Southport UMC Newsletter

Dear Friends, Many times people believe that the faith is just about beliefs.   They believe Christianity is about believing the right things.   The church’s responsibility is to teach the right beliefs so that people will know what to believe.   Correct beliefs, knowing the truth is very important; however, too many times our practice of Christianity ends with knowing the truth and believing the right things. That kind of approach to our faith is not what Jesus taught.   Jesus taught that when we discover the truth, it isn’t good enough just to believe that truth.   We need to incorporate that truth into our lives, and we need to live out that truth.   We need to take the truths of Christianity and then translate those truths into practices.   When I refer to practices, I am talking about things we do.   Practices are the ways we actually choose to live out our faith.   Belief should have an impact on how we live. Jesus taught this very principle.   In Jesus’ Sermon on th

" For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,..." says Matthew 25:35. Fletcher Place Food Drive News                                                                And Southport answered the call!!!   Southport did a grand job collecting food for the Fletcher Place Food Pantry!!!   Again this year, the staff at Fletcher Place was very thankful to receive our food donations so those who are hungry can be fed. At this time we have collected 571 items of food which totaled 67 bags of food with 2 bags of apples, 3 bags of potatoes, and 2 bags of carrots, adding up to $1075 of food donations. We have a few bags yet to be delivered. Thanks so much for your generous nature. We are now on our monthly schedule of collecting for Hunger, Inc. Food Pantry.  The May item to be collected is canned vegetables on Communion Thursday, April 28, and Sunday, May 1 .  Remember that we come to be fed by Communion and so we need to feed others, too.  Your actions help in di

The Upper Sand Mountain Mission Trip is scheduled for June 12-18. We will travel to     Section, Alabama, to share our skills of building, painting, cleaning, and many other chores (just hammering nails is a skill).  If you are interested in attending, the final date to sign up is May 22.  We are in need of drivers to help with transportation to and from Alabama and to take participants to the work sites.  The cost per team member is $80 which provides for the food and gasoline.   Our Faith Promise fund covers the expenses set by USMP for supplies. All team members and leaders are asked to attend the orientation meeting April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the church. At this time we will discuss the trip and take care of paperwork.  If you miss the meeting, just let the church know you are still interested and your information will be passed on to the team leaders who will get in touch with you.   Come share your talents, enjoy meals together, times of fellowship and devotions, play,

What are we about? Have you heard of us? If you are looking for fellowship, friends, ways to serve through missions, come and join us! Do you want to know the women in our church and be part of something that could help our community and world?   We support others in the field of mission, we learn about others as they live, their needs, their survivals.   We meet in circles. Our meetings consist of devotions, a short business meeting, and some kind of program to help us learn how we can be of service. In our own Indiana community, we support Fletcher Place Community Center, Lucille Raines Residence, The Lebanon Children’s Home, Vida Nueva United Methodist Church and also the missionaries around the world. We have three circles: Rebekah Circle 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Leah Circle 3rd Tuesday 6:30 p.m. Anna Circle 3rd Monday 1:00 p.m. Some meet in the homes or at church. Anna Circle meets at Rosegate and all circles are a    mixture of ages.

Thanks to your generous FAITH PROMISE giving so much is happening through outreach while we accomplish our vision when…. “Everyone is sharing God’s love and grace through Jesus Christ in their everyday, 24×7 lives, s o that... We are making disciples of Jesus Christ for transformation of our community and the world” Let’s Celebrate The individuals and families who are served through Fletcher Place Community Center and GOD’S WILL BREAKFAST. The parents and families with seriously ill children at Riley Hospital who are served through two RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE MINISTRIES, one at the main House and one in Riley Hospital. Those who have hope for recovery or will live because the blood donations made through our quarterly BLOOD DRIVES. Guest families, who are a part of INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK, are currently homeless and have a safe place to be with food provided and needs met. Children receiving the good news of Jesus Christ through PERRY TOWNSHIP R

We received an email from the staff at IHN expressing their gratitude for our participation in the spring clothing drive.   They shared some impressive numbers: 676 bags of clothing by 14 congregations with Southport donating 81 bags and being a top contributor in 3 rd place.   A $5. Goodwill voucher is given per bag for shopping totaling $3,380. Great numbers! Let’s consider “results” we measure.   Because of your generous giving of gently used clothing, you have provided the opportunity for   IHN families to shop for clothing for adults, teens, and children who have found themselves in a temporary homeless situation.   Interfaith Hospitality Network assists them in finding not only new living arrangements but also jobs and transportation so that their lives can be stable and improved. These families witness Jesus’ love in action! Thank you for being part of a ministry where God uses your gifts to bless others.

Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis (IHN) is seeking a part time person (up to 20 hours/week) to staff our Day Center in downtown Indianapolis on one weekday morning for four hours and alternate weekends. This position is responsible for answering phones, addressing guests' questions and concerns, managing situations or conflicts with or among guests, and other administrative and light cleaning duties as needed.  Qualified applicants will have a high school diploma or GED, the ability to deal appropriately with stressful situations, conflict/resolution skills, and the ability to work as part of a team.  Desire to work with persons who are experiencing homelessness or other vulnerable persons is preferred.   If interested in applying for the position, please forward a cover letter and resume to Alex Slabosky, Interim Executive Director, at alex@familypromiseindyihn.org .

Imagination Station, the Preschool & Childcare ministry at Southport United Methodist Church has just successfully completed the necessary steps to be considered Level 2 for Paths to Quality.   This was a long process but through the leadership of Allyson Ball, Director of Children’s Ministry and April Patterson, Assistant Director of Children’s Ministry, this was completed in mid-April.   Congratulations! Paths to Quality is a state of Indiana rating system for preschool and childcare centers.   As a registered ministry, which is what we were classified before, we did not have to follow all of the rules and regulations that a privately owned preschool/childcare was required to follow.   By volunteering to follow extra guidelines, we can be labeled as a Paths to Quality preschool & childcare. Paths to Quality has 4 levels: level 1 being related to guidelines associated with health &   safety concerns and level 2 is related to guidelines associated with learning

If you attended one of the town hall meetings in April, you know that we have a new direction for the event “formerly known as” Community Fall Festival.   CFF as it was known was about providing a “party for Jesus” for our community so that we could share the love and grace of God through Jesus Christ to those who attend. Homecroft Elementary, one of our outreach ministries, also has a goal of impacting the   community.   Therefore, we have similar goals.   So, we decided to partner together.   They used to have an outdoor movie night.   So we are bringing both community events together to form Community Festival & Movie Night .   With similar goals, both Homecroft Elementary and Southport Church hope that through this CF&MN (as it will now most likely be called in short form) we can truly be agents of change to transform the community through connections and relationships that occur as a result. CF&MN is scheduled for Friday evening, August 5, 2016.   Be watch