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APRIL

2014 8:45 a.m. Traditional Worship Service

10:00 a.m. Sunday School (all ages) 10:45 a.m. Contemporary Worship Service

JOIN US FOR WORSHIP AND BRING A FRIEND!

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Apr. 6 “Forgiving the Unforgiveable” Luke 23:34

Holy Communion

The last in our series “Praying Like Jesus”

Apr. 13 PALM SUNDAY

10:00 A.M. - ONE COMBINED SERVICE

Choir Cantata: “Where Love & Mercy Meet” by Marty Parks

9:00 A.M. - Sunday School for All Ages

Apr. 17 MAUNDY THURSDAY

7:00 P.M. “A Night to Remember”

Apr. 18 GOOD FRIDAY 7:00 P.M. “The Seven Last Words”

Apr. 20 EASTER

7:00 A.M. - Sonrise Service

7:45 A.M. - Easter Breakfast

“Resurrection: Does It Make a Difference?”

8:45 A.M. - Traditional Worship

10:45 A.M. - Contemporary Worship

10:00 A.M. - Sunday School for All Ages

April 27 PRESCHOOL SUNDAY

Please join us as our Christ UMC Preschool & Pre-K students

provide special music & join us in worship!

Don Burns & The Christ UMC Puppets will share the message!

PASTOR ALICE WOLFE The Word of the Month: “HOPE”

After recently conducting a funeral for someone who lost hope, I am reminded of how desperately we all need hope. A number of years ago, I tried to counsel a woman who had no hope and wanted to end her life. As I listened to her story (estranged from most of her family, alone, few friends, hated her job, etc.), I struggled to help her find hope—because in her earthly life, it seemed pretty hopeless, even to me. Unfortu-nately, no matter how much I encouraged her, she would not turn to Jesus for hope. Apart from Jesus, we cannot have lasting hope.

A number of years ago, I expe-rienced a time when I lost hope—in everything except Jesus. It was the most horrible and painful time of my life, but I clung to my hope in Jesus —and by God’s grace, Jesus brought me healing and re-stored my hope.

In this life, we face all sorts of painful and challenging strug-gles and circumstances, and we may be tempted to lose hope and give up. But as long as we have Jesus, we have hope. If Jesus overcame sin and death, he can help us overcome anything we face in our lives—as long as we trust and follow him. If Jesus was raised from the dead, then we, too, can be raised to new and ever-lasting life—and have a chance to hope for a new and better life, in this world and in the world to come.

Easter and every Sunday (since every Sunday should be a mini-Easter) are signs of hope—

Hope that death is not the final victor.

Hope that this world is not all there is.

Hope that when we put our faith and trust in Christ Jesus,

we will see again our loved ones who put their faith and trust in Jesus.

Hope that no matter how bad things are, this world and

its struggles are only temporary.

Hope that God can bring good out of all circumstances

for those who love the Lord and are called according to God’s purposes.

As long as we have Jesus, we have hope!

If you are struggling to find hope, or if you know of someone who is, turn to Jesus and ask him to restore your hope. Read and pray over the following verses—that God might remind you of your hope—in this world and the next.

Hoping with and praying for you!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13, NIV)

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!

His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh

each morning. I say to myself, “The

LORD is my inheritance; therefore,

I will hope in him.” (Lam 3:22-24, NLT)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth

into a living hope through the resurrection of

Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an in-

heritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for

you… (1 Pet. 1:3-5, NIV)

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace

in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffer-

ings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured

out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

(Rom 5:1-5, NIV)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

(Heb. 10:23, NIV)

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him,

and so your faith and hope are in God. (1 Pet. 1:21, NIV)

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason

for the hope that you have... (1 Pet. 3:15, NIV)

And from the Gaither’s song, “Because He Lives”:

Because he lives I can face tomorrow. Because he lives all fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because he lives.

KRISTY SCHOOLER Prayer Ministry O taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the man who trusts in Him. (Psalm 34:8)

When I was a child, I learned to cook and bake at my Grandma Ellwood’s elbow. I thought she was the best cook in the entire world (and she probably was)! She made everything from scratch, of course. Box mixes were not good enough for HER family…only the best and fresh-est ingredients were used in her creations. I used to watch her carefully mix in each ingredient, anticipating the first taste, as I was always permitted to lick the batters. The silky batter on my tongue was a foretaste of what was to come when the delicious cake came out of the oven. (Cookies, pies, cobblers were all special treats at Grandma’s, but there was just something divine about her cakes.) Mmmmmm, melt in your mouth delicious, were

my grandma’s cakes!

It’s been many years since I’ve eaten the batter while wait-ing for one of Grandma’s cakes, but the taste of it and the yearning for it are still on my tongue. Grandma went home to be with her beloved Lord some twenty years ago. And it all reminds me of another taste that fills me with longing for heaven ~ the taste of joy.

His joy comes to me here in a brilliant sunset, in Becka’s giggle, in Blake’s hug, in a chorus or symphony, in my friends’ smiles, in a flower’s scent. I can’t summon it; I can’t hold on to it; I can only receive it as a foretaste of what God is preparing for me in my real home…my heavenly home…all because of what Jesus did for me. He did it for you, too.

Keep praying and praising, Kristy

As the calendar turns to spring and summer, our thoughts turn to work camp and other seasonal mission opportunities. We continue to support UMCOR (United Methodist Commit-tee on Relief) which gives 100% of collected funds to various areas of need! We have also used a portion of Coins For Missions to support the Empty Bowl project and the “$5 on the 5th” program during the last few months. We will also take our youth to work with Jackson Area Ministries this sum-mer to help build a house. We have established a wonderful working relationship with Reverend Bob Davis, who is the coordinator for this ministry. If you are interested in support-ing this ministry please review the following: “Jackson Area Ministries” Advance #19443 Background/ History: Jackson Area Ministries was a creation of a merger between Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren denominations in 1968. At the time, Jackson County had 30 congregations divided between the two denominations. Jack-son County, OH was designated (and continues to be) Appa-lachian, possessing traditional socio eco/cultural/theological characteristics of that region. County United Methodist con-gregations bonded to confront the problems of poverty and congregational issues. The goals and vision was and is to create ministries and programs that through cooperation could alleviate long-term conditions plaguing our area. HISTORIC CONDITIONS: In 1969, Jackson County had lim-ited employment opportunities, above state average poverty percentage, large families living in substandard housing, and few public or private organizations committed to improving conditions. Since 1969, conditions have improved. Employ-ment opportunities have expanded with two additional em-ployers. However, incomes remain near minimum wage. Several public and private housing units have appeared, but with 1-2 year waiting lists. Four Habitat for Humanity chap-ters are now in operation. Senior Citizen organizations, RSVP, etc. have been formed. County congregations have created ecumenical food pantries. CURRENT CONDITIONS (NEEDS): Currently, for our re-gion, the socio-economic environment, while improving, re-mains chronic. There is limited potential for youth and fami-

lies to secure a “good/career” opportunity. Despite active Habitat for Humanity chapters, access to affordable homes remains a remote possibility. UM congregations are signifi-cantly fewer in number (30 in 1968, and 11 in 2012) with the congregational attitude being one of “survival,” due to the in-creasing cost of leadership. Current economic conditions threaten food pantries, which are beyond their capacity to respond. With the addition of a hospital and numerous clinics, access to health care has significantly improved. JAM'S 43-year history has brought credibility/acceptance throughout our region/state. “Missions” in Appalachian Ohio is no longer a “lesser” option of mission service. We started in one county evolving into a 19-county regional mission, with several minis-tries expanding beyond Appalachian Ohio. In 1972, a vegeta-ble garden project was launched with 2,011 helping establish-ing 3,969 gardens. We anticipate that this ministry will exceed 5,000 gardens in 2012. Recently developed were “pantry” gardens with crops distributed through food pantries. During the past quadrennial, JAM has constructed a debt-free office storage complex, which will result in new ministries. Youth/adult summer work camping program annually brings an estimated 500 persons to our area, providing needed vol-unteer services. Focus is now on home repairs and accessi-bility issues with emphasis on handicap ramps. Our history and reputation enables us to become a collaborator of ser-vices/ideas within the public/private world. (Example: Home-less Task Force was initiated.) In 2010, a temporary home for a single mother and three children was constructed. In 2011, Athens area tornado led us to construct a 1200’ sq. ft. home for the family. These two events are causing JAM to consider developing an affordable housing ministry. May we continue to live out our faith, praying that God leads and guides us into the mission field! ‘Your kingdom come around and through and in me; Your power and glory, let them shine through me; Your Hallowed name, O may I bear with honor, And may Your living Kingdom come in me. The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor, And may You feed a hungry world through me!”

WAID RADFORD Message from Missions

Historian: An Early History of Baltimore & Methodism

When pioneers settled along the banks of Pawpaw and Walnut Creeks in the early 1800’s, bands of Delaware and Wyandotte Native Americans (Indians) still roamed the area. There was a fort in nearby Pleasant Township where women and children were sent when the Native Americans were on the rampage. Records indicate that those early settlers were supportive of each other in ways that were reminiscent of the early church following Pentecost.

The population grew slowly because there were no easily accessible markets. Farm produce was hard to sell at any price, and manufactured goods were costly. What was needed was better transportation.

Early Ohio political leaders had discussed the lack of transportation problems for twenty years before the deci-sion was made to construct canals connecting Lake Erie and the Ohio River. The one which came through this area was the Erie and Ohio Canal. The Indians were mostly gone by 1823, when the Ohio canal system was being sur-veyed. Once the survey was completed, enterprising peo-ple began to lay out towns along the proposed right-of-way.

Initially the town which is now Baltimore was four plotted parcels of land. (Baltimore, Basil, Rome & Mayne City which never functioned as a town.) The eastern part was laid out and registered as “New Market” in Fairfield County records in December, 1824, but was later called “New Bal-timore” by 1829. In 1828, lots were offered for sale in the area north of the canal route in a town known as “Rome.” It soon became a part of Baltimore. This area is on both sides of Main Street north of the railroad, and is known as “Romeside” today. Most of the settlers to the Baltimore area were from Virginia.

The plan for Basil, which is the western part of Baltimore today, was placed on the county records in early 1825. Most of the folks who settled in Basil were of Swiss origin. Pawpaw Creek, just east of today’s post office, was the dividing line between Baltimore and Basil.

The first digging on the canal, which would eventually solve some of the transportation problems in Ohio, was held on July 4, 1825, in Heath. That beginning had a great influence in the towns of Baltimore and Basil. Soon, hard-working, hard-drinking men were building locks and dig-ging the canal or working on other structures in the area. There was a considerable drop from Canal Road to South Basil Street creating the possibility of water power. Busi-nesses soon developed along the canal; businesses in-cluding grain mills, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, stores, saloons, and the best dry dock anywhere along the canal. The first canal boat came through Baltimore in 1831.

As in much of the fast growing frontier at the time, there was urgent need for Christian decency. Methodist Circuit Riders had established “classes” in the area at least 26 years before one of those groups built a small brick church in 1829 at the corner of what is now Mulberry and Granville Streets. As the population of the towns grew, so did the attendance in the Methodist Church, and in 1837, during the heyday of the canal, they built a new larger framed church building on the same location.

Because the settlers of the two towns had different back-grounds and later because of competition for trade along the canal, there were bad feelings between some of the citizens of Basil and Baltimore. In 1898, a group of Meth-odists in Basil purchased the abandoned Bright’s Evange-listic Church five miles west of town and moved it to the corner of what is now Market and Oak Streets. It pros-pered for about fifty years, but attendance had become low in the early 1960’s. The Baltimore Methodist congregation continued to grow, and they built a third church on the same location of Mulberry & Granville Streets, which was ready for use in 1902.

Because transportation by the railroads and the National Trail were faster, available year-round, and went to more locations, canal traffic dwindled in the second half of the 1800’s. More of the canal was destroyed by the flood of 1913, and no effort was made to restore it.

In 1917 the dividing line between the two towns was moved to the center of Union Street so a new school could be built straddling that line and would serve both communi-ties. Forty years later, after much discussion, legislation, and legal action, the “Twin Cities” Baltimore and Basil, were united as Baltimore...and not “Baseball” as some wanted!

When Paul Lindsey, a friendly, outgoing, peacemaker of a minister was assigned to the two churches in 1959, he be-gan encouraging the Baltimore and Basil Methodists to unite. They did in 1963 with the understanding that togeth-er they would build a new church. This church was to have many of the facilities necessary for active congregational use, such as an educational unit worthy of a name, a larg-er sanctuary, a fellowship hall with a kitchen, a parlor, and offices. Finance and building committees were formed, a new facility was built, and Christ UMC opened in 1967.

During the 1990’s discussion of a Family Life Center be-gan, and in 2008, it was built.

A full house gathered at the Baltimore VFW Sunday, April 16, for the third annual Empty Bowls to raise funds for the Baltimore/Thurston Food Pantry and the Liberty Township Community Chest. People enjoyed a variety of homemade soups and cookies, bid on the silent auction items, and laughed at the banter as Doug Leith auctioned the big tick-et items. The initial tally is that this was another record-breaking year, and over $5,000 was raised to assist these agencies in supporting residents of our local community. We had an awesome gift basket of items showing the tal-ents and interests of our members. The basket contained: a building rental gift certificate donated by our trustees; a 2014 Craft Show Vendor Space gift certificate donated by Sharon Gates and Becky Ety; a gift certificate for 2 pounds of homemade noodles donated by The Noodlers; a Longhorn Steakhouse gift certificate donated by Dave & Jennifer Brookover; strawberry jelly and a gift certificate for 2 quarts of fresh strawberries from Jerry’s Berries do-nated by Jerry and Gayle McCreery; White Tea and Gin-

ger Beauty Items made and donated by Sharon Gates; jewelry made and donated by Becky Blackstone; a wood jewelry box made and donated by Dan Johnson; pecan rolls made and donated by Sharon Anderson; prayer shawl made and donated by Bernie Anderson; Easter Rib-bon Wreath made and donated by Barbara Holland; mild sweet salsa made and donated by Darcy Soliday; honey donated by Zale and Susan Maxwell; Avon Moisture Ther-apy donated by Diane Friesner; a Joyful Cooking church cookbook; and a picture frame. Thank you to everyone who supported Empty Bowls: those who came to eat soup and enjoy the afternoon event; Livia who served our chicken tortilla soup made by Melissa and paid for by the Rebecca Circle; Ruth and our youth group for busing the tables; Thom and Samantha McCreey of Estate Club Golf Course for donating a gift basket; Jim Keller for purchasing our church’s gift basket; and church members who contributed money to be for-warded to the agencies.

Now that we are starting to see signs that spring is finally here we have plans to work on the roofs and drainage problems around the church. We have a contractor we are talking to about putting in a new light at the welcome center. We are waving a white flag at the ants and have decided to get estimates for an exterminator to see if we can get the problem under control. We are also working on putting some new and additional signs around the church showing the various locations of the rooms, re-

MICHAEL DULIN Trustees

strooms, etc. May 17th has been established as the 2014 Spring cleanup day for the church and parsonage. All help would be appreciated!

Planning for this summer’s Vacation Bible School has be-gun! This year’s VBS will be held June 22 - 26 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at St. Michael’s UCC. We hope everyone will join us for “Weird Animals: Where Jesus’ Love is One-of-a-Kind.” VBS will be for children and youth ages 4 & up. We are already looking for volunteers for the following areas:

Crew Leaders & Assistants: You are responsible for leading a group of children to each activity and helping supervise. You do not have to prepare or teach any-thing.

Crafts: Lead a small group of children in completing each evening’s craft. Training and all materials will be provided.

Food: Lead a group of children in making each evening’s snack. Everything is provided for you.

Registration: Help parents and children sign in or sign up on their first even-ing. We will defi-nitely need peo-ple to help with this on Sunday and Monday.

As we get closer to the start of VBS, we will also be looking for donations for the crafts and snacks. Please watch the bulletin and newsletter for more information. If you are in-terested in helping or have any questions, please contact Barbara Huntwork at 740-862-6727 or barbarahunt-work@yahoo.com.

BARBARA HUNTWORK Vacation Bible School

EMPTY BOWLS 2014 Another Great Year!

ATTENDANCE & GIVING

JOE FARMER Administrative Council

MONTHLY ATTENDANCE

& GIVING 2/16 2/23 3/2 3/9 3/16

Attendance Traditional Service 116 128 86 108 131

Attendance Contemporary Service 34 51 44 45 47

Total Attendance (both services) 150 179 130 153 178

Total Giving (both services)

(including General Fund, & Stewardship) $6,002 $8,099 $4,755 $8,628 $5,972

Attendance Sunday School 38 62 49 53 62

Total Sunday School Giving $30 $84 $41 $51 $51

Coins for Missions (2014 Goal $2,000)

Total given to date: $545.88 $31.82 $56.75 $103.85 $30.35 $18.40

Mortgage Balance

Loan: $1,414,259.72 Monthly Payment: $7,773.11

The Administrative Council met February 24, 2014, to conduct the business of Christ Church. As we are asking all groups that meet, we began our meeting with a ten-minute Prayer Walk to reflect on and pray for the many venues and participants in and around the building here. During our meetings we stop for prayer a minimum of four times to seek God’s guidance and pray for the many ministries that take place here at Christ Church.

Currently the Administrative Council has five standing commit-tees and seven work areas. I will try to highlight one or two of the areas in this and future copies of the newsletter. This month I would like to share some information about our Trustees. The Trustees are led by Mike Dulin and has nine members. They are responsible for taking care of our church plant—including mainte-nance, contracts that concern our buildings, snow plowing and yard mowing, and day-to-day repairs. Their oversight also in-cludes the parsonage. If you have questions about what the Trus-

tees do just contact Mike or any one of the Trustees.

A couple of the items that were discussed at our meeting were the upcoming Prayer Retreat with Dr. Mulholland on March 21 and 22, the Resource Refocusing follow up meeting on March 9, approved additional members who will be serving as leaders in the church, and were updated on up-coming work camp activi-ties.

Well, that is just a brushstroke of what actions your Administra-tive Council took in February. If you have any question about the council activities, just get in touch with Pastor Alice or me.

Until next time, I will be praying for the many members of Christ Church and where God is leading us in our ministries to bring souls to his kingdom.

—Joe Farmer, Chair

Each year for the past 3 years the men’s group has offered

a free, simple car maintenance service to members of

CUMC and the Baltimore community as an outreach ser-

vice ministry.

While we have had the opportunity to serve some folks

each time, we believe there are many more that could ben-

efit from this service. We believe one reason for a light

turnout is the lack of communication. Therefore, we are

asking for the congregation’s help to get the word out to

anyone who would benefit from this service. Flyers are

available if you may know of a place to post one.

We offer basic maintenance checks to ensure vehicles are

operating in a safe mode and if not, make recommenda-

tions for what should be done. These maintenance checks

include:

Air pressure in tires

Tire wear

Engine belt wear

Fluid checks

Outside light functionality

Many local car supply companies have donated materials

to help us in our efforts to serve.

April Events

April 11-12 Youth Lock-in @ Baltimore church

April 26-27 Middle School mission trip

RUTH MCFARLAND Move: Youth Ministry

Join us on Sunday evenings

in the Family Life Center.

Again, we believe there are many folks who would benefit

from this ministry if they knew about it. It also allows us to

make those taking advantage of this service aware of the

worship and other ministries and activities at our church.

Please make it a matter of prayer to bring your car in if

you are not comfortable in checking these points, and to

pass the word along to others who may not currently be

attending CUMC or receive the newsletter.

If you have any questions or would like to help, please

leave word with Darcy in the office at 740-862-4343 or

contact Tim Lawlis at 740-862-8022.

TIM LAWLIS Car Care Saturday, April 19

GAYLE MCCREERY Good Neighbors in the Village Come and join us as we begin our Senior Citizens Volley-ball Tournament. All are welcome to play, or you can just

watch the Good Neighbors League as they compete in some friendly chair volleyball games. These games will run April through October. We will be trav-eling to Amanda, on April 9

th.

Remember that our lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. on that day, April 9

th. On April 16

th our game

is here in the Family Life Center

against the Center for Disabilities. All other Wednesday’s are practice games.

Don’t forget to join us here at Christ UMC in the Family Life Center for our free lunches every Wednesday. Invite your friends and neighbors.

These activities are sponsored by the Good Neighbors in the Village - a non-profit cooperative dedicated to the nur-ture of community in the Christian tradition.

—Gayle McCreery

CUMC NEWS

PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION

Christ UMC Preschool and Pre-K will begin accepting enrollment of chil-dren on April 7, at 9:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The child must be 3 years old and potty trained by Au-gust 1. Registration fee is $50.00 and is non-refundable. There is also a $25.00 supply fee due at the be-ginning of the school year. You will need to bring a birth certificate for proof of age. Contact Diane Friesner at 740-862-4343 for more infor-mation.

Send announcements and newsletter articles to the church office at office@christum-baltimore.com or put them in the secretary’s mailbox in the church office.

Bulletin: Wednesdays at noon

Newsletter : 3 p.m., April 16 for the May newsletter.

WORK-CAMP SUB SALES

The Youth/Work-Campers of Christ UMC will be selling Italian sub sand-wiches as a fundraiser to off-set ex-penses of materials fees for the Summer Work Camp project which will be June 14 through June 20 of this year. You may order your subs March 16 through March 30. There will be a flyer in the bulletin. Cost is $4.00 each, or 3 for $10.00.

The youth will be making the subs on Saturday, April 5, at 10:00 a.m. Your order may be picked up from 11:30 until noon on that day, or you may pick up your subs after the ser-vices on Sunday, April 6th. These subs will be individually wrapped for your convenience. Please note that there will be NO veggies included with the subs. Subs consist of bun, ham, pepperoni, salami and provolo-ne cheese.

Call Dan Johnson at 740-862-6120 if you would like more information.

SERMONS ON THE WEB

If you miss worship, want to listen to a sermon again, or want to rec-ommend a sermon to a friend, you may listen to the weekly sermons on our web site (www.christum-baltimore.com).

THE MASTER’S GARDENERS

NOODLERS SAVE THE DATE!

It's been a long, hard winter, Dave and Cookie Friesner have returned from their mis-sion work in Florida, and it’s time to make noodles. No experience is necessary to be a part of this team. Can you crank a handle? Can you walk to a table and lay a noodle strip on it to dry? Can you be a worker bee? Come join us as we make noodles, catch up on what everyone has been doing all winter, and hear about Cookie and Dave's Florida adventures while we experi-enced the winter storms passing through Ohio. The Noodlers will be making noodles in the fellowship hall kitchen Monday, April 7 through Thursday, April, 10. We'll start at 8 a.m. each morning and finish in the early afternoon. Come for all 4 days or only a portion of the time.

CAMPS & RETREATS

The West Ohio Conference (WOC) of the United Methodist Church invites you and your family and friends to join them for any of their many camps and retreats—and for an opportunity to Change Lives in God’s Great Outdoors!

The WOC Camps & Retreats offer

Year-round excitement for all ages

Great outdoor adventures

Life-changing spiritual growth

Children, youth, and adults can enjoy camps like:

Explorers Camp (shortened camp for beginners); Wilderness Explor-er Camp; Wilderness Night Owls; Explore God’s World; Rock, Raft, & Faith—Trip Camp; River Expedi-tion; M.A.D. Camp (Music, Art, Drama); Family Camp; and many more!

For more information, costs, loca-tions, and a complete listing of camps and retreats available, go to www.westohiocamps.org.

DEADLINES

The church gardeners will meet Satur-day, April 19, 10:00 a.m. in the Fellow-ship Hall for our 2014 season organiza-tional meeting. The church flower beds

are adopted and cared for on an as-needed, when-we-have-the-time basis. If you are interest-ed in helping care for the church landscaping or would like more infor-

mation about our gardening program, please plan to attend the April 19th meeting or call Louise Smith at 862-6018 or see me at church.

We thank everyone who helped with the Cattlemen’s Banquet February 22. The Boy Scouts of America Tar-hee Awards dinner was Saturday, March 29. This will be the third year they have had their awards dinner in our Family Life Center. The Fairfield County Master Gardeners are return-ing Saturday, April 5, for their “Dig Into Gardening” educational day. This event is open to the public, is held every other year, and includes speakers, vendors, Chinese Auction, and lunch. We'll be prepping and cooking Friday, April 4, and serving lunch Saturday. If you can help with either of these events, please contact Louise at 862-6018 or see her at church.

~ Melissa Bader, Cookie Friesner, Dana Hoisington, Tim Lawlis, Susan & Zale Maxwell, & Louise Smith

GOOD TIMERS

If you know of someone who may be interested in serving as the Praise Band Director for our contemporary worship services, Sundays at 10:45 a.m. then please direct them to the church website (www.christum-baltimore.com) for more information and an application.

EASTER LILIES

Thank you for all your Easter lily or-ders. These beautiful flowers will brighten up and beautify our sanctu-ary during the April Easter season as they remind us of our special bond with loved ones!

You’re invited to attend our Rebekah Circle Guest Night on May 5

th.

Cookie Friesner will share her expe-riences as a NOMADS Mission Vol-unteer. Cookie & Dave Friesner were intro-duced to the NOMADS in 2003 by Worth & Dottie Harman, and the Friesner’s have been volunteering on NOMADS projects since 2004. Retirement With A Purpose—NOMADS on a Mission Active in Divine Service. For more information on NOMADS, visit their web-page at www.nomadssumc.org. Save the date Monday, May 5

th at

7:00 p.m. and meet us in the Fellow-ship Hall. We will have refreshments and enjoy some socializing. Please RSVP by May 3

rd to Bonnie Simpson

by calling 740-862-8672, or send her an email to bsimpson005@columbus.rr.com.

REBEKAH CIRCLE

Are you looking for a great way to “give” that doesn’t cost you any mon-ey?? If so, mark your calendars for the next Blood Drive. It will be Mon-day, June 2

nd from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m.

in the Fellowship Hall. Christ Church has been recognized by the American Red Cross as a "Bronze Level" sponsor. Thank you to all past donors. Remember: “The need is constant and the gratification is instant”!! Sign up to donate in May at the Con-nection Center. —Denise Vandermark

UPCOMING BLOOD DRIVE

PRAISE BAND DIRECTOR

“Children are a blessing and a gift from The Lord”

(Psalm 127:3)

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for Preschool Sunday, April 27, at either the 8:45 or 10:45 A.M. wor-ship service to celebrate with the Christ UMC Preschool & Pre-K children and their families. The students will provide special music for us.

Reception: Following both services we will have a recep-tion in the fellowship hall. Please plan to come to welcome and get to know the preschool families.

Parking: Because we will not have enough parking spac-es for everyone to park in our parking lot, we are asking our regular members and attenders who are able to please park at the Liberty Union Elementary School. You are welcome to drop off others in your car at the church, and then drive to the school so only one person needs to be shuttled. We will have shuttle drivers available to shut-tle you between the church and the school.

We need YOUR help:

1) Adopt a Preschool Family: We still need people to adopt one or more preschool families. Select a family (from the sheets of labels on the table in the gathering area), place the label with email address on the card with the instructions, then pray for the family, invite them to Preschool Sunday, greet them when they come, and then continue to pray for them. This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to share God’s love with these families!

2) Shuttle drivers, parking attendants, and extra greet-ers: We need willing servants to help shuttle people be-tween the church and school before and after each ser-vice and Sunday school.

3) Refreshments: For the receptions after the worship services, we need juice and homemade cookies or muffins to help welcome our guests.

*TO HELP, please sign-up on the sign-up sheets in the gathering area. Contact the church office for more information.

CHRIST UMC Preschool Sunday, April 27

Women’s

Guest

Night

CELEBRATIONS & MORE CHURCH NEWS

APRIL BIRTHDAYS!

1 Alice Wolfe

3 Trace Kaluger, Lily Kalugar

4 Marc Miller,

6 Kathy Cozart, Dan Sayre

7 Zachariah Johnson, Dottie Simonton

8 Kip Crist

9 Cari Cooley, Kim Kilger

10 Jennifer Brookover, Claire Kilger

11 Grant Crist

12 Krista Matthews

14 Katie Perry

15 Pam Daft, Lori Kohler

18 Patti James, Bob Miller, Patrick O’Toole,

Michael O’Toole

19 Thad Johnson, Jeremy Shreyer

20 Justin Bachman, Cody Gregory, Kelly Henderly

21 Charles Cooley, Diane Friesner, Cookie Friesner,

Matthew Shanks

23 Katie Spencer

24 Ben Johnson, Bob Linardi

26 Greg Gust

27 Abigail Walters

28 Melissa Smith

29 Kurt Berlekamp, Trey Miller

30 Jim Anderson, Becky Cooley, Evelyn McCreery,

Brenda Snider

THANK YOU!

Dear Church Family,

Thank you so much for honoring me for my years of service as

the choir pianist. Thank you so much for the card and gift card.

I’ve enjoyed serving God and my congregation as choir pianist!

Thanks again and God Bless!

Julie Ulrich

Christ Family,

Thank you so much for all the care packages you sent while I was deployed. Overall, my time spent in AFG was very positive. I had the opportunity to fly all over the entire country. There is currently snow on the mountains and that makes me smile. God is good.

Thank you again,

Tim Fast

(See card on bulletin board)

A soldier supported by Sending Love Over There

Dear Pastor Alice and Christ UM Congregation,

Thank you for the baptism ceremony for Cienna and Kee-gan. Although they are shy, they were really excited for it. Thank you for the banners that were made for them as well. We really appreciate becoming part of the church family.

David, Jennifer , Cienna & Keegan Lodge

Mr. & Mrs. David Fey April 3

Mr. & Mrs. David O’Toole April 9

Mr. & Mrs. Greg Gust April 12

Mr. & Mrs. David Miller April 16

Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Ety April 18

Mr. & Mrs. Pete Perry April 18

APRIL ANNNIVERSARIES

SPECIAL REQUEST FROM KRISTY

CUMC College Connection Team,

I wanted to let you know that I got the Valentine’s card you sent

me, and I wanted to thank you very much for the kind message,

as well as the Starbucks card. I have grown to appreciate and

value coffee very much as a college student, so that was a very

nice gift! I hope you all had a nice Valentines Day and are as

excited for Spring to start as I am!

Take care, God Bless and Go Bucks!

Matt Maldovan

If you have a prayer request and need to call me during the day, please call on my cell phone 740-407-5510. House phone wakes Becka if she’s napping. If I’m working on my desktop, my work can’t always be interrupted to run and answer the house phone. I always have my cell phone with me.

In the evenings, feel free to use either phone. The house phone has a message machine, and I always check it if I’ve been out of the house.

Thank you for your consideration! We do want to pray for you, your family, and your friends. Again those numbers are cell 740-407-5510 and my house phone is 740-862-8611.

Blessings,

Kristy

A p r i l 2 014 Christ United Methodist Church

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

11:30 a.m.

Ministerial (P)

2

10 am Senior VB (FLC)

11 am Senior Lunch

(FLC)

6:00 pm Bible Study (P)

6:30 pm Scouts (FH)

7:15 pm Choir (S)

3

7:00 pm Bell Choir (P)

4

4:00 p.m. In Use

5

9:00 a.m. In Use

6

8:45 am Traditional

10 am Sunday School

10:45 am

Contemporary

6 –7:30 pm Youth

(FLC)

7

8:00 a.m. Making

Noodles (FH)

9:00 a.m. Preschool

Registration (Orange RM)

5:30 p.m. Dance & Sculpt

(FH)

7:00 p.m. In Use (FLC)

8

8:00 a.m. Making

Noodles (FH)

5—9 p.m. In Use (FLC)

6:30 p.m. In Use (TBD)

7:00 p.m. Trustees (L)

9 8:00 a.m. Making

Noodles (FH)

10 am Senior VB (FLC)

11 am Senior Lunch

(FLC)

6:00 pm Bible Study (P)

6:30 pm Scouts (FH)

7:15 pm Choir (S)

10

8:00 a.m. Making Noodles

(FH)

4:30 p.m. In Use (FLC)

7:00 pm Bell Choir (P)

11

7—9 pm In Use (FLC)

9:00 p.m. Youth Lock-In

12

8:00 a.m. Youth Lock-in

13 Palm Sunday

9:00 a.m. Sunday

School

10:00 a.m.

One Combined

Service

Easter Cantata 6 –7:30 pm Youth

(FLC)

14

9:00 a.m. Preschool

Make-up Day

5:30 p.m. Dance & Sculpt

(FH)

6:30 pm Worship Team

(L)

15

6:30 pm Scouts (FH)

16

10 am Senior VB (FLC)

11 am Senior Lunch (FLC)

6:30—8 pm In Use (FH))

7:15 pm Choir (S)

17 Holy Thursday

9:00 a.m. Preschool (FLC)

7:00 pm Maundy

Service (FH)

18 Good Friday

7:00 p.m. Good

Friday Service (S)

19

8:00 a.m. Car Care Sat.

20 Easter

7:00 a.m. Sonrise

Service

7:45 a.m. Easter

Breakfast

8:45 am Traditional

10 am Sunday School

10:45 am

Contemporary

6 –7:30 pm Youth

(FLC)

21

11:00 a.m. In Use (FH)

5:30 p.m. Dance & Sculpt

(FLC)

22

9—3 p.m. Preschool (FH)

5:00 p.m. In Use (FLC)

6:30 pm Scouts (FH)

23

10 am Senior VB (FLC)

11 am Senior Lunch (FLC)

9—3 pm Preschool (FH)

6:00 pm Bible Study (P)

6:00 p.m. In Use (FLC)

7:15 pm Choir (S)

24

9:00 a.m. Preschool (FH)

4:30 p.m. In Use ( FLC)

7:00 pm Bell Choir (P)

25

7:00 p.m. In Use (FLC)

26

9:00 a.m. In Use (FLC)

27

Preschool Sunday

8:45 am Traditional

10 am Sunday School

10:45 am

Contemporary

6-7:30 pm Youth

(FLC)

28

9:00 a.m. Preschool

Make-up Day

7:00 pm Admin Council

(FH)

5:30 p.m. Dance & Sculpt

(FH)

29

7:00 p.m. In Use (FH)

30

10 am Senior VB (FLC)

11 am Senior Lunch (FLC)

6:00 pm Bible Study (P)

6:00 pm In Use (FLC)

7:15 pm Choir (S)

SUNDAY SERVICES

8:45 a.m.

Traditional Worship

10:00 a.m.

Sunday School for all ages

10:45 a.m. Worship 33:3 -

Contemporary Service

Christ United Methodist Church 700 S. Main St. Baltimore, OH 43105

Phone: 740-862-4343 Fax: 740-862-6163 E-mail: office@christum-baltimore.com Web page: www.christum-baltimore.com

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Our mission is... to lovingly reach out and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Alice Wolfe pastor@christum-baltimore.com Generally in the office, Tues., Wed., & Thurs.; Hours vary (Call any time for appointment)

Youth Director Ruth McFarland youth@christum-baltimore.com

Administrative Asst. Darcy Soliday 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Mon.-Fri. office@christum-baltimore.com

Treasurer Joy Perry Sun., Mon, & Tues. evenings treasurer@christum-baltimore.com

Preschool Director Diane Friesner

Praise Band Director

Organist /Choir Director Valerie Stone

Bell Choir Director Becky Ety

Pianists Karen Mathews, Julie Ulrich

Custodians Jim Anderson, Steve Vandermark

Church Office Hours: Mon.-Fri., 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

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