What's Going on at Peoples UMC?

What’s Going on at Peoples

When September roles around in the life of most churches, the activities become more pronounced and the opportunities to work and play with and for others increase.  In this article I wish to bring your attention to just a few of these activities that will be taking place at Peoples.

Sunday school Begins: The children’s version of Sunday school begins on Sunday, September 8. All of the children will start the morning by attending church service at 10 AM. They will be dismissed from church after the Children’s Message and together go to Sunday school activities and classes in Ellis Hall.

Choir and Bell Choir: Singing every Sunday in Choir or joining the Bell Choir might be one or two activities that you would like to consider if you have musical talent or would like to develop a talent. Under the capable direction of Debbie Cole our church services come alive with inspirational musical messages. The congregation is also blessed with her accompaniment on either the grand piano or the organ. Practice for either choir is scheduled on Thursday evenings with the Bell Choir at 6 PM followed by the Singing Choir at 7 PM. Check the bulletins for specific times.

Men’s Morning Meeting: Brad Morrison has inspired a number of men to gather on Thursday mornings at 7:30 AM for a men’s group. Sometimes we will be engaged in Bible study, other times we meet considering the concerns we have for others among us and beyond. We have also been engaged in work around the church such as when we cleaned up the playground in back of the church or when we cleaned up the outside of the parsonage property. Through this group we hope to continue building the involvement of the men of Peoples. If you are looking for something different to do in your relationship to the family of Peoples please send some ideas our way through your personal involvement.

Men’s Breakfast: On the second Saturday of every month from September through June the Men of Peoples are invited to come and chat and have a nourishing breakfast with others. Brad Morrison has been the resident chef yet others have on occasion cooked breakfast in his absence. Fred Wade, Dan Doughty, Chuck and Joanne Kamiliewicz among others have admirably filled in. Somewhere between 8 and 20 have been in attendance especially on church clean-up days when the women are also invited. The invitation is out for the first of the fall breakfasts which is scheduled for Saturday, September 14 in the vestry of the church. Art Tordoff gets the word out to more than 46 men mostly via e-mail but some also by phone. Come and join us as often as you can.

Adult Sunday school Class: For 45 years an adult Sunday school class has met on Sunday mornings. Obviously the membership has changed over that time yet the leadership still comes up with good study material. Sometimes the class has appealed more to men than women and other times it seems the other way around. It is always nice to have a balance in studying anything in such an environment. This Fall the class which usually includes anywhere from 8 to 12 members will be studying a book titled, “Strong Was Her Faith” by J. Ellsworth Kalas. This is a follow-up to the book we used last year which dealt with the stories of women from the Old Testament. This year’s study is concerned with the stories of women from the New Testament. This fall’s study begins on Sunday, September 8 in the Ellis Hall Parlor at 8:45 AM. The class includes both men and women and we look forward to others joining us.

Tuesday Morning Bible Study: Begun originally as part of the Purpose Driven Life program, this group with some changes has continued as a group meeting in homes. Presently the group meets faithfully every week at the home of Carol Bruneau at 9 AM. This group has also developed an outreach ministry of sending cards to shut-ins or folks celebrating special days in their lives. Some folks that otherwise might not be able to attend have been picked up and brought to the group.

Shawl and Craft Ministries: The Shawl Ministry which has been operating for several years will begin their fall 2013 meetings on Thursday evening, September 12 at 7 PM. This group began by knitting several shawls that have been distributed to folks in the congregation or related to parishioners who needed consoling as a result of the loss of a loved one or because they had experienced critical medical needs. The shawls are used by the recipients to wrap around themselves and represent the warmth and love of the Lord as well as the women who made them. Pocket Prayer Cloths, knit hats and mittens are other knit projects. Another activity has become the making of heart shaped pillows. Most of the pillows have been taken to Mercy Hospital to be distributed by the Oncology department and for Breast Health Center patients. Heart pillows have also gone to the Barbara Bush Center at Maine Medical. Kathy Brann leads a card-making ministry. If this is the kind of group you are looking for and would like to be a part of it you might want to talk to Marlene Tordoff, Kathy Brann or other members of the group to see how you can become involved. This group meets the second Thursday of every month through June.

 

Ushers and the Variety Show: When you come to church the first people you may meet after the greeters would be an usher or two. A corps of volunteers, both male and female, are on duty to greet, pass out programs, ring the bell, light the candles, light the lights, turn on the fans, open and close windows, check on the elevator and handle other duties. Hopefully your experience with the ushers on duty is a pleasant one. If you would like to join the corps please speak to any of the ushers, but especially Rosemary Herd who is presently the “Chief Usher”. She has scheduled an Usher meeting for 8:30 AM on Saturday, September 14 after the Men’s Breakfast. There are a number of items relative to ushering that need to be reviewed.

Also related to the Ushers is our preparation to perform at the Variety Show which will be held on Friday evening, October 4 at 7 PM in the vestry. As has been our delight for a number of years those Ushers willing to sing will give a different perspective to what is expected of Ushers. In order to be prepared with two songs for that night and later on a Sunday morning in church we will be meeting in the church vestry on the following Monday evenings: September 3 then Mondays on the 9^th, 16^th, 23^rd and 30^th. We may also take a little time at the end of the Ushers meeting on September 14 for music. At our first meeting for this purpose on September 3 there were 12 people present in choosing the music and singing for the first time.

Variety Show: An event that takes place in the life of Peoples almost every year, this year’s edition is scheduled for Friday, October 4 beginning at 7 PM in the vestry. Some others may call theirs a Talent Show yet leaning on the side of caution for years we have labeled ours “Variety”. Directors over the years have changed as well as the talent. The appeal of such an event is to all ages. Young folks as well as old folks have participated in the festivities as participants or those that are there to be entertained. It is a fun event for all with singing, dancing, instrumental music with some comedy mixed in. Come and participate or watch. Help in the kitchen with snacks and see Chris, Earle, Merrill or Rosemary or Tom about your involvement and assistance.

Celebration 175: In 2003 Peoples celebrated 150 years of existence from the time of the first church building established in Ferry Village in 1853. It was a grand celebration, but 10 years later we are back to celebrate 175 years. How is that possible you ask? The actual beginnings of a church usually begin with what is referred to as a “Class”. In the case of Peoples the initial “class” took place in 1839 in a home in Point Village which today is Willard Square. This class was started by Pastor Jesse Stone who had been assigned to Brown’s Hill Methodist Episcopal Church in the previous year. His principle job was to “spread the word” throughout the area of Cape Elizabeth (South Portland was part of Cape Elizabeth until 1898). For over 12 years the “Class” at Point Village met in various homes. Members came from all over the Cape and eventually two separate parishes were formed around 1853; one on the Bowery Beach Road in Cape Elizabeth and the other on the corner of High and School Street in Ferry Village. It is that beginning in Point Village that we will be celebrating in 2014. A small group for planning has been formed and has already met a couple of times developing some ideas for an appropriate celebration, however, the group consisting presently of Art and Marlene Tordoff, Tom Frey Rosemary Herd and Doreen Gay welcome others with ideas and willingness to share in the celebration leadership. We will be meeting during the coffee hour following church on Sunday, September 15 somewhere in Ellis Hall. One of the major ideas that has been proposed is to create a number of task teams that will be responsible for carrying out the work of the church both within and without the church facilities. We would like to have at least 10 teams that involve all church members and attenders. More on how that will work after the next meeting.

Advent Meditations: In its 27^th year the ideas projected by the development of the Advent Meditation book is still with us and still meaningful both to the creators of Meditations and to those who read and are inspired by them. This year Advent begins on Sunday, December 1 and continues through Christmas. This year the theme of “Hope” kicks off the first week while “Peace” joins the celebration on December 8. Beginning the week of December 15 “Joy” will make its entrance and on December 22 through Christmas Day “Love “is the theme. It is the job of the editor to organize what is submitted, but thought the writers might consider which of the themes you would be addressing. I have sent out a form via the directory list already, but if you need a copy let Art Tordoff know. The forms should also be available on the back table in the sanctuary along with a sample from the past. As you can see we will need 25 to meet the basic need. This year I would also like to include a feature that asks a contributor to write a piece on someone that you feel provided you with an “Epiphany” in your life—a life changing experience. You should include a brief story about the person and his/her relationship to you and what the epiphany was. You might wish to include a Bible verse that helps describe the event and also a prayer or memorial to that person. You may or may not wish to use the person’s full name.

In order to have the book done on time for your use all meditations and stories need to be to Art Tordoff no later and preferably before November 10. We have one in hand at this time so there is plenty of room for your creations.

Add your activity to the list: If this blog is truly meant to be informative on church life there are many more activities that could be expounded upon that are not in this present listing. If you wish to include a write-up for the blog you may send it to Pastor Tom or Art Tordoff or others who have access to writing for the blog and it can be added.  You should also be aware of the Church Google Calendar that is attached to this blog spot on the right hand side. This keeps all of the activities up to date and when they are scheduled.