Marshallton UMC

From the Desk of the Pastor…

webmaster — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:22:35 +0000

I am sitting at my desk, looking out the window at the beautiful sunlight, the buds

on the trees, the squirrels running around and I sense the expectancy. There is

excitement in the air, as though nature knows that things are getting ready to

breakthrough and change for the better.

Spring often brings excitement to people in many ways. The Baseball season

brings hope to fans everywhere, children begin to sense that the school year is nearing

the end, graduations are soon, and vacations right behind. All this excitement. Yet I

wonder, what brings excitement to the church?

What is it that brings the sense of expectancy, or more appropriately the sense of

Joy that spring brings. I would like to think it is Easter, as I mentioned last month, the

idea of being Easter people means that hope and joy are always within our grasp. Yet

my real question as I sit at my desk, is what will bring the sense of expectancy to

Marshallton UMC that Spring brings to nature. What is it that excites this Church?

I have been here for nearly two full years and I am still trying to discern what

brings excitement, because excitement brings energy, and energy creates actions, and

actions result in ministry, people being reached for Christ.

I have seen pockets of excitement, pockets of energy, and pockets of ministry. I

have seen the great commitment of this congregation to pay down the debt on the

Elevator and fulfill their commitment in less than five years. That is tremendous. I have

seen people step up to create the Jesus Club to minister to the children, at a child’s

urging. I have seen the food closet go from being a suggestion to being a reality. I

have seen Marshallton 2.0 create energy and excitement as more and more young

adults find their way into the church.

Each of these, and others have created excitement, energy, and ministry, yet none

of these have been able to create unity. I suppose as I sit here thinking about

excitement for Marshallton UMC, what I really desire is something that everyone at

Marshallton, young and old can unite around, a common vision and mission that will

bring energy, excitement, ministry, and unity.

I hope that we are united in the goal of reaching this community for Jesus Christ,

for making disciples for the transformation of the world. I hope that this goal will breed

excitement in our hearts, and energy to our souls, so that whatever form it takes,

whatever ministry it entails we could all be united, for the cause of Christ.

Jesus is Risen! Hope is here, just like Spring.

Still working in the field of the Lord,

Rev. Vaughan R. Hayden

From the Pastor’s Desk…

admin — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 22:54:28 +0000

I am sitting in the basement of First United Methodist Church of Joplin, Mo

writing this edition for the chatter and I am amazed at what is transpiring. The

group of seven missionaries tha Marshallton sent will have a bevy of stories to tell

when we gather for the shareholders dinner. But I must share this thought now.

This 100+ year old Church building is located about a mile and half from

most of the destruction that ravaged the area last May. It did not sustain any

damage. It did not lose any of its stain glass windows, or its ornate woodwork, or

the historic pipe organ. It managed to escape the destruction, but not the

devastation. Church members homes were destroyed and damaged, jobs were

lost, friends were lost, yet hope was not lost.

This building that spans a city block may not be in the center of the storm,

yet it is vital to the recovery. We are amazed that we, foreigners from all the way

out in Delaware were given keys to the building, inside and out. Their large

kitchen has been opened for not only us, but another team of 14 from

Pennsylvania to cook and eat meals. All their Sunday School rooms are

transformed from Sunday afternoon until Saturday morning into bedrooms where

air mattresses and sleeping bags fill rooms that otherwise sit empty until the next

week’s class wanders in. We have been given access to their coffee pots, and are

not even permitted to bring our own coffee; they insist on supplying all the coffee

we need. The musical instruments, including the grand piano and the drum set

are available for our use, as is the prayer room, the gym and the sanctuary.

They have truly embraced “Open doors, Open hearts, Open minds, The

people of The United Methodist Church”. I am amazed that they do not have a

chaperone to oversee, or a trustee to lock-up. They trust that we are here to help

the people of Joplin, and so they are going to do all they can to help us. This

unbelievable display of hospitality was only increased when they made a special

meal on Wednesday in our honor, complete with home baked cookies.

I guess I am amazed at how they view their one-hundred plus year old

structure as something to be used for ministry seven days a week, as an outpost

for people who desired to serve the Lord, as a haven for those who come with

nothing to gain, but service to give.

I can imagine how difficult it was at first to let strangers in, and yet as I sit

in the room that survivors huddled in for days after the storm, a room with three

couches and four chairs nestled under their historic sanctuary, I realize that any

fear they had blew away with the storm. It is all about ministry now.

As I sit here, I wonder how our Church would handle such a situation. If we

would open our church up to those who desired to do ministry but needed a place

to land. If we would be as willing to allow strangers to wander the halls, sit on our

couches, and to connect to our internet. I wonder what it would take to allow our

church to be open to ministry seven days a week.

It is my hope that can find this same attitude without befalling a similar

tragedy, because with all the need in the world we must recognize it is not about

the building, but all about the ministry.

Still serving the Lord,

Pastor Hayden

Are you ready for something new?

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:23:24 +0000

From the desk of the Pastor…
Are you ready for something new? As the new year starts, it seems it never asks
if we are ready, it just comes in like it has the right. And whether or not we are ready
for it, it just keeps going, content to change our world anyway.
New things do that. They change our world and shape our lives, often before we
even realize it. Yet we cannot escape the fact that we must sign our checks with a date
of 2012 instead of 2011. As the new year starts, often we choose to begin something
new as well, perhaps to try to change a habit, or better our lifestyle, or simply to get in
the spirit of newness, by trying something new.
I am reminded by Scripture that new things are God’s specialty. God not only
creates incredibly beautiful things each day, but then through Jesus Christ, all things are
made new.
This is reason to have hope. As we start a new year, perhaps there are things we
would like to leave behind, things we would like to get a fresh start from… give them to
Jesus and let Him make all things new.
This year we are doing a few new things at Marshallton UMC we would like to offer
for you to become involved, or you may decide to get involved for the first time in some
of the things we are already doing, making them new to you. For example, we are
planning a Mission Trip to Joplin, MO, where over 600 people still need housing after the
tornado ripped through their town last year. We are also working to begin a new
worship service for youth and young adults, Marshallton 2.0 which already been meeting
monthly and hopes to go weekly sometime this year. This may be something new for
you or for some family members or friends to try.
We are planning on getting a new Men’s Softball Team together to compete
against other churches in our area. We are working on a new weekend retreat to invite
Church members to enjoy time away at the conference’s new retreat center. We are
beginning to stock our new Food Pantry, and look for other ways to be in ministry to our
community. We are having New Members Seminars, and Worship Leader Trainings as
well as other trainings to be planned throughout the year.
But among all the new things we are doing, is something that is as old as
Methodism itself, Life Groups. While small groups may not be new, they may be new to
you. You may never have joined a small group for Bible Study and life sharing before. I
can tell you, it is painless, but it is rewarding. Life is too difficult to go through alone,
and God never intended us too, that is why he gave us communities. And the
community that is formed in a life group is priceless.
Seek out a life group this year, and start something new. New spiritual growth,
new friendships, and new communities. I plan on starting a life group for men on
January 19 that you may consider joining, or there are many other opportunities. Check
out the website, or contact Anne Thomas for more information.
New things are happening. We want you to be a part of it.
Serving the Lord in the new year and always,
Pastor Hayden

“Are we making disciples of Jesus Christ?”

webmaster — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:21:39 +0000

From the Desk of the Pastor…
“Are we making disciples of Jesus Christ?”

This is the question I have been wrestling with recently. I have attended various trainings through the United Methodist Church and I continue to hear the mission statement “Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World” and I keep wondering, “How are we doing at this?” So, are we making disciples of Jesus Christ?
I know we are tempted to answer this question by looking at membership records, or looking at attendance figures, but these only tell part of the tale. Because the mission statement is not, “Making Members of the Church”, or even “Making Attenders of Worship.” While those are vital numbers, numbers that the UMC wants us to continue to track and weekly report to the district in the coming years, those numbers do not necessarily answer the question, “Are we making disciples?”
Before we can answer the question, we have to ask a different one, “What does a disciple of Christ look like?” How will we know when we have made some? This is a little more difficult than simply tracking attendance. And there are no strict definitions within the UMC, so it is up to us to determine what a disciple is, but I think there are some clear concepts from the Bible that reveal what qualities are evident in disciples.

1. Desired to spend time with Jesus. They left their jobs, careers, families, etc to follow Jesus, and learn from Him. For us this may mean we put a priority on Bible Study, on getting to know and understand the teachings of Jesus through personal and corporate devotions, as well as being joining with others to worship as often as possible.

2. Put their faith into action. As Jesus taught and modeled, they were asked to go and do likewise. They were sent out to pray, to heal and to bring the gospel of peace. They did not let Jesus do all the ministry, or rather Jesus empowered them to do the ministry. As Disciples, they were expected to minister.

3. Put their full faith and trust in Jesus Christ. It is important to note that the disciples did not believe in Jesus as the Christ in the beginning, but through the process of discipleship, and their continual journey of faith, they came to understand and believe that Jesus truly was the Christ. So too, being a disciple literally means being a learner, someone who is in process of faith, and who eventually finds it.

4. Filled with the power of the Spirit. Once they put their faith in Jesus, the disciples were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. This gave them boldness to step out and speak out, knowing they were speaking with the power of God. So too, when we as disciples come to complete faith, we will receive the Holy Spirit and one or more gifts of the spirit to accomplish the ministry.

5. Desired to reach the world. The last feature of the disciples was that they became apostles. They could not simply keep this knowledge of Jesus to themselves, they were compelled to share this gospel with others, to go and tell the good news. In other words, they began to make new disciples.

So, if we are making disciples, we will be making people who love to study the Bible, who put their faith into action, who depend completely on faith in Christ, who are filled with Holy Spirit and have gifts for ministry, and who teach others these same things. In other words, if we are making disciples, we will continue to make disciples.
Now that we know what we are looking for, the question still remains, “Are we making disciples of Jesus Christ?” Or perhaps, “How could we do better at making disciples for Jesus Christ?”
This is the reason we have launched life groups. Life groups are a discipleship tool, to help each of us to develop a hunger for God as we learn to live our lives for Jesus together. This is also one of the reasons we are planning the mission trip, so that we can put our faith into action. No matter where you are in your discipleship journey, you are welcome to join us in these two endeavors. For more information, please call the office, or talk to me.
Each of us are on a journey of discipleship, but none of us have arrived yet, so let us covenant to help each other on the way. Then we can definitively declare, “We are making disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Journeying together,

Pastor Hayden

125 years. Wow!

webmaster — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:53:55 +0000

125 years of serving Christ. 125 years of proclaiming Jesus. 125 years of making disciples. 125 years of opening up the gates of heaven and shutting the doors on the gates of hell. 125 years of leading people to eternal life through Jesus Christ, of giving hope and reason for living. 125 years of making a difference in this community. That is something worth celebrating!

Sometimes we need a celebration to help us remember what our purpose is, why we are here. Some might include other things, like 125 years of worship services, or 125 years of Sunday School, and while those things are important, it is the 125 years of serving Christ
that makes all the difference. It is the ministry and people who have been blessed by God and experienced the grace and mercy of Jesus that is to be celebrated. Or else the years mean nothing.

But for the last 125 years in this community people have found God by coming to this Church. People like you and me. Many have been baptized, married, and buried. We have been to Sunday School, revivals, dinners and bazaars. We have watched movies, and plays, joined the youth group or gone to the school. We have sang in the choir, rang the bells, and walked up and down the aisles for various occasions. We have met friends, made families, and most importantly encountered God.

Marshallton UMC has been more than a building for 125 years, it has been a life changing station. As we look back over the last 125 years (for most of us it is a much shorter time), hopefully we can all say with fondness, “I remember the time I was at the church and…”.
For some of us it may have been quite a while since we have been back, quite a while since we entertained those fond memories. We want to invite you to rekindle that spark that was birthed or fanned here at Marshallton.

As we celebrate 125 years, we know it is only because of each of you that we have a story to tell. It is not the story of the building, but the story of the people God has made here at Marshallton. Come and share your story. Come and tell your tale, for you are a part of the history of Marshallton UMC, part of what makes 125 years possible. We could not do it without you. And we don’t want to. We truly look forward to seeing you here for our 125th celebration weekend.

The weekend starts with a Pancake Breakfast by the youth on Saturday Oct 15th at 8:00, followed by a day of fun for the children, music for all ages, crafts, pony rides, etc.

On Sunday October 16th we will have our two worship services at 8:30 and 11:00 with a fellowship time between. Then the weekend will culminate with a special 4:00PM worship service where Bishop Peggy Johnson will preach, we will enjoy special music, and commune together as we meet with God and each other, just as has been done for 125 years.

Following the service we will have a special time of fellowship with the bishop, where we will be able to reconnect, share our stories, and celebrate the ministry of Marshallton Church in our lives.

We truly hope to see you there.
Serving the Lord for years to come,

Rev. Vaughan R. Hayden

From the Desk of the Pastor

admin — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 03:57:37 +0000

Well it has been a year since I started this journey with you at Marshallton, and we have had a tremendous year. We have done many fun things, like the picnics, the talent show, and the Chili Cook-off. We have done many ministry things such as Vacation Bible School, the Veggietale Events, the Easter Egg Hunt, and the Charlie Brown Christmas Play.

We have done fundraisers for the various ministries - the Harvest Bazaar, the Ice Cream Social, the Soup, Bread and Dessert, the Spaghetti Dinner, and the Youth Candy sales. I know I have not mentioned all the fun we have had over this last year, because every month we are doing something that we can all celebrate.

But we have done more than simply have fun and fellowship events. We have worked on ministry projects like Samaritans Purse, and Hope bags, the United Methodist Women continue their meetings and ministries, the United Methodist Men had a tremendous Lenten breakfast series, the Youth had a great time at the Youth Rally, even witnessing their Pastor riding a Mechanical Bull!

We raised money for the Congo Partnership to help bring clean water to a village in the Congo; we have helped the Methodist Action Program with their ministries to those in Wilmington, and we celebrated the Lenten Luncheon series with the Mill Creek Ministerium by giving our offerings for the homeless ministry, “Family Promise.” What a busy year!

We have had three weekly Bible studies, with the Pastor working through Hebrews on Tuesday, Pastor Bob continuing his Wednesday night group, and Homer Lutton meeting with his Thursday ladies. The ISH Group continues to have lively monthly gatherings, Pastor Bob’s Sunday School is usually packed out, and ten youth went through the confirmation class, led by the Pastor. We have also celebrated Back to Church Sunday (something we will do again this fall), held training seminars for the Church, and for the Conference, and enjoyed a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.

We have continued to minster to the community through MUMS (Marshallton United Methodist School). Each day we welcome people from the community to come and trust their children to our care, so that we can shower them with the love of Jesus and the knowledge of God. We are blessed to have this ministry, to be able to speak into the lives of these children for just a few formative years so that they will know that God loves them, and we do too.

You have probably noticed some changes to the worship services. We have added the Apostle’s Creed and the Gloria Patri to the traditional service and have included additions to the Praise service such as weekly communion, weekly video illustrations, and “popcorn prayer” at the early service.

I have enjoyed preaching Jesus this entire year. After all, as Christians, it is Jesus who defines us. We have had the opportunity to see how Jesus handled questions, how the Old Testament foreshadowed Jesus, and how Jesus is the Hope for all of our lives. But perhaps the most exciting thing we have done this past year was the Outdoor Easter Sunrise Service. This was an amazing experience for those that made it out early on that first day of the week.

I know that I have forgotten to include so many of the things that we did – I cannot name them all, but I can tell you that many memories, many experiences and many friendships have been forged throughout this year. We look forward to many more.

When I look back at the year, I wonder how we accomplished so much. But then again, I remember the words of Jesus, “I have come that you might have life more abundantly,” (John 10:10). Oh, what an abundant Christian life we have as we are involved in the life of God’s called out community called Marshallton UMC.

Thanks for letting me be your pastor as we journey together,

Pastor Hayden