"Through the power of Christ, we are learning to live in simplicity, thankfulness, contentment and
generosity in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana."

(IF YOU CLICK ON A PICTURE, IT WILL GET BIGGER... AND EASIER TO VIEW.)

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

July birthday bash


Fellowship time (following worship) on Sunday, July 5th will be a great time to introduce friends, family, and neighbors to your church.

Not only will be observe our July birthday with a cake, but we'll celebrate Independence weekend with ice cream sundaes!!!

So celebrate on Saturday as is fitting our nation's birthday and then come celebrate what God is doing in our midst with -
church school (9 am), 
praise music (10:15 am), 
worship (10:30 am) and 
fellowship time (11:30 am)!!!

Monday, June 29, 2015

Scripture lessons for July 5th

"Anger" from "The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things" by Hieronymus Bosch

The third installment of the "Seven Deadly Sins" will be "Anger."

This week's two scripture lessons are two that have troubled Christians for many years, Psalm 137:7-9 and John 2:13-17.
These lessons speak to difficult aspects of human nature and as Christians we need to face the anger that lay within.

"Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight." - Phyllis Diller

This week @ SUMC

Monday:
7:00 pm, Living Clean (upstairs)

Wednesday:
10:00 am, Wired Word study
Noon, Main St. Association

Friday:
10:00 am, Drop-in Bible study @ Doris T.'s

Saturday: Independence Day

Sunday:
9:00 am, Church school for all ages
10:15 am, Praise singing
10:30 am, Worship
11:30 am, Fellowship time - July birthday celebration with cake & ice cream sundaes!!!

Sunday, June 28, 2015

A terrific last Sunday in June

Book of Revelation class
Wired Word class
Dave Lockman leading the praise singing this morning
Cross presented this morning from Tanazania mission team
While the early summer heat was building in the Bitterroot Valley this morning a grateful community began to gather for study, worship, and fellowship.

Both the Book of Revelation class and the Wired Word class are continuing to meet during the summer months and invite all to join them in growing in faith.

During worship we recognized the work that went into last week's Vacation Bible Camp.  Four of the campers were in worship this morning which was great to see.

Also during worship Marcia Prather presented a cross to the church from the Tanzanian mission team (Marcia, Lisa Menery, and Mary Costello).  It is a wonderful reminder of the support they and the other team members received in making this effort possible. 

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Council of Bishops President Issues Statement on Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

Bishop Warner H, Brown, President of the Council of Bishops (Photo courtesy of CNUMC.org)
Bishop Warner H, Brown, President of the Council of Bishops
(Photo courtesy of CNUMC.org)

Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr., president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, issued a statement early this morning responding to the decision by the United States Supreme Court that same-sex marriage is a protected right under the U.S. Constitution.

In his statement (printed in full below), Brown recognizes the ongoing division in the United Methodist Church on same-sex marriage, and notes that the issue will be revisited again at the 2016 General Conference. “Across the spectrum, many believe our policy impacts our ability to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” Brown wrote. “We seek to be a church that is inclusive enough to hold together people of different cultures, languages, and traditions.”

Brown reaffirmed the statement in the Social Principles of the United Methodist Book of Discipline that all people are of sacred worth, created in the image of God and that all persons “…need the church in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship that enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self.”

“This Supreme Court decision calls attention to the difference between the laws of the United States, and the policy of our church,” Brown wrote. “The law does not require anyone to violate their conscience of what God has called them to do, or their theological understanding. But, if we seek to be an inclusive church that serves all of our parishioners, and all of our neighbors, we will have to consider how we treat all people equally.”

In his conclusion, Brown quoted Alice Stokes Paul, a women’s rights activist and suffragist leader, on the nature of equality. “I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction,” Paul wrote. “Most reforms, most problems are complicated. But to me there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.”

Brown became the president of the Council of Bishops in November of 2014. Brown is currently assigned as the bishop of the San Francisco Episcopal Area.

Brown’s statement is a personal statement regarding the Supreme Court ruling and is not an official statement from the Council of Bishops.

Bishop Brown’s Statement:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Mark 12:31 says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Throughout the history of the United States, the Supreme Court has been called on to ensure equality, liberty, and justice for all people. This can be seen in the abolition of slavery, the women’s movement, the civil rights movement of the 60s, and now in the fight for marriage equality.

Today, in a 5 to 4 decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality for all people.

For decades, The United Methodist Church has debated this issue. Next year when General Conference gathers in Portland, Oregon, the decision to change, or reaffirm the church’s historic position will be considered. Pastors and congregations within our denomination hold opinions across the spectrum of this decision. 

Some sincerely believe our church policy is correct as it is. Others believe it is not correct. Across the spectrum, many believe our policy impacts our ability to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We seek to be a church that is inclusive enough to hold together people of different cultures, languages, and traditions.

In our Social Principles, United Methodists have stated our common belief around this value: We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God. All persons need the ministry of the Church in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship that enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self.

This Supreme Court decision calls attention to the difference between the laws of the United States, and the policy of our church. The law does not require anyone to violate their conscience of what God has called them to do, or their theological understanding. But, if we seek to be an inclusive church that serves all of our parishioners, and all of our neighbors, we will have to consider how we treat all people equally. The heart of our call to ministry is to be pastor to the people of the congregation, and the community, we serve. May we continue to be a people of prayer, and hope, as we work towards a day of equality and inclusion for all people created in the image of God.

Alice Stokes Paul, women’s rights activist and leader in getting women the right to vote says, “I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction. Most reforms, most problems are complicated. But to me there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.”

Grace and Peace,
Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. President, Council of Bishops

Friday, June 26, 2015

VBC - Final day (pt. 2)

Lots of fun to be found
Happy families
Harder than it looks
Serving up the ice cream
Carnival prizes are ready to be claimed
The carnival games were a hit this afternoon and by all accounts everyone had a great time! 

A special thanks to Mitch for overseeing the games and to Marcia, Anna, and Connie for staying to the very end and serving and cleaning up.




VBC - Final day (pt.1)


The flurry of camp singing, picnic, and carnival-style games marked the conclusion of the 2015 edition of Vacation Bible Camp @ Stevi UMC.

Thanks to all our volunteers who gave of their time and energy in supporting this ministry: Kathy Clark, Mitch Edgar, John Fisher, Carol Goffe, Carol Gragg, Ellyn Jones, Sara Malo, Ginny Melgren, Don & Mary Nelson, Marcia Prather, Connie Rakiecki, Hazel Smith, and Anna Storkson. 

Thanks also to everyone who supported this ministry with contributions of food for the snacks, meals, and picnic: Tom & Nilda Bishop, Lorraine Broadhurst, Phyllis Daniels, John & Lynda Fisher Doloras Fryhling, Mary Hackett, Molly Hackett, Ellyn Jones, Ginny Mellgren, Marcia Prather, Bill & Bev Schneider, Charline Siphers, Hazel Smith, and Carol Word.

A special word of thanks to "Flicker," Styker," and "MarkyMark" from the Twinlow Camp for their energy and passion for our youth!

Thursday, June 25, 2015

VBC - Day four

Kathy and Connie talk about the next activity
Flicker and Mitch ready the next craft
Planting faith seeds
Story time
Kathy and Mitch look for more shade
The week has been racing by and before we knew it Friday was peaking its nose around the corner.  

Tomorrow morning the Twinlow staff departs following a program by the children (at 11:30 am), a picnic, and carnival games.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

VBC - Day three

Early arrivals get their groove on
Strykr, MarkyMark, and Flicker lead the way
Loving life under the shady pines
We've been fortunate that the heat that had been projected for the Bitterroot Valley for this week hasn't yet arrived.  The children have made the most of the "cooler" weather and the sound of their excitement has been wonderful to hear throughout the neighborhood!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

VBC - Day two

Flicker reads a story
Kathy and friend draw a pig
Ready for a game of 'everyone is it' tag
Carol and Kathy work on name tags made from beads
The second day of our Vacation Bible Camp (VBC) got underway with two more children than yesterday and twice the energy!

Monday, June 22, 2015

VBC - Day one

Story time under the "big top"
The church lawn is a great place to share the gospel
Marcia, Anna, and Kathy get the snacks ready
Lunch time @ VBC
Crafts taking shape this afternoon
The 2015 edition of Stevensville UMC's Vacation Bible Camp got underway this morning with more than twenty children on hand to get things going!
Thanks to Twinlow Camp (in the Pacific Northwest Conference) for sending "Flicker," "Stryker," and "MarkyMark" to help make this another fantastic ministry we are able to offer the community.

Scripture lessons for June 28

"The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things" - Envy - Hieronymus Bosch

The summer sermon series on the Seven Deadly Sins continues next week with a look at ENVY. 

Sunday's scripture lessons come from Genesis 4:1-8 and Matthew 20:1-16.

"Envy is that passion which views with malignant dislike the superiority of those who are really entitled to all the superiority they posess." - Adam Smith

This week at Stevi UMC

Monday:
9:00 am - 2:00 pm, Vacation Bible Camp
7:00 pm, Living Clean (upstairs)

Tuesday:
9:00 am - 2:00 pm, Vacation Bible Camp

Wednesday:
9:00 am - 2:00 pm, Vacation Bible Camp
10:00 am, Wired Word Study @ Frontier Cafe`

Thursday:
9:00 am - 2:00 pm, Vacation Bible Camp
7:00 pm - SPPRC

Friday:
9:00 am - 2:00 pm, Vacation Bible Camp
10:00 am, Drop-in Bible Study @ Doris T.'s home

Sunday:
9:00 am, Church school
10:15 am, Praise singing
10:30 am, Worship
11:30 am, Fellowship time

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Last Sunday of spring

Revelation class hitting the books this morning
Lynn is an excellent acolyte
Anna Storkson offers special music this morning
Carol shares with the children 
Fellowship time!
The last Sunday of springtime was a delight here in the valley and it made a wonderful time of sharing and worship.  With summer beginning at 12:38, it was nice to be together like this!

Our worship service was enriched today with instrumental music from Julie Ludington and also from Anna Storkson who shared a song she wrote, "Post-it Notes From You" which was a moving witness to her faith.

This morning we were introduced to the three staff members from the Twinlow Camp who will be with us this week, conducting our church camp.  We've got twenty children signed up already and no doubt we'll see more before the week is over!!!

To begin our summer together

A Summer Blessing  
(by author unknown)
 
May you walk with God
This summer
In whatever you do
Wherever you go

Walking with God means...
Walking with honesty
And with courage,
Walking with love
And respect
And concern for the feelings of others

May you talk to God
This summer
And every day and
In every situation

Talking with God means...
Praying words of praise
For the beauty of creation
Saying prayers of thanks
For friends and good times,
Asking God's help
In all your decisions
Expressing sorrow
When you have failed

May you talk with God
Every day 

Amen

A Litany for Father's Day

Litany for Father’s Day
(based on Psalm 103)

Come, bless the Lord with me!
Let’s remember together the many good things
that he does for us.

For the Lord is like a father to his children,
compassionate and merciful, filled with endless love.

He forgives all our sins,
and heals the sickness within us;
he saves us from a life of destruction,
and surrounds us with love and mercy.

For the Lord is like a father to his children,
compassionate and merciful, filled with endless love.

He fills our lives with good things,
and renews our strength.
He is righteous in all that he does,
and brings justice to those who have been wronged.

For the Lord is like a father to his children,
compassionate and merciful, filled with endless love.

He is not easily angered,
nor does he remain angry forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,
or punish us as harshly as he could.

For the Lord is like a father to his children,
compassionate and merciful, filled with endless love.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so strong is his love toward us.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.

For the Lord is like a father to his children,
compassionate and merciful, filled with endless love.

For he knows us, inside and out.
He remembers how we were made—from the dust of the ground.
Our lives on earth are short—like wildflowers in the field.
But God’s love is from everlasting to everlasting,
from generation to generation,
to those who remain in relationship with him;
who listen to his voice,
and do his will.

Bless the Lord!
With all that we have and all that we are,
we bless your holy name!

- from re:Worship

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Future of the Mountain Sky Area Report

INVITING: OUR DISCOVERIES AND UNDERSTANDING

Friends, as Easter People, Christ calls us to be recreated anew. We are invited to become a new thing that moves the Mountain Sky Area beyond merger and toward a holy communion of both the Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone Conferences to better serve the forming of disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We want to share our discoveries and understanding.

Both conferences have experienced serious declines in attendance and membership over the past 15 years.

Yellowstone Annual Conference faces an URGENT situation with 99 active clergy (49 elders), 129 churches, and 13,602 members (as of 2012), is declining at a rate that is no longer sustainable as an annual conference.

Rocky Mountain Annual Conference is in a FRAGILE state. With 336 active clergy (229 elders), 265 churches, 65,820 members (as of 2012), this conference has witnessed a 13% decline in worship attendance in the last 10 years and continues on a downward trajectory.

The current structures of the Annual Conferences have become burdensome and redundant. By joining together, we can be better stewards of our human and financial resources.

While we honor our distinctive communities and contexts, joyfully we have found there is more that unites us than separates us.

We think the Wesleyan vision of personal holiness and social holiness is more important than ever.

We want keep it vital in our congregations and in our region.

We need to face it: what we are doing now is not working.

Here’s the good news: admitting that it isn’t working can be liberating and healing. It gives us the freedom to re-imagine The United Methodist Church, and conference connections, for our area.

We need time to better understand how this can happen and what it will look like. So, join us on this journey toward new life, continuing the dialog on a deeper level, moving toward vitality, and change. This is exciting work, and we are convinced we can best do it together.

The Mountain Sky Shared Futures Committee

Yellowstone Conference: Dave McConnell (Bozeman, MT), Co-Chair; Doug Morton (Great Falls, MT); Margaret Nowak (Chester, MT); Debbie Schmidt (Whitefish, MT); Jeremy Scott (Billings, MT); Alice Swett (Buffalo, WY); David Burt (Billings, MT), Staff

Rocky Mountain Conference: Janet Forbes (Highlands Ranch, CO), Co-Chair; Steve Burnett (Colorado Springs, CO); Chris Frasier (Denver, CO); Kristi Kinnison (Greenwood Village, CO); Elizabeth McVicker (Cheyenne, WY); Doug Palmer (Niwot, CO); Youngsook Kang (Greenwood Village, CO), Staff Bishop Elaine Stanovsky

SHARING: CONTEXT, VISION, AND MISSION FIELD

As Methodists living in the Intermountain West, what unites us? The Rocky Mountains connect us north to south, running through our states like a spine. They’re “the backbone of the world,” says the Blackfeet tribe. The five states in the Mountain Sky area — Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Idaho — stretch across the Continental Divide like a woven blanket thrown over a horse’s back. Water flows from our upper ranges to the four directions. A rich harvest of natural resources often follows. This land is filled with wild contradictions. A day’s drive can cross high and dry plains, sheer mountain ranges, red-rock formations, and salt flats. It’s an area blessed with vibrant communities but conflicted by competing interests. We share declining rural towns and sprawling cities, wide-open vistas and crowded resorts. This region’s timeless landscape is changing before our eyes, and our population is changing along with it.

Our demographics shift with the suddenness of our seasons. Workers in recreation and energy migrate into trailer parks and man-camps, and then leave just as quickly, their numbers ebbing and flowing with changes in the global economy. A host of high-tech jobs attract droves of bright, young minds, while dwindling opportunity drains our rural communities of its most creative children. We share a love of visual and musical arts, world-class museums, and leading universities. We are cowboys and farmers, movie stars and ski bums, tech gurus and conservationists, hipsters and retirees, native peoples, immigrants, professors, artists, and laborers. We are divided by an increasing wealth gap, but united by the love of our western way of life. All together, we are people facing the same challenges, united by our love of this place, and its people.

And in the midst of these people, we yearn to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that transform our communities. We believe that the kingdom of God is among us, and we strive to live here as God intends. We have a Wesleyan vision for the Mountain Sky Area, where to be a neighbor is to serve those at our doorstep. Together, we envision safe, non-violent places for children to thrive, welcoming tables of diversity, vital congregations, and new images of Christian community.

We can imagine not just a new Annual Conference, but a new way of reaching those living in the land we call home: the Intermountain West. Join us as we seek to spread Wesleyan vitality in the Mountain Sky Area.

We recommend to Bishop Elaine that we move forward with two groups.

1. Leadership that builds a NEW ANNUAL CONFERENCE MODEL AND IDENTITY which moves BEYOND MERGER to a simplified ORGANIZATION, focusing on the basic responsibilities of an annual conference so that resources are freed for new uses. This group will bring a petition to the 2016 Annual Conference sessions and to the Western Jurisdictional Conference, July 13-16, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Questions that might guide our work:
What form of denomination will serve us well for the next 50 years?
What impediments or constraints are we working with that are not necessary?
What set of rules and principles frame a new identity while we experiment?

2. Leadership that identifies ways that the new Annual Conference can cultivate ministry to spread WESLEYAN VITALITY in the MISSION FIELD…both in congregational and non-congregational ways.

Questions that might guide our work:
What do we need to live in the post-denominational world, given the generational shifts, distances, and demographics?
What values and principles do we follow?
What new forms of Wesleyan witness are emerging

link to the full report.

Conference news - day 2

2015 Yellowstone Annual Conference Highlights: Day 2
Go to www.yacumc.org/annualconference2015 to view an updated Nominations Report, Daily Proceedings, read about the Shared Futures Committee and its work, and download worship orders. Note: Full worship orders with sources will be posted online following Annual Conference.

See photos from the second day of 2015 Yellowstone Annual Conference on Facebook.

Watch the Yellowstone Annual Conference live! Click here.

General and Jurisdictional delegates elected

After several ballots, clergy and laity delegates were elected to the 2016 General and Jurisdictional Conferences on Friday, June 19. For the laity, Don McCammon will serve as delegate to General Conference and Peg Plimpton will serve as alternate delegate as well as head to the Jurisdictional Conference. The three laity alternates to Jurisdictional are Diane Martin, Alice Swett and Steve Martin. For the clergy, Tyler Amundson will serve as delegate to General Conference and Jeremy Scott will serve as alternate delegate as well as head to Jurisdictional Conference. The three clergy alternates to Jurisdictional are David Anderson, Mark Calhoun and Kama Hamilton Morton.

Legislation

The conference voted to adopt the following legislation: Petition 101 on the status of the Montana Association of Christians; Petition 202R on equitable salaries; Petition 203R on clergy and laity equalization; Petition 204R on the elimination of the Communications Team; Petition 301 regarding the Yellowstone Conference budget; and Petition 501 on the discontinuance of Mountain View and Trinity United Methodist Churches. A petition regarding camping was withdrawn. The Conference Board and Pensions report was also adopted following an amendment. Additionally, the Conference Officiary was adopted.

Ordination & Commissioning

On Friday evening, Bishop Elaine Stanovsky ordained the Rev. Jim Barth as an elder in full connection and commissioned Sami Pack and William Novak to service. During the ordination and commissioning, the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker delivered the keynote address and a Holy Communion was held. An offering also was taken for Parker's niece, Katherine Parker, who is currently serving as a United Methodist missionary to Nepal.

Awards & recognitions

Lauren Ward, of Discipleship Ministries presented the One Matters award to Mission Valley United Methodist Church. The Rev. Derf Bergman and Marilynn Tanner accepted the award along with $1,000. The Harry Denman Evangelism Award was presented to Alice Swett, of Buffalo UMC, and Karen McCrae, of Cody UMC. Alfiado Zunguza, of the General Board of Global Ministries, presented the Yellowstone Conference with an award for the most designated support of United Methodist ministries in East Angola in 2014.

Shared Futures Committee

Members of the Shared Futures Committee presented their report on the merger recommendation and vital ministry in the Yellowstone Conference. The Rev. Dave McConnell, of Bozeman UMC, led the presentation, which included a video. The Shared Futures Committee is recommending the Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain Conferences move forward to become one, new annual conference. The committee's statement and a Q&A are available online.

The UMW & World Refuge Day

“War, armed conflict, and human rights concerns in a number of countries – notably the Syrian Arab Republic and Ukraine – are among the principal reasons for the upsurge in the number of asylum seekers in industrialized countries…”
– The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 2014 Asylum Trends Report
Each year on June 20, nations across the globe hold events and gatherings to mark World Refugee Day. What initially had started as Africa Refugee Day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 4, 2000, to be recognized internationally as World Refugee Day.