The Messenger. McMannen United Methodist Church. January 2015

Transcription

1 McMannen United Methodist Church The Messenger January 2015 Welcome Calvin W. Dickenson and his Family. Calvin is joining the staff at McMannen as our Director of Youth and Young Adult Outreach and Ministries Please join us on Sunday, January 4 th, 2015 after the 11:00 service to meet and greet them. Bring finger foods to share. The church office will be closed Thursday, January 1 for New Year s Day

2 P 2 Fri, Jan 9 Lunch & Meeting 12:00 1:30 pm $5 RSVP by 1/4 Special Guest Dave Strausfeld, Family historian Genealogy 101: Having Fun with Online Research Thur, Jan 22 I ll Never be Hungry Again an outtake of Gone with the Wind at Temple Theater, Sanford. Ms. Lacy s 11:20 am--5:15 pm Deadline 1/18 noon Primetimers Exercise at 10:30 am Monday & Wednesdays in Fellowship Hall To register or receive more information about a Primetimers Program please contact Jim Lore at All Youth Grades 6-12 Sunday School 10 am in the Youth Center Sunday Nights 5-7 pm Youth Group in the Youth Center January Committee Meetings Preschool Board Tues, Jan 7:00 pm (E201) SPRC Tues, Jan 6:30 (E201) Finance Tues, Jan 6:30 pm (FH)

3 Our Church Family: Emily Alton; Marti & James Bennett; Cordelia Blalock; Marian Clark; Bobbie Morgan; Emma Jean Phelps; Jim Shuler; Carol Swinson; Bob Williams; Wendell Family; Preschool Families and staff; Friends and Family: Addie & Winston; Linda Bird; Lois Blanton; Weezie Braugton; Vicki Charbonneau; Mildred Church; Jim Clack; Margie Clark; Robin Clements; Alida Cockerman; desalvidor Family; Gerald Foushee; Mr. Frasier; Frank Garmon (Murlene Dermott s brother); Mary Jo Hall; Chris Jones; Aaron Kendall; Elsie King; June King; Nancy Lindquist; Joanne Lunsford; Rod Mabry; Ministers and their families; Grady McCutcheon; Bobby McDonald; Francis McDonald; Patti Morrison; Dolly Mueller; Mary Ann Norris; Bruce Olson; Marjorie Olson; Andy Overstreet; Jimmy Riley; Louis Rivers; Rob & Brittany; Carl Schmidt; Rachel Carden Shive; Frances Smith; Jack Smith; Jack Snell; Sherene Stainback; Grace Taylor (Katie Wagstaff s mom); Wanda Taylor; Nancy Via; Taylor Wagner; Judy Wall; Marilyn Ward; Sarah Webster; Renee Wendell; Alex Whitaker; Wilkins Family; Rosa Williams; Jean Wilson (Sandra Jayne s mom); Rosa Wright; the unemployed and their families; the victims of violence; travel mercies; Christian Believer Bible study group; Iraqi Christians; our armed forces and military. Care Facilities: Mary Berini (Hillcrest); Cleo Fox (Carillon Durham), Sadie Micol (Brookshire), Mildred Neal (Croasdaile Village), Bernita Linthicum (Elm Croft Raleigh), Cathy Young Have you considered paying online? Your tithe Preschool Tuition Fall Festival stew orders Vacation Bible School registration Children's ministries registration Servants at Work (SAW) registration and donations Payment for classes or class materials You have the option of using a credit card or having your checking account debited (one time or recurring). Check out our website to make your payment online! 1515 North Pointe Dr. Durham, NC Mon Saturday 11AM 9PM Sunday 11AM 8PM McMannen is the Church of the Month at Rudino's in January You can eat there and put their receipt in the box and McMannen will earn a percentage of all money spent. Spread the word to all your neighbors and friends that eat there also to do the same!

4 Chili Supper and Game Night Come out of the cold on Saturday, January 24th at 5:30 PM and join us in the McMannen UMC Fellowship Hall for a fun filled evening of homemade chili, fellowship and board and card games for all ages! Please contact Jackie Rohde Bolen (jackieb@mcmannenumc.org) if you would like to share a pot of your secret recipe chili or if you have a favorite game to lend us C.L.U.B.S. Movie Night Friday, January 16 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall We will embark on an extraordinary coming-of of-age adventure as Simba, a lion cub who cannot wait to be king, searches for his destiny in the great "Circle of Life." Enjoy free food, fellowship and friendship!

5 Congregation, I am very pleased to announce that the SPRC has hired a new Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries to start work on January 1, His first official day will be Friday, January 2. Calvin Dickenson is currently serving as the pastor of a two point charge in Henderson, NC where he has been the past two years. Through multiple interviews, Calvin impressed every single SPRC member with his Christian passion, Methodist knowledge, and answers to questions about ways to rebuild our youth program and build a new young adult program at McMannen. His references were outstanding - everyone we talked with gave him high marks for intelligence, motivation, passion, and integrity. The SPRC decision to hire him was unanimous. Although Calvin has been serving as a pastor, it was clear in our interviews that today he much prefers a non-transient, supporting assignment that will allow him to live in Durham where his wife Rebecca works, and to provide location stability for his young family. Calvin and Rebecca have a three-year-old daughter named Kathleen. Ed worked closely with the District Superintendents in Calvin s district and ours to facilitate this transition of a talented, current pastor into this new role for McMannen. Calvin s Henderson area churches have been notified of this change and are transitioning to new pastors. Calvin will remain a part of the NC Conference, officially appointed as a part-time clergy to McMannen for Conference pension-classification purposes, but full time in his relationship to McMannen. This will allow him to maintain his connection and benefits with the Conference, but also ensures that McMannen can take full advantage of Conference resources as we work to rebuild youth and grow a new young adult program here. SPRC will have a welcoming celebration for Calvin in January. We are very excited about hiring this enthusiastic and very talented Methodist leader for McMannen. Please pray for the Dickenson family as they transition; they plan to move back to Durham the last two weeks of December. Greg Pagett Chairman, Staff-Parish Relations Committee Your recycled magazines would be appreciated at Ni]h_s [v[il[\l_. For mor_ inform[tion, pl_[s_ ]ont[]t [ Trust. C.A. Dillon Youth Development Center Suggested magazines: cars, sports, youth, Our State, video games

6 McMannen Preschool News Visit our website to pay tuition online! Mcmannenumc.org Do you know anyone who is looking for a preschool for next fall for their child? McMannen Preschool is a culturally diverse half-day offering to children ages one to five. Things that distinguish us from other preschools are our small class size, the ability to give your child one-on-one attention, Christian-based curriculum and a family connection that extends long after your time at McMannen ends. We hope you will give us the opportunity to share more about this wonderful school and ministry. Give us a call, send us an , find us on Facebook or stop by any weekday morning between 9:30 and 11:30. Enrollment for the school year begins at the end of January 2015!!! McMannen Preschool is participating in the Labels for Education program this year for the first time. We are trying to collect enough labels to purchase three butterfly gardens by the spring so we can watch the caterpillars turn into chrysalises, emerge as butterflies and then release them into the community. Each butterfly garden is 1,500 so we really need your help. Please click on the link below (our zip code is 27705) and look at the participating products. Labels can be dropped off in the big red box outside of the church office or turned into my box at the church. Please feel free to stop by and say hi any time you are at the church. We would love to have you set up a time to come share your favorite book with us, bake cookies with us, do a craft with us or share any other gift or talent with us. Jackie is always willing to talk about opportunities for you to get to know us better! Our Preschool kids love snacks!! We are always looking for donations of goldfish, Cheez Its, Nilla wafers, Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, cheese balls, animal crackers and plastic bathroom sized cups. Any donations can be left in Jackie's office (the sacristy) or in the labeled box in the narthex.

7 McMannen is a Hot-Spot drop off location for the NC Diaper Bank. Their biggest needs are for size 4, 5 and 6 diapers but all sizes are gladly accepted. Pull Ups and Swimmy diapers are also in high demand. Drop them off in the box located outside of Jackie's office. One in three families face the daily crisis of diaper need. You can be part of the ongoing campaign to bridge this diaper gap today, tomorrow, and in the future. Together we can provide comfort and peace of mind one diaper at a time. Thank you McMannen UMC family!!! The McMannen Preschool Mittens for Missions and Socks for Souls tree was an overwhelming success. Thanks to your generosity we were able to take 10 coats, 3 blankets, 5 pairs of pajamas, 25 onesies, 25 pairs of pants, 47 shirts, 7 scarves, 20 hats, 2 pairs of mittens, 21 pairs of gloves and 95 pairs of socks to Urban Ministries of Durham to be distributed to those in need. The Preschool would like to make a milk jug igloo this winter but we need your help. We need to collect 270 clean milk jugs and lids. Please bring your clean milk jugs to Jackie's office (the sacristy) rather than put them in your recycle bin. We will share pictures of the igloo when it is completed!

8 Building Plans This morning during our staff meeting, something remarkable happened. One of our members came to drop off a modest stack of very old bulletins. Later in the day, Anggie was looking at what she brought, and came across a booklet dating from the mid-1960 s, when Vassar Jones was pastor and when the church was beginning to raise funds for the building of the sanctuary and chapel we worship in today. It is a remarkable piece of history! Listen to these words penned by Pastor Jones 50 years ago! The old church building has had a long and useful past. Many of you were introduced, for the first time in your lives, to the Bible, to God s way of life, and to Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, in the old building. Many others of you have worshiped in the building most faithfully. For these reasons many of you will see the old church come down with heaviness of heart. Yet, we remember that it will be replaced by a beautiful edifice, designed to be worshipful and attractive, as well as comfortable. The old church has stood for almost a century; the new one should stand for twice that long. In a world which needs to be constantly reminded of God, what an effective witness this will be, sitting here in the midst of one of the most progressive sections of our city. The booklet goes on to present hand-drawn pictures and short descriptions of what were once dreams and designs, and which now have stood the test of time for more than a generation! By the grace of God, the congregation built what it said it would build! How many classes of confirmands have posed before smiling parents in front of the altar table of white marble, the center of Worship in the Sanctuary? How many have come to be baptized at the Baptismal font, which reminds us of the sacrament of Baptism and is made of wood with a polished brass cross on top of the lid? How many funerals have been lovingly held within the walls, bathed in the beautiful colored light that spills through the Nave window at the rear of the church?

9 The booklet containing these words was not simply for information; it was actually an appeal for persons to contribute to the building campaign through generous contributions. On the front page the following words are found: I give that part of myself that yearns to make permanent the love I have today. In the latter part of the book, there are specific dollar amounts associated with specific items that could be sponsored as memorials and special gifts. Church pew: $170. Altar: $1,500. Steeple: $7,500. (I would add, Two hundred years of Christcentered worship within these walls: Priceless ) I am writing you today to let you know that McMannen is once again dreaming, designing and building. This time, instead of a physical sanctuary structure with worship art and church furniture, we are building and strengthening a body of people. Many of the babies that were born fifty years ago and baptized in the present sanctuary have grown and moved away, but their participation in God s kingdom remains as a series of signposts for others to follow. Some of those babies have been born here and stayed here. Many who have come along since then have been welcomed into the vibrant life of McMannen. Now, those that remain are sensing a new calling. I wonder if the same words still apply? I give that part of myself that yearns to make permanent the love I have today. If I were to create a special booklet now to show what we are dreaming, designing, and building, it would be filled with images of faces and smiles, eyes and ears, hands and arms and feet. It would have pictures like this: We are designing roles and moments that will introduce and ground a new generation to the gospel, that will cause our faith to grow together in Christ, that will show us the way to serve, and that will propel us to share the good news with even more who have not heard. Here are some of our dreams that are being built into existence! The role of Director of Youth and Young Adult Outreach and Ministries, filled by Calvin Dickenson, who begins his ministry with us this month! The children s and youth activities called CLUBS (Christ s Love Uniting Brothers and Sisters), currently being envisioned and implemented by volunteers and staff. The inclusion of outstanding guest musicians in worship. The inclusion of shut-ins in worship through the expertise of our tech team. The scholarships given to Preschool families who couldn t attend without them. The creation of a summer camp experience that involves young people in improving lives through major home repairs (Servants At Work). The lists goes on! Pastor Ed Page 2

10 In contrast to the booklet from fifty years ago, this time around we are not building a physical structure. We are building new relationships infused with the hope of the gospel. We are building a legacy of people based on McMannen s mission: To proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and to live it out in loving witness to whomever we meet with the purpose of changing hearts and strengthening the community of believers. Of course, we will continue to do everything we can to minister to all the people of our congregation. But we are focusing our new efforts and investments this year on younger generations, and on people we do not yet know Jesus or this congregation: Newborns and Toddlers, Preschoolers and older children, Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers, College and Grad Students, Young Singles and Young Families. We are hiring a person to focus on meeting and discipling the Youth and Young Adults. We are expanding the number of persons we serve in our Preschool. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee has requested funds to further staff our Children s ministries, and they are seeking God s direction on how best to do that. We will need your help. We need your prayers. We need your willingness to invest in a future you cannot yet put a finger on. We need your support and your cooperation. I hope you will join me and all of the faithful at McMannen in working together to build changed lives among the younger generation of our community. I hope that the pledges made fifty years ago continue to ring true to us today: I give that part of myself that yearns to make permanent the love I have today. I hope that we can bear witness to these words of the prophet Isaiah, as we dream and build for the future: See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:19 --Pastor Ed

11 Download our calendar information: A file can be downloaded and imported into any calendar program that will let you import a comma-delimited text file. Most calendaring software, like Outlook, Lotus, etc. has this feature built right in. Simply click the ICAL symbol on the calendar (bottom left corner) on our mcmannenumc.org website to download it to your hard drive. Then open your calendar software and import it. Please always refer to the calendar on the McMannen website for the most up-to-date informa on.

12 4102 Neal Road Durham, NC Fax: Church Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 9 am - 1 pm Sunday Mornings 8:45 am - Worship (in Neal Chapel) 10 am - Sunday School 11:00 am - Worship (in the Sanctuary) Come and Worship! D eadline for the next newsletter, The Messenger, is Monday, January 19 9 am for all events through February. Staff Ed Priestaf, Pastor pastored@mcmannenumc.org Calvin Dickenson Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries & Outreach calvind@mcmannenumc.org Jackie Bolen Director of Preschool jackieb@mcmannenumc.org Anggie Thompson Office Administrator anggiet@mcmannenumc.org Floalice Reaves Organist John Benton Director of Music Ministries johnb@mcmannenumc.org Mission: To proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and to live it out in loving witness to whomever we meet with the purpose of changing hearts and strengthening the community of believers.