More Details on Pastors' Leave

Overall Schedule:

Although the due date is not until mid-January, the baby could come anytime now! Therefore, we are prepared for the interim pastor, Rev. Cliff Ives to begin soon.Cliff will begin preaching January 7. Pastor Jamie will be back after four weeks of leave beginning February 5. Pastor Gwyneth will be out for another two weeks, through February 18. The pastors then plan to take vacation during the School Vacation Week the 3rd week in February, Feb 19-25. Both pastors Gwyneth and Jamie will be back to the church full time beginning February 26.

Worship:

Rev. Cliff Ives will focus primarily on preaching. Chris Ward will be putting bulletins together, including selecting hymns, setting up folks to do children’s messages, and other details of worship. If you have any information to provide for worship, please see Chris.

Contact and Office Hours:

Cliff is planning to work at the church Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday of each week he is serving. He can be reached at home by phone at 797-8930 for pastoral care needs. However, since Cliff is only working half time, please contact Chris Ward first if at all possible - 767-2516 (home) 775-5678 (work) christine.e.ward@smithbarney.com (work email).

Pastoral Care During Pastors’ Leave:

Rev. Ives has many years experience as pastor, district superintendent and bishop, and is more than willing to provide pastoral care during his ministry time at Peoples. However, if there were a major crisis, pastors Jamie and Gwyneth will be close by and will do what needs to be done given the nature of the crisis.

In addition to Rev. Ives, a team of Peoples people have been preparing to serve as “ministers of care” to provide additional pastoral care during the pastors’ leave – and as a new ministry that we hope will continue beyond this short term need.

The training has emphasized skills and gifts in visitation, including bringing communion to shut-ins from the Lord’s Table each month. The ministry of visitation is an incredible blessing not only to those visited but to those visiting.

Those who are on the team so far include: Chris Ward, Doreen Gay, Tom Nelson, Barbara Nelson, and Earle Harvey. Chris Ward will be serving to connect these ministers with folks who would like a visit, going in two’s if at all possible, either with the pastor or with another lay person.

Furthermore, if you feel led and called to serve on the ministers of care team, please let the pastors know and we will get you set up for the next round of training in a few months. What a wonderful way to serve the church body!

Email During Pastors’ Leave:

The pastors will not be checking email on any regular basis while on leave. If you have a prayer request, prayer update, or other announcement that you would like emailed out to the church body, you may email it to the church office (info@peoplesumc.com) or to Susan Angell (angelsuzieq@aol.com) to forward out to the church route list. The church secretary, Maryjean Raymond will also be emailing the prayer requests shared Sunday morning as noted on the cards, but not until Tuesday mornings.

Newsletter During Pastors’ Leave:

We will be printing a combined January-February edition of the newsletter, which will include both calendars. However, if you would like an article posted online during our leave, you may provide the information to Art Tordoff (atordof1@maine.rr.com) or Ellen Dunn (Yadoo@aol.com) who are both able to post articles, including photos. If you would like the church to be notified about the article, you may contact the church office or Susan Angell who can email the church, as explained above.

Committee Meetings:

The interim pastor will not be attending church meetings in any official capacity, except perhaps to get to know you all better during his time at Peoples. However, if your committee would like additional leadership support, please feel free to contact Chris Ward to see if she is available.

Where Will the Pastors Be?

For the first week after delivery, the pastors plan on being in South Portland. For the remainder of their leave, they hope to be living primarily at their winterized camp in Bridgton, Maine about an hour away. Chris Ward and Rev. Cliff Ives have all of the information necessary to contact Pastors Gwyneth and Jamie should there be any crises or issues to discuss.

How the Leave Schedule Was Determined:

The United Methodist Church has implemented a family leave policy that emphasizes the importance of providing not only physical healing time for mother as is required by law, but also support and bonding time for both parents with a new baby – including adopted children. What a wonderful witness this is to a world to reveal the importance of children in and to the church.

However, pastors Jamie and Gwyneth are not planning on taking full advantage of the United Methodist Church’s redemptive policy (8 weeks paid leave plus an additional 4 weeks unpaid leave). Both pastors will only take 4 weeks, and Pastor Gwyneth will take an additional 2 weeks.

Prayers Please!

Please keep Rev. Cliff Ives in prayer as he prepares to serve at Peoples, and for Chris Ward who will working closely with Cliff to plan worship, pastoral care and other needs as they arise.

And please keep Pastors Gwyneth and Jamie, as well as Faith and Dena in prayer as they prepare for the arrival of the new baby, and for a safe delivery, healthy baby, and for their time together on leave that it would truly be redemptive. Please also pray for their time returning to the church full time after their leave, with a new family member! Thank you!

Our Interim Pastor: Retired Bishop S. Clifton Ives

We have just learned that Retired Bishop S. Clifton Ives will be serving as the part time interim pastor during our upcoming four-week maternity/paternity leave. Bishop Ives (who prefers to be called "Cliff") resides in North Deering with his wife, Jane Ives.

Cliff was born in Farmington, Maine and graduated from Univeristy of Maine in 1960. He earned his M.Div and D.Min degrees from Boston Univiersity School of Theology. Rev. Ives was ordained in the Maine Annual Conference, and served UM churches in Cape Elizabeth, Bangor, Waterville and Westbrook. He also served as district superintendent, and was then elected to the episcopacy and assigned to the West Virginia area. More background information, including his passion for world missions, can be found online at Wikipedia.

Pastors Jamie and Gwyneth have worked some with Cliff and Jane in supporting the community marriage policy initiated in the Portland area recently. Although the information is a bit outdated, you can read more about similar work they were involved in while serving in the West Virginia Conference at http://www.gbgm-umc.org/wvacme/ives.htm

Cliff's primary roles while serving the four weeks as our interim pastor will be preaching and providing pastoral care for any needs that arise. We will provide contact information and other pertinent details shortly. We send our thanks to Cliff and Jane, as well as District Superintendent Mike Davis and our own members of the Staff Parish Relations Committee for all the work to bring this transition about; we are truly gracious. We welcome you into our family, Cliff and Jane!

Church Life Training 07

Whether you are new to church leadership, an experienced veteran or just thinking about it, our cluster training event has something to offer you. Many local clergy and our own Art Tordoff will lead this event January 6th from 8:30am to noon right here at Peoples.

There will be classes to prepare members of Staff-Parish Relations, Finance, Stewardship and Trustees. There will be classes in Christian Education, Lay Leadership and more. The Staff-Parish class will be taught by retired Bishop Rev. Cliff Ives, who will also be filling in for Jamie and Gwyneth during their parental leave.

New pastor at Elm St, David Nicol will be leading a class in Natural Church Development, which is a program we are considering following here at Peoples. Rev. David Calhoun will be introducing us to Igniting Ministry, a program for publicizing the church and welcoming visitors. Art Tordoff will lead a session for historians on church record keeping.

For those of you new to United Methodism, Pastor Jamie will be leading a class in "Why I am a United Methodist" (as long as the baby is not coming at the same time). There is no cost, but please email or call the office and let us know you are coming, or just show up. Our whole church will benefit from your experience, so please come.

Thank You From the Church Staff

Thank you church family for your generous Christmas gift!

In Christian love from,
Gwyneth & Jamie Arrison – co-pastors
Dr. Malcolm Cass – organist
Maryjean Raymond – secretary

New Years Eve at Peoples

New Years Eve at Peoples

December 31, 2006 beginning at 5:45 with a Pot Luck Supper

Adults and/or families bring a casserole or salad to share with others

6:30 Let the Games begin! Choose from several for kids, small groups or all at the same time!

8:00 Ice Cream Social Bring yur favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt and your favorite topping(s) to share!

8:30 Memories Night Do you have favorite pictures or slides of pas events associated with your life at Peoples? Bring them and share them. If no pictures you probably have a good story that someone else would be interested in.

9:45 Sing-a-long Carols or jut some favorite tunes that we can sing together. If you have the music it might help.

10:30 Watch Night Service in the Sanctuary for all who are still with us. Come and ring the church bell at the end of the service.

Come one Come all Come on out and be with your church family in Ellis Hall as we approach a New Year!

Good $ense Program Coming To Peoples

Peoples United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Foundation will be jointly sponsoring the Good $ense Personal Financial Management Course on the evening of February 23 and Saturday, February 24, 2007 in Ellis Hall. The Friday session will begin at 7:00 PM and conclude at 9:00 PM. The Saturday session, which is a continuation of the Friday introduction will run from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Costs for participants will be $17.00 and will include the provided book, refreshments on Friday evening and Saturday morning and a meal at noon on Saturday.

This is a perfect opportunity to invite a friend, co-worker, neighbor or family member. In the course you will learn to honor God in your finances by becoming a:

• Diligent Learner
• Generous Giver
• Wise Saver
• Cautious Debtor
• Prudent Consumer

You will:

• Develop a Spending Plan
• Learn how to implement your Spending plan
• Acquire the motivation to follow through with it

You will need to do some work with pre-course materials. All of the pre-work will be confidential and you will not be asked to share it with anyone else.

It will be helpful if you register early. Registration should include the following information:

• Name of participant(s)
• Addresses and e-mail if available
• A check made out to Peoples United Methodist Church, 310 Broadway, South Portland, Me. 04106
• Check for $17

In order to provide participants with pre-course work sheet materials we need to hear from you by January 31, 2007. In order to guaruntee a text for you we need to hear from you by February 12, 2007. Final registration without guaruntee of materials should be received no later than February 19, 2007.

The Lord Will Provide

The budget for 2007 has been approved, although it carries a substantially larger deficit than last year. Though our year end attendance figures may put us ahead of last year, the number of pledgers is down by a few, marking a drop in pledges by $9,532. The budgeted expense increases this year are moderate at about $3,700. The result with additional small projected drops in fundraising is a budget that is $13,300 more in debt than last year for a total deficit of $46,404.

We trust that God has plans for Peoples United Methodist Church in the coming years that include growth and additional outreach. God's plans, though, generally work through the lives of the faithful. As our members take on a deeper trust in God with financial matters, we expect that people will feel led to increase the portion of God's gifts brought together as our family in faith.

In addition, we are taking specific steps to monitor the progress on our budget and stewardship. We will be increasing the level of communication, with regular reports about our current financial condition. We will be taking a fresh appraisal in March as the heating season moves forward about whether the church can bear all the current expenses. We will also be promoting an increased number of tithing Sundays following good feedback from those that tried tithing for the first time. Our tithes are not about giving away, but rather bringing together what God has provided so that our whole community can be stronger.

We are also looking to add to the size of our ministry by regularly keeping each other accountable in inviting and welcoming people and reaching out to the community. Keep our ministry and its finances in your prayers and be ready to respond as the Lord leads. We know God will provide.

Christmas Eve 2006

Christmas Eve at Peoples UMC was once again another special time of worship and celebration. Everyone was especially appreciative of all the work that Andy Folley and Chuck Kamilewicz put into coordinating the outdoor, live Nativity, complete with live animals! Sawyer Marston posed as Baby Jesus, and slept without a cry, just like the carol says.

Another special addition this year was the Peoples Bell Choir (see photo), coordinated by Becky Snoddy and Doug Greer.

With 162 folks the ushers counted, we had a full house. What a beautiful site to behold as the light of Christ traveled throughout the sanctuary to each one's candle; and what a beautiful sound as the church bell broke the reverant silence and ushered in the full celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ with everyone's bells ringing!

Thank you to those serving on the worship committee who helped plan the service, and thanks to all who participated including Dr. Malcolm Cass and the choir, ushers and greeters, and sanctuary cleaners after the service! You are an awesome church body.

Praise and glory be to our God and Savior!

Church Trip: The Nativity movie

Peoples hosted a church trip to see the new movie release, The Nativity Story, on the evening of Tuesday December 19, with Pastor Jamie and twelve other disciples attending! We hope to purchase the movie when it comes out on DVD and host a showing at church sometime. If you didn't get a chance to see the movie in the theater be sure to catch the showing at church sometime in 2007! For more information on the movie, see the Christianity Today Movie Review.

Caroling - Great Fun, Great Evangelism

The pastors hosted a neighborhood caroling party on Dec 14 and was great fun. There were 20 some carolors walking the neighborhood streets together proclaiming the love, joy and hope we have in Jesus Christ. Yes, this is evangelism! Most greeted us with smiles of thanks, some came out of their homes to make sure we stopped there to sing, and we were even asked to sing for a few cars that stopped to hear us! After singing, everyone came back to the parsonage for hot chocolate, punch, snacks and most of all good fellowship. We hope you will join us again next year!

Campus Ministry at SMCC

Pastor Gwyneth has been leading the campus' first Christian discussion group this Fall, which finished up last week for the semester. Although the group was small, the students were all very enthusiastic for the discussion and thankful for the chance to connect with others in a meaningful way. The group will re-start on Tuesdays at the beginning of the Spring semester mid-January, and the students are excited to facilitate the group by rotating leadership each week. They are also very excited about the possibility of doing a mission project together and will begin working on plans in January. In February at the end of the pastors' parental leave, Pastor Jamie will join the SMCC group. It has been a wonderful experience to connect with the students and serve as a Christian presence on campus. Thank you all for your prayers and support that has helped this happen!

Mary Craigs, Beloved and Remembered

Mary Richardson Craigs, an active member of Peoples Church since the 1980's when she was married to Harold Craigs, went to be with the Lord on December 1, 2006. You may view the obituary on line at MaineToday. A memorial service was performed by Pastor Gwyneth at Peoples on December 7 to celebrate her life, grieve her loss, and remember that the resurrection reality Mary now experiences is our own hope as those in Christ. Thanks to all who surrounded the family with love and care, and especially to Brad Morrison and the UMW for hosting a beautiful reception in Ellis Hall. We miss you Mary.

Teams and Committees 2007

The Church Council in November made a recommendation to the Lay Leadership Committee that is charged with the task of resourcing all of the ministries of the church, both old and new. Many transitions occur in January of each year, with some folks coming off of committees and going on new committees and teams. This is always an exciting time, but can also be a bit unsettling, especially for committees facing a large turnover.

It has been helpful when the pastor can be present during this time. However, since this transition time will occur at the beginning of our expected paternity/maternity leave this year, I want to request on behalf of Lay Leadership that new folks begin as planned in January, but that others, as they are able, willing and called, to please continue work on their current committee in January and February. The committees understand if this is not feasible so want to emphasize that there is no pressure, just a friendly request for consideration and prayer.

Thank you from the Lay Leadership Committee,
Gwyneth Arrison, Co-Chair

Broadway Lights Christmas Fair 2006

Thanks to everyone who helped to make this year's church fair successful. The kitchen crew was just great! Deocrations were awesome! The fair provides warmth and friendliness and fellowship for all those who work and put the fair together. It also brings together those who come just to see old friends, have lunch, and enjoy everything we have to offer. So once again, thanks to all. I wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a very happy new year.

Your Friend in Christ,
Chris Ward
United Methodist Women, Chair

Nursery Schedule Through March

Nursery Coordinator: Barbara Nelson

January Nursery Teams
12/31 Andy Folley & Pastor Jamie
1/7 Linda Greer & Leah Greer
1/14 Curtis Coughlin & Ken West
1/21 Teresa Folley & Betty Splettstoesser
1/28 Barbara Nelson & Becky Gotlieb

February Nursery Teams
2/4 Becky Snoddy & Barbara Lee
2/11 Betty Splettstoesser & Betsy Morrison
2/18 Betty Lane & Kathy Brann
2/25 Doreen Gay & Curtis Coughlin

March Nursery Teams
3/4 Barbara Nelson & Jennifer Nelson
3/11 Betty Splettstoesser & Ellen Dunn
3/18 Andy Folley & Pastor Jamie
3/25 Linda Greer & Leah Greer

January and February Ushers and Greeters

Usher Coordinator: Charlie Lyons

January Usher Team
Kathy Brann
Brad Morrison
Jim MacKinnon
Tom Nelson

February Usher Team
Keith Snoddy
Chuck Kamilewicz

Greeters Coordinator: Barbara Nelson

January Greeters Teams
12/31 Pat and Merrill Kaiser
1/7 Polly Morrill
1/14 Barbara Kenney
1/21 Dan and Ruth Doughty
1/28 Art and Marlene Tordoff

February Greeters Teams
2/4 Kathy Brann and Louise Aalto
2/11 Barbara Nelson
2/18 Betty Splettstoesser
2/25 __________________

Safe Sanctuaries

Just a reminder that if you are serving your church family by ministering with children (nursery, Sunday School, youth group, youth choir, etc.), you need to fill out a background check form and be familiar with the church's policy. The policy includes, for instance, that no adult will be alone with children in the church building - both for the protection of our children as well as adults.

Although Pastor Gwyneth has been the one collecting forms, Betsy Morrison will be serving in this capacity as a member of the Staff Parish Relations Committee. If you have not yet turned in your form, please get that to Betsy as soon as possible, and most importantly before ministering with children. If you need an extra copy of the form, or a copy of the policy, please see Betsy as well.

Thank you!

Birthdays and Anniversaries

JANUARY BIRTHDAYS

2 William Beddie
3 Diane Bore
5 Paulyne Wakefield
10 Patricia Kaiser
11 Elizabeth (Bette) McGouldrick
12 Sam Seidl
13 Kris Holtenhoff
14 Christine Ward
15 Griffin Loranger
16 Wendy Nelson Diffin
17 Catherine Cook
Pauline Morrill
18 Marita Gould
20 Elizabeth Cook
Robyn Gray
Priscilla Nicholson
21 Amy (Tordoff) France
22 Barbara LaPrino-Porter
Mallory Wade
23 Jayson Craft
Arthur Tordoff
25 Jenna Greer
Ruth McLellan
Marlene Tordoff
27 Ian Dawson
30 Julia Snoddy Chace

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS

2 Susan Angell
3 Ivo Damman
5 Viola Darling
Sharon Obie
10 Cynthia Beddie
15 Robert G. (Butch) Teeter
16 Marlene LaShay
18 Patty Tirado
21 Tom Wakefield
Keith Snoddy
24 Halie Lyons
25 Andrew Doughty
26 Amber Lane
Portia Lane

FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES

2 Elizabeth (Beth) Flaherty & Scott Flaherty
14 Fred & Linda Wade