November 2018
Cook's UMC
Newsletter

Pastor’s Message
Commitment Sunday/Stewardship
We are discovering in our season of stewardship focus that God is entrusting us with the most precious gifts, responsibilities, and resources. We will continue to plumb the depths of the Lord’s Prayer as we move toward Commitment Sunday on November 18. We are discovering how this prayer does (or should) orient our hearts, minds, and lives towards imagining, hoping for, and participating in God’s intent for our church and our world.  However we engage with God, our participation is our stewardship response. 

Each member and participant in the life of Cook’s UMC will be asked to consider making a commitment toward our ministry in 2019: your resources, your presence, your service, your witness, and your prayers. Thank you, in advance, for beginning to prayerfully consider what your participation in God’s dream and God’s kingdom through this church body will be. 

All Saints’ Day
“Saint” is a church word that we use to recognize a good and holy person, usually but not exclusively those who are regarded as being in heaven after death. We name persons as “saints” who, in the Christian Church, are declared to be worthy of special honor or who, in our own lives, have had significant spiritual impact. 

Lighting candles and the ringing of a bell at the reading of their names are common practices in all expressions of the Christian faith (Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, etc.).

The first Sunday following November 1 is typically the date of celebration. We hope that you will come to worship on Sunday, November 4, carrying with you gratitude for those saints that have run their life course well and in doing so have had significant impact on your life. In particular, we will be celebrating the lives of the four members of Cook’s UMC who have become a part of the Church Triumphant since our last All Saints’ Celebration: Sybil Estes, Ray Spivey, Tammy Stansbery, and Thom Storey. 
Sandra
November Food Drive
Sunday November 25 th to help Leeville UMC’s SALT Program. Current needs: spaghetti (one pound packages), canned fruit, canned tomatoes, boxed macaroni and cheese, and canned beans (pintos, northern and kidney beans).  
Missions Moment
Compassionate Hands—Season 6
Cook's will be hosting its 6 th season of Compassionate Hands, and we'll need volunteers to make this another successful season of caring for our homeless neighbors. Our first night will be Thursday, December 6, and we'll continue for 15 weeks until March 14.

We need volunteers to handle these responsibilities:

Shelter hosts: Hosts serve on a team and each team spends the night at the church every third week (5 nights during the season). Hosts need to arrive about 6:15 pm to set up for our guests. Our guests will leave the next morning at 7 am. Hosts will clean up the areas used by the guests and put things away. For more information, contact Bob Johnson, Eric Alspaugh, Greg Harris or Joyce Gaines.

Laundry team: A team of volunteers rotates weeks to wash the bed linens and towels used by our guests. Volunteers pick up dirty laundry and return the clean laundry by the following Thursday. (For more information, contact Janet Driver.)

Van drivers: Drivers will run an evening (Thursdays) route, stopping at 3 locations in Lebanon to pick up guests, and take them to Cross Style Church, also in Lebanon. Pick-ups start at 5 pm. Dinner is served at Cross Style at 6 pm, and then drivers deliver their guests to the churches serving as nightly shelters.  In the morning (Fridays), drivers reverse the routes, picking the guests up by 7 am and returning them to Lebanon. Separate drivers may take the evening and morning shifts. Drivers must at least 21-years-old and have a valid driver's license (CDL not required). Vans will be furnished by The Glade and College Hills Church of Christ. (For more information, contact Ken or Joyce Gaines.)

Women's shelter hosts at Faith Lutheran Church: Faith Lutheran will be hosting women on every other Wednesday and allow other volunteers to use its church for the remaining weeks. Women willing to serve on teams to host the remaining 7 or 8 weeks are needed. Two women are needed for each team. (Contact Joyce Gaines for further information.)

Supplies needed: Bottled water for lunches, Socks, Men's underwear, Men's knit hats, used men's clothing: jeans or twill pants, long-sleeved shirts, sweat shirts, coats, sneakers or work shoes
Wednesday Night Fellowship Meals
Please pre-order and pay for your meals using the envelopes in the sanctuary pews, on shelf in the main hall or in the Friendship Hall. Place the envelopes with money in the offering plate or turn into the church office no later than noon the Tuesday before. There will be a limited amount of food for those that don't pre-pay. NOVEMBER MENU: 7 th Meatloaf, Green Peas, Macaroni & Cheese, Rolls & Dessert; 14 th Chicken & Dumplins, Green Beans, Rolls & Dessert; 21 st NO MEAL; 28 th Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic Bread & Dessert.
Charge Conference
In the structure and order of the United Methodist Church, each local church body meets with its District Superintendent near the close of the calendar year to be accountable for their ministry in the past year and show themselves ready to do the work of the church in the coming one. All elected members of the Church Council are members of the Charge Conference and expected to be present. The Discipline of the UMC requires the following work be done at this meeting, by this body: setting of the pastor’s salary, election of lay leadership, recommendation and/or continuation of candidates for ministry, and the affirmation of lay servants/speakers. Other reports, celebrations, or points of business can be placed on the agenda by District Superintendent, Church Council, or pastor. We hope that you’ll join us on November 11 th at 6:30pm in our sanctuary to celebrate the ministry of Cook’s UMC.
Names Submitted for 1st Reading
The following names are being submitted for the 1 st reading at the 2018 Cook’s UMC Charge Conference for removal from the membership roll due to Inactive Professing Member status. Contact has been attempted with no response. Please notify the church office if you have any contact information for any of these individuals. 

Anthony, Pat; Anthony, Samantha; Arcibal, Roel; Arcibal, Jr., Roel; Kemp (Arcibal), Brandy; Puckett, Destiny; Arroyo, James (Jimmy);

Barber, Daniel; Barber, Joy; Barber, Carly; Barber, Ryan; Barnes, Nancy; Barney, Rodney; Barney, Shannon; Barney, Logan; Baughman, Tom; Baughman, Lori; Baughman, Holly; Baughman, Matthew; Beaty, Joe; Beaty, Shelly; Beaty, Sarah; Beaty, Jackson; Bowes, Jason; Bowes, Danny; Bowes, Sarah; Bowes, Stephen; Boyd, Theresa; Boyd, Christian; Coats, Jean; Brousseau, Andre; Brousseau, Caden; Brousseau, Heather; Burgess, Angela; Burgess, William; Burkett, Mark; Burkett, Trisha; Butler, Christie; Butler, Robert; Butler, Linda

Carver, David; Carver, Debra; Carver, Kenzie; Carver, Nolan; Chitwood, Donna; Chitwood, Rachel; Clark, Jennifer; Clark, Jesse; Clinard, Shirley; Coe, Adrienne; Coombes, David; Coombes, Tracy; Coombes, Tyler; Coombes, Kyle; Coombes, Shelby; Coppedge, Novella; Cowgill, David; Cowgill, Jeannie; Cowgill, Terry; Crickmar, Rachel; Crickmar, Lily; Crickmar, David; Crickmar, Sam; Crockarell, Laura Nell; Crockarell, Sarah

Daum, Sandra; Dean, Dee; Estes, Becky; Fleenor, Dorothy; Fleenor, Tom

Gammon, Callie; Garrett, Janie; Gentry, Traci; Gill, Denise; Gleaves, Katie; Gleaves, Destiny; Goff, Sherry; Goff, Michael; Gonzalez-Link, Kimberly; Gordon, Katie; Griggs, Doug; Griggs, Lori; Griggs, Addison; Griggs, Samuel;

Harris, Sue; Harris, Mike; Haynie, Dolly; Hedges, James Michael; Hernandez, Paula; Hernandez, Rafael; Hernandez, Christine; Hinds, Colleen; Hitz, Dee; Hoban, Jennifer; Hoban, Robert; Hoban, Bobby; Hook, Danny; Hopkins, Amanda; Hopkins, Danielle; Hopkins, Linda; Hortenstine, Britni; Hubbard, Margaret; Hughes, Steele; Hurt, Bobby; Hurt, Pam

Jakalski, Jared; Jakalski, Tara; Johnson-Green, Jean; King, Holly; King, Jerry; King, Earline; Lawrence, Becca; Lawrence, Tracy; Link, Jason; Loggins, Dana; Loggins, Jason

Marriner, Rebecca; Malone, Pam; Manning, E.B.; Manning, Carolyn; May, Kathleen; May, Kayla; May, Kelli; May, Kyle; Mayhew, Cecelia; Maxwell, Zach; McCarthy, Bryan; MccCort, Mark; McFall, Dirthy; McFarland, Sandra; McGee, Nicole; McGee, Samuel; McKinney, Laura; McKinney, Joey; Miller, Kenneth; Mitchell, Kevin; Mitchell, Candi; Mitchell, Jeff; Mitchell, Karen; Mitchell, Brandon; Mitchell, Josh; Moles, Jason; Moles, Rhonda; Morris, Michelle; Moritz, Allison; Mullins, Gloria; Mullins, Ricky; Myer, Linda; Myer, Mike

Nicholson, Jonathan; Olin, Dick; Olin, Pat; O'Rick, Nicholas; O'Rick, Sherry; Pace, Lee; Pace, Steffanie; Pace, Chris; Parker, Betty; Parker, Tom; Parker, Rachel; Parker, Emily; Parker, Cindy; Parrish, Charles; Parrish, Betty; Perry, Ron; Phillips, Ric; Porter, Chad; Porter, Kim; Porterfield, Rachael; Post, Mattie; Penn, Allisen; Pruzinsky, Rob; Pruzinsky, Suzanne

Ratzlaff, Cindy; Ratzlaff, James; Ratzlaff, Monika; Ratzlaff, Tracy; Redditt, Healther; Redditt, Jackson; Reddit, Katie; Richey, Frances; Richey, Hayley; Rigsby, Brenda; Robeson, Jennifer; Robeson, Rachel; Robeson, Caroline; Robertson, Lyn; Rowan, Pam

Schimborski, David; Schimborski, Jessica; Seagraves Cassey; Sells, Justin; Sells, Rebecca; Semrow, Greg; Semrow, Karen; Semrow, Natalie; Selva, Elisa; Shaver, Jeff; Shreeve, Dana; Silk, Don; Silk, Linda; Sizemore, Edna; Smith, Sherri; Stewart, Craig; Stewart, Michelle; Stewart, Daniel; Stewart, Ireland; Stone, Evelyn; Stonebrook, Anne

Taylor, Andrea; Timmons, Walt; Trammell, Matt; Trammell, Kelly; Twitty, Brian; Urtz, Robin; Vines, Kitty; Visser, Thomas; Visser, Valarie; Wallace, Lindsay; White, Joy; Williams, Emily; Williams, Nicholas; Williamson, Joel; Williamson, Laura; Wiss, Angie; Wiss, Barry; Wiss, D. J.; Wiss, Leslie; Woodard, Kristy; Woodard, Hannah; Zaremba , Ken; Zaremba, Renee
College Student of the Month
Shannon Harris
1910 Caledonia Avenue
Room 610 A/B
Knoxville TN 37916
Shannon is a freshman at
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Stewardship Moment
 For those of you who are taking required minimum distributions from your IRA account, there is a tax advantage to having your contributions to Cooks UMC come directly from the IRA. The IRS permits direct transfers tax free from an IRA account to a qualified charity up to $100,000 each year, if you are age 70 ½ or older. These contributions must be made directly to the charity to avoid taxation.
 
Why would this be beneficial to you? Any distributions taken from an IRA that isn’t a Roth IRA are taxed. Because these IRA distributions are included in your adjusted gross income, your social security benefits may be subject to taxation. Setting up a direct distribution of your annual pledge to Cooks from your IRA can save paying taxes on those dollars. That can be more advantageous than taking a deduction for the charitable contributions. If you don’t itemize, you can still get the advantage of the full annual exclusion AND avoid paying taxes on the IRA distribution. In other words, it will no longer be included in your adjusted gross income.
 
To recap, if you have to take required minimum distributions because you are over age 70 ½, those distributions can be paid directly to Cooks UMC from your IRA and (1) count toward your required minimum distribution (2) can help meet you contributions pledge for Cook’s AND (3) avoid payment of taxes on those distributions. 
 
Finally, tax free contributions are only allowed from IRAs not 401Ks. If you have a left your retirement in a 401k or other qualified employer plan and would like to take advantage of the tax free charitable contribution rule, you might consider rolling over enough into an IRA from which you can make the contribution directly to Cooks. 
 
To make this type of contribution to Cooks, you would contact your IRA custodian or trustee and ask them to make a check to Cooks United Methodist Church for the amount you which to contribute. The monies must come directly from the IRA to Cooks to be a non-taxable distribution.
 
If you are interested in finding more about how this might work for you and your family, contact either Debbi Hooper or Bill McKeand. In any tax related situation, you should always consult with your tax advisor to determine how this would work in your specific case.
Homebound
Dick Estes
Martha Gatlin
Mary Elizabeth Webster
November Meetings / Activities
Congregational Care – Saturday, November 3 rd 8:30 am
Friendship Hall & Youth Room Res’d – Sat, Nov 3 rd all day
Trustees Team Meeting – Monday, November 5 th 7:00 pm
Finance Team Meeting – Sunday, November 11 th 3:00 pm
Church Council Meeting – Sunday, November 11 th 4:00 pm
Charge Conference – Sunday, November 11 th 6:30 pm
M.O.M.S. Bible Study – Tuesday, November 13 th 9:30 am
United Methodist Women – Tuesday, November 13 th 10:00 am
Choir Cantata Rehearsal – Saturday, November 17 th 9:00 am
United Methodist Men’s Club Breakfast – Sunday, November 18 th 8:15 am
Church Office Closed – Thursday & Friday, November 22 nd & 23 rd
M.O.M.S Bible Study – Tuesday, November 27 th 9:30 am
If there is a meeting/activity not listed, please notify the church office.
Electronic Giving Available
Electronic giving helps you stay current with your planned giving especially when on vacation or traveling. All records are locked in the church office, increasing confidentiality, while paper checks (which contain the same information) are part of the weekly counting process with rotating money counters. Contributions continue to be reflected on your year-end contribution statement, and contributions can be canceled or altered (such as the amount or change the bank account) at any time by simply contacting the church office. If you are interested in this easy and convenient way of giving please contact the church office.
Are You on Facebook?
You can help us spread Cook's news! It's easy: first, be sure to "Like" Cook's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/cooksumc/). Then keep your eye out for announcements, inspiration and invitations to worship. When they show up in your FB feed, "Like" or "Share" the posts. The more who do, the more people see it, even if they're not yet members and/or don't “Like” the CUMC page. Have photos from a church event or something you want to promote on social media? Send info/photos to Alison Nash or to the church office.

7919 Lebanon Road
Mt. Juliet TN 37122
615/449-2573
cooksumc.org