Straits Talk

United Methodist and Presbyterian (USA)

The Church of the Straits

P.O. Box 430 * Mackinaw City, MI 49701

Return Service Requested

Straits Talk

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDMackinaw CityMichigan 49701

Permit No. 1

February 2016 Minister Pastor David Wallis Head Usher Cless Hurlburt Organist Loretta Martinek

Treasurer Janet SchaeferFinancial Secretary Jean HuntClerk Diane Robbins

Secretary Judy Churchill Office Phone: 231 436-8682

Pastor’s Home Phone: 231 436-5484E-mail – Pastor – norev@juno.com

Church office – office@churchofthestraits.comChurch website – www.thechurchofthestraits.com

OUR WORSHIP SCHEDULETraditional Worship 10:30 a.m.

Adult/Youth Sunday School 9:30 a.m.

The Mission of The Church of the StraitsTo worship God faithfully

To grow together spirituallyTo serve Jesus Christ and

our neighbor joyfully… in the power of God’s Spirit.

Bible Quiz Answer – D (See 1 Kings 19:9-12, NRSV.) 

will give it to us (me) generously, all that I need, to get me through every single day. He will anoint me with it! ~ Donna Keene

**Donna, a dear friend of mine, cancer survivor and church secretary at St. Paul’s UMC in Cheboygan.

~Judy Churchill

Giving Envelopes for 2016 are in the Fellowship Hall. Please pick yours up. **You do not have to make a pledge to use envelopes. If

you give regularly or want a statement at the end of the year, it is easier for us if you use envelopes. Please fill out a card requesting envelopes and drop it in the collection plate. They will be ready for you the following week.

Operation Shoe BoxLast year we collected itemsthroughout the year and thatseemed to work well, as we were able to fill 57 shoe boxes. Collectively, we sent out 88 boxes = 88 children’s lives - changed because of your generosity! Let’s keep the momentum going and continue gathering items each month. When you go shopping, perhaps you can pick up an item or two and place them in the collection box in Fellowship Hall. In November we will have another ‘BIG’ packing party. Remember, the monthly item is only a suggestion – if you see something on sale that you think a child would love, that’s fine!February is crayons, pencils, colored pencils, markers, erasers, etc. month.Call if you have any questions. Also, donations of money are welcomed to help cover the shipping cost of the boxes. Thank you ~ Judy Churchill

We recently received an email that our boxes had been shipped to children in Grenada (located in the

southest Caribbean Sea), Malawi (in southeast Africa) and Dominica (an island nation in the Caribbean). Please continue to keep these children in our prayers as they receive their boxes and are asked to receive Jesus into their hearts ♥♥

At the Annual Parsonage Openhouse – everything was delicious, as usual. Thank you Lisa Wallis! This year, many people requested the recipe of

Lisa’s Chocolate Carmel Bars… so here it is:Melt:

1 c milk chocolate chips¼ c butterscotch chips

Then add:¼ c peanutbutter

Spread in a greased 9x13 pan and refrigerate

Filling – boil for 5 minutes¼ c butter1 c sugar¼ c evaporated milk

Then add:1 ½ c marshmellow cream¼ c peanutbutter1 ½ c chopped peanuts

Spread on 1st layer and regrigerate

Melt:14 oz. package of carmels¼ c whipping cream

Spread on 2nd layer

Melt:1 c milk chocolate chips¼ c butterscotch chips

Then add:¼ c peanut butter

Spread on Top and refrigerate!!!

“In God’s House”Poem written by Florence Tracy’s Aunt Marie 1997

Some go to Church to Take a Walk.

Some go there to Laugh and Talk.Some go there, Their Time to Spend,And some go there to Meet a Friend.Some go there to See Each Other,Others go there a Fault to Cover.Some go there to Doze and Nod.But I go there to “Worship God”.

“They who love are but one step from heaven.”~ James Russell Lowell23rd Psalm – Lesson 14

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.He restores my soul;

He leads me in the path of righteousnessfor His name sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valleyof the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; for You are with me;Your rod and staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;

You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life;And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

The sheep are still located up on the tableland. Warm weather brings bugs: warble flies, heel flies, nose flies, black flies, deer flies, mosquitoes, gnats and other parasites.*  The shepherd anointed his sheep’s head with oil.*  Oil was used for medicinal purpose. Placing oil on a sheep’s head kept the sheep from sun stroke.*  Any injured sheep was ministered to by the shepherd. He would rub oil into a wound or carry the sheep on his shoulder until it was strong enough to walk again. Many times shepherds would carry newborn lambs in their cloaks until the lambs were able to move about with the flock on their own. God knows that we can become discouraged, tired and feel that that burden of life can be unbearable. We are hurt. He understands our hurt and is able and ready to minister to it.

*  Note to myself:  Notice that David said “Thou  anointest MY head with oil, MY cup . . .” This is a singular, personal pronoun.  Even though God cares for all His sheep, He still cares for me as an individual. When I am hurt, he pulls me aside and ministers to my needs. It reminds me of when I was a small child. I was outside playing with my friends and I fell down and scraped my knees on the gravel. I would run down the road to my grandma's house crying. Grandma Eggart would wash away the dirt; place a Band-Aid on it, and kiss the boo-boo to make the hurt go away. Sometimes she would give me a homemade cookie or a piece of her delicious homemade carrot cake or a scoop of ice-cream. The hurt was quickly forgotten and soon I was off running down the road again with my friends.  God loves me in the same way.*  The nose flies were bad as they would deposit their eggs in the sheep’s nose and after a few days the larvae would hatch and instead of crawling out of the sheep’s nose, it would crawl up it. They would crawl up to the center of the sheep’s skull and bore into the flesh and waited until the time of their birth as flies who can deposit more eggs. This created a terrible burning irritation; it would drive the sheep insane because there was nothing the shepherd could do to relieve the irritation. The sheep would literally commit suicide by throwing themselves against boulders, mountain side or tree - anything to rid themselves of their pain. The only help is the shepherd. He helped by anointing the sheep’s head with homemade remedies made of linseed oil, olive oil, tar, sulfur, etc. When a sheep begins to shake her head and starts running around, the shepherd begins to see that the bugs are troubling her and gets his home remedy. The shepherd pours the mixture onto the sheep’s head and rubs it into the wool. He also dips his hand into the mixture and rubs it around the sheep’s nose to catch flies before they get into the nose.*  Our “flies” are the irritations and aggravations that come along from personality conflicts, assertion of my will on others or their will on me, competition or just day-to-day irritations.*  The “anointing” is a symbol of God’s Holy Spirit.*  I Samuel 10:1 “Then Samuel took a flask of  oil  and poured it on his head [Saul], and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?”*  I Samuel 16:12-13. “So he [Jesse] went and brought him [David] in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said,

“Arise, anoint him [David]; for this is the one!” Then Samuel took the horn of oil   and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.”

* The anointing of oil poured over David’s head stood for holiness. It was used to set people or objects apart for God’s service. My thoughts: We don’t have to beg God to get His Holy spirit from Him – He wants to give it to us! He

We extend our sympathy to the families of those who have entered the Church Triumphant:Dick Moehl, who passed away December 28, 2015Joan Pepper, who passed away January 11, 2016

An Early Start to Spring Cleaning Although Lent starts early this year, before spring appears in many areas, it’s an appropriate time for spring cleaning. Indeed, Lent comes from old German and English words

for “spring.” So, while it might be too soon to open windows or hang clothes on the line, now is ideal for some spiritual spring cleaning.   Lent calls us to examine our beliefs, confess and dispose of old grudges and selfish habits, dust off our Bibles for a new routine of study and prayer, air out our hearts and brighten up our attitudes. “Lent cleaning” lets the Holy Spirit freshen our faith — and it’s never too early for that. 

Ash Wednesday Services will be held at St. Anthony’s Church on Wednesday, February 10th at 7 p.m.This is an ecumenical service for both churches.

The Church of the Straits holds weekly Prayer Meetings on Sunday nights at 5:00 pm. Everyone is welcome, anytime. Prayer requests are also welcome, contact Pastor Dave. God does listen!

If you’ve missed a Sunday Worship or are out of town, you can listen to the Sermons on line at our website:

www.thechurchofthestraits.com. Newsletters and bulletins can also be found at our website.

“They who love are but one step from heaven.”~James Russell LowellThe Greatest Love of All!On Valentine’s Day, we remember that God is the source of all love in the world. His perfect love for us has made all human love possible.

For God so loVed the world thAt He gave His onLy begottEn SoN, thaT whoever belIeves iN Him should not perish but havE everlasting life.

John 3:16, NKJV

The Annual Congregational Meeting was held following worship on January 24th with theRev. Elbert Dulworth, District Superintendent for the Marquette District and Al Beamish from the Administrative Commission of the Presbytery of Mackinac in attendance. Presented and approved was new BOG member: Bill Marvin; along with new PPRC member: Brenda Bell.

Bible Quiz

“He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.”

Luke 17:16 (CEB) Sometimes I wonder how people without children in their lives learn things. Nieces and nephews, offspring, grandchildren, a Sunday school class, a team to coach, a nursery, babysitting, childcare, adopting, fostering…We learn so much by being around children. Over coffee the other day, young parents told me the story about their two-year-old daughter learning how to pray. They’d videotaped one of her first attempts at praying as she knelt beside her toddler bed. In essence, this is the transcript from her lyrical, little-girl prayer: “Thank You, Jesus, for my friends. And…thank You, Jesus. Jesus, thank You. And…Jesus, thank You so much. Thank You soooo much, Jesus. (Deep breath.) Jesus, thank You. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus, for my friends. Thank You so much. Jesus, thank You. Thank You, Jesus.” That wasn’t the end. By this point in the video, the parent holding the camera could hardly stay still. Suppressed laughter shook the camera. How precious! And how precious it must be for Jesus, on the receiving end of such a prayer. He must have observed that scene and thought, Finally! Finally someone gets it – how to really pray. Simply thanking Him. Nothing fancy. Expressing gratitude in childlike but loving exuberance. What well-crafted prayer could compare to a sincere heart expressing its gratitude. “Jesus, there’s really nothing more to say beyond ‘Thank You.’”

Submitted by Rose Taylor-Anderson, taken from Mornings with Jesus 2015 by Cynthia Ruchti.

Grateful for Grace

John Newton, a slave-ship captain who became a minister and abolitionist, had a special affinity for grace. In fact, he wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace” to celebrate the freedom that God gives to Christians.  “I am not what I ought to be,” Newton said. “I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be. And by the grace of God, I am what I am.” 

Our SuperHero – Basketball Benefitfor Jackson Wallin

Please join us Thursday, February 11th

Mackinaw City Lady Comets vs Ellsworth Lancers6:00 pm

Mackinaw City High School GymnasiumGame Entry: Donation Only

Silent Auction ~ 50/50 ~ Sale of Wrist Bands

Jackson is the son of Justin & Allison. He is 6 years old and was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. He is currently receiving treatment at Helen Devos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. All funds raised will help the family with medical bills and travel expenses.

Donations can be given at any Citizens National Bank Locations under “Jackson Wallin”.

Happy New Year. We hope that you’re all doing well. Kate, Levi, Aiden, Eliana and I are all doing great here in Uganda. We want to thank you for your continued support for our family to be able to live

and serve the neediest of the needy children here in Uganda. Your gifts go along way and we thank you so much. May God bless you SO much.Blessings,Peter and Kate WalugembeMissionaries in Uganda (East Africa)

The mystery of love is that the more you give, the more

remains in your heart.

BOG 7 pm21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Wms Bible Study 3pm

28 29

BIRTHDAYS:Feb 3 Jo Ann Rinehart Feb 26 Ken McGuireFeb 6 Joann Leal Feb 27 Cles HurlburtFeb 7 Dennis FlemmingFeb 9 Cody Schaefer ANNIVERSARIES:

Feb 10 Rachel Hart Feb 2 Scott & Cheryl NewmanFeb 13 Merritt Cole Feb 5 Greg & Kathy PietrowskiFeb 13 Marilyn Imeson Feb 10 Chad & Brenda RobertsonFeb 17 Mary Margaret Cosens Feb 15 Bud & Katy StoneFeb 17 Wendy Orsini Feb 21 Robert & June HeilmanFeb 21 Mya Curth Feb 29 Charlie & Kathy HeilmanFeb 24 Julia ShortFeb 24 Betty TeysenFeb 24 Bill MarvinFeb 24 Connor Holland

I remember when I was in late elementary school I was bullied by a couple older kids because they didn’t like the fact that I beat them in tetherball. On a couple of occasions I was pinned against a school bus by two guys and another guy started hitting me in the gut. I have no idea where the bus driver was and to this day I don’t know who was around to watch but it happened. I went home that day and told my mother what had happened and she suggested I do the unthinkable. She said that if it happened again to tell them that “God loves you and so do I.” I thought to myself that my mother was nuts but I have always respected her deep faith and wisdom.

Well, I didn’t get to try out my mother’s advice because I was never bullied again but I still wonder how these guys would have responded to me if I had said that to them while in their grasp. They probably would have either laughed till they cried or been so dumbfounded by the statement that they would let me go. Either way, I love (as an adult) my mother’s advice. It was radical but I think it was right. There was no need to start a war with these guys and quite honestly they didn’t really hurt me because I was farm boy and I had taken a lot worse than that on the farm.

February is the month that includes Valentine’s Day. If there was a word to describe Valentine’s Day would it not be the word “love”? Many other words have a connection to the word love because they spin off of the act of love. One of those words is forgiveness! It is next to impossible to forgive someone unless you love them. God loves us so much that he forgave us. It says in 1 John 1:9 that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He also asks us to forgive others! When we experience God’s forgiveness it makes us capable of forgiving others because we have experienced pure, unadulterated love from our Heavenly Father.

Do you have a difficult time forgiving others? Perhaps you have been hurt or your reputation has been smeared by those who dislike you. Maybe you were wrongfully dismissed from a job or you have been cheated on. Maybe someone shared an intimate conversation you had with them to others and now everybody knows. Perhaps someone took what you said and completely changed its meaning to put you in a bad light. I could go on and on at all the possibilities there are for being unforgiving, but in every situation we are still called to offer forgiveness as well as seek it.

You only imprison yourself when you can’t forgive. Don’t do that to yourself. When you shower those who hate you with love it is a compelling testimony to God’s mercy and grace. No matter how spiteful they may be, just keep loving and forgiving. You still may not like the person but God can help you love them. Romans 12:19 says that we are not to seek revenge for it is written, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.” My mom’s advice was good, no, it was great! Thanks mom for showing me Jesus even when I wasn’t quite ready to hear it.

I love each and every one of you!

BOG 7 pm21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Wms Bible Study 3pm

28 29

BIRTHDAYS:Feb 3 Jo Ann Rinehart Feb 26 Ken McGuireFeb 6 Joann Leal Feb 27 Cles HurlburtFeb 7 Dennis FlemmingFeb 9 Cody Schaefer ANNIVERSARIES:

Feb 10 Rachel Hart Feb 2 Scott & Cheryl NewmanFeb 13 Merritt Cole Feb 5 Greg & Kathy PietrowskiFeb 13 Marilyn Imeson Feb 10 Chad & Brenda RobertsonFeb 17 Mary Margaret Cosens Feb 15 Bud & Katy StoneFeb 17 Wendy Orsini Feb 21 Robert & June HeilmanFeb 21 Mya Curth Feb 29 Charlie & Kathy HeilmanFeb 24 Julia ShortFeb 24 Betty TeysenFeb 24 Bill MarvinFeb 24 Connor Holland

Pastor Dave