1. Art and Diseño

Ash Wednesday Service
February 18th, 7pm
Pancake Supper -- Shrove Tuesday,
February 17th
The Missions Team and the men's Lifeboat Class will
again prepare our annual Shrove Tuesday pancake
supper, which this year is on Feb 17th (the day before
Ash Wednesday) from 5:30 to 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall.
A Message from Our Missions
The menu will include pancakes, sausage, sliced ham,
fruit, and beverages. This dinner is another great
opportunity to invite friends, neighbors, and relatives
who may not attend church to join with us in a time of
fellowship.
Over the years I have had the privilege of working in
missions. At first, I must admit, my intentions were
personal. How can we (Neil and myself) introduce
our grown children to their birth countries in Central
America? Will they truly see and experience day-today life if we simply take them on a planned
tour? When the idea of a mission trip was presented
to us, we jumped at the chance. Not only did we
accomplish our goal but we were able to help others
as well.
Donations received for the dinner will benefit Camp
Joy, which is a youth work camp that serves lowincome, disabled and elderly people in three states in
the Appalachian region. Pastor Ken founded it in 1990.
The youth and their counselors stay in tents at Camp
Harmison, which is 6 miles east of Berkeley Springs,
West Virginia. We are planning to take some of our
youth this July to participate in the work camp along
with some adult participants.
See you at the pancake
supper! And don't
forget to invite your
friends, neighbors, and
family!
Team Leader
What is Our Church Doing in
Missions? A Lot!
Speaking for myself, I believe this opportunity
changed my heart in a way that is hard to describe.
Let's just say that this was a pivotal God moment in
my life. Today, as Montgomery's new Missions
Team leader, it is both exciting and daunting at the
same time. This had been on my mind for awhile so
with a lot of prayer and consideration I agreed to
listen to my heart and accept this big challenge in
my life. After all isn't this God's plan for all of us to
help others in a way that is pleasing to Him? "And
do not forget to do good and to share with others, for
with such sacrifices God is pleased " (Hebrews
13:16) "...whoever is kind to the needy honors
God." (Proverbs 14:31)
(continued page 4)
Page 2
February 2
Newsletter submission deadline for the March edition
February 4
Missions Meeting, 7pm in the Memorial Room
February 14 Happy Valentine's Day!
February 17 Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, 5:30 to 7:00pm in
the Fellowship Hall
February 18 Ash Wednesday -- Service at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary
February 21 Men's Breakfast, 7:37am in the Fellowship Hall
February 23 Heritage Circle, 12:00 noon in the Memorial Room
February 28
Last day for Winter Basketball League Games, 9:00am to noon
in the Fellowship Hall
March 2
Newsletter submission deadline for the April edition
March 8
Daylight Saving Time begins -- Turn clocks ahead 1 hour
March 23
Heritage Circle, 1:00pm in the Memorial Room
March 27-29 Senior High Impact, Ocean City
March 29
Palm Sunday
Montgomery UMC will have an Ash Wednesday service at 7:00pm on February 18th. Ash Wednesday
developed in early medieval times as a day of penitence to mark the beginning of Lent – the forty days of
preparation for the celebration of Easter.
In the typical Ash Wednesday observance, Christians are invited to the altar to receive the imposition of
ashes, prior to receiving Holy Communion. The Pastor applies ashes in the shape of the cross on the forehead
of each, while speaking the words, "For dust you are and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). This is of
course what God spoke to Adam and Eve after they eaten of the forbidden fruit and fallen into sin. These
words indicated to our first parents the bitterest fruit of their sin, namely death. In the context of the Ash
Wednesday imposition of ashes, they remind each penitent person of their sinfulness and mortality, and, thus,
their need to repent and get right with God before it is too late. The cross reminds each person of the good
news that through Jesus Christ crucified there is forgiveness for all sins, all guilt, and all punishment.
In a world that often expects us to be perfect, Ash Wednesday gives us an opportunity to freely confess our
imperfections. We can let down our pretenses and be truly honest with each other about who we are. We all
bear the mark of sin, from the youngest babies to the oldest seniors. We all stand guilty before a holy God.
We all are mortal and will someday experience bodily death. Thus, we all need a Savior.
Pastor Ken
Page 3
“The Difference Love Makes”
Have you ever been tempted to withhold your love from someone? I think,
at one time or another, most people have succumbed to that temptation. It’s
because sometimes love hurts. No one enjoys being hurt! But what would life
be without love?
In his book Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eric Butterworth tells of a sociology
class that was sent into the rough areas of Baltimore to take case histories of 200
young boys. The students were required to write an evaluation of each boy’s
projected future, and in virtually every case, they wrote: “He hasn’t got a chance.”
Some twenty-five years later, another professor came across the earlier study and decided to do a follow-up
study. With the exception of twenty boys who died or moved, the study revealed that 176 of the remaining
180 boys had gone on to surprising success, with many becoming lawyers, doctors and leading businessmen.
When the men were asked for the reasons that contributed to their successes, they all pointed to one
particular teacher who had influenced them. The teacher was still alive, so the professor went to visit her to
ask how she had influenced boys seemingly destined for poverty and crime to become such success stories.
“It is really very simple,” she responded. “I loved those boys.”
C.S. Lewis wrote: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and
possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not
even an animal. Wrap it carefully around with hobbies and little luxuries: avoid all entanglements; lock it up
safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. The only place outside of heaven where you can be perfectly
safe from all the dangers of love is hell.”
To love is to take risks. Sometimes it hurts! But we must love…that neighbor, that student, that
co-worker. It is Christ-like and it is better than locking your heart in a casket of self-centeredness. May we
always love one another as Christ loves us. It will make a difference!
Pastor Ken
Attention, Guys! Men’s Breakfast February 21st
The next Men’s Breakfast is Saturday, February 21st, at 7:37am, in the Fellowship Hall. Please join us for
some really good food and a great time of fellowship!
Dress is extremely casual. We’re usually done by 9:00, so you have plenty of time to get things done the rest
of the day. Hope to see you there!
For our March breakfast, we are tentatively planning a road trip to the Lions Club breakfast at Damascus
UMC. We plan to provide details in next month's newsletter.
In case of bad weather on a morning when we're scheduled to have a breakfast, you can call Gib Warnick,
Page 4
Missions (continued from page 1)
Did you know that Montgomery is involved in many different types of missions? The organizations that we
support globally are:

Ambassadors For Christ International, both of which train and prepare Christian leaders in China to
spread the Gospel and build God's kingdom.

Grace Covenant International Ministries, which supports the ongoing work of Ken and Cathy Metz as
they work in Peru transforming villages gripped by drugs and violence and spreading the Gospel.

Compassion International, where we sponsor and support a young girl named Lorventha from Haiti.
Proceeds from our children's Sunday school offerings go to this mission.

Good News Jail, a worldwide Christian organization working to transform the incarcerated population
to become productive citizens.
The local missions that we support include:

Damascus Help, which provides emergency financial assistance, food, holiday food baskets and gifts,
transportation, and donated furniture to local families in need.

Youth For Christ of Central Maryland, which works with local teens in the public school system and in
many other settings to bring them the message of Jesus.

Rebuilding Together, an ongoing mission involving local churches who work together to help repair
and rebuild houses in the Frederick area.

Samaritan Women, which operates a residential facility in Baltimore that houses women who have
been involved in human trafficking, providing them with a safe and nurturing environment for healing
so that they can learn to live productive lives.

The Board of Child Care of the United Methodist Church, which runs a group of residential facilities
throughout Maryland and West Virginia that provides care for children in need. The Board's goal is to
build a bridge leading to independence, success and confidence for children facing adverse life circumstances. Staff members work closely with Social Services to advocate for the children.

Hands In Ministry (HIM), an ongoing ministry created and supported by the men's Lifeboat Sunday
school class to help local families and church members in need.

Faith Connections, a non-profit Christian community of churches and businesses that works together to
identify community needs.

Camp Joy, our latest and newest mission. This is a youth work camp held for one week in the summer
when the youth work under adult supervision to rebuild and repair homes for people in need. We will
be encouraging our youth group to be a part of this mission.

China Outreach Ministry – a stateside Christian organization that helps Chinese students while studying
in the United States.
(continued page 5)
Page 5
Mission work does not have to be long-term or ongoing. In fact, Montgomery Church has participated in
many mini-missions such as bicycle and clothing drives, woodworking projects, and passing out meals to the
homeless, just to name a few. Perhaps you have participated in a mission project that our church could help
support, or perhaps you have ideas for a new one. My vision for our Missions Team this year is to provide and
encourage more hands-on opportunities for our congregation. In order for this to happen, we need YOU.
Please prayerfully consider being an active part of our Missions Team. If you can attend a Missions meeting,
next one is February 4th in the Memorial Room or simply provide your email address and have a willingness to help, we can keep you in the loop with available opportunities. The rewards are awesome!
Sandy Smith, Chairperson, Missions Team
It's February and love is in the air!! Our Bible verse for February is from 1 John
4:7: Jesus said, "Love one another." Our song of the month for February is "Into
My Heart." What better way to show God's love than by studying His words and
singing His praises!!
February also brings lessons on Groundhog Day and weather, Valentine's Day, President's Day, dental health,
and transportation. Our virtue of the month is honesty. In addition, the season of Lent begins with Ash
Wednesday on February 18th and again this year our school will have our annual Lenten project -- a "Pennies
from Heaven" collection. Money collected from our students will be donated to the Damascus Help
organization to provide food for needy area families. Our children show God's love for all His children by
giving to others!
Parent-teacher conferences for our 4's and Pre-K students will be on Monday, February 2nd and childcare is
available for students and younger siblings during the conferences. On February 19th school will be closed for
the President's Day holiday and on Friday evening, February 27th, we will hold our annual Sock Hop for our
families!! What a busy but fun month we have planned!
Registration for the 2015-16 school year began in January and there are a few open spots remaining. If you
would like more information, please contact the school office at 301-253-4884 or email me at
[email protected]. A registration form can be printed off the website at
www. mmchildrenscenter.org.
In Christian Love,
Margaret Olsen
Page 6
A Message From Our Health Ministry
Dear MUMC Congregation,
On January 16th I began partnering with Frederick Memorial Hospital by joining a program called “Bridges.”
The Bridges Program builds partnerships between Frederick County medical, religious, and neighborhood
communities to provide timely, easy-to-understand health education materials and tools which prompt people
to advocate for, and improve, their own health and wellness.
Objectives of the program are to:
 Increase opportunities to engage Frederick County residents in the improvement of their health and earn
their trust.
 To provide the right tools and education, to those with the most need, in the right place, at the right time.
 To produce a more engaged and knowledgeable health care consumer, who is equipped to manage his or
her own health.
And ultimately,
 To reduce preventable deaths and the rates of chronic illness and disease among people in Frederick
County.
 Reduce the preventable costs of healthcare.
 Close the gap on health disparities
The Bridges Program:
 Will be provided free of charge to Frederick County faith, advocacy and affinity groups.
 Will prepare Lay Health Educators with tips and tactics to teach others to monitor and improve health.
 Will provide participants with ways to connect people to a variety of free or low cost resources, programs
and tools.
 Will develop health and lifestyle mentors within the community who are equipped with additional
resources and skills.
 Will help the members with the complexities of navigating a health system.
 Will encourage people to develop good communications with a Primary Care Provider (PCP).
My contact information is listed below…I look forward to the exciting future that MUMC has in store with
opportunities for learning and growth in regards to health matters. More to come in the very near future!
Dawn Reardon, Chairperson
MUMC Health Ministry
Heritage Circle News
Thelma Gessling will be the speaker for February’s Heritage Circle meeting on February 23rd at 12:00 noon in
the Memorial Room. As has been our tradition, this meeting will be an Agape meal and all attendees are asked
to bring food to share – such as cheeses, breads, fruits and nuts. Please contact Kate Warfield with any
questions; however, as Kate says, “Ladies! You know what to bring!”
The next meeting will be on March 23rd at 1:00pm in the Memorial Room.
Page 7
Montgomery Friends, YOU ARE ALL INVITED to worship in music with the National Christian Choir in
Frederick on Saturday February 28th, at 6:00 PM, at the Frederick Seventh-day Adventist Church, 6437
Jefferson Pike (Route 180). The concert is free and no tickets are required. A free will offering will be
collected. This concert is the closest one to our church that we will have this year.
You may always see the full calendar on the choir's website: www.nationalchristianchoir.org. Please be watching for information about a March concert in Silver Spring and our spring concert at the Basilica at the Seton
Shrine in Emmitsburg in May! Other concerts will be in Pennsylvania, not far away in New Oxford and in
Waynesboro.
As always, we appreciate your interest, support and prayers as we continue to serve this ministry.
In His Service,
Sandy Day, Nancy and Hannah Hood, Donna Isaacs