Troy FUMC's Tidings 2.0

Were You Here? If Not, Read Who Was!!!

2012-02-14T21:24:00.000-05:00

Today is Valentines Day and what a great day to send a note to the church family! Last weekend the church was full of folks, OVER 400 on Saturday alone! We had Men’s breakfast, Pack 1707’s Pinewood Derby, Bob Reid’s funeral luncheon, and contra-dancing. The place was hoppin’ and people were being ministered to in lots of ways.

Sunday was wonderful with three bell choirs and our new member; Barbara Burnsteel, who affirmed her baptism as a child, and later the youth surprised Carole Welbaum with a huge birthday cake! Hope it was a great birthday Carole!!

Lent is right around the corner and I hope and pray we have a good turnout for our Wednesday night Lenten study

“Journey to Jerusalem” that starts with a $3.00 supper at 6 p.m. and ends following the program at 7:15 p.m.

It’ll be a great night of food, faith, and fellowship. So come to any or all of the four being offered on March 7, 14, 21, 28. Where can you eat for less? AND it’s holy food. What a deal…

See you in church,

In the Meantime, Be the Church!

Rev. Hal

Laser Tag & Scout it Out!

2012-01-31T20:57:00.000-05:00

Dear friends of First Church Troy,

I had a blast at laser tag with the youth group last Sunday night. I came in 27^th out of 30 for the first game and 5^th for the second game. What fun we had together. This would be a great thing for a group of us “senior types” to try sometime.

Give me a call and let’s talk.

We have just finished filling out the end of the year statistical forms and our average attendance has risen by three per week for a total of 226. Now that may not seem like a lot, however, I share the numbers because it shows consistency and faithfulness. Many churches are shrinking and we should be most grateful that we are staying strong together. In addition our membership has risen from 497 in 2010 to 516 in 2011 and that takes into account that we lost four dear members of our church family in the past year. You know the old saying:

“Churches that pray together, stay together.”

This week is “All Scout Sunday” and we will celebrate the mission of Scouting as part of the youth ministries of the United Methodist Church. The United Methodist Church has a rich history of sponsorship and support of Scouting because many of our churches have found scouting to be a successful way to reach and minister to community youth and families. I’ll be wearing my uniform, will you?

See you in church,

In The Meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

What Do You Remember When You Think of Baptism?

2012-01-25T22:44:00.000-05:00

We had a great Sunday in soooooo many ways. Our summer intern, Mandy McNeil was here to worship with us, everyone got sprinkled with water to remember their baptism, and we had coffee hour in the lower level.

Mandy should be back with us for the summer by the first of June and we are so excited about that because she will have just

graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and she will be able to gage our growth as we will hers, over the winter months.

At the end of the service I asked the congregation to remember their baptism and to remember their call to ministry. Yes, we are all ministers by our baptism through our claiming God who has already claimed us! And we are all officially members of Christ’s Holy Church through our baptism as well.

Lastly, but certainly not of any lesser importance, we had a wonderful coffee hour in the lower level CLC. People loved it! The room was packed and loud and the food service was great, and not all churches can say any of those things on a regular basis. What great space that room is for so many things! It’s a great example of what a little imagination can do!

Hope you have a great week,

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

Advent, Christmas and Moving Forward!

2012-01-17T14:47:00.000-05:00

Every December during Advent, we collect a Christmas offering and this year our goal was $7,000. We should feel blessed that with God’s help, we were able to meet our goal! Thanks Be to God!

What a wonderful Advent and Christmas we experienced through worship, music, plays, the UMW Christmas Tea, crèche displays and a cookie walk for missions ($1,700), and the Holy Family, who made it to Bethlehem in the nick of time. We collected a truck load (literally) of Christmas gifts for the Baldwin Store and Angel Tree Prison Ministry thanks to the efforts of Mark and Carole Bauer, Cub Scout Pack 1707, the Outreach Committee and your gracious love. Praise God!

Now I am privileged to take framed magnetic pictures of the Holy Family with baby Jesus “Renee” to our shut-ins who love it and put them on their refrigerators. What a great reminder of Christmas 2011.

We are off to a great start for 2012 and moving quickly to Lent that begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22^nd.

Thanks for Being The Church!

See you in church,

Hal

Baptism & Boilers!!

2012-01-10T15:27:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

Sunday was a banner day! The banner was baptism of Tristyn Irene Dukes. Tristyn was sooo cute and she was accompanied by her brother Brody, her parents, Kelly & Brian, and God parents Aunt Amy & Uncle Mark, Kelly’s sister & husband. It was a special day for the Dukes and the Therrian families. Nothing is more special than the baptism of a baby and I always feel most honored to be the officiant.

Tristyn had the center of attention for the day even though the entire service was moved to the CLC because one of the boiler's heat pumps decided to take the day off. So, with sanctuary being 57 degrees, we moved everything to the CLC including every chair in the church and we still had people standing with a banner turnout of 242 people.

Sunday was such a special day in the life of the church and everyone pitched in to make it so. The lesson in all of it is that sometimes surprises are good for us and bring out the best in us because it takes all of us to make it happen.

Who knows what will happen next week? Don’t miss it…

See you in church,

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-04T20:41:00.001-05:00

My best friend, Dr. Douglas Vernon just sent me a great number of gems that talked about the positive side of life. Things like:

Happiness comes through doors you

Didn’t even know you left open.

You may be only one person in the world,

but you may also be the world to one person.

Don’t cry because it’s over;

Smile because it happened.

There were pages of these little gems that can be wonderful reminders of the holidays. The joy of being with family and friends, sharing happy times at parties, sharing great meals, and worshipping together in your favorite pew is what makes memories and what will carry us through difficult times in the coming year.

The three wiseman brought gifts needed for Jesus’ life.

Jesus provides us with gifts that others need.

One of my favorite hymns reminds me to ask at this time of year called “Epiphany” (The Time of the Wisemen), what gift can I offer to others in Christ’s name this coming year to show honor and praise?

“What Gift Can We Bring, what present, what token? What words can convey it, the joy of this day? When grateful we come, remembering, rejoicing, what song can we offer in honor and praise?”

See you in church,

In The Meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day: Wonderful!!

2011-12-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

There was a light covering of snow on the ground,

Christmas greetings filled the air with smiles and hugs,

the church was at its beautiful best, the music would have made angels weep, and the candle light service gave us a sense of peace

on earth, goodwill toward all!

Christmas Day was a typical Christmas Day Service filled with surprises. It all started with Doug Smith ringing the church bell while the congregation stood listening in the narthex and then Cheryl Barnes sang “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” which was our call to enter the sanctuary for worship. Then Steven Kosinski led congregational singing of our favorite Christmas Carols, Aaron Goudie played “Carol of the Bells,” I preached a three-minute meditation, Rebecca Hartrick suggested and led our song for the journey, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and Kim Rawlings played a superb postlude that was a gift to all before we went home to open presents.

Sunday morning put our attendance for Christmas at 665

and our Advent Offering at $6,686.41, just off the mark of our goal of $7,000.00 for missions. Surely, the last $313.59

will appear before The Wisemen show up at the manger on January 8^th for Epiphany!

See You In Church for New Year’s!

In the meantime, Be The Church…

Hal

Christmas: it's the Best time of the Year!!!

2011-12-13T19:49:00.001-05:00

Christmas is just the best time of the year in terms of spirit! Last Thursday night I helped to serve at the UMW Christmas Tea. The tables were glorious. Each table had a hostess who brings their best Christmas table setting and each participant brings a dish to pass and the place is decorated to the nines.

The evening always features a program, which this year was Christmas music provided by Katreina Ostrander; (who has a superb voice) and thoughtful devotions by Jayne Saeger. If you’re a guy, do yourself a favor and offer to serve next year. The ladies would appreciate it and you’ll receive one of the best meals of the year.

Sunday morning was moving with All Music Sunday. We are truly blessed with talented and gracious musicians and a congregation that is most grateful. Worship was followed by our annual cookie walk and crèche walk. The UMW made over $1,400 for missions and we all went home with treats for the holidays.

I ended the week with the privilege of serving as a judge at the youth group’s Iron Chef Night. What a great treat! What wasn’t to like? The secret ingredient was chocolate…There are times that I’m sad that I’m too old to go to youth group on a regular basis.

See you in church,

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

Children Near & Far Sharing God's Love!

2011-12-07T13:24:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends,

I just opened the mail and to my delight I discovered a wonderful Christmas gift from our sister church at Monrovia First UMC in Liberia! It was a picture of the new school they started this past year. We have supported the J.J. Roberts Elementary & Junior High School in Siala-Keh Town Grand Cape Mount County, Republic of Liberia through our 5^thSunday Offerings and monies from the Outreach committee.

We are grateful to have provided $4,000 for school desks for the new school start up. This school provides education for approximately 1000 children in a county who had no school in their area following the Liberian war years. I thank God for leading our church to a place where Christ's presence can transform lives through our faith!

The picture of the children and the new school in Liberia reminded me of our children at Troy First who last Sunday melted our hearts with the Christmas Story. It made me pause and give thanks to God for children near and far that need to know God loves them and who need to learn to share God’s Love with others!

Merry Christmas,

See you in church.

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

We All Need Healing & Hope during Advent.....

2011-11-30T20:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends in Christ,

The Christmas season of Advent is a joyous time for many but it is the most depressing time of year for others who are experiencing a sense of loss or loneliness in their lives. These feelings don’t have to be new in your life, they may be laden.

The custom has been to have a Blue Christmas service the week before Christmas on the “longest night.” Tom Stevens (one of our Stephen Ministers) and I talked about this after last years’ service and we agreed that it would be better for the Stephen Ministers to host this service early in December so that the church might be supportive of our congregants throughout the season rather than at the end of the season. So that is what we are doing. The service will be on Wednesday, December 7^th. at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel.

Rev. Jane Berquist and I will be the officiants for the service and the Stephen Ministers will be the support team. We all need support in our lives in some way and we hope you will join us.

See you in church,

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

Pilgrims in the Mediterranean, NOT Plymouth Rock!!

2011-11-22T13:15:00.001-05:00

The Pilgrims have returned from Italy, Cypress, Turkey, Israel and Egypt!

Carole Welbaum, Lisa Head, Jayne Saeger, Marie Watson, Dale and Mary Jo Johnston and three other friends and I, cruised the Mediterranean and now understand why St. Paul got ship wrecked. 651 pilgrims were with Educational Opportunities to visit holy sights like the Sea of Galilee, The Church of Beatitudes, The Church of Loaves and Fishes, Jordan River, Jerusalem, The Pyramids, Sphinx, Papyrus Institute, Catacombs, Egyptian Museums in Alexandria and Cairo, The Vatican (Mother Superior arranged for a glimpse of the Pope), The Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, The Pantheon, and Pompeii, etc. You do not want Lisa to show you all 3,000 pictures she took, but it would be great fun to ask her about the trip if you have a stop watch in your hand. Ha Ha.

The bottom line is that our pilgrimage brought us closer to God and our understanding of where each of us is on our spiritual journey together through faith. We are all grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity! We will get our pictures together and invite you to share our journey sometime this winter. Snowbirds: fear not! we will rerun this sharing in the summer.

See you in Church,

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hal

All Creatures Great & Small

2011-11-02T14:38:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Sunday night the youth group hosted a Blessing of the Animals. We had dogs and cats, guinea pigs, a bird and a stuffed animal, and even a youth in a cat costume. 28 animals and 70 persons were in attendance. A great time was had by all! I was able to sprinkle water on the pets and their care givers. What a special time… I cannot think of anything in our lives that are more giving and forgiving than our pets.

They remind us of who God created us all to be. And so we thanked our furry friends with special animal treats and donuts and cider for the humans. I hope you will plan to be with us next year!

See you in church,

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

Tricks, Trustees, & Blood

2011-10-25T18:41:00.000-04:00

Trick or Trunk was a huge success with children and grandchildren from Sunday school and Cub Scouts. Young and old, new and seasoned, had a great time tricking each other with their costumes, playing games, and parading around the cars to receive their treats. Basically, everyone just had a great time. Thanks to Carole Welbaum and the youth for a wonderful event to remember that it’s ok to trick God and others just one day a year for fun, but then we must live honestly and let others know who we are, the other 364 days every year. We are God’s Children! Thanks be to God…

Also, the Trustees had a long list of things to do last Saturday for Trustee Work Day and much was accomplished! Windows were washed, chairs were power-washed and hand dried, bushes were trimmed, vents cleaned, and walls scrubbed, etc., etc., etc. Over 20 saints showed up to lend a hand and enjoy the fellowship that ended with a pizza party in the kitchen. Many hands made light work, and it sure made time fly by quickly. A big thanks to Bill Wesp, Trustee Chairperson, and his many helpful Friends in Christ!

As if these two events weren’t enough work; we asked for blood this past week Friday and got 34 pints and 2 double reds (4), for a total of 38 pints!! This was a wonderful effort well beyond our normal rate of giving. Thanks to Kathy Sobanski and her many friends in Christ for helping others in need that we will never know.

See You in church, in the meantime Be The Church! Hal

SUPER SATURDAY +1

2011-10-20T13:43:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Bishop Woodie White was at Birmingham First for the Detroit Renaissance District to talk with clergy about ministry together. He talked about what it meant to think and work regionally and how what we do or don’t do affects other areas of the region. What helpful words about what it means to be a connectional church with city, suburbs and country all in one region.

Last Saturday at Troy First, was the rummage sale and it was a great community event both for the people within our church; folks who worked the sale, AND the people from the community who came to the sale. It truly takes a community to do ministry and all the proceeds go to missions. Thank God for our United Methodist Women, especially Jan Chamberlain and Judy Tincknell and all who helped them to host this annual event.

In addition, last Saturday, our Renaissance District Conference was at Royal Oak First UMC. We voted in our budget including missions for 2012 of $25,000 which will be divided among the 84 churches in our district. We were well represented by Mark Bauer, Fred Dolehanty, and Terry Pritchett, our new chairperson of Church Council, Staff Parish Committee Chair, and Lay Leader, respectfully.

Last Saturday, the Fly Fishing Fellowship was with 1,000 Cub Scouts at Camp Agawam in Lake Orion. Our task was to help them learn how to cast a fly rod. It was a cold day with heavy winds but their spirits were warmed by all the different activities they participated in with their parents at their side. It was a lot like church seeing all those families together having fun learning and doing things together. It reminded me that life is all about relationships and the family is the cradle of our faith, and our family expands as we grow into church family, and with other families such as the family of scouting, that teach us reverence for God, self and others. Have a great week!

See You In church,

In the meantime Be The Church,

Hal

Shopping with a Purpose

2011-10-13T14:24:00.000-04:00

This is rummage week at Troy First. It is an exciting time because there are so many people around the church all contributing to the same cause, MISSIONS. UMW is United Methodist Women and Missions is their reason for being. They are the heart and soul of missions in any church and our UMW is no exception!

I encourage you to come with your friends and neighbors and shop until you drop monies for missions.

The Day is Saturday, October 15^th.

The Time is 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Place is Troy First UMC, 6363 Livernois, between Sq. Lake & South Blvd.

The Goal is supporting Missions.

See you in church,

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

Parade of Ministries-Charge Conference 2011

2011-10-06T15:00:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday night we had a great 2011 Charge Conference with a little over fifty saints in attendance. Our church council chair person, Kaj Ostergaard headed up a creative parade of groups and committees who went out of their way to be colorful and artistic in their presentation about their passion for ministries at Troy First. It was well done, fun and very informative. It truly was a celebration of our ministries of the past and hopes for the future. Among the things we celebrated was the fact that our membership has grown to 519 for 2011 which is up from last years' number of 506. We are a strong, growing church in terms of persons, passions for ministries, and spirits for service. We truly are a church of open hearts, open minds, and open doors. Thanks be to God! Let me end this epistle by saying that no one illumines this spirit more than Lisa Head who has led the way in opening our doors to the diverse community in which we live. May all of our work send a clear message of who God is calling us to be for others!

See you in church,

In the meantime, Be The Church

Hal

Smiling about New Members! :)

2011-09-28T20:55:00.000-04:00

I am writing with a smile on my face today. We have taken in 26 new members since our 2010 charge conference last November. We have averaged 25 new members over the past three years and though these may not seem like huge numbers, they are significant numbers because most churches (over 40%) have taken in no new members during the past year nationwide.

If we believe that the mission of The United Methodist Church is to “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World”, then we need to have visitors in our church on a regular basis and take in new members into our church on a regular basis. Otherwise we need to change our thinking about who we are and what our mission should be as followers of Jesus.

So now you know why I am smiling. However, it is not a smug smile of satisfaction. It is a smile of gratitude to God for all of us who truly provide open hearts, open minds, and open doors that produce the gifts of new life in Christ at Troy First!

See you in church,

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

Bibles, Baptism & Mother Superior!

2011-09-22T05:51:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a great day! We gave Bible’s to third graders, baptized Alivia Bennett, and had a special visit from “Mother Superior”. Jayne Saeger really surprised me to the point of being speechless. She said she would get me and she certainly did! What fun…

Also, Sunday school started and I taught a class on "How The Church is Organized." We had a great time with 16 of us packed into a room that we thought would be plenty big but wasn’t. Thank God! This week's class will meet in the sanctuary to accommodate new members and returning participants from last weeks class (I hope). This week we will be talking together about the role of church members and what is expected of them within the United Methodist Family. John Wesley was very clear that discipline was essential for being a good and faithful servant.

On Thursday at 11:00 a.m. we will celebrate the life of a good and faithful servant, our good friend in Christ, Kate Krupa. She has gone on to glory with Curly (her dear husband) and we need to gather to give her a proper send off. Hope to see you in church on Thursday. It will be time well spent, “being the church!”

See you in church,

In the meantime, Be The Church!

Hal

SUPER SUNDAY, and I don't mean BOWL!

2011-09-13T16:20:00.000-04:00

Sunday started with a great morning worship service that included an anthem from our chancel choir that remembered 9-11’s unsung hero. The Ministry Fair followed worship and Chris Devilling and his stewardship committee did a great job organizing the day and the committees made it come alive with their creativity! It truly was a day of new beginnings with the opportunity to look over all the ministries of Troy First and decide what God might have in store for your life. The whole morning was capped off with delicious food and fellowship…

The day ended with a very meaningful worship service honoring and remembering 9-11. The Troy Community of Churches came together at St. Anastasia 300 strong. It included faith communities from the Jewish, Islamic, Muslim, and Christian traditions. The music set the stage for prayers that were reflections of healing and hope-filled thoughts from the heart.

See You In Church

In the meantime, Be the Church!

Rev. Hal

Myrtle, My Mentor & Friend

2011-09-08T15:44:00.000-04:00

I have just returned from a trip to Iowa to see my mentor in Christian Education. Myrtle Felkner has influenced more people in her lifetime than any other person I know. Chris and I stayed on the family farm and talked non-stop for a couple of days and toured the community of Centerville, Iowa. Myrtle and I have mutual friends all over the

United States

because I worked under her leadership for several years as adjunct staff for the General Board of Discipleship in the section of Christian Education. Myrtle was the staff person in charge of small membership churches coast to coast for the United Methodist Church. What I know about Christian Education is in large part due to this wonderful friend in Christ who nurtured me in the importance of what it means to “Be The Church”. Therefore, it should be no surprise to any of you that when I say at the end of every service “go and Be The Church” I am thinking of the one who taught me what it means for my life and ministry! Now you know the rest of the story…

See you in church!

Until then “go and Be The Church!”

Hal

Mandy, Melanie & Renaissance!

2011-09-01T15:01:00.000-04:00

This was Mandy’s last day and it was great. She taught the “Roundtable Bible Study” with 22 persons in attendance. Then we went to the Olesen’s home for a potluck and it was a wonderful treat. Great food, fellowship and a proper send off for Mandy…

This past Sunday was the inauguration of the “Renaissance District” and the installation of our new district superintendent, Rev. Melanie Lee Carey. Over 800 persons were in attendance, including, Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton who installed Melanie and offered God’s blessing on our new district. Gifts were offered to Melanie for the work of ministry and communion was offered to remind us that Christ is with us in our everyday lives.

As one of the organizing persons for the event, I can say that I am grateful to many persons for their gifts and graces and that it truly was a day that celebrated the coming together of the Detroit East and West Districts into one new district, “The Detroit Renaissance District.” Renaissance means re-birth and our two former districts worked together hand in hand to be the hands of God and modeled that being the hands of God can bring renaissance to Metropolitan Detroit.

See you in church for communion on Labor Day Sunday.

Go and Be The Church!

Rev. Hal

Special Visitors

2011-08-25T15:29:00.000-04:00

Dear friends of Troy First,

Last week Larry Jose stopped by church. He lives in Ann Arbor and took the bus from his retirement home to Somerset Mall and then got a ride from an old friend so that he could say hello to Donna, Mandy and myself. What a guy! Larry is one of our oldest members and no one loves this church more. He is a great reminder that the tie that binds our hearts in Christian Love is unstoppable and everlasting!

Also, last Sunday was a special day in the life of the church. No special music was planned and we had two wonderful gentlemen as guests with SOS who played the piano and sang like professionals with the joy of Jesus in their hearts. Julie Olsavsky and Kathy Sobanski and a huge team of folks showed the joy of Jesus in many ways to a wonderful group of guests. SOS is one of those ministries that feed us with the spirit of the Living God that can’t be taught. It must be experienced. Thanks be to God and may we always host who Christ sends us…

Go and Be The Church,

Hal

Roundtable in Review

2011-08-18T10:09:00.000-04:00

Roundtable is a weekly Bible Study with the pastor. We meet from 10 a.m. -11:30 a.m. Wednesday mornings. The topic of weekly discussion is the scripture for the following Sunday. Participants have been given the scripture lessons for the year that come from the Common lectionary which all major denominations use throughout the world. Each year is designated A, B, or C and each year emphasizes Matthew, Mark, or Luke’s Gospel (The Synoptic Gospels) so that each year there is a different flavor to the stories of Jesus, offered through the eyes of the Gospel Writer.

We average 15-17 persons per week and we meet in The Chapel so that it is easy to find, easy access, and an atmosphere of devotion. We function on the basis that the key to scripture is not what does the text mean but rather what does the text say to you! We believe that everyone is on a spiritual journey and everyone comes to faith as John Wesley would say through scripture, reason, experience, and tradition.

We have a great time sharing, laughing, struggling with everyone’s input and are enriched immeasurably by the experience. How do I know that? We all keep coming back… Try us- you’ll hopefully keep coming back.

Rev. Hal

Golf and VBS

2011-08-09T23:24:00.000-04:00

Sunday afternoon’s second annual Troy 1^st golf outing was a wonderful day of golf, that was illumined with great weather, great laughter, great food and great fun. Jeff and Sharon Stover provided 20 of us with a wonderful round of golf and a delicious home cooked meal. Everyone won a prize for some gift of golf or the lack thereof.

I won a package of long golf tees, and ball markers just because I showed up. You can win too. If you’re a golfer, mark your 2012 calendar for Sunday, August 5.

Vacation Bible School was all about Hometown Nazareth. Mary and Eunice the nosey neighbor were the center of it all. The children learned to encourage Eunice to be nice to Mary (the mother of Jesus)

And in the end she became a follower of Jesus who believed in His mighty power to love everyone… It was a wonderful week of ministry thanks to Michelle Williston and Mandy McNeil and a host of enthusiastic young leaders from our youth group, not to mention a host of young hearted adults who blessed children with the loving presence of Christ’s Spirit because they said yes to VBS...

Hometown Nazareth- Where Jesus Was A Kid

2011-08-06T17:53:00.000-04:00

Over 2000 years ago, God sent an angel to tell Mary of her role in the life of Jesus. Here, at Troy FUMC, more than 25 adults and youth made a choice to say yes to a role at Hometown Nazareth Vacation Bible School. During the first week of August, these volunteers shared their time and talents, so that more than 40 young children from our community were able to learn about Jesus.

The five day program covered the story of the angel’s visit with Mary, the birth of Jesus into his earthly family, the visit from the Magi, the story of Jesus lost at the temple, and the miracle of changing water into wine. The amazing part of the week is that the children were able to have hands on experiences, face to face communication, spend time with friends, and try new things, while being unplugged from the electronic distractions of modern day.

All those who visited Nazareth will take with them Bible lessons, music and games to share with others. They will have experiences from the discussions during hometown huddles, foods they tasted, and shops they visited in the marketplace too. And, the lives of others will be touched through the mission work that took place as a part of this year’s VBS.

Thank you to all those who said yes to serve as tribe leaders, story tellers, shopkeepers, and game leaders. Special thanks to Mandy McNeil who served as Celebration Leader.

Michelle Williston, VBS Director 2011

Receiving Through Giving

2011-08-04T13:55:00.000-04:00

On Monday, The senior high youth group provided leadership for the 20^th Special Olympics at Pine Trace Golf Club. A dozen of us hosted an Olympian and guided them trough supper and six events, including: putting, chipping, and driving. The evening festivities concluded with a wonderful award ceremony that awarded bronze, silver and gold metals. The best part of it all was the way the Olympians cheered and celebrated their friends accomplishments more than their own. What great examples of Christian love we experienced…

See you in church.

In the meantime, go and be the church!

Rev. Hal

Golf Camp Report

2011-07-21T18:42:00.000-04:00

Golf camp was awesome! 16 youth from Troy schools played four days of golf at Pine Trace Golf Club. We gathered at 7:00 a.m., played 9 holes, took a group lesson and had lunch. Our foursomes improved daily from the lessons and from the youth working together to better each others’ game.

We talked each day about the fundamentals of golf (grip, stance, aim, ball position), and

what it means to be confident and believe in yourself. We also talked about the importance of working as a team and trusting others to help you be your best and do your best…The essence of the camp had to do with giving thanks to God for the gifts we have received and using those gifts to the fullest. The reason for doing golf camp is evangelism. When youth have a relationship with a church and know that they are valued and affirmed for who they are they begin to discover the reason for church through trusting relationships. I call this event a window of opportunity for the community to know we care about them. “People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care”.

I felt blessed to be with this group of young people and I give thanks for all our adult leaders, Jeff Stover, Julie Justice, and Mandy McNeil.

To Life,

Hal

God Sightings

2011-07-20T12:48:00.000-04:00

Our work trip theme was "Connect." The theme was an invitation to come as you are, grow in God's word and prayer, and go in Jesus name to serve others. And that's just what we did!!!

We worked on homes, scrapping and painting in crews of 6-10 people from all denominations and from all over the U.S. and Canada. We stayed in a middle school in East Bank, WV in class rooms with about 30 people to a room, 400 people in all. Our meals were prepared for us in the school cafeteria. Breakfast was between 6:30 and 7:45am. Followed by a morning program at 8:00 with the total group and then at 9:00am we loaded the vans with lunch in hand. We worked until supper time at 5:00pm. After supper, we had a program at 7:30 until 9:30pm with the total group. This was followed by a devotional time with our local church group of 27. 11:00pm was lights out so that we could be at breakfast the next day bright eyed and bushy tailed.

It was both exhausting and exhilarating knowing we were serving God and helping others who needed a "God sighting" in their lives!

See you in church,
Rev. Hal

Mission: Possible

2011-06-24T23:57:00.000-04:00

Mission Possible was wonderful!

Our Mid-High Youth served the Troy Historical Society for three days. We scraped the porch steps of our original parsonage, made wicks for candles, trimmed tin frames for craft projects, weeded 17 garden boxes and planted pumpkin seeds, cleaned woodwork in the welcome center, and cleaned toys and shelving in the town hall. These projects will benefit numerous families and school groups this summer and in the fall.

Our worship service on Thursday was a huge success. Our congregation really supported our youth with their presence and with their donation of over $50.00 in our “pass the hat” offering. In lue of a sermon the youth shared how they saw God moving throughout the week.

We ended each day with swimming at Dick and Millie Parkers and we ended the week with bowling and a movie and loads of pizza!

Our youth will tell you that they learned about receiving blessings by helping others while having fun and building relationships with peers and willing adults.

P.S. If you want a full report go to our website and check out the Daily Log that went to parents and youth.

P.P.S. Sorry about the previous font choice. Hopefully this one will be easier to read.

Rev. Hal is Blogging!

2011-06-15T23:31:00.000-04:00

Hello Troy First!

You may be wondering why we are starting this blog. I think it is important to interface and connect with people on a regular basis. With the technology that is available to us today, this has become increasingly easier. We now have the ability to exchange ideas with a variety of people instantly. This is one of the easiest and best ways to get people involved in the life of the church, even if they are not able to make it to the church building. Through blogging we can connect across generations, locations, and ministries. We all go on vacations, go off to school, or maybe go south for the winter and this blog will help to keep our community connected through all the transitions in life.

The blog will include information on upcoming events, conversations about the events, theological reflections, maybe some virtual Bible studies... the possibilities are endless!

You are invited to join us for two exciting worship opportunities in the next weeks:

Thursday June 23 at 1:00, join the Mission: Possible Team for a closing worship service at the old church in the Troy Museum and Historical Village. There is no admission fee, instead we will take a special offering for the Village. This will be a great opportunity for you to see what the young people in this church are doing and connect to our history.
Everyone is welcome to the Outdoor Worship Service and Annual Church Picnic/Potluck on Sunday, June 26. Membership and Evangelism is providing hot dogs, table settings and beverages. And, of course fun games! All you need to bring is a blanket or lawn chair for the worship service (if you wish) and a dish to pass for the picnic. Plan to drop your dish off in the kitchen before worship and then come to the lower level after coffee hour for food, fellowship and fun.

~ Rev. Hal