THE NEWSLETTER OF SENOIA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH April 2018 Dear Church Family, Christ the Lord has Risen Today! Alleluia! Easter is the central part of our faith because we believe in Resurrection and Life Eternal through the love of Jesus Christ who died on the cross. Alleluia and Amen! We are starting to make plans for fun events coming up: Homecoming will be May 6! This year we have the theme "Faith, Hope and Love: Through the Eyes of Senoia Kids that Grew Up at SUMC!" We have invited back three "kids" that grew up at our church to come preach! Cheryl Crook Thompson, Karen CottonEverett, and Tray Baggarly. There will be a big luncheon after church so come hungry! Vacation Bible School (VBS) plans are underway! It will be tons of fun and a great opportunity to tell children about Jesus. The dates are June 18-21 in the evening. We would love for YOU to volunteer! Contact Barb Combs or Carolyne Morris. I am excited about what is coming up in our church! Hope to see you at worship on Sunday! Thankful for you! You are a blessing! This first Sunday of the month is Bumper Bag Sunday! This month we ask for canned goods and request that you bring your bags into the Fellowship Hall for collection. At 9:45am is our annual church wide Easter breakfast. Bring a dish to share and catch up with your church family. We ll have a Sunrise Service at 7:30am and an 11:00am Easter Service. Church Council Message from the D.O.P.E., UMM & UMW Clean Up Day, Lay Servants, Connection Groups LEO, Missions, Outreach, Foster Care Southern Bellz & Cantaré & Cantaré Plus, Fine Arts Sunday, 3rd Grade Bibles, Christmas Shoeboxes Stewardship, Volunteers, Children & Youth Connection, Wednesday Night Suppers Monthly Calendar Pastor: Rev. Ashley Jenkins ashleyjenkins@senoiaumc.org Director of Programs: Barb Combs barbcombs@senoiaumc.org Organist/Choir Master: Jim Preece Administrative Assistant & Finance Secretary: Lee Berry office@senoiaumc.org Nursery Coordinator: Bereatha Brooks Housekeeping: Polly Watson A/V Techs: Gail Noble & John Felbinger
Page 2 It takes everyone working together to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ. So as you think Go, Gather, Grow remember that to Go out, Gather in, Grow in our faith, there is a behind the scenes support team helping us make sure we have the tools to be successful. Part of the Support Team includes the Finance/Treasurer team. The Finance Chair, Tom Burdg, and Treasurer, Jim Garver are the lynch pins of the team. These folks make sure we manage our financial resources as efficiently as possible. Bills paid on time so the lights, heat and air are working for Wednesday Night Supper, Boy Scouts, Choir practice, and of course Sunday worship. A sound budget to make sure we can do VBS, Water Bottles, Easter Egg Hunts. Investigate when a bill looks too high or too low. These folks manage the fuel that drives the Go, Gather and Grow Making Disciples machine. So when you see Tom or Jim make sure to tell them Thank You!. If you have a love for numbers and managing a budget maybe the Finance/Treasurer team would be a great place for you to help SUMC Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world! If you would like to join any of the many teams, please let Pastor Ashley know as chair of the Nominations and Leadership team. The next Church Council Meeting is Monday, April 9, at 7:00pm in the JOY classroom. All members of the church are invited. Chair Pastor Recording Secretary Lay Leaders Director of Programs Lay Member Annual Conf. Nominations/Leadership Finance Treasurer Financial Secretary Staff Parish Relations Worship Team Doug Kolbenschlag Rev. Ashley Jenkins Lee Berry Jean Cotton Scott Tinsley Barb Combs Vicki Sewell Pastor Ashley Tom Burdg Jim Garver Lee Berry Ralph Arnold Jean Cotton Board of Trustees Education Team Missions Outreach Pres. United Methodist Men Pres. United Methodist Women Wedding Guild Co-Chairs Health and Wellness Ministries Scouting Ministries Liaison Sharon Boyer Ginger Wright Linda D Allen Kathy Burdg TBD Karla Sowell Dorinda Hilbun Lu Nations-Miller Jean Cotton Kimberly Tinsley Dave Shelby
Page 3 (Director of Programs & Education) Howdy! I am your friendly D.O.P.E. Or to be more specific, your friendly Director of Programs and Education. From time to time I will be bringing you information about various interesting things going on at Senoia UMC. This month I would like to tell you about one of our Connection Groups: the Giving and Gratitude group. This group started in November 2016 and has been meeting twice each month since then. We have discussed several different studies about giving, gratitude, prayer, the life of Moses, and how we all need help during the storms of our lives. We are going to be starting a new discussion on April 25, 2018 on the book titled Ask: Faith Questions in a Skeptical Age. It s written by Scott Jones, a Bishop in the UMC, currently serving the Houston area and his son Arthur Jones, an ordained elder serving at St. Andrew UMC in Plano TX. This book is all about questions: questions we have about various things in and about the church universal. Questions are good. Questions challenge us, prod us, encourage us. They force us to go beyond easy answers to think more carefully and feel more deeply. Lots of people asked Jesus questions. And He welcomes our questions today. But He wants us to go beyond simple data or knowledge to gain wisdom from the answers. Here are some of the questions we ll be discussing: Can only one religion be true? Why is there suffering and evil? How can I believe in science and creation? Can I trust the Old Testament? Was Jesus resurrection real? Why do Christians disagree about so many things? We meet on the 2 nd and 4 th Wednesday nights of each month, at 7:00 in the JOY Room. We invite you to join us ask questions. All are welcome: single or a couple; younger or more mature; male or female. This is a stand-alone study. Each question will be discussed individually so if you can t make it for all of the weeks, that s OK. Come when you can or when a specific question interests you. Contact me, your friendly D.O.P.E., if you have any questions or you d like me to order a book for you. Cost is $10.00. I hope to hear from you and see a lot of you during this discussion. I guarantee you ll enjoy it!! Barb Combs The United Methodist Women invite all ladies of the church to their next meeting April 23rd at 7:00 at the church. A DoTerra Representative will be our speaker to educate us on the health and beauty benefits of essential oils. Contact Karla at (770) 599-0992 or Dorinda at (678) 723-7066 for more information. The United Methodist Men will be meeting at Katie Lou s for breakfast on April 15th at 9am. All men of the church are invited. Contact Skip Hughes for more information at (770) 599-6158 See you there!
Page 4 Bring your yard tools, cleaning supplies and all the elbow grease you can muster to the church on Saturday, April 21st at 9AM. It s time to do our Spring Cleaning and get ready for our annual Homecoming Lunch on the Grounds! Some things that need attention are the picnic tables, picking up sticks, sprucing up the Meditation Garden, cleaning and polishing the pews, and tiding up anything that looks like it needs it. Please contact Sharon Boyer if you have any questions at 770-599-0509. Rain Date Saturday, April 28 During the month of March, three of our church members spent their Thursday nights at the Hogansville UMC, completing their course work as United Methodist Lay Servants. Dorinda Hilbun and Jan Purcell completed their initial class as Basic Lay Servants, while Barb Combs completed an Advanced class on Leading in Worship. Each of these persons are now certified as Lay Servants in the United Methodist Church, along with Jean Cotton who was previously certified. Congratulations to each of them, but especially to newbies Dorinda and Jan as they now begin their journey of faith in serving the church in new and exciting ways! Spirit Journey: [discussion and r eflection gr oup] Meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, at 1:30 p.m. at the church. Currently studying the book Bad Girls of the Bible, a stand-alone book of all those interesting bad girls we read about in the Bible. Open to anyone in the church. Contact person: Barb Combs 419-680-2103 Read It and Reap: [book club gr oup] Meets on the 3rd Monday night of each month at 7:00 in the JOY Room. For April we are discussing the classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. If you have read this book in the past and would like to revisit it or have never read it and would like to know why so many people rave about this book, come and join us on April 16th for discussion. We ll be having a guest present from Senoia UMC who knew the author personally and has a family connection to the law firm present in this interesting read. Each month we ll be discussing a different book about various social justice issues of our day today or in our past. Upcoming books include Before We Were Yours in May about child kidnapping; The 15:17 to Paris in June about terrorism in our world today; and Orphan Train in July, a novel about friendship and second chances highlighting a little-known but historically significant movement in America s past of moving orphaned children from the east coast to the Midwest in the 1850 s. Giving & Gratitude: Meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings, at 7:00 in the JOY Room. Beginning on April 25, we ll be starting a new discussion on the book, Ask by Scott Jones and Arthur Jones. See more information about this in the Message from D.O.P.E. elsewhere in the news-letter. Please prayerfully consider joining us in this meaningful discussion. See or call Barb Combs 419-680-2103 about more information.
Page 5 With Linda The LEO group (Ladies Eat Out) will be meeting for fun, fellowship, and food on the 3rd Thursday, April 19, 2018 at Your Pie, 2015 Hwy 54 W. in Peachtree City, next to Sprouts Grocery. We meet at 11:30. This is open to all ladies of the church and any of your friends or family. What a great time we ve been having each month discussing various things in and around Senoia, the church, and our lives. Reservations aren t required but simply let Barb know if you will be coming so we can give a heads-up to Your Pie a day or so before we meet. See you on the 19th!! Contact Barb with questions (419-680-2103). Bumper Bags are doing wonderful!! We collected 157 pounds of food in February and 160 pounds of food in March. Our next collection date will be April 1. Please bring your bags inside and leave them in the collection bin at the Welcome Center in the Fellowship Hall as you arrive for the Easter breakfast and worship. Senoia UMC and Inman UMC in Fayetteville have joined forces and will be working in the UMCOR Disaster Warehouse in Decatur, AL, June 24 through June 28. Please see Linda D Allen or Barb Combs if you would like to be part of the team. Now is a good time to make your plans! The Senoia UMC foster care volunteers delivered dinner at Hopewell UMC in Tyrone for a foster parent training. Thank you to all those dishes you made to make the dinner a success. The Senoia UMC foster care ministry volunteers are still looking for 2 mentors and 2 tutors. See Kathy for details and to get your background check paperwork in. If you would like to help, please call Kathy Burdg at 770 486-6231. What fun we had as Ambassadors helping the Education Team at the Easter Egg Hunt! Thanks to everyone who helped make this such a big success! Outreach is planning their next event for Memorial Day. Come join us every 4th Tuesday of the month at 6pm in the fellowship hall. Ask Kathy for details at 770 486-6231. Thank you! Kathy Burdg
Page 6 On Sunday, April 22 we will worship through expression of the arts. SUMC has many gifted members and we ll celebrate the Glory of God through their gifts of art and music. Yes! You heard correctly! UMW will be participating in UMCOR Christmas shoe boxes. Our mission team will be delivering these shoe boxes to UMCOR in June. These boxes will go to third world countries to help provide a little Christmas for boys and girls ages 2-12. We would like to deliver 25 boxes to UMCOR in June. Please consider helping by picking up an empty box from the Fellowship Hall. We need all boxes returned to the Fellowship Hall by Sunday, May 20th. Cantaré and Cantaré+ Our young singers are working hard during April to prepare for their part in leading our Celebration of the Arts in worship on Sunday, April 22. On Wednesday, April 4, there will be no choir rehearsal. This is our school Spring Break week! Senoia Southern Bellz invite you to a wonderful evening of food, fellowship and music on Wednesday, April 25. Our bell group will be providing dinner that night AND a program of music following dinner. We will use this time to share some special bell techniques, some of our favorite anthems used in worship and a few things just for fun! The dinner will be a fund raiser for bell equipment for the group. We hope you will join us on Sunday, April 29th, as our third graders receive the gift of a Bible from their church family, and embark on an exciting life exploration of learning God s Word. We are so proud of our children and the dedicated staff and volunteers who guide them on their faith journey! What an incredible day it will be at Senoia UMC!
Page 7 Cantaré & Cantaré Plus Choirs - Cantaré, grades 1-4, and Cantaré Plus, grades 5-8. Practice is on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:00pm during the school year. Children Sunday School - Meets at 10am. Through our ministry with children, we hope that all persons will encounter the love of God in truly transformational ways. Youth Ministry - The Open Book Youth Group grades 5-12 meet at 10am Sunday in the Open Book room to dig deeper into the Bible, make plans for service and missions work, fun outings and activities. Boy Scouts - Troop 49 meets on Monday evenings in the Fellowship Hall at 6:45. Please contact Dave Shelby for information at 770-599-6840. Nursery - We need volunteers! The calendar to sign up is in the nursery, or contact Bereatha Brooks at bereathabrooks@gmail.com. Greeters - Greeters are needed at the 11:00 service. Please contact Jane Hutchinson-Arnold at 770-599-6103 if you would like to greet on Sunday. Usher Schedule - 8:45 Service: 4/8 Leigh Morgan. 4/15 Mike Ivie. 4/22 Trey Jenkins. 4/29 Dorinda Hilbun. 11:00 Service: 4/1 Dale Graves & Len Severson. 4/8 Jim Garver & Chuck Eichorst. 4/15 Danny Branch & Carl McKnight. 4/22 Bob Tinsley & Kemp Wright. 4/29 Jon Morris & Scott Tinsley. Acolyte Schedule - 4/1 Serenity Severson. 4/8 Wyatt Wilson. 4/15 Nathan Wright. 4/22 Riley Morris. 4/29 Ava White. Counter Schedule - 4/1 Skip Hughes & Jon Hughes. 4/8 Jean Cotton & Jim Riggiola. 4/15 Jo Morgan & Suzanne Helfman. 4/22 Melissa Severson & Jon. 4/29 Skip Hughes & Mark Edwards. Menus for the Month of April April 4 - Team One April 11 - Team Two: Fried Chicken, Green Beans, Corn, Dessert April 18 - Catered - Tomato House: Lasagna, Eggplant Stack, Salad, Dessert April 25 - Handbell Fundraiser - Stuffed Peppers, Flat Bread, Salad, Dessert Team 1, 2 and Catered Meals: Children: $3 5-12; Under 5 eat free; $7 for All Others You will need to make a reservation each week, as we do have to order and/or buy food and cook in advance. Please use your Connection Card or let the office know before 10am the Tuesday of the supper. Thank you! Worship Attendance Stewardship 3/4 3/11 3/18 3/25 102 84 118 151 Membership: 345 Year-to-Date Financial Stewardship Ending: 3/31/2018 Needed YTD $ 49,750 Total Tithes & Offerings March $ 43,731 Difference YTD ($6,019) Total Church Budget $199,000
Sunday, 4/1 Easter Sunday Bumper Bag Collection 7:30 AM Sunrise Easter Service 9:45 AM Church-wide Easter Breakfast 3:30 PM Disciple Bible Study Monday, 4/2 Wednesday, 4/4 6:00 PM Wednesday Night Fellowship Supper 7:00 PM Chancel Choir Practice Sunday, 4/8 8:45 AM Worship 9:45 AM Sunday School 12:15 PM 2nd Sunday Lunch Bunch 3:00 PM Disciple Bible Study Monday, 4/9 7:00 PM Church Council Tuesday, 4/10 6:30 PM Handbell Practice Wednesday, 4/11 6:00 PM Wednesday Night Fellowship Supper 6:30 PM Cantaré & Cantaré Plus Practice 7:00 PM Chancel Choir Practice 7:15 PM Giving & Gratitude Connection Sunday, 4/15 8:45 AM Worship 9:00 AM United Methodist Men s Breakfast Meeting 9:45 AM Sunday School 3:00 PM Disciple Bible Study Monday, 4/16 Tuesday, 4/17 6:30 PM Handbell Practice Wednesday, 4/18 6:00 PM Wednesday Night Fellowship Supper 6:30 PM Cantaré & Cantaré Plus Practice 7:00 PM Chancel Choir Practice Thursday, 4/19 11:30 PM Ladies Eat Out Saturday, 4/21 9:00 AM Church-wide Clean-Up Day Sunday, 4/22 8:45 AM Worship 9:45 AM Sunday School 12:15 PM Making Friends Connection 12:30 PM Parking Lot Reserved 3:00 PM Disciple Bible Study Monday, 4/23 6:00 PM United Methodist Women Tuesday, 4/24 9:00 AM Fellowship Hall Reserved 2:00 PM Cancer Support Group 6:00 PM Outreach Team Meeting 6:30 PM Handbell Practice Wednesday, 4/25 6:00 PM Fundraiser Fellowship Supper - Senoia Southern Bellz 6:30 PM Cantaré & Cantaré Plus Practice 7:00 PM Chancel Choir Practice 7:15 PM Giving & Gratitude Connection Saturday, 4/28 9:00 AM Church-wide Clean-Up Day - Rain Date Sunday, 4/29 8:45 AM Worship 9:45 AM Sunday School 3:00 PM Disciple Bible Study Monday, 4/30 AA Meets Every Thursday at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall Nursery is provided at the 11:00am service. 229 Bridge Street Senoia, GA 30276 770.599.3245 SenoiaUMC.org