S+ewrd L.lni+ed Me+hodi9+ Churc.h New'eHer

My 2-0r7 edifion

"Going from Here to There!"

I'm going to be commissioned as a missionary at the 2017 Northern IL Annual

Conference in June 4. When Isaiah had the wonderful encounter with the Lord in the temple, and responded affirmatively to God's call to be sent, "Here I am, send me," God

said... go (Isa 6:8-9). Well, this is not my case of calling at all because I've been struggling with my call to the Global Ministries until I got the missionary training in Atlanta for three weeks. I couldn't believe that God would have called me as a

missionary. Or I've never thought of being a missionary.

At the missionary training in Atlanta, however, I discovered that I'm actually called to be

sent, and indeed, I realized that the call to "go" is a journey throughout my lifetime. It's true that God sent me to the United States, and God sent me to Creston/Steward United Methodist Churches. Mission is being on a journey of faith, going from here to there each day. In his book, Faithful Witnesses: United Methodist Theology of Mission, John Edward Nuessle articulates, "Mission is a vocational call to serve as Christ's representative in the world" (p. 37). Going for God in mission is a matter of hearing the call to participate in the missio Dei through lifelong journey.

I'll be a global missionary through the Global Ministries of UMC as a Coordinator for the Korean Peninsula Dialogue and Peacebuilding with the World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland. As the 21st century in God's Mission, the four mission goals of the Global Ministries are; (i) Make Disciples of Jesus Christ; (2) Strengthen, Develop, and Renew Christian Congregations and Vissionary Training-201 - Communities; (3) Alleviate Human suffering, and (4) Seek Justice, Freedom, and Peace. Among these four goals, my placement of mission will most fit to Seek Justice, Freedom, and Peace. I will go to participate with people oppressed by unjust economic, political, and social systems in programs that seek to build just, free, and peaceful societies.

It has been such a great blessing to be a part of Creston/Steward church families over six years. My last Sunday here at Creston/Steward will be June 4. I am your pastor here and now and will continue to share my enthusiasm as your pastor until my last Sunday. However, please understand that when I leave, I do not return for pastoral

functions. As the two congregations will be going through a significant time of pastoral transition, we are encouraged to follow the very important - professional procedure. I humbly ask all of you to pray for me and for my family. Blessings! ?ar,tor7in /anqI(i,n

bye-bye Auf-wiedersehen thapKgou seegeu

regards toodIe-oo- VIC c reweti Sagonara cheeno ciao CUIflhiflatiOfl so long

adios

Creston and Steward Congregations:

Potluck Dinner in Honor of Pastor Jin

Noon on Sunday, May 21, 2017

At Steward United Methodist Church

Mark your calendars and plan your dish. As you have probably heard,

Pastor Jin will be moving on, becoming a missionary through General

Board of Global Ministries in Geneva, Switzerland through the National

Council of Churches. His title is "Coordinator of Korean Peninsula

Dialogue and Peace Building." They are at missionary training now

through May 8. Pastor Jin's last Sunday with us is June 4. Let's all plan to

be at the dinner to give Pastor un, Pastor Woo, and Micah our blessings.

Holy Baptism

Veronica Marie Macklin, daughter of Jason

and Justine Macklin, was baptized May 7,

2017. In the absence of Pastor Jin, the

baptism was performed by Reverend David

Kaller, who lead Jason through confirmation!

Mother's Day — May 14 — come and

receive a token gift in honor of all

mothers everywhere.

United Methodist Women will meet

Thursday, May 25 with Rebecca Fraley

the program "Age Related." Janet

Stocking is the hostess

HA'I'Y ~r giving

{~ 4r

7A g i

Sunday, May 28 — We will honor the memory of those

buried in our local cemetery who have served in the Armed

Forces. Join us at the Steward Cemetery at 12:15pm as

Boy Scout Troop 64 leads us in a short Memorial Service

which includes reading of the names of service people

buried in the cemetery.

June 4—We will celebrate Pentecost — we encourage participants in the

service to wear red.

Please welcome Pastor Glen Stewart back as he fills the pulpit June 11,

18, and 25 while Pastor Jin and Pastor Woo find housing in Switzerland.

He will be on call for pastoral care as well.

July 1 we will have a new pastor! Watch for details!

ACE Continues to meet Monday, Wednesday,

and Fridays; the last session for Spring is I

Friday, May 19. The ACE Art Show will be

Wednesday, May 17, 5:30-7:00pm in the I. Fellowship Hall. Please come see the

I beautiful art work and celebrate with a red carpet theme. Light refreshments will be

served.

HUB CLUSTER: Annual Conference is Sunday June 411 - June 6th Mission challenge is supplies for MMDC dignity kits to be delivered at Annual Conference. DeKaib District churches are requested to donate: deodorant 2 oz size and shampoo/conditioner 4 oz size. Bring donations to the church.

Habitat for Humanity - May 5` fundraiser still needs volunteers to help with dinner - They are also taking donations for "fancy" desserts for their auction. This is a Habitat event, but being held at Rochelle UMC.

We will need donations of desserts and volunteers for the upcoming Pork Chop Drive Thru at the Rochelle UMC on Thursday, May 25th.

Contact Brian or Dawn Johnson for questions.

On June 4 at 4:00, during Annual Conference, Pastor Jin will be commissioned as a missionary. The service is open to all and will be at Pheasant Run Mega Center in St Charles

Supporting N.I.C.E Steward member supported Neighbors In Christ Ecumenical by sponsoring these

ladies on the N.I.C.E. 5K walk on Sunday May 7, 2017.

$eni.or &ciiJ CQnn a ctiôn 2017

At

Ph Steward United Methodist Church is very excited about our SIXTH season of Senior Social Connections gatherings! We are blessed to have our request for grant funding from the Keagy Foundation approved so that we can continue to offer this program. Everyone age 60 and up is invited to join us for these exciting and fulfilling programs, and we encourage you to bring a friend with you! We hope you can join us for at least some of the following gatherings!

Monday May 15 11 a.m. Welcome and Games Noon Lunch - Jim will be grilling pork chops for us, and everyone is invited to

bring their favorite picnic dish to share (i.e. potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, jello salad, and/or dessert.)

1 p.m. "Bloom Where You Are Planted" The Prabhakars will be sharing with us some of their stories about the beautiful things they have seen God doing around them and through them, including the diversity, the Bible

studies, attending an Indian Christian Church, and the friendships they have made during their travels in California.

Thursday, June 22 10 a.m. The Eden Express bus will be loaded up and ready to leave Steward UMC

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for a fun and educational field trip to the John Deere Historical Site in Grand Detour! This I 91 Century prairie village features an archaeological

r,ft- : site, blacksmith shop, and John Deere's home, as well as a visitor's center, gift shop, and natural prairie as it existed more than a century ago. After the tour, we will head to Dixon for a delicious lunch at Angelo's Restaurant in Dixon. Since we have reservations for this trip, we ask that you please let us know in advance if you plan to join us. Simply call the church (815-396 -2250) and leave your name and phone number by no later than Thursday, June 15. (Lunch and museum fees will be covered, but you will need to bring money for any souvenirs you may wish to purchase.)

_

Friday, July 21 Lam_

______________ 11 am. We have the Eden Express reserved for another exciting field trip! We will

leave the church at 11 a.m. and head to the Spring Valley Family Restaurant in Oregon for a scrumptious lunch. After lunch, we'll head to Polo for a 1 p.m. tour of Barnacopia! This beautiful structure features 3 levels of unique and antique tractors, cars, and much more! This trip also reauires reservations, so please call the church by no later than Friday, July 14, if you plan to ioin us! (Lunch and Barnacopia fee will be covered.)

Monday, August 21 Noon Potluck at Pauline's Crib! The lovely and talented Pauline

Barnes-Cultra has invited us to her 'crib" for a potluck and an afternoon sing-along! Everyone is invited to bring a dish to share (i.e. casseroles, salads, desserts). We hope you can join us!

Tuesday, September 12 10 a.m. The Eden Express will be leaving the church at 10 a.m. for yet ANOTHER

field trip! We will have a late breakfast/early lunch at the Command Post Restaurant, which is located inside the Camp Grant Museum. This building was one of three fire stations and later the induction and muster out center for Camp Grant during the World Wars, beginning in the early months of World War I in 1917. When we are done eating and browsing the exhibits,

VI

we will board the bus and head to Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens for a 1 p.m. guided tour. Situated along the banks of the Rock River, the

vt conservatory is the third largest conservatory in Illinois, offering an 11,000-square-foot tropical plan exhibition. Again, reservations have been made so we need to know for sure how many are planning to attend so that we can call a week in advance with final numbers. Please call the church and leave a message if you are interested in joining us!

Monday, October 23 Plans are in the works, but we don't have confirmation from our invited guest speaker at this time. Stay tuned for details!

If you have questions about the programs, please call the church (815-396-2250) and will be happy to help! If you would like to participate but have no transportation, call us and we will make sure you get there and back safely! We also invite you to join us any

Sunday morning at 11 a.m. for our weekly worship service!

Steward United Methodist Church Blood Drive

Wednesday, May 17 2:00pm- 7:00 pm

RRVBC bus will be parked at 507 Main Street

To schedule an appointment, contact Dawn at All blood types needed!

Please bring a valid ID and drink plenty of fluids before donating!