MIDDLE SCHOOL/
TEAM 4:12 NEWS
A Publication of Gretna United Methodist Church—October 2014
Gretna United
Methodist Church
11457 South 204th Street
P.O. Box 96
Gretna, Nebraska 68028
Sunday Worship
9:30 Worship
10:30 Fellowship Time
10:45 Sunday School
Clergy
Pastor Janice Japp
Home: (402) 691-8787
Pastor Janice’s Cell Phone:
(402) 650-0586
E-mail:
[email protected]
Church Office:
Office Hours
Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs.
8:00 am—4:00 pm
Office:(402) 332-3213
Fax: (402) 332-2547
[email protected]
Internet Site:
www.gretnaumc.com
www.greatplainsumc.org
Staff
REACH Coordinator:
Mary Lou Kane
Email:
[email protected]
Office Administrator:
Amy Jensen
Email:
[email protected]
Accompanist:
Paul Parker
There is more to the man than the mustache. And, the secret to his success - much like the quote from
“Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid” is prayer. Ed Mantler jokes that having Robert Redford play
his life role if it were that movie would be a dream come true. But, life is more than a famous face in
the movies - and there is more to Ed Mantler than meets the eye.
Ed grew up in San Bruno, California, a suburb of San Francisco. He loved to play basketball - but, saw
his older brother as the more athletic one in the family (although Ed says his brother is probably
smarter than Ed himself). The Catholic faith was very important to his family. It was this faith that
initially helped Ed cope with the death of his father due to lung cancer when Ed was only 14 years old.
Ed says for a while he became “uber-Catholic” attending mass daily. That would later change.
Ed felt that it would be important for his own growth to experience life away from home, and decided to
attend Creighton University when the recruiter came to his school and promoted the school and its
programs. Ed thought the location would be far enough away from home to enable him to learn to
stand on his own. He found out he could become independent, but also struggled with being homesick.
Ed experienced a “falling away” from his faith as he attended Creighton, and spent time grappling with
many questions regarding what he believed.
Ed graduated from Creighton with his undergraduate degree and his Masters, and completed his
education at University of Nebraska Medical College. Ed met Janice during this time and feels
strongly that God used Janice to save him - as dating the pastor helps make church attendance
become a REAL priority. They were married while Ed was still in medical school.
Prayer is one of the methods that helped Ed to realize his own spiritual gifts. As he was praying for a
teacher to step forward for the junior high class (in a previous church), Ed realized that HE could teach
the class - with God’s guidance. That began a volunteer career within the church that has included not
only teaching, but bible study, serving on committees, and being the all-around “church go-fer” since he
is the pastor’s spouse. Many of us recognize Ed as the man with the buckets for the children before
each “noisy offering” on Sunday mornings.
Being able to use his spiritual gifts, not only in his work environment as a physician, but also in his
personal life, has provided Ed a sense of satisfaction that he considers a blessing in his life as he is
blessing others. Involvement at Camp Fontanelle is a way Ed is able to bless others through the
camping experience, and he has been able to include his entire family.
Another area of interest and ministry that Ed has most recently become involved is Stephen Ministry.
Since a pastor can’t be everywhere, but has to move from crisis to crisis, Ed describes Stephen
Ministry as a Christian form of a P.A. Instead of a Physician’s Assistant, this is a Pastor’s Assistant.
Ed says that the pastor often has to move quickly within the congregation from one crisis to the next, as
needed. But, the Stephen’s Minister can make the long term commitment to stay for a deeper level of
healing to take place.
One area that Ed would like to see grow within Stephen’s Ministry is men receiving care. Ed says that
often men are hesitant to request help because they see that as appearing weak. Ed mentions that it is
a challenge for him to have a skill set ready, but no one assigned as his care receiver. Ed recognizes
that in reality, it takes an inner strength to request the help. “It is important for men to process their
grief in order to help their family,” he says. “Asking for help can assist a man in becoming whole again
and resume his role within the family.” Ed asks men to think of requesting a Stephen Minister as not
only helping themselves, and their families, but also helping the Stephen Ministers put their training to
use and keep their skills sharp.
Through his training and work as a family physician, Ed has seen firsthand that the need for a Stephen
Minister is not only at a time of death - but, can come in areas of
transition. Often people need the care of a Stephen Minister
before the finality of death, such as when a loved one enters a
care home or has just been diagnosed with a chronic disease.
“There are different stages in life and different times in life when
the support of a Stephen Minister would benefit almost anyone,”
said Ed.
Behind that mustache isn’t just a man who enjoys Fantasy
Football or reading teen fiction to keep current with what his kids
are interested in. Get to know him, and you will find there is a
man who loves to care for other people and wants to help others
through his training.
We had our annual toilet paper drive and
collected over 1,100 rolls of toilet paper (and
1 box of Kleenex) that were donated to the
Gretna Neighbors food pantry. Rumor has it,
this is a new record! A couple of the kids
even got interviewed by a Gretna Breeze
reporter!
On the 17th Jeff Spilinek gave us a break
from pizza and cooked a spaghetti dinner for
us. THANK YOU JEFF!
We also wrote notes that were delivered to
the residents of the Gretna Community
Living Center. They were very much
appreciated by the residents.
On the 21st we served our first waffle
breakfast.
October events will be:

1st – pizza for supper and regular
activities

2nd – Committee and parent
meeting at 6:30 (the kids are
welcome too)

8th – pizza for supper and regular
activities

10th – serve hot chocolate before
the football game

15th – Subway for supper and
regular activities

19th – serve breakfast

22nd – host at Vala’s Pumpkin
Patch from 5:00-9:00 at fire pit
#34 by the go karts
and jumping pillows.

29th – pizza for supper and
Halloween Party
As always, please feel free to bring a friend
or two with you!!
The group has reached the size where we
really could use at least one more parent in
the room. No teaching, just hang out and
help. If you can join us, please let either
Roxanne or Jeff know.
Confirmation classes start in November and
continue through April. Renee will be
assisting with the classes, so we will need
someone to teach Sunday school for that time
period.
There is a possibility that some of the classes
will take place on a Wednesday or two, so we
will need one person to assist with Team 4:12
those nights. Remember, if no volunteers
step up, there is no Team 4:12 meeting that
night. We will provide more information
when the Confirmation schedule is
completed.
SENIOR HIGH/ SWAT NEWS
SWAT in Action
43 of us went together to see the movie
“When the Game Stands Tall”
SWAT youth and parents participated in the
All Church Highway Cleanup
SWAT youth led 20 students at the “See
You At The Pole” prayers at Gretna High
School.
Many of our youth have already registered
for next year’s Dare2Share – we’d love
your support and encouragement to get
even more kids registered.
SWAT in October
Wed., October 1st is our annual Scavenger
Hunt for Heartland Family Services/Abuse
shelter. We’ll be knocking on doors in our
community to gather much needed supplies
for those that need to sometimes leave their
homes with nothing but the clothes they
have on in search of safety.
Sun., October 5th SWAT kids and adult
volunteers will help with cleaning up the
community garden.
Wed., October 8th SWAT kids will be
making fleece blankets for Husker Heat &
the Linus Project as well as scarves for
Together Inc. Please bring in fleece by
October 5th if you want to help.
Wed., October 15th is our annual Hayrack
ride and Bonfire at Dickinson’s farm
Sun., October 19th SWAT will be
volunteering at Camp Fontanelle
Wed., October 22nd is the night of our
Pumpkin Carving contest
Upcoming: Rake n Run in early November
and a Winter Service led by the SWAT
Youth.
Mitten Tree:
Check out the Mitten Tree in the
Narthex. Warm decorations
of mittens, scarves, gloves and socks
are needed. Donations will go
to Heartland Hope. Deadline is
November 1st.
Calling all 8thgraders!!!
8th grade Confirmation
sessions begin in
November
Confirmation in The United Methodist
Church is when youth confirm the vows
taken on their behalf at their baptism. This
profession is made publically, and we
celebrate this time together as a church
family.
8th grade students are invited to participate,
as well as students already in high school
who have not yet made their own
profession of faith. Parent Information
Session for Confirmation will be held on
Sunday, October 12 at 11:00am in the
Sanctuary. We will discuss the schedule
of discussion, expectations for
participation, special projects, and answer
questions.
Sessions will begin Sunday, November 2
and continue through April. These
classes will be held during 10:45 Sunday
school periods. There will be goals and
expectations for involvement in the life of
the congregation, in service and mission,
and for meeting with Confirmation
mentors. Contact Pastor Janice for more
information, and to make sure that your
child will be included in the Confirmation
program.
Confirmation service has been scheduled
for Sunday, April 26, 2015.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MMMMMMM..... WAFFLES!!!! Our
Middle School Youth (with the help of
Jason Brewer, and Doug Osborn plus other
adults) will be preparing and serving
BREAKFAST for church family and friends
on October 19. The serving line will be
open from 8:30am-9:15am. EVERYONE is
invited! In fact, if you know of a family in
your life that could use a nourishing meal
and some loving fellowship, INVITE THEM
- what a great way to reach out to others in
our community.
Prayers for Healing
Sunday, October 5th
at 11:00 a.m.
All healing is from God.
On Sunday morning,
October 5th in the Pastor’s
office, we will share a special time for
prayer and “laying on of hands” for
anyone who desires prayers. Join us
following the worship service, about
11:00 a.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can You Hear
the Bells A
‘Ringing?
The Joyful Noise
Handbell choir is
gearing up for
another year of
ringing. We meet on Tuesday evenings
at 7:00pm, in the sanctuary for an hour
of praise, fellowship and practice! There
is space for you! You do not have to
have any experience with ringing bells–
just a little bit of experience reading
music. We will teach you how to hold a
bell and when to ring it! That’s what our
practices are all about– learning to use
our talents to praise our Lord. Please
contact Julie Ray at 402-916-9179 our
[email protected] if you have any
questions or would like to learn more
about GUMC’s handbells. Or, just show
up at one of our practices. Newcomers
are always welcome!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The only investment I ever made which
has paid consistently increasing dividends
is the money I have given to the Lord.
James L. Kraft (1874-1953), KraftPhoenix Cheese Corp. chairman
UMW NEWS
Annual Conference Report
United Methodist Women is open to
all women in the church! Come join
us!
By Dixie Allbery
Guest Pastor, Jorge Acevedo in his final
message to Annual Conference 2014 lifted
up the phrase “Creating a culture of
discipleship, systems and strategies will
determine the harvest you get.” He used the
parable of the seed sown on rocky ground to
link this concept to scripture. He recalled the
stories of John Wesley– who employed
systems of people to organize what we know
as the Methodist way. His congregation
organizes their work into four areas:
1. Reach Ministries: that reach out to
others
2. Connect Ministries: Connecting with
people where they are
3. Form Ministries: Opportunities to
learn and grow in faith
4. Send Ministries: Ministries that send
people out into the world in ministry
Acevedo stressed the importance of the local
church as a hub for personal growth,
outreach, transformation and evangelism.
Pantry Food Item for September
Pantry Sunday is October 5th The food item
for October is canned soups. There is a great
shortage of food at the pantry and many are
in need. The pantry items will be taken to
the Pearl Pantry at Trinity United
Methodist Church, located in Omaha.
Bring them to the church and place them in
either the grocery cart or the baskets in the
entry way in the education wing.
UMW Meeting
October 9th at 9am
World Thank Offering
Bring your World Thank Banks!
Lesson Leader: Rosalie Bierle
Hostesses: Dixie Allbery & Lynda Teeters
Mission Project: Mitten Tree
Chair: Shirley Boyer
Book Review: Corliss Clark
Spiritual Growth Study
October 16 , 9:00am –2:30pm
“How is it With Your Soul”
Lunch provided
Books will be $10, if you don’t have a book
please come anyway.
Please register with Dixie Allbery at 402332-3121.
Resolutions submitted by the Mercy and
Justice team on gun violence , compassionate
immigration reform and global maternal
child health passed at the conference on
Saturday.
Great Plains United Methodist Women’s
Annual Meeting
October 17 & 18
St. Paul UMC in Lincoln
The 2015 Great Plains Annual Conference
session will be hold at Century 11 Center in
Wichita KS June 10-13, 2015.
Sarah Circle
October 23rd at 7pm
Program Leader & Hostess: Dana Steiner
Book: Notices
If you have any questions feel free to contact
me.
The budget for 2015 totaling $16,036,313
was approved on Saturday morning.
Have you remembered GUMC in your
estate plan?
GRIPPED BY THE GREATNESS OF GOD - new study for Women's Bible
Study. Workbooks will be $15. Contact Amy Purintun to sign up for either Wednesday
mornings (9AM - 11AM), or Tuesday evenings (6PM - 8PM). This will be an 8 week
session beginning the second week of October, and finishing at the end of
November. Here is a teaser from the book itself:
If you would like a full copy of the
monthly Treasurer’s report, please
contact Amy in the office. She can
email you one or print one out for you
to pick up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When was the last time you were really and truly gripped by God's greatness? Most
Christians recall heartfelt resolutions around a fire at bible camp as children, and perhaps
a revival meeting or two. But what causes the fervor of those experiences to translate into
a consistent life pattern? Pastor and author James MacDonald believes that the better we
understand God, the better we understand ourselves, and the less likely we are to favor our
own will over God's. He writes, "God is not safe and He will not be squeezed into some
neat, respectable Sunday discussion...No. To know God at all is to watch Him explode any
box we put Him in with His terror, majesty and indescribable wonder.'"
WOMEN!!
DEC 6 FROM 12pm-2:30pm
Begin the Christmas season with friends,
food and festivity!
Expounding upon Isaiah's encounters with God, MacDonald prods snoozing saints to
rediscover the wonder of God's attributes. He also shares candidly from his experiences in
life and ministry where God proved Himself to be the Great I AM. This book will spur new
and seasoned believers alike to detest mediocrity in their spiritual walks.
The study groups are open to new members - please consider yourself invited!
Sunday,
October 19th
Brass
Odyssey:
Worship Committee News:
Fall Quilt Trunk Show
Gretna
United
Methodist Church Event
The Worship Committee met and
and
Open House
decided to ask the committees within the
Historic
handiwork
will be on display in
church to take turns serving communion.
the fellowship hall as we host our first
Marcy Miles will contact the committee community wide Fall Quilt Trunk Show on
chair to get servers. The Sunday the
Saturday, November 15 beginning at 12:30
committee serves, there will be a little
and presentation at 1pm.
blurb in the bulletin about the committee.
Mona Knight one of Gretna’s most
The Worship committee served
recent new members to the community
communion in September, to start of this along with GUMC has eagerly agreed to
An Epic Adventure
share her collection through display for the
new trend.
We are excited to be hosting the Nebraska
Brass at GUMC on Sunday, October 19 at
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ first time in the state of Nebraska. Mona
has been collecting quilts for years now
3pm. This will be a community wide event. Volunteers are
and gained most of the knowledge she has
Coupons will be distributed in the near
Needed: Rehabilitation Center of Omaha about quilt collecting when she worked
future in the church bulletin. Please use this offers 24-hour licensed professional nursing care
with the Arizona Quilters Guild for 10
as an opportunity to invite family members, to individuals dealing with illness or recovering
years. Knight was part of the quilt
friends, neighbors and coworkers.
from injury as well as for those seeking long-term
Volunteers will be needed to assist in setting cares. Residents at the Rehab Center of Omaha documentation project that the guild
conducted. Members went to towns in
up, selling tickets, greeting our guests along are in need of a friendly visitor. Often these
residents are alone, lacking any family or support. Arizona and documented the estimated age
with serving refreshments at intermission.
and pattern types of the quilts that were
These visits could be done at your convenience.
Please contact Mary Lou REACH
brought to them. Knight’s oldest quilt is
Residents
simply
need
someone
to
talk
with
and
Coordinator if you want to help.
share their stories which in turn validates
from 1861, and was made by Mrs. D.H.
Nebraska Brass takes audiences on an
individuals and serves to encourage. Both men
Bloom in preparation for her wedding. The
adventurous journey to destinations such as and women volunteers would be most effective.
wedding took place in Wisconsin. On the
Please contact Mary Lou Reach Coordinator at
England ("Colchester Fantasy" by Eric
quilt Mrs. Bloom stitched the date and her
Ewazen), Italy ("The Hills of Anacapri" by 402-332-3213 or Ella Gubbels 402-342-2015
married name. The Blooms eventually
Claude Debussy, transcribed by Gary
settled on a farm in Nebraska and the quilt
Center of Omaha
Kulesha), Hungary ("Hungarian Dance" by Rehabilitation
th
was never used, and was stored wrapped in
910 South 40 Street
Johannes Brahms, arranged by Robert
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ an old sheet in her hope chest. Mona has
Elkjer) and New York ("The Harlem Rag"
worked hard to learn the stories behind the
by Scott Joplin, arranged by Arthur
quilts and keeps an extensive notebook that
Frankenpohl).
details each quilt and it’s past. She has
truly become the keeper of these woman’s
Individual tickets: Adults - $12, Seniors stories.
$10, and all students are admitted FREE.
At 1p.m. Laura Franchini from Wisner,
Call 402-477-7899 for tickets or purchase
Nebraska
will be speaking. Laura has
them at the door.
become best known for her effective use of
color and printed fabric. She has been a
We have been invited to sponsor a table at
winner at both local and national quilt
the Heartland Hopes Feed A Family shows, and has had quilts featured in
Dinner Fundraiser-“ A Light In the
“Quilter’s Newsletter” and other
City” on Thursday, October 16th at the
publications over a dozen times. She has
Ralston Arena. As sponsors of a table we
lectured and taught quilt guilds across the
have the opportunity to fill the tale with 10
Midwest.
people with our $300 contribution. This
Laura’s proudest moment in quilt
event includes a plated dinner that will be
making has been the creation of the quilt
served and is a great opportunity to introduce “Nebraska’s Rising Sun” with her best
people to Heartland Hope Mission.
quilt buddy, Sandi McMillan of Albion,
The event starts with a silent auction and
Nebraska. This quilt won “Best of Show”
features diamonds and cider. There will be
at 7 major shows across the county, and
100 glasses of cider for sale. A cubic zirconia has been featured on 3 calendars and
several magazines. In
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ will be in 99 glasses and one glass will have
a half carat diamond! Someone will leave
addition she has been
Thank You
with a half carat diamond! The event will be assisting with and
Words cannot express my gratitude for
on October 16th from 6:00-8:30 pm at the
observing the judging
allowing me to serve as a SWAT leader. I
Ralston Arena.
at the Nebraska State
hope my church family knows how much
Fair for over 10
they mean to me. God has truly blessed
As a sponsor, we will be helping to provide
years, and would love
SWAT and the Boyers.
over 100,000 acts of assistance and provide
to share her quilt
~Shirley Boyer
food and hygiene items to over 30,000
show tips with you.
people.
MARK YOUR
CALENDARS!!
ALL CHURCH CONFERENCE
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19TH at
ST. ANDREWS 15050 W. MAPLE
IN OMAHA AT 4pm
All Church Members are
WELCOME to attend!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMMUNION OFFERING
FOR OCTOBER:
WORLD COMMUNION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Evangelism Committee announces on
behalf of the church its continuing support
for the “Jesus Film Project.” This global
outreach ministry helps bring the gospel to
new people in their own language. Our
donation of $1,000 will allow for new
church starts to have subsequent follow up
materials to ensure their success and for
many new believers to have access to the
gospel.
INTERESTED IN LEARNING
MORE ABOUT GUMC? Thinking
about JOINING?
GUMC Sunday school emphasizes
Solid Biblical Foundations for our
Children
We will be hosting a series of
This year’s Sunday school classes have
placed a greater emphasize on coming to
understand the God of the Bible along with
a hands on knowledge of how to read the
Bible.
Membership Discovery classes
beginning on Sunday, October 5th
2014. These relaxed discussions will
help you to explore: United Methodist
Church’s beliefs and practices; the
mission and ministry of Gretna United
Methodist Church; and the significance
of church membership. We will meet
after worship in the REACH
Coordinator’s office for approximately
one hour. Since each session covers
different topics of interest, we encourage
you to attend all sessions. Child care is
available for younger children.
On the last Sunday, October 26th,
those who are uniting with us as
members will be welcomed and
“received into membership” during our
9:30 am worship service. Also, on that
final Sunday October 26th, you are invited
to a luncheon which will allow you to
become better acquainted with some of
our current members. Attending sessions
does not obligate you to join our
congregation, but it will provide
information to make an informed
decision about membership. Whether or
not you choose to join at this time, you
are welcome to continue to worship and
fellowship with us. Membership
information classes will continue to be
offered at various times throughout the
year should you choose to join at a later
date.
Remember the days when people took time to sit down, get to know one another, and even
share a meal? Here at GUMC we are going to attempt that very thing! We want you to
know about it and hopefully you will come.
ALL CHURCH POTLUCK
When: Sunday, October 26th
Beginning Time: Noon
Where: Fellowship Hall
Now what to bring? How does a "potluck" work? You simply bring food to share with
the group. We have broken the alphabet into groups so that we have a variety of
food. Here things get fun:
CHURCH PROVIDES = all utensils, plates, cups, etc. as well as drinks
A - H = bring salad or side dish to serve 10 people
J - Q = bring main/meat dish to serve 10 people
R - Z = bring dessert to serve 10 people
Bring food to share - get creative! Try a new recipe, or bring a family favorite. Or, if it
works easiest for you -- grab something from the store. We don't care -- the point is not
the food. The point is to sit down together and have some fellowship. Just like they did
before life got so busy. We hope that you can join us!
One of the most important responsibilities
Christian parents have is to teach their
children about Jesus Christ. Yet countless
children grow up knowing Christ only
through what they learn from second-hand
sources. The sketchy images these
encounters with God imprint on their
minds can range anywhere from a drill
sergeant to . . . well, the Easter bunny.
In order for children to digest the authentic
Easter message, Christ’s sacrificial death
on a cross, they must have a context in
which to put the person of Jesus Christ.
When the Gospel is glossed over by
lighthearted scenarios that don’t mirror real
life, children can be led into thinking
Christianity amounts only to an untainted
notion of perfectionism. The real story–a
story about tarnished and degenerate souls
who were saved by Christ’s unconditional
love, redeemed by the miracle of His
death, and blessed with a living hope for
all eternity–is as relevant to children today
as it always has been. The story never
changes.
Sunday school teachers will be reading
from the Scriptures on a regular basis as
this is a direct and effective way to bring
about discussions concerning Christ. As
teachers and parents, by reading through
the Scriptures, we can address personally
any questions our children may have about
biblical events and monitor their spiritual
growth. Taking every opportunity to teach
them object lessons about Jesus can
provide your children with a framework in
which to understand the story of His
miraculous life and death.
Together as a church we can all live the
principles of your faith every day.
“Let your light shine before men in such a
way that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father who is in
heaven” (Matthew 5:16).