From the Pastor ’s Pen My all-time favorite fall activity is

the annual Wooly Worm Festival in

Banner Elk, NC. At this fest ival

thousands of people buy or bring wooly

worms from all over the place and set 25

at a time on 6ft tall strings to see who

can finish first. Two years ago, my

worm Speedy Wormzalez had a very

strong start but then decided to stop on

the middle of the string and then even

started to climb back down in the middle

of the race! As I sit in my living room

holding my new son, watching Kristen

study, and think about the million and a

half things I should be doing I think

back to that silly race and understand

how that little worm felt.

Life can feel overwhelming some-

times, and who says that you have to

race anyways! The fall is a busy time for

anyone. School and sports and work and

lots of other things fill in our calendars

faster than we realize. You may feel like

stopping in the middle or even turning

Sept. Birthdays & Anniversaries

2

Community Outreach

3

Newest Church Family Member Nolan David Farmer

3

Thank You 3

Classroom Buddies 4

It’s Football Season Y’all

4

Upcoming Events 4

Youth Happenings 4

Inside this issue:

Offerings thru Aug. 25 $103,376

Budget thru Aug. 25

(34 weeks) $ 98,731

+ $4,645

E XP A N S I ON P R OJ E C T

L OA N B A L A N C E

As of 12/31/16 $163,850

As of 12/31/17 $137,795

As of 12/31/18 $97,696

As of 08/31/19 $66,084

Remember to put “EXPANSION” on the

memo line when writing your check..

the other way and while I don’t

suggest that approach, I do hope that

you will take time to catch your breath

every now and then.

God asks us to be people of prayer,

a community of support, a place of

worship where all can take a breather

from our work (even our good but

hard work) and know that our church

family prays for us and us for them.

May we in this busy season be

reminded that our Lord and our

neighbor lift us up and support us in

our busy walk of faith and life.

September 1, 2019 Newsletter Printed Monthly Volume 9, Issue 1

Rural Retreat United Methodist Church September

2019

CONTEMPORARY

GREETER & USHER

Sept. 01 - Brian Smith

Sept. 08 - Mark Haynes

Sept. 15 - Stephen Bear

Sept. 22 - Jerry Davis

Sept. 29 - Brian Smith

TRADITIONAL

GREETER & USHER

Sept. 01 - Michael McBride & James Bear

Sept. 08 - Chad Trivitt & Donnie Buck

Sept. 15 - Dale Steffey & Susan Evans

Sept. 22 - Michael Spraker & Tim Carter

Sept. 29 - Susan Evans & Donnie Buck

NURSERY SCHEDULE

Sept. 01 - Alison Pollard

Sept. 08 - Michaela Fiscus

Sept. 15 - Maddy Fiscus

Sept. 22 - Mitzi Haynes

Sept. 29 - Alison Pollard

Fill-In: Barbara Rudolph

CHILDREN’S CHURCH

SCHEDULE

Children will be dismissed to

Children's Church after the

children's message

ACOLYTES

Sept. 01 - Houston Bear

Sept. 08 - Abbie Pollard

Sept. 15 - Reagan Evans

Sept. 22 - Maddoc Spraker

Sept. 29 - Reagan Evans

make a

difference

of a

volunteer

The

is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to

in the lives of others

September 1st George & Mary Ann Williams

September 5th Brian & Rebecca Smith

September 15th Jerry & Jodi Davis

September 16th Cecil & Renae Cregger

September 17th Stephen & Julie Bear Scott & Crystal Wynn September 22nd Jason & Heidi Lyall

Sep 05 — Jason Lyall

Sep 07 — Bob Lewis

Mary Ann Williams

Sep 09 — Cailie Pollard

Sep 11 — Brooke Smith

Sep 16 — Elijah Poole

Sep 17 — Shirley Bartleson

Sep 18 — Isaac Miller

Alison Pollard

Sep 19 — Mark Haynes

Sep 20 — Bea Celozzi

Sep 23 — Lisa Meredith

Sep 26 — Harold Umberger

Sep 27 — Joseph Maloskey

— Keith Meredith

— Erika Stidham

Sep 28 — Nancy Matney

heart

You are GOD’s masterpiece!

Page 2

IT’S A BOY

C Page 3

Born

Introducing Nolan David Farmer

Aug 15, 2019 Weight

7 pounds

9 ounces

Length 21

inches

welcomed into the world

11:20 am to parents

Clayton and Kristen

A big Thank You to everyone who

made our second annual Service at

the Lake a huge success. First to

the Activity/Outreach Committee

for organizing the whole thing.

Thank you to Nate for being our

emergency Preacher and bringing us

an awesome message. Thank you to

all our musicians; Nate, Bud,

Cassidy, Julie, Lacy and Grayson.

You brought us beautiful and

uplifting music. And to Bud for

bringing and setting up all the sound

stuff. And also to everyone who

came to enjoy it all and brought

such delicious food. We couldn't do

this without each and every one of

you! We look forward to next year's

service.

The Depot is holding their

D e p o t D a y o n S e p t e m b e r

14 t h . T he C hu r ch ha s an

opportunity to do outreach to the

children through a craft time

from 1:00-3:00 pm. We are

looking for a few good helpers

to assist the kids in crafts.

Please let Meredith Fiscus know

if you can help (620-5668).

The Epworth

House has a new

roof thanks to the

Quilters.

Thank You, ladies!

Sunday, November 3rd

Meet and Greet

Baby Farmer

Luncheon

We will be having a baby

meet and greet for Kristen and

Pastor Farmer on November 3rd

right after church. Come have

lunch and “ooh” and “aah” over

their new little one. Please bring

a favorite dish of food to share

and, if you’d like, a baby gift.

Once they find out what they

still need (besides sleep), we

will let you know. The Activi-

ties Committee will provide the

meat.

Next Steps

Committee Meeting

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH

Thank you all for the hard work that

went into tackling the Epworth

House. At the next meeting on

Tuesday, September 24th , a t

6:00pm, we will be looking at prayer

ministry and dinner night options.

Regular Youth meetings will resume. This will be The Amazing Race, so invite your friends to participate if they would like. Meetings begin at 5:00pm. We will need parents to attend to pick up kids when we are finished. We w i l l b e f i l i n g o u t c o n t a c t information and release forms on that day also. We are looking forward to a great year of Youth activities, We will be having a yard sale at the Epworth House in conjunction with the Depot yard sale on Saturday, September 14th.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1ST

Join us for our annual Lunch With Santa on Sunday, December 1st right

after church, and then stay for

the Rural Retreat Christmas parade.

More details to follow later.

Page 4

. . . and that means we have an

opportunity to minister to our

hometown team. We will be

feeding the football team on

Thursday. September 19th. The

menu is set. Plans are underway.

See Meredith Fiscus.

If you can help donate to

this fund to feed the boys, mark

it for football. There is a sign-

up list for a few items that are

needed. If you can help that

night, we will set up around

4:00pm and the boys will arrive

around 5:30pm to volunteer.

LOOKING FOR A WAY TO SERVE?

LIKE TO SPEND TIME WITH KIDS?

Then think about becoming a Classroom Buddy. We have a few Classroom Buddy slots open this 2019-2020 school year and are anxious to fill t h e m . W e n e e d a f e w volunteers to eat lunch with our students at the elementary school on a monthly or bi-m o n t h l y b a s i s . C o n t a c t Meredith by next Sunday, S e p t em be r 8 t h , i f y o u ’ r e i n t e r e s t e d ( 6 2 0 - 5 6 6 8 o r mfiscus@wythek12.org).

CURRENT CLASSROOM BUDDIES

Plan on joining us for a Back to School Meeting with Mr. Rouse on Wednesday, September 11th, at 4:00pm in the Elementary School library.

RRUMC Handbell

Practice Resumes

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2ND

5:30 PM

We are in serious need of more

players. The only requirement

needed to join is to be able to count

and have good time. If you would

be interested in joining this fun

group, please see Ginny Smith or

Missy Horton.

Halloween Spooktacular

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31ST

STARTING AT 5:00 PM

We will be doing the same as last

year with tables set up for

Halloween activities for the kids.

This has been a big, successful

event for which we need many

volunteers. More information will

follow closer to that time, but if

you are willing to help, please see

any committee member.

As a group of frogs was traveling through the

woods, two of them fell into a deep pit. When the

other frogs crowded around the pit and saw how

deep it was, they told the two frogs that there was

no hope left for them.

However, the two frogs decided to ignore what

the others were saying and they proceeded to try

and jump out of the pit.

Despite their efforts, the group of frogs at the top of

the pit were still saying that they should just give

up. That they would never make it out.

Eventually, one of the frogs took heed to what

the others were saying and he gave up, falling

down to his death. The other frog continued to

jump as hard as he could. Again, the crowd of frogs

yelled at him to stop the pain and just die.

He jumped even harder and finally made it out.

When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you

not hear us?”

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He

thought they were encouraging him the entire

time.

Moral of the story:

People’s words can have a big effect on other’s

lives. Think about what you say before it comes out

of your mouth. It might just be the difference

between life and death.

Page 5

The Group of Frogs

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a

roadway. He then hid himself and watched to see if

anyone would move the boulder out of the way.

Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and

courtiers came by and simply walked around it.

Many people loudly blamed the King for not

keeping the roads clear, but none of them did

anything about getting the stone out of the way.

A peasant then came along carrying a load of

vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the

peasant laid down his burden and tried to push the

stone out of the road. After much pushing and

straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant went back to pick up his

vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where

the boulder had been.

The purse contained many gold coins and a note

from the King explaining that the gold was for the

person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

Moral of the story:

Every obstacle we come across in life gives us

an opportunity to improve our circumstances, and

whilst the lazy complain, the others are creating

opportunities through their kind hearts, generosity,

and willingness to get things done.

The Obstacle In Our Path

Phone: (276) 686-6429

Fax: (276) 686-6429

E-mail: rrumckayelayne@outlook.com

Website: www.ruralretreatumc.com

Rural Retreat United Methodist Church

P.O. Box 307

Rural Retreat, VA 24368

R E M I N D E R:

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DUE BY SEPTEMBER15TH