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EASTER SYMBOLS

Gabriels Horn
Mt. Sterling First United Methodist Church May 2014
Pastors Column
New Life in Christ
When Isaac, our youngest was about to turn two, we decided that our gift for him would be a pair of sneakers. He was a very active boy so we thought a good pair of shoes would be quite appropriate. We took him to a few stores to see what shoes he liked. Pretty soon, we had exhausted our choice of stores in the area. We thought we could stay in the area despite the fact that we had already seen all the shoe stores there, and so we decided to bring Isaac back around to the stores we had already been to. He told us, No, we were here before. He said, We will find the shoes if we stop looking where we already looked. We decided that was sound advice and drove a few blocks down the street, and there he found the perfect pair of red sneakers. Indeed, if we went around to the same places, would not only have taken so much longer, we would also never have found the perfect pair of shoes? In a way, the trek to find the perfect pair of shoes reminds us of how it would have been so much easier for the Israelites if they had remembered why they were fleeing Egypt. They would have crossed into the Promised Land sooner if they had. It would only have taken them weeks to get there had they not started to desire to go back to Egypt, to their old way of life because they had forgotten what it was they had been running away from. Instead, they had gotten distracted by so many things and grumbled about so much instead of placing their trust in God. It is right that our journey as Easter people is compared with the Israelites exodus from Egypt: a breaking-away from enslavement. Without Christ, we are helpless in the face of sin. Sin brings death so to be in bondage to sin means living a life without hope yet like the people of the Exodus, we sometimes so easily forget Gods goodness. We begin to look only at the things immediately in our path, we grumble at what we perceive to be lacking. Often, in this state, we cannot see beyond the moment. In the life and practice of the church, we are reminded constantly, not only of what our lives were in the past and not only of the promise and the reward at the end of our journey but also that our exodus through life is a passage of hope. We are taught to look at our lives as part of the story of Gods saving love throughout history, in the present and in hope, also in the future. In the life of the church, in its seasons and in its practice (in Advent, Lent, Easter), we follow cycles of remembering what God does for us because God loves us so. In these seasons, we hopefully become more open to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit, reminding us of our hope in Christ. In our gathering together, in our worship as a community of faith, we choose not to forget why God saved us through Christ because in knowing from where we have come, we also come to know our destination. Little Isaac knew exactly where he had been before. He did not want to keep returning to the same places he had been he wanted to move on. To this day, we remain in awe at how Isaac, the almost two-year-old, could remember where we had been and how he knew what his mission was. This is how we, the people of God must journey: we must not forget where we have been; we must set our eyes on the goal and confidently walk through life with Christ. Romans 6:3-4 says, Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Our lives are a constant remembering, living and looking forward to in hope because we walk with Christ through this life. Hallelujah, Christ is Risen! In Christ, we are freed from enslavement to sin and death; we are made free to live as children of God; and we are filled with the hope of eternal life. Such is the power of Easter: we are not only made free of the weight of our past, we are also set on the path to the Kingdom of God. We are given a purpose and a direction, a new way of life. - Pastor Cecilia

We are currently in the Season of Easter until Pentecost (June 8.) Many of us know that the butterfly is a symbol of Easter because the butterfly emerges from the cocoon with a new body that can soar into the sky. We are also familiar with the Easter Lily as a symbol of Easter because it blooms around the time of Easter and is symbolic of the beauty of new life in Christ but did you know, the pomegranate is also a symbol of Easter? The fruit is about the size of an orange and has a reddish-yellow rind and has a mass of seeds in its center. It is symbolic of the Word of God, a seed that grows in our hearts. The Phoenix is an imaginary bird that looks like an eagle. It is said that when it dies, it is consumed by fire but rises again. Because of the story surrounding its new life, the Phoenix is also a symbol of Christs resurrection but did you know the peacock has also been considered a symbol of Easter because each year, it undergoes a complete renewal of its beautiful feathers? Many communities around the world have adopted different symbols of resurrection. Do you know of any other symbol? Mt. Sterling United Methodist Church 120 South Capitol Mt. Sterling, IL 62353

Church Calendar May 2014

Sundays Sunday School 9:00am Sunday Service 10:15 am Confirmation Class 11:15 This Month 4 - Walk to Emmaus Sunday 11 - Mothers Day Good Shepherd's Sunday 14 - UMW 16 - Trustees @ 7:00 18 - Holy Hilarity Sunday 22 - BCMS graduation 23 - BCHS graduation 25 - Memorial Sunday

GABRIELS HORN

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit #3 Mt. Sterling, IL 62353 Sunday School 9:00 Church Phone 773-2027 msumc1@frontier.com

Address Service Requested Sunday Worship 10:15 Church Office 773-2047

Volunteer & Visitation

Members Making Calls Sue Carter Charla Meyers Sharon Kindhart Nancy Yingling Barb Yingling Members to Be Called Dovie Bemis, Heritage Manor, 435 Camden Road Gladys Quincy, Heritage Manor, 435 Camden Road Ruth Lanier, 8570 St. Lukes, Beardstown, IL 62618

WORSHIP ASSISTANTS
Liturgist 4 - Debbie Gable 11 - Judy Wilson 18 - Barb Yingling 25 - Carol Collins Acolyte 4 - Wyatt Fink 11 - Marcus Perry 18 - Maxwell Perry 25 - Kendra Collins

INFORMATION FOR SENIORS Did you know that the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Program helps Seniors who have questions about Medicare billing mistakes and how to report healthcare fraud? It also educates people on the following: Reading the Medicare Summary Notice and changes in healthcare law. The SMP is a program created through the West Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging. The group is also recruiting local volunteers to provide outreach and to educate consumers about healthcare fraud. If you are interested in utilizing this program or to volunteer, contact Pastor Cecilia. She will connect you with the SMP. Childrens Mission Collection
Heifer International's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth. It all started with a cow. Moved by the plight of orphans and refugees of the Spanish Civil War as he ladled out meager rations of powered milk, Dan West, an Indiana farmer, volunteer worker and Church of the Brethren member, grasped that people needed "a cow, not a cup" - cows that could produce milk so families would not have to depend on temporary aid. From that simple idea, Heifer International was born. Two Rivers Collection This month we are collecting all kinds of cereal. Ready to eat, oatmeal, cream of wheat, and malto-meal. Any kind of cereal is acceptable.

Newsletter and Weekly Deadlines

1. Newsletter articles will be submitted to Nicki Ussery (nussery91@hotmail.com). If you are unable to send your article to Nicki by email, please leave a printed or clear handwritten copy in the mailbox in front of McNeff Hall. Deadline for newsletter articles will be the 15th of each month. 2. Weekly announcements meant to be printed with the worship bulletin must be submitted to Pastor Cecilia no later than Wednesday morning of the week you want the announcement to be printed. Send the email to cgranadosin@igrc.org or drop it off at the office. 3. Carol Collins will be scheduling volunteers for scripture readers. Please let her know if you are interested in reading scriptures during worship. Readers get a Readers Guide from the church in the week prior to the Sunday they read to aid them in their role as reader.

Church Directory and Communications

Many thanks to all who are helping organize the church directory. The work of verifying contact information, choosing pictures which reflect the spirit of the church community, finalizing the format of the directory and so on is a massive task. For both Mount Sterling UMC and Columbus UMC, people are working hard in the background to ensure that the Directory will be a useful tool to connect all of us for years to come. The Communications Committee in Mt. Sterling UMC are Sue Carter, Mandy Fink, Michelle Perry, Nicki Ussery. In Columbus UMC, many of our needs for sending out information depend on Carol Lichtsinn and Tina Keppner. We also commend Logan & Jake Keppner for maintaining the Facebook site. It is hoped that all the effort placed into these will strengthen the community of faith and its connections with the community around it.

Greeters 4 - Ernie & Debbie Buxton 11 - Perry Family 18 - Merle & Sue Kenady 25 - Ussery Family Ushers 4 - Mandy & Jayden Fink, Ernie & Debbie Buxton 11 - Matt, Michelle, Maxwell & Maylie Perry 18 - Van & Ann Wilson, Merle & Sue Kenady 25 - Rose & Ron Briggs, Jeff & Nicki Ussery Organ/Piano 4 - Merle Kenady 11 - Jackie Bowen 18 - Carol Collins 25 - Merle Kenady Please let Carol Collins know if you will not be able to serve

Church Logo Contest (For Mt. Sterling UMC) Be part of history. Help the church create a logo. The logo artwork should be based on our mission statement: Preparing People to Live a God-Centered Life. It will be used on all our communications documents, as well as, bulletins, newsletters and even T-shirts. We want people who see the logo to know it stands for Mt. Sterling UMC just by looking at it. The artwork itself should be about 4 X 4 and submitted on an 8 X 11 sheet. The person submitting the entry must agree to its future use by the church, that it may be changed in the future to enable its use in different media. Submit your logo entry by May 11 to Pastor Cecilia or Nicki Ussery.
UMW The Mt. Sterling United Methodist Women met Wednesday, April 8, 2014 in the church Fellowship Hall. Answering the roll call of Favorite Vacation Spot were Sandy Smith, Sue Carter, Barb Yingling, Judy Wilson and Nancy Yingling. In the absence of President, Rose Briggs, Sue Carter called the meeting to order. Barb read Morning Receptions for Devotions and Spiritual Growth. Sue reminded the group about the District Annual Spring meeting in Pittsfield April 17 and the Mission gifts for Cunningham School and Lessee Bates N.H. At the May 14th UMW meeting, Judy will give the lesson, Barb has Response and Rose will be hostess. The March minutes were read by Nancy, also a card from Peggy Grimsley, our Shepherdess, who will visit our Unit in September. Melba Funk, the District Cunningham Rep, will attend the June Salad Lunch. All the church women are encouraged to attend these gatherings. Sandy gave the treasurers report. The pledges have been paid. Madagascar is to be the second quarter mission. The meeting adjourned. Nancy gave the April lesson on the various UMW Missions Going Forward and Do These With Love. She read a biography on hymnist Francis Havergal, who wrote Take My Life and Let It Be. She had donated nearly fifty jewelry items to be auctioned and the proceeds given to Mission. Response was given by Judy which was also on giving for mission. In closing, Barb led prayers for Cheryl Yingling and Ron Briggs.

Children in Church
April Birthdays & Anniversaries 1 - Brian Kenady 3 - Thelma Vermillion 4 - Doug & Norma Gooding 8 - Erynn McNeff 9 - Linda Reffett 12 - Rose Briggs 17 - Chloe Alsup Hailey Alsup Nick Still 18 - Heath & Annie Fullerton 24 - Nancy Yingling 26 - Susan Hendricker 27 - David Collins Teresa Still

Children usually assist with Communion and are readers on the first Sunday of the month. On the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month, children are downstairs for Childrens Church with Debbie Gable to learn in-depth about the scripture reading for the Sunday. On the 3rd Sunday of the month, the children are part of the service, participating in the Childrens Sermon or giving a presentation usually led by Debbie Gable, Mandy Fink and Michelle Perry. We pray that in experiencing varied aspects of congregational life the children will feel a sense of belonging and that they will grow to maturity as part of the Body of Christ.

Confirmation
Confirmation Class is every Sunday after worship from 11:15 to 12:30. Confirmation is the time when youth ages 12 to 14 confirm their personal decisions regarding their faith commitment. Our confirmands this year are Bain Woodward and Wyatt Fink. Their mentors are Jon Heckel and Mathew Perry. The class is using Credo Confirmation which combines lessons in worship and basic beliefs. It is a 16-18 week commitment.