The Flame
News from Rockwood United Methodist Church
July 2015, #6
A Word from Our Pastor
By Reverend Bill Fowler Pastor’s Class The Sunday school class led by our pastor is taking a summer break. Vacations, reunions and similar interruptions result in our inability to have consistent lessons based upon topics that need consecutive presentations. We shall reconvene our regular meetings on September 13th, the Sunday after Labor Day with presentations on St. Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. We meet in the Sunday school room opposite the Pairs and Spares classroom. The class begins promptly at 10:00 am. Mid-‐week Bible Study The church-‐wide Wednesday evening Bible study will resume September 9th at 7:00 pm in the Pairs and Spares Sunday school classroom. Everyone please bring your favorite translation of the Holy Scriptures and a notebook. The book we shall study is the Revelation of St. John. The class will consider authorship, dates and site of the Apocalypse as well as the symbols, their meanings at the time of John’s revelation and the significances in our current culture. Members and friends of Rockwood UMC may find these presentations quite informative and somewhat fascinating. All are welcome! Issues and Answers in the Context of the Christian Faith The coming weeks and months offer the American public, indeed the world, a captivating and possibly enthralling exposure to the best and worst of our four-‐
year presidential election cycle political campaigns. Many of us may attempt to follow the major issues pertinent to this country, state and local area. Would there be any interest in our church and community to gather concerned persons who like to discuss political issues, without the added components of candidates’ personalities and the excessive “heat” generated by partisan politics, in the context of the Christian faith? Obviously, politics and religion are “no-‐no” for regular discussion; both topics can quickly disintegrate into shedding more “heat” than “light;” however, not to attempt to bring to bear political issues into a Christian context simply means that we, by default, admit that God’s People have nothing coherent to say about our political process. That is a somewhat uncomfortable assertion! Interested persons might be able meet somewhere for breakfast and discussion early on Saturday mornings. Let the church office know your thinking, and particular details can be worked out at a later time. Lectionary Readings for July Volunteer Spotlight July 5, 2015 – Sacrament of Holy This section of our newsletter will recognize Communion outstanding RUMC volunteers who work to Sermon Text: Psalm 48 make our church, community and world a Independence Day Weekend Celebration better place! Nominate your favorite Title: “Sacred Civil Religion” volunteer by sending your suggestions to 2 Samuel 5:1-‐5, 9-‐10 [email protected]. Psalm 48 2 Corinthians 12:2-‐10 Crates of Cereal Mark 6:1-‐13 Thanks to Jenna Dickson who spearheaded July 12, 2015 – Christmas in July! the Super Summer Cereal Challenge. Jenna Sermon Text: Ephesians 1:3-‐14 reached out to the congregation (and her Title: “The Down Payment!” grandmother) to help her collect 200 boxes 2 Samuel 6:1-‐5, 12b-‐19 of cereal for the RMA to help with the Psalm 24 additional summer demand. Jenna knows Ephesians 1:5-‐14 that many of her classmates depend on the Mark 6:14-‐29 free breakfast they receive at school during the school year and their families turn to July 19, 2015 the food pantry for more help during the Sermon Text: 2 Samuel 7:1-‐14a summer. Keeping that in mind, Jenna says, Title: “Disqualified?” “Breakfast may be the most important meal 2 Samuel 7:1-‐14a of the day, but kids need to eat lunch too!” Psalm 89:20-‐37 and she plans to collect peanut butter, jelly Ephesians 2:11-‐22 and crackers during July. Thanks to your Mark 6:30-‐34, 53-‐56 generous donations, Jenna was able to deliver 237 boxes of cereal and a matching July 26, 2015 donation of $237 to the RMA. Sermon Text: John 6:1-‐21 Title: “The Meal Jesus Hosts!” 2 Samuel 11:1-‐15 Psalm 14 Ephesians 3:14-‐21 John 6:1-‐21 A complete list of Lectionary Passages is found at lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu. At: http://www.gbod.org/worship, find “Lectionary Calendar” in the table of contents and search the various passages for each Sunday. Sisters of Service SOS -‐ Calling All Women! The Sisters of Service welcome the women of the church to join us for fellowship, church and community outreach and a little fun! We meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall to plan our activities. Wedding Tea – The ladies and Jonathan Crouch hosted a scrumptious afternoon tea June 28th to celebrate the marriage of Brett Snipes and his new bride, Jennifer Bolden. Christmas in July -‐ We will be collecting items for the 2015 Shoe Box Project and invite the church to donate small items during the month of July. Our church prepared 53 boxes last year and we plan to double that in 2015. The boxes go to children ages 2-‐14. We need small items that will fit into a shoebox and money ($7 per box to cover shipping). You can donate small toys, school supplies, accessories (socks, hat, etc.) and personal hygiene items but no liquids. Please see Teri Honeycutt to make a donation or place your items in the box provided in the lobby. Love Kitchen -‐ We will be supporting the Love Kitchen again on July 25th by preparing and serving a Saturday evening meal for community members who would like to receive this gift. We need volunteers to donate, prepare and serve the food. We also need small gifts for BINGO prizes. Some of the most popular prizes include hats and socks, personal hygiene items and even basic cleaning supplies. There are usually several children in attendance so school or art supplies are also appreciated. Our remaining Love Kitchen dates for 2015 are: July 25th, September 12th and November 14th. Holiday Bazaar – Save the date! Our Bazaar is planned for October 9th and 10th. We will feature Fall and Winter holiday crafts, baked goods and a Souper Supper. It is time to get started on your unique crafts to donate for this festive fundraiser! Kid’s Corner Splish/Splash -‐ Becca is busy planning a Summer Bible Splash August 1st (10 am – 2 pm) complete with fun water activities and food for the children in our community. It promises to provide a fun way to stay cool while learning a little about the Bible. Stay tuned, as we will need volunteers and donations to support this event. Tech Notes RUMC is on the Web rockwoodumc.com Check out our website! Send you photos and suggestions to Keith Easter. RightNow Media Rockwood UMC has a subscription to RightNow Media, a Christian audio/video database with more than 6000 entries. If you have not received an e-‐mail invitation to access this material, please write your email address on the Attendance Reports found in the pews. You are sure to find many videos that are just right for your spiritual development. Mark you calendar! Every Week Sunday – Sunday School 9:45 am Sunday – Worship 11:00 am Monday – AA Meeting 7:00 pm Wednesday – Choir 5:30 pm Wednesday – Bible Study 7:00 pm Events Tuesday 7/7/15 – 5:30 pm -‐ Sisters of Service Monday 7/13/15 – 5:00 pm Kid’s Café at Rockwood Housing Saturday 7/25/15 – Love Kitchen Please send your contributions and ideas for the newsletter by e-‐mail to: [email protected] by the third Saturday of each month. Rockwood United Methodist Church * 801 North Kingston Rockwood, TN 37854 http://www.rockwoodumc.com * (865) 354-‐0753 * [email protected] Reverend Bill Fowler (865) 354-‐0753 (O) * (865) 310-‐1925 (C) * (865) 376-‐1020 (H) * [email protected] Want to receive the newsletter by e-‐mail? Send you request to [email protected]