Mt Clinton UMC

Website Maintenance - Your Feedback is Requested

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:17:23 PST

We are trying something new with the website. Instead of the weekly worship service and choir practice articles, we are providing players that will remain on the side of the page. This will help not only by making the audio and downloads available more quickly, but also not flood the site with audio articles.

The only drawback to this approach is that the "Podcast" will not be available. Podcasts are article-based and need a dedicated article for each audio file. If you currently subscribe to our Podcast and wish to continue this service, please let us know by responding to this article. If not, you the audio will still be available on the website as always.

Thank you for your feedback and have a wonderful, blessed week!

Christmas Eve Service

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:58:29 PST

The December 24, 2011 Christmas Eve service is available online: download the audio and bulletin.

Christmas Cantata

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:51:02 PST

The December 18, 2011 Christmas Cantata is available online: download the audio.

2011 Christmas Program

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:19:25 PST

Christmas Program (click to view)

The December 8, 2011 choir practice is available online: download the audio.

Wellness Wednesday - Gluttony

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:38:13 PST

It's that wonderful time of the year again as Christmas day rapidly approaches. With it comes many an opportunity to feast with family and snack at parties. With so much food around, it is easy to fall into the sin of gluttony.

Gluttony arises from the fear of not having something we could easily have. It's not so much that we are afraid we will not have enough (greed) or that we believe that one extra cookie is going fulfill our longings (lust). Nor is it that we are afraid someone else will have it and we will miss out (envy). With gluttony, it's the sheer abundance of something that leads us to consume it. It's easy to obtain, and taking it won't deprive anyone else, so there is seemingly no harm to consuming it. It is simply waiting to be consumed, so we take it without any thought to the consequence.

Gluttony is easiest to identify when it comes to food. We know when we are full that an extra piece of pie may taste good but will leave us feeling overstuffed and uncomfortable. It is harder to recognize gluttony with other things in our lives. Just a few years ago, gas prices were so low that there was very little reason to consider carpooling, combining errands into a single trip, or refraining from a weekend trip a couple hundred miles away. Only when gas prices doubled and then tripled did we recognize the true waste of our gluttonous use of gas that gave no thought to tomorrow.

Likewise, we may buy something in a store that we can easily afford even when we already have several like it. During this season, we often come across a beautiful Christmas decoration that seems so perfect for that spot on the end table in the living room. Why not go ahead and buy it? We have the money, and it won't hurt anyone. We buy on impulse without a thought to tomorrow. We do not care where we will store it the rest of the year or how we might better use that money another day.

That is gluttony - consuming something merely because it is there waiting to be taken without giving a thought to tomorrow.

Thoughts to ponder: What is it that you are tempted to have more of when you have enough? What is abundant around you? What would it feel like to refrain from having more of that when you could easily have it?

Wellness Wednesday - Sloth

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:14:30 PST

In Numbers 13, Moses sends out 12 spies to scout out the Promised Land that the people of Israel have been journeying toward. The spies complete their mission and report back. The spies tell tales of how enormous and powerful the people who occupy the Promised Land are - the spies say they felt like mere insects compared to these mighty people. Ten of the spies recommend abandoning the goal of living in the Promised Land. It is too difficult, they say. We will never win so we might as well give up. Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, remember God's promises to the people and speak convinced that with God all things are possible. The people nevertheless give into the fear of hopelessness and start making plans to return to bondage in Egypt. God then speaks to Moses, "How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?"

When we look closely at our lives, it is easy to see things we would like to improve. Lose weight. Stop smoking. Read the Bible. Pray more. Keep the house clean. Be more patient. We set a goal and hope we will make it. Sometimes we fail, later decide to try again, and then fail again. With each failed try, the goal seems ever more hopelessly unattainable. We forgot the promises that are out there. We do not see the signs of hope for a better future. Hopeless, we give up even trying anymore, and we return to bondage to our current state. It's no use, we say. I'll always be overweight. I can't stop smoking. The Bible and praying aren't for me. I'm just not the house-keeping kind. I'll never be patient. Not surprisingly, when we give up in despair, things only get worse. This is sloth - the despair that nothing is worth doing because we fear the situation is hopeless. This leads to the perceived laziness that is often thought of as sloth. When we succumb to the sin of sloth, we give up on hope. We give up on the promises that God has made for us and for our lives.

Thoughts to ponder: What things in your life have you made a concerted effort to change? Which have been successful? Which have met with failure repeatedly? What seems hopeless in your life today? Have you given up trying? What promise or sign would you need to try again in a new way?

Wellness Wednesday - Greed

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:57:36 PDT

A few months ago, I was out of town with my wife, and we had gone to a restaurant for dinner. While we looked over the menu for the smaller portioned, healthier entrees, we were both aware that we were rather hungry after an active day. Afraid that the healthier options might leave us still hungry, we were both tempted to order larger, less healthy items. While the waiter waited patiently nearby, we debated for a moment whether we should order an appetizer or larger entrees to make sure we would have enough to fill us up.

In that moment, we were greedy for something larger even though we knew it wouldn't be what was best for us. Greed is rooted in the fear of not having or not being enough. We fear not having enough money, status, power, friends, material items, time, or calories on our plates, and we reach out to take more than we need just in case.

It is easy for us to look at the rich and famous and call them greedy. We all know that they have more than they really need. It is harder for us to look at ourselves and see our own greed. But how often do we feel like we do not have enough, that we have not done enough, or that we are not enough? Although for the most part we have enough of what we need, we have grown desensitized to what "enough" is. We live in a culture that glorifies the bigger, the better, the more. We have little idea what "enough" truly is in our lives. We no longer know "enough" even when we see it.

Whether it's at the table where we desire more than enough food, in our bank accounts where we desire more than enough money, or in our schedules where we desire more than enough time, the problem is the same. When we are afraid that we will not have enough, we fall into the sin of greed. It is fundamentally a spiritual issue that we do not trust God to ensure we have enough.

Thoughts to ponder: What are you afraid that you do not have enough of? What does "enough" look like for you? Do you trust God to give you enough? How might sharing what you have with others help you to keep in perspective what "enough" is?

Mission Moment - Spiritual Gifts

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:55:57 PDT

Quoting the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said, "God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, 'This is God's year to act!'" (Luke 4:18-19, The Message)

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to participate in his mission. We are called to be missionaries sent out by God to continue Jesus' work in the world. Being a missionary does not necessarily mean going to a foreign land or to another city. We can be missionaries right here in our own communities.

We know that Jesus' mission is our mission. What we need to discover is the way in which we are being called to fulfill that mission. Are we called especially to feed the hungry and house the homeless in our community, to pray for the sick and to visit the lonely, to stand with and comfort those who are oppressed and abused, or to proclaim that God is at work in our world and our lives even now? We share in all of these callings, but each of us have been given a specific set of spiritual gifts to help us focus on one or more of these callings.

What gifts has God given you? For what calling might God be preparing you by giving you these gifts? To learn more about spiritual gifts and to take a gifts assessment, check out this resource.

Theology Thursday - Sin and Death

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:10:07 PDT

We were made to be in relationship with God, the source of our life. Recognizing our limited abilities to know and control our lives, we grow afraid. Out of fear, we grasp for control and put ourselves in God's rightful place. In doing so, we commit a sin - an act against God. But more than that, we fall into a state of sin - a broken relationship with God. Sin is not only a single action we take but also the state of brokenness we find ourselves in as a result of that action.

When we sin, we cut ourselves off from God, the source of our life. Depriving ourselves of the life-giving power of God's Spirit, we fall into death - not only the end of our lives but also the end of the true, abundant life we have been given here and now. We are trapped into a vicious cycle of fear, sin, and the resulting death that breeds greater fear. Try as we might, we are unable to break the cycle on our own. Only the God who is powerful enough to create an entire universe out of nothing can re-create life where there is death, forgiveness where there is sin, and love where there is fear.

Our only hope is the God from whom we have turned. To overcome fear, sin, and death, we have to repent - that is, to turn back - to God.

Thoughts to ponder: What broken relationships do you have in your life? What role do fear and sin play in that brokenness? What would it take to repair those broken relationships? How might love and forgiveness give new life to those relationships? What might happen if you love and forgive as God does?

Wellness Wednesday - The Seven Deadly Sins

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:06:12 PDT

We’ve begun with the notion that we want to be made well, and we’ve taken the time to ask ourselves what stands in our way of letting Jesus make us well. Now it’s time to examine some of the classic ways by which all of us at times block ourselves from the healing grace of God. Many have heard of the “Seven Deadly Sins,” and we may be familiar with them as they have been popularized in movies and literature. But how do those relate to our wellness?

Each of these classic sins is at its root fear, fear of _____. The seven sins we will examine are simply different ways that fear manifests itself. 1 John 4:18 reads, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” Fear is the opposite of love. God is love, and God wants our lives to be about love. By this metric, wellness - both physical and spiritual - is being perfect in love. Therefore, when fear rules our lives, we are not living as the whole, well people that God calls us to be.

In order to achieve spiritual and physical wellness, we need to allow God to cast the fears from our lives that keep us from love. Next week we will dive into a series of examining seven of the sins and the underlying fears that keep us from wellness. In the meantime, think about these seven sins and how they relate to your wellness journey:

Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride

Questions to ponder: Which of these sins most rules my life? How have I reacted out of fear when it comes to this sin? What would my life look like if God replaced this sin with love?

Wellness Wednesday - Running the Race

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:01:04 PDT

"Do you want to be made well?" Jesus asks us. It seems like a simple question - one that should be easy to answer. Yet there is more to this question than it may first appear.

First, what does it mean to us to be made well? What would it look like if we were as physically and spiritually healthy as we desire to be? Is physical health maintaining a certain weight or blood pressure, or is it the ability to do something physical that we want to do? Is spiritual health a desire to do good things, or is it a feeling of abundance in the place of emptiness? Each of us has a different idea of what being well means. To answer Jesus' question, we first need to recognize what being well means to us.

Second, what stands in your way of being well? If you want to be made well, what has kept you from being well so far? Are you willing to discipline yourself to let grace lift you over these obstacles? In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul writes of an athlete who exercises self-control in all things so that they might win the race. If we lack self-discipline, then, although we may try to run the race, we are like a runner racing aimlessly or a boxer beating the air.

May God give you the clarity to discern the race toward well-being that lies before you and strengthen your discipline to overcome the obstacles along the way through grace!

Thoughts to ponder: What goals do you have to become physically and spiritually healthy? What are some of the things that have stood in your way in the past? What discipline do you need to develop to push past these obstacles?

Methodism Monday - What's In a Name? - Part 2

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:16:11 PDT

In 1767, Philip Otterbein, a German-born Reformed pastor serving along the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, attended a worship service at Long's Barn near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Preaching during the service was Mennonite farmer Martin Boehm. Inspired by Boehm's words, Otterbein approached him after the service and greeted him with the words "Wir sind Bruder" which translates as "We are brothers." From that day forward, the two men grew a close relationship that would lay the foundation of the United Brethren in Christ, one of the forerunners of The United Methodist Church. Church historian Frederick Norwood notes, “They were an interesting pair: Otterbein the stately university-trained minister and Boehm the Mennonite farmer with a full beard.” Despite the differences in their backgrounds and denominations, the two men recognized between them a brotherhood that transcended these differences. It is from this sense of unity that our denomination claims the word "United" as part of its name.

Thoughts to ponder: How do we let differences in our backgrounds stand in the way of our being united with others? Have you ever met anyone with whom you immediately felt a kindred connection? How did this connection transcend your differences? What differences should we lay aside so that we can have unity in Christ with others?

Theology Thursday - Fear Comes Before the Fall

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:04:19 PDT

After creating human beings, God looked at all of creation and called it very good. God then placed a limitation on the newly created humans - that they may not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

We human beings, of course, do not like limitations and do not do so well with them. When we recognize our limitations, it strikes fear in our hearts. When we realize that we will one day die and not live forever, we are afraid of that day and fight to delay it as long as we can. When we realize that we are not in control of something (or someone), we are afraid of what it might do to us and struggle to conquer and either subdue or destroy it. When we realize that there is something we cannot have, we desire it more intensely and fear that someone else might have it. Afraid of our limitations, we are tempted to turn away from God and seize the what we desire for ourselves. We seek to be like God, infinite and without limitations. Breaking our relationship with God, we fall into sin. Fear comes before the fall.

So it was that Adam and Eve, out of fear, were tempted to reach out pridefully and take that fruit that had been forbidden to them. Of course, taking the forbidden fruit did not quell their fear; it only increased it. Their eyes were opened to their nakedness and their powerlessness before the God who had set the limitation in the first place. Their fear grew greater, and they hid from God.

When fear creeps into our lives, the temptation is great for us to grasp for control by whatever means necessary, even by sinful means. Fear leads to sin which leads to even greater fear, and a vicious cycle spirals out of control.

Thoughts to ponder: Have you had fears in your life that led you to do destructive things? What are your greatest fears today? How might you get rid of the sources of these fears? Do you think this will make your fears go away? Will your actions cause others to fear you? How can we conquer our fears without falling into sin?

Wellness Wednesday - Do You Want to Be Made Well?

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:42:46 PDT

In John 5:1-18, Jesus encounters a man who had been ill for 38 years sitting by a pool of water reported to have healing powers. Jesus, realizing that the man had been by the pool for quite a while, asks him simply, "Do you want to be made well?"

In response, the man tells Jesus why he cannot he made well at the pool - he is too slow, and no one will help him. Jesus tells him to put aside this excuse and to take up his mat and walk. Miraculously, the man does not argue that he can't do it. He simply obeys and he is healed.

There are those around them that are upset by this act. They shame the man for working on the Sabbath by carrying his mat, and they charge Jesus with working on the Sabbath by healing this man in need.

Sometimes we recognize our need to improve our physical health - lose weight, maintain our diabetes, or quit using tobacco - or spiritual health - pray or read the Bible more, serve our neighbors, or learn to trust in grace. The obstacles to overcome, however, can seem overwhelming. As happens to the man by the pool, something "always" gets in our way. We are too busy, too tired, too whatever to follow through. At times, it seems that the world conspires against us to make us fail in our best attempts just as the world argued against this man's healing because it was on the Sabbath. The world seems to tell us we are not good enough to succeed and that it is not worth the effort. It is easy to give in to these internal reasons and excuses and these external messages and pressures.

And yet Jesus is there asking us the question, "Do you want to be made well?" Dare we too leave the excuses and pressures behind to take up our mats and walk?

Thoughts to ponder: What excuses stand in the way of your taking charge of your physical and spiritual well-being? What messages do you hear from the world that stand in the way? Are you content with your current level of well-being? Do you want to be made well?

Methodism Monday - What's In a Name? - Part 1

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:47:46 PDT

When John and Charles Wesley were students at Oxford University in the 1730's, they were involved with a group they called the Holy Club. The club members' goal was to grow in personal piety and social holiness. They wanted to grow in their own faith while increasing the holiness of the society around them through service to the poor, hungry, and imprisoned. Largely due to John's gift for organizing, the club developed methods to help them attain this goal, and the club became known for being so methodical in how it approached faith. Outsiders began calling the members of the Holy Club "Methodists" as a way of making fun of how methodical they were. Instead of pushing back against this intended insult, John Wesley embraced the name, and those who followed him became known "The People called Methodists." What began as an insult was turned into a name of a people with a reputation of serving Christ's kingdom openly and passionately.

How often God takes things that are meant for harm or for evil and redeems them for a greater purpose! May God take those negative things you face in life today and redeem them for the good.

Thoughts to ponder: How have you experienced God's redemption of circumstances in your life, turning the bad into something good? What negative things in your life do you need to ask God to redeem today?

Theology Thursday - Created in the Image

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:38:20 PDT

The book of Genesis tells us that, when God created humankind, God made them in the image of God. That means that, at our core, we are meant to be like God. As we talked about a couple of weeks ago, God's nature is a loving relationship. Because we are made in the image of God, we are meant to be in loving relationships with God and with one another.

Because we are made in the image of God, we are also people who seek to create as God has created. We, of course, are limited in our ability to create. We cannot create an entire universe as God has done, but we attempt to create things that capture the beauty and power of God's creation. As we live and create, there is something important for us to remember. When God was finished creating all things, God rested. In the Law, the people of Israel were commanded to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. How much do we struggle with this seemingly simple command to rest in worship? In our busy, 24/7 culture, Sabbath has ceased to be about rest and has become the day into which we cram everything that we haven't been able to accomplish during the rest of the week - chores, cleaning, sports, recreation, hobbies, recorded TV shows. We have neglected our need to truly rest - something we need to be healthy and whole.

Thoughts to ponder: How do you rest? How do you keep the Sabbath holy? How does it feel to rest? Do you get enough sleep at night? What things compete to fill the Sabbath time in your life? Do you ever feel guilty for taking time to rest? What one thing can you do to make more time for rest and Sabbath in your life?

Theology Thursday - The Transcendent, Immanent God

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:20:12 PDT

There are two primary ways in which we experience God at work in the world. When we see the rich colors of a sunset over the mountains, a complete double rainbow against the backdrop of dark storm clouds, a bear traipsing across our path in the woods, the vastness of the seemingly endless seas, a clear night sky full of millions of twinkling stars, or the miracle of a newborn baby taking its first of many breaths, we are often humbled by the awesome, overwhelming power of the God who created all things. Seeing such sights, we feel that we, such small things, are in the presence of something far greater than ourselves. This is our experience of the transcendent God - the all-powerful God who is over all things and far greater than ourselves.

At other times when we feel a peace that comes to settle our restless, burdened hearts, see the warmth of a friendly smile that fills our loneliness, hear words that burn within drawing us to venture out in a new direction, are so overcome by love that we lose our sense of fear, or we connect with a community to which we truly belong, we know that we are loved by and part of something larger than ourselves. This is our experience of the immanent God - the all-loving God who seeks a personal relationship with us and dwells with us.

In some religions, there is the belief in separate gods. There are the all-powerful, transcendent gods who create all things and then remain distant, only acting in the world for their own pleasure. Then there are the personal, immanent gods and/or ancestors to whom one would pray with an expectation of being heard. As Christians, we believe however that there is only one God, the God who is not only transcendent but also immanent.

This has two major implications for us: 1) The transcendent, all-powerful God who created all things cares about each of us. We were created to love and be loved in a blessed world rather than to go it all on our own in harsh, uncaring world. 2) The immanent, personal God who dwells with and within us is powerful. The God to whom we pray is not limited by a greater power but is able to work for our welfare without bound.

May the all-powerful, all-loving God we worship strengthen you and guide you today and everyday!

Questions to ponder: How have you experienced the awe-inspiring God who has created all things? What does it mean to you that this all-powerful God loves you? How have you experienced the personal, caring God who dwells with us? What does it mean to you that this all-loving God is powerful? How does belief in one all-powerful, personal God give us hope?

Methodism Monday - A Brand Plucked from the Burning

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:03:18 PDT

When John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was five years old, his family's home caught fire one night. (It is often thought that the fire was started by parishioners who were angry at his father, the priest of the local parish.) While his parents and siblings made it safely outside, Wesley was trapped in a room on the second story. Some men in the streets acted quickly and, standing on each other's shoulders, formed a human ladder so that they could reach him. They pulled him through the window and down to safety with his family moments before the house was engulfed in flames. Wesley's mother, Susannah, saw in these events God's saving hand at work, and she referred to her son as "a brand plucked from the burning" in reference to Zechariah 3:2. Not only did she believe that God had saved him from the fire, but she also believed that God had saved him for a special purpose.

One belief that we as United Methodists particularly emphasize is that God not only saves us from our sin but that God also saves us for holy living. Through our faith in God, we are forgiven of our sins and restored to a right relationship with God (that is, we are justified). This, however, is only the beginning. Along our continuing journey with God, we grow in our love of God and of our neighbors and become more like Jesus Christ (that is, we are sanctified). We are called to a special purpose - to feed the hungry, to visit the sick and imprisoned, to show mercy to the poor and and compassion to the hurting. Like in John Wesley's situation as a child trapped in a burning house, God saves us from wearisome burdens and troubling dangers so that we may be freed for the special purpose of sharing God's love in the world.

Questions for thought: From what has God saved you in your life? How is God saving you today? For what purpose has God saved you? How are you growing in your love of God and of your neighbors? What special purpose do you feel that God has in mind for you and your life?

Recreating Wellness

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:31:56 PDT

We will be having our first meeting of Recreating Wellness this Saturday at 9 am. We hope to see some of you there!

Theology Thursday - God the Trinity

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 06:23:04 PDT

The Trinity is one of the most difficult parts of our faith to understand fully. What does it really mean when we say that God is one God in three persons? On the one hand, we believe that there is one and only one God. On the other hand, we believe that we have known this one God in three distinct people - God the Father who created all the universe, Jesus Christ the Son of God who came to live among us as a human, and the Holy Spirit who sustains us and gives us life. That God is both one and three can seem like a paradox.

However we may try to make sense of this, our belief in the Trinity tells us something important about who God is and who God made us to be. God's nature is that of a loving relationship - the Father and the Son united by the bond of the Holy Spirit. Even before anything else existed, the Father and the Son loved each other. Simply put, God was, is, and forever will be love. God created the universe and all living things to extend that loving relationship to someone else. Thus, the act of creation itself was an act of love. The world around and we along with it were created out of love and were meant for good.

Because we were made in the image of God, we were made for relationship with God and with each other. Without loving relationships, we wither and grow weak. When we are in loving relationships, we are filled with the fullness of life and grow strong. Because of who God is, we are people whose purpose is to love and to be loved.

May the Creator of all things, the Redeemer of all good, and the Sustainer of all life bless you and keep you through the power of love today and forever more!

Things to Ponder: What relationships have been life-giving for you? How would you describe the love in those relationships? What hope does it give you that God is love? How might you change your relationships so that they might be more life-giving for you and others?

Methodism Monday - The Importance of Education

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:22:36 PDT

As our children prepare to go back to school, there are also seven of our United Methodist institutions here in Virginia - Virginia Wesleyan, Ferrum, Shenandoah, Randolph-Macon College, Randolph-Macon Academy, Randolph, and Emory & Henry - and over 100 others across the world preparing for the beginning of a new school year. This year, hundreds of students are headed to a college campus in part because of scholarships awarded by the United Methodist Church.

Our church has a proud heritage of involvement with education. The first Methodists got their start as the Holy Club, a group of Oxford University students led by John and Charles Wesley who sought to grow both in faith and service to those in need. The early Methodist, United Brethren, and Evangelical Association churches (which later joined to form the UMC) in America began founding schools to provide educational opportunities for their children. Over the course of its history, the UMC founded over 1,200 educational institutions.

Today, we continue to support higher education through our UM-affiliated schools, scholarships for our students, and Wesley Foundations on college campuses. Our apportionments that we send to the conference and denomination help to support some of these ministries. One of our most vital educational ministries is Africa University in Zimbabwe, a university that offers opportunities for students from across the African continent so that they may work for peace and justice in their often impoverished and sometimes politically and economically unstable homelands. Here at Mount Clinton, we have our own higher education ministry in the Ray Scholarship for members pursuing education after they graduate high school.

Higher education is an important part of our heritage as a denomination, and but the importance of education goes beyond high school and college. Continuing to learn throughout our lives is an crucial part of a vital life of faith. As this new school year begins, these weekly postings are offered as one opportunity for us all to learn and grow. Feel free to post any comments or any questions you have, because that is how we all learn together.

May God, the source of all knowledge and wisdom, help you learn something new and grow in faith today!

Information about Annual Conference

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:46:25 PDT

Last month, the Virginia Annual Conference met in Roanoke. A summary of the conference's highlights can be found on the conference's page.

Items Needed at Food Pantry

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:26:10 PDT

Thank you for your continued donations in support of the food pantry. Currently, the supplies on the shelves are low and there is need for all staples we distribute.

Donations for Joseph's House

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:24:50 PDT

For a year starting at the end of August, Sam Gangwer will be serving at Joseph’s House, a hospice house for homeless folks in Washington, DC. Joseph's House is currently in need of several items for the patients they serve to help meet their basic needs.

Items needed for donation include:

combs
hair brushes
nail clippers
pajamas
sweat pants and shirts - lightweight soft clothes for small sizes
new pillows
rubber sole slippers (S, M, and L)
thin, bath size towels

Please bring items for donation by Sunday, August 21 so that Sam can deliver them when she goes. Thank you.

Help Needed Identifying Needs in Our Community

mtclintonumc@gmail.com (Mt Clinton UMC) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:17:14 PDT

There are slips of paper for you to fill out and put in our mission box anonymously letting us know of people in the community who could use any sort of assistance. Any needs of the community, big or small, are welcome.