Story

St. John's United Methodist Church
216 West Seminary Avenue, Lutherville, Maryland 21093
Reverend James (Jay) DeMent, Pastor
Church Office Pastor's Study
410-825-3969 410-825-4840
Pastor's email: pastorjaychris@yahoo.com
Church email: stjohns216@aol.com
Website: www.stjohns-lutherville.org

A Word From Pastor Jay
Psalm 34: 8-10 "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

A young boy went to the store with his mother. The shop owner, a kind man, passed him a large jar of suckers and invited him to help himself to a handful. Uncharacteristically, the boy held back. So the shop owner pulled out a handful for him.

When outside, the boy's mother asked why he wouldn't take a handful of suckers when offered. "Because his hand is much bigger than mine!" said the boy.

This story by Brain Harris of New Zealand sure brings a smile to our hearts when we read it. Children often have a way of seeing the world quite differently than we do. Yet I cannot help but see there is a great spiritual truth in this story as well.

So often we seek to rely on our own resources to make our ways in this world and then complain when we fall short. How much different it would be if we would only remember that our Father in heaven has much bigger hands than we… hands that can supply us till our cup runs over. Like this young boy, we too need to first recognize where our true blessings come.

I wish to invite you to join me for a day of seeking those "big hands" of God as we look to where St. John's United Methodist Church will go in the next two years. On Saturday October 16 the Administrative Council and I will gather for a time of renewal as we look ahead to 2011. We invite all who are willing to trade a Saturday of personal agendas for a look at what God's agenda will be for the coming year. Further details will follow but I ask that you keep this day open for a time of gathering together with God.

God be with you all,

Pastor Jay
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL - Our Twenty-First Strawberry Festival was a great success. It was again good to have the fun and fellowship with both our church family and people from the community. Everyone agreed that the time and effort spent to bring it about were worthwhile. In addition, we made a nice profit to be used to support our many outreach programs. Thanks to all who helped in any way.

SCHOOL OF CHRISTIAN MISSION - Two of our members will be going to Hagerstown in July to learn about "For the Love of God: John's Letters" and "Joy to the World: Mission in the Age of Global Christianity," the subjects to be studied in our circles in the coming year.BABY BLANKETS - Leesa will be taking handmade baby blankets to New Windsor early in July. Please bring them to her or the church office by Sunday, July 4.

OUTREACH - In keeping with our purpose, our unit has voted to make a significant contribution to Red Bird Mission through our VIM team who will be going there in September.

LOOKING AHEAD - The Executive Committee will be meeting in early August to plan for the coming year. If there is a topic you would like us to consider for a program, please see any member of the committee.
— Leesa Sipe
Fellowship Coffee Hour will be hosted by individuals during the summer months.

See you in September.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUZANNE

July 12

Our missionary, Suzanne Porter, has a birthday in July. I urge each of you to consider making a special "Happy Birthday" contribution this month. Checks should be made out to St. John's and noted "Missionary" on the memo line. They can be put in the offering or mailed to the church office.

Please send her a card to let her know that we support her with both our gifts and our prayers.

Suzanne Porter
c/o Liberia Annual Conference
Tubman Blvd @ 13th Street
Monrovia, Liberia

— Thank you for your support —

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: AUGUST 6

The next ‘Story' will be the September/October 2010 issue. The deadline will be Friday, August 6. All those who contribute articles will need to plan to submit information for a two month time period.

WHO TO CONTACT?

STAFF
James (Jay) DeMent, Pastor
Church Study, 410-825-4840
Parsonage, 410-321-0617
Leesa Sipe, Interim Organist
Carole Gray, Church Secretary
Church Office, 410-825-3969

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
Andy Anders & Ron Dumas, Lay Leaders
Cleo Matthews-Conley, Church Council
Hap Cursey, Finance Committee
Ken Norris, Stewardship Committee
Ron Dumas, Board of Trustees
Cora Edwards, Staff Parish Relations
Mary Alice Young, (Bldg) Usage Committee
Gerry Kalar, Memorials
Maggie Hediger, Memorials

KEY PERSONS
Bill & Freda Harris, Co-Treasurers
Maggie Hediger, Financial Secretary
Ron Dumas, Ushers
Susan Dumont, Church School Superintendent
Leesa Sipe, United Methodist Women
Phylicia Conley, Youth Representatives
Pat Owings, Altar Flowers
Gerry Kalar, Day Care/Board of Child Care
Freda Harris, Susanna Wesley House Rep
TBA, Church Historian
Don Owings, Boy Scout Rep

WORK AREA CHAIRS
Pat Owings, Worship
Clara Hall, Education
Sarah Shane & Nancy Lingar-Norris,
Membership & Outreach
Carol Anders, Missions
Leesa Sipe, Church and Society
Randy Hall, Religion and Race

Church Council meetings will take place on the third Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the Choir Room.

Church Council minutes are available in the church office or may be sent to you upon request.

WORSHIP

SCHEDULE

8:15 a.m. Sunday School

9:30 a.m. Worship Service

10:30 a.m. Coffee Fellowship

Sunday, September 19 - The team leaving for Red Bird Mission will be commissioned. Please come and pray for our missionaries.

ATTENDANCE

May Total

2 35
9 38
16 41
23 37
30 44

June

6 37
13 30
20 36

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ALTAR FLOWERS - Please see that the Altar Flower order forms are brought to church - the church office or offering plate, - at least one week before the date for which you signed up.

– Pat Owings for the Work Area on Worship

NEXT WORSHIP MEETING - The next meeting of the Work Area on Worship will be Monday, August 2, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pastor's Study.

MEMBER NEWS

SYMPATHY - (We apologize for the extreme lateness of this notice.)
St. John's congregation would like to express our sympathy and ask for the Lord's comfort and strength for
Irene Roberts, Nancy Waters and the family of Harry W. Roberts who passed away on 11/20/09

BAPTISMAL GIFT - A baptismal gift was presented to Nathan Koors on Sunday, May 23. Nathan is the son of Monica and Rich Koors and the grandson of Hap and JoAnn Cursey.

THANK YOU - St. John's congregation would like to thank Andy Kreft and Boy Scout Troop 340 for the beautiful landscaping of the front of the church which was completed on Saturday, June 19. This was an Eagle Scout project for Andy.

OUR CHURCH ACTIVITIES

CHURCH ACTIVITIES - All members and friends of St. John's and our sister church, Idlewylde, are invited to join us for all events featured in the ‘St. John's Story'.

SUNDAY SCHOOL - Sunday School meets on Sundays at 8:15 a.m. with classes for all ages.

SIP BOOK CLUB - The Seeking Inner Peace Book Club will be reading the following books in the next months:
August - Joshua in the City, by Joseph Grizone
September - Made for Goodness by Desmond Tutu
October - The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
All meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. The August meeting will be held at the parsonage: 216 W. Seminary Avenue, Lutherville, 21093.

BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENING - The Parish Nurse provides blood pressure screening in Fellowship Hall after the 9:30 a.m. Worship Service during Coffee Fellowship time on the 2nd and 4th Sundays.

SAVE THE DATES

Sunday, October 3, 1:00 pm
CROPWalk

Donation forms are available through the church office.
Last year we sent 10 walkers. This year we are seeking to match that amount.

Saturday, October 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Leadership Summit for St. John's UMC

Everyone is invited to spend the day setting our course for the next two years as we gather to discern what God is calling for St. John's. We will share time together reaffirming that the Mission of the Church Matters. Lunch will be provided. The location and cost is TBA but please put this important event on your calendar.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

PRAYER SERVICE FOR PEACE IN MIDDLE EAST - The next Pray for Peace service will take place on Thursday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Francis Academy, 501 East Chase Street, Baltimore. We will meet to pray for Peace on Sunday, August 22 at 7:30 p.m. at a place to be announced.

Are You a Nurse Who Is Interested in Health Ministry? - In the Fall 2010 semester, the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore will offer the first of its two-course sequence in basic Faith Community/Parish Nursing. This course is open to registered nurses who want to integrate faith and spirituality with nursing practice, whether in their congregations as part of health ministry or at their places of work. The first course in the sequence meets one Saturday per month in the fall semester, while the second course meets one Saturday per month in the spring semester. At the end of the spring semester, 6 graduate credits and a basic certificate are awarded; CEUs are also available. If interested, please contact Dr. Pat Fosarelli at pfosarelli@stmarys.edu or 410/864-4204 for more information.

COMMUNITY LENTEN SERVICES - The average attendance for the five Wednesdays was 58. The offerings were designated for ACTC. The total amount received was $1,143.95. The attendance for St. John's week was 55+ and $251.95 was collected in the offering.

ARNOLIA CHOIR FESTIVAL - The free will offering for the festival, divided between Manna House and the Arnolia Outreach Ministry, was $665. Thank you to those who participated or attended.

LET'S KEEP IN TOUCH!
In every season, it is always nice to be remembered! Your card, note, visit, or phone call to one of our family members at home is always appreciated. If you would like to have your name included on our Keep-In-Touch page, just call the Church Office for info..

Gladys Ament (8/26)

C. Melvin Askins

Mary Bolyard (7/13)

July Birthday

Mary Bolyard 7/13

Mary Carl 7/25

August Birthdays

Doris Seaman 8/22

Gladys Ament 8/26

Mary Carl (7/25)

Lil Creech (1/20)

Doris Seaman (8/22)

Pat Temple (1/19)

Doris Wells (10/15)

RELIGION & RACE

A Tribute to Haitian Volunteers

In April our granddaughter, April, traveled with about a dozen others from Tennessee to Haiti to assist members of a Christian Community east of Port-Au-Prince which had been devastated by the terrible earthquake in January. The group – all volunteers – included two other teens, a nurse practitioner, a carpenter and 9 or 10 other adults. All were trained to help people with minor medical problems, cleaning up filthy residences, and restoring living quarters to some semblance of comfort.

April was put to work with a variety of tasks – clerical, babysitting, meal preparation, and cleaning. Despite repeatedly warning April of what we thought she should expect, she was appalled by the utter devastation, and abject poverty of the community. She remarked to me that the wealthiest man in the Christian Community was poorer than anyone she ever met.

She presented hearts that were placed on clothing to the children of the community. She, Alicia Mason, daughter of our former pastor, Earl Mason, and several other teens did the knitting. The children were extremely grateful.

April raised almost all the money for the trip herself and since returning home has been sending money every month to the community to pay for a student to attend a Christian school.

I would like to commend April and her teammates for their selfless efforts ans volunteers in a risky environment. Naturally we must honor the thousands of other volunteers who did similar work, some in areas more dangerous than where April went.
Randy Hall

N
Choir Kick-off Party at the parsonage
Thursday August 26 at 6:30pm
Bring a spouse or friend!
New choir members welcome!!!
Bring the proverbial dish to pass.

MISSION NEWS

St. John's Mission Statement
The people of St. John's United Methodist Church will be God's messengers, creatively sharing our Christian faith and God's love by our actions in the home, church, community and world.

We need volunteers for the following Mission projects:

Baltimore County Christian WorkCamp – There are three opportunities for you to help with this local mission project.
1. Donate money as each church is asked to donate at least $100 for building supplies. Make your check out to St. John's UMC, in the memo section put BCCWC.
2. "To share the love of Christ by improving the homes of and providing assistance for some limited income families in Baltimore, County."
We are forming a team to work several days the week of July19th – 23rd, you can work one day or as many days as you wish to help. The day starts with a 7:30 am breakfast at Hunts UMC. Workers prepare own lunch (food provided). Work assignments are selected according to the group's skills. Dinner is provided each night at a different church. All meals are optional. There is a sign-up sheet in hallway outside of Fellowship Hall or contact Carol Anders
3. Help prepare and serve dinner at St. John's for the workers on Wednesday, July 21st. Menu will consist of Sloppy Joes, chips and brownies. If you are unable to attend/donate/prepare the food items a monetary contribution will be accepted, mark your check BCCWC- dinner.

Manna House – This is an opportunity to offer assistance and support to the homeless, poor and needy of Baltimore. Manna House provides services that contribute towards their clients' independence and stability.
We meet at St. John's and drive to Manna House one day a month (9:30 – Noon), in groups of at least 3 people and sort clothing for distribution to the poor and needy. There is no contact with the clients and parking is available on their parking lot. Date to be determined by the group!

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This year's mission trip to Red Bird Mission in Beverly KY. will be September 26 - October 2, 2010.
The cost for each individual is $350 which includes meals, boarding, materials, and insurance. If you are interested in participating in the trip to Red Bird, please contact Pastor Jay.

St. John's is collecting labels for Red Bird Mission. They may be put in the box on the kitchen counter. Please give the entire label. Following is a list of included products – details will be posted in the kitchen.

Campbell's Swanson

Franco-American Prego

Pepperidge Farm V-8 (cap)

Also save "Labels for Education" from Betty Crocker, etc.

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The Eastside Shelter is in need of single sheets (tops and bottoms) and towels. If you have any of these items to donate please mark your bag(s) with ESS and leave them in the office or choir room. This is an ongoing mission project; for additional information see Carol Anders.

MISSIONS

ACTC

Assistance Center of Towson Churches
Food Donation for July and August

VEGETABLES

Peas, Corn, Green beans, Tomatoes

CHURCH FINANCES

PLEASE keep in mind as you vacation this summer that your church does not go on vacation.
We continue to need your financial support during the summer months. Gas and electric, water, maintenance, salaries, etc. must be paid.
Your HELP is greatly appreciated!

Financial Secretary,
Maggie Hediger

CHURCH BUDGET FOR 2011

All committee and other chairpersons are urged to work on their budget requests for the year 2011. It is very important that these requests be in the hands of Don Owings, by August 15. It is also imperative that requests be kept to a minimum. Thanks for your cooperation.

Finance Committee
"ADOPT-A-DOOR" PROJECT

More than a year ago we asked you to support the "Adopt-A-Door" Program with a one-time gift to honor or remember someone by sponsoring a door in their name.

Finally all 16 doors have been delivered and installed on the lower level of the church.

A service was held on June 20 dedicating the doors as follows:

In Memory of our parents George & Shirley Krom
By: Linda Krom, Cora Edwards & Leroy Krom

In Memory of Ossie & Magnolia Norris
By: Ken & Nancy Norris

In Honor of our family
By: Pat & Don Owings

In Loving Memory of D. Robert Price
By: May Price

In Honor of St. John's Choir
By: Leesa & Neal Sipe

In Loving Memory of Bill Purcell
By: Sharon Purcell

In Memory of Our Parents & Grandparents
By: Carol & Kenneth "Andy" Anders