OUR WEEK — MAY 10TH - 16TH

REMINDERS —
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6TH —
Adair UMW Meeting at 9 A.M.
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
THURSDAY, MAY 7TH —
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER (1ST Thursday in May)
The first "Day of Prayer" was in 1775 to designate
"A Time For Prayer in Forming a New Nation."
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
SATURDAY, MAY 9TH —
Mothers Day Tea at Stuart Care Center
Beginning at 9:30 A.M.≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
SUNDAY, MAY 10TH — MOTHERS DAYFifth Sunday of Easter — Colors: White or Gold
Don't forget the toughest soldier in the army (Mother).
It is my personal view that a mother should be issued
the insignia of a 5 Star General. I don't know if that
ceremony would come after 20 hours of labor, or the first
three weeks with no sleep, or the first time our offspring
drives the car. The caring and coaching is a very big job
and I wouldn't have traded it for anything in this world.
It was the most important job I ever had. Still, a few silver
stars would be nice.
OUR SCRIPTURE READINGS TODAY ARE:
ACTS 8:26-40 (New International Reader's Version) NIRV
Candace Amanitore is one of the great queens of
Meroe (Ethiopia) in African history. She was the
wife of King Teriteqas and succeeded him after
his death.
Meroe was a large country for centuries at that
point in time. Now very little is known about it,
and all that remains are the pyramid fields and a
temple.EASTERN AFRICA TODAY —Along a lonely road in the African bush, a man
suddenly appears and asks a missionary traveler,
"Can you tell me who Jesus is?" Luke's account
of Philip's divinely guided encounter with the
Ethiopian would have been just as fascinating to
first-century Romans or Greeks, for in their view
Ethiopians lived literally at the southern edge of
the earth. (Homers Odyssey 1.23)

PHILIP AND THE MAN FROM ETHIOPIA
26 An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip. "Go south
to the desert road," he said. "It's the road that goes
down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
27 So Philip started out. On his way he met an
Ethiopian official. The man had an important position.
He was in charge of all the wealth of Candace. She
was the queen of Ethiopia. He had gone to
Jerusalem to worship.
28 On his way home he was sitting in his chariot.
He was reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
29 The Holy Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot.
Stay near it."
30 So Philip ran up to the chariot. He heard the man
reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what
you're reading?" Philip asked.
31 "How can I?" he said. "I need someone to
explain it to me." So he invited Philip to come up
and sit with him. 32 Here is the part of Scripture the official was
reading. It says, "He was led like a sheep to be killed.
Just as lambs are silent while their wool is
being cut off, he did not open his mouth.
33 When he was treated badly, he was refused a
fair trial. Who can say anything about his
children His life was cut off from the earth." —
(Isaiah 53:7,8)
34 The official said to Philip, "Tell me, please. Who
is the prophet talking about? Himself, or someone
else?"
35 Then Philip began with that same part of
Scripture. He told him the good news of Jesus.
36-37As they traveled along the road, they came
to some water. The official said, "Look! Here is
water! Why shouldn't I be baptized?"
38 He gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both
Philip and the official went down into the water.Philip baptized him.
39 When they came up out
of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took
Philip away. The official did not see him again.
He went on his way full of joy.
40 Philip was seen next at Azotus. From there he
traveled all around. He preached the good news
in all the towns. Finally he arrived in Caesarea.
————————————————————————
PSALM 22:25-31 (UMH 752)
(New International Reader's Version) NIRV
Here we see the love and compassion of God the
Father, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, for us
wretched sinners, as the source of all grace and
consolation; the example we are to follow, the
treatment as Christians we are to expect, and the
conduct under it we are to adopt.

25 Because of what you have done,
I will praise you in the whole community of those
who worship you.
In front of those who respect you,
I will keep my promises.
26 Those who are poor will eat and be satisfied.
Those who look to the Lord will praise him.
May their hearts be filled with new hope!
27 People from one end of the earth to the other
will remember and turn to the Lord.
The people of all the nations
will bow down before him.
28 The Lord is King.
He rules over the nations.
29 All the rich people of the earth will worship God
and take part in his feasts.
All those who go down to the edge of the grave
will fall on their knees in front of him.
I'm talking about those who can hardly keep
themselves alive.
30 Those who are not yet born will serve him.
Those born later will be told about the Lord.
31 And they will tell people who have not yet been
born that he has done what is right.
————————————————————————
1 JOHN 4:7-21 (New International Version) NIV
God's Love and Ours
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes
from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God
and knows God.
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because
God is love.9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent
his one and only Son into the world that we might live
through him.
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved
us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought
to love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one
another, God lives in us and his love is made complete
in us.
13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because
he has given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has
sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of
God, God lives in him and he in God.
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for
us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God,
and God in him.
17 In this way, love is made complete among us so
that we will have confidence on the day of judgment,
because in this world we are like him.
18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out
fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one
who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us.
20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother,
he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother,
whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has
not seen.
21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves
God must also love his brother.
————————————————————————
JOHN 15:1-8 (New Living Translation) NLT
Jesus Christ is the Vine. The union of the human
and Divine natures, and the fulness of the Spirit
that is in him, resemble the root of the vine made
fruitful by the moisture from a rich soil. Believers
are branches of this Vine. The root is unseen, and
our life is hid with Christ; the root bears the tree,
diffuses sap to it, and in Christ are all supports
and supplies. The branches of the vine are many,
yet, meeting in the root, are all but one vine.
JESUS, THE TRUE VINE
1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the
gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce
fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so
they will produce even more.
3 You have already been pruned and purified by the
message I have given you.
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch
cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and
you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who
remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For
apart from me you can do nothing.6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away
like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are
gathered into a pile to be burned.
7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you,
you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!
8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true
disciples. This brings great glory to my Father."
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
MONDAY, MAY 11TH —
This is Pastor Lynn's and Naomi's day off.
Bible Study at Casey UMC - 6:30 to 8:30 P.M.
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
TUESDAY, MAY 12TH —
Bible Study in Adair UMC - 9 A.M. to 11 A.M.
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13TH —
Prayer Breakfast at Happy Chef - 7 A.M.
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
SATURDAY, MAY 16TH —ANGEL FOOD MINISTRIES DISTRIBUTION
Casey UMC - from 11 A.M. to noon.
≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES.
Thank you to all who participated in our Graduate
Recognition Sunday last week. It was a very nice service
and we pray our graduates enjoy smooth sailing. I have
never met anyone with a route to success that didn't
involve hard work, however.
(Will you tell them, or shall I?) The marvelous secret is
"If you enjoy your work, then it is indeed a Labor of Love."

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈
FUTURE FOCUS —We are thinking about camp experience this summer.
Some have already signed up . . . many are thinking
about it. There is Lake Okoboji Camp at Spirit Lake,
Pictured Rocks Camp at Monticello, Wesley Woods
at Indianola.

Thank you all for the support and labor you provided
this week. We are human and sometimes we forget
to acknowledge the value of a sustaining work force.
I know you are there, and I am grateful.

God Bless and Keep You,
Pastor Lynn