Faith Family: 

It’s Vacation Bible School season again – WOO! HOO! As many of you already know we are anticipating a wild experience of “PANDA-MANIA” in this “place of grace” Sunday night through Thursday night (June 12-16) from 6:15 pm to 9 pm. Everyone in the church has a role in this movement of God that usually hosts between 100-150 preschoolers, elementary grade schoolers, and middlers. If you have a child or know of someone who does, please print the attached registration form and invite them to come. This is a ministry our church does with EXCELLENCE! Once again, we are delighted that due to the radical generosity of our congregation, we can offer this event to our community free of charge.

 

Secondly, if you would like to help at VBS this year, then simply come to our volunteer orientation meeting tonight at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall. While all the “out in front” roles have been filled (thank you dear souls!), we need folks who can be crew leaders. What that basically means is that you will lead a small group of children from station to station per the planned schedule. It’s not a scary thing to do and it is a critical role in our overall VBS experience. It gives you a chance to see what VBS is all about while helping the kids experience the love of God. We like to keep the size of our crews low (4 or 5 kids) but we can only do that when we have a large number of crew leaders. Please come tonight and find out more!

 

Thirdly, we always need extra folks to float around the Church Campus as well – people who have gone through our Safe Sanctuary training (like all the other VBS volunteers). It helps “everyone” to see familiar faces in the hallways  and outside to just help things run smoothly. Join us in our prayers for an outstanding VBS experience of God!!! Safe sanctuary training is Wed June 1 at 7 pm and Saturday June 4 at 9:30 am (expect between 30-45 minutes.) Remember, if you want to eat the prepared meals with us each night for the volunteers from 5:00 to 5:45 pm, you need to make a reservation with us!

 

Lastly, please surround this event with your prayers beginning right now. Pray that God uses our service to plant seeds that germinate into a magnificent Kingdom garden in the years ahead. My first memory of God as a child was my experiences at VBS. You just don’t know how God will use you to change a life until you get out there…so come get out there with us! If you have any questions, contact our Children and Youth Director (and VBS Grand Coordinator), Paulla Groover prgroover@yahoo.com

 

Picnic Table Build & Cookout:

A group of folks are planning a Saturday morning event at the church on June 4th from 8 am to 11 am to build picnic tables for the pavilion and then use them to do a cookout for all who come at the pavilion – build them and then use them! If you have any questions, contact Kay Allison at kay.allison@delta.com Come get to know some folks from other worship services and build some relationships (and some picnic tables too!)

 

Ryan Story / Maria Mangano Wedding Shower/Reception:

A group of good hearts are putting together a shower for the Story family. So many of us watched Ryan grow up in this church. We celebrated his Eagle Scout accomplishment in this church. We celebrated his High School graduation in this church. We celebrated his time in college in Iowa in this church and on June 11 we will be celebrating his loving relationship with his bride Maria as they come back to Hampton to get married in this church. If you would like to celebrate with them, we are “surprising” them with an impromptu wedding shower this coming Sunday (June 5) in the fellowship hall immediately following the 11 am worship service.

 

A Note from Your Church Council Chair (Luther Allison) Regarding UMC Building Process:

We had a great first “listening” session last week! The conversation was awesome! The entire Congregation is invited to attend one of these as we dream God sized dreams discerning together our current and future ministry needs. The next meetings are:

June 28 at 7 pm (Tuesday Night)

July 16 at 10 am (Saturday Morning)

July 17 at 4 pm (Sunday Afternoon)    Luther.Allison@southernregional.org

 

Wednesday Night Nurture:

There is no Wednesday Night Nurture during the summer break. We do have a summer youth program (Middlers and High Schoolers combined) that will begin Wednesday June 8th and run from 6 pm to 8 pm (hot dogs will be the meal.) There is a youth summer program available from Paulla as well prgroover@yahoo.com Wednesday night supper will not begin again until August after the kids have gone back to school.

 

VBS Mission Opportunity: Take the Word of God to Latin America and to Hampton, Georgia

Some of you have seen the amazing bamboo tree in the fellowship hall (Thank you Wendy Haymans for your creative spirit!). What many of you may not have realized is that tree is not just for decoration. Go look at what’s hanging in the bamboo. There are envelopes with an invitation on them. Part of the mission project all our VBS kids will do is provide Bibles in Spanish and English. The Spanish Bibles will be sent with the Kid’s Mission project to kids in Latin America while the English Bibles will be kept by the children here in Hampton who attend our VBS. That will take generosity and commitment to do! If you would like to make that project a reality, PLEASE TAKE those mission envelopes, fill them with your generosity, close them and place in the offering plate at any of our worship services. We showed the Operation KID to Kid video at the traditional worship services this last Sunday – as we taught the children what doing a “mission project” means…help us reinforce what they learned!

 

New Adult Education Training:

We will be adding two new life application courses to our growing list of Adult Education ministries this fall. As of right now, we plan to start a “Divorce Care for Kids” class and a “Single and Parenting” class. We already have some folks who have expressed an interest in helping us to facilitate these courses which we hope to launch in September. If you think you might want to help facilitate either one, reconnect with Bruce Hargis (even if you expressed interest a while ago) at av8rman51@bellsouth.net  so we can work the required training plan to equip you for your ministry.

 

United Methodist Men:

If you are looking for a small group to be involved in check out the Hampton, Mt. Carmel, Lovejoy UMM that will meet on Tuesday, May 31st at 7:00 pm at Lovejoy UMC.

 

Casual Sunday’s

Casual Sunday’s are now officially here. Please feel free to come to worship dressed in clothing that is comfortable in the heat of the season!

 

Current Church Financial Information

April YTD Giving:         $103,998             May General Fund Giving Goal:           $30,583

April YTD Expenses:    Later                 May General Fund Giving (5 weeks):      $28,652

We are very thankful for your generous hearts and all of your sacrificial giving!

 

Faith Family, Staff , and all Routine Worshipper’s Prayer Concerns/Joys (specifically for this week):

Rachael & David McGinnis – death of son Malcolm – Memorial service will be at HUMC week of June 6 (plans still being put together)      955 South Bethany Rd, Locust Grove, GA  30248

Jodi Braun (our Preschool Teacher of the 2 yr old class) – loss of her pregnancy (Jodi has a faith family but let’s wrap her in all our love in this very difficult time)      5034 Hwy 81 East, McDonough, GA 30252

Tracy Chitwood – side affect of one of her long term med’s is causing jawbone issues – tests this week to determine plan.

Elaine Daniel – double surgery on Thursday June2 (thyroid and salivary gland) at Emory Mid-town

Erin Allison – Mississippi Mission Trip beginning Wed, June 1

Becky Bolton's sister (Paula Dashtpeyma) – bone marrow transplant recovery - platelets up doing a little better..

Becky Bolton’s Mother (Lillian Norton) – diagnosed liver cancer under hospice care in Jackson

Gage Steele – discernment and final decisions to officially be on heart transplant list

Scott Isaac’s Mother (Susan Levine) – under hospice care

Robin Godbee’s sister (Cheryl) – not doing well with cancer treatments

Sam Wakefield – general health concerns (pancreas)

Russ Creekmore – 11 yr old nephew William Creekmore in Nebraska was diagnosed with Leukemia – undergoing treatments.

Karen Dorsey’s Father (Warren Fletcher) – back in hospital in Tifton with complications

Majorie Little – having to repeat chemo treatments for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with harsher treatment – Bill & Marge are moving to Charleston SC to be with daughter at the end of May – will pass on new address when we get it.

Mary Nell Graziosi – chemo complete - surgery scheduled on June 14.

Domini Re-Darling’s Mother (Robbie Re) – open wound and improved breathing.

Kay Allison and Cecilia Chandler niece (Ashley McKenan) – general health issues.

Gail Edwards & Kathy Hembree – both got good pathology reports.

Susan Aukerman’s daughter (Susan) expecting  – will induce labor this week – Wed Doctor visit

Kirsten Hughes Father (Clifford Taylor) – general health

Ray Horne – his Mom and Brother have serious ongoing health issues

 

Upcoming Brief Calendar of Events:

Mt. Carmel/Lovejoy/Hampton UMM – May 31 at 7 pm at Lovejoy UMC

Church Council Meeting – June 7 at 7 pm in the sanctuary

Vacation Bible School Dates Sunday through Thursday - June 12-16

Ryan Story / Maria Mangano Wedding at HUMC Saturday – June 11 (4:30 pm)

Pentecost June 12

Annual Conference (in Athens) – June 14-17 (Lay Delegate – Matthew Chitwood, Clergy Delegate – Rev. Mark Burgess)

 

SMILE, you have just been "tickled." Go ahead - laugh out loud - it feeds the soul!

God's Joy, mark                                    www.hamptonumc.org        

Through our service God will reach people, touch souls, change hearts, and launch disciples.