Spotlight on Lisa Kalilec

Church Family Highlight

1. Where were you born? Born in Oberndorf, Germany, it’s by the Black Forest but moved around a little. In

1943 my father wrote a letter to my mother warning of the dangers of the war, so we got out of Berlin and

stayed with my grandmother by the Rhine River on the Switzerland border.

2. What brought you to the United States? I moved here when I was 18 years old. I came alone but was

sponsored by my Aunt in Syracuse, who helped me find employment as a Nanny/Housekeeper. I remember

going to a bar one night, they were playing polka music, but since I wasn’t feeling well, I ordered milk to drink.

There was a man there who lived in Cortland, noticed me and said that he really needed to meet the woman

who goes to a bar and drinks milk. That man ended up becoming my husband! I grew up Lutheran but my

Polish husband to be was Methodist so we got married and I became Methodist and have always attended

this church - way back when it was located on Church in Cortland and now moved to here on Route 222.

3. What is your favorite Hymn or inspirational song? Silent Night, Holy Night

4. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

5. Are you an “am” or “pm” type person? I think as you get older, you become an “am” (early) person.

6. When you were a kid, did you eat the crusts on your sandwiches or not? Where I grew up we had

hard bread (Italian like) not the soft bread. It was during the war, so we ate everything and nothing got wast-

ed.

7. Have you ever really disliked someone or something, but later changed your mind? I never liked ice

hockey until it started here in Cortland. My son, Andy, learned to play as a boy after they built the arena at

SUNY Cortland, and then our whole family used to go and watch all the SUNY hockey games there.

8. If you see a puddle on the ground, do you walk around it or through it? Around it. Way around it, if

possible.

9. What is on your bucket list? I always wanted to visit San Francisco. I don’t think my husband had the

same interest so after he passed away, my kids knew that it was still on my Bucket List and we all went as a

family. We saw Monterey, toured Alcatraz, went over the Golden Gate Bridge, went down Lombard Street

(known for the one-way block on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, where eight sharp

turns are said to make it the most crooked street in the world), saw Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Choco-

lates. I loved it!

10. How can someone earn your trust? They have to be dependable and do what they promise and if they

change their mind let me know.

The Cornerstone

1) I was once skinny enough to play the sousaphone in the high school marching band. Who am I?

2) My Great Great Grandfather was president of Penn State. Who am I?

3) I won an area beauty pageant. Who am I?

4) I have loved you since before you were even conceived. Who am I?

Answers on last page

Cortland First United Methodist Church Newsletter Spring Edition 2020

New Beginning “From the moment John stepped onto the scene until now, the realm of heaven’s kingdom is bursting forth, and passionate people have taken hold of its power.” (Matthew 11:12) (TPT) We are in a new year and a new decade—it’s a new beginning. This year, I hope we can continue to seek God’s will and let His will be done on a personal level, as well as a church. The Kingdom of God has come upon us, stronger than any other time. God wants and hopes to see our faith and courage. God wants us to choose and seek His Kingdom, as individuals and to-gether as a church. I want to share these 2020 visions for our church: 1. To be a community of worship God wants us to be true and righteous worshippers. Through worship, God desires our transfor-mation—the shedding of our old selves and filling up our new selves with God. (Worship-Centered Church, Worship-Centered Family, Worship-Centered Individual, Worship-Centered Community Missions)

2. To be a community of the Holy Spirit The beginning of the church happened when the Holy Spirit came upon the people of God dur-ing Pentecost. God works through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must be renewed with the Holy Spirit. We must be renewed with the Holy Spirit individually and as a church. We will make ef-forts to experience the Holy Spirit and the fullness of the Holy Spirits in our lives. God promised that He would pour out the Holy Spirit during the last days. Once we experience that, our lan-guage of Babel will transform into the language of the Pentecost. We will be able to share new visions and speak in new tongues. Through the fullness of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to ex-perience healing and recovery.

3. To be a community of Jesus Because the Kingdom of God has strongly come upon us, the opposing darkness has also come with force. If we don’t have an “Only Jesus” spirituality, we will not be able to win in our spiritual battles. We will not be able to stop the interfering forces. We must realize and experience that the life and power of Jesus is the answer to all problems. All miracles and blessings of heaven are within the name of Jesus Christ. The knowledge and the ways of humans only generate com-plications, cause division, bring confusion and spreads exhaustion. Those who only rely on their thoughts, knowledge and experience can never truly get to know Jesus. God is searching for people and for the church that understands the “Only Jesus” way of life.

4. To be a community of missions Mission is the supreme commandment that Jesus gives to us. Mission is about giving the name of Jesus to places that don’t know about Jesus at all. A person who knows, enjoys and witnesses the name of Jesus is a true missionary. Our church must lead in our community missions (Cortland), national missions and world missions. We must serve our community and the world in order to witness Jesus. I sincerely pray that Cortland Church will understand these visions, step forward in executing these visions and fulfill these visions in the New Year and the years to come. Heaven is for those who relentlessly pursue it, for those who search for it wholeheartedly and continuously.

Pastor Eunice Kim

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WELCOME JORDAN TWITCHELL

Our new Praise & Worship Leader is Jordan Twitchell. Jordan grew up in Cortland, NY, but attended school and church in Groton. She grew up attending Groton Assembly of God where she grew strong in her Christian faith. Jordan has had training in voice and piano at Messiah College and SUNY Fredonia. She also plays the flute and saxophone, as well as hand bells and percussion. She has also had training in operating soundboard equipment from Brian Twitchell, her father and the sound and media co-ordinator at Groton Assembly of God. She has been the chief cantor at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Marcellus, NY and just wrote, di-rected, and produced a children’s Christmas musical alongside her fiancé, Robin Schott, Jr., who is the music director there. She is currently playing keyboard for Groton High School’s production of “The Little Mermaid”, directed by her mother, Annette Twitchell, and has also assisted Mrs. Twitchell with GHS musical productions in the past. Pray for the Praise & Worship Team, that they will give all glory to God as Jordan uses her God-given gifts. Please join me in welcoming Jordan as she joins our

Praise & Worship Team.

S/PPRC Chair : Sharon Signor

For our 2019 Thanksgiving combined service, we asked the congregation to send in a few photos of “What God is Doing in Their Life.” The response was overwhelming, as we received over 140 photos or “testimonies” of memorable vacations, adventures, beautiful sunsets, friends and loved ones just to name a few. The newsletter team would like to feature one of these photos in each newsletter. EACH photo had a wonderful story behind it and we wish we could share them all. Here is the story of the In The Garden Quilt – submitted by Deb Williams.

When my mother, Mary Williams, passed away in June 1997, we asked that donations in her memory be made to the McLean Community Church where she and I were members. Two of her favorite hymns were The Old Rugged Cross and In The Garden.

I was contacted by Rev. Leslie Smith to see if we had any specific ideas what the mon-ies should be used for. I told her no and that they could use it as they saw fit. She then said that the members of the church had a sugges- tion and wanted to get our thoughts and our permission. At the time, there was a quilt store, Patchwork and Pies, located in the “Square”. Patchwork and Pies would hold an annual quilt show and quilts were displayed at various locations throughout McLean. The church was one place that displayed the quilts and there was one quilt in partic- ular that caught the eyes of members of the congregation.

Rev. Smith asked if our family was ok with them purchasing the quilt in Mom’s memory. For me it was a no brainer be-cause I sewed, wanted to learn to quilt, and loved flowers. After checking with my sib-lings, they all agreed. I contacted Rev. Smith and gave the ok. Un- fortunately, when Rev. Smith contacted the quilter, the quilt had been sold. Howev- er, the quilter agreed to make another one in Mom’s memory.

So, this beautiful In The Garden Quilt was created by a quilter in Schoharie County. The stained-glass quilt is made using 1 x 1 inch squares. Hidden in the quilt are 12 biblical clues. At the bottom of the stain-glassed window is an inscription honoring my mother and on the back is stitched the 12 biblical clues. It currently hangs on the pale pink wall at the front of the sanctuary in the McLean Communi-ty Church. I recently spoke to Rev. David Carter and he informed me that one of the reasons they love the quilt is because there are no stained-glass windows in the church.

I could not think of a more fitting gift in my mother’s memory.

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Operation Christmas Child: Crafting Event

In an effort to encourage participation in Operation Christmas Child, you are invited to a “Santa Workshop Event” at the church on Sunday, March 29, 2020 after the social hour following our com-bined service.

Kelly Preston will lead a craft project to make simple towel animals to be placed in the shoe boxes during our Christmas mission. The towels are folded and rubber-banded into the shape of a teddy bear.

If you would like to participate, please come to the craft workshop on March 29th with 2 or 3 NEW kitchen towels. These can be any color, but the size that works best are the ones used in your kitchen for drying dishes. If you have a supply of misc ribbon in your home crafting supplies, please bring those also.

Operation Christmas Child is a mission under Samaritan’s Purse which provides a simple shoe box gift to chil-dren all over the world. It also provides the children with an invitation to attend gospel classes to learn about our Savior and take the message into their communities. In 2019 the mission celebrated its 10th year, and provided 10,569,405 boxes to 118 countries and territories. The First United Methodist Church of Cortland proudly provided 270 of them and they were shipped out to Honduras on December 10th.

If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Preston at kpreston720@yahoo.com. Thank you! Kelly

Homeless Ministry

In May 2019, Faith In Action assembled 30 blessing packs filled with toiletries for the

homeless and other people in transition. Enlisting more donations from our church,

Homer Avenue UMC, Virgil UMC and Harmony UMCs, Faith in Action assembled 47

more blessing packs of toiletries, snacks and bottled water, and socks. We slipped in

each pack a card handpainted by Katherine Griffith with a personalized, handwritten

message from our volunteers. How then do we reach Cortland's homeless with these?

On January 28, 2020, our church volunteers joined Catholic Charities at 4 am to distribute blessing bags

and sleeping bags to the homeless, while Catholic Charities did its annual Point-in-Time housing survey.

Thank our God who so cares that we found not one person forced to be homeless in winter that morning!

Praise Him even more that, for the very first time in Cortland history, the Department of Social Services

opened winter shelters downtown. And when He supplies, there must be a need!

There were no visitors initially. But we prayed that God will lead even one desperate person in. He did,

and that person is now in the prayerful care and witness of our church volunteers!

And what about the blessing packs? They are mostly gone to the shelters. We pray

that these, each lovingly prepared, will communicate God's love and hope to the

homeless and also to the organizations whom God uses to care for the homeless.

We continue to seek Him if and how He wants us to develop a homeless ministry.

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December 24,2019

Christmas Eve 2019 was a spectacular event in the life of our church.

On that night, the building was beautiful and occupied to near capacity as the children and adults were excited for the arrival of Jesus’ birth and Santa Clause. Many thanks to the decorating team for transforming the narthex and sanctuary into wonderland of awe. The many Christmas trees, wreaths and lights were very elegant and welcoming. In case you missed it, here is a recap of some the events of that magical night:

The Sunday School, under the guidance of Mary Frankel, started the evening

with a perfect performance of “Once Upon a Holy Night.”

We learned the meaning and symbolism of the Advent Wreath. Here is an excerpt from the lesson:

Often we hear of the Methodist Tradition ADVENT (Latin for Arriving or Coming) WREATH but did you know that it’s Purpose: To mark time and increase the light each week. Bring the light of God coming into the world through the

birth of Jesus Christ

Candles:

Purple – Signifies a time of prayer, penance and sacrifice

Purple Hope – Prophecy Candle Purple Peace – Bethlehem Candle

Pink Joy – Shepard’s Candle Purple Love – Angel’s Candle

Christ candle – Represents the life of Christ. White is for purity because Christ is our sinless, pure Savior

LIGHTING OF CHRIST CANDLE – Dufresne Family Ed, Rachael, Lyla, Julia, Abby

The sanctuary was arranged to have several small groups surround their own Advent Wreath, 10 in total. Each of

these were assembled with live greens also full of symbolism. The lesson continued:

Various evergreens, signifies continuous life across the seasons, from the death of winter to the new life of spring

Circle, similar to a wedding ring, has no beginning or end, is further meant to reflect the unending love of Christ and

symbolizes the eternity of God

Laurel – triumph, victory over persecution and suffering Pine, Cedar -strength and healing

Berries – Christ’s sacrifice and the blood shed for our sins Prickly Holly – represents the crown of thorns

Pinecones, seeds and nuts – promise of life and resurrection

Once the Christ candle was lit, the light was passed to each group to light their own Advent Wreath and to spread the

light of the world, and to never walk in darkness.

Con’t

The service continued with people from the congregation sharing the story of the Nativity according to Scripture and adding their own testimony.

Several Vocal and Instrumental soloists blessed us with their talents.

We sang many carols from the Methodist hymnal, heard an encouraging brief sermon from Pastor Eunice and closed the evening with an inspirational reading of the Christmas Miracle followed by an emotional candle lit version of Silent Night.

Below is a compiled story of the Christmas Miracle that was read that evening.

1914 – WW1 – In the mud of northern France known as the Western Front

Pope Benedict XV originally called for a Christmas truce, but was officially rejected. Many officers disapproved and the headquarters on both sides took strong steps to ensure that it could never happen. Short recount of British officer Charles Brewer Although disappointed to be far from home on Christmas Eve, Brewer at least took solace in the fact that the perpetual rain, which made moving through the trenches as much of a slog as the war itself, had finally abated on the moonlit night. All was jarringly quiet on the Western Front when the British sentry suddenly spied a glis-tening light on the German parapet, less than 100 yards away. Warned that it might be a trap, Brewer slowly raised his head over the soaked sandbags protecting his position and through the maze of barbed wire saw a sparkling Christmas tree. As the lieutenant gazed down the line of the German trenches, a whole string of small conifers glimmered like beads on a necklace. Brewer then noticed the rising of a faint sound that he had never before heard on the battle-field—a Christmas carol. German officer, Walter Kirchoff, a tenor with the Berlin Opera came forward and sang “Stille Nacht”. The words were not familiar, but the tune—“Silent Night”—certainly was. When the German soldiers finished singing, their foes broke out in cheers. Used to returning fire, the British now replied in song with the English version of the carol. The soldiers then climbed from the trenches into no man’s land and exchanged makeshift gifts such as cigarettes, chocolates, sausages.

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Mr. Quimper, a puppet Sunday School teacher, as well as Herb and Ernie, kids in Mr. Quimper’s Sunday School class are gearing up for their productions through the end of this Sunday School year. Over the years, students in grades 6-12 willing to make a commitment to a real church ministry are invited to join UMPs, United Methodist Puppeteers class that meets at 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings. Students who enroll do everything to prepare the puppet productions delivered during the children’s time on select Sundays during selected worship services. The productions usually begin with a little introduction and background info to set up the audience for the actual plays. Then the puppets perform a familiar Bible story followed by a script they may help write for Fluff, another neat puppet character, to ask questions to see how much the children from the congregation have retained from the play and narra-tion presented. Then, the puppets do a modern-day application story of that Bible story previously presented followed by a pertinent and supportive Bible memory verse taught by Bernie, the St. Bernard mascot of the puppeteer troupe. There are about 40 different Bible stories, their accompanying applications stories, and Bible memory verses from which students choose and it is usually possible to find something that supports one of the lessons the younger children recent-ly have been taught in order to reinforce their learning. It may seem like it is just for kids, since it is usually done during children's time, but adults in the congregation also get into it just as much as the kids do!

Upcoming Productions

Listed below are the UMPs’ productions for the rest of this school year. Productions are generally in the 10:30 worship service, but those productions proceeded by an asterisk * are during the combined service on at 9:30.

Sunday School

The Sunday School children will be presenting the children's musical "Along the Road with Jesus" during the March 29th combined service. The children will take us on a journey to an Easter Sun-

rise Service. On the way, they will transition back and forth between present day children and Bible characters. The play culminates with events from Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday

and Jesus' resurrection on Easter. Hallelujah! The children are working very hard every Sunday at rehearsal and on their

own, as well. I am sure you will be blessed again by our beautiful and faithful children.

March 1st 10:30 Sanctuary

UMPS Production Volume # 3, No. 8

Lepers Healed – Bible Story, God’s Mercy – Application Story,

Psalms 107:1 – Bible Memory Verse

March 29th 9:30 Sanctuary

UMPS PRODUCTION Volume # 4, No. 2 Jesus Calms the Storm – Bible Story,

Being Thankful-Application Story, 1 Thessalonians 5:18– Bible Memory

Verse SUNDAY SCHOOL MUSICAL—”Along

the Way with Jesus”

April 26th 10:30 Sanctuary

UMPS PRODUCTION Volume # 4, No. 7

Paul Is Called By God – Bible Story,

A New Person – Application Story, 2 Corinthians 5:17- Bible Memory

Verse

May 31st 9:30 Sanctuary

UMPS PRODUCTION Volume # 4, No. 4

Resurrection – Bible Story,

The Risen Christ – Application

Story, Luke 24:6 – Bible Memory Verse

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Older Wise Loving Seniors are gathering!

The OWLS (Older, Wiser, Loving, Seniors) or better known as the “older” persons are gathering on the last Friday of the month at 4:30 for a dish to pass of food and some entertainment. This group is for anyone 55 and older who enjoy getting together with friends from church and the community for a time of fellowship and having a good time. In January, we had Game Night, which we played an old time game of Uncle Wiggley, (remember that one?) In February, Kelly Preston, a member of our church and a County Legislator, shared with us her work on the board working out a County budget and how it will affect the older persons in our community, for example the

funds that are sent to the Office of Aging and how the programs through that agency will be affected. In March, we will meet on the 27 at 4:30, again for a meal and our guest will be Bill Hopkins. Bill is a retired professor of Psychology at Cortland SUNY. He is a licensed Psychologist and Facilitator of the Care Givers group of Alzheimer persons at Waldon Place. Bill will be sharing with us the program, “The things you think about” as we age. Bill also works with families with persons with dementia and Alzheimer with a caring heart and lots of humor. You are invited to join us for these gatherings. March 27, April date to be announced, and May 22.

Capital Campaign for New Roof

What a great opportunity we have in our time to build up the house of God through the Capital Campaign for a New Roof.

Cortland First has been serving long years, not only the God's people, but also the community in the area. We, the Cortland First, continues to carry out the mission that is to make disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ and to transform the world.

I invite you all to the blessing of the roof ministry.

In 2020, I plan to start the roof project with God's people, and here is the initial meeting date that you all come and see how God lead us once again with the roof project.

At the initial meeting we will talk & share our thoughts, ideas and decide the leader-ship for the campaign .

Meeting date and time:

March 4, on Wednesday, 6:30 PM at church fellowship room

Lenten Study with Pastor Cathy

A Noon time Lenten study will begin this month on the 5th with the study by Adam Hamil-ton, 24 Hours That Changed the World. This 7 session book will take us on the journey with Je-sus from the Last Supper with his disciples in the Upper Room through his agony in the Garden to his arrest and crucifixion and death. We will ex-plore how these 24 hours with Christ impacts our life today. Join us for this journey at 12:00 noon on

Thurs. Bring a sandwich or salad for lunch, soup

will be provided. Please contact Pastor Cathy Lee

at 423-4638 to join and for a book.

Monday Bible Study with Bonnie Heath

The Monday evening Bible study group meets for the study and prayer

from 6:30-8:30 in the Library. They are study-ing the book, “Colossians & Philemon” by Our

Daily Bread’s Mike Raiter.

Evangelical Discipleship Bible Training

with Pastor Eunice The goal of the Evangelical Discipleship Bible Training is to:

(1) focus on the saying, “A disciple of Christ is one who knows Christ, enjoys Christ and witness-es Christ as he or she lives an apologetic life and changes the world”.

(2) To learn the way to witness Jesus Christ to disbelievers or new believers and actually carry it out. The book of Acts ends at the 28th chapter, but we Christians are living in the 29th chapter of Acts. In a life of being a dis-ciple of Christ, there is the secret of all of God’s blessings. Through the Disciples of Christ, God saves the individual and the world. Dates will be announced by Pastor Eunice.

There are two separate times for the classes:

Class 1 on Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m.

Class 2 on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The Intercessory Prayer

Group meets on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.

Outreach Prayer Gathering

The Outreach Prayer

Gathering is a time of

prayer to reaching out

the souls, a time of prayer for the

revivals of the churches and the

community. We will meet on

Wednesdays at 2 PM. See Pastor

Eunice for more information!

IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS

As the S/PPRC Chair, I have been working with different groups to help improve communications within our church body. This has taken many forms, among them meetings with individuals and various groups.

Along these lines Pastor Eunice asked me to develop a binder with guidelines to improve communications. A binder titled CFUMC GUIDELINES has been developed. Below are the contents of the binder:

1. Staff Job Descriptions for CFUMC (paid positions)

a. The UMC Pastor

b. The Office Manager

c. The Praise & Worshiper Leader

2. Building Use From for CFUMC

3. CFUMC Church Council Meeting Minutes

4. Guidelines for Starting Committees and/or Groups

5. Guidelines for Committees and/Groups (These are still to be developed)

The CFUMC Guidelines binder is located in the office, and is available for congregants to look at any time the office is open. These guidelines will be reviewed and revised when necessary. The binder will be more fully explained during church services and via various media. We hope these steps will help improve commu-nications within our church.

Sharon Signor, S/PPRC Chair - Staff/Pastor, Parish, Relations Committee

TREASURER’S CORNER

In January, at the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the congregation voted to send the amount of $825 monthly to the Conference Office for our church‘s Shared Ministry giving that supports our Conference and District ministries, and our pastor. This represents approximately half of what is expected each month. God blesses us when we give Him our first fruits. In scripture, the prophet, Malachi 3:10 says: “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” As your treasurer, I am committed to set aside a weekly tithe, which is a little less than the $875, and will try to make up the difference each month, but we will always send in the tithe. In January, we met our goal, and we are well on our way of meeting our goal in February. God’s prom-ise of blessing is sure when we do our part the best we can and faithfully. I will also give you regular updates. Thank you for your faithful giving. Respectfully,

Kitty Jones

Date Time Event Location

SUN., MAR. 1ST 9:45—10:15 AM LENTEN BIBLE STUDY CHURCH OFFICE

SUN., MAR. 1ST 10:30 AM UMPS PRODUCTION Volume # 3, No. 8 SANCTUARY

WED., MAR. 4TH 6:30 PM CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR NEW ROOF FELLOWSHIP HALL

SAT., MAR. 7TH 10:30 AM-12:30 PM DRESS OUR PEOPLE FELLOWSHIP HALL

SUN., MAR. 8TH 9:45—10:15 AM LENTEN BIBLE STUDY CHURCH OFFICE

WED., MAR. 11TH 6:00 PM PRAYER MINISTRY MTG TBA

FRI., MAR. 13TH

SAT., MAR. 14TH

1:00 PM

9:00 AM - NOON

CLOTHING “SET UP”

TABITHA’S CLOTHING CLOSET FELLOWSHIP HALL

SUN., MAR. 15TH 9:45—10:15 AM LENTEN BIBLE STUDY CHURCH OFFICE

THUR., MAR. 19TH 9:30 AM OUTREACH FELLOWSHIP FELLOWSHIP HALL

SAT., MAR. 21ST 8:00 — 11:00 AM PANCAKE BREAKFAST OUTREACH FELLOWSHIP FELLOWSHIP HALL

SUN., MAR. 22ND 9:45—10:15 AM LENTEN BIBLE STUDY CHURCH OFFICE

WED., MAR. 24TH 6:00 PM CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING CHURCH OFFICE

WED., MAR. 25TH 6:00 PM TRUSTEE MEETING CHURCH OFFICE

FRI., MAR. 27TH 4:30 PM THE “OWLS” SENIOR GATHERING FELLOWSHIP HALL

SUN., MAR. 29TH 9:30 AM COMBINED SUNDAY SERVICE / DISH TO PASS BRUNCH SANCTUARY / FELLOWSHIP HALL

SUN., MAR. 29H 9:30 AM UMPS PRODUCTION Volume # 4, No. 2 SANCTUARY

SUN., MAR. 29TH AFTER BRUNCH OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD CRAFT EVENT FELLOWSHIP HALL

MON., MAR., 30TH 9:30 AM -3:00 PM INNOVATION INCUBATOR CONFERENCE UPPER NY CONFERENCE

WED., APR. 1ST 6:00 PM SPPRC MEETING CHURCH OFFICE

SUN., APR. 5TH 9:45—10:15 AM LENTEN BIBLE STUDY CHURCH OFFICE

FRI., APR. 10TH

SAT., APR. 11TH

1:00 PM

9:00 AM - NOON

CLOTHING “SET UP”

TABITHA’S CLOTHING CLOSET FELLOWSHIP HALL

SUN., APR. 12TH 9:30 AM EASTER SUNDAY COMBINED SERVICE SANCTUARY

WED., APR. 15TH 6:00 PM CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING CHURCH OFFICE

WED., APR. 22TH 6:00 PM TRUSTEE MEETING CHURCH OFFICE

SUN., APRIL 26TH 10:30 AM UMPS PRODUCTION Volume # 4, No. 7 SANCTUARY

FRI., MAY 8TH

SAT., MAY 9TH

1:00 PM

9:00 AM - NOON

CLOTHING “SET UP”

TABITHA’S CLOTHING CLOSET FELLOWSHIP HALL

SAT., MAY 9TH 9:00—11:00 AM FLOWER SALE OUTSIDE IN FRONT

WED., MAY 20TH 6:00 PM CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING CHURCH OFFICE

FRI., MAY 22ND 4:30 PM THE “OWLS” SENIOR GATHERING FELLOWSHIP HALL

WED., May 27TH 6:00 PM TRUSTEE MEETING CHURCH OFFICE

SUN., MAY 31ST 9:30 AM COMBINED SUNDAY SERVICE / DISH TO PASS BRUNCH SANCTUARY / FELLOWSHIP HALL

SUN., MAY 31ST 9:30 AM UMPS PRODUCTION Volume # 4, No. 4 SANCTUARY

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Page 8

This year, 2020, is the year for the General Conference of the United Methodist to meet. Every four years, the highest gathering of delegates from each Annual Conference are selected to attend the two week gathering, this year in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Minneapolis Convention Center from May 5 to the 15. General Conference involves delegates from all United Methodist conference around the world; United States, Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Asian countries, and they are the only body that is charged with amending or changing the Book of Discipline ; our laws and regulations of organization.

John Wesley said the world was his parish, and we, as a church, have become that; a world wide parish, but with many different traditions and scriptural beliefs. It is because of this very diversity that has created struggles in our Church regarding how we interpret scripture and theology in our social life as well as our religious life as a church.

The United Methodist has taken up the motto for mission from Jesus’ words to his disciples before his resurrection to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Our Church’s Mission Statement is “To make Dis-ciples for the transformation of the world”. It is the belief of many clergy and lay persons that we have ne-glected to do this because we have become divided due to beliefs in the emphasis on our social calling and in the way our churches and clergy differ in interpretation of scripture and theology.

Please pray daily for our Bishop Webb and all the Bishops, and for our Conference delegates, as well as for all the delegates from around the world who will be prayerfully making decisions on the differing plans of restructure for our denomination. Pray that all the people at General Conference will listen to the Holy Spirit in all matters and with each other.

We will update you through the next newsletter of the decisions that are made at this General Con-ference and how they will affect our local church.

Our Fingerlakes District is experiencing changes this July. Due to 3 District Su-perintendents retiring or being reappointed, the Bishop and the Cabinet have rede-signed the conference into three areas with 9 District Superintendents. All districts will remain the same but they will be part of a 4 district area. There will be 3 Superin-tendents in each area. All districts will remain as they have been with the district office and administrator. The new configuration will allow the Superintendents to serve better with the gifts of leadership that they have, and the resources will be available to the 4 districts as needed. In addition to this there will be some part time District Associates to assist the local churches.

To hear about the new plan for the Districts, go to www.unyumc.org Click on About, scroll down to Districts and click on it, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the box Regional Superintendency Plan.

CHURCH FINANCIAL NEWS

This is the time of year when the Finance Committee looks at our finances and determines how the 2020 pledges we received stack up against our anticipated expenses. A budget has been compiled showing how we are balancing this year’s spending with projected congregation support. In addition to congregational support, we anticipate income to come from fundraising, special offerings, and special donations. The 2020 stewardship campaign was a success. There were 50 pledge cards distributed to the congre-gation. A total of 37 pledges were returned representing 74% of possible pledge donors. We are ex-pecting to receive additional income from five active giving units that did not pledge for 2020. Their an-ticipated donations will total the same donations as last year and are included in our projected income. We saw an increase in pledges from last year going from 28 to 37 this year showing a 32% increase. There were eight pledge units that were unable to pledge, therefore, not counted in the above calcula-tions. It’s anticipated they will likely give a cash offering when possible. Based on anticipated income of $140,089, the expense budget for this year is shown below. Half of our budget covers our ministry programs, which includes salary and benefits of the pastor, Christian educa-tion, worship and music, and mission and outreach. The rest of the budget covers fixed costs of support staff salaries, facility maintenance, insurance of our church properties, office expenses, utilities, ministry shares (UMC apportionment to Upper NY Confer-ence), and UMC annual conference expenses.

Budget for 2020 - Total $140,089

Overall, if pledge commitments come in as stated, we have success with our fundraising efforts, and re-

ceive special offerings and donations, we expect to be under budget for expenses for the year.

Gene Signor Chairman, Finance Committee

Pastor, Salary and Benefits

$58,756, 42%

Staff, $19,480, 14%

Facility Maintenance, $11,700, 8%

Insurance, $6,403, 5%

Office Expenses, $1,800, 1%

Utilities, $18,400, 13%

Ministry Shares, $9,900, 7%

Annual Conference, $2,500, 2%

Mission/Outreach, $8,700, 6%

Christian Educ, Worship & Music,

$2,450, 2%

CORTLAND FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Lead Pastor: Pastor Eunice Kim eunicekim757@gmail.com

Office Manager: Mark Stevens info.cortlandumc@gmail.com

Worship Leader: Jordan Twitchell— truckingal12@gmail.com

Address: 734 State Route 222 Cortland, NY 13045

Phone: (607)756-5426

Website: www.cortlandumc.net

ANSWERS: 1) Debbie Williams 2) Mary Frankel 3) Ron Bailer 4) Jesus

The year started with two planning-retreats in our church! On both occasions, Pastor Eunice Kim led devo-

tion, exhorting participants to know, enjoy and share Christ; value people and relationships over pro-

grams; and relate with people beyond our church walls. As the vision, she shared that we will aspire to be

a community where Christ is The Master - specifically one that worships God, is Holy Spirit-led, and pur-

sues the Great Commission. When the Spirit of Christ leads each of us, genuine repentance happens, fol-

lowed by spiritual joy that results in worship, desire to share Christ, and willingness to bear the cross.

Do you know that we have 10 outreach and missions ministries that have actively served the needy? On

January 4, they came together to, personally and in small groups, reflect on our church's three-year goals

and their ministry involve- ments. What vigor and in-

sight rolled that morning, pointing to an unrelenting

God who calls, equips and sus- tains for the needy's sake!

For continuing growth, Pastor Eunice offered her disciple-

ship training to imbibe the Gos- pel and share it with others;

and Jeanette Dippo offered CAPCO's Navigator training

to understand Cortland's needy and help them, one at a

time, navigate through Cortland resources and de-

velop life skills for success. The morning ended with prayer dedicating the new year to God, after each

ministry shared its 2020 outlook and scheduled activities.

On January 11, the church council had a similar planning-retreat representing all our ministries: church

office, finance, trustees, SPPRC, life groups, Christian education, prayer, and outreach and missions. At the

onset, the council discussed Bible-based expectations from its members, a reminder of each one's ac-

countability to God for His precious flock. The morning proceeded with reflection exercises based on our

church's three-year goals, revealing that our church has servant-leaders who follow Christ, imbibe His

Word, and value people! Finally, as each ministry leader shared 2020 outlook and schedules, noteworthy

were the odds overcame in 2019 as well as the opportunities and issues that need attention in 2020.

Praise God who sustains the great work He started and will complete in our church for His glory and pur-

poses!