This week's Calendar

Prayer Requests

Invitation to Membership Join us! Become a member. Speak with Pastor Ed DuBose or contact the church office at 763-545-0239.

How do I reach Pastor Ed? Pastor Ed is honored to be the pastor for Spirit of Hope Church. Although he lives in Woodbury, he wants to be available to anyone in need of a Pastor. He will normally be in the office Monday through Thursday. If you would like to talk to him during that time, call the Church office at 763-545-0239. You may also call his cell phone at any time, 651-503-4279. If he doesn't answer, leave a message. You may also contact him via email.

Everyone is a Minister of the Gospel
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your acts of kindness, and give glory to your God. Matthew 5:16

Statement Of Call: We are called by God to be a radically inclusive, caring community of faith – offering personal and social transformation through Jesus Christ.

We are a reconciling congregation welcoming people of all sexual orientations.

The two candles that grace the front of our altar remind us that the power of God is working within the peoples of Israel and Palestine to bring about lasting peace. There is hope!

2010 Worship Schedule
9:00 a.m. Chapel Service
10:00 a.m. Worship and Children’s Education

Office
Monday–Friday, 9–noon
7600 Harold Avenue, Golden Valley, Minnesota 55427
763 545 0239 • Fax 763 546 3109
Sunshine Valley Childcare: 763 545 6906

Staff:
Ministers: Congregation
Pastor: Rev. Ed DuBose
Minister of Music: Jerry Rubino
Coordinator of Children’s Sunday School: Danielle Buckmeier
Office Manager: Peggy Bocklund
Administrative Assistant: Janine Hall

July 2010

The Voice is a periodic publication of Spirit of Hope United Methodist Church.

Our Hope is in the Lord
by Pastor Ed DuBose

You may think that this is morbid, but I am fascinated by cemeteries.  When I visit my daughter in Buenos Aires, I love to go to Recoleta.  It is a famous cemetery that looks like a small city.  Tombs resemble houses and are built close together on narrow lanes.  Each one is a memorial that was inspired by grief.  The design and the symbols on it represent the faith of the family buried there.  On my recent trip to Rome, I saw other tombs that were a witness to the faith of grieving families.  I spent quite a bit of time looking at the tombs of saints, popes, and Christians who have long since been forgotten.  I  toured some catacombs that have about 500,000 graves.  In the catacombs, there are lasting records of the early Church.

Gravestones there are filled with Christian symbols that tell the story of a people who are forgotten but of a faith that continues.  There were tombs that had fish, anchors and sheep.  All of them were ‘secret symbols’ that communicated a faith that had been banned.  One of the most common symbols was an anchor. To the early Christians, it was simply a disguised cross.  It may also have referred to the early Christian idea that is in Hebrews 6, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”  Obviously, these families were clinging to their faith in their most desperate hours.  One of the tombs had an inscription that said, “To those who understand these symbols, pray for me.”

I was especially humbled when I found out that of the almost half a million graves in the catacombs, there were almost none for someone forty or over.  Evidently, the human desire to understand the afterlife may have been the same then, but living conditions were much more difficult.

In contrast to these Christian graves that were filled with symbols of hope and faith, I also saw the grave of the English poet John Keats.  According to his request, his name is not on his tombstone.  It says in part, “Here lies one whose name was writ in water.”

We put our ultimate trust in the Lord; because we know that without him, we will be like that young poet and we will be no more remembered than the names written in water.  However, with Christian faith, we can be confident that our names have been written in the book of life.  We can also rejoice in knowing that we will be united with the many faithful Christians who have gone before us. 

Jesus Christ is the good shepherd who is Lord of the living and the dead.  We can be confident that in him, we are a part of God’s eternal kingdom.

Peace,

Children’s Ministry
by Danielle Buckmeier

Vacation Bible School Rocked! We just completed another fun and successful year of Vacation Bible School at Son Rock Kids Camp! We had over 70 kids and more than 25 adults involved in the program this year! The kids enjoyed music, games, crafts, snacks, recreation and story time, while creating many memories and new friendships! A special thanks goes out to all that helped in planning, setting-up and helping to run the program. We could not have been successful without you!

Summer Sunday School. Throughout the rest of the summer months, the kids at Spirit of Hope will have the opportunity to continue building on their faith during Summer Sunday School - Kids on a Mission for Christ! The lessons will be packed with fun activities, as well as teaching them about what it means to do a "mission" and be a servant of God. We are excited to lay the foundation for our kids to act as servants in our community over the course of the next year!

Attention All Ladies of Spirit of Hope Mark your calendars for the annual summer potluck at Nadine Gunn’s home on Wednesday, July 28, at 11:30 a.m. What a fun gathering this is and a wonderful opportunity for fellowship with other women of the church. No reservations required, just come with a dish to pass.

Spirit of Hope Ministry Trust Fund The Spirit of Hope Ministry Trust Fund provides a source of special funds for worthy programs and projects within the church and our community. The funds in the account are separate from the church operating budget and not available to use for the operating budget. The Ministry Trust Fund is managed by a board of advisors, by the following current members: Steve Gunn, John Turrittin, Lisa Schroeder, Buzz Nelson, Ann Rest, and Eric Forsberg. The Board makes grants for worthy programs and projects based upon applications. Typically the grants have been between $500 and $1,000. Applications are available from the church office. The Board will consider applications at its next meeting on August 24. If you have questions about the fund or the application process, contact one of the Board members.

Thank You From the DuBose Family Rosie and I want to thank the many wonderful people of Spirit of Hope. Our vacation in Italy was life changing! We were inspired by the many beautiful things we saw there. We especially want to thank the many people who donated to our picture fund! What a great surprise! Your donations bought us valuable gift cards for photo printing. I can’t wait to begin printing our pictures.

We want to share with the congregation some of the things we saw and learned on our trip. So, on Tuesday, July 13, we will have a presentation of some of our pictures and souvenirs. I will also share a little bit of what I learned about the history of the Church. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served.

“Visiting Italy” Tuesday, July 13, 9:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Paint-A-Thon Join us for Paint-a-thon on Saturday, August 7. We will start at 8 a.m. and work until we are done. Come for an hour or all day. If you are unable to come and paint, join us for the prep work on Tuesday, July 21, from 5- 8 p.m. or Thursday, July 23, from 8-11 a.m. The sign up sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the upper lobby.

Simpson Shelter. Contractors have been busy updating the shelter at Simpson United Methodist Church. The men's and women's shelters are now combined in the one building at 2740 First Avenue South, Minneapolis.

The quantity of food we need to provide each month has increased, and the serving time has changed. The next menu and signup sheet are posted on the church bulletin board, and information about the time change has been highlighted. Please carefully note the quantities on the sheet, since there are some changes!

If you want a rewarding experience serving the homeless in Minneapolis, you are encouraged to join us. If you cannot be with us, there are plenty of opportunities to provide food. The menu does not vary much month to month, mostly just changing the main dish: hot most of the year, cool for the summer months. Other than the main hot dish, all items can be purchased and left in the church on Sunday or brought on Monday. Our church has done a fabulous job with this ministry for many, many years. Thank you all for your continued support, ideas and feedback.

If you have any questions, please see Kris Kooiker or Joan Grimm.

Crisis Connection. Crisis Connection is a non-profit agency that provides 24-hour crisis counseling by telephone. Their mission is to create a place in which no one in crisis will be alone. Calls are answered 365 days a year. In 2009, 46,000 calls were answered!

This year the statistics are indicating they are on course to answer close to 58,000 calls. Currently, they are only able to answer about 71 percent of their calls. With the increased number of people in need of this service, more volunteer counselors are needed to answer these calls. Training and mentoring is provided, and phone counselors are always staff supervised.

Volunteers do not need a background in counseling or the health field. Crisis Connection is currently looking for volunteer counselors. They have found that people from local churches do a wonderful job. Their website is www.crisis.org. Contact Ashley by email at crisisconnectionintern@gmail.com or telephone 763-355-4800.

PRISM has asked the church partners to contribute specific items throughout the year for the food shelf. They have asked Spirit of Hope to emphasize the following items:

• July - toilet paper, spaghetti sauce
• August - toothpaste, macaroni and cheese
• September - hair conditioner, canned fruit
• October - laundry detergent, cereal
• November - unscented lotion, jam/jelly
• December - baby wipes, chili

PRISM is collecting items from 18 churches, and no two churches are asked to bring the same thing in the same month.

For more information, see the chart on the kiosk or talk with Gloria Peck. PRISM is also in need of financial support. Throughout 2009, when foundation money dried up, the churches came through generously.

This year, though, church contributions are lower and PRISM is running a deficit. Please consider contributing to PRISM in one of two ways: either by placing a check designated to PRISM in the offering plate or by contributing online to PRISM via GiveMN.org.

Thank you to all who have generously donated food, financial contributions, and their time to helping PRISM and our community.

Annual PRISM Golf Tournament Mark your calendar for the annual PRISM golf tournament, silent auction, and banquet on August 16. Again this year, it is being held at Golden Valley Country Club. Reservations are needed by July 31. Anyone planning to golf in the tournament should contact Gloria Peck at gjpeck@yahoo.com or PRISM at 763-529-1350.

Upcoming Events at Spirit of Hope…
July 4 Independence Day—Chapel Service (9:00 a.m.), Worship (10:00 a.m.)
July 5 Church Offices Closed
July 13 “Visiting Italy” Presented by Pastor Ed (9:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.)
July 27 Paint-a-thon “Prep” (5-8 p.m.)
July 28 UMW Annual Picnic (11:30 a.m. at Nadine Gunn’s home)
July 29 Paint-a-thon “Prep” (8-11 a.m.)
August 7 Paint-a-thon
August 16 PRISM Annual Golf Tournament at Golden Valley Country Club