Gainesville District Newsletter March 2017

Transcription

1 Gainesville District Newsletter March 2017 An Easter Challenge I want to present you with an Easter challenge. As we move toward Easter, I want to challenge you to invite family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances to experience not only Easter, but to experience all the events leading up to Easter Sunday. One of the joys of going on a trip is the anticipation. The excitement of all that the things and experiences the journey will hold. The opportunity to see things we have never seen, have feelings we have never had, and build relationships we have never had the opportunity to build. Just as a trip to a particular destination is a journey, so are the experiences that make up our faith journey. We don t just arrive at Easter. There are events that lead up to Easter that make it special. I hope that you are inviting folks to worship with you every Sunday, but I especially challenge you to invite them to some very special events that will be happening prior to Easter Sunday. Perhaps your church is having an Easter Cantata or some other special choir performance, this will be a great opportunity to invite the community to experience the Easter journey in a non-intimidating way. There is always the temptation to rush to Easter without spending anytime with the events leading up to Good Friday. To help us focus on what Christ did for us, plan on attending Holy Week Services, and especially the Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday service, either at your church or another church that is having these powerful, meaningful and moving services. For me, and for many others, Maundy Thursday is the service that so often shakes us to the core of our very being. It stands to remind us in very stark and vivid ways how much Jesus loves us, and what he was willing to endure so that we might be saved from our sins. Everyone one needs to know and experience the message this service shares. This very special service sets the stage for Easter and makes the celebration so much sweeter. All of us need to be reminded of the journey to Easter. For those who have never heard or for whatever reason strayed from the journey, now is the time for us to invite them to journey with us. These opportunities for worship will plant seeds in all of us that the Holy Spirit will continue to feed and foster. The message of the cross and the resurrection is our story. I challenge you to invite everyone to share in our story. Be thinking about who you are going to invite and invite them to journey with you beginning next Sunday and all the upcoming events in the weeks to come. It will make Easter an even greater celebration! Blessings, Richard 1

2 April Mike Borchert 3 David Bowen 6 Charlie Green 6 Sam Hamby 7 Phil DeMore 15 Jim McLendon 25 If you are a minister in the Gainesville District, active or retired, and your birthday is not listed during the designated months, please send us your information at gnsv@ngumc.net Pre Conference Briefing Sunday, May 21 3 pm Gainesville First UMC 2780 Thompson Bridge Road Gainesville, GA

3 North Georgia Annual Conference 2017 June The Classic Center Athens, Georgia Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, presiding MissionInsite Training What is MissionInsite? MissionInsite is a demographics program that provides churches with instant access to community information. You ll get desktop, web-based access to demographic data for a variety of geographic levels. The system also provides local churches with the ability to locate their church members and others affiliated with their church on your map. Discovering your church s ministry opportunities has never been easier. Rev. Hyo Kim will lead the training on this program. This training will be offered on the following dates. Please select which one you will be attending. Date: March 15, 2017, and/or April 19, 2017 Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Location: UM Center Davis Room Century Circle, Suite 100, Atlanta NOTE: Please bring your laptop computer to the training. To Register: 3

4 Beautiful Outcome Marriage Retreat Open Up Power, Possibilities, & Passion in Relationship Jeff & Julia Woods, facilitators Dates: Location: Friday, April 28 th, 7:00 8:30 pm and Saturday, April 29 th, 9 4 pm Sugar Hill UMC For More Information and Registration: ************************************************************ McEver Road UMC Sixth Annual Golf Tournament Mossy Creek Golf Course Saturday, April 29, 2017 For more information, contact Loyd Smee l.smee@charter.net or ************************************************************ 4

5 Lay Servant Ministries North Georgia Conference, Gainesville District Spring 2017 Courses Saturdays May 6 13, am 3 pm Gainesville First UMC Adult Lounge 2780 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA Director: Evelyn Wells, , wellsevelyn5@gmail.com Lay Servants partner with clergy to extend Christ s message in the church and community through leadership in small groups, stewardship, evangelism, worship, etc. Before enrolling in an Advanced course, you must have completed the Lay Servant Basic course. The Prayer course listed below is approved as 1 of the 6 required courses for those seeking to become a Certified Lay Speaker. It is also recommended for Certified Lay Servants as a broadening experience. The Spiritual Gifts class is also 1 of the 6 required courses for those seeking to become a Certified Lay Speaker. It too is recommended for Certified Lay Servants as a broadening experience. The Storytelling course is supportive learning for everyone including to help round out those who have completed the 6 required courses for the Certified Lay Speaker program. Advanced Course Prayer Instructor: Rev. Christine Greenwald, Associate Pastor, Dahlonega First UMC This course on praying in public will help the participant grow in confidence and skill in prayer, both public and personal. It will, at the very least, present an opportunity to grow in the discipline of leading public prayer. Advanced Course Spiritual Gifts Instructor: Chris Strickland North Georgia Conference Certified LSM Instructor; St. Paul UMC, Washington Street, Gainesville This course helps participants understand spiritual gifts and how the church can use them to fulfill its mission and ministry. Participants will also learn what it means to be a spiritual leader and will be equipped to lead others in exploring and using their spiritual gifts. Advanced Course Storytelling (Dancing with Words) Instructor: Rev. David Bowen Senior Pastor, Commerce First UMC Participants in the course will learn what constitutes a good story, discover storytelling styles, learn the techniques of effective storytelling, and practice creating stories from their experiences. 5

6 REGISTRATION $40.00 Registration Fee (Mark course) Prayer Spiritual Gifts Storytelling Saturdays, May 6 & 13, am 3 pm (light lunch served) Gainesville First UMC 2780 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA Register ASAP, but not later than April 20, 2017! (Classes usually fill within less than 2 weeks of announcement. (Don t hesitate!) Name Phone (Best) Address City Zip Home Church District Make check/money order payable and to: Gainesville District Office 343 Northside Drive, NW Gainesville, GA