EPWORTH UMC
"Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."
EPWORTH UMC
"Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."
LIVESTREAM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Join our livestream worship service this Sunday beginning at 10am
SATURDAY . APRIL 3 . 11AM-1PM
HOP ON OVER ...
We'll be hosting an Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, April 3 from 11am-1pm. Easter Egg hunters will use clues to find lots of goody-filled eggs. This is a great event for families to experience together and leave with reminders of what Easter is all about. Sign up link is below. Let us know how many in your Egg Hunt Crew!
Donations of candy and trinkets are needed for our Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt. We'll fill plastic eggs with things like candy, stickers, erasers, bracelets, etc. Oriental Trading and the Dollar Tree are great places for small, inexpensive favors. Financial support is also welcomed. Contact Teresa Gray for info!
Forty Days of Preparation
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 17) and ends on Holy Saturday (April 3). The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. (Matthew 4:1-11) As Christians, we observe Lent as a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church Lent was observed through periods of fasting and penance (confession of sins). While fasting and penance are still part of Lent, modern-day Christians focus on their personal relationship with God and stretching their spiritual lives as disciples. People often use Lent as a time to give up something or to give something of themselves to others. We want to offer ways to participate in the tenets of Lent while keeping gatherings to a minimum. We invite our church and surrounding community to be part of several outreach opportunities as well as ways to practice disciplines that help us focus on God.
Lent outreach opportunities
The Giving Tree
Shop & Share Food Pantry
Shop & Share Food Pantry
The Giving Tree is a place to donate items like gloves, hats, coats and blankets. They are available to anyone who needs them; no strings attached. The Giving Tree is located at the front entrance beside our Shop & Share food pantry.
This ministry is sponsored by the Flock Preschool and Learning Center.
Shop & Share Food Pantry
Shop & Share Food Pantry
Shop & Share Food Pantry
Shop & Share began as a response to the pandemic last winter and continues to gain momentum. It is a place where folks can take the food they need, whenever they need it. Items are re-stocked daily and we rely on your kindness and donations to keep the shelves full. You can find our Shop & Share cabinet at the front entrance.
Stained Glass Prayers
Shop & Share Food Pantry
PACK THE PEW FOOD DRIVE
Stained Glass Prayers is an invitation to offer up prayers, penance, thanks and reflection. We'll have colored vellum (opaque) paper available at the front entrance and for you to pick up from the church office. You're encouraged to write your prayers, thoughts, Lent reflections often and as many times as you'd like. Leave your prayers in the prayer box located at the front entrance any time during Lent - beginning Ash Wednesday. We'll add them to our windows to create a stained glass window of our collective prayers.
PACK THE PEW FOOD DRIVE
DINNER FOR NIGHT SHELTER
PACK THE PEW FOOD DRIVE
Pack the Pew is a call for massive food donations to fight food insecurity in our community. After the holidays food pantries typically see a lull in donations and giving. During Lent, we want to beef up those food pantry shelves and we need you to help us Pack the Pew! There is a pew inside our front entrance where you can drop your contributions or just leave them outside the doors and we'll take it from there! We encourage multiple donations during Lent to get shelves in our community re-stocked. Contributions will be divided among CCM and our Shop & Share food pantry.
DINNER FOR NIGHT SHELTER
DINNER FOR NIGHT SHELTER
DINNER FOR NIGHT SHELTER
Epworth has been assigned the week of Sunday, March 28 - Saturday, April 3 to provide evening meals to guests of the night shelter. This happens to be Holy Week and a wonderful opportunity to reach beyond ourselves.
If you or your group are interested in providing a meal one of these nights, please contact Teresa Gray at epworthchildren@epworthnc.com.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
DINNER FOR NIGHT SHELTER
DINNER FOR NIGHT SHELTER
If you'd like to support any of Epworth's Lent outreach opportunities or ministries with a monetary donation you can do so online.
MIND, BODY & SPIRIT DISCIPLINES
Helping us focus on God
In addition to outreach initiatives, we also want to encourage time set aside each day to practice a discipline that helps you focus on God.
The three groups we'll be starting for Lent are:
- Daily scripture reading
- Intermittent fasting
- Physical Activity (40 Days to Prepare the Way)
As these groups develop, we hope you'll use each other for resources, support and share your experiences along the way. New ideas and methods are always welcome! Please contact Pastor Sonny for info.
"40 Days to Prepare the Way" - Moderated by Jen Hedrick
"40 Days to Prepare the Way" is a group to encourage 40 days of physical activity throughout Lent. Keep that number 40 at the forefront as a reminder of each day.
You can walk, bike, skate, row, hike, swim, run, lift, cross-train, do chair aerobics or anything that gets you moving! Track your miles, laps, minutes or reps along the way ... whatever you choose to do and however you choose to measure it ... let's get our bodies, minds and spirits aligned with God.
For those who are interested, there's a Facebook page that we'll use as a platform for discussions, encouragement and to post our progress and photos throughout these 40 days. The link is below and I hope you'll check it out. If you're not on Facebook - let me know the best way to reach out to you and get you involved. Email me at duhsciples@gmail.com
CHILDREN & FAMILY MINISTRIES
The SMILE Project has been incredibly successful and continues to grow. Our card makers are from the Flock preschool, the Learning Center and one of our church families. We have 45 recipients on our list and are happy to take on more.
Make-at-Home card kits have everything you need to make and mail cards. Kits will be available for pick up beginning Friday, March 12 throughout the week. You can also drop by on Sunday, March 14 between 9:30am-11:30am. Please use the link below to sign up for a kit and indicate the number of cards you'd like to make.
March Messy Church asks "Who is Jesus?" We'll use our hands-on, messy activities to learn about Lent and who Jesus was. Here's a few hints about how you'll get messy - boats, beads, yeast and FIRE! (with adult supervision of course).
Our younger Messy Churchers will read a wonderful rhyming book titled "Who is Jesus?" by Kathleen Long Bostrom and have some activities tailored just for them.
To help us with our supply list, please sign up by Sunday, March 14. Messy Church in a Bag will be available for pick up on Friday, March 19. Bags can also be picked up Sunday, March 21 between 9:30am-11:30am.
With fingers crossed, we have scheduled a week for day camp at Mount Shepherd - June 14-18. As long as everything is safe by June, we'll move forward with our planning. This week is for students K-6th grade (we've added 6th graders for those who missed out last summer). Day campers will meet at Epworth daily at 7am, head to Mount Shepherd on the church bus and return by 4pm each afternoon.
Cost for the is $150 and includes all meals. Donations to cover fuel costs are much-appreciated.
Plans for Camp Epworth 2021 are in the works! We will offer 9 weeks of day camp for pre-school aged children and 8 weeks of camp for elementary children. Download overview and registration forms below.