The Aldersgate. Heartbeat. Aldersgate United Methodist Church Volume 33, No. 5 March 13, 2017

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1 The Aldersgate Heartbeat The Church With The Warm Heart Aldersgate United Methodist Church Volume 33, No. 5 March 13, 2017 Palm Sunday, April 9 Join us in all our services for the celebration of Palm Sunday. Children will sing and process with Palms at the Bread & Traditional Worship Services. Start your Holy Week with this celebration of our King! Maundy Thursday, April 13 7:00 pm- Sanctuary On this night Christians remember the supper Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion, when Jesus washed the disciples feet and instituted the Sacrament of the Lord s Supper. This service includes readings, music, foot (or hand) washing, communion and the stripping of the altar to remind us of the abandonment and loneliness of Jesus experienced during the long night in Gethsemane. Good Friday, April 14 7:00 pm -Fellowship Hall Easter Sunday, April 16 Sunrise Service 6:30am in the outdoor worship space Join us in the outdoor worship space for singing, prayer and preaching as the sun rises over Green Mountain. There are several benches provided. Feel free to bring your own lawn chair as well. Breakfast to follow in the fellowship hall. Manna Service 8:30am We will enjoy a traditional service of Holy Communion with special music to remember Jesus' triumph over the grave. Bread for the Journey 9:45am Fellowship Hall Our contemporary service is led by the 3X Grace Band. Join us as we celebrate the risen Lord. Traditional Worship 11:00am Sanctuary Our traditional worship service will include a special brass ensemble, percussion and handbells to help us celebrate our Risen Lord! Sunday School will be at 9:45am Butterfly release in Sunday School and Worship

2 Older Adult Ministries Evergreens April Lunch Thursday, April 6 11:00 Fellowship Hall Spring Salad luncheon Join us for a spring salad potluck lunch. Bring your favorite salad to share. After our lunch, we have an estate planning lawyer to speak. Please let Lydia know by Tuesday, April 4 if you are attending. lydia.locke@aldersgate.ws or Speeders Breakfast Friday, April 7 8:30 Blue Plate on South Parkway No reservations, just come enjoy great conversation over breakfast. We had over 20 last month and hope you will join us! Tuesday evenings - A New Book Study on Prayer Beginning, Tuesday, February 28 from 6:30-8 pm upstairs in room 211. Sue DeLary will be leading the class. They will be using Paul Miller's book "A Praying Life: Connecting with God is a Distracting World". Please purchase the book before joining the class. The book is available on Amazon.com. For more information contact Lydia Locke, or lydia.locke@aldersgate.ws. Monday afternoon Bible Study The Ladies group starts back on Monday, February 27, 1 pm in the music room. They will be reading "The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe" by CS Lewis. What a great way to prepare for Easter. They would love to have more women join them. We have a limited number of books available for purchase. Martha McInnish is facilitating this group. Aldersgate United Methodist Church is seeking a part-time Children s Director. We are looking for someone who is passionate about sharing Jesus Christ with children from birth to 5 th grade and their families and providing opportunities for them to grow as disciples as well as reaching beyond the walls of our church to touch the lives of children in our community. The Director will be responsible for leading our children s ministry, equipping and developing adult volunteers, and representing Aldersgate at school and community events. Hours may vary from hours per week.

3 Kidsgate News The goodbye party for Ms. Victoria will be Sunday, March 26 th. Since we are doing a Sunday school series on Inside Out, we will be watching the movie during Sunday school and worship on that day. Hope to see everyone there! We will be having a Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday April 9 th from 5-6:30pm! Schedule: Nursery 8:30, 9:15, 10:30 am Sunday School 9:15 am Kidsgate Music 5:00-6:30 pm Victoria s children@aldersgate.ws Camp Sumatanga Sunday, March 12 th we had someone from Camp Sumatanga lead Sunday school with the children. She left brochures for camp that will be put in the Narthex for anyone who is interested. Camp activities are offered for 1 st through 12 th grade, along with intergenerational camps for kids younger than 1 st grade to go with an adult! Mrs. Lydia, along with the Kidsgate staff, will be leading a week of Elementary Camp. This is a great opportunity to send your rising 3 rd -6 th graders to camp with adults that you know! Her week of camp is Elementary 2 (June 18-23). You may sign up online! We know camp can be expensive, especially if you have multiple kids that are interested. Aldersgate will be having a fundraiser to assist children in our congregation with the cost of camp. More details on this fundraiser will be given at a later date. If you have any questions about Camp Sumatanga, their website is or you may contact Mrs. Lydia at Lydia.locke@aldersgate.ws or Ms. Victoria at children@aldersgate.ws. Mrs Lydia has been going to camp for many years, and Ms. Victoria has worked and volunteered there for the last 4 years.

4 Rummage Sale News Our annual Rummage Sale will be Saturday, March 25th. Hope you are saving your good junk as well as boxes, hangers, and bags. We will be accepting your donations in Room 7 after church on March 19th. Donations may be brought to the church Monday through Wednesday during church office hours. Sorting and pricing will be Thursday and Friday from 9 am to about 8 pm so items can be brought to the Fellowship Hall on those days. We will not be able to accept old style TVs. We need workers for the sorting and pricing and for the sale Saturday 7 am to 2 pm. Please come join the fun. It takes many hands to make this sale successful. Call Kathy Weathers with questions or to arrange a furniture pick up, (256) Hope on Wheels Monday, April cooking 4:30-6:15 serving Start your holy week serving our community! We will be serving a hot casserole, salad, and fruit. Aldersgate has thru the years responded to the needs of Red Bird Mission in Eastern, KY. As mentioned in the last newsletter, Campbell Co. is ending their Labels for Education program that has given the missions thousands of dollars of supplies. Red Bird now has 1,300,000 points and needs an additional 200,000 by July to secure a new van for 1,500,000 points. Please help them reach this goal by donating labels & placing in the Giving cabinet in the Narthex.

5 UMW News Annual UMW District Wide Prayer Breakfast Saturday, March 25-9:00am at Trinity UMC Cost $12.00 Dr. Debra Moriarity from UAH will be the guest speaker and the music will be provided by The Blue Notes 5. Any woman who would like to attend needs to make a check out to Aldersgate UMW and send it to Debra Bocking no later than March 8th. For additional information call Rita Friday (Debra Bocking Dunbarton-Huntsville, AL ) BELK CHARITY SALE TICKETS TO BENEFIT HAP There are tickets available for $5 for Belk's Charity Sale on Saturday morning, April 29th. All the money from the sale of these tickets will directly benefit the programs of Huntsville Assistance Program (HAP), which Aldersgate is a member of. You will receive $5 off your first purchase, so you benefit, and so does HAP. This is a wonderful sale, with many rarely discounted brands available. If you are not able to shop on that Saturday morning, you can shop beginning April 19th and reserve the merchandise. This pre-sale merchandise can be picked up on Saturday, April 29th after 1:00. This is a great time to shop for Mother's Day, graduations, and weddings! Contact Connie Carter at to purchase a ticket. HAP appreciates your support! Soup and Chili Supper success! All, if you came and ate, many thanks, and if you brought your best soup/chili, many more thanks..! The Soup/Chili Supper just prior to the evening Ash Wednesday service was a great success, thanks to all who supported this Habitat for Humanity Fundraiser. If you missed out, there'll always be next year! Tummies were filled before Pastor Sherill blessed us for the start of Lent. Way to go, Aldersgate, the Church with the Warmest of Hearts...!!! PRAYER CONCERNS Health: David Carlton, Alice Bunnell, Peter Sapp, Donald Zimmerman, Joan Hutson, Lori Dalton, Barbara Windsor, Charles Raley, Carolyn Ottman, Mary Beth Bocking, Madison Wood, Judy Hodge, Kent Haugen, Bill & Marla Blanton, Martha Gean, Peggy Watt, Ina Fay Carroll, Krista Conner, Leslie Gates, Emma Jane Frederick, Bill Connell, Robert Stanley, Leslie Peterson, Cindy Taylor, Carolyn Hall, Jim Maddox, Jon Spano, Krista Maitland, Kathy Konyha, Susan Moran, Patsy Wells, Patsy Jeter, Cheryl Choate, Janet Marchard, Carol Everitt, Max Rowlette, May Lyle, Belinda Rogers, Nancy McSwain, Steve Lowery, Terri Defebo, Joe (son of Rita McVey), Calvin Blevins Sr., Barbara Hall, Erin Bowers, Hank Oprinkski, Tammy Good, Carl Biltz, Wendy Kirk, Darrell, Carter Pearce, Nancy Harris, Grace Gurley, Mike Bailey, Sam Citrano Sr., Don Clark, Allyson Thomas Other: Laurette Smith, Jamie Berg, Ralph Nichols, Rebecca Burke, Shannon Watts, Family of Sean Grubbs

6 March Mission of the Month: SIFAT - Servants In Faith And Technology SIFAT was established in 1979 and is based in Lineville, Alabama. The goal of SIFAT is to help people from different countries, cultures and social classes understand each other and work together, so that everyone can have a chance to develop into the person God intends for each to be. The goal is to bring the Kingdom of God closer to all by sharing God's love through service, education, and personal involvement with a needy world. There are 3 main areas of focus at SIFAT: Learn & Serve, Training, and International Missions. Learn & Serve provides an opportunity for Americans to gain a holistic view of the developing world and challenges participants to explore how God calls us to live. People from around the world gather at SIFAT's international training campus to learn practical skills to foster sustainable community development. This training is also offered in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Graduates of this program become the leaders of projects in their countries. SIFAT sends short-term mission teams to help empower the SIFAT training graduates with their approved projects. These construction, teaching, evangelistic and medical teams travel at the invitation of the SIFAT graduate and work alongside the people in the community. They call this short-term teams for long term development. Current short-term teams are going to Bolivia, Ecuador, Uganda and Zambia. Your donations to the Mission of the Month will support the work of SIFAT. If you would like more information about SIFAT, visit their website at sifat.org. Our former pastor, Bill Etheridge, is on the Board of Directors at SIFAT. He will once again be leading a short-term mission team to Ecuador this July. His son, Will Etheridge - Pastor at Lacey's Spring United Methodist, will also be leading a team. If you are interested in learning more about these upcoming trips, please contact Debbie Searcy (dsearcy@knology.net). Several members of Aldersgate have traveled with Bill to Ecuador and have found it to be a very meaningful experience. We will be working on construction of a facility for the children in the marginalized area of Calderon located on the outskirts of Quito. We will also be having a daily Bible School for the children.

7 Hospitality Initiative begins Easter Sunday We are excited to announce the launch of a new Hospitality initiative beginning Easter Sunday! We have a wonderful opportunity to serve and share Jesus as the church with the warm heart when guests visit Aldersgate especially for the first time. We want everyone who walks through our doors to experience the loving welcome of Jesus Christ and what better time to launch this effort than on April 16, Easter Sunday! Traditionally, we associate Hospitality with being a warm, welcoming, and friendly church, and that is important, but we also need to make a more focused effort to create a culture of hospitality - making real connections with our guests and perhaps even renewing and reinforcing connections between our own members in new ways that can be joyful, passionate, and fun. We ll have Ushers, Greeters, Worship Service Teams and Welcome Center Teams all joining together to support this effort. Watch for more details to follow soon! We will hold a formal Hospitality Training on Sunday, April 2. If you currently serve as the chair of a committee, or as an usher, or simply have a heart for creating an environment of hospitality, mark your calendar for April 2 from 12-2:30! We ll even feed you! EASTER LILIES 2017 It is always so beautiful to enter the Church Sunday morning and see it filled with beautiful flowers. If you would like to have a Lily placed in Honor or Memory of someone please fill out this form and place in the offering plate or return to the office. The cost is $10.00 each. Orders may also be ed to Jessica Johnson at jessica.johnson@aldersgate.ws Please note: Your order is not complete until payment is received Make Checks to AUMC and note Easter Lily at the bottom. Order and payment deadline is Sunday, March 26. The flowers can be picked up at the end of the service on Easter Sunday. Given by In Honor of In Memory of

8 Stewardship Ending February 2017 Income YTD $117, Expenses YTD $119, Difference YTD ($1,814.51) Wkly Building fund $6, YTD Total Building pledges $167, Current Loan Balance $127, Worship Attendance Date Total 3/ / Pastoral Care If you have or know of a pastoral care need, please notify the church office or any of the pastors. The Pastor on Call will provide or direct the appropriate caring response. Pastor on Call Schedule: Mondays & Thursdays Sherill Clontz (256) Tuesdays &Wednesdays Lydia Locke (256) Friday - Sunday: March Lydia Locke March24-26 Sherill Clontz Newsletter Deadline: The next newsletter deadline is Sunday, March 26 Submit information to: jessica.johnson@aldersgate.ws CHURCH OFFICE Closed: Monday-April 17th Monday-May 29th May 30 till July 31 8:30-1:00 Pastor - Rev. Sherill Clontz Associate Pastor Rev. Brant Butler Pianist/Organist - Rebecca Bundy Contemporary Worship Leader - Dennis Cornelison Director of Music - Dennis Clements Director of Youth Ministries - Emma Tuttle Director of Discipleship & Assistant to the Minister - Lydia Locke Director of Children s Ministries-Victoria Owen Director of KidsGate Choir-Kirstin Briggs Office Manager - Jessica Johnson Financial Manager - Wendy Sampson Facilities Manager-Bob Davidson