Wrightsboro ConnectionApril 2019

CLASSIC CLUB

 The CLASSIC CLUB will be going to see "Noah - Sight & Sound" at the Regal Mayfaire Theatre on Tuesday, April 9. The movie will begin at 2:30pm and the tickets are $12.31 each. Everyone is invited! Please sign up in the lobby if you would like to go, and see Alma Allard if you have any questions.

WOWs (Widows of Wrightsboro)

 We will be gathering for lunch on April 11th.  Join us at 11:30am at Porches Café, 1030 Chair Road, Castle Hayne, NC 28429. 

Hope to see many of you there.

For more information contact Pat Everett  910-686-2637

Thoughts from Pastor David...   Greetings, friends,

The season of Lent has been flying by, and in just a couple of weeks we will observe Holy Week.  It begins with Passion/Palm Sunday, which we will celebrate on April 14.  Later that week, we will celebrate Maundy Thursday and then observe what is called the Great Three Days.  These days begin at sunset on Maundy Thursday and end with sunset on Easter Sunday.  These days proclaim the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ's passion, death and resurrection, and we are encouraged to journey with Jesus from the upper room, to the garden, to the cross, and to the tomb.  As in the past, we will have several special services to help guide us through that journey.

 We will begin with a special service for Maundy

Thursday.  We will move our Wednesday Family Night meal to Maundy Thursday, with the worship service in the sanctuary afterwards.  The meal will begin at 5:30, followed by our Maundy Thursday service at 6:30.  We usually celebrate Holy Communion at this service, but last year we offered a foot washing ceremony instead.  The response to this was good, but not great.  So this year, I plan to celebrate Holy Communion, but also offer a time for foot washing afterwards.  As I said last year, participation in the foot washing portion will be purely voluntary, so don't let that keep you away.

 Last year we offered the Stations of the Cross in the

sanctuary.  This was well received, with people from the community coming to participate; so, we're going to offer that again.  Pictures depicting Jesus' journey to the cross and His crucifixion will be arranged in sequence around the sanctuary and you are invited to move along and meditate on what our Lord encountered at each point.  These stations will be set up in the sanctuary on the Monday before Easter, and there will be booklets with instructions, scriptures, reflections and prayers.  Since participation is self-guided and done in silence, you are invited to come by any time, especially Friday evening.

 On Easter Sunday, we will celebrate the

resurrection of our Lord and Savior!  We will begin the day with a Sunrise Service outside in the lot in front of the playground (weather permitting) at 6:15. I realize that's pretty early, but that is when day is beginning to break.  If you have never attended an Easter Sunrise Service, I urge you to do so - you will be blessed! We will continue celebrating our Savior's victory over death at a combined worship service at 10:00, with the choir offering the Easter cantata/drama, "We Are Witnesses".

 

That's a lot of activity in a short period of time, but it is an appropriate attempt to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  I urge each and every one of you to make every effort to take advantage of these special opportunities for worship, and invite a friend to join you.  Watch for announcements of any changes in the above schedule and, as always, please contact me if you have any questions.

 Grace & peace,

Pastor David

Friday Night Fellowship

 Join us for Friday Night Fellowship!  On Friday, April 19th, at 6:30, you are invited to come out to Jason’s Deli for an evening of good food and fellowship.  Jason's is located at 5301 Market Street, and we will gather in their private dining room.  Please sign up in front of the office so we will know how many to expect.

Facebook 

Yes, Wrightsboro United Methodist Church has a Facebook page! Some of you have already liked our page and we thank you. If you have not already done so, please take time to go and "like" our page. Also, you can really help us get the word out about what we are doing here at Wrightsboro UMC by not only liking the posts but also by sharing the posts. This will increase the number of people

exponentially who see our posts. Another way you can help is when a question is posted, answer the question. This will help open up the communication. Lastly, if you have some time on your hands and would like to help keep our social media current, please contact the church office. 

Prayer Chain Have a prayer concern?  

Who do you contact? 

Email the church office and we will email it out to the Prayer Chain.  Note that the Prayer Chain is a different list from those receiving this Newsletter.  If you would like to be on the Prayer Chain email list, contact the church office. Just remember that you are committing to pray for the members of our church and their family and friends.  

 

Youth GroupWe meet every Wednesday evening at 6:30pm and Sunday

mornings at 9:45am.CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

  Miss Courtney teaches the younger children and Mrs. Pam teaches the older elementary children for Sunday school. We meet every Sunday at 9:45 am in the Education Building. Your children, grandchildren and your neighbor's children need to know and grow in Christ. Please help us to bring the Gospel to life in them. The Good News singers practice every Wednesday evening at 6:30 after the family dinner. We sing every month in church, usually the third Sunday. After practicing, we have a snack and then the older children act out a Bible skit, while the younger children do a simple craft or coloring project. We finish at 7:30 pm. We look forward to including your child in the fun. If you have any questions, please talk to Pam Lipka (910-706-1252) or Courtney Hodges.

MISSIONS AND OUTREACH

RISE AGAINST HUNGER

WUMC held a food packaging event for Rise Against Hunger on March 16.  Approximately  60 volunteers came out  to measure, fill weigh and seal almost 15,000 meals to be sent to hungry people.  It was a wonderful day of work, fellowship and helping others.  Thanks to everyone who participated in this life saving ministry.

MERCI

A trip was made to the disaster warehouse March 21 by several of our members.  We delivered birthing kits from the UMW, t-shirts from the Bright Lights Ministry and two cases of notebook paper from our missions committee.  As always, it was a productive day at the warehouse working with additions to the flood buckets being assembled there in preparation for the next natural disaster.  If you have never been to MERCI, watch for the next sign up sheet.  You will be blessed.

MISSIONS OUTING

Most of us heard about the hurricane repair scheduled for March 23 in Rose Hill.  That project was cancelled because another agency stepped in to do the repairs and install a heat/air system.  Fourteen volunteers signed up and we set about getting another project.  Turns out there were 15 residences nearby that still needed tarping. So we set out with rolls of tarps, ladders, drills and screws.  At the end of the day, we had tarped five homes and prevented more water damage.  The missions committee wants to thank everyone of the wonderful volunteers who spent their Saturday helping us help others.

CRAFTY FRIDAY

The Crafty Friday ladies continue to serve the ministries of the church in many ways.  We are presently working on Easter gifts for the teachers at Wrightsboro Elementary School through our Hand-in-Hand program.  Recently we were blessed to be able to help the UMM in preparing for their Brunswick Stew sale and on March 29 we enjoyed a delicious lunch furnished by Mr. Ed.  We anticipate filling eggs with candy for the children's Easter Egg hunt.  

We meet each Friday morning at 9:30 and welcome all to join us for fellowship, coffee

and crafts. For more information, contact Gail Nunn at gpnwilm@ec.rr.com.

The 2019 Flower Chart has been posted on the Bulletin Board in the hallway to the left of the Lobby.  I encourage you to sign up early; that way those special dates you want will most likely be available. If you have never offered to place flowers in the Sanctuary, I would like to encourage you to do so in memory or in honor to mark that special someone or date.

Available Dates:June 16, 23, 30 The cost of flowers is $49.00. You can mark your check or envelope "flowers" and place it in the offering plate or drop it by the church office.  If you have any questions or special requests, please contact the church office.

We also have a Bud Flower Ministry. After your flowers have graced our Services consider donating them to this Ministry. Bud Vases are created and then delivered to a local Nursing Home and are also available to be taken when visiting someone in the Hospital. If you would like to donate just let Pat Everett or Donna Fisk know. We thank you for your helping this Ministry.

DVD Ministry Each week, John Fuller records our 10:50am Worship Service.  If you missed worship or would like to share the service with a friend or family member, copies are available.  A sign-up sheet is in the lobby; put your name and date of the service, and we will get a copy to you. A donation of $5.00 is appreciated to cover the cost of supplies. 

United Methodist Women

Meeting Information: Tuesday, April 9, 2019 in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30pm. All women in the church are welcome to attend the meeting. On the agenda: Brunch and Beads final plans; Mother's Day Candle Burning; May meeting agenda.

UMW Upcoming Events -

Brunch and Beads: Saturday, May 4- All women and young ladies are invited see special box in this newsletter for further information

May 14 meeting: Speaker Regina Hawse, Development Officer for Methodist Home for Children

Mother's Day, May 12 Candle Burning: The UMW will again be burning a candle on Mother's Day in Memory and in Honor of our Mother and other important women in our lives. Donations will be accepted APRIL 28 THRU MAY 8.

Ongoing WUMW Projects:

Books for Wrightsboro Elementary School Summer Reading 2019: Books can be brought to the church and placed in the basket provided.

Boxtops4education: The UMW encourages everyone to save Boxtops4Education. There is a small container in the Welcome Center near the UMW book collection where you can leave your BoxTops.

Eyeglasses: The UMW is collecting eyeglasses to take to the Merci Center in Goldsboro. If you have old eyeglasses that you never wear, consider donating them and place them in the basket provided in the Welcome Center. Questions about UMW items in the newsletter or about the WUMW can be sent to Eva Czepiel at Lefty1210@atmc.net

GIVING MADE EASY

Do you find yourself wanting to praise the Lord by giving back to Him a portion of the many blessings He has so generously showered upon you?  Have you been sitting in the pew when the collection plate is being passed and you realize you have little or no cash and you don't carry a checkbook?  Have you been out of town or sick on Sunday and not sure how to handle your weekly tithe in those instances?  We have all been there. 

The church office will provide you a self-addressed envelope upon request, if you wish to mail a check.  But why not utilize the online giving option?  Online giving is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It can be accessed by going to the churchwebsite, www.wrightsboroumc.org, and choosing the red Give button in the upper right corner, or by clicking the link, "click here to give online", in the weekly announcement email. Simply pick the amount of your tithe or offering and where you wish the funds to be applied, check out and you are done.  You can even elect to set it up as a recurring payment to ensure the funds are sent each week without any extra work on your part. 

What an easy way to ensure the missions of WUMC are able to continue and grow.  I am proud that we offer multiple options for our congregation, and I encourage you to at least check it out to see if it would be a good fit for you. 

Jim TimmonsFinance Committee Chair 

WRIGHTSBORO UNITED METHODIST MEN

Greetings from the WUMM , The WUMC men’s group would like to thank all those who helped out and supported our Brunswick Stew & BBQ fundraiser for the Rise against Hunger mission event! A special thanks to the WUMC women’s Group for their time and assistance. As the saying goes, “behind every good man, there’s an even better woman helping him out”. WUMC is truly blessed with a Spirit of giving, teamwork and generosity.

We were blessed with a large amount of donations of material for the event, and as a result we raised over $900.00 for the Rise against Hunger mission event. Brad Shoaf’s BBQ was a sellout, which as we all know, is not a surprise! We sold over 80 of the 94 Quarts of stew that were made. The remainder was frozen to distribute as needed for shut-ins, and other circumstances.

As we approach the Easter season, I encourage of you to remember the sacrifice made by Jesus that grants all who

ask to receive Salvation & forgiveness. Easter is a time of renewal and hope. Please spread that spirit as you go about your daily activities!

Speaking of Easter, WUMC’s annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held at WUMC on Saturday, April 20th at 11:00 am. The men of the church will be grilling hot dogs for the event and will begin prepping at about 10:00 am. If you would like to help with the cooking, preparation or a donation of relevant items, please let Suzanne or Darren know. We are excited about the opportunity

to gather as a family and watch the little ones in their frenzied search for the eggs!

Our next Men’s breakfast will be on Sunday April 14th at 7:30 am. Invite a friend, bring a friend and enjoy a time of fellowship & food. All are invited!

Darren Poe - President, WUMM

FINANCE UPDATE

March 26, 2019

Finance Committee Update:

Greetings Church Family – Thank you for allowing us to serve the church in this way each month. We consider it a privilege to be charged with such responsibility, and we make every effort to be good stewards. At all times, financial information is available in the church office or by request.

As of the end of the month of February, we have received $85,063.27 for repairs from Hurricane Florence and replaced the roof for a cost of $37,650.00. The remaining total of $47,413.27 will be used toward the additional damage inside the church.

For the month of February 2019: (Not including hurricane related money)

Total funds taken in: $30,642.14

Of note, this figure includes the following amounts collected:Family Night $ 734.00

Food Pantry $ 710.77Methodist Home for Children $ 592.00

Total funds spent paying bills: $29,628.50

Surplus for end of month, February 2019 $ 1013.64

Our current mortgage payout is $678,476.62

Apportionments are paid on schedule.

I am so thankful for your generous giving to support Wrightsboro’s ministries and missions. It is truly a blessing to see what we are able to accomplish through your financial support.

For those who prefer, please remember you can always make your tithes and offerings online through the church website.

As always, thank you for your faithful tithes, your donations, your gifts, and your prayers.

Jim TimmonsFinance Chair