Loving and Learning in Lodi, for Sunday, August 2, 2020

August is a month where we may think about popsicles, ice cream, lemonade, barbecue, and casual conversations on breezy front porches.  This August, we will be looking at the casual and not- so-casual conversations we have with our Good Lord.  Together we will look at our weekly  scripture lesson in the light of prayer as a way to unite our minds, hearts, and hands with God; as we praise and thank God for answered prayer, we will also reflect on how our prayers transform our  very own spirits- so that we can say with St. Paul: “ It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.”  Galatians 2:20.
             I celebrate the times I have shared with you this July and look forward to joyful seasons of worship, prayer and fellowship- as we learn and love in Lodi!           Pastor Pam                                                                              

Scripture     Matthew 6: 25-34    

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 Hymns “Seek Ye First”                                               #405

             “Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart”       TFWS #2036                         

             “Open My Eyes, That I May See”                      #454

Meet and greets with Pastor Pam:   Last week began a series of small group meetings (set up by the SPRC committee – you will be getting a phone call) (if you do not hear from the SPRC committee, please call or text  Joan Anderson 330-421-4860 to be included in a meeting) where we can become acquainted with Pastor Pam.  She would love to hear your cherished memories and hopes for the future!

School My Sheep Update from Katrina:    August 22  8am – noon

Well. here we are a little more than three weeks away from giving out the school supplies for area students. Thank you so much for your generosity, your thoughts and your prayers. We've started advertising and will continue to ramp up the announcements. 

As you know, we upped the number of supply bags this year, knowing the need was high and families were struggling due to Covid-19, job losses, etc.  Last year we gave away 180. This year we took that number to 210, partially due to the sheer volume of supplies received and partially due to the success we had with Facebook Fundraising.  

To be transparent, we're sharing the financials:  We spent $2335.00 to get the bags completed. This included kleenex for every student, headphones for 60 Cloverleaf elementary, 60 wired mouse sets for middle school and high school students, and miscellaneous supplies needed to ensure each supply pack had the same materials. We applied bulk pricing to purchase book bags, too.   Now, we realize the money spent is high, but here's the good news: We received $2135.00!  (Half from our congregation and half from Fundraising and other outside donations.)  Isn't that fantastic?  And...if you do the math, it means we send 210 kids back to school at $11.12/student. That's unheard of! God is good!  

If additional donations are received, we will apply it to book bags. That is the only thing we're short on at this time.   We have 63 bags for elementary and were hoping for 100.  However, if that doesn't happen, we're still good.   We've done everything possible with the resources received.  

The event itself is scheduled for August 22nd 8 a.m. to Noon (or sooner if supplies run out).  In mapping out the logistics, it's been determined that holding it in our parking lot will NOT work.  We run the risk of serious traffic issues and weather. For those reasons, we will distribute from our Fellowship hall.  The number of people allowed inside the building will be limited. There will be one way in and one way out, to keep the flow moving and allow us to follow social-distancing rules.   And yes, we will require masks as mandated by the state of Ohio.  We have 11 volunteers which is perfect!

We will set up Fellowship Hall Friday at 10 a.m.  And could use some volunteers please. (let Katrina know via email or phone call.)  We need to move everything from the third floor, space out stations and figure out the six-foot rule. 

We hope you're as excited as we are as the give-a-way approaches!  This is a great community outreach mission, and we've been able to pull it off despite the numerous obstacles this year.  Regardless of whether you are able to attend personally, EACH of you has a hand in School My Sheep!

Greetings!

Please make sure you are communicating with your congregation and folks who need or wish to attend the District Conference on Saturday August 22.

Currently, we only have 39 people who have registered so that means all of you have not registered yet.  Anyone wishing to attend needs to register by Monday August 3rd so we have time to get packets out to everyone.

Here is the link again for your reference: 

REGISTER VIA LINK:    https://forms.gle/9t2TCh4hNaqcoPQh9  

We know this is a tough and challenging time but please help us to ensure anyone who wishes to or is required to registers for the live district conference and receives the conference packet.  We appreciate all of your hard work and dedication during this unprecedented time.

Thank you!  Many blessings,

Jennifer Kent      Administrative Assistant      Firelands District UMC, East Ohio Conference         (419) 668-6115

Rev. Pamela Buzalka       (216)-704-0307        pamelab23@hotmail.com

Loving and Learning in Lodi, for Sunday, July 26, 2020

This week we will look at scriptures about the spiritual gift of joy. Jesus told us that he came to the world, that His joy might be in us and be complete. Neither Jesus’ joy nor our own is dependent on the things that we may equate with happiness; happiness is a good and beautiful thing, but it can be like soap bubbles blown by children- fragile and fleeting. Happiness is often dependent on our outer circumstances.  Spiritual joy is strong and eternal; it comes with the freedom of love - love like God’s own generous, creative, wise holy love.  Joy comes when we let go of expectations and embrace hope!  This week I hope we are all prayerful and attentive to the things that bring joy to our lives. I thank you, Lodi church family, for the joy you have brought to my spirit - on my birthday and every day! Joy to the world- the Lord has come! Pastor Pam                                                                                           

Scripture                    Psalm 16:5-11

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful^[a] one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

                            

Hymns       “Joy to the World”                       (verses 1 & 4)    #246

     “Love Divine, All Love Excelling”   (verses 1 & 4)     #384

      “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee”    (verses 1 & 3)      #89

Meet and greets with Pastor Pam:   This week begins a series of small group meetings (set up by the SPRC committee – you will be getting a phone call) (if you do not hear from the SPRC committee, please call or text  Joan Anderson 330-421-4860 to be included in a meeting) where we can become acquainted with Pastor Pam.  She would love to hear your cherished memories and hopes for the future!

School My Sheep Update from Katrina:

Hold the presses! Time to say "Thank you" and "Praise God!"

We do NOT need any more school supplies!  Repeat...we do NOT need any more supplies and it’s not even August!  This is amazing!!  We've exceeded our goals and all supplies are packed and ready to go! In fact, if we needed to hand them out tomorrow, we could. (with a few exceptions) 

20 Preschool bags

60 Cloverleaf Elementary 

60 Non-Cloverleaf  Elementary 

70 Middle School/High School

210 kids going back to school!

Any other monetary donations will be used to pay off new expenses for headphones, computer mouse sets and additional book bags. (We had to go ahead and order what we needed to ensure they arrived in time).

Thank you for your generosity, your continued prayers and support for this ministry.

Addendum to School My Sheep:   One week ago, we had 175 bags. We had enough supplies come in to do 35 more bags! Donations allowed us to order 24 more large back packs. At this time, we have 122 bags, which is great! 

Quick update on the Celebrate “100” ramp project:  The architect and building department, at the county level, are finalizing the drawings.  Hope to hear back, soon!

*****Pastor Pam is settling into the parsonage and our little Lodi.  She does not have her home office computer set up as of yet, but her phone number and e-mail (which she gets on her phone) are open to everyone! (She is hoping to be up and running, with a little help, next week!)

Rev. Pamela Buzalka       (216)-704-0307        pamelab23@hotmail.com

                         Loving and Learning in Lodi, July 19, 2020    

                                     Lodi United Methodist Church

“There’s no place like home,” says Dorothy in one of my favorite movies The Wizard of Oz. It is a sentiment most of us would agree with most of the time, but during this Covid crisis most of us have been home far more than we would like!  Our scripture lesson this week “The Prodigal Son”, Luke 15: 11-32, teaches us many lessons about what it means to come home and to be at home with God, with ourselves, and with the community. 

Through the penitent prodigal and his self-righteous older brother, this rich parable reminds us that even more important than where we are, is who we are!  While the older brother hunkered down in his father’s house, he was never really at home with God, with himself or with others. May our hearts be open to the Father’s embrace so that they may become a sacred space. As God lives within us and works through us, we will always be at home - in Kansas, in Oz, or right here in Lodi!

Pastor Pam

Luke 15:11-32    The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Hymns:    “How Can We Name a Love”                       #111    (Tune:  This Is My Father’s World)

                “Near to the Heart of God”                           #472 

                “Blest Be the Tie That Binds”                       #557 

           

Announcements:  ~As you know, our reopening committee is hard at work. They are gathering information and working on plans to reopen.  Please send back the survey information, as soon as possible, so they can begin to move forward in hopes of reopening some time in August or whenever things are safe.   

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

School My Sheep update from Katrina:   We collected $880.00 on our Facebook Fundraiser! These monies along with our congregational gifts have allowed us to send 175 kids back to school!

15 Preschoolers 

50 Cloverleaf Elementary 

50 Non-Cloverleaf Students

60 Middle School and High School students

     Thank you is not enough. What an amazing church we have that we can still meet needs despite the pandemic.

     We're working with the schools and are looking at a drive-through supply giveaway, possibly on Aug. 22nd. It would really help if we knew whether we have volunteers available:  email or call Katrina please.

     We aren't collecting any more adult clothing as we're at capacity and still unsure of what a clothing giveaway may look like right now.   Stay tuned! Stay Safe!

I just returned from being out of town.  I will have the offering and balances updated next week.  Thank you for your patience.  Dottie

*****Pastor Pam is settling into the parsonage and our little Lodi.  She does not have her home office computer set up as of yet, but her phone number and e-mail (which she gets on her phone) are open to everyone! 

Rev. Pamela Buzalka       (216)-704-0307        pamelab23@hotmail.com

Loving and Learning in Lodi, July 12, 2020

The last few months of my life have been very busy, as I deal with the details of moving to Lodi, leaving Akron, and preparing to sell my house in Cleveland. I think for me, and maybe for you, at times I feel like I am drowning in the details. It can feel downright discouraging! And then the Lord sends me the words of this hymn by Helen Howarth Lemmel: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” 

Our scripture lesson of the week Luke 5:1-11 is very much about calling, yet today it speaks to me of God’s ways of encouraging us in our daily lives. Simon Peter was in his boat, tired and disheartened. Then, Jesus enters the scene telling the men to put the boat “a little way” from the shore before inviting them into deeper waters. He guides them through their troubles - with the fish and with their hearts; Jesus tells Simon and us, “Do not be afraid.”

Keeping our eyes upon Jesus as we take small and sure steps as His followers, we will surely look to the past with thankfulness and to the future with joyful expectation!

                                                                        Pastor Pamela

Scripture                                                   Luke 5: 1-11                   Jesus Calls His First Disciples

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,^[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. ² He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷ So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Hymns                                               

“We Are Called”                TFWS #2172

 “The Summons”                 TFWS  #2130

 “I Love to Tell the Story”                #156

Announcements:  ~Our reopening committee is hard at work gathering information and working on plans to reopen.  Plan to hear from them, very soon!

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

School My Sheep July 2020

It’s been a busy couple of weeks as we’ve still been working toward the School My Sheep Drive.  Thank you to Sue Porter, Judy Foster, and Joyce Lorrah for spending time in the hot third-floor room at church sorting through a mountain of clothes. Whew!  Two hours of good, hard work, wearing masks, and focused, we got through everything on hand!

The Facebook Fundraiser collected $680.00!  This has allowed us to take care of the big-ticket items: wired mouse sets for Middle School and High School (60!) and over-ear headphones for Cloverleaf Elementary (48!). We have 48 completed supply bags for non-Cloverleaf elementary students, too.  Now we will concentrate on filling in our inventory for middle and high school, purchasing zippered pencil pouches, and more book bags (we’re short by 50 at this point).  

We still don’t know what this event will look like.  We’re considering drive-through school supplies and limiting the number of people inside the church.  At this point, we don’t plan to use the sanctuary as we have in years past.  It will remain clean and ready for our own congregation. 

Katrina and crew

Loving and Learning in Lodi, for July 5, 2020

            Welcome Pastor Pamela Buzalka!        

As I sit to write my first words for “Loving and Learning in Lodi,” the song “Getting to Know You” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I keeps running through my mind. Many years ago as a high school student, I had a chorus role in a production of this  and American theater classic. As a student hoping to be a teacher, the story of this bold and effective teacher, daring to travel into new and unfamiliar places, inspired me!  Today as a Pastor beginning a new shared ministry with the Lodi UMC faith community, my spirit still resonates with the joyful hope of the song; these words speak to my heart of the spiritual journey: “ ...Because of all the beautiful and new things I am learning about you day by day!” 

This week’s scripture lesson “The Good Samaritan” is a “getting to know you” parable.  In this parable, Jesus teaches the “student of the law”, who wanted to inherit the kingdom of God, a profound lesson in loving God above all else and loving neighbor as our very self.  As the outsider Samaritan and the unknown victim

came to experience each other in the act of loving and being loved, they came to know “beautiful and new” things about each other, themselves, God and kingdom living.

I trust God will bless us abundantly as well in our learning and loving in Lodi!

                                                                        Pastor Pamela

Scripture                                   Luke 10: 26-37              The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Hymns   “Great is Thy Faithfulness”     (verses 1-3)    #140

               “One Bread, One Body”                                  #620

              “America the Beautiful”         (verses 1-3)      #696

                         

Thank you:  ~ With a truly grateful heart I want to thank Lodi UMC SPRC for the warm and supportive welcome, the Trustees for their hard work in the parsonage bathroom sink renovation, the UMW for the beautiful new parsonage curtains, the music ministry team, Dottie Kimble and most of all - the Lord!

Although the Fourth of July fireworks will soon be over, let us keep our nation, those in the armed services and their families, veterans and all who serve with selfless dedication for the common good in our daily prayers.  Pastor Pamela

Thank you:  WOW!!!! The prayers, cards, calls, boxes and love that has poured out of our little church for my mom are amazing!!!  The hospital staff commented that they have never seen anything like it!  She will be moving to Burbank for further therapy and to get stronger, this Thursday.  Thank you, so much!  She is a very strong and determined woman!  From Dave and the Family of Ruth Anderson

****If you have an extra card or note paper, send a thank you note to Lodi Hospital East Wing to thank them for all the loving care that they have given to Ruth.  They are amazing people!!! 225 Elyria St., Lodi, 44254

School My Sheep Update:   Hello and missing you all so much--your smiles, your laughter and your hugs.  School My Sheep is still cranking along in the background.  It's a huge endeavor and one we would never pin on our congregation's shoulders entirely.  We put up a Facebook Fundraiser last week and to date, $575.00 has been donated! Isn't that wonderful?  And from people not affiliated with our church but who rose to the occasion.   There are fees involved, but we still have a lot of the donated monies to go to school items that need purchased.  It's allowed us to purchase 48 of the over-ear headphones.  We will concentrate on the wireless mouse sets for middle school and high school students next. 

If you're out and about and would like to purchase supplies, our inventory shows we could use index cards, colored pencil sets, 2 pocket folders with prongs, and book bags.  If you'd rather we do the shopping, that's fine, too.  Checks can be made out to the church with School My Sheep in the memo.  

We will sort clothes on Thursday July 2nd from 9 am to 11 am.  The third floor is warm, so be prepared.  We have one volunteer and can take 2 more to ensure social distancing. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for this wonderful event. 

Katrina Morgan

~Best wishes, Rev. Diane! Love and Learn in Steubenville!

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

*****Pastor Pam is settling into the parsonage and our Lodi community.  She does not have her home office computer set up as of yet, but her phone number and e-mail (which she gets on her phone) are open to everyone! 

Rev. Pamela Buzalka       (216)-704-0307        pamelab23@hotmail.com