October 29th . If you would like to share a story with us at any point dur-ing your 40 Days, you can email the church at firstchurch@ncweb.com and share your experi-ence. Perhaps we will compile some of the sto-ries to share and inspire others. On Sunday, Octo-ber 29th we will celebrate our 40 days of kindness with special speaker, Lisa Barrickman and a light lunch in the Memorial Lounge.

One of the greatest things about 40 Days of Kind-ness is that people of all ages can participate. All people are in need of kindness and all people can act in love and kind-ness towards others. This is a fantastic activity to do as an individual or with a family. Join us! God’s work. Our hands.

Note: FUM participated in

40 Days of Kindness in

2015. I think about 25

people participated. 25

people times 40 acts of

kindness equal 1,000 acts

of kindness. Wow!!

~Debra Barrickman

started and to get your creativity flowing. There will also be Kindness Cards that you can take as you need them. Kindness Cards are the size of business cards and on the front they have the Bible verse 1 John 4:19 “We love because God first loved us.” The back of the cards say “Kindness is contagious….pass it on!” These cards can be left be-hind when you do a Random Act of Kindness, and the person who re-ceives the card may be inspired to spread some kindness too! You

won’t use a Kindness Card every day, but there will be some situations when it is powerful to leave that little treasure for someone to find. We would also like to en-courage you to keep a journal of your 40 Days of Kindness as

a way to reflect on this time and also because it is not something that you will want to forget. You may also want to join the FaceBook group, Kindness Works. Kindness Works is a site used to share things we do to spread kindness, acts of kindness we receive or witness, ideas and stories of a kindness initiative, quotes or videos about kindness, or anything related to kindness. Be aware that there are a couple of sites on FaceBook with this same title, so look for the one with Lisa’s blue covered book. We will all begin our 40 Days of Kindness on Wednesday, Septem-ber 20th and continue until Sunday,

Each year as summer ends and school and autumn begins, we fill our calendars with fun activities that make this time of year special. First United Methodist has something very exciting to add to your calendars that will make the autumn of 2017 one to remember! We invite you to schedule September 20

th through October

29th

as 40 Days of Kindness!! 40 Days of Kindness is an oppor-tunity to do an Act of Kindness every day for 40 days. The 40th day, Octo-ber 29th will be on a Sunday and Lisa Barrickman, author of the book A Case for Kindness will be our speaker for the morning. There are count-less ways each day for us to reach out to others in kindness – giving up our parking spot or our place in line at the store, treating a stranger to lunch, bringing dinner to a friend, leaving a great book in a waiting room, sending a letter of gratitude to someone who impacted our lives, and the list goes on! The journey of spreading kind-ness for 40 consecutive days is a remarkable and life changing experi-ence because it can truly make us look at the people around us in a new way. It will open our hearts and our eyes. We hope that you will all join us as we share and receive God’s love this fall season. This is how it will work: On Sunday, September 17th , sign up to show your commitment to participate. Handouts will be available in the Me-morial Lounge with many suggestions for Acts of Kindness to help you get

Let’s Work at Kindness…..Kindness Works

September 2017

First United Methodist Church

Volume The Visitor

and of itself should move you to be kind.

Being kind and having kindness birthed in your heart are two sepa-rate things, but it starts by what I John 3.1 tells us, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” God’s kindness is never ending to you and I. God’s mercy and grace our new every morning. (Lamentations 3.22-23) Purpose in your heart to be kind today. Begin by sowing the seed of kind-ness each and every day, and see if it does not come back to you. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for what-ever one sows that will he also reap. Galatians 6.7, ESV.

Pastor Chris

For you Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, abundant in lovingkind-ness to all who call upon your name. Psalm 86.5, NIV

Starting in Sep-tember I will be preaching on the kindness of God. We also will be doing “40 days of kindness” starting Sunday, September 17th, (but you do not have to wait until then to be kind ha, ha).

All too often we allow how we feel to con-trol whether we are going to be kind or not. If we are having a bad day, often we just want to be left alone. We do not re-spond to people or situa-tions like we should. I know when school starts back up for your kids, they probably do not “feel” like getting up at 6

o’clock in the morning, but they will.

Do you ever think God does not want to be kind? The answer to that question is an emphatic NO. Those of you who were part of our summer sermon series, “The Fruits of the Spirit,” per-haps remember, Romans 2.4 “…that God’s kind-ness leads us to repent-ance.” For humanity, the ultimate act of God’s kindness was ‘’…expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus...” Ephesian 2.7. I marvel each and every day that I am forgiven. I am made acceptable in Christ Je-sus because of his great sacrifice. When I come to the end of my life, I will not have to pay for my sins because they are remembered no more. (Hebrews 8.12) That in

The Visitor Page 2

Letter from Pastor Chris

Bible Study: Are

you looking for

more for your life or

perhaps you are

just looking for

peace? Join us for

our late summer

Bible study(I refuse

to refer to it as fall).

I will be teaching

from the book The

Search for Signifi-

cance: Seeing

Your True Worth

Through God's

Eyes. by Robert S.

McGee

New Time: Tues-

day at 6:30pm /

New location:

Ashtabula Library

Start date: Septem-

ber 12th-October

31st Those of you

who have been at-

tending Bible study

on a regular basis,

I would like to chal-

lenge you to invite

someone who has

not attended our

Bible study and

buy them the book.

See you in late

summer.

Pastor Chris

Sunday School begins on

September 10th at 9:30 a.m.

Kids of all ages will meet in the Sunday School rooms in the education wing and Teachers are MaryBeth Swedenborg and Marisa and Chad

Russell.

Please join us in the lounge for our intergenerational Sunday

School Class (14 and older). Together you and I will be diving into the study by Andy Stanley entitled: Guard rails, Avoiding Regrets in Your

Life. Led by Pastor Chris

In the library, Ann Kelner will lead an adult study which will focus on Bible passages. Each week we will read two Bible passages and

reflect on the meaning of the passage and how it relates to our lives.

As a community of believers, we also will be praying for specific needs

of our church family, our community and the country. Come join us as we read from the Bible, see how it relates to us and spend time in

prayer

Chancel Choir rehearsals resume on Thursday, Sept. 7th, 7 p.m./ first Sunday singing will be Sept. 10th. Want to join, see Mary Runyan.

Bell Choir rehearsals will start on Monday, September 11th at 6 p.m.

Page 3

Want to help victims of Hurricane Harvey?

Donations may be made to the church and we will send them to the Conference. Please note

Hurricane on the envelope.

Want to send directly? Please mail your dona-

tion to EOC 8800 Cleveland Ave. N. Canton OH 44720 and mark the check EOC 1310 Hurricane

Please pray for: Living with Can-cer : Barbara Smith Antoline (Judy Park), Rick Hughes (Lonnie Hughes); Katy, Eva (Lauri Watts););Sherry Taylor (Pat Taylor); Dee Fassett (Melanie Todd); Karen Krebs (Paula Moore), Dan’s bosses sister. Mary Lynne (Bridget Orqvist), Edie (Joan Lee). John G ( Connie Johnson).

Health Concerns: Bob Niemi,Don DeDomenic is now home, Judy May; Paula Moore, Phyllis Miller, Pam Poros, June Sherwin, Dorothy Spellman, Dave Silva (Lonnie Hughes); Norita Pahel (Rick Rich-ardson); Eleanor Snyder, Alan Snyder (Linda Callahan); Lindsay Coup and Gracelyn Coup (Marcia Chmielowiec); Laura Derylak, Gabby Vosseler (Toni Carlson); Keaton and Annika and their family (Ann Kelner); RaeAnn Taylor (Pat Taylor); Hubert Bukhart, John Burkhart ; Jeff Scrib-ben, John Houtman, Bess Packey, Joey Goldsmith, Diana, Rita, Regi-na, Quincy, Chris (Lauri Watts).Clinton, Nancy,Stacie, Bill Simmons, James and Holly Peet. Shaun Mason, Kimberly Seaman, Betty Rizzo (Marge Mason) . Marjo-rie Volpone (Abby). Tisha Bernard (Krista Poros). Howard Humphrey. Amy Robinson (Beth Jepson). Taylor Shellhammer, Clair Runyan (Mary Runyan). Sally McDonough (Clint Simmons). Davin Hood, 9 yr. old with severe burns (Ruth DeDome-nic). Mike Keaton. Shirley Lawrence (Pat Taylor). Amber Burwinkle, Rick Coutts (Karen & Charlie Coutts) Life Changes : Grieving: Julie

(George) Collins and sons follow-ing the death of Julie’s father, Ron Champlin. Betty Hartley is at the Country Club; Donna Collier is at Saybrook Landing. Dustin and Sa-mantha Humphrey.

Military: Brian Downey; Scott Miller; Joshua Fowler, (Cindy & Herb Locy); Lt. Colonel David, Richard and Andrea Jokinen, (Carol Mead),Erik Peterson and family sta-tioned in Germany. Christopher Lopez and family stationed in Utah (Mary Beth Swedenborg). Kyle Sher-bourne

We offer our sincere condolences to the families of:

Tom Greenwood, former member and husband of Judy. Gene Os-borne, grandfather of Abbie Volpone; Walter Kapudijija,, mem-ber and husband of the late Donna Kapudijija. Lonnie Brail relative of Judy Park’s late husband Larry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Church family,

We would like to thank all who of-fered prayers, care and concern dur-ing Don’s hospital stay.

We have passed Phase 1 of this ill-ness and will soon begin Phase 2, but we know that the Lord will see us through with your help.

God’s blessings to you all.

Don and Ruth DeDomenic

Grief Recovery Support

Group

Wednesdays, for 13 weeks

from 1-3 p.m. at the Mentor

UMC 8600 Mentor Ave

Sept. 13– Dec. 6th

Cost is $20 for the book

Facilitator: Rev. Bev Wrobel

and Janet Siekmann

To register e-mail

blwrobel@mentorumc.org

or call 440-255-3496 x 106

Thank you to Leah

Mead for all her years

of providing greeters

for Sunday mornings.

Leah has left that job

and Connie Johnson

has graciously taken

on the duty of “greeter

getter”. Blessings to

both ladies.

2nd Annual Harvest Party

will be held on Saturday,

October 21st from 1—

2:30 p.m. Games, pump-

kins, refreshments.

Please, NO costumes for

this event. More info next

month.

Check this out...Martin Luther: The Idea That

Changed the World, Tuesday, September

12th, 8 p.m. on WVIZ/PBS

In the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, this

documentary examines the life of Martin Luther

and the profound impact his ideas had on the course of Western history. Narrated by Hugh

Bonneville.

Also on 9/13 1 a.m. 9/17 8 p.m./ 9/18 at 12 a.m.;

8 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Thank you to Herb Locy and the Trustees for our New/Old* sign. Herb shared his talent with brick

and mortar to frame our church name and shout out that we are here in downtown Ashtabula. Solar lighting is in the planning stages. *new brick work, but our old sign with a new aluminum frame. Photo by Clay

Metcalf.

FUMC of Ashtabula :thank you so much for your

generosity and hospitality! We really appreciate you opening up your church to us, and for you filling our

tummy’s with delicious food. If your members ever

find themselves in need of a place to stay while in

Michigan, we would love to do the same for you.

~Love FUMC of Howell Michigan.

FYI: their youth group stayed here one night this

summer on their way home from a mission trip. We

supplied a place to sleep and some breakfast food

and snacks.

Thanks to Karen Lindahl for painting the

columns in the church dining room, they

look so much better.

Make September is Healthy Aging® Month the time

when you will really, really, do something to change your

life. Use the celebration to be inspired, try something new,

meet new people, get started again.

Remember how you felt when you started a new school

year in September? Recapture that feeling of excitement

and wonder.

Here are some inspirational tips from Dr. Francine Le-

derer, clinical psychologist with a private practice in Los

Angeles.

Tips from Dr. Francine Lederer

1. Make sure you have at least one social encounter a

day. Having a sense of community and positive connec-

tions in your life is crucial to the aging process. Emotional

intimacy is important. Many articles and research indi-

cates that surrounding oneself with loved ones slows

down the aging process.

2. Commit yourself to a couple of activities outside

your home a week. It’s important to keep your mind ac-

tive and stimulated. Make sure you make time for hobbies

or experiences that make you HAPPY. Having passion for

things we enjoy doing (i.e. hiking, dance class, painting,

book club, playing chess, etc.) keeps us youthful and

gives us a sense of PURPOSE. Research shows that

people who feel like they have a purpose really do prolong

their life!

3. Get fresh air. Commit yourself to weekly outdoor activi-

ties that allow you to breathe in fresh air. Whether it’s a

morning walk, outdoor stretching, or any form or outdoor

exercise helps you remember you are ALIVE. It also helps

to motivate further mental, social and spiritual activity.

Lonnie’s Health line will return in October.

to all who donated and purchased items from our Christ-

mas in July sale. We raised over $850 for the Nehe-

miah Fund. Special thanks to Joan Lee for organizing

this project.

To everyone who donated loose leaf note book paper

for Lakeside elementary schools and to Faye, Debra

and Clay for transporting it to the board offices.

To everyone who donates used candles. They are brought to the sheltered workshop to be made into fire

starters. Please note only loose candles, we cannot

accept candles in glass containers.

To everyone who donates aluminum cans for recycling. Please leave them in the basement. Thanks to Toni

Carlson and Will Runyan for taking them to the recy-

cling center.

Bethlehem Experience meeting update….. Meeting was

held on August 24th at the Ashtabula public library.

Led by Bridget Orqvist and Patty VanAllen.

• The old Dillards store will be the space for the event.

We have a CAD drawing to use thanks to Larry Fargo.

• Decorating committee is forming, always room for more

see Bridget if you would like to help.

• Toni Carlson will be managing the costumes. All

persons involved in the event will be in costume.

• Premiere Transportation was chosen to provide bus-

sing to the event.

• We have a camel! In addition there will be a miniature

donkey, cow, goats and sheep. The owner will bring

them in, handle them and provides his own insurance.

• Insurance for the rest of the event will be a rider on our

church policy, paid for by the Bethlehem Experience.

• Piping and draping bids were reviewed.

• Budget is $9,910. After donations were subtracted we

need to raise $3,650.

• Next meeting is Tuesday, September 19th , 7 p.m at

the library.

We’re on the web: www.ashtabulafirstumc.com

In the of Ashtabula

4506 Elm Avenue

Ashtabula OH 44004

Phone: 440-993-3806

E-mail: firstchurch@ncweb.com

First United Methodist Church

September 2017

Saturday, September 9th

Noon – 2 p.m.

First United Methodist Church

4506 Elm Ave. Ashtabula

Lunch includes: Appetizers, strawberry soup, deluxe salad bar and desserts

Our Guests: Allison Campbell, designer at Flowers on the Avenue will be show-ing us how to make things from found objects. She will have her creations for sale.

Jill Laseke of Nature’s Bundle “Gifts from the Earth” will tell us about her or-ganic teas and her homemade soaps.

Phyllis Miller and Amy Housel of Savvy Sisters Designs will have their themed baskets for sale and tell us how they started their own business.

Anita Krulic of Classy Consignments, Jefferson OH will outfit our models in fashionable affordable clothing. She will teach us many ways to tie a scarf and have accessories for sale.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by phoning the church 993-3806