March 2015

he Messenger
The newsletter of the Selby and Mobridge United Methodist Churches

Whats so great about One Great Hour of Sharing?

Worship Services
Selby Sunday
morning at 9:00 am
MobridgeSunday
Morning at 11:00 am
Sunday School
Selby Children and
Youth, Sunday
mornings at 10:15 am
MobridgeAdults,
Sunday Mornings at
10:00 am

A special offering will be taken on March 15th for United Methodist

Committee on Reliefs (UMCOR) One Great Hour of Sharing. One Great Hour
of Sharing is a yearly event that normally takes place on the fourth week of
Lent. The offering taken during One Great Hour of Sharing helps to cover
UMCORs administrative costs. This allows for 100% of all other
UMCOR contributions on specific
projects instead of on administrative
or fundraising costs.

The Camp Books Are Here!

Its that time of the year again! The United Methodist Camp materials have
arrived and are located in the entrances of both churches. There are a variety
of camps available for campers of all ages.
The deadline to receive the Early Bird
registration price is April 30th. For more
information or to register for a camp, visit
dakcamps.org.

Other Youth Programs

Selby - Genesis Choir,
Lent 101 by Rev. Penny Ford
age 4 to 6th grade,
Lent is a season of the Christian Year where Christians focus on simple living,
prayer, and fasting in order to grow closer to God.
Wednesdays from
3:30-5:00 pm
When is Lent?
Mobridge - Worship
on Wednesdays
(WOW), PreK to 12
grade, Wednesdays
from 6:30 - 7:30 pm
(6:00-7:30 pm on first
Wednesday)
Confirmation Sundays from 5:00-7:00
pm, 1st, 3rd, and 5th
Sundays in Selby, 2nd
and 4th Sundays in
Mobridge

It's the forty days before Easter. Lent excludes Sundays because every Sunday
is like a little Easter. Basically, it's about one-tenth of a year (like a tithe of
time). Mardi Gras is the day before Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday.
This year it's from February 18 - April 5 (Easter) 2015.
Mardi Gras? What does that have to do with JESUS?
Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday." It refers to the day before Lent starts. Since
Lent always starts on a Wednesday, the day before is always a Tuesday. And
it's called "Fat" or "Great" because it's associated with great food and parties.
In earlier times, people used Lent as a time of fasting and repentance. Since
they didn't want to be tempted by sweets, meat and other distractions in the
house, they cleaned out their cabinets. They used up all the sugar and yeast in
sweet breads before the Lent season started, and fixed meals with all the meat
available. It was a great feast!
What does Lent have to do with me?
It's pretty easy to get caught up in the drama of work, school, relationships,
and family. Our lives are filled with distractions that take us away from living
a life with Christ. We try to fill the emptiness inside us with mindless TV,
meaningless chatter, stimulants, alcohol or other things. We run from silence
because we're afraid of being alone with God. So, like Jesus, we need to take
some serious time to pray and figure out where God is in our lives, and where
God is calling us to serve. We need to re-focus our lives to be more in line with
God.

How can I take part in Lent?

Try an electronic fast. Give up TV, Candy Crush, texting, tweeting, e-mail and all things
electronic for one day every week. (or everyday of Lent!) Use the time to read and pray.
Start a prayer rhythm. Say a prayer every time you brush your teeth, hear an ambulance, or
check your e-mail. Before you text someone, pray for them.
Read one chapter in the Bible each day. Matthew's a good book to start with. Psalms, too.
Forgive someone who doesn't deserve it (maybe even yourself.)
Give up soft drinks, fast food, tea, or coffee. Give the money you save to help folks in Haiti or
others in crisis.
Create a daily quiet time. Spend 30 minutes a day in silence and prayer.
Cultivate a life of gratitude. Write someone a thank you letter each week and be aware of how
many people have helped you along the way.
Be kind to someone each day.
Pray for others you see as you walk to and from classes or drive to and from work.
Volunteer one hour or more each week with a local shelter, tutoring program, nursing home,
prison ministry or a Habitat for Humanity project.

Fish Food

by Pastor Elizabeth
Jassman

We often think of Ash Wednesday as a time

when we confess our sins and renew our
commitment to discipleship. And that is true, for
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of a time of both
penitence and preparation. But we also confess
ourselves to be made of dust.
What does it mean to say we are made of
dust and to dust we shall return? Dust. When I
think of dust, I think of the Dust Bowl and dust
bunnies. But when the Bible speaks of dust, it
refers to creation in Genesis 2:7, Then the Lord God
formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became
a living being.
So on Ash Wednesday, we remember that
we are creatures fashioned and formed by our
Creator God. We did not create ourselves, but we
were created by the same God who flung the stars
against the sky and made water to fall down from
earth, unto land below. He made us and we are
his. And so we remember not only who we are
(creatures made by the Creator), but whose we are
(made by God in his image).
The hymn Have Thine Own Way, Lord
clearly expresses our position in relation to God,
beginning with the recognition that we are created
by God:
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Like our Lenten journey, the hymn begins
with the recognition that we are the creatures and
God is the Creator. It tells us who and what we
are. As we sing this hymn, we ask our Creator God
to continue the process of creation within us so we
may continue on our spiritual journey during this
time of Lent and throughout our lives:

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in thy presence humbly I bow.
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!
Our spiritual journey involves the struggle
of submitting to God in the day-to-day living of
our lives. During Lent, we try to find ways that we
might symbolically submit to God as a form of
discipline. Sometimes we dont understand why
we submit to God. But the fourth verse of this
hymn tells us clearly why we submit, what the
destination of our lives is:
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Hold oer my being absolute sway!
Fill with thy spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!
That is why we observe Lent. It is a time
when we struggle to submit to God so that we
might be filled with his spirit and that Christ might
living within us.
During times of warfare and uncertainty during their struggles - ancient people used to bury
their money in clay pots for safekeeping. The
Apostle Paul uses that image of clay pots filled
with treasure to express how we are to be filled
with Christs spirit, living within us: We have this
treasure in clay pots, he writes to the Corinthians.
(2 Cor 4:7). That image ties the words of the last
verse, Till all shall see Christ only, always living
in me with the image of the first verse that God is
the Potter and we are the clay. Melt us and mold
us this Lent into pots that, though dented and
scarred, hold the treasure that is the Good News of
Jesus Christ.

Did you
know?

The Mobridge United Methodist Men had a

very successful soup supper fundraiser on
February 21st! They appreciated everyone
who attended, donated, and helped work.

There will a camp fundraiser breakfast on

March 29th from 9:30-10:15 am prior to the
Joint Palm Sunday Service in Selby.
Proceeds from the breakfast will go to offset
camping costs for members of the
congregation attending camp.

The Mobridge church celebrated

the baptism of Oliver Logan
Albers, son of Logan and Jordan
Albers and grandson of Rhett and
Suzanne Albers on February 15th.
Welcome to our church family!

The children and youth in both churches are

participating in Heifer Projects Read to Feed.
Consider sponsoring them to promote literacy
and to help provide opportunities for families
around the world.

The Mobridge Church

will be collecting for
Layette kits during the
months of March and
April. Kit lists can be
picked up at church or
you can find it online at
the UMCOR Website

If you have something for next months newsletter you

can get it to Shannon by e-mailing
her at shannon.cm.mack@gmail.com, calling her at
(605) 845-2489, or by leaving a note on the secretarys
desk in the Selby church office.

March 2015
Sunday
1
SW - 9:00 am
MW - 11:00 am,
potluck
Confirmation - S
8
*Daylight
Savings Time*
SW - 9:00 am
MW - 11:00 am
Confirmation - M
15
SW - 9:00 am
SUMW - 10:15
MW - 11:00 am
MUMW - 12:45
Confirmation - S
22

Monday
2

Tuesday
3

Thursday
5

Genesis - 3:30
WOW! - 6:00 w/
supper
9

16

Friday
6

Saturday
7

World Day of
Prayer

10

11

12
Mobridge
Church Council 7:00

17

Genesis - 3:30
WOW! - 6:30
Selby Church
Council - 7:30
18

13

14

19

20

21

26

27

28

Genesis - 3:30
WOW! - 6:30

23

24

SW - 9:00 am
MW - 11:00 am
Confirmation - M
29
Palm Sunday
JSMW - 10:30
Confirmation - S

Wednesday

25
Genesis - 3:30
WOW! - 6:30

30

31
SW - Selby
worship
MW - Mobridge
Worship

JSMW - Joint
Selby Mobridge
Worship in Selby