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Zion United Church

of Christ May 2014

Inside This Issue

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2 Palm of Prayer & Worship Ways

3 Community, County &

Conference Clamor

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5

6 Butterfly Room & Expression Ses-

sion

7 Celebration Occasions

8 Worship Whirl

Newsletter Email Address Change Please note my new email address when submitting articles and information for the

newsletter: jennyholt14@gmail.com.

Thanks! Jenny Holt

The Lamplighter

Zion United Church of Christ Established 1880

105 N. Mary, Mayview, Missouri 64071-8224

Phone and FAX: (660) 237 - 4355

John 20:15-16 (CEB) Who is it you are looking for? It was so appropriate that, in the Book of John, Jesus ap-

tion as a gardener. Jesus is in-deed the gardener in our lives. Our own Community Garden in Mayview has seemed a long time in coming, and cer-tainly presents itself as an ex-

periment that will evolve over time. It is like looking at a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless, for both sustenance and beauty. Where does the sun shine brightest and longest during the day? How do

protection from the brightest rays, for plants that need less sun? What will the layout and composition be for aesthetic purposes? Some plants will need more care than others, some more sun, or more wa-ter, or more weeding, or more nurture. Some will

gardening world!). Many hands make lighter work. Who will work to cultivate and tend, create and love this place of potential sustenance and beauty? Will it be filled with myriad works of creativity or just a few sparse attempts to bloom? The possibilities are endless; ideas, hopes, and plans grow in excitement and per-haps a bit of anxiety. How will this impact our Mayview mission field?

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The Lamplighter among us, endlessly tending to our needs. The potential yield is infinite yet not only due to the responsibility of our Holy Gardener; the responsibility is ours as well. Our loving Creator envelopes our potential with infinite light, Jesus continually shows us the Way, the Holy Spirit pours strong, nurturing encouragement into our lives, and we choose, every day, how we will respond. Will we stay tightly wrapped in the womb of the protective shell with which we surround ourselves at times and refuse to

forth from the depths of cool darkness and reach for the warmth and light, to breathe and grow and create seeds for new bursting? What will you choose this hour, this day, this springtime of rising with Christ from the depths to

What is it you are looking for?

Pastor Kristin

Gardening is the work of a lifetime you never

finish. ~ Oscar De La Renta

Palm of Prayer 21 Pay attention, Israel, for you are my servant; I made you, and I will not

forget to help you. 22

your sins; they are gone like morning

mist at noon! Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free. Isaiah 44:21 - 22 (TLB) 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: Evelyn

Morgan's grandmother; Ethan Bentsen; Doris Johns; Debbie Jarvis; Lisa Kaiser; Butch Caldwell; Gary Maschmeier; Russell Pierce; Bob Heidbrink; ElDean Dickmeier; family of Warrensburg High School student suicide; family of Kirsten Wrisinger; family of Julie Heimsoth; families of victims of Jewish Community shootings; first responders; military personnel and their families; families around the world that are in the midst of war and natural disasters. .

Joys Students Trent McGinnis and Caitlin Ehlert named to the KMZU Dream Team; homecoming of Madison McClure; graduates of all ages; Mothers; those that serve our country; Gardens, Fields, Rain and

Sunshine!

ZION UCC WORSHIP WAYS Council Comments It has been an eventful month leading up to Easter! The Annual Easter Egg Hunt was a success on Saturday the 19th. The youth opened Easter morning with an amazing Sunrise Service followed by a wonderful breakfast provided by the men of Zion. (There may have been a few women behind the scenes, too.) Thanks to all! Just a reminder that the Zion AME/Zion UCC combined worship will be Sunday, May 18th followed by a pot luck dinner and fellowship. On Wednesday, April 23rd, Pastor Kristin will travel to Pennsylvania to attend the Gestalt Pastoral Care Ecumenical Associates, Grace in Process, 30th Anniversary Conference. Please keep her in your prayers as she moves forward in the ordination process. And, we, your Council, ask for your continued prayers as we strive to make the best decisions for the life of Zion Church. As summer and warmer weather approaches, each of us starts to plan out our budgets for upcoming events such as vacations, time with family and such. Your church council is doing much of the same. As we carefully review expenses for the church we are trying to plan ahead as much as possible. Over the course of the year we know that certain months have more expenses than others due to quarterly bills such as insurance. June is one of those months when our monthly expenses are at their peak. We all can work better for the mission of our church when we are more informed. Our hope is that by informing the congregation of some upcoming expenses or times when those expenses may be heavy we can be better equipped to handle the needs of the church. Joining you in service, Zion UCC Church Council

Pastoral Support Committee The Pastoral Support Committee would like to remind everyone that they are open to any and all concerns, suggestions or words of encouragement you may have. Please feel free to visit with any one on the committee. Bill Banbridge; Jeanette Starkebaum; Joyce Hoefer.

Love is when you go out to eat and give

somebody most of your French fries

without making them give you any of

theirs. ~ Chrissy, age 6

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When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in

their mouth. ~ Billy, Age 4

Stats from the Financial Secretary March average attendance at worship services: 57 March Current Offering Received $6916.97 March OCWM (benevolent) Offering Received $694.67 March Lenten Offering for House of Hope $602.00 Received for Parsonage Furnace $1880.00 Received for One Great Hour of Sharing $825.00 Received for Back Snacks $50.00

Received for Festival of Sharing $25.00

YOUTH YAK April 6 was a very special day, as we baptized into the family of God, Blake Short, Adam Hoefer and Alyssa Hoefer. What a joyous occasion! The Easter egg hunt was a great success in May-view's Lafayette Park, with at least 19 chil-dren! The Youth did a great job of preparing and lay-ing out eggs for the frenzy, and our fearless Youth leaders provided activities and refreshment as well. Easter Sunrise Service was beautiful, mild, and funny! The E-Bunny skit had us laughing, and it was such a joy to sing songs of praise to the risen Christ. Fabulous music director Teresa Begemann provided the music with Trinity Alvested at her side. We had a great cast, including Garrett Fiegenbaum (the E-Bunny in lovely pastels), Mark Fiegenbaum, Matt Elder, Adam Hoefer, Blake Short, Seth Bayless, and Tresina Alvested (hope I didn't miss anyone!) Confirmation class is beginning to wind down. Thank you so much to Garrett and Mark for sharing your experiences with our class. Confir-mands prepare your testimonials for your Confirma-tion Day, which will be June 8, Pentecost Sun-day. Last class will be June 1.

Community, County & Conference Clamor Conference Annual Gathering (CAG) "Dream God's Dream" is the theme for our Confer-ence Annual Gathering, and the dates are June 12-14, 2014. As the Missouri Mid-South Conference be-gins a new chapter of our life together, this Gathering will bring together the work of the Visioning Team, the year of Strategic Innovation ministry, and the an-

ticipation of changes in Conference leadership.

The Lamplighter Mission Committee The Mission Committee has met twice to plan for the year of 2014. We encourage our members to continue to support our prepara-tion of Festival of Sharing kits on a monthly ba-sis. The month of May we highlight the Student Dental Pack. A display of the items included in the kit will be on the table in the church hall-way. Items to include for the Student Dental Kit are: 4 child size soft toothbrushes, 1 fluoride toothpaste 6 oz or more; 2 adult soft toothbrushes, 1 dental floss any size. Place all items in a 1 gallon zip lock bag. Money may also be donated to pay for shipping and pur-chasing items to complete kits. Individual items are also welcome. The Community Garden is underway at the junction of Marshall and Sallie streets. A work day was held on April 26th. Boards and labor to build raised beds, dirt moved, seeds and labor are all needed. This is a new experi-ment so come join in the beginning of a new venture to engage with the community and share your ideas on how to make it work. The Habitat for Humanity Run/Walk is coming up in June. And the CROP walk will be held September 28 at the Confederate Park in Higginsville. We welcome suggestions, advice and questions on how we can better help our con-gregation do vital mission work on behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ. Please see any committee member Martha Hawthorne, Lillie Jennings, Doris VanCleave or Rachel Murry.

around your neck are the arms of your

children. ~Unkown

Board of Christian Education The Board of Christian Education would like to recognize those gradu-ating this year- Jesse Engel, Mat-thew Elder, Mark Fiegenbaum, Tyler Sanders, Caitlin Ehlert and Robert Hoefer, Gillian Bertz, & Dakota Rus-sell. We apologize if we have missed anyone. We would like to express our congratulations and best wishes to all the graduates. We would like to remind everyone of the sum-mer Sunday School schedule beginning June 1st. 8:45 Fellowship time with a light breakfast 9:15 Sunday School activities and Bible Study/Book Study; 10:00 Church Worship .

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The Lamplighter

EXCITING NEWS... The Missouri Mid-South Conference Committee on Ministry (COM) has chosen for me to become a Member in Discernment, as I am working toward ordination in the United Church of Christ. I am a joyful member of our conference, and walking down the very new path (Alternative Route) toward ordination. I would appreciate good energy, thoughts, and prayers sent my and my family's way. It is so exciting to work with such a diverse family of faith in education, mission, worship and praise of our universal Creator, who loves everyone, no matter who they are or where they are on life's journey! With joy in Christ!

Pastor Kristin

Mayview Ecumenical Worship May 18 our neighbors from Zion African Methodist Episcopal (Zion AME) will be joining us for Worship and feasting! This is our first local ecumenical joint Worship which will take place during regular Worship hour at 10:30am. It will be followed by a potluck and fellow-ship. Later this year our church will reciprocate, by sharing Worship with Zion AME, at their church. We will take our regular of-fering on May 18, and when it is Zion AME's turn, we will contribute to their offering. This is a joyful ex-perience of sharing our faith with our neighbors in Christ, and very impor-tant that you come and be a part. Our Worship and work to-gether helps our faith grow and benefits the town of Mayview, by growing in partnership with fellow

children of God.

GOOD FRIDAY COMMUNITY SERVICE Zion AME was packed with Mayview community members from First Bap-tist Church, Zion UCC, and Zion

AME. It was a joy to welcome Pastor Dave Percival (and wife Lisa) to our community and Ministerial Alliance. The service was very special, filled with wonderful music, prayers, the Word of God, and a special blessing of our community family at its con-clusion. Fellowship included yummy cook-ies, beverages, laughter and new relation-ships forming in this grace-filled encounter in God's presence. Our thanks go to Zion AME for their gracious hospitality. We raised $271 for New Directions in Hig-ginsville, which is connected with Missouri Valley Community Action Agency. Fabu-lous! We look forward to our next Commu-nity service which will take place July 13 in

the park!

Financial Status through March 31, 2014

If you have any questions about the financial statement above, please ask a church council member. At the end of each quarter, (March, June, September and December) our expenses are higher than other months. The Church property insurance, the pastor's pension, disabil-ity, life, and health insurance are all due quarterly.

Comparison of Receipts to 2014 Budget & Expenses as of March 31, 2014

CURRENT BENEVOLENT

Total Budget $ 74,755.00 $ 7,475.00

YTD Budget $ 18,688.74 $ 1,868.75

YTD Expenses $ 20,642.47

YTD Receipts $ 16,863.91 $ 1,592.82

Budget to Receipts YTD -$ 1,824.83 -$ 275.93

Receipts to Expenses -$ 3,778.56

March Current Expense $10,158.90

March Current Receipts $ 6,947.04

Current Difference -$ 3,211.86

BANK ACCOUNT BALANCE 2014

Jan Feb March

MM ACCT-Bank of Odessa $ 31,501.91 $ 31,505.67 $31,509.30

CHECKING-Bank of Odessa $ 5,142.85 $ 3,425.17 $4,164.69

Certif of Depst-B&L Bank $ 21,287.31 $ 21,287.31 $21,313.55

TOTAL $ 57,932.07 $ 56,218.15 $56,987.54

When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because a cappella singing is all about the im-mersion of the self into the community. That's one of the great feelings - to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the

great social virtue. Brian Eno

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/brianeno478136.htmlhttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/brianeno478136.htmlhttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/brianeno478136.htmlhttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/brianeno478136.htmlhttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/brianeno478136.html

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Mother If I could give you diamonds

for each tear you cried for me. if I could give you sapphires

If I could give you rubies

If I could give you pearls

that would mount up to the skies That would almost match

the sparkle in your kind and loving eyes. But I have no pearls, no diamonds,

My devotion, love and care. ~Author Unknown

28 Her children arise up, and call her

blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth

her. Proverbs 31:28 (KJV)

Graduation Celebration Tyler Sanders Please join us as we celebrate with a fish fry: May 10 th, 2014 at 5:00 p.m.

Mayview Community Building

The Lamplighter

S.S. 9:30 A.M. Worship 10:30 A. M.

May 1, 2014 National Day of Prayer, 6:30pm May 4, 2014 Confirmation May 5, 2014 Outlook Club, Noon-lunch BCE, 7:15 pm May 7, 2014 Choir, 7 pm May 8, 2014 Boundary Training, 9 am 4 pm May 11, 2014

May 14, 2014 Choir, 7 pm May 15, 2014 Council, 7pm May 18, 2014 Zion AME joins us Confirmation Potluck following service May 21, 2014 Choir, 7 pm May 26, 2014 Memorial Day May 27, 2014 SAIL, 7 pm May 28, 2014 NO CHOIR

Copyright 2011 The Zondervan Corporation

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The Lamplighter EXPRESSION SESSION

I would like to thank everyone for the

prayers, visits, calls, food deliveries, farm

help and cards. My life has improved sooo

much since my Hip Replacement on Feb. 11.

Your prayers, Love and well -wishes helped

very much with my recovery. Jeff Sanders

Dear Church Family,

I wanted to thank you for all the

prayers you have sent my way. I hope you

continue to say prayers for me because

they are working. I am in remission right

now and continue to receive chemo treat-

ments to keep me there. Though this is an

incurable disease I am winning so far. God

has a plan. All my trust and faith is in

him. God bless you all. Laura Rhodes

Butterfly Room Dear Grief, How many times you have come with your black shroud wrapping your dark-ness around me. But I would only let your blackness be seen for a little while be-

cause as I looked into the eyes of others, I saw their pain so I quickly folded you and hid you within myself. As life went along, you came to me with each loss, but I always was quick to fold your black shroud and hide you away thinking I was protecting those who could see your dark arms folding in around me. Then, I lost my hus-band, my dear love. You descended upon me,

in your black shrouded arms. As my tears flowed non-stop from my eyes and my spirit, it was as though you were inviting me on a journey with you, with places to stop along the way. I allowed you to take control, and like a little train, our jour-ney began. The first stop was guilt. Could I have done more? Did I do enough? Did I give enough? I wish I had held my tongue. Could I have shown more understanding? This was a hard stop, but I let myself stay here long enough to examine these doubts. By doing that, I came to the satis-faction that I could have done no more than I could at the time with the strength I had. I had done the Best I could with the circumstances I was dealing with.

The next stop the little train made was anger. Why

as if I had not experienced a great loss? Why was

see I was locked into a place that had not been my choosing? As I lingered at this stop, I came to real-ize that FORGIVENESS made it possible for me to get back on that little train and continue my jour-ney. Next we stopped at loneliness. It was difficult to see how I might get past this stop. It felt like I had been thrown off a mountain and I was left try-ing to crawl back up in total darkness having only jagged edges to hold onto. I let myself feel all the deep emotions of loneliness and with time, I de-cided to get back on the little train. The next stop surprised me with pleasantness. I started feeling the sun and its warmth. I saw blue sky and noticed the colors of flowers, birds, and leaves. They had been lost to me during my jour-ney of grief. I reflected back on the other stops and realized that having let myself get off at each stop, I no longer felt lost any more. But there was another stop. This was the stop of

my loved one ble. If anyone would have told me that I could now be so vitally alive without him, I never would have believed them. But my journey of grief had yielded many lessons. Lessons like: not to take life or peo-ple for granted, to give love freely and uncondition-ally, deciding to forgive, taking steps to heal anger, and living each day so that it has worth and mean-ing. So, Grief, I no longer fear you. I no longer feel I should hide you. You are my friend who leads me through my pain so that I can make the necessary and healing stops along the way to that place where new life is possible. The letter above is written by a woman who had avoided grief with the many deaths she had experienced. As a result, she became over-whelmed when her husband died. Luckily, she was amenable to learning how to grieve so that she could be transformed, finding peace. Source: http://opuspeace.org/topics/bereavement

daughters who answered the call to

defend a country they never knew

Korea War Veterans Memorial

Washington DC

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The Lamplighter

Celebration Occasions May Birthdays

Date Birthday

3 Trey Hoeppner

10 Warren Hawthorne

12 Wilbur Neher

14 Bryce Neher

15 Darrell Fiegenbaum

19 Dorothy Begemann

22 Jesse Engel Philip Hoeppner

23 Verneal Koch Robert Brueggenjohann

28 Dana McGinnis

31 Teresa Begemann

Juanita Wright

Administrative Affairs

Pastor 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

Connie Sanders Custodian

(660) 237 - 4246 cjsanders77@yahoo.com

Serving Souls

May ACOLYTES GREETERS

4 Donovan Faigh Vernon & Kim Koch

11 Trinity Alvested Brian & Rachel Murry

18 Seth Bayless Laura Nolte & Judy Pragman

25 Tanner Burns Jeff & Connie Sanders

May Anniversaries

20 Robert & Amy Hoefer

23 Mike & Amy Burns

31 Ronnie & Martha Hawthorne

Office Hours

Pastor Secretary

Tuesday

8:00 AM Noon

Wednesday

6:00 8:00 PM Wednesday

5:00 9:00 PM

Thursday

8:00 AM Noon

Reminder!

The deadline for submissions for the June newsletter is Wednesday, May 21, 2014. Send your submissions to:

jennyholt14@gmail.com or zionuccsecretary@hotmail.com

Or Call (660) 237-4923

We have been attempting to bring the birthday and anniversary lists up to date. Please keep in mind that as families grow and expand, blend together and/or move, it can be a challenge to recognize and keep names straight. If you no-

simple as calling or emailing to let us know their name and date. Thanks for your patience, help and understanding! We are working hard to

meet your expectations!