e-newsletter May 25 2018

The Moscow United Methodist Church126 Church Street Office Phone: 570-842-7251Moscow, PA 18444 e-newsletter May 25, 2018 In this newsletter - Transportation neededSpring Fling Weekend at Sky Lake Camp & Retreat Center Next Meeting MUMC Book Club – June 21 Special Announcement: Proposed Way Forward to Unity Young adult-College Student Mission MUMC Winners of the Sky Lake 5K

There's a church member who lives in Madison Township who is need of transportation to and from Church. It would not be every week but just at times when she is feeling up to attending. Her name isRoseanna Van Dyke. If anyone is interested in helping they can contact me at 570-842-3363 or e-mail [email protected]. Thank you, Vicki Herman For information, contact Sarah Shoff 570-430-1094

Next Meeting MUMC Book Club Thursday, June 21, 2018 – All Welcome !! 6 pm in Pastor’s Office Call 570-842-7251 for more information Like to read? Pick one or both of the books below (paper or electronic) and join with friends to discuss. Check out Libby – a free app for electronic book borrowing Book Copies available for any who wish to borrow one Led by Kelly Pulice - [email protected] The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katerina BivaldA New York Times and USA Today Bestseller. A heartwarming tale about literature's power to transform.\" ―People A reminder of why we are booklovers, this is a sweet, smart story about how books find us, changeus, and connect us. Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen... Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley Sensitive, hilarious, and emotionally rewarding.... The intimacy of pet ownership is sweetly suffusedthroughout this heartwarming autobiographical fiction... In generous helpings of bittersweet humanity, Rowley has written an immensely poignant and touchingly relatable tale that readers (particularly animal lovers) will love.” — Publishers Weekly

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – May 7, 2018As Bishops of The United Methodist Church, we affirm that WE ARE OF ONE HEART in ourdesire to discern the mind and will of Jesus Christ for our leadership and the church.Dear Sisters and Brothers of the Susquehanna Conference,Grace to you in the name of Jesus Christ our Risen Savior, Prince of Peace, Healer of ourbrokenness, and Hope of the world. Surrounded by and bathed in prayers, the Council ofBishops met in Chicago last week to discern the recommendation that would be sent to thespecial session of General Conference to be held February 23 to 26, 2019 in St. Louis,Missouri. What was adopted by the Council is the following.Motion: Having received and considered the extensive work of the Commission on a WayForward, the Council of Bishops will submit a report to the special session of the GeneralConference in 2019 that includes: • All three plans (The Traditionalist Plan, The One Church Plan, and The Connectional Conference Plan) for a way forward considered by the Commission and the Council. • The Council's recommendation of The One Church Plan. • All historical narrative of the Council's discernment process regarding all three plans.Rationale: In order to invite the church to go deeper into the journey the Council andCommission has been on, the Council makes all the information considered by theCommission and the Council of Bishops available to the delegates of the GeneralConference and acknowledges there is support for each of the three plans within theCouncil. The values of our global church are reflected in all three plans. The majority of theCouncil recommends The One Church Plan as the best way forward for The UnitedMethodist Church. The Council of Bishops believes that the report is to be informative withtransparency and that the recommendation is the faithful response to the following visionof a way forward: • Maximize the presence of a United Methodist witness across the globe • Allow for as much contextual differentiation as possible • Balance an approach to different theological understanding of human sexuality with a desire for as much unity as possibleThe full report, including the recommended \"The One Church Plan\", the other two plans(The Traditionalist Plan and The Connectional Conference Plan), and the historical narrative

of the Council's discernment process regarding all three plans, will be shared with thewhole church as soon as it is perfected and translated into several languages, but no laterthan July 8th, 2018. Here's a brief look at each plan concerning the matters of humansexuality and full inclusion of gay and lesbian persons.The Traditionalist Plan: • Current restrictive language will be strengthened. • Accountability to noncompliance will be increased.The Connectional Conference Plan: • In positioning with theological orientations and values (traditional, centrist, and progressive) three Connectional Conferences (branches) will be created. • Annual Conferences and local churches could choose which Connectional Conference to align with. • Each Connectional Conference establishes its own language in the Book of Discipline.The One Church Plan: • Current restrictive language will be changed into permissive language. • It is up to the Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry and Clergy Session to determine the standards upon which someone is ordained, to the clergy to determine who they marry, and to the local congregation to decide their marriage policies. • No one will be required to do something against one's conscience.While the Council of Bishops believes the report represents its best thinking and judgmentaround the critical matters before the church, it is up to the General Conference todeliberate, discern, and decide. Knowing the great diversity among the twelve millionUnited Methodists worldwide, it will be an extremely challenging process.In the midst of the disagreement we may have, we are called to be the church together. Asthe Body of Christ, we deeply love and care for one another. In less than a month, we willmeet as an annual conference. We will have a significant time of holy conferencing withmany moments of prayer in the spirit of \"Better Together: One With Christ\". There will beother opportunities in the days to come for us to gather for continued conversation andprayer throughout the Susquehanna Conference.This is an anxious time of our beloved United Methodist Church. We put our trust and hopein Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church who yearns and prays for the unity of God'sfollowers. I solicit our brothers and sisters of the Susquehanna Conference to enter intothis most decisive season of our beloved church in deep, intentional, focused, andpurposeful prayer with openness to the movement of the Spirit. We know that God is incharge. The mission of the church is yet alive. God will lead us into a way forward. Alive inChrist together, the Susquehanna Conference will embody the beloved community ofdisciple-making congregations for such a time as it is.Prayerfully, In Christ,Bishop Jeremiah J. Park

Calling all College studentsYou are invited to help at the North Pocono Food Pantry on Thursday, June 14,2018 from 9:30 to 11:30 am. There will a large food delivery that day and BethCzudala (from MUMC) and the rest of the Food Pantry team would reallyappreciate your help. This would be a great time to help others in mission andmaybe get service hours. Afterwards, we will treat to a light lunch and ice creamat Tasty Swirl for which is around the corner from the food pantry in Bill’s plaza.We hope you can come! For more information, please email, text or call ConsuelaBrown at [email protected] or 570-954-0786. It will great to see you while you’re home on summer break!North Pocono Food Pantry – Dec 2017 MUMC Sky Lake 5K Winners – 1st & 2nd Place May 20, 2018 was open house and race day at the Sky Lake UM Camp in Windsor, NY. Two MUMC runners placed 1st and 2nd in this fundraiser for camp scholarships. At one point, for a brief moment, Sam Kelly was behind (photo on the left), but he pulled ahead to finish 1st. Michael Shoff finished 2nd – Congratulations !!!