Southport UMC Newsletter

Is it summer?   It has certainly felt like it.   And I’m writing this after the solstice, so of course it is really summer now.   I seem to have lost spring along the way.   We went from the dregs of winter to a hot blast of summer with no transition period.   How did that happen?   Did I sleep through spring?   Or were we just so busy with things here that we missed it? Regardless, here we are in the depths of summer.   Hot weather, lawn maintenance, vacation plans, fourth of July fireworks, picnics in the park, faith sharing and disciple-making.   Wait, what?   Yeah, I went there.   Summer is a great time to share your faith, to be a part of the process of making disciples.   I realize that many of you read that paragraph like a kid released from school would read information about the summer reading list they are supposed to work their way through.   Or like they would read the news that their parents signed them up for summer school.   Can’t we just relax for a while?   C

July study for Sunday mornings:   PAUSE:  LEARNING TO SEEK GOD Pool party Sunday July 15th – more information to come Sunday August 5th, we will start a new learning series on Sunday morning    called:  THREAD:  DISCOVERING THE THREAD OF THE GOSPEL THROUGH THE BIG-PICTURE STORY OF THE BIBLE! Sunday August 5th:  Youth Group after church, families invited as we learn discipleship principles from Andy Griffith. Sunday August 19th:  Youth Group after church, youth only.

This note was recently received from the Stickels, a family staying at the Ronald McDonald House near Riley Hospital. “Being able to have a meal and a bed close to our little one where he needs us the most has been the only true blessing in our family’s life as of late and we owe it all to you. Thank you greatly for your affiliation and contribution to the RMH of Indianapolis. Without donations and donors our family wouldn’t have comfort when and where we need it. Much love, The Stickels Family” We have not personally met the Stickels and yet they feel a connection to our congregation because…… Twice a month, the second Saturday and the third Sunday, groups from church prepare dinner for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House near Riley Hospital and at the RMH room in Riley. Feeding the families of critically and terminally ill children is just the beginning.   As time allows we talk with them, listen to their stories, and pray with them. We minister in this way beca

Thank you for participating in the recycling efforts at Southport United Methodist Church.  We are looking for helpers to wash the donated cups each Sunday.  If you could help one Sunday a month, please contact Brandon Collins at church, 317 784-9508 or Brandon@sumc.org. Spring and Summer Cleaning - keeping it green   D.I.Y. (do it yourself) All Purpose Cleaner Ingredients: 1 large spray bottle                                                              1 cup of white vinegar                                                                      1 Tablespoon baking soda                                                                   1 cup water                                                                                              A few drops of essential oil of your choice Lavender with tea tree (encourages relaxation) Lavender and peppermint (invigorates you) Lavender and orange (lifts your spirits) Lemon (brightens your mood) Directions:        

What are the needs we have when we are preparing to welcome and serve IHN families for a two week stay at Southport UMC? Families – in April we started the rotation by welcoming 3 families with 12 family members. Over the 2 week period we hosted families, with some moving in and out of the program, and ended serving a total of 6 families with 20 family members. Servants - We were blessed to have 65 SUMC team members who served 550 hours. The volunteer times ranged from 1.5 hours to 85 hours. 85 hours for one person is overgenerous and could easily be lightened with more available and willing servants. Our goal is to have at least 2 team members on site when the guests are present.  The following explains some of the opportunities to serve with the IHN ministry. Grocery Shopping - prior to guests’ arrival as well as picking up groceries during the rotation Set Up - Sunday school rooms in the east wing are set to be family bedrooms with beds, bedside stand, lamp, Kleenex and

Southport UMC did a fantastic job and donated 141 pounds of food for June.  The pantry is very low on food items with more family members at home during the summer. Hunger Inc. has had to decrease the amount of food given to families. The staff was so very thankful to get our recent delivery. So let’s "go all out" for the month of July with our donations. All food items are needed. ·   Cans of vegetables, fruits, soups, pasta meals, and pork and beans ·   Cereals and snacks We will be collecting items from June 28 - July 1.   (When we come to be fed by communion, we feed others!!) If you wish to donate frozen items (boxed meals) or refrigerator items (i.e. eggs, butter, milk, breads, cheese and hot dogs), to Hunger Inc. they are open: Tuesday, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Thursday, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm Saturday, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Hunger Inc.is located on Epler Ave., behind Kim’s Kupcakes on Madison Ave.

“It’s less about the task and more about the way that serving draws us closer to Christ.” HOSPITALITY MINISTRY Coffee Fellowship (Sunday) Set up Crew 3 positions available ·   A team of two  to three people serving once a month ·   7:15am – a team member picks up donuts from Longs Bakery (church will be billed) ·   7:15 to 7:30 am – arrive at church for morning set up ·   8:15 to 8:30am - set up complete Mid-morning Crew 1 position available ·   A team of two people serving once a month ·   10:30 to 11:15am – mid-morning tasks begin ·   Re-stock refreshment area ·   Clean up items that are no longer needed Clean up Crew 2 positions available ·   A team of two to three people serving once a month ·   12:15pm – clean up begins ·   1:00 to 1:30pm - clean up complete 10:00 Worship        3 positions available 11:15 Worship         4 positions available      ·   Usher teams of four to five people serving once a month ·   Begin 20-30 minutes

The circles are on summer vacation and will resume again on the following dates: Rebekah---September 11, 1:00 p.m. at the church Leah----August 21, 6:30 at the church.  This meeting will be another "Sit & Sew" activity in which we are making pillowcase dresses for African women and girls. We are also collecting school and personal care items for the school store at Lebanon Children's Home.  (i.e., Books, DVDs, hair bows and clips, fingernail polish, body soap, toothpaste and brushes, fingernail kits, journals, etc.)  The points the students earn for good behavior are spent at the school store. Starting in August a tub for donations will be located in the coat rack hallway, last cubby on the left.  It will be labeled United Methodist Women Collections.

My name is Jessica Solomon and I’m a volunteer coordinator with a new program that focuses on assisting refugee parents of elementary-age children with navigating the American school system. The Refugee School Engagement Program partners with the Chin Community Center to equip parents with the understanding and tools they need to be involved in their child’s education.  This is a new program and we are currently seeking volunteers in the community to help this upcoming fall when the program is set to begin. Below are details on what the volunteers will be doing, when the program will begin and how to apply as a volunteer.  Volunteers will work directly with parents on the following: Establishing habits of reading/exploring books together Sufficient understanding of the school system and how to communicate with their child’s teacher Awareness and training in accessing helpful online, in-school, and library/community resources Helping increase their involvement and co

LOOKING AHEAD in JULY June 28 to July 1 – Support Community Food Pantries July 1 - Community Meal July 4 – Church office closed July 5 to 29 – Christmas in July in the Gathering Place (Thursdays and Sundays) July 10, 17, 24, 31 – Summer Bible Study, 2:30 or 7:00pm July 22 – Homecroft Principal Jody Matthews joins us for the morning LOOKING AHEAD in 2018 *Blood Drive Sundays August 5, November 18 Interfaith Hospitality Network Families (IHN) September 23 to October 7 *Jubilee Ministry July 5 through July 29 - Christmas in July (supporting Back to School needs and Community Festival/Movie Night at Homecroft) Jubilee Christmas – December 8 Ronald McDonald House Second Saturday of the month at the Ronald McDonald House Third Sunday of the month at the RMH room in Riley Hospital God’s Will Breakfast Third Thursday of the month at Fletcher Place Community Center in the Fountain Square area Kairos Prison Ministry Men’s and Women’s T

You may notice something missing in this article.   The numbers!   Well, I have left out the chart that you usually see with how much was given and how much was spent on what (if you want this please email me at brandon@sumc.org and I would be happy to share it with you) and replaced it with a line.   This line represents the decrease we have had in budget giving since 2012.   We have seen an average annual decrease of 3.75% since 2012.   Oh, and by the way we are on pace to match that percentage so far this year.   Okay, those are the only numbers you are getting this month. What got me thinking about this?   Well, this was the first time my youngest daughter, Lennox, has been old enough to attend Vacation Bible School here at Southport UMC.   WOW, it was great!   It was amazing to see all of those kids having fun while they learned about Jesus, and even more amazing to see all of the adults that showed up to help them learn.   You know, I even saw a couple of teenagers