Life at Unity. August 27, 2018

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1 Life at Unity August 27, 2018 Since 1788 United in Christ s love, we glorify God through worship, nurture, and service to all people. Celebrating 230 Years of Mission and Ministry IN THIS ISSUE: Hymnals Page 3 Welcome Sally... Page 3 Nominations... Page 4 Mission Study Page 5 And Much More PRAYER CONCERNS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Thanks to the volunteers who joined in the fun Saturday, August 18th at the Habitat Build. Your work and dedication will help a family have a home. We will have another opportunity to work with our Habitat partners on Oct 27th at Go Mad Day! CONNECTIONS You are invited to an upcoming Connections Class! The Connections Class is designed for people new to our church who may be considering becoming members. This class will provide information about the congregation, opportunities for involvement, Spiritual growth and service, how to become a member, and other topics of interest and importance. It will also provide a great opportunity for you to meet some of the church staff and other church members. Fall Class September 16th 12-3p, 23rd 10am Winter Class November 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th 10am Pre-registration is required for this Connections Class. Please contact Nancy Nutter at NNutter@UnityFortMill.org or call her in the church office at to register or to ask questions Beth Anderson Dick Stein Dickie Havnaer Wyndie Havnaer Pam Kay Brad Kay Greyson Gload Patsy White Betty Kimbrell Millie Williams Bob Tuthill* Charlee Rae Gribble* Dot Hollis* Margaret Morgan* Libby Kern* Dee Rutter* Bob Lane* Billy Barron* Our Mission Coworkers Cindy Corell - Haiti Dori Hjalmarson Honduras *Long Term Prayer Concern

2 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION STAFF Kathryn McGregor Director of Christian Education (children and adults) CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Rev. Lindsay White Assoc. Pastor for Youth Ministries (youth grades 6-12) Melissa Dye Children in Worship Coordinator Linda Bunge Director of Unity Preschool Lauren Lochel Nursery Coordinator #FLAT JESUS AT UNITY... Sunday Night Live begins September 16 and runs through October 14. Opportunities for Children from 5-6 pm include: Ready to Worship (2nd graders & a parent), Learning to Use My Bible (3rd graders), Growing Christians (4th & 5th graders) Opportunities for Adults from 5-6 pm include: Mission Study Conversations a repeat of the Sunday school conversations in August and September for those who weren t able to attend Planning for Life & Beyond These guided workshops will provide an opportunity to learn about and work through the various documents that will express your wishes regarding difficult medical and end-of-life decisions. Each session will include tools and time for decision making. Register now at Q==&site=92749&ReturnUrl=events%2fwz_people.aspx&ChurchID=5704&EventI D=162420&sn=92749 A nursery is available for pre-registered participants. Dinner will be served each night at 6:00 pm. More information is available on the church website. YEAR OF THE BIBLE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT. 2 2 Sunday: Ecclesiastes Thessalonians 3 Monday: Ecclesiastes 6-7 Psalms Tuesday: Ecclesiastes Timothy 1 Wednesday: Ecclesiastes Timothy 2 Thursday: Ecclesiastes 12 1 Timothy 3 Friday: Song of Solomon 1-2 Psalms Saturday: S of S Timothy 4 YEAR OF THE BIBLE: TRIVIA TRIVIA QUESTIONS AUG. 26 But first, the answers to last week s questions: Paul sent Timothy to see how the church at Thessalonica was faring. (Thes 3:2) The 4 small but wise things mentioned in Proverbs are ants, badgers, locusts and lizards. (Prov 30:24 28) While you re reading this week, think about these questions: Paul cherished a deep affection for Timothy. How does Paul describe his relationship to him? When all is said and done, what is the basic thing that people should do according to Ecclesiastes?

3 BOOK AND MORE GIVEAWAY! Jeannie Bickett is cleaning out her bookshelves, and would love for you to find some books you may enjoy. You can choose from theology and Bible study books, devotionals, fiction, books about church and culture, and many more topics! Some are quite recent, and others are classics. Sunday, September 2 is the last day to check out Jeannie s Book Giveaway in corner of the Fellowship Hall. New items are being added every day, and this week will include other items such as candles, maps, greeting cards, office décor items and art supplies. If you want it, it s yours! Check it out this week and find a treasure! SING, GROW, AND SHARE The Junior and Cherub Choirs will meet for the first rehearsal of the new school year on Sunday, September 16th. The Junior Choir (grades 2 through 5) will meet in the choir room from 4:15 until 5:00 and the Cherub Choir will meet in the handbell room from 5:00 until 5:45. Cherub Choir is for children age 4 (by September 1st) through first grade. Parents, please fill out a registration form, available in the Narthex or on under the Children & Youth tab (there is just one form for both choirs). Please contact Margaret Monroe, Director of Music, at mmonroe@unityfortmill.org or with any questions. We re looking forward to a great year of singing our story, growing our faith, and sharing our gifts! LINE DANCING Friday morning Line Dancing (Fellowship and Fitness) will begin on Sept. 7. The group meets weekly in the Fellowship Hall from 10:15-11:15. New dancers are always welcome. Dances include fox trot, waltz and cha-cha, steps as well as more traditional country dance moves. This fall, some martial arts moves will also be incorporated. The class is free and no sign-up is necessary. Call Susan Benfield at for Q&A. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OLD HYMNALS? Now that we have begun using Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal, you may be wondering what is to come of the older blue hymnals. The blue hymnals will still be used in the Historic Sanctuary. Copies of the blue hymnal bearing nameplates in honor or in memory of loved ones will be made available to those who donated them. These will be alphabetized and available for pickup in the Fellowship Hall from September Once the Historic Sanctuary is outfitted with the unclaimed nameplated hymnals, remaining hymnals will be available for anyone who desires one for their personal home use or donated to any church in the Presbytery that has need of them. WELCOME SALLY HERLONG Sally Herlong will be joining the Unity staff on Monday, September 10th. The position she will hold is that of Coordinator for Congregational Care, Health, and Worship Ministries. This part-time position is scheduled for 20 hours per week. The Coordinator for Congregational Care, Health, and Worship Ministries in collaboration with the Deacons for Congregational Care and the Congregational Care Team, the Health Ministries Team, and the Worship & Music Team, will oversee Unity s programs associated with these teams. The nature of this position will be very interactive with pastors, staff, members, and visitors. Her responsibilities will include such tasks as: recruit, train, resource, supervise, and thank volunteers for congregational care, health, and worship ministry area and programs; attend regular meetings of the Congregational Care, Health, and Worship & Music ministry teams; serve as staff liaison to the Congregational Care Ministry Team and Health Ministry Team; and serve as staff liaison, along with the Director of Music, to the Worship & Music Team, concerning acolytes and lay worship leaders, seasonal decorations, candles, banners and liturgical art, communion preparation, and special worship events. CONGREGATIONAL BREAKFAST Breakfast will be held on Sunday, September 2nd, at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The menu includes sausage, ham, biscuits, cereal, and fruit. Please plan to join us for good food and fellowship! BEACH RETREAT: SEPT All High School Youth are invited to the High School Beach Retreat September We will head to North Myrtle Beach for a time of rest, prayer, and fellowship. The cost is $100 per person, which includes food, transportation, and lodging. The deadline to sign up is Sunday, September 9. LAST SUNDAY S ATTENDANCE 8:45 am :00 am Livestream

4 STAY IN TOUCH You already know about our newsletter, but did you know there are other ways to engage with Unity Presbyterian? WEBSITE: You can find all of the information about our church here, upcoming events, registration forms, and more. FACEBOOK: Unity Presbyterian Church has a Facebook page! Like us for inspirational quotes, Bible verses, event pictures, and interesting articles. GOOGLE+: Did you know the more reviews we have on Google, the faster our website is pulled up when someone is searching? Review us by googling Unity Fort Mill, just click the review button on the right hand side! YELP: Help new people find us by rating us on the Yelp app! Share your stories there too. If you have any news, suggestions, or announcements, please contact commspecialist@unityfortmill.org HIGH SCHOOL PRAYER BREAKFASTS Attention all High School Youth: we are bringing back Prayer Breakfasts on the last Wednesday of every month at 7:30 am in Fellowship Hall. Prayer Breakfast will include food, energizers, a devotion, and occasional meetings at other local establishments. Our first Prayer Breakfast will be Wednesday, August 29! UNITY ENDOWMENT PROGRAM FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR DISTRIBUTION The Endowment Program has surpassed the threshold set by its board to distribute funds. If your ministry has an event or program in mind that did not make the budget, the Endowment Program may be able to help fund that event or program. Applications can be found in the Narthex or on our website under the Stewardship/Endowment tab: 0ENDOWMENT%20PROGRAM%20DISTRIBUTION2018.pdf The Endowment Board is truly appreciative of the more than 30 DONORS whose generous cash donations have made this program distribution possible. NOMINATING COMMITTEE The Nominating Committee of Unity requests your suggestion of church members to serve as officers of the church: both elders and deacons. Officers will serve a three year term, unless nominated to fill a vacancy in an unexpired term. The Book of Order indicates that elders should be persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, having demonstrated skills in leadership and being compassionate in spirit. Elders exercise leadership, government, spiritual discernment, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life of a congregation as well as the whole church The Book of Order indicates that deacons should be persons of spiritual character, honest repute, exemplary lives, brotherly and sisterly love, sincere compassion, and sound judgment. The ministry of deacons is one of compassion, witness, and service, sharing in the redeeming love of Jesus Christ for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lost, the friendless, the oppressed, those burdened by unjust policies or structures, or anyone in distress. Please direct suggested names to the church office or Mark Diehl. 4

5 MISSION STUDY TEAM MISSION STUDY TEAM MEMBERS Anne Cardozo Kathryn Glenn Steve Hardy Strat Lake John Lee Lynn Ringley Chuck Welfare Contact any of them directly or at We believe a faithful adherence to a faithful process will yield a faithful result. WHAT S HAPPENING AT MISSION STUDY Sunday s discussion about the strengths of Unity and the needs of the community were thought provoking and inspired. A few of the strengths mentioned were our outreach, staff, opportunities for involvement, and a welcoming congregation. ome of the needs that were discussed were school-church partnerships, growing poverty, LGBTQ support, and facilities for teens/community groups/homeless. Thank you for being a part of a great discussion. Remember that September 2 is a congregational breakfast day. Our guided conversations resume on September 9 when we will use the list of strengths and needs to help determine our call. What is God calling us to do in the next chapter of our ministry and how can we accomplish that? We look forward to hearing from you! TAKE ACTION HAVE A VOICE IN OUR FUTURE A survey of our community leaders has been conducted and a demographic study has been completed. In addition, as part of the self-examination process, a survey has been sent out to all church members via . The purpose of the brief survey is to gather information from the congregation about our church and its activities, and to help guide Sunday school discussions in August and September. The survey can be accessed by clicking the link in the , or entering the following link into the web browser on your computer, smart phone, or tablet i98pjfdkrqlys8tm2 In order to stay faithful to the Bible Study piece for the Mission Study, we will have guided discussions during Sunday school August 19, 26, September 9, and 16. For four weeks, all are invited to be a part of these congregational conversations that will take place in the Fellowship Hall. No other adult Sunday school classes will meet so that everyone can participate in the discussion. The classes will be repeated beginning September 16 as a part of Sunday Night Live. Prayer, scripture study, and faith sharing are important pieces for setting the tone for the congregational conversations of the Mission Study. During these weeks in Sunday school, we hope that we will have a chance to examine our faith to better see what God is calling us to do in this particular time and place. Join us and tell us your opinions. 5

6 Unity Presbyterian Church 303 Tom Hall Street PO Box 1267 Fort Mill, SC JOIN US SUNDAY 8:45 a.m. Worship service 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship service FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Newsletter Info Deadline: Wednesday by 5:00 pm Return Service Requested UnityFortMill.org FROM THE PASTOR Friends, It is always instructive to hear reflections from people in the pews about worship. Last week during a committee meeting (after the youth-led worship service the previous Sunday), an active member of the congregation said almost with glee, Did you see and hear those kids?! We need to continue to support the great youth program we have at Unity! I couldn t agree more. Mark E. Diehl Another interesting comment that is frequently made to clergy, often said as a preemptive strike or a warning, is Politics doesn t belong in worship. I couldn t disagree more. Merriam-Webster defines politics as the art or science of government, and the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy. People of faith should talk about the most vital issues facing their communities and their government, and they should exercise their voice and their involvement and their vote. Unseen forces that influence policies, what laws are enacted, how money is allocated and spent, what populations are represented or denied representation, the character and ethics of those who serve: all of these deserve scrutiny and critique, and the church has a legitimate role in voicing its perspective. When the church speaks to the issues of the day, it follows the actions of the prophets and our Lord Jesus. I think a more accurate statement than politics doesn t belong in worship is partisanship doesn t belong in worship. Promoting one political party or candidate to the exclusion of others, putting God s seal of approval on one set of ideas while condemning all other ideas: these are actions that place the church in a subservient position to partisan powers rather than maintaining an independent position in order to speak truth to power when that is required. This week our country is mourning the death and celebrating the life of Senator John McCain. He was a rare individual who identified clearly with one political party, yet worked across the aisle for the good of all in the country. He critiqued himself and those in his own party, as well as those whom he disagreed with. One need not agree with him or his various political positions over the years in order to celebrate his character as one who served his country faithfully and honorably. Grace and peace, Mark Church Office Emergency Pastoral Line Senior Interim Pastor Mark E. Diehl Senior Associate Pastor Jeannie Bickett Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry Lindsay White