MessengerTHEC O L B E R T U N I T E DM E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 • V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 1 0 w w w. c o l b e r t - u m c . o r g

From the Pastor’s Desk

I have never known anyone that does not like a good story. Stories can entertain us, educate us, and, yes, sometimes bore us. There are stories about the one that got away, and how big the snake was.

There are true stories, fictional ones, and some tall tales. That’s when “the one that got away” or that “snake that was under the bed” got bigger and bigger.

Jesus told a lot of stories while He walked with us on this earth. Jesus told parables, which were stories that He used to illustrate and tell us about the Kingdom of Heaven. The parables were long and short, but they were always meant to educate us. Some of His parables are very easy to understand, and for some of them He gave an explanation.

This month, I will have a sermon series based on some of Jesus’ parables from the Gospel of Matthew. I hope that you will join us, and I hope that you can bring someone that has never been to Colbert UMC or hasn’t been with us for a while.

Blessings, Pastor Michael

Parables of Jesus

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G E N E R A L N E W S

Upcoming Meetings & Events(All meetings take place in the Family Life Center.)UMW – Mon., Oct. 2, 6pmWorship Meeting – Sun., Oct. 8, 10amCouncil Meeting – Mon., Oct. 23, 6pmTrunk or Treat – Tues., Oct. 31Charge Conference – Sun., Dec. 3, 2pm

Fall Bible StudyAll church members and friends are invited to our Wednesday night Bible Study. In October we are meeting at Colbert UMC at 6pm. We’ll have a light dinner before we hear and discuss God’s word.

Church CouncilChurch Council will meet on Monday, October 23rd, at 6PM. We will review the financial report for the third quarter as well as committee reports. We will also discuss the budget needs for the com-ing year.

Welcome New MembersWe welcomed the following new members to our congregation in September:June Ward and Thea M. Rice (Sept. 3) and Travis and Georgia Phillips (Sept. 10). We are so happy to have them fellowship with us!

Food BankFor the month of September, our Colbert UMC Food Bank served 58 families, which included 50 children, 35 seniors, and 73 adults for a total of 158 people! Many thanks to the faithful and tireless efforts of Bill McClure, Janet & Bill Ashley, Dave English, Greg Palmer, Allen Harris, Katherine Phelps, Rose Branson, Mariann Branson, Danielle Wooten and Olivia Wooten for shopping, packing and distributing food to our community for this important mission.

Safe Sanctuary TrainingWe had a great turn out for the training. We are currently working with Trak-1 to get the back-ground check set up so that everyone can submit their information on line. As soon as we hear back from Trak-1 with the information needed to log into their system, it will be forwarded to everyone who has had the training. If you were unable to attend either of the training’s and would like to be able to work with the children of the church, see Pastor Michael.

Let’s show Pastor Michael—and Amanda and Natalie—how much we appreciate them. There are many things that can be done to show your appreciation. It can be as simple as sending a card, taking him to breakfast or lunch, giving him something “Tennessee” related, or preparing all of them a meal. The possibilities are endless!!! Watch the Weekly Messenger for information on the possibility of a covered dish get together on October 29th to end Pastor Appreciation Month in style!

Dear Colbert UMC, Thank you so much for contributing to our Back-to-School Supply Drive. Because of your help, we were able to have a very successful event and provide a large number of children with needed school supplies. We are truly grateful for your help with this project. Thank you, Madison Area Resource Team

Soup Kitchen Our Daily Bread at Athens FBC

We served 70 plates at Our Daily Bread on Thursday, September 28, at Oconee Street UMC. Athens First Baptist is being re-modeled, so we are temporarily relocated at Ocone Street. Our meal was green peas, sliced potatoes with cheese, ham, sausage, bread and fruit. Our volunteers that prepared and served the food were Katherine Phelps, Dave English, Bill and Shirley McClure, Greg Palmer, Barbara Dixon, Wanda Coley and Brenda Ab-del-Hafez. We enjoy serving each month and invite you to come and participate. It is very heart warming and such a wonderful opportu-nity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Contact Brenda Abdel-Hafez for more information at teachmath8@juno.com or 706-247-5412.

Supper ClubSupper Club in Sep-tember was small in numbers, but we had a wonderful time of fellow-ship. Let’s try again on Friday, October 27th. Athens will be empty for the Georgia-Flori-da game, and we will probably have a good chance of going just about anywhere without a wait!!! Plan to meet at the FLC at 5:30, or if you are already in Athens, you can meet us wherever we go. This will probably be our last outing for 2017, as the holidays are approach-ing and everyone’s schedules get busier. Watch the January 2018 messenger for the first out-ing of the new year. Until we eat again!!!!!

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G E N E R A L N E W S

Teachers of Children NeededWe are in need of Sunday school teachers for our children from birth to fifth grade. If you have a love for children and feel God is calling you to help lead our youngest members, please get in touch with Kerri Medders at (256) 343-8361 or zoesbrownies@yahoo.com or with Pas-tor Michael at michael.ferguson@ngumc.net.

intheMIDDLEmeals is back in full swing. They are currently in need of deodorant and ready-to-eat pop top cans (ravioli/pasta w/meat, chunky soups). There is a list of all the items they pack on the table in the Narthex. Gina also has many volunteer opportunities:

� bag packers � bag deliverers � Food Bank shopper � couponer � grocery shopper � technology assistant

For more information on how you can help, e-mail Gina at: intheMIDDLEmeals@gmail.com.

Hampton ClassThe Hampton class decided not to merge with the Brookshire class after all. We are small in numbers, but God is always with us no matter how small. As the Bible tells us, “Wherever two or more are gathered in My name, I am in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) Mildred made her move to Monroe to be closer to her children. We will miss her and pray for the best for her. Maybe we can plan a lunch outing to Monroe and go visit her! Rachel seems to be doing better since they adjusted her medication. Her daughter Joy said that she appreciates calls, visits, or just a note to say hello. Keep Thelma Morris in prayer as she is still having some rough days. We pray that she will be back feeling 100% soon. Also keep Ruth & Melvin in your thoughts and prayers as we all know how difficult it must be to understand the death of a grandchild. On a happier note, they say that cooler weather is on it’s way. Let’s look forward to this wonder-ful time of cool brisk air and the beautiful fall colors.

Brookshire ClassWe will continue to study God’s Covenants for the next five weeks. God’s Covenants are promises that He made to Abram, David and the nation of Israel. Could those promises still be in effect after all these years, and, if so, can we also be living under these covenants? Come study with us as we discuss God’s relationship with man.

GAP ClassOur first class for God’s Active People was Sep-tember 10 in FLC. We had eleven in attendance. Thus far, we have a total of 15 members. Any one still interested is welcome to attend. We begin promptly at 10am. We are studying “The Story” by Randy Frazee. It is very interesting and thought provoking. It encourages us to stretch our brains and think in ways that we have never done before. We are having great discussions, with many people expressing thoughts and experiences. Bring your Bible and join us. If you have questions email or call Brenda Abdel-Hafez at teachmath8@juno.com or 706-247-5412.

When GOD solves our problems, we have faith in HIS abilities;

When GOD doesn’t solve our problems, HE has faith in our abilities.

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S U N D AY S C H O O L N E W S

Start planning your decorations for Trunk or Treat on October, 31 at 6pm! Trick-or-treaters usually start coming by around 6pm, so give yourself plenty of time to decorate your vehicle. This is always a fun time for both the kids and adults. Along with treats, we’ll hand out infor-mation about our church and the upcoming activities. It will be a SPOOKTACULAR evening!!!!

S M A L L G R O U P N E W S

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UMWDue to the weather, UMW was not able to meet in September. We were planning on a ladies night out for October, but decided it would be best if we met at our usual location to work on planning the upcoming Advent Market. The Advent Market has been a great success the past two years and everyone has a wonderful time browsing and buying. We would love for all the ladies of the church to be a part of this. We look forward to you sharing your ideas with us. So, plan on meeting on Monday, October 2nd in the FLC at 6pm for great food and fellowship and planning. Hope to see you there!!

UMMThe UMM met and agreed to fund the transportation cost of $7 for the shipment of each Christmas shoe box our Church sends to children overseas. We also agreed to hold another peanut sales fundraiser in November if costs remain approximately the same.

UMYFA huge THANK YOU to all the par-ents for continuing to step in ev-ery Sunday to keep these young youth active. The SPR committee is currently interviewing possible candidates for the Youth Director position. Pray that God will send us the right person for our youth and our church family.

Craft GroupAre you a crafter? Like to knit or make jew-elry? Want the opportunity to fellowship with others while using your God-given gifts? Drop in and join us each Tuesday, 10am-12pm and share your talent and have a whole lot of fun!

Prayer GroupJoin us each Tuesday, 9:30-10am, for a meaning-ful and fulfilling time of prayer for our church, families, and community. All are welcome.

November 11 • 9am-1pmChristmas Gifts & Decor • Jewelry • Crafts

Handmade Items • Silent AuctionHomemade Soup & Baked Goods

COLBERT UMC FAMILY LIFE CENTER • 68 N. SECOND ST. • COLBERT, GA

Mark your calendar for the Third Annual Advent Market! If you would like to purchase a table to sell your items, please talk to a member of UMW. More information is available at: colbert-umc.org/advent-market

OCT.1 OCT.8 OCT.15 OCT.22 OCT.29USHERS LindaGaulding SwayneGrissom CindyRhodes LarryGoss BarbaraClack

JerrieTeet DaveEnglish MikeRhodes MitchellGoss BarryClackACOLYTE OliviaWooten DanielleWooten ClaySaxon OliviaWooten BraydonHardegreeLITURGIST GinaWard BrendaAbdel-Hafez JimHaralson TracyColey JerrieTeetNURSERY KatherinePhelps KerriMcGinnis ShirleyMcClure BrendaAbdel-Hafez CodiParham

DanielleWooten ClaySaxon LoraliHardegree KayleePhelps TrudyWrdFLOWERS Communion DebbyRogers DonnaJordan RhondaShedd& LindaWickliffeCOMMUNIONASST. JerrieTeet KarenRutledge

NOV.5USHERS SuzanneSack

RitaWhiteheadACOLYTE DanielleWootenLITURGIST TrudyWardNURSERY PattyHughes

BraydonHardegreeFLOWERS CommunionCOMMUNIONASST. BarbaraDixon

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G O D ’ S S U N D AY S E R V A N T S

UMW October Hostesses: Sue English and Jerrie TeetUMW October Program: Wanda Coley

UMW November Hostesses: Wanda and Tracy ColeyUMW November Program: Christine Haralson

Official Church CalendarNeed to reserve church spaces or van for an event? The Official Church Calendar is maintained by Pastor Michael. If you need to use the old fellowship hall, Family Life Center, Sunday School rooms, sanctuary, or church van, please follow these easy steps:

1. Check the Official Church Calendar (located in the church office in the FLC) to see if the room(s) or van is available for the day(s) you want to reserve and use them. Please note that the church main-tains a list of approved drivers; please see Pastor Michael for more information.

2. Read the building usage policy located in the church office and on the bulletin board in the back hall of the church.

3. Fill out a Reservation Form located online or in the church office, and return it to Pastor Michael.4. Pay any necessary deposit or usage fee (preferably by check) to the church. Trustees will determine

and assess any damage fees as necessary.5. After receipt of payment (if necessary), Pastor Michael will confirm your reservation and write your

reservation on the Official Church Calendar.

This policy was adopted by the Church Council on Jan. 9, 2011.

If you are unable to be there for your scheduled Sunday, please try to switch with someone or call Rose Branson @ 706-227-2571.

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68 North Second StreetP.O. Box 317

Colbert, Georgia 30628

Pastor Michael Ferguson(706) 788-3372 (office)michael.ferguson@ngumc.net

www.colbert-umc.org Colbert United Methodist Church

Our Mission: Colbert United Methodist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!