Dear Members and Friends of Waterville United Methodist Church,
Do you ever think about how your appearance is related to your spiritual life? We’re not talking about how you dress but about your “looks,” your God-given natural attributes. A blog article last week by an attractive young woman planning to become a nun gives us an opportunity to consider that matter, so that will be the topic of this week’s The Wired Word Adult Sunday School Class. Join us in Fellowship Hall at 9:00 a.m. this Sunday for coffee, scriptures and discussion.
Worship Service for Sunday, March 15th :
Children’s Moment -
Hymns - What Wondrous Love Is This and Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed
Anthem - How Marvelous Are the Works of the Lord
Scripture - Ephesians 2:1-10
Pastor Mike’s sermon title - God’s Great Love
Liturgist – Dave Landis
Olga is still on “tour” with the Bowling Green State University Men’s Choir. She won’t be arriving home until late Saturday evening, so she wasn’t able to let me know what songs she will be playing on Sunday…but we all know that they will be great!
Following the worship service, please join us in Fellowship Hall for a time of light refreshments and conversation. Julie Croy & Jenny Kahl will be your hosts during the month of March.
Our mission focus for the month of March will be the Theatre-for-the-World Well Project. Please check your March issue of The Ambassador for additional information.
Theatre-for-the-World will take place on Friday, March 13th, Saturday, March 14th and Sunday, March 15th. Friday and Saturday’s shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday show will start at 1:30 p.m. This year’s production is FOOLS, a family-friendly comedy by Neil Simon.
If you are attending the play this weekend, we have a favor to ask. Please help us make room for our guests (if you are able) by parking down the street at the park, in the next block or maybe in the library lot. It looks like rain this evening, so remember to bring an umbrella with you!
Canned food donations for the three local food pantries will be accepted at the door before each presentation of “FOOLS.” Not sure what to bring? Karen Longnecker says that the food pantries are always running low on canned fruits.
Thank you to those who have committed to baking cookies for this weekend’s Theatre-for-the-World. Please make sure that your baked items are at the church by Friday afternoon. (I’ll be at the church all afternoon and into the evening, so bring them by whenever it’s convenient.)
Inside the bulletin this week, you will find updates for our upcoming Holy Week Worship Schedule:
On Maundy Thursday, April 2nd, at 6:00 p.m. we will be having a potluck dinner with a Christian Seder. We ask that those attending arrive prior to 6:00 pm so the food can be set out on the tables. Simple food is preferable and there will be a period of time prior to filling our plates as a part of this remembrance of the gift of God’s Grace in Christ. This will be a family experience. Please RSVP on the signup sheet on the bulletin board by Sunday, March 29th if you plan to attend.
This year we are observing Good Friday with a Cross Walk of our community. We will gather at the church prior to Noon on Friday, April 3rd. At Noon, we will begin our prayer walk for our community led by a cross. Stops along the way will include the city building, the Chamber of Commerce, the downtown businesses, several churches and other stops along the way. This will be a family friendly opportunity to pray for our community and to be witnesses of our faith.
The Community Sunrise Easter Service will be held at 6:30 a.m. at the park by the old elementary school. Rev. Mike O’Shea, from the Waterville Community Church, will be leading the service. Breakfast will follow. Watch for more details in the coming weeks.
Many of you registered your Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes online when you paid for shipping last fall. We would like to know where your boxes ended up! Please contact the church office with that information. We will be plotting these destinations on our world map for all to see. So far, we have received word that boxes from our congregation went to Malawi and the Central African Republic.
The 35th annual Changed Life Seminar for women will take place on Saturday, March 21st at Emmanuel Baptist church in Toledo. The guest speaker will be Elisa Morgan. For twenty years, Elisa served as CEO of MOPS International. Registration and refreshments begin at 8:15 a.m. The day includes a morning session, lunch break and an afternoon session. The cost is $25.00. Registrations MUST be received by today. To register, please visit ChangedLifeSeminar.com or pick up a form on the bulletin board in the hallway. (Several women from our church have registered and will be attending.)
Rob Greenlese has posted instructions and a signup sheet on the bulletin board in the hallway for cookies for an upcoming Kairos weekend at the Toledo Correctional Facility. All cookie donations must be brought to the church by Friday, March 20th. Rob will not be “going to jail” this weekend, but former member, Eric Ramlow, will be attending. They need 10,000 dozen cookies for this weekend. (That’s right…120,000 cookies!!) We need your help….only four “cookie-bakers” have signed up as of today!
I just got off the phone with Squire Young in Thailand. After nine trips to the doctor, he reports that he has finally been cleared by the doctor to get on an airplane. He will start his trip back to the states on Saturday. He thanks you for your prayers.