Chapel Hill UMC has been challenged by the United Methodist Women to fast from sundown
Tuesday, Feb. 21st until 6:00 on Wednesday, Feb. 22. We will break that fast at 6:00pm on
Wednesday with a light meal together before we go into the Sanctuary for the traditional Ash
Wednesday service which officially heralds the beginning of the season of Lent.
Take the challenge. Fasting is an ancient means of grace and has been exercised as a spiritual
discipline for generations. John Wesley fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 am until 4 pm.
The time he would have spent eating and drinking, he spent praying and going through a rigorous
time of self-examination of conscience. Many will give the money they would have spent on food to
the church as an added discipline.
If you choose to fast, ponder these thoughts from one of my favorite authors, Macrina Wiederkehr:
Fasting makes me vulnerable and reminds me of my frailty. It leads me to remember that if I am not
fed I will die. Standing before God hungry, I suddenly know who I am. I am one who is poor, called to
be rich in a way that the world does not understand. I am one who is empty, called to be filled with
the fullness of God. I am one who is hungry, called to taste all the goodness that can be mine in
Christ.
Come join others, even if you decide not to fast, at the brief service of repentance and forgiveness
at 7:00 pm on February 22. The service is a means of beginning our journey of remembering Christ’s
passion. It is like the melody line in the rich harmony of a symphony. Come re-experience sin
confessed and sin forgiven with our sisters and brothers in this body of Christ and bring a friend.
We are 9 members strong and really digging
into some great faith learning. Ask any
Confirmand anything about God and they’ll be able to
tell you. Well, maybe almost anything. Sunday was
tight learning about our God the creator, the lover,
the forgiver, the Messiah, the Spirit, the personal
counselor, etc……
We are looking forward to travelling to Trietsche UMC on Feb. 19 for Confirmation Celebration with
about 1,000 other Confirmands and Bishop Bledsoe.
Pizza will be consumed, songs will be sung and games
will be played and friends will be made. What fun.
Glory be to God!!!
This Sunday, February 12, will be the last
time you can purchase stocks to assist our 3rd –
5th graders going to Choir Camp. We are about
half way there with the stock purchases made
Sunday, Feb. 5th to being able to send the
children with no additional cost to their parents.
If you purchased stocks this past Sunday,
February 5th - thank you so much! The
stock cost is $10.00; please make checks payable
to Chapel Hill UMC (we also take cash.)
It’s time to begin holding regular CHUMC Emmaus community
meetings at our church. After our last 5th Sunday presentation about
Walk to Emmaus, we are receiving inquiries to sponsor several
CHUMC men and women.
A by-product of being active in the local Emmaus group is that many
of our church leaders were inspired by their Walk and have become
outstanding servant leaders from their participation in a 4-day
weekend.
Some participants who have gone on the Walk have said that their
lives were changed! Let’s have a re-organization meeting here at the
church on Sunday, February 12, following church services. It will be
brief. All we have to decide is what day and time we can meet
regularly here at the church. We can meet in the Sunday Morning
Prayer room off Fellowship Hall. Let’s commit to being active in
the Emmaus Community again! See you there!
Last call for Souper Bowl contributions! Cans can still be
brought in this week. If you'd like to make a cash/check
donation for the purchase of additional cans, see Jennifer at
the church office.
Thanks to you, the Youth were able to collect over 500 canned good
items! We will be delivering them to Metrocrest some time this month.
We'd like to double our number next year, so be ready to help when the
next Souper Bowl comes around.
The Youth Sunday School has begun an
interesting new study of Ecclesiastes. The first
chapter reminds us that we cannot find true
meaning in "anything under the sun", which literally means, "apart from
God". We found comfort in the fact that even great and mighty King
Solomon hit rock bottom at times and wondered "what is it all about?"
We discussed the idea from chapter one that "there is nothing new...
from ancient civilizations to modern technological civilizations... much
has changed, but not humanity. People then and now have the same
struggles, the same basic needs and emotions, the same desire to find
meaning in life. That means that a book like Ecclesiastes is very relevant
to today's youth who are trying to figure out their place in the world. They
can feel like old king Solomon really "gets" them. I am excited to lead
the youth Sunday school through this series, which asks them to
consider what is truly of value in their life, and points them towards
fulfillment in a life with Christ.
Thank you to all who attended the Parent Meeting on Sunday. Please
turn in the yellow, blue, and orange forms as soon as possible. If you
were unable to attend, expect to receive the handouts in the mail this
week. If you do not have youth of your own, but would like to contribute
to our program with your ideas, council, or volunteerism, please contact
me this week and ask for a volunteer survey!
God's grace and peace to you and yours!
--Heidi Tolle
Everyone Welcome to Participate in Chapel Hill UMC
Weekly Prayer Service
Prayer Service during the week is changing from the old day and time to
a new day and time.
We will be meeting at the church on Fridays from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. weekly.
And, we will stay with a 1-hour format and dismiss on time.
The prayer list provided by Chapel Hill UMC will be used. In addition, we
will pray for any other individuals or circumstances needing prayer and
known to participants of this prayer group.
We would love to have you join with us for prayer weekly, but we will
welcome you on those Friday evenings whenever you can come!
Our friends at Labors for Neighbors have
asked us if we can participate in their March 2nd
– 4th roofing project in Oklahoma. We had our
sights on the April trip, but that was claimed by
another church team.
What will I do?: Load up gear at about 5:00 pm on Friday night,
then drive to OK, enjoying pizza en route and fellowship and
prayer with the other volunteers.
Saturday: up and at 'em early
with prayer and instruction and a day of well coordinated roof
rebuilding. Very safe, you can stay on the ground if you feel it is
necessary; there will be plenty of work to go around!
Sunday: up
for breakfast and on the road home. We'll stop at a Methodist
church along the way and join them, all wearing our L4N t-shirts.
The last several trips have been to OK Indian mission sites, we
believe this is so for this trip as well.
Who?: Adult Missioners, and accompanied 16 - 18 year olds
needed.
How much does it cost?: The cost is $95 per person. We have a
small budget to help willing missioners who would like to go - last
trip it covered about 1/2 of this cost for participants –
Bottom line: come if your hands and heart are willing, pay
what you can and a way will be made for the rest!
Lenten Journey is a personal, spiritual and creative experience offered in a community setting. Eight meditation centers provide an environment and instructions for a private and self-paced meditation on the Seven Last Words of Christ.
Chapel Hill United Methodist Church will hold our Lenten Journey 2012 event on Tuesday April 3 & Wednesday April 4, 2012.
Two sessions will be held each day with hours for both days at 10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. Bulletins from Spiritual Ministries Institute are being prepared showing all local churches that are holding the event for 2012, and Chapel Hill UMC will be listed among them.
We will distribute the bulletins to the surrounding churches and communities as we did last year, inviting everyone to come.
You won’t want to miss Lenten Journey 2012. Meanwhile, look at the photos taken at Lenten Journey 2011 held at Chapel Hill UMC.
Chapel Hill UMC has been challenged by the United Methodist Women to fast from sundown
Tuesday, Feb. 21st until 6:00 on Wednesday, Feb. 22. We will break that fast at 6:00pm on
Wednesday with a light meal together before we go into the Sanctuary for the traditional Ash
Wednesday service which officially heralds the beginning of the season of Lent.
We are 9 members strong and really digging
into some great faith learning. Ask any
Confirmand anything about God and they’ll be able to
tell you. Well, maybe almost anything. Sunday was
tight learning about our God the creator, the lover,
the forgiver, the Messiah, the Spirit, the personal
counselor, etc……
Sunday, February 12
When is Bible Storytelling Night?
This Sunday, February 12, will be the last
time you can purchase stocks to assist our 3rd –
5th graders going to Choir Camp. We are about
half way there with the stock purchases made
Sunday, Feb. 5th to being able to send the
children with no additional cost to their parents.
It’s time to begin holding regular CHUMC Emmaus community
meetings at our church. After our last 5th Sunday presentation about
Walk to Emmaus, we are receiving inquiries to sponsor several
CHUMC men and women.
The Youth Sunday School has begun an
interesting new study of Ecclesiastes. The first
chapter reminds us that we cannot find true
meaning in "anything under the sun", which literally means, "apart from
God". We found comfort in the fact that even great and mighty King
Solomon hit rock bottom at times and wondered "what is it all about?"
We discussed the idea from chapter one that "there is nothing new...
from ancient civilizations to modern technological civilizations... much
has changed, but not humanity. People then and now have the same
struggles, the same basic needs and emotions, the same desire to find
meaning in life. That means that a book like Ecclesiastes is very relevant
to today's youth who are trying to figure out their place in the world. They
can feel like old king Solomon really "gets" them. I am excited to lead
the youth Sunday school through this series, which asks them to
consider what is truly of value in their life, and points them towards
fulfillment in a life with Christ.
Do you feel that prayer can make a difference?
Our friends at 
Lenten Journey is a personal, spiritual and creative experience offered in a community setting. Eight meditation centers provide an environment and instructions for a private and self-paced meditation on the Seven Last Words of Christ.
