helena united methodist ministries€¦ · helena united methodist ministries. the ministers of...

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May at

www.stpaulshelena.org 406-442-5643 www.covenanthelena.org

HUMM HELENA UNITED METHODIST MINISTRIES

Worship at St. Paul’s and Covenant

Sunday Services at 8:30 & 11 AM (STP)

and 10:00 AM (CUMC)

Our God: Perplexing Scriptures We Would Rather Ignore

We talk all the time about how loving God is. We emphasize grace and God’s love for all people. What about those scriptures where God lacks patience and grace? What about passages where God smites people for seemingly trivial deeds? Or makes demands that seem unrealistic? How do we make sense of perplexing scriptures? Or do we just ignore them? The Bible is inspired by God and authoritative for our faith. While there is much diversity in views of what that means, Christians in general understand the Bible to be our holy book. The United Methodist Book of Discipline says, “Scripture is the primary source and criterion for Christian doc-trine.” So what are we to do with those difficult texts that depict God in a less-than graceful and loving light? Over the next several weeks we will be exploring some perplexing scriptures we would rather ignore. What can we learn about God from them? What do we learn about ourselves? Let’s see how the Holy Spirit will speak to us through these texts. Join us in worship each Sunday this month! We have lots of special things going on.

Date St. Paul’s Covenant

May 5 The Impact of Power-Sami Pack-Toner Demanding God – Patti Agnew Sunrise Singers and Players at 8:30 and Harp Duo at 11:00 May 12 Demanding God – Patti Agnew The Impact of Power-Sami Pack-Toner May 19 Overreacting God – Patti Agnew Violent God – Sami Pack-Toner Honoring our Seniors and Jazz Sunday Appreciating our Sunday School and Nursery volunteers

Weekend Warrior Worship: At the Course at noon (South Hills Disc Golf Course)

May 26 Violent God – Sami Pack-Toner Overreacting God – Patti Agnew June 2 Patti’s Farewell Sunday Inconsistent God – Sami Pack-Toner June 9 Inconsistent God – Sami Pack-Toner Patti’s Farewell Sunday June 16 Chris Haughee, Trish Dick, Chaplain at Intermountain Children’s Home Chaplain at Shodair Children’s Hospital

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Announcements Follow us on Facebook as St. Paul’s Helena or Covenant Helena

Watch the 11 AM service live at StPaulsHelena.org/live-stream

Call us at 406-442-5643

Email us at [email protected]

Office Hours 9 AM-1 PM: Mon– Thursday 4 PM-5:30 PM: Wednesday Night 512 Logan St., Helena, MT

Covenant and St. Paul’s are partners in the Helena United Methodist Ministries.

The Ministers of HUMM

The people of Covenant and St. Paul’s Patti Agnew - Lead Pastor

[email protected] Sami Pack-Toner - Pastor

[email protected] Bishop of Mountain Sky Conference:

Karen Oliveto Cabinet Representative:

Jan Witman

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church welcomes all people of any age, gender, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status, or disability into the full life and membership of this con-

gregation.

STAY CONNECTED

All Church Council meeting is on May 9 at 5:30 PM in the St. Paul’s Choir Room

God Hunger: Meaningful Meditation

Come join us at 12 PM on Wednesdays as we focus on God’s presence and learn the benefit of regular prayer in our lives. No sign-up necessary for this class. Please join us in the St. Paul’s Library at noon. We encour-age you to bring your lunch for 30 minutes of prayer and 15 minutes of discussion.

Migrant & Asylum JoAnn Hanson and Eric Stimson spent the month of March, 2019, in Tuc-son, Arizona. On Wednesday May 22, at 5:30 PM we will start with a potluck in the Covenant Fellowship Hall. At 6:30 PM they will describe their experiences with Casa Alitas, an organization operating a transition center for Central American families seeking asylum in the United States.

Emmaus Gathering

Join us on Tuesday, May 28 at 6:30 PM in the SP Choir room for the monthly Walk to Emmaus Gathering. Gatherings include some fun Em-maus songs, a time for fellowship with friends, communion, a short wit-ness talk and reflection time. Childcare is provided in room 203 at Su-sanna's Place.

Justice League

To promote justice for all by identifying local, state, national, and global issues of social injustice so that public awareness and education can take place. We seek to prioritize social justice issues for timely presentation to the congregation to connect individuals with the social issues of their par-

ticular interest and opportunities to become actively involved in them.

We hope for maximum action and minimum meetings, but we are planning to gather for a few working sessions this spring in St. Paul’s Library:

Thursday May 9, 5:30 PM-We will list and plan "awareness building" events that our church members can join (speakers, tours, dinners and Justice League meetings) for sharing on the church website.

Videographers Needed St. Paul’s is looking for volunteers with Sunday availability during our 11

AM service to record. Any amount of time you wish to help is appreciated. All training will be provided. No special skills needed. If interested contact Rob Bonnes [email protected]

Save the Date

The annual Work Weekend for Flathead Lake United Methodist Camp is May 3, 4, & 5 and you are invited to attend with children or without to do the work of readying our Camp for the season. Jobs for skilled and

unskilled, heavy & light labor. Food and lodging is free. St. Paul's usual-ly sends a good sized group and our help makes a difference. Go for the first time or the 15th time as all help is welcomed and included.

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Food Share Sunday The Sheila Cates Circle of St. Paul’s United Methodist Women is sponsoring a Food Share

Sunday the third Sunday of each month. Needed food items this month are tuna & peanut butter. You may bring your items to church on the third Sunday and place them in the

Food Share box in the entryway. Of course, the church will accept donations anytime, but we would like to see an outpouring of donations on May 19. Items will be picked up the

following Wednesday. Thank you for sharing your bounty with those who have less. Food Share appreciates your help. For more information contact Claudia Davis at 461-9618.

The Helena Community Connections welcomes you to a wonderful new year of programming. All events take place at Covenant United Methodist Church 2330 E. Broadway. Here’s what’s happening in May:

Bridges Buffet-Monthly Lunch and Program Series-May 1, 12:00 - 1:30 PM. Eyeing the Birds Looking for a new hobby in your retirement? How about birding? It is one of the fastest growing rec-reational activities. Learn more about birding and the birds of our area with local bird expert and longtime Audubon member, Bob Martinka. A $5 donation for program costs is appreciated as are nonperishable food items for Food Share. Register at bridgeshcc.org by noon Monday prior to the event or contact Marsha for more information, 443-1287

Gentle Ways- A free weekly workshop-Every Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30- 10:30 AM (except holidays) Gentle stretching, balancing and strengthening exercises tailored to all ages and led by experienced practitioners. Bring a mat, no registration required. For more information contact Sandee at 442-1685. Food items for Food Share are appreciated.

Cranium Café-A free brain health workshop-May 15, 12-1:30 PM Participants learn and practice brain exercises and gain an improved understanding of the aging brain and how to keep it healthy as one ages. Nanette Whitman-Holmes, Life Enrichment Director at Touchmark, facilitates the session. Bring a sack lunch, other refreshments provided. Register at bridgeshcc.org or contact Marsha for more information, 443-1287.

Bridges Buffet and Cranium Café will resume in September.

May Bridges Events

We have two open positions, Coordinator of Children's Ministries (full-time) and Nursery Attendant (hourly). Both Lynn Van Nice and Phyllis Michelson have announced their retirements effective July 1 and June 1 respectively. If you are interested, please submit a cover letter and resume to Pastor Patti at [email protected].

Coordinator of Children’s Ministry: Lynn Van Nice has announced her retirement, effective June 30. We are sad to see her go, but grateful for all the years she has nurtured our children! The job description is available on the website. This is a full-time position and also includes coordinating our caring ministries.

Nursery Attendant: Phyllis Michelson is retiring after serving in this position for over 20 years. She has loved our children well and we will miss her. We are looking for someone to provide loving care to our littlest ones on Sun-day mornings during both worship services. This is an hourly position.

Nights at the Roundtable at Lewis & Clark Brewery

This will be an informal gathering to read good books and have

good conversations. We will be starting American Jesus: How the

Son of God became a National Icon by Stephen Prothero. Not a

fan of beer? All sodas are on Sami!

Sundays @ 7pm

Game Night at The Hawthorn

Tuesdays @ 7 pm

Worship: At the Course at the South Hills Disc Golf Course

Join us for a pancake brunch, weather permitting, right at the

course! We will have a short, informal worship service, play

some frisbee golf, clean up garbage, and enjoy the sunshine. If

you would like to play frisbee golf (or even learn!) we have plen-

ty of discs to share

Sunday, May 19, noon

Job Openings

God After Hours

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Pastoral Transition Last month we talked about the clergy needs to serve St. Paul’s and Covenant, recognizing both churches want a stronger clergy presence and our two pastors have been spread thin to perform their very big jobs. Since then, we have learned Pastor Patti has been unexpectedly appointed by the Bishop to serve in a new capacity. She will be moving into a conference level position that involves supporting the Methodist churches in east-ern Montana as well as providing direct clergy services to the Methodist churches in Park County. She will be moving to Livingston to assume these two half-time positions, one of which requires regular travel. Although neither she nor we requested this move, she has a skill set that the Cabinet recognized as valuable in her new assignment and, sadly, we must let her go. Both St. Paul’s and Covenant are planning celebrations in June to honor her and the gifts she brought to us in the past two years of our shared ministry. Stay tuned for details. We have just learned Bishop Karen Oliveto has chosen to appoint the Rev. Margaret Gillikin as Lead Pastor of our churches as of July 1, 2019. She is currently serving as District Superintendent of the Trinity District of the Moun-tain Sky Area (eastern and southeastern Colorado). District Superintendent Jan Witman has described our new pastor as wise, creative, articulate, and passionate. Rev. Gillikin is eager to get back into the pulpit on a regular basis and she seems to be a fine match to lead our staff and churches. We can’t wait for you to meet her! She will officially assume her duties July 1 and we will plan a variety of opportunities to help us get to know her better. We continue to pray for an additional part-time clergy position to round out our staff. This would give us our new lead pastor, Pastor Sami, and a new part-time pastor to help meet the needs at both St. Paul’s and Covenant. We remain hopeful this can become a reality. Our District Superintendent has been a strong advocate for us in this ap-pointment process and we appreciate her support. Maybe we’ll have good news to report in the next newsletter. We have been blessed with the contributions of all our pastors - past, present, and on into the future. As each one partners in ministry with us they help us define who we are as people of God, serving as disciples in our churches and in our communities. We’re excited for future possibilities! Staff Parish Relations Team members are as follows if you have questions or thoughts you’d like to share.

St. Paul’s: Dave Nielsen, Liz Kohlstaedt, Frank Montibeller, Bill Avey, Michele Marsh, Roger Stone, Jon Nehring, Susan Duncan

Covenant: Lee Benner, Kathy Chase, Mary Guse, Jacquie Haney, Nanette Whitman-Holmes, Sandee Sept

Save the Dates Sunday, May 5-Celebrating Covenant’s PAST Potluck

Sunday, July 21-Celebrating Covenant’s PRESENT Potluck Monday, September 30-Celebrating Covenant’s FUTURE Potluck

Celebrating 50 years in our original church building. Many fun activities are in the works for our Joyful Jubilee and we invite you to mark your calendar and be present with all of them. We will have three potlucks. The May 5th potluck will include a short program to recognize the contributions and work that many have given to make our space beautiful and functional for worship and community offerings. The Joyful Jubilee is also a time for us to reflect on the requirements, responsibilities, and maintenance of building ownership. It is an opportunity to give a financial gift to CUMC that will be designated for the Trustees Fund and work that is required over time or maybe a major expense that results from worn out equipment. We will be providing more information about potential expenses in the future. Come and be joyful with us!

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St Paul’s Youth Dominic Tuttle

Coordinator of Youth Ministries

[email protected]

Donuts and Devotions - 9:45-10:45 AM - Youth Room (SWP 208) We’ll be taking a look at the sermon topic in a discussion format, over tasty pastries, refreshing fruits, and a game or two!

Wednesday Night Youth - 6:15-8:15 PM - Youth Room (SWP 208) Every Wednesday evening, we’ll meet for a study, games, and as much silliness as we can fit into one evening!

Graduation Sunday - May 12, 11 AM Service After more than a decade of hard work, some of our own students are finally approaching the first major finish line! Join with us as we celebrate their achievement (and of course, cake afterwards!).

Children’s Ministry Appreciation - Sunday, May 19 Covenant members will honor our children's Sunday school teachers and assistants, nursery volunteers and nursery attendant during the church service. We'll celebrate with cake during fellowship hour. Please greet and thank the following individuals who have guided and cared for our children this past church season: Kris Allen, Elaine Eidum, Martha Haddock, Jacquie Haney, JoAnn Han-son, Rita Newman, Aundrea Peterson, Berma Saxton, Norma Smith, Gail Tronstad, and Bernice Weickum.

Sunday School - Kindergarten - 5th grade can join Sunday School following Children’s Time during the service. We meet in Classroom 1 on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month.

Available for the little ones (birth to 5 years) every Sunday.

Summer Camp - Mark your calendars for "Go Shine Your Light." June 10 -13 from 5:30-8:15 PM. We will begin Sum-mer Camp each evening with dinner for all children, their families and volunteers. Children will then participate in mu-sic, crafts, Bible stories and games. Registration forms are available on our website or from Lynn or the church office. Plan on spending your first week of summer vacation attending Summer Camp!

Our last Promiseland class will be May 19. We will welcome summer in with an end of the year party. Plan on joining the fun!

Godly Play - will change to Mystery Moments on May 28 at the 11 AM service. MM is during the summer months instead of Godly Play. Lynn and volunteers will accompany the children to our park. Let the warm sunny days begin!

Lynn Van Nice

Coordinator of Children’s Ministries

[email protected]

St Paul’s

Children’s Ministry

Covenant's Children’s Ministry

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Wednesday May 1

9:30 AM: Bible Study (SP) - Library

12 PM: God Hunger (SP) - Library

5:30 PM: Volunteer Appreciation Dinner (SP) - Fellowship Hall

6:30 PM: Youth Group (SP)(SWP) - Room 208

6:30 PM: CUMC Trustees (CUMC) - Classroom

6:30 PM: Nominations Meeting (SP) - Library Thursday, May 2

9:30 AM: Bible Study (SP)(SWP) - Fireside Room

12:15 PM: Jung Reading Group (SP)(SWP) - Fireside Room

6 PM: Family Promise Meeting (SP) - Choir Room Friday, May 3

10 AM: Bulletin Folders (SP)(SWP) - Room 104 Sunday, May 5

8:30 &11AM: Worship (SP) - Sanctuary

9:30 AM: Fellowship (SP) - [Fellowship Hall 102)

9:45 AM: Promiseland Classes (SP)(SWP) - Rooms 105, 201, 203, & 209

9:45 AM: Youth Donuts & Devotions (SP)(SWP) - Room 208

10 AM: Worship (CUMC) - Sanctuary

11 AM: Fellowship (CUMC) - Fellowship Hall

11 AM: Godly Play (SP)(SWP) Monday, May 6

5:30 PM: Nominations Meeting (SP)(SWP) - Room 104 Tuesday, May 7

5:30 PM: Bell Choir Practice (CUMC) - Sanctuary Wednesday, May 8



1:30 PM: Shalom Circle - Off Site

6:30 PM: Youth Group (SP)(SWP) - Room 208 Thursday, May 9



5:30 PM: Church Council (SP) - Choir Room

5:30 PM: Justice League (SP) - Fellowship Hall Friday, May 10








11 AM: Godly Play (SP)(SWP)

2 PM: Touchmark Communion - Off Site Monday, May 13

1:30 PM: Wesleyan Circle (SP) - Fellowship Hall

5:30 PM: Stewardship Team (SP) - Room 104

5:45 PM: Sheilla Cates Circle (SP) - Room 208 Tuesday, May 14

9:30 AM: Doris Long Circle (SP) - Off Site

5:30 PM: Bell Choir Practice (CUMC) - Sanctuary

Wednesday May 15





11:45 AM: Susanna’s Circle (SP) - Library

12:15 PM: Jung Reading Group (SP)(SWP) - Fireside Room Friday, May 17








11 AM: Godly Play (SP)(SWP)

11 AM: Blood Pressure Clinic (CUMC) - Classroom Monday, May 20

11 AM: CUMC Finance Meeting (SP)(SWP) - Room 104

5:30 PM: SP Finance Meeting (SP)(SWP) - Room 104

7 PM: Laurie’s Book Club (CUMC) - Classroom Tuesday, May 21

5:30 PM: Bell Choir Practice (CUMC) - Sanctuary

5:30 PM: Trustees (SP)(SWP) - Fireside Room Wednesday, May 22





12:15 PM: Jung Reading Group (SP)(SWP) - Fireside Room Friday, May 24







11 AM: Mystery Moments (SP)(SWP) Wednesday, May 29





10:30 AM: Newsletter Folders (SP)(SWP) - Room 104


5:30 PM: SPRC (CUMC) - Classroom Friday, May 31

10 AM: Bulletin Folders (SP)(SWP) - Room 104

St Paul & Covenant’s

May 2019 Calendar

helena united methodist ministries€¦ · helena united methodist ministries. the ministers of...

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