The Notes - April 12, 2018

Volume 48

Issue 15

April 12, 2018

Rise Against Hunger

Join us this Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday as we work together to package 300,000 meals during our Rise Against Hunger event. Each meal costs only $0.29 and is a mixture of rice, barley, and soy enriched with 23 vitamins and minerals. Our Lenten offering will support our efforts, so please give as generously as you can to help us reach our $87,000 goal. You can give online or use the Rise Against Hunger envelopes in the pews. Visit the link to volunteer for a shift and let's work together to end hunger in our lifetime.

The Revelation in Contemporary Worship

Our Contemporary worship sermons from April 15 to May 27 will be based on the book of the Revelation. The last book of the Bible is known for its frightening, other-worldly images that often scare people away from its study. But there are incredible truths in the Revelation: hope against all odds, the prevail of God's Kingdom, the meaning of history, the nature of evil, the fragrant role of prayer, numbers as symbols, and Old Testament images in a new setting. Come hear the story of Jesus told from a kaleidoscope of images and word pictures at 11:00 am in Fellowship Hall.

April 15 - Among the Lampstands - Revelation 1
April 22 - The Lamb - Revelation 5: 6-14
April 29 - No More Sea - Revelation 21:1-5
May 6 - What is Not in Heaven - Revelation 21: 1-14; 22-27
May 13 - The Tree of Life and the Gardens - Revelation 22: 1-7
May 20 - The Spirit - Revelation 1:10; 2:7
May 27 - Evil & The Unholy Trinity - John 12:18 to 13:18

NEXT Pledges for the Sanctuary
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians of the importance of giving to provide for God's church. Once again, Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church has proven to be faithful and generous givers. To date, an amazing $4,674,451 has been pledged or given without a pledge toward the NEXT Capital Campaign, including $248,350 in just the last three weeks! The recent push toward finalizing the scope of work for the Sanctuary improvements has resulted in our ability to plan for the majority of the improvements to be funded!

As many of you have seen, work is progressing rapidly in Tyson Hall, and our HVAC replacement project is right on schedule. In early May, the work on the Sanctuary and Narthex improvements will begin. During this season of construction, we invite each of you to celebrate the success that comes from this effort. Your willingness to join in the future of VHUMC is inspiring and we look forward to celebrating with each of you the newly renovated and improved spaces over the next few months. Until then, thank you for your continued generosity, and please, don't mind the dust.

Sunday School Option This Sunday
Please join us this Sunday, April 14, at 9:45, in the Fellowship Hall for a joint Sunday School program. Learn how Hill Carmichael of Urban Ministries and Dalton Smith of M-Power Ministries are making a difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters across Birmingham.

Sunday Evening Worship
"Broiled Fish & Honeycomb!" is Butch Williams' sermon title for this Sunday evening. Come as you are as we sing the great, old hymns of the church, receive Holy Communion, and share together in the Rutland-Memorial Chapel at 5:00 pm.

Confirmation Worship Service
Over the past two months, our 6th graders have been learning what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. They now come to a decision time on their commitment to this call. On Sunday, April 29, at 5:00 pm, in our Sanctuary, our Confirmation Class will commit to faithful discipleship in Jesus Christ. We are thrilled to welcome Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett who will bring our message. Our Bishop along with all of our appointed clergy will be leading this worship. We hope you will be with us as we celebrate the call God has placed on the lives of these 53 Confirmands. Please be in prayer for each of these youth, their faithful mentors, and for our church to help each of them faithfully follow their call.

Welcome New Members to VHUMC
Please take a look at the bulletin board outside the front office for all the new members and baptisms that we've been blessed to welcome in 2018. On Sunday, we welcomed:

Nathan and Jennifer Hart, Nate (1)
Michelle Knight
Nash Osborne

National Day of Prayer
Join us Thursday, May 3, for the 67th Annual National Day of Prayer. Our Chapel will be open from 7 am - 5 pm for prayer. This year's theme is "Unity" based upon Ephesians 4:3 which challenges us to mobilize unified public prayer for America. Prayer guides will be available for you to use as you enter the Chapel. Don't miss this important day of repentance and petition for us and our country. If you have any questions please contact Ruth Grissom ([email protected] / 822-9631).

Van Training
We will have van training on Tuesday, April 24, at 5:30 pm, in the Small Dining room. If you are driving a van this summer for any of our mission trips and you have not had van training, you will need to attend. Please contact Melinda Burnett ([email protected]) to make a reservation to be a part of van training.

April Memory Verse
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! April's memory verse is: Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die will live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die" (John 11:25-26). 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.

Family Promise
VHUMC is hosting Family Promise in April and August. Due to construction, our guests will be spending the night off site during these two weeks they are usually here. This temporary arrangement will give our guests a change of scenery at an Extended Stay hotel off of Lakeshore. Our first week to host will begin on April 29.

We are looking for creative ways to help make our guests feel the same hospitality as they would receive at the church and also off-set some of the costs of the hotel rooms. The hotel rooms have mini kitchens where they will be able to fix breakfast and lunches. We will supply their kitchens with the necessary foods that are needed for these meals.

We still need volunteers to be dinner hosts during these weeks. We are also asking for volunteers that have been involved with Family Promise and have a passion and a heart for this ministry to please prayerfully consider giving financially to help with the room costs, laundry, and other food expenses. This is a great opportunity for individuals, families, and Sunday School classes. Any other creative ideas and suggestions are welcomed. Thank you for your continued support of this long-time ministry of VHUMC.

For more information, or to volunteer, contact Rachael Hayes ([email protected] / 769-0143).

Ministry with the Poor
As part of our conference's priority of ministry with the poor, we have partnered with Quad W to provide missional internship experiences for young people throughout our conference. Students in Birmingham will work at East Lake UMC and Restoration mission. In Anniston, they will work with Community Enabler and New Life UMC. The students will live in intentional community at both sites.

We are helping people connect with the interns by taking them dinner and joining them for a meal one night. They will be living in a house that Restoration owns right across the street from Restoration UMC. Sign up through the link if you are interested in helping.

Growing Pains: Renovating for Our Future
If you have not experienced our exciting construction first hand, you probably will soon! We are in a three-week period without HVAC in the Adult Education Building, which should end by Friday, April 27. All other areas of the church have AC and we have made special arrangements for the Fellowship Hall to be comfortable on Wednesday nights and Sundays. Most of our Sunday Schools and mid-week Bible Studies that meet in those areas are temporarily relocating. Leaders have been made aware and everyone should pay attention to the big signs with current room assignments. Please feel free to dress in shorts and short sleeves for worship services and meetings.

Some of the loudest construction work has also started. We will try and keep mid-week meetings away from the noise, but you may still have some interruptions. Tyson Hall is looking great and most of the ceiling is painted. Sanctuary work will begin in May.

The Contemporary Service will continue worshiping in the Fellowship Hall until Tyson Hall renovations are complete. The Sanctuary Services will also be moving to the Fellowship Hall for part of the summer.

Ongoing Outreach

Food Pantry

We are still seeking more friends to help us unload our monthly pick-up trucks at the youth door. Come see what a full pantry looks like. Thanks to all of you for your monetary donations that enable us to do this every month!

Oak Mountain Mission - 17 Years of Helping

Oak Mountain Mission is one of the 25+ missions that VHUMC helps in some way. It began in 2001 after its founder, Roddy Cooper, started distributing dated grocery store fruits and vegetables to needy families through Safe House. This past year OMM fed families more than 5,000 times! Today, through the support of over 30 faith support churches and 400 volunteers, they provide varying forms of assistance to families including the free distribution of clothing, furniture, household items, and financial assistance. Click the link for more information.

OMM needs full size toiletries: soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant. Also needed are new or like-new washcloths and hand towels. Please put them in the wooden bins around the church. For furniture pick-up, please call Brenda at 685-5757.

Wednesday Night Menu

April 18 - Salad, meat loaf OR baked chicken, mashed potatoes, english peas, biscuit, cake. Kids: chicken nuggets, mac & cheese
April 25 - Salad, chicken tetrazzini OR spaghetti, glazed carrots, cheesecake. Kids: pizza
May 2 - Salad, roast pork loin OR roast beef, au gratin potatoes, green beans, ice cream. Kids: chicken nuggets, mac & cheese
May 9 - Salad, chicken cacciatore OR shrimp creole, rice, broccoli, bread pudding. Kids: pizza
May 16 - Hamburger OR hot dogs, french fries, toppings, ice cream