Mt. Zion United Methodist Church Circuit Rider April 2018 You Are Invited to Our Youth Led ROCK Service Wednesday, April 11 6:30pm in the Fellowship Hall Enjoy Dinner before the Service. Dinner served at 5:30. Service begins at 6:30. Come out and see what the Youth have cooked up for you. Donations have been made to the Hungry Team in memory of Bette Sparks by: Kenneth & Bonnie Harris Valerie Johnson Carolyn Livingston Lorena Hinzman Frederica Bunting A Donation was made to ASP in honor of Rodger Strickler by: Tom & Ouida Starbuck A Donation was made to the Music Department in memory of Linda Fean by: Jon & Laura Manning Jason & Michelle Fean and their children Garrett & Kendall April 1 April 8 April 11 April 17 April 28 May 5 May 13 June 3 July 1--7 July 9-13 Mark Your Calendar Easter Services Sunrise 6am, 8:30, 9:45 & 11 UMM Hosted Breakfast 7:15 Foundations Sunday Bible Study Begins 9:45am ROCK Service and Dinner Charlotte Hall Sing-A-Long Christmas in April Country Ham and Fried Chicken Drive Thru Dinner Mother s Day Graduate Recognition Sunday Strawberry Festival ASP Mission Trip Vacation Bible School Mt. Zion s 2018 Vision: Building a Welcoming Community of faith centered on Jesus Christ that reaches beyond our walls.
Page 2 Circuit Rider April 2018 There will be windmills and a sign as you turn into Mt. Zion to show the community that we care about children and how they are treated. Jesus said, let the little children come to me Not bring me the well behaved, quiet and respectful children, but all the children. April is Child Abuse Awareness Month If you see someone in a store dealing with a difficult child, do not add to their frustration or anger with critical looks, comments or telling your friend how you would handle the situation. We have all been in similar situations so stay away or give a comment or look of understanding. Child abuse is rarely a single act by an unknown person. The child often knows the person and may also love the person harming them. Abuse can be constant humiliation, ridicule, lack of personal care, and punishment that does not fit the situation. If you want to know more about Safe Sanctuary, please attend one of our trainings. The next training will be held in early May. Nancy Cardinale and Kathy Dixon Safe Sanctuary Coordinators Have you seen the handbook Therefore, Go Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World? This United Methodist Church Handbook is a one stop destination for all things United Methodist. Are you a new member to our congregation or someone who would like to learn more about the denomination? This book includes a glossary and FAQs, as well as details about church structure, history, beliefs and mission. Want a copy? Download it for free at www.umcgiving.org and select resources to locate this UMC Handbook. If you would like a printed copy, pick one up from the church office.
Page 3 Circuit Rider April 2018 Together We Can Make a Difference Through your generous donations to these missions, you are helping make a difference in the lives of many. If you would like make a donation, please make checks payable to Mt. Zion; memo line: CIA, ASP and/or CRC and leave in the offering plate on Sunday or mail/ bring your check to the church office, 27108 Mt. Zion Church Road, Mechanicsville, Md 20659. Christmas in April April 28, 2018 Christmas in April is a ministry that helps restore dwellings in the tri-county and P.G county areas. The dwellings that are chosen to be repaired are in need of major repair and the owners are not able to do the work because they are unable or financially burdened. This ministry restores hope and joy to those in need. LOCALLY Members of Mt. Zion have been participating in Christmas in April for 24 years and this will be the 12 th year Mt. Zion has sponsored a house. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to help. You will be contacted with information by mid April. God Bless, Ken Cardinale 301-752-7497; Kenc7186@gmail.com NATIONALLY We are going to Tennessee!! July 1 - July 7 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I said, Here am I; send me! Isaiah 6:8 Are you being called? We have one youth spot to be filled. We need the support of the whole church for the success of this ministry. Even if you don t plan to travel, your prayers, talent, time and financial support are vital contributions. Mark you Calendar - June 3 Strawberry Festival & Talent Show GLOBALLY Child Rescue Center - Sierra Leone Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world and regularly ranks in the bottom five on the UN Development Index. The primary goal of the Child Rescue Center is to see every child in Sierra Leone, particularly the girl child, remain in school, free from any danger of exploitation from forced child labor and trafficking.
Page 4 Circuit Rider April 2018 Children s Ministry VBS Save the Date! Monday July 9 th Friday July 13 th 5:30 8:00pm Hero Central (Heart, Courage, Wisdom, Hope, Power) A BIG THANKS to ALL who made the Easter festival a success! Girl Scouts Easter Egg Hunt Hannah Shirley, Anastasia Cisco, and Natalie Dalton from Girl Scout Troop 3362 hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for special needs children, at the Fairgrounds on March 18. The children that attended had never participated in an Easter Egg Hunt with other children similar to themselves. The parents were happy that we hosted the event this year. There is interest in having another Easter Egg Hunt next year. Thank you to Circle of Friends and Sarah Circle for their contributions to help with this event. Submitted by Nancy Cardinale
Page 5 Circuit Rider April 2018 Youth and Adult Ministries Foundations By Dr. Phil Maynard 8-week Study Led by Tim Allen & Demetria Hall Sundays, 9:45 in the blue room This is an introduction to Discipleship from three dimensions: Being part of the Body of Christ; becoming more like Jesus; and joining Jesus in Ministry. Pick up your book early to be prepared for first class starting April 8! Talk to Tim Allen, Demetria Hall, or Tina Diggle for more information. 2018 2018 Graduate Information needed by April 29 Graduates to be Honored Sunday May 13 If someone in your family is graduating this spring from High School, College, Masters/Doctoral program, etc., we would like to be able to honor them at our May 13 worship services. We need their names, mailing address, and which service they will be attending by April 29. Please also include your name and relationship with the Graduate, (Grandchild, Daughter in-law, etc...) Please let us know of their future, which College they will be attending in Fall, job opportunity, etc. Hope everyone can come and be honored. Please contact: Tina Diggle if you have any questions. teen.adult.ministry.mtzion@gmail.com (Please Print Clearly) 2018 Graduates Name Address Graduating From Your Name Relationship to you Future Goals (job, College, etc..) Service Attending (Circle one) 8:30 9:45 11:00 Not Able to Attend Please place in offering Plate
Page 6 Circuit Rider April 2018 U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T W O M E N Circle of Friends invite you to join our group in Fellowship and help us with the many Missions we do for our church! Our next meeting will be April 14, 7:30am in the blue room. Any questions, please call me anytime. Thank you and Blessings to all, Carolyn Ayers, President 301-884-5523. The Circle of Friends held our monthly meeting on Saturday March 10th at 7:30 in the blue room, 15 members were in attendance. We opened with a devotion and prayer given by Carol Harrison. We shared our joys and concerns and enjoyed breakfast and good conversation. Thank you UMM for sharing your breakfast with us. We prepared and shared dinner with our WARM visitors on Wednesday March 7th. We had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, rolls and various desserts. Everyone really enjoyed the meal. They must have because there were no leftovers. I want to thank our ladies for participating in this outreach program. I think we run like a well oiled machine. Everyone seems to know just what to do to make everything run smoothly. A few of our members attended a Cluster Meeting on the 17th of March. We met with other United Methodist Women in our area to discuss the issues in our community and what we can do as a Christian organization to help solve some of the problems. We passed around a sign-up sheet for Christmas in April. We will be preparing sandwiches and assorted snacks and delivering the lunches to the workers at our Christmas in April house. Our fellowship donations for March will be given to Christmas in April. The COF joined our sisters in Sarah Circle to give the Sanctuary a good cleaning and polishing for Easter on Tuesday, March 27. (picture right). We continue our sing-a-longs on the third Tuesday of each month at the Charlotte Hall Veteran's Home. We are adding some new songs to our song book. We sing with the veterans on 2C which is the Alzheimer's Unit. We have gotten another order of prayer cubes. We plan to have them on display during fellowship time on Sunday. If you are interested, you may contact Priscilla Sampson. Our donations this month were: $390 to the Hungry Team $200 to UMCOR, $50 to Girl Scouts to help fund their Easter egg hunt $50 to Sunday School to help fund their Easter egg hunt and $50 to On Our Own which is a place provided for homeless during the day to keep warm, have a cup of coffee and fellowship. The funds for these organizations come largely from our fellowship muffins donations and other fundraisers. Thank you for your support. May God bless you and keep you, may He make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you, may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 God's Blessings, Carolyn Ayers, COF President
Page 7 Circuit Rider April 2018 United Methodist Women Sarah Circle Sarah Circle met on March 13th with 12 members present. We opened with the UMW Purpose followed by prayer by Ginny Southard. Jennie Edwards gave the devotional message from 1st Corinthians 12. It was about how we are all members of the same body, (Christ), and how we support each other through trials and tribulations. Have you noticed how fresh the sanctuary smells? The wood is glowing from its recent washing and polishing, too. On March 27th the Ladies from Circle of Friends joined us to Spring Clean the room. After all was neat and clean we shared brunch in the Blue room. Food and fellowship was enjoyed by all. Nell Davis would love to have you visit. She resides at Charleston Assisted Living, 45 St. Patrick's Dr. in Waldorf. It s located north of the Mall in Waldorf in the old Holiday Inn building. Nell will be 97 on her next birthday. It s already time to start thinking about the Craft Fair scheduled for November 10th. Sarah Circle certainly is. Barbara Walter has created a new database for it, and our new registration letter is ready, too. Carolyn Livingston and Barbara Walter are in charge of registration and vendors, Logistics is Pat Steiber, Kitchen is Ginny Southard, Janet Dixon is advertising and Lucy Crabtree is baked goods table. Janet Dixon is looking for anyone who can help her remember how long the Craft Fair has had that name instead of being named the Bazaar. If you have some information that would be helpful please call her at 301-589-9206. We voted to give $50.00 to the Girl Scout Troop to help with their Egg Hunt this year. We all enjoyed a delicious cake made by Carolyn Livingston with our lunch. Pat Steiber will bake the cake for the April meeting on the 10th and Dee Roland will present the devotional. Come join us! Lucy Crabtree Thank you, Dee, Lucy, Pat, Janet, Carol, Priscilla, Cathy, Lucy, Carolyn, Ginny, Vickie and Jean for making our Sanctuary beautiful! You did an amazing job!
Page 8 Circuit Rider April 2018 UNITED METHODIST MEN All men are invited to join us every second Saturday of the month. Our next UMM meeting will be Saturday, April 14, 7:30am, Fellowship Hall. David Wright, UMM President God has called us to serve. Serving can mean so many things - taking a mission trip - ASP, visiting the ill, visiting and singing at the Veterans Home, Hungry Team, Christmas In April, Ushering, serving on a ministry at Mt. Zion or in the community, reaching out to a neighbor, just to mention a few, the list can go on and on. WARM comes to mind. Thank you Crystal Bookwalter for another year for your compassion to serve and lead WARM week at Mt. Zion. To all those that served as monitors, prepared meals, donated food, shared conversation with our guests, set up, take down, etc., unselfish caring for our guests. Because of Mt. Zion's just plain loving one another, brought us together to have another successful year of ministry. Blessings to all of you. I want to thank the UMM and all the helping hands that came out on Friday evening to help prepare the WARM dinner of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixings. Also, for welcoming our guests and sharing conversation. Thank you for coming out to help prepare breakfast on Saturday morning, to send our guests off with a warm meal. To hear our guests say thank you and that they appreciated what Mt. Zion has done for them. You answered the call to serve. WOW - another successful ministry, Parent Child Chili Dinner. Thank you to retired fire fighter Dino Mahaffey who shared his story of wanting to be a fire fighter since the age of 14. He wanted to give back to the community. He started his years of becoming a fire fighter by getting involved in his local fire department at the age of 14. During the years his journey took him to various fire departments. During a fire he was seriously injured and hospitalized for months. Doctors told the family it did not look good. His temperature had spiked. Family and friends came to visit to say their goodbyes and pray. During all this time he had remained unconscious, unaware of his surroundings. His wife went to her hotel room one night and prayed to God for a sign of what to do. That night Dino s temperature had broken. Doctors came in and told family the healing will begin. Prayers were answered. Months went by, to include the healing of burns, and Dino wanted to go home. He was told if he could walk to the exit sign, pointed out by the nurse, she would tell the doctor. He replied, How about if I walk to the next exit sign?, which was passed the one she pointed out. It took all his effort, but he made it and he was able to go home to continue his healing. Dino Mahaffey and Tom Keller Continued on pg. 9
Page 9 Circuit Rider April 2018 Continued from pg. 8 After his fire department career he wanted to get back to serving the community. Giving back, he is now football coach at Chopticon High School. As he was speaking, and you looked around the hall, you could see the youth and adults immersed in his journey. There were other fire fighters that were also injured and they have healed and are still active in their fire department. Thank you Dino for sharing your journey with us. Quote from Dino to the youth Think now what you want to do, what do you love to do, start aiming for that job, if you have a job you love, you will want to go to work every day. Thank you to the UMM that prepared the various chili and Frank Hill for his hot and regular cornbread. Thank you to the UMM and ladies that came out to lend a serving hand. Thank you to the boy scouts and parents for lending a serving hand in the clean up. Thank you for making this ministry a success. You answered the call to serve. Answering the call to serve. Thank you to everyone that came with their tools, lawn mowers, trucks, and willing hearts to prepare Mt. Zion for Easter. It appears I have written a thank you article, and that is what it is. You were called to serve and the ministries were a success because of that. Our UMM once again served that delicious fried fish for our Good Friday Fish Fry and Pot Luck on March 30. Thank you to everyone that brought a dessert/side dish to share. On April 1 following the Easter Sunrise Service at the Cross the UMM will be offering breakfast in the Fellowship Hall. Be sure to dress according to the weather and you may bring a lawn chair/blanket. It is a very moving experience to worship on the hill at the Cross as the sun rises with a chill in the air and traffic passing by. In years past, there have been vehicles turn around and join us on the hill. They said they were driving by and saw us on the hill and were called to join us. As I would say, can t get any better than that. As the weather turns warm and you start that cleaning thing, of the garage, barn, shed, house, etc., the UMM Live Auction is around the corner on July 28. Contact Tom Keller at 301-481-6388, the trailer will be available for storage. Continued to pg.10
Page 10 Circuit Rider April 2018 Continued from pg. 9 I leave you with this thought: How Much Does a Prayer Weigh? Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work. They had seven children and they needed food. John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said: Please sir, I will bring you the money just as soon as I can. John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at this store. Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, Do you have a grocery list? Louise replied, Yes sir. Okay he said. put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries. Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head. Then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed. The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scale went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, I can t believe it. The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list. It was instead a prayer which said: Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands. The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, It was worth every penny of it. It was sometime later that the grocer discovered the scales were broken, therefore, only God knows how much a prayer weighs. Author Unknown Thank You Mt. Zion for Serving. George Hill UMM 301-884-9539 Servants are just ordinary people with extraordinary hearts. They offer the gift of their time to teach, to listen, to help, to inspire, to build, to grow, to learn. They expect no pay, yet the value of their work knows no limit. They have known the un expected joy of a simple hug. They have planted tiny seeds of love in countless lives. Servants are just ordinary people who reach out and take a hand and together make a difference that lasts a life time.
April 2018 Recurring Weekly Events are Bolded Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Easter 6am Sunrise Service Rt 235 Cross 7:15 Buffet Breakfast-mp 8:30, 9:45 and 11 Worship Sanctuary 2 7pm Trustees (bl) 3 8am Food Pantry (gr/bl) 8am AARP Taxes (par) 11am Preschool (Sanc) 12pm Preschool (MS) 6:30pm AA (bl) 7pm Boy Scouts (mp) 7pm Disciple 1 (par) 7pm Childcare (HS) 7pm The Story (ms) 4 11:30am Jump Bunch (par) 5:30 Music Meeting (ch) 5:15pm Chimes (par) 5:45 Handbells (bl) 6pm HS Youth Group (HS) 6pm Voices (ch) 7pm Chancel Choir (ch) 7pm Antique Power (gr/ 7:30bl) 5 8am AARP Taxes (par) 9:30 Yoga (mp) 11:30pm Prayer Grp (gr) 12pm Preschool (MS) 6pm Disciple 2 (par) 6pm Childcare (HS) 7pm Music Jam (mp/kit) 6 6pm MS Youth (mp) 7 6:30pm AA (bl) 8 12pm Music Ministry (ch) 12:15pm Christian Parenting Study (par) 2pm GSCNS 3362 (ms) 9 10am Monday am Study (bl) Fail 7pm Disciple Academy Classes (gr/par) 10 8am AARP Taxes (par) 11am Sarah Circle (bl) 12pm Preschool (MS) 11 11am Preschool PE (mp) 6pm KFC (par) YOUTH LED ROCK SERVICE DINNER 5:30 SERVICE 6:30 FELLOWSHIP HALL 12 8am AARP Taxes (par) 12pm Preschool (MS) 6:30pm SPRC (gr) 6pm Music Jam (mp/kit) 13 4:15pm MES-Robotics (par) 6:30pm MS Youth (mp) 14 7:30am UMM (mp/kit) 7:30am COF/UMW (bl) 9am Confirmation Class Retreat (par) 7pm Chancel Choir (ch) 15 12 Prayer Shawl (bl) 12:15pm Christian Parenting Study (par) 2pm GSCNS 3362 (ms) 16 10am Monday am Study (bl) Fail 7pm Disciple Academy Classes (gr/par) 17 2pm Sing-A-Long CHVH 18 Circuit Rider Articles Due 8am St. Marys Soc Srv (mp) 11:30am Jump Bunch (par) 6pm KFC (parlor) 19 7pm Music Jan (mp/kit) 20 6:30pm MS Youth (mp) 21 Confirmation Class Trip to Lovely Lane & Mt. Olivet 2pm Confirmation Class (mp/kit) 22 12:15pm Christian Parenting Study (par) 2pm GSCNS 3362 (ms) 23 10am Monday am Study (bl) Fail 7pm Disciple Academy Classes (gr/par) 24 7pm Boy Scouts (mp) 25 11am Preschool PE (mp) 6pm KFC (par) 26 6:30pm Finance (bl) 7pm Music Jan (mp/kit) 27 4:30pm Disciple Class (par) 6:30pm MS Youth (mp) 28 Christmas in April 8:30am Disciple Class (par) 2pm Boy Scouts Eagle Ceremony (mp/kit) 29 12:15pm Christian Parenting Study (par) 2pm GSCNS 3362 (ms) 27 5:30pm CMA (bl) 7pm Disciple Academy Classes (gr/par)
Mt. Zion United Methodist Church 27108 Mt. Zion Church Road Mechanicsville, MD 20659 Address Service Requested Postage Paid Non-Profit Organization Permit #20002 Leonardtown, MD 20650 Sunday Schedule Traditional Services 8:30 am & 11:00 am Informal/Outdoor Service 9:45 am Sunday School (all ages) 9:45 am (Nursery Provided at all services) Senior Pastor - Pastor Steve Humphrey preacher.steve.humphrey@gmail.com Director of Children s Ministries - Brittany Flick ChildrensMinistry-mtzion@md.metrocast.net Director of Youth & Adult Ministries - Tina Diggle teen-adult-mtzion@md.metrocast.net Director of Music - Josh Jenkins mzmusicministry@gmail.com Office Administrator - Toni Hayes admin-mtzion@md.metrocast.net Care Visitation Coordinator - Pattie Scherer 301-884-4344; scherer_pat@yahoo.com E-vine Coordinator - Ide Hill Ide-hill@comcast.net Preschool Director - Rebecca Fitzgerald 301-884-5455; preschool-mtzion@md.metrocast.net Mt. Zion 2017 Vision Building a welcoming community of faith centered on Jesus Christ that reaches beyond our walls. Office Hours Monday - Thursday 9am until 2pm Fridays 9am until 12pm Office: 301-884-4132/Fax: 301-884-4010 www.mtzionmech.org