Grand Valley United Methodist Church
September 2023 Newsletter
In this newsletter:
1. From the Pastor
2. In Loving Memory
3. Office Closed
4. Shoe Distribution
5. From the Treasurer
6. Women of the Bible Study
7. Birthdays
8. Calendar
9. Event Details
10. Church Reports
11. Just for Fun
From the Pastor….
As I was thumbing through the hymnal I stopped at one of my favorite hymns “Here I Am Lord.” My eyes came to rest upon the chorus:
“Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.”
As I was thinking about this chorus I thought about the first line that comes from Isaiah’s call into ministry. I have pictured in my mind’s eye several ways in which Isaiah was called. The first is the traditional way, Isaiah is in the temple and God is talking to the heavenly host about the people of Israel. God wants someone to talk to them so they will change their ways.
This is when Isaiah speaks up and says, “Here I am send me.” The other way I have pictured this “call into ministry” is God sitting around the kitchen table (very big kitchen and table) drinking a cup of coffee (very large cup) with the heavenly hosts. They’re talking about the need for someone to tell Israel to stop acting like brainless fools. This is when Isaiah bursts into the kitchen and yells, “I’ll do it, send me.” In that second you have an exuberant volunteer not knowing what he is getting himself into. His hunger for God is so strong that nothing else matters.
When we answer the yearning of God in our hearts little do we know what we are getting ourselves into. That is when the second line of the chorus brings us comfort and strength: “I will go, Lord, if you lead me.” As you enter into service for God all kinds of surprises begin to happen. You realize that you are not alone on this journey, your soul is finally nourished and the feeling of self worth fills you. You begin to see the world through different eyes and that in itself brings a newness and freshness to your spirit. Only later do we begin looking at what has been asked. God asks for total commitment of our love. God knows that my faith will falter, my judgment will be lacking, I will make mistakes, but if my love is committed to God then God has the ability to draw me back to the source of love. It is this incredible love that changes me from a servant to a friend. In John 15:15 Jesus said to his disciples, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” We move from a one-way relationship (slave/master) to an intimate relationship where so much more is shared. This intimate relationship leads us to God’s heart where we say, “I will hold your people in my heart.”
When you hold God’s people in your heart you begin experiencing the love of God all over again. It’s a wonderful cycle that is to go on for eternity.
Your Brother in Christ,
Michael
It is with great sadness that we report the loss of Joyce Landrum, a long-time active member of GVUMC. Joyce passed away on July 17 after a long and painful battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis associated Interstitial Lung Disease. There will be a Celebration of Life at Fairmont Bible Church, 15100 W 48th Ave, Golden, Colorado on Saturday, September 16 at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, to celebrate Joyce and her compassionate love of animals, please make donations to the Foothills Animal Shelter. Joyce will be greatly missed by all.
The office will be closed on Wednesday, September 20th – Friday, September 22nd and will reopen on Wednesday, September 27th. Karen will be on vacation. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Shoe Distribution
We had beautiful weather for our shoe distribution which took place on Friday, August 11th and we were able to hand out 115 pairs of shoes and socks, as well as backpacks! A big thank you to all who helped in this worthwhile endeavor – either financially, helping with the shopping or helping with the distribution. We couldn’t do it without you!
VS 
Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go….hmmm…where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill. And one more benefit…no dropped calls!
Makes you stop and think ‘where are my priorities’?
INVESTING IN YOUR FAITH
The Methodist Helping Methodist Foundation offers loans to Methodist Churches in the Mountain Sky Conference for a variety of reasons at reasonable rates. These loans help the Churches in their ministries. Over 120 Churches have benefited from these loans and the Foundation has had a 0% default rate of principal since the fund was established in 1961. GVUMC used the Foundation to purchase the parsonage.
One way the Foundation funds these loans is through offering certificate of participations (CP’S). These are similar to CD’s but are not insured by FDIC. These CP’s are available to Churches and individuals. Currently, GVUMC holds three CP’s at the Foundation that mature beginning August 2023 through 2025. You can help by investing in a CP. The current rates are comparable to those offered at banks and credit unions.
These are the APY rates as of August 1, 2023.
Term in Months $1,000 – $4,999 $5,000-$9.999 $10,000+
12 4.44% 4.65% 4.85%
24 4.18% 4.39% 4.59%
36 2.02% 2.53% 2.63%
48 2.22% 2.73% 2.84%
60 2.48% 2.99% 3.09%
Variable-Rate accounts starting at $500 pay 0.50%
Rates are Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
If you are interested in investing your money where it will not only work for you but will also work for God’s mission in this world, you can go to https://mhmfn.org
to find out more or call them at 303.778.6370. You will not regret your decision.
TAX HINTS
Do you pay Colorado taxes? Did you know that, if you do not itemize deductions, that you can deduct charitable contributions greater than $500 on your Colorado return? It is done on the form “Subtractions from Income Schedule (Form DR 0104AD).” So, when you drop those clothes and other items off at Lift Up, ARC, Goodwill, or Salvation Army, get that receipt and make a list of the items you donated. Then use sites such as the Salvation Army donation valuation guide to determine the value of the items. Of course, other contributions to other 501(c)(3) corporations may be deducted, too. For every $100 that you can deduct, you will save $4.40. Not a lot, but it can add up and every penny matters today.
Our Women of the Bible Study will resume on September 12th at 10:30 and meet every Tuesday morning. All are welcome to attend.
Do you play the guitar? We have an acoustic guitar that is just waiting to be played during our worship service! If you are interested, please contact Michelle Foster.
Our Pancake Breakfast and bake sale on Saturday, August 19th for Grand Valley Days were a huge hit again this year. We served 106 adults and 13 children at the pancake breakfasts for $828 and sold $478 worth of baked goods. All in all, a successful event!
September birthdays:
3 – Rich Stoakes
4 – Carol Thulson
5 – Len Allen
17 – Karen Hamick
18 – Dennis Alvord
22 – Fred Inman
25 – Laurel Koning
28 – Lee Allen
Our Seekers Class(Adult Sunday School) meets every Sunday morning at 8:30. We invite all to attend.
Join us for Bible Study every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall or at 6:30 p.m. in the Faith House. We hope you can join us.
Choir practice is back! Choir practices on Wednesdays at 4:00. We don’t have a start date for Bells practice at this time. We are always looking for participants, so if you would like to join either of these wonderful musical groups, please contact the office at (970)285-9892 or by email: [email protected], or let Laurel know.
Prayer Partners meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 10:00. If you have anyone that you would like to add to the Prayer Partner list, please contact Bert Botkin at (970)216-8682.
Church Council Report
COUNCIL MUSINGS
Our garden is very prolific and both the Resource Center and Lift Up are being well provided. And no, the vegetables are not making their way to the Monday Farm Market.
The shoe distribution will provide 115 children with a pair of shoes and three pairs of sox. Thanks to your generosity, there were plenty of funds to pay for them all.
Movies Under the Stars is being sponsored by the Church on August 18th at the Community Park (the one near the Clinic). Hot dogs, chips, and sodas are being provided free of charge.
We are going to increase our interest income by redeeming a certificate of participation that is only making 1.55% and rolling it into one that will be getting 4.59%.
The parsonage rent will be going up $200 a month. The parsonage needs some maintenance work – gutters cleaned, trees trimmed, parking area cleaned up. It also needs to be repainted this fall. The biggest thing is that the deck needs to be repaired or replaced. That will probably done in the Spring.
The Faith House window will be on the truck the week of 8/13. Hopefully that will be replaced soon.
The Worship Committee has been busy getting the Church back in order.
We are looking into replacing the chairs in the sanctuary since so many have already been disposed of because of the fabric and we expect more to deteriorate soon. We will not replace the choir chairs.
Treasurer
There is no news for July because my grandchildren were here and, as most of you know, when you have company, especially children, there is no time to do anything else. I will say that our income for June and the year was actually $1,400 higher than originally stated because I forgot to have the EFT contributions posted. I was on vacation when they were done and it was discovered when the bank reconciliation was done. Having more income is always good news.
Penelope Olson
Treasurer
The importance of proofreading continued
Taken from the headlines:
Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Panda Mating Fails, Veterinarian Takes Over
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
War Dims Hope for Peace
If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Enfield Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Hope some of these put a smile on your face!
Church Contact Information
PO Box 125
Parachute CO 81635
(970)285-9892
[email protected]
www.GrandValleyUMC.com
OFFICE HOURS:
Wednesday – Friday
9:00 – noon