Scripture lesson for May 6

We begin May at Stevi UMC with a look at John15:9-17.

This week @ SUMC

Monday:

9:30 am, Bible study @ The Living Center

3:30 pm, Girl Scouts

7:00 pm, Living Clean

Tuesday: 

7:00 pm, Choir

 

Wednesday:

8:00 am, WIC

10:00 am, Exodus study

Thursday:
1:00 pm, SPPRC

 

Friday:

10:00 am, Drop-in Bible Study @ Doris T.

3:30 pm, Cub Scouts

Saturday:

11:00 am, Ivan Howard Memorial @ American Legion

 

Sunday: 

9:15 am, Whirl Children's Ministry

9:15 am, Collaborate Youth Ministry

10:15 am, Praise music

10:30 am, Worship

11:30 am, Fellowship 

11:45 am, Chime

6:00 pm, Book Group

April draws to a close at SUMC

A month that began with the joyous strains of the Easter alleluias now draws to a close in the Bitterroot Valley. We are mindful of all that has taken place in and through this congregation!

This morning, the choir offered to God "Morning Has Broken." Pastor Charles shared "Love for love's sake" based on I John 4:12-21.

Sherry Paddie announced to the congregation that she had resigned as Director of Children & Youth Ministries at Stevi UMC. She will be working with the Red Cross in Missoula and continuing to work with the ministry at Wesley House.

Thanks this morning to: Amanda Hermes (Nursery), Sara Malo (Church school), Josh Malo (Acolyte wrangler), Hazen & Katie Rose (Acolytes), Dave Lockman (Praise music), Mary Costello & Lynn Moshier (Greeters/ushers), Hazel Smith (Organist), Sherry Paddie (children's message), Tom Bishop (Video), Ruth Cleveland & Don Nelson (offering counters), and Carole Koval, Connie Rakiecki, and Bev Schneider (Fellowship).

Thanks as well to Ben Longbottom who got in the first mow of 2018 at the church yesterday!

The church is watching, waiting, UMC Bishops told

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 29, 2018

CHICAGO – United Methodist bishops were today reminded that the church is watching, waiting and wondering if and how they will lead the denomination into the future.

At the opening of the 2018 April/May meeting of the Council of Bishops at the Hilton Rosemont Hotel in Chicago today, President Bruce R. Ough told his fellow bishops that he believes that the church, for the most part, will follow the bishops.

“They will take their cues from this Council and from this meeting of our Council. If we fight and retreat to our various corners and turfs, the church will follow our example and fight,” Bishop Ough said in his presidential address which was also the sermon for the opening worship.

Read more at this link.

Faithful servants at the church

And the honor of the first mow of the church lawn for the year goes to Ben Longbottom!

Report from Mission Shaped Future Congregational Development Team

The Congregational Vitality Team of the Mission Shaped Future process has worked hard to develop a strong vision of what supporting vital and healthy congregations looks like in the new Mountain Sky Conference. While there is still work to be done to further develop the strategies that will help us live out what is recommended in our report, this is a critical starting point that reinforces focus of the new conference on supporting local congregations to be more effective disciple makers who in turn make God’s love real through worship, devotion, mercy, and justice.

In 2014, the General Council on Finance and Administration did a small study on recent conference mergers and their effects on things such as local church worship attendance, general church apportionment payments, and similar measures. The study found that recent mergers don’t have a dramatic impact one way or another on these things. They don’t appear to be positive or negative. As we looked at the plans other conferences developed there were some rather telling omissions.

Each plan included the expected administrative and financial components but what they lacked was any understanding where the time, resources, and energy saved through joining together would be channeled. We in the Mountain Sky Area have stated clearly from the beginning that we wanted to create a new, more efficient, way of being an annual conference so we could reinvest the savings in building up more vital congregations and developing the new generation of Christian leaders.

The report we release today is an important part of articulating why creating a new conference will help us reach our goal to "re-ignite a Christian movement that begins with grace, offer abundant life, and reclaims the life-changing love of Jesus Christ for ALL people."

Go to the Mission Shaped Future page to read the report, review the parsonage standards handbook and watch a video of members from the Clergy Excellence Team. An online town hall for your questions and feedback will be held at 6 p.m. May 8 via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/945226371.

You may also use this online contact form to send us your questions and comments about Mission Shaped Future.

Studying Exodus

Join us each Wednesday morning for a lively study of Exodus!

50 reasons to celebrate The United Methodist Church

Five decades is always an important milestone, and 2018 marks the Big 5-0 for The United Methodist Church. That’s the reason we’ve compiled a quick list of 50 reasons the world is a better place thanks to the witness and work of the people of the UMC.

There are so many more we could list and you surely have your own reasons. We encourage you to share them using #UMC50.

Read more at this link.

Scripture lesson for April 29

Next Sunday we'll be learning from I John 4:7-21.

This week @ Stevi UMC

Monday: 

50th Anniversary of The United Methodist Church

9:30 am, Bible study @ The Living Center

7:00 pm, Living Clean

Tuesday: 

7:00 pm, Choir

 

Wednesday:

8:00 am, WIC

10:00 am, Exodus study

 

Friday:

10:00 am, Drop-in Bible Study @ Doris T.

Saturday:

10:00 am, Nancy Benner Memorial @ The Living Center

 

Sunday: 

9:15 am, Whirl Children's Ministry

9:15 am, Collaborate Youth Ministry

10:15 am, Praise music

10:30 am, Worship

11:30 am, Fellowship 

11:45 am, Chimes

50 years and counting

The United Methodist Church was officially formed on April 23, 1968 with the unification of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, along with the dissolution of the Central Jurisdiction, a segregated group of African American congregations.

Read more at this link.

Earth Day at SUMC

Choir warm-up before worship

Dave leads the praise singing

Carol shares with the children

Kids table fun!

Breaking bread is awesome!

A picture-perfect morning was ours as we gathered for study, worship, and fellowship!  

The choir offered to God "Prayer for Peace." Pastor Charles shared "Where your faith is kept" based on Acts 4:5-12.

Following worship we gathered in the fellowship hall for a potluck in honor of Earth Day.  

Thanks this morning to: Amanda Hermes (Nursery), Sara Malo (Church school/acolyte), Dave Lockman (Praise music), Ed Sperry & Carol Word (Greeters/ushers), Julie Ludington (Pianist), Carol Gragg (children's message), Tom Bishop (Video), Ruth Cleveland & Bonita Ziegler (offering counters), and Outreach Committee (Fellowship potluck).

Care for the Earth: A Legacy of Acting for Climate Justice

Climate justice, one of United Methodist Women’s current mission priorities, has long been a legacy of United Methodist Women. Care for creation, commanded by God in Genesis 1, is an essential part of living out our mission of faith, hope and love in action.

Read more at this link.

UMW gathering in Kalispell

Friday evening discussion

Opening worship on Saturday

Small group discussion on Saturday

The UMW Western Mountains District held its spring gathering this weekend at Epworth UMC in Kalispell.

Attending from our church were Belinda Alkula, Sheila Hammit, Linda Kauffman, Marcia Prather, Lisa Nicholls and Hazel Smith.

UMW Saturday Circle

With several of our regular attendees away this weekend, we had a shorter meeting than we would normally.

Among the items discussed: 

+Recycling program - continuing education (see Earth Day display in the Fellowship Hall) and collection of plastic at the parsonage. Reduce - Reuse - Recycle.

+April Mission Focus - Violence Against Native Women/ Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women. This issue is at the intersection of UMW mission focus areas around Domestic violence, Gender justice, Economic justice, and Racial justice. Actions we can take include: 

#notinvisible and #mmiw on Twitter.
+Follow Murdered and Disappeared Native Women on Facebook and share.
+Follow Save Our Sisters: #MMIW Awareness on Facebook and share.
Follow Find Ashley Loring/Heavy Runner on Facebook and share - Ashley has been missing from the Blackfeet Reservation since June 2017.
+Encourage passage of Savanna's Act (S. 1942 and H.R. 4485). Jon Tester is a co-sponsor. 

Thanks to good workers

Bob edges the walk

Ben carefully trims the hedges

Ben Longbottom and Bob Edgar were doing their part this week, taking advantage of the nice spring weather to tend to the church grounds!

This week @ Stevi UMC

Monday:

9:30 am, Bible study @ The Living Center

3:30 pm, Girl Scouts

7:00 pm, Living Clean

Tuesday: 

6:00 pm, Shepherding

7:00 pm, Choir

 

Wednesday:

8:00 am, WIC

10:00 am, Exodus study

6:00 pm, Worship on Wednesday @ The Living Center

 

Friday:

10:00 am, Drop-in Bible Study @ Doris T.

Saturday:

Spring UMW District meeting @ Epworth UMC - Kalispell

 

Sunday: Earth Day

9:15 am, Whirl Children's Ministry

9:15 am, Collaborate Youth Ministry

10:15 am, Praise music

10:30 am, Worship

11:30 am, Fellowship potluck

11:45 am, Chimes