Dear Members and Friends of Waterville United Methodist Church,
Please keep Barb Page in your prayers as she had heart catheterization this morning at St. Luke’s at 10:00 a.m.
Robby Spanbauer is doing better today after having medical treatment yesterday. Thank you for your prayers.
Also, Charlene May had heart catheterization on Thursday afternoon at St. Anne’s and is now at home.
ANTHONY WAYNE SPIRIT OF GIVING is tonight and we have a very unique opportunity to help the family of Robby Spanbauer. Robby is a 5th grade student at Fallen Timbers. Last spring, he was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. Since then Robby, his family, the community, and his new school family (the class of 2024) have been fighting hard together. This year the Anthony Wayne Spirit of Giving, a community organization having the mission to help medically fragile families in the Anthony Wayne district, has adopted Robby and his family. The Spirit of Giving was established in 2006. Thirty families have received significant financial support which has greatly reduced family stress and helped these families to focus their efforts on healing. Please consider attending the Spaghetti Dinner tonight, February 17 from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the High School cafeteria. The cost is $5.00. Don’t want to eat at the high school? There will be a drive-through option again this year….just follow the signs. Proceeds from Dinner Tickets and the Raffle tickets benefit the Spanbauer Family.
Our February Mission Focus is Freedom School. A Freedom School is a six-week Monday through Friday reading and enrichment program developed by the Children’s Defense Fund in 1995 which has a proven track record for increasing reading levels from 1.4 to 2.2 grade levels over two to three summers that children participate in the Freedom School. Freedom Schools were birthed as a vision to end what is known as the “cradle to prison pipeline.” We know there is a direct correlation between third grade reading test scores and incarceration in adulthood for at-risk, poverty and lower income children in our urban areas. The Maumee Watershed District of the United Methodist Church is hosting a Freedom School at the Monroe Street UMC beginning this summer. Our gifts will become a gift of life, a positive enrichment experience and a blessing to 50 children in the urban poverty around Monroe Street UMC this summer as we offer them a life-changing Freedom School! There is also a need for volunteers to help during the 30 days of summer when the children are participating in the Freedom School: Classroom volunteers who will aid the trained teachers; servers and assistants to feed breakfast and lunch each day, story readers for their opening circle time each day; enrichment teachers and leaders; Field Trip chaperones for enrichment activities; tutors to give extra help to students; hostesses for the weekly parent’s meeting when they gather for their educational time and also babysitters to provide the parents child care; people to assist in creating a reading space in the Monroe Street United Methodist Church; and because the church is not air conditioned, fans, fans and more fans. You may email either Rev. Rae Lynn Schleif (rschleif@wocumc.org) or Elizabeth Rand (erand@monroestumc.com) and let them know how you will serve. Mission envelopes are available in the pew racks.
The Prayer Group will meet at 9:00 a.m. this Sunday.
The Unstuck small group study will meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room this Sunday.
This Sunday, February 19, we will be celebrating Boy Scout Sunday at Waterville United Methodist Church. Scouts from Troop #101 will be taking part in the service as liturgists, greeters and ushers. We will also be recognizing Troop #101’s Eagle Scouts. There will be a special insert in your bulletin with the names of all 131 Eagle Scouts that Troop #101 has produced…dating back to September 14, 1929. You’ll recognize several of the names on this list of distinction!
Worship Service for Sunday, February 19:
Call to Worship
Processional Hymn - America the Beautiful
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flags
The Scout Law
Recognition of Boy Scout Troop #101 Eagle Scouts
Song of Worship - More Love, More Power
Kinder Choir - Love Your Neighbor and Each New Day
Children’s Moment -
Sanctuary Choir Anthem - Standing on the Promises / Higher Ground
Olga’s selections:
Prelude: Exalted Medley – He Is Exalted with We Will Glorify
Offertory: I Will Enter His Gates with This Is the Day
Postlude: Holy, Holy, Holy
Scripture - Matthew 5:38-48
Sermon - Why Go the Second Mile?
Hymn - Lord, I Want to Be a Christian
Choral Benediction - The Lord Bless and Keep You
Prayer Partner for Pastor Mike this week: Delores Young
This Sunday is a Welcome a Neighbor Sunday. We have 9 gift bags that will need to be distributed to new neighbors in our area. Please check the map by the front door to see if any of these residents live close to you.
There is a special insert in your bulletin this Sunday concerning an upcoming movie. Is Genesis History? will be shown for one night only. In our area, it will be shown at Fallen Timbers Cinema at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 23. Hike through canyons, climb up mountains, and dive below the sea to discover well-researched insights from more than a dozen experts in this new documentary. The film is hosted by Del Tackett, the creator of “The Truth Project” that several of us participated in several years ago. You may purchase tickets by going to IsGenesisHistory.com.
Marc & Anna Banachowski and Alaina Hem have signed up to be your Fellowship Hosts for the month of February. All of the months are still available except for May.
Project PJ is currently underway at the SeaGate Foodbank. The women of the M&Ms Bible study volunteer there monthly and we are asking the congregation to join us for Project PJ. Through the month of February we are collecting new and gently used pajamas for ages 12 and older. They have a real need for those sizes, but any size will be okay. We are also asking for stuffed animals; these can be new or used (but clean). Please place your donations on the table in the Fireside room. Thank You!!
Four women showed up on Thursday morning to finish the 40 fleece blankets that The Women’s Ministry will be contributing to Project PJ. Thanks to Cindy Box, Terry Myers, Cindy Nowak and Karen Wiggins for your knot tying expertise.
Ash Wednesday is on March first this year. As we begin the season of Lent, the church will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. that morning. Pastor Mike will provide Holy Communion and the imposition of ashes for those desiring to begin this season in a time of personal reflection. This is a great way to begin a season of introspection and preparation for Holy Week and Easter.
A new Lenten study series will begin on Sunday, March 5 at 9:00 a.m. and Tuesday evening, March 7 at 7:00 p.m. We will be using Max Lucado’s He Chose the Nails. This is a five-session video Bible study. Max continues by examining the gifts that Christ gave at his crucifixion. These include not only the gift of the cross, but also the gift of the thorns, the nails, and the empty tomb. The cross is rich with God’s gifts of grace, and as we unwrap them, we will hear him whisper, “I did it just for you.” Both classes will be held in the church Fireside Room. Signup sheets are on the bulletin board in the hallway if you would like to attend.
Save the date! - Plans for Vacation Bible School 2017 are underway and we wanted to let you know the dates so you could mark your calendars. VBS will be July 9 or 10th through July 13th. The VBS planning team is still deciding whether to have VBS be 4 or 5 days this year. In the past, it has always been 5 days, but we struggled to get volunteers last year and may shorten it a day in hopes to get more volunteers. We will keep you posted on the official start date soon, but it will either be July 9th or 10th. If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Shelton 567-202-5035 or sshelton171@gmail.com. The theme for VBS this year is “Maker Fun Factory - Created by God. Built for a Purpose.”
Be a Blessing,
Church Cathy