Notes from the Grove. Senior Pastor s Note. Our Purpose Statement: A monthly publication for Myrtle Grove United Methodist Church.

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1 Notes from the Grove Myrtle Grove United Methodist Church Mailing Address: P.O. Box N. 57th Avenue Pensacola, FL Phone: /7464 Fax: Office Hours: Mon-Thu, 9:00 am - 3:00pm Closed Noon - 1:00pm Lunch Closed Friday Pray for Your Staff: Senior Pastor: Riley Richardson Certified Lay Pastor: Patrick McBride Church Secy./Receptionist: Cheryl Johnson Finance Secretary: Connie Boyd Pianist: Patsy Dean Choir Director: Jamie Broxson Membership Secretary: Vernon Ard Nursery/Children s Director: Amy Lee Librarians: Lou Hulien Brown Helen Herndon Youth Director: Isaac Richardson A monthly publication for Myrtle Grove United Methodist Church Web: Volume 15, Issue 4 Senior Pastor s Note church.office@mgumc.org April 2018 Note: Pastor Riley has graciously given up his space for the following church history from Gertrude Wright. Gertrude Wright February 27, 2018 When you first came to MGUMC in 1956, at what point were you in your life? We had six children at that time and we had belonged to another church. We were rather unhappy with it. When Bob became involved with the Boy Scouts here, he said this was the place we needed to be, and we have been here ever since. How old were your kids? The older ones were in grade school. We raised them at Myrtle Grove most of the time they were being raised. What other families do you remember? I certainly remember Mabel Sherrer and her daughter Anna Mary Roberts. They were very good friends of ours. Mabel was kind of a mentor for me when I was teaching the Sunday school classes in the elementary grades. The Shaws were very prominent in the church at that time. Bob and Ruth. The Terrells. Rebecca, especially, was a lovely person. I loved her and Mary, Mabel Sherrer's sister, and of course, Rebecca and Quentin Black were always good friends of ours. Do you remember any individuals who were influential in your spiritual growth? Thinking back, I didn't really start going to Bible studies until Charles Avery was here. I really think that his classes deepened my faith a whole lot. I really learned a lot from him and from the classes he presented. He was one of my favorite pastors at this church. What was one of your most memorable times? When I read that question, I sort of laughed because the first thing I thought of was the time we were asked to go to Panama City with the youth to cook. The room that they gave us to sleep in had naugahyde mattresses about two inches thick. Of course, Friday night we hardly slept at all. On Saturday morning we got up and had breakfast. We fixed spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and then we had an evening meal. The next morning someone came into the dining hall and said, "Did you hear that terrible storm last night? We said, "What storm?" We had slept soundly that night. We were just so worn out because we had cooked all day long. It was really a very nice weekend. Did the church ever have to minister to you in times of trouble? We have had several deaths in our family. The time our 22- year- old grandson was killed when he was in an accident in California when he was in the Marines, Pastor Norman Carr was our pastor at the time. He was a wonderful support for us and we loved him for that. Our Vision Statement: Every member a good neighbor. Our Purpose Statement: Our Journey - Knowing, Loving, Serving, Sharing.

2 United Methodist Women What have you done lately or ever to further the Kingdom of God? That is a question between you and God; after all, He does know what you have done as well as what you are doing. What imprint are you leaving on those around you? Do they know you are walking with God; can they tell? The more you ponder these questions you will come to the conclusion that you are either a Sunday service "pew-sitter" or a daily active member of God's community. I can tell you that the members of the UMW are ACTIVE members and are finding ways to make changes in the world around us. We focus on Children, Women and Youth. At National level, we are all over the world making a difference in lives; at Conference level, we support may missions to make life changes; here in our own backyard, we provide for the hungry and homeless, the domestic violated, the children in need, the incarcerated and many, many more missions. If we stopped all our activities today, you would see the library unmanned and maybe disappear, no prayer shawls for those in need, no meals for the UMM, no feeding of the homeless, no volunteers to organize Frolic or the Fall Bazaar. The active women of the church got their beginnings and callings in the United Methodist Women circles. Don't be a "pew-sitter" on Sundays and then forget God for the rest of the week; be active and alive in God's work. As John Wesley said: Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, To all the people you can, For as long as ever you can. UPCOMING EVENTS: 3 April - UMW Unit meeting at 10am with Salad Luncheon to follow 21 April - Mission Study - "Living As a Covenant Community" - MGUMC 8 am 28 April - Frolic 1 May - UMW Unit meeting at 7pm, Human Trafficking speaker Sunday Activities Traditional Worship 8:30 am Sunday School 9:45 am Contemporary Worship 11:00 am Prayer Team 4:30 pm Elevate 5:00pm Worship Service Opportunities Wednesday Activities Small Groups - 6:00pm Youth Activities - 6:00pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:15pm

3 Sisters in Service The Sisters in Service want to thank our wonderfully generous church family for supporting our mission work for the homeless through your donations of men's and women's underwear on "Undy Sunday". We are always grateful for the used clothing you have provided to be passed on, but our desire to give out new undies is always a big expense. You have made so many items available for our next trip to the Washburn Center and they will be much appreciated! Our upcoming visit will allow us to distribute summer clothing, ground tarps, sunscreen, bug spray, and the toiletries we have collected. Many of you have helped us to acquire these much needed supplies, along with towels and special detergent for the Center, by purchasing the Discount Coupon Books that we have on sale. Those will continue to be available through the month of April. Thank you so much for assisting us with being the hands and feet of Jesus to those less fortunate than ourselves! God bless you all! PLEASE REMEMBER THAT SIS IS NO LONGER COLLECTING PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS. THANK YOU! Submitted by, Carol Laguens Top of the Bottom Ministry Outreach Ministry Top of the Bottom is starting a Community Garden on their property at 2924 Mission Road, Pensacola, Florida. The purpose of this project is to involve the community in growing vegetables to enrich their diets. A tiller or tractor is needed to break up the ground. Id you can assist them with this or if you have questions, please call Pastor Williams at (850) They hope to have this done so they can begin planting in April. Thank you for your faithful support of their ministry and they look forward to working with us in the future. Please pray for the success of this new venture. Submitted by, Sue Collyer Top of the Bottom Outreach Ministry

4 All Children s Ministry I pray that you are enjoying the beautiful spring weather and hope that you had a wonderful Easter holiday with family and friends! God is so good all the time! This month, the Children s Sunday school classes will be discussing the theme of Go and Tell about Jesus! The Bible verse is from Acts 9:20 He began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues. He is God s Son, he declared. Children will learn the stories of the Empty Tomb, Paul Changes, Paul Escapes, the Church Grows and Timothy is Chosen. Our Mothers Morning Out program (MMO) is currently enrolling for the upcoming school year. Spaces are filled on a first come, first serve basis. If you, or someone you know, may be interested in registering, or for more information, please see our website at mgumc.org, contact the church office or Amy Lee. Thank you! Vacation Bible School is coming soon! Check the Sunday bulletin for upcoming announcements. Thank you and God Bless! Amy Lee a_lee@mgumc.org April is here and along with it comes preparation for the summer! During the summer, we are attending two events: SIFAT and Ignite. These events cost money and April comes with a wonderful opportunity for us to raise the money to afford these trips! Frolic on the Green will be Saturday, April 28th and it is our biggest fundraiser for our youth. Please come out and support our youth group! Summer is definitely closing in, but we re going to finish our semester strong and keep running towards God! Please pray for our students as we near the end of school and as testing season approaches As always, thank you for your continued support of our youth group! Isaac Your History at MGUMC Please use these questions as a catalyst to remind you of your life in this church. Then tell us a story. You do not have to address every question or issue. It is not important to tell everything from beginning to end but to tell how you and your family have grown spiritually and come through life together within the body of Christ. When did you come to MGUMC? What brought you here? At what phase of life were you in at the time? Newlywed? Young parents with children? What role have you played in the life and ministry of the church? How has MGUMC impacted your spiritual life and that of your family? What were some of the most memorable or gratifying times for you? Is there a story that you d like to tell that characterizes your experience at MGUMC? How have you seen God working in this church? What do you like best about our church? From the Cemetery Committee Grass cutting season is here again and so is the expense of maintaining the cemetery. Our only source of income comes from donations, so any help that you can give is greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to Myrtle Grove Cemetery fund. Thank you! Submitted by, Barbara Boyden, Chairperson Write a story of no more than 500 words. The stories will go in the 75th anniversary scrapbook and may be published wholly or partially in the newsletter over the next few months. We might take a short quote from the stories to put in the directory if we have the space. Please give these stories to Cheryl or Patty Northup.

5 Thought for the Month Jesus said: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. John 11:25 NIV Church Family Pictorial Directory It is time again for another church family pictorial directory. This family picture album will be a very special album that you will remember and cherish for years to come. It is special in two ways: (1) because it will be our 75th anniversary edition, (2) it will be a hard back edition. Myrtle Grove UMC is celebrating 75 years of ministry in our community and our church family album will be a wonderful addition to our history. The dates for sign-up and the actual dates of photography are as follows: Sign-Up at Church: Sundays - April 1st, & April 8th. If you miss these Sundays, you can sign-up by calling the church office. Photography Dates: Wed-May 2nd, Thurs-May3rd, Fri-May 4th from 12:00pm to 8:00pm. Sat-May5th and Sun-May6th from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Frolic on the Green Saturday, April 28, :00AM - 2:00PM (Sponsored by the Resistance Student Ministries of MGUMC) Young at Heart It was a chaotic morning. Things just did not go as planned. Joyce Dean did a beautiful devotional. It s always uplifting. The Dogwood Dulcimers played and we all sang mostly hymns. It was beautiful! A big thank you to Emma Tucker, Claudia Savage, and Judy Cannon working in the kitchen. Also Pastor Riley, what a guy! He is so helpful all of the time. At clean-up time almost everyone still there were in the kitchen. Amazing! We had a wonderful meal. I decorated the tables for Saint Patrick s Day. After our meal, we had a big discussion. Young at Heart is getting smaller at each gathering. We are changing our format. We voted to do just four meetings a year. Our next meetings will be held in June, October, and December. No more fried chicken as a staple. Whoever is in charge of the kitchen for the meeting will decide what kind of meat she wants to prepare. There will be no more planned programs unless something special. We will entertain ourselves. If you just want to come and visit, come and enjoy. We plan to play different kinds of games, so if you have something you would like to play, bring it along. It will be different and fun! I hope you will consider coming and joining us. So long for now. Remember, God is good all of the time! Respectfully Submitted by, President Miriam Storey Join us for fun & food. There will be entertainment, craft vendors, bake sale, silent auction, and yard sale. *Food: Breakfast Foods 7-9am Hamburgers & Hot Dogs Lumpia & Walking Tacos Popcorn & Nachos Drinks *Type of food may vary.

6 UMCOR SCHOOL KITS In some countries, children don t have books or school supplies. Many have no schoolrooms; classes are held in inadequate or half-destroyed buildings, tents, or even the open air. School kits may be these children s only educational resources. It s that time of year again when invite you to start thinking about helping us fill UMCOR School Kits. They will be delivered to the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference the first weekend of June. We will have about 60 bags again this year. Start now to find items* for these bags but PLEASE only the exact, new item(s) as listed can be accepted. Bags will be available April 29th for you to pick up and fill and must be returned by May 30th. *Items which should be included in each bag include (This list will be inside each bag.): 1 pair blunt scissors Rounded tip only No plastic scissors 3 pads of paper Spiral - or top-bound pads sheets of loose-leaf paper can be substituted for 1 pad Combination of spiral, top-bound, side-bound, or 1 subject notebook is acceptable No composition books No 3 or 5 subject notebook is acceptable 1 hand held-pencil sharpener Must be at least 1 inch long Remove from packaging 1 30-centimeter ruler Hard or flexible Cartoon characters are acceptable No advertisements 6 Sharpened pencils No advertisements, religious, patriotic, military, or camouflage symbols Cartoon characters are acceptable 1 2-inch or larger size eraser No advertisements, religious, patriotic, military, or camouflage symbols Cartoon characters are acceptable 1 24-count box of crayons Only 24-count boxes UMCOR invites you to include (in a separate envelope) $1 to offset shipping costs.

7 Addresses & Other Changes, New Members, Baptisms, Transfers, & Deaths Change of Address: Richard & Judy Cannon Deaths: Gloria Saenz Jean Burns NOTE: Addresses and phone numbers have been removed from this portion of the online version of the newsletter. If you require this information please contact the church office. If you have moved, please let the church office know what your new address is. Thanks! Reminder from Hospitality All April birthdays will be celebrated on April 8th in the fellowship hall after the 8:30 service. April Prayer List April 1-7 Wanda Rankin Barbara Ray William & Kathy Rayburn Keith & Mildred Reaves, Travis Tanya Renton Jackie Reynolds Jim & Machelle Reynolds April 8-14 John & Connie Reynolds Dennis & Kim Rhoda, John & Jason Elsie Rhodes Betty Rice Connie Rice Emma Richardson Ethan Richardson April Isaac Richardson Pastor Riley & Angie Richardson Jim & Ardis Riddell Russell & Suzanne Riley Mary Rivenbark Frank & Stephanie Rivera, Micha & Jace April Mark & Angela Robbins John-Annie Roberts Joe & Kim Robinson Bud & Val Robyler Elizabeth Rogers Brenda Rogers April Bud & Jean Rogers Robert Rogers Sheila Romaine Tierra Ruffin Sean & Dawn Rupert Richard Russell, Jr.

8 April Birthdays 1 - Robert Fuller 3 - Sam Lee 3 - Trish Birtsch 4 - Ray Booth 4 - Shelly Leger 5 - Jeremy Moulder 6 - Devoe Blackwell 10 - Bethe Buckles 12 - Nathaniel Lee 13 - Connie Boyd 13 - Anne Sims 16 - Sue Wing 18 - Sarah Prouty 18 Janet Black 19 - Ruth Sumpter 20 - Linda Webb 23 - Ryan Etheredge 25 - Sarah Porter 27 - Cheryl Johnson 30 - Sharon Hogan