English-Speaking

United Methodist Church of Vienna June 2017

Pentecost

The first Sunday in June we celebrate Pentecost. Pentecost—which comes from the Greek word pentecoste meaning fiftieth day—is the day we commemorate the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles and others assembled in Jerusalem. Pen-tecost is celebrated 50 days after Christ’s resur-rection. Pentecost is called Pfingsten in German.

The Acts of the Apostles (the Book of Acts) recounts the apostles and Jesus’ inner group together in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came upon them like a rushing mighty wind. This miracle caused them to speak in many different languages so that passersby heard the good news in their native language.

Jesus Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide and direct the apostles and the Church as they embodied God’s saving love in the world (cf. John 14). At Jesus’ Ascension it is recorded, “After his suffering Jesus presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’……you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 1:3-5, 8).

Cross and Flame

With the arrival of Pentecost, we recall that our emblem seen above—the cross and flame—is a powerful reminder of Pentecost.

The history and significance of the Cross and Flame emblem are as rich and diverse as The United Methodist Church. The insignia's birth quickly followed the union of two denominations in 1968: The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Following more than two dozen conceptualiza-tions, a traditional symbol—the cross—was linked with a single flame with dual tongues of fire. The resulting insignia is rich in meaning. It relates The United Methodist church to God through Christ (cross) and the Holy Spirit (flame).

The flame is a reminder of Pentecost when witnesses were unified by the power of the Holy Spirit and saw "tongues, as of fire" (Acts 2:3). The elements of the emblem also remind us of a transforming moment in the life of Methodism's founder, John Wesley, when he sensed God's presence and felt his heart "strangely warmed." The two tongues of a single flame may also be understood to represent the union of two denominations. The insignia, one with lettering and one without, was formally adopted by the General Conference in 1968 and registered in 1971 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Sadao Watanabe (Japanese, 1913–1996), Pentecost, 1975. Hand-colored kappazuri-dyed stencil print on

washi paper, 25.5 × 22.75 in.

Looking Back Last Month

Congratulations to John and Ophelia Ampia-Addison on the baptism of their daughter Betty

Afua at ESUMC on Sunday, May 14th.

18 Women Gather for Fellowship On Saturday, May 13th, 18 women gathered at ESUMC for fellowship, mutual support, prayer, and

fun. The women created Scripture stones to give to women on Women’s/Mother’s Sunday on May 14. The stones were placed on the altar. Those who attended the event were encouraged.

The event was organized by Rachel Allen with the assistance of Doreen Ighama. The next women’s fellowship event will be in the autumn.

Congratulations! Congratulations to Rachel and Aaron Allen on

the birth of their daughter Lillian on Friday, May 26th. Mother and daughter are in good health. Big brother Levi is excited to have a new sibling.

Our Condolences The ESUMC family extends it condolences to

Veronica Osamwonyi, Doreen Ighama, and the entire Osamwonyi family as they grieve the loss of Joel Osamwonyi who died unexpectedly on 29 April in Vienna. His funeral will be June

14th at 13.00 at the Evangelischer Friedhof Simmering (Simmeringer Hauptstraße 242; 1110 Wien) in Zentralfriedhof 3. Tor (End sta-tion of Tram 71). A funeral reception will follow

in the ESUMC fellowship area.

We also extend our condolences to George Acknowu and his family as they grieve the death of his younger sister Francis who died in Accra, Ghana on 23 May.

Thank You to the Cooks and Organizers

On May 7 ESUMC members treated a visiting group of English-language pastors and their spouses to an pan-African feast after worship. A

special thank you to all who helped prepare and serve food. The pastors and spouses were touched by ESUMC’s welcome and hospitality. The group was from the Association of International

Churches in Europe and the Middle East.

2016 Church Audit Adopted In a special congregational meeting on Sunday, May 28th, the 2016 ESUMC church audit was unanimously adopted. Each year ESUMC finances are reviewed and audited. The auditors reported

that they “find the accounts for 2016, including beginning and ending balances as shown above, to be correct. Their review of the procedures for accounting and for handling of the money

received and paid lead them to the conclusion that the accounts are complete and accurate for the year 2016.” Finance committee chairperson Delia Viljoen thanked the auditors for their

tireless and thorough work. She reminded those gathered that the auditors’ work is central to creating trust among the church and its members. Jane Greiman and Nancy Wonash served as

auditors. Superintendent Stefan Schröckenfuchs presided at the meeting. Copies of the audit are available in the church office for viewing.

Children’s Photography Policy The church council reminds parents that ESUMC publishes and uses images of children and young people in congregational publications and on ESUMC social media in line with Austrian law and EmK Austria policies. If you do not want photographs of your child(ren) published in the congregational publications or displayed on social media, please notify us immediately by email to the ESUMC office at office@esumc.at.

Looking Ahead in June and Beyond

Men‘s / Father‘s Day is June 18th We will celebrate men‘s/father‘s day on June 18th. Church council president Oscar van Rooy will be preaching.

Attention ALL ESUMC Men!

June 18 is Men’s Sunday and the men of the church will be singing special music that day. Please join Andreé van Rooy immediately following the worship service every Sunday for a short practice. All men are invited, needed, and welcome!

Wednesday Bible Study on Break The Wednesday night Bible study will be on break for June and July. They will resume in August.

Vacation Bible Sch‘l Dates Announced Vacation Bible School is planned for the week of August 14th through August 18th. All children ages 4 through 15 are invited to attend. The theme will be “Hero Central: Discovering Your Strength in God.” If you are interested in helping, please contact the church office at office@esumc.at.

Organ Concert at ESUMC In celebration of the Reformation Jubilee there will be an organ concert on Monday, June 12th at ESUMC. The concert by Balazs Szabo will include works from Franck, Liszt, Karg-Elert, and Wagner. The admission is 15 Euros. Visit www.musikam12ten.info

Long Night of Churches on June 9 The annual Long Night of Churches is Friday, June 9th. ESUMC and our sister congregation Fünfhaus Gemeinde will be hosting a joint church opening. The schedule is: 18:30—Music from the African Singers and Drummers 19:00—Methodist 101 19:30—Dietrich Bonhoeffer Readings with guest band ‘Crescendo’ 21:00—International Food Buffet 21:30—Methodism 101 22:00—Methodist Prayer Service There will also be historical exhibits about Meth-odism and important persons on display as well. For more information about the Long Night of Churches visit their website at www.langenachtderkirchen.at/

We are looking for ushers and greeter for the evening. Also we need people to bring finger food for the international food buffet. If you are able to help, please contact the ESUMC office at office@emsumc.at.

In celebration of the 500th anniversary Protestant jubilee, a special festival is planned on Saturday, September 30th from 12:00-22:00 at the Vienna Rathausplatz. The event is

jointly sponsored the Methodist, Lutheran, and Reformed churches in Austria.

There will information tents about the ministries and pro-jects of the Protestant churches in Austria. ESUMC will be

featured in the ‘International Congregations’ tent. There will be hands-on exhibits activities for children, musical performances on three stages, internationally renowned speakers, and much more. The featured evening program

begins at 19:00 and will include music from Bach to jazz.

The festival is a green event according the Austro eco-label. More information will be posted throughout June. Visit www.fest500.at.

Reformationsfest Planned for September 30

The United Methodist Church in Austria (Evangelisch-methodistische Kirche in Österreich) met in Linz from 18-21 May 2017 for its annual

conference under the theme “Courage for Free-dom, Courage for Responsibility”. The theme is a play on the 500th Reformation theme “Freedom and Responsibility”. The annual conference is the

basic unit of The United Methodist Church in Aus-tria and sets the budget, vision, and direction for the coming year. ESUMC is a chartered congrega-tion of the UMC/EmK Austria and fully participates

in the life and governance of the Austrian church.

Bishop Dr. Patrick Streiff of the Central and Southern Europe Episcopal Area presided at the conference.

Doreen Ighama, the ESUMC delegate to annual conference, was unable to attend due to her

father’s death. Jerry Barton was appointed as the ESUMC representative for the 2017 conference in place of Doreen Ighama.

Bishop Streiff, Superintendent Schröckenfuchs, and Pastor Matthew preached during the conference. Pastor

Matthew utilized the parable of talents from Matthew 25, call-ing the conference to reflect on how the conference uses God’s

gift of saving love to minister to the world.

The conference debated and approved several changes to the Austrian church constitution to comply with new Austrian civil law regulating

members’ financial contributions and government disclosure. More information about changes will be published in the July newsletter.

The conference also received reports related to the Austrian women’s work, children and youth ministries, and public relations efforts.

In other business:

• Restructured the theological and ethical com-mission to better meet the needs of the Austrian church • Received a report on the UMC/EmK mission in

Albania and Macedonia • Voted on amendments to the constitution of The United Methodist Church (worldwide)

• Approved the 2017/18 budget of €239,548.30

Bishop Streiff made the following appointments for the 2017-2018 year:

• Pastor Stefan Schröckenfuchs as Superintendent

• Pastor Stefan Schröckenfuchs to Wien-Fünfhaus • Pastor Matthew A. Laferty to Wien-Englischsprachige (ESUMC)

• Pastor Esther Handschin to Wien-Floridsdorf and Graz • Pastor Martin Siegrist to Linz and Reid im Innkreis

• Pastor Wilfred Nausner as superintendent as UMC Albania/Macedonia • Pastor Michael Nausner to a sabbatical year • Pastor Lothar Pöll to retirement

• Christoph Petau as local pastor in Graz • Frank Moritz-Jauk as lay pastor in Graz • Wolfgang Grabenseiner as lay pastor in St.

Pölten

• Helmut Nausner and Manfred Schwarz

continue in retirement

Retired pastors Lothar Pöll and Manfred Schwarz will provide pasto-ral leadership to the Salzburg church. Retired pastor Helmut

Nausner will assist at Wien-Floridsdorf.

Additionally conference lay leader Helena Bindl (Linz) stepped down from her position. Ben Nausner (Wien-Fünfhaus) was elected to replace

Helena Bindl for a three year term ending in 2020. The conference lay leader is the top lay person (non-pastor) in Austria and is charged with representing laity and their concerns to the

superintendent and bishop.

There are 723 professing members, 459 baptized

members, and 307 unbaptized children or ‘friends of the church’ at the end of 2016.

There are 9 organized congregations in Austria served by 4 full-time ordained pastors, 1 part-time licensed (local) pastor, 1 full-time lay

pastor, 1 part-time lay pastor, and 3 retired pastors.

Visit www.emk.at for more information and photos from the 2017 annual conference.

English-Speaking United Methodist Church of Vienna

Sechshauser Strasse 56, 1150 Wien • office[at]esumc.at • +43 1 895 81 75 • www.esumc.at

Reverend Matthew A. Laferty • +43 664 466 94 75 mobile • matthew.laferty[at]emk.at

Donations accepted at www.esumc.at/donate • IBAN: AT23 1200 0006 2016 1208/BIC Code: BKAUATWW

Austrian Methodists Meet in Linz for 2017 Annual Conference