A Special Evening in Sidney, Nebraska!

Tonight we attended the town's "Newcomers Picnic" down at the town park. It was a lovely night; we had a beautiful breeze. We enjoyed good food and fellowship. They had some wonderful entertainment. Two fellows with amazing singing voices blessed us with their musical offerings. We met some great folks who, like us, had arrived sometime within the last 18 months.

Afterwards, we walked down to the gazebo in the park, where we participated in the "Night of Hope" observance. Pastor Charles gave the opening and closing prayers. We lit two luminaries (bags with a light in each one): One light honored those surviving with cancer, and the other light honored the memory of those who have fought the disease. Some folks gave their testimonies about what it means to be involved in this wonderful support group. There was a woman who sang so beautifully, and her musician friend played the keyboard really well. Their music added a real festive flair to the evening.

Each year, the group facilitates the walk to raise awareness and to raise funds for the research to find a cure. (Each year except this one, that is, since the Cattlemen's Ball at the beginning of the summer raised a huge amount of money for cancer research within the state of Nebraska.)

It is a really worthwhile effort! It was such a joy to spend time with folks who genuinely care about the health and well being of their neighbors and friends.

Praise be to God for people who volunteer their time, energy and passionate commitment to being in service to others!

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Pastor Charles' Opening Prayer...

Holy God,

You are the source of our life.

We thank you that we have this day to remember the joy that comes from sharing the gift of life.

We thank you also for those who care for us when we are ill, for those who love us when we feel unlovable and for each new day we are given to share the love we have been given.

We ask for Your blessing on this night and on this fellowship.

Surrounded by Your love, we pray.

Amen.

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Pastor Charles' Closing Prayer...

Loving God,

Grant that we never forget what we have shared this night. In our journey through this life, we are blessed with people such as those with whom we have shared this celebration. We leave here, having been touched by others.

It is our hope that our lives would reflect the spirit of community that we have experienced tonight and that, in the days to come, others may know that there is hope in abundance.

In Your hopeful name,

Amen.

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Worship, Aug 5, 2007: Praise God for...

At both worship services this morning, we prayed prayers; we sang hymns; we read Scripture; we heard the Word of God proclaimed... and we celebrated the blessed events in the life of the congregation of the Sidney First United Methodist Church.

At the 10:00 service, we heard some beautiful special music from Martha Gibbs. Thank you, Martha, for sharing your talent with us; your music was just lovely.

In all the pictures above, we can see the beautiful flowers that were placed on the communion table by the children of Dr. Jim and Kathleen Edwards, who are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. Praise be to God for the gift of Spirit-led marriages which flourish for years and years and years, blessing all with whom they come into contact!

At both services, some of the newly created prayer shawls were prayed over and blessed. During the children's time at the 10:00 a.m. service, our very own Samantha Brown volunteered to model some of them for the congregation.

And thanks go to Everett, a visitor who was willing to be today's "honorary adult"/child at the children's service. Everett is visiting Sidney to do business with Cabela's. His wife is a United Methodist pastor in Michigan.

Praise be to God for children of all ages who love and celebrate God's Love for us all!

Sunday Morning Fellowship in the Prayer Shawl Ministry Room!

There is an amazing ministry going on at the Sidney First United Methodist Church. It is called the Prayer Shawl Ministry. Throughout the week and on Sunday morning, faithful folks crochet and/or knit special "prayer shawls," which are blessed and then presented to folks, so that the Love of Christ can be wrapped around these people, no matter what joys and/or concerns they may have at any particular time.

This morning, like most Sunday mornings in the summertime (when there are no formal Sunday School classes going on), the people creating these prayer shawls and their family and friends congregate to visit, to laugh, to pray. When I walked into the room this morning, I could feel such a positive energy; I could feel the presence of the Lord in that place!

Praise God for faithful followers of Jesus Christ, who love and nurture and support one another... who are willing to use their hands to create visible reminders to people that the Love of God is wrapped around them, come what may!

Work Day at the Parsonage!

Today was another busy day!

Belinda mowed the parsonage lawn. After the rain we had this week, the grass was needing a haircut. Pastor Charles weed-whacked and then...

Well he was a real handy-man today!

He stained the post, on which sits our mailbox. I really like the stain! It looks so much better than the dull brown bare wood that was in place before.

Then he painted the wrought iron work by the front door black, to freshen the look of the black wrought iron that had dulled and rusted in places. His fun surprise was that he painted the crosses in it red... just like the red in the United Methodist Church's official logo, the cross and flame. I think it looks worlds better!

The last picture shows what the front entrance was like before the improvements of today.

Praise be to God for husbands who are willing to work, to improve the family home!

"I'm a Methodist," she proudly proclaimed!

Yesterday, Pastor Charles and I had the priviledge of meeting one of the members of Sidney's First United Methodist Church: Ms. Helen Hiner, who claims she is 98, but I find that very difficult to believe!

Here is the picture she allowed me to take. She is sitting in her living room, amidst all her family treasures. She is a beautiful lady, inside and out. God's light really does shine in her.

Behind her, you can see one of her many paintings that she, herself, painted. What an amazing artist she is! The detail in her paintings... and her choice of colors... all I can say is "wow!"

It was so easy to talk with her. She is very knowledgeable about a host of topics. In particular, I was facinated with her recounting the days when her family just moved to the Sidney area. Her husband was responsible for helping to get the Sioux Ordinance Depot up and running, in preparation of the arrival of the rest of the folks assigned to it.

"With the outbreak of World War II, a military presence once again took a stronghold in the community with the construction and operation of the Sioux Ordinance Depot being established 10 miles northwest of Sidney. This resulted in great influx of people to Sidney and Cheyenne County and the local economy once again was busting at the seams." (This if from a great website that talks about some of Sidney's history:
http://www.cityofsidney.org/index_files/Page306.html .)

Several times throughout our visit, she proudly proclaimed "I'm a Methodist!" Each time she said this, she has such a lovely smile on her face. She really had a glow about her!

Ms. Helen is one interesting lady! We have so much to learn from our living historians and faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

I feel that we were really blessed by the time we spent with her. Praise God for such inspirational people who treasure life and who are willing to testify about the many ways God's love, mercy and grace touches their lives, each and every day!

Thank God for Faithful Servants!

I know this is going to sound like Garrison Keillor doing one of his week-in-review tales about The News from Lake Wobegon, but this is Belinda, the pastor's wife... just having to write a few words about her observations about the "The News of the Good Life in Sidney, Nebraska..." in particular, about the dear folks involved with the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Sidney, Nebraska!

So I guess this is "The News of the FUMC Good Life" from Sidney, Nebraska!

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There have been so many blessings showering down on us! The number one blessing of all that I have noticed this last week:

Faithful servants who give of themselves for the betterment of the church community.

Today I saw Bill Walter outside most of the day... tending to the church lawn. He has been SO faithful this summer, watering the grass, mowing the lawn, weed-whacking those weeds, etc. All who come into contact with his enthusiastic and upbeat spirit are the richer for it, to be sure!

This week, I saw our secretaries, Jan and Karen, doing all the countless secretarial things they do for us each and every week. In particular, this week, they were getting the newsletter out and paying end-of-month bills, etc. There was a flurry of activity in the church office!

Julie Armbruster stopped by the office this week with ANOTHER one of her prayer shawls that she just completed. I think she has made at least 20 of them in the last year: Wow!

Marilee Rowan: Your visits to the hospital and the nursing homes and to folks' homes: You are one amazing Lay Care Giver, extraordinaire!

On Sunday, we honored two of the three youth leaders who led the successful Youth Mission Trip 2007, to Denver, last week. Their willingness to take a week off from work to lead our youth missionaries... well, it is awesome and inspiring, to be sure! Thank you SO much, Janet Rosenbaum, Beau Mathewson and Sarah!! (Sarah, we missed you at the potluck, but I hope you felt our love and appreciation, all the same!)

It was last Saturday, when the Hopwood Family volunteered their time to work at the church. Jennifer and Cassie put up posters and decorated the new "Christian Education Office" (the end office in the office suite of the church). Paul and sons were downstairs, setting up tables, getting ready for the church potluck luncheon on Sunday.

Also on Saturday, Janet Rosenbaum and Whitney Armbruster were practicing their special music selections for Sunday's 10:00 worship service. (They sounded awesome... both at practice and at the worship service!)

Also on Saturday, the Care Share team was busy in the kitchen, preparing some wonderful food and then setting forth to deliver it to folks around town.

I know I haven't mentioned everyone, but God knows. God knows all the many things that his good and faithful servants do... to make a church building... a church home.

I thank God every day that He brought me "home" to this church, this town, this county. My heart is full!

Yea, God: It is a good life, indeed!!!

A Thursday with a Lovely Surprise!

It was a great day today!

We had the lovely surprise of being visited by a former pastor of Sidney First United Methodist Church: Rev. Dr. Julian Miguel.

He is currently serving a pastor to a Filipino-American worship community at a United Methodist Church in Las Vegas, NV. Their website is http://www.universityumc.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=32001&PID=338100 .

Pastor Charles and Belinda met him and his wife and five folks from their congregation. They stopped by for a vist, en route to Omaha, where they will attend the wedding of the pastor's son.

Some of the church members who live on Alvarado Road, to the side of the church, were able to meet and greet them. It was a wonderful reunion!

Praise be to God when we are able to be reunited with our brothers and sisters in Christ!

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!