UMW District Meeting

            Last Saturday, September 20, Summit hosted the Elizabethtown District United Methodist Women (UMW) meeting. 78 people from the churches in the district came out to support their church’s UMW. Some of the highlights of the meeting included a candle burning ceremony in memory of the members who had passed away; a guest speaker, Pastor Trish Smith from Stovall UMC; presentation of attendance banners; and the recognition, election, and installation of officers.



The donation box for one of the UMW's missions.

            In addition, the meeting included recognition of members who had completed parts of the UMW’s reading program and the UMW groups that had become “Mission Today” units. To become a Mission Today unit, a UMW group must complete a checklist of criteria that are designed to help the UMW use mission resources and to expand their missions. The missions of the UMW include helping women and girls become leaders; promoting social justice; being of service to the community; and providing opportunities for education and spiritual growth. They focus on women, youth, and children.

The district meeting is a transition time between years and an annual celebration of the district’s activities.

“It was a worship service, and then we gave out the awards… And we won both of the banners,” said Summit’s own UMW president Bennie Lou Hammons. The banners are given to reward the church with the most members present and the highest percentage of members present. This particular meeting is important because it will likely be one of the last for this particular group of churches.

“We’ve only got one more year in the E-town District,” said Bennie Lou. Soon, the districts will be reorganized and these UMW groups may find themselves in different districts.

  Each member of the UMW finds something unique about the organization that calls to them.

Joane Kennington from Radcliff UMC said, “I like the socialization and the common goals.”

“I like the fellowship with the women,” said Lynda Wood.

“Children have always been an interest of mine,” said Suzanne Tigges. Both Tigges and Wood attend Radcliff UMC.

UMW members waiting for the meeting to begin.

Many UMW members got their start by attending meetings with their mothers.

Carol Thomas from Hodgenville UMC said, “I joined the UMW when I went with my mother, since I was a child. I remember because they had cookies and lemonade.”

“I don’t even remember how long it’s been,” said Wendy Tyree from Hodgenville. “I was involved in Georgia, but then I moved to Hodgenville, and that’s where my involvement became more real. They’re the most amazing group of women you’ll ever meet.”

“A hundred years ago, I was in a college group, but I’m a 4th generation [UMW member], so it’s been a lifetime thing,” said Tigges.



Some of the district’s upcoming events include the Conference Annual Mission Celebration on October 25 at Advance Memorial UMC and the District Team Meeting on November 18 at 6:00 pm at Hodgenville UMC. And, according to Bennie Lou, there may be a Bible study in March.

For this church blogger, the most enjoyable part of visiting the meeting was knowing that, even though I haven’t been part of the UMW for years and even though some of the ladies gave me odd looks when I came up to them in “journalist mode,” I was still considered part of the group.

 

As Wendy Tyree told me, “Once in the UMW, always in the UMW.”

Bennie Lou and Velma working at the registration table.

Lessons from L.A.C.E.

This past Saturday, September 13, I attended a seminar for lay speaker training at Horsley Chapel UMC. They called it L.A.C.E.: the Lay Academy of Church Excellence. Over the course of four sessions, returning lay servants, certified lay ministers, and aspiring future lay speakers like me learn all we need to become certified lay servants that can (officially) serve the church. At the end of the training, I'll be able to (officially) speak at our church and I'll be much better equipped to serve our congregation now and in the future. 

In fact, after having attended just the first session, I already feel recharged and inspired, as well as better educated in the role of a lay speaker in the United Methodist church. 

The people I met at LACE were some of the most friendly and interesting people I've ever met. One group in particular, from Clair Memorial UMC, were strong encouragements for me because of their enthusiasm. I will never forget the way their pastor said "Praise God!" when I introduced myself and said that I felt called to join the ministry. Everyone I met there was just so happy to see each other and to talk to me. I looked around the room and I saw a room full of Christians and it was the best feeling ever to be in fellowship with them. It was a feeling of being loved, understood, and respected that I can only compare to the way I feel about my church family. 

Some of the people there spoke about the different backgrounds they had. Several people said that they had always been Methodists, but they hadn't known it. There were people there who'd been raised Baptist and some who'd just drifted before joining the Methodist church. Many of them had been brought to Methodism or to Christianity by their family members. One couple who attended told me that they were originally from San Diego, California, and another lady had moved to Kentucky from Wisconsin. The preacher from Horsley Chapel was kind enough to share a little of her experience, and I found her story to be especially moving. She had grown up in the Church of Christ, and she got involved with some Methodists while working with a ministry for soldiers in basic training in Louisville. She joined the Methodist Church partially because of the Methodist Church's positive attitude toward women pastors. There were several other female pastors there, and seeing them gave me such hope for my future, because I know that I have not just my home church, but my entire denomination to support me. So many people from so many different backgrounds and walks of life come together to make our church wonderful! 

One of the guest speakers was a professor from Asbury Theological Seminary who spoke about the history of the Methodist movement and some of John Wesley's influences. Much of our religious heritage comes from the Anglicans, but we also owe a lot of our theology to other influences, such as the Moravians, who broke away from the Lutheran church and emphasized feeling the Spirit of God in one's heart. 

One of the things the professor taught us that really stuck with me was this explanation of Christianity from the Protestant Reformation: Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, and Solus Christus.

The Latin phrases mean Grace Alone, Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, and Christ Alone. We're protected by God's grace, which is a gift given to us even though we could never deserve it. Scripture is the Word of God, and it must be the base of our church tradition and teachings. We are saved through faith alone in Christ. And Christ Alone is our salvation, because no one goes to the Father except through Him. 

After hearing about the history of Methodism, we broke up into small groups, and my group discussed more about why lay speakers are important in the United Methodist Church. 

Often, the pastor is given great responsibilty in the church. This isn't a bad thing, but since the early days of our denomination, when circuit riders traveled miles from church to church, the laity have been given the authority to run the churches and their ministries. The lay people are the church. The pastor is there to guide the church, to interpret God's Word, and to benefit the church members, but the church is more than just the pastor. My group leader said, "A church should be able to run, easily, for six months without pastor." And while no church should have to go through that today, he has a valid point: Sometimes, as lay people, we expect the pastor to take care of everything and we don't take our future into our own hands. Every single person in the church is a minister, whether "certified" or not, and we have to be the light of the world and spread the message.

We discussed why we have so much trouble taking up responsibilities in the church, and we concluded that a lot of the problems are caused because people are afraid. For example, one of my group members mentioned that Clair Memorial is one of the most enthusiastic churches in the district and that anyone who preached there was sure to feel encouraged. Another of my group members responded by asking why all churches couldn't be that way. I said that I thought people were afraid to be encouraging because they don't want to "stick out." Nobody wants to be thought of as silly or strange, and nobody wants to feel like they're all alone in their opinion. However, everyone in my group---including a member of Clair Memorial---agreed that being encouraging and taking up responsibility is always a worthwhile thing, even if you're all alone. One of my group members runs the youth group at his church, and he was a perfect example of this. One day, he realized that there was a need for a youth group in his church, and he started one, even though he knew he might be all alone at first. He told us that day that starting that project was one of the most rewarding things he's ever done. 

I suppose the best way to conclude the recap of my first lay speaker training session and to sum up everything that I learned is to leave you with this Scripture (because Sola Scriptura) that was included in our lay speaker "training manual": "Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

------Rachel

Clips from the Cave

This week in the Cave, we discussed Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream and how to be used by God. 

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that no one could interpret. He threatened to kill all the wise men of Babylon if no one could help him. Daniel and his friends prayed for help so that they would not be killed along with the Babylonians, and God revealed to them the king's dream and the interpretation. When the king called upon Daniel, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the dream had been sent by God, and that by God's power and no talent of his own, Daniel could interpret the dream. 

The king had dreamed of a statue with the head made of gold, the chest and arms made of silver, the stomach and thighs made of bronze, the legs made of iron, and the feet made of iron and clay. A stone that had been cut without a human hand touching it destroyed the statue and became a mountain that filled the whole earth. Daniel told the king that the head of gold symbolized King Nebuchadnezzar's great kingdom and that the rest of the statue symbolized a series of inferior kingdoms that would be destroyed, one after another. The stone that became a mountain represents the kingdom of God, which would take the place of all the earthly kingdoms and endure forever. 

When Nebuchadnezzar heard this, he declared that Daniel's God was the Lord of Lords and revealer of mysteries. He promoted Daniel and his is friends and gave them many generous gifts. 

This Scripture is important because, among other things, it tells us that God will use us to do His will, whether it's something big, like interpreting the dreams of a king, or something small, like giving a smile to someone who needs it. When Daniel prayed for help, God gave him the words he needed to speak to the king, and when Daniel helped the king, he told the king that God had given him the power to do good things. Every opportunity to do good things is given to us by God, and it's an opportunity to glorify God and his kingdom. 

God is going to use us as his hands here on Earth, and it's up to us to use the talents and skills He gives us to make a change, just like Daniel made a change when he amazed King Nebuchadnezzar with the power of his God.

Have a great week!

Pulpit Messages

While the church was in the process of being built, the congregation decided to write their names and favorite Bible verses on the flooring of the pulpit area before it was covered in carpet. Brother Don was kind enough to compile a booklet of all the things our congregation had written. Here's a photo of one of the verses to brighten your day: