Monday, November 23, 2009

November 22, 2009 Sermon Online

The November 22, 2009 sermon is now up on the North United Methodist Church website.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Seasonal Sharing Update: THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Thank you to delivery volunteers who delivered food baskets this morning - Great work!

We still need volunteers to deliver food for Christmas. Please sign-up in the Memorial Room.

Christmas gift lists will be ready in November.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Youth Meet and Greet

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 at 5PM

All youth are invited to a Meet and Greet with Pastor Laurel, here at the church at 5 pm. Pastor Laurel would like to get to know the youth and their experiences at North, as well as how they view their role here at church and what hopes and desires they have. Please plan to join the Pastor for refreshments and conversation. Questions may be directed to Heidi Lenhardt.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Rescheduling the Adult Fellowship Christmas Party

The December 11th Adult Fellowship Christmas Party is being rescheduled because there is also a family fellowship event planned for the same weekend. The new date of the Adult Holiday Fellowship Party will be decided and publicized next week. Our apologies for any inconvenience.

Family Christmas Party Saturday, December 12 at 5pm

Food, music, games and crafts for the whole family.

We will share a potluck. Chris Collins will play music for a carol sing. There will be some crafts/ornaments to make, and Anita Haynes will lead a game or two. Please plan to join in this fun evening – and please do bring friends!

Sign-up in the Memorial Room.

November 15, 2009 Sermon Online

The November 15, 2009 sermon is now up on the North United Methodist Church website.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Nov. 8 Sermon Online

The November 8, 2009 sermon is now up on the North United Methodist Church website.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

A Huge Thank You

Many thanks to the volunteers who helped to repair the damage to the parsonage and bring it up to an acceptable state for the new renters. Several sessions were required to finish all the necessary work. The walls were repaired, washed, and painted; the garage door was repaired; the trash in the yard was removed and the holes filled in; the siding was repaired; and some plumbing repairs were made. The new tenants also helped with the painting, which was a welcome gesture

“GIVE without GIVING?” YES YOU CAN!!!

“GIVE without GIVING?”
YES YOU CAN!!!

Raise Money For
North United Methodist Church With No Selling

The 3 week total is approximately - $500 raised for the church through routine spending. Great work everyone, and keep those orders coming! Information sheets on the program are available in the Memorial Room.

Thousands of non-profit organizations across the United States are joining together with retailers to raise money. They do it with "Scrip" the revolutionary fundraising method that can raise tens of thousands of dollars for our non-profit organization without the hassles of traditional fundraisers.

Founded in 1994, Great Lakes Scrip Center has helped more than 14,000 non-profit organizations raise more than $250 million dollars with Scrip.

Shopping Cart Fundraising

With Scrip fundraising, friends and member families of the church simply do their regular weekly shopping with gift cards from America's favorite retailers. With each purchase, NUMC earns cash rebates that can quickly add up to tens of thousands of dollars a year - money that can be used for whatever our organization needs.

Scrip is a powerful fundraising tool because families generate revenue through purchases they would make anyway. Groceries, clothing, toys, gifts, even gasoline can be purchased with scrip. An organization of 150 families easily spends between one and two million dollars per year on food, clothing and other essentials. If those families use scrip for their purchases, they can raise as much as $40,000 to $80,000 per year for their organization --without spending an additional penny.


Great Lakes Scrip Center offers a deep selection of scrip gift cards from America's favorite retailers. GLSC works with our partner retailers to offer hundreds of gift cards with substantial rebates.

NUMC buys the scrip gift cards from Great Lakes Scrip Center at a discount, and re-sells them to our organization members for full face value. The discount - from two to fifteen percent or more - is a rebate retained by NUMC as revenue. It’s that easy!

A few examples of retailers and the discounts they offer:
99 Restaurant 13%
Amazon.com 4%
Borders 9%
Auto Zone 5%
Barnes and Noble 9%
Exxon 1.5%
Cheesecake Factory 5%
Chuck E. Cheese 8%
Express 10%
Cold Stone Creamery 8%
Dunkin’ Donuts 4%
Hallmark 4%
Dell Computer 4%
Fashion Bug 8%
Sears 4%
Foot Locker 9%
Great Harvest Bread 8%
KFC 8%
Harry and David 10%
Home Depot 4%
Stop and Shop 4%
Home Goods 7%
Hyatt Hotels 9%
Lord and Taylor 8%
Take a look at the complete list of hundreds of retailers in PDF format by checking the website at www.glscrip.com.

This program has begun and will continue on each Sunday. Cards may be ordered and paid for on any given Sunday, and then picked up on that next Sunday one week after ordering.

Anita Haynes will be available today in the Memorial Room to take orders and answer questions.

We also have a need for volunteers to take turns hosting the “Scrip” table on Sunday mornings. Please speak with Anita to schedule a Sunday. Thank you!

Wesleyan Study Group Update

November Meetings:
3rd and 17th
The WSG began its fall meetings with a viewing and discussion of Constantine's Sword, a documentary based on James Carroll's book. This fall we are studying of Erik Kolbell's book: What Jesus Meant- The Beatitudes and a Meaningful Life.

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Giving Tree

The Manchester Area Conference of Churches (MACC) will again participate in the Giving Tree for the Christmas Season. Volunteers from North United Methodist Church will staff the Christmas Tree at the Buckland Hills Mall to collect donated gifts for MACC clients on Tuesday, November 24 from 9 am—6 pm and Friday, December 11 from 9 am—6 pm. Shoppers take a tag from the tree, purchase a gift for a client (many are children but there are also adults) and return it to the tree. All names on the tree are pre-screened clients who have received MACC services during the year. The volunteers assist shoppers in selecting tags and accept the gifts as they are returned by shoppers.
The time slots for volunteers are two hour intervals. Please speak with Jan Miller (860-646-6619) with any questions.

Tell Me The Story... Giving the tithe

Many people wonder, where did the idea of tithing come from? Who said I should give a tenth of my income to the church? What if I can’t afford a tenth? What then? Will God be displeased with me?

The Concept of tithing (giving one tenth of one’s income) comes straight out of the bible. The first mention of tithing is in Genesis Chapter 14. Abram (later Abraham) had returned from a successful battle and in the wake of his success, presented a tenth of everything he owned to Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God, who declared that God had "delivered [your] enemies into your hand"(vs. 20)

Offerings and gifts are also deeply seated in scripture. Offerings are a way of expressing thanks to someone or something that has already given to us, or done something for us, as with Abraham. Our offerings may be anything – money, assets (land, buildings, stocks, time, talents). Tithing though has come to be associated with money, as that is our primary medium of exchange. In the days of the Hebrew Bible, there were various media of exchange, so people might have tithed their flocks or their harvests. Tithing has been revived as a practice in the contemporary church; but the early church was supported through "freewill offerings".
Whatever the method we choose for supporting our faith community, regular committed giving of the prevailing medium of exchange (in our case, the dollar) is necessary for the work of the church to go on in the world.

God loves a cheerful giver, writes Paul to the church at Corinth, and so "each one should give what s/he has decided in his/her heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion" (2 Cor.9: 6-8 NIV adapted). I think that is sound advice. As we search our hearts and listen to the leading of the Spirit, we will give cheerfully and generously, according to our ability. As we set the spiritual law of giving and receiving into motion, our gifts return to us "pressed down, shaken together and running over". Let’s all be generous givers as we have received in abundance from heaven’s storehouse.

Tomorrow from 2-4 p.m. Fashion for Good Annual Fashion Show

click to see flyer

Doors open at 1 p.m. Show starts at 2
TICKETS $25 : Call 860-647-0440
Clothes from Chico's and White House/Black Market, Somerset Square, Glastonbury and Fashion commentary from Stylist Claudette Fried
Don't miss this fun event in the beautiful and spacious Church of Christ, 595 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester, CT.
Parking and wheelchair access

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Correction for Service date and time

November 29 will be two services, 9:00 am and 10:30 am as usual. Children will be participating in worship at the 10:30 service while preschool and kindergarten students attend class.

Sunday, December 6 will be one service at 10:00 am and there will be Sunday School classes for all children and youth. Directly following service there will be an All Church Meeting, and All Church Conference to approve the 2010 Budget and 2010 Nominations which were not finalized at the Charge Conference in October.
Please plan to attend.

Thank you!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Newsletter Deadline

This is a reminder that all articles and notices for the December Issue of Tidings should be submitted to the church office by November 16th.

Over 50’s Fellowship Wednesday, Nov. 4th - Quilts

The Over 50's will meet on Wednesday Nov. 4 at 12 noon. Bring a sandwich. Dessert and Beverage will be provided. Neva Slater's daughter, Ginny, will talk about quilts. All are welcome. Linda Gates. Any questions can be directed to Linda Gates at 647-9756.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

November 1, 2009 Sermon Online

The sermon from November 1, 2009 is now available online at the NUMC website.

WONDERFUL WORSHIP CELEBRATION!

Despite the weather – grey clouds and sporadic showers – those who made it to the Welcome celebration for Minister Chris Collins and Pastor Laurel Scott reported having had a grand time on Saturday October 3 when the service of praise, worship and welcome was held at North UMC.

Visitors from Boston, Lowell and New York arrived in the pouring rain, but once inside found that a warm welcome awaited them. Shelby Condray, a Master of Divinity student from Boston University School of Theology where he was part of Pastor Laurel’s preaching lab group, presided over the afternoon’s program. Clergy in attendance included the Rev. Gary Richards of the New Covenant United Methodist Church in East Hartford, and retired clergy, Revs. Stan Cusy and Joyce Whetstone who all participated in the service.

Musical numbers were rendered by the North UMC Chancel Choir under the direction of Chris Collins – Order My Steps (Burleigh/Schraeder)and God So Loved the
World (Stainer); PRISM Praise Group We Will Dance (Ruis/Cole) Days of Elijah (Mark/Cole) and Awesome in This Place. Minister Chris Collins played ―Great is the Lord (Smith Schraeder) and Humoresque (Dvorjak) on the organ . Barbie Turley and daughters Sarah and Katherine rendered a liturgical dance to ―Lord of the Dance. After worship the reception was held indoors. Following is a greeting sent by the Massachusetts Interfaith Committee on Worker Justice which was not received in time to be read at the service:

From Anthony Zuba, lead organizer of the Massachusetts Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, Boston, Mass.:
Peace and many blessings to all of you from the Massachusetts Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. On behalf of our committee I would like to commend Laurel Scott at the beginning of her new ministry and express our gratitude for the service Pastor Scott has given over the years to the United Methodist Church and to all the people of God. I want to recognize especially the work Pastor Scott has done as a UMC leader for working families and members of unions, as well as low-wage workers who are immigrants and people of color. She is without any doubt the leading voice on labor justice issues in the New England Conference. I have known Pastor Scott for nearly three years. I was a student in her preach-ing class at Boston University School of Theology. As co-chair of the executive board of the Massachusetts Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice she has also been my theological mentor.

Pastor Scott’s ministry to low-wage workers is to be highly praised and needs to be en-couraged and supported. I hope North United Methodist Church will support this cause and continue the good work Pastor Scott has advanced. Thanks, and may God’s blessings be abundant for you and all the members of North United Methodist

Letter from the Pastor’s Desk

Dear North UMC,

At this time of year, we become caught up with preparations – preparations for the Christmas celebration, for visits with family and friends, for gift-giving and receiving. We also look towards a new calendar year with new challenges, new taxes, new discoveries, new inventions, and we wonder if we will be able to keep up with the quickly changing world around us…

For many, part of the anxiety about the New Year surrounds our financial status. Those of us who work think about the increases in demands on our salaries while others wonder about the state of their investment and annuity income. And those of us in the church are involved in annual stewardship campaigns. But stewardship is not a once-a-year issue; nor does it involve just money. Stewardship is a year-round issue, in fact it is lifetime concern (or should be).

Our stewardship is of our lives – all aspect of our lives, for as Christians we believe that we have been entrusted with the care of the whole creation – the earth and everything in it – that we have been given the instruction by the creator to ―dress and keep, and ―replenish the earth (Genesis 1,2). So we are to care first for our selves – body, mind and spirit, and then we are to care for others and for the world around us. That is stewardship. It includes as well, the medium of exchange we use to get goods and services (the dollar) and the value associated with the things we have been given to take care of (land, buildings, transportation mechanisms, tools, instruments, etc).

So that as we enter a season in which we count and give thanks for all our blessings, let us begin with the blessing of life itself and the blessing of the time, our most valuable asset. Then let us give thanks for the people in our lives who accompany us on our journey; and let us give thanks for the earth which yields food and other goods that allow us to enjoy many conveniences of modern living.

But let us also be careful to make decisions that will allow us to ―replenish the earth – to sustain healthy levels of soil, air and water. These decisions (like recycling and using biodegradable and organic products) are the kind that allows each of us to impact the sustainability of the earth. When we make decisions to treat our bodies gently and to get proper rest, nutrition, and health care, we are being faithful stewards of our lives. When we give of our time, our talent and our treasure as faithful stewards to support our faith community we participate in God’s mission, which is to save the world and repair the creation. As we make a commitment to the mission of God through the church, let us step up boldly and renew our commitment to make our community a model community of God’s kin-dom through our stewardship commitment. As we increase our capacity to give, we simultaneously increase our capacity to receive. Let us together see and live into a future of growth in every area of our lives. Let’s make sure to return our commitment cards for 2010 indicating our gifts of GOLD (money) FRANKINSENSE (service, time) and MYRRH (sacrifice).

Blessings,
Pastor Laurel