Faith United Methodist Church 522 East 6th Street Cheyenne, WY 82007 Phone: (307) 638-3184 www.faithcheyenne.org E-Mail: cheyennefaithumc@gmail.com

Sent with a prayer to:

MARCH 2020

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 B=Wayne Lawrence

3 4 5 6 7

8

9

10 11 B=Al Carley

12 B=Donna Newland

13 14

15

16

17

St. Patrick’s Day

18

19 20 B=Thelma Harrell

21

22

23 24

25

26 27 28

29

30 B=Shari Kendall

31

B=Birthday A=Anniversary

APRIL Calendar

APRIL calendar on next page

APRIL 2020

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 B=Duane Wall

3

4

5

PALM SUNDAY

6

7

8

9 A=Duane and LuAnn Wall MAUNDY Service at Grace UMC 6:30 pm

10

GOOD FRIDAY Service at Hillsdale UMC 6 pm

11

12 B=Virginia Clark Breakfast 9:30 am

EASTER

13

14

15

16

17 B=Gary Cloyd

18

LADIES

EVENT at 1 pm

19

20

21

22 23 A=Paul and Connie Fournier A=Larry and Gracie Marske

24 25 B=Lois Hansen

26

27

28

29 A=Jeff and Vicky Hildreth

30

B=Birthday A=Anniversary

Christ the Lord is risen And, as all the world rejoices,

Singing of His glory With such joyful hearts and voices, May you find that Easter brings you

Peace and Faith and Hope anew, And may these blessings fill your heart

With joy the whole year through. HAPPY EASTER!

Only Jesus could build a bridge to Heaven with just

two pieces of wood

The Vision of Faith United Methodist Church is to empower all people to seek the fullness and assurance of God’s Love. The Mission of Faith United Methodist Church is to invite everyone into a loving community, explore the Good News of God’s Love, and serve God and our neighbor throughout the world.

Seeds of Faith Faith United Methodist Church March/April 2020

Fear Not

We are living in crazy times, I have heard people say as we

wait in VERY long lines in the grocery store. Sam’s Club has been

out of paper products all week. A shipment comes in, and it is gone

just a short while later. Sporting events are being called off, schools

and businesses are closing. The news reports can hardly keep up

with the latest number of people that are ill.

While waiting in line at the store, I saw headlines in a tabloid that stated that the virus was a

judgment from God. I thought, wait a minute! We have Corona virus panic going on. People are

afraid, they do not know what to expect, and now they are trying to say God’s wrath is causing it.

Why stir up more trouble?

We have God’s Word, it tells us that God loves us. John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved

the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but

have eternal life.” Read a little further in John, 3:17-18 “For God did not send his Son into the

world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is

not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have

not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

It would be so easy to say that our world is being judged, crazy things are going on, however

we need to remember, it is not our place to judge each other and stir things up even more. Let’s

choose to be different, instead of criticizing others let’s encourage each other. Instead of looking at

the person with 3 carts at the store and thinking negative things, try to look past it (not easy, I know).

Now is the time to be a light for Jesus. Keep in touch with family and friends. A friendly call

will do many a lot of good, possible even for the one making the call. If you need help, please let us

know. We are family. We have pulled together a team from church and want to support you at this

challenging time. Let’s keep each other in prayer as well as supporting each other.

The virus may be unknown but our God is not. Nothing, including the coronavirus, has

shocked God. He still reigns. Nothing has knocked Him off the throne. He loves you! We can trust

Him!

If you ever need to talk, my phone number is (574)303-5922. We are in this together.

Blessings,

Pastor Gracie Marske

Faith United Methodist Church Immediate Closure

All activities, services and meetings at Faith Church are suspended until March 31st. At that time, we will re-evaluate and keep all of you informed.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, following the recommendation from the Governor, the Bishop, the Department of Health and the

CDC, out of love and respect for the wider community and to contain

the spread of the virus, we are taking this unprecedented action to keep everyone safe!

God Bless You All and Keep You Safe!

A Pastoral Response to Coming to Church in the wake of cold & flu issues, including the Coronavirus. From Pastor Gracie Marske – March 11, 2020

Top Ten Rules: 1. If You’re Sick = Stay Home: If you are sick, please skip church and stay at home. Don’t

share your germs. We will see you back at church when you get better! 2. Common Sense: Use common sense sanitary measures, such as washing hands for 20 sec-

onds with soap and water or hand sanitizer. Cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow or in a tissue and throw it away, then wash your hands.

3. Holy Communion: We will be using individual juice cups and individual cubed slices of bread in a basket for communion in the next several months. Only the single person handing out the bread will touch the cube of bread and hand it to the person receiving communion. You will pick up your own individual cup of grape juice from a tray for communion. The commun-ion stewards will wash their hands with sanitizer before serving communion. We may start using individual communion wafers for a while.

4. Christian Greetings: Perhaps the most difficult part about safe contact measures is holding back from our typical Christian hand shake or warm hug to welcome loving members of the church family. Please welcome each other with a warm hello or maybe even a wink and May God Bless You! Please stay away from hugging or shaking hands. Elbow touches are appro-priate for safer touch measures.

5. Hand Sanitizers: We also encourage you to bring your own personal container of hand sani-tizer or sanitizer wipes that contain at least 60% alcohol.

6. Be Optimistic / Be Realistic: Realize that 97% of those who get the coronavirus, get through it to recover totally. Use your best judgment to be realistic about potential dangers. Be Safe!

7. Listen to Medical Experts: Watch a trusted news source and listen to what the CDC medical experts are saying about prevention, testing, spread or other medical hints to stop the spread of the virus if it reaches our area. Be guided by medical science and not fear!

8. Potential Closings: If schools, government buildings and churches are asked to close, please view church announcements on line through the church website, Facebook or call Pastor Gracie at (574)303-5922.

9. Touch Less & Wash More: Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Wash your cell phone and personal keys often with sanitizer wipes.

10. Pray, Pray, Pray: Ask God to keep us safe. Ask God to heal those who currently have the coronavirus. Ask God to be with those families around the world who have lost loved ones because of the virus. Ask God to walk with us through these challenges in our com-munity. Realize we will get through this, as we have other global threatening viruses…it

will just take time. God is with you!

As the Coronavirus situation changes, our plans may too. In the meantime, staying connected to others is more important than ever. While we can’t be together in person, we will continue to reach out through email, mail and phone calls. If we do not have your email in our directory, please let us know. We will be working on ways to show the light of Jesus to our congregation and community.

Do not fear! Please know that we, as Faith United Methodist Church Leaders, are here and always able to serve. We are always available! You can call the following: Al Carley - (631-8305) Virginia Clark - (575-2310) Jeff Hildreth - (286-1616) Pastor Gracie - (574-303-5922)

UMW/ Outreach News

In light of the changes taking place in our community and around the world, and based on decisions made by our church leaders, we will be postponing the church cleaning that was scheduled for March 20th and 21st, as well as our March meeting. At this time, we will prayerfully continue to plan events scheduled for April, with an eye on changing circumstances, and continued updates to you all.

Thanks to everyone who donated items to our Giving Tree during Christmas, and to Lois Hansen for delivering the items to Rossman School, where they were very appreciative of your donations.

I would like to personally thank each of you for your monetary support of the church. It is greatly appreciated. These are challenging times but unfortunately the church bills do not change - even when we are not physically worshipping in the building. I would ask that you remember your pledge to the church-you can drop your check in the church mail box as you drive by or if you are technically inclined, you can always use the PayPal account that is available on our website - www.faithcheyenne.org and click on the donate button! I look forward to seeing you all again very soon! Penny Franz

From the Treasurer:

As you remember those in need of prayer, please follow the guidance of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

The Cross A symbol of my faith That strengthens me each day As I by God’s grace Walk the narrow way. You see God’s own Son He gave His life for me And took my debt of sin To a place called Calvary. I owe Him my life And all I’ll ever be All He asks is that I’ll let Him live through me. So I run the race Empowered by His grace And give Him all the glory As I look into His face. JESUS is LORD!

PRAYER FOR A WORRYING MIND We know that worrying Gets us nowhere, yet we Still allow it to consume us. In times such as these, Lord, we ask You to grant Us strength, faith and courage To fight off the doubt and fear Within our minds. Faith cast out fear while Fear cast out faith. AMEN

Scammed I want to apologize if you were affected by the latest scam. A text went out to several members of Faith that as signed Pastor Gracie. It asked that the person go out to purchase a gift card that was needed. It went on to say I was not able to buy one because I was in a meeting. The text was from a different phone number, not mine. Cheyenne Police were wonderful in helping. The detective said that scammers have been contacting Cheyenne area church members. He even went on to say that the City Council had a text come from Mayor Orr that had the same request. Please be careful. My Dad had a call saying his granddaughter needed money for an emergency. He asked which granddaughter (good for you Dad!), then proceeded to blow a whistle in the phone. I am not saying to use a whistle, but I am asking that you use caution when asked to help people out. Sadly, we are living in a world that preys on the hearts of good people. Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission: 1. SPOT IMPOSTERS. Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official [1], a family member [2], a charity [3], or a company you do business with. Don’t send money or give out personal information in response to an unexpected request — whether it comes as a text, a phone call, or an email. 2. DO ONLINE SEARCHES. Type a company or product name into your favorite search engine with words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” Or search for a phrase that describes your situation, like “IRS call.” You can even search for phone numbers to see if other people have reported them as scams. 3. DON’T BELIEVE YOUR CALLER ID. Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information, so the name and number you see aren’t always real. If someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If you think the caller might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is genuine. 4. DON’T PAY UPFRONT FOR A PROMISE. Someone might ask you to pay in advance for things like debt relief [4], credit and loan offers [5], mortgage assistance [6], or a job [7]. They might even say you’ve won a prize [8], but first you have to pay taxes or fees. If you do, they will probably take the money and disappear. 5. CONSIDER HOW YOU PAY. Credit cards have significant fraud protection built in, but some payment methods don’t. Wiring money [9] through services like Western Union or MoneyGram is RISKY because it’s nearly impossi-ble to get your money back. That’s also true for reloadable cards (like MoneyPak or Reloadit) and gift cards (like iTunes or Google Play). Government offices and honest companies won’t require you to use these payment methods. 6. TALK TO SOMEONE. Before you give up your money or personal information, talk to someone you trust. Con artists want you to make decisions in a hurry. They might even threaten you. Slow down, check out the story, do an online search [10], consult an expert — or just tell a friend. 7. HANG UP ON ROBOCALLS. If you answer the phone and hear a recorded sales pitch [11], hang up and report it to the FTC. These calls are illegal, and often the products are bogus. Don’t press 1 to speak to a person or to be taken off the list. That could lead to more calls. 8. BE SKEPTICAL ABOUT FREE TRIAL OFFERS. Some companies use free trials [12] to sign you up for products and bill you every month until you cancel. Before you agree to a free trial, research the company and read the cancellation policy. And al-ways review your monthly statements for charges you don’t recognize. 9. DON’T DEPOSIT A CHECK AND WIRE MONEY BACK. By law, banks must make funds from deposited checks available within days, but uncovering a fake check [13] can take weeks. If a check you deposit turns out to be a fake, you’re responsible for repaying the bank. Be Careful, Blessings, Pastor Gracie Marske

Links: (Scam Alerts) ------ [1] http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0048-government-imposter-scams [2] http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0204-family-emergency-scams [3] https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0011-charity-scams [4] https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/avoiding-debt-relief-scams [5] https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0078-advance-fee-loans [6] https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0100-mortgage-relief-scams [7] https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0243-job-scams [8] http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0199-prize-scams [9] https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0090-using-money-transfer-services [10] https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0027-comparing-products-online [11] https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0259-robocalls [12] https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0101-free-trial-offers [13] http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0159-fake-checks

Plan to attend church this week to observe Jesus’ Journey from Joy to Sorrow

PALM SUNDAY: April 5th at 11 am Maundy Thursday: April 9th, 6:30pm at GRACE UMC (2950 Spruce Drive) GOOD FRIDAY: April 10th, 6 pm at Hillsdale UMC

EASTER SUNDAY

Celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord!

April 12th, 2020 Church service of Celebration is at 11 am

CELEBRATE THIS SPECIAL SEASON AT FAITH CHURCH

EASTER LILY GARDEN: If you would like to honor or memorialize a loved one as part of our traditional Easter Lily Garden, please contact: Penny Franz at 214-8306 or Connie Fournier at 631-3236 by April 5th. The names will be listed in the Easter Sunday bulletin as well as in the next newsletter. We are continuing to grow Faith’s Water Project fund and more information will be available on that project soon. If you would like to make a donation to the fund as part of your honorarium, please make checks payable to Faith United Methodist Church.

30 Pieces of Silver: Remember to aside your 30 pieces of silver to offer during Lent. Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. We challenge you to symbolically turn those 30 pieces of silver into something that benefits God’s Kingdom. Our offerings will support Faith’s Water Project.

Easter Breakfast: The UMW will be hosting an Easter breakfast at 9:30 am.

Please join us for good food and fellowship!

FAITH UMW LADIES SPRING FLING

Jill Bryan (AKA Chaplain Jill) communicates God’s truths with fun and laughter.

She is a world wide Evangelist, Ventriloquist, and Magician

Adults $6/Children 12 & Under $3 Proceeds Support our Mission Projects

Saturday, April 18, 2020

1:00 p.m.

Reservations Necessary by April 5 Contact Penny Franz - 214-8306

Please join us for a Fun Program by Jilliebean (Chaplain Jill Bryan) and ‘Friends’

Followed by Dessert, Fellowship and Fun

CHURCH COUNCIL: Members Required by Discipline: Pastor Gracie Marske 574-303-5922 Co-Chairpersons Jeff Hildreth 286-1616 Virginia Clark 575-2310 Lay Leader Virginia Clark 575-2310 Chairperson of Staff/Pastor Parish Penny Franz 214-8306

Relations Committee Chairperson of Finance Committee Penny Franz 214-8306 Chairperson of Board of Trustees Al Carley 631-8305 cell; 637-8345 home Treasurer Penny Franz 214-8306 Lay Member to Annual Conference Virginia Clark 575-2310 Alternate Lay Member to Ann. Conf. Jeff Hildreth 286-1616 UMW President Lois Hansen 635-6403 Additional Members Designated by FUMC: Recording Secretary Vicky Hildreth 286-1763 Financial Secretary Donna Newland 632-8249 Assistant Financial Secretary Tawn Howe 421-2757 Membership Secretary Vicky Hildreth 286-1763 Members at Large Bonnie and Ken Merklin 634-4855 Jodie Miller 369-4032 Bernard Newland 632-8249 Darlene Seward 214-1005 Connie Fournier 638-1642 OTHER POSITIONS: Historian Parish Nurse COMMITTEES ELECTED BY CHARGE CONFERENCE: Committee on Staff/Pastor Parish Relations 2020: Penny Franz 214-8306 Dale Pettit 308-587-2468 2021: ____________________ 2022: Jeff Hildreth 286-1616 Lay Leader Virginia Clark 575-2310 Lay Member to Annual Conference Virginia Clark 575-2310 Chairperson Penny Franz 214-8306

2020 Faith United Methodist Church Officers and Team Members

Committee on Finance and Stewardship (Determined by positions held) Chairperson Penny Franz 214-8306 Vice Chairperson Carolyn Winter 630-6747 Treasurer Penny Franz 214-8306 Financial Secretary Donna Newland 632-8249 Assistant Financial Secretary Tawn Howe 421-2757 Church Council Chairperson Jeff Hildreth 286-1616 Lay Leader Virginia Clark 575-2310 Board of Trustees Representative Al Carley 631-8305 cell; 637-8345 home SPPR Representative Penny Franz 214-8306 Pastor Gracie Marske 574-303-5922 Board of Trustees 2020: Al Carley 631-8305 cell; 637-8345 home

Russ Howe 778-2011 2021: Bernard Newland 632-8249

Linda Talkington 635-6764 Ken Merklin 634-4855

2022: Wayne Lawrence 634-9946 Gary Cloyd 369-2718 Chairperson Al Carley 631-8305 cell; 637-8345 home Committee on Lay Leadership (Formerly Nominating Committee) 2020: Jeff Hildreth 286-1616 Shari McWilliams 632-2285 2021: Linda Talkington 635-6764 2022: Connie Fournier 638-1642 Lois Hansen 635-6043 Vicky Hildreth 286-1763 Lay Leader Virginia Clark 575-2310 Chairperson/Pastor Gracie Marske 574-303-5922

OTHER TEAMS: Open to anyone who is interested Outreach Helping Hearts Care Team Mary Hart, Chairperson 286-4457 Gracie Marske, Pastor 574-303-5022 Vicky Hildreth, Prayer Line Coordinator 286-1763 Jeff Hildreth 286-1616 Linda Talkington 635-6764 Connie Fournier 631-3236 Shari McWilliams 632-2285 Donna Newland 632-8249 Lois Hansen 635-6043 Worship Pastor: Gracie Marske 574-303-5922 Music: Virginia Clark 575-2310

Connie Fournier 631-3236 Tawn Howe 421-2757 Liturgists: Jeff Hildreth 286-1616

Vicky Hildreth 286-1763 Mary Hart 286-4457 Lois Hansen 635-6043

Head Usher: Wayne Lawrence 634-9946 Communion Stewards: Donna and Bernard Newland 632-8249 Vicky and Jeff Hildreth 286-1616 Education Lois Hansen 635-6043 Mary Hart 286-4457 Missions

Thank you to all those who served and continue to serve as committee chairs, committee participants, and ever present and essential mentors for us as Faith United Methodist Church and Congregation. Your valuable and unending commitment and experience and participation is beyond exception. Let us go forth in unity and love as a whole of God’s church and God’s people! I for one, am a better person for everyone’s presence at Faith! Bless you all! Virginia Clark, Lay Leader

Cheyenne’s 15th Annual Day of Giving this year is May 8th, 2020

Our focus this year will be UNDIE SUNDAY, date to be determined. The impetus behind Undie Sunday is the very harsh reality that for people who have difficulty affording food, hygiene items are a real stretch. Therefore, underwear is often a luxury that is simply beyond reach. In honor of the beginning of Spring, let’s all “spring” for a package of new underwear to bring to church. Bring a donation to help anyone you choose - baby to senior citizen, either gender, any size. Donations of other items can be seen at cheyennedayofgiving.org. Your support is very much appreciated!!!!