Newsletter January 2017 We believe in Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission and Service, and Extravagant Generosity Worship Themes for 2017 I am so excited for the potential we have for amazing worship services in 2017. Our new leaders are settled in, and we are starting to click in our advanced planning. We each have a better understanding of the church s personality of worship, the unique gifts we each bring to the table, and new tools we have to collaborate. Beginning on January 1st, our 9:00 am and 11:00 am services will be using the lectionary as our guide for scripture and themes in worship. The lectionary is a structure of four readings, from four major parts of the Bible, for every Sunday of the year, for a three year period. Denominations like the Catholic Church and Episcopal church are required to use this pattern, and many other denominations follow it as well. We will continue to have themes that we celebrate for a month or more at a time, but the structure will no longer come from books. There are two excellent resources for you to follow along with the scripture passages and themes we will use each week. You can go to www.sundayscripturepodcast.com and listen to the weekly podcast posted by Thursday morning. There you can listen to a conversation about the sermon text and central ideas. You can go to www. textweek.com and you will see the next Sunday date coming on the front page. You can click on the link below the date, and see scripture passages that will guide us. To give online visit: https://memorialumc.churchcenteronline.com/giving or text 84321
Children s Ministry Announcements The Journey Children s Study and Art Show Each week during Advent, children studied The Journey and replicated famous works of art related to the weekly themes: Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, The Journey to Bethlehem, and The Shepherds. Their art was displayed in a children s art on Christmas Eve on the walls of the hallways surrounding the Sanctuary. The ticket to the show was a gift for a child in need in our community. The children collected 16 coats and 9 boxes of diapers for those in need. Thank you! Announcements Starting January 8, we will try new Sunday School class divisions to best utilize volunteers. K5/1st/2nd will be dropped off in the classroom previously called K5/1st and 3rd/4th/5th will be dropped off in the classroom previously called 4th/5th. Volunteers are still needed for 3 s/4 s Sunday Nights, 3 s/4 s Nursery/ Sunday School and Nursery. Please e-mail Erin if interested: erin@ mamorialgreer.com Children s Calendar: Sunday Nights January 8 - The Big Split January 15 - NO SUNDAY NIGHT PROGRAMMING - MLK Weekend January 22 - The End of Israel/Ezra and Nehemiah January 29 - Brave Queen Esther/Game Night Page 02
Youth Ministry Announcements Youth Calendar: Jan. 1- One Church Service at 10:00. No Sunday School or Youth Group Jan. 8-10:00 - Sunday School 10:00 - Confirmation Classes Begin in the Social Hall 5:00-6:30 pm- Sunday Night Programming Resumes Jan. 15-10:00 - Sunday School 10:00 - Confirmation Class 5:00-6:30pm - NO YOUTH - MLK Weekend Jan. 22-10:00 - Sunday School 10:00 - Confirmation Class 5:00-6:30 pm- Sunday Night Programming Jan. 29-10:00 - Sunday School 10:00 - Confirmation Class 5:00-6:30 pm- Sunday Night Programming Sunday Scripture Podcast Each week Joe discusses the scripture of the week with Rev. Kristin Dollar, Faith UMC in Greer, and Rev. Brad Gray, St. Andrews UMC in Charleston. Episodes are generally twenty minutes long, and will prepare you for Sunday morning. Go to www.sundayscripturepodcast.com on any device and simply click the Listen Now button. If you happen to miss any episode, you can click on the Listen To Previous Episodes button. Confirmation Classes begin on January 8th. Please contact Katie@memorialgreer.com for more information. Youth Volunteers Needed Volunteers are needed and all levels of commitment are welcome. From providing meals for youth group to weekly and monthly commitments are needed. Please take a look at the Sign-Up Genius to find your best fit. It is such a rewarding opportunity! Contact Katie@memorialgreer.com for more information. No Supper at Six in January. Suppers will resume February 1. Welcome New Members We are so excited to welcome several new members to the Memorial UMC Family! The left picture is from the 9:00 am service. Left to Right - Alicia Cato, Caitlin Owens, Jud and Tawny Johnson, and Jim and Kate Mitchell. The right picture is from our 11:00 am service. Left to Right - Doug and Jenny Snipes, Jimmy and Christina Glass and their daughter Lanie, and Mark and Julie Sullivan and their children Cody, Emily,and Will. Page 03
Church Calendar UMW Executive Committee Meeting Wed., January 4th 10:00 a. Boardroom Seekers Class Dinner Sun., January 8th 12:00 pm Social Hall Afternoon Circle Mon., January 9th 2:30 pm Boardroom Board of Trustees Tues., January 10th 6:30 pm Wesley Davenport Lydia Circle Tues., January 10th 10:30 am Boardroom Young @ Heart - Wed., January 11th 11:45 am Social Hall January 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Social Hall - Child Care Board Meeting Finance Committee Sun., January 15th - 8 am Social Hall Magnoia Circle Thurs., January 19th 6:30 pm Social Hall January 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Social Hall - Child Care Board Meeting Recurring Calendar Events (cancellations noted above): Children and Youth Sunday Night Sunday, 5-6:30 p.m. - FLC/Youth Hall Adult Bible Study Sunday, 5:30-6:30 - Social Hall Choir Practice Wednesday, 7:30-9:00 p.m. - Choir Room Contemporary Band Practice - Thurs., 7:00 p.m. FLC Gym Frontier Girls 2nd and 4th Mondays 6:00 p.m. Social Hall Prayer Group Tuesdays 9:30-11 a.m. Bridal Suite Cub Scouts Mondays 6:30-7:30pm Rock House Boy Scouts Mondays 7:00-8:00pm Rock House Partners in Faith Coat Drive The Partners in Faith Sunday School Class will be collecting gently used or new winter coats, hats, gloves and blankets for all ages (children to adult). They will be donating to Greer Community Ministries, who have identified this as a SERIOUS NEED. So let s get in our closets and help those in need here in Greer. Bins are located for collection in the FLC, Narthex and church office. Due to the great need for these items, we have decided to extend our collection to January 21, 2017. Thank you for all your help!! Pack-A-Sack and Greer Relief For the month of January, the United Methodist Men (UMM) will be collecting peanut butter and tuna for our local charities. Thank you! Adult Bible Study - Christianity and World Religions Lay Readers Thank you to all of the volunteers who have served as Lay Readers during the 11:00 service during the year. If you would like to participate in worship leadership, please contact Mary Lee at 864-316-6759. It is a very simple, yet meaningful., way to serve our church. This study of major world religions is based on a video series featuring Adam Hamilton and it will be facilitated by Fred Parker. We live in a diverse and changing world and, this study will help us explore some difficult questions. Sunday evenings in the Social Hall from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm beginning Jan. 8-Feb. 19. We will not meet Feb. 5 Super Bowl Sunday. Video for 15-20 minutes, then a group discussion. Please to email Beth at beth@memorialgreer.com if you are planning to attend. There will be a helpful booklet available for $8. Page 04
2016 Financial Notes and 2017 Projection We are finishing the year on a very strong note, and we thank you for your Extravagant Generosity. As of print date, we collected $534,299 of our $558,740 budget and that represents 95%! We are in a good position due to the combination of your strong finish and the year-long effort of our work areas to limit spending in their line items. We have not spent our entire budget, so the 5% shortfall is actually much lower. There were times this year when we were very tight in our income and expenditures. Even so, we were in a far better position in 2016 than we were in 2015. We will continue our steady progress in 2017 for two reasons: New families continue to join our church and they are committing to participate in Extravagant Generosity, and we have worked to keep our budget as low as possible. To date we have 144 pledges to our 2017 Budget for $464,336. In 2015, we had 150 pledges for $444,805. Our average amount per pledge is up by $300/year, and we expect to continue to receive pledges for next year. We have 91 pledges to our Building Fund for $118,392. In 2015, we had 91 pledges for $109,858. We have consistently stayed ahead on our payoff to the building fund and your pledges will keep us ahead of pace. Our 2017 Budget is nearly complete, and we have reshaped the line items to represent our 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations. We have also created a digital file of the budget that can be shared with everyone in an upcoming church email. Once our Finance Committee completes the process, we will share printed and digital versions of our 2017 Budget with everyone. Our new Financial Director, Jimmy Davis is an expert in his field, and continues to bring innovation and clarity to our financial processes. Child Enrichment Program CEP had an exciting Christmas Program! Our families enjoyed hearing songs from our K2, K3, and K4 classes, and fun was had by all. Happy New Year from CEP! Registration for the 2017-18 school year will take place in January following this schedule: Families currently enrolled in the Child Enrichment Program will register from January 9th 20th. (This includes Memorial members and non-members) Memorial Methodist church members not currently enrolled may register from January 23rd February 3rd, if spots are available. After February 3rd, CEP Registration will open to the community until available spots are filled. Please contact Lorie Gibson, Director of CEP Pre-school and After-school Programs if you have questions. 864-801- 1110 cep@memorialgreer.com Page 05
ACOLYTES 1 Andrew Scudder, Rafe White 8 Addison Cate, Caroline Cate 15 Addison Cate, Caroline Cate 22 Addison Cate, Caroline Cate 29 Ashley Shennan, Emma Vanderslice ALTAR FLOWERS Traditional Service January Volunteer Schedule We are still filling in the 2017 calendar. Please sign up on the sheet in the hallway. You may also contact Beth for available dates. WORSHIP GREETERS 1 Patsy Farmer/Sylvia Pitts 8 Becky Thomas/Carol Cason 15 Benny & Linda Hannon 22 Allen & Gwen Moore 29 Smokey & Kelly Price USHERS (Arrive 10:40 AM) 1 Wayne Morris (H), Stephen Kennette, Pete Smith, Will Lavender, Tom Catafygiotu 8 Benny Hannon (H), Chris Miller, Larry Smith, Charlie Miller 15 David Dobson (H), Van Brannon, Lee Dumas, Jimmy Upton, Jennifer Johnston 22 Sylvia Dobson (H), Dixie Kennette, Peggy Smith, Ann Waters, Ruth Griffin 29 Kevin Duncan (H), Daryl Rishforth, Eric Jeter OFFERING COMMITTEE 1 David Mayberry, David Owens 8 Steve Kennette, Collier Smith 15 Wayne Rhodes, Ralph and Harriet Johnson 22 Marney and Freddie Hannon, Karen Pridgeon 29 Peggy Smith, Allen Lee TRUSTEE: Dallas Thomas LAY READERS 1 Fred Parker 8 Bobbie McQuaid 15 Sylvia Dobson 22 Don Louis 29 Mary Lee SOUND & VIDEO SYSTEMS January 1 - Larry and Peggy Smith January 8 - Wayne Morris, Adam Wickliffe January 15 - Chris and Cindy Miller January 22 - David and Susan Mayberry January 29 - Adam Wickliffe, Mary Ann Catafygiotu 18 David and Susan Mayberry 25 Jimmy Fowler, Mary Ann Catafygiotu January Birthdays JANUARY 1 JANUARY 2 JANUARY 3 JANUARY 4 JANUARY 5 JANUARY 7 JANUARY 8 JANUARY 9 Don Louis Geri Fallaw Ruth Griffin, Wayne Morris Bob Gray, Bob McQuaid Mary Lee Will Sullivan, Dennis Watson Diane Arthur, Garner Brooks, Graham Brooks, Tawny Johnson, Christy McDonald, Bo Sims, Jr. Rebecca Barbrey, Mackenzie Burdette, Sonia Cramer, Stephen Kiff, Scott Streetman JANUARY 10 Becky Thomas JANUARY 11 Sarah Key JANUARY 12 Maggie Austin, Bill Davis, Jessica Shennan JANUARY 13 Duncan Jeter, Allison Shennan JANUARY 14 Hunter Janes JANUARY 15 Tricia D. Morris, Lisa Nason, David Smith JANUARY 16 Joe Baldwin, Anita Colbert, Suzy Hill JANUARY 17 Jane Rhodes JANUARY 19 Debbie Clark, Billy White JANUARY 22 Debby Brown, John Craig, Lisa Kennedy, Luke Knight JANUARY 23 Carol Johnston, Rick Levin JANUARY 25 Gordon Pitts JANUARY 26 Meghan Boyce JANUARY 27 Alicia Cato JANUARY 29 Maddie Myers, Alexander Scudder JANUARY 30 Ryan Howard JANUARY 31 Caroline Cate, Sandy Knight Phone: 864-877-0956 Email: beth@memorialgreer.com Address: 201 North Main Street Greer, SC 29650 www.memorialgreer.com