Monday, May 27, 2013

OUR WEEK —
JUNE 2ND TO JUNE 8TH

REMINDERS —
—————————————————————
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29TH —
Small Group Study at Adair U.M.C.  . . 5:30 P.M.

AD Council meeting Adair U.M.C.  . .   7:00 P.M.

AD Council meeting  Casey U.M.C.  . . 7:45 P.M.

Combined AD Council Meeting
at Adair U.M.C.   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8:15 P.M.

• Happy Birthday, Bill Umbaugh!
• Happy Anniversary, 

Jerry and Donna Kopaska!
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THURSDAY, MAY 30TH —
• Happy Birthday, Kathleen Moorhead
!
• Happy Birthday, Dustin Farnsworth
!
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FRIDAY, MAY 31ST —
Happy Birthday, Lola Peterson!
Happy Anniversary, Bud & Lola Peterson!
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SATURDAY, JUNE 1ST —

ADAIR U.M.W. WHITE POLE ROAD SALE AT
ADAIR COMMUNITY CENTRE
STARTS AT 7:30 A.M.

• WHITE ELEPHANTS,
• BAKED GOODS,
• GREEN PLANTS

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —  
• Happy Birthday, Justin Moore!
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SUNDAY, JUNE 2ND —
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
WE ARE IN THE SEASON OF PENTECOST 

FOR APPROXIMATELY THE NEXT SIX 
MONTHS.
This season typically corresponds with
"summer," when schools are out and 

schedules are more flexible.

COLOR:  GREEN
HOLY COMMUNION AT BOTH CHURCHES

 
SCRIPTURE READINGS
READINGS ARE NOT CHOSEN TO RELATE 

TO EACH OTHER, EXCEPT THE PSALM.
—————————————————————
I KINGS 18:20-39
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Elijah takes on the prophets of Baal on 

Mount Carmel.
About 2800 years ago, Ahab, King of Israel, 

calls for a contest, probably believing the 
Baalists will easily win.  Elijah, however, sets 
the terms. The contest will be about sacrifices. 
Baalists and Yahwists shared a common 
basic practice and beliefs in sacrifice, even if 
ritual practices did differ dramatically. Both 
believed sacrifices were about offering their 
god a pleasing aroma by burning or cooking 
items on an altar. And both believed that with 
proper ritual presiders, one needn't start the 
fire: The god could do that.  The Baalists 
believed their god Baal would start the fire if 
they were fervent in their rituals.  
For 450 Baalist
priests - - - nothing.
Elijah doused the offering with water, said a
simple prayer, and there was an immediate 

all consuming blaze.  The stunned crowds 
started chanting "Adonai indeed is God!"!

20 So Ahab summoned everyone in Israel,
particularly the prophets, to Mount Carmel.

21 Elijah challenged the people: "How long
are you going to sit on the fence? If God is
the real God, follow him; if it's Baal, follow him.
Make up your minds!"

    Nobody said a word; nobody made a move.

22-24 Then Elijah said, "I'm the only prophet of
God left in Israel; and there are 450 prophets of
Baal. Let the Baal prophets bring up two oxen; let
them pick one, butcher it, and lay it out on an altar
on firewood—but don't ignite it. I'll take the other
ox, cut it up, and lay it on the wood. But neither
will I light the fire. Then you pray to your gods
and I'll pray to God. The god who answers with
fire will prove to be, in fact, God."

    All the people agreed: "A good plan—do it!"

25 Elijah told the Baal prophets, "Choose your ox
and prepare it. You go first, you're the majority.
Then pray to your god, but don't light the fire."

26 So they took the ox he had given them,
prepared it for the altar, then prayed to Baal.
They prayed all morning long, "O Baal, answer
us!" But nothing happened—not so much as a
whisper of breeze. Desperate, they jumped and
stomped on the altar they had made.

27-28 By noon, Elijah had started making fun of
them, taunting, "Call a little louder—he is a god,
after all. Maybe he's off meditating somewhere
or other, or maybe he's gotten involved in a
project, or maybe he's on vacation. You don't
suppose he's overslept, do you, and needs to
be waked up?" They prayed louder and louder,
cutting themselves with swords and knives—a
ritual common to them—until they were covered
with blood.

29 This went on until well past noon. They used
every religious trick and strategy they knew to
make something happen on the altar, but nothing
happened—not so much as a whisper, not a
flicker of response.

30-35 Then Elijah told the people, "Enough of
that—it's my turn. Gather around." And they
gathered. He then put the altar back together for
by now it was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones,
one for each of the tribes of Jacob, the same
Jacob to whom God had said, "From now on your
name is Israel." He built the stones into the altar in
honor of God. Then Elijah dug a fairly wide trench
around the altar. He laid firewood on the altar, cut
up the ox, put it on the wood, and said, "Fill four
buckets with water and drench both the ox and
the firewood." Then he said, "Do it again," and
they did it. Then he said, "Do it a third time," and
they did it a third time. The altar was drenched
and the trench was filled with water.

36-37 When it was time for the sacrifice to be
offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed,
"O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make
it known right now that you are God in Israel, that
I am your servant, and that I'm doing what I'm
doing under your orders. Answer me, God; O
answer me and reveal to this people that you
are God, the true God, and that you are giving
these people another chance at repentance."

38 Immediately the fire of God fell and burned
up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt,
and even the water in the trench.

39 All the people saw it happen and fell on their
faces in awed worship, exclaiming, "God is the
true God! God is the true God!"
—————————————————————
PSALM 96 (UMH 815)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
"Ascribe to the Lord, families among all 

peoples,ascribe to the Lord the glory due 
this name!"

Sing God a brand new song!
Earth and everyone in it, sing!
    Sing to God—worship God!
2-3 Shout the news of his victory from sea to
   sea,
   Take the news of his glory to the lost,
   News of his wonders to one and all!
4-5 For God is great, and worth a thousand
   Hallelujahs.
   His terrible beauty makes the gods look
   cheap;
   Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
5-6 God made the heavens—
   Royal splendor radiates from him,
   A powerful beauty sets him apart.
7 Bravo, God, Bravo!
   Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
   In awe before the beauty, in awe before the
   might.
8-9 Bring gifts and celebrate,
   Bow before the beauty of God,
   Then to your knees—everyone worship!

10 Get out the message—God Rules!
   He put the world on a firm foundation;
   He treats everyone fair and square.

11 Let's hear it from Sky,
   With Earth joining in,
   And a huge round of applause from Sea.

12 Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
   Animals, come dance,
   Put every tree of the forest in the choir—

13 An extravaganza before God as he comes,
   As he comes to set everything right on earth,
   Set everything right, treat everyone fair.
—————————————————————
GALATIANS 1:1-12
THE MESSAGE (MSG)

Paul marvels at how quickly the Christians 
of Galatia were turning to "another gospel" 
and he reminds them the gospel he shared 
with them was truly from Jesus, and not 
based on the opinion of any human authority.

1-5  I, Paul, and my companions in faith here,
send greetings to the Galatian churches. My
authority for writing to you does not come
from any popular vote of the people, nor does
it come through the appointment of some
human higher-up. It comes directly from Jesus
the Messiah and God the Father, who raised
him from the dead. I'm God-commissioned. So
I greet you with the great words, grace and
peace! We know the meaning of those words
because Jesus Christ rescued us from this evil
world we're in by offering himself as a sacrifice
for our sins. God's plan is that we all experience
that rescue. Glory to God forever! Oh, yes!

6-9  I can't believe your fickleness—how easily
you have turned traitor to him who called you
by the grace of Christ by embracing a variant
message! It is not a minor variation, you know;
it is completely other, an alien message, a
no-message, a lie about God. Those who are
provoking this agitation among you are turning
the Message of Christ on its head. Let me be
blunt: If one of us—even if an angel from
heaven!—were to preach something other than
what we preached originally, let him be cursed.
I said it once; I'll say it again: If anyone,
regardless of reputation or credentials,
preaches something other than what you
received originally, let him be cursed.

10-12  Do you think I speak this strongly in order
to manipulate crowds? Or curry favor with God?
Or get popular applause? If my goal was
popularity, I wouldn't bother being Christ's slave.
Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—
this great Message I delivered to you is not mere
human optimism. I didn't receive it through the
traditions, and I wasn't taught it in some school.
I got it straight from God, received the Message
directly from Jesus Christ.
—————————————————————
LUKE 7:1-10
THE MESSAGE (MSG)

Jesus heals the servant of a centurion "at a
distance" and marvels at the centurion's 

faith. The first disciples already showed 
substantial faith, just by being disciples, that 
is, by agreeing to follow him and learn from 
him wherever he went.   If Jesus could be 
surprised at the centurion, they need to be 
ready and perhaps even expectant to be 
surprised ourselves by ways we see faith 
and the kingdom of God at work in the lives 
of people. Expect surprise!
A PLACE OF HOLY MYSTERY
1-5 When he finished speaking to the people, he
entered Capernaum. A Roman captain there had
a servant who was on his deathbed. He prized
him highly and didn't want to lose him. When he
heard Jesus was back, he sent leaders from the
Jewish community asking him to come and heal
his servant. They came to Jesus and urged him
to do it, saying, "He deserves this. He loves our
people. He even built our meeting place." 
6-8 Jesus went with them. When he was still
quite far from the house, the captain sent friends
to tell him, "Master, you don't have to go to all
this trouble. I'm not that good a person, you know.
I'd be embarrassed for you to come to my house,
even embarrassed to come to you in person. Just
give the order and my servant will get well. I'm a
man under orders; I also give orders. I tell one
soldier, 'Go,' and he goes; another, 'Come,' and
he comes; my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9-10 Taken aback, Jesus addressed the
accompanying crowd: "I've yet to come across
this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the
very people who are supposed to know about
God and how he works." When the messengers
got back home, they found the servant up and
well.
—————————————————————
Happy Anniversary, 
Dean and Melodee Carstens!
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• REV. ED KAIL’S RETIREMENT PARTY •
FROM 3:00 – 5:00 P. M. at
CARSON COMMUNITY CENTER,
316 S. COMMERCIAL ST.,
CARSON, IOWA

• 1924 - All American Indians were granted U.S. 
citizenship by the United States Congress.
• 1966 - Surveyor 1, the U.S. space probe, landed 
on the moon and started sending photographs 
back to Earth of the Moon's surface. It was the 
first soft landing on the Moon.
• 1998 - Voters in California passed Proposition 
227. The act abolished the state's 30-year-old 
bilingual education program by requiring that 
all children be taught in English.  
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MONDAY, JUNE 3RD —
Office is closed today.
• 1539 - Hernando De Soto claimed Florida for 
Spain.
• 1621 - The Dutch West India Company rec'd
a charter for New Netherlands (now known as 
New York).
• 1800 - John Adams moved to Washington, 
DC. He was the first President to live in what 
would later become the capital of the United 
States.
• 1959 - The first class graduated from the Air 
Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  
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TUESDAY, JUNE 4TH —
• 1792 - Captain George Vancouver claimed 
Puget Sound for Britain.
• 1812 - The Louisiana Territory had its name 
changed to the Missouri Territory.
• 1919 - The U.S. Senate passed the Women's 
Suffrage bill.
1942 - The Battle of Midway began. It was the 
first major victory for America over Japan 
during World War II. The battle ended on June 
6 and ended Japanese expansion in the
 Pacific.  
• 1989 - In Beijing, Chinese army troops 
stormed Tiananmen Square to crush the pro-
democracy movement. It is believed that 
hundreds, possibly thousands, of 
demonstrators were killed. 
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5TH —
• ADAIR U.M.W. MEETING AT HAPPY CHEF
AT 8:30 A.M.

^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  
SMALL GROUP STUDY IN ADAIR U.M.C.
@ 5:30 P.M. TODAY.
“Yes Lord, I Have Sinned, But I Have Several
Excellent Excuses” 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
SPRC MEETING IN ADAIR U.M.C. @ 7 P.M.
º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º  º
• Happy Birthday, Jaden Carney!
• Happy Anniversary, Don and Shirley Chesnut!

• 1752 - Benjamin Franklin flew a kite for the first 
time to demonstrate that lightning was a form of 
electricity.
• 1851 - Harriet Beecher Stow published the first 
installment of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in 
"The National Era."
1884 - U.S. Civil War General William T. 
Sherman refused the Republican presidential 
nomination, saying, "I will not accept if 
nominated and will not serve if elected." 
• 1917 - American men began registering for 
the World War I draft.
1981 - In the U.S., the Center for Disease 
Control and Prevention reported that five men 
in Los Angeles were suffering from a rare 
pneumonia found in patients with weakened 
immune systems. They were the first known 
cases of what came to be known as AIDS.    
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THURSDAY, JUNE 6TH —
• Happy Birthday, Kent Downing!

^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^ 
• 1813 - The U.S. invasion of Canada was 
halted at Stony Creek, Ontario.
1844 - The Young Men's Christian Assoc.
was founded in London.
1932 - In the U.S., the first federal tax on 
gasoline went into effect. It was a penny per 
gallon.
• 1944 - The D-Day invasion of Europe began 
on the beaches of Normandy, France. 400,000 
Allied American, British and Canadian troops 
were involved.
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FRIDAY, JUNE 7TH —
1494 - Spain and Portugal divided the new 
lands they had discovered in the west 
 between themselves.
1498 - Christopher Columbus left on his 
third voyage of western exploration.
1712 - The Pennsylvania Assembly banned 
the importation of slaves.
1775 - The United Colonies changed their 
name to the United States.
1776 - Richard Henry Lee of Virginia 
proposed to the Continental Congress a 
resolution calling for a Declaration of 
 Independence.
1942 - The Battle of Midway ended. The 
sea and air battle lasted 4 days. Japan lost 
four carriers, a cruiser, and 292 aircraft, and 
suffered 2,500 casualties. The U.S. lost the 
Yorktown, the destroyer USS Hammann, 145 
aircraft, and suffered 307 casualties.

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SATURDAY, JUNE 8TH —
• Pastor Melodee will be gone to
Annual Conference until Monday, June 10th 

 ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  
CASEY U.M.W. WILL HOST
MOTHER/DAUGHTER BANQUET
IN CASEY U.M.C. AT 6:30 P.M.                                                        
(EVERYONE IS INVITED)

• Happy Anniversary Art and Louise Arter!
^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  
• 1786 - In New York City, commercial ice cream 
was manufactured for the first time.
1872 - The penny postcard was authorized by 
the U.S. Congress.
1953 - The U.S. Supreme Court outlawed
segregated restaurants in Washington, DC.
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FUTURE FOCUS —
A-C FOOD PANTRY WILL OPEN 
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12TH ––– 
OPEN FROM 9 TO 11 A.M. 
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Thank you for your tireless endeavors to support
and build our community based on commandments
we have been given.  The Food Pantry will be a
new endeavor that may need adjustments and
alterations as we go along, but we can do it.

God Bless and Keep You,
Pastor Melodee