The Lamplighter

PASTORS PIECE Zion United Church of Christ June 2013 Inside This Issue
GRADUATION A NEW BEGINNING
We "graduate" from things all the time. There are intervals, or space and time, between seasons of our lives and growth to new levels of understanding. And at times like these emotions run deep. As parents and children we work very intentionally toward times of graduation, and it seems like the first big breath happens at high school graduation. Feelings of accomplishment, pride, and relief, often permeate a baccalaureate ceremony flowing with music and memories and prose, and perhaps a verse of Scripture or two. Parties fill great halls and small homes with laughter, stories, and sometimes tears, as thoughts of a next step, planned or unknown, wend their way into celebration. The pinnacle for most graduates, whether high school or college, is the walk up on to stage, shaking hands with the dean and faculty, and receiving the coveted diploma, pictures and congratulations from them, family, and friends. The celebration seems to stop time for a moment, just a pause before the throes of "reality" set in. Will this be a point of ending or a point of beginning? Of course it is both. The logo of the United Church of Christ is "God is Still Speaking--Never place a period where God has placed a comma." One goal has been reached and now multiple doors of choice are available. New responsibility arises to choose to end, to begin, to endure, to enrich, to enliven, to empower, to be empowered, to live. But it doesn't seem that easy. The struggles of life continue to permeate into our plans, our hopes, our dreams... Perhaps a certain memory also permeates the sludge of fear and doubt, the memory of a special time before high school graduation, when stepping up onto the chancel to be confirmed as a member of Zion United Church of Christ, Mayview, or

1 Pastors Piece 2 Palm of Prayer 3 This Months Events 4 Worship Ways 5 Community, County &
Conference Clamor

6 8

Butterfly Room & Expression Session

7 Celebration Occasions
Worship Whirl

Zion United Church of ChristEstablished 1880 105 N. Mary, Mayview, Missouri 64071-8224 Phone and FAX: (660) 237 - 4355

another church in the body of Christ, became that first real stepping stone of life. Your choice to reaffirm your baptism, or to be baptized and become a full member of the Body of Christ, putting your faith and trust--your dependence, in Christ's guidance through the Holy Spirit. Wow, what an amazing experience that was, with handshakes, a Certificate of Confirmation, hugs, pictures, open houses...Maybe not as much pomp was involved, but it was really laying the foundation for the rest of life--life lived through struggles and joys, laughter and tears, in the HOPE of the promise of LIFE through Christ. This August young persons entering 7th grade will have the opportunity to begin the journey called Confirmation, which will happen after two years of study, exploration, field trips, laughter and choices. The most important choice, being a choice in faith to become a full member of Zion UCC, through a special ceremony, the sharing of favorite Scripture, baptism if needed, and Holy Communion. This is an extremely important journey toward a first graduation...and a new beginning. "How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!" Prov. 16:16 NIV. Grace, peace and love, Pastor Kristin

The Lamplighter Church World Service is

responding to the extensive damage caused by the May 20 tornadoes in the Oklahoma City and Moore, Okla. area, including providing emergency supplies immediately and more assistance in the long term. For nearly seven decades, CWS has helped communities recover from disaster over the long term. Our job is to continue to be a presence of healing to those most in need. "We have worked extensively in communities struck by tornadoes in the region," says Donna Derr, the agency's chief of emergencies. "Our job is to provide immediate assistance with CWS Kits, and focus on helping the most vulnerable, who typically have the hardest time recovering in the long term." Our assistance starts now in providing emergency relief supplies, such as CWS Blankets and CWS Kits to those in shelters. Recovery may begin with a box of supplies but it doesn't end until everyone has a chance to recover, regardless of need. The most significant humanitarian donation that an individual can make - in this case for tornado survivors - is cash, which enables affected communities that are closest to the disaster to purchase and distribute necessary supplies locally. Contributions to support CWS emergency response efforts may be sent to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515. (REF: 2013 Tornadoes, Appeal #627-Y) or made online.In addition to requests for cash donations, the agency is appealing to congregations and groups to assemble and send kits containing emergency supplies, such as hygiene items, cleanup buckets and school supplies, to CWS so that they can be distributed. The kits can be assembled from ordinary household items (http://www.cwsglobal.org/getinvolved/kits/).
Setting the Table
Little Susan was mother's helper. She helped set the table when guests were due for dinner. Presently everything was on, the guest came in, and everyone sat down. Then Mother noticed something was missing. "Susan," she said, "You didn't put a knife and fork at Mr. Smith's place." "I thought he wouldn't need them," explained Susan. "Daddy says he always eats like a horse!"

Palm of Prayer
I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.

Concerns
Please continue to surround in love and prayer, those experiencing health difficulties &/or recovering from surgery & those adjusting to new seasons in their lives: William Wildschuetz; Mary Ellen Thomson; the victims and families of the Oklahoma tornadoes; first responders; military personnel and their families.

Joys
Congratulations to graduates Kelsie Dale and Nicolas Adsit and generally praying for joy and safety for all graduates!

This Months Events

S.S.8:45 A.M. Worship10:00 A. M. June 2, 2013 Summer Schedule Begins 8:45 Gathering, 10 am Worship SS Mission OfferingNew Life Home June 7-9, 2013 Conference Annual Gathering June 9, 2013 BCE Curriculum Luncheon and Discussion June 11, 2013 BCE, 7 pm

The Lamplighter

Copyright 2011 The Zondervan Corporation

June 14, 2013 Flag Day June 15, 2013 Habitat for Humanity 5K Run/Walk Trinity UCC, Lexington June 16, 2013 Fathers Day June 21, 2013 Summer Begins June 22, 2013 Family Night at the Park, 6 pm June 24-29, 2013 Pastor K out of town for Seminar June 27, 2013 Council, 7:30 pm June 30, 2013 Book Study Vacation Bible School

WHO KNEW? From the Heritage File

For centuries churches have kept records of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and deaths in a church record book. Record books may not get a lot of attention in these days of digital media. Do you know where your church record book is? Is it kept in a safe place? Safety includes being stored in secure, climate-controlled, fireproof place. Do you have a digital scan of your book for backup? If you are keeping your records digitally, do you have a hard copy as well in case of digital media failure or accidental deletions? These are all questions that you should ask about your church's record book. Sometimes we just don't know what we've got until it's gone.

Zion UCC Worship Ways

PASTORAL VISITS OR PRAYERS
I'm joyfully continuing my endeavor to visit all the members and friends of Zion United Church of Christ, according to schedules, time available, and desire. You can help out also by calling me for a time to visit, or if a pastoral care visit or prayer request is in your heart. Blessings! Pastor Kristin

SUMMER BOOK STUDY! A Framework for Understanding Poverty

by Ruby K. Payne Books are available to borrow at church, please see Pastor Kristin. Please read at home and we will discuss during Sunday School several weeks in June and July. I'm reading it, and it is very interesting and worthwhile. Pastor Kristin

Summer Worship Schedule

June 2 Summer Worship hours go into effect-Fellowship Gathering (light breakfast) at 8:45AM followed by Sunday School, with Worship beginning at 10 AM.

The Lamplighter

Community, County & Conference Clamor

SAIL
A Family Night in the Park will be hosted by SAIL June 22nd at 6 pm. Games and hot dogs for all.

Habitat for Humanity 5K Run/Walk Mission Committee

Mission Committee would like to thank all who have shared Festival of Sharing Packs. So far we have been collecting the Mo. Readin' & Writin' Pack and the Mo. Paper Products Pack. In June you will see on display the Mo Student Dental Pack--Pack Value is $11.00. The pack includes: 4 child Size soft toothbrush-1 fluoride toothpaste, 6 oz. or more--2 adult soft toothbrushes--1 dental floss-any size. Healthy Teeth are vital for a healthy diet. Tooth decay is the #1 infectious disease in children and it disproportionately affects disadvantaged and underserved communities, according to Nation Institutes of Health. The Student Dental Pack includes toothbrushes for children and parents and is distributed through MO agencies to families as part of Dental hygiene education opportunities at some sites. Please remember any donation is a blessing. Donations of 1 item, donations of an entire pack or donations of money are greatly needed. Blessings to all. The 12th annual Cannon Ball Run/Walk to benefit Lafayette County Habitat for Humanity will be held Saturday, June 15th. The race starts in front of the courthouse in Lexington at 7:30 am and winds through the beautiful residential neighborhoods. Registration begins at 6:00 am Register by June 1st to ensure receipt of a race day T-shirt. Zion UCC has often won the trophy given to the team with the most participants. Let's do it again and maybe we could win the trophy given to the team with the most contributions, too! Plan to participate or donate to this worthwhile cause. Entry forms can be found at www.trinityucclexington.org or call Juanita Wright, Elaine Hudson, Amanda Hoeppner or Martha Hawthorne, members of the planning committee. It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity. ~B. K. S. lyengar

2013 Persons In Ministry Retreat

Please mark your calendars for the 2013 Persons In Ministry Retreat, September 16-18 at The Resort at Port Arrowhead, 3080 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Lake Ozark, MO 65049. The theme of the retreat will be "Honest to God Prayer: Being Still while in Motion" and will be led by Kent Ira Groff. Kent Ira Groff is a spiritual companion for journeyers and leaders, a retreat director and a writer poet living in Denver, Colorado. Honest to God Prayer is his tenth and newest book. Others include Facing East, Praying West, prayer poems from his time in India, What Would I Believe If I Didn't Believe Anything?: A Handbook for Spiritual Orphans, and Writing Tides, which he uses with classes in Denver prisons. Dr. Groff is founding mentor of Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development, Camp Hill, Pa. With experience as a pastor of congregations, a chaplain, and a seminary teacher, he describes his work as one beggar showing other beggars where to find bread.

YOUTH YAK
I met with several of our high school youth for a Youth Chat. We had a blast talking about our faith and theology--these guys know much and are passionate about their faith! Let's do it again soon (I'll bring Wasabi Peas again)! Confirmation will begin in August--if your son or daughter will be going into 7th grade, please let me know ASAP, so we can order books! We will meet every other Sunday after church, hopefully with a light lunch. PARENT MEETING after church on Sunday, August 4, to talk briefly about the schedule and address any questions you may have. Will be fun! Blessings, Pastor Kristin Science teacher: When is the boiling point reached? Science student: When my father sees my report card!

The Lamplighter Conference Annual Gathering

Conference Annual Gathering (CAG) of the Missouri MidSouth Conference on June 79, 2013. The theme for this year's gathering is "We Are The Church Together". While time has softened the sculpture's work, the images remain strong and powerful. In this particular cemetery I was struck by the number of images which portray hands in embrace and others have a hand with a single finger pointing skyward to heaven, and one presumes to the One Eternal God of Creation, the Source of Life and the Conqueror of Death. Like a Hula dancer, the hands on those graves tell the story of the Christian faith and its two major tenets. One is the importance of having our focus on God. Another is the importance of Christian fellowship and community, relationship and unity. These themes portrayed in the stone are reminders that both are critical in balance if we are to have a healthy understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, a member of the Body of Christ, and a destiny which has meaning and purpose. The Canadian songwriter and poet, Joni Mitchell's haunting lyrics from her song, Hejira from the album of the same name produced in 1976, echoes the dimensions of human reality with mortality, the reality of individuation and the hunger for purpose and meaning. Her words are powerful, poetic and perceptive. We all come and go unknown Each so deep and superficial Between the forceps and the stone Well I looked at the granite markers Those tributes to finality - to eternity And then I looked at myself here Chicken scratching for my immortality In the church they light the candles And the wax rolls down like tears There's the hope and the hopelessness I've witnessed thirty years We're only particles of change I know, I know Orbiting around the sun While walking in a cemetery may not be an activity we do with any regularity, or even at all, I believe that such an activity is a healthy reminder of our mortality and can bring us to a place of contemplation and understanding, providing us with an opportunity for reflection and grace, comfort and challenge as we consider our own lives. And what we are doing with the time allotted to us "between the forceps and the stone". ~ Dr. Marc A. Wessels Missouri Mid South Conference Courier

Cemetery Contemplation
"The beginning and the end reach out their hands to each other" - Chinese proverb "I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess" - Martin Luther

I was visiting one of our congregations recently for the first time. One of the pleasures of my ministry as an Associate Conference Minister with the Missouri Mid-South Conference has been to travel many miles through the geography which makes up this varied setting for our communities of faith. As a sort of modern-day Circuit Rider of the past, I journey in order to participate and lead in worship, preach the Word, share in the sacraments and be a present covenantal partner at times of celebration such as ordination and installations and in times of sorrow, conflict and struggle. My travels have me on the road early in the morning and late at night. I get to see some of the most wonderful sites, learn of local and congregational histories, meet interesting people and reflect upon the nature, meaning and value of the church in its various settings. I oftentimes will try to arrive early at churches where I am visiting, especially for the first time. I like to see the church building in its setting within the context of the community where it has been established. I enjoy taking time to walk amongst the headstones in the church graveyards reading the inscriptions and appreciating the craftsmanship of the artists' work in stone. It is interesting to note how societal preferences for marking the dead have changed from one generation to the next and to see how communities have changed or remained steady in their ethnic makeup over the years. As I walked through the graveyard at St Martin's, a historic congregation which was established in 1853 in a log barn by devout Evangelical Germans, I noted the fading images on some of the earliest headstones marking the lives of the ancestors. One particular image which remains present on a number of the gravestones is that of human hands.

EXPRESSION SESSION Thank Yous

To Zion UCC, Please accept the thanks of the Board of New Life Home for your gift of $587.00. It is the gifts of individuals, churches, and organizations that enable us to provide a home for unfortunate children. During the last several months we have been in the process of renovating the New Life Home. Twenty-five years had taken their toll. We now have some new windows, new kitchen appliances, new carpet, and a complete repainting. Added to that the sewer has been replaced. Some work has been donated but much of it we have paid for. We have new house parents who are caring for a group of four girls. Our caregiver, Show-Me Christian, has been most helpful in the process. Again, thanks from the children, our caregiver Show-Me, and from the Board. Sincerely, Howard Fisher, For the Board

The Lamplighter

Butterfly Room
3 And

if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:3 (KJV)

Fathers Day
This month families all over will be gathering to celebrate Fathers Day. Families might meet for a BBQ, maybe go camping or even just pay a visit to spend time with their fathers. For many of us lucky enough to still have our fathers in our life this can seem like just another commercial holiday. But what about those whose father is no longer with them? Fathers Day can be just another cruel reminder of their loss. The loss of a father can be a devastating blow to any family and the holiday to honor him only gives your family one more day to realize how much you miss him. Many have found sharing memories of their father with other family members and close friends is a helpful way to assist their own grieving process. Taking the time to reflect with others, even though this might be painful, allows us to share and process the grief that we are feeling. If your family is gathering this year and you have experienced the loss of a father try this constructive idea. Have the whole family create a memory box in honor of Dad. ~ By Chuck DeKlyen

My Father's Death
By May Sarton

The higher goal of spiritual living is not to amass a wealth of information, but to face sacred moments. ~ Abraham Heschel

After the laboring birth, the clean stripped hull Glides down the ways and is gently set free, The landlocked, launched; the cramped made bountiful-Oh, grave, great moment when ships take the sea! Alone now in my life, no longer child, This hour and its flood of mystery, Where death and love are wholly reconciled, Launches the ship of all my history. Accomplished now is the last struggling birth, I have slipped out from the embracing shore Nor look for comfort to maternal earth. I shall not be a [son] any more, But through this final parting, all stripped down, Launched on the tide of love, go out full grown.

The Lamplighter

Celebration Occasions
June Birthdays

Office Hours
Date
1 3 6 9 10 11 14 15 16 19 21 23

Birthday
Hanna Kueck Russell Dierking Darin McGinnis Ernie Pragman Matthew Elder Elaine Hudson Elliot Bentsen David Schmutz Amy Nolte Orry Wildschuetz Greg Huenefeld Vernon Koch Dwight Dickmeyer Marvin Huenefeld Trenton Bainbridge Mitchell Bainbridge Calle Hoeppner Seth Bayless Alice Huenefeld Danny Dierking

Pastor
Tuesday 8:00 AMNoon Wednesday 6:008:00 PM Thursday 8:00 AMNoon

Secretary

Wednesday 5:009:00 PM

Serving Souls
June 2 9 16 23 30 ACOLYTES Adam Hoefer Kristen Johnson Leah Wagner Austin Aardema Faigh Donovan Aardema Faigh GREETERS John & Jane Vahrenberg Glen & Beth Wagner Ron & Diane Wagner Juanita Wright & Laura Nolte Scott & Jennifer Wright

24 27 30

June Anniversaries
3 4 19 20 21 Will & Beth Ogan Scott & Amanda Hoeppner Olin & Carla Struchtemeyer Larry & Karen Neher LeRoy & Doris Van Cleave Alvin & Gaye Cox Russell & Ruth Dierking

Administrative Affairs
Pastor Kristin Aardema Faigh Home(660) 237- 4902 Church (660) 237-4355 pastorkristinatzion@yahoo.com Cell (660) 641-1038 (660) 237- 4386

Wayne Hoefer Council President Angie Lawson Church Secretary Jenny Holt Newsletter Teresa Begemann Organist Connie Sanders Custodian

(660) 237- 4355 zionuccsecretary@hotmail.com (660) 237 - 4923 jennyj36@yahoo.com (816) 633 - 4133 tjbegemann@yahoo.com (660) 237 - 4246 cjsanders77@yahoo.com

Reminder!
The deadline for submissions for the July newsletter is Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Send your submissions to: jennyj36@yahoo.com or zionuccsecretary@hotmail.com or Call (660) 237-4923

Zion United Church of Christ 105 North Mary St. Mayview, Missouri 64071-8224 Generous - Loving - Dedicated Christians Sunday School 9:00 am Worship at 10:30 am

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

The Lamplighter June 2013

Zion UCC Mission Statement

The avowed purpose of our church shall be: To worship God, to proclaim and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to celebrate the Sacraments; to experience Christian fellowship, to build unity, and to practice charity within this congregation and the wider church; and to share this witness of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

Worship Whirl
Traditional Worship Contemporary Worship Sunday School Communion Church Council Board of Christian Education SAIL (Serving All in Love) 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 8:45AM 10:00AM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM Sundays Monthly - 3rd Sunday Sundays Monthly 1st Sunday & Special Holidays Monthly Monthly Monthly - 4th Tuesday