Living Water United Methodist Church "The little brown church in the mall"
1155 Grand Avenue (at the corner of East Post Road and Grand Avenue)
Marion, IA 52302 Phone 319-368-6418
Our mission is to share the living water of Jesus Christ with a thirsty community!
| Pastor Lisa invites you to "Come As You Are" |
Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
It’s hard to believe that we are beginning the month of June! After such a long winter and cold weather that seemed to want to hang on forever, it’s good to feel the warmer temperatures and trade in the long pants for shorts!
June is the month when all the clergy and lay leaders travel to Des Moines for the Iowa Annual Conference. We will meet from June 7 to June 10. It is such an amazing gathering of around 1,200 people who discuss and discern the will of God in making important decisions and
debating controversial issues. This year, I will be elected as a provisional member and participate in a commissioning service, which is one more step closer to my ordination.
I always look forward to the summer months and spending more time outdoors. We gather with our extended families to celebrate graduations, weddings, family reunions and take vacations. But our calendars rapidly become filled with little time to relax. Be sure to set aside time
for Sabbath, a time to rest and to spend some quiet time with God, in the midst of all the activities. You may have to worship out of town while on your travels. Walking in the woods or a picnic on the beach is a perfect time to give thanks for the beauty of creation. As you eat,
drink and make merry with friends and family, be sure to say a grateful prayer for those God has given you to spend your life with. It is also important to remember that the monthly expenses continue at Living Water, even if you are not there to worship. We appreciate those who pay ahead or make donations by automatic payment.
We will also have special speakers leading worship in the month of June. Brian Hanson will join me to lead worship on June 2. He is an awesome musician, weaving God’s word and times of worship between the songs. On June 9, Bobby Colquhoun will return to preach and lead worship. His ministry continues to grow, after being interviewed on the 700 Club on CBN. On June 16, Paul Kitzki will be preaching a special Father’s Day sermon while I am on vacation visiting my grandkids. He always has an amazing message! Finally, put Vacation Bible School on your calendars for June 24-26, 6 -9 pm. Angie and Becca are putting together a great time for the kids. Be sure to ask how you can support them!
No matter where you are, and in everything you do this summer, don’t forget to praise the Lord!
“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies! Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling
stars! Praise him skies above! Let every created
thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued the command,
and they came into being.” Psalm 148:1-6 NLT
See you in worship! Pastor Lisa
May 2013 Streams of Thought:
Here we are beginning the month of May, hoping and praying the snow is behind
us! My dream of having all of April showers be rain turned out to be more than
we needed - with some snow sprinkled in! Hope that most of your basements
stayed dry or are getting dry by now!
We had the first marathon in Marion and were shocked by the bombings in Boston. The tension in Korea continues and many were killed in West, Texas. We cling to the promise that God goes through all things with us!
On a happier note, several gathered to rake and clean up the parking lot and
grounds, anticipating spring - we're still waiting! Your assistance was appreciated!
We also raised over $3,700 for children and youth to attend church camps and
participate in mission trips at the Awesome Auction. Gayle and Molly did such an
awesome job as auctioneers! Thank you for all who donated and participated.
Thank you to those who made desserts and attended the Marion Cares Pasta
Dinner - over 375 people were served. It was a great time of sharing a meal with
people from all over the US and sharing information about what Marion Cares
does for the children and families of the Marion community.
Norm and I attended the District Celebration and Pre Conference Meeting at Pictures Rocks and learned more about ministries in the area and what will be discussed at Annual Conference. The Leadership Training Event at Shueyville gave us more good information for several of our own ministries at Living Water. I give thanks for the commitment of the leaders of the church to set aside time to learn how to make new places for new people and be effective
at making disciples!
Thanks to the men's group for the great pancake breakfast to raise money for Imagine No Malaria! Administrative Professionals Day/Week was also in April. Please give thanks to
our unpaid office volunteers - Julie, Terry, Jan L., Jan K. and Deb M. Deb F..also assists with the bulletin. They all do such an awesome job!
As we look forward to this month's activities, we pray for more opportunities of
joy and we can see it will be a busy month! There are many opportunities to
participate in being a part of our faith community.
The youth will host a Fiesta Dinner on the evening of May 6 to raise money for their upcoming mission trip to Joplin, Missouri. Lots of good food, fellowship, fun and dancing will abound!
We celebrate Mother's Day on May 12 as we give thanks for good mothers and pray
for those who struggle with difficult relationships in regard to mothers and motherhood.
We will also remember mothers in Africa who pray that more children will have a chance to live healthy lives free of Malaria.
On May 19 we plan to celebrate the confirmation of seven of our youth and recognize those who are graduating from high school and college. We will end the month by recognizing
Memorial Day weekend and give thanks for those who gave their lives for our
freedom and who continue to serve to bring peace to the world.
"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident
of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1:4-6
See you in church,
Pastor Lisa Schroeder
Living Water United Methodist Church
1155 Grand Avenue
Marion, IA 52302
Phone 319-368-6418
April's letter:
As we begin the month of April, we pray that the snow is behind us and all our April showers will consist of rain! In spite of the snowy weather, the last six weeks have been a deeply moving and spiritual time, as we made our Lenten journey to the cross and experienced Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The video from the Holy Land showed actual locations of the events that put us in the footsteps of Christ. But the journey doesn't end with Easter. In fact, Jesus now commands us to make disciples of all nations and build the kingdom of God--its now our purpose.
In April we will begin a series titled "Change the World: Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus Christ". This study was written by Mike Slaughter, lead pastor at Ginghamsburg UMC in Tipp City, Ohio. Ginghamsburg, a church that has grown from 90 worshippers a week to over 5000, strives to be the hands and feet of Jesus, serving those in need. This will be a great learning opportunity as we consider what God is calling us to be and to do in our "neighborhood".
During the month of April, we have several opportunities to help us consider ways to grow spiritually, become more effective at ministries that reach out to those in need, and to participate in events in the neighborhood.
"Quit worrying about getting people into your church and start finding opportunities to move the people who are already there out into God's service." --Mike Slaughter
"This is a challenge that, if we pick it up, will not only change our churches but also transform the world." --Jim Wallis
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." -- Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19)
March's letter:
As we begin the month of March, we are half-way through the Season of Lent. We began our Lenten Journey on February 13 with the Ash Wednesday service, which reminded us of our mortality and our need to confess our sins. We marked our forehead with the sign of a cross made of ashes; remembering that Jesus’ death on the cross saves us from our sins.
During Sunday worship we have been studying the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life, from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday. We have gone from the Last Supper where Jesus gathered with his disciples, to the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed that God might find another way but was captured and taken to the High Priest’s home. We will discuss how the religious leaders condemned Jesus, the disciples deserted him, a criminal was set free and Jesus condemned to die, as he was tortured and humiliated to pay the price for our sins.
This is a time to remember that we often fail to hear God’s call, fail to be obedient and fail to resist temptation – things that lead us away from God. Yet, we also remember how Jesus willingly went to the cross to pay for our failures and to fulfill God’s purpose in a plan for saving the world that might renew a right relationship with God and bring us back to God.
During Holy Week (March 24-31), we will remember Palm Sunday – with the children waving Palm branches, participate in Maundy Thursday – remember Jesus kneeling to wash the disciple’s feet, tremble on Good Friday – experiencing the stations of the cross and the crucifixion of Christ, then gather on Easter at the empty tomb - celebrating the resurrection of Christ and victory over sin and death!
As we continue to reflect how the events of Jesus’ sacrifice have meaning in our own faith journeys, I invite you to commit to spending just a little more time with God each day by reading the daily devotional that allows time for you to reflect on “24 Hours That Changed the World.” Then come and celebrate the risen Christ with us as we remember together that we serve a living Lord who has brought us all new life!
“You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations!” Luke 24:45-47
See you in church!
Pastor Lisa Schroder
Living Water United Methodist Church
1155 Grand Avenue
Marion, IA 52302
Phone 319-368-6418
"Glory to God in the highest and peace to those who god favors!” Luke 2:14
"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father!” Ephesians 5:20
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior." John 3:16-17 The Good News Bible