092619E-Newsletter

The Moscow United Methodist Church 126 Church Street Moscow, PA 18444 Office: 570 842-7251 Email office@moscowumc.com Website www.moscowumc.com e-newsletter Sept 26, 2019 In This Newsletter Autumn Prayer: May the harvest from Autumn Prayer the fields remind us of the abundance we Just for Laughs Pastor Lori Letter have been given and bounty we are to Bishop’s Letter share with others. May the dying of Finance Workshop @ MoscowUMC summer's spirit remind us of your great Learning Tree Preschool promise that death is temporary and life Sunday School is eternal. We praise you for your Auction 2019 Book Club goodness forever and ever. Ad Council Minutes The Substitute: The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play. “Here’s a copy of the service,” he said impatiently. “But, you’ll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances.” During the service, the minister paused and said, “Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $4000.00 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more please stand up.” At that moment, the substitute organist played “The Star Spangled Banner.” And that is how the substitute became the regular organist! Submitted by Carol Verrone

Pastor’s Letter “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear it’s sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 In the third chapter of John’s Gospel, a man named Nicodemus who was a respected, elite member of the religious ruling council (the council not in favor of Jesus), went to Jesus in the darkness of night. He sought Jesus out, not to discuss the region’s state of religious affairs, instead Nicodemus came to Jesus for personal reasons. He wasn’t content with his seemingly proper, righteous life. Nicodemus was missing something, had a void, he couldn’t understand. It was a deep yearning in his heart that no one nor nothing could fill, except Jesus. The two men conversed about his concerns, his needy soul, and salvation. Jesus offered Nicodemus exactly what would bring his life to eternal fulfillment, transformation through forgiveness from the sinful ways of the world to live life anew in faith, believing in the message of Jesus. Jesus gave Nicodemus a real, meaningful life of divine purpose. He left a changed person, with a whole new beginning rich with promise. He was then able to venture daily through an enlightened perspective and a genuine holy heart. Many, like Nicodemus are out there wondering around with an emptiness that only Jesus can fill. Through Nicodemus’ story, we are shown to be like Jesus – to be welcoming, meet persons in their sinfulness, invite them to accept the better way Jesus offers, and encourage persons through our words and actions as Christians. Individually we are many. Together we are united as one through the center of the cross relationship we share in. Then, there’s John 3:8 above. Once one accepts Jesus as Savior and is created anew, the Holy Spirit steps in. When one intentionally walks according to the Spirit, life truly becomes a faith adventure. Everyone born of the Spirit carries themselves along in the joyful affirmation of God moments. Sometimes the wind of the Spirit is like a gentle breeze bringing assurance, comfort, and security when needed. Other days, it is like a mighty wind, taking you places you never imagined you would go or to be doing things you never thought you would, all for the glory of God and the betterment of God’s people. Life lived within the Spirit’s power is beyond what we could expect, because God is in it. As God’s created human beings, we can hear the sound of the wind blowing and feel it moving or swirling about us. Although, we cannot actually see the wind, we know not where it originated from or where it will conclude. Yet, we can allow the wind of the Holy Spirit to direct us by simply letting go of what we may have planned and move with it. We will never be let down. We can plan and anticipate many things, but if the Spirited will of the Lord stirs things up, it is best to let go and let God guide us to places, accomplishments, conversations, experiences, which we know beyond any doubt, that we are in the midst of a purpose infused act of God. So, next time you find yourself in a moment or situation where you can feel God’s peace, contentment, joy, relief, well-being, release, love, strength, or hope, take the time to praise your Lord for grace all around. And, always remember to share these times with others, those you know and those who need to be touched by the divine winds of transformation. Enjoy the autumn breeze and the journey to which it moves you as you serve your Lord.

September 18, 2019 Dear Sisters and Brothers of the Susquehanna Conference, Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, Healer of our Brokenness and Hope of the World! There are seasons to everything. I would like you to know that I will retire effective September 1, 2020. After a time of discernment and prayer, I am at peace with my decision and it is well with my soul. In 2004 I was consecrated Bishop in The United Methodist Church. During 41 years of ministry in The United Methodist Church I have served as Residential Bishop for two Episcopal Areas in the Northeastern Jurisdiction; New York and Harrisburg. I have been exceptionally blessed and honored to serve as your Bishop of the Susquehanna Conference. With the deepest sense of joy and privilege and with gratitude I thank God for allowing me to serve the church with such faithful, committed, generous, and gracious people as those of the Susquehanna Conference for these two quadrennia. There will be other occasions and opportunities for me to express my gratitude for you and the journey we took together and to communicate the needed transitions that will take place in the most beneficial way for our conference and the new episcopal leader. Together we will prepare our beloved Susquehanna Conference for the next chapter of God’s journey with us. Your prayers for the conference, conference leadership and me during this time of transition would be greatly appreciated. God has been faithful in the past and God will continue to do so in the future. What an awesome God we worship and serve! Alive in Christ together, I look forward to what we will accomplish together over the next 11 months, all for the glory of God. May God continue to richly bless and honor you and your ministry. With You in Christ’s Ministry, Jeremiah Park

Moscow UMC Finance Committee Members October Supportive Fellowship Church Finances Workshop Need help with budgeting, how about your fall Stewardship campaign, maybe you just have general questions about the best way to handle charge accounting – Rev. Jeff Rarich, former President and Executive Director of the United Methodist Frontier Foundation in New York, and currently serving Salem Community Church, will provide help and insight into church finances. Open to clergy and laity who are involved in all financial aspects of the church. We’ll sing and pray together for ½ hour, work together as clergy and laity for an hour; and then break into clergy and laity groups for questions specific to each. Bring your questions! The Workshop will be held here at Moscow UMC on October 5th 2019 from 10 am to 12 pm All Moscow UMC Finance Committee

Moscow UMC Learning Tree Our busy month of October starts out learning Fire Prevention Awareness with a lesson in Hot/Not Hot. The following Wednesday the class is invited to attend a firehouse field trip with the preschoolers, Thursday we will learn about shapes with the help of Spookley the Pumpkin. Mid-month we'll be looking for signs of Autumn all around and making an acorn craft. We end our lessons in October with The Very Busy Spider and a Halloween spider craft, and finally on Halloween we get to dress up and celebrate the holiday with a party!

in Sunday school, grades 3-6 picked some leaves and laminated them, in a couple of weeks they will collect more and look at them colored! Our preschool class talked about forgiveness, our story was The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32), and our project was a hug. We used our own hands and we got to decorate them ourselves!

Moscow United Methodist Church Fall Auction 2019 Saturday, October 19 Join us for a fun filled evening of food and fun. There will be lots of items to bid on, donated by local businesses and friends, in both a live and silent auction . There will be local business gift certificates, gift baskets, art, antiques, collectibles, and a few surprises! Come early and preview the items. Food will be available for purchase as well as our famous Moscow UMC Welsh Cookies. Dinner and Preview, 5:50 -6:30 Auction Starts at 6:30 If you know someone who is willing to donate an item or if you would like to donate please contact Chris at 570-498-8780, or email office@moscowumc.com.

Moscow UMC Book Club The Next meeting of the Moscow UMC book club will be on October 24th 2019 at 6:00 PM. All are welcome

Moscow United Methodist Church Administrative Council Meeting Minutes Monday, August 26, 2019 Attendees: Pastor Lori Robinson, Paulette Fotta, Howard McIntosh, Kim Havenstrite, Linda Verrastro, Steve PhillipsPastor Lori opened the meeting with a prayer. Paulette made the motion to accept the July 15th minutes. Linda seconded the motion and all were in favor. The charge conference minutes were distributed and reviewed. Linda made a motion to accept these minutes. Second by Howard and all were in favor. Pastor Report Pastor Lori has been busy meeting with parishioners and attending various church meetings. There will be a spiritual gifts inventory going out to the congregation and membership – hopefully by the end of September. There was a brief discussion regarding the special Sunday offerings as well as the basket offerings. The basket offerings go strictly towards our ministry shares. This money is not used for any outside charities. Howard questioned whether we need to continue including special envelopes for capital campaign. Pastor Lori is looking to meet with the Trustees and Finance committees to go over some of these issues. She also plans to encourage the chairs of every meeting to attend the monthly as council meetings. Pastor Lori and Chris have been discussing switching up the newsletter to include more church information and reviews. They plan to add a follow-up to some of the events. She is also in communication with St. Mary’s Villa to lead a monthly worship service there. The monthly clergy fellowship meeting for September is a pre-church/charge conference. On October 5th, the monthly gathering will be held at MUMC and is a district wide workshop on all aspects of church finance. Pastor Lori recently had her annual 1-on-1 with the District Superintendent and it seemed to go well. There will be a special time of dedication at the September 15th worship service for Sunday school servants. Pastor Lori is scheduled to be off September 2nd-9th and Pastor Eric Luczak will be covering any emergencies. Ed Banfield from Lighthouse ministries will be leading the church services on September 8th. Pastor Lori requested that we add another signer to the account for the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. She spoke with the bank and they would be able to redo the paperwork. Howard made a motion to allow Paulette to be the second signer on the account. Second by Kim Havenstrite – all were in favor. SPRC The committee discussed drawing up a list of rental fees that would be available to anyone interested in using the social hall, the classrooms, or having a wedding or funeral. Steve stated that the point of contact on the Trustees is Gus. Steve and the rest of the committee will look into developing this list. Paulette stated that no one has volunteered to take over the nursery coordinator position. She will run a list of individuals who have been trained in Safe Sanctuaries and perhaps someone would be willing to volunteer for a couple weeks. The children’s Sunday school program will begin at 8:30AM. There was a brief discussion regarding age range for Sunday School.

Preschool Jennifer began as the new Director/Head teacher. Liz Biesecker, who subbed for the preschool last year has been interviewed and hired for the preschool teacher position. Since she does not have a teaching certificate her salary was lowered to $12,675. Jennifer has been working with Jay Croom to improve the preschool’s webpage as well as increasing their social media presence. She also participated in the Moscow Street Parade and National Night Out. She handed out updated brochures, pencils and mini-Frisbees with the preschool’s contact information. The total tuition payments for this school year are as follows: $14,977.50 for the Pre-K class: $7635.00 for the Preschool class: and $1440.00 for the Mommy and Me class. The Learning Tree also received a $300 donation. The annual salaries are $31,590. Linda requested that any donations be clearly labeled so it is not mistaken for a tuition payment. Trustees: Steve reported that the current account balance is $1349.04. Three insurance payments were made. The Wednesday morning crew has been busy working on the list of projects and has also been cutting down branches around the property. Magdon Music has finished installing the wireless microphones and they seem to be working well. The trustees are in the process of researching a new microphone system before July 2020 when the new frequencies begin. It was suggested that Pastor Lori pass the microphone to anyone speaking during announcements or children’s chat. She agreed to have it available to anyone wishing to use it. Budget: The July budget report was distributed and reviewed. Our total ministry shares need to be re-evaluated now that we are yoked with the Gouldsboro church. We will pay 70% and bill Gouldsboro the remaining 30% The total ministry shares were revised on the budget to reflect this difference. Howard suggested keeping the budget numbers the same and having the actuals reflect the difference from the original budget numbers. Everyone agreed to have Chris change the totals back to their original amounts. Paulette made a motion to accept the July budget with these modifications. Steve seconded the motion and all were in favor. The next meeting will be Monday, September 16, 2019 at 7:00PM. Paulette made a motion to adjourn. Second by Steve – all were in favor.