Blessing of the Animals Service

We will be having our annual Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, July 12th at 8:30am . All critters are welcome – furry, fuzzy, or scaly! If your pet would not be fond of such an event, please bring their favorite toy and we will bless that in their honor.

The service will be 30 minutes and will be held outdoor at the church. Safe distance protocols will be in place, please bring your own mask. Join us for this fun celebration of the pets that bring so much joy to our lives.

4 Week Book Study: “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness”

In response to the circumstances we’re facing in our nation regarding systematic racism, the Church & Society Team is going to lead a 4-week book study on, “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness” by Austin Channing Brown. This incisive memoir takes a penetrating look at race and the Christian faith. Brown describes the weight of white supremacy within American institutions, which African Americans and other people of color face on a daily basis.

This study is for you if:

This study will occur on Monday nights from 7-8pm on July 6, 13, 20 and 27 via Zoom, so you can do it from anywhere; even if you’re going on vacation!

Invite your friends, relatives, neighbors. Anyone with an open heart and an open mind is welcome and encouraged to participate.

Sign up and/or invite others to sign up to participate and receive the Zoom instructions by emailing Jessica at [email protected].

Please purchase your own book and try to read Chapters 1-5 before July 6. 

Church & Society Team: Carolyn Hohne, Jeanne Ambrosier, Ann Gerteis, Bill Graf, Donna Mullins, Clyde Sacks, Joyce Snapp, Jan Thurling, Heather McGaughey

IMPORTANT Peach Sale Fundraiser

The church is doing our annual peach sale, but it is a little different this year. Because of the late freeze in April most of the fruit crop in CO was damaged. We cannot get our fruit from the farm we've been using. We will be ordering from a different company and it will be only peaches - no pears or apples. Due to the change in suppliers, the dates have changed. We have a very short turn around to make this sale happen. All orders must be in to the church by Sunday, July 19th.

This has all just come up in the last few days, so more information will follow about pricing and box sizing, etc. Please put this on your calendar and start thinking about who you can sell peaches to. This is a great way to support the church and get some great fruit too.

Karen Hines Increases Her Roles in Our Ministry – New Regular 10:30 Accompanist & Choir Accompanist [when that again becomes possible]

 

Karen Hines has been a key part of the regular 8:30 accompanist team with Terry Vogt for several years. The two of them continue to be a highlight of this service. Starting this past January, Karen also shared the 10:30 accompanying responsibilities with Keron Sandusky.

Because of Keron’s retirement June 1 ^st, we are blessed that Karen Hines has stepped up to be the weekly accompanist at the 10:30 service on a permanent basis, in addition to continuing to team with Terry at the 8:30 service. She continues providing the hymns for the online service. Karen spent many of her career years as a beloved music teacher at Rocky Mountain Academy and comes with extensive musical skills. We are truly blessed!

When COVID19 restrictions lift, Karen will also serve as the choir accompanist. Hiring a new choir director because of Sandy’s retirement will occur when time is closer for the choir to be able to start again. Once coming to worship will be safe for all, Keron Sandusky has graciously offered to be an accompanist substitute. When you have a chance, we invite you to extend appreciation to Karen for how valued she is for serving our Lord and our congregation in these roles.

Thank you to Bruce Hohne for New Small Worship Tables

At the request of Pastor Deb, Bruce Hohne graciously designed and built new small worship tables. We use these type of tables to hold bulletins, offering plates and for other purposes. As we are coming to discover, whenever Bruce produces something out of wood, it is truly a masterpiece. Thank you, Bruce, for the hours spent to create these special gifts for our ministry.

Ministry Jottings

“Before We Proceed to Business” -- Benjamin Franklin, 1787

 

It was hot and humid in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787. At General Washington’s personal, urgent appeal, delegates from all thirteen colonies had come to Philadelphia to “form a more perfect union.” Instead, they were discovering their differences – and tempers flared. Just as they were about to adjourn in confusion, Benjamin Franklin stood to address General Washington and the assembly:

“ How has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humble applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine protection.

 

Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending Providence in our favor. . . . And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?

 

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that “except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this. I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

 

I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberations be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business.”

Franklin’s proposal wasn’t adopted right then in the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention. However, when the first Constitutional Congress convened in April of 1789, they implemented Franklin’s recommendation. Two chaplains of different denominations were appointed, one to the House and one to the Senate. This practice continues today with prayer offered at the beginning of each daily meeting when Congress is in session.

The current US Senate Chaplain is Barry C. Black, a retired Navy Rear Admiral and former Chief of Navy Chaplains. He is the first Seventh-day Adventist and the first African-American to hold the position. The current US House of Representatives Chaplain is Fr. Patrick J. Conroy, S.J., the first Jesuit priest to hold the position.

The Church and Society team is hosting a Racial Justice Corner on the UMCE website listing resources for the congregation on Racial Justice. The resource list includes programs, videos and resource listings/information to help all learn more about racism, anti-racism and racial justice and to provide ideas for all on ways to help combat racism in our world. Each week we are adding new resources to the webpage and encourage all to spend a few minutes each week reviewing the listings and reading/listening to at least one item on the page as together we seek to follow Jesus' example and bring social and racial justice to the world.

Two of the new listings on the site that we wish to highlight this week are a PowerPoint presentation by Abby Hickcox, Ph.D titled "Racism, a Primer" and a short video by VeggieTales creator, Phil Vischer, on systemic racism. These presentations help us to understand how racism became part of the norm in the U.S. and suggest ways we can change our behaviors and demonstrate we care about changing and abolishing systemic bias.

After reviewing the Justice Corner webpage, should you have suggestions for resources we might want to add to the site, please send them to the church office or Heather McGaughey.

In the past few weeks you have heard from our Church Council chairman, the Finance Team lead and a Finance Team member all thanking you for the way you have stepped up to the plate in supporting our church during this pandemic. Your support, both financial and spiritual, is truly appreciated. We recognize that some of you are suffering financial hardship during these tough times and know that it may be difficult for you to remain current with your pledge. I want to remind you of some ways you can contribute to the church that won’t cost you anything.

A lot of us are doing more online shopping since we are spending more time at home. When you order from Amazon be sure to use Amazon Smile and select our church as your charity of choice. By using Amazon Smile a portion of most items purchased gets paid to our church.

Many of us are also eating at home more now with some of our favorite restaurants closed or offering limited selections. When you buy groceries be sure to use your Safeway card or ensure that your King Soopers rewards card is linked to our church in their community rewards program. Safeway cards can be purchased at the church and they are reloadable at the store.

The King Soopers process is different. You need to go online to the community rewards section of the King Soopers website and select our church as the preferred organization that you want to receive benefits. It is a simple process; however, if you have trouble doing it or don’t have a computer, please contact the church office for assistance. Written instructions are available at the church. The church gets 5% of everything you buy at Safeway and King Soopers, including gasoline.

One other option for donating to the church without spending your money is through the vehicle donation program. If you have a vehicle that you want to or need to get rid of and you don’t want to sell it on your own, you can donate it the church. We have a contract with a company to sell the vehicle and a portion of the proceeds will be given to the church. The proceeds of the sale that the church receives will be recorded on your giving record and can be claimed as a donation for tax purposes. If you are interested in this program, you may contact the church.

Whatever method works best for you, we really appreciate all that you are doing to support the church during this time and always. May God bless you and yours and keep you safe.

Vickie Borden

UMCE Financial Secretary 

The July/August edition of Upper Room is now available!

If you would like a paper copy mailed to you OR you would like a PDF version emailed to you, please contact the church office. Just reply to this email.

EChO's Food Bank distributes over 6,000 pounds of food per week. Each week, we order a mixture of shelf stable items, frozen meat (when available), and all the produce we can put our hands on. The order usually accounts for between 2,000 - 2,500 pounds of food per week - that's a ton of food!

Each week we purchase 150 gallons of milk (or 1,300 pounds) and 75 dozen eggs (or 150 pounds) for our shoppers. The remainder of the food we take in each week comes from our local Grocery Rescue partners and local churches and individuals like you!

The impact of COVID-19 has resulted in the need to purchase more food for the food bank. EChO continues to spend 3x our normal budgeted amount to keep our shelves full to meet the increasing need in our community. Learn more or donate here.

Here is a personal message from Dr. Jeff Brodsky, the founder of and inspiration for JOY International. On July 19th he will celebrate 10 YEARS of living barefoot - NO EXCEPTIONS!!! There is a Gala planned for July 19th that we all can participate in called Celebrate Freedom . 

 

" The number one question I'm asked too many times to count is,  "Jeff, why are you barefoot?”  I have a one word answer. Obedience. I am still barefoot because I believe with all my heart that on July 19th, 2010 God spoke to me in Phnom Penh, Cambodia after I visited a garbage dump where I saw many barefoot children and He asked me to live this way in solidarity with those children as well as all impoverished and trafficked children around the world. When people then ask me, “Why would God ask you to do this?” My answer is simple… “I don’t know. You’d have to ask Him. I just know what I heard.” When God asked me to live this way I had only 2 choices… Yes or no. 

Many people think I enjoy living this way. Those who think that, just don’t know me. I hate living barefoot, but I love what it has accomplished. 

 

This, to me, is the reason to Celebrate Freedom. It’s not about me living barefoot. To me, it’s about being obedient to the calling God has given in setting captives free. It’s not just my calling. It’s all of ours. "

Dr. Jeff Brodsky

Life’s Options is being called to serve beyond the mountain community of Evergreen and to expand the scope of its reach. In order to support this, they are pursuing potential partnerships with the following organizations: Marisol Healthcare, Save the Storks, and Project Human Coalition.

Due to the COVID19 pandemic, as well as a serious decline in donations, their financial situation has shifted and are forced to reduce their operational costs by closing the Evergreen office and possibly Kid's Closet. Kid's Closet is in need of additional resources from the community to continue to provide services to the Evergreen community. If you have the desire to understand how you can support Kid's Closet, please email [email protected].

THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF EVERGREEN

Growing a community of faith by serving a world of need and changing lives. We affirm a spirit of openness and hospitality to all, including persons of all races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, financial strata, and abilities who seek a closer walk with God.

Visit us on the web:   www.evergreenumc.org