Steward United Methodist Church Newsletter

January & February 2016 edition

“Discipleship- Get Connected”

We had a wonderful Christmas program

with the children of our after school

program and Sunday school. Special thanks

to Tonica and Cheryl for their faithful service!

Indeed, the after school program (ACE) has

been a channel to connect our church to our

community.

Happy New Year! I ask myself: Who are the

happy people? What makes people happy? A

20th-century Methodist missionary and

theologian, E. Stanley Jones, once said, “The

most miserable people in the world are the

people who are self-centered, who won’t do anything for anybody, except themselves.”

He said, in contrast, “The happiest people are the people who deliberately take on

themselves the sorrows and troubles of others.” Dr. Jones’s words remind me of Moses’

calling. He was self-centered in the wilderness, “keeping the flock of his father-in-law”

(Exod 3:1), but he became God’s instrument. When the messenger of the Lord appeared

to him in flame of fire out of a bush, Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great

sight” (Exod 3:3). In other words, he was disconnected from his own people, but after

the revelation of the Lord, he was connected to the suffering of the Hebrews. So he

turned away from the flock to the people who needed his leadership.

The ministry focus for this New Year 2016 is “Discipleship-Get Connected.” The key

word for discipleship is “connection” in which we can practice Jesus’ greatest

commandments, “love of God” and “love of neighbor” (Matt 22:37-39). I believe that the

happiest people are the people who have three points of connection:

Connecting to God

Connecting to each other

Connecting to the world

We connect to God through worship as well as other spiritual disciplines. We connect to

each other through small groups and acts of kindness as well as personal acts of

compassion.

I pray that God continue to bless our church in this New Year 2016. Thank you for your

prayers and support for our ministry! God is calling us to imagine a greater impact in

the life of this community through connection.

Blessings!

Pastor Jin Yang Kim

2015 Christmas Program

Hub Cluster News………

A group of 20 members of the Hub Cluster joined voices for caroling just before Christmas, followed by chili and

fellowship at Rochelle UMC afterwards. The event was well received and may become a new tradition.

The Cluster Advent service was a success once again. The Cluster Choir and Hub Cluster Players provided the

entertainment, hosted by Esmond UMC. A cookie fellowship followed the service. Thanks to all the great bakers

for providing sweet treats for our enjoyment! The Syrian Refugee collections leading up to the program, as well as

the collection for the day and the Cluster’s matching $1000, resulted in an offering of $3,884. God bless your

generous support of this mission!

Save the date!

Annual Cluster Soup and Dessert Fundraiser

Saturday, February 6, 4:30-7:00

Ashton United Methodist Church

Needed: Volunteers to work a shift, prepare soup Friday at 10 am,

Bake cookies or provide a specialty dessert for the silent

Auction, and to EAT SOUP! Sign up at church.

ACE is back for the spring session. After Class Enrichment (ACE) will begin Feb. 8 and conclude on May 11. The program is held each Monday and Wednesday that school is in session, from 3:00-4:30. Students in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade are welcomed. A time for homework help will be provided, as well as games, snack, memory verses, lending library, and crafts. This is a FREE program, sponsored by Steward UMC, coordinated by Tonica Smith and co-led by Cheryl Fasulo. Join the fun!

Teen Fun Night 2016

Join the fun on January 15. It’s Movie & Popcorn Night!

6:30-9:00pm at the church - 6th to 12th grade.

Adult supervised.

Watch for info on gathering for Friday, February 19, same time, activity TBA. Save the

date for third Fridays for this fun gathering.

Special Worship Events……………

Ash Wednesday- February 10- There will be a joint service with

Creston UMC at Creston UMC at 7:00pm. Imposition of ashes

will be done at this service in preparation for the season of Lent.

Boy Scout Sunday - Sunday, February 14 - Members of Boy Scout Troop #64,

chartered by the Steward UMC, will participate in the service as Acolytes,

Greeters, Ushers, and Liturgists during the 11:00am worship. Any current or

former Boy Scout is invited to wear their uniform shirt. Parents, grandparents,

and other family members are welcome to join us for the service.

Looking ahead to Easter ………………..

Sunday, March 20 -Palm Sunday celebration with live palm branches at 11am

worship.

Thursday, March 24 - Maundy Thursday service will be held jointly with Creston at

Steward UMC, 7:00pm.

Sunday, March 27 - Sonrise Service at 7:00am and traditional worship at 11:00am.

A free potluck breakfast will follow the 7am worship.

Lenten Bible Study The God We Can Know is a 7 week study by Rob Fuquay designed to explore the “I am” sayings of Jesus found in the Gospel of John. Perfect for Lent, this series will help you find and form an answer to the most essential question in the Christian faith, “Who do you say I am?” The study will be led by Pastor Jin, with a schedule as follows: Steward- Feb. 16. Creston- Feb. 17 Feb. 23 Feb. 24 Mar. 1 Mar.2 Mar. 8 Mar. 9 Mar. 15 Mar. 16 Mar. 29 Mar. 30 Note: no Bible study Easter week. The study concludes with a session on the Resurrection and the Life, following Easter. Cost for the book is $7

DeKalb District Lay Leadership Training Jan. 23, 2016 at Dixon First UMC at 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. Theme: “Inner Strength: Greater Outreach” Registration Fee: $15 per person or $50 per church. Sessions: Conflict Resolution, Children’s Ministry, Leadership Basics, Staff Parish Relations, Sharing Stories of our Church History, Methodism & Apportionments, Prison Ministering, Best Church Financial Practices, and Statistical Reporting.

Six members from Steward are planning to attend.

Boy Scout Troop 64

Sat. Jan. 9 the scouts

attended the Merit

Badge Midway near

Sterling, an all-day

session to work on

earning merit badges.

Scout Sunday is Feb. 14

and the scouts plan to

actively participate in the

service.

The Klondik Derby is the

weekend of Feb. 6.

Weather permitting, the

scouts will attend and

participate in the human

sled race, using a sled

build by a troop family

years ago and since

pulled (and pushed) by

many scout “teams.”

MUSH!!

Reservations are in for

scout summer camp,

July 3-9.

Steward UMC Good

Neighbor Fund

The Good Neighbor

Fund of the Steward

United Methodist

Church was established to

provide assistance for

families in need who

have exhausted funding

from other agencies in an

effort to meet basic needs.

The objective is to provide

immediate assistance as

well as offer guidance as

needed. If you are

experiencing a hardship or

know of someone who

needs assistance, please

contact a church member

for an application.

2016 Conference Laity Convocation will take place

Feb. 6 in Sycamore. The cost is $15/person if

registering by Jan. 31. Pastor will register anyone

who would like to attend.

One Palm Sunday,

little Johnny was sick

and stayed home

from church. When

his brothers and

sisters came home

carrying palm

branches, Johnny

asked where the

palms came from.

His father replied,

“When Jesus walked

by, people held palm

branches over his

head.”

"Just my luck!" Johnny

said. "The one time I

don’t go to church,

Jesus shows up.”

Giving up something for Lent isn’t the only way to observe the season. Here are 10 creative alternatives. #UMC

TWEET THIS

1. Apologize to someone

Lent is a season of repentance. Most often we think of asking God for forgiveness from our sin, but that is only half of the story. Most sins include hurting others, which mattered to Jesus. He taught that if during worship if you “remember that your brother or sister has something against you... First make things right with your brother or sister and then come back and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24 CEB). Lent is a great time to seek forgiveness from those we have harmed. 2. Perform random acts of kindness

Express your love for Jesus by loving others. Pay for the order of the person behind you in the drive-through. Give an extravagant tip. Carry gift cards to give away. Ask others how they are doing, then stop and listen to their responses. Share the love of Jesus in any way you can think of each day during Lent.

3. Delve into a book of the Bible

Enhance your devotions by getting to know a book of the Bible well. Read it repeatedly, at least once in a single sitting. Find articles about it. Meditate on it with a commentary. Memorize portions of it. Pray through it. Google sermons about it. Find hymns based upon it. In the six weeks of Lent, you could develop a deep understanding of a

book of the Bible about which you have always been curious. 4. Serve people in need Identify an organization with which you would like to participate. Sign up and get trained. Then

volunteer to serve throughout the season of Lent. When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper, he taught that we are called not to be served, but to serve (John 13:1-17).

5. Visit the lonely Jesus also taught his disciples to treat others as we would treat him. This included visiting those who are sick and in prison (Matthew 25:31-36). Talk to a local nursing home about washing wheelchairs, or a children’s hospital about visiting with parents of patients. Volunteer with a prison ministry, senior center, or any other place

where people need some human contact. Play games, tell stories, look at photo albums, and enjoy those about whom Jesus said, “when you have done it for [them], you have done it for me.”

6. Read Wesley’s sermons about the Sermon on the Mount These 13 sermons (available online) are central to the message of John Wesley. They make up a little more than

one-quarter of the fifty “Standard Sermons” he gave to his Methodist lay preachers to teach them “the essentials of true religion" (“The Sermons of John Wesley – An Introduction”). Reading these sermons will have you focused on

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and give you a sense of what it means to be a United Methodist in the tradition of John Wesley. 7. Tell others you love them

Some of us struggle to say those three little words. Maybe we assume others already know how we feel. Maybe we think we show our love and don’t need to say it. Or maybe we are concerned it won’t be reciprocated. Fight the fear and say "I love you" to friends, family members, and everyone else you love at least once during the season. 8. Throw a party for everyone

Jesus often used the image of a party to describe the Kingdom of God. He talked about wedding receptions and banquet feasts, and participated in several large group celebrations. Host your own Kingdom party by cooking for the neighborhood, or buying lunch for the entire office or your church. Feed everyone you can and give people an opportunity to be together

9. Serve in worship Your church needs you. Sing in the choir, usher, serve as a reader, work with the tech team, help a

young family with their baby, or find some other way to serve your church. Don’t wait for someone to ask you to use your God-given gifts. Offer yourself in service to your church for the season.

10. Say “thank you”

Parents, family members, mentors, coaches, teachers, authors, pastors, Sunday school teachers, and others have shaped you into the person you are. Each week during Lent, send a note of gratitude to one of them. Tell them how much they meant to you and how they inspired you. Consider including a small gift. Even if you do not know that author or speaker personally, draft an email of thanks. There are many ways to be observant during Lent. Be original. Find yours. *Joe Iovino works for UMC.org at United Methodist Communications. He may be reached at jiovino@umcom.org or 615.312.3733.