HERALD
OF HOPE
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
LECTIONARY
FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH
OFFERING
COLLECTED FOR HAITI VICTIMS
I saw something
yesterday I have never seen before. It
happened during the unofficial national holiday known as the Super Bowl. As I reverently celebrated the day by eating
to excess, a player and a play caught my eye and had me wondering if I had
missed something. The player was a kicker. Some would argue that automatically
disqualifies him from being a “real” football player. “Real” players, after all, sweat and get
grass stains on their uniforms. “Real”
football players are big and brawny.
“Real” players show signs of the controlled violence which is football
by sporting crooked noses and missing teeth.
But this was a kicker. His
uniform was clean, he was thin, and his face looked unmarked. Kickers are usually very cerebral people
because they spend so much time alone.
It forces a person to think when they practice separately from their
teammates and sit apart from them during games.
There is a lot of time to process deep thoughts and consider one’s place
in the cosmos with God.
On this night the kicker
ran onto the field for an important field goal attempt. This was an international stage, a game
viewed around the world. No pressure
there. He would attempt a 51 yard field
goal that would give his team and the city of Indianapolis important points
toward winning the biggest game of the year.
The kicker lined up and approached the ball as the holder put it on the
tee. He hit it solidly and sent the ball
soaring toward the goalpost. It looked
good--until it veered left, barely missing the mark. The television camera zoomed in, as they often
do, to get an honest display of emotion from the kicker. He began to run off the field, gazed upward
to the heavens and pointed. Had I seen
the play incorrectly? It appeared that
the kicker had missed the kick and yet he was doing a familiar gesture of faith
routinely done in sports only after an athlete succeeds. But this player was thanking God in his
failure! Most unusual
but not unprecedented. His
witness to faith was a powerful testimony of what faith should be. If we decide to praise God only in our
victories, then we’ve reduced our faith to a selfish pursuit of getting what we
want. It must be more.
Jeremiah in his
laments speaks of more than a faith dependent on personal success. Habakkuk speaks of more than loving God only
in times of prosperity. And a kicker in
the present day speaks of more than a Super Bowl victory. He professes a super faith.
Grace
& Peace,
Pastor
Jay
March 7
Isaiah
55:1-9
Psalm
63:1-8
1
Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke
13:1-9
March 14
Joshua
5:9-12
Psalm
32
2
Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke
15:1-3, 11b-32
March 21
Isaiah
43:16-21
Psalm
126
Philippians
3:4b-14
John
12:1-8
March 28
Luke
19:28-40
Psalm
118:1-2, 19-29
Each Wednesday evening duing Lent we will offer a worship
service at 7:00p.m.
They will concentrate on the biblical expressions of worship.
February 24 Silence
& Shouting
March 3 Testifying
& Lifting Hands
March 10 Standing
& Kneeling/Bowing
March 17 Dancing
& Singing
March 24 Playing
Instruments & Clapping
To help supply or Mini Food Pantry, we are asking for a
donation of a canned good at each of the worship services. Suggested items are canned soup,
juice, vegetables, fruit, tuna, chicken, spam, canned meats and stew, peanut
butter and jelly
Our Lenten Offerings this year have been designated for:
Feb. 17 Call
for Help
Feb. 24 Belleville
Humane Society
Mar. 3 Project
Compassion (Area Food and Shelter Ministry
for Mothers & Children)
Mar. 10 BEACON
Mar. 17 Violence
Prevention Center
Mar. 24 Hope
Church Human Needs Fund
Holy Week will offer
a Holy Thursday service (commonly referred to as Maundy Thursday) as a joint
effort with Union United Methodist Church, 721 E. Main Street. Pastor Jay will lead worship with Pastors Ed
and Holly as we prepare for Easter.
$1507.00
“Ushers & Greeters”
This month we honor all of those who volunteer to serve
as ushers and greeters.
Each Sunday morning we need friendly faces to greet at
the Welcome Center doors. A smile, a handshake, perhaps a hug to say “Welcome
to Hope Church”! These warm greetings
make the first impression to our visitors as well as a “Good Morning” to our
members.
Then they move on to our ushers, for another “Good
Morning” and then they receive an order of worship for the service. These ushers will also collect the morning
offering as part of the morning worship.
All of the greeters and ushers volunteer on a rotating
schedule and we thank each one for giving of your time.
May God Bless you all!
March 11, 2010
11:30AM
St. Patrick’s Day
(Think Green!)
Sign up on February 28 and March 7
March 25, 2010 - 10:30AM
“A Woman’s Place”
by Barbara Delinsky
MARCH ?????????
TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!
During 2010 the Missions Committee will
be highlighting one of our local, national or international projects each month. If you have any questions about any of these organizations
please talk to Christy Pannier, Chairperson or JoAnn Buchanan, Consistory
Representative.
LINC stands for Living Independently Now
Center. They have a new address (1
Emerald Terrace, Suite 200, Swansea, IL
62226. They also have offices in
Monroe and Randolph Counties. Their
mission is to empower persons with disabilities to live independently and to
promote accessibility and inclusion in all areas of life.
LINC has just celebrated their 20th
year 1989 - 2009 with their annual meeting right here at Hope Church.
LINC is a non-for-profit organization
that provides a variety of services to persons with disabilities so they can
realize their potential and develop a sense of independence. Their staff consists of professionals with
significant experience as well as specialized skills in working with
individuals who have disabilities. The
majority of the staff are persons with disabilities of their own.
We received a note from Justin Reckling who is currently
serving in Afghanistan. He wants to
thank everyone at Hope for remembering him with cards at Christmas. He is doing well and near the halfway mark of
his deployment. He would love to hear
from his Hope family and asked us to pass on his email address and mailing
address.
Justin Reckling
502ND EN CO (MRBC)
19TH Engineer Battalion
FOB Leatherneck, Afghanistan
FPO AE 09372
EMAIL - justin.reckling@afg.usmc.mil
We extend our congratulations to Don and
Sandy Rhodes on the birth of their great-grandson Kayden
Ashby Hutchcraft.
We extend our congratulations to
Christopher May and Landers Judd who were married
in American Fork, Utah on Saturday, February 6, 2010.
We extend our sympathy to:
- The family and friends of Robert
Hedeman, former pastor of Hope Church, who passed
away February 4, 2010 in Evansville, IN.
- Kaye & Jake Pruit and their family in the loss of Kaye’s sister-in-law,
Maggie who passed away in New Mexico on February 8, 2010.
Chris and Landers May
4337 A Truman Circle Ct.
Hill AFB, UT
84056
Beginning next week, we will be preparing
the new telephone/address book. If you
need to update your address or telephone number or any other information in the
directory, please call the church office and give us the new information. You may also email the information to:
hopesec@peaknet.net
We are always
seeking to expand our ministry and be faithful disciples to live out our
calling. By doing this we open doors and
declare ourselves as committed Christians.
Hope Church celebrates some new expansion to our ministry:
--A 22-passenger
bus has been purchased!
--The library
renovation is completed!
--A washer/dryer
unit has been purchased!
--Sanctuary
bathrooms are in process of renovation!
--A shared ministry
agreement has been established with Union United Methodist Church providing
more opportunities!
--An exciting new
ministry addition is in the planning stages and will be announced soon!
As the third
stanza of The Battle Hymn of the Republic says:
He has
sounded forth the trumpet
that shall never call retreat…
I look forward to
advancing with you as we make this journey of faith.
Pastor Jay
www.hopebelleville.org
To add information to the
website,
please contact Jim Jones - jamesmjones@prodigy.net
We are in need of a volunteer on
Easter Sunday to help in our Nursery during the 10:30A worship service.
If you would be interested in
helping out, please talk to Jessi Mueller, Amy
Pannier or call the church office.
February 23... Open Gym, 5:30P
....................... MOPS,
6:30P
February 24... Lunch and Movie at
Union UMC, 11A-1:30P
....................... Lenten
Worship, 7P
February 25... Book Club, 10:30A
March 3.......... Lenten Worship, 7P
March 9.......... BCC Lunch
....................... Consistory,
7P
March 11........ Singles’ Lunch, 11:30A
March 23........ Open Gym, 5:30P
....................... MOPS,
6:30P
March 28........ Palm Sunday
March 31........ Blood Drive, 3-7P
During the past
month the following gifts were received:
In memory of Norma
Coon
By Charles
& Sandy Raban Clarice
Keller Phyllis Evans
Happy & Lou Touchette Randy & Valerie Hargraves and Family
Dolores Harris Larry & Trina
Hernandez Wil
& Janet Krausz
Bruce & Deborah Hicks Joe, Marcie & Julie Altman Margaret Brand
Abeles & Hoffman, P.C. Gary & Janet Shipper Bob & Carol Ripley
Darwin & Janet Stephens Gerry Schneider Vernon Vogt
Rick & Sue Poole Terry, Debbie, Brandy
& Brad Meyer
Deb McCrary Rosemary Henk Lucille Schneider
Lauryne Hangsleben Mike
& Alice Coon Art
& Bobbie Rhein
Claire Stone Don & Sandy Rhodes Jim & Bonnie Jones
Dave Steinkamp Don & MaryAnn Steinkamp Pearl
Luther
Amy Klein Ron & Sandra Rujawitz Frieda
Vogt
Francis & Shirley Thien Bill
& Carol Wilkinson Ken
& Gayle Bade
Charlye
French Stan, Gayla & Ian VanSant Helen Jones
Jack & Dolores Buente Larry
& Karen Mueller Doris
Grandcolas
Gertrude Boudouris
& Dixie Zurick Lucille
Smith
Doris & Steven Determan Bill
& Joyce Webb Mae
Etling
Larry & Lynn Barttelbort Ervin & Virginia Mueller Bonnie Holweck
In memory of Alexander
Tegtmeier In
memory of Truman David Wood
By Dave
Steinkamp By Bill &
Carol Wilkinson
Wilmer
& Janet Krausz
In
memory of Robert W. Luther, Sr. Jim & Bonnie
Jones
By Pearl Luther,
Robert W. Luther,
Jr., & Diane Campbell
In memory of Dolores
Neibaum In
memory of Lenora Krumeich
By Bea
Blayney By Wilmer &
Janet Krausz
In memory of Robert
Dinga In
memory of Rev. Robert Hedeman
By Wayne
& Carolyn Bryant By Joe & Marcie
Altman & Family
Dolores Harris
To
My Hope Family:
I
would like to give a gracious thank you to God and to all of you. I am humbled by all the love that was
extended to me, through all the cards, the delicious meal, Pastor Jay’s heart
moving prayers, and the Don Steinkamp family for sending
me the worship services on DVD. And last
but not least, my devoted family who helped me through this difficult
time. Your prayers have been received
and answered. My prayers are that God will always Bless Hope Church and all who enter her doors.
With
Christian Love,
Eva
Pannier
----------
Dear
Hope Family:
Just
a note of thanks to Judy Brindley for coming by and
taking me to the hospital, to Pastor Carol and Maria Ortiz-Allen, and the rest
of my family from Hope for the many cards, calls, and the tasty food brought to
me. I sincerely thank all of you, and
God Bless You All.
In
Christian Love,
Margaret
Brand
----------
Dear
Hope Family:
Our
family wishes to thank Pastor Jay and Pastor Carol for their visits at the
hospital for Mom. Also for the beautiful
service they had at the funeral home.
Thank you to the Manna Ministry for the food they brought to the funeral
home. It was greatly appreciated. To all who gave memorials, said prayers,
phone calls, and special friendships to Mom, it meant a lot to her. The Kitchen Committee did an EXCELLENT job
for her. She would have been pleased.
In
Christian Love,
The
Family of Norma Coon
----------
Thank
you so much for being a kind, caring, thoughtful church. Thank you for helping us give
our residents a wonderful Christmas.
Thank you for bringing smiles to their faces and joy to their hearts.
God
Bless You All,
Linda
McPherson, Activity Director
The
Lincoln Home
----------
Dear
Hope Church Family:
I
want to thank you for all the prayers and cards that you sent my way. I also want to say thanks
for the visits from
Pastor Carol, Bobbie Rhein and Shirley Thien. They were
much appreciated! The MRI shows the
clots on my brain are dissolving.
Prayers do work.
Yours
in Christian Love,
Claire
Stone
----------
Dear
Hope Family:
Thank
you so much for all your attention to my Mother, Mildred Schwarz. It’s been a really hard time for our
family. She turned 100 in September and
she needed more help than we could give her.
She really appreciates all the cards she receives and also, the goodies
and crocheted lap robe for Christmas.
She always beams when she tells me someone came to visit her. All your thoughtfulness and prayers are so
appreciated.
Sincerely
Carol Krausz and the entire family of Mildred Schwarz
----------
Dear
Hope Church Family:
Thanks
to Pastor Jay for his uplifting visits and prayers while I was in the
hospital. I can’t begin to thank
everyone for their prayers, cards, phone calls and notes of encouragement. A special thanks to Bobbie Rhein for her visits and delicious plate of cookies and
tapioca and to Carol Helle for her wonderful Manna
dinner of homemade chicken soup. May God
Bless you all and keep you all in good health.
Your
friend in Christ,
Dolores
Harris
----------
Dear
Hope Church Family:
We
would like to thank everyone for the calls, cards and prayers. A special thanks to Pastor Jay and Pastor
Carol for their visits and calls. John
is home and on the road to recovery.
What a great family we have at Hope Church.
Love
and prayers,
John
and Sharon Charles
----------
Dear
Hope Church Family,
We
want to thank everyone for their prayers, cards, e-mails, phone calls, offers
to help, and delicious prepared meals.
Thank you Pastor Jay and Pastor Carol for your prayers, visits and phone
calls. It is a wonderful feeling to
belong to such a caring, friendly church.
Sincerely,
Joe and Marilyn Harrison