Greg, the Church Bunny

In the past couple of weeks, we have seen two bunnies hopping around the parsonage and church grounds.

The other day, we saw a really little bunny. S/he was SO little! Pastor Charles and I named this bunny: "Greg, the Church Bunny."

He is pictured above.

So next time you are at the church or parsonage, do be on the lookout for the bunny family hopping around.

Praise be to God for all the critters in this word and the joy they bring to us human beings!

Results of Yesterday's Church Visioning Exercise!

The picture above is from the chapel of the First United Methodist Church in Sidney, Nebraska.

We ask for prayers. The members of our church are beginning a series of visioning exercises. We are listening for God's Spirit to give us direction. What should we be doing as a church -- to be in effective ministry and mission to the world now and in the days and years ahead?

www.sidney-firstumc.org/Vision.html

If you go to the this website, you will see the results of yesterday's visioning exercise that was held during our potluck luncheon after Sunday services.

Indeed, it is an exciting time in the life of the First United Methodist Church in Sidney, Nebraska.

Praise be to God!!!

Today was a very special Sunday. It was "Celebration Sunday!" After our second service, at 11:00 a.m., we a church-wide potluck. Yum-yum-yum! Yes, it was a wonderful time of food, fun and fellowship!

Pastor Charles presented something special to two of the three leaders of the Youth Mission trip 2007. He demonstrated the church's appreciation for ALL their efforts in getting the youth team to and from their mission field in Denver, Colorado. It was a very safe and successful trip, indeed! We thank God that there are folks who willing to give of their time and their spirit.. to help shape the future of the church.

We spent some of the time "visioning." That is, we talked about dreams and visions... of what our church could be... of what types of ministries we could begin and/or expand. Some very interesting ideas/concepts have surfaced! Stay tuned!!!

A rainy day in Sidney

What day it was here in Sidney. We got an early start, first stopping by the church to see how the folks preparing the Care/Share meals were fairing. These wonderful folks prepare meals for our shut-ins and deliver the delicious food all over the area.

We also checked in on the progress Paul & Jennifer Hopwood were making on transforming a cluttered room into a brand-new education resource room. They were also getting the Fellowship Hall ready for the big Celebration Sunday potluck. There is a lot of work ahead of us, but the church is poised for some big things!!!

Next it was downtown Sidney for the big side-walk sale. Most of the merchants downtown had special sales, and there was terrific farmers' market in the courthouse parking lot. We saw lots of church members and others whom we had met in our first month here.

Some people had already seen the article in the Saturday paper introducing Charles as the new UMC pastor! It was so much fun seeing his story in print this way!!!

Belinda is pictured in her new "Ladies Chamber" shirt. When we arrived in town, both of us became members of the Chamber of Commerce, and our church decided to join too. Now our church is listed in the chamber website's membership directory, which also provides a link to our new church website. It is all very exciting!

When we came back home, it was a whoosh of activity. Belinda made herself busy with cookie baking for the potluck, and Charles went to the church to make some preparations for the two services on Sunday.

We had a wonderful rain this afternoon; we so need it here. Hopefully this won't be the last rain we get this week!

Be sure to check out the blogs, www.parsonagepictures.blogspot.com and www.sidneyfirstumc.blogspot.com for more of what we're doing.

A Lovely Day for a Wedding!

Truth be told... any day is a lovely day for a wedding!

This afternoon, Pastor Charles had the distinct pleasure and honor of officiating at the wedding of Beth Reynolds and John Sweeney. The bride was radiant, of course! And the groom was delightful!

It was an intimate service that was held in the chapel. And, of course, I cried... tears of joy and thankfulness... that these two wonderful folks had found each other. God is SO good!!!

Afterwards, we enjoyed all the scrumptious wedding reception goodies. Everything was delicious!

The bride made the cake! (And I was told that the groom helped!) It turns out that Beth is one expert cake maker/decorator. She has even taught classes at our local college about how to make and decorate cakes. So who else was she going to have make her wedding cake, but her, right?! It was the best wedding cake I have ever had! Thank you, Beth, and also thank you, John, for your able assistance to Beth!

It was a lovely day for a wedding! Thanks be to God!!!

Every blessing to one and all,

Belinda

"Youth Mission Trip 2007's" Triumphant Return Home

Yea! We just witnessed the triumphant return home of the participants in this year's "Youth Mission Trip 2007!"

Parents, friends, fellow church members... all were so excited to see them return safely home to us at the First United Methodist Church (FUMC)!

Praise be to God for their willingness to travel afield and be such faithful disciples!

The church's "welcome home" sign was proudly posted on the FUMC front door, in anticipation of their arrival.

Pictured is our intrepid trio of dynamic youth leaders, who led our youth group on a journey of faith-building, character-building experiences.

Pictured are the amazing members of the "Youth Mission Team 2007!" We are so grateful to God for giving them a safe and successful week away from us, doing God's work in a variety of mission fields in Colorado!

Pictured is the team doing some sort of secret move... known only to them! (Maybe they'll clue us in on Sunday... about what it means... and about what it meant for them to navigate the waters of this year's youth mission trip. Come Sunday and find out!)

Every blessing,

Belinda

Creation of Parsonage Blog... and More!

Today Belinda began her project of creating a parsonage tour blog! You can check it out at http://www.parsonagepictures.blogspot.com/!

Pastor Charles travelled to the Veterans Hospital in Cheyenne, Wyoming. During his eye exam, the eye doctor raved about how his eyes are doing. It was back in December 2003, when a Navy eye doctor performed laser surgery on his eyes, resulting him not having to wear glasses any more! (He had worn them since he was eight years old!) Yea, God: Good news, indeed!!!

This afternoon, Belinda had a lot of fun changing out the message on the church's outdoor sign (by the road). Now it reads: Celebration Sunday, Potluck 11:00, Please Come. (It really is the little things in life that make it fun, exciting, complete!)

Tonight Belinda volunteered in the local community college's phone-a-thon, to raise money for college scholarships. In particular, an anonymous benefactor has agreed to donate up to $10,000 as a matching donation, i.e., if we find $10,000 in donations, then s/he will match it, for a total of $20,000 in college scholarships... in memory of Army Specialist Borm, a member of our community, who was recently killed in Iraq. The phone-a-thon is a 3-day event. We are well on our way towards meeting our goal! All thanks to the generosity of the great folks who live in Sidney! Praise be to God for such generous spirits!

While Belinda was volunteering, Pastor Charles created a new brochure for the church. It will be included in future welcome packets distributed by the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce. Also it will be used at the church. It looks really great!

Well, time to turn in. As my brother and I used to tell each other when we were little: "Good night; God bless; sleep tight; sweet dreams; see you in the morning; good night."

May God grant all of us sweet slumbers this night.

Every blessing,

Belinda

Great Sunday Services Yesterday!

Yesterday was another lovely Sunday, filled with wonderful opportunity for worship!

At the 10:00 a.m. service, it was fun to see a grandpa join his grandchildren in children's time!

Also we were blessed with some great special music. Thanks so much, Linda Walter, for playing "the big organ" for us. And thanks to our visiting guitarist Jeff and his lovely family members: LeAnn Kampfe, Susan Roth and Jill Lukesh!

God is SO good!

Youth Mission Trip Send-off Yesterday!

The Youth Mission Trip

The youth departed yesterday on their week-long mission trip to Denver. Prayers are sought for the youth, their intrepid sponsors and all those whom the group offers ministry to this coming week.

The early morning send-off was a scene of great energy as Karen scurried about making sure everyone had their permission forms filled out and the parents had the contact info for the mission site. Bo was hard at work, trying to fit as much baggage into the bed of his pickup as possible.

Jennifer Hopwood distributed prayer swatches (called splotches by some of the youth) while Belinda Alkula gave out goodie bags to sustain the travelers on their route west.

A terrific group of youth and adults have left Sidney, sent in Christ's name and bearing our blessings. We look forward to their report of their activities during our Celebration Service next week!!!

http://www.sidneyfirstumc.blogspot.com

Parsonage Ponderings from Belinda

Yesterday was a busy day.

In the morning, it was office work and the final unpacking of things at the parsonage. In the afternoon, Pastor Charles officiated at the memorial service of Janie E. Gates Beran. This was one amazing lady, to be sure!

There was a special energy being generated by the people attending the service. Obviously, these people were forever influenced and changed by having known this very talented lady... an artist, a teacher, a colleague, an associate, a sister, cousin, mother, grandmother, etc. During the service, many folks offered their favorite memories of time spent with her. Afterwards, there was an unusual "buzz" of ... well, joy... it felt like joy... their joy for having had the priviledge of knowing her and getting to spend time with her.

Although we never met Ms. Beran, we felt like we got to know her (just a little bit) from the stories we heard retold, from the beauty that exuded from some of her artwork that was displayed in the church foyer and from the joy emitted by friends and family who rejoiced and thanked God for the gift of this lady in their lives. Thanks be to God for giving us such special people in our lives!

In the evening, Belinda attended the "Friends of the Library" meeting. She joined the group, and she volunteered Pastor Charles to write a book review for their next newsletter. (She is so good at volunteering him for things, don't you know?!) She was impressed with the level of commitment demonstrated by these faithful citizens who have pledged to "support quality library service in the community through fund-raising, volunteerism, and serving as advocates for the library's program."

Today we are looking forward to the 9:00 a.m. Prayer Circle at the church. Belinda is having someone come over to the parsonage for afternoon tea at 2:00 p.m. And tonight at 6:30 p.m., there is a planning meeting for the Cub Scouts in the area.

God is SO good!

Monday, Monday...

Well, it's a good thing that Pastor Charles got a lot done in the morning, before he went to his dental appointment at the VA medical center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, this afternoon. Poor Pastor Charles! When he emerged from the one and one-half hour session in the dentist's chair, he managed to convey the message, "I need to go home now."

I am sure that once he has time to recover from it all tonight, he will up and running, as usual, tomorrow. Good thing, since he is conducting a memorial service tomorrow afternoon.

Belinda will be nursing him back to health tonight. (I think it is going to be ice cream for supper tonight.)

Another Great Sunday in Sidney, NE!

We had another great Sunday here in Sidney, NE!

The Iowa Scouts who stayed in the Youth Lounge of the church last night said to be sure and thank everyone for the warm hospitality extended to them, as they travel to their Scout camp in Colorado, for a week-long camp experience. They enjoyed donations of cookies and milk, donuts and juice from our congregation. They said thanks to our youth for allowing them to use their "foose-ball (?spelling) game." When they left early this morning, they all had smiles on their faces and warm memories of our church in their hearts. Yea, God!

Summer-time is a very special time. Belinda loves to see all the bright, cheerful colors in everyone's clothing. It is a happy, carefree time of year (for most folks that is... like children who are still enjoying being out of school). Some folks are still very busy with the wheat harvest. These are hearty, hearty folks! They live and work close to the earth, and they have a deep appreciation for "all" the daily blessings from the good Lord above!

As you can see from the pictures, Pastor Charles, Bill Dinkel and Dan Rowan had some fun before the 10:00 a.m. service today. What a great spirit is in this church! Praise be to God!!!

Pastor Charles is VERY grateful to Doug and Cody Armbruster for coming by the parsonage this afternoon and helping him get his button panels put together. They look G-R-E-A-T! Now folks need to come by and see them all up and in position... ready for the tours to begin! Pastor Charles is one happy fellow now. Thanks so much Doug and Cody! ((Their selfless service netted a donation for the United Methodist Youth Fellowship (UMYF) mission trip, which takes place in one week's time. Please pray for these wonderful young folks and their adult leaders... that they will have a productive and spiritual adventure.))

God is SO good!

A Summary of Events!

Where has the week gone? Gosh, it seems that the past few days have flown by with little time for blog entries! But today, with a few minutes to spare, here is a recap of what transpired since the last entry on Tuesday:

The big event on Wednesday was Charles attending his first Ad Board meeting at the church! Whew, was there a lot of material covered and the outcome was most productive!

Thursday morning saw us participating in the church's prayer circle along with two others. We outlined an ambitious agenda for the group including a new initiative called "A.S.A.P. @ 10:00." ASAP stands for "Always Say a Prayer @ 10:00." Here in Sidney, there is a test of the emergency preparedness siren every Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. We thought this would be a terrific reminder to the church community here in Sidney to come together in prayer. Whether inside or outside of Sidney, people can join us in prayer without coming to the church.

Friday's big event was Belinda driving to Scottsbluff to run some errands while Charles tried to focus on the sermon for the coming week. Charles did get to take a breather in the afternoon, playing a round of golf with three church members at the beautiful Hillside Golf Course located just eight blocks from the house! When Belinda returned home, Charles announced that he had invited a troop of Boy Scouts (13 boys and 4 leaders) to spend the night in the parsonage basement instead of sleeping on the church's floor! Needless to say this has caused an accelaration of the finishing touches to the parsonage!

Here it is Saturday and Charles has spent some time putting the finishing touches on a powerpoint bulletin for both services (a first) and Belinda has been hard at work getting the yard/garden looking its best! The youth group at the church has been washing cars for several hours, trying to raise funds for the upcoming mission trip to Denver. It is so awesome seeing the energy they bring and the fun they have working towards a good cause.

It should be rather interesting tonight when the Scouts descend upon the parsonage. Pray for us!

Visitors to the Parsonage!

The parsonage received a VERY important visitor today! His name is Kevin Brown. He and his family attend Sidney First United Methodist Church.

As you can see from the picture, of all the kids in America, he won "The Cheesiest Kid at Wal-Mart" award this year. His picture was actually on the box of Macaroni and Cheese, along with his hometown designation of Sidney, Nebraska! Yee-haw! He "even" autographed one of "his" boxes for Pastor Charles! Of course, we have it in a place of honor in our kitchen! (Actually, he gave it to Pastor Charles on his first Sunday to preach at the church. It made the day all the more special because of that generous gift!)

Well, today, Kevin was recognized in our local library's children's reading program. He read ten books, so he was eligible for prizes AND a special reading button/badge. His mother Carrie said that when he received it, he told her that he wanted to give it to Pastor Charles, because he probably did not have that button. It mentions getting a clue, since that was the theme of this year's program.

Kevin convinced his mom to drive him to the parsonage for the button presentation. Unfortunately, Pastor Charles was away in Lincoln, attending a pastors' meeting, so he wasn't on hand to receive it in person. He certainly has a big surprise when he gets home tonight! Pastor always says, "a day when you get a button is a VERY good day, indeed!"

Belinda gave the family the parsonage tour, especially pastor's button collection in the basement. (Total is over 7,000 buttons now!) Kevin and sister Samantha had fun looking at some of them, recognizing ones from movies they have seen and others from different businesses and restaurants. We enjoyed a great visit!

Praise be to God for a young man with a sweet, generous spirit! Praise be to God for parents who nurture such a soul!

And tonight, as Charles was driving back home, Rilla Draper, a dear lady from the church, stopped by the parsonage and collected Belinda, so she could go with her to the Christian Women's Group gathering at the local Holiday Inn. With Rilla was a lovely lady named Ardis, who lives in a farm near Rilla. So off the dynamic trio went. We had a lovely dinner, and then Rilla gave a wonderful special presentation about her collection of bird nests. Afterwards, there were door prizes, newcomer welcome gifts, musical offerings by an amazing couple of ladies and a a featured speaker. We had a great evening!

God is SO good!

A Good Monday!

Today was a good day!

The highlight of Charles' day was his meeting with a couple who want to get married in a couple of months. He enjoyed hearing about their story and getting to know them.

Belinda's success story for the day was using the new lawnmower for the first time and getting ALL the parsonage grounds mowed. Whew! It took a morning session and an afternoon session to get it done. In between, she had to run to the store to buy a gas can and get it filled, so she could finish the job. The yard is really big, so keeping the lawn mowed is going to be her workout routine! (One cool thing: while mowing, she had a great amount of time to pray. So from now on, it's going to be the lawn-mowing prayer time for Belinda.)

The highlight for us this evening was that we were able to visit with a lovely family who live on a nearby farm; it has the most amazing views across the fields all around them. It was wonderful to spend time with them, sitting outside and enjoying the breeze. We took a tour around their property and heard about some of its history. Their girls are delightful, and their family pets were so cute. The girls showed us their tree house and their favorite places on the farm. Dad grilled some amazing steaks, and Mom made yummy baked potatoes and salad.

This dear family made the extremely generous offer to us that we can consider their farm home as our place in the country "get-away." We told them not to be surprised if they look out their windows some day and see us sitting in their swings, enjoying the breeze. What warm hospitality they showed us!

Praise be to God for folks with generous spirits!

Second Sunday in July 2007, Sidney, NE

We had two wonderful services this morning. It is great to still be meeting folks in our new church family. They are very patient with us as we try to learn all their names!

In between services, Pastor Charles gave his Columbus, Ohio, Comets Professional Women's Football T-shirt to Whitney Armbruster, a member of the congregation. She had expressed an interest in the fact that Pastor Charles' brother's wife Staci is on this team. When the T-shirt was unpacked, Pastor Charles knew Whitney just had to have it! From the look of Whitney's lovely smile, it looks like it was the right decision! Praise be to God for Whitney's enthusiastic approach to life and all-things sports, especially football! She is a lovely, poised young lady, and she exudes a positive, generous spirit!

At the second service, we had some very special music provided during the offeratory by the Reimers Family. Teenaged sons Justin and Jeremy sang a lovely song, while their mother Teresa signed the words. When lyrics to a song are signed, the message always has more impact on me. Thanks be to God for talented folks who are willing to share their talents with others! (We also really enjoyed the youngest brother's attendance at the worship and his active participation in the "children's time!" What a great family!)

It was such a pleasure for Pastor Charles and I to have the time today to visit with some more of the members of the congregation and our visitors. We feel so blessed to be getting to know all of these fine folks!

Loving life in Sidney.....

Belinda

A Beautiful Day for a Wedding!

What a week this has been for us! It began with our first Sunday in the parish, a funeral on Thursday and today a wedding.

The funeral of Geri Olsen was a service in tribute to a woman who lived life to the full. Her joy for her family, friends and community was a shining example for all of us; we should all try to live such a life of love and service to others!

Today at 10:00 a.m., we were treated to the sight of Mary McMarty being escorted by two of her adult sons to the place where her intended, Richard Yahn, and Charles waited. It was a very intimate setting in the backyard of their home, with just family members in attendance. Spud the dog even chose to join the wedding party for a few brief moments during the ceremony! Of course, the bride was beautiful and radiant, and the groom, handsome! They are a lovely couple. The setting was joy-filled and Spirit-filled. Indeed, it seems to be a match made in heaven. Praise God!

Following a few chores at home, it was off to Scottsbluff to look for a few items for the house. We had a nice drive, enjoying the scenery and getting to look at some ideas for the house. The heat that has gripped the west this week continued today. The car thermometer read 103 F this afternoon as we drove to Scottsbluff! That is just too hot!!

Tomorrow looks to be a very full day with church, a conference event in Ogallala, and a church youth movie night at the downtown Sidney theater. We hope to see the evening showing of the movie "Evan Almighty."

Signing off for tonight, I pray to all who read this blog: Grace and peace!

Love, Belinda

P.S. Oh, yes, and of course, Pastor Charles sends his love and best wishes too!

Mellerdrama in nearby village of Potter

A great evening was had by all tonight in the nearby village of Potter!

Could you hear us booing and hissing the villain and cheering for the hero... and all that hooping and hollering? Well, it was all of us who were gathered at the American Legion Hall! We even at "villain balls" to throw at him. (They were yellow soft-cushiony balls with a picture of a villain stamped on them in black ink.) What a fun time it was!

We enjoyed the bar-b-que dinner beforehand. Wow, was it ever yummy!

All in all, it was a great evening of good food, good entertainment. Praise be to God!

From beginning to end

The main focus of today was on the funeral service for one of the members of the Sidney First UMC, Geri Olsen. The service was well attended with many former students and teachers from her 33 years in the classroom. The ladies of the church provided a splendid luncheon following the service. A highlight of these meals has to be the chicken-rice casserole, which is legendary in these parts!

Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who give of themselves in so many special ways. Belinda joined the volunteers in the kitchen, spending quite a bit of time drying cutlery and enjoyed getting to know them. The conversation in the kitchen would be fitting in the play we saw in Nashville, "Church Basement Ladies!" (For more info about this great play, here is a website about it: http://www.niacc.cc.ia.us/calevents/2006-07/ladies.html)

After the service and luncheon, Belinda returned to the parsonage to take care of household matters including getting the cable/tv issues resolved. Charles in the meanwhile did a room-by-room survey of the church. He noted a number of opportunities for the church to really take-off in living out the six signs of discipleship that are central to the vision of the Nebraska Annual Conference. (For more info, see this webpage: http://www.umcneb.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/11/14/455a3841b4b34.)

After a bit of rest, we tackled the garage, completing the setting up of shelves which made organizing the space possible.

Tomorrow we are going to finish sorting the last bedroom (boxes, etc.), and then we will go shopping for some needed items for the house. Naturally, we are really looking forward to the Mellerdrama in Potter tomorrow night!

We thank God every day that he brought us "home" to this wonderful place called Sidney!

Happy Fourth of July from Sidney, Nebraska!

Greetings one and all! Happy Fourth of July 2007!!

What a great holiday it was today for us folks living here in the town of Sidney, Nebraska. It all started last night when the town set off an amazing celebration of fireworks. We sat in lawn chairs at the end of our long driveway, watching them go off. Some of our neighbors joined us. It was a really fun time!

This morning, at around 7:00 a.m., we heard the loud "boom" when some of the town folks blew up an anvil (an annual Fourth of July tradition here). This afternoon, we spent a few hours unpacking more boxes and organizing our things. Tonight we walked to the town park, where the Ladies Chamber Division of the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce sponsored a free ice cream social. They had local entertainers performing in the gazebo. We actually saw a little girl "walking" her pet pig! We enjoyed sitting with Bea and Bill from our church! All of us enjoyed listening to the "oldies and goodies" music; they even had a barber shop quartet called the "Clippers!"

After we got home, we joined some neighbors on their front porch, recounting the day's activities. Long into this evening, we were able to see more fireworks out our living room windows. The neighbors were busy setting off their fireworks all around the town. Charles even set off a few of his own!

Yes, the sign when you enter Nebraska is correct: This IS the good life!

Praise be to God!!!

Our First Sunday in Sidney

Today was a remarkable day for us: our first Sunday in our new church!

Charles went to the church at 6am to get "in the space," a tradition he has followed since he began in the ministry. It was so quiet, the church at rest, before the energy that is unleased when the congregation arrives.

At 8am, the first service began, and so our time at Sidney, which we have seemingly been waiting for forever, had arrived. We were introduced to the congregation by Ken McMillan, chairman of the Pastor-Parish Relations Committe (PPRC), and we were presented a prayer shawl by Marilee Rowan, Julie Armbruster and Bea Dinkel.

There were 71 at the early service and 130 at the 10:00 service. It was so exciting; a lot was accomplished at these first services. The reaction to our use of the NUTS acronym (Never Underestimate the Spirit) was really good. We distributed festive bags that Belinda had filled yesterday with a variety of nuts to symbolize the types of people - salty, sweet, in shells, exotic nuts and so on, that make up the church community. It was fun hearing people talk after the services, wondering what sort of nut they are!

In between the two services and after the second service, there was cake and coffee to be shared. The cake was huge! The warmth of this congregation is so terrific. We are so grateful that God led us home to Sidney, Nebraska!

After the second service, the Brown family took our intention to be involved in the community life to heart. It was their son Kevin who invited us to his seventh birthday party in the park tonight. (He wore a special "birthday boy" button/badge. Pastor Charles was impressed with that!) We shared pizza and cupcakes with five other cub scouts, sister Samantha, and parents Scott and Carrie. It was so much fun watching the children enjoying the surroundings, and the water balloons "war" was enjoyed by all.

This first "official" week here in Sidney promises to be a busy one! Praise be to God!!!