WOODLAWN TODAY
July / August 2010 Newsletter
Woodlawn UMC
1675 Hopley
Avenue
Bucyrus, OH 44820
Office phone:419/562-1776
Office fax: 419/562-1746
Parsonage phone: 419/562-1326
Email:
woodlawnoffice1675@yahoo.com
Website: www.bucyruswumc.com
From the desk of Pastor Jim Ellis…
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14
I have been
doing some genealogical research on the
internet. My ancestors were interesting
people. One ancestor was a minor French nobleman who was kicked out of France because he was Protestant. He moved to
Holland, and his descendants were on the first shipload of settlers to New Amsterdam, now known as New
York City. One great-great grandmother married a cousin. When he
died she married another cousin from the other side of the family.
Grandma Ellis' maiden name was Wagner. The Wagner’s moved from Ellemdingen, Baden, Germany to Pennsylvania
in 1753. One Wagner ancestor fought in the Revolution,
and another was in the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry during the Civil War and was
discharged for being wounded. Records say that he was 28. Actually,
he was only 13 or 14. One of my mother's great-uncles was a Catholic
priest. He served in Louisiana and adopted a black child. He
finished his career as chaplain for a hospital in Bay City, Michigan. My
great- great grandfather Ellis was a tin and copper miner from Penzance, England. He came to America to mine coal
along the Ohio/Pennsylvania border. His son owned a mule team which he
used to mine coal, farm, tow cars out of ditches, and excavate foundations.
I think my ancestors lived interesting lives. They probably thought of
themselves as common people, but there was nothing common about any of them
except their common humanity. Each one has a story to tell.
God says that
all of us are "fearfully and wonderfully made." What does this
mean? It means that all of us are in some way special. All of us
are uncommon and unique. Each of us has a story to tell about
ourselves. If we think that our life is uninteresting or lacks
significance, it is only because we lack the proper perspective and are mired
in circumstances. God knows that every person is individually created according
to his plan. Every individual will go through life and do things that no
one else will ever do and have an adventure which will never be repeated.
Cherish your life. Respect the lives of others. Give glory to God.
And now for something completely different. In
order to help with church finances, I am having my salary reduced by $100 per
week until the money situation improves. The $100 is significantly more
than a tithe and will give us a budget reduction of $5,200 per year. This
will also reduce our apportionments, leading to further savings down the
road.
ATTENTION EVERYONE!!!!!!
Mark your
calendars for the weekend of September 10, 11, and 12. Our church will be hosting a Lay Witness
Weekend under the leadership of Linda Murdoch, Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania. Lay witness events are sponsored by the
United Methodist Board of Discipleship and the Aldersgate
Church Renewal Society. They are an
opportunity for other lay people to share their faith and help you grow in your
relationship with Jesus Christ. There
will be small group discussions, worship services, prayer, and fellowship meals
from Friday evening through Sunday morning.
Special programming will be provided for youth and children. Over the years, I have seen lay witness
retreats work miracles in peoples’ lives.
Be here and be blessed.
We will need
people to volunteer housing for the dozen or so people coming from surrounding
states and communities to share their faith with you. See Pat Sparks if you can put people up for a
couple of nights. Linda Murdoch prays
for God’s guidance so the right witness is housed with the right host. She says the relationship developed between
host and guest can be the best part of the weekend.
God bless,
Pastor Jim
Finance Committee Report
As a committee, our job is to direct the
financial affairs of Woodlawn and submit our recommendations and reports to
Administrative Council. We also strive to keep you up to date on Woodlawn's
finances. Our committee has been meeting
regularly since the beginning of 2008 to deal with our financial struggles.
When you are a Christian, there is always good news to share. In fact, much like
OSU president Gordon Gee talks about 'The' Ohio State University, we, as
Christians, always have THE GOOD NEWS
of salvation through Jesus Christ. And, as always, we thank our membership for
its faithfulness and generosity.
THE NUMBERS and the FACTS, however, when it
comes to finances at Woodlawn are:
1) Our members, through June 20th, (25 Sundays)
in 2010 have given $98,000 to support Woodlawn's ministry. That puts us on pace
for slightly more than $205,000 for the year.
Our budget for the year is almost $229,000.
2) This struggle has gone on for more than 2
years. While, we got through last year, we started out this year in a difficult
financial situation.
3) Our average giving per person attending on
Sundays dropped by 8% from 2008 to 2009. This year, so far, there has been a
drop of 4% from 2009. Attendance has been down from 2008 to 2010 by about 3%.
These incremental drops have resulted in the continuing financial challenges
that we face. But, it also means we can turn things around without asking for
the impossible.
4) We have only been able to pay one of our 12
apportionment payments through May, and we were behind on Pastor's pension and
health insurance payments to the United Methodist Church.
5) We have a roof, heating system, and windows
that need attention and money.
THE ACTIONS TAKEN by Finance
Committee with Administrative Council approval are as follows:
1) Our staff has taken a 10% pay cut for the
remainder of 2010, with the possibility of reinstating their regular pay after
90 days should the budget permit.
2) Pastor Jim has voluntarily taken a $100 or
(12.5%) per week cut in his pay for the rest of 2010.
3) Alaina Crall has voluntarily relinquished 100% of her pay until
her baby arrives and she is able to resume her full, normal duties with our
youth (at a 10% reduction).
4) We voted to use Memorial fund money to plug
some of the gaps in our budget temporarily. We voted to use those funds to
catch up Pastor's pension and health payments ($5,832.72) and pay 2 of our
apportionment payments ($5,545.30) to the United Methodist Church.
5) The Trustees, through recommended changes in
phone service, will save us approximately $3,000 per year.
6) The Trustees will put together a fundraising
campaign for fixing the roof.
OUR RESPONSE -As chairman of the Finance Committee, I am challenging
each member of Woodlawn to respond to the actions taken by increasing our
giving through sacrifice and faith. Clearly, Woodlawn's staff, led by Pastor Jim,
is sacrificing through the above reductions.
My challenge to Woodlawn is:
1) To increase our offerings and attendance by
10% above our current levels. We need to step out in faith, consider how God
has blessed each of us, and decide how we will respond to their sacrifice. Our
goal shouldn't be to survive as a church but to thrive. Increasing our
attendance and expanding our outreach will help us to fulfill our mission.
Please prayerfully consider your response to these actions taken by Finance.
2) Please, pray for Pastor Jim, our church
staff, our ministries, and our members.
3) As always, please remember that church bills
continue even as vacation or other summer activities may keep us from attending
Sunday worship.
We will continue to be vigilant in avoiding
unnecessary expenses while making necessary investments to maintain and improve
the church property. Our committee will continue to monitor our financial
situation and report back to you. But,
only your commitment will allow Woodlawn to exist, thrive and grow into the
future.
Tom Kalb,
Finance Committee Chairman
Mission News …
The Mission Offering for July is for
WXML Christian Radio, FM 90.1 station.
The August Mission Offering will be a
love offering for Alaina Crall.
Please keep in mind that we will start
shoeboxes for Christmas Child (Samaritan’s Purse) in September when school
supplies are on sale.
This will give us 2 months to get
these ready to send.
Thank you for all of
your support for all the mission projects that we do.
In honor of Father’s Day, each Father
was presented with a card
and in lieu of gifts, a $100 donation was
sent to the Orphaned Children of Haiti.
(This was also done for Mother’s Day)
Trustee News…
We
are facing a need which may soon become critical. A portion of our church
roof is in need of replacement. The roof at the southeast of the building
is in very poor condition as are both valleys on the south side. In March the Board of Trustees had decided to
proceed with replacing the entire roof at a cost of $53,353.00. Now, this
may not be the most prudent approach. The sections of the roof facing the east
and north are in better shape and have approximately 4 to 5 years of life left
in them. These areas could be postponed until later in order to minimize the
costs. The roof system originally chosen had a 50 year material
warranty. We are currently awaiting a revised quotation which will included
only the high priority areas with either a 50 year or 30 year warranty on
material. In cooperation with the Finance
Committee, we will come up with a plan of attack
to solve this issue.
There will be a pledge campaign of some type to solicit funds for this project.
Currently, we need to finalize exactly what work will be done and the costs
associated with this. You will be receiving more information
shortly. If you have any questions at all, please contact any
trustee.
Thank you so much your support - past , present, and
future.
Board
of Trustees: Harry Lipscomb, Chair; Don
Striker, Vice Chair;
Colleen
Laferty, Herb Kleine, Greg Maddy, Nancy Stover, Larry Young,
and Bill Bussard.
Administrative Board News…
I would first like to congratulate our high
school and college graduates. You make us proud! I know that
graduation celebrates the ‘end’ of high school and/or college, but I like to
think of graduation as a ‘beginning’. There are all kinds of new
opportunities out there for our young graduates. There are, indeed, all
kinds of new opportunities for all of us every day. Psalms 111:10 says
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.” Proverbs
1:7 reads: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools
despise wisdom and discipline.”
Every day we have a chance to begin anew in
Christ. Every day we have an opportunity to look around our homes, our
churches, and our communities to see how we can grow in Christ and help others
to know Him.
Please join me in renewing our commitment to
show God’s love through the many worship and learning
opportunities we have at Woodlawn. We can begin anew every day to ‘fear
the Lord’, follow His precepts, increase our understanding, and lead others to
Him.
May God bless our efforts.
Linda Efaw, Administrative Board Chair
News from United Methodist Women…
Even
in the summer months the UMW does not take a vacation!
On Tuesday, July 13, we will celebrate “Christmas in July” by visiting our
shut ins.
We will meet at the church at 1pm and
leave from there. At 5:30pm we will come back to the church for our picnic
and an update from our visits.
On Tuesday, August 10, we will visit Bethel House in Upper Sandusky. We will take along some items
that are needed such as: baby lotions, soaps, ointment, used
girls and boys clothes 24 months to 3T, preemie
clothes (new and used), new baby sleepers and outfits. If you wish
to donate any of these things, please put them in our box at the top of the
stairs.
Anyone
wishing to go to with us on either of these outings
just contact us.
In
the fall we will be having another basement sale so start saving your
things. We will have more information later.
Have
a good summer,
Joan
Dilley
SPR News…
With the
recent recognition of our graduates, we can all feel very proud. Congratulations, especially, to Kailey Reynolds and Keith Richardson on being the
recipients of the Hawkins Scholarship. We've seen
them grow up right before our eyes. There are other young kids waiting to step
in and follow in their footsteps. It is our responsibility as a congregation to
make sure that they have the chance to do just that. We all have to pull
together and give them that chance. As a congregation we have to be good
examples and give these young kids people to look up to, a church they will be
proud to say they came from, and was a part
of. Let's give these kids the leadership they need and deserve, and lead
them by example.
In our Father’s
Name, Roger Weisenauer
Youth News…
The Youth and Betweens Groups will
have a camp out at the Maples’ residence starting at 7pm on Saturday, June 25,
and ending on Saturday, June 26.
Studio GO! VBS will be held at
Woodlawn UMC starting Sunday, July 25, through Thursday, July 29, form 6:30-8pm
each evening. Registration forms are on
the table in the Narthex. Please
returned completed forms to the church office or Nancy Maples. All are welcome to experience real teamwork,
real service,
and real FUN! at
Studio GO! We will have games, Bible
lessons, Bible skits, and a ton of hands-on activities for the children to do!
Pastor Jim will lead an adult class
during VBS on
“The Four Reasons Why Jesus Created
the Church.”
Tuesday, August 17, 6:30pm, Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Dinner.
Finance News…
Apportionments
for the months of January, February, March, and April have
been paid.
The March
Mission Offering went to Bethel House in the amount of $235.00.
The average
attendance for April was 143. The
average general offering for April was $4001.23.
The average
attendance for May was 162 with the average general offering being
$4102.88. The May Mission Offering went
to Red Bird Mission in Henderson, Kentucky in the amount of $309.67.
The June
Mission Offering went to Nothing but Nets, Malaria
Protection in the amount of $244.50.
Sanctuary Balance: $23,633.06 as of 6/8/2010.
Woodlawn Savings Account
First Federal
Memorial/Undesignated: 36,570.32
Parsonage: 9,340.61
Hawkins’
Scholarship: 4,128.47
Roof
Fund: 35.00
Instrument
Fund: 17.73
Local
Mission Trip Expenses: 313.57
Total: $ 50,405.70
as of
6/23/2010
Membership News…
New address for Jenny Kalb who married
Brad Owens on June 6 in the
Outer Banks, North Carolina: Mr. and Mrs. Brad Owens, 57 Jefferson Drive,
Palmyra, VA 22963.
Congratulations Brad and Jenny!
New address for Joe Kalb who recently
graduated from Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, summa cum laude, with a 4.0 gpa, and has accepted a position with Motorists Insurance
in Columbus, Ohio: Joe Kalb, 7262 Stone
Valley Lane,
New Albany, OH 43054.
Way to go, Joe!
On Sunday, May 23, the Carl Miller
Family presented a picture to Woodlawn in Carl’s memory. Carl passed away May 21, 2009, and willingly
and lovingly spent many hours as a trustee for Woodlawn UMC.
On Sunday, June 6, we had the
privilege of acknowledging our graduates and awarding the Hawkins’
Scholarship. Our graduates include:
Kailey Reynolds Colonel Crawford High School
Keith Richardson Colonel Crawford High School
and
North
Central State College
Joe Kalb Mt. Vernon Nazarene University
Jessica Gerger Med Central School of
Nursing
Laura Carpenter Hocking College
The Hawkins’
Scholarship was awarded to Kailey Reynolds and Keith
Richardson. Kailey
and Keith will both be attending Capital University in Columbus and were each
given $500 scholarships towards their higher education.
Ron Cress and
Melissa Nolen were united in marriage on Wednesday, May 19. Congratulations Ron and Melissa!
On Sunday,
June 6, Tyler Lee Reed, infant son of Amy Weekley,
was baptized at our 10:30am service. Amy
and Tyler live at 336 Charlotte Street, Bucyrus.
Congratulations
to Jerry and Linda Efaw on the birth of their
grandson, Conner Jacob Miller. Conner
was born on May 16, 2010,
at 9:51pm, and weighed 8 pounds, 4
ounces, and was 21 inches long. Proud
parents are Andy and Shera (Efaw)
Miller.
Congratulations to the Maples Family
on the birth of a granddaughter,
Jennifer Sidney Bond. Jennifer was born May 24, 2010, at 3:05am,
and weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 20 inches long.
Proud parents are John and Beth
(Maples) Bond.
Lee Orewiler passed away June 19, 2010.
Our sympathy
is extended to the Orewiler Family.
Anyone wishing
to send sympathy cards to Lee’s daughters may send these to the following
addresses: Cathy Brown, 1040 Lavina Drive, Bucyrus, OH
44820; and Terri McWaters, 5242 Connely Road,
Bucyrus,
OH 44820.
Congratulations to Chardonay
French and Nick Moser on their engagement!
Chardonay and Nick will be married March 12,
2011 at Woodlawn UMC.
On Sunday, June 27, we will honor
long-standing members for their years of service to Woodlawn followed by a
luncheon after our 10:30am worship service.
Those members being recognized
include:
Charles Beardsley 61 years
Joan Dilley 64 years
Miriam Holtshouse 62 years
Mary Russell 61 years
Phyllis Spengler 64 years
Glenn Ahlefeld 68 years
Dick Cory 72 years
Lee Orewiler 72 years posthumous
Norm Kisor 80 years
Old Material
Needed
I
need white material or white sheets or parts of sheets to make old fashion
bonnets for the school children when they go to Harvey School. I also could use any kind of material that I
could make long skirts for the girls to wear and
possibly any material for knickers or hats for the boys.
Thank
you Joan Lipscomb 419-562-5746 or joanlipscomb@earthlink.net
1 Allison
VanMeter
1 Meghan
Snyder
2 Shelbee Linn
3 Taylor
Leonhardt
3 Warren
Bussard
4 Melissa Kovach
6 Josh Laferty
(father)
7 Barbara Miller
8 Nancy Johnson
17 Josh Laferty
(son)
18 Jane Bower
18 Debby Kinney
18 Brandon Teets
18 Laura Carpenter
22 Peggy Blair
24 Phyllis Spengler
26 Jim Gillenwater
28 Jocelyn Esterline
28 Nina Luzader
28 John Ellis
29 Suzanne Hawkins
31 Lori Maddy
3 Robert
& Sheraton Richardson
3 Bob & May Laipply
6
Roger & Kay Weisenauer
11 Bob & Connie Stickdorn
14 Frank & Margaretha
Robinette
17 Tom
& Connie Kalb
17 Max
& Ruby Cover
18 Ray
& Barb Heinlen
20 Phil
& Janie Richardson
23
Gary & Rose Conley
25 Josh & Colleen Laferty
AUGUST BIRTHDAYS
1 Waunita
Howard
2
Nancy Heinlen
2
Miriam Holtshouse
2
Sue Tomlin
3 Barb Kent
3
Lauren Esterline
5
Jared Dilley
5 Jennifer (Kalb) Owens
5 Linda Greenick
6 Pastor Jim Ellis
7
Ernestine Hart
7 Sara Crocker
7 Joe Kovach
9
Hannah Hess
12 Charles Collene
12 Ted Heinlen
12 Robert Trout
12 Melissa Cress
16 John VanMeter
17
Jerry Efaw
18 Daniel Kurek
18 Larry Young
19 Anna Fitz
20 Timothy Stover
21 Delbert Koons
22 Harry Lipscomb
22 Ron Greaves
27 Nathan Rossman
27 Deb Teets
29 Cassandra Kurek
30 Thomas Kurek
AUGUST ANNIVERSARIES
7 Dan
& Carol Kisor
21 Gene & Kate Hardesty
21 Larry & Sandy Young
23 Don & Dixie Striker
25
Harry & Joan Lipscomb
26
Mike & Melissa Tinkey
27
John & Laurie Reynolds
27
Tyler & Kerri Pope