Prints of Peace. November Church Office pm (Mon - Thurs) Phone Website

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1 Prints of Peace November 2013 Church Office pm (Mon - Thurs) Phone asburyada@sbcglobal.net Website Sunday Schedule Sunday School 9.30am Morning Worship 10.30am Time Flies Time rushes by like a train in the night, Pulling into the station at dawn s early light. How fast goes the day. I try with my might To use it up before it takes flight. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, please don t forget those who this church is serving this holiday season. November 6th and 20th we will be picking up food from the Oklahoma Food Bank at 9am and bringing it back to the church to organize and sack the food for Thursday. Every Thursday the doors open at 9am to the community to get food. Any help is appreciated. Such is my life, a soul in the dark Waiting with passion for the train to embark, To the fly through the memories I ve made on the way, Rushing to the dawn of eternal day. April 22,2010 By Ruth Timmons

2 Give Thanks! Every year it is family tradition to go around the table during the thanksgiving meal and tell everyone what you were thankful for this past year. And if you re anything like me, a lot happens in a year, and that s a lot of things to be thankful for. But my one BIG thing this year is God putting me here at Asbury in a place where I can serve the community and the church family. I have been blessed during my 5 months here, and am continually being blessed. Thank you all for making it a joy to come to work every day! Blessings, Laura Book Nook Celebration of Discipline by Richard J Foster If you have something you would like to be included in the next newsletter please call or the office and we will make note for next month! What great book have you read recently?

3 Pastor s Corner: Rev. Temple Diehl Beloved, I will praise God s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30 Did you know that the word Thanksgiving appears 28 times in the New International Version of the Bible? Thanksgiving is what our minds naturally turn to as the calendar moves into November. When I think of thanksgiving what comes to my mind is FOOD! All of the food that we seem to only be able to eat once a year shows up and, we all have our requests. I don t know why that is but don t try to get between me and the dinner table on November 28th! What if we looked at thanksgiving as more than just a meal? When we give thanks on a daily basis we find our spirits, our moods, our very lives improved. It is through giving thanks that we are blessed many times over. As we make our way to the table this month with family and friends may we give thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! See you Sunday, Temple

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5 Bishop s Corner: Bishop Robert Hayes Jr. Quiet, Please, I m reconnecting "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." (Isaiah 55:6-7, NIV) "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29, NIV) After nearly 60 years of active ministry in The United Methodist Church, my dad decided in June 1997 to hang up his robe and store away his preaching Bible. The records show Robert E. Hayes Sr. officially retired in 1991, but then his bishop asked him to serve as director of a campus ministry at age 72! and then as the pastor for two small churches. And Dad responded like a young seminarian accepting his first appointment! For my dad, ministry was his life, and he was duty-bound to give himself to the cause for as long as he was needed. In 1997 he truly did retire, and by 1998 he was lingering over the newspaper at breakfast, watching his favorite football and baseball teams and, for some unexplainable reason, especially enjoying TV courtroom dramas. He was hooked on "Judge Judy," and no one dared call him between 4 and 5 o clock, the hour that well-known judge handed down her verdicts to humiliated defendants. Dad had another habit in retirement that baffled me. When anyone asked to visit or call, he always replied, "Please, not on Wednesdays!" I was curious. Why would Dad single out mid-week when all his days probably flowed much the same? What was special about Wednesdays? Instead of asking him, I decided to observe him closely. What I discovered made me appreciate him even more. Continued on following page

6 Continued from Bishop s corner on previous page My dad on Wednesdays intentionally withdrew from others and entered into uninterrupted personal time of quiet devotion and prayer. No newspapers. No TV shows not even "Judge Judy"! He disconnected from distractions so he could connect with God. When I saw him those Wednesdays, he seemed in a zone of peace and contentment as he greeted me. Often he was humming or singing hymns or reading favorite Scriptures. I quickly chose to avoid intruding on his day-long ritual. By evening he seemed stronger, more confident, and focused on what was important. It was amazing to watch dad in his later years as he routinely connected with the God he served for so many, many years. My dad was on to something. In our fast-paced society, we need to learn how to reconnect to what is real and meaningful. In my travels, I watch people rush to find electrical outlets and jockey for space at recharging stations. They need to revive cellphones and computer tablets. Everywhere, people seem constantly connected to their mobile devices, engaged in incessant conversation or fixated on computer screens. (A proposal is under consideration to allow plane passengers free use of cellphones in flight. Imagine how painful to sit beside someone talking continually from the moment of takeoff to landing!) Both the prophet Isaiah and my dad understood that there must be movement toward God by a believer if that person is to realize full communion with Him. At some point we need to step away, put aside all that distracts us, prevents us from hearing the small, sacred voice that comes only in the midst of silence. This practice seems forgotten by disciples today. Some have never heard of it. Instead, we are attuned to cellphone ringtones, the pings of s arriving, and the clicks of text messages. I m overwhelmed by the noises of constant contact. I ve decided to put down my cellphone and turn off my computer one day a week. My soul is in search of a place of solitude and peace, a place that assures me devices don t run my life. God does! Jesus declares there IS such a place. It is found in Him! "Come unto me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." That invitation sounds so good. I m going to take Jesus up on it! At least one day a week, I m going to withdraw from all that swirls around me and quietly surrender myself, where His light can search me and I can listen for His purpose in my life. I need to reconnect to the One who

7 Ardmore District News Ardmore District Leadership and Lay Servant Training at Cross Point Camp November 22 & 23 Basic Course - This course is designed to help you become more skilled in your role as a leader in serving God in your church and community. The basic course is a requirement for Local Church Lay Servant certification. You much be recertified once every three years. Advanced Course - Course I Looking at ways to find and use your spiritual gifts in ministries and congregations and learning practical ways to use these gifts. Course II This course takes the time to re-examine John Wesley s model of evangelism, and the relationships that must be formed with those who are around us. Reaching out, invite, welcome and nurture. Basic Course - Basic Lay Servant Course Sandy Zeigler Jackson Instructors: Rev. Dr. Greg Tener, District Superintendant Toni Hignight, District Lay Servant Director Curriculum: Basic Lay Speaking Course by Sandy Z. Jackson Advanced Course: I - Discover Your Spiritual Gifts Instructor: Sharri Hiller, Conference Lay Servant Director Curriculum: Each One a Minister by William J. Carter II - Transforming Evangelism Instructor: Rev. David Daniel, Senior Pastor at Ada First UMC Curriculum: Transforming Evangelism by Henry H. Knight Each participant must purchase their own curriculum prior to the training. If interested please complete the registration no later than November 13, contact Kathleen at the Ardmore District Office (580) or ardmoredistrict@sbcglobal.net or Toni Hignight, Lay Servant Director (580) or mmwoodwalker@sbcglobal.net Registration begins at 5.30pm with dinner and fellowship at 6pm on November 22nd at Cross Point Dinning Hall. Things to bring: Bible, purchased curriculum, notebook pens, flashlight, bedding, and other toiletries.

8 November Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday The WAY Food Pick Up Happy 12 Choir Food Pantry Veterans Day The WAY Choir Food Pantry Pot Luck The WAY Food Pick Up Choir Thanksgiving UCM Food Pantry Community Thanksgiving 6pm NoWAY Thanksgiving No Choir Office Closed 29 30

9 Birthdays & Anniversaries Happy Birthday! Pat Jones 11/2 Ruth Timmons 11/13 Virginia Patton 11/17 Brett Miller 11/25 EJ Barrett 11/30 Happy Anniversary! Ron & Sherri Ward 11/6 JE & Barbara Quinton 11/20 If we missed your birthday or anniversary we apologize and wish you the happiest of days! Please contact our offices so we can make sure to include you in the announcements the next time.

10 November is. National Adoption Awareness Month: Take Action! Pontotoc Department of Human Services is currently holding meetings for parents who might or could be interested in adopting or becoming foster parents. Contact Sherry Meyers ( ) or Shelly Gaines National Epilepsy Month: Through the Epilepsy Foundation and the new Now I Know video campaign is helping to raise awareness about this serious condition of epilepsy. If you know of someone who has epilepsy, encourage them to check out the Epilepsy Foundation website so they can team up and help more people, by submitting their video. Native American Heritage Month: In 1990 President H.W. Bush approved that November become National Native American Heritage Month and encouraged schools, businesses, and other organizations to remind people about the history of the Native Americans and Thanksgiving. Peanut Butter Lovers Month: Americans on average eat 65 million pounds of peanut butter during the month of November. Southern Peanut Growers, started the celebration as Peanut Butter Lovers Day on November 4, November 4 marks the anniversary of the first patent for peanut butter, applied for by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg on November 4, 1895.