theConnectionF I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H C A R Y

theConnectionF I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H C A R Y

June 14, 2019

Worship:

Sunday Sanctuary: 8:25, 9:45, & 11:05am

117 South Academy Street Cary, NC 27511

Sunday 1st on Chatham: 9:45 and 11:05am

The Cary, 122 E. Chatham Street, Cary, NC 27511

office: (919) 467-1861

pastor on call: (919) 467-1862

firstcary.com

Lori Barmer Communications Coordinator

OUR MISSIONTo make disciples of

Jesus Christ who grow in faith and love through

worship, fellowship, service and witness to one another

and the world.

Sharing the heartof Christ from the

heart of Cary.Servants: We Couldn’t Do It Without YouBut as for you, continue in the truths that you were taught and firmly believe. You know who your teachers were, and you remember that ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 3:14-15

The ROCK is where children (birth through fifth grade) start their Sunday mornings in an age-based small group. Relationships and community are built, and children begin to see the application of the Bible truth in everyday life. The morning ends in a large group

where the Bible is taught creatively, is relevant, and fun! When summer comes, the Family Ministry team likes to give the regular Sunday school teachers a break, and summer servants step in to help out.

Servants who teach Sunday school at the ROCK say what a blessing it is for them. Carrie Vetter said, “Josh and I have been teaching Sunday school for nine years. It is a wonderful way to give back to the church community. We enjoy watching and hearing how the kids interpret the Bible. They are so sweet…and funny! Teaching Sunday school has given us an opportunity to meet dozens of families and spend quality time with our kids on Sunday mornings.”

Ken and Mary Kathryn Manning have three children, and they love helping out at The ROCK. Mary Kathryn said, “The first thought that comes to mind is that by helping with The ROCK it has helped us get back to the ‘basics.’ We love hearing all the old Bible stories that we’ve always known, but we end up with new insight…a new perspective from these old stories. We love that! It is amazing how that happens. It is yet another reminder of how God is always molding us and ‘growing’ us into the person he has created us to be…and always teaching us things as we draw closer to him.

“Also, by serving with our kids at The Rock, it gives us the opportunity to be with them and work closely with them at church—to be a part of their experiences there. We get to know their friends and classmates. We feel like it’s a big thing for them to know that we are there, we are available, and, that by being involved in The Rock, we are showing them how important we feel this is for their spiritual journey.

“Then, of course, we are building relationships with the wonderful Rock leaders and other parents within our church family, and that is so important! We love our church family, and this has only enhanced those relationships.

“It’s always an adventure, and it’s always crazy with so many kiddos—but isn’t it awesome to have ALL of those kids, and have the opportunity to pour some of God’s love into them? Our goal is to make it fun, give the kids something to take with them each week, and try to make it something that they want to keep coming back to!”

Alicia Shelton is our Family Ministry Associate for Children. She said, “Working with the children is so rewarding, and they love having parents and dedicated adults leading their groups. If you are interested in assisting us during the summer, email me at ashelton@firstcary.com. I’m happy to discuss this awesome opportunity to serve at The ROCK!” – Lori Barmer

First UMC Cary Graduates 2019The class of 2019 is filled with future nurses, accountants, engineers, teachers, and ministers. They have grown up in this church.

They represent the beauty of Christ-centered relationships that spur us on to new heights. Through outreach, missions, and ministries, the class of 2019 has shown that they love sharing the heart of Christ from the heart of Cary.

Their future is so very bright, and we all are proud of them!. We cannot wait to see where the Lord leads them.

Front row: Alex Simmons, Julia Brownlee, Gracyn Brownlee, Molly Church, Emma Rowe, Hollyn Harris Middle row: Rev. Carl Frazier, Erin Hobbs, Rebecca Churchill, Lauren Queen, Emily Barringer, Finn Boling

Back row: Brandon Morton, Jason O’Donnell, Nash Lawrence, Colby Curtis, Corey Dao-Forrester, Family Ministry Associate for Youth

Blood DriveOur Health Ministry Chair, Jenn George, has scheduled our fourth Blood Donation Drive for Saturday, June 29. She jokingly said, “The last drive was on January 19, and we went to get hot chocolate because of the cold. Now, we’ll need to find a portable air conditioner if the heat continues!” While The Blood Connection mobile unit nurses make it relaxing and fun to donate, their work is actually very serious. Severe weather events and more people traveling over the summer make maintaining adequate bloods supplies a challenge.

Several church members are repeat donors. Chris O’Shields said, “I’ve been donating blood for about six years. My son Ryan was in fifth grade and his school was having a blood drive. He asked if I would donate, and I said yes, but with a big lump in my throat. The reason I had not given before? I was a scaredy cat! Three things bothered me; it was going to hurt, it was going to take a long time, and I would be tired afterward. I have not experienced any of these concerns since I started donating on a pretty regular basis. Plus, now that I know I’m AB+ (third rarest), I try to give when I can.

“The nurses are great when it comes to the ‘stick.’ It’s pretty painless because they have so much expertise. You may experience a slight pinch. As far as it taking long, the paperwork can take some time but you can go online and fill out most of it prior to donating. The actual donating part takes five to seven minutes, at least for me, to donate a pint. I’ve not experienced any after donation issues either. I drink a bottle of water, eat some crackers, and rest for 10-15 minutes, and I’m good to go.

“Ryan is old enough now so he comes with me to donate, as well. The Blood Connection mobile blood drive usually has a nice gift for your donation, especially if you’re a Chick-Fil-A fan! Many thanks to Jenn George for organizing this great opportunity to give to our community.”

It really is easy and convenient to donate. TBC provides snacks, drinks, and usually a nice incentive in the form of a gift card. I always see church friends there and we get to chat while we’re donating. The mobile unit will be on Academy Street in front of the Post Office on June 29 from 10:00am until 3:00pm. I hope to see you there!

– Lori Barmer

Garden Open HouseOn Sunday, June 2, the Gracious Harvest Community Garden hosted our annual open house. The open house gives an opportunity for the congregation to see the great things happening and growing in the garden. We grow fruits and vegetables to share among our members and families in the local area.

The open house was tons of fun. We were serenaded by the Shank’s family’s live bluegrass music, enjoyed refreshments, and conducted garden tours for 100+ children and plenty of grown-ups. The children enjoyed the change of scenery and learned what their food looks like before it gets to the grocery store. There were folks from the community who came to learn about our ingenious drip irrigation system. The water comes from the original Town of Cary well and keeps our plants hydrated and happy.

In addition to our usual tomatoes, onions, peppers, beans, cucumbers, okra, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, corn, blueberries, soy beans, carrots, beets, swiss chard, and spinach, we added watermelons and tomatillos this year. These were added thanks to the feedback from members of our garden team.

If you would like to participate in the garden, we have a workday every Saturday morning from 9:00-11:00am. The garden is located beside the playground, behind the columbarium. You can park in any of the parking lots and walk over.

Our website is graciousharvest.org, and you can find us on Facebook by searching “Gracious Harvest Community Garden.” A family membership is $10/year.

We would love for you to dig in the dirt. No experience required and all ages welcome.

See you in the garden!

Pollinator Education Garden UpdateHave you been wondering what’s going on with that weedy-looking plot of land by the sidewalk along Building B? The Creation Care Committee has a plan for the land. It will become a Pollinator Education Garden for our church and the community that strolls by.

Right now, though, this space is in construction transition along with the rest of the property. This is where the construction workers must access the building roof during the renovation this summer. So, we have planted foot-traffic-friendly white clover to provide nitrogen to the soil and bee-attracting flowers. We are also growing mammoth sunflower plants along the west wall to attract birds and butterflies. You may notice the plantings looking sad in the hot dry weather and flourishing after a rain. Just like in nature, the garden will be solely dependent on the weather God provides without artificial irrigation. (Another example of nature’s education.)

In the fall, we plan to plant winter clover to provide a nice ground cover and more nutrients for the soil in preparation for next spring’s plantings. The long-term vision is for bird and bee-attracting plants with educational signage for how they fit into God’s Creation. We will include a meandering path and seating to encourage folks to take a closer look.

We are all excited for the physical transition for our church buildings and the Pollinator Education Garden!

– Louise Belk

Pastors On-Call Your pastors continue to seek ways to provide you with quality pastoral care while balancing the other demands of ministry. In an effort to be available, we have an “on-call” system. If you need to reach a pastor in an emergency situation, you may call (919) 467-1862 to reach the on-call pastor for that week. There is also an option to dial this line directly when calling the church office. When you call this number, the pastor on call for the week will respond as soon as possible. Please be mindful when calling this number, as it is for true emergencies only. This includes a death, sudden critical hospitalization of a member, or other such situations. Pastoral care for non-emergencies, such as scheduled hospitalizations, can be arranged through the front office.

Favorite ScriptureColossians 3:12-14 (nrsv) As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

First UMC Cary News from Annual Conference 2019The North Carolina United Methodist Annual Conference is being held June 12 through June 15 at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville, NC. Our pastors are in attendance, several members of our congregation, and our Lay Members to Annual Conference: Bob and Sara Anderson, Brad and Nancy Dixon, Matt and Dianna Wentz, and Elizabeth Wolber.

Mark Schneider, former First UMC Cary Lay Leader, and current Capital District Co-Lay Leader, was elected as a Lay Delegate to the 2020 General Conference. Mark has served our church and district in many ways, and we are blessed by his faithful service.

Kollin Absher-Baer has been on our church staff since 2013. He began as the worship leader for the First on Chatham worship services at The Cary. Since then, he has served as the Director of Young Adult Ministry. On Saturday at Annual Conference, Kollin will be commissioned as a Local Licensed Pastor. We celebrate that Kollin is being appointed

to First UMC Cary as Pastor of Young Adult Ministry/First Table. We anticipate beginning First Table, our Saturday worship service, in late fall.

Please lift all of our pastors up in prayer as they return from Annual Conference to begin another year of ministry at First UMC Cary: Carl, Martha, Heather, Ben and Kollin. We give thanks to God for their ministry.

Visit https://nccumc.org/ac2019/ to read more about this year’s Annual Conference, and visit https://nccumc.org/ac2019/live/ to view the livestream of Annual Conference. To support Kollin during his commissioning, tune in to the ordering of ministry that will take place on Saturday, June 15 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Sunday Morning LivestreamIf you find yourself out of town, or under the weather, you can visit http://firstcary.com/streaming/ to be a part of the Sanctuary worship service. Check out the bulletin while you’re there. There are also past sermons from our worship communities on our website. Visit http://firstcary.com/media/ to stay connected! If you are interested in serving on the livestream team, you may contact Brent Hubbell bhubbell@firstcary.com.

Online GivingGiving, tithing, it is an important part of our faith. It is faithful response to God’s call and claim on us and to be a part of what God is doing in the world. All that we have has come to us from God. We are inviting you to consider automating your giving to First Cary. Our online giving tool gives you the flexibility to set up one-time or recurring gifts and view your giving history. If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Curtis at ecurtis@firstcary.com.

Health Ministry Blood DriveDuring the summer, local blood supplies can dwindle and we need to replenish it for those in need. Our next blood drive will be June 29 from 10:00am-3:00pm. The Blood Connection will park the mobile unit on Academy Street. Each donor will receive a $20 gift card to Chick-Fil-A! Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/y4unmges. You may email Jenn George at jenngeorge@nc.rr.com for more information.

Bridge the Gap Mission Back to School SuppliesLast August, Bridge the Gap Mission delivered 208 book bags stuffed with school supplies to eight schools and two low income apartment complexes (one of those in Cary). We would like to reach even more students this year. Now through August 4, we will collect school supplies in the two Bridge the Gap Mission boxes at the church. If you have a group that wants to collect, please call me and I can pick the school supplies up. Becky Viersen (919-851-4535) bviersen@aol.com .

We need the following: • Book bags• Safety scissors• Markers• Crayons• Glue sticks• No. 2 pencils• Wide ruled notebook paper• Colored pencils• Composition notebooks

New Life RecoveryThe Addiction Recovery Movement would like to invite anyone who needs support with addiction recovery for themselves or for a loved one to New Life Recovery. The group meets on Thursday nights from 6:30-8:00 in the log cabin.

Saturdays, at 7:00pm, in the log cabin, an invitation to New Life Recovery worship gathering is open to all who have a passion for nurturing Christ-centered Addiction Recovery.

Habitat Build Update We are getting close to the target completion date, which is June 30, but there is still a lot of work to be done. There is one Saturday remaining First UMC Cary has committed to provide servants. You can also sign up for any days that you are available to help. Please prayerfully consider signing up for this year’s build.

You can sign up at: http://vhub.at/CaryCoalition/. You may contact Mike Bailey ragtopguy@mindspring.com if you have any questions.

UMM/USO Golf Classic The USO of North Carolina and the United Methodist Men and will be hosting and celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Tee Up Fore Charities Annual Golf Classic on Monday, September 9, 2019 at the MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, NC. It is because of your commitment to supporting our service members and our community that we are able to offer many critical programs and services. We, and those we serve, deeply appreciate your generosity in being a sponsor for this year’s event. In addition to registering to join us that day as a golfer, there are other sponsorship opportunities that you may want to consider. Please visit our website at http://firstcary.com/umm/tufc or contact Eric Christian at 919-630-3191 or hristiancay@gmail.com for more information.

J.O.Y. News About ten years ago, I was asked to lead J.O.Y. Council, and I have been blessed many times over by the friendships and spirituality that has been shared with me by members of J.O.Y.

It is time now for new leadership, and I offer the position to someone who would find pleasure in working alongside seniors. I have recently felt a calling to devote more time to the specific needs of some of our senior population.

If you are interested in discussing the responsibilities of this position or if you are interested in becoming a member of the J.O.Y. Council for 2020-2021, please contact me at lkfuller@nc.rr.com, Elizabeth Rhoads at erhoads@firstcary.com, or Rev. Heather Wong at hwong@firstcary.com. – Linda Fuller

Summer Meals ProgramJune 17 through August 14, 5:30 to 7:00pmJoin us in sponsoring Summer Meals at First UMC Cary. While in school, children are guaranteed a breakfast and lunch, but in the summer, it is often harder for families in need to provide three nutritious meals a day for their children. First Cary is the perfect place to gather around the table and get to know our neighbors over dinner! Free meals are open to ALL children under 18. Bring your families and serve the community with us—prepare and serve meals, or read a book with a child. Sign up to serve at https://tinyurl.com/y3ahsn5r.

Mission Week 2019 Group LeadersPlease sign up to serve at Mission Week 2019. We would love to have you serve with a group all week, or during the morning or afternoon shifts. For more information, contact Corey at cforrester@firstcary.com, or visit https://tinyurl.com/yxvyvyre to sign up.

Save the Dates: MannaFest Weekend All of our worship communities gather to serve and worship togetherSATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28: Breakfast, dialogue, and service opportunities.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29: Worship at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre, followed by a catered lunch.

Glenaire Sunday School Teaching Schedule Teachers are needed for the Glenaire Sunday School class. The class meets each Sunday from 10:00 to 10:30am at Glenaire. The class uses the Adult Bible Studies curriculum which has a Leaders Guide. The leader’s materials are available in the First UMC Cary office. Please ask Terese Lamm or Karen Chauvaux. You are welcome to sit in on a class any Sunday if you would like to observe before leading. Please sign up at firstcary.com for the dates that you would like to teach Sunday School at Glenaire. You may email Terese Lamm at tlamm@firstcary.com with questions. Thank you so much for your service to this ministry!

First UMC Cary Youth Choirs Kick-off RetreatAugust 16 & 17Rising 6th–12 graders, save the date! Youth choirs are going on a retreat to Wet and Wild Water Park in Greensboro, leaving late Friday afternoon August 16, and returning Saturday evening August 17. The cost is $30.00 per person, which covers lodging Friday night, two meals, and the water park on Saturday. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/y37dxm22 by July 19.

Building to Serve UpdatePhase 1a of Building to Serve is nearing completion. The tentative plan—subject to change given construction considerations—is for the Building Committee to be available on Sunday, June 30, to give tours of the new building. Phase 1b is now underway. Visit firstcary.com/buildingtoserve for updates.

ROCK Sunday School ServantsThere are opportunities to serve at The ROCK this summer! Sunday school servants during the summer months help our regular teachers take a break and recharge. It’s super easy and we supply everything—we just need you!

Please contact Alicia Shelton at ashelton@firstcary.com to sign up—the difference you make will be immeasurable!

ZOE Opportunities: Hope GrowsIf you missed getting $150 seed money to start your own Income Generating Project to raise funds for orphans’ IGPs, you’re not too late! We invite you to take the challenge with this seed money and see how much you can make between now and October 27. OR you might choose to do less to help orphans. Forego dinner out, special coffee, or some other item for several months and then donate the money you saved to ZOE. If you would like seed money, contact Jeff Briggs at jwbnc@mindspring.com or Helen Papageorgiou at helenpapageo@gmail.com.