Southport UMC Newsletter

This coming school year, we are going to do something very exciting and also very important for the students and their discipleship of Jesus. It is important for the students to build their faith on a firm foundation, on “solid rock” as Jesus says in Matthew 7:24-27.   We are going to spend the next several months using material taught in a typical confirmation class to build that solid foundation.   This is not the typical United Methodist Church confirmation class that ends in the students becoming members of the church.   (That will come later – in the spring.)   So, while some middle school and high school students may have already become members of the church by professing their faith, what we are doing in the coming months is still incredibly crucial in faith formation for all students. We will kick-off this exciting time on Sunday, September 10.   All middle and high school students will attend worship that morning at 10:00 a.m.   There will be a special sermon that

What is Family Ministry?   It is ministry to families.   Why do we need Family Ministry?   The answer is represented in the following picture: You may be wondering:   “what does that mean?”   The yellow represents the amount of time per week – 1 hour out of 168 total hours available in a week – that a child spends at church   learning about Jesus.   It (1/168) doesn’t look like a good percentage does it?   If children are to build a faith that will stick throughout their lives, we need to improve that percentage – they   need to spend more than 1/168 of their weekly time learning about Jesus. Enter the family!   When the family becomes involved by partnering with the church and by   reinforcing the same learning at home that the church provided in that 1 hour per week, we    increase significantly the chances that the child will develop a faith that sticks. So, the church needs to minister to families, to train, to involve, and to equip families to   con

Every Sunday morning, 30 – 40 children ages 2 through 5th grade come to Children’s Church to learn about Jesus.   At 10:00 a.m., we have a group for 2s and 3s, 4s and kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade, and 3rd through 5th grade.    At 11:15 a.m., we have a group for ages 2 through 2nd grade and a separate group for 3rd through 6th grade. It is very important for the children to have this hour where we can help develop their faith and help them become true followers of Jesus. How are we able to do this?   Children’s Church happens because we have very faithful adults that have a passion for helping our children follow Jesus.   In an ideal world, we would have 12 adults on each Sunday morning, sharing with our children. Would you consider being one of these faithful adults, helping our children learn about Jesus?   Maybe this one hour a week is the only time they hear about Jesus during the entire week.   You can be part of that. Please contact the church office if you

August delivery of food was another great event.  We delivered 215 pounds of canned fruit,    cereal, and snacks.  The cupboard was pretty bare in the Pantry, so the food was greatly appreciated.  We also delivered lots of produce from the community gardens that the pantry crew loves to see come in.  So again, thank you so much for being so generous with your    giving.  You are appreciated and you are showing Jesus does walk on this earth through you. Our next collection in September will be on Thursday, September 7, and Sunday, September 10th.  This month we will be collecting Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper, and canned meats.  Since the shelves were so bare, we were asked to bring in items that would provide    energy and be filling.   The kids are back in school and need meals that are filling and good brain food. We help put smiles on the faces of the families we help to feed as they struggle through the   daily lives they lead.  And so this poem is for all of you wh

In Mark 14: 1-9 Jesus says, " She did what she could" (v 8).  That is what United Methodist Women (UMW) are all about.  We are putting our faith to work and doing what we can do.      Our circles have helped some of the following ministries: Fletcher Place Community -   Provided Cereal Lucille Raines Residence - Hygiene products for    Christmas, money for Heating and Cooling Systems Girls with God— Provided Food Human Trafficking— Money and food support Garden Ministry— Provide Money  We do what we can do.   Another quote by Elisa Morgan describes UMW’s hearts to serve.. “Faith with feet on it.”   Come to one of our next meetings and get to know us and what we can do to help with Jesus’ work here among us all. We want to thank Brandon Collins for his garden for the Imagination Station school children as well as his work in the community garden in town.   It is so important to start the young ones early getting

Serving a hot breakfast every third Thursday since August of 2003, volunteers have been blessed as they are the hands and feet of Jesus for guests at Fletcher Place Community Center. Serving an average of 100+ breakfasts times 12 months times 14 years, SUMC has provided at least 16,800 meals.  Throughout the years, there have been many, many faithful volunteers serving hot meals as well as shopping for food.  SUMC is dubbed “the tater tot church” by many who attend. There is really no such thing as too many volunteers.  In addition to preparing and serving food, and cleaning up afterward, volunteers can simply meet, greet and converse with those who attend.  Fletcher Place is located near Fountain Square at the southwest corner of State and Prospect.  Anyone who is interested in serving may contact the church office.

If you are interested in seeing the impact of a Kairos Prison Ministry weekend, prayerfully   consider attending a closing ceremony.  Volunteers from SUMC will be serving at the Plainfield Correctional Facility October 12-15, Indiana Women’s Prison October 19-22 and the Rockville Correctional Facility November 2-5.  Because Kairos asks volunteers to take a   weekend off after serving three before serving again, a number of SUMC volunteers are willing to escort you to any of the three facilities mentioned.  The closings are on the Sunday afternoons mentioned in the above dates.  Plainfield is a men’s facility, while the other two are women’s facilities. On the weekend, men serve at men’s facilities and women at women’s.  For closing, however, you may attend either a men’s or women’s facility.  In order for you to   attend, the facility needs for you to complete a background check.  If you think you would be interested, please let the church office know as soon as possible so that

Let your fall cleaning begin and support Family Promise Interfaith Hospitality Network and families who are or recently have experienced a homeless situation. COLLECTION DATES: Sunday, September 3, through Sunday September 10 NEEDED: gently used clothing for children and adults, all sizes                                     (Sorry, no shoes or household items at this time please) HOW IT WORKS: ·   Collect gently used clothing and place in white kitchen trash bags ·   Bring bags of clothing to church from September 3-10 ONLY ·   Monday, September 11, Southport’s collected bags will be delivered to the IHN Day Center. Goodwill Industries will pick up the bags from the Day Center. Based on the number of bags received, Goodwill donates clothing vouchers for IHN and Aftercare Families to choose the clothing sizes they need. Please place your bagged clothing donations under the hallway coat racks. THANK YOU!

HUNGER INC. – September 7 to 10 A goal for our Hunger Inc. monthly food drive is to provide items that the families need and to re-stock the shelves at the pantry with hopes that no one will need to be turned away. The staff at Hunger Inc. has requested a collection of Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper and canned meats for September. As we purchase these extra grocery items let’s celebrate that for a few more dollars we can offer others in our community the means to feed their families. JUBILEE CHRISTMAS – December 9 It may seem that December 9 is a long way off. However immediately after “Christmas in July”, which supports Homecroft Elementary children with back to school needs, the Jubilee Planning Team begins preparations for Jubilee Christmas.   We meet with the Homecroft staff, the process of selecting twenty Homecroft families begins, and Jubilee Hosts from Southport are invited to be matched with a family with Host orientation scheduled for October 5.   This is a lot ha

Riding the Whirlwind Greetings, sisters and brothers in Christ here at Southport UMC! Whew, I’m just catching my breath here.   The world has changed in the past couple of months and I’m barely keeping up.   Our move to the south side has not been without incident or     struggle, but thanks to a variety of helpers that I don’t risk naming (mostly for fear of missing someone) we are here, we are home, we are settling.   “Settling,” notice, it’s a process.   Just like most of life.   My biggest joy has been spending time with your wonderful staff.   As Lead Pastor I guess I could call them my staff.   But really they work for and represent you.   And you are indeed blessed.   They are a committed, creative, hardworking, and simply enjoyable team of servants.   I am honored to work with them.   They have been extraordinarily patient with me on my steep learning curve, and I am grateful for that. In addition, I’ve gotten to know – a tiny bit – a congregation who has w