Pastor’s Reflections
“God is With Me”
By Daniel Cardenas, Pastoral Intern; Edited by Sarah Dean, Office Manager
My Mexican partners and I arrived in the U.S. on Sunday, July 3, 2016. To be honest, I was very nervous about this trip. I was asking myself, “What is Rev. John going to think about me?” I felt afraid and happy at the same time. This trip was my first trip out of my country. I have always dreamed of visiting the U.S., so being here is great!
Throughout my trip, there has been many awesome experiences as well as sad experiences. My first sad experience was seeing Juanita and the trial she was facing. As you may know, Timo, a member of this church, was deported, and Juanita, his wife, is now in charge of returning the family to Mexico. She is worried and sad, but at the same time she is hopeful and holding onto her faith. This experience has taught me that it does not matter what happens in your life, good or bad, Jesus is always there. God’s love is around you and taking care of you. Juanita’s family taught me how to be strong and really trust in Jesus.
During my visit to Delaware, OH, I visited a huge seminary, Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO), and met many nice people. I also met my Mexican friends and we shared our experiences with each other and laughed a lot. The next day we went to a prison located in London, OH. This was my first time in a prison. We went there to learn about a ministry called “Horizon,” and it works with inmates by preaching the gospel to them. During our visit, we heard a few inmates testify about what Jesus has done in them and how God has transformed their lives. I met two Mexican guys who were worried about themselves and unable to speak much English, so they needed someone to translate for them when they visited the doctor or someone else. The two men told us that they suffered from prejudice in the prison, and that they missed their families. This was a troubling experience for me because I could identify with them and felt what they felt. I returned to MTSO thinking of those two men and feeling so bad about their situation. I also met the Bishop while visiting Delaware. We had dinner with him and talked about his work in the West Ohio Conference.
My experiences in the U.S. have been great so far. Sarah Dean and Rachel Hurley took me bowling for the first time in my life. I liked being with them, they are very nice. I do not want to say this but I beat them in the first round, but for the next round they beat me. I really had a good time at bowling thanks to Sarah and Rachel for this amazing experience. The McNeil’s took me canoeing, another first for me. I was afraid because that little boat rocked a lot. Afterwards, I tried a “kayak” and I felt more at ease in that.
This last weekend, I went to the Cincinnati Zoo, and I was amazed because I saw many different animals. My favorite exhibit was the hippos. I fed a giraffe and also saw lions. After that, we drove to the art museum, there I saw the European gallery. I really enjoyed it. This past week, I went to the U.S Air Force Museum. I love airplanes and seeing all of them at the museum was a dream come true for me. I almost cried with tears of joy. The WWII exhibit was my favorite. I also got to see one of my favorite airplanes, the B-51.
No only have I enjoyed the recreation time, but also working at the Breakfast Club and the Food Pantry. There I spent time with the church members, and I really learned a lot about their work here at church. I am amazed because they work so hard for the sake of the people here in Middletown. Furthermore, I am impressed with the pastoral care here. Rev. John taught me a lot of things about pastoral care, and I learned more about how to help people and show them God’s love.
I am enjoying my experience in this church. I like traditional worship and was happy to find liturgical worship service here. I love the hymns and the songs of the choir. At Sunday School, I have enjoyed sharing my experiences and learning together with the congregation.
I have met some great people on my journey. I feel loved, like that of a parent’s love for their child. They are worried about me and treat me with kindness, and are always looking out for my best interest. I have learned so much from Rev. John and he encourages me to do my best. I would say that Rev. John is like my spiritual father. I feel so thankful towards God for putting these amazing people on my path. I feel at home.
Throughout this trip, I really think that God is shaping me in every way, with happy and sad moments, from this I can tell that while I’m here…God is with me.
Thank you all! —Daniel
Hiram Daniel Cardenas Mendez is a first year student at Juan Wesley Seminary in Monterrey Mexico. He is with our church as an intern from July 3 to August 13, and has been participating in worship, teaching the regular adult Sunday School class, teaching the Saturday night and Sunday morning Hispanic classes, working with the food pantry, helping with Breakfast Club, helping teach guitar and music to Hispanic children with Esperanza Viva (a United Methodist ministry in Hamilton), helping with Vacation Bible School at the Gathering, going on hospital and pastoral care visits, attending staff and church business meetings, and participating in various social and educational events. We like him!
 Daniel went bowling for the first time with Rachel and Sarah. His first bowl….A STRIKE! |
 Rev. John Wagner, Rev. Herman Emmert, & Daniel |
 Daniel and his fellow student interns at the West Ohio Conference building. |
Mission Moment
Tola in Nepal
Update from Dr. Les and Debbie Dornon, missionaries to Nepal working in the Tansen Hospital
In a village not too far outside Tansen, Tola lives with his wife, 3 sons, and his elderly mother. He doesn’t have much education, but he tried to work as he could find jobs to support his family. He has only a little land – not enough to grow crops to support or feed his family. One day, Tola had an accidental fall in the village and was brought to the mission hospital. They worked hard to help him, but Tola is now paralyzed from the waist down. The physical therapists worked with him, and he is able to get around in a wheelchair, but when it was time for him to go back to the village, huge issues arose.
Tola was unable to get from his room either to the toilet or even just outside without being lifted by his wife and mother. The village home he lives in is just not made for wheelchair use.
So – some of the missionaries “passed the hat” and organized building a room and an accessible toilet onto Tola’s village house. Now, even though his life is still very hard, at least he can wheel himself in and out of his room, and can get to the toilet by himself.
It doesn’t seem like much – but it has made a huge difference in the life of Tola and his family. There are still difficulties – with 3 boys (ages 10, 8 and 5). They need money to be able to feed and clothe them. Tola is unable to work, and his wife can only find odd jobs – carrying goods or doing physical labor when needed.
Thanks for your prayers for Tola and his family – and for the many physically disabled people in Nepal – for whom life is incredibly difficult. Here is a picture of a painting of Tola and his son, done by a former Tansen missionary kid. Also – a photo of his home now with the new room.
In Him,
लेस (Les) and देबी (Debbie)
Check out our blog at dornonnepalmission.wordpress.com
 Tola’s house. |
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News from the Pews
A Big Thanks
The Community Ministries Council would like to thank Dee and Nevin Markle for their years and years of volunteering, not only the Monday Breakfast Club but also as shoppers for the pantry. Both of these missions are central to what our church is about and volunteers like Dee and Nevin are what make the missions work to support the community. Thank you both!
Calling All Pianists
Stanton’s Music is holding a Sacred Piano Reading Session for new Church music for piano on Saturday, August 13th in Columbus. Registration begins at 1:30 and the workshop will last until 4:30pm. There is no registration fee. Clinician will be one of our all-time favorites, Mark Hayes!! Please call or email Mary Ellen (meclinard@hotmail.com) if you are interested in attending. We may go to Columbus a little earlier to do some “pre-workshop” music shopping and have some lunch!
Volunteer for the Pantry
The Food Pantry could use a volunteer who is available on Tuesdays between 3:30 to 5:30 (time may vary as long as the shopping list goes out Tuesday evening) who would like to learn how to determine what is needed to keep the Pantry properly stocked and how to generate and send out the grocery list for the weekly Pantry Buyers. It would be a shared activity and you would not be required to do it every week, unless you wanted to. If interested, please contact either Patty McGraw at 937-746-9487 or the church office at 513-423-4629. Thank you!
Recognition of Children—August 14
Sunday, Aug. 14 will be a special service for the children of the congregation. The church will conduct the “Giving of Bibles” for students entering 3rd grade during the 10:30 a.m. worship service. The acolytes will also be recognized for their service to the church. Following worship, there will be a lunch for all Junior Church children and their families.
Save the Date!
| HERITAGE SUNDAY, celebrating the 125th Anniversary of our Sanctuary building has been scheduled for Sunday, September 11th. The Sunday worship service will include songs from all the decades from 1890-2016, so soon we will have inserts in the bulletin where you will be asked to submit your favorite hymns. Hopefully, there will be enough variety to have a hymn that represents each decade of worship in our sanctuary! Also during the service, we would like to honor members of our congregation who are 90 years and older and maybe have some fun highlighting the oldest member and the youngest member attending the service. Through video we hope to have some of our older members share memories of their experiences in our church.
Several other events are planned for that day including having the children ring the bell in the church steeple 125 times and asking the Mayor of Middletown to present a proclamation honoring this special Sunday. After the church service, please make plans to attend the potluck dinner. It is a true “potluck” so bring your favorite dish to share. Table service and drinks are provided. This will be a great time to chat with former pastors who attend and see old friends! According to church records, there was a “time capsule” buried within the cornerstone of the church when it was built. Members of the Historical Committee are making plans to remove the cornerstone and at the potluck, open the time capsule to see what, if anything, it contains. We will then be able to add items and mementos to the capsule for congregations to discover in the next 125 years! Watch the website and church bulletin for up to date information as the time gets closer. You won’t want to miss this Sunday so go straight to your calendars and mark the date! Make plans to spend the day celebrating with us! |
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Music Notes by Mary Ellen Clinard
In July, I took a trip to the South to visit an old college friend for about a week. While I was gone, the worship service carried on with some great musicians leading the congregation. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful group of pianists within our church family as well as singers and instrumentalists who enjoy offering their gifts from time to time. It can be intimidating preparing a piece for Sunday morning and taking the plunge playing that first note or chord knowing at that point there’s no turning back until the end of the song! While visiting my friend, I enjoyed singing in her church choir that Sunday while some of their members were on vacation. They sang a few songs I didn’t know, coming from the Southern Baptist tradition, but I enjoyed learning them and worshiping through the fresh eyes of a visitor.
With Daniel Cardenas, our Hispanic intern, we experimented with songs in Spanish and Daniel played the guitar as we sang. How great it is to be able to share our love of God with each other through music even if it includes a language, tune, or text with which we are not familiar. I enjoyed working with him to find common songs we both knew and the congregation would be able to sing. I hope that this experience with Daniel is a “jumping off point” where we can continue to learn new songs and reinforce the understanding that the scope of our faith goes beyond our local community. The global connection of our belief in the One True God transcends age, location, and tradition. Daniel has been a blessing to us as we learned from each other and found common ground in worship through music. I pray that our congregation will continue to be open to new music that will encourage our understanding of the far reaching connections of our faith.
2016 First Friday Concert Series @ First UMC
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AUGUST 5 | ACCLARIONThis dynamic duo comes from Canada to pull us into the magic of music for clarinet and accordion. An unusual combination you say? Well, yes, but the results are something you will never forget! An energetic blend of classical, Klezmer and original music. Guaranteed to leave a smile on your face! SEPTEMBER 2 | THE REEN FAMILYThe 21st century’s version of the von Trapp Family Singers! This family of 9 kids can sing barbershop, play instruments, and more. Who knows what they will bring for us, but we know it will be BIG…real BIG!! This concert series would not be possible without the support of the Middletown Community Foundation, the Barnitz Fund, Miriam Knoll Foundation and the congregation of First United Methodist Church, Middletown. Thank you for your support!! |
Community News
National Night Out—August 2
Sponsored by the Middletown Division of Police and Gold Star Chili, this is a great family event. It will take place on Tuesday, August 2 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. located on the lawn of Beracah Baptist Church in Middletown , 1900 Johns Road. This event gives us an opportunity to meet and get to know our fellow police officers and help stop crime in our city. The event features free food and drinks, inflatables for kids, K9 & SRT Demo’s, live band, coney eating contests, and much more!
August Birthdays
1 Pat Beasley, Deborah Boonstra, John Tack, Stuart Wilson
2 Ann Beck, Imogene Orts, Ken Tucker
3 Dudley Inwood
4 Debbie Hazelbaker
5 Karen Cooper
9 Steve Urso
11 Melvin Motley
12 Linda Snyder
13 Karen Orts, Bev Urso
14 Jennifer Host, Edna Palmer
15 Ted Wilson
17 Tammy Rosenbaum
18 McKenzie Harris
19 Charles Orth
20 Karol King
21 Jeff Clinard, Bob Mucha, Joyce Parrella
23 Martha Swank
25 Rachel Hurley
26 Evelyn Breystpraak, Kathleen Darling, Cheryl Irwin
27 Helen Converse
28 Mary Cook, Bill Schaefer, Susan Wittman
29 Linda Fillnow, Lee Mendenhall