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FEBRUARY 2015
UPCOMING EVENTS:
February 1
Fire & Water Football Party—6 pm in the Wharf
February 6
Parents’ Night Out—6 pm in Room 218
February 9
ALPHA Starts—6:15 pm in the Dining Room
February 10
UMW Executive Committee—7:00 in the Library
February 11
Open Time of Prayer — 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary
February 12
Fifty Plus—11:30 am in the Dining Room
February 14
UMM Breakfast — 8 am in the Dining Room
February 16
Presidents’ Day—Office is Open
February 18
Ash Wednesday Worship—7 pm in the Sanctuary
February 24
Monthly Book Club—7 pm in the Library
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Fire & Water student ministries went on a retreat in
January. Why retreat? We believe that it is important to step
out of our everyday lives and focus on building our faith and
building relationships with one another.
This year, students explored the person of Jesus. When Jesus
asks His disciples in Mark 8, "Who do you say I am?,” He
wanted the disciples to answer from their own experiences
who they believed Jesus to be. We wanted students to look
into scripture and their personal experiences to answer for
themselves who they say that Jesus is. Students examined
Jesus' I AM statements, the names of Jesus in scripture, and
scriptures about who they are as beloved children of God.
Students also spent time alone in the woods seeking
insights. Observing the works of the creator help us
understand the creator. Listening for Jesus' voice in the midst
of his creation proved powerful for many students. And,
seeking a deeper level of knowledge through scripture,
through the lens of creation, allowed students to experience a
walk in the woods a little differently than usual.
Our prayer is that students reentered their schedules with a
fresh perspective of who Jesus is and who He has called them
to be.
WORSHIP SCHEDULE:
We welcome you any Sunday for traditional
worship at 8:30, 9:45 and 11 am in the sanctuary,
or
modern worship at 11 am in the Family Life Center.
Sunday school classes meet at 9:45am.
Children’s Ministry opportunities are available at all
service times.
Coming in March —
Fire & Water 30-hour Famine
Spring!!!
FIRE & WATER WINTER RETREAT
STUDENT MINISTRY
OPEN TIME OF PRAYER
Over 350 prayer requests were made during
Pastor Kevin's sermon on "Permitting the
Power of God in Our Lives" and over half of
them were for healing in some manner—
physical, relationships, or otherwise. The
prayer ministry will be lifting these prayers
and invites you to come and pray for healing
in community, whether it is your own or on
behalf of someone else, during our next Open
Time of Prayer. Join us February 11 or any
second Wednesday between 6:30 and 8 pm in
the Sanctuary. Come and go as you desire.
JOIN THE MONTHLY
BOOK CLUB in February
as we read and discuss
The Orphan Train by
Christian Baker Kline.
Between 1854 and 1929,
so-called orphan trains ran
regularly from the cities of
the East Coast to the
farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands
of abandoned children whose fates would be
determined by pure luck. As a young Irish
immigrant, Vivian Daly was one such child,
sent by rail from New York City to an
uncertain future a world away. Returning east
later in life, Vivian leads a quiet, peaceful
existence on the coast of Maine. But in her
attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a
turbulent past. Seventeen-year-old Molly
Ayer knows that a community-service
position helping an elderly widow clean out
her attic is the only thing keeping her out of
juvenile hall. But as Molly helps Vivian sort
through her keepsakes and possessions, she
discovers that she and Vivian aren’t as
different as they appear. Moving between
contemporary Maine and Depression-era
Minnesota, The Orphan Train is a powerful
tale of upheaval and resilience, second
chances, and unexpected friendship. The
group meets on the 4th Tuesday evening of
each month from 7:00—8:30 in the Library,
just off the narthex. This month we will meet
on February 24. If you are interested or need
more information, contact Kim Arnott at
797.8612 or [email protected].
W.A.T.E.R. (Senior High)
Weekly Activities: Sunday School @ 9:45am,
Drink Deep @ 6:00pm, After Hours @ 7:30pm
Feb 1 – SS, Football Party @ 6:00pm
Feb 5– Supermarket Sweeps @ 3:30pm
Feb 8 – SS, Drink Deep, After Hours
Feb 12 – Supermarket Sweeps @ 3:30pm
Feb 15 – SS
Feb 19 – Supermarket Sweeps @ 3:30pm
Feb 22 – SS, Drink Deep, After Hours
Feb 26 – Supermarket Sweeps @ 3:30pm
Home Bible Studies take place throughout
the week.
Permission Forms for the WATER Summer
Mission Trip are now available online
(www.fumcfireadnwater.com) and in the
Wharf.
WATER Students are collecting donations
for our 30 Hour Famine in March. Please see
a student to donate.
Want to know more about what is
happening at FIRE & WATER? Download the
FIRE & WATER app, sign up to be an Insider
or follow us on social media.
F.I.R.E. (Junior High)
Weekly Activities: Sunday School @ 9:45am,
Refinery @ 6:00pm, After Hours @ 7:30pm
Feb 1 – SS, Football Party @ 6:00pm
Feb 4– Bible Study @ 7:00pm
Feb 8 – SS, The Refinery, After Hours
Feb 11 – Bible Study @ 7:00pm
Feb 15 – SS
Feb 18 – Bible Study @ 7:00pm
Feb 19 – Third Thursday @ 2:45pm
Feb 22 – SS, The Refinery, After Hours
Feb 25 – Bible Study @ 7:00pm
We are willing to give a ride to Third
Thursday from the Junior High Schools.
Please let Liz know if you need one.
Want to know more about what is happening
at FIRE & WATER? Download the FIRE &
WATER app, sign up to be an Insider or
follow us on social media.
BINGO PRIZES ARE NEEDED for monthly Bingo
at Hamilton Trace, sponsored by Jr. High student
ministries. A variety of items are given as prizes
and the following are needed: full sized Hershey
Bars (dark, regular, with almonds), Snickers Bars
or any other full size candy bars, individual packs
of cookies (Oreos, Chips Ahoy, vanilla sandwich),
individual serving packs of chips, pocket packs of
tissues, hand lotion & nail polish remover (travel
size) and packs of Dentyne gum. Drop off
donations in Connection Central by February
22nd.
PLEASE JOIN FIFTY PLUS in the church dining room
on Thursday, February 12 at 11:30 am. We’ll open our
time with prayer, and then enjoy lunch and a time of
fellowship. Due to the chance of inclement weather,
we won’t have a guest presentation, but we would
love to have you come and enjoy each other’s
company. Please call Jenni Debaun with questions.
DO YOU FEEL GOD IS CALLING YOU to serve Him
in a new way? Have you ever felt an urge to be part
of a short-term mission team? Fishers UMC will be
sending an adult Mission Team to Shiprock, New
Mexico, July 11-18, 2015. While there, the team will
do home repairs on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
We will be working with Four Corners United
Methodist Ministry. If you feel God is calling you to
be part of this team, contact Don and Patty Greenlee
at 502.8651 or [email protected].
ALPHA COURSE MONDAYS Alpha is a unique "meetyou-where-you-are" course. It is designed for those
wanting to find out more about the Christian faith or
who seek renewal. It is an eight week course that
meets February 9 through March 30 from 6:15 to 8:30
pm. It includes dinner and a video presentation,
followed by small group discussion. You will have an
opportunity to express your opinions, ask questions,
and discuss issues that are raised. There is no
homework and childcare is provided. If you have
questions or would like to register, contact Susan
Hobson at [email protected] or find out more at
fishers umc.org/alpha.
SINGLES BIBLE STUDY invites you to join them in
their ongoing study on Acts: Living in the Power of
the Holy Spirit, on Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30
pm in Room 284.
FOOD PANTRY NEEDS: Hamburger helper, crackers,
pop tarts, and popcorn. Thank you!
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY: Join Pastor Josh as he
presents a Lenten Bible Study on Thursdays, February
19 through March 26 from 7:00-8:00 pm in Room
203. Sign up in Connection Central. Childcare will be
available.
UPWARD BASKETBALL–VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We
need referees (all age groups) for the Upward
basketball season currently in progress. Games are
from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm through March 14. We are
asking for a 2-hour commitment on Saturdays. There
is no experience necessary; you will be paired with a
person that has experience/refereed in the past. We
supply the shirt and whistle. It takes 20 volunteers
to make this ministry happen! Contact Ed Brown
with questions and/or if you are interested in this
outreach opportunity at [email protected]
or 910.0997.
SHARE YOUR FAITH JOURNEY and encourage
others. We need volunteers to share devotions at
Upward Basketball. Sign up using volunteer spot at
http://vols.pt/t9w3DJ or contact Pastor Larry.
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK…
Dear Friends and Partners in Ministry,
A few Christmases back my wife, Joyce, gave me a large hourglass for
my office. It is accurate to within a second or two [I timed it]. The
significance of the hourglass gift goes back to a time when I bought
small “hourglasses” [3 minute egg timers] for everyone on my staff to
help underscore how quickly and relentlessly time passes. I was trying
to help them in their use of time. I even suggested they keep their
hourglass by the phone on their desk and flip it when they began a call
to see how often they could take care of business in the time it took for
3 minutes’ worth of sand to fall from top to bottom. Efficiency was the
goal.
As I write this article the fine white sand of Joyce’s gift is flowing down
steadily. I have found myself watching its cascade. But its meaning has
shifted for me. The goal for me now is not as much efficiency [always a
virtue] as it is effectiveness. Maybe it’s because I’m well into my “2nd
half,” maybe it’s because over the last year I have watched a good friend
and colleague wrestle with cancer or because I can only watch as my
father – always a man of great strength by every measure – weakens
physically as his body wears down; maybe it’s because over the years I
have come to realize that being efficient is not enough in itself. We
hunger to be effective – to make a difference – to live lives of
significance. Once the sand reaches the bottom of the hourglass time
runs out. While I can turn my hourglass in my office over we can’t reset
the clocks of our lives. Are we living lives of significance? Are we
making a lasting difference that really matters?
How do we know? Is it by calculating the total of the bottom line of
one’s bank statement? Is it by doing things “right?” Or is it by doing
the “right” things and doing them well? [If efficiency only is the goal I
may be in trouble here. I just glanced at my hourglass again. The sand
is still falling -- disinterested.]
According to a poll by America’s leading pollster and a committed
Christian, George H. Gallup Jr., “70 percent of Americans believe that
most churches and synagogues today are not effective in helping people
find meaning in life. Gallup believes the vitality of churches,
synagogues, and faith communities depends very much on how
effectively they respond to six spiritual needs of Americans as he
perceives them from his surveys.
They are listed as:
• The need to believe that life is meaningful and has a purpose.
• The need for a sense of community and deeper relationships.
• The need to be appreciated and respected.
• To be listened to and heard.
• To feel that he/she is growing in the faith.
• The need for practical help in developing a mature faith.
These findings speak to the universal needs to be significant – to
matter; to be known and accepted; to be affirmed and valued; to find
encouragement and support; and to grow in faith: the need to know
that others know and care for us and that they will remember that we
were once here – even after we are gone.
As the Church of Jesus Christ known as Fishers United Methodist
Church - how effective are we in responding to or fulfilling the six
spiritual needs identified by the poll? How do we go about trying to
meet these needs in the lives of others? Do we cater to the desires and
whims of the “consumer” to make them happy? Or do we find that
these needs are met by letting others know they really do matter – to
us and to Christ – by reaching out and investing ourselves in them.
And let’s not kid ourselves – people know when they really matter to us
and when we are just pretending. We will only live lives of significance
as we become significant to others for the cause of Christ.
The sand in my hourglass is still falling. Its well over half gone…. God,
give me – give us -- the humility and wisdom to know that we can only
be truly significant as we allow You to live in and through us and to
reach out using our lives – our eyes, ears, hands, feet, hearts, minds –
to care for, share with, and let others know they are known and loved.
May they know through our actions and our words that they matter –
to You and to us. Amen.
For The Only Cause That Matters,
Kevin
JOIN US IN FEBRUARY for a 6-week study of the Gospel of Mark. This thematic study will focus on an understanding of Mark’s world, and give us a
sense of the way this Gospel challenges the future of the Christian life. Some of the questions it addresses are: What was it like in Mark's world?
What is Mark’s Gospel about? What does Mark teach us about the human condition? What does Mark teach us about Jesus Christ? How does Mark
teach us to understand our current time? What does Mark teach us about living in this millennium? Led by Kim Arnott, this study is based on the
book, Mark’s Message: Good News for the New Millennium by Justo Gonzalez. The study will begin on Wednesday, February 11 and continue through
March 25 (group will not meet on March 4,) and will meet in Room 276 from 6:30-8:00 pm. Sign up in Connection Central to participate.
As lay persons of our congregation, we know pastors are called to serve and lead by God. What we often
forget, however, is God calls all of us to serve. He made us for a purpose, His purpose. STEPHEN MINISTERS are
no exception. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 from the MSG explains a STEPHEN MINISTER's call to serve. ". . . He comes
alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else
who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from
following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort." Is God calling you to serve? To find out more about STEPHEN
MINISTRY, call Jean Jagger at 317.728.6228 or Josh Ditmer at 317.849.1805.
Join us Sunday
mornings
at 9:45
as we explore
the world
in
the Great Race.
We will learn
Biblical Principles
from the life of
Nehemiah.
CONTACT US
All emails are first initial followed by last name @fishersumc.org i.e. [email protected]
Pastors: Kevin McKinney and Josh Ditmer
Director of Sr. High Ministries & NewSong: Troy Richards
Director of Children’s Ministries: Larry Crane
Director of Traditional Music & Worship and Food Pantry: Linda Williams
Office Manager/Financial Secretary: Julie Tillman
Multi-Media Coordinator: Lorie Richards
Preschool/MDO Director: Jane Musser
Wedding Coordinator: Joyce McKinney
Stephen Ministry: email [email protected]
Director of Congregational Relations: Jill Buckler
Director of Junior High Ministries: Liz Simmonds
Children’s Ministries Assistant: Jenica Giffin
Organist and Accompanist: Ray Lahrman
Admin. Assist./Facility Scheduler: Kim Manka
Custodians: Jenni Debaun, Mark Fielder
Assistant Preschool/MDO Director: Diane Renner
Building Maintenance Manager: Milt Yakey
Fishers United Methodist Church
9691 E. 116th Street Fishers, Indiana 46037
317-849-1805
www.fishersumc.org
WE ARE A COMMUNITY OF HEALING AND SERVING
ROOTED IN JESUS CHRIST