January / February 2014 Time sure flies when you are having fun. Here we go again with a new calendar year and some new hopes and dreams. During this time of year we take a break from our usual Wednesday evening programming. We will meet for a meal and fellowship and also begin to reflect on the past year at HUMC. We will share our passions and hopes for what the future might hold. I always look forward to a time to celebrate what has been accomplished, evaluate what could be improved and discern the leading of the Holy Spirit for the future. As we prepare for this time together, please be reflecting on your own commitment to Christ and your role here at Hindman United Methodist Church. Every member is important towhat God has in store for us. I believe that for the health of our church, we all need to continue to grow and stretch ourselves. We want to avoid getting stuck in a groove and becoming complacent with that. It seems that most personal Christian growth occurs when people step out of the boat and step up to the next challenge. It naturally follows that church health and effectiveness improves in correlation with the growth of the individuals. We have several examples of that in our own history here at HUMC. I‘m sure we all have seen the results of churches that did not continue to grow and change. Let u all commit to stretching ourselves and come together to see what Christ might want that to look like for our ministry. I‘m looking forward to it! Blessed to be your pastor, Rob 1 A HUGE THANK YOU to our Pastor‘s family, especially Tracey, for preparing so much food on ―Christmas Gift Sunday‖ as their way of saying ‗thank you‘ to us for supporting them throughout the year. The chairs we use during our worship services were moved to the storage room, the tables and folding chairs came out. Each table was beautifully decorated with a red or green table cover, a poinsettia or a candle, and the food was enjoyed by all. After the feast, everyone that wanted to was encouraged to share their gift to Jesus with music, by the reading of a poem, or the promise to use their God given gifts in service to our Lord. With Ian Farquharson‘s help, Pastor Rob showed off his juggling skills. We were impressed! For more pictures, please visit our Facebook page. We are truly blessed to have each other. As every Christmas, the women of the church and their friends enjoyed a great Christmas Party. The food that was served was diverse and delicious, as it always is. Christmas is the season for sharing, and this year we elected to collect gifts for the Spouse Abuse Center in Hazard rather than exchanging gifts among ourselves. We were told that there is a waiting list to get into the shelter, and that is very disturbing, not only that the center is not large enough, but that it is necessary at all. As a thank you gift to our long-time president Jan Stumbo, Hindman United Methodist Women will give $100 to the Orphans Home in Gulu, Uganda. This amount will ensure one child‘s education for one year. Dr. Stumbo and Jan have been very involved with the Gulu project since their Children‘s Choir visited us several years ago. If you want to find out more about their and our church‘s involvement with Gulu, you may contact either Dr. Stumbo or Jan and they can give you more information and direct you to the appropriate contact persons. Please check our church‘s website and the link to the calendar to find out when we will meet again. Remember: You don’t have to be a member of Hindman United Methodist Church to attend our meetings. ~ Karin Ritchie 2 We have ‘Read Through the Bible’ material on the round table at the back of the sanctuary. More copies of these guides are available in the office, so just ask for them. Alternatively, consider one of the following online resources: www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan www.oneyearbibleonline.com www.bibleinayear.com www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.html www.ewordtoday.com/year www.gideons.org/ReadTheBibl/ReadingCalendar.aspx The following audio Bibles are available online: · Faith Comes By Hearing – Find several free audio Bible downloads, or listen online to the Streaming Bible; · BibleGateway.com – Listen online to a comprehensive 365-day Bible reading plan; · BibleStudyTools.com – Register for a customizable daily reading plan, including an audio Bible. · Blue Letter Bible – Read or listen to the daily reading selection; · StudyLight.org – Read or listen to the daily reading selection, with several Bible translations to choose from; · · · · · · Alternatively, the following Bible apps with audio features are available: Bible by YouVersion – iTunes Store; Bible by YouVersion – Android Market; Bible.is – iTunes Store; Bible.is – Android Market; Daily Audio Bible – iTunes Store; Daily Audio Bible – Android Market; JUMP INTO SPRING Wednesday night JUMP activities ended for the 2013 year on December 11 with a Christmas program presented by the children. We have a few needs for teachers when JUMP begins again in March of 2014. Staff will meet on Wednesday, February 28 at 6:30 pm. We need at least two (2) Pre-K teachers and a teacher for the Grades 5-6 class. Students are encouraged to remember they were learning the books of the New Testament last semester and all who can recite them on the first Wednesday back without assistance will receive a prize. We need story-tellers and greeters for Worship and Wonder. We hope to have a training session with Lois Weinberg and Jan Stanfill shortly after New Year. Please call the church office if you are interested or notify Lois, Jan, or Belinda. ~ Belinda Conley Fellowship Team Weather permitting, the Fellowship Team will meet on Sunday, January 5 immediately following the worship service. Soup will be served so bring something that will complement soup. CHURCH FAMILY FELLOWSHIP WEDNESDAYS The 2014 winter Fellowship Wednesdays will begin with a "brainstorm" session on Wednesday, January 8 at 6 pm. The main dish for the meal will be various types of soup. There will be a sign up sheet available. Your ideas and input are needed as plans for January and February are made. Come and bring your family and maybe a friend who normally doesn't attend. Members of the Youth group will have activities with the children during Wednesday night fellowship events. This childcare is a fundraising opportunity for the youth. We are asking one dollar ($1.00) per child. 3 CHRISTMAS CAROLING The largest group ever were blessed to be able to visit with our shut ins and those in the Knott Co. Health and Rehab Center on Sunday, December 15. Thirty-nine adults, youth and children spent much of Sunday afternoon singing to Anna B. Pigman, Nan Taylor, Linda and K. Amburgey, Marcia and Jim Stamper, and Jo Cornett, Mildred Collins, Adeline Ward (Grady's aunt) and others at the nursing home. A special "Thank You" to Paul Parks for providing us with lunch. Many in the group were adorned with Christmas hats and jingle bells that added Christmas spirit to the outing. ~ Jan Stumbo The Christmas Season is past but hopefully the message of God‘s immense love for us will continue with each of us as we enter a New Year. The kids and volunteers of JUMP enjoyed several giving opportunities this session. A total of $150 was collected to send to children of Uganda. This offering will be used to purchase mosquito netting for children‘s beds to help prevent the spread of malaria. On December 4, kids were invited to shop for their parents from gifts provided by volunteers in the church. Thank you to every person who helped with this project. On December 11, the last night of JUMP for the winter session, kids and youth presented their annual Christmas program for friends and family. Stacy Burnett, Mike Hicks and the youth portrayed the wonder of Christ‘s birth, His ministry to a hurting world, and His resurrection over death to make eternal life possible to those who will believe. (Myles Burnett as baby Jesus was simply precious!) The younger children shared the Nativity story with each class presenting a part of the story—the angels, the shepherds, and the wisemen. Lori Boggs is due a special ―thank you‖ for finding a Christmas program that was spiritual and easy to present. The kids enjoyed making their own crafts to use as part of the portrayal. From all the JUMP staff, we pray God‘s blessings upon each family of the church in this coming year. ~ Jennifer Hale Bethlehem Bound - In one night, the JUMP kids created props, rehearsed, and presented a fun Christmas play. They went from rehearsal to performance—all in one night! We joined Marty and Ramona, a Bible-times couple, as they lead the way on the journey to Bethlehem on the night of Jesus‘ birth. They crossed paths with Mary and Joseph, a musical caravan, Wise Ones going to meet the baby king, harmonic angels, and shepherds with a flock of inspiring sheep—all played by our very own JUMP kids, decked out with amazing props they created! This terrific performance took place on Wednesday, December 11th. Kids in preschool through 6th grade put on a fabulous performance with the help of Maggie and Franklin, who played the parts of Mary and Ramona. Great job kids! ~ Lori Boggs 4 Some of the youth helped with Trunk or Treat this year. There was a large amount of kids from the community that came. The youth participated in the JUMP Christmas program by doing an interpretive movement to the song "Mary Did You Know", which will be performed on December 22nd during the church service as well. Performers were: Maggie Hoffman as Mary, Myles Burnett as baby Jesus, Matthew Hicks as adult Jesus, and those Jesus healed as mentioned in the Bible were Corey Clark as the blind man, Maleisha Pigman as the dead, Karys Conley as the lame, Aaron Thomas as the mute, and Sara Hicks as the deaf. Thank you to everyone who gave a donation during our chili fundraiser in November! Upcoming Event: Winterblitz January 24th-26th ~ Stacy Burnett Think PINK Once again, on Sunday, December 22nd there was a lot of pink at HUMC. Why so much pink? Well, it was another meeting of the special program for girls entitled Think Pink. The Think Pink program is designed to teach girls in grades 1st through 6th about the important role of kindness in our lives. This month our focus was on the bible verses Matthew 22:33-40. The girls learned about God‘s second most important commandment to us - love others as he has loved us. We discussed using acts of kindness to show God‘s love to others. This special Think Pink meeting also included the creation of some very cute pink peanut snowman ornaments and edible pink ice cream cone Christmas trees. Our next Think Pink meeting will be in late January. Please invite all the special young ladies in your life to attend our next Think Pink meeting. It really is a fun time for our girls to learn about the very important role kindness can play in our everyday lives. ~ Lori Boggs We are getting ready to host our 11th season of UPWARD Basketball & Cheerleading Games Time really is flying – practice sessions began the week of December 9, and after taking a break for Christmas, the first round of games will start Saturday, January 4, at 9 am. Games will be played each Saturday in January and February, it is an eight game season where each child gets equal playing time. As always, we welcome and appreciate everyone‘s help to make this program the success that it always is. It takes time to take down the chairs after each Sunday‘s worship service, get the folding chairs out, and at game days we always need someone to volunteer to referee a game or two, someone willing to give their personal testimony at halftime, help in the kitchen, and after the games with clean-up and getting the gym area ready again for Sunday service. We have a place for you, just let Pastor Rob, Patrick Conley, Dwight Fields, Karin Ritchie or Jan Stumbo know that you want to help and we will be happy for you to take your part in this worthwhile program. We invite you to come out and watch the children play and cheer, and also enjoy delicious food at the Concession window. The money we raise through the sale of concessions will go toward the purchase of trophies and Awards Ceremony entertainment. Please refer to our website’s home page calendar link for any scheduling changes www.hindmanumc.org Changes will be announced on our Facebook page as well ~ Karin Ritchie 5 The SWAP program is an outreach program of MCC (Mennonite Central Committee), partnering with the Hindman Settlement School and Hindman United Methodist Church. Our program coordinates groups of volunteers who come to Knott County to do home repairs for low income families. Our goal is to create safe, warm, and dry housing for our clients. Since February of 2013, we have hosted ten volunteer groups who worked on 24 homes. There were 169 volunteers who contributed their time and energy to repair roofs, flooring, drywall, and siding, build ramps and stairs, replace windows and doors, add a small room, and paint homes inside and out. Hindman United Methodist Church provided a team which replaced a metal roof, repaired and painted siding, and repaired underpinning at one residence and replaced a tub surround at another. The Church generously supplies housing for the summer staff as well as meeting rooms for some of our evening sessions, kitchen facilities, and lodging for the volunteer groups. This summer marked the end of Fern Nafziger‘s term of service with SWAP. We continue to finish up a few projects and work on upkeep of MCC facilities as well as projects for Hindman United Methodist Church and the Settlement School. In October we hosted an MCC Learning Tour, inviting twelve people to join us here for an educational and recreational experience of eastern Kentucky. The Settlement School provided lodging, some food, and other facilities. SWAP also partnered with the Housing Development Alliance in Hazard for a Knott County Repair Affair on October 19, where we provided repairs for six homes in one day, using 51 volunteers. Hindman United Methodist Church provided two work teams. We appreciated the partnership of the Settlement School in providing the staging location and breakfast for the volunteers. During the winter months, as well as promoting the SWAP program, we volunteer in the local library in addition to the time we give to the church and the Settlement School. It is our goal to grow our program to include projects throughout the year and to offer opportunities for many different kinds of volunteer groups. In May of 2014 we expect to host a two-week study/service term for 32 students from Bluffton University in Ohio. The students will have opportunities to work on home repair projects as well as learn about the culture, history, and environment of this beautiful area. Once again, we greatly appreciate the support of the Hindman United Methodist Church in helping the SWAP program reach out to the local community. ~ Phil and Joan Steininger Location Coordinators The Bible is about religious and moral issues, and not about money at all, let alone charitable giving It is a common idea that the Bible has only to do with so-called religious matters, e.g., church attendance, individual conversion, and personal piety. But this is a misunderstanding, probably derived more from cultural hearsay than from careful reading of the Bible itself. Really, it would be fairer to say that the Bible is about everything. The Bible covers the waterfront of human life because the gospel of God‘s redemption covers the waterfront of human life. In the words of Scripture, God is reconciling all things to Himself through Christ (Colossians 1:20). ―All things‖ certainly includes money and material possessions, so it is no surprise to find that the Bible speaks plainly and frequently about these things. There are philosophies that separate reality into ―spiritual‖ and ―material‖ spheres, but Christianity is not one of them. In the Bible, all of life (including the use of money) is spiritual because God is involved in it. When we take the time to read the Bible carefully, we find that it has much more to say to us than we may have realized, not least of all about our giving. Start by reading these key Bible verses on money and stewardship. To Jennifer Hale and her family as they mourn the passing of her husband Tim on Wednesday, November 13, 2013; To the family of Jeanette Amburgey as they mourn the passing of her niece Janet Michelle (Chelle) Mullins on December 18, 2013; To Joyce Childers’ family as they mourn the passing of her aunt, Nadine Fults, on December 28, 2013. May God keep his loving arms wrapped around them and give them peace. 6 Grady and Jan Stumbo are proud to announce the birth of their granddaughter Carly Addison Kress on Monday, November 18, 2013. Carly weighed at 7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 19 inches long. Carly is the daughter of Dr. Jessica Stumbo and Greg Kress. We pray God’s blessings upon the families. “And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him.” Ephesians 3:7 TLB Lord, this is my earnest prayer as I look toward a new year with You. Amen. January 2 January 4 January 7 January 8 January 10 January 12 January 16 January 18 January 19 January 20 January 21 January 22 January 24 January 25 January 27 January 28 January 31 Chase Short Etta Jo Gayheart Karys Conley Mandee Moul Alan ―Mo‖ Moul Deborah Combs Michael Parks Abby Maggard Abbey Boggs Norm Bishop Autumn Slone Tim Watson Tyler Kilburn Dallas Slone Colbi Johnson Jimmy Cox Sam Hoffman Cydni Trent Donna Bishop Shannon Burnett Kristan Michelle Cook Waldo Combs Bob Wetmore Todd Stumbo February 1 February 3 February 5 February 9 February 10 February 11 February 12 February 13 February 19 February 23 February 24 February 25 February 26 February 27 February 28 Emma Grace Watson Franklin Combs Jennifer Hale Victoria Amburgey Matthew Hicks Timothy Fields Allyson Slone Seth Williams Patricia Bradley Dwayne Amburgey Gracie Ritchie Courtney Fields Cordell Gayheart Frieda Mullins Arnetta Stewart Kermit Williams Chasidy Watson-Collins Austin Slone Darrell Slone $$$ Birthday Challenge $$$ In memory of Bethel Ritchie who challenged everyone to make a donation to the Building Fund in honor of their birthday, 1 for each year. 7 Ephesians 2:10 January 8 January 11 January 19 Waldo and Jenaly Combs Don and Billie Owens Danny and Bertha Romines JANUARY MONTHLY FOCUS – Team Work “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) February 14 Homer Lynn and Lori Pigman February 15 Wm. K. and Linda Amburgey FEBRUARY MONTHLY FOCUS – What’s on your Heart “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” 1 Peter 3:8 (NIV) Pastor Rob Hoffman, his family and the congregation of Hindman United Methodist Church are praying God’s blessings upon you and your family throughout the New Year 8
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