Student New Orleans Mission Trip

Transcription

1 July 2014 Vol. 3 Issue 7 Connecting Generations to Grow Relationships with God, Others, and Creation Student New Orleans Mission Trip Richie Hall, Minister to Students and Communications I ve been asked numerous times over the years why I prefer to take youth groups out-of-state for mission projects. There are plenty of opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus right here at home, is the most common reason I usually get for keeping students close to home. Those people are absolutely correct, but something special and unique happens when students get outside their comfort zones away from home to volunteer their time, energy, and money to help others in a different culture. Eyes and hearts are opened in a life-changing, world-viewaltering way. I believe that happened with our students and chaperones on our trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. Our group of 27 individuals piled into the 15 passenger church bus and rented van Sunday morning after a wonderful send-off in The Orchard. We finally hit the road between 3:30-4PM, given we had mechanical issues with the bus, and arrived at Aurora UMC (our host church) around 11PM Sunday night. We hit the ground running on N Broad Street in New Orleans Monday morning and worked in very hot (I would say miserable ) conditions cleaning up 8-9 years of rubble and decay from a house that is scheduled to be redone all through the summer. Our team finished in less than two and a half days what was expected to take us all week to complete! We got done all that Team Effort had for us to do. Every student worked hard and they really worked well together. We were sent to the 9 th ward to hang drywall and unearth dilapidated pipes at a small church on Wednesday and Thursday. While we may not have finished hanging ALL the sheetrock there was to hang, our students did an amazing job getting most of it up. Thursday afternoon we were able to spend some time in the French Quarter, and Friday we took a swamp tour and spent some time on a beach in Mississippi. Somewhere in there, the bus was in the repair shop again (serpentine belt), but that happens, right? Thank you Latham for believing in and supporting this Student Ministry. You were represented very well in New Orleans. These students and chaperones returned physically tired, but spiritually energized, having experienced what it s like to go into all the world in the name of Christ. Our ministry is stronger for the bonds created and strengthened during this week of service. Lives have been changed, and you helped make that happen! Inside this issue: Sermon Series 2 Connect 3 InReach 5 Student Ministry 8 Calendar 11 Lifetree Café 12

2 P a ge 2 July Sermon Series Hughey Reynolds, Senior Pastor I will preach four sermons on Discipleship during the month of July in the Traditional Worship services at 8:30 and 11:05 a.m. My method will be to lay the biblical foundation for the discipleship focus and process that our recently adopted long-range plan established as Latham s top priority: To multiply the number of self-initiating, reproducing, fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ by expanding and resourcing our discipleship process. The goal of the sermon series is to enlist the majority of Latham members in a small-group discipleship process that advances us all on the journey toward Christlikeness. Scripture readings and topics for sermons in the 8:30 and 11:05 services: July 6 Becoming a Self-Initiating Disciple 1 Peter 2:1-10 July 13 Becoming a Reproductive Disciple Romans 15:14-21 July 20 Becoming a Fully Devoted Disciple Philippians 3:9b-15 July 27 Becoming Disciples through Relationships Philippians 1:3-11 July Sermon Series Chris Martin, Associate Pastor During the month of July we will be focusing on Discipleship on Sunday mornings in the Orchard. With the recent adoption of the new long-range plan for LUMC, Discipleship has been identified as our principal task as a church. Each Sunday this month we are going to think together about the four primary characteristics of discipleship and hopefully learn how we can bring these practices to bear on our daily life and in the life of our church. This sermon series will culminate in the launch of multiple new small groups that will begin meeting in early August. These groups will be meeting weekly for Bible study, prayer, and mutual accountability. They will be using the Life Journal as their group resource, which is a reading plan to guide the groups through the whole Bible in one year. Sermon Series: Discipleship What s It All About? July 6 All About Relationships John 15 July 13 All About Transformation 2 Corinthians 5:17 Romans 12:1-2 July 20 All About Reproduction Matthew 28:19-20 Mark 4:1-20 July 27 All About Christlikeness Ephesians 4:1-16

3 P a ge 3 Connect Ministries Susan Terry, Minister of Connect and Children s Ministries Did you know that new people are coming to Latham every Sunday?? As part of the Connect Ministry Team, I am looking for new faces as people come into the services so I can greet them and try to introduce them to a few people. Yes, that s part of my job as the staff liaison for Connect Ministries, but it is also my pleasure because I get to meet new people and learn something about them. Welcome New Members John & Marjory Herder I have had several conversations lately with some of our newer members about why they kept coming back to Latham. Without fail, it was because they were welcomed so warmly the first time they came in. Now granted, I m sure 100% of you would say that you are welcoming. But there is a difference between really welcoming and just being polite. If you are polite to a visitor, you say Good morning or Hi! How are you? and then go on about your business without really waiting for an answer. But welcoming is taking the time to STOP.greet that person, introduce yourself and then find out something about that person. Almost without fail, by talking to the visitor I can find some similarity between them and someone who regularly attends Latham and can connect those two people so that they can talk. We would love to have more members on our Connect Ministry Team. However, what would be even more awesome would be for that team to include EVERY member of the church EVERY Sunday. A culture of being welcome.that s the Connect Team dream!!

4 Page 4 Outreach Rev. Chris Martin, Associate Pastor Our Lily Flagg outreach event took place onsaturday June 21, at the Lily Flagg apartment complex. We had some inflatables for the kids to play on and a great meal of hamburgers and hotdogs that Neal Porter graciously cooked for us. We also had a great team of volunteers that worked hard on a hot day to meet and fellowship with our neighbors at Lily Flagg. Our best estimate is that we had approximately 50 residents who attended all of whom seemed to be very grateful for our hospitality. We believe it was a positive step toward building relationships with people who live right here in our neighborhood - people whom Christ has called us to love just as we love ourselves. We are going to be holding more of these outreach events in other parts of our community in south Huntsville and we need your help. If you would like to be part of our next outreach effort please let me know! chrismartin@lathamumc.org or ext. 14

5 P a ge 5 InReach Ministries The Health Ministry Team is sponsoring Children s Safety Issues with speakers from the Children s Advocacy Center. Wednesday, July 16, 6:30 to 8:00 PM Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, come and learn about the dangers in your children's world. All are invited to hear how to protect them from dangers such as trafficking, stranger danger, etc. Contact Faye Cook at for more information. Parenting Series An Intergenerational Success! By Windy Geisinger After six sessions spread over three months, the Parenting Skills Series has concluded. The InReach Ministries would like to thank the following folks: The parents-for your desire to learn more, your sense of humor and energy. Your self awareness and openness! The childcare providers for your support of the younger members of our congregation. WANTED Casserole Deliverers *Delivery of 1-4 casseroles for one month a year! *Helping to provide visible evidence of Latham s love. *Getting to know others better. REWARD Satisfaction and appreciation. Contact Marvene in the church office. Future InReach Activities Marriage Enrichment Series coming in the fall. This four session series will be led by Robbie Robinson, licensed marriage counselor, and will cover topics such as evaluating and setting marriage values and priorities, communication, and meeting marital challenges. It will include a panel of couples married for many years who will answer questions and reflect upon their secrets for a long term marriage. Budgeting and Investing Series coming in winter This four-part series will be led by a finance professional and will cover topics such as setting up a tracking system, developing a budget that includes needs and wants, strategies for future planning and saving, and a format for planning an investment strategy. The WOW and Faith Sunday School classes and many other volunteers who gave graciously of their time. The parent panel participants for sharing your experiences and wisdom with the younger members of our congregation: Jane Smith Jim and Leisa Teed Susan Terry Jeff and Jackie Langhout Bryan McGuire Debbie Ingleright Heather Porter for guiding us through the dangers and solutions for our children in the wide open internet world. Thank you! WANTED Visitors for our Homebound *Providing the presence of God and LUMC in the lives of homebound members. *Helping with a phone call or visit. *Being the sunshine in the lives of others. REWARD Satisfaction and appreciation! Contact Marvene in the church office.

6 P a ge 6 Children s July Activities Susan Terry, Minister to Connect and Children s Ministries Mission Mondays we will be going different places doing some awesome work and then have a fast food lunch before returning to church, for grades 2 through 5 (and any middle schoolers that want to join us). Meet at the Church Office at 9AM every Monday. We will try to return to church about 12:15. CAKE BOSS our most popular workshop is back!! Bring an 8 or 9 cake (your choice of flavors white, chocolate, red velvet, whatever) with NO ICING. We will ice it, decorate it with fondant, candies, sprinkles and anything else we can think of. You MUST pre-register for this one so I know how much fondant and goodies to buy. Age 4 through 1 st grade July 8, 9AM to 11AM, Farley Hall Kitchen Grades 2 through 5 July 10, 9AM to 11AM, Farley Hall Kitchen CRAFT DAYS we had a lot of crafts for VBS that we couldn t do with a large group, but we can do with a smaller group on craft days. You won t be throwing these away any time soon!! Sand castles, salt art and many other things!! Ages 4 through 1 st grade July 15, 9AM to 11AM, Room 151 Grades 2 through 5 July 17, 9AM to 11AM, Room 151 SCIENCE DAYS Nicole Cleary has some awesome science projects/experiments for us to do. Haven t seen the list yet, but I m sure things spewing, soda shooting out of bottles and lots of fun is involved. Ages 4 through 1 st grade July 22, 9AM to 11AM, Room 151 Grades 2 through 5 July 24, 9AM to 11 AM, Room 151 VBS 2014

7 P a ge 7 Senior Class of 2014 Richie Hall, Minister to Students and Communication We as a full staff would like to extend a sincere apology to our seniors of 2014, to their families, and to the church family as a whole for our oversight and failure to include this article in June s edition of The Branch. No excuses and no sad tales you deserved to be recognized and honored in a timely manner, and that did not happen. We are proud of each and every one of you: for the life you ve brought to our congregation over the years, for the service you and your families have selflessly performed, and for the men you are allowing God to mold you into. We know that the next steps you take may lead you away from Huntsville, but please know that you will always have a family at this church who will love, support, and be there for you in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. Congratulations guys on a job well done! Andrew Cannon graduated from Grissom High School and will be attending the University of North Alabama. VBS 2014 Brian Cantley graduated from Huntsville High School and is pursuing interests in welding and other skilled crafts for which he is currently employed. Daniel Smith graduated from Grissom High School and will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall

8 P a ge 8 Student Ministry Richie Hall, Minister to Students and Communication Ohana! Welcome to Latham s Student Ministry main update. The summer has started off extremely well up on the second floor of the Family Life Center! Our rising 6 th graders (and we have a bunch) have added new level of excitement around this place and we re glad to have them. New parents graduating into Latham s Youth Ministry along with their students have been fantastic and energized as well. Not only does the immediate future hold a tremendous amount of promise here, our long-term prospects look better than ever. Our Sunday Morning Youth Discipleship Groups are phenomenal and we re still fairly early into the summer. Attendance has been high and participation has been very good. Students are paying close attention and obviously getting some good stuff out of our time together on Sunday mornings and that has created a new set of challenges to overcome (and I mean that in a VERY good way!) Given the significant number of students we have on Sunday mornings, we ve been forced to implement some changes earlier than I was actually expecting to. Starting July 6 th, we re going to start dividing our Discipleship Groups into more than just a guy s and a girl s group after our initial large group time. We have too many students to be effective in our small group discipleship time (which is distinctly different from teaching time during Generation Next together Sunday evenings) with our current and anticipated numbers. So with that in mind, we re going to divide our girls into high school and middle school groups with Grace Langhout leading the high school girls and Mari Adams leading the middle school girls. Sam Lassetter is going to continue working with ALL the guys (for the time being); however, we will be looking to divide the guys into high school and middle school groups here in the near future. (So any men interested in helping serve and lead please let me know!)

9 Page 9 Student Ministry We have had a very busy month with Discipleship Groups, a Pool Party, Tasty Tuesday, Drive-In Movie, VBS, Anything Can Happen Thursday, Lake Day, and a Mission Trip. I am already one tired youth minister! We still have a LOT of great stuff scheduled for the remaining weeks of summer including: a video scavenger hunt on Sunday, June 13th, youth week kicking off on Sunday night, July 20th, another pool party on July 27th, day trip to Point Mallard on August 2nd, and we re going to have a special worship night on August 3rd, (just in time for back to school preparations), and a Back 2 School Bash at Camp Sumatanga August 8-10th! We ll have a couple more Tasty Tuesdays, Anything Can Happen Thursdays, and additional Missions opportunities as well. We have a lot coming up the next few months, so please stay tuned to the calendars posted on bulletin boards downstairs across from the infant nursery and/or the youth bulletin board up next to the Youth Wing. You can also check out the church s and/or Student Ministry s Facebook page or the student portion of our website, for up-to-date information. Please continue to invite friends to all our extra fun events AND to Generation Next on Sunday nights. If you or a teenager you know is looking for a positive and dynamic group to join, please give us a try. We re growing quite steadily and always looking to add to the family. All are invited to come check out what it s all about.

10 P a ge 10 UMW Judy Gillespie, President SAVE THE DATE: Sept. 3, :00 a.m. Farley Hall UMW general meeting: Speakers will be Patricia McCay, chairperson for Huntsville-Madison County Human Trafficking Task Force and Lynn Caffery, local survivor of Human Trafficking. Elderberries Note Bill Barnes The Elderberries invite you to join them at their regular meeting at 11:30 am July 17, in Farley Hall to be enthralled by the stories of local storyteller and author, Mack Vann. You may call Dot Coombe or Bill Barnes for lunch reservations. Lunch is $8.00 per person, a bargain for meat and 3 plus dessert and drink with no tipping. The program begins at 12:30. You may attend the program at no cost if you do not wish to purchase a lunch. The Elderberries always welcome visitors. We hope to see you on July 17. Trinity UMC Handbell Shane Kennedy, Associate Worship & Fine Arts Trinity United Methodist Church We are pleased to host the Trinity UMC Handbell Quartet at our 11:05 service on Sunday, July 20. You ll not want to miss it! The Trinity Handbell Quartet is an advanced handbell ensemble performing a wide variety of musical selections written for only 4 ringers. Formed in 2005 and based at Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntsville, the quartet has performed in numerous venues in the Tennessee valley area including Trinity UMC s annual Carols of Christmas concert, The annual TVHA handbell festival, the Huntsville chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution Christmas assembly, 2012 Huntsville Master Chorale spring concert and the 2013 NASA Exchange Holiday Reception. The current members of the Trinity Handbell Quartet are Jessica Burks, Shane Kennedy, Caroline Mathias and Chad Rutherford. The quartet specializes in 4-in-hand anthems (2 bells in each hand) as well as on the table anthems using up to 4 octaves of handbells. Operation Christmas Child MONTHLY ITEMS TO BRING July Sunglasses, Caps. Toy jewelry, Hair accessories. August-T-shirts, Socks. (various child/youth sizes. The large packs are perfect.) September Pencils & Pencil sharpeners October Hard candy and gum.

11 P a ge 11 July 2014 Event and Birthday Calendar Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Every Monday: 8:30a Bend & Stretch 6:00p Just Faith 6:00p Praise Band Every Thursday: 8:30a Bend & Stretch 6 6:30p Lifetree Café Blood Pressure Checks 7a UMM Breakfast Danielle DeBraccio Helen Ream Every Wednesday: 10:00a Ladies Bible Study 10:30a Staff Meeting 1:30p Wesley Singers 6:00p Boys Scouts 6:00p Jubilation Handbells 7:00p Ladies Bible Study 7:00p Chancel Choir 7 9a Mission Monday Ray Shellman 1 Noon Youth 3p Farmer s Mkt Tom Stanford Howard Vaughan Lauren Lyman 8 1:30p Circle 1 3p Farmers Mkt Carisa Proctor Gwendolyn Adams Pam Myres Jimmy Gatherer IV 2 9a Bob Ross Painting Suzanne Minga Adelaide Cape 9 Amy Garherer Johnnie Hanson Carolyn Burkhalter Haley Hammonds Cliff Kirby Betty Matthews 3 CDC Closed Constance Haley Nancy Hose 10 9a TMC 10a Circle 5 10a In Stitches 3p Youth Betty Willis Betty Kilpartick 4 Office Closed CDC Closed Andrew Cannon 11 Jim Gatherer III Tiffanie Blackwood Catherine Gris 5 Peggy Lee Betty Langston 12 Sharon Bartig Tom Yates Jordan Stone 13 Food Pantry Tasmen Stone Cindy Page Jeanette Honeycutt Andy Sutinen 14 9a Mission Monday 2p Jo Walton Literary Group Cassie Cannon Donna Lasseter 15 9:30a Circle 4 Noon Youth 3p Farmers Mkt Daniel Leiner Elizabeth Leiner Mac Cooper 16 10a Circle 2 6:30p Children s Safety Program Matthew Haley Ruby Byrd Barbara Earle 17 9a TMC 10a Elderberry Board Mtg 11:30a Elderberry Luncheon Chuck Frew Bernice Sutton Betty Loveday Brady Dowling Frank Savage Andrew Ford 18 11a Latham Ladies Etheridge Killion 19 5p Youth/Hsv Stars Game Bill Lytle Dennis Warren Robert Pollard Sherri Wilkinson 20 Blood Mobile Jasmine Hendrix Lou Rau Kathleen Rowan Bob Martin Wendy Hanson 21 9a Mission Monday 10:30 Youth 1p Circle 6 Barbara Galbreath Wesley Swift, Jr 22 3p Farmers Mkt 6:30p Board of Stewards Mtg Joe Evans Roy Willis Randell Blackwood 23 Ed Hardin 24 9a TMC 10a In Stitches 25 Jennie Lowery Jeff Clark Lizze Arnold Carson Klaus Wayne Junkins 26 Karen Pollard Susan Robinson 27 Larry Myres Lindsey Osborne 28 9a Mission Monday 6p Health Team 7p Circle 7 Glenn Burkhalter Sally Gore Ben Nicholson Aleck Angle 29 3p Farmers Mkt Jill Quenney Olivia Jordan David Haley 30 Shirley Hayes Gene Wells Jim Thompson Jack Matthews 31 9a TMC 3p Youth Anna Hall Jim Shivers Marcellus Graham Harry Cook Don Yarbrough Every Sunday: 7:45a Band Rehearsal 8:30a Morning Watch 8:55a Orchard Service 10:05a Sunday School 11:05a Liturgical Service 3:30p LAMBS 5:00p Pastor s Bible Study 5:00p Treehouse-Children 5:00p The Culvert-Youth 5:30p Celebration Choir

12 July 31st July 10 July 3 July 24th July 17th Latham United Methodist Church 109 Weatherly Road Huntsville, AL Phone: Fax: On the web: lathamumc.org Connect with the Staff Rev. Dr. Hughey Reynolds, Senior Pastor Chris Martin, Minister of Discipleship Susan Terry, Minister of Connect & Children s Ministries Richard Hall, Minister of Youth & Communications Chris Klaus, Minister of Music & Worship Marvene Borntrager, Staff Coordinator for Inreach Anita Banks, Business Administrator Traci Harris, Director of Child Development Center Cherry Keeton, Organist Joey Evans, Pianist hughey@lathamumc.org chrismartin@lathamumc.org susanterry@lathamumc.org richardhall@lathamumc.org chrisklaus@lathamumc.org office@lathamumc.org admin@lathamumc.org lathamcdc@lathamumc.org Lifetree Café Join the conversation each Thursday Night at 6:30 PM. An hour long experience is packed with interesting stories, fascinating people, and lively