Introducing the Care Team

In the late summer/early fall of this year a group of people stepped forward for a new experiment. These were people feeling a call to provide pastoral care to others, to visit, pray, encourage and support people. After an introductory meeting, and an initial 10 hours of training, we now have an active Care Team.

The Care Team's mission is to provide a ministry of lay Christian caring. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, 4 who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NRSV) The ministry is designed to provide one-on-one supportive care for persons going through a crisis, the homebound, those healing from injury or illness, and to maintain relationships within the congregation.

How does it work?

The Care Team works in cooperation with the pastor. As different pastoral care needs arise, the pastor calls on different members of the Care Team. For instance, the pastor would call on a Care Team member to visit in the hospital when he cannot be there. Or if someone endures a life-changing event, or an intense period of stress, after consulting with that person, the pastor would send a member of the Care Team to meet regularly with that person and to walk with them through the crisis.

What can I expect from a Care Team member?

A Care Team member will

·      meet with you at a mutually convenient time and place
·      hold all conversations in confidence
·      pray with and for you
·      listen carefully
·      help you reflect
·      walk with you in difficult times
·      talk with you one-on-one

A Care Team member will NOT:

·      have all the answers
·      betray your confidence
·      diagnose you
·      provide therapy
·      talk you into anything
·      work on your personal chores or tasks
·      meet with couples or families

I think I might like to meet with a Care Team member. What do I do?

If you're interested in visiting with a member of the Care Team for any reason, get in touch with the pastor. He can answer any questions about the program, listen to your needs, then pair you with the best match from the Care Team.

The Care Team members are: Allison Bickett, Margeri Brown, Nancy Crosby, Norma Dowless, Martha Ann Harris, Jean Hunter, Susan Johnson, Ruth Mauldin, Shawn Penny, and Pat Smathers.

Please keep the Care Team in your prayers. Welcome them if they visit you in the hospital. And if you think someone else might benefit from the Care Team, have them call the pastor.

By Dan Hester

I want to continue to invite people to come to my Tuesday night study. We meet on Tuesday nights from 7pm to 8pm in room #4. You are always welcome to jump in wherever we are in a study. We are studying the Gospel of John right now and will pick up with chapter 6 when we resume meeting on Nov. 5. (We're currently taking a couple of weeks off.)

The building entrance we use is off to the left side of the main entrance. We usually have around 20 people in attendance. I try to start promptly at 7pm and end a few minutes before 8pm. If you're late, come on in; we won't make a big fuss.

Most people bring a Bible with them. There are also Bibles in the classroom for you to use. No outside reading is required during this study; but, if you long for some I can give you recommendations. So come on out. I'll look forward to seeing you.

Good news! The Staff-Parish Relations Committee has hired a new Office Manager.  Her name is Angela Woelfel (pronounced WOLFfull) and her first day with us will  be on September 9th.  Angela grew up in Georgia and was a member of  Gilchrist Park United Methodist Church where her grandfather was a pastor until  his death.   Angela lives in Gastonia with her husband of 27 years,  Patrick. They have two children, Amanda and Zachary.  Angela and Patrick  are exploring life as empty nesters and pursuing what God has in store for them  in this new phase of life.    

Angela is  looking forward to starting at St. Andrews. She says, "I feel that working in a  church is where God has called me and I see it more as my ministry than a  job.  I am so excited about all the good things God has planned for me  as I begin my ministry here at St. Andrew’s  UMC."   Please keep Angela in your prayers as  she makes the move to St. Andrew's.

By Dan Hester

Montclaire Elementary School uses the Family Life Center from time to time to hold school programs. Their school building does not have the capacity to hold a large group of students and their families. Most recently, MES held their graduation in our facility.

A few months ago the music program held a concert here. The picture shown here was taken at a rehearsal. I asked Montclaire's music teacher, Jessica Dawalt, to share some of her thoughts on what using our building means to their program. The show was for two grade levels and involved 150 students. Without the space our FLC provided, the program would have been limited in the number of performers, the number of people who could attend, as well as simple visibility and enjoyment.

Ms. Dawalt wrote:

"Our students loved being at the church. Comments came forth about the size of the room, the beautiful stage lighting, having side rooms to enter the stage from, and they loved having a sound system. The head set mics for our 3 actors were a hit. What a blessing for them to see and use the latest technology. This certainly aligns with the 21st century skills the state of NC desires for our students" Ms. Dawalt finished her letter by saying, "Not only impacting their education, Montclaire students have received the message from their community that they are valuable, loved, and celebrated for their hard work and achievements."

I wanted to share this experience with the congregation. This kind of ministry happens as a result of the generosity of St. Andrew's members. The next time you think that our budget merely keeps the lights on, remember the pride these elementary students felt, and how it was facilitated by the body of Christ at St. Andrew's UMC.  

By Dan Hester 
The three days from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday has traditionally been called the Triduum. Triduum simiply means three days and can be used to signify any special three days of preparation before a holy day. Sometimes this word is used to describe the three days between Jesus' crucifixion and his resurrection.

While our calendar counts three days, in terms of worship the Triduum is one event. In this one event we encounter the full story of Jesus' last supper, his betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. All of these events together form a unity when proclaiming the Gospel message.

During our worship here at St. Andrew's we are tying the three worship services of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday together with a drama in three parts. While each service will stand on its own, we encourage everyone to make every attempt to attend all three services. Join us in prayer that in this Triduum, St. Andrew's would be renewed in its faith, that new people might come to faith, and that God would be praised for all he has done for us. 

Palm Sunday 3/24: 9am and 11:15am

By Dan Hester
Starting on Sunday, 1/20/2013, I will be preaching a series of sermons from 1 Corinthians 12. This chapter is a well-known passage about spiritual gifts. I thought you might like access to a few online surveys that can help you discern what your gifts you have been given. I hope these surveys are fun for you. Perhaps they will spark some reflection. Perhaps they will spark some action. Let me know your thoughts. 

UMC Spiritual Gift Info.

This link takes you to a page on the United Methodist Church web site. This link has good supporting information and links about spiritual gifts. But, I must confess that it is my least favorite survey instrument of the ones that I have listed. 

Ministry Matters

This survey contains 85 questions and thus gives one a fair starting place to think about what one's gifts might be. When I finished the process, the instrument returned my top three gifts along with explanations of the gifts. 

Lutheran Gifts Assessment

This link comes from our Lutheran brothers and sisters. One can access a printable version that contains brief explanations of the various gifts. I like how the results of this one are displayed. The survey gives a chart with your scores in all the gifts so you can see how they score relative to one another. 

By Norma Dowless

One Sunday morning during worship Pastor Dan was talking about Christmas Carols.  How most people look forward to hearing them every year, but after a couple of weeks they are thinking….when is the New Year? 

I grew up in a musical family.  We had music going all the time.  Saturday nights in my childhood home were filled with my Mama sitting at the piano playing and all of us standing around her singing.  She even typed up “Song Books” for us, the old fashion way with carbon paper!

For 10 months of the year we would sing “By the Light of the Silvery Moon”  to the “Battle of 1814”!  But come November 1st we would pull out the “Christmas Song Books”  and we would sing Christmas Songs from November until the end of January.  “ Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snow Man, Santa Claus is Coming Tonight” and all the popular songs.  After all the “silly” songs were finished we would sing the Christmas Hymns and that is when it was beautiful.  My Daddy singing “We Three Kings” in his deep base voice, my Uncle Lenny singing harmony in his light tenor voice, Mama singing and playing the piano and enjoying every minute of it and my aunt, my cousins and friends all singing and laughing.  Mama played by “ear”, if she heard a song she could play it.  Amazing gift! 

To me I could sing Christmas Carols and Hymns all year.  They remind me of a simpler time in my life and a time of great joy!  I will never forget the first year Jimmie was included in the circle.  It was so exciting to have him singing the songs I love with all the people I love. 

Times change, friends move away, my parents died and life is not the same anymore.  I have a wonderful life and am blessed beyond my wildest dreams…..but every year when I hear the first Christmas Carol I smile and remember signing around the piano.   I can hear all of our voices as we sang “Silent Night” and know that Christmas lives in our hearts and in our memories. 

So this Christmas join the angels in their heavenly chorus and sing with your family for all the world to hear:

“Silent Night, Holy Night, wondrous star, lend thy light; with the angels let us sing, Alleluia to our King, Christ the Savior in born, Christ the Savior is Born!”

By Dan Hester

Our first ever Community Christmas Tree Lighting was a blast. The weather was wonderful. The turnout was terrific. And the sense of it was something of a street fair. 

Several aspects of the event made it memorable for me. To start, so many people involved themselves in the event. Seeing so many people working on making their corner of the event work; seeing so many people do their part so that the whole came together gave me a feeling of joy. 

The animals were worth every rental penny we paid. The children were mesmerized by the animals. As soon as the trailer arrived, children literally jumped on the trailer and couldn't wait to see the animals. I think the adults liked them too, just not as many of them posed for cute pictures. Even the llama who was loosed at the end (thanks Facebook pictures) added a great story for those of us who were there to tell those who couldn't be there. 

But, by far my favorite part occurred just before we lit the tree. I was blabbing on a bit providing anticipation and ceremony to the actual lighting when something unscripted came out of my mouth. I said a word of appreciation for our neighbors who were in attendance because they were the ones for whom we were doing all of this. As soon as I said it, the church members present broke into applause. That heartfelt and spontaneous gesture of hospitality by our congregation was my early Christmas present. Thank you. 

By Sandy Devoid
Since my husband and I are from New England and have visited Plymouth many times, we pride ourselves in doing Thanksgiving 'right'. At our table you will not find anything fried nothing with cream of mushroom soup or marshmallows. Our pies are made from real fruit, never from a can, our crusts are homemade and the whipped cream is exactly that, heavy cream whipped in a cold bowl with sugar. To us, it is heavenly.

We realized a few years ago when we celebreated this great holiday with a friend from Miami, that what was 'really Thanksgiving' for us was not so for everyone. We were Thanksgiving Snobs. Our friend put ingredients where they did not belong. Sausage was in just about everything and thyme was replaced with hot sauce and cayenne pepper. I was freaking out. This was not a 'real' Thanksgiving.

But yet it was. We sat around the table and ate the food. His food creations were kind of yucky to me and mine were yucky to him. (Except for the whipped cream. I mean, how can real whipped cream ever be yucky?) Yet, that Thanksgiving has stayed with me. My food anxiety has become a longstanding joke.

My friend grew up in a household with too much drinking. As we cooked he made jokes about his childhood. He told me that he remembers watching the parades on TV as the adults around him drank themselves silly.

"How did you make it?" I asked him as we cooked. See, statistically he shouldn't have finished High School. His parents managed to hold down their jobs, but because of their drinking, they couldn't pay much attention to him. Now here he was an adult with a Master's Degree and a job.

His answer was simple. "The Church," he said. After school he would go to his United Methodist Church and hang out. He did his homework and read books from his Pastor's library. He kept his small youth group going and helped out around the church whenever it was needed. You name it, he did it.

Life is mixed up. Things that we think don't go together, often do, when we open our minds to God's love. Just because I don't think sausage goes into every Thanksgiving dish, doesn't mean it won't work. Just because a kid grows up in adversity doesn't mean he or she won't make it.....especially if we, the church are really following Jesus.

Kids show up at church. My twenty-something years of experience prove this and yet it always surprises me. What are they looking for? Probably hope, acceptance, a kind listening ear and maybe a snack. That's what an inner city church in Miami gave my friend many, many years ago.

We can do the same here in our neighborhood. We can show kids another way. We can give them Jesus' hope and kindness. We can help them make it. Right now we are looking for adults who want to reach out to kids and help them know they are special. Pray about this and talk with our Youth Director, Kevin Ward or me. Who knows what will happen!

Oh, my friend from Miami? He's a Pastor now. A really, really good one.

You can come see him in action at our Church Christmas Party on Sunday, December 9 at 5pm. He'll perform, "Bubba the Shepherd'. Yes, that's right, Bubba. How can you stay away? It will be hilarious. Bring your friends!