The Gathering

"The Gathering" is our new Sunday night worship service beginning on September 24th. The service will include worship music videos, prayer, scripture and creative ways to present and respond to God's word. Children are welcome to participate or play or draw in the back with toys and/or crafts related to the theme of the day. The service will be in Ellis Hall at 6pm following a free light supper beginning at 5:30pm. If you would like to add some creative flair or musical talent to this new service, please contact the pastors who are putting together a worship team to keep the service fresh and relevant.

Just For Men

The fall season brings us football and a chance to talk about it. The men's breakfast will be starting up again each second Saturday morning at 7:30. Assistant chefs are welcome to arrive early to help or armchair-quarterback. This is a great time to just sit and enjoy a heavy meal over light conversation. Please join us on September 9th.

Church Auction November 3rd

It is never too early to get started collecting items for the church auction on November 3rd. It is a night of great fun and fund raising that can me made all the better with your contribution. In addition to precious items you may have in your own home, it is very appropriate to ask stores and restaurants you frequent to donate gift certificates that could be auctioned off. Please forward any donations or questions to Doreen Gay. Thank you for your help.

New Categories for Bible Studies and Groups

In order to assist folks in selecting the right study or group, we have begun to label these with levels indicated by a number. Level 100 classes are intended for everyone. These classes will include basics of a topic, which may be applicable to new as well as life-long Christians. Topics may include such things as the Bible, the United Methodist Church, Christian doctrine and beliefs, spiritual disciplines such as prayer, the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion, or mission trip training.

Level 200 classes are intended for folks with moderate knowledge or background in the topic or as a Christian more generally. Additional degrees of Christian maturity may be necessary for someone to gain anything helpful from Level 300 and 400 classes. Some 400 level classes may be by invitation only.

Since people in the church are naturally at different levels of faith in various areas, we are offering multiple classes and groups this Fall. A full discipleship brochure is being published, but for now you can review the three classes being offered Sunday mornings on the Adult Sunday School post.

Adult Sunday School

The adult Sunday School will be expanding this Fall to include multiple options. These options include different levels and types to fit a greater variety of needs, and we hope to fill up all of these classes!

Beginning Date: Sunday, September 10
Time: 9am-10am
Place: Peoples UMC

Class 201: Art Tordoff will continue to lead a book-based study, to be selected by the group during the first meeting. Some current thoughts are:

• In the Grip of Grace, by Max Lacado
• What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey
• Confronting the Controversies, by Adam Hamilton
• Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
• If You Want to Walk on Water You'll Have to Get Out of the Boat, by John Ortberg

Class 101: Pastor Jamie will be leading "Introduction to the Bible." This class will discuss the basics of what the Bible is, the different types of literature, an outline of the narrative and examples of studying from various portions. This class is open to both beginners and seasoned veterans of scripture who may add their insight or perhaps get a fresh view on God's Word.

Class 202: Pastor Gwyneth will be leading "Survey of the Gospel of Mark" which is a study for folks with some basic experience and knowledge about the Bible who are intereted in going a bit deeper into the narrative of one book of the Bible.

Pastors Attend Assembly

Pastors Jamie and Gwyneth attended their second year of Pastor's Assembly on August 28-30 at Geneva Point Center in NH. This year's theme was "Living Locally, Connecting Globally." Speakers included several young adults from the Beehive Collective (a social justice organization using art to communicate), Rev. Mike Clark and Rev. Aida Fernendez preaching, and Rev. Clorinda Hernandez (pastor from Nicaragua). In addition, Rev. Priscilla Dreyman offered an open art studio in the chapel (see photo) with tables set up for watercolor, ceramic tile mosaic, clay, pencil, and acryclic on fabric. In addition, the Eucharist was celebrated each morning as well as evening worship (not to mention ice cream and games after this!). It was a wonderful time of worship, connecting with other clergy, and engaging in some challenging topics.

Youth Sunday School

By Rosemary Herd

Happy September! I hope everyone has had a great summer.Sunday School will be starting up and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Hopefully, we will have enough kids to have several groups.Wouldn’t that be wonderful! I just found a new DVD for us to use called: RESCUE 911. We’re going to learn about people in The Bible who were rescued by God:Shadrach,Meshach and Abednego,Daniel,Paul and Silas,just to name a few. This going to be so exciting!

When: Sunday, September 10th
Time: 9 am-10 am
Where: Ellis Hall

For questions,please contact Rosemary Herd.

September Birthdays and Anniversaries

The following is a list of folks celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. Please take a moment to say a prayer of blessing for them:

Birthdays 2 Lynn Loranger 6 Gwyneth Arrison 7 Jennifer Nelson 11 Maxwell Brown 13 Sandra James 14 Elizabeth (Beth) Flaherty 15 Bonnie Brown Brandon Obie 20 Carolyn Teeter 21 Joanne Kamilewicz Kathleen Robinson 23 Philip Whitmore

25 Linnell Noyes Fred Yosua 26 Braden Wellington 27 Frank Seidl 30 Ruth Doughty Christy Morrison Anniversaries 15 Amy (Tordoff) & Jeremy France 17 Albert (Bert) & Melinda Marston 27 Paul & Sharon Obie 29 Frank & Sally Seidl

September Schedule: Ushers, Greeters, Nursery, etc.

The following is a list of folks responsible for various worship activities. Please contact the area coordinator if you feel led to serve in any of these areas!

Coffee Fellowship
Coordinator: Brad and Betsy Morrison
September Fellowship Team: Brad and Betsy Morrison

Ushers
Usher Coordinator: Charlie Lyons
September Usher Team: Art Tordoff, Charlie Lyons, Hank Dunn, Kevin Malcom

Worship Leader
Worship Leader Coordinator: Chris Ward
September Worship Leader: Rosemary Herd

Choirs - Raising Joyful Voices to the Lord!

The Senior Choir rehearsals will start again Wednesday, September 6 at 7pm. Junior Choir rehearsals will start again on Thursday, September 7 at 3:30pm. (These dates were just revised as of Sunday, August 27 when it was realized these were wrong in the church planning calendar).

New members are welcome! To find out more, please contact Hillie Cass or Chris Ward for Senior Choir, and Ellen Dunn for Junior Choir.

Ellis Hall Work – Great Job, Great Time!

On Saturday, August 26, twenty people worked together to remove the BIG HEAVY partitions in Ellis Hall in preparation for a new ceiling. Each door on each partition had to be disassembled, taken off the tracks, lowered to the ground, stripped of their parts, and then the paper pulled off. Then the door panels had to be broken to remove the insulation so that it could be recycled cheaply, and all of the debris cleaned up. The work was completed in just five hours, which is a miracle in itself and God was clearly present in both the work and fellowship. A big thank you to Trustees for coordinating this effort, and for ALL of you who sacrificed your time for this work.

Here are some photos of Doreen removing insulation and Becky and Kathy taking a photo break!

New UMC Clergy Nearby

Every United Methodist Church is part of what is called a "cluster," composed of small groups of UM churches in the same area. Peoples UMC is part of the "Casco Bay Cluster" composed of Elm St UMC (and Buxton UMC since they are now linked and served by one pastor), First UMC, Thornton Heights UMC, Cape Elizabeth UMC and West Scarborough UMC. The cluster meets monthly to support each other’s ministries and plan other ministries together. The clergy attend these meetings, as well as some lay people from each church. Art Tordoff is our current cluster representative.

In our cluster, Elm St and Thornton Heights have received new pastors as of July 1. Rev. Lynne Campbell is serving Thornton Heights, and Pastor David Nicol is serving Elm St and Buxton. (David's wife Kate Nicol is also a pastor, serving Clark Memorial UMC in Portland as of July 1. It's neat to have another clergy couple so close by!)

To welcome these clergy there was a barbeque in their honor on Saturday August 26 at the Cape Elizabeth parsonage, and was great fun!


The following are all of the clergy in our Casco Bay Cluster:

• Rev. Gene Koelker - First UMC
• Rev. Ruth Morrison - Cape Elizabeth UMC
• Rev. David Calhoun - West Scarborough UMC
• Pastor David Nicol- Elm St UMC & Buxton UMC
• Rev. Lynne Campbell - Thornton Heights UMC
• Rev. Gwyneth Arrison & Pastor Jamie Arrison - Peoples UMC

September Missions Focus – Boys & Girls Club

The Boys & Girls Club in South Portland ministers to youth in the area ages 6-18. They provide social recreation such as ping pong, foosball and games; gym and weight room including soccer, basketball and hockey; tutoring center including area for computers and reading; arts and craft activities; and special events such as holiday parties and family nights. They are located on 169 Broadway. If you would like further information see http://www.bgcmaine.org/ or call 874-1075 for questions or to volunteer. Earle Harvey would also be happy to talk to you more about it.

Welcome Baby Sawyer!

Baby Sawyer with Big Brother, Caleb

Melinda and Bert Marston welcomed a new son into the family, and Caleb has become a big brother! Sawyer was born on August 26, 2006 and was 7lbs 13 oz. 19 1/2 inches long. He's grown a bit since then as seen in the photo. We welcome you into your church family, Sawyer!

Something New in Worship

During the last few weeks, you might have noticed something different about the morning worship service: song lyrics are displayed in the front of the sanctuary with a new projector purchased by the pastors. Many people have commented that this has been a wonderful experience: some people can see the large projected words but have had trouble seeing the small print in hymnals, many have said they enjoy having their hands free, and others have noticed that the singing is louder because people have their heads up.

These are some of the main reasons we had for trying out the projector in worship. The intention is to aid all of us in having a fuller worship experience. Some folks may still want to use the hymnals, especially those who read the harmony lines from the music. We will continue to print hymn numbers in the bulletin for this reason. But in summary, the goal of the projector use is to give us more freedom to worship God!

We have also used the projector to display announcements before worship begins. For some, the print in the bulletin is too small and this has been helpful. Visitors may also find this helpful. All of the announcements will continue to be printed in the bulletin, but we are hoping that the additional format will cut down on the number of announcements that need to be explained by the worship leader.

Occasionally we will also use the projector to display worship videos and movie clips. These will be used regularly in the Sunday evening worship service starting up soon.

We would appreciate hearing any feedback you might have on the use of the projector.

Fall Worship Schedule Starts Soon!

September 3 will be our last summer worship hour at 9:30am.

Sunday School will begin for all ages September 10th at 9:00am, with coffee fellowship at 10:00am and morning worship at 10:30am.

We hope you will join us!

New College Ministry Starting

We are beginning a Christian discussion group for college students at the Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) this Fall.

Pastor Gwyneth will be leading the discussion group during the Fall, with the hopes that future groups will be student-led. Although the book choice has not yet been finalized, one in the top running is Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell (click on the picture to view a description).

Betty Splettstoesser and Sue Angell Volunteering at the SMCC Table

Volunteers from Peoples UMC passed out brochures and spoke with students during orientation week, and we have enough students signed up to start a study. We will also be handing out brochures as students move into dorms on August 26th 12-4pm, and during the school BBQ on August 31 11am-2pm.

Please contact Earle Harvey if you feel led to help out. In addition, please be in prayer for this outreach ministry to young adults in our area.

Root Cellar Mission Opportunity

Peoples UMC will be leading worship and preparing and serving a meal for 80-90 people at the Root Cellar in Portland on Thursday, September 7. Pastor Jamie will be preaching and Marilyn Voter will be leading worship. About 18 people have signed up to help, which is great! Volunteers should arrive by about 5pm as the meal is served promptly at 6pm.

If you still want to be part of this mission, there are two additional ways you can help. One is to pray for the servants as well as those who will be served. Two is to donate money or items to those who will be purchasing and baking. Some of the items the church needs to bring in addition to the food are: cups, plates, napkins, drinks and utensils.

To find out how to help out by serving, baking or donating, please contact Earle Harvey or Chris Ward.

Peoples Block Party - Come Join the Fun!

The Peoples UMC Block Party, originally scheduled for August, but raring to go for September, so here's the scoop!

Date: September 23
Time: 9am-1pm
Where: Peoples UMC

There will be hotdogs, popcorn and lemonade. There will also be games, entertainment, and community involvement including some short demonstrations by folks such as the fire and police departments on bicycle safety, car seat installation and other topics.

For questions or to volunteer or donate items, please contact Rosemary Herd.

All are welcome!

Prayer Shawl Ministry - All Welcome!

By Marlene Tordoff

DO YOU KNIT OR CROCHET?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN?

The Prayer Shawl Ministry is a new church mission opportunity. Each shawl is knitted not only with care but with prayer for the person whom only God knows will receive this special gift.

Twenty-three prayer shawls were created in Spring 2006. Then during a church service in May the shawls were blessed. Several of these shawls have been given with God’s blessings to those in need of His love.

Come join the fun and fellowship as the Prayer Shawl Ministry meets to make more shawls. We will meet in the Ellis Hall parlor on Thursday, September 14 at 7:00p.m. All are welcome!

For more information contact
Betty Smith at 799-6560 or smthbtty@yahoo.com
Marlene Tordoff at 799-6222 or atordof1@maine.rr.com

New Schedule For Church Council

We are trying a new schedule for second Tuesday meetings to help us shift our focus from administration to more active ministry. Discipleship, Worship, Missions and Finance will meet from 6:30pm until 7:45. There will be a fifteen minute break for snacks followed by the prompt start to council at 8pm. The council meeting will focus only on matters requiring a vote or specific help from the council and will end at the dot of 9pm. If you feel called to help the Discipleship, Worship,Mission or Stewardship ministries of our church, please come to those meetings and share your gifts with us.

Dinner and a Movie

Anyone familiar with Peoples UMC knows that we have the best bean suppers in the area every third Saturday evening from fall through spring. Though we could not find a way to improve the meal, your good time out can be improved by staying for a major motion picture following. Beginning in September, we will have a movie with a discussion to follow. Our first movie will be Disney's Eight Below about the survival and rescue of a team of sled dogs in the Antarctic. This movie is rated PG, so it may not be suitable for our youngest children. Please stay after dinner for the movie and free popcorn. Future showings will include, The Incredibles, Bruce Almighty, Big Fish, Hotel Rwanda, The Passion of The Christ and more.

Why is Peoples News now in blog form?

Blog is short for web-log. This is a form of online publishing that allows us to spend more time writing content and less time doing the formatting necessary to deliver a professional quality newsletter.

An increasing number of Peoples News readers are receiving their newsletters by email. The blog format allows us to post articles as they become relevant so that on-line readers may receive updates any time during the month as the articles are posted.

As long as we have some readers who are not able to view Peoples News on-line, we will continue to print out the month's news and mail it out. The print out version of the blog will be somewhat different than the traditional printed form. The order of the articles will be based on the order they were written with the newest first. The dates will represent the day they were written. Therefore, what gets mailed out as the September newsletter will be all the posts written in August. Likewise, the Archive buttons on the blog site will list the articles written in that month so what gets mailed as the September newsletter will be in the Archive under August.

Please call or email the pastors with any feedback about this new format. Also, as you do more things on line, please try out the online version of the blog. If you no longer need the print version, please let us know so we can save paper.