South Park UMC April 2015

Holy Week 2015: !

Sunday, March 29- Palm Sunday, Palm/Passion Worship at 10:30. We will begin Holy Week with a celebration of the palms, and a remembrance of the one who leads us to eternal life. !!Thursday, April 2- Holy Thursday, Worship with Communion at 7:00 pm. We will remember and prepare our hearts for the faith journey from the Upper Room, to the garden, to the cross and finally to the grave. ! !Friday, April 3- Good Friday, Tazai Worship at 7:00 pm. This worship will be prayerful and reflective. Come to remember the sacrifice paid for us, once and for all. !!Sunday, April 5- Easter Celebration, Beginning at 10:30 am. Bring your friends and Family as we celebrate the fact the tomb is empty and Christ is Risen! !!

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Adult Bible Study Opportunities

!We are currently studying Resilient Faith, by Mary Jo Sharp. If you would like to join one of our small groups, please see Pastor Lori or Pastor Tom. !From the book: “It’s time to come to terms with what you actually believe. If this life is all there is- if nothing else exists after this- then it makes sense that we would fear losing life or losing control or any part of it. But a righteous God does exist who knows all things and rightly judges all things.”

THE SPARK “Make disc iples of Jesus Chr is t for the t ransformat ion of the world.”

South Park UMC April 2015From the Desk of Pastor Tom… !A Biblical text that is often read during Holy Week is Isaiah 50:4-9, where the prophet records the obedience and vindication of the Messiah.  The passage begins with the Messiah praising the Lord God because God has giving him the “tongue of a teacher” (v. 4), so that he could sustain weary people with the Word of God.  The Messiah continues praising God for opening his ears so that he can hear from God.  The implication is that he, the Messiah, is receptive to God’s teaching and guidance, in other words he is obedient.  And this is what I want to share with you in this article: obedience unto God.  Returning to Isaiah 50; after the Messiah praises God he turns to offering up his life to God: “I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.  I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting” (vv.5-6).  He can obediently do this because he knows that a) the Lord God helps him, and b) he will ultimately be vindicated. !We know from reading the various gospel accounts of what took place in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night Jesus was arrested.  As he went to God in prayer he cried to God that he did not want to suffer, but if it were to be God’s will he would obediently accept this mantle (Matt. 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:40-46).  Throughout the New Testament, Jesus’ obedience (often referred to as humbling) is praised for not only its salvific nature, but as an example to his followers for the Christian life (see Philippians 2:5-10).

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Youth Group Mission and Outreach Fundraising Event !!!!!!!!!!!!!!We will have items listed on our website page. Some include: Grass Cutting, Photography Seating, Personal Mini-Painting, Dragons Tickets, Reds at Wrigley Tickets and so much more! !Please come and support our youth, brings friends and neighbors. The more the merrier, and also a great way to show the community the neat things we are doing as a church. !Western Dinner Menu: “Campfire” Brisket, Roasted Potato Salad, Grilled Vegetable Kabob, Wedge Salad with ButtermilkRANCH, and a Cowboy Cookie.

South Park UMC April 2015From the very beginnings of the Church, obedience was a pivotal part of how a person expressed their faith.  Be it in the monastic communities (getting up at 4am for prayers is obedience) to the holiness expressions of 19th century America, to even the Amish communities of today (the entire lifestyle is one centered upon obedience), obedience to God was a central aspect of Christianity.  This obedience was expressed through the lived out declaration of Jesus as Lord.  However, over the last century, as the Evangelical Church, with its “salvation by faith alone” movement, and the the various non-Evangelical mainline churches (such as United Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran) acting in response, there has happened a terrible trend.  That trend is the decline of obedience.  Somewhere we have lost the connection between Jesus as Savior AND Jesus as Lord. !We struggle to be in obedience to God because we have effectively abandoned any semblance of living with the belief that Jesus is Lord.  We gladly accept that Jesus is Savior.  We preach this.  We live this.  We celebrate that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are saved.  But, this was never seen as the finale of being a Christian.  Accepting Jesus as Savior was the key that unlocked the door to the kingdom.  It was our admission into the kingdom.  And being part of the kingdom meant that Jesus was and is our Lord.  If Jesus is our Lord, as Christians, then that means we are to be obedient unto him - even when it goes against the culture, or what our wants declare, or even what our own personal views might be.  We need to stop trying to live as if we are Jesus’ lords and finally, pick up the cross and follow the path that Jesus forged before us - a life of obedience to God’s Word and teaching.     

Pastor Tom �3www.southparkumc.com

UMW Carry-in Lunch and Program: April 19 After Church We hope you will join us for this Church-wide Carry in Meal and then stay for a Program by Janet Kepple. She will be talking about how we as a church can be a welcoming place for people with a variety of disabilities.

“We'll be looking at the MissionU study on The Church and People with Disabilities. Along with a brief overview of information from the text and the UMC disabilities audit, I'll share some personal stories, some awareness activities, and some tips for welcoming those with disabilities. 

The subject of disability awareness is close to my heart. In 2013, after many years of unexplained problems with walking, I was diagnosed with Cerebellar Ataxia, a rare disorder which affects movement. I am also the mother of an adult son with schizoaffective disorder, so I have experience with the challenges and blessings of both physical and mental disabilities.”

South Park UMC April 2015

South Park Church Happenings… New Starts Ministry!The Hope Circle of the United Methodist Women is hosting a “TAKE-OVER” Day on Sunday, April 26 at Milano’s on Brown Street. If you take or show a digital copy of our flyer, Milano’s will donate 20% of your total bill to the New Starts Ministry. Come

and have an awesome meal and support this great cause.

The New Starts Ministry is looking for donations of all kinds for our neighbors who are finding themselves in need of a new start. Dishes, Pots and Pans, Bedding, Small Appliances and even furniture can be put to good use. So if you have old sets of pots and pans, dishes, silverware, glasses, please consider bringing them in. Please see Pastor Tom for more information.

Dorothy Horn, and Hope Circle of the United Methodist Women- Thank You!!

Thanks to everyone who baked or bought for the Dorothy Horn Bake Sale. We are able to raise $375 for the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund, to help our neighbors who and guests who come to us looking for financial help. The needs are great, and this will help us meet some of them.

Also, that you to all who bright in and helped with the Easter Basket Ministry for the Food Pantry, we were able to make 66 Baskets for the children.

!East Dayton Food Pantry: !Thank you to the Boy Scouts for their Scouting for Food Campaign in March. They were able to collect extra food to help us stock the shelves. We always welcome non perishable food items, like peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and pasta sauce.

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!The Epiphany Gallery Our artist for the month is Susan Jelus. We hope you will enjoy her paintings. Please remember to leave comments and sign the guest book. !!!!!!SPUMC April Birthdays 4/06 Elaine Connelly 4/08 Tiffany Ware Lisa Kloos 4/09 Ronny Davidson 4/11 Cathy Keys 4/12 Frank Johnston 4/14 Brenden Palmatier 4/24 Laura Woods 4/26 Tyler Allison 4/29 Jim Houdeshell 4/30 Jean Alexander

South Park UMC April 2015

Youth Group News: Thank you for sharing your kids with me, I love that my job is hanging out with teenagers. We have been studying our faith, talking about how we are to live a Christians in the world, and also working to make a difference through our outreach ministries. We have sponsored 3 people

through Kiva, a micro-lending organization, helping a farmer, a retailer and a person with a medical clinic so far. We will continue to reinvest and donate our money and prayers. !We are excited about our Mission and Outreach Fundraising Event. The youth going on the Mission trip will be offering up services for auction, all kinds of things that you just might need a little extra help with! We will also have a couple of other items for auctions and we are selling small gift items that might just make great Mother’s and Father’s days gifts, graduation gifts, end of the school year teacher gifts, and stuff like that. Also, the sit down dinner will give us a chance to serve you, and share our ministries with you. I encourage you to please, invite your friends and neighbors. The meal and time with the youth are really priceless, but think what your $10 and love will do for our kids. !I am working to create a leadership team, with a representative from each grade, who will help to vision our future as a youth group, plan activities and help to lead different aspects of the group time together. If your youth is interested in a leadership opportunity, please have the talk with me. !I am always up for a coffee, lunch or talk time for either parents or youth, so do not hesitate to contact me! Pastorlori@southparkum.org or on my cell 937.641.9718.

Serving together in Christ’s Love: Pastor Lori

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!SPUMC Lead Team !Lead Team Chair: TBA !Staff Parish: Karen Kiser Eric Green TBA !Trustees: Chuck Bretz Pam Johnson Sonja Atherton !Finance: Judy Hapgood Katie Hale TBA !Lay Members: Scot Johnson TBA TBA !Annual Conference Delegates: Scot and Pam Johnson !!We are currently in conversation with church members to fill these positions and will announce as soon as we can.

South Park UMC April 2015

Kid’s Corner Family Faith Time is a very important tradition that you and your family can start at any time. This time together, talking about your faith and theirs, is something that can create a lasting faith connection in your family, and give your children, and here it could be biological children, grand children, great-grand children, nieces and nephews, neighbors…- really any child that God has placed in your life. We all need someone to love us and listen to us. We all need positive mentors who will not only remind us to make our bed, clean our room and the many other commands we get each day about how to live, but also share how God is working in and among our lives as adults and people in the church. Our faith needs to be something that we wear on the outside, not just keeping it held closely, never to be shared with the people we love and care for. If we do not share our faith with our children, then we are in danger of allowing our faith and lives as Christians lose out to the many different forces that are pulling us apart, and stealing our children from us. And, I have to sadly admit, I am not any less guilty of allowing my family to be splintered. When they were younger, I could tell my kids that is was time for our evening devotion time, when we sat around and shared our days, our highs and lows, really listening to each other. Now, I go to bed before them, and I am afraid that I can never get that time back. I miss our talks, I cherish that we had them, but I miss them all the same.

I am encouraging you to grab some of this time from your kids, you deserve it, and I will say, you have to take it, for their sake and yours. Make your family’s faith be something that grows stronger every day, not something that loses out to the world. Take 5-10 minutes and sit and share, your highs and lows from the day, and say a prayer. Read your Bible’s even just a little. If you would like a Family Devotion Book, let me know, I have some that I would love to give away. You are all worth the investment of time and resources.

God bless you all- Pastor Lori

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!Crock Pot Project !!!!!!!!The South Park United Methodist Women and the Food Pantry are joining together to provide Crock Pots to the clients who come to the pantry. In each Crock Pot will be recipes using the food that the clients received at their monthly visits to the pantry. The crock pots will be distributed at the discretion of Barb Dawes. We’re asking the congregation to join us in this project and perhaps purchase a crock pot. Lots of clients only have microwaves to cook their food. This is one more way for us to serve our brothers and sisters. -Jane Liston, UMW Urban Ministry Chair

South Park UMC April 2015

SPUMC Financial News

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!!Dates to add to your calendar: !!April 2- Holy Thursday Worship, 7:00 !!April 3- Good Friday Prayer Service, 7:00 !!April 5: Easter Sunday !!April 11: UD Ebony Heritage Singers Concert 7:00 pm. !!April 12, 5:30 Youth Group Dinner and Fundraiser !!April 19- UMW Church-wide Carry-in and Speaker, after church !!April 26: “TAKE-OVER” Day at Milano’s on Brown, grab a flyer and eat out, after church or any time.

Our Budget for 2015: Expenses Total Building: $74,000 Utilities-$46,000 Maintenance-$15,000 Parsonage- $13,000 !Total Staff: $140,000 Appointed Clergy- $102,800 (includes salary, pension, insurance) Other Staff- $40,000 Payroll, Taxes, Services- $7,500 !Total Ministries: $17,000 Children- $3,000 Youth- $3000 Young Adults/Adults- $2,000 Music/Worship- $2000 Outreach- $7000 !Total Denominational Apportionments: $19,575 Total: $251,375 !!!

Expected Income Pledged: $150,000 Non-Pledged/Loose: $38,000 Liturgical: $16,000 Caramel Candy 2014: $34,000 Building Use: $5,000 Grants and Bequests: $3,000 Total: $246,000

We recognize that the expenses exceed our expected income, and while we will cut budget goals as needed, our prayer is that God will continue to bless us for ministry, and so we dreamed big instead of limiting our hopes for God’s work through our church. !We thank you for being such a generous congregation, and we are working to be good stewards of your offerings, while doing ministry in our church, community and around the world.

South Park UMC April 2015!!!!!!!!

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South Park UMC!140 Stonemill Rd.!Dayton, OH 45409

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April 2015 SPARK