BLAST Update

The first semester of BLAST is nearly finished. The children have had a lot of fun learning about bible heroes. On Sunday, Dec. 5 we talked about Jonah and the lesson he learned about being obedient to God. The children made these whales as a reminder to obey God and to follow His instructions in all that we do.

Creche Tree

This year we have a tree at the Homer City Building. This tree was built by Tom, and various folks donated a creche to be displayed, four in all. The Homer librarian, Christine, selected several books that are displayed around the tree. There are also other trees on display at the city building from various organizations, shops and groups around town. On Saturday, December 4th, there will be a cookie walk and craft sale at the city building. Lunch will be available.

Church Library/New Materials/December

The Christmas books and DVDs have been put on the recent acquistion table for easier viewing this month.

The following materials have ben added to the chruch library.
365 Day Bible Word Search Challenge compiled by Connie Troyer
Chicken Soup for the College Soul by Jack Canfield
Esther Bible Study by Beth Moore
It's Kwanzaa Time by Linda and Clay Goss
The First Night by B.G. Hennessy
The Lord's Prayer an Arch Book
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis
Thoughts for Daily Living by Fulton J. Sheen

Church Library/New Materials/November

The following materials have been added to the church library.  They are on the recent acquistions table located just outside the library door.

DVDs
Adventures in Odyssey New Series
   The Caves of Quman
   Escape From the Forbidden Matrix
   The Last Refuge of Eugene Meltsner
   Race To Freedom
Jesus

CDs
Christmas by Rebecca St. James
Touched By An Angel The Album
You Shine by Brian Doerksen

Books
Banner Patterns for Worship by Carol Jean Harms
I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes by Bette Bishop
Mind Seige by Time Lahaye and David Noebel
The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas

BLAST Report

Much of Sunday, Oct. 17 at HUMC was about Moses and The Ten Commandments. During the children's message, Pastor Steve talked about how God gave Moses the Commandments for His people. At BLAST, the bible lesson, the game and the craft all taught about Moses and the 10 Commandments. The children played a game to try to find all of the Commandments. In crafts, they made scrolls out of parchment paper. During the lesson time, they discussed the importance of obeying God and putting Him first in our lives.

Work Day

Saturday was a busy day around HUMC. The trustees worked on the deck railings and it looks like the deck project is nearly finished. Many thanks to the men's group and Girl Scout troop #2335 for washing the church windows. They sparkle.

BLAST Crafts

For the past two Sundays, the kids at BLAST have been learning about the Old Testament character, Joseph. The story of his coat of many colors, being taken to Egypt against his will, being promoted to an important position, second only to Pharoah and ulitmately saving his people from starvation can be found in chaps. 42-46 of Genesis. The kids made tie dyed t-shirts to remind them of Joseph's coat of many colors. They learned that it's alright to have nice things and that God wants to bless us with gifts, but it is not OK to brag about them. They also made pyramids to remind them that no matter where we go, even into a foreign country without our families, Like Joseph, God is always with us to take care of us and to help us.

Church Library/New Books/October

The following books have been added to the church library and are avalable for check out.

Dayuma, Life Under Waorani Spears by Ethel Emily Wallis
The Deadly Curse of Toco -Rey and The Secret if the Desert Stone by Frank E. Peretti
The Fall of Lucifer by Wendy Alec
Revolution in World Missions by K.P.Yohannan
Showdown by Ted Dekker
Three by Ted Dekker
Tomorrow You Die by Reona Peterson Joly
Your Road Map for Success by John C. Maxwell

Esther Bible Study

The first bible study on Esther-It's Tough Being a Woman-began yesterday morning and promises to be an excellent study. Beth Moore teaches with her usual passion for Bible history, wonderful sense of humor and fun. There's always room around the table in the parlor for one more.

Church Library/New Materials/September

The following DVDs have been added to the church library and are ready for check out.  They can be found on the recent acquisitions table located just outside the senior adult Sunday School room.

Bella
The Bible Series Esther,
The Bible Series Jeremiah
The Bible Series Jesus
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!
The Last Adam
Mandie and the Secret Tunnel
Safe Harbor

A Day's Work

New Chairs

Many thanks to the HUMC Trustees and others for removing the pews in the parlor room and replacing them with padded chairs. In addition to a worship space, the chairs will allow the room to be configured for multi-purpose use.

Deck Building

Seven HUMC men spent the morning setting the beams and joists for the new deck. Although the pictures don't show it, they made a lot of progress today.

Pouring Piers

Preparations for the deck on the East side of the fellowship hall are coming along. Today the trustees poured the piers that will be the foundation for the deck. They also framed up and poured a concrete slab that will support the trash bins. Work on the deck is scheduled to begin later this week.

During - Diggin' Holes

The guys have spent the morning digging holes and preparing to pour the piers. I am told the piers will support the beams which will support the joists which will support the deck.

Before

The HUMC Trustees are installing a new deck on the East side of the fellowship hall. Pictures showing their progress will be posted throughout the day. In the photo above you can see that the old stone steps have been removed and have been preserved for later use.

Worship at Homer Lake

Moderate temps and gentle breezes made worship at Homer Lake as near to perfect as any day could be this side of heaven. Communion was served followed by a message based on Matthew 14--Peter overcoming his fear and walking on the water toward Jesus. As Pastor Steve removed his shoes to prepare for baptisms, one little guy asked, "Is he going to walk on water now"? There were 2 baptisms and 3 reaffirmations in the lake. A time of fellowship was enjoyed by all following the service.

New Door

Many thanks to the HUMC Trustees for replacing the old double doors on the East side of the fellowship hall. The new doors with windows allow for a nice view of the playground.

Church Library/New Materials/August

The following materials have been added to the church library and are ready for check out.  They can be found on the recent  acquisitions table located just outside the door to the senior adult classroom.
Adult
And the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers
Make a Difference Mentoring Women to Women by Kindsey Clifford and Joy Barnett
Prayer That Brings Revival by David Yonggi Cho
Revelation chapters 6-13 by J. Vernon McGee
What Makes Grandpa Tick by Marshall H. Ervin
DVDs
Nooma # 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 by Rob Bell
Children and Youth
The Great Promise by Alyce Bergey
Read-Aloud Bible Stories Volumes 1,2,3,4 by Ella Lindvall
The Bible in Pictures edited by Rev. Ralph Kirby
Bible Stories for Pleasure Reading by Edward W. Dolch
DVDs
Black Beauty Warner Bros.
Veggie Tales Pistachio

VBS Thursday - Get Going!

What an exciting week! We have learned Bible stories, we have sung a bunch of new songs, we've made some cool crafty things and played some games, and had a lot of fun. The church sanctuary was overflowing with parents and friends joining us for the closing session. We found out that there were 117 children that came one or more nights, and we averaged around 87 each night.  That helped us make our goal for our gifts that we had been dropping into the well bucket each night, we raised enough money to provide a clean water well for a community in Liberia. The strength we have working together is pretty powerful.

Tonight we learned about the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Jesus was telling us that we are all given talents and abilities, and we can either use them to do the right things, or we can waste them. Jesus was very clear about what He wanted us to do, and was saying that we can either "Use it or lose it!"

In crafts, we created small colorful frogs, and filled them with rice or popcorn. These are very much like the poisonous bright yellow and red frogs that are found in the rainforest.  Even such little frogs have talents and abilities that protect them and help them survive.

And we sang a new song tonight which was also about using our talents and abilities in the best way possible, with our hearts. As the song says:

Hear God’s call,
Big or small.
Give your all.
Get Going!

Make a start.
Do your part,
With all your heart.
Get Going!

Thanks to all the children, the staff, the teachers, and the parents for making this year's VBS such a memorable experience!

VBS Wednesday - Get Praying!

VBS opened tonight with another visit to the rainforest, and we watched as Sean and the Professor finally returned to the outpost after being trapped on the wrong side of the rising river. But when they arrived, the door was locked and their repeated knocking could not get any response from the group inside. Sean worried that this was because they didn't like him and his jokes, but Professor Hinkley said that was nonsense, and that they should just keep trying. Sure enough, finally Antonio and Terri heard the knocks on the door and let them in.

In our classes, we learned about the Parable of the Midnight Knocker. This man was also knocking on a door to get some help, and although the person inside did not want to get up to find out what his neighbor wanted, the man persisted, kept knocking, and eventually the door was opened and he got some help. Jesus told this story to let us know that no matter what our circumstances, we need to ask for help, pray to God and keep asking, and our prayers will be heard and answered. This was our challenge for tonight: Get Praying!

In crafts, some of us made door hangers to remind us of the need to keep knocking. Others made maracas, which was a lot of fun. It got pretty noisy in the fellowship hall when everyone tried out their finished maracas. We realized that sometimes when we pray, we pray alone and quietly. But other times, we can pray (and praise!) loudly and all together.

We also found out we can sing loudly - with 91 kids in the sanctuary for the closing, we were singing louder than the music accompaniment! It was exciting.

VBS Tuesday - Get God's Love!

Tonight the sanctuary filled up with 90 kids, including 11 new rainforest adventurers. Our challenge tonight was to Get God's Love! Sean again arrived to take us back in time to show what happened to him and Professor Hinkley after they were trapped on the wrong side of the rising river and couldn't get back. The helicopter didn't see them, and the boat of party people just waved and sailed on. But who should stop but the feared River Woman. Although she did have a friendly snake, Sugar, she had no caymans or piranhas. Instead, she turned out to be pretty nice, and offered our two friends a ride back to the outpost in her boat.

In class we talked about Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 20:25-37). It was pretty easy to tell that this story was just like what happened to Sean and his group in the skit. In Jesus story, many people passed the injured man by, offering no help. But the least likely traveler, a Samaritan, stopped to help the man. To help remember the story, we learned a Bible verse:

Love the Lord....Love your Neighbor.
- Matthew 22:37-39

There was no rain so we got to go outside today, and practiced the Good Samaritan story in our groups. One of us acted the part of the injured traveler, and the rest of us offered him a drink of water, bandaged his wounds, stayed and talked with him, and then carried him along the road to the nearest hotel. Acting out the story should help us remember that we should be ready to help a neighbor any time.

In crafts, we created pretty dragonflies from wooden clothespins, spoons and some beads. Even dragonflies can be good neighbors, they eat lots of mosquitoes.

VBS Monday - Get Found!

Fifteen new kids joined our rainforest adventure, and there were 86 of us present tonight, making for some larger classes! Our daily challenge was to Get Found! In the skit, Sean had to deal with this challenge after he wandered away from the outpost and got lost, even after the Professor had warned the group members not to go out alone. But the Professor came looking for Sean, and eventually found him, taking some personal risks along the way. We should find out what happens to them tomorrow night.

Splitting up into our classes, we learned Jesus' Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7). Just as the shepherd loves each one of the sheep in his flock, and will leave the others to seek out the one who strays and gets lost, returning it to the flock, so, too, will God watch out for us and find us when we get lost. God sent Jesus to show us how much He loves us as we learned in our Bible verse:

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son.
- John 3:16

The snack cart arrived just in time, with popcorn!

For recreation and game time, we had to stay inside the church because of the rain outside. But we still got to play sheep and when one of us got lost in the darkness, shepherd Tom left the big group and went looking for the lost one. When he brought the lost one back and we were all together again, we were all very happy. We'll remember this one!

In music we learned a new song, "I Have Hidden Your Word," and the hand motions make it easier to learn the words. We do a good job of singing, too!

In crafts, we made a wall hanging with tonight's Bible verse. It will remind us of God's love for us and for the whole world. Our wall hanging has an image of the world on it, and several of us compared this with the HUGE world missions map in the hallway. God must have a lot of love to be able to give it to the whole world.

We're looking forward to Tuesday night, and finding out what the challenge will be and how Sean and the rainforest group finds a way to get back together.

VBS Begins Sunday - Get It!

Vacation Bible School, SonQuest Rainforest, began tonight with 78 kids (4 years old through 6th grade) in attendance. VBS this week focuses on Jesus' parables, and tonight we learned that God's Word shows us how to do what is right.

We met Sean tonight in the opening, and he started to tell us about his trip to the Amazon Rainforest, but then because we thought that was boring, he used his time traveling watch to take us back in time so that we could see the adventure unfold. We saw how Sean wondered off alone, against the professor's direct instructions, and only Antonio was able to do the work that the professor had asked. We'll find out some more about what happened to Sean and the others tomorrow night. Also in the opening, we dropped our donations into a bucket under a pump to remind us that our combined giving is going toward digging a water well for a community in Liberia, where fresh, clean water is scarce.

In class we met our teachers for the week and learned a Bible verse.

I have hidden your word in my heart.
  - Psalm 119:11

We also talked about the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) in which Jesus uses the analogy of the need of good soil to grow plants to show us what it takes to grow healthy and strong in our own lives. Snacks arrived just in time. We decided that we "get it."  Crafts, music, and recreation all confirmed this theme in different ways.

In crafts, we made "Dirt Buddies." We got some good soil in a small pot, put some eyes and mouth on the side, and planted some grass seed. If our soil is good and we do a good job tending our seeds, we should get some nice "hair" for our buddy!

Recreation involved a game in which we tried to toss some seed packets onto a sheet, where the packet might land on good soil, rocky soil, or dry hard soil. We scored points in the form of seeds for landing our packets on the good soil and avoiding the rocky or hard, dry ground.

We learned a couple of new songs tonight, and some fun hand motions to go with them. Besides the song "Get It!", we found the "SonQuest Rainforest" theme song to be both easy to sing (and shout!) and it covered the basic ideas that we're going to hear about the rest of this week.

SonQuest Rainforest (Get It! Get Found!)
SonQuest Rainforest (Get It! Get God's Love!)
SonQuest Rainforest (Get Praying! Get Going!)

Hopefully, we'll all be back tomorrow night. If we bring enough new friends with us, we might win a chance to turn Miss Lisa into a human chocolate fudge sundae!

Sunday School - VBS is Almost Here!

Lisa talked to the children's Sunday School class today about some of the rainforest birds, insects, and animals we'll meet this week during Vacation Bible School (Sunday, July 18 through Thursday, July 22, 6-8pm). We all learned something new about these animals: that the strawberry dart frog is poisonous and has suction cups on its feet, that the jaguar is the third largest cat in the world, that the capuchin monkey is very smart, easily trained and often used to help people with disabilities, that the toucan is one of the largest and noisiest birds, and that the morpho butterfly is the largest of all butterflies and, like other butterflies, eats through its proboscis. The kids enjoyed doing some word puzzles that reinforced these newly learned features of the rainforest animals.

The church is decorated, the skit actors are well rehearsed, the teachers are prepared, and the craft, music, and recreation leaders are ready. We hope everyone can join us for five days full of learning, fun, and fellowship. Bring your friends. And continue to pray about VBS!

Sunday School - Parable of the Talents

Judy taught the Sunday School class today, covering Jesus' Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Jesus told the story of the master who was planning a long trip. Before departing, he entrusted his property with three of his servants. One servant received five talents (a talent was worth a great deal of money), the second servant received two talents, and the third one talent, each according to their abilities.  After a long absence, the master returned and called his servants to him for an accounting. The first two servants had put their talents to work and doubled the value of the property they were entrusted with. They were handsomely rewarded by the master, who gave them more responsibility and invited them to share in his happiness. The third servant returned the single talent he had been given; he had merely buried it in the ground. The master punished the man for his laziness and threw him out of his house.

One interpretation of the parable is that Jesus is telling us to use our God-given gifts in the service of God, their value will be multiplied for the good of His Kingdom.

Judy talked about how banks work, as one way of putting your money to work. Another way is the many small gifts we will bring to Vacation Bible School (July 18-22) that will be put together and used to build a water well in Liberia that will help many people. The children were given a dollar bill, and challenged to consider how to make that dollar grow to be applied to the donations next week. They also received some coins, one of which was intended to be used right now, since it was made of chocolate!

Church Mulching

A truckload of mulch, several willing hands and in a few hours, the church yard was mulched for another year.  Praises and thanks for all who showed up and helped on such a hot and humid day.  

4th of July Parade Float

The church participated in the annual Homer 4th of July Parade this year with a float, based on the SonQuest Rainforest theme of the upcoming Vacation Bible School (July 18-22, 6-8pm). The float was a real team effort, including decorators, carpenters, drivers, sound equipment supervisors, VBS promotional flyers, as well as some contributions from the Broadlands Community church. The silver jeep looked like it was ready to pull us all straight into the Amazon rainforest.  Thanks to everyone who contributed, participated, and supported the float from the sidewalk.  And Pat, you make a great parade Grand Marshal!

Sunday School - Parable of the Friend at Midnight

Suzy led Sunday School this morning, and directed the kids in a theatrical version of Jesus' parable of the friend at midnight. Faced with the arrival of unexpected house guests, a man went to his neighbor to try to borrow some bread to feed them. He knocked loudly on the door, but the neighbor repeatedly refused to help, complaining about the late hour and the noise that might awaken his children. But the man persisted, knocked again, and eventually the neighbor relented and gave the man what he had asked for.

The lesson of the parable was made clear by Jesus. We should not give up, but rather we should keep praying and keep asking. Also, if people only give us what we want, imagine how much more God will give us. He wants us to ask, and He wants to give us what we ask for.

The children then decorated some door hangers, which they can use on their doors at home to remind them of the parable, and to ASK:

Ask, and it will be answered.
Seek, and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened for you.

Church Library/New Materials/July

The following books  have been added to the church library and are available for check out..  They can be found on the recent acquisitions table located just outside the room.

• The Lion Book of Five-Minute Parables by Charolette Ryton, all Arch books
• Parables for Kids by Danae and Dr James Dobson
• The Parable of the Prodigal Son, the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Talents
• The Parables of Jesus by William Barclay
• The Parables, Understanding the Stories Jesus Told  by Simon J. Kistemaker

Sunday School - Parable of the Good Samaritan

Mary brought Jesus' parable on the good Samaritan to the children's Sunday School class today. The Bible (Luke 10:25-37) tells us that although the lawyer knew God's rule to love your neighbor as yourself, he asked Jesus, "But who is my neighbor?" Jesus responded with the story of the traveler who was attacked by a group of bad men, and left lying injured on the side of the road.  Two people noticed him there and ignored him, walking along on their business. But a man from Samaria, a country of people not well thought of, stopped to help the man, treating his wounds, putting him on his donkey, and making sure he was cared for while he recovered at the next town. May we, too, act out of love and compassion when we meet someone in need.

Mary gave everyone some take-home reminders: a magnet hand with Good Samaritan references, and a small bag with a band-aid and some kisses.  The children then enjoyed some watermelon hearts, and got a chance to do their own good deeds by helping clean the dishes afterward!

Parable Bible Study

The second study in the 5-week Bible Study Series was on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Last night, the group had a good discussion on modern day Samaritans, prejudices and conflicts we often face in our efforts to be a Samaritan. Week 3--Wed. June 30 at 7:00 PM is on the Parable of the Prodigal based on Luke 15:11-32. Everyone is welcome and child care is provided.

Bikers Raid Ice Machine

This afternoon HUMC offered a place of refreshment to a group of 15 bicyclists who are part of a 300 mile bike marathon. Three cycling teams, originating from Monticello, Joliet and Rockford, MI will travel 50 miles each day and plan to meet up in Harrod, Ohio on Saturday. The group's goal is to raise support for H.I.S. (Haitian Interdenominational Shelter) Home for Children. This is the second year the group has stopped at HUMC to rest and recharge in the air conditioning. They will spend the night at Catlin UMC before continuing on their way.

Sunday School - Parable of the Sheep and Goats

Farmer Bruce visited the Sunday School class this morning and talked about sheep, and brought some things that modern day shepherds use to take care of their flock. We then talked about Jesus' parable of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus told his disciples that the Son of Man would ultimately separate the people, as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats, the sheep on the right and the goats on the left. The people on the right, the true believers, would obtain their inheritance of eternal life in the kingdom because they did what he had asked: they fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, clothed the needy, and invited the stranger in.

The children then made edible sheep to remind them of the lesson of the parable. Bruce told us that even when flocks of sheep are mixed together, individual sheep recognize and respond only to the voice of their own shepherd. Jesus, the "Good Shepherd," calls us. May we be listening with our hearts, and respond and follow when we hear His call.

Parable Bible Study

The Parable of the Vineyard Workers was the first of 5 Bible studies in preparation for VBS. The studies are on Wed. evenings from 7:00-8:30 in the church library. Next week's study will focus on the Parable of The Good Samaritan. Child care is provided.

Sunday School - Parable of the Sower

In anticipation of Vacation Bible School next month (July 18-22), the children have begun a series of Sunday School lessons on Jesus' parables. Today, it was the parable of the sower. Kent, a farmer and thus a sower of seeds, taught the class and brought some soybean seeds and plants. We discussed the Bible story (for example, Mark 4:1-20) of the sower who scattered some seeds: some along the road where they were eaten by birds, some among the rocks where they germinated but quickly withered, some among the thorns which choked out the young plants, and finally some seeds in good, moist ground where the seed roots took hold and the plants flourished, yielding 100 times their number. Kent explained how this is how real seeds are affected, and had some examples of newly germinated seeds which then dried up and died due to lack of moisture.

We talked about the meaning of the parable, how Jesus is like the sower and the seeds are like God's Word. Many people hear the Word, but some do not try to understand, some believe only until they experience hard times, and some are lured away by worldly temptations. But those that let the Word take hold, who believe it, study it and let it grow, to those people comes a yield of 100 times.