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APRIL 2015
MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF CASTLETON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Our mission
is to make
disciples
of Jesus
Christ for the
Transformation
of the world.
Castleton
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
We are called to be an
outward facing circle of
people; seeking, reaching and
welcoming others to join us in
serving Jesus Christ.
WORSHIP
Sunday Morning Services
Castleton Worship Center
(CWC) 71st & Shadeland
Traditional - 8:30 and 9:40 am
(ASL Interpreter at 9:40 am)
Contemporary - 11 am
Sunrise Worship Center
(SWC) 75th & Oaklandon
Blended - 10 am
Adult Sunday School - 9 am
CONTACT
Castleton United
Methodist Church
7160 Shadeland Station
Indianapolis, IN 46256
317.849.2947
317.849.8595 fax
www.castletonumc.org
He Has Risen!
“He has risen indeed!”
I love the tradition of shouting these words out on Easter Sunday. What a
great truth to live by. Over the past couple of months I have had the distinct
pleasure of meeting with our fifteen confirmation students. During one of
our sessions I stressed the importance of Jesus’ resurrection and posed
this question: “If we do not have ‘Easter’ what do we have?” After a bit of
hesitation one of our confirmands quietly responded as if they were just
discovering a truth for the first time…“nothing.” I am not sure what I was expecting their answers
to be but for some reason this answer not only struck a chord with me but with everyone in the
room. Without the resurrection we have nothing. The Apostle Paul tells us what our confirmands
discovered, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:17
Easter is a big deal in the life of the church and for a really good reason. Jesus the Son of
God conquered death and by doing so gave life to all of us. Jesus talked about giving us life
abundantly and that life extends, amazingly enough, past death.
The Resurrection is incredibly important not only to our faith but to how we live our lives. Every
Sunday is a “mini-Easter” celebration. We are called to live our lives in the shadow of the hope
that we declare in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
If we were to truly embrace the truths of the resurrection how different would our lives look?
Would we be more loving and less critical? Would we be more focused and less distracted?
Would we be more open to acts of kindness?
Yes, the simple answer is yes. We would be more like Christ in every facet of our life if we truly
embraced the resurrection. This must start (and end) at the empty tomb. Our God conquered
death so that we might have life, and let us not dare waste a second of this gift. I do not know
about you but I am thankful beyond measure for such a gift and I cannot help but yell, HE HAS
RISEN! Let us go and share the Good news to all who will listen.
Office Hours
8:30 am - 4:30 pm Mon - Thur
8:30 am - 3:30 pm Fri
Prayer Chapel
6:00 am - 9:00 pm Daily
Stephen Ministry Care Line
stephenministry@castletonumc.org
317.284.0834
Childcare Needs
317.284.0814
Newsletter Announcements
newsletter@castletonumc.org
Billy Nickrand, Associate Pastor
Youth Sunday - May 3, 2015
Please join us in worship services on Sunday, May 3 as we celebrate God’s work in the lives of
teenagers at Castleton United Methodist Church. Phao Student Ministries students will be leading
all aspects of morning worship through music, testimony and worship. We will also be recognizing
high school seniors throughout the morning in a special way in the narthex as well as during the
11am service. Special envelopes will be available on May 3 for you to include your yearly special
gift to student ministries missions. The money collected from this offering will go to support our
summer Phao GO week local mission trip, go towards our scholarship fund which allows students
to participate in our mission trip who could not otherwise participate, and support our summer
intern. This is our only student ministries fundraiser all year—thank you so much in advance for
your tremendous prayer and financial support. We cannot wait to share with our church family on
May 3.
Frank Beard, Senior Pastor
Matt Lipan, Associate Pastor and Pastor at Sunrise
Billy Nickrand, Associate Pastor
Jackie Chandler, Pastoral Counselor
Wayne Derr, Director of Operations
Stephanie Riebe, Director of Student Ministries
Katie Gilbert, Director of Children’s Ministry
Jeff Wright, Director of Music Ministry
Jonathan Cruz, Director of Contemporary Worship
APRIL 2015
MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF CASTLETON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Spring GO Weekend
Our Spring GO Weekend will take place April 25, 2015. This is a great chance to love on our community! We will be
reaching our community in several ways. We are having a Mother’s Day Luncheon at the Womens Prison, Cleaning
and chores at Ahepa, Drive Through Prayer, Skiles Test Clean-up, and Castleton Campus Cleanup on that day.
Register online at castletonumc.org/springgo or in the narthex on Sunday Mornings.
Stephen Ministry Workshop
Want to learn to care for people who are grieving and
reach out to others in a distinctively Christian way? On
Saturday, April 25, 2015 we will host a Stephen Ministry
Introductory Workshop from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the
Fellowship Hall. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m., and
refreshments will be served.
2 Great MAD Performances!
Thank you to Brenda Morrow, Susan Reed, Cindy
Dinwiddie, Libby Turner, Neva Price and ALL MAD Parents
and children, for all the hard work they put into making
two amazing Music, Art and Drama Perfomances! Your
hard work was much appreciated by all in attendance!
Culinary Collage
Take a bite out of poverty by attending the Culinary
Collage on Sunday, May 3, from 1-4pm at the University
of Indianapolis (Schwitzer Student Center, 1400 E. Hanna
Ave.) This is Fletcher Place Community Center’s annual
(and only) fundraiser for 2015! Come hungry and enjoy
samplings from Santorini Greek Kitchen, Pure Eatery,
La Margarita, Kroger, Starbucks, City Barbeque, Ella’s
Frozen Yogurt, Kim’s Bakery and others. Afternoon
festivities include a live and silent auction, prize raffle,
cooking demonstrations, live animal show by Silly
Safaris, and more. Admission: Simply bring a $10 gift
certificate from Kroger (to be used in the Fletcher Place
Food Pantry) or pay $15 at the door. Children 12 and
under free. Fun for the entire family!
One reason we’re so excited about helping other
congregations learn about Stephen Ministry is that it
is making a significant difference in the life of our own
congregation. Since we began Stephen Ministry 31
years ago, 129 laypeople from our congregation have
gone through 50 hours of training in order to provide
quality one-to-one Christian care to hurting people. In
the course of that time they have served over 250 care
receivers. If you think you might be interested in being a
Stephen Minister or would like to learn more about this
ministry in order to help us reach more people, attending
the workshop is a great way to learn more. Members of
Castleton UMC are invited to attend the workshop free
of charge. However, it is still important to pre-register so
that we will have plenty of materials on the day of the
workshop. Please register online at
castletonumc.org/stephenministryworkshop.
Our Sympathy And Prayers
Tony and Julie Miller and family on the passing of their
nephew, Derek Miller, March 21. Services were held in
Seymour, IN on March 24.
Carol and Rick Thorne on the passing of son-in-law,
Craig Schuetta, March 23. Services were in Tuscan, AZ
on March 28.
Rev. Karen and Dr. Steve Powell. Karen’s father Charles
Karth passed away Wednesday, Feb. 25 in Springfield,
OH. Karen’s brother, Marshall Karth passed away
March 5 in Philadelphia, PA. A memorial service is
planned for a later date.
Mark Your Calendars
Looking Ahead
April 4 - 10am Easter Egg Hunt
April 5 - Easter Services
April 19 - Confirmation Sunday
April 25 - Go Weekend
May 3 - Youth Sunday
May 28-30 - Indiana UMC Annual Conference (downtown)
June 15-19 - VBS
July 16-18 - Fish Fry
find us online
castletonumc.org