theConnectionF I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H C A R Y

theConnectionF I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H C A R Y

May 31, 2019

Worship:

Sunday Sanctuary: 8:25, 9:45, & 11:05am

117 South Academy Street Cary, NC 27511

Sunday 1st on Chatham: 9:45 and 11:05am

The Cary, 122 E. Chatham Street, Cary, NC 27511

office: (919) 467-1861

pastor on call: (919) 467-1862

firstcary.com

Lori Barmer Communications Coordinator

OUR MISSIONTo make disciples of

Jesus Christ who grow in faith and love through

worship, fellowship, service and witness to one another

and the world.

Sharing the heartof Christ from the

heart of Cary.Being the Good Soil“Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” – Luke 8:5

After years of running a school garden, I learned something incredible; dirt is alive! I’m not entirely sure how I missed this in all my years of education, but I did. Dirt, the way God designed it, is teaming with microbes and nutrients that support life in incredibly

complicated ways. Soil not only contains these microbes, which are invisible to our eyes, but earthworms, nematodes, beetles, mold, fungi, mites, and micro arthropods which all work together to build an environment that provides nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and many other nutrients for plant life. What a miracle!

But it can only do this, if it is allowed to. If these processes in soil are interrupted, through overuse of pesticides, erosion, compacting or mono-cropping (one crop replanted over and over), soil loses its biodiversity, and its health. But we can restore the health of the soil, and it isn’t hard to do!

Through practicing “regenerative agriculture”, we can build healthy soil which improves water retention, plant health, nutrition of fruit and vegetables, and productivity. One way we can participate in regenerative agriculture is through composting which turns food waste into soil. Composting can be done in backyards and community gardens, as well as through a paid pick-up service like Compost Now, enabling individuals and churches to help restore God’s earth. Healthy soil practices replenish the earth, and as I have found, can replenish the soul as well!

In a recent sermon, Reverend McLean asked, “what urgent call for our discipleship are we hearing now?” She also spoke of God’s “making all things new” and “creation and re-creation.” She noted one interpretation of Revelation that calls for every generation to “reimagine our world and to reimagine our faithful response, doing the redemptive and healing work to which we are all called.” In learning about and understanding some of the environmental crises we face, we can hear that urgent call, and it can

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Jenna Fitch stationed at the compost, recycling, and trash bins at First UMC Cary’s April 28 Food Truck Rodeo

be hard not to become hopeless in the face of its enormity. But, through Jesus, we are called to faith, hope and action. There is no room for hopelessness.

For me, composting is a spiritual act. In God’s original design, all things are made new; nothing is wasted. In composting, we participate in the act of making things new. Instead of sending food waste to the landfill, an environment that hinders its breakdown and produces methane, a greenhouse gas, food waste can be regenerated into nutrient rich compost which increases organic matter, fertility, texture, water retention, and vital organisms in the soil improving plant health, nutrition, and productivity. And, as new research has proven, compost, when spread among plants, is able to pull carbon out of the atmosphere into the ground re-balancing the carbon cycle. This is God’s

original design and is an incredibly hopeful solution to some of the huge environmental issues we face!

Through our industrial compost program, First Cary has diverted approximately 4,927 pounds of food scraps since September 2016. Our food scraps come from food prep in the kitchen, MCC, Wednesday night suppers, Sunday night youth dinners, Summer Meals program, and special events like the recent food truck rodeo. Our church has produced 1,232 pounds of rich compost, and avoided the release of approximately 640 pounds of methane from the landfill. The finished compost is returned by the truckload to Gracious Harvest Garden and is used to grow healthy food for local families (the equivalent of 1,230 tomatoes!). This is regenerative agriculture. This is, quite literally, becoming the good soil.

If you’d like to get involved with Creation Care, or are simply interested in learning more about composting, either through a paid service or in your own backyard, or in any other Creation Care topics, we’d love to come talk to your small group or Sunday school class. Contact us at creationcare@firstcary.com. – Leigh Williams

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After the Floods Ten servants from First Cary headed “down east” last Saturday morning to work on a Hurricane Matthew damaged home. After a brief stop at Bojangles, we headed to a flood victim’s home that had been relocated to a higher, drier location after it was significantly damaged by Hurricane Matthew. Moving homes from hurricane higher risk locations is one of the forward-thinking directions that is being taken in some areas. Since the home we were repairing was a mobile home, the moving process was easier.

The work on this home was almost complete and our task was to construct a deck with steps on the back of the home as well as a smaller landing and steps at the end of the home. The temperature Saturday was in the upper 80’s so everyone was encouraged to drink plenty of liquids and to pace themselves while working in the hot sun. Thanks to the leadership and skill

of Rick Kibler and Mike Bailey, we were able to get the majority of the work finished before we left.

Our First Cary Disaster Response teams are made up of individuals with varying levels of skills, but we all work together to get the job done. Serving in this way is a great way to pick up some useful home repair skills. Despite the warm weather last Saturday, everyone on the work team had a great time. And we know that, thanks to our work, one family is a little closer to getting back into their home.

There are still 100 Hurricane Matthew homes in the Tarboro area needing repair work. And there are many, many more awaiting help from Hurricane Florence and Michael’s devastation last fall.

If you can help, please come join us on one of our trips down east. Contact Stephanie Purdy at spurdy@firstcary.com to learn more.

Food Insecurity in CarySummers and holidays, when children are out of school, are challenging times for food pantries. While in school, children are guaranteed a breakfast and lunch, but in the summer, it is harder for many families to provide three nutritious meals a day, and food pantries help fill that gap. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. First UMC Cary is involved in several ministries that help alleviate food insecurity.

Summer Meals Program We are excited to be able to feed lots of children this year on our campus at First UMC Cary, with a hot, fresh meal prepared by a chef. Yes, Chef T. is returning to prepare healthy, delicious meals for any and all children who attend! The program will run Monday through Wednesday, June 17 through August 14, from 5:30 to 7:00pm. We have been collecting books for pre-school and elementary school children. On Monday and Wednesday evenings, servants will read with the children. On Tuesday evenings, the children will be able to play games and check out the Gracious Harvest Garden beside the playground. This is truly a time that families can meet and spend time with other families, serving together and sharing the love of Christ. Sign up to serve at https://tinyurl.com/y3ahsn5r.

Dorcas Ministries’ Food Pantry Jill Straight, Director of Client Services at Dorcas Ministries, recently shared a story with me about a young mother, who, through no fault of her own, was suddenly unable to provide food for her children. “The perfect storm came last May. Marie was making summer plans for her four school aged boys, but life had a different forecast. Marie lost her job on Monday. On Tuesday, she had to be rushed to Wake Med with chest pains. She was okay, but the visit meant pile of medical bills that she could not afford to pay. It was a once-in-a-lifetime tornado of stress. As her debt snow-balled and she desperately searched for a job, the kids got out of school for the summer, and she had no food to feed them. That’s when Marie came to Dorcas. She got help with her mounting bills. She was approved to shop in the food pantry until she could get back on her feet. The storm clouds broke and she found a good-paying job in July. Praise God! Today, Marie and the boys are doing well and looking forward to a new summer filled with sunshine!

Thanks to generous donations of healthy food, Dorcas is able to feed hundreds of families every summer.”

Jenny Andreev, a volunteer at the Dorcas Food Pantry, said, “Emily (age 11) and I are enjoying our time serving at the food pantry. What a wonderful, well-run mission that helps members in our immediate community. The facility is so well set-up that it’s easy to jump right in and get to work. Emily and I have fun serving, and I really believe that children learn best when shown by example. We definitely get much more than we give!”

BackPack Buddies BackPack Buddies is an outreach ministry that helps to ensure that food-insecure children have enough to eat during weekends and school breaks. The program is specifically for children who qualify for the school lunch program. There are a growing number of stories in local and national news about children going hungry when they are out of school. For many, the meals they get at school are it—there is no food at home.

Thanks to members who donate shelf-stable food, servants who sort and organize, and servants who collect and deliver, fewer children will go without food while out of school.

First UMC Cary provides BackPack Buddies food to Adams Elementary. Church member, Ann Young, is the Guidance Counselor there and she said, “Students who are hungry are less likely to perform well at school. They may be tired, grumpy, more irritable, and less able to concentrate on their school work. Having food from BackPack Buddies helps our 50-plus students have food over the weekend, and come to school prepared to learn. Students have expressed how they enjoy the food and are so appreciative of what they take home each week. Students have shared with their teachers that they are hungry, and First UMC Cary has supplied our students with BPBs. Many thanks for all the support you give to our students at Adam’s Elementary.”

“Children are a heritage from the Lord.”– Psalm 127:3

Pastors On-Call Your pastors continue to seek ways to provide you with quality pastoral care while balancing the other demands of ministry. In an effort to be available, we have an “on-call” system. If you need to reach a pastor in an emergency situation, you may call (919) 467-1862 to reach the on-call pastor for that week. There is also an option to dial this line directly when calling the church office. When you call this number, the pastor on call for the week will respond as soon as possible. Please be mindful when calling this number, as it is for true emergencies only. This includes a death, sudden critical hospitalization of a member, or other such situations. Pastoral care for non-emergencies, such as scheduled hospitalizations, can be arranged through the front office.

Favorite ScripturePhilippians 2:1-3 (nrsv) If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.

Library NewsGarden Graces: The Wisdom In Growing Things by Janice Elsheimer. c.2010.

From the book cover: “Filled with practical insights, reliable gardening information, and Bible-based truths, Garden Graces will offer you gardening tips alongside metaphors for life that will help you cultivate your garden—and your spiritual journey.” Some chapters are devotional and others are practical gardening ideas. Most chapters end with a section called Soul Gardening. Example: “In what area of your life do you need to commit to intentional seeding and patient waiting? In what ways does having faith feel out of control to you? Consider the risks of seeding and waiting and the potential gain from taking those risks. Then, as you become more grounded in your faith in God, observe the ways in which your plans come to fruition.” [248.8 Els] Donation in memory of Carol Russell by the Cary Garden Club.

The Foodscape Revolution: Finding a Better Way to Make Space for Food and Beauty in Your Garden by Brie Arthur. c. 2017. Mark Weathington, Director, JC Raulston Arboretum, NCSU, provides this comment about the book: “Few

garden movements have combined the burgeoning desire of people to take control of their food sources while still creating beautiful and functional garden spaces, even as our landscapes are shrinking. Brie is leading the way in the foodscape revolution with bounteous borders of vegetables and flowering perennials, grains and showy shrubs — and she makes it all seem so easy.” [261.8 Art] Donation in memory of Carol Russell by the Cary Garden Club.

DVDDirt! The Movie: A Story With Heart and Soil. The movie was inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth. This movie takes a humorous and substantial look into the history and current state of the living organic matter that we come from and to which we will later return. The DVD includes the Feature, the full length movie approximately 1½ hours long, or it can be viewed by selecting each chapter. The Special Features section includes bonus scenes, short segments and interviews. – The Church Library Committee

Bridge the Gap Mission Back to School SuppliesLast August, Bridge the Gap Mission delivered 208 book bags stuffed with school supplies to eight schools and two low income apartment complexes (one of those in Cary). We would like to reach even more students this year. Starting June 1 through August 4, we will collect school supplies in the two Bridge the Gap Mission boxes at the church. If you have a group that wants to collect, please call me and I can pick the school supplies up. Becky Viersen (919-851-4535) bviersen@aol.com .We need the following:

• Book bags• Safety scissors• Markers• Crayons• Glue sticks• No. 2 pencils• Wide ruled notebook paper• Colored pencils• Composition notebooks

New Life RecoveryThe Addiction Recovery Movement would like to invite anyone who needs support with addiction recovery for themselves or for a loved one to New Life Recovery. The group meets on Thursday nights from 6:30-8:00 in the log cabin.Saturdays, at 7:00pm, in the log cabin, an invitation to New Life Recovery worship gathering is open to all who have a passion for nurturing Christ-centered Addiction Recovery.

Summer Reading and Discussion“Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help, and How to Reverse It” by Robert Lupton

• When: June 5, 7:00-8:00 pm, and Wednesday, August 21, 7:00-8:00 pm (2 sessions only).

• Where: Room 156About the book:Veteran urban activist Robert Lupton reveals the shockingly toxic effects that modern charity has upon the very people meant to benefit from it. Toxic Charity provides proven new models for charitable groups who want to help—not sabotage—those whom they desire to serve. Lupton, the founder of FCS Urban Ministries (Focused Community Strategies) in Atlanta, the voice of the Urban Perspectives newsletter, and the author of Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life, has been at the forefront of urban ministry activism for forty years. Now, in the vein of Jeffrey Sachs’s The End of Poverty, Richard Stearns’s The Hole in Our Gospel, and Gregory Boyle’s Tattoos on the Heart, his groundbreaking Toxic Charity shows us how to start serving needy and impoverished members of our communities in a way that will lead to lasting, real-world change.

Habitat Build Update We are getting close to the target completion date, which is June 30, but there is still a lot of work to be done. There is one Saturday remaining First UMC Cary has committed to provide servants. However, you can sign up for any days that you are available to help. Please prayerfully consider signing up for this year’s build. You can sign up at: http://vhub.at/CaryCoalition/. You may contact Mike Bailey ragtopguy@mindspring.com if you have any questions.

United Methodist Men’s Breakfast and Program Our speakers on June 8 will be members of the leadership team for Hearts & Hammers home repair ministry. This is an exciting new outreach program that is being introduced in June at First Cary. If you are handy at home repairs or are in need of some home repair help, you are going to be excited about this program. UMM President, Jim Walsh provides some more information about this new program and how it will serve and enrich both participants and homeowners in his monthly letter below. Come join us for this exciting program The whole family is welcome to join us the second Saturday of June or any month for “The Best Breakfast in Town” for $5! Visit firstcary.com ‘View Registration’ to R.S.V.P.

Town Hall Meeting You are Invited to a Town Hall Meeting on Public Education: June 9, 5:00-6:30pm, Christ the King Lutheran Church, 600 Walnut Street, Cary. Please join us for this meeting co-hosted by Christ The King Lutheran Church and the North Carolina Council of Churches. Our guests will be Senators Jay Chaudhuri (District 16), Wiley Nichol (District 17) and Sam Searcy (District 18) and a representative from the North Carolina Association of Educators. This is your opportunity to voice your questions and concerns to your State Senators and hear how your elected officials are working to improve public education in North Carolina. This meeting is open to anyone in our community. Please invite friends and neighbors who might be interested.

UMM/USO Golf Classic The USO of North Carolina and the United Methodist Men and will be hosting and celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Tee Up Fore Charities Annual Golf Classic on Monday, September 9, 2019 at the MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, NC. It is because of your commitment to supporting our service members and our community that we are able to offer many critical programs and services. We, and those we serve, deeply appreciate your generosity in being a sponsor for this year’s event. In addition to registering to join us that day as a golfer, there are other sponsorship opportunities that you may want to consider. Please visit our website at http://firstcary.com/umm/tufc or contact Eric Christian at 919-630-3191 or hristiancay@gmail.com for more information.

Called Charge Conference: Room Location Change There will be a called Charge Conference on Thursday, June 6 at 7:00 pm in Room 156 (near the front office). The agenda includes: the election of church officers for the 2019-2020 year; a recommendation regarding pastoral compensation; and the creation of a Legacy Fund. All are welcome to attend. Members of the Church Council are voting members of the Charge Conference.

Add Music to Your LifeChildren and Youth age four through high school seniors are encouraged to register for Fall 2019 Choirs. You may register at firstcary.com. Feel free to contact Patti Cook at pcook@firstcary.com with questions.

Glenaire Sunday School Teaching Schedule Teachers are needed for the Glenaire Sunday School class. The class meets each Sunday from 10:00 to 10:30am at Glenaire. The class uses the Adult Bible Studies curriculum which has a Leaders Guide. The leader’s materials are available in the First UMC Cary office. Please ask Terese Lamm or Karen Chauvaux. You are welcome to sit in on a class any Sunday if you would like to observe before leading. Please sign up at firstcary.com for the dates that you would like to teach Sunday School at Glenaire. You may email Terese Lamm at tlamm@firstcary.com with questions. Thank you so much for your service to this ministry!

Graduate Recognition in Worship On Sunday, June 2, there will be a graduate recognition at the 11:05am sanctuary worship service. All graduates are asked to wear their cap and gown to worship. Graduates will meet and line up at the Academy Street entrance to the sanctuary at 10:30am, or outside the office lobby under the covered walkway in case of rain. Graduates will process into the sanctuary during the opening hymn.

While we celebrate all of our local FUMCC graduates, let us also celebrate our ZOE graduates in Zimbabwe. Recently 271 children from 77 child-led families graduated from the ZOE program. By and large they are all doing well. To read their full graduation report, visit https://tinyurl.com/y4qw5cw2 .

First UMC Cary Youth Choirs Kick-off retreatAugust 16 & 17Rising 6th–12 graders, save the date! Youth choirs are going on a retreat to Wet and Wild Water Park in Greensboro, leaving late Friday afternoon August 16, and returning Saturday evening August 17. The cost is $30.00 per person, which covers lodging Friday night, two meals, and the water park on Saturday. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/y37dxm22 by July 19.

Building to Serve UpdatePhase 1a of Building to Serve is nearing completion. The tentative plan—subject to change given construction—is for the Building Committee to be available on Sunday, June 30, to give tours of the new building.

Phase 1b is now underway. A map of Phase 1b, listing of rooms temporarily assigned as well as the Building Map with the temporary assignments can be found at firstcary.com/buildingtoserve.

ROCK Sunday School ServantsThere are opportunities to serve at The ROCK this summer! Sunday school servants during the summer months help our regular teachers take a break and recharge. It’s super easy and we supply everything—we just need you!

Please contact Alicia Shelton at ashelton@firstcary.com to sign up—the difference you make will be immeasurable!

ZOE Opportunities: Hope GrowsIf you missed getting $150 seed money to start your own Income Generating Project to raise funds for orphans’ IGPs, you’re not too late! We invite you to take the challenge with this seed money and see how much you can make between now and October 27. OR you might choose to do less to help orphans. Forego dinner out, special coffee, or some other item for several months and then donate the money you saved to ZOE. If you would like seed money, contact Jeff Briggs at jwbnc@mindspring.com or Helen Papageorgiou at helenpapageo@gmail.com.

Summer Meals ProgramJune 17 through August 14, 5:30 to 7:00pmJoin us in sponsoring Summer Meals at First UMC Cary. While in school, children are guaranteed a breakfast and lunch, but in the summer, it is often harder for families in need to provide three nutritious meals a day for their children. First Cary is the perfect place to gather around the table and get to know our neighbors over dinner! Free meals are open to ALL children under 18. Bring your families and serve the community with us—prepare and serve meals, or read a book with a child. Sign up to serve at https://tinyurl.com/y3ahsn5r .

WORSHIP ATTENDANCE May 19 May 26SANCTUARY 611 4851ST ON CHATHAM 249 223TOTAL: 860 708