1. family and parenting
2. children

July, 2015
First United Methodist
Church
1315 Court Street
Pekin, IL, 61554
309.347.3155
www.fumcpekin.org
facebook.com/fumcpekin
Vol. 15 Issue 07
Worship: Saturday 5:30 p.m. Casual, Sunday—8:15 a.m. Traditional, 10:50 a.m. Contemporary
EXCITING NEWS!
On June 15 our church family gathered for the
consecration of our new van! We give thanks
to God for providing this van through the
love, faith, and generosity of the Berg and Evans families, and a small seed offering from
one of our youth. This van will travel away
from our church, taking us out to love and
serve others, and it will travel to the church,
bringing people in to worship, grow, and
serve! When we trust God’s provision, direction, and vision there are no limits to what we
can accomplish for his glory!
Our mission:
Making disciples of Jesus Christ for
the transformation of the world.
2
UMY News ~ Michael Berg
I’m so happy to be here and be a part of the
FUMC Youth Group! My time is flying here
and the summer events are coming and going!
The Dodgeball Tournament on June 3rd was a
total success. Around 100 kids came out to
celebrate God through running around and
having fun at Grace United Methodist. The
night topped off with an adults vs. youth
dodgeball game… needless to say, the youth
won!
Upcoming events…
Wed, July 1 from 6:30-8:30 pm at Mineral
Springs North (near 4H shelter)- Paint Wars!
$5 fee for this event covers cost of a t-shirt,
sock, paint, and goggles!
Wed, July 15 from 6-8 pm at Rittenhouse’s,
2006 Alameda Ct, Pekin – boating, cookout,
hanging out! Bring a swimsuit, sunscreen,
towel, and life vest. We’ll have food, so come
hungry!
Sat, August 15 from 2-5 pm at Mineral Springs
North- Wacky Games!
Our mission trip to Denver, CO is set for July
18-July 25 and we are so excited to see all God
has planned for us while we are there! Thank
you so much to our church family for their incredible support! The church van is bought
and ready to head to Denver. We are so
thankful for God’s provision in our transportation ministry for the Youth Group.
We will be meeting weekly on Wednesdays, 67:30 pm over the summer…this is a great time
to check Youth Group out, come back, or just
commit to coming every week! We pray, talk
about the cool things Jesus is doing in our
lives, and most of all, have fun!
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR MEMBERS AND
FRIENDS ON THE MISSION TRIP
As you read this, our team is already busy serving at Red Bird Mission in Kentucky. Please
pray for what God wants to do IN and
THROUGH them as they work and serve.
Team members are:
Kara Bushong, David Callahan, Barb Cullen,
Michael Danz, Judy Doyle, Jerry Flier, Cynthia
Hsieh, Janet Kolves, Tammy Runyon, Kate Sandrick.
District UMWomen Annual Day Apart
Tues., Aug. 18, 8:30 am – 2:00 pm
at Living Springs Camp near Lewistown
Guest speaker will be Joyce Francis, from Bethel
UMC, Peoria
Baked potato & salad bar—$10.
Reservation and cancellation deadline Aug. 10,
please contact Linda Danz (241-3022) or Bobbie
Dean (303-3024).
3
Congratulations to
Heather, Josh, and Ryder!
Johnathan Zachary Robertson was born
on June 14th at 3:26 am. He weighed 8 lbs
13 oz, and measured 20 inches long.
Feast at First
July 4, 2015
Feast at First will be served
11:00 – 12:30 pm.
We’re providing a delicious meal the first
Saturday of every month, to anyone in our
community who is in need
of food or fellowship!
Pekin Park
Summer Concert Schedule
Sunday evenings at 7:30
June 28 — August 9
Mineral Springs Park by the Pavilion
Rain location – Miller Center
The 4th @ 1st
The 4th of July will fall on Saturday this
year, and we have a great opportunity to
offer hospitality to our community! We
will be offering our church lawn as a
“fireworks viewing area”. This is not to
take anything away from the events inside
the stadium but many families celebrate
the 4th by viewing the fire-works all
around Mineral Springs Park.
You’re Invited!
Bill & Carol Williamson’s
50th wedding anniversary (July 31st )
Open House Celebration
We will be offering free watermelon, and
bottled water with the church logo on it
from 6:00 until supplies are gone.
Parking will be reserved for Saturday
worship at 5:30 p.m.
in Whitfield Hall
August 2nd, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Please, no gifts.
4
EDUCATION NOTES
Summer Sunday school for the children has
kicked off and we are having tons of fun with
Hands-On Worship! We will be dancing, singing, coloring, acting, playing, and having fun all
summer long, so come join us!
VBS FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT
Thank you all so much for your incredible support of VBS through prayers, presence, and
gifts. Last year was a wonderful success thanks
to your giving of time and resources that has
led to growth in a variety of ways from new
kids in Sunday school, to new volunteers, to
our new Celebrate 4-8 group!
This year we have an opportunity to send kids
home with a music CD of songs to practice, and
remember for years to come as well as
“scripture treasure tokens” to remind them of
our awesome lessons from the Bible! As I pondered what to order for VBS , I was reminded of
the impact VBS music had on my life as a
young person and I have heard from many others great stories of how they themselves, their
children and grandchildren have been impacted by songs they learned at VBS!
If you feel moved to help support this opportunity to share praise music CDs and Scripture
that kids can treasure for years to come, please
consider making a donation to our Vacation
Bible School fund. You can add a check to the
offering marked “VBS”!
Our adult Sunday school class continues to discuss “Why is Grace so Amazing?” in Fearless
Conversation. With topics ranging from “How
far can I take God’s grace?” to “Is it okay for
Christians to smoke?” This class is sure to intrigue everyone. With its drop-in style, it’s easy
to join even if you can’t make it every week.
Hope to see you there!
VBS is coming up soon! From Monday, August
3rd to Thursday August 6th from 6:00 to 8:30
pm, we will be exploring God’s love in action
with “G-Force” VBS. Some volunteers are already signed up, but we still need a few more.
Come to the volunteer meeting on Tuesday, July
14th at 6 pm or the decorating party during the
day on Monday, August 3rd!
Computers For Sale
IBM xSeries 205 P4
1.8 GHz Processor, 512 mb of memory
Intel Pentium 4 1.8 Ghz Processor
40 gig hd, $250.00
Thank you so much for all you do to help us
plant seeds of faith to last a lifetime!
PowerEdge SC440
2.8 GHz Pentium D Processor
1 gig of memory, Dual 160 gig HD
$300.00
~ Heather
If interested, please contact Tim Booth.
5
A Note From Rev. Jim...
THANK YOU to those who came to our “Town Hall” meetings the past couple of weeks.
WE LOVED hearing your comments about how God is speaking to you regarding the long term
future of Pekin 1st UMC. In the near future we’ll compile and distribute the many wonderful
comments, dreams, visions, and ideas that were shared. We’ve been inviting all of us to pray for
several months, and now we are inviting people to share the fruit of the prayers. We believe that
as we pray, then share, we’ll begin to hear God’s voice as various common themes “bubble up” in
our conversations.
I’m bursting to let you know that my soul is warmed, maybe even heated to boiling, with
what I was hearing during our town hall meetings. There did not seem to be a generational gap,
as people of all ages shared some very common insights about God’s Spirit moving in our church,
about how God provides, and about the kind of future to which God seems to be calling! I’m excited that soon we’ll be able to begin sharing widely the specifics of our gatherings.
At another meeting recently, here are some comments that were shared about how the
Spirit of God is moving within us: Question asked after a person shared deeply about going
through a very difficult time without anger and without fear: “What has helped you find that
faith foundation?” Answer: “Here.” (meaning “our church”, and the people here…)
“I used to attend church, but I met Jesus Christ. I go to church differently now! Worship
takes on an entirely new dimension.”
“Some people come to church and feel out of place. When I come, it’s like, “I’m home!”
“God has changed my life regarding my fears.”
“I can feel the Spirit of God moving here.”
We’re hearing these and other similar comments popping up in our conversations, and we hope
and pray we can fan the flame of that kind of movement of the Holy Spirit among us! Thanks
for opening up about how you are receiving and radiating grace and faith at Pekin 1st UMC. YOU
are making an impact on people around you, and on our church.
Your Servant in Christ,
Jim
6
Celebrate 4-8
We are so blessed to have such an energetic
group of 4th to 8th graders. It is incredible to
see the enthusiasm and life flowing through
these kids. Even though it rained on us last
month, that didn’t stop us from running all
over the church and having a ton of fun! Next
month is a change of pace; we’re having a “Fun
in The Sun” day at Rittenhouse’s on
Sunday, July 12th from 1-3
Coming soon to First UMC of Pekin…
We’re planning on swimming, so bring a
swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, and life vest. The
Rittenhouse’s live at 2006 Alameda Ct, Pekin.
Don’t miss it!
Vacation Bible School!
Please mark your calendars for
Monday, August 3 through Thursday, August 6
from 6:00 pm -8:30 pm
as we get moving in God’s love!
Join us for the exciting week of God’s love in action as we embark on G-Force! If you love to
have fun and learn about what Jesus means for
your life through crafts, science projects, awesome games, snacks and more, then this is the
place for you!
PAINT WARS
On Wed, July 1, from 6:30-8:30 pm at Mineral
Springs North (near 4H shelter) the Youth
Group will be participating in Paint Wars!
This event includes all of the youth groups in
Pekin, so it will be sure to be a great time of
bonding and worship with all Christ-loving
teens across churches. A $5 fee for this event
covers cost of a t-shirt, sock, paint, and goggles. It is going to be a great time.
Contact Michael with any questions!
If you would like to volunteer, please contact
Heather at [email protected]! We
would love to have you!.....OR...
Exciting News! We now have online registration for VBS! If
you would like to register online, you can go to
the church’s website: http://fumcpekin.org/.
You can register as a participant or as a volunteer!!
If you prefer a hard copy, registration forms are
available in the narthex. Please turn into the
office so we can plan for materials.
7
Family Faith Foundations
At 21 years old, I am at an interesting age where I
am no longer a child but I do not have many of
the responsibilities of a working adult. For this
reason I can both look back at my time growing
up with my family and look forward to the possibility of God blessing me with a family of my
own. I can see both how thankful I am for how
my parents raised me and think of different ways
I hope to raise my kids.
A powerful theme Paul discusses in the Bible is
that of sonship and daughtership. We are children of God who are desperately seeking to be
like the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:4-6
says:
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the
world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In
love he predestined us for adoption to sonship
through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his
pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious
grace, which he has freely given us in the One he
loves.”
It’s not that God likes us or even that he only
loves us, he also wants us. He wants us as His
children. He chose us to be like Him and sacrificed Himself for us to be like Him… there is no
greater gift! Contemplating this all, I realize that
I was raised with parents that walked a fine line
as they showed how much they wanted me. They
set a curfew and stayed up until I got home. If I
was gone for dinner multiple nights in a row,
they would ask me to be home for dinner the
next night. It is difficult to realize as a child that
even watching TV with your family is a gift from
God, but my parents asking me to watch a movie
with them now means the world to me. (CONT.)
God wants us as His children. He pulled us
out of orphanage and into His loving arms.
Most likely, your children know you love
them. It is nice to know that God loves me,
but it feels even better to know that God
wants me as His own.
Do your children know that they are wanted?
~ Michael Berg
Thank you everyone at FUMC for all your
thoughts, prayers and support.
The passing of Andrew was a most difficult
time and everyone's kindness has helped the
family greatly.
God bless,
David Callahan
The family of Roy Clark extends heartfelt
thanks to the FUMC family. Thank you for
your prayers and support during this trying
time. A special thanks to Rev. Judy, kitchen
staff and helpers, and to those who donated
to the funeral meal. We have been truly
blessed!
Linda Clark, Ryan Clark family
and Ben Hull family
8
The 2015 IL Great Rivers Annual Conference
was held on June 10 – 13th in Peoria. What an
amazing experience to gather with other lay persons and clergy from each of the churches in the
10 districts of our conference to spend time worshiping, listening to reports from the many conference ministries, debating legislation, celebrating ordinations and pledges for Africa University,
remembering those we’ve lost since last conference, and of course, sharing a meal.
In his opening address Bishop Jonathan Keaton
reminded us of Paul’s encouragement to the Corinthians (11 Corin. 4: 1 – 6) to “not lose heart”
and “not to allow differences and struggles in the
church to rob us of our courage, vision and
hope. God did not give up on you. Do not give
up on God!”
The conference theme was Healing the Circle,
and our guest speakers were the Rev. Fred
Shaw and Rev. Dr. Thom White Wolf Fassett
who recounted the history of relations between
the white population and Native Americans
through the years. Their stories helped us to understand the importance of repentance and prepared us to take part in an Act of Repentance
service, as individuals and for the church.
Lay members elected 5 lay delegates for General Conference, to be held in Portland, OR next
May, and an additional 5 for Jurisdictional Conference, which will take place in Peoria next July…stay tuned, you may get an opportunity to
help out with that! Clergy elected the same
number of clergy delegates, in separate sessions.
After much debate the conference made the difficult decision to close and sell 3 out of 5 of our
conference camps, in order to invest into the remaining 2 camps. The number of campers has
been in steady decline for the past 10 years.
The Rev. Sylvester Weatherall gave a rousing
Cabinet address by encouraging lay and clergy
members to “step up their faith by ensuring Jesus is in the house, that Jesus is the reason we
invite others to church and that Jesus is worth the
trip!” “We are all called to be apostles, ambassadors, witnesses to the resurrection. Just as God sent
Jesus, so Jesus sends us. So we (your cabinet) are
asking you to step up to your faith.”
Let’s go make disciples….
Kathy Simpson, Lay Member to Annual Conference
Activity
is buzzing around our building this
summer! Volunteers prepped and painted the
classrooms on the second floor, which meant
the rooms also got a thorough cleaning!
Electrical switches were updated, and light fixtures were outfitted with more efficient light
bulbs. The narthex has been brightened with a
new coat of paint, and hallways are in the process of being painted as well. Many thanks to
the Trustees and all of the volunteers!
The sprucing up came just in time to welcome
Miller Center clients! They will be using some
of our classroom space for weekly activities as
they complete construction this summer on an
expansion project.
Wind and rain caused some unexpected activity in our parking lot recently. A tree at the far
north end of the parking lot split in half during
a storm. Many thanks to Dick Flier, Jerry Flier,
David Davis, Michael Danz and Bill Cullen for
their work to remove the tree!
God is good – all the time! All the time –
God is good! We are grateful for God’s blessing of our church building, to be able to share
it with others, and for all those who give their
time and resources to care for it.
9
WELCOME TEAM!
“I’m so excited to see more people greeting
at worship services!” We’ve heard that comment several times in the last few months.
THANK YOU to our volunteers on the WELCOME TEAM who are greeting worship attenders at all 3 worship services. Your ministry of CHEERFUL GREETING is making an
impact. YOU help our church BE an environment where grace flows.
Do you feel the
nudge to help greet? Let us know in the office
347-3155, or sign up on the clipboard available
in the entryway.
How about EXPANDING our ministry of greeting??!! We’ve noticed that some of our faithful
attenders have to walk across a lot of parking
lot, with walkers or canes, having to maneuver
around curbs, cracks, buckles… Wouldn’t it be
amazing if we had a couple of people volunteer
to be “valets”!! Imagine the joy in someone’s
heart, to think about being able to pull up to
the canopy, take a much shorter walk into worship, and not have to worry about parking or
walking a long distance! And then, imagine
the lineup of cars lining up to be delivered to
worshipers who are heading home after
church… Interested in being a valet!!?? Call us
in the office… 347-3155.
Our Stewardship of Giving
“God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7c
THANK YOU for your generosity which is
showing up in the offering plate and in
many other ways. Your giving is strengthening your soul, AND is helping our
church radiate God’s love in ways which
make an eternal impact in people’s lives.
Knowing that, makes giving a great JOY!
At Pekin 1st UMC, we strive to take great
care of the treasures you offer to God
through our church. Our Business Administrator Cathy Duffy, prepares weekly reports which detail all the ways our offerings
are used. We are happy to answer any
questions you may have. All bills are being
paid on time. We ask that all of us continue to give as we are blessed. As we all continue tithing, or growing toward the tithe,
or even moving beyond the tithe, we’ll be
WILDLY INSPIRED at the ways God’s
grace ripples outward, and our church
will be propelled forward in amazing ways
as His Spirit moves into and through us to
advance His kingdom in our midst.
10
Dear FUMC,
Thank you so much for awarding me with the
$400 scholarship. Your generosity is greatly
appreciated!
Caitlin Downey
First United Methodist family,
First United Methodist Church,
Thank you so much for the scholarship. It
will help me to further my educational
goals as I attend Bradley University in the
coming fall.
Thank you so much for the scholarship. It will
help to start my next journey in life at Illinois
State University. I appreciate the thoughtfulness and support from my church family.
Ryan Nelson
Love,
Jenna Rittenhouse
Our Stewardship of Attendance
“…Jesus went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath…” Luke 4:16
Thank you for your commitment to God as shown by your attendance at worship! Remember, we
don’t attend to watch a performance, we don’t attend to see if we can “get something out of it”; we attend to give ourselves to the God who gave Himself to us! Worship is a verb; we GIVE our worship
TO God by the way we energetically and actively participate.
Date
6/7
6/14
6/21
5:30
71
47
74
8:15
91
99
111
10:50
76
71
68
Average Attendance in 2015 = 259
Average Attendance in 2014 = 238
(after 25 weekends)
TOTAL
238
217
253
11
New Ministry In Tazewell County:
“FAMILY PROMISE”
Pekin 1st UMC is meeting with other like-minded
Christians as we seek God’s vision and power to
help people avoid the downward spiral of homelessness. Statistics show that approximately 300
children in our county qualify as “homeless”!
Representatives of churches are gathering together to explore the Family Promise ministry,
which is designed to help families stay together,
and to receive support which helps them become self-sufficient. Our Outreach Committee
is working on this, and we’ll be reporting our
progress as we work toward launching this ministry in approximately one year.
What are Conference Apportionments?
As followers of Jesus in the United Methodist
Church, we are part of a WORLD-WIDE MOVEMENT for the advancement of the Kingdom of
God. YOU are in ministry in the neighborhoods
around our church. YOU are sharing Jesus with
people in need in Urbana Illinois. YOU are
feeding the hungry in the inner city of Houston
Texas. YOU are providing clean water to families in Africa. YOU are spreading the love of
God through Jesus Christ in thousands upon
thousands of ways at home, in our state, in our
nation, and throughout the entire world! YOU
are able to do this because God is working
through the United Methodist Church in marvelous and astounding ways through the CONNECTION of Christians which is the United
Methodist Church!
Your Board of Trustees is prayerfully working hard on the building and grounds that God
has gifted to us. Over the past several months, we
have prayed together and individually for God’s
vision for our church as a whole and specifically
on how that vision fits into the property that we
are charged to maintain. We are excited about
our calling to use our gift as a tool for bringing
people to Jesus Christ. Therefore, after much
prayer and constructive discussion, the trustees
have made some difficult decisions regarding the
parking lot.
Following the Marigold Festival later this
year, the trustees will be coordinating a day to
remove all of the trees and bushes from the parking lot. This decision was made with unanimous
consent at the meeting of the Trustees in May.
The trustees felt that in order to better accommodate the vision that God is putting before us, the
church needed a “vision” increase. The trees and
bushes provide a barrier that hides our church
from traffic on Court and Fourteenth streets. Further, the trees are causing significant damage to
our parking lot which causes safety hazards to
pedestrians. To this same end, the south wall
(across from the hospital) will be removed as well.
These decisions are not made lightly, but
with the utmost prayer, discussion and discernment. Over the next several months, we will see
some additional changes as we re-envision the
visual and maintenance issues facing our building
and grounds. Some of these changes may be difficult, but rest assured that they are only done
when it is clear that the intent of the change is
to Make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. To that end, I will ask you to
pray for our church and specifically our trustees as
we undergo this process.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding these changes and improvements, please do not hesitate to contact myself or
a member of the staff.
In Christ,
Ryan D. Wrigley
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Mobile: 309-256-4203
Email: [email protected]
12
Baptism of
Grace and Violet Jones
May 31, 2015
Parents - Aaron and Carrie Jones
Baptism of Jensen Jovi Marick Perry
May 31, 2015
Parents – Wesley and Kensey Perry
13
Prayer List
MaryAnn Arnold
Leta Bailey
Sharon Barger
Petty Bethard
Kim Birkmeier
Alice Brackney
Ken Clymer
Esther Davidson
Dustin Davin
Nona Davin
David Dean
Derek C.
Dylan
Jack Evans
Jennifer Flesner
Gary Fox
Pat Garlisch
Flora Gebhardt
Arlene Glesne
Jack Gould
Chad Hammond
Dane Hanslow
Ray Hanslow
Mike Hay
Amanda Hubbart
Linda Hughes
Tom Hymbaugh
Ivey
Don & Mary Beth
Jackson
Paul Jockisch
* Luchlan Jones
Kalan
Michelle Knowles
Corine Krueger
Ralph Krueger
Jeff Lane
Earl Laumeier
Darrell Leitner
Leslie
Darryl Little
Lori
Codie Maile
Mary
Pam McClary
* Angie Meadows
Vivian Morrison
Patrick Nelson
Kelsey Orr
Danielle Perryman
* Jackie Dean Peters
Lynn Peters
Betty Rademacker
Don Rademacker
Judy Randolph
Jon Ray
Donna Ripper
Ryan
Shorty Sanders
Scott
Gretchen Sidell
Brittany Simpson
Cherie Simpson
Louise Spalding
* Steven Stella
Helen Strode
* Terry Svendsen
Florence Swanson
Alice Trueblood
Mabel Trueblood
Lois Vogelsang
Kathleen Joan Wallace
Molly Walsh
Norman Weidner
Michael Watkins
Wes
Sandy Wilson
* Kathy Zeeck
* indicates new to the list
Military:
Brandon Gebhardt
Matthew Hurd
Lance Kampas
Kevin Lawler
Joshua Olsen
Steven Stalker
Tory Swearingen
Please call the church office, 347-3155, to add or remove a name from the list.
Membership Changes June 2015
Baptisms:
Grace Olivia Jones, age 5 years, daughter of Carrie & Aaron Jones, baptized May 31, 2015
Violet Ann Jones, age 5 years, daughter of Carrie & Aaron Jones, baptized May 31, 2015
Jensen Jovi Merick Perry, infant son of Kensey & Wesley Perry, baptized May 31, 2015
Deaths:
Robert Olson, 72, promoted to glory June 10, 2015.
14
July Birthdays
1
2
3
4
5
Karen Harrison
Ralph Krueger
Mia Vansaghi
9
Susan Bolen
Brianna Short
11 Brenda Bachman
Collin Allen
Patsy Odell
Marian Williams
Myra Bachman
Ben Funk
Mitch Lowery
Valerie Moehle
Leonard Gray
Boyd Harmon
Ruth Jones
Kristi Sloter
Jason Kreiling
Doris Myatt
Joshua Vogel
22
Christopher Keller
24
Mallory Dodson
Alexis Goodin
25
Holly Callahan
Troy DuPage
Florence Rowell
26
Ryan Craig
Ivy Grashoff
Stacey Melloy
Florence Swanson
27
Jason Anderson
Tracey Anderson
Alex Bleeker
Emily Deputy
Wesley Perry
Alec Shehorn
28
Allyson Funk
John Hall
Terri Himmel
29
Wyatt Grimschaw
Matthew Hurd
Ruth Jefferson
Doug Nash
Bonnie Pedersen
Dirk Sours
30
Lynn Peters
Tina Shehorn
Sue Hurd
12 Tim Booth
Jason Craig
Travis Follis
13 Terry Pomrenke
Alexis Seltveit
Alice Trueblood
14 Lorelei Ferguson
Kristina Funk
Bernadine Just
15 Tanya Swearingen
16 Susan Stone
6
7
Hanna Baughman
Deb Funk
John Janssen
Lois Rockhold
Sylvia Tribe
Peyton Bushong
Denise Hocker
17 Maggie Classen
Jerry Godbey
Matthew Plack
Kathy Sapp
Lynn Sloter
Nicholas Umholtz
18 Ray Kolves
8
Sara Look
Tyson McFeeters
Avery Neiswender
Alisa Rabb
19 Bobbie Dean
Ralph Heston
21 Carman McCoy
Carol Moehle