In the classic book, Alice in Wonderland, Alice comes to an icy fork in the road. Panic begins to set in as she stands frozen by indecision, not knowing which way to go. She lifts her eyes to heaven, seeking a little guidance, only to see the Cheshire Cat staring back at her from his perch in the tree. “Which way should I go?” Alice blurts out. “That depends on your destination,” says the cat. “Where are you going?” To which Alice replies: “I don’t know!” “Then,” replies the cat, “it doesn’t really matter does it.” But the fact is: It does matter. The destination is critical. We can’t set out on a journey without knowing where we are going. Otherwise, we may end up doing a lot of work, but never make any progress and end up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, never reaching the promise God has prepared for us.

Proverbs 29:18 says: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Vision is what drives us. It’s what maps out our destination and the roads we should take along the way. Our vision is to be the family friendly, Christ-loving church on the corner. Critical to that endeavor is deep discipleship, to be family life centered in everything, community involvement and outreach, and transparent communication.

Much progress has been made in the area of deep discipleship in the last year. This has come through preaching, our disciple-building program, our small group ministry, and the creation of an intentional discipleship path (The Journey 2.0) with next steps for growth. In the next year, our focus is to offer training for new and existing leaders and to introduce a few groups focused on family oriented topics.

In the area of children’s, youth, and family ministry, our focus in 2018 was laying the groundwork to prepare us to receive children and families. We hired staff, worked to strengthen our current team, improved security in the nursery, updated our safe-sanctuary policy, worked to establish family friendly spaces, offered several family friendly events (Easter Egg Hunt, Family Game Night, VBS, Summer Bash, Harvest Carnival), launched a church youth group, and moved from “Sunday School” to “Kids Worship.” In the next year, we hope to build on those efforts by recruiting new volunteer help, investing in building our church youth group, and finding new ways to invest in and reach out to young families.

Under community involvement and outreach, we worked to adopt 5 classes at Crosby Elementary. This year our focus shall be establishing an inviting presence / space and working to improve visitor retention by improving our follow-up and greeting process, improving interior

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  Streams of Life

To boldly make and nurture disciples of Jesus Christ

We are the family friendly,

9700 Dry Fork Road, Harrison, OH 45030Phone: 513-367-4990E-mail: pastorjustin@mymw.orgWeb: mymw.org

Pastor Justin Fuhrmann

signage, staffing the Welcome Center and doing more regular movie nights due to the success of our I Can Only Imagine event.

Finally, we have seen clear progress in transparent communication. According to the recent survey, it is clear that the majority of the congregation believes we are communicating clearly, frequently, and effectively. However, there is still room for improvement. Clear next steps were identified. Plans are to improve our church website, increase our social media presence, and to put up more bulletin boards so our individual ministries can show what’s going on in their individual ministries in a more effective way. In addition, we will be adding a separate email blast to keep announcements and other information separate so that results of events and critical announcements are not lost in the announcements.

I don’t know about you, but I am excited about where Miami Whitewater is heading. Progress may be slow, but positive things are happening. We are seeing professions of faith and new members (9 to date this year). We are seeing baptisms and recommitments (8 to date this year). We are seeing momentum and greater depth. I am looking forward to what our God will continue to do among us as we work to be known as the family friendly, Christ-loving church on the corner. If you have any questions, feedback, or concerns please don’t hesitate to speak with Pastor Justin or one of the members of our Spiritual Leadership Board (Dan Simpson, Sue Schwartz, Dennis Meyers, Dale Henn, Terri Sturdevant, Linda Van Oflen, Dave Kalota, Joan Hittinger, Wes Brown). We value your feedback and your comments.

Pastor Justin

Children’s Ministry

What’s New in Children’s Ministry?We have recently made several changes to the way we do children’s ministry on Sunday mornings. We are excited about these changes because we believe they will make it more fun and inviting for kids!

“Kids Worship”Sunday morning children’s ministry is now “Kids Worship” instead of Sunday School. Since school is not a happy place for many kids, we want to move away from using “school” language to talk about what we do at church. We also want the name to more accurately reflect that children’s ministry is about becoming a disciple of Jesus; kids are experiencing what it means to worship God and not just learning information.

On a similar note, we have begun having a worship time with the kids each week. We are singing fun, upbeat songs similar to what the kids sang at VBS.

Spaces and PlacesYou may have noticed that we are using Room 10A/B for part of our Kids Worship time on Sundays. This allows us to use the TV for worship videos and multimedia curriculum, we have more space when we play games that involve running around, and it helps both kids and adults not feel claustrophobic. We also added some wall decals to the B side of the room to make it more colorful and inviting.

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To better facilitate the kids’ use of the room on Sundays, we are moving the chairs out of the room each Sunday morning. We understand that, since it is a multipurpose room, others need chairs in the room at other times. We are trying to move them back in each week, but if you happen to need the room and find it without chairs, please feel free to move some back in.

Children's Ministry Email BlastWe have begun sending out a new email blast to parents each week. This email keeps parents updated about upcoming events and what the kids are doing on Sunday mornings, and suggests some questions for further discussion at home. If you would like to receive this email, please contact me at kids@mymw.org.

Thank you so much for your support of children’s ministry as we minister to the kids in this church and the community!

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A Few Updates from the SLB

The following is a report from the Spiritual Leadership Board (SLB) for the month of October 2018.

Members of the SLB include: Lynn Anderson, Wes Brown, Dale Henn, Joan Hittinger, Dave Kalota, Dennis Meyers, Sue Schwartz, Dan Simpson, Terri Sturdevant and Linda Van Often. Pastor Justin Fuhrmann is an active participant with the SLB.

1. Teresa (Terri) Yocum has been hired as Nursery Worker effective October 1, 2018. Terri will provide Nursery services for the Sunday morning services and special church services throughout the year. Terri may also be used by Ministries and Small Groups to provide nursery service. See Sue Swartz for details.

2. SLB was given an update on the current "Intentional Discipleship" effort that involves 10 persons. These persons are currently developing the skills and spiritual base to engage and develop others. Early next year (February 2019) a church-wide church survey is being planned to understand our status for growing this spiritual endeavor.

3. Pastor Justin reviewed the "Ministry Action Plan" for our Church. This MAP is comprehensive and has multiple objectives to move us toward our mission of "To boldly make and nurture disciples of Jesus Christ."

4. Plans were made for the upcoming "Charge Conference and State of the Church" that is planned for November 5, 2018.

a. Notables for Charge Conference: 2019 Nominations, Pastoral Pay Package, Breakthrough Goals, and approval of the Guiding Principles.

b. Notables for State of the Church: Communication Survey and Action Plans, Pillar Reports and Financial Update.

5. We have completed the review process for most of our important Policies and Procedures including the Personnel Policy, Van Use Policy, Safe Sanctuary Policy, Crisis Plan, Guiding Principles and others. Human Resources will be leading a "Compliance Audit" of some of these policies during 2019.

Blessings,

Dan Simpson

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We are the family friendly, Christ-loving church on the corner

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Ministry of Hope and PrayerOn a recent men’s retreat, I traveled to the location with three other men, talking all the way. I spoke that evening and twice on Saturday morning, but on Saturday afternoon, I slipped away by myself to catch a ten-mile run on a local battlefield. Some men had initially talked to me about joining me for the run, which I was open to, but when I said I planned to run about ten miles, they playfully responded, “We’ll pray for you. Have fun.” In the aftermath, I was grateful I could be alone that afternoon; being in the woods, praying on my own, sweating in the

sun, talking with God. It was the perfect time of refreshment for me, giving me the needed boost for the rest of the weekend. Some Christians get recharged by getting together and talking about what has happened or just kicking back and enjoying each other’s company. I prefer to be alone, to think and pray, and wind down slowly.

I used to struggle with this need, wondering if I was being selfish. However, now I know that if I serve God in a blazing two weeks, or a blazing ten years, and then become burned-out for long periods of time, I will not have been a good steward of my life. I want to faithfully serve God for fifty or sixty or seventy years, which means I need to consider how I can be spiritually replenished.

On his deathbed a great Christian evangelist said, “God gave me a message and a horse to carry that message. I have beaten the horse to death, and now I can no longer carry the message.” The horse was his body, but it could also have been his soul.

I’ve met too many godly men and women who were burned-out before they entered their most productive years. Sometimes burnout led them to quit the ministry and never look back. Others have sought escape through illicit activity and brought scandal on the church of Christ. If God grants it, I want to be serving Him just as zealously in my sixties, seventies, and eighties as I am now. Twenty years from now, I don’t want to have gained vital and precious experience, but have lost my motivation and joy.

If we tend our garden, we’ll have plenty of food with which to feed others.  If we give our garden just cursory attention, we may have enough to feed just ourselves. If we completely neglect our garden, we’re going to be so hungry we’ll become “consumer” Christians, feeding off of others.

Discovering our spiritual temperament is a means by which we can achieve the desired ends — knowing God and obeying His call on our life. The Puritans called the Sabbath the “market day of the soul,” a special day to care for our inner world and to spend extra time relating to our God. The problem is that some of us try to take a shortcut and fulfill God’s call without receiving God’s nourishment. Disaster lies down that road.

How Does Your Garden Look?

We were made to love God. Think about that for a minute: We were made to love God. Each of us stands before an open plot of land. God will scour Heaven and earth to provide us with what we need to plant and maintain a beautiful garden of love, intimacy, and fellowship with Him. Not a second of our existence passes without God thinking about how to turn our hearts toward Him. Not one single second.

The almost unbelievable joy is that you can enjoy a relationship with God that He will have with no one else. And God eagerly, passionately, yearns for that relationship to begin.  God is just as eager to love and know you as He was to know Moses, David, and Mary.

You are no less precious to Him than were these heroes of the faith. But each one of these saints — Moses, David, and Mary — spent time cultivating and growing their relationship with God. Each one made knowing God the chief passion of their hearts.

Will you respond to this same invitation today?

(Excerpted with permission from Sacred Pathways  by Gary Thomas, copyright Gary L. Thomas.)

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Even Jesus had to get away to seek God and pray.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went to a deserted place and prayed there. - Mark 1:35.

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Men’s Ministry

Men's Group - Thursday Evening - How about enjoying a snack from the grill or a lite supper before getting into God's word. Every Thursday at the Old Farmhouse we eat at 6:00pm and then get into a Bible Study at 6:30pm. Come join in any Thursday.Car Show - Our Car Show is a great event benefitting the Community. Through the profits from the Car Show, we are able to make a donation to the Harrison Outreach Pregnancy Center, as well as provide funding for our CAR PROGRAM which benefits single Mothers in need of transportation help. This is a year-round program. We have been able to bless a single mom with a car at least once every year since we started the program. We also help other moms throughout the year with car repairs as our budget allows.While the Car Show was cancelled this year, we still have Gift Certificates courtesy of our sponsors. We are looking at having a Basket Raffle to help raise funds for our Program after the first of the year. More information to come.Saturday Breakfast - We meet the fourth Saturday of every month at 8:00am at the old farmhouse. It doesn't matter what the weather is we always have a warm, hearty breakfast. Outside, if you prefer, or inside, we have a seat for you. After the fellowship and breakfast, we have a short devotion. It's always a great way to start your weekend. The food is always free. We do take up a collection to help the Missions that we support. In fact, there is a possibility that Dennis Alejo might be able to join us. If so, we could get an update on the good work they are doing. Harvest Carnival - Thanks to all the men who helped with set-up, grilling and other parts of the event.Men's Choir - We sang our first song this fall in October, "I Saw the Light ." If you missed that, catch us in November - we are rehearsing another popular song.Join us in singing some old favorites. This is not a big time commitment and is a fun time. We recently switched rehearsals to Wednesday evening to avoid Sunday nights.Math Life Lesson #9 - "The answer might be simple, but the steps to get there may not

be."Occasionally, we have a simple answer that still requires a large number of steps in order to solve the problem. You get to decide which steps to take. Just like many of life's journeys there is often a direct path and many other paths that eventually wind back to the goal. The journey to reach the goal may not always be easy, but stay focused."You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go."

- Dr. Seuss

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“But the path of the just is like shining light, that grows in brilliance till perfect day." - Proverbs 4:18 Hope you are enjoying Fall.Peace in Christ,Joe Kihm

United Methodist Women

BAZAAR! BAZAAR!BAZAAR!

Sorry, everyone, I just can’t control myself when it’s this time of year. This is our “biggie” folks - our big fund raiser for the year!!! IT’S SNEAKING UP ON US! Plans are moving along for the celebration of our “Frosty, Starry Night.” All donations, except perishable food, may be brought in starting after the activities on Sunday, October 28.Please make sure you have signed up for food donations for the Luncheon and you have marked it on your calendar. Every morsel is needed and desired by our guests for the big day. Please try to have them in by Friday evening.Marilyn McKnight will be looking for donations for the Christmas Booth, so get them ready to bring in the week before the bazaar. Anything and everything Christmas is wanted - books, sweaters, kitchen, bath, indoor and outdoor decorations, ORNAMENTS - it’s all wanted! This booth takes a lot of time to set up, so the sooner you get them in the better.If you have items you are donating for the Gift Booth, you can bring those in any time now and either give them to me (Rosie Bauer) on Sundays, or mark them for the Gift Booth and place them in the pantry and I will collect them from there. Remember, good condition items only - something you would like to receive whether you need it or not! Anything is acceptable - from toys to diamonds (just kidding!). If I cannot use it, it will go to Goodwill.I hope all you crafters are busy little bees getting your items make for Karen Kilgo’s Craft Booth. Any items you have made - woodcraft, sewing, knitting, painting, hand crafted ornaments, etc., are wanted.Be sure to get out all your cookie and sweets recipes for the Gourmet Booth. Carrie Haessig and Terri Sturdevant are in charge of the booth this year. Cookie tins of all sizes are needed. All kinds of baked goods, candies, sweet breads, starter kits, popcorn balls, frosted pretzels, etc. are needed. If you can package and price your goodies, wonderful! This booth also takes time to prepare, so we ask that you items be in by Friday afternoon WITH THE EXCEPTION OF COOKIES. Please have those in by Thursday evening – noon Friday at the latest. All of the cookies will be combined to fill the cookie tins, which are a big seller, so we need lots and lots of cookies and lots of varieties.In other news, our regular meeting for October was held on the 8th, hosted by Team #1. Discussions were held on up-coming events for the year.Samaritans Purse (Christmas Boxes) are now being collected until November 4th. The collection table and information is in the vestibule.

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Our December Dinner Meeting will be on Monday, December 10th in the sanctuary. A catered meal will be prepared by Rita Skeen and Sue Schwartz and hosted by your officers. All ladies of the congregation are invited to attend – adults only please.Hope to see all of you at the Bazaar – invite all of your friends and neighbors.Until next time….Blessings to all!Your Officers

Just a few short notes for me –

You may have noticed that the sign on the kitchen door has changed. Since it is going into the fall and winter months, please leave the door OPEN now to let all the hot air from the ice machine out into the hallway.

We are once again getting low on our plastic hand-out containers in the kitchen. If you have any at home that you are not using, please bring them in to the church.

The next Women’s Breakfast will be on Saturday, November 10 at 9:00am (NOT the 3rd!!). For those who have volunteered to bring food or drinks, I will email you the week before the meeting to remind you of your offerings. Thank you, in advance, for your wonderful service to our meetings and to the Lord!

Please remember to pray for those on the weekly prayer list and those in the weekly email blast. If you don’t currently receive the prayer list or email blast and would like to, please let me know, because as we all know, prayers work wonders and we all need them! You can call me at the church or email me at tsturdevant@mymw.org.

As we look ahead to the future,

Remember, the Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

Terri

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The Spiritual Leadership Board will meet Thursday, November 8 at 6:00pm. Meeting will be held at CMC-B bldg. Food will be furnished.

Core ValuesLoving Relationships Authentic CommunityTransformation by Grace Sacrificial ServiceRisk-Taking Mission Passionate WorshipFervent Prayer Biblical LivingStrong Christian Families Servant Leadership

Fun in the Puns The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir

Circumference. He acquired his size from too much pi. No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be

stationary. Atheism is a non-profit organization. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. A backward poet writes inverse.

Helping Hands MinistryFamilies helped by the Miami Whitewater United Methodist Church

Food Pantry for 2018

FOOD PANTRY OUTREACH BY THE NUMBERS

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God's word:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:20-23 (NIV)

Year to date totals

Individuals served January thru August ---- 1307

MonthFamili

es AdultsChildre

nJanuary 33 62 26February 36 78 31March 45 111 52April 47 119 32May 46   116  42June 48 122 64July 54 119 48August 47 120 47September 39  80 38October      November      December        395 927 380

Nov. 4th 11th 18th 25th

Set-Up

Joyce Wiseman

Kuzaan van den Berg Trish Henn

Judy Campbell Clarien van den Berg

Clean-UpTerri Yocum Joe Kihm Sue Hayes Kuzaan van

den Berg

Judy Campbell Paulette Kihm Jody Griffith Clarien van den Berg

Coffee Cake Judy Campbell Dolores Heintz Pat Brown

Donut Holes

Bill Nicholson Loretto Hart Bev HammittJoy

Cunningham

Patti Teeters

Healthy Snack

Terri Sturdevant

Rhonda Skipton

Sugar Free

Fruit Lynn Anderson Sharon Simpson Rose Knight Trish Henn

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Orange Juice Jack Arnold Billie Mitchell Mary Williams

AnnouncementsChristmas Bazaar: Saturday, November 3, from

10:00am to 2:00pm at the church

Daylight Savings Time: Sunday, November 4. Please remember to Fall back!

All Saints Day: Sunday, November 4

Church Conference and State of the Church: Monday, November 5 at 6:00pm at the church

Women’s Breakfast: Saturday, November 10 at 9:00am at the church

Family Game Nite: Sunday, November 11 at 6:00pm at the church

Young at Heart: Thursday, November 15 at 11:30am at the church.

Thanksgiving Holiday: Office closed, Thursday and Friday, November 22 and 23. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Men’s Breakfast: Saturday, November 24 at 8:00am at the farmhouse

Family Game Nite: Sunday, November 25 at 6:00pm at the church

Church Decorating Time!!!: Saturday, December 1 at 10:00am

Reflective Bible Reading Workshop: Sunday, December 2 at 6:00pm at the church

Christmas Eve Celebration: Monday, December 24 at 7:00pm (1 service only)

The YAH meeting will be “Christmas in November” on Thursday, November 15 at 11:30am, with a pitch-in lunch, so please bring your

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favorite dish to share, and a gift exchange. Please do not spend more than $10.00 on your gift. Everyone who brings a gift will be able to participate in the exchange.

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NON-PROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE PAID

9700 Dry Fork RoadHarrison OH 4530-1911

OCCUPANT OR