The Evangel
April 10, 2009

FROM THE PASTOR"S HEART:

CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES
SAFE CHURCH POLICE GUIDELINES
Re: CLASSES-ACTIVITIES-VBS-WORSHIP, ETC.

     In August 2008, Audubon Park UMC adopted the AUDUBON PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH CHILD/YOUTH/VULNERABLE ADULT (CYVA) SAFETY & ABUSE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE PROGRAM. Copies available upon request) Following is the Introduction to this document and a statement of procedures APUMC will follow in our Discipleship Hour and other programs for children.

     God is blessing us with more children to love into God's Kingdom than we have had for a long time. (Up 300% since September) Changing realities require us to change some procedures to accommodate the larger numbers of children. We are expecting and planning for even more children and their families to join APUMC in the future so we are implementing the following procedures with this expectation in mind. What worked well with a few children will not allow us to serve many with the increased need and expectation for safety the law and the gospel insists on today.
(L. Carlyle Martin)

INTRODUCTION
(to CYVA Safety & Abuse Prevention and Response Program)

The United Methodist Church has had a history of concern for the welfare of our children and youth. In 1996, the General Conference adopted a resolution which includes the following statement:

Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes a child...welcomes me." (Matthew 18:5). Children are our present and our future, our hope, our teachers, our inspiration. They are full participants in the life of the church and in the realm of God.

Jesus also said, "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones...it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the seas." (Matthew 18:6). Our Christian faith calls us to offer both hospitality and protection to the little ones, the children. The Social Principles of the The United Methodist Church state that "...children must be protected from economic, physical and sexual exploitation, and abuse."

God calls us to make our churches safe places, protecting children, youth, and other vulnerable persons from sexual and ritual abuse. God calls us to create communities of faith where children and adults grow safe and strong.

Thus, in covenant with all United Methodist congregations and by the direction of the General Conference to protect the children, youth and vulnerable adults in our ministry, we adopt this policy for program safety and the prevention of abuse in our church.

SUPERVISION

No fewer than 2 adults shall be present with each age group of children. If the 2 adults are related, a third adult will also be assigned.

NURSERY AND PRESCHOOL:

ELEMENTARY CHILDREN - Discipleship Hour:

IN BETWEEN TIMES

REST ROOM PROCEDURE:

THEREFORE:

AGE LIMITS

  1. Persons working or volunteering with children and youth must be at least 5 years older than the group they are supervising.
  2. Children and youth are to attend classes and activities according to the set age and time boundaries.
  3. No elementary, middle school or high schoolers will be allowed in the nursery or preschool room at any time.

REGISTRATION

Before a child is admitted to a class or activity, appropriate paperwork must be filled out for safety and health reasons.

Additional Information

  1. 6 MONTH RULE - in order to be eligible to work with children and youth, volunteers should have regularly attended worship and/or Sunday School for six month.
  2. Staff and/or parents have an open invitation to make unannounced visits to classes and activities.
  3. Incident reports for any injury - minor or major- must be filled out by the supervisory adults and kept on file in the Christian Education office.

WITH SYMPATHY

Our sympathy is with Paul Cottrell on the recent death of his brother.

Our sympathy is also with Shirley Moore and her family at the death of her son-in-law, Dale Anderson, who passed away on March 29th.

Sympathy is also with Glenn, Perri and Megan Charbonneau on the death of Glenn's father.

An Old Time Hootenanny:
Do Something Joyful!

What: An evening of "holy fun". Sponsored by St. Joe's and St. Anthony's Catholic Churches

When: Friday, April 24, 6-8 p.m.

Where: St Anthony's Church: Wilson Hall 2320 N. Cedar Street

The Good News Brothers will be there to start things off. If you would like to share a story, song or play an instrument, please call Joe Fritz, 325-0406, or Jerry Sullivan, 474-9404.
We will supply the chili, salad and dessert for supper. Hope you will join us!

PARKING LOT RE-FURBISHING
COMING SOON

APUMC is scheduled for the Parking Lot re-furbishing in April, as soon as weather permits. Thank you to those who have given "extra mile" giving for this project! We are still in need of more gifts for this project so we don't have to borrow the money. Make sure you designate "Parking Lot" on your check made out to APUMC.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The April MIDIS Group will be meeting Saturday, April 11, at 6:00 p.m. We will have a big treat as Dr. Norman James and his wife, Terri, visit us again. They will be sharing a new slide show from their African trip, September to December, 2008.

Please bring a dish to share and a friend to enjoy the evening! Table service will be provided.

ATTENTION ALL HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS!

Wow! Graduation is almost here and it's time to apply for the Dorothy Jacobson Scholarship. Each year the church accepts applications from graduating seniors to receive this scholarship. If you are interested, please call the church office to receive the needed information for the application. The deadline to submit your application is May 1st.

LAMPLIGHTER REMINDER:

A gentle reminder that the Lamplighters for the next weeks are:
April 5     Mike and Iva Jean Gilbreth
April 12   Marcia Phillips

TO ALL ENTRYWAY SWEEPERS:

The following people are scheduled to have this sweeping duty in the coming weeks:
April 5      George Hartman
April 12     Lou Dobberstein

USHER SCHEDULE:

Below are the ushers for worship in the upcoming weeks:
April 5      Rich and Carol Hendershot
April 12    George Hartman

WORSHIP ASSISTANTS:

Below are the worship assistants in the upcoming weeks:
April 5      Janet Olson
April 12    Dorinda Young (8:30)
                     David Banks (10:30)

WORDS OF THANKS

I would like to thank everyone for their cards, prayers and support during my health issues the last 15 months. On April 19th I'll be participating for the first time in the "Race for the Cure". If you would like to sponsor me in the race, please contact me at 468-8185.
-Barbara Burns

We had a most successful Driver Safety Class on March 24 and 25 in your church building. Thank you so very much for providing coffee and a fine central location to help seniors refresh their driving skills
-Adonna Yuse, Instructor

ROCKS AND RIPPLES

Rocks and Ripples is the Inland District annual training day, an opportunity for all church leaders to explore the potential of their commitment to the growth of their church.

Rocks and Ripples 2009, on Saturday, April 25, differs in that it will be a half-day at two separate locations. The Spokane location will be held at Spokane Valley UMC. Registration will be from 2:30-3:00 p.m., followed by the welcoming service and keynote address, Session I, a soup supper, then Session II, ending at 7:00 p.m.

Rev. Mike Graef, Vancouver District superintendent, will present the keynote address. There will be training sessions in the areas of Church Treasurer, Worship, Staff Parish, Endowments, and the Missional Church, as well as many additional areas of training.
Please call our church office to register.

* * * * * * *

"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving."
Psalm 69:30

"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High".
(Psalm 9: 1-2)

SANCTUARY TRANSFORMATION FOR EASTER!

The Worship Team plans to decorate our Sanctuary with a variety of "Spring" plants for Easter. Each plant will cost $8.00, and you are invited to either order a plant in memory of a loved one or honor someone special in your life. Complete the form below and place it in the offering plate or return it with your donation to the Church Office.

Plants may be removed from the Sanctuary after the 10:30 a.m. Worship Service on Easter Sunday. May I suggest that if you do not choose to take your plant home with you that you remember a shut-in and surprise them with a plant.

If you have questions or concerns, please call Joanne Harvey at 327-6912.

Thanks for sharing in our Easter Transformation!

I/we would like to purchase ______ plants for the Sanctuary this Easter season.

Name ______________________________________

In memory of _____________________________________

In honor of ______________________________________

Total paid _________________

NEW ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
Starting April 19- 9:00 a.m.
INVITATION TO THE
OLD TESTAMENT

8 week study led by Steve Cree and Dave Payne    Room 201
Have you ever wanted an overview of the Old Testament? This is a short term, in-depth small group Disciple Bible Study. This is an introductory class- No previous knowledge is expected. We invite you to join us!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

July 13-17
5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. Audubon Park UMC "Bread of Life Café" is serving a simple supper.
6:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. Vacation Bible School and Adult Study

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IS NEEDING:

Food Bank News:

Thank you for your support of our Food Bank! The emphasis food for April is cereal. You can bring food to the church during the week or on Sunday mornings.

The Food Bank is accepting donations of an upright freezer. If you have an upright that you don't want any longer, please call Pat Leapley (327-6821).

REMINDER:

This weekend, Palm Sunday weekend, is going to be BIG. On Saturday April 4th we will hold our first annual All Church Community Service Day. It is so easy for a congregation to fall into the "service to your own church" rut. This day will remind us who God has called us to serve in Jesus' name. We have three service projects. We hope ALL will be involved in one of the following projects. They are:

Camp Twinlow Work Day
(Steve Whitford)
Remodel Hemlock Cabin, Paint rooms in the lodge, General Clean-Up and Prep for the Camping Season

Plant A Row Information Sharing
(Karen Peacock)
Canvass the neighborhood with info to have them grow vegetables and supply the AP Food Bank & invite them to church.

Outdoor Spring Clean-Up
(Vi Nagley)
Help us practice hospitality by creating an inviting appearance to our building and landscaping.

There will be a light lunch served afterward for the people doing yard work and canvassing the neighborhood.

CALENDER:

Saturday, April 4

All Church Service Project Day

Sunday, April 5

9:00 a.m. Discipleship Hour
10:30 a.m. Worship
Agape Meal after Worship

Monday, April 6

6:30 p.m. UMW Executive Board Meeting
7:30 p.m. AA Meeting

Tuesday, April 7

9:00 a.m. Downtown Food Bank
9:30 a.m. Quilters
7:00 p.m. Trustees Meeting
7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts
7:00 Choir

Wednesday, April 8

10:00 a.m. Overeaters Anonymous
10:00 a.m. Needlework Group
Noon- Naomi Circle: parlor
Civic Theater to benefit UMw

Thursday, April 9
Maundy Thursday

1:30 p.m. Bible Study
6:15 p.m. Jubilee Bells
11:30 a.m. Maundy Thursday Service
7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service

Friday, April 10

Good Friday-Office Closed

Saturday, April 11

6:00 p.m. MIDIS Group

Sunday, April 12 Easter Sunday!

8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Worship
10:30 a.m. Worship

Monday, April 13

4:30 p.m. Missions Team
7:30 p.m. AA Meeting

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Palm Sunday

April 5th
Discipleship Hour 9:00 A.M.
Worship 10:30 A.M.
Come celebrate Palm Sunday, baptisms, dedication of Sanctuary media and new members joining Audubon Park UMC!

Maundy (Commandment) Thursday April 9th

11:30 AM & 7:00 PM

Easter Sunday April 12th

Worship 8:30 AM & 10:30 AM
Both services: Nursery & Preschool Easter egg hunt, crafts & stories
Breakfast Served 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Freewill Offering to Hemlock Cabin
Remodel @ Camp Twinlow
& Camp Scholarships

EASTER MISSION OFFERING

It is our tradition to support local life-changing missions with a special Easter Offering. This year's offering will go to support The SHALOM ZONE of Central UMC which ministers to homeless, hungry and addicted people and SPOKANE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY which provides affordable housing. Please make checks out to Audubon Park UMC clearly noted for Easter Mission Offering.
Thank you.