Light From The Hill AUGUST, 2016 The Pastor s Corner...Rev. Norman L. Ramsey, III

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1 Light From The Hill AUGUST, 2016 The Pastor s Corner...Rev. Norman L. Ramsey, III Dear Laurel Hill: August is the month when most people are gearing down their summer plans and getting ready for the fall. In most homes, preparation is being made for a new school year. In sports, practice has begun for a new football season. In the church, we re completing our summer with a great Vacation Bible School and beginning our preparation for our annual Charge Conference. This year, we have been asked by our District Superintendent, Dr. Peter Moon to look beyond simply getting ready for this annual meeting and focus with fervent prayer and with hearts expectant and ready to hear God speak to us here at Laurel Hill. Building on the theme of Annual Conference: Thy Will Be Done, we are asked to answer three questions at Charge Conference: 1. What is God s will for our congregation? 2. How do we know? 3. What will we do about it? I have already shared these questions with several individuals in the church but ask that we all, as members together in this congregation, give our time and attention to them. These are important questions and questions for which we should have an answer, even if those answers, or especially if those answers come after we fervently seek the Lord. We continue to give thanks that God declares: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29: 11) What is God s vision of us in light of this promise? We will be the people who cry out to Him, who hunger and thirst for His righteousness, who prevail in prayer with Him, who seek His face with all of our heart and who find favor in His sight. We are like Noah, who finds favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6: 8) We are forewarned of the judgment that lies ahead and our faith calls us to make every preparation in obedience to the Lord, including sharing with others the good news of Jesus. In grace and peace, Norman Ramsey Please keeps these dates on your calendar and pray! August 12-14, 2016: Vacation Bible School September 1, 2016: Our new Bishop Sharma Lewis begins her ministry with us. September 11-13, 2016: Community Mile Creek, 7 PM nightly October 12, 2016: Decision America Tour Prayer Rally, Noon, Richmond, VA 1

2 FOR YOUR INFORMATION BIRTHDAYS IN AUGUST: Betsy Gottwald, Barbara Wendel, Gail Dagenhart, Bill Perkins, Chris Ragland, Christopher Thompson, Rachel Hawk, Bill Balz, Mary Holmes Will Brockman, Johnny Keeton, Lois Miller and Donald Kindy NEW EVENING PRAYER SERVICE Laurel Hill will begin a new evening prayer service on the 1 st and 3 rd Wednesdays of each month starting Wednesday, August 3 rd at 7:00 P.M. These services will be focused on our many prayer concerns and prayers of gratitude. There will be opportunities for corporate and individual prayer. The beginning of each service will include a time to hear the Word and to reflect on the scripture passage. There will also be an opportunity to lift our voices to the Lord in song. Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity to share in prayer and to rejoice in God's grace together. For additional information or if you have transportation needs, please contact Phil Deane at Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 FISH UPDATE!!! Thank you so much for your continued support of Eastern Henrico FISH. Through your help, FISH has been able to assist many families in our area who find themselves in need. As this assistance costs money, FISH does a lot of fund-raisers. On Sunday, August 21, there will be a BBQ luncheon at Ft. Lee Baptist Church from 11:30 to 2:00, featuring a BBQ sandwich, cole slaw, green beans, baked apples, beverage and dessert for $9.00 per plate. On Saturday, September 10, the annual Golf Tournament will be held at Brookwoods Golf Club in Quinton, Va. Registration is at noon with a shotgun start at 1:00. Lunch and drinks will be provided. A BBQ dinner will follow, with awards and drawings for raffle prizes. A new Honda has been donated by Mechanicsville Honda as a prize for a hole-in-one on Hole 17. The cost is $80.00 per person (includes green fee and cart). We invite four per team. On Saturday, October 22, a Brunswick Stew will be held at Village Presbyterian Church. More details will follow. On Saturday, November 12, the annual concert will be held at Oak Hall Baptist Church. Veterans will be celebrated. If you would like to honor a present or past veteran, please provide me a picture with the name, dates of service and branch of service. Pictures will be scanned and shown during the concert. For more information, or to get tickets or reservations, please see Kirby Miller or call at Again, thank you for your generous donations of food and clothing items. 2

3 LAY MINISTERS FOR AUGUST, 2016 Praise & Worship: 8:45 A.M.-Sunday School: 9:45 A.M.-Worship: 11:00 A.M. OUR USHERS August 7 Kirby Miller, Joe Corley, Gerald Sanders and Randy Welch August 14 Stuart Walton, Raymond Stevenson, Buddy Whitlow August 21 Bill Robinson, Gene Russell, George Kaloski August 28 Craig Pollard, Phil Deane, Ray Alexander CHILDREN S CHURCH August 7 Jeremy and Stephanie Rowan August 14 Harley Gostel August 21 Harley Gostel August 28 Adam and Jenny White OUR ACOLYTES-Summer Break OUR GREETERS August 7 Bud Funk & Ernie Parrish August 14 Shirley & Eugene Hicks August 21 Dot Gay & Susan Nowell August 28 Rachel Hawk & Linda Kinsey CHILDREN S MESSAGE August-Jenny Nelson COMMUNION August-Keith and Sheree Gostel SOUND TECHNICIANS August 7 & 14 Keith Gostel August 21 & 28 David Duke TELLERS August 7 Linda Kinsey and Chris Ragland August 14 Jeremy Rowan and Peggy Singlemann August 21 Phil Deane and Mike Powell August 28 Pam Wilson and Lois Miller 3

4 Following Jesus: The Light of the World 8:45am Praise & Worship 9:45am Sunday School 11:00am Traditional Worship August 7, 2016: Following the Light that Gives Us Courage (Matt. 14: 27) (Men s Breakfast at 8:00 AM and Holy Communion in each worship service) August 14, 2016: Celebrate Vacation Bible School, (Acts 1: 1 11) (Luncheon after 11:00 AM Service) August 16, 2016: Weekday School Open House, 6:30 PM 8:00 PM August 21, 2016: Following the Light of the Lord (Isaiah 2: 5) August 28, 2016: Following the Light that Overcomes the Dark, (Isa. 8 & 9) August 30, 2016: Homeless Feeding, 10:00 AM Choir practice for the Community Revival at Four Mile Creek Baptist Church are as follows: Thursday, August 4 th, Tuesday, August 9 th, Wednesday, August 17 th, Thursday, August 25 th and the final practice will be Thursday, September 8 th. Each practice will begin at 6:30 PM and end at 8:00 P.M. in the church sanctuary. We understand that some people may be arriving late and/or leaving early, just come as you can! 5

5 SCHOOL KITS 1 pair blunt scissors rounded tip only-no plastic scissors please. 3 units of 8½ x 11 paper- consisting of any combination of spiral notebooks, top-bound pads or loose leaf paper (no more than 150 sheets can be lose leaf paper). No composition books. (ALERT!!! Wide-Rule Spiral Notebooks are only $.17 at Wal-Mart right now and there is no limit to the number you can get at one time. We are looking for a minimum of 180 to use for our School Kits for Conference and any above that, the Missions and Ministries Team will share locally. Thank you for your help in supplying at least 60 Kits for Conference and for going above and beyond that to assist children in our community.) 1 hand held pencil sharpener must be at least one inch long - remove from packaging centimeter ruler hard or flexible - cartoon characters are acceptable - no advertisements please. 6 unsharpened pencils no advertisements, religious, patriotic, military or camouflage symbols please - cartoon characters are acceptable 1 2 ½ inch eraser no advertisements, religious, patriotic, military or camouflage symbols please - cartoon characters are acceptable. 24 count box of crayons only 24 count boxes please 14 x16 cloth bag homemade or purchased bags are both acceptable, heavy duty fabric only denim, corduroy, drapery fabric etc. - no advertisements, religious, patriotic, military or camouflage symbols please. Closures are optional but must be buttons, snaps or Velcro sewn in middle of opening if used. (Please let Dot Gay or Nancy Henry know if you would like to help with assembling these Kits and please take time to pray over these supplies that the children who receive them might glorify God and come to know the Lord s goodness and grace.) Following the recommendation of the Property Chair and the Finance Committee, our Administrative Council decided it is time to complete Phase 2 of our Parking Lot Repaving Project. Our Property Chair, Randy Welch along with our Trustees will be working together to get the best job done for the monies we have available. Your contributions and help right now can still have a big impact so don t delay especially now that we re moving forward to get the work done.

6 Our New Bishop: Reverend Sharma D. Lewis The Reverend Sharma D. Lewis, who most recently served as the District Superintendent of the Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford District in the North Georgia Conference has been selected to serve the Virginia Annual Conference. This very diverse district includes sixty (60) local churches ranging in size from as few as 25 to as many as 3,500 members. Reverend Lewis, a second-career pastor, has a distinguished record of service in the North Georgia Conference beginning with her first appointment in 1999 as the Associate (and subsequently Senior Associate) Pastor of the 8,000-member Ben Hill UMC in Atlanta. In 2004, she was appointed as the first African-American and first female Senior Pastor of the Powers Ferry UMC, a cross-racial assignment in Marietta, GA. In 2007, Reverend Lewis became Senior Pastor of Wesley Chapel in McDonough, GA. During her three-year tenure, over 600 new and restored members were added to Wesley Chapel, and worship attendance doubled. Her visibility as a strong spiritual and pastoral leader propelled her into numerous leadership roles in the local community, including Hands on Henry County and Many Hearts, Many Hands McDonough. Reverend Lewis remarkable pastoral leadership at Wesley Chapel enabled her to receive the Harry Denman Award for Evangelism in 2010, as well as the G. Ross Freeman Leadership Award. An Elder in Full Connection in the North Georgia Conference, Reverend Lewis has offered her gifts to The United Methodist Church in a variety of ways. Presently, she serves as a Board member of the Wesley Woods Foundation, United Methodist Children s Home, Breakthru House, Branan Tower Advisory Board, Southeastern Jurisdictional (SEJ) Intentional Growth Center, Committee on Coordination and Accountability, SEJ Committee on the Episcopacy, North Georgia COE, and as the Cabinet Representative for United Methodist Women, the Executive Committee on Church Development and the Committee for Equitable Compensation. Reverend Lewis has served as a Chairperson of the Ethnic Local Church Concerns Committee, Chairperson of the District Superintendency Committee (Griffin District), Vice-Chairperson of the Wesley Woods Foundation Board, Vice-Chairperson of the North Georgia Church Development Committee, the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, Bishop s Task Force, Reserve Delegate to SEJ Jurisdictional Conference (2008), Delegate to the World Methodist Conference (2011), and member of Black Clergywomen of The United Methodist Church. In June 2011, the North Georgia Conference honored Reverend Lewis by electing her as the first African-American female to lead the Delegation to the 2012 General and Jurisdictional Conferences. In 2015 she was once again voted to lead the Delegation to the 2016 General and Jurisdictional Conferences. The members of the North Georgia Conference Delegation have unanimously endorsed her as their episcopal nominee. 7

7 Reverend Lewis was born and raised in Statesboro, Georgia in a loving Methodist family where individuals have answered God s call to serve the church and to minister to God s people. A graduate of Mercer University (B.S., Biology, 1985), the University of West Georgia (M.S., Biology, 1988), and Gammon Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div., 1999), Reverend Lewis worked as a research biologist and chemist prior to surrendering to God s call upon her life. Active in the community, she was a vital part of the Metro State Women s Prison Women of Faith Bible Study and Worship Services, Peachtree Pine Homeless Shelter, and has led mission experiences to Jamaica, Kenya and the Philippines. Reverend Lewis is a member of the Atlanta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She has received the Delta Sigma Theta Pinnacle Award and the Torch Award. She is the recipient of the 2014 Gammon Theological Seminary Distinguished Alumna Award. Bishop Lewis will begin her work with the Virginia Annual Conference on September 1, 2016 following the retirement of Bishop Young Jin Cho. Please keep her in your prayers. Pray for Our Community Revival! September 11 th 13 th,