UMCWFB - Weekly eJoy

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ejoy! weekly newsletter April 9/10, 2011

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Thought for the Day:

Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.

-St Augustine

Sermon Series: 29 Days of Giving

A number of years ago the Templeton Foundation researched gratitude. They discovered that people who are grateful are happier and healthier (physically, emotionally, and spiritually). The second part of this research was how easy it was to become a grateful person. It simply took a willingness at the end of each day to name 5 things a person was grateful for. The word that comes to my mind is "intentionality."

When we intentionally reflect on what we are grateful for, we become grateful. I think this has been the biggest reminder for me these past 29 days. I have been in awe of how many gifts I receive each day, of how many times I experience God's blessings and in the end how grateful I am. I am more aware of how my busyness gets in the way to acknowledge and receive the gifts I have been given or to notice God's continually blessings poured out on me. What about you? What have you become more aware of these past 29 days?

The apostle Paul writes in his letter to the people of Thessalonica to be thankful in the midst of all circumstances in life. We so often confuse this with being thankful for the circumstances of life. The people in Thessalonica are finding themselves persecuted for their faith. They are ready to give up. These words of Paul's are actually words of encouragement. When the people of Thessalonica could find ways to give thanks, they became hopeful and bold.

This weekend we will briefly look at Paul's letter and how we are encouraged to give thanks. We will then say thanks to God and to this church as we offer our commitments of giving and serving. Our children in MACC (Musical Activities for Children of Christ) will share their thanks to God and all of us as they share their musical, Moses and the Freedom Fanatics at 9 and 10:30.

This is one of those weekends that you do not want to miss. Is is one of those weekends that you want to make sure you take a moment to invite someone to come with you. In response to the ministry we provide our children, they share their joy, enthusiasm and witness in amazing ways!

See you in church!

Pastor Susan

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Asbestos Abatement

April 8, church building closed

There will be a professional company, PARSS who will be overseeing the asbestos abatement in three rooms this Friday. To ensure the safety of all, the building will be closed for the day. If there is a pastoral emergency on Friday, contact Pastor Gerry at 414-614-4009.

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Sunday April 10 is Commitment Weekend. We will have a special ceremony of our commitment to giving and serving at each service this weekend. Please fill out your commitment cards and bring them to worship this Sunday. The cards are available here on the website to download or submit electronically.

Commitment Weekend is a special time for all of us, regardless of our age. I always get goosebumps and my heart is always warmed as our family offers our gifts and am a part of all persons sharing their gifts. It is an important way that we live together as family.

I am reminded of when our children were younger. It was so hard to get them to do their chores. And, of course, they weren't done very well. But the point of our children doing chores when they were young wasn't how well the job was done, but that they knew they had a special place in our family and were needed to contribute to the family for us to live as best as we could.

It is like this in Christ's family here at UMCWFB. Each one of us, whether we are 3 or whether we are 100, whether we are unemployed or a millionaire, have a special place in our church family. Each us contributes to make Christ's family the best that we can. Every financial gift and every service gift allows us to be in the most important ministry we can with each other. We offer our gifts to say thank you to God and to say thank you for being part of the family.

I invite you to bring the commitment to giving and serving cards that you picked up last weekend or mailed to you this week along with you or you found on the website. Talk as a family and pray about your commitments. There will also be commitment cards in the chapel and sanctuary.

There will be a time in worship to bring the cards forward. We will bless our gifts and also pray God's blessings that the gifts offered will be extended into the world.

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Calling all FaithWorkers for the month of April!

Saturday April 9

8:00 am in Jones Narthex

Projects this month:

Northcott- sorting donations

United Methodist Children Services (Description of the work- The project they would like us to do is scrub down a Transitional Living apartment. This would include some heavy lifting, taking out furniture (whole and broken down into pieces) to a storage spot.

Agape-Cleaning the kitchen

Repairers- Sorting donations

Any other work that we may hear about between now and then.

If you are looking for a meaningful morning of camaraderie with Christians and a way to serve, come join us! We really do have fun and connect with each other while on the job

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CHILDREN'S MUSICAL BRINGS LICE, FLIES, FLEAS, AND FROGS TO UMCWFB!

In the winter of 2011, the Egyptian people led a peaceful revolution, regaining their freedom from the dictator, Hosni Mubarek. This semester, the UMCWFB Children's Choirs have been preparing a musical about another revolution that took place in Egypt 5000 years ago. "Moses and the Freedom Fanatics" uses music, dance, and humor to explain how God's prophet, Moses, led the Egyptians to freedom.

Come experience this musical in worship on Sunday, April 10th at the 9:00 and 10:30 services.

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Watch out for our Easter postcard in the mail this week. Give it to someone as you invite them to join you in worship on Palm Sunday, during Holy Week, or Easter Sunday. Extras are available in the church office if you would like a few to hand out to your friends.

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