Grand Valley United Methodist Church
February 2026 Newsletter
In this newsletter:
1. From the Pastor
2. Mission Minute
3. Ash Wedensday
4. In Loving Memory
5. Birthdays
6. Calendar
7. Group Details
8. Church Reports
9. Just for Fun
From the Pastor….
I found this old newsletter of Steve Goodier and I thought this would be a good thought to share.
An unknown writer tells a story about her grandmother and a person she deeply admired. The story goes like this:
“My grandmother was born in a small west Texas farming town on August 26,1929, two months and three days before Black Tuesday, the stock market crash that started the Great Depression. As the youngest daughter of sharecroppers, who earned their living by picking cotton, she knew the meaning of barely getting by. Times were tough and she learned to never waste anything.
Her Uncle Jess was a compassionate man who always treated her with kindness. Each time she would visit him, she always left with the same feeling: I am special. After all, she was the only person who was allowed to drink from his special pink drinking glass. One day, she took the pink glass out to the water cooler, a special room that stored and cooled the water generated from the windmill. Out in the water cooler, she dropped the glass. Looking down at the hundreds of glass fragments, she began to cry. She had been entrusted with this special glass and now it was broken.
Her crying was interrupted when she heard Uncle Jess call out, ‘Ruby Nell, I was thinking. I’m tired of that silly old pink glass. Would you please break it for me?’
She ran back to him calling out, with the enthusiasm that only a six-year-old can summon, ‘I did it, Uncle Jesse! I did it!'”
How many times did Ruby pass that story along out of admiration for her uncle? How often did she remember his kindness and compassion and show the same to others? Over the years of a long life, how many times would she choose to believe in herself because of the way Uncle Jess always made her feel: that she was special? And when life was cruel and people let her down, how many times did she find enought strength to set aside anger and respond in kindness, because that is what Uncle Jess would have done?
As little Ruby Nell grew up, she could do worse than to grow into the spi’it ‘n’ image of Uncle Jess.
We are shaped by that which we admire most, and by the people we love most.
Thank you, Steve, for the message.
Michael
Mission Minute
It’s been a few years since Mission & Outreach has participated in the Heifer International program, and it’s time to do it again. The committee is going to select a group of animals to purchase through the Heifer program and will have a set goal for the congregation to meet. We’ll keep you posted!
Special Giving Sunday in March
March 15th is UMCOR Special Giving Sunday. There will be an envelope in the bulletin that day, or you can just write a check with UMCOR in the memo line.
On this day, we support the United Methodist Committee on Relief—better known as UMCOR—the disaster response and humanitarian relief agency of our church.
When people face crisis—whether from natural disaster, conflict, or hunger—UMCOR is there to help. But that kind of response doesn’t just happen. It requires trained staff, reliable systems, and the ability to act quickly and compassionately.
UMCOR Sunday matters because it sustains that foundation. By covering UMCOR’s administrative costs, this Special Sunday makes sure the Church is equipped to respond whenever and wherever help is needed—without delay.
When we support UMCOR Sunday, we’re not just reacting to emergencies. We’re making it possible for the Church to be a consistent, trusted presence in moments of urgent need.
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is February 18th. We will not be doing the imposition of ashes on that day, however, you are more than welcome to get this done at the Episcopal Church on Sipprelle.
It is with sadness that we report the passing of Dennis Caputo on December 30. He was in Texas, surrounded by family. There was a service held for him on January 8th in Texas. He will be missed.
February Birthdays
2 – Bruce Knuth
3 – John Koning
6 – Steve Shaw
8 – Carol Lamb
11 – Anne White
15 – Thom Hamick & Grace Reuter
17 – Greg Smith
20 – Sarah Orona
26 – Michael Ingersoll
27 – Sue Knuth
Our Seekers Class(Adult Sunday School) meets every Sunday morning at 8:30. We invite all to attend.
Our Tuesday Bible Study group meets at 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday and are studying 1, 2, & 3 John and Job.
Choir meets at 4:00 Wednesday afternoons and bells meet when necessary. 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 at Mesa Vista. If you have anyone that you would like to add to the Prayer Partner list, please contact the office.
Church Council Report
The meeting was called to order on Tuesday, January 13 by John Chapman. Those present were John Chapman, Penelope Olson, Dan Temple, Michelle Foster, Lee Allen and Len Allen. John began the meeting with a prayer.
The minutes of the last meeting were approved.
Treasurer: We had a good year. Most things came in under budget, which left us with some money to fall back on.
Finance: The budget for 2026 was discussed. Penelope moved we accept the budget as amended. The motion passed. Michelle is going to arrange an audit.
Mission and Outreach: Laurel reported that we had a very successful Christmas. The committee is going to select a group of animals to purchase through the Heifer program. We will have a set goal for the congregation to meet. Laurel brought up VBS. There is money in the Deb Penrose fund to support it. She is going to contact Dave Penrose to see if he has any interest in doing it this year.
Music: The choir and bells are doing well, though small.
Trustees: The Pentecostal Church is no longer using our building. John will collect the keys to the church. Everything is going well.
Memorial: We have stones for Phil Gibson and Bonnie Gana to put in place.
Worship: Everything is in place for Michael’s absence.
New Business: Michelle has talked with Doug Saxton of the Episcopal church about working together on some common projects. Since they are not doing their breakfast any longer, a joint Saturday morning coffee might be fun.
There being no further business to come before the council, the meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Lee Allen, Secretary
Treasurer
It was a Good Year
Our 2025 financial statements are completed and it was a good year. This was in part to $8,600 in settlement payment from the TEP lawsuit. But let’s not overlook how generous people were when it comes to contributions. They totaled $83,267. This is a substantial amount. Plus, we had the rent from the Pentecostal Church and the parsonage which totaled $28,050. Investment income was $6,600. So, you can see there were many sources for our $130,500 of income.
The fixed expenses totaled $102,500. These are expenses like wages and salaries, administrative expenses (supplies, copier lease, internet connection), tithes to the Conference, maintenance, insurance, parsonage expenses, and utilities. Those are basically the expenses that must be paid just to have staff and keep the buildings heated and lit.
The committee expenses totaled $7,900. These include our dinners, support for Mefors and Pedersons, the Good Samaritan Fund (remember 5 on the 5th?), the transfer of the Grand Valley Days income to the Grand Valley Givers fund, VBS, sanctuary, music, and kitchen supplies.
What does this all add up to? The Church ended up with $20,000 in excess revenue during 2025. It made for a very good year. Our long-term investments also increased by $17,800.
Unfortunately, the Pentecostal Church is no longer using our Church. This will be a loss of income of $9,000 for 2026 that will have to be made up some place else. Plus, as we know, the loss of some of the Church’s members will hurt the contribution income. So, the Church will likely be hitting some of its $151,200 of reserves to help pay some expenses in 2026.
Also, thanks to all of you for the following contributions made during 2025.
Capital Improvement Fund $ 1,690
Grand Valley Givers 5,544
Shoe Fund 4,054
Community Garder 380
Mission & Outreach Fund 3,313
Mefors 3,290
Pastor’s Fund 115
General Memorial Fund 50
Total $18,436
So, total contributions to all funds were $101,703. Wow!
Catholic elementary school kids were asked questions about the Old and New Testaments. The following statements about the bible were written by children. They have not been retouched or corrected (i.e., incorrect spelling has been left in).
1. In the first book of the bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating stuff, so he took the Sabbath off.
2. Adam and Eve were made from an apple tree. Noah’s wife was called Joan of Ark. Noah built an ark, which the animals come on to with pears.
3. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day, and a ball of fire at night.
4. The Jews were a proud people and all through history they had disagreements with the Genitals.
5. Samson was a strong man who let himself be led stray by a Jezebel like Delilah.
6. Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles.
7. Moses led the hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients
8. The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to find the ten ammendments.
9. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat an apple.
10. The seventh commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery.
11. Moses died before he ever got to America. Then Joshua led the hebrews in the battle of Geritol.
12. The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.
13. David was a hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.
14. Solomon, one of David’s sons, had 300 wives. It must have been nag, nag, nag all day long.
15. When Mary heard that she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta.
16. When the three wise guys from the east side arrived, they found Jesus in the manager.
17. Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption.
18. St. John the blacksmith dumped water on his head.
19. Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do one to others before they do one to you. He also explained, a man doth not live by dread alone.
20. It was a miracle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance.
21. The people who followed the lord were called the 12 decibels.
22. The epistles were the wives of the apostles.
23. One of the opossum was St. Matthew who was also a taximan.
24. St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony,
which is another name for marriage.
25. Christians have only one mate. That is called monotony.
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