Volume 30 Issue 6

”Let your Light Shine Before Others.”

Matthew 5:16

Hello New Salem Church!

I pray you all are doing well in this very strange and difficult time we are all experiencing! Navigating within this “new” lifestyle

of doing our best to maintain “social distancing”, for our physical health, while trying not to remain too “distant” from others

for our mental and spiritual health, is taxing. When “social creatures” must do things that cause them to be less “social” it is

like removing vegetables from one’s diet. It might have little effect in the short run but will surely have serious effects in the

long-term. I don’t know about you, but I am beginning to feel some of those effects, for I miss being with you, my church

family, so much!!!!

I don’t know about you, but when I get to feeling lonely it makes me nostalgic. It causes me to go back and look at old

pictures, read old books I’ve read before, or to read some of my old journal writings. I think I do this because the “old things”

in my life are the things I am certain of. They are the things I can depend on to have not changed, which in a time of great

change is kind of comforting.

This is why, when I sat down to write this months “Pastor’s Note” for the Lamplighter Newsletter, I was drawn to open and

read the very first one I wrote for you when I arrived here at New Salem UMC in July 2017. My first note was for the August

Newsletter and in my article I wrote the following:

Change is not easy, and sometimes in the church, it is even more difficult.

The change to which I was referring was of course the churches change from Pastor Joyce to my serving as your pastor.

But the thing I wrote that really struck me is when I shared with you one of my favorite prayers known as “The Serenity

Prayer”, that was written by the American Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. Here is that prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the

difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as

He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I

may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.

How comforting it was to be reminded of the many truths that are shared in this prayer. I don’t know about you, but I needed

a heavy dose of “Serenity” today. I needed to be reminded that living one day at a time and choosing to enjoy each moment

of this day is important. We must remember it is a choice we make to enjoy or not, for no one makes that choice for “me” but

me. The prayer reminded me that my choice has much to do in determining whether or not I have “Serenity”.

So once again, I will be placing this prayer in front of me each and every day. I am going to mount it on my bathroom mirror as

my way of reminding me to choose “Serenity” today. Until we meet again in person, within the confines of the buildings at

New Salem UMC, I invite you to do the same. May we all seek and be granted God’s Serenity!!!

Here is a copy of the prayer, in case you want to cut it out, to place in a strategic place for you to

see each day.

THOSE WHO SERVE

Trustee

Mitchell Macon

Sanctuary Care

Carla Macon

Education Building Cleaning

Ben Goslen

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR

2020 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES!

Aaron Garner

Austin Whitehead

New Salem United Methodist Church

P. O. Box 303

623 New Salem Road

Randleman, NC 27317

Pastor Johnny Lord

Cell phone: 336-409-3997

Email: jlord@wnccumc.net

Phone: 336-498-3936

E-mail: newsalemumc@northstate.net

On the web: umcnewsalem.org

June

2020

Frances Macon April 20, 2020

Alta Curtis April 23, 2020

Please keep their families in your prayers.

6/1/2020 John 19:25-34 6/16/2020 Psalm 33:8-12

6/2/2020 Mark 12:13-17 6/17/2020 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

6/3/2020 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 6/18/2020 Matthew 6:7-15

6/4/2020 Mark 12:28-34 6/19/2020 Isaiah 49:13-16

6/5/2020 Timothy 3:10-17 6/20/2020 2 Chronicles 24:17-25

6/6/2020 Mark 12:38-44 6/21/2020 Psalm 100

6/7/2020 Psalm 118:24-29 6/22/2020 Hebrews 4:12-13

6/8/2020 1 Kings 17:1-6 6/23/2020 Matthew 7:6-14

6/9/2020 Psalm 18:2-7, 17-18 6/24/2020 Malachi 3:22-24

6/10/2020 1 Kings 18:20-39 6/25/2020 Matthew 7:21-29

6/11/2020 Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3 6/26/2020 Matthew 8:1-4

6/12/2020 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16 6/27/2020 Matthew 8:5-17

6/13/2020 1 Kings 19:19-21 6/28/2020 Psalm 150

6/14/2020 Psalm 148:1-4, 11-13 6/29/2020 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

6/15/2020 Matthew 5:38-42 6/30/2020 Matthew 8:23-27

Deadline for information for the

July 2020 edition of “The Lamplighter”

is Wednesday, June 24th.

Check out the pastor’s blog at

https://jlpreacherman.wordpress.com/

6th - Kaitlyn Garner

8th - Anne Fogleman

8th - Debbie Beeson

13th - Ann Yates

14th - Rita Bischer

16th - Gavin Poupore

17th - Sandy Whitehead

17th - Aidan Apple

18th - Bob Day

23rd - Brian Vaughan

5th - Randy & Brenda Russell

14th - Tommy & Ann McDonald

19th - Matt & Sarah Underwood

19th - Pastor Johnny & Angie Lord

30th - Ed & Jo Clise

When will we meet again in the sanctuary for worship?

I am sure that some of you have been asking this question. Well, the short answer is “Maybe on July 12, 2020.”

That date was picked by the New Salem Administrative Council as a date that we, as a church, might be able to

complete all the “Reopening Tasks” that must be completed before we begin worshipping indoors once again.

Please keep in mind this date is our goal; it is not a firm date!

In order to help you understand what we are doing to prepare our facility for in-person worship, here are just a

few of the items that we are working to complete:

1. Installation of Fiber-optic cable by North State Communications and the purchasing/installations of

cameras and computer software & hardware. This equipment will allow us to broadcast our worship

services live in the future.

2. Sanitizing and preparing the facilities for occupancy.

3. Temporary removal of all books, envelopes, pens/pencils, papers etc. from the worship space.

4. Preparing the Fellowship Hall to be used as an “Overflow Worship Space”. This includes moving the old

video screen and projector and installing in the Fellowship Hall. We will need this overflow because our

sanctuary will seat 34-48 people, depending upon the families that show up to worship, while still

maintaining 6’ social distancing between attendees.

5. Determining procedures for ushers and attendees to follow in order to maintain the CDC 6’ Social

Distancing Guidelines.

6. Purchasing sufficient amounts of cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer liquid, etc.

These are just a few of the items your Trustee Committee and I have determined will be needed before we can

return to indoor worship at New Salem UMC. I hope this helps clarify for you the reason why we will not be ready

before July 12th. Please keep in mind that we have made these decisions based on the present information

available from the CDC and the N.C. Department of Health concerning this Pandemic. If you have any ques-

tions, concerns, or input please don’t hesitate to contact me on my cell phone or by email.

Pastor Johnny

REMINDER! Homecoming Sunday,

that was scheduled for June 7th,

has been postponed to a later date

still to be determined.