Weekly Message: Read Listen Discuss Podcast
An "I" or an "It?"
John 15:9-17
In a previous church, I came to know a young lady named Suzi. She was in the youth group and I did some work with the youth. She was actually too old to be in the youth group. She had graduated from High School, but because of lots of challenges, we let her stay in the youth group. She was challenged mentally, physically and socially, but the youth accepted her and welcomed her in their midst. Even if she was too old.
I left that church, but Suzi would occasionally write to me. She has her fair share of challenges, but she can write pretty well and communicates with total honesty, which is always informative and refreshing.
<. . .
Minister: Marv Vose
I want to thank all of you who participated in the Church Conference last weekend. Special thanks go to all of you who were in prayer for the church at this critical time. Church votes are, by their very nature, divisive. Some folks feel like winners and others feel like losers. That can be detrimental to the spirit that binds us together as Christian community. So here is my prayer request for each of you. Please pray that the healing process begin. Jesus has always been the great healer and he continues that ministry today. Please pray that His healing touch will be on those who are hurting.
In the midst of all of this, we continue to worship God and thank Him for blessings! This weekend, we'll celebrate Mother's Day! We'll recognize Mothers and have some special gifts for some very special Mothers. Come and help us celebrate Mother's Day.
The Grand Opening of our new Thrift Shop is Saturday! Thanks to all of you who have made donations and worked so hard to get this new ministry started! How exciting!
We also have a Blood Drive next weekend. It will be held on Saturday at the Woodmen Campus from 5-8 and on Sunday at Briargate from 8:30-noon. You may schedule your time at the Missions Counter or simply show up. Thanks to our Mission Team for organizing this and thanks to all of you whole help in this life-giving ministry!
Grace and peace,
Marv Vose
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The May Communicator (Newsletter) is available. Click on Church Newsletter at the bottom of this message. OR, go to sunriseumc.com, News & Events, click on Newsletter.
Sunrise accountant position will be open soon. If interested, e mail cover letter and resume to jackp@sunriseumc.com.
We wanted to remind you about four upcoming important celebrations:
A Need:
We are in need of adults to drive our mission teams to and from Denver Airport. We need drivers for June 15, June 21, July 20, & July 26. Call us at 302-0039 or email us for more information or if you can help!
On behalf of Sunrise Church, I sincerely thank every Sunrise member who participated in the vote today. We had a very large turnout, and 626 ballots were cast. The vote was 340 in favor of the proposal, and 286 opposed, so the motion carried! I also thank the many members who pitched in to help with the process today like member check-in, and helped facilitate the proceedings, and also several non-members who volunteered to be our tellers and counted the ballots. Also thanks to Gary Ness and the trustees, and Mark Barteld and the UMM who pitched in to make additional handicapped parking available and provided parking assistance during the vote. The church council met immediately after the votre today and began initial steps for planning the way ahead, to include authorizaing formation of a abuilding committee. I ask for all of our congregation to continuye to pray for guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit during the next phase - we have much work to do, and yet much to b thankful for in terms of support from our members and visitgors.
In Christ, Mike Heer, Council Chair
Lay Leader Perspective on the Upcoming Vote
Hello;
There has been a lot of e-mails, flyers, discussions and information or even possibly some miss-information going around lately to try to "shine some light on or present the facts" as some people want to present them. This reminds me of an old saying..."Be careful who you point at for blame because remember you have one finger pointing forward and four pointing back at you." I just want to take this time to remind you of some statements from a certain book I have read. I am not well versed in this book yet, but I also believe that you do not have to memorize it or know it inside and out to understand what it means.
In regards to our tongues...
Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat it's fruit.
James 3:10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
In regards to confidence...
Hebrews 10:35 So do not throw your away confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
In regards to preparing the way...
Luke 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can
you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Luke 9:62 Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
In regards to our faith...
Hebrews 11:6 And without Faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he
exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Mark 9:23 "If you can?", said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called
knowledge - by professing it some have strayed concerning faith.
In regards to God's rewards...
Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
The Great Commission...
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teach them everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
This is a critical time for Sunrise United Methodist Church. Unfortunately, there will always be rumors and gossip in regards to a process like this. Both are very detrimental to family, church and any relationship and as such we should not do that. This vote is not about me and what I want nor is it about any one else at Sunrise and what they would want. This vote is not really even about Sunrise UMC. This vote, like everything else we should be doing in life, is about God. Please take the extra time this week to pray and ask God what He would want you to do. My wife and I are scheduled for prayer time at 1200 pm on Saturday 3 May 08, you are invited to come join us at the Woodmen campus if you are so inclined.
After the vote, I challenge the people of the body of Christ of Sunrise UNITED Methodist Church to pull together and support the final decision. Whatever the decision is. This includes everyone, the laity and staff. We can have no more of the "us and them" mentality when it should be "WE". In order for us to move forward, this is a crucial step for us to be able to do for God. Don't let you get in the way of your relationship with God.
I cannot look back in time and dwell on things I don't necessarily agree with because by doing that I myself turn into a pillar of salt and can not move forward and I end up making the issue about me and it's not about me. I do not have any slides or charts to give you...all I have is Faith.
Thanks for your time and listening.
You are loved,
Dale Slider
Sunrise United Methodist Church
Lay Leader
Weekly Message: Read Listen Discuss Podcast
I am not sure that I have ever really talked much about my childhood. I am an only child and I was raised by a single mom. We struggled…. A lot. We lived on the edge of poverty during my whole childhood. We ate the food that people donated to local pantries. We spent a couple Thanksgivings at local soup kitchens. My mom tired hard to keep a roof over our heads, but that often meant moving. Moving from city to city or state to state. We moved a lot. In fact, the first time I ever spent two years in a row in the same school was my junior year of High School. While I was in elementary school, I have very vivid memories of taking our foo. . .
Minister: Geoff Peters
Friends,
May 4th will be an historic day in the life of Sunrise!
Your vote will determine the future of this congregation. Sunrise is 28 years old this year and this vote will radically impact the next 28 years and beyond. So...PLEASE...vote!
A "yes" vote continues God's plan for Sunrise to become a world church with a world vision. It allows us to continue to expand our ministry as we continue our plan to build a new worship center and move the entire church to one expanded location. (This is the recommendation of the Property Committee and the Church Council.) A "no" vote means that the entire vision needs to be re-examined.
I know you have been praying about this vote. Please continue those prayers. I'm praying for God's direction in all of this. Let me assure you it's not about what I want. It's not about what you want or what makes you feel comfortable. This is about what God calls us to do and be! Sometimes ministry is difficult and even risky, but the rewards are always incredible! Some folks even say they are heavenly!
You know what my position is on this. I'm clear that the Property Committee recommendation is the right one. Their recommendation was just unanimously approved by the Church Council without amendment or change. It has been the vision of Sunrise leadership for the past 6 years. We have already voted on components of this vision twice and approved it both times. The generous people of Sunrise have contributed millions of dollars to the fulfillment of this vision. But now we need to vote again.
The rumor mill will be working overtime this week. I certainly won't hear all of the rumors and I don't want to. But it has been my experience that few rumors are true. They exaggerate and exploit fears. That's what makes them so juicy! So, please listen to any rumors with a very critical ear. If you feel comfortable, ask the person sharing the source of their supposed information. And be even more cautious in passing along a rumor. If you really want some straight information, send me an e-mail at Marv@sunriseumc.com and I'll try to help.
In fact, you probably need to be cautious about e-mails and print material as well. It's been circulated electronically and in print that I say "repeatedly from the pulpit that we are in a tough economic time and in a recession." Well, if you are a regular in worship, you know that isn't the case. In fact, I am quite proud of the generosity of Sunrise people and our current financial situation.
Sunrise ended the first quarter of this year $7908 to the good!
Our Christmas and Easter offerings have set new records!
We have $500,000 in certificates of deposit.
Our current capital campaign has commitments of almost $2 million. The last capital campaign conducted for debt reduction received only $250,000. So that is an 800% increase! And receipts in this campaign are actually ahead of what we expected.
We ended the year of 2007 with assets of $7.44 million. (If you know accounting, you know those assets are dramatically understated. A more realistic value would be $10 million or more.)
Our fund balance (or net worth for you business folks) was $1.43 million at the end of 2007.
So let me set the record straight! I am so grateful to all of you for making the ministry of Sunrise happen! You have been generous and faithful and the figures prove it.
One final comment: when you vote, please don't do it out of fear! Fear is the opposite of faith and we are a people of faith. We are saved by faith. The power of Jesus is let loose by faith. We inherit eternity because we trust in what Jesus has already done for us.
See you this weekend in worship and for a vote on the 4th!
Grace and peace,
Marv Vose
Weekly Message: Read Listen Discuss Podcast
Minister: Marv Vose
Sunrise Student Ministry
Weekly E-Mail Newsletter
4.28.08-5.18.08
(719) 302-0039
Three Biggest Things:
Other Announcements:
What’s on Tap This Week & Next Week:
Koinonia:
Walkabout:
The Tuesday on Wednesday:
Upcoming Events:
Monthly Mission/Service:
Monthly Fun:
Links: (these are pdf documents requiring Acrobat Reader)
Help Needed-Students:
Help Needed-Parents:
Please let Marcus know if you can help in any of these ways.
Devotional:
As this is the last e-mail newsletter I will be sending, I want to thank all of the students, parents, volunteers, and staff who have been such a wonderful asset to this program during my time here. It was a privilege to work with each of you, and I learned much from you as God shaped us all. THANK YOU!!!!
First of all, please let me apologize if you have received an unsolicited e-mail from Angie Hughes. Sunrise really does try to make sure all of your data is safe and secure. Some of you have contacted me to complain about this and I assure you we are working to see how this information got out. Again, I apologize.
But while you're reading, let me clear up some misinformation. I'm sure Angie is doing her best to recall the history of the past several years, but there are some major mistakes.
§ We never set a goal for any of our votes. All that is required is 50% plus one. All of our votes far exceeded that.
§ The Capital Campaign reached our Faith Goal of $2 million and this was a huge victory! I would have loved more, but we reached an incredible goal. This is an 800% increase over the last capital campaign at Sunrise for debt retirement. It raised only $250K. Let's celebrate that!
§ We never set goals for our stewardship campaigns. We always set the budget after we receive the Estimates of Giving. Sunrise continues to do phenomenal ministry. Our apportionments are paid of full, year to date, and we are funding other missions as well.
§ Growth never happens in a straight line. There are big years and small years. Since I came to Sunrise our worship attendance has grown 70%. That's huge! And we will continue to expand in the future.
All of this leads me to say that Angie is an advocate and she is doing her best to scare you into a "no" vote. I'm sorry I have to say that, but it's true. Her attachment is skewed in a similar way. If you would like me to respond to that, I will be glad to do so. I hope that you will continue to pray and reflect on God's direction for Sunrise. I'm clear about that direction, but you are the one who votes.
Grace and peace,
Marv Vose
Special, special events!
We are getting to that time of year when every weekend of worship is crammed with special events! It really is an exciting time of the year and I know you won't want to miss any of it!
This weekend U2Charist is being presented at the Woodmen Campus along with an Alternative Gifts Market. If you like the music of Bono, this is a MUST SEE AND HEAR!
At Briargate, the Sunrise Preschool and Mother's Morning Out will be singing at the 10:30 service. How can we cram that much "cute and adorable" into just one service? And there will be a bunch of baptisms, which are always special celebrations!
You will have a chance to join the church as well. Only members are permitted to vote at the Church Conference on May 4. So if you have been waiting, now is the time to make it happen!
On Saturday, May 3, the Prayer Team will be organizing an Whenever, Wherever Prayer Vigil. Set aside 30 minutes to pray for the church and the vote on the following day.
On May 4, the Burchfield Brothers will lead us in worship at 9 and 10:30 at Briargate. At noon, the All Church Conference will be held at Woodmen.
On May 10 and 11, we'll celebrate Mother's Day!
May 17 and 18 is Armed Forces Weekend, so wear your uniform or ribbons. Our Confirmation Class with also join then!
See you in church, during the month of May! What a great time!
Grace and peace,
Marv Vose
Don't miss out! It's going to be powerful and exciting, and you can be part of it!
Sunrise is having its first-ever "Whenever-Wherever-Prayer-Vigil on Saturday, May 3, the day before our vote. Wait! Don't stop reading yet!
Please join with the Prayer Team in praying for the future of Sunrise. Sign up in your class, or in the Briargate Atrium or Woodmen Connection Cafe. You won't need to pray at the church, just commit to whatever time period you are comfortable with and whenever you are able to take a short break. If you're good at multi-tasking, pray at your desk, while you're watching your children on the playground, or vacuuming. But pray, please. God always listens.
Let's invite God with our whole hearts to be a part of our voting process, our beloved Sunrise, and our lives.
Oh, and don't forget to show up to vote on May 4!
Love in Christ,
Eileen Swanson
Prayer Team
Greetings-
There are three really important things we want to tell you about:
Attention Parents and Mission Trip Participants!!
Our next mission team meeting is on Sunday May 4. We are asking parents to join us for the first part of this meeting! We will cover the packing list, the itineraries, hand out financial sheets and answer any questions about the mission trips that parents or students might have especially in light of the transition. This will also give parents an opportunity to meet trip leaders if you have not already done so! The meeting starts at 2:00pm in the Chapel at the Woodmen Campus on Sunday May 4!
Weekly Message: Read Listen Discuss Podcast
April 19 & 20, 2008
Matthew 6:5-10 (Today's New International Version)
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
Big Sunday! April 20!
This is going to be a major event in the life of Sunrise! At noon, in the sanctuary at Briargate, you will have your chance to ask your questions about the Property Committee Report. The complete report was distributed last weekend. If you did not get a copy, you can go to the church website and get the same information. It is at www.sunriseumc.com/dreamday. We'll also have more copies available this weekend.
The Property Committee is recommending Option 3. I'm not sure why, but there was some misunderstanding about that. Option 3 is presented on the upper right-hand side of page 2 of the report at the website .You can find the specific language the Property Committee is proposing for the ballot on page 3 of the report at the website. It is outlined in black and the title is "Recommendations of the Sunrise Property Committee." The Committee is recommending to Church Council that the ballot be a simple "yes" or "no" vote. In other words, if you vote "yes" then you approve the recommendation of the Property Committee. If you vote "no" then you reject the recommendation.
Some of you have told me that you will be out of town on May 4th and want to know if there is some other way you can vote. I'm sorry to say there is not. The Discipline of the church is clear. You must be a church member and you must be present to vote. So we cannot do absentee ballots or proxies. But you can certainly pray!
I'm sure you have lots of other questions, so please plan on being present April 20th and then plan on voting May 4th! This really is a critical decision in the life of the church, so please start praying for God's guidance and direction!
I'll see you this weekend as we worship God together!
Blessings,
Marv Vose
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunrise custodian position is open. Those interested contact Gary Wiensch at garyw@sunriseumc.com
Sunrise Student Ministry
Weekly E-Mail Newsletter
4.14.08-4.28.08
(719) 302-0039
Three Biggest Things:
Other Announcements:
What’s on Tap This Week & Next Week:
Koinonia:
Walkabout:
The Tuesday on Wednesday:
Upcoming Events:
Monthly Mission/Service:
Monthly Fun:
Links: (these are pdf documents requiring Acrobat Reader)
Help Needed-Students:
Help Needed-Parents:
Please let Marcus know if you can help in any of these ways.
Devotional:
May God be glorified in all we do!