PrimeTimers -Tuesday, March 25. Coffee at 9:30 am and lunch at 11:30. The menu for this month’s lunch will be

announced at a later date.

Prime Timer’s Coffee Break is every Tuesday from 9:30 to 11 am.

Shepherds will meet Tuesday, March 11 at 10:00 am in room 113. Anyone interested in being a part of this ministry,

please join us.

Stephen Ministers will meet March 20 at 6:30 pm in room 117.

Groups Meeting This Month

Finance will meet Wednesday, March 26 at 7:15

pm in the Library. Trustees will meet Monday, March 24 at 6:30 pm

in the library.

Connections March 2014

Volume 4 Number 3

Salado United

Methodist Church To continue the journey of seeking, serving, and

Monday Morning Bible Study meets every Monday Morning in Room 117. If you are interesting in participating,

please contact Melonie Stringer at 947-0657 for more information.

Staff meets every Wednesday at 10:00 am in the Library.

Monday Club will meet on March 3 at 2:00 pm in the YAC. The program will be a "Trip to the Holy Land" by Patsy

Sanford. Hostesses will be Wilma Smith and Apple Johnson. All ladies of the Church are invited to attend.

Choir and Handbells Schedule

Choir: Wednesdays 7:00-8:30 in Chapel

Youth Praise Band: Sundays 2:00 in YAC

Handbells: Wednesday 6:00-7:00 in Portable #3

Singing Ringers (grades 4-6) Sundays 2:00-3:00 in Room 101

Weekly Meetings

United Methodist Women will meet on Monday, March 17 at 5:45 pm in Room 117.

Men’s Emmaus Group meets at Johnny’s every Wednesday at 7:00 am.

Women’s Emmaus Group meets at The Patio every Thursday at 7:30 am.

Greeters

Mar 2: 9:00: Kim Newton, Sandy Schneider; 11:15: Bridges Family

Mar 9: 9:00: Becky Butscher, Marsha Brown; 11:15: Gilmore Family

Mar 16: 9:00: Pat Freeman, Karleen Martone; 11:15: Fariss Family

Mar 23: 9:00: Terry & Juli Bergstrom; 11:15: Womack Family

Mar 30: 9:00: Jerry & Elaine Herrick; 11:15: Howton Family

Ushers

Mar 2: 9:00: Herb & Janice Taylor, Jack & Weeta Evans; 11:15: Dale &

Charlotte Douglass Mar 9: 9:00: Milton Carroll, Dave & Ann Gardner; 11:15: Jay & Linda

Crowley Mar 16: 9:00: Joyce Barker, Lyn Alley, Ken Horak, Brianna Lane;

11:15: Steve & Shirley Meler Mar 23: 9:00: John & Nancy Konzen, Tommy & Robin Hale;

11:15: Womack Family Mar 30: 9:00: Roach Family; 11:15: Howton Family

March March

Salado UMC Young Adults Study Group meets every Thursday at 7:00 pm in the YAC.

Are You Willing to Give Up?

The practice of ‘giving something up for Lent’ is an important way of growing in our

discipleship, trusting the grace of God to work in our willingness to let go. Denying

or restraining ourselves can be beneficial for at least five reasons that I can think of.

First, like dieting, fasting disciplines our desires. Second, more than mere dieting,

fasting is a living prayer. It is an offering to God; ‘offer your very bodies as a living

sacrifice acceptable to God’ (Rom 12:1). Third, fasting is also a means of detach-

ment from the kind of control over our lives that the world can demand – claiming for

our lives the redeeming love of God. Fourth, fasting can free up our hearts to better

enable us to love others. Fifth, and most importantly, fasting unites us to Jesus: Je-

sus went into the desert and fasted and prayed for us for 40 days, in Lent we go into

a spiritual desert to be with Jesus for 40 days of fasting and praying. Historically,

the Church has had a threefold Lenten remedy for sin: prayer, fasting, and almsgiv-

ing (giving to the poor). These three should all go together, i.e. it’s not enough to

say, ‘Oh, I’m not giving up things, I’m doing something positive!’

For myself, I have always found it meaningful to take something on for Lent: a new

prayer discipline or devotional study. I also believe that giving to something beyond

my regular tithe and offerings is an important spiritual discipline as we live into East-

er. I’m not alone in thinking this based on the number of gifts made during the spring

toward the church’s mission commitments and programs. And finally, the giving up of

things that afford us pleasure or comfort but do not enrich our relationship with Christ is an important part of the Christian journey

and a specific focus of Lent. The “easy” things to give up are chocolate, coffee (okay, maybe not so easy), bread, desserts, etc.

But I am talking about giving up the big ones: control, expectations, competition, enemies, gossip, popularity, etc. I invite you to

consider how you can take advantage of the invitation of Lent by taking on something and giving to something. For the third focus,

giving up, our Lenten sermon series is designed to challenge us all. I look forward to sharing in worship with you as we take on the

disciple of giving up things that separate us from fully experiencing abundance of life God desires for us:

650 Royal St.

PO Box 771

Salado, TX 76571

254-947-5482

Website: www.saladoumc.org

Facebook.com/saladoumc

Twitter @SaladoUMC

Sunday Morning

9:00 am Worship (Traditional)

10:00 am Sunday School

11:15 am Worship (Contemporary)

Communion is served the first Sunday of every month. All are welcomed.

Wednesday Evening

5:15 pm Fellowship Meal

6:00 pm Adult Study

6:00-7:00 pm Children’s Programs

6:00-7:30 pm Jr & Sr High Youth Programs

6:00 pm Texas Ramp Project

6:00 pm Handbells

Giving Up Control - March 9, 2014

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11

Giving Up Expectations - March 16, 2014

Genesis 12:1-4a; John 3:1-17

Giving Up Competition - March 23, 2014

John 4:5-42

Giving Up Enemies - March 30, 2014

Luke 19:37-44

Giving Up Gossip - April 6, 2014

James 3:7-10

Giving Up Popularity - April 13, 2014 (Palm Sunday)

Easter Cantata & Matthew 21:1-11

Giving Up Fear - Apr.il 20, 2014 (Easter Sunday)

Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18

I look forward to sharing the journey with you! Blessings, Pastor Lara

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY SUNDAY SCHOOL—Sunday Mornings

from10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

PreK-Grade 4

March Themes:

2– Jesus and the Children

9– A Man Born Blind

16– Zacchaeus

23– The Lord’s Supper

30– Praying in the Garden

M&M Kids

Schedule: Wednesdays from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

All children who have completed grades K-6 are welcome each week!

K-2: Learning to Pray Always (Psalm 17:6) 3-4: Jesus Teaches Us About God’s Power (Matt. 21:21) 5-6: God Planned, Promised, and Provided Salvation (John 3:16-17; John 20:31) March 2– No M&M Kids (Ash Wednesday Services with family are encouraged instead)

Upcoming Announcements & Events

MUSIC NOTES

Here are a few musical events and concerts to highlight that are coming soon: 3/20 Salado HS choir concert at 7:00 in our Chapel— 3/22 Abigail Jackson (Southwestern student in our choir) has a recital at 3:00 on the SU campus at the Caldwell-Carver Foyer— 3/30 The Handbell Choir will play in the 9:00 service.— 4/4 Broadway Night, featuring our college students in the choir, at 7:00 in the Chapel— 4/6 Singing Ringers Concert at 2:00 in the Sanctuary— 4/6 UMHB’s One Voice Choir will lead us in worship for our 9:00 am service.

VBS 2014

Mark your

calendar now for

July 14-18!!

VBS is open to

participants age 4 (as of Jan. 1 2013)

though completed 5th grade.

We will be in need of crew leaders, station

leaders, kitchen help, and set artists and

Salado Food Bank- Thank you for your terrific support and donations! We are in need of dry beans, spaghetti sauce, canned meat, and soups. The work day is the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 1:00-3:00 pm at First Baptist Church. If you are interested in helping with the

Important 2014 Dates:

Palm Sunday/ Easter Egg Hunt: Sunday, April 13, 2014 Glen Lake Summer Camps: Summer camp dates will vary. Check out the children’s ministry website or glenlake.org for dates

Broadway Night– Friday, April 4th at 7:00 pm in the Chapel, we will be having a fundraiser for the music department at SUMC called Broadway Night. Sean will be singing as well as the college students in the Chancel Choir. The night will feature songs from Broadway.

Africa: Rolly is in contact with our friends in Africa and is making plans to set up a team from Salado to go to

Africa 8-20 July 2014. If anyone is interested in going or if you have questions regarding what will take place

when we do go, then contact Rolly Correa.

Family Promise is March 2-9th, 2014. We are looking for members to help with hosting our week. If you are interested in spending the night or helping out with activities during the week, please contact Jamie Perrin at 289-1180. Beth Correa will be in charge of evening meals and snacks and can use your help with the cooking each night. Her phone number is 493-1144. There will be a sign-up sheet in the atrium for the next few weeks. Please do your part and help make a difference in their lives as well as your own.

Wesley Roach and his wife Stephanie

Garcia joined the Salado United Meth-

Confirmation Class—The 2014 Confirmation Class will begin meeting on Wednesday, March 5th. Please be in prayer for our Confirmands as they take this important step in their faith journeys. Our Confirmands are Nathan Cahoon, Hunter Howton, William Johnson, Heidi Kelley, Jessie Laverdiere, Erik Oas and Jacob Tindell. If you have questions about Confirmation, contact Salina

UMHB’s One Voice Choir will be the choir leading us in worship on Sunday, April 6th at the 9:00 am service. One Voice is a select choir from the school of music at the University of Mary Hardin

The Handbell choir will be playing for the 9:00 am service only on Sunday, March 30th. We Need You! (to bring us some Easter Eggs!) We are in need of upwards of 3,000 candy filled, pre-taped eggs (no chocolate please). Contact Kristen, or drop your eggs off at the office by April 9.

The Salado United Methodist Church will be the host church on Thursday March 20th at the Body of Christ Community Clinic (BOCCC) in Belton beginning around 5:00 pm. Our church will be providing a meal for the BOCCC volunteers, doing a devotional, assisting patients, and doing clean-up duty. If you can help that evening, please contact the church’s BOCCC representative,

The Circle of Grace Sunday school class will begin a study of the words of Jesus this spring. We’ll be using the reference text by Arthur Hinds entitled “The Complete Sayings of Jesus Christ.” It only makes sense that to study the words of great men or women, we read their words, in context, and from the original source. That is what this study intends to do. It will take us through the spring and summer, and it may take us through many twists and turns as we examine what Jesus said and the surrounding circumstances. We invite anyone who may be interested to attend and contribute to what we’ll discover. We meet each Sunday in room 113 during the regular Sunday school hour. Come join us.

Camera Donations Needed for Kenya AIDS Orphans. During the July Kenya mission trip, Jennifer Wynne is going to

be teaching AIDS orphans and street children basic photography, then have them capture images of their lives to be used in a

non-profit book. We need donations of digital cameras you no longer use. The cameras need to work. Chargers and

memory cards are a plus!! Mark your checks Kenya Mission Photos. If you have questions, please contact Jennifer at 254-630-

2017 or Andrea at 947-5482. John and Sherry Gallaher joined

the Salado United Methodist

Not Pictured

John and Ginger Smith joined

the Salado United Methodist

Church on 16 February 2014.