Whether you are a long time member, not yet a member, or a first time visitor, you are welcome to come to this class!
We will meet at 9:30 for coffee and laughter on Sunday mornings, March 6 and March 20, 2011.
Then at 10:00 am we’ll start class and talk about what it means to be a member of Pleasant Grove Union Church. We hope you’ll join us.
Join us for a candlelight service that is sure to become part of your family tradition. Starts at 5 pm on Christmas Eve. Dress is casual. Enjoy the mystery and delight of Christmas anew.
Please plan to join us for our annual Christmas Program to be presented, Saturday, December 18th at 4:00 p.m. Cello, children and adult vocal groups, piano, and organ music; humorous “Name that Savior” skit; candlelight; and traditional nativity included in the program. Reception to follow downstairs.
Thank you to all who supported this year’s Operation Christmas Child. Nineteen boxes were delivered this week to a local Operation Christmas Child Drop Off Location provided by Pleasant Grove Union Church. Thank you again for your part in sharing the love of Jesus with children around the world for surely, “Little is much when God is in it”.
On Sunday, November 21, 2010, at 7PM there will be a community Thanksgiving worship service held at Montmorenci United Methodist Church in Candler. You are invited to join in with the 8 other churches that will be represented for worship, thanksgiving, praise and fellowship.
Here is a puzzle to whet your appetite for our upcoming service celebrating the Protestant Reformation. Below is a woodcut illustration from Martin Luther’s book:
Interpretation of the Epistles, circa 1544:
In this illustration, can you pick out Jesus? The disciples? A bishop? The pope? A papal bull?
(For hints, this picture is based on Matthew 7.)
Not very many people could read during this time period, so many of the stories were told in pictures, and they were often not very flattering to the leaders of the church (satirical comic strips). If you want to see if you correctly identified the images in the picture, click the link below to take you to the explantion given by Pitts Theological Library.
http://www.pitts.emory.edu/dia/detail.cfm?ID=18157
On Sunday, Oct. 31, we’ll look at our church “statement of belief,” which has a strong tie to beliefs and writings of the authors of the Reformation. (You can read it by clicking on the link in the upper right corner.) We’ll also look briefly at why our different denominations came into being and what were the deciding factors that caused them to form. And even if you are not a big history fan, you’ll enjoy hearing some great stories about events that laid the foundation for all of protestantism.
(P.S. A papal bull is a formal declaration handed down by the pope. See you October 31, 2010 at 11 am!)
Pleasant Grove is a union church formed in 1880 and enjoys a fellowship of Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian denominations. We would like to invite you to worship with us.
We are located at 85 Pleasant Grove Rd. Weaverville, NC 28787. Services are at 11:00 on Sundays, and Sunday School is at 10:00 am.
Contact us at pleasantgroveunionchurch@gmail.com
Mission Statement:
We the members of Pleasant Grove Union Church recognize and affirm that each individual has an obligation to serve his God in the way his conscience may dictate. We embrace those things that are the common thread of all major protestant religions and that each individual has a right to choose. Christians may have a difference of opinion, as a God given right and privilege. These differences shall not deter us in our service to God. We hold to and abide by the Holy Bible as our rule and guide to our faith. We accept those who profess a belief in the one true God, In Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and his Spirit, that even now and forevermore dwells among us.
Our present ministers are:
Ray Bailey – Second and Fourth Sundays
Dianne Johnston -First, Third, and Fifth Sundays
Church History
Pleasant Grove Union Church holds over 126 years of service to God and the Reems Creek Valley. The church was established as a community church with the understanding that it would serve the various Protestant denominations represented in the valley. Pleasant Grove Church was founded on two parcels of land given by Robert G. Brank and James M. Parker; Cooper Parker gave a later parcel.
The present building was started in 1942 and continued construction through the mid forties. A picture of the earlier building hangs in our fellowship room in the church basement.
Over the years the church has been served by a number of ministers.
(Thank you to Avery Parker for providing this information.)
Our own Patti and Sonny took the spotlight at “Bark in the Park” in Sylva. They were highlighted in the Sylva Herald and many of us caught part of their performance on WLOS that night.
Patti, Sonny, and Mattie perform wonders in the arena, but they are also a ministry team in our community. They visit and lift the spirits of those in prison, in the hospital, and in nursing homes.
Patti and Sonny taught our children’s time on Laity Sunday. Patti encouraged us to remember that all animals are part of God’s creation and that they deserve our respect. When we see the love between Patti and her dogs, we are all blessed by their message to us and to our community.
Pleasant Grove Union Church will celebrate Laity Sunday outdoors under the arbor of God’s creation on October 17, 2010, weather permitting.
The service will begin at 11:00 AM, and will include a variety of ways to experience God’s handiwork at one of the peak times of beauty in our mountains. Please bring your lawn chair, wear warm clothing, and bring a lap blanket if you’d like.
Sunday School will be held at 10:00 AM in the church building.
Please plan to join us as we celebrate the leadership of our church and the beauty of the season.
UPDATE: 10.18.2010. Pictures taken by Barbara during the service:
Pleasant Grove Union Church held a yard sale Saturday, October 2, 2010. We sold many household items and crafts.
We thank everyone who thought of, worked on, and donated so generously to the sale. And we thank the people who laughed and shopped and carted away. We all had a wonderful time.
We also thank Patti, Mattie, and Sonny for the wonderful entertainment.
This yard sale raised money for the outreach and ministry of Pleasant Grove, and allowed us to meet many of our neighbors and friends from our community. We also made a large donation of goods to the Salvation Army.
Thanks again to everyone who participated!
