September 4, 2011
Worship Highlights: 8:15 am & 10:30 am
Malachi 2:17 to 3:7 – “Wearisome Words”
Rev. Neal Sadler
9 am – “Laboring in Laborious Times” – Pastor Neal
Flowers: The flowers on the altar are given by Joan and John Walschon in celebration of their 5th anniversary.
5th Annual
“Alive on the Square”
Sunday, September 11th, at 10:00 am,
Tenth Anniversary of 9/11
Medina United Church of Christ
and Second Baptist Church
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 10:00 am
Lunch, Games and Horse Rides follow
This year our Alive on the Square worship service coincides with the 10th Anniversary of the devastating events of September 11, 2001. In recognition of this anniversary, our theme for the day is “Ministers of Reconciliation: Ambassadors for Christ.”
Following worship, please join us on the church lawn for lunch, games and fellowship.
“Alive on the Square” will be the only worship service for
Medina UCC on September 11th.
COMMUNION
The bread being served during Communion today was baked by the loving hands of our Breadmakers’ Ministry.
“And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.” Corinthians 10:17
September 4, to September 11, 2011
WEEK AT A GLANCE
Sun 8:15 am Chapel Worship
9:00 am Gathering Worship
9:00 am Choir Rehearsal
10:30am Worship
2:00 pm JMM @ MR Village
Mon LABOR DAY
CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED
Tues 6:45 pm ALIVE NOW Book Study
7:00 pm Evangelism Team
7:00 pm Gathering Band
Wed 7:15 am Chapel Prayer Time
10:30am Quilters
2:00 pm Bible Study@ Tollefields
6:30 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal
7:00 pm Chain-Breaking Faith Mtg
8:00 pm Worship Team
Thurs 9:15 am Women’s Bible Study
7:00 pm Finance Team
Fri
Sat 7:00 am Men’s Bible Study
8:00 am Men’s Fellowship
9:00 am Confirmation Ropes Course
9:00 am Gathering Band
11:00am Gathering Leadership Team
4:00 pm Zion UCC – Serve-a-Meal
Sun 9:00 am Choir Rehearsal
10:00am ALIVE ON THE SQUARE
ONE WORSHIP SERVICE AND PICNIC
10:30am JMM @ The Inn
2:00 pm Community Remembrance
Service for 9/11
THE CHURCH OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED
ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th
IN OBSERVANCE OF
LABOR DAY
FOOD GATHERING
There is a constant need for canned goods, non-perishable foods and paper products. Please remember to bring items to the church as often as possible and place them in the wooden boxes just inside the north doors. Thanks for your help.
GOOD NEIGHBORS
If you are able to provide a meal to our church members in need, please contact Amanda Hover at 330-635-3714 or email to thehovers@hotmail.com
WOMEN’S BOOK GROUP
The Women’s Book Group will meet 7 pm on Tuesday, September 13, at Carolyn Sadler’s house, 4878 Summerwind Drive, to discuss Final Gifts by Maggie Callanan.
All are welcome. Questions? Call Stephanie Manhoff at 723-1883.
NEW CHURCH DIRECTORIES
We will be printing new church directories the first week of October. Please notify the office with any telephone, address or email changes no later than SEPTEMBER 26.
DRAINAGE PROJECT:
The Drainage Project is nearly complete. All new drainage pipes are connected to the catch basin in the parking lot and the dirt piles are finally gone. The sidewalks in the court yard have been repaired. We have a new entry pad at the Hobby Horse entrance and the trench across the parking lot has been completed. The entire parking lot will be available for normal use on Sunday September 4. We expect to have grass growing on the west and courtyard lawns before the end of October.
This project has cost over $50,000. The church council and the finance team have approved using all the money presently in the capital improvement fund with the remainder to be taken from the church’s Reserve Fund. This will consume roughly half the money in the Reserve Fund. Please consider sending a check to the church office designating it for the drainage project.
Thanks for your support,
Bob Montgomery
Building & Grounds Team
YOUTH GROUP KICK-OFF
If you are in third through twelfth grade, come be part of our Youth Group kick-off celebration at the church on Sunday September 18. We’ll have a pizza party at 5:00 pm followed by Youth Group from 5:30 pm until 7:00 pm. All youth and friends are welcome! If you have any questions about Youth Group, please contact Pastor Mariah.
“LOST & FOUND” – In Concert
Please plan to attend the “Lost & Found” concert at Medina High School on Saturday, September 10, at 7:00 pm. This concert is being held in the Performing Arts Center, Middle stage. Admission is FREE with a canned good for the Free Farmers Market, which is a ministry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Your free tickets must be reserved by contacting Pastor Tom Schwartz at ptom@zoominternet.net or by calling St. Matthew Lutheran Church at 330-725-8885.
SCRAPBOOKING
Soon all of the kids will be back in school and you may need something to do to fill your time! Why not join Kelly and Stacie on Friday, September 23, starting around 6:30 pm or whenever you can arrive to work on preserving your family memories. We will gather in Rooms 9 and 10 here at the church, so please join us if you can. Contact Kelly at financial@uccmedina.org if you have any questions.
Women’s
Fall Lantern Fellowship
Pilgrim HIlls
September 16 – 18, 2011
Biblical Storytelling
Leader – Rev. Bert C. Ambrose Jr.
Rev. Bert Ambrose currently serves at Emmanuel UCC in Valley City, Ohio, and is an active member of the Network of Biblical Storytellers, Int. (www.nbsint.org).
Continuing the summer camp theme, “Got Spirit? Finding God in the Everyday,” Bert will share and help us learn to tell at least two of the sacred stories from this past summer’s program. We will go “marveling” into the stories and find ourselves in them and they in us.
• Cost: $135
Registration fee includes all meals,
lodging and program costs.
Need Scholarship assistance?
Indicate on the registration form.
Registration deadline: Tuesday, September 5, 2011
• Registration begins at 3:00 pm on Friday, followed by dinner at 5:30 pm.
• We leave for home after lunch on Sunday.
Questions? Contact: Conference office at 800-282-0740, Ext. 200, and they will be in touch with the planning committee.
SERVING MEALS AT
ZION UCC, CLEVELAND
Signup Now Available for Fall
For a couple years now, folks from Medina UCC have been serving meals for the poor and homeless on the second and fifth Saturdays of the month.
The response from our folks has been enthusiastic. It is a great way to serve.
The meals are prepared by Zion UCC, and we show up to serve and clean up. It is a simple, but meaningful way to be involved in caring for persons in need.
We continue our commitment to serving meals. We leave Medina UCC at 3:15 pm and arrive back around 6:30 pm. Interested in helping? Please sign up in the East Room.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR F.I.S.H.
Fall Sunday School is just around the corner and once again, we will be doing the workshop rotation format. Teachers and leaders are needed. Are you able and willing to give one month out of the year to help lead our youth in their faith formation? It truly is a rewarding experience working with the children and youth of our church.
If you are interested in teaching or leading, please see Stacie Yates or sign up outside of Fellowship Hall. Last year was a great success!
GIFT CARD ORDERS
Please support the youth and purchase gift cards. Many vendors and denominations are available. Please see the Yellow Retailer List on the table near Fellowship Hall or visit www.glscrip.com and click on the Retailer List on the left side to view or print your own list. Complete a Green Order Form, also available on the table near fellowship hall and return to Kelly or Stacie with payment.
The next order is due on
September 19th @ 10:00 am.
FUNDRAISER- POT LUCK STYLE
FOR ALIVE-ON-THE-SQUARE
Alive-on-the Square is our annual church fall kick-off celebration. On September 11, 2011 at 10:00 am we will be worshipping on the historic public square of Medina. Following the service we will hold our church picnic and fellowship time back at the church. Food, games, horse-back rides, and a large inflatable bouncing castle will be part of the activities on this kick-off Sunday.
Following the old tradition of potluck style meals the church is funding this event asking everyone to contribute with small donations. Instead of requesting people to contribute hundreds of dollars to cover our expenses we are asking for many smaller donations. Here are some suggested amounts and what that amount will sponsor.
$40.00 rental of a sound mixing board for church service
$40.00 rental of one sound amplifier for the church service
$37.00 rental for ½ hour of the large tent for church picnic
$33.00 rental of one loud-speaker for the church service
$25.00 rental for ½ hour of the Romp-n-Stomp inflatable castle
$12.00 rental of cable, stands, and other sound equipment
$10.00 rental of 15 chairs for the church picnic
$10.00 rental of one table for the church picnic
$7.50 rental of one microphone for the worship service
These are all approximated rental cost per items but by everyone contributing a small amount we can create an event that will bring glory to God. Alive-on-the-Square is one of our biggest efforts to invite the greater Medina community to participate in worship and fellowship during the year. So, by each giving a smaller donation we are all contributing to the greater community of God. Please pray-fully consider writing a check and write Alive-on-the Square on the memo line to support this event.
MEDITATION Carl Skorepa
We climb into our car pulling the keys out of our purse or pocket. We insert the key and turn it towards the windshield and the car starts and we drive away. We probably don’t know how many thousands of times we have done this. Yet, we all can vividly recall the times we have turned the key and that eerie silence occurs. Now what?
We often begin scrambling for our jumper cables; calling AAA; begin humbly asking a friend, spouse, or even total stranger, “Could you give me a jump?” We carefully try to recall the safe and proper procedure for hooking up the dead battery to someone’s well-charged battery. After a Good Samaritan assisted us in jump-starting our car, we heard the comforting rev of the engine and begin profusely thanking them for their assistance and drive away recharged.
In our walk with Christ how many times has someone given you a spiritual jump-start? These jump-starts may be an encouraging smile, a gentle hug, a kind word, and story of God’s faithfulness. Jumper cables may be song, bumper sticker, sermon, or shared story of God’s goodness. How willing are you to share the spiritual jumper cables and well charged battery that God has given you? How humble are you to ask someone for a spiritual jump-start?
“Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing,” I Thessalonians 5: 11. “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29.
The deadline for submission of articles for NEXT Sunday’s Messenger is this Sunday at 11:30am
Submit articles to: athena42@mac.com Or: messenger@uccmedina.org
