From the Pastor’s DeskDear Friends,

“Have a blessed day.” We hear these words from kind-hearted people in a grocery store, on answering machines, and read them at the close of an email or letter. At different times in our lives we may find ourselves searching or praying for blessings from the Lord—perhaps with a specific idea of what those blessings should look like. For myself, I have found that blessing comes most reliably in serving God. This was certainly true for Mary, the mother of Jesus. The angel who first announced Mary’s pregnancy declared, “Blessed are you among women!” and certainly, she was blessed to be the one to carry, nurture, teach, and love the Savior of the world. But as a mother, she also knew great suffering in life: she suffered the stigma of being an unwed mother, she likely lost her husband before her firstborn was even 30 years old, and then she watched her precious son arrested, tortured, stripped, and hung on a cross like a criminal. And yet, the angel declared her “blessed.”

I have known many mothers who have faced hardship with and because of their children, and yet for the best, their love never fails. Motherhood is difficult, just as serving others is at times difficult. Some mothers, unfortunately, fall short. For myself, even with the hardships and challenges, the greatest blessings come through serving others in love, whether it be through serving the church or serving my family. When the opportunity comes to serve alongside others, the blessings are increased tenfold.

This past month I was blessed to serve alongside many people in our congregation, and I wanted to take a moment to say “thank you.” Thank you to all of those who volunteered time and effort to our Holy Week and Easter services, from our youth and adults who took part in our services, to those who worked behind the scenes setting up and taking down. Thank you to Dave, Sue, Wanda, Tracy, and to each one who helped make our yard sale such a success. Thank you to all of you who serve our church regularly in our food, prayer, teaching, and maintenance ministries. Thank you, dear friends, for the blessing of serving our Lord alongside you. Individually, we can only do so much. But when we come together, working as a team and helping one another as God intends, amazing things can happen that are greater than ourselves.

If you haven’t experienced this wonderful blessing yourself, the blessing of working with others in ministry to the Lord, I invite you to do so. If you haven’t already signed up to help with VBS, find Tracy Coley or myself and we can help get you plugged in at VBS or another ministry opportunity in our church with kids and adults. Don’t wait to be asked to discover the blessing of serving the Lord. I promise you, if your experience is anything like mine, you will discover the truth that it truly is more blessed to give than receive.

In His Love, Pastor Megan

MessengerTHE C O L B E R T U N I T E DM E T H O D I S T C H U R C HM AY 2 0 1 7 • V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 5

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Upcoming Meetings & Events(All meetings take place in the Family Life Center.)Retirement Reception for Dr. Whetstone – Sun., April 30, Watkinsville UMC, 3-5pmTrustees Meeting – Tues., May 9, 10amVBS Planning Meeting – Wed., May 3, 6pmCouncil Meeting – Mon., July 24, 6pm. VBS Staff Training & Set Creation – Sun., May 7, 12:30pmGraduate Recognition Sunday – Sun., May 21 – Covered dish luncheon to follow morning serviceYouth Takeover Sunday – May 14, 11am – Youth will provide music and worship for this special Mother’s Day service.

Vacation Bible School June 4-7Registration is now open for Colbert UMC VBS—Maker Fun Factory: Cre-ated by God, Built for a Purpose! Register online at colbert-umc.org/ministries/vacation-bible-school or fill out a form available in the church narthex. This will be the most colorful, fun and exciting VBS yet with new songs (and the oldies), new creative crafts, new unique games, and exciting dramatic storytelling that will engage children and adults alike. Staff training for our leaders and set creation day is on May 7 imme-diately following the morning service in the FLC. Lunch is provided. If you would like to be in-volved in any way, even in a support role, let Tracy or Pastor Megan know!

Important Upcoming Dates:May 29: VBS Props/Stage Setup Day

TrusteesThe trustees have identified areas of clutter in our church that has prevented us from properly do-ing the work of the church. Now comes the hard tasks of cleaning it up, which we are praying for volunteers. Other projects we need help for are putting new shingles on the shed that houses our lawn mower and putting new redwood stain on the playset at the FLC. If you can help, call Dave English at 706-788-9712. The next trustee meet-ing is Tuesday, May 9, at 10am.

CouncilThe Council has just finished revising the “Policy/Procedure Manual” for our church and contains a very important section on “Use of the Church Building.” Copies will be posted on the bulletin boards of the church and FLC. The next meeting will be Monday, July 24, at 6pm.

Yard SaleThanks so very much to everyone who helped in the church yard sale. It was a HUGE success! We raised over $2000 to support our youth mission trip and other outreach programs for our group.We thank Dave and Sue English and Wanda Coley who worked tirelessly all four days of the yard sale, taking money and helping customers. Dave and Greg Palmer also helped the youth and adult volunteers Brad, Emily, Gina, Neal and Codi move the merchandise from storage into the FLC in the terrential downpour. Thanks especially to Molli and Gina who worked to organize and price items into the week. Thank you all for giving of your-selves; service to others leads to a fulfilling life. And thanks to our church family for your moral support—and your baked goods! We love you!

Very gratefully yours, Tracy

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G E N E R A L N E W S

Soup Kitchen Our Daily Bread at Athens FBC

Our wonderful volunteers served 138 plates of food to our appreciative guests on April 27 at Athens First Baptist Church. Rose Branson, Greg Palmer, Brenda Abdel-Hafez, Suzanne Sack, Cleo Ward, and Bill & Shirley McClure prepared and served delicious green beans, mac and cheese, sausage, ham, bread, canned fruit and fresh bananas. It is such a joy to participate in this ministry. If you are interested in serving on the fourth Thursday of each month, contact Brenda Abdel-Hafez. We will serve again May 25. The Daily Bread organization at Athens First Baptist serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week. What a blessing to so many people.

Grow CampComer UMC is hosting their Grow Camp June 5-9, 9am-5:30pm, Monday-Thursday, and 9am-12:30pm Friday. The cost is $135, but scholarships are available. Saturate your kids in God’s word as they go directly from Grow Camp to our VBS!

intheMIDDLEmealsIMM will be making their last delivery for this school year the week of May 14th. They are currently in need of crackers and individual mac & cheese to be able to finish out the year. They are hoping to provide a little extra these last few weeks to help the kids out after school ends. Please continue to keep IMM in mind when shopping over the summer, your dona-tions to this outreach are very much appreci-ated.

Finance Report

At the end of our first quarter of 2017, our income was $1300+ less than our expenses. We are also around $7000 behind in our budget for the year.

However, we are not behind in giving of our time, talents and prayers. Thank you so much for all that each of you do for our church. We are so blessed to have an outstanding KFC program on Wednesday evenings for our children and an excellent youth program that meets on Sunday evenings. We have wonderful United Methodist Men and Women groups that serve as an outreach for those in need. There are three food programs offered from this congregation that are blessings to so many in the community. In the Middle Meals program runs throughout the school year delivering bags of food for the weekend to students at our county middle and high schools. Our Food Bank is open once a month to serve those in need and we serve one meal a month at Our Daily Bread in Athens. There are many other programs that we provide for our members and others. I know that God is smiling on Colbert United Methodist Church. If you would like to be involved in one of our programs, please contact Pastor Megan Gomez at 706-788-3372.

Dear Church Family,Thank you so very much for your donation fo Gideon Bibles in Mom’s memory. We appreciate your love and support. Dave & Sue English

Thank you to everyone for your warm words of congratulation to myself and Cris. We are look-ing forward to welcoming a bouncing baby boy in mid-October! Pastor Megan & Chris

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G E N E R A L N E W S

Hampton ClassThe month of May reminds us of our mothers. We will be celebrating Mother’s Day on May 14. The mother of Jesus, Mary, was our most pre-cious mother. Our own mothers have been an important part of who we are today.

As I was writing for the Messenger, the devo-tional in the upper room for April 19 reminded us that prayers from someone we know have made a difference in our lives. More often than not, our mothers are praying for us continually.

Here is a wise saying of how our mothers lead us: “A mother walks ahead of us to guide us when we are small, and then she walks beside us with a hand in case we fall. Then one day, when she’s taught us everything we need to know, she points the way to future dreams and gently lets us go.” Proverbs 31:25 says: “Her children arise up and call her blessed”.

It is no surprise that all the mothers in our class are grandmothers. Here is a child’s view of grandmas:

Many years ago a four-year old girl named Sandra Louise Doty described what she thought a grandmother was like. She said, “A grandmoth-er is a lady who has no children of her own, so she likes other people’s little girls. A grandfather is a man grandmother. He goes for walks with the boys, and they talk about fishing and trac-tors and things like that. Grandmas don’t have to do anything except be there. They’re old, so they shouldn’t play hard or run. It is enough if they drive us to the market where the pretend horse is and have lots of dimes ready. Or if they take us for walks, they should slow down past things like pretty leaves or caterpillars. They should never, ever say, ‘Hurry up.’ Usually, they are fat, but not too fat to tie kids’ shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take off their teeth and gums. They don’t have to be smart, only answer questions like why dogs hate cats and how come God isn’t married. They don’t talk baby talk like visitors do, be-cause it is hard to understand. When they read to us, they don’t skip or mind if it is the same story again.” Then she finished, “Everybody should try to have [a grandmother], especially if you don’t have television, because grandmas are the only grown-ups who have got time.”

Thank you mothers everywhere for your guidance, love and prayers above all else.

You are welcome to join us anytime. Be blessed, Ruth Johnson

Brookshire ClassOur quarterly Bible studies have been revealing how much God loves us. The final monthly study comes from the book of Jonah. Jonah missed the mark in that he did not understand the depth of God’s love and did not live in the joy of his task. Are we also burdened so much with God living that we miss the joy giving? Come share your experience of God’s love.

This is the Day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.

Our deepest sympathy is extended to Bar-bara Dixon and the family in the loss of Jack. He fought a tough battle. Wayne Craig continues with nausea and other symptoms during this time of illness. Judy Martin is doing well after her hernia surgery. We are missing all of these precious friends in worship and hope to see them return soon.

The Easter events were so meaningful to us. Thank you, Pastor Megan, for all of the time, effort and prayer that you gave in preparing and carrying out the wonderful services.

We invite you to attend our Sunday School class. We have wonderful Christian fellowship as we study, pray and encourage each other. Brenda Abdel-Hafez will be teaching our lessons in May.

God’s accuracy may be observed in the hatch-ing of eggs. .

• those of the canary in 14 days• those of the barnyard hen in 21 days • eggs of ducks and geese in 28 days • those of the mallard in 35 days The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in

42 days. (Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!)

—Brenda Abdel-Hafez

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S U N D AY S C H O O L N E W S

UMW meets Monday, May 1 at 6pm in the church fellowship hall. We invite all ladies of the church to join us as we enjoy refreshments prepared by Jerrie Teet and Dixie Grissom and hear an enlightening program from Jerrie Teet. We will also be discussing our mission outreach projects. We have missed Judy Craig and Rachel Drake the last couple of meetings and continue to keep them and their families in our prayers.

We will help with the games at Vacation Bible School in June. Please see Dave English if you can

help. The UMM made a $100 donation to the Youth Mission trip.

What a wonderful reason to put Supper Club on hold for a few months!!! Our church is sooooo busy with senior recognition, VBS, mission trips, outreach ministries, the list goes on. Watch the monthly Messenger for our next outing adventure. Until We Eat Again!!!

In April our UMYF group celebrated the birthdays of Isaac, Clay and Will. Thanks to all the youth, parents and volunteers who helped us at the yard sale the last week in April. Thanks to the funds we raised from the

yard sale, we can fully fund the mission trip to D.C. June 24-July 1, and special mission projects and events for the rest of the group. You’ll be hearing more about the mission trip closer to departure, but in case you’re interested, we will be participating in a relational mission experience through the organization called Experience Mission. We’ll be working with the Kids Club (a VBS-type program), elderly and

shut-ins, and the homeless to make difference in their lives and show the love of Christ abounds.

We’re getting ready for Youth Takeover Sunday on May 14 for a very special Mother’s Day service, where they will be sharing their musical, speaking and hosting talents. Don’t forget that Graduation Recognition Sunday is on May 21. We’ll recognize our scholar graduates Molli McGinnis and Isaac Parham with a luncheon immediately following the service. Please bring a covered dish to share. The youth are also getting ready to be team leaders for the VBS Maker Fun Factory on June 4-7. And we’re planning some fun things to do this summer. The youth have worked hard this spring, and we will be definitely take time to enjoy ourselves!

Thank you to our entire church family for your consummate support and love. You are helping make a difference in the lives of our youths in becoming disciples of Christ and shining His light into the rest of the world.

In His service, Tracy

An Easter ReflectionFrom a church member

As I look back to Easter week, I am still amazed at ALL that Jesus did for ME. Not only did he make the ultimate sacrifice with the crucifixion, he humbled himself by washing the apostles’ feet, he broke bread and made wine for ME as a reminder that HE is the bread of life. By participating in the Maunday Thursday and Good Friday services, it makes Easter morning sooooo much more meaningful. If you were unable to be a part of these services during Holy Week, prayerfully consider doing so next year. It will not only humble you, it will bring you closer in your walk with Jesus.

S M A L L G R O U P N E W S

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MAY.  7 MAY.  14 MAY.  21 MAY.  28USHERS Larry  Goss Brabara  Clack Suzanne  Sack Rose  Branson

Mitchell  Goss Barry  Clack Rita  Whitehead Chuck  BransonACOLYTE Lorali  Hardegree Braydon  Hardegree Danielle  Wooten Clay  SaxonLITURGIST Trudy  Ward Dave  English Nancy  Goss Gina  WardNURSERY Mariann  Branson Patty  Hughes Terri  Christian Katherine  Phelps

Kaylee  Phelps Trudy  Ward Braydon  Hardegree Lorali  HardegreeFLOWERS Communion Pat  Howell Jill  Kidd  &  David  Rutledge Brenda  Abdel-‐HafezCOMMUNION  ASST. TBD

JUN.  4USHERS Anna  Almond

Kebo  AlmondACOLYTE Olivia  WootenLITURGIST Brenda  Abdel-‐HafezNURSERY Shirley  McClure

Danielle  WootenFLOWERS CommunionCOMMUNION  ASST. Suzanne  Sack

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G O D ’ S S U N D AY S E R V A N T S

UMW May Hostesses: Jerrie Teet and Dixie GrissomUMW May Program: Jerrie Teet

UMW June Hostesses: Linda Gaulding and Cleo WardUMW June Program: Rose Branson

Official Church CalendarNeed to reserve church spaces or van for an event? The Official Church Calendar is maintained by Pastor Megan. If you need to use the old fellowship hall, Family Life Center, Sunday School rooms, sanctuary, or church van, please follow these easy steps:

1. Check the Official Church Calendar (located in the church office in the FLC) to see if the room(s) or van is available for the day(s) you want to reserve and use them. Please note that the church main-tains a list of approved drivers; please see Pastor Megan for more information.

2. Read the building usage policy located in the church office and on the bulletin board in the back hall of the church.

3. Fill out a Reservation Form located online or in the church office, and return it to Pastor Megan.4. Pay any necessary deposit or usage fee (preferably by check) to the church. Trustees will determine

and assess any damage fees as necessary.5. After receipt of payment (if necessary), Pastor Megan will confirm your reservation and write your

reservation on the Official Church Calendar.

This policy was adopted by the Church Council on Jan. 9, 2011.

If you are unable to be there for your scheduled Sunday, please try to switch with someone or call Rose Branson @ 706-227-2571.

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68 North Second StreetP.O. Box 317

Colbert, Georgia 30628

Pastor Megan Hallford Gomez(706) 788-3372 (office)megan.gomez@ngumc.net

www.colbert-umc.org Colbert United Methodist Church

Our Mission: Colbert United Methodist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!

Colbert United Methodist Church 68 North Second Street • Colbert, Ga. 30628

Colbert UMCVacation Bible School

June 4-7, 5:30-8:30pm

Register by May 19 and get a free VBS music CD!

Online registration open:colbert-umc.org/ministries/vacation-bible-school