FT. DES MO INES
UNITED M ETHO DIST CHU RCH
The Poster
V o l ume 13
Iss ue 1
J an uar y 2016
Join us for this year’s
Lenten study:
JOHN
The Gospel of Light and Life
by Adam Hamilton
This Lent we will again be doing a study by United Methodist pastor, Adam
Hamilton. This time we will be studying the Gospel of John. The study is
described as follows: “The Gospel of John is the most deeply spiritual of
the four gospels. This writing is filled with rich images and profound truths,
but John notes that his aim in writing the gospel is that readers will not
only believe in Jesus Christ, but that they “may have life in his name.” This
Lent, experience a season of spiritual growth and life-changing renewal in
Adam Hamilton’s six-week, series, John: The Gospel of Light and Life. You’ll
follow the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus through the
Gospel of John and understand the context of some of the best-known
verses in the New Testament.”
I will again offer the study at two different times: Sunday evenings at 7:00,
and Tuesday mornings at 10:00. We will meet for 6 weeks, with sessions
beginning on Sunday, February 14th and Tuesday, February 16th. The reading each week is a little longer than some of our studies, so you may want
to pick up a book (which should be available by mid-January) ahead of
time. Suggested donation for books is $13.00. I hope you will consider
learning more about the Gospel of John with me!
Pastor Kathy
The Poster is
published monthly by
Fort Des Moines United Methodist Church,
6205 SW 9th St, Des
Moines Iowa 503155516.
To contact us, phone
515.285.6545,
fax 515.285.3740, or
e-mail to ftdsmumc@
qwestoffice.net
Check us out on the
web:
www.fdmumc.org
Pastor Kathy’s phone
is
515-201-3634
I N S I D E T HI S IS S UE :
Pastor’s Ponderings
2
Results...
3
Scholarship Time
3
Prayer Corner
4
4
Nut Sale Results
Calendars
5-6
Information for The Poster
should be in the Church office
by the 4th Tuesday of the
month prior to being published.
Office Hours
8:00 a.m. -
Ash Wednesday
Service
Wednesday, Feb. 10
7:00 p.m.
12:00 noon
Monday to Friday
Sunday Worship 9:45
a.m.
Holy Communion is
the first Sunday of
the month
V o l ume 13
P age 2
Iss ue 1
Pastor’s Ponderings
Once more a new year begins. Each time a
new year rolls around we can’t help but think about
the year past; the joys and sorrows it held. Sometimes, if it was a good year, where the joys far outweighed the sorrows, we bid good-bye to the past
year with a sense of regret; we hate to see it go.
And sometimes, if it was a tough year filled with
challenges and losses, we’re more than happy to see
it end and a new one begin.
Of course, a new year isn’t magic, a new year
doesn’t necessarily mean things will be different or
better, but it somehow feels like a fresh start. It can
feel like a brand new year just might hold new possibilities. And because of that, sometimes it gives us
the strength to start something new. Like a diet.
(again) Or to let something go. It’s a good time to
think about changes we might want to make in our
habits or relationships or priorities.
It seems to me that the start of a new year is a
time to look backwards and forward at the same
time; to make an attempt to let go of the bad, unhealthy, and unholy that has been, and commit ourselves to do better; to be better.
I like poetry; the way it often expresses things
in a beautiful and profound way. So, I went looking
for some New Year’s Poems to help express the feelings of beginning a new year. The first one I found is
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. He uses the image of bells
ringing out the old year and in the new year, while
also ringing out the bad and ringing in the good. It is
said that the bells that inspired the poem were
church bells at a church near where Tennyson was
staying.
The poem was published in 1850. While I feel
it beautifully expresses things we need to “ring out”
and “ring in,” what I find sad is that even though 166
years have come and gone since Tennyson wrote it,
so many of the bad things he advised “ringing out”
are still with us. I wish that after all these years, we
would have found a way to make the problems he
mentioned obsolete. That so much of what he said
is still true, is a testament to the need to keep working, keep praying, keep trying to “ring out” bad habits and bad feelings and bad ways of living with one
another and “Ring in the love of truth and right.”
"New Year's Eve"
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night.
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new;
Ring, happy bells, across the snow;
The year is going, let him go.
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor;
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right;
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold,
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand.
Ring out the darkness of the land;
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
Our hope is in the last line of the poem; “Ring
in the Christ that is to be.” That so much of the bad
that he identifies is still with us is indeed discouraging. But Christ is still with us, and so we must not
lose hope, and we cannot stop working and praying
for something better. So the other poem I want to
share is a prayer; a prayer that God would enable
each of us to live this new year kinder and wiser
than before, secure in the knowledge that he walks
with us “Each step along the way.”
(continued on page 3)
V o l ume 13
P age 3
Colossal Cookie Sale Results
On Thursday, Dec. 15, store managers from area
Hy-Vee stores visited the DMARC Food Pantry Network distribution center to deliver 3,744 boxes of
cereal. This cereal donation was the result of the
13th Annual Colossal Cookie Sale, held from September 13-26, 2015. Hy-Vee donated one penny's
worth of cereal for each cookie sold during the sale.
Bake Sale Results
The Women’s Christian Fellowship hosted a Bake
Sale on Saturday, Dec. 12. As a result of the many,
varied, scrumptious donations of baked goods and
the many purchasers who indulged themselves or a
loved one, $467.00 was given to the Ft. Des Moines
United Methodist Church General Fund. A hearty
thank you to everyone who took part!
Thanksgiving Ingathering Results
Eighty-seven kits were taken to Greenfield on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015 (thanks, Fred!) for a total value
of $1,188.00. We certainly couldn’t have done this
without the help of those who donated cash, sewed
school bags, and brought kit supplies.
Iss ue 1
Pastor’s Ponderings Continued
New Year’s Prayer
Kay Hoffman
Another year is dawning
With the chance to start anew.
May I be kinder, wiser, Lord,
In all I say and do,
Not so caught up in selfish gain
That I would fail to see
The things in life that mean the most
Cost not a fancy fee.
The warm, kind word that I can give,
The outstretched hand to help,
The prayers I pray for those in need –
More precious these than wealth.
I know not what may lie ahead
Of laughter or of tears;
I only need to know each day
That You are walking near.
Each year the Nut Fund provides $150.00 toward
the postage due on the kits. Again thanks to them
and to everyone who purchases nuts to make that
gift possible.
I’m thankful for this brand new year
As now I humbly pray,
My hand secure in Yours, dear Lord,
Each step along the way.
A round of applause to everyone who supported
this project. And a pat on the back to Pam Schisel
for facilitating the whole thing.
Blessings to each of you this new year!
Pastor Kathy
IUMF Scholarship Application Time
The Iowa United Methodist Foundation has a variety of scholarships for graduating seniors and current or future seminary students. Each scholarship
requires its own application and supporting documents. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please go to www.iumf.org to see a listing of
the available scholarships and to download the application form. Applications must be postmarked
by March 15, 2016.
Address Service Requested
We give thanks for:
Ft. Des Moines
United Methodist Church
YOU!
6205 SW 9th St
Des Moines IA 50315-5516
Phone: 515.285.6545
Fax: 515.285.3740
E-mail:
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.fdmumc.org
The Fort Des Moines United
Methodist Church:
a community of faith in worship
and action,
open to all in the Spirit and Love
of God.
Christian Education Classes will
be held thru May 22, 2016
11:00-11:45 a.m.
Staff
Rev. Kathy Sides
Pastor
Laurie Jenkins,
Church Musician
Pamela Schisel
Choir Director
Jane White,
Administrative Assistant
Chris Wulf
Custodian
January/February 2016
Events:
Jan. 30 Community Meal at 4:00 pm
Feb. 10 Ash Wednesday Service at
7:00 pm
Special Offerings:
Human Relations Day will the be
emphasis on Sunday, Jan. 17. This
offering calls the Church to recognize
the right of all God’s children in realizing their potential as human beings in
relationship with each other. The purpose of the day is to further the development of better human relations.
Ten percent of the offering goes to
Christ-centered Youth Offender Rehabilitation projects to give teenagers a
chance to succeed. Thirty-three percent is earmarked for multiracial network social-justice organizations related to United Methodist Voluntary Services. And the remaining portion is
used by more than 30 church-based
Community Developers in the United
States and Puerto Rico.
Food Pantry Sunday will be January
17th. Donations of cash, nonperishable food items, formula, diapers and brown paper grocery bags
will be received. DMARC’s Donation
of the Month is hot cereal (oatmeal,
cereal of wheat, or grits) but all food
items are accepted.