Sullivan UMC—J. Michael Smith

Personal note:  

I talked with Jie (my wife) earlier this morning.  She has arrived in Nanjing—at her parents’ home, at approximately 3 a.m. this morning, our time (4 p.m. there), 96 hours after leaving our home in Urbana.  She caught the stomach flu on the plane and had to seek medical treatment in Hong Kong—and all the red tape that involved.  But she is feeling better now, and looking forward to a full recovery and a healthy visit.

Mother’s Day/Father’s Day at Sullivan First UMC

MacKenzie Hoss and Teresa Lane are the lead organizers for our congregation’s Mother’s Day and Father’s Day observances.  Both will involve meals and a time for recognitions.  Both are a great time to invite families.

For Mother’s Day (May 10) we will have our normal worship services at the normal time (9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.) and gather at noon for a lunch in our dining hall.  The “Walking with Jesus” men’s Tuesday Bible Study group will be helping with the meal.  I will share more details next week—or you can talk to Teresa or MacKenzie directly.

For Father’s Day (June 21), we will have one service at the park, at 10:30, followed by a picnic potluck—with smoked meats provided.  More details as I learn them.

If you would like to help with either of these events, contact Teresa or MacKenzie. All organization for these two events goes through them.

Purchasing Policy

With the adaption of job descriptions for our office staff, this is a reminder that part of Yvonne’s job is to be the purchasing agent.  All purchases that are paid for out of church funds should go through her.  As Manager of Records and Inventory, she is aware of what we already have on hand, where we can get best prices, and how to use our exempt status from sales tax when purchasing items for the church.  If you have anything special or particular—or want something of a specific quality—Yvonne is eager to work with you and you will be most pleased with her assistance.

Quarterly Financial Statements

Yvonne will have quarterly financial statements available for everyone next week.  This is our “receipt” to you for any financial contributions or gifts you have made to the church between January 1 and March 31, 2026.  These reports will be sent out by email unless you contact Yvonne (sfumcfinance@yahoo.com) and ask for a hard copy instead.  (providing we have your email on file)

It is one of the many protocols we following in maintaining checks and balances in how we handle every dollar you contribute to the church—transparency, privacy, and integrity.

Please check your quarterly statement and if it appears we have had a mistake, please contact our Finance Chair (Bob Lane ralane2001@yahoo.com) and he will work with you and Yvonne to get a corrected receipt.

At this point, I also want to express great appreciation for the work Yvonne does in supervising the counting of money, the safe depositing of all our funds in the proper bank account, the entry of every contribution into our Power Church program (church software for finances and membership), and extra work with anyone who needs information about their contributions.

Appreciation also goes to Jennifer Love, church treasurer, who writes all the checks and maintains data for transaction and budget reports.  Our financial trio of Yvonne, Jennifer, and Bob stand ready to answer any questions you may have.  Also, feel free to talk to Kat Pound (Executive Administrator) or myself.  If we don’t know the answers, we know where to track them down.