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REFLECTING THE PULSE OF THE PARISH
THE PARISH PULSE
ASBURY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
January 2016
350 27th Avenue SW Cedar Rapids, Iowa 319-364-3188
January Birthdays
United Methodist Women
News
5
Heather Day
7
Josef Kralik
14
Valorie Bowman
16
Scott Day
20
Randy Rieck
24
Shirley Lannom
$1141.71 - amount collected from the Cheerful Giving
campaign
Bob Brown
720 - number of cookies at the UMW cookie exchange
28
Leland Fry
105 - number of bulletins printed each Sunday
30
Rick Pike
50 - years Chada Pautz has been serving meals
Teri Reedich
46 - number of years Alice has been at Asbury
No meetings in January or February
Asbury Trivia
46 - percentage of people keeping New Year’s
resolutions past 6 months.
30 - number of cantata participants
29 - number of Poinsettias in the Sanctuary
27 - number of angels on the blue Christmas tree
13 - number of people who went caroling
11 - number of pastors that have served Asbury
5 - number of Christmas Angel families
1 - number of Partridges in a pear tree
A special note of thanks to Tom Roth and family for waxing our floors over the holiday.
They look terrific!
Weather closings: Please watch channel 9 (KCRG)
and the church website (asburymethodistcr.com) for
information regarding church closings due to inclement weather.
1 Peter 4:9a " Be hospitable to one another..." NKJV
Dear Friends,
As I am writing this, the celebration of Christmas is still before us. When you read
this, 'Christmas' will be over for 2015.
One of the important parts of the Christmas story is the part about the innkeeper who was
not able to offer Mary and Joseph accommodation in his inn. However, he 'thought out side
the box' and found shelter for them in a rather unorthodox way...making them feel as welcome as he was able. Another word for that is "hospitality".
Hospitality is an important characteristic of the church. How do we care for each
other? How do we provide hospitality for visitors?
I find this interesting: "Seven minutes is all you (churches) get to make a positive first
impression (on visitors). In the first seven minutes of contact with your church, your firsttime guests will know whether or not they are going to come back. That's before a single
worship song is sung and before a single word of the message is uttered. Obviously
your guests aren't making a logical decision based on the integrity of the preaching, the
character of the church staff or the clarity of your doctrine. They are not weighing pros and
cons of worship styles and theological viewpoints...Instead, they are taking clues about your
church's atmosphere and the people's friendliness on a much more rudimentary level. Their
subconscious minds are working overtime to evaluate their compatibility with this new environment." Fusion by Nelson Searcy (2007) p 49-50
What do visitors to our church find in their first 7 minutes in our building?
One of the ways that we are trying to be more hospitable is to post signage in both
English and French. Other ways that we can work on are to be aware of allergies. Latex
gloves/balloons/paint, peanut butter and gluten are a few of the more common allergens
that people face today. What are ways that we can provide for and protect folks from these
sorts of things?
While at first glance it might not occur to us that safety is closely connected to hospitality, in my opinion, they walk hand in hand. I think we do a good job of that in many
ways. The stair rails are solid. Areas of the church are well-lit. Our ministers of the elevator provide safe ways for folks to get to the sanctuary if they aren't able to use the stairs.
Other ways we can work on are to discourage the young people from running in the building, both for their own safety as well as the rest of us who might collide with a runner.
(Parents, will you please help with this?) And perhaps we need to identify folks who would
be willing to serve as greeters at the outer entrance doors, to direct visitors and to watch for
'wet spots' from rain or snow that might cause slippery floors.
Recently a room near the entrance to the sanctuary has been re-purposed into a "cry
room". The room is outfitted with a rocking chair, cribs, and changing table for the use of
worshipers who need to take a little one out of worship for a short time. This isn't a 'play
room', but a place where a care-giver might calm a crying baby, have privacy when feeding
or changing a diaper. This is a signal that little ones and families are welcome and provided for in our church.
What other ways occur to you that might make our church seem to be even more
hospitable? I'd like to hear your responses. Email, phone or stop in the office to share your
ideas.
Serving Jesus with you, Pastor Diane
Announcing a new short term class
Beginning on Sunday January 17 and continuing through Sunday February 7, I will
be teaching a class called "United Methodism 101".
This is open to any adult who wants a refresher on United Methodism, wants to
learn about United Methodism and/or wants to become a member of Asbury UMC.
There are no pre-requisites and no tests :-)
We'll plan to meet in the Wesley Room from 10:45 through 11:30 on those 4 Sundays. If someone is attending the classes with the intent of becoming a member, all four
classes are required. Makeup sessions will be available at mutually agreeable times.
We'll briefly explore the history of Methodism and its impact on American society.
Other topics will include the Sacraments, our Social Principles, Methodist policy
and how all of this applies to Asbury United Methodists.
Bring your cup of coffee and treats from fellowship time if you want and plan to be a
part of our time together.
Pastor Diane
Cheerful Giving Results
The response to the challenge was a success. The
highest weekly amount given for Dec 13th-19th which
was snowman or Santa in home or each trip to the grocery store. With a portion of the early collections in November, the committee was able to expand our advertising for the holiday season in the Gazette. Thank you
for joining in and leaving your change with us.
Christmas Angel results
We were able to deliver food to 5 families, gifts of clothing and toys to 11 children, 11 gift
bags or gift cards to our Asbury family members in nursing homes or not able to get our
much. Thank you for your generosity.
Sermon texts for January
January 3: Matthew 2:1-12 (Epiphany)
January 10: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 (Jesus' baptism and the revelation of the Trinity)
January 17: 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11 (Holy Spirit given gifts)
January 24: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a ( Unity in the body of Christ)
January 31: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (Love and relationships in the church)
Rev. Diane Townsley
319-551-3648 Cell
International French
Ministry
Rev. Patrick Munyakazi
431-8319
Business Administrator
Sharon Busch
364-3188
Office hours:
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Choir Director
Alice Lindsey
Custodian
Nicole Day
Kids Club Coordinators
Kim Pilkington, Valorie
Bowman, Nicole Day
Volunteer Coordinator
Janice Kralik
Asbury House Manager
Mary Glasford
366-6670
La Sagese Divine
Psaume 90: 10-12, 13
Le temps de notre vie? C'est soixante-dix ans,
au mieux: quatre-vingts ans pour les plus vigoureux;
et leur agitation n'est que peine et misère.
Car le temps passe vite et nous nous envolons.
11
Qui peut connaître l'intensité de ta colère,
qui te respecte assez pour tenir compte de ton courroux?
12
Apprends-nous donc à bien compter nos jours,
afin que notre cœur acquière la sagesse!
17
Que la tendresse du Seigneur, notre Dieu, repose sur nous tous!
Fais prospérer pour nous l'ouvrage de nos mains!
Oh oui! fais prospérer l'ouvrage de nos mains!
Mes chers amis nous sommes arrivé à la fin d’une
autre année. Pendant ce temps, le moment est idéal pour faire un
bilan. Toutes les décisions et promesses prises en 2015, ontelles étaient respectées, ou suivies? Si notre bilan a été positif,
gloire à Dieu. Si le bilan est négatif, gloire à Dieu aussi. Un bilan
négatif ne veut pas dire que nous avons échoué mais
au contraire nous avons decouvert que les méthodes que nous
avons choisies n’étaient pas bonne En d'autres termes, nous
sommes devenus sages par rapport aux décisions que nous avions
prises.
Dans le texte ci-dessus, nous voyons Moïse qui se pose
une question à propos de la vie. Il cherchait à comprendre la signication de la vie et aussi combien de temps nous avons sur la
terre? Il a realize que la vie est très, très, très courte. Moise a
aussi compris que toutes les agitations ( le souci, le preoccupation
de la vie, etc.) peuvent nous troubler. Raison pour laquelle il demande à Dieu la sagesse. Moise à realize que la vie
est très courte, Moise a dit à son Coeur “La vie est courte . Je
dois la vivre dans la joie et la paix”. Moise savait que tout
homme peut commettre les fautes et que les fautes commises nous
font perdre beaucoup du temps. Raison pour laquelle il
a demandé sagesse. La Bible définit la sagesse commence
avec la crainte de l’Eternel. J’ajouterai que la sage est le respect de loi divine qui nous aide à prendre des bonnes décisions dans nos vies.
Mes frères et soeurs, la vie est très courte. Ne perdons pas
notre temps à commettre les erreurs qui nous vont causer agitation, peine et misère dans nos vies. Au contraire attachonsnous à Dieu pour que nous sachons comme vivre dans l’abondance spirituelle et matérielle.
Que 2016 sont une année de Sagesse et pleine
de réussite spirituelle