C e n t r a lU n i t e dM e t h o d i s tC h u r c h
OURIER
CEIVTRAL COURIE]
"Make a differencein the world for Christ by reaching
*f*
F gro''
out in love and serviceandby nurturingspiritualgrowth.
--
s ' *A
\ PRIL 2010
, #,!!.#* A r-
REFLECTIONS FROM UGANDA
Upon landing in Uganda,you must complete a
customsform to apply for a temporaryvisa. The
form asks you to list your occupation. What do
you do for a living? Naturally,I write that I am
a homemaker,housewife, stay-at-homemom -
rvhateveryou rl"nt to call it. For the first time in
eight vears.I felt like tris rvasn'tthe right title I
am a regularperson.trying to do the nght thing day
in and day out, who wasblessedwrth this awesome
opportunityto leam sometring. Wow! And leam I
did. Hereis my lesson.....
Ugandais a little country.It sitsin the middleof
East .{fnca and is often referredto as a "Pearl of
" "curb"
Afnca It is surrounded b;: more familiar names
Iike Kenya Congoand Sudan.It hasit all in terms
of landscape- open plains, densetropical forest,
fresh waterlakesandnaturalwaterfalls. It is home
to an estimated32million people(how do they do
the census?)and approximatelyhalf the populatron
is under 15 yearsof age. It is a young person's
country.
is a poor country. Poor beyondAmerican
-U,ganda
perspective of "poor." Poorin is mostbasicform. No
cleanair. No cleanwater.Lack of food Lack of food
clothesand shelter.A brokenfamily unit. Minimal
healthcare. Few rightsfor womenandchildren.The
poverfyis so prevalentand normalthat it beginsto
feel normalfor me aftera few days. Not becatseI am
experiencing it (we stayedat a guesthowe with clean
conditions, paid staff andthe Intemet),but becaweI
seeno differenceon my daily commuteto our work
site. Povertyis rampant,andjust theway it is
V o l u m e1 2 I s s u e4
unKellySmith
Hedbere
Ugandais a rich country. Rich beyondAmerican
"rich." The peopleare lilled with
perspective of
graceand a naturalbeautythat are indescribablein
Westemterms. They arefull of pnde for uihatlittle
theymayhave,andseemto find laughtereasilv.The
landscape is gorgeous- vibrantgreen,lush,fertile,
untouchedand thrivrng. The soil is beauufulred
clay thar leavesa lasing impressionon everything
it touches(especiallymy socks,white T-shirtsand
work boats). Plants,vegetablesand citrus grow in
abundance. Wildlife is diverseandstunnins.
Ugandais a dirty country. Trashis drsposedof on
the street,sweptto the and bumedfreely in
the nudstof everyday life. We aretold not to drink
thewater Thepollution is thick andpermeates your
nose,mouthand lungsimmediately.I'm not quite
sure where everyonegoes to the bathroom,but I
know theplumbingis not sophisticated.A deaddog
lieson the sideof the road.
Ugandais a hopefulcountry. Its future is so bright
(it can only get better,right?) andyet the obstacles
to overcomeseeminsurmountable.Wheredo you
start? Infrastructure? Aids? War? Jobs? 50yo
unemployment equatesto half a nation of people
with no ability to provide for themselvesand
their families. Half a nation of peoplewho have
no definedsenseof purposer,v-hen they arvakein
the moming and can't do much about it. There
are peoplestanding,waiting, looking and hoping
continued on pg.3
 I was standingby his bedsidein the hospitalin u*rat the world meantfor our ill. Josephin the Old
Long Branch talking about faith in the midst of Testamentsays to his brotherswho sold him as
tragedy.Harvey (Rev.VanSciver)was weepingas a slaveto Egrpt, "You meantit for evil, but God
we talked aboutthe misery and sufferinghe had meantit forgood!"
beenthrough,hospitalizedfor theselast 4 months,
andstill facingmonthsaheadof rehabbeforegoing Only God can do that. It is often hardto seein the
home. midst of our sufferingandthe sometimes,horrible
attacksupon our lives life sometimesbrings,that
But, he wasn't crying becauseof all the suffering attl4hinggoodcouldcomeoutof this.Like clucifixon
he hasendured,he was weepingin telling me how on a cross,public executionof horribletorture,and
in the midst of it all, God keepssendingblessed the most unjustand humiliatingof sufferings.But,
answersto prayer,andangelsto blesshim. then,ResurrectionI Easter!

One of them walked in at that very moment and
he introducedme to her. She was one who came
everydayto cleanhis room andtakehis trashaway,
but when she came,they talked aboutdreir faitr
and laughedtogether.He told me, she brings the
Presence of Jesusto him.
He told me how one night not long ago after the
nursecamein to makesurehe wastuckedin for the
night, he jokingly saidto her,callingher by narne,
"Before you go,
would you sing a lullaby to me?"
And, she said, "Sure!" He said she stood by my
bedsideand beganto sing an old, old hymn, "My
anchorholdsandgripsthe SolidRock.ThatRock is
Jesus,yes He'sthe One,thatRock is Jesus,the only
One."With tearsstreamingdown his face,he sard,
"ft
waslike a little bit of Heaven,Crodsentmy way."
And, then he said,"God hasbeendoingthingslike
that all throughthisjoumey.And the amazrngthing
is God hasbeenable to useme to be a blessingto
someof thepeoplewho comeinto this room."
This is the surpriseof EasteqGod'sability to bring
astoundingand often amazinggood out of the bad
and sometimes,evil thingslife doesto us. God can
redeemthe vilest things and bring us good out of
.,
I love the statementof Jesus,"I died,but behold,I
amalive for evermoreandI holdthe keysof hell and
death.Because I live, you shalllive also."
Whateveryou are going through,believe this. In
spiteof r.r*ratlife doesto ts or how evil affiicts u*s.
Godis workingforourgoodandcansomehowbring
blessingout of the Tombsof Terror and Trauma.
Waitfor it, look andlistenfor it, it is coming!
And soHarveycalledmethisFridaynight with tears
of gladnessto say,"I just had to call and tell you.
Todaythe surgeontook thestentout anddiscovered
the esophaguswas completelyhealed.The doctor
wasastounded. It wasso unexpected. God hasbeen
sogoodto me,I just hadto tell you."
Amazing and sometimesmiraculousanswersto
prayerare comingour way that we cannotsee.It's
somefimeslong after the painful event,r,r'efinaliy
discover,blessinghasbeenon the way.
My Easterprayerfor you is thatGod will like-wise,
blessyou this Easter!
Happy Easter,
. r''2
Pastar q an
 continued&om pg. 1
living for their futurebasedupona simpleconcept
everywhere. Everyw{rere.You stareat them and of forgiveness:we arenot definedby oul past,our
they at you, but the differenceis I am a visitor en cultureor our environment.
route to somewhereto do something.They iust
stare. The beauty of our workplace was, not any of
anybody'spast,matters.We werebuilding a place
The WatotoChurchof Ugandaprovidesa light at of learningfor childrenon the sideof a greenhill
the end of this long, dark tunnel. [t is investing in the middleof nowhere.
the future of the country in Ugandanchildren.
Childrenwtrobeginwith nothing,not evenparents, Thanksto technolory, an IPod, portablespeakers
and are blessedwith a future. Watoto literally and Jenny's awesomesong list, we laid bricks,
provideseverythingfor thesechildrenfreeof charge deliveredmortar,andstooduponscafiFolds dancing
and functions mainly off worldwrde donations. the day away to Bob Marley's insightful song
Childrenaregivena home,a mother,clothes,food, "CouldYouBe Loved,"which remindsus:
daily structureand an educationthrough the 12h Theroad of lfe is roclE and you maY
grade. Most importantly,Watotoprovidesa fuhre. stumbletoo,
"Raising future leaders",is their motto. It is a
Sowhileyou point yourfngers.
beautiful organizationdoing remarkableworks in Someoneelseisiudging yott.
this complex and confusing country.Their mission Loveyour brethrcn!
is clearlydefinedby thegraceof God. Checkit out Kelly Smith Hedberg
at :www.watoto.com. Mike andJanSmith'sdaughter

I aminspiredin somany'ffaysa.fterthisvisit. |Jotso i**NrFwii*hm*k*'-l;

mucha hopefulsensethatdrasticchangeif coming
for Ugandans.Their roadis long, changeis slow
iij,i
and I am not an idealist. However,I am insanely
inspiredto continueto do basic,dailywork helping Directions
others. Believingin myself,othersandthe power A liule bo1,u,aswaitrng for his mother to come
out of the grocery store.As lte waited, he was
of servrcehasneverbeeneasierandfelt moreright approached by a manrvhoasked.
"Son,
can1'outell
This is my mostimportantoccupation andjob title. me rr4rerethe Post is?"
Q1fic1:
Next time I completea visa form I know what to
"Sure! Just go straight
write. The little boy replied,
down this sfreeta couplea blocks andturn to your
right."
Footnote: So,what really happened? "I'm
The man thankedthe boy kindly and said,
I traveledto Ugandawith a group of 24 peopleto the new pastorin town. I'd like for you to come
build two brickstructures:a portionof a classroom to churchon Sunday.I'll show you how to get to
and one floor of a teacher'shome in the Watoto Heaven."
vi Iiagesof SuutriI andll. I specificailyr,vorked
onthe "Awww,
The little boy replied with a chuckle.
classroomprojectfor 4-6hoursper day alongside comeon...Youdon't evenknow theway to thePost
Ugandanshiredby Watoto.Theseyoungmenwere OJ:fice."
extremelypatient and instructivewrth our burch
of chatty,unskilledandgiggly Americans.Their
pastswerea mysteryto me,but it wassuggestedby dates
Special
o Holy Week,March28-Aprii3.2010
one Watotoemployeethat rebelforcesin northem 'lllrrrrsrlat',
" l,4aun<l'/{'Iol_y Aprii l, ?.{)11.)
Ugandahad previouslyforcedsomeof thesemen . Go<idFrul;ry,Apri t 2,.20 i ()
into a horrendous militarylife. This couldinclude " IJolySatur&'-', April 1.201(.)
all sortsof atrocities: murder,rape,tortureand all " Ear;tcrDa1',April 4. 201{i
" Csntral's\tr/atoto Celet'ration\l'cekcnd -
sortsof abuseI can'tevenconceive.Theyarenow A p r i l 9- l l , 2 0 1 0
-3-
 8
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, By the Numbers. CentralUMCMinistry. 2009

25- Peopleon the MissionTeamto Uganda
$39.250-Arnountraisedto buiid Dave'sHouse
and Classroomin Uganda
20- Peopleinvolvedin our MissionBeyondOur
Walls TeamsTo Atlantic City
75- Averageattendanceat theAtlantic Ciq,
RescueMission Worshipled by our team
350-Averageattendanceat the lunchesserved
by our team at SisterJean'sKitchen
104-Totalpeopleinvolvedin MusicMinistry
42- Numberof peoplein ChancelChoir
16-PraiseTeamMembers
l0- TeenPraiseTeamMembers
l6- GenesisChoir Members
8- Guitar ClassMembers
8- Bell Choir Members
203-Totalpeopleinvolvedin WorshipMinistrl
152-Total peopleserv'ingon all our Ministry
Teams
120-Childrenandyouth involvedin Sunday
School
7- Numberof UM WomenCircles
126- Wornennvolved in all dreIIM WomenCircles
$22.477-Raisedfor Missionsby theUMW thisyear
raisedby UMW for Missionsby their
$85,750-Total
Boutiquessince2000
$177,699-Totalgivento MissionsandOutreach
projectsthtoughCental UMCfrom all
sources*ris year
Totalgivento CapitalImprovement
$326,700-
projects
32- Youthinvolvedin youth.minist-y
150-Numberattending DVBS
60-Numberinvolved.inow Outreachand
MissionsTeams
50- Peopleinvolvedin Bible Surdres
40-Peopleinvolvedn){lYZ
338-AverageSundayworshipattendance in
20w
17.902-Numberof peopleworslupping'r'r,ithusin
2009
3 I - Numberof newmembersreceivedin 2009
'/'/???-Number
of smileson people'sfacesbecause
of the ministry of this church.numberof
heartsthat havebeencheered,soulsthat
beensaved,disciplesmade,hoperestored,
grief comforted,familiesmended,people
healedbecause ofour prayers

A
 ,,..rlc
S N G
The Ways and Mean Committee
would like to congratulateJaneKubemusfor her
outstandingwomenof theyearaward.Shetruly has
*RA*H *,{}lff
WrAruS*lvfrffi workedsohardthe pastl0 years.Her heartandsoul
wasin everyminuteof her work. Somepeoplework
RfrTHHAT
$P{ffilTtli&fl" andsomepeopletalk aboutit. ThanksJane,we love
you.
Central United MethodistWomen had their l7n
Folks,putthisonyour calender!May l4th & I 5ththe
in OceanCityleaming
annualretreatatPort-O-Call
springBoutiqueSaleis coming.If youhaveanything
whatit meansto be oneof God'spebbles. to donatecalloneof thegalsontheWaysandMeans
Committe. Or if you would wantto comeandhelp
Remember, touchingandbeingtouched,in a series andenjoyhardwork andfellowshipwrth the ladtes,
ofripples is an inescabable
fact oflife. we start settingup May lOth. Many handsmake
God touchesus. work lighter.
We touch others.
Otherstouchus. Wearealsolookingfor oneswho wouldlike to come
What a blessingif we allow the lord to directall in on thelOthto help bring our wonderfulitemsup
from the basement.Sat.the lastday of our salewe
the ripplesin our lives.WeareGod'spebbles.
are alwayslooking for peopleto help breakdown.
need
By this time we are all tired and desperately
Wehada wonderfultimein fellowship,prayerand yourhelp.Thankyouagarnfor helpingto makethis
study.Our leaderNancy Swank did a marvelous a successfulLMW pro1ect.
job leadingus at the retreat.A goodtime was had
by all who attended WaysandMeansComrruttee
 THAN"KYS-U-.-I-JITTS-RS
T h eG O i n q S - O n
-bv
DearReverencl
Watts: af Centfal worfram
chuck

Thankyou for supporting theNeighbor- Editorial apologiesto Chuck - The March Courier
reprintedthe Februaryarticle, most of the following
hood Centerthis past year. Through was meantfor publicationlast month:
your contributionand thoseof others
The Board of Trusteeswill considera proposalto
like you, we areableto reachout to the install solar panelson the roof of the sanctuaryand
Camdencommunitywith the gospelof theEducationBuilding. If installedour heatingbills
u.ill decreme,andwe will buy the panelsfive years
JesusChrist,ministering to thephysical after installation. We believewe have lookedat the
andspiritualneedsof children,families proposalfrom everyangleand no downsidehasbeen
andindividuals. found. It shouldliterallypay for itself.
The ChurchCouncil approvedthe 2010 operating
budgetat their meetingon January25n.We anticipate
Below is a summaryof the gifts you revenuesof $548,780and expensesof $578,489
havegivento the Neighborhood
Cen-ter leavingus with a deficitof $.i0.000.We anticipate
in2009'. thatamountwill becut in half; we askedtheTrustees,
Media,NurtureandPublicRelationsto eachcuttheir
budgetby ten percentin whateverway they decide.
l2l08gift $ 1.000.00 This is a very austerebudgetand we are hoping for
an economlcrecovery.Althoughsomemembersof
3lA9 git\ $ 2,2A0.00 the Council would havepreferreda largerbudgetfor
4/49 gi $ 100.00 their own ministry, the only votes cast againstthe
5lA9 gift $_.._180
80 budgetwere castby Council chair Mike Wolf and
FinancechairCathyShippen,both of whom wanted
$ 3,480.00 a balancedbudget.
We have 15 youth in the confirmationclass.which
Sincerely, makesit the largestconfirmationclasswe'vehad in
TimothyP.Humeniuk quitersometjme. We'vehad largerclasses{theoneI
belongedto was)but the lastone that largewasover
E,recutive
Director a decadeago.
The Sundayeveningserviceis now our secondbest
attendedworship service. Since Christmas,until;
at leastthe end of January,everyone of the evening
serviceshashad at least50 personsin attendance.
Gerald Ihle, our pastorfor four months in 2004,
has written anotherbook. Who Does God Pral
'Irinity
?it/: long&ge com(tlicules'sitnple truth wss
publishedin Januaryby HopePublishingHouse
(HYPERLINK "htfp:i /wll.r,.hope-pub. corr/"_www
andcosts$15plustax. You canorder
hgp_e_:p_ub,_c_g_m)
the book from the publisher,or Amazon.com,or for
an autographed copy,the authorat ghihle@snip.net

-6-
 Truthandqoodness
willpievail .
Any newspaperor newscast
containsenoughbad news to
wreck any Christian'shope
for mankind.Wars,murders,
brutality,crimesandotherin-
humaneactswe witnessdaily
canmakeus feelhopelessand
wilted.

Yet despitethe great horror

in this world, we must not
"The
despair.Our Lord said:
Son of Man will sendhis an-
gels,andthey will collectout
of his kingdomall causesof
sin andall evildoers.... Then
CENTRAL'S WATOTO the nghteouswill shinelike
the sun in the kingdom of
CELEBRATION WEEKEND theirFather"(Matthew13'.41,
A p r i9l - 1 12 0 1 0 . . 43, NRSV). God will always
have the last word. His truth
''Dave's House" Central LRIC is back andgoodnesswrll prevail.
from Ugandawherewe built a classroom
wi WatritoChildren'slvfinistrytn memory JamesRussellLowell wrote:
of'Dave Lewis.Norv we want to fill that
Thoughthecauseofevil prosper,
classroom with moresmilingfaces!Joinus Yet'tis truthaloneis strong:
at our WatotoCelebrationWeekend Thoughher porhonbe the scaf-
fold,
Specialeventsinclude:Friday - Godspell Anduponthethronebewrong;
at 7pm; Saturday- Lions Club Spaghetti Yetthatscaffoldswa-vs thefuture,
Dinrier al 4:i0prn. (iod.ipeli at Tytm Andbehindthedimunknown.
Standeth Godwithintheshadow
Sunday - Watoto Celebration Covered
Keepingwatchabovehisorvn.
l,)rshl.)innr:r'at5; lA/orship at 6. Acaclern-v-
"
Ai.r'aril\Vi mring.Iri i nr Warllani: e" at'i pnt.
All weekendlong - wanderthe displays,
vote in the Photo Contest,meet Watoto
"Living
USA representatives, leam how
I{upe" iri cirzurgtng the lives ol rvarrrapei
abusevictims, registerfor this sunmer's
African themed VacationBible School
"BaobabBlast".

A publicationof: Celtral UnitedMethodistChurch,5 W Marvin Ave.,Linrvood,NJ 08221,@9-921-4882;Editor: BarbaraE. Van

Sant.609-289-6242, bevansant@eanhlink.net; Copy Editor: LynneQuicksall,609641-7415;SeniorPastor: RonaldWatts'609-927-
355.5.reyrviill.s
tralumcnj@verizon. net. Visit our web site.www.centralumcnj.org-
The Courier is publishedmonthly to keep membersand liiends informedof prograrnsof the churchand to report newsaboutCentml's
'[cr
people.
type and e-maii the informationto the Editor. The Courier articlesmustbe submittedby the l0th ol the month prior to the issue.
 "We
believe in God and in
eachother."Thepeopleof The
UnitedMethodistChurch."

UnitedCentralMethodistChurch

"Sti3lr" ,rr:i##
,,,,,,#1corree
hours
are
""""f r""?Jffi!L?T,.tT?f'[f";r'3J,1,*..
rheconsresati""
',#$*litt" is askedto helpdesignated
groupssupplyrefreshments
by followingthe alphabetical
list. ,,u_'ffi,f;*t"

Month Congregation Committee Month CongregationCommittee

January A &B Staff Parish July L,M,N Tlustees

February C Youth August Atl Music

March D&E Finance September O'BQ'R Hospitality

April F&G XYZ'S October s,T,u Worship

May H Outreach November v,wx,Y, UMW

&Z
June I,J,&K Lav Ministrv December All Church
Council