Forum March 2004

Reflection and Prayer for March	Arts Festival	Small Group Spotlight	Keeping a Record of the Trip
March Birthdays and Anniversaries	Gratitude and Expressions of Need	Our New Covenant Missionary	Newsletter and Forum Memories

Grace can grow on a person. After being here for 35 years, Joan Newcomb says, “Grace has been such a part of me, I wouldn’t know what to do with out it.” Joan is originally from Portland, Indiana. The Newcomb family came to Illinois thirty-seven years ago when Joan’s late husband, Dale, interviewed for a job as a printer at the old Courier newspaper. Although Dale decided against the Courier job, he found a job at Colwell, and the family stayed in Urbana. Besides Dale and Joan, the family also included children Connie, David, Kevin, and Tim.

Joan was invited to attend church by her neighbors, Art and Virginia Lane, who were charter members of Grace. Virginia thought the Newcomb children would enjoy the Sunday School. Over the years, Joan has served in many ways. She is a member of the UMW. When Grace was a popular wedding site in the mid 70’s to early 80’s (sometimes 3 or 4 weddings a week), Joan and Mary Thompson co-chaired the wedding reception committee. She has done things from cooking for Vacation Bible School to serving as a trustee. Joan has made her home open for picnics and potlucks. Now retired, she enjoys the XYZ activities.

When her children were young, Joan operated an upholstery business from her home. When her children were older, Joan went to work for Weberg’s furniture store and later was a tailor for Redwood & Ross. She says one of her hardest times was when sons, Kevin and Tim, left for the Marines at the same time. Joan’s hobbies include sewing and stained glass. She still does clothing alterations. Grandchildren, Patrick and Eilish (shown in picture) are a big part of her life now.

Reflection and Prayer for March

In the month of March, we find ourselves in the middle of Lent, that forty-day period of time from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday (47 days – 7 Sundays = 40). This is a special time for us to study and pray. We can follow Christ on a daily journey that leads eventually to his crucifixion on a cross. Then, a few short days later, came his resurrection from the dead to sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty in Heaven. The prophecies of old were fulfilled.

To help you with your weekly journey through Lent, you will find a weekly devotional guide inserted in your church bulletin on Sunday mornings. Use this to help in your daily devotions. You can do this individually or as a family. So study and pray as you follow Christ’s journey through the Lenten season.

Prayer has a powerful impact on both the one being prayed for and the one praying. We must never forget that God still answers prayers. They are answered in his way and in his timing. Please lift up in prayer the joys and concerns of our congregation and others.

Prayer

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, we are thankful for your many blessings. We thank you for the many opportunities to serve you that are provided each day. For you created us in your image, and you create each new day. During this season of Lent, help us to understand and truly appreciate the journey that Christ made for the sins of all humankind. The tremendous burden that was placed on his shoulders is hard to comprehend.

We thank you for being a loving and caring God. We lift up the joys and concerns of our family and our church. Some need your healing touch, while others need your guidance and direction. Some need to feel your loving arms, and others need to be lifted up and strengthened anew. Through Jesus Christ we pray. AMEN

Arts Festival

The United Methodist Women are co-sponsoring an Arts Festival on Saturday, May 22, from 10 am to 3 pm at New Horizon United Methodist Church. This event is a benefit for Cunningham Children’s Home.

We are looking especially for people who will conduct hands-on activities for children and/or adults, such as cardmaking, rubberstamping, painting, etc. Exhibits and demonstrations are also welcome.

You may also sell your creations (a 10 percent donation to Cunningham is appreciated).

Deadline for registration is March 31. For further information, contact Karilyn Newnam at 328-2913.

There will also be opportunities for performances by musicians and musical groups during the benefit.

All styles of music are welcome to participate. Entry forms may also be obtained from Karilyn Newnam. Such things as setup time and space required for your performance, act or group will be helpful to the event planners.

We hope everyone can participate in some way in this worthwhile fundraising effort.

The Middle School Sunday School class is composed of a lively group of 6^th – 8^th grade students who keep things “hopping” on Sunday morning. Tucked away upstairs in a comfortable room in the Condit Christian Center, the class meets under the leadership of Joan O’Connell.

Joan O’Connell has taught a variety of age groups in Sunday School classes. This is her second year of teaching at this age level. The class has just finished a class series titled “Seven Things Christians Believe” that included questions for discussion. They are starting a new series about kids’ issues in today’s world and in their own personal lives, with each lesson offering an opportunity for discussion. The first lesson focused on disabilities.

Joan and members of the class stress that they have fun during Sunday School, but the class is also a place where there is respect for each other. Everyone gets a chance to speak and be heard with respect. Before the lesson begins, there is an informal time when they go around the room and each person is given a chance to tell about what is going on in their lives, such as ballgames, school activities, or whatever they would like to share.

This class is very involved with church activities. Most of them can be seen on church camping trips, the recent church ski trip and on game night at the church. In addition to their church activities, they are involved in school and community events. Members of the class and some of the activities they are involved in are:

Adam Burns, Urbana Middle School, Youth Group, Civil Air Patrol, Bells, UMS basketball team, Band

Randy McCarthy, Urbana Middle School, Soccer, Band, paper route 5 years, computer, Youth Group

Konnor Williford, Urbana Middle School, Grace Angels, Youth Group, basketball, sports

Alex Rivier, Urbana Middle School, band, sports, Bells, Youth Group, basketball, soccer, baseball

It is a blessing to have these young people at Grace Church, and we are proud of them all. We are grateful to Joan for her leadership, experience and care for these young people. If you know of anyone in this age group who would like to be a part of this class, please let us know.

The end of a year and the beginning of the next force most of us into some kind of record keeping. We start sorting out the paper work to file the tax report, and we have barely finished thinking about the previous year to put together an annual family record for a generic Christmas letter. Even the Governor and the President have prepared their "State of the..." addresses, and we have annual reports for our clubs and our church.

A thought came to mind: that record keeping is almost as old as mankind; our ancestors drew pictures of the hunt on cave walls. And there was the "oral tradition" when accounts and stories and genealogies were carefully memorized to be passed on to succeeding generations. Thank goodness, somebody remembered and then finally wrote them down--or else there would have been no Bible as we know it. The term "scriptures" comes from the act of writing.

I recently inquired of a small church I had known as a child to see if they had any kind of "church history" document I could borrow. Unfortunately, no. It made me think again about a lot of important ideas (I'm looking in the mirror now because I have not always given them proper attention), some are critical and some are trivial. I share them even though some have become cliches:

1. In both the short and the long term, what we write down is more fixed in our memory.

2. Remember that a focus on the journey may be just as important as the destination.

4. Revive the lost art of letter writing. Signing a card or sending an E-mail will never replace it.

5. Don't keep everything, but keep something. Ask yourself, "Will my grandchildren ever appreciate seeing this?"

6. Keeping a record may be a key to success. Three steps: set goals, create a plan, mark progress.

7. Whether it’s a church history, a family record, business minutes, or a personal file, always record:

Taking time to evaluate who we are, what has happened, and what our aspirations are is important in our spiritual journey. Writing them down may be like the Biblical past when a marker was created by piling stones in a place to be remembered. Did you ever hear this line from an old gospel hymn: "Here I raise my Ebenezer..."?

March Birthdays and Anniversaries

1 Irene Millikan
   Rudy and Rosemary Taborn, Anniversary
   Audrey Ricketts
   Terry Morgan

Gratitude and Expressions of Need

Thank You

To our church family,
We have had so much sadness in our church these last few months. Truman and I want to thank everyone for your prayers, cards, calls and kind words on the passing of our beloved sister, Estelle. She was more like a mother to us both than a sister and she will be sadly missed, just as those of our church family will miss those loved ones of theirs that have passed on. Our continued prayers are for all of you and our deep appreciation to Mike and special friends for being there for us when we had to say good by to Estelle.
Our love and prayers,
Pat and Truman Price.

To my church friends,
Words can’t express the gratitude I feel in my heart for the cards and prayers from my church friends.
Eunice Mayhood

To my Christian Buddy,
Thank you so very much for the beautiful flowers that I received for Valentine’s Day. They certainly picked up my spirits that day.
God bless you!
Janice Roy

Someone willing to spend nights with elderly woman. $500.00 a month.
Linda Wessel, 344-5608

Volunteers for Card Ministry and for counting the offering on Monday mornings (as subs.).

Meal Ministry Needs Help

The Meal Ministry helps to fill a tremendous need in our congregation and is used weekly. It entails preparing a meal or part of one and taking it to a precious family in need. The recording book is rotated amongst everyone assisting, which means you would have it about once every year or year and a half. That job involves calling someone on the list to furnish food and just record it in the book. It’s a very easy task and one filled with much love, joy and blessings.
We are very grateful for all who continue to serve in this ministry. However, we need more helping hands. If you can help, please call Audrey Ricketts, at 367-2098. Or if you have any suggestions I am open for ways that will best benefit our family here at Grace.
Audrey Ricketts

Meet Miguel Arenas Herrera: Our New Covenant Missionary

Grace Church has been in covenant with a missionary from the Board of Global Ministries for over ten years: first the Moores, then the Garcias of the Kusayapu agricultural school in Chile. We learned many things from our friends about the arid altaplano of the Andes where the Aymarya Indians live, weaving yarn from the wool of alpacas and growing the ancient grain quinoa. They sent newsletters and came to visit us. We supported them with our friendship, our prayers, and $1500 toward their salaries. We also felt connected to the world wide ministry of the United Methodist Church in our out-reach of love to people in need. With the retirement of both those mission families we didn’t want to break our global connection, so we have formed a new covenant with Miguel Arenas Herrera, a relatively new UM missionary, commissioned in 2002.

Miguel is Chilean, 34 years old, and the son of two Methodist ministers. He is teaching English as a second language to kindergarteners through high school sophomores at the Crandon School in Salto, Uruguay. Besides being trained as a teacher, Miguel has done theological studies and is starting to serve as chaplain at the school. (Remember that in the southern hemisphere, school is just beginning after summer vacation.) Being a chaplain is a new challenge for Miguel, and he appreciates the prayers of his covenant churches as he ministers to the spiritual needs of students and their families. Read Miguel’s newsletter on the landing bulletin board of the north stairway at Church or on the GUMC webpage. If you would like to write to or e-mail him, here are his addresses: