THE FIRST WORD. A publication of Ellijay First United Methodist Church. August A Sweet-Tooth Spirit

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1 THE FIRST WORD A publication of Ellijay First United Methodist Church A Sweet-Tooth Spirit August was always a special month thinking back to summer times in the past. During August, the fair would come to town. It was always a big deal for the kids in town because few of us ever got to a Coney Island or Disneyland. August 2015 It was an exciting time because there you could buy caramel corn, snow cones and, of course, cotton candy. With a dollar you could pretty much eat your fill of all these things. You could always tell which kids had mastered the art of eating cotton candy by how much was outlining their sticky pink or blue mouths. Yes, the cotton candy was great and during the fair we consumed as much as we possibly could. Sweet-tooth memories! Now our parents weren t too critical during this brief time of junk food consumption. They seemed to know that cotton candy and caramel corn had a place in the world. But they also knew that a steady diet of such sweet things usually led to upset tummies. When the Fair packed up the tents and the rides, they took the caramel corn and cotton candy with them. It was back to eating our vegetables and fruits again; things that nourished our growing bodies. The author of a newspaper article I read is concerned that too many of our church congregations are given a regular diet of cotton candy, some to the point that they have developed a sweet-tooth spirit. They just want to hear nice gentle sermons about God s love, a sugary teaching about Jesus so they can leave church puffed up and happy. Cotton Candy. Some even complain when the preacher starts talking about sin and bearing one s cross and following Jesus as a servant rather than the Landlord. Why chew on carrots and broccoli when there is caramel corn and other sugary sweets to dine on? Jesus is many things, but he is not cotton candy. If we don t hear what he truly has to say and understand the same challenges that we, along with his first disciples, face, how will we grow? Too many are told that the parables are just cute stories and that modern psychology has taken care of all of life s demons, so relax and slurp down another snow cone. The author of the news article is right. There is way too much cotton candy being served out there as a steady diet. The result is too many Christians with a sweet-tooth spirit. I guess there ought to be a warning label: Cotton Candy Christianity can lead to malnourishment and truth decay. God Bless, Thom

2 SUNDAY 8:45 a.m. Early Worship 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship 6:00 p.m. Impact Youth ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS Each Monday 4:45 p.m. Zumba BODY AND SOUL exercise 1st Monday 5:30 p.m. Finance Committee Meeting September 14 6:00 p.m. Administrative Council Meeting September 14 2nd Monday 6:30 p.m. UMW Claddagh Night Circle - August 10 4th Monday 11:30 a.m. Prayer Shawl Workshop August 24 Each Tuesday 11:00 a.m. Adult Bible Study BYKOTA CLASSROOM 1st Tuesday 8:00 a.m. UMM Prayer Breakfast/Meeting at Annie s August 4 3rd Tuesday 6:30 p.m. UMM Dinner & meeting Shane s Rib Shack August 18 3rd Tuesday 12:00 noon UMW Noon Circle August 18 Each Wednesday 5:30 p.m. Wednesday Night Family & Friends Dinner will resume September 9 5:45 p.m. Grace Notes 6:00 p.m. Youth IMPACT (9th 12th grade) will resume in fall 6:00 p.m. Children s Wednesday Night program/choir will resume in fall 6:30 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal 1st Wednesday 5:00 p.m. Board of Trustees Meeting, BYKOTA CLASSROOM Each Thursday 4:45 p.m. Zumba BODY AND SOUL exercise 1st Thursday 11:00 a.m. Joy Circle August 6 2nd Thursday 11:30 a.m. Single Ladies Lunch August 13 Each Saturday 9:30 a.m. Zumba BODY AND SOUL exercise YOUTH Sat., Aug. 1 3 pm Outcry Worship Event Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Sun., Aug. 2 5:30 8, Back to School Bash Sun., Aug., 16 Promotion Sunday, 3rd and 6th graders! Wed., Aug. 19 5:30 Youth and children ministries will be kicking off the school year by grilling out and playing water games! We will also be welcoming our 6th graders into the youth ministry! Make sure to wear clothes that can get wet and may be a little messy :) Wed., Aug. 26 meet at 5:30 for swim party September 2 6 the church Middle and High school Small Groups Start for the year! We need volunteers to prepare and serve Sunday night snack supper for our youth! This helps the youth budget tremendously. The meal can be simple and needs to be for 20 people. See Kerri Ann to pick a date! 2

3 Ellijay First United Methodist Church welcomed our new pastor, Dr. Thom Shores, and his wife, Sharon, on Sunday, July 12. We had an overwhelming response from our congregation both in attendance (over 150) and in delicious covered dishes enjoyed by all. Thanks to all who participated in creating such a warm reception for them. The Music Ministry is happy to introduce our new organist Paul Campbell. Paul is an accomplished musician on both organ and piano. Paul is also a piano teacher with immediate openings for students. Summer is still here and it s hot, but it s Camp Meeting time and the choir gets to shed those hot robes. Guitars will ring and the choir will sing and old time hymns will bring back memories from a different time. You ll hear Ivory Palaces, Swing Down Chariot, Do Lord and many other favorites. Summer is a great time to give choir a try.i hear great voices every Sunday so I know there is some talent waiting to be shared out there. With joy, Charlie We warmly welcome our new pastor, Thom Shores, and his wife, Sharon. His outstanding sermons are not to be missed. So, if you have not had an opportunity to hear his messages, I encourage all to come and be blessed. Short Brown Worship Chairperson THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 Our next Good to Go Trip will be a Tour of Camp Glisson on Thursday, September 1. We will leave the church at 9 a.m. Gas money is split among participants. We will eat lunch following our tour in Dahlonega. Lunch is on your own. Please sign up in the office. Wednesday evening Bible study of Revelation beginning September 9 and lasting for ten weeks. What was happening with the church during the 1st century that prompted the writing of Revelation? Is Revelation only to be considered a message of biblical prophecy, or was it penned as a message of hope to the early church? And perhaps most importantly, what does Revelation have to say to us today? Come join us! There is no cost involved for books. Be sure to bring your bibles. 3

4 Wonderful Wednesday s AUGUST: 19th 5:30 SPLASHING UP Dinner (hot dogs & hamburgers) followed by FUN (wear clothes/bathing suit that can get wet and dirty) Youth & Children 26th Swimming bus leaves at 5:30 bring sack-dinner if you want. Eagle Mountain Pool CHILDREN S MINISTRY Thanks for all who helped make Grow Camp Possible! The kids had a great Week! FIELD TRIP TO GLISSON! REGULAR WEDNESDAY NIGHT PROGRAMING 5:30 DINNER 6:00 CHOIR 6:30 BLAST TO BEGIN SEPTEMBER 9th! WHERE KIDS CAN HAVE A BLAST LEARNING GOD S WORD A GREAT PLACE TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS, BRING FRIENDS, PLAY, LAUGH AND ALL THE WHILE LEARN ABOUT GOD! Children s Church Ages 3 years thru 2nd Grade. Join us after the children s sermon in church. We will sing some songs. The lesson and craft will go along with the children s sermon. We will also have a snack. We will join back up with the parents in church. Children s Church Volunteer Schedule August 2 August 9 August 16 August 23 August 30 Deb Westmoreland Barb Dohl Gina Putman Jenny Easley Jacqueline Poole Nursery Jacqueline P. Need vol. Bliss Cole Leyla Leon Diane V. 4 Preschool News First day of school is August 25th! Still have openings! Help hook a child up with your church preschool. Registration form on Church Website. Keep saving Box Tops! Worth 10 cents each! PROMOTION SUNDAY! August 16th, 11:00 service. Call church office if you have a rising 3rd or 6th grader!

5 ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES--9:45 a.m. HELPING HANDS CLASS Helping Hands Class is still considering a study on Romans starting the second week in August. We continue to support four local charities with monthly donations and sponsor a young boy in Kenya. We welcome anyone who is not in a Sunday School Class to join us Sunday Morning at 9:45 in the Fellowship Hall. Come a little early for donuts and coffee. CORNERSTONE SS CLASS The Cornerstone class is in a six week Rick Warren study, "God's Answers to Life's Difficult Questions. Cornerstone is an active class involved in many church and community projects. BYKOTA The BYKOTA Class (Be Ye Kind One To Another) is a small intimate class with lots of lively discussions on the various topics we choose through the year. We are currently doing an interesting study on Romans. The teaching responsibilities are shared among the class members, who each bring different skills and talents to the table. We support the Wednesday night children's, program, the Gilmer Food Pantry, New Beginnings Transitional Housing, Kids Ferst, and the Back Pack Program. We love to have visitors, come and join us. BEN BARRETT SS Class The class maintains an emergency food freezer, makes monthly donations to Gilmer Food Pantry, provides Sunday night meals for youth, and supports GRASP and Vacation Bible School with monetary donations. CROSSWALK SS CLASS has been reorganized under the leadership of Al Summers. This class is open to all adults. The class meets in Marianne s Preschool Office. Please join us! WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER AND BIBLE STUDY BEGINS SEPTEMBER 9 Please consider volunteering for: ~~Sunday School Teacher for 4 year olds to 1st grade (every other month) ~~Children s Church leader (once every 3 months) ~~Nursery Helper (once every 3 months) ~~Choir Leader for 4 year olds 1st grade (Wednesday s, 6 6:30 pm) Please see Marianne for more information. 5

6 The United Methodist Men continue to meet at Annie's Restaurant at 8:00 AM on Maddox Dr. on the first Tuesday of each month for our Prayer Breakfast and devotional. Our evening meetings are held on the third Tuesday at Shane's Rib Shack at 6:00 PM. We welcome ALL men of the church to come and participate in these exciting fellowship opportunities. One other opportunity to gather and serve is on the fourth Wednesday of the month when the men prepare and serve the church s Wednesday Night dinner. This is a great time to come together to prepare and share a meal with our church members and guests. Our Saturday morning men s study group will be taking a break for the summer. We will begin again once the new school year begins. Tuesday August 25 2 p.m. Stephen Minister s training session on Module 23 Claddagh Night Circle meets the 2nd Monday at 6:30 p.m. Noon Circle meets the 3rd Tuesday at 12 noon. Joy Circle meets the 1st Thursday at 11 a.m. SAVE THE DATE Saturday, October 3 9:30 a.m. UMW Unit Meeting Join us at Annie s Restaurant No need to bring anything but YOU! 6

7 Bringing Christ s healing love to hurting people The mission of our Stephen Ministry is To share the love of Jesus Christ by providing one-toone, distinctively Christian care to individuals who are experiencing life s challenges and difficulties. NEEDED - Stephen Ministers: Male and Female Ever thought about becoming a Stephen Minister? Applications are being accepted for a new Stephen Minister training class. What do Stephen Ministers do? Stephen Ministers bring distinctively Christian care to those in need by working alongside our pastors to care, encourage, and provide emotional and spiritual support to people who are going through a difficult time, such as divorce, grief, hospitalization, unemployment, terminal illness, relocation, chronic illness, or loneliness. If you have a desire to share God s love with those that are hurting, consider becoming a Stephen Minister. You will join the more than 600,000 laypeople worldwide that share the love of Jesus Christ by providing one-to-one, distinctively Christian care to individuals who are experiencing life s challenges and difficulties. To learn more, go to the Stephen Ministries web site at If you would like to be part of this ministry or would like more information about it, visit our web page at or contact one of our Stephen Leaders: Steve Ketcham at or steve.ketcham00@gmail.com ; Gwen Scarth at or gwenyth.allen@gmail.com ; Sandy Williams at or sandraw460@yahoo.com. Your health and wellness committee is here to help with medical questions and referrals. You may talk to any of our RN's: Tamra Acree, Nancy Smith, Katherine Meyer, Grace Ketcham, Carol Maiyer and Jackie Boyd. Jennifer Vines is our occupational therapist. We are happy to assist you. We provide a nurse for Grow Camp We do B/P monthly at church. We keep the AED up in the back hallway. We put an article in the monthly newsletter. We do CPR training for the youth and ushers. We send out cards. We handle meds and updating first aid kits at Grasp We do home visits. Most importantly is all the consults and referrals we do every week. We do a yearly seminar. Past seminars included advance planning, grief, and depression. 7

8 HEALTH AND WELLNESS REST AND EATING RIGHT We live in an overworked, over-connected world. So, how can we recover our humanity? Sabbath rest is a good start. We are killing ourselves and making ourselves ill. This pace of life is taking a toll on us. And what we have is more than just the health of individuals that is suffering. Our society as a whole suffers as well. Therapist and Pastor Wayne Muller puts it like this: A successful life has become a violent enterprise. We make war on our own bodies, pushing them beyond their limits; war on our children, because we cannot find enough time to be with them when they are hurt and afraid and need our company; war on our spirit, because we are too preoccupied to listen to the quiet voices that seek to nourish and refresh us; war on our communities, because we are fearfully protecting what we have, and do not feel safe enough to be kind and generous; war on the earth, because we cannot take the time to place our feet on the ground and allow it to feed us, to taste its blessings and give thanks (Wayne Muller, Sabbath, p.2) Keeping Sabbath is really a matter of life and death. When we forsake the Sabbath what we are doing is closing ourselves off from God's life giving and life sustaining grace.(psalm,104:27-30) FOOD GROUPS Welcome whole grains Vote for veggies Focus on fruits Go for low fat dairy or equally fortified plant equivalents Load up on legumes Power up with nuts and seeds Minimize the Meat Discourage discretionary calories Eat like a local. Go to your farmers markets and stop by roadside stands and u-pick farms Enjoy life with relaxation, mind games, the nutrient H 2 O, Inspiration, and brilliant berries. References: Vibrant Magazine by Tamra Acree, Faith Community Nurse SAVE THE DATE FOR UNIT MEETING Saturday, October 3 SAVE IT! We will be celebrating each one of us and will learn about local disaster relief from Dr. Thom Shores. Join us at Annie s at 9:30 a.m. for breakfast. No need to bring anything but YOU! 8

9 IMPACT YOUTH All 6th-12th graders are WELCOME Please join us in the Upper Room Sundays at 9:45 a.m. for Youth Sunday School IMPACT Youth Ministry IMPACT Worship Sundays 6:00-8:00 p.m. (dinner, games, worship) IMPACT Small Groups Wednesday 6-8 p.m. Sat., Aug. 1 3 p,m. Outcry Worship Event Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Sun., Aug. 2 5:30-8, Back to School Bash Sun., Aug., 16 Promotion Sunday, 3rd and 6th graders! Wed., Aug. 19 5:30 Youth and children ministries will be kicking off the school year by grilling out and playing water games! We will also be welcoming our 6th graders into the youth ministry! Make sure to wear clothes that can get wet. It may be a little messy :) Wed., Aug. 26 meet at 5:30 for swim party September 2 the church Middle and High school Small Groups Start for the year! NOTES FROM THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMITTEE If you know of anyone who is homebound or in the hospital, please call the church office so one of our team members can make a visit. There is a first aid kit now located in the kitchen. An AED is on the back hallway wall close to the fellowship hall. Online Giving is now available! If you have difficulty hearing, please see an usher before church for a hearing impaired device. Please visit our website ( Click on the DONATE button 9

10 Why does the church exist? According to Matthew s Gospel, the risen Christ made it clear: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you (28:19-20) Based on this Great Commission, our United Methodist Church has stated its purpose: WE HAVE A MISSION Welcoming-Worshiping-Nurturing-Sending The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs. So the mission of our congregation is to make disciples. This is a fourfold task.... We could abbreviate our mission as one of welcomingworshiping-nurturing-sending. From The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2012, p. 91. For more information on Our Faith, please visit the UMC Web Site. Ellijay First United Methodist Church 75 McCutchen Street P.O. Box 472 Ellijay, GA Church: Fax: Pastor s Residence: office@fumcellijay.org, thom@fumcellijay, youth@fumcellijay.org, children@fumcellijay.org Website: Church Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday CHURCH STAFF The Reverend Dr. Thom Shores, Pastor The Reverend Alan Tarr, Assistant Pastor Tamra Acree, Faith Community Nurse Charlie Bryant, Director of Music Paul Campbell, Organist Gabrielle Cornett, Pianist Marianne Evans, Director of Children s Ministries & Preschool Kerri Anne Sanford, Youth Minister Ann Hanline, Administrative Assistant Pam Corbin, Custodian Angel Hughes, Nursery Coordinator 10