September 2020 Newsletter

The Moscow United Methodist Church 126 Church St Office Phone: (570)842-7251 Moscow, PA 18444 e-newsletter September 2020 PASTOR LETTER Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. Hebrews 11:1-2 The Book of Hebrews was written to early believers in the Christian movement who were questioning their faith in Christ as their Savior, possibly even considering turning from their newly formed Christian way of living. They were facing hard times, fierce persecution and needed support to endure their circumstances. It is a book of encouragement for believers to remain strong in the saving grace of Jesus and instructs them to hold fast to their faith despite what was occurring around them. Most of the book focuses on the truth of Christ as the superior power above the hardships of the world. In chapter 10, the focus shifts to the centrality of not only believing, but also the importance of actively abiding in faith day by day. To teach the people that they could not only survive, but thrive in living according to their faith, several examples are given in chapter 11 from the Hebrew Scriptures of persons whose lives were guided by faith in God, as evidence of the vitality of faithful venturing through their earthly days. Living by faith was far better for them than merely adhering to rituals of what was the norm of their society. These words also challenged them to grow in their faith, causing them to move in obedience to God, in turn, providing assurance and prosperity. These lessons indeed led the people through to recognize the goodness of God, personally and as a Christian community. And they continue to encourage all Christians today. We live in anticipation of some sort each day within our circumstances and surroundings. In current times of being overloaded by worldly ills, questions, controversies, changeable systems some days, people’s beliefs are stressed. Having faith is like a constant supply of fresh air and joyful hope. Two words describe faith - sure and certain….that we have what it takes to overcome and live with confidence and promise in the love of our Lord. Nothing else needed! We too have that evidence of what the power of faith did for those who came before us. Faith was their confirming motivation to carry on. We are not immune to difficulties and spiritual struggles in this age. So we must keep the faith individually, more importantly as the Church together, urging one another on with the powerful peace that surpasses our understanding, knowing we are blest by the tie that binds us as one. The bottom line in Hebrews for all people is that in good times and in trying times, faith, especially communal faith secures and supports us when we need it most, which is why reaching out, keeping in touch is so important. We need one another. Instead of falling away from your family of faith due to any of life’s circumstances, be active in Christian connection. Be assured, it will make all the difference. We will endure on strength of faith. Pray much and trust in our God who knows and sees all. We shall all meet together again. Always keep the faith! Many answered prayers and blessings be yours! Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25

Devotional Podcasts: Pastor Lori is continuing with a weekly devotional podcast that have various spiritual themes. Each week the podcast is posted on the website, Facebook, and e-mailed to the member list. If you are not on the member list to receive e-mails but would like to, please look on the website for more information on how to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the podcasts on your favorite podcast player (such as Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts). If you have any questions about being added to our e-mail list please reach out to us at [email protected] or via phone at (570)842-7251. Thank you for generosity: In these ever challenging times we would like to thank all the members who have been continuing to send their donations to the church and allowing us to continue on our mission to bring God’s message of love and hope to not only members of our congregation, but those not able to attend church services in other areas as well. We are so grateful to be blessed with so many wonderful members here at Moscow United Methodist that continue to be active members, even when we are unable to gather together in our usual ways as a congregation in our church. We are asking that you continue with your donations if you are able as we investigate new and more creative ways to allow people to connect and be involved with our church and their fellow members. You can send donations directly to the church or use the PayPal option on the church website. “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 Safe Sanctuary Update: We are in the process of updating our Safe Sanctuary procedures. We have a new policy in place, if anyone is interested in volunteering with any of our children’s programs (Youth Group, Sunday School, Bell Choir, etc.) we will gladly help you through all the training and clearance processes. We would love to have as many people involved as possible. Please help us get todays’ youth involved in spreading our faith and love of Christ. We are also reviewing our current records of members who have their training and who needs to be updated, we will be in touch with those people soon. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you, Barbara Havenstrite Safe Sanctuary Coordinator Sunday School Update: Sunday School will be starting Sunday September 20, 2020 with virtual and recorded lessons. We will be sending material out early next week. If you are part of the Sunday School Facebook group please keep an eye out for the upcoming announcements. If anyone knows any families that might be interested in joining us please give them my information (Barbara Havenstrite (570)842-9372), or they can send an e-mail to [email protected], they can also leave a message on the answering machine at the church office (570)842-7251. We are looking into ways to have outdoor gatherings as the conference allows. We will be beginning our missions again as soon as we are able to find ways to safely donate to different organizations, starting with St. Mary’s Villa. Finally, we are looking for volunteers to help with Sunday School and Youth

Group. As some of you may know, Christina Hitchcock will not be coming back to teach this year, she will certainly be missed. Learning Tree Preschool: Hi All, As we transition to in classroom instruction we will continue to focus on classroom rules, learning each other’s names, how to greet one another, being a good friend, working as a team, and how to respectfully, properly, and safely use our classroom materials. Our themes for the remainder of the month are: I Wash My Hands, Apples, and Community Helpers. We will also start to incorporate letters and numbers into our daily schedule! Preschool and Pre-K will be exposed to both upper and lowercase letters’ shapes and their names, along with each letter’s sound. We will be saying the letter’s sound while performing an action from a picture on a letter card. i.e. Letter: D...Picture: Dog…Sound: “duh, duh, duh”...Action: Hold up hands like paws and pretend to dig. Students will be introduced to groups of letters versus a letter of the week. The letters to be introduced for September are Ss, Aa, Tt, Ii, Pp, and Nn. We will also be learning the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. We will be using manipulatives, playing with play doh, drawing on dry erase boards, playing games in small groups, and much more to learn our letters and numbers! Jennifer Leuthe Director/Teacher MUMC Learning Tree Preschool Contact Information: We are working on updating our church directory information. If you would like to update any of your contact or family information (address, e-mail address, phone number, etc) please send an e-mail to [email protected] so we can add you to or update your information in our directory. Thank you! FROM THE DISTRICT: ANNOUNCING …. THREE OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIRTUAL LAY SPEAKER/LAY SERVANT CLASSES GROW! Living as Spiritual Transformational Leaders Spiritual Transformational Leaders engage others in abundant Christian love that transforms lives wherever they go. We offer this as a new entry Lay Servant class (completing all 8 sessions will provide certification as a Lay Servant). This course also can be taken as an Advanced Class for re-certification. We are also seeking to train both pastors and laity as trainers (ideally a pastor/laity team from

each cluster) for this course. Future trainers would take the full course and stay on ½ hour after each session for additional “Train the Trainer Training”. Please indicate your interest when you register. To register: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/Module1 Send $20 payment to: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre District Office 40 Knob Hill Road, Trucksville, PA 18708 Registration Deadline: September 15, 2020 Instructor: Cathy Wilcox, Deacon Candidate and GROW Instructor and Trainer GROW: Living as Spiritual Transformational Leaders- This new curriculum is designed to teach the Susquehanna Conference’s vision to Grow Spiritual Transformational Leaders who engage others in abundant Christian love that transforms lives wherever they go. Each session includes opportunities to practice spiritual disciplines, learn leadership techniques that are necessary for leading now, and have practical opportunities to experience interactive learning for the sake of being spiritual transformational leaders. Module 2 will be offered when ready to complete the process of certification for Lay Servants. ZOOM Meetings: Oct 5 and 19; Nov 2, 16 and 30; Dec 14, Jan 4, Jan 11 6:00 to 8:30 PM Required Books: (Please purchase and have shipped directly to you): Simple Harmony, Larry Duggins (updated 2018 version) – Read for Session 1 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/simple-harmony-larryduggins/1111776840 Hero Maker, Ferguson and Bird, 2018 – Read for Session 6 https://www.amazon.com/Hero-Maker-Essential-PracticesExponential/dp/0310536936 Witness Your Why, Jeremy Scott, 2018 – Read for Sessions 7-8 https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Your-Why-EvangelismChurch/dp/0692093656 Expectations for GROW! 1. Come prepared by reading the resources and praying about God’s best use of your gifts, experience, etc. 2. Participate in the leadership practice between meetings and come back prepared to share successes and challenges. You have permission to experiment. 3. Stay alert to new learnings and God’s nudging about ministry in a new culture. Introduction to Lay Ministry: The Basic Course This is one of several courses available toward Lay Servant Certification. This basic course plus one advanced course is required for Lay Servant Certification. To register: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/BasicCourse Send $20 payment to: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre District Office 40 Knob Hill Road, Trucksville, PA 18708 Registration Deadline: September 30, 2020 Instructor: Rev. Dianne Bentley (Central Honesdale UMC) ZOOM Meetings: Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17 and pre-meeting videos Required Book: “Lay Servant Ministries Basic Course Participant’s Book” (Please purchase and have shipped directly to you): https://bookstore.upperroom.org/Products/DR626/lay-servant-ministries-basic-course- participants-book.aspx Kindle and epub versions are available through this link:

https://bookstore.upperroom.org/AdvancedSearch/DefaultWFilter.aspx?searchTerm=Basic+La y+Servant Lay Servant Ministry classes differ from some other learning opportunities because they require you to spend ten hours with an instructor on a single subject. We will have ten sessions of which six will be work you are doing at home and four hours will be sharing together in a Zoom meeting. It will be easy to access the sessions as they will arrive as a link in your email account. You click on it, you watch it, and that is a video session. Zoom sessions will also arrive as a link. There will also be other work to accomplish. First is to read through the book you purchased or borrowed for the course. REDISCOVERING OUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS This course fulfills the advanced course requirement along with the Basic Course for Lay Servant Ministry; and can also be taken for re-certification requirements. “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.” 1 Corinthians 12: 4 To register: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/spiritualgifts Send $20 payment to: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre District Office 40 Knob Hill Road, Trucksville, PA 18708 Registration Deadline: September 30, 2020 Instructor: Rev. Judy Walker, SWB District Superintendent ZOOM Meetings: Thursday, October 22 through Thursday, November 19 6:00 to 8:00 PM each Thursday evening This class will include full class discussion as well as break-out sessions, all by ZOOM. No travel required. It will be easy to access the sessions as they will arrive as a link in your email account. Required Books: (Please purchase and have shipped directly to you): Each One a Minister by Williams J. Carter https://www.cokesbury.com/Each-One-A-Minister?refq=Each%20One%20a%20Minister Spirit Gifts by Patricia Brown https://www.cokesbury.com/9780687008582-Spirit-Gifts-Participant-s Workbook?refq=Spirit%20Gifts%20Patricia%20Brown “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4: 10 Susquehanna UMC Camp and Retreat Ministry: Susquehanna UMC Camp and Retreat Ministry is looking for donations of new and gently used Christmas lights for their new drive-thru light display at Mt. Asbury Retreat Center beginning November 27, 2020. You can also donate new lights via their Amazon Wishlist- Mt. Asbury Christmas Light Show. Mission Central: Mission Central is running their 6th annual 5K as a virtual event, Monster Mash & Dash, from October 25-31, costumes are encouraged. You can register online; the fee is $25 for adults and $15 for children which includes a t-shirt. If you would like more information about this event please send an email to [email protected] and we will be happy to send that to you. They also have sponsorship opportunities available.