that makes people feel

safe and wanted and

needed and included.

The Apostle Paul wrote

to the Colossian church

always to “walk in a

manner worthy of the

Lord” (Colossians 1:10).

He went on to explain to

the Ephesian church what

being worthy means: It

means “being humble,

gentle, patient in love,

making every effort to

keep the unity of the

Spirit in the bond of

peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3).

It is my prayer that as one

of God’s humble church-

es, we at DUMC will al-

ways conduct ourselves

in such a way that others

will experience the joy of

the presence of the God

who lives in us

(especially at church) but

equally important no mat-

ter where we go.

Always walk with Christ

and you will bring the

presence of God to those

around you.

So get out and enjoy the

beauty of this new Spring!

Pastor Ron

Spring is one of my four fa-

vorite seasons – so filled with

the beauty of life. It makes

you want to get outside, take

a walk, take a ride on your

bicycle or motorcycle, or take

a drive with the windows

down and just take it all in. I

love especially to travel a

country road where God’s

creation is even more domi-

nant in all the colorful sights

and wondrous sounds around

you.

On a recent drive I passed by

two old country churches.

Their settings were beautiful

with fields of wild flowers

and blossoming trees nearby

As I took in the sight I

thought about the people who

attended there and came to

know Christ there and what

significant ministry history

each one represented. And I

was especially pleased by

their church signs to note that

both were still holding wor-

ship services. I love looking

at different church signs and

reading the ministry messages

and advertisements. You

know what I am talking about

– like the one in front of our

own church. One of their

church slogans read, “A

church that’s alive is worth

the drive.” I’ve seen that one

before. But the other

church’s sign read,

“Come in and enjoy

the presence of God.”

That one caught my

attention, especially

because it inferred a

wonderful promise

awaited those who

came to worship

there. Both of these

signs made me think

about how well we

live up to what we

claim or advertise as

churches. I certainly

hope that those who

come inside our doors

here at Downs United

Methodist Church

sense the presence of

God more than any-

thing else.

So how does a church

reflect the presence of

God? The answer is

in how we live, in

how we show hospi-

tality, in how we ac-

cept all kinds of peo-

ple, in our quickness

to help and serve, it is

seen in our love for

one another, in our

generosity. It‘s in the

atmosphere that’s cre-

ated by living for

Christ in these ways

As You Walk With Christ

102 S. Seminary St. PO Box 49

Downs, IL 61736

Phone/Fax 309-378-2651

Website: www.downsumc.org

Pastor: reverend@downsumc.org

Secretary: secretary@downsumc.org

Downs United Methodist

Church Newsletter

Inside this issue:

Ad Board Minutes

Sunday School/Missions

2

4

Stewardship

Birthdays/Anniversaries

Volunteers

5

Opportunities 6

Dates to Know

Shower of Blessing/VBS

7

2012 Role 8

May 2012

Volume 21, Issue 5

Ad Council Meeting April 15, 2012

Call to Order 7:00 PM Pastor Ron opened with devotion and prayer.

Minutes for the January 22, 2012 Quarterly Ad Council Meeting were distributed and discussed. Motion made by George Lewis to approve the minutes. Seconded by Peggy Stark. Motion carried.

Youth – Peggy Stark and Andre McNaught reported

Mission Trip either 8/12 -8/14 or 7/20-7/22 in WI is being discussed.

Motion for permission to take Sr. High on weekend Mission Trip to WI in July or August was made by Rick Hayes. Seconded by Cathy Finch. Motion carried.

Motion made by George Lewis to approve the modified Youth Account Policy with changes noted. Seconded by Bill Erlenbush. Motion carried.

Motion made by George Lewis to amend our Sexual Misconduct Policy with changes as discussed. Seconded by Janice Cuba. Motion carried.

Motion made by George Lewis to approve the Trip Policy with changed discussed. Seconded by Rick Hayes. Motion carried.

Suggestion was made to provide the Ad Board with a roster of teachers for Wed. Night along with a curriculum.

Average attendance for Wed. Night is 45-47

Sunday School – Leigh Hayes reported

Average attendance – PreK-3rd/5-13, 4th-6th/2-8, Jr.Sr. High/7-8, Adult/10-15, Men’s/8-10

Adults will study Heaven is Real in the future

Welcome new teachers Christie Anderson and Laura Bass. Rock Solid is the current program

Nursery needs more workers. Sunday School will continue during the Summer months

VBS – tentative dates 7/29-8/2 in the evening

UMW – Donna Clark reported. Not meeting May/June/July

5/17 going to Hairspray at the Community Players. Cost $15. Open to all ladies in the church

Julie Hahn and Natalie Whitted have joined UMW. Anyone interested in joining see Donna or any member of UMW. Spaghetti supper in the fall

PPRC – George Lewis reported. Handouts distributed regarding the moving of the incoming Pastor.

May need volunteers for food/painting/repairs

DUMC is responsible for the moving costs for the incoming Pastor – will have 3 bids and we choose who to use. Cost estimate - $4000-$5000

Offered to assist Pastor Ron and Kathy with whatever they need

Trustees – Rick Hayes reported. Check for land rent has been received. Insurance for the Church has been renewed. Sewer should be hooked up within 30 days. Youth center – still working on a plan. Gin ger Campbell made a motion to replace the broken storm windows covering the stained glass win dows for $1251 from the undesignated building fund. Cathy Finch seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Concrete replacement will be part of the sewer project. Work day 4/28

Witness – Jamie Ward reported.

20 palms and 13 lilies were purchased for the Easter season

5/20 at 7:00 PM will be the baccalaureate at the Tri-Valley HS Commons – need cookies and volun teers

Outreach – Ginger Campbell reported.

Looking into a summer program. Outreach will assist with the Shower of Blessings

Nurture – Cathy Finch reported.

Flowers were provided for the blossoming of the cross

Welcome gifts for visitors was discuss – will work with Outreach

Calls have been made to non-attending members

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts will be provided

Finance – Bill Erlenbush and Janice Cuba reported.

Still short of meeting our needs. 2012 is relatively even with 2011. Need to increase attendance to increase income

Motion made by Bill Erlenbush to have a special offering on the 5th Sundays for specific purpose. Seconded by Peggy Stark. Motion carried.

Electronic message board for outside the church was discussed. Trustees will look into it.

Treasurer’s report was distributed – Motion made by George Lewis to approve the Treasurer’s re port. Seconded by Leigh Hayes. Motion carried.

Pastor Report – Pastor Ron reported

Shower of Blessing will begin construction thanks to the generous giving

Getting ready for the incoming Pastor – computers etc.

Received good feedback from the Pageant. 5/6 baptism for Coy Whitted

Annual Conference in June in Peoria. Ron and Kathy have requested that they say their goodbyes personally with no formal reception

Old Business – no report

New Business – Discussed the transition from one Pastor to the next. Boy Scouts go to the Trustees for space usage request. Next meeting will be 7/15. Meal will be provided by the Men.

Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Peggy Stark. Seconded by Ginger Campbell. Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned 9:30 PM. Pastor Ron closed in prayer.

Respectfully submitted.

Lyn Edwards, Recording Secretary

Present: Cathy Finch, Janice Cuba, Andre McNaught, Pastor Ron, Leigh Hayes, Rick Hayes, Brent Ward, Bill Erlenbush, Donna Clark, Ginger Campbell, Peggy Stark, George Lewis, Lyn Edwards

Sunday School @

8:15am

Downs UMC has a

class for ages 3 and

up on Sunday

morning. Pre-K-3rd

grade meet in the

Sanctuary at 8:15

for music and then

go to classrooms in

the church. Grades

4-6th meet in the

Education Wing.

Jr.-Sr. High (7-12th)

meet on the first

floor of the annex.

The adults are

meeting in the Old

Parsonage and the

men are meeting in

the LOFT. Sunday

school is coordinat-

ed by Leigh Hayes

378-3008 and Ja-

mie Ward 378-

4621.

Sunday Fellowship

@9:00am

Breakfast items are

served by different

members of the

church each week.

A freewill offering

is taken to defray

the cost of the

food. Volunteers

are needed to cover

the 2nd Sundays of

June and July.

Please let the office

know if you can

serve.

Our Compassion Sunday was a great

success! We have 3 families for sure

and a possible 4th who have decided

to answer the call for sponsoring a

child!! Thank you so much to those

new families who will be blessed by

making this choice to serve God in

another capacity. Thank you, too, to

Jessica Cuba and Ashlyn Hayes for

sharing letters from their sponsored

children. We have so much to be

thankful for when you see the videos

of the children and the conditions

that they are living in and the re-

sponsibilities some of them have. I

am so glad that they do get some

Christian teaching through the Com-

passion organization due to the gen-

erosity of families like those in our

own church.

The buckets for April were for Easter

gifts and totaled $294.91. Thank you

so much for your generosity!!

Spring is on the way again, I

hope!! I certainly got spoiled

by those warm days in March!!

God has surely blessed us with

some good weather this year and

I think it has been enjoyed by

all.

Our committee has been busy try-

ing to bless others with your

gifts. It really isn't hard,

and as I've said before - WE

LOVE IT!! Such a blessing to

see God at work. Due to the

mild winter, we did not have as

many requests for help with

utility bills as we had antici-

pated. The thing is, we can

always seem to find a need some-

where else. Praise God!

Other gifts for March and April

were as follows:

MISSIONS $1,877.79

UTILITIES 338.52

FINANCIAL NEEDS 1,200.00

TOTAL $3,416.31

Luke 6:38 tells us, "Give and

it will be given to you. A

good measure, pressed down,

shaken together and running

over, will be poured into your

lap. For with the measure you

use, it will be measured to

you." Thank you so much for

giving so generously so that

we can continue to carry on

God's work in our community

and beyond.

Opportunities for Learning & Fellowship

Mission Minutes by

Ginger Campbell

This

program

concludes

on May

9th until

Fall.

WWJF-Wednesday With Jesus & Friends

5:30pm Meal for Choir Members

6:00pm Choir Practice

6:15pm Meal for all others

6:30pm Class time for all ages

7:00pm Free2Praie Practice

7:30pm Classes end.

Page 4 Downs United Methodist Church Newsletter

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR

HELPERS FOR THE WEDNESDAY

NIGHT ACTIVITIES. YOU

ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

April YTD

Tithes & Offering $13632.50 $49444.27

Total Need $14945.00 $53802.00

Difference ($1312.50) ($4357.73)

New Church Fund $265 $230845.06

Good Sam $2069.91 $8701.21

Shower of Blessing $950.00 $2401.00

Fellowship Coordinators

May 6 Rileys

13 Rick Hayes

20 Wards

27 Jean Riordan

Greeters

May 6 Dave & Cheryl Bach, Kay Hull

May 13 Dean & Janiece Stanger, Diane Scherr

May 20 Bill & Suzann Erlenbush, Carrie Cobstill

May 27 Jon Nelson Family

Audio/Visual Operators

May 6 Ron Bass

13 Laura Walters

20 Tom Coulon

27 Jean Riordan

Nursery Workers

May 6 Natalie Whitted

8 Lori Rogers

15 Jen Nelson

22 TBA

Stewardship Report Giving for 2012

May Volunteers

21 Ed Clark

21 Andrea Kleinlein

22 Loghan Sutton

23 Kathy George

24 Leanne Sutton

24 Laney Nelson

25 Ron Bass

26 Chris Stark

27 Lauren James

28 Sydnie Kinder

29 Gary Brotherton

29 Devon Bollhorst

30 Michelle Roop

30 Charles Murphy

1 Luke & Maggie Durbin

2 Brett & Michelle Roop

2 Keith & Jody Simpson

2 Keith & Ginger Campbell

3 Bud & Mabel Courtney

27 Jeff & Elizabeth Werner

28 Dennis & Jill McNeese

31 David & Darcie Jones

May Birthdays

2 Deb Bricker

3 Lori Rogers

3 Chad Adkisson

4 Jacob Stark

6 Lindsey Cuba

6 Maggie Durham

14 Rhonda Nalley

16 Brandon James

17 Pam Kinder

17 Shelbi Miller

19 Brandon Weichman

20 Audrey Moss

Page 5 Volume 21, Issue 5

May Anniversaries

May Milestones

This month the milestones are all birthdays. One is 10, one is 15, one is 20, two are 30 and 1 is 35. Congratulations and Blessings.

PRAYERS NEEDED: The 2012 Gen-

eral Conference of the United

Methodist Church will be meeting

April 24-May 4. This is where de-

cisions are made for the entire

United Methodist Church. Each

district is asked to pray on a spe-

cific day that those involved will

be ready to follow the Holy

Spirit’s leadings, and that all

would have open hearts and

minds to understand and to dis-

cern as a unified Body of Christ in

Tampa. The date assigned to the

Vermilion District (Downs) is

May 4th. Please pray

throughout the day and

night. Mark your calendars!

OPPORTUNITIES

First

Responder

Training

TRUSTEE MEETING Monday,

May 7th at 6:30pm. Please let

Rick Hayes know if you will not

be able to attend.

variety of therapy materials that can be taken to Mexico and left

there with the teachers and parents who have students/children with

disabilities. She is looking for old flashcards/stickers/simple puzzles/

basic workbooks. The items do not need to be in Spanish but if they

are that is a perk. She is encouraged to gather anything "horse-related" and primarily picture flashcards. The letters will be differ-ent in Spanish and they won't target numbers. They work with 3 year olds up to 24 year olds. They don't turn people away.

If you are interested in helping with this collection there will be a

box across from the church office door. The collection will end

June 24th.

There will be a First Responder Training at Bloomington

Wesley on July 21. You can register for this by going to

www.igrc.org and under the search button type in disas-

ter response or go to http://www.igrc.org/pages/

detail/1804 which will get you directly to the disaster re-

sponse web page.

Collection for MMDC at Annual Conference: The Mid-

west Mission Distribution Center is asking lay and clergy mem-

bers to consider bringing items for school bags which will be

needed during the summer for the school year in the fall.

Items requested are:

• 24 count Crayola crayons

• 70 or 80 count spiral bound notebooks -- college

or wide-ruled

• Loose-leaf notebook paper -- in packages up to

150 sheets

• #2 soft lead pencils

* Pens (blue or black ink—Bic Style

Please bring items and place them under the coat rack across

from the office door. Pastor Ron will make sure they get to

the Conference. Last day for collection is Thank you for help-

ing with this ministry.

Lindsey Cuba has been blessed with another

opportunity to go to Mexico this summer and will be

participating in two hippotherapy (physical, occupa-tional, and speech-language therapy treatment strat-egy that utilizes equine movement as part of an inte-grated intervention program to achieve functional outcomes) camps: one in Jacona, Mexico and the oth-

er in Cotija, Mexico. She is going to be collecting a

May DATES TO KNOW

1 Happy May Day

9-1pm HCE Meeting

2 WWJF (Wednesdays with Jesus & Friends)

3 National Day of Prayer

6 Golden Cross Sunday 8:15am Sunday School

9:00am Fellowship

9:30am Worship

6:30pm Bible Study

7 6:00pm Boy Scouts in Annex

8 6:30pm Trustee Meeting

9 WWJF (Wednesdays with Jesus & Friends) Conclusion of this program until Fall.

13 Happy Mother’s Day

8:15am Sunday School

9:00am Fellowship

9:30am Worship

6:30pm Bible Study

13 6:00pm Boy Scouts in annex

16 6:00pm Choir to meet at Jack’s

20 8:15am Sunday School

9:00am Fellowship

9:30am Worship

6:30pm Bible Study

7:00pm Baccalaureate at Tri-Valley

21 6:00pm Boy Scouts in Annex

27 8:15am Sunday School

9:00am Fellowship

9:30am Worship

6:30pm Bible Study

28 Happy Memorial Day

30 6:00pm Choir Practice

SHOWER OF

BLESSING ~ HANDI-

CAP EQUIPPED

BATHROOM NEEDED

A family in our com-

munity is in need of

a handicap equipped bathroom in their

home. Several from our church with con-

struction skills have agreed to take on the

challenge. The next step is to raise the nec-

essary funds and for that we are asking for

your help. It is now estimated that it will

take $2,700 to complete the project which

will include widening the bathroom door

and installing a handicap shower and sink

with wheel chair access. Of course, this may

also require some drywall, plumbing and

floor replacement as well.

If you would like to help us with this out-

reach project your financial gifts are appreci-

ated. Please make your checks payable to

Downs UMC and indicate SHOWER OF

BLESSING in the bottom left corner. Thank

you to everyone that has contributed to this

outreach project. Funds to date: $2401.

Should you have questions, please contact

the church office.

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES ARE DUE TO THE OFFICE BY THE 20TH OF EACH MONTH. They may be faxed to 378-2651 or emailed to office-dumc@juno.com.

Input is welcomed. It is your newsletter!

VBS 2012

Details to

come!

Downs UMC

PO Box 49

Downs, IL 61736

Address Service Requested

102 S. Seminary St

PO Box 49

Downs, IL 61736-0049

Phone: 309-378-2651

Fax: 309-378-2651

E-mail: reverend@downsumc.org

secretary@downsumc.org

Website: www.downsumc.org

Twitter: @Downs UMC

2012 Official Role (Positions being Served)

Ad Board Chairperson: Brent Ward

Recording Secretary: Lyn Edwards

Finance Chairperson: Bill Erlenbush

Sunday School Super: Jamie Ward &

Leigh Hayes

PPRC Chairperson: George Lewis

Lay Leader: Larry Stark

Lay Member to Confer: Cathy Finch

Treasurer: Janice Cuba

Financial Secretary: Lyn Edwards

Nurture Chairperson: Cathy Finch

Outreach Chairperson: Ginger Campbell

Witness Chairperson: Jamie Ward

UMW President: Donna Clark

Youth Director: TBA

Sr. Hi Youth Group Leader Michelle Forbes

Camping Coordinator: Carrie Cobstill

Trustee Chairperson: Rick Hayes

Downs UMC

Office Hours

8-12 noon

Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

FINANCE: Bill Erlenbush, Larry Stark, Brent Ward, Janice Cuba, Lyn Edwards, Donna Kleinlein, Cathy Finch, Rick Hayes, George Lewis

TRUSTEES: Rick Hayes, Dave Wysocki; Andre McNaught, Craig Solvie, Brad Weichman; Jeff Cur-tis, Andy Whitted; Emily Kelly

PPRC: George Lewis, Kay Hull, Jon Nelson, Lyndall Cuba, Becky Connour, Jim Finch; Chris Mushrush; Rita Harsh; Darla Lanches-ter

NOMINATIONS: Larry Stark, Kim Lewis; Sherry Reed; Rhonda Nalley; John Werner; Debbie McNaught; Rev. Ron George