MARCH 2014

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VOYAGEUR

M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O Y A G E U R

From the Pastor’s Desk

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” – Matt 11:28

After a long, trying winter, here comes Lent. I remember, in my first parish, sinking so deeply into the

sobriety of the season that I fell into a “funk”. The medieval church emphasized “giving something up”, being

penitent, and dwelling in the pain of the path that Jesus had to walk toward Jerusalem. Whether you give up

chocolate (which our current Confirmation class thinks is a bad idea!) or a bad habit, the focus is often on

“giving up”. I, for one, feel a profound need to rest in God right now. I suspect that is true for many of us.

What if we were to focus less on “giving up” and more on “making room”? What if we were to take Jesus

seriously and allow him to share the weight that we carry, rest in his peace, to stop DO-ing and start BE-ing?

Our frenetic busyness is costly to our spiritual lives. We fill our calendars and stack our self- (and other-)

expectations until we crowd out God’s gentle grace for us. The scriptures in worship have been all about

going to Jesus to be fed, to have our thirst quenched spiritually. So it’s time to pull a chair up to the table and

drink deeply!

This Lent, I want to invite you to enter into a season of Sabbath and to remember who you are and whose you

are. We will begin Lent with our Ash Wednesday services on Wednesday, March 5, at 7 p.m. Come and

begin to unload the weight, hunker down in the quiet, and receive the sign of the cross in ashes as a reminder

that everything we are rests in God’s generous hands.

I will be doing a sermon series through Lent called, “BUSY: Reconnecting With an Unhurried God”. The scriptures and themes will be:

Matthew 11:28-30 “A Well-Fitting Yoke”

Isaiah 35 “Springs of AbundantHope”/BMW Psalm 23 “sitting Down at the table”

Luke 12:29-34 “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda… Not!”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 “A Time for Every Matter”

Mark 2:21-28 “Give It a Rest”

If you have been absent from our worship gatherings, this is a wonderful time to return and renew. We will

pray for warmer weather and for a refreshment of our spirits, individually and as a church. Come and be

blessed! Come and be a blessing!

M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O Y A G E U R

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Funeral Lunch Update

I have been the Funeral Coordinator for a little over a year now. It has been my privilege to serve in this capacity. I would like to

share a little about what the job entails. When we have a death in our church that results in the family wanting a reception I am con-

tacted by Pastor Gay or Charity. I then in turn contact the family to let them know what our church provides and what they would

like served. Our church provides hot and cold beverages and something sweet, cookies, bars or cake. All other food has to be ca-

tered and ordered by the family. Once I know an estimate of how many to expect (and that is a difficult thing) and what they would

like served, I began calling. I need to have 6-8 people to set up the fellowship hall, several to bake bars, several to serve, a coffee

maker, a dishwasher and clean up crew. I am not sure when the list of volunteers was compiled that I was given, but I believe it

needs to be updated. Many on the list are no longer capable of helping. This is a wonderful service to the grieving family and I

urge you to consider helping. Men as well as women can be very valuable in any of the areas of need. By volunteering it does

not mean that you will have to help with every funeral. If you are not available or just can’t for whatever reason, that is just fi-

ne. Maybe you will be the next time. So, please call Charity in our church office (751-3503) and she will put you on a new list. I

need folks to Set Up, Bake, Serve, Clean Up, Run the Dishwasher, Make Coffee. Once we have a new list, it will be filed at the

church office in the event I am not available.

Verna Lofberg, Funeral Coordinator

SCRIPTURE READINGS and SERMON TITLES FOR THE SEASON OF LENT

Sunday, March 9 --- Matthew 11:28-30 “A Well-Fitting Yoke”

Sunday, March 16 --- Isaiah 35 “Springs of Hope”/ BMW Sunday

Sunday, March 23 --- Psalm 23 “Sitting Down at the Table”

Sunday, March 30 --- Luke 12:29-34 “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda… Not!”

Sunday, April 6 --- Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 “A Time for Every Matter”

Sunday, April 13 --- Mark 2:21-28 “Give It a Rest”/ Palm Sunday

LATTER RAIN, LATTER RAIN by Bill Olson

Sea of Glory, fall from Heaven

Latter Rain, Latter Rain

All the trees, clap your hands

Latter Rain, Latter Rain

Sea of Glory, fall from Heaven

Latter Rain, Latter Rain

Every creature, bless from Heaven

Latter Rain, Latter Rain

Waving fields, white for harvest

Latter Rain, Latter Rain

All the saints say, Come Lord Jesus

Latter Rain, Latter Rain

PANCAKE BRUNCH

Bring a friend and support

our Capital Campaign

for building repairs!

SUNDAY, MARCH 23 after

worship in the Fellowship

Hall

MARCH 2014

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

2

COMMUNION SUNDAY

FOOD SHELF SUNDAY

9:00 Adult Forum

10:30 Worship Service

10:45 Sunday School

11:30 Youth Carmel

Rolls

4:00 Confirmation

3

4:30 Upper

Mississippi

Mental

Health

Center

family

dinner

4

1:00 Staff Mtg

Noon and 5:30

Yoga

3:00 Girl Scouts

5:30 AA

6:00 Square

Dance Lessons

6:30 Trustees

5

10:00 ROMEOs at

Sanford Health

6:00 Choir Re-

hearsal

6:30 Youth Group

7:00 Ash Wednes-

day Service

6

10:00 Pilgrimage

Study

5:00 Soup Kitchen

5:00 Lotus Zen

Meditation

7

Noon

Peace

Prayer

Group

7:30

Square

Dance

1

9:30 Yoga

___________

8

9:30 Yoga

10:00 Prayer

Shawl Meet-

ing

5:30 Adult

Game Night

9

9:00 Adult Forum

10:30 Worship Service

10

4:30

UMMHC

6:00 RFL

Team Capt

Meeting

7:15 RFL

Committee

Meeting

11

1:00 Staff Mtg

Noon and 5:30

Yoga

3:00 Girl Scouts

5:30 AA

6:00 Square

Dance Lessons

12

10:00 ROMEOs at

Sanford Health

13

10:00 Pilgrimage

Study

5:00 Soup Kitchen

5:00 Lotus Zen

Meditation

5:30 SPRC Meeting

6:30 Executive

Council Meeting

14

9:00 Faith

and Fel-

lowship

Confirma-

tion trip

15

9:30 Yoga

Confirmation

trip

16

BMW SUNDAY

9:00 Adult Forum

10:30 Worship Service

10:45 Sunday School

11:30 Youth Carmel

Rolls

17

4:30

UMMHC

18

1:00 Staff Mtg

Noon and 5:30

Yoga

5:30 AA

6:00 Square

Dance Lessons

19

9:15 BMW Meet-

ing

10:00 ROMEOs at

Sanford Health

6:30 Youth Group

7:00 Choir Re-

hearsal

20

10:00 Pilgrimage

Study

5:00 Soup Kitchen

5:00 Lotus Zen

Meditation

7:00 Soup Kitchen

Board Meeting

21 22

9:30 Yoga

23

9:00 Adult Forum

10:30 Worship Service

10:45 Sunday School

11:30 Pancake Brunch

2:00 Square Dance

4:00 Confirmation

24

4:30

UMMHC

25

Noon and 5:30

Yoga

3:00 Girl Scouts

5:30 AA

6:00 Square

Dance Lessons

NEWSLETTER

DEADLINE

26

10:00 ROMEOs at

Sanford Health

6:30 Youth Group

7:00 Choir Re-

hearsal

27

10:00 Pilgrimage

Study

5:00 Soup Kitchen

5:00 Lotus Zen

Meditation

5:00 Stamping

Group

28

29

9:30 Yoga

30

9:00 Adult Forum

10:30 Worship Service

10:45 Sunday School

11:30 Youth Carmel

Rolls

Noon YEAC Meeting

4:00 Confirmation

31

4:30

UMMHC

1

Noon and 5:30

Yoga

3:00 Girl Scouts

5:30 AA

6:00 Square

Dance Lessons

2

10:00 ROMEOs at

Sanford Health

6:30 Youth Group

7:00 Choir Re-

hearsal

3

5:00 Soup Kitchen

5:00 Lotus Zen

Meditation

4

Noon

Peace

Prayer

Group

7:30

Square

Dance

5

9:30 Yoga

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M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O Y A G E U R

READERS: Coordinator Becky Lueben

Worship Service Volunteers March 2014 If you cannot fulfill your Sunday of volunteering please find a replacement and let the

church office (751-3503) know who your replacement is.

March 2: Tony Nicholson

March 9: Melanie Hough

March 16: BMW Sunday

March 23: Judy Magness

March 30: Kim Smith

USHERS Coordinator: Michelle Crow GREETERS

March 2: Lorne and Verna Lofberg

March 9: Marcia Roline, Becky and Jackson Fin-negan

March 16: Deanna Nichols and Ruth Howe

March 23:Victor Mosser and Sandra Kranz

March 30: Jerry Pickett and Bunny Howe

March 2: Pat Baird and Elaine Clark

March 9: Christy Sander and Jenny Frenzel

March 16: Lo Sorensen and Ginger Tibbetts

March 23: Dave and Nancy Holles

March 30: Randy Burg and Carol Nielsen

March 2: Lorne Lofberg and Marcia Roline

March 9: Ken and Deanna Nichols

March 16: Elaine Clark and De Pickett

March 23:Trustees Pancake Brunch

March 30: Marcia Roline and Carla Nicholson

COFFEE SERVERS: Coordinator Skippy Larson

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COMMUNION STEWARDS: Kim Smith, Marcia Roline, and Krista Coyle

Parish Nursing Needs In our congregation we have some nurses who sometimes take blood pressure for those who want to know if they are

healthy. They are good Christian nurses and are a good resource for you; however, Parish nursing is a position which

needs to be filled in our church. There is a course to prepare nurses that are interested in this area of nursing. Parish

nursing in a church is kind of combining nursing experience and knowledge with one’s spiritual well being to help oth-

ers in the church community. A parish nurse is to be a resource for the physical help one needs, to offer appropriate edu-

cation, and to be a reminder of how God cares for us and is with us through illness and wellness issues. I have been re-

tired from my hospital and nursing experience for, I think too long now, to stay up to date on some of the current re-

sources, and since I am gone most of the year I cannot really keep current with the resources in the area. So there is a

need for another nurse to fill this place in Bemidji UMC.

If you are that person, or you know someone who would be interested let Pastor or one of the staff know. I am not in

Minnesota long enough each year to continue to keep my RN active in this state. I am, of course interested in our mem-

ber’s health and wellbeing and will continue to be. I appreciate the nurses in our congregation who take part during the

year when I am away. Thanks for allowing me to be parish nurse in these past years.

See you in Spring.

God Bless you all,

Virginia Youngdahl

M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O Y A G E U R

ANNOUNCEMENTS, REMINDERS, COMMUNITY EVENTS, DATES, ETC.

Back to Regular Church Office Hours

9:00am—3:00pm Mon—Fri

Phone: 218-751-3503

FOR AFTER HOURS

AND EMERGENCIES:

Rev. Gay Albers—766-7352

If you wish for a pastoral home visit or

hospital visit, or know someone

who needs or desires a visit,

please call the church office.

SUNDAY MORNING

WORSHIP SERVICE 10:30 / SUNDAY SCHOOL 10:45

JUST A REMINDER….

Articles for the April 2014

newsletter are due in the office no

later than 8:00am on Tuesday,

March 25, 2014.

Any announcements you

wish to have in the

Sunday bulletin must be

called in, emailed, or delivered to

the office by noon

on Thursdays.

THANK YOU!

Email Addresses: Church Office, Charity: umcbji@paulbunyan.net

Pastor Gay: galbers@paulbunyan.net

Krista Coyle: kcoyle@paulbunyan.net

Mailing Address: PO Box 607, Bemidji, MN 56619

Street Address: 924 Beltrami Avenue, Bemidji MN 56601

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OFFICE HOURS FOR PASTORAL AVAILABILITY: Tuesdays 1:00—3:00pm,

Wednesdays 10:00am—noon, or by appointment.

Pastor Gay’s day off is Monday, Krista’s days off are Wednesday & Friday.

M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O Y A G E U R

MARCH BIRTHDAYS Please celebrate and pray for these people on their birthday.

March 9

Nick and Kristin Thompson

March 15

Terry and Lucille Nelson

March 25

Robert and Carol Rieke

March 29

Benjamin and

Cheyenne Stowe

MARCH WEDDING

ANNIVERSARIES

1 Jim Tibbetts

2 Ashley Pirkl

3 Adecia Dauner

4 Ruth Howe

8 Cathie Bunich

Jack Hildenbrand

9 Tessa Comstock

David Cuperus

Gwen Salner

11 Dick Slinkman

13 Jack Israelson

14 Kathy Gorick

Sarah Schultz

15 Dorothy Carter

Dorothy Naramore

Dennis Noska

Audrey Rolfson

Cynthia White

18 Kody Beam

Tom Gray

19 Laura Hays

If your birthday or anniversary or the birthday or anniversary of a parishioner is missed here,

please call Charity at the office so it will be included in the Sunday bulletin and future Voyagers.

page 6

20 Jackson Finnegan

Nancy Holles

Hollie Simmerman

21 Merril Thiel

22 Rich Morehouse

23 Carla Nicholson

27 Kaia Hess

28 Michael Stowe

29 Mike Jessen

30 Mylisa Cullifer

Jonathan Leet

Darlene Wilson

M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O Y A G E U R

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SALE, SALE, SALE!!! Who doesn’t like quality for bargain prices?? We still have 2 cases of choice pe-

cans left. They have been kept in a cold room and are in perfect condition. Because we do not want to drag

this on any longer, we are reducing the bags by $3 each. So the $10 bags are now $7 and the $8.50 bags are

$5.50. Throw them in your freezer and you will always have a supply on hand for baking, salads and the

like. Thank you in advance for purchasing them and letting BMW move on. We have listened to your re-

quests and next year we will order less pecans and more walnuts, chocolate nuts and others. Except to save

enough money for next year’s purchase, all the profit is given to various church and community organiza-

tions.

Verna Lofberg, BMW Chair

BMW is working on a meaningful worship experience for the annual BMW Sunday, March 16. Special mu-

sic, readings and message will give us all a feeling of HOPE. Come and see who has been chosen to be the

recipient of the Service Awards too.

Capitol Campaign

The goal of the Capital Campaign is to solicit funds to enhance the current Renovation fund to allow the

Trustees to address the current backlog of needed repairs. The Renovation Fund was created from the old

Building Fund after the mortgage was retired. The purpose of the Renovation Fund is to address major repairs

and renovations that are not a part of the Trustees regular budgeted items.

The Trustees budget is used to pay for the day to day expenses of operating the church (utilities, snow remov-

al, safety inspections, etc.). As the building ages, we are starting to experience costs to repair the building

systems that result from long term use. In 2013 the church spent over $16,000 on unbudgeted repairs. The

sewer line problem, roof leaks, water damage repairs, and elevator repair are just a few examples of the larger

expenses we faced in 2013. There are additional items that need to be addressed that are not a part of the reg-

ular trustee’s budget.

Three of the additional items that need to be addressed soon are: the elevator safety switch and the emergen-

cy lighting which can no longer be repaired and must be upgraded to comply with the state code; the roof

drains need to be addressed to stop the leaking into the building; the replacement of the three smaller furnac-

es. There is currently funding in the Renovation Fund but it will only cover two of the three major items and

will leave the church no reserves in case of another major repair or emergency.

It is hoped that we can encourage the members of the congregation to donate to the Renovation Fund. This

campaign is being implemented now to allow us time to accumulate a reserve in the Renovation Fund prior to

major repairs or emergencies depleting the current balance. Donations can be accomplished by and just writ-

ing a check or cash and note for the "Renovation Fund" on them, or to ADD an e-Offering donation under the

Renovation Fund category.

To kick off the Capital Campaign, the Trustees will be hosting a free will offering pancake breakfast on Sun-

day March 23, 2014 after church in the fellowship hall. Please plan to attend and bring a friend.

M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O Y A G E U R

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If you need help registering your account, call Sandra Robin-

son at 444-7817 or Charity in the church office at 751-3503.

In an ongoing effort to keep

kids safe and teach others

best practices to prevent

child abuse, BUMC staff

are working to update our

existing Sexual Boundaries

policy. We are planning

this update, as well as put-

ting together some form(s)

of education for those who

work with children or youth

in the church, and for any-

one who is interested in

working toward a safer en-

vironment for kids. Talk to

Pastor Gay or Krista for

more info.

Thinking Ahead to VBS...

Starting in March, we will begin planning for VBS this summer. BUMC will co-host with the First Presbyterian church again this year. Dates, location, and theme are yet to be chosen… If you would like to share your ideas or have input on any aspect of planning, contact Krista as soon as possible!

Ash Wednesday 3/5

NO Youth Group 3/12

Confirmation Trip to Twin Cities Area

3/14 to

3/16

Youth Group at People’s Church

3/19

YAEC Meeting after Worship

3/30

Easter Egg Hunt & Ham Dinner

4/13

Please Note...

Re peat th is to y oursel f : Spr ing is coming, Spr ing is coming,

Youth & Family News

March 2014

Easter comes pretty late this year — Palm Sunday is April 13 and Easter is April 20. Our annual Ham Dinner and Easter Egg Hunt will take place on Palm Sunday, and we are planning a special day for ALL ages! We will host an Easter Egg Hunt for all kids during Sunday School time on Palm Sunday. Prizes and goodies will be given to each child who partici-pates. Kids should be finished with the hunt and ready to join their families for the Ham Dinner after worship. See you there!

Let’s Talk About Abuse Prevention

SUPPORT OUR YOUTH BY INDULGING!

The BUMC Youth Group will be selling homemade caramel rolls the following Sun-

days after worship—come to the Lounge and support our Youth Group while you indulge in the warm, gooey goodness of these delicious

treats! March 2 & 30 April 6 & 27

May 4

Easter Egg Hunt & Ham Dinner

Each month, we will pick a random person/family to feature in the Voyageur

AND on a bulletin board in the Narthex at BUMC.

Read their interview, check out their picture, introduce yourself, and get to

know who’s sitting in a pew near you!

YOU might be our next feature...

ERIC & JANINE WAHL A little bit about Eric & Janine, their family, and how they came to be part of BUMC:

We came to BUMC in the fall of 2011 on pretty short notice, due to Janine’s finding a job here in Bemidji.

Janine is the Director of Clinical Experience in the Education Department of BSU, and Eric is a retired

farmer. We both have lived in Monticello, Iowa, most of our lives and our elderly parents still all live there.

We spend a significant amount of time traveling back and forth to Iowa to visit our parents, and to take care

of our farm and home there. We also have one adult son, Matt, who lives in Denver, Colorado, and is getting

married in June 2014!

Because we travel so much between Bemidji and our home in Iowa, the word “regular” may not be a good de-

scriptor of our attendance. That being said, we like to attend BUMC for the sense of Christian community

that attendance brings and for the reminder that God is all around us and definitely is in our lives.

When asked what they do in their free time, they shared two different perspectives!

Janine says, “What’s free time?” and Eric says, “All time is free!” We do home remodel projects, fishing, read-

ing, having family and friends visit, walking/hiking, and visiting our son.

If Janine and Eric could teach a Bible study or preach a sermon, this is what it would be on:

The significance of our worries, cares, and concerns in influencing God’s plans for us

When asked to share something else about them, they said:

We have not been to Hawaii.

Fun extra: The first person to correctly identify WHERE this picture of Eric and Janine was taken (and

WHAT this is a picture of) wins a wonderful PRIZE! Contact Krista if you have a guess. Winner will be an-

nounced by the end of March.

INTRODUCING:

WHO’S WHO IN THE PEW ?

M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O Y A G E U R

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REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS THOSE. . .

… at Neilson Place: Henrietta Britton, Trudy Ditty, Will Leaf

… at Trillium: Nelle May, Marjory Beck

… at Windsong: Margaret Skinner, Bill Britton, Jean Leaf, Verona Haluptzok, Wag and Alice Collins,

Eunice Flynn, Marian Blehm, Lucille Kinnard, Dick and Jean Slink-

man

… at Birch Haven: Lois Statton, Doris Pierce

… at Havenwood Care Center: Patty Boyer, Ruth Blackburn, Mary

Conner, Grace Daniels, Neil Bryant

… at Cedar Cottage: Tillie Orear

… at Goldpine #4: Laura Hays, Dorothy Sathre, Harold Fruetel, Joyce

Daniels

… at Eagle’s View Foster Home: Robert Ray

… in nursing care in Staples: Betty Roline (Marcia’s mother in law)

… recovering at home: Kathleen Magsam

… undergoing cancer treatment: Chris Shomenta, Kelly Fuhrman, Er-

ic Roberts, Mary Hoody, Todd Longazo

… in need of special prayers: William Hurt, Penny Jo Haupt and her grandson Nicholas

… recovering from surgery: Sandra Sterr

... serving in Krygystan: Sarina Trego

Please remember baby Kazzlynn Lee and the family in your prayers as they monitor her health.

ATTENTION ALL METHODIST LADIES

The Bemidji Methodist Women will meet on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at 9:15am in the church lounge.

Refreshments will be served.

Hostesses: Carol Larson and Sharon Israelson

Program: Northwest Minnesota Foundation—”Playground for Handicap”

Devotions: Carol Rieke

Business Meeting: President Verna Lofberg will conduct a short meeting

Old Business: Nuts

New Business: BMW Sunday March 16th—Wrap up

Soup Kitchen—May 29

Come and join us! All are welcome!

924 Beltrami Ave PO Box 607 Bemidji, MN 56619-0607

B E M I D J I U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

open hearts open minds open doors

The people of the United Methodist Church

Office number: (218) 751-3503 Email: umcbji@paulbunyan.net Web Site: www.bemidjiumc.com

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit Number 8

Bemidji MN 56601

Return Service Requested

MARCH 2014 VOYAGEUR

Published Monthly

Church Staff Gay Albers Pastor Krista Coyle Ministries Coordinator Charity Yoder-Smith Secretary/Bookkeeper Dave Vick Custodian Patty Smith Housekeeping Cynthia White Organist Linda Wagner Chancel Choir Director Virginia Youngdahl Parish Nurse