General Posts

Prayer Walk Anyone?

            On Sunday, June 12 at 4:00, I will lead a prayer walk around the neighborhood behind the church. Any and all are welcome to be a part of this visible, non-threatening (all dogs abide by the leash law, right?) ministry into the community. No, we will not carry signs saying we are from AUMC. We will walk and pray. This is a first step in connecting with our neighborhood. For years we have asked them to “come to us”. But Jesus told us to “Go”. We take the Gospel into the world. The world around us used to come. There was a “Christian memory” in most people….back then! But that doesn’t work anymore. We have generations today with no such memory of childhood Sunday school or revivals through which to connect. Therefore, we must take the initiative! Walking and praying give us a good start. We will not knock on doors or seek to converse, unless someone asks, “What are you doing?” Then we can offer to pray specifically for the person. Otherwise, we will stop and pray for the “family in this house and the family in that house and for the ministry of that church and for the students of this school.” You get the idea.

We are not Aldersgate promoting ourselves. We are Christians making a very simple spiritual foray into the world around us. It will be more effective than we may ever know. Make plans to be here, weather permitting. And pray for the effectiveness of the prayer walk!  - - Ben

General Conference Is This Month

General Conference will meet May 10-20. As usual, it will be political and ecclesiastical.  The political agenda will focus on two issues of no surprise: homosexuality and abortion. The church issue is that of guaranteed appointments for elders in full connection. The supporters of the LGBTQ agenda want to remove the statement in the Book of Discipline that says the homosexual lifestyle is incompatible with Christian teaching and openly accept LGBTQ persons for ordination, probably the most debated issue of the conference.

The petition to withdraw our affiliation with Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) will again be on the docket. The Discipline supports abortion only when the continuance of pregnancy will cause the death of a woman, not her lifestyle. RCRC supports abortion for all reasons including partial-birth, use as birth control and even gender selection. In the many decades we have been affiliated with RCRC, there is no evidence that our involvement has had any impact in bringing them to a stance that reflects our Discipline’s standards.

Ordained Elders have worked under the protection of guaranteed appointment. This means once you have ordination you will always have an appointment unless you commit a crime or some extremely sinful activity. The story is told of a preacher who “served” five churches in five years. When asked about his ineffectiveness he responded, “There are a lot more than 40 churches in the Conference and I’m not planning on serving more than 40 years.” The “No Guarantee of Appointment” resolution would end this. The question is what determines effectiveness. If it is the ability to please everyone all the time, no one is effective. If it means to never ruffle feathers, let’s remember the prophetic preachers of the ‘60s who preached the hard stuff and benefitted from the guaranteed appointment. Also, there is a widely accepted hunch that in some circles of great influence, effectiveness is based on whether the apportionments are paid in full. (But you didn’t hear that from me!) Guaranteed appointment has helped promote the unpopular, prophetic word in the past as well as the slackers who bluffed their way in. This is a big decision! Pray for General Conference.  --  Ben

Outdoor Revival Concert

Contemporary Service Logo (png) 032716Kickoff EventOutdoor Revival Concert with Unworthy, Praise Band April 30, 2016 1-3 PM. Hot dog lunch at 12 noon

The Church is hosting a contemporary music revival and Re-Ignite kick off on Saturday, April 30th from 12-3PM.  This concert is outdoors in the parking lot and features the praise band “Unworthy” from Gastonia. We have complimentary hot dogs and water from Noon until 12:45.  Then settle in with your lawn chairs to listen to some uplifting Christian music.  Our Pastor will be giving you some spiritual food also.   The food, drink and concert are free but we will be accepting a love offering if you choose to participate.   Come join us for a spiritual afternoon.

This event will be held “Rain or Shine”.  We have an indoor facility also.

Come Re-Ignite on Wednesday Nights!

Re-Ignite is a new Aldersgate contemporary worship service aimed to feed your mid-week spiritual appetite. We will also use the service to reach out to youth, the unchurched, and other new members that may be more comfortable with a relaxed, informal praise experience. Re-Ignite will be a deeply spiritual service that will speak to your heart, for the glory of Christ, and will be a launch pad for future programs and growth of our Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

The first Re-Ignite service will be Wednesday, May 4th at 7:30 PM in the fellowship hall. We’d love for you to attend!

 

 

Online Giving

As you know, we are coming into the summer months when many of us will be taking vacations and missing Church on some occasions.  Our budget is still dependent on contributions whether you are in the pew or not.  So to ensure uninterrupted giving, please consider using our online option.  Another benefit is that records of all transactions can be automatically imported into our Church Database so there is always a record and this ensures more accurate Giving Statements. We have a new Online Giving Program which we hope will make your giving experiences easier and faster.  The new program is called Pushpay.  I have posted a short video which gives you quick directions how to use Pushpay.  This is a very secure and used by several thousand churches from across the country.  There are FIVE ways to use Pushpay for your online giving:

  1. Computer:  www.pushpay.com/pay/aumcrockhill/
  2. Computer:  Visit our Website, www.aumcblog.com, and look for the link to "Online Giving" under the "Member Resources" section on the right side.
  3. Phone:  Text the keyword AUMCROCKHILL to 77977 to get a link to give from your phone.  Please be aware that Msg & Data rates may apply.
  4. Pushpay App: Look for Pushpay in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to install on your phone.
  5. Aldersgate App:  Look for Aldersgate UMC Rock Hill in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to install on your phone.

Again, please consider using this online option.  Thanks very much for you support.

April: A Time of Preparation

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ speaks of new life. It is not just a historical event to be celebrated each year, but an event that points us forward to a future that reflects that power of life in what we do. Some things that live in our hearts have gotten staid and stodgy in the perception of the world and no longer reflects relevancy to those around us. Therefore, we must live in the newness of the Spirit, bringing the Gospel to those who have not heard in ways that will help them hear. To do so, we are embarking on a new worship service to be held on Wednesday nights starting May 4. To kick if off, we are having an outdoor concert on Saturday, April 30. These events will provide opportunity to share with people our faith on a one-to-one basis. This is a way Christian faith can be shared effectively. It is also what some are most fearful of. To be less fearful, we shall prepare to share. To those interested, I will lead a study using the book of Acts to see how the early church spread the Gospel. Taking instruction from Acts we will seek to implement their examples to our practice. We will start this Wednesday, April 6 at 7:35 (or after hand bells). I ask that you read through Acts before the first class starts. There will only be four of these classes before the concert, so each class will be pointed for the purpose at hand. Hopefully, each one will better understand his or her own experience in Christ so as to be more comfortable to share your story with others and lead them to Christ.

The Resurrection calls us to a new day for a new way to share the Gospel. In doing so, we broaden our ministries in the community in which we seek to make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world. -- Ben