SPRING IS BLOOMING

AT FIRST UNITED METHODIST!!

The Senior High and Middle School Youth want to

help you make your garden

look its best!

We are selling spring plants to help fund our summer mission trips to Mobile, Alabama (Sr. High) and Pine Ridge, South Dakota (Middle School). The Senior High will be going to Mobile, Alabama and doing painting and repair work on inner city homes. The Middle School youth will be doing work around the Pine Ridge area in South Dakota, which is one of the poorest counties in the country.

Geraniums (4")

Petunias (6 pack)

Marigolds (6 pack)

Impatiens (6 pack)

Spikes & Vinca Vines (4")

(see youth for prices & colors available)

All youth going on either of the mission trips will be selling spring plants to help fund their entire mission trip. They will be taking orders through Sunday, April 28^th. We will also have tables set up for orders between the services during every Sunday in April.

If you have questions or would like to have a youth contact you for an order, please call (237-3158) or e-mail Anne Hof (anneh@kearneyfirstumc.org).

The orders will be available for pick-up at the church on Saturday, May 4^th from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Congratulations to Carol Land and Steven Stoppkotte, who were united in marriage at First Church on April 6, 2002.

Congratulations to Herbert & Evelyn Fankell, who celebrated 63 years of marriage on April 3^rd.

First Church extends its sympathy to:

Clyde Dennis and family on the death of Mary Lou Dennis, who died on March 26, 2002. Services were held March 29^th.

Dave & Kim Anderson and family on the death of Kim’s father, Spencer Fox of Bertrand, who died March 26, 2002 in Lincoln.

Maynard Envick on the death of his sister, Esther Envick, who died March 24^th at St. Luke’s Good Samaritan Village in Kearney.

Pete & Beth Ludowese and family on the death of Pete’s father, Jack Ludowese, who died March 19^th in Scott City, KS.

To Connie Wisch on the death of her father, Norman Collison, who died March 27, 2002. Norman was 103-years-old.

Congratulations to:

Tony & Julie Little on the birth of a daughter, Addyson Elaine Little, born on March 25, 2002. She joins sister, Kaili, at home.

Vance & Cindy Hendrickson on the birth of a daughter, Destynni Dawnn Hendrickson, born on March 28, 2002.

Kelly Chandler and Kevin Peterson were baptized on March 30, 2002. Kelly’s sons, Cole Chandler & Cody Vogt, were also baptized.

We welcome to First Church:

Kraig & Amanda Young joined First Church on March 17, 2002. They have a son, Austin, who is four months old.

Kelly Chandler and Kevin Peterson joined First Church by Profession of Faith on March 30, 2002. Kelly & Kevin will be married here on June 15^th.

The Open Circle Class will meet at the Senior Center for lunch on Thursday, April 18^th at noon.

Saturday night service 36

Sunday 8:30 service 140

Sunday 9:45 service 256

Sunday 11:00 service 273

Nursery 10

Children (2-yrs-old-5^thgrade) 88

6^th grade-High School 34

(Ten) Adult Classes 155

Teachers 27

TOTAL 314

Saturday night service 59

Sunrise Service 120

Sunday 8:30 service 256

Sunday 9:45 service 490

Sunday 11:00 service 318

Nursery 10

Children (2-yrs-old-5^thgrade) 74

6^th grade-High School 11

(Ten) Adult Classes (only 3 met) 45

Teachers 24

TOTAL 164

Congratulations to Mary Holt and Millie Roark, who were among five teachers chosen to receive the 2001-2002 Educator Awards from the Kearney Public Schools Evening of Excellence. Also honored were: Sheryl Murray, who received the Support Staff Award; Jere’Sue Schroer, who received a Foundation Grant and Katie Fritson, who received a Student Award.

We will meet at the Big Apple at 5:30 p.m. to go bowling and then we will eat out afterwards.

We will have game night at the church at 6:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room.

Movie night at the Church at 6:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room. Bring a movie you would like to watch.

We are going to Hastings to the Museum and the Theatre. We will also eat out afterwards at Mama Rosa’s. We’ll meet in the north parking lot at the Church and leave from there at 2:00 p.m.

When: Thursday, May 2, 2002

Where: Holiday Inn

Time: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.

(doors open at 6:45 a.m.)

Tickets: $6.00 available from

Nevabelle Howe

Evening Vacation Bible School will be held in July on Sunday, the 21^st through Thursday, the 25^th from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. (This will follow the same curriculum as the earlier VBS but each session will be a little shorter.) The theme is Bug Safari.

Howard Strong is organizing a mission trip to Juarez, Mexico, which is 40 miles south of the border. Howard was so inspired by the mission trip to Texas that he has raised almost enough money to go to Mexico in May. The group will leave May 18^th or 19^th and be gone for one week. Cost is $100 per person, with gas, lodging and 3 meals per day provided.

If you are interested in participating in the trip, please call Howard at 234-6880. He would like to have a group of about 10 persons, male and female. He has five persons who have expressed interest.

The trip, Project Abrigo, would include building a block house, 12 x 24, with 2 windows and one door. The existing house, which has a dirt floor, will be torn down. The family who will live in the house includes 3 adults and 2 children. The daughter in the family attends Lydia Patterson Institute, which is where the mission trip went last month.

Donations will also be accepted to help fund the trip. Please mark your check "Mexico Mission Trip". Thank you!

May 5^th—CROP Walk

June 15-23—Volunteer In Mission Summer Work Trip to Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky

Any questions about mission trips may be directed to Merv Schliefert at 236-5513 or Rev. Ron Harris.

Note:

This corner is being designated the AMEN corner for

"an audible alert that something special was (is) being done."

Did you know that the church library was established during the 1950’s? It was organized by Mrs. K. Roy Bailey and Mrs. Ethel Cowan, and furnished by memorial funds. Memorial gifts as well as individual gifts purchased books; Dr. C. T. Ryan (for whom the UNK library is named) donated 400 books from his personal library. The library was considered one of the finest church libraries in the state at the time of the church fire in 1969, when 2,800 volumes were destroyed.

First United Methodist Church continues to have an outstanding library, with over 3,000 books available for all ages. Dedicated volunteers laid the foundation for a successful library fifty years ago. Volunteers continue to play a very important part in making the library accessible and successful. If you have been involved as a volunteer in the library during the past 50 years, stop in the library Sunday morning, April 14^th and be recognized.

During National Library Week, the library will have many new books on display. Come in and browse for good spring and summer reading.

There are two books in our church library which I think everyone needs to take time to read. Please don’t read them if you are not ready for a good laugh.

These two books are "Out to Pasture (but not over the hill)" and "Over What Hill" by Effie Leland Wilder. "Out to Pasture" is the first novel written by Effie Leland Wilder at the age of 85 years. She writes as a journal kept in a retirement community. Through these personal journals, entries and letters to a friend "on the outside" she tells the stories of the good times, bad times, and is such a great story about a retirement community. As she writes "Over What Hill’ she has turned 86 years of age. Makes me realize what wonderful potential there is in all of our older people, and I am included in that older group.

Anyway, if you want some good reading, some fun reading, a good laugh, and even a peek at ourselves or our relatives or friends, do take time to read these two short books by Effie Wilder.

They were given to the library in memory of Clara Allen, and I bet Clara has a smile on her face when she thinks of people laughing and reading. Have fun.

Bev Muller

Call Marv & Marilyn Heckman at 234-1344 or

Andy & Nevabelle Howe

at 234-1570 or

the Church office at 237-3158

Program will be presented by

Gary Mason, Mary Kolstad and Howard Strong.

They will talk about their Mission Trip to Lydia Patterson Institute

in Texas

Methodist Men’s group will meet in conjunction with this dinner

Menu: Grilled Salmon,

Baked Potatoes, Salad, Rolls,

Texas Sheet cake

Since January, 2001, a young congregation of 60 to 75—mostly Lumbee—has gathered in Raleigh, North Carolina to worship God, to reach out to the community and to strengthen their faith. With the recent graduation of Sylvia Collins from Duke University, The Divinity School, the Triangle Native American United Methodist Church now has a full-time pastor, and the possibilities for future growth are bright.

"The church will be open to the whole community: to experience God,to find healing and to sense the hope and love only God can give," Ms. Collins said. A Lumbee and second-career pastor, Ms. Collins is excited about the challenge of shepherding a new congregation. "I get to take all the pieces and put them together—like a puzzle."

Your offering on Native American Ministries Sunday enriches the United Methodist Church in many ways:

As we are strengthened in the faith, we are called to share God’s love with others. Please give generously on Native American Ministries Sunday, the third Sunday of Easter, April 14^th. Your gift makes a world of difference! More information can be found on the website, www.umc.org/benevol/

We will offer tables to United Methodists first: round tables for 6 or 7 persons or rectangular tables for 8 or 10 persons. It’s the best way to insure preferred seating and be able to attend with your friends or family. Call Comeca ASAP.

We would also hope that many Churches could donate items to be auctioned. We would suggest time at a mountain resort or any other time share days, hunting and fishing trips, donations of beef or pork, dinner parties, autographed items from famous friends, tutoring sessions in music, gourmet meals, decorating or computer applications, gardens planned and planted, quilts, art pieces, business goods or services, tickets to performing art events or athletic events, camp scholarships for children, or adult retreat packages at Comeca. The deadline for donations is April 27^th. Thanks so much for your help.

 It’s lawn-mowing time! Thank you to those persons who have volunteered to mow the Church lawn this summer. We will save thousands of dollars thanks to your generosity!

The lawn-mowing season runs April through October. We are in need of a few more people to make up two teams. All equipment is furnished and you would be asked to mow approximately once a month or less depending on how many volunteers we get. If you would be willing to join a lawn mowing team, please call Ann at the Church office at 237-3158.

Builder’s hymn—

"The Church’s One

Foundation"

Tailor’s hymn—

"Holy, Holy, Holy"

Dentist’s hymn—

"Crown Him With

Many Crowns"

Optometrist’s hymn—

"Open My Eyes

That I Might See"

Shopper’s hymn—

"By and By"

Weather forecaster’s hymn—

"There Shall Be

Showers of Blessing"

Baker’s hymn—

"I Need Thee Every Hour"

A wise person once observed, "Half of any task is having the right tool, and the other half is knowing what to do with it." Although we don't often consider it as such, money is a tool which God uses in our lives as a means of spiritual growth.

You see, money is not an end in and of itself. It is a means to an end. And in God's hands, one of its primary "ends" is to instruct us and to help us grow spiritually. God especially wants us to avoid our natural tendency which is a bent toward selfishness, greed, and hoarding. That's why the Lord Jesus said, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15).

Well, if an individual's life does not consist in having a lot of possessions, in what does it consist? Jesus provided an insightful answer to that question in Matthew 6:20-21, where He said, " . . . lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Now, according to Jesus' teaching in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25), there is nothing wrong with saving. There is nothing wrong with investing or earning interest on investments. There is nothing wrong with being a wise steward by planning for the future. In fact, Jesus taught that those who do so are to be commended. But our primary emphasis as God's children is to make our investments in the "Bank of Heaven." When we do that, our investments are secure. They are not affected by inflation, by theft, by wear and tear, or anything of the kind.

There is only one way to make deposits in this special "bank": By giving to the Lord's work. Although the money is used here, it is credited to your eternal account. Each time you give your tithes and offerings at First United Methodist Church, you are giving to the Lord by investing for eternity. You are storing up "treasure in heaven" that will glorify God forever.