from the pastor’s desk - faith united methodist church of...

Wow! It’s hot outside (91 degrees outside my office) and it’s almost the

second week of September (I wrote this on Labor Day, Sept. 7th). Lest I

complain too mightily about the heat, I’ll review the pictures on my I-phone

of the “Snow-vember” storm late last fall. That is a good reality check. I’ll

enjoy the heat while I can. And yet I can see hints of autumn in the

Goldenrod along the roads outside the village, some trees actually showing hints of leaves

turning. The amount of day light noticeably decreased as the calendar turned to

September. Autumn is a glorious time of year. (Do you get the feeling I like it)? I do like

the change of colors, the rich reds and golds, the autumn foliage, the cooler, crisper air.

But most of all, I am grateful for the reinvigorated activity here at Faith United Methodist

Church: choir and adult Sunday school and this year, our Sept. 13th outdoor worship service

and Faith Family Reunion Picnic at the Bowmansville Fire Hall Picnic Pavilion. It is here

(Faith UMC) that I experience again and again the voice of God through others. So, I

welcome the reinvigorated activity. There is one poem about autumn that I have quoted

often by Rev. Ted Loder, a United Methodist minister. Here are some more verses from his

poem about autumn, “Waken in Me a Sense of Joy,”

O extravagant God, in this ripening, red tinged autumn,

Waken in me a sense of joy in just being alive,

Joy for nothing in general except everything in particular;

Joy in sun and rain mating together with the earth to birth a harvest;

Joy in having what I cannot live without—

Other people to hold and cry and laugh with;

Joy in love, in you; and that all at first and last is grace.

May you each experience grace in the season of autumn! - Pastor Tom

The Faithful Leader

Sept. / Oct.

2015

Sunday Schedule:

Adult Bible Study

9:00 a.m.

Worship

10:00 a.m.

Child care available

Inside this Issue

Christian Ed...........2

Finance Notes….…3

Prayer……..……...4

Altar Flowers…….5

Around Faith...…..6

Children’s news….7

Prayer Concerns…8

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

OPEN MINDS,

OPEN

HEARTS,

OPEN DOORS.

Lectionary Readings for

Sept. & Oct.

September

Sept. 6: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Psalm 125;

James 2:1-10 (11-13), 14-17; Mark 7:24-37

Sept. 13: Proverbs 1:20-33; Psalm 19 (UM750);

James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38

Sept. 20: Proverbs 31:10-31; Psalm 1 (UM738);

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37

Sept. 27: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10;9:20-22; Psalm 124

(UM846); James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50

October

Oct. 4: Job 1:1; 2:1-10; Psalm 26; Hebrews 1:1-4;

2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16

Oct. 11: Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15

(UM752); Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31

Oct. 18: Job 38:1-7, (34-41); Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c

(UM826); Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45

Oct. 25: Job 42:1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)

(UM769); Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 10:46-52

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

2

ADULT BIBLE CLASS By: Dick Davidson

Meetings Resume:

On Sunday, September 20th

Special Eight Lesson Series

I recently read a book titled: “What's The Least I Can Believe

and Still Be A Christian?” written by a Methodist Pastor

named Martin Thielen. The first ten short chapters address

beliefs that some Christians hold that are not Biblical, not

necessary for the Christian faith. The last ten chapters

address the basic ideas that are the Biblical basis of our

Christian Faith. Copies of this book will be available for

class members to read.

I have designed eight lessons which, I believe, identify the

basic information needed for a person to be a true Christian.

The schedule is as follows:

Sept. 20: Introduction, basic Bible reading and understanding

Sept. 27: Description of God, What God has done and will do

Oct. 4: Description of Jesus: His role as the basis of Christianity

Oct. 11: Description of the Holy Spirit, the concept of the Trinity

Oct. 18: Definition of sin, original sin concept, human choice sins

Oct. 25: God's plan for past, present, and future

Nov. 1: Suffering, reasons for hope, the institutional church

Nov. 8: People will list further topics for discussion during these

weeks as they read the book and consider the topics

discussed. These topics will be listed and discussed during

this final session.

As we have done in the past, the class will be held at 9 AM

on Sunday with the same lesson repeated on Wednesday at 10

AM. Coffee and cookies are available.

Come share in this important series of basic Christian beliefs.

All are welcome!

3

OK CLUB

Breakfast on Thursday, Sept. 17th will be at the

Bob Evans on Transit Rd. at 9:00 a.m.

Breakfast on Thursday, Oct.15th will be at the at

the Olive Tree on Broadway at 9:00 a.m.

Please sign up on the Pillar of Faith with the number

attending and an X if you do not plan to come. This

helps us give the restaurant an approximate number of

people to expect.

All are welcome!

LIFE AROUND FAITH LIFE AROUND FAITH

NOTES FROM THE

TREASURER’S

DESK By: Marilyn English

Bills, bills, bills, thankfully

we are doing all right for

2015 and I expect we will be

OK until the end of the

year. Since we have used all of our remaining available

funds during 2015, we are entering 2016 with larger

financial issues. Don and I have been meeting with

SPPRC and Pastor Tom to work out a solution for 2016

and beyond. Watch for news of another Congregational

meeting soon.

SPPRC will be presenting a couple of options, and

finance will be available to answer financial

questions. This meeting is tentatively set for September

27th, Please mark your calendar and make every effort

to be there, it is crucial for the future of our church.

Shalom,

Marilyn

FAITHFUL LEADER NEWSLETTER Our next edition will be for

November & December news at Faith.

Deadline for submissions is:

Oct. 22nd, 2015

SOCIAL HOUR COORDINATOR

NEEDED

We are need of a volunteer to help us

coordinate the after worship service

Social Hour from September through

June. For the Social Hour, different

groups and/or individuals provide snacks and serve

coffee for our Fellowship time. If you would be willing

to coordinate those who would host the individual

Sundays, please see Pastor Tom.

A big thank you to Loretta Schneller for her service and

stewardship to the church these past many years in this

capacity. She made sure there were snacks and coffee

for all, often did the clean-up, ensured that paper goods

and other needed supplies were always present and made

the job look effortless. Thank you Loretta!


“Wherever You Go”

If a trial comes upon you in the place

where you live, do not leave that place

when the trial comes. Wherever you go,

you will find what you are running from is

ahead of you. So stay until the trial is

over, so that if you do end up leaving,

no offense will be caused, and you will not

bring distress to others who live in the

same neighborhood.

- Anonymous Wisdom of the Desert Tradition

CHICKEN BBQ!

Mark your calendars for our next

Chiavetta’s Chicken BBQ at Faith!

Sunday, November 1st starting at 11:30 ‘til sold-out.

Tickets remain at $9 pre-event and $10 at the

door. Please see Loretta Schneller for your tickets

or call: 683-3311.

We will also need volunteers to provide cakes, and

assist with set-up, serving and more. Please signup

on the posted sheets in the atrium. Join Us!

4

Prayer for a New Vision Shared by: Beverly Davies

God of Shalom,

Grant us hearts that cry like yours

At the sight of dead boys on beaches,

Packed train cars,

And long lines of families on the move.

We confess that we have seen these images for centuries.

Grant us, this time, the wisdom to act in a way that turns

history upside down.

And brings your shalom on earth as it is in heaven.

Grant us arms that welcome the stranger;

Grant us hands that feed the hungry;

Grant us feet that walk with those whose feet search

For a new home, a new job, a new life.

Help us understand how bad things must have been,

And how much vision these survivors must have had

To make this terrible trek.

Grant us the vision to see what they see:

Your shalom where there is no more violence,

Where life is full and abundant for all,

Where no one is hungry,

And everyone is welcome at the feast.

Amen.

By Rev. Jack Amick,

Head of International Disaster Response for UMCOR

Altar Flowers

A CHANGE TO PROCEDURE By: Kay Andres

Since Elaine has sold her florist business, she will no

longer be able to provide weekly flower arrangements for

the church. Going forward, we ask that if you desire fresh

flowers that you please order them from a florist of your

choice (or Elaine’s Flower Shoppe under its new

ownership). Flowers will be at your own expense. Florists

also charge a delivery fee. With the church not open on

Fridays and Saturdays, florist delivery is hard to

coordinate. It may make sense to personally place flowers

on the altar Sunday morning prior to service.

As a memorial tribute to Carol Lewis by her family, Elaine

will be creating several silk arrangements that may be used

on the altar when fresh flowers are not present. Anyone

who wishes, may use one of these silk arrangements to

honor or memorialize loved ones. If choosing to use a silk

arrangement, your sentiment will be noted in the bulletin

and we ask that you make a donation to the church.

The 2016 Altar Flower Calendar will allow you to express

your wishes. Any questions, please contact Kay Andres at

(716) 684-4364.


5

Retirement Wishes for Elaine By: Kay Andres

Elaine Fairhead Bialecki has been a part of our church

since early childhood with many cherished memories.

After nearly 35 years in the floral business, (Elaine’s

Flower Shoppe in Depew), Elaine is entering a well

deserved retirement.

We are all aware of the lovely flowers donated by

Elaine which have graced our altar every Sunday

brought to church each Saturday as she made her way

home from the shop.

Not only are we grateful for the weekly altar flowers,

but flowers for every church occasion—luncheons,

funeral breakfasts, private parties, and holidays. We

always knew whom to contact when flowers would

make an event more special. It only took a phone call

to Elaine.

Most recently, she was selected as one of the top 15

florists from across the country to be a finalist for the

“Floral Retailer of the Year Award.” This Teleflora

Award will be presented at the Society of American

Florists annual meeting in September. It is a fitting

honor for her years of dedication to the floral industry,

the community at large, and to us, her church.

We congratulate Elaine and thank her for her years of

generosity. May her retirement be a time to enjoy

family and her home, which is surrounded by her many

flower gardens.

Altar flowers

for September and October

are Given:

Sept. 20: open

Sept. 27: in loving memory of George Keller by

his wife, Pat and in loving memory of

their sons, Greg, Curtis, & Randy.

Oct. 4: in loving memory of our parents by

Ken & Betty Dunbar.

Oct. 11 open

Oct. 18: in loving memory of Carol Lewis by

her family.

Oct. 25: in loving memory of Carl Kreiger by

his wife, Evon.

6


SEPTEMBER

All women of the church are invited to

join us for a pot luck supper on September

15th at 6:00 PM. Please bring your table

setting and a dish to pass. Hostesses are

Mollie Bleistein and Shirley Zurbrick.

District Annual Meeting will be held on September 19th

at 9:30 AM—2:30 PM at Medina United Methodist

Church. Chet Frey, “The Bread Man” will share a

message on “Random Acts of Kindness.”

OCTOBER

On October 20th at 7:00 PM, we will make a craft for

Beechwood under the direction of Kay Andres. Marilyn

English is the hostess for the evening.

A District Retreat will be held at Camp Asbury October

9th and 10th. Speaker is Carmen Vianese. The cost is

$85 with an additional $7 for linens unless you take your

own. If you are interested in attending, please contact

Karen Wehn by emailing her at: [email protected] (NOTE:

make sure your computer does not autocorrect Karen’s

last name to “when” or she will not receive your email).

UMW NEWS AD COUNCIL NEWS

Your Administrative Council has been busy. We

meet every 4th Thursday of the month. All are

welcome. We have planned our reunion family

picnic. We have approved your SPPRC

co-chairpersons June Knoerzer and Clara Johncox.

We have approved Don Tubbs as Financial

chairman. By the time you read this, I will

hopefully have seen all of you at our picnic.

I know your new chairpersons have been busy at

work. The end of September will see a class for all

new members as well as those planning on joining

Faith Lancaster. We hope to have an open class on

a new book “What Is the Least I Need to Believe to

Be a Christian" We would like this to take place in

January or February and have it open to the public.

We are also looking for folks to form a NOW

committee (Nurture, Outreach, Witness). If

interested talk to Mollie. It's very humid today, so

I'll sign off for now.

Gods Blessings,

Mollie Bleistein (Ad Council Chair)

SUNSHINE COMMITTEE

Under the loving guidance of Hosia

Sharp, we will be delivering a little

‘Autumn Sunshine’ to our housebound

congregation members during the month

of September (or early October).

Thank you all for your continued support of Hosia’s

‘Coke Bottle Collection’. It is amazing how quickly

spare change and single dollars add up, allowing us to

make this loving gesture to our members who can’t be

with us on a regular basis. We will again be asking the

congregation to assist with the delivery of our gifts.

Please watch the weekly bulletins.

ANNUAL

CHARGE CONFERENCE

Please mark your calendars:

Faith’s Annual Charge Conference

will be held Saturday, Nov. 7th

at 9:00 AM—11:00 AM

(at Faith)

7

MEMBERSHIP

DIRECTORY

If you haven’t already picked up your

copy of the most recent Membership

Directory, you may contact Suzette in

the church office to arrange to obtain one.

As is typical with this type of publication, upon printing,

we already had some changes to note. Going forward,

we will try to provide amendments to our directory via

email announcements so folks can update their individual

directories and stay current with everyone’s latest contact

information.

Don’t have email? We’ll also provide stickers here at

church with updated addresses whenever we can. Of

course, you can always call Suzette in the church office if

you are unsure that you’ve got the latest information for

someone you are trying to reach.

If you move or have changes to your own contact info,

please remember to let Suzette know. Sometimes the

‘grapevine’ doesn’t get the information exactly right.


VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL By: Charlotte Kline

A great big “thank you” to all who helped in many

different ways to make this year’s VBS a huge success.

We had sixteen kids who enjoyed activities such as

crafts, a scavenger hunt, snacks, games, music and

most popular of all, Mr. “D” the science guy who held

a class each night using the theme of “light” and

relating it to the Book of Genesis in which God created

light.

Each evening we had Bible study with a theme and a

new Bible verse to learn. The last night was a family

picnic with a closing program. For the first time, the

children presented a skit, illustrating the story of Jesus

healing the paralyzed man.

Our mission was the Trinity Food Pantry and we

collected a grocery cart overflowing with gifts of food.

Thank you again for your prayers, support and help.

We couldn’t do it without you!!!

Faith United Methodist Church

5505 Broadway

Lancaster, NY 14086

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Postage

JOYS AND CONCERNS

Rev. Thomas A. LeBeau, Pastor Suzette Phillips, Office Admin.

Church Phone: 716-683-5293 Email: [email protected]

www.faithlancaster.org

PRAYER NOTICES: Becky Birdsong, Helen Bowman, Suzie Coleman, Bruce Dickman,

Ken Dunbar, Gloria Jean Flicker, Ken Goodman, Judy Gruber, Phyllis Hamric, Maryann & Russel

Juengel, David Klock, Jill Knoerzer, Nelson Koch, Evon Krieger, John Marrone, Roseanna

McFarland , Stanley Puffer Sr., June & Kent Repka, Edith Ressler, Gene Schneller (son),

Stacy Walker. All military and civilians serving the U.S.

Prayer notices will remain on the list for one month. Contact the church office to renew.

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