First United Methodist Church recognizes and congratulates the following graduates:

Amanda Kristine Allen, Independence High School, plans to continue her education at Pittsburg State University.

Randi Bernhart, Master of Science in Special Education, Pittsburg State University.

James Helkenberg, Field Kindley High School, plans to continue his education at Coffeyville Community College.

Rachel Elizabeth McMurray, Master of Arts in English Literature, Kansas University.

Anna Pool, Roosevelt Junior High, plans to continue her education at Field Kindley High School

Kenedi Redden, Holy Name Preschool, plans to continue her education at Community Elementary.

Kristina Thompson, Coffeyville Community College, plans to continue her education at Kansas University.

Brian Jeffrey Walker, Field Kindley High School, plans to continue his education at Pittsburg State University.

Travis Kinsworthy Walker, Master of Divinity, Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colorado.

Taylor A. Wright, Coffeyville Community College.

We’ve learned that one of the needs within the Coffeyville Public School System is for basic hygiene kits that can be given out to children in need. The Witness and Outreach Committees have set a goal of collecting 20 kits. We’ll keep a few in the food pantry for people who might come in. The items needed for a complete kit are: a bath towel, a washcloth, a comb or brush, a bar of soap, a tube of toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant (unisex would probably be best) and lotion.

The baptisms of Lincoln, Leighton and Leah Tatman are scheduled for May 27, 2012 at the 8:10 service. You’re plan on joining us for the celebration.

The church office will be closed tomorrow, Friday 17, 2012. Apologies for any inconvenience.

A corrective to last Sunday’s sermon: I hope it goes without saying that you really shouldn’t go jumping off cliffs trying in an attempt (and a vain attempt at that) to impress a young woman you find attractive.

We’re compiling a list of this year’s graduates for The Announcement Insert. If you have someone to add please drop me a line at john@revcollins.com.

tomorrow’s sermon is titled “Into Faith’s Daring.” The title phrase comes from Hans Urs Von Balthasar. I’ll be talking about the nature of Christian faith. For that reason, the sermon will include the following quotes from Fredrick Buechner on faith:

“Faith is not being sure where you’re going, but going anyway.”

and

“Faith is better understood as a verb than as a noun, as a process than as a possession.”

— Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words

Hope to see you then.

Over at his blog Mercy Not Sacrifice, Morgan Guyton has a good, solid post titled “Don’t Hate Our Purple Church.” It’s a long post, but I encourage you to read the whole thing, but I want to excerpt part of it here.

In 2 Samuel 12, when Bathsheba’s first son was dying, David fasted and clamored with the Lord. After he died, David washed himself, ate a meal, and tried his best to move forward. That’s the position that many of us in the United Methodist Church face after several decisions made by this year’s General Conference. I feel like I made the best case I could on several issues (and I probably lost my credibility with some people I care about as a result). My church has made a decision, and I will move forward. I realize there are young adults who are wondering whether or not to leave the UMC at this point. I’d like to make a case for staying, because I think our vocation as a church right now is to occupy what Bishop Scott Jones calls “the extreme center,” as frustrating as that might sound. We are the only purple major Protestant denomination in the country right now. Every other one has split along theological or ideological lines into “left” and “right” or even further into “moderately conservative” and “fanatically conservative.” The reformed branch of Christianity probably has more sects than I have toes and fingers. What the body of Christ and our nation as a whole needs right now is a whole lot more purple and a whole lot less schism.

This is very much the case not only in our denomination as a whole, but in our local congregation. I have long felt that our diversity is a latent strength that we simply have not yet figured out how to harness.

The New York Times had a good summary of what happened around the issue of homosexuality at the 2012 General Conference. Pray for the United Methodist Church, there is so much hurt around this issue. It isn’t going to go away quietly and I don’t see any way through it except with God’s help.

Between the bake sale, the sandwiches, and donations the Nurture Committee raised $604.76 for camp scholarships. Thanks to everyone who contributed.