March 22, 2019
A Word from the Pastor
A PRAYER FOR LENT BY JOYCE RUPP
Taken from Fresh Bread and Other Gifts of Spiritual Nourishment, page 16
Can it be?
Have I for so long
forgotten to feed myself?
Yes.
For nigh a year now
I was slowly starving.
Getting lost in busy days,
tossing aside the hunger
that chewed away inside.
Yet, I did not die.
By some quiet miracle
I made it to this moment
of truth:
I nearly starved to death.
It was not my body
that I failed to feed.
It was my spirit,
left alone for days
without nourishment or care.
And then one day
I paused to look within,
shocked at what I found:
So thin of faith,
so weak of understanding,
so needy of encouragement.
My starving spirit cried the truth:
I can!
I will!
I must!
Be fed!
Unlike some of you I never forget a meal and am never too busy to stop to eat whether I am hungry or not. I am clearly one of those people who "lives to eat" rather than "eats to live". Food, more often than not, means too much to me rather than not enough. Food can be an idol that I look to in order to satisfy my deepest longings and needs. Of course, it doesn't deliver on its hoped for promises and rather than finding food to satisfy my inner needs it usually leaves me feeling empty even when I am full.
Now while this is true regarding the physical food that I eat it is not always true when it comes to the spiritual food that we also need in order to be spiritually full. I can more easily forget to pray, to read the scriptures, to be silent, to slow down. I appreciate this Lenten Prayer offered by Joyce Rupp because it reminds me that as a human being I too must be fed, not just with the physical food that sustains my body but with the spiritual food that feeds my soul.
As we continue our journey through this Lenten season it is my hope and prayer that you will confront your idols, whether they revolve around food or something else altogether, and instead feed your soul as you embrace spiritual practices that will sustain you. May you know that you are not alone on this journey and that your fellow travelers are there to support you. Let us journey together towards physical and spiritual health and well-being.
WORSHIP AHEAD
3/24 The Third Sunday in Lent
Scripture: Isaiah 55:1-9; First Corinthians 10:1-13
Theme: Food that Satisfies- An unknown prophet speaking towards the end of the exile asks the question, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?" What makes the food that we eat satisfying and can food in and of itself satisfy our deepest human longings and needs? We will consider that answers to these questions this coming Sunday.
At a recent Church Council meeting we talked about how we might better highlight some of the opportunities for service that are available through the church. A suggestion was made that maybe we could have an "opportunity of the week". This will now be a new feature in the weekly e-mail blast so look for these wonderful opportunities and see if there is something that sounds inviting to you.
This week's opportunity involves volunteering to be a greeter coordinator or a greeter on Sunday morning. With our new entrances and different Sunday morning flow it is essential that we have more greeters than we have had in the past. It would help especially to have a volunteer to coordinate all of the volunteers. If you are interested in either- being a coordinator or a greeter please speak to Pastor Rich.
Are you interested in becoming a member of the Main Street United Methodist Church? Would you like to know more about the United Methodist Church and the Main Street UMC? If so, please join Pastor Rich and others for two classes to be held at 9:00am on April 7th and 14th. The classes will meet in Pastor Rich's office. Please sign up on the sheet located under the clock in the vestry to indicate your interest. New members will be received into membership on Palm Sunday, April 14th during the 10:30am worship service.
RECONCILING CONGREGATION CONVERSATION
Following the Adult Sunday School class sessions on "Homosexuality and the United Methodist Church" and the outcome of the most recent special session of General Conference that not only reiterated our 47 year history of discrimination towards members of the LGBTQI community, interest was expressed in the possibility of the Main Street United Methodist Church becoming a Reconciling Congregation. A preliminary meeting was held on Tuesday, March 19 th with nearly 40 individuals in attendance and the unanimous decision was to move forward in exploring this option. A proposal will be presented at the March 25th Church Council meeting which hopefully will give its approval for this on-going conversation.
Just what is a Reconciling Congregation? Simply put, "A Reconciling Congregation is a United Methodist local church that makes a public statement welcoming all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, to participate fully in their congregational life." At a time when the UMC has received extensive press for its discriminatory practices towards members of the LGBTQI community it seems more than ever to be necessary for United Methodist Churches to affirm themselves as safe and welcoming places for all God's children and especially for those who are actively discriminated against in the wider church.
For more information about the Reconciling Congregation movement please check out the website, rmnetwork.org and look for written resources that will be made available as well. Please pray for our congregation as we go through this process, but most of all please pray for our LGBTQI sisters and brothers in our church and community who need to know that church is a safe place for them.
Tomorrow, March 23, 2019, the Youth Advisory Council will be hosting a Youth & Family Event for the youth in 7th to 12th grade and their families. The event will be held at the church's vestry from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm. This is an opportunity for the youth and their families to connect with each other. The event will include a potluck, youth-led games, contemporary hymn sings, and much more. Please reserve the date and spread the word. If your last name begins with A-K, bring a dessert or appetizer; or L-Z, bring a main dish. Please contact Karrie Lam, Coordinator of Youth Ministry, at youth@mainstreet-umc.org by March 16 and let her know how many in your family will be attending the event.
United Methodist Men's
18th Annual Golf Scramble and Fund Raiser
Green Meadow Golf Club
June 22, 2019
Golfers Wanted
$67.00 per golfer
Team and Individual Sign-up Sheets on UMM Bulletin Board in the Hallway
We can use additional support in the following ways:
Personal Hole Sponsors @ $50.00 / sign
Corporate Hole Sponsor @ $75.00 / sign
Each sign is 8-1/2 x 11 laminated and attached to a sign board
For more info, call or email
Mark Morrissey 244-0738
FDA Guidelines for Food Expiration and local composting
While listening to Pastor Rich's sermon on gluttony, he mentioned how wasteful we are in throwing out food after the expiration. I am guilty of doing that when I buy a certain ingredient for a dish that I never end up making. However, I want to provide you with information from the FDA on their recommended expiration dates. I needed to learn this while working at SHARE Outreach in Milford for their food pantry.
Any items made of dairy products such as dips, smoothie drinks, or yogurt should be discarded on their expiration date (although I will eat yogurts up to a week after, more good bacteria, right?). Canned or jarred tomato products like diced tomatoes or pasta sauce are good for up to a year after their date. Any other canned, jarred or sealed packaged foods are safe to eat up to 18 months after their expiration date. Are they as fresh tasting? Maybe not but they are safe. Of course, if the can is dented or the jar is not sealed, throw it away. For more information see the link https://www.fda.gov/downloads/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm529509.pdf.
I also wanted to inform you about a new service happening in Nashua that will compost your waste for you. We discovered it at the Farmer's Market outside the church's front door last summer. The link for this service is https://www.grownashua.org/composting if you are interested in learning more.
Blessings,
Maggie Dechene
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