SALEM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. A DYNAMIC COMMUNITY - COMMITTED to JESUS & GLORIFYING GOD!

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1 SALEM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Events to Note SUNDAY WORSHIP 9:30AM Visitors Welcome! Pastor s Bible Study Each 6:30 Resumes Sept 20 ~~~~~~~ Samaritan Shelter Collection Sun Sep 16 & Oct 21 Finance Mtg Mon Sep 10 Charge Conference Sep Salem Trustees Mtg Wed Sep 5 & Oct 7PM Church Council Mtg Mon Sep 17 6:30PM Trustees Clean-Up Day Sat Sep Rain Date Sep 22 ~~~~~~~ Salem Opportunity Shop Sat Sep 1 & Oct 6 8AM-NOON ```````` Men s Dinner Mon Sep 24 & Oct ````` RALLY DAY SUN SEP 9 A DYNAMIC COMMUNITY - COMMITTED to JESUS & GLORIFYING GOD! SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2018 Pastor s Ponderings for Fall Greetings once more in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ! As we come to the end of the Summer Season, my ponderings go to the new season. Choir and Bible Studies resume, Sunday Schools (and other schools) get busy again, and it is a good time to assess the church year coming up. How are we doing? What are we doing? Are we happy with the results we get? Can we expect different results without change? Change? Change??? (Someone said, If you don t like change, you will like irrelevance even less! Think on that for a moment.) Another author was writing about the membership loss in the United Methodist Church. He quoted this maxim from manufacturing: Your system is perfectly designed to get the results it does. That may sound obvious but think of it this way. If every fifth product that you make has a defect in it, it is because the system is set up to do that. Something in the system must change to get different results. In the United Methodist Church, he claims our loss of members is directly related to our system. But for now, forget the bigger church and think about us. If our system is perfectly designed to get the results we get, then are we satisfied with our results? If not, then with what results are we to be satisfied? What are we doing? Are we about keeping the doors open? Should we be mostly concerned about raising money to pay for the new roof, or should we be focused on reaching lost souls for Christ? Should the church by its nature be self-contained or contagious? Why does the word evangelism sound foreign or even scary to so many of us? What part of our system are we willing to adjust to live out the Great Commission? I ll close with a maxim from the business world: If you want to succeed in the long haul, you need to do two things really well: (1) Give great service to your present customers, and (2) Acquire new customers. I truly want our business to succeed in the long haul. How can we do those two things really well? You might think that it s not our business what happens to other people. In answer to that I would say that it is our Father s business, and we are to be about it. Please pray sincerely about the Father s business that we are to be about. If our Father s business isn t growing, then something must change. Pray for the leadership to receive God s vision. Please pray for the membership to own the vision and to have the courage to embrace the change that comes. It may be a little scary, but it may be exhilarating too! Please, pray. In His Service, Pastor B

2 SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS NEWS/COMMITTEE UPDATES LEARNING IN FAITH TOGETHER The LIFT class has been continuing its card ministry through the summer months. We also gave a donation to Vacation Bible School to help defray the cost of materials. VBS was a great success and we are so blessed with wonderful people who shared God's word with our little ones. Do you share God's word with others? Maybe that's a challenge we as a class should consider. It won't be long and we will begin class again on Rally Day. Please come and join us as we continue Learning in Faith Together. Diane "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29: CONGRATULATIONS to Our 2018 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS! During the Church service on July 15, the Scholarship Committee presented this year s recipients of the Iris Hitchens Memorial Scholarship to the Salem congregation. Congratulations again to Rylee Covington and Leah Fetzer. Rylee will attend Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina, beginning this fall. She plans to focus her studies on a medical profession leading to a career as a medical doctor or physical therapist. Leah will begin her second year of nursing study at Salisbury University this fall. Leah is an outstanding student who enters her second year with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. Best wishes to both students as they pursue their career goals! - The Scholarship Committee U. M. W. Notes The Back Pack mission is off to a good start. There are many in our community with families having 3 or more school age children that can use our help. With the cost of school supplies (as requested by the schools) running from $50 to $75 per child, there is a need. If you doubt this, just ask a teacher. This year the U.M.W. has taken the names of 20 young people that we are helping. If you haven t made a donation to this project, it is not too late. Any member of the U.M.W. will accept and see that it goes to the designated project. Many thanks to everyone for the contributions to the Red Bird Mission project. We received 368 pairs socks, 57 sets gloves, 89 knitted hats and 21 scarves and headbands. All were packed and mailed on Thursday, August 9. Our fall Chicken Salad and Biscuit sale will be held on Sept 19. Prices remain the same as last year, $8 for pints, and $8 for lunches of salad, biscuits, peas and homemade cakes. Biscuits are $2 for dozen. Of course, our need for help preparing, selling and delivering remains the same. If you have helped in the past, your job is waiting for you. If you haven t helped and would like to get involved, the dates that help is needed are as follows: -Making the dressing Mon, Sept. 10 at 10 AM -Mixing the salad - Tues, Sept 18 at 12 Noon -Evening work of making biscuits, etc.-tues Sept -Day of Sale Wed, Sept 19, work begins early, 8:30-9AM -Day of Sale - Drivers needed Please contact Barbara ( ) for additional information if you have any questions or would like to volunteer. We met on Aug 14, and our next scheduled meeting will be Oct 9th in the church lounge at 7:30 PM. Please join us for fellowship, planning and learning. Thank you to each and everyone for the help and support. To God we give glory and thanks. Barbara It s Back to School time again! Please remember to put Snacks for Our Students on your grocery shopping list. Food items will be delivered monthly to Pocomoke Middle and High Schools. Thank

3 SERVING GOD.. WHERE DO I FIT IN? Notes from Salem Opportunity Shop This summer we have had several very generous donations of home goods and decorative items. The donations of Christmas items has been outstanding Dickens lighted houses, Santas, angels, Christmas table cloths, lights, red and white balls and much, much more. Some new (never out of the package) and many like new. If you haven t done so, please take a moment and walk through our display room. If you see something you can use, the price is there, take the item and give the money to the Church office, Ann or Barbara. With cooler weather in the near future, we can sell blankets, comforters, pillows, also almost anything from the kitchen will sell. Shoes, especially mens, and large sizes are welcome. Ladies, do you have a good used handbag that you no longer need, we can find it a home. So if you have something to donate, leave it in the drop off room, last door on the left in the downstairs hall. Many thanks for your support. Barbara & Ann The Christian Fellowship Class will host the "Fellowship Coffee" immediately following the worship service on Rally Day (Sept 9) We will resume regular Sunday School Classes on Sept 16 at 10:45 and will meet again that evening at 7PM in the Lounge to make plans for the next few months. All members are urged to attend. Plans are underway for Heritage Sunday, Nov 11. Mark your calendar now for a special celebration. The guest speaker has already been engaged and is looking forward to bringing the message at the 9:30 service. Other events that you will not want to miss are being planned for later in the day. Anyone who would like to suggest an activity to be included in the service or other events, or who would like to volunteer to help, please contact Coleen Mister at church or at tcwmister@aol. Coleen Trustees Quiz: Did you know that the Trustees meet every month during the year, including the summer months? At each meeting, they face a full page list of repairs, replacements & upgrades that need to be done to the church & parsonage property, inside & out. For each item that is completed, another is added; sometimes two or three. The key, of course, is balancing need against cost so some items could remain on the list indefinitely. Did you know that we have Trustee members who handle the smaller repairs? This really helps the budget. During the last 10 months, two big projects, the Educational bldg heating & cooling system & the new roof & gutters have come off that list! Unfortunately, there was unseen damage to the bldg fascia which caused the project to go over budget. Thank you to the families & the LIFT Class for donations towards that extra expense---- we re almost there... Read a Book - The Annual Project Linus Challenge. This year Project Linus teamed up with Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) Sorority (thanks to Chris Wall & Coleen Mister) to have an inspiring and successful Project Linus annual challenge. The theme was Read a Book. Blankets were quilted or crocheted to depict a certain book or a reading theme & then each blanket is paired with an appropriate book. The ladies of DKG designed and provided a large number of tote-bags so that the blankets will go out to children in a tote-bag that also holds their book. This year I was extremely pleased with the outpouring of creative thought and blanket designs and of course, the purchase of so many nice books. They will be displayed on Sun Oct 14th at Salem for you to vote on your favorites. This is the major fundraiser that we do in support of Project Linus. Since we had such a wonderful, creative response this year, the display will be in the social hall as well as the sanctuary Please watch for this event. I think you will be overwhelmed by the generosity and positive thoughts about blankets and children s need for reading that went into it. Ultimately, all of these blankets will be given to children hospitalized at A I DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington. Thank you for your support of Project Linus. - Donna

4 VBS UPDATE: We had about 30 kids attend VBS this year for the Rolling River Rampage! Overall, I think the kids had a great time with each other and learning about how God is always with us and for us. Special thanks to all those that volunteered and put any amount in time in helping make VBS 2018 a success. - Miranda Holland Start up your engines and get ready to race...into a new and exciting year of Sunday School at Salem United Methodist Church!! Rally Day is Sunday September 9th and we are going to be having a "cardboard box race car road rally" for all of the children during the Sunday School hour after Worship. Decorate your own box car and participate in our very own Salem Road Rally!! All Racers Invited and Cheerleaders Welcome! - JAM Time Team ATTENTION SALEM YOUNG ADULTS Do you need help in balancing life s demands? Are you interested in being part of a group with similar issues & similar concerns about everyday life & how you can fit more God moments into your busy schedule? Are you ready for a Sunday School Class especially for your age group? I know you re thinking no time no one to watch the kids no time But wait how about if there was a Sunday School class or nursery for your children, whatever their ages, after the regular worship service? The LIFT Class wants to help Our class works because we do share similar concerns & we do need help to make God a bigger part of our life & we do want to make a difference, in Salem & our community. While your kids are making cardboard box cars as part of the Rally Day celebration, we invite you to meet in the upstairs Sunday School room so we can exchange ideas on your needs & your vision for this new class. See you then L.I.F.T. Class

5 Salem United Methodist Church 500 Second Street, P.O. Box 145 Pocomoke City, MD Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Permit 81 Pocomoke Contact Us: or Office : Tues-Thurs 9:00AM-1PM Pastor, Brian Albert Music Director, Gloria Wilkins Admin. Asst., Debbie Baylis GOT NEWS?? Contact Christy Frostrom by at cfsubaru@aol.com with details. Salem Opportunity Shop 1st Saturdays 8AM Noon Browsers Welcome! TRUSTEES FALL CLEAN-UP DAY - SAT SEPT 8AM The Trustees have scheduled their Fall Clean-Up Day for Sat Sept 15 from 8AM till? The purpose of this semi-annual event is to do a little Spring/Fall cleaning much as you do in your own home or business. If everyone would participate, even if its just for a couple of hours, we can knock that list down & save the church some expense. These are some of the items on the Sept 15th list: 1) Wipe down the rest of the pews & clean & flip each cushion 2) Dust/clean all the odd window sills, tables, etc that aren t cleaned in the wkly routine 3) Check First Aid Kits & re-stock as needed 4) Using a broom or duster on a pole, clean cobwebs/dirt in corners of ceilings 5) Clean the paneling in the Lounge 6) Trim/remove shrubbery at Parsonage & church front as needed 7) Remove 6 broken parking lot bumpers & replace with the new ones. RAIN DATE -SAT SEPT 22 - BRING ANY CLEANING SUPPLIES THAT MIGHT BE USEFUL.. RALLY DAY SUNDAY SEPT 9TH ALL ARE WELCOME!