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Please note that what is in blue type is new to this latest version of the Digital Dove. We hope this allows those of you who "skim" to catch the most recent updates.
Holy Week
Jesus lived in the light. He knew who he was and the mission of reconciliation between God and humanity. This week we will take a journey through the last week of Jesus’ life AND the glory of his resurrection. All of it was in the light, meant for all of us.
And it was NOT easy. It wasn’t a week that went as he wanted or the path
of least resistance. Ours will not be either. But we are assured that his resurrection ensures our own, through faith. And when it’s hard, we trust that God knows more than we do. That’s the journey we are on together.
I hope you and I can walk hand and hand this week as we read and consider the ups and downs of Jesus’ last week. There is pain in this story, as there is
in our lives. Children have been shot in their school in our country and others close to us grieve the loss of a student and friend in Benton School District. Pain. But we know the one who has overcome it all. Please walk with me and other followers of Jesus as we ask God’s love and hope to spread in our hearts even wider. And to find new soil in the hearts of others.
May a faith come to life that we didn’t even know was possible. Jesus didn’t hide, he did everything in the light. So should we, followers of Jesus. Happy Holy Week.
-Pastor Brody
Keep Growing Your Faith
At Shueyville UMC, we believe that being a follower of Jesus is a journey. It isn’t just worship, spiritual growth, or service. It’s all of those aspects combined that help us grow closer to Jesus. Take a look at the opportunities below and try to take in each of the areas of emphasis: Deeper Roots (worship), Stronger Branches (your personal faith), Bountiful Fruit (serving God and others).
Deeper Roots
Worship Times
8:00 a.m. This service has traditional music and is a wonderful way to start the morning in worship. We will Live Stream parts of this service on Facebook.
9:30 a.m. This service is a blend of traditional and contemporary music.
Sunday School is offered during this service.
10:45 a.m. This service contains traditional elements that tie us together with our Christian tradition, but the music is contemporary. The environment is more relaxed and it is held in the Family Life Center.
Palm Sunday is April 2nd. Please join us for the beginning of Holy Week. The 9:30 a.m. service will be led by the children of our church. They bring the joy and energy that Palm Sunday, and worship of Jesus, deserves!
Good Friday Worship Service
Please join your church family at Shueyville UMC for a night of solemn worship on Friday, April 7th at 6:30 p.m. This is traditionally known as Good Friday, when we remember Jesus' death in anticipation of his coming resurrection.
It is a quiet service of reflection, but understanding the gravity of Jesus’ crucifixion sets us up for a beautiful Easter Sunday celebration. Invite a friend to join you for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. They pair so beautifully to reveal the fullness of God’s love for us.
Easter Lilies
This year we will have live Easter lilies to adorn the church Easter morning. The lilies are $15 payable to the church office by the end of the day Tuesday April 4th. Please note if the lily is in honor or memory of someone. You may take your lily home Easter morning after the service you attend.
A Prayer for the Next Two Months
This week I am preaching on prayer. And it has reminded me how important prayer is. Prayer is our response to God’s presence in our lives. And in prayer we often have petitions, confessions, gratitudes, and even questions. But prayer is always, at it’s core, acknowledgment of a relationship with the divine Creator. And so I invite you to add this prayer, this posture, to your time with God over the next two months. It is not a prayer for an outcome that we desire. That would be presuming that we already know the answer and what should occur. If that is the case, our hearts aren’t open to listening to God or one another’s fears/hopes. Instead, let’s ask God to guide us and that God’s will for this church in this time will prevail. And in the end, the unity of God’s love will hold us together in a unique and divine way. I can promise you I am praying this prayer, humbly and expectantly. Please join me daily or weekly.
-Pastor Brody
Gracious God, thank you for Shueyville UMC and its place in your kingdom. You have brought us together as a light to a divided and hostile world, a place of refuge and hope, a place where the name of Jesus is glorified as the one you sent to redeem us. Forgive us for our shortcomings and the ways we keep you at arms length. Instead, we invite you into our hearts and even into the things we feel we already know. Open our hearts, ears, and eyes as we discern your Scriptures. Help us to see the direction you will have us take in regards to marriage. We only long to be faithful to you and not legalistic or selfish for the sake of our own comforts. We need your Spirit to lead us. And at the end of this time of discernment, a true opening of our hearts, may your Spirit make it clear how we are to witness to our community and world. We are unafraid because you are leading us. Almighty God, your way and not ours. Amen.
Making it Clear and Transparent:
Same Sex Marriage Discussions at SUMC
Please be sure to take time to prayerfully discern God’s guidance as we move forward. If you didn’t receive the special Dove with sources on same sex marriage, please let us know. We have one week before the Group Brainstorming Session on April 4th. Once again, if you would like to meet with me, Pastor Brody, for further discernment or guidance, I would be happy to meet on certain Wednesday evenings from 5:00-6:00 p.m. or Thursday mornings from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Please email me to set an appointment. brody.tubaugh@iaumc.net
Special Digital Dove
Please be on the lookout for a Special Digital Dove containing the questions for our Brainstorming Session. If you are not able to be present, please follow the link to the Google form and respond or fill out the questions and return it to the church office. Your top response for each question will be recorded as we discern how to move forward. If you are able to be present on Tuesday, you do not need to fill this out ahead of time and hand it in. Fill it out and return it only if you are NOT going to be present on Tuesday. Lastly, if possible we would prefer you to be at the Brainstorming Session, as it is important to model how we can all talk and listen and remain loving and kind to one another.
Stronger Branches
Part of growing in our faith is prayer. Please take a moment to pray for these people and situations, plus what is on your heart.
- Steve Kinkead, as he battles younger onset Alzheimers.
- Dick Lang, as he continues his battle with leukemia.
- Stephen Stepanek, as he battles brain cancer. There have been some new challenges, so please increase your prayers.
- Amber Grabe, an All God’s Children parent. She is battling cancer of the eye orbit, specifically Spindle Cell Malignant Melanoma.
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Melissa Oskvig, sister of Burton Cooper and aunt of Aaron Cooper. She has received good reports and a hopeful prognosis that she will be cancer free.
- Dan Hanrahan, Joe Hanrahan’s brother, as he recovers from surgery.
Bountiful Fruit
Pancake Supper and Easter Carnival
See you Saturday from 5-7:00 p.m. for a great event with something for everyone!
Cinnamon Roll Sunday!
This is one of our favorite Sundays of the year! The church smells amazing
and we get to see our youth busy baking and serving. So mark April 16th
on your calendars and be ready to have a cinnamon roll or a dozen (not all at once, please!) and support our youth on their mission trip to Rust College.
Trivia Night!
Last year we did a trivia night to raise money for the youth mission trip. People got together with friends and created teams. It was a blast!!! So put May 6th on your calendar and start getting teams of 8-10 together because
we are going to do it again. Honestly, it was so much fun that many of us could hardly wait a year to do it again!
A Way to Help
Many thanks for donations of pasta/sauce/jelly/peanut butter! We have a
great amount to share with HACAP! United Women in Faith are now collecting donations for Easter food baskets. Please share non-perishable food items with non expired sell by dates! We are grateful for all past blessings of wonderful food for families dealing with food insecurity. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus to our neighbors.
Ways to Continue to Financially Support SUMC
We pass the offering plate the first and third Sundays of each month and bring it forward for prayer. It is a good reminder that our giving is worship. Carrying the offering to the front of the church and thanking God is nothing to hide or be ashamed of. It ought to be celebrated! But there are a variety of ways you can give.
The offering plate is available each Sunday as you enter worship or is passed during worship.
We encourage Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) as a consistent way of giving. You can change or stop it at any time.
You can request, fill out, and return an EFT form. Some are also available on the table outside the sanctuary. We are more than happy to mail this to you.
You can also give on the website by clicking here.
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