Gateway Cluster Newsletter

Fall 2003

Calvary

Centenary

Centre Street

Fairview Avenue

Holy Cross

Melvin

Zion

United Methodist Churches

We, the Gateway Cluster of the United Methodist Church, have been called by God to minister to the needs of our community through cooperation, mutual support and sharing resources to accomplish the goal of serving God and winning new disciples for Jesus Christ.

 Note from the Cluster Leader

     Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ.  I pray that all of you have had a wonderful summer.  I had a great vacation in early August for ten days.  I made a 4000-mile trip to Michigan to see family and on the upper Michigan and Lake Superior where I visited several sites including the museum where the story of the wreck of the freighter the Edmund Fitzgerald is told and remembered.  I went all the way over to Superior, WI, where the oil tanker ship, the S.S. Meteor, has been turned into a marine museum.  My father was the last chief engineer to sail on that ship before it was taken out of service.  It was a good trip to view the splendor of God’s creation that we have all around us everyday here in Cumberland and so often take it for granted.

     With the fall season here, our church ministries and programs will be starting up again.  Let us be a people of prayer as we seek God’s guidance to find new ways to work together in our cluster “to win new souls for Jesus Christ” and to serve all of God’s people in this area.  The people and the needs are there as we know from reading the newspaper every day.

     Each of our churches has gifts and graces that are needed to help us to accomplish our mission in the name of Jesus Christ.  We are called to salt and light for Jesus in the world.  May we help one another to be the disciples of Jesus God calls us to be. 

     We have a new District Superintendent, the Rev. John W. Rudisill, Jr.  We will have an opportunity to personally meet him and welcome him at our cluster Charge Conference on October 12.  I hope many of the people from our churches will be there, especially for the worship at 4 p.m. It will be held at Centre Street Church.  There will be an Installation service for the new D.S. at 4 p.m. on Sep 21, at Grace UMC, in Hagerstown.  I hope we can make a good showing as a cluster at that service.

     Congratulations to Rev. Ed Dickel who retired this past year!  He is still serving the Calvary Church in Ridgeley.  We wish him the best in his retirement and are grateful for his continued ministry in our cluster.  Also, Rev. Dan Taylor now has become pastor of Fairview Avenue Church as well as Melvin UMC.  The churches hasve many connections and seem to be a natural fit for each other.  Please keep all of your cluster pastors, including myself, in your prayers, 

    May God bless all of you with a wonderful fall season as you share God’s love and minister to others in the name of Jesus Christ, the Living Lord and Savior.

Events of Interest to the Cluster

Oct 12 – CROP walk at 2 p.m. along the C&O Canal.  Registration starts at 1:30 p.m. near Western Maryland RR Station.  Information and materials available at Centre Street Church. 

Sep 28 – Sleepy Creek Awakening at 3 p.m. at Camp Harmison.

Wanted:  Men who like to sing.  If you like the sound of Barbershop harmony and would like to see if you can become a part of the “Chorus of the Potomac”, you are welcome to visit at any weekly meeting of the group – every Monday, 7:30 PM, at Emmanuel Episcopal Church.  For more information contact Marvin Smith 301-777-0358. 

Gateway Cluster Events

Monthly Cluster Meeting Schedule for Fall 2003, Mondays at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise: 

September 15 – Melvin UM Church

October 20 – Fairview Ave UM Church

November 17 – Holy Cross UM Church

December 15 – Centre Street UM Church

Gateway Cluster Charge Conference Schedule:

3 p.m. Charge Conferences

     Centre Street (Rev. Bernadette Ross presiding);

      Holy Cross (Rev. Robert Cook presiding);

4 p.m. Cluster worship with new D.S. Rev. Rudisill;

5 p.m. Centenary-Zion (Rev. Mary Stevens presiding);

            Melvin-Fairview Ave (Rev. Scott Summers presiding);

            Calvary (Rev. Jack George presiding).

Cluster Bible Study every Wednesday, 12 p.m., at Fairview Avenue UMC, Billie Smith is the leader. 

Oct 11 – District UM Women will meet for brunch at Zion UM Church ($6.00)

Centre Street UM Church Events

Oct 12 – Board of Child Care Membership Sunday

Oct 26 – Costume Party and Bible Land Adventures.

Nov 7 – Christmas Bazaar from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Dec 18 – Humpty Dumpty Christmas program at 7 p.m.

Dec 24 – Christmas Eve Services at 7 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.

Melvin UM Church Events