Loving and Learning in Lodi March 29 2020

           We are still worshiping at home this Sunday…so keep an eye out for the ‘Worship at Home’ email!

           As we continue to look at Jesus’ parables teaching us about what God’s kingdom is like, we shift our focus to what it is like to be a part of God’s kingdom…the joy…the privilege to be actively a part of bringing God’s kingdom of love, forgiveness and grace into the world!

                                                      Missing you all…but grateful to carry you all in my heart,

                                                                 Pastor Diane

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Liturgist would have been:   Larry Scott                      Greeters would have been:    Sue Porter & Lil Tozser

Hymns:         Grace Greater than Our Sin                                verses 1 & 4                         #365
                      Christ Beside Me                                        verse 1                      TFWS #2166

                      I’d Rather Have Jesus                                 verses 1 & 2                         see insert

                      I Love Thy Kingdom Lord                                verses 1 - 4                          #540

Scripture                                       Matthew 13:44 - 46                                Common English Version          

           “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that somebody hid in a field, which someone else found and covered up. Full of joy, the finder sold everything and bought that field.

           “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all that he owned and bought it.       

Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.               People:  Thanks be to God.

THE CHURCH IN ACTION

Choir is not rehearsing this week.

Lenten Study ~ The Walk: The study is postponed until we are able to be together again. Our wonderful leader, Deanne, will let us know when we’ll start back up through the weekly email and bulletin.

Feed My Sheep is cancelled this month.  We want all of our helpers and guests to stay healthy!

Easter Flowers: Since we will probably be worshipping at home on Easter morning, we have decided to still remember and honor our loved ones…but donate the monies to Matthew 25 instead of purchasing flowers. Pastor Diane contacted our local Food Bank with the Good Samaritans to see if they needed help. Kris Weir said they were doing fine and agreed that Matthew 25 was a good place to give instead. Currently, Matthew 25 is low on funds and trying to meet the needs of people in our community for rent, utilities, car repairs, etc. The form is at the end of this email. We hope you will respond generously as we remember and honor our loved ones this Easter. You can learn about the ministry of Matthew 25 at https://matthew25coalition.wordpress.com.

Feeding Medina County food pick up for all county residents (no forms or income requirements) on Thursdays going forward at 7:30 a.m. at the County fairgrounds. www.feedingmedinacounty.org/

We are no longer collecting 2-liter bottles for Vacation Bible School, please recycle them.

School My Sheep:  Months ago, when I began to think about School My Sheep, I wondered if the congregation would still want to do this event/mission work.  I didn't want to bulldoze forward without giving members an opportunity to speak up, give comments, ponder.  We didn't hear anything and decided to move forward.   

           Given the times we are living through, I know School My Sheep is absolutely the right thing for us to do.  Many families have been impacted financially due to Corona Virus, and that pang will continue for a while, as we all try to re-coupe. Add to that, the fact that the Nexus pipeline is not generating as much revenue (oil and gas markets around the world are saturated) and it means local school districts will not be receiving the funds they were expecting. (There was a recent article about just this thing.)

           So, absolutely save clothing, coats, shoes.  Absolutely let us know when there are clearance item (Edee Shaw has reported major clothing discounts at Family Dollar!), absolutely be watching for book bags and school supplies.   With all the children at home, stores may mark down such items.   We have room to store them at the church. 

           I know what Lodi UMC does is so impactful in and around our community.  I feel particularly pulled toward School My Sheep this year more than ever and hope you will as well. I miss you all and pray for you every day!  ~Katrina Morgan

Please save your plastic caps & lids for a “buddy bench” at Sylvia Anderson’s great nephew, Braden’s school.

Loving and Learning in Lodi March 22 2020

           I hope this finds all of you doing well and staying well! Amanda and I are fine. Her teaching with the dance community in Cleveland has been cancelled. She is still able to work her part-time job in Medina for a small manufacturing business, and she keeps working on refinishing some furniture she bought for her new home that we’ll close on March 31^st. I’ve been doing yard work when the weather permits and continue doing what I can for us in ministry.

           On Saturday, I’ll head to the church to record the message for Sunday…so watch your emails for it! I’ll picture you all in the pews and pray for each of you. This week we look at prayer and Jesus’ parable about the friend who comes knocking on the other friend’s door at midnight, needing help because he has unexpected guests…

                                                     Missing you all…but grateful to carry you all in my heart,

                                                                Pastor Diane

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Liturgist would have been:   Dee Heitkamp           Greeters would have been:    Ron & Faye Stewart

Hymns:         Open My Eyes, that I May See                     verses 1 – 4                         #454
                     Christ Beside Me                                        verse 1                      TFWS #2166

                     Great Is Thy Faithfulness                            verses 1 & 3                         #140

                     What a Friend We Have in Jesus                     verses 1 - 3                          #526

Scripture                                      Luke 11: 1 - 13                         Common English Version        

           Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Jesus told them, “When you pray, say:

‘Father, uphold the holiness of your name.

Bring in your kingdom.

Give us the bread we need for today.

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us.

And don’t lead us into temptation.’”

           He also said to them, “Imagine that one of you has a friend and you go to that friend in the middle of the night. Imagine saying, ‘Friend, loan me three loaves of bread because a friend of mine on a journey has arrived and I have nothing to set before him.’ Imagine further that he answers from within the house, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ I assure you, even if he wouldn’t get up and help because of his friendship, he will get up and give his friend whatever he needs because of his friend’s brashness. And I tell you: Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. To everyone who knocks, the door is opened.

           “Which father among you would give a snake to your child if the child asked for a fish? If a child asked for an egg, what father would give the child a scorpion? If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.                     People:  Thanks be to God.

THE CHURCH IN ACTION

Choir is not rehearsing this week.

Feed My Sheep is cancelled this month.  We want all of our helpers and guests to stay healthy!

Feeding Medina County food pick up for all county residents (no forms or income requirements) on Thursdays going forward at 7:30 a.m. at the County fairgrounds. www.feedingmedinacounty.org/

Cloverleaf Schools – food distributions for students on Tuesdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Elementary School.

Vacation Bible School (VBS) 2020: June 1 – 4, 2020 from 10:30am – 12:00pm with family lunch at 12pm for children in approaching grades K - 6. Marta Van Loon and Sue Whitfield are co-directors. One of our projects needs 43 2-liter bottles for a raft. Please bring any empty, 2-liter bottles and put them in the box downstairs.

Is it too early to be thinking about School My Sheep in August? Nope, as school supplies and winter clothing are on clearance at multiple locations. However, we want to make sure we are still wanting to do it. This would be year 13...quite a legacy already! If you have any comments or concerns or feel this isn’t the right thing for us to continue, we want to know that, listen and ponder. Please contact Larry Scott or Katrina Morgan in the next few weeks, so we know how, or if to proceed. Dollar General has clothing items at 90% off.

Please save your plastic caps & lids for a “buddy bench” at Sylvia Anderson’s great nephew, Braden’s school.

Loving and Learning in Lodi March 15 2020

            With the COVID-19 virus continuing to spread, and we humans having no immunity to it, a few reminders: 

• If you are feeling sick, please stay home and take of yourself.
• Wash your hands often and avoid handshakes…try fist or elbow bumps…or simply wave!
• Cover your mouth and nose if you are coughing or sneezing.
• Remember that others may have underlying health conditions and need you to protect them by giving them the above courtesies.

                              See you Sunday when we look at mustard seeds and yeast,                                                                                                                                          Pastor Diane

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Liturgist:       Katrina Morgan                                             Greeter/s:    Charlie & Peggie Brown

Hymns:        When Morning Gilds the Skies                   verses 1 – 4                       #185
                   Christ Beside Me                                    verse 1                   TFWS #2166

                   He Touched Me                                     verses 1 & 2                       #367

                   Hymn of Promise                                   verses 1 - 3                        #707

Scripture                                           Luke 13:18 - 21                                           Common English Version         

          Jesus asked, “What is God’s kingdom like? To what can I compare it? It’s like a mustard seed that someone took and planted in a garden. It grew and developed into a tree and the birds in the sky nested in its branches.”

          Again he said, “To what can I compare God’s kingdom? It’s like yeast, which a woman took and hid in a bushel of wheat flour until the yeast had worked its way through the whole.”

Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.              People:  Thanks be to God.

THE CHURCH IN ACTION

Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings 7:00 – 8:00pm. Join us!

The United Methodist Women meet this Saturday at 9:30am in Fellowship Hall. All women of the church are welcome to attend.

Hope you plan to bring a treat to share this Sunday!  "PI" Day is Saturday, so we will celebrate on Sunday.  Bring a dessert, any dessert, pie, cake, cookies, - whatever you think everyone will enjoy and maybe win a prize! Everyone is invited to stay after church to sample all the sweet treats and vote on your favorite!

Erring on the side of caution:  Feed My Sheep is cancelled this month.  We want all of our helpers and guests to stay healthy!

When you’re ready, remember to bring your Stewardship cards with you to worship and put them in the offering plate or mail them to the church at Box 3, Lodi, OH  44254.

Vacation Bible School (VBS) 2020: June 1 – 4, 2020 from 10:30am – 12:00pm with family lunch at 12pm for children in approaching grades K - 6. Marta Van Loon and Sue Whitfield are co-directors. One of our projects needs 43 2-liter bottles for a raft. Please bring any empty, 2-liter bottles and put them in the box downstairs.

Is it too early to be thinking about School My Sheep in August? Nope, as school supplies and winter clothing are on clearance at multiple locations. However, we want to make sure we are still wanting to do it. This would be year 13...quite a legacy already! If you have any comments or concerns or feel this isn’t the right thing for us to continue, we want to know that, listen and ponder. Please contact Larry Scott or Katrina Morgan in the next few weeks, so we know how, or if to proceed.

Please save your plastic caps & lids for a “buddy bench” at Sylvia Anderson’s great nephew, Braden’s school.

Loving and Learning in Lodi March 8 20290

            As Jesus traveled around during his years of ministry, he healed the sick and taught the crowds what it meant to follow the ways of God. Sometimes, he was confronted by the religious leaders and asked pointed questions about his interpretation of the Old Testament laws and understandings about God. This week, we explore his response to the question “What must I do to gain eternal life?”

                                                                See you Sunday,                                                                                                                                     Pastor Diane

Daylight savings time begins Sunday! Set your clocks ahead 1 hour!

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Liturgist:      Bob Wooley                                               Greeter/s:    Bob & Deanne Heitkamp

Hymns:         Christ for the World We Sing                       verses 1 – 3                         #568
                     Christ Beside Me                                        verse 1                      TFWS #2166

                     Be Thou My Vision                                     verses 1 – 3                         #451

                     Jesu, Jesu                                                  verses 1 - 3                          #432

Scripture                                      Luke 10:25 - 37                                    Common English Version        

           A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”

           Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”

           He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

           Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

           But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

           Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”

           Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”

           Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.                     People:  Thanks be to God.

THE CHURCH IN ACTION

Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings 7:00 – 8:00pm. Join us!

Trustees meet after worship this Sunday.

"Pi" Day is right around the corner!  3-14   Last year we crowned 2-Pie Queens!  What a wonderful, yummy time we had tasting all the pies! Let's do it again, but change it up, just a bit, to a Dessert Sunday. You can make pies, cakes, cookies, strudels, - whatever desserts you would like.  They will be put into categories, and we will crown multiple winners, after everyone samples and votes! Sunday, March 15 - right after church - plan to bake and sample!

When you’re ready, remember to bring your Stewardship cards with you to worship and put them in the offering plate or mail them to the church at Box 3, Lodi, OH  44254.

Vacation Bible School (VBS) 2020 is in the planning stages. VBS will be on June 1 – 4, 2020 from 10:30am – 12:00pm with family lunch at 12pm. Marta Van Loon and Sue Whitfield are co-directors for us. Marta is working on a project for where she needs 43 2-liter bottles to make a raft. She currently has 13. Please bring any empty, 2-liter bottles and put them in a box downstairs that Marta will provide.

Peggie Brown: the police will be having SCAM seminars to help educate community members so they do not become victims.

Please save your plastic caps & lids for a “buddy bench” at Sylvia Anderson’s great nephew, Braden’s school.