Volume 50
Issue 24
June 11, 2020
              
Pop-Up Worship
Last weekend we held our very first outdoor pop-up service, and it was a huge success! So, this week we are going to try and host another one so that we can continue to safely follow guidelines while still gathering in worship. The service will be Sunday, June 14, at 8:30 am, in the Dick Kelly / Lighthouse Park / Parking Lot Area. There are many factors outside of our control that will determine if we can hold the worship event (weather, restrictions by the Governor, restrictions by the Jefferson County Health Officer, etc.), so our plan is to continue to send an email on Saturday to update everyone on the status of this in-person worship service. So, dress casually, bring a chair, and join us this weekend as we worship outside! (Note: the online worship service will still be offered at 8:30 am, same as every week.)
Welcome New Members
Our pop-up worship service last Sunday was a beautiful day, made more beautiful by six new members joining VHUMC:
  • Joe & Madison Alcaraz, Joyce Coady, Michael Garber (wife Amy is a member), Jessica Green, and Caston Smith (wife Caryn is a member)
Please join in welcoming them into VHUMC. As Bill says, "we are stronger now than ever before due to these new members in our VHUMC family."
Summer Curbside Mission Project
Starting June 22, you will have the opportunity to help someone in the Birmingham community. Grab your mission packet, fill it with the items provided, and then decide what items you would like to add to it to complete the kit. Then, once your packet is complete, carry it with you until you are ready to give it someone in need.

Please sign up below to register for your curbside mission kit. Kits will be available for pick up at the Lighthouse portico on Monday, June 22 (starting at 10:00 am) through June 26.

Outdoor Meeting Spaces
As we try to find ways to make our spaces safely available for the summer, all of our porticos and the student patio can now be used for small group meetings. Attendees will need to bring their own lawn chairs. The spaces can be reserved be emailing Melinda Burnett (mburnett@vhumc.org) and a listing of reservations will be placed there daily. Many of our small groups are using the decks and porches of members' homes, but this hopefully will provide additional options.

Persons needing to go to the restroom can call the number on the door of the Lighthouse, and one of our janitorial staff will let one person into the restroom at a time, to enable social distancing.
What is Alpha?
Alpha small groups provide a safe place to ask questions and discuss the deeper meaning of faith, life, and God. If you are interested in learning more about this new Bible study series that is starting in the fall, please fill out the form using the link below. This is not a commitment. It simply lets us know you're interested so we can have a conversation on how to best meet your needs and questions. You can watch the teaser clip (https://player.vimeo.com/video/405360229), view videos and topics (https://www.alpha.org/preview/alpha-film-series/), or feel free to contact Suzanne (sstrammell@vhumc.org) or Kelly (kbottcher@vhumc.org) if you would like more information.

Fall Disciple: Luke and Acts
Join many others across VHUMC as we dig deeper into the Bible through the Fall Disciple series: Luke and Acts. The first few weeks will be finishing out the curriculum from spring classes we were not able to finish. Then we will launch into an exciting study of Luke and Acts. Please use the link below to indicate the day and time that works best for you.

Parents Night Out
Parent's Night Out (PNO) is a laity led ministry designed to enrich the marriages of couples with children (ages three months through 5th grade) one Friday a month from 6:00-9:00 pm. It provides a loving, safe, and fun filled evening for their children, while the parents enjoy an evening out together. It's "families helping families grow stronger."
We are currently accepting registrations, but space is limited for the 2020-2021 school year. For more information please contact Julie Bray (mrsjuliebray@yahoo.com) if you are interested in joining. Parents are required to volunteer one PNO a year.
Vestavia Hills Farmers Market
Our farmers market is open every Wednesday as an essential service that is providing critical food access for our community. We encourage you to stay heathy and shop safely while supporting local farmers and food makers in our community. The market is open from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm every Wednesday through August 26 and will be located right off of Highway 31 in Scouts Square. Mark your calendars and come see the seasonal goodies from local producers. The farmers market is an outreach ministry of the church, and monies obtained from the fees (paid by the farmers) are used to buy fruit and vegetables to distribute through our VHUMC Food Pantry.

Summer at the COA 
Summer is on and so are we! Check out our camps, and stay tuned for more announcements and more new camps to be revealed! All camps will be online until stated otherwise.
  1. Art Camps - June 15-19 ($100) or July 13-17 ($110) - Supplies will available for pickup, included in the price of the camp. June's art camp will include watercolor and natural surface painting as well as clay sculpting. July's camp will include canvas painting, clay sculpting, drawing, and fiber art!
  2. *New!* Guitar Camp - July 20-24 ($175) - Learn all things guitar from multiple instructors! Students will participate in ensemble work, music history, masterclasses, and more.
 
A Special Thank You 
A special thank you to our car ministry team that continues to try and place people with cars during the pandemic. We have had a few donations and could really use more, so if you have or know anyone who has a car that is in working order and would be great for our ministry, please consider donating it to the ministry. We have many who are working hard, but need to have reliable transportation to get to and from work. For more information, please call 205-769-0142.
Website Pictures and Videos
We are in the process of creating the next generation of our website. Since we have not been able to take pictures or shoot video of crowds during the pandemic, we are reaching out to anyone who may have taken pictures or video at a student event, Children's event, baptism, worship service, Easter service, Christmas Eve, or any other activity that we might be able to use. We are trying to create a library of images and videos that we could pull pieces from to fill the graphic needs of the updated website. If you have anything you are willing to contribute, please send your images/videos to Timmy Collins (tcollins@vhumc.org).
Next Church Blood Drive
Our recent Blood Drive with the American Red Cross, was a huge success, surpassing our goal by 62 percent! Many thanks to our donors and volunteers who made this drive a success.

Our next blood drive will be Wednesday, July 1, in the Lighthouse, from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm. This drive will be critical for the American Red Cross as they struggle to meet the demands of the current pandemic, and the spike in blood demand during the July 4th weekend. Your donation is really needed during this time. Please register using the link below.

Prayer 2020: This Week in Prayer
Did you know that we have a web page dedicated to Prayer 2020? Under the "menu" tab you will find a link to Prayer 2020 which includes information about joining a prayer team, resources, and a place to request prayer for yourself or others.

"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life." - Titus 3:4-7

Merciful, loving God, you are so often beyond our understanding. How could you love us so much that you would die for us even while we were still sinning? But you did! Thank you for the love that you showed on the cross, when you took our sins away. Thank you for the power of the resurrection that allows us to be raised to new life in you. Because of your great love you have given us the promise and the hope of eternal life, eternal life that can begin right now. Help us Lord to fix our eyes on you and then to walk and live in this new life, letting the Holy Spirit guide us and transform us into Christ-likeness. And let our "newness" not be normal, but let it be supernatural, fully dependent on You! And may you, Lord, receive all of the praise and glory forever and ever. Amen!

Honoring Church Membership
Some of you have wondered how we handle priority registration for Vestavia Day School and some of our events when we anticipate that available slots will fill up quickly. We always want to make sure that our faithful, active members don't miss the opportunity to participate.

Some time ago, we adopted a policy (that is very similar to other churches of our size) that gives priority registration to a member who has:
  • Been a member of VHUMC for at least one year.
  • Had their attendance recorded in Sunday School or the worship service pew pads 1/4th of the time.
This seems a fair measure to use in giving priority registration to our members. For those who have (or plan to have) children involved at VHUMC, we highly encourage you to register your attendance and if you contribute in cash, please use an offering envelope. If you have questions about this policy, please contact Gary Wyatt (gwyatt@vhumc.org / 769-0108).
Ongoing Outreach
Food Pantry
Thanks to those who donated cans while picking up their virtual VBC kits and shirts. This has always been a big part of VBC and helps our food pantry families. We are continuing to distribute food every other Wednesday as a drive-thru at the Lighthouse. Donations may be brought to the office door of the church Monday thru Thursday by 3:00 pm. We always need breakfast items, dried beans, peanut butter, and jelly. Thank you!

Oak Mountain Ministry
Oak Mountain Mission is again distributing food. They are still not accepting clothing or other items. You might consider donating those items to Vapor Thrift Store or the Salvation Army.
General Fund Fiscal Year 2020

Donations this past week

July 2019 - April 2020
Donations
Other Income
Total Income 
Actual
$74,054


$3,203,378
$125,933
$3,329,311
Targeted  
-$3,283


-$177,745
+$9,168
-$168,577
 
(+) Better or (-) worse for the church than our target
Care and Support
Congratulations, hospitalizations, and sympathies

Prayer Requests
Please be in prayer for the following persons: