Columbus United Methodist Church

222 S. Dickason Blvd. Columbus, WI 53925

May, 2010

In This Issue
Lord, Rein Me In May Friendship Day Fellowship Time Schedule May Birthdays Sunday School Picnic Upcoming Sermon Topics Usher Schedule Mission Offering Wish List Collecting Eyeglasses/Sunglasses Elba Cemetery May Anniversaries May Children & Youth Ministries News & Notes Family Friendly Friday Night Film Update From Our Missionary UMW News A Love Letter from One Generation of Women to Another Calendar
Our purpose is to: Follow Jesus Together We do this by: Opening our hearts to people and to Christ in worship and fellowship, so that we know God and each other more fully, Opening our minds to deepen our Christian faith, understand our heritage, and think together to solve common problems, and Opening our doors in welcome and hospitality, even as we go out of those doors to invite people into God's church and be in service to all of our neighbors everywhere.

Page 2 Page 2 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Page 4 Page 4 Page 5 Page 5 Page 6 Page 6 Page 7 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10

The Voice
Lord, Rein Me In
We were just beginning our Praise Team rehearsal. Kerrie Shea stood next to me in her usual cheerful state. She remarked that she glimpsed the new song that we were going to rehearse, and said it was a song for her, Lord, Rein Me In. I told her that the song was really Lord, Reign in Me. Now, I make that sort of mistake all the time. Ive looked at a bottle of Orangina, and just see the angina part, which made me wonder why they named a drink after chest pain. Ive looked at a book by Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller, and thought it said, No More Sharks, when really it said No More Shacks. But, Lord, Rein Me In seemed like a really good misreading of the song title. It made sense. I dont know about you, but sometimes the Lord really does have to rein me in so that the Lord can reign in me. God has to limit my own willfulness in order for me to see and do Gods will. Lord, Reign in Me and Lord, Rein Me In are both about the freedom that Christ offers. We are more free when we allow Christ to rule in our spirits. We are more free when we are more tied to Christ like a horse has reins. Its a paradox: In order to be more free from worry, from self-destruction, from bad influence, from a whole host of evils, we need to be more tied to Christ. It may at first seem as if being tied to Christ is limiting. We are not able to do whatever we want. We are not able to be destructive toward others or ourselves. We are not permitted to curse or cheat or steal or use violence. Yet it is precisely because we are not destructive that we become free to be constructive, and live life more abundantly. Thanks be to God, who offers us the freedom that we really want deep down. ~~Jim

Page 2 Check Out Our New Web Site!

It's not what we hope it will be eventually, but it's up and running. Go to cbusumc.org.

May Friendship Day

May Friendship Day will be Friday, May 7th, at Olivet Congregational U.C.C. Potluck at 12:30 p.m., followed by speaker. This year's speaker will be Joanne Grassman, Student Services Director for Columbus School District. Her presentation will be on Columbia County Connects. All are welcome.

This issue of the Voice is sponsored by Fola Fietz in celebration of Clarences 90th birthday on May 10th

The Voice is the monthly newsletter of the Columbus United Methodist Church. Please send all correspondence to: PO Box 392, Columbus, WI 53925-0392. Pastor: Jim Cotter Secretary: Wanda Guenther Church Office......920-623-3625 (Office Hours: Monday thru Friday from 9-3) Pastors home phone......920-623-9641 E-Mail: columbusumc@wisconsinumc.org Website: www.cbusumc.org Pastors E-Mail: jcotter@wisconsinumc.org

The Voice
Fellowship Time Schedule May Volunteers
May 2nd: May 9th: May 16th: May 23rd: May 30th: Larry & Mary Baker Fred & Della Dartt The Spangler Family Jim & Judy Vale Julie Jensen

Page 3

Happy May Birthdays!

1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 Beth Burnard Orville Karow Austin Rake Lydia Grundahl Daniel Burnard Karen Schrader Brian Derr Ashley Wagner Reuben Tiedt Clarence Fietz 11 Bev Karow 12 Vickie Toth Pat Bennett Timothy Hensler 13 Ethan Brandt Tim Jensen 15 Iris Brisky 18 Joe Sampson 19 Doris Fritchen Lucas Rennock 20 Jennifer Arians Bri MacDonald 22 Dorothy Eickelman 25 Wanda Guenther 27 Brittany Salisbury Jim Rake Donna Freimuth 30 Lynda Herrick

Sunday School Picnic May 23

All are welcome to share a meal and fun & games for all on Sunday, May 23. At 11:45, we will have a picnic lunch. Meat, buns and beverages will be provided. Please bring a dish to pass. Contact Mike Toth (920-296-3403) for suggestions. The meal will be followed with active games for the children, and not-so-active games for the adults. The festivities will end at 1 p.m. after some group singing. Hope you can make it! You dont need to be related to the Sunday School to come.

Upcoming Sermon Topics

Sunday, May 2nd: Holy Communion Sunday, May 9th: Mothers Day Sunday, May 16th: Sunday, May 23rd: Pentecost Sunday, May 30th: Memorial Day Weekend Scriptures to Live By: Jesus Words about Worry, Matthew 6:25-34 Scriptures to Live By: God With Us, Joshua 1:1-9 Sam Batt Preaches (Pastor Jim gone) What/Who is the Holy Spirit?, Acts 2:1-12 Sunday School end-of-year games & potluck after 10:30 service Scriptures to Live By: Jesus Words on Communication, Matthew 18:15-20

The Voice
Mission Offering for May
To my dear Church Family, Nick and I thank you for your kind words of support and prayers during my dads final days journey with Alzheimers. Your continued prayers and cards following his death continue to give us strength in our faith that Dad is in a much better placeable to laugh and think clearly once again. Special words of gratitude to my Choir Families who helped me more than they will ever know. Sincerely, Tessie Sharrow

Page 4

Throughout the year, United Methodist congregations celebrate church-wide Special Sundays with offerings. The Wisconsin Conference has also designated Special Sundays. The Special Offering for May is Golden Cross Sunday, which supports health and welfare ministries that are in covenant with the United Methodist Church in Wisconsin. The Mission Committee would also like to try something new this month. We will also be collecting for the Hmong House of Good News. This program serves Hmong elders in the Milwaukee area, and is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin United Methodist Women and the General Board of Global Ministries. Those who prefer to donate to one of these offerings, or to donate separate amounts, should indicate their preference on the Mission Offering envelope. Contributions that are not specified will be divided equally between the two missions. To learn more about these and other ministries in Wisconsin, visit http://www.wisconsinumc.org and click on Missions. ~~Your Missions Committee

May Usher Schedule

May 2nd: Don Pritchard, Ann Ehlenfeldt and Fred & Della Dartt Dan & Patsy Roe and Carol Balfanz Stuart & Lois Smith and Della Dartt Philip & Peggy Waterworth and Jan Bolan Audrey & Jamie Kasmiski

May 9th: May 16th: May 23rd: May 30th:

If you discover a birthday or anniversary missing from the newsletter, please call the church office at 623-3625 and let us know. We strive to keep our database upto-date but still find that we have some missing information. We welcome your input!

Words alone cannot express my thanks to my church family for all their cards, calls and all the many prayers during my long stay at the hospital and since my return home. God bless, Orv and Bev Karow

The Voice

Page 5

The Wills & Gifts Committee of our church is pleased to present you this Wish List. If there are any additional items you believe should be on this list, please contact the Chairperson, Lyle Elske, or call the church office at 623-3625. These are opportunities for special giving. Columbus United Methodist Church Wills & Gifts Wish List Wish Bulletin Sponsor VOICE Sponsor Gift Bibles for 1st & 3rd Graders Child care for Praise Band Rehearsals 7 Confirmation Picture Frames & Matting (each frame holds six pictures) Seasonal silk flower arrangement for Sanctuary Easter/Wedding Altar Cloth and Pulpit & Lectern Paraments Wellness FundCounseling Wireless hand-held microphone and receiver Amount Required $15.00 per week $50.00 per month $13.00 each $15.00 per week $230.00 each frame (or sponsor one picture at $40.00) $35.00 to $40.00 each More sponsors needed Amount Received To Date

$2800.00 Various Amounts $600.00

Collecting Eyeglasses/Sunglasses
There is a tremendous need for recycled eyeglasses. The World Health Organization estimates that the eyesight of approximately one-fourth of the world's population can be improved through the use of corrective lenses. Unfortunately, for many, a pair of glasses is both unaffordable and inaccessible. In developing countries, an eye exam costs as much as one month's wages and a single doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people. All types of prescription glasses for children and adults are needed. Reading glasses are also useful because many recipients are craftsmen in need of visual correction to perform close-up tasks. Sunglasses are needed for those who live nearer the equator, especially those with cataracts, to shield their eyes from the sun's damaging rays. The Rotary and Lions are collaborating to collect recycled eyeglasses. There will be a bucket located in the hallway in our church and you can place your glasses/sunglasses in the bucket. This is a wonderful way to dispose of your old eyeglasses and give someone else a new way to see the world!

The Voice
Thanks a Gazillion!
I would love to take this opportunity to thank the UMW for recognizing my efforts on Sunday, April 11th. What a shock! Being a member of this wonderful church for the past 40 years has truly been a pleasure. It's always been so easy to say "yes" to awesome people like you. It's also a pleasure for me to thank y'all for the prayers, cards, and concerns during the recovery from my surgery in March. A very special thanks also goes out to my awesome surgeon (THANKS RHONDA, you're amazing!). God bless, Deb Perry

Page 6

Elba Cemetery
Our church is the custodian for the cemetery at the location of the former German Methodist church in Elba Township. The cemetery is at the corner of County Highway T and Burr Oak Road. We have over $19,000 in a fund for cemetery maintenance, the interest of which has been reinvested so that now the interest is able to pay for mowing, etc. There are still four full lots available for purchase, and six half lots. Lot prices continue at $300 for a 16' X 16' lot, which can contain 6 to 8 graves. Grave opening is an additional $100. Each year we also have a Memorial Day service at the cemetery. This year, the service will be a 1 p.m. on Monday, May 31st. It will be a brief service of remembering the dead, especially those in that cemetery and those who were in military service.

Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God.. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.

May Anniversaries
To Pastor Jim and our church family, I would like to thank everyone for your prayers and cards concerning the recent death of my father, Charles Kuhl, Jr. May God bless and keep you all! Kay Meyer & Family

5/9 5/10 5/11 5/14 5/17 5/20 5/24 5/24 5/31

Albert & Pauline Zeier Lon & Amy Elske Timothy & Angela Hauge Jeff & Lori Caswell Dave & Bonnie Luepke Larry & Myrna Heiman Ben & Mel Perry Jim & Debbie Braund Derick & Celeste Grubbs

The Voice
May Children and Youth Ministries News and Notes By Mary Baker, Coordinator

Page 7

Rotation Sunday School will focus on Communion. The staff and students will be busy creating candles to use on our Worship center table at our final Sundays communion service for the students. Eileen Bennett will be leading this activity. Mike Toth will be leading the cooking part of this rotation with the wonderful activity of baking bread for use in the final service. Anna Ehrke and Nikki Buske will complete this team to make this a very special study. Safe Sanctuary Training Training is in the final stages of review and policy writing. We look forward to the implementation process. All Church Protected Picnic (In Fellowship hall to PROTECT us from bad weather!) This event will be held on Sunday May 23 at 11:45 (following the 10:30 service) Mike Toth will be making hot dogs and hamburgers for everyone. If you are able please bring a dish to pass. 12:15 to 12:45 will be games and activities for children and youth in the Sunday School rooms. There will be face painting, make and take craft projects, and action packed Goofy Games. We are looking forward to a good turnout for a group activity for all adults in fellowship Hall. Dont miss the JOY filled things planned for all. 12:45 to 1 pm will be a final closing song and worship time for everyone. Volunteers are needed for childrens activities and for clean up. Summer Sunday School We will be offering our Sunday Morning Movie and Snack Time during our 10:30 Sunday School time. We will need some people to volunteer their time to serve in this ministry. There will be a sign up sheet developed for this in May. The 2 and 3 year old class will meet in their usual room with specific activities for them. Susan Williams and Julie Jensen could use some volunteers to assist. Thank you for your love and care and prayers. God blesses us so richly each day. I encourage you to move beyond the daily hustle and bustle and listen to one another with your heart. In a book titled The Little Prince by Saint-Exupery it states that: It is only with the heart that one sees rightly. What is truly essential is invisible to the eye. May God touch your heart and guide you to his way of loving others. I look forward to returning soon. Mary Baker

Family Friendly Friday Night Film!

At 7 p.m. on May 14, we will show The Emperors New Groove, along with a short devotional time and a snack. Families and children of all ages are welcome. The Emperors New Groove is an animated cartoon film that includes humor for both children and adults. It focuses on an emperor who is quite vain and selfish, and who learns the hard way about his selfishness when he is turned into a llama. Eventually, the Emperor learns about humility and honesty.

The Voice
Update From Our Missionary
Dear All, It has been a few months since I last contacted you. There has been a lot happening here. Our chickens have been transferred to our newly refurbished layer building and are now producing about 1200 eggs per day. This has meant a lot of work with putting in a new concrete floor, replacing chicken wire over windows, building a new water system, etc. We have also put a floor in the egg house, plastered and whitewashed.

Page 8

Selling over 1000 eggs per day is not an easy chore. It takes us two hours or more just to get the eggs over the rough roads to Mwinilunga. Then we have had to find a partner who will buy the eggs from us at wholesale price and aggressively market them at retail. We are attempting to force down the price of eggs which has been over 22 cents each recently. We hope to bring them down to below 15 cents each very soon, but this requires a partner who will agree to just a 20% mark-up. Retailers here are accustomed to gouging and making large profits on small sales instead of making small profits on large sales and making their living from volume. The concept has a lot of getting used to for them-it requires a leap of faith. Our latest news has been the birth of our first four calves from our new bull, Baluba. All four calves are heifers, which is just what we want. Our old bull produced mostly bull calves and this greatly slowed the growth of our small herd. We have several cows to name and I have lost track of the names submitted by donating churches. We have named Sunshine and ChiRho so far. Please write with those names so that we can get them into the official record. We are now redesigning our feed concentrate to boost milk production. The past several years we have skimped on protein due to lack of money and transport. Now that we are producing more feed on the farm, and have more milking cows, we see the need and opportunity to increase per cow production. We are getting more customers for milk, both here and in Mwinilunga and are getting to the level where we could also be producing cheese and butter. We now have pigs to utilize any whey, skim milk and butter milk. The Maize crop is about to be harvested and is looking better than any previous crop. This week we are hauling in the soybeans and preparing our crib to receive the new corn crop. Also this year we are receiving many more bananas, plantains, guavas, and pineapples. My canning jars are now all full and our freezer is about half full of processed fruit. Again, we are going to have to come up with better ways of preserving these goods and marketing them. We give out a lot of bananas and guavas with lunch for our workers. In other news, we have a second Pre-school Day-care center started at our church in Kanyama. They already have about 40 students. We are in need of materials to make it a better educational facility. Donations of pictures, crayons, scissors, stickers, pencils, etc. would be appreciated. Our UMW groups are preparing for Annual Conference which will be hosted here in the Mwinilunga District. They are making banners and getting their uniforms in order. Two new sewing machines have been bought for our women's club here at Mujila Falls and they continue to be making baby clothes and children's clothing as well as skirts and blouses for women. This year we will not be having our Annual Farmer's field day. We will be hosting Annual Conference and participating in the Mwinilunga District Agriculture Show. These will be good venues for showing our project successes. Rev. Paul L. Webster

The Voice
UMW News
We took it on the road this month! Saturday, April 10th instead of cake and coffee in fellowship hall we had egg rolls and vegetable water in Milwaukee. If that sounds strange its because in lieu of a meeting we took a field trip to the Hmong House of Good News and the UM Childrens Services Center on Lisbon Ave.

Page 9

The Hmong program is housed in the downtown UM Church which is new and very modern in design, yet cozy and friendly in feeling. The people were amazingly welcoming and they shared about the program, the Hmong culture and how the program serves the needs of the people who utilize it. We were treated to a dance performed by the children and a vocal selection by a newly formed womens group. Both were lovely and touching. Afterwards we were fed a lunch of mixed salad, egg rolls and vegetable water which is the preferred drink of the program participants. We had a chance to look at and purchase some of the many crafts the women make to raise money to help pay the program costs. The biggest expense for them is administration which includes a Hmong-speaking Director. They also pay for the building usage because they are there every day. They do egg roll fundraisers, they grow their own produce for their meals, sell crafts and appreciate any donations they get. This a vital ministry for the Hmong community. After lunch our bus took us to the UM Childrens Services which has recently completed a huge addition. There are now 24 apartment units in addition to what existed previously (I believe there were 16). They operate a food pantry among other services and more are panned. They are working toward coming up with $250,000. That money would be used to finish off the community center (which is on the corner of the building) which could be utilized in a multitude of ways. They have also built three townhomes for permanent rental situations. They are designed in the Milwaukee Bungalow style of architecture which honors the history of the neighborhood and the feel of the other houses. They are very community-oriented and have included the residents in the planning. There are 24 more townhouses slated for the immediate area in empty lots and derelict houses. Our day was very enlightening and informative. I believe everyone learned something they didnt know when we left Columbus that morning. It was so good to see the good things people can do for other people. It was a day of Mission in Action. Our ice cream stop was good, too!!! Peggy Goetsch, UMW President

The Voice
A Love Letter from One Generation of Women to Another

Page 10

When I started preparing for the Captivating book study, my mom confided in me this pain from women of her generation. This pressure to be quiet and act like the pain in their lives didnt exist, no matter what was going on in relationships that hurt. You had to pretend that you were okaygreat even! What a killing of a womans soul and the church that was. She also went on to say how blessed I was, that my generation was much more free to be open with their hurts and needs. I did not understand this pressure and pain that has been forced upon most church-going women until recently. I was sharing the joy of being redeemed in Christ, how Jesus had sanctified me and freed me of my past sins. Passionate in my joy of this freedom in Christ, I started giving my testimony when the woman I was talking with seemed uncomfortable with the things I had to say and stopped me. That hurt that I couldnt share with her what God had done in my life. I want to share a verse with you about Jesus1 Timothy 1:16, )But that is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they too can believe in Him and receive eternal life. I ponder a questionhow could God have used him as an example of His great mercy if he hid from the world, if he hadnt decided to show his sins and the redeeming nature of God? I for one refuse to hide any longer, and to the woman I had the privilege of talking with I want to say I love you. Thank you for reminding me what the church is here for. The church is here to heal the broken and to free the enslaved. Amen! So, ladies, with a heart filled with gratefulness and love, I want to thank you for fighting for something better for my generation. Thank you for being courageous and refusing to stay in the pain closet. Thank you for being brave enough to say this is what happened to me and it wasnt okayit should not have been hidden. Jesus is the only one who could save me. Thank you for paving a road for us to walk in freedom in Christ. Your strength and mercy are an inspiration to us younger generation. I salute you women! Please know that you have my total respect and affection. Love you in Christ Jesus, Kerrie Shea

A Mothers Hands
A mothers hands . . . . . hold her baby close. . . spoon food into her childs mouth. . . lift her child up to see. . . carry her tired child home. . . . clap in admiration. . . . reach out to embrace. . . wave hello and good-bye. . . . wipe away the tears.
~~Mark Zimmerman

The Voice
Columbus United Methodist Church
PO Box 392 Columbus, WI 53925-0392
___________________________ RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

NONPROFIT U.S. Postage PAID Columbus, WI 53925 Permit No. 1

Upcoming events you might want to know about!

Sunday, May 2nd:

9:00 a.m.Traditional Service/Communion 10:00 a.m.Fellowship Time 10:00 a.m.Trustee Meeting 10:30 a.m.Contemporary Worship/Communion Thursday, May 6th: 7:00 p.m.Ecumenical Association Mtg. at Wisconsin Academy Tuesday, May 11th: 6:00 p.m.Esther Circle meet to go out to eat Thursday, May 13th: 9:30 a.m.Morning Circle 7:00 p.m.UMW Meeting Sunday, May 23rd: 9:00 a.m.Traditional Worship 10:00 a.m.Fellowship Time 10:30 a.m.Sunday School 10:30 a.m.Contemporary Worship 11:45 a.m.Sunday School Picnic Monday, May 31stMemorial Day: Church Office Closed 1:00 p.m.Memorial Day Service at Elba Cemetery