State Street Steeple State Street United Methodist Church August 2016 The Mission of the United Methodist Church The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Back to School Luncheon for Our Teachers Monday, August 8, at 12:00 noon As they prepare for a new school year, we will welcome the faculties of Virginia High School and Washington-Lee Elementary School to a luncheon in their honor on August 8. How can you help? Come to welcome them and to express appreciation. As we put together small gift packages for them, pencils, pens, post it notes, note pads, small hand sanitizer bottles and other gifts will be very useful and appreciated. We expect to have about 100 teachers as our guests. Let s make them feel warmly welcomed! Missionary Emergency Fund Applications Available August 31 Deadline State Street UMC is one of three Bristol congregations who receive annual allocations of money from the Missionary Emergency Fund, established by Major A.D. Reynolds in 1920. Major Reynolds was a native of Patrick County, Virginia, who came to Bristol soon after the Civil War and made his fortune packaging and shipping tobacco. In the early 1870s, he attended a weeklong revival that began at First Presbyterian Church, but when the meeting moved across the street to State Street Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Major Reynolds received the witness of the Spirit, beginning his lifelong walk with Jesus Christ. So, he established this fund to perpetuate the ministries of these two congregations, along with Reynolds Memorial UMC, which his family founded. Applications for Missionary Emergency Fund grants are available in the narthex, enclosed in flyers describing the Fund s purposes. We are blessed to have about $180,000 to distribute this year in educational and ministry grants. To know more about the Missionary Emergency Fund, contact Jonathan Jonas at seniorpastor@state-street.org.
O.A.K. News (Older Adult Kouncil) OAK trip to the Farmer s Daughter Restaurant followed by a visit to the Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park on August 12, 2016 with the bus leaving at 10:00am. We will be gone most of the day. Please, only checks or cash as payment for lunch. Sign up at the Welcome Center by noon on the 11th. Call Patty Kilbreath for any information at 423-646-5577. Safe Sanctuaries Annual Safe Sanctuaries training is required for all volunteers and staff who work with children and youth. Please note that for the 2016-17 school year there will be two training opportunities: Sunday, July 31 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. or Wednesday, August 10 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend one of these important trainings! We will also introduce an exciting new family faith project at these sessions! You won t want to miss it! Back to School School is starting back soon and we at State Street are looking to help teachers get ready. Teachers routinely provide supplies for their classrooms at their personal expense. We would like to support some of our area teachers by collecting some of the staples they commonly purchase. Over the next several weeks please drop off the following items in Mark s office: Pens, pencils, crayons, white board markers, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes, white copy paper, glue Thank you for your help as we seek to support our area teachers. F.I.S.H. Club Information F.I.S.H. Club, our weekly Wednesday night ministry for children and youth begins with our annual School Supply Night on August 3. Regular programming resumes on August 10. This year we ll be studying New Testament stories using The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. Our activities include supper, worship and small group discussion. If you are interested in helping this year, please contact Jaymie Derden at jderden@chartertn.net or Becky Littleton at itsbecky123@hotmail.com Volunteer opportunities include: Small group leaders, helpers and subs Dinner servers Bus chaperones SAVE THE DATE SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 SSUMC will have a church-wide picnic on September 11, 2016 at Steele Creek Park! Be on the look out for more information about this exciting event! 2
Where Can My Memorial Gifts Help A gift to SSUMC is an excellent way to honor or remember a faith filled life and to say "I care". Your gifts continue to make our church beautiful and functional and support many ministries. Through these memorials we are constantly reminded of our history and of those who have contributed so much to our personal lives and the life of our congregation. At this time of year as our young members prepare for college, please consider donating to the Scholarship Fund. Three of our members have been given scholarships for the fall of 2016. A Letter from Evelyn Gordon Dear My Church Family, Please come see me at my new home! Evelyn Gordon Oakmont at Gordon Park 401 Gordon Ave Apt. 1230 Bristol, VA 24201 Phone: 276-644-6043 May God Bless You All! Evelyn Gordon Directory Update We ran into an obstacle with our in-house church photo directory when our publishing and communications professional who planned to lead this project joined another church family. We have not forgotten! We hope to have it completed soon. Financial Update We are so grateful that Bill Shumaker has agreed to serve as chair of the finance committee. Through the first half of 2016, revenues are ahead of expenses by about $25,000! Thanks be to God! Follow us on Instagram! @statestreetumc_bristol An Invitation to Help Mark with His Doctoral Dissertation I am conducting a research project as part of my doctoral studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. I would appreciate the assistance of anyone who is willing to participate in this study, which is exploring the role of recovery ministry within the larger church. I would very much appreciate your participation as I form four focus group. One made up of participants and volunteers in Recovery at Bristol that do not take part in State Street United Methodist Church. A second group made up of participants and volunteers in Recovery at Bristol that do take part in State Street United Methodist Church. A third group will be made up of people attending SSUMC that do not participate in Recovery at Bristol. A fourth group will be made up of staff members at SSUMC. Your participate in this project will require completing a short questionnaire and participating in 3 focus group discussions taking place over the course of three weeks. Please speak with my personally or by phone or email if you are willing to participate. Thank you, Mark Hicks Cell: 865-809-9044 associatepastor@state-street.org Focus Group Schedule: Participants in Recovery at Bristol who are not part of State Street Church: Thursdays at 8:00pm. August 11, 18, and 25. Participants and Volunteers in Recovery at Bristol that are also part of SSUMC Sunday Congregation: Sundays at 2:00 pm. August 14, 21, and 28 Participants of SSUMC that are not part of Recovery at Bristol: Sundays at 3:30pm. August 14, 21, and 28. 3
Project Crossroads Golf Tournament Saturday, August 27 Project Crossroads is a mission of The United Methodist Church here in our Abingdon District. With headquarters in Marion, Virginia, Project Crossroads serves the needs of God's children through home repair, new home construction, firewood delivery, and emergency assistance. The annual Richard Briscoe Memorial Golf Tournament is one of its primary fundraising events. We will have registration forms available soon. State Street UMC is proud to support Project Crossroads as a covenant partner each year, providing salary support for church and community worker, Rev. Harry Howe. To know more about Project Crossroads, visit: http://holston.org/ministries/missions/ church-and-community-workers/ Parish Nurse News Blood Pressure screenings will be: August 7, 2016 in the Parish Nurse Office at 9:30am and 12:00pm August 17, 2016 at 5:30pm in the Fellowship Hall. Test your summer food-safety savviness. Foodborne illnesses increase during the summer months as many people take their meals outdoors. Be smart about how you store our food until you are ready to eat it. 4 Collaborative & Proactive Solutions Training Workshop: A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR! Saturday August 27 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. State Street UMC Fellowship Hall Dr. Ross Greene's Collaborative & Proactive Solutions is a children's behavioral model based on the premise that challenging behavior occurs when the demands and expectations being placed on a kid exceed the kid s capacity to respond adaptively, and that some kids simply lack the skills to handle certain demands and expectations. Our presenter, Kim Hopkins-Betts, LICSW, is the Director of Outreach and Communications at Lives in the Balance. She has previously managed the clinical departments of two organizations serving youth and families in residential facilities, both of which have implemented Collaborative & Proactive Solutions. We invite pastors, children's ministry workers, volunteers, teachers, human service workers, parents, and anyone who lives or works with children to join us for this informative workshop. Registration is just $20 and includes lunch AND one of Dr. Ross Greene's (the author of the model) books Lost At School. For more information Jaymie Derden at jderden@chartertn.net We now have online registration available with the link: h t t p : / / s t a t e s t r e e t u m c. c o m / e v e n t / collaborativeworkshop/ Like us on Facebook! State Street United Methodist Church
Youth News August is going to be an awesome month to get involved. We are pleased to welcome the rising 6th graders to youth. August 7th we are going to work on our snack pack ministry and our encouragement ministry. August 10th we will be conducting Safe Sanctuary Training for all those who missed out on July 31. We plan on starting our new middle school and high school structure on August 14th. This structure is designed for each group to have their own lesson and reflection time. Our fun outing this month is to go white water rafting. An exciting opportunity for families this semester is called family journaling. Each week a family will have a Psalm to read and reflect on. Each member of the family is encouraged to participate. These exercises will take the participants through the school year into Advent. Meeting Reminders Worship Committee August 9, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. in Choir Room Church Council August 22, 2016 at 7 o'clock FISH Board Meeting August 29, 2016 at 5:45 p.m. Family Fun at Fern Valley Farm Saturday, August 6th from 4-7 pm Join us for a farm-to-table dinner, visits with animals, crafts and games! Fun for the entire family! Cost: $15 adults $12 children Where? 19130 Rollins Drive Bristol, VA 24202 RSVP to Jaymie Derden at jderden@chartertn.net by July 31st 5 Sunday Moring Attendance Date 8:45 9:01 11:00 7/3/2016 21 81 105 7/10/2016 35 92 111 7/17/2016 35 124 112 7/24/2016 38 86 109 Spring Garden Preschool News Spring Garden Preschool is undertaking a renovation project this Fall. We are replacing the furniture in the Preschool/Sunday Classrooms on the Children s Wing of the Church. Please stop by the Two Year Class and see our new look. In addition, we are adding cabinetry in the Nursery and Two Year Classroom. Other items that have been replaced are new rockers in the Nursery, a new air conditioner in the Pre-K Class and a double stroller for the Nursery. If you would like to make a contribution to this worthwhile and must needed venture, donations may be placed in the Spring Garden Mailbox in the Church Office.
My Trip to Guatemala Guatemala Toot Toots, Chicken buses, Foot Travel, Truck Beds, Planes - Its A long way from home! One might ask why I might seek to be in the mission field. For me it is a step out on faith. One I hope that will stretch me and mold me in a new way. Mission requires I spend dedicated time and energy with a pure focus on what is at hand. This, for me, is difficult. I find myself a bit distracted in my present world. There seems to be lots of noise with work, family, and various obligations. Every minute of the day is planned and not enough minutes left over. When I travel from my world to someone else s I can focus on the work and mission at hand. I am able to immerse myself in the journey as well as the lessons and gifts I will receive, if I will but listen along the way. Matthew 28:18-20 shares with us; On a mountain in Galilee Jesus calls on his followers to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirt. I was fortunate to assist Bill and Judy in Guatemala with the eye clinic. I saw daily the wonder as those who came, young and old, were given the gift of sight. I saw as Bill would place a bible in front of them and tears would come to their eyes when they realized they could now see the word of God in their own language. I saw Judy and Bill struggle as they could not help everyone with their limited resources. Everything was not always Ok. We saw genetic issues and family struggles. We could not always help everyone but for those we did their world was forever changed and with it ours. We made a difference to those we saw and who could now see us. Their smiles and their joy I will never forget! Those we were unable to help I will also never forget! I traveled to Guatemala to serve our larger community, my larger community, as God asked us to do. I may have assisted with an eye glass ministry but now I can see clearer myself. I am now, upon my return, changed as they are changed for our coming. Mission work is about relationships, about caring and showing that care to others one hug, smile, and a pair of eye glasses at a time. -Robin Wilson God expects us to travel out of our comfort zone and time zones. He expects us to be uncomfortable and unsettled. He wants us to stretch and grow while sharing our energy and our message. Just ask me to show you the video of the toot toots and chicken buses, now that s unsettling. You will then know what I mean. On our trip to Guatemala I learned that the poor here are rich there. I learned that children work from daylight to dark to make a few cents. I learned that even though this was the case they all smile and are thankful for all that they have and they will share what every they have with you, a complete stranger. I saw that they waste nothing and can grow anything using every spare inch of soil. I learned that they are eager for hugs and smiles and love just to sit with you and pass the time. They, and I, do not speak the same language, but yet we do. We want to be valued, we want to be loved, we want to have purpose, we want to survive, and provide for our families, and we want to be safe, healthy and happy. 6
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State Street United Methodist Church 300 W. Valley Drive Bristol, VA 24201 (276) 669-2101 www.statestreetumc.com Church Staff Call 276-669-2101 and select the extension. Jonathan Jonas 22 Senior Pastor Mark Hicks 23 Associate Pastor Bryan Underwood 26 Music and Worship Jaymie Derden 25 Children & Family Min. Amy Brown 29 Student Ministry Patty Kilbreath 28 Parish Nurse Anne Webb 24 Financial Administrator Leslie Webb 21 Administrative Assistant Peanut Brown 32 Facilities Manager Gerrie Felty 31 Kitchen Manager Wilma Blackwell 34 Spring Garden Preschool Make sure you subscribe to our email newsletter! Please update your email with Leslie Webb by emailing: churchoffice@state-street.org or by calling 276-669-2101 ext. 21. 8