pastor’s ponderings - constant...
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Pastor’s Ponderings
Central United
Methodist Church 201 S. 5th St.
Milbank, SD 57252
605-432-4766
Worship Times
8:30 am Traditional
9:30 am Sunday School
9:30 am Small Group
Studies
10:30 am Blended
Lead Pastor – Rev. Thom Bowsher
Emergencies: 432-5363
Youth Pastor – Rev. Melissa Gall
Pastoral Care Pastor/Children’s
Minister – Kristy Liebe
Office Manager – Jen Aden
Office Assistant – Sandy MacMillan
Communications Coordinator –
Ginny Tostenson
Ginny.tostenson@milbank
central.org
Custodians – Todd & Peggy Morton
New Roof
As many of you are aware, Central Church has had some issues
with the roofing leaking for some time. After much prayer and hard
work on the part of the Board of Trustees, it has been determined that
the best course of action is to replace two sections of roof with a “Fully
Adhered Roof System” (see roof picture on the next page). This
system is designed to direct the water to the appropriate drains and it
will be able to maintain a heavier load of snow since it doesn’t require
the use of rocks.
This project must be completed as soon as possible and is
currently scheduled for the end of May. Should the weather not
cooperate, it will have to be pushed back to this fall.
In addition to the roof system, we will also be installing an air
conditioner, taking care of the interior water damage, and doing
some duct work in the upper level East rooms.
The total estimated cost of this project is $100,000.00.
It is our hope that through the additional giving of the
congregation, we will be able to cover the costs without having to
take out a loan.
We currently have $10,000.00in matching dollars. So, for
every dollar given, it will be matched up to $10,000.00. If anyone is
interested in starting a matching challenge, please contact Pastor
Thom, Adam Koplin, or Jody Kuper.
If you feel that this is something you would like to participate
in, you can place your additional giving in the offering plate on
Sundays (envelopes are in the pews), mail it or drop it off at the Central
Church Office, or drop it off at the church office. All support is greatly
appreciated.
(Continued on page 2)
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Growing in Christ, while serving Christ,
Pastor Thom Bowsher
Slewfoot Family to Present Concert
We want to invite EVERYONE to a concert for our final Wednesday night event on May 3! We
will be enjoying burgers and brats for our meal at 5:15 pm.
At 6:00 pm the Slewfoot family will present a concert. This multi-talented family of Karen &
Duane Becker along with their 8 kids will inspire you with song and dance.
We are so excited for this opportunity to celebrate the end of another year of Wednesday nights!
Hope you join us!
Sunday, May 21 will be the last day of
Sunday School for the
2016-2017 school year.
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By Sheila Dailie
May is a busy month for most of us—warm sunny days, Mother’s Day, end-of school
year activities, yard work, gardening, graduations, planting the crop. During times like this,
it is easy to get side-tracked from a long-term goal, such as reading through the Bible.
But our reading takes us into some of the most favored portions of the Old
Testament—the Psalms and Proverbs. While many of us don’t choose to read poetry in our
regular life, the words of the Psalms seem to cross the generations and resonate within our
souls.
Take ten or fifteen minutes each day this month for a little “soul siesta” in the Psalms.
And join us on Facebook for a devotional thought Monday through Friday.
No longer will you need to remember to bring your checkbook or that seemingly nonexistent thing called “CASH” to church. ACH (automatic debit) giving is available at Central as an alternative to writing a check to the church each week or month. You can elect to have a withdrawal done on the 1st or the 15th of each month. The sign-up forms can be found in the Church Office and periodically in the bulletins. For more information, please contact Adam Koplin or Jason Kettwig.
The Church Office will
be closed on Monday,
May 29 due to the
Memorial Day Holiday.
Sunday, May 14 is HS Senior Recognition
Sunday
Sunday, May 21 is Celebration Sunday which
is also the last day of Sunday School for the
2016-2017 school year
Sunday May 28 summer worship hours
begin: 8:30 and 10:00 am
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Our People in Overseas Mission: Staff at Gess (Kissy) Eye Clinic Agape School for Boys, Kenya Solar Oven Partners, Dr. Emmanuel Mefor, Mutambara, Zimbabwe Mission
Our People in Care Facilities: Park Place:
Dorothy Bishop Dorothy Bracht Deloris Richards Lois Jean Miller Francis VanSambeek
St. William’s: Marie Buri Wava Butler Del Cardwell Shirley Hansen Kathy Trapp Ruth Wibbens Verla Miller
Golden Living Center: Caroline Gommer Nadeane Buri
Long Term Prayer Requests: Cheryl Pauli Jesse Bergerud Ione Brehmer (mother of Renae Fox) Matthew Smith Mary Warrey (If you have any updates or know of a name that should be removed, please call the church office.)
Committees of the Month: Discipleship/Nursery Ministry
Church of the Month: Emanuel Lutheran
Total Budget Offering $44,514
Total Expenses $18,611
Back Pack $80
UMCOR $150 Sunday School $34
Zimbabwe $3,000
The Seasoned Citizens of Central will meet
on Thursday, May 4 at 9:30 am in the
Fellowship Hall
Gess Eye Clinic $170
New Roof $571
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VBS is Coming Soon!
Once again VBS is right around the corner! It will take place July 17-20th at Living
Word. The theme for this year is “FOR YOU”. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be
thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will FOR YOU who belong to Christ Jesus”
1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 NLT
We would like to encourage families to get their kids registered for VBS! We will be
doing special announcements and have people available at the back of the Sanctuary to assist
with registration during the month of May. There are separate forms for the different VBS
camps. Preschoolers, include ages 3 - completed K, need to fill out the half sheet registration
form. Day campers are kids in completed grades 1-5 and need to fill out the full sheet
registration form from NESODAK.
Calvary, Central, and Living Word Churches will be joining together. VBS will start
with a kick off on Sunday, July 16. Beginning Monday, July 17, the preschool camp will be
from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm and the day camp will run from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Each group is
asked to bring a sack lunch to eat each day.
We are also in need of many volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, please sign up
at the registration table also. We will need cookies, helpers for both age groups, and various
other roles.
Thanks for your help in all of this! Hope to see you at VBS!
“Throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10).
90 Day Tithing Challenge
Just a reminder to prayerfully consider signing up for the 90
Day Tithing Challenge. The tithe is a very practical and tangible way
to put God first. If you are not tithing already, a great way to start is
with the 90 Day Tithing Challenge. If God doesn’t hold true to His
promises of blessings when you take the 90 Day Challenge, Central
UMC will refund 100% of your tithe. No questions asked. The sign-
up sheets are located in the pew offering envelope slots and in the
Church Office. For more information, contact Adam Koplin or Jason
Kettwig.
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We are continuously trying to update our lists. Please notify the Central Church Office with any additions
or corrections 432-4766 or [email protected].
May 1 Kenadee Mueller May 2 Gregg Dunnihoo Greg Grabow Lois Jean Miller Harlan Loeschke May 3 Darci Ganske Jodi DeVaal Blake Schmieg Matt Kasuske
May 4 Shirley Poppen May 5 Tyler Grabow Toby Schneck May 7 Mary Skoog May 8 Roger Hoff May 9 Dylan Fox Pete Pearson
May 10 Wendy Grabow Jim Dietman Jim DeWald May 11 Leonard Stengel Kyle Schweer Brian Schneck May 12 Dave Helmbrecht, Sr.
Jolene Rick Craig DeBoer Monte Robinson May 13 Lydia Gall May 17 Rita Dunnihoo Denise Page Gene Holtquist Phylis Waterfall Zayda Townsend Maren Davis
May 2 Greg & Andrea Bohn May 5 Mark & Wendy DeFea May 6 Steve & Rita Houston May 9 Paul & Dawn VanderWal May 10 John & Karen Loeschke May 15 Rob & Michelle Giesen Blake & Rachel Schmieg
Comstock, Mark & Linda Ahles, Steve & Peggy Brakke, Clee & Paula Buri, David & Monica *Buri, Marie Fox, Brian & Renae
Frink, Robert & Judy Grabow, Greg & Wendy Graham, Tom & Kathy Humpton, Jason & Cyndie Ludwig, Brian & Julie
Page, Dave & Denise
Prisinger, Dale & Linda *Radtke, Allen Radtke, Judy Sampson, Scott & Shannon Townsend, Eric & Christine
May 18 Fred Oslund, Sr. Rob Giesen Ryan Conrad May 19 Grace Erickson Brandon Peery
May 20 Tim Stengel Elise Graham May 21 Isaac Fischer May 22 Jason Liebe Kalli Grong May 23 Terry Ganske Emma DeBoer May 25 June Julius Kelli Korstjens May 26 Shelly Welter
Jena Schulte
May 27 Kristy Liebe Wava Butler Maye Olivia Brekke May 29 Sue Stengel Deloris Richards
Cal Stengel Thom Bowsher May 30 Steve Young
May 20 Adam & Jeny Koplin May 21 Lloyd & Karen Tillma May 29 Wallace & Faye Runge Brian & Abbey Trapp May 30 Jim & Karla DeVaal
May 31 Jim & Mary Warrey
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Discipleship Committee The Discipleship Commission is a relatively new commission. The goal is not to take
over or replace any of the other commissions, but supplement them, as we all strive to Grow
in grace and knowledge of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.
We are striving to encourage prayer with each of the commissions and the church
as a whole. The idea being to not just pray for physical needs, but also the spiritual needs
of each person! Since we all have different spiritual needs, this becomes quite a task. Yet
God tells us to encourage and pray for one another. We all need to be praying for one
another as each of us knows different people with different needs.
So we, as a committee, encourage each of you to pray for the people you know,
along with praying for the Central Church staff, Church Council, and Pastor Thom & his
family. Wouldn't it be great if Central was known in the area as a praying church!!!
SUMMER WORSHIP
HOURS
Begin on Sunday, May 28.
8:30 am Traditional
10:00 am Blended
Nursery Ministry It is an exciting time in the Central Nursery! We offer a staffed nursery for kids ages four and under during the Worship services on Sunday mornings and on Wednesday Nights during the Wednesday Night Activities. There are different activities to do depending on the child’s age including coloring, puzzles, play dough, games, Veggie Tales Movies, toys, and best of all snacks!
We are blessed to have at least 12 volunteers that help in the Nursery. We also have some wonderful high schoolers that help fulfill their school service hour requirements.
It is so fun to get to know all the kids from Central and it is great that we have seen some new faces recently. If you have small children and haven’t checked out the Nursery, please stop by and check it out. We will be happy to answer any questions. Also, if you have a love for children and would want to help in the Nursery, let Jeny Koplin know at 701-406-9089. We’d enjoy having you on our team!
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Teacher Appreciation Sunday
The end of the school year is fast approaching! We have set aside Sunday, May 21 to thank all
of our Sunday School and Wednesday night teachers for giving of their time and talents throughout
the year. The Children’s Ministries Committee, yoUnited Program, and Small Groups Program will
give each teacher a flower as a token of our appreciation.
We would also encourage everyone who has been blessed by a teacher to write them a note
of thanks or bake them some cookies to show your gratitude as well. The education of our children
(and adults) wouldn’t be possible without the time and talents freely given by each one of our
teachers. Let’s take time on May 21 to thank them!
Early Bird Deadline for Camp
The early bird deadline for camp is May 1! If you didn’t get signed up yet, don’t worry! We
still want to encourage you to get registered and go to camp!
Central Book Club
The Central Book Club is now reading
“The Prayer Box” by Lisa Wingate. We will
meet to discuss this book at 6:30 pm on
Tuesday, May 16, in the Fellowship Hall.
Anyone can join us to receive the June
book, “Half the Sky” by Nicholas D. Kristoff &
Sheryl WuDunn.
Central Church will provide the books
and all that is asked is a free will donation. If
you are interested in joining, please call Jen in
the Church Office at 432-4766 so that we can
be sure to have a book for you.
Articles for the June issue of Central
Rays are due by Tuesday, May 16.
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Pray Without Ceasing
By Sheila Dailie
During the sermon series on prayer, Pastor Thom shared about “breath” prayers. Sometimes
they are just one word or a short phrase that we repeat to help us focus on God’s greatness and
how he cares for us.
Each week in the prayer box is a prayer guide. During May, the guide will share a name of
God that could be used for your “breath” prayer that week. Here are the names of God focused on
during April.
Jehovah El Emeth – the God of Truth
Jehovah El Gemuwal – the God of Recompense
Jehovah Elohim Tsaba – LORD God of Hosts
Jehovah Elohim Yeshua – LORD God My Savior
Join us in using the prayer guide and using God’s name as a “breath” prayer.
2017 Graduation Celebrations
Please join these seniors as they celebrate their High School graduation:
Sarah Grabow: Saturday, May 20, from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Milbank Visitor’s Center.
Alexis Oliver: Saturday, May 20, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm at the Big Stone Pumpkin Patch Barn.
Kerissa DeBoer: Saturday, May 20, starting at 3:00 pm at 202 Highview Dr., Milbank.
Wes Bowsher: Sunday, May 21, from 4:00 – 7:00 pm at Central Church.
Where Can You Find Us?
Television: Radio: ITC Cable Channel 95 KMSD 1510
Mondays at 10:00 am & 7:00 pm Sundays at 11:00 am
Midcontinent Cable Channel 3
Sundays at 5:30 pm www.milbankcentral.org
Mondays at 11:30 am #graceiscentral Tuesdays at 2:30 pm
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Celebration Sunday
As we end the school year, we want to celebrate and recognize all the milestones of faith
our children and youth have been working toward over the year.
On Sunday, May 21 (the last day of Sunday School for the ’16 – ’17 school year) we are
going to host a “Celebration Sunday,” a time to showcase all that our young people have been
doing! We will be inviting each age group of children and youth to share a different piece of what
they’ve learned this year during each worship service (8:30 am and 10:30 am). We invite all
children and youth to attend one or both services!
• Preschool-aged children will share a song for the congregation
• Pre-Kindergartners and Kindergartners will recite 1 John 4:16a
• 1st and 2nd Graders will lead the congregation through The Lord’s Prayer
• 3rd Graders will sing the “Books of the Bible” song
• 4th Graders will sing the Ten Commandments Song
• 5th Graders will be welcomed into Middle School yoUnited during Celebration Sunday
• 6th Grade youth will share what they’ve learned in their first year in yoUnited
• 7th Grade youth will receive Confirmation Bibles for the start of Confirmation class in the Fall
• 8th Graders will be welcomed into High School yoUnited during Celebration Sunday
• 9th – 12th Graders will be sharing a song with the congregation (Mrs. Schwenn from
Milbank High School is working with the youth to put that selection together!)
During the Sunday School hour, we will have a time of coffee fellowship in the Fellowship
Hall with cookies, and then youth and children will attend a brief Sunday School time. The
schedule for the morning will be as follows:
8:30 am – 9:30 am Traditional Worship featuring Celebration Sunday 9:30 am – 10:30 am Coffee Fellowship for all ages 10:00 am – 10:30 am Sunday School for children and youth (those not involved in Sunday School are invited to continue Coffee Fellowship time) 10:30 am – 11:30 am Blended Worship featuring Celebration Sunday
Please plan to join us as we celebrate all that has happened in the life of our children and youth this school year! Rev. Melissa Gall Kristy Liebe Youth Pastor Pastoral Care Pastor/Children’s Minister
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SUNDAYS
8:30 am Traditional
Worship
9:30 am Sunday School
9:30 am Small Group
Studies
10:00 am Prayer Group
10:30 am Blended
Worship
TUESDAYS
6:30 am Men’s Study
9:15 am Staff Meeting
2:30 pm Life Quest
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Central United
201 South 5th St.
Milbank, SD 57252
Return Service Requested
In This Issue:
• Pastor’s Ponderings
• Youth Page
• Celebration Sunday
• Central Book Club
• Pray Without Ceasing
• Birthdays & Anniversaries
• Fellowship & Service Group
• Calendar
• Finance News
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