40 Lives

These past couple Sundays we've taken up a special offering for Imagine No Malaria.  Read more here.

I am proud to announce that as a church we have saved 40 lives.  40 human lives.  40 grandfathers, daughters, nieces, teachers.

40 lives.

That is amazing!  40 miracles!

Announcements for Week of June 9th

Rev. Nancy Out of Town

This week is Annual Conference, the gathering of Methodists from the Holston Conference.  Nancy will be at Lake Junaluska for Annual Conference and then she and Ben will stay in North Carolina, as Nancy will be marrying her friends on June 15th.  That Sunday we will have a guest preacher, Tim Ragle, our brother from Crossroads UMC, on June 16th.  

Summer Bible Study: District Academy!

This summer (June & July) we’ll be taking a break from our Bible Study to participate in a District Academy Bible Study.  It will be an eight week overview of the Bible.  It will be Wednesdays at 6:30 at Crossroads UMC.  It’ll be June 19^th-August 7^th.  We’ll start back our Bible Study on August 13^th.

Vacation Bible School

Mark your calendars: this year VBS will be Thursday-Saturday, June 27-29^th.  More details coming soon!  If you want to help PLEASE attend the meeting this Wednesday!  Let Nancy know if you’d like to help, but can’t make the meeting.

Fifth Sunday Singing is now called Fifth Sunday Praise

June 30th at 6:00pm at Grange Hall.

The word CHURCH

Today I was re-reading a chapter from the book The Andrew Paradigm.                                              

At least once a chapter the author, Bishop Michael J. Coyner, invites someone he considers to be a good example of a "Lead Follower" to respond to a question Jesus asks in Scripture.

During the Intro of Part I a young adult named Ben Boruff responses.

He writes, "A friend once asked me why I am a Christian.  I struggled to reply. My mind pictured church-related items such as pews and praise bands, but none of those things helped me explain why I am a Christian. There are many personal and theological reasons why I call myself a Christian, but at that moment I could only think of hymnals and acolyte sticks."

Boruff's response got me thinking:  What do you think when you hear the word CHURCH?  Do you think of pews and hymnals and acolyte sticks?  Do you think of the building where you worship?  Do you feel guilty? Happy? Angry? Peaceful? Hopeful? Joyful?

Do you think of the community of folks you worship with? Pray with? Eat with? Open up to and support?  Do you see the faces of the men and women who support you and keep you accountable? Who you support and keep accountable?

What do you think when you hear the word CHURCH?

Feel free to comment with your answer!

Youth Team Meeting Tonight!

Youth Team!

Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray. - Proverbs 22:6

First Meeting: Thursday, May 2^nd. 7:00pm. Church Hill McDonalds.

 (in same Parking Lot as Food City, off 11W)

We will discuss ways to reach children and youth: VBS, Youth Group, Sunday School, etc.

Specifically at this meeting we will form a team of folks who will rotate responsibility for leading programing for the Elementary School Kids on Wednesday Nights from 6:30-7:30pm. Nora Barton and Michelle Snodgrass have volunteered to create/prepare programing.  We’ll form this rotating team so that we can pour into the Elementary Kids and still each have time for Adult Bible Study and Spiritual Growth.

We will also brainstorm ideas for upcoming Vacation Bible School and how to offer Sunday School in a small membership church.

This is an exciting time.  Come be a part of this mission!

Breaking News: Baptism this Sunday!

Our Baptism Service has been scheduled!

THIS Sunday, May 5th at 8:30 at Clouds Bend UMC we will celebrate the Baptism of some folks from the Valley Parish.  If you would like to be baptized during this service, please let Nancy know as soon as possible!

Time: 8:30am (to leave time to get to regularly scheduled church services at 9:45/10:00am)

Place: Clouds Bend UMC  940 Bradbury St Kingsport, Tennessee 37660

Directions from Lebanon UMC:
1. Turn Right out of our parking lot
2. Turn Right onto Central after Tiny Giant
3. Turn Left onto 11W at stop light
4. Turn Right onto Netherland Inn Road
5. Turn right onto Ridgefields Rd

6. Turn right onto Chippendale Rd
7. Take the 2nd right onto Bradbury St

Please join us as we celebrate!  What a wonderful time!

Valley Parish T-Shirt Prices

I just spoke with Kathy Litle, our Valley Parish Shirt Order-er and she let me know the final prices for our shirts. She ordered the shirts this week and they should be in two weeks from now. All prices do not include tax.

T-Shirt Prices:
S-XL: $7.73
XXL: 9.48
3XL: 10.48
4XL: 11.48
5XL: 12.48
6XL: 13.48

Golf Shirt Prices:

S-XL: $10.35
XXL: 12.10
3XL: 13.10
4XL: 14.10
5XL: 15.10
6XL: 16.10

WE are the CHURCH

When I was growing up one of my favorite hymns was "We Are The Church" (in fact it is still one of my favorites).  I love the words.  It really hammers home the idea that we are the church.  We don't just go to church, we ARE the church.

In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul writes, "For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..." (1 Cor. 12:13).  We, as Christians, are the body of Christ.  All of us all together make up Jesus here on earth.  So when we are at the grocery store or the movie theater or out with friends for dinner we represent Jesus on earth.

Similarly all Christians make up the church.  No matter where we go, we are the church, wherever we are. We at Lebanon have a sign outside our building that says, "Lebanon United Methodist Church."  That sign isn't referring to the building, it's referring to the people to come together in that building.  The people in our church family make up Lebanon United Methodist Church, we don't go to Lebanon United Methodist Church.

Following you'll find the lyrics to, "We Are The Church."  What do you think of them?  Do they challenge you in any way?  Do you think of yourself as the church or as someone who goes to church?

We Are The Church

I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we're the church together!

The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple,  the church is not a resting place; the church is a people!

We're many kinds of people, with many kinds of faces, all colors and all age, too, from all times and places.

And when the people gather, there's singing and there's praying; there's laughing and there's crying sometimes, all of it saying,

At Pentecost some people received the Holy Spirit and told the good news through the world
to all who would hear it.

I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we're the church together!