APPLYING BIBLE PRINCIPLES Many people including Christians sometimes end up in serious financial difficulty because they ignore

re this basic principle from Gods Word: God wants us to know the state of our finances. Proverbs 27:23-24 instruct us, Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds; for riches do not last forever, nor a crown for all generations. In Old Testament times, livestock were one of the primary measures of a persons wealth. Today, we might be admonished, Be diligent to know the state of your bank accounts and your possessions. Or as Proverbs 24:3-4 says in a contemporary version, Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts. Why is this so important? As managers, we are responsible for what God has entrusted to us. Part of that responsibility includes monitoring the status of our possessions and making wise investments. One of the best investments we can make is to send deposits to the Bank of Heaven by giving to the Lords work here at Oakmont United Methodist Church. When we do that, we are not only exercising good stewardship, but we are also earning Gods approval. Theres no better return on an investment than that! As you think about your life today, do you have a good picture of where you are financially? Are you keeping the commitments concerning giving which you have made to God? Think about it: A dollar spent for lunch lasts about five hours. A dollar spent for a necktie lasts about five weeks. A dollar spent for an automobile lasts about five years. A dollar spent in the service of God lasts for eternity.

APRIL 2013

Open hear t s O pen minds

A few weeks ago I noticed signs of tulips and other spring flowers poking up by our porch. Spring flowers are among my favorites snow drops, tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and primrose are some of the early ones! They remind me that no matter what the calendar indicates, spring comes on its terms and in its own time!
Open door s

Often I would like to speed up spring coming, slow down winter arriving, or lengthen autumn all beyond my ability! There are times Id like to help God with the timing of events such as answers to prayers and give advice on the way those prayers are to be answered. God often has different timing and outcomes than I suggest! I am not alone in that situation. I would guess that some of you reading this may also be guilty of wanting to direct timing and outcomes when you pray. Time and again the Bible reminds us of two things the necessity of praying and allowing God to decide timing and outcome. Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology lists these examples (and many others) of God and time: God is transcendent over time. He established the cycle of days and seasons by which time is known and reckoned ( Gen 1:14 ); God is not limited by time ( Psalm 90:4) and his purposes prevail ( Prov 16:4 ; Isa 46:10 ). God will bring about in his own time the consummation of world history in Jesus' return ( Eph 1:9 -10 ; 1 Tim 6:15 ). The New Testament presents Jesus as Lord over time. With the Father, he existed prior to the beginning of time, created all things, and sustains all things (John 1:1-3; Col 1:16-17 ; Heb 1:2-3 ). He is neither limited by time, nor adversely affected by it: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" ( Heb 13:8 ). He too is properly called "the Alpha and Omega, the First and Last, the Beginning and End" ( Rev 22:13 ). These are good reminders to me as I try to push spring into looking and feeling like spring before time. They are also good reminders too, when I want God to work on my time table and in my way. I do continue to pray and ask God for specific things in my idea of the time, then I add Your will be done. I continue to be encouraged by signs of spring and will enjoy it when it comes (not just on the calendar!) And I am encouraged by signs of God at work. Blessings, Pastor Linda

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE 28 29 30 31 Maundy Thursday @ OUMC 7:30 pm Good Friday @ Verona UMC at noon Easter Egg Hunt @ 10:30 am Easter Sunrise 7:00 Oakmont Country Club led by Verona Presbyterian Church Easter Worship 9:00 & 11:00 All Church Easter Breakfast 10:00 Refreshments @ Noon APRIL & MAY WORSHIP April 7 April 14 April 21 April 28 May 5 May 12 May 19 The Case of the Three Locked Rooms Communion The Church at Ephesus Acts 18:24-19:41; Revelation 2:1-7 The Position of the Christian Ephesians 1:1 3:21 Unity in the Church Ephesians 4:1-6 Holiness in Life Ephesians 4:7-21 Communion Responsibilities at Home Ephesians - 5:22-6:9 Pentecost /Combined Worship @ 10:30 am Conduct in Conflict Ephesians 6:10-24 Luncheon to follow UMCOR MISSION BARN I feel certain that all 13 ladies and Im happy to report, 1 young lady, would report that our trip to the UMCOR Mission Barn was a wonderful day full of eyeopening information about this amazing place. Our congregation is to be congratulated for all its support of UMCOR through monetary donations and the assembling of kits. We took 15 health kits, miscellaneous items for a cleaning bucket and 96 school bags all cut and sewn from pieces of heavy-duty cloth. The health kits and cleaning supplies will probably be distributed to victims of natural disaster in the US, but most likely the school bags will be filled with school supplies and shipped overseas. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is one of the first relief operations that appears after a natural disaster occurs. Pretty impressive, dont you think? United Methodists should be proud! If you would like to hear more about what we learned, let the church office know. Some of you have already expressed an interest in somehow having a sharing time about our trip.

UMW NEWS Spring has arrived and with that its time for some Spring Cleaning! The UMW will be sponsoring our annual Spring Indoor Yard sale. We are looking for your treasures that other people might give a second life to. We will also be collecting clean clothes to sell. Doors open Friday, May 3rd from 5 pm to 8 pm and Saturday, May 4th from 9 am to 1 pm. There will be baked goods for sale both days. Yard Sale donations can be dropped off in the primary room beginning the week of April 26th. Bake sale donations may be delivered starting Friday morning May 3rd. Yours in Christ, Julie Whyte-Trenn Oakmont UMW President

HOPE CIRCLE BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP Hope Circle will meet on Monday, April 8th at 7:00 PM in the parlor. The group will discuss Faith Bass Darlings Last Garage Sale by Lynda Rutledge. Faith Bass Darling, the richest old lady in Bass, Texas, decides to have a garage sale. Why is a recluse of twenty years suddenly selling off her dearest possessions? Because God told her to. As the townspeople snatch up 5 generations of Bass family antiques, they also come to ponder some serious questions. Do our possessions possess us? What are we without our memories? Is there life after death or second chances here on earth? And is Faith really selling that Tiffany lamp for $1? Sounds like a light-hearted debut novel, or is it? If you think it's fluff, or the stereotypical quirky Southern novel, you're in for a surprise. For me, it was a great one. I read it weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it is the testament of one reader. Please consider joining the group for an hour of discussion and fellowship.

3 5 10 11 12 13 15 19 20 21 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

APRIL Grace Campbell John Burrows Galen Chapa EmmaLee Crannell Ron Standifur Bob Rudy Todd Eaton Suzy Hunter Shawn Sweeney Willow Banas David Dezzutti Dillon Provenza Audra Assad Bob Rotter Kim Marotta Abby Anderson Matthew Rajkowski, Jr. Jim Ashbaugh Mark Di Cocco Bill Handyside Matt Provenza Garnet Hildebrand Shirley Anderson Jacqueline Ashbaugh Genevieve Aubele Bob McElhose

GENERAL FUND NUMBERS FOR FEBRUARY Income $ 24,636.60 (including a one-time gift of $10,000) Expenses $19,594.66 Balance 2/28 $3,988.13 Mission Share is paid thru February.

Suffering from the Sugar Blues?

Are you constantly craving sweets and want to understand why? Do you want to gain control without deprivation?

Please join Christianne McCall Of Lotus Health Coaching

(and a member of OUMC)

NEWSLETTER Please submit articles for the MAY newsletter by APRIL 15. If you would like to receive your copy by e-mail, please send us a message at oakmontumc @verizon.net. BAPTISM Sunday, March 17 we rejoiced together with the baptism of Ivy Veronica Banas born September 4, 2012 to parents Derek & Joy and big sister, Willow.

for a free lecture on Wednesday, April 10 7-8 p.m. Oakmont United Methodist Church Social Hall 419 Maryland Ave Oakmont, PA For details, please call 724-715-7136 or Email bloominglotushealth@gmail.com.

New Beginnings
Saturday, April 13 11:00 am1:00 pm

We apologize if we inadvertently missed your birthday. Please call the church office and let us know about your very special day!

Oakmont United Methodist Women Spring Meeting and Luncheon Please join us to hear Inspirational Speaker, Eileen Colianni and entertainment by Becky Houston, Sandra MasPherson, Julie Trenn and our Youth Dance Choir and enjoy a wonderful lunch prepared by our amazing kitchen staff. There is no charge. All we ask is that you RSVP to the church office by Wed., April 10 @ 412-828-9499.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH Well Happy Happy Spring! Spring time for us means fundraising time! We have two different trips coming up in the early months of summer. The post high group is heading down to West Virginia for our annual mission trip to Beckley and The Burlington Home for Teens. We will be making the trip on Memorial Day weekend. Leaving Friday and returning Sunday. As we have done in many years we will earn money by doing odd jobs. Nothing is too large or small for us to tackle so give me a call. In the past we have done mulching, painting, cleaning, planting, raking, shopping etc. The youth group is planning to join the OUMC/Trinity Tower UMC mission trip to New Jersey to help with Sandy cleanup the last week of June. Fundraising is to be announced. Youth group has begun meeting on Sunday mornings. Things are going well, I know its a bit of a transition but everyone is adjusting and we are having a fun time. Thanks to Deb Casarcia and Pastor Linda for bearing with me! Pastor Linda, Angela Ashbaugh and I joined a group from our church for a trip to the Mission Barn which is an amazing ministry. We plan to take the whole youth group there to do some work after all the high school musicals are over. Now, I know its early but we have chosen our VBS theme for this summer. Its Backpacking Around the World with Jesus . Its original material and we are very excited about it. VBS is tentatively scheduled for July 29th Aug. 2.

TRUSTEE NEWS CONTINUED pursuing more outlets in the social hall for musical equipment, murder mystery usage, luncheons and Christmas Tree decorating opportunities. Trustee Officers for 2013: President-Jim Anderson, Secretary-Marilyn Siebart, Youth Rep.-Paige Fichte and Members-Bill Hall, Bill Kennedy, Gladys Fichte, Dave Fichte, Mark Harley, A Finance Committee member (At Large) and Pastor Linda. Jim Anderson FOR OUR YOUNGER READERS

Grace and Peace!

Linda USED CRAYONS NEEDED The crafters are in need of used crayons for a project that they are working on. Please see Cindy DiCocco or Dawn Whyte with your donations.

TRUSTEES The roof ($15,000) was repaired (Nov. 2012). A new surface was installed along with waterproofing, and the air conditioning units were removed and reinstalled. The total cost of this process was roughly $1000 (deductible) as our insurance carrier picked up the tab. While working on the roof, our construction crew noted that there was much water damage to the exterior and interior of the church walls due to poor mortar joints and other cracks in the walls. So the church needs to be re-pointed. The inside walls need scraped, plaster removed, new plaster, painting and other work done. The great news is that the re-pointing ($46,000) has been approved by the Trustees and that work should begin around mid to late April. Interior work amounts to about $26,000. That and will commence immediately after the re-pointing work and when the contractors are satisfied that the church is waterproofed. The really great news is that the insurance carrier issued all the checks to pay for the work. So all told, the Trustees/church had very minimal expenses in this process. Much thanks should be directed towards Rich Lear who did all the ground work, obtained bids, entertained contractors' questions, asked questions, and filed paperwork to ensure the process moved along. The Trustees appreciate the patience of the congregation and are pleased to announce these blessings. Our appeal with the Allegheny County Dept. of Real Estate Reassessments concluded Feb. 28th with a decision in our favor. This has taken longer than we anticipated, but the information about the church and parsonage parcels should now be correct. The Trustees will have a key box installed on the exterior of the church for the firemen to access in case of an emergency. This box will be provided by a generous donation from Bill Peoples. Diagrams of rooms and locations of fire extinguishers will also be added to the key box. The Trustees are pricing new baseboard heaters for the area near the parking lot entrance and are pursuing different electricity rates for the church and parsonage in an effort to save money. Our Industrial Appraisal document has been received and will be held in the church office. The Lenten Cross was placed on the grounds and will remain for a few weeks after Easter. The Trustees will work with Mark/Cindy on more work days and attempt to get more congregational members involved in projects such as flower beds, small trees and other items on the grounds. We are researching Memorial Fund procedures and

As always, its an interesting time to be back in Jerusalem. Today is the first day of President Obamas visit. By the time you read this, youll know how it turned out, but right now everything is just a question and a hope. I do know that life here will be disrupted by security for the next 3 days. Already, streets have been closed, and travel restrictions are in place. Yesterday at work we were told that we had to leave early, that the main road in Jerusalem was going to close. I met a friend in East Jerusalem, and he wanted to go to Ramallah. Id read that there was going to be a protest demonstration in Ramallah in the evening but we decided to see if we could get in. (I use the word in because you have to go through a checkpoint to travel from Jerusalem to Ramallah which is in the West Bank and sometimes security is tight.) We took a bus, got off at the checkpoint and immediately were warned that there were problems in the city and we were advised not to go. We went anyway. We took another shared taxi and got off near Manara Square, where the demonstration was to have taken place. All we saw were families and young people walking in the streets, enjoying a pleasant, spring-like evening. We stopped at Rukabs, a well-known ice cream shop and did some people watching but there was no sign of a protest. President Obama will be in Ramallah on Thursday (tomorrow) and will be meeting with government officials as well as some young people at a nearby youth center. Few people believe that his visit will make a difference in the lives of the Palestinians but some of us still cling to the hope that he will have the courage to speak out against the occupation which is now in its 46th year. On Friday he will travel to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, the site which marks the place where Jesus was born. I can walk to Bethlehem from my apartment but my guess is that the city will be closed to all traffic on Friday, so Im fairly certain I wont be able to get in (again, in the West Bank and surrounded by the Wall and controlled by security and checkpoints). He leaves Friday evening and then a new week begins, a week of real hope: Holy Week. Celebrations begin with the Palm Sunday Walk from the Mt. of Olives to the Old City on Sunday afternoon, the Maundy Thursday service and procession from Gethsemane to the House of Caiaphas, a sunrise service on the Mt. of Olives and Sunday morning worship. El Mesiah kam; hakan kam is what well hear in the service on Easter Sunday, Arabic for The Lord is risen; he is risen indeed. Political systems and leaders may disappoint us but the message of Easter remains our real hope. Blessings and peace, Tina