IN THIS ISSUE

August

2016

the Beacon

First United Methodist Church Marion, NC

Seeking to be a Lighthouse guiding people in Worship, Discipleship,

and Christian Service.

A Word from Pastor Warren Page 1 Members in Action Page 2 August Calendar Page 2 Children and Youth Page 3 Memorials Page 4 Make an Impact Page 4 Memorials Page 5 August Birthdays Page 6

God’s Good Timing God will always give what it right to his people

who cry to him night and day, and he will be

slow to answer them. Luke 18:7

Why does God wait until the money is gone? Why does he wait until the sickness has lingered? Why does he choose to wait until the other side of the grave to answer the prayers of healing? I don’t know. I only know his timing is always right. I can only say he will do what is best. . . Though you hear nothing, he is speaking. Though you see nothing, he is acting. With God there are no accidents. Every incident is intended to bring us closer to him.

Dear Friends of Marion First UMC,

The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall.

Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.

A pastor, Stephey Bilynskyj, starts each confirmation class with a jar full of beans. He asks his students to guess how many beans are in the jar, and on a big pad of paper writes down their estimates. Then, next to those estimates, he helps them make another list: Their favorite songs. When the lists are complete, he reveals the actual number of beans in the jar. The whole class looks over their guesses, to see which estimate was closest to being right.

Bilynskyj then turns to the list of favorite songs. "And which one of these is closest to being right?" he asks. The students protest that there is no "right answer"; a person's favorite song is purely a matter of taste. Bilynskyj, who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Notre Dame asks, "When you decide what to believe in terms of your faith, is that more like guessing the number of beans, or more like choosing your favorite song?" Always, Bilynskyj says, from old as well as young, he gets the same answer: Choosing one's faith is more like choosing a favorite song than making an estimate. I hope your summer has afforded you some time for reflection on what you believe and that your faith is strengthened. Grace and Peace

Pastor Warren

August Calendar

Page 2 THE BEACON

Monday, Aug. 1 5:30 pm-VBS Meal 6:00 pm-CAVEQUEST Tues., Aug. 2 5:30 pm-VBS Meal 6:00 pm-CAVEQUEST Wed., Aug. 3 8:00 am-Men’s Bible Study 5:30 pm-VBS Meal 6:00 pm-CAVEQUEST Thurs., Aug. 4 5:30 pm-VBS Meal 6:00 pm-CAVEQUEST Wed., Aug. 10 8:00 am-Men’s Bible Study 9:00 am-Coffee Club 6:00 pm-Friends in Faith 7:00 pm-Psalter Choir Sun., Aug. 14 12:00 pm-Youth Acitivity Mon., Aug. 15 6:00 pm-ECEC Board Meeting 6:00 pm-Trustees Meeting 7:00 pm-Finance Meeting Wed., Aug. 17 8:00 am-Men’s Bible Study 6:00 pm-Friends in Faith 7:00 pm-Psalter Choir Fri., Aug. 19 6:45 pm-Movie Night Tues., Aug. 23 6:00 pm-Church Council Wed., Aug. 24 8:00 am-Men’s Bible Study 9:00 am-Coffee Club 6:00 pm-Friends in Faith 7:00 pm-Psalter Choir Thurs., Aug. 25 2:00 pm-Congregational Care Committee Meeting Sun., Aug. 28 Community Worship Service-Youth Night and Dinner Wed., Aug. 31 8:00 am-Men’s Bible Study 6:00 pm-Friends in Faith 7:00 pm-Psalter Choir

Acolytes Aug. 7 Eavan Smith Aug. 14 Samuel Owens Aug. 21 Charlotte Moore Aug. 28 Olivia Bell Crucifer Aug. 7 Maggie Vaughn Aug. 14 Roger Moomaw Aug. 21 Maggie Buckner Aug. 28 Ben Kagan Children’ Church Aug. 7 Jerri Young Aug. 14 Amy Moomaw Aug. 21 Angela Bryan Aug. 28 Michele Settlemyre Sunday School Elementary Debra Boldon Youth Jerri Young Counting Teams Aug. 8 Norman Guthrie Fred Dodge Aug. 15 Linda Davidson Ann Arney Aug. 22 Jimmy Blanton Jamie Green Aug. 29 Cathy Cook Ruth Sander Sound Ryan Smith Coffee Clean-up Youth Friday Office Volunteers Aug. 5 Mary Dodge Aug. 12 John Holda Aug. 19 Robin Dunnebacke Aug. 26 Craig Stainbrook

Kids

& Youth

Going On This Week! (Through Thursday)

VBS

5:30-8:30

Each Night!

Come Join In On the Fun!

Friends in Faith

continues on Wednesday Nights

from 6-7 pm

Ages 3-5th grade

Learning about God and having lots of fun!

Hey Youth!

Let’s make a SPLACH before school starts back!

We’re going to Wet N Wild Waterpark at Emerald Point

Saturday, August 20

Come Join in on the fun! (ask Jerri for details)

Memorials

In Memory of

Betty Smoak Buddy and Rachel Carnes Mary and Fred Dodge Mike and Kathy Rabb Wayne and Linda Davidson Kenneth Rabb Mitch and Ann Arney Philip and Kay Tate

Page 4 – The Beacon

United Methodist Women

The Mayme Tainter Circle will meet on Monday, August 8, 2016 at

6:30 pm at Moondoggie’s Restaurant

The Morning Circle will not meet in

August.

Make An Impact... Leave a Trace of Grace

Rally Day

Saturday, Aug. 27

Time to start collection

of food items for the

Marion Elementary Children

Please grab a grocery list in Narthex or beside church office!

Elevator Update

The trustees have signed a contract with Moss-Marlow to install our new

elevator. The elevator will connect the library to the fellowship hall and will be

an external structure. Construction will begin within the next two months and

will probably end in January. Weather will determine the completion date.

During construction, we will lose use of half the fellowship hall parking lot, a

portion of the fellowship hall, and a portion of the library.

If you have questions, any of the trustees can answer them.

2016 Trustees

Mike Rabb Michelle Fowler Sandra Brown

Mitch Goodson Jeff Judd Kay Tate

Lloyd Cuthbertson Jane Brown Fred Dodge

Grocery List

Canned ravioli/spaghetti

Canned chicken noodle soup

Boxed macaroni & cheese

Individual boxes of cereal

(sold in packs of 10-12)

Cups of fruit or applesauce

Individual packs of crackers

(sold in packs of 6-8)

Granola/snack bars

Clorox wipes

Please place items in the Big Yellow Box in the Adult Sunday School Hall

March Birthdays

August Birthdays

A Lighthouse guiding people in Worship, Spiritual Growth, and Service.

First United Methodist Church 176 Robert St. Marion, NC 28752 828-652-7010 marionfumc.com

August 1 Kathy Atkinson August 5 Debra Boldon August 6 Molly Hollifield August 7 Mitch Goodson August 8 Caroline Brown Noah Bryan August 10 Josh Bagwell Michael Caparaso Daniel Young August 11 Matthew Holda Sharon Smith August 12 Missy Vaughn August 13 Rick Barber Mia Caparaso August 14 Dina Stainbrook August 15 Todd Pool August 16 Rene Bell

August 18 Patrick Davis Nancy Haynes Ann Ledbetter Megan Moomaw August 19 Lillian Smith August 20 Tabitha Bagwell Debbie Ishikura August 22 Mary Jane Boyd August 23 Beaver Robinette Jessica Ross August 24 Dan Davis Mary Hallman August 29 Danny Cook John Holda August 30 Angela Bryan Jamie Green