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Contact Us 515-967-2991
Pastor John Gaulke
Matt Osborne
Youth Director
Brandon Lindsey
Children’s Ministry Director
LeAnn Gaulke
Director of Small Groups
& Assimilation
Sue Bennett
Financial Manager
Heather Mahoney
Executive Assistant
Brenda Cort
Administrative Assistant
Dear Friends,
Valentine’s Day is a day that you don’t want to forget if there is someone special in your life, unless you’ve both reached a mutual decision to skip the holiday of love. It may shock you that retailers believe we will set a record this year by spending 20.7 billion dollars to express our love. I know you might think, “billion,” is a typo, but I rechecked – it’s correct – that’s a lot of money. This year men will spend on average $229.54 to express their love. Guys, here is your potential breakdown:
The perfect card. Cost $6.20 One dozen red roses with baby’s breath and vase. Cost: $75.00 One gold foil box of chocolates. Cost: $26.34 Someone to watch the kids. Cost $35.00 A romantic meal for two with tip. $87.00
Total cost to tell her that you love her……. $ 229.54
That look she gives you when she opens the card…...Priceless.
To love is to give far more than just monetary gifts to someone. We express our love by giving our time, attention and emotions to someone. It is not the roses that say, “I love you,” for a rose is just a rose and is powerless to speak. It is our act of thoughtful giving that puts love into each rose.
Let me take you back to the first Valentine’s Day. John records it for us:
Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and
return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love. John 13:1
How did Christ show His disciples and the world the full extent of his love? By carrying his cross upon which he was crucified – by
February 2020
Volume 61 Issue 2
Ash Wednesday 2
Small Groups 3
Women’s Study 4
Mission Update 5
Student Ministries 6
Children’s Ministry 7
Announcements 9
Online Giving 11
AUMC App 12
Inside This Issue
Conitnued on page 2
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dying for our sins. The cross itself does not say, “I love you.” It is simply dead wood configured to provide pain and a slow death. Thousands of people had been crucified on crosses before Jesus died on one. But never had someone walked to a cross innocent and sinless. God was walking, beaten and bleeding, to die for us. To show the world the full extent of His love. The cross, a cruel symbol of torture, is transformed into the greatest symbol of love the world has ever known because of the One who gave His life upon it.
My prayer for us is the same as the one prayed by Paul for the church at Ephesus:
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:18-19
Marveling at God’s love with you,
Pastor John
February 26th
8:00-8:30 p.m.
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Turkey Mission Dinner 2019 Update
Mark your calendars for our two upcoming church-wide service opportunities funded by the Turkey Mission Dinner donations. Watch the bulletin and weekly emails to sign up to participate!
May 30, 2020 Habitat for Humanity Wall Build October 17, 2020 Meals from the Heartland Packaging
The total donated at Turkey Mission Dinner 2019 was over $147,000! This money is already being put to work to help the poor, hungry, hurting, and lost both locally as well as around the world.
The work has begun on the church and medical clinic we are building in the Dominican Republic with funds raised from the dinner. The pictures show great progress on the exterior structure! A mission team of 15 people from our congregation will leave on February 22, 2020 to help with the construction. How wonderful to know that God is using our faithful giving at a turkey dinner to provide people with a place to worship and receive medical attention.
Thank you again for your generosity at Turkey Mission Dinner 2019. We will continue to update you as the money is dispersed to help those in need in our local community and across the globe.
Current interior and exterior views of the church being built in the Dominican Republic.
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After taking a short break, we are excited to kick off the second half of our Confirmation Class this month.
As a reminder, the first half of our Confirmation Class was based off of curriculum by Pastor Matt Chandler, entitled, “The Explicit Gospel”. The decision to use that curriculum during the first portion of our time together was to make sure that we were being as thorough as possible when explaining the gospel and detailing the implications that it has on our lives.
Over the next six weeks, we will be reverting back to a trusted source of curriculum for our church over the years. We have hand-picked six different video sessions from the Alpha Youth Series in order to give our students the practical tools that they need to continue growing in their faith on their own. Topics that will be covered in the near future include reading the Bible, how to pray to the Lord, the importance of church in a believer’s life and the purpose of the Holy Spirit.
We have been incredibly encouraged with the fruit that we have seen in the lives of our students since we started up our Confirmation Class. Even so, we continue to press in and petition the Lord in prayer that we would see even greater things in the days ahead. The overall goal of Confirmation Class is to disciple our students and to encourage them to live radically abandoned to Jesus. Our desire is to see a generation of young people who will go against the culture and fully surrender their lives to the purposes of Christ on earth.
As we resume Confirmation Class, we ask that you continue to keep our students and our group lifted up in your prayers. We are excited to see how the Lord will move!
Matt Osborne, Youth Director
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It’s not easy to say I’m sorry
We are men and we can accomplish anything! Fix the washer; grill a steak; chop up a season’s worth of fire wood...CHILD’S PLAY! Apologize to your kid for a simple mistake...”Um, I’m late for work….see ya later “ (as I sprint out of the house as quick as possible). Men don’t apologize, right? WRONG!!!
I’m proud to be a dad. I shoot hoops at the park. I swim at the pool. I play football in 100 degree weather and in the pouring rain. Most of us do! Being a dad is awesome...AND a lot of work. I always apologize when I’m wrong. Ok…Kara is rolling her eyes and laughing out the side of her mouth. I do a lot of good, but I also make a few mistakes (maybe more than a few). Does this affect my son? Significantly more if I don’t take responsibility for them.
Kids see us at our best...and our worst. We talk a big game, now let’s back it up. We yell, we fight, we say things we can’t take back. We honk at the guy that cut us off in traffic, we tell a small lie for convenience and we don’t do what we say at times. We aren’t perfect. Our kids perfect either. Saying your sorry and discussing the situation is a great way to connect with them and let them know how to deal with making mistakes and accepting consequences.
When we apologize, especially to our kids, it helps them to see that pride should not get in the way of making things right. An apology is like a band aid for mistakes. It doesn’t immediately take away the hurt, but it helps to heal the wound much quicker. It shows them that holding themselves accountable is important and that you care more about their feelings and growth than your pride. It’s not easy. Let me say that again….IT’S NOT EASY! But just like everything else, it becomes less difficult with practice and repetition. The next time you lose your cool, say something you shouldn’t or set the wrong example, talk about it with your child. Let them know that you’re sorry for your actions and it’s ok to make mistakes. The return on this investment will pay dividends in the long run...for the both of you.
God IS Great!
Brandon Lindsey
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United Methodist Women UMW Meeting is February 6th at 7:00p.m. in the Chapel.
Abigail Circle: Tuesday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m. location TBD. Martha Circle: Thursday, February 20 at 9:30 a.m. at Perkins.
February 15th United Methodist Men’s
Valentine Breakfast (with Spouses)
Family Life Center 8:00 a.m.
Coffee r eady at 7 :30a.m.
SAVE THE DATE!
UMW Annual
Tater Topper
Sunday, March 15th
10:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Family Life Center
POTLUCK Tuesday,
February 11 Noon
Family Life Center
Bring donation for the food pantry
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3-5 year olds
2- 5 days per week
Play based
Hands-on developmentally appropriate experiences,
field trips, Christmas & spring programs,
holiday parties,
Mom’s, Dad’s, Grandparent’s days
Contact Denise Hubbert [email protected]
Now Enrolling
Kids’ Connection Preschool Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser
Sunday, March 1st 7:45-11:00a.m.
Family Life Center Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs,
coffee, juice and milk. Freewill donation.
Thank you for your support!
Register now for SGU July 13-17, 2020 Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
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Altoona United Methodist Church has two electronic options for giving. You can register to give regularly or make a one-time gift by going to our church website, www.altoonaumc.org. Click on the Give tab.
Once you have clicked on the Give Online button, choose Sign In on the top right of the E-Giving Login page. You can then enter your email address and password (if you have already set up an account) or click on Register for an
Account. You can choose whether to log in with your phone number or your email address. Enter your information, and hit Register. Your donation can come from your checking, savings, debit card, Visa, MasterCard, or Discover. You have the option of making a one-time gift or a recurring donation on a schedule that you set up. Once you have registered, you have the ability to adjust your giving as desired by logging in with your Email address (or cell phone number) and Password. Another option for electronic giving is through our new church app. In the Worship menu, choose Give Online and then follow the instructions above. If you have any questions about this secure electronic giving option, please contact Heather Mahoney at 967-2991 or [email protected]. She is happy to meet with you to help you set up your account or answer any of your questions.
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If you would like to receive weekly updates via email, please go to the church website,
www.altoonaumc.org. Under the Connect tab, choose E-Mail Signup, enter your email
address, choose the email(s) you would like to receive, and they will begin arriving on a
weekly basis!
If you would like to be included on our email prayer chain list, please go to the church
website, www.altoonaumc.org, choose Prayer Chain Signup under the Connect tab,
enter your email address, and choose the Prayer Chain list.
Available for iOS and Android.
