* The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over
five feet in diameter and weighed over 350
pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin,
36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took
six hours to bake.
* In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as
an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the
filling.
* Pumpkins were once recommended for
removing freckles and curing snake bites.
* The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed
1,140 pounds.
* The Connecticut field variety is the traditional
American pumpkin.
* Pumpkins are 90 percent water.
* Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the
United States is available in October.
September 4
Building Fund
$
3,076.00 $
370.00
September 11 $
4,308.50 $
1,761.00
September 18 $
1,014.97 $
510.00
8,399.47 $
2,641.00
Total
$
October
Birthdays
1 Nathan Foster
8 Don DeVore
2 Dan Miller
13 Ken Bartell
5 Linda DeVlieger
14 Pati Campbell
6 Larry Slaughter
16 Jo-Ann Smeltzer
Lorraine Whitmer
21 Jim Heim
Anniversaries
2 Nikki and Adam Behne
14 Teresa and Dan Null
26 Laura and Dan Miller
Rene and Dave Wenger
Please let the church office know of any corrections.
Important Note:
Please remember to specifically mark on your
offering envelope to which fund your offering
should go: General, Building, Other, or a
combination. This helps eliminate the guess
work for those posting financials. Thank you!
THE MESSENG ER
Scoutmaster Minute
October 2016
By Ronn Foster
PAG E 7
As we move into the fall season, it gives us a chance to reflect on the activities
from the summer. To give a little background, Troop 117 has been a part of
Hillcrest United Methodist for 49 years. During that time, the Troop has grown
and shrunk, as many organizations tend to do. We are currently in a period of
growth.
March and April is when we typically receive new scouts. This year was no different, and we gained six new
scouts who have formed their own patrol. They are known as the Neon patrol. This brings us to a total of
five youth patrols and one adult patrol. The youth patrols are the Duct Tape patrol, USA patrol, Radioactive
patrol, Nuclear Gummie Bear patrol and finally, the Neon patrol. The adult leader patrol is known as the
Wise Wizard patrol.
Why do we use patrols, and how did we come up with the crazy names? The patrol method was designed
by the founding father of the scouting movement, Lord Baden Powell. BP, as he liked to be called, knew
that boys work well in small teams with each taking turns at leading. It is in this small team setting that they
learn about working together, negotiating, carrying one’s own weight, and the importance of responsibility.
The names? Well, that is their top priority. They must first establish a name for their patrol before they can
conduct business.
Shortly after receiving the new scouts we were off to a short-term camping trip (no more than one or two
nights). We have a tradition in our troop to camp every Friday the 13. It just so happens that May 2016 had
a Friday the 13 so we were off to camp with our new boys. Camp was great, and the boys learned to use
(as well as earned the right to use) knives, axes, hatchets, and saws. They also worked on their fire building
skills. On the final day of camp, it began to snow which added to the adventure.
Summer camp soon followed. This camp is crucial in the development of a young boy. Many parents are
surprised by the changes they see in their little one. During this week-long camp, each boy is responsible for
his own schedule as well as chow hall duty and general housekeeping. They learn to work together under
the direction of one of their peers who holds the position of Senior Patrol Leader. This is not an easy camp,
but it is one where they begin the journey into adulthood. This year we were very blessed to have Pastor
Mike and others from Hillcrest come and pray for us prior to our departure. This meant so much to
everyone in the Troop.
I will wrap up this introduction to the Troop for now. In future issues I’ll write about our values and projects
in an order provide an insight to the Troop. Some awesome things going on right now are:
 Noah Fordyce earned his Eagle Scout rank.
 Evan Gaylor was elected into the Order of the Arrow and has fulfilled the requirements of
membership. He is now an Arrowman.
 We have four boys who currently hold the rank of Life Scout. This is the last rank before Eagle.
 The Troop currently has 27 scouts, 1 Scoutmaster, and 5 Assistant Scoutmasters.
We welcome the opportunity to share time and stories with anyone in the Hillcrest church family.
THE MESSENG ER
HILLCREST WOMEN’S MINISTRY
We’ve mentioned some of the “wonderful
women of Hillcrest” in the last couple of
newsletters, but we don’t always realize what
other women have been accomplishing behind
the scenes, perhaps for a very long time.
Our blessings on other wonderful women of
Hillcrest:
* You who send a “thinking of you” card to
someone who needs cheering.
* You who bring a delicious food dish to
Primetimers.
* You who brought cookies for the Fish Fry.
* You who stood for hours in the kitchen
packaging slaw or applesauce.
* You who made the narthex beautiful with
tasteful furniture.
* You who cleaned storage areas or the
refrigerators or the cupboards.
* You who create attractive bulletin boards.
* You who count money on Monday
mornings.
* You who call a lonely friend with a warm
message of comfort.
* You who smile at the children of HCCM
when you are in the building.
* You who work with the young women in the
Scouting program.
What would Hillcrest do without our
wonderful women? When you think of others
who contribute much without expecting
recognition, give them a hug on behalf of all of
us.
Women's Board: Martha Sims, Nikki Behne,
Cathy Bloss, Lorraine Whitmer.
PAG E 8
Hillcrest Women’s Book Club
Thursday, October 27
6—7 p.m., HeBrew Café
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
Liane Moriarty’s new novel suggests that
sometimes we don’t appreciate how
extraordinary our ordinary lives are until it’s too
late. “What a wonderful writer—smart, wise,
funny.” —Anne Lamott
Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small
dog. It's just a normal weekend. What could
possibly go wrong? According to the publisher,
in Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on
the foundations of our lives: marriage, sex,
parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt
can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly
strong relationships, how what we don't say can
be more powerful than what we do, and how
sometimes it is the most innocent of moments
that can do the greatest harm.
Itty-Bitty Builders
Our miniature log cabin, built and furnished for
auction at the fish fry with proceeds going to
Hillcrest’s building fund, was our final project for
2016. Thanks to all who worked on the cabin,
contributed furnishings, and helped with
planning.
If you’d like to be involved in a project for 2017,
talk to Martha Sims.
Artistry in Bloom
Tuesdays from 10:00—noon
Fellow painters, crafters, friends, and helpers: We
invite you to our class on Tuesday
mornings. Stop by for a visit to see if you would
enjoy it, also. We will help get you started.
—Carol Hartranft and Jane Hershberger
THE MESSENG ER
PAG E 9
Serving in Worship
Date
Scripture
Readers
Greeters
Ushers
Communion
Media
October 2
Wayne Rowe
Sherrie Putman
Jane Swartzell
Jane and Mike
Hershberger
Sharon and
Stan McSorley
Bev Slaughter
Tracy Donati
October 9
Denise Hensley
Sherrie Putman
Jane Swartzell
October 16
Terri Longacre
Sherrie Putman
Jane Swartzell
Linda and Chuck
Vredingburgh
Terri Longacre
October 23
Phyllis Osborne
Sherrie Putman
Jane Swartzell
Sharon and
Stan McSorley
Teresa/Dan Null
October 30
Marci Morey
Sherrie Putman
Jane Swartzell
Rene and
Dave Wenger
Adam Behne
Adam Behne
Our Women's Ministry prayer:
Father, thank you for helping us to grow closer as a sisterhood in your service. Help us to be compassionate
and to support each other, to accept our differences gracefully, and to show appreciation for the contributions
of others. Remind us to be aware of the impact that our small services may have on others. We ask your
blessing on our sisterhood. Amen .
Circle of Friends Stamping Ministry
Once again it's Christmas in our shop. We are
continuing to work on our Christmas cards while
trying to keep up with other greeting card
demands. We are still producing birthday cards
for a financial business which sends birthday
greetings to their clients. We are also doing new
cards for the fall holidays. Stop by our table and
see what's new.
It's hard to believe that it is almost September as
I write this. Our group tries to meet each week,
but many times it is every other week. We would
welcome continuing prayers for our group. We
are hopeful that Maria will be able to return
soon. Also, if anyone else is interested in joining
us, please let me know. We will make room for
you!!
—Marilynn Anson
LIFT
(our ladies’ breakfast group)
1st Tuesday of each month – 9:00 a.m.
Our first breakfast of our new LIFT (Ladies In
Fellowship Together) group was a great success.
We met September 6 at Callahan's with a group
of 20 ladies in attendance.
Our next breakfast will be October 4, at Perkin's
Restaurant on Cassopolis Street in Elkhart. A
sign-up sheet will be located by the name badges
in the narthex. All ladies are welcome.
Questions? Please contact Corrie Bartell (home
262-9425, cell 400-3432, or email
[email protected]) or Jan Sharkey
(361-6213 or email [email protected]).
Hillcrest United Methodist Church
4206 East Bristol Street * Elkhart, Indiana 46514
E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.hillcrestelkhart.com
STAFF
Looking Ahead:
Pastor:
Mike Butler
574-274-5114
[email protected]
Susanna’s Kitchen
Monday, October 3, 10:30 a.m.
Trustees
Monday, October 10, 7:00 p.m.
Worship Leader:
Dan Vukmirovich
JOY Group
Thursday, October 13, 11:30 a.m.
Administrative Assistant:
Julie Lininger
[email protected]
Ministry Council
Monday, October 17, 6:30 p.m.
Welcome Center and Ministry Council Chair:
Bernice Simms
Trustee Co-Chairs:
Gari Lewandowski, Harry Sims
Finance Chair:
Bruce Fortin
Staff-Parish Chair:
Mike Hershberger
Hillcrest Community Childcare Ministry:
Teresa Irelan, Director
574-266-7427
[email protected]
WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHEDULE
9:00 a.m. Traditional Worship
10:00 a.m. HeBrew Café fellowship
10:30 a.m. Adult Studies
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: October 21
Primetimers
Thursday, October 20, 11:30 a.m.
Brentwood Service
Sunday, October 23, 1:30 p.m.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Laity Day
This ‘n’ That
1
2, 3
Missions
4
Calendar
5
In the Know
6
Scouts’ Corner
7
Women’s Ministry
8, 9
Serving in Worship
9