Full Dimension Ministry (Tanzania) Annual Banquet will be held on April 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Advent UMC on Woodruff Road. The FDM banquet will provide exciting news about its growth, including an introduction of the ministry's new full time missionary and the upcoming mission trip to hold a rabies clinic in the valley area. 

Mauldin UMC has been involved in this ministry since 2001 and has lead two mission trips to the Yullansoni village. Dinner is free but a reservation is necessary for proper planning. Please reserve your spot at www.advent-umc.org. \

If you have any questions, please contact Steve Hendrix at shendrix@hendrix-engineers.com or 979-9617. 






Lay Servant Ministries 

Spring 2013 Training Classes 

Greenville District training classes for Lay Speakers are planned for Saturdays, April 20 and April 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church, 213 College Street, Greenville. Courses offered: Basic, Grief Rite, Lead in Worship, Living Our Beliefs, and Class Leader. Cost is $45 per student (includes lunch). Pre-registration required by April 8. Please make checks payable to Greenville District UMC. Contact: marilynboyer@bellsouth.net. 




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Mark you calendars for Vacation Bible School 2013!

VBS will be June 24-28 from 9am-noon.  No evening VBS this year.

Everywhere Fun Fair takes children to a global celebration with the look and feel of a world’s fair. Children will make friends with neighbors around the world and discover that God’s love can be found everywhere, including their own neighborhoods. Children will be introduced to special places from all over the world and discover that we are all neighbors and all children of God.

VBS Directors: Jennifer Greer - jennifercgreer@gmail.com and Jennifer Street - streetjn@gmail.com

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As a reminder, there are other ways to get a request on the 24 hour prayer chain. Sundays at all services, blue cards are available in the pews in the sanctuary and out on the display table at the Spirit Center. You may drop them in the offering plate or leave them in Box 19 by the office. The Mauldin Methodist Website www.mauldinmethodist.com is also a very easy way to submit a request.

Other opportunities for prayer include coming up to a Prayer Partner during the LIVE Service at the back of the Spirit Center or coming up to a Prayer Partner in the transept after the Traditional Services.

On the third Monday at 7:00 p.m., the Order of St. Luke holds their Prayer and Healing Service and that is a very special time.

Prayer is powerful –– Let us pray for you and your loved ones.

If you need more information, call Pam Arries 640-3238 or email her at Arriespga@aol.com.

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Stephen Ministers Are Care-Givers, God Is the Cure-Giver:    

The role of a Stephen Minister is to give care. They listen, empathize, encourage, pray, and provide emotional and spiritual support on a weekly basis to hurting people for as long as the need persists. God works in and through them to bring hope and healing.

If you are feeling lonely, experiencing a crisis, struggling through a difficult time, or simply find yourself stressed by everyday life, talk to the church office and they will get you in touch with our Stephen leaders to learn more about Stephen Ministry. Our Stephen Ministers are ready to care for you!

 

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Did you know there were children at our local elementary schools who basically don't have any food to eat on the weekends?  Lets fight to end that.  Our first month of collections was going great at the time of writing these newsletter articles, but we will need to continue collecting for this great new local ministry. We will set up a cardboard box inside of each mission box to collect specifically for this mission. If you have a group that would like to contribute money or would like to drop off items collected by your group, please contact us at missions@mauldinmethodist.com

Items needed include:
• Juice boxes or milk boxes
• Individual servings of spaghetti, macaroni, beanie weanees, etc.
• Peanut butter or other crackers
• Individual cereals
• Granola or cereal bars
• Oatmeal
• Vienna sausages
• Fruit cups (peaches, pears, applesauce, etc.)
• Tuna fish • Chips, goldfish, pretzels, cheez-its, etc.
• Pop tarts

Be creative -- there are other items than what is listed above.  Buy in bulk to save money as long as the items are individually packaged. For instance, we CANNOT use large boxes of cereal and then put individual servings in a baggie. Food items must be unopened. Nothing that has to be refrigerated. Thank you for your help with this very worthy project.

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Kid's P.O.P. is for children, K3-5th grade!
From January-May and August-mid-December, kid's P.O.P. meets after the Wednesday night meal from 6:30-7:30.  We will play games, learn songs and have fun!   Also, Musicals will usually fall around Christmas time, and perhaps in the late Spring as well.    Contact DCE Michael Norris (288-4728, ext. 125) for information!  





 

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 How Can We Fulfill our Commitment to Tithe and Give to MUMC's Ministry?

GIVE BACK TO GOD USING EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY

Here are some ways to give that we would like to highly encourage you to participate in:

•  Use your Offering Envelopes and place them in the Collection Plate

•  Use Bill Pay through your personal online bank to forward your tithes and offerings to Mauldin United Methodist Church, 100 East Butler Road, Mauldin, SC 29662-2104.

• Use Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), the easiest and most cost-effective option for you and for MUMC. With EFT, you can reinforce your commitment to give your tithes and offerings to God first, before everything else. One easy step each year guarantees that MUMC will receive your financial gifts on a regular basis, even if you are out of town. EFT is easy and can be increased, decreased or stopped at any time if your circumstances change. You may also renew your EFT contributions from year to year on your Estimate of Giving card.
  • EFT tri-fold brochures are available in the display racks on the tables in the Son Room and the Spirit Center as well as in the church office. The EFT brochure includes an authorization request that you may complete and turn in to the church business office to start your participation. The brochures include several Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) with answers that provide additional useful information. If you still have questions, please call the church office at 864-288-4728, ext. 122 and ask for Mary McDonald, Church Bookkeeper, or call Rich Watkins, EFT Program Manager, at 864-676- 9170. You may also reach Mary at marymcdonald@mauldinmethodist.com and Rich at richwatkins@mindspring.com.
    • MUMC started the EFT Program in January 2009 with seven participating families. It has grown each year to its current number of 36 families who are contributing over 10% (more than $11,000) of the MUMC budget each month. Enrollment is easy and you can start anytime. You may also pickup one of the current 2012 Estimate of Giving sheets in the Narthex, Son Room, Spirit Center or church office and complete the first section with your name and address and then complete the bottom portion for Optional Electronic Funds Transfer Authorization (EFT) and turn this sheet in at any time to start your EFT contributions.

CONNECT. Prayerfully consider joining the growing number of MUMC members that use Bill Pay and EFT to make their regular contributions to MUMC each month. These members are helping insure that MUMC receives a regular monthly flow of contributions to support the many programs that are Touching Lives for Christ.

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  The MUMC Prayer Shawl Ministry began in March 2008. One hundred and twenty-four shawls, lap blankets, and baby blankets have been given out to individuals suffering loss, serious illness or emotional distress. Shawls are blessed and prayed over by their maker and during our monthly Prayer and Healing Service. Our church has a group of dedicated ladies and gentlemen who produce these items of love. We have added Prayer Bears to our ministry to be given to children in the hospital. Our outreach is growing. A local Hospice house, shut-ins in nursing homes, families of fallen soldiers, and mothers expecting babies with birth defects in other countries are some of the recipients of our shawls.
If you would like to learn to knit or crochet, join us! Meeting times: 2^nd Sunday of every month, 3^rd Floor Spirit Center, 6-8 p.m. or Friendly Yarn meet the 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at Downtown Coffee Shop across from the church. If you would like to request a shawl or get involved in this rewarding ministry, call Sylvia Watson at 963-2261 or email sylwat@charter.net for more information.