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Ogallala, Nebraska 69153 www.methodistchurchogallala.com
FIRST UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
Ministers
The Worshiping Congregation
Pastor
Chuck Rager
Christian Education Director
Renee Meyer
Administrative Secretary
Dawn Haney
Custodian
Dawn Haney
Newsletter Editor
Karen Nenstiel
District Superintendent
Cindy Karges
Bishop of Great Plains
Conference
Ruben Saenz, Jr.
First United Methodist Church
Pastor’s Page 2
2nd Wednesday Questions 3
Mark Your Calendar 3
Newsletter Deadline 4
Confirmation Class 5
An Activity Page 6
Summer Campers 7
CCC Sunday 8
Stewards for October 9
IN THIS ISSUE
Here are (in no particular order) some things that I appreci-
ate. In no way is this a complete list of all the things that I
appreciate.
My wife. She is a big help to my ministry and her patience
and understanding are crucial to what I do to serve you and
lead this church.
Sunday School teachers and helpers. Sunday school is
off and running and we have many persons that benefit from
the efforts extended by our Sunday school teachers and
helpers.
Visitation Team. The persons who are a part of our church
visitation team call on individuals in the care centers and
those who are homebound. This is a tremendous ministry.
Youth group leaders and helpers. Our youth group leaders
connect with and care for our youth group participants at a
high level. Our youth group leadership team does a great
service for our young people and our church.
Musicians and music leaders. We are so blessed to have talented and committed
people leading and participating in our music ministry. At a time when some churches
struggle to have music leaders, we are blessed to have the music leaders and helpers
that we have.
Young people. The young people who participate in Youth Group, Sunday School,
Confirmation, Children’s Time, Sunday morning Worship and Vacation Bible School
are a blessing to our future.
Church newsletter editor and Church photographer. Our newsletter editor Karen
Nenstiel and our church photographer Jeff Peterson provide a wonderful and greatly
appreciated ministry to our church.
Church staff. Dawn Haney is our church secretary and custodian. Renee Meyer is
our Christian Education leader. I appreciate their great work and help immensely.
Joyful givers. Everyone who gives financial gifts to support the life of our church is
truly appreciated.
Committee members. Much good work is done in the committees of this church and
through the persons that serve on those committees.
As I said earlier, this is not a complete and exhaustive list of everything and everyone
that is truly appreciated, but merely a humble attempt to say how blessed we are as a
church and to say thank you. Thank You.
See me Sunday,
Pastor Chuck
Page 2 September, 2019
“Fortress”
The tower, or fortress, is a symbol that, in the words of
Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength.” Martin Luther used this psalm as the basis for his hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our
God.” The tower or fortress may
also represent Saint Barbara, an early Christian martyr, who ordered that
her tower be built with three windows instead of two to
signify the Trinity. Another scripture reads
“But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take
refuge” (Psalm 94:22, NIV).
Christian
Symbols
Question: I work most Sundays. Is there another time that I can attend church?
Answer: We have a church service on the Second Wednesday of the month. We have
supper in the Fellowship Hall downstairs at 5:30 and worship at 6:15 in the sanctuary.
Worship is over by 7 P.M.
Question: How much does supper cost?
A n s w e r : I t i s a f r e e w i l l o f f e r i n g . C o n t r i b u t e a s y o u a r e w i l l i n g a n d a b l e .
Q u e s t i o n : I a t t e n d c h u r c h e v e r y S u n d a y . W i l l I h e a r t h e s a m e s e r m o n W e d n e s d a y t h a t I h e a r d S u n d a y ? A n s w e r : N O . T h e m e s s a g e W e d n e s d a y i s n o t a r e r u n a n d i s n o t a p r a c t i c e f o r S u n d a y .
Q u e s t i o n : I f I c o m e t o s u p p e r ; m u s t I v o l u n t e e r t o c o o k a n d h o s t a m e a l m y s e l f o n s o m e f u t u r e W e d n e s -d a y ? A n s w e r : N O . S o m e p e o p l e t e n d t o v o l u n t e e r t o h o s t /s e r v e / p r e p a r e a m e a l . I t i s n o t a r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t y o u p r e p a r e a n d s e r v e a m e a l i f y o u a t t e n d . H o w e v e r , i f y o u a n d y o u r f r i e n d s w i s h t o p r e p a r e a n d s e r v e a m e a l , y o u a r e w e l c o m e t o d o s o . S a v e y o u r r e c e i p t s a n d s u b m i t t h e m f o r r e i m b u r s e m e n t i f y o u w i s h .
Q u e s t i o n : I h a v e a f r i e n d w h o i s n o t a m e m b e r o f t h i s c h u r c h . M a y I i n v i t e t h e m t o e a t s u p p e r A N D a t t e n d t h e w o r s h i p s e r v i c e ? A n s w e r : Y e s ! P l e a s e d o .
Q u e s t i o n : I s t h e r e H o l y C o m m u n i o n o n W e d n e s d a y n i g h t ? A n s w e r : Y e s . H o l y C o m m u n i o n i s s e r v e d a n d o f f e r e d t o a l l b e l i e v e r s .
Q u e s t i o n : W i l l I e n j o y t h e f e l l o w s h i p a n d t h e s e r v i c e ? A n s w e r : I d o .
S e e M e W e d n e s d a y , Pastor Chuck
Page 3 The Messenger
October 6, 2019
Second Wednesday Questions and Answers
Confirmation Class on Tuesday, October 1, 6:00 p.m.
Board of Trustees on Tuesday, October 1, at 7:00 p.m.
Finance Committee on Thursday, October 3, at 5:00 p.m.
Second Wednesday Worship on October 9, supper at 5:30, worship at 6:15 p.m.
Mark Your Calendar Annual Charge Conference on
Saturday, October 12, at 3:00 p.m.
Missions Outreach Committee on Wednesday, October 16, at 5:30 p.m.
Administrative Council on Wednesday, October 16, at 7:00 p.m.
Page 4 September, 2019
United Methodist
Women October
Meetings
UMW General
Thursday, October 10
12:00 noon
Fellowship Hall
Circle 1
Thursday, October 24
(Sheldon)
Circle 3
Thursday, October 17
2:00 pm
Hess Lounge
Circle 5
Monday, October 21
6:00 pm
Hess Lounge
JU
ST
FO
R F
UN
!
Submissions for the November, 2019, issue of
The Messenger need to be in the editor’s hands no
later than Monday, October 21. Bring items to the
Church Office, or you may e-mail them directly to
the newsletter editor at:
Observing this deadline really helps us get the
newsletter out in a timely manner. Thanks so
much for your help!
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 21
World Communion Sunday, October 6, 2019
Reformation Sunday, October 27, 2019
Reformation Day, October 31, 2019
All Hallows Eve, October 31, 2019
The Christian does not go to the
temple to worship. The Christian
takes the temple with him or her.
Jesus lifts us beyond the building
and pays the human body the high-
est compliment by making it his
dwelling place, the place where he
meets with us.
~~Ravi Zacharias
Special Dates Beyond the Building
The Messenger Page 5
Members of the Confirmation Class of 2019 were introduced to the
congregation on Sunday, September 15. Pastor Chuck and Roberta Rager
presented each member with “talents” which they will attempt to increase and
return to the church when they are confirmed in May of 2020. Class members
(from left) are: Kaden Walker, Emily VanBorkum, Jack Rezac, Payton Catlin
and Parker Catlin.
Aw-fall!!!
Share some laughs — or groans — with these autumn-themed jokes:
• What did the tree say to autumn? “Leaf me alone!”
• What did one autumn leaf say to another? “I’m falling for you.”
• How do you fix a broken pumpkin? With a pumpkin patch.
• Why are trees very forgiving? Because in the fall they “let it go” and in the
spring they “turn over a new leaf.”
• How do leaves get from place to place? With autumn-mobiles.
•What’s the ratio of a pumpkin’s circumference to its diameter? Pumpkin pi.
In his autobiography Set Free,
Roy Peterson describes how God’s
Word transformed his life. After
making some reckless decisions at
age 19, Peterson landed in a Mexi-
can jail. One day, two “long-haired
American hippies” visited and gave
him an English Bible.
As Peterson read the words of
imprisoned men and gained wisdom
he wished he’d had earlier, hope
emerged: “I observed grace, kind-
Free Indeed ness and the value of humanity dur-
ing a time when I felt so ashamed
and unworthy.”
Now, as president of the Ameri-
can Bible Society, Peterson works
to provide Bibles to every person in
their own language. Having been
rescued from sin and death, he
wants others to know that Jesus is
“the truth [who] will set you
free” (John 8:32, NIV).
Page 6
September, 2019
A Bible Quiz
An Activity Page for Younger People
Name the first three kings of Israel in the order of their reigns.
A. Saul, David, Solomon B. Samuel, David, Saul C. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob D. Solomon, Jesse, David
Answer: A (See 1 Samuel 9:15-17; 16:1-13; 1 Kings 1:28-30.)
The Messenger Page 7
FUMC Youth Share Camping Experiences
Summer Church Camp is an exciting experience that many young people recall throughout their lives.. During the summer of 2019, six youth from Ogal-lala UMC attended camps at Norwesca, near Chadron, and returned to share some of their camping experiences with the church family.
Each camper received a camp scholarship from the church or the United Methodist Women to help defray the cost of attending camp.
“When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more
powerful than a million empty words.” ~~Thema Davis
“The love we give away is the only love we keep.” ~~Elbert Hubbard
photos by Jeff Peterson
Ethan Dickinson Tyllie Walker Kaden Walker
Parker Catlin
Evan Jones
Payton Catlin
Page 8 September, 2019
October is
Cowboy Capital Consultants in Church
Thank you,
Pastor Chuck,
for all you do
for all of us
all year long!
On Sunday, September 22, the worship service at Ogallala UMC was con-
ducted by members of the Cowboy Capital Consultants. Participants in the service
included Gary Williams, Vance Nelson, Ken Snyder, Larry Keller and Richard
Johnson. Other members also served as greeters and ushers for that Sunday.
The Cowboy Capital Consultants are a group of Methodist men who meet
regularly for Saturday morning breakfast to share fellowship, support, service and
inspiration.
Oct. 6 Greeters Herb & Karen Knudsen, Norm & Rhonda Duba Fellowship Cena Graves, Phil Armstrong Acolytes Children’s Moment Jonnie Peterson Ushers Group 3: Dennis & Teresa Davis, John & Sharon York, Wendell & Ramona Upright Oct. 13 Greeters Cliff & Shirlee Knispel, Jim & Dorothy Glenn Fellowship Dwight & Bea Hatch Acolytes Children’s Moment Pastor Chuck Rager Ushers Group 4: Roger Rankin, Pete Peterson, Phil Armstrong, Ken Meyer, Bruce Anderson Oct. 20 Greeters Buck & Judy Markussen, Roger & Judi Adkins Fellowship Jim & Dorothy Glenn Acolytes Children’s Moment Pastor Chuck Rager Ushers Group 5: Jim Glenn, Mike Samuelson, Gerold Radcliffe, Todd Benda, Shawn Haney Oct. 27 Greeters Barbara Draucker, Dennis & Teresa Davis Fellowship Linda Sheldon, Karla Lawler Acolytes Children’s Moment Penny Benda Ushers Group 6:Larry & Shirley Schlem, Lyle & Barbara Nooyz, Chuck Graff, Larry & Doris Keller, John & Shelia Turner Nov. 3 Greeters Lyle & Barbara Nootz, Brian & Claudia Stevenson Fellowship LeAnn Ayres, Karen Powell Acolytes Children’s Moment Carmen Troxel Ushers Group 7: Jim & LeAnn Ayres, Allen & Janice Cerny, Herb & Karen Knudsen Nov. 10 Greeters Cena Graves, Judy Cross Fellowship Sharen Terry, Susan Schimonitz Acolytes Children’s Moment Pastor Chuck Rager Ushers Group 8: Lloyd Johnson, Bud Haney, L.D. Walker, Ted Slagle, Jim Hixon
If you would like to have your name added to the rosters for any of the service opportunities listed above, please contact the church office.
The Messenger Page 9 The Messenger Page 9
STEWARDS FOR OCTOBER, 2019
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Our Vision: “To be a dynamic church, sharing and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ”
Our Mission: “To love God, love each other and extend that love beyond our church”
T h e M e s s e n g e r
F i r s t U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h
4 2 1 N o r t h S p r u c e P . O . B o x 9 1 6
O g a l l a l a , N e b r a s k a 6 9 1 5 3
R e t u r n S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d
St. Francis of Assisi, an Italian Catholic friar, is commemorated on
October 4. Though it’s unclear whether this famous “peace prayer” was
his, it reflects his gentle spirit as an ardent Christ-follower:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
A Prayer for Peace