August 2001

Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. (Psalm 28:2)

Just yesterday I drove by our church property at about noon. The steel trusses had arrived on a truck two mornings earlier, but they were still lying on the ground. I was disappointed and a little impatient. At 4 P.M. I was headed home. When I glanced over at the property, I nearly ran into the car ahead of me that was stopped at the intersection. The trusses were in a standing position! It seemed like a miracle of God. There wasn't a person in sight when I drove by either time, yet the trusses were up!

Now, I know that God used human beings to make this happen, but still it made me think about the wonderful surprises of God.

Just when we think our lives aren't going to move ahead...
Just when we think that all our plans are in disarray, strewn all over the ground...
Just when we think we have nothing left to give...
...God has been striving with us all the way and steps in to get us back on our feet.

The standing, steel trusses reminded me of hands reaching up to heaven for strength from God and in praise of God. May God strengthen our hands to raise in praise as we find God's strength through our building project and through the lifelong building project of spiritual growth.

They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands." (Nehemiah 6:9)

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Steve

We would like to print the birthdays and anniversaries of our church family each month. Please let us know your birthday and anniversary so we can remember you on your special day. Celebrating in August are:

Ashley Dorsey - August 4
Gypsy Doran- August 10
Betty Ross - August 18
Vicki Van Voorhis - August 24
Patti Chauza - August 26
Mallory Chavez - August 28
Todd Nelson - August 30
Bob Nohavec - August 30

Tom and Kathy Haymaker - August 6
David and Marlene Reeves - August 6
Randy and Susan Benson - August 20
Charles and Wendy Haden - August 26

We apologize if your birthday or anniversary is not included in the newsletter. If it is not listed, we do not have the information. Please give the information to Pastor Steve, Dave Grierson or Marlene Reeves. You can email the information to: MarleneR@utah-inter.net   Thank you.

We announce the passing of Sherrie Lynn Lewis Parkin, October 10, 1959 to July 11, 2001. A celebration of life was held on July 16 honoring her as she honored others with her love.

Sherrie created and nurtured three beautiful children of her own ­ Shiloh (12), Sarah (10), and Mariah (5) ­ who will miss her dearly. She helped hundreds of other children with disabilities through her chosen vocation, most recently helping a foster daughter Ashley (12).

After graduating from Murray High School, Sherrie prepared multiple degrees at the University of Utah that focused on Early Childhood Development, Psychology and Special Education. She received the Advocate of the Year Award from the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) in 1987 and pioneered positive behavior management techniques to help people with autism in Utah. She created the first in-home program in Utah to help families of children with autism. In more than two decades of service, Sherrie taught thousands of people how to respect and help others with developing their potential.

Connoisseur of culinary mystery novels, fan of British comedies (especially Keeping Up Appearances) and lover of Chinese food, Sherrie possessed a complex mind, extensive empathy and gentle compassion.

Sherrie believed that "children are wiser than us about important things like feelings, getting what they want, and giving in relationships." Sherrie struggled against cancer for the past six years, living through pain joyfully to see her children grow.

Sherrie was an inspiration to all who knew her and she will be greatly missed.

Sherrie is survived by her three children, her husband Warren, mother Donna, sister Pattie and brother Bobby.

The steel frame of our new building has arrived and is being erected on the site at 9000 S. 3200 W. in West Jordan, Utah! The building foundation and parking lot were constructed during the month of June with numerous tasks related to electricity, water, gas, and irrigation utilities completed through the efforts of Terry Holzworth and Furst Construction.

Much of the work performed in the past month was related to final approvals from the City of West Jordan. Architectural and engineering plans required review and approval at various city offices. Excavation work was completed by John Vickers who came to our project through Stella Chapman. He even worked weekends which allowed us to keep the project and planned volunteer work weekends on track. Bret Beasley of United Rental provided construction equipment that contributed to our progress and kept costs at a minimum.

The roof will be built soon and then work can begin on the inside. The telephone and sound systems will be installed by Mountain Vista members. The inside walls and sheetrock work, flooring, electrical, plumbing, heating/ventilation and air conditioning, tile, widows, doors, and numerous other parts of the facility will be under construction or complete by the end of August.

Be sure to stop by the site to let those working know how much we care about its value to us. They need to see our pride and hopes as they put their labor into this chapel. All are encouraged to visit at anytime. Remember, Safety is First, so be sure to check in at the construction trailer before walking out to the building itself. No parking is allowed on the asphalt yet so park on the dirt near the trailer. A sign-up for people to provide gifts-in-kind to workers through meals, errands or break snacks is in place. Call Dave Grierson (576-1429), Mike Van Voorhis (254-2623) or Pastor Steve (280-4148) to help.

The availability of engraved stone for the church has been extended to allow more time for the church to raise some more money for the church building. The orders for the stones must be in by the middle of August. So far, we have had a mix of scripture and dedications (memorials) for the engravings. When prayerfully considering the purchase of an engraved stone please remember:

1. This is primarily a fund-raiser to help in the cost of finishing the church.

2. This allows you an opportunity to immortalize something that is important to you, whether it is a particularly poignant scripture, or to memorialize some loved ones.

3. The commitment to purchase the stone must be very soon, however the money does not have to be paid until December 1st. If you would like to make monthly payments for the stone, that is acceptable.

Please take a moment to consider the importance of the completed church building, but for generations to come. It is within our grasp, it is within our power, God willing.

With the building construction on the fast track, now is a great time to sign up for Construction Ministry. We still have a few weeks to go to finish the building and we still need to minister to those are toiling and laboring to build us a church building. We can show them just what kind of a church we are by ministering to their needs and helping them do their job. There is so much that can be done at the site either as a group or as individuals. Here are some ideas that have been done so far:

* bringing some snacks and drinks on a hot day
* picking up trash around the site and putting it in the dumpster
* preparing a lunch or breakfast for the workers
* providing some entertainment

Terry Holzworth keeps tabs on numbers of workers that are scheduled for the week, so you can contact him directly or call Dave or Melinda Grierson, and the information will get to you. The drawback is that the schedule isn’t set until Monday (usually), so if you want to do something on a Monday, you may not have a good head count. But don’t let that discourage you. The workers are thrilled about the attention they are getting and are very grateful of the response that we have had so far. So be encouraged, and be courageous – sign up to help on the Construction Mission. You’ll be glad you did.

The work on our new building has progressed to the point at which volunteer labors are needed. We will use our own resources to install all landscaping, building stone, sound system, telephone system and to make final site cleanup. This enables us to reduce cost and provides opportunities for fellowship.

All of us need to contribute to this project through prayers, presence, gifts and/or service. Work will be performed on Saturdays, 9:00am to 3:00pm (and evenings as needed) starting August 11 and running through September 15. These days will be spent making pipe ditches, smoothing soil grade, installing sprinklers, laying sod, planting trees, mixing mortar, setting stones, cleaning up site areas, and any other task that can be performed safely by volunteers.

Any help, on-site or off, in planning, running errands, providing materials and equipment, making lunches, calling other volunteers and leading teams of workers is needed and appreciated. The Southwest Interfaith Council, a non-denominational group consisting of churches in the Salt Lake area, has offered to help us during these weekend work days. We expect more than 100 people to volunteer time for our project from this group. Such outreach from others in our community is anticipated with great joy.

Please contact Dave Grierson (576-1429), Mike Van Voorhis (254-2623) or Pastor Steve (280-4148) to sign up for this important act of contribution, fellowship and faith!

Pastor Steve is in need of volunteers to help with different needs in our church on Sunday. If you are looking for a way to get involved, here is your opportunity. Lorraine Wilkinson will be calling all people in the church to see how you can help. Please pray about what strengths and talents that the Lord is guiding you to do. We are in need of people to help with Children's Church, Ushers, Greeters, Technical people, refreshments, worship leaders, Sunday School teachers, Set up and take down before and after church, acolytes, and meal ministry. There will be a sign up in church in case you missed Lorraine's call. Thanks for volunteering in advance.

A brief history: After much thought and prayer, Christine Young started this project in March of 2000 as an act of love in memory of her family. As the project grew by leaps and bounds, Christine asked the Love Circle of Community UMC of Daytona Beach, Florida to assist her with the project. After they started helping, the invitation to join in the project was extended to the church members and their friends.

This project is to be of no expense to anyone receiving a turban i.e. hospital oncology departments, cancer treatment centers, etc. who distribute the turbans. These are purely "gifts of love" to those who need our caring and consideration.

If you are interested in sewing these turbans, call Betty Dodge, 280-0521, and she will be happy to copy you a pattern. Once we have several made, we will contact our local hospitals, oncology centers, and the American Cancer Society. You will be surprised at the need for turbans, especially women who lose their hair. We are trying to touch as many people's lives as possible to help us in our effort to keep the project growing until all treatment centers have been supplied with these "gifts of love." Some people had the question of how to make child-size turbans. The pattern may be altered to make smaller sizes for children. Create a smaller pattern by using a paper bag.

Since March 2000, we have placed over 3000 turbans in 49 states, Canada, and England. Yes, the project has now gone international! This number increases every day.

We need books! Do you happen to have any books laying around the house that would be appropriate to put into our new church library? If so, please contact Tracy Reinhard, 282-5742. We will accept devotional books, Bibles, interpretations of the Bible, children's Bible stories, stories about people and their struggles world wide and here in the United States, and how they overcame their struggles. We would like to get the library up and running as soon as we move into our new building. So dust off your bookshelves and start looking for books to donate.

It's time to sign up for "Dinner for Eight". Do you like to eat and socialize? If you do, this is for you. Last January, we have two groups of eight meet monthly at different people's homes and enjoyed each other's company. All you have to do is sign up at church by the 15th of August and then you'll be put in a group of eight people. This is for both couples and singles. Someone will call you and select a date that will work for everyone in your group. The hostess provides the main dish and the other people bring in the other side dishes. If you were in the last dinner for eight group, you do not have to sign up again. You will automatically be reassigned another group. Our goal is to have four dinner groups this time for the months of September through December. This is a great way to get to know other people from the church.

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said, "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can."

John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocerman the he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocerman said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?

Louise replied, "Yes, sir." "Okay," he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."

Louise hesitated for a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocerman and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down. The grocerman staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can’t believe it."

The customer smiled and the grocerman started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.

The grocerman stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer which said, "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands."

The grocerman gave her the groceries that he had gathered and placed on the scales and stood in stunned silence.

Louise thanked him and left the store.

The customer handed a fifty dollar bill to John as he said, "It was worth every penny of it." It was sometime later that John Longhouse discovered the scales were broken; therefore, only God knows how much a prayer weighs.

Our church is blessed with so much talent and enthusiasm that we have two groups working on banners for our new worship center. Jean Ann Nohavec and several ladies from the ladies fellowship are working on the banner with crosses supplied by members of the church plus another banner with the same background. We are looking for a place where ladies can come to work on these banners, possibly once week. If you can host this banner-making project, please contact Jean Ann at (435) 649-6075.

Another banner-making group, which includes Patti Chauza, Kathy Haymaker, Sheri Studevant and Tracy Reinhard, has been meeting for a couple of weeks now. There are banners to fit several occasions in the life of our church. There is still a lot of work to be done.

All ladies are welcome to come and join either or both groups. If you are interested in helping make these banners, contact Jean Ann Nohavec or Tracy Reinhard at 282-5742.

Once again, the Mountain Vista United Methodist Church had a wonderful group of campers attend the United Methodist Elementary Church Camp at the Pinecliff United Methodist Camp facility near Coalville, Utah. Among the total of 71 campers were our own: Rory & Rachael Gibson; Justine Furbeck, Gypsy & Aleta Doran; Sarah, Ashley, Shilo, and Mariah Parkin; Zack Anderson, Amber Brooks, Jeremy Strohn, Sumner Grierson, and Shane & Scott Reinhard.

Pastor Steve led the opening Communion service at the outdoor chapel on Monday evening. Mallory Chavez was an excellent junior counselor for the event. Thanks also to Ceci Ahanonu for a beautiful job of camp counseling. And Sheri Strurdevant delighted her cabin of campers for the TENTH year in a row with her uniquely creative and loving style.

What amazing talent and Christian compassion we have to offer at the Mountain Vista United Methodist Church!

Many, many thanks to Virginia Berry for writing those beautiful birthday, anniversary, get-well, thank you, sympathy, etc. cards that you have been receiving from the Mountain Vista United Methodist Church. If you have a suggestion for a card to be written, please call Virginia at 253-1249.

Gwen Frostic stationery will be available at church this Sunday for a donation to our Church Building Fund. Please continue the momentum of supporting our amazing construction project, and at the same time, take home some beautiful stationery to brighten up the day of family and friends. Thanks!