O pen hear t s

APPLYING BIBLE PRINCIPLES

April 2012 Why are you a pastor? That is a question I have been asked frequently in my years of pastoring.

O pen minds O pen door s

Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil this is the gift of God (Eccl. 5:19). Dont you just love gifts? There is great satisfaction both in getting gifts and in giving them. Since we are created in the image of God, it stands to reason that He also must take great delight in giving and receiving gifts. All that we have comes from His hand, but in particular, Solomon indicated that money and riches and the ability to enjoy them are gifts from God. In other words, God gives us that which is rightfully His, and then He allows us the enjoyment of wealth and money. As we enjoy what He has entrusted to us, no doubt He takes great pleasure in our enjoyment if our actions are in conformity to His Word and His will. How can we be sure that our enjoyment of money and wealth is according to Gods plan? The Bible contains a great deal of specific instruction as to how we are to use money, but this guiding principle is to motivate our entire lives, including the use and enjoyment of wealth: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Theres nothing wrong with money. Theres nothing wrong with enjoying the things that money can buy. Solomon was correct when he said that both are gifts from God. The key is to use money in such a way that our enjoyment will bring glory to God. One of the primary ways to do that is to give to the Lord and His work here at Oakmont United Methodist Church. During the past few months, have you kept Gods glory as the number one priority in your use of money? Or have other things taken the place of your giving to God? GENERAL CONFERENCE The Conference, which happens once every 4 years, will meet April 24 May 4. Please be in prayer for all that will be discussed.

The quick and short answer is-- Because God called me to pastoral ministry. Recently I began thinking about why I was a teacher before being called in to ministry as a pastor. That too has a quick and short answer It was my aspiration from an early age. Both questions lead me to think on why I do many things. Why do I recycle items? Why do I attempt to stay within the speed limit? Why do I smile at strangers? Why could be asked of many actions I do all day long; most of which dont have clear cut reasons aside from because. Perhaps an equally apt question is how is my attitude as I am going through my day? I dont mean is my attitude happy, sad, angry, etc. I mean a mixture of how and why. Why I do something may determine how my attitude is as I go through my day. For example, at this time of year I force myself to sit down and calculate the taxes I owe various levels of government. I dont do it because I want to, I do it because I do not want the outcome from not doing it. Recently I read that Johann Sebastian Bach had a good attitude toward writing music. He began each piece with the letters JJ for Jesu juva, which means "Jesus help, wrote each note as though God was carefully looking at each bar of music and each word, and concluded the piece with SDG SoliDeo Gloria-Latin for "To God Alone the Glory. Reflecting on that suggests my attitude for each thing I do be for Gods glory. Beginning each task with JJ and ending it with SDG, knowing that my supervisor is God Himself. That certainly could put a different atmosphere to work on some of my less favorite tasks, and even push me to do my best on the things I like to do. It may even keep me from doing some things I wouldnt ask Jesus to help me do or those I wouldnt dedicate to God. Paul says it this way in Colossians 3:23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (NLT) Blessings, Pastor Linda

REPORT FROM TINA WHITEHEAD I arrived back in Oakmont on March 15 after an amazing experience with our conference in Bethlehem, Christ at the Checkpoint: Hope in the Midst of Conflict. The conference far exceeded our expectations both in participation and in what it accomplished. Between 600 and 700 participants registered from over 20 countries for the 5 day event. Internationally known evangelical speakers came from the U.S., England, Korea, Canada, Israel, and, of course, Palestine. Because of my work with registration and with the setting up of workshops and visits I was only able to attend a few of the sessions, so I reserved time for the big names: Lynn Hybels, Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo. The rest of my time was spent outside the conference hall, pouring over names and making sure each participant was taken care of. The second morning, as I sat at the registration table, I could hear that it was Munthers time to speak. Munther teaches at the Bethlehem Bible College and was the director of the conference. He and I had worked together for 5 months and we shared an office. Hes a young, talented Palestinian, director of the college choir, dean of students and working on his Ph.D. at the Oxford School of Mission. I hadnt planned to go inside to hear him, but as I sat there, I could feel that something was happening in the room. I could feel an energy as I heard his voice through the wall of the conference hall. I felt strongly pulled into the room and stood by the doorway to hear him speak. He was amazing! So articulate, so honest, so compelling in how he shared not only his theology, but also his feelings about being a Palestinian Christian, and about the suffering of his people under occupation. He spoke from his heart and we all heard him. He made constant reference to scripture as he made his points and he challenged the evangelical audience to reclaim its conscience in its ministry to the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized. He chastised the Church for being prophesy fanatics, obsessed with end time prophesy, while challenging it to reclaim its place as the prophetic voice of God. The room was electric as he spoke and when he finished, all 600 stood as one and responded with enthusiastic applause. His voice represented the hope that the conference was looking for. His talk was entitled Help Me Shine, and not only did he shine, he easily outshone all the international names. I was so pleased after the conference to be able to share this with some young Palestinian friends, young Muslims and Christians who are giving up hope. And for at least a moment I could feel a sense of empowerment as they shared in the story of this young Palestinian voice. Ive said this before, but I will say it again. I am truly blessed to know these people and to have an opportunity to participate in their lives. Thank you, Oakmont UMC, for the support you have given me that enables me to continue with this work. Blessings, Tina

APRIL
3 5 10 11 12 13 15 19 20 21 24 25 26 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 $ 16,570.20 Expenses $ 22,148.29 Balance 2/29$ 1,736.90 The Mission Share has been paid thru Feb.. WENDYS FUNDRAISER The Finance Committee has approved a dinner fundraiser at Wendys in Harmarville the third Monday of each month. 20% of all orders (drive through also) between 5-8 pm on that night will be contributed to OUMCs General Fund. You do not need to take a bulletin insert or any paperwork with you. NEWSLETTER Please submit articles for the May newsletter by April 16. I have received wonderful, positive feedback from those of you who are receiving their newsletter in an e-mail. If you would like to be added to that list, send an e-mail to oakmontumc@verizon.net.

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

COVERED DISH LUNCHEONS Church Council recently voted to change the schedule and have Sunday covered dish luncheons on the 5th Sunday of the month. The next luncheon will be Apr. 29 (Nurture Team).

CHILDREN AND YOUTH Greetings! I am writing this the evening of the Revolve Tour. What an awesome day we had! Thanks so much to all of you who helped us get there. We had a really great day together. The worship and speakers were just fantastic. Im sure we will go again next year. The little ones had a bowling outing last week along with some of the youth who came as helpers. We had a marvelous time! The people at Nesbits could not have been nicer. We will definitely be heading back there again. Next months meeting will be at the church on Sunday, April 1 st. If the weather is beautiful we may head down to the park! Both the youth and post college groups have been busy bees. We served the homeless on Valentines day, delivered baskets to shut-ins, and sent packages to our class in West Virginia. Many thanks to the UMW for donating $250 for us to buy warm clothing and some food items for our class. They were just so happy to receive these things. We are hoping to take a trip down there in May, to visit with them and also do some work for the Burlington Home. We are planning a Lock-in on Good Friday. Looks like we will be doing service work starting Thursday, Friday Lock-in and 30hr famine, Saturday helping with the Easter egg hunt. Whew! Busy weekend. The Relay for Life is early this year May 19-20th. The youth and post college group will be representing our church and we would love your help with the team. The Relay is an overnight fundraising event that benefits the American Cancer Society. Its a lot of fun with a carnival type atmosphere. We need help, setting up, walking shifts, selling and tearing down on Sunday. If you are interested in helping with any of these things, or you just want to come and hang out with us, let me know. We would LOVE to have you. SUPPORT AND PEOPLE NEEDED FOR UMCOR MISSION TRIP Trinity Tower UMC in Penn Hills has asked our church to partner with them to attend an UMCOR sponsored mission trip to the Inner Banks of North Carolina July 8-14, 2012. Help is needed to rebuild homes that were devastated by Hurricane Irene. The Outreach Committee is reaching out to the congregation seeking participants to attend the mission trip or to help with monetary sponsorship. The cost for 1 person is $250 which includes transportation, housing, and food for the week. Please consider supporting this life-changing event in any way that you can. MAKE A CHANGE FOR IMAGINE NO MALARIA The Outreach Committee will be partnering with the Sunday School children to Make a Change to eradicate Malaria, one life at a time. The goal is to eradicate malaria one life at a time by the year 2015, but we need your help. The children will decorate cans in Sunday school to collect loose change from the congregation during both services before and after the sermons. The goal is to collect $.50 from each person over seven Sundays, starting April 1 st. Every 30 seconds, a child under the age of 5 dies from malaria in Africa. A mere $10.00 can save a childs life. So whats a couple of quarters each week at church? Find your quarters and loose change and please give to this incredible campaign. OUMC TO SUPPORT RIVERS OF LIFE MISSIONS IN KENYA, AFRICA Barbara Davis, a member of the Outreach Committee has given OUMC a great opportunity to support a Ministry in Kenya, run by Pastor Chris Asawo. Barbara and Burl learned about this mission work when they lived in Australia and attended their Australian church. The missions ultimate goal is to transform lives and communities meeting the physical and spiritual needs of people living in the poorest villages in western Kenya. He has started daycare schools, orphanages and educational institutions for older children, and built water wells for villages, just to name a few things. The Outreach Committee would like to rally around the Rivers of Life Ministry and partner with Pastor Chris to support them in many ways. Stay tuned for future developments!

ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF OAKMONT AND WALK IN THE RELAY FOR LIFE Saturday, May 19, 2012 is the Relay for Life at Riverside Park. Please come out and help fight the war on cancer. Everyone knows someonea Mother, Father, child, Grandfather, best friend, who has been tragically taken too young by the dreaded disease of cancer. The American Cancer Society Relay for Life is a lifechanging event that gives everyone in communities across the world a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember the loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. Please help OUMC by helping the youth group work the table/booth, and walk or bring your family out to walk in the 2012 Relay for Life. One, two, three, or more people can make all the difference in the world You can sign up online at www.relayforlife.org and put in Oakmont, PA as the event location, or call Linda Sweeney for more information. PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY Compassion and the love of knitting/crocheting have been combined into a prayerful ministry and spiritual practice which reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace, as well as in celebration and joy. If you are interested in joining thousands of knitters and crocheters of all faiths who are creating handmade shawls, please call the church office and leave your name and phone number. Shawls can be used for: undergoing medical procedures; as a comfort after a loss or in times of stress; during bereavement; prayer or meditation; marriage ceremonies; birthing, nursing a baby; bridal showers or wedding gift; during an illness and recovery;...............there are endless possibilities. All levels of skill are welcome. COMMUNITY DINNERS A dinner is held at Verona UMC the last Wednesday of the month from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. These meals are provided keeping those who are having a difficult time in our current economy in mind, although everyone is welcome. There is no charge, but donations are accepted. If you would like to help, please contact the church office.

OAKMONT UNITED METHODIST WOMEN have a busy Spring ahead of them. First of all I would like to thank all of the women who attended the UMW Spring Luncheon in March. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, food, entertainment and inspiration. I also would like to thank everyone involved in the kitchen or dining room, with entertainment and our inspirational speaker. It was so nice to have some of our younger members in the church, not only perform for us but to serve as well. Our next event will be the Indoor Yard Sale on April 27 th and 28th. Doors open at 9 -3 on Friday and 9-1 on Saturday. Since it is that time of year for Spring cleaning, what a great time to get rid of household items and clothing that you no longer use. We also are always looking for jewelry as well. Items can be dropped off in the primary room at any time. Finally, we are proud to announce that we purchased a professional ice machine for the kitchen. It should prove to be very useful when we host many of our large events. Have a blessed and peaceful Easter season on behalf of UMW. Yours in Christ, Julie Trenn
HOPE CIRCLE BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

The next meeting will be Monday, April 9th, at 7:00 PM in the parlor. The group will be discussing our third novel by Jodi Picoult. Change of Heart challenges the reader to look intensely at ones most deeply held beliefs and the meaning of redemption. Shay Bourne - New Hampshires first death row prisoner in 69 years has only one last request: to donate his heart post-execution to the sister of his victim, who is looking for a transplant. Bourne says its the only way he can redeem himself. Father Michael Wright becomes Bournes spiritual advisor, but he hides the fact that, as a young college student, he was a member of the jury that sentenced Bourne to death. The novel asks whether religion and politics truly are separate in this country, or inextricably tangled. Does religion make us more tolerant, or less? Do we believe what we do because its right? Or because its too frightening to admit that we may not have the answers? Should the Gnostic gospels have a place in our belief system or are they heresy? What are the literal and metaphysical meanings of having heart? Can young Claire accept the life-saving heart of the man who killed her sister and father? These profound questions guarantee an interesting evening. Please consider joining the group for an hour of discussion and fellowship.

Recently the trustees assisted the custodians with removing old light fixtures, boxes, and light bulbs from the attic area as a safety concern. They are pursuing two separate sets of pull down stairs to make accessibility to the attic easier for all. Rich Lear has been elected Chairman for 2012, Helen Crawford is Vice-Chairman and Jim Anderson is Secretary. Dave Fichte crafted and installed a new Lenten Cross outside the church. Water damage on the parsonage side of the sanctuary is being investigated. An offer from the UMW to purchase an ice machine for the kitchen was approved and will happen soon (UMW funds). A conversation began about the purchase of pew pads with assistance from the UMW. Approval was given for the purchase of a new altar cross, candlesticks, and the possible re-plating of the altar vases (Memorial Fund request), and the purchase of upgrade components for the sound system due to the nature of the frequency of the microphones and other related problems with the system (using excess snow removal funds). CPR class costs with the intent of having all church leaders, group users, and others trained in CPR (future AED costs deferred) are being sought. Once the weather warms, the Trustees will hold a "church workday" with input from Mark/ Cindy on tasks that need to be accomplished. Trustees also began, in earnest, a discussion regarding the wooden platforms used temporarily for performances in the church (Christmas pageant, dancers, choir singing) and are seeking a more permanent solution which would upgrade the safety of all involved with little change overall to the altar area. Shed doors will be patched at the bottom and gutters/downspouts will be addressed upon more favorable weather. SUMMER IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER ThinkCamping Camping brochures with offerings from our Conference Camping Program are available on tables in the social hall and sanctuary. As you plan summer activities for your children and family, please consider this very worthwhile program. The United Methodist Women give every child who attends camp a $100 scholarship to help cover the cost, and additional funds are available to those attending Camp Allegheny.

THE POWER OF PRAYER Dear friends/family of Christ: Let me begin by saying there truly is power in prayer. As I sit here, recovering from my surgery, I look back over the past 2-3 months and ask myself, What in the world just happened? I only have one answer, God working miracles in my life. I still have treatments to go to, doctors to visit and healing to be done, but I still feel so blessed. I just want to send a special thank you to everyone who prayed for me, sent me cards, asked someone how I was doing, or gave me advice for staying optimistic. Thank you everyone for caring and helping me through a difficult time. I am so thankful to be a part of Oakmont United Methodist Church! God Bless each and every one of you. Love in Christ, Cathy Smierciak

Many Thanks! We are so thankful for the many good wishes, prayers, and meals that have come our way over the past few weeks. When you are faced with difficult times and concerns like Barbaras surgery last month, the outpouring of love that comes from our congregation is one of Gods miracles. Truly, the Oakmont United Methodist Church serves as Gods hands in times of need. Thanks again. Barbara and Burl Davis

The financial report for Februarys mystery dinner theater is as follows: Total Income $5,675.83 Total Expenses 203.63 Total Profit $5,472.20 $2,736.10 was given to Verona Summer Camp and the same amount was split between Tina Whitehead, Bethany House and No More Malaria. UMW donated the cost of the food served$1,195.