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 Let's Build a Well
A group of our Preschool and Elementary kids kicked off our Neverthirst campaign this week with their own neighborhood bake sale! They made $139.64 to help provide clean water to 20-25 families! A big "thank you" to Jay, Lizzy, Andrew, Charlie, and Daniel.
To learn more about this campaign and how to give by visiting http://vhumc.org/neverthirst/ |
 VHUMC Blood Drive with LifeSouth
VHUMC will be partnering with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers for our 2017 blood drives. Our next drive will take place this Sunday, January 8, from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Do something amazing by giving blood. For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact Megan Drumm ([email protected]). We look forward to seeing you there! |
 Join Us for Sunday Evening Worship
Come join us this Sunday, January 8, at 5:00 pm, in the Rutland-Memorial Chapel, as Butch Williams will preach "By Water & the Spirit" from Matthew 3:13-17. Butch will also be preaching on January 15. Jim Frazier & Friends will lead worship on January 22. |
 Weekend of Service in Missions
Over Martin Luther King weekend, VHUMC will be participating in a weekend of service at Church of the Reconciler. Church members will come together to work on several projects on Saturday, January 14, and Monday, January 16, from 8:30 am through mid-afternoon. This would be a great project for Sunday School classes, circles, or small groups. Click on the link below to register! Also, if you would like to be a part of this weekend but hands-on work might not be possible for you at this time, please consider making lunches for the volunteers. If you need any other information, or if you have a group that is interested, please contact Rachael Hayes ([email protected]).
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An Example in Servant Leadership
 From the Church of the Reconciler website:
We love ALL of our church partners...But we did want to brag on one group who has consistently shown what servant leadership means, as well as be a blessing to us and our community.
A group from Vestavia Hills UMC decided to tackle several projects at Reconciler around the building: fixing lights, air conditioners, and making some cosmetic improvements. Usually these repairs aren't as high on the priority list because money is tight.
Our friends brought in specialists for repair advice, donated money and time to collect supplies, and spent their days off working (and continue to work) to make Reconciler a little nicer. Thank you to our friends for improving our community. |
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$100,000 Endowment Gift
VHUMC recently received a generous donation of $100,000 to expand our Permanent Endowment Fund! The PEF is a special fund, managed by our VHUMC Foundation. Deposits to the fund can never be spent and earnings on those deposits (up to 4% annually) provide for special Church needs related to programs, missions, and facilities. For every $25 that is deposited in the endowment, $1 will go to help the Church every year. With this new gift, our PEF balance is over $770,000. Consider a special gift to our endowment fund or adding the PEF to your will.
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Helping Those Who Help So Much
It is amazing and exciting to see all the ways that our members give back to those in our community. Several years ago we began a ministry of serving those who give up their Christmas Eve to work at Brookwood Hospital. We deliver a bag of goodies that includes a drink and some snacks to around 250 nurses and others. Any bags that we have left over, are delivered to the first responders in our police and fire departments. It begins with a member donation for the plain white bags with handles. Our Wednesday Music & Arts program and other children decorate each bag by hand. Coca-Cola graciously donates and delivers Cokes to the church. Another member donation provides for the cookies or snacks. Then, volunteers assemble the bags for distribution. On Christmas Eve our volunteers scatter throughout the hospital giving bags to anyone working.
Part of the letter we just received from Brookwood's CEO and their Chief Nursing Officer: "For staff who answered the call to provide care on that special night, your recognition and encouragement of their work through your gift of time and cookies is especially meaningful. Your ongoing commitment to this ministry has touched many lives and been a blessing to the staff year after year. You can't imagine how honored our nurses are to have this personal visit by the VHUMC team!"
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 Bible Pathfinders is Back
We invite our 1st - 5th graders to join us on Wednesday nights starting January 11 from 6-7 pm in rooms 219/221 for Bible Pathfinders. Our path will take us into great music, Bible memory work, large group time, small group time, and much more! Our focus for this semester is "Books of the Bible." Each week, you will learn more books of the Bible and be able to recite them by the end of April. We can't wait to see all of you! |
 January Memory Verse
Our 1st - 5th graders have a new memory verse to work on for January. It is: "Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor." ~Luke 2:52 Memory verses can be recited before or after Sunday School in the elementary office or the sensory room for a sweet treat and a chance to win a bike at the end of the school year! Don't forget, if you have memorized your verse you can work on the books of the Old or New Testament as well as The Apostle's Creed. |
Wednesday Night Dinners Resume
Join us from 5-6 pm as we resume dinners next Wednesday night, January 11. We have all new programing planned for you and your children. Don't miss it! |
 We Are All Kids at Heart
Even as adults, we would love to play on an age-appropriate playground. We have two great playgrounds at VHUMC, but the structures and motion equipment is often damaged by older children who are too big for the equipment. Parents, please help us by keeping your children off of the small playground if they are over three years old and off the larger playground if they are over 4th grade. And please, never leave your younger children playing without adult supervision. |
 Mother and Son Dinner
Come be a part of our Mother and Son Dinner on Thursday, February 9, at 6:00 pm, in Tyson Hall. Tickets are $15 per person. This is an event for 5k through 5th grade boys and their mothers. If you have any questions, contact Anne Strozier ([email protected]).
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New Musicianship Classes
Dr. Kawai Shiu will be teaching Musicianship Classes for both adults and students this spring who want to further their knowledge of Music Theory. You do not have to be taking music lessons to attend these classes. This material would be very helpful for instrumental students in middle or high school band or choir members. There are three modules based on experience level. Dr. Shiu will also will be teaching Music Appreciation and Composition (for advanced students). Contact Ellen Bryant ([email protected]) if interested, or sign up by visiting the link below.
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Painting with Darcy
Grab your girlfriends and register for this special one-day class on Thursday, January 19, at 11:00 am. This class is for ladies only! Come enjoy some wonderful fellowship while creating a lovely painting to take home. Darcy will guide you step-by-step from a blank canvas to a finished masterpiece! Sign up by clicking the link below.
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 New Habitat for Humanity House Start
VHUMC and the VHHS Habitat Club will begin construction on a home for Victoria Whitlow and her young son on January 21 in Calera. This will be the 12th home built as a result of this amazing partnership! If you or members of your Sunday School Class would like to join us for all or part of any Thursday or Saturday to help build this home, please contact Cynthia McGough ([email protected] / 901-0956). |
 Confirmation 2017
Attention parents of 6th grade students. Confirmation is just around the corner and in order for your child to be a part of this process, we need you to register them online! This is not simply a "rite of passage," nor, just a class to complete. It is an important step in a life-long journey of pursuing the unending reach of God's love and vowing to live in relationship with Him for the rest of someone's life.
Confirmation 2017 begins on January 22. Each lesson will be on a Sunday night from 5:00 - 6:30 pm, in the Fellowship Hall, and facilitated by one of our clergy members. To register please click on the link below. If you have any questions, please contact Jeremiah Stone ([email protected] / 769-0135).
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Soup & Stories is Coming
Join us for lunch with Dolores Hydock on Sunday, January 29, at 12:15 pm, in the Fellowship Hall. Please make your reservations with Barbara Porter ([email protected]) or get tickets in the office starting January 15. |
It's Not Too Late to Pledge
We believe that every Christian should give from their finances to support the church - mainly because God commands it as a way of worship. If you have not yet made a financial pledge for 2017, it is not too late. In fact, our Finance Committee will be setting our 2017 income budget soon and your pledges are the best indicator of what we can expect. Pick up a pledge card at the church or pledge online.
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Volunteers Are Needed
Fairies don't magically restock and straighten our Sanctuary pews each week, but faithful volunteers do. We need a couple more volunteers on our team for 2017. Please contact Barbara Porter (444-9793) if you could help us once a month for about an hour at a time that is convenient for you prior to the first Sunday of each month. Thank you.
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Outreach Corner
Food Pantry
The food pantry needs boxes of Ziploc sandwich and quart size bags for the Panera Bread treats that we distribute. Thanks to all who donated canned goods that they collected at Christmas parties - a great idea! We are still buying from the Community Food Bank, and have now purchased over 232,000 pounds of food from them. Thank you for your monetary donations that enable us to help feed our 500 families.
Oak Mountain Mission
Oak Mountain Mission needs sofas, chairs, tables & chairs, dressers, and chests. Please call Brenda at 685-5757 to arrange a home pick-up.
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Worship & Music Focus
8:30 am Traditional Service
"The Responsible Decision"
John 5:1-9
Bill Brunson
9:45 am Service of Word and Table
"Responsible to Our Baptism"
Matthew 3:13-17
Butch Williams
11:00 am Traditional Service
"The Responsible Decision"
John 5:1-9
Bill Brunson
11:00 am Contemporary Service
"The Buck Stops Here"
Genesis 3:1-13
Kipp McClurg
5:00 pm Sunday Evening Worship
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By Water and the Spirit"
Matthew 3:13-17
Butch Williams
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Our Time and Resources
| November YTD Summary
Donations
Other Income
Auxilary Ministries Net*
Total Income
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$3,033,962
$176,213
($22,913)
$3,187,262
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-$19,941
+$10,194
-$62,908
-$72,655
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(+) Better or (-) worse for the church than our target
* Includes COA, Summer Days, VDS, and Vestavia Dance
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Care and Support
Congratulations, hospitalizations, and sympathies |
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Prayer Requests
Careline: 205-822-9336
Weekend or After-Hour Health Emergencies: 205-914-3121
Please be in prayer for the following persons:
Margean Brasher
Danah Cornutt Craft
Fern Davis
Jami DeMarco
Chris Dibble
David Dixon
Carson Estes
Karen Gilbert
Rodney Gilbert
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Bo Glasgow
Kendra Haddock
Fay Harbin
Cortez Harden
Fred Hatfield
Pug Kaufman
Mac McArthur
Mary Morgan
Betty Jo Nash
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John Nodo
Paul Noto
Mary Owens
Jim Sanders
Diane Sausen
Annette Smith
Vicky Sullivan
Fran Wells
Wallace Williams
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Requested prayers for service members in combat areas:
- Darkhorse Unit, USMC, (Afghanistan)
In an effort to keep the prayer request list current, names will be listed for two weeks unless we are otherwise notified. VHUMC will not publish the names and/or concerns of persons known to be minors (18 years of age or younger) without the permission of said minor's legal guardian. Thank you.
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