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THE EASTLAWN JOURNEY

JUNE NEWSLETTER

THE STEEPLE STORY

“Rest”

by Brother Andy Collette

he Ten Commandments, the Creation

Narrative, the teachings of Jesus and the

tradition of the church call on believers to

keep the Sabbath. Not all of these sources agree on

what the Sabbath is for believers save one general

idea. The Sabbath is a day of Rest. Several of the

translations use the word ceasing. June is going to

be a month of Rest. We will

be learning aspects of Sabbath

within the Spiritual Formation

of the believers’ lives. We

will take a break from some of

our normal activities, as has

become the tradition at

Eastlawn UMC. We will hear

sermons on Sabbath and Rest.

Our adult small group will be

focused on Sabbath.

June brings with it a desire to go out and see the

world…..to go on vacation…..to end school for a

while. Even our jobs seem to take on a lighter feel.

It’s summer time; a time of play and relaxation.

Sure it’s hot, but there are swimming pools and trips

to the beach for that. The boats come out of their

storage facilities; the fishing poles are lubed up for

the high number of casts that will be required of

them. Time changes. The sun seems never to set,

but when it does, how beautiful. It is a month of

Rest. So too for the Christian soul, there needs to

be a built-in time of Rest.

We call this time Sabbath. On the seventh day, God

Rested. On the first day of the week, Christ rose

from the dead. Both of these days are connected as

days of Rest. Sunday became the Christian Sabbath

day as a result of the work Christ did on the cross, a

day dedicated to the Lord. Sabbath can be defined

as a day of ceasing to work, a day of worship, and a

day of self-care, but is better defined as all of these

at once. It is important in our formation that we

give time to Rest. So how are we doing?

It seems there are fifteen thousand things that vie

for our time in any given week. Sunday becomes

another day on the calendar in which to accomplish

the tasks we feel led to complete. For each of us

figuring this out has to become a priority. The Lord

needs our time as much as everything else, but it is

so easy to take from him and give to others.

Sometimes we cannot help it, but if we are honest,

we will admit that there are things we could

prioritize in order to make a way for the Lord to

have our undivided attention for a day or so. Sunday

may not be the best day for this; it is the traditional

one for Christians, but individually we might find

that Friday or Tuesday is better. That’s fine.

Sabbath is individual and corporate. The most

important factor seems to be giving time to the Lord

and ceasing from the day-to-day on purpose. The

day we chose is likely not as big an issue as

choosing to observe somehow weekly. So this

month, let’s focus on Resting and discovering the

great benefit of Sabbath in our lives. Let’s plan a

routine time of ceasing for the Lord and a time to

give to him as he has given

to us so very much in this

life.

T

Volume 2 Issue 6 June 2018 A Publication of Eastlawn United Methodist Church www.eastlawnumc.org

The Eastlawn Journey

2

Preaching Series

June 2018

A Month of Rest

June 3 (Communion Sunday)

Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-14

Message: “Rest from Work”

Reading: Psalm 92:1-4

June 10

Scripture: Matthew 11:25-30

Message: “Rest from Burdens”

Reading: Psalm 23

June 17 (Father’s Day/Baptism McKinley

Marie Carpenter)

Scripture: John 16:25-33

Message: “Rest from Uncertainty”


June 24 (Guest Pastor, David Collette)

Scripture: TBD

Message: TBD


SUNDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY

5-6 P.M. IN CONFERENCE ROOM “Genesis to Revelations—The Books of 1 & 2

Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians”

This study is led by Brother Andy. Everyone is

welcomed to be part of this study.

MEN’S BIBLE STUDY

Tuesday Mornings 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. at IHOP

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY

Adult Bible Study

The Wednesday night, Bible Study will be at 6 pm on

the 6, 13, and 20th of June. The study is about the

Sabbath and will be presented and coordinated by Pastor

Andy.

Come bring your “brown bag” dinner and join us for an

interesting study about the Sabbath.

THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY

The THURSDAY morning Bible study group is

changing to the WEDNESDAY morning Bible study

group. “The Epic of Eden – Isaiah” by Sandra Richter

will be the new study beginning Wednesday, August 29,

2018. The Bible study group will be taking a summer

break after the April 5 meeting until August 29. The

time will be the same from 9-11 a.m. If interested in

joining, please contact Opal Currie at 228-623-1666.

tel:(228)%20623-1666


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June 2 3:00p Hays & Margie Hatcher 50th Wedding

Anniversary Party in Ministry Center

June 3 8:15a UMM Breakfast & Meeting at IHOP

9:45a Sunday School

11:00a Morning Worship

5:00p Lake J Parent Meeting

6:00p Worship Service

June 5 7:30a Men’s Bible Study at IHOP

9:00a Hilltoppers Coffee/Fellowship

June 6 9:00a Drama

6:00p Bible Study

6:00p Youth Activities

June 10 8:30a Early Service-Communion

9:45a Sunday School


Fundraiser Lunch after church-

Dine in or Carry Out

6:00p Youth

June 12 7:30a Men’s Bible Study at IHOP


June 13 9:00a Drama

6:00p Bible Study


June 14 11:30a Mamie Kimbrough Circle

Meeting/Luncheon

6:00p Youth & Children’s Activities

June 17 FATHERS DAY

8:30a Early Service-Communion

9:45a Sunday School


6:00p Worship

June 19 7:30a Men’s Bible Study


June 20 9:00a Drama

6:00p Bible Study


June 24 3:00a Youth to Lake Junaluska

9:45a Sunday School


June 25 5:30p Vacation Bible School

June 26 7:30a Men’s Bible Study


5:30p Vacation Bible School


7:00p Youth Returning from Lake J



June 3 ............... Glen Murphey

June 6 ............... Robin Weihing

June 9 ............... Danny Burns

June 14 ............. Jane Savell

June 15 ............. Bronwyn Ballas

Sophia Ballas

June 17 ............. Barbara Morie

June 20 ............. Heath Guess

June 23 ............. Maurice Ellis

Grace Wiggins

June 24 ............. Danny Smith

Glynda Smith

June 26 ............. Jeff Ballas

James McKeel

June 27 ............. Andrew Haygood

June 28 ............. Connor McLeod

June 30 ............. Winfred Morie

CALENDAR

OF

EVENTS

June 1 Hays & Margie Hatcher

Carl & Robin Weihing

June 10 Eddie & Toni Hodges

June 11 Mark & Belinda Dammen

June 28 Jim & Pam Halbrook


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Wednesday Night Dinner

NO PREPARED DINNERS IN JUNE & JULY.

THEY WILL RESUME IN AUGUST.

YOU ARE INVITED TO COME TO WED

BIBLE STUDY AT 6 AND “BROWN BAG”

YOUR MEAL

G.I.F.T.E.D. YOUNG ADULT CLASS We will be studying a Max Lucado book called “Anxious for Nothing”. We meet from 9:45 until about 10:35 each Sunday morning. So, please, feel welcome to come join us. Robin and Carl Weihing

FRIENDSHIP SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

The Friendship Sunday School Class meets in the conference room by 9:45. New members, old members and visitors are welcomed each Sunday.

JOYCE GARRETT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

The Joyce Garrett Class meets at 9:45 a.m. upstairs. Please come join us!

FLOWERS FOR SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP

Would you like to put flowers in the

church for Sunday Morning Worship

in memory or honor of someone? If

you are interested:

1. Please sign your name and phone number with the

date on the flower calendar located in the

ministry center hall.

2. Contact the flower committee person for June, Martha Strum, at 228-217-3934 to

coordinate the details of your flowers.

MAMIE KIMBROUGH CIRCLE

On May 10, twelve members

and guests of the Mamie

Kimbrough Circle visited the

residents of River Chase

Village in Gautier. Robert

Weathersby, on guitar, led in the singing of several

well-known songs. Members presented each

resident a door hanger with the Bible verse,

Matthew 7:7: “Knock and the door will be opened

to you”, plus a cross-shaped ruler/bookmark.

Members and guests then enjoyed a delicious meal

at Country Gentlemen Family Restaurant in Gautier.

On June 14, Sgt. Travis Dunsford will present a program

on Senior Safety. Interested guests are encouraged to

attend this presentation

USHERS

The USHERS FOR JUNE are Billy Crocker, Winfred Morie, David McCormick, and Bootsie Larsen. If you are willing to be an Usher, please contact Carl Weihing.

COUNTERS FOR JUNE

Jerry Clement & Lashunda

Taulbee


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CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES

The children enjoyed a swimming party for their last Wednesday night for summer break. We ate and swam and had such a great time. We want to say a big

"THANK YOU" to Jeannene Crocker for her fabulous and generous

hospitality.

VBS IS COMING!!!

Our VBS this year

will be June 25th

thru 29th from 5:30

to 8:00 p.m. Our

theme this year for

VBS is Rolling River

Rampage. We are

looking forward to watching the

children as they learn how to grow close to God. If

you would like to help, please contact Susie at 228-

623-3026 or [email protected].

We are taking donations to help with our dinners

each night as well as our Friday Night Family

Night. If you would like to donate, please make

sure and notate your donation for VBS or give to

Beth Chapuis.

You can register your children at

https://rrr.cokesburyvbs.com/eastlawnumc

EASTLAWN DRAMA SEMINAR Something fun for Summer and Beyond:

Since my arrival at

Eastlawn UMC, I

have discovered that

we are a church

filled with people

who love the arts.

We have painters,

musicians and

plenty of drama that

just needs to be tapped into in order to harness for the

Lord. I am not a musician or a painter of note, but I have

starred in several dramatic performances and have even

written two Christian Dramas with more than three acts.

I am no pro, but I am willing to help us learn. Have you

ever wondered why I never need a microphone? All my

skills of voice projection were first learned as a player in

Antigone where I played the Third Guard. So I will be

presenting a series this summer in which I will help

others learn to perform and project themselves

dramatically.

YOUTH FUNDRAISER LUNCH SUNDAY, JUNE 10

Our youth will be having our final fund raiser for our trip to Lake Junaluska by serving lunch after church on Sunday, June 10. Please plan to stay for the good food and fellowship to help get our 17 youth to and from Lake J. Wonderful Italiano spaghetti, hot French bread, salad, and dessert will be served for a donation and a smile to help with the trip.

mailto:[email protected]


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On Wednesdays, June 6, 13 and

20 and in July on the 11, 18 and

25 from 9 am until 12 noon,

anyone who has completed the

fourth grade and beyond is

welcomed to join me for

Eastlawn Drama Seminar. During

class we will focus on the

difference between live drama and screen drama. We

will practice expressing emotion and other forms of

drama in silence. We will learn blocking and set design.

We will learn to bring the scripture to life through

dramatic biblical presentations. We will have an

opportunity to write our own interpretations, with full

blocking and staging, of biblical texts. We may even

produce a dramatic presentation to present towards the

end of the summer depending on how well we do as a

troupe.

Concurrent with the Drama Seminar we will have a class

for Kindergarten through fourth graders which will be

every week we have drama. This class will be a bible

activities and study time with Bible teaching, crafts,

games and fun. This is being done in an effort to allow

for as many participants in the drama seminar as

possible and to keep our children connected to the

congregation this summer.

Sound interesting? Let me know your interest by

emailing your desire to participate.to

[email protected]. . Brother Andy

CHURCH SECURITY

As part of our overall

church security during

worship, please note that

the ministry center and

the education buildings

will be locked during

Sunday worship times.

In order to access these

locations during worship,

please see the ushers in

the narthex

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

50 YEARS!!

Margie and Hays would like to

invite their church family to a

celebration of their 50th

wedding anniversary on Saturday,

June 2, at 3:00 in our Eastlawn

ministry center. Please come if

you can.

MEMORIAL DAY REMEMBRANCES

By Winfred Morie

In the last several

days, we celebrated Memorial

Day honoring those that paid

the ultimate sacrifice for our

country and for our freedom.

Doing this, I couldn’t help but

remember many of those who

have gone to be with the Lord

who served so faithfully in this

church. Many years ago, when

I got involved with the

workings of this Church, I got

to know and love many people who would day after day

put this church first. There is no way I could write about

all of them but to name just a few I will start with Joyce

Hamilton-Garrett. In no time, Joyce became a very dear

sister to me. She showed her love to me in so many

ways and was a great encouragement for me in my

studies of church history and extra canonical writings.

Another was Mr. Jesse Ezell, who quickly took me

under his wings, not only being like a father to me but

also like a grandfather to my daughters. On more than

one occasion I told him that I had a wonderful father but

if I hadn’t, I would have wanted him to be my father.

Both of these wonderful people walked with me through

the deepest valleys of my life. They showed me loving

God and loving our fellow men are one and the same

thing.

On many afternoons when I would come up to

the Church, it wouldn’t be unusual that these four men

would be here trying to solve air conditioning problems,

mailto:[email protected]


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stopped up drains and myriads of other problems.

Because of their love for this church, they gave

unselfishly many hours of their personal time. The first

was John Engel, a man of great wisdom. At that time E.

F. Hutton had a commercial that went like this, “When

E. F. Hutton speaks, people listen”. We quickly

substituted E. F. Hutton’s name with John’s. John had a

wonderful wife, Dolores, who served as our church

secretary for many years. Both John and Dolores were

loved and admired by all. Mr. Arthur Ward, father of

Charlotte Clement, Martha Strum and Jeannie Faucett,

had a wonderful wife also, Mrs. Elsie Ward. On

Sundays when she saw me, she would always say, “I am

so glad to see you.” The important thing here is you

knew she meant it every time she said it. It is no

surprise that Mr. Ward’s son-in-law, Jerry Clement, has

followed in his footsteps giving countless hours to this

church. The third person was Mr. Robert Gates, a very

gentle and humble person and also a man of great

wisdom. Mr. Gates has been my role model here at

Eastlawn, hopefully someday I too can live the life of

humility, gentleness and compassion like him. The

fourth was Mr. Charles Moreland. We had a special

friendship. To be honest there were some things that Mr.

Moreland and I just could not agree on but we never let

it affect our friendship. He was a good friend and there

was nothing that ever was said or done that affected that.

All four of these men loved Eastlawn and often put this

church first in their lives. A great debt of gratitude is

due to them for their dedication and hard work here at

Eastlawn.

There was Mr. Spencer Roberts who was at the

time chairperson of the Evangelism Committee. It was

he who invited me to my first position in the church.

Mac McIntosh was a great encourager and mentor to me.

He too, loved to study religious history and early church

writings; many hours we discussed these subjects. Mac

was an inspiration to so many with his lay speaker skills

and leadership in the Seashore District. Wallace Gill

was another who quickly became a personal friend of

mine and my family. Wallace was always there for us

and constantly was offering his help. While giving many

hours to Eastlawn, Wallace also was very involved in

District and Conference activities. Charles Ellis, another

very humble and gentle person, always had a kind and

compassionate word for everyone. Floydene Bryant, our

unofficial church photographer for many years took

thousands of pictures and she shared them with

everyone. There were the three sisters, Maxine Couey,

Berniece Severs, and Mary Lee Boykin; if the church

doors were opened they were there supporting whatever

was going on. Mrs. Couey, mother of Marie Singleton,

was so special, always having something kind to say to

cheer me up. Bob McIlwain served this church many

years. I will always remember when Bob told us how

much he appreciated the Clubhouse Christmas Party. He

told us that he and Catherine had decided they would no

longer buy each other Christmas presents. Instead, they

would give that money to help finance the Clubhouse

Christmas Parties. Their generosity for many years

helped us give so many a wonderful Christmas. And not

to forget Ken Anderson (Big Boy as Rev. Raspberry

called him) who served as our choir director for many

years. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Larsen, parents of Carla

Neely, were always offering their help in so many ways.

Mrs. Jessie Thomas who year after year made Christmas

candy for my family and would personally deliver it

even when she was 90 plus years old. After one of my

surgeries, Mrs. Rebecca Burns who brought me a

chocolate meringue pie that had to be 6 inches high.

There was also Mrs. Avolyn Murphey, mother of Julia

Haas and grandmother of Kelli Green, who many years

ago made the beautiful Nativity Scene and donated it to

the Church. To this day, we still are enjoying it every

Christmas.

This is just a partial list of wonderful people

who are now with the Lord that over the years set an

example for me on how to love the church. I will always

cherish the memories of their examples of unselfishness,

kindness, compassion and love. I could go on and on

naming so many others that loved Eastlawn so

unselfishly like these. Hopefully, you too will share

those who touched your lives serving God here at

Eastlawn.

To forget our memories of them and their

contributions would truly be a great disservice to the

Church. So often when we think about getting to

Heaven, we think about reuniting with our family

members up there. But, oh, what a celebration it will be

when these saints meet us there too.


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EASTLAWN UMC STAFF

2502 Ingalls Ave. Pascagoula, MS

228-762-2364

Rev. Andy Collette Pastor

Robert Weathersby Lay Pastor

Lashunda Taulbee Administrative Assistant

Doug Wall Choir/Handbell Director

Susie Riley Children’s/Family Minister

Rachael Goff Children’s Music Director

David Westfaul Organist

Brenda McCormick Day Care Director Charlene Gibson Nursery

Amy Davis Nursery

FINANCIALLY FAITHFUL

BUDGET FOR 2018

$363,294.00

TITHES 2018 (YTD)

$159,837

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS

$140

BENEVOLENCE FUND

$3,011

If you are interested in having your tithes or

building fund commitment automatically

withdrawn from your checking account, you will

find forms in the church foyer to aid in this. If

you need assistance, please call the church office

or Beth Chapuis (424-4333)

THE POWER OF FAITH

On May 27, Pastor Andy

gave a message of strength

in Faith. It was enhanced by

his story portrayal in full

armor. Inspirational!!

CHURCH WIDE PICNIC

On Sunday, May 6, Eastlawn UMC gathered for a

CHURCH-WIDE PICNIC to celebrate the 75th anniversary of

our church’s beginning in 1943. We met at Gautier City

Park at 4:00 pm for food, fun and fellowship. A

tremendous time was had by all!!!

If you are interested in joining the

Eastlawn Family or just have questions

about the church, please talk with

Brother Andy. Call him at 228-219-3898.

His email is [email protected].

The Eastlawn Journey is a monthly publication

of Eastlawn United Methodist Church. Send

inquiries, pictures, and info to

[email protected].

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