Rounabout Our Church Life

[GUMC Guam United Methodist Church]

Dear Friends and Family:

 

Habitat for Humanity.  As a denomination, we are positive in what HFH does to help deserving families own a house. Thousands of UMC local churches support this worthwhile endeavor.  While the number of houseless by the hundreds of thousands in the U.S. and the islands they have a jurisdiction (like Guam) over, a charitable organization like HFH helps to alleviate shortage of housing even just a little bit, so others might own a home.  But it is more than providing a place to live for a family. To the benificiary family, it is increasing self-esteem, teaching and owning responsibility, and a family pride that goes just by owning a home.

 

The Habitat for Humanity brings the best in the community as they work together across religious lines, people of all ages, business establishments, schools, government officials, and of course, numerous Christian churches without any group claiming monopoly of goodness.

 

Our Guam UMC is fielding three teams.  If I am not mistaken, we could have four teams at this Friday Quiz Night!  The last team formed is composed of Wayne K., Naomi and Pastor Fred, Jil, Candy, and Arron. All members of our congregation.

 

Helping the Boy and Girl Scout movement, Habitat for Humanity, Prison Ministry, Erica's House, need not be a once-a-year help where we support the quiz night or go to their garage sales. You could give to our offering plate on a Sunday morning and have them designated as you wish.  You could support our ongoing interest in the rehabilitation project in Haiti, ministry to HIV/AIDS infected individuals, Native American Ministries, and those going to seminary to serve our local churches.

 

However, we need to be reminded that we have an apriori financial commitment to support our own budget to reflect our unique mission and ministry to the world and to our Guam community.  The budget takes care of our operating expenses, salary of our staff, payment of utilities, taking care of the monthly amortization as our building is not fully paid yet.  The Apportionment system of the United Methodist Church, a monthly contribution we remit to our conference, guarantees that we are in mission and ministry beyond the shores of Guam, deal with international issues and concerns in our behalf, provide scholarship to our own young people as an investment toward the leadership of the future. Through the Apportionment system we are able to train, deploy, and support missionaries whether they are in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, rural midwest, inner cities of New York Los Angeles, San Francisco, ministry to the ever-growing Hispanic population, and find new ways to share the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ to all.

 

Lately, we have shown a great interest in helping the pension plan of UMC pastors in many countries.  They don't have a pension plan or very little to fall back on after serving 30 or 40 years and more. Pastors in Sierra Leon and Zimbabwe etc.,could be receiving no more than $10.00 a month (yes, $10.00) as their monthly pension when they retire.  Part of the income of Cokesbury Publishing House now go to the Central Conference Fund to support UMC pastors from these countries, including the Philippines. Conference and local churches are encourage to include in their giving the plight of our pastors who are placed in the various ministry contexts often putting their own life at risks in our name as well. Let them not worry too much knowing when they retire, they have something to help them. Hopefully more than $15.00 per month. Let us worry for them, they need us. They are our own UMC pastors only assigned outside the United States. You can help by giving to this Fund.  

 

New Members.  Benjamin and Helen Addie are joining our church this Sunday, the 18th of April.  They have come to us from San Diego UMC and have participated fully in the life of our church for months now.  They attend regularly our fellowship time. Ben is in the choir, and Helen opens up to me what we might want to see things differently; valuable suggestions.  Both attended our Prayer Vigil last Good Friday night.  Please approach those who are regularly attending our church life and offer the value and need to be counted as church members.  There is always a place for committed members in this church.

 

Friday Study Fellowship. It meets every Friday night, studies the Bible and other subjects and issues, and enjoys fellowship for those who are in attendance. We are meeting at the home of Lydia Villena till the month of May (477-3269).

 

For the months of April and May, Friday Study group will be studying Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. Bishop Robert Schanase of the Missouri Area studied hundreds of congregations, consulted with experts, and found that the following, when actually practiced and applied in their own local church context, brings fruitfulness and growth in the local church. Caveat, it is not just to study or reflect or pray about it, the key here is practiced.  Like the book, the Acts of the Apostles.  The praxis of the apostles, the work actually done by the apostles. And so we pray, wish, study, reflect, and gather around this wonderful idea, resource study.  But we need to work, apply, practice, do what it says.  Here they are:

      1.  Radical Hospitality

      2.  Passionate Worship

      3.  Intentional Faith Development

      4.  Risk-Taking Mission and Service

      5.  Extravagant Generosity

 

I encourage that you join or start a new group where you will be more comfortable, fits your schedule as you seek God's Spirit in your life.  We have so many resources available for us to use.

 

Karen and I will be attending Hawaii District Conference on the 24th of April.  It is an opportunity to say farewel to our D.S., the Rev. Dr. Woongmin Kim and thank him for his numerous visits and consultation as to how we could enhance our ministry.  He is going to take an appointment in the Los Angeles area which is a start-up church.  He is requesting that instead of gifts given to him personally as a token of appreciation to his service to Hawaii District that includes churches in Saipan and Guam, donation be given to initially fund this new ministry.

 

In Christ,

 

Pastor Fred

 

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