Holy Week Services
We continue the season of Lent by joining together in worship with neighboring United Methodists from Hookerton and Rainbow.
Maundy Thursday Communion, April 15, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Calvary Memorial United Methodist Church
Good Friday Tenebrae, April 16, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Rainbow United Methodist Church (3150 Highway 58 South)
Easter Sunday Sunrise Service and Potluck Breakfast, April 17, 2022 at 6:45 a.m. Chet and Dorothy Harrison’s Pond (1711 Highway 903 South)
Easter Morning Worship, April 17, 2022 at 10:55 a.m. Calvary Memorial United Methodist Church
Pastor’s Reflection
Grace and Peace to you, Calvary Memorial UMC,
Undoubtedly, by now some of you have heard that the gathering of the General Conference, the top legislative body of the United Methodist Church, scheduled for August 2022, has now been postponed until 2024. This will be the third delay of the General Conference session initially scheduled to take place in 2020. This move will reset the General Conference schedule, as the gathering typically only takes place every four years. Like the previous delays, the delay is due to “COVID-related issues and governmental policies/constraints.” You can read the full announcement here:
https://www.umc.org/en/content/general%20-conference-further-postponed-to-2024.
As many of you are aware, the previous General Conferences held in 2016 and the special conference held in 2019 brought with them much debate and contention over the United Methodist Church’s stance on LGBT+ related issues. It was the hope of many on both sides that this General Conference's convening would help lay those issues to rest, but because of the deferment, the topic remains unresolved. However, following the delay, it was reported that the Global Methodist Church, currently known as the Wesley Covenant Association, or the theologically conservative vein within the United Methodist Church, will be launching its own denomination on May 1, 2022. Churches that choose to depart from the UMC will be able to do so under the provision related to article 2553, which was proposed and accepted at the last General Conference.
https://dscumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/GCFA-Form-Disaffiliation-Agreement-May-2019.pdf
I doubt that this is news anyone wants to hear, and I wish I could offer a clearer sense of the road ahead, but regardless of what comes in the weeks, months, and years ahead, our task remains the same. We are called to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” a job we will accomplish by demonstrating our love of God and neighbor by living out the gospel in our lives and our community. In response to the recent news, Bishop Leonard Fairley said, “We still have people to feed, peace to make, justice to do, and a call to walk humbly with God. We still have people to reach for Jesus.” You can find his complete response in the link below.
https://nccumc.org/bishop/from-the-bishop-response-to-general-conference-announcement/.
As your pastor, I will do my best to keep you informed of any developments as they arise. Know that my door is always open to lament, process, or discuss the challenges before us—and above all else, remember that you are loved by God beyond your wildest imaginations!
Blessings,
Pastor Jason Leighton
And a final message from Tuesday, April 23:
In 2012 I responded to God’s movement in my life by leaving North Carolina to attend seminary in Ohio and begin the ordination process. Today I’m pleased to share that God is still at work in my life and that the Board of Ordained Ministry in the North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church has seen fit to recommend me for full connection as an Ordained Elder in the UMC! Thank you for your prayers and support. I look forward to celebrating with you in person on April 3.
Note: Please join us in celebrating Pastor Jason’s great news with cookies and lemonade on the front porch after Sunday worship on April 3.
Check Out the Church Webpage
Pastor Jason has updated the Calvary Memorial webpage—with a great calendar too! Check online: https://www.calvarymemorialumc.org/
Volunteers Needed
Ongoing ministries such as Children’s Church and Nursery, Backpack Blessings, Days for Girls, Interfaith food delivery, and Greendale Forest ministry.
New Online/Print Church Directory
Calvary Memorial is putting together a new online Church Directory. Hardcopies will be available once complete, but in the meantime, we are asking our church folks to send in their contact info. Follow the link below or go to the church website and click "Directory" at the top of the site; it will provide a directory form to fill out on the church website. https://www.calvarymemorialumc.org/directory This info is not shared with the public but sent straight to the church office on a secure link once you click submit. Pastor Jason and Ms. Rose will also be available in the Fellowship Hall following worship on Sundays for anyone who might need help filling out the form. Please help us with this important ministry!
New and Ongoing Ministries
Lunch and Learn is a new program from the Sound District Dismantling Racism Team. On Monday, April 4 at 12:00 noon and 7:00 p.m. (and continuing on the first Monday of each month), the Sound District Dismantling Racism Team will host a Zoom meeting where we watch a video from a list of webinars on racism and have a discussion on it together. Occasionally, depending on the topic, we will invite guests from the North Carolina Conference to help facilitate the conversations.
Community Lenten Worship Services will continue in April as Calvary Memorial partners with Hookerton UMC and Rainbow UMC to host joint services during Lent. Calvary Memorial will host Maundy Thursday at 7:00 p.m. on April 14, and Rainbow will host Good Friday at 7:00 p.m. on April 15. This will be a great opportunity to share in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Cub Scout Pack 162 meets in the Fellowship Hall at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday nights. New scouts are welcome to join Pack 162—for more information, please contact Benny Coats at coats4445@gmail.com.
Missions Committee is happy to announce that Foreign Missions have been revived!
Mary Jo Nimmo reports, “Hello Congregation! It is with great and cautious pleasure to let you know that your foreign mission team is heading back to Guatemala! Our hearts have been put on pause during the last two years, but we are moving forward with the planning of an August trip. There have been some ups and downs in getting the plans in order, but it looks like we are now working with Dr. Sergio in Chocola at his clinic. We have worked in the past with Dr. Sergio and his family at their clinic where they supply much needed health care to a remote area. We will be taking our Days for Girls kits and medical supplies. This will be a small group, but it will be very nice to be able to go back and do whatever we can to help Dr. Sergio. If you are interested in going, our plans right now are to leave August 6 and return on the August 13. The only requirement is that you are vaccinated to enter the country. We will be taking no more than eight people, and right now have the commitment of six people. Your support, prayers and love in the past have helped us with this mission, and we are asking for that going forward. As always, if you have a question just ask any member of the mission team!” Also, the Missions Committee continues to deliver food boxes on first and third Thursdays for Interfaith.
Greendale Forest ministry has been on hiatus during the past two years, but the Missions Committee is looking forward to restarting this important ministry to the residents of Snow Hill’s nursing/rehabilitation care facility. In the past, Calvary Memorial has led a monthly prayer service for the residents that included singing favorite hymns, an inspiring message from one of the volunteers, and a time of prayer led by the volunteers. We hope to resume these monthly services, using the same format; we will work with the program staff at Greendale Forest to determine a best day and time (morning or afternoon) for the service. If you are willing to participate in this ministry, please contact Gwen Skinner (252-560-7747) or George Mewborn (252-286-7616) and let them know your interest.
Backpack Blessings continues to serve ten food-insecure students at Greene County Pre-K School. Thanks to everyone who is supporting this food ministry. The delivery team includes Linda Dunn, Patty and George Herring, Jennifer Krodel, and Gwen Skinner. If you are interested in helping with packing, shopping, or delivering, please contact Patty Herring (252-521-0555). Delivery dates vary according to the school calendar, but deliveries are usually made on Thursday afternoons with the exception of calendar changes associated with early dismissal or holidays.
Grief and Loss Support Group will NOT meet in April. Everyone is encouraged to attend the Maundy Thursday Communion service at Calvary Memorial on Thursday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m. The next Support Group meeting will be Thursday, May 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the church parlor. Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to contact Linda Dunn at (252) 560-1465.
The Joy Riders need help to identify persons in the community who could benefit from a visit. Please contact Linda Dunn to put names on the list or to join in on a ride to experience firsthand the Joy of this ministry.
Days for Girls “Sewing Saturdays” will meet April 2 and 16 from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Suzi and Rose are happy to welcome volunteers of all ages and all skill levels because there are many jobs to do! Let them know of your interest, and they will find "homework" for you that suits your interest and skill level. Although the mission trip to Guatemala for Unearth Hope has been cancelled, the 275 kits we completed will be ready to go as soon as the mission is rescheduled. Also, we will be updating the birthing kits we have made previously, so more news and needs on those soon.
Forever Young Circle will meet on Tuesday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall with Gwen Skinner as hostess.
Sunday School Class taught by Gwen Skinner is studying a video series titled 12 Women of the Bible. Six different Bible teachers present spiritual lessons learned from twelve Biblical women and their implication for life today. To name a few of the women we will study: Rebekah, Leah, Hannah, Gomer. Join us for this interesting study as we understand how similar we are today to these women.
Tuesday Morning Study will meet April 5, 12, 19, and 26 at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
Wednesday Afternoon Study will meet on April 6 and 13 via Zoom https://nccumc.zoom.us/j/98178185733 and in the Fellowship Hall. The group is completing a study of Rev. Elaine A. Heath’s Five Means of Grace: Experience God's Love the Wesleyan Way. The group will not meet on April 20 and 27.
Beginning May 4, the next study will be Days of Awe and Wonder: How to Be a Christian in the Twenty-first Century by Marcus J. Borg, the late spokesman for progressive Christianity and one of the most revered and influential theologians of our time. In his acclaimed books—including classics such as Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, The Heart of Christianity, Speaking Christian, and Convictions—Borg helped shape an enlightened modernist view of Christianity. A leading scholar of the historical Jesus, acclaimed for his ability to speak about Christianity in the context of contemporary society, Borg offered profound wisdom and inspiration—a new way of seeing and living the Christian life—for believers, students, and lay readers. Ultimately, he taught us that by developing a deeper understanding of Jesus and the New Testament, we can discover a more authentic way of being. Yet Borg himself was always conscious of a greater truth beyond what he could explain: the wonder of God. Days of Awe and Wonder is a selection of his writing, including many never before published works, that explores the Christian faith and what it means to be a Christian in the twenty-first century. Provocative and uplifting, this anthology illuminates Borg’s explorations of the miraculous and wonderful, his understanding of conviction and fulfillment, and his contention that we must keep an open mind and question assumptions and certainties in all our religious journeys. (ISBN-13 9780062457349).
Thursday Evening Study will meet April 7, 14, 21, and 28 via Zoom https://nccumc.zoom.us/j/91896309225.