Waterville UMC Ambassador

June 2022

Dear Church Family,

Greetings in the name of our Lord, may God’s peace be with you.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians about many things, one of which was how to show their faith. In Ephesians 3:19 Paul wrote, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Here we clearly see that we show our faith in Jesus in the way that we live. Living a life that is evident to others that God is with us.

Then in Deuteronomy 31:6 we read, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” In this passage Joshua has just risen to lead the Israelites. God promises Joshua and each of us that, “God will never fail Us.”

As this is my last newsletter article I want to say thank you to each and every one of you. The past nine years have gone by so quickly. Your faithfulness has made a great impact on my life of faith. In many ways I look forward to retirement and in other ways I am grieving.

The hardest part of retirement or being appointed to another church there is a very clear standard of what the pastor leaving a church must do. Some of the items include not participating in any pastoral roles, including; weddings, funerals, visiting the sick and giving any advice to a church member about a specific issue within the congregation. These pastoral roles are filled by the new pastor.

My hope and prayers are for you to get to know Pastor Teresa. I am sure she will be better in many ways than myself. May your ministry together be blessed beyond any expectations.

May the power of the Holy Spirit come upon each and every one of you.

Thank you again,

Pastor Mike

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

The end of the school year is here. Some kids will be transitioning from preschool to Kindergarten, from elementary to middle school and even from middle school to high school. I remember when I transitioned from seventh to eight grade. We would be the elders … the class in charge… as one transitioning pre-k child told me this week “I will be one of the big kids!” Pondering the transition from one year to another left me with a wide range of emotions: a hint of excitement and certainly ‑‑ the smell of fear!

During the providence of God, there comes a time when we may have to close the door on one phase or period in our life and make a way for the next. If you haven’t realized yet, Pastor Mike is not writing this pastor’s report, but it is coming from your soon to be new pastor, Pastor Teresa Wenrick. Pastor Mike has been your pastor for nine years and many transitions are taking place in his life. Thank you Mike for your dedication, service and love for all.

Transition has definitely been part of my journey lately; moving into a much smaller rented living space, dealing with movers, a new town, new church, saying good-bye one moment and hello the next. And … let me not forget to mention the memorization of several hundred new names and positions in the church. (Asking for grace on that one!) Perhaps you have some of those same feelings as you think about the days ahead and what they may mean. However, you only have to remember one new name: Pastor Teresa.

One of the comforting things about the future is that it simply arrives one day at a time. The sun will rise upon the eastern horizon and we will be greeted with the chirping of birds and the other noises of our world. Another comforting thought is that our great God that met us yesterday is just as present and able to meet us today, no matter what challenges tomorrow holds. God is timeless, without beginning or end, He is present as an unending reality, to walk with us as a friend, not matter what the future holds. He is faithful always. We can place our trust in Him. He promised he would never leave us or forsake us. We can trust our heavenly Father to give us guidance and direction through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

I am looking forward to meeting and interacting with all of you. Let’s do it!

Blessings, Pastor Teresa

Praises to the Lord!

10:30 AM

Opportunities to worship and praise the Lord with WUMC:

In Sanctuary
Park in car near the church and tune to FM 90.5.
Live Stream via You Tube at www.watervilleumc.org
Watch the recording of the worship service on-line when available at www.watervilleumc.org

CHURCH GARAGE SALE!

June 2-4 9am-4pm

We REALLY need 2 more helpers Friday from 1130 to 4, please let Cheryl know if you can help!

Bible Studies on Hold for the Summer: Delores', M&Ms, Pastor's (starting June 21st)

Service Opportunity:

The Offering Counting Team is looking for new members to assist with the collection, counting, recording, reporting and depositing of each week’s Sunday offering. It is completed following worship in teams of two and a calendar is maintained so everyone knows the days they are counting and who their partner will be. The process takes approximately one hour to complete. Attention to detail, accuracy and completeness are extremely important to insure correct documentation. Basic Excel skills are helpful, but not necessary. If you are interested, please contact Tom Wiggins ( financialsec@watervilleumc.org ) or (419) 304-2254.

Sunday Mornings: Ushers, Counters, Greeters

AVL / ProPresenter: AVL operators, Backup Presentation Creator

Church Council: Finance Chair, Treasurer, outreach, Secretary

We are looking for a Volunteer (or two) to be our unofficial church photographer!

No fancy cameras needed! Cell phone pictures are fine!

We want to make sure that we have pictures commemorating those special events at our wonderful new church building!

On Summer Break!

Missions Committee Focus for JUNE 2022

Pregnancy Center of Toledo

Compassionately serving families since 1984, the Center brings the love of Jesus to men and women. Pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parenting classes, counseling, all free and confidential, in addition to providing clothes, diapers, blankets, toys, and other items are all included in the Center's outreach. It walks alongside families who are facing unplanned pregnancies embracing them with Christian love, wisdom, and grace. Prioritizing the sanctity of human life from conception to birth and beyond, the Pregnancy Center offers hope and encouragement to women and men facing the challenges of unplanned pregnancies. At a time when the pro-life voice has grown stronger despite increasing violence against Pregnancy Centers, The Toledo Center is grateful for our prayers, donations, and support. The Center serves for the glory of God who is the Giver of Life.

Learn More Here!

The Missions Jar will be available each week for members convenience. The fourth Sunday will still emphasis the monthly mission.

Operation Christmas Child Update for 2022

Due to growing project and ministry costs in providing evangelism and discipleship materials to shoebox recipients, the per shoebox suggested donation will increase from $9 to $10 in 2022. As economic and supply chain challenges continue, we are experiencing significant increases in many areas, specifically the printing of materials and overall transportation and shipping costs. A suggested donation of $10 per shoebox is critical to transporting and delivering shoeboxes into the hands of a child in need. It also provides ministry materials, such as cardboard shipping cartons, The Greatest Gift Gospel booklet for children, and the Ministry Partner Guide for local outreach event training. The decision to increase the suggested donation has been made prayerfully, with a great deal of input from Samaritan’s Purse leadership. We trust God to continue providing for the ministry of Operation Christmas Child and look forward to seeing how He moves in 2022!

Thank you to those who participated, attended and contributed to the Ukrainian Benefit Concert. Approximately $3,000 was raised and will be forwarded.

”Not all of us can do great things, but we can all do small things with great love”. Mother Teresa

MAY ATTENDANCE

May 1: 163

May 8: 148

May 15: 89

May 22: 141

May 29: 119

June Card Ministry Liaison is Amy Hankins

Please reach out to her at

ahank0530@gmail.com

if you know of someone who needs an encouraging words through a card.

Words of love can change a moment and often a life's direction.

Happy Birthday!

(If you have a Birthday that isn't listed here, please call the church office so we can add you to our birthday list!)

David Nightingale June 2

Marissa Galton June 3

Kayla Galton June 4

Cruz Westfall June 5

Caleb Gregory June 8

Kip Studer June 10

Noah May June 11

Shirley Paison June 13

Jean Warner June 14

Sandy Clark June 18

Glen Lammon June 18

Yvonne Lammon June 18

Ben Long June 18

Katie Beakas June 19

Sara Kirby June 19

Emma Beakas June 21

Paul Croy June 22

John Nicholson June 22

Sarah Shoemaker June 23

Karen Longnecker June 24

Thad Jones June 26

Sue Gregory June 27

Zora Bollinger June 28

Independent Bible Study and Activities

CLICK HERE FOR THE JUNE BIBLE READING

There are also apps through Bible Gateway and You Version to help guide you through this experience.

Choose the one that works for you!

The June HomeTouch is another source of reading the Bible. Start today! There are also fun word games that we share in the weekly blast.

Click on HomeTouch picture to open. OR...check the bulletin board, we post copies each month...OR if you know someone who may enjoy receiving the monthly HomeTouch in the mail, we do have a mailing list we can add them to.