Perry Peeper Newsletter – October 2015

The
Perry Peeper
October 2015
Window Washing
Well, the Fall Festival is over and I
offer “Thanks!” to everyone for
their help and participation. I especially thank Rick Dotson for providing leadership for the Fall Festival.
Perry is an awesome church because of awesome people. On we
go! Shepherd’s Table is upcoming,
backpacks continue weekly, the
Choir sings out, and we have weekly youth meetings. You do know,
don’t you, that Perry has a Youth
Group called the Perry Pathfinders? Yes, we remain busy, plus, it is
“high time” to concentrate on
Charge Conference. More “stuff”
to do. The “rhythm” of church continues.
Serving Christ is about more than
staying “busy,” however. The 4th
Chapter of Hebrews speaks about
“entering God’s rest”—the concept
of Sabbath. Sabbath does not
mean that we collapse and become
the spiritual equivalent of “couch
potatoes.” While Sabbath certainly
can include physical rest, Sabbath
also provides that we STOP, STEP
back, and ALLOW for a new perspective. This is how I find Sabbath
meaningful and I am happy to provide an example.
doors was much cleaner (although
not exactly spotless). Just as I was
wiping the last drops of Windex
off the glass, the Spirit brought to
mind how to finish the sermon. I
had experienced Sabbath time and
was refreshed. Even washing windows can be renewing. I was rested. (Oh, by the way, I don’t hire
out for windows.)
One recent morning at the parsonage, I was working on a sermon. I
was on “page 2” (sermons are
“usually” around four written pages in length) when I became
“stuck.” Couldn’t write another
word! Oh dear! I closed the laptop
and looked towards the outside
across the deck. Then I noticed
(not for the first time I confess)
that the outside glass surface of
the patio doors was dirty with dust
and grime that settles over time.
“Ok, that’s enough!” I sighed, and
looked for allies. Soon, Windex,
paper towels, and a squeegee,
were my trusted partners. Within
minutes the glass in the patio
God works in so many marvelous
ways. A little Sabbath time and I
could not only clearly see the back
yard but how to proceed on the
sermon as well. Ah, a Glory
Sighting contained within a moment of Sabbath. Thank you, Lord.
May you allow God’s principle of
Sabbath to work the wonder of
rest in your life…
Pastor Scott
In this issue

Hebrews 4:9-10 (CEB)
SERVING COMMUNITY
9

“NO” PEOPLE

PERRY PATHFINDERS

GLORY SIGHTING

UPCOMING EVENTS
So you see that a Sabbath
rest is left open for God’s people. 10The one who entered
into God’s rest also rested
from his works, just as God
rested from his own.
Serving Community
Shepherd’s Table
Good Sam
Backpacks
Each month we continue to be
amazed at the blessings we receive during Shepherd’s Table.
At the September meal we
served a record number of
meals and fed a record number
of people in the Fellowship
Hall.
September proved to be an unusual month for the Good Sam
Fund. For unknown reasons the
requests for food boxes was at
an all time low. We gave out
one food box to a woman who
came into the church looking
for odd jobs. I told her I would
let the congregation know that
she is looking for work. So, if
you need any work done
around your house and you are
interested in contacting this
woman please let me know and
I will give you her information.
The Perry Packers are in full
swing. We have 15 children who
receive the weekend backpacks
each week.
The prayer requests we receive
are from the hearts of those
attending. When Pastor Scott
reads these requests we should
stop and realize just how
blessed we are to have the ever
presence of Christ in our lives.
Even if we sometimes wonder
“How will I make ends meet
this month?” we know we can
rest in the arms of our Loving
Father.
Thank you for your continued
support of this awesome ministry at Perry.
Pastor Scott learned of a need
within our congregation and
requested donations to Good
Sam in order to fill this need.
You responded, as usual, with a
resounding “Here Am I” and we
were able to fill this need.
We also helped one family with
a utility bill.
The Shepherd’s Table Crew
Thank you!
Perry Pathfinders Youth Group
joined the Packers and we are
thrilled to have them. It is amazing to watch the children actively give to those who are less fortunate.
We are thankful for Amy Crawford who formed this ministry
and gives freely to the children
at Shady Spring Elementary
School. We give “Thanks” to
Jewell & Jim Whitmer for delivering the bags each week.
Please speak with Amy to get
this month’s food items.
Without the many servants this
ministry would not be possible.
Thank you!
Mitzi Richmond
Mitzi Richmond
For God so loved
the world that he
gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish
but have eternal
life.
2
What If We Were “No” People?
What if we were “no” people? A simple, albeit
confusing, question from my oldest son Jacob
has stayed with me for several days now. Not
necessarily the question, but his own response
and the glory sighting that came through the
conversation.
Last Sunday evening we were watching TV on
the couch, trying to relax and get ready for another long week of school and football/cheer
practice for the kids; another week of work
and travels for me. I don’t remember the
show we were watching but since we’re between TV seasons I can only imagine it was
something I’ve seen a half dozen times already. Suddenly, Jacob looks at me and asks,
“Daddy, what would we do if we were ‘no’
people?” Anyone who has kids knows that
questions almost always require some amount
of clarification to figure out exactly what they
are asking and so I did just that. Without missing a beat, Jacob clarified, “You know, what if
we had no house, no food, no car?” Another
key fact you learn with children is that question frequently come from out of the blue and
are so abstract that most answers begin with,
“Well, I don’t know. I guess…”
In the seconds that transpired between
Jacob’s clarifying question and my biding time
with a stuttered response, my brain quickly
began to run through very adult questions:
Where would I go to find work?
How much savings do we have in the
bank?
How much do I have in my retirement fund
that I could draw from?
How long could we keep the house, utilities, etc. up?
Now, the last truism of parenthood Q&A sessions is that children often generate their own
response and answer their own questions, especially when they don’t like or can’t wait for
your answer. Before I could answer my own
adult questions and boil them down into
something I thought a seven year old would understand, Jacob answered his own question by
saying, “Well…I guess we’d just go to church and
they would help us out…give us food, and clothes,
and stuff.”
Like most of us, I generally listen and try to absorb
what’s going on around me but it’s often later that
I understand what was said as I reflect upon the
passing events. When Jacob first answered his
own question by saying that we could go to
church for help and assistance, I was certainly listening to him and I was most-definitely proud that
he knew that church is a place that helps the less
fortunate. But, over the past several days, this
exchange between he and I has taken on a much
deeper meaning.
I have come to realize that this is truly a glory
sighting, probably one of the most real and clear
sightings of Christ’s glory and grace in my entire
life. In an instant, Jacob again confirmed for me
that what we are doing at Perry Memorial IS THE
WORK OF JESUS CHRIST. Through our ministries
and love, we are helping the “no’s” in this community and in this world. We are feeding those who
are hungry, we are providing for those who have
little or nothing, and we are loving those around
us the way Jesus Christ would. Meanwhile, we are
instilling in our children this love, compassion, and
knowledge that it is the church that will save the
“no’s” among us. I wish I knew such a thing when
I was merely seven years old! What a bright and
glorious future our church (Perry Memorial and
beyond) has in front of it when the youngest
among us knows how Jesus Christ’s love SOUNDS,
LOOKS, and ACTS! As a father, nothing in this
world could make me prouder, and you as a member of Perry Memorial should be equally as proud
of the work we’re doing and the greatness that
remains to be done by us and generations to
come.
Rob Williams
3
Perry Pathfinders
THANK YOU!!!!
Just a Little Thank You
From The PERRY PATHFINDERS
For the Perry Pathfinders!!!
Perry Pathfinders wants to Thank everyone for their donations and helping us
with the Kids Classic! From
the very beginning we knew
that we couldn’t do this
group just by ourselves, we
needed everyone and the
Lord’s help. This past month
with everything that we have
done so far, we are extremely
thankful for the support and
love everyone has given us.
Our
PMUMC Family is truly a blessing from
the Lord!!! Thank You!!!!
Deanna and I just wanted to thank the
Youth Group for singing in the Hymn
Sing, serving ice cream at
the Ice Cream Social, being
in the Kids Classic Parade
and working the booth,
helping with The Fall Festival and helping with the
Backpack ministry!
It is
great to see you all having
fun and serving your community. Also it’s great to see you working together as a team and helping
each other during our Wednesday
evening meetings. We are so proud of
Our Perry Pathfinders!! Can’t wait for
more fun times serving our community
and Our Lord!!
God Bless and Thank you!!!
Perry Pathfinders
God Bless and Thank you,
Kim Cummings and Deanna Hall!!
Perry PATHFINDERS Youth Group has begun their adventure on Wednesday evenings from 6 - 7:30pm.
The PATHFINDERS will have a table set up in the Perry parking lot before, during and after the Shady Spring
High School Homecoming Parade on Saturday, October 3. We'll be selling goodies to parade goers to raise
some funds for youth group activities and programs. Come by and see us when you come to the parade.
Stayed tuned as the PATHFINDERS have some exciting adventures coming up soon. If you know of someone
that would like to join us please tell them to come to Perry on Wednesday evenings
4
Glory Sighting
Chili Night
The following is an email Pastor Scott received
from Shirley Jacques. Shirley has joined us for
worship over the summer during her weekend
visits to Flat Top.
Perry will have a Chili booth again this year at
the 25th Annual Beckley Chili Night in Uptown
Beckley on Saturday Evening, October 3 from
6pm - 9pm.
I just wanted to tell you what a blessing the
services at Perry have been for me this summer. I almost always leave feeling that I have
been challenged to become even more aware
of the people and needs around me. You and
the congregation at Perry seem to make serving as the hands of Christ a real and constant
part of your lives. Mitch and I belong to Christ
Church UMC in Charleston. One day each week
I volunteer to interview “our neighbors in
need” of assistance with utility overdue bills. As
I listen to their stories I think of the way you
encourage us to look for the “glories” in the
world around us. For instance, a lady came in
who with tears running down her face asked
me if she could tell me a story. She had
suffered lingering memory loss after an auto
accident a year ago followed by her husband of
only 4 years dying unexpectedly of a heart
attack. She explained her tears were due to
God blessing her with a memory she had lost of
having been married in our chapel. Not only did
she receive financial help but she felt God’s
touch that day.
Dennis Adkins will be preparing our chili but will
also need Perry Servants to help with booth setup, serving chili, greeting visitors at the booth
and of course booth clean-up at the end of the
evening.
Chili Night offers us a great opportunity to get
our church out to the people in our community.
Come join us if you can.
Birthdays
Charles Hall
Ellen Todd
Kimberly Cummings
P. J. Peplowski
Joseph Winant
Mike Meador
Lisa Gunther
Norma Lewis
Samuel Winant
Burton Gunter
Vivian Skaggs
Garrett Lester
Mary Bolling
Bob Arnold
As fall comes we probably will be at Flat Top
less frequently and therefore be at church in
Charleston more. Know that I will be at Perry
every opportunity I have. Please pray for me
that I will be open to the opportunities I have
to serve as the hands of Christ.
Shirley Jacques
10-09
10-09
10-09
10-10
10-12
10-16
10-18
10-19
10-20
10-20
10-22
10-26
10-27
10-28
Anniversaries
Ed & Nancy Crews
5
10-24
Perry’s 5th Annual Trunk or Treat
Sunday, October 25
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Perry Parking Lot & Fellowship Hall
Each year we offer Trunk or Treat to our community
as a safe alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating
Our theme for this year will be Noah's Ark
and will feature a church grounds Scavenger Hunt for
Noah's Ark clues and Bible verses, food and activities provided for children
followed by Trick-or-Treating - Trunk Style
You're invited to dress in costume and join us for an afternoon of family fun
Ghent Fire/EMS 3rd Annual Trunk or Treat
Perry will also be participating again this year in the Ghent VFD Trunk or Treat on
Tuesday, October 20.
This event is another opportunity to get out in the community we serve. Last year over 2,000 people
passed by our booth during the evening. We'll be decorating our trunks and handing out candy and
Perry info to kids and families in our area.
We need your help and involvement with both of these events:
> Vehicles (Trunks) at Perry Trunk or Treat
> Individually wrapped candies for both events
> Perry Servants at both events
Please join us in these ministries as we continue to Serve
Community in Christ's Love
6
7
Perry in Action!
8
October
1
2
6:30p Finance
Committee
Meeting
3
10a-7p
Burlington Pumpkin Harvest Festival
4:00p Chili Night
4
Bringing in the Harvest
9:30a Adult Sunday
School
9:45a Children’s Sunday School
10:30a Meet & Greet
10:45a Family Worship
4:30p Bible Study
6:00p Cantata Practice
11
9:30a Adult Sunday
School
9:45a Children’s Sunday School
10:30a Meet & Greet
10:45a Family Worship
4:30p Bible Study
6:00p Cantata Practice
5
8:30a Yoga
6:30p SPRC
Meeting at the
Pitsenbarger’s
8
6:30p United
Methodist Wom6:00p Load Back- en
packs
9
10
2:00p Bingo
6:00p Perry Pathfinders
12
13
14
6:30p Boy Scout 8:30a Yoga
1:00p Ladies
Meeting
Luncheon
6:00p Shepherd’s
6:00p Load BackTable Meeting
packs
15
16
17
22
23
24
8:30a Yoga
6:00p Perry Pathfinders
6:30p Choir Practice
19
8:30a Yoga
6:30p Ruritan
20
21
6:30p Boy Scout 8:30a Yoga
Meeting
6:00p Load Backpacks
6:00p Perry Pathfinders
6:30p Choir Practice
25
9:30a Adult Sunday
School
9:45a Children’s Sunday School
10:30a Meet & Greet
10:45a Family Worship
4:00p Trunk ‘n Treat
6:00p Cantata Practice
7
8:30a Yoga
6:30p Choir Practice
18
9:30a Adult Sunday
School
9:45a Children’s Sunday School
10:30a Meet & Greet
10:45a Family Worship
4:30p Bible Study
6:00p Cantata Practice
6
6:30p Boy Scout
Meeting
26
8:30a Yoga
27
28
6:30p Boy Scout 8:30a Yoga
Meeting
6:00p Load Backpacks
29
30
31
6:00p Shepherd’s 11a-2p ShepTable Setup
herd’s Table
Meal
6:00p Perry Pathfinders
6:30p Choir Practice
9
Happy Halloween
S e r v i n g C o m m u n i t y i n C h r i s t ’s L o v e
Perry Memorial UMC
PO Box 1264
Shady Spring, WV 25918
Physical Address:
202 Livingston Street
Shady Spring, WV