First United Methodist Church 144 Cedar Street, Corning, NY 14830

607-962-4608 (office) / 607-962-2965 (fax)

~~~ MAY 2017 ~~~

Email: fumchurch@stny.rr.com

Web Site: http://www.corningfumc.org

Com. Center: http://prismplace.wordpress.com

First UMC’s Mission Statement

To love God and neighbor and be a voice of hope.

VISIT US AT CHURCH

Sunday Worship – 10:00 AM Sunday School during worship

Adult Forum after worship

Office Hours: Monday – Thursday

1:00 – 4:00 PM Please note that the office is closed one afternoon a week.

It is usually Friday, but can vary from week to week

OUR STAFF:

Pastor: Rev. Constance Seifert

Administrative Assistant: Kathy Scudder

Treasurer: Cheryl Howitt

Custodian: Mel McLaughlin

ELEPHANTS’ EPISTLE On Sunday, April 23rd, the morning message was “Seeing Is Believing.” I opened by describing a YouTube video which I encourage you to check out and watch. It makes me laugh every time I watch it. A wife tries to convince her husband that she can magically make a penny sitting on the countertop go inside the bottle of water which she sits on top of said penny. Check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxGi4lRoFjE

In the gospel passage John 20:20-24, Thomas insists on seeing Jesus for himself and demanding to touch Jesus’ wounds before he will believe it is really Jesus. Thomas usually gets a bad rap for needing to see in order to believe. We call him “doubting” Thomas. And it is not a compliment. Thomas is not asking for any more than what the other disciples already did. They saw Jesus for themselves and they believed based on what they saw. Seeing was believing for them. So don’t give Thomas too hard a time for needing to see for himself that Jesus was Jesus.

Most of us need to “see” things for ourselves before we are good and truly convinced of anything worthwhile. This is as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the physical. We saw the crocuses pop up a few weeks ago. We are dazzled by the daffodils and forsythia today and will be entranced by the rainbow colors of the tulips in the near future. We “see” with our own eyes that spring is here. We hear with our own ears the peepers, and know that summer is definitely on its way. We plant our seeds and bulbs and look forward to the summer growing season and a bountiful fall harvest.

How do we “see” God? It is not as easy as being pranked and splashed because we look into a bottle of water expecting to see a magical penny. It is not as simple as noticing the colors of spring and being amazed by the change of seasons in the physical world. “Seeing” God is a spiritual enterprise. It requires an openness of heart, soul and mind which gets harder and harder to do as we get older.

Over and over again, reality gives us disappointments and disillusionment. Bad things happen to good people. The rich get rich and the poor get poorer. It gets harder and harder to “see” God or believe in God. We put up emotional barriers to protect our hearts from being hurt. Those emotional barriers are as strong as any brick wall could be in the real world. We resist being pulled into relationships, afraid of being used and abuse. We do our best to protect our souls from feeling rejection or loss. But whenever we resist relating to one another in loving ways, it is a sure and certain spiritual death. In the physical world, it is the equivalent of locking one’s self in prison and throwing away the key. Loving and being loved is the only way to be alive spiritually. It is the only way we can grow spiritually. It is the only way to “see” God.

The Thomas story tells us how those first believers “saw” God. They saw God in Jesus. They knew God because they knew Jesus. The spiritual reality of love connected them to God, to Jesus and to one another. We can “see” God in Jesus, too. We read the Bible and study the stories of Jesus. We can know God because we know Jesus. We read the Bible and study both the Old and New Testaments. We worship together and celebrate God’s presence and power — in our lives, in our world. The spiritual reality of love connects us to God, to Jesus and to one another. Loving and being loved in meaningful relationships is the only way we can “see” God. Here’s to “seeing” God — in the mirror, on the streets of Corning and in the pews of First United Methodist Church.

Shalom, Pastor Connie

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MEMBER NEWS

MAY BIRTHDAYS MAY ANNIVERSARIES 5/2 Doug Allan 5/1 David & Nancy Arkin 5/10 Bonnie Vance 5/12 Ray & Anne Leinen 5/12 Jonathan Beall 5/21 Tim & Stephanie Doan 5/14 Gerald Jones 5/17 Brian Jones 5/18 Tom Beall 5/20 Diane Leinen 5/24 Kathleen Hurley 5/28 Dwight Freeman

DADS AND GRADS SUNDAY On Sunday, June 18, First Church will celebrate our

Dads on Father Day and also recognize our graduates. We are looking for names of this year’s

high school and college graduates. Please contact the church office with names of the graduates,

where they graduated, awards, what’s next for them, etc. so they can be listed in an upcoming newsletter.

ADULT FORUM Adult Forum is a relatively small discussion group that meets after the main church service in the library for about one hour; however, you are not required to listen to the sermon before attending Adult Forum. While a cow (sheep?) bell will be rung in the sanctuary as a call to the Adult Forum after some after-service refreshments and chat, you are welcome to enter the library downstairs without going through the sanctuary or waiting for the bell. Currently we are studying/discussing the writings of the Apostolic Fathers; writings that did not make it into the Scriptures but were written perhaps a little later. For instance we will hear about Barnabas and Christian anti-Semitism, early sermons and the use of scripture in the early church, as well as other early Christian behaviors.

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This is a picture of our beautiful altar on Easter Sunday morning. Thank you to all who donated Easter plants.

MID-MONTH MUNCH & MINGLE May’s Munch & Mingle will be held on Wednesday, May 17 at 5:30 pm. Come one, come all and put a bit of friendship and easy food into your 3rd Wednesday of the month! A free will offering will be taken.

EVENTS AT FIRST & AROUND TOWN

RELIGION & SCIENCE

This FORUM is open to people of all denominations, all faiths, and no faith, who are interested in the interplay of science and religion and in their impact on our lives, our environment, and the world's problems. Typically, the sessions are led by the participants, from FU MC, from other churches or from the community. Some self-study is encouraged. We meet on the second Tuesday of each month, October through June, 7:00 - 8:30pm, in the church library. The next Forum will be held on May 9.

VALLEY FOLK CONCERT First Church is the venue for all of the Valley Folk Concerts. The next concert is Saturday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. Featured at this concert will be Sisters Cassie & Maggie MacDonald. Together, they play an exciting and unique blend of traditional and contemporary Celtic roots music. With an innovative style, they achieve a perfect balance of musical integrity and sheer entertainment. While staying true to their Nova Scotia Celtic roots, they explore and test the boundaries of traditional music. Don’t forget the jam session at 6:00 pm in Cheney Lounge!

FOOD DRIVE Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 13. That date will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Postal Workers Food Drive. Those wishing to donate can place nonperishable food items in a bag and leave the food items by their mailbox and a mail carrier will pick the items up. Volunteers are needed that day. Contact Tracy Nist at 607-207-6491.

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My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg Authors: Mary Hartnett, Wendy Williams - Get to know this remarkable Justice of the Supreme Court. Hear her unique journey, mostly in her own words. I listened to the audio book but I recommend having a soft or hard cover version available. Some of the archival resources used need the clarity of the written word for full comprehension. Did you know that Justice Ginsburg (seen as left and liberal) and the late Justice Scalia (seen as right and conservative) were great friends and shared a passion for opera? Did you know that there is an opera in which they are the main characters? Find out why Ruth was banned from the kitchen? Hear encouraging words about the collegiality and cooperation she has experienced while on the Supreme Court. Though not a page turner in any classic sense, the content gives the listener/ reader an intimate look at an incredible woman and the important role she has to this day in our justice system. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton Looking for a good mystery? Look no further. This book will keep you guessing until the last page is turned. It starts in the pre-WWII era and follows the main character named Laurel through the 60’s. She is happily daydreaming in her treehouse when she witnesses a brutal scene between her mother and a perfect stranger. Laurel will be in her 90’s before she can put all the puzzle pieces together and make sense of what she saw as a child. A great story! A good mystery! A good listen or read! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE

Below is a list of those scheduled to help on Sunday mornings.

Please note that we are in need of volunteers for many of these ministries. If you are interested and able to help out in any of the ministries listed below, please contact the church office.

If you would like to donate the flowers or bulletins, please contact the church office.

LITURGIST

USHERS

FINANCIAL RECORDERS

FLOWERS

BULLETINS

7th

Cheryl Howitt

John Helfinstine

1. Hope Corneau 2. Cheryl Howitt

14th

Jan Harvey

Judy Pittman

1. No Counters 2.

21st

Elaina Finger

Donna Leach

1. Judy Pittman 2. Kate Gerwig

28th

Jerry Wright

George Beall

1. No Counters 2.

MAY 2017

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1

4:00 Dance, 3rd

Fl

2:30 Piano, 112

2

2:30 Piano, 112

3

7:00 Chapter, PO

4

2:30 Piano, 112

5:45 Mothers Out

Front, CL

5

2:30 Piano, 112

6

9:15 Dance, 3rd

Fl

7 Food Pantry

10:00 Worship, S

11:15 Adult Forum

8

4:00 Dance, 3rd

Fl

2:30 Piano, 112

9

2:30 Piano, 112

7:00 Religion &

Science, L

10

12:00 MOW, CL

11

2:30 Piano, 112

12

2:30 Piano, 112

13

9:15 Dance, 3rd

Fl

14 Mother’s Day 10:00 Worship, S

11:15 Adult Forum

15

4:00 Dance, 3rd

Fl

2:30 Piano, 112

16

2:30 Piano, 112

17

5:30 Munch &Mingle

CL

6:30Trustees, L

6:30 Finance, PO

18

2:30 Piano, 112

19

9-5 Dan LaBar

Auditions, S

2:30 Piano, 112

20

9:15 Dance, 3rd

Fl

9-5 Dan LaBar

Auditions, S

6:00 Jam Session

7:30 Valley Folk

Concert, S

21

10:00 Worship, S

11:15 Adult Forum

22

4:00 Dance, 3rd

Fl

2:30 Piano, 112

Newsletter Deadline

23

2:30 Piano, 112

24

25

2:30 Piano, 112

26 2:30 Piano, 112

27

9:15 Dance, 3rd

Fl

28

10:00 Worship, S

11:15 Adult Forum

29

Office

Closed

30

2:30 Piano, 112

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G = Gym

S = Sanctuary

L = Library CL = Cheney Lounge

PO = Pastor’s office