Day 1 Monday, July 9, 2012

We made it to Henderson Settlement safe and sound. We are staying on site at Hope House, which is very nice--8 bedrooms, kitchen, dining room and front porch with a swing. After unpacking the trucks & vans, and settling into our rooms, we made the hike up hill to the meeting center where we attended the orientation meeting. We gathered with church groups from all over the US--Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and 3 groups from Illinois! After the meeting we enjoyed a rousing game of Catch Phrase, followed by a group  devotional time.

This morning's devotional was held on Vesper Hill. Our group is standing by the 3 crosses, which was a HUMC project several years ago.

We're Off

Following a breakfast served by the missions committee, 16 short-term missionaries from HUMC left this morning for Henderson Settlement in Frakes, KY for a week long work camp. Please pray for the team as they travel and serve.

VBS Is Coming Soon

It's starting to look a lot like VBS around HUMC. The real decorating will start later in July, but some posters of the VBS theme & Scripture verses have been hung up around the church. There are also some small pictures of the lovable VBS friends hidden around the church.  Children (and adults) are invited to keep their eyes open for these characters that will help us learn more about Jesus' true peace, true riches, true power, true love and true hope. Maybe you have seen these two.

100th Birthday Party for HUMC Parsonage

Sunday June 10, 2012 an open house was held at the parsonage to celebrate the 100 year old parsonage.  Pastor Steve and Suzy graciously opened their home serving cake, home made ice cream and beverages to celebrate the birthday.

Liberian Well Dedication

Rev. Albert Barchue, District Superintendent of the Kakata Farmington River District in Liberia, spoke to a group at HUMC on Tuesday evening. He brought a message of thanks from the village of Lafayette, a remote village in Margibi County, Liberia, where a new well was dedicated on April 13, 2012. This well was made possible by offerings given during VBS 2010. Before the well, the villagers, mostly women, had to get water by making a 10 minute walk while carrying 5 gallon buckets on their heads. Their drinking water contained cholera and other contaminants. Rev. Barchue showed a video of the well construction and dedication. The people of Lafayette asked him to relay the message--"Tell our brothers and sisters that they have taken the load off our heads and our backs".

New Library Materials for June 2012

This month, the books purchased and donated to the church library are all by Adam Hamilton.  Rev. Hamilton is pastor of the 14,000 member United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. His activities and comments at the May 2012 General Conference of the UMC are what brought him to my attention. However, you might be familiar with his teachings from the Bible study The Journey which was offered at HUMC this past Advent season.

24 Hours That Changed the World by Adam Hamilton
The Journey A Season of Reflections by Adam Hamilton
The Journey Walking the Road to Bethlehem by Adam Hamilton
Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White by Adam Hamilton
When Christians Get It Wrong by Adam Hamilton
Why? Making Sense of God's Will by Adam Hamilton
DVDs
The Journey 5 session Bible Study
The Fanny Crosby Story

New Library Materials for May 2012

The following materials have been added to the church library.
DVDs
Christy: The Complete Series 4 Disks
James: Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore- Bible study with DVDs and study guide
The Journey of Thomas Merton
Narnia and Beyond: The Chronicles of C.S.Lewis
Books
Matthew: Being Discipled by Jesus- Bible Study by Stephen and Jacalyn Eyre
The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller
Power Thoughts by Joyce Meyer