THE FIRST WORD. EASTER SUNDAY IS MARCH 27th. Remember to bring fresh flowers to decorate the cross.

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1 THE FIRST WORD A publication of Ellijay First United Methodist Church March 2016 Easter is When!? It seems like we have just gotten started into 2016 and already we are talking Easter. Isn t it awfully early? I thought it was in April? Well it is earlier than some years, but unlike Christmas that is always celebrated on December 25 th, Easter s date is always changing from year to year. The way that the Christian church decided when Easter would be is actually quite simple. The date is tied to the full moon and the vernal equinox. Western churches following the Gregorian calendar celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the paschal full moon on or just after the vernal equinox. If it should fall on a Sunday then that Sunday is Easter. Simple right? The vernal equinox is figured at March 21. The paschal full moon always falls on the 14 th day of the lunar month (which may be slightly off the astronomical full moon date. Therefore, the date for Easter can never be earlier than March 22 or later than April 25 th. And you thought it was complicated! Unless of course you are part of the Christian churches that use the Julian calendar to calculate the date. Unlike the Gregorian calendar using churches, they set the date of Easter according to the actual astronomical full moon and the actual equinox as observed along the meridian of Jerusalem where the resurrection of Christ took place. EASTER SUNDAY IS MARCH 27th. Remember to bring fresh flowers to decorate the cross. In Christian churches that follow the Julian calendar for determining the date of Easter, the observance can occur between April 4 and May 8 and only rarely falls on the same date as those using the Gregorian calendar. How about that; two Easters! Well, I guess you can never have too much Easter. We will start our celebration of Easter on March 27 th and carry it on from there.

2 SUNDAY 8:45 a.m. Early 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Middle School Impact Youth 6:00 p.m. High School Impact Youth March 20 Palm Sunday Children will be waving palms celebrating Christ s triumphant entry Our confirmation class members will be making professions of faith and will be joining the church at the 11 o'clock service! Chancel Choir presents the cantata, A Journey to Hope at 11 a.m. service March 24 Holy Thursday 6:30 p.m. Communion Service March 27 Easter Sunday Bring fresh flowers for our flowering cross 9:45 a.m. Easter breakfast covered dish Easter egg hunt after 11 a.m. service HOORAY! Spring is on its way bringing with it new life. We look forward to sunshine and warmer days. The musicians have been working diligently on music for Lent and Easter and are looking forward to the celebration of a risen Christ. The Chancel Choir will be presenting the cantata A Journey to Hope by Joseph Martin on Palm Sunday and will conclude on Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. The Children s Choir, Grace and hand bells are also preparing selections for the Easter season. So, come celebrate with us as we shout He is risen. The unit meeting for Ellijay UMW will be on Saturday, April 2, at 10 a.m. Please bring a salad or desert to share and the recipe for your dish. Our program will bring you up to date on the organization of UMW. 2

3 March 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 8 UMM, Ellijay Diner 11 Bible Study 6:30 NOGS Bible Study 2 5:30 Supper Supper 5:45 Grace 6:00 Children s Youth/ Programs 6:30 Choir/ Children s Methodism Programs Study 6:30 Choir/ 3 11:00 Joy Circle 4 5 9:30 Yoga 6 Communion 8:45 Early 9:45 Sunday 9:45 School Sunday 11:00 School 11:00 5:00 Hand Bells 5:00 Hand IMPACT Bells 6-8 6:00 IMPACT :00 IMPACT Bible Study 6:30 NOGS Bible Study 9 5:30 Supper Children s Children s Programs 6:30 Programs Choir/ 6:30 Daniel Choir/ Study :30 Yoga 13 DST begins 8:45 Early 9:45 Sunday 9:45 School Sunday 11:00 School 11:00 5:00 Hand Bells 5:00 Hand IMPACT Bells 6-8 6:00 IMPACT :00 IMPACT :30 Finance 5:30 Finance Committee Mtg 6:00 Committee Admin. Mtg 6:00 Admin. Council Mtg 6:30 Council Claddagh Mtg 6:30 Claddagh Circle Circle Bible Study 12 pm Noon Circle 6:30 UMM at Shane s 16 5:30 Supper Children s Children s Programs 6:30 Programs Choir/ 6:30 Daniel Choir/ Study DNOW Youth 19 9:30 Yoga 1 3:30 DNOW-- Community & Art Project 20Palm Sunday 8:45 Early 9:45 Sunday 9:45 School Sunday 11:00 School 11:00 5:00 Hand Bells 5:00 IMPACT 6-8 6:00 5:00 IMPACT 9-12 IMPACT 6-8 5:00 Hand Bells Bible Study 6:30 NOGS Bible Study 23 5:30 Supper Children s Children s Programs 6:30 Programs Choir/ 6:30 Daniel Choir/ Study 24 6:30 Holy Thurs. Communion Service :30 Yoga 27 EASTER 8:45 Early 9:45 Covered 9:45 Dish Covered breakfast 11:00 Dish breakfast 11:00 12:00 Easter 12:00 Egg Easter Hunt Egg Hunt 28 11:00 Prayer Shawl Bible Study 6:30 NOGS Bible Study 30 5:30 Supper Children s Children s Programs 6:30 Programs Choir/ 6:30 Daniel Choir/ Study a.m. UMW Unit Meeting 3

4 The Mission Committee has met and determined that one of the goals for 2016 is to communicate upcoming mission opportunities in hopes of getting more members involved in missions. This will allow participation by everyone through your time, talent, finance and prayer so that we may help in sharing the gospel with others that they may decide to follow Jesus. Several opportunities are in the works. We will participate in UMCOR S One Great Hour of Sharing on March 6, More information will be published in the bulletin and through announcements in the worship services. Mission trip to Camp Glisson will be April 25 to 27 th, We will be painting cabins and pressure washing. We will arrive early on Monday and start working. A group will go up on Sunday the 24th and get things set up. We will leave on Wednesday as soon as we finish so we should be home early. We will stay in Sparrow Wood and Patty Bell will be our cook. We are asking for donations to pay for food, etc. Suggestion for donations is $10 or more. You can come for the day(s) and go if you cannot stay the whole time. Call the church to sign up or contact any mission committee member. GRASP & Junior GRASP will be June 23-26, GRASP is a local mission project driven by Ellijay FUMC that performs service projects for people in the church and the community. Youth and adults are mixed and divided into teams of five to six. Service projects range from light duty yard work to minor home repair. Our youth are usually joined by youth and adults from area churches. The youth are not only involved in mission, but there is worship each evening with team building on Friday. Contact Kerri Ann Sanford (youth@fumcellijay.org) for more information. Guatemala Mission Trip July 2-9, 2016 This mission trip of Ellijay FUMC is through the Foundation for Missions which is a nonprofit interdenominational missionary organization. The mission project is to complete the wiring on the fourth floor of a Christian school that has been under construction for the past four years by this team in Guatemala City. Ed Boyd is the team leader for this mission trip. Mission trip to Kenya September 3-17, The Kenya Project will be returning to Mountain Park Academy with a medical/administrative team. More information will be made available later. Mission trip to Costa Rica. We are working with Dalton Trinity UMM to set this up. Projected date is around Christmas. You can get more information about the organization at The missionaries are Bryan and Beth Tatum. Check this out. We will get more info as things solidify. We are investigating establishing a support team for our congregation who may need odd jobs done in their homes. We will attend a workshop and determine a "care force" set up for our neighbors. Please pray for these activities and contact Lloyd Vautrot at for more information. Mission Committee Members Lloyd Vautrot lvautrot@yahoo.com Ed Boyd edjackie@etcmail.com Tom Lowery hilltop1@etcmail.com Joan Compton pcompton@ellijay.com Bob Stephens rfs@ellijay.com Rachel Tarr Rachel.tarr@yahoo.com Bob Sweat rhs@the-ctc.org 4

5 MARCH IS COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH Each year, more than 136,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and more than 50,000 die of the disease. With certain types of screening, this cancer can be prevented by removing polyps (grapelike growths on the wall of the intestine) before they become cancerous. Several screening tests detect colorectal cancer early, when it can be easily and successfully treated. RISK FACTORS You might be at an increased risk for colorectal cancer if you: Are age 50 or older Smoke or use tobacco Are overweight or obese, especially if you carry fat around your waist Are not physically active Drink alcohol in excess (especially if you are a man) Eat a lot of red meat, such as beef, pork or lamb, or a lot of processed meat, such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs or cold cuts Have a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or benign (not cancerous) colorectal polyps Have a personal or family history of inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn s disease SYMPTOMS Early stages of colorectal cancer don t usually have symptoms. Later on, people may have these symptoms: Bleeding from the rectum or blood in or on the stool Change in bowel habits Stools that are more narrow than usual General problems in the abdomen, such as bloating, fullness or cramps Diarrhea, constipation or a feeling in the rectum that the bowel movement isn t quite complete Weight loss for no apparent reason Being tired all the time Vomiting PREVENTION Be physically active for at least 30 minutes at least five days a week Maintain a healthy weight and waist size Don t smoke. If you do smoke, quit Limit alcohol to no more than one drink per day if you re a woman or two drinks per day if you re a man Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which are good sources of fiber Eat less red meat and cut out processed meat Get screened according to guidelines Colorectal Cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in both men and women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. EARLY DETECTION Begin getting screened at age 50. If you are older than age 75, ask your doctor if you should continue to be screened. Tests that find pre-cancer and cancer: Colonoscopy Every 10 years Virtual colonoscopy Every 5 years Flexible sigmoidoscopy Every 5 years Double-contrast barium enema Every 5 years Tests that mainly detect cancer Stool occult blood test (FOBT) (guaiac) Every year Stool immunochemical test (FIT) Every year Stool DNA test (sdna) ask your health care professional,. An abnormal result of a virtual colonoscopy or a double-contrast barium enema, or a positive FOBT, FIT or sdna test, should be followed up with a colonoscopy. Submitted by References: Christina D. Tyler, FNP-C 5 Family Nurse Practitioner

6 D-Now Help Needed! Saturday, March 19th 1:00-3:30 p.m. Disciple Now is a community-wide youth event where 6th-12th graders attend worship sessions and participate in fun activities throughout the weekend. Several churches in Ellijay come together to plan and make the event happen. This year our church is hosting an activity and snack on the Saturday of D-Now. The students will be writing letters to people who serve our community and will also be working on an art project. We are in need of at least 10 people to help give instructions at the different stations and to serve snacks that day. Please sign up in the office if you can help. Conference Mission Opportunity April 25, 26, 27 EFUMC will again be helping Camp Glisson with maintenance work on April 25, 26, and 27. We will be spending Mon. and Tues. nights at Sparrowood. Patti Bell will be supervising our meals. Our work will include inside painting, outside staining, and pressure washing. If you are interested in participating in this short-term mission opportunity, please contact: the church office ( ), Lloyd Vautrot ( ) or Tom Lowery ( ). Free Grief/Loss Support Group Led by Rev. Allan Tarr For any one grieving a loss, Heartlite Hospice offers a support group beginning Tuesday, March 1, at 3:00 p.m. in the Waters Building, 33 Sand Street. This building is across the street from First Baptist Church, behind the office of Heartlite Hospice Care. For planning purposes, please allantarr@gmail.com or call to register or for more information. Wednesday Night Book of Daniel Bible Study Begins March 9 This March, the church will be hosting a new Wednesday night Bible study! The topic of the study is the Book of Daniel. In this eight week study, we will explore each of the Book s twelve chapters and examine its prophecies both historically and in light of current world events. This class will attempt to bring to light these stories, prophecies, and messages from the Lord as living words that are relevant both to our present and our future! George Talbot will be teaching the class and facilitating the discussion. A syllabus will be provided for all who are interested. All are welcome, and we would love and be honored to have you join us! Family Night Dinner Wednesday, March 9,5:30 p.m. Hosted by: Noon Circle Menu: Corned Beef and Cabbage, Carrots, potatoes, and Dessert $6.00 adults - Children Under 12 Free $18.00 family maximum If you plan to attend, call the church office or register on the website at fumcellijay.org Registration cut-off is Monday at 3:00. 6

7 CALLING ALL LADIES! Mark your calendars for Sat., April 30 from 8:30-3 for a workshop sponsored by the United Methodist Women's Claddagh Circle, "If the Shoe Fits...: Where do you stand with Christ?" Cost is $20 and includes breakfast snacks and lunch. The program will be presented by Grace In Him Ministries of McCaysville. Contact Geri Worley at dagwood@ellijay.com or for more information. Sign Up For Your Church Directory Picture Pictures for the church directory will be taken during the month of March. Please call the church office at to schedule your appointment. In previous years professional photography companies took the pictures and provided our directories at no cost. The profits they made from selling pictures covered the cost of providing the directories. This year we are taking our own pictures and producing the directories ourselves. There is no charge to have your picture taken for the directory. If you would like to purchase a church photo directory, which includes a CD containing your own photograph, the charge will be $10.00 which covers our production costs. Appointments are in 15 minute intervals, so please come at least 10 minutes before your appointed time. Appointments will be available weekdays as well as weekends. Help us meet our goal of including everyone in this year s directory Stewardship Review I would like to thank the congregation for your outstanding support of this year s stewardship campaign. Ellijay First United Methodist Church is a very giving and caring family and this was demonstrated by your willingness to support God s work through your time, talents and financial gifts. The Planned Financial Giving cards were collected during both services on February 7 th. If by chance you were unable to turn your card in at that time, you can still mail or drop off your card at the church office. Additional stewardship brochures are located on the center table in the narthex, from the church office or at the back entrance. It is important that everyone provide their planned financial giving intention. This information is necessary to develop a budget allowing us to fully fund all of the ministries and mission of the church. Stewardship Chairman Jeff Cleary 7

8 ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES--9:45 a.m. HELPING HANDS CLASS We are a couples and/or singles (all ages) class. This month we are in the middle of a very interesting and inspiring Lent 2016 study: THE GIFT OF NEW CREATION by Thomas L. Ehrich. Our next study is THE FUL- FILLMENT - Jesus and the Old Testament by Timothy C. Tennent which should be starting by the end of March or first of April. We have wonderful teachers and interesting discussions. Our class supports four local charities with monthly contributions as well as a young boy in Kenya. Most fifth Sundays we have a covered dish breakfast with a short devotion and a short business meeting instead of a lesson. We also have at least two social events at someone's home or at a restaurant during the year. 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 SS Class is doing an 8 week study of FOLLOW by Andy Stanley. Our March social will be at the home of Jack and Short Brown on March 12. Our class members are involved with Gilmer County Food Pantry, Faith, Hope & Charity Store, The Kenya Project, Stop Hunger Now and many other mission projects. We are an active class for adults of all ages. 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. The teaching responsibilities are shared among the class members, who 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! March 1 Men's breakfast will be at Ellijay Diner rather than IHOP. Starts at 8 AM. March 15 Men's dinner meeting at Shane's 5:30 PM. New Beginnings house has been prepped for the foundation. Our participation should begin once it is finished. EASTER BREAKFAST In celebration of the resurrection of our Savior, please join us for breakfast on Easter Sunday March 27 at 9:45 AM in the fellowship hall. This is a covered dish event, so please bring something to share with everyone. Beverages - coffee, iced tea, juice and milk will be provided. No Sunday School. 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. 8

9 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-to-one, 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, contact our Stephen Leader, Gwen Scarth at or gwenyth.allen@gmail.com 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. Your health and wellness committee is here to help with medical questions and referrals. You may talk to any of our RNs: Tamra Acree, Nancy Smith, Katherine Meyer, Carol Maiyer, Jackie Boyd, and Christina Tyler. 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. 9

10 CHILDREN S MINISTRY Save the Dates: VBS-June 13-17th Grow Day Camp (hosted by Camp Glisson)-July (rising 1st-6th graders) Jr. GRASP-June 23-25th (community outreach/mission project) (for rising 4th-6th) March 27th after 11:00 service. Bring your basket! Our annual Easter Egg Hunt will be after the 11 am service on March 27th We need our congregation s help by sending in a dozen or so filled eggs. You may fill them with candy or a special treat. There is a box outside the office by the staff mail slots. Thanks for your support as this is a special treat for our children! More Than a Movie Admit one Free (or two or three...bring friends!) Now Showing: Check the Bulletin Date: March 17th (Thursday Night) (No School Friday) Time: 7-9 Location: Fellowship Hall Come enjoy a great movie, delicious snacks, games and find out how this movie relates to the Bible. Join us for Sunday School! 9:45 Preschool News Preschool will begin registration for Fall of 2016 Registration form on Church Website. Keep saving Box Tops! Worth 10 cents each! Join us for dinner Wednesday Night March 16th and see who the lucky Ticket holder is. Still have tickets if you have not got yours yet! 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 March 6 March 13 March 20 March 27 Marianne Need Volunteer No Children s Church No Children s Church Mission Wednesday March 30th Build an Ark Animal Rescue 10

11 NEW YOUTH SCHEDULE Sundays Sunday School: 9:45 Middle School IMPACT: 5:00-7:00 High School IMPACT: 6:00-8:00 (from 6-7 everyone will be together for dinner & game) Wednesdays 6:00-6:30 group game/activity 6:30-7:30 Middle School Bible Study 6:30-7:30 High School Bible Study IMPACT YOUTH MISSION Wednesdays- the last Wednesday of every month we will be doing a local act of service! Other Dates: 2016 Confirmation Class continues! 9:45 a.m. in Pastor Thom s office. DISCIPLE NOW WEEKEND When: March 17th - 19th Where: First Baptist Church - Ellijay Who: 6th - 12th graders What: A community wide youth event of Fun and worship! There will be a band and speaker for sessions throughout the weekend and a recreation time Saturday afternoon. The youth stay in host homes from their church. The cost is $65, scholarships available 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. If you have difficulty hearing, please see an usher before church for a hearing impaired device. Online Giving is now available! Please visit our website ( Click on the DONATE button 11

12 WE HAVE A MISSION Welcoming-ing-Nurturing-Sending 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: 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 disciplemaking 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 12