Quick-Step Guide (PDF) for setting up your account and making your first donation.

 

Thank you for giving to McCormick Methodist Church. Your gifts enable us to fulfill our mission of “Reaching Up and Reaching Out”.

 

from Rev. C. Nels Ledwell

 

 

John Claypool once shared a beautiful parable about a farmer and his two sons. I share it with for your faith journey.

 

There is an old rabbinic parable about a farmer that had two sons. As soon as they were old enough to walk, he took them to the fields and he taught them everything that he knew about growing crops and raising animals. When he got too old to work, the two boys took over the chores of the farm and when the father died, they had found their working together so meaningful that they decided to keep their partnership. So each brother contributed what he could and during every harvest season, they would divide equally what they had corporately produced. Across the years the elder brother never married, stayed an old bachelor. The younger brother did marry and had eight wonderful children. Some years later when they were having a wonderful harvest, the old bachelor brother thought to himself one night, “My brother has ten mouths to feed. I only have one. He really needs more of his harvest than I do, but I know he is much too fair to renegotiate. I know what I’ll do. In the dead of the night when he is already asleep, I’ll take some of what I have put in my barn and I’ll slip it over into his barn to help him feed his children.

 

At the very time he was thinking down that line, the younger brother was thinking to himself, “God has given me these wonderful children. My brother hasn’t been so fortunate. He really needs more of this harvest for his old age than I do, but I know him. He’s much too fair. He’ll never renegotiate. I know what I’ll do. In the dead of the night when he’s asleep, I’ll take some of what I’ve put in my barn and slip it over into his barn.” And so one night when the moon was full, as you may have already anticipated, those two brothers came face to face, each on a mission of generosity. The old rabbi said that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, a gentle rain began to fall. You know what it was? God weeping for joy because two of his children had gotten the point. Two of his children had come to realize that generosity is the deepest characteristic of the holy and because we are made in God’s image, our being generous is the secret to our joy as well. Life is not fair, thank God! It’s not fair because it’s rooted in grace.

 

Speaking of generosity, how heart-warming it was last Sunday when I witnessed several of our ushers and security team carrying umbrellas to those coming into the church during the rain. This is just one more way of how loving and kind our Church is and how happy we all should be to a part of something as wonderful as MMC.

 

See you all at the Picnic at Baker Creek this Sunday!

 

Your Pastor,
Nels

 

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

Message: “Grace is Unfair, Thank the Lord”

 

 

The official work day offering was Sept 10, but MMC Mission Team is extending the campaign for two weeks to allow everyone the opportunity to invest in the lives of the children who call Epworth home.

 

The staff at Epworth Children’s Home, located in Columbia, SC, feels it is their responsibility to ensure the children receive all the tools and care necessary to live lives of self-respect, responsibility, and productivity. Epworth has two special offering days a year, one at Mother’s Day and this one, Work Day Offering. These offerings are the number one way Epworth receives support.

 

Please prayerfully consider what God is calling you to share to make a difference in these children’s lives.

 

Here are the ways you can contribute…

 

CHECK If using a check, please make out to MMC and write Epworth on the subject line. You can bring by to the office, put it in the collection plate, or send to the office (MMC P.O. Box 267, McCormick SC 29835)

 

CASH Every penny is appreciated! If you clean out your change bowls, bring it in to church! No amount is too small!

Thank you so much for being a wonderful and caring Christian congregation. $3,950.50 was collected for UMCOR relief efforts in Maui. UMCOR is providing the survivors with shelf stable food, water, hygiene items, and tools to help them recover their belongings. Progress is very slow, please remember them daily in your prayers as they try to put their lives back together with the loss of so many of their children and loved ones .

 

 

At a time when kids so often appear to only have time for their electronic devices, it is refreshing to run across a website called Coffee and Carpool: Raising Kind Kids. This is the message on their website:

 

 

 

 

 

The Kindness Tic Tac Toe is tailored for play by kids but is certainly suitable for play by adults. Whether you do it vertically, horizontally, diagonally, or by blackout, you will be a winner every time! That’s just how Kindness works!

 

Have you seen God today? If you see God at work this week, there are two ways you can share what you saw!

 

1) Be a blessing to others by sharing your Act of Kindness (no names please) on our website, or use this link! Then check back each week to learn how others are passing on acts of kindness! The link is https://www.mccormickmc.org/acts-of-kindness

 

2) There is a Kindness box in the library on the window sill, along with paper and pencil. Share your God-Wink, perhaps someone else will be inspired!

 

 

If you are experiencing any type of difficulty and you need someone to listen to you, with whom you can share your feelings and receive acceptance and Christian love, please consider being in a relationship with a Stephen Minister at MMC.

 

Start by calling Pastor Nels or one of the Stephen Leaders and begin a ‘fellowship’ with a Stephen Minister. We may be reached through the church office at (864)852-2394.

 

Plenty of room for volunteers to host! You can ask a partner to join you as host. Goodies do not have to be home-made, store-bought are just fine! There is a sign-up sheet in the Fellowship Hall, Also, if you have not done it before, Carol Myers would be happy to work with you!

 

The Congregational Care Committee wants you to know they are there to help you if you ever need transportation, meals or a visitor! Please contact Kim Jackson if you or someone you know needs help or if you would like to be added to the list of volunteers.

 

 

 

WIDOWS CONNECTION resumes its meetings this month. The group meets on the fourth Monday at 5 p.m. – in September, that will be September 25. On that day, the group will begin a six-session DVD Bible study entitled “First Corinthians – Living Love When We Disagree” by Melissa Spoelstra, popular women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher and author who is madly in love with Jesus. In this study you will explore Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians to learn how as Christians we are to deal with differences and divisions–whether in the workplace, neighborhood, school, home, social media community, or church. We’ll discover that the answer is living and sharing the radical love of Jesus Christ, and we’ll unpack what this means and how we can live it out day by day.

 

Any women who would like to participate in this study are encouraged to join this group on Monday, September 25 to rediscover Jesus! For questions, contact Toni Graham or Linda Kidd.

 

Alpha is an 11 week course designed to create a space for honest conversation around some of life’s biggest questions. It is designed to provide guests, churched and unchurched, an opportunity to connect with one another while providing the opportunity to share thoughts, ideas, and opinions in a safe and caring environment. Alpha helps bring people together while providing the chance to encounter Jesus.

 

Each week consists of a meal together, viewing a video taped talk and then breaking into small discussion groups. You will hear more about the program in the weeks to come. Please start to think and pray for those you would like to invite who may not yet know Jesus. Both Rich and Kim Jackson attended the Alpha Course in 2010, feel free to ask them any questions you may have.

 

The Alpha Course began September 10 and will continue each Sunday at 5:30pm through November 19. 

 

Sign up sheets will be in Fellowship Hall.

 

 

Weekly Topics
Sep 17 – Who is Jesus?
Sep 24 – Why Did Jesus Die?
Oct 01 – How Can I Have Faith?
Oct 08 – Why and How Do I Pray?
Oct 15 – Why and How Should I Read the Bible?
Oct 22 – How Does God Guide Us?
Oct 29 – Who is the Holy Spirit?
Oct 29 – What Does the Holy Spirit Do?
Oct 29 – How Can I Be Filled with the Holy Spirit?

Nov 05 – How Can I Resist Evil?
Nov 12 – Does God Heal Today?
Nov 19 – What About the Church?

 

Please pray for the Alpha Course. Pray that our church family members see this as an opportunity to evangelize to their friends and neighbors.

 

(A pre-recorded church service will be available at  
https://www.mccormickmc.org/livestream for those who are unable to join us at Baker Creek)

 

 

We will hold our service on Sept 24 at Baker Creek Pavilion at 10am. There will not be a service at the church. The service at Baker Creek is rain or shine. There are picnic tables, but you might want to bring a chair also.

There will be a fun picnic following! Great time to invite your neighbors to join us! We have put out invites on Neighborlink, but an invite from you will make them feel special!

 

Doesn’t matter if you did not sign up, plenty of food!

 

The church will be providing pulled barbeque chicken, tea, lemonade and ice. We are asked to bring a casserole, salad or dessert to share. Donna heard from someone who might bring several teenagers.. we should have plenty of food, just in case!

 

It goes without saying, this is a fun, very casual time to relax and enjoy the fellowship of fellow Christians!

 

 

 

BAKED GOODS AND VOLUNTEERS Carol Tummons and Julianne Coleman are the Cookie Factory chairs this year. Look for the sign-up for both baked goods and volunteers in the Fellowship Hall. We need as many baked goods as we can.. everyone knows Methodist women can bake and they come first thing to get their baked goods!! Many volunteers will be needed for pricing, set-up, take down, selling and just plain helping! For more information, contact Carol or Julianne.

 

PLANTS Marge Radosevich is in charge of the plant sale, which will be held in the Atrium. She will work with those that are willing to donate plants. Please see or contact Marge so she knows the amount of display areas we will need. She will also need a few volunteers the day of the craft show.