022819eletter

The Moscow United Methodist Church 126 Church Street Moscow United Methodist Church Moscow, PA 18444 Office: 570 842-7251 Email [email protected] Website www.moscowumc.com e-newsletter February 28, 2019 This Is My Church It is composed of people like me, In This Newsletter We make it what it is. A Grace Note - Lent It will be friendly, On The Journey with Jesus If I am. Lenten Schedule and Studies Its pews will be filled, If I help fill them. It will do great work, If I work. Community Lenten Worship It will make generous gifts to many causes, MUMC Sunday School News If I am a generous giver. Red Cross Blood Drive It will bring other people into its worship, January Ad Council Minutes And fellowship if I bring them. It will be a church of loyalty and love, Of fearlessness and faith, and a church with a noble spirt If I, who make it what it is, am filled with these. Therefore, with the help of God, I shall dedicate myself to the task of being all things That I want my church to be. Author Unknown

A Grace Note… Dear friends in Christ – For a few weeks now, I have heard an occasional chirp and peep of birdsong from bare trees and shrubs. How encouraging! In just a few weeks, Spring will be here again with all its promises of new life after a cold, icy winter. Soon, we begin the season of Lent, a holy journey with Jesus. Interestingly, the word “lent” means “spring”. The 40 days of the season of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday, March 6 and lead to Easter Sunday, April 21. These coming days of spiritual deepening leading us to resurrection, bring us closer to the source of all life and light and love that we celebrate as spring arrives. During Lent we reflect on the life and teaching of Jesus including the great sacrifice on the cross God made for us so we might know joy and salvation. In the gospels, Jesus invited people to “take up their crosses and follow him”. This might encourage us to make sacrifices for our spiritual growth – such as fasting and giving compassionately – and at other times to “take up” something – such as regular worship attendance, daily prayer, Bible reading, serving in church, or giving to God in new ways. You will find many opportunities at Moscow UMC to honor your own spiritual journey and grow in faith and discipleship – walking alongside Jesus. Our journey with Jesus is putting one foot in front of the other to experience challenging climbs, majestic views, unexpected turns, and wilderness experiences. On this journey we find new direction as we choose a faith-filled path to take. My prayer for us all is that we take some time this Lent to Journey with Jesus, so that we can know the richness and joy of God’s Easter love in our lives. Blessed to be with you on this journey! Pastor Jean

On the Journey with Jesus - Lent 2019 – Moscow UMC Worship Sunday, March 3 Lead-in to Lent: An Unexpected Journey Sunday, March 10 Communion Sunday – Hymn Sing before worship 1st Sunday of Lent – The Wandering Way Sunday, March 17 2nd Sunday of Lent – The Way Around St. Patrick’s Day – Coffee Hour – St. Mary’s Villa Worship 2 pm Sunday, March 24 3rd Sunday of Lent – A New Way Sunday, March 31 4th Sunday of Lent – The Way Home One Great Hour of Sharing – UMCOR Sunday – Contemporary Worship Sunday, April 7 5th Sunday of Lent – The Free Way Communion Sunday – Hymn Sing before worship Sunday, April 14 Palm/Passion Sunday – The Other Way – Coffee Hour Sunday, April 21 Easter Sunday – The Day of Resurrection! - Easter Egg Hunt

Small Group Studies this Lent At Moscow United Methodist Church Vital Conversations: Racism in the Church - Sundays, 9:30 am, through March 24 The Gospel of John - Tuesdays, 6 pm, begins March 12 40 Days of Love - We were made for relationships Sundays, 9:30 am, begins March 31 All Welcome! For more information, call the church office 570-842-7251 or go to www.moscowumc.com Lenten Devotional and Prayer Books A variety of prayer and Bible study booklets are available at the back of the church, in the vestibule and narthex areas (lobby), and in the church library. Devotional booklets include writings and reflections on Scriptures by classic Christian writers, and up and coming theologians, for both individuals and families. Be sure to grab one that interests you and grow closer to God through prayer and understanding of the Scriptures. Lent is the perfect season to read and pray!



Moscow UMC Sunday School News – Come join us! Sundays 9:30 am. Call Sharon Kelly 570-877-8731 for more information Jesus said, “Listen to what I have taught you about God. If you do what I have taught – to trust God and treat people the way you want to be treated – you will be like the wise builder who built his house on a rock. When the rain came, the house on the rock stayed standing. If you do not do what I have taught, you will be like the foolish builder who built his house on sand. When the rain came, the house on the sand was destroyed.” Matthew 7:24-27 Moscow UMC’s Wise Builders “Friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.” 1 John 4:11



Moscow United Methodist Church Administrative Council Meeting Minutes Sunday, January 27, 2019 Attendees: Pastor Jean Blackie, Jack Carling, Paulette Fotta, Laura Havenstrite, Howard McIntosh, Dan Schilling, Ray Rose, Sarah Shoff, Kim Havenstrite November 19, 2018 Ad Council meeting minutes were reviewed. Sarah motioned to accept the minutes. Paulette seconded the motion. All were in favor. The minutes from the Charge Conference on December 2, 2018 were reviewed. Paulette made a motion to accept these minutes. Howard seconded the motion. All were in favor. Budget Report December ended up being a very good month financially. The church had a significant increase in envelope offerings and was able to pay 7 months of ministry shares. Laura motioned to accept the budget reports. Paulette seconded the motion. All were in favor. The proposed budget for 2019 was distributed and reviewed. There was discussion regarding the projected envelope offerings for next year and the income from the Trustees. The Trustees will have a meeting on February 6th to finalize their budget and present it to the Ad Council at their next meeting. There was also discussion regarding some salaries and the also the music program. The SPRC will look into the discrepancies in the salaries at their next meeting and we will need to discuss the music program with the new organist. The budget approval was tabled until the next meeting. Pastor Report Pastor Jean discussed the importance of our mission statement and proposed that our Vision for the New Year be – “Reaching new people for Jesus Christ.” One way to do this may be by using a Fresh Expressions approach which is a conference resource to help churches find new ways to be a spiritual presence in their communities and engage with people not affiliated with the church. Stewardship Report: Consecration Sunday was November 18, 2018 with a guest speaker from Salem Community UMC. Rev. Jeff Rarich is an expert consultant in stewardship and church financial plans. On that day, 41 individuals and families completed the Estimates of Giving cards with a total of $86,668 committed for 2019. Since then, another 21 individuals and families have returned the Estimates of Giving cards for an updated total of $115,028 committed for 2019. Financial Peace University – did not have enough enrolled for a class this January so John Havenstrite is going to postpone for a month or so. Wills and Codicils – Pastor Jean will be working with Glenn Czulada for an educational opportunity for the end of February or early March. Lent and Easter letter with giving envelope. Lay Leadership Pastor Jean reported that there are several key volunteer positions and committee slots that still remain open. It is getting more difficult to fill spots when the pool to choose the volunteers from keeps getting smaller. She suggested that it may be time to change the structure of the leadership at the church. There was a discussion regarding the Alternative Minimum Structure System which would reduce the number of meetings for committees and councils and also reduce the number of people needed for the committees. The Church Council Governing Board would consist of the Chair, Pastor, Lay Leader, two members of the SPRC, two members from the Trustees, Treasurer, and the Financial Secretary. It can also include Education, Safe Sanctuaries, UMW, Worship or any other the church deems necessary. The Pastor stated that she had worked at a church that had this system and it had been very effective. There was debate about whether this would be right for MUMC. Would it just

encourage people not to come to meetings or would not attending numerous meetings free up more people to volunteer their time to the church? SPRC Jennifer Scott has been hired as the new organist. There will a short biography and photo of her in Sunday’s bulletin. Preschool The Preschool committee held a meeting on January 13, 2018. The budget was reviewed. There was a discussion on how to build up enrollment. Laura Havenstrite stated that there are several fundraisers in the works for the Spring. Offering early drop-off/late pick-up was suggested but that would be changing it from a preschool into more a day care. The timing for registration/Fall enrollment must be earlier than it was last year. Trustee Steve Phillips will be replacing Dan Schilling as the Trustee Committee Chair. Dan reported that the ending balance was $955.38 with most of the bills being paid. The furnace in the church and in the Parsonage was about $3000 to repair. The plumber agreed to accept half the payment now and the other half in a few weeks. Permanent Endowment Jack reviewed the report dated January 21, 2019. The Frontier MUMC Endowment Fund balance is $23,027.62. $20,000.00 of that is loaned to the Learning Tree project. The Ivy Trust Fund is $10,000.00 and loaned to the Learning Tree project. The Fleckenstein Education Endowment total balance is $46,385.41. Jack reviewed the history of the Fleckenstein scholarship. He again made the motion to change tenth paragraph of the resolution from “Whereas, upon transfer of funds to Moscow United Methodist Church, the church will have the sole discretion as to how and where the funds will be invested, with the preservation of the principle governing the overall strategy; and” to “Whereas, upon transfer of funds to Moscow United Methodist Church, the church will have the sole discretion as to how and where the funds will be invested.” After a brief discussion, Pastor Jean made a motion to leave the tenth paragraph as it is but to change the fourth paragraph from (4) scholarships to (2). The new wording will be “Whereas, Moscow United Methodist Church wishes to attain an annual goal of providing up to (2) scholarships of $1000.00 each.” Paulette seconded the motion and all were in favor. Safe Sanctuary Sarah reported that May would be the best time to hold a class. She also suggested starting a committee of 4-5 that would be in charge of assessing the weather during inclement weather and making a decision whether to cancel church services. The different areas (Choir, Sunday School, etc) have always made the decisions for their respective groups. The next meeting will be Monday, February 18, 2019 at 7:00PM. There was a motion to adjourn the meeting by Sarah with a second by Laura. All were in favor.