May, 2008
CHURCH FAMILY NEWS Please send items of interest for the “Church Family News” section to sherimcgavic@aol.com, telephone 282-7479, or drop off the information in her mailbox outside the fellowship hall at the church. _____________ Our Member Care List Evelyn Strother June 2 Peggy Meintel June 5 Frances England June 12 John Moffitt June 12 Ruth Campbell June 22 Tillie Powers June 30 _____________ CHURCH PICNIC Mark you calendars for Sunday, June 22nd. Our church picnic will be held at Cheswick Park following our service. Last year's picnic was great. We hope for the same this year, and the more people the better! Dress casual for church, then come on out for some good food and a good time. UNITED METHODIST MEN The United Methodist Men will meet on Monday, May 12th at 6:15pm. Our speaker will be Dean Decker. Mr. Decker will offer tips and advice on final estate planning. This will be our last meeting until September, and all men are invited to attend. Fortunately, the use of the DVD player is not anticipated! _____________ Mark Your Calendar _____________ REMINDER Your Ukrops Gift Certificates will be arriving this month. Please bring yours to church and deposit them in the envelopes provided on the table at the back of the sanctuary by June 1, 2008. Many thanks! _____________ 2008 VIRGINIA CONFERENCE SCHOOL OF CHRISTIAN MISSION July 25-27 or July 28-31 Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center Blackstone , VA Who – An opportunity for men, women, youth, and children to learn about being partners in God’s global mission and to grow spiritually through study, worship, and Christian fellowship. What – An opportunity to attend mission workshops, receive literature that’s helpful in teaching a study in the local church, participate in a hands-on project What else – Great mission trip for youth to have fun learning about current global issues and participating in hands-on mission projects. An intergenerational study for adults and children (ages 6-12). Children (ages 5-12) will have the opportunity to learn and explore mission and culture. Studies include : a geographic study of Israel/Palestine, a spiritual growth study, an issues study on Native American survival, a youth study on native American survival. To register: Call Conference Mission Office, 521-1100 ext. 144. Thank you for my Christmas in February! I continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity, love, and caring that is in abundance at Westhampton. I thank those of you who anonymously contributed to my money tree gifts and for the cards of well wishes and blessings that continue to come in the mail. I feel so blessed to have had seven wonderful years at Westhampton and I miss all of you very much. I also want to thank all who so generously contributed to the Heart Havens home being built on my family’s property in Goochland. It was a life-long dream of our parents that our handicapped sister, Annette, be able to stay in the only home she had ever known and that our old farmhouse somehow be converted into a group home for mentally handicapped adults. Due to the age of the house, that wasn’t to be, so after our dad passed away in August 2005, my other two sisters and I made the decision to donate the property to Heart Havens. The three-bath, five-bedroom home with 24-hour staff will become the permanent home for five handicapped adults. Your donations have enabled us to purchase a coffee table, two end tables and two lamps for the living room, plus four additional wooden chairs for the kitchen table. We were also able to completely furnish the kitchen with a 16-piece set of pots, pans, and skillets, miscellaneous bakeware in both glass and aluminum, every cooking item and utensil they will need for any type of meal preparation, Corelle dinnerware and stainless flatware for eight, toaster oven, coffeemaker, and electric can opener, and bath towels and washcloths for all five residents. My family and Heart Havens are proud of this beautiful new home and invite any of you who want to come out and visit soon to do so. Call Heart Havens at 237-6097 to arrange a visit. Please keep the staff of this new home in your prayers as they work with these five handicapped individuals to help them make the transition to this new chapter in their lives. Westhampton will always have a special place in my heart, and I love you all. Fondly, Nancy Sopher _____________
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For Your Interest Some of the Favorite Hymns of Church Council Members What do these hymns tell you about them? And what is your favorite hymn? What does it tell others about you? If this is your favorite hymn, pray for that person this month, and let them know you did. Lou Ann Tiller , Passionate Worship Co-Leader -- #521, “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”, an Afro-American spiritual Mary Rountrey , Historian -- #548, “In Christ There Is No East or West”, written in 1913 by John Oxenham in 1913, and Laurence Hull Stookey (stanza 3) in 1987 Rosemary Welch , Pastor -- #567, “Heralds of Christ”, written in 1915 by Laura S. Copenhaver Natalie Kent , Stewardship Representative on Finance Committee; Treasurer of Day School Board -- #577, “God of Grace and God of Glory”, written in 1930 by Harry Emerson Fosdick John Chappell , Youth Representative -- #696, “ America the Beautiful”, written in 1904 by Katharine Bates Lucy Harris , Intentional Faith Development Co-Leader -- #707, “Hymn of Promise” written in 1986 by Natalie Sleeth Ron McGavic , #378, “Amazing Grace”, written in 1779 by John Newton _____________ Web Site Design Team We would like to update the Westhampton UMC Web Site. Currently, it's a great site and has served us well, but as with all things - its time for a change! To do this we would like to form a team of 4 -7 individuals to analyze the current site to find out what's working and what's not. The volunteers needed for these sessions (2 or 3) should combine the talents of church historians and people who know the church and what's happening today. You don't need any web site expertise to join in these sessions - we need content experts. But, if you have a keen interest in web design – join us! If you haven't seen the current site, please visit http://www.westhamptonmethodist.com/. If you are interested contact Kari Fernandez at 217-9705 or karifernandez@comcast.net _____________ Report On Many thanks to each of you who contributed to Stop Hunger Now – and I’m sure the hungry people around the world thank you too. Our penny jar yielded $47.54. Another $119.46 came in just before our trip to package the food, making a total of $167.00 to Westhampton’s credit. At a cost of $0.20 per person our church provided 835 people with a meal. On Saturday, April 12 th, fifty adults including five men from the Richmond District traveled to South Hill to the First Presbyterian church where the social hall was set up for packaging dried food: soy, dehydrated vegetables, chicken flavored powder and rice. In approximately two hours, 10, 633 meals were ready for shipment to schools and orphanages of starving people. Contributions came in as we were working so that our final total from the Richmond District was over $2,000. The director of Stop Hunger Now had been to Haiti twice in the last month. Haiti has been on the news recently showing the people there making mud cakes which they eat. The director showed us a mud cake that she had brought back. It was difficult to imagine any human eating mud to stay alive. On June 1 st, a Sunday afternoon, Trinity United Methodist Church has set a goal of packaging 50,000 meals, costing $10,000. Anyone desiring to help with packaging or contributions contact Jo Lewis of Trinity at 784-4370 or me at 288-5519. Virginia Davis _____________ Our sincere sympathy in Christian love is expressed to the family of Helen B. Turner on her death, April 1st _____________ Mary Ellen and Youth, Thank you so much for the gift of the tulips! They are beautiful and will be a wonderful addition to my home. Thank you for thinking of me! God Bless you all! Lucy Harris _____________ VIM to Russia A Volunteers in Mission team to Pyatigorsk, Russia is scheduled for June 18-July 3. This is an opportunity to help in the refurbishing of a Boarding School there. People with varying skills and spiritual gifts are needed to join in the effort to support and strengthen this Christian community in Pyatigorsk. Typical skills needed include carpentry, painting, general maintenance, cleaning and a willing attitude. For more information contact Sam NeSmith at mingo@errols.com or 323-9134. _____________
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