The Mountain View April 2006

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven on Earth.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on 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 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." —Matthew 28: 16-20

I am incredibly grateful to be part of a church like the Mountain Vista United Methodist Church which truly knows what it means to be a "Great Commandment—Great Commission" church. The Great Commandment—to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbors as ourselves—is evident in the lives of the people of Mountain Vista. And the Great Commission, based on the Bible passage above, is obvious to everyone every time we step out of the church doors to take 500 sandwiches to the Saint Vincent De Paul Center or take food and clothing to the Crossroads Urban Center or take money for a bus ticket to the bus station where someone is stranded and needs to get home. Our Great Commission faith—to go and make disciples—is clear every time someone needs a ride to the hospital or doctor or pharmacy or store, and someone from our church goes to pick them up.

Now, in a powerful way, the Great Commission faith of Mountain Vista is crystal clear again as the people of our church have come together to support our Mission Trip to Biloxi, Mississippi. Because of your prayers, financial support, and encouragement, Mountain Vista is sponsoring six people from our congregation to travel to Biloxi and help rebuild hopes, homes, and houses of worship. Thank you for supporting Terry and Perry Lee Holzworth, Lynn Fillingham, Chris Weis, and my son, Shane, and me.

Did you know eighty United Methodist Churches in the Biloxi area alone were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina? Did you know 80,000 families in Mississippi are still without homes? Did you know that the rebuilding process is expected to take five to ten years? The United Methodist Commission on Relief (UMCOR) will have teams of volunteers in the area every single day until the job is finished. We will be working with 500 other United Methodist volunteers while we are there. One of UMCOR's mottoes is "We don't leave until the job is done!" This means we will have further opportunities in the future to take more "Kingdom-Building" teams to the area.

If I know Mountain Vista, I have a feeling we will see many more people with their hands up, saying, "Here I am, Lord. Send me!"

We are now having Pastor Steve's sermons tape-recorded, so if you miss a Sunday and don't want to miss out on the message, contact the church office and you can check out the tape.

The story is told about a hunter who met another hunter who had successfully harvested a deer. The drag marks indicated that the successful hunter had been dragging the deer for some distance. The man was pulling the deer by its back legs, trying to get it to his vehicle. The first hunter watched as the successful hunter struggled to drag the deer up the slope to the road. After watching the man struggling with his load he asked the successful hunter, "Why don't you drag it the other way?" The hunter replied, "Because I would be going in the wrong direction." He hadn't stopped to think that if he dragged the deer by the horns he would have been dragging it in harmony with the direction the hair grew on the animal, thus eliminating some of the resistance.

This sounds like a silly story, but how many times have we looked back at our own life or even certain events in our lives and wished we could do it over? How much easier it would have been, or how much more effective we could have been if we would have just made a few changes. We ask ourselves, How many changes or what changes would we make this time around? How would our values change? Where would we place our focus?

Paul tells us to press forward leaving the past behind us. Jesus said if we look back and worry about the past we are not fit for the kingdom of God.

If I understand it correctly, I believe Jesus and Paul are telling us we can't live in the past. By letting ourselves be consumed with guilt over past sins we limit our ability to plan for the future. We become so overwhelmed with the enormity of our past mistakes we became afraid to move forward, especially if we find ourselves making the same or similar mistakes. Living in the past not only clouds our ability to see clearly the road before us, we become afraid to take the risk of believing God's promises. In fact we are questioning God's ability to really forgive us! We question whether His grace can really cover our sins.

God has promised us that our sins have been removed from us, as far as the east is from the west. The writer had it right when he wrote the words to the hymn, "Grace Greater Than Our Sin." What a marvelous "Grace." We are free, free at last.

Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow isn't here yet, what we have is this day. We don't need to live in the past. We can look forward to a glorious future with Christ!

The Christian Life Center

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 9:00 a.m.-Noon
1^st and 3^rd Saturday 9:00 a.m.-Noon (by appointment only)

The Christian Life Center is a ministry offered by this church. Its purpose is to help people deal with the troublesome issues of life. It is provided at no cost to you. Call the church office or Dr. Duane Haidle for an appointment.

On Friday, April 7^th at 7 p.m. — the Friday before Palm Sunday — we will show The Passion of the Christ. This is a great time to share together the message of the Cross that redeemed us all!
1 Corinthians 1:18: "For the message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God's power."

Refreshments will be provided for this movie. Just bring yourself, a friend , your renewal or study group. This could be a great opportunity to share together again with people you have grown in Christ with. Please share this event with a friend .

Easter Cantata, “How Great Thou Art,” at the 8:30 and 11:00 services. After each service the Youth plan to cook and serve a pancake and sausage breakfast. Donations will gratefully be accepted.

We will have a special Seder meal along with a soup and bread dinner at 7:00 p.m.

During the Children’s Sunday School, 9:45-10:45, there will be crafts, story time and an Easter egg hunt.

Three Weddings and a Potluck

A musical comedy
and we provide the potluck dinner!!

Menu:
Ham, cheesy potato casserole, salad,
dinner rolls, green beans, beverage, sherbet

To order tickets, please contact the
church office at
280-4148

The annual statewide lock-in for youth in grades 7-12 is scheduled for May 5-6 at the Salt Palace Convention Center (100 S. West Temple) and West Valley Family Fitness Center (5415 W. 3100 South). The opening program is going to be packed full of dynamic worship, great speakers and some amazing fellowship with over a thousand other Christian youth from around Utah. Registration tables open at 7 p.m. at the Salt Palace and the program will launch into action at 8 p.m. At the conclusion of the worship program, everyone will go to the West Valley Family Fitness Center for a night full of amazing fun. You must attend the worship in order to get a ticket to enter West Valley Fitness Center. Please let Anita Murphy know by April 30 if you are interested in going so carpools can be arranged. Cost is $15 and includes all activities at the fitness center, soft drinks and pizza.

For the month of April due to Broadway practices Youth will end on Sundays at 1:30. Also, we need volunteers for Youth lunch on Sundays. Please see sign up sheet on Youth bulletin board.

April 2nd
The Games Youth Play:
Bring your favorite game (indoor or outdoor) and we will have lunch and play games.
We will also discuss The Amazing Youth Egg Hunt.

April 9th
Youth Fund Raiser:
Palm Sunday Pancake Breakfast
We will serve pancakes, sausage, fruit, and juice after each service.
Any food donations for the above items would be greatly appreciated.
No Youth activity this afternoon. You guys have worked hard this morning.

April 15th, Saturday
This is the day of THE AMAZING YOUTH EGG HUNT
Meet at Mountain Vista at 10:00 am
Youth will be divided into 2 groups
Senior High vs. Jr. High
This is an Easter Egg Hunt across our valley with Road Blocks, Tasks, Challenges, Prizes, and FUN!!!!
You don't want to miss this!
The day will end at an undisclosed location (don't worry parents you will know where) about 6:00 pm Please bring one dozen candy filled Easter Eggs

Parents: We need 4 Drivers for this activity
Please call Anita Murphy for more info.

April 16th, Easter
HAPPY EASTER
No Youth Group meeting today
Wasn't the Amazing Youth Egg Hunt enough yesterday?
Spend the day with your family

April 30th
$1 Movie
After lunch we will go to the Dollar Movies
Movie and Time TBA
Bring $1 for the movie and any extra money for snacks

The youth thanks you for the quarterly check they just got from Albertsons. The total was $101.74. If you shop at Albertsons and have the Community Partner card linked up with your Preferred Savings card, a percentage of every purchase you make goes to the Mountain Vista Youth Group. If you haven't done this already, there are Community Partner cards on the youth bulletin board. Feel free to take one and present it to Albertsons the next time you go shopping. Its easy!!!

Tuesday, April 4: SPACE DERBY Pack meeting at the church, 7:00 p.m.
The scouts will be building rockets and racing them to see whose goes the farthest.

Thanks to everyone who came to the cake auction. We did really well this year. We raised $918.00. We are really excited to go to summer camp and the other summer activities that this fundraiser supports.

Tuesday, May 2: Webelos II graduate to Boy Scouts. We will be having a "Fire" ceremony. Please bring your families.

If you haven't purchased your Scout-a-Rama tickets yet, you still have time. We will be selling them through May 2nd. This will also support scouts in our Pack. We will be having an indoor booth at Scout-a-Rama this year. The theme is "International Scout Heros." It's on May 6th at the Fairgrounds. The tickets are selling for $6.00 and include an entrance to the Scout-a-Rama and lots of other valuable coupons.

A big thank you to Pack 4012 for holding their Second Annual Valentine Fundraiser to benefit our Building Fund. They sold beautiful flowers and gifts. The total donated to the church was $295.18!!!

Thank you to David and Cindy Elwell for contributing the Valentine gifts which were sold to benefit the Building Fund. The total raised was $324.05.

Do you know a girl who is interested in Girl Scouts? If you do, please let Cindy Elwell know (268-3600).

Daisy Girl Scouts (kindergarten)
Brownie Girl Scouts (1^st-3^rd Grade)
Junior Girl Scouts (4^th-6^th Grade)

An incredible weekend retreat for mid-high youth. Meet new friends, share your faith and have a week full of fun stuffed into this amazing weekend. Linda Hartney, Director.

This is a weekend to relax and enjoy nature with your family. Hike to the cross, wade in the stream, play volleyball/softball/basketball, do arts and crafts or just sit and read a book. Each night there's a campfire with camp songs and s'mores. Sunday there is an outdoor service. It's really, really fun!

Meals from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch are included. Registration forms are on the church bulletin board and you can turn them in to the church office.

Campers will come to know and understand the God of creation. Campers will join cross-age family groups and same-age cabin groups for activities. Explore God's presence in all aspects of life, meet old and new friends in singing, stories and sharing. (5 days and 4 nights) Parents of kindergarten and first grade are welcome to attend as counselors. Cory Coward, Director.

Registration forms and brochures are available on the bookshelf in the church hallway. Elementary camp fills up fast, so get your forms in ASAP!!

1^st Annual Disaster Relief 5k Run/Walk
Saturday, April 22, 9:00 a.m.
Christ United Methodist Church, 2375 East 3300 South

The proceeds from this race will benefit UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). The purpose of UMCOR is to provide global humanitarian aid to more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United States. The mission of UMCOR is to alleviate human suffering, whether caused by war, conflict, or natural disaster, with open minds and hearts to all people.

Early Bird Registration: Adults: $15.00, Children 13 and under: $10.00
Day of Race Registration: Adults: $18.00, Children 13 and under: $13.00

Six people from our congregation went to Biloxi, Mississippi the week of March 18-25. Since the rest of us were unable to go, we wanted to help them with monetary donations. A total of $1703.79 was given!!!! Thank you very much for your generosity!!!!

Our church is going to publish a new pictorial directory using the Olan Mills Video Image Proofing System. Reserve an appointment time at one of the sign-up locations at church on the following Sundays: April 2, April 9 and April 23. Each family photographed will receive a complimentary directory and a free 8x10 Custom Color Portrait from Olan Mills. Because of the Video Image Proofing System you will make only one trip to the church. Plan forty-five minutes to one hour for the entire process. All pose selections for the directory, your free 8x10 portrait and any additional portrait purchases you may wish to make will be completed at this time.

The dates for photography are Monday, May 1, and Tuesday, May 2, 3:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Ten Thousand Villages is an organization that supports artisans in third world countries by selling their fairly traded, handcrafted items here in the United States and Canada. They have a beautiful store located in Sugarhouse and they also partner with local churches to give them the opportunity to offer products to their congregation and support fair trade.

A sale will be held here at church on Sunday, April 30, between services. This is the perfect opportunity to find that special gift for all the spring holidays coming up: Mother's Day, graduations, weddings, etc. Also, they donate 10% of the proceeds back to our congregation and they will be providing the fairly traded coffee and tea for our fellowship time.

St. Paul United Methodist Church will be hosting an open house on April 22, 2006. We welcome you all to stop by between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to visit our lovely church and indulge in some light snacks.

At 4:00 p.m., SOTTO VOCE, will be performing a benefit concert. All proceeds will go to St. Paul UMC for maintaining and restoring the church building. The a-cappella group has performed for the Utah Composers Guild, the Cabaret at the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, school assemblies, fundraisers etc. Three of the members of SOTTO VOCE have been inducted into the Order of St. Cecilia for their service to the Roman Catholic Church and at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. We are grateful for offering to us their gift of music.

The Trustees will be taking an inventory of all church property on Saturday, April 1. They will be taking pictures and recording bar codes and model numbers of all items. If you can help, please be at church between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. – the more the merrier!! Call Donna Kasten for more information.

Crossroads Urban Center
April food of the month - canned (protein) beans - refried, kidney, red, pinto - you get the idea!
April thrift store items of the month - summer clothes, all sizes

Thank you to everyone that helped make the March 13th Blood Drive a success. We had a total of 21 pints of usable blood donated. On behalf of the American Red Cross and patients in need, thank you for what you do to help save lives. The next blood drive at the church will be Monday, Sept. 11, 2006.

Don't forget the Sandwich Mission. Every third week of the month we make and serve sandwiches as an outreach mission.

The dates for April are:
Sunday, April 16: make/or bring sandwiches, 2 p.m.
Monday, April 17: serve sandwiches, 5:15 p.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Center, 500 West 200 South. (Usually finished by 6:45 p.m.)

Due Dates for Sunday Bulletin and Newsletter
For the Sunday Bulletin: Information due Wednesday of each week.
For the Mountain View: Articles due the 20th of every month. Articles on disk or e-mailed (office@mtnvistaumc.org) preferred.