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EPUMC WEEKLY MEMO
You Are WELCOME At EDEN PRAIRIE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Empowered by God's love, we are a community of Christ's disciples, centered in worship and fellowship with:
OPEN HEARTS to live and serve with compassion and to share God's love
OPEN MINDS to seek spiritual formation and encourage each person's faith journey
OPEN DOORS to invite and welcome all to join in discipleship
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Weekly Memo from Prairie Church – July 4, 2010 May you be blessed by the beauty of these summer days. Before we celebrate Independence Day as citizens of a democratic nation on July 4th, let us gather to celebrate our “freedom in Christ” in worship this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. The scripture reading is from Luke 20:20-26. The title of my message, based on this scripture is: “In God We Trust”. Communion will be served as part of our worship experience. Our
Sunday Fellowship Time will be hosted by the Worship Ministry Team. They
will be offering root beer floats as
well as coffee and other
refreshments to celebrate “Ice Cream
Sundae”. Thanks
to all who generously gave a gift for the ministry of the Zimbabwe
United Methodist Fellowship last Sunday. We have sent a check for $933
to this growing congregation of Christians. The
“sanctuary technology upgrade project continues to grow. We are just
over half way toward meeting our goal. The current total is $1,130. If
you have not given a gift to this project, you may do so this Sunday or
send a contribution in during the week. Be sure to indicate “Technology
Upgrade” on the memo of your check. TRUSTEE’S
REQUEST YOUR HELP THIS EVENING FOR TREE REMOVAL.
Come to the church at 6:00
p.m. THIS EVENING,
to help with this project. Chain saws accompanied by sawyers are
appreciated. This is our annual “lumberjack night”. The Trustee’s
are taking the initiative on this project but always appreciate
additional help in the “annual tree removal” project. The
following “Independence Day” prayer, is included in our United
Methodist Book of Worship: Almighty
God, you rule all the peoples of the earth. Inspire
the minds of all women and men to whom you have committed the
responsibility of government and leadership in the nations of the world. Give
to them the vision of truth and justice, that by their counsel all
nations and
peoples may work together. Give
to the people of our country zeal for justice and strength of
forbearance, that
we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will. Forgive
our shortcomings as a nation; Purify
our hearts to see and love the truth. We
pray all these things through Jesus Christ. Amen. This Sunday, come for worship and stay for root beer floats. Let us gather in the spirit of Christ, remembering whose we are. I look forward to seeing you in the sanctuary this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Keep
the faith! Pastor
Mike Miller Weekly Memo from Prairie Church – July 11, 2010 Grace
and peace be with you and your household. This Sunday Whitney Starkey
will be preaching. The title of her message is:
“Let’s Take a Walk”
with
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 as her text
.Whitney is a member of this church and has completed her first year at
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. She is a
candidate for ordained ministry in the Minnesota Conference. I am
pleased that we can provide encouragement and support for her as she
travels this road of discipleship. A
special giving invitation will be extended this Sunday to provide
funding for the “Michael Miller
Scholarship” which was established by Garrett-Evangelical
Seminary in 2006. Since it was first introduced the scholarship has
grown to nearly $8000 from individual contributions. Scholarships
provide assistance for students called to ordained ministry.
The seminary has informed me that this scholarship along with others
provides needed funding for students as they engage in their theological
education. Gifts for the scholarship are given directly to the seminary.
Offering envelopes will be included in the worship bulletins. Today,
Don Prestly, Music Director, is having surgery.
Please keep him in your prayers today and during his six week medical
leave. During the Sunday’s Don is recuperating from surgery, Karen
Drake will provide musical/singing leadership for worship each Sunday. I
often include a prayer at the end of the “Memo”. This week, I offer
you a story which comes from a book I read this spring, titled: Sabbath
by Dan B. Allender. His words are “prayerful” as he tells the
following story and then provides a personal reflection: “Belden
Lane tells the story of the French bringing a handful of desert Bedouin
leaders to Paris to see the glory of their culture. They saw the Eiffel
Tower and other architectural delights with polite boredom. But when
taken to see a waterfall in the countryside, they stood in utter
amazement. They waited for the surging flow to stop. They refused to
leave, adamantly declaring to their French guide that honor required
waiting…waiting for the end. Knowing the water could not last much
longer, they awaited the moment ‘when God would grow weary of this
madness,’ when this wild extravagance would suddenly and finally
exhaust itself. Nothing
they had seen in their world paralleled a gushing flow of water that had
run endlessly for thousands of years. We are the Bedouins who have
learned to live in the desert of God’s absence for thousands of years,
who cannot imagine the inexhaustible glory that has already been given
to us in Jesus, that pours through the cross….The Sabbath gives us the
opportunity to stand before the endless outpouring of superabundance and
fill up our thimble of faith with a drop of the bounty ahead.”
(p.124-5) Come to worship this Sunday and open yourself to the endless outpouring of God’s love. Join your sisters and brother of this faith community as we fill up our thimbles of faith with the bounty of God’s goodness. I’ll see you in the sanctuary this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Keep
the faith! Weekly Memo from Prairie Church – July 18, 2010 Summer
greetings to you and your household. We are coming to the close of
another well attended, exciting week of Vacation
Bible School. Over 65 children have been attending throughout
the week. It is a joy to experience their energy and to see many of your
youth participating in leadership roles. A noon-time picnic will wrap up
another memorable week. This Sunday in worship the children who participated in Vacation Bible School will sing several songs as part of the Children’s Time. In addition to the children singing, we will all be invited to the table of communion to remember God’s grace shown to us through Jesus. Our
scripture readings for this Sunday are both from the Hebrew Scriptures: Genesis
17:1-8 and Micah 4:2-4.
The title of my message is:
“The Narrative Question”.
This
is the first of a series of 5 summer sermons based on themes from a book
titled: “A New Kind of Christianity (Ten Questions That Are
Transforming the Faith”). I intend to lead a study of this book by
Brian D. McLaren this winter or during our Lenten Sabbatical. At the
conclusion of worship this Sunday we will give our blessing to
the Confirmation youth who leave for a week-long
Mission/Work-Team experience in the Cass Lake area of
northern Minnesota. Special thanks to Libby Kasper and Eric Young who
will accompany the youth and serve as adult chaperone’s during the
week. The
following prayer from Teresa of Avila, a Spanish Mystic (1515-1582),
reminds us that when we serve others we are not only representing
Christ, but we are in fact the presence of Christ in our time. “Christ
has no body on earth but yours; Yours
are the only hands with which he can do his work. Yours
are the only feet with which he can go around the world. Yours
are the only eyes through which his compassion can
shine forth upon a troubled world. Christ
has no body on earth but yours.” When we worship together we remember what it means to be the body of Christ. When we break bread and share the cup of communion together we align ourselves with Christ through the sacrament. From the gathering we return to our every day, ordinary lives to be the Body of Christ in the world. Join with your sisters and brothers of this faith community as we again give Christ full entrance into our lives. I’ll see you in the sanctuary this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Keep
the faith! Pastor
Mike Miller Weekly Memo from Prairie Church – July 25, 2010 Grace
and peace! We are moving through summer quickly as we approach the last
Sunday in July. This
Sunday we continue with a second question that is “transforming the
Christian faith”. The second question is “The
Authority Question”. What
or whom is our source of “authority”? Are we “authorized” to use
the Bible for support of our convictions and positions? How does the
Bible shape our worldview and beliefs?
In his book titled: “A New Kind of Christianity (Ten Questions
That Are Transforming the Faith)”, author Brian D. McLaren notes that
the Bible has been interpreted in two divergent ways:
“sacred story or constitution”.
Scripture readings used in worship to help us consider this matter are: Deuteronomy
6:4-9
and Luke
4:16-21.
The
Confirmation
Youth
and adult leaders will be returning from their Cass
Lake Mission Work Team
experience. If you see them in worship this Sunday, ask them about it.
Both youth mission teams will be sharing their experiences and insights
in worship on August 1st. This
coming Tuesday, my wife, Nancy, and I will be leaving for Austria
accompanied by 13 others from the church or friends of church members.
We will see the world famous Passion Plan in Oberammergau, Germany.
Eight of our church group will be going on to Vienna and Prague
for a second week of travel and learning. Please keep us in your
prayers. As
we focus on the topic of authority and the role of the Bible in shaping
our view of life and decision making, I offer the following prayer found
in our United Methodist Hymnal. It is titled “Concerning the
Scriptures” (#602): “Blessed Lord, you have caused all holy Scriptures to be written for
our learning. Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting
life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. Join
with your sisters and brothers of the faith community as we gather to
hear the scriptures read and proclaimed in worship. I look forward to
seeing you in the sanctuary this
Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Keep
the faith! Pastor
Mike Miller
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