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A New Opportunity for Ruth Grissom
 Canterbury UMC has several current clergy vacancies and will be receiving newly appointed clergy this summer. They have also been without a permanent Children's Director for almost 3 years, and they are looking forward to rebuilding and strengthening their program. Rev. Ruth Grissom has been offered the opportunity to take on that role, and the Bishop will appoint her as the Children's Minister for Canterbury beginning on July 1. Ruth has served here faithfully at VHUMC for 14 years. We are very grateful and we pray for her smooth transition into her new place of ministry. |
 Vestavia Hills Farmers Market
The VHUMC Farmer's Market started this week! Join us every Wednesday at the new time and new location. The market will be open from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm every Wednesday through August 8 and will be located right off of Highway 31 in Scouts Square. Mark your calendars and come see the seasonal goodies from local producers. See you next week!
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 Sunday Evening Worship
Come as you are and join us this Sunday Evening at 5:00 pm in the Chapel. Butch Williams will be leading a two-week sermon series, entitled "After I'm Gone" from the Gospel of John. Please note that June 3 is Annual Conference, so we'll not be having Sunday Evening Worship that night.
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 Construction Update
We have now received $273,950 in pledges toward the $300,000 to fund the wish list of Sanctuary renovations! This week the Building Committee committed those funds to all but two of our wish list items. The Sanctuary and Narthex will really improve with new outer doors, new stage lighting, new up-lighting, a new organ screen across the front, a retractable video screen, paint to lighten the wood band around the room, and new hardwood stairs up to the altar. The group decided not to paint the brick in the front corners of the room from a design perspective and to not purchase a video projector from a cost perspective. The projector could be easily added later. We are eagerly looking forward to enjoying these improvements in the Sanctuary and Narthex.
Please see our weekly construction updates in the Growing Pains article below.
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Memorial Day Weekend Worship Changes
 Our worship service line up will be a little different on Memorial Day weekend. We will not have a Contemporary service on Sunday, May 27. We invite everyone to attend either the 8:30 or 11:00 am Sanctuary service with Butch Williams preaching, or the 9:45 am service with Sherry Harris preaching. We will be back to our regular line up on Sunday, June 3.
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Greeters Come in Small Packages
 You may have noticed we have a new crew of greeters wearing blue name tags at every entrance to our church. A couple of weeks ago, Meredith Gay mentioned her kids' (Hollon, Ava Scott, and Brooks) reaction when they saw her new name tag. "My kids saw my new blue name tag and said 'where's ours? We greet too!'"And they do, opening the Tyson Hall doors with beautiful smiles for all who enter! So, you'll notice all of our greeters wearing a blue name tag, young and not-as-young-as-we-once-were, welcoming with open arms and smiling faces, especially the children, who are such a vital part of our church! This enthusiastic approach to ministry is a wonderful example of how we are all capable of radical hospitality!
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 A Farewell to Jeremy Roebuck
Jeremy Roebuck has served as our Thrive Student Ministries Assistant Director for almost two years. He has used his gifts and talents well to build relationships with our students over that time. Now, Jeremy has the opportunity to continue his growth and education and will be leaving us. He has been accepted into the clinical mental health graduate school program at UAB and will begin a new path of using what God has given him to help people. Please join us to wishing him the best on Wednesday, May 16, on the Student Ministry Hall, from 5:30-6:30 pm.
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Family Promise Guests Love Our Construction
 Due to construction at the church, the mission's office had to get creative with how to host our guests last week from Family Promise. Our best plan was to house our guests in an extended stay hotel and it was a huge success. Thanks to many individuals and classes, the guests from Family Promise had a great week. Volunteers supplied their rooms with breakfast, lunch, snacks, and a home-cooked meal each night at 6:00 pm. One of the guests said, "This week was amazing, I don't want to leave the bed." None of this would have been possible without your support. A special thanks to Susan Sturdivant and Rob Armstrong, our Family Promise Coordinators, for their work during the week to make sure the guests were treated with the utmost respect and dignity.
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 Help Protect Our Playground
We just purchased about $7,000 of new playground equipment that replaced items that were broken by older children. Our large playground is only designed for children in 5th grade and younger. Some of the items are only for 5-year-olds and younger. When an older student plays on them, they break. Parents, please help us by making your children aware of who can and can't play on the playground. For everyone, "if you see something, say something." If you see an older child on the playground equipment, please ask them to stop. If they don't, find a staff member. And remember, children are never allowed on the playground without adult supervision. We are excited to have such a wonderful place for our children. Please help us keep it that way.
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Announcement from the Council of Bishops
 Some of you may have seen the recent announcement from the Council of Bishops related to the called General Conference in 2019. This special General Conference has been called to deal with issues of human sexuality viewed through the theological and doctrinal understandings of our denomination. The Council of Bishops have recommended what they are calling the One Church Plan which "encourages a generous unity by giving United Methodists the ability to address different missional contexts in ways that reflect their theological convictions." Click the link if you would like to read the press release related to this recommendation.
While they are recommending this idea, they will also be putting forward a more conservative plan as well as a more liberal plan. They will publish their full report, including detailed recommendations, on July 8 -one year ahead of the special General Conference.
I am sharing this with you because I want you to remember that the bishop's various plans are their recommendations to the General Conference. The General Conference of 2019 will process and decide which, if any, of these plans they will support. Currently the theology and doctrine of the United Methodist Church has not changed. During our North Alabama Annual Conference this coming June, we will discuss the various plans and respond to the issues. I will be able to share more after that event.
The road ahead for the United Methodist Church is really unknown, but our local church leadership is working to ensure that VHUMC continues doing ministry as we have always done. We still exist so that everyone can experience a Christ-centered life of purpose, and we continue to seek to be the Vestavia Hills community church - striving to make a difference for Christ in the world around us.
As always - it is an honor to be your pastor and I look forward to all that God will do in and through our congregation.
In Christ, Bill
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 Vacation Bible Camp
Calling all campers! Vacation Bible Camp is coming up on June 11-15 and this year our theme is Rolling River Rampage. We will be experiencing the ride of a lifetime with God! Children grade 4k (by September 1st) through 5th grade are invited to register for this fun filled week of music, exciting science, creative crafts, fun recreation, and memorable Bible stories. Join us as we discover that God is always with them as they ride the rapids of amazing grace!
We are also looking for group leaders for 5k through 5th grade, as well as helpers in elementary crafts. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Jamie Meeks ([email protected]) or Anne Strozier ([email protected]). If your 6th - 12th grader would like to volunteer as a student helper please contact Kathryn Groat ([email protected]) before May 25.
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 Bundles of Hope Diaper Drive
VHUMC is hosting another diaper drive this year in honor and in memory of all mothers in the month of May. We will partner with Bundles of Hope and collect diapers of all sizes from Sunday, May 6, through May 20. Please bring your package of new diapers to one of the collection bins near the church office and chapel. For questions, please contact Rachael Hayes ([email protected]).
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Jesus Trail Tour Information Meeting
 VHUMC is headed back to the Holy Land on April 2-10, 2019, and will be hike the Jesus Trail in Israel. If you are interested in going he will have an informational meeting in room 207, on Wednesday, May 16, at 6:00 pm. For more information contact Jim Frazier ([email protected] / 769-0126).
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 May Hilltoppers Meeting
Our next meeting is Tuesday, May 15, at 10:30 am, in the Fellowship Hall. The Celebration Singers will join us for our program. For information or to make a lunch reservation ($6.00) call Harriette Woodring (822-9318) or Margaret Flowers ([email protected] / 769-0112) no later than 11:00 am on Friday, March 16. Please note the price and, if possible, have correct change or an extra dollar bill.
Vestavia Hilltoppers is a VHUMC-sponsored organization for persons of retirement age, which meets each month for lunch and a program. They also sponsor trips and other activities that are publicized at meetings. Guests and new members are welcome.
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Elementary Awards Assembly
The end of the year awards assembly for our 1st-5th graders will be Sunday, June 3, from 9:45-10:45 in the Chapel. We will be recognizing our Sunday School high attendance winners and we will be choosing our memory verse winners. Our memory verse winners will receive bungee swings! We will also have games, activities and more prizes. We hope you can join us for the fun!
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 May 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! Children also get to put their name in a basket for a drawing at our End of the Year Awards Assembly. May's memory verse is, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts 2:38
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 Thank You from the Car Ministry
The VHUMC Car Ministry team would like to thank VHUMC and all the members who have contributed to this ministry. 2018 has started off as a record year and we could not be more grateful. It is because of your donations of cars and finances that this ministry is possible. We have a great team who all share one thing in common - to be a part of a ministry that truly transforms and changes lives. That is what the car ministry does.
Our team members include: Ashley Curry (team leader), Dan Langford, David Harwell, Don Harwell, Don Hire, Jim Miller, Charles Murrell, Rick Dunphy, Jim Frazier, Judy Meyer, and the newest member to the team and office volunteer, Amy Young.
If you are just hearing about this ministry, would like to know more, or would like to make a donation, please reach out to one of the members of the team or to Rachael Hayes who works in the missions office. We would love for you to hear the stories and be a part of God's work every Thursday which is "car ministry day."
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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.
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Growing Pains: Renovating for Our Future
Work to improve the Sanctuary/Narthex area has started. The Narthex ceiling is being removed this week and the Sanctuary side aisle ceilings will be removed next week. You will notice a lot of protective flooring and other changes as we plan to improve the Sanctuary and remove all the old HVAC parts in that area. We plan to have Sunday worship in the Sanctuary as many weeks as possible through the summer.
Tyson Hall improvements and our HVAC replacements in the Adult Education Building are still progressing. Until all the new units are connected and working, all mid-week meetings from 6 am to 3 pm are still relocated to other rooms. Be sure and check the room lists as you enter the building.
The Contemporary Service will continue worshiping in the Fellowship Hall until Tyson Hall renovations are complete. Remember that shorts and short-sleeves are perfectly welcome on Sunday mornings. We want you here and we want you to be comfortable!
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 Memorials and Honorariums
Click on the link below or visit www.vhumc.org to see the memorials and honorariums given last month. Thanks to everyone who has given to help the church in recognition of a loved one.
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 Food Pantry
Food Pantry needs tote bags for fruits and veggies now that our farmers market is open again. You may also purchase bags of apples, oranges, potatoes, carrots, etc. while out grocery shopping. Our families really appreciate the fresh items!
Oak Mountain Mission
Oak Mountain Mission needs sofas, chairs, chests, tables, and chairs. Call Brenda for a home pick-up (685-5757), but your items must be in the basement, garage, carport, or outside since the drivers are not allowed to go into homes. Their store is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am until 1:00 pm.
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