Farmville United Methodist Church

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1 Farmville UMC P O Box High Street Farmville, VA Return Service Requested Farmville United Methodist Church Worship with us at 8:30 & 11AM each Sunday! Sunday School for all ages at 9:45AM Office Staff Contact Information Rev. Michael P. Kendall, Lead pastor x24; mkendall@farmvilleumc.org Rev. Lyndsie Blakely, Minister of Youth x23; lblakely@farmvilleumc.org Donna Godfrey, Finance Secretary x26; dgodfrey@farmvilleumc.org Brandy Hogan, Children s Ministry & Christian Edu x 22; brandy@farmvilleumc.org Tracey Oddo, Office Manager x21; toddo@farmvilleumc.org Publication deadlines: 20th of each month for newsletter items 12pm each Wednesday for & Sunday insert To find out more about the mission & ministry opportunities, visit us on the web at call or fumc@farmvilleumc.org!

2 The Messenger January 2019 Farmville UMC Newsletter Rev. Michael P. Kendall Fresh & New The turning of the calendar page, writing the number of a new year, the start of a new semester of school. we enter a fresh season in the weeks ahead. With the arrival of January, we set new year s resolutions and have hopes for how life will unfold before us. Sometimes we carry forward baggage (or Christmas cookie weight!) from the prior year. Some things don t just suddenly change with the drop of a bright ball at midnight. Old habits die hard, riddles we were working on still need attention or answers, and relationships with others continue to require dedication, patience, grace and forgiveness. Blessedly God is our daily bread of life, whose grace is sufficient to all our needs. As we hear in the Old Testament book of Lamentations, Your compassions never fail; your mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness! (Lam 3:22-23) In our Wesleyan theology, we speak of God s sustaining grace. We are made sacred instruments to share God s love. We are continually in the process of being made perfect, meant to be more Christlike every day. As a congregation, we live this out in a weekly rhythm of discipleship as we Worship Connect Serve. Join us in the new year, as we grow in fresh ways as followers of Christ: WORSHIP: in 2019, we will have additional opportunities each week to gather for worship. On January 13, we launch our Be service, on Sundays at 5pm, as a new creative model. We also have folks excited for the return of our Wednesday Praise & Potluck in the weeks ahead. With the potential for 4 services a week, we challenge you that even if you miss your primary service, don t let a week go by without sharing worship with us! CONNECT: our Teaching Ministries have been meeting and planning for small group opportunities in the new year. From short-term studies, new Sunday School topics, and the Bishop s daily Bible Challenge, to seasonal classes and fellowship/covenant groups, we challenge you to participate and grow in at least one small group this year. SERVE: sharing the love of Christ, person-to-person with those in physical need is a means of grace. It is one of the most profound ways of experiencing God s Spirit at work in our world. We have regularly highlighted various missions efforts that serve and build relationships with the poor of our community. We challenge you to be directly involved in these missions in the months ahead. We respond to God s grace each day by participating in the mercies God grants us fresh each morning. There is a great hymn that articulates this vision well: Let us build the City of God, may our tears be turned into dancing, for the Lord our light and our love, has turned the night into day. I am excited for the ways we will be renewed and will renew others by God s grace. See you each Sunday, as we share a place for hope. See you this Sunday! Michael P. Kendall Lead Pastor Best ways to reach me: mkendall@farmvilleumc.org (office, ext. 24) (cell)

3 The Dog Days of Grieving: Post Holiday Blues Why is it so hard now? I thought getting through the holidays would be the worst. If you are having an even harder time with your grief now that the New Year has begun, you are not alone. People say they start dreading the holidays around Halloween, fortify themselves to get through to New Year s and then find their hearts aching more than ever. Whether you like it or not, the holidays are filled with hustle and bustle and families joining together to celebrate. You might feel like your smile may break off your face as family and friends try to cheer you, and as you try not to bring your sorrow with you to the holiday joy. You might have wanted to start fresh on January 1. However, after the holidays everyone returns to their normal lives and you may experience more intensely the gaping hole left by the missing person in your life. It s the time of the dog day of grieving : completely bare branches, cold, early darkness, no hint of spring, long lonely days. Many people have SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and this may create a double dose of sadness. Have faith that the intensity of your pain will eventually lessen. You will get through. Spring will come; both the season and in your heart. The return is unpredictable but it will come. Please know you have a resource here at Farmville United Methodist Church that is here for you. Contact one of our Stephen Ministry Leaders; Carol Fields , Linda Hogan , or Rebecca Maxwell We will respect your journey. Note from Jail Ministry - Tis a Blessing to give and the Methodist Elves took the reason of the Season to the max! We gave 750 stamped Christmas cards to the Regional Jail. For some, this card will be the only contact they will have with Family. The Juvenile Center exploded with awesome joy! Homemade cookies from the UMW Cookie Walk, games, puzzles, socks, hats, gloves and each child received a Christmas bag with candy, books, cookies and notepads. Funds enabled us to purchase computer controllers, games and one elf family contributed an addition to the Wii. Feel the joy that shines brightly from your hearts and know you are stuffed with the blessings of sharing. Thank you. Sheila, Jail Ministry P.S. I am collecting Christmas cards for next year. Put your leftovers in the closet under the stairs (Yall know where). We will be sending care packages out sometime early in the new year. If you know an address for an Active Duty Service member, please provide the information to the Church office as soon as possible.

4 Grief Support meets the 1st & 3rd Wednesday at 2 pm in the Parlor. All are welcome! If you would like more information about the grief group or would like to talk with a Stephen Minister please call Rebecca Maxwell at January Worship Scriptures 1/6 - Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72;1-7 (UM795); Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12 1/13 - Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29 (UM761); Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, /20 - Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10 (UM771); 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11 1/27 - Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19 (UM750); 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21 For more information on the Commission on a Way Forward, visit umc.org/wayforward Facebook: Instagram: You re invited to join the 2019 Liturgist Team. Liturgists serve on Sunday mornings by assisting the Pastor during Sunday morning worship. You will be trained to serve during either service. The 2019 Liturgist Team is being formed now. To learn more about being a Liturgist or to serve, please contact Lay Leader Helen Person ( or haperson.va@gmail.com). Thank you for heeding God s call to service. Although I ve got a ways to go, my shoulder is improving and I've been very blessed to have had so little pain! Ricky and I would like to shout out a big thanks to our church family for the delicious meals, rides, cards, well wishes, and especially prayers since my surgery. You have been such a blessing! Hugs & love, Regina & Ricky Hux I too have a ways to go but my shoulder continues to improve. I was also surprised and blessed at the small amount of pain. That is, until therapy began! I want to thank my church family for your prayers and concern. Love ya Bunches Judie New Worship Service coming this month Come and "BE" a part of our new Sunday evening service. The "BE" worship experience is family-centered, mission focused, and have that home church feel. Join us at 5pm each Sunday evening in the Wesley Foundation Living Room. Bring a friend!!! We promise it will "BE" a place where you will feel like a vital part of the community.

5 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 2PM Grief Support Church Office Closed AM Carroll Rosser, FR Gussett Book Club, Parlor 1:30 Finance, FR :00 PM Be Worship, Wesley 14 7PM Adult Bells :30AM MOPS 2PM Grief Support, Parlor 7PM Chancel Choir :30AM FACES 10AM Breakfast Club, FR 20 12:30PM 2019 Ministry Launch meeting 5:00PM Be Worship, Wesley 21 7PM Adult Bells :15 Trustee s 7PM Chancel Choir :15 PM Teachers Meeting 5:00 PM Be Worship, Wesley 28 7PM Adult Bells PM Chancel Choir 31

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