Joe. Hand-in-Hand in the Rock Hill District

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1 It seems so out of place when Christmas rolls around at this wonderful festive time. So many are feeling down. Grief, sorry, heartaches, low funds, illness, and pain. But then I remember our need is why Christ came. The above was my Christmas poem of That was the year my Uncle Billy died and Mama had her stroke. As a pastor, I have been well aware that sad things happen during the holiday season. When others are having a good time and merriment is expected, experiencing hardship seems intensified. Holiday blues is a reality for many. We have needs. We live in a world of need. Our need is why Christ came. Remember. God is with us in Christ. We are not alone in our pain. God shares our human dilemma. With him we are comforted and have hope. Our Savior comes to us. Remember. God sends us to help those who are hurting. We who receive Christ s comfort are to give comfort to others. This season stirs our generosity and compassion. Along with the ministries your local church is engaged, here are some worthy ways to share Christmas hope: 1. Apportionment giving is the main missional effort of our church. 2. Hurricane Matthew and the 2015 flood relief efforts need volunteers and donations. 3. The Homeless Initiative for our 2017 Annual Conference 4. Bikes for the World for 2017 Annual Conference. Joe December 2016 South Carolina United Methodist Conference Rev. Joe N. Long, Jr., District Superintendent Lollie Haselden, District Secretary 139 Elizabeth Lane, Rock Hill, SC fax rhdist@umcsc.org Inside this issue: Important Dates and Local District News Conference Announcements Asbury Hills/ Other District Website rockhill.umcsc.org

2 December 2016 Page 2 Important Dates and Local District News Dates to Remember: December 15, Thursday Advisory Response Forms Due (submit to district office) Church Profiles Due (submit online) Pastor Profiles Due (submit online) January 5, Thursday District Clergy Meeting 9:30 am Gathering Winthrop Wesley Foundation 10:00 am Meeting January 10, Tuesday 2016 Apportionment Deadline Save the Date! On Saturday, February 11, 2017, Bishop Holston and other conference leaders will join us for a morning of fellowship and learning during the Bishop s Forward Focus Tour. Mt. Holly UMC (Rock Hill) is the host church. Registration information will be released in early January. Save the date and make plans to join. Apportionments Thank you for your commitment to our connectional giving, supporting the ministries and mission of our global church, through apportionments. So far for 2016, our district has contributed 76.71% of our fair share. The last day to pay 2016 apportionments to the Conference Treasurer is Tuesday, January 10, The payments must be in the Treasurer s office by 4:00 pm that day. If paying via VANCO, the payment should be initiated by Monday, January 9, 2017.

3 December 2016 Page 3 Celebrating Thanksgiving on Tuesday, November 22, 2016, First United Methodist and Greenpond United Churches of Clover held their annual Joint Thanksgiving Service at Greenpond UMC. Rev. Tommy Wilkes gave all an uplifting message reminding us to be thankful for the true bread of life. Several churches members (Greenpond UMC, Harmony UMC, Clover Chapel UMC, First UMC, St. Paul UMC and Kings Mountain Chapel UMC) worshipped together. Pictured above in attendance were (l-r) Rev. Tommy Wilkes, First UMC, Clover, Rev. Meg Wilkes, First UMC, Clover, Rev. Sharon Gamble, Greenpond UMC, Clover, Rev. Brian Preveaux, Kings Mountain Chapel, York/St. Paul, Clover Charge, Rev. Brandon Lazarus, Associate Pastor, First UMC, Clover and Rock Hill District Superintendent, Rev. Joe Long. Photo courtesy Joy Preveaux. Grace Community United Methodist Church is looking for an Administrative Assistant who will provide the administrative and communication needs of the church as assigned by the Lead Pastor. This includes tasks related to weekly bulletin production, social media communications, calendar administration, website duties and other miscellaneous responsibilities. The position is for 20 hours per week with pay starting at $12/hour but commensurate with experience. Please contact/send resume to: pastorkim@come2grace.org UMVIM Team seeking medical and building volunteers The Rock Hill District UMVIM team is seeking volunteers to serve in Santiago, Panama from March 18-26, The team will be working on the second story of a multipurpose worship and community building. We are looking to add a medical component to the mission to work with missionary Cindy Ceballos. We are looking for building and medical volunteers. Cost of the mission is $ Contact Ken Hudson if interested: Kenrhudson@yahoo.com

4 December 2016 Page 4 SC Conference Spouses Retreat Lake Junaluska, NC March 3-5, 2017 Sign up today! We are looking for a group to go from our district, if you are a non-clergy spouse planning on attending and looking for a room-mate and to carpool together, contact Joy Preveaux at Jpreveaux40@gmail.com or Lynne Chandler at Mrs.lynnechandler@gmail.com Deadline date to register is January 27, 2017 Let s make a good showing from the Rock Hill District!

5 December 2016 Page 5 Leann Mellon, Trinity UMC, York and Elizabeth Owens, First Presbyterian Church, York organizers and visionaries who saw a need in the York community held their 7th Annual Turkey Run and it was another success! The cloudy morning did not stop 574 runners/walkers, 20 sponsors and about 40 in the golf cart gobble to participate for a worthy cause. Total raised is still being counted. 100% of the proceeds will go to P.A.T.H. (People Attempting To Help), York. The run is held on Thanksgiving Day morning, to join in the ministry of this event, go ahead and mark on your 2017 calendar! To learn more go to their website: A few instructions, a prayer and then Get ready, get set. Registration and fellowship. Rev. Brian Preveaux cheering and encouraging all to keep on trotting! All photos courtesy Joy Preveaux. Downtown York full of turkey runners and walkers!

6 December 2016 Page 6 Journey to Bethlehem A walk-through, interactive pageant of the Living Christmas Story is St. John's biennial gift to the community. We invite you to come share in its message! Friday, December 9 6: Saturday, December 10 5:30-7:30 Sunday, December 11 5:30-7:30 (Ride through available for those challenged with disabilities) St. John's United Methodist Church 321 S. Oakland Avenue, Rock Hill (803)

7 December 2016 Page 7 Good Sam United Methodist church, Lake Wylie is offering Surviving The Holidays on Saturday, December 3, 2016 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Below is information on it. This is a one-time stand-alone presentation for anyone going through separation or divorce. No other commitment is required. I can be contacted with any questions or concerns. To learn more, call: What Is DivorceCare: Surviving the Holidays? Surviving the Holidays is a two-hour special event that functions just like a typical DivorceCare session. It is designed to: Help people who are separated or divorced through the difficult holiday season Serve your existing DivorceCare group members Grow your current ministry Be a major outreach into your community Want to Learn More about Surviving the Holidays? Visit surviving. There you ll find: A complete description of the Surviving the Holidays kit and how to use it Video previews Sample participant Survival Guide pages A video clip on how to use your seminar for effective outreach Bios of the holidays experts FAQs and much more

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9 December 2016 Page 9 Opening Date: The Men's Warming Center at Bethel United Methodist Church, Rock Hill is open. Meal Calendar: We will once again be utilizing the Take Them A Meal website to coordinate meals. Go to to sign up to serve meals. Men's Warming Center Wish List: Items on this list may be dropped off Monday - Thursday from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., or when you serve a supper to the men once we are open for this season. ***Some items on the list are needed prior to the shelter starting date and have been marked with asterisks *** ***25 CLEAR PLASTIC BINS 18 GALLON SIZE*** ***40 BED PILLOWS*** BACK PACKS UNDERWEAR (BOXERS PREFERRED) M, L, XL TOILET PAPER CLOROX Men s Warming Center RUBBER GLOVES PINE SOL LIQUID HAND SOAP ROOM DEODORIZERS DECAF COFFEE SUGAR WALKING SHOES (the men love hiking boots) Walmart 29.99, as of this writing, 10/3/16 Sam s has Eddie Bauer waterproof hiking boots for WARM GLOVES TOBOGGANS SCARFS SOCKS JEANS ALL SIZES WARM JACKETS M, L, XL THROUH 5XL LONG SLEAVE T-SHIRTS LONG JOHNS M, L, XL READING GLASSES WALLETS COLOGNE SHOWER SHOES FOOT POWDER Monetary Donations Needed: As many of you may know last year we opened an overflow shelter as the number of men needing to be sheltered grew. We have plans this year to do the same as needed. In order to open the overflow shelter, we will need additional funding. All monetary donations would be greatly appreciated. Contact: directly the Men s Warming Center Committee at menswarmingcenter@gmail.com to receive information where you and your church can serve.

10 Photo courtesy of Nichole Moss Davis Photo courtesy of Nichole Moss Davis Photo courtesy of Nichole Moss Davis Photo courtesy of Nichole Moss Davis December 2016 Page 10 November 15, 2016 O l d e r A d u l t s M i n i s t r y o f Green Pond UMC, Clover provided a thanksgiving dinner for the seniors of the church. Photo courtesy of Nichole Moss Davis November 13, 2016 Veterans Day Recognition at Green Pond UMC, Clover October 23, 2016 Laity Sunday, Lay Servant William Moss of Green Pond spoke at Mt. Harmony UMC in Lake Wylie, SC

11 December 2016 Page 11 Conference Men N Ministry Weekend We were excited to see around 1,000 participants at our Men N Ministry Weekend Event at Christ United. We should have the final count soon and we are still receiving your evaluations. We are grateful for your participation and feedback. We are growing and are excited by your interest in Men N Ministry locally, statewide, and nationally. Together we can make our mark on the world. Feb. 17th & 18th, 2017

12 December 2016 Page 12 How else can you help? The United Methodist Committee on Relief provides easy, step-by-step instructions for how to assemble health kits, cleaning (flood) bucket kits and other needed items at its website,umcor.org. The kits can be delivered to the S.C. Conference Center at 4908 Colonial Drive in Columbia. Please do not bring unsolicited items to the Conference Center. Donate financially to the S.C. Conference s disaster relief efforts at umcsc.org/data/disasterresponsedonation.php, and to UMCOR s Advance U.S. Disaster Response, which allows UMCOR to respond quickly and appropriately to emergencies in the United States. The S.C. Conference is soliciting donations (or loans) of GPS devices that ERT teams can use to help get to their destinations safely. Please call or disaster response coordinator Matt Brodie at or mbrodie@umcsc.org if you can help. Pray for the safety of those affected by the storm, emergency responders and Early Response Teams providing relief efforts. UMCSC Youth Basketball Tournament Information: Registration for the 40th Annual UMCSC State Basketball Tournament is NOW OPEN! CLICK HERE to register your teams and input your roster, then CLICK HERE to pay the registration fees ($225 per team if paid by Dec. 15). Please note that when you arrive at the tournament in Greenville, you will be required to have a roster (that matches the roster on file) signed by the pastor of your church. If you have combined churches to field a team, pastors from all of those churches must sign the roster. We want to make a big deal out of the 40th anniversary of this ministry, so the 2017 tournament will look very different from previous tournaments. You can check SCMYP.org for an updated copy of the Tournament Rules and Regulations and other helpful links, but let us highlight some major changes right now.

13 December 2016 Page 13 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger. Luke 2:16 NIV NATIVITY EXHIBITION Calvary United Methodist Church 1130 Calvary Church Road Swansea, SC Friday, December 2 4:00-8:00 pm and Saturday, December 3 1:00-5:00 pm Over 200 nativity displays from around the world. Santa s Gift Shop will be open for holiday shopping. Enjoy a cup of coffee or cocoa while you visit with friends and neighbors.

14 December 2016 Page 14 Hands and Feet is a can t miss opportunity for your youth group to be the Hands and Feet of Christ while worshiping and fellowshipping together. Your group will worship together, dive deeper through group devotions, and get to get their hands dirty with projects around Asbury Hills. To book your group's spot, call or office@asburyhills.org Weekends are still available for your spring retreat. Be sure to call today to book your spot!

15 December 2016 Page 15 Register now for Summer 2017 and you can lock your spot in with 2016 rates! The Summer 2017 Calendar is below and be sure to click for more information on registration!

16 December 2016 Page 16 The Star of Bethlehem Nov. 5, 2016 and runs through Jan. 1, 2017 Star of Bethlehem is a full dome planetarium experience that takes the audience back to the little town of Bethlehem to investigate the story of the "Christmas Star." The show presents historical and scientific facts to unravel this 2,000-year old mystery through a special audiovisual show featuring popular Christmas carols of the season. Click