From the desk of Pastor Jonathan

A publication of

First United Methodist Church

105 E Main

Ionia, MI 48846

616.527.1860

www.ioniafirst.com

ioniafirst@gmail.com

Pastor Jonathan’s Letter 1-2

Adult Spiritual Formation 2

Ionia Youth Fellowship/Sunday School 3

SPRC/Missions/Creative in Christ 4

Church Camps/Prayers 5

United Methodist Women 6

Attendance/Giving/Treasurer’s Report 7

Birthdays./Anniversaries/Schedules 8

April Calendar 9

Inside this issue:

May

2018

Newsletter

105 E. Main Street

Ionia, MI 48846

Service

9:30 am

www.ioniafirst.com

“A Symphony of Praise and Service to God”

“Constructive Theology: Getting down to His Business”

To the Friends of Jesus (John 15:15),

Once a month I join with several other members of the Ionia Ministerial Association (IMA). The IMA

serves as a place for pastors to confide in each other about the ups and downs of ordained ministry, dis-

cuss spiritual ideas, hear from citizens about challenges and opportunities in our community, and share a

time of prayer. At our April meeting, we had a visit from PSIC Ionia (Positive Solutions – Informed

Choices). PSIC is a women’s health center that offers assistance to individuals experiencing an unplanned

pregnancy. Here’s the opening blurb on their website:

If you’re concerned you may be pregnant and want help with your next steps, make an appoint-

ment for a free pregnancy test and options consultation. Thinking about an abortion? If you’re

facing an unplanned pregnancy, you have choices. You may even be considering abortion. Be-

fore you decide, be sure you understand and have considered all your options. Get answers to

your questions before you make your choice.

Naturally this visit led our group to a discussion of abortion. Depending on who you ask, our response to

this problem usually gets pigeon-holed into one extreme or the other: Pro Life or Pro Choice. What fol-

lows is my own story about abortion and the reasons why I believe that a follower of Jesus Christ should

be both. This process of moving from the narrative of Jesus to a way of being in the world is called

“Constructive Theology.” It’s what I want every person in my churches to learn how to do… and it goes

like this:

When it comes to the practice of abortion by women and physicians and others, I am passionately Pro

Life and Pro Choice. Ah… but some will say these two positions are diametrically opposed... binary op-

posites. However, to treat these two positions as a binary turns abortion into an intellectual issue, rather

than something that is happening to people: mothers, babies, fathers, doctors, etc...

Pro Life? Yes. Abortion cannot be defended theologically.

Based on the self-revelation of the Creator in Jesus Christ, to take life is the height of immorality. This

scriptural truth is implied by the narrative of Christ's life, suffering, death, and resurrection. In this story,

the careful reader finds a God whose principle mandate – in both the act of creation (Genesis 1:1) and the

incarnation of that Creative Logic in Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:1) – is "to give life to the dead and call

into existence the things that do not exist" (Romans 4:17). Having reflected on this biblical ethos in com-

bination with witnessing my own baby's heart-beat in the fetal pole at 7 weeks, it becomes obvious that a

human being is alive from the very instant of conception: part of the LORD’s beloved creation (Jeremiah

31:3) and covered under the graceful sufficiency of the Cross (1 John 2:1). The narrative also implies that

human sexuality is a principal gift of the Creator (Genesis 1:27-28), and one of the signs of this is that it

occasionally and miraculously results in new life (1 Samuel 1:19-20). To do anything besides celebrate

this miracle is a sin. Does this celebration come sometimes in the midst of great emotional, physical, and

spiritual pain? Yes. But this tension characterizes the whole life of discipleship, which is to stand in the

face of Death and announce the Good News, "I have seen the crucified Christ!” (John 20:18, Acts 3:15).

The joy His resurrection affords overcomes our slavery to this world's suffering and brokenness. So I ar-

gue that, no matter the circumstances, abortion is theologically indefensible, even when it is justified.

(Continued on page 2)

At present UMW is in a “lull.” We are in the planning stages for the up-coming “School Kit” project in which we will be collecting items for school kits to be sent to UMCOR and forwarded to wherever the need is greatest. We are also beginning to plan for our special recognitions and for the late summer Trash and Treasure Sale. The pay is to feel the sense the satisfaction experienced when you have reached out and improved someone else’s life, knowing that you perhaps have been that “one little candle.” The bonus is that you have bonded more closely with members of you own church family and enjoyed a priceless fellowship, that you have received and given support to those with which you have worked.

(continued from page 1)

But…you’re also Pro Choice? Yes. Violence cannot be defended theologically.

Before I was married to my first wife, we were irresponsible with the gift of our sexuality and the result was a pregnancy. My

fiancé insisted on an abortion for various, however illegitimate, reasons. Illegitimate? Yes. This pregnancy was not the result

of violence or abuse and posed no danger to anyone. She did not have the right to end it beyond personal preference, which is

simply not good enough for a disciple of Jesus Christ. Rather, a child was conceived through our self-gratifying laziness and

narcissism. Even though I was scared, I begged my fiancé not to have the abortion. But my pleas could only be an invitation

to imagine the possibility and beauty of how God might make the most of our mistakes. All I could do was invite. I could not

force my fiancé to have the child, nor could I bodily prevent her from going to the clinic for the procedure without doing her

violence. And why shouldn't we forcibly prevent this? Because the grace of God in Jesus Christ is never manipulative, coer-

cive, or violent. Jesus himself, in the garden of Gethsemane, forgoes calling down the army of heaven to avoid the Cross

(Matthew 26:52-54), because violence will never lead to the kingdom of God's justice and mercy (John 8:1-15). Judgment

and justice belong to God (Hebrews 10:30), not to us. Violence is theologically indefensible.

So: because abortion is theological indefensible and violence is theologically indefensible, it is my teaching as Pastor that the

Church as a political institution (let's not blither on about the First Amendment as if Jesus wasn't absolutely political (Mark

15:29)), and the Body of Christ as individual disciples, should do everything possible to change the abuse against women

inherent in our society and graciously support every woman with an unwanted pregnancy (whatever the circumstances) in a

way that invites her to freely choose delivering the baby. This requires radical critique of the systems in which we live,

and radical support of women who find themselves to be pregnant against their will. No follower of Christ can live up to

His name and stand outside an abortion clinic yelling obscenities at women who are experiencing the profound trauma of an

unwanted pregnancy. And every follower of Christ should be engaged in addressing the violent systems of poverty, misogy-

ny, abuse, and neglect that define life for billions of women in our world. Abortion might be a safe medical procedure with

the help of a physician, but it is never "healthy." For health includes far more than our physical condition, and an abortion

affects the health of more than the mother in question. The moral injury of the abortion in which I participated is something

with which I continue to struggle. The sin of ending my baby's life haunts me when I look at the precious boy God has given

to me and my second wife, Jessica. As I weep for that first child, I wonder who s/he would have been, and I hope and pray

that God will bring that person into the fullness of the New Creation. For in the kingdom of God’s justice and love, Jesus

Christ refuses to foreclose on any person (John 3:17, Romans 2:12-16), within the womb or without (Psalm 139:13). Because

the redemption of the whole human family is His business, it must be and continue to become our business too. Let’s get

down to it, for “the only thing that counts is faith made effective through love” (Galatians 5:6).

In the name of Jesus Christ, and for the praise of his glory,

Pastor Jonathan

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Adult Spiritual Formation

May 13th after the worship service, have a cup of coffee and a snack, visit for about fifteen minutes, then

join us for an adult discussion group. We will begin this first time with a discussion of our thoughts about the

sermon.

We have decided to have these sessions in 4 to 6 week blocks, then take a short break before beginning the

next session. We plan to keep these discussions to a half hour or 45 minutes.

Subject matter can change based on the interests of the group. We may have a Bible study, or how we are

affected by a current event or something else that someone brings up that is of spiritual interest to the group.

These sessions will be interesting, informative, and we will all be able to experience spiritual growth from

them.

We hope you will join us on the 13th.

Al Irby

Page 3

Ionia Youth Fellowship

On Sunday, February 18, several youth from both Ionia and Lyons-Muir Church came together and began to

plan and organize for a youth ministry. We shared about ourselves, had a time of spiritual conversation, and

ended with a fellowship meal. We discovered that we were all in need of this Christian community, and we

were all excited, by the end of the day, about where God might lead us in mission and ministry in the greater

Ionia area. For details call Pastor Jonathan at 616-443-6866.

Fellowship and Community, Recreation and Music, Spiritual Growth, Learning to Lead, Sharing Good Food

Everyone is invited, Everyone is welcome.

Saturday May 5th, Youth Rally at Easton UMC. Meet in our parking lot at 4:30 p.m. to carpool.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday School News

Well, we are heading to the end of another wonderful year teaching and learning together more of the Word of God in our small chapel.

We studied the book of Genesis alllll year long! Believe it! There is a LOT of learning in just ONE book! Key lessons focusing on Creation, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and the Tower of Babel were some high point lessons.

A lot of fun, a lot of sharing and most importantly, tying the Old Testament stories together with our Gospels for a clearer understanding of how important and loved we are by our Father and Sav-ior.

We are going to be closing our lessons for the summer break after lessons on Sunday, May 27. Please try to have the children here for that last lesson as we have a few special surprises for them.

Looking forward into the fall curriculum, if ANY of you feel moved to join in teaching our children these life lessons and helping them to have a deeper relationship with their Lord, please contact ei-ther myself or Pastor Jonathan.

A HUGE thank you to Amber Campbell and Eric Asher for always being there to support this out-reach in our congregation! Without you it would not have been possible!

Please continue to pray for us and our children as we grow and learn so one day these small ones will be able to stand tall and be the leaders of our congregation themselves.

Your Sister in Christ, Jana Fedon

Watch for exciting things to happen over the next few months. The Mu-

sic on the Green Committee has had it’s first meeting to start planning for

summer of 2018. We are very excited about the possibilities.

Six dates have been chosen - June 12, 19, 26 and July 10, 24, 31.

Our entertainment is pretty well set. We will let you know soon what you

can expect.

Staff Parish Relations Committee

We will not meet until May. We hope that we have bridged all of the problems, descriptions, salaries, and is-

sues thus far. Please thank Brian Lyons for all the wonderful help he has given this church. We also thank

Phil Fedon for stepping in when Brian was unable to be here. Showing our employees our appreciation goes

such a long way. It is a little thing that provides good morale. We are blessed to have the staff we do.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Missions committee

Missions have seen a downturn in giving as we at First are trying to get our financial house in order. Consider

setting aside an amount each month, through electronic giving or check, that will go directly to our mission.

Remember that there are man who sacrifice for Jesus in a different way than we, whether it is in Africa, Grand

Rapids, or here in Ionia. May’s giving will be the Grand Rapids Community House.

From the Connections newsletter for Spring…”For middle-class families, children look forward to their activi-

ties in the summer, but for many inner-city children, it means isolation and too much free time. Community

House provides a Summer Club which is for youth, particularly those in low-income areas, to build positive

friendships and skills in interacting with adults.” This Club is just one of the many ways that Community

House helps the area. Be a part of something good.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in

heaven” Matthew 5:16

Page 5

Prayers for those in the military:

Adam Cook-Green Beret, Afghanistan

Nick Murray-Aircraft Carrier, Bremerton WA

Andy Hoort-Nurse, Ret. Royal Oak, MI

Ross Marshall, Navy, Submarine, Groton, CT

Daniel Zander-Major U.S. Army Ft. Lewis-

McChord

Duane Baliff

Austin Campbell - Air Force

Prayers for: Carol Newkirk Terry King Stuart Weisgerber Elizabeth Smith-Bryant Adams Steve Lampman-Hunter Wagner David May Arlene Roland Amanda Bishop Becky Brown Gary Hanson Elisha & Crystal Stock Robert Zander Barb Helmer Katherine Asher Penny Wineman Jennifer Ferris Scott Burkman Nicole Rhodes Marian Quinn Winter Mike Nelson Nancy & David Carle Brian Lyons

PLEASE PRAY IN THE NAME OF THE LORD

FOR:

(E-mail prayer requests to sharron67@charter.net)

It’s Time to Get Ready for Church Camp

Wesley Woods is the closest camp to Ionia, but with the joining of the Detroit Conference and the West Michigan Conference, we now have access to Church Camps all over the lower peninsula.

Albright Camp located near Reed City, Camp Kinawind at Boyne Falls, Crystal Springs near Dowa-giac, Judson Collins at Onsted, Lake Huron at Burtchville, Lake Michigan at Pentwater, Wesley Woods is near Dowling, and then the family camps at Lake Michigan, Lakeview and Myers Lake near Byron.

Our church office has a booklet showing all the camps, the activities at each camp and a calendar with the schedules for each age group.

The church office is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. You are welcome to come in and see what is available and how to register.

There are several ways to pay for camp, and our church has camp scholarships available.

Church camp changes lives in positive and loving ways. Kids get to experience something wonder-ful (and parents get a break).

UMW BOARD DELIBERATIONS

The ay had been dark and dreary, really quite depressing. The raindrops were chasing each

other across the windows. The branches of the pine tree were doing a hilarious dance. Charter

was down. No TV. No computer. No telephone. All was dead silence! My spirits were reflect-

ing my environment. Then suddenly, I heard music. The TV was back. People were clapping

their hands. Their bodies were rhythmically reacting to the beat of the music. It was a Gaither

Homecoming Show, and do you know what? Immediately, everything changed. I was renewed! My spirits

were uplifted. It was still raining. The wind was still blowing. It was still a dismal day outside, but joy, hap-

piness, laughter, and praise were being transmitted inside. And my heart said, “Thank You, Thank You,

Thank You!”

That’s the same kind of a “high” that we feel here at First when we successfully complete a mission project.

We work hard, sometimes long hours. As we do God’s work, we don’t think of it as work. You have heard it

said, “Play is the work of children.” Our mission work is our play, our passion. We enjoy being together.

We talk, we share ideas and thoughts. We smile. We laugh. We find togetherness. We become good

friends. We give thanks, and praise God for giving us the opportunity to serve. The success we experience

doesn’t just happen. It is the result of a lot of prayers, planning and perseverance.

That’s where we are now, in a state of planning. We are soon going to request you to nominate a Woman

of the Year to be honored on Women’s Sunday. Be thinking. We know many of our ladies have contribut-

ed generously of their time and talent, but who has been outstanding?

Then, of course, is the Music on the Green. Of course, we are going to have hot dogs. Jana may be seek-

ing a little help on those special nights. We have already alerted you to save those items that you no long-

er need or want for our Trash and Treasure Sale when you are doing your spring cleaning. Again, We will

be looking for muscles to assist in setting up for, and serving that special Saturday. Sorting, pricing, dis-

playing, and assisting the day of presents many opportunities to get involved. Don’t forget the clean-up!

But even that has its perks.

In the meantime, preparations are being made for Vacation Bible School and your UMW Board members

will be preparing name tags for that very special event. Here’s another great opportunity to get involved.

Watch for notices and requests.

Now, if this isn’t enough to entice you to join us, we have a couple of surprises that will certainly “uplift”

you. Just wait! Just watch! Get ready! When we ladies get together, ideas just bounce off the walls.

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,

Because you know that your labor for the Lord is not in vain.”

1 Corinthians 15:58

Attendance Giving Needed

April 1 92 $3,355.00 $3,164.00

April 8 61 $1,477.02 $3,164.00

April 15 No Church due to weather $2,194.00 $3,164.00

April 22 55 $2,194.00 $3,164.00

April 29 53 $1,790.00 $3,164.00

_____________________________________________________________________________________

A Note From Your Treasurer

As I continue to audit, sort and create a new system for our treasury, I just wanted to let you all know how I’m doing in this little back office. There are still days I feel a bet overwhelmed, but on a whole I am feeling more confident each week.

Our monthly expenses total $12,654.75, so weekly we need $3,164.00 in order to just maintain our budget. To date, we are walking our path with some degree of confidence. Your tithes are the backbone to the very existence of this Church. Thank you sincerely for your continued support to ensure our survival and ability to share the Word and be in fellowship together here at First UMC.

I am going to begin posting our weekly contributions in the Sunday Bulletin so together we can keep track of our finances. Please know, his office is YOUR office and if you ever have ANY ques-tions or concerns regarding our spending or our budget, you are more than welcome to stop in and chat. I am here every Monday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and then again on Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If you ever want to change to electronic giving, you just need to stop in ;and fill out a form...easy and very convenient!

God bless you all as we continue to strive to give this Church a stable future here in Ionia to serve God and our community!

Respectfully,

Jana Fedon, Treasurer First UMC

MAY

BIRTHDAYS

4 Michelle Schumacher 7 Joshua Talbot 15 Ethel Clark 19 Carolyn Batista 22 Jim Stout 27 Sari Mercer 29 Ann Felice 31 Lindsey Martin

31 Mindy Talbot 31 Stuart Weisgerber

May Anniversaries

May

Greeters

May 6 Phil Kahl

May 13 Peg Fell

May 20 Peg Fell

May 27 Phil Kahl

Note: If you have agreed to serve as a greeter on a

Sunday morning, but find that you cannot do so,

please call Peg (527-2433) or the church office

(527-1860).

May

Nursery May 6

May 13

May 20

May 27

We can always use more people to help in the nursery. If you would like to volunteer, please call Marie Church (616-755-3207) or the church office (527-1860).

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

Mission

Grand Rapids

Community House

1

9:30 am Friend-

ship Committee

2

8:30 am Morn-

ing Prayer

3

8:00 am Quilt-

ers

4

5

5:00 p.m.

Youth Rally at

Easton UMC

6

Communion

4:00 pm Hymn

Sing

7

6:00 pm Soup

Kitchen

1:30 pm UMW

8

9

8:30 am Morn-

ing Prayer

10

8:00 am Quilters

11

12

13

Noisy Offering

10:45 a.m. Adult

class begins

3:30 pm Youth

Group

14

6:00 pm Soup

Kitchen

7:00 pm Trustees

15

16

8:30 am Morn-

ing Prayer

17

8:00 am Quilters

18

19

9:00 - 12 noon

Ad Board Retreat

20

Mission Sunday

21

6:00 pm Soup

Kitchen

7:00 pm Ad

Board

Pastor Jonathan

Continuing Ed.__

22

_____________

23

8:30 am Morn-

ing Prayer

_____________

24

8:00 am Quilters

_____________

25

Newsletter Dead-

line

______________

26

______________

27

Pentecost

3:30 pm Youth

Group

28

6:00 pm Soup

Kitchen

Annual Confer-

ence & Pastor’s

Vacation_______

29

_____________

30

8:30 am Morn-

ing Prayer

_____________

31

8:00 am Quilters

_____________

May 2018

Ash Wednesday is on Valentine’s Day.

What a perfect time to begin preparing

Our hearts for Easter.

105 E. Main Street

Ionia, MI 48846

Service 9:30am

Check it out!

www.ioniafirst.com

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