WEEKLY CALENDAR

SUNDAY AUGUST 30
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
10 a.m. R.L. Pope Class by Stan Syters via Facebook and on WGOS AM 1070
11 a.m. Live Worship Online via Facebook and on WGOS AM 1070

MONDAY AUGUST 31
9:00-11:00 a.m. Internet Access Remote Learning Cafe (Fellowship Hall)
10:00 a.m. “10@10” Weekday Devotions via Facebook
5:00-7:00 p.m.  Internet Access Remote Learning Cafe (Fellowship Hall)

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 1
8:00 a.m. Men’s Prayer Meeting Online via Zoom (contact Brian Russell)
9:00-11:00 a.m. Internet Access Remote Learning Cafe (Fellowship Hall)
10:00 a.m. “10@10” Weekday Devotions via Facebook
5:00-7:00 p.m.  Internet Access Remote Learning Cafe (Fellowship Hall)
5:30 p.m.  Outdoor Yoga in the Church Back Yard (Weather permitting)

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 2
The Weekly Update via Facebook
10:00 a.m. “10@10” Weekday Devotions via Facebook
6:00 p.m. Youth Small Groups via Zoom (contact Rodney Denton)

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 3
9:00-11:00 a.m. Internet Access Remote Learning Cafe (Fellowship Hall)
10:00 a.m. “10@10” Weekday Devotions via Facebook
5:00-7:00 p.m.  Internet Access Remote Learning Cafe (Fellowship Hall)

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4
10:00 a.m. “10@10” Weekday Devotions via Facebook

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
10 a.m. R.L. Pope Class by Kyles Wallace via Facebook and on WGOS AM 1070
11 a.m. Live Worship Online via Facebook and on WGOS AM 1070

UPCOMING DATES
SEPT. 13   OUTDOOR VESPERS BEGINS (See announcement below.)
SEPT. 17   RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE
SEPT. 30   CCM MONTHLY DROP-OFF EVENT
 

PRAYER CONCERNS

If you or a loved one would like to be added to the prayer list, please contact Lorna McCullough at 336-259-5814. If you put a name on the list, please keep in touch to let us know how that person is doing, as names are removed after three weeks.

During the coming week, please pray for…

Charlotte and Robert Rorie
Carol Kaiser
Nancy McLain
Josef Walker
Sam Branson
Dean Sharpe-Austin
Kay Eanes
Jim and Barbara Westmoreland
Florence Highsmith and Family
Peace and justice in our nation, state, and city
Grant Brinkley and Family
Finley Price Family
Our First Responders, Medical Community, and Essential Workers
All those affected by Coronavirus/COVID-19
Robert Miller
Andrea Cain and Family
Dave Ogren
Dallas Hutchens
Tyler Oldaker
Tim Priska
Chris Eddinger
Tracy Brinkley
Our UM Missionaries
All Military Personnel
The United Methodist Church

We extend our prayers and sympathy to the family of Ethel Jerman who died August 19, 2020. The obituary for Ethel is found at www.jcgreenandsons.com/obituary/Ethel-Jerman.

OUTDOOR VESPERS SERVICE TO BEGIN   

We are pleased to offer an additional opportunity for you to share in worship! On Sunday September 13 at 6:00 p.m.,  you are invited to bring your lawn chair and come join others for a time of worship on the church lawn. We will sing familiar hymns and share prayers, scripture readings, and a homily. We hope you will dress casually and find this time to be both inspirational and relaxing. This service allows us to gather safely, yet still come together for worship. Our plans are to continue the service each Sunday evening until the time that we can safely return to the sanctuary.  

We will continue live-streaming worship at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday morning on Facebook Live and WGOS 1070 AM.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE 

It’s Back to School time and we are collecting needed supplies for area students. Collection bins are set up outside of the church reception door at the Mission Racks for easy drop-off. Thank you for your generosity helping students with the learning materials they need.

• Paper
• Notebooks
• Glue Sticks
• Folders
• Safety Scissors
• Crayons
• Markers
• Erasers
• Highlighters
• Colored Pencils
• Hand sanitizer
• Sanitizing wipes

WE NEED YOU!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

School will begin for the Thomasville City Schools on August 17, but the school buildings will remain empty. Students will learn remotely for a while. It will be imperative for children to have access to the Internet and there are some who do not. We are pleased to partner with TCS to provide an Internet access site for remote learning for students. We will open the church for two-hour periods on select days during the week for students needing Internet access.

In order to accomplish this, we will need church folks who will give a couple hours of their time to be present. This is not a tutoring service. Students will sign up, and we will limit the number of children at each session. All safety precautions will be followed. Tables will be set up to ensure social distancing, and students will be expected to wear masks, wash their hands prior to entering, and have their temperature taken. Children K-8 must be accompanied by an adult.

The church will be open on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9-11 a.m. and 5-7 p.m.  Two volunteers will be needed for each session. To sign up please use the Signup Genius link here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0545A8AF28A02-remote.

STUDENT REMOTE LEARNING INTERNET ACCESS CAFE  

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP or call the office at 336-472-7718.

A/V VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR WORSHIP 

Do you enjoy photography? Interested in the latest information technology? We need a few good men and women to train as video camera operators. If you have any interest in helping us take this step forward in virtual broadcasting, please notify Susan Frye (sfrye@mumctville.org or 336-472-7718) or Harold Vannoy (hvobwnknob@gmail.com or 336-240-9524) who will get you in touch with the right persons. We will need this help in the near future to execute this critical outreach mission. Thank you!

R.L. POPE CLASS NEW ONLINE LESSONS

SUNDAYS AT 10:00 A.M. on WGOS

The R. L. Pope Class is excited to announce the return of new, weekly online lessons. Tune in to WGOS on your radio or computer.

Teaching Schedule:
August 30   Stan Styers
September 6   Kyles Wallace
September 13   Allen Brown
September 20 Harold Vannoy
September 27   Richard Herman

UMC ANTI-RACISM TOWN HALLS CONTINUE

Pictured Panelists (from left): Ann Jacob, Rev. Theon Johnson, III, Andres De Arco, and Katelin Hansen. (Photos courtesy of the speakers.)

A UMC Town Hall online session on August 26 featured a panel of young, emerging leaders who shared their strategies for dismantling racism. In one hour, four young United Methodist leaders addressed why now is the time for the church to engage in dismantling racism and how each local church can — and must — make a change in the communities where it is serving. Calling out the names of Black lives lost, the Rev. Theon Johnson, III, said inaction goes against the commandment to “love God, love neighbor, and love oneself.”

Visit UMC.org/EndRacism for archives of this and other videos and resources. Upcoming Town Halls throughout 2020 will discuss:

• The theological roots of racism and colonialism
• Voter suppression
• Intersectionality in Anti-Racism Work
• Colonialism and the Doctrine of Discovery
• Systemic Racism in the UMC

This story was paraphrased from the August 26 issue of UM News Daily Digest.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Jake Huneycutt on the birth of a son, Jackson Brennan, August 22, 2020. The grandparents are Brennan and Kathy Huneycutt. The great-grandmother is Lummie Jo Huneycutt.

CLERGY AND STAFF ARE AVAILABLE

You may contact members of the staff directly or by calling the church office at 336-472-7718 and following the instructions on the recording. Here is a list of staff phone extensions and email addresses, for reference:

Danny Leonard, Senior Minister – Ext. 16; dleonard@mumctville.org
Rodney Denton, Minister of Youth and Young Adults – Ext. 18; rdenton@mumctville.org
Lynda Hepler, Minister of Children and Families – Ext. 11; lhepler@mumctville.org
Brian Russell, Director of Contemporary Worship – Ext. 20; brussell@mumctville.org
Danny Frye, Director of Music – Ext. 12; dfrye@mumctville.org
Susan Frye, Secretary – Ext. 14; sfrye@mumctville.org
Peggy May, Financial Secretary/Treasurer – Ext. 13; pmay@mumctville.org
Jarry Oldaker, Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds – Ext. 17; joldaker@mumctville.org

FINANCIAL GIVING OPTIONS WHILE THE OFFICE IS CLOSED

Thank you for your ongoing generosity to Memorial. While the office is closed, there are three options for making gifts to Memorial:

The address for mailing checks is:
Memorial UMC
P.O. Box 428
Thomasville, NC 27361-0428

Online gifts can be made securely at https://onrealm.org/mumctville/give/now which can also be accessed from our website homepage.

Electronic funds transfer (EFT) giving can be set up for your recurring tithe. For information on how to arrange this, please email or leave a message for Peggy May, Financial Secretary, at pmay@mumctville.org or 336-472-7718.

FEATURED DEVOTION

We close this week’s eNews with a 10@10 devotion shared by Rodney Denton on July 10, 2020.

Wanna Fight?

Well, today I feel like I am in need of some quality parenting advice. Let me begin by saying that I am an ONLY CHILD!  Not only that, but on my mom’s side of the family I am the only child of an only child. (Yes, that makes me an ONLY GRANDCHILD.) On top of that, my wife Martha Jo and I were married for over 13 years before we had children, so for a long time I was under the false impression that I was the center of the universe. That’s right, all the stereotypes are probably true. I may be a little spoiled; I do usually think that I am right (but that is because I usually am right); and I may be just a little naive when it comes to interpersonal relationships, especially when it comes to brothers and sisters. So, I have found that navigating the whole “sibling rivalry” situation with my own kids is somewhat of a mystery for me. The interpersonal relationships within a larger family (larger than three people) has really thrown me when it comes to parenting my three kids. I have two boys and one girl. I typically really like harmony – perhaps that’s another symptom of my Only Child Syndrome. 

Now, I have heard all the great wisdom surrounding “good things come out of conflict” and “conflict is an important source of growth and the way to social maturity.” Well, if that is the case, then my kids should be some of the most socially mature, intellectually stimulated individuals on the planet!!! I feel like they cannot have a conversation with one another without it ending in some type of argument and most often a screaming match!!! We cannot even get a consensus on eating a meal together, because if one person chooses what or where we should eat, then that means that someone else didn’t choose, and that automatically triggers somebody feeling like their feelings were not taken consideration. And don’t get me started on the fact that since there are three, the fighting is never fair; it always ends up two vs. one (boys vs. girl, twins vs. oldest, etc.). And, since we have been quarantined, it has been just a challenge to be around one another … ALL. THE. TIME. Unfortunately, since I am the main one who wants harmony, I end up trying to stop all this discord, and then I am getting dragged into the conflict that really didn’t have anything to do with me. Yes, I know that is the wrong way to handle it, but I keep thinking that I can somehow bring about a peaceful resolution – because, obviously, common sense and logic will always prevail in these situations. Right? Wrong! 

So, I need some parenting advice, because it is clear that I have no idea what I am doing. (Please feel free to share your comments and best advice!) But, the more that I see disputes and conflict play out in my own house, the more I realize that my family is really no different from any other group of opinionated people trying to get along with one another. It is clear from the news outlets that I typically watch that our country seems to be having trouble finding common ground as well.  Whether it is over easily resolved, short-term issues such as wearing a mask or social distancing or is larger, more systemic issues such as racism and mistrust of authority. Like I said before, I will always prefer harmony over conflict, and although there are benefits to finding the resolution to conflict, lack of harmony tends to raise our collective anxiety and, I believe, lowers our overall morale. And what bothers me even more than our country being embattled is that the Church, the “they will know we are Christians by our love” community, is having trouble as well. I once had a seminary professor who warned us about using language which describes our churches as “a family,” as in, “We are just one big happy family,” or “We are all just brothers and sisters in Christ.” His reason was that real families are, at best, going to argue and bicker with one another over even the smallest issues. But, at worst, a dysfunctional family creates additional anxiety, fear, and emotional damage, which can hurt in its members’ lives, and which is not really a stigma that we want associated with the Church.

But here we are….  I guess what brings me to my concern this morning—my true question—is simply, “Why can’t we all just get along?” But, that means that we have to be diligent about finding some common ground, which also means that we may need to compromise on some things or at least be willing to agree to disagree. One of my favorite quotes attributed to John Wesley is, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”  I love this because of the focus on community and grace without losing the foundation of faith. The problem is that perhaps we disagree on what exactly is included in the list of “essentials.”

This brings me to my scripture this morning. Apparently, this difficulty in finding consensus and harmony is not a new struggle for the church. And I guess that as long as there are two people with their own opinion about anything, there will be a conversation about who is right and who is wrong. But I sort of like what Ephesians (chapter 6, verses 10-12) has to say about this issue:

¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

So, the way I read this passage, perhaps we need to stop looking at one another as the enemy. If our fight is NOT against flesh and blood enemies, then perhaps we are called to take a closer look at our world and one another. Perhaps there is a deeper cause that is stirring up so much chaos and anxiety in our world. And perhaps that means that we need a little more love and grace with one another and a lot more protection against evil.

Let me just state here that, although I do believe that it is clear that evil exists in the world, I also tend to shy away from a “…the Devil made me do it…” attitude and “demons” lurking around dark corners, or that “Satan” is this guy with horns, a pitchfork, and a pointy tail, as different ways to put a face on evil.  Whether there are agents of evil working against us, I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like there are definitely evil forces at work in this world. But, more often, I find that I make choices and I do things that create my own evil circumstances and bring about what I would consider evil or negative consequences.  I guess what I’m saying is that we need to be on the lookout for situations that create fear and doubt and greed and desperation and the sense of loss of control – all those things that push people to do evil things to one another. Because, apart from how we view “the devil,” there is evil within each one of us that causes us to react in evil ways toward one another. There are internal urges that tempt us to do evil things. These are the things from which I believe Jesus came to set us free. These are the things that love is said to cover and heal and overpower. These are the things that Christians are called to fight against in this world. At times I feel like we have missed our calling.

When I was in high school, I was a wrestler. The problem was that I was an awful wrestler. I got into wrestling because some of my friends were doing it, and I thought I would give it a shot. The main reason that I was a terrible wrestler—and my coach’s main complaint about me—was that I never really got angry. I never had the mental toughness to be able to competitively wrestle. I was strong and had decent technique, but I just lacked the “killer instinct.” One day my coach even came up to me and said, “Rodney, do you ever get mad?” My response was, “About what?” He said, “On the mat, do you ever get mad at that other guy? Like he just said something terrible about your mom.” I said, “Well, I don’t guess so.” He left me with, “You gotta get mad, because let me tell you, he is mad at you.” The problem is that I never thought about it that way. Why should I get mad at someone I don’t even know? How can that other guy get mad at me when he hasn’t taken the time to even get to know me? But how often do we approach our life situations with this mentality? How often do we approach life like we are wrestling with everyone around us? We make assumptions and judgments about other people and get mad about what we think they might be thinking about us. We allow the darkness within us to create discord and strife, which is then reciprocated with more discord and strife, when, as Christians, we are called instead to create reconciliation and peace with those “flesh and blood” people around us. We are called to fight the evil in the world by caring for one another and protecting one another. This has only become more clear during this pandemic. The truth is that, much to my seminary professor’s dismay, we are a community of people who operate not unlike a family. We will always have disagreements and difficulties with those around us, but it is how we choose to handle these disagreements that makes us a true community of faith. It’s the ability to look past our differences and try our best to support one another and fight the evil threats in this world with Christian love, compassion, and grace.

The interesting thing is that, as frustrating as my kids can be when they are bickering with one another, I have also witnessed times when they were able to put aside their disputes to support one another. Like the time Daelyn just knew she had won the school talent show and was so disappointed when she didn’t. Gracen was there to tell her how great her performance was and encouraged her to keep trying.  And the time when a kid on the boys’ YMCA basketball team was picking on Deacon about not being able to hit an easy shot and that he should just quit the team. Gracen stood up to the kid and then practiced with Deacon in the driveway so he could practice his shot. What I want to know is, why can’t they maintain that sense of compassion and love toward one another all the time? I guess this same mystery is sort of what has this only child confused when I look at the way our brothers and sisters in Christ treat one another from time to time. 

It seems like there are so many issues that lead us to disagree and bicker and, yes, at times, fight about divisive issues. But maybe I get too wrapped up in focusing on the lack of harmony that I see in the church and don’t give enough consideration to the many positive things that are going on right in front of me. For instance, many of you right here at Memorial have continued to generously support the church financially through this difficult time of alternative worship and fellowship. Many of you have been very gracious to worship virtually and provide positive feedback as we get all the technical wrinkles ironed out. Many of you “meet” online for the 10 @ 10 devotions every weekday to share a “Good morning!” and some likes and loves as we try to find alternate ways to connect with one another. I began this talk this morning ready to call out and condemn all those “Christians” who refuse to consider how not wearing a mask and how congregating and worshipping in person may have negative ramifications on other people. But, maybe I am focusing my attention on the wrong thing. Maybe God’s presence is not found in the harmony or disharmony that originates from fear and discontent and selfishness and loneliness. Maybe my energy would be far better focused on where we get God’s grace right. Maybe those who have donned that beautiful armor of God and are standing firm in their faith are the same people who quietly support one another through faithful and kind actions—not causing a stir or drawing attention to themselves, but just living life in the most beautiful way possible. My challenge to you this morning is to simply remain encouraged. This whole pandemic is but a season in our lives and, even though none of us like it, maybe we can use this time to consider who the enemy really is.  In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, AMEN.

Be sure to join us on Facebook LIVE and tune in to WGOS 1070 AM this Sunday for virtual study and worship. Have a great day; wear your mask; and stay healthy, people!

YOU CAN WATCH AND READ ALL 10 @ 10 DEVOTIONS HERE.