“Balancing  Health:  Body,  Mind,  Spirit”  is  the theme of this year’s  Community  Lenten Services.

At each location, there will be a soup and

bread meal at 6:00 with a worship service beginning at 6:30.

Ash Wednesday is March 5th and each church will hold their own service. Our worship service time will be 6:30pm following our Fellowship Meal.

There will be a breakfast at the American Lutheran Church on March 5th (Ash Wednesday). Gathering will begin at 8:30 with the breakfast starting at 9am. The service will begin at 9:30 with speaker Lisa Volker.  The  theme  of  the  message  is  “On  the  Way—The  Long  Walk  to  Santiago”  A  Pilgrimage  Walk  in  Spain.

3/12 American Lutheran Church 3/19 First Christian Church 3/26 Presbyterian Church 4/2 Youth Led Service—Location TBD 4/9 United Methodist Church

4/17 We will be holding a Passover Seder Service at 6:30pm on Maundy Thursday

4/18 Good Friday First Presbyterian Church TBD

Our annual special Parade of Palms offering for missions will be taken on Palm Sunday, April 13th and also during the Saturday Night Light Service on April 12th. All money given will go directly towards our missionaries. Children of all ages are invited to participate in the waving of palm branches at the beginning of each church service on Palm Sunday. Children will meet downstairs in Fellowship Hall at 8:30 a.m. to participate in the 8:45 service. Those who will be helping with the 11:00 service will meet in the Fellowship Hall following Sunday School. Following their entry into the sanctuary, children will sit with their families.

On Easter Sunday we will have our regular worship services at 8:45 AM and 11:00 AM and Sunday School at 10:00 AM. The Saturday Night Light Service will be held at 5:30pm on the 19th.

Lilies and Tulips will be ordered through Front & Center Gallery this year (contact Jayne Tjardes 217-417-5003). Slips for memorials and honorariums will be in the bulletins two weeks prior to Easter and should be turned in to the church office prior to Wednesday, April 16th.

Visit us at gcumc3.org or Find us on Facebook: “Gibson  City  UMC”

Pastors—John Tennyson Megan Thompson Church Phone 217-784-5452 Church Email gcumc@sbcglobal.net

Saturday  •  5:30pm—Casual Worship Sunday  •  8:45am—Traditional Worship

Sunday  •  11:00am—Contemporary Worship

Sunday School—10:00am

Younger people are finding their way into new relationships, new educational opportunities, new technologies, and new living spaces. But the younger generations as a whole are not finding their way into the church. To reverse this trend and learn how to be more effective in reaching beyond our doors, our church will be in a 12 month training program for the next year beginning in March. Steve  James  will  be  “coaching”  a  few  select  churches  in  our Conference including ours in how to:

x� Connect with the younger generation x� Build confidence in outreach ministry x� Develop behaviors that communicate love x� Increase multi-generational ministry x� Manage intergenerational conflict x� Understand how generations differ in how they

learn and perceive the world around them Steve is a church consultant, an elder in the Western Carolina Conference, previously serving as Director of Congregational Development in his conference. Eight people and myself will be attending a workshop in Tuscola on March 14-15. An action team will be organized and work with Steve for the following year, and we will utilize congregational meetings and any and all other methods to train our congregation in wisdom and key knowledge being learned.

In addition to this training, a workshop called Casting Our Nets: Reaching Out to Welcome In is being

offered at Bloomington Wesley UMC on Sat. Mar. 8. See  article  elsewhere  in  this  month’s  newsletter.

~ Pastor John

Going to Israel was a Dorothy stepping out of her Kansas home into the Technicolor wonder of Oz experience.

Suddenly, and in vivid detail, all those stories I had read and heard, all those tales etched in stained glass and in children’s  bibles  had  a  real  foundations,  real  places  where the events actually happened.

I felt the spray of the Galilean Sea, just as the disciples did. I felt the clear waters of the Jordan, just as John the Baptist did. My shoes kicked up the dust of Jericho, just like Joshua did. I wandered down the Mount of Olives, prayed among the ancient olive trees in the garden, and climbed the streets of Jerusalem, tracing the journeys of Christ in his last few days.

All of those stories have new meaning, new life, simply because I saw with my own eyes where and how they might have happened. It was a glorious pilgrimage I took part in, a glorious pilgrimage indeed.

But  now  I’m  back.    Now,  I’m  catching  up  on  house  work and church work, reconnecting with my families, and that glorious feeling of being somewhere with a bit more color (and a lot more warmth), is starting to fade.

But like all mountain top or Oz experiences, the wonder of the Holy Land lingers.

The memories of the Promised Land of Milk and Honey, filled with fruits and vegetables of so many different  varies  lingers  as  I’m  getting  used  to  sleeping  in the Central Time Zone again.

The feel of worn steps where the saints have trod before, of touching the indentations where countless fingers have caressed the stone and the stillness of those holy places lingers even as the ache from climbing so many stairs fades.

The weight of walking the Stations of the Cross, of going  down  into  Caiaphas’  dungeons,  the  taste  of  communion in the Garden Tomb, lingers in my memory as I prepare for Lent.

The Holy Land lingers, tinting my memories, my work, my life with a bit of Technicolor wonder, and for that, I will be grateful.

Thanks be to God. ~ Pastor Megan

The Covenant Council is the main decision making body of the church. It is made up of members of the congregation as well as the chair-people of the other committees of the church. The current chairperson of Covenant Council is Kim Fisher. At-large members are: Lynn Anliker, Jeff Eckhoff, Meaghan Sharp, and Mick Horsch. The Covenant Council meets on the second Monday of the month at 7pm in the Red Room. These meetings are open to anyone. If you have something you would like to present to Covenant Council, please contact Kim Fisher prior to the meeting to ensure that your request can be added to the agenda for the next meeting.

The SPRC is comprised of members of GCUMC. Their primary goals are to encourage, strengthen, nurture, support, and respect the pastors and staff and their families and to promote unity in the church. The current chairperson of the SPRC is Brian Steidinger. Committee members are: Mike Utterback, Susie Tongate, Jim Steinman, Steve Hawthorne, Lisa Farmer, and Angie Woodward. SPRC meets on the second Monday of the month at 5:30PM. Their meetings are closed. If you have a concern, please let one of the committees members know and they can address it at their next meeting.

The Finance committee oversees the finances of the church and are responsible for approving the yearly budget and audit. Finance meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the Red Room. The chair-people of finance are Greg Pool and Phil Whitehouse. Committee members are Sue Everett, Tom Borton, Dan Jones, Jim Hood, and Joe Wier. Doug Hager is our church treasurer and our financial secretaries are Leigh Ann Sharp, Ann Young, and Rhonda Eckerty.

The Trustees are mainly responsible for maintaining all church property. They also oversee memorial donations given to the church. Trustees meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the Fellowship Hall. The chair-people for 2014 are Phil Noellsch and Jon Clark. Committee members are Michael Farmer, Gail Anliker, Dave Hazen, Phil Van Swol, Tom Bennett, Glenn Riddle, Kenny Hawthorne, and Judy Eckhoff.

The Worship Committee oversees most things related to our weekly worship services as well as other special services throughout the year. The worship committee meets more on a quarterly basis, so please contact a chairperson to find out when they will be meeting next. The chair-people for 2014 are Linda Hester and Kathy Eagleson. Committee members are: Joan Pool, Tom Fairchild, Jennifer Arsenault, Karen Leenerman, Linda Goltz, Terry Snyder, and Matt Brown.

The  Children’s  Ministries  Committee  oversees  the  youth  programming in our church from Preschool age through High  School.  They  also  oversee  the  Kids’  Connection  program on Sunday mornings. They meet on the third Monday of the month at 6:45pm in the Red Room. The chairperson of CMC is Megan Whitehouse. Committee members are: Sue Shields, Kaci Farmer, Annette Fairchild, Sarah Chase, Patty Wilson, Mick Kingsley, Michelle Engel, Danielle Brown, Angie Davis, and Lori Frashier.

The Mission Committee oversees the missions which GCUMC supports. They determine the mission budget on a yearly basis and set-up the monthly mission socks offerings. Missions meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 in the Fellowship Hall. The chairperson of Missions is Kent Bielfeldt. Committee members are: Kay Bell, Joyce Bennett, Donna Douglas, Kim Fisher, Bonnie Clark, Barb Horsch, Michelle Engel, Sarah Fairfield, Jim Hazen, and Carly Kietzman.

Lyle Goltz 1 Courtney Gramley 1 Grant Kummerow 1 Doug Eckerty 2 Judy Eckhoff 2 Deanna Freehill 2 Jane Hill 2 Nellie Kinder 3 Meladee Ferguson 4 Janite Barnes 6

Hope Wilson 6 Andy Bennett 7 Lucas Lange 7 Rebecca Littlefield 7 Bryan Bennett 8 Jill Schultz 8 Jeremy Steidinger 9 John Strebeck 10 Karla Miller 11 Angie Woodward 12 Ora Lee Coleman 13 Megan Whitehouse 13 Sandy Reynolds 14 Rudy Strebeck 14 Gavin Main 17 Dan Kearfott 18 Amy McNutt 19

Jeremy Grider 21 Olivia Mullis 21 Cindy Bell 22 Alison Cowell 22 Sarah Chase 23 Diana Harmon 23 Donald Hiner 23 Link Woodward 24 Colleen Lange 25 Shirley Rosendahl 26 Drake Royal 26 Ross Royal 26 Gene Everett 27 Ruth Davis 29 Molly Augspurger 30

Day Years Ralph & Marinell Jones 6 55 Roger & Kathleen Reum 6 15 Howard & Jo Nettleton 8 62 Jon & Bonnie Clark 19 26 Rick & Becky Young 20 34 Meg & Zac Fornero 21 4 Michael & Kaci Farmer 25 8

Health Concerns Marian Boog Glenn & Mildred Davis Ruth Fisher Ruth Harris Kay Jensen Lois Kelley Mike Morano Michele Schmandt Sarah Tubbs Don Williams Nursing Home Residents

Annex Don Williams

Manor Marian Boog Glenn Davis Ruth Fisher Ella Mae Miller Judy Peters Clevita Tongate Shirley Butler

Asta Care Bob Main (Blmgtn) Doris Bridgewater

Servicemen and women AIC Zachary E Mohn Kem Estaban SSgt Malcom Salyards 2LT Adam Salyards PFC Colton Young AB Cody McCoy Rudiger Strebeck Todd Rich

Jan 2014 Offering for Budget $20,456.78

Jan 2014 Budget $26,699.00

Weekend Sat 5:30

Sun 8:45

Sun 11:00

Sunday School

February 1st & 2nd 15 118 29 54

February 8th & 9th 10 127 38 64

February 15th & 16th 14 99 30 97

February 22nd & 23rd 17 142 29

March Mission Socks will benefit the Midwest

Mission Distribution Center.

Oak Grove is a town of 7,800 residents near Kansas City. It has experienced job loss due to factory closures and the recession. Left behind are low income and elderly households in need of home repairs. Our group will be a part of a camp of up to 400 youth from throughout the United States coming to do painting, roofing and building porches and wheelchair ramps. In the evenings, we will be worshipping our Lord through singing, drama and praise. We currently have 8 people attending. Please contact Donna Douglas (217-766-7053) if you would like to join the group.

Our Church will be hosting Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (FPU) at the Church beginning March 26, 2014. FPU teaches members how to handle money God's ways, and His ways work! Millions of people have gone through FPU. They've worked a plan, rewritten their stories, and changed their futures. This class meets for nine weeks, one night a week. It incorporates small-group discussions that help encourage accountability and discipleship. Class will run from 6:30 to 8:00 on Wednesday evenings for nine weeks. Childcare will be available. If you have questions or to register you may visit the link below http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/locations/org/49001/class/249440 or contact Brian Steidinger at 249-8200.

Would you like to take a different and new approach to LENT? Then consider joining us on Tuesdays, 9-10am in the Red Room beginning March 4th. Studies will be: x� “Stories  of  Jesus:  40  Days  of  Prayer  and  Reflection”  

written by Joseph Girzone x� “Resurrecting  Easter:  Meditations  for  the  Great  50  

Days”  by  Kate  Moorhead If interested, please contact Malinda Lutz (the leader) at 784-8511 or the church office, 784-5452.

Casting Our Nets is an invitational evangelism conference that will be held on Saturday, March

8 from 9am-3pm at the Wesley United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Il. This conference will feature author and lecturer Debi Nixon. If you are interested in attending, you can register at wesley-umc.org. If you have any questions, you can also contact Pastor John.

Thank You for your generous support last year of our Pie Night Ministry. Due to your generosity, we are able to cover pies of all of 2014.

If you are signed up to share altar flowers with the congregation, flowers are ordered by the office through Front & Center Gallery. No need to pay the office for the flowers, Front & Center Gallery will bill $30 for your arrangement. If you would like something special for your arrangement, you have two options: 1. Contact Jayne Tjardes by the Monday prior to your

weekend at 217-417-5003. 2. You can provide your own flowers from another

florist, but please let the office know of this change at least 2 weeks prior to your weekend.

If  you  aren’t  already  signed  up  for  flowers  and  wish  to  add a weekend, please sign the sheet in the hallway and also inform the office to ensure that Front & Center Gallery is made aware of your order.

Please remember to set your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed on March 8th. Daylight savings time begins March 9th at 2am!

The  Men’s  Breakfast  group  of  this  church  would  like  to  honor all of the fire fighters, police force, and EMTs serving the Gibson City area for their service to the community and surrounding area by inviting them to a Chili & Oyster dinner. It will be held from 5:30-7:00 PM on Thursday, March 13th, 2014, in the lower level of the church at 206 E. 10th Street in Gibson City. All the men of the church are also invited. The

trip is coming up on Friday, March 21st. (GCMS spring break week). It is an opportunity for each person to have  a  “hands-on”    mission experience. This  experience  is  to  fulfill  Christ’s  command  to  help  the  “least  of  these”  whose  needs  are  great  because  of  some disaster or circumstance that is not of their making. Anyone age 11 and up is welcome to come. The group plans to leave around 6:30am and will return around 6pm.

Beginning March 4th, we will be offering Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Formation, a small group course for 9 weeks. Spiritual practices are activities that open us to God's transforming love and the changes only God can bring about in our lives. Each week will include a bit of at-home reading and practice, and a one-hour gathering to share our experiences and questions on Tuesdays at 7 pm. If you can join us by Mar. 11th, it will not be too late. Cost of the book is $15. Fliers can be found on the table outside the office. For more information, to ask questions, or to order a book, please contact Susan Schultz at 784-8833 or susans@mchsi.com.

will meet on March 12th at

Monical’s  Pizza  at  12:30pm  for  lunch.  

While the Facebook page and the church web pages remain viable alternatives to keeping up with what is going on in the church, today we are going to focus on smart phones and tablet apps that might help you in your spiritual journey. First and foremost, there are many Bible apps available, too numerous to list. Most of the better ones allow you to easily read whatever verse you need to see, bookmark, highlight, annotate, or make a note of something that moves you or speaks to you. If you are willing to spend a little money, you can get several translations in the same app. More sophisticated apps include daily reading plans, maps, insights, etc. (My app has 15 translations, 9 reading plans, several maps, several dictionaries, and more. <PocketBible by Laridian> -ck) The point is that you can take these resources anywhere for study, devotion, and reflection.

There are also prayer list apps available. These allow you to add prayer requests to your phone or tablet. If you only have one or two prayer requests, you might not need one, but once you get to the 20, 40, or 60+ range, it is not so easy to remember everyone. (On my prayer app, I have around 100 people listed, of which maybe 20 or so are tagged as being prayed for every day, with the others tagged by various days of the week or month. The average, I would guess, would fall between 40-50 per day. There is no way I could remember all of those without my app. <PrayerPartner by Laridian> -ck) I do not endorse either of these programs by Laridian, but only offer them as apps that work for me. So, if you have a smart phone or a tablet, I would encourage you to at least look into some of these, whether it is for an iPhone or an Android phone. Both versions have many options available.

~Craig Kummerow & Susan Schultz

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1

Communion 5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

2 Communion 7:00AM Men’s  Breakfast 8:45 AM Traditional Worship 10:00AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Contemporary Worship

3 9:00 AM Prayers

4 9:00AM Bible Study

1:00 PM Communion Manor/Annex

5:30 PM Praise Team

7:00 PM Trustees

7:00 PM Spiritual Practices

7:00 PM Disciple IV

5 Ash Wednesday Wednesday Night Fellowship 8:30 AM Ash Wednesday Breakfast (American Lutheran Church) 6:30 PM Ash Wednesday Service

6 7:00 PM Finance

7 8 5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

9 8:45 AM Traditional Worship 10:00AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Contemporary Worship

10 9:00 AM Prayers 5:30 PM SPRC 7:00 PM Covenant Council

11 9:00 AM Bible Study

5:30 PM Praise Team

7:00 PM Spiritual Practices

7:00 PM Disciple IV

12 Wednesday Night Fellowship

12:30 PM Wesleyana Circle (Monical’s  Pizza)

6:30 PM Mission Committee

6:00 PM Dinner and Lenten Service (American Lutheran Church)

13 5:30 PM Chili & Oyster Appreciation Dinner

14 15 Mission Socks 5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

16 Mission Socks 8:45 AM Traditional Worship 10:00AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Contemporary Worship

17 9:00 AM Prayers 6:45 PM Children’s  Ministries Committee

18 9:00 AM Bible Study

5:30 PM Praise Team

7:00 PM Spiritual Practices

7:00 PM Disciple IV

19 Wednesday Night Fellowship 6:00 PM Dinner and Lenten Service (First Christian Church)

20 21 6:30 AM Midwest Mission Distribution Center Trip

22 5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

23 8:45 AM Traditional Worship 10:00AM Sunday School 11:00 AM Contemporary Worship

24 9:00 AM Prayers

25 9:00 AM Bible Study

5:30 PM Praise Team

7:00 PM Spiritual Practices

7:00 PM Disciple IV

26 Wednesday Night Fellowship

6:00 PM Dinner and Lenten Service (Presbyterian Church)

6:30 PM Financial Peace

27 28 29 5:30 PM Saturday Night Light Worship

30 8:45 AM Traditional Worship

10:00AM Sunday School

11:00 AM Contemporary Worship

31 9:00 AM Prayers

Wednesday Night Fellowship 5:15pm—Fellowship Meal 6:00pm—Youth Activities (PreK—5th Grade) 6:00pm—Middles School Youth Group 7:00pm—High School Youth Group 7:30pm—Sanctuary Choir 8:30pm—Jake’s  Boys

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO 13 Gibson City, IL 60936

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Gibson City United Methodist Church 206 East 10th Street Gibson City, IL 60936

Pastor—John Tennyson cell 217-249-5453 email: pastorgcumc@sbcglobal.net Associate Pastor—Megan Thompson cell 217-418-8354 email: gcumcassoc3@sbcglobal.net Connection Coordinator—Barb Horsch cell 217-781-8048 email: mgf@leapstream.net Administrative Assistant—April Rotramel office 217-784-5452 email: gcumc@sbcglobal.net

Church Custodian—Jeremy Rotramel Organist—Beverly Nagle Choir Director—Ruth Davis

Nursery Attendants—Melissa Jamison Susan Schultz, Volunteer Jessica Schultz, Volunteer

OUR STAFF

Liturgist Greeters (West, South, North) Acolytes

Sound Room (8:45)

Projector (8:45)

Projector (11:00)

March 2 Lisa Farmer Tom & Sandy Fairchild

Jeff & Judy Eckhoff

Karleigh Kietzman Brandon Clark

Erin Arsenault

Haley Christensen

March 9 Sharon Pool Patricia Goembel & Patty Wilson

Jeremy Grider Dean & Lisa Farmer

Jacob Rutledge Lonnie Engel

Taylor Engel

Jeremy Steidinger

March 16

Rhonda Eckerty

Patricia Goembel & Patty Wilson Jeremy Grider

Dean & Lisa Farmer Keegan Frashier Steve

Hawthorne Dani

Eckerty Grace

Christensen

March 23

James & Christine Hazen David & Laura Hazen

Parker Chase Jon Clark Blythe

Borton Haley

Christensen

March 30

Donna Douglas

James & Christine Hazen David & Laura Hazen

Kenny & Candice Hawthorne Olivia Hawthorne Brandon

Clark Erin

Arsenault Jeremy

Steidinger

Head Usher for March is Mick Kingsley