August 2016 Greenwood United Methodist Church Page August 2016 Twig Bender F r o m t h e Pa s to r Bishop Lewis to Lead Virginia Conference W elcome Bishop Sharma (no relation to your pastor) Lewis! Yes, another conference. United Methodists love to hold conferences, and Jurisdictional Conferences ended on July 15. Why was this conference important? In part because it is the representative body of our church which elects and appoints the clergy who will serve as leaders of our Annual Conferences and supervisors of our clergy. We call these elected individuals Bishops. They also serve as the spiritual leaders and CEOs of those same Annual Conferences. In our denomination, the whole world is divided up into the seven Central Conferences which cover the church outside the United States and the five jurisdictions that cover the United States. A conference refers both to an event or gathering of delegates and to a geographical location. The gathering of delegates happens once every four years. The main purpose for the gathering is to elect members to various committees that carry Bishop Sharma Lewis (Continued on page 8) Our Ministry Of Prayer Leola Frayser, Nadyia and Jeremy Horning, Mary Hurst, Page Jackson, The Family of Rachel Lewis, Betty Lloyd, Riley Patteson, Betty Ritchie, Roy Roberts, Brenda and Harry Shuler, Greenwood s Next Music Director
Page 2 The Twig Bender Praise God for Answered Prayers By Steve Stalnaker My working files for both the Twig Bender and the weekly bulletins are on a portable memory device called a thumb drive, AKA memory stick, USB drive or flash drive. Last month, after having started this edition of Twig Bender, I misplaced my thumb drive. I looked everywhere at home I could think of: pants pockets, car seats, the bag I carry back and forth to the church, in my dresser drawer, all over the house. No luck. There s nothing irreplaceable on this thumb drive; the bulletins, slide shows and newsletters could be either replaced or reconstructed from my hard drive. Not easily and not quickly, more a pain in the neck than anything else. Friday, I stopped by the church office Our August Communion Offering Goes to T h e P a s t o r s D i s c re t i o n a r y F u n d to see if I d maybe left the thumb drive plugged into the computer after all. Again, no luck. Saturday I rebuilt the slide show for the next day, spending time on this when I could have been playing with my model trains, surfing Ebay or other worthwhile endeavors. Then I still spent the night worrying about the missing thumb drive and fretting about wasted time. Sunday morning, during my morning prayers, I asked God: Please either lead me to where the drive is, or help me quit fretting. Almost immediately God, through the Holy Spirit, replied: Did you look in the cabinet in the secretary s desk in the church office? Well, no, I hadn t looked there be- (Continued on page 9)
August 2016 Page 3 CARITAS Update By Brenda Shuler and Adamarye Patteson Because there were numerous people who answered the call to help, our church will be able to host CARITAS again this year. The dates are September 24 through October 1. Since it takes a whole church to have a successful week, there will be lots of opportunities to help. If you would like to donate money, we hope to find a laundry facility to wash and fold our guests clothes. There will be other needs, so we hope you will be led to volunteer. One thing everyone is asked to do is pray for the success of this mission project. We ve set a limit of 24 CARITAS guests and we ll be calling on those who gave us their names during the survey to volunteer. But all are welcome to help out. See Adamarye Patteson to volunteer. CARITAS Furniture Bank The Furniture Bank provides between 800 and 1,000 individuals and families with furniture and essential household items each year. Families need blankets, sheets, pillows and more. If you would like to donate any of these items, bring them to church and Adamarye will see that they are delivered. A f t e r S c h o o l R e a d y f o r 2 0 1 6-1 7 S e s s i o n Our program will start back on Tuesday, September 6. If you know of any children needing after school care, please give them our information. Parents can download a registration form at the Greenwood website (www.gumcva.org) or call the church office (804-266-5341) to request one by mail. We will hold an open house on Thursday, September 1 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Page 4 Chancel Renovation Update Finance your Car at VUMCU, Earn A Donation For Greenwood! Virginia United Methodist Credit Union will donate $25 to our general fund whenever a Greenwood church member finances a vehicle purchase through VUMCU. Visit www.vumcu.org for details. The Twig Bender Greenwood s Called Church Conference on July 10 approved the contractor s bid to renovate our chancel area. We expect the contractor to begin work in mid-august and to take from three to five weeks to complete. During the renovation, worship services will be held in the Fellowship Hall. We regret this inconvenience but look forward to the renewed chancel and choir loft. Although funds are available for the construction part of the renovation, the moving of music and audio/visual equipment and other odds and ends are not fully funded yet. So, your generous contributions are always welcome. If you wish to donate, mark your check chancel renovation and drop it in the collection plate. N a d y i a s E x p e c t i n g! Former Greenwood co-music directors Nadyia and Jeremy Horning recently informed us that she is expecting a baby in December. Congratulations Nadyia and Jeremy! Please pray for these members of the extended Greenwood community as their family grows. Best wishes and God bless from Greenwood and the Twig Bender!
August 2016 Page 5 Methodism 101 Where Wesley Walked Methodism s first building, the New Room, was used by John and Charles Wesley, and others, as a meeting and preaching place, and a center for educating people in need. It is located in Bristol, England. England is the cradle of Methodism, where John Wesley started the worldwide evangelical movement in the 18th century, and where travelers today can visit three main sites that trace the steps of the socially minded Anglican minister. In Bristol, where Wesley preached his first outdoor sermon, the New Room stands as Methodism s first building, used by Wesley and other early Methodists as a meeting and preaching place and a center for helping and educating people in need. [The New Room] is soaked in prayer. It s a great thrill to stand in the pulpit, says Jo Hibbard, heritage officer for the Methodist Church in Britain. London is home to Wesley s Chapel and House, the hub for Wesley s later work and considered the Mother Church of World Methodism. This photo shows a statue of Charles Wesley standing near the building. Photo by Victoria Rebeck. To explore where Wesley grew up, take the three-hour train ride from London to Epworth to tour the childhood home of John and his hymn-writing brother Charles. Here, their revered mother, Susanna, instilled in her large brood of children the methodical manner that later would characterize her sons approach to religion. Note: This article is the first of a seven-part series titled Seven Sites Every United Methodist Should See a UMC.org feature by Marta Aldrich, freelance writer from Franklin, TN. This story was first published on July 31, 2014. Thanks to Linda Walker for contributing this to the Twig Bender. We ll feature more of these articles in future editions.
Page 6 G r e e n w o o d L e a d s P i l l B o t t l e D o n a t i o n D r i v e The Twig Bender By Mary Cullom In the April Twig Bender we announced an unusual charity opportunity: collecting used pill bottles for a mission project of the Presbyterian Women in the PC (USA). Although originally expected to end on April 30, the need continues. So, we re still collecting your used pill bottles. So far, Greenwood church seems to be the largest contributor at the moment in the area of medicine bottles. Great going everyone! Keep up the good work and keep the empty bottles coming my way and I will make sure they get to Woodville Presbyterian Church. Please bring your bottles to the Just Friends Sunday School Class any time and please make sure to scrape the labels off the bottles. Empty prescription bottles and OTC (Over the Counter) bottles are welcome. F o o d D o n a t i o n C o n n e c t i o n August Pick Up Rotation Wednesday, August 3: Charlene and Maurice Hawkins; Thursday, August 4: Glenda and Steve Stalnaker; Friday, August 5: Carolyn and Ray Smith. Wednesday, August 10: Jean Mowatt and William Gibbs; Thursday, August 11: Lewis Daniel; Friday, August 12: Brenda and Harry Shuler. Wednesday, August 17: Betty and Raymond Ritchie; Thursday, August 18: Glenda and Steve Stalnaker; Friday August 19: Adamarye Patteson. Wednesday, August 24: Charlene and Maurice Hawkins; Thursday, August 25: Lewis Daniel; Friday, August 26: Brenda and Harry Shuler. Wednesday, August 31: Jean Mowatt and William Gibbs; Thursday, September 1: Glenda and Steve Stalnaker; Friday, September 2: Carolyn and Ray Smith.
August 2016 Page 7 More on Annual Conference 2016 Conference Offering Exceeds Goal By Barbara Lewis As of July 20, the Virginia Annual Conference 2016 Offering stands at $157,715, topping the original goal of $150,000 set by Bishop Cho earlier this year. The Annual Conference offering, which is collected in each individual church and then carried to conference by the lay delegates, equally supports several ongoing mission projects. We will continue support of our partnership with the Methodist Mission in Cambodia as they purchase property for new churches and continue to expand their mission. Money will go to UMCOR Global Health Ministries, which continue to train and equip Health Boards in the United Methodist Conferences in Sierra Leone and Liberia, to help them empower people to take charge of their own health and to develop resources in local communities to promote health. Part of the money will remain in Virginia where it will support ongoing programs in the Danville and Eastern Shore Districts, working with children and families in areas that are well below the national and state poverty levels. More info is at www.vaumc.org/ac2016. L i k e G r e e n w o o d o n Fa c e b o o k w w w. fa c e b o o k. c o m / g u m c va
Page 8 (Continued from page 1) on the work of the jurisdiction during the quadrenium (much like a church elects committees and officers each fall). As needed, they also elect bishops and take care of other business for the jurisdiction. This year, 15 bishops were needed across the US. Once elected, new bishops only serve within the jurisdiction from which they are elected and are appointed for a four-year term. Under normal circumstances, they serve a maximum of eight years in one conference and are then appointed to a different conference within that jurisdiction. They must retire at the beginning of the quadrenium prior to their 72 nd birthday. As Bishop Cho and four other bishops retired, the Southeastern Jurisdiction elected five new bishops this year. The bishops were then assigned to the states between Virginia and Florida, and the east coast to the Mississippi. Our new bishop, Sharma Lewis, is a member of the North Georgia Conference where she has served rural and suburban churches since 1999. Most recently she was a District Superintendent in the Atlanta area. She has shown her The Twig Bender We l c o m e B i s h o p L e w i s! Bishop Lewis has a rich resume within the United Methodist church as both a lay person and a clergy person. She is known for her spiritual leadership and her strength in evangelism. love for working side by side with others, serving in mission, and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having spoken with members of our delegation to Jurisdictional Conference, I can tell you Bishop Lewis is excited to be coming to Virginia. Preparations are underway for her officially to begin duties September 1. Bishop Lewis visited with our delegates and friends at an ice cream social following her election, wanting to get to (Continued on page 11) W A N T E D P R A Y E R S for our ongoing search for a new music director! Please continue to pray for the SPPR as they search for new leadership for this ministry.
August 2016 Page 9 Praise God for Answered Prayers (Continued from page 2) cause it hadn t occurred to me that it might be in that cabinet. As soon as we arrived at church later that morning, I went right to that cabinet and, voila! There was the thumb drive, right where one of my co-workers had put it for safe keeping when she found it laying on the desk. Praise God for answered prayers! Wouldn t it be great if all our prayers were answered so quickly and, more importantly, so clearly? Don t we get impatient with God when we pray and He doesn t appear to answer our prayers right away, in the way we want? Remember that old joke: Lord, give me patience, and give it to me now! It s easy to forget what God told Isaiah: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. (Isa. 55:8 NIV). Keep that passage in mind, along with these: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Phil. 4:6 NIV) and the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Rom. 8:26 NIV). And, finally: 9 So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:9-13 NIV) Therefore, keep praying, in the sure and certain assurance that God hears our prayers and will answer them in His own good time, when He knows it s best for us.
Page 10 LAMB s Basket FUN FUNDRAISER The Twig Bender LAMB s Basket volunteers and their guests are invited by the LB Board of Directors to meet other volunteers and enjoy: Home grown tomato sandwich on white or wheat bread Ice cold, hand-squeezed lemonade (with a surprise twist) Potato chips and cookies August 13, 2016 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. LAMB s Basket pantry warehouse 8419 Oakview Ave, Henrico, VA 23228 Please sign-up on the sheet at LAMB's Basket (see Nancy Yeary) Or call the office at 565-8007 to leave a reservation message. We ask for a donation from each person ($5.00 minimum) for LAMB's Basket School Supplies Drive Starts this Month Greenwood will once again support the pupils of Longdale Elementary School with donated school supplies. Our 2016 School Supplies Drive begins this month and will wrap up on Tuesday, August 30. Please bring your contributions to the Sanctuary before that day. The shopping list is at our website and will be in the bulletin each Sunday in August. Note the Tax Holiday August 5 7 can purchase qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items without paying sales tax. As always your generous donations are greatly appreciated by the staff and students at Longdale.
August 2016 Page 11 We l c o m e N e w VAU M C B i s h o p (Continued from page 8) know each individual personally, already having learned most of their names. She looks forward to getting to know our state and culture as well. She has a great sense of humor, is down to earth, and has a deep love of the Lord. A graduate of Mercer University (B.S., Biology, 1985), the University of West Georgia (M.S., Biology, 1988), and Gammon Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center (M.Div., 1999), Bishop Lewis worked as a research biologist and chemist prior to answering God s call to the ministry. A welcoming service of worship for Bishop Lewis will be held at Reveille UMC, 4200 Cary Street Road, Richmond, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, September 17. I hope you will join me as we prepare to welcome her and work together to strengthen our churches, while serving the Lord side by side. Grace and peace, Barbara Be Prepared Read the Scriptures August Lectionary Readings August 7 August 14 August 21 August 28 Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40 Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56 Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17 Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1, 10-16; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14
Page 12 The Twig Bender Greenwood Church Family Birthdays Nancy Yeary... 8/3 Alan Daniel... 8/9 Ray Smith... 8/13 Kristen Bellino... 8/14 Jeannette Jackson... 8/14 Gay McFarland... 8/18 Gina Lahocki... 8/22 Javier Shuler... 8/22 Anniversaries Patty & Bill Prout... 8/14 Teresa & Darrell Coleman... 8/24 Richard & Mary Walker... 8/24 Carolyn & Ray Smith... 8/29 Don t see your birthday or wedding anniversary in The Twig Bender and would like to have us publish it? Send your dates to admin@gumcva.org or call the church office at 804-266-5341; likewise, let us know if you d like your birthday or anniversary removed. Born in a Barn? It helps us save on our utility bills if we keep internal doors like those from the Fellowship Hall into the Education Building hallway closed. So, if you see any open doors please take a moment to close them. Thanks!
August 2016 Page 13 July Attendance and Offerings Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce Proverbs 3:9 Date Sunday School Worship Giving July 3 14 28 $1,758 July 10 14 32 $1,484 July 17 15 30 $1,533 July 24 15 27 $1,756 July 31 Not Available at Press Time Weekly Averages 14.67 29.67 $1,591 July Totals 44 89 $6,532 YTD Avg. 12.8 32.7 $1,844 YTD Totals 384 980 $55,326 In order to meet Greenwood s 2016 operating budget of $133,357, our goal is an average weekly offering of $2,564.56. Thank you for helping us reach our goal. Twig Bender is a publication of Greenwood United Methodist Church 10040 Greenwood Road Glen Allen, VA 23060 804-266-5341 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Worship 11 a.m. Pastor The Rev. Barbara Lewis 804-432-5319 revbarbara@gumcva.org Acting Music Director Jackie Shultz After School Phone: 804-266-6668 Office email: admin@gumcva.org Fax: 804-266-2019 Office hours 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday Friday Twig Bender editor Steve Stalnaker webmaster@gumcva.org Visit our web site at www.gumcva.org 2016 Greenwood UMC all rights reserved
Page 14 The Twig Bender G r e e n w o o d U M C A u g u s t 2 0 1 6 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 National Watermelon Day 4 6:30 p.m. Choir Practice 5 Summer Olympics Open in Rio de Janerio 6 p.m. Free Food 6 8 a.m. Men s Breakfast 7 Communion Sunday LAMB s Basket Sunday Purple Heart Day 11 a.m. Worship Service 8 7 p.m. Finance Committee Meeting 9 10 11 6:30 p.m. Choir Practice 12 6 p.m. Free Food 13 5 p.m. LAMB s Basket Tomato Sandwich Benefit 14 11 a.m. Worship Service 15 Japan Surrendered (1945) 16 17 National Thrift Shop Day (Visit Aggie s Attic!) 18 6:30 p.m. Choir Practice 19 6 p.m. Free Food 20 21 Summer Olympics Close 11 a.m. Worship Service 22 National Tooth Fairy Day 23 24 25 6:30 p.m. Choir Practice 26 Twig Bender Deadline 6 p.m. Free Food 27 F r i e n d s h i p Q u i l t e r s 28 11 a.m. Worship Service 29 30 Toasted Marshmallow Day 31 September 1 4 p.m. After School Open House 6:30 p.m. Choir Practice 2 3
August 2016 Page 15 Mark Your Calendars September 1... After School Open House September 5... Labor Day September 11... Patriot Day September 17... Service of Welcome for Bishop Lewis October 10... Columbus Day October 11... Yom Kippur November 6...Daylight Saving Time Ends November 8... Election Day