A Publication of Ann Street United Methodist Church
The Chimes “Making disciples of Jesus Christ by the
sea and throughout God’s creation”
Rev. Taylor Mills
Pastor
Telephone: 728-4279
Office Hours
During this time of social distancing, the staff are working mostly from
home rather than keeping regular office hours. If you need the church
office or any of the staff please do not hesitate to call 252-728-4279 or
email us at [email protected].
OUR PRAYER CONCERNS TODAY: T. Lee Allen, Jeff Barry, David and Prissy Beveridge, John Brooks, Eva Boyette, Helen Chappell, Jean Chappell, Charles and Erinanne Clark, Darryl Davis, Elva Debois, Bitsy Dudley, Aiden Elder, Sandra and Greg Ehrler, Jim Fix, Rosemary Garrish, Lucille Garvin, Tina Gilchrist, Chase Goodwin, Joyce Gutknecht, Anita Hardesty, Richard and Dorothy Harker, Dianna Herring, Sally Herring, Baxley Hoover, Lynn Judy, Cindy Kimrey, Harriette Kirk, Catherine Lanier, Jim Ledbetter, Lisa Mackey, Brendon McCreary, Henry McLeod, Beverly Pigford, Andra Pond, Cheryl Simpson, Betsy Smith, Sarah Sorrell, Patty Springle, Dianna and Freddy Voliva, Jason Watson, Adam and Kristin White, Ken Windley, Blanche Williams, Susan Yearsley and for the UMC and all churches.
We would like to introduce you to the new Assistant Directors of Ann Street UMC’s Alternate School Care (ASC) program.
Calista Weygoldt
Calista lives in Beaufort with her husband and two children. She has spent the last several year raising her children, teaching English as a second language online and pursuing education. She is soon to graduate with a Masters in Education from Concordia University. She had a strong education background and enjoys music and art in her free time.
Emily Keifer
Emily is new to Beaufort, having recently moved here from Massachusetts. She has a formal education in art and is certified to teach preschool as well as middle and high school art. She worked in various youth programming capacities with the YMCA of Greater Westfield and had a strong background in Youth Programming. She is innovative and creative!
Join us in welcoming Calista and Emily!
Like many things, COVID has
caused a significant delay in
the completion of the picture
directory from Life Touch. The
final proof has been reviewed
and approved, and we are
waiting on an update from
Life Touch for an estimated
time of delivery.
Please make sure to check
your email and watch the
Chimes for updates! Thank
you for your patience!
Dear ASUMC Family,
We would like to sincerely thank all of you for the many cards, visits, food, etc. that you sent our way during the recent passing of our father, Lester Murphy. The kindness our family received really helped comfort and sustain us through our sorrow.
Thank you (especially) to the Early Birds Prayer Group and the Wesleyan Circle for reminding us that “The God of hope (fills us) with all joy and peace in believing, (and) by the power of the Holy Spirit (we) abound in hope.” Romans 15:13.
Love in Christ, Cynthia M. and Bill Downum
The September through October Upper Room is available in the narthex.
From the Pastor:
Accepting Whatever May Come: How does God help me cope with suffering? (Psalm 139:19-24)
Lately our current situation has had me thinking about how we respond to suffering. I've studied
the book of Job to see how he responded when he lost everything. First, he responded with worship.
Though Got had sent an Adversary ("Satan" in Hebrew), Job still worshipped God.
Currently, I am considering what role resignation has to play in our human experience of loss. By
resignation I mean the acceptance of some unwanted experience. I invite you to ponder that for a
few moments today too.
Consider the loss of a beloved pet, for example. At some point in grieving, whether we want to or
not, we have to accept that our pet won't live forever. We become resigned to this truth.
The capacity to resign ourselves to loss helps us preserve our mental and emotional health for
the long term. Think about how bad it would be if we did not have resignation as a skill. We'd get
locked into a perpetual struggle with our troubles and never be able to move forward. Resignation
allows us to let some things come to pass and hopefully grow from them.
Let me be clear: this does not mean that we resign ourselves to the idea that things will never get
better. That is fatalism and pessimism. No, holy resignation is a gift from God designed to help us
cope with this fallen world until such time as "there will be no mourning, crying, or pain any-
more" (Revelation 21:4). This is hope! No matter what we experience in this life, we do not "grieve
as others do who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
While we resign ourselves to the fact that suffering will come...we must also resign ourselves to
the promise that God will not let this fallen world stay as it is forever! This is where Psalm 139 is so
helpful for us. It is a Psalm of self-examination traditionally attributed to David.
You are probably most familiar with verses 13 and 14 about God's intimate knowledge of us.
But verses 23 and 24 take that idea further. If I may attempt to paraphrase, the psalmist says to
God, "Since you know me so well, you know how I defend you against everyone who attacks you.
So examine me and put me to the test." What a bold statement! (Perhaps the psalmist should be
careful what he asks for.)
But we see in these verses a resignation to whatever trouble may come. The psalmist is confident
that God will not be found lacking. He is resigned to the truth that God will help him no matter what
happens!
Friends in Christ, as we push through these challenging and unprecedented times together, let us
remember that resignation is a gift from God...not just acceptance that bad things will happen...but
to resign ourselves to be a people of hope who believe with all our hearts that God will make things
right again!
Please pray with me: "Loving God, grant me such confidence in your wisdom that I can accept
what comes my way. In Jesus' name, Amen."
-Pastor Taylor
Save the date: Consecration Sunday is November 1st!
New District Superintendent to Preach
Our new District Superintendent, Rev. Jon Strother, will be our guest preacher on September 13th at 10am! His nickname is "Jon the Methodist"! Be sure to attend in person or online.
Let us remember in our prayers and thoughts those connected to our church family
serving our country in foreign lands:
Sgt. Mason Booth, US Army, Rusty Cotterman-SF, CSM John M. Farlow, Michael Hart-NG, Alexander Heller
-USN, Sarah Heller-USN, SSgt. Joshua W. Jones, Sgt. Jason Peterson, ENS. Jack Phillips, CPT. Wade
Sokolosky, Jr.
"God and the Pandemic" Bible Study
In times of disaster or crisis, Christians have been notoriously prone to jumping to conclusions about the nature and character of God, what God might be doing or saying in all this, and who is at fault for these great and terrible events.
But I want to invite you to embrace a different approach by joining us for the Pastor's Bible Study starting September 1 at 10:30AM over Zoom. We will read and discuss "God and the Pandemic: A Christian reflection on the Coronavirus and its Aftermath" by N.T. Wright.
Don't worry if you will be at work. The sessions will be recorded for you to find on our YouTube and Facebook channels.
Biblical scholar N.T. Wright will guide us in how to “keep our reactions within a biblical limit” and to read the events in the world through the light of Jesus and the early Christians. God and the Pan-demic will help you to understand how we are to think and talk about God, how we are to live in the present pandemic, and what is the church’s calling in the midst of it all.
Please order a copy on Amazon (e-book for about $7 or a paperback for $10). But even if you don't have your book yet, join us on September 1 for the discussion. Look for the link in the weekly church email or write or call me: [email protected] or 252-728-4279.
-Pastor Taylor
Joint Worship with Purvis Chapel AMEZ
We fondly remember combining our worship services with Purvis Chapel AMEZ church last year. This year we have found a safe way to do so in the midst of the pandemic:
Reverends Thomas Fryar and Taylor Mills announce that Purvis Chapel AMEZ and Ann Street UM churches will worship together in one safe and combined service on October 4th at 10AM on the greenspace at the corner of Ann St. and Craven St. (next to our church parking lot).
Please bring your own chair (but chairs will be provided for those who can't) and please sit spatially distanced. Both churches will livestream the service on their Facebook pages.
-Pastor Taylor
Community Evening Prayer
I am so excited to announce a community evening prayer event that will come to your neighborhood in and around Beaufort! We hope to find an Ann St. member in your neighborhood who will let me speak from their front porch while the Ann St. members and friends in that neighborhood bring a lawn chair and sit in the front yard.
It won't be a whole church service. Just a time to bring some Ann St. church to your neighborhood, see your church friends in a safe and socially distanced way, and pray together. We are in the process of setting up the dates and places so watch your email for more information!
Charge Conference
Charge Conference is on October 25th at 5pm entirely on Zoom. All church council members are members of the Charge Conference and will get a Zoom link by email. The link is available to anyone else from the church office by request.
Labor Day: The church staff will have the day off on September 7th in observation of Labor
The American Red Cross had a great day at Ann Street United Methodist Church on August 10. We collected 47 units of blood. We thank the donors and our prayer warriors for supporting the blood drive. A special THANK YOU goes out to our great volunteers: Lee P. Allen, Linda Hevner, Claudia Lewis, Marsha Pearce, Ardis Taylor-Schuele, Clara Wade, and Sarah Williams. The next blood drive will be Monday, October 5. If you would like to be part of our volunteer team, contact John McLeod at [email protected]. If you can donate, go to www.redcrossblood.org to make an appointment.
Youth Sunday 2020
Our youth will take a lead role in our worship service on September 27th at 10AM. Be sure to join in this worship in person or online to support our Ann Street Youth!
Special Class on How United Methodism Works!
Everyone is invited to take a course on UM polity being offered Conference-wide by Rev. Taylor Mills as part of the Lay Servant Ministry certification program! Learn how United Methodists “do church" and why? Serves as a great training for new United Methodists or for those who need a refresher, especially those who might be accepting leadership positions in their local church.
"Life Together in the United Methodist Connection" will be offered on Saturday, September 26,
through ZOOM from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Take the class from the comfort of your own home. No travel necessary!
The registration fee is $15.00, due at time of registration. After registering, you will receive an email with the order information for the required text – The Method of Our Mission: United Methodist Polity and Organization by Laceye C. Warner. You are required to read this text prior to the class. In addition, a copy of The Book of Discipline 2016 (or 2012) will be needed for class use (you might be able to borrow one from your church).
Registration will be open through September 18, 2020. You can register by bit.ly/2YulSbZ or by calling the church office or by clicking on the link in the church-wide email.
If you need to come into the Eure Bldg. during the day on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, please be advised: At this time, we need you to wear a mask and get a temperature check at the door before going to the fellowship hall or the kitchen. This is for the protection of the children in our Alternate School Care program.
Ann Street UMC youth and children’s Ministry news.
We’re excited about our Alternate School Care (ASC) program starting at the end of August and are excited to offer this service to the community. We have over 50 students enrolled. ASC operates on Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. If you are interested in being an adult volunteer with this program, please contact Julia at [email protected] or 252-269-8407.
Ann Street Youth will kick off on Sunday, September 13th with a beach day from 3 to 6 PM. We will be meeting at the New Bern Street beach access. Please have students bring a water bottle and a snack. Looking forward to starting Ann Street Youth this year. In addition, many of our youth are working at ASC working with the younger children.
Ann Street children’s ministries continues to have weekly Sunday school via Facebook live with Julia. Many of our children’s ministry participants are involved in the ASC program.
We are working on adjusting all of our fall programs so that we can gather safely and be in fellow-ship with one another. Check out our Ann Street Facebook page, Ann Street UMC Children’s Facebook Group, Ann Street UMC Youth Facebook Group, and our website for the latest information on happenings with the youth and children’s ministries.
The Chimes
August 2020
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
Paid Permit # 10
Beaufort, NC
28516
OFFICE and STAFF INFORMATION
Office-252-728-4279, Fax-252-504-3865,
Preschool-252-728-5411
E-mail address: [email protected]
Web page: www.annstreetumc.org
Polly Conrad, Administrative Secretary, Rhoda
Allred, Assistant to the Pastor for Visitation, Laura
Lewis, Financial Secretary, Julia Royall Johnson,
Children and Youth Director, Chris Barnes, Preschool
Director, Joe McCreary, Director of Music, Kandice
Davis, Organist, Lee Jones, Custodian, and Rachel
Wyman-Dawson, Communication Specialist.
September Events at Ann St. UMC In-person worship service Sundays at 10:00 am or join us on Facebook live
Tuesday, Sept.1, 7:30 am ASC,10:00 am Knit & Pray, 10:30 am Bible Study, 7:00 pm Challenger Sunday School
Wednesday, Sept. 2, 7:30 am ASC, 6:00 pm Prayer Time, 6:30 pm Trustees
Thursday, Sept. 3, 7:30 am ASC, 6:00 pm Solos on the Go, 7:00 pm Church Chat
Sunday, Sept. 6, Communion Sunday, 9:00 am Children’s Sunday School, 11:00 am Quest Sunday School
Monday, Sept. 7, Church office closed for Labor Day
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 7:30 am ASC, 10:00 am Knit & Pray, 10:30 am Bible Study, 7:00 pm Challenger Sunday School
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 7:30 am ASC, 6:00 pm Prayer Time
Thursday, Sept. 10, 7:30 am ASC, 7:00 pm Church Chat
Sunday, Sept. 13, 9:00 am Children ’s Sunday School, 11:00 am Quest Sunday School, 3:00 pm SPPRC, 4:00 pm ASY Kick-off at the beach
Tuesday, Sept.15, 7:30 am ASC, 10:00 am Knit & Pray,10:30 am Bible Study, 7:00 pm Challenger Sunday School
Wednesday, Sept.16, 7:30 am ASC, 6:00 pm Prayer Time
Thursday, Sept. 17, 7:30 am ASC, 7:00 pm Church Chat
Sunday, Sept. 20, 9:00 am Children ’s Sunday School, 11:00 am Quest Sunday School, 4:00 pm Stewardship Team meeting, 5:00 pm ASY
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7:30 am ASC, 10:00 am Knit & Pray, 10:30 am Bible Study, 6:00 pm Finance Meeting, 7:00 pm Challenger Sunday School
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7:30 am ASC, 6:00 pm Prayer Time, 7:00 pm Church Council
Thursday, Sept. 24, 7:30 am ASC, 7:00 pm Church Chat
Saturday, Sept. 26, 8:30 am Sound District Lay Servant Ministry
Sunday, Sept. 27, 9:00 am Children ’s Sunday School, 10:00 am Youth Sunday, 11:00 am Quest Sunday
Monday, Sept. 28, 6:30 pm Preschool Board Meeting
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 7:30 am ASC, 10:00 am Knit & Pray, 10:30 am Bible Study, 7:00 pm Challenger Sunday School
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 7:30 am ASC, 6:00 pm Prayer Time