September 2008

General News

Thank You

Thank you with all my heart for all the wonderful get well cards and prayers I received from my church family while I was hospitalized for 48 days and recuperating from December to May at my kids' home. (They are my senior citizens retired Medicare kids. They took good care of me.) Special thanks to the Prayer Group and the Deborah Circle.

I really messed up my big party in March to celebrate my 95th birthday. I had so much fun at my 90th in 2003, and many of you remembered on your birthday cards that you had been there. I do appreciate all the cards, phone calls, flowers and emails through my son & daughter-in-law, Roger & Carolyn.
Thank you. –Jenny Blair

 

Thank You!

I want to thank everyone for your cards, telephone calls and prayers after Bob’s death. A special thanks to the Bereavement Committee, and Ruth Circle, for the lovely luncheon that they served after the service. Your thoughtfulness and caring mean so much!
- Martha Denbow & family

UMW Board Meeting

The Worthington United Methodist Women invite all interested persons to attend their Fall Board meeting, after a three month hiatus, on Thursday, September 4, at 10:30 am, in Room 301. Everyone is also invited to stay for a brief luncheon following the meeting, at noon. Just bring a sandwich cut in fourths to share with your sisters as they join in fellowship and praise.

Trifles and Treasures

Trifles and Treasures is coming!! Please begin cleaning, sorting, and saving for Dorcas Circle’s Annual Trifles and Treasures sale, October 18 from 8:30 am-1:00 pm. Pick up and donations may be brought to the church beginning Sunday evening, October 12. If you need (or can provide) storage before then, please contact Debbie Varble at 614-888-3743 or debbievarble@ameritech.net. As always all clean items in good condition except computers, non-cable ready television sets, large appliances, and clothing are acceptable and greatly appreciated.

Volunteer sign-ups sheets will be awaiting your signatures for the week prior to, and the day of the sale. All are invited to attend. No gifts of time and service are turned away. The next Trifles and Treasures planning meeting is scheduled for September 6, at 9:00 am, in the Dixon Lounge. All interested persons are welcome to attend.

Notes on Our 200th Anniversary

The challenge of growth

The sixth in a series --- --- (previous series entries)
With the end of World War I in 1918, life in Worthington changed. People were more mobile with the coming of Interurban cars, streetcars and automobiles. The town, which had been somewhat isolated, became truly a suburb of Columbus. The local population and church membership grew. Another change that altered the nature of the Worthington church was the increasing tenure of its pastors. No more annual changes. Reverend Borrer served from 1917 until 1921 (with time out for military service in 1918-19).

With continuity of leadership came a longer view of the needs of the congregation. The 1864 one-room building no longer served and a grander vision was needed. During the pastorship of the Reverend E. R. Stafford, on February 4, 1925, ground was broken for our Third Church, which is still in use as the Potter Chapel and educational areas. It was completed a year later at a cost of $135,000 (or 27 times the cost of the Second Church in 1864). Special services to dedicate the new structure were held from Sunday, January 31, 1926, almost every day through Sunday, February 14. Repaying loans to pay for this new building were a huge undertaking for a small congregation, and a major role was taken by the women of the church. They said that they would make the interest payments that were needed.

While the church was built in prosperous times, the 1929 Crash and the Great Depression followed all too soon. As a result, payments on the indebtedness became a major - and potentially disastrous - problem. The women of the church increased their efforts with dinners for the public every Saturday evening and both before and after OSU football games. (Games then always started at 2:00 and finished about 4:30 - no T.V.) The company that held the mortgage would not ease the situation and the loss of the property loomed. Businessmen, including Howard Potter, mortgaged their businesses and the debt was finally paid. Growth continued.

Next time - Another war and the challenge of growth.
Howard Longfellow

Bicentennial Celebration – Come One, Come All!

Now is the time for you to call or write out-of-town friends & former members of WUMC and invite them to return for our final 200th anniversary celebration on Sunday, September 28. Fellowship with friends, old and new, is part of the plans for this fun filled day. All former ministers have been invited to return and participate in our special Sunday service and the banquet afterward. You liked the beginning with our "Old Time Religion Sunday"; finally now you will have an exciting opportunity to enjoy all the festive plans that will be part of our concluding celebration!
– Cindy Wentz, 200th Anniversary Committee Chair

Outreach Corner

Bayou La Batre is a hapless little village tucked along a waterway that reaches like a long blue-black finger from the Gulf of Mexico several miles into the pine dotted Alabama interior. Seafood is the town’s main livelihood, but foreign imports and rising fuel costs have driven the industry into decline. One-third of the population is from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and more than one in five families live below the poverty level.

When Hurricane Katrina sent a 13-foot tidal surge sweeping through, it submerged shipyards and lapped up State Highway 188 a full two miles north of the gulf. By midmorning, as waters rose rapidly around them, terror-stricken residents climbed onto rooftops and into trees. Out on the gulf, beachfront homes built on eight foot pilings vanished into the 100 mph winds. Days later, fishermen trawling 20 miles offshore found doors, paneling and furniture. Though there were no fatalities, 2,000 of the town’s 2,300 residents were left homeless. Few had insurance on their homes or their boats.

There will be another Adult Mission Trip (the seventh) going to Bayou La Batre this year. We are leaving on October 5th and returning on October 11th. Please join us for a time of fun and fellowship while we are carrying out God’s work. I guarantee that you will have a good time and that the food will be great (don’t plan to lose any weight). Don’t feel that you have to have a lot of skills in order to participate in this trip. We do the best we can with the skills that the members of the team have, and there is always something that everyone can do. The trip is not just for men, as we usually have one or two women who participate. For more information, contact Russ Line at 885-3111 or rjlineohio@aol.com.

Pictured are: (standing, from left) Aura Whittaker, Jerry Knorr, Dave Danielson, Mike Jones, Jim Lawrence, Jody Croley Jones, Gene Riblet, and front: Russ Line, in front of a house that the group recently painted.

Join Crop Walk - October 12

It's that time of year! Time to start planning your Fall Schedule. Time to make sure that the 30th Annual Columbus CROP Walk is on your calendar for Sunday, October 12. This year the walk begins at the Riverfront Amphitheater at Genoa Park, in front of COSI. Registration begins at 12:45 pm with the walk stepping off at 1:45 pm. You'll be able to pick up your registration forms in the Ministry Hallway beginning Sunday, September 14. This is a great way to get your family involved and give back to our community and the world. For more information, please contact Amy Wingerter (wingertera@insight.rr.com) or check out the Web site www.columbuscropwalk.blogspot.com.

NEW! Sunday Clothes-Sorting Ministry

On Sunday, September 14, we will begin a new ministry for New Life UMC, here in our church! Every Sunday, from 4:30 to 6:00 pm (during YF), we will be sorting donated clothes here at WUMC. That way the clothes will be loaded and ready to hang when they are taken each week, saving lots of time for the New Life volunteers.

Contact Tricia Allenby with questions (pallenby@columbus.rr.com or 846-6376). Thanks!

CHOICES Thanks You

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your support of CHOICES and our programs that assist women and children facing domestic violence in our community. We sincerely appreciate your donation of $375.00… Domestic violence is a problem that affects everyone. It crosses ethnic, socio-economic, age, and gender boundaries, and it takes a toll on every member of a community. For 30 years, CHOICES has provided counseling, shelter, crisis intervention, education, and community and legal support to central Ohio residents facing domestic violence while promoting a more functional home and family environment….We sincerely thank you for sharing your resources to assist lifesaving programs for adults and children facing domestic violence.
Yours sincerely,
Gail M. Heller, LISW, Executive Director, CHOICES

Selah Small Groups Initiative

We are a church of the community. Old and young, newly married and those with large families, white collar and blue, and on and on...We are a congregation with open doors that has made us large and vibrant. As the Selah process has taken root one area that has been brought forth by many of you is the need to form more small groups within our congregation to connect us at a more intimate level. These groups take many forms. Some of you desire an opportunity to meet with members of a similar age for service in and outside of the church, for study, or for fellowship. For others interest in becoming part of a small group is centered around a specific area of interest such as health and wellness, issues surrounding divorce, or prayer. As a result of your comments, a Selah Team has been formed and is working to build the foundation by which our church can connect in smaller more intimate gatherings. Our mission is to develop groups which are faith nurturing which is to say groups that foster both caring and spiritual growth no matter whether the group is a bible study or a social gathering.

At the center of our task is the need to identify and develop leaders. To this end we will be starting a small group leader training for six weeks starting September the 10th. For those of you who already lead a group within the church and are interested in participating, please see Bill Knapp for details. From this we hope to develop small group leaders/facilitators that can take their gifts and start new groups or continue to build existing groups. This small group training is planned to be conducted on an on-going basis each fall and spring.

Also, coming this fall will be dinner groups. The Selah Small Groups Team felt it would be a great idea to get people together in groups of 8 to 12 people to meet for dinner and fellowship. It is an opportunity to get to make new acquaintances! Please watch the bulletin for more details.
– Bill Knapp, Selah Leader for Small Group Ministry

A Selah! Letter to the Congregation

Dear fellow members of WUMC:
As the Selah member responsible for the new worship planning team, I am writing to provide you with an update and to share exciting news about this fall.

As you may know, our Administrative Council has unanimously approved two important recommendations that will go into effect September 14th. The first relates to our Sunday schedule, and the second relates to when each service will be held.

First, recognizing that our faith is nurtured by both studying in small groups and worshipping together as a body, and noting that our old Sunday schedule did not easily allow families to do both, the Administrative Council wisely agreed to modify our schedule in a way that encourages everyone to attend both Sunday school and worship. Beginning September 14th, our year-round Sunday schedule will be as follows:

This new schedule will allow individuals and families to attend worship followed by Sunday school, or attend a Sunday school class followed by worship. Because we anticipate that the new schedule will result in greater adult Sunday school participation, the Adult Council has planned five terrific adult Sunday school classes that present a wide range of options. In addition we will, of course, continue to provide nursery care and a full range of classes for children and for junior high and senior high youth during the 40-minute Sunday school period.

Second, the Administrative Council approved a recommendation to conduct our "traditional" service from 9:00 to 10:00 am, and our "additional" service from 11:00 to noon. Both the Selah team and the Worship Planning team spent many hours discussing the order of the worship services before making the recommendation to Administrative Council, and took into account many factors. We recognize that some of you may have preferred a different order; this order will require some of you who prefer our traditional worship service to attend an earlier service than you are used to attending, and require some of you who wish to participate in our additional service to attend a later service than you are used to attending. We ask for your understanding and encourage you to give the new schedule a fair try.

The worship planning team has been working with Alan, David and Heather to plan the additional service. The new service will be informal in both attire and music and will incorporate the use of media in a way that is new to our church. We believe that innovation in worship, guided by faithfulness to tradition, can help us deliver God's message in ways that reach a wider audience.

When we change to our new schedule on September 14, it will be important for everyone to recognize that our new service will evolve throughout the fall and winter months. Equipment will be installed over time, vocalists and musicians will likely change over time, and the structure of the service itself will change as we explore what works for our church and community and what doesn't. We ask for your patience throughout this evolutionary process – sailing in uncharted waters is exhilarating, but on occasion the ship may encounter unexpected challenges!

Yours in Christ,
Chip Cooper, Selah Leader in Worship

Book Review & Book Study

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

For many of us, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, is not new, it's a favorite classic. If you were very young the first time you stepped through the wardrobe with Lucy to gaze in awe at the fantastical world of Narnia, you may not have noticed that C.S. Lewis was cleverly speaking to you about the New Testament, redemption, crisis of belief and self-sacrifice, through carefully-drawn biblical parallels. If you’ve never before read this well-loved tale, it has something to offer all ages. Children will appreciate the fanciful tale of the world of Narnia that can be accessed only through a magical wardrobe, and which is full of talking animals who live in fear of the White Witch who wants the world of Narnia to be frozen in permanent winter. Adult readers will appreciate the Passion plan depicting the gentle and wise lion, Aslan, who sacrifices his life to save another and is resurrected before two girls who have faith in him. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is available in the WUMC library, along with the other books in The Chronicles of Narnia.

If you'd like to step through the wardrobe again (or for the first time!), please consider joining the Book Study: Faith in Literature class beginning on September 14, which will begin with a study of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the biblical themes it contains.
– Kristen Welcome-McKee

Any Interest in Yoga?

We are considering a yoga class to be held at the church if there is enough interest to commit to bringing in an instructor. Class fees would depend on the size of the class until all details are worked out. If you have interest or questions please contact Corinne Konecny, at ckonecny@hotmail.com or 614-825-2377, for further information.

Men's Day Apart

On Saturday, November 1, the Men's Breakfast Group is sponsoring a walking meditation at Hocking Hills, Ohio. We will be carpooling from the church at 7:30 am, and will return mid-afternoon. All men are invited and should come prepared for a two-mile walk and meditation. This is not a fasting meditation, so everyone should bring a sack lunch. There will be a sign-up sheet available, beginning in October, so that we have a good idea how many to expect.

Stephen Ministers

All Stephen Ministers, active, on hiatus, retired, members of our church, or another Stephen Ministry program are invited to attend the Stephen Ministry Recommitment Ceremony on Monday, October 6. You will soon be receiving a letter asking you to continue your journey of faith of compassionate caring service to God and our church. Please think deeply and prayerfully about your continued or renewed participation in this vital program to which you have been called.

Save the Date -- October 8 Blood Drive

Mark your calendars now for our next Red Cross Blood Drive, to be held on Wednesday, October 8, 1:00-7:00 PM. Our last drive, on July 30th, was our most successful ever -- 60 units collected in spite of having to turn away 8 donors because the Red Cross ran out of bags! What a wonderful problem to have! Contact Pat Zimmerman (885-5222) or the church office (885-5365 or mary@worthingtonumc.com) to make an appointment to save a life.

Bridge Group Fall Kickoff

The Worthington UMC Bridge Group is starting their new season. A fall event is planned for Saturday evening, September 20, to launch their new year. A potluck at the church will begin at 6:30 pm, to be followed by a non-competitive evening of bridge. Anyone is welcome to come – bring your partner or come solo. Come for the evening or join us for the year. We will playing homes 6 times over the fall and winter and wind up in May with another potluck at the church. If you would like to be on the sub list, contact Cindy Ensley, at 882-1161 or cindyensley@att.net, or Jennifer Blair, at 888-9776 or jenniferblair@wowway.com. It is a fun way to meet other church members and hone your bridge skills. For all who are planning to attend on September 20, please let Cindy or Jennifer know.