Newletter article for April:

This week we had 20 children and youth at our annual Midwinter Break Vacation Day, with 6 more people joining us at the waterpark.

During our morning worship time I shared the following with the group:

When we go away on a vacation we do not leave God at home. God is with us always. As we unpack our suitcases at our vacation destination there are reminders there to help us remember that God is with us everywhere we go.

Many times we bring our own alarm clock. That can be our reminder to make time for God each day while on vacation.

As we unpack our clothes we can remind ourselves to put on the armor of God, be clothed in God, and be prepared to do God’s work wherever we are.

Our money is a reminder to set aside money for God. We can give an offering at a church we are visiting or save some money to give at offering time when we get back home.

Pack your Bible so you have it to read or when you see the Bible in your room let it be a reminder to give time to God on vacation. Our bishop has challenged us to reading and praying for 30 minutes every day, even on vacation.

When you unpack your swimsuit let it remind you that God wants you to be ready to help and serve. Be aware of the little ways you can help others. Our swimsuit is packed for a trip so we are ready to go swimming. Let is remind us to be ready to serve God.
Always remember God is with us, even on vacation.

I am the Holy One, and I am among you. Hosea 11:9

from the book And the Angels Were Silent, Max Lucado

"I am among you."....God wants you to know he is in the midst of your world. Wherever you are as you read these words, he is present.... He's near.

And he is more than near. He is active....God is in the thick of things in your world. He has not taken up residence in a distant galaxy. He has not removed himself from history.....He has involved himself in the carpools, heartbreaks, and funeral homes of our day. He is as near to us on Monday as on Sunday. In the schoolroom as in the sanctuary. At the coffee break as much as the communion table.

Thanks to a couple of people that I know I was nominated to be a "jailbird" for an MDA fundraiser in Brainerd. I am excited to be a part of this endeavor.

Last fall a friend of mine died while scuba diving. One of his projects at the time of his death was to help a young man named Matt Johnston reach his goal of scuba diving in Florida. The cool part is that Matt has MD and has very limited mobility and is on a ventilator. I have been following Matt's dream ever since Jere's death. You may have seen Matt on the Today Show. They did a segment on his accomplishment--diving off the coast of Florida. Jere would have been there if he were still alive. But, I am so thankful that I was able to learn about Matt and his desire to dive.

So, in Matt's honor I am working to raise money for MDA so other people can live out their dreams.

Learn more about Matt at www.divingadream.org

This year, I have the honor and pleasure of participating in MDA's BRAINERD/BAXTER 2007 to help "Jerry's Kids®". To reach my goal I need your help! I'd like to include you or your company on my list of contributors who are helping me reach my goal. Your donation would help MDA continue the important fight against muscular dystrophy. Check out my web page by clicking on the link above. There you'll find all kinds of information about MDA, and be able to make your tax-deductible donation on-line using your credit card. MDA serves people in our community with neuromuscular disease by providing clinics, support groups, assistance with the purchase and repair of wheelchairs, braces and communication devices, and summer camp for kids. MDA also funds research grants to help find treatments and cures for some 43 neuromuscular diseases that affect people of all ages, right here in our community. I sincerely hope that you'll take the opportunity to support MDA. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me. On behalf of the families MDA serves, thank you! Warmest Regards, Leslie Hobson
Click here to visit my Participant Page.If the link above does not bring you to my Participant Page, cut and paste the address below into the address bar of your internet browser.https://www.mdaevent.org/ParticipantInfo.aspx?j=50d85608-042a-435f-a598-c25961390dbe

Thirteen Things I love aboutSnowstorms 1. How bright everything looks! 2. How good it feels to be inside!! 3. The good exercise I get shoveling my sidewalks--over and over again!! 4. An excuse to get out of going to a meeting (I just did that!!!) 5. The possibility of school being cancelled--I know I am not in school, but it just brings back such good memories 6. The chance to stay at home and make bread and soup 7. Somehow I feel like I have permission to curl up on the couch, wrap up in a blanket and read a good book. 8. The feeling I have that I am prepared if we are stuck in our house for a day or two--even ready if the power goes out. 9. How it makes us slow down--our meetings are cancelled, we can't travel fast, we have to be at home 10. When it stops and warms up we can make snow creatures 11. Tracking the storm on the Weather Channel 12. Hearing the soft sounds of snow hitting the ground 13. Making a cup of hot chocolate and sharing it with my husband while we snuggle on the couch and watch the snow pour down. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Leslie Hobson Brings Deaconess Service to Minnesota

(2/26/2007)
by Russell Goodwin
Since its affirmation by the Methodist Church in 1888, marking the first opportunity for women to be in ministry in the church, hundreds of women have served as deaconesses in various ministries of the church such as social work, health care administration and more.
Minnesota will soon boast its own deaconess, Leslie Hobson. Hobson, an active member of Park United Methodist Church in Brainerd, serves the church's youth ministry and other outreach projects. She recalls her first memories of the roles of women in the church. "As a child in the '60s, I always wanted to be a preacher's wife, because I believed it was the only way to serve in the ministry as a woman," she says.
Now clergy women serve the United Methodist Church as elders and deacons, and laywomen as deaconesses. Deaconesses have a ministry of love, service, and justice, as stated in The Book of Discipline. Deaconesses are laywomen commissioned through the General Board of Global Ministries for full-time ministries of service and are funded though United Methodist Women. Deaconesses have always been looked upon as the "doers" of the United Methodist Church. The history of the deaconess in the Protestant churches goes back to the 1500s, when deaconesses responded to the needs of the sick and cared for the poor. As they prepare for commissioning as deaconesses and home missioners (a lifetime mission office for laymen that parallels that of deaconess), candidates are encouraged to participate in discernment events to find the right ministry route and share opportunities of the deaconess relationship.
Hobson recalls what inspired her begin the deaconess commissioning process. "I was a candidate for ordination as a clergyperson until I realized that was not what I wanted to be," she says. "I have had opportunities to teach and preach and I once attended a sermon event. But I learned that I wanted to do ministry rather than equip others," says Hobson.
"Deaconesses have the opportunity to build covenant relationships with men and women around the world," Hobson says. "They also have the opportunity to change their vocation into something they like, in the name of Christ." Deaconesses represent the United Methodist Church in several different ways—unlike the past, when many feared even the thought of women serving in ministry because they believed it would eventually lead to women's ordination. "I truly appreciate the opportunity to represent the church, being love and showing love," Hobson says. "It is important that people look at us deaconesses and see how important Christ is in our lives." An average of 11 deaconesses are commissioned each year.
Women interested in the deaconess ministry and men interested in the home missioner ministry can contact Becky Dodson Louter of the General Board of Global Ministries at (212) 870-3850 or deaconess@gbgm-umc.org Click here for more information.