Each week from her home in Memphis, TN, Amy Cook coordinates our communications. Amy’s husband is a pastor, and he is receiving a sabbatical this summer. As part of the sabbatical, their family is taking a trip during which we will not publish a Church Chimes. We want Amy to be focused on her family and the trip! Janice and a team of volunteers from the church will ensure that we are kept up to date with the news of our church through emails sent on Mondays and Fridays. There will be no newsletter on May 29 or June 5. Publication will resume on Wednesday, June 12.
Mission Moment 5.22.24
Greg and Sue Smith
CBF Field Personnel in Virginia
My (Sue) parents taught me a lot about the practical aspects of faith and practice. I grew up in rural Arkansas with very strong Methodist roots. My dad, John McCoy Nutt, was born in 1916, and had even been named after John Wesley and the bishop by a circuit-riding preacher. The preacher and Bishop McCoy were staying with my grandparents as they came through town just a week after my dad was born.
Until my appointment to mission service, there had been no clergy in our family history—just a host of lay leaders, church trustees, Sunday school superintendents and teachers, music leaders and folks who saw that the church bills were paid, records were kept, the door was unlocked and the grass mowed, the stoves lit or the air conditioners on, and the pews dusted and floors swept.
There was no discussion each week about church attendance—we were always there! Or what to put in the offering plate. My parents prepared their Bible study lessons on Saturday nights and on Sundays my mom wrote the checks and slipped them into the offering plate while my dad led the music during worship. I was given two quarters each week, one for Sunday school and one for worship. The plate never passed without something being put in.
While that sounds like a pretty “religious” upbringing, it wasn’t. And that’s not what truly influenced my faith. It was what happened outside of church. It happened when my mom mowed yards for older people who couldn’t do it themselves. Mom mowed yards well into her 80s, at one time mowing five yards besides her own. And of course, the church yard!
It was when my dad went out on cold, dark nights to deliver gas to a family who had discovered after work that their tank was empty. He drove a propane gas truck as an independent contractor, and he figured that people were going to have a hard time sleeping and then getting the kids to school if they had to spend the night in a cold house with no hot breakfast the next morning.
It was when my mom walked every day to the post office (she didn’t drive) to pick up mail for a neighbor who was homebound, then for another who had “bad knees” and couldn’t get out. The list went on and on.
It was when a family traveling through our town ran low on gas on Christmas Eve with 30 miles to go to get home that night. My dad and I packed them into our Pontiac and took them home, leaving their car in our driveway until they could return a few days later with gas.
It was when my mom transplanted wildflowers from her yard for her new Mexican neighbor’s yard and showed her how to water and care for them, even though they spoke different languages.
What most influenced my faith was not what my parents talked about or the church we attended, but what I observed about their own faith in everyday life. They normally and naturally did “what Christian people do.” Today, I realize that I’ve made their faith and faith practices my own. My parents have always been deeply rooted in spirituality and practice, striving each day to do what Jesus would have done in each situation they faced. My dad passed away when I was 21. But as I lean toward ministries of accompaniment and pastoral care, toward addressing social and community needs, toward treating others as Jesus would treat them, I’m continuing my family’s strong legacy of faith practice and passing it along to my sons and their families. And I know my dad is there, guiding my heart and steps in the right direction.
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of: shampoo (prefer 2-in-1 shampoo & conditioner), body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, child diapers (all sizes), cereal, spaghetti sauce and spaghetti noodles. To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive. Thank you!
Men's Breakfast
We will hold our Men’s Breakfast in the Mission and Fellowship Center (MFC) on Saturday, June 1, at 8:00 a.m. We will have great food, fellowship and a special guest speaker. Please plan to attend and also invite your friends.
If you are available, please assist us on Friday, May 31, at 10:00 a.m. in the MFC to set up for the breakfast.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School starts Tuesday, May 28th and runs through Friday, May 31, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon, at Bridge Park. Please remember to register if you haven’t already done so.
We need help! Folks are needed to serve as group leaders for the different age groups. You would accompany the children to the 4 different stations during the morning and assist as needed. Please consider helping. VBS is always so much fun!
Please remember to register your child (or yourself if you are volunteering as a group leader) for VBS by using the QR code shown here. Scan or click on the QR code above, or click here to register now!
Call for Graduates
If you are graduating from high school or college this year, please let the church office know by noon on Thursday. We want to honor you!
Hurray for Our Nursery Workers of the Week!
Thank you, Elise Mahoney, Lexi Allen, and Lily Fisher for working
in the nursery this past Sunday. It was a big help to have extra
hands during the Conversations program.
On May 26, Beth and Lucie Moore will be in the nursery.
We appreciate you both!
Thank You!
Tonya Lloyd would like to send out a big “thank you” to everyone for the calls, cards, texts, prayers and well wishes following her recent surgery.
Sunday School and Childcare is Available!
Flowers for Sanctuary
If you would like to provide flowers in the sanctuary for Sunday morning services, please contact Gwen Messer at 828-506-8370, or Janice in the church office to be placed on the calendar.