This week we had our first neighborhood gathering, where we had great fellowship and talked about our hopes for the future of CMCA. My hope is that all who are attending our church, along with interested friends and neighbors, will attend one of the upcoming neighborhood gatherings scheduled through the end of June. As I was preparing my heart and spirit for this first gathering, the Lord led me to Matthew 16, a crucial account in Scripture, where Jesus asks his disciples the important question, “Who do you say that I am?” Their answer, as communicated by Simon Peter, was rooted in the relationship they had developed with Jesus in the years spent learning from him. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus then responded, “Blessed are you!”   

 While this account is focused upon the disciples, we too must answer this question each moment of each day as we follow Jesus. “Who do you say that I am?” Our lives, priorities, actions, and words reflect an answer that we hope will bring honor and glory to our King Jesus. As a church family in Auburn, we are newly formed, but find ourselves rooted in an ancient truth of God’s nature as the Almighty, Faithful and Victorious King. As you personally reflect on this eternal question, consider what or who orders your life and how those priorities (spiritual or otherwise) influence how you live.   

This question reminded me of a news clip I heard a few years ago. A man from Colorado published a large ad in the Times of London, claiming to be the rightful King of England. He boldly stated that after the death of Queen Elizabeth he would take the throne and the royal historic estate! There are many people throughout history who have claimed to have rights to many thrones yet were lying or mistaken. This makes me think of the universe that we live in. There is a crisis today: Who is the king of the universe? Man claims to be the king. Man claims the freedom to do whatever pleases him without rules or regulations other than his own. He claims to have the ability to succeed at whatever he chooses.

However, man saying that he is king of the universe is as absurd as the man from Colorado claiming to be the King of England! There is only one person who is fit to be the king, and that is our Lord God. God alone has absolute authority. Jer. 27:5 says, “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.” Everything in the natural world bows in obedience to his command. God also is the only one with the ability to be king. He alone is all-loving, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. No other king can stand before His power or eclipse His wisdom. 

What a comfort this is to the Christian! The Lord Jesus holds the reins of the universe in nail-scarred hands, directing all things out of love to us. 

“Who do you say that I am?”

In Christ,

Tony

We look forward to joyfully worshiping with you this Sunday at our 9:30 service! Dr. Tony McCullough will bring us an inspiring message based on John 21:1-14 entitled "Fruitless Toil and Bountiful Blessing."  This message is part of Dr. McCullough's sermon series recounting some of the encounters of the disciples with Jesus following His resurrection.  Musical highlights include special music by the Voices in Bronze Handbell Choir.  They will ring a beautiful arrangement of "Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us" and a beautiful collection of hymns entitled "Joyfully Rejoice."  The Chorale will also sing a thrilling arrangement of the beloved hymn, "Because He Lives" arranged by Mary McDonald. 

Come and be blessed and keep the glory of the Easter season going by joining us in worship at Lee-Scott Academy at 9:30 this Sunday.

Continuing this Sunday, we will have regular attendee and guest registration pads!

This is a resource that allows the pastors and church office to follow-up with guests who sign in. We would like our regular attendees to list their names on the left side of the pad. On the right side of the pad is a place for visitors to share their information. If the pad is on your seat, please fill it out and pass it down the row...then return it back to where it started, where it should be placed on the floor to be picked up after the service. Feel free to look at who has signed in, as that helps us get to know those seated around us. 

 In the bleachers, please pass down the row and then up to the next row.

We hope this isn't too confusing. You'll get the hang of it. Thank you for your help!

Nursery (newborns – 2yo) – Room 430/Choir Room - Contacts/Teachers: Debbie Bagwell (dbagwell@charter.net) and Martha Dumas (marthadumas@yahoo.com). Volunteers teach and assist.

Crossroads – Library – Contact: Laura Braswell (lkbraswell@gmail.com). Adult multigenerational class, studying various Biblical topics and their application to life. Members present book studies, Biblical theme studies, or videos for discussion.

Family Essentials – Back Locker Room - Contact: Abby Adams (abbyadamsdmd@gmail.com). A group of adults who are raising children and growing in our faith as a community. We study a variety of topics including first and foremost scripture, but also Methodist theology, family development, and Bible application books and studies. Taught by Debbie and David Smalley.

Fellowship – Auxiliary Gym – Contact/Teacher: Will Mooty (wsmooty@gmail.com). Middle age and older adults, couples, and singles, studying various Biblical topics and their application to life with discussion through book studies and video series.

Open Door – Sixth Grade Hall – Contact: Patsy Cotney (patsycotney@gmail.com). Middle age and older adults, couples, and singles, studying various Biblical topics and their application to life. Taught by Jeff Harte and Kevin Phelps.

Open Hands – Main Gym – Contact/Teacher: Randy Woodham (rmwoodham@yahoo.com). Middle age and older adults, couples, and singles, studying various Biblical topics and their application to life.

Sojourners – Room 441 – Contact: Judy Felkey (judy.felkey@gmail.com). Middle age and older adults, couples, and singles, studying various Biblical topics and their application to life through book studies. Taught by Philip Tyler and Bill Felkey.

The Neighborhood Gatherings have begun!  These gatherings will be held every Monday and Wednesday night going through June. 

These gatherings are an effort to acquaint our new pastor, Dr. Tony McCullough, with all of us at Christ Methodist Church, and also for us to get to know him and his wife, Carmen. These gatherings will also be for us to learn more about our church and all that Brother Tony is envisioning for us. There will be around 30 -40  people at each gathering. Light refreshments will be served and each event will last about an hour and a half and typically begin at 6:30. 

Each host is compiling a list of people to attend a gathering they will be hosting on their specific date. We are trying our best to make sure that anyone and everyone who wants to attend a gathering gets notified of a date to attend one of these gatherings. Some of those hosts who are having gatherings later in May and June have not sent out their emails yet, so you will probably be getting notified soon. 

If you want to attend a gathering and you have not been notified, please contact Debbie Smalley at debbiens7654@gmail.com to let her know of your availability to attend one of these informative gatherings. We will make sure you get notification of a gathering date. Thank you!

Due to pending inclement weather for this Sunday, April 21, the Cookout is being rescheduled for the next Sunday, April 28. Same time - 4:30. Same place - Greystone, 434 E. Magnolia Avenue. Please help us spread the word of this change in plans and hope and pray with us that the weather cooperates!

Just a reminder about the cookout - Christ Methodist Church of Auburn will host a cookout for young adults and families with children ages birth through college, at the Greystone Office and Ministry Center. Please put this on your calendar; be thinking of families to invite; and contact Susan Canaan at susan.canaan@gmail.com if you would like to help with this event.

We are planning on a time of yummy food, fun and games for all ages, live music, and fellowship for those in our church to get to know each other better, to get to know Brother Tony and his family, and to have the opportunity to invite friends and families who may be looking for a church home. 

We look forward to seeing you then!

We have offering envelopes available at the entrances to worship at LSA and at Greystone. It is not necessary to place checks in an envelope unless you prefer. Please note in the memo line of your check if you are paying for nametags or any fund other than General.

Are you giving from a QCD? It is very important that I know if you are giving from a Qualified Charitable Distribution account because the IRS requirements for acknowledgement are different than non-QCD gifts. Unfortunately, not all check remittances let me know that. If in doubt, we will contact you to double-check.

Our online giving platform is Tithe.ly  at https://get.tithe.ly/download-tithe.ly-app. You can also access Tithe.ly  through our website, www.christmethodistauburn.com. Another way to donate is through text-to-give by texting the word "give" to (855)-645-3493.

For those who are giving through Tithe.ly, we encourage you to consider setting up recurring giving. It's easy to do - just follow the instructions when you login to Tithe.ly. Thank you!

Please contact Sherrie Stanyard, Financial Administrator, if you have questions, at sherrie@christmethodistauburn.com or 334-559-2229.

The amount received from April 8-14 was $40,803.20. Thank you for your faithfulness!

Our church phone number (Greystone) is 334-209-0074.

Our “open” hours are 9:00 – 4:00 Monday through Thursday and 9:00 – noon on Fridays. We will transition the volunteer shifts for the greeters to 9:00 – noon and noon – 3:00 beginning in May.

If you would like to volunteer to be a Greystone greeter, please email or call Sherrie Stanyard and she will send you an invitation through Signup Genius. Thank you so much to those who have served in this very important position. You are the face of our church!

Emails:

Dr. Tony McCullough - tony@christmethodistauburn.com

Gary Klarenbeek - gary@christmethodistauburn.com

Sherrie Stanyard - sherrie@christmethodistauburn.com

General email - info@christmethodistauburn.com

Please pray for these brothers and sisters in our family of believers:

• Ann Williams – Recovering at home from back surgery.
• Ann Justice, Bev King’s mother – health concerns
• Billy Arrington, Tanya Byrd’s father – health concerns
• Steven Register, father of a young family of 3 children in Auburn – recently diagnosed with colon and liver cancer. Will be going to MD Anderson for further treatment and consultation.
• Terry Langham, Judd Langham’s father in Brewton in DW McMillan hospital – multiple health concerns including pneumonia, diabetes, and infections.
• Ron Patterson – Recovering from hip replacement surgery.
• Sherry Tigney, Linda Tigney’s daughter - Recovering from major surgery.
• Laura Braswell - All went well with heart catheterization, and she is home recovering.   
• Hudson Early, 6-month-old great-grandson of Sandra Fisher – Infantile cancer, under care of St. Jude and responding well.
• Christopher Wyatt, relative of Judith Gibson – Waiting for a liver transplant.
• David Smalley – Recovering from hip surgery at home.
• Cecil Spears – Health Concerns. He got to go to Arbor Springs for rehab but had another setback and has returned to EAH. 
• Jerry Parker – Continuing to recover at home.
• Robin Kirkley – Surgery has been postponed and she will begin chemotherapy instead.
• Sherwood and Betty Thomas – Sherwood has health concerns and Betty has memory issues.
• Jim Carroll – Pray for healing.
• Rita Tuck – Pray for continued healing and recovery.
• Sherri Guenther – Eye Condition.
• Harry Gill – Breathing Difficulties.
• Katherine Hill, Lisa Leonard’s mother – Health Concerns.
• Chuck Dupree, friend of Beverly Webster and Sue Daniel – Recovering from back surgery.
• Tim Boosinger – Undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.
• Dan Pope, Dannelle Fogal’s father – Had an angioplasty and it seems to be helping.   
• Matthew Hood – LSA junior who was severely injured in a car accident. Students planned a fund raiser this past week and Matthew was able to attend.  Please continue to pray for rehabilitation and recovery.   
• April Coulter – Colon cancer treatments.
• Max Bush, Craig and Lisa Leonard’s grandson – Cardiac evaluation went well. On May 3, the doctors will do a cardiac catheterization to help  decide the best surgical choice for Max.  His recent seizures do not disqualify him from any surgical options or transplant.
• Stephanie Philpott, Gayla Sellers’ daughter – Stage 4 kidney disease, daily dialysis, medications. Please pray for comfort and peace.   
• Ray Porterfield, Nancy Flurry’s son – He is now proceeding to get on the transplant list at UAB. He has begun to process.    
• Alan Hampton, Rick Hampton’s brother – Undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma in Augusta Georgia.

The Congregational Care Team is adding another way for us to help serve the needs of our people. The Transportation Team will be a group of folks who can be called on to bring and take home those in our congregation who have no way to get to church services on Sunday mornings. If you would like to be a part of the Transportation Team please contact us.

Also, if you are aware of someone who needs this transportation help on Sunday mornings, please let us know.

If you know of any of these transportation needs, please send an email to prayer@christmethodistauburn.com and put "Transportation" in the subject line of the email.

*We have a new email address where you can send prayer requests and other needs:

prayer@christmethodistauburn.com

Please put "Prayer Concern" in the subject line of the email. If you have a different reason for sending an email to this address like wanting to volunteer to be on the Prayer Chain, or Make Morning Check-In Calls, or Write Personal Notes, please put those areas in the subject line of the email. 

Thank you!

Please click the button link below to access this email.

Prayer Motion is an innovative program that incorporates prayer gestures with movement and music. By connecting intentional prayer gestures with music and movement, Prayer Motion provides a sense of calmness that will leave you feeling renewed and energized. It is medically proven that the brain releases a calming chemical called Serotonin when one engages in deep breathing and gentle movement with soft music in a prayerful way. 

Come and join us as Sherry Roby leads us in Prayer Motion at Greystone on Thursday, April 11 and April 25, from 2 to 3 PM. For more information email her at cjroby49@yahoo.com or check the Connect Cart in the lobby on Sunday mornings for a sign-up list.

In an effort to make volunteering easier for any area of ministry at Christ Methodist Church of Auburn, we are giving you the link below.

This is a centralized master link that allows you to sign up for a variety of areas at the push of one button.

Some of the examples of the areas you could volunteer are:

Sunday morning greeters, Sunday morning ushers, Hospitality, Greystone greeters, Nursery workers, Children's and Youth Sunday School leaders, Congregational Care needs, making Chrismons, Flower ministry,  and so many more. If you don't see an area listed that you were looking for, just know that on the central link it will be listed.

Another urgent area for volunteers is in our nursery.  We need workers for the zero to 3-year old nursery and preschool shifts from 8:30 to 10:30 and from 10:30 to 12:30. Volunteers can work all four hours or just one shift. If you haven't previously volunteered through a Sunday school class, please use the SignUp Genius to volunteer. You must have Ministry Safe training to work in this area. 

Also, you can access this SignUp Genius link by going to our website www.christmethodistauburn.com and looking under SERVE.

Many, many thanks and much appreciation goes out to our very own Bill Squires, our resident sculptor extraordinaire, who designed, sculpted, and installed this beautiful cross just for us! His authentic design is a unique and special piece that reflects who we are as a Christ-centered ministry of Christ Methodist Church of Auburn at Greystone Office and Ministry Center. 

 Bill has given generously of his time, talents, resources, and gifts to our church and we are thrilled to be the recipients of his gracious gesture! 

We love our new cross! Thank you, Bill!  Your church family loves you and Laura!

The first batch of name tags has arrived for the ones who ordered early. Another order is being prepared and it’s not too late to order yours. To order, email sherrie@christmethodistauburn.com, call 334-559-2229, or stop by Greystone. She will also have a sign-up sheet with her Sunday at church. The cost is $15.00 per tag. Offering envelopes are available at the entrances to worship for your payment. Please designate "nametag" on the front if paying by cash.

The National Day of Prayer is May 2nd.

There will be a gathering at the Lee County Courthouse Square in Opelika on Thursday, May 2 at noon. If there is rain, it will be held at First Baptist Church in Opelika. Please come!

Sunday Schedule