theconnection New Beginnings Sharing the heart of Christ from the heart of Cary.

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1 theconnection FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH C ARY New Beginnings Sometimes you have to bust something up to start something new. I needed to make a change so naturally, I cut ties and moved to Melbourne, Australia. I still believe in Jesus, and I m still prone to wander. Even in these broken vessels, the cracks are what allow the light of Christ to shine through. T hese were just a few lines from the stories shared at 1st on Chatham s storytelling worship service on Monday. Sharing the heart of Christ from the heart of Cary. August 24, 2018 Worship: New Beginnings: An evening of stories and songs, featured music from the 1st on Chatham worship leaders and four stories from the 1st on Chatham community. Jess James, Kevin Gardner, Michael Smolka and Karen Albritton reflected on how God moved in their lives during a new beginning or a season of change. The theme reflected the end of #summeronchatham and celebrated the new school year and season for the 1st on Chatham community. The four storytellers brought both laughter and tears to the intimate and spiritfilled Cary Theatre, as they shared stories of loss, hope, trust, and resilience. Sunday Sanctuary: 8:25, 9:45, & 11:05am Sunday Celebration: 11:11am 117 South Academy Street Cary, NC Sunday 1st on Chatham: 9:45 and 11:05am The Cary, 122 E. Chatham Street, Cary, NC office: (919) Storytelling is an inherent part of the Christian faith. It is how we learn about God, how we experience God, and how we share the love of God with the world around us. Through storytelling, connections are made, relationships grow deeper, and the love of Christ is experienced. New Beginnings proved to be no different as the storytelling and fellowship continued long after the theatre cleared. Following the event, the pastor on call: (919) firstcary.com Lori Barmer Communications Coordinator community gathered together on the sidewalk in front of the theatre for ice cream and fellowship. As the Body of Christ, we are created for relationship. In this new season of ministry, may every member and guest at First UMC Cary discover a community in our church where they can share their story and come to know their place in the greatest story we know the story of God s love. Reverend Ben Adams OUR MISSION To make disciples of Jesus Christ who grow in faith and love through worship, fellowship, service and witness to one another and the world.

2 Grace and Generosity at Work I m the type of person who volunteers to do things at church or my kids schools or anywhere else dedicated people are asking for help. Then I start dreading actually fulfilling the responsibilities I signed up for. I truly believe in volunteerism and I want to do my part, but y all, I m tired. This is how it goes for me leading up to Vacation Bible School every year. There is no organization (other than the Church as a whole) that I believe in more than ZOE (orphan empowerment). And I love kids. After all, I do have three of my own. Helping ZOE raise money at VBS seems like a perfect fit for me. So, why do I dread it? I have no answer for this. What I can tell you, though, is that I walk away from VBS week every year with my faith renewed. I don t know how familiar you are with our church s Vacation Bible School. It is a massive undertaking involving over 300 kids and more servants than I can count. Our monetary goal every year is to raise $3,000. Somewhere around Wednesday each year, I start thinking we re not going to make it. But we always pull it out in the end. I think God s trying to tell me something. You d think I d have learned it by now. This monetary goal, while important, is not what I believe to be the point of ZOE s involvement in VBS, though. This is my chance, as a ZOE supporter, to engage the next generation of servants. By teaching our children about other kids across the world and the challenges they face (challenges our kids cannot even fathom,) we are fostering qualities such as empathy, hope, and the importance of sharing our abundance with others. For the past two years, our team has asked kids to mimic the ZOE process by starting their own Income Generating Project. They have the option of taking seed money from us to purchase supplies or purchasing the supplies themselves as a donation. Then they use their creativity and talents to come up with amazing booths where they sell their goods in the courtyard every morning and afternoon at VBS. I am always astounded by what they come up with. Every year popsicles and slime are big earners who knew slime was Amanda Lamb at September Breakfast Please join us Saturday, September 8 at 8:00am in the Fellowship Hall for the United Methodist Men s breakfast, featuring speaker Amanda Lamb from WRAL! Amanda Lamb is a professional juggler who hasn t slept in years. She juggles two busy careers and is also the mother of two precocious young women. A native of Philadelphia, Amanda now makes her home in North Carolina with her husband and daughters. She graduated with degrees in English and psychology from Duke University and obtained her master s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. By day, she is a television such a hot commodity? I am reminded each year of how God spreads his gifts and talents among his children. Not being in possession of any creativity whatsoever, I am in awe of those who are able to invent and produce a product that someone else might actually want to purchase. But the point is not in the creation of the object to sell. I see the lightbulb go off in the minds of these children when they make the connection between what they are doing and what the ZOE kids are doing all the way across the globe. Once that happens, they redouble their efforts to earn more money to help more kids. Kids just like them, only without the resources of healthy parents or a government to support them. I have also had the enormous privilege of traveling to Zimbabwe and meeting some of these children. I see what it means to them to know there are other kids, kids they will never see or meet, who care enough to raise money for them. Kids who work the ZOE IGP model, just like they do. It opens their eyes to the bigger world around them and lets them know they are not forgotten. How could I possibly dread something so wonderful and amazing as what I have described here? I think it comes down to First-World laziness. But I am so blessed and grateful that God keeps forcing me out of my own selfishness and into this life-changing ministry, where I get to witness his grace and generosity at work. Praise God. Laura Schuler journalist assigned to the crime beat at the award-winning NBC affiliate, WRAL-TV, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is also the author of eight published books including three touching, humorous memoirs about parenting including I Love You to God and Back, Girls Gone Child, and Smotherhood. I Love You to God and Back is also available in a children s version. Her collections of funny, self-deprecating, tender essays take the reader on an insightful journey into the complexities of raising children in the twenty-first century. She also writes a blog about parenting every Monday called Go Ask Mom on WRAL.com. Visit her website at We look forward to seeing you Saturday, September 8 to welcome Amanda and hear her speak. Join us in the Fellowship Hall for the best breakfast in town for $5. Everyone is invited, first-time guests eat free. First UMC Cary United Methodist Men

3 Pray. Plan. Prepare. Repeat. For several months this winter, a small group of First UMC Cary United Methodist Women did just that. Meeting at least monthly, the Ladies Tea committee met in the library to hash out details for our biggest fundraiser ever. Our theme, in recognition of the 150th Anniversary of UMW, was Celebrating 150 Years: United Methodist Women of the Past, Present and Future. We honored Virginia Jones, who has been a 70-year member of the UMW (or one of the groups preceding it). On May 19, nearly 200 ladies, ranging in age from just a few weeks to over 90, and including a number of multi-generation families, were welcomed to a transformed Fellowship Hall and entertained by musicians from our own congregation. Decked out in tea attire, including hats and heels, guests dined on a traditional tea menu, surrounded by beautiful and fanciful tablescapes. Each table had been purchased and decorated by members or circles, and tickets were sold or gifted to the attendees. Many tables featured heirloom china and silver; others transported you to Churchill Downs, May Day, or a tropical paradise. The winning table, decorated by Katie Darden of Sarah Circle, featured a flamingo centerpiece. United Methodist Women are committed to missions in support of women and children in our community and around the world. We were pleased to raise $2,400 with the First Ladies Tea which we donated to the Methodist Children s Center for scholarships. Just prior to the tea, the Unit presented our Special Recognition Pins to Nancy Dixon, Becky Vierson, and Glenn Creech. The Rev. Martha McLean, installed our officers for the coming year. We would like to thank everyone who helped us with this massive undertaking. Please join us as we repeat our prayers for discernment in the coming year. (See announcements for weblinks and more information). Deanna Day, First Cary UMW Powerful Impact in Appalachia This past summer, First UMC Cary returned to rural Appalachia for our 35th year as a participant in the Appalachia Service Project s summer youth program. We took a total of 83 servants to the project s second week in June and for the seventh week in July. Our travels took us to Cross Lanes, West Virginia where we were greeted by Cross Lanes UM, and it was here we lived for each of the two weeks during our work. Our teams performed typical construction work including roof repair, floor replacement, siding repair, and room improvements. I could tell you the details of our work and how we improved these homes. I could tell you how we improved the quality of life for the families we served. I could also say we were a positive image in areas where hope was desperately needed. I believe all these things are true, however my focus is not going to be how we improved homes, it will be on the relationships we built. You see, for many years I measured the value of our mission by gauging the speed and quality of our work. How much would it cost if someone had to pay a contractor to do the work? How much did the supplies and materials cost? These were measurable and logical methods of judging success and quality at least for me. However, ASP offers so many other ways to be successful and challenge ourselves in ways we never thought possible. Success on a project may not be a perfectly level porch, or a precisely plumb post but rather, time spent with a homeowner sharing stories, or prayers shared over a communal meal in a work group. In a time where performance is measured through monetary means, little room is left to measure those intangibles. The work we do is needed and very often positively affects the quality of life for our homeowners. It is my opinion, however, that the more important service by far is how we effect lives. What message do we send to people when we show we care enough to try and improve their lives through home repair? When we sit and fellowship with our families and their neighbors. When we empathize with their situation knowing full well their experiences are sometimes difficult to understand and comprehend. Through this process of listening and communicating, another impact is felt. Through sharing with our families, spending time with our fellow adult servants, our youth, our sister churches, and even the college kids that run our county programs for ASP, we are impacted. Yes, like many mission trips, we go to impact lives only to have our lives impacted more. We worked on the homes of Teresa, Nell, Bob, and Brenda, but more importantly they worked just as hard on our hearts. Next year, we intend on traveling to a county in central Appalachia. We will see people rooted deep in faith, family and culture. We will serve in a county that s average income is a fraction of our own. A place where jobs are few, money is tight, and home repair is second to medical cost, food and clothes. We will go there to help make lives better, but in the end, it is we who will have had our hearts worked on. Will you join us? Feel free to respond to our ASP survey at www. tinyurl.com/asp2018survey. Our goal is to gain feedback so we can improve this ministry. If you would like to see more about our trip, please go to u/0/#search/twwoody%40mail.com/ c53dd2575? projector=1&messagepartid=0.1. Thanks so much to all of you that supported us, those that traveled and gave their time, those family members that allowed our lives to be changed through ASP, and our unbelievable youth who committed themselves to another impactful ASP trip. Tim Woody, ASP

4 Favorite Scripture 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (nrsv) So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Pastors On-Call Your pastors continue to seek ways to provide you with quality pastoral care while balancing the other demands of ministry. In an effort to be available, we have an on-call system. If you need to reach a pastor in an after-hours emergency situation, you may call to reach the on-call pastor for that week. There is also an option to dial this line directly when calling the church office. When you call this number, the pastor on call for the week will respond as soon as possible. Please be mindful when calling this number, as it is for true emergencies only. This includes a death, sudden critical hospitalization of a member, or other such situations. Pastoral care for non-emergencies, such as scheduled hospitalizations, can be arranged through the front office at Staff Profile In this issue, we d like to highlight Christian Howell, Family Ministry Administrative Assistant. Where did you go to school? I went to Meredith College and studied Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources and Politics, and a concentration in Public Administration. Tell us about your family. My husband, Ben, and I got married last year and live in Fuquay-Varina. We have two sweet fur babies, Harper and Paisley Mae. Both of our parents live in the area and we each have one sister. We also have a niece and nephew, who we completely adore. What do you do for fun? I am a huge football and basketball fan. I grew up a Wolfpack fan, but have also learned to embrace being an ECU Pirate since meeting Ben. Ben and I also serve as UMYF leaders on Sunday nights. Other than that, I love doing anything that means I get to spend time with my family and friends. What is your role, and how long have you been on our team? I am the Family Ministry Administrative Assistant. I just joined the team in mid-august and will help youth, children, and parent ministries fulfill their mission and vision. I m thrilled to be a part of the team and look forward to getting to know everyone! Staying In Touch: Sunday Livestream I have watched the streamed sermons several times when I could not attend service. It is well done and a blessing to our church community. Martha Glass I utilize live stream often while out of town, and to listen to my favorite sermons again. Michael May I am usually in the sanctuary on Sunday morning. But I have loved having the service available by live stream on the few Sundays I have not felt well or was out of town. I am so appreciative of having that available. I will miss a Sunday or two with my upcoming surgery but am glad I will not miss the opportunity to worship with my church family while I am recuperating. I have on several occasions watched the service over just because the sermon was so meaningful that I wanted to hear it again during the week. Thank you for making this a part of our ministry. Jeanette Bell Linda and I live in Macks Inn, Idaho for summer and fall months, and watch the First UMC Cary Sunday morning livestream service. What a great service to those of us temporarily displaced the First Cary diaspora! [We are in the Sanctuary during the winter and spring months.] Sherwood Zimmerman If you find yourself out of town, please visit firstcary.com/streaming/ to be a part of the worship service, and check out the bulletin while you re there!

5 Bridge the Gap Mission Bridge the Gap Mission wants to thank Mark Easley, our CFX Band and our guest, Ellis Paul, for a fantastic afternoon of music on Sunday, July 29. Ellis Paul donated his time, music and any money from the sale of his CDs to Bridge the Gap Mission. Thanks to all the generous donors who attended and the many volunteers who made this event a success. Check out what you missed at: Donations of $725 have gone to Otis Hardy s work in the Southeast Raleigh Community. Fair Booth Proceeds Our Food Booth at the NC State Fair provides funds for special or extraordinary projects, missions or ministries which serve the communities regularly served by First UMC Cary. The Fair Booth Proceeds committee will be meeting to review requests submitted. If you or your group has a funding request, please it to committee chair Alan Sowards at agsowards@gmail.com by Friday, August 31. The ROCK Sunday School Servants The children of the ROCK need your help teaching or assisting in a Sunday School class next school year and we make it easy! Each class is provided with a lesson plan early in the week online and a hard copy in their classroom on Sunday. All supplies and instructions are waiting for you in the class along with a partner to assist you. Please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry for our children. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Psalm 127:3 Visit the link below to sign up. rock GriefShare GriefShare is a 13-week program designed to encourage healing by walking with others who are also grieving. Participants share how they were able to find a new normal in their lives, filled with joy and hope for the future. If you have lost a loved one and are struggling with your grief, we encourage you attend GriefShare. There is a fee of $15 for the GriefShare workbook. If you are repeating the series and already have your workbook, there is no fee. We will meet September 6, to December 13, 6:30 to 8:30pm in room 125. Visit firstcary.com and click the registration button in the middle of the homepage to sign up. Sunday Morning Hospitality Team We are forming a Sunday morning hospitality team to help worshipers who park in the church parking lot. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Matt Wentz at mwentz36@gmail.com. Stand By Me NC CONTACT: Dawn Woody, To give teenagers skills to navigate their mental health journeys and to offer adults tools for helping, two Triangle advocacy groups are joining to sponsor #TeenAnxiety: A Youth Mental Health Summit at Christ United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill on Saturday, October 6. Stand by Me NC and Faith Connections on Mental Illness will present the event for youths in grades six through twelve with a separate track for adults. Registration is limited to 100 teens and 40 adults. Facilitated small group discussions will follow a showing of the Indieflix documentary, Angst: Raising Awareness About Anxiety. Questions? Please youthmentalhealthsummit@ gmail.com. Find updates at standbymenc.org. Ham Biscuit Class The State Fair Booth Committee is offering a Ham Biscuit Workshop on Saturday, September 22 in the church kitchen. Please bring an apron all other supplies will be furnished. Come to sharpen your skills or learn something new! You must be over 21 to participate due to food preparation regulations. Visit firstcary.com registration to sign up. United Methodist Women In May, First Cary s UMW sponored a proper tea and raised $2,400 for the MCC scholarship fund. For additional information and pictures visit our Facebook, Webpage, or this link: share/af1qipnd2dhr5ojt_ c6dbryfjhjqkdnk4xk8xavoltvu86qv-mjnf8oqq 8t7q3kzCy1qHw?key=N1E1SE1PU2g4YkhMc2tNN WJiNE9fck5zcXNVd2dR WORSHIP ATTENDANCE August 12 August 19 SANCTUARY: CELEBRATION: st ON CHATHAM TOTAL: 1,

6 Coffee with the Pastor Anyone interested in deepening their relationship with Jesus Christ through membership at First Cary is invited to attend our Coffee with the Pastor. A typical session usually lasts two hours and childcare is available (birth through 5th grade). Our next session will be this Sunday, August 26, at 4:00pm in room 200. Please contact Christine Hildebrand at if you need more information. Unofficial Poll: Sunday Morning Livestream Have you ever logged in and checked out our Sunday morning sanctuary worship service on your computer or smartphone? We have heard from a few folks this summer who expressed their appreciation for being able to experience worship with us while they were out of town. If you have joined us in worship via the livestream, we d like to hear from you. info@firstcary.com and let us know about your experience! Thank you. MannaFest 2018: September 29 and 30 SATURDAY MORNING AT FIRST UMC CARY 9:00am: Breakfast in the fellowship hall (reservations needed,$5 each) 9:45am: Panel Discussion 11:00am: Service opportunities (Rise Against Hunger Meal Packing and ZOE Soup Preparation) SUNDAY MORNING AT KOKA BOOTH AMPHITHEATRE 10:30am: Worship Service and Holy Communion at Cary s Koka Booth Amphitheatre. (Gate opens at 9:30am) 12:00pm: Everyone is invited to bring lawn chairs and enjoy a Danny s BBQ catered picnic lunch Outreach Expo: Learn about opportunities to serve in our church, community, and the world. Tee Up Fore Charities Golf Classic This year s 24th Annual Golf Classic will be held on Monday, September 10, 2018 at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, NC. Please join us to help support this exciting annual event that provides funding for programs and services of both the United Methodist Men of FUMC and the USO of North Carolina RDU Center. Golfers and Sponsors can register online at or for more information about the event, please contact Eric Christian by cell/text or Eric at hristiancay@gmail. com. Check Out Chancel Choir Join the Chancel Choir for a sample rehearsal and refreshments. The rehearsal will be from 7:30pm to 9:00pm Wednesday, September 5, in the choir rehearsal room. You may join the choir, or simply enjoy a rehearsal to see what choir is all about. For more information, contact Kerry at kjohnston@firstcary.com or Christy at cfarrior@firstcary.com. Children s Choirs Kick-Off August 29 (Registration for the meal closes August 26) 4:45 Check-in at Room 118 5:00 Bouncy House and Games in the Fellowship Hall 5:30 Chimes and choirs will meet in their rooms 5:45 Parent meeting for Asbury choir in the choir room Dinner 6:00pm (Fellowship Hall). Please R.S.V.P. Dinner will be catered by Jason s Deli. Please order your choice of sandwiches (ham, turkey, chicken salad, veggie). All sandwiches will include lettuce and tomato. Each meal will include: sandwich, chips, condiments, and a cookie. Each dinner costs only $5! Please be prepared to pay at the door on August 29. Visit firstcary.com and click registration to reserve your meal. Fellowship Feast & Table Talk Our Wednesday night connections will resume September 5 and the Fellowship Feast will begin at 5:00pm 30 minutes earlier. Table Talk will begin at 6:30. We hope you will join us! Women s Brown Bag Bible Study Beginning August 28, Tuesdays, 12:30 to 2:00pm in room 210 Women of all ages, bring your lunch and join us for Bible study and fellowship. Our study this fall is Priscilla Shire s Gideon. This Bible study group does a study in the fall, takes December off, and offers another study in the winter and in the spring, ending in late April or early May. We take the summer off from study but try to get together monthly in the summer for fellowship. We choose our studies one at a time, so participants can choose which they would like to do. The cost of the book is $ Contact Wanda Schramm at wsch@nc.rr.com for more information. Visit firstcary.com and click registration to sign up. Financial Peace University (FPU) What if you could be debt-free with an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses saved, all while investing for retirement and planning for your family s future? Sound impossible? It s not! With Dave Ramsey s Financial Peace University, you CAN take control of your money. We re offering the 9-week FPU class at First UMC Cary just for you starting Monday, September 10 at 6:30 to 8:30pm. The first session is free, so come see what it is all about. You may purchase your membership kit online or we have a limited number of kits available for purchase ($93) at the first session. If you are a graduate of FPU, remember you can attend any of the sessions for free! It is a great way to brush up on that next Baby Step. If you re interested in learning more about FPU, Rick and Cheryl Randecker at: cherylincary@ yahoo.com today! The group registration is: com/