Travel Advice

Among the joys of Sunday, September 17: We baptized little OWEN G., son of Paul and Nikki. And we welcomed CASEY H. and JESSICA M. to membership.
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THIS SUNDAY
September 24, 2006
Reverends Nancy & Charlotte
“Looking Back… Looking Ahead”
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Re this coming Sunday, I wrote the following for the web page, but thought I’d reprint it here. BRD

I was born Methodist, almost 56 years ago. In 1950, there were no women pastors in the Methodist Church. It wasn't until I went to seminary, in the early-70s that I encountered the phenomena of women clergy--and it seemed odd to me. What are women doing in this business? All these years later, what seems odd is that it ever seemed odd to me. Was not the first witness to Jesus' resurrection a woman? Was it not Mary Magdelene who told the guy apostles that Jesus was raised? Did not the apostle Paul teach that in Jesus Christ, there is no male or female, for we are all one? (In case you're wondering, those are rhetorical questions.)

This Sunday, September 24, at St. Andrew's, we're celebrating 50 years of full clergy rights for women in the Methodist tradition. We are blessed with two ordained women on the St. Andrew's staff: Our Minister of Pastoral Care, Reverend Charlotte M., and my wife and co-pastor, Reverend Nancy D. Nancy and Charlotte will be sharing the pulpit this Sunday. Between them, they have almost sixty years of pastoral experience.

You'll see the "Courageous Past, Bold Future" logo on this page. It has taken genuine courage for people like Charlotte and Nancy to step into pulpits, knowing there were people in the congregations who didn't think they ought to be there. I hope you'll be with us this Sunday to celebrate how far we're come in fifty years.
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The September issue of the St. Andrew’s newsletter will be arriving in member homes later this week. There’s lots of interesting stuff in this month’s edition, including a cover story on the 7th Annual Dinner Auction and a page of new member photos. Please be looking for it.
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We’re happy to report that DEE H., who had a scary moment at the end of the 9:15 service, was checked out at Methodist Hospital and released later in the afternoon. In fact, Dee just stuck her head into my office, so she’s up and around, looking bright and chipper. We’re so thankful.

In talking with Pastor Charlotte this morning, I’ve learned that even before yesterday’s incident, we were moving toward getting some basic CPR equipment, including oxygen, on site. This will certainly hasten that effort.
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This may be the only A-Mail of the week, as Nancy and I are going to Texas tomorrow, to visit my mother, returning on Friday. Under other circumstances, I might take my lap top and do a remote e-mail, but I haven’t flown since the new carry-on restrictions were announced. Perhaps one of our frequent fliers can tell me: Am I going to have trouble getting my lap-top on the flight? I really don’t want to trust it to the baggage handlers.
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We had a beautiful wedding here this weekend, as Vicki L., daughter of Gary and Judy, was joined in marriage to Troy H. One of the blessings of having been in the congregation a year now is that we’ve come to know the families, which makes events such as a wedding that much more special for the officiating pastors.
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We had the best 8:00 turnout we’ve had for a while. We would love to see that service thrive. And 8:00 has so much to offer, including the mellow piano offerings of Adora G.
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WOMEN OF ST. ANDREWS: You are all invited to the next General Meeting of St. Andrews United Methodist Women on Thursday September 28 at 7PM. We have a very special guest speaker-Rev. Alberto Silva of Grace UMC. Reverend Silva will be speaking on a new program Grace has implemented for the women of south Omaha titled the “Mama’s” group. Please join us to listen to this exciting speaker along with food and fellowship. Remember you don’t have to be a UMW member to attend, however we would love to have you join us. See you on Thursday September 28!
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NETTA P. writes:
Child and Youth Protection Policy Training:
Monday, September 25 at 6:30 in Room 120-121 (Child Care wing)
Anyone working with children and/or youth are required to attend this training every two years. The General Conference of The United Methodist Church, in April 1996, adapted a resolution aimed at reducing the risk of child sexual abuse in the Church. Our congregation’s purpose for establishing this Child and Youth Protection Policy and accompanying procedures is to demonstrate our commitment to the physical safety and spiritual growth of all our children and youth. If you are working or plan on working with children or youth in the next two years, you need to attend this training. If you are absolutely unable to attend, please contact Bob or Netta to make other arrangements. Thanks for making St. Andrew’s a safe place for youth and children!
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PASTOR CHARLOTTE asks: Prayers for Doug H., who is concerned for his job security, due to illness (Mickey V.’s son-in-law). Prayers of sympathy for the family of Janelle S. and her family, in her recent passing; pray, especially, for her husband, Jim and their two young boys (Janelle is the sister of Kathy D., sister-in-law of Nicole and Brian D.). Prayers of sympathy for Paula and Marty L., in the recent passing of their grandson, Brandon (Paula and Marty were once St. Andrew’s folk, who now live in North Carolina). Prayers for Rose F., recovering from a hospital stay (Wayne F.’s mother).
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The editor would add: Prayers for our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters who are in peril.
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DENNY H. wrote the following for the Nebraska Annual Conference paper and we knew you’d enjoy seeing it.
It was a momentous time to be in Panama, where the 100-Year Anniversary of the Panamanian Methodist Church was being celebrated throughout the year, with culminating activities in July. Rev. Secundino Morales, Central District Superintendent and previous bishop of the Methodist Church in Panama, preceded the Nebraska group's departure by almost a week in order to participate in some of the centennial activities.

The all-Nebraska group of 13 volunteers (from Ansley, Amherst, Arnold, Bassett, Dunbar, Kearney, Lexington, Omaha and Pleasanton) learned how the missionary presence in Panama has been long and vigorous. The group also got a glimpse of the inspiring Christian zeal and cooperation of the Panamanian people.
The 2006 Panama mission project took volunteers to two work sites in the Bongo region of the Chiriqui province, which borders Costa Rica. The average income in Panama is $6,000 per year. In the Bongo region an individual might earn $1,000 to $2,000 per year, however, many people in the area are unemployed and earn far less. There has been little formal education past sixth grade, as the six underfunded public schools in the Bongo region only go to the sixth grade. Medical care is insufficient. A very small medical clinic has one doctor and one nurse present only on Mondays.
This mission project and those that preceded it in 2002 through 2005 are cultivating a vision of progress and hope in the region of Bongo. This year there was widespread community involvement. Many people from the community donated their time and cooperated more than in past years.

The Bongo Methodist church of Calvario donated the food and prepared lunch every day at one work site for all the workers, including the entire Nebraska group. The Catholic church provided one supper to workers at the grade school site. Fresh mangos, papaya and drinks were donated for snacks. A program of gratitude and farewell was presented for everyone on the last work day. Words of thanks were expressed by the school principal, the president of the PTA, and several political representatives of Bongo. A special meal, folkloric dance and music brightened the event.
The 2006 mission project was a huge success. Nebraska volunteers, the Methodist leaders of Bongo and the community joined hands to build a dining room for the Calvario Grade School, continued work on the continuing education classrooms (providing sidewalks, gutters and a new coat of paint), and refurbished the parsonage (painting and new gutters). Nebraska volunteers, perhaps inspired by the Bongo community’s warm and generous cooperation and welcome, felt motivated to "go an extra mile" and donated 30 bibles, two fans, over $250 in school supplies, and additional gutters and paint. Wages for a few skilled laborers to direct the completion of all that was begun was also donated. All these 2006 mission efforts were a wonderful and very appropriate way to celebrate the Methodist Centennial in Panama!
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I’ll close with the section of the sermon that didn’t get preached at 9:15. For the entire text, look at the web site: www.standrewsomaha.net, the click on sermons:

There is plenty to fear in the world today: war and rumors of war, and all that goes with it. It’s hard sometimes not to be gloomy. But perhaps my favorite line in Mark’s 13th chapter is from verse 8, where Jesus says, “This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” Jesus never denies the suffering. But he images even the greatest suffering as prelude to something more wonderful than we have known before, nothing less than new birth.

When I was a kid, I almost drowned in the Lake of the Ozarks. Had the proverbial near death experience, seeing a great light, in the form of a gate, the color of pearls. Pop pulled me out of the water before I got to the light, but I’ve always wondered, if I’d gone through the gate would I have in fact seen “the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” to meet me? I’ll find out soon enough.

I don’t know when the world will end. I just know this: my world will end, and that end is a day closer now than it was yesterday. If this was the time of your own personal apocalypse, would you be ready? Would you be able to sing:

In the cross of Christ I glory
Towering o’er the wrecks of time
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime

BRD