A Note from Pastor Susan

Dear Family, How are you in the world? After the Governor's remarks yesterday, I imagine we are all wondering "what's next" for La Plata United Methodist Church? I can think of NO ONE more than myself who wants our church to reopen to in-person worship inside. No one more who wants to hug the stuffins out of you! No one more who wants to look in your eyes as I offer you the Blessed Sacrament. NO ONE. That being said, I love you too much to endanger your health in any way. Though the Governor has relaxed his restrictions and is "allowing" 50 percent capacity worship inside our building, doesn’t mean we MUST do so. La Plata church is working toward that goal, but there is more work to be done. Please look in your email for upcoming detailed information about how YOU can be involved and help La Plata reopen safely and confidently. In the mean time, plans are in place for an outdoor service where we can gather in our cars and worship together. Remember the days of the Drive In Theaters? If you do, you know what I am talking about. If you don't, you will be in for a grrreat surprise! This time of physical distancing has many "blessings in the midst". One of them is to try new things in new ways. Our outdoor, "Drive In Service" is one them. For now, please know I understand your desire to return to our church home. I share your frustration about so many things, these days, and a selected group of leaders are praying, working, and seeking the best way to move forward as the people of God called La Plata UMC. His... and Yours, Pastor Susan

The Grapevine Weekly Newsletter of La Plata United Methodist Church

May 14, 2020

In This Issue

Thank You to Our Sunday School Teachers Employment Opportunity Claim Your Blessing! Summer Camp Cancelled Sunday School At Home ASP Builds Christmas Angels & Benches - Buy Yours Now! Christian Caravan of Love! LPUMC is Blessed! Text Your Tithe “Charles County Cares” Initiative Opportunity to Participate Family Devotion Let’s Celebrate! Let Us Pray Why Pastor Why Facebook Find

3 Port Tobacco Road La Plata, MD 20646

301.934.2288 laplataumc.org

laplataumc@gmail.com

Senior Pastor: Rev. Dr. Susan E. Boehl

Sunday Worship Services:

8:30am Café Worship 11:00am Traditional Worship

Courage Corner

Fear never wrote a symphony or poem, negotiated a peace treaty, or cured

a disease. Fear never pulled a family out of poverty or a country out of

bigotry. Fear never saved a marriage or a business.

Courage did that. Faith did that.

Max Lucado

Thank You to Our Sunday School Teachers This Sunday, we will be recognizing our wonderful Sunday School teachers. With their leadership LPUMC offered ten classes each week for all ages. They planned and lead classes, caring for our children, youth and adults and helped build and strengthen faith foundations. We also had extremely dedicated substitutes that willingly stepped in to help out. Thank you to: Erica Blass, Emily Boggs, Polly Boggs, Sharron Brown, Vanessa Brown, Amy Carney, Stephen Davis, Karen Grace, Tom Grace, Beth Groth, Jason Groth, Trish Holcomb, Becki Katt, Julie Keesee, Sarah Leonard, Deb Lucas, Rachel Luther, Kevin Lyng, Randi McWilliams, Amber Pinto, Lexy Posey, Don Purdy, Betty Risley, Jim Risley, Julie Robbins, Jim Roberts, Stephanie Robertson, Doug Sayers, Terry Stancliff, Sylvia Stevens, Amber Sullivan, Carrie Summers, Adam Todd, Jessica Tompkins, Lauren Warring and Hillary Welch. YOU all made our year in Sunday School successful. Thank You!

Employment Opportunity Children and Youth are our greatest resource. They are not only the future of the Church, they are the PRESENT! La Plata Church is currently accepting applicants for the position of Director Of Christian Education and Youth Ministry. Corrie Roberts, who will hold this position until May 31, has tendered her resignation to serve God in other ways. This is a 20 hr/wk PART-TIME staff position. Applicants should submit a resume and references. At least one year experience working with children and/or youth or comparable training is preferred. If you have a heart for children and youth or know someone who does and may have an interest, please contact the church office for more information. Make a difference in the life of our church and in the lives of the younger members of our church family. Position specifics are available upon request. Deadline for applicants is June 1. Thank you!

Stop, Drop, & Pray! Everyday at 10am

Text Your Tithe

Text 844-905-2671 enter the amount as the message

and send the text

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

The Grapevine Editor: Sherri Hastings

Publisher: Karen Hamner Circulation: 750

Weekly deadline for submitting articles is Wed. at 4pm.

This Past Week

232

162

Facebook Views Preacher’s Pop Up Prayer

Church Income

$ $ $ $

14,750 8,130 10,403 24,710

Apr 19 Apr 26 May 3 May 10

Sunday School At Home Be sure to check out Sunday School at Home, found on our church website. Click on the image to take you to resources for your family, including videos designed just for kids. New videos are posted each week, so check them out! One from this week highlighted several of our Sunday School opening songs, go ahead, make a joyful noise to the Lord!

Claim Your Blessing! At La Plata Church, we are claiming this time in our lives as the season of Miracles! Now, more than ever, we need to double down on God's provision and power in spite of the world. You can have a part in this, by claiming your miracle or blessing and making a small video about it. Send a video giving praise to God about some way he is breaking into your life and where you are seeing God in action! Then, send it to the Facebook page of Mark Stancliff, our Technology Chair. Your video will be included in one of our worship services so we can all praise God together! We will be concentrating on God's mighty acts for the next few months, so keep an eye out...the miracle of birth....the uniting of spirits in marriage...healings... God making a way when you thought there was no way...God is still at work! Catch him in the act...and share!

BWC Summer Camps Cancelled This week our conference made the difficult decision to cancel all summer camps offered at West River and Manidokan. As they said: "the safety and wellbeing of every child is a foundational principle of Retreat and Camping Ministries and one that guided our process. Providing a haven where every child is safe, protected, and valued continues to be paramount to every dimension of the summer camp." So, enjoy family time this summer and consider a camp through BWC for summer 2021! Anyone who had registered will hear from Camps and Retreats directly about your refund.

ASP Builds Christmas Angels & Benches - Buy Yours Now! ASP Summer Program Cancelled As with so many other things this year, ASP’s summer program was cancelled to insure the well-being of homeowners, volunteers and staff. The hardest part of this is that upwards of 500 families will not get much needed home repairs and will endure another year of leaky roofs, rotting floors, sub-standard bathrooms and not enough safe access in and out of their homes. Because the need is on-going and ASP staff works year-round to prepare for the summer program, our volunteers have generously agreed to donate a portion of the fees we have already paid for this years trip to ASP (to off-set their on-going expenses) and to apply some funds to our 2021 trips. ASP Fundraisers Also, as a result of COVID-19, we lost two of our best fundraisers . . . the Soup, Stew & Chili Cook-off and the Mexican Fiesta. As restrictions relax and we are permitted to gather once again, we will explore the potential for rescheduling these events. In the meantime, we are planning to continue with our bench building project as both a fundraiser and tool training for our youth. These sturdy benches are 48” long; made with pressure-treated lumber and are paintable or stainable. Each bench sells for $100 and we will deliver to any location in the commuting area.

In addition, we are offering a pair of Christmas Angels (cut from 3/8’ plywood; painted and staked; ready to use) for $100 / pair. Please reply to John Carns carns@comcast.net or 301.848.0060 (text) to let him know how many benches and angels ASP can make for you.

ASP Team to Make Local Home Repairs As another way to keep our teams together and active, we are looking for some local ASP-like projects to work on this summer. If you or you know of someone in our church or community with a dire need please let me know and we will see if it is something we are able to assist with. This can include but not be limited to: decks; ramps; flooring; dry-wall repair; painting; miscellaneous repairs, etc. We would expect the homeowner to reimburse for any materials required to do the work. Thanks and stay tuned regarding re-scheduling of cancelled events.

Christian Caravan of Love On Wed, May 13, our church family, met at Piccowaxen Middle School to create our caravan of love for Pastor Susan! There was such an overwhelming response, that the caravan had to be broken into 2 groups. We left promptly at 6pm to head toward Pastor Susan’s house for a surprise drive-by showing of our love and gratitude! Pastor Susan has been diligently sharing the word with us every Sunday morning. We wanted to show her that, although the pews may be empty when she preaches, the “church” will never be empty because “WE” are the church.

We traveled down Rt 257 in caravan style and entered into her neighborhood. The Christian caravan made its way into the wilderness of Charles County to reach Pastor Susan’s house. We made the final turn and...

There she was! People in the caravan showed their love and appreciation for Pastor Susan through homemade signs, honking of horns, shouting of praise and some even left gifts. One family even joined the caravan on bicycles! Thank you Pastor Susan for all you do for our church family!

LPUMC is Blessed! Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. In this season of miracles, we stand amazed and humbled by the financial gifts that we’ve received in the last month. In a wonderful act of faith, the Marion Kraft estate bequeathed the church a generous gift. We are thankful for Marion’s faithfulness as a member of our congregation, and with this gift, she will continue to be a part of our ministry. In addition, we were approved for the Small Business Administration’s Payroll Protection Program. The funds we received from this program will cover our payroll, mortgage interest, and utility expenses for the next two months. We are also pursuing a technology grant with the Baltimore-Washington Conference that will help also offset some other expenses. Most importantly, we lift up our church family. We are especially blessed by your generous giving. With the church facilities closed, we increased digital giving options. We continue to receive consistent offerings via snail-mail, online giving, and text messaging. All these gifts and offerings provide financial relief in these unprecedented times. We are able to meet our monthly expenses and support our community through Lifestyles of Maryland. The Finance Committee continues to assess our financial health for the remainder of the year, keeping in mind that some of our larger fundraisers may yet be affected. We are hopeful that together, and with trust in God, we will make it through these challenges stronger. We are humbled, inspired, and thankful for what we have received. We remain people of hope and witnesses of God’s grace.

Text your Tithe

In less time than it takes to write a check, you can make weekly offerings by sending a text message. Just read the instructions below of how to get started and you can continue to support the work of our church by texting your tithe.

“Charles County Cares” Initiative End Hunger in Charles County, LifeStyles, and other organizations are working on a program that will allow those in need to receive food, toiletries and information about resources during this COVID 19 Crisis. This initiative, Charles County Cares, is designed to allow for the delivery of groceries, meals, toiletries, etc., to eligible homebound individuals, curbside pickup of same, and promotion of operational food pantries. End Hunger in Charles County: Services Available during the COVID-19 Crisis End Hunger in Charles County is working collaboratively to provide emergency food, prepared meals, and other meal items to children and households in need. The goal is to work in a coordinated effort to maximize all available resources and to avoid duplication of effort. The organization will assist existing programs through funding and other resources as needed. We have partnered with agencies to provide the following services in Charles County: · Community Cabanas: LifeStyles is working with volunteers to build, install, and maintain ten cabanas throughout the community, located in areas such as Waldorf, La Plata, Indian Head, and Nanjemoy. These cabanas will provide necessities, such as toiletry items, ready-to-eat food, and water, for those in need. This drive-through process will be maintained by volunteers who will provide services each weekday from 11am – 3pm. This is done through a partnership with End Hunger and Charles County Government. · Meal deliveries: LifeStyles in partnership with other providers and Charles County Public Schools are coordinating the delivery of meals for households with school-age children that are not able to access the daily school meal distribution sites, to seniors who are homebound, and also for those that are homeless that need access to nutritious meals. These meal deliveries are scheduled for weekday deliveries, utilizing homebound delivery protocols developed by the Maryland Food Bank. When the purchase of groceries is more efficient and economic, it will be used as an alternative. Households must be pre-approved and requests for same-day delivery may be considered, but not a guarantee of availability. · School meal sites: Charles County Public Schools has 11 drive-through sites throughout the county to provide three meals for children 18 and under from 11am – 1pm Mondays through Fridays. Educational materials are also being distributed at that time. Children must be present in the vehicle to receive food. Southern Maryland Food Bank is providing groceries at these sites on Fridays to assist families. · Curb-side Food pantries: End Hunger has provided an updated listing of sites that are currently operating to provide non-perishable food items to the community that last from 3 – 7 days. Persons are served without direct contact, and information is collected from staff and volunteers via phone, email, or from a social distance. This list of food pantries will be maintained frequently as the situation changes. LifeStyles is currently providing curbside food pantry services from its satellite Waldorf location each weekday from 8am – 4pm. The link for pantries and meals in Charles County continuing service during this time is https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z_I3HvqqMTjtUmjaCP70_CCZ-3wvsI9tqoUbHk2Ev-c/edit?ts=5e7b5294#gid=1433775003

· Groceries: End Hunger in Charles County will provide grocery gift cards to persons to purchase grocery items to supplement pantry items or to homeless individuals to access hot meals from grocery stores when appropriate. End Hunger will coordinate with local farmers to purchase food for families that have cooking facilities and are able to prepare their meals. · Hot meals: Southern Maryland Food Bank is providing hot meals through the Meals of Hope mobile unit at designated locations throughout the county that are considered food desert areas, i.e., Cobb Island, Bryans Road, etc. Our Place is also providing curb-side hot meals at their location in Waldorf on Designated days (to be determined). Please call if you are in need or have donations. · End Hunger in Charles County: 301-383-3683 · LifeStyles: 301-609-9900

Opportunity to Participate FAMILY! Now is the time! Help is needed to care for the vulnerable among us. Let us roll up our sleeves and work for the community and her welfare. Please see where the Lord is urging YOU to help! Charles County Cares – Community Cabanas We Need Help! Ten “Charles County Cares Cabanas” are being constructed, measuring 4’x3’x6’, and placed in strategic locations around the county. These Cabanas will contain bags of non-perishable food items and water, toiletry kits, and information about available resources. Cabanas will be open five days a week, Mondays through Fridays, from 11am – 3pm. Families and individuals will be able to pick up bags each day. Cabanas will be stocked daily with 50 bags of food and 50 bags of toiletry. The first cabana was placed at the New Hope Church of God in Waldorf on Monday, March 30th with four more scheduled to be placed soon. The remaining cabanas will be put in place as they are completed. We will eventually need 3500 meal bags each week, but for now we estimate needing 1750, to have 50 bags of food at each cabana. The same is true for hygiene kits. Volunteer Staffing of the Cabanas We desperately need volunteers to commit to a one-hour time frame to stand (or sit in your car) at a six-foot distance from the cabana to instruct individuals to limit themselves to one bag per person. You are NOT expected to enforce rules or engage with clients. A sign-up volunteer list has been created on the following website: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094FA4A92BA4FB6-charles1 Volunteers will be assigned to Community Cabana Captains. If volunteers are sick, have potential COVID-19 symptoms, or are considered the ‘vulnerable population’ during this COVID-19 virus pandemic, we ask that you not volunteer. Persons must be 18 years old to volunteer. Volunteers should not bring children to the site with them. Food and Toiletry Donations We also need volunteers to donate non-perishable food items and toiletry items, and to bag those items for distribution. The process and suggested ingredients are detailed below. You are instructed to wear gloves and to wash your hands often with soap and hot water. Donors can have them pre-made in bags or drop off assorted requested items. Donors are asked to call LifeStyles at 301-609-9900 or End Hunger at 301-383-3686 to state they will be delivering items, so staff are available to assist. Donations can be made daily from 8am – 4pm. Cabana Captains can access additional bags from the Fuller House. If volunteers are donating checks or items but have not assembled them into bags, they can drop them off at the Fuller House located at 3470 Rockefeller Court, Waldorf, MD 20602. Checks should be made payable to End Hunger in Charles County. Please write COVID19 food in the memo. Thanks and God bless you!

Hygiene Kits: Items Needed (Male/Female/Child)

Shaving Cream Shampoo (Family Size Optional/Travel Size Preferred)

Lotion Conditioner (Family Size Optional/ Travel Size Preferred)

Razor (Optional) Hand Sanitizer (if possible)

Floss (Optional) Pads/Tampons (Women’s Personal Care Items)

Toothpaste Comb/Brush (Optional)

Toothbrush (Individually Wrapped) Deodorant

Mouth Wash (Alcohol-free/Optional) Soap/Body Wash

Anytime Bags/Lunch Bags: Items Needed (Nonperishable Items Preferred)

Tuna Lunch Kits/Chicken Salad Kits Cookies

Vienna Sausages Slim Jims

Chips Apple Sauce

Water 16 oz (Preferred) Fruit Cups

Juice (Bottle or Boxed/Optional) Microwaveable Spaghetti, Ravioli, etc.

Crackers Plastic cutlery/napkins

Family Devotion This week's family devotion is a great reminder that we are role models! During this time of being home, together, more remember to watch what you do! Enjoy

Thursday, May 14 Caitlin Grace Saturday, May 16 Nicholas Skinner-8 Sunday, May 17 Pat Brennan Turner Caldwell David Hamner Laurie Smith

Monday, May 18 Wilmeta Chance Peggy Hopkins Tuesday, May 19 Rick Boggs Victoria Brown-4 Katie Rose Schneider Thursday, May 21 Karyl Beveridge Olivia Cruz-13 Mike Middleton Mark Saunders

Friday, May 22 Paul McCormick Sunday, May 24 Ken & Krystene Burgess-23 Cliffy Barnes Darrick Brown Katie McConnell

For our friends and family who are living in nursing homes, and assisted living or home bound:

Tom Berry Wade Beswick Karyl Beverage Margaret Bowie Frank Brinson Patricia Buckler Sue Carns Jennifer Carpenter Jerome Church Cathy Compton Harolly Coombs Joyce Dean Lane Duque Sandra Fykes Remy Zachary Gordon

Carl Greene Laurie Hamilton Peggy Hamilton Randy Hill Christina Kingsbury Francis Lewis Donna McKenzie Ed McKenzie Johnny McPherson Renee Nash Carl Occhipinti Frank Quinn Mary Beth Reckeweg John Richards Melissa Faith Rollins

Crystal Rupprecht Patty Rupprecht Donna Sarnacki Tabitha Schneider Carol Sorenson Rosalie Snyder Don Stapleson Michael Stewart Brian Thomason Jeanette Tull Sandy Tull Linda Valente Cora Westmoreland Mike Williams

Let Us Pray

Ann Bergerstock Lennis Bridgett

Iris Dickerson Sharon Ferguson

Mike Merritt

Medical personal as the put their lives at risk caring for those with Covid19. Researchers as they strive to develop a cure for this virus. The leaders of our country, may the Holy Spirit be present at every meeting as they keep us informed. Our Pastors as the continue to find new ways to minister to their flock and keep us all connected. For each other that Christ will calm our fears and keep us safe.

Continue to pray for:

Let’s Celebrate! Birthdays & Anniversaries

For our friends and family who have medical issues:

For our friends and family who are grieving:

The family of Dorothy "Dottie" Stevens, Joyce Clerico's sister, as they mourn her passing.

Why Pastor Why

Richard Vincent Rose

Facebook Find

As I see you standing there Behind the pulpit

Reading from God’s Word I think back to all

Those wonderful, blessed sermons From you that I’ve heard

No, there’s no secret why God

Brought you out Oh, the many times your Joy has made me shout!

You see, Pastor, There was a reason

That God saved your soul Because He knew That serving Him With all your heart

Would be your life’s goal

You see, Pastor, There was a reason

That it was you That God chose

Not your good looks, Perfect hair,

And stylish clothes No, Pastor, the reason

That God reached down His hand and saved you Let there be no doubt!

The reason God chose you Is because He knew

How you would turn out! The reason, Pastor,

That you mean so much to me Is that when I look at you

It’s Jesus that I see

For in your footsteps I so gratefully trod Because I know

That in following you I am following God