Many years ago, long before I entered the ministry, I was a new lay speaker

called upon to fill the pulpit in my home church on a cold and snowy Sunday

in February 1980. In cold and snowy Februarys like this one, I remember

those first days of public speaking. Can’t believe I stuck with it. I was so

nervous, sweated profusely, knees literally shaking behind the pulpit.

Now I cannot remember the scripture I first preached on, or the actual topic of that sermon.

What I do remember is that I quoted words that ended the Bette Midler ballad, “The Rose.”

The song was very meaningful to me. Since then, I’ve learned a bit about the origin of this

song that won Bette Midler a Grammy. Amanda McBroom wrote it in response to words

from a rock song that said, “Your love is like a razor. My heart is just a scar.” O.K., that’s

fairly graphic! Ms. McBroom was a bit more genteel in her lyrics in “The Rose,” for she

wrote, “Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed.” She didn’t agree with

those sentiments, however, for she included the lyrics, “I say love it is a flower, and you its

only seed.” Life has shown me that those sentiments are so true. “The Rose” spoke to me

then, for at that time, I had recently experienced a divorce. The words were so real (and

painful), and I sorely needed the hope expressed in the song’s final two lines, “Just

remember in the winter far beneath the winter’s snow lies the seed that with the sun’s love

in the spring becomes the rose.” God used that song, a wonderful pastor who saw how

heartbroken I was, and lots of other loving folks to help me grow and get beyond that

painful episode in my life. The death of Jesus somehow became real for me then as my

pastor gently asked me to reflect on the death of my first marriage. The resurrection of

Jesus slowly became real as he also asked me to consider how I could grow and from that

episode. By God’s grace and time I have grown and been blessed with my spouse of

twenty-six years now. So, if you are journeying through a painful period, my prayers are

with you that you may not feel alone or abandoned by God, but that you may experience

the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus in our own life. And I pray that through

your experience, you may become “…the seed that with the sun’s (Son’s) love, in the

spring becomes the rose.” May you have a blessed remainder of Lent, a peaceful and

reflective Holy Week, and joyous Easter. Pastor Tom

The Faithful Leader

Mar. / Apr.

2016

Sunday Schedule:

Adult Bible Study

9:00 a.m.

Worship

10:00 a.m.

Child care available

Inside this Issue

Christian Ed...........2

SPPRC…………...3

OK Club………….4

Finance Notes……4

Altar Flowers…….5

Reflection………...7

Prayer concerns….8

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

OPEN MINDS,

OPEN

HEARTS,

OPEN DOORS.

Lectionary Readings for

March & April

March

Mar. 6: Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32 (UM766); 2

Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Mar. 13: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126 (UM847);

Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8

Mar. 20: Luke 19:28-40; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

(Palms); Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-

11; Luke 22:14-23:56 or Luke 23:1-49 (Passion)

Mar. 24: Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14; Psalm 116:-14,

12-19 (UM 116); 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17,

31b-35

Mar. 25: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22 (UM752);

Hebrews 10:16-25; John 18:1-19:42

Mar. 27: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

(UM839); 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; John 20:1-18; Luke

24:1-12

April

Apr. 3: Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 150 (UM862); Revelation

1:4-8; John 20:19-31

Apr. 10: Acts 9:1-6 (7-20); Psalm 30 (UM762);

Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

Apr. 17: Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23 (UM754); Revelation

7:9-17; John 10:22-30

Apr. 24: Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148 (UM861); Revelation

21:1-6; John 13:31-35

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

2

Adult Bible Class By: Dick Davidson

The last book in our Bible is

"Revelation.” It is sometimes

called "The Apocalypse of Jesus

to John." The word "apocalypse"

means "unveiling." It is also

classed as "eschatology," a word

that refers to a second distinct age

created by God which will break upon history some

time in the future.

The book was written during a time of extreme

oppression by the Roman Empire, probably around 95

AD. Because of this oppression, many of the ideas in

the book are "hidden" and available only to those

familiar with writings from the Jewish Bible (Tanach)

like Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, Zechariah and others.

Because of this, explanation is important when

studying the content of this book.

The schedule will include:

February 21 & 24: Introduction;

Feb 28 & March 2: Chapter 1;

March 6 & 9: Chapters 2 & 3;

March 13 & 16: Chapters 4 & 5;

March 20 & 23: Chapters 6 & 7.

Easter is March 27, no class on Easter or March 30.

The complete schedule will be available in class and

will be published in the next newsletter.

Bibles, class materials, coffee, cookies, and good

fellowship are available. No experience necessary!

Come and learn about this fascinating book.

Classes are held Sunday at 9 AM and repeated on

Wednesday at 10 AM.

LIFE AROUND FAITH

3

The connection between us, as

a parish and our pastor is usu-

ally a spiritual connection. The

center of our attention when a

question arises about a faith

based concern will be for our

pastor. When we are looking

for answers we get guidance

for where to search from our church elder, Pastor Tom.

There is another connection we have in our church and

that is to each other. We come together to love what

God is doing in our lives, ask for support when we have

cares to share (or not share), and celebrate our

Methodist faith.

To keep these functions strong we have support staff

that does the work here. Diane Lewis takes care of the

dusting and buffing up (including 7 bathrooms!!), Trish

Garback is our Nursery and Sunday school person

(welcome back to husband Sean!), Katie Carter brings

us beautiful music every Sunday, and Suzette Phillips is

doing the background work of running the church office

(seamlessly, I might add!). Pastor Tom, the moral

compass and caregiver, is in this group of paid

positions. The Staff Parish Pastor Relations Committee, or

SPPRC, is the group that helps define and clarify the

expectations we have for these positions. Along with

other committees (Finance, Trustee, and Administra-

tion) we try to strengthen our church with best practices

and clear goals.

Our church is evolving and the changes in our church

are being prayerfully discussed. Right now. Our Pastor

Tom is an elder of such standing that he is entitled to a

full time position.

Right now we don’t have the luxury of affording a full

time pastor. Faith United Methodist Church Lancaster

is “re-tooling” and rebuilding. This will start with an

approach that will ask us as a parish to come together

and be a part of this next chapter of growth. We are

looking forward to working with and growing in our

faith with a new part time pastor.

LIFE AROUND FAITH

Do you have questions? Could you be a part of some

of the supporting work of our church? Our SPPRC

has openings on the committee. There is no special

skill needed. We are looking for just your attention,

joy, and interest in helping your church. If you’d like

to chat about it, ask any one of us, we’d be so pleased

to have you.

In God’s Peace, June Knoerzer

SUCCESSFUL LENTEN

WORSHIP/LUNCHEON

Wednesday, Feb. 17th, Faith hosted the first of the

annual series of Ecumenical, Lenten Worship

Services / Luncheons. The service was led by Pastor

Tom, with guest speaker, Fr. Paul Steller of St. Mary

of the Assumption who preached the sermon on the

parable of the “Sower and the Seed.”

In spite of a snowy forecast, approximately 120

people were welcomed into Fellowship Hall for a

luncheon of warm mac & cheese, homemade jello

fruit salad, and a cupcake dessert after the worship

service.

Elaine Bialecki graciously provided beautiful, fresh

yellow flowers and baby’s breath budvases for the

tables as a sign of spring to come.

A sincere thank you to all who helped make the event

a success by donating food, money, time, physical

labor, and more.

The collection taken during our worship service

resulted in over $400 in support of local food pantries

in Lancaster and Depew.

Please join your community for these

events. Each Sunday, the upcoming

service location will be noted in the

bulletin.

STAFF PASTOR PARISH RELATIONS

COMMITTEE

By: June Knoerzer

4

2016 OK CLUB

Breakfast on Thursday, March 17th ~ we will meet

at the Denny’s on Genesee St. at 9:00 a.m.

Breakfast on Thursday, April 21st ~ we will meet

at the Cracker Barrel on Transit at 9:00 a.m.

Please sign up on the Pillar of Faith with your intention

to attend or an “X” if not, so that we may give the

restaurant an approximate number of people to expect.

All are welcome!

LIFE AROUND FAITH LIFE AROUND FAITH

NOTES FROM THE TREASURER’S

DESK By: Marilyn English

FAITHFUL LEADER NEWSLETTER Our next edition will be for

May / June 2016 news at Faith.

Deadline for submissions is:

April 21st , 2016

AD COUNCIL NEWS By: Mollie Bleistein

Your council met and ratified our

budget for 2016. Thanks to all the

hard work of the finance committee.

We also are working on a September family picnic/

church time, stay tuned for more updates.

Your Ad Council will meet the end of March. Keep the

home fires burning.

Gods Blessings, Mollie

We received a letter from Bishop Webb. To quote,

“I want to thank you for the efforts you made in

the past year to increase your Ministry Share

giving. Our connection is a part of what makes us

uniquely United Methodist; and allows us to do

ministry together that we could never do as

individual churches. When it comes to finances,

that connection takes the form of Ministry Shares,

and your effort to strengthen your connection is

greatly appreciated.”

Finance intends to continue increasing our percentage

each year until we reach 100%. We believe we can

do it with in a year or two. We are targeting 70% for

2016.

Touch me, God, in this moment.

Let me feel your hand upon me,

Your love pouring over me,

Your comforting Holy Spirit

all around me.

“Quiet Spaces: Prayer Interludes for Women”

By: Patricia Wilson

Altar flowers for March & April

are Given: Mar. 6: open

Mar. 13: in loving memory of husband, Howard

Zurbrick and mother, Louise Morrow by Shirley

Zurbrick

Mar. 20: open

Mar. 27: Easter

Apr. 3: in loving memory of Marlin Gummo by his

wife, Ivadelle.

Apr. 10: in loving memory of Ed Carlson by his

wife, Marjorie

Apr. 17: in loving memory of George Lewis by his

family

Apr. 24: in loving memory of Ed Carlson by his

wife, Marjorie

2016 Flower Chart

Please check the 2016 Flower Calendar. Names are

penciled in to reserve dates as near to your 2015 date

as possible. If your wishes have changed, please

make erasures or additions.

Prior to your date, you will be called so that the office

has the correct sentiment for the newsletter and

bulletin, as to whom you wish to memorialize or

honor. You will also be given the choice of using

one of the silk altar arrangements or providing fresh

flowers from a florist of your choice. When using the

silk, a donation to the church would be appreciated.

Any questions, please call me at 684-4364. ~ Kay

LIFE AROUND FAITH LIFE AROUND FAITH

5

EASTER FLOWERS

Easter Lilies and assorted spring

bulb flowers are available for $8

each. They will be on display in

the sanctuary for Easter Sunday

service and then may be taken

home. Please place your order no

later than March 17.

Order forms are available at church, or place your

order by calling Suzette in the church office. You

may choose Daffodils, Hyacinths, or Tulips. Please

remember to advise your sentiment of memorial, or

honor to be posted in the bulletin.

Thank you to Elaine Bialecki for sourcing our

plants again for us this year.

“Tuning Fork” Bradford Bosworth

Doubt is the static that interferes with

the frequency of our Divine connection.

It takes us off beat with the Spirit’s sweet melody,

and soon we are singing out of tune.

Christ is our tuning fork.

6

LIFE AROUND FAITH LIFE AROUND FAITH

MARCH

The UMW meeting is March 15th at 7:00 PM. Our

program, entitled “Welcoming Our Diversity—Diversity

in Latin America”, by Rosangela Oliverra, will be led by

Beverly Davies. Hostesses: Jamie Lennox and Diane

Lewis.

March 4th—World Day of Prayer

March 19th—Communion Breakfast to take place at the

following locations:

New Hope UMC

2846 Seneca Street

West Seneca, NY 14224

Speaker: Sheila Rader (who will speak on her

Ubuntu Mission trip.)

Holland UMC

11699 Partridge Road—corner of Route 16

Holland, NY

Speaker: Mollie Butler (who will speak on her

mission trips.)

Please RSVP and have your $5 registration in to Loretta

by March 16th.

APRIL

We will meet on April 19th at 7:00 PM. The program is:

“What I Learned”, presented by Conference Officer, Ellen

Klock. Hostess are: Macie Waller and Loretta Schneller.

The Merry Menders will go to Beechwood in April.

Anyone interested in helping the residents with their

sewing and mending needs, please see Kay Andres for

further details.

April 16th—Gift Day at Eden UMC, 9:30 AM—12:30

PM. Speaker is: Molly Golando. A list of gifts will be

posted on the bulletin board.

SUNSHINE COMMITTEE Hosia Sharp ~ Chair

Many in our congregation cope with

medical issues that may disrupt their

normal daily activities. If you know of

someone who needs respite in the form

of a warm meal or two, please contact

the church office.

Your weekly generosity to this ministry allows us to

support those we love and let them know they are

always in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

Looking ahead to May, mark your calendars for our

special event on May 7th at 1:00 PM. Chet Fery,

“Bread Man Extraordinaire” will prepare bread and

present a program entitled “Random Acts of Kindness.”

A reception will follow with light refreshments.

May 14th—Morning apart, 9:30—12:00 PM will be

held at Asbury UMC. Pastor Katie Zettle will present

the program, “GO Ministries” and UMCOR.

$5 registration fee must be in to Loretta by May 7th.

7

What has God Been Doing

In Your Life? By: Dick Davidson

Many of you who attend church on Sunday

know that a part of the morning worship is "What has

God been doing in your life this week?" I would like

to expand my comments for this question to include

"What has God done in your life"!

Many of you know that Camp Findley is not

doing youth camps this summer. This decision was

made by the conference based on finances. It was felt

that the number of campers in attendance last summer

did not warrant the cost of the staff and program.

However, this raised a thought in my mind about my

own participation in camping. This next summer will

probably be the first summer in over 30 years that I

will not counsel a camp!

God often works in mysterious (maybe

sneaky) ways. Sometime about 1980, I was asked to

be a counselor for a residence camp for boys and girls

located in one of the Western New York Camps

located in Cherry Creek. I was a teacher, but had no

experience in this type of activity. I had never

attended summer camp. I couldn't think of a good

excuse to say "no" so I said "yes". That started a long

list of being a counselor at summer camps. I

counseled youth camps at Asbury, at Koinonia

(in Italy Valley, south of Canandaigua), Watson

Homestead, Cherry Creek, and Camp Findley. Most

of the camps were "residence camps", with no special

emphasis other than Christian education and life

experience. As I was science teacher, I often led

nature walks, including night hikes. It was only a

short time until I looked forward to the summer with

usually at least a week of camp with Christian kids! It

was a gift from God!

I also became involved in some specialty

camps. For several years I counseled at "Super Trail",

which was held at Cherry Creek and later at Koinonia.

This camp involved motorcycles. Each camper

(usually boys, but an occasional female rider) would

bring their own motorcycles, usually "dirt bikes". I

would inspect them for safety when the campers

arrived. I was also the mechanic for the week.

With daily rides over wooded trails, through mud and

big puddles, break-downs were common. In addition

to bike maintenance and riding instruction, we did

spiritual maintenance. Contacting these "motorcycle

riders" brought Christian thought to many youth

without much church experience. This camp was

run for about 8 years.

Another specialty camp which operated for

about 30 years was tent camp, offered at Camp

Findley. This started as a "rustic camp" which

involved building temporary kitchen facilities in the

woods, using outhouses, and other quite basic living

facilities. As the health department examined the

camp each year more closely, electric refrigeration,

indoor flush toilets, and hot water heaters were

required. (Although this changed the nature of the

camp, I was happy to see the changes!) This camp

operated through last summer.

As I reflect on these camping experiences, I

am thankful to God for the many pleasant experi-

ences I have had and the impact I may have had on

literally hundreds of youth in our Conference. God

has been good to me!

REFLECTION REFLECTION

Faith United Methodist Church

5505 Broadway

Lancaster, NY 14086

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Postage

JOYS AND CONCERNS

Rev. Thomas A. LeBeau, Pastor Suzette Phillips, Office Admin.

Church Phone: 716-683-5293 Email: faithlancaster@verizon.net

www.faithlancaster.org

PRAYER NOTICES: Mollie Bleistein, Helen Bowman, Sherri Detwiler, Betty & Ken Dunbar,

Gloria Jean Flicker, Ken Goodman, Tricia Hinamen, Maryann Juengel, David Klock, Jill Knoerzer,

Nelson Koch & the Koch family, Mary Prentice, June & Kent Repka, Edith & Ralph Ressler, the family of

Kay Slawinski, Margaret Tubbs, Jim Westgate. All military and civilians serving the U.S.

Prayer notices will remain on the list for one month. Contact the church office to renew.