First. in this issue. Greetings from David. Vol 45...Issue 4...April Dear Fellow Ministers,

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1 First Vol 45...Issue 4...April Greetings from David Dear Fellow Ministers, Contact: Rev. David Christy Senior Minister ext. 222 dchristy@fumcgastonia.org The mission of First United Methodist Church: To see Christ in every person we encounter and demonstrate to them the love of God and the teachings of Jesus. What a glorious Easter season we have had! Thank you to the countless hands that had a part in making everything happen. God has been glorified! And now, we get to continue in the glory of Easter. We are going to do so by a BIG Sunday this Sunday, and a new Worship Series: The Second Chair Finding Your Rightful Place. Here is our plan for this series on Leadership: April 3 Youth/Adult Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. in Wesley Center (The Greene House Youth Center) taught by David. 10:30 a.m. One worship service in the Sanctuary. We begin our series using John 20: After worship, we will have a free lunch in the Gym and a presentation by our architects for our long range plan. We hope everyone can be in attendance for this special day! April 10 John 21:1-19 April 17 Psalm 23 April 24 John 13:31-35 We hope you can join us for this exciting series on leadership as we discuss how we can take charge of our lives by allowing God to be in charge. I also hope you can join me for the book study around Leading From The Second Chair as we discover what it means to allow God to really lead us! I look forward to our mission and ministry together this month! In Christ s Service, David in this issue TAKE NOTE WAYS TO CONNECT CALENDAR EVENTS AND NEWS

2 Take Note Sympathy to: Yvonne Bryson and family on the death of Eddie Bryson, who passed away March 13. Just the numbers: Sunday Attendance March 6: 528 March 13: 477 March 20: 574 March 27: 949 Minister on Call Schedule: (call or text) April 1-3: David Christy April 8-10: Jim Westmoreland April 15-17: Ashley Anne Lloyd April 22-24: David Christy April 29-May 1: Jim Westmoreland A Note of Thanks: Thank you to everyone who attended the Butterfly Breakfast! Special appreciation to: Robin Hackney and Jane Hooper for the beautiful table decorations. Food committee included: Julie Griffin, Diane Brannock, Beth Cobb, Yvonne Goforth, Kathy Plemmons, Barbara Warlick, and Lisa O Neill and the kitchen crew: Bruce and Rhonda Tindall, Wayne Jenkins, Susie Vale, Charlie Greene, and Catherine Greene. The program leaders: David Christy, Jim Westmoreland, Ashley Anne Lloyd, Carol Campbell, and music provided by Laura Beatty. Also, a special thank you to the task force leaders David Poston and Gretchen Farrell. We appreciate your support! Thank you for serving a risen Savior! Reservations are requested for everyone and accepted until 5 p.m. on the Monday prior to the meal via The website, First Connection card, or by calling the office. Cancellations are appreciated. Wednesday Menus April 6 April 13 April 20 April 27 Baked/fried BBQ/hamburger Beef/vegetable Cube steak, chicken, mac sliders, baked lasagna, mixed mashed n cheese, beans, slaw, vegetables, potatoes, rice, corn, fried French fries, salad, green beans, okra, salad, fried squash, garlic bread, salad, bread, cornbread, salad, dessert cheesecake dessert dessert

3 CONNECT... Contact: Rev. Ashley Anne Lloyd Associate Minister ext. 230 Introducing Parish Response Ministry Last year our church was in prayer about our congregational care ministries. It was decided early on to restart our Stephen s Ministry program that had laid dormant for a few years. As we were in the beginning stages of gathering the pieces to rebuild the ministry, the staff, along with Juta Carpenter, traveled to the Church of The Resurrection in Kansas City. While we were studying at the Leadership Institute we attended a session on COR s Congregational Care Ministry, which works like Stephen s Ministry but with a focus on crisis care and a close connection with the clergy. After our trip we decided to use the model from Church of the Resurrection along with their extensive training guides to start our own ministry here at First Gastonia. We would love to introduce you to our new Parish Response Ministry! Parish Response Ministers will meet regularly as a team with the clergy for supervision/assignments. They can make hospital calls, telephone persons in need of contact, meet one-on-one with persons needing a listening ear for prayer and encouragement, offer support to grieving families, and proactively seek to encourage and care for persons within their pastorate. This partnership between lay and clergy will enable us to provide another level of care. Each Parish Response Minister is required to complete a 4-month PRM Training Course which covers information on Sacred Spaces, Methodism, Hospital Visits, Boundaries, Counseling, Prayer, and End-of-Life Care. There are also worship and study requirements as well as accountability in self-care and discipleship practice. Rev. Ashley Anne Lloyd will be the lead clergy working with this new ministry and she, along with the other clergy and two lead lay persons prayed, tapped, and called 10 people to serve as PRM s in this ministry s first year. We have asked that this initial team serve for the first 3 years as we bring in new PRM s each year and begin to transfer out after 3 years of service. We are CONFIDENT that this PRM Team is going to be a huge addition in parish care for our church and we cannot wait to see how God uses these faithful servants to nurture and love the First Church family in the coming years! Where are we now? PRMs were selected and asked to join this new ministry before Christmas PRMs were asked to commit to 3 years as a Parish Response Minister, January PRMs started training February 2016 and will complete training in May PRMs will meet through the summer with clergy to learn of care cases within the church. PRMs will be commissioned in August and our new Parish Response Ministry will launch!

4 CONNECT CONT... United Methodist Women-Faith, Hope and Love in Action Save the date: Sunday, April 17 The second in our 2016 UMW After Sunday Sermon Luncheon Fundraiser. In the meantime, let s plan to have another successful event...and that entails selling the luncheon tickets prior to the event. It is important that we see all our friends, neighbors, relatives, church members and let them be aware of all funds raised will benefit women and children locally and globally. Set up for the luncheon will be on Saturday and volunteers are need to help with this and also to help with clean up on Sunday after the lunch. Contact your circle leader if you can volunteer for this project. The UMW of FUMC sincerely appreciates all the support the members and friends of our congregation continue to give to UMW mission projects. Created for Happiness is the topic for the District Spiritual Growth Retreat at Sherrill s Ford United Methodist Church on Saturday, April 30. Resource room will open at 9 a.m. and the program will begin at 10 a.m. If you are interested in attending this worthwhile event, the FUMC bus will be available by contacting Jane Smith ( ) by Wednesday, April 27. Bus will leave church parking lot at 8:30 a.m. This can be a great day for fellowship and growth and a stop for lunch on the return trip home. Our next General Meeting will be Monday, May 9 and we will be assembling kits to be sent to women and children around the world. Also, the Regional Spiritual Growth Retreat will June at Lake Junaluska. It is time to be making plans and reservations if you wish to attend. Visit the WNC UMW website for more information. Friendship Connections-Where Friends Connect and Reconnect Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 21, 10:45 a.m.-family Life Center. You will have the opportunity to connect with new friends and reconnect with friends we know. And, you will enjoy the morning with Rex Smith as he tickles the ivories on the piano. Friendship is the cement that will ever hold the world together. (Unknown) Dominican Republic Mission Trip August 6-13, 2016 with 15 spots available. We must have 15 in order to make the trip happen. Cost Approximately $1,400, and includes flight, lodging, all food and in country transportation The Mission Team will be building a Water Treatment Plant and leading a VBS at a local church! This will be a mission trip you will NOT want to miss! To secure a spot on this trip a deposit of $250 is due by April 20, Contact Rev. Ashley Anne for more details and to join the DR Mission Team! ashleyanne@fumcgastonia.org. If you are unable to travel with the DR Mission Team but would like to support this trip, donations would be a huge help! Be sure to designate checks or gifts to DR Mission Trip. THANK YOU!

5 Camp Tekoa-Friday, April 22-Sunday, April 24 Families who have signed up for this special adventure, please pay your balance by Sunday, April 17. All families should provide their own transportation and plan to arrive at Camp Tekoa by 7 p.m. on Friday. More information will be mailed to you this month. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Cabaniss. Can You Give An Hour to Change a Child s Life? End of Grade exams are quickly approaching and for many of our West Gastonia Boys and Girls Club students, this is a time of concern and stress. You can help improve their skills and test scores by joining our tutoring program. There will be a training session to help you become familiar with the test on Wednesday, April 6 at 4 p.m. in Room 201 and tutoring will run Wednesdays, April 13-May 18, 4-5 p.m. No experience is necessary so come join us and make a positive impact! Donations to our Youth Scholarship Fund In Memory of: Joe Dameron by Peggy Dameron Lawrence Mauney by Alice Mauney (Alice also gave an Easter lily in memory of Lawrence that was inadvertently placed with these donations. Our apologies to Alice.) Ray Plowden by Amy Plowden Patty Poston by Robin Hackney In Honor of: Becky Greene by Bee Wetzell Alice Lewis by Cathy Walters Jim Morris by Laurel Morris My children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren by Peggy Dameron Jane Smith Cameron Starr Sarah Starr Jim Taylor by Carol Taylor Justin, Ashley and Brandon Whitesell by Mom and Dad Kay and Steve Whitesell Newsletter articles must be submitted via by 9 a.m. on the last Wednesday of the month prior to publication for the following month. your submission to Amanda, amanda@fumcgastonia.org. Please note that articles are at the Editor s discretion due to limited space, run time, etc. Thank you for your cooperation.

6 A big Thank You to people, who donated eggs, candy, prizes, and to the youth who volunteered their time at our Easter Egg Hunt. Our children had a great time celebrating the Easter story and finding over 2,000 eggs! -Children s Ministry April s Service Project: Homemade cards that will help General Conference delegates engage with the homeless of Portland, OR. Our children are encouraged to create homemade cards with a colored picture depicting the love of Jesus on the front. The blank card will allow space for a delegate to share a message about God s love and concern for all people and Our very own David Christy and Sally Queen will be among the thousands of folks passing out these cards while they attend General Conference in May. Along with the card, the recipients will also receive an entire meal (the cost of the meal has already been donated). We have a goal of creating 1,000 cards. All cards should be given to Jennifer Cabaniss by April 30. Family Service Project will be Wednesday, April 6, 6:30-7:30 p.m. M&M s, FAITH, and FISH will meet on April 13, 6:30-7:15 p.m.. On Wednesday, April 20, children are encouraged to spend time with their families as we all learn about the Water At Work Ministry. We will learn how our Dimes for Dominican helped provide clean water and the Word of Jesus to the poorer communities in the Dominican Republic. Family Fun Night will be on Wednesday, April 27, 6:30-7:30 p.m.. Our 2 nd annual Boogie in your Bowtie Mother-Son Dinner and Dance will be on Friday, May 6 at 6-8 p.m. in the Family Life Center. $25 for mother & son and $10 for additional son RSVP by May 2 to jennifer@fumcgastonia.org. Please check out our Facebook page and weekly eblast for more details on our upcoming activities. We hope you can join us for some of the exciting events going on at FUMC! Contact: Jennifer Cabaniss Director of Children s Ministries ext. 223 jennifer@fumcgastonia.org

7 Eight Hands on the Keys Selections for Piano & Organ by Susan Lisle, Mike Moyer, Timothy Scruggs, James Smith -Music and Worship Arts Ministry Sunday, April 10, p.m. A Benefit Concert for Adult Choir Great Britain Tour ***************************************** Contact: Rev. Saxon Scarborough Minister of Music ext. 233 saxon@fumcgastonia.org presented by FUMC Children s Choirs Tuesday, May 3 and Wednesday May 4 6:30 p.m. FUMC Theatre

8 To print this calendar, select print and choose page 8. A smile is the prettiest thing you can wear.

9 To print this calendar, select print and choose page 9. Mark Your Calendars for Vacation Bible School 2016! Sunday, July 31- Wednesday, August 3

10 Youth Ministry Youth Happenings! Sunday School-The Greene House 9:45 a.m. Praise Music and Gathering 10 a.m. Morning Glow 10:05 a.m. Sunday School: Confirmation 6 th Grade, 7 th & 8 th Grades, 9 th 12 th Grades Please Note: No Sunday School April 3. Confirmation Class to Lake Junaluska April 9-10 for Confirmation 16! UMYF Sr Hi April 3 Devotion and Dessert April 10 Fear Factor April 17 Happy April 24 Family Camp Tekoa Mid Hi April 3 Devotion and Dessert April 10 Fear Factor April 17 Lip Sync April 24 Family Camp Tekoa Contact: Tripp Hord Director of Student Ministries ext. 241 tripp@fumcgastonia.org Sr Hi Prayer Breakfast: Tuesday, April 5, 7 a.m. at S. New Hope Rd. Youth gather for Palm Sunday hike up Crowders Mountain! Thanks, to Wes Styers for inspiring our youth during the Palm Sunday Hike.

11 Parish Nurse Ministry Contact: Lisa Marisiddaiah Parish Nurse ext. 256 Free Exercise Classes Thursdays through April 14 at First Presbyterian Church, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Upcoming Health Education Awareness Programs: FPC Fellowship Hall, 12-1 p.m., programs are free, lunch is $5. Please RSVP: Wednesday, April 13, All We Need to Know About GMO Foods presented by Renee Southard, owner, Organic Marketplace/Sprouts Café. Wednesday, May 11, Benefits of Vision Therapy, presented by Dr. Hilary Gesford. Save the Date: Thursday, April 28, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., at CaroMont-The Benefits of Integrating Faith and Health by Harold Koenig, MD. Lisa has been assigned a new mobile work number ( ). After April, the will no longer be active. Please make a note of this change. Gaston County Cancer Survivor Art Project If you are a cancer survivor and would like to be honored and represented in this unique piece of art, please bring a button of any size or shape to the Receptionist desk by Monday, April 4. Include your name, address and . The final art project will be unveiled on April 26 at the Relay For Life Celebration at SouthMinster Presbyterian Church, and will then be displayed at various locations around Gaston County. Matter of Balance is a free program designed to manage falls and increase activity levels in older adults. You will learn to: View falls as controllable Set goals for increasing activity Make changes to reduce fall risks at home Exercise to increase strength and balance When: May 16,20,23,27,31, June 3,6, and 10 Time: 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Where: FUMC Please contact Lisa Marisiddaiah, to register,

12 Events and News... Welcome New Members Ronnie and Marty Starnes You Can Be Confident!! Marjorie Sharp Becca and Eric Hurd Bernadette Chelsea and Michael Barnes Not pictured: Cooper and Sawyer Wednesday Evening Fellowship For April Dinner: 5:30 p.m.; Program: 6:30 p.m. April 6,13,27-David Christy will lead a discussion about the topics and issues surrounding UM General Conference which will take place in Portland, Oregon, May David was elected to serve as a voting delegate for the Western North Carolina Conference, and has been studying and meeting with other delegates for the past year on what they will be reviewing and deciding during GC. This will be an informative and great time to ask questions about the structure, polity, and future of the Methodist Church. April 20-Donna and John Bearden will join us for a discussion about 'Water at Work' the ministry they work with in the Dominican Republic. FUMC has raised over $30k for water treatment plants in the DR and the Bearden s have helped us organize a trip in August to work on a plant and worship alongside a local congregation. Come hear about this exciting ministry and how FUMC has impacted the lives of our brothers and sisters in the DR!

13 DON T MISS THIS... Easter Vigil 2016 We had our First Easter Vigil this year with 50 people coming out to keep watch over the Garden from 8 p.m. Holy Saturday until 6 a.m. Easter Morning! It was a wonderful time to gather with old and new friends are fellowship by the fire, we sang worship hymns, ate lots of snacks, burned the palms from Palm Sunday for next years Ash Wednesday, and enjoyed the cool breeze as we pondered the early morning Easter hours for the disciples and those who loved Jesus during his life. It was a wonderful experience and one we hope to make a new tradition here at First Gastonia! Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. You should know they were not in vain. On March 22, I was awakened at 4 a.m. at Duke University Heart Center to start the prep for the placement of my new aortic valve. By 5 a.m. I was in the operating room with multiple people working me over in preparation for the new valve placement in a procedure much like the placement of a stent to relieve blockage of blood vessels. By 9:45 a.m., the surgeon was chatting with Phyllis telling her how well the procedure had gone. Before noon, I was on my feet and taking a highly assisted stroll. On Wednesday, I walked 2 miles in the corridors of the hospital. The surgeons, Dr. Harrison and Dr. Hughes, were very pleased at how well the procedure went. I was released from the hospital Friday, March 25, and we returned home that afternoon. We will be enjoying a stay at the Outer Banks for recuperation. We ll see you the middle of April. Thank you once again for all of your prayers! Bill Kaser

14 April 3-May 8, 2016 The Second Chair...Finding Your Rightful Place No matter what the world says, you are NOT the boss! God is! We will be talking about how God invites us to be the second chair with God in charge. Invite others to worship with us at any of our Sunday morning services at 8:45AM and 11AM in the sanctuary or at 9AM in the Theatre. *We will have one combined Sunday School on April 3 at 9:30AM in the Youth Center followed by one Worship service at 10:30AM in the sanctuary. A box lunch will be served after worship on April 3 with a presentation from our architects about our future building plans. April 7, 14, 21, 28 and May 5 Based on the book, Leading From The Second Chair by Mike Bonem & Roger Patterson Thursdays~6:30-7:30PM~Room #201 Led by David Christy

15 First UMC, Gastonia: A Plan For the Future Sunday, April 3 ADW Architects will reveal the plan for moving forward, based on the congregation s input in January and the 3 year Vision Plan. One worship service at 10:30 a.m. in Sanctuary. Free lunch in Gym. Presentation in Family Life Center by architects. Tuesday, April 12 Finance Committee will meet and come up with a plan for funding to recommend to Church Council Monday, April 18 Church Council will hear Finance Committee s recommendation to then send to a Church Conference on Sunday, April 24 Sunday, April 24 There will be a vote at the end of each worship service where full members of the church have a vote (called Church Conference *) to move forward on the plan the Church Council will present. * You are authorized to conduct a three-part Church Conference on Sunday, April 24, for the purpose of voting on the recommendation of the Church Council for moving forward with the building/capital plan. Dr. Lyn Sorrells, Catawba Valley District Superintendent.

16 STAY CONNECTED... Phone: Web: Give First United Methodist Church PO Box 218 Gastonia, North Carolina Published monthly at 190 E. Franklin Blvd., Gastonia, NC (USPS ). Periodicals postage paid at Gastonia, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Newsletter of First United Methodist Church, PO Box 218 Gastonia, NC First United Methodist Church PO Box 218 Gastonia, NC Program Staff David Christy, Senior Minister Saxon Scarborough, Minister of Music Jennifer Cabaniss, Director of Children s Ministries Susan Lisle, Music Associate Dave Davis, Business Manager Ashley Anne Lloyd, Associate Minister Rebecca Greene, Director of Spiritual Formation Tripp Hord, Director of Student Ministries/FLC Timothy Scruggs, Organist Bruce Tindall, Director of Food Services James Westmoreland, Minister of Congregational Care Kristi McClellan, Director of Weekday Preschool Aaron Prillaman, 162 East Worship Leader Lisa Marisiddaiah, Parish Nurse Eddie Ingram, Pastoral Psychotherapist: , x411