Belle Meade United Methodist Church August 6, 2014The Spire

I want the church – the community of Jesus’ disciples – to be a community at peace. I want to come on Sunday mornings and receive assurance of God’s abounding grace. I want to be a part of small groups where I am in constant loving relationship with others. I want to serve the neighborhoods around us, knowing that we are loving our neighbors the way God would have us love them. I want peace, assurance, and confidence of where God is leading us.The trouble is, I don’t always get what I want. Some Sundays I come to church and leave with more questions than assurances. Every small group I have known has conflict of some sort. I feel good when I serve others, but I also wonder if our resources and energy are spent in the best way. Do we work for charity or for justice? In short, I have found church to be a place where I am more often wrestling than at peace. Wrestling with theo-logical questions, wrestling with other members of the community, wrestling with social issues, and wrestling with God. The good news is: I am not alone. This week’s lectionary text from the Old Testament tells a strange story about Jacob wrestling with a man at a stream (is it God?), and the man tells Jacob, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed” (Gen. 32.33-31). And get this: After wrestling with God, Jacob receives a blessing!There are other bouts of biblical wrestling. I think of how Jesus’ disciples wrestled over who would be the great-est (Mt 18:4), only for Jesus to turn their argument into an opportunity to preach the kingdom of God. Or how about the early church leaders, who wrestled to figure out whether non-Jews could be a part of a Jewish move-ment (Acts 15.1-21)? And don’t forget Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, wrestling so hard with God to take away the cup of crucifixion that “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Lk 22.44). The problem is not that we wrestle. The problem is my expectations. God never promised me a life without struggle. God never promised me a “happy-go-lucky” church where I can come be reminded just how swell life is. No, Jesus told his would-be followers that they were signing up for a lifetime of wrestling (Jn 16.1-4; Mt 16.24-25). A wrestling match with Jesus, though, ends not with defeat but with blessing. Just like Jacob by the riverside, we receive a blessing “beyond our wildest dreams,” as Tom likes to say. It is a blessing of a life lived in union with one another and with the God who created us all. Do you want that blessing? I’ll wrestle you for it.

Wrest l ing and Blessing Gabe Horton

If you like ice cream, great deals that support important causes, and having fun with your church family, you will not want to miss our fall kick-off on August 17 at 4:00 pm. This afternoon will feature something for all ages, including fifteen different flavors of ice cream to sample, a silent auction with GREAT items, and games for kids. Contact Mark Acker, Jason Sansbury, Linda Schipani, or Deb Durrett for more information.

*Sample all kinds of homemade ice cream. *Inflatable games for children and youth*Silent auction to benefit youth/youth choir/youth missions

Share the Spirit Silent Auction: Over 50 Great Items! This year’s silent auction, part of our fall kick-off, supports youth choir/youth missions and includes some of our best items to date. Among these are: * Gift cards to great restaurants like Morton’s Steakhouse and J. Alexander’s * Vacations at FOUR different spectacular homes (proximate to lakes, mountains, and beaches) *4 days/3 nights at the McWilliams six-bedroom home on Tims Ford Lake *3 days/2 nights at the Brown home on Cordell Hull Lake (sleeps 10) *4 days/3 nights at the Schipani home in Monteagle (sleeps 10/ 4 bedrooms) *A vacation at the Durrett home in Destin *A fully restored antique dollhouse by Leslie Gilbert *One-of-a-kind art by several different artists *Four delicious cakes made by Iva Brown.

Contact Mark Acker to place your bid early or purchase at the buy-it-now price!

Great Things Are Coming This Fall! AUGUSTWed. 13 – Regular Adult Choir rehearsals begin, 7 pmSun. 17 – Kick off Sunday / 4 to 6 pm– Ice Cream Social / Share the Spirit Silent auctionWed. 20 – First Wednesday Night – 5 to 6 pm./ Trivia at tablesSun. 24 – Youth Sunday nights beginWed. 27 – Wednesday night with programmingSun. 31 – Youth Lock in

SEPTEMBERSun. 7-- Habitat Build DaySun. 14 – UMW General Meeting and LunchSun. 21 – Third grade Bibles/lunch for 3rd graders and parentsMon. 22 - Edward Barksdale Memorial Golf TournamentThu. 30 – Joy lunch, program

OCTOBERSat. 4 – Saturday morning – pumpkin uploadingMon. 6 – Blessing of the Animals, 5:30 to 6:30 pm4 – 30 - Pumpkin patch openSun. 26 – Pumpkin Festival / Chili Cookoff, 4:00 to 6 pmFri. 31 – Older adult Elsworth Kalas Conference in Mur-freesboro

NOVEMBERSun. 2 – All Saints SundaySun. 2 – Carrie DuBorg art/grief event, 2:00 to 4:00 pmThu. 6 – Older adult lunch around town Wed.-Sun. 19-23 – Youth leaders to AtlantaSun. 23 – 11:30 – All church Thanksgiving Potluck Wed. 26 – no Wed. night dinnerSun. 30 – First Sunday in Advent

Wednesday Nights are Back August 20We are planning something special for our first Wednesday night together this fall! If you are joining us for dinner for the FIRST TIME, your meal is FREE! This first supper of the year will be a time to be together, catch up, and get to know some new faces around the church. We will have trivia games for all ages at this family-friendly event! We need everyone to make reservations by Monday, August 18. You may do so by signing up in the administrative lobby, calling the church at 352-6210, or emailing bdemerritt@comcast.net.

Fall Kick-off: August 17 4:00-6:00 pm Featuring an Ice Cream Social and Silent Auction

Your Challenge: Bring a friend!

Opportunities to ServeHabitat Build Day Seprember 7September 7: Belle Meade UMC build day for Habitat for HumanityOur church’s day to help with the Habitat build is Sunday, September 7. Volunteers may sign up at the front desk, or contact Leslie and Scott McWilliams (smcwilliams@ohl.com). You can also support this ministry by providing a light breakfast and/or lunch for the building volunteers. September 20: Hands On Nashville Day of Service (more information in next edition of The Spire). For more information about missions and service opportunties, contact Mary Elizabeth Hobson (hobsome@yahoo.com).

Memorial GiftsGifts were recently made to• The Missions Fund in memory of Marion

Hearon's mother by Betty Butler• The Memorial Fund in memory of Lillian

Barrick by Nell Owen and family.

Welcome New MembersJulie Albertson and her son, Jack Parnell, joined Belle Meade United Methodist Church July 27. Jack was baptized during the 10:30 worship ser-vice. We are so blessed by their presence in our church family!

Julie Albertson113 39th Ave. No.Nashville, TN 37209Preferred Phone: 615-613-4863Preferred E-Mail: jealbertson@comcast.net

Open Table Resource Centers

On July 25, Belle Meade Trustees and Young Adults/Foundations Sun-day School class served the homeless community of Nashville at two resource shelters, providing food, hygenic care, and sharing the love of Christ.

Prayer Concerns

The church prayer list cannot be included on our website due to privacy issues.

You can find the list in the church bulletin

or in the e-mail newsletter.If you would like

to receive the newsletter by e-mail please contact the

Communications Administrator, Anna Margaret Miller, at

the church office at 352-6210 or sign up at

the church website, www.bellemeadeumc.org,

under the newsletter and events page.

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. Postage PAIDNashville, TNPermit No. 1002

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Belle Meade United Methodist Church121 Davidson Road, Nashville, TN 37205www.bellemeadeumc.org(615) 352 - 6210

Worship This Sunday8:30 am - Worship in the ChapelSermon: Rev. Tom Gildemeister

Music by BMUMC acoustic ensemble 8:45 am - Holy Communion in the Sanctuary

A 15-minute time of communion with prayers and liturgy.

10:30 am - Worship in the SanctuarySermon: Rev. Tom Gildemeister

Music: Belle Meade Choir and Instrumentalists9:15 am - 10:15 am Sunday School for all ages