May/June 2014 Celebration Newsletter by Natalia Fomin

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. - 1 Peter 4:8 (NLT)

May/June 2014 OUR VISION: To become a disciple making church

OUR MISSION: To make disciples by Loving God, Growing in Christ, and Reaching Out to Others

OUR CORE VALUES:

University City United Methodist Church 3835 W WT Harris Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28269 phone: 704-369-8000 fax: 704-369-0481 www.ucumc.org facebook.com/ucumc1 Twitter: @UC_UMC Instagram: @UC_UMC Worship Times: 9:45am - Traditional 11:00am - Contemporary Quarterly Celebration Sunday: one service at 10am June 22nd, Sept. 7th, Nov. 23rd Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm

A message from Pastor Ron... Thank You University City!! On May 20th I had the privilege of representing our church at a unique event. Mr. Clarence Rodgers celebrated his 102nd birthday. A number of you participated in celebrating this event by sending cards and gifts to him. That morning I took all the cards and monetary gifts you had left at the church for him along with an arrangement of flowers and a birthday balloon from the staff, and my wife and I gave him an edible arrangement in lieu of a monetary gift. When I arrived at his home at around 10am with all the gifts and acknowledgments, Clarence was so surprised and could not believe all the attention! He said over and over that he was speechless and did not know what to say. He was so moved by the thoughts and gifts from so many! Finally he said, “this is the greatest day of my life!.” That is quite a statement from someone who is 102 – of all the 37,230 days he has lived, this was the greatest of them all! So thank you all for helping make this a special day for him! I had the opportunity to brag about our church when I went to get the flowers, the birthday balloon, and when I ordered the edible arrangement. Every clerk I spoke with said over and over how much they were impressed that we were doing this for him. One clerk asked if I was the pastor of the church and I told him yes. He said, “You must be really proud of your congregation.” And my response was an emphatic “I AM!” Clarence told me this great story while I visited with him that Tuesday morning. He said, that on the day before he had gone to Walgreens to pick up some meds for Helen, his wife, and while he was checking out a line had formed behind him. The clerk asked him how old he was and he said that the next day he would be 102. Someone in the line behind him spoke out and asked him, “What does one do to live to be 102?” And this was his reply. • Always be honest with yourself and with others • Pray each day • Go to church every Sunday that you can • Never hold a grudge against anybody BEST ADVICE I HAVE EVER HEARD!! (Although I still believe he has lived that long because he does not own or watch TV!) So Thank you University City UMC – I am indeed proud of you!!

Ron Smith, Senior Pastor rsmith@ucumc.org, 704-369-8005

Table of Contents

Unlimited Hospitality

Committed to Growing in Christ

To explore the Monthly Newsletter, click on any of the icons above to go to that Core Value’s page. On each page of the newsletter there is a link on the bottom left corner that says “Back to top”; click that link to return to this page.

Weekday School

Uplifting Passionate Worship

Called to Serve & Missions Focused The next publication of the UCUMC Celebration Newsletter will be Wednesday, August 6, 2014. Do you have information you would like to include in the next Celebration Newsletter? We’d love to hear from you! Please contact the head of the ministry area the corresponds with the information you would like to share

Unlimited Hospitality A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. —John 13:34-35 (ESV)

Our beautiful Carolina Spring is turning into Summer really quickly! This means it’s Summer FUN Time at UCUMC! There are things happening every week here this Summer. We are looking forward to spending time with you, your family, and friends in so many ways – Children’s camps, Themed Worship services, LIFE Groups, & Mission trips, just to name a few! Why not bring along someone who needs some uplifting Summer fun & fellowship to one of these activities? Show them we have a great time, while we praise, worship, learn, and serve together! I hope to see you around UCUMC a LOT this Summer!! Many Blessings to you —Tammy

Praise The Lord:

We had many new Confirmands Profess their Faith and join the church as full members in May! It was a beautiful celebration on Mother’s Day!

We have welcomed and cared for over 180 First time guests so far in 2014! As you may remember, earlier in the year we challenged ourselves to “10 & 2” for 2014….. A $10/week step up in giving and everyone inviting at least 2 additional first time guests this year. Giving is UP on average more than $3,000 per week and our first time guests have increased by about 50% over last year!!! There is still progress to make but thanks to everyone who has stepped up to the challenge. We continue to encourage others to get involved too!

Upcoming Events: One Way Love Summer LIFE Group begins July 20th: Bestselling author Tullian Tchividjian is convinced our exhausted world needs a fresh encounter with God’s inexhaustible grace—His one-way love. In this “manifesto,” Tchividjian calls the church back to the heart of the Christian faith—grace. It is time for us to abandon our play-itsafe religion, and to get drunk on grace. Two hundredproof, unflinching grace. It is also the only thing that can set us free and light the church—and the world—on fire. No cost. 4 weeks. Sign up here.

Wonderful Wednesdays: We have ended yet another year of great food, fun and fellowship. We have seen many new faces over the course of this year and that is what it is all about. Thank you to all who have worked so hard to help make Wednesday nights so Wonderful. We will be back in the fall.

Sundays in July – Casual & Themed in 9:45am Worship! July 6 – Red, White & Blue July 13 – Country/Plaid July 20 – VBS or UCUMC T-shirt (get your UCUMC shirt in June at the Connecting Center!) July 27 – Bluegrass Celebration Sunday - June 22nd! Come one, come all to our oneservice on Sunday, June 22nd at 10am! This is a time to celebrate, in worship and fellowship, all the wonderful ways God is working in and through UCUMC. You will not want to miss the opportunities to: worship all together, celebrate new members, praise God with special music, and dedicate the Celebration Garden. We will fellowship after worship with a cookout! Please register online in myUCUMC. We’ll provide the hamburgers and hot dogs, you bring the sides. Items divided by last name: • A-E: lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, pickles, or onion; • F-L: desserts; • M-Z: sides. Questions? Contact Kristen Hickling, khickling@ucumc.org.

Unlimited Hospitality, cont. Upcoming Events: “Getting to Know You” Aug 24th: If you are new to UCUMC and want to learn more about how to begin your journey here with us, this is designed just for you! This casual time is for you to be able to ask your questions and help us help you get to know UCUMC! The Pastors look forward to meeting you in person this day, after each worship service in the Hospitality Suite.

Membership & Church Orientation Class, “Beginnings,” September 5 & 6: The next class we’ll offer will be a condensed weekend class. Sign up now! Learn more about the class & membership here www.ucumc.org/gettingstarted.

Stay in Touch with UCUMC Online for Inspiration and Information! UCUMC Blog: Check out your weekly dose of inspiration from UCUMC! Here you’ll find articles about sharing our faith - how we share, why we share, what we share, and where we share. Find it Here. Do you LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, FOLLOW, TWEET, and/or RETWEET?! If you do, you know I’m talking Facebook and Twitter language. We have incredible things happening at UCUMC that we regularly post in both places. Don’t miss out on connecting with us in this way so get started today by LIKING our UCUMC Facebook page and FOLLOWING our Twitter page. Then, SHARE and RETWEET away so that your friends know about these incredible happenings around here!! UCUMC is new to Instagram! Follow @UC_UMC on Instagram to see what happens at the church.

Tammy Cline, Director of Evangelism tcline@ucumc.org, 704-369-8018

Committed to Growing in Christ Hey! My small group meets on Wednesday nights at the Davis Lake Chick-fil-a… it’s a great group of 6-8 guys from different walks of life, some with little kids,

some with teenagers and some with no children (me! ☺)…some in sales, one in engineering, one in the trucking industry, one is a financial advisor, etc. We are just a group of guys who get together to fellowship, study, discuss, pray and generally support each other in life. Currently we are reading a book entitled Disciplines of a Godly Man. It’s not a difficult read but there are some tough things we have discussed based on what we read each week. Recently, we were reading/discussing the topic “Discipline of Devotion” and the focus was on prayer. Most of us admitted that we have had times in our lives where prayer has come easy but most of the time prayer can be difficult. One part of the book said that prayer/devotion help us to focus ourselves on the Lord and His will which can then impact/influence our entire outlook, the whole of our being and everything that we do. In fact, it used one of my favorite scriptures (Romans 12:1) in support of this idea…“Therefore…I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.” The thought being that prayer and devotion aren’t simply things that we do quietly by ourselves but our real worship of the Lord…the true prayer that we offer up to Him is how we live out our lives on a daily basis. I like that insight…that my actions everyday are my prayers to the Lord. The way I serve others is a prayer…how I conduct myself in traffic is a prayer (not necessarily a good prayer…probably need to continue to work on that one!)…how I budget and spend my money is a prayer that I’m offering up to the Lord…the way I treat others is a prayer, etc. When I consider my entire life as a prayer to the Lord I begin to see my prayer life in a different way. It’s not just words or folded hands or quiet meditation (although it can be those things) but PRAYER IS ACTIVE!! And it can have great influence in my life and the lives of others! This summer I will have the opportunity to go to Mazatlan, Mexico to partner with Back2Back Ministries to serve children in three different children’s homes as well as help train/lead college interns who are serving with B2B and also several hundred Americans who will come there as part of mission teams from all over the United States. I will be able to use my body, my words, my thoughts and my actions as daily prayers to the Lord! I’d like to ask you to lift me up in prayer as well as our high school team who will be traveling to Mazatlan July 12-18. I look forward to being able to share with you, when I return, how God uses your prayers and my prayers together to share His love with others!! Have a great summer!!

Bert Giles, Director of Discipleship

Bert Giles, Director of Discipleship bgiles@ucumc.org, 704-369-8020

adult ministries Praise The Lord: Ask and You Shall Receive: Yvonne Thompson-Kponou will never take a casual conversation for granted again. Yvonne is a member of UCUMC’s monthly Women’s group His Helpers, which coordinates our Back Pack Ministry. Yvonne, a native of Sierra Leone, a country in the West of Africa, is a graduate of Annie Walsh Memorial School (AWMS), which started in 1849 and has a precedent of graduating young woman who go onto successful careers in fields like medicine, law and engineering. Since a civil war in Sierra Leone negatively affected the school, alumni like Yvonne dedicate themselves to finding ways to improve the school and the opportunities for the girls who attend it. For Yvonne, the opportunity to help came through a conversation with a student in one of her French classes, who happened to be an official at Queens University in Charlotte. She learned that the university was building a new stateof-the-art science building, which prompted her to ask one question, “What are you doing with all of the old science equipment?” The answer to that question quickly changed from throwing it out to sending three crates of equipment to AWMS. Three professors and eight students, from Queens University, visited AWMS in 2013 to install the equipment and work with the students on science projects. In May 2014, two professors and 11 students will return to the school to continue tutoring the students. “We didn’t have proper science equipment, not even pipettes and beakers,” Yvonne said. “Partnering with Queens is bringing the life back to the school and improving the outlook of the girls. It is very, very positive for the staff and the students.” One conversation led to answered prayer not only for Yvonne but for the teachers and students at AWMS. The experience has led her to a deeper understanding of Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” For more information about helping AWMS, contact Yvonne.Kponou@gmail.com. Learn more about UCUMC Women’s Ministry at www.ucumc.org/womensministry. On the Women’s Ministry webpage, sign-up for the monthly e-newsletter, The Esther Times. A BIG THANK YOU!! The His Helpers Ministry has just wrapped up a very successful school year of providing homeless students, with approximately 600 nourishing backpacks of food each Friday since last September! These students from David Cox and Morehead received over 8,000 pounds of food that you either donated or paid for with your gifts to this ministry. THANK YOU!! And remember. . . don’t throw away your children’s gently used backpacks. Put them in the bins this summer so we will be prepared when September comes and we begin packing again.

Thanks to all who purchased an AutoBell Carwash Coupon! The impact on support for both the BackPack Ministry and the Adult Mexico Mission Trip was greater than expected, and deeply gratifying. Your support will impact many lives, both in our community and in the world. As Chad keeps saying, UCUMC has a great heart for giving!!! New 9:45AM Sunday Adult Small Group: whether you are new to UCUMC, or just seeking a small group that will draw you closer to God and help deepen your faith life, come join “Pathfinders” Led by Amy & Jesse Drury. All looking for a “path” welcome; not age or life stage specific! Click Here to register; keyword search “Pathfinders.”

adult ministries, cont. Upcoming Events: Important Leader Development Meeting for all adults involved in children, youth, and adult Ministry! Please register now for either the August 10th, 5-8PM or August 20th, 5:30-8:30PM meeting that will include dinner, sharing important information for the ’14-15’ ministry year, and encouragement and inspiration. There will be time to break into groups based on ministry areas after our meal; please note ministry area on your registration. This includes (for all age levels): Sunday School leaders, Small group Leaders, MTO, and Men’s & Women’s Ministry Groups! Contact your age-level ministry leader for more information. Register for Aug. 10th Meeting (5-8PM) Register for Aug. 20th Meeting (5:30-8:30PM)

On June 22, we’ll bless 20 Prayer Shawls that will be sent on a special mission! They will be going to Kapanguria, Kenya where UCUMC Member Bonnie Matthews went on a mission trip. The people are Christian and live in a very poor area. There is no electricity, villagers walk to the river for water and cook over open fire. Each woman in the village will be receiving a shawl. Please join us in worship on June 22 at 10AM as we bless these shawls and keep this ministry in prayer.

Summer Book Clubs – Great opportunities times 2! Special Summer Mom’s Book Club, plus our regular ladies book club, Heavenly Readers! Note *childcare is available with reservation! All groups available on line: Click Here • June 18th 6:30PM* – Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist (MTO) • June 25 5:30PM – Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist (Heavenly Readers) • July 24 6:30PM* – This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti (MTO) • July 14 5:30 PM – Please Look After Mom • Aug 13 6:30PM* – Into the Trenches by Andrea Barringer (MTO) • Aug 20 5:30PM – How Coffee Saved My Life LIFE (Living in Faith Everyday) Groups – Short (4-8 wk) small groups that give you the opportunity to connect to others at UCUMC. Small groups are a powerful way to enhance your faith journey and I particularly encourage those who have not yet joined a small group to consider doing so!. This summer you have 3 groups to choose from: • One Way Love by Tullian Tchividjian (Billy Graham’s’ grandson) – a short, 4 wk study that begins Sun., July 20 at 5:30PM. I (Ceil McGee) have personally read the book and found it encouraging and reassuring! • Uprising by Erwing McManus – 8 wks., beginning Wed., June 4 at 6:30. Led by Pastor Ray McKinnon, this study explores your true purpose and destiny in the pursuit of the passion and character of God. • Beth Moore’s Newest Study Children of the Day – 9wks. beginning Wed., June 11 at 6:30PM. In this study, learn how to let go of past mistakes and discover your circumstances are not coincidental. Register for these LIFE Groups here. Click on the group for a detailed description. Click on “Request Info” to the right of the group description to contact the group leader and/or register for the group.

Ceil McGee, Adult Ministry Director cmcgee@ucumc.org, 704-369-8006

youth ministries Praise The Lord: Sunday, May 4th was Youth Sunday at UCUMC. The youth of our church led, start to finish, at both worship services, with a focus on their theme for the year: His Story, Our Story, My Story. They were able to share God’s great story in the Bible, our story as believers and as a church, and personal stories of how God has worked in their lives. Click Here to see a recording of this year’s Youth Sunday. On Sunday, May 11th, 26 students were confirmed (joined the church) after completing the 7 month confirmation process. The confirmands completed 21 classes and a weekend retreat, taught by various staff and church members, along with completing almost 300 collective service hours. Each student completed an individual interview which covered the stating of their beliefs and membership vows. Please join us in welcoming these students into membership with our greater church family!

The Mexico Mission Trip Golf Tournament was held on Saturday, May 17th and was a great success!! With over 80 golfers, 30+ hole sponsors and great weather, we had a great day at the golf course and raised money towards our summer mission trip! Thanks to all who participated! See pictures on UC FUSION’s Facebook page. FUSION Youth held their annual End of the Year Family Cookout on Sunday, June 1st. 135 attended as we celebrated the end of the school year, looked towards the summer, and featured a special “My Hope” presentation.

Upcoming Events: Kannapolis Intimidators Game – Saturday, June 14th, Cost $6: Meet in the Fellowship Hall parking lot at 5:45pm (you can eat dinner before you come or bring $ for concessions). The game will close out with fireworks! We’ll return around 10:30pm. *Need adults/drivers for this event.* Sign Up Here.

Summer Service Opportunities: Want to help with WINSHAPE, June 16th-20th? Go to www.winshapecamps.org and search for our church/camp week, or contact Jennifer Waid - thewaids@bellsouth.net. Want to help with VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL, July 14th-18th? Go to www.ucumc.org/vbs or contact Kristi Miller - kristi@themillerzone.net.

Do you love having fun, eating good food, and hanging out with teenagers and helping them grow in their faith? Are you interested in teaching Youth Sunday school or becoming a Sunday night youth leader? Contact Megan Leap – (704) 369-8014 or mleap@ucumc.org.

Look for our summer schedule at www.ucumc.org/youth (www.ucumc.org > MINISTRIES > DISCIPLESHIP > Youth). Want to receive up to date youth ministry information? Text @fusionyo to (704) 908-0305.

Megan Leap, Youth Ministry Director mleap@ucumc.org, 704-369-8014

children’s ministries UC Kids has been going strong and we continue to build the program each season. We’ve increased our Sunday School numbers over last year’s figures for: Attendance, Offering, and Bibles being brought! We have some wonderful people caring for our littlest ones in the Nursery area, and we have some awesome people leading our older ones closer in Christ, in the upper-age areas. We just finished two great curriculums sharing how we can REACH out to others for Christ and how our lives can TEACH others more about Him. “To God Be The Glory!”

Upcoming Events: This Summer there will be NO W.O.R.K.ZONE 11am, but we WILL continue with W.O.R.K.ZONE 9:45am and travel together to take a closer look at The 23rd Psalm! There will be NO W.O.R.K.ZONE 9:45am during the month of JULY, so that our valuable Teachers and Helpers get a much-needed and valued break! We WILL resume the 9:45 format, August 3rd!

Of course we also have our two BIG summer events: WinShape and VBS SHINE! WinShape will take place 6/16-20! Camp is for ages: Rising 1st – Rising 6th Grades; Cost is ONLY $196 for the entire week. That’s the best price for a full-week, all day camp anywhere in this area; especially when you factor in the quality of the camp and the spiritual significance it holds! To register your children go to: www.winshapecamps.org! To register yourself, as a volunteer, go to: www.winshapecamps.org/wscvolunteer! It could literally be the best week of your life AND you might just make an eternal difference in others! Sign up NOW! Volunteer ages: 16 and over! VBS SHINE will take place 7/14-18! Camp is for ages: Rising 4 Yrs – Rising 5th Graders! Cost is a MERE $15 for the whole week. This a morning program overloaded with: excitement, cool worship, fun games, cool crafts, friends galore and Biblically-sound lessons, taught in a relative format for each age group! You don’t want your kids to miss out on this, so to register your kids, go to: www.ucumc.org/vbs! To register yourself as a volunteer, go to: www.ucumc.org/vbsvolunteers! You will be just as blessed for giving to others, as others will be blessed by you giving of yourself to them! Sign up NOW! Volunteer ages: 16 and over!

Finally, WE NEED YOU! Whether it be teaching and assisting on Sunday mornings, or volunteering during WinShape and VBS SHINE, WE NEED YOU to help make all that we do, the very best it can be! Together, we can bring Glory to God, while striving to reach our children and their families, and helping them grow closer to Him and closer to one another! No experience is necessary! We’ll provide the training, the time and the tools for you to be successful, You provide your heart and hands and God will provide the blessings!

To find out more about being an Adult Volunteer in UC Kids’ Ministries, contact Tim Patrick at: tpatrick@ucumc.org or 704-369-8023. Step up, step in, do all you can! You’ll never regret the decision to help!

Tim Patrick, Children’s Ministry Director tpatrick@ucumc.org,704-369-8023

Weekday School Praise The Lord:

Check out what our Weekday School students have been up to:

April 26, 2014 – WDS Dance Party May 7 & 8 – Muffins for Mom The classrooms were full of love! Children enjoyed sharing muffins and juice with moms, grandmas, aunts . . . that special someone in their lives. The cards, flowers and crafts were created by little hands with lots of love. Themes for May: Mothers, caterpillars, summer days, and down by the sea. Students have planted seeds, played with sand and water, and watched caterpillars transition into butterflies. Summer is around the corner and the Weekday School is celebrating the warmer weather and a variety of events that take place during May, June & July.

April & May Chapel Stories

Lots of families and teachers had their dancin’ shoes on for this event! Thank you, Brian Bingham, for offering to be the Weekday School’s DJ for the night! The music was blasting and everyone was dancing. Thank you, WDS teaching staff, for decorating the tables and the Fellowship Hall with classroom-made projects. What a wonderful night for families and children to join together and celebrate the wonderful school year that they have had! May 3rd – Kannapolis Intimidators Game Play ball! Lots of our families and WDS staff enjoyed an evening of fireworks and watching the Intimidators play the Hickory Crawdads.

“Easter” – He is Risen! The celebrated story of our savior. Ms. Ceil and Pastor Chad shared this story with our 3 and 4-year old students. “He is not here, He is risen!”, Matthew 28:1-7. The preschool Bible story was read from the “Read Aloud Bible Stories” book. The children always enjoy special visitors in chapel. Thank you, Ceil and Chad! “Being a Good Steward” For Earth Day, Ms. Kandice and Mr. Tim led the discussion with the 3 and 4-year old students about taking care of our planet; the importance of recycling, cleaning up messes, etc. If we help keep Earth clean, we are being good stewards. “The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it.” Genesis 2:15

Year End Activities Toddlers & Twos - The Toddlers and Twos celebrated a wonderful school year by having their annual year-end water play day! Bubbles, balls, shaving cream and lots and lots of water! The classes ended their morning of fun with a family picnic! Threes - To celebrate a wonderful school year, the three year old classes had an outside day of fun. Trikes, bubbles, water tables and shaving cream! Their day ended with picnic and popsicles. Fours - The four year old classes celebrated their wonderful school year by classroomdirected activities, making BIG bubbles having a picnic and enjoying popsicles.

Upcoming Events: Summer Camp Registration is open! Summer Camp runs three weeks during June. The program is geared toward Rising 2’s, Rising 3’s, Rising 4’s and Rising K’s. For more information, please contact Kandice Morrison, Assistant Director, at kmorrison@ucumc.org

Week 2: June 9-16 Theme: Wild, Wild West Time: 9am-12pm

Week 3: June 23-27 Theme: Community Helpers Time: 9am-12pm

Weekday School Registration WDS Registration is Open for 2014-2015 school year! Check out all of the information available on our website: www.ucumc.org/wds or contact Blair Luther, WDS Director, at bluther@ucumc.org.

Blair Luther, Weekday School Director bluther@ucumc.org, 704-369-8010

Uplifting Passionate Worship Praise The Lord:

May 11 was Confirmation Sunday & Mother’s Day. 26 confirmands professed their faith publicly and 4 were baptized.

April & May were uplifting months in Worship at UCUMC! On April 11 and 12 our Adult Worship and Arts Ministry Ensembles combined to present Risen: An Easter Musical. These were powerful times of worship, celebration, and reflection during Lent. On April 17 we experienced our Maundy Thursday Worship Celebration with Holy Communion and a special message and music presented by our 11:00 Worship Team. People were invited to take a nail from a special cross and lay it on the prayer rail to represent sins in their life for which Jesus paid the price, and from which He set them free. May 4 was Youth Sunday, and the youth of our FUSION Ministry and Youth Arts Ministry ensembles led an inspiring service of worship and praise. The youth showed a us a new way to utilize our technology by presenting God’s story from the projection screen chambers in a shadow box format. Various youth spoke about how God’s story and Our story impacted Their story.

On two Wednesdays: May 14 & 21, our CrossTraining (Children’s Music and Arts Ministry) presented their Spring Musical: The Star Factor. 70 children, ages 3 years-5th Grader and 17 adult and youth leaders worked together to present these wonderful programs.

Upcoming Events: The Renovation Youth Choir will be heading out to Ohio and Michigan for their mission trip this summer. The choir will depart from UCUMC on June 24 and return July 2. They will be leading worship concerts in local churches, a community playhouse, retirement facilities among others. Also, the choir will partner with a host youth group to share the love of Christ through service on the Saturday of their trip. We thank you for your encouragement and support. The Choir will host a pre-trip worship concert on Sunday, June 22 in the Chapel at 4pm with an ice cream social to follow. Come and see how they will be using their gifts to share the love of Christ (a love offering will be received). There will be a fellowship immediately following the concert so you can meet the members of the choir and get to know them a little more.

Matt Guild, Director of Traditional Worship, 9:45am mguild@ucumc.org, 704-369-8011

Uplifting Passionate Worship, cont. Upcoming Events: HIS HANDS Puppet team will depart for their mission trip on Thursday, June 12. They will be ministering in Virginia and Tennessee at local churches and low income nursing homes. Bud and Linda Long will be joining them on their trip as driver and navigator. The team will return Wednesday, June 18. Please remember this team in prayer as they travel and minister sharing the love of Christ through puppets. We are planning have many special worship celebrations in June and July: On June 8 we will recognize our High School and college graduates at Cap and Gown Sunday at the 11:00am service. Also on June 8, we celebrate Pentecost: the coming of the Holy Spirit. We will mark this special day with the release of doves at the end of each worship service. On June 22 we will have a combined 10:00am Celebration Sunday worship service. We will have a time of fellowship following worship with a cookout. We’ll provide the burgers & hotdogs, you bring the side items. Please bring items according to the first letter of your last name: A-E - lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion pickles; F-L - desserts; M-Z - sides. Only one selection per family needed. Click Here to sign up for the lunch. In July the 9:45am worship celebrations will have a special theme for each week: • July 6: Red, White, and Blue Sunday where everyone is encouraged to wear the colors of America. We will feature Patriotic hymns and songs that day. • July 13: Country/Plaid Sunday where people are encouraged to wear their country western attire. We will feature Southern Gospel music that day. • July 20: VBS Sunday/T-shirt Sunday - We will have a combined 10:00am VBS Sunday worship/ T-shirt Sunday where everyone is encouraged to wear their VBS or UCUMC ministry t-shirts. The children and adult leaders of VBS will lead worship that day. • July 27: Bluegrass Sunday People can were their favorite bluegrass outfits and we will have a guest bluegrass band leading worship music that day.

We know that summer can be a time for travel and fun. We pray that you will make attending worship at UCUMC a high priority on your calendar during June and July. We always look forward to seeing you because you are important to God and to us. We miss you when you are away and are always glad to see you!

Lee Zeigler, Director of Contemporary Worship, 11:00am lzeigler@ucumc.org, 704-369-8017

Called to Serve & Missions Focused Praise The Lord: Within the Christian Service Department, we are committed to helping disciples at University City identify his or her spiritual gifts and connect those gifts with service. Sometimes we are able to find ways for folks to use those gifts to serve within the walls of University City and other times we find ways for the disciple to serve outside of the walls of the church. In April one of our disciples, Janelle Upton, was able to use her gifts to serve in the Czech Republic. Her personal account of her trip follows. If you have been on a personal missions trip and would like to share your experience with us please send that information to Pastor Ray: rmckinnon@ucumc.org From April 28- May 5, I traveled to the Czech Republic to help the missionary children of Josiah Venture write stories about being a missionary kid. Josiah Venture is a mission organization that is reaching the young people of Eastern Europe for Christ. Each year, the American missionary families come together for a week to be rejuvenated through worship and teaching. This year I, along with two other ladies, worked with the children from these families to help them write stories about their lives as a missionary kid. Through the financial support of the Missions Committee, the UMW, the consignment sale board, many UCUMC members, and other friends and family, my trip was completely covered financially. On top of being covered financially, my trip was doubly covered in prayer. God took care of all the details and gave me a chance to really serve and encourage the missionary children of Josiah Venture. While being in the Czech Republic, God impressed upon my heart the sobering fact that only one percent of all Eastern Europeans follow Jesus. There are so many people who do not know Jesus. While it does not seem as if God is calling me and my family to Eastern Europe at this time, I was convinced that truly the statistics are not much better on my own street. I feel like this trip to the Czech Republic gave me a sense of urgency to reach the lost in my own neighborhood. I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for my UCUMC family who invested so much in my trip to the Czech Republic. I feel extraordinarily blessed that I, a stay-athome mom, got to go serve the Lord in a part of the Earth that is near to my heart. Janelle Upton New Partnership: The vision of the UCUMC Missions team is lead a congregation of passionate disciples—whose spiritual growth is evident—by fulfilling Christ’s commandment to “Go!”. The “Go!” includes loving and caring for the distressed—for their physical (food, drink, shelter, etc.) and soul needs (salvation). We will create a culture where missional living (loving God and our neighbors and telling others about Jesus) is the default disposition of every disciple. Because we believe that disciple who are “on mission” care for the “soul needs” as well as the physical needs of each person who has been given unique value and worth by God, we are partnering with Statesville Avenue Presbyterian Church’s food pantry. SAPC is an official Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry. Each Monday (we began in May) we will have the responsibility to staff the entire pantry and we are still in need of volunteers. Folks can help with intake (no lifting required), assist shoppers, stock shelves, clean, and other opportunities. If you are interested in helping (at any increment that is convenient for you) please contact Janet Kline to find out how you may volunteer: 704-573-0144.

Called to Serve & Missions Focused, cont. Upcoming Events: GriefShare - Sundays from 5-7 in the Hospitality Suite GriefShare is a special weekly seminar and support group for people who are grieving the death of someone close to them. These seminars will help folks to begin their journey from mourning to joy. We do hope you will consider joining us for at least two sessions to see of this service will be of benefit to you or someone you know who is grieving. There is hope for a brighter tomorrow; letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heal together! Visit www.ucumc.org/griefshare for more information. Did you know UCUMC Offers English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for adults? We need your help one hour a week to tutor adults as they learn to speak, read, and write English. Training is provided. Contrary to popular belief, you DO NOT need to know a foreign language to be a tutor. You DO NOT need to be a professional teacher or spend hours preparing lessons. You DO need to speak English. You DO need to be friendly. If you are interested in learning more about becoming an ESL tutor or are interested in taking an ESL class, contact Andrea Reed at andireed01@gmail.com or 704-548-1200.

Missions Committee Meeting June 10th & July 8th (2nd Tuesday of each month) Do you want to see life transformation first hand? Do you want to make a difference in lives locally, regionally, and internationally? We need your help on the UCUMC Missions Team! Join us for our monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at 7pm in Room 106 (LL Worship Center). Our next meeting will be June 10th. Contact Andrea or Kip Reed if you need more information or are interested in committing to the next missions team meeting: Andrea- andireed01@gmail.com; Kipkpreed01@gmail.com.

Pastor Ray McKinnon, Director of Christian Service rmckinnon@ucumc.org, 704-369-8031