The Lamplighter
PASTORS PEACE
Zion
United Church
of Christ
March 2017
Inside This Issue
1 Pastors Peace
2 Palm of Prayer
3 Worship Ways
4 This Months Events
5 Community & Conference Clamor
6 Butterfly Room
7 Celebration Occasions
8 Worship Whirl
No matter who you are or where you are
on life's journey, you are welcome
here. We believe in extravagant wel-
come. This is why we insist that God's com-
munion table is open, not closed, and
God's gift and claim in baptism are ir-
revocable. We advocate justice for
all. Our congregations extend hospitality
as a sign of God's inclusive love. We
teach that evangelism - offering bread to those
in search of it - is God's mission. Our perspec-
tive is global, not provincial. We work with - not
against - people of other faiths. Why?
Because God is still speaking!
Zion United Church of ChristEstablished 1880
105 N. Mary, Mayview, Missouri 64071-8224
Phone and FAX: (660) 237 - 4355
Lent, Again?
March 1, 2017, is Ash Wednesday, which pre-
cedes the official start of the season of Lent, the 40
days before Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, and
Easter, when we celebrate Jesus resurrection. This
season symbolizes the time after Jesus' baptism
when he went into the wilderness and was tempted by
Satan. We will have our Ash Wednesday Service
here at 7pm, with, Communion and imposition of
ashes. This time is a beginning...
Need some time to regroup?
Need some down time? Want to get rid
of a nasty habit? Well, now's the time!
Do not be afraid!
Typically this is the time when
winter is beginning to wane a bit toward
spring, but it seems like this February
has been spring plus. Beautiful blue skies, walking
weather, time to romp around outside with children or
pets--what's up with the weather? This is not at all
like it's "supposed" to be! Well, one might say,
"things, they are a changin," in many different ways,
so this is a perfect time to at least reflect.
Some questions we might ask during Lent in
particular might be, 'where am I in my faith journey?'
'What questions do I have about God, Jesus, the Holy
Spirit?' 'Why do I come to church?' 'Why have I not
been coming to church?' 'How can I deepen my rela-
tionship with Jesus?' 'How can I deepen my relation-
ship with my spouse--children--friends...?' 'What have
I gotten myself into in my personal life, and how can I
change it?' 'Do I have any spiritual gifts, and if so,
what are they and how can I use them?' 'How do I get
out of this mess I'm in?' And on and on...
Or maybe there's something in your heart try-
ing to get out, like 'hhheeELLLPPPPP ME!'
Maybe you're frustrated because you already
blew your New Year's Resolutions, maybe there are
other questions or feelings lurking beneath the surface
of your psyche and you just need to talk to someone.
Maybe it's your pastor you want to talk with; maybe it's
a spouse, a friend, a co-worker, a boss, a stranger...
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 The Lamplighter
Maybe it's time to stop the frantic pace of life
and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to your
heart. The Church Year, 2017
Maybe it's time to reconnect with someone
Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary
you have been thinking about for awhile and just
haven't gotten around to calling.
Maybe...maybe...maybe... Epiphany (and Ordinary Time until Lent)
This Lent I invite you to listen to what Spirit is (January 6 - March 4, 2017)
saying to you. You might feel a nudge, a theoretical Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras
kick in the pants, or nothing. I would like to invite (February 28, 2017)
you to embrace these 40 days, step back, listen, talk Ash Wednesday (March 1, 2017)
with someone, and see what God does in your life.
Lent (March 5 - April 15, 2017)
Then I dare you to share it.
Holy Week (April 9 - 14 [15], 2017)
In Christ's love, Maundy Thursday (April 13, 2017)
Pastor Kristin Good Friday (April 14, 2017)
Easter (April 16, 2017)
Pentecost (June 4, 2017)
Pastoral Visits and Prayers Please feel free to
contact me at any time if a pastoral care visit or Ordinary Time (June 7 - Dec 2, 2017)
prayer request is in your heart. The best way to
reach me is at the parsonage, 660-237-4902, and
the next best option is my cell @ 660-641-1038.
Blessings! Pastor Kristin

PALM of PRAYER 2
Because he
bends down and listens, I will pray as long as
I breathe! Psalm 116:2 (TLB)
Concerns Please continue to surround in love and
prayer, those experiencing health difficulties & or
recovering from surgery, the loss of family and
friends, & those adjusting to new seasons in their
lives: Annette Dittmer, Chester Fox, Ron Begemann,
Roger & Mary Ellen Thomson, Grace Werning, Lisa
Werning, Marty Begemann, Teresa Begemann,
Emily Coen, Gary Glover, Joyce Schemmer; friends
and family of Ivan Tankesley, William Rinne, Betty
Heidbrink, Steve Long; first responders; victims of
random acts of violence; military personnel and their
families; families around the world that are in the
midst of tensions, conflicts, acts of violence and
wars which are going on in different parts of the
world.

Joys
Dallas Walls achieved his Boy Scout Eagle rank
Congratulations!. The wedding of Ian (Faigh) and
Noriko Amari. Austin Aardema Faigh is undefeated
Odessa Middle School Spelling Bee champion!
Spring is in the air!

2
ZION UCC WORSHIP WAYS
TREASURERS TWITTER Lenten Services
Ash Wednesday Service will be
March 1st at 7 PM.

Lenten Study Curriculum on White

Privilege, beginning first Sunday in
Lent, March 5, 6:30-8pm. "White Privi-
lege--Let's Talk", by Traci Blackmon,
John Dorhauer, DaVita D. McAllister,
John Paddock, and Stephen G. Ray,
Jr.

Mayview Alliance Good Friday Ser-

vice will be at Zion AME, with Rev.
Kristin Aardema Faigh preaching
on Friday, April 14--time yet to be de-
termined. A potluck will follow.

COUNCIL COMMENTS
The youth will be participating in the Sunrise ser-
Zion UCC has a webpage. It is https://
vice with the Men of the church, providing a break-
sites.google.com/site/zionuccmayview/home .
fast following the service.
The Board of Trustees is in the process of getting
Austin and Donovan Aardema Faigh are beginning
bids for the new building roof and then a congre-
to work on their Confirmation Testimonials, which
gational meeting will be called.
will be shared on May 28, before their Confirmation
on Pentecost, June 4.
SAIL
Members of SAIL will host a church clean up You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for
at 9am on Thursday, March 16, followed by lunch your Word to renew me. Psalm 119:114 MSG
together at Michelle's Place. Come join us!
Our regular meeting will take place on Tuesday,
March 28th at 7 PM. COMMUNITY, COUNTY &
CONFERENCE CLAMOR
YOUTH YAK
At the Annual Meeting in January the Youth laid CONFERENCE ANNUAL GATHERING
out a fine taco buffet, with all the fixins, chips, des- While it may only be March, it's not too early to
sert, and drinks. And kudos as always to our mark your calendar for our 2017 Conference Annual
Youth Leaders, Amy and Robert Hoefer and Gathering (CAG)! We will once again meet in Co-
Tresina and Scott Alvested! lumbia, MO on June 8-10 at the Holiday Inn.
We also had a roller-skating party in Higginsville at
the end of February and had an absolute blast!
STEPPINGSTONE SHOWER
A shower for Steppingstone will be held March 13,
Special congratulations to Austin Aardema Faigh
at 9:30 AM. Apartment furnishings and baby items
for being UNDEFEATED in the Odessa Middle
are always needed.
School Spelling Bee for three years in
a row! Woo hoo Austin!
Sunday, March 12, 12:30pm SALEM UCC Fellow-
Youth Easter Egg Hunt will be held at ship Hall Youth on Mission Pie & Cake Auction.
the Mayview park Saturday, April 15. 3
 The Lamplighter

Sunday School9:30 A.M.

Worship10:30 A.M.

March 1, 2017
Ash Wednesday

March 4, 2017
World Religions-Levasy 8:30 AM4 PM

March 5, 2017
Lenten Study 6:30 8 PM at Zion

March 8, 2017
Choir 7pm

March 9, 2017
BCE 7:15pm Copyright 2011 The Zondervan Corporation

March 11, 2017

MMF St. Pattys Day Supper 5-7:30pm

March 12, 2017

Daylight Saving Time Begins
Min. Alliance meeting, First Baptist, 1pm
Lenten Study 6:308pm

March 13, 2017

Steppingstone Shower 9:30am
Council 7pm

March 15, 2017

Choir 7pm

March 16, 2017

SAIL church clean up 9am
Michelles place lunch

March 17, 2017

St Patrick's Day

March 19, 2017

Lenten Study 6:308pm

March 22, 2017

Choir 7pm

March 25, 2017

Blue Springs Terrace breakfast 8am-1pm
2
Conduct yourselves with all humility,
March 26, 2017
Lenten Study 6:30-8pm
gentleness, and patience. Accept each
other with love,
March 28, 2017
SAIL 7pm Ephesians 4:2 (CEB)

March 29, 2017

NO CHOIR
4
19 things to give up for Lent that
aren't chocolate
19 things you might consider giving up this Lent
and beyond:
Fear: God is on my side. In Him I am more than a
conqueror. (See Romans 98)
The need to please everyone: I cant please
everyone anyway. There is only one I need to
strive to please.
Envy: I am blessed. My value is not found in my
possessions, but in my relationship with my
Heavenly Father.
Impatience: Gods timing is the perfect timing.
Sense of entitlement: The world does not owe
me anything. God does not owe me anything. I
live in humility and grace.
Bitterness and Resentment: The only person I
am hurting by holding onto these is myself.
Blame: I am not going to pass the buck. I will
take responsibility for my actions.
Gossip and Negativity: I will put the best con-
struction on everything when it comes to other
people. I will also minimize my contact with peo-
ple who are negative and toxic and bring other
people down.
Comparison: I have my own unique contribution
to make and there is no one else like me.
Fear of failure: You dont succeed without ex-
periencing failure. Just make sure you fall for-
ward.
A spirit of poverty: Believe with God that there
is always more than enough and never a lack.
Feelings of unworthiness: You are fearfully and
wonderfully made by your creator. (see Psalm
139)
Doubt: Believe God has a plan for you that is
beyond anything you could imagine. The future is
brighter than you could ever realize.
Self-pity: God comforts us in our sorrow so that
we can comfort others with the comfort we our-
selves have received from God.
Retirement: As long as you are still breathing, you
are here for a reason. You have a purpose to influ-
ence others for Christ. That does not come to an
end until the day we die.
Excuses: A wise man once said, if you need an ex-
cuse, any excuse will do.
Lack of counsel: Wise decisions are rarely made in
a vacuum.
Pride: Blessed are the humble.
Worry: God is in control and worrying will not help.
~Monsignor Keith Derouen, Ponder These Things
Editor's note: Since the initial publication of this col-
umn, it's been noted that the following suggestions
were originally published as part of "40 Things to
Give up for Lent: The List" by Rev. Phil Ressler at
www.greaterthings.today. To find the full list and a
link to Ressler's book "40 Things to Give up for Lent
and Beyond," visit https://
www.greaterthings.today/40-things-to-give-up-for-
lent-the-list/.
EXPRESSION SESSION
Thank Yous
Dear friends at Zion,
It has been my pleasure to serve you over
the past five years publishing your news-
letter. In early February, I provided no-
tice to Pastor Kristin and the Church
Council that I would be stepping down
from this position. Your kind and gener-
ous support of my efforts are etched in
my heart, and I am appreciative that
you allowed me a spiritual and creative
outlet. As you continue
on in your witness of Je-
sus Christ, I hope that
you will still feel a spark
every now and then
from my efforts and re-
member with a smile in
your heart. Thank you
for letting me serve you.
In Christian Love,
Jenny Holt 5

BUTTERFLY ROOM
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto
myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also. John 14:3 (KJV)
The Wound Time Wont Heal
Weve all heard it. Time heals all
wounds.Sounds incredibly hopeful for some-
one whos drowning in grief. Except when
timedoesnt heal your wound.
What is the numerical value of
grief?
Later this year will mark eight years
since my 4-year-old daughter, Margareta, died.
She died exactly 29 days after her fourth birth-
day. That means we had 1,489 glorious days to
spend with her the only daughter in a family
full of boys.
One of my grandmothers died last year
at the age of 98. My other grandmother is in
her 90s. Based on those genes, I can probably
expect to live until close to a century old. If that
is true, Margareta will have been alive for about
4% of my life.
4%. 0.04. A small fraction by most
measurements. A blip in my overall life. Except
that shes anything but.
Coming up on eight years since her death, she
will have been gone twice as long as she lived.
The small details of her life are already being
lost to time. And yet I still think of her every
day, multiple times a day. This isnt a bad thing.
Every time I think of her is an opportunity to
celebrate the love between us.
But lying just under the surface of my
day-to-day life is the endless pain that sur-
rounds the memories of my daughter. Anything
can trigger it. My chest tightens. My breath-
ing pauses. The tears begin to well up be-
hind my eyes.
I find myself suspended in a bubble of
torment while the world goes on around me
not caring that my daughter is dead and that I
have to live in that reality for the rest of my life.
A glimpse of the future?
A friend told me a story once. She was
waiting in line at the grocery store. An elderly
The Lamplighter
woman in front of her perhaps in her 80s
was staring at the cover of a magazine that
featured an adorable baby boy. A smile grew
on the womans face.
He looks like my son, she said to no
one in particular. The clerk ringing her up paid
little notice.
He was so beautiful, she said with
pride. Then her tone changed. He died
when he was a baby.
The clerk looked bewildered; said
nothing and continued ringing her up.
My friend tried to comfort her by ac-
knowledging her son and her loss. But the
woman was lost in the simultaneous love and
grief she had for her child who was only in her
life a few short years well over half a century
ago.
I can see myself in that woman. Forever jug-
gling the overwhelming love of her precious
child with the crushing pain of having lost him
so long ago. I can feel her despair; the need
to tell complete strangers that he existed.
That he mattered.
Can time really heal all wounds?
No. Not this wound. Not in this life-
time.
But reallyits ok. It doesnt have to
relegate us to a lifetime of depression and
despair.
The wound that wont heal can transform itself
into a continual reminder that this life of ours
should be lived. Not just in a get-through-each
-day kind of life, but a life that recognizes the
gift that each day bringsbecause we know
all too well that the next is never guaranteed.
With dedication and intention, we can turn a
wound that forever remains open
into fertile ground. From that fertile
wound grows new meaning for our
life. The warmth and depth of our
love is the brilliant sun that shines
down on our fertile ground. The
tears we shed is the rain that helps our gar-
den grow.
We grow resilience. We grow compassion.
We grow purpose.
We grow.
We grow for our children who didnt get to. 6
~by Maria Kubitz
 The Lamplighter
Celebration Occasions
March Birthdays
Office Hours
Date Birthday Pastor Admin. Assistant
2 Ross Morgan
Tuesday
Amy Burns
6 8:00 AMNoon
Brooklyn Murry
Mallory Smith
12 Wednesday Wednesday
Glenn Wagner
6:008:00 PM 24pm
24 Makenzie Koch
Brandon Bayless Thursday
26
Scott Hoeppner 8:00 AMNoon
28 Mary Ellen Thomson
31 Jeff Sanders

MAYVIEW LIONS CLUB Serving Souls

Mar ACOLYTES GREETERS

5 Brooklyn Murry Matthew Elder & Adam Hoefer

Community Breakfast 12 Austin Faigh Roger & Mary Ellen Thomson
2nd & 4th Saturday
Jan, Feb, Mar and
2nd only in Apr 19 Donovan Faigh Ron & Diane Wagner
7:00 am 9:00 am
26 Trinity Alvested Juanita Wright & Judy Pragman

March Anniversaries
3 Glenn & Beth Wagner
Administrative Affairs
12 Darrell & Lori Fiegenbaum
Reverend Home(660) 237- 4902
Kristin Aardema Faigh Church (660) 237-4355
pastorkristinatzion@yahoo.com
Cell (660) 641-1038
Juanita Wright
Council President (816) 633-8818
wanitaright@gmail.com
Cole Courtway (660) 237- 4355
Reminder! Admin. Assistant zionuccsecretary@hotmail.com
The deadline for submissions for the Jenny Holt (660) 237 - 4923
April newsletter is Newsletter jennyholt14@gmail.com
Monday, March 20, 2017.
Teresa Begemann (816) 633 - 4133
Send your submissions to: Organist tjbegemann@yahoo.com
jennyholt14@gmail.com or
zionuccsecretary@hotmail.com Dawn Stuart
Custodian (660) 237 - 4355
Or Call (660) 237-4923
7
 Zion United Church of Christ
105 North Mary St.
Mayview, Missouri 64071-8224

Generous - Loving - Dedicated Christians

Sunday School 9:00 am

Worship at 10:00 am

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

The Lamplighter
March 2017

Zion UCC Mission Statement

The avowed purpose of our church shall be:
To worship God, to proclaim and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to celebrate the Sacra-
ments; to experience Christian fellowship, to build unity, and to practice charity within this congre-
gation and the wider church; and to share this witness of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
https://sites.google.com/site/zionussmayview/

Winter Worship Whirl

Traditional Worship 10:30 AM Sundays
Come As You Are Service 10:30 AM Monthly - 3rd Sunday
Sunday School 9:30 AM Sundays
Communion 10:30AM Monthly 1st Sunday & Special
Holidays
Church Council 7:15 PM Monthly
Board of Christian Education 7:15 PM Monthly
SAIL (Serving All in Love) 7:00 PM Monthly - 4th Tuesday