Greenwood United Methodist Church. World Communion Sunday Sharing with Christians World-Wide

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1 October 2014 Greenwood United Methodist Church Page October 2014 Twig Bender World Communion Sunday Sharing with Christians World-Wide I n his letter to the church at Philippi, the apostle Paul writes, Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:13b-14, NRSV). United Methodists will do just that as they celebrate communion with other Christians around the world on World Communion Sunday, Oct. 5. Our church is at its best when we reach out to sisters and brothers in need. World Communion Sunday calls the church to reach out to all people and model diversity OUR MINISTRY OF PRAYER Please pray for these brothers and sisters in Christ Barbara and George Burge, Charlotte Condrey, Leola Frayser, Pastor Lewis and family, Jean Mowatt, Harry and Brenda Shuler, Rick Wagner, the Greenwood After School Program among God s children. Your gift on World Communion Sunday helps provide scholarships for deserving students in the United Methodist Church, supporting ethnic undergraduate and graduate students, often enabling first-generation students to attend college.

2 Page 2 The Twig Bender Brunswick Stew s a Cookin Fall is in the air and you can almost smell the Brunswick stew cooking. This year, we will be out bright and early on Saturday, Oct. 25 to start the stew cooking. Greenwood s annual Brunswick Stew Sale and Fall Festival starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m. that day. In addition to that delicious stew, we will enjoy the usual Festival fun. The day will feature a silent auction, including a handmade quilt donated by the Friendship Quilters; a Bake Sale sponsored by the Willing Workers Circle, a Yard Sale, some vendors, Roger s Grill (breakfast and lunch) and, of course, stew. Our Brunswick stew by the quart is $7 if you pre-order and $8 the day of the Festival. Last year we sold all the stew before noon, so don t forget to place your order early! There s an order form on our web site, in the narthex and on the back page of this newsletter. (Continued on page 7) CARITAS 2014 As you read this newsletter we are in the middle of CARITAS. Brenda and Adamarye would like to thank everyone who helped make this week such a success. Without all of your support and prayers, we could not have had such a great week. Thank you!

3 October 2014 Page 3 After School Update By Porter Schermerhorn Greenwood After School kicks off the school year with nineteen beautiful children, up two from the end of the previous year. Amy, Lori, and Porter look forward to another great year of Christian Education, structured reading and homework, arts, crafts, food, fun, and adventure! This year we will place a special emphasis on providing more nutritious snacks (such as fruits and veggies), while continuing to emphasize the safety of our kids. Many thanks to all who have donated their time, prayers, food, and labor to this worthy children's ministry. And a special thanks to Aggie's Attic for your generosity. Please continue to pray for Greenwood After School. October Communion Offering Blackstone Conference & Retreat Center

4 Page 4 The Twig Bender Communications Survey Results By Steve Stalnaker Many thanks to the congregation for their response to August s Communications Survey. We received 27 responses, which is an astounding 63% of our average worship service attendance. The questions: 1. If available, would you be interested in making your regular contributions to the church by credit card or electronic funds transfer (EFT)? Respondents overwhelmingly rejected this idea, by 89% against and 11% for. So, the church finance committee will not pursue this for now. 2. The Church Council is contemplating procuring some pew Bibles for our Sanctuary. Would you be willing to commit to paying $8 to $10 for one or more pew Bible(s) in memory of or in honor of someone? The congregation got behind this idea at a rate of 74% in favor and 26% not. Respondents committed to donating 48 Bibles. The church council will continue this project. 3. Would you attend movie nights in the Sanctuary, using the projector to show faith-based films like Amazing Grace, God s Not Dead or The Blind Side? 89% our folks said they would attend, de- (Continued on page 10) Drive-Thru Prayer The Willing Workers Circle s Drive-Thru Prayer ministry is at 6 a.m. on Mondays. Anyone is welcome to come help pray or be prayed for!

5 October 2014 Page 5 5 Talent Academy Dr. Maria Dixon Hall, Associate Professor, Organizational Communication, Division of Communication Studies, Southern Methodist University is the featured speaker at the 5 Talent Academy s upcoming evangelism event. This presentation is set for Saturday, Oct. 4, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Woodlake UMC, Hampton Park Drive, Chesterfield. Although pre-registration is closed, walk ins are welcome, but may not be guaranteed a lunch. The event costs $25. One-half CEU is available upon completion. Reach more people by understanding the relationship between communication and evangelism. Learn how this relationship is an essential component of church growth. this event is ideal for those involved in planning worship, those who welcome new persons to your congregation, those involved in areas of outreach and evangelism, and all interested in church growth and renewal Call for more information. Mark Your Calendars November Community Thanksgiving Service at Greenwood November Hanging of the Greens in the Sanctuary November Charge Conference December White Christmas December Christmas Cantata

6 Page 6 A Tale of Talents The Twig Bender We ve got talent! There is much talent here at The Hermitage: retired teachers of history, crafts, etc.; former choir directors and church organists; retired pastors; librarians and library technicians; college professors, business leaders, and much more. Also, when we consider what else most of these people have done: been capable, loyal spouses, raised children, run a household, done maintenance work on the home; taught Sunday school all those things take a lot of skill, planning and follow-up. These same people have learned so much about how to take care of our environment; how to make communities, families, civic groups and governments work; how to be can-do volunteers; and how to get along with others. Let us never forget, most of all, the men and women here and everywhere who have served our country on the front lines, in the rear guard, and on the home front. All these people have learned so much about living. Praise God for all of them! We ve got talent! Arline Shafer ~~~from Home and Hearth, v.1 #4 Don t forget The Hermitage Christmas Bazaar and Bake Sale Oct at The Hermitage, along with the monthly Country Store and Clothing Room; it s open to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on both days.

7 October 2014 Page 7 Brunswick Stew Sale and Fall Festival (Continued from page 2) We hope you will not only take advantage of this great price, but will come out and join in the fellowship. The first opportunity will be at 6:30 Friday night when we meet in the Fellowship Hall to cut up vegetables and chicken. So bring your sharp knives and enjoy the fun! After the cutting up, we ll start the fire around 1 a.m. The stew needs constant stirring and the fire needs to be tended throughout the night. We need volunteers in two-hour increments at 2, 4, 6 and 8 a.m. We ask that volunteers stay, if they can, to help put the stew in the containers Saturday from about 9:30 a.m. to around 11 a.m. We also need volunteers to stir down or cool down the stew and fill the containers when we take the stew off the fire. Finally, we need someone to volunteer to cut up and freeze onions the week of Oct. 20. Please call Harry or Brenda Shuler, at , if you would like to volunteer. Don t miss out on the fun before and during Greenwood s Brunswick Stew Sale and Fall Festival! L I K E G R E E N W O O D ON F A C E B O O K WWW. FA C E B O O K. C O M / G U M C VA

8 Page 8 Greenwood UMC October 2014 The Twig Bender Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 7 p.m. Women s Circles Meet C A R I T A S 2 Choir Practice 3 Yom Kippur Begins 6 p.m. Free Food 4 7 a.m. CARI- TAS Pack Up 8:30 a.m. 5 Talent Acad. 5 World Communion Sunday LAMB S Basket Sunday 11 a.m. 6 6 a.m. Drive thru Prayer 7 p.m. Finance Committee Meeting 7 7 p.m. LPUMC UMW 8 Fellowship Dinner 9 Choir Practice Cub Scouts 10 6 p.m. Free Food Columbus Day 11 a.m. Worship Service 4 p.m. Bible Study 13 Columbus Day (obs.) 6 a.m. Drive thru Prayer :30 a.m. Cornerstones 16 National Boss Day Choir Practice 17 6 p.m. Free Food 18 F r i e n d s h i p Q u i l t e r s 19 Laity Sunday 11 a.m. Worship Service 4 p.m. Bible Study 20 6 a.m. Drive thru Prayer Choir Practice Cub Scouts 24 Twig Bender Deadline 6 p.m. Free Food H e r m i t a g e B a z a a r 25 8 a.m. Brunswick Stew Sale & Fall Festival 26 FunRaisers Bag Lunches 11 a.m. Worship Service 27 Navy Day 6 a.m. Drive thru Prayer National Candy Corn Day Choir Practice 31 Halloween 6 p.m. Free Food

9 October 2014 Page 9 Be Prepared Read the Scriptures October Lectionary Readings Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Exodus 20:1 4, 7 9, 12 20; Psalm 19; Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33 46 Exodus 32:1 14; Psalm 106:1 6, 19 23; Philippians 4:1 9; Matthew 22:1 14 Exodus 33:12 23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1 10; Matthew 22:15 22 Deuteronomy 34:1 12; Psalm 90:1 6, 13 17; 1 Thessalonians 2:1 8; Matthew 22:34 46 Fellowship Dinners, FunRaisers Lunches Are Back! Fellowship Dinner: Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Menu: Pork Loin gravy, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, apple cake, bread. Cost $7.00. Entertainment by IV THE LORD. Please have your reservations in by Sunday, Oct. 5. FunRaisers Bag Lunch: Sunday, Oct. 26. Pick up your bag lunch after church services; cost $7 per lunch. Menu: beef and cheddar sandwich, macaroni salad, cheese balls, cheese cake. Sign up today in the narthex or call the church office at

10 Page 10 Communications Survey The Twig Bender (Continued from page 4) pending on the day and the movie. Communications will look into setting this up. 4. It s time to publish an up-to-date Church Directory. Would you prefer a homemade directory similar to the one we have now or a directory done by a professional photographer? This one was less clear, with a 2/3 to 1/3 split in favor of the homemade directory (66.7% to 33.3%). I will get started on this but could use some help with photo sitting appointments, organization, etc. Some selected feedback from the survey: The best feedback regarded making contributions by credit card or EFT: a no vote backed up with There s too much hanky-panky on the Internet. LOL! My favorite, however, was the operator is awesome! I take this to include those who have gracefully stood in for me when I was away. One issue that continues to rankle us is that the choir can t see the slide show. The only way I can think of to remedy this is to have a separate computer monitor for the choir, mounted in front of where they sit. However, since we re in the process of planning a renovation of the chancel area, it s probably best to defer this issue until then. Other constructive criticism included: don t dwell on announcements during the service since they re printed in the bulletin and on the slides, click to the next verse of the hymns more quickly and darken up the type in some slides. We will work on these.

11 October 2014 Page 11 Run the Good Race! You are invited to join other United Methodists in The Good Race, a day of participation and celebration as we walk or run the Anthem Richmond 8K, Half-Marathon, or Marathon, on Saturday, Nov. 15. Remember, this is not a competition, we are clergy and laity who want to encourage one another in exercise and wellness. For more information about these races contact the Rev. Steve Jones (richmondds@vaumc.org) visit the web site: or join the Facebook Group The Good Race. Free Food Distribution This great ministry continues to serve the people of Greenwood s neighborhood. We are now receiving donated food from Capital One as well as Wa-Wa and Famous Dave s For safety s sake, we need at least two persons here during food distribution on Fridays, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Education Building. We need you in this ministry! See Adamarye to sign up.

12 Page 12 The Twig Bender Fall Bible Study: Book of Exodus Greenwood s Fall Bible study of the Book of Exodus, led by Pastor Barbara, continues Oct. 5, at 4 p.m. and at LPUMC 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1. The study group will meet on Sunday afternoons for 6 weeks. We will study the Scriptures from the Lectionary, which focus on the theme of God s People Living in the Wilderness. Each session will last about an hour. You are encouraged to read these passages ahead of time: Oct.5: Exodus 20: 1-20; Oct.12: Exodus 32:1-14 and Oct.19: Exodus 19 32: Imagine No Malaria Richmond District Superintendent Steve Jones is asking churches in the District to support his 26.2 mile run in October s Chicago Marathon. If each church would contribute at least $100, he can realize his goal of raising $7,500 to end this deadly disease. Thanks to Fairmont UMC, Bethel UMC and Bethel UMW for leading the way in support of this effort. Ruth Circle The Ruth Circle will meet Wednesday Oct. 1 in the Fellowship Class at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come. We will be collecting small items such as tissues, note cards, pocket calendars, personal size lotions and anything that will fit in a stocking. These items will be sent to The Women's Correctional Prison in Goochland. A box will be in the Narthex, through the end of November, for you to place the items. If you would like to make a cash donation, see Adamayre.

13 October 2014 Page 13 Greenwood Church Family Birthdays Amber Morgan... 10/1 Tara Morgan... 10/1 Charlene Hawkins... 10/2 Leola Frayser... 10/3 Dean Pittman... 10/4 Steve Morgan... 10/6 David Stanley... 10/6 Andy Neagle... 10/9 John Butler... 10/13 C.J. Neagle... 10/13 Carlos Rios... 10/15 David Shuler... 10/20 Amy Yeary... 10/21 Taylor Stapleton... 10/22 Kimberly Shuler... 10/26 Michael George... 10/29 Charley Banks... 10/31 Anniversaries Andy & Tina Neagle... 10/3 Harold & Nancy Yeary... 10/5 Jim & Lorrie Bowie... 10/18 Don t see your birthday or wedding anniversary in The Twig Bender and would like to have us publish it? Send your dates to admin@gumcva.org or call the church office at ; likewise, let us know if you d like your birthday or anniversary removed.

14 Page 14 The Twig Bender September Attendance and Offerings Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce Proverbs 3:9 Date Sunday School Worship Giving September $3,383 September $1,591 September $1,103 September $1,263 Weekly Averages $1,835 Q3 Totals $24,177 Q3 Weekly Avg $1,856 YTD Totals 718 1,532 $80,676 YTD Weekly Avg $2,180 We need a weekly offering of at least $2,642 to meet Greenwood s 2014 operating budget of $137,433. Twig Bender is a publication of Greenwood United Methodist Church Greenwood Road Glen Allen, VA Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Worship 11 a.m. Pastor The Rev. Barbara Lewis revbarbara@gumcva.org Co-Music Directors Nadyia and Jeremy Horning After School Phone: Office admin@gumcva.org Fax: Office hours 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday Friday Twig Bender editor Steve Stalnaker webmaster@gumcva.org Visit our web site at Greenwood UMC all rights reserved