May 2, 2010 Service Preview

"[Jesus said,] And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13:34

It is the first Sunday of the month of May. We join together as a congregation to share in Holy Communion. I hope you can join us for this opportunity to lift our sins to our God and ask for his forgiveness. As we partake in the bread and cup, the body and blood of Christ, our sins are again forgiven.

In our worship service, we will be talking about Jesus' new commandment: to love one another. We are asked to do this so what we can be recognized as disciples of Christ. It sounds so simple. How hard can it be to love one another? It's complicated. It's difficult. It's weird.

But, that is call that Christ has for us. Love for one another. Let us worship together and think about what it means to fulfill Jesus' new commandment.

Oakfield Village Tea

On May 2, 2010 from 1:00-3:00PM, the Oakfield Village Tea will be taking place at Oakfield United Methodist Church. There will be tea, snacks and desserts available throughout the event. The speaker will be Susan Marie Manzke. Her speech is entitled, "Saving the Past".

History isn't only in textbooks. It comes from the every day lives of
ordinary people. Collecting family stories and handing them down to future
generations is a gift anyone can give. Susan will share personal stories
while giving tips that will help everyone start their own family
collection.

We would love to see you in Oakfield for this event. Tickets are $7.00 in advance and can be reserved by contacting the church office at (920) 583-3352. Others you can get your tickets at the event for $9.00.

District Commiitee on Ordained Ministry Meeting

Tomorrow morning at 10:00AM, I will be meeting with the District Committee on Ordained Ministry. This meeting will be taking place at Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church. It is at this meeting that my progress as a minister will be reviewed and a decision will ultimately be made as to whether or not I will continue in ministry. As a Licensed Local Pastor, I will be asked to come before this committee each year.

By this time, the focus of the meeting changed somewhat. The first time I came before this committee, they made a decision as to whether or not I would be a certified candidate, an individual who was available for appointment. I remember being very nervous for this meeting. My mentor and Christa were there for the meeting when I was approved as a candidate. Perhaps I didn't to be as nervous as I was, but I was definitely excited to know that I could be appointed. It marked the culmination of over one year of preparation for this certification.

At tomorrow's meeting, I go in for the first time as a pastor under appointment. I am excited to speak about my experiences in ministry with the congregations in Oakfield and Eden. I am eager to speak about my experiences in a new calling. I am eager to speak about the joys and concerns that come with ministry.

I suppose it is highly unlikely that I would not be recommended to continue in ministry as a pastor. Regardless, I don't come into tomorrow's meeting nervous. I am excited for the opportunity to talk things out and share.

I humbly ask for your prayers as I continue my pastoral ministry. I also ask that you pray for all those that serve on this committee; they held guide and nurture the pastors that serve churches all over northeastern Wisconsin.

Brent Vernon in Concert

I am excited to announce that we will be hosting Brent Vernon at Oakfield United Methodist Church. The performance will take place on May 28, 2010 at 7:00PM. No tickets will be required, nor is there any cost for admission. A love offering will be taken during the course of the performance. The Oakfield Youth Group will be selling concessions before, during the intermission, and after the show. Brent will have recordings available for sale as well.

Brent Vernon is a writer, illustrator, and performing musician. Since the summer of 1995, Brent has toured in 48 states, Canada, Australia, and the Caribbean executing a calendar of 75 to 210 concerts each year in schools, churches, coffee house and a myriad of other venues.

Over the last decade, Brent has developed an unusual ability to communicate with people of all ages by keeping his message clear, his methods current, and his presentation polished. His approach is simple, often using only a keyboard to accompany his warm vocal stylings.

Brent’s music, namely the song “If You’re Not In It” from his latest CD, A Thousand Pictures, was enthusiastically received on Christian radio stations across the nation, topping the charts in several markets.

Brent is also a ventriloquist. With the growing popularity of his friend “Sam”, many of Brent’s performances have taken a decided kid-friendly turn, with terrific response.

To find out more, please check out his website at: http://www.brentvernon.com/. He also has a Facebook site at: http://www.facebook.com/BrentVernonOnFB.

April 25, 2010 Worship Service

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." - Psalm 23:1

"My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." - John 22:27

We are all part of one flock. We are all members of Christ's flock. Because of this we are given eternal life, and we are protected from Satan. It is a wonderful thing indeed! In our Gospel lesson for this Sunday, Jesus says that his sheep hear his voice. The sheep hear the voice of the shepherd. But, how do we hear his voice? Where do we find Christ calling to us in our lives?

David Ewart writes, "The challenge for most mainline Christians is not following Jesus. We've been taught pretty well about that. The challenge for us is recognizing Jesus' voice." This will be our challenge on Sunday. We have learned through the Gospels who Jesus would want us to act. We often struggle to know where to look for Christ today. How do we recognize the voice of Christ in our life? We will work together to answer this question.

At the Tabor church, Josh Glass will be sharing his faith journey as we continue to hear the stories of this that make up our church.

The Bible readings for this Sunday are:

• Acts 9:36-43
• Revelation 7:9-17
• John 10:22-30

I hope to see you Sunday. God bless!

Chicken & Biscuit Dinner This Saturday!

I came in a little early this morning, so that I could get a jump on some office work before I meet with my candidacy mentor later this morning. It is difficult to concentrate on work this morning, as the church fills with the smells of cooked chicken!

This Saturday from 4:00-8:00PM at the Oakfield United Methodist Church (22o Main St.) we will being having our Chicken & Biscuit Dinner! This is the third in our season of church dinners. There is an expansive menu that includes: chicken and biscuits, peas, squash, jello salad, rolls, pickles, a beverages, and desserts and tortes.

All of this is available at $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for children ages 5-12. Children under 5 eat free. Tickets need not be purchased in advance. Carry outs are also available.

Proceeds from this event support local church ministries. We hope you can attend!

Course of Study

I came upon a realization yesterday afternoon. Like it or not, all of my preparatory materials for Course of Study are due on June 16. It was easy for me to dismiss that date because it was so far away. It was easy for me to dismiss that date because I was engaged in work for Lent and Easter and I was too busy.

Well, there's less than two months until the due date and I have a lot of reading and a lot of paper writing ahead of me. Last night, I read through almost half of a book and will probably try to keep up the pace.

The video game playing and movie watching will definitely need to decrease if I am going to get all of this done.