The Windows - St. Stephen United Methodist Church

volume 1, issue 1
January 2011
Windows
A look into St. Stephen United Methodist Church
The Windows
Inside...
Editor’s Note.........................2
A Hands-On Ministry.........2
Crop Walk...............................3
Habitat for Humanity........4
Youth Stories.........................6
Adult Christian Ed........... 10
Photos by Tom Henderson
Two Minutes
With........................ 11
of St. Stephen UMC
By Alan Alsop
To introduce our new WINDOWS publication, we wanted
to lead off our first issue with a story about the windows
of St. Stephen United Methodist Church. The first image
that people see when approaching the main entrance of
the church is the “tree of life” Dalle De Verre windows. The
beautiful windows were a part of a larger project
which began through memorials and honorariums.
As Donna McKnight, former chairperson of the
Beautification Committee, explains, “It began in
2005 as the Beautification Committee was formed.
We set goals for projects that would beautify the
building and grounds of St. Stephen. There was no
budget for this committee so everything we were to
accomplish would have to be done through memorials and honorariums.”
The first goals of the committee were to get stained glass windows in the
Sanctuary with the second phase being the “tree of life” Dalle De Verre front
windows. The yet to be completed phase three will be the replacement of
the front doors with new doors constructed of walnut as used in the Sanctuary.
Dalle De Verre glass, sometimes called slab glass, is a technique that was
developed in Europe for use in early Christian churches. Originally, colored
chunks of glass were set into stone or clay. Donna commented that the
windows installed at the entrance to the Narthex are etched on two separate
glass panels to create the illusion of movement of
—­ continued on page 11
Copyright ©2011 by St. Stephen United Methodist Church • Windows is a quarterly publication of St. Stephen United Methodist
Church, 6800 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28270 • 704-364-1824 • website www.ststephenumc.net • Senior Editor & Creative
Director Kelly Keesling [email protected]
Windows
From the Editor...
St. Stephen has so many wonderful
stories to tell! But there hasn’t really
been a place to share those stories.
Until now! We want to hear what’s going on in your ministry. Share it with
us! This is a great way to get to know
your church family better — and to
share your church family with others.
This publication is the work of the Communications Committee, led by Alan Alsop. I want to thank everyone who helped
make this issue possible by writing, taking pictures, gathering
information, and brainstorming —Alan Alsop, Barry Roach,
Diann Back, Bill Bosworth, Jill Woodall, Pam Theesfeld, Susi
Robinson, and Tom Henderson.
We chose the name Windows because of the long tradition of
our Sanctuary stained glass window. (See front page for a story
about the windows at St. Stephen.) We also loved the idea that
windows are a way to see inside something. And that is what
this publication is all about — seeing inside St. Stephen United
Methodist Church. Not just the announcements and a list of
what’s happening, but the stories of our members and how
they are changing the world — or being changed — through
the ministries of St. Stephen.
We hope to publish an issue four times a year. This first issue is
a sample of the kinds of stories that we will feature in upcoming issues. Future issues will focus on a ministry area of the
church. If you have an idea for a story or would like to write
or photograph a story for a future issue, please contact Alan
Alsop at [email protected].
So sit back and leaf through the pages and take a look into St.
Stephen United Methodist Church. We’re glad you’re here!
Kelly Keesling
Director of Communications
A Hands-On
Ministry
by Kelly Keesling
In the spring of 2005, Barbara Phillips
volunteered to lead a new women’s
needlework fellowship, which was
supposed to be a 10-week Wednesday
Night Live offering. Now, six years later,
this special ministry is still going strong,
meeting every Wednesday throughout
the year.
Later renamed “Stitch-In” ministry, the
group has gone from knitting and crocheting just for fun to crafting hats, baby
blankets, prayer shawls, and other special items to give to those in need — still
with “lots of fun and lots of laughing!”
says Barbara.
Most weeks, you can see them knitting
or crocheting preemie hats, a project
that takes only a few hours to complete.
They send boxes of these special hats to
Threads of Love, a ministry that provides clothing and blankets to premature, sick, and stillborn infants. They
have sent over 500 preemie hats over
the past five years to this ministry.
Stitch-In also makes prayer shawls for
church members and friends who are
going through a tough time in their
lives. They have given over 150 of these
shawls over the last five years. The ministry usually finds out a need by word
of mouth or through a Stephen Minister
or pastor. If you know of someone who
could use a prayer shawl, please contact
the church office.
Other regular ministries they serve
include the baby blankets that our our
—­ continued on page 11
January 2011
We Walk
Because They Walk
By Sandy Carson
On a Sunday this past fall, Tom Latimer closed the worship service by
reminding us that we are the hands, the feet, and the heart of Jesus Christ
by carrying His light into the world.
Every time I walk in the CROP HUNGER WALK, I am reminded that I am the
feet of Christ, for as I walk these four miles, there are people across the world
who need to walk that far or more on a daily basis just to obtain the bare necessities for living — food and clean water. I don’t have to worry about those
things. I open the pantry and there is food, I turn on the tap and out comes
clean water. How simple it is for me to walk such a short distance to raise
money to fight hunger!
My first walk was one October in Buffalo, New York around Lake Erie, and
was it ever cold! My first walk in Charlotte was in 1988 back when the
walk was 10 miles long; that year I decided to pull my daughter, Jessica, in
a Radio Flyer wagon. Yet, neither of these walks compares to the challenges
that our fellow brothers and sisters of the world must endure to obtain the
simplest of necessities to live.
I celebrate our efforts at St. Stephen in the fight against hunger. Since 2000, we
have been the top fund raising church in Charlotte seven times, and since that
date we have raised over $185,000. St. Stephen member Lloyd Lancaster was
the first recipient of the Sam Ryburn Award – an award given in recognition
of those dedicated to fight hunger. Lloyd’s lifetime total to date is $160,469.
Sally Langford, a former minister of St. Stephen was on the very first organizing committee for the Charlotte walk. Tom Latimer now serves on that same
committee. Two members of our church, William Hutaff of Charlotte Pipe
and Foundry and Bill Cornett of
Showalter Construction, have
for many years been corporate
sponsors of the walk. The list
goes on and on.
I am so proud of St. Stephen
and what our church means to
the Charlotte CROP HUNGER
WALK. I hope you share my joy
in knowing that we truly are
walking in the footsteps of Christ
to care for our fellow man.
Windows
St. Stephen is Called...
...to be the hands, feet, and heart of Christ
through Habitat for Humanity
story and photos
by bill bosworth
Most of us are familiar with Habitat
for Humanity … or at least we think
we are. But what about the St. Stephen
connection? In order to get a better
fix on our involvement, we took a few
minutes to interview Clonnie Lambert
— after more than two decades of
working with Habitat, who better to fill
in a few blanks!
here in Charlotte. We were at the construction site about once a month.
First of all, the recipient must be a
family with children. They go through
an extensive screening process. They
must invest 400 hours in “sweat equity.” They have to be able to pay for
the house based on a non-interest loan.
Many of these families are living in a
small, crowded apartment and find
that they can move into a four bedroom home for half of what they were
paying in rent. By becoming invested
in a home, they find their standard of
living increases dramatically. Their investment benefits them
and society.
I remember an incident when we were
working on one of the homes. The
future owner came around when I was
working on the outside and I asked him
how he liked his new home. He said it
was wonderful and he couldn’t believe
it. I realized that this 1,200 square foot
house, which was about half the size of
my home, was a palace to him and the
five other members of his family. This
made quite an impact on me.
How does the basic premise of
Habitat for Humanity work?
How long have St.
Stephen and you
been involved in
Habitat?
Gosh, about twenty five
years. I started with a
siding and framing crew
Charlotte was the second city to do the
Jimmy Carter Project [“blitz” build]. We
had about 400 people involved in fourteen homes. We would start with a slab
on Monday and the family would move
in on Friday. We went out on Saturday to
prepare the framing with a crew from St.
Stephen. Jimmy Carter worked with us
the whole week. It was a lot of fun.
About this time we got involved with
Ryan Homes and they became our corporate partner. This generous contribution continues to this day. St. Stephen has
been involved with Habitat Matthews
from almost the very beginning and has
built eighteen homes so far.
What has been your involvement
in the current process?
Well, I’ve obviously moved on from the
early framing days. I became involved
—­ continued on next page
January 2011
Habitat, from page 4
in volunteer recruitment at St. Stephen
and eventually segued into taking over
the administration of the entire process.
How many St. Stephen people
have been involved with Habitat
over the years?
Hundreds. Probably thousands over the
years. Currently there are about 100 to
200 folks involved.
How large is the St. Stephen
financial contribution?
We raise all of the money spent on a
home. In the early days, a house cost
about $25,000. Today, it’s about $70,000.
Because of the huge outpouring of voluntary contributions such as cabinetry
and labor, we’ve managed to cover our
costs. It’s been a little tougher lately
because of the economic conditions, but
we’ve always managed to keep the program going. We’ve managed our funds
well over the years.
She cried the entire time. She thanked
everyone for giving her a home. A few
years later she came to church as part of
a promotion for Habitat to tell everyone
how much it meant to her. She spoke
from her heart at all three services. She
made it all worthwhile.
Thanks, Clonnie for sharing these years
of first-hand experience and, on behalf
of all of St. Stephen, we
want to thank you for your
service to our church and our
community.
How much has volunteerism
saved on the cost of a house?
At least half the cost of the home.
I’m guessing that the gratitude
of the recipients of these new
homes more than compensates
for the sore backs and aching
muscles of the many volunteers.
Very correct. Many years ago we built
a house for a person named Elizabeth.
She had three sons and had a tough life.
She’s worked very hard all her life. She
came out to the house and was introduced to me and her new home. She
immediately started crying. I took her
around and introduced her to all of the
people who were working on the house.
Windows
Stories
from our
Youth
We asked some of our teenagers to tell us what youth group
means to them and to share some memories with you.
St. Stephen’s youth group is a strong program of 6th graders
through 12th graders that meets every Sunday night for dinner and worship together. Then, the youth break into their age
groups (Confirmation for 6th graders, Middle School for 7th &
8th graders, and Senior High for 9th-12th graders) for a program.
In addition to Sunday night programming, the youth have regular
outings, participate in mission activities (like Room in the Inn
and Crop Walk), and go on retreats.
10th Grade
Haley Enten,
enemorable and
m
l
al
er
ov
an
is
y the high
ol Fall Retreat
e ghost scare b
th
The High Scho
et
rg
fo
er
ev
r 2009
nce. I’ll n
worship on ou
g
in
en
joyable experie
ev
r
o
o
ith each
the end of outd
uth to bond w
yo
r
school boys at
fo
ay
w
a
is
f being
he retreat
my first year o
as
w
know other
ar
fall retreat! T
ye
t
as
God. L
r me to get to
to
fo
r
ay
se
o
w
t
cl
t
ea
ge
gr
other and
is trip was a
l group, and th
o
o
h
sc
h
ig
h
e
in th
the
oup.
n more about
ar
le
d
an
le
p
youth in this gr
eet new peo
friends,
ging out with
portunity to m
p
an
o
h
e
,
th
ip
h
s
u
rs
s
o
w
ve
oser
l,
al
This event gi
together and cl
games, volleyb
th
l
u
al
yo
tb
t
o
fo
gh
u
g,
ro
in
Hik
ings that b
ding free
glory of God.
enery are all th
vilege of spen
sc
ri
p
in
e
ta
th
n
,
u
o
ce
n
m
l
ie
er
t that I
and beautifu
n personal exp
st God momen
w
ge
o
ig
y
b
m
e
in
th
at
as
d th
night were
my friends w
to God. I foun
re on the last
wing closer to
fi
o
p
gr
m
d
ca
e
an
th
th
d
u
an
aining
time with yo
with my grade
at is an entert
s
re
se
et
ci
R
er
ll
ex
Fa
g
e
h
in
ild
iritual trip. T
had. Team bu
to having a sp
rs
o
ct
fa
g
n
ti
u
big contrib
faith.
e forget
grow in ones’
to
ay
w
g
n
, and it helps m
ti
st
ci
o
o
b
al
and ex
u
it
ir
s me a sp
is also true
St. Stephen give
with, and this
m
g
o
n
li
fr
t
ea
d
ea
tr
am
re
I
at is rethat
Any youth
d reiterate wh
and stressors
an
s
e
m
at
le
n
b
ve
ro
ju
p
e
re
at lets me
to bond with
about all of th
. The Fall Retre
u are looking
le
p
yo
If
eo
.
p
n
er
ia
th
st
o
ri
e high
l Ch
for many
urney, then th
being a faithfu
jo
:
h
fe
it
li
fa
y
r
m
u
in
yo
t
ext step on
ally importan
ut on!
and take the n
th
u
yo
ew
n
want to miss o
d
t
o
n
o
d
u
friends an
yo
at
ade
t is an event th
Enten, 10th gr
ea
ey
tr
al
re
H
ll
fa
—
l
o
o
sch
January 2011
Andrew Fair
man, 8th gra
de
Our fall retrea
t to Camp Beth
elwoods was fu
and downs. I
ll of surprises,
saw God throu
ups,
gh
frustration, en
I also learned
joyment, and
a lot of things
love.
. For example,
ropes course d
I learned that
oes NOT involv
a low
e ropes (that n
early killed m
A main point o
e).
f my retreat w
as when I figu
course didn’t
red out a low
involve ropes.
ropes
And to make th
too fond of this
ings worse, I w
low ropes cou
asn’t
rse thing. May
ropes course …
be it was the re
or maybe I was
alization that
just tired from
but I didn’t re
it wasn’t a real
all the events
ally enjoy that
we had previo
.
It took some m
ors, who I resp
usly finished,
otivational sp
ect, to go on in
eaking from o
the course. Bu
attitude about
n
e
o
f the counselt that didn’t st
the event. I ac
op me from hav
tually think th
God. Through
ing a negative
at was a good
out the whole
thing, because
course, I was lo
we finished, R
I
d
efinitely saw
o
king at the po
icky Smith and
ssible negativ
I were talking.
the light bulb
e
outcome. After
I can’t even re
went on in my
member what
head. It was o
know, God has
it
was he said, b
n
e
of those “it all
a purpose for
ut
makes sense”
everything, an
the course as
things. As we
d I don’t think
much as other
al
l
G
od wanted me
s. And I sure d
absolutely no
to comprehen
idn’t. But look
doubt that I sa
d
ing back on th
w God through
e retreat, ther
out the “low ro
e is
Another part
pes course.”
of the retreat
that changed m
like every retr
e was the Satu
eat I’ve been o
rday evening ca
n, I have seen
treats with th
mpfire. It seem
God in a differ
e Youth Group
s
en
t way. I have b
, and I have se
our “Families”
een on five reen God in five
all presented
d
ifferent ways.
skits. The focu
in was the Gri
At this campfi
s of our retrea
ffins, the main
re,
t
was “Family.”
characters in
show, you wou
T
h
e
“f
th
am
e
co
il
y” I was
medy Family G
ld easily know
uy. If you have
that the Griffin
tional family. O
ever seen the
s need lots of
ur “family” mad
prayers as they
e a skit where
Our intent was
are a dysfuncalmost every fa
that the youth
mily member
and counselors
they knew the
didn’t make it
watching our
Griffins, they w
.
skit would be
ould definitely
meaningful m
thinking that if
pray for them
essage: Your fa
. The campfire
mily is with yo
with support
worship had a
u wherever yo
in whatever w
u are. They ca
ay you need it
n
always supply
.
Our fall retrea
you
t was a life chan
ging retreat w
always carry w
ith lots of mem
ith me. Whenev
orable events
er I question so
retreat and fin
which I will
mething, I can
d the answer.
almost always
think back to
a
— Andrew Fa
irman, 8th grad
e
Windows
rade
, 11th G
Simon Porter
at.
High Fall Retre
r
io
n
Se
e
th
g
din
ar. Last
rward to atten
hlight of my ye
ig
h
e
I always look fo
th
e
m
o
ec
trip to the
ever fails to b
ok a weekend
This retreat n
to
th
u
yo
h
ig
. The
f Senior H
, near Asheville
in
ta
n
fall, a group o
u
o
M
ck
a tighter
embly in Bla
youth to create
Blue Ridge Ass
e
th
r
fo
is
t
ea
r bond
fall retr
ns
create a tighte
to
th
u
purpose of the
yo
e prime reaso
e
th
th
f
r
o
fo
e
d
n
O
an
.
re
er
o
th
o
om home,
things and m
bond with each
, hours away fr
mplished those
ce
co
la
p
ac
a
I
at
e,
m
as
r
w
I
f life.
with God. Fo
distractions o
treat was that
e
re
th
e
f
th
o
l
h
al
it
w
m
d
o
sfie
nally away fr
that I was sati
ntains. I was fi
u
o
rough
m
e
th
f
o
le
taking a hike th
as
w
t
in the midd
ea
tr
re
ll
fa
eded
me on the last
ade and proce
gr
ed
r
p
u
el
o
h
in
at
h
it
th
t
w
n the way
g activities
A specific even
d the scenes o
d team-buildin
an
ye
,
ll
la
p
fa
e
er
W
at
l.
w
ai
e
lesses
Th
a scenic tr
e the gifts he b
to a waterfall.
at
in
ci
ta
re
n
p
u
o
ap
m
e
a
m
od. It made
who care just
with hiking up
the power of G
oup of people
e
gr
iz
a
al
d
n
re
u
e
o
m
ar
e
the
is
to it, mad
ff, I realized th
felt when I saw
o
I
g
g
in
in
h
el
yt
fe
er
e
th
ev
g
a lifetime.
us with. To top
ills reminiscin
remember for
ves me the ch
l
gi
il
w
It
.
I
o
d
at
I
th
g
as
as much
truly a feelin
overcreations. It is
’s
d
o
G
myself. Being
f
o
ke
ty
li
u
e
n
bea
eo
m
so
r
thora
very healthy fo
om God. A ple
fr
is
e
d
n
m
t
ke
ac
ee
tr
w
is
a
d
for
d family can
d with God.
Getting away
rk, friends, an
d time to spen
o
n
fi
lw
t
o
o
o
n
h
sc
to
h
d
it
n
no
te
whelmed w
on and I have
nstantly, and I
g
co
in
e,
go
m
is
d
ff
n
u
u
o
st
ar
Some
at so much
of things go on
res all of this.
hate the fact th
cu
I
.
t
ly
ea
ib
tr
ed
re
cr
ll
in
fa
e
most
th
I dislike this
ntry, I see him
some reason,
u
r
co
fo
e
t,
u
th
B
in
e.
st
m
o
d
e see Him m
me at ease.
time for God an
the beach, som
ature just puts
n
at
f
o
st
y
o
it
m
n
d
re
o
G
se
fect
d
people see
The beauty an
me. It is the per
s.
to
in
g
ta
in
n
lk
u
o
ta
m
is
e
t it is somend me and He
when I am in th
ways there, bu
at God is arou
al
th
t
is
en
ip
ar
sh
p
n
o
ap
ti
ome.
la
It makes it
e when I am h
onship. Our re
m
ti
d
la
n
u
re
o
r
u
rr
o
su
g
n
at
ri
tractions th
e memories
antidote for cu
se of all the dis
h my faith. Th
it
au
w
ec
k
b
ac
e
tr
se
n
o
to
I need
ack
times hard
e exactly what
ay to put me b
ar
e
aw
iv
tce
ge
d
re
n
I
h
ke
chness of fait
n experience
I need that wee
e everyone ca
eats and the ri
p
tr
o
h
re
I
ll
at
fa
e
th
th
gs
I gain from
They are thin
ibly stressed.
ed
cr
in
el
fe
I
when
er, 11th grade
their lifetime.
— Simon Port
at least once in
January 2011
lana delap, univ. of kentucky (freshman)
Before writing
this article, I
made a list of
all the ways
the youth
group has influenced me. When I was
done, it was almost two pages long.
Surprisingly, I was not shocked by
this. I had already had this revelation.
Everyone says that you gain perspective around high school graduation
and I was no exception. Everything
is changing; people are going their
separate ways and it feels like … well,
the end. Sure, now you have a diploma
and a bunch of presents, but you feel
like you’re losing everything else. On
my last night in Charlotte, the tears
were flowing as some of my friends
from high school and I had our last
bonfire. Yet, when saying goodbye to
my best friends from church, I didn’t
cry at all. At first this bothered me.
Why was I not sadder? Did this mean
I didn’t love them as much as my
other friends? It honestly horrified
me and consumed my thoughts for
a good while. However, now I have
reasoned this: I was tearless because
with “my girls” from the youth group,
it didn’t feel like an ending. Whether
from seeing it happen to previous
senior classes or by divine intuition,
I knew we would still talk and laugh
and love, just as we had before, even
with as much as 600 miles between
us. Because that is what the youth
group gives you. Even if you waiver
in your faith, there is an inexplicable
bond that develops between you and
the people that you will meet here.
Something about this youth group
connects you. I can’t tell you if it’s the
late nights on retreats or the crazy
icebreakers that somehow always
involve whipped cream or the simple
proximity and frequency at which we
see one another. I really don’t know
what it is, but we are joined tighter
than Brandon’s costumes at Garden
City (if you’ve seen his ballet outfit,
you know what I’m talking about). I
said this in my senior testimony and I
will say it again because I truly believe
it. Around graduation time, countless people told me how amazed they
were by this youth group and its effect
on me. Even more amazing was how
many people shared their wish that
they or their children would have had
a circle like ours. For their own individual and varied reasons, they were
all envious.
Now many of you, like me, have
grown up at St. Stephen and going
to UMYF was simply the next step in
your life. It was the natural, routine
progression, like going from crawling to walking. Because of this conventional sequence, I think we take
our youth group for granted and we
can’t appreciate how abnormal we
are. In many places, a youth group
with over 100 active members is
almost of mythical proportions. My
point is that as frustrated as you
might get when adults are constantly harassing you to stop texting
or as annoyed as you get when you
have to sing “Sanctuary” over and
over, appreciate what you have. Go
to youth group, eat with your friends
and counselors, sing your heart out
for every song, listen to the God moments, be brave and share your own
God moment, listen to Brandon, talk,
share, love, and love some more.
One last anecdote: I chose to go to
college almost 9 hours away from
home. I didn’t know a single person
and I won’t lie: it was rough. I cried
for a few nights when I got here. I
was thinking “Idiot! What did you
get yourself into?” Yet, a single text
message from a church friend saying
“Good luck, I’m thinking about you
at move-in” or a card from a church
mouse that was sent just to encourage me could give my mood a much
needed 180. They were quiet, but
powerful reminders that regardless of what sorority I got into or
whether I completely failed my first
chemistry test, there was a group
of people thinking of me and loving
me, despite the distance that separated us. Our bonds are unbreakable
at St. Stephen. Here, love knows
no distance … especially thanks to
Skype conference calls.
Windows
This is the first in a series of articles on adult Sunday school leaders at St. Stephen. We
hope to introduce you to more of these dedicated individuals in upcoming editions.
Meet
Your
Adult
Sunday
School
Leaders:
Reed
Hilderbrand
By Diann Back
10
Reed Hilderbrand
currently serves as
the substitute Sunday School Superintendent and alternate teacher for
the Expressions
Class. Throughout
his years at St.
Stephen, Reed has
filled a variety of
positions in the
youth and adult programs. He served on
the Administrative Board, was a Trustee,
and was Sunday School Superintendent
for 13 years along with Glenn Gibson.
Reed’s history at St. Stephen has almost
always included the youth. He was active in the junior high youth program,
coached youth basketball teams, worked
with the Boy Scouts, and taught Sunday
School for both youth and adult programs. In addition, he played basketball
and softball on the church teams. When
asked what position was the most rewarding, Reed enthusiastically replied,
“Working with the kids!”
Reed tells the story of taking the St.
Stephen youth to a nursing home a few
years back. The idea was to interact with
the residents, and since it was the Easter
season, the kids would help the residents dye Easter eggs. Everything went
well on the day of the visit. In fact, the
group helped the residents dye 144 eggs!
Reed and the youth thought the excursion had been a success until he called
the same nursing home a year later and
was told by the supervisor that it would
be great to bring the youth back, but dying Easter eggs was not such a good idea.
The supervisor went on to explain that
the residents had had so much fun and
they’d hidden their eggs from the previous visit so well, that it took the nursing
home staff almost a year to find them all!
Reed’s birthplace is Staunton, Virginia. He
came to North Carolina by way of Appalachian State University. His first job
after graduating from college was making
peanut bars and suckers for the Lance
Company in Charlotte. That job was interrupted when he was drafted and spent 18
months on active duty before returning to
Charlotte. In 1972 he took a position as a
substitute history teacher at Garinger High
School. That turned into a permanent job
the next year, and over time, Reed taught
history, government, economics and
coached boys’ and girls’ soccer and track.
He was Garinger’s athletic director for
three and a half years. Reed retired a few
years ago and currently works part time at
Edwin Watts Golf store on Independence
Boulevard. He enjoys meeting new people
but is especially thrilled to reconnect with
former students who stop by the store or
find him on Facebook!
Reed and his wife Carolyn met at Appalachian State through one of the girls in Carolyn’s dorm. It seems that Reed stopped
by her dorm frequently to talk to his lab
partner and was introduced to Carolyn.
Both shared a similar background and
strong personal and family values—they
hit it off. Carolyn describes their relationship this way, “Reed is a good talker, and
I’m a good listener.” Carolyn currently
serves as Science Department Chairperson at Catholic High School in Pineville.
She and Reed have three children: Amy,
who is a chemist and lives in Caldwell, NJ
and is the mother of Reed and Carolyn’s
—­ continued on next page
January 2011
Reed Hilderbrand, from page 10
Stitch-In Ministry, from page 2
only grandson; Kristen, who lives in Atlanta and manages a Pier I import store;
and Brian, who lives in Charlotte, goes
to college part time, and is the full time
cook for one of the Bonefish restaurants.
Children’s Ministry program gives to
new babies of church members. They
also donated 43 scarves and three
hats this winter to the Center of Hope
Women and Children’s Shelter.
Reed is an asset to the adult Sunday
school program at St. Stephen. He
continually finds interesting books and
articles to share with the Expressions
Class members, he faithfully attends the
Thursday evening men’s support group,
and he and Carolyn rarely miss class
on Sunday morning. We thank him for
his contributions of time and energy to
help make St. Stephen the best place in
Charlotte to worship!
Reed is deeply appreciated by everyone
who knows him. Stop by the Expressions classroom on Sunday morning
and say “hello” to one of the nicest
people you will ever meet!
Steph Nesbit, who is in the group but is
not a knitter, creates the beautiful cards
that are given with the prayer shawls
and baby blankets.
The members purchase their own materials, but have received donations in the
past. Barbara recalled a fun “eyelash”
yarn that someone donated, that was
turned into an unique scarf.
Dubbed the “Chicks with Sticks” by
Caroline Schnitzlein, they are a closeknit group (pun intended!!) but always
welcome new members. You don’t even
have to knit! The group meets every
Wednesday from 6:30-7:30pm in room
27 off of the Narthex.
Windows, from page 1
the trees and allow more light into the Narthex.
Hopefully, the committee will continue to receive enough memorials and honorariums to go ahead with the installation of the front doors to enhance the beautiful
etched windows.
The planning and hard work has been very much
appreciated by everyone at St. Stephen. The former members serving with Donna McKnight on
the Beautification Committee were – Janis Alsop,
Thaedra Withrow, Chip Stout, Ann Shaughnessy,
Kathy Clarke, Sonia Walker, Chuck Calhoun, and
Wanda Randolph. Donna has stepped down as
Chair of the committee and a sub-committee has
been reorganized under Facilities Management.
It will maintain three consultants for the interior
of the building who are Thaedra Withrow, Ann
Shaughnessy, and Joanna Enten. Consultants for
the exterior of the buildings will be Chip Stout,
Sonia Walker, and Richard Dunn.
The etched “tree of life”
windows were installed
in 2010 and given:
In Honor of:
To the Glory of God
All the Saints of St. Stephen
David and Bertha Walker
Eugenia Warner
In Memory of:
Phillis Wimbrow
Loved ones
Donald Irwin
Jean Ann Wimbrow
Bruce Warner
The eight stained glass
windows in the Sanctuary
were installed in 2006 and
given:
In Honor of:
Bill & Nancy Bean and family
Bob & Vonda Bean and family
Simmet Family and Ray family
Musicians of St. Stephen
Billy Conner
In Memory of:
Paul Gilgo
Ron Robinson
Leonard Barrow
Ron Carpenter and Mel Morris
11
Windows
Tom Latimer
by Barry Roach
My favorite food
in the world is eggs
– any way you want
to fix them!
A lot of people
would be surprised
to know that Jennie and I both
share a dream to be in the theatre.
Inspiration for my sermons most
often comes from you.
The radio station that I most often
listen to is V101.9 – give me R&B
and Motown!
We want to help you to get
to know our staff and our
church members, so each
month we will be selecting one person to talk to
and learn more about. This
month, I sat down with
Tom Latimer, our Senior
Pastor, to get to know him
a little better.
The place that I go for peace and
quiet - the woods, the beach, the
mountains.
When I was a kid I was famous for
running and jumping (yeah, I had
hops!)
If I was in a rock band I would
definitely play lead singer.
Italian or Mexican – both.
I am happiest when I’m on the golf
course … though I might appear
otherwise!
St. Stephen United Methodist Church
6800 Sardis Road
Charlotte, NC 28270
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
12
The country that I would most like
to visit is Scotland.
I’ll probably never travel to Asia.
You can tell that I’m having a great
day by the way that I sing or whistle.
St. Stephen will forever be a place
of renewal for me!
My neighbors are Melissa – a
teacher at Lansdowne Elementary.
I would prefer to jump into a big
pile of plastic balls.
Jello reminds me of something
unfinished – with key ingredients
missing!
A movie that I would recommend
that everyone see is The Godfather
I & II
People often confuse me with
Alfred E. Newman.
I most appreciate authenticity.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Charlotte, NC
Permit No. 1609