The Grapevine. New Covenant United Methodist Church. Corner. Pastor s. May 2013 THOUGHTS OF THE PASTOR

Transcription

1 The Grapevine New Covenant United Methodist Church May 2013 Corner Pastor s THOUGHTS OF THE PASTOR A few weeks ago, ABC daytime television and the soap opera world celebrated 50 years for General Hospital. Daytime television has greatly changed in those 50 years. Soap Operas like Search for Tomorrow, All My Children, and As the World Turns have faded off into the sunset. However, General Hospital and its cast of characters remain. We will be recognizing our college and high school graduates on Sunday, May 19th, during both worship services! If you are a high school or college graduate, please contact the church office so that you will be recognized on the 19th. Congrats graduates! Please support our Youth and join us for Youth Sunday on May 5th. During recent weeks, we have been reading the Book of Genesis as we continue reading through the Bible. I love the stories of the Book of Genesis. I make mention of General Hospital not because I am a fan of the show, but because the Book of Genesis reads like a soap opera. There is sin (Adam and Eve, Sodom and Gomorrah) sibling rivalry (Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob) lying and deceit (Abraham, Jacob) jealousy (Hagar and Sarah, Cain and Abel) and drama (Will Abraham really offer his son as a sacrifice?). Soap operas and your favorite reality television show have nothing on the drama we see in the Book of Genesis. There is something that stands out for me in Genesis. The words of Genesis 45 as Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers captures it for me. Listen to Genesis 45:4-8 (The Message): 4-8 "Come closer to me," Joseph said to his brothers. They came closer. "I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don't feel badly, don't blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance. So you see, it wasn't you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt. In the midst of the cast of characters of Genesis and in the midst of our lives, God is working in ways seen and unseen. He does so in the moms we honor and remember on Mother s Day, in the youth who will lead us in worship on May 5th and in the graduates we will celebrate on May 19th. Thanks be to God. - Pastor Randy Wall

2 Hi all at New Covenant who are loved by God, Grace and Peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. As most of us will admit, the month of April was a rather strange month this year. That being so, praise God for the Hope we have in Jesus. The youth would like to pass along a special note to Pat Brown and all of Floyd Brown's family: "We will miss you so much Floyd, and we thank God for you and Pat and for helping us, thinking about us and praying for us. We love you!!!" As May begins, our first service will be Youth Sunday, May 5th. The youth have been working very hard preparing and we hope you all will be blessed with them leading us in worship. Then two weeks later, May 19th will be the day we recognize all of our graduates from high school and college. As of now, we only know of 2 high school graduates and one college graduate, so please let the office or myself know if there are others we need to recognize. MOTHERS REQUESTED: I would like for all mothers and mother figures to attend Youth Group on May 5th with their youth. We have a special Mother's Day event planned to not only help you bond closer together, but also have some great laughs. Hope to see you then!!!!! Please continue to pray for our youth and leaders. And we thank you for everything everyone has done to help and encourage our youth. May God Bless you. Todd Guest Catawba Valley District Laity Rally 2013 Speaker: Mr. George Eubanks, Laity Mt. Pleasant UMC Stanley, NC You are cordially invited to this Laity Celebration! Saturday-May 18, 2013 Lincolnton High School Meal & Fellowship 4:30-6:00 p.m. Worship 6:30 p.m. Adults $10.00 Children $8.00 (Ages 6-12) Ages 5 and Under - Free Order you pre-paid tickets today by contacting your Church Lay Leader, Pastor, or the District Office SPC Carson, Jayson FSC 2/327 No Slack FOB Joyce APO AE Unclassified William T. Hamilton 6801 Leisure Town Rd., Apt. 109 Vacaville, CA Blood Pressure Screenings will be taken on Sunday, May 5th at 10:00 a.m. in the parlor. Questions, see Robin Lanham or Judy Price! 9:00 a.m. Service 11:00 a.m. Service New Covenant Youth

3 Visitation Teams for May May 5th-- Marvin, Matt & Janet Hinson May 12th Sam Price May 19th Bob & Della Dionne May 26th Ron & Ann Ballard Happy Anniversary! David & Tara Moore 3 Terry & Terri Hallman 4 Donnie & Robin Lanham 9 Ashley & Natalie Price 13 John & Dannette Carson 13 Bob & Carolyn Lazevnick 15 Curtis & Courtney Deskus 16 Robert & Della Dionne 16 Dean & Gail Foster 17 Jesse & Wendy Sellers, Jr. 25 Samuel & Anna Davenport 30 OOPS... Did we miss your birthday or anniversary? Please let us know! Drop a note off by the office so that our records can be updated. Talmadge McInnis 1 Ethan Adams 3 Doug Hyche 3 Elsie Hutchison 4 Dennis Hawkins 5 Mary Elizabeth Moore 7 Peggy Phifer 7 Peggy Beatty 9 Samantha Bennett 9 Amy Pacitto 11 McKain Parker 11 Steve Michael 16 Sam Price 16 Christian Thomas 16 Brittany Ballard 17 Web Hatley 17 Chris Adams 19 Jobe Bradham 19 Jonah Bradham 19 John Carpenter 20 Steve Hinson 22 Mike Miller 22 Lewis Phifer 22 Seth Moore 23 Lori Towe 23 Chuck Granger 24 Marshall Silver 24 Lester Hillman 26 Megan Sholar 27 Dotty Bennett 28 Joshua Lamm 28 Jennifer Price 29 Chase Quick 29 Carter Goodling 31

4 Important Dates/Activities Fellowship Meal Please join us for our Fellowship Meal on Wednesday, May 1st, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Food for the tummy and friends for the soul! Our menu will be ham, roasted potatoes, green beans and slaw sponsored by the UMW. We will need desserts and beverages. All proceeds will go to the Building Fund. UMM Breakfast The UMM breakfast has been scheduled for Sunday, May 12th, at 7:00 a.m., in the FLC. Administrative Council Meeting There will be an Administrative Council meeting on Monday, May 20th, at 7:00 p.m. If you would like to be included in the New Covenant group, please contact Kim Reese at Emily McGowan Robert Kaylor Donnie Lanham, Sr. Rudy McRee Roger Stump Unspoken The Unemployed Tattie Boerkel Carol Minehart John Ham Family Gabbys Family Family Relationships Hailey Johnston Kayla & Amanda Helms Olivia Jackson Crash Victims on I-77 India Cooke David Sellers Pat Brown & Family Danielle Poteat Rev. Rick Warren Family Hazel Rozzelle Joe & Sherrill Beatty Hazel Johnson Family Ginger Owens Dan Moore & Family Thad Bass Billy Dawson Joanne Anderson Steve Blackley Megan Kirk Family Lunsford Family Military Leaders Eric Peeler Hannah Martin Ruth Allen Aloma Dougherty McGeough Family Diane Hinson Jesse (Bobby s Mom) Edna Cambell Jude Brodbeck Wendy Henkel Shaun Houston Angie Bass Dean Foster Texas Community Boston Victims Our Country Bob Carter Lost Ann Presutti Aletha Astheimer Holley Stowe Family Remember those who cannot be a part of our fellowship on a regular basis: Ruth Allen Terrace Ridge Assisted Living 1251 East Hudson Blvd. Gastonia, NC (704) Gerald Carroll 321 Winding Trl. Stanley, NC (704) Jane Waldroop Woodlawn Haven Rest Home 301 Craig St., Room B4 Mt. Holly, NC If there is someone you would like to put on this list, please call the church office.

5 Baby Shower for Kaylyn Carson Please join us for a Baby Shower for Kaylyn Carson on Saturday, May 4th, 12:00-3:00 p.m. in the FLC. Kaylyn is registered at Babies R Us. She is having a baby girl. For an optional craft, bring an article of white baby clothing. Baby Shower for Courtney Deskus Please join us for a Baby Shower for Courtney Deskus on Sunday, May 19th, drop-in from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the FLC. Courtney is registered at Target and Babies R. Us. She is having a baby girl! Smith Family Update Prayer items: Continued health of Lydia and the baby. Pray that we could make it to at least 36 weeks. Pray for our upcoming language assessment. Pray that we could find a Bangla tutor in Thailand Pray for peace in Bangladesh There are three families trying to come but due to visa problems are being delayed. Pray that their visas could be approved in the coming week. It s a boy! This past week we had the opportunity to go to Bangkok, Thailand for a check-up and to make sure everything is okay with the baby. While we were there we found out that we will be having another boy! We had a very good visit with the doctor and the baby is growing well. The doctor was also very positive about Lydia and her previous complications and, to be on the safe side, we will travel back to Bangkok on June 2nd and remain there until the baby is born, probably sometime around July 21st. Our prayer is that we can at least make it to 36 weeks which is the 21st. Please continue to pray for Lydia and the baby. Lydia continues to be sick and extremely fatigued. Please pray for her because this makes language learning very difficult. We do ask that you continue to pray for us a we press forward in learning the Bangla language. We are slowly progressing so your prayers are always appreciated. This month we will take an assessment that will let us know how we are doing. This is an important test and we ask that you pray as we prepare and that we could remember as much as possible and be able to reproduce it in conversation. There is a lot of political unrest in the country now and this is causing a lot of problems. This year is an election year and so the parties are fighting for support. Also, there is a fundamentalist party that seems to be gaining strength and demanding radical changes. The normal practice for these parties is to call on a specific day what is called a hartal which is a strike. On these days people of the party that called the strike take to the streets to make sure that things stay shut down. To do this they torch buses and cars, clash with police, and sometimes set off home made bombs. These strikes have become very frequent and show no signs of stopping. Please pray for more peaceful ways of demonstrations. Also, please pray for the safety and wisdom for those living in Bangladesh. May Nursery Schedule 9:00 11:00 May 5th Luann Elliott Marjorie & David Goodling Kristy & Brittany Ballard May 12th May 19th Cindy & Cameron Ganous Samuel & Anna Davenport Luann Elliott & Polly Miller Michelle Stroupe & Christy McInnis Dustin & Danielle Hutchison Debbie & Emily Stewart May 26th John & Kelly Carpenter Sam & Judy Price Kelly Hawkins & Wayne Beatty Thank you for helping with our nurseries! If you can t make your assigned Sunday, please contact Amy Jackson & Luann Elliott for 9:00 a.m. and Marjorie Goodling & Dannette Carson for 11:00 a.m..

6 UMW Morning Circle Please join the UMW Morning Circle on Thursday, May 9th, at 10:00 a.m., at the church. All ladies are invited to attend. UMW Morning Circle Volunteer at Mt. Holly Adult Day Care On the second Tuesday of every month, the UMW Morning Circle will volunteer at the Mt. Holly Adult Day Care. They will be leaving the church at 9:30 a.m. to go to the day care center. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please see Carol Thomas or Lynda Sims. UMW Hart Circle The UMW Hart Circle will meet on Thursday, May 9th, at 6:30 p.m., at the home of Missy Michael. We will begin a new study by Joyce Meyers, Do Yourself a Favor - Forgive and Group 2 will provide refreshments. Group 2 members are Kelly Carpenter, Martha Coltharp, Missy Michael and Dannette Carson. All ladies are invited to attend. Save the Date! New Covenant UMC Vacation Bible School July 7-12 Registration forms will be available at the end of May. If you would like to help with VBS, please contact Danielle Hutchison or Melissa Patterson. Just a friendly reminder: Children s Church is for those children who are in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. We would be happy to have the children not yet in Kindergarten in our nursery. Thank you! Acolytes for May May 5th- Elizabeth Sellers May 12th Hunter Reavis May 19th Leah Carpenter May 26th Ginny Overbay May Special Mission Offering The May Special Mission offering will go to our missionaries, Billy & Lydia Smith, who are spreading the word of the Lord in South Asia. Billy & Lydia Smith have two children, William and Hannah. Lydia is expecting their 3rd child (which is a boy) in the later part of July. Please be in prayer for this family as they minister to the people in this area. Our offering will be received during both worship services on Sunday, May 5th. Thank you for your contributions to the Smith family.

7 Church Staff Ministry Team Rev. Randy Wall Pastor Todd Guest Director of Youth Ministry At New Covenant Sunday through Thursday Linda Stroup Church Secretary At New Covenant Monday through Thursday Janet Hinson Director of Music At New Covenant Wednesday and Sunday Church Office Hours Monday Thursday 8:00 AM 3:00 PM NEW COVENANT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Lucia-Riverbend Hwy. Mt. Holly, NC Phone: Fax: The Body of Christ: Going in Faith, Growing in Love, and Serving Others