Beyond the Green Doors – February 2019
BEYOND THE GREEN DOORS
The newsletter of the
Peterborough United Methodist Church
43 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH
February 2019
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Weekly Sun Worship Service 10a
Sun Adult Bible Study 11:30a Mon Confidential Meeting 6-8p Wed Office Hours 9-12
Wed World Religions Study 9:45a thru 20th
Wed Choir Rehearsal 11a Wed Covenant Discipleship Group 6:30p Thu Office Hours 9-12
Thu World Religions Study 6:30p thru 21st
February
Feb 2 Vision and Ministry Planning 9a
Feb 10 Free Community Breakfast 8a
Feb 12 Church/Admin Council meeting 6:30p
Feb 15 Open Mic Night 7p
Feb 20 Directory submissions due
Feb 23 Men’s Monthly Breakfast 7:30a
Feb 24 Free Community Breakfast 8a
Feb 26 Missions meeting 6:30p
Feb 26 Newsletter submissions due
Feb 27 Prayer Shawl Group 1p
CHURCH FAMILY CELEBRATIONS
Birthdays:
Matt Keenan
Belle Southwick
Ron LaRoche Jr
Membership Anniversaries:
Arnold Johnson
Gary Skillings
PRAYER CORNER
O my loving and compassionate Father to whom I am fully accountable,
bless me with the constant presence of Your Holy Spirit
that I may see only good, speak only good, think only good, do only good.
For You are my God and my greatest desire is to obey and honor and glorify You
with every minute of every hour of every day You grant to me. Amen
You are my God. Show me what you want me to do,
and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path. Psalm 143:10 (CEV)
NEW YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE
We are pleased to announce that Michael Robidoux has agreed to represent our youth on the Church Administrative Council and to coordinate youth activities. While he will be away at school in the spring, he agreed to stay in touch. We are all looking forward to working with Michael over the upcoming year.
THE RIVER CENTER
The River Center is a family resource center in Peterborough that offers free family support programing throughout the towns in the Eastern Monadnock Region. Their mission is to strengthen individuals and families through parenting support, free tax assistance, money coaching and community connections throughout the area. Their funding comes from private and business donations as well as the United Way and other charitable groups.
Peterborough United Methodist Church has had an ongoing association with River Center. In addition to financial donations and program participation in the past, The River Center supported us in providing the use of their parking area when they were located across the street from our church.
Our church missions align well with the missions of the River Center. By helping in support of the River Center, Peterborough UMC can reach more people and families. As a small church, we cannot always provide all the family support we would like so by supporting the River Center we can leverage our resources in the community.
For our 2019 budget we would like to provide for a regular $ 25 monthly donation to the River Center. While small, our regular donation shows our support to the River Center and its community programs.
If you would like to help make this donation possible place a donation in the regular church offering. Place your donation in an envelope and mark “River Center” and we will apply your donation towards our regular monthly donation
OPEN MIC
We held another successful Open Mic in conjunction with the Homeless Vigil and Stone Soup. Approximately 12 artists entertained a group of over 20 with various stories, poems, songs, guitar, piano, and more. Several of the newcomers indicated they would return again in January.
We hope to see you on Friday, January 18 starting at 7 PM.
CHURCH MEETINGS
Open Hearts – Open Minds – Open Doors – Open Meetings
This is a reminder that everyone has an open invitation to attend any of our church meetings (with the exception of SPRC). Meeting dates and times are posted on the church calendar and also printed in the “What’s Happening” in the bulletin and regular email messages. If you cannot attend a meeting and you have any thoughts or concerns bring them to the attention of the committee chairperson and they will add a discussion to the meeting agenda. Committee chairpersons are as follows:
Board of Trustees: Bruce Batten
Church/Administrative Council: Hiel Lindquist
Congregation Care Team: Sue Norton-Poplin
Finance Committee: Richard Clason Sr
Missions/Outreach Committee: Laura Constantine
Small Group Coordinator: Janet Hazel
Sunday School Superintendent: Andrew Dunbar
Worship Committee: Susan Lindquist
HOMELESS VIGIL/STONE SOUP
On December 21, the longest night of the year, we assisted MATS (Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter) in honoring those people of limited resources that passed away during 2018. Approximately 15 people braved the heavy rain to walk from PUMC to the Peterborough Town Hall for the event. After the vigil, PUMC, along with our neighbors All Saints Church and Union Congregational Church, served “Stone Soup” to approximately 45 people. (Research the story of Stone Soup if you want to know the recipe). We also received over $300 for MATS and many clothing donations for the homeless. Thanks to everyone that assisted in making this a successful event. If you missed it, hope we see you next year!
PUMC PHONE DIRECTORY UPDATE
Please submit any additions or corrections for the PUMC Phone Directory to the church office. These submissions are due February 20th. You can review the current draft of the directory here: https://www.peterboroughumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Photo-Directory-January-2019.pdf
NEW HAMPSHIRE DISTRICT MISSIONS PROJECTS
The NH District is raising funds for three projects:
1. Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON) – New England JFON is a division of a nationwide United Methodist ministry that offers legal aid to lie income immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers
2. United Methodist Economic Ministry (UMEM) – UMEM exists to be in partnership with rural communities in western Maine to create healthy, sustainable communities within the region m the UMEM seeks to n promote social justice and provide material, educational, and spiritual sour as first steps toward self-sufficiency in this region of severe economic challenge.
3. Taize Pilgrimage Scholarship- the District has accepted the challenge to send 10 youth on the Taize Pilgrimage in July 2019.
More information can be found on the district website: https://www.neumc.org/
Contributions can be put in the offering. Please mark them to show how you want the money distributed and we will send them on.
SAVE THE DATE
Pastor Lourey Savick will be ordained during the upcoming Annual Conference, June 13-15 (probably Friday the 14th)! More details to come.
DONATIONS NEEDED FOR CITYREACH MISSION
• All kinds of carrying cases: backpacks, tote bags, fanny packs, small suitcases with wheels (used and in good condition)
• Travel-size toiletries such as soap, shampoo, deodorant, lotion, Chapstick, toothpaste, and shaving cream in small sizes, as well as tooth brushes, disposable razors, and tampons (no aftershave or mouthwash containing alcohol).
• New white socks (there can never be too many of these)
• New underwear for both men and women, and bras (again, there can never be too many. All sizes, from small to XXL needed.)
• Sleeping bags & blankets (clean and in good condition)
WHO TELLS THE TRUTH
While growing up in my family it was NOT OK to lie. I guess that tenet was really drilled into me and meant something because it has really stuck with me and
Influenced my life.
Periodically the concept of truth has given me pause to ponder,
but for the past several years the blatant increasing occurrence of lying has really
bothered me¬- I mean really bothered me. I have experienced being lied to by
school principals and have witnessed an acquaintance lying under oath in a court of law. I believe our culture, over ladened with impersonal technology, has provided a tremendous breeding ground for “untruths.” Lies aren’t even called “lies” anymore; they are referred to as falsehoods, fabrications, inaccuracies, untruths, fake news and exaggerations. When and where does a lie not become a lie? I just kept asking myself “Who Tells the Truth?” and then I asked myself “What can I do about it?”
My answer came in the form of a conceptual piece of art. I talked to many people about their own truth and I researched all sorts of written articles on the topic. In my search I came across a lone bumper sticker saying THE TRUTH HAS NO AGENDA. I loved it, ordered it and put it into my artwork because of its profound simplicity.
When I asked one particular visual/media artist friend of mine, who is not only brilliant but very spiritually grounded in Christian faith, about truth she said she would think about it
and get back to me Her answer was the following poem she wrote. It brought tears to my eyes. This poem is also included in my artwork. I asked her permission to share her poem with my church. She said “I would be honored.”
Truth
Truth rolls
rolls up
on the shore
again and again
lapping at the edge
with each swell
and resides in
my belly for a while
until it swells once again
into my heart
where it sweeps
my mind and
breathes air into
my breath.
CM Judge
We all have choices to make and we DO make choices. I conclude that all human
beings are given free will. The choices we make come from that free will and determine
who we are. I truly cannot discern anyone else’s truth but my own; I have not walked in anyone’s shoes but my own. I can just be grateful that I believe in a God who knows and understands all Truth
and gives me the opportunity to discover it for myself.
Sue np
Where Is The Truth
O Lord, where is the Truth?
‘Where your Beloved is.’
Who is my Beloved, Who?
‘In Whom your life is peace.
Excerpt from ‘My Flute’ by Sri Chinmoy
Copyright © Sri Chinmoy 1974
BEYOND THE GREEN DOORS
Everyone is invited to contribute to the newsletter! Send in your thank yous, birthdays, photos, events, testimonials, prayer submissions…
Please submit all materials for the next newsletter (March) to our editors by the LAST TUESDAY, February 26. This is the newsletter that will be released March 3 and cover until Sunday March 31. Send to Melissa French at 924-4294 or email info@PeterboroughUMC.org, with the subject “Newsletter submission.” Thanks!
PETERBOROUGH UMC COMMUNICATIONS
In addition to “Beyond the Green Doors,” Peterborough UMC offers the following ways you can keep in touch.
We are at the church. Come visit us, Sunday at 10 am!
We are on the web: http://www.PeterboroughUMC.org
We are on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/peterboroughunitedmethodist/
This newsletter was compiled by Melissa French. Any concerns with content can be addressed with Reverend Card.