The Grapevine New Covenant United Methodist Church
THOUGHTS OF THE PASTOR
There is a story that comes out of South Africa
and the last days of apartheid about a woman
named Lindiwe Macozoma. Like many black
women of that day and place, she worked as a
maid in the home of a wealthy white South
African. On her first day of work at a new job,
her employer took her back into the kitchen to
give her a little tour. She was showed the dishes
and the fine china for the family, and then she opened a cupboard way
down below the sink and showed Lindiwe a set of old dishes that were
scratched from years of use. She said to Lindiwe, “These are the
dishes you are to use when you eat your meals.”
The next day as she got ready to leave home for work, Lindiwe took a
place setting of the most beautiful china from her own house,
wrapping it carefully to take to work with her. As Lindiwe was eating
lunch that day on her china, her employer asked where the beautiful
china came from. Lindiwe told her employer that in her community
they don’t eat off old, broken dishes but they buy the nicest things
because they must last for a long time.
Oh, for the wisdom to invest our time, money, and self in something
that lasts. Jesus speaks about focusing on things that last in Matthew
6:19-21 where he says, 19-21"Don't hoard treasure down here where it
gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by
burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and
rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure
is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” (The
Message)
In the early days of March, begins the season of Lent for the Christian
community. Lent is the season of preparation for Easter. It lasts for
40 days (not including Sundays) reminding us of the 40 days that Jesus
faced temptation in the wilderness. May these days of Lent bring us
closer in our walk with Christ as we embrace more fully the things of
God that eternally last. - Pastor Randy Wall
Pasto
r’s
Corner
Sportsman
Banquet
Please join us for the
4th Annual New Cov-
enant Sportsman
Banquet on Satur-
day, March 8th.
Doors open at 5:00
p.m., dinner will be
served at 6:00 p.m.
Cost is $10 which in-
cludes a spaghetti
supper, guest speak-
er, Jeremy Harrill,
NC Wildlife Officer,
and door prizes.
There will also be a
silent auction and
vendors. This is an
event you will not
want to miss! Ques-
tions, please see
John Carpenter.
Acolytes for March March 2—–Ginny Overbay March 9—–Amelia Matzke March 16—Theodore Ferens March 23—Daniel Overbay March 30—Isabella Bradham
Online Bible Study You can do this bible study with friends and fami-ly, or all by yourself. Facebook users, ask to join the “New Covenant Church online bible study” group. Once you are a member of the group, you can see the weekly videos, post comments, and share questions. Want to be apart but not on Fa-cebook? Get with a friend or family member who is on facebook. During March, we will continue our bible study on the Gospel of Luke.
Greetings and blessings to you from The Most High. We have been having a won-derful beginning to the new year in Youth. I am so proud of their growth and love for Christ, it is amazing to see and watch God move in our youth's lives.
February was an awesome month, that all began with a trip to the House of Prayer where the youth lead worship and brought the message. They did an awesome job in stepping out of the way and just worshiping God. The response was one we will all remember for the rest of our lives. Then, be-tween snow storms, we began a new ministry the Youth want-ed to start which is "Make the Homeless Smile." We had a very blessed day making PB&J sandwiches with some fruit, candy and a bottle of water and then went uptown and hand-ed them out to the homeless. It was so wonderful to see the love and appreciation from the homeless folks we met. It was touching and moving for all of us. We all agreed that next time we want to spend more time talking to those who wish to talk, singing and praising with those who would like to do that, and spending time in prayer with those who would like to pray. Our next trip will be March 15th. We will begin around 9am and head to Charlotte around 11am and will re-turn between 3 & 4. We encourage everyone to come out and join us, you will not be disappointed and will walk away feel-ing so blessed.
Also, in the works, we are planning a workday with Sam and his group at the UMAR Barnabas house. We will pressure wash and then end the day with a cookout and campfire. We may take one of our Make the Homeless Smile days and ex-change for this project. The Youth will be planning our next dance for those with special needs.
Here are some dates we have set for the coming months. Also, watch for new events and missions coming soon. March 15th: Make the Homeless Smile April 4th-6th: Jr. High planning on going to Kaleidoscope April 26th: Make the Homeless Smile April 27th: YOUTH FUNDRAISER: We are honored to have a play group of youth coming to preform Godspell, Sadie Matzke is a part of this group. We will not be selling tickets, but we are planning a meal or a coffee style cafe. We are still working out all the details, but please plan on coming out and supporting these young people with your presence, and also support our youth program in the fundraiser. May 2nd: Youth Lock Inn: One last run through before Youth Sunday. May 4th: Youth Sunday May 10th: YOUTH FUNDRAISER: YARD SALE!!!!! More info to come. May 24th: Make the Homeless Smile June 7th: House of Prayer June 21st: Make the Homeless Smile July 13th: Carolina Cross Connections
Thank you all for your love, support and prayer. God bless you!!!! Todd Guest
Ladies Lunch Bunch
will be held on Mon-
day, March 17th, at
Ruby Tuesday in
Gastonia. Meet at
the church at 11:00
or at Ruby Tuesday
at 11:30 a.m. All
ladies are invited to share a meal and
fellowship with other Christians.
Please join us for our
Ash Wednesday Service on March 5th at 7:00 p.m.
Mike & Tina Miller 1
Trey & Emily Trivett 3
Randy & Ann Wall 8
Tom & Aloma Dougherty 20
John & Kelly Carpenter 22
Jack & Mary Bradham 30
D.W. & Pam Shirley 30
Happy Anniversary!
Pam Shirley 2
Ernestine Carroll 3
Paul O’Donohue 3
Donny Coltharp 4
Jason Tucker 6
Grace Duckworth 7
Robbie Rudisill 9
Marissa Beatty 11
Kortney Beatty 11
LouAnn Simmons 11
Christie Everhart 12
Janet Hinson 12
Connor Patterson 12
Nancy Hall 13
Sadie Largent 14
Ron Elliott 16
Marie Bommer 17
John Carson 17
Ann Crocker 17
Cody Miller 19
Austin Smith 19
Tommy Bennett 20
Aloma Dougherty 22
Sally Ferens 23
Valerie Park 23
Jason Henkel 24
Rita Fedukovich 25
Tommy Everhart 26
Matt Lamm 26
Kenny Henkel 27
Jack Bradham 29
Ramsey Carson 29
T.C. Miller 30
Cameron Ganous 31
Jerry Miller 31
OOPS . . . Did we miss your birthday or anniversary? Please let us know! Drop a note off by the office so that our records
can be updated.
Visitation Teams for March
March 2nd—–-Sam Price March 9th——Bob & Della Dionne March 16th—–Ron & Ann Ballard March 23rd—–Bobby & Jane Riggins
March 30th—–Shannon Reavis & Debbie Stewart
9:00 a.m. Service 11:00 a.m. Service
David Moore Matt Price
Doug Hyche Sam Price
Wayne Beatty
Donny Coltharp
Important Dates/Activities
Our Country, Remick Family Our Church, Anita Jarvis Marriages, Shea Stanley Hawkins Unspoken Shannon Reavis, Crystal Abernathy Family Differences Homeless The Unemployed Carol & Harvey Thomas Johnson Family, Suzette Grooms Harry Robinson, Angela Johnson Rick Owens, Ann Ballard Seth Tinsley, Zelma Macemore Family Holly Diggs, Parker Jane Riggins, Ray Lanham Patsy Costa, Barbara Peggy Arrowood, Samuel Smith Donna Enright, Margaret Branch Sherrill Beatty Pete, Ashley Margetich Jim Barfield, Heather Dover O’Brian Family Jesse, Gail Wilson, Jason Wilson Todd & Linda Cloninger Gio Peterson, Candi Carter Joshua Stickel, Steve Blackley Tom Stickel Hannah Martin, Dannielle Poteat David Martin, Ruth Allen John Merwin
LeJean Barker Pat Brown Heather Miller Trey Trivett Betty Simmons Edge Family Jeanette King Family LeAnn & Victoria Tim Hamilton Tim Loftin Richard Statin Family LouAnn Simmons Our Military, Firefighters Teachers, Police Ava, Ann & Phil Haines Jennifer Messer Morgan Baucom Tony & Marque Dowell John Burleson Angela Walton Robin Lanham’s Family Smith, Woodall & Hutchison Family Baron Smith Margaret Branch Unemployed Steven Bennett Jeff Gardner Aloma & Tom Dougherty Linda Jones Taylor Enright Heart Sisters Dee Morris Robert Latour Family Carol Hamilton Kaylee Overton, Sarah Baucom Ethan Hartnett Rose Mast
Remember those who cannot be a
part of our fellowship on a reg-
ular basis:
Ruth Allen Terrace Ridge Assisted Living 1251 East Hudson Blvd. Gastonia, NC 28054 (704) 864-8948 Gerald Carroll 321 Winding Trl. Stanley, NC 28164 (704) 263-9021 Jane Waldroop Woodlawn Haven Rest Home
301 Craig St., Room B4 Mt. Holly, NC 28120
If there is someone you would like to put on this list, please call the church office.
Lay Speakers There will be a gathering of the Lay Speakers on Monday, March 3rd, at 7:00 p.m.
Fellowship Meal Join us for our Fellowship Meal on Wednesday, March 5th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The Faith Works SS Class will be sponsoring this meal. Menu will be BBQ, beans, slaw, etc. We will need desserts and beverages. Proceeds will go to the Building Fund.
UMM Breakfast The UMM breakfast has been scheduled for Sunday, March 9th, at 7:00 a.m., in the FLC.
Administrative Council Administrative Council will meet on Monday, March 17th, at 7:00 p.m.
Worship Committee There will be a meeting of the Worship Committee on Monday, March 24th, at 7:00 p.m.
March Nursery Schedule
9:00 11:00
March 2 Samuel & Anna Davenport David & Marjorie Goodling
March 9 John & Kelly Carpenter Kristy & Brittany Ballard
March 16 Curt & Courtney Deskus Debbie & Emily Stewart
March 23 Tara Moore & Carol Hamilton Matthew & Jennifer Price
Thank you for helping with our nurseries! If you can’t make your assigned Sunday, please contact Luann Elliott & Debbie Stewart for 9:00 a.m. and Marjorie Goodling & Dannette Carson for 11:00 a.m.
March 30 Eddy & Sandy Cox Shannon & Jaimie Stowe
Isn’t It Exciting Being A Christian?
Is it always exciting being a Christian? How about when tragedy strikes good-hearted, loving people who earnestly seek to serve the
living God? I’m thinking of the story of Dr. Ignazz Phillip Semmelweiss (1818-1865), a Hungarian physician who worked in the
maternity hospital in Vienna. In my research, I have not found evidence that Dr. Semmelweiss claimed salvation through Jesus, but I
did find that he had read the Bible.
Dr. Semmelweiss became distressed by the alarming number of patients who were dying of puerperal infection, also known as
“childbed fever.” Healthy women would come into the hospital, deliver their babies, and within a few days nearly 30% of them had
died of childbed fever. Women who delivered their babies at home rarely contracted this infection, and their death rate was only 3%.
Dr. Semmelweiss decided to institute a practice of hand-washing with chlorinated water for all doctors between patient examina-
tions. The mortality rate immediately dropped to 1%.
You would think the medical staff would have hailed Dr. Semmelweiss for his life-saving technique. Instead, his colleagues, as well
as doctors around the world, became incensed at him for what they considered to be “time-wasting” practices. Many also felt it was
beneath their dignity to be forced to wash so frequently.
Opposition to Dr. Semmelweiss became so intense that he eventually was fired from his position at the hospital. Dr. Semmelweiss
wrote books filled with data proving that the hand-washing procedure would save thousands of women’s lives. Sadly, Dr. Semmel-
weiss was ignored by the medical community. The strain of working to convince doctors of the need to follow his ideas, and dis-
traught at the thousands of needless deaths, Dr. Semmelweiss suffered a mental breakdown and was admitted to a Vienna mental
hospital. Three weeks later, Dr. Semmelweiss died.
That was the end of Dr. Semmelweiss. He died a lonely, tragic death. but, despite that tragedy, this was not the end of the story.
Eventually, the medical community came to accept Dr. Semmelweiss’ techniques and it became accepted practice for doctors to
scrub their hands with soap and water. Later, the discovery was made that bacteria, unknown in Dr. Semmelweiss’ day, were the
cause of childbed fever and these tragic deaths. Because of Dr. Semmelweiss’ heroic efforts, thousands and perhaps hundreds of
thousands of women’s lives have been saved. Today, Dr. Semmelweiss is remembered as the “savior of mothers.”
The medical community of the nineteenth century did not know the cause of infection – But God certainly did. God outlined specific
instructions in the Bible about how to prevent spread of disease and death. God instructed His people to purify themselves with run-
ning water whenever they came in contact with dead people or animals. God knew about bacteria and infection, and He sought to
avoid tragedies like this, just as Dr. Semmelweiss did. I’m sure God was just as distraught as Dr. Semmelweiss at seeing such a trag-
edy. If those doctors had only followed God’s biblical instructions, those women would have lived.
With Dr. Semmelweiss, his story in many ways is a tragic one. He was driven out of his mind from grief because he could not save
those women. But I can imagine a future day coming when Dr. Semmelweiss will stand at God’s throne in Heaven. I can envision
him surrounded by thousands upon thousands of grateful women whose lives were spared because Dr. Semmelweiss followed Bibli-
cal practices for purification. Dr. Semmelweiss’ story didn’t end in a mental ward. No, I think it will end in the glory of Heaven.
The tragedy he experienced will be over and forgotten and his heavenly celebration will begin. Are you going through a painful tri-
al? Hang in there. Follow God’s word. It will all work out sooner or later. Isn’t it exciting being a Christian? Marvin
UMW Morning Circle Please join the UMW Morning Circle on Thursday, March 13th, at 10:00 a.m., at the church. All ladies are invited to attend.
UMW Morning Circle Volunteer at Mt. Holly Adult Day Care
On the second Tuesday of every month, the UMW Morning Circle will volunteer at the Mt. Holly Adult Day Care. They will be leaving the church at 9:30 a.m. to go to the day care center. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please see Car-ol Thomas.
UMW Hart Circle The UMW Hart Circle will meet on Thursday, March 13th, at 6:30 p.m., at the home of Becky Kay-lor. Group 3, Gail Foster, Robin Lanham, Marjorie Goodling, Dannette Carson and Jennifer Tucker, will provide refreshments. All ladies are invited to attend.
Shining Hope Farms provides therapies for people living with disabilities. Shining Hope Farms is a member of the American Hippotherapy Asso-ciation, a group of medical
professionals (physical, occupational and speech thera-pists and others) who are interested in the use of equine movement as a treatment strategy. Occupational, physi-cal and speech therapies are offered in the farm environ-ment utilizing the highly motivating tools of interactions with farm animals and the natural environment for ther-apeutic rehabilitation, skill building and adapta-tion. Gifts from our March 2nd Mission Offering will go to Shining Hope Farms through Run for the Mon-ey. Any questions may be directed to Milinda Kirkpat-rick. She can be contacted at 704-827-3788. Infor-mation is available on line at http://www.shininghopefarms.org. Check it out!!
Baby Shower Please join us for a drop-in Baby Shower
Honoring Katie Lamm on Sunday, March 9th,
From 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the FLC. Katie is having a baby boy and
Is registered at Target. All ladies of the church are invited to come
And share in this special time. If you have any questions, please see Anita Hallman, Martha Coltharp or
Amy Overbay.
Congratulations to our 2014
Confirmation Class:
Alyse Ballard
Courtney Beatty Marissa Beatty Leah Carpenter Rory Moore Sadie Matzke Abby Towe
The Confirmation Class will be joining the Fellowship of New Covenant on Sunday, March 23rd, at the 9:00 a.m. service.
They will also be recognized at the 11:00 a.m. service.
Rev. Randy Wall Pastor
At New Covenant Sunday through Thursday
Linda Stroup Church Secretary
At New Covenant Monday through Thursday
Todd Guest Director of Youth Ministry
Janet Hinson Director of Music
At New Covenant Wednesday and Sunday
Church Office Hours
Monday — Thursday
8:00 AM—3:00 PM
704-827-4468
Church Staff Ministry Team
The Body o f Chr i s t :
Go ing in Fa i th, Growing in Lov e , and S e rv ing Othe r s
14514 Lucia-Riverbend Hwy. Mt. Holly, NC 28120 Phone: 704-827-4468 Fax: 704-827-9083
NEW COVENANT UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
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