The Contact Newsletter

Volume 30 - Issue 14 / March - 2018

In church history, Lent is a call to prayer and self-denial. In this regard, I wanted to remind our church family of the challenge I made on Ash Wednesday. The challenge is a way for us to experience prayer and self-denial in a very practical way. This is not a new challenge but one that we need to recover.

The challenge involves missing lunch for one day during the week throughout Lent. I have designated Wednesdays but there is flexibility for people to choose whatever day might work best for them. I am estimating a lunch cost of $8 to save each week and plan to bring the money you saved to worship on Sunday April 8th. We will collect and bless these gifts which will be given to United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). It is important to know that 100% of funds given to UMCOR are used directly for relief efforts. There is still much work to be accomplished in giving assistance to those who were more deeply impacted by the storms in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean Islands.

I hope you will accept the challenge and join me as we seek to exercise these spiritual disciplines and together make a larger difference to help people in need. Of course, the whole aim in using these spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting is to draw us closer to God. This also fulfills the greatest commands to love God and our neighbors. And for those who are not able to fast, I hope you will pray and consider giving a monetary donation anyway. My great thanks for all who will join me in this challenge.

Blessings, Bill

Join Us Sundays for Worship & Fellowship

Regular Schedule

Traditional Worship - 8:45 AM (Sanctuary)

Coffee Fellowship - 9:45 AM (Fellowship Hall)

Contemporary Worship - 11:00 AM (Sanctuary)

Sing with us this Easter! Please join us for rehearsals Tuesday and/or Wednesday evenings, beginning March 13th at 6:00 p.m. in the Choir room, MB100. Music folders maybe picked up in the Welcome Center of the Narthex. If you have questions, please contact Tripp Morris at 251-327-4682.

EASTER LILIES will decorate our sanctuary at Easter. You may purchase one in memory or in honor of a loved one. The cost is $10.00 per name. Please complete the form below and return it with a check labeled “lily” to the church office or offering plate by Sunday, March 25 .

Easter Lily Order Form

We are looking for volunteers & sponsors for the many activities taking place at our annual Community Easter Celebration. Please contact Beth Allen by email at [email protected] or call 626.1334 for more info.

ONLINE GIVING AVAILABLE...

Go to www.spanishfortumc.org and select online giving or CLICK HERE for more information and to give online. *all gifts are tax-deductible and a year-end giving statement will be prepared for you for tracking and tax purposes. If you have a QR scanning app on your cell phone, simply scan this code for easy access to our online giving option. If you would like to set up a regularly scheduled automatic withdrawal from your bank account, please contact Jan Webb in the church office at [email protected] or 251-626-1334.

PALM SUNDAY is an exciting time for our children to participate in processing into the sanctuary waving their palms and laying them at the altar. On Sunday, March 25 please bring your child(ren) to the Narthex to meet Mrs. Jennifer by 8:30 a.m. (for the traditional 8:45 a.m. service) or 10:45 a.m. (for the contemporary 11:00 a.m. service).

SANCTUARY RENOVATION PROJECT TIMELINE… The Sanctuary Renovation Project is moving forward! The work is slated to begin in late June and conclude sometime this Fall. But we need your financial help now to complete the project. There are commitment cards in the pews as well as in the church bulletin on Sundays for the next few weeks. You can also give on-line HERE . Thank you for your support, prayers and cooperation as the work to enhance our sanctuary is being accomplished.

All ladies are welcome to join the Sarah Sheppard circle meetings every second Thursday of the month at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. For the next several weeks they will be learning to crochet caps for preemies as part of their missions. They will meet every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. in room MC100 on the Main Campus. Any ladies who wish to join them in making caps are welcome.

TUESDAY LUNCH BUNCH WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY will be starting a new six week series on March 6th . We will be studying The Miracles of Jesus by Jessica LaGrone. W e meet in the youth area of the West Campus at noon to eat lunch together (bring your own lunch) and begin the study at 12:30 p.m. Childcare is provided from 12-2 p.m. Please register HERE. The book is available on Amazon or Cokesbury.com. Please order your own book and read week one before coming to class on the 6th .

NEW WEDNESDAY EVENING SHORT TERM STUDY begins on March 7th for six weeks. Led by Rev. Rebecca Rutherford, we will be taking a look at the Spiritual Disciplines that John Wesley called “Means of Grace”: Prayer, Searching the Scriptures, The Lord’s Supper, Fasting and Christian Conferencing (worship). We will be using the book Five Means of Grace by Eliane A. Heath in addition to your Bible. We will meet on the West Campus in room WD101 at 6:00 p.m. The book is $7. Please register HERE. Childcare is provided.

Confirmation Sunday is coming up soon!

Please join us at the 11:00 a.m. worship service on March 11th to welcome our newest members. We have 23 students in the 2018 class. They have studied, led worship (Ash Wednesday) and been on a retreat together to prepare them for membership. We will have a guest preacher for both services this Sunday, our District Superintendent, Dr. Darren McClellan - who is also the father of one of our Confirmands. Confirmation Practice will be March 4th at 3:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. There will be a luncheon after the service for the families of the Confirmands.

This is something awesome that we are starting this year! All 9th-12th graders are invited to join us in Lake Martin (girls) & Panama City Beach (boys) from April 20-22, 2018 for our first ever Spring Retreat. Due to limited space, our Girl's Retreat filled up within the first week, however, they are still able to be placed on a waiting list. The venue for the Boy's Retreat is much larger, so there is still plenty of room for more guys to sign up.

Who it's for: 9th-12th Grade / How much it costs: $50, includes everything except for dinner Saturday night. / When is it: April 20-22, 2018 / Where is it: Please note that the venue has been changed from Blue Lake Methodist Camp to Laguna Beach Christian Retreat in Panama City Beach, FL.

ALL forms and money are due Sunday, April 8. The forms needed are the Spring Retreat Registration Form and SFUMC Consent Form. The forms are linked below if you need them.

Registration Form / Information Form / Youth Consent Form

Important Youth Dates Coming Up!

Homework Help 03/05/18, & 04/09/18
Get Togethers (Catapult & Remedy) - Movie Night 03/10/18 @ 6:00 p.m.
Confirmation Sunday, 03/11/18 @ 11 AM Worship Service
No Remedy Bible Study, 04/20/18

Mission Effort from our Children's Ministry

Continuing our mission focus of helping supply UMCOR Relief Health Kits, our March Item is HAND TOWELS. You may bring items during normal scheduled worship & program times and drop them off in the box in the Narthex of the Sanctuary or to the Kids’ area on the West Campus.

If you have any questions regarding this effort or would like more information, please contact Jennifer Robertson, Director of Children’s and Nursery Ministries at [email protected].

Our Youth Ministry Needs You!

The SFUMC Youth Ministry is fueled by those willing to volunteer and serve in one of our many programs. Without the volunteers we would not be able to offer the incredible opportunities for our youth to learn about God that we currently provide. Check out the following list of volunteer opportunities to see where you can plug into our ministry:

Remedy- Connect with high school students and serve as small groups leaders at our Remedy service on Sunday nights at 6:00 p.m.

Sunday School- Volunteers/Substitutes to help lead discussions or facilitate small group discussions in our Sunday school classes.

Catapult- Connect to middle school students and serve as small groups leaders at our Catapult service on Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m.

High School Bible Study- Help lead discussions or facilitate small group discussions in our high school boys and high school girls bible studies.

Please email Zack McCraw or Beth Allen if you are interested in any of these opportunities within the youth department.

Wedding Director

We are in need of a Wedding Director here at SFUMC. This volunteer position allows you to be a part of the special day in a couple's life. You will meet with the bride and groom twice before the wedding, and then help facilitate the wedding day using SFUMC's policies and procedures as your guide. Please click here to learn more about weddings at SFUMC. Please call the church office with any questions.

Redbird Mission Trip - Hazard, Kentucky

A joint mission trip with our friends from Fairhope United Methodist Church to the1000 Sticks United Methodist Church near Hazard, Kentucky is being planned for April 15-21. This trip will involve light home repairs in the mountain communities surrounding the church.

If you are interested in going, a second informational meeting will be held March 4th, at 5:30 p.m. in room WD101 (West Campus) at Spanish Fort UMC . The cost of the trip is approximately $400 per person which includes room, most meals and a donation for building materials to be used. If you have any questions, please contact Ed Glaize, [email protected] .

MISSIONS TEAM YARD SALE - APRIL 7, 2018 - 7 AM

Individuals should bring their donations to the Fellowship Hall on Friday, April 6th, between 3-7 p.m. You may also bring items early Saturday morning, April 7th. All items that are not sold will be donated to a local charity. It will be held in the Sanctuary Parking Lot and Fellowship Hall. All proceeds go to support the missions to Ecuador and Costa Rica.

Spots Available for Teams Now! If you want to enter your team, please contact the church office and we can get you in contact with the right people! IMPORTANT NOTE: the date has changed to March 18th.

The rest of us get to taste the varieties of chili in the Fellowship Hall and vote for our favorites. Tickets are $10 and members of the mission teams are pre-selling tickets or you can also purchase tickets at the door the day of the Cook-Off. All proceeds go to support the Ecuador and Costa Rica Missions Teams.

Nursery Coordinator Position

Part Time Salaried: Sun., Tue., Wed. & the additional / occasional seasonal programming or events that require a nursery be available. Hours: Avg 10-15 per week.

The Nursery Coordinator serves to work alongside the Director of Children’s and Nursery Ministries to fulfill the vision for the nursery ministry from infants through 3 years old. That vision is to foster the spiritual growth of even the youngest of Gods children by demonstrating Christ’s love through their care. In doing so, the Nursery Coordinator provides faithful leadership that allows parents to prioritize their own spiritual growth and journey with ease and peace of mind that their children are safe and loved. The Nursery Coordinator provides Nursery leadership on Sunday mornings, Wednesday evenings, weekday bible study needs, yearly events and traditions that require nursery care. For more information please contact Jennifer Robertson at 251-626-1334 of fill in the online application through our Facebook Job Posting.

Missionaries we support who are serving the Lord to the ends of the earth:

John and Lisa Hamilton; OMS International in Montevideo, Uruguay

Rob and Amy Ellis; New Tribes Missions in Tanzania, Africa

Ronnie and Nanny Calvert; Quito, Ecuador

Monica Maxwell; IMB Connecting, in Southern India

5:15 PM ~ DINNER

6:00 PM ~ CLASSES & ACTIVITIES

MENUS

March 7: Baked Potato Bar

March 14: Pot Roast

March 21: Poppy Seed Chicken

March 29: No Dinner - Spring Break

The Uniform Closet is still in need of men's sizes in shirts. Donations can be brought to the church office during regular business hours or to the Uniform Closet directly on Tuesdays from 8 AM to 12 PM.

Don't forget to set your clocks forward 1 hour on Saturday, March 10th, before you go to bed!

We wold not want you to miss anything special on Sunday morning!

SECURITY MINISTRY

The Security Task Force has been meeting and working on security policies and procedures for Spanish Fort UMC. Part of this includes the formation of a new Security Ministry. In 1 Peter 5:2, Scripture tells us that we are to be shepherds of God’s flock who are in our care, watching over them not because we must, but because we are willing. This ministry is for women and men. This ministry will not take a lot of your time. You will primarily be needed on Sunday mornings during the worship service. Don’t worry whether or not you are qualified to serve in this ministry. We will have a training class and remember, God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. If you think you might be interested please contact Stuart Woods at [email protected].

Congregation Notes

Welcome New Members:

Carla Morgan on February 28, 2018.

Deaths:

Our condolences to Kathryn Giles and family on the death of her father, Blake Spence. Mr. Spence passed away on February 1, 2018.

Our condolences to Charlie Green and family on the death of his wife, Mary Green. Ms. Green passed away on February 5th.

Our condolences to Charlie Warren and family on the death of his father, Jim Warren. Mr. Warren passed away February 11th.

Our condolences to Lisa Musselman and family on the death of her father, David Scott. Mr. Scott passed away on February 14th.

Our condolences to Ernest Scarbrough and family on the death of his father, Clyde Scarbrough. Mr Clyde Scarbrough passed away on February 24, 2018.

Thank You:

The family of Mary Green would like to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts and condolences. We feel truly blessed.

~~~~~~

I want to thank my wonderful church family for all the visits, prayers, cards, calls and texts during my surgery and recovery. God heard each one and my surgery and recovery has gone smoothly. You are the best!! Debbie Wallace

CONTACT DEADLINES

Please understand that all information for the next month’s CONTACT newsletter must be submitted in writing to Jennifer Stewart, in the church office, no later than the 15th of the current month.

The CONTACT, as well as other publications/correspondence, are sent to you by email. If you are not receiving email publications/correspondence and wish to, please check “subscribe” when you register your attendance on Sunday mornings, or go to our website and click on Media/SUBSCRIBE NOW! Note: If you “unsubscribe” to one email publication/correspondence from SFUMC, you will no longer receive ANY emails from SFUMC.