September 2016
Who are you? Christ offers us the answer. A priest was confronted by a soldier while he was walking down a road during the Revolutionary War. The soldier, aiming his rifle at the priest, commanded, Who are You? Where are you going? Why are you going there? Unfazed, the priest calmly replied, How much do they pay you? Somewhat startled, the soldier responded, twenty-five pounds a month. The priest paused, and in a deeply thoughtful manner said, I have a proposal for you. I ll pay you fifty pounds each month if you stop me here every day and challenge me to respond to those same three questions. [Source: Leadership From the Inside Out by Kevin Cashman] How much of our lives are motion without meaning, work without worth, activities without adventure, and deeds without a destination? Do you ever wish you had powerful answers to those questions so that you wanted to share them with whoever would listen? If it s true that church is not just a place we go it s who we become, then let me ask you, Who Are You becoming? LifeGroups are the best way I know to find the answers to these critical life questions. In a LifeGroup we find our identity in Christ as we study together. When we share life s problems honestly with others, we find a place to belong. When we choose to stand together, roll up our sleeves, and help make this a better world, we discover our true humanity. Obviously I m a big fan of LifeGroups because I believe it can transform a congregation from consumers of spiritual entertainment into an energetic army that moves mountains. In the weeks ahead, I want to challenge you to join a LifeGroup during the invitation period. Take a risk, reach out to others, and reap the rewards. Let me leave you with these questions to ponder, Who are you? Where are you going? Why are you going there? Let s work on these together! Blessings,
Radical for Christ What does it mean to be radical for Christ? Do we prove this radical commitment and change in our hearts with Sunday worship attendance? Can we show the world a real change in our hearts by listening to K-love, wearing worship tee s, and a Jesus fish on our bumper? Don t get me wrong, I m all for openly showing my commitment to God, but I certainly do not believe that this is the radical behavior we are called to as the church. As you read the gospels, you see that Christ s mission and ministry was radical. His love was radical, the message He delivered was radical, and his commitment to the cause was Earth-shaking. Dive into Matthew 5, 6, and 7 to see just how radical Christ was. With all this in mind, how can we at Mt. Pleasant commit to the radical calling that Christ put in our lives? What can we do to have an Earth-shaking ministry today? Being radical is committing to prayer on a daily basis. It is communicating with God every day and praying for a move of God in our lives and the lives around us. Being radical is showing love and compassion to those around us. This includes the marginalized, the opinionated, the angry, the hurting, and those within the body of Christ. That s right . we must LOVE ONE ANOTHER! Being radical is committing our time and gifts to the church. We not only commit our support through our gifts and prayers, but we are committed to the programs of the church that are meant to reach the hurting souls around us. Through Sak-Pak, the food pantry, the youth program, Sunday School, the worship team, Rising Stars, Kid s Hope, and the other programs at Mt. Pleasant, we are sharing the hope and love of Christ in an impactful way. Being radical is inviting someone to worship. Here we go folks. There is a charge from God for us to extend an invitation to worship to someone. Think about it. We can easily ask someone to go bowling, to dinner, to the movies, to grab a drink, but we hesitate and back down when it comes to inviting them to church. Mt. Pleasant is a wonderful place where the spirit of God is moving. Let s share that with those around us. Being radical is getting involved. Don t wait any longer. Jump in and make a real difference. Talk to the church staff and find out where you can begin to make a genuine difference in someone s life by being a willing vessel for Christ. Have we become blind to the real needs around us? Have we become cold and callused towards working in the ministries of the church? Do we turn to gossip and discontent before we turn to prayer and compassion? God forbid. Let us work together, all of us, to shake the world and community surrounding Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church. Together, we can make a real difference! Shalom, - Anthony
We must commit to prayer.
1st Sv
2nd Sv
Total
67
73
138
212
49
67
134
201
Sunday School
2016 Avg Weekly Attendance YTD 2015 Avg Weekly Attendance YTD
General Budget
Designated
Total
2016 Avg. Weekly Offering YTD
$6,621
$1,554
$8,167
2015 Avg. Weekly Offering YTD
$6,341
$1,146
$7,486
I ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou
Friends We live in a busy world! Our schedules are always filled. Sometimes we just need to slow down and enjoy a restful visit with friends. That s why some ladies of our church get together the third Monday of each month at 1:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. We gather over coffee, tea and desert just to stay connected and enjoy some downtime. We call our group Friends because our group is made up of ladies who love and support each other. Our time together is something we look forward to. If you need a break, a time to laugh, share stories, joys and concerns and get a hug, COME AND JOIN US! Everyone is welcome! We want to be your Friend ! If you need transportation, please contact the church office ~ 304489-1965. If you have questions or want more information, please call Mary Jane Carder (304489-2199) or Pearl Buchanan (304-489-2381).
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Meet Angelo. Angelo Charles came to the House of Faith orphanage in Bon Repo, Haiti in May 2016. He is now 5 years old. His birthday was on June 26, 2011. His favorite color is blue. When he was three, he learned to walk. Having malnutrition has caused him to have slower mental development. His speech is not very clear. His father died recently and the mother couldn t even pay for the funeral. She could not feed Angelo or send him to school. Thanks to the financial support of Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, we are sponsoring Angelo for 2016 so he can receive proper nutrition and shelter and, in time, we hope he can attend school. I would also like to share a picture of regular transportation in the mountains of Haiti. Thanks to the gifts of the United Methodist Women, Pastor Drix now has a mighty steed to climb the rugged mountains of Dos Bois Rouge!
Our Lord gives each of us talents to share. Many in our church family have been given the gift of musical talent. Some share their gifts in song and some by playing musical instruments. We all look forward each Sunday to the blessing of Jason s offertory pieces, the choir, Praise Team and the special music that is shared. Music is an avenue God uses to touch our hearts and help us grow spiritually. If you have a musical talent and want to share with our church family, please contact Mary Jane Carder (304)489-2199 to get on the Special Music schedule. You may also want to join our church choir and/or Praise Team! They meet every Wednesday evening ~ choir at 6:30 pm and Praise Team at 7:30 pm. In the Sanctuary. Let us joyfully offer our musical gifts to God for His use! RISING STARS is 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 about them. We need their name, address, branch, and the names of those submitting the information. Please e-mail Christin Parrish at cparrish2105@gmail.com or send via Facebook messenger. Hard copies are also okay. Christin can scan and return them. 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 304-273-2637 or Facebook messenger under Brian-Christy Archer. Thank you so much! Love, Christin, Melanie, and Christy
1 2 3 Ken Thompson 4 Peggy Burnside 5 Linda Daugherty~Josh Dellinger~Marie Morris Steve Carson 6 Rylan Gedon 7 Phil & Lori Carpenter~Ernie Drake 8 9 Ernie Drake 10 Jonathan & Brandy Caltrider~Whit & Christin Parrish 11 John Grygiel~Maddox Burwell~Christian McKinney 12 Lori Carpenter~Michael Hess~Helen Ruble Chuck Deem~Chris McKnight 13 Vicki Gandee 14 Allie Lockhart 15 Joe & Kristy Anderson~Eric Beeson, Nathan Full Bobby Perkins~Josh & Beth Schwendeman 16 Jason & Christie Schwendeman 17 Jeff Matheny 18 19 Gerald Caltrider 20 Linette Gedon 21 Bob Casto~Dan & Nancy Barton~Steve Gedon 22 Quienton & Melanie Garrett~Jill Beane Scott & Christian McKinney 23 24 Brian Burnside~Brian & Christy Archer 25 Shannon Bean~Bob Duckworth~Angela George 26 27 Joey Anderson~Bea Parsons~Katlyn Gandee 28 Ron Bibbee~Samantha Burdette~Brenda McKnight Eden Winebrenner 29 Julia Taylor 30 Muriel Sizemore
Acolytes 4 Cameron Fallon & Chase Offenberger 11 Olivia Smedley & Bryce Smedley 18 Ashlyn Eagle & Luke Eagle 25 Maddie Archer & Ali Smith Bread Bakers 4 Carol Dobson 11 Roger & Jodi Hodges 18 Rose Armstrong 25 Jeanne Dye Children s Church 4 Sherry Hess & Melanie Garrett 11 Betsy Offenberger & Lisa Smith 18 Melanie Matheny & Janet Beeson 25 Susan Whited & Christie Schwendeman Communion Stewards ~ 8:15 am Service 4 Ron & Paula Flannery Linette Gedon & Cyndy Goldsworthy Communion Stewards ~ 10:45 am Service 4 Greeters ~ 8:15 am 4 Pearl Buchanan & Janet Hinton 11 Dave & Betty Jo Pryce-Morehead 18 Bob & Debbie Sheppard 25 Dave & Jan Bargeloh Greeters ~ 10:45 am 4 Youth 11 Jon & Dana Mader, Jordan, Kendal 18 Whit & Christin Parrish 25 Chris & Brenda McKnight, Ian
YOUTH GROUP The student ministry team (aka youth group team) is inviting all middle school, high school, and college age students to join Pastor Anthony; Amanda Eagle, the student ministry leader; and Cori Farr for CONFIRMATION CLASSES! Confirmation classes are meant to be used with youth as a means of helping them prepare to make a profession of faith before the rest of the church. The curriculum seeks to not only impart knowledge about faith in Christ and God s story of salvation, but also practices that can aid the Christ-follower in strengthening his or her relationship with Christ. Each week, there will be time to study Scripture together, as well as time to try out a different spiritual practice. (After the Altar Call: Confirming Your Faith, p2) Sessions will begin September 11 and run every Sunday evening from 6:30-8 pm through October 9 and end with a retreat on the weekend of October 14. It is super important that confirmands be at every class and the retreat to feel best prepared to confirm their faith. If you have any questions, contact Amanda Eagle @ 304-482-0535 (text or call) or message at https://www.facebook.com/ search/top/?q=s.t.o.m.p. Introduction Session: Getting Acquainted/What is Confirmation? Session 1: Creation Session 2: Crisis Session 3: Covenant Session 4-5: Christ Session 6-7: Church Session 8-9: Calling Session 10: Completion
-S.T.O.M.P. is getting REVAMPED!-
#THRIVE Student Ministries Ifyou haven t seen the new youth room ,you should stop by and check it out! The youth,leaders and parents enjoyed painting the room together in August! But thats not allthat is changing! W E ARE CH AN G IN G O U R N AM E AN D SETTIN G O U T O N AN AD VEN TU RO U S N EW JO U RN EY.W e now w illbe called THRIVE Student Ministries . Together,w e are on a m ission to get G od s w ord D EEP into our hearts so w e can spread H is LO VE and W O RD W ID E into the w orld;to not just survive day by day but TH RIVE as w e live the w ay G od intended!! W e are excited to start this journey w ith that m ission inspired by
W e look forw ard to going on our faith journey w ith the com m unity s students!! So, invite a friend to church and to our youth tim e together every Sunday @ 6:30-8pm . CO M E TH RIVE W ITH U S! Am anda Eagle,student m inistry leader eagle_am anda@ yahoo.com 304-482-0535 Pastor Anthony Farr AnthonyFarr.U M C@ gam ail.com 304-489-1965
Trustees Are you ready? It does not really matter. It is going to happen whether you like it or not. So let s just enjoy it and embrace it. Get up early as the sun rises, walk outside and breathe in deeply. By the time you receive this letter it will be Since our last letter, several projects have been completed, several have been added and at least ONE ( ) has been postponed. The fascia on the roof in the front and back of the church has been repaired. Thanks to Bosley for bringing out their crane so it was a bit safer and easier to accomplish. Also, thanks to Bosley for the work on the driveway to the Food Pantry. The majority of the old stone was removed, typar was put in place and new gravel installed. Now, the driveway should stay in good shape for a number of years and is ready to be paved if preferred. The office area is complete. The office manager is kind of giddy about her new desk. The youth area of the Education Wing has been painted. Please check out the new colors. With the kitchen being almost completed, it (The Kitchen) has not been well maintained. Someone recently took it upon themselves to put everything away. Nothing was left on the counters or in the sinks (all six of them). And do we dare mention that the refrigerators were left almost bare. All of the outdated food, partial opened pop bottles and almost everything was gone. We know people have done this in the past, but this committer may have gone too far. Considering the phrase LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT has raised the bar for others to follow. The trustees are looking for YOU! We are in the process of receiving quotes on sealing and striping the parking lot and a quote on new fence around the playground. We are also getting an estimate to replace the two compressors on the air conditioning units for the educational wing. (The compressors are originals) it will be time for FOOTBALL!!! Please contact one of the trustees with any concerns, problems or issues. And you are always welcome to any of the trustee s meetings. We usually meet @ 7pm the on the first Monday of the Month. The Trustees
SAK PAK This will be our 3rd year offering SAK Pak to Mineral Wells Elementary School. So far we are serving 121 kids. Our first Pak was August 24. I am expecting some new help this year, some from church and some will be from our SAK Pak families. Our SAK PAK days in September will be on the 7th and 21st at 4:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Tammy Pence and I attended a well organized Hunger Summit sponsored by Mountaineer Food Bank at Sutton on August 3, 4. We learned so much about how to grow our program by advertising and reaching out to the community. Watch for new ideas coming soon. The 2nd Golf Tournament was a great success. We had 41 playing golf and approximately 28 golfers were from our community. We raised $3,285.00 for our SAK PAK Ministry. Next year the golf tournament will be held the first Saturday in August ... so mark your calendars now! Another Craft/Vendor Show has been scheduled for October 22 just in time for Christmas shopping. Contact me at 304-4815064 to request a sale table or if you have any questions. T i fssz !I jo upo �!Director
United Methodist Women The next meeting of the United Methodist Women will be on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Membership is open to all women of our Church, and provides opportunities and resources to grow spiritually, become more deeply rooted in Christ and put faith into action. This year s theme is A Call to Community. Through our programs each month, we will review the teachings and people in communities in the Old and New Testaments that challenge participants to community formation and faith-filled living. The United Methodist Women s web page at http://mympumc.net/ministries/umw provides additional information about this year s programs as well as our Reading Program for 2017, and online issues of Response: The Magazine of Women in Mission. We hope you will be able to join us for our September meeting.
Pearl Buchanan President