February 2017 Celebration Newsletter by Natalia Fomin

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home...When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” –John 14:1-3 NLT

February 2017 OUR VISION: To become a disciple making church

OUR MISSION: To make disciples by Loving God, Growing in Christ, and Reaching Out to Others University City United Methodist Church

OUR CORE VALUES:

3835 W WT Harris Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28269 phone: 704-369-8000 fax: 704-369-0481 www.ucumc.org facebook.com/ucumc1 Twitter: @UC_UMC Instagram: @UC_UMC Worship Times: 9:45am - Traditional 11:00am - Contemporary Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00am - 5:00pm Friday 9:00am - 12:30pm

Table of Contents To explore the Celebration Newsletter, click on any of the categories below to go to that page. On each page of the newsletter there is a link on the bottom that says “Back to top”; click that link to return to this page.

Christmas Season 2016 1 Fellowship Together 3 Missions & Serving 5 New Things at UCUMC 7 For Your Calendar 9

Watch UCUMC Publications for the next Celebration Newsletter publication date. Do you have information you would like to include in the next Celebration Newsletter? We’d love to hear from you! Please contact the head of the ministry area that corresponds with the information you would like to share

Christmas 2016 Season Advent Worship We ended 2016 with many celebrations of uplifting, passionate in Worship at UCUMC as we celebrated Advent! On Nov 27, Dec 4, Dec and 11, Pastors Ron and Chad presented messages that celebrated Jesus as “The Light of the World.” On Sunday, Dec 18, Natalie Whitley, our Children’s Ministry Director, and the UC Kids Ministry gave their talents to God and us as they presented the 2016 Children’s Nativity.

Children-Youth Christmas Concert On Wednesday, December 14, the kids of WAMC (Worship Arts Ministry for Children) and HIS HANDS Puppet Ministry presented their Children-Youth Christmas Concert.

Christmas Musical On Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3, the Celebration Choir, Exaltation Ringers, Narrators, Psalm 150 Orchestra, Renovation Youth Choir, and Tech Team, presented Jesus! Light of the World: A Musical for Christmas.

Children’s Nativity - December 18th We had 56 children ages 3 years to 5th grade present the greatest story ever told during our Children’s Nativity. The children had practice the day before and made ornament crafts to hand out to the congregation after the nativity. We also had a birthday party for Jesus during the practice. All of the children did a great job and it was a wonderful presentation.

FUSION Christmas Store - December 10th The Christmas Store is a mission outreach project that our youth ministry hosts – this was our 13th year doing this project. We collected toys and cash donations (which we use to purchase toys) and then sell them to parents at an 80% discount. The youth of UCUMC set up the store, price toys, help families shop, wrap presents, give out stocking stuffers, provide childcare, give out food baskets, and more! This year we assisted 72 families that represented over 196 children.

Christmas Eve Worship Services On Sunday, December 18 at 6:30pm, the 11:00 Worship Team present the Christmas Pre-Eve Service, which kicked off our series of Christmas Eve Worship Services. On Saturday, December 24 we offered our Children/ Family service at 4:00pm and our Traditional candlelight Communion Service at 6:00pm. More than 1300 worshippers drew close to God to celebrate the birth of Jesus at our three Christmas Eve Worship Services. This was a very special season, and we were blessed to see UCUMC members (and their family members) as well as many guests. Family Christmas Eve Service – UC Kids helped to hand out bulletins, craft candy canes (the sermon was the story of the candy cane), real candy canes, and red/white glow sticks (for our own version of a candle light service). We also had children help serve communion during the service and ended the evening with the ‘lighting’ of the red and white glow sticks while singing silent night

Christmas Mission Activities Over the Christmas season we engaged in a variety of missions projects to celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ! This included sending over 300 shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child, supporting 70 children with food for the holidays through the Backpack Ministry, ministering to over 70 families at the Christmas Store, sending gifts to over 100 local children via the Angel Tree, and sending boxes of food to our neighbors in Oceana, WV. Children’s Ministry Operation Cchristmas Child boxes – November 20th UC Kids created 30 Operation Christmas Child boxes to donate with all classes at both WorkZone945 and WorkZone11 participating. The children brought in items and helped fill the boxes.

Fellowship Together Senior Adult Goodtimes Club The Goodtimes Club Senior Luncheon group meets every second Wednesday of the month and they really do have a good time! In February, the group hosted accomplished musical guest, Jeanne Johnson. Jeanne has performed for many years including with the Gaither Homecoming concerts and videos. Jeanne entertained the crowd with some gospel favorites. The next meeting of the Goodtimes Club is on March 8th at 10:30am in the Fellowship Hall. They will be having soup and playing BINGO. Bring a prize for the BINGO table and join the fun.

Date Night! On January 28, the MX Leadership Team hosted a Date Night event…it was a huge success!! We had 54 couples attend and everyone had a wonderful time as we ate tons of great food, laughed at the answers from our “Newlywed” participants and a comedian, learned a few things to help strengthen our relationships, and enjoyed great fellowship with each other! One lucky couple even received a weekend marriage retreat from WinShape Retreats as our grand prize! Special thanks to everyone who helped make this a memorable evening!

Tsunami Fall Retreat – November 11-13 84 youth & 19 adults spent the weekend with Tsunami Ministries, focusing on our relationship with God, worshipping, eating, and having fun! The theme of the weekend was “Awaken”.

Middle School Madness – January 21 The middle school students of UCUMC spent a Saturday collecting can goods, doing random acts of kindness, bowling, laser-tagging, arcading, eating, laughing and more. It was a full day of fun and fellowship!

High School Retreat – February 3-5 The high school students spent a weekend together in the mountains where we worshiped & learned about how we are loved, broken, redeemed and called!

25 years of Scouts at UCUMC! On February 28, 2017 BSA Troop 13 and BSA Pack 13 will celebrate their Silver Anniversary. Twenty-five years ago, the UCUMC Men’s Group sponsored 5 Scouts as they embarked on a new adventure. In those 25 years, we have had 95 Scouts earn the rank of Eagle, and hundreds of boys have participated in the Scouting program at UCUMC. Our Eagle Scout & service projects have benefitted many organizations including Urban Ministries, Crisis Assistance Ministries, Carolina Raptor Center, and UCUMC (including landscaping, sandboxes and the outdoor Chapel). Thank you to everyone who has provided support through the years and especially to UCUMC for your continued support as we embark on the next 25 years!

Wednesday Night Live! Wednesday Night Live continues to have a tremendous impact on our church and people in our community coming to experience UCUMC for the very first time. As Wednesday Night Meals continue, we celebrate our volunteers. Thanks you so much Volunteers for all you do to make the meals happen! You are so willing to be called upon whenever needed and/or asked—ready at a moment’s notice Thank you for your service as unto Him. May He give back to you an overabundance of what you pour out for Him! Blessings to you! “If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me” (John 12:26). LifeTree Café, our weekly discussion group that dissects topics relevant to our everyday lives, has been a lot of fun. Here are some of the comments from people who attend: • “An emotional session. Had not thought about this for 17 years.” • “This was great! I learned a lot from the people at my table.” • “Great presentation and an even better time for discussion.” You can jump in to LifeTree Café at any time, and all of our Wednesday Night Live activities are updated on the website at www.ucumc.org/live.

Missions & Serving 2016 was a big year in missions for UCUMC & 2017 is already looking to be just as exciting! Scouting for Food Again this year Pack 13, Crew 13 & Troop 13 participated in Scouting for Food to support Loaves & Fishes. Scouting for Food is the single largest food collection project for Loaves and Fishes each year; it accounts for 30% of their needs. On Sunday, January 29 Scouts distributed bags at UCUMC following both services. Congregation members filled the bags with non-perishable items and returned the bags the following Sunday. The Scouts also collected food in neighborhoods surrounding UCUMC and at local Harris Teeters. The total amount of food collected was 4,474 pounds of food (from Pack 13, Crew 13, and Troop 13 alone). Thank you for your support of the Scouts!

Wednesday Night Live Service Projects During Wednesday Night Live, volunteers have been able to donate an hour of their time each week to support various ministries. In 2016 we portioned rice bags for the Loaves and Fishes food pantry, packed stoplight kits, put together toiletry kits for Room In the Inn guests, and made Christmas cards for visitors at the Christmas Store! In 2017 we will be packing health kits for UMCOR, learning to make Octopus Dolls with the Prayer Shawl Ministry, and more! We are excited to see how one evening with friends can shine God’s light across the globe!

Sew & Sews Craft Group Did you know the Sew and Sews donate all their proceeds to UCUMC’s Building Fund? The Sew and Sews craft group celebrated a BIG milestone recently, as they reached their goal of contributing $100,000 to the building fund. As of December 2016, the Sew and Sews have contributed $102,800 since they began keeping records in the 4th year of the group’s ministry. This past year their contribution was $7,000. No one knows exactly how many stitches that is, but we can assure you it is a lot! The group was started at the conception of UCUMC and originally met in the homes of the members. They would take their sewing machines to different homes and make things to sell with all of the profits going to the building fund. There are two original members; Beth Ashford and Marge Ashford who are still part of the group. The group has always had between 12-15 ladies. In the beginning they met bi-monthly, but because of supply and demand, they now meet every week! They are a group of ladies who love sewing, love the Lord, and love the fellowship they celebrate every Tuesday morning! Not everyone sews, but there are many projects to do besides sewing. They welcome all ladies to join them! Contact Judykay Kohler (2011judykay@gmail.com) or Phyllis Ginder (pmginder@att.net) for more information.

REACH 2016 Updates Through the grace of God we have seen 40% of our faith promises actualized so far! We are thankful for these contributions that will help to fund upcoming missions trips to Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, West Virginia, and Lumberton! We have also seen stronger partnerships emerging with local missionaries and missions organizations as a result of this year’s conference. We are excited to continue to engage with these ministries so that UCUMC can be His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. It’s never too late (or too early!) to submit your Reach Faith Promise contributions. Submit Faith Promise dollars online at www.ucumc.org/onlinegiving. You may contribute with credit/debit cards or bank account. More information about missions giving can be found online at www.ucumc.org/REACH. Check out our website to see dates for upcoming info sessions about 2017 short-term missions trips, or consider coming to a Missions Committee meeting on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm. Email Lindsay at lgallegly@ucumc.org for more information about Service and Missions. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. – Matthew 28: 18-20

Disaster Relief Team In November, six church members became UMCOR (United Methodist Committe on Relief) first response certified in preparation to lead our new Disaster Relief ministry! This training was quickly followed by two trips to Lumberton, NC to assist families affected by Hurricane Matthew. Thanks to our volunteers on each team, UCUMC was able to prepare two separate houses to be rebuilt so that the lives of the families affected can be restored. While the devastation seen in Lumberton is nothing short of breath-taking, we know God has equipped us to love His people. We are thankful for this opportunity to minister to both the physical and spiritual needs of our neighbors through this work.

New Things at UCUMC New Members Since our last Celebration Newsletter came out in November 2016, we have been blessed to welcome 9 new families as members of UCUMC. Here are the people who have joined in the last few months!

Alejandro and Johanna Armendariz

Colin Springer

Matthew Hunt

Tom Nasko

Not Pictured: Katie Langston

Daniel Sigmon

Email Eli Suddarth at esuddarth@ucumc.org if you are interested in our April Membership Class! Membership Class meets on Monday nights at 6:30pm for 4 weeks. Childcare is available upon request

Sone Ekukole

DC4K - DivorceCare for Kids We are pleased to once again offer DivorceCare for Kids (DC4K). A DC4K group is a safe, fun place where children can learn skills that will help them heal. DC4K groups blend, games, music, stories, videos and discussion to help kids process their parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; separation or divorce and move forward. Groups meet weekly on Wednesdays and are designed for children ages 5-12. Contact Michele Travis (mtravis@ucumc.org) for more information.

Stephen Ministry Is Christ Caring for People through People Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

Stephen Ministry began in 1975 when Rev. Kenneth Haugk, Ph.D., pastor and clinical psychologist trained nine members of his congregation in St. Louis to provide one-to-one Christian care to hurting people in and around the congregation. Today more that 12,000 congregations are enrolled in the Stephen Series. They represent 177 different Christian denominations and come from 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, and 29 other countries. 70,000 Pastors, church staff and lay people have been trained as Stephen Leaders and they, in turn, have trained more than 600,000 congregation members to be Stephen Ministers. Stephen Ministers receive 50 hours of training for Christian caregiving. Topics include listening, feelings, assertiveness, confidentiality and ministering to people in specific situations such as divorce, terminal illness, grief etc. Stephen Ministry is your ministry...you play an important role in Stephen Ministry at UCUMC. Here’s what you can do:

COmissioning of UCUMC’s Stephen Ministry Leaders to the congregation.

• Pray for God to bring hope and healing to hurting people. • Accept care from a Stephen Minister during your time of need or tell a friend who is hurting about Stephen Ministry. God doesn’t expect you to bear your burden alone. • Consider becoming a Stephen Minister if you are a good listener and a compassionate person. If you feel God is calling you to serve as a Stephen Minister or if you have any questions about the ministry, talk with one of our Stephen Ministry Leaders: Drew Nivens 704-933-3194; Joanne Reilly 704-290-6361; or Ria Holtzhausen 704-369-8015. If you or someone you know could benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister call Ria Holtzhausen 704-369-8015. Check out these testimonies from two of our Stephen Ministers to see how Stephen Ministry is touching their lives: After attending the informational meeting about Stephen Ministry, and listening to others who had been Stephen Ministers and care receivers, I knew I wanted to become a Stephen Minister—but little did I know how my life would be changed. The training provided is so impactful and I have benefited tremendously. My faith has been strengthened and continues to grow. The trust, connection and fellowship with the others on the Stephen Ministry team has created bonds that are like family. The underlying principle for Stephen Ministry—that we are to love others because Jesus first loved us—is so basic, yet so profound. Stephen Ministry has already had a profound impact on my life—and we’ve only just begun. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to learn, to grow, and to serve the Lord. – Kim Watson For too many years, God has been nudging me in my lower right shoulder and saying “serve one-to-one”. Being too busy with all the noises of our lives, I just kept putting those nudges in the back of my thoughts. I also remember a long time ago hearing several people at UCUMC talking about a ministry that promised to EQUIP you to serve. That word EQUIP stuck in my head and replayed many times over the years. When you choose to enter Stephen Ministry training, you will be EQUIPPED! You will not be alone! Through God’s love and the training I have received, I am ready, with God’s help, to give one-to-one care. Stephen Ministry will EQUIP you and stand with you. Everyone experiences tough times and Stephen Ministry can support you through those rough times. – Leigh Wright

For Your Calendar Feb 28 - Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper | 5:30-7:30pm | lzeigler@ucumc.org Hosted by the Renovation Youth Choir. Come enjoy pancakes, sausage, bacon, milk, juice, and coffee. Cost is donation to the Youth Choir’s summer mission trip. Mar 1 - No Wednesday Night Live (Ash Wednesday) Mar 1 - Ash Wednesday Service | 6:30pm | mguild@ucumc.org Mar 2 - Mission Trip Info Session: The Hope Project (Nicaragua) | 6:30pm | lgallegly@ucumc.org This trip will be traveling to Nicaragua in August and partnering with The Hope Project to serve the impoverished people of Matagalpa. Mar 3 & 4 - Spring Children and Teens Consignment Sale | www.ucumc.org/consignmentsale Mar 6 - Weekday School Summer Camp Registration opens | www.ucumc.org/wds Mar 6 - Church Council Meeting | 6:30pm Mar 9 - Mission Trip Info Session: Back2Back Ministries (Mexico) | 6:30pm | lgallegly@ucumc.org This will be traveling to Mexico in October and partnering with Back2Back Ministries to provides holistic care to orphans. Mar 10 & 11 - Boy Scout BBQ Mar 10 & 11 - HIS HANDS Ministry Puppethon | 7pm (3/10) & 3pm (3/11) | lrcbears@bellsouth.net This is a fun, creative, and spiritually uplifting presentation for people of all ages! Mar 15 - Parenting Speaker Series - Bullying | 6:30pm | mtravis@ucumc.org Mar 19 - Pray4Five begins | ckillian@ucumc.org Mar 26 - Family Portrait Opportunity | rholtzhausen@ucumc.org Mar 26 - exploreUCUMC | following the 11am service | esuddarth@ucumc.org For anyone interested in discovering more about UCUMC and how to get involved, join us for this informal reception to get to know other newcomers and meet others in our community. Mar 31 & Apr 1 - Easter Musical | 7pm (3/31) & 3pm (4/1) | mguild@ucumc.org Join us for a powerful time of worship, celebration, and reflection during Lent. Apr 2 - Mission Trip Info Session: Harbor Light Baptist Church (Oceana, WV) | 12:30pm This trip will be traveling to West Virginia in July and partnering with Harbor Light Baptist Church to offer community VBS, complete small work projects, and more. Apr 3 - Membership Class begins | 6:30pm (4 weeks) | esuddarth@ucumc.org Apr 9 - Palm Sunday | Regular worship services (9:45am & 11:00am) Apr 12 - No Wednesday Night Live (Spring Break) Apr 14 - Good Friday (Church Office Closed) Apr 16 - Easter Sunday | Regular worship services (9:45am & 11:00am) Apr 23 - UC Kids Park & Paint (Concord, NC) | 4-7:30pm | dyoung@ucumc.org Apr 30 - Youth Sunday: Join us as FUSION Youth lead and participate in all aspects of worship. May 14 - Confirmation Sunday & Mother’s Day May 17 - WAMC Spring Concert | 6:30pm | mguild@ucumc.org Join us for WAMC’s original musical, WAMC: A Radio Station for Kids by Kids! You don’t want to miss our kids share this message about how 3 children can become disciples of Jesus. May 20 - Youth Mexico Mission Trip Golf Tournament | mgiles@ucumc.org May 29 - Memorial Day (Church Office Closed) June 4 - Pentecost Sunday | Regular worship services (9:45am & 11:00am) June 19-23 - WinShape Camp (Concord, NC) | dyoung@ucumc.org July 17-21 - Vacation Bible School | dyoung@ucumc.org