Grace Forum - August 2004

Looking Ahead:

· Super Summer Sunday School Puppet Project — June through August

· August 17 — Grace Angels, 6:30

· Aug 18 — Chancel Choir 6:30

· Musical Group “Circle of Friends” — October 3, 6 pm

Herschel and Harriet Cline

By Karen Knight

When Herschel Cline went to high school in Harrisburg, Il., one of his fellow students was Burt Lancaster (not the actor). When Herschel and Harriet moved to Urbana in 1974, they lived just two blocks away from Grace church where Lancaster was minister, two good reasons for them to choose Grace as their home church.

Herschel met Harriet while they were students at Illinois Wesleyan University, where they both majored in art. They were married August 14, 1954. Today their family includes daughter Ellen, her husband, and their two daughters.

Herschel served as a UMC minister for 20 years, the last four at Mahomet. He was also an assistant chaplain at the former State Mental Hospital in Kankakee. Counseling interested Herschel. During and after earning a PhD at the University of Illinois, he provided counseling at Chanute Air Force Base and also had a private practice. Real estate became another interest and Herschel obtained his real estate broker’s license and sold real estate for a time. He and Harriet now own and manage student residential rental properties on campus. For pleasure, Herschel enjoys writing poetry and drawing.

Harriet is retired from the University of Illinois where she worked in the Serials Department and in Special Collections. She enjoys cooking and gardening. Now that she is retired, she has a little more time to enjoy some of the books she had been too busy to read.

As a minister’s family, the Clines were involved in the life of the church in the usual ways. Harriet was very active in the UMW at the conference level. Noting our youth’s recent trip to Appalachia, Herschel remembered a youth trip that he had led to the same area years ago.

At Grace, Harriet can be depended on to help with corn sales. Occasionally, Herschel has substituted in the pulpit. The Clines appreciate the musical talent at Grace. At one time they were a part of the Chancel Choir. One of the most appreciated contributions was their help with the Lenten Devotional this year. Herschel did the illustrations and wrote some of the poetry. His mother wrote poetry and was an inspiration to him.

The Clines have positive feelings about the people and leadership of Grace. Harriet said, “We are blessed to be a part of Grace because everyone is so friendly and accepting.”

August is here, and it signals that summer is nearly over. One wonders how it could pass so quickly. There are some things on our summer “to do” list that are yet undone. Football season is just around the corner, and so is fall, with all of its radiant beauty. However, the real key to our lives is not so much the month or season, but where we are in our relationship to God. Is he the center of our life or is he on the fringes? Is prayer important to us or just something we do out of habit? Do we expect God to answer our prayers in our way or his way? Do we believe that the Holy Bible is truly the word of God or just a good history book?

Our relationship with God has a major impact on how we relate to our family, friends, and church. Our communication with God (prayer) must be two-way. We should share with God what is on our heart and mind. In return, we must be patient and listen for his response to us. A one way conversation is not open communication. God wants to hear from us. However, he also wants us to be open to his conversation with us.

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.

Prayer

Hear our prayers, O Lord, as we cry out to you. There are many with heavy hearts, due to the loss of loved ones. Wrap your comforting and loving arms around them. There are those with health problems on their minds, Lord. Bless them with your healing touch. There are those, Lord, who feel unwanted and unloved. Reach out to them in your gentle, loving way. Others feel weighed down with the problems of life. Lift their loads, Lord, and ignite the fire of life in them once more. We are your children, Lord, and you are a wise and loving Heavenly Father.

We lift up the joys and concerns of our families and our church. Help us to reach out to others as you reach out to us. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen

I’m just very tired, Lord,

From Fields, through Funds, Faith in Action – a report on the distribution of money raised from last year’s sweet corn project. —Karilyn Newnam and Pat Ziebart

Many church members and friends have been busy these past weeks with the church’s sweet corn project. All money raised is given to missions. Recently, an invitation was extended, to interested persons, to meet and decide how to distribute funds from last year’s project. The meeting began with Bob deJong reading scripture from Matthew 25: 31-40. During the evening, as decisions were made on the distribution of these funds, an effort was made to follow the words of this scripture passage. A total of $8,350 will be distributed as follows:

Miguel Arenas Herrara, missionary assigned by the General Board of Global Ministries to the Crandon Institute in Salto, Uruguay. Miguel is a teacher of English and chaplain at the institute. Our church has a covenant relationship with Miguel ($1,500).

Pastor Max, missionary in the Philippines, is a friend of the Smiths who was recently assigned by his bishop to establish new churches in a remote region of the country. We’re helping with half the $1000 his family needs to have a place to live.

For three years the Iroquois River District has helped to supplement the annual salary of Rev. Michal Kostka, his wife Pavlina, and their three children. The Kostkas have given hospitality to volunteers in mission from our district who travel there to help with bible school and teach English.

Would you believe there could be an older church van, showing even more miles than ours? Not only that, but it has been serving several congregations. The churches of our district are joining together to provide a new van to our sister district in the Czech Republic.

Bread for the World works to help institute government policies addressing the basic causes of world hunger. The agency works to influence public opinion so that the world’s hungry may be fed and the root causes of hunger may be addressed ($500).

Empty Tomb enables churches in the Champaign-Urbana area to meet the needs of the materially poor by providing face-to-face opportunities for service. Our church pantry is a part of this ministry. Empty Tomb also offers clothes, furniture and home maintenance projects ($1,000).

Water pumps in North Katanga Annual Conference, Congo, Africa: pumps for safe water and healthier lives. Many Third World countries lack good safe water. Consequences from the lack of safe water include dysentery and cholera. These diseases often result in death.

The North Katanga conference is setting up a water pump project to help provide safe water ($500).

Water For Life, Mamba Kaba District, Liberia, Africa: Seven years of civil war have resulted in the destruction of the nations’ major water treatment plants. Twenty targeted communities, where there are no wells, hand pumps or water systems, are among the most affected. UMCOR, with community participation and using simple tools, will construct twenty wells, one in each of the twenty communities ($500).

TIMES Center located in downtown Champaign is a shelter for the homeless that offers meal service and temporary lodging for men. The Center offers men a hand up, not a hand out ($500).

Primetimers is a program developed by the General Board of Global Ministries to combine the mission aspect of VIM (Volunteers in Mission) with the education and cultural aspects of an Elderhostel ($250).

Center for Women in Transition provides support services and safe transitional housing to homeless women and their children to foster and sustain their self-sufficiency ($500).

Matthew House, Champaign: believes that many times children at risk can remain in their homes. Matthew House empowers vulnerable children to make their own choices and gives them the tools, confidence and support to reach their highest goals. This program provides long-term intensive mentoring to high-risk children by forming family-like support groups guided by experienced, caring adults ($500).

Restoration Urban Ministries, Champaign, a ministry whose mission is to restore the lives of the addicted, affected, homeless and lost by providing transitional housing, food, clothing and youth programming ($1,000).

“Jesus Is the Way” Prison Ministry, Rantoul, a ministry whose mission is to preach the Gospel to those incarcerated and to care for their needs at an aftercare facility for ten months after released ($500).

We are blessed with rich soil, a good climate to grow corn, workers to plant, harvest, and sell the corn, sweet corn lovers who buy the corn and those who support the project with their prayers. From the field behind the church to people around the world, “inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to me.”

August Birthdays and Anniversaries —Janice Roy

We have booked a block of time (9 am to noon, Saturday, Aug. 28) to work at the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, near Springfield . The Center provides emergency disaster relief supplies such as school bags, health kits, bedding packs, and flood buckets. The center works through UMCOR, Church World Service, and the American Red Cross. The work involves sorting items for kits. We hope to have enough interested persons so that we can take the van. Tours of the center are provided for those who have never been there before. After working at the center, we plan on eating at a Springfield restaurant before returning to Urbana. Please contact Karilyn Newnam (328-2913), Patsy Hammond (367-2744), or Mary Hackl (355-8563) for more information.

Saturday, Oct. 23 is the date set for the Fall Festival. If you are interested in helping, please contact Patsy Hammond, Karilyn Newnam, Joy Valentine (367-1683), Joan Newcomb (328-3293), or the church office (328-1414). We need lots of help!

Cunningham Children’s Home thanks you for your donation to the “Art for Cunningham” benefit. We appreciate your helping us to help kids! Thank you!

Thank you to the members of Grace church for their prayers and concern for the family of Mildred Weidner during her illness. We appreciate all your thoughts.

Thank you to the women’s group who prepared and served the delicious dinner for the family and friends of Mildred Weidner. We certainly do appreciate all the time and effort to make that day much easier for us to get through. You were all so kind and thoughtful.

Thank you so much for volunteering this year for the Champaign County Freedom Celebration (CCFC) Glow Necklaces. You were so good at your job and collected more money than we expected. It was so nice to have your group working with us this year. I really appreciated all the extra effort Jennifer King gave us in getting all the volunteers coordinated and the information to all of them.

It’s so nice to know our task is accomplished by people who know exactly what needs to be done. I hope you had fun doing it. We do appreciate all that you do.

I wish I could have found a card with corn on it, because I want you to know how appreciative we are for all the corn you sent our way. We made sure none went to waste and our guys got their fill! We passed it on to the Salt & Light Pantry, to other agencies and services and to the needy in our community and in other towns in the county! We felt like a part of your mission – we are truly grateful for this wonderful gift.

The XYZ’s will be meeting at the church at 10:30 to go to the Cattleman’s Bank in Champaign, then on to Sammy’s II in Mahomet for lunch. Afterwards, we will go to the Early American Museum in Mahomet. Please call Mary Thompson, 384-0346, or Irene Millikan, 367-6904 with your reservations. All retirees or anyone interested are invited to come.

Everyone that helped with the sweet corn project is invited to a picnic at Joan Newcomb’s, 305 Brady Lane, Urbana, on Saturday, August 7^th. Come at 3:30 p.m. for games and we will eat at 5:00 p.m. Joan is furnishing the meat, drinks, plates and table service. Please bring a covered dish or dessert to share and your lawn chair.

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