Hiawassee United Methodist Church 1139 U.S. Highway 76 P.O. Box 609 Hiawassee, GA 30546

Sam Hamby, Pastor

Our Mission: Worship Jesus Christ;

Grow as Disciples;

Serve Others

Web : www.hiawasseeumc.org

Ema i l : humc@hiawasseeumc.org

Phone : 706.896.2818

Of f i c e Hour s : Monday—Thursday

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Let Freedom Ring One of my favorite holidays to celebrate is America’s Independence Day. In many ways it epito-mizes the summer season, but it also reminds us of the freedom we enjoy as citizens of this country. This freedom we experience in America means many different things to different peo-ple. If you ask five people what freedom means to them, you will probably get five different an-

swers. Sometimes we forget or take for granted the freedom we enjoy. All you need to do is travel outside of this country and you will get a refresher course in American freedom. I am not well traveled outside of the USA, but each time I have left this country I have felt a measure of uneasiness knowing I will not have the same rights that I have here. This freedom goes back hundreds of years as our Forefathers fought for freedom and each generation since have been called to do the same.

There is another freedom that goes deeper than the great freedom we enjoy as Americans. It is possible for someone living in American freedom to still experience bondage rather than freedom. The Apostle Paul even described no difference between slaves and free people if they belong to Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:13 he wrote, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body— whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Whether you live in the land of the free or the land of the oppressed, Christ came to free us from a life of bondage to sin and give us the peace of everlasting life in Him. Paul also wrote in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” No matter your circumstances, no matter your past, Jesus Christ came to set you free. This freedom brings you into the presence of God and goes with you at home or abroad.

A few years ago, I traveled with a small group of pastors and leaders from various Methodist churches to Leon, Nicaragua. We traveled there for a short-term mission trip, but we were blessed so much more by meeting the people there and serving with them. Life was very different in Nicaragua than it is here in America. We wit-nessed some of the poorest communities on the planet. Some of the scenes were hard to take. However, one thing was sure. God was already there in Nicaragua. Christ died for their freedom too. That freedom goes deep-er than their poverty and their difficult circumstances. In 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 Paul wrote, “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Celebrate our country’s freedom and be thankful. We are blessed with this freedom, but never guaranteed it. However, the freedom given us in Christ is a freedom no one can take away. Have you accepted this freedom Jesus Christ brings? Have you shared this Good News with someone else?

Blessings,

Pastor Sam

HUMC Mountain Messenger

Director of Music & Worship: Hope Horkavy

In 1925, just a year after winning an Olympic gold medal in the

400 meter race, the Scottish hero, Eric Liddell, shocked many by

deciding to return to China, the place of his birth, as a missionary.

As he stood on the platform of the Waverly Station in Edinburgh,

crowds gathered to send him off. He was asked to give a few

words. Instead, he chose to lead the crowd in a rendition of an

old Isaac Watts hymn to communicate more memorably the rea-

son he was leaving fame and ease to preach Christ in a distant

land, and to fill his own heart with comfort and confidence:

Jesus shall reign where're the sun

Does its successive journeys run

His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,

Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Our churches are not just places where we are equipped

and exhorted to witness to our neighbors who don’t know Christ.

Our churches are places that themselves bear witness. As the

British evangelist Rico Tice puts it:

It’s not only the individual Christian believer who is to let

their light shine, a narrow beam of torchlight in the word;

each local church is to be a lighthouse: a great, wide

beam of gospel light, illuminating the surrounding dark

ness.

When we sing, we witness to the people in our church

who are yet to believe—to the unsaved spouse, the cynical teen,

the intrigued friend. The sight and sound of a congregation sing-

ing praise to God together is a radical witness in a culture that

rejects God and embraces individualism. Our songs are the pub-

lic manifesto of what we believe.

In Matthew 18:20,

Jesus says, “For where two or

three gather in my name, there

am I with them. The numbers

He uses are no accident. In

Old Testament Israel, you

would need “two or three wit-

nesses” in a court to testify on

your behalf in a legal case (Deut. 19:15). Singing together bears

compelling witness to the Truth. It says to those watching on and

listening in that, just as we sing the same melody together, we

share the same faith, the Faith; not a self-made creed for a solo

journey toward nowhere, but commitment to our one Lord of all,

who transforms the life we live together and will bring us home to

eternity.

God’s people have always witnessed to the through their

singing. In the Old Testament, the faith of the Israelites could be

clearly heard in their songs. And many of the lyrics of their hym-

nal, the Psalms, showed their awareness of other nations listen-

ing into their singing, and called them to praise God too. Given

this heritage, it should be no surprise to discover the first New

Testament church doing the same:

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple

courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with

glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all

the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who

were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47)

Join in wholeheartedly to our worship/praise times to-

gether. Be a witness!!!!

Excerpted from Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life,

Family and Church by Keith and Kristyn Getty, B&H Publish

ing Group, Nashville, TN

Going Solo Ladies Group ATTENTION ALL SINGLE LADIES:

Because we will be participating in the

July 4th church event, we will not have

our regular gathering this month. Stay

tuned for our August gathering, which

should be a “Low Country Boil” at Fairy

Jackson’s house on August

2nd.

Growing Christlike, Having

Fun and Serving Others!

Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. (Ps. 66:2)

Glorious worship is exuberant, never half-hearted. It is attractive, not off-putting. It is awesome, never sentimental. It is brilliant not careless. It points to God, not to the speakers …. There is nothing more evangelistic, nothing that will win

the world more than glorious worship. (The Songs of Jesus, Tim Keller, May 22 Psalm devotion)

7/4 Independence Day—Office Closed 11:30—2:30 Church Picnic 7/10 @ 10 am Trustees Meeting 7/11 @ 2 pm Finance Meeting 7/20 6:30—8:30 Desserts on the Square Weekly: Tuesdays @ 10:45 am Bell Choir Wednesdays @ 11 am Ladies Prayer Wednesdays @ 6 pm Bible Study Wednesdays @ 7 pm Choir Practice Thursdays @ 9 am Men’s Prayer Thursdays @ 10:30 Bible Study

We Welcome our New Members

Terry & Janice Simpson Steven & Blythe Ethridge

Church Picnic

July 4th 11:30 to 2:30 in the

Fellowship Hall

HUM Men will be grilling hot dogs and burgers.

Bring a side dish to share. Entertainment will be provided by the HUMC choir

Our fundraiser will be to vote for your favorite dessert. $1 per vote.

Vote as many times as you want. All proceeds will go to benefit our church..

Music on the Square - May 25, 2019

Our Prayer List is updated each Wednesday morning.

Please fill out a card at the table outside the sanctuary door with your requests.

Or email or call the office to add your requests and remember to keep your listings updated..

Come and Pray with us!

The ladies Prayer Group meets on Wednesdays @ 11 am in the Library The Men’s Prayer Group meets Thursday mornings @ 9 am in the Library

Fellowship Luncheon—June 9, 2019

We need Workers & Bakers for

Music on the Square

to meet, greet & sell goodies. Sign up as to when

you can work and/or provide homemade baked

goods for this community project.

Sign-up sheets are on the side table

in the Welcome Area.

Call Betty Leduc with any questions.

Thanks to Linda Irvine for bringing tacos

to the Bake Sale workers at

Music On the Square June 15th! …..From the Church Crier

Online Giving now available for Credit Card

Debit Card

ACH transactions

Visit our website: www.hiawasseeumc.org And click on the icon for

online giving.

New in the HUMC library for July, 2019:

Lockyer, Herbert. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary. (Ref) Provides brief discussions of more than 5,000 people, places, and concepts in the Old and New Testaments.

Barker, William P. Everyone in the Bible. (Ref). Clearly identified in these pages are nearly 3,000 individuals -- absolutely every man, woman, and child, important or obscure -- named in the Bible.

Jeremiah, David. Overcomer. (Inspiration) Eight ways to live a life of unstoppable strength, unmovable faith, and unbeliev-able power.

MacArthur, John. Twelve Extraordinary Women. (Bible Study) You'll discover-perhaps for the first time-the unmistakable chronology of God's redemptive work in history through their lives. These women were not ancillary to His plan, they were at the very heart of it.

Wurmbrand, Richard. Tortured for Christ. (Biography/Autobiography) Months of solitary confinement, years of periodic physical torture, constant suffering from hunger and cold, the anguish of brain-washing and mental cruelty. These are the experiences of a Romanian pastor during his fourteen years in Communist prisons.

Please check out your book or movie and leave the card, found in the back of the book or movie, in the box in the library on the shelf near the return box. This gives us an opportunity to find out what is being used and we can send you a gentle reminder if

you have forgotten to return a book or movie.

A listing of titles in the library is now available online. Go to our website for a direct link under “News” then click on Library and choose either Books or Movies.

HUMC Library Notes: Dawn Lamade

Sisera was commander of the army of

Jabin, king of Canaan. He lost a battle with

Barak and fled from the battlefield on

foot. He came to the tent of Heber who

was at peace with Jabin. Heber’s wife welcomed Sisera and told

him to “fear not” as she covered him with blankets and turned

away men searching for him. He asked for water; she gave him

milk. When at last he fell asleep she covered his head with a rug,

took a hammer and a long tentpin and drove the spike through

his head.

Captain Barak found him there nailed to the floor. What do you

make of this woman? assassin, avenger, patriot or

fiend? Deborah, who was the judge of Israel at the time called

her “blessed above all women”. Who was this woman?

Financial Reports are available after the 1st of each month. Call the office if you

would like to have a report.

HUMC and Hospitality- hos·pi·tal·i·ty, noun. the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. UMM Breakfast is the 3rd Saturday of the month. All men are welcome to gather in the Fellowship Hall @ 9:00 am for

breakfast and a business meeting. Fellowship meals are held every other month. All are Welcome!

Most of us will celebrate Independence Day (July 4) among family and/or friends munching on hot dogs, hamburgers, and other typical picnic fare, as well as oohing and aahing as we enjoy a fireworks dis-

play. It is indeed a date for celebrating, but few of us know the background of the Declaration of Independence.

A rough timeline might look something like this:

1603 - King James I becomes king of England and declares there will be no tolerance for criticism of the Church of England

1607 - Scrooby, England - a group of dissidents made a religious contract (or compact) which basically said all church decisions were to be made by mutual consent.

1613 - Separatists now living in Holland, while free to practice their religion, were concerned that their children were losing touch with their British heritage, began to consider other options.

1620 July - The Virginia Company agrees with a group of Separatists to fund their establishment of a new colony in Virginia (for a share of the profits, of course).

1620 September - The Mayflower with about 100 souls on board sail for Virginia

1620 November - Blown off course the Mayflower anchors at Cape Cod. Some passengers (not all were Sepa-ratists) disavowed loyalty to the crown and threatened to form their own colony. William Bradford and sever-al other men wrote a covenant that said all would stay together and obey the laws of the colony. All men were required to sign the covenant before they could leave the ship.

The above Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 English colonists on the ship Mayflower on November 11, 1620* and was the first written framework of government established in what is now the United States. It was the first step towards forming self-government, and the first to state that the majority ruled. It opened the way to democracy for America:

June 11, 1776 - Continental Congress appointed a “committee of five” to draft a declaration.

June 28, 1776 - draft presented to Congress.

July 4, 1776 - accepted and signed by John Hancock, President of the Congress.

August 12, 1776 - most delegates endorsed the Declaration of Independence** - a few signed later - a couple not at all.

While there are a few other interesting dates and facts concerning Independence Day history, I hope that while munching the goodies, watching the parades and/or fireworks we, you and I, give pause and think about those Pilgrims and leaders of the American Revolution and their contributions to our freedoms. God Bless America!

*or November 21, 1620. The difference being that the Pilgrims used the Julian calendar which, at the time, was ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.

**of the several hundred copies made and sent out, only 26 are thought to have survived - most in libraries or museums - a few in private collections.

From Our Lay Leader: Dale Gardner

Quiz Answer: Jael (Judges 4)

Find us on Facebook as Hiawassee United Methodist

Church. Please LIKE and FOLLOW us. www.hiawasseeumc.org

One of the best parts of home missions is be-ing surprised by an "I love you" from local ser-vice workers. It is encouraging to know that somehow, you have made a difference in

someone’s life. Years ago I was eating at Georgia Mountain Restaurant when a woman walked up to me and put her arms around my neck and said "thank you for talking to my daugh-ter." I will never forget that. It is all about God's love. There was a time in my life when I was making all the wrong choices and a woman from a Christian Book Store said the right things to me. It is not always in church that the gospel is spread but attending church is a confirmation that you believe and are part of a family. While visiting at Union County Jail last week, all of the women who came to church agreed to pray with me a prayer of re-dedication. It really does not hurt any of us to do that. Ms. Elaine's House has been so blessed with the new house-mother. When one of the women has a problem, she will call me to come over and pray. Yesterday, one of the girls who had moved out, came back because the person with whom she was living had been life flighted to Gainesville. We joined

hands, prayed together, ordered Pizza, and saw her leave in peace. God's love never fails. We are starting a news letter so I asked one of the girls to write something about her experi-ence at the house. Here is what she wrote: "My name is Marcia. When I came into the Elaine House I was homeless, scared, and alone. I had nothing when I got out of jail. The Elaine House opened their doors to me with an open heart. I felt so welcomed. I met some wonderful women there and I could not have asked for a better place to start over. Like I said before, I had nothing but when I got there they had a gift basket filled with everything I needed. I felt the Lord's pres-ence in every room. They opened their doors to me when they did not have to. I am so thankful for them and how they made me feel at home. I thank God for that place and the wonderful women who run it. And I thank God every day for them. I have made a forever friend with Miss Elaine and the women there. Again thank you for helping. "

And I thank the people at HUMC for all the support. Ms. Elaine

Jail/Prison Ministry: Elaine McEver

Church Member Services Directory Massage Contact: Geri Baker 706-896-6108 Coin Collecting Club and Stamp Collecting Contact: Tayo Leduc 706-896-6001

Summer Rain Oh, what is so pure as the glad summer rain, That falls on the grass where the sunlight has lain? And what is so fair as the flowers that lie All bathed in the tears of the soft summer sky? The blue of the heavens is dimmed by the rain That wears away sorrow and washes out pain; But we know that the flowers we cherish would die Were it not for the tears of the cloud-laden sky. The rose is the sweeter when kissed by the rain, And hearts are the dearer where sorrow has lain; The sky is the fairer that rain-clouds have swept, And no eyes are so bright as the eyes that have wept. —Fannie Sherrick

“Vote For Your Favorite Dessert”

For the 2nd year in a row we are having a

dessert contest during the July

4th celebration to be held at the

church. All contributed desserts

will be available to diners after

your fill of July 4th fixin’s, with

the proviso that you vote with your money

on which dessert you like the best. $1

per vote (or more). Make your favorite

dessert! All the vote money will go to

the HUMC budget.