MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF BENTON UNITED METHODIST …bentonumc.org/clientimages/34608/9 2015 insight...

INsight MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF BENTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

SEPTEMBER 2015

9.1 United Methodist Women

General Meeting ....................... 6:30 PM

9.2 Wednesday Night Live ............. 5:30 PM

9.3 Dinner with Friends .................. 6:00 PM

9.4 5th Quarter ............................... 8:00 PM

9.7 Church Office Closed for Labor Day


9.10 Morning Glories Meeting .......... 9:30 AM

9.12 Youth Ignite ............................ 12:00 PM

at Asbury UMC

9.13 Coffee with the Pastor .............. 9:00 AM

9.15 Food truck unloading ................ 9:00 AM Food packing .......................... 10:00 AM Nigthigales................................ 6:30 PM

9.16 The Food Distribution ............. 11:00 AM The Closet .............................. 12:00 PM Wednesday Night Live ............. 5:30 PM

9.18 5th Quarter ............................... 8:00 PM

9.20 Worship Design Meeting .......... 5:30 PM

9.22 OPALS ................................... 11:30 AM

(Older People with Active Life Styles)

9.23 Prayer Shawl Ministry .............. 1:30 PM Wednesday Night Live ............. 5:30 PM

9.25 Football Team Lunch ............... 8:00 AM

9.26 Souper Saturday ...................... 7:30 AM Dinner with Families ................. 5:00 PM


From the Pastor

Grace and peace to you in the Name and Spirit of Jesus Christ! This month we will begin our fourth capital campaign to retire the debt for our Family Life Worship Center and we begin to get ready for our fifth Advent Conspiracy. Each emphasis helps us to better understand and to practice how we honor God with how we use money. How can we make the most difference in the world in Jesus’ Name with what we have? “Burn the Note” Capital Campaign In the mid 1800’s our spiritual forefathers and foremothers made real God’s vision for the Wesleyan spirit of “spreading Scriptural holiness” to happen in north Bossier Parish. Through the years our congregation has followed the vision of God to “offer them Christ” and “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Each time we built, we built on faith, knowing that God is leading us to bring more people to Christ. In 1991 we bought ten acres of land and relocated the Benton United Methodist Church to our current site in 1999. In 2006 we moved into our current Worship and Family Life Center. We have twenty-nine acres of land to expand the ministry of Christ through mission in the future. We are now entering our fourth capital campaign to eliminate our current debt of approximately $517,000. It is crucial for the future of our mission and ministries to pay off this debt so we will be able to move forward with creating a permanent worship space, more classrooms and offices in the future. Please note that this is not a campaign to raise money for the ongoing ministries of the church through our annual stewardship campaign. (That will take place later this year in November.) The Burn the Note Capital Campaign is a three-year campaign specifically designed to retire our debt or “burn the note” on the Family Life Worship Center.

Continued on Page 2...

Mark Your Calendar

INsight Monthly Newsletter of Benton United Methodist Church

From the pastor (continued from page 1)

Currently our Family Life Worship Center houses the Church office and our staff offices. Here is a glimpse other ministries we house:

Weekly: Sunday Morning Worship including Children’s

Church Sunday School for one children’s class, one

youth class and two adults classes Wednesday Night Live

(meals and programming for adults and children) Music rehearsals (Choir and Praise Team) Prayer Team meetings United Methodist Men’s Prayer Breakfasts Children’s Ministries

(Sundays and Wednesdays)

The Table Food Ministries including the Emergency Food Pantry

First Place 4 Health Meetings Bodies on a Mission Exercise The Closet Clothes Ministries Play area for our Daycare (Gym area and indoor

play area) Tuesday Night Open Basketball Sports practices (as scheduled by coaches)

Mission Events (Souper Saturday, Northwest Louisiana Food Bank Distribution, Clothes Closet, SNAP—Special Nutrition Assistance Program)

United Methodist Men’s Breakfast United Methodist Women’s Circle Meetings

OPALS (Older Persons Active Lifestyles) Luncheons

Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Breakfasts

Church Meetings (Administrative Committees and Program Ministry Teams)

Monthly:

As you can see our Worship and Family Life Center is actively used every day of the week and most week nights for the worship of God and the building up of the Body of Christ. These facilities serve us well as we serve the world in Jesus’ name. We built in faith and now we can burn the note through our faithful commitments.

We have an awesome opportunity to offer the world Christ through a Wesleyan understanding of grace that is infused with an evangelical and social gospel. We have a unique gift to offer north Bossier Parish; will you join us to the burn the note?

We begin this Capital Emphasis on Sunday, September 6th in worship. We hope that you will join us!

Christmas Gifts – Advent Conspiracy 2015 September 1

st means only 114 days until Christmas! Stores have already begun to prep us for Christmas

long before Halloween has started. Making Christmas lists, buying the “perfect” gift for the person who really already has more than they need, and keeping Christ in the center of Christmas can be a challenge. Benton UMC is devoted to help you and your family to make this Christmas to be the best one yet. Five years ago we began the Advent Conspiracy, which is an attempt to keep Christmas as a celebration of God’s love that comes supremely in Jesus, the babe of Bethlehem. Read this quote from the Advent Conspiracy website: “The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love. So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas? What if Christmas became a world-changing event again? Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.”

Continued on page 3...

United Methodist Women ~ Fall News!!!


General Meeting Tuesday, September 1 at 6:30 PM

Family Life Worship Center

Everyone is invited to this informational meeting. Learn about the Benton UMW, meet our members, and see where you connect. We will enjoy a salad supper as we prepare to begin our monthly meetings.

Our nominations committee will present their nominations for the 2016 officers. All members of the Benton UMW are urged to attend and bring a friend or two!

Fall Craft Fair—Reserve Your Booth Now! Saturday, October 10 from 9-3 PM

The two circles (small groups) begin their monthly meetings in September.

“Nightingales”

(evening circle) Third Tuesdays

September 15 at 6:30 PM in the Eva Smith Sunday School room

“Morning Glories”

(morning circle) Second Thursdays

September 10 at 9:30 AM in the Breakfast Club Sunday School Room

For more information on Benton United Methodist Women, please contact: Katherine Ashley at [email protected]

From the pastor (continued from page 2) This Advent will be Benton United Methodist Church’s fifth year of accepting the Advent Conspiracy challenge to worship fully, spend less, give more and to love all. Each year thousands and thousands of dollars have been raised to support local and international missions. Lives were opened, loved and transformed through our intentional focus on Jesus as the reason for the season. Here is the Advent Conspiracy Challenge:

Worship fully God each day and weekly with our church family! Spend less this Christmas by buying one less gift per person! Give the money that you would

have spent on the gifts that you did not purchase toward the Advent Conspiracy offering at Church.

Give more creatively. Make gifts that are memorable and from the heart. And give the money that you would have spent on purchasing gifts toward the Advent Conspiracy offering at Church.

Love everyone. Make time to serve those in need and find ways to love our neighbor just as much as we love ourselves.

Does Benton United Methodist Church believe that Christmas can [still] change the world? Can we partner with the Advent Conspiracy (www.AdventConspiracy.org) to celebrate Christmas by worshiping fully, spending less, giving more, and loving all? Start thinking now how you can be a part of something that changes the world one life at a time. The life that you will be changing the most will be your own. We will be collecting monetary gifts during the Advent Season (November 29 – December 24) that will go toward supporting life changing ministries. We can make monumental differences in the world today when we come together in the Name of Christ to worship, study, and serve. Will you join me in making a difference?

Grace and peace, Rev. Dr. Danny Gleason Senior Pastor

http://www.AdventConspiracy.org


Beach BUMS News

News for Parents and Kids (ages 3 years old through fifth grade)

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.1 Timothy 4:12

Back to School! Wow! Busy! But the fun is non-stop! I am so glad that I am able to spend my weekdays with many of our children from Benton UMC. I am also thankful to have so many children joining us for Children’s Church on Sunday mornings. We spend our time in Children’s Church studying Bible verses, doing crafts, and playing games. I love our time together and the wonderful comradery that is developing between our kids!

As you know back to school creates very tired kids, and very tired kids often whine so here are…

7 Ways to Get Your Kid to Stop Whining -from Idealistmom.com.

1. Nip it in the bud. From webmd.com: To avoid whining, [pediatrician Laurel Schultz, MD] advises parents not to wait until children are in distress to acknowledge them. “It’s important to respond to that first bid for attention, if you can,” she says. “If you are on the phone or in the middle of a conversation, make eye contact with your child and put a finger up, so she knows you’ll be with her in a minute. Then give your child your attention as soon as you can politely do so.”

2. Empathize before you lecture. From parents.com: Don’t say: “You can’t always get what you want.” Yes, it’s tempting to start humming that Rolling Stones tune, but what you really need to do is show empathy — at least before the whining becomes a full-blown tantrum. “Say, ‘It does look like a fun toy, and I bet you’d really like it. Should we add it to your birthday list or would you like to save your allowance money for it?'” says [Toni Schutta, a psychologist and parent coach in St. Paul]. “This helps kids learn to delay gratification.” Plus, this response gives them hope and empowers them, and it teaches them the importance of saving money.

3. Show your kid what to aim for. From askdrsears.com: Replay for your child how unpleasant [whining] sounds, being careful not to mock. Don’t do this when you are both emotional. Do it at a calm time. Whine back: “Which do you like, Mommy’s sour voice (‘I don’t wanna make supper’) or Mommy’s sweet voice (‘Gosh, I’m tired. I could use some help’)?”

4. Let her know when she got it right. From parents.com: “Parents always point out, ‘That’s not a nice voice’ but often don’t provide enough positive reinforcement,” says [Michele Borba, Ed.D., author of Parents Do Make a Difference]. You might say, “Thanks for using your normal voice” or “My ears love that voice.”

5. Don’t ignore the whining. From parents.com: Put away the earplugs and take action. “Kids can whine all day, easily outlasting a parent who is trying to tune it out,” says Rene Hackney, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist in Alexandria, Virginia. “The longer you let your child complain, the more determined she’ll become to get her way.” Instead, help your child understand that her whining voice is very hard to listen to. You can say, “I can’t understand you when you whine. If you want to tell me how you feel, then I need you to use your regular voice.”

6. Be playful. Here’s a foolproof magic trick to stop whining. From cnn.com: Debbie Granick of St. Louis uses a “whine” cup, or bowl or bucket or whatever’s at hand. “Whenever one of them starts, I say, ‘Here, go pour out your whine and bring me your regular voice.’ It gets a smile, or at least that ‘Oh, Mom’ look, and then they’ll usually change their tone.” She then thanks her child for using a “pleasant” voice. Or whisper your answer back. “You may have to whisper it several times, but your child will have to be quiet to hear you, and a lot of times he’ll mimic your tone of voice,” says Karen Shaffer, a mom of three in Highland, California.

7. Reconnect for a few minutes. From webmd.com: “Often whining signals it’s time to reconnect with your child.” To do that, [educator and developmental psychologist Becky Bailey, PhD] advises parents to spend some focused time together reading, cooking a meal, or doing something else the child enjoys. “A few minutes connecting with your child once or twice a day can make a huge difference for families dealing with difficult behaviors,” Bailey says.

Be PROACTIVE

I have the wonderful opportunity of teaching in the Counselor’s Corner at Kingston Elementary. I am using the seven habits from the book, The Leader in Me. I will be sharing more about this with the Beach BUMS in the next few weeks. Our first habit is Be Proactive. This habit ties directly with our Children’s Ministries’ key verse - Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1Timothy 4: 12

To Be Proactive, students must take charge of themselves, and this can be done in the following ways –

Our first Footsteps in the Sand meeting for this school year will be Sunday, September 13, at 4:00 PM in Bible Beach. This is one of our main action-based mission projects for children. We are moving our time back in an effort to get everyone home, bathed, and in bed so we are ready for school on Monday morning. We will make teacher treats and play a few games. We will be finished and ready to head home by no later than 5:15 PM. I hope to see you there!

I know that several sports seasons are starting soon – football, soccer, and fall baseball, just to name a few! Bring me a schedule so I can come be a fan – which in my case, truly is short for fanatic! I love to see you doing your thing! Gymnasts and

cheerleaders, let me know about your performances also. I’d love to see you in action, too!

Speaking of sports, I ran across “I am a youth athlete.” the other day and thought it contained a number of important things to think about - so I thought I would share it with you.

Until next time, let your BEACH BUMS light shine!

Mary Jo Duddy, Director of Children’s Ministries [email protected]

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/why-kids-whine-and-how-to-stop-them

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/behavioral/stop-whining/?page=1

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/discipline-behavior/bothersome-behaviors/whining

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/behavioral/stop-childs-whining/?page=1

http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/behavioral/deal-with-whining-children/?page=1

http://idealistmom.com/2013/12/warning-kids-shopping/

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/parenting/04/26/par.no.whining/index.html

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/why-kids-whine-and-how-to-stop-them


Since school is back in full swing, here is a parable to share with your children using a common school supply and to remind them of their value…and everyone’s value!

The Parable of the Pencil

Author Unknown

In the beginning, the Pencil Maker spoke to the pencil saying, "There are five things you need to know before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"FIRST - You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow your-self to be held in someone's hand."

"SECOND - You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but this is required if you are to be-come a better pencil."

"THIRD - You have the ability to cor-rect any mistakes you might make."

"FOURTH - The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"FIFTH - No matter what the condition, you must continue to write. You must always leave a clear, legible mark no matter how difficult the situation."

The pencil understood, promising to remember, and went into the box fully understanding its Maker's purpose. Everyone is like a pencil ... Created by the Maker for a special purpose.

YOU WERE MADE

TO DO GREAT THINGS!

For more information on

Student Ministries, contact:

Todd Hable, Director of Student Ministries (318) 372-1168 or [email protected]


Dinner with Families

September 26 at 5:00 PM

Dinner with Families…an evening of fun for all to enjoy. Worried about missing your favorite football game? Worry no more-game will be shown on the big screen! So come on out and enjoy an evening of food and fun!

Tuesday, September 26 at 11:30 AM Family Life Worship Center $5 per person for lunch Those Older People with Active Life Styles meet the 4th Tuesdays of each month. This month, there will be a special program with our own “barrister extraordinaire,” Gordon Bartage, who will tell us about the importance of making a will—the “how to” and the “why to”!

Reserve your spot, call: Peggy Rumbaugh at (318) 349-1465

OPALS ministry is geared toward those 55+, but anyone interested in the program is invited

and everyone is welcome!

Dinner at 5:30 PM

Small Groups & Classes at 6:15 PM

Childrens, Youth Ministries & Adult Classes

Adult Classes:

Faith-Sharing 101

Led by Rev. Dr. Danny Gleason

Practicing Our Faith

Led by Ann Sellers

Serving Opportunities

When & where can you serve? Tuesday, September 15

Truck Unloading ................................... 9:00 AM Bag Packing ....................................... 10:00 AM

Wednesday, September 15 The Closet Clothes Ministry ............... 11:00 AM NWLA Monthly Food Distribution ....... 12:00 PM

For more information on these and other outreach ministries, please contact:

Rachel Stoneman

(318) 965-2273 [email protected]


Thank You for Serving

Backpack Mini Mission ‘I will remember this backpack forever!’

Thank you, Benton UMC, for making the backpack outreach so successful!

At Educator Appreciation, a counselor from each school received 4 supply-filled back-

packs to give to children they believe need that assistance and on Monday, August 24, 44 more backpacks were distributed to Benton High, Benton Middle, Benton Elementary, Legacy Elementary, Kingston Elementary, Airline High, Greenacres Middle, and Apollo Elementary. A counselor said, “I have already given out some backpacks and one of the young boys said, ‘I will remember this backpack forever!’”

45 of those backpacks were distributed to our neighbors who qualify for the NWLA Food Bank USDA program. They are so excited to be able to take a NEW backpack home to their children.

Common Ground Community, Inc.

Common Ground Community, Inc. began about 20 years ago as an outreach ministry of Grace Community UMC, serving our neighbors in Cedar Grove who attended the Faith UMC before its closure in 2009. Our main goal has been to make life easier for those who struggle to make it through the week, by our presence, love and efforts. As we provide essential services such as hot meals, a food pantry, and clothing closet, we develop relationships with our friends and learn of their needs. Recently, we transformed our food pantry into a “client-choice” market. Now, an average of 80 families “shop,” selecting the food and household items with the help of a personal shopper. After they finish “shopping,” the items are weighed and then bagged, using bags donated by members of Benton UMC!

Thank you, Benton UMC, for reaching out to help others serve in Christ’s name!

NON-PROFIT

PERMIT #17

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Benton United Methodist Church 4615 Palmetto Road, Benton, Louisiana 71006

Office: (318) 965-2273 Fax: (318) 965-5360

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.bentonumc.org

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Newsletter articles

Please e-mail all newsletter articles to:

[email protected]

All articles are due by the 20th of each month

for the next month’s newsletter.

The Message ~ September 2015

September 6

What is Your Work?What is Your Work?

September 13

The Table is…The Table is…

September 20

The Table is SetThe Table is Set

September 27

The Table is OpenThe Table is Open

October 4

The Table is BIGThe Table is BIG

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF BENTON UNITED METHODIST …bentonumc.org/clientimages/34608/9 2015 insight...

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