From the Pastor s Desk

Transcription

1 T HE V I S I T O R Volume 15 Issue 8 Newsletter Date August 2017 I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Attendance/Stewardship 3 Birthdays 5 Children s Ministries 2 UMW News 5 Youth New 3 UPCOMING EVENTS August 2 6:30p Choir Potluck 7:15p Choir Practice resumes August 4 7p Violin Cello Concert August 6 5:30p Pool Southland August 8 Mountain Mission Pickup August 13 Camp Sunday 3-5pm Prayer Walk August 17 6p Trustees SS Teacher Appreciation Mariahs August 20 5:30p Youth Water Wars August 21 6p Finance 7p Church Council August 23 WD2 Resumes August 26 4:30p Cave Mill Cookout Dear Friends, From the Pastor s Desk As hard as it is to imagine, the summer has flown by and it is time for school to start up again. That is also the signal that a lot of other new things will be starting up, as well. Even though it isn t really the start of a new year, this time of year is kind of like new years to us at Christ Church. We get several things started all over again in August and into the Fall. Let s talk about that. One of the biggest things coming up is the Cave Mill Cookout. I hope you are planning and praying about who friends and family and coworkers and neighbors - you are going to invite to come this year. Once again, it will be a lot of good food and great music and fun games and memorable fellowship. This is our opportunity to say to those who come, We are glad to be your neighbors! In fact, all the publicity says, Celebrating 55 years of being neighbors. There are still plenty of places where you can help. We are going to have a security team, which means persons in bright vests with Security written on it to be walking around. They will simply be letting any person who might have questionable intentions, know we are being alert. We also still need some persons to help us with Parking. Yes, you get to wear a vest, too! We are hoping to have a fun car show again this year. Do you have contacts in that car show world? Let us know. The Cave Mill Cookout is always a fantastic event and this year will be no exception. There will be indoor seating this year and the menu is a bit expanded. You will be glad to know the Cookout is going to be under budget this year! Make your plans. See you there. Also, we begin a new season of Wednesday Dinner and Discipleship (WD 2), on Wednesday August 23. There is a meal and then groups for all ages. Many of you will remember us going through the wonderful program called, THE STORY as a church back about six years ago. We want to return to that program and once again make our way through the Bible over the course of the next year. Do you still have a STORY Bible? Do you have a STORY workbook that we used in Sunday School? If you are willing to part with them, we can use them again for WD 2. Better yet, come be part of WD 2 and bring your own materials! Imagine working your way through the entire Bible with a group of friends, led by different teachers in the comfortable setting of a small group. What a blessing! If you weren t part of THE STORY with us several years ago, then you for sure don t want to miss out. I have already had many say they are looking forward to going through it again. This won t be church-wide like the last time. This will only be happening on Wednesdays during WD 2. The summer is wrapping up, but things are just getting started here at Christ Church. I am excited to be in ministry with you! Contact numbers for Pastor David & Pam Your friend, David s cell Pastor David Pam s cell Christ United Methodist Church Exists to: Connect Persons to God and to One Another (Worship/Fellowship) Help Meet Needs (Service/Every Member a Minister) Reach Out to Share Jesus Christ (Evangelism) Instruct in Christian Growth (Discipleship) Send Persons in Ministry (Missions) Transform the Community of Bowling Green

2 Page 2 Volume 15 Issue 8 Children s Ministry 3 rd Grade Bible Presentations: We will be presenting Bibles to our 3 rd grade students at both services on Sunday, August 6 th. Please join us in congratulating Hayden Cardwell, Makenzie Franks, Addison Gilpin, Mason Gordon, Andrew Janes, Jackson Moore, Jonas Romans and Elijah Truelove as they reach this significant milestone! Our annual End of Summer Pool Party will be held on Sunday, August 6 th at Southland Pool from 5:30 7:00 pm. This evening is a time to mark the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. All members of our church family are invited to attend. Bring a lawn chair and fellowship with other adults or bring your swimsuit and Jump In! Pizza and beverages are provided and you are welcome (but not required) to bring a snack to share. KIDS RULE (Read, Understand, Learn, Explore God s Word) will begin our new season on Wednesday, August 16 th. This mid-week Bible study is for students who are currently 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th graders. Our group meets each Wednesday at 6:00pm and we dismiss promptly at 7:00pm. KIDS CLUB: During WD 2, Angie Gordon leads the children in Kids Club, an activity time for children 3 years of age through 2 nd grade. The children watch a Christian video and complete a simple craft or coloring page. Parents must be on site and participating in one of our Wednesday evening adult programs. The Learning Tree will begin their program on Tuesday, August 15 th. (An Open House will be held on Thursday, August 10 th ). The program meets in the YCC on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am 2:00 pm and follows the Warren County School calendar. If you have questions about this program, Angie Gordon would be happy to speak with you. Message from Melissa Scripture Reading Challenge One of my goals is to help get people personally involved with the Bible on a daily basis. One way we are seeking to do that is with the Philippians Scripture Reading challenge an easy way to get into the practice of reading the Bible at home. It s not too late to start! Find the poster, sign up, and get reading it s only 4 chapters by the end of the month! Or, join the facebook group we ve created share your thoughts about the book and your progress in reading it. We re in this together: let s hold each other accountable to reading the Bible! WD 2 Along with the Scripture reading challenge, we are trying to jump-start our community Bible reading by revisiting the Story study that was so well-received a few years ago. What is the Story? Zondervan says: The Story is an abridged, chronological Bible that reads like a novel. There are no verse references, and Scripture segments are seamlessly woven together with transition text into a single grand narrative. For those intimidated or overwhelmed by the unabridged Bible, The Story helps people understand God s Word more fully and engage with it more easily. Simple, accessible, and easy to use, churches are finding The Story a powerful way to engage their people in Bible reading like never before. As The Story brings the Bible to life, the broad scope of God s message will penetrate hearts. People of all ages will be swept up in the story of God s love and God s plan for their lives. Do you remember doing this study? We have three ways for you to get involved again this time: 1. Participate again: It s always good to read the Bible! 2. Be a discussion leader: a commitment as low as leading our study one Wednesday this fall. 3. Donate your book: Not planning to participate this time? Bring your book to the church and donate it to someone who didn t do it last time!

3 The Visitor Page 3 O UR S T E W A R D S H I P A N D A T T E N D A N C E JULY 2017 Budget for the Year $593,363 Needed per Week $11,411 Received July 3 $11,771 July 10 $15,500 July 17 $ 7,859 July 24 $ 6,712 July 30 $10,415 Budget to Date $ 353,741 Received to Date $ 302,357 Building Fund Loan Balance $ 90,412 Received July 2017 $ 1,005 STEWARDSHIP OF ATTENDANCE S.S. 8:45 10:00 11:00 July July July July July If you are interested in electronic giving, log on to our website at to find a link to set up your account. Servants for August Greeters 8:45 Service Roland & Lynda Mulcahy 11:00 Service Berry Family Communion Servers 8:45 Service Larry & Paulette Wells Henry & Tammy Davis 11:00 Service Berry Family Building Lockup Bobby Berry Where are we? We are launching a church-wide survey to help us see where we are as a church right now, and who you as a c hurch body dream of becoming over the next five years. The survey will be a significant time commitment for you, but it is an important way to be involved in our future as a body of Christ. We are excited to use the information gathered through this survey to think through ministry and programming both short-term and long-term. We re in this together: we would like everyone confirmation age and up to submit a survey!

4 Page 4 Volume 15 Issue 8 From Michael I give God praise for the amazing couple of months that we have had in our ministry. I just want to take a few moments and celebrate all that has been going on, as June was an exceptionally good month for our students in the area of serving others. Near the middle of the month we took 18 young people to Student Life Camp at Lee University in Tennessee. While there our students worshipped daily and served by helping a local child advocacy center with a number of jobs. We painted rooms, raked leaves, painted outdoor tables, disassembled office equipment and moved it, cleaned toys and shampooed floors. As part of our time of serving we also had a chance to learn about the work that the center does in helping young people who are being abused and mistreated and also with family counseling. Later in the month our older youth had the amazing opportunity to travel with a group from all around the Kentucky Annual Conference to serve in Honduras. Our group worked each day with the families in La Maravilla, a small community of just over 100 in the Olancho Valley. We helped lead VBS, build latrines and concrete floors. We went to show the love of God to this community but as is often the case we found that they taught us as much, if not more, about the love of God.

5 Page 5 Volume 15 Issue 8 July Birthdays UMW Glenn Gilbert Zach Stewart 8/1 8/2 Mary Rose 8/2 David Grout 8/3 Brennen Parker Smith Rachel Yarano 8/3 8/4 David Stewart 8/5 Will Moore Jack Stoess 8/5 8/6 Linda Holian 8/8 Hannah Clark 8/8 Carli Hardin Melissa Bull 8/10 8/10 Edith Flowers 8/13 Sharon Pfeiffer Lisa Hood 8/16 8/18 David Puckett 8/18 Margaret Johnston 8/18 Don Johnston Joyce Buckman 8/18 8/19 Jeanette Reynolds 8/20 Yetta Meador Joe Hood 8/21 8/23 Joe Lowe 8/24 Jim Green 8/24 Becky Harrell Carol Wilson 8/26 8/26 Audra Simpson 8/28 Woody Harrell 8/30 If you would like your birthday listed in The Visitor, please call the church office August 2 and every Wednesday: Choir resumes! The start of a new year with a new director is the perfect time to join the choir and make new friends. Come and sing to the Lord with us! August 6: Where are We survey launches August 11 Picnic at Lost River Cave. The adults can socialize while the kids play. August pm An open time of self guided prayer throughout our church building for our various ministries and leaders. Come when you can and stay as long as you want. We re in this together, and that means praying for one another August 26 4:30-7pm Cave Mill Cookout! Sign-up sheets are ready and waiting for your name to be added.

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7 Page 7 Volume 15 Issue 8 Operation Christmas Child In these hot days of late summer, look forward to the crisp days of November when our church will be a Drop-off Location for shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child. Save the dates November for National Collection Week. Operation Christmas Child is a project of the international relief organization, Samaritan s Purse. You may be familiar with this ministry in which a donor fills a shoebox with small gifts for a child. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to provide local partners around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. These simple gifts are shipped internationally to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine and disease; and to children living on Native American reservations in the U.S. Christ Church will also host the Operation Christmas Child Full Circle Speaker Tour with Alina Aisina on Friday, October 6, 2017 at 7:00 PM. While living in Central Asia, Alina Aisina often felt alone as she faced persecution for her faith. At five years of age, Alina received an OCC shoebox gift wrapped in beautiful paper. Her favorite item in the box was a pair of pink princess shoes which she wore everywhere. The shoebox reminded Alina she was not alone. Today she looks back on that day and is reminded that Christians are called to give and serve others. To hear more about God's faithfulness in her life, please join us for a special time of Alina sharing her testimony. Please pray for the shoebox ministry and participate as the Lord leads you by packing a shoebox gift, and/or by volunteering to serve during National Collection Week as we receive shoeboxes from all over Warren County. Larry and I are serving as Drop-off Center Coordinators. We need someone to volunteer to organize and encourage people within our church to pack shoeboxes! Please let us know if you can answer this call! Be A Dishman McGinnis Mentor!! Are you looking for a way to be a blessing in a child s life? The children of Dishman McGinnis need and want YOU! We are looking for people to commit to visiting a child at least twice monthly. This can be either reading with the child or eating lunch with them. Information and applications will be available soon! There will be a brief training in the school library on September 1 and a breakfast to follow. Please be in prayer about your role and making the difference in the life of a child.

8 Page 8 Volume 15 Issue 8 H.O.T.E.L, I.N.C. Christian Sympathy to Jana Layne on the death of her mother, Anna Mefford. Sheila & Ron Best on the death of her father, Duke Thompson. Memorial CONTRIBUTIONS In Memory of Anna Mefford Memorial Fund Mary Frances Davenport Bill & Joyce Buckman Jody & Cathy Hughes Shirley Dixon & John Mr. & Mrs. Doug Watson Mr. & Mrs. Gene Vaughn Help plan Fall Activities Help plan a fellowship/outreach event in early October or November! It could be a chili cook-off, a tailgate party, a harvest festival...some sort of lowkey way to gather together at the church. Excited about helping to pull this off? Text Melissa at or Melissa@christumcbg.org. Or maybe you d like to help plan the next gospel bluegrass jam, or other kinds of activities? I would like to have a list of ways to get involved this fall in the welcome bags at the Cave Mill Cookout so would love some help planning this month. We re in this together; jump in and help plan an event. M.E.A.L.S., Inc. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me... Matthew 25:35 As schools start again this month, we all get back to a normal routine. Please make a notation on your calendar that our church will once again have the opportunity to serve with M.E.A.L.S., Inc. on Saturday, September 2 nd. Currently, the organization is feeding people in our community every Saturday. We need volunteers to cook, pack, and deliver to these folks in need. A sign-up sheet is located in the Connection Area or you may call Helen (270) or (270) M.E.A.L.S., Inc. Dates September 2 nd December 2 nd

9 CHURCH STAFF 716 Cave Mill Road Bowling Green, KY & Church Fax: Office hours: 8:00-2:00 Our Address: Worship Services Sunday Worship ~ 8:45 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Sunday School ~ 10:00 a.m. Nursery provided for all Sunday Services Youth Activities ~ Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Dr. David Grout... Pastor Rev. Michael Romans Associate Pastor/Youth Pastor Melissa Bull... Minister of Music and Discipleship Patty Wintuska... Children s Director Kelli Truelove... Assistant Youth Director Jeanie Orr... Organist Bonnie Hanes... Administrative Assistant/Treasurer April Taylor... Nursery Supervisor Shan Winquist... Lay Leader Angie Gordon Minister of Visitation & Congregational Care /Director of The Learning Tree Lorenzo Hall, Jr.... Security Our Web Page: