November 2016
Restoring Hope in the God of Second Chances!
Why Not? Whenever I think of vision, I think of Bobby Kennedy’s famous statement when he said, “Some people see things as they are and say, ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and say, ‘Why not?’” Vision answers the question, “Why not?” Why not have a leadership team that is so spiritually alive and growing in intimacy with Christ they naturally encourage others to do the same? Why not have multiple small groups where strangers become friends and friends become a family? Why not have a church where every single regular attendee knows how to introduce someone else to Jesus and is motivated to do so? Why not have a church that is energized by Jesus, hungry for biblical wisdom, and generous with their time and talent? Why not have a church where the Holy Spirit is part of every worship? The Bible uses the word “faith” to refer to what we mean by vision – a picture of a preferred future. Hebrews 11:1 says this: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” Faith anticipates the future and then provides the energy to moves find it. Faith allows us to see into the future the invisible realm as if it is already real and tangible. A vision is a picture of a future reality that ignites passion. Tell me what you’re passionate about and I’ll tell you something about your faith. What follows is my vision for Mt Pleasant. It guides me to stay on course and provides the passion I need.
INSPIRATIONAL: a Church whose heartfelt praise and worship touches Heaven and changes earth; worship which alters the attitudes, actions and aspirations of its people. One hour of sincere worship will change all other hours! INTENTIONAL: a Church that refuses to be content with the triumphs of the past, but is constantly pursuing a better, brighter future – hungry to know, grow and be like Jesus. INVESTING: a Church so alive and courageous, they will go the distance, pay the price and rise to the challenge just to watch Jesus change the lives of others. INVITING: a Church so kind and gentle that people are drawn from impossible situations into a loving and caring circle of friends, believing they can still become all that God has called them to be.
Joy Unspeakable
“And now I exhort you to be of good cheer.” Acts 27: 22 Madison Avenue advertising agencies in the early 1950’s released the following memo to their art department: “Have a smiling face in every piece of advertising copy possible – tombstone and undertaker designs excepted.” The idea, as we see today, brought much success in to their firms. We are drawn to the smiles of other people. Set this down: gloom, heaviness, selfish joylessness is poor business and not true Christianity. A long-faced, negative, always complaining, unpleasant Christian, be it clergy or laity, is a flaw on the face of today’s Christianity. Paul was an advocate and example of cheerfulness. It was a part of his religion. It was a defining feature of his faith. And yet there are plenty of hindrances to the cheerful life. It is difficult to smile through pain that racks the body, the loss of loved ones, a nation that is full of discord and hatred, addiction plagued communities and struggles of life that so often drive the joy from our life. It is difficult to stay cheerful as the cares of life grind continually on our vital powers. And yet, if there is plenty of gloom to keep us glum there is plenty of gleam to keep us glad. With God the sun is always shining, and if we fellowship with Him we shall dwell in light. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” That was why the shadows of the world could not lay hold of Him. In His light we shall see light. If not for our own sakes, then for the sake of others we must cultivate the cheerful spirit. President Abraham Lincoln said: “Pluck the thistle and plant a flower wherever a flower will grow.” A cheerful spirit catches on. A song carried into the busy world’s life, a SMILE while passing one on your busy way, a kind word or gesture finds response in the heart of men like an echo at the mountain side. If you want to win, smile. If you have ambition to be well-liked, smile. If you want to succeed in business, smile. If you want joy, smile. If you want health, smile. Smiling gives you efficiency during work. Carlyle said: “Give us, oh, give us a man who sings at his work.” But how is one to get the spirit of cheerfulness? Use your will. Paul says in the first verse of the second chapter of 2 Corinthians, :But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.” It is a matter of your will. Set your will to be cheerful. Challenge yourself to make cheerfulness a habit of your life. Avoid the negativity that is thrown at you on a daily basis with social media, news, media, while countering those things with the word of God, prayer, and ministry. Chinmoy said: “Remain cheerful, for nothing destructive can pierce through the solid wall of cheerfulness.”
Family Events This Thanksgiving season I challenge you to reflect on the good, be grateful for your blessings, and remain joyful through it all. Take time to color a picture with your children, read a good book, laugh at a dumb comedy, cry a good cry, give without expectation, and challenge yourself to smile. Your smile, as unusual as it may seem, was designed to share the hope of Christ to a dark and hurting world. You are the salt and light of the world. Embrace that calling through a commitment to joy. Speak kind words, post positive words on social media, pray for your neighbors, family, and friends. Encourage love and acceptance over judgement and fear.
Love God. Love your neighbor. Change the world. Proverbs 17:22 “A joyful heart is good medicine”
Pastor Anthony
Pastor Anthony “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’” In the gospel of Mark, Jesus bestowed a bold charge to those called by His name. Going into the world and sharing the good news to all creation isn’t exactly a light task. He commanded the church to share the hope and grace of His ministry with boldness, faith, and confidence in the church. When reflecting on this command from Christ, I began to consider how Mt. Pleasant answers the call that Christ has set forth; Kids Hope – The mentoring partnership with Mineral Wells Elementary is going strong and the feedback is tremendously encouraging. The students have reported that they are enjoying their time with the mentors and are being encouraged during the mentor hour. We are still actively seeking mentors and prayer partners to work with the program. Christmas Stories Concert – Mt. Pleasant was presented with the unique opportunity to sponsor a Christmas concert that is headlined by national recording artist, Jason Gray. The concert will be completely free of charge for everyone. The concert will be at Blennerhassett Middle School on December 3rd, at 6 pm. How awesome is God? Family Dinner night – Mt. Pleasant will also be hosting a family dinner regularly on Wednesday nights for all those interested. The dinner will be catered and will have the opportunity to grow into small study groups, support groups, and a time of fellowship. Youth Ministry – The youth ministry, under the direction of Amanda Eagle, is on fire! The young people have been committed to attending our regular meetings, inviting friends, growing in faith, and using their talents for the glory of God. These are just a few examples of what God is working in our midst. I ask you to take time to look around the church and see where you can contribute, commit, and help make a difference in the lives of others. Don’t hesitate to get involved in the amazing opportunities in ministry that are being provided here at Mt. Pleasant! -Pastor Anthony SAK PAK Our Sak Pak list has grown to 129 children this month. I would like express my gratitude to each one that helps with packing the bags on Wednesday evenings. Packing for this many children takes a lot of time. The following helpers are: Tammy Pence, Patsy Bee, Pam Fought, Cyndy Goldsworthy, Ophelia Chua, Theresa Burdette, Linette Gedon, Kristi Ritchie, Alisyn McCabe, Leslie Coe, Jane Duckworth, Buchanan, Melanie and Quentin Garrett, and Doris Cook. Family EventsPearl The craft show was a great success!! We made $1800. Unfortunately, this will only last about 4 weeks. So we will be attending 3 more craft shows in November. We have a craft group that helps with providing items for the shows. Thanks to Vera Smith, Joann Shirey, Donna Linsell, Tammy Pence, Patsy Bee and Pam Fought we have created some really great items. If you were not at the show in October but may be interested in some of the crafts that we made, please let someone with SAK PAK know. We will be happy to show the items to you. Rada cutlery is also available for sale. There will be catalogs in the office or at the welcome desk. You can leave your order with Elaine. In December, we will have Christmas ornaments on the tree in the narthex available for purchase. Each ornament will be a donation amount. A card will be attached to the ornament, you can give the ornament for a gift in honor of someone or in memory of someone. Please take the time to look because no two ornaments are alike. If at any time you would like to see the SAK pak room or would like to help with this program please let me know. We now have a Facebook page, SAK Pak Mineral Wells School, also there is a tab on the church website, mt-pleasant-umc.org. Sherry Hinton, Director 304-481-5064
Gratitude Changes Everything!
Sunday School Sunday School 2016 Avg Weekly Attendance YTD 2015 Avg Weekly Attendance YTD
67 49
1st Sv 73 69
2nd Sv 139 136
Total 214 205
2016 Avg. Weekly Offering YTD
General Budget $6,772
Designated $1,471
Total $8,244
2015 Avg. Weekly Offering YTD
$6,341
$1,146
$7,486
Why Stewardship Matters! I write this as a single mother of two and a survivor of violence. Trials and tribulations have been prevalent for more than decade. There were times I wondered where our next meal would come from and had to make a decision to pay for medicine or an electric bill. We often hear of stewardship, and often wonder if what we do really makes a difference. In the past 10 years through every trial we've faced, God placed disciples in our path to help us grow into a healthy, strong Christian family. Things like food pantries, youth activities for my boys, help with a utility bill, visits and prayers truly have impacted our lives! These various ministries were there for us in our darkest hours. We were shown love, the way that Christ loves us! I am the Christian, mother, and survivor I am today because of disciples just like you! You can make a difference! May God bless you and guide you always,
Celena Roby ~ Author of “Celena’s Law” Ryan & Daniel
RISING STARS Rising Stars started our Christmas play practice in October and need all willing participants available on Sundays. Parents, please let us know if your child/children want to participate. We want everyone to be included. We will be doing extra practice during Children’s Church during November and are planning to have our program Sunday, December 4th at 6:30 pm. Rising Stars is also honoring our military this Christmas season. We are asking that if you have someone you love currently serving in the military that you please send us a picture and some information. We need their name, address, branch, and the names of those submitting the info. Please e-mail Christin Parrish at: cparrish2105@gmail.com or send via Facebook messenger. Hard copies are also okay. Christin can scan and return. Secondly, we are collecting items for care packages. We are going to have our Rising Stars write letters and color pictures, but we would like to include items like: prayer crosses, cross bracelets, gum, candy, etc. We are going to use manila envelopes with bubble wrap, so we are asking for small items. If there are any questions, please contact Christy Archer at 273-2637 or Facebook messenger under Brian-Christy Archer. Thank you so much! Love,
Christin, Melanie, and Christy Community Thanksgiving Dinner
Mt. Pleasant UMC Thursday, November 17 5:00-7:00 pm Last year we served 250 dinners. It was a truly great evening of good food, fellowship, fun and laughter. If you have not joined us in the past, we will be looking forward to seeing you this time. We will need turkeys, potatoes, vegetables, rolls and desserts and lots of help, including, setting up, tearing down, peeling potatoes, serving and cleaning up after the dinner. There are volunteer sign-up sheets for everything it takes to put on a dinner like this one on the desk in the narthex. Remember …... Mark your calendars for a special evening!!!!!
Sherry Hinton United Methodist Women The next meeting of the United Methodist Women will be on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We will elect officers for 2017, and discuss future projects, programs and missions we will be supporting in the coming year. Please join us as we continue to serve as: “ . . . a community of women whose PURPOSE is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.
Pearl Buchanan, President
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
June Buchanan ~ Jodi Lockhart, Aidan Garrett ~ Blake Johnson Marie Conley Joyce Drake ~ Heather Skidmore Bob Criss ~ Helen Matheny ~ Barb Schmidt Andy Dellinger ~ Luke Richards Cameron Fallon
Butch Dobson ~ Kay Hill ~ Teresa Deems Mark & Sherry Hinton
Joyce Mendenhall ~ Nathan Somerville Alice Reeves Mindy Owens ~
Acolytes 6 Cameron Fallon & Chase Offenberger 13 Olivia Smedley & Bryce Smedley 20 Ashlynn Eagle & Luke Eagle 27 Maddie Archer & Mia Archer
Bread Bakers 6 Roger & Jodi Hodges 13 Rose Armstrong 20 Jeanne Dye 27 Elaine Smith
Children’s Church 6 Rising Stars ~ Christmas Program 13 Rising Stars ~ Christmas Program 20 Rising Stars ~ Christmas Program 27 Rising Stars ~ Christmas Program
Communion Stewards ~ 8:15 am Service 6 Ron & Paula Flannery Larry Reeves & Jane Utt
Harry Wright ~ Shannon Dugan Carl & Muriel Sizemore Helen Wright Terri Barker ~ Mariann Davis Laura Dean ~ Paula Flannery ~ Ian McKnight Rick & Rose Armstrong Jimmy Moore
Communion Stewards ~ 10:45 am Service 6 Steve & Tonja Bailey Mike & Leslie Coe Greeters ~ 8:15 am 6 Pearl Buchanan & Janet Hinton 13 Dave & Betty Jo Pryce Morehead 20 Bob & Debbie Sheppard 27 Dave & Jan Bargeloh Greeters ~ 10:45 am 6 Kevin & Tina Evans & David Evans 13 Steve & Gina Starkey, Ben & Jackson 20 Youth 27 Jon & Dana Mader, Jordan & Kendal Mader
THRIVE STUDENT MINISTRY God is definitely working on, with and through us in our student ministry! We had a regular group of 16+ students attending the confirmation classes. Some of those students were new and some were students coming to learn and support their friends! We have enjoyed having our new sixth grade students: Olivia Smedley, Ali Smith, Abbie Fransico, and Addison Deems!! And they invited friends a few times!! The month of November brings ….
“…you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life.” Philippians 2: 15-16 I am so excited that our youth group is launching into a new six-week video series called Shine…Sharing the Light of the World! In the busyness of life—school, fun, friends, sports and more—our students sometimes lose sight of the truth that they have the message of hope and life that others urgently need. Yet when you stop and really think about it, sharing Jesus’ message with others is the most impacting thing they will ever do with their lives. Because the gospel can change someone’s life at the deepest level—both now and for all eternity. And nothing our teenagers could ever offer others could be more powerful and permanent than that! Learning how to relationally share the message of the gospel is a mysterious, Holy Spirit-inspired mix of prayer, God-infused spiritual power, practical skills and relational sensitivity. It is not a simple three-step formula or a canned presentation—it is a conversation about Jesus, or in many cases, a series of ongoing conversations. Yet there are some very practical skills that your teenager needs if he or she is going to confidently step out and share the gospel with friends. Our Shine series is designed to provide our students with those skills. Together, we’ll be learning how to navigate a gospel conversation from “takeoff to touchdown,” as well as enjoy food, fellowship, and some crazy FUN!!! Also, in November THRIVE Students will be… Attending Confirmation Retreat, Nov 5 Serving at the Community Thanksgiving dinner, Nov 17 Attending Fall Workshop, Nov 18-20 Preparing for December – Christmas Program, Caroling with cookies, SHINE Outreach – Laser Bowling Night
KEEP UPDATED ON NEW EVENTS… Visit us on Facebook @ THRIVE Student Ministry Twitter @THRIVEYouthMP and Instagram @thriveyouthmp
Trustees
Nvmbr Nws Lttr Frm th Trsts Thnks 4 all yr elp. It is amazing how big this church is. Have you ever walked every room, hallway and stairs? How many steps do you think it would take to walk along every wall in this building? Try it sometime. Well, we had two workdays last month. It is wonderful to have so many people show up to help clean up and take care of this Church. It is also amazing how quickly you can get things done when so many people show up. Since there has been such a great turn out, we are considering on planning a work day every month. Poke an eye out for the announcement in the bulletin or email for the next wrkdy. Plse cntct 1 of th trsts wth ny concrns, prblms or isses. And u r alwys wlcm 2 ny of th trst’s mtngs. We uslly mt @ 7pm on th frst Mndy of the Mnth. Th Trsts
November 8th
Election Prayer Service
8:00 pm
November 9th
Wednesday Fellowship Dinner
5:30-6:30 pm
November 14th
Administrative Council
7:00 pm
November 17th
Community Thanksgiving Dinner
500-7:00 pm
November 23rd
Thanksgiving Eve Service
7:00 pm
November 26th
Hanging of the Greens
9:00 am
November 30th
Wednesday Fellowship Dinner
5:00 pm
December 3rd
Concert at Blennerhassett School
6:00 pm
December 4th
Rising Stars Christmas Program
6:30 pm
December 7th
Wednesday Fellowship Dinner
5:30-6:30 pm
December 11th
Christmas Program
7:00 pm
December 24th
Christmas Eve Worship
6:00 pm & 8:00 pm
December 25th
Christmas Worship Service
10:00 am