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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH —
• AUMW MEETING AT 1:30 P.M.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH —
THIS MORNING. NAOMI WILL BE
WORKING THEN - NOT THE AFTERNOON.
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH —
MISSION OPPORTUNITY AT
HOPE MINISTRIES IN DES MOINES
LEAVE CASEY U.M.C. AT 9 A.M.
==================================
• MOVIE AT THE CASEY LIBRARY @ 7P.M.
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE
OF MEATBALLS #2
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• FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH —
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
THIS IS SCOUTING MINISTRIES SUNDAY
SCRIPTURE READINGS —
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ISAIAH 58:1-12
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
YOUR PRAYERS WON'T GET
OFF THE GROUND
1-3 "Shout! A full-throated shout!
Hold nothing back — a trumpet-blast shout!
lives,
face my family Jacob with their sins!
They're busy, busy, busy at worship,
and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they're a nation of
right-living people—
law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, 'What's the right thing to
do?' and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
'Why do we fast and you don't look our
way? Why do we humble ourselves and
you don't even notice?'
3-5 "Well, here's why:
"The bottom line on your 'fast days' is
profit.
You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker
and fight.
You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
won't get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day
I'm after:
a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
a fast day that I, God, would like?
6-9 "This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
• to break the chains of injustice,
• free the oppressed,
• cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
• sharing your food with the hungry,
• inviting the homeless poor into your
homes,
• putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
• being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your
passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say,
'Here I am.'
A FULL LIFE IN THE EMPTIEST PLACES
9-12 "If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people's sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-
and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the
darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in
sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of
places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to
build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your
past.
You'll be known as those who can fix
anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.
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PSALM 112:1-10 (UMH 833)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Hallelujah! Blessed man, blessed woman,
who fear God,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright—how
blessed!
Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for
good people—
God's grace and mercy and justice!
The good person is generous and lends
lavishly;
No shuffling or stumbling around for this
one,
But a sterling and solid and lasting
reputation.
Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,
They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,
Blusters away but ends up speechless.
There's nothing to the dreams of the
wicked. Nothing.
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I CORINTHIANS 2:1-12 (13-16)
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
Paul's proclamation in Corinth was not
based on elegant human wisdom, but on
spiritual wisdom displayed with power.
There is requirement in this blessing and
expectation. To be useful salt, salt that all
people will value, the salt must stay salty.
Salt in those days, and in many places still
today, is an unspecified mixture of various
of compounds. The more inert dissoluble
compounds in the mix, the more “fillers”
we might say, the less salty and the less
valuable it was.
And to be light that does any good in the
world, it must be made visible to all.
Shine that light!! In the face of the claims
of the kingdoms of this world, there may
be serious temptation to hide the light, to
escape notice. No, Jesus says. Shine!
Shine brightly! Go to the highest places
and to the most threatening people and
SHINE! SHINE! SHINE!
first came to you to let you in on God's
master stroke, I didn't try to impress you
with polished speeches and the latest
philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and
simple: first Jesus and who he is; then
Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.
3-5 I was unsure of how to go about this,
and felt totally inadequate—I was scared
to death, if you want the truth of it—and
so nothing I said could have impressed
you or anyone else. But the Message
came through anyway. God's Spirit and
God's power did it, which made it clear
that your life of faith is a response to God's
power, not to some fancy mental or
emotional footwork by me or anyone else.
6-10 We, of course, have plenty of wisdom
to pass on to you once you get your feet
on firm spiritual ground, but it's not
popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom
of high-priced experts that will be out-of-
date in a year or so. God's wisdom is
something mysterious that goes deep into
the interior of his purposes. You don't find
it lying around on the surface. It's not the
latest message, but more like the oldest—
what God determined as the way to bring
out his best in us, long before we ever
arrived on the scene. The experts of our
day haven't a clue about what this eternal
plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have
killed the Master of the God-designed life
on a cross.
That's why we have this Scripture text:
No one's ever seen or heard anything like
this,
Never so much as imagined anything quite
like it—
What God has arranged for those who love
him.
But you've seen and heard it because God
by his Spirit has brought it all out into the
open before you.
10-13 The Spirit, not content to flit around
on the surface, dives into the depths of
God, and brings out what God planned all
along. Who ever knows what you're
thinking and planning except you yourself?
The same with God—except that he not
only knows what he's thinking, but he lets
us in on it. God offers a full report on the
gifts of life and salvation that he is giving
us. We don't have to rely on the world's
guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this
by reading books or going to school; we
learned it from God, who taught us person-
to-person through Jesus, and we're
passing it on to you in the same firsthand,
personal way.
14-16 The unspiritual self, just as it is by
nature, can't receive the gifts of God's
Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They
seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be
known only by spirit—God's Spirit and our
spirits in open communion. Spiritually
alive, we have access to everything God's
Spirit is doing, and can't be judged by
unspiritual critics. Isaiah's question, "Isn't
there anyone around who knows God's
Spirit, anyone who knows what he is
doing?" has been answered:
Christ knows, and we have Christ's Spirit.
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MATTHEW 5:13-20
THE MESSAGE (MSG)
The Sermon on the Mount continues with
words of blessing and expectation for his
disciples: You are salt and light. I have
come to fulfill the law and teach you to do
likewise.
13 "Let me tell you why you are here.
You're here to be salt-seasoning that
brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If
you lose your saltiness, how will people
taste godliness? You've lost your
usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14-16 "Here's another way to put it: You're
here to be light, bringing out the God-
colors in the world. God is not a secret to
be kept. We're going public with this, as
public as a city on a hill. If I make you
light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to
hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm
putting you on a light stand. Now that I've
put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand
—shine! Keep open house; be generous
with your lives. By opening up to others,
you'll prompt people to open up with God,
this generous Father in heaven.
COMPLETING GOD'S LAW
17-18 "Don't suppose for a minute that I
have come to demolish the Scriptures—
either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not
here to demolish but to complete. I am
going to put it all together, pull it all to-
gether in a vast panorama. God's Law is
more real and lasting than the stars in the
sky and the ground at your feet. Long after
stars burn out and earth wears out, God's
Law will be alive and working.
19-20 "Trivialize even the smallest item in
God's Law and you will only trivialize
yourself. But take it seriously, show the
way for others, and you will find honor in
the kingdom. Unless you do far better than
the Pharisees in the matters of right living,
you won't know the first thing about entering
the kingdom.
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• 1944 - Novelist Alice Walker was born in
Eatonton, Georgia.
• 1971 - Leroy Satchel Paige was inducted
into Baseball Hall of Fame.
• 1995 - Bernard Harris, African-American
astronaut, took a space walk.
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH —
THE OFFICE IS CLOSED TODAY.
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• 1927 - Attorney Ronald Brown was
elected national chairman of the
Democratic Party and became the first
African American to hold the post. Brown
was appointed Secretary of Commerce
under the Clinton administration in 1994.
He served in this capacity until he was
killed in 1996 when he and 32 others died
in a plane crash while on a diplomatic
mission in Croatia.
• Leontyne Price was born in Laurel,
Mississippi. As a youth, she sang in
church choirs. Later, she attended Central
State College in Wilberforce, Ohio, where
she majored in vocal training. Through the
financial assistance of people from her
hometown and the great Paul Robeson,
she continued her training at the Juilliard
School of Music in New York. Price first
attracted widespread attention while she
was at Juilliard. Her fame in the United
States led to her being selected to play
Bess in a European tour of George
Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. This triumphal
tour brought her worldwide fame. Then she
sang the part of Aida in Austria, Belgium,
Italy, and Yugoslavia. She was so popular
in Europe that she contracted to record
songs in most major European languages.
In the United States, her popularity grew.
In 1961, Price debuted with Metropolitan
Opera in New York, singing the part of
Leonora in Giuseppe Verdi's II Trovatore.
For her performance, she received a
standing ovation that lasted forty-two
minutes. The soprano was famous all
around the world.
• 1937 - Singer Roberta Flack was born in
Asheville, North Carolina, USA. Born into
a musical family, Flack graduated from
Howard University with a BA in music. She
was discovered singing and playing jazz in
a Washington nightclub. Flack achieved
huge success with a ballad, 'First Time
Ever I Saw Your Face' recorded in 1969.
• 1946 - Jackie Robinson was born in
Georgia. He was major league baseball's
first black player.
• 1964 - After 12 days of debate and voting
on 125 amendments, the U.S. House of
Representatives passed the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 by a vote of 290-130. The bill
prohibited any state, local government
or public facility from denying access to
anyone because of race or ethnic origin.
• 1992 - Alex Haley, renowned author, died.
American biographer, scriptwriter, author
who became famous with the publication
of the novel ROOTS, which traces his own
ancestry back to Africa and covers seven
American generations as they were taken
as slaves to the United States.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH —
Happy Birthday Dwayne Thayer!
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• 1644 - First Black legal protest in America
pressed by eleven Blacks who petitioned
for freedom in New Netherlands (New York).
Council of New Netherlands freed the
eleven petitioners because they had
"served the Company eighteen years" and
had been "long ago promised their freedom
on the same footing as other free people in
New Netherlands."
• 1783 - Jarena Lee was born the daughter
of former slaves in Cape May, New Jersey.
Jarena Lee is the considered the first
female preacher in the African Methodist
Episcopal Church. In 1836, she published
her autobiography, “The Life and Religious
Experiences, of Jarena Lee, a Colored
Lady, Giving an Account of Her Call to
Preach the Gospel.”
• 1976 - Clifford Alexander, Jr. is confirmed
as the first African American Secretary of
the Army. He will hold the position until the
end of President Jimmy Carter's term.
• 1990 - Nelson Mandela was released from
prison. He regarded the people of Norway
as the ones who got him released. That
country stood firmly against apartheid for
many years while the rest of the world was
silent.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH —
Happy Birthday Darryl Peterson!
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FOOD PANTRY WILL BE OPEN IN CASEY
FROM 5:30 TO 7:30 P.M.
THIS IS ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY
James Weldon Johnson wrote the lyrics
for the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing”.
It became known as the "Negro National
Anthem". His brother had written the
music. This is page 1
Advancement of Colored People is a civil
rights organization founded in New York
City by 60 black and white citizens. It is
now the largest and strongest civil rights
organization in the United States.
• 1962 - The Bus Boycott started in Macon,
Georgia.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH —————————————————————
• 1957 - Southern Christian Leadership
Conference organized at New Orleans
meeting with Martin Luther King Jr. as
president.
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH —
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
• 1817 - Possibly the birthday of Frederick
Douglass, abolitionist and orator. Born
into slavery as Frederick Baile, Douglass
purchased his freedom in 1845 and then
became the most eminent abolitionist of
his time.
• 1946 - Gregory Hines, entertainer and
accomplished dancer was born.
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH —
Happy Birthday Melody Bole!
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MISSION OPPORTUNITY AT
HOPE MINISTRIES IN DES MOINES
LEAVE CASEY U.M.C. AT 9 A.M.
Opportunity open to young and old alike.
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• 1804 - The New Jersey Legislature
approved a law calling for emancipation
of African Americans. New Jersey then
became the last Northern state to outlaw
slavery.
• 1851 - Black abolitionists invaded a
Boston courtroom and rescued a fugitive
slave.
• 1964 - Louis Armstrong's "Hello Dolly"
Louis Armstrong's "Hello Dolly" recording
became a number one record.
• 1965 - Nat King Cole (45), singer and
pianist, died in Santa Monica, California.
• 1968 - On this day Henry Lewis became
the first African American to lead a
symphony orchestra in the United States.
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FUTURE FOCUS —
• Martha Circle will meet February 19th.
in Casey U.M.C.
• Deborah-Mary Circle meets February 20th
in Casey U.M.C.
A BIG thank you to all who worked with the
Superbowl Sub project last weekend. The
sandwiches were great - - - just like the
Seattle Seahawks.
God Bless and Keep You,
Donna
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