Friends, Hurricane Sally made landfall on September 16, 2020, which was 16 years to the day that Hurricane Ivan damaged the same area. To date there has been close to 60,000 individuals who have registered for FEMA assistance. Almost $30 million in FEMA grants have been issued to affected residents. We have transitioned out of what we call our relief phase (food, water, shelter, electricity, and immediate access needs), and into our recovery phase (continued debris removal and home repair). We continue to have a need for volunteers who can do mucking and gutting, tree work, and debris removal. The Covid virus, as well as the multiple disasters throughout our country, have made it difficult for us to enlist the number of volunteers needed for recovery. We have taken several steps to ensure that we can help provide adequate social distancing and PPE standards for our volunteer teams. We ask that you would consider making multiple trips to the Hurricane Sally affected area from your home church.

Visit this webpage to register your team: https://www.cognitoforms.com/AuburnUMC2/TeamRequestFormHurricaneSallyResponse We are also hoping to be able to share in the near future about potential grants that we have applied for through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). In the meantime, we are creating a program for churches to partner with families. If you are interested in providing either financial assistance or volunteer labor towards a family in need, we would love to hear from you! As we begin our case management process we will be identifying families who are interested in this recovery adoption process. For more details on this please email disasterresponse@awfumc.org Thank you for the many ways you continue to respond through our connection. We welcome your prayers as we help those who need it most. With Gratitude, Rev. Chris Ackerman AWF Disaster Response Director

WWW.EPWORTH-PC.ORG

November 2020 Volume 9, Issue 11

In the wake of the recent hurricanes, we continue to pray for those affected by the storm. Bishop David Graves is requesting that churches begin collecting special offerings so that we are prepared to purchase critical items or donate money directly to the annual conferences where there is a need. Experience has taught us that often, the most effective way we can initially help with disasters of this nature is through cash donations given through the local church. Other needs are being addressed and will be addressed later with supplies furnished through UMCOR (through local church assistance) and in-person mission teams. If you would like to donate towards Hurricane recovery efforts you may put your donation in the offering plates in the vestibule when you attend worship services on Sunday morning, or you may mail your donation to: Epworth UMC P.O. Box 430 Phenix City, AL 36867 In either case, please note on your check or envelope “Hurricane Relief.” Thanks in advance for your generosity! Brother Grant

EPWORTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

by Rev. Grant Parker Hurricane Relief & Recovery

2020 VETERANS DAY WINNING POSTER DESIGN The designer of this year’s winning Veterans Day poster is Casey Brown, a Marine Corps Infantry Veteran who served in Iraq. Casey said he

wanted to express the beauty and rigidness and camaraderie in military service. The black color of the silhouettes represents the stoic and enduring nature of Veteran service. The contrast between the bright background and the dark images represent the sharp contrast that most Veterans experience between military and civilian life. The beautiful sky represents the serenity that Veterans seek in pining for peace, in drowning the echoes of war. The cliff, Veterans and children represent the legacy of Veterans. Those struggling on the hill represent incoming and current Veterans. Those at the top of the hill represent the older generation looking after the others. Some Veterans are turning back to help others. This represents the mindset of always looking back to help other generations, leaving a legacy better than they found it. The mountain represents the experience; the climbers appear to climb for the better view atop the mountain.

HELP EPWORTH UMC OBSERVE

VETERANS DAY 2020 Veterans Day is an official U.S. public holiday which we observe annually on November 11, the day WW I officially ended. Veterans Day honors the service of all military veterans – all men and women who served in any of our U.S. Armed Forces – the Army, the

Marines, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard, including active, reserve, and national guard. We observed the day as Armistice Day until 1954, when we renamed the holiday as Veterans Day. Please do not confuse Veterans Day with Memorial Day, a U.S. public holiday in May which honors those who died in military service. Please do not confuse Veterans Day with Armed Forces Day, a U.S. remembrance that also occurs in May, which honors those currently serving in the U.S. military. Epworth UMC will observe Veterans Day on Sunday, November 8, 2020 by honoring our veterans in all three services. You can help us observe Veterans Day and honor our veterans by: - Worshiping with us as we observe Veterans Day and honor our veterans on Sunday, November 8, 2020. - Noticing Epworth UMC will be recognizing our POW/MIA by flying a flag in their honor just under our United States Flag on our flagpole as part of our observance. The POW/MIA flag is a symbol of our nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for. POW/MIA are Veterans, too. - Thank every veteran you see for his or her service.

THANK YOU VETERANS!

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA

Please support Wreaths Across America (WAA), the non-profit organization that supports our Veterans with wreaths to: Honor our fallen veterans; Honor those who are still serving; and Teach children the value of freedom.

Page 2 EPWORTH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

WAA Day this year is December 19, 2020, and we hope you sponsor as many wreaths as you can to honor and support our veterans. Wreaths cost $15 for one, $30 for two; $75 for five, etc. For every two wreaths you sponsor, WAA will provide Fort Mitchell a third wreath free. You can sponsor wreaths by sending your cash or check to Epworth’s office, by including it with your offering, or by using the Epworth Non-Budget Giving System on the Epworth UMC site online. Be sure to include your name, email address and telephone number; the number of wreaths you want to sponsor; the names, rank, service, and cemetery of the fallen veterans you want to honor (or the names, rank, and service of living veterans; and whether or not you would like to lay the wreaths on the gravesites yourself.

See Epworth’s church-wide email, Subject: Wreaths Across America, dated 7 October 2020 for more information.

Please support our Veterans quickly, as the suspense date for this year is next month. More information to follow.

If you have questions, please let us know. Pastor Grant, grant.parker@epworth-pc.org or 334-298-3186, or Ross Goode, camovet@ctvea.net, or 706-464-5089

Page 3 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11

Anniversaries

Nov 1 Lee & Catherine Milligan Curtis & Denise Wilkerson

Nov 3 Bill & Carol Griffis

Nov 7 Ralph & Elizabeth Crow

Nov 10 Jason & Sandy Sparks

Nov 14 James & Janice Parker

Nov 19 Larry & Sandra Rowan Steve & Sandy Lewack

Nov 20 Jason & Kristy Prins

Nov 22 Ted & Pam Shores

Nov 23 Richard & Malinda Register Keagan & Skylar Clark

Nov 25 Clint & Mallory Campbell

Our Faithfulness

Total Annual Budget $961,418.56

Budget Needed YTD $776,530.44

Actual YTD $684,479.08

Birthdays

Nov. 2 Kipp Waldrop

Nov. 3 John Henderson Emory Yohn Matthew Lamb Lily Kemp

Nov. 4 Keith Badowski Stephen Curtiss Emily Byrd Cameron Brewer

Nov. 5 Kathryn Hall Rosemary Barnhill

Nov. 7 Emmett Meacham Brady Caulder

Nov. 8 Mary Frances Head Ame Shields Michael West Deareion Lewis

Nov. 9 Carlos Velazquez Daina Wooten Molly Bridges

Nov. 10 Michelle Word Dorthea Caldwell Andy Johnson Coco Meacham

Nov. 13 Hannah Lenoir

Nov. 14 Wynell King Christian Linsley

Nov. 16 Roger Cassman Craig Coulter Conner Snedigar

Nov. 18 Reid Byrd Nathan Cox Caleb Sheppard

Nov. 19 Brandon Culpepper Andrew Gil

Nov. 20 Marcia Myles Wade Sieck

Nov. 21 Jim Bloodworth Christi Badowski

Nov. 22 Michelle Shields

Nov. 23 Penny Verner

Nov. 24 Sawyer Moss

Nov. 26 Seth Atchinson

Nov. 27 Steve Gray

Nov. 28 Fred Klugh Glenda Culver

Nov. 29 Bethany Martin

Nov. 30 Rita Amerson

Angel Tree

Epworth will be participating with the Angel Tree program again this year but it will be a little different due to the current situation. We will not be asking you to sponsor a specific child, buy and wrap presents and deliver to the church. Several options were given from Prison Fellowship Ministries and it has been decided that we will provide gift cards to each child. We are asking for donations so that we can provide a $25.00 gift certificate to each child on behalf of their incarcerated parent. We feel this is the safest way to be able to carry on this worthwhile program. You have always been a very generous and loving church and I look forward to us being a part of Angel Tree again this year and praying for those we serve. Pam Shores, Your Angel Tree Coordinator

EPWORTH SECURITY MINISTRY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED If you’d like to join our security ministry team

and provide a great service to Epworth, or if

you know someone you believe would be a

good candidate, please let Pastor Grant or

Ross Goode know. Thank you.

November 2020 SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT

1 Worship Services 8:30 am 9:45 am 11:00 am 5:00 pm Kidz small groups

2

3 8:45 am Preschool 9:00 am MDO 9:30 am Tuesday Bible study on Zoom

4 8:45 am Preschool

5:30 pm Prayer - Chapel 6:30 pm Pastor’s Bible study - Sanctuary Small Group Bible study - Youth Room

5 8:45 am Preschool 9:00 am MDO

6

7

8

Worship Services 8:30 am 9:45 am 11:00 am 5:00 pm Kidz small groups

9

10 8:45 am Preschool 9:00 am MDO 9:30 am Tuesday Bible study In-person

11 Veterans' Day 8:45 am Preschool

5:30 pm Prayer - Chapel 6:30 pm Pastor’s Bible study - Sanctuary Small Group Bible study - Youth Room

12 8:45 am Preschool 9:00 am MDO

13

14

15 Worship Services 8:30 am 9:45 am 11:00 am 5:00 pm Kidz small groups

16 17 8:45 am Preschool 9:00 am MDO 9:30 am Tuesday Bible study In-person

18 8:45 am Preschool

5:30 pm Prayer - Chapel 6:30 pm Pastor’s Bible study - Sanctuary Small Group Bible study - Youth Room

19

8:45 am Preschool 9:00 am MDO

20

21

22 Worship Services 8:30 am 9:45 am 11:00 am 5:00 pm Kidz small groups

23 10 am Decorate the church for Christmas

24 No Tuesday Bible Study

25 26 Thanksgiving

27

28

29 Worship Services 8:30 am 9:45 am 11:00 am 5:00 pm Kidz small groups

30

Page 5 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11

“SUNDAY SIGN UP” FOR EPWORTH KIDZ CREW REGISTRATION ONLINE It’s finally here! We are open for small group ministry on Sunday evenings. If your child is not already registered, please do so now! Sundays at 5:00 p.m. Classes: 3 years through 1st grade; 2nd-3rd grade; 4th-6th grade Time: 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. (Pre-K – 1st Grade will dismiss first at 5:45) Place: Drop off at Epworth Gym starting at 4:50 p.m. Procedure: Please register your child’s name, parent’s name, age and grade by emailing Letha at letha.parker@epworth-pc.org Please wear your favorite mask! Temperatures will be taken at drop off in the downstairs gym parking area. FALL CLEAN UP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! If you have some time to help with some clean up projects, please contact Letha to schedule a day to work. We are in need of a pressure washer and someone to use it! Happy helpers jobs: Pressure washing some of the playground equipment. Pressure washing some sidewalk areas. Painting the park bench in the playground area. KIDZ CREW VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITES: As we wait for a full return to all ministry opportunities, please consider helping in some area of Kidz Crew programs. Some are listed below. “Little Lambs” new baby ministry - help welcome new little ones by planning baby showers, delivering meals and celebrating with

parents the gift of God’s precious “little lambs”. Contact Becky Ivey at (706) 566-0204. Special Programs Planning and Preparation – help plan and prepare for our Kidz Crew Events: Dads & Darlings, Moms & Sons in February Easter in the Spring VBS in June Terrific Tuesdays in July & Blue Lake Camp in July Back to School Blessing of the Backpacks in August Fall Festival in October Christmas Workshop in November & Operation Christmas Child Christmas celebrations in December. (Contact Laura Johnson: laurakeijohnson@gmail.com; or Letha: letha.parker@epworth-pc.org ) WHEN WE RETURN ON SUNDAYS, PLEASE CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING FOR A CLASS TEACHER OR AIDE FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL OR KIDZ CHURCH. A BACKGROUND CHECK IS REQUIRED AND WILL BE DONE THROUGH THE CHURCH OFFICE. (Contact Sandra Arnold at (706) 527-2826 , Kim Burtts (334) 319-2938 or Letha) Thank you for all you do for the Kingdom of God. Your partnership in ministry is very important as we seek to live and teach the love of Christ. Letha “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 NIV

Hi Epworth Family! It’s that time of year! Now, more than ever Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan’s Purse) needs our help filling shoeboxes to help spread the Gospel and share the good news of Jesus Christ. Our church has set a goal of 200 boxes! Would you please prayerfully con-sider packing a box or multiple boxes for children in need around the world? This year we are using plastic rubbermaid-like boxes or cardboard shoeboxes (which can be found at Walmart). A $9 donation per box is used to cover transportation and delivery. The best way to do this is to pay and print a label online. Please return your boxes to church by Thursday, November 18th. For more information, packing labels, and a list of packing do’s and don’ts visit samaritanspurse.org Thank you for your support! For any other questions contact Melissa Bridges (706) 325-8507