Announcements

God Be with You ‘Till We Meet Again…

June is the final month I will be serving as your pastor.  Our last Sunday before we begin our retirement will be June 21^st.  At this time, I will have completed seven years of ministry with you, and 36 years under appointment in the United Methodist Church.  The first sermon I gave was as a seminary student in the fall of 1986, at the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church in Brooklyn, NY, 40 years ago this fall.

Joy and I are looking forward to the opportunity to begin this new chapter in our lives.  We are grateful we can retire at this point and do some things together while we are still healthy and able to do so.  Our youngest daughter will be getting married in July, so we’ll be busy right from the start.  I have been asked to officiate and there will be much to do to get ready.  Many of you know, in addition to playing in the New Horizon’s Band of Cape Cod, I’ll also be playing with the Chatham Town Band on Friday nights at Kate Gould Park this summer.  I also hope to finish the siding of our house (a six-year journey) and complete some other projects as well.  We are also looking forward to the trip we plan to take this fall, traveling across this country in our car, and spending time at many of our nation’s national parks, especially in the northwest.  When we return to the Cape, we’ll be getting ready for the holiday season, and then we’ll consider what God has in mind for us.  I may pick up a part-time job doing something different.  We hope to volunteer, and find new ways to give back, as a way of continuing to express our gratitude for the gift of this life.

 While we are looking forward to this new chapter, we do so with mixed emotions.  We are grateful for the opportunity we have had to serve with you these past seven years and for the relationships which have developed.  We will look back on our time together as one of rich life and ministry shared. Even though we will continue to live on the Cape in our home in Dennis during retirement, we won’t be able to remain active at South Yarmouth UMC, at least for some time.  It will be important to give Pastor Victor and all of you, the space needed to continue to grow and be the church God is calling you to be. 

Perhaps one of the largest changes in retirement for us will be not having a consistent community of faith through which we can actively participate.  All during our married years and as individuals before that, we were deeply involved in the life of the church.  While there are congregations we are interested in visiting, we don’t see ourselves investing in a community of faith in the way we have for most of our lives, at least not at first.  We trust God is leading us into this new future, but it will be different. 

Please know that it has been a privilege to serve as your pastor, and we trust you will continue to build upon what we have been able to do – and be – together.  I believe God is waiting to share many good things with you, as you begin this next chapter with Pastor Victor as your spiritual leader.  Remember, you have much to offer, and the richness of the life you share in Christ is a deep blessing.

Pastor John

Be sure to come and greet Pastor Victor and his family, on Sunday, June 7^th.  Pastor Victor will be moving into the parsonage earlier in the week and will be with us for worship on this date before he and his family travel to Korea for a few weeks.  Pastor Victor’s first official day serving as the new pastor of our congregation is August 1^st, so this is a wonderful opportunity to meet him and his family beforehand. We’ll have a special fellowship hour in his honor and to celebrate his family on this day.  Be sure to welcome them all.

Village Green Restoration continues the work of repairing and restoring the siding on our sanctuary and parish hall, as well as updating the rear entrance to the hall.  They are making great progress.  Construction continues on the rear entrance, and so it remains temporarily closed.  When access to the building is needed, please use the entrance on the south (library) side or the font sanctuary doors.   If you have any questions, please speak with Deborah Neel, Bill Glass, or Leslie Hathaway.

Save the date of Sunday, June 14^th, to attend a brief dedication ceremony of our newly renovated sanctuary and parish hall.  After worship on this Sunday, we hope to have our fellowship time outside, on the front lawn.  Then, we’ll have a brief dedication ceremony, recognizing the efforts of so many who made these wonderful renovations possible, “cutting the ribbon” to acknowledge the completion of this project, and intentionally giving thanks to God for making this all possible.  Look for additional announcements in our Sunday bulletins for more information as the date approaches

Yes, We’ll Gather at the River!

Our summer beach services will begin on Sunday, June 28th.  The Town of Yarmouth has once again granted us permission to use the fishing pier at Smuggler’s Beach and the mouth of Bass River for these early Sunday morning services.  Remember, they begin at 7:15 again this year and will run through Sunday, September 6th.  We thank Jim and Donna Cramer for getting us ready for these services, along with Paul Honigsblum for his music, and Cookie and Buzz Barry, along with Louise Houston for being our gracious hosts, and welcoming us all to these services.  Because Pastor Victor will not officially start until August 2^nd, our congregation will have special guest worship leaders for the first five beach services (and 10 a.m. services).  Please joyfully welcome each of them, and receive all that they have to bring to us.

Sunday, June 28^th – Rev. Rebecca Mincielli, Retired Elder and former Associate Pastor of SYUMC.  (the person who also started our beach services!)

Sunday, July 5^th – Rev. Megan Stowe, Elder and District Superintendent of the Commonwealth West District of our Annual Conference.

Sunday, July 12^th, Rev. Dr. David Palmer, Elder and District Superintendent of the Granite (New Hampshire) District of our Annual Conference.

Sunday, July 19^th, the Rev. Dr. Songbok “Bob” Jon, Elder and District Superintendent of the Green Mountain (Vermont) District of our Conference.

Sunday, July 26^th, the Rev. Dr. Adama Brown, Ordained Deacon and Director of Impact Grants for the United Methodist Foundation of New England.

Sunday, August 2^nd through Sunday, September 6^th – Rev. Victor Han, Pastor of the South Yarmouth United Methodist Church

The Thrift Shop and Furniture Barn

SUPER SALE 

will be held on Saturday, July 18th

10 a.m—2 p.m.

The electronic organ is a keyboard instrument designed to replicate the massive sound of a traditional pipe organ using electronics instead of pipes. Invented in the 1930s, these instruments became a cross-genre phenomenon. Unlike a piano, the organ can hold a note indefinitely. Early models, famously the Hammond organ, created sound mechanically using spinning metal wheels called tonewheels to create electromagnetic signals. Later models transitioned entirely to vacuum tubes, transistors, and eventually digital microchips.   – Ben Colgan

During the month of May DYECH food card purchased were $1,150.   We thank all who support this outreach project.  We continue to sell the cards on the third Sunday of each month.  In addition, don’t forget the RED WAGON MINISTRY in the Narthex, is always ready to welcome bags of needed food for the Yarmouth Food Bank.  We have heard there continues to be a need for pasta and tuna fish, especially.  We are grateful to everyone for their faithfulness.

“Age is a matter of mind, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”

(courtesy a member of the congregation)

Youth 2027 – Discipleship Ministries 
July 11-14, 2027 in Dallas, TX

I am happy to announce that our SYUMC Youth are planning on attending the Youth 2027 event!

YOUTH 2027 is the national gathering for United Methodist youth and their leaders. The Young Peoples Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church bring together young hearts from across the country for an unforgettable journey of discipleship, fellowship, and worship, which is held only every 4 years, in a different city, for youth in grades 6 through 12.

Emily and I are excited to accompany and share this powerful faith experience with our youth!  If you would like to come alongside us to join our planning team, please let me know. We will soon be sharing some ways our church family, friends and the community can help support our financial commitment for each participant to reach their goal.

Please keep our group in your prayers as we continue to encourage, prepare and guide our young people with this faith-filled life-changing experience…

Immeasurable blessings,

Valerie Jansson, Children and Youth Minister

valeriejansson@gmail.com