From the Pastor. First United Methodist Church Clover, SC. March 2015

Transcription

1 First United Methodist Church Clover, SC March 2015 From the Pastor I often ask newcomers to our state, What brought you to settle in South Carolina? Their responses are usually something like, Oh, the people are so friendly the taxes are so much less the cost of living is less expensive I can get more house and land for the money.we love the access to the mountains and the beach my son or daughter was transferred to Charlotte so we moved down to be with the grandkids we have family in the area etc. But, by far, the reason most people move to South Carolina is.. you guessed it, THE WEATHER! We not only have the best state in the Union, but by the Grace of God we have some of the best weather in the US. Sunny and 70 ( )! Mission: We, the congregation, in humble and selfless service to God, will go forth joyfully, empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit, to seek out, welcome, accept, and nurture persons to become faithful and effective disciples for Jesus Christ. However, this recent Arctic Blast makes me wonder about one of our strongest assets. This past month has been a little miserable. Cold. Wet. Dreary. Icy. Snowy. I have been wondering about climate change a little more since it looks like the weather patterns of arctic air are just out of whack. I know it s just a few years of weird temperatures, but it has me a little worried for our future and the future of our state. What will happen to SC if we lose one of our greatest drawing cards, the warm, sunny weather? What will happen to me? I have told people I will always be a South Carolinian, just assuming that the weather would not change on me! I have hope that Spring will soon arrive and the sun will come again. I have hope that (while I don t want Clover to be as hot as Columbia) we will never have the snow of Boston or the cutting wind-chill factors of Michigan. but right now, I am cold. Some thoughts come to mind this morning about the weather, the Church and South Carolina. (continued on page 2)

2 In my first church, I met a sweet couple from Upstate NY who settled just outside of Orangeburg, SC. Evidently, they used to travel by car (before interstates) on Hwy 301/601 on their way to Florida. Then one year they decided to cut the distance in half and settle down. That halfway point for them was on 301 just south of Orangeburg. They purchased some land, bought a house and built a restaurant called the Tea Pot on the main road! They lived out their lives in SC from then on, and they also attended our church. I was able to visit with them frequently, and eventually buried that couple during my time in Edisto. I remember on some of our visits sitting in lawn chairs in their front yard, under the pecan trees, looking out with them over the beautiful fields of green and catching the evening breeze. It was around that time that I began to understand that the weather of this place is special and awesome because it allows us to stop, relax and enjoy God s beautiful creation without being assaulted by the elements. There were mosquitos in Orangeburg, but that is for another day. As cold as it has been the past month, I have merely turned on more heat, brought out warmer clothing, and used my toboggan hat every day all day. But there are some people who have it much worse. I remember in ministry visiting the homeless in Philadelphia in the early 90s as people would try to escape the snow by sleeping over the rising heat from the subway grates. I remember working on homes at Salkehatchie in SC where you could see through the walls and floors, where buckets lined the floor to catch the leaking water from the roof, where heat sources were only pot belly stoves, fireplaces and blankets. I met a family this week in Clover that does not have electricity. They are surviving this weather by staying under blankets. I met another couple this week who will have their power cut off for non-payment. I am thanking God today for things like our church s Pastor s Discretionary Fund to be used for our community neighbors desperate and immediate needs, the monthly Food Project Ministry, for the many Churches who try to help, for the Clover Area Assistance program, for LIHEAP, God s Kitchen, the Warming Center in Rock Hill (which some of you support faithfully), for Urban Ministries of Charlotte, the WARM ministry and Room in the Inn where the homeless are housed, and for Salkehatchie. I thank God for the awesome work of the Salvation Army, for UMCOR, for the many caring ministries of the UMC, for Goodwill, for Catholic Social Services and for all who show compassion to the cold, lonely, afraid and hurting people of our world. I thank God even for the public library system which inadvertently becomes a safe and warm space for people who have no other relief from the cold. Our weather in SC is usually great, but when it s cold, wet, and miserable and we are out of our element as a state, my prayer is that we will reach out and show our true greatness, hospitality, as just one part of body of Christ who happens to live in the best state of the union. Joy and Peace ~ Rev. Tommy Wilkes PS. Needless to say, I m looking forward to the Beach. And to Salkehatchie! Would love for any of you to come to Bishopville Salkehatchie with me this year June th, or to any of our Salkehatchie mission camps in the great state of SC.

3 Notes of Gratitude Thank you for taking such good care of my family during our precious Aunt Dot s funeral. The service was so lovely. Josh Wall is so talented. The music was perfect. Rev. Tommy s message of grace was spot on as the multicultural representation is evident in our family. Lastly, thank you to the bereavement committee and Mr. Larry Beamguard for providing us with a delicious meal. God bless each of you. Thank you so much for all the care and support that you at First Methodist gave to both my parents over the years. They both loved the people at FUMC and valued your friendship. You truly are the hands and feet of Christ. With love, The Family of Emil Fraedrich Sincerely, The family of Dot McKenzie Thank you so much for the prayers, cards, calls and food. Thank you for the meal after the service. Special thanks to Tommy and Brandon for their visits to William. William loved the church and the people in the church. Thank you, Geraldine Ministry Care Packages Please join us in supporting our young adult college student members by donating items for approximately 30 care packages to be assembled during the Wednesday night dinner on March 11. Items such as, but not limited to, individual snacks, candy, $5.00 gift cards (give these to Shirley for safekeeping), writing supplies (such as pens, highlighters, post-it notes, etc.), notes of encouragement, and short devotional materials, should be placed in the designated box in the lobby hallway. We welcome any help in assembling the packages, or drop by after you finish your meal and write a few notes letting them know they are an important part of our church family. We are lacking contact information on many of our college students, and encourage parents to supply a mailing address, either to the home or at college, so that all students receive their packages. Parents should contact Brandon Lazarus at blazarus@cloverfumc.org with this information, and also to verify that your student is on our list. Thank you for supporting our young people at this challenging and exciting time in their lives!

4 Holy Week Services Palm Sunday March 29, :30 Traditional Palm Sunday Service Genesis and 11:00 services combined in the sanctuary - If you are able, please meet outside the front of the church to process in with the palms. Community Worship Service March 29th at 6:30 pm here at FUMC Maundy Thursday April 2, :00 pm in the sanctuary - communion service Good Friday April 3, :00 pm in the sanctuary Easter April 5, 2015 Easter Sunrise Service: 7:00 am on parking lot lawn. Biscuit breakfast provided by the United Methodist Men to follow in the Missions and Fellowship Building. 8:30 Easter Service/Sanctuary 10:50 Easter Genesis Service 11:00 Traditional Easter Service Church-Wide Lenten Bible Study During Lent, our congregation will be using this Rob Fuquay resource to focus on and study about the I AM sayings of Jesus Christ. With the preschoolers and elementary groups, the Tweens and Youth, several adult classes, and the sermon series of Pastors Tommy and Brandon, we will be enlightened and connected by our common reflections on Jesus, the great I AM. I Am The Bread of Life, The Light of the World, The Good Shepherd, The True Vine, The Way, the Truth and the Life, and I AM The Resurrection and the Life. Journey with us! Come to Worship and grow. And expect God to use this unifying study to increase our love for Jesus and our heart for His mission in the world. SEE YOU in CHURCH!!!

5 Hippity Hoppity.. Easter s on its way! You are INVITED! Saturday, April 4 th 10:30am -12:00 noon We hope you will bring your children and their friends to enjoy our church & community wide Easter Celebration and Egg Hunt!! FUMC loves to tell the story of the Resurrection of Jesus again and again at this wonderful church sponsored event! Please join us at the church for a joyful morning of crafts, treats and egg hunting! B.I.G Believers in God ages preschool 5th grade Wednesdays 6:30 7:30 2/25 I AM Who I AM! 3/4 I AM the Light of the World 3/11 I AM the Good Shepher d! 3/18 I AM the True Vine! 3/25 I AM the Way, the Tr uth & the Life 4/1 Pray and Play 4/8 I AM the Resurrection and the Life Tweens Sundays 5:00 6:30 March 1 March 8 March 15 March 22 March 29 April 5 April 12 I AM The Light of the World I AM The Good Shepherd I AM The True Vine I AM The Way/Truth/Life (5th Sunday Sabbath No Tweens) Happy Easter! No Tweens I AM The Resurrection TWEENS

6 PLAN AHEAD.. VBS THAILAND TREK VBS July St. Patrick s Day Festival Gosh & Begorrah! It s that time of year again! The St. Patrick s Day Festival will be Saturday, March 14 from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM in downtown Clover. The pot of gold at our end of the rainbow will be filled with popcorn, pens, face painting and tattoos for the little leprechauns and greetings and good cheer for the bigger ones. We can always use all of the help we can get in our booth. Come for an hour or come for half a day. Please bring your own chair. Let s show our neighbors how friendly the Methodists are! Martha Circle will meet on Monday, March 9 at 7:00 pm at the home of Elaine Jones (142 Turtle Creek Ln, Gastonia 28052). Elaine's phone number is Rebekah Circle will meet on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30. Join us to clean and then go out to eat.

7 Ed Kilbourne in Concert This popular artist is known for his collections of moving music, quirky humor, and insightful monologues. In addition to his concert appearances, Ed has earned a reputation as one of America's cutting edge religious communicators, a folk-theologian if you will, offering his teaching in story and song as a guest in churches across the United States. He combines acoustic guitar, singing and commentary with a storytelling style often compared to that of Garrison Keillor, the radio humorist from Lake Wobegon. Sunday, March 8 6:30 FUMC Sanctuary Ed's wife, Kathleen, is a United Methodist minister. She is the director the Master Of Arts In Practical Theology degree program on the Charlotte campus of Pfeiffer University in North Carolina. She also serves as the coordinator of the Center For Deacon Education, a partnership with Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. Ed and Kathleen make their home in Englewood, Florida. Did you know that new signage for the church office area to be more welcoming is almost ready? Did you know that a camera and speaker system will soon be installed under the portico for Shirley s and volunteers safety in knowing who is ringing to come in the church entrance? Did you know that our church Vision Document for 2015 (yellow book) has been available for pick up and is available still in the hallway past the church office? Did you know that we had over 110 at our UM Men s Valentine s Supper this year? Did you know our Administrative Assistant and our Custodian will be changing health insurance from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Aetna and Mutual of Omaha (comparable policies) at a savings to the church of about $9000? Did you know that we had a Baptism for Bailes Barr, son of Ashley and Mitch Barr, grandson of Judy Bailes in February? Did you know that the Tweens visited our members in 4 different assisted living sites in Rock Hill to sing and deliver homemade Valentines in February? Did you know that Rev. Wilkes will be going on a Continuing Education Retreat with Rev./Dr. Ken Callahan in March? Did you know that we will have a Community Holy Week Service this year at FUMC on March 29 6:30 pm with Clover Presbyterian Church, First Baptist, Allison Creek Presbyterian, Green Pond UMC, Mt. Harmony UMC, Clover Chapel UMC and FUMC involved? Did you know that the Rock Hill District Congregational Development Committee is looking at 3 new projects? 1) Fort Mill/ Regent Park Cooperative Ministry 2) York/ Wesley Outreach to Youth At Risk and 3) Hispanic Ministries Opportunities of our District?

8 It s TIME to Register for ASBURY HILLS SUMMER CAMP!! Camps on Waitlists: *June Elementary Core (girls) *June Junior High Adventure: Whitewater (girls) *July Junior High Core *July Junior High Drenched (girls) Asbury Hills Summer Camp Goals 1) Be Safe! Our future and everyone's happiness depend on consistent dedication to everyone's physical, emotional and spiritual safety. 2) Make new friendships and find acceptance. Provide, for each camper, a positive growth experience that she or he will remember and to which that camper can choose to return. We want campers to be accepted for the positive people they want to become, valued for their individual gifts, and loved because they are children of God. 3) Develop skills and celebrate God's creation. Provide inclusive, age appropriate, engaging activities that are unique to camp. We will also use Asbury Hills' amazing mountainous setting and natural beauty to create a love for the wilderness. 4) Grow in your relationship with God. Our overarching goal is to provide and foster a loving spiritual community that will either introduce your campers to Jesus Christ or help them to grow or renew their personal faith journey. We want campers to celebrate in Christian fellowship with one another. Visit asburyhills.org for more info and to register for camp! Contact Rev. Meg Wilkes for info about church spon-

9 Those Who Serve March 2015 Ushers 8:30 Lamar Brown-Head Usher Joe Hourihan Jim Baker Ray Baker 11:00 Ashby Skinnell-Head Usher Sam Jackson Willie Little Tim Gallien March 1 March 8 March 15 March 22 March 29 Lay Readers 11:00 Sherry Adams Mary Helen Allen Mike Allen Steve Alm Windy Bartee 8:30 Greeters Lobby- Cathy Curtin (March 1, 8, 15, 22), Carolyn Grigg (March 29) Sanctuary- Ray Baker Elevator- Evelyn Cameron 11:00 Lobby- Ann Grindle (March 1, 8, 15, 29), Carolyn Grigg (March 22) Sanctuary- Willie Little Elevator- Louise Jackson 8:30 10:50/11:00 3/1 Sarah Robinson, Hope Long Karen Burton, Missy Whitley, Emily Westcott 3/8 Allyson English, Hope Long Chris Wilson, Kim Wise, Hope Long 3/15 Susan Killian, Hope Long Ann Grindle, Brandy Bell, Hope Long 3/22 Evelyn Cameron, Hope Long Tommy Burton, Evelyn Cameron, Jackie Abernathy 3/29 Hope Long Kim Eleazer, Becky Jackson, Maggie Amrhein

10 FIRST UNI TED METH ODI ST C H URCH C LOVER, SC 124 Bethel St. Clover, SC (803) Procedures for Prayer Requests When Church Office Is Closed or if Shirley Davis Is Unavailable: Call Christine Payseur at or her at cpayseur@cloverfumc.org. If for some reason Christine isn t available either, then call Renee Gallien at Don t Forget! Daylight Savings Time begins March 8! FUMC Staff Reverend Tommy Wilkes, Senior Pastor twilkes@cloverfumc.org Reverend Brandon Lazarus, Associate Pastor blazarus@cloverfumc.org Reverend J. Richard Gibson, Pastor Emeritus Reverend Meg Wilkes, Minister of Christian Educ. & Spiritual Formation mwilkes@cloverfumc.org Josh Wall, Director of Music Ministries jwall@cloverfumc.org Tim Gunn, Director of Youth Ministries youthdirector@cloverfumc.org Christine Payseur, Church Business / Technical Coordinator cpayseur@cloverfumc.org Shirley M. Davis, Administrative Assistant / Financial Secretary sdavis@cloverfumc.org Natasha Bilousova, Pianist Tracie Kite, Sexton - kitetracie@hotmail.com Hope Long, Nursery Care Worker / Coordinator Sue Gover, Lay Leader Merilyn Cain, Wade Shores, Bob Dowd, Conference Lay Members

11 14 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Darlene Killian March Birthdays and Anniversaries 2 Mark Jackson Jim Alexander 3 Tonya Abbott Lauren Bodie Jim Gover Hannah McGilberry Dale Taylor 4 Bobbie Jackson Lee and Allyson English 5 Tom Bowman 6 Gary Barattini Bill Edwards Betty and Lacy Robinson 7 8 Brody Green Tanner Groves Seth Hurst 9 Robin and Dan Payton 10 Kevin Davis Addie Yarbrough Bill Bartee Ashley Denny AJ Dover Billy Gallien Larry Jenkins 13 Alyssa Campbell Susan Miller 15 Bailey Bartee Adam Edmunds Drew Sullivan Andrea and Fred Ladrach 16 Jeff Stewart 17 Chris Allen Luke McCarter Evelyn Stanton 18 Michelle Baysinger Meghan Brumble Lillian Cortina 19 Julie Culp Jennica Millay Amanda Priestley 20 Dick Gibson Alan Robinson 21 Bill Whitesides Amy and Scott Adams 22 William Amrhein Fred Baker Sarah Edge Logan Pierzinski Bill Vanhook 23 Andrew Grindle Sue Stewart Mary and Jeff Stewart 24 Steve Alm Jim Camp Alan Livingston 25 David Drennan Mack McCarter 26 Jakob Clinton Paige Deal Molly Goddard Charlie McGinnas Lee English Jason King Laura Skinnell 30 Rachel Boyd Mallory Dover Drew Gordon Chad Jenkins Hope and Jeff Long 31 Janet Love

12 Clover FUMC Annual Calendar, Contacts, Holidays in United States Mar 2015 (Eastern Time) Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :45am - Confirmation - 6th 6:30pm - Boy Scouts - Rm 7:30am - Youth Breakfast 6:30am - Men's Prayer 12:15pm - Genesis Meeting 6:30pm - Cub Scouts - Rm's 6:45pm - Missions :45pm - Dinner 3pm - UMW General 6:30pm - Girl Scouts - Sr 6:30pm - Bible Study - Rm 3pm - Youth Praise Band 6:30pm - Scouts - Pack 6:30pm - BIG 5pm - A2J Youth (See Youth 7pm - Finance Committee - 6:30pm - Prayer Meeting 5pm - Jesus in Jerusalem: 6:30pm - Youth Fellowship 5pm - Tween's 7pm - Choir Rehearsal Daylight Saving Time 9:30am - Staff Meeting 7:30am - Youth Breakfast 6:30am - Men's Prayer 6pm - Sarah Robinson - Confirmation Retreat - Bus 8:30am - Youth Praise 10am - Esther Circle pm - Rebekah Circle 5:45pm - Dinner Marriage Encounter Weekend 9:45am - Confirmation - 6th 6:30pm - Boy Scouts - Rm 6:30pm - Bible Study - Rm 6:30pm - Cub Scout 5pm - A2J Youth (See Youth 6:30pm - Cub Scouts - Rm's 6:30pm - BIG 5pm - Jesus in Jerusalem: 6:30pm - Daisy Scouts - Jr. 6:30pm - Youth Fellowship 5pm - Tween's 6:30pm - Girl Scouts - Sr 7pm - Choir Rehearsal 6:30pm - Ed Kilbourne - 7pm - Martha Circle Confirmation Retreat - Bus 6:30pm - Boy Scouts - Rm 7:30am - Youth Breakfast 6:30am - Men's Prayer 9am - Food Distribution Marriage Encounter 6:30pm - Cub Scouts - Rm's 9am - Residency Meeting - 5:45pm - Dinner 3pm - Youth Praise Band 6:30pm - Girl Scouts - Sr 6:30pm - Bible Study - Rm 5pm - A2J Youth (See Youth 6:30pm - BIG 5pm - Jesus in Jerusalem: 6:30pm - Youth Fellowship 5pm - Tween's 7pm - Choir Rehearsal 7pm - UMM - MFC Youth - Bus 6:30pm - Boy Scouts - Rm 7:30am - Youth Breakfast 6:30am - Men's Prayer 6pm - Amrhien Rehearsal 9am - Cub Scout PineWood 8:30am - Youth Praise 6:30pm - Cub Scouts Pack 5:45pm - Dinner 9:45am - Confirmation - 6th 6:30pm - Daisy Scouts - Jr. 6:30pm - Bible Study - Rm 2:45pm - Staff Meeting 6:30pm - Girl Scouts - Sr 6:30pm - BIG 5pm - A2J Youth (See Youth 6:30pm - Youth Fellowship 5pm - Jesus in Jerusalem: 7pm - Choir Rehearsal 5pm - Tween's 6pm - Trustees - Wesley 7pm - Admin Council Palm Sunday 6:30pm - Boy Scouts - Rm 9:45am - Confirmation - 6th 6:30pm - Cub Scouts - Rm's 3pm - Youth Praise Band 6:30pm - Girl Scouts - Sr 5pm - Jesus in Jerusalem: 5pm - Tween's 6:30pm - Community