Celebrating Women's History Month

This month is Women's History Month, and to celebrate, I would like to mention some of the amazing women we have at our church.

• First, there's my Aunt Wanda, our church matriarch. She coordinates cards for people in the community, she helps organize potlucks, and she's great at getting things done. 

• Then there's Wanda N. She was instrumental in helping our church rebuild, and her expertise has been very important in taking care of our new church building. She's also our Sunday School superintendent. 

• My Aunt Jake is the oldest member of our congregation, and every time you see her, you feel a part of the spirit of the old church.

•  Phyllis is our pianist, and she also leads the adult Sunday School class sometimes.

• Pat N. is our organist, and she's our fearless leader here in the Cave.

• Pat P. is our fabulous substitute teacher, and we love to discuss the Bible with her.

• Velma was responsible for setting up the outreaches that we had at the community center before we had our new building, and she also began the Thursday night meals for the community.

• Geraldene takes care of making sure that bereaved families have meals, and that is such a blessing. She's a light when many families are going through their darkest moments.

• Bennie Lou is our fantastic UMW leader, and she always makes sure that everyone is organized for meetings and conferences.

• Joye is our amazing Children's Church leader and she teaches the young kids' Sunday School class! She's also a lay speaker and sometimes gives the message when the preacher can't be there.

• Julia is our church secretary and one of the keepers of our church's history. She's amazing at gathering the historical documents of our church and recording the minutes at meetings. She can tell you a multitude of beautiful stories about our church and our church family, including those who have gone on.

Speaking of our church history, it's important to remember the important women of our church who have come before us. My Aunt Mil, Helen Hart, Edna Hodge, Reba Heath, Alberta Self, and so many others dedicated much of their time, effort, and love to our beautiful little church and its congregation. Many of them stayed with our church until the end, and are now buried in the Summit Cemetery.

Life would not be the same without Julia looking through her archives for Decoration bulletins from 30 years ago, or without all the ladies gathering together to lay out the dishes for Fifth Sunday lunches, or without Wanda N. peeking in on the Cave to see if we need a teacher. Life wouldn't be the same without Aunt Mil's punch recipe and it wouldn't be the same without Nadine Hart's organ being played during Sunday services. Our church wouldn't be the same without all of the women of our church making it a better place.

Without all of these amazing women, both past and present, our church would not be what it is today. Every one of the women in our church contributes their unique talents and spirit to our little corner of the world, and without them, we would be lost.

One thousand thank-yous to all the wonderful ladies who help make Summit UMC our home!

Clips from the Cave

This week represents a big step for the Cave.

On Sunday, we started working in our new Sunday School book and began studying the unsung heroes of the Bible. We'll be studying heroes like Enoch, Gideon, and Deborah, who don't get as much attention as heroes like Moses and Elijah.

However, transitioning to a new area of study also means that our time with Dare to Be a Daniel is over.

Finishing these thirteen lessons has been a great process for us that has allowed us to think a little more deeply about the way we interact with the "outside world" and plan for how we will share Christ with others. We've learned about treating people with respect while standing firm in our beliefs; we learned about keeping close Christian friends to provide us with a support system; we learned about how to be strong in the face of temptation and how to talk to God through prayer; we learned how to be heroes of the faith; and we learned how to tell other people about God.

There are four steps. 

Step One is knowing that God loves us. God wants us to have an abundant life and He wants us to do His will.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Step Two is knowing that sin separates us from God. Nothing we can do, no good works and no other religions, could ever bridge the gap between us and God.

Step Three is knowing that Christ died for us. Christ is God's bridge between us and Him.
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Step Four is repenting of our sins, accepting Christ, and living the life God wants us to live.
^"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

Now that we have finished learning the steps and begun to spread God's Word to the world around us, we're ready to continue to learn about the Bible and all the heroes out there who provide examples for us on how to be brave workers and disciples for God, just like Daniel.

(And we also got these cool certificates to celebrate our completion of the program!)

Thanks to Pat for organizing and teaching our Sunday School class here in the Cave! We're looking forward to all the new things we can learn from the Bible.