Tithing: A Leap of Faith!

The Gifts of Cain and Abel The first gifts that we read about in Scripture are the offerings made by Cain and Abel who were the sons of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 4:2b-4 we read, Now Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Cain and Abel, having been instructed by Adam in the knowledge of the Lord, brought offerings or gifts for the Lord. Because one worked the land and the other raised animals, their gifts were different. We read that Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering, whereas Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. There is also an indication of a difference in the attitudes of the hearts of the two brothers. While Cain wasnt concerned about giving the first or best of his crop, Abel brought in his best from his first born. God looked with favor upon Abels offering. God looked into the hearts of both Cain and Abel as he looks into our hearts. He saw Abels humble faith. In his gift, Abel showed his sincere gratitude for all that God had done for him. We need to understand that its not the size of our gifts and offerings which makes them acceptable to the Lord, but rather it is the attitude of our hearts and minds toward God. God wants our gifts to be an expression of our love for him. He wants us to give cheerfully rather than grudgingly. He wants us to give out of love through faith. We are told by the writer in Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). May this story of giving by Cain and Abel help us to examine our attitude toward giving. If we are giving our first and best out of faith and love to the Lord, God looks with favor upon our giving. May God grant us all faithful, loving, and giving hearts during our Tithing: A Leap of Faith! program and may we, by Gods grace, become committed to a lifetime of generosity. Stewardship Task Force of The Finance Committee
Not for sissies or wimps

Open hear t s

NOVEMBER 2013

Open minds Open door s

I had a nice piece about being thankful in November all ready for my part of the newsletter in fact I had submitted it to the church office. Then I had a thought Christianity is not for sissies or wimps. Many people think that when they become a Christian life should be smooth and pleasant. It is time for a reality check. We can start with the earliest followers of Jesus. Those called to be Jesus disciples were all living and working in communities and were apparently content with life. Along comes Jesus saying, follow me and they leave jobs, families, homes, communities to follow Jesus. As they followed him, they experienced a variety of attitudes, welcome and unwelcome. After Jesus ascension into heaven the disciples reached many people in His name, and were persecuted often. Even Saul who became Paul persecuted the Christians before Jesus encountered him on the road to Damascus. Christians down through the centuries have learned that while they may not face persecution, life, at first glance, is no easier for them than for anyone else. Christians endure famine, epidemic, flood, fire, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, and all manner of difficulties. Why then, does Christianity endure, and why be a Christian? Take a close look at the person who most exemplified Christianity in your experience. Highly likely they were generous with their time and with their goods. They shared willingly whatever their talents from music to organization, from creative productions to convincing others to help. They saw need, or responded when need was pointed out to them. They did not moan and groan with difficulty, no matter what the problem. They went to their knees for strength from God to endure. When they had personal difficulty they usually cheered up anyone trying to help them. How does that work? Christians who walk closely with God and depend on God know that what happens here on earth may be long in earthly time measure, and heaven is forever. Their relationship with God is stronger than anything on earth. The history of Christianity is full of examples, and each of us know some personal examples. Christianity is not for wimps and sissies. This November I am reminded to be thankful for their example. I also have a question for each of us are we strong enough to be Christians? Thanksgiving Blessings,

Pastor Linda

Outreach Committee Christmas Tree Decorating

The cold weather is upon us. We would like you to start thinking about those in need of a warmer winter. The Outreach Committee asks that you consider a donation of hats, gloves, mittens or scarves to provide warmth to the children at Bethany House. Collections for these items will start November 3 rd. Help us fill the basket in the chapel with warm gifts to decorate the Christmas tree. Warming the hands and hearts of the children at Bethany house is the goal this holiday season. In addition to the warm gifts we would ask you to consider selecting an angel from our angel tree. Angels will be available on November 24th. The presents selected for your special angel will surely warm their hearts. Go shopping and have some fun! Just think how much joy you can give a child this Christmas Season with a small gift of approximately $15.00. Deadline for collections is December 15th. The Outreach Committee will deliver the gifts just in time for each child to receive a gift from their very own angel, you! Merry Christmas and God Bless. The Outreach Team HOPE CIRCLE BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP Hope Circle will meet on Monday, November 11th at 7:00 PM in the parlor. The group will discuss The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister, a lighter read that is a meditation on love, food, and companionship. Every truth has two sides, a quote from Aesop, begins the story and leads the reader through the story of Lillian and the customers who frequent her restaurant. The lives of Al, Chloe, Finnegan, Louise and Isabelle stir and mix, sometimes sifting together and other times drifting alone. Lillian helps the reader observe what brings people together and what breaks them apart on this journey called life. Please consider joining us for this hour of fellowship and discussion. GENERAL FUND NUMBERS FOR SEPTEMBER Balance 8/31 -$15,290.49 (deficit) Income $17,062.82 Expenses $16,190.06 Balance 9/30 $14,417.73 Connectional Apportionment (Mission Share) is paid thru September.

NEWSLETTER Please submit articles for the DECEMBER newsletter by NOVEMBER 15. If you would like to receive your newsletter by e-mail, please send us a message at oakmontumc@verizon.net. PRAYER CONCERNS Please continue to pray for Frances Allison, Barbara Davis, Gillen Geary, Jeanne Knox, Jane McClelland, Joyce Miljanovich, and Jack Riley who are recovering from hospitalizations or illnesses. IN SYMPATHY Our sympathy and prayers go out to the family and friends of John Burrows on his passing on October 22. A memorial service will be held in our sanctuary on November 9th at 11:00 AM.

TRUSTEES The Trustees are pleased to report that more exterior work on the downspouts, gutters, and rain affected areas will be addressed and repaired to conclude our exterior renovations. We have had a report on our stained glass windows, a competing bid for our HVAC services, and also entertained a bid for some more painting. We are now concentrating on the primary room with possible new paint, carpeting/flooring, and brighter lighting. Thanks always to Mark DiCocco for restoring new parts to the lighting fixtures in that room. The prayer room is coming along nicely with new additions soon. The Trustees would like to hold a fall work day on the 9th of November, weather permitting. More information will be available in future bulletins. The new outlets are installed in the social hall (thank you UMW!). We also have to collaborate with the UMW for the upcoming church bazaar to ensure a successful event. We are re-visiting the hall rental contracts to consider if it is up to date. We are pursuing new wiring and baseboard heaters for the elevator area off of the parking lot. We are still looking into more signage within and without the church grounds. The Trustees will soon complete the parsonage inspection and the budget review for the upcoming year. We have reviewed many contracts already and are comfortable with the services provided to the church. The Trustees will also upgrade the young adult Sunday school classroom and are looking at more storage space for the choir music. Decorating for the holiday season will be on our next meeting agenda too. The Trustees have carried out many projects this year mainly because of the generosity of the congregation and the diligent work of Rich Lear and our insurance carrier. We can not thank everyone enough. We wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. Jim Anderson Chair, OUMC Trustees

GREETINGS TO YOU FROM THE OUMW Bazaar updates: The annual Christmas Bazaar will be Saturday, November 23rd from 10 am 2 pm. Although we are no longer taking orders for caramels, rest assured there will be caramels for sale from 10 am 11 am in the dining room. There is limit of 10 pounds per person. The Chicken ala King and Salad Bar luncheon will be from 11 am 1 pm. If you have donations for Attic Treasures, they can be dropped off in the primary room beginning Sat Nov 9th. Baked goods can be dropped off at the church kitchen Friday morning through the afternoon or in the parlor on the morning of the Bazaar. Pie Baking will be Friday Nov 22 beginning at 8 am. If you would like to help with the pies, please contact Janet Parkins. As usual lots of volunteers are needed in all areas. So if you would be willing to help out please contact the following: Cindy DiCoco Craft Room, Helen CrawfordBake Sale, Dawn WhyteKitchen, Carol BrozAttic Treasures, Becky HoustonDining Room, Julie TrennBazaar cleanup. If you are able to stick around at 2, we always need help boxing up the items not sold at Attic Treasures. I want to thank everyone for their hard work all year leading up to this event. We hope to see everyone at the Bazaar! Yours in Christ Julie Trenn UMW President NOVEMBER LUNCHEON

Curious about the renovation behind the plastic curtain this summer? A slideshow of the work will be shown November 17th at the luncheon.

Novembers luncheon will be held on Sunday, November 17th after our traditional worship. Meat will be provided (rumor says meatloaf) as well as beverages. Bring a dish, come and enjoy!

Greetings from Staff Parish Relations Committee! Pop tabs are still being collected for Ronald McDonald House Charities. A special thanks goes out to Martha Ewart for her generous donation. Thank you everyone for your patience during our time of transition. We are now in the process of hiring a new children/youth ministry director. If anyone is interested, or knows someone who may be interested, a resume may be submitted via the church email/website or to christinesmith943@hotmail.com. A resume may also be submitted by putting it in a sealed envelope in the SPRC mailbox, or through regular mail. We are hoping to hire someone as soon as possible. Please keep the committee in your thoughts and prayers as we strive to find the right person for our community. In the meantime, I want to thank those parents and members who have come forward and are giving so generously of their time to serve the children and youth of the church and community. Please come forward or call the church office if you have any ideas or assistance that you can offer. Joy Barnes has done a wonderful job with her fall event. Maybe she has sparked some ideas in others? Christine Smith PRESENTATION OF BIBLES Bibles were presented to third graders on October 27th. Children who received a Bible were Abby Anderson, Daniel Burdelski, and Kara Klinsky. LOOKING FOR A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT OR SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR YOURSELF? On Sunday, December 1 at 2:30 p.m, the Finance Committee will be hosting a Premiere Designs jewelry party to raise funds for the General Budget. Premiere is a direct sales jewelry company founded in 1985. Premier offers a line of more than 500 beautiful and affordable fashion jewelry items, with something to appeal to every customer's sense of style and budget. Come and join us for snacks, fellowship and lots of fun. Bring a friend (girl or guy). Guys (or girls who cannot make it to the party), if you want to shop out of the catalog for Christmas gifts for someone special, see Donna Jacka or Katherine Burdelski. Call Donna Jacka 412-828-2643 for more information.

November
2 4 6 8 9 10 14 15 Katie Houston Jennifer Stapko Thomas Lewis Carol Broz Bill Siebart Marlene Hennings Lauren Medved Robert Whyte Lou Miljanovich Zoey Hawk Isabella Caruso Nino Ionadi Jonathan Lewis Jo Stephenson Deborah Casarcia Susan Hobaugh Jayne DiEmidio Dorothy Wolslayer Cindy Kircher Stefanie Ionadi James Lloyd Blair Biery Mark Harley Dorothy Means Robert Mitcheltree Julie Trenn

16 18 19 20 21 23 24 26 28

BAPTISM Rayah Lee Keefer, daughter of Nicholas Keefer Jr. and Sadie Lowe , was baptized in our sanctuary on October 27th.

If we inadvertently missed listing your birthday, please call the church office and let us know.