March 20th, Palm Sunday: Morning Watch, 8:30 AM; The Orchard, 9 AM; Traditional Service, 11 AM

March 24th, Maundy Thursday: Service 7 PM

March 25th: Stations of the Cross—Noon at Alders Creek Greenway;

March 25th: Good Friday Service, 7 PM

March 27th, EASTER:

Sunrise Service 6 AM, The Orchard, 9 AM; Traditional Service, 11 AM

March 2016

Vol. 4 Issue 3

Connecting Generations to Grow Relationships with God, Others, and Creation

Page 2

Lectionary Scriptures for March 2016

Mike Ratliff, Senior Pastor Lent 4, March 6:

Joshua 5:9-12: The people of Israel experience God’s grace as God releases them from the disgrace of their

enslavement and allows them to enjoy the produce of the land of Canaan.

Psalm 32

2 Corinthians 5:16-21: Paul proclaims the good news of salvation that those in Christ are a new crea-

tion. The old has passed away. The spiritual reality mirrors the emancipation of Israel from slavery into the

freedom of the Promised land.

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32: The parable illustrates God’s love for us that reaches out to the lost and rejoices when

the lost return to God. It is a challenge to those who are already in fellowship with God. It is a challenge to

those who are already in fellowship with God, to be accepting of others who are seeking God’s reconciling

grace.

Lent 5, March 13:

Isaiah 43:16-21: God reassures the people that a new experience is coming into existence. People, therefore,

need not concern themselves with the past or the things of old.

Psalm 126

Philippians 3:4b-24: Paul testifies to the value of knowing Christ. For Christ’s sake, he gave up much of

great value in his life at that time and suffered greatly. Yet, all that is minor compared to the value of life in

Christ and the anticipation of the final prize of heaven.

John 12:1-8: Jesus affirms Mary’s action of anointing him with expensive oil. He dismisses Judas Iscariot’s

objection and claim that the oil could have otherwise been put to better use. Mary’s selfless act of worship has

much greater value that anything purchased from the sale of her oil.

Palm/Passion Sunday, March 20:

Isaiah 50: 4-9a: The servant acknowledges that God has given him the ability to encourage God’s people

with speech. God’s gift has alienated the servant from those to whom he would offer God’s comfort. In the

face of rejection by his people, the servant declares his trust in “the Lord who helps me.”

Psalm 31

Luke 19:28-40: Jesus willingly abdicates his divine status in order to serve the human family in mortal

form. Because he does so, and submits to death, he is once again exalted by God to divine and immortal

rank. This hymn provides the model of servanthood that Paul and early Christians will try to emulate.

Passion: Luke 22:14-23: The centerpiece of the passion narrative is the last supper. By means of this

sharing, Jesus teaches the disciples that life is to be found in service to God, even when such service leads to

death. Jesus’ death is to be seen as the preeminent act of sacrificial service.

Easter, March 27:

Acts 10:34-43: Peter speaks to the Gentiles, interpreting the vision he received at Joppa (Acts 10:9-

16). Through this vision, God revealed to Peter that the Gospel is to be taken to the Gentiles as well as the

Jews, for both communities constitute the people of God. Peter’s understanding of the inclusion of the

Gentiles into the household of God now equips him to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus.

Psalm 118

I Corinthians 15: 19-26: This text is the central portion of Paul’s extended explanation of the resurrection of

Page 3

Music Ministry Sam Cox, Minister of Music

Though not as common as their Christmas

counterparts, carols do exist for Easter.

Like Christmas carols, they are joyful,

celebratory songs, usually in a verse-and-

refrain structure, and dancelike in charac-

ter. This is altogether appropriate, because

the word “carol” has its origins in the

twelfth-century French carole, a circle

dance accompanied by singing. Later these

were used to accompany festival proces-

sions.

Often, a carol might tell the entire story of

the life of Jesus. One popular carol, “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day,” is most often associated with

Christmas, but that story is found only in the first three stanzas. The remaining eight (!) stanzas tell of Christ’s

temptation, betrayal, trial, execution, burial, and resurrection. The Easter carol “Now the Green Blade

Riseth” (UMH 311) is set to the same tune as “Sing We Now of Christmas” (UMH 237)—appropriately, a lilt-

ing French tune from the late fifteenth century.

Unlike medieval hymns, whose purpose was doctrinal and didactic, carols were more closely tied to the con-

cerns and emotions of everyday people. As we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection following the sorrows of Lent and

Holy Week, let us dance in celebration as in the prophetic words of Jeremiah 31:13: “Then the young women

will dance for joy; the young and old men will join in. I will turn their mourning into laughter and their sad-

ness into joy; I will comfort them.”

Lectionary, continued.

Jesus, and of its meaning for our lives. Insisting that the resurrection is essential and indispensable foundation

of the Christian faith, he states, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be

pitied.” His preaching of the resurrection represents an unwavering assurance that Jesus’ resurrection is the

unquestionable sign of death’s final destruction.

John 20:1-18 or Luke 24:1-12:

John 20:1-18: John’s description of the scene of the empty tomb and the disciples’ dash to it builds the sus-

pense that culminates in Jesus’ appearance to Mary. The scene is intense, especially at the climactic moment

of recognition when Jesus speaks Mary’s name.

Luke 24:1-12: Once again, the resurrection is revealed first to the women who, in turn, report to the other dis-

ciples. It is interesting to note that those with the greater power (in this case, the male disciples) simply ig-

nored the story of those who were less powerful. The pattern is too common in Scripture to pass by in our

proclamation of the Gospel: God chooses to reveal God’s self to the disenfranchised, those outside the power

structures. Do we choose to hear their word when it is spoken to us today?

March is here and Life South has asked In Reach Ministries to host a Blood

Drive on Sunday, March 20th (Palm Sunday) in hopes the attendance will be

more than usual, thus more units of blood donated.

The Phone # for Hemsi is 256-722-7158 for those who have loved ones that

have fallen & can’t get up. This is a (free) no charge effort on Hemsi’s part.

The Blood Pressure checks have been changed to every Second Sunday of the

month, 8:30-10:00 a.m. Please come by and let us check your blood pressure.

In March we will also be hosting two Care Giver’s Luncheons. These are proposed for the end of the month.

FAMILY EDUCATION WORKSHOPS @ HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE

MARCH 12, 2016 10 AM to NOON

Register by calling 256-883-3080 or hiscmkting@aol.com

Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Dementias—Learn about the causes of Alzheimer’s disease or other demen-

tias, recognize the symptoms, discover how they are diagnosed; Understand more about the behaviors that

can be caused by the symptoms.

Capturing Life’s Journey—Discover how you can help provide the best care for your loved one. Learn tech-

niques to encourage your loved one to share their stores and memories. Become familiar with the format of

the Life Journal and how to record information about our loved one’s past. Find our how to use the Life Jour-

nal in partnership with professional caregivers.

Techniques to Handle Challenging Behaviors—Learn more about the challenging behaviors that may be dis-

played by those with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Discover techniques to help handle these behaviors.

Determine what techniques work best to manage different types of behaviors.

Activities to Encourage Engagement—Learn about the benefits of staying active for a person with Alz-

heimer’s disease or other dementia. Learn about three types of activities—for mind, body, and soul. Discover

various techniques to encourage your loved one to engage in an activity. Become familiar with activities that

are suitable for late state Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia, to stimulate your loved one’s five senses.

Page 4

In Reach Ministries Faye Cook, In Reach Coordinator

Buchanan Scholarship

The Buchanan Scholarship committee invites high

school seniors as well as college students who are

within three years of their high school graduation,

who are members of LUMC, to make application for

the scholarship. Application packets are available on

the church website or through Adam Miller. Dead-

line for returning is April 8th.

Page 5

United Methodist Women Cairenn Martin, President

Children’s Ministry Susan Terry

During the month of February, the TREEHOUSE kids have been studying “Piggy

Bank U,” a fun program on how to earn, save, give and spend money. This pro-

gram had several added activities to go with it:

** We made banks to help us learn to SAVE money.

** As part of our GIVING lesson, we sold doughnuts to raise money for a charity,

making $268! The kid’s named about twelve charities (all their ideas, not the

adult leaders...yay them!) and finally voted on givin gthe money toe the Department of Human Resources, who

help with many areas, including foster children.

** Several years ago, a church in Decatur gave each member of their congregation a $5 bill with two stipula-

tions: they must use the money to benefit someone else and they must report back what they did with the

money. When a member of our congregation heard about the Piggy Bank U program, they asked if they could

do the same with the kids. So on Valentine’s night, each child present received a $5 bill. At the end of Febru-

ary, they will report what they did with the money and we will send some of those reports to the Branch for the

April issue.

The Farmers Market is gearing

up for the May—September

outreach to the community. This

will be our fourth year of help-

ing farmers in our area and

bringing the community to-

gether for fresh produce and

fun. We are in need of more

support from our congregation. There are many

ways to help and levels of commitment. Please call

Kim McFadden @ 256-883-0949 or 256-694-9450

to find out what you can do to help or give your

suggestions or comments.

Farmers Market Kim McFadden, Market Director

The Latham UMW would like to invite you to our

March Lenten Prayer Meeting. It will be held on

March 2 at 9:30 in Farley Hall. Our featured speaker

will be Sarah Smyth-our former associate pastor's

wife. All are invited and refreshments will be served

afterward! We are also collecting school supplies

for the Upper Sand Mountain Parish and items for

the Birmingham Community Center. These are the

items they are requesting:

Construction paper Magic Markers

Ink pens Tab Dividers

Crayons Folders w/Pockets

Pencils 3-ring binders

Glue Sticks Index Cards

Spiral Notebooks Pencil boxes

Notebook paper Color Pencils

Bar soap Dishwashing Liquid

Toothpaste Cleaning wipes

4-roll packages of toilet paper

There is a box in the Welcome Center for these

items. Thank you so much for your support!

Children’s Ministry

Page 6

Page 7

Memorial Contributions Finance Committee

Gifts were given in memory of….

Jim Bevis, from Richard & Dale Peters

Paul Bowers, to the Van Fund from Richard and Dale Peters

Harrison Brown, from Richard & Dale Peters,

Pat Cheek to the Hands of Christ Fund from Bob & Karen Pollard

John Daniel to the Van Fund from Richard & Dale Peters

Horace Drake, from Don & Ramona Bowden; Mildred Stephenson

Helen Hagler to the Lillie Latham Scholarship Fund, from Wesley Sunday School Class;

to the Discretionary Fund from Mildred Stephenson; Bill & Amma Barners; Charles & Carole

Bryant; Christel Latham; Elmer Field; Hank & Kitty Hagler; Don & Linda Maccubbin;

Richard & Dale Peters

Patsy Myers to the Music Fund from Fellowship Sunday School Class; Jim & Judy Gillespie;

Jo Terry, to the Music Fund from Dot Coombe; from Martha & Eugene Andrzejewski; Jeff & Evelyn

Blatherwick; Cal Blevins; Don & Ramona Bowden; Johnnie & Johnnie Hanson; Shirley

Hayes; Bill & Claudia Klus; to the Latham Scholarship Fund from Mack & Annette Cooper,

Ann Livingston; Latham Ladies; Richard & Dale Peters; Jim & Mary Jane Williams;

Wesley Sunday School Class;

Janet Torstenson to the Hands of Christ Fund from Philip and Rhonda Ryan;

Gifts were given in honor of…

Donna Whitacre to the UM Children’s Home, from Circle 2

Getting a tax refund? Before you spend that check,

put aside 10% for God.

Write Tax Refund Challenge

at the bottom of your check to Latham.

We’ll report on the success of this

Tax Refund Challenge in June.

109 Weatherly Road

Huntsville, AL 35803

Phone: 256-881-4069

Fax: 256-880-0305

On the web: lathamumc.org

Connect with the Staff

Rev. Mike Ratliff, Senior Pastor

Chris Martin, Minister of Discipleship

Sam Cox, Minister of Music

Susan Terry, Minister of Connect & Children’s Ministries

Adam Miller, Minister of Youth

Marvene Borntrager, Staff Coordinator for Inreach

Anita Banks, Business Administrator

Traci Harris, Director of Child Development Center

Cherry Keeton, Organist

Joey Evans, Pianist

mikeratliff@lathamumc.org

chrismartin@lathamumc.org

samcox@lathamumc.org

susanterry@lathamumc.org

adammiller@lathamumc.org

office@lathamumc.org

admin@lathamumc.org

lathamcdc@lathamumc.org

Latham United Methodist Church

Building Ministry Together

Our Mission

Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Our Vision

Connecting generations to grow relationships with God, others, and creation.

Our Goals

1. Communicate our vision so the entire church and community will know it.

2. Organize intergenerational gatherings in the church and community that form mentoring

relationships between all participants.

3. Simplify and align leadership structure to reflect and advance our vision.

4. Train and hire staff to become coaches in leadership development, intergenerational dialogue,

mentoring, faith sharing, and creation stewardship.

5. Implement leadership training to equip laity to plan ministries that fulfill the church’s vision

and goals.

Our Core Values

1. Mission Focus: Latham performs service in the world to promote individual, community,

and environmental wholeness.

2. Prayer: Latham values prayer to direct and energize our work in accomplishing God’s vision.

3. Gifts & Strengths: Latham utilizes spiritual gifts and abilities of our members.

4. Credibility: Latham practices honesty, integrity, passion, and accountability to God and each other.