September 2020 Newsletter |
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Dear church family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow servants of God, faithful ones,
These are some of the names I think about when I think of you. Names can define us and even link us together. Our entire identity can be caught up in the names we bear. We use names and labels all the time.
We not only identify with the names placed upon us, but we live out of those names. If you have had many loving names placed upon you, no doubt, you are feeling good right now. But many of us unknowingly carry with us many false names. Names that have been flung upon us by others or names we have placed upon ourselves, critiques, judgments, labels, names that have injured our souls.
The scriptures are filled with names that bear special Hebrew meanings and in several cases, God bestows a special name on someone who will take on a very special role in the faith. In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus is bestowing a new name upon his disciple Simon, son of Jonah. He names him Peter (meaning stone). In doing so, Jesus is giving Peter a new identity as the disciple equipped to carry on the faith of the Way.
Calling him a rock, a bedrock, or foundation rock, was like imparting in him the courage, the strength, and the optimism that he had the character to handle the job of early church founder and leader. Peter must have been feeling that Jesus believed in him, even though he himself felt that he had failed many, many times. In his naming, Peter steps up and was transformed from mere disciple to valued leader of our faith.
Think of the names that you bear upon your heart and soul. During these pandemic days those names can even become lost, seem distant, and or different. Life is so different right now, but God remains steadfast during these times.
I want you to hear Jesus’ words for you, as told to us by Peter himself (1 Peter 2:5): “You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple. You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
God has called all of you “living stones” and “sons and daughters.” You are part of a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, and you are literally clothed in Christ. As we think about that may our former labels, judgments, and names fall away from you, as you take on God’s mantle of blessing.
Church family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow servants of God, faithful ones, we are God’s living stones here in South Lyon. God is calling us into action even during a pandemic. Church as we knew it is not happening the same way, but you, the living stones are the church. May we stay strong in our faith. May we all continue to find meaningful ways to worship and serve God. May we be willing to see the needs of those in our communities. May we be willing to be like Peter and to rise up and share God’s love and grace with one another.
Peace, Mary
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Reaching Out In Love – Calling Ministry
When our church acted in abundant love and care in the face of the early days of March 2020 a phone calling ministry started. Callers were asked to call families on a regular basis during those early days. We know the system was not perfect, some families did not want a call, some were not called as often, or some not at all. We apologize if your families were missed. Please know that your church family loves you. As the months have passed and the early crisis has changed into our new way of life, the Care Ministry Team recognizes that our Reaching Out In Love Calling Ministry needs to change also.
Moving forward this fall, our calls will be similar to what they were in the past, checking in, taking prayer requests, and helping answer any questions they have about church ministries and online services, but with monthly calls and the narrower focus on 65 year olds and older, those with chronic illnesses, those living alone, and our newest members.
Our goal would be to reach out to these families by phone once a month and a second contact by either text, email or mail, whatever works for the family you are reaching out to. Another goal is that your call lists would include fewer families, around 5 families each (unless you have indicated a smaller or larger number to me).
To make this successful, we need new callers that are willing to help as this ministry shifts into this new direction. Would you be willing to be a caller? If so, please call or email me.
Both Rev. Mary and I want to thank all of the callers that reached out to their 10 plus families every week. Your calls, emails, texts, and thoughtful cards (and sidewalk chalkings!) were well received by those we heard from.
Jen Liskey
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Fall Worship 2020
Season of Creation
This fall we will be using Seasons of the Spirit. It provides lectionary-based resources for worship, Christian education, and ministries of serving. These resources nurture faith through liturgy, ritual, imagination, and encourage Christian growth through worshipping, learning, and serving together. By equipping and enabling leaders, Seasons of the Spirit strives to empower children, youth, and adults to articulate “the hope that is in them.”
We are encouraging everyone to read scripture and to bring a worship journal each week to worship. Whether you are worshiping online or in person, we will be giving prompts and opportunities for worshippers to engage in worship by taking notes, listing prayers, writing lyric phrases, or evening drawing.
September 6 (only online)
Acts 17:22-28 “Forest”
Join us this Labor Day weekend for a special Music Sing. Favorite Hymns and Modern pieces will be the focus of our worship.
September 13
Psalm 139:7-12 “Land”
September 20
Romans 8:18-27 “Wilderness” also Christian Education Sunday
September 27
Revelations 22:1-5 “River”
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Fall Weekly Facebook Ministries
Monday
Poetry Focus, 9AM
Tuesday
Weekly Prayer Focus, 9AM
Wednesday
Java with Jesus with Rev Mary, 7AM
Thursday
YouTube Playlist
Friday
Musical Devotion with David or Aynsley
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Reopening Update
Our COVID-19 Task Force would like to provide you with our updated reopening plan. We are continuing to roll things out slowly and are following the advice of the health care professionals on our task force. Assuming the numbers in Michigan are acceptable, our next phase will begin on September 13 with:
· Indoor worship in the sanctuary on Sundays 10:00 am
· Continued livestream worship of Sunday morning services 10:00 am
· “Community Connection” outdoor gathering for all ages on Wednesday evenings
· Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in the building on Mondays, Fridays, & Saturdays
· Office hours Mondays & Wednesdays 9:00 am – 12:00 noon.
· Teams will meet virtually whenever possible
For indoor worship and all building activities, strict guidelines will be followed including:
· Social distancing
· Masks
· No singing
· No coffee hour or food/drink
· Traffic patterns
· Reduced room capacity numbers
We will continue to monitor all pertinent information and make your safety our top priority in all decisions.
-The COVID-19 Task Force (Rev. Mary McInnes, Dr. Cherie Trembath, Stuart Baker, Jen Denny, Kendi Holcomb-Densmore, Jim Melvin, Amy Randall-Ray, Michelle Walkup)
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Online Worship – Sundays at 10:00am
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Mission of the Month –
The Samaritan Counseling Center
The Samaritan Counseling Center (SCC) originated from a group of local churches in the West Bloomfield, Farmington, and Farmington Hills area. They have offices all over southeast Michigan, with the main office located in Farmington Hills. The closest office to our church is located in the Brighton First United Methodist Church.
The SCC focuses on both individuals and couples/families. Individuals will meet with a counselor one on one to talk about any issues they may be having or questions that they may have about their mental health. Counseling allows the person to tap deep into their thoughts and find the source to the problem to help cleanse themselves and make themselves a better person. The couples/families counseling helps with a wider range of issues. This area focuses on addiction recovery, testing for children of behavior/learning disabilities or difficulties, sexual abuse counseling, grief counseling, transgender counseling, and pre-marital assessment and counseling. They even offer Art Adventures which is an art therapy experience for youth held in a group setting. Graduate-level art therapy interns will facilitate group discussion and art experientials that helps those in need tap into their inner resilience and strengths, provide avenues of expression, teaching emotional regulation, and connect to the broader community.
South Lyon First United Methodist Church will be hosting a virtual 5K/1 mile walk or run in awareness for mental health. Especially during these hard times mental health is extremely important. It is a silent killer to many every year and something that is often overlooked as an actual illness because it is not physical. All proceeds will be donated to the Samaritan Counseling Center to help them in their constant aid to helping people that suffer from the variety of mental illnesses out there and to help them help those people in their time of need.
For more information on the 5K/1 mile visit our website!
During the month of September, your prayers and financial support will make a difference in the lives of others. If you have any questions contact anyone on the Mission Team. For more information on the Samaritan Counseling Center and any of their resources please visit their website https://sccmich.org.
Much Praise and Thanks,
Your Mission Team
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Men's Ministries
Exercising an abundance of caution, our Tuesday night Bible study will resume this Fall as a Zoom-only activity. We are exploring options to resume selected other activities over the next couple of months. Watch here for updates.
What's So Amazing About Grace?
By Phillip Yancey
Discover grace as you've never known it before: the most powerful force in the universe and our only hope for love and forgiveness.
Grace is the church's great distinctive. It's the one thing the world cannot duplicate, and the one thing it craves above all else--for only grace can bring hope and transformation to a jaded world.
In What's So Amazing About Grace? award-winning author Philip Yancey explores grace at street level. If grace is God's love for the undeserving, he asks, then what does it look like in action? And if Christians are its sole dispensers, then how are we doing at lavishing grace on a world that knows far more of cruelty and unforgiveness than it does of mercy?
Yancey sets grace in the midst of life's stark images, tests its mettle against horrific "ungrace": Grace does not excuse sin, says Yancey, but it treasures the sinner. True grace is shocking, scandalous. It shakes our conventions with its insistence on getting close to sinners and touching them with mercy and hope. It forgives the unfaithful spouse, the racist, the child abuser. It loves today's AIDS-ridden addict as much as the tax collector of Jesus's day.

This book was first published in 1997 but has a message that is timeless. In it, Yancey offers compelling, true portraits of grace's life-changing power. He searches for its presence in his own life and in the church. He asks, How can Christians contend graciously with moral issues that threaten all they hold dear?
And he challenges us to become living answers to a world that desperately wants to know, What's So Amazing About Grace?
Join us for this Zoom study 7:30 – 8:30 every Tuesday evening beginning Sept. 15th. Darren Klemens continues as our fearless leader! There is both a book and study guide available in hard-copy or via Kindle. Contact Darren to let him know you plan to participate and if you would like the hard-copy versions ordered for you. See you in September!
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Christian Education Information
Here is what is happening. If you’d like more info about any of these things, please contact Kendi unless a specific person is listed.
The Christian Education Team has been prayerfully planning for the fall. We are pleased to begin in-person gatherings, where possible, as we continue to make online offerings available. The fall opportunities will roll out in stages as we figure out what works and what needs to be re-tooled. We are looking forward to “seeing” you soon!
Save the Date: Sunday, September 20th Education Sunday!
Community Connection Wednesday nights, 5:30-6:45PM beginning September 16
NEW outdoor, in-person, gathering for all ages! Bring your lawn chair/blanket and mask.
- 5:30-6:10 Socially distanced activity or act of kindness (i.e. lawn games, bike ride, mission project).
- 6:15-6:45 Intergenerational small group conversation centering on the previous Sunday’s worship scripture.
Pre-K – 5th Graders
- Bibles will be delivered to 3 year old’s, 2nd graders & 6th graders this month.
- Families will be provided weekly resources including an online playlist beginning in September.
- In-person outdoor gatherings for children will begin in October.
Youth Group (6th Graders – 12th Graders):
- Sunday Night Youth (Recreation & Small Groups), outdoor in-person, 6-7:15PM beginning September 13
- Daily Scripture posts on slfumc_youth Instagram
Other Connection opportunities:
- Creative Connection Online, 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 7PM beginning in October
- Parent Wind Down online, 2nd Thursday of month, 9PM beginning September 10

Some Adult Sunday School classes are continuing to meet Sunday mornings online. Contact Kendi or your class leader for more information.
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Your Giving Creates Ministry
Our goal in Finance is to be good stewards of the resources God has given us. During these challenging times, we have been blessed with options that have afforded us to continue to upkeep our property, pay salaries, and continue faithful ministry. These blessings have come by way of loans, grants, mortgage relief, and lowered expenses. You also continue to give faithfully and abundantly by mailing checks or through one of our many safe and user-friendly online giving options. Regular and consistent giving is very important for the ministry of our church and I would encourage each one of us to think about taking the next step in our online giving journey. This may be moving from check to electronic funds transfer or by making your online gift reoccurring. Our office staff is ready to assist you. Thank you for embracing this journey in an ever changing environment.
Check out your generous giving hard at work this month!
· One full Ministry Shares payment
· Computer equipment and technology to continue to enable our online ministry
· God’s Country Cooperative Parish roofing supplies, electrical and chimney repair
· Cleaning supplies to keep everyone safe as we return to the building
Offering Options
· Credit Card or ACH options:
· Make a credit card donation over the phone through our financial vendor, Vanco, by calling 1-800-675-7430
· Mail checks to SLFUMC, 640 S. Lafayette St., South Lyon, MI 48178
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Music Ministry Notes
It is September! Usually, this is the time of year the Chancel Choir and Handbell Choir start weekly rehearsals, preparing music for fall worship. We would usually start planning and rehearsing for a Christmas Cantata or a Christmas Pageant. The children would be singing on Sundays as a part of Sunday School and we would share some of these songs during worship.
Unfortunately, this year will not look like any year we’ve ever experienced, but that does not mean that music is on hold! We still have a need for music in our Sunday worship and that includes all who would like to participate!
As always, I invite anyone with musical abilities to participate in worship. This could be any of the following:
A solo instrument with or without accompaniment
An instrumental ensemble
A vocal solo or ensemble
Children wishing to participate in group songs
Adults wishing to participate in group songs
Any other music that you can share!
Most of these musical offerings will still be performed virtually at this time (these are the videos with singers/instrumentalists in individual boxes performing together) and will NOT require Sunday in-person attendance. You do not need to have advanced technical skills to participate.
On Wednesdays from 6:45 - 7:30, I will be available to help with recording for virtual musical offerings. I will be sharing specific information with members of the chancel choir, youth and children. If you are interested in being a part of virtual choirs, please contact David Bassin so I can add you to the email list.
I will also use this time slot on Wednesdays to help children and youth with recording for virtual musical offerings.
The handbell choir will be rehearsing this fall on Wednesdays from 7:30 - 8:30. We will spend time preparing larger works and smaller ensembles. All of the handbell music we use at this time will be chosen with the ability to keep 6 foot distance and will not require any bell sharing. If you are interested in joining the handbell choir, please contact me. We are always welcoming new ringers!
My Wednesday night music schedule will begin Wednesday, September 16 (all activities will take place outside):
6:45 - 7:30 Music time that will be used flexibly (mostly will include individual virtual choir/youth/children/etc recording)
7:30 - 8:30 Handbell choir rehearsal
If you are interested in participating in any of our music ministry opportunities, please contact David Bassin. We look forward to sharing music as we continue to navigate this uncertain times.
David Bassin
Director of Music
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But Wait, There’s More!
As David indicated, there is at least as much opportunity now as ever for new people to share their musical talents in worship at SLFUMC. I have begun doing some outdoor rehearsing/recording with the band periodically on Saturdays. This is a great time to check it out and jump in if you’ve been interested in contributing to our modern worship offerings. As David mentioned, most of this music will be in the form of “virtual bands” but some can be live-recorded outside. If you play piano/keyboard, bass, guitar (electric or acoustic), drums/percussion, or if you sing (melody or harmony), I’d love to hear from you! We also have a great opportunity to get creative with other instruments and ensemble variations at this time. To whom might this apply?
- You play a solo/melodic instrument such as flute, penny whistle, clarinet, sax, brass, strings – whatever else you can think of. Playing live with a band may be intimidating, but what if you could just play the melody of a modern worship song on your instrument? Great! We can use that virtually or in-person, when the time comes. We will be able to add instruments long before singers on Sundays, so we’ll need some instrumentalists to “sing” the melody with the band.
- You’d like to try singing a modern worship song while accompanying yourself on piano, guitar, or other instrument
- You’d like to sing a duet with a friend but your schedules never seem to allow for it (record individually on your phone at your convenience)
- You play another chordal instrument like banjo, ukulele, mandolin, dulcimer, vibes, or other percussion but aren’t sure how to use that in worship
- You like to worship with your whole body through dance, movement, flags, sign language, visual art…
- SOUNDBOARD/MEDIA – You feel comfortable participating in sanctuary worship on Sundays and you’d like to learn the soundboard. We would love to train you! No experience necessary, although a musical ear is a plus.

As you can see, there are lots of ways we can get creative and include more of you in creative worship. I would especially like to extend this invitation to our out of town college students. We would love to have you share your gifts virtually. If you are in town and feel comfortable worshiping in-person, we would love to have you serve on Sunday mornings in music, dance, soundboard, hospitality, and other roles.
If you are interested in any of these opportunities or have an idea not mentioned here, please email me at Aynsley Fant. I am available at various times during the week (by appointment) to help you rehearse and/or record your music. I look forward to hearing from you!
Aynsley Fant
SLFUMC Band Leader
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Summer Lunch Program Thank You
After packing & delivering 2020 (yes, that’s right!) lunches this summer, we have wrapped up our 2020 Summer Lunch Program! There are so many people who made this program a success. Thank you so much to our faithful volunteers who packed lunches & delivered them around town. Thank you to Blessings in a Backpack who provided our fruit cups and non-perishable weekend food packages all summer. Thank you to the South Lyon Educational Foundation for providing free books for all our children. Thank you to St. Joe’s Catholic Church for donating the desserts, many of our lunch bags, and multiple gift cards. And thank you to all of you at SLFUMC who decorated lunch bags and supported our program through your financial contributions and prayers. It truly was a community effort and we are incredibly grateful for the extra efforts that everyone made to accommodate the unique needs of a pandemic. Hopefully we made a small difference in the lives of the residents of South Lyon! - Jordyn Walkup
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Thank You from God’s Country Cooperative Parish
Dear First UMC,
Thank you for all you have done to help us at GCCP. We are blessed to have people like you. This card is to thank you so much for finishing the roof at Paradise after Randy’s serious fall. And we were recently told that you paid for all the materials!! Way more blessings than we were ever expecting! We just needed to get that roof replaced. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! God is so good, and so are all of you!
Sincerely, Everyone at GCCP in God’s Country
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God's Country Note from Dave Smith
The Paradise roofing project mentioned in this note is at the home of a widow in Paradise named Susie. She was so moved by the quality of our work and the presentation of one of our prayer shawls that it brought her to tears. And Susie was overwhelmed that our church stepped in at the last minute to fund the cost of all materials (through Mission of the Month and Mission Fund gifts)..Helping people like Susie is what keeps us going back year after year! Thank you for your support.
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Upper Room Devotionals
Our September/October Upper Room devotional magazines have arrived! Pick up your free copy in the bin outside the church’s front door. They are a great way to spend time with God each day! Both large print and regular print are available.
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Secret Pals!
Please remember your secret pals! Now is the perfect time to let your secret pal know that you are thinking of him or her. If you need help delivering a special treat, please contact Jen Denny. A short and sweet note delivered by mail would also be greatly appreciated. Please contact Jen Denny if you need a mailing address.
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Church News
Birth of Daniel (Dax) Alexander Wallace July 17
Son of Daniel and Stephanie (Tooman) Wallace
Grandson of Steve and Lorraine Tooman
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Click the link below to see
this month's birthdays!

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SEE DETAILS IN NEWSLETTER ABOVE
Sunday 10:00 am Worship Schedule
- In-person worship begins Sept. 13
- Online worship continues indefinitely
Office Hours Beginning Sept. 14
- Mondays 9:00am - 12:00pm
- Wednesdays 9:00am - 12:00pm
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for more information about our church or any of these programs!
Do you prefer a printed copy of our newsletter? Hard copies are available on the kiosk in the lobby!
Newsletter is edited by Lori Penndorf
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