May 2017
THE MESSENGER
Living, Loving, and Serving
Dare Imagine
Now the hard work of living between Easter and Christmas begins. We tend to compartmentalize our lives according to the calendar and forget that every Sunday is a special day of creation.
Each Sunday is Christmas and Easter; a day that the Almighty God has set aside for His creation.
In Mark 2:23-28 Jesus a is already being challenged by the legalists. “A Discussion about the Sabbath 23One Sabbath
day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. 24But the
Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?” 25Jesus said to
them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 26He went
into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of
bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.” 27Then Jesus said to them, “The
Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. 28So the
Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
This special day of creation was made by our Lord for our benefit so that we can grow closer to
God. It’s is not a once-in-a-while occasion but something we are to do weekly among the daily strivings of life. Imagine if we treated every sabbath rest with as much care and planning as we do the two
special holidays each year. Does the idea of 52 Easter/Christmas days fill you with joy or dread? If
you are filled with dread or worry over presents or pageantry then it is time to refocus your holiday
spirit into one of sabbath rest. Genesis 2:1-3 “1So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in
them was completed. 2On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he resteda from all his work. 3And
God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.”
It is not about a specific day, Sabbath is about our relationship with God. Sunday is not about whether we do work or how
much work, it is about making sure that our hearts and minds are centered on God, knowing that Jesus loves us, and that we have
made room to actively invite the Holy Spirit into our lives. Do you rest from the demands of this world? Do you take time to focus
on your relationship with Jesus in the church? Jesus calls to us from the manger and the cross and the empty tomb. God calls us
from the mountain top, and the silence and the burning bush. The holy Spirit speaks to our hearts through every moment and encounter we have. Are you listening, church?
God is Omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent(everywhere at every moment), and Omnitemporal (aware of every moment), and that means that God does not need rest, but that God created the sabbath so that we could be
renewed spiritually. Do not give in to the fatigue of the world because there is no holidays to celebrate. Do not put off being part of
the fellowship because the world has moved past East and is not yet at Christmas. Come and worship with us; be renewed on a day
of sabbath rest. Join us as we hold ourselves accountable to Christ Jesus in the joy of Gods creation.
Active peace,
Rev. Dare Stevens
Church Office: (325) 692-1173, Secretary: [email protected], Pastor: [email protected]
THE MESSENGER
PAGE 2
The Elmwood Writing and Creative Club
The Elmwood Writing and Creative Club is meeting on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 pm. It is a come
and go group that will be available to encourage creative endeavors. Anyone who wants to write,
draw, paint or do something creative is welcome to set up with us each week. In the future we will
have guest speakers along the lines of TED talks (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) about writing, art and creative processes.
Autoimmune Support Group
Elmwood West is hosting an Autoimmune Support Group. This group will meet the fourth
Sunday of each month at 4 pm. If you know of anyone that would be interested in learning
more about autoimmune disease or sharing their knowledge, contact Dare.
Brown Bag Bible Study
Dare is having a Brown
Bag Bible Study
Wednesdays at noon. We are studying the history of the Bible. The discussions and knowledge has been eye opening for
those attending. Everyone is invited to join
us in this journey.
Opportunities for
Fellowship
Children, Youth and Choir meet
on Wednesday evening at 6:15
after Fellowship Meal. Dare
would like to add a bible study at
this time. If you are interested,
please let him know.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid
down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our
lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16 NIV
w-
THE MESSENGER
PAGE 3
Scholarship
Recital
On Wednesday, May 3rd,
at 5:00pm before the meal, we
will have a recital in the sanctuary featuring our choir
scholarship recipients. We will
have vocal performances, piano playing, some trombones,
a clarinet, and an oboe. Mary
Potts will be performing her
saxophone concerto that she
played with the Civic Orchestra, so if you were unable to
make it to the orchestra concert, make plans to come to
this recital and hear her wonderful solo! Donations will be
accepted toward the James
Shelton Memorial Scholarship,
as well as our fund to hire outside musicians like the ones
you saw during Advent,
Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter! We
hope to see you there!
May 3
5:00PM
UMW would like to thank all who
helped with the Garage Sale, especially our men. We sponsor this
event each spring with your blessings. We hope that we can bless
our community with the proceeds.
During the event , we gave items
to:
 Goodwill
 Animal Shelter
 Baby Room at Episcopal Church
 Children’s Protective Services
 Nursing homes
 Food Pantry
Please join us on the 2nd Thursday
and enjoy the fellowship and help
us spend on ministries of our
church.
Many Thanks,
Evelyn McCarthy
Chair
THE MESSENGER
PAGE 4
Youth Mission Trip
The Youth Group will be heading to Baldwin,
LA this summer to the Sager-Brown UMCOR
Depot. We will be going the week of June 25.
Prayer of support would be greatly appreciated. To help off set the cost of trip we have
been asked to bring 10 kits per person.
Items that we need to fill these kits are list below. We ask your help in getting these supplies together.
blunt scissors
Vacation Bible School
Curriculum has been purchased and the
date has been set for VBS 2017. The
date is the week of August 6th. Sharon
Potter will be the director of VBS this
year. If you would like to be a part of
GO BIG
contact
Sharon
and she
will have
a job for
you.
God wants us to be a part of
1subject spiral notebooks
His Story.
Handheld pencil sharpener
Plain colored ruler (no advertisements please)
United Methodist Service
Unsharpened plain yellow pencils
Large pink erasers
Center and Food Pantries
24 count box of crayons
15 x 25 inch bath and towel (no kitchen or microfiber towels
please) (Must be new, do not wash)
wash (Must be new, do not wash)
6 inch comb
Metal nail clippers
Adult size toothbrush
Elmwood West helps at the Food Pantry
on the third and fourth Tuesday of each
month from 4-6. We are in need of
more volunteers. If you are able to help,
please speak will Jean Butler for more
information.
Band-aids
Fellowship Meal are served at 5:30 on Wednesday.
Meals are $3 a person or $10 per family. College students and first time visitors are free. Thanks to those
who work to prepare these meals.
The youth will be doing meals every other week. They
will apply profits from this project to their Mission
Trip.
THE MESSENGER
PAGE 5
Elmwood West UMC
1957-2017
60 Years
Join us on June 4, Pentecost Sunday, as we
celebrate the 60th Anniversary Elmwood
West United Methodist Church. After service we will have cake to share as we visit with
old and new friends. Come celebrate more
than a half of a century of serving Jesus Christ
as a community of faith. Invite all former
member to come and be a part of this celebration.
www.elmwoodwestumc.com
Check out our webpage and share it
with your friends and family. It is a work in progress
and always changing.
Sewing Circle
Sewing Circle will be meeting weekly on
Wednesdays at 9:00 in the Children Foyer. Bring your sewing or
needle projects and join
us for this fellowship.
My Mother’s Kindness
To honor our mothers, we are
asked to do an act of kindness in
her honor. There will be a bulletin
board in the narthex to
record these acts of
kindness on Sundays,
May 7 and 14th.
Elmwood West is hosting
Elmwood West Market Day on
Saturday, May 6 from 10am to
2pm.
It will be a great day of fun with
lots of different vendors, kids activities and door prizes! Free admission for everyone!
This is some of the business that will
offer their wares and services:
Lip Sense
Wildtree
Mamma B's
Mary Kay
DoTerra
Bow Me Knot
Product of Her Hands
Limelight
Pink Zebra
Paparazzi
LulaRoe
Come and be part of the fun.
THE MESSENGER
PAGE 6
Prayer Request
Continued Prayers for:
Our prayer group meets on Tuesdays at 1:30
PM. You can always email concerns and requests to:
Randy Smith 5/1
Amberly Strebeck 5/3
Frank Garcia 5/5
Wilma Butman 5/7
Adalaide Andrews 5/9
Kathryn Andrews 5/12
Glenna Casady 5/14
Frieda Andrews 5/18
Liz El-Attrache 5/19
Angel Gonzales 5/19
Sarah Brown 5/24
Jim Brown 5/24
Athan Strebeck 5/29
[email protected] or
[email protected]
Mary Hewitt
Lena Moore
Francis Howe
Ray Howe
John Hewitt
Rose Bounds
Dorris Roberts
Jo Ann McRae
Shirley Davila
Sid Harp
Roz Mann
Velda Howard
Memorials and Honorariums:
In Memory of Mildred Gault
By Peggy Jackson, Pat Noah Graham and Wil
ton T. Noah, Wanda Sanders, Ray and Ardyse
Broderson, Wynelle Martin, Margie Garrett
In Memory of Clifford Wright
By Mac McCarty
In Memory of Jim Mann
By Ray and Ardyre Broderson, Margie Garrett,
Lena Moore
In Memory of Jackie Milliorn (Debra Reese GMother)
Lena Moore, Louise Hatcher
In Memory of Landry Robinson
By Louise Hatcher
Attendance and Giving
April 2
Sunday School
Budget
44
$5,409
Service
Special Projects
51
$425
April 9
Sunday School
Budget
75
$7,290
Service
82
Special Projects
$230
Service
143
Special Projects
$410
April 16 Easter
Sunday School
Budget
Sunday School
Budget
$2,201
63
$3,650
Service
Special Projects
67
$612
May 2017
Sun
Mon
1
Tue
Wed
2
3
1:30 Prayer
Group
6:00 Bunco
9:00 Sewing
Circle
5:00 Scholarship Recital
Thu
4
Fri
5
6
6:30 Creative
Club
7:30 Breakfast
Flipping Egg
Elmwood West
Market Day
5:30 Meal
6:15 Youth
Children
Choir
7
8
9:00 Sunday
School
10:00 Service
Staff Meeting
6:30 Creative
Club
14
9
11:30 New
Beginnings
15
9:00 Sunday
School
10:00 Service
6:30 Creative
Club
21
22
9:00 Sunday
School
10:00 Service
Staff Meeting
6:30 Creative
Club
28
9:00 Sunday
School
10:00 Service
4:00 New Normal
6:30 Creative
Club
11
12
13
9:00 Sewing
Circle
Noon UMW
6:30 Creative
Club
7:30 Breakfast
19
20
6:30 Creative
Club
7:30 Breakfast
26
27
6:30 Creative
Club
7:30 Breakfast
5:30 Meal
6:15 Youth
Children
Choir
16
17
1:30 Prayer
Group
6:30 Disciple
ship Group
9:00 Sewing
Circle
23
24
1:30 Prayer
Group
6:30 Disciple
ship Group
29
10
1:30 Prayer
Group
6:30 Disciple
ship Group
Mother’s Day
Sat
18
Flipping Egg
Flipping Egg
5:30 Meal
6:15 Youth
Children
Choir
9:00 Sewing
Circle
5:30 Meal
6:15 Youth
Children
Choir
30
31
1:30 Prayer
Group
6:30 Disciple
ship Group
9:00 Sewing
Circle
5:30 Meal
6:15 Youth
Children
Choir
25
Flipping Egg
ELMWOOD WEST METHODIST
Prayer Calendar—May 2017
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1 Pray for all
2 Pray for our
3 Please lift up
4 Father, be
5 Lord, give us
6 And Father,
Faithfulness
those cele-
Gentleness
brating special
occasions this
all those
hurting, in rehab, alone or
awaiting tests.
Lord, give them
comfort, peace.
with our church
family—give us
faithfulness to
help where we
are needed,..
gentleness
when dealing
with each other
self-control
Methodist Food
Pantry; the
workers, the
clients, those
who give their
resources-
give us selfcontrol over our
tongues and
thoughts—uplift
not tear down
7 Well done good 8 One of the
9 God , we
10 Today let
11 Lord, to
12 Lord, to-
13 God, I know
an faithful servant; thou hast
been faithful over
a few things, I will
make thee ruler
over many things.
greatest gifts I
can give to
God is my
time.
know you are
always ready to
listen to us,
help us listen to
you.
me show
God’s love to
someone who
is hard to love.
whom can I
show Your
mercy today?
day I am asking You to be
my strength.
I can trust You
even in unpleasant situations.
14 Thank you,
15
16
17
18 The Lord
19 Father, help
20 Lord, be
Like a river in
my soul. . . .
says, “See I have
inscribed you on
the palm of my
hands.”
Isaiah 49:16
us to listen to
others but more
importantly to
You.
with those under stress from
jobs or just from
life and hold
them in Your
Arms.
month.
Lord for all the
“Mothers” in
our live and
give them
peace.
Pray for peace
in:
Each home,
Each business
Each classroom
Each workplace
Each playground
21”A gentle
I’ve got peace
22
answer deflects Pray for our
anger, but harsh church staff
words make
and leaders
tempers flare.
of the church
Proverbs 15:1
23 .Pray for
our kids and
young people
and their
leaders.
24 Your Fa-
25 “Trust in the 26 Thank you,
27 Lord, be with
ther knows
what things
you have need
of, before you
ask Him.
Lord with all
your heart &
lean not on your
own understanding. Proverbs 3;5
God for our
beautiful earth.
May we take
care of your
creation.
all those graduating and guide
them on life .
Bless each one as
they continue on.
.. . .
28 “a man with- 29 Let us pause
30 Let us be
31 Thank you,
out self-control
is as defenseless
as a city with
brokendown
walls. Prov 25L28
grateful we have
freedom to worship and a wonderful place to
share God’s
love.
Lord, for the faithful prayer warriors
that meet each
week to pray for
our church family.
And All
the People
Said:
If you get the
messager by e
mail but want
a copy of the
calendar to
put on your
refridg.
there are copies
in the foyer or
I will get you a
copy.
and remember
those this Memorial Day.