www.cloverfumc.com January 2018 From the Pastor Mission: We, the congregation, in humble and selfless service to God, will go forth joyfully, empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit, to seek out, welcome, accept, and nurture persons to become faithful and effective disciples for Jesus Christ. Christmas with the Wilkes Clan ~ This year, the Wilkes side of our family gathered for a few days in the Northwestern part of our state, next to a Lake and a Tiger University, for a few days of relaxation. It was the first year in many that our entire family was present together. The past few years have not been easy for our family. Dad has undergone two surgeries and recoveries and my older sister and family have been away in Thailand. With some of the nieces and nephews now living in other states, from California to Tennessee, and the rest of us spread out in SC, this Christmas 2017celebration for us be- came a mini family reunion. (I remember several years back, the Wilkes used to get together for summer beach Vacations with the whole group of us, yet for a variety of reasons that many of you understand yourselves, this has not happened in years.) In reflec- tion of this Christmas, I want to share with you one experience from Lake Cherokee. Meg and I volunteered to sleep in the loft of this beautiful home overlooking the lake and the great room of the house. Sleeping in this spot sounds great, until you realize that every word spoken in that great room echoes into the loft and into the ears of those staying there. Seriously, from the loft you can hear every potato chip eaten in the kitchen below! It was the second night of our vacation. We had just hiked a wa- terfall in the Nantahala Forest earlier in the day, played games and eaten chili for supper, so the adults were worn out and ready for some shut eye. But the young people were just getting revved up! It was about 1am and crescendo level loud. All Adults were bedded down for the night and the kids had promised to try to keep it down. Meg and I were nestled in our bed upstairs like Charles and Caroline Ingalls from “Little House on the Prairie.” (continued) First United Methodist Church ● Clover, SC
Transcript
www.cloverfumc.com January 2018
From the Pastor
Mission:
We, the congregation,
in humble and selfless
service to God, will go
forth joyfully,
empowered and
enabled by the Holy
Spirit, to seek out,
welcome, accept, and
nurture persons to
become faithful and
effective disciples for
Jesus Christ.
Christmas with the Wilkes Clan ~
This year, the Wilkes side of our family gathered for a few days in
the Northwestern part of our state, next to a Lake and a Tiger
University, for a few days of relaxation. It was the first year in
many that our entire family was present together. The past few
years have not been easy for our family. Dad has undergone two
surgeries and recoveries and my older sister and family have
been away in Thailand. With some of the nieces and nephews now
living in other states, from California to Tennessee, and the rest
of us spread out in SC, this Christmas 2017celebration for us be-
came a mini family reunion. (I remember several years back, the
Wilkes used to get together for summer beach Vacations with the
whole group of us, yet for a variety of reasons that many of you
understand yourselves, this has not happened in years.) In reflec-
tion of this Christmas, I want to share with you one experience
from Lake Cherokee.
Meg and I volunteered to sleep in the loft of this beautiful home
overlooking the lake and the great room of the house. Sleeping in
this spot sounds great, until you realize that every word spoken
in that great room echoes into the loft and into the ears of those
staying there. Seriously, from the loft you can hear every potato
chip eaten in the kitchen below!
It was the second night of our vacation. We had just hiked a wa-
terfall in the Nantahala Forest earlier in the day, played games
and eaten chili for supper, so the adults were worn out and ready
for some shut eye. But the young people were just getting revved
up! It was about 1am and crescendo level loud. All Adults were
bedded down for the night and the kids had promised to try to
keep it down. Meg and I were nestled in our bed upstairs like
Charles and Caroline Ingalls from “Little House on the Prairie.”
(continued)
First United Methodist Church ● Clover, SC
To be honest, it was more like sleeping on the rim of a Bose loudspeaker. The sound that came
over the rail that night was probably more like a loud Italian Restaurant or a Downtown Bar
than nieces and nephews wrapping up the night. But then I heard Meg say, “I love it; it’s music
to my ears.” We agreed that it did our hearts good to hear the sounds of all those cousins, “our
kids” now grown up, laughing and playing, eating and singing, celebrating life together --with
our occasional “hold it down; Nana and Papa are sleeping.”
The next morning, as the adults woke for breakfast and coffee, we found out that everyone in
the house was awake and hearing the noise of our offspring….deep into the morning. Eventual-
ly, the kids started a movie, which eventually settled down the talking, and eventually they
went to bed so that we all slept at least a few hours before daybreak.
The next day ~ we said goodbye to the kids who would go from there back to work or to school,
and to the adults who would travel back home to our jobs and commitments…..back to occa-
sionally liking pictures on Facebook or hearting instagrams, back to being away from fami-
ly…… until we meet again. I am missing the roaring sounds of the kids in the wee hours of the
morning… and the gift of family.
Joy and Peace ~ Rev. Tommy Wilkes/ Sr. Pastor of First UMC, Clover
PS: One of the best things about this year’s vacation house was that there was no reliable inter-
net access….so the phones were down and all the kids and adults had to actually talk and
share at all times. Thank God for Low Tech holidays.
Afterthought: I often hear the gentle, loving, roaring of voices and laughter, sharing and cele-
bration coming from the sounds of your Sunday School Rooms, the Missions and Fellowship
Center, the Youth Room, the Choir Room or in the halls of our church building….. when we
might think no one is listening. Music to our ears. May we, together, always give thanks for our
church family.
From the Pastor, continued
Our Dear Church Family, We have so enjoyed this Advent and Christmas season with you. The many worship services and celebrations have meant more to us than we have words to express and we hope the same has been true for you. To all who have remembered us in particular ways, with cards and gifts, we want to extend a special and warm thank you. Your thoughtful gestures encourage us so much in our ministry with you, and help us to experience God's love for ourselves and for our own fami-ly in personal way. Thank you, thank you. Merry Christmas to you all, our First UMC family, and a Happy New Year to you and yours! Love and the Peace of Christ, Pastors Tommy and Meg Wilkes
Confirmation will begin in mid-January at FUMC, Clover. If your child is going into the 7th
grade next year or older and would like to join us for Confirmation 2018, please register
through the church office.
Confirmation is a wonderful time where young people are able to ask questions about the faith
and learn the basic doctrines and teachings of the Church and Scripture.
At the end of this experience, young people will be offered a Confirmation Retreat to Lake
Junaluska, NC and a time to confirm their Baptism before the congregation.
A Parent Orientation session will take place
Sunday, January 14 at 10:00am in the sanctuary.
Did you know we are scheduling a time of “Safe Sanctuary Preparedness?” A speaker from the
Sheriff’s Department of York County will speak on January 21st at 4pm in the Missions and
Fellowship Center.
Members of the church and others from the community/area
churches are welcome to come and hear “best practices” on keeping
our Sanctuaries Safe and Secure Locations at all times for Worship
and Ministry. See the Bulletin for more details in the coming
weeks. Contact Tom Meyer for more information.
United Methodist Women will host the fifth annual “Festival of Tables” ladies luncheon on Sat-
urday, May 19, 2018. You can reserve a table for $5.00 and decorate in your chosen theme, us-
ing your tableware and decorations. Guest tickets are $8.00 each.
Last year over one hundred women attended to preview the decorat-
ed tables and enjoy a delicious lunch. To reserve a table or if you
want further information contact Linda Abernathy (222-7591) or
Grace White (222-7528). Please plan to join us!
Festival of Tables
Changes for 2018 in staff: adding a part time assistant
for our Children’s Ministry
For about a year and a half, First UMC has experimented with a full time position for Direc-
tor of Youth and Children’s Ministries. In the summer of 2015, we hired Jon Valentine to
serve as Director of both of these significant areas of ministry. The pastoral staff and the
SPRC have closely monitored this scenario over the last 18 months and have found that our
Children’s Ministry program is in need of more undivided attention. Upon accepting the posi-
tion of Director of Youth and Children’s Ministry, Jon was transparent with the SPRC that
his experience and confidence in working with Youth outweighed the same for children. We
have known from the beginning that adjustments may be necessary if the demands proved to
be too extensive to cover both Youth and Children’s ministry areas exceptionally well.
At this juncture, the SPRC has concluded that our children’s program will better grow and
thrive with some assistance for our Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries. For our size
church, in a growing community, the responsibility and direction of both a full time youth
ministry and a full time children’s ministry requires more time and attention than one posi-
tion has been able to cover. As a large congregation with a significant presence in the Clover
community, we want to provide the best quality Christian education, faith development and
children’s programming possible.
Jon has agreed that hiring a part time (6 hrs week) assistant for our Wednesday program-
ming and its extension ministries is more important than maintaining the original contract
and compensation. At this time, Jon will continue to be our full time Director of Youth and
Children’s Ministries, but will receive a reduced compensation in order that the church may
hire an assistant for him in order to insure a thriving Children’s Ministry. In other words,
there are no financial changes to the church budget for this assisting staff position and Jon
remains the full time Director for both youth and children’s programming.
Under the recommendation of our pastoral staff (including the previous Children’s Minister,
now Associate Minister) and the approval of the SPRC, Cathy Allen has been hired as our
Wednesday Big/Tweens Coordinator to assist Jon in reaching the children in this congrega-
tion and beyond with enthusiasm and inspiration for learning about Jesus and growing in
faith! Cathy has been a teacher for various grade levels for many years in the Clover commu-
nity and is currently serving at Bethany Elementary School. Cathy has served as a volunteer
for youth and children’s ministries right here at FUMC for many years as well. Her new re-
sponsibilities as the part time Big/Tweens Coordinator will include, among other things,
providing a vibrant and consistent leadership and presence on Wednesday evenings with our
children and their families, maintaining our Safe Sanctuary policy of signing in and out, and
coordinating and interacting with all three age groups we serve during that hour – Preschool,
Early Elementary and Tweens. (continued)
Cathy will work with Jon Valentine to lead the Children’s Ministry team in designing, plan-
ning and implementing the Wednesday programming, using resources prepared in coopera-
tion with the pastoral staff. She will organize volunteers for Wednesdays, communicate regu-
larly with volunteers and parents, and take the lead in reaching out to nurture our children
and their families on Wednesdays, Sundays and in special events and activities. We are ex-
pecting that Cathy’s undivided attention on Wednesdays, her enthusiasm for publicizing the
Children’s Ministry overall, and her attention to the lives of the children of FUMC and the
Clover community will help to grow our enthusiasm for Wednesdays and for all children’s
events. Cathy will also assist our full time Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries in the
planning and implementation of seasonal events, which are extensions of the Wednesday
Children’s program ministry, including the Fall Festival, our annual Christmas Program, the
Easter Celebration and Egg Hunt, and Vacation Bible School. Please join us in welcoming
and encouraging Cathy Allen in the assisting position of Big/Tweens Coordinator!
Ray Reavis, David Edwards, Bob Grindle, Conference Lay Members
With loving conversations, kind cards, ardent prayers, you, the people of God at
First UMC, Clover, have graciously comfort-ed and supported me in the recent death of my sister, for which I am profoundly thank-ful. May God continue to bless you as you
