Special Afternoon Bible Study – September 11th, 3:30 PM – 05:00 PM (Ages 5 – 11)
(Ages 5-11)
Come for the fun and bring a friend!!!
- Bible Story
- Craft
- Bells
- Refreshments
For more info call Ms. Dianne (233-7841) or Ms. Ruth (236-6008).
Charge Conference
We have a date of October 25th for our 2016 Charge Conference. This is the yearly meeting of the church where church officers are elected and the pastor’s salary is set for the next year. Our new District Superintendent, the Rev. Kimberly M. Goddard, will be continuing the tradition of having Cluster Charge Conferences where several different churches come together. This is a good way to hear what other churches are doing as well as having a time of fellowship with other United Methodist believers.
However getting ready for Charge Conferences takes a lot of work; all Committee Chairs need to schedule a Committee meeting in September. To plan your ministry for next year as well as submit your budget request for the Finance Committee. If we do not hear from any committee their budget will remain the same as this year.
Also the instrument for you to volunteer to serve, or to nominate someone to serve, will be available soon. Please prayerfully consider where God wants you to be in ministry next year. If you are currently serving and do not wish to do so next year, fill out the form, and return it to the pastor. If I do not hear from you, you will be elected again for the next year.
As we have fewer and fewer active members, please do consider how you can serve.
Richard
Chicken BBQ/Church Picnic
Sunday – August 14th
BBQ Chicken – Macaroni Salad – Baked Beans Rolls – Homemade Ice Cream
Invite all your FAMILY & FRIENDS – will be held on the church LAWN (weather permitting) following the 11 o’clock service. Cost is by ‘donation’ – ALL proceeds go to:
JOY RANCH & GOD’S SOUP KITCHEN
(Being Hosted by the FUMC Missions Committee with help from the UMW & Programs Council)
Welcome Jolene Bilbrey
The Staff-Parish Relations Committee would like to introduce the congregation to the new Administrative Assistant/Treasurer of our church – Her name is Jolene Bilbrey.
She says “I was raised in Minnesota and joined the Army after High School. I served for almost ten years as human resource manager and electronics technician. I am married with three daughters and a son. My husband was raised in Galax and in April we moved from San Antonio, TX to Independence to be closer to family. I will be graduating from Devry University in December with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting.”
As we sadly see Sandy Vater-Grabman, who has served us well for almost 8 years leave the position, we welcome Jolene to our church.
Irene Turner, S-P Chair
They Call It Ordinary Time
I have always thought it strange that the longest season of the Church Year, lasting from Pentecost until Advent, is called Ordinary Time. It does come after Eastertide, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday which are all busy and exciting times and the following months do not have those special celebrations, but still to call it ordinary is to suggest that it’s just not that important. And that is wrong.
God continues to work just as diligently and powerfully as God works in what is considered the busier times of the Liturgical Year. Also, for many, this is vacation season and we often act as if we think God is on vacation. However, God is always there, only a prayer away, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all the time. Therefore we must not consider Ordinary Time as a time to take a break from serving Christ and his church.
We have the challenge not to slow down. The Apostle Paul writes: “More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. For his sake I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” [Philippians 3:8 N.R.S.V.] Does not sound like ordinary work to me.
Also we have been called by Jesus to be his witnesses. What could be more extraordinary? So while our Church celebrations have quieted a bit, by no means is it a license for God’s people to quiet down. Now is the time to really step it up a notch and stroke the fire of the Holy Spirit for an ever increasingly broken world. May we allow the work of God to be present in our lives this summer and beyond? If Spring is time for new growth, then Summer is the time of discipleship and there is nothing ordinary about that!
Richard
UMW News – July
The UMW will meet July 12th at 10:00 am in the UMW Room. Peggy will have the program and we will go to RJ’s for lunch. We hope you can attend this meeting. We won’t meet in August but will have our annual meeting at Foster Falls in September (13th).
God’s Storehouse
What is God’s Storehouse?
It is a community soup kitchen located on the bottom floor of Rooftop. Started in 2012, the soup kitchen is now operated by The Hope Ladies, a Christian women’s group. The directors of God’s Storehouse are a mother/daughter duo named Delina Parks and Kisha Johnson. God’s Storehouse feeds over 600 people a week and they currently deliver 30 meals per day to elderly, sick and shut-in persons. They are a non-profit organization so every penny given goes back into the ministry. Everyone who works at God’s Storehouse is a volunteer. They receive no government funding and operate solely on donations. God’s Storehouse is open for dinner Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 4pm-6pm. They are hosting a summer children’s program called Downtown J.A.M. (Jesus And Me) on Wednesdays from 4:00-5:30 where they will be fed dinner and participate in an interactive devotional.
“Bless”
“Now the Lord said to Abram. ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing.” [Genesis 12:1-2 N.R.S.V.]
The Holston Annual Conference met this year under the one word theme of Bless. Usually when we think of this word we think of the adjective form which is blessed. As when someone asks how we are and we reply: “I’m blessed.” Or we say we are having a blessed day. This year’s theme however is the verb form; to give a blessing to others.
Abram in the scripture quoted above has often been referred to as being blessed to be a blessing. Sadly, it seems that scripture tells us that his descendants forgot the second part of that statement and simply claimed God’s blessing for themselves and failed to bless others.
The emphasis this conference year is for all followers of Jesus Christ not to make that same mistake. I challenge each and every one to prayerfully consider how you can be used by God to bless someone else. Maybe it is by volunteering your time to help some service ministry. Kids Junction can certainly use help. Maybe it is by visiting our shut-ins and Nursing Home residents. Maybe it is by cooking a meal for those who need it. Maybe it is baking a loaf of bread to welcome new people when they move into your neighborhood. Maybe it is by serving your church in more or different ways.
And if you absolutely, positively cannot do anything else, you can pray. Develop a prayer list and pray each day for those on your list. Let them know you are praying for them. Not only will you bless them, you just might be blessed as well.
Richard
Vacation Bible School – Barnyard Roundup
Classes are June 13 – 17 (Monday – Friday), 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM, for preschool – 6th grade.
CRAFTS – SNACKS – OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
“The Lord is my Shepherd – Now and Forever”
EVERYONE WELCOME ~ COME JOIN THE FUN!
