First United Methodist Church

October Birthdays and Anniversaries

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:50:37 +0000

OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
1 – Abbey Martin
4 – Carolyn Ruth
5 – Irene Bender
5 – Charlotte Veatch
6 – Nick Knapp
9 – LaDonna Hutton
17 – Alfred Muth
19 – Heath Proctor
19 – Jon Harlow
19 – Taylor Lowther
21 – Matthew Proctor
21 – Phil Pacino
23 – Milly Donelson
25 – Gail Thompson
25 – Natalie Satt

OCTOBER ANNIVERSARY
10 – Les & Lynnie Feik – 1980

Member News/Prayers

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:38:46 +0000

Prayers
Irene Bender spent a
few days at AVRMC after
suffering a kidney stone
attack. She has been
moved to the rehab unit
to regain her strength.
If all goes well, she will
be coming home Sept
28.

Nancy Collier, daughter-in-law of Nancy Collier, has been diagnosed
with cancer.
Gail Thompson has
been having trouble with
her knee again.
Patrice Torres, niece
of Kit Ring, suffered a
broken hand during football practice last week.

MEMBER NEWS

Terry Bone sends her
love and greetings to
RFUMC members.
Congratulations to
Deann Montini, sister
of LaDonna Hutton, on
her recent marriage in
Clovis, NM.

Congratulations also to
Alexander Proctor,
who was a winner during the recently held Ark
Valley Fair.

Our sympathy goes out
to Cheryl Richert. Her
life size kangaroo was
stolen from her yard.
When recovered, several
pieces were missing.
We hope his tail is found
soon, so he can be repaired, and resume
bringing joy to all who
pass by.

Congratulations to all of
RFHS graduates who
recently attended significant reunions during the
summer and early fall.

Betty Johannes will be
leaving to visit with
daughter Margaret and
her husband.

Barbara Adams has
returned to Arizona for
the winter.

Les and Lynnie Feik
return this week from a
wonderful extended
weekend in Florida, visiting daughter Marilyn and
granddaughters Mercedes and Katherine.
We hope their lengthy
layover in Dallas is not
repeated.

Address Changes

Andrew Dickinson/Katie Brown
1104 Lowell Dr
Rocky Ford, CO  81067
Barbara Adams
2200 N Trekell Rd
Casa Grande, AZ  85222
Correction:
Clint & Stephanie Calli
3003 Bentley Drive
Grand Junction, CO  81504

For Your information

Ever wonder what to do with your
used printer ink cartridges?  Office
Max pays $3 for each empty cartridge
recycled to them.  So turn in your
used  cartridges to the church office.
Their recycled value will help pay for
office supplies for our RFUMC!
There is an updated list for the
McCurday School label programs on
the table by the collection box .  Accepted labels and box tops are:
Campbell’s soup, General Mills Box
Tops for Education, and Tyson’s Project A+.  There is also a list of stores
who contribute to the school based on
purchases made by consumers.

Sunday School and Books Study

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:32:34 +0000

SUNDAY SCHOOL
Children’s Sunday
School began September 11. They began using our new curriculum
One Room Sunday
School and they love it.
If your child has not yet
joined the class it is not
too late. Just pick a Sunday and follow the hallway to the middle of the
West wing just beyond
the restrooms. We
would love to divide the
class into two groups,
one for preschoolers and
the other for those already in school. If you
are feeling called to help
teach either group, call
Joyce Clute for more information.
Youth Sunday School
began September 18.
The class for Junior and
Senior high youth is enjoying a study from the
Book of Proverbs. They
meet at the end of the
West hallway. We have
had excellent attendance
due to the diligent recruiting by class members but they are always
searching for more
members.
Adult Sunday School
Wayne Whittaker and
Blake Martin are leading two very enjoyable
classes for adults. If
your life is busy and you
don’t know how you
could possibly participate
in a weekday or evening
study, these are the
classes for you. Sunday
school is not just for
kids!
Take note that October
23, 2011 is a special day
for our congregation.
This is the date for our
All-Church meeting and
potluck. Ranch-burgers
and coleslaw will be provided. The congregation
is asked to bring a side
dish or dessert to share.
The meeting is to celebrate the past year, and
to begin planning for our
125th Anniversary in
March, 2012. All members and friends are welcome to bring ideas and
suggestions.
Book Study
“Getting to the Heart
of Interfaith” is proving to be an interesting
study. If you have not
already joined us, you
have two weeks to catch
up on your reading so
that you can join us on
Tuesday October 11
when we will look at
chapter 3, The Core of
Our Traditions.
You may have noticed
the new labels on our
change jars. The Rocky
Mountain Conference of
the United Methodist
Church is developing
plans for ministries with
our Hispanic brothers
and sisters. They have
already begun training
congregational leaders.
However, funds are
short for new ministries.
We hope that these jars
will provide those of
you, who have a heart
for this ministry, an opportunity to help make it
blossom.
LOOKING AHEAD
Many of us are discovering the Jewish Roots of
Christian belief and practice. But did you know
that even Christmas has
deep roots in Jewish belief? Discover all kinds of
connections by exploring
the great themes of the
season in this fascinating,
interactive, and fun study.
Like what savior and salvation really mean. How
sin and social justice are
connected. And what Chanukah can tell us about
Christmas. You’ll find that
it’s not just about the
hereafter; it’s about the
here and now too. Plan to
discover the Light of the
World anew this Advent
season. Enrich your understanding of Jesus. Sing
the songs of the seaon
with new understanding.

What’s happening

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:18:35 +0000

QUILT/CRAFT GROUP
The group will meet on
Sunday, October 9, at
2pm. You do not need
to be a quilter to come.
Bring whatever project
you are working on, or
just come and visit while
we work!
UMW NEWS
United Methodist Women will meet on October
13, at 1:30pm. Hostesses are Kit Ring and Milly
Donelson. Kit Ring will
have the devotions, and
Pat Blasi will have the
program for us. We
hope you will be able to
attend. We will be hosting Rocky Ford Church
Women on November 4,
and we will also be selling jewelry and Christmas treasures at the
Balloon Festival on November 5. An executive
board meeting will be
held on Thursday, October 6.
UMM
United Methodist Men
meet the first and third
Thursday mornings at
the Chuck Wagon Inn at
6:30am. All men of the
church are invited for
breakfast and fellowship.
MARY AND MARTHA’S
The group will meet on
Tuesday, October 4, at
6:30pm in the church
fellowship hall. Judy
Harlow and Nancy Covert will be the hostesses,
with devotions by Pat
Blasi. On the agenda
are plans for the upcoming Fly-By breakfast, to
be held during the Arkansas Valley Balloon
Festival, November 5-6.
All women of the church
are invited to attend the
meeting.
YET SET
We will gather at the
church at 11AM on October 8 to carpool. Lunch
will be at the golf course
in La Junta at 11:30.
Please sign up or call
Eileen at 316-2247 if you
can join us.
OUR COVENANT MISSIONARY
Lisa Maupin will be commissioned as a church
community worker
on October 11th. You
can watch a webcast of
her commissioning by
going to www.10-
fold.org on the evening
of October 11th.
Church and Community
Workers are commissioned missionaries of
the General Board of
Global Ministries of the
U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t
Church, who in response
to God’s call are devoted
to uplifting the poor and
disenfranchised in rural
a n d u r b a n a r e a s
throughout the United
States. They work to
change the social inequities of poverty, racial
injustice and domestic
violence. As their name
implies, they take the
church into the community and bring the community into the church.
Please take time to send
a card and note to Lisa
to celebrate with her this
milestone in her life.
Lisa Maupin, United
Methodist Ministries,
2665 Farnam Street,
Suite 102, Omaha, NE,
68131. We will also have
a card at Coffee Fellowship for the congregation to sign.

Paths Cross in Haiti!

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:56:30 +0000

You never know how
paths may cross! Last
year, I lef t t he
congregation of Sunrise
United Methodist Church
in Colorado Springs after
serving there for 11
years. It was difficult to
leave all of those great
church folk. But one of
the things that helped
me through the “goodbyes” was knowing that
at least some of our
paths would cross again.
This October, Bishop
Elaine will lead a mission
team to Haiti. I’ll be a
part of that team. As
we started all of the
preparation work, we
made contact with the
Volunteer in Mission
folks in Haiti. (We’ve
been sending teams
there regularly since the
earthquake.) And guess
who one of those
workers is? John Alcorn!
Member of Sunrise UMC!
When I was at Sunrise,
his wife was on the staff
and John was heavily
involved in mission work.
I’m looking forward to
visiting with John,
finding out how he got
to Haiti and how God
has been moving in his
life! It should be a
fascinating conversation.
And since he is in charge
i f “ F i n a n c e s a n d
Hospitality,” I think he
will finally have a chance
to tell his former pastor
what to do!
I have to say that I
am really proud of what
we Methodists have
been doing in Haiti! Our
two teams are going as
a part of “Operation
Rescue.” This has been
our plan for responding
to the catastrophic
earthquake that devastated
our hemisphere’s poorest
country. Bishop Elaine
played a key role in
formatting this plan and
your response has been
absolutely incredible!
There were four parts
to the plan.
 Donations of $100,000
were requested by
Easter of 2010. The
churches of the
Western Jurisdiction
contributed over $2
million!
 Twenty-five Volunteer
in Mission teams
from the West to
serve in Haiti by
J a n u a r y 2 0 1 5 .
Twenty teams have
already gone and our
two teams will raise
the number to
twenty-two! And it
is only 2011!
 Twenty-three thousand
Health Kits to restock
the United Methodist
Committee on Relief
Depot West in Salt
Lake City by Easter
of 2010. Want to
guess? Over 60,000
kits were received in
2010!

 I n d i v i d u a l a n d
church led education
about the history,
culture and other
aspects of Haiti and
the life of the Haitian
people. Hundreds of
people around the
Western Jurisdiction
will participate in the
UMW School of
Christian Missions
Haiti study this
summer, in addition
to other studies and
learning opportunities
which have happened
in the past eighteen
months.
I have to confess that
a part of me doesn’t
really want to go to
Haiti. It will be hot and
muggy and the work will
be physical. But I know
I need to do this. I’ve
known for a long time.
I’m not quite sure what
God has in store for me
there, but I know it will
be good. So if you have
a little extra room on
your prayer list, I would
appreciate it if you
would include me. I’ll be
there October 21-29 and
I think I will need all the
help I can get!
Grace and peace,
Marv Vose, serving you as
District Superintendent
Haiti Blog http://2011-
haiti.blogspot.com/
719-250-3777 cell #

Training: United Methodism 101

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:58:10 +0000

http://www.umcom.org/site/c.mrLZJ9PFKmG/b.3563949/k.E4C8/Training_United_Methodism_101.htm?tr=y&auid=9597049″

Rev. Olga’s Outlook

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:06:03 +0000

Saturday I sold six interlocking file drawers. I had used them for over thirty years and although I thought they were nearly empty, there sure was a lot of stuff left. Some items I just glanced at and boxed up for a later day. Some items went easily to the trash. But many items needed shredding.

I figured this would be no big deal but much to my surprise even old tax files can become vessels of lingering memory. As I lifted a receipt from a doctor I remembered fretting over a child’s long forgotten illness. A bill from a college brought back the empty nest. A copy of an insurance check trembled in my hand, money for a life.

For the last three weeks in worship, I have focused my attention on Fresh Starts. We have looked back to the stories of our Biblical ancestors and we have remembered our own faith stories. But in the midst of our remembering, we have also confronted our need to let go of some of our cherished “stuff”.

And here is the best part, our God has an enormous shredder! And better yet, God never tires of shredding the trash that is preventing us from moving, unburdened, into the future. We call this shredder grace. May the God of Jesus Christ enable each of us to hand over our guilt and grief for shredding each day. Amen.

“Pillar of Fire & Smoke” a sermon for September 11, 2011

admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:41:17 +0000

Rev. Olga’s sermon, “Pillar of Fire & Smoke,” for September 11 ,2011 was based on Exodus 14:19-31 NRSV and Matthew 18:21-35 NLT.

Click below to listen to, or download the sermon

Pillar of Fire & Smoke

Join us for Vacation Bible School!

admin — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:32:06 +0000

We’d like to invite all children to get cookin’ at Shake It up Café: Where Kids Carry Out God’s Recipe Vacation Bible School. Explore and experience recipes for living out God’s Word. The fun begins August 1st and ends August 5th from 9-11:30 a.m. at our church.

The recipe at our café includes heaping helpings of Bible fun and special servings of creative crafts, hands-on mission work, food science, and great music. To be a part of all the excitement at Shake It up Café: Where Kids Carry Out God’s Recipe, call the office at 254-3751, or just arrive on August 1st ready for fun!

“Sheepish” May 15, 2011 Sermon and Psalm 23

admin — Mon, 16 May 2011 17:16:31 +0000

This week, as we focused on Psalm 23, we played the following video during our gathering time. It is a compilation of Psalm 23 as rewritten by 4th grade students.

The first reading was 2 Versions of Psalm 23. We began with “Psalm 23 Antithesis” by Marcia Hornok followed by a reading of Psalm 23 from the New King James Version. You can listen to the audio, or read the text below.
Psalm 23 Two Ways

PSALM 23, ANTITHESIS

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity’s sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done,
For my “ideal” is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval,
they drive me.
They demand performance from me,
beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall
follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.

— Marcia K. Hornok

Psalm 23 King James Version

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Rev. Olga’s Sermon was titled Sheepish, you can listen to the audio below, or download the mp3 by clicking on the file link below.

“Sheepish” Sermon, May 15, 2011 – Rev. Olga Hard