Southport UMC Newsletter

Dear Friends, I want to thank you for the way you responded to the request for you to extend invitations to your family, friends and neighbors to come to church on Easter Sunday.   I saw many of you coming to church at the Easter service of your choice, and many of you had guests with you.   Others told me that they had extended an invitation to one or more people, but those they invited had not been able to come.   I still want to thank you for extending the invitation.   Sometimes the answer is “no” or “not yet.”   I also want to ask each of you to continue to pray for those whom you invited whether they came or not.   I believe is God is faithful and maybe sometime in the near future they will feel a need to connect with the church in some way and maybe that will be by attending worship.   Maybe those who did come will return. Let me share something with you.   Several months ago we decided to approach our Easter     attendance differently this year.   In the past we hav

It is time again to continue our journey by growing in our faith in Christ and by making    connections with others that are on the journey to grow in their faith in Christ. Journey Groups will start soon.   You have several ways to sign up. ·   Visit the sign up table in the Gathering Place during May. ·   Call or email the church office. ·   Sign up online.   (If you have a login to our online system, after logging in, on the home page you can click on “Available Small Groups” to see all of the Journey Groups available.   The Journey Groups will show a picture and will allow you to “Join Group” online.) Here are the Journey Groups for the summer.   More information can be found online or in the Journey Group catalog that you can pick up in the Gathering Place. ·   Monday 5/12/14, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.:   Kids Gone Wild (led by Child Care Answers) ·   Monday 5/12/14, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. :   Monday Night Women’s Bible Study (Discerning the Voice of God) ·   T

As each of us travels our own discipleship path, we know we are to CONNECT to God through Jesus Christ  GROW in our faith in Christ SERVE in the world for Christ GIVE of ourselves and our resources for God's work through His church Becoming a servant for Christ, and using the gifts God has given us, will feel like a "get to serve" not a "have to serve."  As we mature in our faith, our question will no longer be "What can the church do for me?" As a disciple we will ask, "What can I do for Jesus in the community and the world?" What a difference we can make in other lives when it is about following Jesus.

Southport UMC continues to be an important and much appreciated supporter of IHN/Family Promise.  Through this ministry we have the opportunity to serve families who are currently in a homeless situation. We will welcome IHN guests at our next rotation, May 25 through June 8. During this two-week period we will accommodate families at our church.   More information will be coming soon on how you can get involved. However we have an opportunity to help now by supporting the Family Promise Spring Clothing Drive.  We are collecting gently used clothing through May 11.  Clothing ONLY - no shoes or household items can be accepted at this time. Bags will be delivered to the Day Center during the week of May 12-May 18. Goodwill Industries will then send a truck to pick up the bags and in turn give Family Promise vouchers for clothing at their stores. IHN guests and Aftercare clients can then shop at a Goodwill store and are able to choose which clothing size they need for their familie

We are having another Boys “t”o MEN retreat the weekend of May 16 through May 18. We teach the boys the skill of handling tools the proper way (safety). We teach them about respect, friendship, and serving others during Bible time. Our game time is more for leadership and teamwork, and we have a kitchen crew that cooks all our meals. It’s a fun weekend for the boys and the men who serve in the ministry. Boys “t”o MEN is one of three retreats for our middle school students. It is the longest running of the three; therefore, it is the model the others are based upon. One Body-One Mission is a coed event in the fall, and Daughters of Destiny is an event for middle school girls in the New Year.   The boys and girls and the men and women who make these events special enjoy great blessings as they share and grow in Christian Discipleship.

It is a joy to celebrate milestones in the lives of those we love.   High school graduation is recognized with well wishes and lots of advice for young adults.   June 1, at 12:15 p.m., a reception for this year’s senior class will be in the Gathering Place.   Please plan to stay an extra few minutes to honor our graduates and send them into the next chapter of their lives with a strong sense of Christian support. There will be sheets available to sign up to maintain contact and Christian mentoring for each of our students.   College and careers are major changes.   It might not seem so different as long as there are individuals who are regularly praying for them and offering words of support and possibly even some times to chat.

May 10, 2014 St. John’s United Church of Christ is partnering with Technology Recyclers and Iron Mountain to offer the community a drop-off location for all large or small electronics and appliances and secured paper shredding services on Saturday, May 10, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Residents and local businesses can bring items to recycle such as: ·   All Appliances: large or small appliances in any condition ( washers, dryers, refrigerators, stoves, ovens, dishwashers, microwaves, freezers) ·   All Electronics:   any device that operates electronically ( phones, PDA’s, stereos, iPods, game systems, computers, laptops, printers, routers, switches, cables, mouse, keyboards)     ·   All Other Items: metal goods ( furnaces, A/C units, tools, drills, aluminum cans, lawn equipment, grills, bicycles, batteries) ·   All Batteries: automotive and electronic ·   TV’s and Computer Monitors: * $5.00 disposal fee for TVs and Computer Monitors ·   Documents: Conf