The Shepherd - August 2024 by Newnan First UMC

IRev. Andrew Chappell Senior Pastor

achappell@NewnanFUMC.org

770.253.7400 (x201)

Rev. Connor Bell

Associate Pastor

cbell@NewnanFUMC.org

770.253.7400 (x202)

Newnan First UMC Family,

t has been a joyful summer with you all, and a wonderful July where we have explored the book of Jonah together! If you did not get a chance to read through Jonah, I encourage you to do so now-- It is only four chapters long, 48 verses. You could read it all the way through in about 5 minutes, but you can chew on the contents forever.

We explored the meaning of Jonah through scripture, sermon, and song. The biggest takeaway of the book is this: those who have received the mercy and grace of God can’t be upset when God shares that same grace with others*. In other words, God’s grace is a gift that we do not deserve- we did not do anything to earn it, so we can’t be upset if God’s grace is also extended to anyone that God chooses. Even, in Jonah’s case, his greatest enemies: the evil Ninevites.

God’s question toward a bitter Jonah burns in our ears at the end of the book: “Is it right for you to be angry?” Are you ok with the idea of God loving your enemies? Aren’t you glad that God loves God’s enemies?

Especially in this divisive season in our nation, we often have enemies (...or at least, people that we find very difficult to love). That is the way of our world. But as followers of Jesus, we pray that we may be transformed by the renewing of our minds rather than being conformed to the ways of this world (Romans 12:2). May we thank God every day for the mercy and grace that we have received unearned. And may our hearts leap for joy when God’s grace is extended to others who were lost, but are now found.

-Connor

P. S. Please join me in welcoming our newest members, David and Erica Nix! We are so excited to welcome them and their infant son, Jackson, as a part of our Newnan First family. Thanks be to God!

*Paraphrased from Timmer, Daniel C.. Obadiah, Jonah and Micah: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 26) (p. 75). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

Update Missions

MISSIONS IN JULY

On July 9th, we packed and served 125 lunches for the Newnan High School football team.

A group from our church went to Epworth by the Sea for a multi generational domestic mission trip July13-18.

Our church participated in the Community Cookout at First Ave Park on July 25. A group from our church packed and handed out 500 bags with school supplies.

UPCOMING MISSIONS

August Donations for One Roof: Soup, Green Beans, Corn, Pork & Beans, Canned Fruit, Ramen Noodle Cups, Oatmeal, and Cereal.

Drop your donations off in the conference room by the work room or bring them to the altar on Sunday, August 18, where they will be blessed. Thank you for your generous donations for our monthly One Roof donations!

August 24: #ServeCoweta | 8:00a | Greenville Street Park

There will be various projects to choose from such as yard clean up, wheelchair ramp, painting, light construction/repair or to serve at a local nonprofit. Sign up at livetheriverlife.com.

October 10: Rise Against Hunger | 6:00pm | Parish Hall

We have jobs for everyone. If you need accommodations, please contact Aileen. aburnett@newnanfumc.org.

Patty Hall

Hostess

5th SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP

9:45am | Parish Hall

Fall

September 29

Spring

March 30

SAVE THE DATES

Fall 2024 Wednesday Night Fellowship

All WNF Dinners are 5:15pm-6:15pm in the Parish Hall.

PLEASE register your attendance for each date by noon the Tuesday before that dinner. This helps us know how much food to have so we don’t run out. Thank you!

September 4

Lasagna, Breadsticks, Salad

September 18

Chicken Pot Pie, Mashed Potatoes, Salad

October 2: Faith & Blue Dinner

Brisket Sandwich, Potatoes, Lima Beans, Salad

October 16

Chicken, Biscuits & Gracy, Mixed Vegtables, Salad

November 6: Mission Recognition Hamburgers, Tator Tots, Fixings

November 20: Friendsgiving Ham Provided, Bring a side to share

December 4

Turkey, Stuffing, Green Beans, Cranberries

Happy August, Church Family!

Ihope you found the month of July restful, and that you didn’t miss the choir too much. We are happy to be back in worship, but I’m so grateful for all the gifts people shared in the month of July. To all those who sang or played as part of worship, thank you for your contributions!

I was blessed to join our missions team on the mission trip to St. Simons last month, and it was an amazing time. The team worked so hard, had such joyful attitudes, and truly modeled the servant’s heart that is alive and well in this congregation. Whether it was picking up trash, packing food and medical supplies, or diving into God’s word in devotional time, they spent the week on fire for God, and ready to be his hands and feet. If you haven’t had a chance to participate in a mission trip with our church yet, I strongly encourage you to watch for information on next year’s trip.

Thank you so much to all of those who attended the Southern Gospel Quartet Concert on July 21st. It was such a fun program. I’m grateful to all of those who shared the event on social media, and added this event to what seems to be a particularly busy summer month. The quartet went to Wesley Woods that afternoon on behalf of the church, and it was such a joy to bring a gift of music to that extension of our church community here in Newnan.

We are back in action in the music department over the coming weeks. Remember to sign your kiddos up for choirs this fall!

CHILDREN’S CHOIR DETAILS

Cherub Choir

Open to all age 4-Grade 1 students

Meets on Wednesdays 5:15-5:45 p.m.

Carol Choir

Open to all 2nd-6th Grade Students

Meets on Wednesdays 5:15-6:00 p.m.

Bellissimo

Open to all 3rd-6th grade students.

Meets on Wednesdays at 4:30-5:15 p.m.

Youth Ensemble

Auditioned small ensemble for 7th-12th Grade Students

Meets on Sundays 4:30-5:00 p.m.

Youth Choir

Open to all 7th-12th Grade Students

Meets on Sundays 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Caitie Dixon

Minister of Music

Chancel Choir

July 31 | 6:45pm

Youth Ensemble & Choir

August 11 | 4:30 & 5:00pm

Children’s Bells & Choirs

August 14 | 4:30 & 5:15pm Joybells September 9 | 4:30pm

Inspirations September 9 | 5:45pm

Celebration Singers September 10 | 9:30am

Fun ‘n Frolic

Aileen Burnett

Missions & Sr Adult Coordinator

ORemember to pay for trips when you sign up to OFFICIALLY reserve your spot!

n July 11th, the Fun ‘n Frolic crew enjoyed lunch at Buckner’s Restaurant before heading to Southern Belle Farms for peaches and ice cream (YUM!). It was a wonderful day spent making new friends and fellowship.

A small group went to the Fox Theater on July 20th for a special organ concert presented by a 17-year-old from Pennsylvania (coincidentally, he’s a rising senior at the high school where my daughter graduated!). We listened to show tunes, classical, jazz, and big band era music, and a few from our group were able to play Mighty Mo (The Fox’s organ).

Our next outing will be the KIA Plant tour on Thursday, August 22. For those who signed up, we will be leaving the church promptly at 10:30am and will enjoy lunch ($) on the way to West Point. We plan to return around 4:30pm. This trip is SOLD OUT.

There are still have a few openings for our Nashville trip leaving on Saturday, September 21st and returning on Tuesday, September 24th. We will be staying at the Opryland Hotel and will enjoy many sights in Nashville. For more information, contact Aileen Burnett. Double occupancy per person is $977 and single occupancy is $1326.

Looking Back on the Summer...

This summer we had a blast in times of fellowship, study, and service. Over the summer, we went on choir tour, volunteered at VBS, and met every week on Wednesday to dive into the Fruits of the Spirit and grab lunch together at local restaurants. We had a blast together tubing down the Chattahoochee river, and the church went on a mission trip to serve Glenn County, Georgia.

Our mission out of Epworth was a great experience serving and learning alongside some wonderful members of our congregation. We had all different age adults with a variety of different perspectives, and we loved our neighbors in Glenn County all week. Whether it was during thoughtful discussion, serving in the hot (and I mean hot) summer heat, or gathered around the table, we learned about God and each other as we got to be His hands and feet. If you haven’t had the opportunity to go on a mission trip with church, be on the lookout for information in regards to our next adventure together, thoughtfully consider, and say yes!

This summer has been amazing, and we are so looking forward to the upcoming school year!

The Start of School and Beyond:

We are kicking off the school year with some of the best fun and discipleship.

-The Back to School Bash is on August 4 from 3-5pm. The UTH will both get to work and play at this event. Come have an awesome time and be blessed!

-The next Sunday, August 11, is our Bite Nite: a photo scavenger hunt where teams of six accomplish tasks around Downtown Newnan. You can still sign up your team, but the t-shirts have already been ordered!

-Then on Sunday, August 18, our first UTH of the year kicks off. We will have dinner, worship, a lesson, and small group time.

We are so excited for the upcoming year. To find out more about the upcoming year, come to our UTH Parents Meeting on August 18 from 4:00pm in the UTH Lounge.

-Paul Mosley

CONFIRMATION

We are preparing for the 2024-2025 Confirmation Class to get started this September, and need to collect information about who will be participating this year. We are so excited for this milestone in each of these student's lives!

Once you fill out the information, I will follow up with each of you then. Confirmation starts September 8th. Mark your calendars for these awesome events!

Paul Mosley Youth Minister

Begins* September 8

FirstKIDS

Andrea Stuart Director of Children’s Ministry

UPCOMING DATES

Promotion Sunday August 4 | 9:45am | S

Back-to-School Bash

August 4 | 3-5pm | PH

ROOT345Returns

August 11 | 6:00pm | CW

If you have a 2-yrold or rising 1st grader, fill out the form so Ms. Andrea has a Bible for them!

View & Download GROW Day Camp Pics Here

Coming Up In August...

Children’s Worship: Sundays during the 11am Service (Excluding Communion Sundays). Look for a dismissal notice in the Sunday Bulletin! We are moving and shaking during Children’s Worship in August. We will be talking about the heroes in the Bible this month, and how we can be heroes, too!

Sunday School: 9:45am on the Children’s Wing

We are embarking on the voyage to the Promised Land. We will be introduced to Joshua. We will be talking about the spies that went to Cannan, how the Isrealites crossed the Jordan River, and we end the month with the Battle of Jericho! It will be an action packed month! Make sure your children don’t miss it!

New School Year, New Spaces!

Iam so excited to announce the expansion of the preschool! The church has graciously added an additional classroom and office space to the Parrish Hall building. This is going to open up so many possibilities for NFUMC Preschool to grow and thrive for many generations to come!

This expansion will allow us to welcome new families into our church and preschool program. Thank you to everyone for supporting this important outreach ministry! Without you this would not be needed or possible! We are so thankful the church saw this opportunity and supports our ministry to teach and lead the next generation of students through God’s teaching. It is a blessing to help plant the seeds of God’s love in the heart of each child!

We have opened a new 2 year old T/TH class for the fall of 2024. We also have availability in our 3 year-MWF, and 4 year old M-F program. If you know anyone who may be interested please have them reach out to me at smitchell@newnanfumc.org to set up a tour!

Susan Mitchell Preschool Director

In The Life News from the Pews

Janet Marie Gunnels Communications Director

jmgunnels@NewnanFUMC.org

770.253.7400 (x204)

CORRECTION CORNER

Jesus is perfect, Janet Marie makes mistakes

July Shepherd, p.9

The date for WNF resuming was listed as August, but it’s actually September!

Some Newnan First members and a few other guests went to The Fox Theatre a couple weeks ago. This was no ordinary outing, though. It included a private, invite-only concert and a unique opportunity to play The Mighty Mo, the theatre’s organ.

So how did this group get such an amazing opportunity? Bob McKoon is a member of the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS), whose Atlanta chapter (including Bob!) got the ball rolling to save the Fox Theatre back in 1974, when the city proposed its demolition. Every couple years, The Fox welcomes ATOS to hold their own private concerts, so for their monthly meeting the group invited Ben as guest artist, and Bob could bring as many friends as he liked. Originally it was just going to be him and Dawn McCord traveling until he thought “what if we could take the church bus?” They could take it, and ended up taking 25 more people with them. THREE of those people, Dawn, Marian Steed, and the Henry Lee (Central Baptist), were able to play the organ.

“It’s always a treat to go to The Fox,” said Bob. “And it was also a treat to enjoy a fabulous concert by a young, rising musician. I’ve heard him once before, and he immediately remembered me and how much I love theatre organ music.”

Bob put the program together, and wants to thank Craig Bryan for driving the bus and Aileen for coordinating communication.

Coweta Co Schools Back

ARC Blood Drive

12:15pm, Annex Hall

Traditional Worship Service

8:30am & 11:00am, Sanctuary

Sunday School

9:45am

Children Promotion Sunday 9:45am, Sanctuary

Back-to-School Bash

3:00-5:00pm, Parish Hall

5-8

Preschool Summer Enrichment 9am-12pm, Preschool, $

Masterworks Rehearsal 6:45pm, Choir Room

Leadership Team Mtg 6:00pm, Annex Conference

Chancel Choir Rehearsal 6:45pm, Choir Room

Fear This Driver Safety Course 4:00pm, Chapel

Quilts of Valor Ice Cream Social

1:30-4:30pm, Parish Hall

Church Picnic: Hawaiian Luau

12:15pm-4:00pm, Parish Hall

August Calendar

Youth Ensemble

4:30pm, Choir Room

Youth Choir Resumes 5:00pm, Choir Room

ROOT345 Resumes

6:00pm, Children’s Wing, $

UTH Bite Nite

6:00pm, Youth Lounge, $

Parkinson’s Support Group

2:30pm, Henry Kitchen SS Class

Trustees Meeting 6:00pm, Annex Conference

Masterworks Rehearsal 6:45pm, Choir Room

Bellissimo Children’s Handbells 4:30pm, Bell Room

Cherub Choir

5:15pm, Henry Kitchens SS

Carol Choir 5:15, Choir Room

Chancel Choir Rehearsal 6:45pm, Choir Room

Traditional Worship Service

8:30am & 11:00am, Sanctuary

Sunday School 9:45am

UTH Parents Meeting 4:00pm, Youth Lounge

ROOT345 & UTH 6:00pm, CW and YL, $

Masterworks Rehearsal 6:45pm, Choir Room 21

UTH Biscuits & Bibles 7:00am, Truett’s Chick-fil-A

Dementia Support Meeting 10:00am, Annex Conference

Bellissimo Children’s Handbells 4:30pm, Bell Room

Cherub Choir 5:15pm, Henry Kitchens SS

Carol Choir 5:15, Choir Room

Chancel Choir Rehearsal 6:45pm, Choir Room 22

FnF KIA Plant Tour 10:00am, West Point, GA, $

#ServeCoweta 8:00am, Greenville Street Park

Traditional Worship Service 8:30am & 11:00am, Sanctuary

FnF Titanic Exhibit 10:00am, Atlanta, $

Church Council Meeting 6:00pm, Gathering Room

Masterworks Rehearsal 6:45pm, Choir Room

UTH Biscuits & Bibles 7:00am, Truett’s Chick-fil-A

Dementia Support Meeting 10:00am, Annex Conference

Bellissimo Children’s Handbells 4:30pm, Bell Room

Cherub Choir

5:15pm, Henry Kitchens SS

Carol Choir 5:15, Choir Room

Chancel Choir Rehearsal 6:45pm, Choir Room

Preschool Open House 9:00am, Preschool

ROOT345 & UTH 6:00pm, CW and YL, $

In The Life of Our Church

Baptisms

Benjamin Davis Chappell | July 28, 2024

Adair & Andrew Chappell

In Memoriam

Hazel Craft Lockard

May 27, 1927-June 24, 1924

Extending our Christian Sympathies

LaVell Rice and Brandon and Austin Smith on the death of Heather Smith, their daughter and mother, respectively.

In The Life of Our Church

2024 Domestic Mission Trip

This team traveled to Epworth by the Sea in St. Simon’s Island for a special, multi generational mission trip. They helped Keep Golden Isles Beautiful by picking up trash. They went to the Addington Place assisted living facility and led a crafting activity. They unloaded and repaired items for the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and sorted 12,000lbs of produce at Second Harvest. Finally, they were sworn-in as junior rangers at Fort Frederica. A HUGE THANK YOU to Carolyn, Caitie, Cheryl, Don, Edna, James, Jeri, JoVonne, Lee, Nancy Paul, and Shannon for giving your time and efforts on behalf of Newnan First!