National Day of Prayer

Today's activities in Stevensville:

10:00 am - 5:00 pm -- private prayer time 

@ Historic St.Mary's Mission Chapel

Noon - 12:30 pm -- Corporate ecumenical time 

@ Historic St.Mary's Mission Chapel

6:00 pm -- Spaghetti dinner and program 

@ Stevensville Senior Center. 

Guest speaker is retired University of Montana
football coach, Mick Delaney.

Save the date!

Five-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation: Sept. 6 to 11, 2015 at Flathead Lake United Methodist Camp
The leadership team of the Yellowstone Five-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation is pleased that Roberta Bondi and Ray Buckley will serve as faculty for the September retreat Sacred Stories: Listening and Sharing.

These inspirational presenters are well-known throughout Academy communities and have Bishop Elaine Stanovsky’s wholehearted endorsement. She says, “I am delighted that Roberta and Ray will be in the Yellowstone Conference. They have been heart friends of mine for many years, and their stories are a powerful witness of God’s presence in their lives.”

The early registration for the Yellowstone Five-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation is $625 by June 20, or $650 after that date.

In each district (Big Horn, Northern Plains and Western Mountains), one clergy person, one lay person and one young adult lay person (between 18 and 30 years of age) can receive a half-fee scholarship through the application available online. Applications may be submitted before June 19, 2015. Scholarship names will be announced at our Annual Conference session in Helena on June 20. 

For more information and to apply for a scholarship, download the attached forms. To register online, go to the Five-Day event information on the conference website. 

This week at Stevi UMC

Monday:
6:30 pm, Cub Scouts
7:00 pm, Living Clean (upstairs)

Tuesday:
7:00 pm, Choir
8:15 pm, Worship team

Wednesday:
8:00 am - 3:00 pm, WIC
10:00 am, Wired Word
6:30 pm, Youth group
7:00 pm, Jesus in the Gospels study, #30

Thursday:
National Day of Prayer events at Historic St. Mary's Mission
6:00 pm, NDP supper at Stevi Senior Center (with retired UM football coach, Mike Delaney, speaker)

Friday:
10:00 am, Drop-in Bible study @ Doris T.'s home
1:00 pm, UMW

Saturday:
8:00 am, UMM

Sunday:
9:00 am, Church school
10:15 am, Praise Singing
10:30 am, Worship
11:30 am, Fellowship time
11:45 am, Chimes practice

Scripture lesson for May 10th

The scripture lessons for next Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, are from John 15:9-17 and 1 John 5:1-6.

Connection opportunities

Pantry Partners is starting to stockpile for the summer, which starts when school lets out.  

The following helps children fix food for themselves: Cereals, soups, canned fruit, snack crackers, pork-n-beans, Ramen noodles, peanut butter, jam/jelly.

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Angola missionary Ken Koome needs a truck!  Yelowstone Conference is committed to raising $6,000 to help pay for it, and it would like for local churches to help raise the needed funds.  

Please consider helping by contributing to Advance special #0039A.  As of April 21st, the amount collected was $3,438.

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The UMW will be hosting speakers at Friday's (May 8th) meeting from Shepherd's House in Hamilton.

The UMW unit would like to ask for the following items (by Friday morning) to give to the residents adjusting to life outside of the prison system:

Deoderants, razors, hygine products, toothbrushes/paste, journals/pens/pads, daily devotionals, medium-size baskets.

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Lisa Menery is joining Marcia Prather and Mary Costello on the medical mision to Tanzania in just a few short weeks.  She's asking for help in covering the substantial travel expenses which are about  $5,000.  As of Friday, May 1st, she had $4,006 in the kitty, just barely over the 80% mark.  Anything you can give will help!

Tonight's Animal Blessing

Phyllis and Barney

Mary and Abbey Rose

Bella basks in the blessing

"Mia" with Claudette and Kellen

"Miss Mollie Mallone" and "Maggie" stop by for a blessing (with Harry)

We enjoyed offering a blessing to all creatures large and small this evening. It was nice to be able to share the love God has for creation on this beautiful evening.

Prayer for Animals and Their Masters

Today is our Blessing of the Animals event and the following prayer is offered for those whose lives are touched by all of God's creatures:

Hear our humble prayer, O God,

for our friends, the animals,

especially for those who are suffering;

for animals that are overworked,

underfed, and cruelly treated;

for all the wistful creatures in captivity,

that beat their wings against bars;

for any that are hunted or lost or deserted,

or frightened or hungry;

for all that must be put to death.

We entreat for them all
Thy mercy and pity,
and for those who deal with them,
we ask a heart of compassion
and gentle hands and kindly words.
Make us, ourselves,
to be true friends to animals
and so to share
the blessings of the Merciful.

Dr. Albert Schweitzer