July - Sept Inside this issue: Pastor K s Message 1. Youth Emphasis Weekend. District Events 6. Special Days 7

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1 July - Sept Welcome Visitors The Road UMC is the place to be! The mission of The Road UMC is to become a community of believers committed to helping all people to personally know Jesus Christ by delivering a biblically based teaching and preaching of the gospel to those saved and seeking Christ and thereby developing disciples, families and communities through the power of the Holy Spirit. If you are new to our community and looking for a church home or desire to explore your spirituality, please consider us. At The ROAD, we are engaged in the L4 experience: Loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and loving neighbor as thyself. Living Learning Leading a life that is Christ-centered and biblically oriented. to be a disciple of Jesus Christ as we live counter to the culture following wholeheartedly after God in a broken world. others to experience God; being light in darkness and salt in a decaying environment. If you would like to enter into fellowship with The ROAD UMC Come during the Invitation to Discipleship. See our pastor or a member after church. Call the church office and schedule an appointment to speak with the pastor. us at stmarysrd@theroadumc.org. See one of our greeters or ministers after the worship service. This is the working church! The lazy church is down the street! R. Lawson Bryan, Resident Bishop Rev. Dr. Buddy Cooper, District Superintendent The SMRUMC Staff Shea Ellis, Receptionist Jacqueline McCall, Administrative Assistant Jacquelyn Egins, Director of Music Debra Alexander, Youth Musician Donald Scott, Sexton stmarysrd@theroadumc.org F/B: The ROAD UMC Conference Call Number: 1 (605) Access Code: Pastor s Information: Rev. Dr. L.K. Pendleton PastorK@theroadumc.org *** Telephone Number: (706) A Christ-centered Church where we are loving, living, learning and leading in the kingdom of God Inside this issue: Pastor K s Message 1 Youth Emphasis Weekend 2017 High School Graduates Annual Music Conference and Retreat Apportionment Giving Plan District Events 6 Special Days 7 Doctors Corner 8 Birthdays/ Celebrations/ Sermon Notes 9- Prayer/Community Info 11 Kids Korner 12 July-Sept. Calendars About The Road St. Mary s Road Columbus, GA (706) stmarysrd@theroadumc.org f/b: The ROAD UMC Rev. Dr. L.K. Pendleton, Pastor What s Love Got To Do With It? The Bible ranks healthy relationships as the most important thing in life. A Jewish rabbi asked Jesus, Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law? Jesus replied, You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and with all of your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40) This scripture directly tells us that loving God is the single most important commandment given by God. The follow up commandment is to love others as we love ourselves. Albeit, it is the hardest commandment. You cannot get away with being a hateful and unloving Christian. Imagine if Jesus came back and asked you if you had followed His first commandment. What would you tell Him? Yes, Jesus. I loved you more than I loved myself, but I don t have any friends because being kind to people complicates things. You would have single handedly cancelled out the entire commandment! You simply cannot have one without the other. You cannot pick and choose which of Jesus commandments you want to follow because that would altogether negate the purpose of Christ s message. God told us to love our neighbor as we would love ourselves because loving people is hard. Nothing about the Christian life is easy. This is why it is so fought against. But loving people? Nearly impossible. People can get on your nerves. People can be cruel and self-serving. People can even gossip and undermine you all in the name of envy. However, we are not called to love people because it makes us feel good. We are called to love because God loved us first. When I was deep in the bowels of my iniquity, Jesus loved me. When I was altogether unlovable and stunk up the nostrils of the Most High God, Jesus loved me. How much must Jesus love me to save me from eternal damnation? There are many different types of relationships. There are friendships, brother and sister-ships, husband and wife-ships, relationships with our children and relationships with the people that we work with. For these relationships, Paul instructs us in Corinthians on the definition of love and how we should go about the process. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Often, if you treat a really difficult person with the qualities that Paul enumerates in this text, that person will change how they relate to you. However, even if some relationships never improve, the charge to love is still active. If we are dependent on another person s response for our sense of security, we will risk loving someone who will reject us. If we are sure of God s love for us, we are free to love those who may not return our love. Loving is hard in this world that we live in. Sometimes it seems that people treat animals better than they treat us. The Bible tells us that in the last days, much of our love will grow cold. We will be rude to one another or turn a blind eye to someone s personal struggles. I encourage you today, brothers and sisters, to love with the love of Christ. After all, Christ is love and we are called Christians, followers of Christ. Do not let the sun go down today without telling someone in your life how much you love them and be sure to follow it up with action. Love is a verb. Be intentional. Your sister in Christ, Amber C. Pendleton

2 September 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Trustees Sept Sheila Woodbury (706) Roy Sumlin (706) Pro-Active Care Team Sept August Calendar Johnny Hemingway (706) Trustees Mtg. ADMIN OFFICE CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY 5 Men David Simmons 6 Youth Choir Unity Choir Youth Group UMM 8:00 a.m. Jocabed s Daughter Mtg in Library Married Couples 6:20 p.m. 18 ROCK 11:30 a.m. Finance Mtg. 12 Men Mr. Bob Burton s 19 Men Hutman Upshaw s 13 Kids Night Out Youth Choir Unity Choir Youth Group 20 Sept. 6 th REACH 5:30 p.m Disciple s Mentoring 9:00 a.m. 22 Music Ministry Workshop 6:00-9:00 p.m. NEWSLETTER 23 Music Ministry Workshop 9:00-3:00 p.m. 24 in Library Music Ministry Concert 25 Church Council CONFIRM 26 Men SMRUMC 27 Sept. 13 th 28 UMW Mtg. DISTRIBUTE 29 30

3 6 August 2017 August 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Trustees August 2017 Trustees August 2017 Ray Lakes (706) Ray Lakes (706) Curtis Lark (706) Curtis Lark (706) Children s Church 13 in Library 13 Bible Youth Study Emphasis in 8:30 Sunday a.m. Youth Emphasis Sunday Men Men s David Bible Simmons David 6:00 p.m. 8 Trustees Mtg. Men s Trustees Mtg. Men Mr. Bible Bob Burton s Muscogee County Mr. Bob Burton s School District Muscogee County BACK School TO District SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL Men Hutman Upshaw s Men Hutman Upshaw s 2 Bible 12:00 Study p.m. 12:00 Choir Youth 6:00 Choir p.m. 6:00 Ministry Prayer 6:15 Ministry p.m. 6:15 Choir Unity 7:00 Choir p.m. 7:00 Group Youth 7:00 Group p.m. 9 12:00 Study p.m. Kids Night Out 6:00 Night p.m. Out Youth Choir 6:00 Choir p.m. 6:15 Ministry p.m. Unity Choir 7:00 Choir p.m. Youth Group Youth Group August 2 nd August 2 nd 3 Bible 6:30 Study p.m. 6:30 Study p.m Boy :00 Scout a.m. Mtg. UMM Mtg. 8:00 Mtg. 8:00 a.m. Jocabed s Daughter Jocabed s Mtg Daughter Mtg Youth Emphasis Youth Emphasis Health Fair Health Fair 19 Disciple s Mentoring 9:00 a.m. 19 Disciple s Boy Scout Mentoring Mtg. 9:00 a.m. Meet our 2017 Graduates Amari Conwell is our 2017 Brandice Martin Scholarship winner and graduated from Columbus High School where he received the ROTC Scholarship. He plans to pursue commissioning as an officer in the US Army after college. He has bee accepted at Weber State University. He is the son of Stephanie Conwell and enjoys cross country track and boxing. Aiyana Egins is a 2017 graduate of Northside High School. She is desirous of attending Wesleyan College and major in music therapy and musical theatre. She received the page one nominee, Alpha Phi Alpha Scholarship. Her hobbies include singing, dancing and acting. She is the granddaughter of Jackie Egins and niece of Paula Egins. Malcolm Odom is a 2017 graduate of Spencer High School. His future plans include enlisting the US Air Force. Freddie Bouyer is a 2017 graduate of Kendrick High School. He plans to pursue electrical engineering and has been accepted at Columbus Technical College. His grandmother is Alice Walker. Sarah Christine White is a 2017 graduate of Hardaway High School whose future plans include enlisting in the US Army with an interest in Aviation. She received a certificate of achievement for the armed forces (Army) and first place law of Lise. She is the daughter of Lavinia and Brian Perser :00 screenings a.m in Library 8:30 Study a.m. in Library CONFIRM CONFIRM Church Council Men s SMRUMC Men 6:00 Bible p.m. SMRUMC Men s Men SMRUMC 6:00 p.m August 9 th August 9 th August 2 nd August 2 nd 24 UMW Mtg. 24 UMW 6:00 6:30 p.m. p.m. DISTRIBUTE DISTRIBUTE :30 Study p.m Pro-Active Care Team Pro-Active July 2017 Care Team July 2017 Mary Hosley (706) Mary Hosley (706) Amya Gibbs is a graduate of Hardaway High School and plans to attend Howard University. Her interests include drawing, painting. She received the freshman leadership scholarship. She plans to major in biology with a life goal of becoming an obstetrician. Her mother is Kimberly Perkins and grandmother, Wanda Goodman. Austin Lisbon is a 2017 graduate of Kendrick High School whose hobbies include football and chorus. He received letters in football and wrestling and was a scholarship winner of the Omega Phi Fraternity. He has been accepted at John C. Smith University and plan to pursue physical therapy. Austin is the son of Darryl and Felicia Lisbon. Khalil Thomas is a 2017 graduate of W.H. Spencer High School. His hobbies include sports activities. His high school honors include 2017 Mr. Greenwave award, best quarterback award, page one nominee in sports and state honors on 4 x 4 track relay. He received the Presidential Scholarship at Benedict College. His future plans are to attend Benedict College and major in sport management with a goal of owning fitness and conditioning facility. He is the son of Chris and Jennifer Thomas.

4 Trustees July 2017 Wanda Goodman (706) Melvin Blackwell (706) July 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Pro-Active Care Team July 2017 Larence Gibbs (706) Men David Simmons UMM 8:00 a.m. ADMIN OFFICE CLOSED FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY 9 in Library Trustees Mtg. 11 Men Mr. Bob Burton s Disciple s Mentoring 9:00 a.m Men Hutman Upshaw s Pro-Active Care Team Mtg in Library 24 CONFIRM 25 Men SMRUMC UMW Mtg DISTRIBUTE 30 31

5 2017 BIRTH MONTH/APPORTIONMENT GIVING PLAN Page 5 Being a connectional church, the main way we support the ministries of the church is through our apportioned funds, a method of giving that proportionally allocates the church-wide budget to conferences and local churches. Together, through our connected congregations, we accomplish what no single church, district or annual conference ever could hope to do alone. In this way, each congregation gives a fair share for the church's work. We combine our prayers, presence, gifts and service to make a significant difference in the lives of God's people. Our APPORTIONMENT goal for 2017 is $60,000. The following strategy is as follows: Each team is asked to raise - $5, $425 for the year per member (based on a minimum of 12 members per birth month) This averages out to $53.00 a month - $13.00 a week or $1.75 a day The Apportionment assessed by the annual conference supports the following: World Service Fund - underwrites Christian mission around the world through evangelistic. Ministerial Education Fund - supports tuition efforts of men and women call to the ministry. Episcopal Fund - support our bishops as they oversee the church s spiritual and temporal interests. Black College Fund - support the 11 U.S. historically Black colleges and universities. Interdenominational Cooperation Fund - witness to meet human suffering and advocate for peace justice all over the world. Africa University Fund - supports the only United Methodist-related, degree-granting university on the continent of Africa - serving students from 21 countries, all across the continent of Africa. General Administration Fund - underwrites the general church activities that are administrative in nature, rather than program-related - like General Conference, General Council on Finance and Administration. The Meaning of the Liturgical Colors

6 Prayer Warrior On-Call for the Month of July Toya Winder (706) United Methodist Women s Mission School - Mission U July 13-16, 2017 at Epworth By The Sea Missional Outreach Ministry Training August 18-19, 2017 (Friday and Saturday), Upatoi UMC Friday: 5:30-9:00 p.m.; Saturday: 8:00-4:30 p.m. Pathways to Discipleship, Trinity UMC, Warner Robins, Georgia August 26, 2017 Sexual Ethics Workshop, Tifton First UMC, Tifton, GA September 21, 2017, :00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Legacy Ministries to Churches Georgia United Methodist Foundation - Would your church like to establish an endowment where the income is used for sustaining vital church ministries? GUMF can help you develop and promote a customized legacy giving program that allows members to leave a legacy gift to your church. The Mission of the South Georgia Annual Conference is to increase our average weekly worship by % by January That is what we call WIG (Wildly Important Goal!) It means we would go from 49,424 people in January 2016 to 54,366 people in worship in January Here is how that breaks down by district: Coastal District: North Central District: Northeast District: Northwest District: South Central District: Southwest District: grows by 1,167 people. grows by 1,094 people grows by 639 people. grows by 733 people. grows by 655 people. grows by 655 people. That is 4,943 people whose lives will be changed! The hope is that this goal will inspire us and not discourage us, motivate us to try new things and discover new ways to share the Good News with people that really need some good news. My hope I that this goal will inspire us and not discourage us. That it will motivate us to try new things and discover new ways to share the Good News with people that really need some good news. Prayer Concerns Mrs. Cynthia Blanks 2503 GA Hwy. 208, Cataula, GA (706) Rev. Dr. Edwin Buddy Cooper P.O. Box 430, Cols, GA (02) (706) Miss Kayla Littleton 6206 Olde Towne Drive, Cols, GA (07) (706) Ms. Myrtis McBride 1145 Harness Drive, Cols, GA (06) (706) The McRae Family 7257 Stillwater Drive, Cols, GA (04) (706) Ms. Mollie Snell 2438 Gould Street, Cols, GA (06) (706) PV2 Spraggins, Deontae 335th SC (T) (Prov), APO, AE Ms. Linda Stokes 357 Lincoln Avenue, Woodbury Heights, NJ Mrs. Delores Thomas 6801 Playfield Drive, Cols, GA (07) (706) Mrs. Emily Walker 5339 Rockwell Court, Cols, GA (07) (706) Christ in our s, Christ in our Church, Christ in our Community, Christ in Us! Please call the church office at (706) to notify the staff of any known illnesses, hospitalizations or deaths. Office Closings The Church Administrative office will be closed on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in observance of Independence Day. The office will reopen on Wednesday, July 5, The office will also be closed on Monday, September 4, 2017 in observance of Labor Day. The office will reopen on Tuesday, September 5, Articles, announcements, or important events to share with the church, contact the church office ITINERARY Order Deadline: Friday, July 21 st, Aug. 18 th, & Sept. 22 nd Distribution Date: (Thursday) Apr. 27th, May 25th, & Jun. 22nd NEWSLETTER DATES September 25, 2017 December 29, 2017 March 23, 2018 The Church Council will reconvene on Monday, August 28, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. Recommended Reading Church Resource Overflow by Lovett H. Weems, Jr. - $.00 Our churches exist in order to glorify God and to share God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Thus, worship is at the center of the congregation's life. And improvements in worship tend to spur improvements in the church's other ministries. In Overflow, the authors offer clear instruction, showing church leaders the areas where we must pay attention throughout the year, and demonstrating new ways to approach worship planning. The next Outreach Sub-Committee meeting will be held Monday, July 17, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Summer is here and we invite you to dress casually during the summer months. Therefore, we request that you dress accordingly. Remember, dress for the Christian is always modest.

7 Confirmands Ameer Mathis Bukhari Mathis Aaron Maxwell Nakaila Mosley Khaliah Wiggins Baptismal Candidates Myaira Bowen Ameer Mathis Bukhari Mathis Aaron Maxwell Nakaila Mosley Mary Buckner Andra Simmons Computers for the Graduates St. Mary s Road United Methodist Church was very fortunate to be able to give some of our students graduating from high school a free laptop. The computers were part of a grant from the Benevity Intel Employee Giving Program. The computers were awarded to: Aiyana Egins, Austin Lisbon, and Amari Conwell. The three high School Seniors completed all the requirements for the grant and were given the computers during Vacation Bible School. Many thanks to those who helped by contributing to the matching funds to award the computers. Mrs. Juanita Patrick Mrs. Diane Walker Mr. Willie Wells Mrs. Erma Williams And Dr. Andrea Johnson (Daughter of Mrs. Erma Williams) Congratulations to all our Graduates and enjoy your computer! Sermon Series on Relationships Sermon Notes provided by: Amber Pendleton Scriptures: John 13:34-35 Love is the most misunderstood concept on Earth. The strength of relationships comes from the space of giving, not needing. The foundation for loving other people is that you must first love yourself. You must live in a relationship with a harvest mentality. You must plant these seeds every day. If you love yourself, you can love other people. If you always plant seeds of meanness, you will reap a harvest of meanness. Plant the attitudes and characteristics that you want to reap. The value you place on yourself is the value you will place on others. Stop making other people responsible for your happiness. Adam was so fulfilled in God s purpose that he didn t need anybody else but God to experience fulfillment. God will not allow me to cross paths with my life partner until I have gotten myself together. Don t settle for any old thing. You must live in your relationship with a Harvest Mentality. Everything that is of value in the world is covered Diamonds Pearls Gold. If I am more precious than diamonds and gold, how much more value am I to God and should be to my husband? I must have an Investment Mentality. The person that I am meant to be with should find me fulfilling my destiny. God started humanity with a single person, Adam. Not a couple. Ultimately it is your choice to marry whom you choose. God doesn t tell us who to marry, but He does give us common sense and the tools necessary to make sound decisions. We get married to look more like God. You are not ready to be married if you can t live with yourself. Your relationship can only be as successful as your single life. We should live life with a Grace Mentality. The central theme of the Bible is Jesus Christ and His love for us. Four Kinds of Love according to the Greek: Agape-Friend, unconditional Eros-Romantic Philo-Brotherly Storge-Love of community Independence Day July 4, 2017 Independence Day is annually celebrated on July 4 th and is often known as "the Fourth of July". It is the anniversary of the publication of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in Patriotic displays and family events are organized throughout the United States. In 1775, people in New England began fighting the British for their independence. On July 2, 1776, Congress secretly voted for independence from Great Britain. Two days later, on July 4, 1776, the final wording of the Declaration of Independence was approved, and the document was published. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence was on July 8, Delegates began to sign the Declaration of Independence on August 2, In 1870, Independence Day was made an unpaid holiday for federal employees. In 1941, it became a paid holiday for them. The first description of how Independence Day would be celebrated was in a letter from John Adams to his wife Abigail on July 3, He described "pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations" throughout the United States. However, the term "Independence Day" was not used until Interestingly, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both signers of the Declaration of Independence and presidents of the United States, died on July 4, exactly 50 years after the adoption of the declaration. It is also important to note that Native Americans lived in the country and each tribe had its own nation and government prior to the European settlers. Labor Day September 4, 2017 Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, During the year four more states Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

8 Birthdays and Anniversaries July Birthdays Helen Gibson - 1 st Chris Mickey - 5 th Acqualine Mickey - 21 st Mary Tanksley - 21 st Victoria Watt - 21 st Andrea Taiste - 22 nd Marie Sharpe - 26 th Jazmyn Bernard - 27 th Otis Florence, Jr th Brenda Holmes - 29 th July Wedding Anniversaries Michael & Paula Powell - 18 th August Birthdays Luella Tyson - 2 nd Maxine Lee - 3 rd Oscar Greene - 5 th Susan Cooper - 6 th Amy Doctrie - 6 th William Tyson - 8 th Beverly Brown - 14 th Chad Smith - 14 th Janice Ramsey - 15 th Felicia Lisbon - 18 th Carl Justice - 19 th Dorothy McGowan - 19 th Deontae Spraggins - 19 th Yvonne Hart - 20 th Latessa Johnson - 20 th Jackie McCall - 24 th Juanita Patrick - 24 th Karen McWhite - 29 th Phyllis Dent - 30 th Rhonda Dixon - 31 st August Wedding Anniversaries Kenneth & Starlette Duncan - 1 st Sylvester & Rose McRae - 6 th Michael & Andrea Taiste - 7 th Duval & Kimberly Kennedy - 17 th Christopher & Acqualine Mickey - 20 th James & Erma Williams - 31 st September Birthdays Enoch Asante - 1 st Wanda Goodman - 1 st Jackie Egins - 2 nd Valerie White - 3 rd Lee Simmons - 6 th Hutman Upshaw - 6 th Mackenzie Putnam - 6 th Patricia Liddell - 7 th Courtney Lamar - 8 th Jeff Upshaw - 9 th Star Duncan - 11 th Erma Williams - 12 th Pam Florence - 15 th Alexander Asante - 16 th Sylvester McRae II - 17 th Maria Greene - 21 st Betty Spragg - 22 nd Johnitha Brown - 23 rd Niki Mister - 23 rd Shakendra Graham - 24 th Cindy Lee - 25 th Libby Sanders - 26 th Phyllis Jones - 27 th James Williams - 27 th Mike Powell - 28 th Quintella Thorn - 30 th September Anniversaries Hugh & Sharon Moffett - 1 st Raymond & Sheila Phillips - 2 nd Robert & Juanita Patrick - th Johnny & Brenda Hemingway - 13 th Oscar & Maria Greene - 21 st Edward & Andrea Washington - 24 th Jeff & Bonnie Upshaw - 26 th