theconnection It s summer again in Foundry, our young adult ministry here at the Summer of Foundry Sharing the heart of Christ from the heart of Cary.

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1 theconnection FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH CARY Summer of Foundry It s summer again in Foundry, our young adult ministry here at the church. One of the things I was most excited about this summer was getting our college-aged young adults and young professionals together for an event. While these two groups of young adults are in very different life stages, and meet regularly on their own, it was exciting to bring them together for a night. And what better reason than to serve our community and church! So, we planned our first ever Summer Service Night consisting of three service projects and a shared meal. We contemplated the importance of action behind faith as we shopped for and packed 100 bags of food for our Backpack Buddies program. We thought about being transformed by the renewing of our minds while assembling books for our Mighty Monday tutoring program. We contemplated the increasing need for tangible, sacred space in response to an increasingly digital world as we cleaned and polished the pews in our sanctuary. And we contemplated Sabbath as an act of resistance to a culture of hyper-productivity by pausing in the midst of the night s service work to share a meal together. It truly was a beautiful night of service, and it was beautiful to see the college-aged young adults and young professionals serving together. And that s not all we ve done this summer, not even close. We ve prayed together. We ve read Scripture together. We ve broken bread together, all while inviting disconnected friends, coworkers, and classmates to the table. And of course, we ve learned from each other s lives and stories through discussion, and how to orient them in the larger life and story of Christ. On Tuesday nights we gather our 18-22s for College Coffee & Convo at the Schreiner s house. We contemplated the tension of doubt and faith, Christian forgiveness and the death penalty, love and the Holy Spirit, race and human sexuality, and the importance of Sabbath. We even sprawled out across my living room floor for pizza, popcorn, and a movie about mental health, a pressing conversation that many faith communities have yet to create space for. Every other Wednesday night we ve gathered with young professionals and twenty-somethings downtown for our Midweek discussion. We examined stories of isolation and community and discussed the need to resist our generation s trend in isolation, and how the communal nature of a Triune God allows us to do this. We talked about the relationship between Work & Identity and pondered, is what I do for a paycheck also who I am? We even brought in musicians Katie and Kristen Henry (Katie is one of our worship leaders at 1st on Chatham) to lead us in a conversation about creative expression in light of a God who created and is creating, while sharing their creative expression of beautiful folk melodies. So what have we been up to with our young adults in Foundry this summer? What haven t we been up to? Kollin Absher-Baer Sharing the heart of Christ from the heart of Cary. July 27, 2018 Worship: Sunday Sanctuary: 8:25, 9:45, & 11:05am Sunday Celebration: 11:11am 117 South Academy Street Cary, NC Sunday 1st on Chatham: 9:45 and 11:05am The Cary, 122 E. Chatham Street, Cary, NC office: (919) pastor on call: (919) firstcary.com Lori Barmer Communications Coordinator OUR MISSION To make disciples of Jesus Christ who grow in faith and love through worship, fellowship, service and witness to one another and the world.

2 Jesus Rescues! First UMC Cary s Family Ministry Team does Vacation Bible School like rock stars! This year was no exception. Jesus was definitely in this place, changing lives, and offering hope. Alicia Shelton (Family Ministry Associate for Children) shared, I have had the pleasure of leading science at Vacation Bible School for the past several years, watching the excitement on kids faces as they discover something new, or blow something up (they enjoy the latter more)! This year in my new role as a Family Ministry team member, I have been amazed to see what goes on in all areas of VBS, not just the science rooms. Children making new friends, incredible leadership by our youth, compassion toward one another, even in our youngest campers is all terrific but watching the kids truly get the message we are teaching them that Jesus Rescues is mind blowing! We always hope to reach at least one child with any program we provide, but when you see this many children connecting with God, it is truly a God Sighting. Speaking of God Sightings, our children wrote down their God Sightings each day. We linked them together in a chain that wrapped around the entire Fellowship Hall. God was clearly present in all the children s lives during VBS. The sheer number of servants that come together to make this possible is fabulous it really does take a village. The youth that look forward to leading these children each day with love and grace was a little surprising to me. I thought we would need to hard-sell them, but they want to do this, and it shows. Jennifer Gilmore, mother of high-schoolers, said, My kids had so much fun. Thank you for providing an opportunity for them to serve! During the week, I saw children helping other children that had learning or physical setbacks, said Alicia. They recognized that the children in front of them needed a little extra love or time and they gave it freely. Tammy Campbell ed us to say that she had signed up to bring in goodies for the breakroom one day, but after seeing the number of servants we had, and the excitement that her grandson shared with her about his time here, she decided to bring in goodies each day. Tammy wrote, A God-moment for me: our grandson, Jack Campbell (4-year-old who was in the Minnows group), can be a little tearful during drop-off times, so I was nervous about his first day I stayed through group time. His class when to the playground first, which was the perfect separation time. When I picked him up, he was happy and told his mom and dad all about VBS that night. This morning I wasn t sure if he s be tearful or excited. About 8:30, he looked at me and said, Gigi, come on, we need to go to Bible School. That afternoon on the drive home, I heard him singing My Lighthouse from the back seat! I know putting on VBS for 350 children is no small task, but please know I am so appreciative for all the hard work and the many, many servants it takes to make it run smoothly. Mom Jennifer Horton, said, Someone I know is loving VBS shipwrecked. He recreated a scene pillows for a boat, a pan for a paddle, and all his toy sea creatures. He even included the two treasure chests he and Madalyn made! So glad I got to experience last week with him at VBS. Alicia continued, My Light House was the favorite song of the week and moms were posting on Facebook how their kids loved it and were singing it constantly the whole family knew the song by the end of the week. One child who has diabetes was really sick one night during VBS due to his insulin levels and he told his mom not to worry because Jesus Rescues, which was our message for the week! Everywhere we looked, Jesus was present as he always is but during VBS he seemed to be shouting from the roof top! This VBS was incredible for me, I was exhausted when it was over but so fulfilled. Learning about Jesus can be fun, but watching what Jesus does with our children is life changing. Thanks to ALL of the staff, youth and adult servants, and children who chose to spend their week with us. We may feel ship-wrecked at some point in our lives, but Jesus truly rescues! Lori Barmer

3 Library News Native Americans, The Mainline Church, and the Quest for Interracial Justice by David Phillips Hansen. The Native American drive for self-governance may be the most overlooked civil rights struggle of our time David Phillips Hansen examines the church s role in helping America heal Using faith as a weapon against the darkness of injustice, this book will change the way you view how we must solve the pressing problems of racism, poverty, environmental degradation, and violence, and it will remind you that faith can be the leaven of justice. (from the back cover) Han Brave Enough: Getting Over Our Fears, Flaws and Failures to Live BOLD and FREE by Nicole Unice. An invitation to experience life with courage, this book is about opening our eyes to the ways God is calling us to move beyond our fears into boldness (p. xiv). Nicole Unice challenges you to get real about the places where you feel too scared to change, too tired to endure, or too worried to move on. Through personal stories and biblical application, she will lead you on a journey beyond worry and in the life God has planned for you one that s beautiful, full, and free. (from the back cover) Appropriate for individual or small group study Uni The Black Church in America: African American Christian Spirituality by Michael Battle This book gives readers a broad understanding of the Black Church in America and a sense of its uniqueness in the wider world. It explores the history of the Black Church in America, its African roots, beliefs, practices, politics, and contemporary moral dilemmas. The author, Michael Battle, is a Priest in the Episcopal Church and teaches spirituality and Black church studies at Duke University. Audio Books The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. These classic stories are available on CDs as audio dramas with a full cast and featuring quality sound design and music. Each of the seven stories can be checked out separately. Find these audio dramas in the CD/DVD section of the library, Room 224. [CD F Lew] Abba s Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging by Brennan Manning. Is an impostor robbing you of God s love? We ve bought into the lie that we are worthy of God s love only when our lives are going well. If our families are happy or our jobs are meaningful, life is a success. But when life begins to fall through the cracks and embarrassing sins threaten to reveal our lessthan-perfect identity, we scramble to keep up a good front to present to the world and to God. We hide until we can rearrange the mask of perfection. Sadly, it is then that we wonder why we lack intimate relationships and a passionate faith. All this time God is calling us to take the mask off and come openly to him. He longs for us to know in the depth of our beings that he loves us and accepts us as we are. When we are our true selves, we can finally claim our identity as God s child Abba s child and experience his pure pleasure in who we are. Brennan Manning encourages us to let go of the impostor lifestyle and freely accept our belovedness as a child of the heavenly Father. In Him there is life. c [CD 248 Man] United Methodist Men August Program Our speaker will be from Healing Transitions (formerly The Healing Place of Wake County). It is a private, not-for-profit organization located in Raleigh that began providing services in Their mission is to offer innovative, peer-based, recoveryoriented services to homeless and underserved individuals with alcoholism and other drug addictions. The program is specifically designed to rekindle a person s desire and ability to return to a meaningful and productive life. Healing Transitions strives to provide services based upon the following guiding principles: Lower and remove barriers to initiating recovery Provide services on demand Utilize peer-based recovery support services Assist people until they gain stable recovery Empower people to live meaningful and productive lives We provide the following services at both the Men s and Women s campuses: overnight emergency shelter and nonmedical detoxification A social model recovery program, Healing Transitions also offers outpatient services. The outpatient services assist families that have nowhere to turn when dealing with the challenges of alcohol and drug addictions as well as mental health challenges. They also provide assessments for the court as well as full DWI services, individual care, private case management, family work and much more. Please join us on August 11 at 8:00am for the best breakfast in town for $5! Make reservations online or call the church office at First UMC Cary UMM

4 Favorite Scripture Galatians 3:27-28 (nrsv) As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.. Pastors On-Call Your pastors continue to seek ways to provide you with quality pastoral care while balancing the other demands of ministry. In an effort to be available, we have an on-call system. If you need to reach a pastor in an after-hours emergency situation, you may call to reach the on-call pastor for that week. There is also an option to dial this line directly when calling the church office. When you call this number, the pastor on call for the week will respond as soon as possible. Please be mindful when calling this number, as it is for true emergencies only. This includes a death, sudden critical hospitalization of a member, or other such situations. Pastoral care for non-emergencies, such as scheduled hospitalizations, can be arranged through the front office at Staff Profile In this issue, we d like to highlight Beth Lilliston, our Preschool Coordinator (Methodist Children s Center). Where did you go to school? I earned an Associate of Arts degree from Peace College. I then went on to earn a Bachelor of Science of Nursing from East Carolina University. After college, I was fortunate to work in all areas of Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center for 12 years. Tell us about your family. I was born in Durham and lived most of my childhood years there until moving to Greenville. My husband Toby was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, spent early years in Indianapolis before moving to Rocky Mount. We have three lovely and lively children: Mary, a rising junior at Meredith College; Ian, a rising freshman at Appalachian State University; and Emery, a rising fifth-grader at Cary Elementary. What do you do for fun? We moved to downtown Cary in 1999 and have loved watching our community grow and blossom. As a family, we enjoy spending time around any body of water, taking road trips and enjoying the outdoors. What is your role, and how long have you been on our team? I joined the MCC staff in the summer of 2012 as the administrative assistant and have loved every minute of it! My favorite part of my job is welcoming new families into our preschool and church and assisting them in finding their new home within our community. Staying In Touch Summer is the time of travel and adventure! Our pastors once even had a sermon series entitled Up and Down Methodists, referring to our summer trips up to the mountains or down to the beach. The good news is that wherever we are, we don t have to miss church. Our 11:05 morning Sanctuary worship service is livestreamed on our website. Peter and Cheryl Irwin wrote to say, Thank you for providing these livestreams each week. Cheryl and I are traveling the country and being able to still attend these services is important. This week s sermon was especially impactful. Thank you. See you all again next November. Visit to be a part of the worship service and check out the bulletin while you re there!

5 Kairos Prison Ministry The Kairos Prison Ministry Team will be going into North Carolina Central Prison August 1 through August 4 to take the Gospel message to men who need it. There are always some who are very knowledgeable about the Bible and some who know nothing about it. It s always a comforting message, even to me to know that God continues to love a sinner such as myself and wants the best for me. I have learned not to be so quick to judge, and to be more lenient and patient in trying to plant the seed of God s grace, mercy and love since I ve been doing Kairos. In many instances, 20 seconds made the difference between the individual being incarcerated and remaining free! It all boils down to Choices which is one of the 10 talks given to the men attending Kairos. Again, we covet prayers for the team and for those attending. Please check your Sunday School folders for prayer chain information. Sign a line, or several lines if you will pray more than once during the 3.5 days we will be in Central Prison. Start praying for us now! We know from experience that a program bathed in prayer is successful. If you can bake chocolate chip cookies for us, the same directions apply. Store bought dough is fine! The packages with 24 pieces in them make the right sized cookies. Cookies should be 2.5 inches in diameter. Put them in QUART bags that you squeeze the top shut. Yes! 12 cookies will fit in a QUART bag. Let them cool completely or they will become one cookie, because they stick together. I will put boxes in the kitchen July 29 for the cookies to go into. I will get them shortly after the last service. I always check back with the office on the Monday and Tuesday after the last Sunday to see if anyone has brought cookies in. Tuesday is the last day I can get them, though. Thank you to all of you who have supported this very meaningful program! Your Brother in Christ, Scott Hansen 2018 Congregations for Children Summit The 2018 Congregations for Children Summit will be held at Edenton Street UMC on Saturday, August 11. Churches are strongly encouraged to send at least one representative although groups are welcomed. The purpose of this summit is to inform, educate and inspire those involved in leading or participating in a C4C church/ school partnership. Whether you are already involved in C4C or are in the process of considering it for your church, you will find this event helpful. This year s Summit program will include an overview of the Congregations for Children Initiative, practical tips on things your church can do, helpful insights from expert guest speakers, time for interaction and discussion, and helpful reference materials. Visit to register. Girls Basketball at First Cary First UMC Cary is offering open practice to rising 6th through 12th graders throughout the summer. Practices are 6:45 to 8:00 Monday and Friday nights in the Fellowship Hall. This is a great time to check out the program. For more information contact Gary Churchill The ROCK Sunday School Servants The children of the ROCK need your help teaching or assisting in a Sunday School class next school year and we make it easy! Each class is provided with a lesson plan early in the week online and a hard copy in their classroom on Sunday. All supplies and instructions are waiting for you in the class along with a partner to assist you. Please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry for our children. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Psalm 127:3 Visit the link below to sign up. Summer Food and Reading Program We are happy to be feeding lots of children this year right here on our campus at First UMC Cary, with a hot, fresh meal prepared by a chef. We have also added a reading program two days a week and are collecting new and gently used books for preschool to third grade level. We re very excited about what God is doing through this program, but we can only do this with your help. If you have any questions please contact Eugenia Molina at emolina@firstcary.com or Stacy Harrell at sharrell@ firstcary.com. Visit go/5080a4fa8ad2ca1fe3-summer and sign up to serve! Mighty Monday Snack Coordinator Needed The Mighty Monday snack coordinator prepares the snack for approximately 30 children on Monday afternoons at 4:00 at the church. With help, the coordinator plans the Christmas party and the end of year party. It s fun and easy! If you are interested in helping the Mighty Monday children, please contact Nan Clark at or nanceint@nc.rr.com. Tee Up Fore Charities Golf Classic This year s 24th Annual Golf Classic will be held on Monday, September 10, 2018 at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, NC. Please join us to help support this exciting annual event that provides funding for programs and services of both the United Methodist Men of FUMC and the USO of North Carolina RDU Center. Golfers and Sponsors can register online at firstcary.com/umm/tufc or for more information about the event, please contact Eric Christian by cell/text or Eric at hristiancay@gmail.com. WORSHIP ATTENDANCE July 15 July 22 SANCTUARY: CELEBRATION: st ON CHATHAM TOTAL: 1,

6 Addiction Recovery Movement One of the goals of Addiction Recovery Movement group is education. In 1999 there were 279 unintentional poisonings from expired medications in North Carolina. The latest statistics showed a 320% increase to1,178 deaths in Here in Cary there is a permanent drop off box for expired/unused medications in the lobby of the Town of Cary Police Department, 120 Wilkinson Avenue, Monday through Friday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm. They will not take vitamins, needles, liquids or aerosols. The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) has launched a program designed to significantly reduce the prescription drugs in American homes that are either no longer needed or outdated. These same drugs unfortunately have become the target of theft and misuse, oftentimes by people who have access to the residence. Therefore, NADDI has developed this web page to provide the locations of law enforcement sites that are accepting prescription drugs throughout the United States. Certain CVS and Walgreens have drop off boxes. Here are the websites to find ones in Cary and Apex. jsp?rxdisposal=true One in four teens has misused or abused prescription drugs. Most get them from the family medicine cabinet. Help stop prescription drug abuse. Drop off your expired, unused or unwanted medications for safe disposal. CVS Pharmacy GriefShare GriefShare is a 13-week program designed to encourage healing by walking with others who are also grieving. Participants share how they were able to find a new normal in their lives, filled with joy and hope for the future. If you have lost a loved one and are struggling with your grief, we encourage you attend GriefShare. There is a fee of $15 for the GriefShare workbook. If you are repeating the series and already have your workbook, there is no fee. We will meet September 6, to December 13, 6:30 to 8:30pm in room 125. Visit firstcary.com and click the registration button in the middle of the homepage to sign up. Small Group Update There will be an Information and Equipping Session for all leaders and facilitators of Sunday school classes, Small Groups, and Community Groups on Sunday, August 19 at 12:15pm in room 200. A light lunch will be provided. Visit firstcary.com and click the registration button to sign up. Sunday Morning Hospitality Team We are forming a Sunday morning hospitality team to help worshipers who park in the church parking lot. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Matt Wentz at mwentz36@gmail.com. School Supplies for Bridge the Gap Bridge the Gap Mission distributes book bags stuffed with school supplies to schools in Southeast Raleigh in early August, and we are collecting through July. You can drop the school supplies off at the box in the hallway or the church office. These go to students who do not have a new book bag to start the school year or do not have school supplies at home. Thanks for all you do. We need the following: Book bags Markers Crayons Glue sticks No. 2 pencils Contact bviersen@aol.com with any questions. Wide ruled notebook paper Colored pencils Composition notebooks Safety scissors In Case of Emergency If you need to reach a pastor in an after-hours emergency situation, you may call to reach the on-call pastor for that week. There is also an option to dial this line directly when calling the church office. When you call this number, the pastor on call for the week will respond as soon as possible. Please be mindful when calling this number, as it is for true emergencies only. This includes a death, sudden critical hospitalization of a member, or other such situations. Pastoral care for non-emergencies, such as scheduled hospitalizations, can be arranged through the front office at Racism Task Force Small Groups Forming Members of the Racism Task Force will be leading Small Groups over the summer in which people may participate. There is a study guide, and the book, Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race which will be used to inform and guide discussion. The books are available for $12. There are currently three Small Groups, with others (such as Sunday school classes) getting organized. If you have any questions, please contact the group facilitator. As more groups form, we will let you know on the website and in blasts. Tuesdays at 1:30pm, beginning July 10, Martha Glass, facilitator, at her home contact her for directions ( , mimiglass44@att.net) Tuesdays evenings, room 231, beginning July 24; Jim Messina, facilitator (jim.messina7@gmail.com) Thursday evenings, room 156, beginning July 26; Sally Abbas, facilitator (swabbas65@gmail.com) Wednesdays at noon, room 226, beginning August 1; Linda Hodges, facilitator (lahodges@bellsouth.net)