MESSENGER The Trinity Newsletter of Trinity United Methodist Church July 2012 On Sunday, July 1, Trinity welcomes our new pastor, Rev. Dr. Larry Parker and his wife, Brenda. Although we are sad to see Pastor Rodney and Angela leave, we are excited to discover what new thing God has in store for Trinity under the leadership of Pastor Parker. Dr. Parker and his wife Brenda have been married 32 years and have 3 grown children. Brenda works as a mental health specialist. They have been at Woodland United Methodist Church in Rock Hill SC for 9 years. Dr. Parker graduated from Wofford College cum laude with degrees in sociology and religion. He continued his education at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, with a Master of Divinity degree as well as Doctor of Ministry degree in cultural anthropology with a focus on congregational study. He has served in parish settings, and has also had the privilege of serving on special appointment serving in law enforcement ministry as a chaplain in the Atlanta metro area. Twice he was invited to serve as Chaplain of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate. With his rich and varied experience in ministry we look forward to our walk together serving God and others here at Trinity. May God guide us all in this new partnership of pastor and people, always giving glory to God for His many blessings. A Welcome Reception for our new pastor, Dr. Larry Parker, and his wife Brenda will be held Sunday, July 1, after church in the Fellowship Hall. The Family Ministry Committee will provide light refreshments. Make plans to stop by and meet our new pastor and his wife! July 2012 page 2
On July 4th the church office will be closed and Wednesday evening activities will not be held. Trinity United Methodist Men will not be meeting in July and August. Meetings will resume on the third Thursday in September. Have a great summer! Lost and Found. If you may have left something here at Trinity, please check the baskets on the bottom shelf of the table in the hallway outside the narthex. Soon, we will be cleaning out the baskets and donating or discarding unclaimed items. Request for knitting supplies. Terry G. knits caps and blankets for preemies and could use some supplies to support this ministry. If you have soft yarn (in colors that would be appropriate for babies) or extra knitting needles that you d like to clean out of your closet, you may give them to Terry or drop them off at the church office, and she would be happy to use them for this project. Many thanks to Jim K. for building an additional bookcase for our church library. It s a beautiful and very helpful addition to the room, and it is placed in honor of Pastor Rodney. Visit the church library in Room 10, or talk to Jean K. about any help you can give in keeping the library in order or just check it out as a resource for study or leisure reading. Save the Date. Just Give Me Jesus, a seminar by Anne Graham Lotz, will be held in Augusta at James Brown Auditorium on Friday, September 21, and Saturday, September 22. The event is sure to be a blessing and admission is free. July 2012 page 3
With Heartfelt Gratitude We would like to thank all the friends and members of Trinity Church for the thirteen years of ministry and mission in which we have been involved together. Your love and friendship have been exceptional, and we can only celebrate the time we ve had together! God has done a special work in us all and through us all and we will be forever grateful! The energy and grace you all have exhibited these last few days as we ve renovated and refreshed the Fellowship Hall, the pastor s office, and the parsonage reminds us over and over again of your love for Trinity, us, and especially our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And know this you will be missed! May God s peace and joy fill all our hearts as we enter into this new chapter of ministry and mission, and may God fill us all with His Spirit as we follow wherever He may lead! Thanks for the memories! Rodney and Angela Summer Choir is off to a great start! In July we will be singing from a collection of songs arranged by Marty Parks. On July 1, we will welcome our new pastor with the song, Welcome to This House. We will sing Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus) on July 8, O Say But I m Glad on the 15th, He Calls the Stars by Name on the 22nd, and Wonderful on the 29th. This collection has a practice CD which enables us to listen to and practice this music anywhere. You can still be a part of this great group just show up at rehearsal on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM in the choir room! July 2012 page 4
United Methodist Women New Circle! The newest circle of the UMW, the Circle of Light, started meeting in January 2012. The name is based on Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (NIV). These ladies enjoy the fellowship of getting to know each other, sharing their faith stories and working on projects together. So far, they have served lunch at the Salvation Army Shelter, given needed items to the shelter, led a craft session at HarborChase, and a sing-along with residents at Shadow Oaks. The group meets on the third Tuesday at 10 AM and the next meeting is September 20 in Room 16 at the church. We would love to have you come join us with your ideas as we finalize plans for the remainder of the year. UMW Annual High Tea Plans are proceeding for the tea on Saturday, August 25, at 3 PM. We will begin taking reservations on July 15. For all women of the church friends and members this annual event is always a lot of fun, with good food, great tea, and time for fellowship and friendship. Donations of sandwiches, desserts, and of course, your tea pots will be greatly appreciated. Contact Barbara F. if you are able to assist. The theme this year is Hats. We are encouraging all guests to wear a hat to the tea. Make your own hat if you are feeling creative. There just might be a prize for you if you do! Remember to bring your tea cup. There will be a special guest giving a presentation on hats. So mark the date on your calendar and join us for a wonderful afternoon tea! Reminder: Don t forget to start sorting and setting aside any items for the UMW/UMM Yard Sale on Saturday, October 13. July 2012 page 5
From the Eagles Nest Wagon Load of Food for ACTS. The first Sunday of each month July 1 at Trinity is ACTS (Area Churches Together Serving) Sunday. Bring your food items and place them in the ACTS wagon located in the narthex. Much help is needed so let s fill the ACTS wagon to overflowing. Eagles Worship at Anchor Health & Rehab. The Eagles will lead a brief worship service at Anchor Health on Sunday, July 28, from 11:30 AM to 12 noon. We welcome all to come and share this time with the residents there. Eagles Council will meet on Wednesday, July 11, at 4 PM in Rm 16. Soaring Eagles Luncheon. The Soaring Eagles will have their next luncheon meeting on Monday, August 24. Our guest speaker will be from Epworth Children s Home in Columbia. Karen T. will prepare lunch for us. Watch for further details. Eagles Trip. Joyce R. is now accepting payment for the October 16th trip, Fish, Friars and Food. Everyone is invited to Celebrate America Wednesday, July 11, at 6 PM in Fellowship Hall Sponsored by the Soaring Eagles Hot dogs, chili, chips, salad, baked beans, dessert Sing-along of patriotic songs, skits by our youth, devotion led by Rev. Dr. Larry Parker All are asked to wear red, white and blue and bring any military memorabilia to display. Large map of the USA so everyone can show their birth state! Fun for all ages! July 2012 page 6
Youth Council is Sunday, July 8, at 4:30 PM. All youth that are on the Council need to attend so we can plan our upcoming events. Thanks! I would like to thank everyone for all their help in providing snacks for Sunday UMYF. If you would like to help out in this way, the sign-up sheet is in the youth hallway outside of Donnie s office. Pass It On. We encourage you and anyone you know who has young teen, college-age, or baby clothes to donate them to our new Pass It On ministry. If you do not have clothes to give away, you could also buy school supplies or youth clothes to donate. You can bring them to the church on August 4 & 5. Our $1 clothes sale and school supply giveaway will be on Saturday, August 11. We need your support to make this a yearly youth tradition at Trinity. Remember amazing things happen when God s people work together. A list of needed items is on the narthex table. Well, here it is, 10 o clock on Wednesday night. I am preparing my mind, body and spirit for another Salkehatchie Summer Service. The work will be hard on my body, the patience it will take will test my mind, and oh! how I hope we can create an atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to move in all of the youth and adult lives that will be touched by this ministry. Just how do we create an atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to move? First, we have to move. We have to move toward a conversation with God and be willing to hear the voice of truth that responds to our request. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth. Sometimes OK, all the time it says not to worry, or maybe please get some rest. But most of the time all right, all of the time! it says Let me lead you and everything will be OK. Do we inquire of the Holy Spirit before we move through life, or after we have made the wrong move in life? Thank God for His grace, guidance, and the gifts of His Spirit and His Word. I will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) Love, Pastor Donnie July 2012 page 8
Honduras Agape Foundation Mission Update Saturday, June 16, marked the end of a Spirit-led ten day journey by Aiken SC and Wilkesboro NC youth to the Quimistan Valley in Honduras. Primed and ready to serve our Lord and to assist the needy, the team s flight south was marked by a great send-off. A kind stewardess was very curious as to what the group was planning to do in Honduras. After we told her, she made an announcement on the plane recognizing the group, and how thankful she was that we were coming to Honduras to help people and to make a difference in the world. Everyone on the plane applauded, and showed their appreciation, saying God bless and such things. It was a nice, unexpectedly warm welcome. With this blessing the team s construction activities and Vacation Bible School activities commenced. These young adults were true examples of showing the love of our Lord in thought, word and deeds. Our future is in good hands with this next generation of church and community leaders. SKY VBS Is Coming! Join us Sunday, July 15 Wednesday, July 18 from 5:30 8 PM. Doors open at 5 PM on July 15 for registration. A light supper will be served Sunday Tuesday. On Wednesday, we will have our closing program and ice cream social everyone is invited to attend. Participants and volunteers can register online at www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/ skytumckids. Forms are also available in the narthex. This event will be fun for kids and volunteers alike. Here s how you can help us teach children that no matter what... they can TRUST GOD: Pray for our program and the kids we will be ministering to. Continued next page July 2012 page 11
Invite friends, neighbors, cousins, grandkids, etc. to come. We welcome all kids ages 3 through 5 th grade (just completed). Help with decorations before VBS. Feel free to come just to the times that suit you. We will be meeting at the church in Room 16 to make and put up decorations on these afternoons: July 1 at 3:30; July 8 at 3:30, July 11 at 6:30. On Saturday, July 14, we will do final room set-ups at 10:00 AM and decorate the Sanctuary at 3:30 PM. Donate supplies. The narthex has a festive display that includes slips of paper listing what we could use for VBS. If you d like to make that certain contribution, simply take the slip and return the item to the VBS box in the narthex. (Financial assistance may be placed in the offering plate, payable to Trinity UMC, marked VBS ) One note on any food donations this year. For the safety of our kids, many of whom are guests from the community, we have set a specific menu with consideration to the most common food allergies. The specific desserts we will be accepting for mealtimes are listed on our donations display, and we won t be able to serve other items. We apologize for any inconvenience over this change of procedure from previous years. Important VBS Dates Decorating committee July 1 and July 8 at 3:30 PM and July 11 at 6:30 PM in Room 16. ALL VOLUNTEERS are asked to meet on Sunday, July 1 at 4 PM in the Youth Hall for a general meeting. the Fellowship Hall. Help is needed to move furniture and set up rooms on Saturday, July 14 at 10:00 AM. We will start in Decorating the Sanctuary will be done Saturday, July 14 at 3:30 PM. For the first day of VBS, Sunday, July 15, ALL VOLUNTEERS are asked to meet in the Sanctuary at 4:30. On the other days, please report at 5:00 PM. A We Made It! follow-up evaluation meeting is scheduled for Sunday, July 22 at 4 PM in Room 16. Anyone with input about VBS is invited to attend. July 2012 page 12