Grace United Methodist Church

The Union Lions Club will be selling poinsettias for the Christmas holidays. The plants will be furnished by Roebuck Greenhouse in three colors: red, white, and pink.  The six inch plant sells for $11 and the 8 inch is $18.   Sales are ongoing now and will last through November 19th. Plants will arrive Nov. 29th and a member will deliver your plants to you. 

We have permission to sell the plants to our members as either a memorial or an honorarium to decorate our sanctuary during the holidays.  Lion members will care tor the plants during their stay in the sanctuary so they will still be nice to take home to enjoy on Christmas Day.  If you plan for your plant to be used at church, Pat Owens, who decorates our church, suggests you choose red or white in order that it coordinates with the decor.

To purchase your plant(s), please see a Lions member. They are: Judy Caston, Mimi Charles, Mary Lou Gregory, Sue Keith, Barbara Rippy, and Frances Adams.  Your participation is greatly appreciated!

 Back with a Splash will be held Sunday, Sept.15, from 5-7 pm. Families and friends are invited to this fun time. Come one come all….’cause there will be something for everyone! Bring your own lawn chair! We will be serving delicious hamburgers with all the fixings and homemade ice cream for a delicious and refreshing “one of a kind” afternoon treat. Fun activities include a Dunking Chair, Giant Soapy Water Slide, mini Soapy Water Slide, Kid Car Wash, Kiddie Pools full of bubbles, and many more “wet” activities. Our Youth are also planning water balloon activities! There is something for everyone. If you do not want to get wet, we have a Giant Ker Plunk, Tic Tac Toe, Corn Hole, and Gazillion Bubbles just to name a few! Please bring your lawn chairs and be ready for fun with our Grace Family and friends.

Not interested in playing...enjoy the fun and food from the comfort of your own lawn chair, or just eat and walk around socializing with everyone. We also need volunteers for set up, food preparation, game supervision, and clean up. Please say “YES” when asked to volunteer!! Pray for great weather and great attendance. (Children, please bring your friends!) Mark your calendars today!

Don’t forget your lawn chairs, extra towels, change of clothes, flip flops and huge appetite. You don’t want to miss this last bit of summer fun with our Grace family

Adult Sunday School Classes

Grace has three wonderful adult Sunday School classes: The Clyburn Whitener Class, the Upper Room Class, and the Young Adult Class.

The Clyburn Whitener Class and the Upper Room Class both have class members who rotate teaching lessons using the Cokesbury Adult Bible Series curriculum.

The Young Adult Class curriculum is determined by class member suggestions, including video lessons from various sources and much discussion from class members. It is taught by Bob and Fran Love.

All three classes welcome all adults, including college students and young couples. AGE IS JUST A NUMBER!

Youth Sunday School Class

Our youth from sixth to twelfth grades are encouraged to attend Sunday School and Reconnection Youth on Sundays. Grayson Fallaw, our Youth Minister, is in charge of these classes and plans meaningful lessons, discussions, fund-raisers and adventures! Suppers are also provided by generous volunteers!

Children’s Sunday School Classes

Our children’s Sunday School Class includes 3K – 5th grade. The children enjoy a snack, Bible story, songs and hands on crafts to help them connect with the story. Please invite any children to participate in this exciting class.

Also on Sunday evenings, MCF/ Sonshiners meet. We have supper, music and bells with Miss Sally Summers, an appropriate Bible lesson and recreation. We also plan holiday celebrations and fun trips!

Nursery When Needed

The nursery for children up to age 3 can be provided during Sunday School and church if needed. **Parents, please bring your children to Sunday School and then enjoy adult interaction in any one of our 3 adult classes. Your children will be receiving Christian education as they hear, read and discuss Bible stories and concepts and learn to apply them daily. You will also enhance your own faith and spiritual development as you are encouraged to live by God’s word.

One last benefit of attending Sunday School is … YOU WILL NEVER BE LATE FOR THE WORSHIP SERVICE!

If you have questions, please contact Pastor David Bauknight (803-480-2153), Karen Hibbard (864-426- 1655), Margie Ruff (864-426-2726), Grayson Fallaw (864-4667010) or the church office (864-427-1266).

 NHN will have a workday on September 14th. They will meet in Grace’s parking lot at 8:00 AM. There are currently four requests for ramps at this time. David Turner thanks everyone for their support of this ministry and hopes to see volunteers there on the workday

Please join us for our Family Night Supper on Wednesday, September 25th at 6:00 PM. Bring your favorite covered dish to share and enjoy the fellowship with other Grace members, friends, and family. Our host will be the Clyburn/Whitener Class.

“A Future with Hope: Seeking a More Excellent Way” was the theme for the 2019 S.C. Annual Conference held at the Greenville Convention Center June 2 – 6, 2019. Bishop Jonathan Holston preached the opening worship service on Sunday evening. He reminded us that “If we allow God to live in us that God will change the world”. The evening ended with communion.

Each day, Monday – Thursday, began at 7:30 AM with a communion worship service. Later in the morning, we enjoyed the Bible study taught by Drs. Gregory and Susan Jones.

Many reports were heard during the week from different divisions of the Methodist Church. A budget of $16.8 million was passed for the 2020 ministry budget. The body voted to sell The Methodist Oaks in Orangeburg because of a very large financial deficit. During the week, clergy and laity elected eight delegates each to attend both the General Conference 2020 and the Jurisdictional Conference 2020, along with two alternates.

There were thirty-six women and men licensed as local pastors in an impressive examination and licensing service. They were commissioned on Monday evening at the worship service. Rev. Sara White preached the service of Thanksgiving and Memory recognizing thirty-two pastors and eight spouses who passed away during the past year, and seventeen surviving spouses. Rev. Bobby Waddell, our pastor here at Grace from 1994 – 1998 was remembered. He was deceased on December 13, 2018.

Bishop Holston presided over the Recognition Service for Retiring Ministers. Thirty men and women retired from our conference.

The Annual Conference held two mission initiatives. One was to collect twenty-five boxes of nonperishable food for The Harvest Hope Food Bank in Greenville and the other was to prepare Elder Baskets to be given to Native American needy seniors.

The 2020 Annual Conference will be held at the newly renovated Florence Center in Florence, SC, beginning Sunday, June 7, 2020 and going through Wednesday, June 10, 2020. The Annual Conference 2019 ended on Thursday at about 2:00 PM after the fixing of ministerial appointments.

Respectfully Submitted by, Frances Adams Lay Member to Annual Conference

“Geronimo” Seventeen Grace members, along with Pastor Melvyn, are looking forward to attending the Narroway Dinner Show, “Geronimo”, on Saturday, July 13th. They will enjoy a delicious meal graciously served by the actors themselves, followed by top notch entertainment!

The Spartanburg District YAH-YAH Fun Day will be held at St. James UMC in Spartanburg on Wednesday, August 7, 2019. This is an interdenominational program for older adults who are young at heart, like to play, and enjoy Christian fellowship. It is sponsored by the Spartanburg District United Methodist Churches Older Adult Ministries. There will be a lunch catered by Mutt’s BBQ. The theme this year is, “The Young at Heart”. Registration begins at 9:00 am and at 9:30 am there will be a program with welcomes, a devotional, a song fest, senior awards and exercises, and entertainment by The Cap & The Collar which is comprised of Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz and Rev. Mark Harmon. They have been performing since 2003 at churches, synagogues, charity events, and service organizations. They bring together three decades of serving their respective congregations with devotion and enthusiasm; bringing their musical talents, charm, and humor to their pulpits. With a mix of traditional folk, country, and original songs, their inspiration serves as a bridge between faiths and peoples. So, prepare for a delightful morning of song when these two perform. Registration is limited to 300 persons who enroll by August 5th. Registration forms are available at the Welcome Center table.


 

 The Union Salkehatchie Camp came to a close on Saturday, June 22nd after an exciting week of being the hands and feet of Jesus. This year five homes were repaired: one in Jonesville and four in Union. Seventy adult leaders and youth worked in extremely hot temperatures to improve these five homes. Grace is so appreciative to host the annual Salkehatchie Summer Service in Union. We are thankful for the continued support of caring and hardworking volunteers from around the state in much needed ministry. A special thanks to the Upper Room Class, the Young Adult Class and the Clyburn/Whitener Class for feeding the campers a delicious Sunday lunch. Thank you to Sheryl and Rusty Price for being the photographers, to Fran and Bob Love for inviting the campers to the Young Adult Sunday School class, to Tommy Bishop for including them in our choir, to Karen Hibbard for coordinating all the lunches and suppers and to Pastor David for a wonderful worship service!! Much appreciation goes to all who helped in any capacity with meals, decorations, treats, set up, and clean up. Grace members make an amazing team!

Join us at Andy’s on Wednesday, July 10th, at 12 noon for good food, fun, and fellowship. We are grateful to Joanne Mason who so willingly monitors blood pressure for our members at each meeting.

We hope to see y'all there on July 10th. Please invite other Grace members to join us!