Our Mission is to Worship God and Love One Another by Taking Christ to the Community

and the Community to Christ.

First United Methodist Church

AUGUST Messenger

FUMC News 2

Prayer & Care 3

“Shepherding” 4

from Pastor Steve 5

Worship Themes 6

Studies & Groups 7

Stewardship 8

Mission & Outreach 9

Fellowship 10

Thank Yous 11

Reaching Staff 12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

School Year begins August 15 for most.

FUMCGJ

8/26 at both

worship services

P A G E 2

Our church newsletter is published each month with the next deadline being Weds., August 15, for the September Newsletter. Please submit articles by email whenever pos-sible, otherwise drop them off typed (if pos-sible) to the church office. A full color version can be found at www.fumcgj.org

Come Worship With US

Regular Sunday Worship

9:00am: Contemporary Service

10:00am: Fellowship time.

11:00am: Traditional Service

Hearing devices are offered at both services.

A fully staffed nursery is available beginning at 8:45am.

The Chancel Choir will begin rehearsals starting Wednesday night August 15, 7:00pm-8:30pm. All church members are enthusiastically welcome!! Our first Sun-day in worship will be September 9, our 14th annual Friday night Christmas Concert is tentatively scheduled for December 14, and our 14th annual Easter Cantata next Palm Sunday. It is a joy and great blessing helping to lead worship, returning our gifts, in service as an offering to God.

If you have any questions, desires or con-cerns regarding choir membership, please call Jim Werner at 644-2724.

Adult Learning Fair 2018- Everyone is invited to join us in Gaines Hall on Sunday, August 19th between services for this year’s Christian Education Offerings. You will have the opportunity to meet the peo-ple that will lead and walk with you as they facilitate the classes they are offering this Fall. Please join us for coffee and fellow-ship as we explore the new and exciting programs coming our way!!

Photo Directory News

For those who had their photo taken, your free photo directory is here and available for pickup on the credenza across from the nametag board. Look for your name.

We have a limited number of extra di-rectories that can be purchased for $5 on a first come first serve basis. Stop by the church office during the week to get one.

P A G E 3

Care Ministry

The guaranteed way to receive support and visits from your pastor and church family while you are unable to come to worship temporarily, is to call the Church Office at 242-4850. Please know that your specific situation is confidential. You may even request that your name is neither mentioned aloud in worship service nor listed in the bulletin, but you can still be put on the church’s prayer chain and receive visits.

Note: We can send you a DVD of worship,

bulletin, and sermon upon request. You can also listen to Sunday’s

sermon located on our website. Click on the media tab, click on sermon date.

P A G E 3

Prayer Chain - If you or someone you know would like to be put on the phone prayer chain, you may call Peggy Price at 242-4206 or the Church Office at 242-4850.

Prayer & Care

PRAYER ROOM AVAILABLE - You are invited to enjoy our prayer room at the top of the main stairs on the 2nd floor. There are bibles, writ-ing paper, and various other prayer resources for your convenience. Also, there are conse-crated communion elements available for you as well.

Extend the Table Communion Ministry - We bring communion to members and friends of the congregation who aren’t able to get to worship on communion Sundays, the first Sunday of the month. This minis-try is for anyone who can’t make it to wor-ship that communion Sunday, not just for our long-term “at-home worshippers.” That can change from one month to the next, so please let us know if you’d like communion brought to you whether it’s on an on-going basis or just for one month.

Those desiring to receive and those desir-ing to deliver communion should contact Marta Collazo at 970-778-0029 or martajcollazo@gmail.com.

P A G E 4

Called to Care

Many of you know we have several ways in which our church offers care to those who may be ill, griev-ing, or are no longer able to come to worship. In addition to Pastor Steve, who spends many hours a week offering congregational care, we have three primary lay-care teams.

1. Stephen Ministers, who complete 50 hours of training, offer long-term care to people dealing with life-changing issues like bereavement, di-vorce, or serious illness.

2. Home Visitors (newly-christened the “Shepherds”) visit members who are no longer able to regularly attend services, but don’t want to lose their connections to the church.

3. And our Extend The Table (ETT) Ministry takes Communion to many of those people as well, every Sunday that we celebrate Communion in worship.

In addition to all these folks, our Prayer Chain, Memorial Ministry Team, Prayer Shawl Ministry, and many of our UMW members also support those in need, in a variety of ways. As a church, we take Jesus’ call to care for one another very seriously.

To make sure our folks’ care needs are being met, and that our volunteers are receiving the sup-port they need, this year Sue Yeager continues to lead our Stephen Ministers Team, Marta Collazo has agreed to be in charge of the Extend the Table Ministry, and Sharyl Peterson will facilitate the Shepherds (Home Visitors) Ministry. If you are in-terested in participating in any of these activities, please call Carolyn at the Church Office (242-4850), and she will get you connected with the right person.

Always Wanted to be a Shepherd?

Some of our newer members don’t know that we have a group of volunteers who visit our members who are no longer able to attend church regularly. These volunteers, which include a couple of our Ste-phen Ministers and several UMW members, as well as other good-hearted caring folks, offer their friend-ship and presence to those who may need it most. For many years, a staff person and associate pastor(s) carried this responsibility.

This year, in order to provide better support, and a more spiritually-grounded experience for our volun-teers, we’re changing the way we do things just a little bit. We are going to ask that our Shepherds (Home Visitors) commit to contacting (visiting or call-ing) their care-receiver(s) at least once a month. We also ask that Shepherds attend a once-a-month meeting (we will figure out a day and time that works for everyone) at the church. At our meetings, we will pray together, reflect on concerns or issues that may arise during your visits, and do a little skills-training. The hope is to help both you and your care-receiver(s) enjoy and benefit from your visits even more.

If you are already participating in making these visits, I will be in touch soon (yes, I know who you are). If you are not, but would be willing to commit to visiting/calling at least one person once a month, and to attending our once-a-month Shepherds meet-ing, please call the Church Office (242-4850) or call Sharyl Peterson at (970) 589-4973.

P.S. In case you’re wondering, this is not a women-only ministry. We already have a couple of men who are making these visits, and would love to have more.

Let’s-Get-Together Meeting: on August 21, at 5:30pm, in the Parlor room. If your are already visiting one or more of our shut-ins, or think you might like to join this Team, please plan to attend this meeting. Sharyl Peterson will provide treats and drinks, we’ll get to know each other a bit better, and figure out how the church can best support you in your ministry.

P A G E 5

from Pastor Steve

Dear Friends in Christ –

I have long been intrigued and mystified by the last book in our Bible, the book of Revelation. It has been both alluring and intimidating; it is comprised of passages that are understanda-ble, yet are mostly confusing; and it has attract-ed a multitude of commentators and would-be interpreters that offer little beyond wildly specu-lative and sensationalist “understandings” of its message. The quotes around “understandings” are intentional. I suspect I am not the only one in the congregation with these feelings about this enigmatic book.

And yet, as a pastor, preacher, and theologian deeply committed to the Christian message transmitted to us, in part, through time and the sacred pages of Scripture, I know I have been neglectful of this important book and my re-sponsibility to the congregations I have served…until now.

Last fall, the Friday Morning Men’s Breakfast and Study group participated in a video-based course on the book of Revelation taught by an eminently qualified and gifted teacher, Dr. Craig Koester of Luther Seminary in Minneapolis. This course opened our eyes to the riches con-tained in Revelation and inspired me to want to offer this as a worship series to the congrega-tion. So, beginning August 12th, we will embark on a 7-part worship series focusing on this ex-citing book, a series I am confident will open your mind to the powerful vision of hope con-tained in this book. And while not stripping it of its mystical content, I am sure you will come away with a much better understanding of some of the mysterious passages and bizarre images contained in it.

I urge you to be in worship for what I plan to be an invigorating journey into revelation and Rev-elation. It has so much more to offer than a ma-cabre view of the end times; in fact, to see Rev-elation as a description of the “end of the world” is to miss the point entirely! See you in wor-ship.

Yours in Christ always – Pastor Steve

UPDATE: “Don’t Crash the Ambulance” Class Schedule

Monday evenings: Aug. 6, 13, 20, and 27

6:30 – 8:00 PM

The majority of this class will be devoted not to the issue of human sexuality being discussed at General Conference in February (although, we will get to that in Session 3) but rather, to the processes of thinking and communication that are absolutely critical to our being able to remain a healthy congregation, focused on our ministry as FUMCGJ in the days leading up to and following General Conference. A fuller description of this class was presented in the July issue of “The Messenger”.

It is my hope that we will have persons from the con-gregation with a wide range of perspectives to share on the future of our congregation and denomination. Please prioritize this for your Monday nights in August. Thank you! – Pastor Steve

P A G E 6

Worship Themes for August 2018

(The preacher is Pastor Steve unless other-

wise indicated.)

Sunday, Aug. 5th –

• Communion Sunday

• Scripture: John 6:24-35

• Sermon Title: “Jesus – the Bread of Life”

“Revelation Revealed”: A Seven-part Series

on the Book of Revelation

In order to get the most out of this series, the congregation is urged to do some prereading in the week prior to the coming Sunday. Please bring your Bibles to worship, as well, as you may want to refer to passages and mark things to go back to after worship.

Sunday, Aug. 12th – Revelation Revealed, Part 1

• Scripture: Selected passages from Revelation Congregational pre-reading: Revelation 1

• Sermon Title: “Interpreting the Mystery”

• MAKE A CHANGE Sunday – Recipient: Colorado Discover Ability

Sunday, Aug. 19th – Revelation Revealed, Part 2

• Scripture: Selected passages from Rev. 2 and 3

• Sermon Focus: “Christ and the Churches”

Sunday, Aug. 26th – Revelation Revealed, Part 3

• Scripture: Selected passages from Rev. 4 – 7

• Sermon Title: “The Scroll Unsealed”

• MONTHLY FOOD DRIVE SUNDAY

On the second Sunday of the month all coin & cash (unless otherwise designated) is given to one of the Grand Valley’s non-profit organizations. FUMCGJ recognizes these organizations as agents of Christ’s work to meet the needs of many people in ways that are consistent with the teachings of Christ. Please plan ahead to support the wonderful work of these great organiza-tions.

Make A Change—August 12

Benefits Colorado Discover Ability

"Colorado Discover Ability (“CDA”) is the only organization that offers adaptive out-door recreation for people with disabilities in the Grand Valley. Each of our program participants has a cognitive or physical dis-ability, and sometimes both. More than 50% of them come from a lower socio-economic environment, which makes it diffi-cult for them to pay for the cost of activities, and a large percentage of participants are children. Studies on the effects of outdoor recreation have shown that such activities provide mo-tivation, greater self-esteem, increased self-awareness, and independence, in addition to any physical fitness result. Your “Make a Change” donations provide scholarships to help change the lives of the participants in our local community. From skiing and snowboarding to rafting and kayaking on the Colorado River, to adaptive cycling and summer camps for kids, your support brings smiles and lifelong memo-ries to people who need them. We know that you have many choices when it comes to your donation dollars, and we appreciate every consideration you extend to us.

Men’s Ministries at FUMC

Join us at 7am, on Friday mornings, at Four Winds Coffee & Tea at “The Christ Center”, 1235 Bookcliff Ave. (on the SE corner of Bookcliff and 12

th). We enjoy

coffee, a great breakfast, enriching fel-lowship, and bible study or a book study.

P A G E 7

Studies & Groups

LABYRINTH DESERT RETREAT—August 25 Walking the labyrinth is a spiritual practice that invites us to our center, to our heart. The rock labyrinth is only 10 minutes from the White-water C. where Tim Casey will welcome us to walk on his desert property with magnificent views of the Grand Mesa and the Uncom-pahgre. Most of the morning will be for walking and silent prayer; lunch at the Sisters with shar-ing in the afternoon. Presenter is Tim Casey, professor at Colorado Mesa University All the retreats are on Saturdays at the Whitewater Benedictine Community, 8250 Kan-nah Creek Rd., Whitewater, CO 81527. All are from 9am to 2pm and include lunch. Sug-gested donation is $25.00. Register by calling 970-241-3847 or emailing amatkannahcreek@peoplepc.com

P A L There's a new support group in town. If you have a son or daughter who struggles with alcohol, drugs, or food, there's help and hope. Parents of Addicted Loved Ones is now meeting Thursday evenings at First Presbyterian Church. PAL provides hope through education and support to parents. You will learn what to do or where to get the answer, regardless of what your loved one does. Group sup-port is unconditional. Suggestions are offered in place of advice; encouragement is provided in place of judgement. Meetings are 6:30 – 8:00 PM, Thursdays, First Pres-byterian Church, 3940 271⁄2 Road, Grand Junction. Group topics and discussions will highlight: • Addiction cycle • Traits and behaviors • Role of family • Setting realistic boundaries • Steps to recovery Meetings are free. Call Janna, (970)-379-5786 with your questions. “When we focus on changing the way we help our loved one, rather than trying to change them, it gives us realistic hope.”

P A G E 8

Average

Worship

Giving to the Gen-eral Operating

Fund

General Op-erating

Expenses

MAY ’18 207 $36,054 $40,753 $ - 4,699

JUNE ’18 223 $37,385 $39,571 $ - 2,186

Year-to-Date (6/30)

227

$248,445

$241,003

$ 7,442

Tithe Plus

(“Apportionment”)

(Owed)

Bills

Owed

Bank

Balance

After Payments

$4,842

$10,339

$-10,921

Generosity Committee has set up some creative ways to help our Church by using your City Market’s value card for those using City Market and a restaurant coupon that offers a percentage back to the Church. Please see the bulletin board as you enter the church.

• City Market offers a Community Rewards Program. Our

church is now on their list of non-profits and our organization number is 60641. We encourage you to register online at www.citymarketcommunityrewards.com.

If you still need help signing up for City Market, see Ken Scott in the courtyard between worship services.

P A G E 9

Diaper Depot

We are in continual need of Huggies, Pampers, or Luvs Brand diapers, sizes newborn, 4, 5, & 6 and wipes. Monetary donations can be made by specifying “Diaper Depot” in the memo.

Note: There is always a drop off basket available for you to bring in diapers. It is located in the court yard breezeway.

COMMUNITY FOOD BANK CHANGE

The Mission & Outreach Team has decided that the needs of the Food Bank can better be met by increasing our food collection to the last Sunday of each month. This will also help you remember when the collection will be occurring – it will always be the last Sunday of the month. Please contin-ue your generous giving. Remember there is always a provided basket in the breezeway to drop off food anytime.

Most Needed Items

• Turkeys and Hams for holiday food boxes-all sizes

• Foods high in protein such as canned meats – tuna, chicken, salmon –and canned or dried beans

• Foods high in nutrients, such as canned fruits and vegetables (preferably with reduced sodium and reduced sugar)

• Whole-grain foods such as brown rice, whole-wheat pasta

• Cereals – boxes of whole grain cereals-granola-oats

• Soups, chilies and beef stews (preferably with reduced sodium and reduced fat)

• 100% fruit juice (canned, plastic or boxed)-all sizes

Most Requested Food

Peanut butter

Most Requested Non-Food Items

Toothbrushes / Toothpaste

Toilet paper

Missions & Outreach

P A G E 1 0

Fellowship & Service

PICNIC & ROCKIES GAME!

All Church Picnic, Sunday August 12th, Lincoln Park, Aspen Shelter. Starting at 3:00 pm. Ham-burgers, Hot Dogs, and drinks provided. Bring a salad, side dish or dessert. Free GJ Rockies tickets available for all who want to go to the game. Tickets will be handed out at the picnic. Come enjoy the fellowship and fun. Participate with Pastor Steve as he leads us in cheers for the Rockies.

United Methodist Women

Ladies, as most of you know, UMW does not have regular meetings and programs during the summer. Instead we schedule field trips.

The next field trip will be To Catholic Outreach. The date will be Thursday, Aug. 2, between 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. We have been asked by Sister Karen Bland, who will conduct our tour, to arrive at 10:50. We will all meet there. Please be on time. Sister Karen will give us the Ambassador Tour followed by lunch, a ques-tion and answer period, and a short video. I will check on exactly where to park and enter the building. If you have questions, please phone me, Ruth Trowbridge, at (970) 257-7707.

Our UMW supports the Prayer Shawl Minis-try over the summer as we have KC (knit and crochet) Workshops every Tuesday evening in August from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in Room 2 down-stairs. Anyone who wants to learn to knit or crochet, or just needs a refresher, is welcome. Call Barbara Gardner, 778-6150, with ques-tions.

FUMC BOOK CLUB

Do you want to get a head start on the 1st cou-ple of books before the season begins on Sept. 24th?

Sept Book—I Thought It Was Just Me by Brene Brown

Oct Book—Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

For book club info contact Julie at 243-1522.

P A G E 1 1

Dear FUMC,

My name is Deborah Svec—Carstens and I recently completed my 2nd year in the Jour-ney M.Div. program at Iliff. I am writing to thank you for your generous support of Iliff. Your investment in students like me is greatly appreciated. The matching scholar-ship funds I received this year were an im-mense help in Funding my graduate educa-tion.

Thanks again for your support of Iliff.

Sincerely,

Thank you Steve and donors to the Pastor’s Dis-cretionary Fund (PDF) for supporting a family in need within the Kinship/Foster care system. Your generosity came at a very difficult time and the family is so grateful to all of you!

Sincerely,

Megan Weaver, Project 1.27

Dear Friends,

The Salvation Army confirms and thanks you for your generous gift, in the amount of $1,533.12. When our neighbors experience tough times, you and The Salvation Army are there for them. Some may only need our help until they can find work; others face more challenging situations. In either case, we won’t turn them away. With your generous gift, we can help those in need meet their most basic needs. Your gener-osity will show there is still hope in the world and assures that The Salvation Army will be able to continue “Doing the Most Good” with skill and compassion all year long.

Your Servant,

Steve Staneart, Captain

Dear Friends in Mission,

Thank you for your support of UMCOR. Through your gift, you are helping to pro-vide assistance for survivors of human traf-ficking, funding for health and development projects that alleviate hunger and poverty, holistic community-based health programs, and access to clean water and sanitation. Through The Advance, the designated giv-ing channel of The United Methodist Church, 100 percent of your contribution will go to UMCOR—Where Most Need, Ad-vance #999895. Your gift received on 6/20/2018 of $1,000.00 is supporting pro-grams that fight hunger and poverty, assist the displaced, and respond to disasters.

Grace and Peace,

Roland Fernandes

General Treasurer

Dear FUMC,

We are very grateful for your gift of 726 pounds of food to date in 2018. It is generous donors like you who make it possible for us to be here when our neighbors need food.

Gratefully, Marsha Kosteve, Dir.

Dear Prayer Chain: My heartfelt thanks for your prayers on behalf of my daughter, Su-san. There is no doubt in my mind that our Heavenly Father is watching over Susan and heard all the prayers for her that you and others have offered up to Him. Susan finished her radiation treatments late April and no further treatments are planned. Of course she will have regular check-ups but she and I both feel confident those will have good news. Throughout all of this Susan has looked and felt well and has remained positive. The future looks bright. With gratitude and wishing you God's blessing. Eunice Toussaint (Bill Branton's sister)

Sunday Services

9:00 & 11:00am

find us on facebook at fumcgj.

Our Website: fumcgj.org First United Methodist Church

522 White Avenue

Grand Junction, CO 81501

=======================

Phone: 970-242-4850

firstmethodist@fumcgj.org

Ministers: Al l who cal l FUMC their church home!

Staff

Church Office “OPEN” hours are 9am to 4pm Monday through Friday.

Lunch Hour/Office Closed 12-1pm

Church staff can be reached at the office number - 242-4850.

Pastor: Steve Easterday-McPadden (pastorsteve@fumcgj.org)

Office Manager: Carolyn Campbell (firstmethodist@fumcgj.org)

Grand Valley Youth Dir: Jessica Roehm (jessforministry@outlook.com)

Financial Sec.: Roxie Denning (finsec@fumcgj.org) Treasurer: Phyllis Neff

(treasurer@fumcgj.org)

Choir Director: James Werner (call or text 970-644-2724)

Bell Director: Carmen Devereux (carmina2696@gmail.com)

Organists: Karen Ray, Merle Ashley Media Ministry: Yancey Brennan Sound Tech: Mike Legate Maintenance/Custodial: Tim Spagna Nursery Coordinator: Pam Fults Custodian: Sylvia Lehmann