Southport UMC Newsletter

Dear Friends, There are several things that will begin in the month of March that I want to lift up for you.   You are receiving this newsletter on the first day of March and this is also the day of our Ash Wednesday service.   Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the 40 day observance of Lent.   Lent is a time of repentance and preparation for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.   Easter is April 16 this year.   I am looking forward to the special opportunity that Lent and Easter gives each of us to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ.   I am hoping that you are looking forward to those opportunities as well. During Lent I will be teaching a mini-study that is focused on how to read and study the Bible.   The study will be two sessions and each session will last 90 minutes.   The classes will be on two Wednesdays, March 8 & 15.   The class will give lots of tips and direction for how to read the Bible and stay with it. During the s

The Upper Sand Mountain Mission Trip to Alabama is June 18 -24, 2017 .  It is time to meet and discuss your interest in attending this trip.  In order to ensure you receive necessary and   accurate trip information, we invite all involved adults, youth and their parents to attend an   orientation session March 7, 2017.   This will also give us the opportunity to meet as a team and to address questions with answers everyone will want to hear.   Join us at 7:00 p.m. in the Gathering Place at church. All are welcome to attend the mission trip.  Skills like painting, plumbing, hammering,     sweeping, replacing flooring, sorting items for the food pantry and clothing store,  and moving paint cans are a few of the jobs we have done in the past.  All skill levels are needed and youth and those who are new to the trip will be mentored by other adult leaders. The $175 fee per participant is paid by the church’s Faith Promise contributions.   We encourage everyone to continue giving

Way to go SUMC… You did an outstanding job collecting canned fruit for the month of February.   532 pounds of canned fruit was delivered to Hunger, Inc. Our Fletcher Place Food Drive Starts Soon. From March 12-April 9, Southport United Methodist Church will be collecting food for Fletcher Place’s food pantry.   We at SUMC are the major contributor for this Methodist based food pantry during these months.   And for that reason, we will not be collecting for Hunger, Inc. Our Hunger, Inc. collection will resume in May with canned vegetables. In Indianapolis, 1 in 5 children go hungry on a daily basis.   In the Fletcher Place neighborhood, the number is closer to 4 out of 5 children will experience hunger every day.   Therefore, the need to support Fletcher Place with our Food Drive is critical.   Fletcher Place is a center that services the South side of Indianapolis. The center is located in the Fountain Square area.   Our collection site will be in the space between

HUMAN TRAFFICKING PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION - March 4 Our guest speaker is columnist Tim Swarens from the Indianapolis Star. The session begins at 9:00 a.m. with refreshments immediately preceding. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain knowledge, have discussion, and address questions on how to combat this growing crime. CLOTHING DRIVE FOR INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK - March 4 to 12 Spring is a great time to clean closets and drawers and donate gently used clothing items to IHN.   Bring your donations to church starting Saturday, March 4. Please use white trash bags (clothes only, no shoes) and place the bags in the hallway closet area, under the coat racks. All donations will be taken to the IHN Center. Goodwill exchanges these for vouchers so the families can shop for the sizes they need.   UPPER SAND MOUNTAIN MISSION TRIP Information Session – Tuesday, March 7 Join the USM Leadership Team for an information and question and answer session about the 2017 mis