ASSETS (Singles) will meet for lunch on Wednesday, April 16, at 1:00 PM at Axel’s.  If you have questions, please contact Henrietta Briggs at 651-689-4690.
Bridge Group meets on Friday, April 4th at 7:00 PM in the Lounge.  Contact Vern or Erma Comstock at 651-604-0646 to join.  Players of all levels welcome.
Deborah Fellowship (women of all ages) will meet for breakfast and fellowship at Baker’s Square in Roseville Friday, April 4 at 8:30 AM. Contact Nancy Ness at 651-483-3663.
Married Couple’s Group will attend the dinner and swing dance youth fundraiser on Saturday, April 26 at 6:00 PM. Contact Mark & Dawn Meyer at 651-486-0757.
Piecemakers meet at 9:30 AM Wednesdays at the church for craftwork. Contact Donna Hedblom at 651-633-4191.
Men’s Club will meet Monday April 21.The speaker is Steve Katovich from the US Forestry Service, and he will be speaking on Invasive Species in Minnesota.
Prime Timers Movie Night at Centennial Saturday, April 12 at 6:30 PM.  Sign up at the Welcome Center. 
RARES April 10 at 12:00 PM. This month’s program will be Don & Mary Hopkins speaking about their mission trip to Honduras.  Sign up at the Welcome Center.
S.O.S. (Slightly Older Singles) Extra Chalkboard Capers at Irondale High School, Saturday April 5 at 1:00 PM.  Tickets are $5.00 and your check is your reservation.  If you have questions, contact Barbara Stone at 651-653-4296 or Corky Donaldson at 651-765-0046.
UMW Day Apart, April 12, 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM, "Breathing Deep - Staying Healthy" in body, mind, and spirit, led by Rev. Ruth Phelps.  Reservations are required by April 7; sign up at Circles, the Welcome Center, or call Clarene Seemann, at 651-633-4906.All church women and friends are welcome.
Women’s Breakfast Fellowship meets Wednesdays at Byerly’s, 7:00 AM. Contact Thelma Boeder, 651-489-2604.
Women’s Night Out (women of all ages in fellowship) will be gathering at Chianti Grill, Monday, April 7 at 6:30 PM. Contact Wendy at wendyalucas@comcast.net.
Young Adult Ministry For information, please contact Kelly  at kswanson@centennialumc.org

Remembering in Prayer

   Steve Koehn, Todd Lewis, Carter Nerhaugen, Eric Nevalainen, and Perry Olson who are in active military service.  Steve is at a base in Korea, Todd and Eric are now home from Iraq, Carter is in Iraq, and Perry is at Fort Wainwright in Alaska.

We celebrate
Maiken Delaney Shaw who was born March 6, 2008.  Maiken is the daughter of Sarah and Jeff Shaw, and granddaughter of Chris and Doug Lund.
The baptism of Amanda Christine Rumans and Jennifer Carrie Rumans on March 26, 2008 who are daughters of Robert & Sharon Rumans, grand-daughters of Ian & Joan Shaw.

We remember
Vivian Cassidy who passed away March 7, 2008.

Praying through our
Membership Rolls
Our prayers for each other empower us and create joyful bonds of love!

• Adam Walbridge
• Ben Walbridge
• Corry & Carrie Walbridge
• Hal & Verda Wall
• Shirley Walstrom
• Steve & Debra Ward
• Linsey & Kemara Watson
• Lawson Waturuocha
• Jerry & Pat Weaver
• Rob & Alisha Weaver
• Briana Weigel
• Teressa Weigel

Withdrawal/Transfer
Keith & Samantha Akey transferred to Strongsville United Methodist Church in Strongsville, Ohio.

Paperless Centinel?
Whether you would like to help by saving paper or postage, you can receive the Centinel via email. Please send an email to tworden@centennialumc.org to start receiving the Centinel via email and to be taken off the list for a paper copy.  Also, please email us if you have changed your email address or we have an old email address for you.

Centennial Prom for distinguished adults is on April 5! The Centennial high school youth will host a night of dinner and live music by the Moonlight Serenaders (Dave Magnuson’s Big Band). Come at 5:30, dinner is served at 6:00 PM followed by dancing from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Tickets are $15 per person.  All proceeds go toward our high school summer mission trip to New York City.  You can still buy tickets at the door or call Kelly at 651-633-7644.

Formal Dinner and Swing Dancing evening 6:00 PM on Saturday April 26. Dinner starts at 6:30 followed by basic Swing Dance Lessons.  All are welcome! 6th grade students and older are invited to the formal dinner and 5th graders and younger will be served a less formal dinner upstairs with childcare and entertainment provided.  So bring the whole family!  Tickets are $15/person or $45/family. Contact Kelly to buy your tickets!

AAA Driver Improvement Course - It’s time once again to expand your driving skills and knowledge with Nito, our instructor from the AAA Driver Improvement Course.  You may qualify for a discount on your auto insurance rate.  We will be offering a four hour refresher course on Monday, April 14 from 5:00 - 9:00 PM.  Please register by calling 888-234-1294.

UMCOR PROJECT:  Equal Exchange Fair Trade coffee, tea, cocoa and chocolate bars will be available for purchase April 20th, and the third Sunday of each month in the lounge after each service.

Spring Concert
Centennial's annual Lent/Spring Choir Concert will be on Sunday, April 6 at 3:00 PM. The Chancel Choir will perform Requiem by John Leavitt. This work is different from the normal Requiem in that it does not incorporate the typical liturgical Latin texts. Rather it is a compilation of texts from the Psalms and other sources to both celebrate the life of the departed and to provide comfort and hope for the living. And it is in English! The range of the piece varies from meditative to joyous and rhythmic.  Also included in the program will be Centennial's Alleluia Ringers, under the direction of Deb Olsen.  There is no admission charge and a free-will offering will be taken with proceeds going to the music ministry of Centennial.  Child care will be provided and a reception follows the concert. Questions? Contact Bob Nienaber at the church. Please come and join us for an inspirational musical event.

 

Pastor's Keyboard

Last night the Creativity Team for The Well met.  We were brainstorming ideas for the worship series planned for this May – Cache Hunt:  Finding Your Way.  Have you ever gone geo-caching?  More and more people are adding it to their list of hobbies.  Geo-caching involves finding GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates on the internet, that will lead you to “buried treasure”.  These treasures are all around us – over seventy are hidden within just two miles of the church. You find your coordinates online, get out your GPS, and gather some friends to go on a cache finding adventure.

Why do people do this?  Is it the anticipation and enjoyment of seeking the treasure?  Is it the actual treasures they find (which may be disappointing)?  Is it the unknown?  Getting outside?  Gathering with friends?

And how is a cache hunt like our own lives with God?  Proverbs tells us that “The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps”.  How do we know if we’re going along the right path in life, and if God is indeed guiding that path?

We talked about all of these questions in our team, and Dave Draeger asked this:  “What do you do when the trail goes cold?”  He followed it up with reference to the well-known poem Footprints in the Sand.  What happens when the single set of footprints are your own perfect size 10’s?

I hope that you will join us throughout the month of May at our 5:00 PM worship on Sunday evenings, as we try some geo-caching ourselves, and as we explore these and other questions about finding our way, with God as our guide.

Thank you's

   I wish to thank my Centennial friends who helped me celebrate my 90th birthday.  Thank you Bob Nienaber for arranging for Julie Courtney (Daughter #4) to sing, also for Ray McDonald’s recording.  Thanks to the coffee committee for serving the beautiful birthday cake, also for all the gifts, cards and congratulations received.  I am truly grateful.
          Ruth Johnson

Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped to make the Holy Week services worshipful, unique, and inspirational.  Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
          Centennial Staff

Red Robin Preschool

It is with deep regret, we announce this is the last year of operation for Red Robin Preschool. Despite the different ways the Preschool Board had tried to promote Red Robin over the years, both in the church and in the community, we have seen a decline in enrollment and thus in our revenue.  Many factors have led to this difficult decision to close the school.  There has been an increase in the number of 2 working family members, often which requires families to seek other options for their children, such as daycare. There are also many preschools in our area, as well as a strong ECFE program.  In addition, the Roseville School district recently implemented ‘Jump Start,’ a preschool for 4-5 year olds that will be offered at Brimhall and ED Williams Elementary Schools next year.  The district plans to expand this program to other district elementary schools in the future.  Then too, residents are staying in their homes longer, meaning an increase in our elderly population and fewer young families. Many young families are moving to outer ring suburbs, getting larger homes for their money than in our area.

We are not the only program that has experienced this difficulty.  Similar situations have caused other area preschools to close in recent years, such as Kinderland at Peace UM Church. Others are experiencing drops in enrollment.  A decrease in student population and revenue led to the closure recently of 2 elementary schools in the Mounds View School district.

Red Robin has been a part of Centennial UMC for 44 years and has touched the lives of many children and their families from the church and the community.  Many other individuals have been a part of the preschool as teachers, board members, fundraiser participants, donors of various materials, and volunteers.

We will be celebrating Red Robin Preschool on Sunday, April 13.   Come join us in the lounge between services to celebrate the work and the people of Red Robin.   Have a piece of cake, look at pictures and tell or hear a story or two about this children’s ministry.

Mission Committee

Next Centinel Deadline:
April 7, 2008
Sunday Bulletin Deadline:
12:00 Noon on Tuesdays

*Scholarships are available and confidential for Centennial sponsored events. Please contact one of the pastors. Contact Child Care Supervisor-Coordinator, Jean Moline, by leaving a message at 651-633-7644 ext. 38 or emailing hewle002@tc.umnc.edu at least 48 hours before an event. If there are no calls, child care will not be provided.