Countercultural: Worship as Public Resistance

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1 The Countercultural: Worship as Public Resistance Wednesday Night Adult Study Session 2 November 4, 11, 18, December 2, 9 (no study on Wednesday, November 25 due to Thanksgiving) The topic of our session 2 adult study is born out of our recent study on Islam a natural progression from learning about the Islamic culture and beliefs into how we as Christians stand firm in our society, even though what we believe and what we practice is becoming more and more countercultural. Topics will include but not be limited to: Disagreeing with the World Talking Funny The Language of a New Society Resisting Pressures Keeping the Center Refusing Loneliness Being Community Loving the Least Songs and Prayer He Who Sings Prays Twice Our schedule on Wednesday evenings includes Communion in the Sanctuary at 5:00, followed by dinner and study. Dinner begins at 5:30 and is served until around 6:05; the cost is a donation. Registration forms for this session 2 study can be found online at as well as in the Narthex and Morris Hall Foyer. Please pre-register so we will have enough space/chairs/food for everyone! Questions can be directed to Mary Coleman at mcoleman@garberumc.com or by calling the church office. We look forward to seeing everyone on the 4th! Due to some utility work in the rear parking area, Garber s Sanctuary campus will be without power beginning Monday, November 23 through Friday, November 27. We have made some changes to our calendar for that week to accommodate this situation: 1. Preschool classes will be closed all week. 2. Mid-week Communion will be held in Morris Hall at 5:00 pm. Our phone service will be interrupted during this week, so if you need to contact the church office during business hours Monday Wednesday. The number will be The church office will be closed for Thanksgiving Day and the day after. All worship services, events and communication will resume as normal on Saturday, November 28 The Trustees thank you in advance for your patience as we work to improve Garber s facility.

2 Join our Kids In Christ Ministry for Session 2 of Wednesday nights Recharge! Wednesday Nights, Nov. 4th Dec. 16th 5:00 7:00 p.m. *** We will not meet Nov. 25th due to the Thanksgiving holiday.*** Registration forms can be found at Kids In Christ tab. Matthew s Minute Our family had the opportunity to worship at another area church during the Labor Day week-end. The message and the music were very well done. However, no one in the church greeted our family before, during, or after the worship service except for one staff member. Our positive worship experience was damaged because of the coldness of the people. It was a good reminder how much power is conveyed in a handshake, hug, or smile. Let me encourage you to be intentional about greeting those who are seated around you every Sunday. The warmth and hospitality of the worship service is dependent on all of us. The best introduction I can think of in reaching out to others is to say, My name is. I haven t had the opportunity to meet you! This avoids offending someone or labeling someone as a guest, new member, or long time member. It is friendly, it states a fact, and signals your desire to reach out to others. A climate of hospitality and warmth requires everyone to be intentional about reaching out. Fun was had by all... at our October 25th Covered Dish Fellowship Dinner! Lots of yummy dishes dominated the food tables on each side of Morris Hall, and we filled over 20 round tables with people, laughing and meeting friends, old and new. Thank you to Ruthann Hendel, Bobby and Betsy Darden, Michelle Roys, Carole Stokes, Peggy Phelps, and Jennifer Medlin for being on the Covered Dish Committee for this event! They were amazing help and made the event easy! Our next Garber Fellowship event will be the Garber Family Christmas Party/Kids in Christ Nativity Pageant presentation on Wednesday, December 16. Make plans now to join us!

3 Haiti Trip Planned A Retreat in the Spirituality of Mother Teresa The Garber Mission Committee, with the endorsement of the Administrative Council, has voted to send a small adult team to Haiti to reestablish connection and explore future opportunities with the St. Joseph s Family of Homes for Boys and Disabled Children. The trip will include participation in the Mother Teresa Spiritual Retreat, a visit to all the St. Joseph homes, Trinity School in Jacmel, the Mother Teresa Home for the Destitute and Dying, Blanchard School in City Soleil, and the Fonkoze organization for micro-financing. Those participating in the retreat will be Rob Patterson, Ruth Powers, Pastor David Banks, Mary Coleman, Bobbie Hewlette, Joanne Boyle, and Tom Gingrich. This team covets your prayers for safety, for relationships to be fostered and nurtured among old and new friends, and for God s guidance as we strive to discern our future plans in the country of Haiti. The team will travel January from Raleigh. If you have any questions or would like more information about Garber s relationship with our mission in Haiti, please do not hesitate to call our veteran Haiti leaders, Rob Patterson or Ruth Powers. School has started in Jacmel Haiti! This month 180 students at Lecol St. Trinitie picked up their school supplies and prepared for school! This school, run by the Saint Joseph s family, provides a free education for the very poor children in Jacmel, who would have no access to school otherwise. There is no free public education in Haiti. Thanks to all of you who supplied all of these school supplies through your gifts to the Mission and Ministry Budget at Garber. Thanks to your generosity, all 180 students were given all of their school supplies and a brand new backpack to put them in! Don t you love how God uses our hands and willing hearts to do His work, not only here but in Jacmel, Haiti!

4 UNITED METHODIST WOMEN BAKE SALE SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 Perfect for gift giving! 2 LOCATIONS Morris Hall Atrium AND Sanctuary Courtyard Pastries, Pecans, Rada Cutlery, and (new this year) CASSEROLES But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased Hebrews 13:16 New King James Version (NKJV) The following note was received from a patient who attended the VSP vision clinic and received a new pair of glasses: I m not thanking you just for myself. I m thanking you for every one that got glasses recently. You have filled our hearts with greater joy. You certainly have mastered the art of thoughtfulness. The world needs more people like you. Thank you and may God bless you and keep you in His care. Dear Garber UMC: Thank you so much for sharing Morris Hall with us for our Milk and Cookies with Grandparents celebration! When we realized that our school was too small to hold the approximately 500 grandchildren and grandparents who were planning to participate, we thought we would need to cancel. But thanks to Rev. Banks and Patti Smith, we were able to move the event to Garber. We had a great celebration and look forward to this becoming an annual event. Thank you for your kindness and generosity! Michelle Lee and AH Bangert staff Dear Garber family, Thank you all so much for the prayers, love, comfort, cards and memorials that we have received since my mom s passing and even during the nine months prior when she was battling cancer. The kids and I have felt wrapped in all your love. It s truly a blessing to belong to such a loving family. Love, Beth Hicks

5 MOSAIC NEWS The MOSAIC group had 50+ participants for the Oct. 26 MOSAIC luncheon. Bo Huryn presented a program on Bees which was enjoyed by all. Our Advisory Planning Team met on Oct.19 to finalize the plans for the next few months and begin planning events for Jan. through May. Fourteen members will be going to Old Salem on Nov. 3-4, and we look forward to a wonderful program presented by Karen Gower, as well as an organ tour, town tour and MESDA. Ask us about it when we return. The MOSAIC activity in NOVEMBER will be our Thanksgiving luncheon on Nov. 23 in Room 123 of the Ministry Center. Anyone 55 and older is invited to attend; please call in to reserve your spot no later than MONDAY, Nov. 16. In lieu of payment for lunch, we ask those joining us to bring a $5.00 gift card from either Target, Chick-Filet, Dunkin Donuts, or Starbucks. These will go in a Christmas goodie package for our Garber college students, and serve as our MOSAIC outreach for Nov. - Dec. We will also be stuffing stockings for the Kingswood Kids for Christmas; members are asked to donate some candy/fruit if they wish. December 1 Rocky Hock Theater, Edenton, NC Luncheon and show, O Night Divine December 5 Mosaic Christmas party (this is a change for your calendar) Please call the church office or Sue Webb at swebb@garberumc.com if you would like to participate in any of the upcoming MOSAIC events. Kingswood Notes... As we enter this season of thankfulness, it is so easy to live in a spirit of Thanksgiving for all that Garber Church does for the Kingswood Kids and for the lasting impression which that unconditional love and support has on the kids that God entrusts to our care. We can t name them all, but we are truly thankful for... Our 64 regular volunteers, subs, and 14 drivers. The success of our program rests on your love and faithfulness. Thank you! All of the folks at Garber who so willingly give schools supplies, snacks, gift cards, and various other surprises for our kids. We are so blessed by your generosity! Patti Smith and the site team (John, Aunt Mae, and David) who take great care to ensure that we have a wonderful facility for our work Pastor David and Mary Coleman, who serve as constant supporters, cheerleaders, and mentors for the Kingswood Kids Laura Wilkins, who welcomes us to be a part of the wonderful Children s Ministry here at Garber Garber Trustees, Ad Council, and other church staff, and all who love and support the Kingswood Kids. We are thankful! Ruth Powers, Kingswood Director

6 We welcomed the following members into the fellowship of Garber Church during the month of September: Drew and Jacqueline Demarest live at 505 River Road in Trent Woods. Drew is the student minister at Garber. The Demarest s have two young children, Noah and Emmie. Jacqueline enjoys working out and spending time with family. Drew grew up in Wisconsin, and Jacqueline was raised in Virginia. Ryan and Erin Hagan live at 205 Country Club Drive and have two young children, Sloane and Ford. Ryan is an oral surgeon and Erin is a stay at home mom. Ryan grew up in New Bern, and Erin is a native of Salisbury. The Hagans enjoy golf, water sports, the beach, and traveling. Nan Holton lives at 3126 Highway 55 E. in New Bern and works as the Trent Woods town clerk. Nan enjoys cooking, reading, and word games. She has served in numerous capacities in the previous churches she has attended. Nan has two adult children, Patrick and Maris. Polly Morris lives at 609 Edgehill Road. Polly grew up in Mississippi and spent a significant amount of her life in the Atlanta area. Polly has five adult children: Sherilyn, Suanne, Gus, Thames, and Thea. Polly relocated to New Bern from Highlands to be near family. Polly enjoys baking, knitting, reading, and mahjong. John Connelly lives at 414 Rockledge Road in River Bend. John works as a Business and Technology Application Specialist at ECU. He and his wife, Mary, have two adult sons: PJ and Evan. John enjoys woodworking and house re-modeling. Joe and Laura Peters live at 106 Hillcrest Road in Trent Woods. The Peters have one child, Milah. Joe works as a general manager at Beasley Broadcasting, and Laura is the associate manager of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Carolina East. Joe enjoys working out and sports cars, and Laura likes traveling and reading. Wade and Lisa Gaskins live at 114 Whooping Crane in the Brice s Creek area and have two teenage children, Patrick and Samantha. Samantha is a freshman at New Bern High School, and Patrick is a senior at NBHS. Wade is a quality and technical service manager, and Lisa works in office administration. Wade grew up in New Bern, and Lisa is from Goldsboro. The Gaskins enjoy boating, golfing, and spending time outdoors. Connection Coffee If you are new to Garber, you are invited to a Connection Coffee Sunday, November 22 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 123 of the Ministry Center. This is a time to meet the church staff and discover more about Garber Church. Sign-up sheets are located at the Welcome Table in the courtyard, or at the Welcome Center in the foyer of Morris Hall. You can also sign up by calling the church office at , or ing Beth Hicks at: bhicks@garberumc.com.

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8 REMINDER: The Garber Annual Christmas Giving Projects will begin on Sunday, November 29. These projects, sponsored by the Mission Committee, are: The Giving Tree gifts for local school children at 3 area schools Alternative Giving give a gift to a local mission in honor/memory of a loved one; mission projects to be announced. Be sure to include these options in your plans for Christmas Giving! Please look for more details in the upcoming Advent Newsletter mid-november. Questions? Contact Mary Coleman at mcoleman@garberumc.com or Please note: the Wednesday evening following our Session 2 study, December 16, will be the Annual Garber Family Christmas Party and Kids in Christ Nativity Pageant. Dinner will be served by our FUEL Student Ministry, and all proceeds will go towards student retreats and mission trips. Look for more details in the upcoming Advent Newsletter mid-november! Nonprofit Organization Auto Return Service Requested US Postage Paid New Bern, NC Permit No 185 Garber United Methodist Church 4201 Country Club Rd New Bern, NC Phone: Fax: PLACE LABEL HERE