THE CIRCUIT RIDER

Preparing for

Worship In July

July 6

Holy Communion

“Understanding Scripture”

Acts 8:26-39

Pastor Glenna preaching

July 13

“Tapestry of Tradition”

John 5:1-5

Pastor Glenna preaching

July 20

“Loving God

With Your Mind”

Mark 18:28-31

Pastor Glenna preaching

July 27

“Transforming Experience”

Acts 9:1-19

Pastor Glenna preaching

Dear Friends,

This month’s article is one of celebration and thanksgiving; celebration for the creative work of ministry that is ongoing at Hope UMC and thanksgiving for being re-appointed as your Pastor another year. Some recent celebrations and highlights include the transformation of the sanctuary for a beach party, complete with palm trees and pink flamingoes as the staff prepared for Vacation Bible School. If you were in attendance on June 22, you experienced the energy and enthusiasm of the youth who participated in the program. The music was upbeat and conveyed a wonderful message pointing to the “Be-Attitudes” of being obedient, being kind, being forgiving, being bold and believing. Thank you to everyone who supported the program and we look forward to another celebration next year!

We have some new ministries to celebrate with the addition of our Pet Ambassador Fitzwilliam who visits members and friends confined to area nursing homes. The healing art of pet therapy is well documented and I have personally witnessed the healing touch and joy that Fitzwilliam brings to others as he makes his rounds. All God’s creatures have a purpose in creation and Fitzwilliam certainly knows his.

The PQ’s are another new ministry that sews lap quilts to those in need of comfort and support during difficult times. Members gather to hand tie the quilts and sign a prayer blessing that will be included with each quilt that is delivered. We will be blessing three quilts during worship on June 29.

As these new ministries begin to flourish, I want to invite others to be creative, experiment and explore how their spiritual gifts can be used in new ways.

I mentioned earlier, I am thankful that Bishop Jung has re-appointed me as your Pastor. This past year has been one filled with joy as Marty and I have been embraced by this congregation, and made to feel at home. We continue to be greeted with incredible hospitality and have made many new friends. We give thanks to you and are grateful to be a part of a community of faith that loves God with Heart, Mind and Spirit.

Blessings,

Pastor Glenna

* * * * *

A Word From Darlene

July is here!!! I can't believe it; it seems like summer just started. I am happy that the Sunday school program is continuing to run through the summer. I enjoy working with all of the children. They give me something to look forward to, and I enjoy there company. I wanted to thank the church for making me fell so loved and special and welcoming me into the church family. I want to thank all of you who have continued to help me with the Sunday school program, and with getting the Sunday school room set up and prepared. And thank you to all of those who have steeped up and volunteered to help me during class time. It fells wonderful to have such a support system. ~Darlene Kloc, Children’s Sunday School Teacher~

Summer Sermon Series

A four part sermon series based on the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral” takes place in July.

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is a methodology for theological reflection that is credited to John Wesley, founder of The United Methodist Church. “Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumed by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason.” (The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church-2004. p. 77).

Each week will be complete on its own; attendance throughout the sermon series will enhance the experience. Pastor Glenna will be available in the Choir Classroom after each service for questions and discussion.

The series begins July 7 and will be completed on July 28.

Hope Notes

Please keep bringing your aluminum cans to church. We have collected a little over $100.00. It is going for the Christmas stockings and for Easter for Boomer's kids and also for supplies for the Bag Ladies.

The church office is always in need of used ink cartridges. The office supply stores have changed their policies and now accept only name-brand (Dell, HP, and Epson) cartridges. These cartridges can be redeemed at office supply stores for paper and other supplies we need to run our office. Please leave used cartridges in Roberta’s mailbox.

Volunteers are needed to clean our church. Please continue to sign up on the Volunteer Schedule which is in the Housekeeping mailbox. The job description is also available in the mailbox. Call Linda Hess for more information. Volunteers are also needed to mow the lawn. The sign-up clipboard is located below the housekeeping board.

Rides To Church: We would like to establish a listing of persons who are willing to give some of our members who no longer drive a ride to church. If you can offer your assistance, please leave your name in the church office. We will then give your name to the individuals who are in need of this ministry.

Summer Special Music Needed – See Cheryl Foster to sign up.

The United Methodist Men – sponsored “Youth Nights,” which have been held on the first and third Saturdays of the month, will be taking the rest of the summer off and resuming on September 20.

Attention Ladies! Church Women United will be meeting at the Golden Corral on West Jefferson Street on Friday, July 10, at 12:30 p.m. No RSVP is necessary. All are invited to attend.

Vacation Bible School

Many, many thanks are expressed to all the wonderful volunteers who helped to make this year’s VBS a rousing success! Fourteen children attended, and by all accounts, they had a wonderful time. When you see any of the following people, please extend your thanks to them, as well!

Arts and Crafts:

Leader- Carrie Becker

Helpers: Carol Becker, Gail Martin, Vickie Martin

Bible Story Tellers:

Leaders: Boomer and Joan Crotty

Discovery Center:

Leader: Sue Wietlispach

Music:

Pastor Glenna

Helper: Nancy Mitchell

Publicity:

Pat Michalik

Snack Time:

Leader: Linda Hess

Helper: Barb Denk

Recreation Time:

Leader: Trish Nash

Rotating Helpers throughout the day, all stations:

Tori Larmon, Andre Hunter, Judy Sohr,

Sharon Becker, Wanda Mattix

Children’s Sunday School Mission Project.

The Vacation Bible School and our Weekly Children’s Sunday School will be collecting and donating their offering toward the “Nothing But Nets” campaign throughout the summer months. “Nothing But Nets” is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. $10 will go toward the purchase of one net. This project is part of The Advance #982015. For more information log on to: www.NothingButNets.net.

New Group Starting – the PQ’s

We are starting a new group. We are called the PQ'S. The PQ stands for Pray Quilt. We are going to be making lap quilts for people in our church who are sick, going into a nursing home, are maybe just really going through some very hard times and needs extra prayers. Before we give the quilt to the person, Pastor Glenna will bless it during worship and we will give a prayer with the quilt. We need help from everyone. We will need COTTON FABRIC and the BATTING to make the quilts. If it would be easier for you to donate cash to PQ, we will buy the supplies. Any way that you could help PQ would be wonderful. If you have any questions talk to Linda.

Mission in Our Community

The Joliet Cluster has a new project! We will be supporting the Ridgewood United Community Pantry, an outreach ministry of Trinity United Methodist Church, located in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Joliet. In July, we will be gathering 5-lb. bags of rice and plastic bottles of cooking oil. Please place them in the blue bin in the narthex, and many thanks to you for your assistance.

Haiti Mission Program and Potluck

On Sunday, July 29th Josefina Kaller, R.N., wife of Rev. David Keller, Pastor of Ingalls Park United Methodist Church will be giving a DVD program of their Medical Mission trip to Haiti. They are participants in the U.M. Church's Volunteers in Mission. The program will start at 11 A.M. for 1/2 hour. There will be a potluck after the program serving approximately at 11:40 A.M. The United Methodist Women will meet briefly after our Sunday service to discuss our next program and to collect pledge cards. See Florence if you have questions.

Our 50^th Anniversary

Calling all persons who are willing to begin planning our church’s 50^th anniversary celebration. Jesse Walker Methodist church was chartered in June, 1959. Many changes have happened since that time: A permanent structure was built. The Methodist Church and the United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church. And - Jesse Walker UMC was renamed Hope UMC. We have many reasons to celebrate; it’s up to you to decide how this will happen. Please give serious thought as to how you will take part in planning this event. Submit your name to the church office.

Bishop to Visit Local Churches

In January 2008, Bishop Hee-Soo Jung announced a commitment to visit every local church in the Northern Illinois Conference. The Bishop will schedule visits by targeting clusters. During the day the Bishop will travel from church to church in the cluster, meeting with laity and pastors to pray, listen, and share the work of the local church. In the evening a cluster-wide gathering is planned where food, fellowship, and conversation will continue.

Bishop Jung will reserve over 60 days during the next two years to complete this commitment. Through this encounter with the grass roots of the conference, Bishop Jung will witness the strengths and needs of local churches first hand, offering his encouragement and the resources of the conference.

While a date and time have not yet been set for the Joliet Cluster, it is anticipated that the Bishop’s visit will take place in the fall of 2008.

Those Who Serve	July 6 Holy Communion	July 13	July 20	July 27
Liturgist	Boomer Crotty	Dennis Mattix	Jacqui Slaughter	Cheryl Foster
Greeter	Arlene Campagna	Russell Mitchell	Dennis Mattix	Marty Olumstad
Host	Carole Blackwell	Jana Knight	Joan Crotty	Harriet Luce
SS Helper	Wanda Mattix	TBA	TBA	TBA
Acolyte	Matt Kaspar or Dominic Larmon	Matt Kaspar or Dominic Larmon	Matt Kaspar or Dominic Larmon	Matt Kaspar or Dominic Larmon
Offering Counters	Carole Blackwell & Boomer Crotty	Carole Blackwell & TBA	Carole Blackwell & Harriet Luce	Carole Blackwell & Carol Becker
Communion Steward	Jill Genge

"There was a sign at the station near

by my house that said, 'We take Visa,

Mastercard, Discover Card, and

American Express.'” After I filled up

they took my Visa, Master Card, my

Discover Card, and my American

Express." --Jay Leno