The “GOOD NEWS” Letter is a monthly newsletter of

Epworth UMC. All visitors are welcome to

worship with us each Sunday at 8:00 am and

10:30 am at 4340 Arno Road. Sunday School

begins at 9:15 am with classes for all ages.

Church office is 4241 Arno Road, Franklin, TN

Office: 615-790-6695

Website: Epworth-umc.com

Dr. Angela Harris, Pastor

Rev. Mark Coursey, Associate Pastor

Ricardo King, Music Director

Jaime Rochester, Children/Youth Director

Judy Coursey, Communications

Newsletter Deadline: All articles for the next

newsletter are due on the third Sunday of month.

Bulletin Deadline: Information for the church

bulletin is due by Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m.

Information for both publications may be emailed to

janie.jefferson@epworth-umc.com

Epworth’s “Good News” Letter

3 Tyler Lillard

David Underwood

4 Ron Miller

7 Nellie Elder

8 Lisa Mohnke

9 Debbie Wilson

10 Cathy Parker

Wesley Thomas

11 Keith Knight

12 Kaylie Jefferson

Brad Temple

Knight Wilson

13 Steve Vaughan

18 Matthew Hastings

19 Mark Coursey

Noah Fast

22 Miriam Camargo

Caroline Williams

23 Robin Crowell

24 Angela Harris

Betsy Moreland

Rini Rembert

28 Panzey Maxwell

29 Jim Fast

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Holding Cross

Sunday Planned

2

Missions

Update

2

New Women’s

Study to Begin

2

Bridal Shower

Planned

6

Reachers

Meeting

6

Prayer Bead

Workshop

7

Birthdays 8

September 1 Labor Day

(office closed)

September 8 Grandparent’s Day

September 15 Fast/Baynes Shower

September 22 Holding Cross Sunday

October 6 World Communion

October 20 Fall Festival

October 22 Epworth Mountain

Soul at both

Worship Services

Congratulations

to our Children

and Youth

Director

Miss

Jaime

Rochester !!

Jaime graduated

from Belmont University on

August 9th!!

We are very proud of this young lady

and excited to have her on staff!!

Give her a big hug when you see her on

Sunday!!!

2 7

UMW PRAYER BEAD WORKSHOP

On Saturday, September 7th,

at 1 p.m. in Vaden Hall all

ladies, children, and youth are

invited to make Protestant

prayer beads. We have kits

available to make simple prayer beads for

children with a little supervision. Our goal

is to make enough for every lady and child

at Epworth to receive one as a gift at

Advent. Please join us!

Why prayer beads? 1) to provide a visual

reminder to pray to God, 2) to help you

become more comfortable with praying out

loud, 3) to enhance your relationship with

God.

There are 33 beads which represent Jesus'

age when He was crucified. The beads are

divided into 4 groups of 7 by a contrasting

bead. The number 4 represents the 4

points of the cross and the 4 Gospels. The

number 7 represents the 7 days of

creation. When praying, each group of

beads may be used for a different type of

prayer. For example: 1) praise God for 7 of

His amazing qualities, 2) thank God for 7 of

your blessings, 3) intercessory prayers for 7

people, and then 4) request help for 7 of

your own concerns.

Contact Nancy Meade at 443-280-1847 for

more information.

.

Thank you all for your generous gift and

life lessons you have all taught me. It

helps me move forward into my college

career as well as starting my new life in

an apartment. I love you all.

—Robyn Roten

Dear Epworth Congregation,

Thank you so very much for thinking of

me in this next step of life. I really do

appreciate the new bible. I wanted a

new one because I am starting over

essentially and I wanted a fresh bible to

take that journey with me. Thank you

again!

—Alena Read Sowell

We will resume serving a meal once a month for the youth at Frank-

Town during the school year. Specific dates to be determined, but it

will be on Monday nights. If you would like to help, contact Vicki

Campbell, d1v1campbell@gmail.com, or 615-473-7852.

If you have a heart of compassion and the gift of listening, come

with us to the Mothers Over Murder meetings at Corinthian Baptist Church in Nashville.

We meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays. The next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on

September 5. Contact Kathy Heard at 615-804-5369 if you would like to go.

Room in the Inn is just around the corner! We host 12 homeless men from Nashville on

the 2nd and 4th Thursday nights from November through March. See Connie Puryear

(615-478-8545) to sign up to be a driver, innkeeper, cook, launderer or to provide a

devotion.

We are planning a mission trip next summer to the Blackfeet United Methodist Parish

Ranch in Browning, Montana. If you would like to know more, see Kathy Heard or Cindy

Kurzrock.

The next Outreach Team meeting will be at the new site at 6:30 p.m. on Monday,

September 9. Anyone interested in working with our ministry partners or helping plan

our next Mission Sunday (April 26, 2020) is welcome to attend.

Save the Date

Our next scheduled Blood Drive

at Epworth UMC, Vaden Hall

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Noon - 6 p.m.

Look for more info in October’s

Newsletter

Holding Cross Sunday

On September 22, we will celebrate

our mission of the Holding Crosses.

During this special worship service, we

will have the opportunity to share our

experiences with the giving of Holding Crosses

to others. These stories inspire us to continue

to share Jesus by the giving of the Holding

Crosses. So be ready to share yours! In

addition we will pray over our new supply of

crosses.

Women's Bible Study

The Wednesday Morning Bible

Study will begin a new study on

September 11, 2019. This study

will be 1 and 2 Thessalonians. If

you are looking for a small group

and a study of God's Word, come

and join us at 9:30 a.m. on

Wednesday, September 11,

2019. Contact Penny Vaughan

at bobpenv@gmail.com if you plan

to join us so that there will be

enough study books.

The REACHERS will meet in Vaden Hall on Friday, September 27th at 11 a.m.

We are excited to have Hazel Givens give us a presentation on Porcelain Paint-

ing, including some pieces of her gorgeous artwork. And if we are lucky, she

may even read us some of her “Fractured Fairytales and Bedtime Stories"!

Lunch will be included. All are welcome to join us!

—-Julie Mowery, Archie Gentry, and Nellie Elder

There will be a BRIDAL SHOWER for

Caroline Baynes

Bride-elect of Jacob Fast

on Sunday, Sept. 15

from 2-4 p.m. in Vaden Hall.

Everyone is invited to attend.

Prayer Calendar

The Harpeth River District Office is asking each church in the district to lift up

their sister churches in prayer every Sunday! Pray that each congregation will

“fish for people” and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of

their community.

“Come, follow me”, Jesus said, “ and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Mark 1:17

September 1 Chinubee; Choates Creek; Christ

September 8 Clifton; Coleman Memorial; College Grove

September 15 Collinwood; Columbia First; Cowles

September 22 Craft Memorial; Dunn; East End

Please join us for worship on

Sunday!

8 am and 10:30 am

Sunday School at 9:15 am

4

5

Below is a devotional that a friend shared with me about the importance of us meeting

together with our fellow believers.

“Your Second Home”, Arlene Pellicane

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not

giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another

– and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

— Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV

My 9-year-old daughter Lucy calls it her second home.

It’s not an athletic field, the shopping mall, or the movie theater. Lucy’s second home is our

church. Whenever the doors are open – whether it’s for main service or to paint backdrops

for children’s church – she wants to be there.

I think we could all use a dose of Lucy’s enthusiasm when it comes to going to church!

My family started going to church when I was in elementary school. Back then, it was

common to have Sunday morning church and Sunday evening church. We usually went

both times, and I can certainly remember faking a cold or stomachache to get out of church

so I could stay home and watch TV instead.

But now as an adult, I am very grateful my parents brought me to church when the doors

opened. Not only attending church, but being involved in church was a priority in our family

life. My parents served as ushers. I got involved in youth group leadership. Going to church

was non-negotiable unless you were legitimately sick. Looking back, I can honestly say

some of my closest moments with God happened inside that church when I was a teenager.

Kids need to form the habit of showing up to church every week to mature in their faith, and

adults do too. Today’s truth reminds us of the value of meeting together, “And let us

consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meet-

ing together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the

more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV).

Not giving up meeting together…some New Testament believers were deciding not to

assemble with other Christ followers. This was a huge cause for concern. A person’s ability

to persevere in obedience is dependent on meeting with other Christians for worship and

and encouragement. No one can live the Christian life in isolation.

What was true then is true now. Church attendance isn’t just about crossing something

off your to-do list. It’s something essential for the health of your soul. If you stop going

to church, if you stop listening to your pastor teach the Word of God, if you stop singing

praise to God, if you stop talking to other Christians, if you stop praying with others, it

won’t take long for your love of God to grow cold.

We need each other and that’s why God has provided the church as your second

home. Some who identify as Christians don’t see participation in a local church as a

must. Participation is seen as optional. But the New Testament urges us other-

wise. Part of becoming a Christian is being united into one body of believers, the

church. Speaking of Jews and Gentiles reconciled through Christ, the Apostle Paul

writes, “Consequently you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens

with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the

apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

(Ephesians 2:19-20, NIV).

You are not alone. You are part of the family of God. The church can be your second

home. It all starts with showing up every week and getting involved.

Dear Jesus, thank You that I am no longer a foreigner or a stranger, but I am part of the

family of God. Thank You for the believers You have put in my life to encourage

me. Help me to be a godly friend to others, a good listener, and a promoter of unity in

my local church. Bless my pastor with wisdom and strength today.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

(a devotional from Seedbed Text, Author, JD Walt)