June 2021 Newsletter

The Moscow United Methodist Church 126 Church St Office Phone: (570)842-7251 Moscow, PA 18444 e-newsletter June 2021 Pastor’s Letter “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Greetings to you all in the Name of Christ our Savior! Summertime is upon us. With the pandemic restrictions being lifted, I hope everyone has fun (and relaxing) travels and visits planned during these warm months to experience the beauty of nature in full bloom. Wherever you may venture, may God bless you with much joy while you make treasured memories. Do continue to be safe while out and about. It is refreshing to be able to be in closer relations again. We are God’s people, created for connections. Thank the Lord that this period of physical distancing we have had to endure is improving more and more every day! As you are out and about, remember to shine and show people God’s all encompassing, unconditional love. We are each truly walking talking Bibles, disciples on a constant mission. Our hospitable, social actions may be the only manner by which some persons will gain a glimpse into God’s message of forgiveness, the divine assuring grace that is available to them. These verses from 1 Corinthians teach us there are various gifts, services, and

workings within the church. We have listened recently in worship to specific messages about the purpose of being The Church of Christ established on Pentecost, when the winds and warmth of the promised Holy Spirit blew into the world altering it and empowering believers to become communities of faith united. Each of us is blessed with spiritual abilities to share in ministry for our Lord’s common good. There is much to be done to help people realize they don’t have to be anxious or struggle through the situations of the world. There is a much better way to live, God’s way. Yet, instead of persons looking to their Lord for help, they seem to try to go it alone or find assistance elsewhere. We need to guide them in the right direction, toward the One that created them for better living. The best manner being in Christian community. May we, individually and collectively, be the transforming spiritually progressive answer to someone’s prayers during this season when we have more opportunities to be among others, especially coming out of a trying time in history. God is with us always and gifts us to serve. We are called to maintain steadfast awareness of our surroundings as we appreciate the entertaining experiences of summer 2021 that God has in store for each of us and may God’s glory abound in acts of prayer and praise! Let the Spirit be the spring in your step that brings a communal aspect of promised hope to one and all. Happy trails!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2021 CAMP SON SHINE July 27th-29th 6:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. VBS is returning to MUMC this summer. We are excited to gather for Camp Son Shine “where little campers will learn that they are loved by God and how they can show and tell others God loves them too”! It will be a three session VBS program. Bible lessons include: the Good Samaritan with a lesson of helping and caring for one another; Joseph forgave his brothers with a lesson on the importance of forgiveness; Saul’s transformation to becoming Paul with a lesson of seeing the light in the truth of Jesus and telling others the Good News. The Camp Son Shine Kids will learn the Bible stories around the “campfire” and through activities of music, craft, games, and snacks. Please spread the word to your family, friends, and neighbors. It promises to be fun with the Son! Please contact the church office at (570)842-7251 or [email protected] if you would like to join us. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

DONATION STATION We are so fortunate to be continuously successful with our monthly Donation Stations. In May we were able to fill our bins for Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. God continues to show his eternal love with the blessings he shares with us. Thank you all very much for your unending support for those in need in our community. For the month of June, we are collecting for our Vacation Bible School. We have a list of donations we are looking for on the table by the church mailboxes, we are asking people to sign their name next to the item they wish to donate so we can get the correct amounts of each item. If you would rather contribute a monetary donation, please place your donation in an envelope marked “VBS” and put the envelope in the offering plates at the end of our Sunday Worship Service. Monetary donations can also be mailed to the church or placed on Pastor Lori’s desk. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

GRADUATION SUNDAY This week, June 20, is Graduation Sunday. During the worship service we will recognize and celebrate all those from our church family who have graduated from High School and College in 2021. Also, the Fleckenstein Scholarships will be given out. All families with graduates who plan to attend worship are asked to call the church office, so we know how many graduates will be present for this special worship service. Please join us for this special service as we recognize our graduates and present the Fleckenstein Scholarships to this year’s recipients. It is also Father’s Day. All fathers will be celebrated too!

CHRISTIAN CONNECTIONS Christian Connections Virtual Bible Discussion Group The schedule and topics for discussion are set for the summer. The group will meet on the following Tuesday evenings, 6:15-7:30: June 22nd, June 29th, July 6th, July 13th, August 3rd, August 10th, August 17th, August 31st. The theme will follow a dual central focus of “What Are You Living For” and “God’s Will in Making Life Decisions”. Weekly topics will encompass the following: worldly idols, keeping watch over the words we speak, true wisdom, what defines our wealth, not being foolish in falsehoods, salvation, doubt, distractions, joy, peace, repentance, loyalty, full devotion, sacrifices, avoiding anxiety, transformation, hypocrisy, forgiveness, spiritual health, The Church. Looking forward to meaningful, strengthening, revealing conversations to open all who participate into a closer walk with God and into closer relations with each other on the journey of faith we travel as one in the Lord.

FINANCE REPORT For the month of May: Income - $11,730. / Expenses - $10,017. Year-to-Date: Income - $45, 447. / Expenses - $51, 177. We are grateful for all those who remain obedient to biblically responsive giving financially and much more. Let us join in prayer that as we share the goodness, hope, and love of God, making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world in resurrection living that communally our monetary offerings increase to make up the deficit in the year-to-date report. May our Christian actions and active trust in our Lord grow every day causing the needed means of meeting the budget for 2021 a reality, showing God appreciative glory. SPRING SALE And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17 A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this year’s Spring Sale (extended for two Saturdays) a success. The amount of funds raised was $1,951. This will be a large help for the General Fund. We were overly blessed with donations from small pieces to big items. According to the verse above, from the set up to the sale hours to the clean up, much thanks was given to God through the incredible measure of time and effort by lots of people coming together to volunteer their help. Everything was done in the name of the Lord Jesus as a faith community and we pray for all those who will be

touched through the ministry that shall be done from the sale earnings. It was a joy to serve in fellowship and interact with those who came out to support the church. PENTECOST / CONFIRMATION SUNDAY 2021 We are blessed to have eight new members in our church family. The Confirmation Class came into full membership on Pentecost Sunday. Julia Antonio Aidan Bassi Ashley Greening Abigail Havenstrite William Havenstrite V Alexis Herman Joseph Hitchcock Molly O’Donnell Most of the confirmation classes were virtual this year due to the pandemic. The confirmands did an excellent job learning about Christian beliefs, the United Methodist Movement & UMC Social Principles, and The Church (universal and local) despite the pandemic challenges. As Pentecost approached, we were able to hold in person classes with mentors and families. They also assisted with worship services, served at the Food Pantry a few times for their mission project, and made a banner for the Season of Lent that will hang annually in the sanctuary. Thanks to the mentors for the encouragement they provided to the confirmands on this part of their journey of faith. It was very much appreciated, as was the extra help with banner preparation and hospitality for the fellowship time after worship! We hope to keep the newest MUMC members active in ministry and mission.

The message for Pentecost worship was led virtually by our Bishop Jeremiah Park. Bishop Park is retiring at the end of the summer. Prayers of gracious appreciation for the leadership Bishop Park has given to the Susquehanna Conference and prayers for he and his wife, Lisa, as they embark on the next chapter of their service to God. SUSQUEHANNA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2021 This week is the Annual Conference, which is being held virtually this year. Please pray for Pastor Lori and Donna Mela, the Moscow UMC annual conference representative, as they join with clergy and laity from over 800 churches in the Susquehanna Conference to vote on matters of business and important decision making for the future of our denomination. Moscow Country Street Fair August 6th & 7th Mark your calendars for the Street Fair! Be sure to check out all the happenings throughout town. The church will host a couple special events TBA in the church building and have tables set up on the street for the MUMC WELSH COOKIE SALE and more.

LEARNING TREE PRESCHOOL Our themes for June are The Summer Sun and Animals of the Ocean. This month we continued to focus on writing and reviewing our upper and lowercase letters (lowercase in Pre-K only) and practicing writing and counting. In Pre-K we continued segmenting three letter words as well as learning sight words. Please continue to work on letter recognition and letter sounds at home. We will also focused on writing and counting the numbers 11-20. On behalf of our church we would like to thank Jennifer Leuthe. Mrs. Leuthe started out as a teacher at our preschool when it opened in 2016 as the Learning Tree Preschool teacher, she took over the position of director in 2019. Mrs. Leuthe has done an absolutely wonderful job of keeping the students engaged while learning, and has gone above and beyond during this pandemic. She has made such an impact on all the children she has worked with and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors. SUNDAY SCHOOL Our Sunday School is currently off for the summer. We want to sincerely thank all the families who participated in this crazy year. We were able to spread God’s message of love and hope to over 30 children every week with our packets. We concluded our year with some outdoor summer fun. The children had a wonderful time with water balloons and decorated the parking lot with chalk art. They also enjoyed pizza, ice cream, and cupcakes. If you would like to

receive information for next year, you can contact Barbara Havenstrite at [email protected], or call the church office and leave a message. CANDY BAR SALE We are currently selling Gertrude Hawk candy bars as a fundraiser for the General Fund. If you would like to sell or purchase candy bars you can contact Barbara Havenstrite at (570)842-9372 or the church office at (570)842-7251. FOOD PANTRY We continue to collect for the North Pocono Food Pantry and Dry Goods Pantry. There are collection bins in the coat room between the Narthex and the Sanctuary. The Food Pantry is currently in need of green beans, pasta, soup, and tuna. The Dry Goods Pantry is in great need of laundry detergent and toilet paper.