that makes people feel
safe and wanted and
needed and included.
The Apostle Paul wrote
to the Colossian church
always to “walk in a
manner worthy of the
Lord” (Colossians 1:10).
He went on to explain to
the Ephesian church what
being worthy means: It
means “being humble,
gentle, patient in love,
making every effort to
keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of
peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3).
It is my prayer that as one
of God’s humble church-
es, we at DUMC will al-
ways conduct ourselves
in such a way that others
will experience the joy of
the presence of the God
who lives in us
(especially at church) but
equally important no mat-
ter where we go.
Always walk with Christ
and you will bring the
presence of God to those
around you.
So get out and enjoy the
beauty of this new Spring!
Pastor Ron
Spring is one of my four fa-
vorite seasons – so filled with
the beauty of life. It makes
you want to get outside, take
a walk, take a ride on your
bicycle or motorcycle, or take
a drive with the windows
down and just take it all in. I
love especially to travel a
country road where God’s
creation is even more domi-
nant in all the colorful sights
and wondrous sounds around
you.
On a recent drive I passed by
two old country churches.
Their settings were beautiful
with fields of wild flowers
and blossoming trees nearby
As I took in the sight I
thought about the people who
attended there and came to
know Christ there and what
significant ministry history
each one represented. And I
was especially pleased by
their church signs to note that
both were still holding wor-
ship services. I love looking
at different church signs and
reading the ministry messages
and advertisements. You
know what I am talking about
– like the one in front of our
own church. One of their
church slogans read, “A
church that’s alive is worth
the drive.” I’ve seen that one
before. But the other
church’s sign read,
“Come in and enjoy
the presence of God.”
That one caught my
attention, especially
because it inferred a
wonderful promise
awaited those who
came to worship
there. Both of these
signs made me think
about how well we
live up to what we
claim or advertise as
churches. I certainly
hope that those who
come inside our doors
here at Downs United
Methodist Church
sense the presence of
God more than any-
thing else.
So how does a church
reflect the presence of
God? The answer is
in how we live, in
how we show hospi-
tality, in how we ac-
cept all kinds of peo-
ple, in our quickness
to help and serve, it is
seen in our love for
one another, in our
generosity. It‘s in the
atmosphere that’s cre-
ated by living for
Christ in these ways
As You Walk With Christ
102 S. Seminary St. PO Box 49
Downs, IL 61736
Phone/Fax 309-378-2651
Website: www.downsumc.org
Pastor: [email protected]
Secretary: [email protected]
Downs United Methodist
Church Newsletter
Inside this issue:
Ad Board Minutes
Sunday School/Missions
2
4
Stewardship
Birthdays/Anniversaries
Volunteers
5
Opportunities 6
Dates to Know
Shower of Blessing/VBS
7
2012 Role 8
May 2012
Volume 21, Issue 5
Ad Council Meeting April 15, 2012
Call to Order 7:00 PM Pastor Ron opened with devotion and prayer.
Minutes for the January 22, 2012 Quarterly Ad Council Meeting were distributed and discussed. Motion made by George Lewis to approve the minutes. Seconded by Peggy Stark. Motion carried.
Youth – Peggy Stark and Andre McNaught reported
Mission Trip either 8/12 -8/14 or 7/20-7/22 in WI is being discussed.
Motion for permission to take Sr. High on weekend Mission Trip to WI in July or August was made by Rick Hayes. Seconded by Cathy Finch. Motion carried.
Motion made by George Lewis to approve the modified Youth Account Policy with changes noted. Seconded by Bill Erlenbush. Motion carried.
Motion made by George Lewis to amend our Sexual Misconduct Policy with changes as discussed. Seconded by Janice Cuba. Motion carried.
Motion made by George Lewis to approve the Trip Policy with changed discussed. Seconded by Rick Hayes. Motion carried.
Suggestion was made to provide the Ad Board with a roster of teachers for Wed. Night along with a curriculum.
Average attendance for Wed. Night is 45-47
Sunday School – Leigh Hayes reported
Average attendance – PreK-3rd/5-13, 4th-6th/2-8, Jr.Sr. High/7-8, Adult/10-15, Men’s/8-10
Adults will study Heaven is Real in the future
Welcome new teachers Christie Anderson and Laura Bass. Rock Solid is the current program
Nursery needs more workers. Sunday School will continue during the Summer months
VBS – tentative dates 7/29-8/2 in the evening
UMW – Donna Clark reported. Not meeting May/June/July
5/17 going to Hairspray at the Community Players. Cost $15. Open to all ladies in the church
Julie Hahn and Natalie Whitted have joined UMW. Anyone interested in joining see Donna or any member of UMW. Spaghetti supper in the fall
PPRC – George Lewis reported. Handouts distributed regarding the moving of the incoming Pastor.
May need volunteers for food/painting/repairs
DUMC is responsible for the moving costs for the incoming Pastor – will have 3 bids and we choose who to use. Cost estimate - $4000-$5000
Offered to assist Pastor Ron and Kathy with whatever they need
Trustees – Rick Hayes reported. Check for land rent has been received. Insurance for the Church has been renewed. Sewer should be hooked up within 30 days. Youth center – still working on a plan. Gin ger Campbell made a motion to replace the broken storm windows covering the stained glass win dows for $1251 from the undesignated building fund. Cathy Finch seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Concrete replacement will be part of the sewer project. Work day 4/28
Witness – Jamie Ward reported.
20 palms and 13 lilies were purchased for the Easter season
5/20 at 7:00 PM will be the baccalaureate at the Tri-Valley HS Commons – need cookies and volun teers
Outreach – Ginger Campbell reported.
Looking into a summer program. Outreach will assist with the Shower of Blessings
Nurture – Cathy Finch reported.
Flowers were provided for the blossoming of the cross
Welcome gifts for visitors was discuss – will work with Outreach
Calls have been made to non-attending members
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts will be provided
Finance – Bill Erlenbush and Janice Cuba reported.
Still short of meeting our needs. 2012 is relatively even with 2011. Need to increase attendance to increase income
Motion made by Bill Erlenbush to have a special offering on the 5th Sundays for specific purpose. Seconded by Peggy Stark. Motion carried.
Electronic message board for outside the church was discussed. Trustees will look into it.
Treasurer’s report was distributed – Motion made by George Lewis to approve the Treasurer’s re port. Seconded by Leigh Hayes. Motion carried.
Pastor Report – Pastor Ron reported
Shower of Blessing will begin construction thanks to the generous giving
Getting ready for the incoming Pastor – computers etc.
Received good feedback from the Pageant. 5/6 baptism for Coy Whitted
Annual Conference in June in Peoria. Ron and Kathy have requested that they say their goodbyes personally with no formal reception
Old Business – no report
New Business – Discussed the transition from one Pastor to the next. Boy Scouts go to the Trustees for space usage request. Next meeting will be 7/15. Meal will be provided by the Men.
Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Peggy Stark. Seconded by Ginger Campbell. Motion carried.
Meeting adjourned 9:30 PM. Pastor Ron closed in prayer.
Respectfully submitted.
Lyn Edwards, Recording Secretary
Present: Cathy Finch, Janice Cuba, Andre McNaught, Pastor Ron, Leigh Hayes, Rick Hayes, Brent Ward, Bill Erlenbush, Donna Clark, Ginger Campbell, Peggy Stark, George Lewis, Lyn Edwards
Sunday School @
8:15am
Downs UMC has a
class for ages 3 and
up on Sunday
morning. Pre-K-3rd
grade meet in the
Sanctuary at 8:15
for music and then
go to classrooms in
the church. Grades
4-6th meet in the
Education Wing.
Jr.-Sr. High (7-12th)
meet on the first
floor of the annex.
The adults are
meeting in the Old
Parsonage and the
men are meeting in
the LOFT. Sunday
school is coordinat-
ed by Leigh Hayes
378-3008 and Ja-
mie Ward 378-
4621.
Sunday Fellowship
@9:00am
Breakfast items are
served by different
members of the
church each week.
A freewill offering
is taken to defray
the cost of the
food. Volunteers
are needed to cover
the 2nd Sundays of
June and July.
Please let the office
know if you can
serve.
Our Compassion Sunday was a great
success! We have 3 families for sure
and a possible 4th who have decided
to answer the call for sponsoring a
child!! Thank you so much to those
new families who will be blessed by
making this choice to serve God in
another capacity. Thank you, too, to
Jessica Cuba and Ashlyn Hayes for
sharing letters from their sponsored
children. We have so much to be
thankful for when you see the videos
of the children and the conditions
that they are living in and the re-
sponsibilities some of them have. I
am so glad that they do get some
Christian teaching through the Com-
passion organization due to the gen-
erosity of families like those in our
own church.
The buckets for April were for Easter
gifts and totaled $294.91. Thank you
so much for your generosity!!
Spring is on the way again, I
hope!! I certainly got spoiled
by those warm days in March!!
God has surely blessed us with
some good weather this year and
I think it has been enjoyed by
all.
Our committee has been busy try-
ing to bless others with your
gifts. It really isn't hard,
and as I've said before - WE
LOVE IT!! Such a blessing to
see God at work. Due to the
mild winter, we did not have as
many requests for help with
utility bills as we had antici-
pated. The thing is, we can
always seem to find a need some-
where else. Praise God!
Other gifts for March and April
were as follows:
MISSIONS $1,877.79
UTILITIES 338.52
FINANCIAL NEEDS 1,200.00
TOTAL $3,416.31
Luke 6:38 tells us, "Give and
it will be given to you. A
good measure, pressed down,
shaken together and running
over, will be poured into your
lap. For with the measure you
use, it will be measured to
you." Thank you so much for
giving so generously so that
we can continue to carry on
God's work in our community
and beyond.
Opportunities for Learning & Fellowship
Mission Minutes by
Ginger Campbell
This
program
concludes
on May
9th until
Fall.
WWJF-Wednesday With Jesus & Friends
5:30pm Meal for Choir Members
6:00pm Choir Practice
6:15pm Meal for all others
6:30pm Class time for all ages
7:00pm Free2Praie Practice
7:30pm Classes end.
Page 4 Downs United Methodist Church Newsletter
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR
HELPERS FOR THE WEDNESDAY
NIGHT ACTIVITIES. YOU
ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!
April YTD
Tithes & Offering $13632.50 $49444.27
Total Need $14945.00 $53802.00
Difference ($1312.50) ($4357.73)
New Church Fund $265 $230845.06
Good Sam $2069.91 $8701.21
Shower of Blessing $950.00 $2401.00
Fellowship Coordinators
May 6 Rileys
13 Rick Hayes
20 Wards
27 Jean Riordan
Greeters
May 6 Dave & Cheryl Bach, Kay Hull
May 13 Dean & Janiece Stanger, Diane Scherr
May 20 Bill & Suzann Erlenbush, Carrie Cobstill
May 27 Jon Nelson Family
Audio/Visual Operators
May 6 Ron Bass
13 Laura Walters
20 Tom Coulon
27 Jean Riordan
Nursery Workers
May 6 Natalie Whitted
8 Lori Rogers
15 Jen Nelson
22 TBA
Stewardship Report Giving for 2012
May Volunteers
21 Ed Clark
21 Andrea Kleinlein
22 Loghan Sutton
23 Kathy George
24 Leanne Sutton
24 Laney Nelson
25 Ron Bass
26 Chris Stark
27 Lauren James
28 Sydnie Kinder
29 Gary Brotherton
29 Devon Bollhorst
30 Michelle Roop
30 Charles Murphy
1 Luke & Maggie Durbin
2 Brett & Michelle Roop
2 Keith & Jody Simpson
2 Keith & Ginger Campbell
3 Bud & Mabel Courtney
27 Jeff & Elizabeth Werner
28 Dennis & Jill McNeese
31 David & Darcie Jones
May Birthdays
2 Deb Bricker
3 Lori Rogers
3 Chad Adkisson
4 Jacob Stark
6 Lindsey Cuba
6 Maggie Durham
14 Rhonda Nalley
16 Brandon James
17 Pam Kinder
17 Shelbi Miller
19 Brandon Weichman
20 Audrey Moss
Page 5 Volume 21, Issue 5
May Anniversaries
May Milestones
This month the milestones are all birthdays. One is 10, one is 15, one is 20, two are 30 and 1 is 35. Congratulations and Blessings.
PRAYERS NEEDED: The 2012 Gen-
eral Conference of the United
Methodist Church will be meeting
April 24-May 4. This is where de-
cisions are made for the entire
United Methodist Church. Each
district is asked to pray on a spe-
cific day that those involved will
be ready to follow the Holy
Spirit’s leadings, and that all
would have open hearts and
minds to understand and to dis-
cern as a unified Body of Christ in
Tampa. The date assigned to the
Vermilion District (Downs) is
May 4th. Please pray
throughout the day and
night. Mark your calendars!
OPPORTUNITIES
First
Responder
Training
TRUSTEE MEETING Monday,
May 7th at 6:30pm. Please let
Rick Hayes know if you will not
be able to attend.
variety of therapy materials that can be taken to Mexico and left
there with the teachers and parents who have students/children with
disabilities. She is looking for old flashcards/stickers/simple puzzles/
basic workbooks. The items do not need to be in Spanish but if they
are that is a perk. She is encouraged to gather anything "horse-related" and primarily picture flashcards. The letters will be differ-ent in Spanish and they won't target numbers. They work with 3 year olds up to 24 year olds. They don't turn people away.
If you are interested in helping with this collection there will be a
box across from the church office door. The collection will end
June 24th.
There will be a First Responder Training at Bloomington
Wesley on July 21. You can register for this by going to
www.igrc.org and under the search button type in disas-
ter response or go to http://www.igrc.org/pages/
detail/1804 which will get you directly to the disaster re-
sponse web page.
Collection for MMDC at Annual Conference: The Mid-
west Mission Distribution Center is asking lay and clergy mem-
bers to consider bringing items for school bags which will be
needed during the summer for the school year in the fall.
Items requested are:
• 24 count Crayola crayons
• 70 or 80 count spiral bound notebooks -- college
or wide-ruled
• Loose-leaf notebook paper -- in packages up to
150 sheets
• #2 soft lead pencils
* Pens (blue or black ink—Bic Style
Please bring items and place them under the coat rack across
from the office door. Pastor Ron will make sure they get to
the Conference. Last day for collection is Thank you for help-
ing with this ministry.
Lindsey Cuba has been blessed with another
opportunity to go to Mexico this summer and will be
participating in two hippotherapy (physical, occupa-tional, and speech-language therapy treatment strat-egy that utilizes equine movement as part of an inte-grated intervention program to achieve functional outcomes) camps: one in Jacona, Mexico and the oth-
er in Cotija, Mexico. She is going to be collecting a
May DATES TO KNOW
1 Happy May Day
9-1pm HCE Meeting
2 WWJF (Wednesdays with Jesus & Friends)
3 National Day of Prayer
6 Golden Cross Sunday 8:15am Sunday School
9:00am Fellowship
9:30am Worship
6:30pm Bible Study
7 6:00pm Boy Scouts in Annex
8 6:30pm Trustee Meeting
9 WWJF (Wednesdays with Jesus & Friends) Conclusion of this program until Fall.
13 Happy Mother’s Day
8:15am Sunday School
9:00am Fellowship
9:30am Worship
6:30pm Bible Study
13 6:00pm Boy Scouts in annex
16 6:00pm Choir to meet at Jack’s
20 8:15am Sunday School
9:00am Fellowship
9:30am Worship
6:30pm Bible Study
7:00pm Baccalaureate at Tri-Valley
21 6:00pm Boy Scouts in Annex
27 8:15am Sunday School
9:00am Fellowship
9:30am Worship
6:30pm Bible Study
28 Happy Memorial Day
30 6:00pm Choir Practice
SHOWER OF
BLESSING ~ HANDI-
CAP EQUIPPED
BATHROOM NEEDED
A family in our com-
munity is in need of
a handicap equipped bathroom in their
home. Several from our church with con-
struction skills have agreed to take on the
challenge. The next step is to raise the nec-
essary funds and for that we are asking for
your help. It is now estimated that it will
take $2,700 to complete the project which
will include widening the bathroom door
and installing a handicap shower and sink
with wheel chair access. Of course, this may
also require some drywall, plumbing and
floor replacement as well.
If you would like to help us with this out-
reach project your financial gifts are appreci-
ated. Please make your checks payable to
Downs UMC and indicate SHOWER OF
BLESSING in the bottom left corner. Thank
you to everyone that has contributed to this
outreach project. Funds to date: $2401.
Should you have questions, please contact
the church office.
NEWSLETTER ARTICLES ARE DUE TO THE OFFICE BY THE 20TH OF EACH MONTH. They may be faxed to 378-2651 or emailed to [email protected].
Input is welcomed. It is your newsletter!
VBS 2012
Details to
come!
Downs UMC
PO Box 49
Downs, IL 61736
Address Service Requested
102 S. Seminary St
PO Box 49
Downs, IL 61736-0049
Phone: 309-378-2651
Fax: 309-378-2651
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.downsumc.org
Twitter: @Downs UMC
2012 Official Role (Positions being Served)
Ad Board Chairperson: Brent Ward
Recording Secretary: Lyn Edwards
Finance Chairperson: Bill Erlenbush
Sunday School Super: Jamie Ward &
Leigh Hayes
PPRC Chairperson: George Lewis
Lay Leader: Larry Stark
Lay Member to Confer: Cathy Finch
Treasurer: Janice Cuba
Financial Secretary: Lyn Edwards
Nurture Chairperson: Cathy Finch
Outreach Chairperson: Ginger Campbell
Witness Chairperson: Jamie Ward
UMW President: Donna Clark
Youth Director: TBA
Sr. Hi Youth Group Leader Michelle Forbes
Camping Coordinator: Carrie Cobstill
Trustee Chairperson: Rick Hayes
Downs UMC
Office Hours
8-12 noon
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
FINANCE: Bill Erlenbush, Larry Stark, Brent Ward, Janice Cuba, Lyn Edwards, Donna Kleinlein, Cathy Finch, Rick Hayes, George Lewis
TRUSTEES: Rick Hayes, Dave Wysocki; Andre McNaught, Craig Solvie, Brad Weichman; Jeff Cur-tis, Andy Whitted; Emily Kelly
PPRC: George Lewis, Kay Hull, Jon Nelson, Lyndall Cuba, Becky Connour, Jim Finch; Chris Mushrush; Rita Harsh; Darla Lanches-ter
NOMINATIONS: Larry Stark, Kim Lewis; Sherry Reed; Rhonda Nalley; John Werner; Debbie McNaught; Rev. Ron George