Grand Valley United Methodist Church
August 2025 Newsletter
In this newsletter:
1. From the Pastor
2. Shoe Distribution
3. Latest Capital Project
4. Grand Valley Days
5. UMCOR
6. Birthdays
7. Calendar
8. Group Details
9. Church Reports
10. Just for Fun
From the Pastor….
“Summertime and the living is easy”. These words from Porgy and Bess recreate the mood that we once felt when the days grew longer and school was out for three whole months. NOT SO ANYMORE! The beat goes on. In communities like Glenwood, Carbondale, New Castle, and Parachute there are so many activities for kids and adults, that there is scarcely a let-up in the pace. Stress continues! Many take what vacation time they have during these days, but come back to pick up mail, catch up on chores, attend summer camps of all sorts, and a “skillion” other responsibilities.
These hectic schedules can be demanding. They can become a tyranny enslaving your souls. Unless you take control of the schedule it will take control of you. They will override your values, drain off your energy, and misdirect your aim unless you refuse to let it happen.
Our Parachute UMC theology does not demand a slavish attendance at worship, Bible Study, etc., but that does not mean we take it lightly either. We know you’ll miss some Sundays during this stretch of time. That’s OK, but, remember two things: 1) Attend church when at home – we need you. 2) Attend a church (if possible) at the place you’re visiting.
A preacher I know once preached a sermon entitled “Goodbye Daddy”. He said that as he stood at his office window he heard children saying this to pajama-clad dads who were dropping them off for Sunday school. What kind of value does that teach? I don’t remember the source of this quote, but it’s meaning can be applied all of our lives. “I don’t have time is not a statement of fact, but a statement of priority!” Worship is the native breath of Christians. Without it we will suffocate our souls beneath the “multitude of opportunities that are showy objects of little use or value” in this materialistic, sensualistic, pleasure-centered society in which we live.
Joshua said “Choose you this day whom you shall serve.” Choose life! Choose worship! See you among the community of faith at Church every Sunday. You’re at home.
Another cliche! CH__CH. What’s missing? UR! Don’t let this piece of silliness apply to you. Breathe the enriched oxygen of meaningful worship every Sunday that you can.
In Christ’s love,
Michael
M&O Annual Shoe Distribution
The Mission & Outreach has the privilege of supplying new shoes and socks for over 100 children to start the new school year “on the right foot.” This year, we will hold the annual shoe distribution on Friday, August 8th. Dollar donations are always needed to make this outreach possible. Should you want to donate, identify on the memo line of your check “shoes”, or otherwise designate your donation for the shoes. If you have not already spoken to Laurel about helping out, please get in touch with her. The more hands we have, the easier the process! Thank you.
Are you ready??
Are you ready for Jesus’ return? By now, we (the Wednesday Bible Study group) will have completed volume one of the four-volume study guide of Dr. David Jeremiah’s “Escape The Coming Night”, which takes us on a journey through the Book of Revelation. This first volume covered Jesus’ seven letters to the seven churches, categorizing the strengths and/or weaknesses of each church. Where do you think our church is in comparison to these seven churches? Are we ready?
Join us Wednesday mornings at 10:00 in the Fellowship Hall and be prepared to learn the answer to the question each of us should be asking ourselves: Am I ready?
Latest Capital Project
As of the writing of this issue, the Faith House is getting a much needed new roof! This should help protect our Faith House for years to come!
Grand Valley Days will be held the weekend of August 14-17, and we will be providing the annual pancake breakfast before the parade on Saturday, August 16, as well as a bake sale. Please think about helping out with either – or both! – of these events!
Abundant Garden
Our garden is growing and already providing an abundance of vegetables to share with members of our community.
HELP WANTED!
Please contact Laurel Koning if you are willing to offer at least a couple of hours each week to maintain and harvest the garden.
UMCOR
Do you wonder how you can respond to disaster situations such as the recent floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and fires? UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is one possibility. Each year in March, the UMC has a special offering designated for UMCOR. Proceeds from this offering covers administrative costs for UMCOR. All other contributions are 100% distributed for disaster relief.
A current example of UMCOR response to Texas flood:
– Solidarity grant to Rio Texas Annual Conference
– Early response team deployed
– Debris removal
– Distribution of supplies
– Prayers and worship
Other responses of UMCOR in 2025:
January – Wildfires in California
May – Flooding in Maryland and Tornadoes in Central Texas
June – Tornadoes in Minnesota and Flash Flood in Virginia
To designate gifts to UMCOR, please write UMCOR in the memo line of your check. As you can see, your money gets put to great use!
August Birthdays
2 – Liz Larson
4 – Sharon Temple
5 – Karen Gibson
6 – Phil Gibson and Zoe Fowler
22 – Al Reuter
25 – Dan Temple
27 – Roxann Ingersoll
28 – Ron Olson
29 – Luke Smith
Our Seekers Class(Adult Sunday School) meets every Sunday morning at 8:30. We invite all to attend.
Tuesday Bible Group
Our Tuesday Bible Study group is on hiatus until September 2nd when they will be studying the 23rd Psalm.
Join us for Bible Study every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We hope you can join us.
Choir and bells are on Summer hiatus. We will start up again after Labor Day. 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: office@grandvalleyumc.com
Prayer Partners meet the 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 10:30. If you have anyone that you would like to add to the Prayer Partner list, please contact Bert Botkin at (970)216-8682.
Our Ambassadors (Care Team) meet on the 2nd Wednesday at 11:30 in the Fellowship Hall.
Church Council Report
Council met on Tuesday, July 8, and the meeting was called to order by John Chapman, and Michael opened the meeting in prayer.
Worship Committee: It was reported that they are looking at trying a different way to celebrate communion and will be keeping the congregation informed before the 1st Sunday in August.
Mission & Outreach: A report on the garden status was given. Also, they are looking at ways to support the Mefors on a more regular basis.
Trustees: Council agreed to rent the Parsonage with a year lease starting July 15th. The roof on the Faith House is being replaced. A new sweep has been installed on the back door of the church.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:40.
Mission & Outreach
Shoe distribution and garden – see articles above.
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. Since they were starting to smell, however, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women, and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it … hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!”
Houses had thatched roofs – thick straw -piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof, resulting in the idiom, “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed, therefore, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That’s how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, leading folks to coin the phrase “dirt poor.”
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way, subsequently creating a “thresh hold.”
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while, and thus the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.”
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, “bring home the bacon.” They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and “chew the fat.”
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the “upper crust.”
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up, creating the custom of holding a wake.
They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery. If you had to do this to survive you were “piss poor.” But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn’t even afford to buy a pot; they “didn’t have a pot to piss in” & were the lowest of the low.
In the 1500s, England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive, so they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.
And that’s the truth. Now, whoever said History was boring?
Church Contact Information
PO Box 125
Parachute CO 81635
(970)285-9892
office@grandvalleyumc.com
www.GrandValleyUMC.com
OFFICE HOURS:
Wednesday – Friday
9:00 – noon