W instead C onnection2020/07/08 · the book called “Draw the Circle.” Some of you may have...

August 2020

Strengthening children and families so that all may know God better.

C onnection W instead

Worship on the Lawn Sunday, August 2

Worship on the Lawn at Winstead begins this Sunday, August 2, at 9 a.m.

As the Psalmist says: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs,

indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living

God” (Ps 84: 1-2).

I know you join me in this joy at coming together on the lawn of our church, 1407 Tarboro

St., in praise of the living God.

The live service begins at 9 a.m. It will be recorded and available for online viewing

through a link by 11 a.m. If you are medically vulnerable or do not feel safe gathering, we urge

you to stay home and view the service online, as we have done for the past four months.

This will be a Service of Holy Communion. Communion Assistants will distribute individu-

al packets with juice and wafer during the service from trays to avoid potential spread of vi-

rus.

As our primary concern is the health, safety, and well-being of all worshipers, we ask that

you observe the following practices.

The Order of Worship will be sent out by email on Saturday. If you would like to have a

copy, please print one out or download on your electronic device and bring it along with you.

If you don’t have access to a printer or device, this should not be a problem. We will announce

each part of the service. The Communion liturgy will be distributed along with the Commun-

ion packets.

You will have the option of worshiping from your car, or if you prefer you can bring a lawn

chair and sit outside. You will be able to hear the service through your car radio, and there

will be speakers set up for those sitting outside.

(Continued on page 8)

2 The Winstead Connection

Pastor’s Message

Pastor George Loveland

540-493-0656

What is our church’s mission? I think

most of us would answer this question by

reciting our mission statement that ap-

pears on our website, Sunday morning

worship bulletin, and newsletter:

“Strengthening children and families so

that ALL may know God better!”

But what if I told you that the church

itself has no business defining its own

mission. For “mission” belongs to God,

and God alone. The church’s role is to dis-

cern God’s mission for the world, and

then to seek ways to become partners in

the unfolding of God’s mission.

So then… how do we do this? What is

God’s mission, and how do we participate

in it?

For John Wesley, God’s mission is

summed up in the “Great Command-

ment.” “‘You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart, and with all your soul,

and with all your mind.’...And a second is

like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as

yourself.’” (Matthew 22: 37-39). In his ser-

mon “The Almost Christian,” Wesley sug-

gests that without “love of neighbor,” ex-

pressed through “works of mercy,” one

can never become “altogether a Chris-

tian.” We are “almost Christians,” simply

going through the motions of socially ac-

cepted Christian behavior, at an arrested

stage of Christian development. Both

works of mercy and works of worship are

essential to growing as Christians.

There are two aspects to God’s mis-

sion, a “going forth,” which we typically

call “outreach ministry,” and a “coming

together” for worship, Bible study, and

sacraments. And both must be integrat-

ed in the individual disciple and in the

church as a collective of disciples in or-

der to form “altogether Christians.” If we

simply gather on Sunday mornings, or

Bible studies with other members, or

come to committee meetings without

reflecting on how these activities are

part of God’s mission to the world, we are

still “almost Christians.” Likewise, if we

throw all of our energies into frenzied

activities on behalf of the underprivi-

leged without reflecting on how this vital

work relates to the story of the Bible, we

also fall short of becoming “altogether

Christians.”

Our church has rich and meaningful

opportunities for “coming together”

through worship, small group Bible

study, and Sunday school. And we have a

robust outreach ministry led by a com-

mitted core of volunteers. But I wonder if

we sometimes split God’s mission in two

by not praying and reflecting together

enough on how our worship sends us

into the world, and how our outreach

work intersects with God’s Word.

I am praying and thinking about this a

lot these days, and I invite you to join me

in this discernment process. Let us seek

together to know God’s mission and how

we might participate in it.

August 2020 3

Marty Johnson

Youth Director

336-402-5000

Children & Youth

Sunday School on Zoom By Marty Johnson

Winsted Sunday School on Zoom will

meet at 11:00 a.m. beginning August 2 due

to our Worship on the Lawn service at

9:00 a.m..

I want to thank everyone who has

helped teach and helped out through var-

ious ways with our Sunday School Zoom

meeting. It has been a joy to work with

Becky and everyone else who has helped

put this together. I want to encourage any

adult who would like to join us to do so -

it's a great way to see the children. Also

you may find yourself enjoying it as much

as we do.

I would like to encourage any adult

who might be interested in helping with

teaching or with the craft, to please let

me or Becky Holland know. Becky will get

the teaching material or the craft materi-

al to you and all the directions. For teach-

ing or for craft it's only about 7 to 10

minutes. We have found that it is a bless-

ing to work together in doing the Zoom

Sunday School. We want to share this

blessing with anyone else who would like

to be a part of it.

A reminder, once again, that on Sun-

day, August 2, and thereafter Sunday

School Zoom will meet on Sunday morn-

ing at 11:00 a.m.

ECHO Youth on Zoom By Marty Johnson

I want to invite all young people and

any adult who would like to join us for our

ECHO Zoom. This is our virtual youth

meeting each Sunday afternoon at 6:30

pm.

We generally start off with some

games that are good for Zooming.

(Sometimes there is a prize for the win-

ner of our games.) Either I or one of the

youth gives a devotional.

I want to especially invite youth to in-

vite their friends to come and join us on

Zoom. They don't have to come to the

church and they don't have to go to your

house. They can simply get on their com-

puter at their home where they are very

comfortable and have a chance to meet

us and join us for fellowship and a devo-

tional about God and his word geared for

young people. Even people out of town or

in another city can join us.

If you know of anyone that you would

like to invite, send me their email. I will

put them on our invitation list. This is a

great way for us to reach out during this

unusual time in ways we could not have

done otherwise. What a great way to

share Jesus!

Last but not least, we will begin a

study in September called: “FOCUS -

Seeing Jesus Clearly.” This will be for our

youth and anyone else who would be in-

terested. We will do a small part of it

each Sunday evening during our ECHO

zooming. A small study book that will be

free for any who want to join us and for

all the youth in our youth group. I’m look-

ing forward to seeing all of you soon.


Small Group Study By Marty Johnson

If you are looking for interactions with

people in our congregation and people

outside of our congregation, here is a

great opportunity. I ( Marty ) am looking to

start one, possibly two, small group gath-

ering(s).

The first group would be reading

through and having conversation about

the book called “Draw the Circle.” Some

of you may have already read this book. It

is basically a book with 40 very short

chapters 2 to 3 pages. Each week we will

discuss the ideas presented in these very

short chapters, then discuss what they

mean to each of us and what they might

mean to our Christian walk. Each one of

these 40 chapters deals with the idea of

prayer and what it means, what is prayer

for, what does prayer do, and what does

prayer not do. It is not so much a how-to

book as it is a pastor’s story of how pray-

er has impacted his life.

It has impacted my life and I would

love to share this and have a conversa-

tion with other brothers and sisters in

Christ. If you are interested, please let me

know. We will begin zooming sometime in

mid-September. If there is enough inter-

est, we will discuss among ourselves

what is the best time and day of the week.

The second small group focus on art

and drawing. NO, you do not need to be an

artist. You do not need to be great or even

good at drawing. We will add color to pic-

tures that are already drawn. These pic-

tures will illustrate God's word or a

theme in God's word. The idea is to come

together in a zoom meeting where we

talk about the verse and what it means to

us. We will show and share our drawings,

ideas and thoughts we had while creating

and drawing our art. We may share our

drawings with others or share in a video

or in a church service. Sharing them on

YouTube or Facebook is a way of sharing

our faith. The ideas are endless. We are

living in a different time from six months

ago. There is so much on media. Why

can't we use it to share our faith, to share

our joy of drawing and coloring, and to

share a joyful message that Jesus is

more than a word to us? Again the possi-

bilities are endless.

If you are interested in something like

this or maybe something even different

from art, please contact me (Marty). I

would love to hear from you and your

ideas. The main purpose of all of this is

fellowship in the presence of Jesus our

lord and savior.

If there is interest, we will begin this

small group in September. If you are in-

terested, please contact me (336-402-

5000) or give your name to Gretchen at

the church office and she will forward it

to me.

August 2020 5

August at Winstead

August Birthdays

Garrett Harper ........................................... 2

Ophelia Taylor ........................................... 3

Peggie Shultz............................................... 6

Madison Ferrell ........................................... 8

Josiah Kirby ................................................. 9

Brenda Pitt ................................................. 13

Winnie McVey .......................................... 14

Ryan Heiniger ........................................... 18

Kathy Creech ............................................. 19

Patricia Murray ......................................... 21

Carey Griffin ............................................ 23

Lisa Tedder ................................................ 27

Jeff Stith ................................................. 29

Sunday, August 2

9:00 am Worship on the Lawn (cover) 11:00 am Sunday School on Zoom

(pg. 3) 6:30 pm ECHO Youth on Zoom (pg. 3)

Wednesday, August 5

12:00 pm Wednesday Prayer on Zoom

Thursday, August 6

7:00 pm Bible Study on Zoom 7:00 pm SPRC Meeting on Zoom

Sunday, August 9

9:00 am Worship on the Lawn 11:00 am Sunday School on Zoom 12:00 pm Drive In Food Drive (pg. 6) 6:30 pm ECHO Youth on Zoom

Wednesday, August 12


Thursday, August 13

7:00 pm Bible Study on Zoom

Sunday, August 16

9:00 am Worship on the Lawn 11:00 am Sunday School on Zoom 6:30 pm ECHO Youth on Zoom

Tuesday, August 18

6:00 pm Church Council on Zoom



Thursday, August 20


Sunday, August 23


Tuesday, August 25

Newsletter Deadline



To get information to attend a Zoom meeting,

contact Pastor George or your committee chair.

Thursday, August 27

6:30 pm Nominations Committee on Zoom


Sunday, August 30


Upper Room Devotionals

Upper Room Devotionals for

July-August are available in the

office. If you would like one mailed

to you, contact Gretchen in the of-

fice. Regular and large print edi-

tions are available.


Serve

Seeds of Hope News by Priscilla Morello

Seeds of Hope Wilson welcomes Paige

Burnes as its new Executive Director.

Write her a note of welcome and send to:

Seeds of Hope, PO Box 2262, Wilson, NC

27894 .

Seeds of Hope is gearing up to work on

the shaded garden across Viola Street

from Seeds of Hope House. Moye Fence

Company is ready to put up fencing, then

we will have work groups to put in place

items that will turn it into the Pirate

Forest Garden! If you would like to help

with this project, let MaryEllen Bass,

(Continued on page 7)

Second Sunday Food Drive by MaryEllen Bass

Thank you very much, Winstead UMC

family, for your generosity of food and

monetary donations to feed the hungry in

our community. Your response during

this pandemic has served as a lifeline for

those in need.

We have hosted four Drive-in Food

Drives and plan to continue these the

second Sunday of each month for the

next few months. Our next one is

scheduled for Sunday, August 9, 12 - 2 pm,

hosted by the Women of Winstead.

Remember to place food and monetary

donations in bags or boxes in the trunk of

your car, drive around to the back, pop

your trunk and volunteers will receive

your donations. We are practicing

guidelines for safety by social distancing,

wearing masks and hand sanitizing.

You may also deliver Hand in Hand

supplies for Vick Elementary during the

Food Drives. See Hand in

Hand news for a list of needed

supplies for the school.

The food collected has been

distributed to food pantries at

Christ Deliverance and

Barnes Chapel churches in

Wilson. We have received over $1,200 in

monetary donations that have been

divided among these two church food

pantries and Hope Station to purchase

needed food for their pantries.

We also collected quite a few rolls of

paper towels for the Children's Home in

Middlesex that were delivered this past

week.

Thank you, too, to the volunteers that

have coordinated each drive. In the

words of Pastor George, "This is a

testimony to the generosity of God and the

people's response to God's generosity,

What a wonderful witness."

August 2020 7

Winstead News

Hand in Hand By Sanda Hight

The principal of Vick Elementary

School, Dr. Pamela Walthall, has given us

a list of items that are most needed at this

time for the school. The priority for the

opening of school will be supplies that

help with student safety and health.

Please consider making donations of the

following items:

• Hand sanitizer (large bottles, not indi-

vidual sizes)

• Disposable face masks (Thomas Drug

Store has masks; Walgreens has child-

sized masks; they may also be availa-

ble at other places.)

• Boxes of disposable gloves for staff

• Kleenex

You may place your donations in the

bins that will be located on the church

walkway or steps when we begin our out-

door worship services on August 2, or

you may deliver them when we have our

food drives on the second Sunday of each

month. Thank you for your donation.

We will also continue with our Prayer

Partner ministry.

We will check with the school later in

the year to see if there are other things

that our church can do. The school’s

needs might change as the year pro-

gresses. We will not be providing meals

for the staff or treats for the students un-

til further notice.

Joyce Wolfe or Pastor George know and

they can pass the word along to Paige

Burnes.

Seeds of Hope News (Continued from page 6)

Rendering of future Pirate Forest Garden

Dementia Caregiver Support Winstead’s Dementia Caregiver Sup-

port Group meets monthly and is an op-

portunity for our whole church to experi-

ence God’s grace. We en-

courage all of our church

family, friends, and friends

of friends to join the online

gathering.

We support caregivers

as they grieve loss, and

struggle to remain grounded in the hope

of God’s promise of eternal love and

grace through this painful time. And we

will also begin to explore the unique gifts

of those with dementia, and how they call

us to a deeper relationship with God.

Contact Pastor George at

[email protected] for an in-

vitation to the Zoom meeting.

1407 Tarboro Street

Wilson, NC 27893

Published monthly by:

Winstead United Methodist Church

1407 Tarboro Street

Wilson, NC 27893

252-237-3709

See the calendar for current office

hours.

[email protected]

www.WinsteadUMC.org

Sunday Schedule

Online worship videos are posted on

our website.

Pastor : Rev. George Loveland

Email: [email protected]

The Winstead Connection

Pastor

Rev. George Loveland

Director of Youth Ministries

Marty Johnson

Minister of Music

Sandy Pittman

Handbell Choir Director

Joyce Wolfe

Church Musician

Faye Jones

Office Administrator

Gretchen Hunt

Lay Leader

Jeff Creech

When outside your car, please wear a mask at all times and

maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from all worshipers outside

your household family. If you do not have a mask, we will have

some on hand.

As hard as this is for United Methodists to hear, as we are

known as a people who joy in singing God’s praise, there will be no

group singing. Studies have shown that the corona virus can be

spread through singing up to 20 feet. While we will have music, we

ask that you maintain a distance of 20 feet from the stage where

the singers and speakers are.

The Children’s Playground will be closed during outdoor wor-

ship.

Bathrooms are available for emergencies only.

Thank you in advance for helping keep the most vulnerable

among us safe.

"I was glad when they said to me, ’Let us go to the house of the

Lord!’" (Ps 122: 1).

And now, let us worship God!

Worship on the Lawn (Continued from page 1)

W instead C onnection2020/07/08 · the book called “Draw the Circle.” Some of you may have...

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