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Zion United Church

of Christ July 2015

Inside This Issue

1 Pastors Peace

2 Palm of Prayer

3 Worship Ways

4 Community & Conference Clamor

5 This Months Events

6 Butterfly Room &

Inspiration Station

7 Celebration Occasions

8 Worship Whirl

Carl and Helen Hoepp-ner have made Zion's front doors look like new! What a wonder-ful labor of love! Thank You!

The Lamplighter

Zion United Church of ChristEstablished 1880 105 N. Mary, Mayview, Missouri 64071-8224

Phone and FAX: (660) 237 - 4355

PASTORS PEACE

HATS OFF TO AMERICA!

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay

down his life for his friends." John 15:12-13 NIV "Hats Off to America!" is the theme for the 2015 Mayview Picnic. Believe it or not, this theme makes me think of the layers of two proverbial onions--one called "Violence" and one called "Love". What does it make you think of? We are once again celebrating the birth of our country with patriotic songs and the colors of the flag. This is the 239th birthday of our country--can you believe how young we are? It took tremendous effort and per-sonal sacrifice for our country to become independent from British rule--our history is fascinating, and unfortu-nately very bloody. A prevailing question arises, it seems, whenever the subject of war is discussed, and certainly the war that gained us our country's freedom. "Could we have done it any other way?" The onion called Violence holds layers embedded with a euphemism for freedom--the ability to use lethal force. After all, this is how our country was liberated from British rule, this is how the slaves were freed, this is how America maintains its status of superiority. "In God We Trust" is on our money... The Violence onion has layers that cause us to cry painful tears when cutting through them. There are layers of suffering, loss, fear, pain, heartache, PTSD, broken re-lationships, poverty, brokenness--ending in a black core of corruption, hatred and death. But the Love onion has layers deeper and stronger than Violence--layers of forgiving sweetness flourishing in relationship, peace, healing, courage, perseverance, crea-tivity, joy--its core the finality of death through violence, in the perfect love of Jesus' dying for us, taking upon himself the total extent of our chosen separation from Love. But not only that--Jesus' resurrection has destroyed the slav-ery to death and destruction the world seems to crave,

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The Lamplighter We are called to love each other as Jesus loved us, and to recognize that he loved us so much that he gave his life for us, so that we, all of us, can live. This is Freedom! So often we cannot see our way past violence in retaliation, revenge or "just war". There are other ways to practice sacrificial love, primary of which is forgiveness. We are made to forgive, to listen, to serve, to encourage, and to give of ourselves to one another. "Hats Off to America!" should be in humility as we step out to serve and to be there for one another, even when afraid and unsure--the power of Love far outweighs the power of violence, hatred, fear, and greed. But our focus must change, right now, one step, one day at a time. In God's Grace,

Pastor Kristin

PALM of PRAYER 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who

takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 (NIV) Concerns Please continue to surround in love and prayer, those experiencing health

difficulties &/or recovering from surgery, the loss of family and friends, & those adjusting to new seasons in their lives: Christopher Benson, Kyle Benson, Family of Lisa Kaiser, Roger Nolte, Family of Bob Grubb, Will Ogans Aunt Cath, Roy Marchetti, Charlie Lewis, Helen Meyrand; family and friends of Max Tyler, Gary Anders and daughter of Scott & Sally Soendker; Family of Lillie Jennings brother; first responders; military personnel and their families; families around the world that are in the midst of disease, natural disasters, immigration crisis, tensions, conflicts, acts of violence and wars which are going on in different parts of the world. Joys Amy Burns is Employee of the Month at her hospital Newborn Wyatt Robinson is finally home!; El Dean Dickmeyer attended her 68th class reunion!; Mayview Community Garden is growing!; Tim Wright and Amber Bertz are engaged; preparations for Mayview Annual Picnic and Worship are well under way--let's

celebrate together July 11 and 12!

ZION UCC WORSHIP WAYS BOARD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION A float will be entered in the Mayview Picnic parade and will be created the morning of the event, July 11th. This years theme is Hats Off to America. We need to get volunteers ready to prepare the best (and of course to get supplies, etc.) Please speak with Amy Hoefer about volunteering! Remember, there's a potential prize out there, not to mention honor at stake--First Baptist came in first last year!

MISSION COMMITTEE The Festival of Sharing kit for July is BABY BUNDLE PAK 2 Receiving Blankets, 2 Sleepers( 1peice or gown), 1 sweater or sweatshirt for warmth, 2 undershirts or onesies, 8-12 diapers (cloth or disposable), 2 diaper pins if (cloth diapers are enclosed). Please send newborn to six month sized items. Place items in a 2 gallon zip lock bag. You may contribute complete kits or items for kits as you are able. Money may also be placed in the envelopes provided on the table and placed in offering plate or given to committee members. Festival of Sharing is October 17. Save the Date for the CROP Walk for Hunger on Sunday, September 27 at 3:00 p.m.

SAIL NEWS Several of us attended the Lafayette Area Fellowship meeting in April at Bethel UCC in Concordia. The program was provided by the Blue Springs Terrace (for retired pastors). With motivation from that program, we set June 9 as a day to go help at the Terrace. A car load of us set out from Zion to arrive at 8:30 am at the Terrace. We were welcomed with refreshments while planning the work day. Our talents let us help trim bushes, pull weeds, and paint. They made sure we had plenty of water to drink and served us a delicious lunch. We had good fellowship with the residents and other volunteers there for the day. Among the regular volunteers at the Terrace are two originally from Zion Virginia Fieth Knocke and Ken Fleischmann. Yes, both of them help most every Tuesday at Blue Springs Terrace! On the way to BST we viewed our own Community Garden and all that's growing, and spoke with a worker about the beautiful and much more developed Blue Springs Community Garden. What a wonderful project we have right here in Mayview for both adults and children. There is a great picnic table to paint, weeds to pick; we need mulch and we can use bling, and we can do it as community and individuals. Tell your friends--this needs to be a mutual effort of Mayview and we will reap the

benefits of its health and growth!

TREASURERS TWITTER May Current Expenses $4,077.25 May Current Receipts $5,260.45 Current Difference $1,183.20

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Community, County & Conference Clamor

Conference Annual Gathering (aka CAG) REBUILD RESTORE RENEW

Reflections from Elaine Hudson, Pastor Kristin & Juanita Wright

This was probably the best Conference Annual Gathering I have attended. There was so much positive energy and a feeling that our Church is not just talking, but putting impetus to action. I would encourage everyone to attend, young or mature, confident in your faith or still searching. The speakers and music were life-changing. Meeting and talking to others from congregations large and small, from all over the state, helps put in perspec-tive what we can do to change the world in our small corner of it, one step at a time. Even looking through the vendors booths from the many agen-cies our Conference serves and supports gave me a wider view of all our Church and Conference do

in the Community, local and globally. Elaine

Elaine Hudson, Juanita Wright, Martha Hawthorne and I just returned from Conference Annual Gather-ing of the United Church of Christ, where we ex-perienced a lively revival. Bishop Yvette Flunder from City Refuge Church in Oakland, CA was the Keynote Speaker, and one of the things she spoke of was how 80% of church is culture and 20% is theology. She spoke of how she loves chitlins--some love kimchi--some love...hagus, and although we don't all enjoy each of those cultural "delights", it is so important to appreciate their importance and uniqueness. Yes, often diverse and unique parts of the Body are overlooked, and we waste all the rich resources available! We all have very special gifts which we need to share in the Body of Christ within the church and beyond its walls. This summer let's talk about how we can share and interact with and appreciate

our cultural diversity! Pastor Kristin

I want to say thank you for letting me be one of your delegates to the CAG. It turned out to be a gift! I say that because I wasnt particularly excited about attending. I had attended wider church meeting previously and they were just okay. I would always gain something from attend-ing and there would definitely be highlights. This meeting was definitely the best wider church meet-ing that I have attended. I know that is partly be-cause of where I am on my journey. I wish that more of you would be able to find the time to at-tend the wider church meetings. Yes, we worshipped every day of the meet-ing. Thursday evening was a traditional service at Columbia UCC including communion and the mes-sage by our acting conference minister, Rev. Dr. Allen Fluent. We ended the service singing This is a Day of New Beginnings, Friday evening was a more rousing service with Yvette Flunder, our keynote speaker, providing the message. We ended that service singing We Shall Overcome. Then Saturday, we worshipped more informally as we sat around the tables finishing our lunch. That service we ended singing Here I Am, Lord. Those songs used to close the worship services are a good representation of how we are working to REBUILD/RESTORE/RENEW the Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ. During discussions at the CAG, I was able to examine my thoughts on racism and my thoughts on the death penalty. Just stop and imagine for a few minutes what it would be like if there were no racism in our world! Everyone would have the same opportunity and everyone would be treated with respect. Those two things alone are huge! There was information available from many organizations associated with the United Church of Christ. I gathered information and contacts that could potentially be advantageous for out Endow-ment Fund here at Zion. It is really hard to give a summary in a few short paragraphs of what was available over the three days of the gathering. I will talk more with anyone about the meetings and will share with you any information I have. Again, I say, THANK YOU for sending me.

Juanita

Being a child at home alone in the

summer is a high-risk occupation. If

you call your mother at work thirteen times an hour,

she can hurt you. Erma Bombeck

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LAFAYETTE AREA COUNCIL The next meeting of the Lafayette Area Council will be July 27th at 7:30 pm at Salem UCC Higginsville.

MAYVIEW COMMUNITY BETTERMENT Please be sure to check out the City of Mayview Facebook page, and new website www.mayviewpicnic.com.

MAYVIEW 150 CLUB UPDATE The last meeting was June 7, at 2 PM. Plans are moving along for our Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2016. It was noted that the cookbook has 300 or so recipes, but Jane Vahrenberg requested more from present Mayview residents and young peo-ple. Austin Aardema Faigh volunteered to facilitate a very popular game--2 Liter Ring Toss (it also may be at the picnic this year!) Research is being done by attending other celebrations/events . If inter-ested in helping out, please contact Chester Fox at 660-237-4465. There will be a banner made to be displayed at the 2015 Mayview Picnic, and a booth will be set up to sell t-shirts and take orders for the cookbook. There will be no meeting in July, due to the 2015 picnic. The next meeting will be August 2, at 2 PM, at the Community Building. Wouldn't it be great to have a booth of specifically Mayview(ish)-made items for sale? Oh, the possibilities are endless!

STEPPINGSTONE AUXILIARY MEETING On June 8, 2015, Rev. Andy Mockridge shared an incredible devotion which reflected the hope and excitement of 2015 Conference Annual Gathering June 4-6 in Columbia, and reminded us all that what each one of us does, no matter how seemingly small, is very important in making a dif-ference in our world. We are God's hands and feet, moving forward in love. Steppingstone's Mission is partnering with the community to assist children, youth and their families in their individual quest for health and wholeness through quality, faithful, and profes-sional services. They are a vital part of Missouri, and our continued supported is always needed. The next shower for apartment items will be in September, and the next meeting is September

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18 You will be secure, because there is

hope; you will look about you and take

your rest in safety. Job 11:18 (NIV)

For her summer job, my 18-year-old

daughter arranged interviews at sev-

eral day-care centers. At one meet-

ing, she sat down on one of the kid-

die seats, no simple task for most

people. The interview went well, and at the end, the

day-care center director asked the standard ques-

tion, "Can you give me one good reason we should hire

you?" "Because I fit in the chairs." She got the job.

EXPRESSION SESSION Thank Yous Thank you very much for the Love you sent me from your church. I thank the Lord for my church family, and the love and kindness you give me. My second family in Christ. Hugs and Kisses. Love, Sadie Miller

Thank you so much for the thoughtful cards, prayers, well wishes and money you sent our family! We truly appreciate it all and sometimes those prayers and well wishes are what got us through the day! We can't wait for all of you to meet our sweet Samuel! We are grateful for the continued support and prayers! The Burroughs Family P.S. Please take note of our new ad-dress! David's parents have been receiv-ing a lot of our mail! 7791 Linn Grove Road Odessa, MO 64076 Thank you all so much for the card and prayers. All is good. Kathleen Cramer

And so with the sunshine And the great bursts of leaves

Growing on the trees, Just as things grow fast in movies,

I had that familiar conviction That life was beginning over again

With summer F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby

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Fun at Royals Stadium!Youth Group

Love is the most important thing in the world, but

baseball is pretty good, too.

Yogi Berra

The Lamplighter

Fellowship9:30 A.M. Worship10:00 A.M.

July 4, 2015 Independence Day July 5, 2015 Vespers, 3:45 pm John Knox Village Festival and Fireworks, Higginsville, 5pm July 6, 2015 Outlook Club, 10:30 am July 9, 2015 Mayview MO Foundation Meeting, 6:30 pm July 11-12, 2015 Mayview Picnic, Parade & Worship July 11, 2015 Parade, 6 pm July 12, 2015 Mayview Community Service, 10 am City Park Pie Auction and Pot Luck First Baptist Church preaches Zion UCC hosts Zion AME also participates July 15, 2015 BCE, 6 pm July 16, 2015 Council, 7 pm July 17, 2015 Lamplighter Articles Due July 26, 2015 Pulpit Exchange w/Ebenezer UCC Reverend Bob Atkinson

Copyright 2011 The Zondervan Corporation

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My religious/spiritual believes have made me use my remaining days more wisely. I am acutely aware of the books I choose to write, the grief recov-ery talks I give, and how I answer the emails I re-ceive. Recently I received an email thank you from a woman who had read one of my books. In an attempt to help, friends told her to "be strong," read the Bible more, and let God carry her emotional load. This well-meaning advice only added to her stress. While reading the Bible and turning our worry over to God or a Higher Power can help, in the end, we are the ones who must help ourselves. As Rabbi Kushner points out, God has given us intelligence. "The God I believe in does not send us the problem: He gives us the strength to cope with the problem." Let intelligence, coupled with religious/spiritual be-liefs, lead you to a new and rewarding life. Written by: Harriet Hodgson http://www.harriethodgson.com Copyright 2012

Reprinted with permission from the author.

INSPIRATION STATION 2015 Daily Guidepost for Sunday, June 7

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. --- 1 Corinthans 12:27 (NIV) One of the recent trends in the food world is what's called nose-to-tail eating ---- creating dishes from all parts of an animal. Hence the

rise of foodie-favorite dishes like crispy pig's ear, spicy beef-tendon chips, and buffalo-style pigs' tails. As I revisited some of my favorite meals of years past, it occurred to me that such cooking is redemptive. Chefs take cuts that might otherwise have been neglected and wasted. They find the good in them. And they transform them into culinary pearls. Might there also be a lesson here for the church? In the church, we often fail to honor all parts of the diverse body of Christ. We engage in an ecclesiastical version of what, in the kitchen, would simply be called waste. Of course, it takes effort to cook nose-to-tail, and it likewise takes effort to build a church where the individual gifts and skills of its members are not just honored but also well utilized. It's not easy, but it certainly is right. As believers invited to sit at the Lord's banquet table, we're asked to share His bounty with the world. If we don't use all the resources we have, how much harder might it be for others to taste and see that the Lord is indeed so very good? Dear God, help us recognize the good in one another and the gifts with which You have equipped each of us.

The Lamplighter BUTTERFLY ROOM 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto my-self; that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14:3 (KJV)

Grief Help: What Religion Can and Cannot Do for You The death of four family members in 2007 caused me to examine my religious/spiritual be-liefs. I had so many questions. Why did so many family members die? Why did my daughter die now? Would I survive such tragedy? The an-swers to these questions didn't come quickly; rather, they evolved with meditation, prayer and time. I belong to a liberal religious community and members rallied to help. My husband and I met with our minister several times. She was ex-tremely kind and helpful and we knew the church safety net was there for us if we needed it. Yet we were aware of the things religion/spirituality cannot do. Bob Diets discusses these things in his book, "Life After Loss." He says religion cannot grant us immunity from loss, bring back the de-ceased, or act as a shortcut through grief. How-ever, religion can provide motivation for recovery and counter loneliness. My religious community was supportive and offered practical help, such as delivering food. More than four years have passed since my family members died. Of all the deaths -- my daughter, father-in-law, brother, former son-in-law -- my daughter's death has been the most painful. Feelings were roiling inside me and a week after my daughter died I sat down at the computer and poured out my soul in words. Writ-ing was, and continues to be, a spiritual experi-ence for me. During my journey I discovered religion cannot do my grief work; I had to do it myself. My religious/spiritual beliefs influenced my grief work, but the "in the trenches" work was my responsi-bility. I had to face the pain, create a healing path, set new goals, and work towards them. Facing my own mortality was something else I had to do. Rabbi Harold S. Kushner discusses mor-tality in his best-selling book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." All living creatures will die, he begins, but humans are the only ones who know it. This realization changes our lives. "Knowing that our time is limited gives value to the things we do," he explains. This realization impacts our decisions, according to Kushner, "because we don't have time to do everything."

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The Lamplighter

Celebration Occasions

July Birthdays

Date Birthday 5 Tyler Sanders

9 Dalton Koch

10 Karen Neher

11 Connie Sanders

Scott Alvested

15 Garrett Fiegenbaum

17 Marvin Schemmer

20 Kenneth Jungerman

28 ElDean Dickmeyer

Martha Hawthorne

Administrative Affairs

Reverend Kristin Aardema Faigh

Home(660) 237- 4902 Church (660) 237-4355

pastorkristinatzion@yahoo.com Cell (660) 641-1038

Scott Alvested Council President (816) 230-4450

Angie Lawson Church Secretary

(660) 237- 4355 zionuccsecretary@hotmail.com

Jenny Holt Newsletter

(660) 237 - 4923 jennyholt14@gmail.com

Teresa Begemann Organist

(816) 633 - 4133 tjbegemann@yahoo.com

Dawn Stuart Custodian

(660) 237 - 4355

Serving Souls

July ACOLYTES GREETERS

5 Trinity Alvested Carrie Begemann &

Elaine Hudson

12 Tanner Burns Mike & Amy Burns

19 Alyssa Hoefer Dwight & Denise

Dickmeyer

26 Kristen Johnson Darrell & Lori Fiegenbaum

Office Hours

Pastor Secretary

Tuesday

8:00 AMNoon

Wednesday

6:008:00 PM Wednesday

5:009:00 PM

Thursday

8:00 AMNoon

Reminder!

The deadline for submissions for the August newsletter is Friday, July 17, 2015. Send your submissions to:

jennyholt14@gmail.com or zionuccsecretary@hotmail.com

Or Call (660) 237-4923

July Anniversaries

5 Brad & Rachel Begemann

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Zion United Church of Christ 105 North Mary St. Mayview, Missouri 64071-8224 Generous - Loving - Dedicated Christians Sunday School 9:30 am Worship at 10:30 am ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

The Lamplighter July 2015

Zion UCC Mission Statement The avowed purpose of our church shall be:

To worship God, to proclaim and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to celebrate the Sacra-ments; to experience Christian fellowship, to build unity, and to practice charity within this congre-

gation and the wider church; and to share this witness of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

Summer Worship Whirl

Traditional Worship 10:00 AM Sundays

Come As You Are Service 10:00 AM Monthly - 3rd Sunday

Sacred Conversations and Fellowship

9:00 AM Sundays

Communion 10:00AM Monthly 1st Sunday & Special Holidays

Church Council 7:00 PM Monthly

Board of Christian Education 7:00 PM Monthly

SAIL (Serving All in Love) 7:00 PM Monthly - 4th Tuesday

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