The Messenger

Colo & Collins United Methodist Churches September 2015

Pastor Lewis Flanigan
Church Phone: 641-377-2534
Email: [email protected]

Volume 9

The Body of Christ, Part 2

It is amazing what can be done when no one
cares who gets the credit. Ive used that quote, in
one form or another many, many times because I
know it is true.
On August 9th, in my sermon, I used a couple of
examples of those who have served behind the scenes to make the ministry of these churches
possible. I couldnt have begun, in the time allotted for a sermon, to name them all. I even
hesitate here to name any for fear that I might miss some.
However, I do want us to consider all those who minister behind the scenes:

Have you noticed the flowers outside both churches? Thank you to all who have worked
to make our churches more beautiful!
Have you ever wondered who cuts the grass? A volunteer in both churches comes each
week to mow the grass, and, if you arent watching carefully, you wont even notice when
they are there.
On August 9th, I was going to mention Teen Girls in my sermon, who helped with V.B.S.
in Colo. When I got to that place in my sermon, I looked up and noticed that we had 3
Teen Boys helping with worshipvideographer, sound person, and running the
PowerPoint. Our Teens, and younger ones too, do so much that we sometimes take
them for granted, I think.
At V.B.S. in Colo, we had over 30 volunteers! That is incredible.
Then there are the Thursday Volunteersthose that fold bulletins, fold the Messenger,
insert activity sheets in the Childrens Bags, and pick up in the sanctuary each week.
From time-to-time, someone will ask me who is doing the PowerPoint, reading the
Liturgy, or running the sound system. I usually dont know at either church who is
assigned for the day. I dont really worry about it, because I know how faithful you are in
doing these things, or getting a substitute. Besides, if something comes up, and
someone isnt able to make it, we always seem to have those who step forward to fill in.

We are a part the Body of Christ! It is amazing to see what can be done when no one cares
who gets the credit. Thank you for all you do to make the ministry of these two churches
happen.
Oh, by the way, did I mention the opportunities to be in ministry in the near future..

Pastor Lewis

Healthy Church Initiative

Celebration
September Bible Verse: Mark 6:37 But he
answered them, You give them something
to eat.
As summer ends, the Executive Committee
will be meeting on Wednesday, August 26
at 9:00 AM at the church to plan make plans
for the rest of the year.
Our first Unit Meeting of the fall is
September 3 at 9:30 AM. The committee
will be serving rolls, fruit and coffee! All
women are welcome to attend!
Program: Dorothy Dadisman If you
have been saving stamps, please bring
them to this meeting.
Hostesses:
Elaine Stucky, Joan
Hanson, Mary Eley and Jane Coughenour
September 26 is the North Central District
Annual Meeting at the Humboldt UMC. All
officers and members are encouraged to
attend.
October 1: Local officer slate is due to the
District Secretary. It is also our Guest Night
(Dessert) at 7:00 PM. Hostesses are:
Doris Otto, Katy McKinney, Sandy Hill,
Sandy Clatt, Dorothy Cerka, and Judy
Beckett. Sarah Grover will be giving the
program about her familys summer
mission trip.
Remember to save BOXTOP FOR
EDUCATION for the Colo-Nesco Schools,
Stamps for Missions, and Campbell Soup
Labels for Bidwell.
Susan McKinney
UMW President

The Colo UMC will be celebrating the

completion of Phase I of the HCI process on
Sunday,
September
27th.
District
Superintendent Harlan Gillespie will be with
us for worship on that day, and will be
preaching.
United
Methodist
Mens
Group
All men are
welcome
to
join
us
at
Nilands Caf
at 6:30 a.m.,
the
second
Thursday of
each month. The next gathering will be
September 10th. (Each person pays for their
own breakfast.)

Sesquicentennial
Celebration Team

The 150th year of ministry by Methodists

in Colo will soon be upon us (2017)! We are
looking for those who are willing to serve as
the team to plan this celebration. Dates
have to be set. Invitations have to be sent.
Activities have to be planned. If you would
be willing to serve on this team, please
contact Pastor Lewis or Dorothy Cerka
soon. We would like to have this team in
place by November 1st!

W.O.W.

Worship on Wednesdays
Again this Fall, beginning on September 9th,
we will again be offering Worship on
Wednesdays (W.O.W.).
While the time will still be the same, 6:00 to
7:15 p.m., there will be some minor changes this
year. We will shorten the time for meals, to add
a few minutes of class time. Once a month or so,
we will have a special time together during the
normal music time. The Education Area Leaders
have decided to change curriculum this year, as
well. This year, we will be using Deep Blue: A
Weekly Adventure Through the Bible, which
will go along with the helps in the Deep Blue
Bibles we have been giving away to 3rd graders.
However, W.O.W. will still be the fast-paced,
active time together from last year.
Classes being offered this year are: PreK/Kindergarten; 1st Grade; 2nd Grade; 3rd-4th
Grade; 5th-6th Grade; Youth Group; and, an
Adult Class. Please pray about helping with this
vital ministry of our church; then contact Erin
Hulshizer, Andrew Short, or Pastor Lewis to
volunteer.
This year, we will have a sign-up sheet (in the
upstairs Fellowship Hall) for W.O.W. meals to
fill in the dates that we need volunteers. We
have suggested menus, if you would like to
choose from them. Currently, in September, we
need meals for September 16th & 30th. Thank
you to the Rachel Circle which is taking the 1st
Wednesday; the Joy Circle which is taking the
2nd Wednesday (every other month); and the
Youth Group which is taking the 4th Wednesday
each month. For more details about meals,
please contact pastor Lewis.
Our presentation of
Bibles to 3rd Graders will
be
on
Sunday,
September 13th during
Worship.

This year, the Colo Joyful Noise Choir will be

meeting each Wednesday, 7:20 p.m., for
rehearse, pray, and make a joyful noise. If you
enjoy singing, we would love to have you join
us.
For those arriving for rehearsals on
Wednesdays, we ask that you park on the East or
South (parking lot) sides of the building and
enter by the closest door. W.O.W. will be
releasing around that time, and they generally
exit through the North door of the church. This
will help traffic flow, and help to keep the
children safe as they leave the church.
Collins Up-dates
At the Collins UMC, Sunday School will
commence for the Fall on Sunday, September
13th.
The U-N-I Circle will meet on Tuesday,
September 15th, 1:30 p.m. Lucille Lillard and
Jenelva Patterson will be the hostesses.
Messenger Deadlines/Assembly
All articles to go in the Messenger are due in
the church office by noon on the 20th of each
month.
Each month, the Messenger will be folded on
the 4th Thursday of the month, at 9:30 a.m. in
Colo.
All volunteers are welcome and
encouraged!
[In September, that will be
September 24th.]
Newsletter desired???
Do you read this newsletter? Would you read
it on-line? We are emailing it to all on our
email list, and we are now posting it on the Colo
IA UMC Facebook page.
If you would prefer to receive it in either of
those venues, and not by the postal service,
please let us know. If you would prefer to stop
receiving this newsletter at all, please let us
know that as well.

Colo One Committee Board

What is it? The Colo UMC adopted our
current One Committee Board 3 years ago.
During the past 3 years, we have living into an
adaptive structure of leadership that meets the
requirements of the United Methodist Book of
Discipline. What this means is that the Church
Council acts as every Committee of the local
church. In other words, instead of having
multiple committees, there is only 1the
Church Council.
How does it work? This means that there
has been a change in how business or ministry
is conducted in this process. Last year, this
recommendation was adopted:
1. The Church Council defines the goals
and parameters for ministry, evaluating
progress being made toward those goals.
2. The Pastor is responsible for leading the
church forward toward those goals
within the parameters set; with the
following essential functions (from
Emmanuel Cleavers Pastor on Track,
a. Cast a Vision
b. Develop staff and leaders around the
vision
c. Lead the people
d. Teach and preach, and
e. Discern Gods Will
3. The Area Leaders (Education, Worship,
Trustees, etc.) are responsible for
managing each area under the guidance
of the pastor.
Last year, because of our evaluation process,
further adjustments were made:
The Church Council meets quarterly to
evaluate the ministry of the church in
light of the goals and parameters set.

This evaluation includes statistical data,

as well as stories, etc. of how the goals
are being met. Other meetings can be
called to meet Disciplinary requiremtns
for decisions that can only be made the
by the Council
The pastor reports monthly to the PPRC
by email, with quarterly meetings to
evaluate possible problems, and to make
sure self-care goals are being met.
The Area Leaders meet monthly, or as
needed, with the pastor for a minimum of
20 minutes to discern how ministry in
their area is going, and to make necessary
adjustments.
Who is on the One Committee Board? The
Church Council is comprised of the following:
Dorothy Cerka, Chair; Wayne Hanson, Lay
Leader & Annual Conference Delegate; Susan
Stockdale, Council Secretary; Dan Halferty,
Treasurer; Sandy Hill, Financial Secretary, Jessy
Jackson, Financial Secretary, Susan McKinney,
UMW President; and Spencer Short, Youth
Representative. Also, serving on the Council are
the following Area Leaders: Education Andrew
Short and Erin Hulshizer; WorshipJudy
Beckett and Joan Hanson; Outreach/Mission
Brad Snodgrass; TrusteesBrad Kohlwes
&John Jackson; SPPRCGinny Heintz, Susan
Stockdale, Larry Edel, and, Vickie Wilson.
Pastoral Office Hours
Pastor Lewis keeps no set office hours.
Call for an appointment (404-273-4803). He
will be in and out of the Colo office on
Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday mornings.
On most Tuesdays, he will be at coffee in
Collins and then at coffee in Colo. Coffee is
at the Community Center in both towns.

THANK YOU!
Pam would like to thank all who helped to
make her birthday celebration special this
year. Also, we would like to thank all who
have remembered us this summer youre
your garden goodies. Thank you.
--Pam & Lewis Flanigan

SEPTEMBER
BIRTHDAYS
Colo
1

2
4
5
6
7
8
10
11
12
13
14
15
17
18
19
21
22
23
25
26
30

Taylor Hall,
Tony Dodd,
Royal
Mansfield,

Robert Ramsey
John Cerka, Diana Watts,
Bill Patterson
Ethan Robinson, Irven Boozell
Ruth Wilson, Tabitha Halferty,
Lindsay Hart, Jessica Fisher
Bonnie Florke
Fred Cerka, Don Wilson
Keith Wilson
Helen Crouthamel
Amy Lennie
Arianne Dutton
Dustin Ogden
Carroll Stokesbary, Jessy Jackson
Althea Cerka
Jacob Wilson, Jordan Wilson
Amy Dadisman, Katie Upchurch
Craig Ayers
B.J. Whitaker
Anna Klatt, Michael Ramsey
Cole Otto
Keely Dodd, Bruce Clatt
Donna Swanson
Robert Meller
Collins

5
12
17
18
22
28
30

Nathan Wright
Scott Horn
Chuck Cummins, Darla Carver,
James Wright, Jr., Annette Briggs
Ryan Etnier
Reno Milligan
Courtney Long Fuller
Brian McDonough

27

Collins September Anniversaries

Bill & Kathy Long

September Dates to Remember

Sundays, September 6, 13, 20, 27
9:00 am
Collins Worship
10:30 am
Colo Worship
11:30 am
Colo Fellowship
7:00 pm Confirmation Class (all except the 6th)
Tuesdays, September 8, 15, 22, 29
5:30 to 6:30 pm
Colo Food Pantry Open
Wednesdays, September 9, 16, 23, 30
6:00 to 7:15 pm
W.O.W.
7:20 pm
Colo Joyful Noise Choir
Fridays, September 4, 11, 18, 25
9:30 to 10:30 am
Colo Food Pantry Open
Thursday, September 3
9:30 am
United Methodist Women Unit
Meeting
Thursday, September 10
6:30 am
United Methodist Men at Nilands
Sundays, September 13, 20, 27
9:00 am Collins Sunday School during Worship
Tuesday, September 15
1:30 pm
Collins U-N-I Circle
Saturday, September 19
8:30 5:30 pm
Confirmation Class trip to
West Bend, IA
Sunday, September 20
Articles for September Messenger Due by Noon
1:30 pm
Pastor/Parish Relations
Committee at Collins
Tuesday, September 22
Pastors Monthly Day of Spiritual Renewal
6:00 to 7:00 pm
Maxwell Food Bank Open
Thursday, September 24
9:30 am
Assemble
Messengers

Volunteers
Welcome
&
Encouraged

Colo & Collins United Methodist Churches

602 Fourth Street
P.O. Box 266
Colo, IA 50056

Non-Profit
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit # 2
Colo IA 50056

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

ADDRESS LABEL

September 2015 Messenger

Watch out for children going back to school this month!