2015 Theme To: PROTECT

"Because they Love Me," says the Lord, “I will rescue them, I will protect them, for they

acknowledge my name". Psalm 91:14 (TNIV)

Betsy Westbrook

ALOTS - All Local Officers Training will be held at

St. James UMC - 2000 South 6th Street - Greenville January 16th - Registration 9:30 AM

This special training event is one of the most important meetings of the year. You will receive updated information that relates to your office as well as the 2016 Directory with all the report forms, budget, project sheets and list of officers.

Sound Bytes Sound District United

Methodist Women

December 15, 2015

Calendar of Events

Volume 5 - 2015

December has come and with it all the joys of Christmas. What does it mean to you? Is it the gifts

under the tree, lights in the windows, cards received, special parties with friends & family, hanging our

stockings over the fireplace and shouts of "Merry Christmas" to those we pass on the street?

For many people this is a time of sorrow. Perhaps they don't have the extra money to buy presents for

their children, family or those extra special holiday foods that many of us enjoy. Yet Christmas is a

season of great joy. It's a time when God has shown his great LOVE for all of us. This can be a time of

renewed healing & strength. It's also a season for sharing, not only our monetary resources, but giving

of our time and service to help out in the soup kitchens, ring the bell for the Salvation Army, deliver

meals to the home bound, send cards to our military men & women who are giving their time so that

we might have the basic freedoms of life. The list is endless and the rewards are great.

The new year gives us another opportunity to renew our commitment to United Methodist Women.

Our organization needs YOU, so always strive to remain active by participating in the many program

opportunities that are presented throughout the year. NOW, to start your new year off just right,

PLEASE plan to attend the ALOTS meeting at St. James UMC in Greenville. This is a good time to

network with others, trade ideas, greet old friends and make new ones.

Looking ahead: 3 great mission studies; NC Conference Spiritual Retreat at Jarvis Memorial UMC in

Greenville; SEJ Meeting in Charleston South Carolina; Mother- Child Retreat at Camp Rockfish; & the

Sound District Annual Celebration in October. "Merry Christmas,” Betsy Westbrook - Sound District VP

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2016 Mission Studies All Registrations begin at 9:30 - Class begin at 10am

February 6th - Geographical Study - Latin America

Study Leader - Nancy Van Antwerp Place - Trinity UMC in Falling Creek (Kinston, NC) Hwy 70 West & Banks School Road

Latin America - Geographical Study We are in the Americas. In a certain sense this mission study is about us. We share the same corner of the world as neighbors. We are interconnected. This study is about another America. America is plural. Many of us have either visited or were born in Latin America. This study gives us the opportunity to learn about this region and to enter this land of Latin America, knowing it is a

sacred land. We come with respect to face the dignity and with the love of God for them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ March 12th - Spiritual Growth Study - "Happiness"

Study Leader - Tabitha Pate Jarvis Memorial UMC - 510 South Washington Street, Greenville

Happiness - The 2016 - Spiritual Growth Study We live in a time when the search for happiness has become a dominant topic in our culture. For many years now it has been common for Christians to think of happiness as an unimportant goal, reserving the word "joy" for the true satisfaction of a Christian life. The early Methodist tradition used the language of "Happiness". John Wesley preached about happiness almost as often as he preached about holiness. His brother Charles wrote hymns about happiness. This study will examine the understanding of happiness and how to live the life that God calls us to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April 16th - The Church & People with Disabilities/Repeat Study Study Leader- Cathy Green - NC Conference E & I Coordinator

Place - Tabernacle UMC - 2041 Belgrade-Swansboro Road - Maysville, NC

The Church & People With Disabilities - Repeat Study

This study increases awareness of issues regarding disabilities by discussing attitudinal and architectural barriers encountered by individuals with disabilities. The author addresses a wide range of accessibility measures that can be implemented in the local church. Some measures are costly: however, the book includes many which cost nothing. It also covers ways to enhance full participation of persons with vision and hearing loss as well as to help the church become more welcoming and accessible to those with disabilities.

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Rebecca McLawhorn - Mission Studies For further information: Please contact the Sound District E & I Coordinator: Rebecca McLawhorn, PO Box 15423 New Bern, NC 28561 - Phone - 252-474-7301 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to have loads of fun? Then plan now to ride the UMW Charter Bus to Charleston S.C. for the SEJ Quadrennial meeting! Contact - Joyce Herring - email - joycie4789@gmail.com - phone - 910-249-3679 0r LaNella Smith - email - ldsmith1215@gamil.com - phone - 919-602-1750 Registration information is a separate attachment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

President - Lois Johnson

Lois was elected at the Sound District Annual Celebration held on October 24th at Verona United Methodist Church. Her term officially

begins in January of 2016. Pictured below - Rev. Jeremy Benton - Director of the ECU

Campus Ministry who was the keynote speaker. Theresa Hodges, current President, Rev. Benton, Ann Davis - Sound

District Lay Leader & Rev. Linda Taylor -Sound District Superintendent. Pictures by Madoline

speaker Current UMW President - Theresa Hodges, Rev. Benton,

Sound District Lay Leader Ann Davis & District Superintendent - Rev, Linda Taylor

Lois Johnson

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2016 - Sound District Officers Lynn Rouse, Karen Snyder, Evelyn Heckhaus, Rebecca McLawhorn, Neel Carson, Criss Allen, Cheryl Wyatt, Betsy Westbrook, Lois Johnson, Theresa Hodges, Jan Teller, Sandy Hardee, Ann Grant & Madoline Murphy

As the song says “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” well, I am ready to climb that mountain and proclaim this great news. Our pledged goal for 2015 is $65,000.00. We have exceeded that goal!!! Our Mission Giving reached $69,000.00. How did the Sound District do that? Simple:, we have a group of ladies who have dedicated their lives to God and believe in helping the least of these. Read Matthew 25: 21-46. In 2016 we will not have a special additional avenue for giving, so PLEASE continue to promote the Special Mission Recognition Pins; the Gift to Mission & Gift in Memory Cards. They will make someone feel very special. There are a variety of cards such as Birthday, Thank You, New Baby, On Your Special Day, In the Service of Christ and Thinking of You for just $5.00 each. All of these funds go directly to Missions as listed on the back of each card. These can be ordered through your unit treasurer. I hope your calendar is marked for the ALOTS meeting at St. James UMC in Greenville on January 16th, 2016. May God bless each of you as we celebrate this Christmas season. Criss

Criss Allen Dist. Treasurer

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The United Methodist Women's Website has some excellent information on membership growth.

First, search for the article "Welcome: The Pathway to Membership Growth. Next look for the "Welcoming Event Toolkit” This contains a video describing the

way five women from diverse units devised a unique method to help increase membership. You can also download the "toolkit" for easy reference. Another

useful resource to put with your collection is “Telling the story about United Methodist Women.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pictures & article by Stephanie Radford

The United Methodist Women of Hookerton United Methodist Church held a Mugs 'N Muffin Fall fundraiser event on November 14th. The guests were invited to feast on a variety of delicious homemade muffins and coffee. All were encouraged to bring their own coffee mugs and to share a special story about each of them. This ministry event featured a very powerful speaker, Mrs. a special story about each of them. This ministry event featured Willamina Sugg. She shared her testimony regarding the courageous battle with breast cancer. Mrs. Sugg stressed that it was her faith in Christ that helped her prevail with this health issue. She is a true inspiration to everyone. A special drawing was held to give away two gift baskets and a beautiful hand-sewn quilt made by a fellow church member, Mrs. Helen Roberson. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Never let what has been done to you, or what has been said about you become more

important to you than what CHRIST did for you!

Karen Snyder Membership

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Scenes from - "The Women of Wisdom Conference” held by the Swansboro United Methodist Women. Approximately 70 ladies representing 8 churches attended. Keynote speaker was LaNella Smith NC Conf. President. Pictures by Adale Hyla-Brewster

Driving routes to St. James UMC - ALOTS meeting - January 16th

Onslow County: Wilmington Hwy/ US 17 go 5.01 miles then turn

slightly left onto US-17 Business North/Wilmington Hwy and go 0.64

miles to merge onto NC-24 via ramp on the left toward

Richlands/Kinston go 14.92 miles and take slight right onto Kinston

Hwy/US-258 N. go 25.12 miles. US-258 N becomes NC-58 go 1.06 miles.

Turn right onto E King Street/NC-55/NC-11. Follow NC-11 to Turn right

onto W Fire tower Road. Go 1.23 miles and turn left onto Evans Street.

Go 1.82 miles and turn slightly right onto Greenville Blvd. Go 1.61 miles

and turn left onto S. Elm Street. Go 1.09 miles and turn right onto E. 6th

Street. St. James is 0.34 miles on right.

Lenoir County - Follow NC-11 to Greenville. Turn right onto W Fire

tower Road. Go 1.23 miles and turn left onto Evans Street. Go 1.82

miles and turn slightly right onto Greenville Blvd. Go 1.61 miles and turn

left onto S. Elm Street. Go 1.09 miles and turn right onto E. 6th Street.

St. James is 0.34 miles on right.

Carteret, Craven County areas - Follow US-70 W. Merge onto US-17 N

via EXIT 417B toward Bayboro/Washington and go 16.63 miles. Turn

slightly left onto Main St/US-17 Bus N/NC-43 and follow NC-43. Turn

right onto S. Elm Street and go 1.25 miles. Turn right onto E 10th Street

and go 0.26 miles. Take the 3rd left onto Forest Hill Circle Go 0.19 miles

and turn right onto E 6th Street. St. James is on the right.

Pamlico County – Follow Hwy 55 to Hwy 17 N toward Washington.

Turn slight left onto US-17 Bus S and follow for 3.29 miles. Turn right

onto NC Highway 33/NC-33 and go 15.84 miles. Stay straight to go to E

10th Street. Stay on E 10th Street for 1.13 miles then turn onto Forest

Hill Circle. Go 0.19 miles and turn right onto E 6th Street. St. James is on

the right.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

If Santa brings you a computer, please send me your email

address. Many Thanks!

If you already have one & have not given me your address,

PLEASE do so ASAP.

Let's SAVE on our Sound District expenses!!!

Remember - the 3 P's

Postage, Paper, Printing

Love & Prayers, Madoline Murphy

Communications Coordinator

mamurphy39@suddenlink.net

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