The Notes - June 21, 2018

Volume 48

Issue 25

June 21, 2018

Cooking Up Worship
Worship for the second half of this summer will be unlike any at VHUMC. With the newly remodeled Tyson Hall ready to be occupied starting July 1, the Sanctuary will be closed off for major renovations. All worship services will move to Tyson Hall and the Chapel from Sunday, July 1 to August 5. Traditional Worship will return to the Sanctuary on August 12. Here is the summer worship schedule for this period:

8:30 am - Traditional - Tyson Hall
9:45 am - Service of Word and Table - Chapel
11:00 am - Blended Service (with elements of Traditional and Contemporary) - Tyson Hall

The 8:30 and 9:45 am services will be essentially the same format (though the pipe organ will not make the trip), but the 11:00 am service will have elements from both worship styles. It will be somewhat like peanut butter and chocolate, or chicken and waffles - but we are hoping to create a delicious recipe for this summer service for all to enjoy.

There will be several unique services happening that will also contribute to the unique quality of the 11:00 am service: Three on a String will perform on July 1 (and at 8:30 am); 6th-9th grade mission trips will share their experiences and pictures on July 8; and Grades 10-12 ASP Mission Trip will share their experiences on July 22. The Sanctuary will be used on August 5 to host the Discovery Weekend service, but all regular services will remain in their late summer locations.

On August 12, everything should be back to our original worship spaces, with the first full Contemporary Service in Tyson Hall at 11:00 am. So, join us for worship during the rest of summer - we'll be cooking somewhere!

Three On A String Sunday
Join us in worship on Sunday, July 1, as Three-On-A-String leads us at both the 8:30 and 11:00 am services in our brand-new Tyson Hall. You won't want to miss this exciting Sunday in the life of our church.

VBC Success
We had a fantastic week on the Rolling River Rampage! We welcomed 482 children into our church to learn that God is always with them...no matter what is going on in their lives. The children raised $3,314.60 for AMBUCS - an organization that builds bicycles, tricycles, and more for children with disabilities and special needs. We also collected canned goods and other food items to donate to our food pantry. Thank you to the 117 adult volunteers and 124 student volunteers who helped to make this week a success!

Sunday Evening Worship
Ted Leach will be preaching in the Rutland-Memorial Chapel this Sunday at 5:00 pm, with a message from Psalm 139: "Excitement for a New Season." Come as you are and join a joyful evening of singing the old, familiar hymns and warm fellowship. Also, mark your calendars as Sherry Harris will be preaching on July 1.

Things Look Fabulous
Check out our new Tyson Lobby Furnishings. We asked Una Ray Barnett and Becky Crum to choose some furniture and artwork that would complement our new Tyson Hall renovations and they hit a home run! Thanks, ladies, for your great work to make the lobby a very welcome setting for the church.

Come Join Us at VHUMC
If you would like to join VHUMC, come to the chapel this Sunday, June 24, at 12:15 to share vows and lunch with others from our community of faith. For more information or to get answer to any questions you may have, please contact Suzanne Scott-Trammell ([email protected] / 769-0136).

Help Needed for 'I Love America' Night

VHUMC has the unique opportunity each year to staff the kids' area at the Vestavia Hills I Love America Night celebration, the entire left field at Wald Park. There are lots of inflatables, corn hole, and games set up for our community to enjoy. If you can help anytime between 5:30-8:00 pm, or if you can drive a golf cart (to transport elderly or disabled citizens), please contact Suzanne Scott-Trammell ([email protected] / 769-0136). This is a fun event and a great way to bring our community together!

Parents' Night Out
Parents Night Out is a laity led ministry designed to enrich the marriages of couples with children ages 3 months through 5th grade by providing a loving, safe and fun-filled time for their children while parents enjoy an evening out together. It's "families helping families grow stronger." We are currently accepting registration for limited space for the 2018-19 school year. For more information, email Julie Bray ([email protected]).

Crimes Against the Elderly
The City of Vestavia Hills is hosting an informational meeting at VHUMC from 1:30-3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 7. It will address crimes, particularly financial crimes, which are being committed against our senior citizens. Recent scams to be addressed include: IRS scams, relative in distress scams, romantic website scams, reverse mortgage scams. All are welcome. Join us to help prevent these types of scams and protect our senior citizens.

Joint Sunday School Lesson
Come hear our young missionaries to Thailand, David and Allie Hoele, as they discuss the Thailand Methodist Mission and share personal stories from those they serve. They will be sharing in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, July 1, at 9:45.

Upward Flag Football and Cheer Registration

Upward Football and Cheer sign-ups are here! Sign up for Early Registration ($95 a child) before June 22. Regular registration ($105 per child) will be open until August 28. This league will be for boys and girls ages K4-4th Grade. The season will begin the week of September 3 and end on November 3. Games will be on Saturday mornings with practices once a week on Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday evenings.

Registration can be done in person at the VHUMC Lighthouse or online! Any questions can be directed to Miles Erbe ([email protected] / 769-0134).

Christmas in July
This July we will be celebrating Christmas early. We will be celebrating by accepting toys for our Student Ministry Christmas breakfast in December. If you are able to make a donation with a toy, please bring your donation to the missions' office at church anytime the month of July.

Growing Pains: Renovating for Our Future

Thank you for your patience with all of our renovations! We are moving steadily forward, but some of the areas have been "undone" or without HVAC for a while. We hope to have most of the new HVAC units in the Adult Education Building operational by the first week in July.

Our HVAC team has shifted their focus to the Sanctuary area since we will give the contractor complete control of the Sanctuary and Narthex this Monday for over a month. They are getting a head start so that the ceiling work can begin soon. Please be careful in these "hard hat" areas for the next couple of months.

All of this will affect our Sunday worship plans. Please see the "Cooking Up Worship" article above. Please plan to join us for our first meeting in the new Tyson Hall on Sunday, July 1.

Work has started on renovations for room 316 which will become our new Bob Morgan Library. Several members who knew Bishop Morgan have been working behind the scenes for the past two years to establish a library/conference room in Bob's honor. Bob Gower provided a great design and one donor is covering the costs of converting the room. The Leigh Gray SS class will still meet there on Sundays.

Do remember that we be without power to most of the church for a week in July. We will let you know as soon as we know the dates.

Ongoing Outreach

Food Pantry

The Food Pantry needs quart size Ziploc bags for our larger treats from Panera Bread. We also need tote bags for packing fruits and veggies for our families from the Farmers Market. Thank you to the VBC children for the nine grocery carts full of food. Also, thank you to UMCOR for the 1700 box lunches that we are able to distribute.

Oak Mountain Mission

Oak Mountain Mission needs toiletries. Please clean out your small sized items, bag them, and put them into the three wooden bins around the church.