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

November 10, 2017

Worship:

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

Sunday Celebration: 11:11am

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.Wrapped in God’s Love

First UMC Cary’s Prayer Shawl Ministry is a group of women who gather at the church each Wednesday morning to fellowship with one another. Our time together is spent knitting or crocheting prayer shawls, which are given to persons who are experiencing an illness, a difficult

season in their life, OR to a person who has had a great joy. These shawls are meant to bring comfort and peace as they are symbolic of the warmth of the arms of God wrapped around each recipient. As a symbol of joy, these shawls glorify our blessings from God. Carrie Barnett explained, “Our mission is to serve the Lord by providing a soft, warm hug in the form of a shawl or lap blanket to those who need it most. We pray for the recipient as we create the shawls and blankets.”

This ministry serves First Cary members, family, and friends. Diane Laws received a shawl by request of her bible study group. Diane said, “When I received my prayer shawl, I was afraid of needing a chemo infusion for the rest of my life and all the problems associated with it. Scared, this prayer shawl gave me strength. I continue to use it at each treatment, feeling the prayer and love with each precious stitch. At the end of my husband’s cancer journey, I wrapped his feet in the warmth of God’s love, aware of the incredible ministry of prayer, hope and security. A comfort you can only know if you have received one.”

The prayer shawl ministry also reaches far beyond our church. Layla is a four-year-old in California. She has medulloblastoma. When we learned about Layla, we knew she needed a shawl, so we sent her one. Her mother said it made her so happy!

Lori Barmer shared that her mother, Jane, had been struggling with health problems—some known and some unknown—for quite a long time. We sent her a prayer shawl and it moved her to tears. She said, “It was an unexpected gift that covered me in the security of a loving God. I’m very grateful for the thoughtful women of First UMC Cary—for their generosity, compassion, and talents.”

First UMC Cary provides lap blankets and prayer squares (mini shawls) far and wide. Our squares have gone to Bolivia, on the ZOE trips to Africa, and on ASP trips to the mountains of Appalachia. We are currently making a “knit quilt” to provide to Dorcas Ministries in celebration of their 2018 Gala Anniversary. Carrie said, “The yarn was donated by the women of the Rebecca Circle, who

also support Dorcas Ministries.” We would like our church family to know that anyone can request a shawl and it can be used to carry our love with the love of God near or far!

Our group is always accepting new knitters and crocheters at any level; we are willing to teach and guide new knitters. You may visit firstcary.com and click the “registration” for more information. If you would like a shawl to present to someone in need, please call the church office at 919-467-1861. Each shawl is prayed over and blessed by a First UMC Cary pastor.

– Joyce Moxley and the Prayer Shawl Team

Layla, four-years-old

It’s Worth ItA couple years ago, when my daughter Megan had just gotten her driver’s license, our family was having a typical weekend of travel sports insanity. It was not out of the ordinary for our weekends to consist of two soccer tournaments in two different cities, along with a cheer competition in a third city. My husband, Pete, and I learned early in our child-rearing years how to divide and conquer. A routine Thursday night conversation would go something like this: “Which kid do you want this weekend? Which city? Which sport? Do you want to sit in the blazing heat of Megan’s soccer tournament in Wilson, endure the soaking rains at Taylor’s soccer tournament in Boone, or apply Parker’s glittery make-up for a cheer competition in Myrtle Beach?” Then, after choosing our sports and cities for the weekend, we would break it to one of our kids that they would be going to their event with another family. After all, there are only two of us—Pete and myself—but three of them.

During this particular weekend of sports craziness, I woke up at home on Sunday morning feeling exhausted. Pete, equally exhausted, offered to make us a big family breakfast in lieu of going to church. After all, he knew that 99% of all yelling in the Maiorano home occurs on Sunday mornings. We are not typically a yelling kind of family, but, come Sunday morning, we transform. We yell. We shout things like, “What makes you think you can wear THAT to church? Have you lost your mind?” We scream, “How is it that we can all get out the door by 6:48 every weekday morning but we cannot pull ourselves together by 9:15 on Sundays?! What is wrong with our family?” Usually, by the time we walk breezily into church, wide smiles across our faces, we have spent at least an hour in turmoil to get there.

So, Pete’s gracious offer to cook us all breakfast and spare us a morning of pre-church yelling appealed to me. I walked upstairs to let the girls know that, after a long hard Saturday of soccer and cheer, we would take the morning off and just relax with bacon and waffles.

And then, the craziest thing happened. Megan, our oldest, looked at me, puzzled, and said, “That’s fine, but I have my own car, and I’m going to church.”

My beautiful, sun-burned, worn-out 16-year-old wanted church more than she wanted a morning at home with bacon and waffles. In that moment, I knew exactly where our family needed to be. The bacon and waffles could wait.

It’s been a couple of years since that transformative weekend. Now, Megan is in college, and we’ve had many conversations about life and the role our church has played in her faith formation. I can say with absolute certainty that our church has helped define who Megan is. She is strong, capable, loving, and faithful because of the Sunday School teachers, choir leaders, hand bell directors, UMYF leaders, Discovery Team leaders, ASP volunteers, Bolivia volunteers, ministers, and

congregants of First UMC Cary. Megan was able to transform our family that morning because, for 16 years, she had been filled with the love, hope, and joy that our church offers so freely and abundantly.

So, here’s the thing. It’s WORTH IT. It’s worth getting up and yelling about the crazy clothes your teenaged daughters want to wear, battling through the exhaustion, fighting over who has to walk the dog before Sunday School, arguing about why one of the kids has to be picked up early from a sleep-over when none of the other parents make their kids leave early, slamming the car doors in anger, and driving in brooding silence to 117 South Academy Street. It’s ALL WORTH IT.

I am so grateful for First UMC Cary. I am grateful that my three daughters have had an entire other family to help raise them (God must have known Pete and I couldn’t do it alone!). THANK YOU for doing whatever it is you have to do to get to church to shine Christ’s light in my family’s general direction. Because of you, Megan, and dozens of other college students, have started their journey into adulthood filled with hope, love, and a faith in Christ that will carry them throughout their lives. That, my sweet friends and fellow congregants, is worth it all. — Missy Maiorano

Salute to Veterans Breakfast and SpeakerOur United Methodist Men’s Fellowship will honor our military veterans and active duty members of our armed forces on Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11, 2017. Our speaker at the Salute to Veterans breakfast this year will be Sgt. Maj. Paul A. Berry (USMC, Retired). Over his 30-year career with the Marine Corps, Berry had deployments in numerous countries, including ones in Somalia, Croatia, Kosovo, and Iraq (twice), as well as many in the United States. In his final assignment, Berry worked alongside Brig. Gen. Thomas Weidley, MCI-East and Camp Lejeune commanding general, as the senior enlisted advisor for MCI-East, in command of six installations in five states, supporting more than 160,000 personnel. “It’s about selfless service,” said Berry. “Every day bring your ‘A’ game or don’t show up; that’s what I tried to do for 30 years. I owe it to these dog tags I’m holding in my hand and their families.”

Paul Berry is the newest member of the USO of North Carolina and is currently serving as the NC Serves Network Director and Programs Manager for the RDU/Fayetteville/Triad area.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, November 11. As always, first timers eat free! – First UMC Cary United Methodist Men

ZOE “Hope Grows” – How Inspiring!When traveling to Zimbabwe to meet orphans in the ZOE empowerment project, Jeff Briggs was amazed at what destitute orphans could accomplish with some training and $150 grant. He commented, “It was so inspiring to see these kids take the opportunity that has been given them and turn it into something that can transform their life and give them hope and stability that they have not had in their lives.” He came back to First UMC Cary with the idea of giving $150 loans to people in our congregation to see what income generating projects they could do to raise money for ZOE. Jeff continued, “We have so many talented and creative people here who could come up with some ideas to double, triple, even quadruple the amount of the loan. It might be a way for families to come together with a unique idea. I thought how this could be a way to walk in another’s shoes, share the journey these orphans experience every day.”So for two years now, the ZOE team has offered this challenge to the congregation. We thought you might like to read about some individuals and groups who have taken the challenge and accomplished amazing things to help vulnerable children and orphans.Inspired by reports as to how successful the ZOE empowerment model is, Jeanette Bell has done an income generating project for two years. When asked how she came up with her project, she said, “What I do best, I believe, is cooking so I thought I would prepare a country cooked meal (comfort foods like meat loaf and mac and cheese etc.) and invite the first 25 folks who responded to come to my home for dinner. The suggested amount was $25 per person but that was optional. Some folks who couldn’t come made a donation anyway. It is a fun way to have folks in my home for an evening of fellowship and fun. Since I love to cook it gave me a sense of satisfaction to be able to offer my talents for this worthwhile project. Everyone seemed to have a great time and enjoyed the menu.”Lindsay Allen heard Jeff Briggs speak in church when he invited folks to undertake an income generating project.

When asked how she came up with her project and what she learned, Lindsay explained, “I’m an Independent Consultant for Usborne Books & More which has an amazing fundraiser program. They have boxes of 30 attractive greeting cards priced at $30, of which $13 goes to the fundraiser. By doing this project I learned that word of mouth is an awesome thing! I sold lots of boxes from people telling other people about my product and the ZOE mission. I had fun meeting new people in our church. I wasn’t familiar with ZOE before this project so I learned about the ZOE mission and love what our church is doing with ZOE.”As the ZOE team leader, I am always amazed what people will do, given a challenge. Here is a sampling of some other projects:

• The Hispanic Women’s Group sold Mexican street corn in their neighborhood• The Koinonia Sunday school class gave their concession stand proceeds from one NCSU football game ($700!)• Terese Lamm sold her creatively folded books• My husband, George, and I hosted a five-course Greek dinner for book club friends• The Wisdom Sunday school class is sponsoring a giant garage sale this Saturday

Thank you to everyone who has completed an income generating project during the last two years. All proceeds lift orphans and vulnerable children out of severe poverty so that they never need a handout again. – Helen Papageorgiou

From the BishopGrieved afresh by the horrific violence Sunday morning in First Baptist Church, I asked colleague bishops in our Council of Bishops covenant group this morning for wisdom and help. How do we respond faithfully to encourage and protect those who gather for worship, prayer, learning, and service?

An African colleague bishop offered this perspective: “In our country, it always takes courage to go to church for worship. All Christians are targets of violence.”In the United States, we have assumed safety and comfort as Christians. We are stunned by the idea of a dangerous

world. It is painful to see terrorism, most recently in Las Vegas, New York, and Texas. Do we demand security, perhaps even armed guards in our churches?Our church suggests not. United Methodist churches are declared gun-free zones in our Social Principles.This conviction is rooted not in naïveté. It is rooted in the deep conviction that God calls us to create better ways forward. Together, let us explore these better ways. (https://nccumc.org/bishop/bishop-take-courage/)With gratitude to God for the life we share in Christ who said: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” – Bishop Hope Morgan Ward

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.

Dinner begins at 5:30pmCost: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors 65+,

$4 for children 12 and under, $22 max

Small Groups begin at 6:30pm for adults, youth

and children

November 15: ZOE Outreach ZOE soup (beef and vegetarian

seven-bean), grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, and

applesauce for kids, desserts

RSVP by noon the Tuesday before at firstcary.com or call 919-467-1861.

Favorite ScriptureProverbs 3:5-6 (nrsv) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

O Lord, I believe your will for my life is just what I would want for myself if I were but wise enough to figure it out. But since I’m not, I lean not upon my own understanding but trust in you with all my heart and I believe you will direct my steps. Amen.

Staff Profile Highlights In this issue of the Connection, we’d like to highlight Karen Schreiner, our Family Ministry Administrative Assistant.

Where did you go to school? I grew up here in Cary…yes, I’m a true native! I started my education at Cary Elementary, then East Cary Middle, and graduated from Cary High. I attended Appalachian State University and graduated with a history degree.

Tell us about your family. My husband Eric and I met while working at the same company; more specifically we were set up

by scheming co-workers! We have been married for 24 years. Our daughter Olivia just started her freshman year at UNC

Wilmington and our son Aidan is in tenth grade at Cary High. My children would insist that a listing of our family would not be complete without mentioning our well-loved cat Missy.

What do you do for fun? My favorite pastimes are reading and ringing handbells. I also love to bake and watch ACC basketball.

What is your role, and how long have you been on our team? I joined the First UMC Cary staff in 2008 as the Administrative Assistant to Music Ministry. For a time, I supported both the Music Ministry and Youth Ministry and then moved completely into Youth Ministry. My current role is Family Ministry Administrative Assistant. I’ll continue to work with youth, as well as now having opportunities to be in ministry with children and families in new ways. I have the pleasure of being part of a dynamic team during an exciting time of growth in our church, both spiritual and physical!

Bridge the Gap Toy CollectionBridge the Gap Mission is collecting new unwrapped toys until December 13 for our Santa’s Workshop event in Southeast Raleigh. Please place them in the Bridge the Gap box in the office.Thanks to everyone who contributed coats for our Coat Drive. We served around 50 families last Saturday!

Angels Are Coming!Angel Tree tags can be picked up Sundays November 19 and 26. The donations can be dropped off in room 125 on December 3. Watch for details to come!

A Concert of ThanksSunday, November 12, 3:00pmFirst UMC Cary and Genesis UMC Musicians will present a Concert of Thanks in the sanctuary at First UMC Cary, featuring a “HUGE 6-Keyboard Finale!”You are invited to bring canned peaches, pears, or pineapple as a contribution to Dorcas Ministries. Everyone is welcome to attend.

ZOE Soup and Chocolate Treats – On Sale Now! Our ZOE team will be selling ZOE Friendship Soup and chocolate treats on Sunday November 12 and 19 and at the Fellowship Feast on November 15. We have two varieties of dry soup mix (beef flavored and 7 bean veggie) attractively layered in jars priced at $10 / jar. Yummy chocolate covered pretzels and peanuts will also be on sale for $5 per bag. These items make great Christmas gifts for friends, neighbors, and relatives.If by chance you don’t care for soup, for every $10 you donate, we will give a jar of soup to the Dorcas food pantry. This is a Win-Win-Win alternative. Tables with these items will be located around the church campus on Sunday mornings. If you want to purchase some soup in advance, please contact Lori Millette at 919-971-3392. All proceeds benefit ZOE mission trips and Hope Companions, empowering orphans and vulnerable children so they never need a hand out again.

Bolivia 2018High school youth interested in a mission trip to Bolivia in July 2018 should attend an information session on Sunday November 19 from 12:00-1:00pm. Lunch will be provided. If this is your first trip, bring a parent with you! Please RSVP to Kelley Davis at kelsteph17@gmail.com.

Dorcas NEW Career Advancement ProgramDorcas Ministries can help you with tuition for training to get a better job, qualified living expenses, and career coaching. The goal is to help you qualify for a Better Paying Job and Career Path! Interested? Give Craig a call on 919-469-9861, ext 206 or email ctownley@dorcas-cary.org or visit dorcas-cary.org/services/education/

150th Anniversary First UMC Cary is approaching its 150th anniversary. It would be wonderful if we could produce a book documenting our history. To do this, we need documents, pictures, and memories from church members. Please contact me at 919-467-0088 or rgwarner@bellsouth.net if you can help.

We also need help with the book itself. Timmons Player and I are the current team, but we have no experience in producing a book. If you are interested in any aspect of developing this volume, please contact Timmons (Timmons@monkeyplayground.net) or me.

— Bob Warner, First UMC Cary Historian

All Faiths Women’s Book Group The book for discussion at the next All Faiths Women’s Book Group will be Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It is a story of the unlikely friendship of two men from very different walks of life. It is a good read with much wisdom and goodness. I hope you will enjoy it. There are multiple copies of the book at the public libraries but there is a short wait list. So get your copy and start reading!

We will meet to discuss the book on November 19 at 2:30pm at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Hall located in Cary at 830 Old Apex Road. For more information contact Susan Ciccarelli at Susan@SusanCiccarelli.com.

Habitat for Humanity Cary Coalition NewsWe have updated our web page so that each faith coalition now has a web page. The Cary Coalition page is https://www.habitatwake.org/faith/cary. On this page you will find the coalition Volunteer Hub link, special events, FAQ’s and Photo Album which will hopefully be helpful for you and your volunteers. Please begin sharing the volunteer hub link http://vhub.at/carycoalition to your church and encourage people to sign up for January 5 and 6, as well as your selected work days.

– Rick Beech, VP, Faith Relations, Habitat for Humanity of Wake County

Prison Ministry: Kairos 47 Kairos 47 is basically right around the corner! I want to ask if some of the men of the church would consider becoming team members for this Kairos. It is a commitment! If you feel a nudging from God to be in a ministry and in service to others, please consider being a part of this. I guarantee, you will bring away more from the experience than you put into it. I have applications on hand and would be glad to talk to anyone interested in becoming a Kairos Team Member. Call me 919-851-8515 or 919-614-3475 or email me at warthog.sh@gmail.com. If I don’t pick up, please leave me a message. Please pray about this and become a team member. – Scott Hansen

An ARK ExperienceHave you heard that there is a full-sized Ark built to Biblical proportions in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area? The JOY group is sponsoring a trip to visit the Ark and other attractions in that area. The trip will last for six days starting on June 4, 2018. The cost is $549 each for doubles and $744 for singles.If you are interested or if you wish more information, call Lois Kievit at 919-803-0140 or email loiskievit@gmail.com. This trip is suitable for adults of all ages.

Charge Conference ~ December 7Our annual Charge Conference will be December 7 at 7:00pm in room 200. The charge conference will receive and act on the 2018 Pastor Compensation recommendation from Staff Parish. Following the Charge Conference, the Church Council will consider the 2018 Budget recommendation and Building to Serve Financing Plan from Finance. All are welcome to attend.

Journey into ADVENT-ure!Wednesday, November 29 at 6:30pmBring the whole family, friends and neighbors for Journey into ADVENT-ure! In the fellowship hall following the Fellowship Feast. Be sure to sign up for dinner by noon Tuesday, November 28 at firstcary.com and click the “registration” button.

Middle School and High School Girls Basketball We are offering Middle School and High School Girls Basketball teams this year. We play in the FBC-Cary Girls Youth Basketball League with other church teams. The League Purpose is to help youth develop relationship with Jesus, encourage participation in church youth programs and activities, promote Christian fellowship, outreach, fun and athletic development, provide a physically and emotionally safe and positive environment for learning and developing basketball skills.

The League Bible Verse is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Questions? Contact Gary Churchill at 919-757-9621 or churchillgary@bellsouth.net. Visit link below to register: https://www.easyreg.org/cgi-bin/acct/5RCMKS3EJ3/displayForm.pl?RXWSCQSJ_2017

Stand by Me NCStand by Me NC is a local organization whose mission is to alter the perception of those living with mental illness through education and to change the outcome for those same individuals and their families by promoting stronger advocacy, comfort and support.

We are planning our second annual holiday drive to support Holly Hill and Wakebrook behavioral health facilities. More than 200 of our neighbors will spend the holidays hospitalized in one of these facilities. Patients in these hospitals are seldom the recipients of community giving campaigns this time of year – Let’s stand by them and show our support!

Please consider coordinating a donation with your neighbors, family or community groups. All items must be received by December 12. For more information or to arrange a drop-off, please contact Kelli Poe kepoe47@gmail.com.

ITEMS NEEDED (NEW):

• Sweat shirts and sweat pants (no draw strings) for men and women (all sizes)• T shirts and pajama bottoms (no draw strings) for men and women (all sizes)• Socks• Underwear• Sports bras (all sizes)• Hats and gloves• Hair care items; brushes, picks, shampoo, conditioner, gel• Travel-size toiletries• Journals (black & white composition books)• Adult coloring books• Puzzle books• Colored pencils• Playing cards• Puzzles• General cards or letters of supportFollow us on Facebook or check out our website www.standbyme.org.

WORSHIP ATTENDANCE October 29 November 5SANCTUARY: 811 976CELEBRATION: 49 801st ON CHATHAM 226 193TOTAL: 1,086 1,249

Congratulations to Christine Elizabeth Eubanks and Kyle John Letcher, joined in

marriage on November 4, 2017