The Gardendale Beautification Committee had their annual awards banquet last Thursday night. Our church received the Church Garden Beautification award for our Prayer Garden. Lem Green and I received the award on behalf of the church.
Did you know we have a Prayer Garden? It is located between the Chapel and the Sanctuary. There are two entrances to the Prayer Garden, one in the hall at the Chapel entrance and the other off the Glass Narthex, just past the Giving Tree.
There is always a danger thanking persons for their work for you risk missing someone. But I want to thank those who serve God through their yard and garden work here at the church. Robbie and Lem Green gave leadership to the re-working of the Prayer Garden. They and their helpers have done a great job. Take a look the next time you are on the campus.
There are several families who work faithfully to keep the yards and flower beds of the church looking good. I regularly see Wallace and Jo Dickinson laboring in the flower shrub beds of the church. They spent hours getting ready for Homecoming. And they were back this week, working in front of the sanctuary. Jackie and Kathy Phelps, who chair our Grounds Committee, also give a lot of time working on the beautification of our grounds.
Wayne Duncan saw a need for someone to keep the Fountain Clean. So he accepted that responsibility and regularly cleans the fountain and the area around it.
Ernie Brown is our yardman. For him, it is a family labor of love. His son Neil got home this week from college and Ernie had him on the lawnmower, cutting the grounds. The other day I saw his dad, Glenn Brown watering the sod that had been laid on the area where the sign had been moved.
All of these and many others help us honor God with their labors on the grounds of this church. I hope you will join me in thanking them.
We do have one area that does not look very beautiful at this time – the north end of our campus. Work has begun on the Erosion problem. We should know more about the depth of this problem sometime Thursday, when they anticipate exposing the foundation to check it for any damage. If there is no damage to the foundation, and the engineering firm does not believe there is any, the cost of the Erosion Project will be in the $120,000 to $140,000 range.
Our Erosion Fund continues to grow. $39,117.00 has now been given. The first payment on the project will be made this week.
Friday night is Graduation for the 4 and 5 year olds in our Child Enrichment Ministry. This week they are working very hard on the program they will present for their parents and friends. If you are at the church you might take a look in the sanctuary to see the set that the Child Enrichment staff has put up. It is another example of a commitment to excellence.
Children’s Prayer Warriors, have you turned in your Prayer Notes. Today is the deadline. The Prayer Notes have to be sorted by classes and then given to the teachers to include in each child’s graduation bag.
In my hospital rounds yesterday, the receptionist at Lakeshore thanked our Church for offering the Shred Day. She had her papers already boxed, ready to bring them Saturday. Shred Day is this Saturday, May 22. It is a ministry we offer to the community.
Also on Saturday, our Youth will have a Car Wash. They will be in the front parking lot, ready to clean your cars. And they will accept any donation you offer. Money will help the youth who are going on the Mission Trip in June.
Sunday is Pentecost. It is the day we remember the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus. This year we are offering something different to celebrate the Birthday of the Church. We are having a Pentecost Party in place of our traditional Sunday night service. It will be at 6:30 in the Gym. There will be Intergenerational worship and a variety of activities for persons of all ages. Come and join the party, as we celebrate the Birthday of the Church.
As always, your responses to these Reflections are welcome. You can email me at rguess@gmvumc.org.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Reflections from Bro. Rudy –
May 5, 2010
Recognition for Growth
As I was beginning to write this week’s Reflection, I received a phone called from The Foundation of Evangelism for the United Methodist Church. The late Harry Denman, a Birmingham businessman, was instrumental in the establishment of The Foundation of Evangelism. Its purpose is to advance the ministry of evangelism in the United Methodist Church.
The reason for the phone call was, in looking over the statuses for the last five years, our church stood out because of our growth in worship. They wanted to know what we thought were the reasons for our growth. How would you answer that question?
Here are some of the answers I gave:
• The diversity in styles of worship.
• Cultural relevant message series.
• Very intentional Evangelism System
• Invitations by Lay Persons
I was asked to write an article about this for the Foundation of Evangelism’s web page. That is the second such article I have been asked to write this week. I got an email from our national United Methodist Men asking me to write an article on scouting. They had a representative at the Bishop’s Dinner on Scouting, which we hosted a few weeks ago. They wanted me share, as I did that night, about some of the ways scouting has opened the doors of evangelism for us. I shared some of that in a previous email.
As Brother Lambert and I talked this morning, I was reminded that one of the keys to our growth and the growth of any church is “people inviting people.” God is growing His Church Family here at Gardendale-Mt. Vernon. One of the keys to this growth is servants of Jesus who take seriously the opportunity to invite their friends, neighbors and associates.
I believe prayer is the foundation for anything we do as the Church. God leads His praying people into areas that He wants to move and bless. I believe we have witnessed many examples of this. The most recent was the call to pray for the Children.
Sunday, I shared a conviction that God laid upon my heart to pray for the children connected to the Church Family. Out of that came a call for at least 100 Children’s Prayer Warriors who would pray specifically for the children graduating from our Child Enrichment Ministry. I was blown away with the response. We had the 100 needed commitments in our 9:45 Crossfire service alone. With the other two services we were able not only to give each child one Prayer Warrior, but each child was given two Prayer Warriors. Thank you for that kind of commitment to pray for the children.
Those who made a commitment to pray for a child should have gotten the child’s name on Monday. I thank Mary Smith and Amy Sizemore for getting that information out that afternoon. If you made a commitment to pray, remember you are to pray for your child each day through graduation on May 21. Of course, you can certainly continue after that time. Also, you are to write a Prayer Note which will be given to the child at graduation. There is a box in the Reception Area of the Office where you can place your Prayer Notes. We need them by Wednesday, May 19th. You can bring them Sunday or any other time you are by the office.
We have had a little hold up on the Erosion Project. The city wanted some additional information from the engineers. That should be in their hands before this week is out and work should begin as soon as we get the go ahead from the city. Our Erosion fund continues to grow. We now have $30,617.00. If there is no damage to the foundation, we are getting close to being able to fund this without having to borrow any money. That, however, would still mean depleting two emergency funds that are there for other purposes. If you have not made a gift, prayerfully consider making one. One shared that he was making a gift, but could do more later. If we have to take out a loan, those gifts that come in after the project begins will go to reduce the debt as quickly as possible.
ATTENTION GOLFERS – There are two opportunities coming up for you to play golf and support some important ministries. The Fourth Annual Camp Sumatanga Golf Tournament is Monday, May 24. Shotgun start at 12:30, with lunch provided before hand. It is held at Grayson Valley Country Club. The cost is $100 per person. You can get two mulligans for an additional $20.00. We’ve had a team or two participate each year in this tournament. I will be happy to again draw names for our teams. I will need your $100 and your HDC or Average Score by tomorrow, May 13. Our deadline to register is this Friday.
The Second Annual Joyce Sanford Memorial Benefit Golf Tournament will be Saturday, May 22, at Green Briar, in Morris. This Tournament is sponsored by the Church Revived and funds go to families in need. This is a 2 person scramble. Cost is $25 per person and includes breakfast and lunch. Deadline to register is also Friday, May 14th. You can contact The Church Revived to register or come by the church office for a registration form.
As always, your responses to these Reflections are welcome. You can email me at rguess@gmvumc.org.
May 5, 2010
Recognition for Growth
As I was beginning to write this week’s Reflection, I received a phone called from The Foundation of Evangelism for the United Methodist Church. The late Harry Denman, a Birmingham businessman, was instrumental in the establishment of The Foundation of Evangelism. Its purpose is to advance the ministry of evangelism in the United Methodist Church.
The reason for the phone call was, in looking over the statuses for the last five years, our church stood out because of our growth in worship. They wanted to know what we thought were the reasons for our growth. How would you answer that question?
Here are some of the answers I gave:
• The diversity in styles of worship.
• Cultural relevant message series.
• Very intentional Evangelism System
• Invitations by Lay Persons
I was asked to write an article about this for the Foundation of Evangelism’s web page. That is the second such article I have been asked to write this week. I got an email from our national United Methodist Men asking me to write an article on scouting. They had a representative at the Bishop’s Dinner on Scouting, which we hosted a few weeks ago. They wanted me share, as I did that night, about some of the ways scouting has opened the doors of evangelism for us. I shared some of that in a previous email.
As Brother Lambert and I talked this morning, I was reminded that one of the keys to our growth and the growth of any church is “people inviting people.” God is growing His Church Family here at Gardendale-Mt. Vernon. One of the keys to this growth is servants of Jesus who take seriously the opportunity to invite their friends, neighbors and associates.
I believe prayer is the foundation for anything we do as the Church. God leads His praying people into areas that He wants to move and bless. I believe we have witnessed many examples of this. The most recent was the call to pray for the Children.
Sunday, I shared a conviction that God laid upon my heart to pray for the children connected to the Church Family. Out of that came a call for at least 100 Children’s Prayer Warriors who would pray specifically for the children graduating from our Child Enrichment Ministry. I was blown away with the response. We had the 100 needed commitments in our 9:45 Crossfire service alone. With the other two services we were able not only to give each child one Prayer Warrior, but each child was given two Prayer Warriors. Thank you for that kind of commitment to pray for the children.
Those who made a commitment to pray for a child should have gotten the child’s name on Monday. I thank Mary Smith and Amy Sizemore for getting that information out that afternoon. If you made a commitment to pray, remember you are to pray for your child each day through graduation on May 21. Of course, you can certainly continue after that time. Also, you are to write a Prayer Note which will be given to the child at graduation. There is a box in the Reception Area of the Office where you can place your Prayer Notes. We need them by Wednesday, May 19th. You can bring them Sunday or any other time you are by the office.
We have had a little hold up on the Erosion Project. The city wanted some additional information from the engineers. That should be in their hands before this week is out and work should begin as soon as we get the go ahead from the city. Our Erosion fund continues to grow. We now have $30,617.00. If there is no damage to the foundation, we are getting close to being able to fund this without having to borrow any money. That, however, would still mean depleting two emergency funds that are there for other purposes. If you have not made a gift, prayerfully consider making one. One shared that he was making a gift, but could do more later. If we have to take out a loan, those gifts that come in after the project begins will go to reduce the debt as quickly as possible.
ATTENTION GOLFERS – There are two opportunities coming up for you to play golf and support some important ministries. The Fourth Annual Camp Sumatanga Golf Tournament is Monday, May 24. Shotgun start at 12:30, with lunch provided before hand. It is held at Grayson Valley Country Club. The cost is $100 per person. You can get two mulligans for an additional $20.00. We’ve had a team or two participate each year in this tournament. I will be happy to again draw names for our teams. I will need your $100 and your HDC or Average Score by tomorrow, May 13. Our deadline to register is this Friday.
The Second Annual Joyce Sanford Memorial Benefit Golf Tournament will be Saturday, May 22, at Green Briar, in Morris. This Tournament is sponsored by the Church Revived and funds go to families in need. This is a 2 person scramble. Cost is $25 per person and includes breakfast and lunch. Deadline to register is also Friday, May 14th. You can contact The Church Revived to register or come by the church office for a registration form.
As always, your responses to these Reflections are welcome. You can email me at rguess@gmvumc.org.
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