Epworth UMC
Newsletter
[ Worship ] [ Education ] [ Music ][ Missions and Outreach ]
[United Methodist Women (UMW)]
[ United Methodist Youth ]
[ Preschool and Kindergarten ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Epworth Family Photo Album ]
[ Epworth UMC Endowment Fund ]
[ Epworth Matters Newsletter ] [ Useful Links ][Scholarships ][What's New? ][Fellowship]
Epworth
Matters
...and You Matter to Epworth
Epworth
United Methodist Church
Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
June 2008
Table of contents
From the Pastor
Deadline for the July-August 2008 Issue of Epworth Matters-June 15
The Wonder of Your Color Scheme, Lord!
June Lectionary Readings and Worship Service
Epworth is an Acts 2 Congregation
United Methodist Women
Trustees
High School, College Graduates, and Graduate/Medical School Students
Received from the Baltimore Washington Conference
Pictorial Directories
Softball Season Continues
Christian Deucation News
Scholarship Program Dates
In the Mailbag
Worship Committee
Epworth's Crisis Support Committee
Reflelctions
Dear Members of the Epworth Family:
I would like to express my deep appreciation to
you for your many prayers, cards, messages, memorial gifts in my
father's memory and your love to Dedrick, Kendra and me. Celebrating my
father's life with so many who had been touched with his fifty years of
ministry and with our family was a deeply meaningful experience. He had
asked for me to officiate and do the homily for his service.
I have grieved with many of you over the loss of
loved ones and would like to now share with you my sermon prepared for
my father's funeral:
On that first Easter morning, three women were hurrying
through the dark, narrow streets of Jerusalem. According to God's plan
on that first Easter, the sun was determined to rise on the greatest
day in history. No, the women were not dressed in their Easter finery,
for they were in mourning. They had a sad and solemn duty to perform.
They were not hurrying to greet a risen Savior; they were going to
anoint a corpse, a corpse buried in a borrowed tomb on Good Friday. One
question dominated their thinking; "Who will roll away the stone for us
from the entrance to the tomb?"
You know the outcome of this event which began in sorrow
and ended in joy. The stone was rolled away. There was no corpse to
anoint. They listened to the greatest sermon ever preached. A sermon
preached not by a seminary graduate, but by an angel from the eternal
heavens: "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus of
Nazareth who was nailed to the cross. But he is not here - he has
risen! Look, here is the place where they laid him--."
You and I love and worship the Risen Lord. Because he
lives, our loved ones shall live. He has overcome sin, death, and the
grave. Wasn't that the first item on the agenda of the early church to
proclaim the resurrection of God's Son? Up and down the Mediterranean
world they went, not with a Bible under their arms, but with the
message of the Risen Savior in their hearts and on their lips, "Jesus
Christ is alive! He lives and reigns for all eternity. Because he
lives, you and I shall live and our loved ones whom we give over to
God's care will live!"
To all of us today, family and friends, I say remember!
Remember that death does not have the last word, the Word Incarnate has
the final word, a word of victory and hope!
We come together in the full confidence of the good news
of God's eternal love and yet, we also come as the three women who
approached that empty tomb overcome with sadness, fear and a sense of
not belonging. They had lost their best friend, their Lord, and were
broken hearted, I come this morning as one of those women, as a pastor
and as a Christian. I know the good news of a Risen Savior, but also I
come as a child who has lost my parent. The death of a parent brings a
new kind of unbelonging into a person's life. Before such a death, we
were someone's son or daughter, but now we are orphaned.
In 1958,1 sat in a sanctuary near here as a 13-year old
and tried to say goodbye to my mother. The pain was just too great to
bear. Who was I without my mother? How could my life go on? Today that
loss of a parent is completed as I join my brother and sisters in
saying goodbye to our father. Even an adult can be orphaned. To be
without a parent is to be in a place of unbelonging.
And that's understandable. For one's parent is really
one's first friend. One's longest first friend. No friend on life's
journey will have been so interested or committed to us. No other
friend will have known our first step or our first smile or our first
tear. No other friend will know us through and through in such an
intimate manner as to call us by our name - a name they themselves have
chosen and given us. A parent is one who calls us by name for the first
time.
Such up rootedness brings deep pain. We have to redefine
ourselves. Going from the place of being known through and through to a
search for a new kind of identity is always painful. The loss is
something we never get over. On that day in 1958, my life and my
sister's life changed forever. The deep sense of love, security and
belonging that we had in our nuclear family, in that church parsonage
and that community were ending. This was a loss that we would never get
over.
On this day of bidding farewell, there is a certain truth
in saying we will never get over it. There is a certain truth in saying
that life will never be the same again. And somehow we know in our
heart's core that it is good to acknowledge that life will never be the
same again; that there won't be the same kind of security; that there
won't be the same depth of loving; that there won't be the same
sureness of identity. One's parent, one's husband, one's grandfather,
one's brother, one's friend and their love for us are synonymous.
So where, or to whom, do we now belong?
Someone once said to me that the only other word they
could find for heaven was the word "home." Homes on earth are built up
by parents - the safe place to be born, to take initiative, to believe,
to start the journey of loving. It is time today that home is joined to
heaven in a profound way. The one we love has gone before us to our
eternal home. And it is our home too: the ultimate togetherness, where
no separation or darkness or parting will ever happen
again.
Our parent who has died has joined the host of heaven, the
communion of saints, the family of God -any apartness he may have
experienced in life is now transformed beyond loneliness. We honestly
are not sure what heaven is really like, it is beyond our imagining; it
is our very best thought, our most carefully parceled gift, our
longings all fulfilled. And so, however sad and torn apart we are, we
couldn't possible want Daddy back today. Maybe for our own sake - yes.
But, for his sake - no.
So, go gently dear Dad. Go gently to a rest beyond words.
And may something of your new joy translate itself in time in our
regard. We wait in eager longing and with one ray of hope amidst our
running tears. And that ray shines out - hope. It brightens our
darkness and guarantees our belonging with you always. That ray speaks
to us in your name now and tells us how cherished we are by you forever.
As a family, a time like this will bring us closer
together in our common sorrow. As we comfort each other and as we focus
on the ultimate issues of life, we will be inspired to minister to
others in their sorrow, as Daddy so often did.
On that first Easter morning, the women were sure that
they had a sad and solemn duty to perform. They did not anoint a
corpse, they learned about a Risen Savior -your Savior and mine. In
faith we commit our father into Christ's loving care. Together with
Paul we sing the victory song. Where, 0 death is your victory? Where, 0
death is your sting? But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Pastor McCurdy
Deadline for the July - August 2008
Issue of Epworth Matters-June 15
Articles may be submitted to the Church Office by e-mail at
Admin.Secretary@eumc-md.org, or leave a hard copy in the Epworth
Matters mailbox outside the church office. Please be sure to include
your name and phone number on the article you are submitting. Articles
received after June 15 will appear in the next issue.
The July / August Issue of Epworth Matters will be assembled on Thursday, June 26. Volunteers, please mark your calendars.
The Wonder of your Color Scheme, Lord!
by Anna Coffman
Lord, your color schemes just thrill my soul especially in
the fall when all the flaming reds and oranges blend
together with gold and rusts, and all so bittersweet in
farewell to summer.
But then winter isn't bad at all with white and silver ice
pictures, shining icicles, and black and grey tree ghosts.
And spring, ah spring, with trees so heavy with blossoms,
bird songs returning, and jonquils poking up their heads.
Your color schemes make mine look amateur. And so
they are, so they are.
June Lectionary Readings
and Worship Schedule
Let us prepare weekly for our worship together by studying God's Word in advance of the
service.
June
1
3rd Sunday after Pentecost/Communion
Old
Testament
Genesis 6:11-22, 7:24, 8:14-19
Book of
Psalms
Psalm 46
Epistle
Lesson
Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-28 (29-31)
Gospel
Matthew 7:21-29
Seasonal
Color
Green
Communion Color White
Music
Chancel Choir
June
8
4th Sunday after Pentecost
Old
Testament
Genesis 12:1-9
Book of
Psalms
Psalm 33:1-12
Epistle
Lesson
Romans 4:13-25
Gospel
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
Color
Green
Music
Chancel Choir
June
15
5th Sunday after Pentecost Father's Day
Old
Testament
Genesis 18:1-15
Book of
Psalms
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
Epistle
Lesson
Romans 5:1-8
Gospel
Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)
Color
Green
Music
Chancel Women's Choir
June
22
6th Sunday after Pentecost
Old
Testament
Genesis 21:8-21
Book of
Psalms
Psalm 86:1-10,16-17 or Psalm 17
Epistle
Lesson
Romans 6:1b-11
Gospel
Matthew 10:24-39
Color
Green
Music
Special Music
June
29
7th Sunday after Pentecost
Old Testament Genesis 22:1-14
Book of Psalms Psalm 13
Epistle Lesson Romans 6:12-23
Gospel
Matthew 10:40-42
Color
Green
Music
Special Music
Epworth is an Acts 2 Congregation
In 2005, Bishop John Schol, Episcopal leader of the
Baltimore-Washington Conference, announced a goal of having 600 Acts 2
churches by 2012. To become an Acts 2 church, a congregation needs to
achieve the three Acts 2 fruits centered around membership, profession
of faith, and the full payment of apportionments. Epworth United
Methodist Church has become an Acts 2 congregation! We are listed in
the May 14 issue of UM Connection.
The United Methodist Women would like to thank everyone for your support of the Annual Yard Sale.
The UMW Book Club will begin on Sunday, June 8, at 6:30
p.m. in Room 201. Participants will read "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by
Khaled Hosseini. The book may be purchased from Amazon.com or borrowed
from the public library. Light refreshments will be served. Everyone is
welcome to attend. For more information, please contact Johnna Horton.
by Andy
D'Aloisio
The year 2008 is proving to be a busy year for the
Trustees. Over 90 tasks have been identified so far this year and 59 of
the tasks have been completed. Our spring work day was held on April 19
and we completed 15 projects. It was a great turn out with over 40
volunteers participating.
On a serious note, over the past few years, it was known
that the heating and cooling plant for the Church was ready to be
retired. In August, the cooling coils for the Education Wing finally
went to the great beyond and had to be replaced. The cost of
replacement was over $40,000 that included the upgrade of the controls
and water valve units.
Our next step is to replace the boiler unit. This part of
the project will cost $70,000 and should be completed by September. We
will be replacing a boiler unit that was, at it's best, about 40%
efficient with a new double boiler that is rated at 89% efficient. We
will be recovering the cost of the replacement over a 10 year period in
fuel costs!!
This will pretty much deplete the contingency fund and we
all need to consider replenishing the contingency fund to help cover
future capital improvements around the Church and the parsonage.
Consider replacement of the Sanctuary air conditioner (50 years old),
the furnace in the parsonage (32 years old), ceiling repairs in the
Sanctuary, replacement of asbestos tiles in Fellowship Hall, the
painting of the Sanctuary exterior, and finishing the ceilings
throughout the Church that asbestos was removed from over 10 years ago!
There is a lot of work and a lot the Trustees need to
consider to maintain the Church as a safe place to Worship our Lord.
High School, College Graduates, and
Graduate/Medical School Students and Their Parents
You have reached a significant milestone in your journey!
If you are graduating from high school or college or are attending
graduate, medical, school, etc., please submit the following
information to Evi Melberg CPS/CAP, Administrative Secretary, by June 8
for inclusion in the worship bulletin on Graduate Recognition Sunday,
June 22, and in the July / August issue of Epworth Matters:
Name of Graduate:__________________________
High School Name:_________________________
College Name:_____________________________
College Degree:____________________________
Name and address of College High School Graduate will
be attending:_______________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
If currently attending college, please let us know the name
of the college and your year:___________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
If going into the armed forces:__________________
__________________________________________
If attending trade, technical, school, etc., please list name of school:____________________________________
_________________________________________
There is also a form available for your use in the Narthex. Thank you for your help in updating our church records!
Received from the Baltimore Washington Conference
If there are members in your congregations who
would like to contribute financially to the relief efforts occurring
right now in Myanmar (formally known as Burma) due to the damage from
the cyclone and resulting tidal wave, contributions can be made to
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). In the memo section of
the check write: "advance #3019674, Myanmar Emergency". Checks may be
sent directly to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY
10115 or to the Conference Treasurer at BWC and we will then forward
the funds to UMCOR. Thank you for your care, concern, and prayers for
the families affected by this disaster.
There are still some pictorial directories that
have not been picked up. If you have not yet received your pictorial
directory, please contact Evi at the Church Office no later than June 8
to make arrangements to receive your directory. The office number is
301 -926-0424. Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30
p.m. Thank you!
Softball Season Continues!
2008 GAITHERSBURG CHURCH SOFTBALL LEAGUE
SCHEDULED GAMES FOR EPWORTH
June
3
Rock Creek Church; Stewartown (Home)
10
Church of Christ/Manor Woods; Johnsons (Visitor)
17
Seneca Creek Community Church; Darnestown(Visitor)
24
Ascension Episcopal Church; Johnsons (Home)
July
1
Church of Christ/Manor Woods; Stewartown (Home)
15
Ascension Episcopal Church; Johnsons (Home)
22
Epworth United Methodist / Gaithersburg Presbyterian Crab Feast
Whether we are home or visitor is indicated in
parentheses. Games start promptly at 6:45 p.m.. Basic directions to the
fields are given below.
Contact Jerry McCowin if you need further information.
Directions
Johnsons Park (formerly Emory Grove) is off old Route 124
right after the Upcounty recreation center and before you get to former
Longview Elementary School and on the same side of the road. Just past
Emory Grove Road and Mid-County Highway.
Darnestown Park is located to the right side of Route 28 on the north side of Darnestown.
Stewartown Park is located on the left side of Goshen Road
going out of Gaithersburg, about a mile after the intersection of
Goshen Road with Centerway Road and just after its intersection with
Stewartown Road.
Christian Education Program News
by Becky Beeler
Thanks
To all who gave to the Heifer Project!
Final Heifer Project Total was $2,150.08!
And a huge thank you to the following people who made our 2007-2008 school year possible!
Sunday School Teachers:
• Pre-Kindergarten - Sara Allmond
• Kindergarten to2nd Grade - Doug Anderson, Aruna Singh, Dalip & Renuka Singh
• 3rd to 5th Grade - Dave Beeler, Brenda Falk, Melissa Hubert, Moorosi Mokuena
• Middle School - Darrell Kelly, Donna Ray, Rick Simpson
• High School - Sarah Bazen
Also, please thank the following people for their "behind the scenes"
efforts to insure the Sunday School teachers have the materials and
support they need:
• Sunday School Superintendent - Cindy Niemiec
• Substitute Teacher Coordinator- Debbie Kinch
• Additional Hands - Becky Beeler & Susan Oxford
And don't forget the team that supports our nursery:
• Nursery Coordinator- Karen Brooks
• Nursery Staff- Sharon Gorenstein, Ruth Gwashavanhu, Laurel Martin
And our youth programs:
• Junior High UMYF / Service Club - Susan Oxford
• Senior High UMYF / Dinners - Lauren Johnson, Mike & Sarah Jane Skinker, Phillip Utterback
And lastly, but far from least, please thank Rev. McCurdy and Sarah
Jane & Mike Skinker for leading this year's Confirmation Class.
Adult Sunday School
The Adult Sunday School class continues to meet at 9 a.m.
on Sunday mornings before worship service in Room 201. The class
recently completed a study of Genesis and is beginning Exodus. The
class does plan to meet during the summer.
All are welcome! Even if you cannot attend every week,
please come when you can! Contact Becky Beeler with questions.
Think CAMP!
Need an idea for how to spend the summer? The United Methodist Church
has a number of summer camp opportunities. Visit this website to learn
more: http://www.bwcumc.org/campinq ore-mail
campretreat.info@verizon.net, or call 1-800-922-6795 or write Box 429,
Churchton, MD 20733
What's Up for Kid's Summer Sunday School?
We're going to tour the world this summer with our very own Around the World Camp!
Sunday during worship service after the Children's Sermon... all Pre-K through 5th grade are invited!
Be sure to wear casual clothes and come ready to learn and have fun. We
plan to visit a different country each Sunday from June 22 through
August 24.
Older students (6th grade+) are welcome to help.
Children's & Youth Summer Sunday School Calendar:
June 8 Last day of regular Sunday School (Promotion)
June 15 Nursery & Pre-K available
All other children & youth attend worship
service
June 22 through August 24
Nursery
Pre-K Class (if we can find teachers*****)
Around the World Camp
Kindergarten through 5th Grade
Older Students may help or attend worship service
August 31
Nursery & Pre-K available
All other children & youth attend worship service
September 7
Nursery available
Welcome Back Activities for Students
Meeting for Teachers
September 14
Nursery available
First Sunday of regular Sunday School schedule
***** if you are interested in helping with the Pre-K Sunday School
class or know someone who might be willing to help, please contact
Becky Beeler.
***** Sara Allmond has been the only regular teacher for this age group
year-round for several years now. The kids are great and they love
her... but everybody needs an opportunity to attend the worship service
once in awhile. Can you help?
Education Commission News
The Education Commission welcomes Aanchal Singh. As
our newest member and an active participant in many of Epworth's
Education Commission sponsored activities, we know Aanchal will have
great ideas and feedback. Welcome aboard!
Scholarship Program Dates
by Susan Scholl,
Scholarship Coordinator
> Scholarship applications are due by June 1.
> The Scholarship Committee will meet on June 10 to review the applications.
> The Awards Ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 22.
> For more information or a copy of the application, visit our website at:
http://www.epworthsteeple.org/scholarship.htm
> For questions, contact Susan Scholl.
Thank you so much to all the choirs of Epworth!
With the close of the choir season, I wish to thank all
the members of all the Epworth choirs! It has been a fantastic year
with varied and wonderful music that enriched every single church
service. Your talent and commitment are beyond measure. I have been
blessed to be your organist and director. You make me so proud.
A special thank you goes to Lisa Anderson, Sarah Bazen
and Cathy Ruback for leading the young musicians in our congregation.
Your enthusiasm has instilled in our children a love of music that they
will carry for the rest of their lives. Thank you!
Maria Sampogna
Director of Music
by Don Weaver
Worship is defined as honoring and praising God. Given
that definition, you have charged the Worship Committee with the
responsibility of helping guide our church in a variety of interlocking
activities. Our responsibilities go far beyond the Sunday and other
special worship services. We are charged to help everyone who is part
of the Epworth United Methodist Church family to grow in the knowledge
of God. We need your input and assistance.
Our Mission Statement: Building on the mission statement
of Epworth United Methodist Church, to make disciples for Jesus Christ,
the Worship Committee will assist the people of God to meet and respond
to the life-giving love of God through Jesus the Christ in a variety of
personal and group worship experiences including, but not limited to
music, prayer, and preaching.
Notice a change at the end of our service? The acolyte
leaves the sanctuary with the rest of the recessional members,
symbolizing our light being taken into the world. We enter to pray and
depart to serve.
A BIG THANKS to the United Methodist Men for providing
our Mother's Day Service. Recognizing the "motherliness" of all of the
ladies of Epworth United Methodist Church made this special day even
more so.
Here's a tribute to fathers, written by a very special person in my life, my Mom:
Father
by Marie E. Weaver
(2007)
“F" is for the fun things we did together.
“A" is that we're never far apart.
"T" is for the times you said you loved me.
"H" I know the words came from your heart.
"E" is for everything you taught me.
"R" is teaching me, what's right from wrong.
So when you put all the letters together,
You'll know the person for whom we're singing this song!
If your travels take you to other areas this
summer, attend a worship service. We'd love to hear about what others
are doing that you find helpful in your faith journey.
We are always looking for volunteers to assist with
our worship activities. We look forward to working with each member of
the congregation to make worship an integral part of our discipleship
adventure. We welcome your input and dialogue. We have received a
number of very helpful suggestions. We invite your continued
suggestions along with what you would be willing to commit to do to
assist in the worship experience at Epworth United Methodist Church. To
provide us with your suggestions, commitments, and feedback, please:
• Speak with a member of the Worship Committee (names listed in the room where we have coffee hour),
• Leave a note in the Worship Committee mailbox next to the elevator,
• And/or email your thoughts to the church.
• You are always welcome to attend our meetings.
God Bless You!!
Epworth's Crisis Support Committee
by Cheryl White
The newly formed Crisis Support Committee is still
seeking ways to communicate to the congregation that we are available
to serve your needs. We are an open committee and all who wish to help
are welcome whenever you may be available.
The purpose of the committee is to better organize our
efforts to provide meals or other provisions for members of our
congregation who may be ill, recuperating from surgery, dealing with a
loss / crisis, temporarily shut-in, and most of all for events such as
a funeral repast meal.
The committee is willing to help in any way with a
funeral repast meal even if the funeral/memorial service is not held at
Epworth. Please keep this in mind for the future.
If you need any assistance from the committee, do not
hesitate to contact me, Rev. Sheila, or the church office at any time
to let us know your needs. We are committed to supporting our Epworth
family.
Contact information: Cheryl White
by
Cindy Dalton, Interim Newsletter Editor
A few years ago, the City of Gaithersburg honored
its many volunteers at a reception. The purpose was to do something
special for all those who had lent a helping hand to the City of
Gaithersburg to make it a better place. Each guest had his / her
picture taken and then it was made into a button that said
"Gaithersburg is Great... And I helped!" Each volunteer's photo was on
the pin. We wore them proudly at the reception.
Many hands over the years have helped around Epworth.
When I look at the woodwork in the altar area, I think of one of our
late members who utilized his woodworking skills. As I look at the
pews, I think about members who polished the wood and ran the vacuum
over the upholstery to ensure we all have a clean place to sit. I can
picture members cleaning out the cob webs and bugs in the light
fixtures. Many have had a hand in painting the kitchen so there is a
clean place to cook and serve meals. We've had others work on
electrical projects so that we have power to light our place. Many an
Epworth member has been down on their hands and knees working in the
flower beds or laying flooring and other tile work. We even have
members who have dug new water drains around our property.
Even more than the physical work that goes on to maintain
our church building, there are volunteers who work inside these four
walls. There are those who reproduce and prepare the newsletter for
mailing, those who handle the flowers on the altar to honor someone
special, the kitchen helpers, the people who cook and deliver meals to
those in need, the office volunteers, the Thrift Shop workers, our
church financial volunteers, the library workers, the greeters and
welcomers and the organizers of our activities and programs. There are
also volunteers who do things that we don't even know about... those
who quietly go about doing a mission that supports the Epworth
community.
Stop and think about how many volunteers who have done
something to keep Epworth looking great and functioning as a church
entity. There are more than have been mentioned here.
This month I'd like to salute all volunteers who have
worked over the years to keep every aspect of Epworth in good shape. I
feel their hands surrounding me in love. For every volunteer, you can
wear this badge with pride: "Epworth is Great... and I Helped!
Thank you for your helping hands!
This web site is designed & maintained
by Epworth OnLine Disciples EOD
Epworth United Methodist Church
9008 Rosemont Drive
Gaithersburg, Maryland USA 20877
Last modified May 31, 2008