The Mountain View February 2005

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven on Earth.

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel." --Matthew 10:1-6

Jesus knew the importance of small groups. Did you know there are numerous opportunities in our church for you to be a part of a small group? Small groups are vital to the health of a church and to the individuals in a church. I have heard it said that the ideal church is not a church with small groups, but a church OF small groups. EVERYONE in a group: That is the goal. A church must "grow smaller to grow larger" so that everyone can feel connected and cared about.

Wow! Look at all the groups from which you have to choose. If you are not involved in a group, why not? If there is a group you would like to see, why not start it?

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE
Wednesday, February 9
Worship: 6:00 p.m.

The Lord's Supper and
Service of anointing of oil and ashes.

This past weekend we learned that a neighbor had died as a result of being caught in an avalanche. What a tremendous loss for that family of a wife and three daughters. This man was the kind of person who was always there for us as neighbors, never asking to be paid for his work, yet always willing to help.

The question is frequently asked, "Why is it always the good ones who die?" It is tempting to blame God at times like this. If God is really in charge, why do things like this occur? If God is really in charge, why do tragedies like the tsunami happen? Each time a tragedy occurs, we are reminded how fragile life is and how powerless we are.

As we think about these things another question comes to mind—just what does the word faithfulness mean when God is described as being faithful? One author writes, "most often God does not act in easily understandable ways." Too often we see God’s faithfulness in terms of doing, fixing, judging, providing, answering, protecting and healing.

In the book of Psalms we are constantly reminded of the faithfulness of God. Do we misunderstand what is meant by this term?

Jesus came to demonstrate the faithfulness of God. He came to participate and live as a human being just like you and I. He came to fulfill a promise God made to mankind of a Savior who would make himself a sacrifice for all. God has chosen to be with us in all our sorrows, joys and cares. He wept at the death of Lazarus, he celebrated at the wedding, spoke words of hope and promise to the multitudes and told the children they were very special in the eyes of God.

We too often perceive God as the God of the magic wand, the God who makes bad things go away. In reality he is the God who stays by our side through all of life's experiences. He suffers with us, rejoices with us, and is faithful in never leaving us. In Matthew 28:20 we are told, "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." His faithfulness is in his constant presence with us regardless of our circumstances, joys or trials.

ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE CENTER
Staff: W. Duane Haidle, Ed. D.

Mission: A helping service made available for people to come and discuss personal, family and Christian life concerns.

Q. What is the Christian Life Center?
A. It is a program sponsored by this Church to provide a place for people to discuss personal, family and Christian Life concerns.

Q. Isn't this in conflict with Pastor Steve's duties?
A. No. It is an adjunct service to the pastoral duties and is done in cooperation with Pastor Steve.

Q. What are the qualifications of the person providing these services?
A. Dr. Haidle has an Ed. D. in Counseling. He has worked in the field of Mental Health for 30 years. He has extensive experience in evaluating people’s needs and working with life adjustment problems.

Q. Will you be working with children?
A. No. Dr. Haidle is not set up to work with children at this time.

Q. What do you charge for these services?
A. There is no charge for this service. A donation can be made to the Church if the individual wishes to do so. However this is not mandatory.

Q. Will these talks be confidential?
A. Yes. Confidentiality is extremely important and every effort will be made to maintain confidentiality.

Q. Do I have to come in to the office to talk to Dr. Haidle?
A. No. You can talk to Dr. Haidle on the telephone if you are not able to come to the office.

Q. How do I go about making an appointment with Dr. Haidle?
A. You can call the Church office and schedule an appointment through the Church secretary.

Q. What if I prefer to talk to Pastor Steve?
A. That is not a problem. Pastor Steve and Dr. Haidle are very supportive of each other's work and will refer to one another as needed or requested.

The Christian Life Center

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 9-Noon
1^st and 3^rd Saturday 9-Noon (appointment only)

The Christian Life Center is a ministry offered by this church. Its purpose is to help people deal with the troublesome issues of life. Call the church office or Duane Haidle for an appointment.

Our youth will hold soup pots at church doors on Souper Bowl Sunday, February 6, 2005. They will join young people in churches all across the country to collect money for those who are hungry and hurting. In 2004, 12,759 groups in all 50 states and outside the United States participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring generating $4,260,531. All of the money collected is donated to a charity selected by the participant. None of the money is sent to Souper Bowl headquarters. Organizers only ask that each participant report their collection so national totals can be determined and announced. Our church will donate the Souper Bowl collection to Crossroads Urban Center. Since the Souper Bowl of Caring became a national grassroots event in 1993, more than $24 million has gone to help those in need. Please support the youth of our church in this effort to "love our neighbors" by dropping your dollar in the soup pot on February 6, 2005.

Wednesday, February 2	Make Souper Bowl posters for Souper Bowl Sunday Nancy will give a devotion.
Sunday, February 6	Souper Bowl Sunday - do the children's sermon at each service. Hold soup pots out for donations after each service. Wear sports clothes.
Wednesday, February 9	Make God Loves You valentine treats to give out to the congregation on Sunday.
Wednesday, February 16	Scott to give Bible lesson, play a game, planning for March.
Wednesday, February 23	God to Beer's house directly after church for dance competition and card games. Make plans to be picked up from there at 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 2	Movie at church
Friday, February 2 to Sunday, February 6	Youth Annual Conference at Sunrise UMC, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Sunday, February 6	Souper Bowl Sunday. Monthly service project: cleaning church property. Super Bowl Party at Dave and Robin Smugala's. 4:30 p.m. til the end of the game.
Wednesday, February 9	Game night. Bring snacks and favorite music.
Wednesday, February 16	Guest Speaker.
Sunday, February 20	Lunch at Jordan Commons and a movie.
Wednesday, February 23	Planning for March

Coming in March
New Meeting Day for Mountain Vista Youth
Sundays
(time to be determined)

Meets at Mountain Vista United Methodist Church
8931 South 3200 West, West Jordan, UT 84095

All high school students, with permission from their school principal and parent, are welcome to share 2-3 sessions weekly during their 8^th period in education in the beliefs and practices of traditional Christian faith. For more information contact: Pastor Steve Reinhard, 280-4148 or MtnVista@aros.net.

In the coming months, I plan to keep you informed on what the Trustees are planning and accomplishing. I will also be using this column to let you know of any needs that there may be for equipment and materials in the church. My thinking behind this is twofold: first, if someone has something they want to donate to the church, that saves budget money for other areas, and, second, there are times when we want to donate some money or items, but aren’t really sure just what is needed.

We currently have need for two items:
1) A new microwave for the kitchen.
2) We have had a request from some of the members who clean the church for a new vacuum. Specifically, an upright that has a built in hose and attachments. Our current vacuum works for floors, but is not capable of cleaning chairs, corners, blinds, etc.

We are also planning on completing an inventory of major church furnishings and equipment within the next month or so. If anyone would be willing to help, please let one of the trustees know. Your trustees are:

Mitch Lambdin, Shane Reinhard, Sue Wu, Kurt Liedtke, Donna Kasten, Ray Olsen, Manny Peralez, Debi Paulsen.

If anyone is interested in serving on the Trustees, we currently have one vacancy. For more information on that, please contact either Mitch Lambdin or Pastor Steve Reinhard.

Seekers Class – Sundays, 9:45 in the sanctuary. Using The Applause by Max Lucado. This is an informal discussion group sharing life experiences.

Women's Bible Study – Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at Linda Kreib's. Finishing up the comparison of the four gospels and in March will be starting a study on the book of Acts

Women's Bible Study – Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m., rotating homes. They are taking a break until after Easter. Contact Debi Paulsen (280-0777)

Men's Bible Study – Saturdays at church. Studying the book The Passion of Christ.

Come meet our Cub Scouts on Sunday , February 13, 2005. At both the 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. service you will be greeted and ushered by Cub Scout Pack 4012 sponsored by Mountain Vista. They will also be performing a flag ceremony at the start of each service.

As a service project for our congregation, the boys will be selling Valentine's gifts after each service. ALL of the profits from the sales will go to our Church Building Fund !!! Pre-orders for Valentine's Bouquets will begin Sunday, January 30th.

Make your list now for all the people you want to order Valentine's gifts for (i.e. wife, husband, parents, kids, teachers, pastor, friends, neighbors, babysitters etc. etc...) For more information about this project please contact Barb McClellan, 969 7478.

In the quiet corridors of the church, something odd was happening. Something out of the ordinary. Something fun. (Wait, that didn't come out right!) Sunday afternoon a ragtag group of creatives began brainstorming about "A Short Film Project." Keywords: God, relevant, and fun. Suspense is valuable, so no details yet. Suffice it to say, here's your first opportunity to participate. Do you have some items in storage? A few things you never use? Any inexpensive collectibles gathering dust?

If you could part with any of the above items for a few months, "A Short Film Project" will put them to use and make sure they're returned in good condition.

To take part, please label such items (at least, if you want them returned to you), and drop them by the church. Thanks!

Spiritual Gifts Workshop
Saturday March 12
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Mountain Vista UMC!

What is God's will and purpose for my life? How can I serve God most effectively through the ministries of my own congregation? Have you ever asked yourself one or both of these questions? If so, then SpiritGifts is for you. What is SpiritGifts? It is an exciting new program in which individuals join together in supportive community to discover their unique spiritual gifts and how they may use these gifts to further God's plan for their lives and the world! -- Led by Rev. Laurie Bruce

Cost - $30/person, which includes SpiritGifts participant book and lunch. Please bring your Bible and a pen.

Steven Woodward joined our church Sunday, January 23, by transfer of letter from Mt. Nebo UMC, Boonsboro, Maryland. We welcome Steven and his wife, Geniel, and their three children, Aiden, Suzannah and Kemper.

The Red Cross Bloodmobile was here on January 19. We were able to supply them with 28 good units of blood. Thank you to all who participated! And thanks especially to Jennifer Coe for setting it up.

The outpouring of response deeply moves me and other members of the United Methodist Council of Bishops. The bishops are profoundly grateful to our church members who have heard cries of distress on the other side of the world and responded with action. UMCOR dispatched $750,000 in aid in the first week, and there is more to come.

Another important contribution is your gift of your trust in a sound relief process. UMCOR is listening closely to our ecumenical partners and to communities most affected by the disaster in planning long-range efforts. We are notably interested in ministries that fill the gaps in humanitarian response. UMCOR's strength is in finding those who are or may be missed, identifying the services that will assist over-stressed providers, and in respecting the strengths and the capacity of the local people to manage their own recovery.

On March 6 our church will have an opportunity to underscore both emergency assistance and patience in the long haul, this United Methodist gift of bearing witness away from the spotlight. On that date, our congregations will receive the annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering. This offering supports the administrative costs of our humanitarian mission. Our stewardship in this offering makes it possible for every single dollar of your gifts designated for the tsunami emergency to reach the people whose lives changed on December 26.

Again, thank you for your gifts of money, trust, and ability to abide so that cries of distress do not go unheard. Thank you for your generous hearts. Thank you for strengthening survivors and aid workers alike with your gifts of ceaseless prayer in the Lenten season ahead.

Many thanks to all of you who participated in the Christmas food box project which benefited clients of Crossroads. We distributed holiday food boxes to over 1400 families. Your generous donation certainly helped. All of us here appreciate your ongoing support of our mission and ministry. Best wishes for a blessed 2005.

Would you like to help brighten up our sanctuary? Flowers on the altar each Sunday are needed. Maybe you would like to honor someone for a special event or a special day, a remembrance or a celebration. If you let the office know in whose honor the flowers are, it will be printed in the bulletin. There is a sign-up sheet on the literature stand in the hallway for each Sunday of the month. Any questions or for more information, contact Betty Ross. Thanks!!

Don't forget the Sandwich Mission. Every third week of the month we make and serve sandwiches as an outreach mission.

The dates for February are:
Sunday, February 20: make/or bring sandwiches, 2 p.m.
Monday, February 21: serve sandwiches, 5 p.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Center, 500 West 200 South. (Usually finished by 6:30 p.m.)

Due Dates for Sunday Bulletin and Newsletter
For the Sunday Bulletin: Information due Wednesday of each week.
For the Mountain View: Articles due the 20th of every month. Articles on disk or e-mailed (mtnvista@aros.net) preferred.

ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE CENTER Staff: W. Duane Haidle, Ed. D.

ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE CENTER
Staff: W. Duane Haidle, Ed. D.