VIENNA UMC SUNDAY SERVICES
SUNDAY SCHOOL …………….9:45AM
WORSHIP SERVICE………….11:00 AM
WORSHIP with US
SHILOH UMC SUNDAY SERVICES
WORSHIP SERVICE…………...10:00 AM
SUNDAY SCHOOL…………….11:00 AM
The Beacon “Shining Forth the Glory of God”
January 2013
Rev. Chris Ramsey, Pastor
NON PROFIT ORG.
POSTAGE PAID
VIENNA, GA 31092
PERMIT NO. 20
VIENNA— SHILOH
UNITED METHODIST CHARGE
313 CHURCH STREET
VIENNA, GA 31092
Return Service Requested
James R. King, Jr.
Resident Bishop, South GA Conference
Connectional Ministry Team
Dr. Wayne Moseley District Superintendent
Church Ministry Team
Rev. R. Christopher Ramsey Senior Pastor
Cathy Thompson Administrative Assistant
Dr. Jim Sides Minister of Music
Lisa Ramsey Children’s Ministry
Stacey Peavy Financial Secretary
Barbara Woods Church Organist
Jane Mason/ Janice Turner Church Pianists
Sunday Worship Shiloh UMC @ 10:00 am
and/or
Sunday Worship Vienna UMC @11am
The “Courtyard” Praise & Worship Service
2nd and 4th Sundays 9:00.m. VUMC
Come worship with us!
A Publication of the Vienna United Methodist Church
313 Church Street Vienna, GA 31092 Phone# 229-268-4207
Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.viennaumc.org
Rev. Chris Ramsey, Pastor Vienna UMC & Shiloh UMC
Pastor’s Article…………………....page 2 Vienna Calendar …………………page 5
Opportunities to Serve ………….page 3 Music Minister …………………..page 6
Celebrations & Lord’s Pantry …… page 4 Shiloh Calendar………………….. page 7
The
January 2013
For the New Year
H old fast to your faith (Hebrews 4:14)
A ssemble with the saints (Hebrews 10:25)
P ray earnestly every day (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)
P ray for great blessings (Malachi 3:10)
Y ield not to temptation (1 Thessalonians 5:22)
N eglect not your talents and opportunities (Galatians 6:10)
E xamine yourself daily (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Work diligently for the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Y ield your members to righteousness (Romans 6:11, 16)
E xercise yourself in godliness (1 Timothy 4:7)
A im for a perfect, mature faith (Hebrews 6:1)
R edeem the time (Ephesians 5:15-16)
—Gus Nichols
The Bucket List
I noticed that December 21st, 2012 came and went just like any other December 21st, in spite of all the
doomsday prepers and those who gave the Mayan Calendar any credit. I don’t think many people around
South or Central Georgia bought into the doomsday prophecies predicted by a Mayan civilization that, them-
selves, died out 1100 years ago. Over the past week, I’ve noticed however, that many of the informational
channels, such as the History and Learning Channels, are still running the same doomsday programs that pre-
dict an immense asteroid is going to hit the earth, a super earthquake is going to re-sculpt the west coast, or
global warming is going to lead to an ice age that will end life as we know it on planet Earth. Some of these
programs even incorrectly attempt to quote biblical references to support their theories. Since none of this has
come about, the question that now remains is, “What are we going to do with the time so many didn’t think
we were going to have?”
There was a movie that came out in 2007 called Bucket List. In this movie, two terminally ill men es-
cape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of things they want to do before they die.
Basically it addresses the question, “What am I going to do with the time I have left?” If you had bought into
the 2012 doomsday prophecies, what might you have placed on your bucket list of things you would want to
do with the time you have left?
Jesus tells us a parable in Luke 12:16-20 about this very thing. "The ground of a certain rich man pro-
duced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he
said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain
and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy;
eat, drink and be merry." "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from
you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
Many people think that Jesus is talking about stewardship here, and in a sense He is. But even to a
greater degree, He is talking about a bucket list. The farmer in Jesus’ parable decided his bucket list was to
include taking life easy, eating, drinking, and being merry; in other words... doing what he wanted. However,
that very next night, his life on earth ended, bucket list unfulfilled. Jesus’ meaning is clear, each morning we
wake up is a gift from God; therefore, decide each morning what you will do with the gift He’s given you.
That’s where our real bucket list comes in, the bucket list that makes an eternal impact.
Jonathan Edwards, who is widely acknowledged as America's most important and original phil-
osophical theologian, and author of the book The End For Which God Created the World, developed the fol-
lowing bucket list for life:
Live with all my might, while I do Live.
Never lose one moment of time, to improve it in the most profitable way I can.
Never to do anything which I should despise or think meanly of in another.
Never do anything out of revenge.
Never do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.
In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions we would do well to adopt this same bucket list for our lives.
In Psalm 118:24 God begins, “This is a day that the Lord has made...” let’s include, “Let us rejoice and be
glad in it!” as part of our daily bucket list.
Happy New Year,
Brother Chris
Page 7 The Beacon
Sunday Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Mike Forehand
2 3 4 5
6 Communion Ralph Cason
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Courtyard VUMC 9am Flowers: MM Tim Kinard
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15 Lord’s Pantry Foodbank ViennaUMC
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20 Flowers: MM Clay Mercer
21 Family Night 7:00 P.M.
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27 Courtyard VUMC 9 A.M. Flowers: Betty O’Neal
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2013
Remember our Shut-ins
Dot Morgan, , Virginia Rose Cannon, Rhona Smith,
Lillian Harris, and Catheryn Green
Allen Bagwell Dana Gambrell
Trella Etheridge Donny Taunton
Dottie Forehand David Lee
Magalene Baggett Gary Peavy
Prayer List
John F. Morgan
January 5, 1926 - December 24, 2012
Member of Vienna UMC
The best angle from which to approach
any problem is the try - angle.
- Author unknown
The Old Rugged Cross (an anniversary)
One of the numbers we’re planning for the Sanctuary Choir to present for the Easter musical is “The Power of
the Cross,” in which the words are married to the music in an unforgettable way: “This the power of the cross;
Son of God - slain for us. What a love, what a cost! We stand forgiven at the cross.” I’ll never forget the first
time I rehearsed that song, I could hardly sing past the lump in my throat!
In a similar way, the flowing melody and simple rhythm of a hymn titled “The Old Rugged Cross” was new to
the listeners’ ears in 1913. Not only did it tug at people’s hearts but it became one of the most beloved hymns
of the twentieth century. A man named George Bennard very likely composed this hymn while strumming the
chords on his guitar.
While reflecting on Galatians 6:14 to gain a fuller understanding of the cross, Bennard, a full-time evangelist,
wrote, “I read and studied and prayed. The Christ of the Cross became more than a symbol...It was like seeing
John 3:16 leave the printed page, take form, and act out the meaning of redemption. While watching this sce-
ne with my mind’s eye, the theme of the song came to me.” Writing the words took him several weeks, during
a two-week revival in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, in late December 1912 and early January, 1913. He and mu-
sic evangelist Ed Mieras sang the finished song to a full house on the final night of the meeting. A few months
later, after help on the harmonies by fellow-composer Charles H. Gabriel, the completed version was sung by a
small choir accompanied by a guitar.
“The Old Rugged Cross” quickly became a cherished hymn. Early recordings by Homer Rodeheaver were
often played on the fiery evangelist Billy Sunday’s radio programs, which only added to its popularity.
George Beverly Shea, long-time soloist with the Billy Graham crusades, saw Bennard many times at the
Winona Lake Bible conferences in Indiana, and often spoke of how moved he was the first time he heard him
sing “The Old Rugged Cross.”
It’s been translated into many languages by now, and tour groups from around the world come to the small Old
Rugged Cross Museum and Historical Society in Reed City, Michigan, where an impressive twelve-foot cross
can be seen from the highway. “Sometimes they have their own worship services,” the museum director says.
"We just let them sing.”
“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame.
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross
Til my trophies at last I lay down.
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it someday for a crown.
Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world
Has a wondrous attraction for me.
For the Dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see.
For ‘twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died, Dr. Jim Sides
To pardon and sanctify me.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
We now celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of this beloved hymn. It has stood the test of time well.
Many people who work in nursing homes say it is the most requested song from senior residents. There is the
story of one woman, for instance, whose son wheeled her into the service in a Geri-chair, head slumped for-
ward, eyes unfocused, her body shutting down. Although she was unresponsive to her surroundings, when
they sang “The Old Rugged Cross,” she mouthed every word. Its message never grows old!
Lay Leader for January: Rooney Bowen, III
Lead Usher for January: TBA
Greeters for January: TBA
Joy Junction for January: TBA
Sunday School Assembly& Family Night Supper: CIA Class
Homebound Communion Jan. 6: Melanie & David Lee
Dooly Messengers ( Jr. High) Sundays @ 4:30
Dooly Disciples (Sr. High) Sundays @ 5:30
January Flower List
Jan 6 - Mrs. Jane Mason
Jan 13 - Ms. Diane Couch
Jan 20 - Dot Morgan Family
Jan 27 - Mr. & Mrs. J.R. Evans
Page 3
Wonderful Wednesdays Start Jan 9
Sunshine Gang Choir 10:00 AM
Children’s Choir 4:30 PM—5:30 PM
Family Night Supper 6:30 PM
Bible Study 7:00 PM
Sanctuary Choir 7:30 PM
The “Courtyard” Praise and Worship Service
Sunday Morning January 13th & 27th
Circles
Joy Circle, Monday, January 7 @ 7 p.m.
@ office/annex
Morning Glories, Monday, Jan. 14 @ 10 a.m.
Office/Annex with Sharon Wilkin
Squares , Monday, Jan 21 @ 7 p.m.
home of Laura Woodward
Acolyte
Jan 6 - Katie Hayes & Scout Weesner
Jan 13 - Aaron & David Lee Shurley
Jan 20 - Dylan Bloss & Benjamin Peavy
Jan 27 - Sam Evans & Braxton Warren
@ 9:00 A.M.
Vienna United Methodist Church
Come and be filled!
Page 4
January BirthdaysJanuary BirthdaysJanuary Birthdays
5 Allison Bowen & Bailee Thompson5 Allison Bowen & Bailee Thompson5 Allison Bowen & Bailee Thompson
666 Joyce HarrisJoyce HarrisJoyce Harris
777 Heidi HayesHeidi HayesHeidi Hayes
999 Dan SpeightDan SpeightDan Speight
101010 Jean McAnally & Chris CumbusJean McAnally & Chris CumbusJean McAnally & Chris Cumbus
111111 A.J. JarvisA.J. JarvisA.J. Jarvis
131313 Marsha PullenMarsha PullenMarsha Pullen
141414 Jane Ramsey & Shan AkinJane Ramsey & Shan AkinJane Ramsey & Shan Akin
151515 Donnie LaneDonnie LaneDonnie Lane
171717 Janice WardJanice WardJanice Ward
181818 Steve MorganSteve MorganSteve Morgan
20 Elaine Taunton & Wayne Ward20 Elaine Taunton & Wayne Ward20 Elaine Taunton & Wayne Ward
212121 Jim Warbington, Dot Morgan, & Lori WoodwardJim Warbington, Dot Morgan, & Lori WoodwardJim Warbington, Dot Morgan, & Lori Woodward
222222 Luanne SewellLuanne SewellLuanne Sewell
25 John Morgan25 John Morgan25 John Morgan
27 Jennifer Britt27 Jennifer Britt27 Jennifer Britt
28 Evelyn Ramsey28 Evelyn Ramsey28 Evelyn Ramsey
29 Bobby Lamb29 Bobby Lamb29 Bobby Lamb
Happy Anniversary
Kathie and Gary Peavy
January 7th
Bible Verse of the Month
Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because
God’s love has been poured out into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been
given to us.
The Lord’s Pantry – January 2013
The Lord’s Pantry served 62 households/124 family members in December. Thanks to the December team of Cathy
Jones, Pat Newby, June Johnston, Beth English, Blakely Humber and Ethel Jones.
We held the food distribution in our new location and it was GREAT! Moving is never an easy task and many helped
make this move possible. A special thanks to Cathy Jones and Raymond King – without their help, I could not have got-
ten us moved in! Thanks to Rooney Bowen, Phillip Warren and Keith Evans for moving the freezers. The day before
distribution, just when I thought everyone would have to stand, the chairs were delivered at 12:00 in the pouring rain –
God is good! Thanks to Cathy Jones and Pat Newby for helping with the “chair project”. And on distribution day – I
find that an “angel” had hung some of the blinds. I know that God has been with us throughout this endeavor – I knew it
each time I entered the building.
We received many other blessings during Dec.; a generous donation of hygiene and cleaning products and a donation of
foods from another family. We were able to distribute turkeys for Christmas – thanks Sally Sangster for handling this!
The January 14-15 team includes Blakely Humber, Jenny Brown, Sharon Wilkin and Laura Woodward. The January
Goody Basket sponsor is the Squares Circle/ VUMC.
I am working on the 2013 schedule – if you presently volunteer and want a change, or if you would like to begin volunteer-
ing, please contact me at [email protected] or 268-4857.
Please continue to pray for this worthy mission.
The Beacon
2013
Homebound Communion Sunday, January 2:
Linda West, Jane Ramsey, & Sherry Evans
Page 5
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 New Year’s Day
2
3 4
5
6 Communion
Epiphany Sunday
Flowers: Mrs. Jane Mason Acolyte: Scout W & Katie Hayes
7 JOY Circle 7p.m.
8 Men’s Bible Study 12:00 Noon
9 Sunshine Gang 10am Children’s Choir 4:30 Handbell Choir 5:30 Family Night Supper 6:30 Bible Study 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir 7:30pm
10 “Young at Heart” Lunch 12 Noon
11 12
13 Courtyard 9:00 am Baptism of the Lord Sunday
Flowers: Diane Couch
Acolyte: Aaron & David Lee Shurley
14 Morning Glories 10:00 a.m. @ Annex with Sharon Wilkin
15 Food Bank Men’s Bible Study 12:00 Noon
16 Sunshine Gang 10am Children’s Choir 4:30 Handbell Choir 5:30 Family Night Supper 6:30 Bible Study 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir 7:30pm
17
18 19
20 Flowers: Dot Morgan Family Acolyte: Benjamin Peavy & Dylan Bloss
21 Squares 7 p.m. Home of Laura Woodward
22 Men’s Bible Study 12:00 Noon
23
Sunshine Gang 10am Children’s Choir 4:30 Handbell Choir 5:30 Family Night Supper 6:30 Bible Study 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir 7:30pm
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25
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27 Courtyard 9:00 am
Flowers: Mr.& Mrs. J.R. Evans Acolyte: Braxton Warren & Sam Evans
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Flower: Carnation Birthstone: Garnet
Homebound Communion Volunteers:
Sunday, January 6th
Melanie & David Lee
Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class will be held in Vienna starting January 13th. You can sign up and purchase your kit online. It is a 9 week course and the kit is $95.00 - a small price to pay for such valuable information. Contact Michael Ramsey, Class Coordinator, at 229-322-1656. Class Page URL: http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/locations/org/21179/class/219334
Financial Peace University Class
January 13th Vienna UMC
Get moving! !! Faith is the word that de-
scribes the direction our feet start moving
when we find that we are loved. Faith is
stepping out into the unknown with noth-
ing to guide us but a hand just beyond our
grasp.
—Frederick Buechner