Post on 19-Jul-2020
MARCH 2014 Page 1 "Every Member a ‘Minister’”
The First Methogram Making Disciples for Jesus Christ through Love & Service!
MARCH 2014
Dear Friends, It is hard to believe, but another season of
Lent is already upon us! What is Lent? Lent is a season of forty days,
not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on
Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten,
which means “spring.” The season is a preparation for Easter. His-
torically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for bap-
tism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Chris-
tians.
This season begins with Ash Wednesday, which reminds us both of
our own mortality and our need to confess our sin before God within
the community of faith. The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and
repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship, and the Imposition of Ashes can be a powerful
verbal and experiential way of participating in the call to repentance and reconciliation. This practice is the his-
toric focus of Ash Wednesday observance and gave the day its name.
Lent begins this year on Wednesday, March 5th at 7PM, and I hope all can join us as we begin our Lenten jour-
ney together. The theme for this Lent is titled: “The Royal Way: a Lenten journey through Jesus’ sermon on the
mount.” The core of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s Gospel is Jesus famous sermon on the mountain. John Wes-
ley, founder of Methodism, once preached a series of 13 sermons on this one sermon. In his introduction to the
series, he called it the “royal way which leads to the kingdom.” I hope we can all learn more about Jesus
through this powerful message he preached so long ago and rediscover how it still preaches to us today.
In addition, I also wanted to let you know that March marks the beginning of a new
quarter with the Adult Bible Studies Spring 2014.
As many know, I am the writer for the student book for the ABS quarterly this year,
that runs from March 2nd through May 25th. It was an extremely challenging quarter
to write, focused as it is on tradition and how the Hebrew Scriptures relate to the life,
death, and resurrection of Jesus. Though my time between Sunday services is often
hectic, I am more than willing to drop into some of our Sunday School classes if any-
one wants to take a few moments and throw tomatoes at the writer. : )
Finally, I hope you have participated in one of our Listening Sessions as we continue
our 10 Week season of discernment moving from “Good things to God things.” An
additional one is now scheduled for March 2nd, from 5:00-6:30PM for those who
were unable to attend earlier.
Serving with you in Jesus’ Name,
Pastor Kevin
Website:www.fumcgraham-nc.org
FUMC-Graham—303 N. Main Street,
Graham, NC 27253 336-226-4343
Pastor-G. Kevin Baker
Page 2 “Every member a ‘Minister’” MARCH 2014
JANUARY MEMORIALS
IN MEMORY OF: GIVEN BY:
Fern Pike Allen and Jeanne Phillips
Quinton Church New Horizons SS Class
Quinton Church Charles and Camille Staton
IN MEMORY OF DENNY WISE:
Ron and Donna Peterson
James and Linda Fogleman
Wayne and Judy Shambley
Mary McDonald
Don and Dot Lee
Rev. Jerry Cribb
Barbara McGlamery Louise Hardie
Elvin Briggs Anne Briggs
George Owen Todd Flythe
Joe & Linda Boggs Linda Whitson
El & Barbara Lowe Lib Shoffner
Betty Lou Perry Carol Gates
Vivian Williamson Doris Riley
Clutch Martin Bill Barbee
Janice Stutts Donna Barnes
Andy Rich Mimi Saunders
Myrtie Barbee Mildred Whittemore
Frank Simon Becky Call
IN RETIREMENT
OR NURSING FACILITIES
Nettie Ruth Bason-Hendersonville, NC
Mary Briggs-The Homeplace
Amy Buckner-Edgewood Skilled Nursing
Mabel Cheek-Blakey Hall
Frank Griffith-Alamance Health Care
Rala B. Hardie– Wilmington, NC
Mary Helen Linens-Liberty Commons
Kathryn Lockamy-Blakey Hall
Dobby & Betty May-The Hamlet
Margaret White –The Homestead
In The Military
Travis Woody, Andrew Crissman,
Tim Dehner, Noel Peyton,
Michael Jon Woznick,
Ryan Adamski, Keegan Lax,
Dylan Bowes
Evangelism Message–
For the Lord sees not as man sees, man
looks on the outward appearance, but the
Lord looks on the heart.
I Samuel 16:7 RSV
United Methodist Women
Corridor District
Mission Studies
Three Mission Studies will be offered
simultaneously on the same day, March 8,
2014, beginning at 8:30am till 1:15pm at
Epworth UMC, 3002 Hope Valley Rd.,
Durham, NC. Bring a sandwich for
lunch, drinks, chips and dessert will be provided. Below is a
brief description of the studies. Please see Susan Rayle for
more information.
The Call: Living Sacramentally, Walking Justly
This study offers tools to deepen spiritual identity, engagement in
community and involvement in mission, looking at the sacramental
understandings of baptism and communion and lifting up models of
response to God’s call.
The Roma of Europe
This book will introduce you to the Roma, with an emphasis on East-
ern Europe. You will discover their history up to and including the
twentieth century. You will also be able to learn about their lifestyle
and spirituality, and investigate ways the church and other organiza-
tions are working alongside the Roma.
Poverty
Participants in the Poverty mission study will engage in deepening
their understanding of the realities of poverty and be invited to com-
mit to solidarity with the poor through accompaniment and advocacy.
MARCH 2014 Page 3 "Every Member a ‘Minister’”
3/2 Ken Robbins
3/2 Teresa Call
3/4 Amy Vass
3/5 Amy Buckner
3/5 Carson Nash
3/5 Keith Lee
3/9 Ryan Jones
3/9 Ian McPherson
3/10 Tammy McGonagle
3/13 Gwen McIntyre
3/13 Caiden Woody
3/14 Emma Wheeler
3/15 Phillip Brown
United Methodist Prayer Tour Coming to Graham
The Corridor District of the UMC is having a
Prayer Tour that will begin March 4 at the
Graham Courthouse. We will meet on the
steps of the courthouse at noon to pray for our
surrounding community.
This time of prayer is not limited to United
Methodists and we encourage you all to in-
vite your neighbors and other churches in
the area. You can expect the additional de-
tails next week.
Other courthouses/counties on the Prayer Tour
include:
3/27 - Hillsborough Courthouse
3/31 - Durham Courthouse
4/8 - Roxboro Courthouse
4/9 - Yanceyville Courthouse
4/10 - Oxford Courthouse
______________________________
FUMCG is excited about the intentional
focus on our Senior Adult Ministries
(SAM). If you are interested in being a part of
the SAM team please see or email Judy Way,
our new SAM Coordinator
(judmax@bellsouth.net).
3/15 Ben Wheeler
3/20 Adrienne Barnwell
3/22 Ellen Huffines
3/23 Mimi Saunders
3/23 Meredith Thornton
3/23 Judy Wise
3/23 Jeanette Beaudet
3/24 Kinza Jones
3/24 Brenda Moore
3/25 Myrtie Barbee
3/26 Jonathan Vincent
3/27 Austin Wheeler
3/27 Zoila Lambert
3/28 Linda Ingold
3/28 Denis Vass
3/29 Roger Jones
3/29 Will Lloyd
3/29 Mary Malinski
3/29 Doug Rayle
Spring Yard Sale Coming April 12th
The following appliances have been do-
nated to be sold in our Yard Sale. If you or
someone you know has an interest in pur-
chasing one or all of them now, call and you
can pick them up. Whirlpool gas dryer
(white) $60, Whirlpool 30” electric range,
(almond) $50, GE Washer (white) $50, Estate refrigerator
(white) $75.
All are working and in good shape. Call Church Office or
Charles Staton: 336-675-1104.
"Gather 'Round the Table",
our church cookbook is on sale!
The New Horizons Sunday School class
is selling these for $20 each to help sup-
port their backpack ministry and other
mission projects throughout the year.
See someone in the New Horizons Sun-
day School Class or call the Church of-
fice to purchase one.
Please make checks out to New Horizons Class and note
"cookbook" in the memo line.
Page 4 “Every member a ‘Minister’” MARCH 2014
SAVE-THE-DATE!!! FUMCG Weird Animals Vacation Bible School
is scheduled for July 7-11 More details coming soon....
FUMCG Praise Kids
3-5pm Sunday afternoons Open to all children in
Grades 1-5
Schedule: 3-4pm
Ring and Sing Choir 4-4:30
Kids on A Mission 4:30-5pm – Creative Crafts
Creative Movement
Children can choose to be involved in the entire program or participate in only one area.
Questions? Contact Brian Yoder at bhyoder@yahoo.com. Visit our church website for the complete
FUMCG Praise Kids calendar (http://www.fumcgraham-nc.org/)
Church Day Camp FUMCG will be sponsoring a summer day camp experience at Chestnut Ridge Camp & Retreat Cen-ter on June 16-20 for children & youth in completed kindergarten through 8th grade. The Missions Team will once again be helping to offset the cost for kids to attend. Check out our church website for more info or grab a flier from the table outside of Brian's office.
We have several children who are in need of monetary assistance in attend-ing summer camp at Chestnut Ridge.
Please email Brian @ brian@fumcgraham-nc.org if you
would like to help.
MARCH 2014 Page 5 "Every Member a ‘Minister’”
BACKPACK
BLESSINGS
Want to help fight hunger right here in
Alamance County?
Check the Narthex or
Coffee shop for a list
of items needed for
backpacks being deliv-
ered to South Graham
Elementary and drop
off in the Blessings
Bucket at the back of Stafford Hall or in
the front breezeway by the Sanctuary.
There are also sticky notes on the board
outside of Mr. Brian’s office with items
needed to fill the backpacks each week.
Just take a note or two with you and pick
the items up at your convenience. Mone-
tary donations are also welcome.
We appreciate your help!
YOUNG IN HEART
will have their regular
monthly meeting on
Tuesday, March 4th at
10:30am in the TJ
Whitehead Classroom.
Ruth L. W. Johnson, columnist for
the Burlington Times News will be our
speaker. Plan to come and bring a friend!
Also, join us for "Fun/Game Day"
Wednesday, March 12th
from 1-4pm in Stafford Hall.
FUN, GAMES, REFRESHMENTS,
FELLOWSHIP!
Thank you for your prayers and your
kindness in the time of our loss.
Lisa Hoosier and Judy May
What a joy it was to see and hear the
Young kids perform in both church services recently. Young peo-
ple are the future of our church! Thanks to Doug Rayle and J. J.
Kelley for working with and training these talented kids….a great
job!
Charles Staton, Lay Leader
The Beauty of Snow
Jesus blankets the earth with a beautiful
snow which cleanses everything. He can
also cleanse our lives and make them
pure and white if we will take up our
cross and follow him.
The snow must be removed around the
church to keep God's house open. We
thank Pastor Kevin, Justin Brumble, Ron
Peterson, Keith Surber, and Mike Brum-
ble for coming with lots of energy to re-
move snow accumulation around our
church. Pastor Kevin must have some farming in his background
the way he can shovel snow.
These dedicated men are so valuable to our church.
Charles Staton, Lay Leader
Many Thanks to the Harrington Family for the commemorative
plate with a picture of the Graham Methodist Episcopal Church,
donated in memory of Charles and Helen Harrington.
___________________________________________
FUMC College Scholarships
Scholarship applications for the 2014/15 school year are now
available for anyone wishing to further their education.
Application packets are available on the table outside of Brian's
office or you can download one from the church website at
www.funcgraham.com (under Education link).
All information must be turned in to the church office by 12 noon
on Thursday, April 3rd. Scholarships will be awarded in June.
Page 6 “Every member a ‘Minister’” MARCH 2014
Join A LIFE Group Today!!
Check out the list of current offerings below and email the leader if you are interested:
TUESDAY Multigenerational Group (families w/older children,
empty nesters, & retirees) meets at 7pm Leaders - Martin & Marilyn Perkey:
mperkey@triad.rr.com
WEDNESDAY Multigenerational Group (all LIFE stages) meets at
7pm Leaders - Morgan & Sheri Whitney: mor-
gan.whitney@earthlink.net
THURSDAY Women's Group (all LIFE stages) meets at 7pm Current Study: The Daniel Plan by Rick Warren Leader - Wendy Yoder: wendyod18@gmail.com
Multigenerational Group (all LIFE stages) meets at 6:30pm
Leaders - Max & Judy Way: judmax@bellsouth.net
Please email Brian Yoder bhyoder@yahoo.com if you have any questions about the LIFE group ministry. _______________________________________
If you or anyone that you
know has an interest in being
involved in The Well praise
team ministry, please contact
Julian Doby
at 336-221-8900 or
Julian@fumcgraham-nc.org.
We are seeking volunteers and interns for Videogra-
phy, Sound, Computer Graphics, and Lighting
Library Lowdown
Joe Fisher has made generous dona-
tions to the library. Books have
been added in memory of:
John Clark: My Journey to Heaven by Marvin
Besteman
Fern Pike: The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate
Joe also requested that books be purchased to honor
of:
Peggy Jenks: Leaving; Learning; Loving ( Bailey
Flanigan Series) by Karen Kingsbury
Carolyn Seay: The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story
of Life for All Ages by Leo Buscaglia
Sandra and Buzz Hartford: Life of the Beloved: Spir-
itual Living in a Secular World by Henri J. M.
Linda Fogleman: The Way: Walking in the Footsteps
of Jesus by Adam Hamilton
More new additions:
The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus DVD
with Leader Guide
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by
Reza Aslan
Mandela's Way: Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage
by Richard Stengel
A Month of Summer (Blue Sky Hills Series #1) by
Lisa Wingate
Dandelion Summer (Blue Sky Hill Series) by Win-
gate, Lisa
Revelation for Today by James Efird
The Invention of Wings: A Novel by Sue Monk
Kidd
Into the Free: A Novel by Julie Cantrell
The Penguin Who Lost Her Cool: A Story About
Controlling Your Anger by Marla Sobel
Fred the Fox Shouts "No!" by Kisil Matthews
Book for parents to use with children to teach them
that “stranger danger” is not the only cause for cau-
tion. Freddie helps children understand that they can
question the behavior of people their family knows
too.
If you are new to FUMC and don’t have a library
barcode, check by the library on Sunday
morning and one of our volunteers will help you.
MARCH 2014 Page 7 "Every Member a ‘Minister’”
A Message from our Lay Leader
Copies of the Spring, 2014 Adult Bible Studies have re-
cently arrived at our church. There is a special writer for this
new quarterly by the name of Kevin Baker, our pastor. Not
only is he a writer, but he has served as adjunct faculty for
Duke Divinity School, has experience with
coaching, facilitating outreach and evange-
lism and integrating technology in ministry.
He has taught a course of study for pastors
at Duke and a new Central American Pas-
tor's School in El Salvador. He has written
for The Christian Century, The General
Board of Discipleship, Upper Room Books,
Abingdon Press, and other curriculum for
The United Methodist Publishing House.
We are so proud of you, Kevin. WE are so blessed to have
such a talented pastor who provides great leadership for our
congregation.
- Charles Staton, Lay Leader
___________________________________
Did You Know?
1) We have a team studying community demographics from
Mission Insite,
2) an Elisha team talking with agencies and community organizations
to gain perspective on community needs
3) a historical time-line team putting together all the "God-moments"
we have experienced at FUMCG over the past 100 years
4) a team going to the "Real Ideas" conference (and a possible addi-
tional Skype conference call) to hear about some other "best practices"
in other local church ministries.
Stewardship Corner
Did you know - we have one loan with a 12/31 balance of $91,379,
with people giving regular, second-mile gifts to help pay down our
principle more quickly? That this goal has already been tossed around
as a possible first step/goal in our Good Things to God Things stra-
tegic visioning, that could possibly be achieved by year's end 2014?
Stewardship
Corner
Did you know - that year end
giving for the month of December
2013 was the highest in many
years, exceeding $60,000 in tithes
and offerings alone?
Thanks to all who continue to sup-
port the ministry and mission of
FUMCG as we seek to reach out in
the name of Jesus! _________________________
Carvers on Elm
Family & Employees
Carver's On Elm; a restaurant sta-
ple in downtown Graham, NC that
was tragically destroyed by fire
recently is our prayer focus for the
month. While we give thanks
there were no injuries or loss of
life, there is need to help the fami-
ly and employees affected through
our shared prayer and other forms
of support. Cash (checks) dona-
tions may be made to "Carver's on
Elm, Community Support" and
dropped off at BB&T at the main
Graham Branch at 220 South Main
Street.
Page 8 “Every member a ‘Minister’” MARCH 2014
The First Methogram – (USPS 715-740) Periodicals Postage Paid at
Published Monthly by Graham, North Carolina 27253
First United Methodist Church
303 N. Main Street Postmaster: Send Address Changes to:
Graham, North Carolina 27253 The First Methogram
303 N. Main Street
Graham, North Carolina 27253
WE THANK GOD FOR:
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
2 7am Men’s
Breakfast
Playschool Sun.
2pm Bridal
Shower 3p Kids
3pm Workshop
3 10am Circle 2
2pm Circle 3
7pm Friendship
7pm Cub Scouts
4 10:30 Young in
Heart
7pm Life Grp
7pm Circle 1
7p Boy Scouts
5
Ash Wednesday
6 8:15am TPB
6:30p Life Group
6:30 Praise Team
7pm Life Group
7 1 Pinewood
Derby
_________
8
9 Meet & Greet
1:30 Evangelism
3p Praise Kids
5pm UMYF
5pm 1st Place
10
7pm Cub Scouts
11 7pm Life Grp
7pm BOD
7p Boy Scouts
12 9:30 LMT
5:30 Confirma-
tion Class
6:30pm Bells
7pm Life Group
7:30pm Choir
13 8:15am TPB
6:30 Praise Team
7pm Life Group
14
15 Newsletter
Articles Due
16
3p Praise Kids
5pm UMYF
5pm 1st Place
17 7pm Cub Scouts
18
7pm Life
Group
7pm Finance
7p Boy Scouts
19 5:30 Confirma.
6:30 pm Bells
7pm Life Group
7:30pm Choir
20 8:15am TPB
6:30 Praise Team
7pm Life Group
21
22
23 3p Praise Kids
5pm UMYF
5pm 1st Place
24
7pm Cub Scouts
25 7pm Life
Group
7p Boy Scouts
26
5:30 Confirma-
tion Class
6:30pm Bells
7pm Life Group
7:30pm Choir
27 8:15am TPB
6:30 Praise Team
7pm Life Group
28
29
30 3p Praise Kids
5pm UMYF
31 7pm Cub Scouts
SUNDAY SCHEDULE: The Well Service 9:00am,
Sunday School: 10:00am Traditional Worship Service: 11:00am