GOOD NEWS - June, 2010

GOOD NEWS
Asbury United Methodist Church
1809 Mississippi Blvd
Bettendorf, IA 52722
June, 2010
355-5218
www.asbury-bett.org Asbury@netexpress.net

Summer Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday
8:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00
Friday
8:00-12:00

SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Sunday, 8:30 and 10:00 AM
8:30 – Traditional Service
10:00 – Praise Service
(Education Hour resumes at 9:45 & Praise Service changes to 11:00
on August 22.)

“I WILL BE LOYAL TO THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH and uphold it with my prayers, my presence, my gifts, and my service.”

BY OUR PRAYERS
Please keep the friends and family on the enclosed list in your daily prayers.

BY OUR PRESENCE
May 2 Worship – 330
May 2 Sunday School – 117
May 9 Worship – 271
May 9 Sunday School – 107
May 16 Worship – 281
May 16 Sunday School – 96
May 23 Worship – 331
May 23 Sunday School – 111

BY OUR GIFTS
April Income $50,250.61
April Expense $45,850.06

BY OUR SERVICE
Thank you for your generous contributions to the Churches United Food Pantry totaling $185 and 146 items. Special thanks to Body & Soul children for their contribution of 61 items at their May 5th Scavenger Hunt!
GOOD NEWS DEADLINE
Articles for the July issue of Good News should be in the church office by Noon on Monday, June 21, 2010. Thank you!

OUTDOOR WORSHIP &
RETIREMENT CELEBRATION FOR PASTORS STEPHANIE & TOM
SUNDAY JUNE 13, 10:30 AM
(No 8:30 a.m. Service on June 13)
AT PALMER HILLS GOLF COURSE
SHELTER HOUSE ON MIDDLE ROAD
RAIN OR SHINE! BRING LAWN CHAIRS & DRESS CASUAL!

PARKING: Due to limited parking there will be additional parking at U.S. Bank across the street. Please go to the shelter house, drop off your lawn chairs (table service will be provided) and if you need to park at the U.S. Bank a shuttle van will bring you back to the shelter house.

SPECIAL MUSIC BY CHOIR,
PRAISE BAND & OTHER ASBURY MUSICAL TALENT!
Catered Picnic Following Outdoor Worship!

TIME CHANGE!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Summer Worship Schedule
Beginning Sunday, May 30, Sunday worship services will be:

Traditional Service ~ 8:30 a.m.
Praise Service ~ 10:00 a.m.

Summer Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 8-Noon & 1-4pm
Friday: 8-Noon

The Fall/Winter Worship schedule (8:30 & 11:00) and the 9:45 Education Hour will resume on Sunday August 22nd.

Asbury Worship Services
Audio of each Asbury worship service is available to stream or download to your computer from the Asbury website www.asbury-bett.org
The audio files are posted to the site within minutes of the conclusion of each service. We post a month’s worth of services on the website for you to access. The audio links are on the front page of the website. You might also want to check out the calendar of events, updated weekly, now available online as well!
CDs of our 8:30 worship services are also available for one-week check-out in the church library. The CDs are located in the adult section, next to the check-out box.

Asbury Blood Drive
Tuesday, June 8

Have you signed up to give blood on June 8? Do you know that you could help three people with just one blood donation? Are you aware that 40% of the population is medically eligible to give blood, but only 5% do? Would you believe that one out of five people entering the hospital will need blood and every 2 seconds, someone needs blood? Nearly 11,000 people a day receive blood transfusions. Many modern medical advances, such as organ transplants and effective cancer therapies, would not be possible without blood transfusions. Cancer patients use 19% of our community blood supply. Heart disease patients use 16% of our community blood supply and the volume of blood transfused is increasing at the rate of 6% per year.

****Looking for FIRST time donors!****

Please consider... you need to be 16 or older to give. Our community needs new and returning blood donors. Please give on June 8th. Call Julie Moran, 359-3238 or Dee James, 355-8254 if you have not signed up to give.

Preschool Registration
Asbury Preschool is currently accepting registrations for the 2010-2011 school year. The Tuesday-Thursday class is offered for 3-4 year olds and the Monday-Wednesday-Friday class for children 4-5 years old. Please call 355-5218 for more information.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2010

VBS 2010 Theme is Group’s High Seas Expedition! Registration forms are available online or at the church, and can be mailed in or dropped off in the church office. Please call the church if you have any questions. V.B.S. at Asbury will be held July 19-23 from 9:00am until noon. Children in Preschool through 5th grade, completed, are invited to sign up! There is a $3.00 craft fee per student, payable with registration or on the first day of Bible School. Youth are encouraged to help with V.B.S., and may sign up right on the Registration form. Adult leaders and helpers are also needed. Friday’s Family Luncheon will be held on July 23rd at noon for parents and other guests who would like to hear and see the children’s music program and share in a typical high-seas-expedition lunch (when we figure out what that is)! Please call Beth at 355-5218 if you would like to be a part of this fun summer experience with the Kids. Let God guide you here!

Youth News!
6th-12th Graders
We had a great year with the youth. We do plan to meet a few times over the summer, so please be sure to send us your email address if you are interested in joining us for any events:
asburyouth@netexpress.net

There will be information coming soon in regards to next year’s service project trip to Wisconsin.
Peter & Tina

Ice Cream Social
Friday Night, July 9th
Mark your calendars for an upcoming fundraiser event to help with our service trip for summer of 2011. The youth will be having an ice cream social at the Friday night Bettendorf Park Band Concert held at Middle Park. Our youth and parents will be serving ice cream, baked goods and other items for a free-will donation on Friday night, July 9th.

Graduate Recognition
Congratulations to Asbury high school graduates! Paul Black, Kelsey Brandt, Matt Brown, Joel D’Camp, Jackie Dreher, Cresston Gackle, Grant Gessel, Dylan Hall, Michael Kardell, Danielle Kimler, Andrew Mahlstedt, Kari Paul, Emily Prais, Sarah Raker, Jordan Sawyer, Shane Schaefer, and Jacob Ward.

Senior Piano Recital!
Cresston Gackle, who has been a piano student of Marilyn Mitchem for the past 12 years, will have his senior piano recital at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 6th at Asbury.
Everyone is invited! After the program, light refreshments will be served. Please join us!

CONFIRMATION
Pictures are here and available for pick up in the church office. Cost is $12.00 for the photo-mat if you have not yet paid. Please call the office if you have any questions.

Story Hour and Nursery
Both ministries will operate through the summer. Story Hour will be offered at both services, 8:30 and 10:00. Nursery welcomes infants and toddlers through age 3 during both Worship services as well. There will not be Nursery care from 9:45-10:45 a.m. during the summer. Thanks to all parents and volunteers for their commitment to this ministry.

Common Cent$ Final Tally
We are happy to report the final results of 124 responses and $41,046.80 to our Common Cent$ Campaign to support the 2010 General Fund Budget. On behalf of the Finance Committee, Staff Parish Relations Committee and Church Council we want to thank the entire membership for helping stabilize the budget. Having our financial house in order as we go through the transition from Pastors Stephanie & Tom to Pastors Kerrin and Emmanuel is very important.
Thank you to everyone who pledged and to everyone who prayed that we could, would and DID exceed our goal of $40,000!!
We also want to acknowledge and thank all of you who purchased geraniums in support of our campaign! Through your generosity we received $1,152.80 through the sale! Special thanks to Geranium Coordinator, Marcia Wiedmeyer, and Larry Wiedmeyer, Charlene & Roger Hamman and Pat Tulon for their time and efforts in managing this fundraiser!
Larry Brandt
Common Cent$ Campaign Coordinator

Asbury Foundation
If you have a birthday in June and would like to be a part of the Asbury Foundation ministry you may leave your gift (marked accordingly) in the church office or in the offering plate. Your gift provides the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping future generations and assures you are doing your part to guarantee a strong and promising future for the life and work of Asbury. For more information on the Birthday Fund or the Asbury Foundation, please contact the church office. Thank you!

Church Library
Due to the necessary budget cuts this year, the Library Committee is seeking donations to help with necessary expenses.
Asbury’s Library is one of the largest church libraries in the Conference, with more than 6,600 items including children’s, youth and adult sections with fiction & informational books, CD’s, DVD’s, etc.
Monetary donations will be greatly appreciated. You may make your check to Asbury UMC, with “Library” indicated on the memo line.
Please be sure to take the opportunity to visit our fine Library and check out books that are of interest to you!
Asbury Library Committee
Carol Seebach, Chairman
Card Ministry
Asbury Card Ministry cards are now available for purchase! Be sure to stop by the church office sometime soon and take a look at the Card Ministry card rack. It's full of dozens of our beautiful handmade cards with matching envelopes. You'll find Sympathy, Thank You, Thinking of You, Birthday, Get Well and much more. The cards are not priced at this time, but are instead offered in exchange for a donation. All proceeds from the card rack will go toward purchasing supplies to make the cards we send out each month to celebrate, support or cheer members of our Asbury congregation. The next Card Ministry meeting will be held Wednesday, June 9th at 7 p.m. at the church. Card Ministry participation is on a "come when you can" basis, and we are always happy to welcome new people. Crafting experience is not required.

Spring Cleaning???

Please remember to save some items for the annual Rummage Sale held at Asbury during the last week of July. AIM - Asbury in Mission - will be using the proceeds to fund our relief efforts in Oakville, Cedar Rapids, and anywhere that disasters happen in Iowa. Thank you for your support!

Global Ministries Committee
Nancy French, Chair

Fellowship With a Purpose
Fellowship With Purpose is taking a break for the summer. They will resume this important ministry again next fall. Thank you so much to this very dedicated group of volunteers!

Audio and PowerPoint
in Worship
We have had several calls from persons requesting to volunteer to help with the audio and/or PowerPoint presentations in the worship services. If you would like to be included in a training session (this is only for those who wish to be a volunteer on Sunday mornings) that will take place very soon, please sign-up in the church office or contact Bob Mattison at 332-9889 or rmattison@platinum-corp.com

Moon Walk 2010
The Quad Cities is at the head of the pack for the Moon Walk!! The cumulative mile count for the Quad Cities is 209,070, Peoria has 150,715 and Champaign-Urbana had 164,803 miles. Our Asbury team has contributed 1,012.32 of the Quad City miles!! Keep up the great work! Please report your miles each week to the church office (355-5218 or email Brenda at: asburynurse@netexpress.net.

Afghan Ministry

We now have afghan squares ready to be whip-stitched! You may pick up a bag in the church office. If you need direction, give me a call! It is very easy to do.
Of course, you may also continue to help by crocheting or knitting 7x7 inch squares and bringing them to the church office. Feel free to take whatever yarn you like from the basket in the Narthex. Thank you for your help in this wonderful ministry our church provides to our members and as an outreach to our community.
Brenda Sherrick, Parish Nurse

Exercise Class
Join our Asbury Exercise Class!! We meet each Tuesday and Thursday morning from 9:00-10:00 a.m. in Upper Fellowship Hall. This is a very fun group meeting together for health and friendly fellowship. We have lots of new participants! Please join us.

Please Keep in Your Prayers….
Kathy Clifford, Bob Dover, Dean Duben, Virginia Duffy, Dale Hankins, Herb Hengst, Susan Moats, Derald Montgomery, Bob Stahl, Thelma Stewart, Rob Tyler, Cynthia Vaughan, Kaelee Wolf

John Beams (Harold Hoffman’s friend)
Alyssa Bennett (Sue Moats’ daughter)
Wendy Black (Joey Arney’s niece)
Bobbi Boore (Thiara Smith’s friend)
Frank Brokaw (Jack & Ruth Baylor’s friend)
Delvecchio Family (Mindy Lank’s friends)
Barb Douglas (Craig Douglas’ sister)
Craig Douglas (Debbie Douglas’ ex-husband)
Gordon Dyer (Kathy Cameron’s brother)
Jim Fleming (Doris Meier’s friend)
Angela Folkestad
(Rich & Dee James’ daughter)
Ashley Gillette (Kay Parch’s daughter)
Arnold Hicks (Our House Preschool teacher’s son)
Silas Cole Jackson
(Celeste HudsonQuartell’s great grandson)
Jesse (Deanne Graber’s nephew)
Pat Jessen (Heather Dennis’ mother)
Sue Lank-Voyles (Mindy Lank’s mother-in-law)
JoAnn Munson (Barb Nelson’s sister)
Mary Jo Myers (Linda Rorke’s mother)
Ray Ney (Theona Fahl’s friend)
Hunter Peterson (Terri Law’s nephew)
Maxine Rayburn (Marla Johnson’s friend)
Jean Richards (Jana Richards’ grandma)
Steve & Nancy Riedl
(Wolff’s daughter & son-in-law)
Bradley Riner
(Johanna Brenner’s niece’s husband)
Reba Ripley (Pritchard’s & Wolfe’s friend)
Jordin Roberts
(Leona Gailbreath’s great-granddaughter
Rev. Bob Ruppert (former Asbury pastor)
Sandy (Billy Murphy’s friend)
Jo Sapp (Jan Westercamp’s sister-in-law)
Margaret Sapp (Jan Westercamp’s mother)
Keith Schmidt (Alinda Littrel’s friend)
Marilyn Seibel (Barb Brethauer’s friend and
Kristi & Brittney Halverson’s grandma)
Nicki Simpson (Linda Martell’s cousin)
Gina Sloss (Al & Hue Sloss’ daughter)
Marie Stapleton
(Loraine Stahl’s sister-in-law)
Paul Stobaugh
(Jean Bowrey’s brother-in-law)
Wendy Syverud (Wolfe Family’s friend)
Kari Teagarden (Moran Family’s friend)
Brian Turnmeyer
(Dean & Joey Arney’s nephew)
Harley Ward (Pam Campbell’s father)
Shirley & Paul Whitbeck
(Doris Meier’s friends)
Libby Woodward
(Dave & Sharon Phillip’s friend)

Our brothers and sisters at care centers or who are shut-in.

Prayers for Our Military

Zachary Oles, Afghanistan
(Rose Oles’ grandson)
Keith Philips, Fort Bragg, NC
(Deborah & Paul D’Camp’s nephew)
Capt. Adrienne Stahl and
Major Brian Stahl,
both at Langley AFB, VA
(Bob & Loraine Stahl’s grandchildren)

Asbury Angel Network
We would like all members of Asbury to know that we have an Angel Network Fund. This fund is available immediately to help any member of Asbury that needs assistance. We are ready to provide financial help or food from the Bettendorf Food Pantry.
If you need assistance, please contact either of our pastors or our parish nurse, Brenda Sherrick. These requests will be kept confidential.

Thoughts of Sympathy

Our thoughts and prayers are with Rod and Candace Van Scoy on the death of Rod’s mother, Jeanne Van Scoy on May 17th.

Altar Flowers
There is a sign-up sheet in the East Narthex year-round for anyone who would like to provide flowers for our altar. This is a nice way to honor a loved one or to celebrate a special occasion.

Thank You
I want to say thank you to my family and friends who honored me on my 90th birthday with a Card Shower.
Thank you for the candy, flowers, and over 100 cards!
I will cherish the day, April 3, 2010, for the rest of my life for the joy and love that was given to me.
God bless,
Leona Ferguson

Birdies for Charity
Birdies for Charity is a fundraising event that encourages the community to support non-profit agencies. Churches United is an ecumenical agency that serves the Scott and Rock Island County communities and is once again participating as a Birdies for Charity recipient. Birdies for Charity is unique in the fact that every pledge dollar goes directly to the charity. There is no overhead charged to the event. A bonus to the program is that the John Deere Classic contributes 5% bonus to participating charities based on the proportion of the pledges collected. This gives Churches United the opportunity to receive $5,000 over the amount of pledges collected!
We encourage you to consider Churches United when you designate your gift through Birdies for Charity. For a pledge form or for more information, please contact Churches United at 786-6494 or Birdies for Charity at 762-4653.
To learn more about Birdies for Charity: www.birdiesforchairty.com

Churches United Website
Churches United has a fresh new look and an outstanding video that talks all about the services Churches United provides throughout the Quad City Area. Please take a look! www.CUqca.org

Pastors Stephanie & Tom
Pastors Stephanie and Tom may be reached at any time at:
1123 East Columbia
Davenport, IA 52803
563-323-5837

Cell Phones:
Pastor Stephanie: 563-210-7723
Pastor Tom: 563-210-8823
They may be reached at church at 355-5218 or through their email:
pastorsr-n@netexpress.net
pastortr-n@netexpress.net

Pastoral Care Concern
If you are hospitalized and do not receive a visit from Pastor Stephanie or Pastor Tom within 24 hours, it means we have not been notified by the volunteer callers at the hospital. Please call the church or pastor at home to let us know.

Thank You
Thank you to Dale & Carol Seebach, Bob Reiter, Bill Cameron, Roger Hamman, Tim Tulon, Scot Hoscheid, Tom Stelk, Ron Stafford, Jim Gossard, Jerry Finley, and Jeff Ryder for their hard work at the recent Spring Work Day. We accomplished a lot and sure appreciate everyone’s hard work!
Asbury Trustees
Rich James, Chairman

Thank You
Thank you so much for all of your thoughts, prayers and expressions of concern for our daughter, Angela, and our family. She is home now, but has a long way to go to full recovery.
Rich and Dee James

New Arrival!
Congratulations to John & Polly Harris on the birth of a great grandson, Thomas Nye Tunks, on May 10th. Parents are Mollie & Tim Tunks of San Francisco, CA.

Retirement Celebration
It is with great joy that the Estherville United Methodist Church invites you to a Retirement Celebration for Pastor Lynn Potter as we honor his years of ministry to not only our congregation but several United Methodist Churches across Iowa, including Asbury from 1987-1990.
Our local congregation is planning a celebration of Pastor Lynn’s ministry on Sunday, June 13 at 9:30 a.m. (Details of the service & potluck to follow are available in the Asbury office.)
If you are unable to attend with your presence, we invite you to send a card that we might share with him to:
United Methodist Church
102 South 8th St.
Estherville, IA 51334
Please join us in prayer for celebrating the ministry he has served with so many and the retirement he anticipates.
Nancy Danielson, SPRC Member
Estherville UMC

Table Talk
One of my goals for ministry for the last 26 years was to teach the Seasons Church Year to the congregation so that worship would be more meaningful but mostly to give the understanding that life would be more meaningful. It is really about experiencing time as hallowed. There is secular time that tells us when to be where and what it is we are to be DOING. It is seasonal as well and the seasons are based on the physical aspects of our earth. But the church year is about the soul and the sacred and the life in the Spirit. It is about the seasons of the soul and we experience them in and through the life of Christ. We KEEP each season so that when the time of our lives in the physical world passes through a time of the Spirit life we recognize it and can more meaningfully celebrate it and more meaningfully endure it, whichever the case may be. Either way the event is Transfigured. For example, when a time of new birth comes it may be an Easter time as there may have been a dying of some aspect of ourselves and we understand we are in Easter and have just passed through Lent. This translates the ordinary into something holy. Or it may be a time of something entirely new happening to us and so it is a Christmas time. Each Happening in our life is sacred only if we train our eyes to see it. Each season of the Christian year helps us translate life as God’s wonder in our midst. The colors of each season also help us to look more deeply and experience Christ’s presence with us as mystery and as marvel. Each season is a personal blessing within us and each season is a communal event that we share in Christ. I am most aware that this understanding has failed to come across to every congregation I have served. So, one last attempt. Here it is!!
The Christian Year goes like this in short form:

Advent is the first season and is a time of preparation and a time of inward searching and examination to ready ourselves for something new. The color is purple to indicate that getting ready means repentance and that what we do in preparing and expecting is a royal act. It is the four Sundays before Christmas.

Christmas is the time of celebrating new birth. It is the twelve days after Christmas and the color is white or gold. It is a joyous and wondrous time.

Epiphany is a time of dawning. It is when the new life really dawns upon us and we truly “get it” and it becomes manifest in our lives- real and alive. The color is green because it is the color of life. The first Sunday is white.

Lent is similar to Advent as it too is a time of preparation, but this time it is preparation for death. It is the time of repentance and deep contemplation. Its color too is purple.

Easter is the time of new birth out of the death and ashes of what has been. Its color is white and gold.

Pentecost is the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the church and the understanding that we will be serving God via the coaxing of the Spirit. Its colors are red for the first Sunday (and after a bit if we like) and green for the remainder of the time. Red is for the fire of the Spirit and green is for the enriching of life through the Spirit.

So will anyone read this or keep it? I wonder!

On a personal note, we have decided, after much looking and exploring to stay on in the quad cities for a time at least. I trust those of you who are United Methodists know that means we will not be worshiping at Asbury. This is a church policy that allows the new pastors a chance to establish themselves. This means we will not be doing weddings or funerals or other pastoral duties. Change is difficult and we all like the familiar, but soon the new pastors will be familiar and you will have made a place in your hearts for them. Plan on it!! We will be praying for Asbury, for growth, life and depth. God’s blessing be upon you.

In holy wonder,
Pastor Stephanie

Dear Friends at Asbury,
This will be my last Good News reflection to you. What to say in saying goodbye…?
I decided to simply share a short poem with you. It is by P’ang Yun, known as Layman P’ang. He was a Chinese Zen Master who lived in the 8th Century CE. The poem, translated by Stephen Mitchell, goes like this:

When the mind is at peace,
the world too is at peace.
Nothing real, nothing absent.
Not holding on to reality,
not getting stuck in the void,
you are neither holy nor wise,
just an ordinary fellow who has
completed his work.

Peace & fire,
Pastor Tom