Holy week schedule:

  *Wednesday, March 23 the Living Last Supper at St. John’s @ 7:00 p.m.

    *Maundy Thursday Service,   March 24th at 6:30 p.m.

    
    *Good Friday Service, March 25, at 6:30 p.m.
       
     *Easter Worship service will be at 10:30 a.m.  

This & That:

   It is once again time to order Easter lilies at a cost of $8.10 or you can order a
Chrysanthemum for $10.70.  The last day to order plants will be March 15.  There will be a sign up sheet in the upper room on the table beside the steps.

Living Last Supper- A dramatic Biblical presentation of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples will be held at St. John’s church on highway 71, just south of Lyman.  This presentation will be held Wednesday, March 23 at 7:00 p.m.  A freewill offering, with 1/2 of the offering going to the Griswold Ministerial Association and 1/2 will go to Hogar Del Mino Orphanage in Guatemala.  Refreshments will be served.

The UMW committee met and discussed the year’s activities.  This year there is going to be a change in the May Breakfast.  It is now going to be the Spring Breakfast.  It is scheduled for Saturday, April 30th.  So mark your calendar with this new date.  If you have not already picked up your 2016 UMW book, they will be mailed out shortly.

 
  The church received a memorial gift in memory of Jack Drake.  The Drake family purchased a beautiful wooden bench with storage underneath. It is located south of the upstairs elevator.
   Summer Camp—don’t forget that the Methodist Church has some really fun camps for your children.  Stop by the church and look through the camp book.  There is something for everyone.

ATTENTION all graduating seniors, we do have a $100.00 scholarship available, Stop by the church office and pick up an application. 

Change a Child's Story How to give 1 million books and 1 million hours!  Not sure where to start.  Come join Bishop Trimble's initiative, for more information about the initiative please join us Sunday, March 6, 2-4 p.m., at the Griswold United Methodist Church

   We will be getting a new minister this summer. Her name is Shirley Hoffmann Will and she is from the Northwood & Lake Mills Church in Northern Iowa.  More information will be in next month’s newsletter about her.

   One of the suggestions for welcoming a new minister is to send cards or letters of welcome and encouragement to the incoming pastor.  The SPRC committee would like volunteers to do this once a week until her arrival.  Robin Drake will take the first week.  Kathy and Joe Rush will take the second week of March.  We have all of March filled and the first two weeks of April.  Would you be willing to write a letter introducing yourself to Shirley Hoffmann Will?  If so, please let Kathy know in the office so we can fill in the weeks until she arrives--around the last week of June. 
  This is in addition to daily prayers for our new pastor and Dwight and Cheryl's transition into retirement.
         Shirley Will address:
             1000 1st Ave. N    Box 104    Northwood, IA  50459-0104
 

DWIGHT WRITES

Greetings All -
   As I sit to write this article to you we are in the midst of the season of Lent.  We are all making preparations to be able to celebrate how God continues to be at work in the world creating new life out of death.  In our tradition this happened most powerfully in the life, death & resurrection of Jesus.  During this time we are opening our lives to the Holy in such a way that we can be receptive to all that God has to offer us.  It is my hope that each one of you is seeking to be intentional in developing & strengthening your walk with God.

   I would like to share the following Nesting with you.  Might it touch your heart, moving you closer to God and to others.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Dwight

I settle down here in the writing chair.

I settle down here in the writing chair

caressed with the dark of the early morning.

I settle down here in the writing chair

caressed with the dark of the early morning,
surrounded with Thy holy Presence.

I settle down here in the writing chair

caressed with the dark of the early morning.
Surrounded with Thy holy Presence
I slowly become conscious of the invitation.

I slowly become conscious of the invitation

of Awareness ~ realizing that I too am Your beloved child.
 

I settle down here in the writing chair.

Caressed with the dark of early morning,
surrounded with Thy holy Presence
I slowly become conscious of the invitation
of Awareness.  Realizing that I too am Your beloved child
sets me free ~ to love another.

March Scriptures

6. Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:1-3

13. Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians 3: 4-14, John 12:1-8
20. Isaiah 50:4-9, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14-23:56
27. Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, 1 Corinthians 15:19-26, John 20:1-18
  
 March Responsibility List
Greeters                    
6   Kay Hoye & Shirley Adams
13. Richard & Carolyn Lukehart
20. Chuck & Cindy Miller
27. Marty & Amy Wyman
Ushers
6.    Tony & Carol Leighton
13.  Steve & Stephanie Kimpson,
            Stan & Marilyn Krisinger    
20.  Peggy Casey, Kay Cary,
            Amy Carlisle, Deb Arp
27. Don & Amy Smith & Family
Liturgist
6.    Lisa Buchanan
13.  Bob Amos
20.  Joe Rush
27.  Billie Wilson

Communion

6.   Steve & Stephanie Kimpson

***WELCOME 2016, let it be a wonderful year for us all.***

 

Lenten Books

Oh, my goodness I had not looked at the 2016 calendar until the middle of December and noticed that Easter comes early this year.  Ash Wednesday is February 10th, so that means, I will need the Lenten book ready to be put in book form on Monday, February 1st. 

So I need your help sooner than later,  I need Lenten devotions!! If you could submit one or two devotions to me by January 25th, You can either bring it to the office, or email it to me at giaumc@netins.net either way would be wonderful.
Also make a note on your calendar, for Monday, February 1st  @ 10:00 am the day we put the books together.  Which requires stapling, folding and placing the books into the envelopes.

 2016—Church Directory  Schedule an appointment ASAP,  call the church office at 712-778-4178 or sign up at church on Sunday, January 10, January 17,  January 24 or January 31st.

Church Photography Dates will be:

Thursday –Friday— Saturday:
February 11– 12—13, 2016
Weekday Photo Hours*:  2:00 - 9:00 PM
Saturday Photo Hours*: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

   There is no sitting fee and no purchase required –just for participating, you will receive a complimentary 8”x 10” portrait and a free pictorial church directory!

   Help us make this directory complete!  It won’t be the same without you! We want to make this a complete representation of our church family –PLEASE be a part of it!
   Check out the colored insert in newsletter.
    If you can’t make any of the photo sessions, would you please submit a photo we could use.                                                            

  *Allow 35 min to complete your session

 

Just for participating, you will receive a

Life Line Screening, a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings, will host their affordable, non-invasive andhealth screenings on 1/15/2016 at the Church. 

     Register for a Wellness Package which includes 4 vascular tests and osteoporosis screening from $149 ($139 with our member discount).  All five screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete.  In order to register for this event and to receive a $10 discount off any package priced above $129, please call 1-888-653-6441.

We did it, we became a “Barnabas Church” and raised the $8,500.00 we pledged to do in 2013.  -----Way to go Griswold umc

DWIGHT WRITES

    Faith always begins as a gift from God.  As the years have gone by I have come to realize that there are two components to how the life of faith gets expressed: -1- private; -2- corporate. There are many different ways for these to be lived out.  However for a life of faith to grow, both must be addressed/ lived out/ acted out.
    It seems clear to me is that for faith to flourish it takes these two components. Each one of us must have some kind of private & personal connection with God - The Holy One ~ some kind of ‘practice’ that we do, intentionally, on purpose, with some some kind of regularity.  And, in order for faith to grow and flourish, that faith needs some kind of regular involvement in a community of faith.  The most common way this communal aspect of faith gets lived out is to regularly attend Sunday morning worship.   
    As we begin a new year I think that it is only appropriate for each one of us to think about both the private side of our faith and the communal side of our faith.  We all have come to realize that we will only grow into those things that are important to us and that we are attentive to - those things that we pay attention to and practice. I ask ‘What things are we being attentive to?”
    Might you “Breathe in Grace” and “Breathe out Peace”. ~ Pastor Dwight

 I offer the following nesting for your reflection and enjoyment.

I invite you to read it slowly, making the words your own, letting them speak to you:

Pause to breathe in grace.

Pause . . .  To breathe in grace

fills the soul with the gift of life.
 

Pause to breathe in grace. . . .

                To breathe in grace
fills the soul.  With the gift of life,
Mystery is made known in so many wondrous ways.

 

Pause. . . To breathe in grace
fills the soul with the gift of life.
                With the gift of life
Mystery is made known.  In so many wondrous ways,
grace swirls, dances and rests within me.
 

Pause to breathe in grace. . . . .

                To breath in grace
fills the soul.  With the gift of life
Mystery is made known in so many wondrous ways.

                                In so many wondrous ways

grace swirls, dances and rests within me.
                Grace swirls, dances and rests within me
in so many marvelous ways
                beyond what words can say.

                 Beyond what words can say,

                                I pause …. to breathe in …..
                                               grace ~
                                                              exhaling peace.

 

January Responsibility list

Greeters              
3    Amy Burnside & Kayli
10  James & Kay Byers
17.  Danny & Kim Kirchhoff
24. Kevin & Rebecca Drake & family
31. Alice Leighton & Doris Houser
Ushers
3.  Bob & Bonnie Redding
10. Logan & Britany Weirich
          Matt & Sandra Leighton 
17. Jason & Jennifer Reynolds & family
24. Middle & Sr. High Class
31. Troy & Deb Sederburg,
          Milton & Laura Amos
Liturgist
3.    Shirley Adams
10.   Bette Tye
17.   Marcia Anderson
24.  David Adams
31.   Gail Maxwell
Communion
3.    Janet Weaver