Hand-in-Hand in the Rock Hill District

Transcription

1 South Carolina United Methodist Conference Hand-in-Hand in the Rock Hill District January 2015 Rev. Joe N. Long, Jr., District Superintendent Lollie Haselden, District Secretary 139 Elizabeth Lane, Rock Hill, SC fax NEW District Website Inside this issue: From Joe s Desk Important Dates and Local District News Conference Announcements 8-20 Asbury Hills 21 LJA 22 Winter Jam 23

2 Page 2 Here are the sayings I ran across and jotted down in As we enter a new year, I hope you find something thoughtful, helpful or inspiring. Let us stand by what is good and try to make it better. Atticus Haygood There is a radical difference between knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus. Bishop Woody White Perception is reality. Lee Atwater (political strategist) I ask you to ensure that humanity is served by wealth and not ruled by it. Pope Francis Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Martin Luther King, Jr. When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. Cherokee proverb God has put enough into this world to make faith in Him a most reasonable thing. He has left enough out to make it impossible to live by shear reason alone. Ravi Zacharias Never get so wrapped up in your salvation that you forget what you were saved for. N.T. Wright Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance. If a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who should make the laws of the nation. Andrew Fletcher The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless. The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless. Billy Graham Excellence is caring more than others think is wise; risking more than others think is safe; dreaming more than others think is practical; expecting more than others think is possible Winston Churchill A mystery and wonder of prayer is that God often waits until someone asks. Billy Graham The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service to others. Mahatma Ghandi If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn t sit for a month. Theodore Roosevelt We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. John Adams An unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates Worry is a terrible thing to waste. Don t waste your worry. Joe Long WAG MORE; bark less. I saw this on a bumper sticker. (It is good advice as we start Agree?)

3 Page 3 Important Dates and Local District News Dates to Remember: January 13 District Clergy Meeting at Winthrop Wesley Foundation (9:30 am gathering; 10 am meeting) January 13 District Congregational Development Committee (1:30 pm at district office) January 13 District Connectional Ministries (6:30pm at Bethel UMC) January 15 Deadline for 2014 apportionments to be submitted to the Conference Treasurer January 18 Human Relations Day with offering January 25 Lay Members to Annual Conference Training (2 pm at Mt. Holly UMC) January 25 LARCUM Annual Prayer Service (4 pm at College Place UMC, Columbia) January 30 Revolution Youth Retreat in Columbia (Friday Sunday) February 7 District Lay Servant Training (Saturday Sunday) February 9 Tables I, II and III Statistic Reports due to district office February 12 District Clergy Meeting February 20 United Methodist Men Spiritual Life Retreat February 22 District African American Church Celebration Officers Training Saturday, January 24, 2015 First United Methodist Church Lancaster, SC Registration starts at 8:45 A.M. We will be finished before lunch. ~Clara Horton, Rock Hill District UMW President~ Love for God and hope for a transformed world is evident in our generous apportionment giving. Thanks to all of you who are doing your part. January 15 is the deadline to submit 2014 gifts to the SC Conference Treasurer. If you wait until near the deadline to submit your gifts, use the online service. Do not send by certified mail, because it takes longer and may not get posted in time to count for Stop Hunger Now at 2015 Annual Conference: Again this year we will address the needs of hungry people when United Methodist gathers in Florence. We know $86,000 will be needed in donations. Fund collected beyond this will go to South Carolina projects for hunger and children in poverty. Volunteers will be needed to work 4 hour shifts packing meals. Watch for more on this.

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7 Page 7 Conference NASHVILLE, Tenn. Nov. 18, 2014 /Discipleship Ministries/ Grants totaling $200,000 are now available from Discipleship Ministries to encourage local churches, annual conferences and central conferences to experiment with innovative and creative approaches to growing vital congregations. The grants seek to spur quantifiable growth in worship attendance, professions of faith, small groups, mission engagement and missional giving. Offering these experimentation grants across the connection hopefully will nurture more creativity among our church leaders to seek ways to grow grace-filed Christ followers through worship, small groups, mission and stewardship, said Dr. Timothy L. Bias, General Secretary (chief executive) of Discipleship Ministries. Our hope is that these innovative efforts to increase vital congregations will result in more opportunities for people to grow in discipleship in and through The United Methodist Church. Underwritten by the Connectional Table s World Service Contingency Fund, the grants are part of a church wide effort to increase the number of highly vital congregations 15 percent by The experimental funds are being offered to help any local church, annual conference or central conference develop new projects or events to inspire vital congregation growth. The grant application asks these questions: What are the outcomes of the event/project? How will you measure them? How will the event/project assist in the development of vital congregations, within the context of the church s four areas of focus raising up principled leaders, new places for new people, ministry with the poor and global health concerns? Describe how the event/project assists in the development of vital congregations through the process of carrying out our mission found in paragraph 122 of the Book of Discipline? To obtain a grant application, contact Jeffrey Campbell, Director of Annual Conference Relationships at Discipleship Ministries, at jcampbell@gbod.org. The grant application deadline is Jan. 30, The mission of Discipleship Ministries is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping worldchanging disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, Discipleship Ministries is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, visit the Press Center at or call the Communications

8 Hand-in-Hand in the Rock Hill District January 2015 Page 8 Youth 2015 Gathering Are you planning to take a group from your church to Youth 2015? YOUTH 2015 is the national gathering for United Methodist youth groups and their leaders. It happens every 4 years. YOUTH 2015 will be from June 24-28, 2015 in Orlando, FL. This event has happened since 1988 in the UMC, and the speakers, activities, and artists have always carried a distinctively Wesleyan and United Methodist tone. The theme for YOUTH 2015 is Go On grounded in both scripture and several of John Wesley s sermons. SCMYP is willing to provide transportation via charter bus to Orlando for the event free of charge for groups in the SC conference. The plan would be to leave from the Columbia area early on the morning of June 24th and return to the same location late in the evening on June 28. If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, please Chris Lynch with your church name, district, and the approximate number of persons that will be travelling with your group NO LATER THAN JANUARY 10th, YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT DELEGATES SOUGHT FOR 2016 Are you (or do you know) a youth or young adult who might be interested in being a part ofgeneral Conference or Southeast Jurisdictional Conference in 2016? It is important that the voice of youth and young adults be a part of process of setting the course for the UMC. SCMYP has been asked to identify youth and young adults in our conference that might be effective youth lay delegates from the SC Conference to each of these conferences. There is an application that you must have completed, including approval from your local church, and submitted by January 9th. If you apply you would then be on a ballot for election at Annual Conference in Florence in June of If elected then you would attend the conference for which you are elected as a delegate. I would love to see some of you all apply and hopefully elected to the SC delegation. If you have any questions, please let me know or talk to your pastor.

9 Hand-in-Hand in the Rock Hill District January 2015 Page 9 THE FOUNDATION FOR CHRISTIAN FORMATION The Foundation For Christian Formation, in partnership with the Department of Religion at Pfeiffer University, leads a series of weekend events for young Confirmands of the United Methodist Church. These events are also designed for the pastors, adult leaders and mentors that accompany the youth on their confirmation journey. Since 2006, the Foundation team has led more than 60 confirmation retreats attended by over 700 churches and 10,000 participants from the conferences of the SE Jurisdiction of the UMC. FIND OUT MORE The weekend includes: Interactive workshops focused on the vows of membership in the United Methodist Church, "Promises To Keep -- Our Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service & Witness" Exploring and understanding the sacraments of Baptism and Communion, preparing to answer the claim and call of God in our lives Our signature "stole making" high touch, small group process through which we help Confirmands record highlights of their faith journey and witness to their emerging faith in their own words and symbols The culminating service of Receiving the Stoles - a sign of calling and commitment as part of the "ministry of all Christians" Gospel storytelling and music by nationally known recording artist, humorist, storyteller, worship leader and folk-theologian, Ed Kilbourne Process teaching with career Christian Educators and UM Ministers, Rev. Kathleen Kilbourne & Rev. Gloria Hughes FCF Confirm runs February through May See calendar for dates. SCMYP Returns to Honduras in 2015 SCMYP is excited to, once again be joining forces with HOI and the Kentucky Conference UMC for a second year for a mission opportunity for young people to Honduras in the summer of As you know, Bishop Holston has a heart and a passion for missions. The Honduras mission trip is open to young people (age 16-22) in the SC Annual Conference. This God-sized vision became a God-sized reality as we held our first trip last summer. Now have dates reserved to participate in a similar, week-long mission experience in Honduras June 26-July 4, 2015 along with a group of young people from the Kentucky Conference. The trip will be organized and work will be done with Honduras Outreach International (HOI, inc). HOI has years of experience and has developed a meaningful relationship in communities in Honduras. We are excited about what God will do to make this trip a powerful experience for young people in our conference. If you are interested in being a part of this mission experience please complete the Honduras Trip Application 2015 and return it to the address below NO LATER THAN January 15th, 2015.

10 Page 10 District Youth Worker Networks Are you a youth worker looking for a community of like-minded people to share in the joys, thrills, frustrations, and struggles of youth ministry? Are you a youth worker who is always looking to discover great ideas and share ideas of your own about youth ministry? Do you enjoy "talking shop" about youth ministry, church, theology, or just fun stuff? Then we want you to be a part of a SCMYP District Youth Worker's Network. SCMYP believes that the GREATEST resource that youth workers in the SC annual conference have is each other. We can learn from each other, care for each other and support one another. Collectively we are MUCH more effective than we are individually. However, in order to maximize our effectiveness we must be willing and able to share within and across the connection. That is why SCMYP is looking to launch a District Youth Worker's Network (DYWN) in each of hte 12 districts within our state. Some of our districts already have the network in place (and we look to help strengthen those already successful networks) while other districts have no existing network (and we hope to start one soon), but there is not doubt that a DYWN will be beneficial in all situations. So, if you would like to be a part of a DYWN (or at least hear more about it, please fill out the DYWN information form and we will get you in touch with someone in your district to connect with to be a part (or we will call you to discuss how to start one in your district). Below is a list of known meetings of District Youth Workers Networks. Contact Chris Lynch for more details, or to get a meeting scheduled in your district. Spartanburg District - January 5th Greenwood District - January 6th Greenville District - January 12th

11 Page 11 The spirit singers have released their Weekend Tour Schedule. Please help support this incredible youth ministry by attending a concert and by sharing this information. For more information on the Spirit Singers, visit. or watch this video the-spirit-singers-video-released/ Saturday, January 10, :00 PM First Marion UMC 307 East Godbold St. Marion Sunday, January 11, :00 AM Macedonia UMC 402 North Main St. Mullins Saturday, March 21, :00 PM Philadelphia UMC 1691 Hwy. 160 West Fort Mill Sunday, March 22, :00 AM St. John UMC 321 South Oakland Ave. Rock Hill

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13 Page 13 Dear churches, The January Advocate is online now and arriving in mailboxes this week. Now we begin work on the February Advocate. SUBMISSIONS FROM CHURCHES/PASTORS/ETC. TO THE ADVOCATE ARE WELCOME! Please have any submissions to me by our deadline of Jan. 10 for the February paper: display ads, classifieds, press releases, calendar blurbs, letters to the editor, high-resolution photos, mission trip updates, news and feature story ideas, op-eds and much more. Please also help spread the word about the Advocate so more people read our award-winning, 178-year-old newspaper. People can read limited free content at They can also subscribe (online for $8 and print/online for $15), or participate in a church plan or the clergy 5 for $25. Find out more here: We appreciate you and your support. May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year! Blessings, Jessica -- Jessica (formerly Connor) Brodie, editor S.C. United Methodist Advocate newspaper 4908 Colonial Dr. Columbia, SC , ext. 338 (Office) (Cell)

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16 Page 16 Conference Youth Basketball Tournament now excepting rosters for January 23-25, 2015 event. It s time to start entering teams for the annual Youth Conference Basketball Tournament. The Tournament is scheduled to take place in the Summerville-Charleston Area in the Charleston District. The dates are January 23-25, Our two Worship Services are being planned for both Saturday and Sunday. The Services will be at Bethany UMC. The Worship team Leaders consist of Rev. Patricia Parrish- Charleston District Superin- tendent, Dr. Bob Howell- Sr. Minister at Bethany UMC and Bishop Jonathan Holston. The Saturday morning Worship Service will be a Communion Service. Bishop Holston will deliver our regular Sunday morning Worship Service Message. Teams will consist of Middle and Senior High Teams (ages under 15 and over 15) of both Girls and Boys teams. Team members are the active Youth of their United Methodist Church. If a Single United Methodist Church cannot field a team, those Church Youth may combine with another United Methodist Church for the purpose of participating on a Team. It is highly suggest- ed that all Churches use this avenue if that Church has a shortage of Youth to field a team. All Youth in The South Carolina Conference are invited to play by this process. The cost to enter a team is $ and due by January 10, A discount of $30.00 is given to those with early entries with payment by December 20, For more information visit the Tournament website atwww.scmethodistbasketball.org. Each team will play games on Friday evening and all day on Saturday. Championship games will be played on Sunday afternoon. All Teams, parents and fans will Worship together on Sunday Morning. All entries are entered by using the web-site and mailed to the Conference Center at 4908 Colonial Drive, Columbia, South Carolina. If additional questions about this event are needed please contact Doris Seals at dseals@umcsc.org The objective of this Tournament is to plan a statewide Basketball Tournament, promote recreation with Worship in a Christian atmosphere for the Youth of all the Churches and Charges of The South Carolina United Methodist Conference, large or small, rural or urban, involving youth and adults in a spirit of Christian Sportsmanship. This tournament was founded in 1977 to serve youth who are members of and active participants in United Methodist Churches in South Carolina.

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19 Page 19 Hands and Feet 2015 Want to leave your mark on the ministry at Asbury Hills? Grab your work gloves and head to the hills for a weekend mixed with work and play. Discover how to be God's hands and feet while working on service projects all around the site. Afraid of power tools? That's ok. Whether you are comfortable building a house from scratch of planting a flower, we have a project for you! In the evenings go wild as the band plays and experience what it really means to let Jesus make his mark. Put your youth group's hand and feet to good use and reserve a spot today! See what our 2014 groups accomplished HERE. Dates: February 27 - March 1, 2015 Cost: $40 per person Capacity: 135 Registration for Summer Camp 2015 will be available online starting January 1! Did you attend camp in 2014? Click here to utilize our early registration form! Join the Asbury Staff For many, working at Asbury Hills is the best summer experience one can have. Asbury Hills is a fun, engaging, and committed spiritual environment that fosters personal growth and tight-knit communities of staff. There are numerous positions on summer staff, all of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. There is one thing to be sure of - none of the jobs are easy. Summer staff routinely find themselves under some amount of stress, but out of this stress, the real reward is gained. To learn more, visit call , or program@asburyhills.org. Application Opens December 15, 2014.

20 Page 20 Ski Lake Junaluska DECEMBER 2014 MARCH 2015 Worship, ski, and create lasting friendships at Ski Lake Junaluska! Lake Junaluska Youth Events offers incredible winter programming, while Cataloochee Ski Area, just minutes away from Lake Junaluska, provides excellent customer service, thrilling skiing, and convenience for our winter ski retreats. REGISTRATION OPEN! 2015 SCHEDULE December 30 January 1: New Year s Celebration: Dr. Derrick-Lewis Noble and TransMission January 16 19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend: Celia Whitler and The Wayne Kerr Band January 30-February 1: Andy Lambert and Second Hand City February 6-8: Lane Davis and Second Hand City February 13 16: President's Day Weekend: Mark Oestreicher and Second Hand City February 20 22: Steve Keaton and Forgotten City PROGRAM QUESTIONS Jennifer Martin, Director of Program Ministries jmartin@lakejunaluska.com RESERVATIONS / REGISTRATION reservations@lakejunaluska.com CATALOOCHEE SKI AREA There are several things you can count on when you bring a group to Cataloochee. Small town hospitality, a helping hand at every stage of your visit, excellent facilities, and of course, great skiing and snowboarding. Lake Junaluska is proud to partner with Cataloochee for our winter ski weekends. Snowboarding is available at no additional cost

21 Page 21 January 18, 2015 Time Warner Cable Arena Charlotte, NC Show time: 6:00 P.M. Doors open: 5:00 P.M.