THE TENNILLE TESTIMONY Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

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1 THE TENNILLE TESTIMONY Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Volume 12, Issue 2 December 31, 2016 Rev. Randall Smith -tumc@tennilleumc.org Selwyn May selmayo@gmail.com Tennille United Methodist Church Rev. Randall Smith, Pastor Office: Smith Street Facebook: Parsonage: P.O. Box 265 Church Website: tumc@tennilleumc.org Tennille, GA Sunday, 11 am Live: Radio: WSNT 1490 AM Rev. Randall Smith Pastor s Message Happy New Year! Whether you shouted, Feliz Año Nuevo, Bonne année, or Frohes neues Jahr, your voice blended with millions of others as the world celebrated the arrival of The New Year often comes with many varied emotions. Sometimes we are glad to see the New Year turn over as it allows an opportunity for a clean slate and to put a challenging year behind us. At other times we are sad to see a year pass, as it has been meaningful in some way and we would like to hold on to it just a little bit longer. Either way, time does not stop. It is constantly changing from one extreme to the other: love and hate, war and peace or birth and death. No matter how hard we try to keep things the same, we can t avoid the fact that the pendulum of life is constantly swinging as time marches on. Solomon knew a lot about time. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-13, he reminds us that For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. There will be many seasons on the journey of life in Each of these seasons will bring an array of emotions. Some good some not so good. We can t change the seasons of life, and we can t change what will happen on our journey of life in But we can make decisions that will affect how we live in those seasons. The beginning of a new year provides an opportunity for us to start over. Maybe 2017 is the perfect time to throw out the trash, clutter and other things in our lives that steal our happiness. Whether it s a bad habit, a grudge you have been holding for a long time or even feelings of guilt over past choices.it s time to let them go. Carry them to the curb. The good news is that God forgives us and wants us to begin our lives anew. God wants us to be Happy. In Ecclesiastes 3:12 we hear these words, I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil this is the gift of God. Happiness is a gift from God and I believe happiness is possible when we resolve to let go of those things that hold us back and replace those things in our lives that can enable us to move forward. Letting the old out and letting God in is the beginning of a true happy new year. How do we do this? We begin by starting and ending our day with God. Spending more time in prayer, meditation, and reflection is a great start. And as you begin this new daily spiritual workout, God will do the rest. Let Go. Let God. Happy New Year! In Christ, Preacher Randall. Web:

2 Our Christmas celebrations of Christ birthday began on December 4 as we gathered as a Christian family for our annual UMW Christmas party sharing a covered dish dinner with wonderful food and a wonderful program arranged by Kathy May. Kathy accompanied on piano our TUMC musical royalty (Randall Smith, Ron Deem and Scott Moore), singing We Three Kings. Cherry Bowen then blessed the group singing two of her Christmas favorites. Rev. Randall and Cindy Smith sang two specials and then everyone joined together to sing several carols. The program can be seen online at The link is available also on our TUMC website ( December 11 Morning Worship Special Music On December 11, special music during our morning worship service was presented by Randy Thomas and Margaret Alexander singing Christmas Hallelujah. If you missed this very special music you can view and hear that service here 2

3 Christmas Cantata Once Upon a Miracle Tennille Baptist Church & Tennille UMC During the afternoon on December 11, the Tennille Methodist choir joined the Tennille Baptist choir for a cantata, Once Upon a Miracle, directed by TBC s Carl Forrester. Special narrators were Chris Alexander and Bud Alexander. This program can be enjoyed at Live Nativity December 11 At 7 pm on Dec. 11, TUMC presented two Live Nativity performances at TUMC. This witness attracted quite a few people. For those who missed the special performances you can view at Luke 2: 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 3

4 A very special, meaningful Christmas Eve Communion service with many of the Piney Mount United Methodist Church family joining the Tennille United Methodist Church family. Rev. Randall Smith and Rev. Mike Bankston led the worship. Rev. Mike Bankston delivered a meaningful message. Welcome Glenda Harrell!! Glenda Harrell moved her letter of membership July 31, Glenda is active in the Bread of Life ministry and the United Methodist Women. TUMC is so fortunate to receive Glenda into our church family. Movie Night Tennille UMC joined with the Tennille Baptist church family to enjoy a meal, fellowship, and the movie Courageous. 4

5 Joe Thomas Memorial Fund Videos of TUMC s special events, our web streaming and radio broadcasts of our Sunday morning services and our church Internet access expansion have been made possible by the generous donations given in memory of Mr. Joseph Hill Thomas III. Memorials given in memory of Joe were designated by his family to extend the message of Jesus Christ to our homebound church family, community and the world with the media ministries of the Tennille United Methodist Church. The Tennille Testimony Joe and his family were very active members of Tennille Methodist. Joe was especially involved in the children and youth programs of Tennille Methodist, leading and guiding the young people on many expeditions such as trips to Epworth by the Sea, camping at Hamburg State Park, trick or treating around town, games and adventures at the local park, participating with the young people in the Christmas Madrigal Dinner, supervising church overnight lock-ins, pool parties at the Thomas pool, Easter egg hunts, kite flying, teaching Sunday School, and so many other activities in which Joe guided the young people in fun, service and scripture. Mr. Joe meant so much to a large group of young people growing up in this church. (Just a few pictures from some of Mr. Joe s adventures with the kids below.) The church witness ministry is so enriched by the generous donation and have plans to expand even further with the family s designation of these gifts to further spread the word of Jesus Christ. 5

6 Memorials and Honorariums Thanks to donors for their gifts We have a subcommittee working on a project to catalog all of the physical gifts that have been given and documenting those that were given in memory of or in honor of someone special. Tennille United Methodist Church has been blessed by God with so many special people who have served the Lord in so many ways. These people are remembered and honored by others so often with special gifts to the church. These people also give to the church and its ministries in memory or honor of their friends and loved ones. TUMC acknowledges that many of our ministries could not be supported without these gifts which are outside of normal giving. We want everyone to know how much those gifts are appreciated and to remember the special people who originated the gift and those in whose honor or memory they were given. When giving a monetary gift to the church in memory or in honor of someone a memorial card will be sent to the surviving family member(s) referencing the name and address of the donor, but not the amount of the gift. An honor card will be sent to the honoree referencing the name and address of the donor, but not the amount of the gift. The donor is also mailed an acknowledgement and receipt. Memorial Day 2016 Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and was initiated to honor the soldiers for the Union and Confederate armies who died during the American Civil War. Our veterans were recognized during the morning worship and all veterans were remembered during the morning service. 6

7 We love our Family and Friend Visits! 7

8 TUMC supports Kaolin Festival Annual Bike Ride to support the Boys and Girls Club TUMC family members church sat and assisted with the rest stop needs for the bike riders who participated in the Kaolin Festival Bike Ride October 2, 2016 which supports the Boys and Girls Club in Washington County. Gaither Trip Singing, Laughing, Eating Several of us traveled by van to the Bell Auditorium in Augusta to see and hear the Gaithers Vocal Band on November 11. This was a wonderful outing! 2016 Fall Festival - Saturday, October 29 Tennille Baptist, Victory Central, Wellness and TUMC combined forces and held our annual Fall Festival for community children. A huge crowd of children played games, had their faces painted, rode the train, ate hotdogs, and filled up with lots of candy. Tennille Baptist cooked hotdogs and provided drinks for everyone. 8

9 Highlights from September 12, 2016 Council Meeting Treasurer Report - Margaret Alexander: Presented 2017 Budget based on results of Stewardship Program pledges. Insurance up from 2016 actual cost in 2016 was $6400 Annual Conference in 2017 will be in Jekyll Island instead of Tifton so that expense will be higher Miscellaneous costs raised by $1800 for special church work to be completed by Russ Garland Pastor s salary increased by 4% based on the recommendation of the Pastor Parish Relations committee Health Flex increase was given to us by the conference. TUMC will pay 90% and Tabernacle paying 10%. Summary of Stewardship results and Budget: Stewardship Results: 18 pledge cards completed $ 73,440 Mailed 16 cards and 8 were returned $ 20,500 We anticipate 5 more cards for $ 10,400 Members who contribute without cards $ 8,400 Gifts from Non Members who give every month $ 12,600 Thiele benefit $ 4,896 Basket expected giving based on this year $ 2,943 Total $133,079 That puts us about $2,000 short of our budget and we think we can handle that. There are some line items in our budget that we never spend the total amount such as church parsonage maintenance but there is always the possibility that we will so we keep them. Checking Account Balances as of today, September 12, 2016 Regular checking balance (used for budget items only) $32, Special Checking account balance (used for memorials, honorariums and major improvements or repairs) $38, Golden Savings balance $ 9, Whatever amounts were left over at the end of the year was left in the bank account thus leading to our very good balance. It was discussed that perhaps we could think about moving some of that to an interest earning account and it was also discussed that interest rates are very low so would not be of great benefit but that anything is better than nothing. The finance committee will discuss. A discussion was held concerning the Special Checking Account balance and how Margaret keeps each one in a separate record no matter how big or small and that families designate how the money should be used. In some cases, and for some donations, the families have not designated how the gifts should be used. It was determined that Margaret would develop a letter to send to the family for those that exist as well as for new memorials and honorariums explaining how we handle these. Prayer Coordinator (Shirley Nicholson): Shirley has sent 38 cards since last meeting; needs additional post card inserts and asked that people indicate what type of card should be sent when we submit names. 9

10 Budget Comparison 2016 Budget 2017 Budget Conference and District Apportionments Total Apportionments $ 13, $ 13, Buildings and Grounds Church and Parsonage Maintenance $ 3, , Insurance 5, , Utilities 12, , Yard 4, , Service Agreements 2, , Parsonage Improvements 1, , Total Building and Grounds $ 29, $ 30, Operational Expenses Janitorial Service $ 2, , Janitorial Supplies Office Supplies 1, , Social Hall Supplies Annual Conference Expense Musical Instrument Maintenance Miscellaneous 1, , Contingency/Reserve 1, , Total Operational Expenses $ 7, $ 9, Program and Ministry Prayer Ministry $ Education 1, , Worship Music 3, , Missions 1, , Evangelism Media Ministry (internet, newsletter, radio, tv) 5, , Total Program and Ministry $ 12, $ 12, Ministerial Support Salary $ 45, , Ministerial Pension Plan 7, , HealthFlex (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) 8, , Pastor's Exp. Acct. (incl. CEU & Annual Conf.) 5, , Total Ministerial Support $ 67, $ 69, Total Expenses $ 129, $ 135,

11 Looking forward to 2017!!! Get Involved! Watch for more news about our Church Directory project. We will be scheduling dates soon for any family who would like to have their picture taken by the Lifetouch photographers (this company purchased Olin Mills). The company will create a church directory and provide a picture directory to each family who participates. They will also provide a single 8 x 10 of your choice from the proofs as well as offer you the opportunity with no pressure to purchase more pictures. Each church family will be contacted to schedule a date/time if interested. Families who are not church members can also be scheduled for a sitting even if they might not be included in the directory. Remember these special people! These invaluable pictures were taken when we had Olin Mills create the church directory in Sunday School: Studying, Sharing, Praying - TUMC has two wonderful Sunday School classes. Leona Rogers leads the Seekers class in study and discussion each Sunday and Nick Nicholson leads the John Wesley class (until Mary Moye returns). A new class will start later in January focusing on current events and applying Biblical teachings to today s world. United Methodist Women Meets 2 nd Monday each month Soon - Revelations Bible Study!! A study of Revelations will begin soon, led by Rev. Mike Bankston, Pastor of Piney Mount Methodist Church. Plan to join us for this interesting Bible Study. The start date will be announced soon. Soon Facebook Class!! We will have another Tech Know How class soon in the near future to talk about Facebook and other Social Media sites and how to be more secure using them and the different features of several different ones focusing on Facebook! Suggestions??? Please share any suggestions for activities or classes you would like to join or activities that you might like to share with others. 11

12 TUMC Ministries Get Involved! Bread of Life Contact - Randy Thomas First Love Kids Contact - Russ Garland Feed My Sheep Contact - Martha Taylor Lord Prayer Ministry Contact - Betty Freeman Contact - Shirley Nicholson Nurture (Worship) Contact - Martha Taylor Lord or Sue Burgamy Outreach (Missions Team) Contact - Randy Thomas, Margie Johnson Witness (Media &Evangelism) Contact - Selwyn May Contact - Russ Garland Flower Ministry Contact - Jean Bevill Prayer Shawl Ministry Leona Rogers Tennille United Methodist Church 210 Smith Street P.O. Box Tennille, GA