Celebration of Life and Longevity, 2016

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1 OCTOBER 2016 VOLUME V, ISSUE 5 OAK GROVE UMC SENIOR ADULT MINISTRY Editors: Madge Watson & Mary Lou Gilbert Creative Editor: Dean White Comments? cousar@bellsou.net Celebration of Life and Longevity, 2016 By Rev. Mary Lou Gilbert The 2016 Celebration of Life and Longevity featured a video production of 22 church members who are 90+ years of age. There are approximately 65 members in is age category at Oak Grove and all were invited. As e honorees arrived at e church, each person received a name tag and a flower to signify em as honorees. They also had e opportunity to make stitches in a quilted textile hanging being prepared for e new church building. Mrs. Sue Bess Robison, age 103, was pleased to have added a stitch to e quilt and wi a smile, pronounced at her stitch was e oldest stitch in e new quilt! Prior to e celebration, each honoree had submitted a response to e question of How has your Christian fai given you streng to face e challenges of life? Each response was heartfelt and included a testament of fai at God had indeed been at work in eir lives. Some named hardships of war while oers had experienced deep grief due to e loss of loved ones, but wi God's help ey had found ways to cope and to survive. Their responses were edited to fit into e time slot, but what a great book we would have if we could capture e memories and e stories of fai from people who have lived for many years and still eagerly and avidly profess eir fai in God. We look forward to hearing more from our nonagenarians and centenarians next year. Readers are invited to submit a question for our honorees to respond to next year. your proposed question to mlougilbert@comcast.net.

2 A Wall Hanging for e New Church Building Thanks to everyone who added stitches to e new textile wall hanging at will be hung in e new church building. The 5' x 5' quilted hanging was sponsored by e Senior Adult Council of OGUMC, and was designed by Virginia Sowell. Laura Palmer has hosted e quilt group over several weeks of visioning, piecing, constructing, and quilting. Quilters were Frances Kirby, Barbara Woolard, Virginia Soulen, Madge Watson, Mary Lou Gilbert (cheerleader/ organizer); and numerous church members of all ages. We hope you will like e quilt wi e words at say In e Beginning, God You are invited to add your oughts where ere are dots. 86 Year of HEAVEN BOUND, Saturday, November 12 Oak Grove church member, Ed Kallal, has enjoyed e annual production of HEAVEN BOUND at Big Beel A.M.E. Church on Auburn Avenue, for several years. This year Oak Grove buses will transport eater goers to e play on Saturday night, November 12, to avoid Friday evening rush hour traffic. Starting in mid-october, you may sign up in e church office to go to by our church bus to Big Beel Church. We will depart at 4:30 p.m. We will enjoy dinner (you pay) at e Sweet Auburn Seafood Restaurant, across e street from Big Beel Church. Tickets to e play can be purchased at e church door or on line. Adult Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $12.00 each. Individual Adult tickets cost $ Ed drives one of e church buses every year, and he especially loves e live music. His favorite song is I Shall Not Be Moved. After attending e morality play so many years, Ed hums along from e balcony. This year Ed invites you to come along wi e OG group (if you make bus reservations!) or meet him ere. You can organize your Sunday School Class to attend e play and, if you arrive early enough, you can sit togeer in e balcony and watch Ed smile as his favorite characters come out from everywhere, intent on going to Heaven. However, several of e characters will be persuaded by e enticement of e Devil to keep up eir representative bad behavior. Last year e audience burst into laughter when e Devil finally discovered at a pair of Stiletto high heels was all it took to persuade one woman into Hell. On e oer hand, more people make it rough e Gates of Heaven, an ose who go wi e Devil. There are broken hearts and ere is hilarity, but e play makes its point about how easily we humans can be persuaded to cling to our evil ways!! And as in all morality plays, e point is at Heaven awaits us and each of us must make our choice! Learn more at 86-year-tickets

3 Insider View of e Installation of Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson For e first time in history, Nor Georgia UMC Conference has a woman bishop. We are invited to call her Bishop Sue, and on Sunday, September 18, ere was pomp and circumstance at Peachtree Road United Meodist Church as Bishop Susan Haupert-Johnston was welcomed and installed. There were two separate processionals, 4 or 5 choirs, brass instruments, and e huge PUMC organ, and ten plus people from Oak Grove UMC. Joy Allen Grady (first grader) seated wi her parents near e front, was compelled to dance during e singing of e Hallelujah Chorus. [Let e little children come unto me, for eirs is e kingdom of heaven.] I encourage all readers to try e Hallelujah Dance, but please, if needed, hold onto your walker! Rachel Fullerton, our OG Assistant to e Senior Pastor and active in e Laity of Nor GA Conference, read scripture. Rachel admitted later at reading scripture in at huge wood and stone structure was a different kind of experience add space before 's' she had to s-l-o-w down to avoid competing wi e reverberations. Bishop Sue began her sermon based on e ree stories from Matew about e lost sheep, e lost coin, and e lost prodigal son. She was just getting to e part about how e stories were about people searching for e lost, when someone pulled a fire alarm and e entire congregation stood to trudge to e exits. In a few minutes it was announced at e alarm was pulled by someone having a diabetic crises. Then e alarm stopped, and we began to shuffle back to our seats, but e alarm sounded again, so we turned back toward e doors, en e alarm stopped and back to our seats we went. In fact, e congregation was doing a dance called Fire Alarm. Bishop Sue ended her sermon as enusiastically as she had started, urging us to search for ose we have never included before (enic minorities, people who are ill or handicapped, children who have to sleep in motels because ey have no home, etc,). She asked if we would make searching a priority of e church, and we said yes! There was a wonderful reception wi several serving tables and delicious food. By e end e alarms had all stopped, but e firemen were still ere. We have a new bishop, and she was eloquent, fun, and agreed to be our shepherd. After all, during installation, Bishop Sue, was presented her own pastoral staff (crozier or shepherd's hook). What a wonderful day! United Meodism in Nor Georgia is in good hands wi Bishop Sue. For a more formal rendering of e Bishop's installation and to see e video, go to e NGUMC website: serviceofinstallation Clockwise from top: Milton Fold and Madge Watson, from Oak Grove UMC; Chancel of PRUMC; Philip Pingree & Madge Watson stand for a reading; Emory District Superintendent, Rev. Dana Everhart and wife Sally Everhart.

4 Senior Adult Programs,Trips, Classes & 2016 Fall & Holiday Season Lunch Bunch *October 4 Lunch Bunch Tour of Oakland Cemetery and Lunch at Six Feet Under restaurant October 15 Volunteer to Help at e UMM Annual Oak Grove Barbeque November 1 11:30am, Lunch Bunch, Veterans Tell Their Stories * November Anniversary Performance of HEAVEN BOUND, Big Beel A.M.E. Church. Tickets $15. Register in e Church Office. *December 6 11:30am, Lunch Bunch visits e Governor s Mansion Note: Save e Date for e Storytelling Festival at Epwor by e Sea, St. Simon's Island, Feb.18-20, Most events require reservations and fees to cover expenses. A star (*) indicates at e event involves travel and a medical information form is required by each participant. Medical forms must be turned in before e day of departure. Marie Devanoge leading e September Lunch Bunch program on "Laughing for Wellness A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into e kitchen. Careful, he said, CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You re cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn em! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They re going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you re cooking! Never! Turn em! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don t forget to salt em. You know you always forget to salt em. Use e salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT! The wife stared at him. What in e world is wrong wi you? You ink I don t know how to fry a couple of eggs? The husband calmly replied, I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving. Oak Grove Barbeque, Saturday, October 15 Senior Adults are urged to attend and volunteer to help if you are able. Creation Stewardship is encouraging everyone at e BBQ to recycle when possible. Thanks to United Meodist Men for sponsoring e Annual Barbeque and for sharing e proceeds wi so many areas of ministry at Oak Grove United Meodist Church!

5 Our tour guides are Betty Ann Lynch and Phil Hulst. Lunch will be pay on your own at Six Feet Under restaurant. Please make reservations in e church office ( ) or online ( The cost is $10 and is required at e time of reservation, along wi your paperwork (unless we have it on file). All are welcome!