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Weekly E-News, Eastern Shore District U.M.C.

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Weekly E-News of the Eastern Shore District of The United Methodist Church
Issue: Thursday, April 9, 2015

Campers can't get enough!

Occohannock on the Bay is once again taking the Bay Ecology Camp for ages 9 to 15 to different places. Campers will experience even more new and exciting adventures than in previous years. Not only will this camp provide an educational environment on a daily bases, but it will be done in a way no child will get at school. Campers will also enjoy traditional camp activities, along with other exciting field trips and exploring the bay and the marshes. The group will travel to Chincoteague's Field Station, as well as swimming, ice cream stop, and an over night stay at Chincoteague. The group will also take a trip to Bateman's Nature Center and Tom's Cove Nature Center.

To learn more about this Camp and the large variety of camps available this summer at Occohannock on the Bay Camp and Retreat Center, go to www.ootbay.org. You can register on line! Hurry, this is another camp that's going to fill up fast!

Staff/Pastor-Parish Training , April 16

Training for Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committee members and pastors is going to be at Market Street UMC, Onancock on Thursday, April 16, 2015, 6:30 -8:30 pm. District Superintendent Joyner will be our leader. No fee. Casual dress.

Mark your calendars! Chairs, contact your committee members and pastors and bring them along! We'll be looking for you!

Lay Leadership as a Second Reformation

When Bishop Young Jin Cho was still Pastor Cho at the Korean United Methodist Church of Greater Washington, he prayed his way into a new Reformation along with his congregation. “Today many Christian leaders are calling the rediscovery of lay ministry the Second Reformation,” he wrote in a book titled Transforming Power. “While the first Reformation handed the Bible to the laity, the Second Reformation is the movement handing ministry over to the laity.”* Whereas KUMCGW had previously grown in prayer and building space, now the focus turned to developing lay ministry and renewing small groups. Cho calls it the “most transforming” period of the church’s life.

Churches have traditionally placed a lot of emphasis on educating and training clergy. This is entirely appropriate. But real transformation happens when lay members also grow in their leadership. Clergy who attend training events with lay members are much more likely to have a team when they return that will help turn those opportunities into real fruit.

How to Reach New People, Checking Vital Signs, SPPR Training, and Lay Servant Training are all opportunities for expanding the vision and developing the gifts for lay ministry. Churches can sometimes grumble at the cost of lay leadership training, but these can be life-giving expeditions that help us to live out our calling. How does your congregation invest in lay leadership training?

Stand firm,
Alex

*Transforming Power: Stories from Transformational Leaders for Encouragement and Inspiration, ed. by Hugh Ballou [Discipleship Resources, 2008], p. 67.

Guilford's selling lemonade on World Malaria Day

On Saturday, April 25th Guilford United Methodist Church will be selling Lemonade to raise money for the Conference's Initiative of "Imagine No Malaria" on the parking lot of the Bloxom Volunteer Fire Dept. in

Bloxom from 12 N - 4 p.m.

Come out and support Imagine No Malaria! Don't forget to send us your dates and times for your lemonade stands! Send to easternshoredistrict@vaumc.org

Need help designing a lemonade stand? Here are some ideas
It doesn't matter what your lemonade stand looks like — you can use a card table, cardboard boxes, anything that's handy. But if you want some ideas for building something creative, view these instruction videos found on YouTube:
How to Put Together the Pallet Lemonade Stand
How to Build a Lemonade Stand
Tracy Metro builds a Lemonade Stand
CraftSanity on TV: How to make your own lemonade stand
How to Make a Lemonade Stand, with Chad Stanton

Parsonage walk-thru, March - May!

Between March and May every year an on-site parsonage review is a Discipline requirement. This inspection is made with the Pastor, the Staff/Pastor-Parish Relations Committee Chairperson, and the Trustee Chairperson or Parsonage Committee Chairperson. The S/PPRC Chair is responsible for setting up the inspection time in consultation with the parsonage family and for forwarding the report to the District Office by June 1, 2014.

The parsonage review benefits the parsonage family and the church. It enables the parsonage family to inform the church about repairs, replacements, additions, etc that need to be done at the parsonage. Likewise, it enables the church to know the condition of their parsonage and what needs to be done to keep it in tip top shape.

Reports required are right here or can be found on the District UMC homepage at http://www.easternshoredistrictumc.org/:

Parsonage Review Form; Inventory Form; Minimum Standards Information

Bake & Bloom – Saturday - May 2, 2015
Capeville United Methodist Church (Capeville off Rt. 13)

“Baked Potatoes & Fixing” - take-out or eat-in lunch
Guest Presentations & door prizes:
The theme of this year’s Bake and Bloom is the hymn – In the Garden - “I walk in the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses”.

Will explore the physical and spiritual health benefits of prayer and meditation in a garden – at church or at home, and how to create a low maintenance garden using native plants.
Guest speakers will include a physician, a minister, a master gardener, and a landscape designer.
Door prizes at the end of each presentation.

Sale of plants and homemade heirloom recipe baked goods
Tickets - $5 advance or $6 door (includes the potato with fixings and presentations) – church members, at door, or email request: bakebloom@gmail.com
Saturday morning - May 2, 2015 rain or shine

10AM - presentations begin
10AM – 1:00 - sale of plants, seeds, and bulbs plus books and garden tools
10AM – 1:00 - sale of heirloom recipe baked goods
Baked potato and fixings available between 10AM – 1PM with admission ticket
LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS AVAILABLE AT DOOR.

Oak Grove hosts "Reunion Quartet", April 12

Oak Grove UMC on 30053 Seaside Road in Melfa invites you to join them for the Reunion Quartet concert on Sunday, April 12. The concert will begin at 4 pm followed by refreshments at 5.

The Reunion Quartet, a traditional Southern Gospel group, worships in song and praise through an on going music ministry on the Delmarva Peninsula.

NOTICE: 2015 clergy appointments will now be announced as they are confirmed by the Cabinet. February projections were released on March 23. The March projections will be announced in respective churches on Apr. 26, and will be posted to the vaumc.org website on the 27th. (May's projections from the April cabinet meeting are May 24 and 25, with June's TBD.) Please note that all appointments are confidential with SPRC members until the announcement date. As always, appointments are not final until set at Annual Conference (June 19-21).

Thursday, April 9-12 | Emmaus Men's Walk at Camp Occohannock on the Bay
Tuesday, April 14, 7-8pm | District Board of Missions @ Grace UMC, Parksley
Thursday, April 16, 6:30 -8:30 pm | S/PPRC Training @ Market Street UMC, Onancock
Thursday, April 16, 7-8 pm | Agape CCCC Bd. meeting @ Agape Center, Horntown
Saturday, April 18, 8:30 - 3 pm | Checking Vital Signs for pre-registered @ Christ UMC
Monday, April 20, 7-8 pm | OOTB General Board Mtg., Grace UMC, Parksley
Wednesday, April 22, 10-11 am | District Bd of Trustees meet insurance rep. (2nd mtg)
Saturday, April 25 | World Malaria Day
Thursday, April 23-26 | Emmaus Women's Walk at Camp Occohannock on the Bay
Tuesday, April 28, 8-8:30 am | Morning Prayer for Pastors at Painter-Garrisons UMC
Tuesday, April 28, 7-8 pm | District Committee on Superintendency meeting @ Grace UMC
Thursday, April 30, 6:30-7:30 pm | Holy Conversation on Human Sexuality @ Adams UMC
Saturday, May 2, 9 am - 2:30 pm | LSM Courses (Session 1): You Can Preach and This Holy Mystery @ Market Street UMC, Onancock
Tuesday, May 5, 8 -8:30 pm | Morning Prayer for Pastors @ Craddockville UMC
Saturday, May 9, 9 am -2:30 pm | LSM Courses (Session 2): You Can Preach and This Holy Mystery @ Market Street UMC, Onancock

Wednesdays 12 pm is the deadline to submit short articles for the Weekly Shoreline E-News! Send your articles via e-mail to easternshoredistrict@vaumc.org

Eastern Shore District
Virginia Conference of
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
E-mail: easternshoredistrict@vaumc.org
Web: www.easternshoredistrictumc.org
Rev. Alex Joyner, District Superintendent
Iris Smith, District Lay Leader
Connie Owens, District Administrative Assistant

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