MENDOTA ZION UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Come, Share, Grow!

Please mark the date of October 18 on your calendars and plan on attending the Annual Church Conference now set for October 18, 2016 at 7 p.m.  SPRC will meet at 6:15 p.m. right before the meeting.  It is important that all members attend!  You make a difference!  

Come and Join Us for Worship on October 16!  We are asking that all members "bring a friend" to church that Sunday.  The Sunday School Children will be helping during service time today!  All are Welcome!  9 a.m. Worship; 10 a.m. Coffee & "Conversation"; 10:15 a.m. Adult Sunday School

The October Mission Focus is the Children's Fund for Christian Mission #302113.  The purpose of the Children's Fund for Christian Mission is to help children grow as disciples of Jesus Christ through mission education.  It is the policy of the Children's Fund to (1) educate children about mission and (2) to provide a way for children to give in mission beyond their local church.  The Children's Fund helps children learn to care for others, develop good habits of giving of themselves and monetarily, builds their knowledge of global cultures and practices "being in mission."  Projects change each year providing children with a variety of learning experiences.  The General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) selects the projects.  Discipleship Ministries then develops the teaching resources, distributes the information and collects the offerings.  GBGM then makes the distribution to each project.  Each project receives an egal share of the monies received.  

Our September Mission focus is on the Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) located in Peru, Illinois.  

Illinois Valley PADS exists to provide shetler, food, and services to people in need.  But, it is more than a bed for the night.  PADS offers a safe and nurturing environment to those that are homeless, plus a plan for a workable future for individuals in crisis, utilizing case management, assessments, and service plans.  PADS partners with communities for local resources and achieves results through support and opportunity.  

Individuals utilizing PADS' services are able to improve their lives by building skills in educational programs.  They develop positive change in their own lives and end the spiral of hoplessness, unemployment, and homelessness.  Illinois Valley PADS also owns and operates the Lily Pads Resale Boutique, located at 4471 Progress Boulevard in Peru, Illinois.  All of the proceeds from this boutique are used to support the homeless shelter.  All items donated by you are sold, recycled or used to meet the needs of PADS clients.  

Ways you can help with the PADS mission:  Help staff the shelter, provide a breakfast or dinner meal, assist with maintenance at the shelter, donate clothing and household items through Lily Pads Resale Shop, or volunteer at the Lily Pads Resale Shop.  

Monies collected in the month of September at Zion will be sent to this local charitable organization.  

Volunteers are needed during the week of VBS, June 27 -July 1.  The kitchen staff will be preparing and serving simple light suppers, the VBS teachers will probably need extra hands in the classrooms too.  'Have a few hours to spare during VBS "Submerged" week ?  Jump in, the water's fine. 

Ushers and greeters are needed.  if you're a cheerful earlybird on Sunday mornings, please consider signing up to share a "Good Morning" with church-goers, and welcome visitors, hand out bulletins; pass the collection plates, count heads and fill out the attendance sheet.  You can even relax on the comfortable furniture at the back of the sanctuary instead of sitting in a pew.  On communion Sundays, the ushers are sometimes invited to help serve the elements (bread & juice).

Deb Cheek announced that their committee is planning to invite the musically talented Carlson Family from Monticello, Wisconsin to perform here in July.  The group is called "Jesus Is King;" you may recall their last visit to Zion Church.  Karissa Carlson, her sister Julia & brother Isaiah sing three-part harmony, blending vocals with piano, harp, flute and violin.  Now in 2016, Isaiah has begun to play his great-grandfather's accordian.

They love to play traditional Christian music and the beautiful hymns, as well as some classical music.  They've recorded their second CD- "Always With You" in 2016 and will have copies available in July.  More info as soon as the july date is confirmed.

Jenn Masini has arranged the use of Zion's Fellowship Hall for the Mendota Education Foundation's Summer Musical rehearsals. They begin the end of May, each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from 5:30 to 9pm until June 23 when Vacation Bible school starts.

Many thanks to all at Zion UMC who broke into their piggy banks and saved their change to fill this year's Lent Loot jars.  All those nickles, dimes, pennies and quarters added up to $875. which will purchase over 16 Flood Buckets for Midwest Mission Distribution Center (MMDC).

These buckets containing a variety of cleaning supplies are sent out to victims of floods, storms and dsiasters all over the U.S.; and just in time.  We just received a desperate appeal for flood bucket donations from MMDC's Executive Director because their stock of buckets is almost gone.

Thanks to your generosity 16 + buckets will be ready for those in need.

Heifer International's mission is to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the earth.

Dan West was a farmer from the American Midwest and a member of the Church of the Brethren who went to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War as an aid worker.  His mission was to provide relief, but he soon discovered the meager single cup of milk rationed to the weary refugees once a day wasn't enough.  And then he had a thought: what if they had not a cup, but a cow ?

That "teach a man to fish" philosophy is what drove West to found Heifer International; and now nearly 70 years later, that philospohy still inspires the work to end world hunger & poverty throughout the world once and for all.

How it Works

We empower families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity -- it's more than giving them a handout.  Heifer links communities and helps bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty.  The animals provide partners with both food and relaible income, as agricultural products such as milki, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market.  When many families gain this new sustainable income, it brings new opportunities for building schools, creatingagricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.

The core of the Heifer model is Passing on the Gift.  This means families share the training they receive, and pass on the first female offspring of their livestock to another family.  This extends the impact of the original gift, allowing a once impoverished family to become donors and full participants in improving their communities.  

Go to www.heifer.org for the whole worldwide story. 

The Martin Keagy Grant Fund supports ministry in small towns and rural communities; it will provide $2,000. for this summer's Vacation Bible School (VBS) to be held the last week of June.  This will allow Zion to welcome all children in Mendota.

Second is a $500. P.A.C.K. Grant (Planned Acts of Christian Kindness).  This money comes from the NIC Annual Budget & is made possible through the local church apportionments.  This grant will assist in our "Sweet Corn Festival Breakfast" program, an outreach to the community.

This may be the first time that this church has applied for and received both of these grants.  Let Pastor Kim know that you appreciate his efforts to expand Zion's community outreach with additional funding for these summer events.

Note to Zion Members: Mission envelopes have been inserted into the church newsletter for years & years; now that we've begun to send out the Zion News to some church members as an email PDF attachment, there's no way to include a mission envelope. We've run out of our supply of mission specific envelopes anyway-- and the price of reordering them has gone up; so this seemed like a good time to make the change.

Our regular tithes & offering envelopes have a line on which to indicate a monthly mission offering or you can even use separate checks, one for General Fund & one for mission giving.  In either case the financial secretary will be sure that amount is credited to that monthly mission.

If you don't use weekly church envelopes, you'll find white envelopes in the church pew racks.