1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

J AN U AR Y
2 015
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
”Turning the Corner”
FINANCIALS
2
FIFTY PLUS
3
FOX FRIENDS
3
GIVE THANKS
4
NEEDS
5
CIRCLE
MEETINGS
5
NIGHT’S
WELCOME
5
JANUARY
BIRTHDAY’S
6
JANUARY
7
CALENDAR
OPEN DOOR
SERIES
6
WORSHIP ASST. 8
DISTRICT INFO 8
SINGLE &
PARENTING
9
LOSE IT FOR
9
LIFE
Last month, I wrote
about beginnings and
endings. This month, I
invite you to reflect for a
moment about corners.
We usually use the
phrase “turning the corner” when someone is ill
and begins to get better.
When we start coming
out of debt, we turn the
corner financially. Most
of the time, “turning the
corner” is a good thing –
it means things are looking up and improving.
When I was learning to drive, my older
brothers taught me
about driving through a
corner – you slow down
as you approach it, but
you pour on the gas just
before you reach the
corner. If the road is
made well and the car
in good shape, and you
are propelled into the
next stretch of the road.
There is an art to turning
corners!
Every time I have
served a church, I have
thought about the corners I came into and
sometimes turned. There
were moments when I
thought things were im-
proving only to discover
they weren’t. At other
moments, I thought
things were getting
worse, only to discover I
had judged a person or
situation wrongly. Let me
get to the point: I have
occasionally regretted
being pessimistic, but I
have never regretted
being optimistic, even if I
was wrong. You see,
when I am pessimistic, I
make decisions to protect myself, but when I
am optimistic, I make
decisions to build the
kingdom of God. Even
better, when I temper
optimism with reality, I
can both help build the
kingdom of God, and I
can also make better
decisions that look out
for everyone’s interests.
As we round the
corner to 2015, I invite
you to test my experience: Be hopeful for the
future and make decisions to build the kingdom of God, and see if it
doesn’t make a difference! The worst that can
happen is disappointment. Disappointment,
though, is something we
can learn from. Regret is
something that causes
us to stop learning and
growing. So – go ahead
and try it: Invite a neighbor to church, be hopeful and act on that hope
by getting involved in
ministry, be realistically
optimistic and participate in a ministry, or
even start one up! No
matter what you do as a
part of our church family, we all seek to follow
the One who said,
“Behold, I am making
all things
new.” (Revelation
21:5) May Jesus’ words
be the words we follow and live by in
2015!
Your fellow servant in
Christ Jesus,
PAGE 2
Financial Fundamentals This periodic report briefly addresses finances at FUMC
Fox Hill. The latest weekly and year-to-date information is printed weekly in The Sail
available at every service or in the church office.
I am writing this in mid-December, before our year is over, so it doesn’t fully wrap up
our finances for the year. We have certainly had some positives for the year.
Our annual pumpkin patch was the third best net in history…and we missed second
place by just over $26. Along the way, we had an excellent outreach to our neighbors
and fellowship with our church family.
We are continuing to pay down our mortgage. As of the end of November, our outstanding balance was $651,684. During the first eleven months of 2014 we reduced
our loan balance by $62,497 through normal monthly payments, $3,694 through designated additional payments on principal, and $7,333 through memorial gifts.
We were able to complete several parsonage maintenance projects which had been
deferred far too long. Throughout the year we have paid our operational bills on
time.
Total One Fund – Through November 2014
By the end of January, you will
Income For Planned Expenses1
$528,436 receive a statement of your 2014
Total One Fund Planned
These
$621,965 pledge and/or giving.
Expenses
statements
should
never
be
conActual
$534,944
(excludes pass
sidered a bill and are for you to
through2)
help us ensure we correctly recPass Through Income2
$18,708 ord your intent and actions, as
Pass Through Expense2
$21,836 well as provide a tax record for
“Pay-It-Forward” Contributions
$4,662 you. If you ever have any ques1
Includes regular and memorial contributions, building tions about your giving, please
contact the finance staff promptuse income, interest, etc.
2
This item represents funds contributed, but passed ly.
through to non-budget items, e.g., flowers, Advocate
subscriptions, special mission programs, etc.
God blesses us many ways; let us return to the giver a
receive.
portion of what we
If you have any concerns or questions about FUMC FH finances, please contact our
financial staff through the church office or Bill Bryan, Finance Chair, at 851-0748 or by
e-mail to [email protected].
PAGE 3
Fifty Plus
It is nearly time for our
annual “planning” breakfast
at Golden Corral. We’ll
meet there, socialize, discuss possible future outings, and do
our best to eat them out of food.
Mark your calendar for the annual
event at 8:15 am on Saturday, January
10. Please reserve a space so we can
have an idea how much room we need.
Everyone will pay on their own upon
entering (senior price for the breakfast
buffet, beverage, and tax, but NOT
gratuity is now about $11 inclusive).
On the evening of Saturday, February 14 we will enjoy a meal and
home-grown entertainment at
Phoebus UMC. Dinner is a threecourse meal with salad, your choice of
a seafood (crab and shrimp melt) or
roast beef entrée, and dessert. Following the meal, members of the
church will provide entertainment.
This is an annual fund raiser for Phoebus UMC and cost is $30. Please
provide your entrée choice when making your paid reservation. Phoebus
UMC is known for their great meals!
While this outing is on Valentine’s Day, it is
for everyone.
Don’t miss our March 14 afternoon outing to the Williamsburg Players rendition of The 39 Steps. Mix a Hitchcock
masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a
dash of Monty Python, and you have The
39 Steps. This fast-paced, romantic thriller/comedy/parody, 2-time Tony® and Drama Desk Award-winning treat, is packed
with nonstop laughs and over 150 zany
characters (played by a cast of 4). Richard
Hannay, a man with a boring life, meets a
woman with a thick accent who says she's
a spy. When he takes her home, she is
murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on Hannay’s trail. From an epic train chase to a
feisty love interest, Hannay has his work
cut out for him as he searches for the truth
about The 39 Steps. This wild afternoon
outing will culminate with dinner. Cost is
just $18 plus your meal.
Watch The Sail in the weekly bulletin for
information about our April outing.
Our 4-day, 3-night, spring trip this year
takes us to mountain country in and
around Elkins, WV, as well as stops in
Fredericksburg and Monticello, VA.
From Wednesday – Saturday,
May 27 – 30, we’ll do historical
and medical sites from the Civil
War era, take an incredible train
ride, see wonderful theatrical performances, and enjoy delicious
meals. Along the way we will also
enjoy some fascinating attractions.
Information and sign-up sheets
are still available in the Narthex.
If you want to go, but need a roommate, let us know and we’ll see if
we can work it out with someone
else looking.
Remember, as previously on our long trips, bus seating is
based on your signup date. As of midDecember, the bus is more than half
filled and we are notifying our neighboring churches about the trip. Don’t
miss out on the fun…contact us soon.
Remember, we will continue to put
pictures from our previous outings on
the table in front of the Fifty Plus bulletin board. Help yourself to any
pictures you would like. We will
replace the pictures every couple
weeks or so.
For reservations and/or questions for
any Fifty Plus outing, contact Anne or
Bill Bryan at 851-0748 or by e-mail to
[email protected].
Fox Hill Friends
We plan to continue to work with Cary Elementary students this year. We work with children who have
been identified as needing additional help with academics or self-esteem. All that is needed to volunteer is a love for children and an hour or more a week to help a child or children. You will be able to
choose the day and time that is best for you and say which grade level you prefer. We are assigned a
child or a small group of children and work with them in the classroom under the guidance of the
teacher. It can be very rewarding to see “your” student(s) grow in both knowledge and selfassurance. The teachers are very understanding if we are unable to be there every week and are
very appreciative for any help we can provide. One of our volunteers last year was Bruce Guthrie
who spent many hours with the children and was nominated for an award for his work with them. So
many of the children do not have fathers in their homes so it was great for them to have a male role
model. Please contact me if you are willing to participate in this worthwhile program at
[email protected] or 850-4013. Thanks.
I would also like to thank each of you for all of the school supplies you have provided. The generosity
of the Shepherds Outreach Choir was amazing! When I delivered the first load, two of the teachers
were there and helped me unload them. They were so pleased to see what our church has done for
them. They said we would be surprised to know how many children come to school with no supplies.
Betty Knaub, coordinator
PAGE 4
Thank you so much for the cards, calls, visits, flowers,
food and most of all, your prayers during my recovery. I
am so blessed to be part of such a caring church family.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Porter
Giving Thanks
Thank You
I want to thank my Church family for the many prayers, fun visits, wonderful food,
balloons, flowers and other things that made me smile.
Everything was so appreciated. I wish everyone could have the Church family we
all enjoy.
God is good - all the time.
Bonnie Hulton
I cannot thank you enough for
your support during the last thirteen months. Your prayers, cards,
concerns and caring helped tremendously in getting me and my
family through the cancer treatments and recovery. The power of
prayer is a wonderful presence in
our lives, and it is awesome to be
able to say “I am cancer free”.
Bill Snider
Dear Church Family,
Thank you seems so inadequate to
express the sincere gratitude we feel for
your many expressions of love and support
during these past few months as we dealt
with Glenn’s surgery, recovery and ultimately his passing. Your prayers, cards, flowers,
visits, food, hugs, attendance at the Life
Celebration Service held on November 8th,
and your many acts of love and kindness
have helped more than you can ever know.
We ask for your continued prayers as we
work through the challenging weeks and
months ahead.
In Christian love and gratitude
Evelyn Boone, David Boone
and
Olivia Johnson
PAGE 5
Ushers Needed
The 2015 usher schedule has been put together. However, there is a serious shortage
of ushers for the 11:00 services - five to be specific. When you look at the “This
week…” section of the weekly bulletin under “Ushers for the month” and see an asterisk – there is a shortage in that service. Thus, the team captain must enlist help from
service attendees to collect the Offertory. This should not be necessary. It takes little
time to assist particularly if you are a regular attendee at the service. Please contact
Dave Sharp, Usher Coordinator, at 757-851-2569 or email: [email protected] to support
this vital service to First United.
Circle Meetings
Wesley Circle will meet January January 13th at 10:00 am.
Leader: Carolyn Bradley (850-3640)
Wednesday Morning Circle will meet January 14th at 10:00.
Leader: Kay Foster (851-1837)
Thursday Evening Circle will meet January 8th at 7:00 PM in Tri-X.
Leader: Claudine Womble (851-5151)
Friday Evening Circle - Leader: Robin Carroll (303-1122)
Night’s Welcome is approaching. There are still some
items needed. Updates are coming, but continue to
read the sail and these items will also be listed in next
months issue of The Anchor. The dates for Night’s Welcome is February 28—March 7th. If you have any
questions, please contact Peg Hopewell at 851-5649.
PAGE 6
Happy Birthday
JAN 3
- January
Allison Poinsett Peretin
JAN 24
JAN 16
*Patrick & Pat Parker
Matt Allen
Joan Moriarty
Jean Pickin
JAN 17
JAN 25
Gregory Creekmore, Jr.
Kim Fly
Bill Allen
Tanya Ammons
Claudia Caricofe
JAN 4
William S. Freeman, Jr.
JAN 5
Lori Ward
JAN 26
JAN 6
Rick Kessler
JAN 18
Bobby Smith
JAN 8
Jennifer Day
Theresa Embler
J.D. Triplett
JAN 27
*Thomas & Sandra Gulbronson
Caroline Powers
Les Ware
JAN 19
Sam Hoyt
JAN 10
Billie Jean Neil
Deb Ware
Louellen Weaver
JAN 28
Mitchell Woods
JAN 20
Robert Leavell
JAN 11
JAN 29
Steve Howell
Brian Sixbey
JAN 21
Hannah Smith
Catarina Brown
Cindy Gibbons
JAN 12
JAN 22
JAN 30
*Steve & Barbara Arbogast
Ron Kravitz
Dennis Lee
Zane Brooker
Anna-Kate Hulick
JAN 23
JAN 31
John Kravitz
Erin Malinouski
Charley Winston
*Ken & Lori Ward
George Woodley
JAN 14
Sandra Gulbronson
Dawn Miller
JAN 15
Mottie Anderson
*Anniversary
Open Door Series
January 18, 2015
The Hilton Brass
At First UMC Fox Hill
1 Salt Pond Rd.—Hampton, VA 23664
PAGE
7
PAGE 8
York River District News
2015 District Events
WORSHIP ASSISTANTS
8:30 & 11:00 am
GREETERS
Joann Smith
USHERS for the month:
TEAM E
Richard Shearer
Hunter Francis
Bill Bryan
Ken Bernstrom
Beth Davis
Leah Graybeal
Dave Sharp
Nathan Graybeal
Ronald Steele
Bobby Smith
LITURGISTS: Dan Brookman
Month of January - 8:30 am
John Maninga
ACOLYTES: Marcie Calhoun
1/4
1/11
1/18
1/25
Cat Sixbey
- Daniel Bunting
Astanzi Struhs - Ellie Hopkins
Corbin Struhs
- with Thomas
Charley Winston - Luna Lauffler
NIGHT WATCHMAN: Dave Rogers
1/4
Jack Clough
1/11 Dave Hopewell
1/18 Jimmy Roberson
1/25 Hunter Francis
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
(10am-2pm)
End of Year Reports Training and Administrative Assistants gathering at
First UMC Fox Hill
Saturday, January 17 (10am-12pm)
S/PPRC training at Providence UMC
Monday, January 19
District Office closed for Holiday
Wednesday-Thursday, February 4
(1pm) 5th (5pm)
District Clergy Retreat at Eastover
Retreat Center
Thursday, February 5 (7am-3:30pm) $25-35 UM day at the General Assembly
Saturday, February 7 (9:30am-11:30am
District Leadership Training at Chestnut
Memorial UMC
PAGE 9
HELP & HOPE FOR
SINGLE PARENTS
There aren’t many people who truly understand the unique
challenges single parents face. You deeply desire to do what’s
best for your kids, but sometimes it’s all you can do to survive
from one day to the next. Single & Parenting is a special weekly group that will bring hope to your life. We’d love for you to
join us.
6-8 p.m. Sundays
January 11—April 12
First UMC Fox Hill
1 Salt Pond Rd.
Childcare: Nursery to youth
851-6302
The Lose it for Life class that has been extended into
the month of January. We will be meeting from
6:30pm to 7:30pm in the Faithlink class on January 8,
15, 22 and 29. Please contact Tom Hite if you have
any questions at [email protected] or 851-0956.
First United Methodist Church Fox Hill
1 Salt Pond Road
Hampton, VA 23664
Place Label Here
You’re invited to worship with us!
Sundays – 8:30 & 11:00 AM
9:45 AM, Sunday School
Brian Sixbey – Pastor
Tommy Markham – Assistant Pastor
1 Salt Pond Rd.
Hampton, Virginia
(757) 851-6302