The Notes - October 12, 2017

Volume 47

Issue 41

October 12, 2017

Fall Festival
Join us this Sunday, October 15, from 4:00-6:00 pm for another amazing evening filled with family entertainment, food trucks, and fun with the entire community. This year we are welcoming Lazy Boy BBQ, Greg's Hot Dogs, iCantina, and Bruster's Ice Cream. The parking lot will be filled with train rides, games, inflatables, pony rides, face painting and live music. Admission is totally free, but we hope you will bring school supplies that we will be collecting for one of our partner ministries. Please join this amazing event in the heart of this community and invite your friends and neighbors to join us as well!

Kairos Cookies
Each spring and fall, teams of volunteers conduct a Kairos Prison Ministry weekend at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility. Our next weekend will be October 19-22 and we need homemade cookies! The fact that somebody cares enough for them to actually bake them cookies touches the hearts of these men in ways that you cannot believe. We ask that you minimize the use of fruit in the cookies and not bring any "store bought" cookies. Place the cookies in a one-gallon, clear zip-lock bag. No other containers are allowed through the prison security check. Please bring cookies to the church office no later than Wednesday, October 18.

You can also help this ministry effort through prayer. If you would like to pray for this Kairos #66 weekend, a prayer vigil web site (Bamakairos.info) has been established where you can sign up for a particular slot. For more information, contact Mike Harris ([email protected]), Mike Patton ([email protected]), or Butch Williams ([email protected]).

Sunday Evening Worship
Come enjoy the Fall Festival with your VHUMC family in the west parking area this Sunday in place of our normal Sunday Evening Worship.

Mae Mae's Hugs Coat Drive
Mae Mae's Hugs is collecting coats for children and adults during the month of October. Would you help? If you are cleaning out your closet and have gently worn coats to donate, please wash them and bring them to the church. Or, if you are purchasing new coats, would you consider purchasing an extra coat for this effort? Bright purple boxes are placed at the Chapel, Preschool and Tyson Hall doors. Coats of all sizes are needed for young children and youth. You can also make a donation online and new coats will be purchased with these funds. It's our hope that through this ministry, the children across the state can receive winter coats to keep them warm, as if receiving a warm, loving hug from Mae Mae and VHUMC. Email any questions to Anne Strozier ([email protected]).

Save the Date
There is growing excitement within our congregation about our upcoming facility improvements. Please mark your calendar for these Sundays where we will present our plans both for the NEXT Capital Campaign and our annual budget.

NEXT Capital Campaign Kick-Off - October 29 from 9:30 - 11:00. We hope that everyone and every Sunday School class will plan to attend.
Property Improvement Sunday - November 5
Annual Budget Sunday - November 12
Commitment Sunday - November 19

Balanced Parenting in a Wobbly World

Join us this Sunday, October 15, at 9:45, in Tyson Hall as Dr. Dale Wisely begins his fall series for parents. Dale serves as the Director of Student Services for Mountain Brook Schools, and is also a Licensed Psychologist. He is a resident of Vestavia and understands our community and its children and parents well. This will be his third year of encouragement to VHUMC parents, with new, updated information each year.

October 15 - "Exit Strategies" - Coaching strategies for helping elementary, middle, and high school students as they try to move away from peer situations that are dangerous or unhealthy.
October 22 - "Overscheduled: How Too Many Activities CAN Be a Bad Thing."

Middle School Retreat
You don't want to miss our Middle School Retreat on October 27-28 at Camp Lee. The cost is $100 and includes transportation, meals, t-shirt, and all activities. The deadline to register is this Friday, October 13. This is a very special time for your middle schooler. Please email Juli Hansen ([email protected]) if you are interested!

Funeral Pre-Planning Seminar
Funeral and Cemetery pre-planning is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give your family. Having things in order means gaining peace of mind and not having your loved ones make decisions when they are overwhelmed with grief and emotion - especially if they don't know what you wanted and how you would want to be remembered. Planning can also protect your loved ones from the rising cost of final arrangements. We will review the four planning steps: Reflect, Record, Secure, and Share; and the Dignity Memorial Personal Planning Guide that helps families organize and record important information, personal thoughts, and final wishes. Most importantly, we will answer any questions you have. Join Steve Marmurek next Wednesday October 18, at 6:00 pm, in room 204.

Human Trafficking Education and Awareness

Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity in the US and second only to drug trafficking. Forty percent of U.S. human trafficking happens here in the Southeast. I-20 is a major trafficking corridor where victims are sold at various stops along the interstate. This topic is hard to understand and it is hard to believe it is happening here, but it is. Join us the next two Wednesday nights, at 6:00 pm, to become more aware of this growing problem.

October 18- 8 Days Movie. Don't miss this excellent drama, inspired by real stories, about the rise of human trafficking. This is for adults only. Room 324
October 25- Maryhelen Kirkpatrick from The Wellhouse will be sharing about their rescue and recovery mission for women who are victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. Room 204.

Please join us for one or both of the programs to learn ways that you can help be involved.

High School Girls Day Retreat
We invite all high school girls to join us for an "Unfinished" Day retreat at Pursell Farms on Saturday, October 28. The cost is $75 and includes transportation, food, t-shirt, and retreat events. Click the link below to register online. The deadline to sign up is October 22, so be sure to secure your spot. For more questions about the retreat please contact Emily Boles ([email protected]). If you would like to chaperone, please check the box when registering your student, or email Juli Hansen ([email protected]).

Registration is now open online for our upcoming women's conference, "Praying Girls...Because We are All Little Girls at Heart." This conference for ages 3rd grade and up will be a morning of inspiration and breakout sessions that will help you through each season of life. Join us on Saturday, October 28, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm, to hear our keynote speaker, Teri Lynne Underwood, and our breakout session leaders. We hope you will join us for this incredible morning of faith and prayer formation.

All Saints' Sunday
All Saints' Sunday, on November 5, is an occasion to remember our heritage, those who have gone before us, and recognize our responsibility to carry Christianity forward as the living saints of today. If you would like to honor someone in your life who has been, or is a saint in your faith journey, we invite you to include them in our Bell Banner. Prior to worship on All Saints' Sunday, we will have a banner in the narthex and outside of Tyson Hall. There will be a table beside the banners which will have baskets of small bells. To remember your loved one, please take a bell from the basket and pin it onto one of the banner streamers. During the processional, the banners will be brought into worship and placed near the front pews. If you don't have the opportunity to place a bell on one of the banners, you may do so after you take holy communion.

At the end of our worship services, our gathering of saints will also go forward to symbolize the witness of those who have gone before us and those living today who remind us to follow Christ in the World.

Bring Loved Ones Photo for Our Table of Saints
November 5 is All Saints' Sunday and while our loved ones are gone from this earth, we know they are not forgotten. If you would like to bring in a picture of a loved one to share with the congregation, we will have a table set up in the Fellowship Hall so we can all remember the wonderful people who have made a difference in your walk with Christ as well as those who have led our church throughout the years. We know that so many of your family members played a significant role in your life and also in the lives of our church, community and world.

If you would like to participate in our Table of Saints, we ask that you please bring a framed photo to the main church office the week of October 29 through November 3 and pick up your loved one's photo after the 11:00 worship services.

Immunization Clinics at VHUMC
We are offering two immunization clinics during the month of October. Next Wednesday, October 18, at 6:00 pm, in the Lighthouse, room 245, medical staff from Brookwood Baptist Church will be on hand to discuss the difference between the flu and a cold. Walgreens Pharmacist, Macie Sobers, will also be there providing flu and pneumonia vaccinations. Macie will be back to provide vaccinations on Sunday, October 22, from 9 am to 12:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. No appointments are needed and insurance is accepted. Please bring your completed insurance form with you along with your insurance card. The form can be found by clicking the link. For more information or questions contact Megan Drumm ([email protected] / 769-0139). We look forward to seeing you there!

Upward Basketball and Cheerleading

Join us for Upward Basketball and Cheerleading! Grades K5-4th can participate. The season will run from November 13 - February 3 with a break for the holidays. The cost is $105 ($115 for late registration). The deadline for registration is October 24.

Lighthouse Girls Basketball League
Registration is open for Lighthouse Girls Basketball League on the VHUMC website! This league is for 6th-8th Graders, and will be running from December 4 through February 2, with a break for the holidays. The cost is $105 and the deadline to register is November 14. Please contact Miles Erbe ([email protected] / 769-0134) for any questions.

October Memory Verse
We have a new memory verse for October. Our 1st - 5th graders learn a different verse each month, and have the opportunity to recite the verse before or after Sunday School in the elementary office for a sweet treat! October's memory verse is: "...The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." -1 Samuel 16:7 At the end of the school year we will give a grand prize to one boy and one girl. We hope that these verses help to guide them throughout their lives.

Panama Mission Trip 2018
VHUMC's 2018 Panama Mission Team is looking for a few good men and women for a work trip to Camp Cielito, El Espino, Panama. This will be the fourth year in a row VHUMC has sent a mission team to this camp. The team leaves May 19 and returns on May 27. The camp, which is under development by the Panamanian Methodist Church, will be able to house, feed and support large groups of youth and adults for a true summer camp experience. The VHUMC team will be working on the dining hall/kitchen building which it started during the 2016 work trip. The team will also continue its great relationships with area families and their children engaging in recreational and other fun activities each afternoon. If you are interested in being a team member, please contact either Jim Frazier ([email protected]) or Jarry and Janet Taylor ([email protected]).

Wednesday Sessions About Children and Students

Don't Worry About a Thing: Anxiety in Children and Students and What to Do. Anxiety is a common topic of discussion among preschool, elementary, and student ministries and families. Learn more information and coping strategies from Psychiatrist, Karen Callahan, MD and Licensed Counselor, John Douglass, MA, LPC. November 1; 6:00 pm; Room 206.
"Screenagers:" Raising Kids in the Digital Age - Screen time is a hot topic in our society. Join us for this extended class as we watch the movie, "Screenagers," and leave feeling confident to empower your children to best navigate the digital world and find balance. For parents of all ages. November 8; 5:30-7:00 pm. Reservations are required for reserving your spot for viewing, childcare, and boxed dinners in case you won't make it in time to enjoy dinner in Fellowship Hall.

Two New Sunday School Options

A New Young Couples Class: We are excited to be starting a new class for couples in their early 30's with small children! If you are not currently in a class and are interested in joining one, come to our meet and greet on Sunday, November 5, in the Small Dining room. We will have refreshments and discuss future plans to grow in our faith together! Questions? Contact Lane de Kozan ([email protected]) or Kimberly Robbins ([email protected]). We look forward to our time together!
Bible Project Sunday School Class: This class will help you learn more about the Bible, including its rich and complicated history, its wisdom for the modern world, and how it points us to Jesus. We will use cutting edge tools, such as the Read Scripture app and The Bible Project videos, to discuss and learn. Whether you've read through the Bible numerous times or simply thought about reading it, we invite you to join us for some great discussions! Come to our open house on Sunday, October 22, in room 105, to hear all the details!

Journeys of Paul Cruise Meeting Rescheduled

The Journeys of Paul information meeting originally scheduled for October 8 has been rescheduled for Sunday October 22, at 4:00 pm, in room 316. For more information please contact Jim Frazier ([email protected] / 769-0126).

Questions About Baptism and Communion
Please join us in the Chapel on Sunday, November 5, at 9:45 am, to discuss the significance of the sacraments of baptism and communion, what the Bible says, and what Methodists believe. Dr. Bill Brunson will lead us in this discussion and answer any questions you have. Contact Suzanne Scott-Trammell ([email protected]) for more information.

What's Happening in the Day School

September marked the 50th anniversary of Vestavia Day School. The program has grown and changed many times over the years, the current teachers and administration are very proud to be continuing such an important area of ministry for VHUMC. We are so thankful that Harriett Woodring followed her vision to start the program all those years ago! The 2017-18 school year marks our largest enrollment at 319 students. We are looking forward to many more years of ministering to our students and their families.

VDS currently has one part-time job opening in the Duck classroom (ages 6 weeks-6 months). The hours are 12:00 - 6:00 pm daily. If you are interested or know anyone who might be, please contact TaraKy Eason ([email protected] / 769-0138).

Ongoing Outreach

Food Pantry

Food Pantry needs more help with our monthly Food Bank pick-up. Do you have a pick-up truck and/or two hours free on the second Monday of each month? We could use your help. It takes seven trucks for our order. More details, contact Barbara Porter ([email protected] / 444-9793). Thank you

Oak Mountain Mission

Oak Mountain Mission needs boys' jeans and "like new" tennis shoes, as well as kitchen items and linens. Got extra usable furniture? Call Brenda for a pick-up 685-5757.

Wednesday Night Menu

October 18 - Salad, Orecchiette w/ Bolognese Sauce OR Chicken Alfredo, Sautéed Veggies, Cobbler. Kids: Pizza.
October 25 - Salad, Chicken Parmesan OR Country Fried Steak, Egg Noodles, Broccoli Amandine, Bread, Cherry Trifle. Kids: Nuggets, Mac & Cheese.