Growing Young

Abby Lietz – Associate Pastor, NewDay Praise

Our Growing Young Team has been busy at work behind the scenes and recently attended a two-day summit in Lapel, Indiana with our Cohort groups to develop next strategies. While this is something we are excited about enacting, it is important to remember Growing Young is a process that takes time to nurture, and if it’s done correctly should never really end.

Thanks to your enthusiasm in this Growing Young movement, 126 of you participated in our recent churchwide survey. Your responses to questions about the six core commitments exhibited by churches who are Growing Young show our church is strong in three areas:Taking Jesus’ Message Seriously, Engaging in Warm Relationships and Being The Best Neighbors. The survey also showed our church scored low when it comes to Empowering Keychain Leadership, Prioritizing Young People and Families Everywhere and Empathizing with Today’s Young People. Our Team believes if we focus on Keychain Leadership and Prioritizing Everywhere we will inherently improve in the area of Empathy.

Keychain Leadership means empowering young people by inviting them into roles and activities that already exist in the church. For example, Veronica is a student at Avon High School who currently helps lead the NewDay Praise Band on a weekly basis. We can do a better job in Keychain Leadership by getting to know our young people – like Veronica – and discovering their interests and talents as we invite them to lead and share their voices. Do you know five young people in our church? Today is a great day to start praying for our young people and making an effort to know them!

Prioritizing Young People and Families Everywhere means allocating attention and resources to young people and families in our congregation and beyond. While we need to be better at reaching and serving all young people, we especially see a need to focus on those whose ages range from their teens to mid thirties. Conversations with our key leaders about how we allocate staff time and responsibilities as well as our financial resources are to come. We plan to dispatch all teams, groups, committees and classes across PUMC toward this effort as well. We hope to start soon with tangible projects such as sending care packages to college-age students, as one example.

As mentioned earlier, by focusing our prayers, attention and energy on the above two commitments we will naturally improve in the realm of showing empathy to today’s young people, which means we will be able to move beyond judging or criticizing and actually understand and act on behalf of younger generations.

We continue to seek your prayers and pray you are as excited as we are to experience the Spirit moving all of us through this process! Our prayer is that we will not just grow young, but become a place where people of all ages thrive and grow closer to Jesus and the living out of his missional call in their lives! Thank you for being part of the journey!

Faith in the Fire: How God Led Us Through Every Storm

John Williams – PUMC Member

I was a miracle baby – I have an elder brother, 12 years apart. My late parents, Emily & Solomon, always introduced me to people saying “he is our miracle son.” My mother was told she could never conceive. She visited different doctors but all said the same. One day, my dad was informed a pastor from Houston, Texas was visiting Pakistan and their church as well. He was known to be a great healer. They were very fortunate to meet him. He prayed over my mum and told her with great faith she would conceive soon. After a few months mum conceived. People around them who knew their situation, including the doctors, were astonished with this great miracle.

The faith of my parents helped them achieve what they were longing for, as prayer without faith lacks power and purpose. It is so important to acknowledge and thank God at all times.

As years passed by, the anticipation of when I would finally find my wife approached. We met in 2005 and married in 2007 by Our Almighty Father who guided us in every setback we had, related to issues with our families in denial due to our different nationalities. My wife is a beautiful and strong woman who has always stood by me and our family in challenging times. came along my daughter in 2009, followed by my son in 2014. God has been so merciful and has blessed us with amazing children; we always ask for His guidance so we may teach them right from wrong & so they choose the path of life by keeping Jesus the center of it.

Our family has faced challenging situations. The worst was when my daughter’s life was threatened. Whilst I was already going through a desert experience, losing my job due to COVID and my wife was on thin ice with her job as well this led to our children not being able to continue schooling; I also lost my mother around this time. Under the circumstances, we completely became hopeless, problems came crashing upon us as all this happened too fast. This was my time to go on my knees and pray, which I did with tears pouring down, and all I had to say is, “Father I have no idea what comes up next for us, you guide and lead us to what you want for us as I have no clue of what I am going to do.”

Within a few months Almighty God navigated a new path for us and it led us to the United States of America.

Our lives took a U-turn as soon as we arrived. The greatest joy for us was to see our children attending school again. But what really stood out most was the church we came upon. Attending PUMC has been a transformative experience. The sense of community and belonging we’ve found here is inspiring. The sermons often provide us with valuable lessons we can apply to our daily lives, fostering a deeper connection with our faith. Overall, our time at this church has not only enriched our spiritual lives but has also welcomed us to many beautiful people and the love they bestowed on us.

I thought to myself when hardships and unmanageable situations occur, why is that the only time I approach God and implore Jesus for help? What I have understood is I should not only go to Him in tough times but also remember Him in the good. By doing this, I comprehended that God never judges no matter what I did or said. God has and will always be by my side under any circumstance. And I want to thank God for all God has done for my family and I. In the end I can say that from the very beginning until now my life along with my family has been nothing but a testimony to Jesus’ unending love for us. He is our living God, our strength and our shield.

Joyful Noise

Brandon Denman – NewDay Praise Worship Leader

Church family, music has always been central to my faith in God. From my early days in the youth group band More Than Conquerors to leading worship today, I have found that music connects us to Him in ways words alone cannot. As the NewDay worship leader, I have the joy of guiding our congregation into His presence through song.

A Lifelong Calling to Worship

Since high school in 2007, I have been leading worship in our community. Starting in youth group, I learned that worship is more than just singing—it’s an offering to God. Those early experiences shaped my understanding of how music invites us into His presence. Over the years, my role has changed, but my heart remains the same: to help our church encounter God through worship.

Music as a Bridge to God

The Bible is filled with examples of music drawing people closer to God. The Psalms, written by David, express raw emotions of joy, sorrow, and gratitude. When we sing together, we follow in the footsteps of believers who have worshiped through music for centuries. Worship isn’t just about the lyrics or melodies—it’s about opening our hearts to God in a way that invites His Spirit to move among us.

Witnessing God Move Through Worship

One of the greatest joys of leading worship is seeing how God moves through our music. A song can bring peace to a troubled heart, inspire surrender, or even lead someone to faith. When we, as a congregation, lift our voices in unison, it’s a powerful reminder that we are one body in Christ. Worship is not about performance but about creating a space where we can encounter the love and presence of God together.

The Joy of Leading Worship

Leading you all in worship is more than just a role for me—it’s a calling. I prayerfully choose songs that speak to where we are as a church, whether in times of celebration or deep reflection. My hope is that each song we sing together draws us closer to God. Seeing you engage in worship—lifting your hands, closing your eyes, singing from your hearts—reminds me why I do this. Worship is a gift from God, and I am honored to share it with you.

Worship Beyond Sunday

Church, worship doesn’t only happen on Sunday mornings. It’s a way of life. Whether singing in the car, meditating on lyrics, or filling your home with praise, music has the power to keep our hearts connected to God. He doesn’t seek perfect singers—He desires sincere worshippers. Psalm 100:1 says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord,” and that’s what matters most.

Music as a Reflection of God’s Glory

Ultimately, worship through music is about glorifying God. It shifts our focus from our struggles to His greatness. During our busy lives, worship allows us to pause, reflect, and be reminded of His faithfulness.

As we continue worshiping together at Plainfield United Methodist Church, my prayer is that every song we sing deepens our faith and strengthens our connection with God. Worship is a powerful gift, and I am grateful to share it with each of you. So, I encourage you—sing out, engage fully, and let the music guide you into a deeper relationship with Him. Because when we lift our voices as one, we step into a holy encounter with our Creator.

The Light Within: A Childcare Journey of Faith

Charity Aton – Director of Preschool Programs

I grew up knowing Jesus loved me. My momma made sure of that. We sang the lyrics “Spirit in the Sky” and “Jesus is just alright with me” as she drove her Volkswagon Bug with me in the back. We grew up loving nature and all the beautiful things God created. Our home was in the woods with a creek and we camped in the Smoky Mountains every summer.

The church bus would pick me up every Sunday and I can still hear the lady who invited me sing “Do Lord” all the way to church. We would sing at the top of our lungs. Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and church camp are fun memories and I am thankful for them. I believe my mom still has a craft made of walnut shells that says “nobody is perfect” made during VBS. I also remember asking Jesus into my heart at church camp.

As life continued, there were times God felt far away. In my heart, “This Little Light of Mine” was barely shining any light. I would pray and wonder, “God, where are you?” Thank God for the adults in my life who taught me I had a light, God, inside me.

Life’s pages turn, and at one point I was working part-time in childcare to socialize my son. I learned quickly I had specific values and expectations about the care my child received – and the care of other children, too. I decided I wanted to run a program that offered more than the basics of child care.

That took me to Cloverdale UMC where I opened Train Up A Child with God’s guidance. It was and remains important to me children know they are loved by God all the time, no matter what. I pray for children no matter where I am working. It would make me so sad to think there are so many children who have never heard of God. In my small-town mind everybody believed or had heard of God, right? Thirty miles down the road there are many kids who have not. Ours and many other ministry-based child care providers are necessary. I cannot imagine going through dark times without the little light I learned I had inside of me at a young age.

I am so thankful to be here at KIDS@PUMC where prayer is a part of the day. This ministry is my life calling. Our pastors make time to spend with our littles during chapel time and in the hallways. Children have attended VBS in our care. PUMC offers a safe place to play, learn and worship. There are times when kids cry or are just LOUD and that is OK – they are here in this place, and that is a gift, a sign of God’s call to each of us to love children and prioritize families and young people everywhere. When you see a stain on the carpet, a ding in the wall, handprints on windows or messes and glitter on tables and floors, will you join me in praising God we have children in our midst? God has brought them to us! I invite you to be part of the beautiful gift and opportunity we have to help fill them so full of God’s love and kindness they have no doubt how loved they are when they leave this place!

I invite you to be that adult who invites and brings a child or young person to church, makes the craft at VBS or teaches a Sunday school class. Be passionate about teaching children Jesus loves them. Point out the trees, the sky and the crawling ladybugs or an earthworm named Bob and tell them God created the heavens and the earth. Tell them they have God’s light inside and that they will shine light unto others. At any stage in life, we have an opportunity to influence a child.

Feeding Souls, Changing Lives

Elaine Jacone – Plainfield UMC Member

The folks who attended worship in New Day Praise January 5th received a word to reflect upon in 2025. My word: invite. As Pastor Abby invited me to share my story here, I extend the ‘invite’ to you to step into my life and how I ended up involved in our church kitchen!

Like many kids I grew up with, I baked cookies and participated in 4-H where I earned an award of merit for my attempt at a Swedish fruit roll! It wasn’t until I moved away from home that I discovered how much I enjoyed baking/cooking. I had every kitchen gizmo/ gadget. I baked bread, desserts, three-course meals and there was always a pot of soup on the stove. Now there was only so much baking /soup that could be eaten, so I began to take food to work on a regular basis. When I didn’t bring in something, I heard complaints!

Even on camping trips I would make soup from scratch and spend evenings giving leftovers to fellow campers; I didn’t know how to make a small pot of soup. I was fond of using the three-legged cast iron skillet over a fire – I even made biscuits on top of it!

That all came to an abrupt halt when I had kids and found they were happy with, and actually preferred, mac and cheese from a blue box. When I became divorced and a single mom, I really appreciated those blue boxes!

Fast forward to retirement: I wanted something worthwhile to do, so I started helping with the homeless outreach Monday afternoons here at PUMC. This is a real operation: from donations to purchasing to prepping and delivery, it all has to work together or there is no food to deliver. I started by chopping and dicing for soup or baking biscuits. I did help deliver, but felt more confident assisting in food prep.

Remembering those blue boxes of mac and cheese and how much I appreciated when someone would share a home cooked meal with me, I then reached out to help with our Last Saturday Lunch. This group encouraged me to take on planning and cooking the meal for 100 folks. Instead of calling that first meal a disaster, I refer to it as a learning experience. I had many learning experiences along the way. My meal organization skills improved and I made true friends over time. I even learned to operate the dishwasher much to the delight of the women who organized bereavement meals. When LSL expanded to Second Saturday Lunch, I stepped up to cook on a regular basis.

When COVID hit, everything changed. Saturday meals were placed on hold; the homeless outreach continued, but fewer folks participated and we worked in shifts to provide social distancing. Shortly after this, Phil Heffelman retired as the soup(er) chef. I became one of the four teams that took over. Yes – it took four teams to fill in for one Phil! Between dropping off supplies/cooking for the Monday downtown and Saturday lunch programs, I am in the kitchen A LOT and wouldn’t have it any other way!

Because of these food-based missions, I have witnessed God’s love in action. Whenever the funds get low, a huge donation is received. It’s a blessing and a gift – a sign of God’s presence – to be able to serve folks, like the one very hungry gentleman who came inside because he saw the sign outside about free lunch, to see folks picking up meals for their neighbors to ensure they have been fed. Where is God “inviting” you to offer your talents and time, the fruits of your hobbies or interests, to learn and grow so you might help others experience the loving presence of God?

And Who Is My Neighbor?

Larry Rudy – Plainfield UMC Member

Happy New Year, PUMC!

I am praying your Advent and Christmas have been blessed by moments of realizing how very near and present God is to you, to each person who lives and breathes, to all of Creation! We are so loved.

For many of us, our faith is of great importance – it is our very life, our knowing God, our getting to know Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit. Our church is very important to us – it is the community that helps us grow in our faith, serve others as Jesus taught us and with whom we worship, study, reach to others and share fellowship. Some questions around these important facets of our life together have come to my attention as of late. What difference does being part of a church make in our life, in the lives of others? Where is God in all of it?

To help us better answer those questions this year I’ll be sharing this space with…you! Throughout 2025 you will find here the stories of lay people exploring the many facets of life as a disciple of Jesus. I pray they will both encourage and challenge you, as they do me!

Rev. Abby Lietz
Associate Pastor

And Who Is My Neighbor?

by Larry Rudy

This fall we concluded the all-church study “Short Stories by Jesus.” In response to the lawyer’s provocative question and his attempt to redefine who qualifies as his neighbor, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus makes it clear in this parable our neighbor is anyone around us, no matter their ethnic, religious or socio-economic status.

It was about one year ago the Presbyterian Church near my home became the Sikh Gurdwara Shaheed Akali Baba Phula Singh Ji. I was pleased to see the church property finally occupied, but just who were our new neighbors? A gurdwara, as I looked up, is a place of assembly and worship in Sikhism. I also noticed they left in place the Presbyterian church sign statement, “GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME.”

In the months that followed their arrival, I observed frequent daily activity and large numbers of cars filling their parking lot. This past fall my interest in “my neighbor” peaked as, passing by, I saw two workmen very active on a project at the entrance of their Gurdwara.

In late October I harvested a bumper crop of canna lily rhizomes, so I took two grocery sacks full with me to meet my neighbor! Hi neighbor! My name is Larry. Would you like to have some canna lily rhizomes for your garden? I found the two workmen did not speak English well, but we were soon joined by a fellow named Surinda who welcomed me graciously and offered me delicious hot tea with milk. We exchanged pleasantries, and Surinda answered several questions I asked about the Sikh religion. He then gave me a tour of the Gurdwara. Shoes were removed at the entry and a cover wrap placed on my head. Surinda explained this was in reverence for being in a holy place of worship. I noticed the Sikhs had no furniture for sitting, no pews in their large prayer room. Every room was lushly carpeted for worship as well as for eating. Worshipers come and go throughout the day and food is always available. I met two ladies who prepare all the meals. They smiled but spoke no English.

I was invited to attend their “Festival of Lights” celebration two days later, Diwali. I did not know anything about Diwali, but Surinda explained it was like our New Year’s Eve, a celebration of coming out of darkness into light. That sounded very good to me and I accepted his invitation to arrive at 6:30pm. In the meantime I did some research on Diwali and Sikh history to prepare.

I arrived on time, removed my shoes at the entry and struggled to secure the head covering until assisted by someone who was also entering. I did not see Surinda but followed a line to the central room where there was a buffet of food ready. Everyone was dressed in traditional Indian/Pakistani garb with men wearing turban headwear and full beards. I saw no Sikhs greeting visitors like me, but met a Plainfield policeman on duty for security. I followed the officer through the food line, sampling each item prepared, without any idea what it was!

After the meal I entered into what used to be the sanctuary of the old church. Music was played and there was singing in a language foreign to me. I sat with others on the outside wall and observed. Worshippers entered and proceeded to an altar where they knelt in a prostrated position for prayers. After a short time of observance, I quietly left the building.

I had only been in the Gurdwara for about 45 minutes and never saw my host, Surinda. I returned home having met my neighbor, rewarded by the welcome, but without the feeling of acceptance in the sharing of Diwali.

We might consider my singular experience at the Sikh Gurdwara if the role was reversed. What do visitors to Plainfield United Methodist Church experience when they enter? Are we open to accepting those who may be different from us in ethnicity, race, sexual identity, social sophistication or language? Do we venture to meet those we do not know on a Sunday morning, or only speak to those we call close friends? In our daily living, are we willing to risk our discomfort to reach out to someone who is unlike ourselves to become more neighborly? Who might we seek to connect with this year, who might we learn from as we reach beyond ourselves?

I believe the question of “who is my neighbor” leaves much for each of us to think about.

Reflect, Reconnect, Renew 2025

Pastor Abby Lietz – Associate Pastor, alietz@pumc.org

Today is a beautiful fall day – the clouds are grey, there are still pumpkins on porches and a bit of color on the trees here and there. We are in a season of gratitude as Thanksgiving approaches, at least it was at the time of my writing, and in a season of preparation: Advent will have begun by the time you read this, the season in the church we prepare our hearts and homes to welcome Jesus once again. We have also seen another United States presidential election, and a general election that saw Indiana consider candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and more – all the way down to our town councils and school boards. I’m admittedly still processing the outcomes and what they say about the state of our nation, what the role of the Church and we as Jesus followers play in all this. It’s the end of 2024; 2025 is fast approaching. In the past year we said goodbye to one senior pastor and hello to a new, we had lots of staff shuffles and even more are on the way with the retirement of our youth pastor next summer. Our General Conference of the UMC met last spring and opened the way for gay clergy to be ordained and gay couples to be married by our pastors in our places of worship. We received a new bishop in Indiana! I got married and moved farther away from you than I wish I was. Via the Worship Annex, we are launching something new this month – the beginning of what I am certain will birth incredible ministry and sharing the love of God with others. There is a lot I could say about any of these moments, these decisions and how they impact us and will continue to impact, inform and guide us in the days, weeks and months to come.

But what I want to share with you is encouragement, some reminders, some challenges to take up for the year ahead. I am convinced, now more than ever, our institutions are not going to save us, that our stuff is not going to save us, nor our money or our health or anything. We have Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit, we have ourselves, we have each other and this beautiful Earth. How, in 2025, can you connect more deeply with these four areas – your own Self, Creation, your fellow human beings and God? What do you need to cut out of your life or give up or take up in order to connect, to reconnect? What do you need to dive into? Ease into? What must you walk away from? Who must you listen to? Don’t forget – trees are people, too!

I mean this seriously: it matters how we live. And we can talk all day about ideas over coffee, but I wonder what practices can help us stay connected. What can we do to stay grounded, to heal, to create more capacity to love and forgive ourselves and others? So we can ask ourselves: Are we worshiping God with every part of our lives? Where else do we need to surrender to God? Where else can we serve some aspect of the Earth or other humans who are not us and our immediate household? How can we live more joyfully and peacefully with ourselves, each other and God? These are good reflection questions to ask so when 2025 arrives we are ready to live, at least a bit more fully, the lifestyle Jesus modeled when he was alive and the one he calls us to live yet today. One that bears life-giving fruit.

Dallas Goldtooth, a Native American environmental activist and performance artist recently shared ways people can organize themselves in their community. He listed things like:

Create a local group where you can share ideas and create support for people who need help
Get together with crafty people to craft and learn to craft and be in fellowship
Join a radical read book club where you read books often banned or that push you into new territory for thinking and serving in the community
Make art – radical art – like public art, theater, and zines. Make music! Play it! Read poetry in public!
Join or start a community garden
Start a community fridge or a clothing pickup point, or a sanitary products giveaway
Volunteer with a cause you care about
Get to know your neighbors

As the church, we are great at coming up with these kinds of efforts but if you’re like me, maybe you need a fresh start. I hope we can be about even more intentional connection this year – the kind of efforts and connections that don’t burn us out, but instead fill us up with the love and assurance that we are loved by God and empowered to make a real difference in the world around us by the way we live, by the way we speak and forgive and love. It’s going to be OK in 2025. God is already making a way for us – I’ll see you there!