October 2011

Posted by jridley on October 1, 2011

175th Anniversary – Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011

    
Three years of work went into this celebration party.

Committees, groups and individuals labored intensely. The church grounds were beautiful, the Grange Hall was transformed into a quaint historical showcase, technical equipment enhanced our services and we were treated with great entertainment and food both days of our celebration. Too many people were involved to list names but the Historical Committee thanks ALL who helped. We are proud that our 175th weekend was a success. The work of the church is only beginning. We have proof that wonderful things can happen at our church. We have now had a couple weeks to recharge after our celebration. Now it's time to find your niche and charge ahead!

THANK YOU ALL.

 A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER

Pearl Gilbert dusted her hands on her apron as she bent over to carry fresh vegetables to her farmhouse. A few feet ahead Dr. Harvey Pearce sat in a rocking chair reminiscing about his early ministry and his wife, Emma, added necessary details of names and dates. Around the corner Orange P. Noah recounted the first time Henry Ford visited him at his Hankerd road farm.  A few feet away Douglas Fraser smiled at the thought of the Inverness Golf Course he developed. And all of this happened in the North Lake Cemetery September 10, 2011, during the celebration of our church's 175th anniversary. Our first – but not our last – cemetery walk.
 
Meanwhile lunch, planned and prepared by the men's group (headed by John Tandy II), was being served in the Fellowship Hall and skits dealing with the church's history were being performed by the Creative Ministry Team in the sanctuary. We held our breath to see if Mrs. Palmer was going to find her way through the woods back to Unadilla. What a tribute to our past!

Saturday's events were brought to a close with the harmonious duets of Matt Watroba and Katie Geddes. Their folk music made for a fitting ending to a busy day

Sunday service the next morning featured Bishop Jonathan Keaton who inspired us with his message. (A copy will be enclosed with your financial statement.  They are also available at the church office.) Our District Superintendent Mark Spaw closed the service with a benediction encouraging us to look to the future.

Escalloped potatoes and ham with all kinds of fixings prepared by the Women's group lulled us into physical contentment. Our souls were then nourished by the uplifting music of the Detroit Cass Avenue men's group, The Ambassadors.

The first hymn of the afternoon service was just ending as a circuit rider stormed into the church and ran down the aisle. His many miles of travel had been hampered by bad weather, wild animals and fallen trees. He read the roll call of the twelve people who had founded the church. All were present. The service preceded with remembrances from former pastors Wayne Hawley (notes read by Sandy Eisele in Pastor Hawley’s absence), Pastor Sondra Willobee, Pastor David Strobe and Pastor John Elliott.

The alumni choir performed a rousing Oh Come Let us Sing. David Knisely recognized the members of the Historical Committee and Pastor Alice Sheffield concluded the service by stressing that the North Lake Church has been sustained by past work, and continued commitment is required to keep us vital and Christ-like in the future.

   What a weekend! AMEN  
      
David Knisely, chairperson Historical Committee

Charge Conference
  Monday, Oct. 17, 2011  7:15 p.m.

The annual business meeting of our church, where officers are elected, celebrate our accomplishments, and set goals for 2012.

Pastor-Parish Committee will meet with  the District Superintendent Rev. Mark Spaw at 6:30 p.m.

             Only at North Lake do we have:
              TRUNK & TREAT
           Our Halloween Parking Lot Event
               Monday, October 31, 2011  
                         5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Kids & Parents:  Make this one of your stops!

                     Bring your Cars
              and join us for the evening.
       decorate the car for Halloween and
             load the trunk with goodies. 

                 Wear a costume or not,
and line up in the lot by 5:15 (ready for the kids)

We need help: We Need Your Car & Family to join the fun!
             People to donate donuts and cider.    
                  We hope to have a bonfire.  
        Help to decorate and set up a safe parking lot   
                       Maybe popcorn, too.     

For information: Pastor Alice 475-9348

Let's have some old time Halloween fun

            Come One!  Come All!

           As long as you are young at heart!
                  Bring the whole family to

                FAMILY FUN NIGHT
       North Lake United Methodist Church

                Sunday, October 23
                           4:00 pm

Scarecrow making and pumpkin carving, and more!
                  Fun, Food and Hay Ride

 Sponsored by MCO committee

Childcare Coordinator
   We are looking for a replacement for our paid childcare coordinator position.  The position is shared with another person and would involve half of the Sundays, assisting with COOLJ 1 from 9:30 - 10:30 and coordinating the programming with the education committee for COOLJ 2 from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.  The position is open as of November 1, 2011.  If you are interested or know of someone interested, please contact a member of the Pastor-Parish committee.
      Sandy Eisele, chairperson

United Methodist Women

The date of the UMW meeting for October has been changed.  It is October 14th at 5:30 pm at Nancy Tandy's home. Plan now to attend.

October 8 – Ann Arbor District UMW annual meeting is in Milford 9:00-3:00

October 29 – Detroit Conference UMW annual meeting is at Brighton UMC. Registration at 8:30 – Program 10:00 – 3:00pm

Calling all Singers and Bell Ringers!

Dawn Brennan (choir director) announced the following rehearsal schedule.  New members are always welcome!

Choir rehearsal  - Sundays at 9:00 a.m.

Bell Choir rehearsal - Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m.

Education Committee

C.O.O.L-.J 2 --  (Entering 5rd grade and younger) Making Choices-Jonah

Teens --  Flip the Switch

Young Ladies -- Princess class

Adult Upstairs – To be announced

Bible Study
Wednesdays  9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Max Lucado Cast of Characters : Common people in the Hands of an Uncommon God
Continuing the  Cast of Characters by Max Lucado. How do the Bible characters reflect who we are today? Join us and see. We also spend time in prayer for the many requests made each Sunday.

Helpers are always needed. Pick a a date, and sign up with Danna 

Thanks,
    Danna Segrest
    Education Committee Chair

Minute for Mission: One Step at a Time
Have you ever been hungry? If you know you are going to be able to eat some time soon, it's not bad: our bodies are reminding us that it's time to refuel. But, if you don't know if you will be able to eat at all, that is something very different. And even worse, if you don't know whether you will be able to feed your hungry children, that's crushing.

We can do something to help! The CROP Hunger Walk is coming and we need you. We need people to walk. And we need people to sponsor our Walkers. We need each of you.
Currently we have Steve, Aaron and Noah Worden, Diane Tandy, and Heidi, Alyson, and Elsa Baize signed up to walk.

      Chelsea/Dexter CROP Walk
             Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011   
Registration 1:30pm      Walk begins 2:00pm
        St. Paul's UCC Old US 12

Answers to Weekly History Quiz by David Knisely    

 Sept. 4   Did anyone take a look at Webster Church? 
 Sept. 11  There was a large grate in the center aisle which caught the heel of many ladies.  Where is that grate now?  
 Sept. 18  Does anyone have special memories of youth group?
 Sept. 25  Native American Indians in the area were Potawatomi, Sauk, & Chippewa. 

Membership Anniversaries for September
The following members who joined the church on a September Sunday were recognized on the third Sunday of the month with certificates of membership:

  Neil Ernst
  Jocelyn Harwood
  Vivian Boersma
  Barbara and Mark Obenchain
  Heidi Baize
  Peggy Fraser

Pastor Parish Relations Committee 

The PPR Committee would like to thank everyone for their input as we work on compiling our reports to the Conference this year. We asked questions about the goals of the congregation and what attributes we would like to see in a pastor to help us achieve our goals.  We are in the final stages of our reports.  

The goals that we are communicating in our Profile of the Church report are:
     1 year:   A net increase of congregation attendance by 5%
     3-5 years - hope to attain a minimum growth of 5% each year
     Our long term goal is to become a small–functional congregation (250-300).
     Attract younger families through religious and secular programs and attract the unchurched in the community
     We hope to become "a Center in our community" with a new building.

In the same report we are communicating the qualities we think a pastor needs to help us achieve our goals as follows:
   Experience in implementing growth
   Family oriented 
   Listener-communicator
   Visionary
   Public relations
   Visitation
   Mission focus

Again, thank you for all the input.  
                Sandy Eisele, chairperson 

Anniversary Cookbook
Corrections to the Anniversary cookbook can be picked up in the fellowship hall.
Copies of the cookbook are still available.
The cost is $12.00 payable to North Lake UMW.

Congregational Notes

175th Anniversary Celebration Congratulations Received:

Chelsea Ministerial Fellowship "well done, good and faithful servant".

Covenant Church "yet you have persevered. . .doing the will of God".

Thank you from Bishop Keaton "I had a wonderful time".

Continued prayers for: Mark & Marci Pingaro, Doris Case, Phyllis Jennings, Sunday School volunteers, and the many in our congregation who need support.

Birth Announcements

Blake Anthony Tutas, son of Kim and Brian Tutas and brother of Devon, was born Friday, Sept. 9. He weighted 5lbs 11oz. and was 20 inches long. Proud grandmother Pastor Alice has lots of pictures. 

Sue Collier announces the birth of her newest grandson, Aiden Lee Soluk, son of Erin and Jon Soluk. Aiden was born Tuesday morning, Sept. 20th at 8:47 a.m.  Aiden weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. Everyone is doing well. Grandma says "beautiful", but Daddy Jon says "handsome."

Sympathy to Floyd and Mary Boyce and family on the death of his father, Ellis, on Sept. 4, 2011.

Thank You

To Nathan Obenchain for his Eagle Scout project seeding the lawn of the neighboring property.  Thanks to all who supported Nathan's project.

To Arlene Honbaum, Ellen Cook, and Maryanna Robertson for their gardening work around the sanctuary before the summer events and
anniversary celebration. They truly have green thumbs. It looks beautiful! . 

Dear Friends in Mission: July 20, 2011

Thank you for your gifts in support of the following missionaries and ministries of the General Board of Global Ministries:

When giving through The Advance, 100 percent of your contribution is applied to the project designated or to missionary support.

             Roland Fernandes,  General Treasurer, General Board of Global Ministries

Financially Speaking

Thank you, all, for the support you give to North Lake Church.

With barely 100 in our membership, it takes the tithes and offerings of every person to successfully support a full time pastor and a program that meets the needs of the total congregation.  We are grateful to several in the congregation who volunteer their time and service in music, technology, teaching, maintenance, etc. As in every church, without our volunteers there would be no North Lake Church.  Our financial resources, as are presently donated, do not allow us to hire more staff or create additional programming.  Therefore, the ministry of stewardship (time, talents, gifts, and service) is always in our prayers as our leadership strives to be faithful to our commission to "Make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world".

As you review the following facts, please know that all our obligations, with the exception of our Conference Apportionments, have been met.  Whereas we should have 70% of our apportionments paid by the end of September, as of 9/30 we have 60% of the Common Budget Apportionment paid and 70% toward Clergy Pensions. The Apportionments is the local church's fair share to support the greater church – in district, conference, and national offices. 

A full copy of the Treasure's Report is posted on the bulletin board outside the office, or you may request a copy for your review.  All questions may be directed to David Jachalke, Finance Chair, or Todd Meads, Treasurer.

Report as of August 31, 2011:

    
*  Includes apportionment payments and designated funds sent to Conference.

Photo DVD of North Lake Church History
   For the Anniversary Celebration Sandy Eisele has designed a wonderful collection of photographs and has put them on a DVD for your enjoyment. As you watch there are hymns playing in the background. And you also receive a list of when pictures were taken, event, and names.
   Donations help defray some of the costs of our celebration events.

HAVING A PARTY? USE OUR HALL!

Every once in a while, someone from the congregation makes a request to use the fellowship hall.  We have had birthday parties, and showers, and other private events.

The hall is available for use by members of the congregation if it is not in use for another function.

You need to clear the date with John Tandy (Trustee Chair), and the church office.  Donations are always welcome

Morning Prayers - Every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.  

Tuesday Morning Prayer Pack continues. Join us 9-9:30 to pray for our Families, Church, and World.

If you cannot meet us at the parsonage, take a moment at that time to pray with us from wherever you are.

Please note prayer requests AND responses in the Green Prayer Book. We want to pray about the answers to our prayers too.

Prayer Chain  Our prayer chain emphasizes the mutual responsibility of our congregation to care for one another.

To make a prayer request call:
Nancy McKinnon
Betty Hopkins
Sandy Eisele.
Pastor Alice   or email Sandy or Pastor Alice

If you would like to be added to (or removed from) the prayer chain, please contact the church office at 475-7569 or email the secretary

Rethink Church

What if Church Were A Verb?  Rethink Church   (United Methodist Communications)

Attention Coupon Clippers

Helping Others and Enjoying Your Soup, Too!

We are currently collecting:

• Our Family brand items -bar code (this is the Polly's/Country Market brand)
• Box Tops for Education from General Mills products
• Campbell's Labels for Education: The UPC section, along with the Labels for Education symbol (little scholar with pencil.) This applies to all Campbell's items.

There will now be a box with three receptacles that we will have in Fellowship Hall.  Please bring any of these barcodes or box tops and we will make sure they get to the right place.  Here is a way to help mission and our schools just by doing a little clipping.  

Also on the table next to the prayer shawls is a box of coupons.  If you like to save money using coupons, look in the box.  You may find a coupon that you can use.  A friend of our church clips the coupons for us and makes them available for us to use.  Maybe the money you save could go to the building fund or mission!  

Pop can tabs are also being collected, there is a large jar for those on the mission table in the hall.

We are also collecting POP CANS in the barrel out the back door of fellowship hall. The money we get helps to support our youth ministry.

E-mail Addresses  wanted for:

• Prayer requests
• Activities not listed in the newsletter
• Receive your newsletter by email, if you request it.

Send your email address to church email address.

We have a new webhost, and you can subscribe and unsubscribe yourself here if you desire.

The Official Church Calendar is on the office wall.

Each committee is responsible for recording all dates of meetings and events.

• Dates will appear in bulletin
• Meeting reminder postcards mailed
• Helps prevent scheduling overlaps

Church Keys

If you have a church key that you no longer use, please return it so it can be given to current church officers and teachers

The church's email address: contact@northlakeumc.org.

email the webmaster