The Methodist Memo
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October, 2014
The Door
I n J o h n 1 0 : 9 J e s u s s a i d , “ I a m t h e d o o r , b y m e if a n y m a n e n t e r i n , h e s h a l l b e
s a v e d , a n d s h a l l g o i n a n d o u t , a n d f i n d p a s t u r e . ” W h e n J e s u s s im p l y s a i d “ I
a m ” i t wa s a c l a i m t o d e i t y . B u t , H e we n t o n t o s a y , “ I a m t h e d o o r . ” H e d o e s n o t
say I am one of many doors, but I am the only door there is to enter into the
greatest things of life.
I. He is the Door to Being Saved. See again John 10:9. Some today
t h i n k t h e r e a r e m a n y r o a d s t o H e a v e n . B u t , t h e B i b l e n a r r o ws t h e wa y t o
H e a v e n d o wn t o t h e p e r s o n o f t h e L o r d J e s u s C h r i s t . I f t h e r e we r e m o r e
t h a n o n e wa y t o H e a v e n , I c a n a s s u re y o u t h a t t h e L o rd J e s u s wo u l d n o t
have had to come and die a shameful, painful death on Calvary. Jesus is
n o t o n e o f m a n y d o o r s , b u t H e i s t h e d o o r a p p o in t e d b y G o d t h e F a t h e r .
I I . H e i s t h e D o o r t o B e i n g S e c u r e . S e e R o m a n s 8 : 3 9 . I f we c a n n o t b e
separated from the love of God, it should give us a great measure of
security. The Bible says, “He that hath the Son hath life” (I John 5:12). If
y o u h a v e J e s u s i n y o u r h e a r t , a n d if y o u c a n n o t b e s e p a r a t e d o r s e v e r e d
f r o m H i s l o v e , a s e n s e o f we l l - b e i n g s h o u l d s we l l u p in o u r s o u l l i k e a n
a r t e s i a n we l l . I f r e t a i n i n g m y s a l v a t i o n d e p e n d e d u p o n m e , I wo u l d n e v e r
be saved another day of my life. But, thank God my life is in Him!
III. He is the Door to Enter Serenity. John 14:27 says “Peace I leave
w i t h y o u , m y p e a c e I g i v e u n t o y o u : n o t a s t h e wo r l d g i v e t h , g i v e I u n t o
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Peace is a
s p i r i t u a l l y b e s t o w e d s e n s e o f we l l - b e i n g t h a t a s s u r e s u s t h a t n o m a t t e r
wh a t i s g o i n g o n i n t h i s wo r l d , we a r e s a f e i n J e s u s .
IV. He is the Door to Enter a Special Home. Read John 14:1-3. As
c h i l d r e n o f G o d , o u r r e a l h o m e i s n o t d o wn h e r e o n t h i s e a r t h , o u r r e a l
h o m e i s u p i n t h e s k y , wh e r e J e s u s i s a n d wh e r e we wi l l n e v e r s a y
g o o d b y e . H e a v e n i s g r e a t , g r a n d a n d g l o r i o u s . I t wi l l e x c e e d a l l o f o u r
h u m a n e x p e c t a t i o n s a n d wi l l b e m u c h m o r e t h a n we e v e r d r e a m e d .
L e t u s t h a n k G o d f o r s e n d i n g J e s u s t h e D o o r , t h r o u g h wh o m we e n t e r i n t o e v e r y
blessing.
Love, Peace and Joy,
Pastor Melwyn Alagodi.
VITAS’ Memory Bear Volunteers
Our volunteers make home-sewn bears with
compassion and love to ease a hur>ng heart aZer the
death of VITAS pa>ent. The bears are sewn from items
of the pa>ent’s clothing: a favorite pair of jeans,
pullover top, dress, etc. The fabric is provided by the
family; the pa)ern, support, and stuﬃng are provided
by VITAS and crea>vity is provided by the Memory Bear
Volunteer.
Crocheted and kni)ed blankets, ﬁdget blankets, caps
and prayer shawls are also in high demand. If you are
interested in volunteering please contact Joanna
Voorhees at 708-781-4401.
Love INC presents…
Girl's Night Out with Tracy DeGraaf
Chris>an comedian, Tracy DeGraaf, is headed our
way for a night of laughter beneﬁCng Love INC of
Tinley Park. Tracy performs a one-woman show
called Life Happens Laugh Anyway. It's 90 minutes
of hilarious life stories where she takes the audience
through the seasons of a woman’s life from geCng
married and having children, to gaining weight and
growing a beard. And then they meet Jesus!
You may now purchase >ckets online!
h)p://>ckethookups.com/>ckets/34176
Thursday, October 16, 2014
6:30pm – 9:30pm
Kurt Edwardson is currently a)ending the
University of Kansas and we would
like to pass along his address:
Mr. Kurt Edwardson
McCollum Hall Room 824
1800 Engel Road
Lawrence, KS 66045
Family Harvest Church
18500 92nd Ave, Tinley Park
Call (708) 444-2013 for more informa>on.
“Making Sense of the Bible” Bible Study
Grant Steeve is leading this study on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. Adam Hamilton, the author, envisions this
as a conversa>on in an a)empt to wrestle honestly with tough ques>ons raised by Chris>ans and nonChris>ans concerning things taught in the Bible. The ﬁrst sec>on addresses some founda>onal ques>ons:
What is the Bible, exactly? What do we mean by calling it “inspired”? This sec>on also deals with how and
when the Bible was wri)en, the various types of wri>ngs found in it, and how and why some books made it
into the Bible and some were leZ out. The second sec>on digs into troubling ques>ons and issues, such as
historical accuracy, violence, and end >mes.
October Birthdays & Anniversaries
Hannah Ferree
10-06
Sophia Bettenhausen
10-10
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Kolb
Kurt Edwardson and
Dorothy Smith
Lori Younker
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bettenhausen 10-02
10-18
10-23
10-22
Hello from Tennessee, church family!
Just wanted to drop you a note and let you know that Todd and I are doing well and geCng se)led in at our new
home in Hendersonville. We are on the north side of Nashville, in a suburb very much like our beloved Tinley Park.
Our house is pre)y well unpacked and star>ng to feel like home. We have four bedrooms here, although there are
only the two of us, along with the two greyhounds – Lucy and Bree. So that means besides our bedroom and what we
have turned into an oﬃce/exercise room, we have two guest rooms should any of you decide to come and visit.
In the last few weeks, we became oﬃcial Tennesseans. We got our driver’s licenses and our license plates. Now while
we had to bring just about every oﬃcial document that proved that we ever existed, the experience was a far cry
from anything we have dealt with in Cook County. To start with, there were only about four cars in the parking lot at
the DMV. I had to take a picture to send to my daughter because if you have ever been to the Midlothian branch, you
know that you essen>ally have to psych yourself up for the whole event and allow for at least two hours minimum.
We were in and out in under 15 minutes. And smiling.
That is an example of basically all of our dealings here. Everyone is pleasant, welcoming and charming as can be. And
that’s not even including the church folk we have met.
The church that we have been a)ending is close to our house – although not as close as the 3 minute walk we had to
TPUMC. It is a much larger church than Todd and I are used to, with mul>ple pastors on staﬀ, but that appears to be
the way of things here. We likely pass at least a half dozen churches on our way to the local Aldi. They have been sure
to make us feel welcome and in so doing – immediately put us to work – as good Methodists will do. So we feel right
at home, but we miss you all so very much!
For those of you not acquainted with our comings and goings on Facebook, Todd is doing well at Goodwill Industries
of Middle Tennessee. He is s>ll char>ng his course with a brand new posi>on, created just for him, so the road is s>ll
a li)le rough. But he will surely ﬁnd his way with ease. He knows his stuﬀ backward and forward, so no worries there.
I have happy news to report! I will be star>ng a posi>on with the General Board of Discipleship of the United
Methodist Church as a Coordinator for Leadership Ministries beginning the week aZer Labor Day. This has been my
dream job in coming to Nashville and so I give praise to God for allowing me to serve Him full >me in my career going
forward.
Thank you again to everyone who came out for our going away party. We love you all and were so touched by your
love and encouragement in our “Moving Forward!” We are very blessed by God’s hand in our lives and are constantly
in awe of His presence in this change in our lives. I told Pastor Na in an email recently that for the ﬁrst >me in a long
>me, I am content in my soul. This is meant to be. My blessing is to all of you is that you all ﬁnd or have your “meant
to be”.
Our contact informa>on:
Todd & Lisa Edge
112 Forest View Drive
Hendersonville, TN 37075
Lisa cell – (708) 691-0364
[email protected]
Todd cell – (708) 691-0363 [email protected]
We Pray for our Neighbors:
♥ Denotes change in status or new prayer since last newsletter.
injury 3 months ago)
Dolores Genis
the Ron Miller Family (on the
♥ Jeffrey Jordan (Stage 4 throat
Len Astrowski (friend of Evelyn
♥ Marcia Ramsey (headaches after
death of Ron)
cancer; surgery on Sept. 19)
♥ Barbara Kelderhouse (Dorothy
Miller’s sister; undergoing tests in Georgia)
♥ Linda (Joyce Wiabel’s daughter;
undergoing more chemo treatments)
♥ Dee Crandall (recovering from a fall)
♥ Dennis Jones (brother of Joyce
Wiabel; has passed away)
♥ condolences to the Rita Lepscier
family
♥ the Mildred Rapson family
the family of Edna Arthur
the Robert Bettenhausen family (on
the death of his brother, Milfred)
Ronna Schanks (diagnosed with ALS)
the Larry Miller Family (brother-in-law of
Dorothy Miller; killed in car accident)
Cindy Jones (Joyce Wiabel’s sister-inlaw; complications from heart surgery)
Tuohy; pancreatic cancer)
Mary Jo Fruh Family
Robert Krucek Family (on the
death of his brother)
Paul Cooper Family (friend of the
Brandau’s who passed away)
Bertinetti & Di Clemente
Families;
the Gary Bettenhausen Family;
Pat Strong (brain tumor)
Agnes Fischer
Christopher Kelderhouse
(nephew of Dorothy Miller; in serious
condition)
Wendy Murray (granddaughter of
Dorothy Miller; having problems with
black outs)
Dorothy Gorman (recovering post
surgery)
Dennis & Jeanne Thiel
(friends of Brad Bettenhausen;
Jeanne has been diagnosed with
ALS)
Sue Busz (employee of Brad
Bettenhausen; recovering
from breast cancer surgery)
The Jehling and Whitworth
Families
Julie Miller
Love INC clients
Abby Skarbek
Peggy (friend of Heilmans)
Ellie (friend of Heilmans)
Bob Krucek
Bev Vanderveen cancer
Martha (Ruth's sister)
Jeanette Cain (pancreatitis)
Chicago Public Schools
Lauren Ciukaj (friend of Bill
Proper, undergoing second
battle with cancer)
The Board of Trustees is in the process of compiling a list of all
persons in procession of keys to the church.
If you have a key to the building,
please contact Debbie in the church oﬃce.
Thank you, Debbi Sumner, Chair of Trustees
Craft Circle
first Wednesday of the month
(unless a holiday)
our next one is October 1
9 a.m. to noon
You don't have to be a seamstress to join - there will be other items to do also. This group
will make burp cloths, bibs, lap quilts and walker bags to be
given to nursing homes and pregnancy centers.
NEEDED: yards of flannel, cotton, and textured material. Also we will need packages of
warm and natural or soft and crafty batting. Please leave them in the office with Debbi
Sumner's name on it.
If you can't come on that date then let Debbi know of a time you can come and we will try to
adjust the days and times. If there are enough interested then an evening time could be added.
October 2014
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
10
11
17
18
24
25
Craft Circle 9a
A.A. 10a
Food Pantry 8 a
Weight Watchers
6p
5
6
A.A. 6p
7
8
Food Pantry 8 a
Bible Study 6:30p
A.A. 10a
A.A. 6:30p
12
13
A.A. 6p
19
20
A.A. 6p
26
27
A.A. 6p
Weight Watchers
6p
21
22
Food Pantry 8 a
Bible Study 6:30p
A.A. 10a
A.A. 6:30p
16
A.A. 10a
Magic Masters 7p
23
A.A. 10a
Weight Watchers
6p
28
29
Food Pantry 8 a
Bible Study 6:30p
A.A. 10a
A.A. 6:30p
A.A. 10a
Weight Watchers
6p
14
15
Food Pantry 8 a
Bible Study 6:30p
A.A. 10a
A.A. 6:30p
9
Weight Watchers
6p
30
31
A.A. 10a
Tinley Park United Methodist Church
6875 W. 173rd Place
Tinley Park, Illinois 60477
Phone: 708-532-2960
Fax: 708-532-9858
Office E-mail: [email protected]
Pastor's E-mail: [email protected]
A.A.: Mon. 6 p.m.; Tues. 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Thurs. 10 a.m.
Food Pantry: Wed. 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Weight Watchers: Wed. 6 p.m.
Love INC of Tinley Park Annual Coat Drive
Aslan’s Wardrobe – Every winter season Love INC of Tinley
Park offers to adults in need a free winter coat. Aslan’s Wardrobe
runs from September – mid December.
If you'd like to donate a new or gently used coat, see Rachel
Tuohy. Rachel can arrange a pickup schedule
with the folks at Love INC.
Also, there is a large white donation box in the
Narthex for Personal Care Pantry items.