Grand Valley United Methodist Church
October 2023 Newsletter
In this newsletter:
1. From the Pastor
2. In Loving Memory
3. 5th Sunday Potluck
4. Paradise
5. Birthdays
6. Calendar
7. Event Details
8. Church Reports
9. 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 bring 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 that Deb Penrose lost her battle with cancer on Friday, September 1st. Deb was an integral part of this church and will be greatly missed. There was a Memorial Service held on Saturday, September 30th. Our hearts go out to Dave and the family.
5th Sunday Potluck
October 29th is the 5th Sunday in October, which means it’s potluck time! We will have a potluck lunch following worship on that Sunday. Please bring a dish to share and stay for the fellowship!
A week in Paradise
On Saturday, June 10, Sean Dunagan, Shawn McElroy, Jim Frale, Roxann and Michael Ingersoll, Steve and Jan Shute from GWS UMC and Parachute UMC began our mission trip to assist in the rebuilding process after Paradise, CA was destroyed in the 2018 Camp Fire.
We worked for a non-profit called Hope Crisis Response Network (HCRN). HCRN, loosely associated with UMCOR California, assists in different areas of California where residents have been affected by natural disasters. Their mission is to not only build a house, but also, to work to rebuild the resident’s future by providing financial and trauma assistance.
There were many questions that crossed my mind in anticipation of the trip. What would a town, a bit bigger than Montrose, look like with 95% of the structures (18,000 total buildings, including 12,000 homes) destroyed? What would the residual trauma of the residents be after having to run for their lives and losing 86 of their fellow residents?
What didn’t occur to me was that there wouldn’t be a need for businesses to rebuild because only 15% of the residents had returned and that most of those that did return didn’t have anywhere else to go. Four and 1/2 years after the fire, they were living in small, beat-up camper trailers or the few motel rooms that survived. There were very few children because 5 of the 7 schools were destroyed and so many of the businesses that employed the parents were not rebuilt. Every day, (driving past thousands of burned out, empty lots), the residents that did return were reminded the town they knew would likely never be what it was.
During the week “in Paradise”, we helped in various stages of building five small, uncomplicated, but quality-built homes. On one house, we installed the weatherproof wrap and windows. And, for a couple more houses we built porches and did painting and staining. We also readied a finished house for the residents’ impending move in.
We got to meet at least one intended resident for each house. They shared with us their story of escape (or, for one person because they couldn’t escape, laying in a low spot as the fire approached and went over them) relayed as if it happened the week before, their struggles of living in the years since the fire, and their absolute gratitude for our efforts to build them a beautiful home to move into.
Our team expressed how meeting the people that would live in each house brought meaning to our work. We realized that our efforts not only went to rebuilding a house, but also contributed to giving these residents encouragement and hope to keep on living—in this new Paradise.
Written by Jan Shute (GWS UMC)
October birthdays:
1 – Bonnie Palmer
2 – Jean Ives
3 – Dennis Caputo
10 – MaryJane Wahlman
12 – Allison Kohn
13 – Jane Chapman
16 – Lee Wegner
19 – Michelle Foster, Howie Orona
21 – Joe Cason, Nancy Slocum
25 – Hope Perrine
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. We hope you can join us.
Choir is back! Choir meets at 4:00 on Wednesday for rehearsals. We are always looking for participants, so if you would like to join this wonderful musical group, please contact the office at (970)285-9892 or by email: [email protected]
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
No Report
Mission & Outreach
No Report
Treasurer
FINANCIAL UPDATE FOR OCTOBER
The Church is still in the black through two-thirds of the year at almost $8,100. August was a loss of $750 due to the replacement of the window at the Faith House and work on the air conditioning unit.
The Finance Committee moved some funds so the Church makes higher interest on an investment. The money that was left to us by Mitzi Burkhart was turned over to the Church on September 1st. It totaled nearly $26,670. It is currently invested in a number of different funds at Vanguard. These funds have no restrictions on their usage. The Finance Committee, with the approval of Council, will manage where the funds are invested.
That’s it for this month. Things are looking good. Thanks for your support.
Why English is Hard to Learn
We’ll begin with box, the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, and two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose is never called meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a house full of mice,
But the plural of house is houses, not hice.
The plural of man is always men,
But the plural of pan is never pen.
If I speak of a foot, and you show me two feet,
And I give you a book, would a pair be a beek?
If one is a tooth and whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn’t two booths be called beeth?
If the singular’s this and the plural is these,
Should a plural of kiss be ever called keese?
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his, and him;
But imagine the feminine…she, shis and shim!
– Anonymous
Church Contact Information
PO Box 125
Parachute CO 81635
(970)285-9892
[email protected]
www.GrandValleyUMC.com
OFFICE HOURS:
Wednesday – Friday
9:00 – noon