The Voice April/May 2008


From the Pastor

April may have derived its name from Latin, aperio, which means “to open”. The application seems appropriate as we look at the buds and flowers beginning to open to the new season of spring. As I was rushing to the next thing, I noticed as I came out of an office building in New Castle a white flowering tree that caused me to pause. The air was crisp and the sky was clear blue and these flowers were perfect in color and design.

Long white petals circling around bright yellow stamens. Thousands of them in unity against the breeze; pushed and pushing back. It’s interesting that only afterwards did I notice all the other flowers along the sidewalk. Yellows, blues, and pinks… perfection in the morning light. Are you there? I could go on about the rebirth, the revival, the restoration of spring but I think you’ve got it. This time of year it is difficult to miss, yet we might miss the spiritual applications of spring renewal. Are you there? Open, I mean? Are you open to the Spirit of God in this open flower day? Are you awakened? Are you saved? This time of year reminds me of Paul saying to his Roman readers we have no excuse of not believing when we see the hand of God in the universe, in His creation, in the earth. Each blossoming flower should be a reminder, if not a warning, that it is time to seek the Lord. I was called in my late twenties and I am ever so thankful for salvation. God brought me; I brought nothing of worth on my account. Grace in action! Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. (Hosea 10:12) NSR

Time is quick to pass and last year’s blooms are but a dim memory. Seek the Lord while he is able to be found. Grow in Him upon your finding. Cherish your time with Him today in peace and comfort.

Bill

From the Director of Music

History speaks to the life of John Newton, who spent most of his life as a captain of a slave ship, crying out for mercy as he was tossed about and fearing for his life in a violent storm. After his heart was changed by that experience, he penned the beloved and powerful hymn, Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved wretch like me. On Palm Sunday, March 16th, the HBUMC choir presented the Easter cantata, Amazing Grace, testifying to the liberating, life-changing, everlasting freedom we find in Jesus Christ. The cantata contained many of the songs from the current movie by the same name. Dan Murphy, joined us to sing our theme song, My Chains are Gone, I’ve Been Set Free. Cindy Maser posed the question Who is There Like You? as we lifted up His name. Steve Welch touched us all with everybody’s favorite, Nothing But the Blood. Our HBUMC Quartet consisting of Tina Hughes on soprano, Becky Robinson on Alto, Bill Meredith on tenor and Jerry Hughes on Bass, inspired us with The Power of the Cross and The Communion Song. Their pure harmony is a real reflection of God’s hand in our music ministry. I found myself drawn so closely into His presence as Tina Hughes, shared My Heart is Filled. Thank you also to Dan, Steve and Miriam Blackmer for their powerful dramatic readings. All the glory goes to God for His Amazing Grace.

you can be a part of this amazing outreach ... help them make a difference!

A special thank-you to Chet Roberts for ‘bearing our cross’ during our musical celebration. This has become an annual tradition for our church. It is a poignant event in our worship as we honor the life of Christ.

The Sunday School Children’s Department shared an awesome rendition of Were You There with us Easter Sunday, March 23rd. We could all take lessons on serving our Lord with passion and zeal from the standard that Elaine Murphy sets with our children. Thank You, Jesus!

It is a real treat for me to have Becky Robinson join me on the piano, as she did for our Easter service. It is rare to find such an accomplished musician who is so willing to volunteer their time in faithfully sharing their special gifts. She not only helps me out on the piano, but she lends her alto voice to our quartet. It sure does make my heart sing as I play the organ to have her playing the piano and adding her very special touches. She would not want it mentioned, but it thrills my soul so, that I cannot be silent. We’re counting our blessings!

On June 14th and 15th we are privileged to have the youth choir and drama team from Dunwoody Methodist Church in Georgia. This group consists of seventy 6th through 12th grade singers and actors. Rachel Meredith is the Assistant Director of Youth Ministries at Dunwoody UMC and will accompany the group here. Their concert, One Voice, consists of beautiful sacred anthems and drama along with selections from the Broadway musical, Le Miserables. While here the youth will serve our church in mission’s outreach. You can be a part of this amazing outreach by opening your home to host members from this group. Help them make a difference!

In one accord, we, in the music ministry of our church, agree that it is only through His amazing grace and mercy that He sustains and provides as we strive to accomplish the task at hand. It is a blessing to see continued growth, both in number and in Spirit. I am most grateful to be a part of this family of God.

Nancy S. Gerney
Director of Music

Missions Commission

On Saturday June 14th the Dunwoody United Methodist Church 180° Youth Choir from Dunwoody, Georgia will arrive in Delaware for the first stop in their Northeastern Choir Tour, and if you’ve never been a part of a choir tour, you won’t want to miss this one!!! We are expecting a wonderful blessing, and the planning phase for this blessing has already begun. Fifty five youth members and 21 adults will be in need of housing for 2 nights – Saturday and Sunday (the adults are already taken care of), and meals (both at church and in their host homes) until Monday morning when their bus leaves. They’ve already let me know that they will appreciate anything and everything we provide….and what will we receive in return?

Providing for God's people in Jesus' name. According to the Holy Spirit's direction.

Well, in addition to the wonderful fellowship and sharing, we will be blessed with their songs at our Sunday morning worship service (remember, this will be the first day of the service time change to 9:30), a Sunday afternoon focused on mission work at our church, and then a wonderful evening presentation of a collection of Sacred Songs, Drama, and a medley from the Broadway Musical Les Miserables’. From Delaware they will head up to multiple stops in New Jersey and then finish in New York before they return to Georgia. At each stop they will be singing and working with the respective church’s assigned mission project. On my last trip to see Rachel, I had an opportunity to see and hear this choir first hand, and they were wonderful. As some of you might know, this will be Rachel’s last mission trip with her youth group before she moves to North Carolina to begin her new phase of ministry with Tim; needless to say the tour will be one of sweet memories for everyone. So in short, please help us in this effort, either with offering housing, preparing meals, aiding in mission work, providing transportation, sharing in fellowship, helping with publicity, or by simply enjoying the music with a smile. As I stated above, both you and our church have a unique opportunity to be blessed. Spread the news!

With Love and Blessings,
Barbara

Upcoming Events

We are excited to announce that we are going to create a new pictorial directory of our church family in honor of our 100 year anniversary. It will be an ideal outreach tool and will capture the history of our church congregation.

Please participate! All we ask is that you have your picture taken by the professional photographer and meet with a Portrait Consultant at the church.

For the next several weeks, we will be making appointments after worship services. Be sure to sign up as soon as possible to get the best appointment to fit your schedule. The schedule for photographing is:

Sunday School Events/VBS 2008

We've got the solution to summertime boredom... send your kids, and the neighborhood kids, to Power Lab, where they'll discover Jesus' miraculous power! This is the spot that's oozing with Bible adventures:

    Hillcrest-Bellefonte United Methodist Church
    400 Hillcrest Avenue
    Wilmington, DE

Each day the children will take part in fun Bible learning they can see, hear, touch and even  taste! Bible Point crafts, team-building games, lively songs and tasty treats are just a few of the Power Lab activities that help faith flow into real life. Every day, kids choose a Daily Challenge- an exciting way to live out what they have learned. The children will also participate in a hands-on mission project called Operation Kid-to-Kid that involves nearly a million other children across North America!  

Power Lab is great for children of all ages; even teenagers are needed as crew leaders who help younger children. And parents, grandparents and friends are invited to join us each day at 8:15 PM, because that's when we'll be having Faith Fusion Finale - a daily celebration of Jesus power you won't want to miss. So mark these dates on your calendar: Monday, July 28- through Friday, August 1.    The fun starts at 5:30 PM and ends at 8:30 PM. Free meals will be provided each evening for children under 18 by the City of Wilmington's summer food program. Call 764-3145 to register your children and tell your neighbors about this awesome, power-packed adventure!


It's Not Rocket Science!

You just need to love kids and love the Lord!!
Join us at Hillcrest-Bellefonte for one of our most exciting weeks in children's ministry.
If you love kids and take joy in their excitement and enthusiasm, if you love the Lord and want to tell others about Him, if you like to have fun, if you have some experience working with children and are at least 14 years old, we need YOU! Power Lab Vacation Bible School will be held July 28th - August 1st. The following positions are open and ready for volunteers:

 

All volunteers are required to attend a training session on April 28 at 6:30 PM to be held in Hillcrest Hall. Please let Elaine Murphy know your area of interest by calling 762-9787 or sending an email to: Elaine Murphy. All lessons and activity ideas are provided.

Sincerely,
Elaine Murphy
Your Power Lab Director

United Methodist Women (UMW)

HBUMC is serving only Equal Exchange/Fair Trade Coffees at all of our events. It is just as good, if not better than regular decaffeinated coffee that has been served in the past. We will also be selling both the coffees and teas after church once a month.

Why is the UMW doing this?

This is a project of UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), which has been adopted by our conference because of the rest of the reasons listed.

Coffee that is grown usually goes through nine hands before the consumer gets it. This means that the amount of money that the grower gets is not enough to care for his family. The Equal Exchange/Fair Trade coffees and teas are handled by only four sets of hands (including the grower and the church) before it is consumed by you. The grower is guaranteed a certain income and that is enough for him/her to take care of the family. What a difference.

Also, the “old” way of doing things means that the growers are cutting down the rain forests in order for the beans to ripen early. In the “new” way the growers grow the coffee in the forests for a longer period of time and the beans are richer. Please try this coffee when you get a chance.

Your costs are:

Other kinds of coffee and tea can be ordered but need to be ordered by the case (6 packages). If you wish to buy some, see Carol Broadway, Ev Hockeborn, Jinny Squire, or Sally Welch. Checks are ok.

Remember, by purchasing the coffee or tea, you are helping to guarantee a decent wage to the coffee grower AND you are helping to protect the rain forests. One is good mission work and the other good stewardship.

You can find some of the coffees at Trader Joes and other places – be sure they say equal exchange and fair trade.

The "New to You" Family Clothing Store

It’s business as usual for the “New to You” Family Clothing Store. We will be open every Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and the first and third Saturday through the month of June. The shop will be closed for the month of July.

Thanks to a lot of nifty contributions, merchandise keeps growing.  Please, everyone, become a believer and check us out regularly.  We need to sell items to make room for more. Thank you.

Miriam, Jane and Louise

Miscellaneous

Do you like “FREE”? After the Spring Sale, there are two large items intentionally left in Hillcrest Hall, free to someone who can use either:

Either or both are yours for the transporting; or, we could help with that. 
Miriam Blackmer, 302-239-5670