Lent begins on February 22 with our 7 p.m. Ash Wednesday service in the sanctuary. This is consistently a high spiritual moment and so I hope you will plan to be present.
As we move along the journey of Lent, our worship and sermon focus will be, On The Road with Jesus. Each Sunday from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, April 8, we will be looking at particular scenarios in Jesus’ life and ministry and learning how they speak to our lives.
]]>If your group would like to schedule a time for a conversation with our pastor, please contact Renee Pearl at rpearl@germantownumc.org or 754-7216. The time we have set aside will be Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30 p.m. through April 25.
We welcome Sunday School classes, small groups, or a group of individuals to participate. These will be open-ended conversations with the general focus being, “What do you think God wants us to be doing to be more faithful to Christ’s call? ”
Discovery invites the entire Germantown UMC family to help students experience and discover anew the gifts of prayer, baptism, and communion by surrounding them with a community of love and forgiveness so that they may be established in faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal. Our Discovery Weekend will require more than 100 volunteers for the weekend.
• Register. If you have a student in grades 6-12, sign them up for Discovery Weekend. Registration forms are available at the Welcome Center or register online.
• Join the Discovery Team. We’ll need 100+ adults serving throughout the weekend. Check out the volunteer descriptions below.
• Be a part of the Discovery Prayer Team. We are looking for adults to adopt prayer shifts throughout the weekend, so that we have church members praying over this weekend the entire time it’s going on. Follow this link to take a 30-minute prayer shift, and we’ll follow-up with a few simple details! This is a role we would like to see our non-parents take on.
• Attend the Discovery Prayer Service on Saturday, February 19 at 7:00 p.m. The Prayer Service is a holy time. Each student will be prayed for by name. The Prayer Service is one of the most powerful worship services of the weekend and everyone is invited. We want the sanctuary to be filled with church members, parents, friends, family, coaches, teachers, and community leaders.
• Worship with the Participants of Discovery Weekend on February 19. At the 11:00 a.m. worship service, our students will lead us in a special service, encompassing the energy and style of Discovery Weekend. The service will celebrate the gifts offered to us by God, and the awesome strength we receive through those gifts. Students will even take the lead on the homily and music!
Overnight Leaders
The duty of the night leader is very important as youth settle down after a long day and share their experiences. The overnight leaders pray, listen, help youth settle down and wake students up in the morning. Each sleeping room will consist of no more than eight middle school students, women with girls and men with boys. Overnight leaders arrive at 10:00 p.m. and depart at 8:00 a.m. (12+ volunteers needed each night)
Prayer Team
Prayer is the lifeline of Discovery Weekend. The prayer team is a visible sign of the importance and priority placed on Prayer partners pray in 30 minute shifts.
Set-Up and Clean-Up Teams
The set-up and clean-up teams work behind the scenes so that areas are ready before they are used and cleaned up afterward. Various shifts available. (4+ volunteers needed per shift)
How do I join the 2012 Discovery Weekend Team?
If you would like to serve on the team, please contact our Discovery Weekend Volunteer Recruiter, Jeanne Miller, at jeannemasseymiller@att.net.
Will I be trained for my job?
Yes! A Discovery Team huddle will take place on Sunday, February 12 from 12-2 p.m. at the OLEC. Lunch will be provided.
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For more information call Patrick Peavy at 753-3100, ext. 402 or ppeavy@germantownumc.org.
Soccer season runs March 22 through May 5 and each team will play six games. T-ball season runs May 24 through June 28 and each team will play 10 games.
Click here to register for T-Ball.
Click here to register for Soccer.
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Everyone is invited to join us in the Mike Wilson Fellowship Hall on Sunday, February 19 at 9:40 a.m. as Donna Tosches, Director, Methodist Healthcare Employee Assistance Program, discusses the signs and symptoms of depression. Are you able to recognize depression when you see it (or experience it)? How can you help yourself or someone else if it is suspected?
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February 8: Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Turnip Greens, Blackeyed Peas, Potato Salad, Biscuits, Assorted Desserts
Click here to sign up for February 8 dinner.
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Registration not required.
Time of Your Life - Through February 8 • Facilitated by Dick Carruth
What time is it? Where did all the time go? Does time really fly when you’re having fun? Maybe we think about time so much because there never seems to be enough of it. Maybe there’s only one question we need to ask. What am I doing with my time? In this series, Time of Your Life, Andy Stanley will help us discover that answer.
Simplicity in Everyday Life
This study will focus on how, as Christians, we can simplify our lives and leave a lighter footprint on our environment.
Jan. 25 - Time as Commodity, Time as Sacred
Feb. 1 - Your Money or Your Life: The Place of Money in Modern Life
Feb. 8 - Broader Impacts of Our Everyday Food Choices
Feb. 15 - Widening Our Circle of Community: Journey to Abundant Life
II Corinthians Study - Wednesdays 6:30 p.m. (Rm 339)
Rev. Steve Atkins will lead this in-depth study of Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth. Bring your Bible and your eagerness to understand more fully what Paul is saying and what it means for us.
Synergy (Grades 6-8) 6:30-7:30 p.m. OLEC
Lindsay Butler, 758-6516, lbutler@germantownumc.org
Synago (Grades 9-12) 7-8:30 p.m.
Jason Baker, 758-6515, jbaker@germantownumc.org
6:15 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
All classes will be conducted on the main campus in either the nursery area or the children’ wing.
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Cub Scouts
Tom Johnson
412-5080
motjohnson@yahoo.com
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To register online, scroll down to “Open Event Registrations,” or contact Jessica Webster at jwebster@germantownumc.org or 758-6511.
Faith Sharing
Tuesdays 6 p.m. (Rm 338)
January 31- February 21 • Facilitated by Rev. Julie McKenna and Rev. Richard Smith
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus calls his followers to go into the world, share the good news of the gospel, and guide persons toward faithful discipleship. One of the most unnerving aspects of Christ’s call for most of us is the idea that we are called to “share our faith,” to “share the good news of Christ and his Church with others.” In these four sessions you will learn how we each can do this comfortably, lovingly, sensitively, and yet faithfully.
Death and Resurrection of the Messiah
Tuesdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. (Rm 232)
January 31-March 31 • Facilitated by Terry Aust
Pack your bags. We’re going on a journey. A quest to uncover Scripture and its meaning across history. Filmed on location in Israel and throughout the Middle East, the Faith Lessons DVD series is an adventure in biblical learning. You will discover why Jesus turned the world upside down with his compelling call to follow him. Teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan brings together history, culture, and geography to illuminate the Gospels. Eight DVD lessons supported by an interactive Discovery Guide will let you walk with Jesus through the days of his ministry on this earth. The insights you gain will transform your reading of the Gospels and inspire a deeper faith commitment. Cost of the book is $8.00.
The Way of Prayer
Thursdays 9:45-11:45 a.m. (Rm 338)
March 1–May 10 (skipping March 15) • Facilitated by Rev. Rebecca Luter
Have you wanted to pray but wanted to know how to pray? Do you want to deepen your prayer life? The Way of Prayer is a 10 week journey that explores the nature of prayer and different prayer forms. Topics include How Do You Pray?, Praying By Heart, Praying with Scripture, Praying for Others, etc.
Clergy Bible Study
Tuesdays 10-11 a.m. (Rm 338)
March 20-April 24 • Facilitated by Rev. Julie McKenna
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians: Take a refreshing plunge into the Bible and join in this Immersion Bible study of these three powerful books. We will explore the needs of our personal faith, and discover new insights into God’s Word, our individual lives, and our walk with God. As Bishop W. Walker says, “This unique Bible study makes Scripture come alive for students. Students are invited to move beyond the head into the heart of faith.”
Monthly Book Group
10:30 a.m. (Rm 338)
No registration necessary. For more information, contact Jan Johnson at jshjohnson@gmail.com. Child care available.
February 27: The Paris Wife by Paula McClain
March 26: Roses by Leila Meachem
April 23: Room by Emma Donoghue
May 28: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
June 25: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Sonrise Men’s Group
Tuesdays 6:30 a.m. (Rm 339)
We meet each week to pray, share, learn, and support each other. Over the years, Sonrisers have ranged in age from 25 to 75. Members select study topics and materials and take turns being the discussion leader. Sonrise men get up early on Tuesdays because they enjoy each other’s company and because they like being part of a group that will hold each other accountable. Men, begin your Tuesdays at Sonrise. No registration necessary. For more information contact Bryan Barger at 752-0522.
Men’s Wednesday Morning Prayer Group
Wednesdays 6:30-7:15 a.m. (Rm 339)
Join this group every Wednesday morning for a short devotional time and prayer for all on the church’s prayer list. No registration, no cost, no homework—and breakfast afterwards at McDonald’s (optional!). For more information contact Conrad Schanson at 755-7608.
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The Germantown United Methodist Women will kick off 2012 with a luncheon just in time for Valentine’s Day!
All ladies are invited to attend the “Heart to Heart” Celebration Luncheon on Tuesday, February 14 at 11:30 a.m. at the Owings Life Enrichment Center. Our speaker will be Kathleen Kruczek, co-director of Manna House. Manna House is a house of hospitality located in Midtown Memphis. They provide showers, clothing, coffee, sanctuary and a ‘dose of dignity’ to the poor and homeless.
Reservation deadline is Wednesday, February 8. The lunch is $10 and child care is free if requested with your reservation. Join us for fellowship, lunch and a stimulating speaker to revive the mind and nourish the soul.
Click here to register or call 754-7216.
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But through a series of events that began with an assignment from Rev. Rick Kirchoff in 2006, Cathy will be making the 16,000-mile trip from Memphis to Maua, Kenya, for the third time this summer.
“Bill and I were asked if we wanted to be part of a focus study group on AIDS orphans,” Cathy explains. “I never, ever, ever dreamed that it would lead to what it has led to.
The group began focusing specifically on AIDS orphans in Africa, and we all agreed that at some point, we needed to have a group that goes and explores what we can do as a church to help.”
Bill and Cathy Whitaker talked and prayed about their possible involvement and were asked to be the team leaders for the trip. After a year of planning and preparing, a team of 12 traveled to Kenya in the summer of 2007.
“It was a life-changing experience in so many ways,” Cathy shares. “As a Christian, it had a tremendous impact on me and my willingness to allow God to lead me to a place where I didn’t really think I’d want to go. I had to rely on Him even with my fears, and I had a group of people from all over who were praying for me.”
Cathy and Bill again led a group back to Maua in July 2008. Teams, under the leadership of Dr. Susan Hillebert, returned in the summers of 2009 and 2010.
Each year, the team takes tens of thousands of dollars worth of donated medical equipment, supplies, and medicine to Maua Methodist Hospital where Methodist missionaries Bill and Jerri Savuto serve. The team also helps with various painting, construction, and maintenance projects at the hospital. The medical personnel on the team, including Susan who is a pediatrician, spend time helping with patient care and teaching in the hospital.
“It is difficult to see children sick and dying from totally preventable diseases,” notes Susan. “Most pediatric patients are under two years of age, and about one third of them are admitted for malnutrition and other common maladies such as tuberculosis, measles, encephalitis, meningitis, asthma, and AIDS.”
The campus of Maua Methodist Hospital is also the Kenyan base of operation for an orphan empowerment program called ZOE Ministry. ZOE staff work with community leaders to identify the most vulnerable children in their area. These orphans and child-led families are then united with one another in Working Groups of 60-80 children. Working Groups often become an extended family, supporting one another in their journey out of poverty.
ZOE staff equips the orphans with the resources and training to grow their own vegetables and care for farm animals to provide a stable source of food. They also teach them basic hygiene practices, provide small business training, connect them with local churches where they can discover God’s love, and provide grants for materials to build houses for families.
“A local contractor prepares the foundations for the homes before the work teams arrive,” Susan explains. “Then visiting teams work side by side with Kenyan workers to complete the projects.
“This home, what we would consider a nice yard storage building with a concrete slab foundation, is beyond the dreams of the family that are now occupying it. They have known only a shabby, well ventilated structure, and have cooked, eaten, and slept on a dirt floor their entire lives.”
The sight of “mazungo” (white people) at the building site draws the attention of curious children and neighbors. Younger team members like Brandon Whitely are happy to lay down a hammer and pick up a soccer ball to the delight of the children who gather.
“The kids loved us,” Brandon notes. “Their culture is one of sharing and community. When we put a soccer ball out, they would all take turns, and we’d start kicking it around together.”
For Brandon, a recent graduate of University of Tennessee and part of the 2008 and 2010 teams, the highlight of the two-week trip was the time spent with more than a dozen group leaders (ages 14-22) from the Orphan Empowerment Program at a weekend agricultural seminar in Meru. Conducted by Kenyan missionary John Mwalimu at the Methodist Bio-Intensive Farm, the two-day seminar teaches participants efficient ways of farming and encourages them to share what they learned with their community and family.
“After dinner one night, I just sat down and asked them to teach me their language,” Brandon remembers. “We stayed up four or five hours past when we should have gone to bed.
“It almost shocked them to hear someone speak Kimeru because it is something that was very personal to them and a part of their cultural identity. People come in and speak in English, which they understand, or in Swahili, but never their own regional language. It blew their minds and they loved it. It really helped me to bond with them.”
This summer, Germantown United Methodist Church will send its fifth team back to Africa July 7-21. Co-led by the Whitakers and Susan Hillebert, this team of 15 will include college students, doctors, nurses, teachers, business professionals, and retirees.
“I don’t know why I’ve gone on this trip every year,” laughs Susan who has been a part of each team GUMC has sent since 2007. “When we get back, and someone asks me if I’m going next year, I just say, ‘I don’t know.’ But somehow, I can’t not go.”
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