June 2012 Hub-bub by Amy Schrock

THE HUB-BUB Hudson Lake Mennonite Church Esther Lanting, Pastor 7503 N. Walker Rd. New Carlisle, IN 46552 574-654-8388 Vol. 15

No 6

June 2012

Thoughts from the Pastor This is the third in a series of summary introductions to the seven priorities adopted by the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) at the 2011 General Assembly in Pittsburg. These priorities will guide the future work and direction of the MC USA. These priorities are: Christian Formation; Christian Community; Holistic Christian Witness; Stewardship; Leadership Development; Undoing Racism and Advancing Intercultural Transformation; and Church-to-Church Relationships Christian Formation is described as fashioning and molding our lives after that of Jesus Christ. Christian Community reflects the belief that congregations are a vital part of sharing and communicating God’s mission in the world. We strengthen the witness through our worship, by practicing and extending hospitality, doing Biblical discernment together, developing and working at Christ-centered unity and learning to agree and disagree in love. The third priority is Holistic Christian Witness. This includes a broad spectrum of witness:  peace and justice  evangelism and church planting  health and other service ministries. It assumes that congregations and conferences are involved in International Ministries in collaboration with Mennonite Mission Network. To work at this priority Ervin Stutzman, Executive Direction, MC USA and Constituency Leaders Council came up with 24 goals to work at this priority. Two that stood out to me are: congregations and conferences are encouraged to nurture the practice of testimony in worship and meetings; and the denomination will begin an Anabaptist/Mennonite presence at five (5) non-Mennonite universities starting with a pilot program in 2012-2013. You can read the other goals (and the entire document) at: http://mennoniteusa.org/about/purposefulplan The fourth priority is Stewardship. It is the intent of this goal that we would reflect God’s abundance through our generosity in achieving missional goals across all parts of the church. Some of these goals include:  that the MC USA that the denomination’s budget will reflect the highest priorities of the church  that MC USA would secure funds in cash and pledges to pay off the new leadership building  that congregations would become more connected with Creation Care Network and would set Creation Care goals  proactively assist young adults as they navigate the “new normal” as they face the challenges of college debt and purchasing a home. As I asked with the other priorities: Do you see Hudson Lake Mennonite Church working at these? Do you see efforts at a Holistic Witness? Are there things you see that you would add to the above list? Where do we need to listen to God’s voice and be open to grow? And how are we doing at Stewardship? Do we reflect God’s abundance thought our generosity?

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Sunday/Monday - July 22nd & 23rd - Gene Van Accordion Concert 7:00 p.m. EDT At Kern Road Mennonite Church

June is …… Candy Month

Dairy Month National Adopt a Cat Month National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month National Turkey Month National Accordion Awareness Month National Rose Month

Unusual June dates … 6th National Yo-Yo Day 7th National Chocolate Ice Cream Day 10th National Ice Tea day 15th Smile Power Day 18th Go Fishing Day 25th National Catfish Day 26th Forgiveness Day 27th Sunglasses Day 29th Camera Day 29th Give a Hug Day

Health Tips from John Quest Blood Pressure – Part 1 – (all you ever wanted to know and more) So what do the blood pressure numbers mean? What does 120/80 mm Hg mean? The first number (systolic) is the pressure of the blood against your artery walls when your heart beats. The second number is the pressure against the artery walls when the heart is at rest. "mm" stands for millimeters, and Hg (Latin hydrargyrum) is the chemical symbol for mercury. Blood pressure is measured by an instrument which is call a sphygmomanometer, commonly known as a BP cuff. The systolic pressure (120 in the above example) means that there is sufficient pressure to raise a column of mercury one hundred twenty millimeters in the glass tube on the sphygmomanometer. The diastolic pressure (80 in the example), means that the pressure in the arteries is sufficient to raise the column of mercury eighty millimeters. A few years ago, the so-called experts said that one's systolic pressure could be as high as 110 plus half of the person's age, and that the diastolic should be no higher than 90. These numbers have changed recently to a maximum of 120/80. In my opinion, the new numbers are totally unrealistic, but please don't tell your doctor I said that. Source: John Quest, who is a licensed nurse. John retired from nursing after 25 years.

Do you know this …. (from Joanne Mendez)

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Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! (But you can scrape off any mold and still eat the cheese without changes in flavor!) Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and stronger flavored. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic. Reheat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, on med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. Drop a small object on the carpet and can't find it. Place panty hose over the end of the vacuum hose and start vacuuming. The panty hose will keep it from getting sucked into the vacuum. Need to cut some corn off the cob. Use your Bundt pan. Place the ear on the opening in the center of the pan, and as you slide the knife down the ear, all the kernels will collect in the main part of the pan. To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant: squirrels won't come near it. Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Use Homemade Remedies

There are many problems and tasks that can be solved by using home remedies or other natural solutions. Avoid environmental issues by skipping harsh chemicals in detergent and other cleaners, and make your yard a safer place by using natural pest remedies. Make your own cleaners. Rather than buying cleaners, detergents, and other products with harsh chemicals, make your own with simple ingredients you have lying around the house. For example, combine baking soda and vinegar, and flush with boiling water, for an effective drain cleaner; use lemon juice to remove mildew; and use corn starch to deodorize carpet. Get rid of outdoor pests naturally. You don't have to use harsh pesticides in your garden to get rid of outdoor pests. Try companion planting, which combines plants that attract pests (like roses) with plants that pests avoid (like chives). Or, hand-pick pests off your plants – it's time consuming, but definitely a good way to get rid of aphids and Japanese beetles. You can also apply garlic juice or blended hot peppers to your plants to deter pests. Rid your home of unwanted visitors naturally, too. You don't have to spray, buy ant traps, or apply other chemicals to get rid of indoor bugs, either. To get rid of ants naturally, squeeze a lemon at their point of entry and leave the peel. Use flypaper if you are plagued with flies, or even make your own with honey and yellow paper. And don't kill spiders at all (unless your house is infested), as they will help get rid of other pests.

A Portrait of Al Schreiber I was almost born an Angel but I arrive Dec. 23. 1938 to Albert and Mildred Schreiber Sr. At Saint Margret Hospital in Pittsburgh, Penn. About three and four years later two younger sisters were added to the family. My parents were strong Christian Blue Collar people with a strong work ethic who taught us to be respectful, responsible, accountable, and that no one owned you anything - if you wanted some thing you worked for it. Though we were poor by today’s standard my parents always provided a place for us to live and food on the table and a memorable Christmas’s. Because of my health issue we moved to Florida at the age of seven. There I had my first sales job selling bags of peanuts for a vender at a nickel a bag. I earned a penny a bag. I would make enough for the Saturday afternoon movie and a bag of popcorn. I also took a stab at being a Scientist; I had over heard my Mother say it was so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. One day my Mother sent me to the egg lady to get a dozen eggs. On my way home the egg lady called my Mother and told her she had seen me break two eggs on the sidewalk.. My experiment was a failure and my career as a Scientist ended. I also had to pay for the eggs out of my peanut money. In 1948 we moved to Twin Lake, Michigan and lived in a rural area. There I worked summers for different farmers to earn money for school clothes and extra stuff that I wanted (my parents always allowed us to keep the money we earned). Then in 1953 we moved to Muskegon, MI where I graduated from high school in 1957. Since age 10 until I retired in July of 2009 I have always work one to three jobs at a time to reach the goals that I have set for myself and my family. I have always loved sales and business: the risk and the rewards. You never have to go to work when you are doing something you love. I met my wife, Donna Marie Joy, in 1958, She worked with my Mother. In 1960 we were married. Our marriage produced four children - three girls and one boy. My son Kevin lives in Osceola; my daughter Kim lives about 3 miles from us; my daughter Kelly lives in Sarasota, FL; my daughter Kris lives in a suburb of Huston, Texas. They are all hard working self made successful people. I always worked so Donna could stay at home to raise the children and teach them our values. We pass on to them the same values that my and her parents had passed on to us. In July of 2005 we found out she had cancer she died in January of 2006. We had a good marriage and she was the best wife and mother that a man could ask for. I loved her dearly. In August of 2006 I met another red head named Carol Keller. Shortly after that we realize that we were in love and we decide that we were soul mates and I wanted her in my life. So in April of 2007 she moved in with me. About a year later I started to attend church with her at Hudson Lake. The message of community out reach and the Love of God and how He works in our lives was what I believed a church should be. I have had a good life and, with the love of God and a good mate it appears it is going to continue. Here are some of my “favorites” – or in some cases, “one of the favorites”:  Hymn – Amazing Grace  Bible verse – John 3:16  Restaurant – a little bar in Saugatuc, MI called Wally. They have the best Lake Michigan perch and redskin potatoes I have ever tasted.  Type of music – Music from the 40s and 50s. But Ii love all music from southern gospel to smooth jazz and in between. I don't care for foreign opera or hard rock. We have music on at home all day. t  Something I bet you don’t know: I took accordion lessons when I was young. I wished I kept it up.

Summer M S V I Q Q G N I P MAC H U M I D ENP Q P B S H S Q G I B E AC H B A G L OCD K O A Y H T U H I K I NG R O H T I S S N A L RWD O S N V L R L F D M S T MUUA E F B C A R R WS T L A I B A O I O NNS S P EWZ T G T I H A VP C L U V T GBV T I C A R S E N S M I ND R Z N R P LUA A L U T Y E U R I N MNKW E A Y E AR F N F E E F H W G G L A I E T V T R W S NA N B N R A V M O R S E YN E O W A Z S OT I X NMNW K A L I I KL G R P T WE P I N C O E UW G L E F L BRW P A S B S GU G V I L T U A N Q R N L T O E O E K NHS I B T O B B U F I F C UO H N A O I A S G B J ANHO L O P Y Z ES U C S F L G I N J U C C P I C N I C L DC H T R W N RR I MMA Y H N E D R A G F T I U H I G F P H J E VDR E S S E S UOE S A K C J ZAT B F G N I T N A L P WVO T I M L A T CA X C S A I L I N G E Q EG B I M H K EHB S R EWO L F E L C I S P O P K J K CBD BARBECUE BATHING SUIT BEACH BEACH BAG BEACH BALL BEACH TOWEL BIKING CAMPING CAPRIS DIVING DRESSES FAN FLIP FLOPS FLOWERS GARDEN

GRILL OUT HEAT HIKING HUMID ICE CREAM KITE FLYING LOTION PICNIC PLANTING POLO POPSICLE SAILING SAND SANDCASTLE SEA

SHORTS SNORKELING SUNBURN SUNFLOWER SUNGLASSES SUNSHINE SURFING SWIMMING POOL TANK TOPS TANNING TRAVEL VACATION WATER WATERMELON WATERPARK

May/June Mission Project Heifer International Heifer International's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, Heifer projects empower people to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope. With gifts of livestock and training, Heifer projects help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. Animals become "living loans" because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal's offspring to another family in need. It's called Passing on the Gift – an ever-expanding network of hope and peace. Father’s Day Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days. Credit for what we now recognize as the official Father's Day goes to Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Arkansas from Spokane, who invented her own celebration of Father's Day in 1910. Its first celebration was in Spokane, [1] Washington on June 19, 1910. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who reared his six children in. A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced in Congress in 1913 but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized. Two later attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by Congress. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

UPCOMING DATES (all times listed are Eastern Daylight Time) June 15-17 IN MI Conference annual sessions, Detroit 17 Father’s Day July 22/23 Gene Van Accordion Group Concert @ KRMC – 7:00 p.m. 30 Date for all-church business meeting, 5:30 start with dinner

Chocolate-Dipped Oreo Pops Serves: 10

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients     

10 lollipop sticks 10 double-stuff Oreo cookies 1 1/2 cup(s) (9 oz) semisweet chocolate chips 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) solid vegetable shortening Decoration: green sprinkles (jimmies), candy-covered chocolate drops (ice cream topping)

Directions 1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Insert a lollipop stick into cream filling of each cookie. 2. Melt chocolate and shortening in a small bowl in microwave; stir until smooth. 3. Dip 1 cookie pop into melted chocolate, letting top of cookie rest on bottom of bowl for support. Spoon melted chocolate over cookie to coat. Transfer to lined baking sheet, using a fork to support pop from underneath if needed. 4. Sprinkle around edge with sprinkles, making a "wreath." Add chocolate drops. Let stand until set. Repeat with remaining cookie pops, remelting chocolate as needed. Wrap in food-safe cellophane or plastic wrap; tie with bow for gift-giving.

June Word Search D D M X K O T H N O H Y R S H

J G Y V W N O I T A C A V O U

T N H I K I N G R I J D C C V

M I O O L Z R E M M U S V C S

X P B S N G S M Z K N ' G E Q

L M F O L E N W E S O R Y R U

F A O L Z E Y I X A A E Z H V

E C I T S L O S H D F H W A B

F K I B R W W C U S P T S H F

N F N A Q I V A A C I A B K S

V L E D M E T T D L K F U N L

R P X M L I U J G N I L J T H

L U I O O B S G N I D D E W G

W N N N E U Q B R A B U G S P

BARBQUE BASEBALL BIRDS BUGS CAMPING FATHER'SDAY FISHING FUN GRADUATION HIKING HONEYSUCKLE JUNO PEARL ROSE SOCCER SOLSTICE SUMMER SWIMMING VACATION WEDDINGS

G U A L L A B E S A B I R D S

Something to pray about …. At HLMC, we have been giving the firstfruits of our “harvest”—our tithes and offerings—to God with no strings attached for more than 10 years. Before that, we gave a tithe but we had not committed to give the money BEFORE church bills were paid (i.e. firstfruits). When we began to practice firstfruits giving, we decided that this would be our response to God’s generosity to us as a congregation …that no matter what happened, we would first thank God by giving back to him. At that time we were giving 10%. A year later a congregational member challenged us to increase our giving to 11% - and we did. Over the years 11% moved to 12% then to 13% and currently our giving of firstfruits is 14%. Shortly after we committed to firstfruits giving, we began noticing many surprising ways in which God was blessing us as a congregation! And in fact, we have received so many blessings that Church Council spent 40 minutes this week remembering and naming them! Like the Israelites, we told each other the stories with thanksgiving! Later in our meeting, we prayed, talked and spent time in silent reflection wondering whether it’s time for our congregation to ask God if we should give an additional 1 percent of our congregation’s offerings – still as firstfuits. After about an hour of trying to talk openly and honestly, someone finally did the math and we realized that it would only be about $720 more for the year! Why is it so hard to trust God to supply for our needs, we wondered? And then we remembered how difficult it also was for the Israelites! By the end of our meeting, as a Council, we felt we “heard” several things from God: we are to talk with you-the congregation—about this and ask us all to pray about potentially increasing our firstfruits offering by 1% (from 14 to 15%); we want to remind ourselves that firstfruits giving is our response to God’s generosity; we want to tell the stories of God’s abundance in our life as a congregation.

God is speaking to all of us, all the time. The question is not, to whom does God talk? The question is, who listens?—Neale Donald Walsch Worry often gives a small thing a large shadow. Focus on your strengths not your fears.

HLMC

News from Church Council

Last Meeting: May 29th – 5:30 @ KRMC Next Meeting: July 3rd – 5:30 @ KRMC __________________________________________________________________________________________ Opening

Where/how have we seen “God supply” for this congregation in surprising and unexpected ways? Our answers: *Two signs: the one by the road and the official lighted church sign* *New carpeting* *New Roof* *Paint* *Accessibility Lift* *Handicap restroom* *New sound system* *Ear buds* *Snow Plowing* *New Mower* *Two trimmers* *Stamps* *Hymnbooks (Hymnal: A Worship Book) * *Sing the Journey song books* *Dishes* *Sing the Story song books* *People* *Recycling* *Small Group Leaders* *Reconciliation* *Overseer* *Church positions i.e. the work Gift Discernment does*

Storage for visuals We continued talking about desiring a central place to keep worship visuals – something easily accessible, able to keep the visuals safe, able to accommodate all sort of different things from candles to crosses to clothe to rocks to vases to ??? – all of various shapes and sizes. We also discussed going through what we have and getting rid of things that really are not very usable. Evaluation of worship at Chicago Trail Village  What went well: people sat up closer to the front; good attendance; good cinnamon rolls and coffee – and making/having coffee went smoothly  What would we do differently/what was more challenging: good acoustics and being able to hear is still difficult; more intentional about inviting people at CTV – could we hand out brochures/invitations (is there a policy against this?)  Do we want to do this again? If we do it again we need to be more active in our face to face contact with people there and invite them 2012-2013 Budget preparation We spent considerable time working on the budget, filling in missing pieces/numbers and discussing if this was a realistic and accurate projection of next fiscal years expenses. Firstfruits giving What, if anything, is God asking us to do with our firstfruits? The last time we increased this was 2008 – four (4) years ago. Prior to that, we increased it three (3) times in five (5) years. There was a long, “hard” and honest discussion, and while we know that church council has a leadership role in the congregation, we also had strong feelings and beliefs that this is something that is brought to the entire congregation for prayer and discernment. Gift Discernment Update Esther reported on behalf of the Gifts Discernment Committee that they had filled all the positions needing to be filled for the 2012-2013 slate which will be presented to the congregation for a vote of approval in July. Congregational Buisness Meeting Confirmed July 30th as the date. We will provide dinner and will begin at 5:30 EDT.

June 2012 All times listed are South Bend times except when otherwise stated

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

IN MI Menn Conf

Annual Sessions in Detroit

Heroes in Fredricksburg, VA

(Wash. D.C. area)

Sermon: Esther

2:30 Elders @ Elsa’s

National Chocolate Ice Cream Day

7:00 – Esther’s music student recital

Sermon: Esther 2:00 Carry-in meal 1:30 – Carol Keller & Al Schreiber blessing

Father’s Day Sermon: Esther

Int'l Picnic Day

Sermon: Esther

Dee Faczan grad party @ Jan Collin’s: 2:00 - ??

20 First Day of Summer

Elders, 4:30 @ KRMC

Esther @ Accordion

28 Nat'l Hand Shake Day

29 Nat'l Camera Day

July 30th - All Church Business Meeting – 6:00 p.m. EDT Dinner Provided