The Concord Herald Volume 5 Issue 6 July, 2012 Concord United Methodist Church 70 Concord Church Rd., Roxboro, N C 27574 336.599.6262 www.concordumcroxboro.com Rev. Karl Neuschaefer, Senior Minister Rev. Billy Carden, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Tom Holtsclaw, Pastor Emeritus Mrs. Rena Morton, Music Director Kimberly Stone, Deacon Candidate Our Mission We are a growing family of believers celebrating and embracing God’s love, seeking to worship, follow, serve and witness Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our Vision We want to see God mold us into a scripturally grounded church seeking to serve our community by showing Christian love and compassion for the physical and spiritual well being of all. June Ushers: Kermit Mathis Joel Rose Keith Hall Tim Crews Greeters: Donald and Becky Wilson Acolyte: Andelyn or Avary Briggs July Ushers: Jeff Bulla Mac Wagstaff Bryan Holeman Bo Carver Greeters: Bo Carver and Elizabeth Pierson Acolyte: Allie Barker The Pastor’s Corner My heart is overflowing as I reflect on the recent mission experience to Peru. The love of God is so powerful, and when coupled with the truth of the Gospel, lives are changed forever. In the days, weeks, and months to come there will be a great deal of sharing by members of the mission team. (See the Peru Mission article in this newsletter) While we didn’t build with nails and hammers or bricks and mortar, we did build God’s Church and advance His kingdom as hundreds gave their life to Christ. Never have I seen the fulfillment of the Great Commission so vividly displayed. This truly is the mission of the United Methodist Church… “To go and make disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world.” Whether in Peru or other far off lands or right here in Roxboro, the call of Jesus on our lives is the same. This is a serious call, with eternal consequences. The questions are the same for each of us… “Where are we participating in making disciples for Jesus? Who have we shared the Good News with? Who can we say came to personally know Jesus as Lord through our witness? We each need to consider how the Holy Spirit is leading us to live out this call in our lives. Who specifically has God placed in our path to share His love and to share in the truth of His Word? We are nearing the end of a long building campaign at Concord and God has blessed us with tremendous facilities and property. While this has expanded the physical church, our focus should now intently be placed on building the greater Church; the Body of Christ. This month we have many opportunities, but most significantly we have the opportunity to build the kingdom through the children as we offer Vacation Bible School. We are still in need of volunteers. Is God calling you to share His love with these precious little ones? They are the future of the Church. Please take time this summer to consider how God is directing your path for the good of His kingdom. May we all respond with a resounding YES to His call. His kingdom is counting on us! See you in worship! Karl
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The Concord Herald Volume 5 Issue 6 July, 2012
Concord United Methodist Church
70 Concord Church Rd., Roxboro, N C 27574
336.599.6262
www.concordumcroxboro.com Rev. Karl Neuschaefer, Senior Minister
Rev. Billy Carden, Pastor Emeritus
Rev. Tom Holtsclaw, Pastor Emeritus
Mrs. Rena Morton, Music Director
Kimberly Stone, Deacon Candidate
Our Mission
We are a growing family of believers celebrating and
embracing God’s love, seeking to worship, follow, serve
and witness Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Our Vision
We want to see God mold us into a scripturally grounded
church seeking to serve our community by showing
Christian love and compassion for the physical and
spiritual well being of all.
June
Ushers: Kermit Mathis
Joel Rose
Keith Hall
Tim Crews
Greeters: Donald and Becky Wilson
Acolyte: Andelyn or Avary Briggs
July Ushers: Jeff Bulla
Mac Wagstaff
Bryan Holeman
Bo Carver
Greeters: Bo Carver and Elizabeth Pierson
Acolyte: Allie Barker
The Pastor’s Corner My heart is overflowing as I reflect on the recent
mission experience to Peru. The love of God is so
powerful, and when coupled with the truth of the
Gospel, lives are changed forever. In the days, weeks,
and months to come there will be a great deal of
sharing by members of the mission team. (See the
Peru Mission article in this newsletter) While we
didn’t build with nails and hammers or bricks and
mortar, we did build God’s Church and advance His
kingdom as hundreds gave their life to Christ. Never
have I seen the fulfillment of the Great Commission
so vividly displayed. This truly is the mission of the
United Methodist Church… “To go and make
disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the
world.”
Whether in Peru or other far off lands or right here
in Roxboro, the call of Jesus on our lives is the same.
This is a serious call, with eternal consequences. The
questions are the same for each of us… “Where are
we participating in making disciples for Jesus? Who
have we shared the Good News with? Who can we
say came to personally know Jesus as Lord through
our witness? We each need to consider how the Holy
Spirit is leading us to live out this call in our lives.
Who specifically has God placed in our path to share
His love and to share in the truth of His Word?
We are nearing the end of a long building
campaign at Concord and God has blessed us with
tremendous facilities and property. While this has
expanded the physical church, our focus should now intently be placed on building the greater Church; the
Body of Christ. This month we have many
opportunities, but most significantly we have the
opportunity to build the kingdom through the
children as we offer Vacation Bible School. We are
still in need of volunteers. Is God calling you to share
His love with these precious little ones? They are the
future of the Church. Please take time this summer to
consider how God is directing your path for the good
of His kingdom. May we all respond with a
resounding YES to His call. His kingdom is counting
on us! See you in worship!
Karl
The Concord Herald Volume 5 Issue 6 July, 2012
The Concord UMW will be
taking off for the months of July
and August. They will resume
their monthly meeting on the
second Monday of each month
beginning in September with a cookout.
Because there is an on-going need for food
supplies at the Christian Help Center, they will
continue to request donations. The items for July
include all types’ canned meats, vegetables,
pasta, peanut butter, crackers, cereal, etc. They
can always use laundry detergent, soap,
shampoo, toilet articles, etc.
The United Methodist
Men meet the second
Tuesday of each month at
6:30 p.m. for dinner in the
Fellowship Hall of the church. They will take off
the summer months from dinner meetings, but will
be painting the bathrooms at Woodland
Elementary School as they seek to continue our
relationship with the mission of helping those in
the community. You don’t have to be a member
of UMM to help. Contact Thomas Carver or
Pastor Karl for further details.
July Calendar 8-12 – Vacation Bible School – Operation Overboard
10 – P.U.M.P. Meeting at Lea’s Chapel UMC at
6:30 p.m.
23 – Safe Sanctuary Meeting at 6 p.m.
23 – Church Council Meeting at 7 p.m.
25 – Concord UMC serves lunch at the Christian
Help Center at 11 a.m.
Worship on Sunday’s at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Children’s choir practice each Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Choir practice each Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Emmaus Reunion Group each Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Stephen Ministry Training each Thursday at 6:30pm
Holy Humor Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young
daughter what the lesson was about. The daughter
answered, 'Don't be scared, you'll get your quilt.'
Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed. Later in
the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mom
asked him what that morning's Sunday school
lesson was about.
He said 'Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming.’
Relay for Life seeks members for Concord’s 2012 team Submitted by Elizabeth Bell
It's that time again! Relay for Life of Person County is scheduled for September
21-22, 2012 at the Person High School track. Concord UMC needs any and all
persons willing to be a part of the fight against cancer to join our team! We are
one of many teams in the county that is dedicated to helping rid this world of the
big "C". Being a team member does not require a lot of work--- only a strong
desire to fight back against cancer! You can be an integral part of the team both before and during the
Relay event. To become a team member please see Elizabeth Bell (after July 7th) or Bob Zippay to sign
up! The cost before July 19th is $5. This fee goes towards our Relay total and provides you with our
personalized t-shirts. And they look wonderful with the cross and flame and our logo on the back! Please
let me know by emailing me at [email protected] or personally while at church. The Survivor Dinner is
scheduled for Aug. 3rd at 6 p.m. at Theresa Baptist Church. If you know of a survivor that is not yet listed
with Relay please let me know so that I can have an invitation sent to them. This is a wonderful gathering
and a very special time to celebrate. I have always been proud to be a part of Relay for Life. Concord's
team has grown so much in the past few years and I look for it to continue to grow. I already have those
who have requested their favorite Krispy Kreme doughnuts for that particular night! And we do not
disappoint! Please join us this year and remember ---- "Happy Birthday" is a victory song!!!
Stephen Ministry training program forges ahead As you have read in previous newsletter articles, our church is launching a new
program, Stephen Ministry, to provide emotional and spiritual support and care to people
who are going through a difficult time. Training is now well underway for our future
Stephen Ministers! The initial training includes twenty (2 ½ hour) sessions, and we
generally meet for one session per week. However, we held an all-day retreat on
Saturday, June 9th
, and covered three sessions, so we are already over a third of the way
to completion! Here is what we have learned so far:
Session One—The Person of the Caregiver: This was an introduction to the 50 hours of training. We
explored the Christ-centered foundation of Stephen Ministry.
Session Two—Feelings: Your, Mine, and Ours: Feelings are a gift from God, and we learned to help
people recognize, accept, and express their feelings, and invite them to trust God to bring them healing and
wholeness. We explored the benefits of expressing feelings and the harm that can come when feelings remain
unexpressed.
Session Three—The Art of Listening: Listening is an essential part of Stephen Ministry. Stephen Ministers
use active listening skills to help people recognize and accept the feelings they are experiencing. We learned
and practiced the skill of reflecting as a valuable listening tool. We explored the many facets of listening and
talked about our own experiences so as to better understand when listening is effective and when it feels fake
or makes a person feel uncomfortable.
Session Four—Distinctively Christian Caring (Part 1): We explored the essentials of using our Christian
faith in caring for another, drawing on the resources of prayer, witnessing, the Bible, forgiveness, blessings,
and more. An important motto of Stephen Ministry is “The Stephen Minister is the caregiver, and God is the
curegiver.” This training session underscored this Christ-centered focus.
Session Five—Distinctively Christian Caring (Part 2): We explored how Christian caregivers have
something distinctive that we can offer that other caregivers cannot provide—God’s unconditional love and
forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We practiced and discussed the use of prayer, confession and absolution,
and the Bible in caregiving relationships.
Session Six—Process versus Results in Caregiving: If ever there were a time for Stephen Minister trainees
to say “Aha!” this module would be it. We learned the key understanding that we don’t have to (and indeed
can’t) fix whatever problem it is that our care receiver faces. This session was a time for a collective sigh of relief, as we were reminded again that God is the curegiver and the Stephen Minister is the caregiver. This
establishment of roles is what makes Stephen Ministry possible. The concept runs counter to the strong
results-oriented approaches of present-day society. But in caregiving, the more one pushes for results in
another, the faster and farther they flee.
Session Seven—Assertiveness: Relating Gently and Firmly (Part 1): Assertiveness has gained a bad name
for itself in some circles. It has been taken to mean “getting my own way,” which is erroneous. In fact,
assertiveness is about relating to others gently and firmly. This was the first of two sessions on this topic. We
discussed and applied the principles we read about in the book Speaking the Truth in Love: How to Be an
Assertive Christian, which uses Jesus as the model for assertive behavior.
Training will continue until mid-October, and the new Stephen Ministers will be commissioned in
November. They are very excited about what they are learning and are looking forward to serving the
congregation and the community!
The Concord Herald Volume 5 Issue 6 July, 2012
Congratulations Graduates Crystal Goodman holds her daughter, Heidi, as she receives her
degree from Watts School of Nursing on May 11, 2012. She took
her state board exam on Tuesday, June 19th. Crystal has been
hired by Duke University Hospital and begins her nursing career in
Neurosciences on July 16th. Crystal is also a graduate of
Appalachian State University where she received a Bachelor of
Science Degree in Psychology. Crystal is the daughter of Becky
Legun. She is married to Raymond and they live in Cary, N.C.
Robert Thomas Currier (Rob) graduated from Methodist
University in Fayetteville, NC with a Bachelor of Science in
Business Administration. He also received a certificate in
Professional Tennis Management. While at Methodist University,
he was on the Men's Tennis team. He has accepted a position at St.
James Plantation, Southport, NC, as an Assistant Tennis Pro. He is
scheduled to begin working on Monday, July 2. Rob is the son of
Barbara Wagstaff Currier.
Charlie Stone graduated from
Roxboro Community School June 1. He began RCS in 7th
grade when the school first started. Charlie went on the mission
trip to Peru with Crosswave and others from Concord UMC. In
the fall, he plans to attend Piedmont Community College and
has interest in studying auto mechanics. In addition to PCC, he
will assist his dad, Wendall Stone, in his handyman service,
Angels in Disguise.
Chelsea Morris graduated from Roxboro Community School June 1
and plans to attend Piedmont Community College in the Fall. She
spent her senior trip in Peru with the Crosswave ministry team from
Concord. Chelsea is the daughter of Marvin and Pat Morris.
(See Graduates next page)
The Concord Herald Volume 5 Issue 6 July, 2012
(Graduates, continued from previous page)
Kale Pool is the son of Kevin and Loraine Pool. He graduated from
Roxboro Community School on June 1, 2012 and will attend
Piedmont Community College, majoring in Environmental
Engineering in the transfer program to NCSU. Kale has received two
scholarships towards his education.
Grant Jordan is the son of Doug and Nancy Jordan of
Roxboro. Grant graduated from Roxboro Community
School on June 1, 2012. Grant has been attending Concord
and went on the mission trip to Peru with the team from
Concord and Crosswave Ministry.
We send best wishes to all the graduates.
Cemetery Wall nears completion To date, the Cemetery Wall Project
Fundraiser totals $135,177.25 and the work is
nearing completion. The paving of the road in
the cemetery should be completed this week;
the lettering on the front gates should be
complete soon; and the landscaping will be
completed by late summer. Recognition efforts
are underway with plans to have the plaques in place in the next six to eight
weeks. A dedication service is being
planned for early fall. “This project has
gone extremely well,” said Chairman
Tommy Wagstaff. “We are indeed
thankful for the generous participation of
the church membership in this project as
well as the descendents of those buried in
the cemetery.”
The Concord Herald Volume 5 Issue 6 July, 2012
They’re back!!
Our Peru mission team arrived home safely on
Tuesday, June 26, at approximately 1:45am. It had
been a phenomenal trip with countless opportunities
to watch God work in the people they went to serve,
as well as, within the individual team members. The
team is still processing what they have experienced
and are gathering pictures to share. A special mission
luncheon and Peru 2012 presentation will be given in
early September when everyone returns from their
summer vacations. Look for more information in the
bulletin and newsletter. In the mean time, enjoy a taste
of the experience from the collage below and the
quotes from the Concord team members. Each will be
more than glad to share about their individual
experiences.
Chelsea, Jeanie, Grant, Karl and Charlie
“As I reflected on our trip, I thought of all the enormous blessings God had prepared for me and can't
even imagine not being there to receive them. God challenged me in many ways and I'm so thankful
for the experience - one that I'll never forget!”
--Jeanie Neuschaefer--
“My first time going to Peru as a missionary, I had no idea what was going on. I felt God guide me
closer to Him through the hurt of these people. For the first time in my life I’ve felt the Holy Spirit.
When I did I had no doubts anymore and I felt every bit of pain in my heart just fade away and for
the first time in my life I was truly happy.”
--Charlie Stone--
“At first going to Peru, I really wanted to go but then when the trip got closer I didn't want to go!
After being there a few days it changed my life. This trip was amazing but I couldn't have done it without everyone's thoughts and prayers. I'm truly blessed by it!”
--Chelsea Morris--
“It's a sad thought that I had to travel close to 5,000 miles to meet and greet with the Holy Trinity.
However, it was a phenomenal reality to me that even then, They (the Three persons of the Trinity)
were there.” --Grant Jordan--
“There are generally only a few times in one’s life that significant transformation takes place. This
trip was one of those times for me. God showed me the enormous power of His Word when
genuinely shared from the heart! The Good News of the Gospel continues to transform hearts for