The Mountain View October 2005

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.

An important aspect of faith is vision—not just eyesight, but soul-sight. Having Vision Faith means not only being able to see "what is" but "what if"; not only "what is" but "what can be," "what could be," "what should be," and "what WILL be." Vision Faith is a BIG PICTURE faith. Vision Faith is a way of seeing the whole in the midst of the temporal. Vision faith is believing that creation—including humanity—is still "good" (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, and 31) even in the midst of war and terrorism and Katrina and Rita.

You might say I am naive and just a Pollyanna who is out of touch with the world. But having Vision Faith does not mean that reality is always "nice" or that we can always point to the good in creation. Theologian, H. Richard Niebuhr was one of the biggest proponents of this kind of Vision Faith. He saw the horror of the Holocaust first-hand but still saw in his soul the "what if" even in the middle of the "what is."

Mountain Vista is a church of Vision Faith. In being a collection point in Utah for the relief effort for the Gulf states, our church and the other United Methodist churches in the area have at this point in time collected over 500 Health Kits to send directly to Louisiana, along with many other supplies that have been donated. Thank you for a faith that says, "It's Black Friday, but Sunday's coming!" Thank you, Robin and Dave Smugala, for donating the shipment of all the supplies. Mountain Vista has also given $2,500 to UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, through which 100% of the money goes to the cause. The 250 churches of the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church (Utah, Colorado, and half of Wyoming) have given over $356,000. With Vision Faith, we have all said, "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us" (Philippians 4:13).

When he saw the crowds he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matt. 9:36 NIV)

During this past month we have seen a natural catastrophe occur that brought people of all races, social positions and faiths together to help those who have been and still are victims of the catastrophe.

What does compassion mean to the Christian? Carl Jung is quoted as saying the goal of institutional religion seems designed for leaders to concentrate on marginal issues, instead of bringing people together. The questions that refuse to go away are, "Why does it require a natural catastrophe to bring people out of their normal exclusionary behaviors?" "Why do supposedly religious leaders declare war in God's name?" "Why do religious leaders preach separation from nonbelievers, and condemnation of those with opposing beliefs or orientation?"

I can't help but wonder what it is going to be like when we get to heaven. Are we going to have the opportunity to look over the divider at those who are suffering in hell and say, "Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. See, I was right and you were wrong?" Wouldn't it be a real surprise to get to heaven and see everybody else there also? Wow, sheer heresy!

But really, when we think about it, Jesus taught the golden rule as a very important commandment. You need to love yourself, but you also need to love your neighbor. Compassion is not sympathy, it is actual caring for the well being and loving the other person regardless of race, creed, political stance, (OUCH) and status.

It is so much easier to pass judgment. Passing judgment helps us feel so righteous and good. As Karen Armstrong wrote, "where is the fun of religion if you can't disapprove of other people?" She goes on to say that we need training in compassion because it does not come easily. (AARP 2005, pages 52-58)

Jesus said the workers are few. (Matt. 9:37). Maybe our prayer should be for the Lord to help us develop a compassionate heart and love for our fellow man.

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.

Thanks to all who participated in the Katrina Relief program all during the month of September. We had many opportunities to help and there was marvelous response. We raised a total of $2500 for UMCOR including a special gift from Strategic Funding employees of $1,230. We shipped health kits, flood buckets and boxes of miscellaneous items to the UMCOR Sager Brown Center in Baldwin, Louisiana. These supplies represent the combined effort of our church, Hilltop UMC, First UMC, Christ UMC, Park City and Ogden. Thank you so much to Dave and Robin Smugala who volunteered to pack and truck all the supplies for us.

We also had the privilege of collecting a few items for Camp Williams. There was a need for toddler pajamas, nap blankets and toys for about 30 children. The response was wonderful. The overflow was taken to Mississippi personally by chaplains going there to help.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the not-for-profit humanitarian agency of The United Methodist Church. Since 1940 UMCOR's mission—providing relief in disaster areas, aiding refugees and confronting the challenge of world hunger and poverty—has helped to heal the hurts of humanity in nearly 100 countries. UMCOR maintains a corps of trained disaster response specialists for quick reinforcement of national efforts and keeps a supply of relief materials in warehouses for dispatch when and where required. It also trains disaster response specialists in their own countries as part of a global ministry by a global church and works in partnership with other international agencies. The mission of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is "to provide immediate relief of acute human need and to respond to the suffering of persons in the world caused by natural, ecological, and civil disasters or political turmoil."

UMCOR Sager Brown helps to fulfill this mission. Each year, more than 2700 United Methodists volunteer at UMCOR Sager Brown assisting in the Depot by processing tons of disaster relief supplies which are then shipped to national and international destinations. The shipments include: hundreds of thousands of health kits; school kits; sewing kits; layette kits; flood buckets; mops and brooms; generators; bedding pacs; bales of blankets; and various other items depending on need. In addition to working in the Depot, volunteers also help distribute boxes of food in the "Food for Seniors" program, rehabilitate houses, assist in public schools, sew in the USB sewing room, maintain the USB campus, and enjoy cultural events from the 'Cajun Coast' of South Louisiana.

SLCC Outreach Spaghetti Dinner

Mountain Vista is planning an outreach dinner to invite our college neighbors to learn more about our church. This is going to be a great evening with dinner, music by Out of Zion praise team, and a special message that lets the community know what a great church Mountain Vista is. We will need your help to pull this off. Currently we are seeking individuals willing to:

1. Prepare desserts and bring them to the church on the day of the dinner (mixes provided).

We are very thankful that most of the food has already been donated by local vendors. But we still need your help to make this a success. Please contact Krista Anderson or Kerri Siex if you are willing to help.

50’s Night

Cruise on over to the the Mountain Vista Drive-in

October 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Hamburgers and hot dogs served car-hop style! 50’s music! We need to see poodle skirts, white t-shirts with rolled up sleeves or any other 50’s attire!

Also bring a picture of yourself from the 50’s for the
Wall of Fame so we can guess who’s who!!

Donations for the building Fund will be accepted. Want to help?
Contact Cory Coward.

5:00 pm: Bring potluck
5:30 pm: EAT
6:00 p.m.: Games
6:30 p.m.: Costume Parade
7:00 p.m.: Trunk or Treat
7:30 p.m.: Award Prizes
7:45 p.m.: CLEANUP

We're looking for people to bring potluck food, treats to be given out from the trunks of their cars, and lots and lots of kids!!! Anyone who'd also like to donate decorations and/or prizes, help set up, help with games, etc. please contact any of our three Trunk-or-Treat Coordinators, Kathy Buller, Kerri Siex, or Barb McClellan.

Our first monthly business networking breakfast was on September 13. There were eight people present. We hope this group will grow to twenty or twenty-five on a regular basis. We introduced ourselves and our businesses, and threw out some ideas. One idea is to allow some advertising in the monthly newsletter, and to have a "yellow pages" addition to the church directory. Our monthly meetings will be the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 a.m. and everyone is invited. The meetings will be 45 minutes to an hour maximum. We are planning on having members of the group give presentations on areas of interest for now. Other activities may be planned as our group grows and progresses.

Our next meeting will be October 11^th. David Elwell will be giving a presentation on identity theft. This is a topic of interest to everyone. Mark it on your calendar, come and be informed, and have some bagels and coffee. It is a good opportunity to share your business and find out what some of the other members of our congregation do for a living.

A note from the American Red Cross Blood Services: "You will be interested to know that because of your efforts, there are a total of 33 new pints of blood now available for patient care. On September 12^th, your drive had a goal of 25 productive units. Of the 39 presenting donors, 3 of them were first-time donors. Please let everyone know how much we appreciate their efforts."
— Tony Ballif, Donor Recruitment Representative

Thanks to everyone who came to the September family pack meeting. It was fun to see everyone from last year and we welcomed some new scouts for this year.

We would like to invite you to our October family pack meeting Tuesday, October 4, at 7:00 p.m. at the church. We will have some fun activities for the boys. We are trying to get a fire truck to come to go along with our "To the Rescue" theme. We will also kick off our popcorn fundraiser. We hope to see you all there.

We still have a few leadership openings available, if you’re interested. We would like to invite any boys interested in scouts to come to the pack meeting or call Kristin VanStaveren.

Youth News

We had a great kick-off to start the youth group. We had 22 youth along with their parents. We enjoyed a delicious hamburger/hot dog dinner grilled by Pastor Steve. The parents volunteered to take turns helping with the weekly activities. The next Sunday both the Jr. High and Sr. High youth groups met for a brainstorming session to plan what to do for the next three months. They came up with great ideas for fun activities, spiritual education, service projects and fundraisers. All youth, grades 6-12 are invited to join the youth group which meets every Sunday 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Hands Up for God is an exciting way of using puppets to share the Good News of Christ. Check out the skit presented by Hands Up for God on Sunday, October 2, and perhaps you will be inspired to put your hands up for God and become a puppeteer. Immediate openings!!! No experience necessary!!!! If interested, please contact Curtis Siex or Dallas Curtiss or just show up at practice which is Sunday afternoons from 2:30-3:30.

This Christmas you can share joy and hope with a needy child in a troubled country by taking part in Operation Christmas Child, a missions project of Samaritan’s Purse. Everyone can participate by bringing a shoe box filled with toys and other small gifts. You can find complete details on what to pack and how to pack it on the table in the church hallway. The deadline for shoe boxes is November 18. For questions, please contact Tammy Brockmann.

Would you like to help brighten up our sanctuary? Flowers on the altar each Sunday are needed. Maybe you would like to honor someone for a special event or a special day, a remembrance or a celebration. If you let the office know in whose honor the flowers are, it will be printed in the bulletin. There is a sign-up sheet on the literature stand in the hallway for each Sunday of the month. Any questions or for more information, contact Betty Ross. Thanks!!

As our church grows, it's more and more important to get in a small group so you can really get to know others. One way is to join a Dinner for Eight group. This is a group of eight who have dinner together once a month. The host provides the main dish and the others bring side dishes. We are now forming new groups. So whether you are single or a couple, please sign up on the poster at church and we'll get you in a group. You'll be glad you did!! Questions? Call the church office, 280-4148

Please extend an invitation to the women of your church to be our guests at the October United Methodist Women’s Luncheon and program at Christ United Methodist Church on Thursday, October 6, 2005 at 12:00 noon. We are excited to be back home enjoying the new addition to our church. The church address is 2375 East 3300 South, Salt Lake City. Our guest speakers will be US-2 Missionary Elizabeth Matthews and Linda Hilton. They will tell us about the advocacy projects of Crossroads Urban Center.

Christ UMW looks forward to meeting women from other United Methodist Churches. Please come and join us for an afternoon of Christian fellowship.

October Thrift Store Items most needed: fall & winter clothes and shoes (particularly kids, men's & larger women's)

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

The dates for October are:
Sunday, October 16: make/or bring sandwiches, 2 p.m.
Monday, October 17: 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.