The Mountain View March 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.

Did you know that the United Methodist Church has four "pillars" of faith for guiding our walk as Christians? These four guidelines come in a large part from the sermons of John Wesley, and they are outlined in our denomination's Book of Discipline.

1. One guideline in our journey of faith is REASON. God has given us minds to think, discern, question, research, sometimes doubt, and discover.

2. Another guideline is EXPERIENCE. Our personal feelings and interaction with creation—nature and people—are very influential in determining our belief system. Many Christians say that their faith in God was greatly influenced by a friend or family member. Others say they were convinced of God's love during a very traumatic experience. Still others say they had a revelation of God's love while in a quiet place in the mountains or on the lake.

3. A third guideline is SCRIPTURE. The Bible is our primary resource for building our faith.

4. TRADITION is the fourth pillar of our Christians faith in the United Methodist Church. How have our ancestors in the faith worshiped God, understood God, sung about God? We have much to learn from our mothers and fathers in the faith.

The first letters of each of these guidelines spell REST. May we find rest in Jesus as we continue the journey of relationship with God through Christ, using all the amazing gifts God has given us to do so.

We talk about seeking answers from God when making decisions. There always seems to be a question of, "What is the right thing to do?" or "What is God telling me to do?" "Is this God's voice I am hearing or is it my own desires speaking to me?"

We find ourselves asking why there are no obvious answers. I am reminded of a pastor who told his conference leaders that he felt God was calling him to serve a much larger church. He was appointed to serve that church as pastor. A few months later a position opened up as Conference Superintendent. He now said he felt God was calling him to be a Superintendent.

A story is told about a golfer who hired a pro-golfer to help the golfer improve his game. A bystander watched as the pro offered suggestions to the golfer, none of which were followed. After a period of time the bystander noticed that the pro was now just complimenting the golfer on his efforts. When questioned about it later the pro said, "That golfer did not want instructions, he just wanted someone to endorse his own game."

So again we ask, "How do we know when it is God's voice?" Discerning God's will is not easy. At times we must seek the counsel of other people along with prayer and study. We need to listen to the counsel of the Church Leaders. We need to be aware that at times God uses other people to communicate to us.

The Bible counsels us to seek genuine counsel. Counsel that does not echo our own desires, but counsel that does not contradict God's other commands.

We see examples of this in the Bible:
1. The counsel of Pilate's wife: this is an innocent man, don't get involved.
2. The counsel of the elders to King Rehoboam to lighten the tax load.
3. The counsel of the younger men to Rehoboam to increase the tax load to show people his authority.

The story is told of a man who died and stood at Heaven's gates. Above the two gates were signs. The sign on the first gate sign said, "All men who have been dominated by their wife stand here." There was a very long line standing at this gate. The sign on the second gate said, "All those men who have not been dominated by their wives stand here." There was only one man standing at this gate. When the recently deceased man is asked what is the secret, the man standing in line said, "My wife told me to stand here."

God told a young prophet to go to Bethel with a message from God. He was not to eat or drink while there. While at Bethel he met an older prophet living in that city. The older prophet told the young prophet he had a new message from God and that the young prophet could stay to eat and drink at the older prophet's house. As a result younger prophet died.

These accounts point out that God does not send different messages to different people. He will not contradict himself. The Bible tells us that counsel should be received from several different sources when seeking God's will. The answers received should all be agreement as to what is God's will without any self-serving echoes.

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.

For those out there not in a Bible study group, we meet every Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. We have been meeting for over two years and started by studying the Gospels. We would like to welcome anyone to come and try us out. We are now studying the book of Romans from a study book called "Life Change." Each week we all work on a chapter and then answer the questions in the book. We then discuss our answers the following week. We get together and do lunch or breakfast every so often and have taken the summers off to do our own studies. I think I can speak for all by saying it has been a wonderful learning experience for all of us. Linda Kreib.

Time: 7 p.m.
Location: The Church
Dates: March 13^th and 27^th(2^nd and 4^th Mondays of the month)
Come & Join In!
Questions…Contact Don & Peggy Porter

We have seven people from our church going to help with Katrina rebuilding in Biloxi, Mississippi. They are paying their own way. Since the rest of us can’t go with them, we can help by contributing to their expenses. A special offering will be taken on Sunday, March 12.

Help brighten up our sanctuary by bringing flowers for the altar. Maybe you would like to honor someone for a special event or a special day, a remembrance or a celebration. There is a weekly sign-up sheet on the literature stand in the hallway. You may sign up for a Sunday and then note in whose honor the flowers are and it will be printed in the bulletin. If you have any questions or want more information, please call Betty Ross. Thanks!!

Our church is going to publish a new pictorial directory using Olan Mills. The dates for photography will be Monday, May 1 and Tuesday, May 2. Please mark your calendars. We will have an appointment sign-up sheet available in April. In the meantime, be thinking about whether you might like to volunteer in one of the following areas: Sign-up Committee, Telephone Committee, Host.

Paperless Giving

Make your life a little easier!!
We have signed up with Zions Bank for electronic fund transfers. If you are interested in having your weekly/monthly giving done in this way, please contact Jerry Selbo.

Cake Auction Fundraiser!!
Tuesday, March 7^th7:00 p.m.
Everyone is invited!!

All proceeds will support the scout's summer activities and camps. Last year we raised $907. Let's beat last year!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Valentine fundraiser that was offered on Scout Sunday. We raised $295.18 to donate to the Church Building Fund.

Congratulations to all the kids and their parents who completed the "God & Me" and "God & Country" programs. They took dedication and commitment. We also want to thank Cory Coward and Dave Elwell for leading these programs. We appreciate all you do.

God & Me – 1^st-3^rd Graders
Zac Coward
Carter Elwell
Kyle Goodrich
Brian Goodrich
Sam Liedtke
Ethan Tolley

God & Family – 4^th & 5^th Graders
Kaity Coward
Brandon Elwell
AJ McClellan
Emily Peralez
Wyatt Tolley

Also, scouts will be selling Scout-A-Rama tickets soon. Your support is very much appreciated!!

Sunday, March 5 – Fun Activity at church
Sunday, March 12 – 3 mile run/walk with the Might Methodist Cross Trainers (Please see article in this newsletter)
Sunday, March 19 – Service Project
Sunday, March 26 – Jr. High Bible study, Sr. High Bible Study

Youth needs to end at 2:00 because rooms are needed for Broadway practice. Parents, if your youth is in Broadway, they are welcome to stay at church until their scheduled practice time.

Up With Youth
March 31-April 2
"God’s Puzzle Pieces"
Grades 9-12
YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado

Registration forms available on the literature stand in the hallway. Please return to the office by March 12.

Sunday, March 12th after the third service we will have a 3-mile walk/run! Bring your workout stuff and a bottle of water. This is a relaxed and fun way to train as a group and gauge where you are in your training! This is not a race, so please don't be intimidated—it will be fun!!! I will be in the lead with the speedsters and my mom will be in the rear with the not-so-speedy speedsters. We will head out rain or shine, so prepare accordingly! If you have any questions, email Shelby shelbs55@yahoo.com.

Please join Pastor Steve on Saturday morning, March 11, from 10 a.m. – noon for a great way to find out more about United Methodist beliefs and about Mountain Vista UMC.

We will have a clipboard sign-up sheet during services to sign up for an appointment time or you may call Patti Chauza.

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

The dates for March are:
Sunday, March 19: make/or bring sandwiches, 2 p.m.
Monday, March 20: serve sandwiches, 5 p.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Center, 500 West 200 South. (Usually finished by 6:30 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.