Grand Valley United Methodist Church
July 2026 Newsletter
Wishing everyone a good and safe 4th!
In this newsletter:
1. From the Pastor
2. Mission Minute
3. Office Hours
4. Birthdays
5. Calendar
6. Group Details
7. Church Reports
8. 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 kis and adults, that there is screcely 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, a d “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, 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 attend church when at home — we need you.
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 we 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 to 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 every Sunday, your home.
Another cliche! C H __ __ C H. What’s missing? U R! 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
Mission Minute
Once again, a BIG THANK YOU goes out to the group of gardeners that spent the morning of May 21st on their hands and knees getting into the dirt to plant all of our vegetables in the garden!! Couldn’t do it without you!
July 1st is the official monetary collection for shoes kickoff! As with everything, the pricing of the shoes has gone up, so we need your help! Volunteers are needed for the shoe distribution on August 7th. Mission & Outreach has committed to 80 pairs of shoes, so many hands are needed!!
Bert Botkin has contacted the committee to invite anyone interested in their outdoor service to join her on July 12th. Please contact Bert for more information.
July 31st is our date for “hosting” the Movies Under the Stars. We will again be offering our hot dogs, chips and soda handout. We will need volunteers to handle multiple jobs!
Please talk to Laurel if you can help with either of these projects.
The week of July 12th the office hours will be adjusted. The office will be open on Monday and Tuesday, but closed Wednesday-Friday due to Karen being out of town. Hours will be back to normal the week of July 19th.
Thank you for your understanding.
July Birthdays
11 – Linda Elliott
15 – Sara Francis
16 – Carol Schelling
21 – John Zacharias
25 – Garland White
Our Seekers Class(Adult Sunday School) meets every Sunday morning at 8:30. We invite all to attend.
Our Tuesday Bible Study group is taking the summer off. They will start up again in September.
Choir and bells are on summer hiatus – they will start up again in September. 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 by Ron Olson on Tuesday, June 9. Those present were: Ron Olson, Penelope Olson, Dan Temple, John Chapman, Michelle Foster, Michael Ingersoll, Len Allen and Lee Allen. Michael led us in prayer.
The minutes of the last meeting were approved.
Treasurer: Penelope reported that we had a good month.
Finance: We have a CD due in July. We will have to decide what to do with the $14,000.00.
Mission: The garden is doing well. We will be providing wieners for the Father’s Day picnic.
Music: The Bells will play June 14th and then will be shipped off for refurbishing.
Trustees: There was nothing major, general maintenance.
Worship: We met and finalized our plans for Father’s Day.
Pastor: Everything is fine as of now.
Old Business: We are getting closer to completing the directory.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Lee Allen, Secretary
Treasurer
The Church Continues to Do Well
The month of May brings flowers and for the Church, it brought blessings. After your wonderful contributions and paying the bills, there was $1,040 left over. Added to the previous months’ income, for the first five months of this year, there is $10,500 in excess revenues. On top of that, the long-term investments had an increase in market value of $5,000. The losses from a few months ago have been recovered plus more. The market value adjustment for the first five months is an increase of $11,000. Of course, as we all know, past performance is not an indication of future performance and this amount could be wiped out.
I appreciate your strong support of the Church. It has allowed us to continue investing our excess cash in Certificates of Participation at the Methodist-to-Methodist Foundation and CDs at Alpine Bank, which, of course, earn money to supplement contributions. Financial statements are available on the bulletin board outside the Fellowship Hall. I’m always happy to answer any questions you might have.
LOVING AND CARING:
And on the 8th day, God created seniors. Most seniors never get enough exercise. In His wisdom, God decreed that seniors become forgetful so they would have to search for their eyeglasses, keys, and other things, thus doing more walking. And God looked down and saw that it was good.
Then God saw there was another need. In His wisdom He made seniors lose coordination so they would drop things, requiring them to bend, reach, and stretch more. And God looked down and saw that it was good.
Then God considered the function of bladders and decided seniors would have additional calls of nature, requiring more trips to the bathroom, thus providing more exercise. God looked down and saw that it was good.
So if you find, as you age, you are getting up and down a lot more times, remember it’s God’s will. It is all in your best interest, even though you mutter under your breath.
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