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A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Proverbs 17:17 NIV I cannot begin to tell you how OVERJOYED I was when I found out that Pastor Thom Bowsher would be your next pastor. Pastor Thom and I were seminary classmates, trained by the same professors in the same manner. I consider him a friend, indeed a dear brother in Christ. While transitions are always challenging, a time of adversity, I am convinced that this pastoral transition will be smooth because of the gifts and graces that my brother Pastor Thom brings and the overwhelming love and deep discipleship and love of the Lord the people of Central offer. Our district superintendent Roger Spahr did a great job conveying the desires of our Staff Parish Relations Committee about the type of pastoral leadership they desired in the next pastor. Pastor Thom will be a great fit for Central. Pastor Thom and I have been in regular communication and we have been very intentional about this transition process. It is my sincere desire, to use a running/track metaphor, to pass the baton well. I love this church and Pastor Thom so much, I only wish the best for both of you, and so by the grace of God, we hope the hand-off of the baton will be without a stumble. As my time with you draws short, I want to express a word of deep thank you to each of you. While our time here was indeed short, I want to thank you for understanding the Call of God we feel we must answer in returning home to serve among the United Methodists of Alaska. The people of Milbank have made our time here blessed. You have left an indelible mark on our hearts, and we will always give thanks to God for the ways you have been influential in our family's walk with Christ. Let us all be in prayer for Pastor Thom and Deb and their family, the staff and families of Central, and my family, as we all work diligently to make a smooth transition. All grace and peace, Pastor Andy

MINISTER’S MUSINGS

Where Can You Find Us? Radio: on KMSD 1510 at 11:00 am, our 8:30 am service is broadcast. Television: ITC Cable Channel 1 Mondays 10 am and 7 pm; Midcontinent Cable channel 3 the previous week’s service on Sundays at 5:30 pm and the current week’s service on Mondays at 11:30 am and Tuesdays at 2:30 pm ITC customers with digital cable may watch the sermons free through their On Demand service. Web: Facebook and www.milbankcentral.org and #graceiscentral0

Central United Methodist Church 201 S. 5th St. Milbank, SD 57252 605-432-4766 Sunday Worship Times thru May 17: 8:30 am Traditional 9:50 am Ten Til Ten 11:00 am Contemporary Summer Worship Times Starting May 24: 8:30 am Traditional 10:30 am Contemporary Lead Pastor- Rev. Andy Bartel pastorandy@milbankcentral.org Emergencies: 432-5363

Associate Pastor – Rev. Dr. DeVern Schwenn pastordevern@milbankcentral.org Emergencies: 432-5050

Youth Director- Melissa Gall Melissa.Gall@milbankcentral.org

Kids Hope USA – Kristy Liebe kristyliebe@gmail.com

Office Manager – Jen Aden office@milbankcentral.org

Office Assistant – Sandy MacMillan slmacmillan@gmail.com

Custodians – Todd & Peggy Morton

Central Church is a Christian fellowship whose mission is:

To Know Christ – as Savior and Lord;

To Share Christ – by our Words and Actions

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Articles for the June issue of Central Rays are due Tuesday, May 19.

April Recap

On Wednesday, April 8, the Middle School YOUNITED group packed for the Milbank Area BackPack

Program. Before packing, the youth were given some background information about the program, discussed the

importance of why they were packing, and then the group packed about 75 bags for local schools. High School

YOUNITED did an activity called “Parable Productions” on April 8. For this activity, a list of Jesus’ parables had

been printed, with corresponding numbers. The youth arranged themselves in groups and then drew a number.

Each group received a scripture location for the parable, had to read the parable, and then act it out for the rest

of the group.

April 15 brought a lesson for MS YOUNITED in which the youth learned about and discussed the

dangers of “sexting” and inappropriate sharing of videos, texts, etc. HS YOUNITED began the Chip Ingram series

“Love, Sex, and Lasting Relationships.”

On April 22, MS YOUNITED group watched the movie “Letters to God” in the Fellowship Hall. We had

pizza, pop, and popcorn throughout the movie. HS YOUNITED continued the study “Love, Sex, and Lasting

Relationships.” Using the first two weeks as a “hook” to introduce youth to the study, we will continue with the

study in the Fall and will finish up sometime late fall.

During youth time on April 29, MS YOUNITED helped and participated in the Mystery Dinner Theatre

presented by the JAM group. HS YOUNITED traveled to Paul and Sherry DeBoer’s house for a time of fellowship,

food, and fun! This was the last regularly scheduled youth group time for the school year.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, May 10: High School Graduating Senior Recognition. This year’s graduating seniors will be

recognized at both the 8:30 am and 11:00 am services.

Wednesday, May 27: Confirmation Rehearsal. Confirmation rehearsal for all youth being confirmed

will be held Wednesday, May 27 at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. All confirmands and at least one parent/guardian

should be in attendance at this rehearsal.

Wednesday, May 27: May Meeting for Middle and High School YOUNITED. We will meet from 8:00

pm – 10:00 pm for their May gathering. Details are being worked out and will be announced soon!

Sunday, May 31: Confirmation Sunday. Confirmands will help at both the 8:30 am and 10:30 am

services on Confirmation Sunday.

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MOTHER’S DAY 2015

A representative from Haiti Solar Oven Project will be coming to Central Church on Mother’s Day, May 10 to demonstrate the solar ovens and highlight their program. They supply solar ovens to Haitians, train traditional cooks how to use solar cooking, and supply cooking utensils for the ovens. The oven program addresses the long-term damage of deforestation and the health issues from indoor cooking. Some women have started to sell baked goods to add to their family income. They are able to pasteurize milk and treat water so it is safe to drink.

The cost of an oven is $150.00 and the cost of a set of utensils is $30.00. If you would like to buy an oven or a set of utensils in honor of or in memory of your mother call the Church office at 432-4766. We will have a bulletin insert listing the names of the donors. Last year Central Church raised approximately $6,000 for this project which provided for 40 solar ovens. Let’s see what a difference we can make in the lives of the people of Haiti this year! Roger Reiners Missions Commission Chairman

INTRODUCING PASTOR THOM BOWSHER

Staff Parish Relations had the privilege to meet with our District Superintendent, Roger Spahr, to be introduced to our new pastor, Thom Bowsher, his wife Deb, and their oldest son, Wesley. During this initial meeting, we had the opportunity to talk about the work God is doing at Central and the ministry here. Pastor Thom shared with us his faith journey and the way God has prepared him for leadership. Pastor Thom is currently serving in West Fargo at Flame of Faith United Methodist Church. He served in the Air Force for 4 years where he met his wife, Deb in 1987. He also worked in Purchasing Management at Burdick Job Corps Center in Minot, ND and at Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative in Missoula, Montana. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 1999 and his Master of Divinity from Sioux Falls Seminary in 2010. He has been serving in ministry for 11 years. He and his wife had 4 children. Their oldest daughter, Alexis passed away in a car accident in November 2009, she would be 25 this year. They have another daughter, Madison who is 20 and a pre-law student at UND. They have 3 sons, Wesley who is 16, Carter who is 11, and Braylen (Alexis' son) who is seven. Their family enjoys football, hunting, and fishing. Deb likes to do crafts, cooking, and practicing hospitality. Please join us in prayer for the Bowsher family as they prepare for their transition to Milbank and Central Church.

Denise Page

Staff Parish Relations Chairperson

** SUMMER WORSHIP SERVICE HOURS**

Starting Sunday, May 24 there will be two Worship Services: 8:30 am Traditional Worship Service

10:30 am Contemporary Worship Service

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Our People in Overseas Mission:

Staff at Gess (Kissy) Eye Clinic Agape School for Boys, Kenya Haiti Solar Oven Project, Rick Jost Dr. Emmanuel Mefor, Mutambara, Zimbabwe Mission

Our Seminary Students:

Alyssa Quade Chris Erickson Melissa Gall

Our People in Care Facilities:

Park Place:

Nadeane Buri Dorothy Bishop Dorothy Bracht Jim Loeschke Emmet Stengel

St. William’s:

Marie Buri Wava Butler Del & Betty Cardwell Shirley Hanson Blanche Reiners Kathy Trapp

Golden Living:

Velma Busk Mavis Knaus

Jenkins Living Center:

Betty Dammer

Long Term Prayer Requests: Mavis Knaus Jesse Bergerud Shirley Hanson Joe Olson Jordan Volkenant Ken & Anna Mae Frost Brenda Bohn Joan Bohn (aunt of Richard Bohn) Ione Brehmer (mother of Renae Fox) Paula Berry (Richard & Roxie Bohn’s daughter-in-law) Matthew Smith (Jim & Myrtle Vincent’s great grandson) Roxanna Bohn Marland Schultz Mary Warrey Jim Weber Scarlett Holmquist (If you have any updates or know of a name that should be removed please call the church office.) Committee of the Month: Nominations & Lay

Leadership Development Committee

Church of the Month: Emanuel Lutheran

Turban “Cut-Ups” will meet Thursday, May 7 in the Fellowship Hall @ 1:00 pm. All are welcome to attend!

Please contact Bev Jacobson for more information.

Church Email addresses have changed. In an effort to simplify them we have dropped the ‘UMC” from all emails.

The new office email is: office@milbankcentral.org

OPEN HOUSE BABY SHOWER

There will be an Open House baby shower for Ashley Thomson on Saturday, May 30. It will be held in the north room of the Lantern Inn from 4-6 pm. Men and women are all welcome. Ashley requests that you provide a child’s book instead of a card for her baby girl. If you have any questions, please contact Christine Knaus at 605-949-3149.

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I would like to thank everyone for prayers and visits while I was in the hospital. A special thanks to the people that drove me back and forth to therapy. I am so blessed to have such a great church family. Also the “Meals From the Heart” were awesome. Thank you Ryan Barnhardt

Thank you for all your prayers for our niece, Geri Kling this last year. She had her last surgery for cancer and is cancer free. Sherry & Dave Welter

Turban Ladies, Again, I thank you for your kindness and generosity of donating the turbans. They are greatly appreciated by each patient. Keep up the wonderful work! Deb Lomheim

Many patients will be blessed by your generous donation of hats! Thank you so much! Prairie Lakes Cancer Center Staff

Dear Friends, Thank you for your gift to support Dakota Wesleyan University. Your generosity ensures that DWU continues its mission of preparing the next generation for lives of learning, leadership, faith, and service. It is indeed a pleasure to join our faculty, staff, and students in a heartfelt thank you. Sincerely, Eric Van Meter Campus Pastor

Thank you for thinking about us and bringing over frozen meals during Matt’s recovery from surgery. Matt , Lacey, & Easton Kasuske

Thank you to everyone who assisted in the funeral services of Don Peterson. A special thank you to Pastor DeVern and Pastor Andy for the numerous visits made while Don was hospitalized. The funeral message delivered by Pastor Andy will not be forgotten by our family. Also a special thank you to those that served lunch following the funeral services. Your kindness was much appreciated. The family of Don Peterson

IMAGINE NO MALARIA “Imagine No Malaria” will be the emphasis

for Father’s Day gifts this year. This program provides life-saving mosquito nets in several countries of Africa. Donations can be made in memory or in honor of loved ones. Imagine No Malaria is the program designated by Bishop Ough for the Dakotas Annual Conference this year with a special offering being taken at the Conference in June. Mission Chairman, Roger Reiners, was present when a helicopter drop of nets was made in Sierra Leone in 2006. Organized by the UMC, it was impressive to see 1400 nets distributed in approximately 30 minutes to families who had applied to receive a net. Let’s make an effort to exceed our gifts of last year! Roger Reiners Missions Commission Chairman

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FELLOWSHIP & SERVICE GROUP #9

May 1 Kenadee Mueller May 2 Gregg Dunnihoo Greg Grabow Lois Jean Miller Harlan Loeschke Jane Davis May 3 Darci Ganske Jodi DeVaal Blake Schmieg Matt Kasuske May 4 Shirley Poppen May 5 Tyler Grabow Toby Schneck May 7 Mary Skoog May 8 Mavis Knaus Roger Hoff May 9 Dylan Fox Pete Pearson May 10 Wendy Grabow Jim Dietman Jim DeWald

Please call the church office (432-4766) with any additions or corrections.

May 11 Leonard Stengel Kyle Schweer Brian Schneck May 12 Dave Helmbrecht, Sr. Jolene Rick Craig DeBoer May 13 Jessica Weber Lydia Gall May 17 Rita Dunnihoo Denise Page Gene Holtquist Phylis Waterfall Zayda Townsend May 18 Fred Oslund, Sr. Rob Giesen Ryan Conrad May 19 Grace Erickson Brandon Peery May 20 Tim Stengel Elise Graham May 21 Marland Schultz Isaac Fischer Jessica Domina

May 22 Jason Liebe Elisabeth Schwenn Kalli Grong May 23 Terry Ganske Emma DeBoer Jerry Strube May 25 June Julius Kellie Korstjens May 26 Shelly Welter Jena Schulte May 27 Kristy Liebe Wava Butler Maye Olivia Brekke May 29 Sue Stengel Deloris Richards Cal Stengel Sarah Miller May 30 Steve Young May 31 Marlayna Van Beek

May 3 Greg & Andrea Bohn May 5 Mark & Wendy DeFea May 9 Paul & Dawn VanderWal May 10 John & Karen Loeschke May 14 Jerry & Bonnie Strube May 15 Rob & Michelle Giesen Blake & Rachel Schmieg May 20 Lloyd & Karen Tillma Adam & Jeny Koplin May 26 Kyle & Sara Schweer May 29 Wallace & Faye Runge Brian & Abbey Trapp May 30 Jim & Karla DeVaal May 31 James & Mary Warrey

Kosse, Frank MacMillan, Sandy Mikkelson, Dan & Tammy Osborne, Renee Paysen, Jayne Pinkert, Gene & Leah Stewart, Al & Diane Thue, Chad & Amy Tostenson, Ginny Wollschlager, Doug & Renae Wollschlager, Ryan & Jen Yamaura, Vince & Amy

Conrad, Linda Conrad, Ryan Anderson, Scott & Susan Baldwin, Kirk & Janis Brown, Beth Cummins, Kathy Falk, Wade & Jennifer Fischer, Charles & Johanna Halvorson, Carol *Helmbrecht, Wilbert & Arlys Holtquist, Gene & Gladys Korstjens, Matt & Kelli

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CHILDRENS MINISTRIES

END OF YEAR APPRECIATION FOR KIDS HOPE VOLUNTEERS There will be an End of Year appreciation event to

be held on Tuesday, May 12, at 3:30 pm in the lunchroom at Koch School. All mentors and prayer partners are invited to attend. This is a great opportunity to celebrate another successful year with Kids Hope. Thank you for all you do for Kids Hope. Hope to see you there!

CAMP CARNIVAL SUMMARY

The annual Camp Carnival, held on Sunday, April 12, was once again a huge success. Kids of all ages had fun playing games and helping generate excitement for the upcoming summer camping season. Thanks to Kristy Liebe for her inspiring message and to the kids who shared about their camp experiences. A HUGE thanks to everyone who helped with the carnival games or donated items to use for prizes (the carnival is a big highlight for our Sunday School kids and we are deeply grateful for those who gave to make it a success.) We are also happy to report that the Carnival brought in $423 which will go towards camp scholarships. Thank you very much for your generosity!!

HOW KIDS HOPE IMPACTS LIVES Kristy Liebe was visiting with one of the teachers at Koch School and the

teacher shared with her what happened with one of our Kids Hope students. The fifth graders were asked to write a paper about someone special in their life. Our Kids Hope student chose his mentor to write about for this contest. The following is his paper:

“Someone special in my life is Mr. Fields. He helps me with my school work. He is my kids’s hope mentor. He helps me with spelling and my math. If he didn’t come, I will be in ICU a lot. He is happy to help me. After we get my school work, I get a treat. He is a nice people to me. He cares about me. We go to kid’s hope parties. We have lots of fun. He’s my friend. We had pizza. We had root beer float. We get cookie. We get to play kickball.” Michael

Michael won the contest for his grade. Mr. Fields and he got to go to lunch at Pizza Ranch, where Michael got to read his winning paper to Mr. Fields. Kids Hope is an amazing ministry changing the lives of many kids! Thank you Mr. Fields and all of the other Kids Hope mentors! Your faithfulness is such a blessing to those special kids you spend time with each week.

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VBS REGISTRATION

We are asking families to register for VBS during the month of May. VBS will take place July 19-23 at American Lutheran Church. Registration forms will be available at the Welcome Center. Getting kids registered helps us with the planning process! We can order supplies and make sure that we have enough help!

Speaking of help, we will need volunteers to help during the week. We need Middle school and High school helpers and adults too! Also needed will be people to bake cookies for snacks for the kids. If you have any questions, please contact Kristy Liebe at 467-1491.

TEACHER APPRECIATION SUNDAY, MAY 17

Even though the weather sure doesn’t feel like it, the end of the school year is fast approaching! We have set aside Sunday, May 17 to thank all of our Sunday School and Wednesday night teachers for giving of their time and talents throughout the year. The Children’s Ministries committee will give each teacher a flower as a token of our appreciation. We would also encourage everyone who has been blessed by a teacher to write a note of thanks, bake some cookies, or consider giving them a gift to show your gratitude as well. The education of our children (and adults) wouldn’t be possible without the time and talents freely given by each one of our teachers. Let’s take time on May 17 to thank them.

GRADUATION CELEBRATIONS Please join these seniors as they celebrate their graduations: Alex Stengel: Open house Sunday, May 17 from 4:30 – 8 pm at Central Church. Jamie Mundwiler: Open house at Mundwiler Funeral Home on Saturday, May 16 from 2 – 4 pm. Jessica Seehafer: Open house Friday, May 15 from 4:30 – 8 pm at Central Church.

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MEMORIAL COMMITTEE The Memorial Committee is designated by the Church Council to be responsible for memorials given to

Central Church. Some of our general duties are: keeping an updated list of suggested items for memorial gifts, dispersing designated memorial money as the giver intended, and acknowledging memorial gifts to Central Church, authorizing undesignated memorial money for items needed to implement the ministry of the church, and keeping a record of all memorial gifts.

Our committee has recently prepared a pamphlet with a current list of suggested items for memorial gifts. The pamphlet is located at the Welcome Center. Please feel free to pick one up at your convenience!

Janet Trapp, Chairperson

FINANCE Total Budget Offering $159,615

Total Budget Goal $170,221 As of April 26, 2015

NEW CHURCH PICTORIAL DIRECTORY Thanks so much to the many of you who have had their photo taken

for the new church pictorial directory. There are two more dates scheduled for photo shoots in May: Tuesday, May 26 and Thursday May 28. If neither of these dates work for your schedule you can also have your photo taken at VPD Studio. You will need to call the studio (605-949-1898) to schedule an appointment. Let them know you are having the photo taken for the Central Directory. Please schedule this as soon as possible….the deadline for having photos taken is Monday, June 1.

We also want to include numerous candid photos of church activities. If you have photos of recent activities, please email those to Jen at the church office.

Again, thanks so much for your participation in the directory. It will be a great gift and tool for Pastor Thom to get to know us as he begins his ministry here at Central.

April Designated Giving

BackPack Program $1,055 Missions Solar Ovens $250 Missions-Zimbabwe $500

Gess UMC Eye Clinic/Kissy $255 UMCOR/World Hunger $150 UM Special Offerings $366

Missions Lenten Calendars $390 Student Seminary Fund $800 2015 Mission Trip Fund $2,360

Memorials Undesignated $160

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SEMINARY STUDENT NEWS

Dear Central, John and I want to write to say Thank You for all the love and support

we have received from our Central UMC family. We are very thankful for your financial support and your constant prayers. Your support has helped us pay not only our regular bills but surprise medical expenses as well.

We are closing in on the end of school and life in Kentucky. Our last semester of school will be this coming December. We look forward to coming home to serve a church in the Dakotas. School has been a blast this semester and I love what I am learning. The preaching class is incredibly practical with helpful tips on how to organize a work week and how to prepare for the ‘unexpected’, such as funerals and emergency hospital visits. The Contemporary Theology class is right up my ally with apologetics rooted in philosophy, theology, and church history. Then there is Exegesis of Judges - this is my favorite class. Judges is probably the most violent and gruesome book in the entire Bible. It raises a lot of questions about God’s character as He participates in the final conquest of the promised land.

Though school has been a blast, it is not the sum total of life down here. Outside of work and school, John and I have begun to disciple a young couple who are contemplating marriage. I have also begun to disciple three young college ladies who desire to grow in their faith but are not quite sure how to do that. Outside of that, John and I are discipled by separate professors on campus. We have discovered that we can only disciple someone as much and as far as we ourselves are discipled.

John and I ask for continued prayers as we learn more about being Disciples of Christ and in turn discipling others through prayer, scripture, service, and accountability. We thank you again for all of your support which has allowed us to continue this seminary adventure. Blessings to you all. Sincerely, Alyssa and John Quade

Please pray for patience and faithfulness as we continue to walk through the unknowns of our future plans. We also ask for continued prayers for Brittany’s Dad, Tim. He just finished this most recent round of chemo and awaits his next appointment at Mayo Clinic to talk about plans for surgery. Please pray for supernatural healing and faithfulness that God is sovereign over all, despite results! Pray for our staff team as we prepare to finish up on campus and end the semester with our Cru Fellowship Dinner, raising funds for our F-M Cru movement in the upcoming year. We are grateful for each and every one of you! (Please see bulletin board for their full newsletter.) In Christ, Grant & Brittany Kuper

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