Christmas Candlelight Service Sunday 19th, 5pm

Throughout the Advent season, we have been patiently awaiting the Christmas holiday. This Sunday we will celebrate by lighting the final Advent candle and joining together in worship.

Please join us on Sunday evening for a service celebrating the Christmas season. The time will include lighting Advent candles, congregational worship, guest music specials, and Holy Communion. We pray this is a night filled with the power and love of the Holy Spirit, guiding our hearts to focus on the birth and Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amidst our busy holiday schedules, we look forward to this time where our attention is focused on God alone. Please consider making time to worship with us this Sunday evening.

Worship will begin at 5pm. After the service we will gather in Plummer Hall for a light meal and fellowship. Everyone is welcome! Join us!

Women's Christmas Party

Last night (Wednesday December 8th) the women of Plummerville UMC celebrated Christmas with a small party at our home. We had delicious chicken spaghetti, salad, bread, chocolate triffle, apple caramel cake, and hot cider. The picture is above is most of the 11 women in attendance.

We also celebrated by beginning our study of Strong Was Her Faith: Women of the New Testament. The book begins with the story of Elizabeth the mother of John. It was very appropriate for our Christmas celebration!

Luke 1:41-44
⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴²and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.


We then had an ornament exchange as a celebration! Here are our cute packages all together.



Thank you to the women of our church for being such an encouragement to me. Your friendship has enriched my life and your commitment to this group is evident. I love that we only began 6 months ago, yet we have grown together and continue to strengthen our friendships.

Merry Christmas.

Jill Womack

Women's Christmas Party

The Women's Bible Study group will meet this Wednesday for a Christmas Party at Dane and Jill's home at 6:30pm. Salad and Pasta will be provided. Attendees are asked to bring a dessert or drinks. Also, there will be an ornament exchange- please bring an ornament. This will be a time of relaxation and conversation celebrating the holiday season. Please come and invite others!

Fall Festival Success

Thank You to the community and the church for making our Fall Festival this past Sunday a huge success. We appreciate sponsors and those who made donations, including Petit Jean Meats. It was a beautiful day of relaxing and enjoying one another's company on a perfect Sunday afternoon. Here are a few photos.

Harvest for Him Fall Festival

We are very excited about our upcoming Fall Festival on
Halloween Day (October 31st) from 2-5pm.

This is an event for the community of Plumerville! We would like to invite everyone from our community to attend. We would love to get to know you and welcome you to our church.

Please invite your friends, parents, kids, teenagers grandparents, etc! This is an event for all ages.

There will be free food, door prizes, bounce houses, a hoops challenge, carnival games, face painting, and child ID from the Plumerville Police Department. (Everything is free!!)

And, of course, we will have CANDY. :)

Please email us at womack.dane@gmail.com or womack.jill@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Homecoming this Sunday! Join us!

This Sunday we will celebrate our annual Homecoming Service. The City of Plumerville is celebrating it's homecoming with a Chilli Supper on Friday night and a Catfish & Chicken Dinner on Saturday night. Sunday morning, we will hold worship at our regular time- 11am. We anticipate having family and friends visiting from out of town celebrating the history and legacy of Plumerville- both the community and the Plummerville United Methodist Church. Rev. Rodney Steele, North Central District Superintendent, will bring the sermon as a guest preacher. We are excited to have Rev. Steele, whose father served PUMC many years ago, bring the word to our service. After worship, we will gather for our a potluck meal in Plummer Hall. The church is providing meat dishes and church members will provide sides. Guests are encouraged to attend the meal without bringing anything! Let us serve you!!

Please come and join us for this joyous occasion!

Women's Study Group Rescheduled for 10/6/10

The Women's Study Group that was scheduled for this week has been postponed until next week. Jill is battling an ongoing cough and we do not feel like we should have guests in the house until she is better. Jill would hate to spread this cold to someone else. Thanks for the calls and concerns, we're sure Jill will be back to 100% very soon. The Women's Group will meet next Wednesday on 10/6 for potluck meal and discussion at 7pm. Please come!

New Sunday School Series- Genesis

Hey! We are very excited to say we are beginning a new Sunday School Series. We recently finished up our study of Wesleyan theology using "This We Believe" by Willimon. We will now begin a short term study of Genesis. Our text comes from Cokesbury, a cousin of the popular Disciple Bible Study series, we will be reading "Invitation to Genesis". We are very, very excited about this curriculum and the ways God will reach us through this group study. The curriculum includes daily bible study and commentary. Over approximately 10-12 weeks we will read the Book of Genesis and supporting materials. Our class discussions will be based on the week's reading and reflections.



Books arrived today! This Sunday we will hand out books and talk about the upcoming study. We will discuss lesson 1 the following week, September 26th 9:45am.

With the fall approaching and school semester back in full swing, this is a great time to get involved with our Sunday School class. If you have not been attending, come on in! Pick up and book and join the discussion.

For many centuries, Christians have gathered together to share the word of God. Group study is a powerful way for God to speak to his people.

Sunday School will continue to include coffee, donuts, juice and fruit. :)

Dane

Men's Breakfast Saturday 8/28/10

One dozen men gathered this Saturday at Plummer Hall for breakfast and fellowship. The meal was served at 7:30 including ham, bacon, eggs, biscuits, fried potatoes, and sausage gravy. A special thanks goes out to Bob Gordon, Coco Campbell and Charles Malone for gathering the food and preparing the meal. Everyone left with stomachs full.

Rocky Lynch and Peter Sharp fill their plates while Coco calls to remind others...


We even shared some bacon with a canine friend...

Keep watch for other breakfasts and upcoming events.

School Supply Drive

With the help of local school administrators and teachers, we are collecting school supplies for students in need. This past Sunday (8th) student supply lists were given out similar to a Christmas Angel Tree Program. Church members will purchase the needed supplies for each student. Beyond the particular students that were identified, additional supplies can be donated and will be stored by teachers to be given to students as needed. You can get involved by purchasing and donating supplies from these lists:

Elementary

• small bottles of Elmer's glue
• small plastic school boxes
• 3-prong pocket folders
• facial tissue
• 1" 3-ring binders
• pencils
• crayons (16 or 24)
• color pencils
• cap erasers/pink block erasers
• small scissors
• spiral notebooks
• glue sticks

Secondary

• black/blue ink pens
• mechanical/wood pencils
• erasers
• 1" 3-ring binders
• loose leaf paper
• spiral notebooks
• 3-prong pocket folders
• facial tissue
  

Deadline for donations of supplies: 8/15/10.

If shopping the latest back to school sale is not your preference, the church is also taking donations to purchase backpacks. Each identified student will be given a backpack filled with the appropriate supplies for their age. The backpacks are being purchased all together with donations received at church. Please give.

Too many children go without basic needs, including supplies that allow them to be successful in school. We want to remind these children they are loved- both by God and by our church community.

Qualyn James

Congratulations to our very own Qualyn James!!
State AABA champs!!!

Women's Meeting

Ladies of Plummerville UMC (and friends!!),

Please join us at Jill's house WEDNESDAY NIGHT 6:30 to continue our study of The Open Table.

We will be having a simple dinner and then continuing our discussion of this exciting book. We are currently on Week 3. Please join us even if you did not go on the retreat or read the book. We are a group of women desiring to grow together and share in friendship.

I can't wait to see you all.

Love,
Jill

New Sunday School Series 9:45am Plummer Hall

Everyone! All people in the church are encouraged to attend our Sunday School class as we seek to better understand the Holy Scriptures, explore the traditions of our Faith, and share our own experiences. Sunday School is not for the Biblically or spiritually advanced; all are welcome and have something to offer.

Talk it out! Our class will not be lecture or teacher driven, but discussion based. Attendees will read lessons prior to Sunday mornings and bring observations or questions back to the group. We can all learn from one another. Discussions leaders will rotate depending on curriculum and schedule. Bro. Dane will lead the first few weeks of this new model.

What will we learn? For approximately 8 weeks, the class will work from the book, "This We Believe: The Core of Wesleyan Faith and Practice" by William H. Willimon. Rev. Willimon is Presiding Bishop of the North Alabama Conference. The text is designed for small-group study. The curriculum is a great reminder of our Wesleyan roots for those that have long been established in the Methodist tradition, but is also a great introduction of the Wesleyan faith.

On Sunday July 11th we kicked off the class with a discussion of John Wesley and "practical divinity." Fourteen people were in attendance. More books have been ordered and will be available at the church or from Bro. Dane. (book order should be here by 15th)

Next week, we will discuss chapter one with the intent of covering one chapter per week. If we find one chapter deserves more attention, we'll allow more than one week. There's no deadline! Or final exam!!

Keeping with our schedule, Sunday School will break around 10:30 for a time of fellowship before worship at 11:00. Coffee, Donuts, Fruit and Juice will be available. Please join us!!

Men's Prayer Breakfast: Sat. 10th 7:30am

The men of the church will gather this Saturday for a time of fellowship and prayer. Cooks will arrive around 6:30am. Food should be prepared to serve by 7:30am. The men will be doing all of the cooking and cleaning...make of this what you will!

Other than just enjoying the food and fellowship, there will be a time for Group Prayer. It is important that the Body of Christ (in part or in whole) is conscience of our time together. What about the Men's Breakfast at church is any different than a gathering at the local coffee shop? Saturday, we will set aside some time for prayer. Sharing prayer requests and praying in groups can be very powerful and transformational. Prayer does not come easy when we are by ourselves, left to our own devices. But, as a group we can encourage each other and experience new heights in our own spirituality.

We hope this Saturday that you leave breakfast both full in your stomach and in your spirit. Please join us!!

call Bro. Dane for additional info (870.613.2889)

Summer Scripture: Philippians

This summer, during Ordinary Time in our church calendar we are focused on Paul's epistle to the church in Philippi. The book of Philippians is full of great theology and teaching for any church. Though Paul finds himself in prison, he carefully encourages and offers advice to the young church. Let's see what we can learn! Join us!!

June 13, 1:1-11

June 20, 1:12-18a
June 27, 1:18b-30

Women's Retreat - Mount Eagle Retreat Center

On June 11-12, 2010 the women of Plummerville UMC headed to Mount Eagle Retreat Center for a women's retreat. We were blessed with 12 women including a guest speaker from Conway - Sue Higgs. We had such a wonderful time. We had a quiet time of prayer and group discussions. We started with a discussion of a great woman of faith in the book of Acts - Lydia. Mrs. Higgs shared her journey of faith and her heart for women/small group ministry as well as personal time in prayer. We also spent some time discussing the first two weeks of Donald Miller's book The Open Table. Sue then lead us to the outlook and through the labyrinth at the retreat facility.



It was a wonderful retreat. I am so blessed to be in a church with women who are so eager to spend time and grow together. Thank you to everyone who took time away from your family and friends to share a weekend together.

Here are a few pictures!

Top left to right: Patsy, Sue, Andrea, Valerie, Martha, Helen, Tracey

Bottom left to right: Nina, Janet, Jill, Becky, Halie

Thank you ladies for being such a blessing. We plan to continue through the last 3 chapters of book with meetings in July, August, and September. The tentative date for July is Wednesday the 21st. We would love for others to join us! It will be at our house. :)

-Jill

Upper Room and Mrs. Edwards

This year, The Upper Room, a daily devotional guide produced by the Global Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church celebrates its 75th anniversary. Wow! For 75 years The Upper Room has been guiding individuals in their devotional time with God, a very powerful and important ministry. The devotionals are written readers like you and me! Clergy and laity mail in their short devotion with a bible verse(s) and prayer focus. The devotions are collected and printed in two-month intervals. Copies of The Upper Room can be found in the foyer of many United Methodist churches free for the taking.

In a world where daily devotionals can be emailed to cell phones or laptops, it seems the paper booklet maybe past its prime. After all, The Upper Room itself is available online here, complete with tweets, retweets, and facebook sharing. Do we really need to keep printing the paper copy?

This afternoon, I had a chance to visit with Mrs. Edwards. She is an older member of our church who is now home bound. Because she cannot drive, she rarely leaves her house. Private care workers stay the night and part of the day with Mrs. Edwards. I always enjoy our visits; she is such a lovely woman. Today she shared with me how much she uses The Upper Room devotional book; she reads the paperback devotional everyday before breakfast. The ladies that stay with her also read the booklet, usually in the morning while Mrs. Edwards awakes. Later, they gather around the dining table to eat breakfast and discuss the day's devotion. Everyday. Everyday! Wow! These ladies use the devotions as discussion starters for their own small-group!

Perhaps, because Mrs. Edwards is so dependent on others, she fears she has little to offer God. She is wrong. She has much to offer. She has found an effective way to be engaged in ministry in her setting. And I am sure that she is more effective at her breakfast table using The Upper Room than many clergy could ever hope to be. We can learn a lot from Mrs. Edwards, even though she will not be twittering her latest thoughts.

We should probably keep printing those paper booklets of The Upper Room.

Happy 75th anniversary to The Upper Room!

And, thank you Mrs. Edwards for all you do. God bless you.

Annual Conference 2010- Hot Springs

Today, June 6th, Jill and I joined the 2010 Arkansas United Methodist Annual Conference in Hot Springs. We are here representing our church- Plummerville UMC.

Our first evening included the opening ceremonies and worship. The worship service was inspired and motivational. Haven UMC Choir opened the service, followed by a number of instrumentalists and vocalists. Bishop Ntambo Nkulu Ntanda of the North Katanga Annual Conference (Congo) delivered the sermon. Bishop Ntambo bragged on the Arkansas Conference for contributions already made to the Katanga and Kamina regions. By reminding members of the conference of the great number of resources Americans have been given, the Bishop challenged us to do even more. "You have been blessed, so that you may be a blessing."

Imagine Ministry Meeting May 23rd Noon

Sorry it's been a while since things were updated. We have been a little busy! Anyway,...


The church will host a meeting on Sunday May 23rd immediately following our 11am worship. At the meeting we will show a video produced by the ARUMC Conference. The video is a part of the larger Imagine Ministry conversation. Each church is encouraged to discuss the video, which includes research about recent church growth, and plan for the future. Each church has a unique ministry in their community and it is essential that we discover our calling to be the best church we can be- here and now. If you are a longtime member of the church and have concerns about the future, this meeting is for you. If you are new to the church and are interested in what the church will become, you need to be there as well. All are welcome. All opinions matter.

More information about the Imagine Ministry movement can be found here: http://www.arumc.org/imagine_ministry.php

Lunch will be provided by the church. This is not a potluck meal. Do not bring anything. We want everyone focused on the discussion, not worried about preparing a dish. Call or email if you have any concerns or thoughts. See you there!!

Congratulations to Coco and Joann Campbell

Sunday evening we celebrated the recent marriage of Coco and Joann Campbell with a potluck meal and fellowship. The couple brought along numerous guests from out of town including friends and family. We were glad to have everyone gather on such a joyous occasion.

Congratulations to Joann and Coco
We Love You Both

Joann and Jerry "Coco" Campbell

Bob and Charles preparing smoked chicken




Tommy, Patsy, Woody, Janet, Alidene and Bill...
sorry Bill, we caught you with your eyes closed




Ellen and Debbie arrange the food




Dane, Andrea and John pose for a close-up

Thanks to everyone who joined the meal and fellowship. A special thanks to all those who graciously provided a dish.

Feeding the Sheep, aka UCA Wesley Foundation Students

Thank you to Helen Bostian, Nina Kowerduct, Becky James, Debbie Campbell and others who helped provide a meal for the students of the UCA Wesley Foundation this past Monday. I think stomachs were full, with sweets to spare. I know the church was pleased to offer the meal and students enjoyed eating- I have been on both sides of this arrangement. What a wonderful circle of ministry and support. Bless all who participated in the shared table.

A big thanks to Shannon for this camera phone photo! (We were camera-less.)

Busy, Busy!

Hey, there! Wow! Easter went by so quickly...We had a wonderful worship experience on Sunday morning, welcoming new member JoAnn Campbell to our congregation. It was a day filled with family and guests. The Sunrise Service and 11am Service were both well attended. Special thanks to Debbie Campbell, Beth Estes, and Jill Womack for providing a pancake breakfast before 11am worship.


Please check the above links for "Calendar." This is a ideal place to learn about upcoming events and contact information for these events. The next few days include 3 different events:


Saturday, 10th 4-7pm Annual Plumerville Bean Supper Homecoming Fundraiser. All are welcome to the meal. This is a community-wide event at the Sr. Citizens Center.

Sunday, 11th Leading and Living the United Methodist Way at FUMC Russellville. This event is brought to you by the conference in conjunction with the district office. This should be an exciting afternoon of fellowship and learning. We will leave Plummerville UMC around 2:00. All are invited and encouraged to attend. See Dane (womack.dane@gmail.com) for more information.

Monday, 12th UCA Wesley Foundation Lunch. We will be providing the student lunch this coming Monday. Helen Bostian is coordinating the menu. This is an exciting opportunity to serve students with a warm meal, extending the grace of Christ.

Please consider joining these upcoming activities. Check our calendar regularly as it will be updated as new information comes in.

Holy Thursday passes, Easter Services Set

^{John 13:8}
Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”

Thursday evening the congregation gathered for a service celebrating Holy Thursday. Holy Communion was served and attendees participated in a symbolic Hand Washing- serving one another, and allowing themselves to be served.

After sharing the passages of Christ's final meal with his disciples, the congregation joined in Song and Word; exploring the passion story. There is no Easter Morning without the crucifixion of Good Friday. Let us wait, wait on the Lord.

Thank you to all those who attended and participated in the Holy Thursday Service. We pray it was a blessing.

An Easter Sunrise Service is set for 7am, with our regular worship service occurring at 11am. Please join us in the hope and joy of Easter Morning!

Join our Holy Thursday Service

Please join us for a Holy Thursday Service of Worship and Communion- April 1st, 6:00 pm. With Easter Sunday fast approaching, we will celebrate Christ's last meal with his disciples as well as the instructions he gave them. This should be a service of contemplation and reflection before the celebration of the Easter resurrection. Please join us!

Thursday, April 1, 6:00 pm

Thank You! Let's do it again!

Wow! Thank you for the overwhelming response to Coffee and Doughnuts. I guess we don't have to twist arms too hard to attract people for sweets. We had a great turn out. The coffee was already brewing when I got there. Thanks for those who helped organize and gather supplies. We'll do it again this Sunday.

Special thanks to Jo Ann Mahan, I mean Campbell, for providing us with that awesome bunt cake. It was delicious.

Please do not rush! We'll gather around 10:15. After some time of fellowship, we'll cross the street for Worship.



This is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Come with a heart and mind prepared to hear the stories of Jesus' final days.

Coffee and Doughnuts Anyone?

Please join us for Coffee and Doughnuts in Plummer Hall before church. We would love the opportunity to spend more time getting to know each of you. All to often our weeks only consist of shaking hands and sharing "hellos" as people exit the church. We long to know all of you on a more personal level than can be achieved in the church foyer. So, let's sit and talk over sweets and drinks. We may even include some juice and fruit for our more healthy friends.


Please, drop by before church. We'll gather around 10:15 for fellowship before worship begins.

Hendrix Students Join Worship

On Sunday, March 7th, 3 students from Hendrix College joined our church for worship. As a part of the student ministry team based at the college, the students are actively involved in the United Methodist Connection. After a weekend retreat in Russellville, the group divided up to visit different local churches. Each student that visited a church participated in that church's morning worship. We were happy to welcome Emily Jones (N. Little Rock, AR); Sara Croissant (Denton, TX); and Conner McCutchen (Wynne, AR). During our service the students offered prayers, lead a responsive reading, and assisted in serving communion. It is a blessing not only to receive these people at our service, but to support the future of our church.

HealthKits for Haiti

After the recent earthquake, United Methodists and a multitude of other churches have come together to provide relief to the people of Haiti. These relief efforts include donations of money, short or long term mission teams, and collecting needed aid. Plummerville UMC spent two weeks collecting supplies for UMCOR healthkits. Some members completed kits themselves, while other members donated needed items. A small group gathered on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 7th) to complete the remaining kits and pack them into boxes. In total, over 80 kits were prepared and shipped to Haiti. This is a very exciting, tangible way to show the love of Christ.

The church also raised money through donations, but getting our hands involved gives us a sense of the tragedy in Haiti. We were packing simple things- towels, toothbrushes, antibacterial soap - but to those who receive this gift, these things are not simple at all. They are life saving. We pray that God blesses our efforts and those who receive His grace through these healthkits.

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