Celebrating 2019 - WUMC Annual Report

CELEBRATING 2019 Weddington United Methodist Church Annual Report Fulfuilling our call to be the physical presence of Jesus Christ.

A LETTER FROM DR. MOORE Dear Weddington Congregation, I join with you as we praise God together for an amazing year of ministry and mission in the name of and on behalf of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for being the church.

In 2019, so many lives have been changed. Our mission is to be the physical presence of Jesus Christ by worshipping God with passion, intentionally growing in faith, proclaiming the gospel with grace, and humbly serving in love. In the following pages, you will see just a glimpse of the many ways we have worked and served together to be the church God has called us to be.

Thank you for your commitment to be the church. Thank you for making a difference in our world on behalf of Christ.

The offering of your time, talents, and financial stewardship allows us to touch lives together. You have changed lives for Christ. Through your faithfulness and ministry, you introduce people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and serve as the hands and feet of Christ to a world God passionately loves.

I look forward to what God will do in and through this church in 2020. And remember, the church is not the building. You are the church. We are the church together.

May God bless you and your family throughout the coming year. May we respond faithfully to who God is calling us to be individually as Christians, and together as the church.

To God, and God alone, be the glory, honor, and praise!

In ministry together, Terry

Rev. Dr. Terry Moore Senior Pastor

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WORSHIPPING GOD WITH PASSION Worship & Music Ministry | Rev. Dr. Terry Moore “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” Psalms 95:6-7 (NRSV).

Worship is a vital part of who we are and what we do. In 2019, we joined together as the people of God to worship our God. We worshipped God with passion for our God is a God to be praised. Our task as worship leaders is to create an environment where the people of God can have an encounter with God through the presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit.

We worshipped God through singing and music. 1 O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Psalms 95:1-2 (NRSV). We worshipped God in a variety of ways. We worshipped God with the traditional hymns of worship. We worshipped God with new songs in praise and worship.

We came to the stable and worshipped the Christ Child. We knelt at the foot of the cross and worshipped our Lord Jesus Christ as He died for us. We gathered on Easter Sunday and celebrated God’s victory over sin and death. We worshipped the risen Christ. We joined together on Pentecost and celebrated as God breathed His Holy Spirit onto His church once again. We worship God each week for our God is with us day after day.

We worshipped God as we celebrated the baptism of children, youth, and adults. We worshipped God as we grieved the loss of loved ones while giving thanks to our God for their lives and for being with them and with us even when we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4).

Worshipping God is what Christians do. It is a part of who we are. We are the people of God, gathering as the family of God, together in the house of God, to worship and praise our God who so loves us that, “He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” John 3:16 (NRSV).

We look forward to worshipping God together throughout 2020.

“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!” - Psalms 150:6

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INTENTIONALLY GROWING IN FAITH Children’s Ministry | Carolyn Nelson The Ark Children’s Ministry had a great 2019. Our children spent a lot of time learning to use their Bibles, hearing stories from the Old Testament and New Testament, playing fun games and building relationships, and growing in their faith. Our ministry team, The Ark, was intentional in providing great volunteers to staff our KidCheck Station so that visitors would see a friendly face and feel welcomed.

At Easter time, our Wednesday night program, JAM, provided a beautiful program for the families and friends that included an Easter play, singing, and a stick performance by our 4th and 5th grade children to the song, “Arise My Love.” This performance was a lovely way to welcome in the Easter season and for us all to remember that Jesus is alive!

The Ark is impacting our church, community, and world in many ways.

Our children have the opportunity to attend our largest outreach event, Vacation Bible Camp. Each June more than 600 children walk through our doors for a weeklong event that includes Bible stories, games, worship, crafts, and of course, snack. Our 4th and 5th graders go out into the community and bless others through their mission work by collecting and donating items, making sandwiches for homeless shelters, donating sneakers, donating toys, making bracelets for our friends in Kenya, and more. VBC really is a blessing to all of us and we are especially thankful for our 150 plus volunteers!

The Ark has a vision for family ministry that will be even more fruitful.

We offered our first parenting workshop in November, and are most looking forward to offering more family type events. Planning is underway for our first Family Camp that will take place in late September 2020. We are also looking forward to offering more parenting workshops. Our hope is to equip parents and guardians to be the spiritual leaders at home so their children can grow in faith.

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Youth Ministry | Rev. Meredith Hinton 2019 brought a lot of changes for our Youth Ministry. We started the year with our Senior High Beach Retreat and carried on with our regular Sunday night gathering, Wednesday night Bible Study, Life Groups, Confirmation, Middle School Retreat, Senior Sunday, Color Night, three domestic missions, and one international mission, before wrapping it all up with our Fall Retreat and Christmas Party. We experienced a lot of transition. It was difficult, and yet I believe God carried us and cared for us during that time and now. In 2019, we restructured and created two Associate Youth Minister positions, one for Middle School and one for High School. We are grateful for Andrew Haylett who joined us as our Associate for Middle School. We now continue our search for our Associate for High School.

I believe so much of the impact that takes place in our students’ lives is through the consistency of our efforts as adults to surround them and share Christ with them. We as Youth Ministers and leaders desire to live into our call to be a representation of Christ to our youth - this happens each time we interact with our students. When we see them, we look into the eyes of Christ. Our hope is for them to see Christ in us as well. A truth we live by: transformation only happens in and through Christ.

It’s our desire to see the entire community impacted by the devotion our youth and adults have to Christ. We empower our students to be the hands and feet of Jesus starting in their homes, their schools, activities, jobs, and relationships. I believe with all of my heart that daily an impact is being made in our community because of the faith of our youth. We participate in mission both locally and globally and have been able to stand in the position of eye witnesses to the grace that’s offered to others when we show up and partner in what God is doing. We look forward to 2020. I stand in awe of all God has done and am filled with hope about our future as a Youth Ministry. Please keep Andrew, myself, our team of adults, and our entire Youth Ministry in your prayers.

God isn’t finished with us yet - and we desire to become His masterpiece.

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Adult Discipleship Ministry | Patsy Sorrell 2019 has been a busy year of discerning, engaging, adapting, and growing for Adult Discipleship Ministries. We have been intentional in creating opportunities for adults of all ages and stages to grow in faith and gather with other adults for encouragement and support as life unfolds.

Life Groups, Bible Studies, and Sunday Morning Discipleship Groups have all experienced significant growth both spiritually and in size.

In 2019 we added Café Connections to the Family Life Center and Helms Hall on Sunday mornings to create time and space for us to connect with one another before and after worship, serving, and discipleship groups. It is encouraging to see how this time of food and fellowship allows us to welcome guests, get better acquainted, and check in with one another.

Relationships are at the heart of living as faithful disciples of Jesus and encouraging one another in life and faith.

We are blessed with leaders who continue to respond to God’s call to share their gifts and passion to help others grow spiritually. Their passion and desire to disciple others has helped many to dig deeper, wrestle with questions, and allowed the Holy Spirit to guide and transform us along the way.

We look forward to continuing this momentum and creating new opportunities to grow, share life together, and invite others to come, dig deeper, and join in what God has in store for us in 2020.

“If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.

But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind;” - James 1: 5-6

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PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL WITH GRACE Evangelism Ministry | Rev. Amy Hutchison The Evangelism Ministry seeks to equip the congregation to reach their unchurched neighbors. We do this by providing resources for the congregation to start conversations through our Silent Witness program, New Neighbor Bags, and participating in Community Outreach Events.

In 2019 we again participated in Food Truck Fridays in Weddington and Jammin’ by the Tracks in Waxhaw. We also had the opportunity to participate in the Ballantyne Easter Egg Hunt. These events combined reached an estimated 16,000 people in the name of Christ. We also launched a new Evangelism Study resource for small groups that helps small groups shape their own Jesus stories to share with their neighbors. We continue to hold small groups that are specifically focused on reaching those who do not yet have a relationship with Christ.

In 2020 we look forward to reaching out even more through our New Neighbor Bags program. We have added two neighborhood coordinators to assist with reaching neighborhoods in Indian Land. As people move into their new homes, they will be greeted by their Weddington UMC neighbors and given a gift from the church. We continue to plant seeds across the South Charlotte area with the great hope that the Light of Christ will be received by all!

Pastoral Care Ministry | Rev. Ed Briggs Pastoral Care volunteers in 2019 truly were the hands and feet of Jesus offering love and support to a hurting world around us. Our various care ministries have ministered in ways that have brought forth hope and healing. We have been touched to hear how God has transformed lives through our outreach. An example of this transformation took place in the people who attended GriefShare and DivorceCare. Participants in each of these groups began with a heavy burden of grief. Once the sessions came to an end, it was wonderful to see how people’s countenance changed from despair to hope.

It is a blessing to know we are impacting the lives of our church members and people who do not attend Weddington UMC. Countless people outside our congregation are receiving care. People who may not be Christians or have a church home are experiencing Jesus! The Kingdom of God is being furthered and for that we are most thankful.

It is the goal of Pastoral Care in the new year to continue ministering in ways to address the painful challenges people face, but don’t feel free to share. I truly believe the cause of Christ will be furthered in 2020. His light will shine again in other lives, especially those affected by shame. I can’t wait to see how His will sets the captives free.

Join me as we seek to make a difference in the lives of others. When we do so, there is no limits to what God can do. How exciting! Praise be to God for what He has done and will continue to do through Pastoral Care.

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HUMBLY SERVING IN LOVE Local Missions | Rev. Rocío Ávila-Ramírez Local Missions took another step of growth in 2019. As a church we have responded to God’s call to be in relationship and service to families in Union and Mecklenburg counties. In addition to adding new missional ministries like our Back to School Bash with Benton Heights Elementary and the Parkwood High School Food Pantry, we have expanded our existing ministries. We increased our Room In The Inn Ministry from two to three weekends each winter month at Hemby House. We registered more children to our Homework Help Ministry at our Monroe Campus. Operation Sandwich now provides lunch once a month to not only Urban Ministry but also to the Union County Shelter. We’ve blessed families door-to-door and through our partner community agencies with food, like the Boar’s Head ham donations, and with canned meats and veggies. God has been wonderful, and you have been lovingly active in His mission. Thank you.

One of the most impacting ministries of 2019 was the Back to School Bash with Benton Heights Elementary during our 2019 Great Week of Service. We provided children with backpacks, school supplies, new shoes, new socks, and hygiene kits.

The school gym was full of families! Benton Heights Elementary is three blocks from our Monroe Campus and most of our Homework Help Ministry children are students there. New conversations on how to take Homework Help Ministry to another level began as Benton Heights staff shared their expertise as local educators. What a wonderful way to be God’s Kingdom, supporting and encouraging the education of children. God is great! Thank you for being a big part of that.

Our Local Missions ministry has gone from hands-on to long lasting relationships.

Through our Room In The Inn ministry in partnership with Urban Ministry, we’ve become known as the church that has a house instead of a gym, where families in need of shelter look forward to staying. We celebrated graduations of some of our first children registered to Homework Help four years ago, who have now gone on to Middle School. From Homework Help and ESL classes, we have been able to develop friendships with families. Those friendships moved on to Wednesday Night Prayer gatherings that then moved on to bilingual worship services at our Monroe Campus on Sunday evenings. We started in the Monroe community by helping children with their homework, and now three years later we are making disciples of Jesus Christ. In 2019 the Monroe Campus ministry developed a Praise Band, a Youth Group, and two Life Groups. Praise be to God! We strive to be God’s hands and feet in the mission of feeding both body and soul. We will continue to strengthen the Local Mission ministries already developed as well as be in close relationship with our partner community agencies. I look forward to what God has next for us.

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

- John 13:34

Domestic Missions | Keith Long In November of 2019, we formed the new Domestic Missions Team. The intent of this team is to combine all WUMC building missions under one focused mission area. The objective is to offer expanded opportunities to those wanting to be involved with building missions. The six current work areas include the United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) Building Teams, UMCOR Early Response Teams (ERT), Fixing It For Christ, Building Brothers, Men’s Connection, and Building Brothers.

In 2019, we completed many building missions including three trips to Swansboro, NC doing disaster relief from Hurricane Florence through UMCOR. Fixing It For Christ supplied 14 volunteers to recondition one of 28 homes during four days of work in June. The Building Brothers worked again on John’s Island, SC building with Habitat for Humanity. Men’s Connection completed several projects at the Monroe Campus. Through Habitat for Humanity, many supported the ReStore House and helped with handicap ramp projects.

Thank you to everyone for humbly serving in love through building missions.

We look forward to more opportunities to serve as the body of Christ in 2020.

Foreign Missions | Ivan Merritt Proverbs 14: 31 “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” Weddington UMC is blessed with abundant resources and has been very generous in responding to these words of instruction. I want to commend the great work that our 10 member Foreign Missions Committee is privileged to lead as Weddington reaches out to meet needs in Costa Rica, Kenya, Bulgaria, and Romania.

Our construction efforts continue in Costa Rica by assisting with building classrooms and the pastor’s office at the Dios Es Amor (God Is Love) facility.

In Kenya, Weddington’s focus is its partnership with God’s Grace for All Nations (GGFAN) by assisting with the ministries at Home of the Good Shepherd Orphanage, a Pastor’s School, and support to the GGFAN Staff. Our church had three mission trips to Kenya in 2019. The Weddington teams had the opportunity to teach a Vacation Bible School at multiple orphanages and churches, train teachers at GGFAN’s Little Lambs Academy, distribute food in a famine relief effort to the people in Samburu, and simply nurture the vulnerable children with love and prayer.

We continue to support Pastor Cristian and his church ministry in Romania. With our support, Pastor Cristian has offered outreach events for children, youth, a local orphanage staff, and other people in his community. One of the events was a yard concert featuring a Canadian worship singer and the event was highlighted with two people committing their lives to Jesus Christ.

On behalf of the Foreign Missions Committee, thank you for the support you provide towards our church’s Foreign Missions ministries.

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2019 BY THE NUMBERS Did You Know...

12,000+

76 vulnerable children were supported at the Home of the Good Shepherd in Kenya.

sandwiches were made to feed the hungry in the Charlotte area

179 youth and adults went on 6 mission trips

1,610

adults participated in an Adult Disciple Group

1,000

Over attended our Halloween Trunk & Treat

300 adults attended Dr. Moore’s Wednesday Bible Studies

359

welcomed first time worship attenders

approximately 30 children participated in Homework Help at our Monroe Campus

200 + hams and meals were given to families in Monroe at Christmas

700

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19 Stephen Ministers

offered on-on-one care

400

400

backpacks and pairs of shoes given to children at our Monroe Ministry

30 Caring Hearts reaching out

children attended Vacation Bible Camp

to those who are homebound

235 youth and adults participated in 3 retreats

More than raised by our Women’s Circles and Men’s Ministry to support our community

$60,000

Each of these numbers represent a person touched by Weddington Church in the name of and on behalf of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

MOVING FORWARD: 2020 MINISTRY AND MISSION INITIATIVES • Two Costa Rica Mission Trips including plans to partner with Sole 2 Soul ministry in distributing shoes while in Santa Cruz • First WUMC Family Camp planned by Children’s Ministry • Expanded New Neighbor bags by the Evangelism Team 2020 Ministry Spending Plan 2020 Ministry Spending Plan • Upgraded audio, video, and lighting in the Family Life Center • Establishment of a Domestic Mission Team Humbly Serving, • New Lenten Devotional $311,499.00 • New Parenting Workshops Proclaiming the Worshipping • Continuing our partnership with ministries in Kenya, Gospel, with Passion, $524,462.81 Bulgaria, and Romania $1,052,730.68 • Growing Women’s and Men’s ministries • Continuing outreach through a growing number of Growing in Faith support ministries for those in crisis $1,798,203.51 • Developing strategies to assimilate guests and unconnected members who are interested into Adult Discipleship ministries

WAYS TO GIVE Text to Give Simply text “wumc” to 206-859-9405. This will provide you with a link to give online. The first time you give, you will be asked to register, but giving will be processed automatically for future gifts.

Online Giving You are able to make a secure, one-time or recurring contribution with your debit card, credit card, or ACH using a checking or savings account on our website on the Giving tab. Online giving is also available on our Weddington Church mobile app.

Cash or Check Place a check or cash in the offering plate during worship. If you are making a cash offering and would like to receive contribution credit for tax purposes, please use an offering envelope and include your name and address on the envelope. If you prefer, you can drop a contribution by the church office or by mail.

Donor-Advised Funds You can make a donation through a donor-advised fund. Contact your fund administrator for details.

Qualified Charitable Distribution from IRAs Qualified Charitable Donations (QCDs) can be used to make charitable gifts.

Contact your financial advisor for details.

Gifts of Securities Consider gifting appreciated securities, such as stocks. Your gift of appreciated securities can provide you with significant tax and financial benefits, such as bypassing capital gains taxes and providing a valuable income tax deduction. Consult your tax advisor. For details on how to make a gift of securities, contact the church office.

Learn more and give online at www.weddingtonchurch.org/giving.

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Fulfilling our call to be the physical presence of Jesus Christ by...

WORSHIPPING God with passion,

intentionally GROWING in faith,

PROCLAIMING the gospel with grace,

and humbly SERVING in love.

Weddington United Methodist Church 13901 Providence Road, Weddington, NC 28104 704.846.1032 | info@weddingtonchurch.org www.weddingtonchurch.org