The Quester Fairfield Grace United

Methodist Church

March

2017

To My Dearest Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Below is a daily devotional from "My Utmost for the Highest" by Oswald Chambers I encountered this week. It challenges me to re-examine my relationship with Jesus Christ and my pastoral ministry in your midst. I hope you have the chance to read these thoughtful and powerful words, and afterwards we will have a dialogue on "The Delight of Sacrifice" as we continue to do the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ at Fairfield Grace.

THE DELIGHT OF SACRIFICE

"I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls..." ( Corinthians 12:15)

Once "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit," we deliberately begin to identify our-selves with Jesus Christ's interests and purposes in others' lives (Romans 5:5). Jesus has an interest in every indi-vidual person. We have no right in Christian service to be guided by our own interests and desires. In fact, this is one of the greatest test of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The delight of sacrifice is that I lay down my life for my Friend, Jesus (see John 15:13). I don't throw my life away, but I willingly and deliberately lay it down for Him and His interests in other people. I do this for no cause or purpose of my own. Paul spent his life for only one pur-pose--that he might win people to Jesus Christ. Paul always attracted people to his Lord but never to himself. He said "I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:22) When someone thinks that to develop a holy life he must always be alone with God, he is no longer of any use to oth-ers. This is like putting himself on a pedestal and isolating himself from the rest of society. Paul was a holy per-son, but wherever he went, Jesus Christ was always allowed to help Himself to his life. Many of us are only inter-ested in our own goals, and Jesus cannot help Himself to our lives. But if we are totally surrendered to Him, we have no goals of our own to serve. Paul said that he knew how to be a "doormat" without resenting it, because the motivation of his life was devotion to Jesus. We tend to be devoted not to Jesus Christ but to the things which allow us more spiritual freedom than total surrender to Him would allow. Freedom was not Paul's motive at all. In fact, he stated, "I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren..." (Romans 9:3). Had Paul lost his ability to reason? Not at all! For someone who is in love, this is not an overstatement, and Paul was in love with Jesus Christ.

Am I in love with Jesus Christ? Do I identify myself with His interests and purposes in others' lives? Oswald is right to say that "Jesus has an interest in every individual person." Have I?

May I invite you to join me in asking ourselves these questions throughout the season of Lent? I pray that we all may experience the joy of both loving Jesus Christ and carrying out His mission and ministry at Fairfield Grace.

Hallelujah! Amen!

Kun Sam, your M&M partner

A Message from Pastor Cho:

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Ushers

Team #2

Charlene Brauns-Schindler Ed Schindler Lee DelVecchio Beverly Wenz

Fellowship Hour

March 5: Faith Circle

March 12: Judy Vindheim

March 19: Leah Larsen

March 26: Sandra Brown/Shelia Muscott

Week of:

March 5: Margery Hood, Joanne Hus and Marge Jenkins

March 12: Kristina Joukhadar, Jurgielewicz family and Eliz Kakas

March 19: Eleanor Kent, Elsie Kerekes and Suk Kyum & Sook Hyun Kim

March 26: Diane Kiraly, Ann Kisseberth and Michelle Krancz

Worship Leaders

March 5: Francis Amoo

March 13: Jessica Block

March 19: Dennis Robb

March 26: Dot Daruka

Communion Steward

Karen Benson

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

from the staff to church members... A heartfelt and sincere thank you from the staff to all church

members for the very generous Christmas gift. We are grateful for your kindness

and thoughtfulness during this Christmas season as well as throughout the year.

Your support makes us thankful to be a part of the Fairfield Grace family.

Fairfield Grace Families

in Our Prayers

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Good Friday Tenebrae Service

April 14 at 7:30 pm

BELIEVE Readings

Date Topic Memory Verse Reading

3/5 Love 1 John 4:10-12 1 John 4:19-21 & Matthew 18:21-22

3/12 Joy John 15:11 Psalm 16:1-11 & John 15:1-11

3/19 Peace Philippians 4:6-7 Matthew 6:25-34 &

Philippians 4:4-9

3/26 Self-Control Titus 2:11-13 Titus 2:1-15

Maundy Thursday Service

April 13 at 7:30 pm

There will be Lenten Devotional Booklets available in

the back of the Sanctuary for you and your family

to read on your Lenten Journey

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Wednesday, March 1: Ash Wednesday

9:30 AM Taizé Prayer Service ~ 7:00 PM Taizé Prayer Service

Sunday, March 5: First Sunday in Lent

10:00 AM Worship Service ~ 1:00 PM Faith Circle (Korean) Worship Service

Sunday, March 12: Second Sunday in Lent

10:00 AM Worship Service ~ 1:00 PM Faith Circle (Korean) Worship Service

Sunday, March 19: Third Sunday in Lent

10:00 AM Worship Service ~ 1:00 PM Faith Circle (Korean) Worship Service

Sunday, March 26: Fourth Sunday in Lent

10:00 AM Worship Service ~ 1:00 PM Faith Circle (Korean) Worship Service

Sunday, April 2: Fifth Sunday in Lent

10:00 AM Worship Service ~ 1:00 PM Faith Circle (Korean) Worship Service

Sunday, April 9: Palm/Passion Sunday

10:00 AM Worship Service ~ 1:00 PM Faith Circle (Korean) Worship Service

Thursday, April 13: Maundy Thursday

7:30 PM Worship Service with Communion

Friday, April 14: Good Friday Tenebrae Service

7:30 PM Cantata Service

Sunday, April 16: Easter Sunday

6:00 AM Sunrise Service

10:00 AM Worship Service w/communion

1:00 PM Faith Circle (Korean) Worship Service

2017

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01 Joyce Aldrich

01 Ellie Park

03 Thomas Lee

04 Jeanne Millett

O5 Jaedoo Lee

06 Mason Rush

March Birthdays

06 Justin Tanno

07 Myah DeJesus

08 Joseph Dowgiallo

09 Jean Oneto

11 Darlene Dowgiallo

15 Soon Chang

18 Suzanne Rebecco

22 Alison Yoo

25 Duncan Sherwood

29 Hyeeun Kim

29 Jong S. Kim

March Anniversaries

Mar 11 Maggie & Jim Conroy 22 yrs

Weekly Taizé Services to Resume

Ash Wednesday, March 1

9:30 am and 7:00 pm

Come and Rest. Come and Listen. Come and Praise.

Come and Give Thanks. Come to Taizé Service.

Services will be every Wednesday at 9:30 am and 7:00 pm

for the months of:

March, April, May, June and September, October, November and December.

Healing Service ~ Sunday, April 2 at 10:00 am

We welcome Pastor Debbie Mygatt to Fairfield Grace for a

Healing Service with Communion

on Sunday, April 2 for the 10:00 Worship Service.

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New Women’s Book Group Begins in March

All women are invited to join a book discussion group that will meet Monday, March 13 at

7:00pm in Hood Parlor. We will be discussing 7 Men and the Secret of their Greatness by Eric

Metaxis. Each chapter is a biographical sketch of a different

inspiring Christian man. Please purchase the book and read Chapter One

about the life of George Washington.

We meet monthly for approximately 1 ½ hours for a fun and friendly discussion,

except for summer months. If you have questions please contact Karen Price

203-333-1272 or Anne Regan in the church office. We welcome anyone to be a

part of this wonderful group and

share our insights.

Cancellations due to

Weather

In the case of hazardous weather

conditions, it may be necessary for

the church to cancel

building activities or services. The

decision to close the church on

Sunday mornings will be made as

early as possible, but no later than

7:00 AM. We will send an email alert

to members when a decision is

made. In addition, any closures will

be posted on Channel 12 News,

News 8 and NBC Connecticut.

Easter Flowers

Available to Order

Jeanne Millett is, once again, arranging for

assorted spring potted plants to be available

for church members to order. They will

adorn the Easter altar and can be taken

home after the service.

Please look for

announcements in the

bulletin and e-News for

information on

how to order.

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Fairfield Grace Rummage Sale

Saturday, March 4

9:00 am—3:00 pm We need donations of clothing, children’s items and household goods.

Draperies, rugs, bedding are accepted.

Please do NOT bring the following items:

Furniture, Books, VHS Tapes and Dishes.

Contact Lee Del Vecchio 203-374-2130

Spaghetti Dinner News

Sat, Mar 11 & May 13

4:45 PM—6:45 PM

Spaghetti dinner will be held twice this spring, March 11 and May 13.

If these two dinners go well with attendance and workers, dinners will be held 4 times

between September and May. We do need more help in the morning and evening. You

can sign up for one month if that is all the help you can give.

Contact person, Charlene Brauns-Schindler, 203-371-5068.

Fairfield Grace Annual Midnight Run

Thursday, April 13

More details to follow

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Easter Bunny

Pancake Breakfast Fairfield Grace UMC

Saturday, April 1

8:30 AM—10:30 AM

There will be a visit from the Easter Bunny!

Please consider volunteering for this fun event!

Contact Nancy Leppla at nleppla@gmail.com

Craft Activities

for the Kids

Serving Pancakes, Eggs,

Sausages,

Juice and Coffee

All Proceeds donated to

Missions of the Church

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Paper Shredding Day

Saturday, May 13, 2017 ~ 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon

Do you ever want to clean out your files of old bank statements, checks, brokerage statements,

income tax forms, etc.? There are a lot of papers that you should put through a shredder so no one will

use the information for identity theft. You may even have a small office shredder at home. But there are

times when you have so much to shred that it would take you hours with a small shredder. So the job just

does not get done.

We have the answer. Just toss all that shredding material into a carton and bring it to church on

Saturday morning May 13. For a mere $10, we will take a 10-ream size carton of paper (price can vary--

more for larger cartons and less for small ones) and have it shred for you. This shredding opportunity will

take place in our church parking lot, and we will advertise it and make it available to the whole town. So it is

something you can ask your friends to do also.

Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, March 27.

Fairfield Grace UMC

The Exuberant Circle

A new group is forming at Fairfield Grace called the “Exuberant Circle”! The Circle is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 25 years old.

Meetings will be on the Second and Fourth Saturdays of the month at 5:00 pm.

Next two meetings are

March 11 and March 25. Please contact the church office at 203-374-6528 or fairfieldgrace@sbcglobal.net

with any questions or for more information.

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Sunday, May 7, 2017

Fairfield Grace United Methodist Church

1089 Fairfield Woods Road

5:00 pm to 6:30 pm

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We want to let the Fairfield Grace community know about all the good work it’s

members are doing! Send updates, news and photos to

fairfieldgrace@sbcglobal.net

Submissions to Bulletin Announcements and Friday e-News All submissions are due to the church office at fairfieldgrace@sbcglobal.net

by Tuesday at noon for that week’s editions. Thank you!

Deadline for the April Issue of the Quester is

Monday, March 20.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN REGULAR SCHEDULE THIS LENTEN SEASON

Weekly Discussion Groups

Wednesday at 10:10 am (Faith Circle); Thursday at 6:45 pm; and Sunday at 9:00 am

DATE CHAPTER TOPIC9/25/16 1 God Mission Sunday

10/2/16 2 Personal God World Communion Sunday

10/9/16 3 Salvation Children's Sabbath

10/16/16 4 The Bible Laity Sunday

10/23/16 5 Identity in Christ

10/30/16 6 Church Reformation Sunday

11/6/16 7 Humanity All Saints Day

11/13/16 8 Compassion Veteran's Day/Organ Donation

11/20/16 9 Stewardship Consecration Sunday

11/27/16 10 Eternity Advent begins

12/4/16 11 Worship Caroling Sunday

12/11/16 Advent Study 1 Cantata

12/18/16 Advent Study 2 Sunday School Pageant

12/25/16 Advent Study 3 Christmas

1/1/17 12 Prayer New Year's Day

1/8/17 13 Bible Study Baptism of the Lord

1/15/17 14 Single-Mindedness

1/22/17 15 Total Surrender

1/29/17 16 Biblical Community

2/5/17 17 Spiritual Gifts Scouting/Souper Bowl Sunday

2/12/17 18 Offering My Time

2/19/17 19 Giving My Resources

2/26/17 20 Sharing My Faith Transfiguration Sunday

3/5/17 21 Love First Sunday in Lent

3/12/17 22 Joy

3/19/17 23 Peace

3/26/17 24 Self-Control

4/2/17 25 Hope

4/9/17 Easter Study 1 Palm Sunday

4/16/17 Easter Study 2 Easter Sunday

4/23/17 26 Patience

4/30/17 27 Kindness/Goodness

5/7/17 28 Faithfulness

5/14/17 29 Gentleness Mother's Day

5/21/17 30 Humility

5/28/17 Pentecost Study 1 Memorial Day Sunday

6/4/17 Pentecost Study 2 Pentecost

6/11/17 Celebration of the "Believe" Journey

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DATE CHAPTER TOPIC9/25/16 1 God Mission Sunday

10/2/16 2 Personal God World Communion Sunday

10/9/16 3 Salvation Children's Sabbath

10/16/16 4 The Bible Laity Sunday

10/23/16 5 Identity in Christ

10/30/16 6 Church Reformation Sunday

11/6/16 7 Humanity All Saints Day

11/13/16 8 Compassion Veteran's Day/Organ Donation

11/20/16 9 Stewardship Consecration Sunday

11/27/16 10 Eternity Advent begins

12/4/16 11 Worship Caroling Sunday

12/11/16 Advent Study 1 Cantata

12/18/16 Advent Study 2 Sunday School Pageant

12/25/16 Advent Study 3 Christmas

1/1/17 12 Prayer New Year's Day

1/8/17 13 Bible Study Baptism of the Lord

1/15/17 14 Single-Mindedness

1/22/17 15 Total Surrender

1/29/17 16 Biblical Community

2/5/17 17 Spiritual Gifts Scouting/Souper Bowl Sunday

2/12/17 18 Offering My Time

2/19/17 19 Giving My Resources

2/26/17 20 Sharing My Faith Transfiguration Sunday

3/5/17 21 Love First Sunday in Lent

3/12/17 22 Joy

3/19/17 23 Peace

3/26/17 24 Self-Control

4/2/17 25 Hope

4/9/17 Easter Study 1 Palm Sunday

4/16/17 Easter Study 2 Easter Sunday

4/23/17 26 Patience

4/30/17 27 Kindness/Goodness

5/7/17 28 Faithfulness

5/14/17 29 Gentleness Mother's Day

5/21/17 30 Humility

5/28/17 Pentecost Study 1 Memorial Day Sunday

6/4/17 Pentecost Study 2 Pentecost

6/11/17 Celebration of the "Believe" Journey

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CareNotes

Please see the “CareNotes” pamphlet rack outside the sanctuary in the hallway for

an arrival of booklets that offer care, strength and healing

for church members and visitors.

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Marc

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