Sunday Morning Services

Just Walk Across the Room Worship Series at 10:30 a.m.

May   6:  Face to Face Steps:  The Power of Story - John 4:39; 9:24-33

May 13:  Fruitful Steps:  Grander Vision Living - Matthew 28:16-20.

May 20:  Family and Friends Sunday...

 Invite family and friends to worship with you on this special Sunday.

 This is a great way to put "Just Walk Across the Room" into action.

 Make some new friends and connect with family members and give the invitation!

 All visitors will receive a free church coffee mug! 

Pentecost Sunday...

 Pentecost Celebration will be Sunday, June 3, 2012.  We will kick off a new worship and sermon series on the Orthodox Pentecost Sunday as we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Meetings and Gatherings

United Methodist Men...

 The Men's Club will meet on Sunday, May 6th at 7:30 a.m.  Please note this change on your calendar from the second Sunday, which is Mother's Day, to the first Sunday.  All men are invited and if you have not been in a while or never been, it would be a good time to get involved.  We have several projects coming up in May and June that we will be discussing at this meeting.  Hope to see you all there.  ~Ben.

Ladies Night Out...

 Our next Ladies Night Out fellowship will be on Tuesday, June11, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at the Red Pepper Grill inside the Quintard Mall.  All ladies are invited for a time of fellowship together.  I hope everyone comes!

Worship and Nurture (Shepherding) Team...

 The Worship and Nurture Teams will meet for a Homecoming and Worship Planning Session on Tuesday, May 8th at 6:30 p.m. in the church Parlor.

 Team members are, Worship, Vivian Kemp, Helen McNeeley, Samantha Landers, Scott Stephens, Nancy Barker, Laura and David Rickless, Mendy  Stephens.  Nurture (Shepherding), Landi Thompson, Wendy Williams, Lynn Hale, Lillian Landers, Helen McNeeley, Mary McNeeley, Lil Skaggs, Samantha Landers, Cindy Crosby, Wesley Williams and Landon Cordle.

Working with our Young People

 There is an important Child Protection/Safe Sanctuaries Training session for all church of the McClellan Cluster on Thursday, May 10th at 6:00 p.m. at Saks United Methodist Church.  For any of our children's leaders and youth/children's Sunday School teachers who missed the training that Pastor Don led at DeArmanville last year, you must attend this training to be covered under the volunteer liability of our insurance.  The session will last about one hour.

Church Nursery Worker Needed...

 We are still receiving applicants for the Church Nursery position.  We desire to employ nurturing children's worker from 9:15 a.m. til 11:45 a.m. each Sunday to care for children in the nursery.  This will give parents an opportunity to participate in Sunday School, small groups, and church worship during this time.  Please contact Scott Stephens or Pastor Don if you or someone you know is interested.

Kids and Youth for Chirst...

 Kids and Youth for Christ Bible Black Belts will meet on Wednesdays May 2 - 23 at 6:00 p.m.

 Yellow Belts Ceremony is Wednesday, May 23 at 6:00 p.m. with a special DoJo Dinner Celebration Cookout! 

Looking Forward to Another Year Together!...

 I am glad to be returning to DeArmanville United Methodist Church for another year of ministry.  I look forward to what the Lord will do as we open up to him.  We are learning together how to reach out to others and to grow the church.  This will be an exciting year.  As I renew my commitment to lead you as your pastor, I challenge you to renew your commitment and to give your spiritual gifts and energy for God this coming year.  I ask you to pray, be present, to use and give your gifts, and to serve without counting the cost.  God gives us vision, insight, and joy on this journey as we seek to grow in discipleship and reach out with His love to others.  ~Pastor Don.

ONE: CELEBRATE THE CONNECTION

North Alabama Annual Conference:  May 31 - June 2, 2012

 This year's annual conference will be moving back to Birmingham-Southern College.  We will be saying goodbye to Bishop Will Willimon at a special reception at 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon (May 1st) at the United Methodist Center.  A special gift will be presented to the Willimons and also a scholarship fund for a student will be created in their name.  We appreciate the visionary leadership of bishop Willimon and the gracious friendship of his wife, Patsy, and wish them well as they return to Duke University.  A new bishop will be elected a the Jurisdictional Conference which meets at Lake Junaluska on July 18-21.

 The Annual Conference welcomes Rev. Michael Slaughter and the Praise Team of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church.  Under Mike's long-term leadership, Ginghamsburg grew from a very small congregation with many years of history to a megachurch of several thousands.  The church website averages 50,000 visits a month from around the globe.  Since January 2005, the church initiated the Sudan Project and has invested over $5 million in humanitarian relief in Darfur that has assisted over 250,000 refugees and villagers with agriculture, child development, food, medicines, and safe water.  Mike is a tremendous preacher and author of 9 books that are providing insight and vision to many Christians.

 The laity and clergy representatives, including our own Landi Thompson, will be receiving and voting on the 2013 Conference Budget (which determines our local church apportionments), the selling of two parcels of land at Camp Sumatanga, rechartering of the United Methodist Children Home and Birmingham-Southern College, and mandatory celebration of Disability Ministries Sunday with a special offering and accessibility audit to be performed in each church and reported on the conference dashboard.  Several reports will be presented and also any major changes to the church which must be voted on by each Annual Conference as approved by  General Conference action.

 We are looking forward to an exciting and joyful conference! 

Natural Church Development Kicks Off at DeArmanville United Methodist Church

 In March, church leaders decided it was time to make better use of our strengths and our spiritual gifts and abilities to make disciples and grow God's church.  Natural Church Development is a process that helps us sue the tools that God has given us rather than trying to do it all in our own strength.  Through research of thousands of churches around the world regardless of size or location, it has been discovered that thriving churches share 8 quality characteristics.  These characteristics are (1) Empowering Leadership (2) Gift-Oriented Ministry (3) Passionate Spirituality (4) Functional Structures (5) Inspiring Worship Service (6) Holistic Small Groups (7) Need-Oriented Evangelism (8) Loving Relationships.  If the meaning of these characteristics is not quite clear to you from their description, they will become clearer as we learn more about them from our Natural Church Development coach, Rev. Russell Hestley.  Russell will be presenting the results of the two surveys we have taken in the last 2 years and sharing with us how effective we are in these 8 areas.  They will become clearer to us in that presentation.  After we receive the results, we will elect a leadership team that will guide us in working on one of these areas where we are lacking in excellence.

 How will this mean for you and how will you be involved?  Each member of the church will be challenged to discover your strengths and spiritual gifts and to use them.  Our church leadership will work in conjunction with you to provide or help you discover an avenue to use your gift that will help you grow in discipleship.  When we are able to use our gifts for Christ, we will be more joyful and the Spirit will be able to work among us to bear fruit.  We will see growth because it will come naturally as we open up ourselves and avenues in the church for Christ to be at work among us and through us.

 Church growth is something that we human beings cannot make happen.  Our role is to be the instrument that God can use to bear fruit.  God desires to channel the fruits of the Holy Spirit through us so the church can be vital and flourish.  We must allow God to work through us and to energize us for ministry and mission.  Natural Church Development works to measure the growth and the quality of ministry that is taking place among us.  It measures areas in which we are allowing God to go to work, and areas where we are stifling God's work by trying to do it on our own.

 I ask for you to pray and participate in this important discovery process.  This is a journey we have agreed to embark upon together to help the church grow.  I hope you will open up to God's Spirit to lead you to be His disciple in this process.  

 ~Pastor Don.