Summertime Faith; Will it Sink or Swim?
Summer brings changes to our schedules. Baseball and softball teams seem to play almost every night of the week. The grass grows and must be mowed and the flower beds and gardens need weeded. Who doesn’t love a day on the lake or lounging around the water at the rock quarry? And many of us could fish all day and never get bored. Summer in Iowa is a blast! We didn’t even mention Farmer’s Markets, vacations since the kids are out of school, and the Omaha Zoo!
There are a lot of activities that we like to cram into the summer months, and that means that something has to go. Unfortunately, one of the first things to go is often church. Sunday mornings can be prime fishing time, zoo time, laundry time, or sleep time. Church often gets cut out, and we are professionals at justifying why “it just had to be that way.” Before I was a pastor I used the same excuses that I hear today. “My week just doesn’t feel right without church. I hate missing but I just had to this week.” Deep down we know that we fibbed a bit. If church meant that much and missing threw our week off, we would move things to make sure we are worshipping our Lord.
Now, I will never be the church police. I refuse to knock on your door or flood your inbox with guilt-inducing questions as to why you were absent. The reason? I shouldn’t have to beg you to worship the God that loves you and created you; died for you and rose from the grave for you. Was that enough of a guilt trip? (See how I did that?! I hope it made you laugh!)
Seriously, your church attendance is between you and God. The church needs you and wants you present, but there a variety of ways to worship. (Please understand that community worship is vital because our faith must be lived out and celebrated in community.) We have our worship services onthecube.com and there are other churches around the country when you’re out of town. You don’t have to miss worship.What I am really concerned about is your spiritual health. This summer your faith will either sink or swim. You can’t tread water and wait until the fall to reconnect with the Lord. Yes, God will be there waiting, but why waste precious time when you could draw closer to God? There is no time like the summer to grow in your faith! It’s your choice if you make the effort or let faith sink until it’s more “convenient.” Here are some ways to grow your faith this summer:
-Don’t miss a worship service! Be present when you’re in town and view on thecube.com when you’re away. Get the kids involved. There will be a new sermon series starting June 26.
-Join a small group. The groups will be going right along with the sermon series. It’s a great opportunity to grow in your faith and build relationships in the church. Check your weekly bulletins and the website for times and locations for the groups.
-Help at Vacation Bible School, June 12-15, 5:30pm-7:30pm. Help as many nights as you can, and don’t forget to get your kids, grandkids, and neighbor kids involved.
-If you’re looking to get healthy this summer, try Worship and Workout on Sunday afternoons at 3:30pm (beginning June 12). This workout will be challenging for people of all fitness levels (even if you’re just getting started) but won’t just be about physical results. We will connect our physical well-being to how it can help us better serve the Lord and people in need. Don’t miss this!
-The Carson Community Garden group meets every Tuesday at 6:00pm. It is located behind Rolling Hills Bank in Carson. The more hands we get working the better!
-A few people from Carson/Mt. Hope UMC went through orientation at Open Door Mission in Omaha. If you’d like to serve 2 hours each month for a six month commitment, talk to Pastor Brody.
-Ladies from Mt. Hope UMC serve every Thursday morning (and some Mondays) at Care and Share House in Council Bluffs. They welcome all help, especially those who can carry food donations up and down the basement stairs. Talk to Pastor Brody if interested.
-Mt. Hope will be having a family evening at the church. Keep your eyes peeled for more information.
Ultimately, it’s up to you this summer. Will your faith sink or swim?
Celebration Moments:
-Sunday, May 1 was quite the day at Carson UMC. We got to see an infant baptism and youth confirmations in the same worship service. It was powerful to see two stages of faith in the same service.
Emmy Katherine Fenn, daughter of Jon and Kelly Fenn, was baptized early in the service. She was surrounded by family, church family, and of course of the power of the Holy Spirit! We are excited to have Emmy as a part of our church family and to be a part of teaching her about Jesus.
After the sermon, five young people were Confirmed as members of Carson UMC; Lydia Wede, Ella Hensley, Sam Wilber, Kaiden Hendricks (baptized and confirmed), and Ripley Meek. They had met with Pastor Brody and Paula Pilling since early January to study the Bible and learn about the faith.
We got to witness a baby baptized and those young people who had been baptized at birth publically proclaim their faith. One day we will watch Emmy claim her faith and confirm her baptism. Until then, we will do our best to raise her up in the faith and encourage her to follow Jesus.
-You should have seen the smiles on the faces of the 1st graders at the Riverside Elementary School on May 4. Volunteers from Carson UMC have been reading with these students every Wednesday during the school year. They worked on learning new words, counting by twos, fives, and tens, and reading books. On May 4 the volunteers presented each child with a book of their very own after they ate cookies. They were so happy to get a book and even happier to see all their friends from the church. Some volunteers shared stories of how they saw the kids out in the community and the kids recognized them and ran up to talk to them. That’s impacting a young life! And we could all tell how much they improved over the school year.
-Carson UMC is a church for the community! Every church says that, but we’ve seen the evidence lately. On May 2, there was suspicion of a gas leak at the Intermediate School, and in those situations the church is the safe zone. The parking lot was full of kids laughing and playing on a nice morning. It is wonderful that the building can be a safe zone and the adults and kids can see that we are here to help.
On May 4, the Riverside students helped around the district with the annual clean-up day. Once again, Carson UMC was a rallying point where youth came to have treats and meet up with other groups.
On May 18, there was a young man having car trouble and while he waited on help he rested at the church. How could we see a child of God in need and deny that person some help? It is wonderful to know that this church and church family exists to show the love of God and serve the community.
-Graduation Sunday was celebrated on May 15 at Carson and Mt. Hope UMC. Both churches presented the seniors with necklaces and thanked them for being a part of our church family. We prayed for them and reminded them that God will lead them into a future filled with hope.
-The Carson UMC Administrative Board has been reading a book together entitled The Externally Focused Church. It has helped focus our attention on being the loving and serving church that Jesus called us to be. On May 4, council members delivered small flowers to a neighborhood in Oakland. We volunteered to plant the flowers near their front doors and had great conversations during the work. As we left, many people shouted goodbye and the neighborhood was brighter with the flowers outside. How can we be an even more externally focused church in order to spread the love of Jesus Christ? The Holy Spirit will empower us if we are willing to look beyond our walls to share God’s love.
-The Carson Community Garden is planted and growing quickly. We tend it every Tuesday at 6:00pm and everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the time working together. Invite a neighbor or friend.
-For the last few months Carson UMC has been live streaming worship services. You can watch them live or tune in at your convenience. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Open your web browser and type in thecube.com
2. Create a sign-in account to make it easier when you return to the site.
3. Type Carson United Methodist Church into the search bar.
4. Click “Follow” so Carson United Methodist Church events will show up on your homepage.
-Did you notice our clean steeple at Carson UMC? We think this was the first time it had been cleaned since the church was built in 2002!
ANOTHER WORSHIP SERVICE IN THE PLANNING STAGES
We are considering kicking off another weekly worship service at Carson UMC. Why? Well, we are routinely setting up extra chairs in the fellowship hall during worship, and we know that some people are away on Sundays or work in caring professions that can’t ignore people’s needs on Sundays. Or maybe you would find a Wednesday worship service something that you would commit to or invite friends to become involved with. Keep in mind, this service is in the planning and discussion stages.
As of now, we are considering a free will offering dinner at 6:00pm. Worship will begin at 6:30pm followed by small group time at 7:10pm. The evening will conclude between 7:45-8:00pm. The small groups will be for adults and children will have class along with youth group at the same time. This allows us time to worship and time to foster deepened relationships with God and one another.
In order to make a second worship service work, we are going to need people to commit to being present on Wednesdays. If we have a core group of people, visitors won’t walk into an empty church and feel awkward. We aren’t looking for people who worship on Sunday mornings to go on Wednesdays again. Instead, we encourage you to join a small group in addition to worship. Be in worship and in a small group each week. Wednesday could offer another chance for people to worship our Lord and for small groups to meet.
If you are interested in being a productive and prayerful voice in discerning the future of a Wednesday evening worship service, please get ahold of Pastor Brody.
TREE OF LIGHTS HAS BRIGHTENED LIVES
Do you remember the Tree of Lights offering at Carson UMC during Advent (the time leading up to Christmas) 2015? Each Advent, Carson UMC puts up a small Christmas tree with the lights turned off. Every time someone makes a special offering they twist one of the bulbs on. Over the four weeks the tree lights up and brightens that corner of the sanctuary.
The Tree of Lights offering from 2015 was dedicated to helping people who had to make frequent trips to Council Bluffs and Omaha for medical appointments. Over the last few months a steady stream of thank you notes have arrived at the church. The recipients have been humbled by the gas cards and the prayers that they know they have received. It was a showing of God’s love.
One of the thank you cards included a prayer that we could all say more often. “Lord, may we have thankful hearts no matter what comes our way. May we see the many blessings in our lives today. Amen.”