AUMC NEWSLETTER
Ayden United Methodist Church * P.O. Box 335, Ayden, North Carolina, 28513
Telephone – 252-746-6524
September 16, 2011
“Now That’s Important!”
This is a weird time of the year. Labor Day has signaled the end of the summer and retailers have established the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas season, (and yes, you may purchase Fall, Halloween and Christmas decorations at Sam’s all on the same aisle). School started back to a rocky start with Irene coming to town, so that was weird. In the midst of this I asked myself what’s important right now. I thought maybe I would talk about the HVAC units that need replacement, but that is just usual stuff, things made by human hands break down and have to be replaced. And then I got my answer.
Irene came and changed the face of Ayden forever. Trees as old as this country were toppled and the landscape will never be the same. The town responded with swift work. Working long hours to remove debris and restore the infrastructure. Work teams came from Raleigh, Durham, from all over the state and the country to help and will be coming for months. In the midst of clean-up a mother and daughter came by from Conetoe. They were looking to help with clean-up to make money to pay their bills. I told them we were church volunteers and were not working for money and had none to offer. They said, “OK,” and drove away. Thirty minutes passed and they came back. They said they were touched by what we were doing and asked could they help and joined in. It came to lunch time and we broke for lunch. I invited the two to come and join us for lunch, instead they stayed and worked. As the team walked into Bum’s for lunch, two people came to me and gave me cash and told me they heard what we were doing and told me to give the money to help others. We went back to the work site and the two ladies were still there and working. I knew what the money was for. I gave them the cash and they worked until we finished and they departed. Now that’s important!
Have you noticed our youth and children? We raised money to send our kids to summer camp. And they went…Daphne, Iris, Thomas, Tyler, Caleb and many others, all sending cards and words of thanks to the church. We had a new acolyte Sunday, Veronica Smith, and she did a great job. I met Olivia Harrell Sunday for the first time. She came down during children’s time and participated. We gave out two third grade Bibles on Sunday. Shayna Cox came forward and received hers. Aiden Buck could not be here but Grandpa John delivered his and Aiden sent a card of thanks saying, “Dear Church, thank you for the Teen Study Bible! I will bring it to church every Sunday to read and learn about God. Love, Aiden.” During worship I have the pleasure of looking into the balcony. What I see are many of our young people sitting there running the video equipment and swaying to the hymns to make me laugh because they see me sway. Phil [Barth] has invited them to join him in this ministry and they have responded. Now that’s important!
As a church family we have been on quite a journey since the beginning of this year. Many things have shaped and molded us. But through all our highs and lows, no matter what the storm, we have faced it with the knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ is greater than us and the world. We are stronger financially and new people have come forward to share their gifts, talents and their leadership. We have grown together spiritually through study of God’s word and shared in a few bowls of ice cream. And as Homecoming is upon us, we remember those that have truly gone home to the kingdom of God and give thanks for their lives and contribution to this church and community. Now that’s important!
I think we all should stop and ask what’s important in our lives and then allow Christ to answer that question for us. Because that is important.
Pastor Al
Church Calendar
September:
18 – Revitalization Individual Meetings, Afternoon
` 18 – 4:00 – 6:00 pm – Revitalization Team
19 – 7:00 pm – Efird Study, Gospel of Mark
20 – 11:00 am – Tuesdays with Al, Revelation
21 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes;
21 – 7:00 pm – Choir
21 – 7:00 pm – Kitchen Team Meeting
22 – 6:30 pm – Disciple I Study
25 – Homecoming Service (no early service)
25 – 6:00 pm – Finance Team
26 – 7:00 pm – Efird Study, Gospel of Mark
27 – 11:00 am – Tuesdays with Al, Revelation
28 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes;
28 – 7:00 pm – Choir
29 – 6:30 pm – Disciple I Study
October:
2 – Holy Communion
2 – 4:00 pm – Revitalization Team;
2 – 6:00 – Worship Team
3 – 7:00 pm – Efird Study
4 – 11:00 am – Tuesdays with Al
5 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes;
5 – 7:00 pm – Choir
6 – 6:30 pm – Disciple I Study
9 – Laity Sunday, Lay Person of the Year
9 – 3:00 pm – AUMW;
9 – 7:00 pm – Church Council
10 – 7:00 pm – Efird Study
11 – 11:00 am – Tuesdays with Al
12 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes;
12 – 7:00 pm – Choir
13 – 630 pm – Disciple I Study
15 – 7:00 pm – AUMM Meeting
16 – 4:00 pm – AUMC Hosts Charge Conference
17 – 7:00 pm – Efird Study
18 – 11:00 am – Tuesdays with Al
19 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes;
19 – 7:00 pm – Choir
20 – 6:30 pm – Disciple I Study
21 – 6:00 pm – Chicken on a Mission Preparation
22 – Chicken on a Mission!
23 – 3:00 pm – M & M Circle Meeting
24 – 7:00 pm – Efird Study
25 – 10:00 am – Joy Circle;
25 – 11:00 am – Tues. w/ Al
26 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes;
26 – 7:00 pm – Choir
27 – 6:30 pm – Disciple I Study
31 – 7:00 pm – Efird Study
November:
1 – 11:00 am – Tuesdays with Al
2 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes; 7:00 pm – Choir
3 – 6:30 pm – Disciple I Study
6 – Holy Communion; All Saints Day
7 – 7:00 pm – Efird Study
8 – 11:00 am – Tuesdays with Al
9 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes; 7:00 pm – Choir
10 – 6:30 pm – Disciple I Study
11 – Veteran’s Day…Church Office Closed
13 – Veterans Sunday and Rogation Sunday
13 – 3:00 pm – AUMW; 7:00 pm – Ch. Council
14 – 7:00 pm Efird Study
15 – Tuesdays with Al
16 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes; 7:00 pm – Choir
17 – 6:30 pm – Disciple I Study
20 – Dedicate Christmas Child Shoeboxes
21 – 7:00 pm – Efird Study
22 – 10:00 am – Joy Circle; 11:00 am – Tues. w/ Al
23 – 6:00 pm – Tone Chimes; 7:00 pm – Choir
24 – 25 Thanksgiving Holidays, Ch. Office Closed
27 – First Day in Advent
Talented Church Members
Several members of our church participated in the Ayden Art Show at the 2011 Collard Festival.
John Curry won First Place in nature photography and Best in Show for his photo entitled “Mud Dwellings.”
Gary Bawtinhimer won Third Place for animal photography for his photo, “Friends.”
Bill Clothier entered three photographs in the animal category: “Male Eastern Bird with Grub,” “Yellow Finch” and “Green Lizard.”
Natalie King won the Student Viewers’ Choice in youth art work ages eighteen and under, with her painting, “Night Flight.” Natalie was also a participant in the Miss Ayden Scholarship Pageant.
-By Andrea Norris
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Coming Home
For Homecoming
Reverend Wilbur Jackson will be our guest minister for Ayden United Methodist Church’s 2011 Homecoming service. He has served in Methodist churches in the state of North Carolina for over forty-four years.
Reverend Jackson grew up in Ayden and shares many fond memories of those years. (His sister, Sue Jackson Noble, continues her membership and service here in our church.) He graduated from Ayden High School and went on to High Point College (now High Point University) to complete his undergraduate work. He received his Master’s Degree from Duke University’s Divinity School.
One of five young men to leave Ayden Methodist Church in a short period of time to study for the ministry, four of whom completed their church studies and served in various callings, he now lives with his wife Carolyn in Knightdale. He has three children and two step-children, and he and Carolyn thoroughly enjoy their seven grandchildren.
Reverend Jackson is looking forward to speaking again in the church that gave him his earliest studies of the Bible, and to renewing old friendships from years past.
Welcome home, Wilbur!
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Bible Studies
Not being a one-size-fits-all congregation, there just might be a Bible study group of interest to you in our church over the next several weeks. Beginning Monday, September 19th, at 7:00 p.m., Danny Harris will begin another high-interest Efird Study, concentrating on the New Testament Gospel of Mark. It will continue each Monday evening until the study ends.
On Tuesday, September 20th, at 11:00 a.m., Rev. Hocutt will host Tuesdays With Al—a study of the New Testament Book of Revelation. This will continue each Tuesday morning until the conclusion of the study.
On Thursday, September 22nd, the Disciple I Study will begin at 6:30 p.m. under Rev. Hocutt’s leadership and will continue each Thursday evening until the study concludes. There is no limit on attendance to any of these studies.
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Welcome!
We always look forward to welcoming new members into our AUMC family. Please make a point
to speak to and get to know Billiejean Flynn, and the Cox family: Jimmy, Joanne, Miranda and Shayna. We look forward to actively participating in church activities with these new people.
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AUMC Preschool
We are so excited to be starting our fourth year of preschool! School started on September 6th and we welcomed many new and veteran faces. Our current enrollment totals twenty-seven, with five teachers on staff. In the upcoming months we have many exciting activities planned, including a trip to the pumpkin patch. If you are interested in enrolling for our fall program, please contact us soon as there are very limited spaces. Please follow our fun on Facebook under Ayden UMC Preschool. –By Susan Moore
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Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love to children in desperate situations around the world. Since 1993 Samaritan’s Purse has collected more than eighty-six million boxes. The mission of Operation Christmas Child remains the same. What has changed over the past eighteen years is the enormous growth of the project—a dozen sending countries and territories, more than one hundred thirty receiving countries, over 500,000 volunteers, and a discipleship program that is now being offered to children in sixty countries.
Last year 8.2 million boxes brought smiles to the faces of hurting children in places like earthquake-devastated Haiti and war-scarred Sudan. Beyond the boxes themselves, these tangible expressions of God’s love open doors to share the greatest gift He offers—the gift of the Savior.
Once again, it is time for the members of Ayden UMC to think about preparing our boxes. This is our thirteenth year of participation in this ministry which is based right here in our own state. Our total to date is seven hundred fifty-eight boxes, prepared with love, filled with hopes and prayers that they find their way to the child who needs them most. Fill your box with toys, school supplies, hygiene items, hard candy, etc. Your boxes will need to be in the church sanctuary in time for their dedication on Sunday, November 20th. Brochures will be available beginning in mid-October. As always our hope is for “one more than last year!” Our goal will be eighty-nine. Join us in spreading “good news of great joy,” (Luke 2:10) to children across the globe.
Questions? Contact Donna Harris at 746-2297 or Camilla Godwin at 746-6979.- -By Camilla Godwin
[Editor’s note: It’s a lot of fun to do two boxes…one for a boy and one for a girl. We could easily surpass the goal if each of us put together a pair of boxes!]
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Hurricane Clean-Up
Some of our church members and their neighbors were blessed by special Hurricane Irene clean-up crews following the big end-of-August storm. On the last Saturday and Monday in August, a work team from Aldersgate UMC in Durham arrived to cut, trim and haul tree debris. These were members of Rev. Hocutt’s former pastorate. Another work team, including Bishop Al Gwinn and our District Superintendent Beth Hood and others from the NC Annual Conference Headquarters in Garner (the “Methodist Building”), came to lend helping hands where they were most needed. “Friends in need are friends indeed!” And we thank them for their generous gifts of time and muscle.
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A Visit With Polly
I visited with Polly Burke on August 15th in Mayodan, NC. Polly looked good, and she seemed content at North Point Retirement Home. Although she doesn’t drive, she has her sister nearby to take her places and to good restaurants.
Polly said she enjoyed the church newsletter very much, and she asked me to please tell everyone, “Hello,” and that she misses the people here in Ayden.
If you would like to send her a card, she would love to hear from you. Her address:
North Point, Room 22
6970 NC Hwy 135
Mayodan, NC 27027- -By Betty Carraway
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Choir & Tone Chimes
[Editor’s Note: With most of our summer activities behind us, it may be time to choose a new place to express yourself by your gift of music. One does not need to be able to read music in order to perform music. So don’t let that be a hindrance! However, staying on pitch is a definite plus!]
The Christmas cantata, “A Thrill of Hope,” will be presented on December 11th at 3:00 p.m. Dress rehearsal will be on Saturday, December 10th (TBA). It includes a children’s choir, so all children and youth are invited to participate! We are also looking for two adult narrators.
Tone chimes rehearse every Wednesday evening at 6:00, followed by choir rehearsal at 7:00. New members at either or both groups are welcomed at any time! –Alison Ponzi, Music Director
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Calling Our Great Cooks!
Following our Homecoming Service on Sunday, September 25th, we will adjourn to the Fellowship Hall for a covered dish dinner. Dust off your favorite recipes and bring meats, veggies, salads, breads, desserts, etc. Please bring extras for the many guests we may have. AUMC cooks are the greatest cooks in eastern North Carolina!
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Poinsettias
It’s never too early to begin thinking and planning for the holidays. Anyone interested in placing a poinsettia(s) in the church during the Advent season may do so by contacting Camilla Godwin at 746-6979. She will order the flowers and place them in the sanctuary after they are delivered. Your only responsibility will be to pay for yours and then to remove it (them) after services on December 18th. Our order is limited to thirty-six, so go ahead and get your call in early. –By Camilla Godwin
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Veteran’s Day Musings
Etched onto the wall of a sentry box in Gibraltar is an unsigned indictment from an unknown soldier. You imagine him there many wars ago keeping watch and weighing his prospects for a normal life and safe return home for himself and his fellow soldiers.
God and soldier, all men adore
In time of danger and not before.
When the danger is passed and all things righted,
God is forgotten, and the soldier is slighted.
No one knows if he came home safe, but we do know that many thousands died so that we may live free. Let us not forget what Veterans Day is really about as we spend this holiday with family and friends. Without God and the soldiers who gave their lives for us, we would not have Peace, Freedom and Belief that we enjoy. –Submitted
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St Peter Was Not There,
But God and Several Disciples Were
Thursday following Irene, our Methodist Bishop and his Assistant Bishop from Raleigh with four ministers and several disciples showed up at my house at 9:00 a.m. armed with chain saws and assorted tools. With Pastor “Al’s” help they worked until 2:30. Everything was stacked up by the street, leaving a beautiful back yard.
God had to be there. All these people were volunteers. They were not asked for. They were showing God’s love for an over-aged World War II veteran with arthritis and heart problems. –By Harvey Gwynn
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Al’s Tuesday Meetings
On Tuesdays we meet with Pastor Al for an hour to discuss the scriptures and how to be better Christians. The title for this period could be “Search for Biblical Knowledge.” But no, it’s “Al’s Meeting.”
Al tells us his knowledge learned from his studies, his experience, and his Duke teachers. He talks a little, then he gets us to talk. He shows such great knowledge and so effectively slips it in. It is such a pleasure to be there.
He asks questions, we ask questions. One time we cried a little. We laugh a lot. Al can tell a good joke.
We pray a lot. Not only is Al concerned about his flock, he takes on the world’s problems. We all pray for him. If this comes to the Bishop’s desk, he is doing such great work helping us; don’t bother him, praise him. –By Harvey Gwynn
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The Web Maker
If the question was posed, “What do you think is the second most despicable creature aside from snakes,” the answer would probably be the spider. People don’t like them. They seem to be saying, “Look, but don’t touch.”
I saw an article in our local paper a few days ago as to the signs of fall. One sign was the morning dew on spiders’ webs. They seem to be especially showy in autumn.
In the Holy Land, hundreds of different species of spiders were found. No mention was made in the Bible as to any of them being poisonous. A spider’s skill at spinning threads into a web is one of nature’s miracles. However, we know that any spider’s web is fragile and can’t stand up to the broom or any mechanical approach. Bildad assured Job in all his travails (Job 8: 14), “A man without God is trusting in a spider’s web. Everything he counts on will collapse.” Bildad and several of Job’s “friends” were trying to persuade Job to “fess-up” as to all his wrong doings.
Spiders, like snakes, can be beneficial animals with the insects they catch in their webs. If a fly or mosquito gets entangled in the spider’s web, why doesn’t the spider also get tangled up? The answer is oil. Oil on the spider’s body prevents this.
The spider’s web has always been a symbol of intrigue and urgency. The urgency is to clear it away, especially if in the house. Life, like the spider’s web, can be delicate, too, when we trust in our own devices to keep us from getting ensnared. –By Bill Norris
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Hurricane Irene
AUMC survived the onslaught of Hurricane Irene in much better shape than many folks in our town. Even at that, there is some physical damage to the building and grounds that is currently being addressed. The doors to our outdoor sign at the front of the church literally “went with the wind.” The basement flooded when the power shut down and the pump was no longer running, ruining our Christmas tree but none of the beautiful, handmade ornaments. The Plexiglas covering one of our unique stained glass windows was sucked away by powerful winds, but no damage was done to the window itself. Fence posts along the lot behind the education building floated up and out of their holes when a nearby drain overflowed from the heavy rainfall. Tree limbs fell or dangled waiting to be cut.
Insurance covers some of these items, but not all including flood waters. The parsonage and grounds also suffered some minor damages.
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Editor: Page Worthington
Associate Editor: Andrea Norris