THE GARDEN POST
February 24, 2010
Reflections Along the Path
This season of Lent is set aside by many Christians as a time to contemplate the meaning of the life and death of Jesus. It is not an easy thing to grasp and so we give 40 days for this purpose. It is a time to reflect on the sacrifice made by God who as the Christ journeyed toward Jerusalem and death on the cross. Like faith, Lent is a time of journey. We do not arrive at faith nor at the cross without times of prayer and study and worship and reflection. And we do not constantly move forward. There are times when we move away.
I like to walk a labyrinth. I
have discovered there is one at Hospice in Winston-Salem. For those times when
I cannot get to a labyrinth, I have a finger labyrinth that I can hold on my lap
and “walk” with my fingers. It is a meditative tool. For those who are not
familiar, a labyrinth is not a maze. A maze has several paths a person might
take, with dead-ends and options about which way to go. A labyrinth, by
contrast, has only one way in and one way out. As you move along the path of
the labyrinth, you move back and forth, closer to the center and then further
away until suddenly, you arrive at the center. Along the path and at the
center, one has the opportunity to pause for prayer and meditation. The
labyrinth represents the Christian journey toward Christ. There are times when
we feel we are moving closer and times when we feel far away. But as you
continue on the journey, you find the center in Christ.
As you journey this Lenten season,
may you draw closer to the Center of Life. If you are feeling far away, keep
traveling. God will direct your path and will help you to draw near in faith.
Shalom,
Patricia
SGUMC YOUTH NEWS
Mission TripMoney is being sent in to reserve our space on the trip to Atlanta, which has been rescheduled for us to leave on June 20.Pine Needle Sale
The Pine Needle Sale will be March 13 , 20 , 27 , and April 2 . Youth, plan to be available these days, and be sure to be contacting people for Pre-Sale orders!!!
Wednesday night youth meetings will be postponed until summertime, or until an Interim Director is found. Sunday night youth meetings will continue every Sunday, from 5-7 p.m. Youth be sure and bring $2 for Snack Supper.
Notes to Congregation
Remember to bring your aluminum soda cans to recycle. Containers are available behind the kitchen. The money is used for youth missions. Thank you for your support!
Friends of the Youth
Would you consider preparing a snack supper for the youth one Sunday evening? Each youth brings $2 to help defer the cost. The supper could be as simple as pizza or sloppy joes; we are not very picky. Please call Sheila Holder to sign up for a Sunday night.
Valentine’s Banquet
Thank you to all of those who made the Valentine’s Banquet possible; the Holders, youth leaders, and parents, and especially the congregation. The banquet was a huge success. We could never have done it without you.
Confirmation
We currently have sixth youth in
confirmation. Could you keep them in your prayers as they take this step in
their faith journeys? They will need more than a confirmation booklet; they
need the support of an entire church.
Our Prayers
We offer our prayers for this
week’s members of our Circle of Concern: Dot
Pegram at Whitaker Care; Roy Manuel at
Forsyth; and Bob
Kinzer at Medical Park.
We continue to keep in our
prayers the following church family at home: Judy
Smith; Don Joyce; Nina Holder; James Motsinger; Moe
Kinzer; Carolyn
Swaim (Herb Swaim’s mother);D. R.
Pope; Mae Dillard; Sim Tang; Vinny DiGerolamo; Robert Godwin; Clayton Smith
(Amy Oakley’s father); Jerry Ring; Bruce
Hawks; Mary Lou Snow; Pat Chaffin (Trish Grubbs’ mother);
Jewell Lankford; Carol DeBusk;
and Derrick Denny (Edna Holland’s
cousin).
We continue to keep in our
prayers our nursing home and independent living residents: Veatrice
Elliott at Salemtowne; Eastlin
Thompson at The Oaks; Etta
Saunders with daughter in
Advance; Lola
Walton at Arbor Ridge; Irene
Robbins at Arbor Ridge; Maxine
Kilburn (Cheryl Walker’s
mother) at Kerner Ridge; andGrover
and Esther Hedgecock at
Brighton Gardens.
Please keep in your daily prayers
our church family military members: Tommy
Gentry; Michael Gordon; Cliff Tice; Sam Tice;, Michael Tumlin; Tom Seuberling;
Keith Walker; Justin Hoyle; Jeff Duncan; Clint Broadhurst; Danny Miller; and
Trey Vaughn.
Please help us keep our
Circle of Concern current. If you would like to add a name or remove a name,
please call the church office at 788-2297.
Altar Flowers
The altar flowers on Sunday, March 7 , are given to the glory of God in loving honor of Estelle Pope and in loving memory of Cleo Pope, Tyler Hill and Joy Sloan by Jimmy, Debbie and Josh.
The altar flowers on Sunday, March 14 , are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Wade and Mildred Smith by their Family.
The altar flowers on Sunday, March 21 , are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Frank Leon Watts by June Watts, Beverley Watts and Doug Watts.
The altar flowers on Sunday,
March 28 , are given to the glory of God in loving
memory of Bill Goode by Betty and
Family.
Notes of Appreciation
On behalf of the Conference, I want to thank the congregation of Sedge Garden UMC for paying 100% of its Congregational Development apportionment during 2009.
We are very aware of the enormous challenges that our church members are facing and the sacrificial giving that they are making to support the life of the church. Your gifts to the Congregational Development apportionment reflect an investment in God’s hopeful future not only for the church, but for thousands of people who will come to faith in Christ in the years ahead.Thank you again for this tangible witness of your confidence in the God who provides all.
Steve James, Director of
Congregational Development
Special thanks to our church
family and staff for the prayers, cards and concern shown to us during Steve’s
mother’s illness and death. We are blessed with a loving and caring church
family. Steve and Peggy Conaway
Thanks to all that donated the 175
food items and monetary donations of $95 for Canned
Food Sunday.
Sympathy
We extend our Christian love and sympathy to:
Steve and Peggy Conaway on the death of Steve’s mother, Mabel Conaway on February 11,
Rick and Cindy Wilson on the death of Cindy’s grandmother, Mary Ann Venable, on February 7,
Mae Dillard and Kay Crews on the death of their brother, Andy Stafford, on February 16,
LeRoy and Shirley Smith on
the death of LeRoy’s mother, Dorothy Smith, on February 13 .
Lay Person of the Year
The Lay Person of the Year Award is promoted by the Western North Carolina Conference Council on Laity as a means of recognizing each year in the local church a deserving lay person whose work in the local church and community exemplifies a life of Christian Stewardship. The idea of the award is to recognize worthy individuals, especially those whose work in the life of the church who may not otherwise be recognized. In lifting up one lay person, all lay persons are honored.
In memory of Brian Ray Holland, our church now recognizes this award as the “Brian Ray Holland Service Award”.
Nomination forms are also available in the church office. The deadline for your nominations is Monday, March 1 .
Grady Sink, Harold Blue, Rachel
Hester, James Matthews, Lucille Sapp, Mae Dillard, Richard Paschal, Bub Manning,
Otis Eubanks, James Whaley, Mark Chandler, Lisa Chandler, Jerry Young, Kent
Manning, Bob Stratton, Kay Bailey, Hunter Atkins, Susan Piotrowski, Brian
Holland, Carole Hastings, Jerry Hamilton, Jimmy Laughter, and Tommy Holder have
received this honor in the past years.
Glory Street’s Annual Homecoming Concert
Glory Street will have their
Annual Homecoming Concert on Saturday, March 6 , at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel.
Admission is free with a love offering of food items and monetary donations to
benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank. Please plan to come and enjoy the
wonderful music selections by Glory Street.
United Methodist Men’s District Prayer Breakfast
The Winston-Salem District United
Methodist Men’s Prayer Breakfast is Saturday, March 13 , at 8:30 a.m. at Konnoak
Hills United Methodist Church, 430 Weisner Street in Winston-Salem. Reservations
are not required but requested to insure proper quantity of food preparation.
Please contact Steve Holland by Monday, March 8 , to let him know the number
going. Cost is by donations only. Invite your spouse and family to attend as we
enjoy good food and fellowship.
Church Garden
It is that time of year that we
look forward to Spring and the time to plant our garden. We need commitment from
individuals, small groups, Sunday School classes, the youth, etc. to help plant
and pick the produce. If you would like to be a part of this valuable ministry
for our community, please contact Jerry Hamilton.
Mark Your Calendars!
Sedge Garden United Methodist Men’s
ACC Tournament BBQ
Saturday, March 13
1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Brian Ray Holland Fellowship Hall
Dine In or Take Out
Adults: $8 Children: (ages 5 to 10) $4
Children under 5: Free
Tickets available in
church office or see any member of United Methodist Men.
Gathering of Winston-Salem District Laity with Bishop Goodpaster
A Gathering of Winston-Salem
District Laity is Tuesday, March 9 , at 6:30 p.m. in Clemmons United Methodist
Church Fellowship Hall for a 60 to 90 minute presentation, conversation and
question and answer session with Bishop Goodpaster. This will be an opportunity
for a laity only discourse with the Bishop in a less formal and more open forum.
Copies of Lenten
Calendar are available in Narthex and Commons Area.
About Our Folks
Our thoughts and prayers are with Trish Grubbs as she prepares for a mission trip to El Salvarado in March.
Congratulations to Nikki Huyett, daughter of Andrew and Gayle Huyett, who was recognized as Student of the Week at East Forsyth High School.
Congratulations to Annie Machamer and Amanda Atkins who made the Dean’s List at Appalachian State and to Tiffany Sheets who made the Dean’s List at UNC-Greensboro.
(If
there are others with academic success, please call the church office so we can
recognize them.)
Stitches of Love
Monday, March 1 , Noon to 2:00 p.m.
Brian Ray Holland
Fellowship Hall
“TAKE A HIKE” for Wilderness Trail on April 24
Wilderness Trail is doing a
hike-a-thon (i.e., walk-a-thon) style fund raiser on Saturday, April 24th. Mark
your calendars! Official locations will be Asheville, NC and Tampa Bay, FL,
with other groups participating by doing a 6-mile hike in their own area. Sedge
Garden is forming two teams – “Over 50” and “Under 50” – and hiking around Salem
Lake. WT’s goal is to get 500 hikers raising an average of $100 each for a
total of $50,000 to help the ministry grow. They want it to be a big reunion –
all hikers, former hikers, and friends of hikers are encouraged to participate!
For more information visit http://www.wtrail.com/
Men’s Softball Team
Sedge Garden plans to have a
men’s softball team. The league season starts in mid April and ends late July.
Youth over 16 years of age and men are invited to join the team. Please contact
Shane Pugh for additional information.
Adult Fellowship
Adult Fellowship is Tuesday,
March 9 , at noon in the Brian Ray Holland Fellowship Hall. Please bring your
favorite covered dish and come enjoy great food and fellowship time together
with others. Invite a friend to come with you!
Individually wrapped Easter candy, plastic Easter eggs and monetary donations are needed for the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 3 .
Collection basket
is located in the Commons area.
Pine Needle Sales Sponsored by UMYF
Saturday, March 13 ,
Saturday, March 20
Saturday, March 27 and
Saturday, April 3
United Methodist Men’s Monthly Breakfast
Sunday, March 7 , 7:00 a.m.
Brian Ray Holland Fellowship Hall
Invite someone to
join with you!
VIPs to resume Rehearsals in March
Meeting First,
Third , Fourth and Fifth Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. in Choir Room
Monthly Prayer Breakfast at
Panera Bread in Kernersville
Saturday, March 6 , 8:00 a.m.