Baskets for Our Neighbors

We are so excited to welcome our new neighbors to our community with these beautiful welcome baskets.  As head of our outreach committee, Mary Ellen has worked hard to make these gifts something our new neighbors will enjoy for years to come.

Each basket is painted individually, lined with a specially made scarf, and then filled with all sorts of wonderful items, such as crafts, food, potato cooking bags, and rice bags.

We thank everyone who has contributed to the baskets, and especially to Mary Ellen for making them such a special treat for all of us!

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Prayer Boxes help us learn and grow

 

Sunday morning, February 5, Patti is going to continue with her lesson on prayer during the Sunday school hour at 10:00am, as she helps us finish and decorate our prayer boxes.

Bring a box to decorate, or get one of ours… We’ll have all the fixin’s to paint and adorn the boxes so that we can have a reminder in being faithful to praise God, or ask for God’s help.  The boxes will also help us to remember to leave our requests with God instead of taking them away with us.

 

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PGUC Men Storm The Community With Hammers & Saws!

 

 

Some of the men of the church showed up one recent morning in our community to build a new entry way into one of our neighbor and friend’s home.  Armed with saws and hammers, there was a flurry of sawdust and the jingle of nails, much to the delight and surprise of one jolly ol’ soul (who has little to do in the month following Christmas).

Always willing to extend a hand with smiles, jokes, and strong backs, our men at Pleasant Grove are amazing! We are so proud of the way they see a need, and then pitch in and help folks in the community.

Hats off and grateful hearts to the men of Pleasant Grove Union Church for all that you do!

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Wednesday Prayer Meetings: Fall/Winter Schedule

Here is the remaining schedule for our Wednesday prayer meetings during the winter months.  We hope you will join us whenever you can for these times of fellowship and love:

SCHEDULE

  • February 8, 11:00 AM.  Chocolate, roses, and love. (Missions project)
  • February 22, 11:00 AM.  Keeping the light on for future generations.
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Christmas Program

Our Christmas program will be on Saturday, December 10, 2011, at 4PM.

Please come and join us as we rejoice and celebrate the birth of Jesus through drama and music.

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Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations by Robert Schnase

We will conclude the preaching series on the five practices of fruitful congregations this week with Extravagant Generosity (The first four were radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, and risk taking mission and service).

During the convocation with Bishop Schnase last week, he stated that a church that practices four but not five of these behaviors will not bear fruit.  Congregations that are not reproducing (bearing fruit) will not survive.

These are strong words for the church of 2011.  We are compelled, as we consider Jesus’ teachings and the way that God has spoken to us during our times of worship, to consider what God is calling us to do.

On November 20, 2011, we will celebrate our future in a service called “Consecration Sunday.”  Continue to consider what God is saying to each of us, and to us as a congregation. I look forward to seeing you there!        ~ Dianne

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Community Blessing of the Animals Service

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2011  2-4 pm

This is an informal outdoor service to ask God’s blessings for our pet family members and animals. Each pet will be prayed over individually, as the owner desires.  Please bring a lawn chair and we ask that you have the means with you to keep your pets under control for everyone’s safety.

“Brother Wolf” will also be present with professional staff to offer some affordable health care services for pets.

Shots offered are:

  • 1 and 3 year rabies vaccine – $10.00
  • DA2PPV (combo vaccine for dogs) $15
  • FVRCP/FELV (combo vaccine for cats) $20
  • $10 microchipping for dogs and cats

Owner must have written proof of a previous rabies tag to receive a 3 year vaccine

You may request a visit from the pastor for a blessing of your herd or flock at pleasantgroveunionchurch@gmail.com

We are committed to caring for all of God’s creation.

 

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VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Monday thru Friday : AUGUST 8 – 12

10:oo AM to 1:00 PM

Our Vacation Bible School theme this year is all about JOY! “Fiesta” means “party” or “celebration” in Spanish. Children who attend will experience a glimpse of the joy that comes from a life lived with Jesus and within a loving church family

… so everybody get ready for great music, crafts, games, videos, skits, and snacks! Let’s have a fiesta!

Each child must be signed in on their first day by an adult.  Sign in starts at 9:30 AM.  Please bring emergency contact information or download registration form at  https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1UnT-lDqx7Sw3SZuFVqlAoWUXOfERRvrw6MpXsfOSe-c

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Discipleship Opportunities

DEEPEN YOUR PRAYER LIFE Wednesday Night Prayer Meetings starting in June will be led by Pastor Ray and will explore E.M. Bounds “Complete Book on Prayer.”  Starting at 6:30PM on the Wednesdays before the second and fourth Sundays.  Our Tentative Schedule:  Book 1: June 8, 22.  Book 2: July 6, July 20: Book 3, (no Bible Study on August 10 because of VBS), August 24: Book 4,  September 7: Book 5.

DEEPEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIBLE.  DISCIPLE I Bible study will start  on Sunday, August 28 at Pleasant Grove and is open to everyone in our community, including people who are seeking to know more about the Bible but may not be believers.  This study will take us through a large portion of the Bible in 32 weeks and will be led by Pastor Dianne and Rev. Millsaps Dye.

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Barbara’s Report from Annual Conference

This is a very brief report on the 5 day Annual United Methodist Conference that was held at Lake Junaluska June 8-12.

There were a few differences this year,  Pastor Dianne knows the back ways to enter the Conference grounds, so we missed a lot of the traffic congestion.  and she knows where to park.  A couple of times we had better parking than the Bishop.  AND the AC worked this year.

As always, it was a wonderful time of seeing old friends and meeting new people.  There is such sense of unity and connection when we come together to worship the Father and plan for the future of the methodist church.

Part of the business this year was the election of representatives to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences.  Also, there were many petitions adopted on the Consent Calendar and 3 determined by individual consideration, including one proposed by Pastor Dianne and myself.  The proposal was to add the words, or more to the description of a Union church.  It now reads—a union church in which a congregation with one unified membership roll is related to two or more denominations. This was approved.

There was a major change in the number of districts  Members of the Conference approved to reduce the number of districts and superintendents from 15 to 8 beginning at the end of Annual Conference next year.

Reasons for this reduction are the “graying” of the church and the lack of younger members.  The change is being put in place to help us survive the changes that are coming in the next 10 years.  These changes mean that the WNC leadership focus on growing churches and pour the resources into them.  And making Legacy churches of the dying churches.

There is a new Union church being created in the Asheville District and a new cooperative parish being created.  Many churches are considering what they are going to do.

The question for us to answer is—–What will we do to make sure Pleasant Grove will exist in 10 years?  At that time, will we be a vital growing church or a fondly remembered Legacy church?

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