The Journey November 2022 Issue

Telephone: (570) 342-8263 Email: [email protected] Website: elmparkumchurch.org Rev. Mike Bealla Senior Pastor “Exciting Times” My Brothers and Sisters in ance, both in-person and ber 7. Please drop in and Christ! Greetings! online, is growing weekly welcome her when you have with our in-person attend- the opportunity. It’s been an amazing few ance nearing pre-Covid weeks leading up to this edi- numbers. Praise be to God! A Few Upcoming Ministries tion of “The Journey!” So many exciting things hap- We have recently completed Our annual Thanksgiving pened. You’ll be reading two special studies that Evening Service is set for about some of these events looked at “The Lord’s Pray- Wednesday evening, Novem- as you peruse this newslet- er” and the “Apostle’s ber 23, at 7:30pm. Please ter. For example, the “Coat Creed.” More than 40 per- join us as we offer our thanks Give Away” was amazing. sons attended these two for God’s blessing of our So many of you responded studies. Another study is lives! by providing coats, working planned to begin on Novem- on the set-up and give away ber 29th. More information Perhaps the biggest news as days, and the clean up! will follow. we move towards the season of Advent is the re-starting of Trunk or Treat saw nearly Perhaps this would be a our Chapel Services. Begin- 500 persons go through the great time to announce the ning, November 27th, the 14 decorated “trunks.” This arrival of our new Adminis- Chapel Service will be offered was huge especially after a trative Assistant and at 8:30 am. smaller Covid tainted version Bookkeeper. Sandy Te- in 2021. Worship attend- lincho officially started her On Saturday, December 10, new role with us on Novem- at 5:30 pm, we will celebrate the return of our monthly

2 The Journey - November 2022 “Peace Meal.” This community meal is offered to everyone at no charge and is held on the second Saturday of each month. We can always use volunteers to help at this meal! Finally A word of sincere thanks to each and everyone one of you for your commitment, prayers, presence and gifts to the work of Jesus Christ! This church is an amazing witness to the power of God unleashed when we come together to serve our mission and ministry. You each help make it possible, and God empowers our work with the gift of the Holy Spirit. En- joy this edition of “The Journey.” Until Next Time! Rev. Mike Bealla Join us for our next Bible Study On Tuesday evening, November 29, at 7:00 pm, we will begin an Advent Study written by Rev. Adam Ham- ilton entitled, “Prepare the Way For The Lord.” This study will last for four weeks and will help us experi- ence the deeper meaning of Advent as well as the role of John the Baptist in the Gospel story. Please sign the sheet in the rear of the sanctuary to register. You can also email the pastor at seniorpas- [email protected] or call the office. You can attend in person or join us online for this study. Here’s a link to a preview of the study https://youtu.be/0VOLi6oIgHw For the latest news and event information, visit the Elm Park UMC website at www.elmparkumchurch.org

The Journey - November 2022 3 A Note From Our Associate Pastor Church Family, As I write this, it is hard to believe that is early November. Where has the summer gone?? Even though temperatures have been quite mild, cold winter months are not very far away. As preparations are underway for the Thanksgiving holiday, we cannot overlook the things we are thankful for over the past year. I have seen healing among our church members, and I have seen great milestones celebrated as well. I also enjoy seeing many new faces in worship and look forward to resuming in-person visitations soon. I pray that everyone enjoys a joyous holiday season. Please contact me at the church at 570-342-8253 or by email at [email protected] with any needs or concerns. God Bless and be safe , Pastor Andy Consecration Sunday December 18 Our annual re-commitment of our lives and our anticipated giving is returning. Our theme this year will be “Coming Home for Christmas.” More information will be coming to you, but for now, please keep the date of December 18 open for our Celebration Dinner to be held at the church following 10:00 am the worship service. Our Mission: Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

4 The Journey - November 2022 At Ask The UMC, we have been answering an in- creasing number of questions from congregations wondering about the future of The United Methodist Church and whether they should consider disaffiliating from it. These have included recurring questions that reflect misperceptions or misinfor- mation that some congregations are receiving as they discern their next steps. This is the third of a series of articles aimed at offer accurate responses to such misperceptions or misinformation. As the previous two, this article is based on a variety of questions we have received multiple times through email, phone calls, and live chat. The second article focuses on matters relating to human sexuality. The first article in this series focuses on matters relating to theology and pensions. We welcome your questions and invite you to contribute to future articles in this series by sharing what you are hearing about the process of disaffiliation or the future of The United Methodist Church. Write to [email protected]. Is The UMC really…? 11. Able to allow congregations to sidestep the requirements of Paragraph 2553 in the Book of Dis- cipline by using Paragraph 2548.2 as an alternative path to disaffiliation? No. Judicial Council Decision 1449 is clear: “[T]he process in ¶ 2548.2 may not be used as a pathway for local churches to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church.” What is at stake in this question? The Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA), an independent advocacy group, in collaboration with the National Center for Life and Liberty (NCLL, an unrelated “nonprofit legal ministry”) has encouraged churches in several conferences (Florida, Western North Carolina, Eastern Pennsylvania, with “similar group actions” expected to proceed in the Western Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Peninsula-Delaware conferences) to file or threaten to join NCLL-led lawsuits against their conferences un- less the conferences immediately cease to require the “onerous” conditions of Paragraph 2553 and in- stead allow congregations to disaffiliate under Paragraph 2548.2. That paragraph in the Discipline has been put forward for some time now by the WCA and others to sug- gest that: a) there could be a lower threshold of voting (based on a simple majority of a charge conference instead of the two-thirds majority of a called church conference); b) no payments would be required; and c) the whole matter could be addressed through a transfer of the congregation, its property, and its assets to another evangelical denomination through a comity agreement that each conference could, if it so chose, simply create. The Judicial Council decision makes clear what has always been the case about this paragraph. It has nothing to do with local congregations disaffiliating from the denomination. It has to do solely with the trans- fer of property. The only paragraph in the Discipline that provides a means for a local church to become disaffiliated from The United Methodist Church while retaining its property and assets is Paragraph 2553. The decision also notes that annual conferences have no authority to create a comity agreement. The Council of Bishops develops the agreement, which must then be ratified by a General Conference to be- come effective. In the case of the Global Methodist Church, neither of those actions has occurred. There is no basis even for a transfer of property under any comity agreement with the Global Methodist Church be- (Continued on page 5) For the latest news and event information, visit the Elm Park UMC website at www.elmparkumchurch.org

The Journey - November 2022 5 (Continued from page 4) cause no such agreement exists or can exist at this time. Paragraph 2553 was adopted by the special called General Conference of 2019. It was introduced through a substitute motion from an advocate for the Traditional Plan. The motion to substitute passed by a margin of two votes (402-400). The reason for the substitution was that the disaffiliation proposal before the body at the time as part of the Traditional Plan legislation had already been declared unconstitutional and on several points illegal by the Judicial Council. So, to provide for any process for disaffiliation while retaining local church property, Traditionalist leaders moved the substitution of this provision. After debate, the sub- stituted motion was approved 420-390. The Judicial Council subsequently affirmed its constitutionali- ty when applied with the requirement in 2529.1.b.3 that the annual conference must provide final consent to enact a disaffiliation. Paragraph 2553 remains the only paragraph in the Discipline authorizing a process for a local church to disaffiliate while retaining its property and assets. Meanwhile, a few annual conferences had also specified Paragraph 2548.2 as an option for disaffiliation in some way. Two in particular who had done so (Texas and Rio Texas) have now modified their policy docu- ments to remove references to Paragraph 2548.2 as a disaffiliation pathway. 12. About to change its statement on abortion from life-centered to pro-choice? No. It is true that revised Social Principles have been submitted for consideration by the next General Con- ference. However, the revisions made to the section addressing abortion do not alter the life-centered ap- proach of The United Methodist Church on abortion. “Tragic conflicts of life with life” remain the only circumstances in which abortion is considered justifiable in the revised statement. No legislative proposals submitted to the next General Conference call for any other or any lesser standard. There is no basis to conclude the 2024 General Conference will make any change to the denomination’s life-centered commitments regarding abortion. 13. Allowing local churches that refuse to pay apportionments (as the Wesleyan Covenant Associa- tion is now directing) to “get away with it”? No. The Book of Discipline states: “Payment in full of these apportionments by local churches is the first benevolent responsibility of the church” (Paragraph 247.14). If the local church is incapable of fulfilling its first benevolent duty, this begins to call into question whether it remains viable as a local church or whether it is in a position to afford the appointment or appointments it may currently have. The decision about how to respond to such situations lies with each district superintendent. District superin- tendents know and, as pastors themselves, can relate to the financial pressures some congregations may face that limit their ability to pay their apportionments in full, or sometimes, at all. District superintendents also understand the difference between hardship and refusal. The Discipline gives them the tools to respond accordingly. In cases where congregations are refusing to pay all or part of their apportionments, the district superinten- dent may take any of the following actions. (Continued on page 9) Our Mission: Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

6 The Journey - November 2022 Trunk or Treat recap Thank you to each of you who attended, volunteered and/or decorated a trunk for our 8th Annual Trunk or Treat. It was a amazing day! Over 500 kids went though the trunks this year! For the latest news and event information, visit the Elm Park UMC website at www.elmparkumchurch.org

The Journey - November 2022 7 Our Mission: Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

8 The Journey - November 2022 Hanging of the Greens will be on Sunday, November 27th directly af- ter the 10:00 AM Worship Service. If you would like to help please con- tact the Church office @ (570) 342- 8263 so we makes sure to have enough pizza and drinks. All are welcome! Did you miss this year’s All Saints Day Service? Check it out on our YouTube page or click here and join us as we remembered all those who have gone on to glory before us and have passed on their faith to us. We had special music, holy communion and a time for the naming those members of our church who have passed this year… Below are the names of the Saints who were honored this year. Sally Thompson, Shirley Hoffman, Merrill Mayenschein, Lorraine Newton, and Eleanor Rodgers Quick reminder that if you have an event or article that you would like to be published in an edition of The Journey they must be submitted by email to either myself at thejour- [email protected] or to the church office of- [email protected] by the 20th of each month to be published. Also another quick reminder is that if you haven’t already Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to make sure to get all of our announcements within minutes. We post both the Weekly Journey and The Journey Newsletter on both platforms first. We also post event fliers on both platforms as well as our Sunday Service Livestreams. You can find both links on our Website! - Wesley Bealla, Director of Communications & I.T. For the latest news and event information, visit the Elm Park UMC website at www.elmparkumchurch.org

The Journey - November 2022 9 (Continued from page 5) 1. Require review of the local church’s potential (Paragraph 213) as a United Methodist congregation. Is the congregation serving the purpose or able to serve the purpose for which it was organized if it refuses to pay apportionments? If the conclusion of the review is that it is not, the DS, with the district board of loca- tion and building, the bishop, and a majority of the cabinet, can recommend the closure of that local church at the next session of the annual conference (Paragraph 2549.1.a, 2.b). 2. Re-align the pastoral charge (Paragraph 419.9) in consultation with the bishop. For churches with multi- ple appointed clergy, this could involve making fewer appointments. For churches with one clergy, it could lead to a less than fulltime appointment. 3. Recommend, with the approval of the district committee on location and building, the bishop, and the majority of the cabinet, the immediate transfer of all property and assets of the congregation to the confer- ence board of trustees (Paragraph 2549.3.b). In this situation, the conference board of trustees would have discretion about whether, and on what terms, to offer the property and assets to the congregation for its possible future use, or to offer the property to another buyer and direct the assets for the use of the annual conference. Any of these actions could be taken in response to any congregation, regardless of its interest in disaffilia- tion, which refuses to pay its apportionments in full. None of these actions would be taken as a means to discourage or punish congregations simply seeking to disaffiliate. Every bishop in the United Methodist Church in the United States is committed to supporting congregations wishing to disaffiliate to do so in ac- cordance with the policies set by that conference’s board of trustees. United Methodist congregations are free to pursue disaffiliation. They are not free to sabotage the ongoing ministry of The United Methodist Church as they do so. NOVEMBER ALTAR FLOWERS November 6th - Available November 13th - Available November 20th - Available November 27th - In memory of Paula Cinsinski & Joseph Sandrowicz Given by Linda Ladd AVAILABLE DATES FOR ALTAR FLOWERS: December 4, 11, 18, & 25. Please call Sandy in the main office at 570-342-8263 Ext. 10 if you are inter- ested in any of these available dates. Thank you. Our Mission: Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

10 The Journey - November 2022 Funny Signs! Sponsored by 1 Michael Caswell 13 Merrill Mayenschein 1 Erick McCloe 13 Jill Sweeney Betsy Miller 1 Cherie Peoples 14 Sarah Luczak 1 Barbara Peters 15 Catherine Mayenschein 2 Austin Baumann 15 Ashley Simmons 2 Avery Baumann 15 Elizabeth Yusinski 2 Austin Kreig 16 Audrey Black 2 Sam Rudick 16 Teri Huester 2 Dustin Schroeter 17 Jeffrey Curtis 3 Ralph Cooper Jr 17 Joan MacDerment 4 Lukas Kameroski 17 Allison Rocco 4 Stella Mansour 17 Ethan Scotch 4 Jen Prothero 18 Krystianna Berdini 4 Eric Scotch 20 Catherine Baril 4 Brianna Swartz 20 Cheryl LaCoe 5 Daniel Kowalski 20 Shauna Zink 5 Ravenna Rinaldi 21 John Baker 5 Donna Steen-Casella 21 John Kolander Jr. 5 Lilly Warring 21 Chester Schultz 6 Jillian Frank 22 Cheryl McDonald 6 Matthew Mang 22 Mia Napolitano 6 William Sweeney 22 Jamielyn Pabst 7 Kenneth Reese Jr 22 Cynthia Stone 9 Timothy Brier 23 Rhonda DeNunzio 9 Donald Keating Jr 25 Donna Schroeter 10 Richard Aston Jr 26 Troy Pauli 10 Tyler Aston 27 Edward Allen 10 Kathryn Baker 27 Kelly Cosgrove 10 Roy Pauli 28 Kevin Long II 10 Bill Sakosky Jr 28 Christopher Troiani 10 Brittany Schlesser 29 Amy Hall 11 Marianne Manka 29 Kaylie Harvey 12 Carissa Cosgrove 29 Emilee McDermott 12 Lucille Johnston 30 Alexis Cosgrove 13 Alice Lench 30 Patricia Roe 30 Sheila Thompson For the latest news and event information, visit the Elm Park UMC website at www.elmparkumchurch.org

The Journey - November 2022 11 This is a snapshot of Events & Activities scheduled for the month of November. A full schedule is available on our website. Should you like to schedule an activity or have questions, please contact the church office at 570-342-8263 ext. 10. Weekly Events for November Important Events for November Monday 10:00 AM Staff Meeting (L) Wednesday 23rd Thanksgiving Eve Service 7:30 pm Tuesday 10:00 AM Lectionary Meeting (L) 3:30 PM S.T.A.R.S Program (MPR) Sunday 27th Hanging of the Greens 11:00 am 7:00 PM Advent Study (Dinning Rm) Wednesday 10:00 AM Bread Basket (MPR 1) 3:30 PM S.T.A.R.S Program (MPR) Sunday 10:00 AM Sanctuary Service (Sanct./Online) 12:00 PM African Praise Service (Woodling Room) Rev. Mike Bealla - Senior Pastor Wesley Bealla George Simmons - Director of Director of Communications & Music Phone: (570) 342-8263 Ext. 2 I.T. Phone: (570) 342-8263 Ext. 5 Email: Email: [email protected] [email protected] Phone: (570) 342-8263 Ext. 4 [email protected] Email: Rev. Andrew Weidner [email protected] Associate/Visitation Pastor [email protected] Phone: (570) 342-8263 Ext. 3 Mike Heffron Email: Director of Maintenance [email protected] Phone: (570) 342-8263 Ext. 6 Email: Sandy Telincho [email protected] Administrative Assistant/ [email protected] Bookkeeper Rick Bivens - Maintenance Phone: (570) 342-8263 Ext. 0 Phone: (570) 342-8263 Ext. 6 Email: Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Our Mission: Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

Elm Park UMC 712 Linden St. Scranton PA, 18510 Address Service Requested In This Issue Worship Times 8:30 AM Chapel Service A Message from our Senior Pastor 9:00 AM—10:00 AM Fellowship time A Note from our Associate Pastor 10:00 AM Sanctuary Service 12:00 PM African Service Trunk or Treat Recap Ask UMC Part 3 November Food Giveaway Poinsettia/Tree Form