Appreciation Sunday at Peoples UMC
During the life of a church many individuals contribute in
unselfish ways to the operation and ministries of that community. On Sunday,
June 5, 2016 the church service was dedicated to honoring individuals and
groups for their commitment to our church community.
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| Rosemary |
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| Rosemary, Pastor Tom and children |
The first to get up and honor someone was Rosemary when she thanked those who had
served with the Sunday school during the year. She also presented small gifts
to the children that were present. Let me add at this point how important
Rosemary has been and continues to be for so many of the elements of church
life from Sunday school, to Tuesday morning Bible group to choir, to Church
Life, to leading the Church Council.
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| Becky G |
She was followed by Becky
G. who recognized the entire group that makes up the Finance Committee. She
also thanked each and every person who has contributed to the financial needs
of Peoples through gifts, tithes and offerings.
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| Chris, Rosemary and Dick M |
Rosemary called Dick M to the front of the sanctuary as
well as her sister Chris. He
presented a plaque that he had made that has John 3:16 carved into it. Chris
received for the church and it should be mounted in a conspicuous location.
This is really a beautiful piece to add to the dedications and artistic
creations hanging throughout the buildings of Peoples.
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| Christy |
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| Betsy |
Christy stood in
the congregation and thanked her Dad, Brad,
for all that he has unstintingly done for the people of Peoples. While much may
surround food, Brad has also served well especially on the Trustees. From the same family, Betsy showed her gratitude for the many who have assisted her with the nursery over the years.
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| Debbie |
Debbie C showed
her appreciation for each and every member of the choir as the choir director
handing out certificates to all. She also recognized Ruth D for the times that Ruth has filled in for Debbie by
playing the piano. As head of the Worship Committee, Debbie also recognized Wealthy for all the “little things”
that she does to make the church service run smoothly. Let us also take a
moment to recognize Debbie for all
she has done for the operation of worship and especially all she has done for
our music program.
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| Dick S |
Dick S then rose
and thanked the men of the church for the work they had done and, by the way,
will continue to do in refurbishing the garage at the parsonage. Several hours
and even days have gone in to residing the building and restructuring the front
of the garage and some of the flooring. As a fellow UMM member I thank Dick for heading up this project and
the others who have come to assist.
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| Lin |
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| Joidie and Pastor Tom |
The next to stand from the congregation was Lin who showed his appreciation for
our pastor, Tom, who is our spiritual
guide as well as a pastor who is busily engaged in all aspects of church life.
Lin was followed by Jodie who comes
to Peoples with her two grandchildren all the way from Lisbon Falls. In
speaking for herself and the children she showed her appreciation to Pastor Tom
for what he means to them. We as a whole church
body thank Pastor Tom for his leadership and concern for all of us.
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| Susan |
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| Pastor Tom and Doreen |
Susan was
recognized for her many endeavors by Doreen
for her many roles as keeper of the records, minutes and history of many church
organizations. Susan in return honored many of the organizations and
individuals that have helped her and worked hard to support ministries and
administration of the church over the course of the past year.
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| Shari |
Another contributor to our church life as noted is Dave B husband of Carol B by Shari even
though he may not be a member of the church. He is not alone but his labors are
deeply appreciated. In this same
category of appreciation we should extend that appreciation to others that may
not be members of Peoples, but do contribute to the life of Peoples. Let us
also note that both Pack 22 and Troop 23 not only meet at Peoples, but have
carried out projects such as the building of the playground and fall cleanups
for the church. Meals on Wheels have worked out of Peoples for many years and
have hosted various Senior citizen activities in Ellis Hall. There has been an
AA meeting in the vestry on Sunday evenings for may years and an Aerobics class
offered that members have taken advantage of for several years on Saturday
mornings.
While this article hopefully shares what folks shared on
Sunday, June 5, it tries to go beyond a bit and give us thoughts of other folks
that we have gained an appreciation of in the life of Peoples UMC. If you have
others that you can think of that was not included in the above list feel
comfortable in writing a comment that may not have been included in what we
have written for this article.
Since September of 2015 the Peoples
United Methodist Men have been reactivated and have planned and are carrying
out a number of activities. The merger between the above named organization and
another group of men who had met on the second Saturday of every month from
September through June for breakfast has been the impetus for much of the
restored activity of men at Peoples. A cast of leaders serving as President,
Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer also includes a Spiritual Leader,
Social leader, Communications director and a Works director was created and
seems to be providing leadership that lay dormant for a number of years. For a
number of years the certification of Peoples UMC was paid for by UMW. This is
the first year in many that the men have taken the responsibility to pay
national dues. On behalf of the UMM, we thank the women for carrying the “bill”
for a number of years.
