MVGMCJAN2026NEWS

THE MOUNTAIN VIEW MESSENGER Edition 4, Vol. 1

January 2026 FROM PASTOR LAURA Welcome to 2026 Mountain View Family The start of a new year is upon us, as we welcome 2026!

Our 2025 Advent season was wonderful, as we explored the wonder of fulfillment in Christ through worship by music, prayer, teaching of His Word, and fellowship. What a treasure it was to anticipate the arrival our Savior, and look forward to what this new year has in store for each of us. This Advent season, our congregation gave financial support to Set Free Alliance and Miracle Hill, and we would like to thank you all for your generosity. We shared in holiday gatherings, including meals, caroling, and plenty of laughs together with our growing church family. We finished up a few Bible Studies in the last few months of 2025, and what great conversations about the joy in growing together in God’s Word. In February, we will resume additional Bible studies, so stay tuned.

Come and be part of a welcoming congregation that desires to be the hands and feet of Jesus, as we serve God’s community together. There is excitement of new relationships forming within the congregation, as we welcome more visitors and the fellowship is flowing. God is blessing our congregation as we stand on His Word and offer His truth, and grow in faith together. Our family would like to thank each of you for welcoming us into this church family, and we feel blessed to call Mountain View home.

I encourage each of us to reflect on how the Holy Spirit is moving within our lives and what steps we can make to listen for His leading. May we look forward to the continual spiritual renewal that God has in store for all of us through 2026. We invite you to come and join us for worship and ministry gatherings at Mountain View Global Methodist Church, where our mission is to make disciples who fuel faith, build foundations, and embody Jesus Christ in the world.

“So, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

JANUARY DATES

JANUARY Happy Birthday!

Jan 4 – Holy Communion 11 – MVGMM, 8:00 am 12 – Mah Jongg, 1:00 pm 15 – Handmade with Love, 1:00 pm 22 – Veteran’s Coffee House, 8:30-10:00 am 26 – Mah Jongg, 1:00 pm 31 – Hiking Club, 8:30 (See p. 6)

4 – Brady Barlow 14 – Scott Haynes 14 – Linda Search 16 – Emma Grace Estepp 23 – Barbara Williams CELEBRATE!!!

31 – LeAnn Barnette

(The MVMW will meet in February on the 10th)

Happy Anniversary!

Pastor Laura’s Office Hours Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

1 – “J” & Carol Debree 21 – Dennis & Terri McCloud

JANUARY – A New Year - A New Start – A New Beginning – Going Forward – Counting Blessings - Praying for Those We Love and Those Who Are Ill or Hurting - Trying New Things Crying - Laughing- Saying I’m Sorry - Saying I Forgive You - Trusting - Loving - Going The Extra Mile - Making Resolutions - Deciding Not to Make Resolutions - Reaching Out To Others In New Ways - Making New Friends - Connecting With Old Friends- Taking Time For Reflection And A….Good….Deep….Breath – Peace - Joy - Hope - & Love. HAPPY NEW YEAR

December Gifts In Memory of Charlotte Newton by Daniel & Ros Wood In Honor of Mr. & Mrs. Mike Hammond, Mr. & Mrs. Kerry Barnette, Mr. & Mrs. Russ Didelot, Mr. & Mrs. Mick Coster, and Mr. & Mrs. Hal Howard by Mr. & Mrs. Joe Hedricks You!

Did you know that on our website (https://www.mountainviewgmc.org) can be found so many things? You should explore! For instance, here is the volunteer lists shown on our website for Children’s Church and Nursery. You can find lists for Ushers, Greeters, etc.FOR THE WHOLE YEAR! Plus, pictures, on line giving, prayer requests, and much more!

CHECK IT OUT!!! You will be glad you did!!!

January Children’s Church

January Nursery

Jan 4 – Terri McCloud & Kay Deal Jan 11 – Linda Adkins & Annie Haynes Jan 18 – Cindy Crain & Sis Sipler Jan 25 – Elaine Stewart & Joyce Watkins

Jan 4 – Terry Didelot Jan 11 – Michele Bellue Jan 18 – Wendy Frisby Jan 25 – Maria Hudgins

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Welcome to Mountain View Global Methodist Church to Dennis and Terri McCloud, who joined our church on September 14th, 2025, the same day as last month’s highlighted member, Jane, who is Terri’s mom!

Dennis & Terri McCloud

Terri grew up in Berea SC, graduating from Berea High School and Furman University. She worked as a computer programmer and business analyst in Greenville for her entire career. Dennis grew up in New Jersey, and served in the Army, Military Police, in Vietnam. After moving to South Carolina, he worked in sales for an industrial insulation company, then shifted careers and began working for an insurance restoration business. He eventually opened his own business as an independent insurance adjuster, and later transitioned his company into commercial floor maintenance.

Terri and Dennis met on a blind date, and January 21st will be their 37th wedding anniversary! They live in Travelers Rest and have three children and four grandchildren. They stay busy following their grandchildren's activities, currently consisting of marching and concert band, piano recitals, and gymnastics.

Dennis retired in 2008 due to medical reasons, and Terri retired in 2017. They enjoy travelling, most recently following in the footsteps of Paul in Greece. In March, they plan to travel to New York with their daughters to watch their grandson perform with his high school band at Carnegie Hall!

Having worshipped with Mountain View Global Methodist for several neighborhood Thanksgiving services, Terri and Dennis, along with her mother Jane Walker, began visiting for Sunday Morning worship last summer. They immediately felt the family connection among the members, and knew that Mountain View was a good fit for them.

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A very exciting thing about Mountain View for Dennis and Terri is the variety of mission projects and activities that are offered. While Terri and Dennis know that they are not expected to be involved in all of the scheduled activities, it is great to know that there are many opportunities available when they can fit them into their calendar. Terri enjoys attending the women's group meetings with her mother, and will be helping with the nursery and children's church.

Welcome to Mountain View, Dennis and Terri!

Thank you again, Linda Search, for these wonderful articles! They really help us get to know one other better.

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CHOIR NOTES Thank you, Church, and Choir for the blessings of a beautiful Advent and Christmas time and for the gifts and all the kind words! I love my church!!

Cindy

Mountain View Global Methodist Men January 2026 Happy New Year! Even though the change of year is a man-made concept, we can’t help but think about what the new year will bring and reflect on the year just passed. We make resolutions with the best of intentions, but by the time February rolls around, we’ve forgotten the diet, the gym membership is going unused, and all our best intentions have flown out the window. As you face the new year, resolve to strengthen your relationship with the Lord. That’s the most important promise to make yourself, and the one that will pay you back more than any other.

We had a great meeting in December. Mike Watkins provided a great meal, and Jay talked about JOY in the Christmas season, and how much more meaningful it is than happiness. We made several year-end donations; to Taylors Free Medical Clinic, the Boy Scouts, and we are purchasing pajamas for the male residents of the Marietta Nursing Home. These are folks that can’t afford anything but the most basic care, so the pajamas will be a much-needed gift to help these men.

In new business, we continue to brainstorm to try to find ways to boost our attendance and get more exposure for Mountain View. We are looking into entering the Travelers Rest Christmas Parade for 2026. We’re also going to see if we can have a booth at the Travelers Rest Farmer’s Market. Lastly, we are planning a meet and greet for the men of the church, and any other guys that they would like to invite. We might do a cook-out at the church, or possibly off-site, such as Lake Robinson. This will be sometime in the spring when the weather improves. Stay tuned for info on these planned activities. As always, if there’s something you’d like to see your Global Methodist Men do, please contact one of us. We’re here to serve our church and our community! Our next meeting will be Sunday, January 11, at 8 AM. Breakfast will be served. See you there!

J Debree, President 4

Mountain View Methodist Women Well, Sisters in Faith, when you read this newsletter, we will have arrived in the year 2026. I believe we ended the year 2025 with JOY and fulfillment. As a devoted group of loving and caring women we were able to glide through the past year always in Faith and always Learning but most of all caring for each other and having FUN! Our Christmas Luncheon was really a success. We had several women from our church, who are not members yet, come and as always, the food and drinks were great. A special thanks to Cindy Crain for playing the piano and to Tammy and Mary for taking the photos. We all got to sing Christmas carols and even got to tell Santa what we really wanted for this Christmas - just a hint: "Hippopotamus". If nothing else this will get your curiosity up and next year you will all come just to see "What NEXT".

Well, I don't know about you, but the Advent Season is my favorite, each Sunday we start filling up with excitement leading us closer to a wonderful climax the birth of our baby Jesus. Please remember sisters there will be no meeting in January but you can mark your new 2026 calendars right now for Tuesday February 10, at 4:00pm. A quick note as you are all relaxing around a beautiful fire sipping tea or hot chocolate in January when it's freezing outside you could be thinking of what type of programs you would be interested in attending or taking part in. We love all suggestions.

Remember, as we step into this New Year that God is not only the Author of our Past but also the Creator of our Future, for us as sisters, this is a season to renew our commitment to Service, Prayer, and Fellowship Prayer; Gracious Lord, Thank you for the gift of a new year. Help us to work in step with Your Spirit, to serve with JOY, and to LOVE without limits.

Patti Jolly

SUNDAY DINNER WITH A TWIST MISSIONS/OUTREACH Our Year With “Sunday Dinner With A Twist” (SDWAT) After several months of research, it began with a trip to “the woods”. On March 9, 2025 a small group of church members rode along with an experienced group of people associated with the organization called Sunday Dinner With A Twist. Volunteers from MVGMC have now grown to over 20 people. SDWAT provides more than 200 meals to the homeless community every Sunday afternoon. MVGMC participated one Sunday each during April, May and June by going to the Meals On Wheels location in Greenville. Once there, we helped prepare meals that were then transported to a location that distributed the meals to the homeless.

Beginning in July, we began a commitment to provide 80 meals the third Sunday of every month prepared at our church by John Wilson with help from our church volunteers. This was to supplement 150 meals provided by another local church that is also committed the third Sunday of every month. August through December saw us volunteer on 12 different Sundays. 2026 has arrived and we continue to commit to volunteering with this organization. This also includes Snack and Hygiene bags distributed to the homeless. We would love to add new volunteers to our list. Feel free to contact Philip Deal or Bill Wilson to see if this is a mission for you.

Our vision for 2026 is to add other missions in our area including North Greenville Crisis Ministry in Travelers Rest. Remember that one person CAN make a difference.

Bill Wilson, Co-Chair Missions/Outreach 5

Hike into 2026!

The MV Hiking Group bade farewell to 2025 with a great hike at Table Rock State Park on December 27th.

If you made a goal to be more active in 2026, please consider joining us for our January hike at Paris Mountain State Park. We meet once monthly in the church parking lot at 8:30 a.m. with the goal to return no later than 12 Noon. Along with the exercise, we enjoy a time of prayer and happy fellowship each month.

The group is led by experienced hikers Kerry Barnette, Mary Crowson and Tammy Than. Sturdy hiking shoes are definitely preferrable but good walking shoes are workable. No matter how cold it is, always bring water! Hiking poles are strongly suggested for both your safety and to assist you in staying upright on the trail! Our hikes are not strenuous or dangerous but they can challenge your ability unless you are an endurance athlete as the trails can be very uneven with rocks and lots of tree roots here in the upstate.

The January hike will be on Saturday, January 31st at the “top” of Paris Mountain State Park where we will do a loop that is Brissy Ridge/Kanuga/Sulphur Springs trails - totally approximately 3 miles. Dress appropriately for the weather as we will plan to go rain or shine regardless of the temperature! Please always sign up on the church website so that we can know how many hikers to expect. Friends, family, neighbors are welcome but we do ask for a sign-up from each hiker!

FAMILY COMMITTEE Thank you to everyone who attended the Holiday Dinner and to our cooks John, Anne and Linda whose hard work made the evening possible.

A sincere thank you to Jay Debree for reading a touching poem and sharing a meaningful story about Silent Night.

We also extend our thanks to Mary and Tammy for providing beautiful music during the meal.

Mary, Tammy, and Cindy facilitated a lively “Name That Tune” game, featuring enthusiastic contestants from the Mistletoe Mavericks and the Hot Chocolate Hooligans—adding fun and laughter to the evening!

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Mountain View Global Methodist Church 6525 Mountain View Rd. Taylors, SC 29687 (864) 895-8532

Check out our new website at Mountainviewgmc.org for news, pictures, and much more!!! Look for our google calendar under “What’s Happening” as well as weekly bulletin, monthly newsletter and photo gallery.

We are also on Facebook – Mountain View Global Methodist Church – Taylors, SC

COME AND WORSHIP!

Sunday School – 9:30 am Worship – 10:30 am

WELCOME HOME! Where Faith is Fueled and Foundations are Built

Mountain View GMC 6525 Mountain View Road Taylors, SC, 29687

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