LAKESIDE STAFF

Pastor ...............Rev. Mark Rickman Music Director .............. Jason Grife Pianist ..................... Corie MelaughMedia ............................ Don Taylor Youth Director ..........Lauryn Schmitt Youth Director ............ Lanc Schmitt Admin. Assistant ...........Randy Rice Nursery Attendant ...Patsy KouhdariNursery Attendant ....Deanna Bond

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF

LAKESIDE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH2925 NW 66th Street

OKC, OK 73116405-843-5777

email: lakesideumc@coxinet.netweb: lakesideumcokc.ning.com

The LAKESIDER January 2013

This Sunday, December 30th, our Sunday worship service will be a Covenant Service, a service of worship dating back to our founder, John Wesley. Wesley’s ministry, and, eventually our denomina-tion, grew from his earnest desire to live a life of passionate faith and rigorous self-examination. While at Oxford, he began, along with his brother, Charles, meeting in small groups for study of Scripture, celebration of Communion, and disciplined devotion. This Holy Club was referred to derisively by others as Methodists, a name which stuck.The Covenant Service became an integral part of early Methodist life. They were observed on various occasions in the beginning, but it eventually became the practice to observe it as a Watchnight Service on New Year’s Day or on a Sunday nearest. Because of a common human impulse to make various resolutions at the be-ginning of a new year, the Covenant Service became a means of reminding persons that our growth in grace is not so much the result of human resolve as it is the grace and power of God.In his Journal, Wesley wrote the following entry for January 1, 1775: “We had a larger congregation at the renewal of the Covenant than we have had for many years; and I do not know that ever we had a greater blessing. Afterwards many desired to return thanks, either for a sense of pardon, for full salvation, or for a fresh manifes-tation of His grace, healing all their backslidings.”Please join with other Lakeside brothers and sisters this Sunday and participate in this moving service of renewal and commit-ment.

– Mark

SKYLINE NEWS

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m PLACES IN THE HEART– COOKSON HILLS ACQUIRES BUILDING By Holly McCray

A sheriff’s auction on Oct. 10 landed a large building to expand the ministry of Cookson Hills Mission Center in eastern Oklahoma.

The purchase is an astonishing conclusion to a stalled capital campaign to replace the mis-sion’s deteriorating main building. Fund-raising began five years ago.

Standing in the foreclosed restaurant as the auction began were missionary Meri Whitaker, Cookson Hills board member Mike Wiley, and attorney Lloyd Cole of Stilwell-First UMC.

A bank outbid the board and won the auction. "I think Meri was near tears," Rev. Wiley said. "I assumed we lost."

He explained the board "had set a funding limit. I felt God had another plan for us if we didn’t get it."

But then the bank representative approached Wiley after the gavel came down. The man of-fered the property to Cookson Hills for $340,000, the board’s high bid.

"It was all good feelings," Wiley said. "The banker understood we were an entity with a mis-sion. Now [the building is] going to serve the community and really give Cookson Hills the footprint they need."

Recent Federal funding cuts have reduced prod-ucts available to the Regional Food Bank. Skyline is now having to purchase these items directly from grocery stores at higher prices.

Next time you go shopping please pick up extra supplies of these items and bring them by the Community Cupboard at 701 NW 8th Street.

CURRENT SHORTAGES: Canned Meats Canned Fruit Canned Soup Peanut Butter

Peas Dried Milk

CURRENT SURPLUSES:

Applesauce, Green beans

GROCERY SACKS: Please save and donate your plastic grocery sacks.

(405) 236-5212 · skylineurbanministry.org

NEWTOWN TRAGEDY

The Rev. Mel Kawakami, senior pastor of Newtown Unit-ed Methodist Church, has the difficult duty of shepherd-ing his flock through the anguish of the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.Two 7-year-olds from the congregation were among the 20 children and six adults who were killed Dec. 14 in the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School.Kawakami: It’s too much to have an expectation about tomorrow that when all the news trucks drive away and the president leaves … that the pain is going to go away … that’s a critical part of being the church … we provide that place where people can come with that pain.Today, in worship, we had people who, on Friday (at the Sandy Hook Elementary School) were holed up in closets, holding on to each other, thinking that that was their last moment. We had people splattered with blood. We had the sister of one of the victims who came today … she wanted to come to church.The church is that place where, with God’s help, the heal-ing presence of Christ, and the Holy Spirit at work … where healing can happen, or, at least, begin to happen.

JANUARY BIRTHDAYS Linda Coffman ....................... 01 Bob Prest ............................... 01 Jack Andrews ......................... 02 Ava Roberson ........................ 10 Barbara Burke ........................ 15 James Aikman ........................ 19 Nick Schmitt .......................... 20 Lauryn Schmitt ...................... 28 Heather Thompson ................ 30

Please contact A.M. Nowlin with prayer requests and updates.(843-6811) or

Use prayer request card located in sanctuary seat back

Shirley JamesRebecca Hemme

JoAnn Willingham (sister of Mary Ellen Cromwell) Jim and Judy Prophater

Donita Peterson Sylvia Frank

Christel Murdock Ken ApplebyLinda Hoog

Maybelle Fisher & daughter, FrancisJeanna Wooldridge & husband

PRAYER REQUESTS

Children’s Christmas Program “THE GREAT DEBATE” Sunday, December 9, 2012

The youth group would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year in 2013. The youth has had a wonderful holiday season sharing what is most impor-tant to us and the reason for the season.

Happy Holidays!

We went to see the lights in Yukon, ice skating at the Devon ice rink, and spent quality time in fellowship. We would also like to thank everyone for their continuous support of the Lakeside Youth Group!

45 UNITED METHODISTS IN DIVERSE CONGRESS

WASHINGTON (UMNS) — Forty-five United Methodists will serve in the 113th United States Congress, three fewer than in the 112th. The new Congress, which will convene on Jan. 3, 2013, will be the most religiously diverse in the nation’s history with the first Hindu in either chamber, the first Buddhist in the Senate and the first member describing her religion as “none.”

Meeting N

eeds Making D

isciples Making a D

ifference To all of you at Lakeside Methodist Church, my family, Caden (6), Cameron (4) and I, Megan Cavnar, want to thank you for pledging towards our electric bill to OG&E. We can’t express our gratitude. We hope to continue to “pay it for-ward.” Thank you for your kindness. God Bless you all! Megan Cavnar

COMING INFEBRUARY

Thank you for helping me withmy utility bill. Ellen Shadid

Just about everyone agrees that The United Methodist Church needs to draw more people and younger people to reverse decades of declining membership in the United States. Add to the list the need to bring more people of color into the United Methodist fold.That was an overarching theme of a Nov. 29 – Dec. 1 meeting hosted by the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race. The gathering, called “Appreciative Inquiry Summit: Chang-ing the Conversation on Race in the UMC,” brought together about 110 clergy and lay people to exchange ideas about how to help nourish vital, multicultural congregations in the United States and around the globe. Participants included church leaders from Africa, Europe and the Philip-pines as well as the United States. Much of the discussion centered on a provocative statement by the Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr., professor of church leadership and director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wes-ley Theological Seminary in Washington. Erin Hawkins said in her closing comments at the summit. “This is not just about the survival of the church but a fulfillment of the mandate of Christ,” she said. “We’re not just trying to save the church. But we’re trying to offer a way forward so that we’re faithful proponents of the gos-pel of Jesus Christ.”

Ethnic Diversity Critical to Church Future

9:30 am - Sunday Schl 10:45 am - Worship, COMMUNION

9:30 am - Sunday Schl 10:45 am - Worship Noisy Offering

9:30 am - Sunday Schl 10:45 am - Worship, COMMUNION

9:30 am - Sunday Schl 10:45 am - Worship

7:00 pm AA

6:00 pm-Bells Prac.7:00 pm-Choir Prac.

6:00 pm-Bells Prac.7:00 pm-Choir Prac.

6:00 pm Bells Prac.7:00 pm Choir Prac.

6:00 pm Bells Prac.7:00 pm Choir Prac.

8:30 am - 11:00 am Church Planning Retreat. Breakfast by Pastor Mark.

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Sunday Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

6:00 pm-Bells Prac. 7:00 pm-Choir Prac.7:00 pm - AA

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5:00 pm Youth Group

5:00 pm Youth Group

5:00 pm Youth Group

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GREETERS AND USHERS

Following is the schedule for the next two months:

January – Joy Class February – Disciple Class

5:00 pm Youth Group

2013

7:00 pm - AA

.RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

LAKESIDE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 2925 NW 66th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73116

The Feast of the Epiphany, marking the end of the 12 Days of Christmas, is Sun-day, Jan. 6, in 2013. Epiphany -- which is variously known as Theophany, Three Kings Day and El Dia

de los Tres Reyes -- is a Christian celebration of the revelation of the birth of Jesus to the wider world. This is embodied most in the story of the wise men visiting a newborn Jesus with gifts, found in the Gospel of Matthew 2:1-12. In this story, Magi (wise men) from the east follow a star to Jerusalem, where they ask the presiding king, Herod, what he knows about a newly born "King of the Jews." This sounds like a challenge to Herod, who gathers his priests to learn where and who is this king. They relay a prophecy that Mes-siah will be born in Bethlehem, and Herod sends the Magi there, saying: "Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." The wise men eventually find Mary and her son, Jesus, to whom they bow and worship. The Magi give Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and then return home, for a dream told them to bypass Herod. While Roman Catholic and Protestant Christianity focuses on the story of the Magi, Eastern Christians, like the Greek Orthodox, celebrate the baptism of Jesus on Epiphany and consider the day to be more important than Christmas.