Start saving those coins! FUMC will be doing the ‘Baby Bottle’ Campaign for the Tri-Area Pregnancy Center again this year—so don’t forget to get your bottle on MOTHER’S DAY – FILL – and return next month on FATHER’S DAY!
We finally had our Pancake Supper and it was a success. Heartfelt ‘THANKS’ goes out to each of you who supported our event. We truly appreciate you. Words could never fully express the gratitude I have for all the “girls” and “guys” who helped make it happen. There would be no UMW without each and every one of you. Our next meeting will be MAY 10th at 10:00 a.m. Norma has the program and we’ll go to the Dutch Oven in Hillsville for lunch. Please come and join us.
– Peggy Chappell
“GENERAL CONFERENCE”
Every four years the United Methodist Church meets for General Conference. This year the Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon May 10th-20th. General Conference is composed of an equal number of Lay and Clergy Delegates with the number based on the membership of the Annual Conferences and the Central Conferences for those churches outside the United States. For this General Conference Holston has 12 delegates; six lay and six clergy.
General Conference is the only group that speaks for the United Methodist Church and the only group that has the power to change the Book of Discipline. The Discipline sets the rules that govern the UMC. Some of the issues facing the General Conference this year are listed below.
At this time let us all be in prayer that the voice of reason may be heard and cooler heads may prevail; and that all the delegates will seek to know and do God’s will in this matter. My personal prayer is that no one’s feeling will be hurt beyond repair and if there is a division in the church it will be done with loving kindness, grace and love for one another. PRAY MUCH!
– Richard
Everyone Welcome
Invite your friends and neighbors for this all-you-can-eat Pancake Supper. No charge for the meal; but donations will be accepted.
Sponsored by the UMW – Replaces the cancelled Shrove Tuesday Meal in February.
Pancake supper at 03:30 PM – 05:00 PM.
HELP….If you can knit or crochet (or would like to learn) FUMC needs your help. There has been such a big demand for shawls, baby blankets, chemo-caps, pocket-prayer shawls that the Knit/Crochet Ministry can’t keep up. They meet 10:00-12:00 on Thursdays; but if you are unable to come at that time and would still like to help out by knitting at home, any time you can spare would be greatly appreciated. Contact Peggy Chappell at 233-0809 and she’ll make sure you get patterns/yarn.
On March 19th nine of our members attended the Spring Mini-Retreat at Dublin UMC. It was a great meeting with good music, an inspirational speaker, good fellowship and good food. Our next meeting will be April 12th at 10:00 am in the UMW Room. Ruth has the program and we’ll go to RJ’s for lunch. Come be with us.
There is still time to make plans for Lake Junaluska. We will leave April 21st and return on the 23rd. Our Annual Pancake Supper will be April 26th from 5-7 pm. Hope you will come and enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes.
Peggy Chappell
“Walking With Jesus” [Read Luke 24:13-32]
Luke records an interesting story in the 24th chapter of his gospel about two disciples who were on their way to the village of Emmaus. This was just after Jesus had been crucified and they were still confused and sad over the events that had happened. I imagine they had based their acceptance of Jesus on the fact that he was the Promised Messiah. Yet now, for them, he was gone. They were defeated.
Then Jesus walked with them. The interesting thing about this text is that they failed to recognize him. Jesus walked with them, he talked with them, he explained the scriptures to them, and still they did not know who Jesus was.
Many times we are really the same way. Jesus promises never to leave us alone. He walks with us, and if we will listen, Jesus talks with us as well. All we need to do is look around and we see the love of God everywhere. Yet we fail to recognize Jesus when we encounter him.
However, this story ends on a high note. Jesus shares a meal with these disciples. In the breaking of the bread they are able to recognize who Jesus was. Then they remembered how their hearts had been warmed when he shared the scriptures with them as they walked along together.
If you are failing to see Jesus, if you think you are traveling the road of life alone, may I suggest that this Easter Season you do what these disciples did. Join us for worship where we share the scriptures together. When we have a church dinner, join us when we break bread together. Join us at Holy Communion where the Bread of Life is shared together. Those disciples felt their hearts burn within them when they realized they had been with Jesus. Worship can still do that for you today. Join us and see for yourself!
Richard
“Tis Midnight and on Olives’ Brow”
[Read Luke 22:39-44]
Of all the texts that give us the details of Jesus’ last week, the one that touches me the most is Luke’s account of Jesus praying alone in the Garden of Gethsemane. While all three of the synoptic gospels-Matthew, Mark and Luke-tell the story, Luke gives us a closer look at the struggles and suffering the human nature of Jesus endured there. While I love John’s Gospel, it deals more with the divine nature of the Christ than the human nature of Jesus, so Gethsemane gets glossed over.
Now I know that many scholars will argue that verses 43 and 44—the angel and the sweat drops of blood—are lacking in some of the ancient authorities and therefore were not a part of the original text. This would mean that they were probably added by the early church and not written by Luke. However, for me, they fit nicely with Luke’s understanding of just how human Jesus really was. After all, Luke is known as the Beloved Physician and shows us that Jesus was really wrestling with whether or not he would face the cross.
For you see for me, Jesus had to struggle his whole life with what did it mean to be who he was. What kind of Messiah would he be: the triumphant warrior king, which was exactly what the people expected; or the suffering servant pointed to by so many of the ancient writings. I believe that early on Jesus choose to be the Suffering Servant knowing full well that choice would lead to the cross. However making that choice was not the end of Jesus’ struggles. The temptation to find an easier way and to avoid crucifixion was always with Jesus. From the time the Tempter offered him all the kingdoms of earth if Jesus would bow down and worship him, to Caesura Philippi when after Peter had affirmed that Jesus was the Christ and Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die and Peter rebuked him and said: “That shall never happen to you.” [Mark 16:21-22], to now in Gethsemane the temptation to avoid the cross was very strong.
If you really want to understand just how much Jesus loves you, see him praying alone on Olives’ Brow until his sweat becomes like great drops of blood! I believe it was at that point the power of sin was broken. Jesus had resisted the final temptation to find an easier way and when he prayed the final time “Yet not my will but yours be done!” and got up off his knees all the forces of Hell could not have kept him off the cross! Jesus loves us that much!
William B. Tappan captures the meaning of Luke’s account so well in the words of “Tis Midnight and on Olives’ Brow” – Here they are for you:
‘Tis midnight and on Olives’ Brow – The star is dimmed that lately shown’
Tis midnight in the garden now – The Suffering Savior prays alone.
Tis midnight; and from all removed – The Savior wrestles lone with fears
E’en the disciple whom he loved – Heeds not his Master’s grief and tears.
Tis midnight, and for other’s guilt – The Man of Sorrows weeps in blood;
Yet he who in anguish knelt – Is not forsaken by his God.
Tis midnight; and from either plains – Is borne the song the angels know;
Unheard by mortals are the strains – That sweetly soothe the Savior’s woes.
Richard
A lot has happened since our last note in The Vine. The support you gave us with our Angel Tree Project is greatly appreciated. Also many thanks to those who helped with, and those who joined us, for our ‘New Members Meal’. We regret that the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper had to be cancelled due to weather; but we will be re-scheduling a special event sometime in the Spring. Thanks to all who had planned to come and we’re sorry for any inconvenience we might have caused.
We have three District or Conference events coming up: The first, Sisters in Service, is set for March 12-13 at River Plantation Convention Center in Sevierville, TN. The next will be March 19th at Dublin UMC. This is our District Spring Mini-Retreat. The third event is Spiritual Enrichment Experience at Lake Junaluska, NC April 22-23 or April 23-24. Any women are welcome to attend any or all of these meetings even if you are not a member of the UMW. Our next unit meeting will be March 8th at 10:00 am. Come be with us.
Peggy Chappell
SPECIAL PROJECTS
SPECIAL OFFERINGS
