February 2019

The

WALK THRU THE BIBLE RETURNS TO GARBER CHURCH

WITH WALK THRU THE NEW TESTAMENT!

Join us on Saturday, March 9 from 9:00 am to noon with another Walk Thru the Bible event in Morris Hall. Last year almost 400 people were entertained and delighted with Walk Thru the Old Testament. This year

we will venture thru the New Testament! Walk Thru employs top-notch presenters and couples that with an exciting pace to learn 27 the New Testament stories and main characters in one morning. Muscle memory movements reinforce the stories

and characters, making it easy to remember the timeline. Adults and students love the challenges and fun! Walk Thru the NT will also be presented to our children, grades 1-5, in the Children’s Big Room. The

kids had a blast last year and we are excited to share this opportunity with even more children this year! Children in TK and K will have a separate version geared to their learning level and nursery will be available

for preschoolers and infants. Registration begins February 3; you may register at a Walk Thru table after worship services in the Courtyard or Atrium, in the church office during the week, or online at www.connect2garber.com. The cost

of the event is $10 per person with a $30 max for a family living in one household. As the logo says, Talk a Walk, Change the World! The more we know, the more we can share! The

more we know, the more we can act and speak like Jesus! And the more we know, the more we please Christ who left his Word as our guide. Come, take a walk with us on March 9!

Join us in praising God for 8,801,607 shoebox gifts that

were packed in the United States in 2018!

That’s 8,801,607 more Gospel opportunities that are now making their way around the world!

Please continue to pray for each child receiving these gifts, that they will feel God's love and

experience the Good News and Great Joy of Jesus Christ. Please also pray for

the local volunteers and Ministry Partners in more than 100 countries who will

deliver the shoebox gifts and facilitate our follow-up discipleship program,

The Greatest Journey.

Thank you, Garber Church, for playing a big part in contributing

935 shoe boxes to this effort!

For more mission project totals and reports, see page 2.

February 2019

February 28, 2019 11:00 am—1:30 pm

Temple Baptist Church Tickets are $25 each at

www.emptybowlsnewbern.org

Fill the empty bowls of those in need...by filling your own! For $25, you’ll get a hearty

lunch, prepared by local restaurants and church groups, along with a handcrafted

bowl to take home and use again. Proceeds benefit Religious Community Services and

the Craven Arts Council and help us nurture the creative process and feed hungry

people in Craven, Jones and Pamlico Counties.

Be sure to stop by the Garber Mission Committee table and get a bowl of

our soup!

If you would like to help make a crockpot of soup for this event,

please contact Mary Coleman at the church office 637-4022.

Work Teams To House at Garber

We have been blessed with a fabulous facility, one that can house small work teams that are desiring to come to Craven County to help with rebuilding our hurricane devastated area. We are beginning to book teams

from other areas/states for March and the following months. Most of these teams will be self-sufficient in their needs, simply needing a place to sleep and shower each day. However, we do want to make them

welcome in every area of our ministries and worship services!

So, stay tuned! If your class/group is asked to move, or share, or help in some way — thank you for doing so. If the building is rearranged a bit, be patient. We will let you know if there are any meals to help with, invitations to offer, etc.

Thank you, Garber Church, for giving of your resources so that we might operate such a fine building that

can offer so much to both our members and our community. May we continue to strive to be God’s hands and feet in the recovery efforts of our county and surrounding areas.

Garber Mission Committee Plans 2019

The Mission Committee had it’s annual planning meeting on January 22 to recap 2018 and make additional plans for 2019.

The Mission Budget ended well for 2018 with most funds spent. A report was given on the funds collected thru our Alternative Christmas Giving project: $3,500 was given for Religious Community Services; $2,631 was given to Backpack Blessings. Our Alternative Altar Arrangement offerings for 2018 totaled $1,760. We have supported the Hemphill Family as missionaries to Kenya with $400/mo and have sent mission teams to Russia, Uganda, Haiti, and Appalachia Service Project. We also supported Religious Community Services with a total of $40,000 from our budget, also $300/mo for groceries, and Merci Clinic with $300/mo. It was a very busy year (not even counting the hurricane!)

After reviewing our Committee job descriptions, and expectations, and the filter by which we evaluate our supported projects, the committee reviewed each of our 18 mission projects/agencies to make sure they still meet the requirements for support.

Plans were also discussed for mission trips to Russia in May, ASP in July, Haiti in October, and Kenya in November. The last few minutes of the meeting were spent on our 2019 calendar of events, filling in the mission trips, focus times for each, and known project dates. Our February meeting will complete our calendar with final additions and by adding in the “field trips” the committee will take to several agencies and dates for speakers that will further inform the committee.

Thank you for your continued support of all the mission projects at Garber. This is a hard working committee! They take very seriously the responsibility of the stewardship of the mission dollars allotted us and the spreading of the Gospel of Christ in all the work we support!

February 2019

MARK YOUR CALENDARS VBS and ADVENTURE CAMP are moving to JUNE!!!

This year VBS and Adventure Camp will commence JUNE 24th - 28th

and it is sure to be a wonderful week at Garber United Methodist Church!!!

We need YOU to share this week with us…

by spreading the word, by signing up your kids and your grandkids,

by sharing this information with your neighbors, and by giving of your time

Let’s make this ONE week the BEST week of the summer!

What a wonderful opportunity to share God’s love with the children in our church and around our community!!!

Registration forms, child safety forms, and more information will be available on Garber’s website starting in March.

Mark YOUR CALENDARS for this wonderful event!!!

Join us for Session 4 of Recharge! (Garber’s Wednesday Night Programming for Children)

Wednesday Nights, March 13th - April 17th

5:00—7:00 p.m.

In Session 4, we will be studying the “Walk Thru the Bible”

curriculum where we will continue our “Walk Thru” the

New Testament by reviewing the hand motions and stories

we learned on Saturday's Walk Thru event.

We hope everyone will join us on Saturday, March 9th for

Garber’s Walk Thru event from 9-12, but attendance to the

event is not required to attend Wednesday nights!

You can find the registration form for Session 4 at

www.connect2garber.com.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday Nights!!!

Look What’s Happening In Children’s Ministry!!!

Recharge!

Join us for summer camp as we explore God’s Love for us!!!

July 16, 17, 18 - Creation

August 6, 7, 8– Mary and Martha

Registration forms can be found on the Garber website,

www.connect2garber.com in March!

Join us Saturday, March 9th as we “Walk Thru” the New Testament as KIDS!

9:00 a.m - 12:00 noon

Registration begins February 3rd at Garber Worship Services or online at www.connect2garber.com

February 2019

Kingswood Notes:

Blessings abound in the Kingswood After-School Program! We are really getting into our normal routine and are enjoying our time spent with volunteers, reading, doing homework, learning multiplication facts, hearing Bible stories and participating on Wednesday nights in ReCharge with Mrs. Laura. Our days are filled with fun and learning. . . and a lot of LOVE!

We recently added our 20th child into our Kingswood family and are so happy to welcome Jeanne, who comes to us from Uganda, by way of JTBarber and Garber’s 1080 Ministry! We are thankful that God sent us this little one to round out our Kingswood Bunch! If you listen carefully on our playground, you might hear Kingswood Kids talking in Burmese, Chen, Karen, Spanish, Swahili. . . and of course, English! What a wonderful melting pot and how blessed we are!

The Kingswood Kids love our new van! Here are just a couple of the notes that the kids wrote to the church (see next page). We are thankful for all the ways that Garber supports and loves on the Kingswood Kids!

2018 in review:

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank the congregation for your financial support and patience as we continued to address the physical needs of the church over this past year. To keep you informed, I have taken a few moments to summarize 2018.

The buildings continue to buzz with weekly Worship, Bible studies, Sunday school, FUEL, Kids in Christ, Preschool, Administrative council, board and committee meetings, as well as many community activities. We are so blessed to have this facility to do God’s work. Maintenance is on-going throughout the year to keep up with the use. This year we power washed the concrete walkways and painted the exterior of the Ministry Center. Hurricane Florence left New Bern with relatively little damage to the facilities. The Ministry Center was used extensively by 8 Days of Hope afterwards and fared well. With the constant use in the kitchen, repairs to the refrigerator and oven were necessary.

The church was gifted a waterfront lot in Fairfield Harbor at the end of 2017. The Trustees put it on the market in January 2018 and continue to wait for the right person to purchase it.

We were also gifted a pig cooker to use for our annual cookouts. Worth Todd created a use and care policy so that those who use it will be able to maintain it appropriately.

Plans to repair the children’s statues began in the spring. The statues were removed from their location in the courtyard by Scott Roys and brought to the artist’s home for repair. It is a lengthy process which should conclude soon. It will be a delight to see them back in place for all to enjoy.

The safety and well-being of our members who ride in our church vehicles precipitated the Board to pursue the purchase of a new 15 passenger bus. Rick Davis spearheaded the search. A committee of people from the different ministries who use the bus decided what features would best fit the church’s needs. A bus was ordered and received sometime in July. We are grateful for God’s blessings upon us.

As a result of the vision committee report and a directive from the Administrative Council, the board embarked on some renovations to the Education building in early June. Classroom walls and cabinets were painted. New countertops and sink/faucets were installed in each of the classrooms and the kitchen to give every area a fresh, updated look. New cabinets and countertops were also purchased for the “BIG” room to alleviate storage space issues for the Kids in Christ and Kingswood ministries. The project was completed on time and under budget for the kick-off of the fall programming.

The 1996 Ford van, used primarily to transport our Kingswood children, was traded in on a 2018, 15 passenger Ford van. It was evident that reliable transportation is essential to the church’s programs. Wiley Coleman extended his help and expertise again to help acquire a new (used) van. With this year’s vehicle purchases, the church is in good shape with our fleet as it stands.

I want to acknowledge and thank outgoing members, Scott Roys (chairperson), Paul Bryant, and Jennifer Dacey for their service on the board. I look forward to another year as Staff Liaison with Holly Willis as Chairperson. The Trustees continue to be a dedicated Board who serve with integrity and faithfulness.

Respectfully Submitted,

Patti Smith

February 2019

MOSAIC NEWS

2019 is off to a great start with our MOSAIC (Motivated Seniors Active In Christ) group. January 28 was a wonderful time of fun, fellowship, and learning as we enjoyed a “POT LUCK” luncheon and heard from Dick Rowe about his and Sally’s trip to CHINA. What a joy to be together again! A “BIG” thank you to Carol Hill and all of the many helpers who worked diligently to make this event a memorable one.

We hope that you have received your 2019 brochure that outlines our yearly plan for MOSAIC events, luncheons, speakers, lunches OUT, and trips. If you are interested in participating in any of these events, please contact the church office or email Sue Webb, Senior Ministries Coordinator at swebb@garberumc.com.

Come and join us for two exciting overnight trips planned for the 2019 calendar year. It is not too late to sign up! However, you must let us know if you are interested and pay a deposit as soon as possible if you’d like to get in on these two adventures and take advantage of any offered discounts.

April 4 - 6

MOSAIC trip – Myrtle Beach, SC – 3 days/ 2 nights stay at the Dayton House Resort;

tickets to Carolina Opry, Book Green Gardens, and the Alligator Adventure plus 2 Breakfasts/2 Dinners. All taxes/gratuities included

Transportation: Garber Bus/Van

October 2 - 5

MOSAIC sponsored Christian Tours trip to Washington, DC

to tour the MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE and Lancaster, PA to visit TURKEY HILL * ICE CREAM LAB * GUIDED TOUR of AMISH FARMLANDS *

KITCHEN KETTLE VILLAGE * STURGIS PRETZEL FACTORY * Dinner in an AMISH HOME * SIGHT & SOUND THEATER’S “JESUS” and WHITE HOUSE VISITORS CENTER.

Transportation: Christian Tours Motor Coach ________________________________________________________________________

SIGN-UP for the NEXT MOSAIC event scheduled for February 15

Garber MOSIAC Birthday Celebration MORRIS HALL from 5:30 - 7:30.

Barbeque and fried chicken dinner with several sides, BIRTHDAY CAKE, and beverages.

Entertainment will be provided by the “Southern Gentlemen Barbershop Chorus”

You will not want to miss this fun time of celebration and fellowship. Cost: $7.00 per person Make your reservations before February 11.

February 2019

Dear Garber Staff and members,

Thank you so much for the Christmas gifts for many of our school children. The

parents were very appreciative, and the children will be very surprised and happy on

Christmas morning! Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Medlin

The loving Garber family has surrounded me with care, prayers and visits, cards and calls. Truly I can't imagine how anyone manages without this kind of family; I could not. I am slowly mending with nose surgery and infection along the way and a loving sister and brother-in-law--I am so blessed. Please know how thankful I am to all of you. Miss seeing you and hope to be back before too long. Coleen Brock

Walking is so good for your health. . . Walking is so good for your spiritual health. . . Walking through the New Testament is so good for your spiritual health. Let’s go for a walk together on March 9.

“Lost in wonder, love, and praise. . .” So Charles Wesley writes of our relationship with the ever loving Triune God. In the hymn, he describes the wonder of heaven, as we imagine it, as a present experience in our worship in time. What a possibility, worship wherein we are lost in, caught up in the wonder, love and praise of eternity! This we should seek and desire every week as the Garber United Methodist Church. Probably most of us, if not all of us, have at some time experienced worship as drudgery. Boredom at times is more normative than wonder. To rescue ourselves, churches try variety; take polls of what people want or like; add novelty. However, sooner or later, these efforts succumb to the law of diminishing returns. What delighted us yesterday, is less satisfying today and bores us tomorrow. Yet God is not boring. He “satisfies the hungry heart with bread of finest wheat,” and he alone can “quench this thirsting of my soul.” St. Augustine spoke rightly when he wrote in his Confessions, “the heart is restless until it find its rest in thee.” In Christ, truly met in worship, everything fits; all is well with our soul; the heart is then tuned “to sing thy grace.” So how does this become the reality of our worship? By a return to the center. The Bible and the church identify those central practices of worship wherein Jesus Christ is truly and genuinely re-presented and met. Of course, the center of Christian worship is God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When the Holy Trinity is the center re-presented in worship by the practices of his own design and choosing, then it is possible to pray,

“Let us join your feast, partaking,

Cup of blessing, living bread. God, renew us, guide our footsteps; free from sin and all its snares,

one with Christ in living, dying, by your Spirit, children, heirs.

As we worship in this Season after Epiphany, we invite you to join us in this trip to the center. As we meet Christ manifested to us in Word and Sacrament, manifested to the world by the visit of the Magi, in his baptism, by his miracles, in his transfiguration, we seek to be “lost in wonder, love, and praise.” Such are the possibilities are in Jesus Christ. See you Sunday.

February 2019

Zaccheus was a wee little man;

A wee little man was he.

He climbed up in the sycamore tree;

For the Lord he wanted to see. . .

Thus the song relates the story of one man’s conversion. What a conversion it was! Before Jesus had made it to his house for dinner, Zaccheus had repented of his greedy and crooked behavior, and he promised reform. "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much”. (Luke 19:8)

As important as these are, the point of the story is not Zaccheus’ new found regard for the poor nor his sudden devotion to honesty. Jesus himself established the point when He drew attention to the lost being saved. He said, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:9, 10; emphasis mine.) Jesus believed that persons were lost and in genuine need of being saved. Therefore, His ministry was one of intentional seeking.

That ministry continues through the Church of Jesus Christ. The Church continues Jesus’ ministry in the world. That being true, we ought also to be seeking the salvation of those who are lost. As Jesus was intentional, so ought we to be. As Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom, so ought we. As Jesus actively seeks, so should the Church that bears his name.

Increasingly, I see the United Methodist Church as embarrassed by the Gospel which gave it birth. I have read much around The Way Forward and the special session of General Conference. The report and many articles mention our mission of making disciples several times over. Rarely, however, in all the conversation, does a writer consider the role, power, and place of Gospel in the Church’s or an individual's life. Neither do many consider that discipleship includes an invitation to Jesus Christ who “breaks the power of canceled sin.”

John Wesley taught us in “The General Rules” to avoid evil and to do good. In doing good, he taught us to do good to persons’ bodies and to their souls. (Emphasis mine.) No one can fault Methodism for doing good to the bodies of others. We tutor in reading, we send school and medical kits to Africa, we build houses, feed the hungry, give shelter to the homeless, and so much more. All of this we should do, and do even more. However, have we forgotten the souls of others? When we do remember, we are often passive hoping that the other good we do will somehow be enough, or that our signs will attract persons to our services. Rarely do we confidently invite persons to faith in Jesus Christ and a life of discipleship within the Body of Christ.

The modern Methodist Church might actually overlook Zaccheus since he has ample housing, plenty of food, and the ability to read. Yet he attracted Jesus’ attention. Why? Because he was lost. His soul was not right with God. He needed the Savior.

Craven County is filled with men and women, children and youth who like Zaccheus need “salvation [to come] to [their] house.” Some of these are white. Some are African American. Some are Latino. Some are poor. Some are middle class. Others are rich. You and I, because we are disciples, are to continue Jesus ministry of seeking the lost.

February 2019

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www.connect2garber.com

Join Your Garber Family for a

COVERED DISH FELLOWSHIP MEAL

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10

5:00pm MORRIS HALL

You don’t want to miss the yummy food from our great Garber cooks

(that’s you!) or the wonderful fellowship from your church family!

Bring your 2 favorite dishes; make enough to feed your family plus 2.

Kenya Mission Trip 2019

A mission trip to Kenya is being planned for the late fall of 2019. Jan Hemphill will lead the team, which will tour the Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe, Kenya where Taylor and Ashley Hemphill serve. The team also will be involved in several projects at the IDP Church (Internally Displace People) in Mai Mahiu, which is located in the Rift Valley and about 30 minutes from Kijabe. An informational meeting will be held in March. If you are interested in going on this trip or for more information, please email or call Jan Hemphill.

Email address: jhemp54@yahoo.com 252-671-7004