Grand Valley United Methodist Church
May 2026 Newsletter
In this newsletter:
1. From the Pastor
2. Mission Minute
3. In Loving Memory
4. Birthdays
5. Calendar
6. Group Details
7. Church Reports
8. Just for Fun
From the Pastor….
Many years ago, Isaac, son of Aaron, lived in the Polish city of Krakow. A poor man, Isaac worked long hours each day to support his family. At night, exhausted from his strenuous labor, he slept soundly.
One night Isaac dreamed that he was walking over a bridge in the far-off city of Prague when a voice told him to look in the water for a valuable treasure. The dream was so realistic he could see the treasure box in the crystal clear water. Night after night he dreamed the same dream.
After two weeks, weary from lack of sleep, Isaac walked the three days journey to Prague to see what he could find. He easily located the bridge of his dreams and had begun to look underneath when a policeman hauled him away to the city jail for questioning.
In the interrogation room three large men demanded, “What is a Jew doing under a bridge in the Gentile section of the city?” In desperation he blurted out the truth, telling the men that he was looking for a treasure he had seen in his dreams.
“You stupid Jew,” the arresting officer shouted, “do you believe in dreams? I am too smart for such nonsense. Why, for the last two weeks I myself have dreamed that in the city of Krakow, in the home of a peasant, Isaac, son of Aaron, there is a treasure hidden under the stove in the kitchen. Yet you don’t see me wasting my time looking for someone and something that doesn’t exist.”
Roaring with laughter, the other two policemen grabbed the peasant by the coat and threw him into the street. “Go home, foolish dreamer,” they shouted.
Isaac, son of Aaron, dusted himself off and walked back to his home in Krakow. There he moved the stove in the kitchen, found the treasure buried there, and lived a long and wealthy life.
Life is like this parable. You have to go away in order to be able to gain a new perspective, a new understanding. We get these crazy ideas that the whole world is just like Cheyenne Wells or Kit Carson or the United States. In going to Nicaragua or St. Louis, experiencing a different culture and seeing that all of life is not same, helps a person to find the treasure. A person could try and imagine the differences and try to gain understanding that way. However, the disciples’ faith did not grow from thinking about the differences. Their faith grew because of their experience with Jesus. It is one thing to think about the experience, it is another to live it. When you live the experience, it penetrates your whole being. It is so much a part of you that no matter how hard you try you can’t get rid of it. It is on a mission trip that youth and adults find the treasure that God has for them, but they have to make the journey, there is no other way to find the treasure. We have to leave home in order to find the treasure and in finding it we bless not only whole church, but also the community and ourselves.
Mission Minute
May 31 is our next Special Giving Sunday – Peace with Justice.
Peace with Justice Sunday is a United Methodist Church special offering to fund justice-seeking ministries and advocate for peace. It empowers local, national, and international projects, with 50% of funds staying within the annual conference and 50% supporting global initiatives.
Key Aspects of Peace with Justice Sunday
• Purpose: The day aims to “make things right” by addressing structural inequality, violence, and war. It focuses on building “shalom”—a holistic peace involving health, well-being, and harmony in human relationships.
• Significance: It serves as a call for the church to act against injustices like racism, environmental degradation, and poverty.
• Funding: The special offering directly supports programs that advocate for human rights, community development, and, for example, health education in places like Sierra Leone.
Please consider giving to this mission.
We are greatly saddened to announce the passing of Don Morton. He passed away on Monday, March 23rd, but I didn’t find out until after the April newsletter had gone out.
Don will be greatly missed.
May Birthdays
4 – Judy Beasley
25 – Arin Russel
28 – Colt Smith
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.m every Tuesday and are studying 1 & 2 Peter.
Choir meets at 4:00 Wednesday afternoons and bells meet when necessary. We are always looking for pa ld 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, April 14 by Penelope Olson. Those present were: Penelope Olson, Michael Ingersol, John Chapman, Michelle Foster, Sharon Temple, Dan Temple and Lee Allen.
Treasurer: We did very well this month.
Finance: The audit committee will meet soon. Brenda Locker will assist with the audit.
Mission: The seeds are planted in the pots for the garden.
Music: The Bells will play May 17th.
Trustees: A new boiler has been installed in the parsonage. The lawn work has begun.
Worship: Plans for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day have been made. A Seder meal is planned for next year.
SPRC: Dan made a motion that we raise Mandy Boyle’s salary to $20 an hour. John seconded. The motion carried.
Pastor’s Report: Mchael will be gone a few days in June and in July to attend family celebrations. He will be in the pulpit however.
There being no further business to come before the council, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Lee Allen, secretary
Treasurer
March was Another Good Month
It was unexpected that March would be a good month. Total contributions were $8,500. Then there was the other usual income, the parsonage rent, investment income, and building use income, plus an unexpected check for $1,000 for royalties from a lawsuit. In all, our total income was $12,200.
Expenses were pretty much the regular ones, except for the purchase of a new washer and dryer for the parsonage. The net income for the month was $3,250.
So, this good month, added to the other good months, has the Church making $10,050 for this first quarter of the year. This will help us through the leaner months that will be coming up.
Not everything was a bright spot this month, though. As many of you also experienced, the Church experienced a loss of $8,800 on its long-term investments. The previous two months, the gain was $4,400 so the loss year-to-date was $4,400. Hopefully, the market will pull back up again and at least get us to a break-even point.
During March, you also gave $1,750 for the Heifer project and $350 to UMCOR, $250 for Mefors and $30 for the Pastor’s Fund. The Mission and Outreach committee added $1,250 from their special fund to the Heifer donation, for a total of $3,000 being donated to Heifer. They also added $750 to go to Mefors from that special fund. Thank you all for your generosity.
Lexophila – Although not in the dictionary, it is reported that “Lexophile” describes a person who loves sentences such as, “You can tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish,” and, “To write with a broken pencil is pointless.” An annual competition is held by the New York Times to see who can create the best original lexophile. Here are some of those submissions:
>I changed my iPod’s name to Titanic. It’s syncing now.
>England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool
>Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.
>This girl today said she recognized me from the Vegetarians Club, but I swear I’ve never met herbivore.
>I know a guy who’s addicted to drinking brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.
>A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
>When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.
>I got some batteries that were given out free of charge.
>A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
>A will is a dead giveaway.
>With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
I will finish up next month….
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