THE TWIG BENDER. By Glenda and Steve Stalnaker

Transcription

1 Greenwood UMC June 2013 THE TWIG BENDER June 2013 Page What Do You Expect in Heaven? By Glenda and Steve Stalnaker W hat if someone invited you to go to a circus, but you d never been to one, nor seen one on TV? Would you know what to expect? Your host would tell you that the circus is a place of fun, entertainment, thrills and excitement, but would you be able to understand any of that? What in the world is a flying trapeze? Clowns stuffed in a Volkswagen? Would you look forward to the experience eagerly despite being only able to grasp the edges of what to expect to see and experience there? OUR MINISTRY OF PRAYER Please pray for these brothers and sisters in Christ Zack Carns, Bob and Mary Carter, Jeremy Coleman, Ronald Dolan, Ashley Draper, Jennifer Edwards and babies, McKenzie Fulcher, Lisa Patteson, Raymond Ritchie, Tommy Sheets, Lavelle Sheffield, Steve Sheffield, Teresa, Bobby and Austin Skloss, Karston Marshall Smith, Harold Yeary, Greenwood s After School Children What do you expect to find when you get to Heaven? (Not sure you re going? Read on.) In his book Nearing Home Billy Graham writes: Admittedly the Bible doesn t answer all our questions about Heaven. One reason is that Heaven is so much greater than anything our limited minds can ever imagine. Even if God answered all our ques- (Continued on page 12)

2 Page 2 From the Pastor Greenwood Planning A little over 4 months ago, we met for a couple of hours for a time of planning. The discussion was rich and covered a myriad of topics. We spent time discussing strengths and weaknesses and ways of using our awareness of them as we strive to serve God. We live in a very goal oriented society that likes easy-to-measure, clear-cut goals we can check off and feel good about. I am no different. It is amazing the satisfaction that comes from washing dishes or cutting the grass in my yard because I can see when the job is done and mark it off my to do list. The work of the Spirit is very different. We often have trouble seeing when the task at hand is done. The Gospels tell us that the mission of Christ s church is to make disciples. How do you mark making disciples of Jesus off your to do list? When is the disciple made? How many do you have to make before you have reached disciples? At our January retreat we discussed ways in which we could work to make disciples. We discussed how our sound system kept some people from being able to hear the service well. Adjustments were made to the sound system and are checked weekly to help those (Continued on page 11) Practicing Our Faith Study Sessions Service as a Vehicle for Prayer, led by Rev. Barbara. Tuesday, June 4, 7 p.m. at Greenwood and Thursday, June 6 10:30 a.m. at Laurel Park.

3 June 2013 Page 3 Vacation Bible School 2013 Market Place 29 A.D. Hey Kids Age 4 Fifth Grade! Come visit our Bible Times marketplace take a trip back to 29 A.D! You ll get to dress in a Bible times costume, try food they would have eaten, learn songs, dances, and stories from ancient times, and try out some ancient arts, crafts, and trades jobs you might have had if you had lived way back then! There will be brick making, basket weaving, bread making, pottery, kite making, etc. Plus, at the end of every morning, actors will do a short play about an event from Jesus life! We will have a lot of fun together, and you will get to take home the cool stuff you made! Ask your parents to bring you to Greenwood s Vacation Bible School The Marketplace is open on the lawn at Greenwood June from 9 11:30 a.m. Plus a Fun/Games Day with lunch on Friday, June 28 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Come and experience Bible times 29 A.D.!

4 Page 4 After School Ministry After School Wraps up Successful Year By Porter Schermerhorn The after school program will end another successful year on June 14, with a picnic lunch and outdoor fun at Crump Park. After starting the school year with 3 boys and 6 girls, we will finish up with 9 boys and 4 girls. Some highlights of the school year have included our field trips to the Virginia Aviation Museum, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, The Maggie Walker National Historic Site, a hayride and agriculture lesson at Jeff Sears pumpkin patch, two trips to The Bass Pro Shops in Ashland, and our first trip to Crump Park In between, we have done hours and hours of reading and homework; had approximately a dozen birthday parties; celebrated Christmas and Easter; enjoyed learning about the Bible as well as Christian traditions from Pastor Denise and Pastor Barbara; experienced cooking and eating yummy foods with Ms. Amy and Mr. Porter; enjoyed crafts ranging from making scarecrows to painting Christmas tree ornaments; and participated in a daily devotional lesson and prayer time. The kids have also played hours and hours of indoor and outdoor games, eaten several tons of snacks, lived through a few scrapes and bruises, and made some new friends. Many thanks to all who lovingly made cupcakes; to those who sent birthday cards, snacks, and gift baskets to the children; and (Continued on page 7)

5 June 2013 Page 5 LAMB s Basket Update Giving and Receiving By Nancy Yeary One of our drivers came in last week and asked me if LAMB's Basket could donate anything to help the Oklahoma tornado victims. Our staff put together several hundred pounds of soup, dry cereal and baby food to send via truck. There was no debate as to whether or not to send this aid. The need was so great and I think Oklahoma would do the same for us. School will be out soon and that means the children of our clients will be at home without the benefit of subsidized lunches at school. Feeding kids becomes a challenge during the summer so it is vitally important to make donations especially geared towards them. Favorites are always, peanut butter and jelly, lunchables, pastas, and ready-to-eat meals. Remember, LAMB s Basket is a 501-C-3 organization, so all donations are tax deductible. Maybe you can t make a monetary or food donation to LAMB s Basket just now, but you can collect and donate paper grocery bags with handles. We continue to be blessed with donations, including those from the good people at Greenwood UMC. Check out the LAMB s Basket web site at Dad s Pictures for the Altar Thanks to all of you who brought pictures of your moms for Mother's Day. We will do the same for our fathers for Father's Day, June 16. You can drop off pictures of your dads in the church office before Wednesday, June 12. Thanks so much; this should be fun.

6 Page 6 Virginia Annual Conference 2013 The 231 st session of the Virginia Annual Conference will convene at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Friday, June 21, to Sunday, June 23. The Richmond District will conduct its Orientation/Pre- Conference Session on Monday, June 3, 7:00 p.m. at Welborne UMC, 920 Maybeury Drive, Richmond. This session is for all local church lay members to Annual Conference, all district at-large elected members to Annual Conference and active, diaconal, extension ministries and retired Clergy. There are a number of ways you can contribute to the ministries of the Annual Conference. Potato Drop The Virginia Conference Board of Global Ministries and the Society of St. Andrew are co-sponsoring the annual Potato Drop at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, June 22, Volunteers are needed to help bag and load more than 20 tons of donated potatoes to be picked up by regional food banks, church pantries, soup kitchens and other local feeding agencies. Conference Offering This year the Annual Conference special offering goal is $200,000 in support of projects helping children in four countries: Brazil Shade and Fresh Water program for at-risk Fellowship Dinners and FunRaiser s Bag Lunches... (Continued on page 9) are taking a vacation. They ll be back in September. Thanks for your support!

7 June 2013 Page 7 Willing Workers Circle The Willing Workers Circle will meet at the Hermitage Grill for our June 5 meeting. We are all looking forward to our summer social. Due to vacations and beach weekends this will be our last meeting until the first Wednesday in September. We hope ya ll will have a safe and wonderful summer. Ruth Circle The Ruth Circle will meet Wednesday, June 5 at Debbie s Kitchen at 6:30 p.m. We will be making 20 Kits for Conference. We took 5 vegetable trays to UMFS for their Foster Parent Appreciation Day in May. We prepared 1 vegetable tray for the L.D. Stuck memorial service. We made cupcakes for After School children s birthdays all year. After School Wraps up (Continued from page 4) to all who have generously offered up their time and prayers. We really appreciate that. And a special note of thanks to Maurice Hawkins and Steve Stalnaker for substitute teaching. Greenwood After School will start again the day after Labor Day, as we begin an even better year! So if you know of any kids or parents who might be interested in a top notch after school program in the coming year, please have them call the church office at ; or the after school program at If they sign up now for next year, they can save the start-up fee of $50.00!

8 Page 8 Greenwood UMC June 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 8 a.m. Men s Breakfast 2 LAMB s Basket Sunday 3 6 a.m. Drive By Prayer 6:30 p.m. Boy 7 p.m. Finance Committee Meeting 7 p.m. District Conference a.m. Drive By Prayer 6:30 p.m. Boy 4 7 p.m. Prayer Study 5 6 Women s Circles 10:30 a.m. Prayer Study LPUMC 6:30 p.m. Choir Practice 6:30 p.m. Cub :30 p.m. Choir Practice 6:30 p.m. Cub Flag Day Father s Day 17 6 a.m. Drive By Prayer 6:30 p.m. Boy :30 a.m. Cornerstones 20 6:30 p.m. Choir Practice 6:30 p.m. Cub 21 Summer Begins 22 A n n u a l C o n f. Q u i l t e r s 23 A n n u a l C o n f th Sunday Service at Greenwood; pot luck follows 24 Twig Bender Deadline 6 a.m. Drive By Prayer 6:30 p.m. Boy :30 p.m. Choir Practice 6:30 p.m. Cub V a c a t i o n B i b l e S c h o o l M a r k e t p l a c e 2 9 A. D

9 June 2013 Page Virginia Annual Conference (Continued from page 6) "street" children; Mozambique Classroom construction and building repairs for Janene Pennel Secondary School; Cambodia Christian education materials, scholarships and other projects with children focused on growing the young church; Virginia three children's ministries: One Family Una Familia, a new Eastern Shore District tutoring ministry for Hispanic children; The Henry Fork Center in rural Franklin County; and All God s Children Camps for children of incarcerated parents. 4 Cans 4 Conference For the fifth year, each clergy and lay member of Annual Conference is encouraged to bring 4 Cans 4 Conference, canned goods or boxed dry foods to benefit local area food banks. This year, the food will go to the Peninsula Food Bank. Over the last four years, about nearly 9,500 pounds of food have been contributed annually. And, don t forget Kits for Conference! Disaster relief and emergency kits are among our traditional contributions to Annual Conference. Kits will be collected through early June and then transported to the Conference in Hampton where they will be shipped to replenish supplies at the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) depot. For more info, and kit contents, see the lists in the narthex or on the Conference web site. If you re into high tech, you can watch all sessions of the threeday Conference via live streaming from the Conference website or Facebook Fan page. Live streaming includes Sunday morning worship June 23, when Bishop Young Jin Cho will preach. Much more information is available on the Conference web site at

10 Page 10 VBS 2013 Volunteer Opportunities We need census takers to welcome children to VBS and help kids sign in. Shepherds will watch over them as they enjoy the marketplace booths, and to help them know when it s time to go to the storyteller and the snack booths. Guards are needed to help children remember not to run out into the street. And a variety of different kinds of booths are needed for the marketplace snack makers and bread bakers, musicians and storytellers, people who work with wood and those who would enjoy helping the children make mud bricks. Stone masons and weavers, basket makers, potters and artists.. Roaming characters tax collector, beggar wander about. We will need a person to help the children and their adult leaders get their costumes when they arrive and return them before they leave. Finally, several people are needed each day for a drama that spontaneously takes place in the marketplace each day. There is a role for everyone! Fifth Sunday Combined Service June a.m. Greenwood Pot Luck Dinner Afterwards In the Fellowship Hall

11 June 2013 Page 11 (Continued from page 2) From the Pastor, Continued... who need assistance to hear better. The trustees are looking at possible changes to the system that will improve things even more. We also discussed the feeling of disconnect between the choir and the congregation, the physical limitations of so many steps in the chancel area, and other ways of improving worship. A sub-committee is hard at work with the Trustees to make physical changes to the chancel area. We continue to work on communicating better within the church in making sure people know what is going on and when, in discussing what needs to be done to make sure things are ready, and to strive to understand things the same way. Much work still needs to be done in this area and every member can help by listening well, asking questions, and sharing their thoughts. We discussed the need to be more visible in the community, to reach out to the neighbors, and to be in mission together. We are distributing fliers, changing signing, offering Monday morning prayer, moving outside for some events, and talking to neighbors. Recently we worked with Habitat for Humanity on a sign a board campaign and raised money to help them with their next house. Progress is happening. We are being in ministry to each other and to people in the community. Can we do more? Absolutely. But instead of focusing on checking items off a list, we need to focus on seeing opportunities to focus on serving God by being present and by focusing on doing the work the Holy Spirit guides us toward. Grace and Peace Barbara

12 Page 12 What Do You Expect in Heaven? (Continued from page 1) tions about Heaven, we wouldn t be able to understand them! The Bible says: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) So, then, trying to describe Heaven, to those of us who ve never experienced it, is a bit like trying to grasp what a circus is like for those who have never seen one. Rev. Graham points out that Heaven is glorious (Revelation 21:11, 21, 23), perfect (1 Corinthians 13:10; Revelation 21:4, 27; 2 Peter 3:13), joyous (Psalm 16:11, Hebrews 12:22 23), active (Revelation 22:5) and certain (1 John 5:11 12). Heaven is certain? How can you know; how can you be certain? All you need do is repent of your sins (everyone has some) and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior (1 John 1:7, John ). Do this and you get instant salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). See you at the glorious, perfect, joyous, active and certain circus; see you in Heaven. Hawkins Great Grandson

13 June 2013 Page 13 Greenwood Church Family Birthdays Adamarye Patteson... 6/11 Tina Neagle... 6/12 Roy Sheets... 6/22 Willis Sheffield... 6/24 Harvey Roach... 6/25 Jean Mowatt... 6/27 Anniversaries Page & Jeannette Jackson... 6/1 Betty & Raymond Ritchie... 6/9 Paul & Teresa McCartney... 6/26 Brad & Gina Lahocki... 6/28 Lavelle & Willis Sheffield... 6/30 Don t see your birthday or wedding anniversary in The Twig Bender and would like to have us publish it? Send your dates to admin@gumcva.org or call the church office at ; likewise, let us know if you d like your birthday or anniversary removed. Rev. Barbara s new home phone number: (effective June 5) Last Month s Ice Cream Social Raised $174 for Habitat for Humanity!

14 Page 14 May Attendance and Offerings Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce Proverbs 3:9 Date Sunday School Worship Giving May ,229 May ,403 May ,229 May ,853 May Totals ,714 Weekly Average ,679 YTD Totals ,620 YTD Averages ,077 We need a weekly offering of at least $2,678 to meet Greenwood s operating budget of $139,240. Your generosity is appreciated. June Communion Offering Virginia United Methodist Homes (VUMH) Samaritan Program is a publication of Greenwood United Methodist Church Greenwood Road Glen Allen, VA Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Worship 11 a.m. Pastor Rev. Barbara Lewis revbarbara@gumcva.org Minister of Christian Ed. Rev. Denise Janssen revdlj@att.net Music Director Ms. Susanna Carson After School Phone: Office admin@gumcva.org Fax: editor Steve Stalnaker webmaster@gumcva.org Visit our web site at Greenwood UMC all rights reserved

15 June 2013 Page 15 Congratulations Graduates! Donald Taylor Douglas Crain Carolyn and Ray Smith s grandson is graduating cum laude from Liberty University with a degree in Graphic Design. National Merit Scholar Mitchell Fitzpatrick Shannon also a grandson of Carolyn and Ray Smith is graduating from Prestwood Christian Academy and will attend Baylor University this fall. Cody Vance, grandson of Clarence and Kaye Powell, great nephew of Dorothy Powell, will graduate on June 8 from Sherando High School in Stephens City, VA. Be Prepared Read the Scriptures Here are the May lectionary readings you can review to prepare for upcoming worship services. May 2 May 9 May 16 May 23 June 30 1 Kings 18:20-39; Psalm 96; Galatians 1:1-12; Luke 7: Kings 17:8-16 (17-24); Psalm 146; Galatians 1:11-24; Luke 7: Kings 21:1-10 (11-14), 15-21a; Psalm 5:1-8; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36-8:3 1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7), 8-15a; Psalm 42; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8: Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62