https://www.facebook.com/155662457928297/

St. Paul United Methodist Church, 4432 Highway 41A N, Rover, TN (2026)

06/19/2022

June 19, 2022 St Paul
Father’s Day
Second Sunday after Pentecost Year C

As I write this for this church that has been a blessing to me for the past 16 years I find myself struggling for the right words. As you may know St Paul UMC voted for and passed a resolution to disaffiliate with the United Methodist Church. That was just approved at this year’s Annual Conference. Each side has their reasons for what they are doing and each side disagrees with the other but nevertheless that does not mean that people cannot still love and respect each other’s right to worship as they see fit. With that being said I will be preaching my final sermon at St Paul UMC on June 18th. It will not be easy for me and my family to leave a place with such a sweet spirit and love. This love and spirit they have poured out upon me and my family over the years. I will miss you all greatly and you will always be in my heart and prayers. It is my prayer that as you start your new expression of faith that God will continue to bless you and keep you and that you may continue to grow in God’s grace and love.

Again thank you all for all that you have done and you will always have a place in my heart.
Scotty

Events for the Month of June

• June 4th Shavo’ot
• June 5th Pentecost Sunday
• June 12th Peace with Justice Sunday
• June 12th Trinity Sunday
• June 12th Laity Club at Flat Creek at 6 pm
• June 14th Flag Day
• June 15th -17th Conference at Brentwood
• June 19th Father’s Day
• June 19th Food Bank at St Paul
• June 21st First Day of Summer (Summer Solstice)
• June 28th John Wesley’s Birthday

I do want us to keep in mind that through it all God is still in control. Here we go again it seems as of right now we are back at the heart of Downtown Rover. As of now we are able to see all the smiling faces and hearing the people talking with each other. I know that it has been difficult not seeing our friends every Sunday, for those not joining us please continue to take advantage of the chat feature in the Facebook stream to say “Hi” to me and to your friends. What I am doing is once again watching what is going on and I am listening to all the experts and medical people. We are entering another time of unknown. And it is the unknown that is causing us all to worry. All I can say is that we will be here either in person and /or online. We will have worship in some form every week as long as I am able to serve. But for now we are continuing in person worship. I will say that masks are optional and you may or may not have them at your convenience.

Traditional Apostles creed will be used in our worship celebrations. During the service I will line out the Creed, as the early church did, with me reading a line and you repeating that line. I have included the Traditional Creed below:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;*
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic** church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen
*Traditional use of this creed includes these words: “He descended into hell.”
**universal

And if you are wondering we had 17 people in person and 65 viewing on Facebook. We are still serving God and are still living out our call to ministry. I invite you to share the link with your friends and family so we can continue to be a presence for God from our church in the world. I look forward to our times of worship this coming week. As we look forward to where God is leading us we are entering a time of continued celebration.

It was good to hear from some of you this week. As we continue to worship I am posting the Scriptures for Second Sunday after Pentecost Year C. I hope to hear from each of you as you sign in to the message. I would also ask you to take a look at our prayer list and give me any updates and any new people or situations that need to be added to our prayer list.

I have been asked several times on line and in private how people can donate to the ministries that we have and help us continue to grow. I ask you do be purposeful in donating to the ministries of this Church. I am thankful and excited to see that God is working in and moving you to help be a part of our growth. To answer that question I say that at this time the only way to donate is by mail. You could mail your contributions to:

St Paul UMC
%Amy Martin
3861 Highway 41A North
Unionville, Tennessee 37180

Scriptures for Sunday June 19, 2022

Psalter Psalm 42
Old Testament Lesson: Genesis 13:5-13
Proverbs 22:22-28
Epistle Lesson:
New Testament Matthew 18:11-13
Luke 9:1-6

Prayer List St Paul UMC 6-19-22

PRAYER REQUEST

Dale Agee
Melodie Bachelder
Elizabeth Blackburn
Jane Blanton
Michelle Bolin
Steve Bower
Marilyn Bryan
Willie Bryant
Debbie Brazier
Anthony Burns
Allison Carlton
Jeremy Carlton
Dot Collins
Ann Cooper
William C. Cooper
Stephanie Cooper
Steve Cooper
Shirley Crowell
Covid 19 victims
Gene Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham
Ron Dougan
Glenda Dyer
Jim Fann
Ruby Mae Farrar
Alice Freeman
Debbie Freeman
Tanney Freezner
Willene Fulton
Jean Glasscock
John Gentry
Kynzie Gray
Rodney Guinn
Chelsea Gugger
Kimberly Hall
Pat Hankins
Nancy Harber
Jerry Harbor
Debbie Hicks
Kris Holton
Brandy Jennette
Nancy Jarrall
Eddie Johnson
Ethel Kelley
Harry Lane Jr
Donnie Lambert
Phill Legg
Darlene Lipford
Timothy Lokey
Micah McLenda
Frankie Pope McClain
Catherine McClenney
Norma June Miller
Rick Manier
Sandy Manier
John Neal
Patti Norman
Joe Parton
Nancy Perryman
Lynda Phillips
Helen Puckett
John Pyland
Gerald Puckett
Quallie Rogers
Charlotte Roston
Mary Roston
Kim Reed
Regenia Sadler
Jeweline Seagroves
Dru Shires
Judy Sorrells
Rick Stroud
Chloe Taylor
Ken Threet
Ruby Tucker
Travelers
Beverly Wallace
Tammy Welch
Millie Wells
Frances Wiggenton
Buddy Winston
Carl Willis
Kerry Yarboro

(Please offer me grace and forgiveness if any names are misspelled and please offer up the corrections for next week)

PRAY FOR EACH OTHER--Anyone who wishes to place someone on our prayer request list should contact Amy at 931 703-3681 or email her at [email protected] or Jane Blanton 931 580-1587

06/11/2022

June 12, 2022 St Paul
Trinity Sunday Year C

Blessings to you on this Trinity Sunday. I was listening to the weather forecast and they say that a change is coming things are going to get hot this week so I want you to check on each other and make sure all is well. I also want to remind you that next week is Father’s Day and I hope that you will bring a photo or something that reminds you of the many men that may have influenced you. Also remember that tonight we have the Laity Club at Flat Creek, so I hope you can attend.
So I said it is Trinity Sunday what does that mean for us in the UMC. According to the Discipleship Ministries webpage:

“Every year on Trinity Sunday, a plea is made to the worship teams planning for this day that you avoid the inclination to try to explain the Trinity. The church has wrestled with the precise meaning of this theological concept from the very beginning. So, freed from the expectation of trying to make sense of the Trinity, worship can be engaged in experiencing the Trinity. That’s where the doctrine comes from anyway, from our experience of God and the experience of God’s people from the beginning.
So, how do we experience God the Creator in worship, and how do we address this aspect of God in our liturgy and music? At the same time, how do we address and/or experience the Redeemer and the Sustainer? What terminology can we use to describe each dimension of our experience of God? Certainly, there is the traditional, which still speaks too many: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But there is no need to be limited by those words. The Bible is full of ways of describing each “person” of the Trinity. Perhaps a good preparatory exercise would be for the worship planning team to dive into the Bible to discover some of those descriptions and then find ways to incorporate those images in liturgy or visual arts. This does not diminish the tradition but enhances it, even as it enhances our understanding of God, as much as any human community can comprehend the totality of God. But we come closer, if only closer to knowing what we don’t know with this exercise. And we provide new and broader means for others, particularly new believers, to draw closer to God.
The white color for this week stands in contrast to the bright red of Pentecost and points toward the purity and majesty of the God we worship. But we must also remember that white, when you are talking about light, is the blending of all the colors. So, this liturgical whiteness does not elevate some people over others, but instead invites all people to join together in the whole that is the people of God. We celebrate the multicolored palette that is the church, even if we don’t yet see it in our local context.
Like the God we worship, Trinity Sunday worship can be grand and majestic. But it can also be intimate and personal. Perhaps there is a way of blending the two, the transcendent and the immanent, in dialog as we worship together. Our purpose is to expand our experience and understanding of God as we worship together on this day.”
Rev. Dr. Derek Weber, Director of Preaching Ministries, served churches in Indiana and Arkansas and the British Methodist Church. His PhD is from University of Edinburgh in preaching and media. He has taught preaching in seminary and conference settings for more than 20 years.

Events for the Month of June

• June 4th Shavo’ot
• June 5th Pentecost Sunday
• June 12th Peace with Justice Sunday
• June 12th Trinity Sunday
• June 12th Laity Club at Flat Creek at 6 pm
• June 14th Flag Day
• June 15th -17th Conference at Brentwood
• June 19th Father’s Day
• June 19th Food Bank at St Paul
• June 21st First Day of Summer (Summer Solstice)
• June 28th John Wesley’s Birthday

I do want us to keep in mind that through it all God is still in control. Here we go again it seems as of right now we are back at the heart of Downtown Rover. As of now we are able to see all the smiling faces and hearing the people talking with each other. I know that it has been difficult not seeing our friends every Sunday, for those not joining us please continue to take advantage of the chat feature in the Facebook stream to say “Hi” to me and to your friends. What I am doing is once again watching what is going on and I am listening to all the experts and medical people. We are entering another time of unknown. And it is the unknown that is causing us all to worry. All I can say is that we will be here either in person and /or online. We will have worship in some form every week as long as I am able to serve. But for now we are continuing in person worship. I will say that masks are optional and you may or may not have them at your convenience.

Traditional Apostles creed will be used in our worship celebrations. During the service I will line out the Creed, as the early church did, with me reading a line and you repeating that line. I have included the Traditional Creed below:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;*
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic** church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen
*Traditional use of this creed includes these words: “He descended into hell.”
**universal

And if you are wondering we had 11 people in person and 11 viewing on Facebook. We are still serving God and are still living out our call to ministry. I invite you to share the link with your friends and family so we can continue to be a presence for God from our church in the world. I look forward to our times of worship this coming week. As we look forward to where God is leading us we are entering a time of continued celebration.

It was good to hear from some of you this week. As we continue to worship I am posting the Scriptures for Trinity Sunday Year C. I hope to hear from each of you as you sign in to the message. I would also ask you to take a look at our prayer list and give me any updates and any new people or situations that need to be added to our prayer list.

I have been asked several times on line and in private how people can donate to the ministries that we have and help us continue to grow. I ask you do be purposeful in donating to the ministries of this Church. I am thankful and excited to see that God is working in and moving you to help be a part of our growth. To answer that question I say that at this time the only way to donate is by mail. You could mail your contributions to:

St Paul UMC
%Amy Martin
3861 Highway 41A North
Unionville, Tennessee 37180

Scriptures for Sunday June 12, 2022

Psalter Psalm 8
Old Testament Lesson: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Epistle Lesson: Romans 5:1-5
New Testament John 16:12-15

Prayer List St Paul UMC 6-12-22

PRAYER REQUEST

Dale Agee
Melodie Bachelder
Elizabeth Blackburn
Jane Blanton
Michelle Bolin
Steve Bower
Marilyn Bryan
Willie Bryant
Debbie Brazier
Anthony Burns
Allison Carlton
Jeremy Carlton
Dot Collins
Ann Cooper
William C. Cooper
Stephanie Cooper
Steve Cooper
Shirley Crowell
Covid 19 victims
Gene Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham
Ron Dougan
Glenda Dyer
Jim Fann
Ruby Mae Farrar
Alice Freeman
Debbie Freeman
Tanney Freezner
Willene Fulton
Jean Glasscock
John Gentry
Kynzie Gray
Rodney Guinn
Chelsea Gugger
Kimberly Hall
Pat Hankins
Nancy Harber
Jerry Harbor
Debbie Hicks
Kris Holton
Brandy Jennette
Nancy Jarrall
Eddie Johnson
Ethel Kelley
Harry Lane Jr
Donnie Lambert
Phill Legg
Darlene Lipford
Timothy Lokey
Micah McLenda
Frankie Pope McClain
Catherine McClenney
Norma June Miller
Sandy Manier
John Neal
Patti Norman
Joe Parton
Nancy Perryman
Lynda Phillips
Helen Puckett
John Pyland
Gerald Puckett
Quallie Rogers
Charlotte Roston
Mary Roston
Kim Reed
Regenia Sadler
Jeweline Seagroves
Dru Shires
Judy Sorrells
Rick Stroud
Chloe Taylor
Ken Threet
Ruby Tucker
Travelers
Beverly Wallace
Tammy Welch
Millie Wells
Frances Wiggenton
Buddy Winston
Carl Willis
Kerry Yarboro

(Please offer me grace and forgiveness if any names are misspelled and please offer up the corrections for next week)

PRAY FOR EACH OTHER--Anyone who wishes to place someone on our prayer request list should contact Amy at 931 703-3681 or email her at [email protected] or Jane Blanton 931 580-1587

06/05/2022

June 5, 2022 St Paul
Pentecost Sunday Year C

I have been asked what is Pentecost so I looked it up and found this on umc.org.
On Pentecost Sunday, we remember the day the disciples received the Holy Spirit in a special way. The story in Acts 2 describes a powerful wind and tongues of fire as the Holy Spirit was poured out on people from all over the world who came to Jerusalem to celebrate a Jewish feast. At the first Pentecost over 3000 people were baptized, creating the first church. This is why Pentecost is known as the birthday of the Christian church.

The word Pentecost comes from a Greek word meaning fiftieth. The Jewish Festival of Pentecost (called Shavuot, meaning "weeks" in Hebrew) falls on the fiftieth day after the original Passover. On that day, God gave the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Christian festival of Pentecost falls on the 50th day after the resurrection of Jesus.

Pentecost for Christians culminates the celebration and work of the church begun on Easter Day. In much of early Christianity, Easter Day (not Pentecost) became the primary day for baptisms. After their baptism, the newly baptized were then trained in basic Christian doctrine, including the meaning of the sacraments they had now experienced, as they prepared to take up their ministries in the life of the church. On Pentecost, Christians primarily celebrate the commissioning of new members into ministry. Some do this through services of confirmation on Pentecost. And still others have also, historically, offered baptism on Pentecost as well.

Two colors are historically associated with Pentecost. Red is a visual reminder of the “tongues of fire" that empowered the apostles and others to proclaim the good news of Christ's resurrection in many languages to the crowds of pilgrims from many lands (Acts 2:3). White was used in some places, including England, where Pentecost had also become a day for baptisms by the Middle Ages. Whether it happened at Easter or Pentecost or at some other time, those being baptized were given new white robes to wear as a sign they had taken off the world, died to sin, and were raised with the risen Christ to new life. This is why Pentecost may also be referred to in English as "Whitsunday" or "White Sunday."

The Season after Pentecost is the time of the church year to support new disciples and the whole congregation in living out the gifts we have been given in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Events for the Month of June

• June 4th Shavo’ot
• June 5th Pentecost Sunday
• June 12th Peace with Justice Sunday
• June 12th Trinity Sunday
• June 12th Laity Club at Flat Creek at 6 pm
• June 14th Flag Day
• June 15th -17th Conference at Brentwood
• June 19th Father’s Day
• June 19th Food Bank at St Paul
• June 21st First Day of Summer (Summer Solstice)
• June 28th John Wesley’s Birthday

I do want us to keep in mind that through it all God is still in control. Here we go again it seems as of right now we are back at the heart of Downtown Rover. As of now we are able to see all the smiling faces and hearing the people talking with each other. I know that it has been difficult not seeing our friends every Sunday, for those not joining us please continue to take advantage of the chat feature in the Facebook stream to say “Hi” to me and to your friends. What I am doing is once again watching what is going on and I am listening to all the experts and medical people. We are entering another time of unknown. And it is the unknown that is causing us all to worry. All I can say is that we will be here either in person and /or online. We will have worship in some form every week as long as I am able to serve. But for now we are continuing in person worship. I will say that masks are optional and you may or may not have them at your convenience.

Traditional Apostles creed will be used in our worship celebrations. During the service I will line out the Creed, as the early church did, with me reading a line and you repeating that line. I have included the Traditional Creed below:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;*
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic** church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen
*Traditional use of this creed includes these words: “He descended into hell.”
**universal

And if you are wondering we had 12 people in person and 55 viewing on Facebook. We are still serving God and are still living out our call to ministry. I invite you to share the link with your friends and family so we can continue to be a presence for God from our church in the world. I look forward to our times of worship this coming week. As we look forward to where God is leading us we are entering a time of continued celebration.

It was good to hear from some of you this week. As we continue to worship I am posting the Scriptures for Pentecost Sunday Year C. I hope to hear from each of you as you sign in to the message. I would also ask you to take a look at our prayer list and give me any updates and any new people or situations that need to be added to our prayer list.

I have been asked several times on line and in private how people can donate to the ministries that we have and help us continue to grow. I ask you do be purposeful in donating to the ministries of this Church. I am thankful and excited to see that God is working in and moving you to help be a part of our growth. To answer that question I say that at this time the only way to donate is by mail. You could mail your contributions to:

St Paul UMC
%Amy Martin
3861 Highway 41A North
Unionville, Tennessee 37180

Scriptures for Sunday June 5, 2022

Psalter Psalm 104
Old Testament Lesson:
Epistle Lesson: Acts 2:1-21
Romans 8:14-17
New Testament John 14:8-17 25-27

Prayer List St Paul UMC 6-5-22

PRAYER REQUEST

Dale Agee
Melodie Bachelder
Elizabeth Blackburn
Jane Blanton
Michelle Bolin
Steve Bower
Marilyn Bryan
Willie Bryant
Debbie Brazier
Anthony Burns
Allison Carlton
Jeremy Carlton
Dot Collins
Ann Cooper
William C. Cooper
Stephanie Cooper
Steve Cooper
Shirley Crowell
Covid 19 victims
Gene Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham
Ron Dougan
Glenda Dyer
Jim Fann
Ruby Mae Farrar
Alice Freeman
Debbie Freeman
Tanney Freezner
Willene Fulton
Jean Glasscock
John Gentry
Kynzie Gray
Rodney Guinn
Chelsea Gugger
Kimberly Hall
Pat Hankins
Nancy Harber
Jerry Harbor
Debbie Hicks
Kris Holton
Brandy Jennette
Nancy Jarrall
Eddie Johnson
Ethel Kelley
Harry Lane Jr
Donnie Lambert
Phill Legg
Darlene Lipford
Timothy Lokey
Micah McLenda
Frankie Pope McClain
Catherine McClenney
Norma June Miller
Sandy Manier
John Neal
Patti Norman
Joe Parton
Nancy Perryman
Lynda Phillips
Helen Puckett
John Pyland
Gerald Puckett
Quallie Rogers
Charlotte Roston
Mary Roston
Kim Reed
Regenia Sadler
Jeweline Seagroves
Dru Shires
Judy Sorrells
Rick Stroud
Chloe Taylor
Ken Threet
Ruby Tucker
Travelers
Beverly Wallace
Tammy Welch
Millie Wells
Frances Wiggenton
Carl Willis
Kerry Yarboro

(Please offer me grace and forgiveness if any names are misspelled and please offer up the corrections for next week)

PRAY FOR EACH OTHER--Anyone who wishes to place someone on our prayer request list should contact Amy at 931 703-3681 or email her at [email protected] or Jane Blanton 931 580-1587

05/29/2022

May 29, 2022 St Paul
Seventh Sunday of Easter (Ascension Sunday) Year C

This Sunday we celebrate Ascension Sunday. So what is it? According to UMC.org Ascension Sunday is:
“Ascension Day is celebrated 40 days after Easter, May 26, 2022.
Ascension Sunday is the following Sunday, May 29, 2022.

For many, Ascension Day will go relatively unnoticed. Forty days after Easter is just another Thursday with many of us in our ordinary weekday routines. The event it celebrates, however, is an important episode in the life of Jesus that the church has regarded highly through the years.

Luke tells the story of Jesus' ascension both at the end of his gospel (Luke 24:50-53) and the beginning of his writing about the early church (Acts 1:9-11).

Our creeds affirm the Ascension as a central doctrine of the Christian faith. The Apostles' Creed reads, "he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty." The Nicene Creed similarly states, "he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father."

Centuries later, our United Methodist forebear, John Wesley, emphasized the day by including it as one of three non-Sunday holy day observances included in his Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America—a forerunner of our Book of Worship. The other two are Good Friday and Christmas.

Wesley also retained language about the Ascension as part of the Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church, which he edited from the Church of England. Echoing the creeds, Article III states, "he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth until he return to judge all men at the last day."

Charles Wesley, John's brother and hymn writer of the early Methodist movement, published a pamphlet of seven Hymns for Ascension Day in 1746 and several more hymns on the Ascension that appear in other volumes of his work.

Today, many United Methodist congregations recognize Jesus' ascension during regular worship services on Ascension Sunday, the Sunday immediately following Ascension Day.
Interestingly, we have no sermons on Ascension Day from John Wesley, and his Explanatory Notes on the New Testament offer no commentary on the account of the Ascension in Acts and little on the verses in Luke. Most of what we know about the Wesleys' teaching on the Ascension comes from Charles's hymns.

Our United Methodist Hymnal contains a Charles Wesley hymn titled "Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise" (312). The lyrics for this hymn, an adaptation of Charles's "Hymn for Ascension-Day" published in Hymns and Sacred Poems (1739), offer insight into the importance of this day.
Charles begins acknowledging the Ascension as both the ending of Jesus's physical presence on Earth and his return to his rightful place in heaven.
"Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise"
1. Hail the day that sees him rise,
To his throne above the skies
Christ awhile to mortals given
Re-ascends his native heaven

2. There the glorious triumph waits
Lift your heads, eternal gates,
Christ hath conquered death and sin
Take the King of glory in

3. See! The heaven its Lord receives
Yet he loves the earth he leaves
Though returning to his throne
Still he calls the world his own

4. See! He lifts his hands above
See! He shows the prints of love
Hark! his gracious lips bestow
Blessings on his church below.
(United Methodist Hymnal 312)
Our United Methodist worship resources explain, "The language of Ascension is, primarily, language of enthronement. It is Jesus ascending to his full authority."

John Wesley included Ascension Day in the Sunday Service, because it "marked not just something about Jesus or the church, but about the scope of salvation for the whole universe," the worship resources continue. Jesus "ascended to heaven to assume the fullness of his reign."

In verse 2, Charles Wesley expands on the theme of enthronement.
There the pompous triumph waits,
"Lift your heads, eternal gates,
Wide unfold the radiant scene,
Take the King of Glory in!"

As we sing these lyrics, we worship Jesus who "sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty." We acknowledge Jesus in his role as Lord over all the earth.

As Jesus ascends to his throne, however, he does not abandon us. Verse 3 of "Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise," which is adapted from verse 4 of Wesley's original text, reminds us that Jesus is not leaving us alone. Wesley writes,
Him tho' highest heaven receives,
Still he loves the earth he leaves;
Tho' returning to his throne,
Still he calls mankind his own.
Jesus' connection to Earth and humanity remains. He is not absent, but continues to love and claim us.

Charles Wesley notes that when Jesus ascended into heaven he retained the wounds of his crucifixion.

The hymn concludes in The United Methodist Hymnal (Wesley wrote 10 verses) with a description of Jesus's humanity being received into the realm of God. Jesus ascends to his rightful throne bearing the scars of the crucifixion.
See! He lifts his hands above!
See! He shews the prints of love!
Hark! His gracious lips bestow
Blessings on his church below!
The Ascension affirms that we as the church are also accepted into heaven with Jesus (see Ephesians 2:6).

While much of the world may see Ascension Day as just another Thursday, United Methodists can celebrate. With John and Charles Wesley, we remember that Jesus ascended to heaven where he took his rightful throne as Lord of the whole earth. Though he is not bodily present, he continues to love us, and longs to receive us into the presence of God to dwell with him throughout eternity.
Source
Wesley, Charles. "Hymn for Ascension-Day." Hymns and Sacred Poems (London: Strahan, 1739), p. 211-13. Accessed through The Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition, Duke Divinity School.
*Joe Iovino works for UMC.org at United Methodist Communications. Contact him by email.
This story was first published on May 22, 2017.”

I hope this helps explain the reason behind why the church celebrates this special Sunday.

Events for the Month of May
• May is Christian Home Month
• May 1st Native American Ministries Sunday
• May 1st May Day
• May 1st Laity Club at Pleasant Grove 6 pm
• May 5th National Day of Prayer
• May 5th Cinco de Mayo
• May 6th May Friendship Day
• May 6th Nurses Day
• May 8th Mother’s Day
• May 10th at 6:30 pm Disaffiliation vote at St Paul
• May 15th Food Bank at St Paul
• May 15th Revival at Wartrace at 6:30 (P.R.A.Y. will hold the
Service)
• May 21st Armed Forces Day
• May 22nd Heritage Sunday
• May 24th Aldersgate Day
• May 26th Ascension Day
• May 29th Ascension Sunday
• May 30th Memorial Day

I do want us to keep in mind that through it all God is still in control. Here we go again it seems as of right now we are back at the heart of Downtown Rover. As of now we are able to see all the smiling faces and hearing the people talking with each other. I know that it has been difficult not seeing our friends every Sunday, for those not joining us please continue to take advantage of the chat feature in the Facebook stream to say “Hi” to me and to your friends. What I am doing is once again watching what is going on and I am listening to all the experts and medical people. We are entering another time of unknown. And it is the unknown that is causing us all to worry. All I can say is that we will be here either in person and /or online. We will have worship in some form every week as long as I am able to serve. But for now we are continuing in person worship. I will say that masks are optional and you may or may not have them at your convenience.

Traditional Apostles creed will be used in our worship celebrations. During the service I will line out the Creed, as the early church did, with me reading a line and you repeating that line. I have included the Traditional Creed below:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;*
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic** church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen
*Traditional use of this creed includes these words: “He descended into hell.”
**universal

And if you are wondering we had 13 people in person. We are still serving God and are still living out our call to ministry. I invite you to share the link with your friends and family so we can continue to be a presence for God from our church in the world. I look forward to our times of worship this coming week. As we look forward to where God is leading us we are entering a time of continued celebration.

It was good to hear from some of you this week. As we continue to worship I am posting the Scriptures for Seventh Sunday of Easter (Ascension Sunday) Year C. I hope to hear from each of you as you sign in to the message. I would also ask you to take a look at our prayer list and give me any updates and any new people or situations that need to be added to our prayer list.

I have been asked several times on line and in private how people can donate to the ministries that we have and help us continue to grow. I ask you do be purposeful in donating to the ministries of this Church. I am thankful and excited to see that God is working in and moving you to help be a part of our growth. To answer that question I say that at this time the only way to donate is by mail. You could mail your contributions to:

St Paul UMC
%Amy Martin
3861 Highway 41A North
Unionville, Tennessee 37180

Scriptures for Sunday May 29, 2022

Psalter Psalm 97
Old Testament Lesson:
Epistle Lesson: Acts 16:16-34
Revelations 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
New Testament John 17:20-26

Prayer List St Paul UMC 5-29-22

PRAYER REQUEST

Dale Agee
Melodie Bachelder
Elizabeth Blackburn
Jane Blanton
Michelle Bolin
Steve Bower
Charlie Bowlby
Marilyn Bryan
Willie Bryant
Debbie Brazier
Anthony Burns
Allison Carlton
Jeremy Carlton
Dot Collins
Ann Cooper
William C. Cooper
Stephanie Cooper
Steve Cooper
Shirley Crowell
Covid 19 victims
Gene Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham
Ron Dougan
Glenda Dyer
Jim Fann
Ruby Mae Farrar
Alice Freeman
Debbie Freeman
Tanney Freezner
Willene Fulton
Jean Glasscock
John Gentry
Kynzie Gray
Rodney Guinn
Chelsea Gugger
Kimberly Hall
Pat Hankins
Nancy Harber
Jerry Harbor
Debbie Hicks
Kris Holton
Brandy Jennette
Nancy Jarrall
Eddie Johnson
Ethel Kelley
Harry Lane Jr
Donnie Lambert
Phill Legg
Darlene Lipford
Timothy Lokey
Micah McLenda
Frankie Pope McClain
Catherine McClenney
Norma June Miller
Sandy Manier
John Neal
Patti Norman
Joe Parton
Nancy Perryman
Lynda Phillips
Margie Pope
Helen Puckett
John Pyland
Margie Pope
Gerald Puckett
Mary Ralston
Quallie Rogers
Charlotte Roston
Mary Roston
Kim Reed
Regenia Sadler
Jeweline Seagroves
Dru Shires
Judy Sorrells
Rick Stroud
Chloe Taylor
Ken Threet
Ruby Tucker
Travelers
Beverly Wallace
Tammy Welch
Millie Wells
Frances Wiggenton
Carl Willis
Kerry Yarboro

(Please offer me grace and forgiveness if any names are misspelled and please offer up the corrections for next week)

PRAY FOR EACH OTHER--Anyone who wishes to place someone on our prayer request list should contact Amy at 931 703-3681 or email her at [email protected] or Jane Blanton 931 580-1587

Address

4432 Highway 41A N
Rover, TN
37153

Telephone

(931) 294-2211

Website

facebook.com

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