But what has most caught my attention as I’ve watched these young men and women for the past two years is how committed they are to Jesus and to their church. Despite the busy-ness of life for sixteen, seventeen and eighteen year olds, who usually have cars, jobs, sports, and friends in addition to school, these 13 have remained committed and active participants in ministry through Vista Ridge. They regularly participate in Sunday School, youth group, mission work and weekly Bible studies. Not only do they participate – they lead! They work on search committees, plan retreats and lock-ins and some have even started Bible studies on their own – inviting friends from school and work to join them! Wow!

I want to remind you, however, that these thirteen young women and men are who they are because of you. Just like we committed to walk with Scott Wells last Sunday as we baptized that beautiful 6 month old baby boy, you have been walking with these young people: teaching them in Sunday School, singing VBS song with them, climbing rock walls with them, driving them to North Dakota or Louisiana or Ennis or Hawaiian Falls, listening to them, celebrating with them, crying with them, teaching them to build porches, dancing with them, praying for them. As their pastor and your pastor, I thank you for that. You’ve made a difference in their lives and in our world.

The Senior Class of 2012 will lead us in worship this Sunday. You will be blessed by their faith, their joy and their witness.

Sarah Nicole Alsmiller
Michelle Charlene Bizzell
Jamie Renee Brand
Alexander Patrick Cleveland
Kristen Lyn Cunningham
Abigail Joy Davis
Katie Ann Kirkpatrick
Javier Davila Lopez
Rebekah Leigh Meeks
Jenna Elizabeth Morgan
Tyler Rodriguez
Joseph Ryan Sitzman
Elizabeth Ann Van Alstyne

I’m praying for you. I hope you’re praying for me.

Glory to God!

Pastor Mary Beth

We need a lot of supplies to make VBS the best it can be! Stop by the rainbow in the church narthex to see how you can help us out

This Sunday, May 20th from 5-9 p.m. we are having a fundraiser at Mooyah’s (Denton Tap and Sandy Lake in Coppell) where you drop your receipt in a box for VRUMC and YOUth missions will get a percentage of the bill. Similarly, if you eat at Rosa’s on Denton Tap on Thursday the 24th from 5-9 p.m., YOUth missions will receive a percentage of the bill. Rosa’s gift cards may not be used in this instance. So invite the family, bring friends and let your co-workers know! And most importantly bring an appetite.

Pastor Cheryl’s new church, Valley View UMC, will have a celebration in her honor on Sunday, June 10th, 2 – 4 p.m. The church is located at 201 Church Street in Valley View which is about 45 minutes north of Vista Ridge UMC up I35.

So the reactionary rhetoric, the emotional outbursts on Twitter and Facebook, the “I’m right and you’re wrong and therefore I refuse to listen to you!”? None of it is unique to a gathering of United Methodists. We see those same things every day all around us. In my experience, many of us react in these ways when we feel threatened, especially by change. And yes, there is major change happening in our world – the rate of change and transition has escalated exponentially over the past 20 years, and most of us are very uncomfortable with change. Change makes us wonder and worry – Is there really going to be a place for me if everything around me is changing?

What I hope is that we who are disciples of Jesus Christ can rise above what’s going on around us and remain rooted in the truth that even in the midst of change, God is present and moving. This prayer by Sharlande Sledge offers some words that perhaps can help us do so.

Everlasting God, you are the source of our common life. You bring us together; you send us apart; and you bring us together again. You are faithful to us when we seek your presence. You are faithful to us when we don’t know which way to turn in our wandering. You are faithful to us when we are nonchalant in our attention to you. Often we get things just like we want them, and something happens that throws everything into a different light forevermore. In the lean times and in the abundant times, remind us that all time is your time. In this time of change, help us recognize what is essential to our common life as a community of faith. Your voice is our map. We know that we live in the secure hand of your promise for a redemptive future. But sometimes, when we cannot see the road ahead, it’s hard to trust your promise. As we travel together, help us recover our identity as your people. May we listen carefully when we hear our calling: “Live now.” “You are the church.” “You are on mission with me.” “You need each other.” “Christ needs your hands and feet in the world.” God, empower us for the future with all we need to be the church today.

I’m praying for you. I hope you’re praying for me.

Glory to God!

Pastor Mary Beth

We need a lot of supplies to make VBS the best it can be! Stop by the rainbow in the church narthex to see how you can help us out

Summer is coming!!!!

Summer is coming to Vista Ridge UMC, and with it, a number of opportunities to be in mission. Here are three possibilities:

On June 3, VRUMC begins its summer commitment to Kids Eat Free. We’ll be responsible for one Kids Eat Free site every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from June 3 to August 24, with the
exception of July 4.  We will supervise the distribution of lunches provided by a vendor and provide activities for the children while they eat lunch.  (Think soccer, frisbees, bubbles, coloring books, Bible stories, VBS songs, kite-flying, fingernail painting, whatever you think might be fun to do with some kids in the summer!)  This is a great volunteer opportunity for folks of all ages: children of all ages are welcome and encouraged with parent supervision.  You can give an hour 3 times a week, once a week, or every other week – whatever works with your summer schedule.  To sign up to serve, email me at marybeth@vrumc.org or check out the Kids Eat Free schedule in the narthex this Sunday and throughout the month of May.

This Sunday’s communion offering is for Project Transformation www.projecttransformation.org.
Project Transformation® is a nonprofit, Christian organization that provides ministry exploration and leadership development opportunities to college-aged young adults through summer and year-round services and community oriented programs for children safe and caring summer and afterschool
programs for children and youth living in low-income neighborhoods of North Texas.  College
sophomore, Morgan Butler, will be serving as a Project Transformation intern this summer and Vista Ridge will provide financial support for Morgan, as well as people to read with children at her site
during one week this summer. Watch for your opportunity to read with kids later this month.

And of course, one of the best weeks of the summer, Vacation Bible School, takes place June 11-15, 9 am-noon. At Sky VBS, kids discover that by trusting God, everything is possible. The Thrill! The Joy! The Freedom! The sky is the limit. Registration is now open for children and for youth and adult volunteers. For more information, contact Kelly Perkins,
kellyperk@verizon.net.

I’m praying for you. I hope you’re praying for me.

Glory to God!

Pastor Mary Beth

This trip is for both youth and adults. We encourage adults to consider joining us. We stay in bunks, have access to flush toilets and hot showers and are served 3 meals a day. While on the reservation we work on a variety of projects including wheel chair ramp construction, roofing, siding, etc. No handyman skills required — just the desire to strengthen relationships with members of our church family, meet members of the tribe and work alongside folks from churches across the country as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.

The cost of the trip is about $450 which covers transportation, meals while at the Ministry
Center and accommodations. Our deadline for a commitment and $50 deposit is May 30. Please contact Ken Cooley, planocooley51@aol.com or Debbie Raby, debbie@vrumc.org for more information.

We are needing to fill:
Market Street on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Tom Thumb at FM 1171 & Garden Ridge on Tuesdays.

This is a vital ministry that supplements the offerings at the CCA Food Pantry for our “angels” who shop there. Thank you for considering whether you might be able to serve in this capacity for the summer. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Bill Burden, bill@vrumc.org, if you can help even once during the summer.

May 4th-5th at VRUMC
Friday 6:30-9:30pm and Saturday from 9:00am-3:30pm for the students
Registration deadline is Sunday, April 29
April 29 at 9:45-10:45am is a required parents-only information session
Cost: $40 per student

Created by God is a workshop that offers children and parents opportunities to grow, learn, and celebrate being wonderfully created by God. It is a highly interactive experience where kids can become more comfortable asking questions about the changes they are facing as adolescents. The main goals of the weekend are to provide accurate information, to open the lines of communication between parents and children, and to acknowledge we are called to make godly, responsible decisions about our sexuality.

Created by God will be led by Barbara and Dan Sepdham, both active members of VRUMC. Barbara, a biology professor at Brookhaven College, has been certified by the North Texas Conference of the UMC as a Created by God instructor. Dan is a board certified family physician at UT Southwestern where he teaches medical students.

We also need adults to volunteer to assist. The workshop cannot take place without both men and women participating with the students. You do not need to be a parent of a current student participate in order to help!

Let us assist you in the awesome responsibility of teaching your children about their sexuality from a Christian perspective. For a registration form or more information contact: Barbara Sepdham sepdham@hotmail.com.