Happy February! We made it through January!

Please take a moment to scroll through the information below. 

1. 
   It's HEART MONTH! This month during our Lunch and Learn we will be joined by Rev. (and Dr.) Mary Beth Shear. Rev. Mary Beth is an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church and a former family medicine practitioner. She will be sharing with us information about heart health and what we can do to help us live better into the future! The Lunch and Learn will be held on Wednesday, FEBRUARY 19th at 11:30 AM. Register here.
2. This may not help in the area of heart health (if you have high blood pressure) but it is now Tax season. But not to worry, you can check out this opportunity for you to gain insights into Clergy taxes and help bring that BP down a bit! 
   • UMC Discipleship Ministries has an upcoming event geared toward clergy taxes, check it out here.
3. Please make sure now that we have made it through one month of our billing that your treasurer/payroll person knows what options you have chosen for your Healthflex Health Insurance and your personal contribution to UMPIP. If you have any questions on either of those, please contact Lameise or Cheryl in the benefits office. 
4. Just for FUN! Other opportunities and celebrations for the month of February: 
   • February isn’t just about Cupid’s arrows and chocolate indulgences. Nope, February’s calendar is bursting with so much more. It’s also Black History Month, Library Lover’s Month, National Bird-Feeding Month, and more! 
   • Did you know there's a National Chocolate Day, a day for Carrot Cake, Pizza, making a friend? Here's a link to the Reader's Digest 2025 calendar of Celebrations.
     
5. In honor of Carrot Cake day, I am sharing with you my carrot cake bar recipe. Yes, it is named after a congregation member from a church I served who insisted I make them every time we had a potluck! Enjoy! 
   
   Rob B’s Favorite Carrot Cake Bars
   Group One 
      1¼ cups Oil
      2 cups sugar  (1 -3/4 if you want it less sweet)
      3 eggs
   Group Two
      2 cups flour
      1 tsp baking soda
      1½ tsp baking powder
      ½ tsp salt
      1 tsp cinnamon or you can use pumpkin pie spice
   Group Three
      2 cups grated carrots
      1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
      1 tsp vanilla
      1 cup crushed pineapple not drained! {use the pineapple in JUICE not syrup}
      Optional: 1 Cup Chopped walnuts, ½ cup raisins, 1 cup chopped apple
   Cream Cheese Frosting:
      ½ c butter or margarine softened
      8 oz cream cheese, softened
      1 tsp vanilla
      1 lb powdered sugar
   Instructions
      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
      Combine #1 ingredients. Add #2 ingredients. Stir in #3 ingredients.
      Pour into a lightly greased or parchment lined pan (I use 12 X 17 Jelly Roll pan)
      Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely!
   For the frosting:
      Beat the butter and cream cheese until nice and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and
          powdered sugar and beat until nice and smooth.
      Spread on top of the cooled cake bars and serve.
   Store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Happy all things February!!
 Cheryl and Lameis