ST. JAMES UNITED METHODIST CHURCH2945 Main Street, East Troy, WI 53120 642-7642

Rev. Nhia Wahn Her

Following the CrossAugust 2016

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First of all, I like to thank everyone for the warm welcoming of me and my family into St. James on my first Sunday. Secondly, I want to thank many of you who are so willing to offer help so that I can easily adjust to St. James and East Troy. Thank you so much for being such an accepting and loving congregation.

I don’t know about you but I see us as a newlywed who needs no honeymoon but ready to start a family. The Ministry Planning Committee has done such wonderful works to survey both the congregation and the community to prepare the way for us to do ministry together. I truly believe this is God’s plan; this is God’s doing!

Therefore, my hope and prayer for St. James in the short term (in the next few months) is that you will join me in finding a more simple way for us to do ministry together. I also like to bring us back to the basics of our Christian faith: knowing who God is, knowing our responsibility and knowing what kind of church we want to be (Matthew 22:37-38).

My hope and my prayer for St. James in the long term (in the next few years) is that you will commit yourselves to a personal spiritual growth: spending more time in prayer, disciplining yourselves to a daily Scripture reading, committing yourselves to a Bible study group, sharing your faith and inviting your families, friends and neighbors to worship God together. In doing these, you will bear much spiritual fruits and others would know that you are a royal priesthood, a holy community (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Just as the Apostles prayed for the believers, I too will continue to pray for you so that you will know God’s Will, that you will know God’s Way, and that you will know God’s Word.

Colossians 1:9 says, “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will…” I will continue to pray that you will know God’s will. The will of God that is filled with knowledge for you to succeed in life, and the knowledge of true power that comes only from God.

Colossians 1:10 says, “… that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way…” God’s way to the heavenly Father comes through Jesus Christ alone. Many of you may not be living God’s way at this point in your life. It is my prayer that you will seek to live it through being in prayer, bible study, worship and faithfully building healthy relationship with other believers.

And lastly, verse 10 continues, “…growing in the knowledge of God…” We all agree that we learned about God during confirmation, in Sunday school, in Bible study, but what is more important is that we know God through a personal relationship with Him and do what He says.

Have a great and safe summer,

Pastor Nhia Wahn

EAST TROY MANORWORSHIP SCHEDULE

FOR AUGUSTAugust 4th Brad Balgord August 11th Joyce Reed

August 18th Brad BalgordAugust 25th Brad Balgord *************************************************************

SECOND HELPINGSOur appreciation, gratitude and “Thanks” to Greg and Vicki Hahn, members of St. James, for the great July 18, 2016, delicious catered chicken meal. About 97 guests came to enjoy this wonderful meal and fellowship. What a Blessing! They were assisted by the Second Helpings Committee.

Bill Joas and family will be in charge of the August 15 meal assisted by the Rich Team. Come and enjoy.

The Second Helpings Committee

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EAST TROY FOOD PANTRY Don’t forget to bring your items for the food pantry each Sunday! These items are “always” needed no matter what month or season, they are: Laundry soap, dish soap, sugar, flour, and cookies. The theme for August is “Keep Cool With,” items needed are: Juice, Kool-Aid, Iced Tea and Coffee.

PRAYING FOR OUR SOUTHEAST DISTRICT CHURCHES

The Southeast District has a practice of praying for local churches and their pastors each week throughout the year on a rotating basis. During the month of August we pray for the following churches and their pastors in the Southeast District of the Wisconsin Annual Conference:

August: 1-7:  Milwaukee: Urban Poiema, their pastor Juan Garay, this is a new church start that is rapidly growing in the Milwaukee and Waukesha area. Urban Poiema is located at Milwaukee 3600 W Pierce St. Milwaukee, WI 53215 and Waukesha 915 Magnolia Dr. Waukesha, WI. urbanpoiema.com

August: 8-14: New Berlin: Agape, no pastor yet, their 133 members, Agape is located at: 3100 S. Stigler Rd., New Berlin, WI 53146

August: 15-21: Pewaukee: Gethsemane: their pastor Peter A. Peterson, Gethsemane 380 members, Gethsemane is located at 642 Main St., Pewaukee, WI 53072, pewaukeeumc.org 

August: 22-28: New Berlin: Our Lord’s, their pastor Keith N. Aurand, their 271 members, Our Lord’s is located at 5000 S. Sunnyslope Rd., New Berlin, WI 53151

August: 29-Sep 4: North Prairie, Eagle,  their pastor Hong-Lim Moses Park, their 89 members, North Prairie is located at 107 N. Main St. North Prairie, WI 53153, Eagle is located at 305 E Main St. Eagle WI, 53119

THANK YOUS!!Dear St. James Church,

We want to thank you so much for letting us enjoy lunch with you, and watching the parade by your church. It was a perfect day with happy people to make wonderful memories.

Thanks for your help that day and all you do for us.

SincerelyEast Troy Manor

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Dear St. James Scholarship Committee,

I would like to thank you for awarding me the $2,500 Scholarship. This scholarship will help me throughout my first year at UW Milwaukee, and help me get a degree in computer science.Thanks again.

Sincerely,Liz George*****************************************

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

A package of box tops for education was sent to “Red Bird Mission.” Your support makes this ministry possible in southeast Kentucky. We sincerely thank you for collecting and trimming the box tops. Please watch and clip box tops from General Mills, Betty Crocker products, A+ labels from Tyson chicken, Fiber One bars, Ziploc plastic bags and others.

Please place them in the drawer in the kitchen by the microwave. Another shipment will be sent on January 17, 2017.******************************************

WANTED – TEACHERS FOR NOAH’S ARK

CHRISTIAN DAY CAREWith the increasing enrollment, Jenny is in need of Day Care workers. She is looking for people who have the qualifications to be a lead teacher. Looking to fill positions in the infant and preschool room. If you know of anyone who has experience and loves to work with children, please contact our Day Care director, Jenny at 642-4046. Thank you.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILDAnother exciting shoe box season is about to begin. Please help to fill several shoe boxes for delivery around the globe. Samaritan’s Purse first began collecting these gifts in 1993. God works through people like you to reach millions of children. It’s not too early to get involved in the excitement of Operation Christmas Child; as school supplies are now on sale. We have red/green boxes to fill in the Narthex. NO need to save shoe boxes.

An area in the Narthex will be available for all boxes. A check of $7 should accompany each filled shoe box for mailing and shipping costs. Checks need to be made out to St. James UMC and designated “Shoe Box Mission” and placed in Sunday’s collection plate.

A suggested list is in the brochures on the ledge.

Please join the congregation in the Mission Project and bring the true meaning of Christmas to boys and girls around the world. Please read the story below on how one shoe box impacted a young boys life. God Bless You!

David and a Toy Car

I received my shoebox gift in Romania at age 2, the youngest you can be to receive a box. So, I don’t remember all the details of what happened. But my older sister would always tell me about the day we each received our shoeboxes and how I came to have my toy car. I loved that toy car. I played with it all the time. I hadn’t had a toy like that before. At the time, our idea of a Christmas gift was the orange my father received as a holiday present at his job.

I was born in Romania in the mid-1990s. The fall of communism there a few years before also brought about the fall of the country’s economy. My parents had good jobs, as an engineer and teacher, but the crashing economy made it hard for them to even make rent on our dilapidated apartment. Our dinner each day was soup, and we were extremely grateful when we were able to add meat to that once a week.

Basic survival was our greatest challenge. Amid such trying times, I received my Operation Christmas Child shoebox. The harshness of my life was contrasted with the hope and joy I found in this manifestation of God’s love. The shoebox I received really ended up being a seed for the Gospel in my life. My parents had just begun attending the church where my sister and I received our shoebox gifts. The shoebox distribution was a community-wide event. My parents saw how the church was reaching out to its community, believers and non-believers alike, to show them the love of Christ in a tangible way through these shoeboxes. It made a lasting impression on their own walks of faith with the Lord.

A year later, we moved to the United States. I was raised in a Christian home and pretty much grew up in church. At age 10, I committed my life to the eternal God.

Somewhere along the way, my toy car got lost in the shuffle. But I still remember it and what it represents.At first, I just loved the toy car because it was mine. Then, I became intrigued by how it worked. I never really thought about it before, but my interest in figuring out how things work, how things can be taken apart and put back together to work even better, probably started with that toy car.

Even as a child, I loved science and was always taking things apart to see how they were built. At first, it was toys. Then, I started taking apart broken computers and fixing them.

Now, I’m studying biomedical engineering at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Essentially, it’s about creating devices, such as prostheses and artificial organ implants, to help people.

I’ve realized that God can use whatever career field people pursue to share the love and hope that can be found in Him. Your life—and how God is guiding it and working through it—can be a testimony for Him. That’s my goal—to make things to help people in Jesus’ Name.

The toy car I received as a shoebox gift is a clear example of how God can use the simplest of things to influence people’s lives. What the gift gave me as a young child was a sense of God’s love, a seed of hope in my life during a time when my family was going through really hard times.

Thank you so much for packing shoeboxes for boys and girls, especially in the age range of 2-4 years old, because the Lord can take your gift and plant a seed for the Gospel in their hearts, like He did in mine.

Take a Moment . . . To Grow Closer to God!

Shaped To ServeGod has made each one of us a unique individual shaped to serve and to glorify Him!

Job was surely having a bad day. Messengers kept arriving at his home telling him he had lost everything he held dear in life—his children and servants; his oxen, donkeys, camels and sheep. Hearing of his loss, he fell to the ground in worship. He acknowledged that the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. When his wife reproached him saying, “Are you still holding your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we only accept God’s goodness, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job1:13-22; 2:7-10) Job is one of God’s examples for us to follow. He exemplifies the Christian’s response to life’s struggles.

As Andrew McCutchen, all-star center fielder for the Pittsburg Pirates states, “Struggles can be our greatest blessings.” When Andrew thought he was ready to join his team in the majors, the Pirates’ manager told him he needed more seasoning and was being sent to their Triple-A team to get that experience. He let that setback eat away at him, eroding his self-confidence. After much prayer, Andrew acknowledged that even though he was talented, he had room to grow, to learn and to improve. “I had to man up and fight on.” Finally, a voice louder than his doubts surfaced. He could hear his dad say, “Keep the main thing—God has this.” After much hard work, Andrew got the call on God’s time, he was in the majors! Later in his career, he went into a slump, not getting a hit in the first 25 games of the season. He didn’t pray for a hit; he asked God, “What am I supposed to learn from this experience?” The lesson we should all take from Andrew is, “Trust in time; trust in ourselves and trust in God.”

Eleven years ago, Bryan Anderson, an army veteran, lost both of his legs and left hand fighting in Iraq. His mother visited him in the hospital. She looked at him and said, “You know, you have basically two options here, right?” Bryan nodded and said, “Yup, move on, or roll over and die.” “And you’re going to …….?” “Move on,” he said. In therapy, Bryan noticed that the patients making progress were the ones who accepted their injuries and threw themselves into recovery. Patients who were angry, or in denial, advanced more slowly. Bryan had many ups and downs before he finally was able to live an independent life in his own apartment. What helped him the most was when he acknowledged that what happens to us is not an accident; not a cruel twist of fate. It is the life God always intended us to live. When God sends us challenges, it is then that His greatest gifts come to us for compensation for what we are suffering.

We cannot interview the people we read about in the Bible. But, through the Bible’s examples and instructions, we learn that when we waver, God will send help. Additionally, we can read about and talk to people living in our world; individuals who have had challenges and are now living the life God has planned for them. As we trust in our Christian beliefs, we know that when we have struggles and challenges, God will send us help, too. All we have to do is ask!

Praise be to God! Judy McFarlane

Worship in AugustTheme for the month is GOD IS

LOVEAugust 7 How God Loves Us

August 14 How We Love God

August 21 How We Love Neighbors

August 28 How We Love One Another

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES IN AUGUST TO:

August 10 Taylor TrieboldAugust 21 Debbie Rush August 22 Troy BjorgeAugust 22 Nancy ZessAugust 24 Izabella HughesAugust 28 Victoria Blaho

**************************************************************************HAPPY ANNIVERSARY WISHES IN

AUGUST TO:

August 2 Bjorn and Sue Anderson August 16 Harley and Dorothy Kurtz August 26 Terry and Nancy DignanAugust 27 Rick and Nancy ZessAugust 31 Chuck and Ginny Zimmer

STRAIGHT FROM THE ARK! Director’s ReportWow, summer is flying by. We are having a great summer and loving the HOT weather! We have been very busy keeping the kids active this summer. So far we have gone to the Library, Booth Lake, mini golfing, a movie and walks to the park. All ages participate in water day once per week. Our little ones can be seen in the grassy area outside with two small pools and a sprinkler. On August 11th and 23rd, the parking lot will be closed off in the morning for bike and scooter day. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Hello from CaseyI am Casey Behling, and I am very excited to meet all of you! I am also excited to say that this is the start to my very first daycare career here at Noah’s Ark. I am very blessed to have this opportunity and to be welcomed into the center. I am from Muskego, and graduated from Muskego High School in 2015. I enjoy being outside; fishing, camping, hiking, kayaking, anything that has to do with fresh air and the sun I enjoy! I am so glad that I get to share this journey with you and your little ones. And I cannot wait to see them learn and grow in front of my eyes.

EnrollmentThis month we welcome Lola to the

Preschool Room plus, Evan and Parker to our Schoolage room! Infants: 4 Preschool: 9 School-age: 15 Total Enrolled: 28

Curriculum / Themes for the Week

August 1-5 Theme: Sports Letter: Q August 8-12 Theme: Fun & Fitness Letter: RAugust 15-19 Theme: Dinosaurs Letter: SAugust 22-26 Theme: Wacky Week Letter: TAugust 29-2 Theme: Back to School Letter: U

St. James dates for August 2016SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 2 3AA meets in

fellowship hall 7:30 pm

4 Praying for our church in the chapel @9:30AM

****************East Troy Manor Worship 11 a.m.*****************

Knitters meet10:30 – 12 p.m.

5Office Closed

6

7Worship 9 a.m.

with Communion

8Crafters meet

9 -11 a.m.

SPRC meeting at

7 p.m.

9 10 Day Care Board meeting

at 3:15pmSpecial

Finance/Ad Council Policy

meeting @6:30pmAA meets in

fellowship hall 7:30 pm

11 Praying for our church in the chapel @9:30AM

****************East Troy Manor Worship 11 a.m. with Communion*****************

Knitters meet10:30 – 12 p.m.

12Office Closed

13

14 Worship 9 a.m.

15Second Helpings

meal 5:30pm********************AD Board/Finance

Committee meeting @ 7:00 p.m.

******************NEWSLETTER

DEADLINE

16 17AA meets in

fellowship hall 7:30 p.m.

18 Praying for our church in the chapel @9:30AM

****************East Troy Manor Worship 11 a.m.*****************

Knitters meet10:30 – 12 p.m.****************Circle of HOPE

meets 7:00 p.m.

19Office Closed

20

21Worship 9 a.m.

22Crafters meet

9 -11 a.m.

23BUNCH for

LUNCH meet

24AA meets in

fellowship hall 7:30 p.m.

25 Praying for our church in the chapel @9:30am

East Troy Manor Worship 11 a.m.

Knitters meet10:30 – 12 p.m.

26

Office Closed

27

28Worship 9 a.m.

29 30 31Choir Practice

@6:30 p.m.AA meets in

fellowship hall 7:30 p.m.

St. James United Methodist Church2945 Main StreetEast Troy, WI 53120

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August Following the Cross

Published monthly by St. James United Methodist Church, Editorial CommitteeRev. Nhia Wahn Her and Maureen Loehe, Administrative Assistant

Deadline for September Issue: Monday, August 15, 2016 ( No late articles can be accepted )

(Submit to church office)Phone # (262) 642-7642

Church Office HoursMonday – Thursday

9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Friday - Office Closed

Worship Hours Worship – Sunday morning @9:00 a.m.

Sunday School – 9:00 a.m. during worship (September – May)Our website is: easttroyumc.org

Our email address is: church@easttroyumc.org