Just 4 Days Until Christmas

    So what is it like at your house in the days right before Christmas? The Christmas frenzy is officially here. Life in the church is really busy at Christmas:  programs, plays, music, dinners are part of the usual Christmas routine. The weather has brought lots of challenges with the cold temperatures. Last Monday 5 below in Boone.  Wednesday morning a water pipe burst under the pavement in the parking lot. The gas company came to help because we thought the leak was where they had previously worked. No such luck, and while they were digging to help us find the leak, the gas company broke the gas line that feeds the church and the parsonage. So for awhile, we were without water and heat. The good news, our trustees were able to make the repair in time for church on Sunday. So I am learning, keep extra water on hand all the time, and keep candles and plan B not too far out of reach because the weather can bring unexpected challenges. Living here sometimes is like camping inside a house.  Life in Boone NC 101, the school is in session. I am learning my way and the church folks have been great to help.
    Last week, our church helps with a mission for needy children called Santa's Toy Box. A mission project that serves the needy children of our community and has been going for about 25 years in our community. I have heard it mentioned lots of times since I arrived in July, but on Friday I got to go participate in the giving.  A real treat to have a hands on project to help the less fortunate here at Christmas.  A huge warehouse here in Boone was our site to hand out the presents. Due to the weather, all the families we were helping had to be called because the roads were too bad and two other times for pick up had to be rescheduled. So thanks to the volunteers who made a ton of phone calls to the families we were helping. Santa's Toy Box helped with Christmas for 900 children. What a great mission!! I found this mission is a huge community effort with folks from all over the community that support the mission with financial gifts and with their labor, and others with gifts of toys. What a delight it was to help the parents come in to pick out gifts. I invited lots of people to church at Deerfield UMC. As I worked I noticed about 8 other folks from Deerfield who were also helping folks do their shopping. Some work year round to collect funds, assemble toys, and work out in the warehouse where there is no heat to get the toys organized. These are the real troopers who work behind the scenes all year. Thanks to all the helpers from Santa's Toy Box, to remind us that giving, sacrificing, and serving are all at the heart of what makes Christmas great. Praise be to God for the opportunity to serve and really feel like as a church we joined with others to make a difference in the lives of children in our community. What a true Christmas blessing! May the peace of celebrating the birth of Christ fill your heart and your home with joy and love this Christmas. Join us on December 23 at 6:30pm for Candlelight communion and special music, the reading of the Christmas story, here at Deerfield UMC. We would love to see you here for Christmas.

Snow hasn't shut down Deerfield UMC

     The last two Sundays, we have been open for worship, even in the snow. Today, driving in Boone has been a huge challenge. We are on the front side of a blizzard. At least from what I could see from my front window. I didn't try to get on the road yet. There is a drift in the front yard of the parsonage about 4 feet deep with snow already, and they are calling for more snow for 3 more days. What has amazed me in the new culture here in Boone is that life does not stop when it snows! People still come to church! I am so proud of them for that.  They say people get here to get to the ski slopes and to the malls, so we ought to be able to get to church. I have to agree with them. We have had our Christmas contata the first Sunday in December and then yesterday we had the children's christmas program during our regular worship service. Lots of people at both of these services and lots of snow and cold weather. So, it was a true blessing to be able to celebrate Christmas with our church family rather than having to postpone and reschedule these events.
    You never know where God is going to break into worship and really surprise you with a sneak attack of the Holy Spirit. During the children's play during worship, we had a real baby to play the part of baby Jesus. We also had a real little girl to play Mary. What made the scene so beautiful was watching Mary, who is in the first grade, play with baby Jesus by hiding her eyes and uncovering them quickly. Time and time again she did this to keep the baby from crying. The church was filled with laughter. It was so beautiful. God broke in! That is our prayer from Deerfield UMC to you as you prepare your heart and your home for Christmas, that God will break in and give you a holy surprise as you make room to celebrate the birth of his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ our Lord.
P. S. If I were to write a letter to Santa this year, it would go something like this:
Dear Santa, please bring a John Deere for Christmas. Evelyn

We have truly gotten a Christmas miracle early!

     Thanks be to God for the gifts that come our way! Deerfield UMC asked the church the Sunday before Thanksgiving to help meet our budget shortfall of $34,000 and to give their pledge or gift before November 30, when our finance committee is to meet again. So the response back from the congregation is our reason to offer the huge praise. Not only did we meet the challenge, at the end of the day one week after we asked the church to raise the funds, we had raised $37, 880.00! That's right, more than we asked for.  We asked our members to give their regular gifts and to give to the challenge before our church above and beyond their regular giving, and the response to that request has given us evidence of the hand of God working in our midst. To come from a shortfall of $34,000 to now being able to pay out our apportionments in full and to meet all of our ministry needs is a great reward.
     Saturday evening at about 3:45pm, a challenge came in from a member of the church that if we could raise $5000 in pledges or gifts to come in before the end of December, that the member would match our gifts with another $5000. We accepted the challenge. I sent out an email to the church members to let them know of the challenge, and that I had a dinner that I had to go to in about 15 minutes and I was going to be gone for the rest of the evening, and then leading in worship the next morning. If we were going to meet the challenge, it was going to be up to them to get on the phone and call people and for them to give and make the most of the offer. So I prayed that God would move on the hearts of the people, I honored the commitment to our members that night and went on to the dinner. I trusted and I prayed. I shared the challenge with them, and they also joined me in prayer. Some how God worked a fabulous work in the hearts of his people. The phone lines were hot here in Boone Saturday night, and by Sunday morning, the phone was ringing early here at the parsonage to put in a pledge in time to meet the challenge. Yes, a lot of people have played a part in this great story. People have sacrificed what they were going to give each other for Christmas to donate to the church. Our lead donor had to have a nudge from the Lord to make the first move, and we give the Lord praise for that nudge and for the obedience to lead our church in financial commitment. We praise the Lord for so many families accepting the responsibility to do what they could. For some that was a large gift and for some that was a small gift. What is important is that we have each given above and beyond our regular gift to meet the present need, and God blessed the gift and mulitiplied it. Yes, you have to have great leadership to do this, and we can give the Lord the credit for the leadership of the Holy Spirit. For without the Holy Spirit, pulling us together in one accord, we would still be scratching our heads wondering how would we pay what we owe before the end of the year. God has moved on the people here in Boone, and if you could see me now, I am doing grown up cartwheels in my heart. It has been an exciting challenge and a great reason to give the Lord our constant praise. Let all that we do, all day long, be our worship. God brought us a Christmas miracle early, and we pray the same for you and your church. It is a thrill to see the hand of God.

Possum in the tree?

    When was the last time something really funny happened to you in worship? Well yesterday in worship we all got a really good laugh. The choir was singing their anthem, and the tune was not familiar, but it was really nice. I listened and enjoyed the tune. As I heard the choir sing about the beauty of the possum in the tree, I couldn't believe my ears. So, I thought, I have never heard this song before, I need to see if they are going to come back to that line again. They didn't repeat the same line, but they had me hanging on every word. So when the anthem was done, and it was time to step into the pulpit to preach, I turned and asked the choir if they said anything about a possum in the tree, and they shouted back, "Blossom! Blossom in the tree!" You can just imagine the congregation. Laughter rocked the house! You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl.
    The soft tone was helpful to lead into a tough message. The message yesterday was from Haggai Chapter One. Haggai challenged the people to put their priority on the work of rebuilding the temple first in their lives. He challenged them to give sacrificially to make the work happen, and to get on with it. He delivered a word from the Lord to remind the people to take courage because God was with them. In the life of our church, these words are also right on time for us. We have huge challenges before us. But we have to remember, God will give us courage and God himself will be with us. God stirred the hearts of the people in Haggai and they got to work on the temple and finished it in 4 years. It is my prayer that God will stir the hearts of his people, and the work will be done that is set before us. Deerfield UMC, God is with us and will make the way. Remember, God is with us. Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome to New Member

     We welcome our first new member since I came here in July to Deerfield UMC. He was 61 years old and joined by baptism and profession of faith. What a beautiful day! On this same day the message was on the resurrection and what happens to us when we die for those who place their trust in Christ to be their Lord and Savior. After this passage was selected, we had two folks in our church family die. One funeral was on that same Sunday afternoon, and the other funeral was yesterday. If there was ever a time to be thinking about the resurrection as a church family, this has been a really good time to remember that we are a people of hope, because we place our hope in Jesus Christ and even with the sting of the grief of death, we know it is not the end. In Christ we live eternally in the presence of the living God.
    So for the coming Sunday, we are looking forward to taking in another new member, and having our fall bazaar this coming Saturday. Our thanksgiving meal will be this Sunday after church and I know that will be great.
    I challenge our church to spend some time with the time left before Sunday morning reading from Haggai Chapter one. Our theme this week is on taking care of God's business first and how the scriptures help us get our priorities straight.
    We have several folks in the hospital and life is pretty normal for the church. We are holding on to our faith, and praying for God's healing power to be with those who are sick, and for his grace and consolation to be with those who mourn. We praise the Lord that God is able to celebrate with us when we have reason to celebrate, and to comfort us and put people around us to help us and strengthen us, when we are weak or suffering. God's work is amazing, and this day we give him the praise for health and strength to serve him yet another week. Peace to you.

How much do you love lost people?

     After the elections on November 2, there are lots of new starts getting ready to happen. For some that is good news, and for some that is sad news. Some are happy with the changes that are to come, some are not. Look at how life in the church is not disconnected from the society that surrounds us. That is not so different for the life of the church as we wrap up one year and make plans to head into the new year. Goals change. Leaders change. Budgets are adjusted and recreated year by year to meet the present needs. And the work of Christ remains our constant challenge, year in and year out, our commission is the same: to teach people how to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
      In Boone on Saturday night, I saw my first snow flakes of the year. A great way to remind me that winter is close at hand and all the business of fall that has not been completed needs to be addressed.  We still have before us the setting of our goals for ministry for the coming year.  I had a pastor friend tell me to read what Bishop Goodpaster had preached on November 2, 2010 to the Council of Bishops in Panama. So, having some time on my hands last night, I searched the net until I found the sermon. I do recommend it to you. It is a huge challenge to the whole United Methodist Church to re-think how we are doing church because if we keep doing what we have been doing, and keep getting what we have been getting, it will be a disaster for the church because our present course is not sustainable. I hope you will take a couple of minutes to read the sermon and receive the challenge before our whole connected United Methodist Church.  I am really proud of our Here is the link to the full sermon by our bishop: http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=4569383&ct=8853557. I am really proud of our bishop for taking a stand to help our church get more on task for making disciples for Jesus Christ.
   Have we grown so content with just trying to find people to fill the slots and doing our business as usual Sunday to Sunday, and trying to raise enough funds to keep our doors open, that we have lost the main focus of winning lost people to Christ? I think that is an important question that the Bishop addresses. How successful is your church in making disciples for Jesus Christ? Do we talk about who we are trying to reach? Do we care? I challenge you to give thought and prayer to the love we display to our community for people who are lost and living far from Christ? My prayer is that God will put a love in the hearts of the United Methodist Church to love lost people like God loves lost people. Rev. Evelyn Lemons

Charge Conference Season is Here

You know you are a United Methodist when you have duly attended a series of meetings in the fall to prepare for Charge Conference. That season is upon us here at Deerfield UMC. Rather than having a list of reports to turn in this year, we have been asked to report on where we have seen God at work in the life of the church in this past year. At Faith UMC last year in vacation Bible school, we called that "God sightings" and everyday we would celebrate where we had seen God. So that is what our charge conference report is for the coming year. In the transition from Faith UMC, I saw the best of the church is ushering our family out to be able to start over again at a new church in a place of strength. Faith UMC prayed for us, loved us, and cared for us through the transition. It was a top notch transition. They did all they could to set our family up for success, and in turn it was our hope to do the same for Faith UMC. A grace-filled exit was a beautiful God sighting. We left on a strong note of love and support. We are so grateful to have had their prayers through all of these huge life changes.
    Then we arrived with new folks here at Deerfield UMC in Boone. We hoped the people would be kind and receive our leadership. The parsonage needed some work, and they tackled the project in the heat of the summer with no air condition to re-do some floors, paint the whole house, just to get started. I lived with a family from the church for a few weeks during the time of the transition until the parsonage was ready. That was surely a God sighting. Can you imagine the preacher coming to your house for a visit and not leaving for weeks? That took a lot of faith! The folks at Faith had been so kind, I didn't see how anyone could be better to us. Then we came to Deerfield.  The way this church has loved my family, accepted us, taken us under their wing, cared for us through the death of my father, and now the death of his oldest sister Marie McAdams Parrish from Ft. Lauderdale Florida on Saturday, it is surely another God sighting. I came here to serve the people here, but the tables have been turned and I have really needed the love and support of the church, and they have truly been there for us. Thanks so much for your kindness. It blesses my heart so much to see the church be the church!  Thank the Lord for the God sightings of people living out the love of Christ during hard times, whether it be in the change of pastors, moving to a new town, or in the death of close family members, God has been with us through the hard times and I know I can feel and see the hand of God and we want to be steadfast in giving Him the praise. I don't know exactly what the church will report on their God sightings, but I know God is with us, and wow how richly are we blessed. Before I put my feet on the floor this morning, I called my father-in-law Cleo Lemons in Sandy Ridge to wish him a happy birthday and sing him the birthday song. It was a God sighting early this morning to celebrate God's good gift of life and health and strength for my husband's aging parents. Cleo turns 89 today, praise the Lord! I hope you look for God this day, and in His grace, you see Him.

Color on the Mountain

     You can imagine what it was like to be back at work on Monday morning after being out of the office for the last two weeks. This week was our church council deadline to get all of our reports in line for charge conference coming up soon. Praise the Lord for gifted lay people who have been willing to step up to the plate, call meetings, and get the work done that needs to be done for charge conference. I am so grateful for their hard work. I was a little worried about my endurance and being able to hold up, but God has given extra strength, and I give him the praise for that. I am enduring and grateful for the spiritual health and emotional strength to be able to be back at work.
     I also give the Lord praise for being in a connected United Methodist Church. We are connected by love in the best sense of the word. Our family has received cards this week from a lot of different churches where we have previously served. Through my dad's extended illness, I know you have been holding our family in prayer, and now in his death, we can't thank you enough for your love and prayers that you have extended our way. I sat down this morning to a large stack of sympathy cards that had come in the mail, from lots of different churches. The best of the United Methodist Church is that we continue to love one another even after a new pastor takes over the pastoral responsibilities, the love a pastor has for the flock, and the flock back towards the pastor is enduring and you have truly shown that to us. Love is eternal and that is a great gift of God. We are living out and receiving your witness that love stands over the test of time, and it has warmed our heart to know that so many people care about how much our Daddy meant to us, how much we loved him and how much we are going to miss him.
     As I write to you today, the color on the moutain in Boone is at it's peak. The wind is whistling like it is 20 degrees below, but it's not. It's warm outside, and our hearts are warm today because the love of God is with us. May that same warmth of the love of God be with you today too. Thanks so much for your prayers. We are being held up by them and we are so grateful for your love and kindness. Rev. Evelyn Lemons

For everything there is a season

Dear faithful onfire servants of Jesus Christ, It is with sadness mixed with joy that I write to you today. I have shared several personal stories of faith about my father over the last two years. His battle with Altzheimers came to an end on October1 when my dad died in the same home where he was born, 87 years ago. He was a life long member of Efland Presbyterian Church where he attended as long as he was able. He leaves behind a legacy of five children who really loved him. It was our honor to care for him at home with the help of Hospice. Last Monday morning, I got a call from Efland that he was not doing well, and made the trip home. Our family kept vigil with him until he died on Friday. I thank the Lord for the care of his pastor, Rev. Dawn Stoker and for my brother in law from Cullowhee UMC, Rev. David Reeves, for his care and help officiating at my dad's funeral service yesterday.
     In my line of work as a pastor, I have spent the last 18 years living on call to go be by the side of a family in a time spiritual crisis. This past week, when our family was really going through a hard time, we could feel your prayers and we did know that God was present with us. What a great gift of the church to us!  All the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren had their time to spend with my father.  For my family members who have made huge sacrifices to take care of my dad at home, I honor them and respect them so much. My part in caring for my dad was really a small part compared to their labors for him. I feel so blessed to have a family that loved my father so much that they were willing to do all they could to honor his wish to live out his days at home.
     If you have wondered why my articles have not been regular like clock work, it has been because since I was appointed to Deerfield here in Boone, my life has not been regular like clockwork. I made the trip home to see my dad when I could, and each time I could see his decline. I grieved over how I would get to be with him more as he was getting worse. Now, that grief is no more. God already had a plan.
    Life on the farm goes on. My brother Howard is expecting 40,000 strawberry plants today that will need to go in the ground as soon as he can get them planted. That has been our way of life as long as I can remember. A time to reap and a time to sow. A time to laugh and a time to cry. For everything there is a season. My dad was the hardest working man I have ever met. He was a strong man in his heart with integrity, respect, honor and love, constantly at his command. He was strong but gentle, kind and humble. His faith was solid. I never doubted that my daddy trusted God with everything, the farm, his family, even his future when life was uncertain.
   Today remember, God is taking care of you. He will carry you through until you can be strong again on the other side of that valley. I said the 23rd Psalm over and over again in my heart as I sat by my dad's bed last week. As I looked out his bedroom window, he was surrounded by green pastures. The Lord gave him a chance to lie down in green pastures that we could actually see and be reminded that God was there to hold him, comfort him, and fill his cup to over flowing. Praise be to God for the hope we have in Christ. No matter how hard your day may be today, lift up your hearts because God is holding each of us in the palm of his hand. I feel his presence and from all of our family, we thank you for your prayers. God has been our constant supply of strength and comfort and for this, we as a family are so blessed. I am so glad that now, my daddy finally gets to rest from all of his work. To my dad, job well done.

Homecoming after 50 years at Deerfield UMC

Wow! What a treat to share the pulpit with our founding pastor this past Sunday on Sept. 19. 2010 for the 50th anniversary of Deerfield UMC being founded. Rev. Joe McMurry was here to preach, and what a great day of events we had. Lots of music, lots of food, lots of stories. I cried when I got to stand in the pupit with Rev. McMurry and I cried from laughing so hard at another previous pastor, Rev. A. B. Weaver. He was a true character. The day turned out so well. You would have never known that on Thursday just before our homecoming event, our water service was cut off because a huge leak had shown up on the system. Our guys worked with the Town of Boone, and our plumber to dig out the line and get it fixed all in the same day. We prayed that the leak was not under the pavement right in front of the driveway. I could picture a row of port a johns lined up on the outside of the parking lot for Homecoming if we could not get the water cut back on. Well, it all worked out. Two million gallons of water leaked about 6 inches on our side of the meter, sprayed back into a huge cement box which had a deep layer of rock underneath it. The extra water seems to have made it's way directly to the creek, only a few feet away from the leak, all underground. No soft spots for us to detect. It was a crazy day, but God saw us through, and the Homecoming was wonderful. The event went on with a blaze of glory! Thanks so much to our folks who worked so hard to make that happen!
   Our next big project is getting ready for charge conference in one months time. What a challenge that will be. Boone is a great place to live. It is only about 80 degrees here today. Life here is good. Praise be to God for the opportunity to live a little closer to heaven.

Hospitality gone wild!

At Deerfield, the adult Sunday school classes have been studying for several weeks how to become a more welcoming church. That is some good food for thought for the church to consider. This past Friday at ASU, freshmen move in day, I saw some amazing hospitality in action. At one point Friday afternoon, I counted 52 volunteers who were standing ready to unload each car as it arrived with a new freshmen on board, moving into Gardener Hall. My job was to be a greeter for the students as they arrived. So of course, I would say welcome to Boone when they got out of the car, with a lot of energy. Then the students standing behind me would start clapping and yelling like it was a big deal, a celebration. Then you would see the students face light up like this is the moment they have been waiting for. The parents were in shock. It was tremendous hospitality as the students who were volunteering unloaded the car and carried the items to the new dorm room for the new freshman. The weather was great, about 75 degrees and sunny. We saw lots of hugs of parents and kids, and sometimes students who came alone. We were especially nice to them. What courage it would take to make this step on your own!
    Yesterday at Deerfield I told the congregation that these young people at ASU have so much to offer. I could see that they really want to serve. We need to find a way to help them be apart of something spiritually significant while they are here in school. We did have some volunteers from Deerfield who worked the move in day on Friday, and took some goodies for the students with them. It was great for all of us.  Wow! I am thrilled to think about the possibilities of helping young people connect with Christ in a way that will change their lives. Deerfield UMC, the task is before us with a ton of new possibilities. As with every United Methodist Church, are we thinking and praying everyday about how we are making disciples for Jesus Christ? Lord Jesus Christ be our guide. We are walking by faith. Amen.

Hey, we have some excitement going on here!

OK, this is the 4th time I have written this article and it keeps disappearing mysteriously. That must mean it is really good and must go out, so I am going to keep writing it over again until I can get it to you.
We are actively seeking out ASU students to become part of our life at Deerfield UMC in Boone NC. We have prepared 300 welcome packs for the Wesley Foundation to hand out this coming weekend. Our young people are so in tune with electronics, our webmaster is one of our youth, only 14 years old. That's right. We are going high tech and you can reach us under construction at deerfieldonline.org or reachasu4X.org. The times, they have change, but the church, she has not changed much. If we don't find a way to connect with our young people in the life of the church, we are really going to be participating in a long funeral for the life of our church, because without the next generation, the church dies. We do not want that to happen. We want to make disciples for Jesus Christ. I have seen evidence of the hand of God when local nursing home residents helped us stuff and assemble the 300 welcome packs for the incoming college students. It's a God thing to want to help young people make a connection to Christ. Young people, we want you! We may not have arrived at how we are going to get the young people and keep them, but at least God is growing that desire for them in our hearts and we want what God wants.
  We pray God will lead us to have a passion like his for lost people. To give us wisdom and patience to reach kids, youth, and college aged young adults, and to press on into the future with courage. God, come and lead the charge! So from Deerfield UMC, welcome ASU students, welcome to the new Watauga High School students and to all the children who will come through our doors. We want to make a place for you in the life of our church.

Is tithing a good deal?

Dear On Fire Servants for Jesus Christ, it is good to be in a place to be able to write an encouraging word to you today. I am getting settled in a new assignment to Deerfield UMC in Boone NC. The people here have been so helpful in getting starting in this new ministry. They have worked tirelessly on a huge parsonage renovation project and the work is really nice. We look forward to a new school year beginning as the Appalachian Students head our way. It is my hope that Deerfield UMC will be a place they can call home while they study here.  The church is in a great location only 2 miles from the campus. I have learned that living in the clouds literally means that when driving, visibility may go away at just about any time. I have also been able to apply the old saying may the road rise up to meet you and may the wind always be at your back. On some of the roads, it does seem like the road disappears as it takes a sharp turn or drops off more than you can see.  For now, praise the Lord for the 64 degree night here last night. I am loving the break from the heat.
     For worship yesterday, the message was on the Luke lectionary passage from Luke 12 about our connection to our possessions. We strive so hard to get more stuff we have to figure out what to do with it. We can always use a bigger barn.  Do you own your possessions or do they own you? The point of this passage is to be in a right relationship to our possessions, and not let them have dominion over our lives. It was a good time to teach about tithing and showing God that we sincerely want to make every effort to be in a right relationship with all that He has given us by thanking him with our tithe first. In explaining to the kids during the children's time what a tithe was by using 10 dimes, I showed them that one dime would be God's and the rest would be ours to spend however we wanted to spend them. Then I asked them it they thought that was a good deal. They all agreed it was a really good deal. Then I asked them what they thought would be a better deal, so one of the children said to give God 5 dimes and keep 5 dimes. I hope that when I grow up, I can be just like them. They really preached the sermon yesterday. Praise the Lord for the children.  Lift up your hearts.

Get out the boxes, it's moving time again!

It's moving season for a host of United Methodist preachers, myself included. The work at Faith UMC has been fruitful over the last 6 years. As John Wesley intended for the Methodist preachers not to stay too long in one place, we are continuing to live out that dream for him in the itinerant system. I look forward to my new assignment to Deerfield UMC in Boone NC. That means as United Methodist preachers, when we are ordained as Elders, we take a vow to go where we are sent. For me, that was about 17 years ago, and I was much younger. It seemed like a noble thing to do. Little did I know then what it would be like to love a congregation, serve them faithfully for a certain number of years, and then move to start over again. It was a lot easier to say then, "I will go where I am sent," than it has been to love people, leave them, pack boxes, meet new people, love them, and start all over again. To love people freely is a gift from God. I give the Lord praise that after 17 years of full time ministry as a pastor I can still feel love for the people I serve in the name of Christ. It hurts everytime you have to move, yet there are new friends waiting to receive me and  my family on the new end of the move. The gospel compels us to go where there is an open door of opportunity in the name of Christ. That's the call, and it's still as strong as ever after 20 years, praise God for that!
     I asked God to let me continue to love his people with an open heart. I want to warn you that when you love freely you are going to get hurt. Then comes the next part of my request to God, that God will come and heal any hurt that comes my way from loving his people. And the hurt does come.  God is so faithful. I want to give a witness of who is my supply of love that abounds, it is Christ our Lord! And I can give a witness that when it hurts to love, God will bring what I need to have healing and be able to receive that healing, know that I am being loved and cared for and be able to move past the hurt to love again. Receive this good news. God will meet your need if you are getting ready to receive a new pastor. Receive the good news clergy if you have been so broken by this process that you have considered leaving the ministry or the United Methodist Church-God will bring you healing and hope still is ahead of us, and hope will not disappoint us.
    On Wednesday of this past week, all the pastors who are moving gathered with the Bishop and the DS's for a meeting to honor the moving process, the toll it takes on the clergy, our families, and on the congregations. It was a group of really tired looking people. In each pair of eyes there was a story to be told. There were some tears shed. Remember that God is working all things out for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Church, that's us! God will work with the itinerant system and our bishop and our cabinet to make the best appointments for each church and for each pastor, and he can work and does work even beyond their understanding and still works things out for the good of all concerned. Where we are assigned is a spiritual process.  It has not been an easy 5 month process of wondering where in the western half of the state I would be assigned. But God has been faithful, and through all of this, I want to give him a living witness that the anchor of faith he put in my heart through Jesus Christ still holds. Be encouraged and lift up your hearts. The anchor still holds. Preachers, hold steadfast. Church hang in there because God is still in charge. God is our rock. Rock of Ages, Cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.
Rev. Evelyn Lemons

St James UMC Rural Hall honors Rev Dr. Paul Perkins Sr

     This past Saturday, I was invited by the SPRC from St. James UMC in Rural Hall to participate in a service of appreciation for their pastor, Rev. Dr. Paul Perkins Sr. My first question to the chairperson was, "Is he leaving?" She said,  "No we just want to show him our appreciation and surprise him." So I accepted the invitation, and was anticipating great music and worship and the Lord, and I did not leave disappointed. The church filled with folks at 3:00pm on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to come together for the purpose of saying thank you to their pastor for a job well done. Pastors from the community, old friends, family, and even a person whom he had lead to Christ that later went into the ministry were all present to bring a witness to the work of Christ that Pastor Paul Perkins has done. I once heard him say that the people of St. James are the finest sheep that ever stepped foot through the gate of the fold. His admiration for them is obvious too. The invitation to this event said that it was going to be a roast. What I anticipate in a usual roast is for people to be a little on the antagonistic side and tell stories you wish they wouldn't tell. I couldn't imagine anyone saying anything about Pastor Perkins that he wouldn't want told. He is an upright man.
     I was not disappointed in how that turned out either. People had the finest things to say. In my remarks, I recalled the first time I went there to St. James for a worship service. I was sitting in the congregation and an usher tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for to come to the platform. I was getting inducted into the black church tradition, I just didn't realize that at the moment. From that point on, everytime I visited, I was invited to come and sit with the pastors on the platform at the front of the church, whether they knew ahead I was going to be there or not. On one of those occasions, Pastor Paul Perkins brought tears to my eyes. He had invited all the pastors to come forward to sit on the platform before the service started and we ran out of chairs there were so many preachers that day! The way Rev. Perkins showed me such great honor that day was that he gave me his chair on the platform, and sat down on the floor in a hard folding metal chair to give his guests the best seats in the house. I have learned so much from Rev. Perkins about hospitality, about loving his flock and being steadfast. I was so blessed to be apart of such a service of giving the Lord thanks and praise for Rev. Perkins being such a faithful servant of Christ. Usually you don't hear people say such nice things about a person, unless it's a funeral. I commend St.James UMC for praising the Lord now, for their pastor to know beyond any doubt how much they appreciate the work he has done in the name of Christ for them. I could actually feel the honor pass by. I could feel respect and reverence in the air. I know God was not only proud of Rev. Perkins, but also so proud of a church for seeking a way to honor his servant. When we look for a way to be a blessing to God, I know it must bring a smile to the heart of God. I share this story with you today as a praise. Thank the Lord for the gift of hospitality of St. James UMC. They are really setting a high mark for the rest of us. What a competition that could be? Let's see what church can show the most honor and respect and reverence for the work of Christ in their midst and to all the ones who are doing the work as pastor of their flock? I think that's the kind of competition that would make God smile. Church, we are blessed to be a blessing. St. James, thank you for sharing your spirit of gratitude with your faith community. Whatever is beautiful, holy, righteous, let's think about these things. To set your mind on the things of the Spirit is life.

Times of Transition

In the lectionary, in these Sundays past Easter, we have been studying the transition time after the death and resurrection of Christ, to the time of his departure back to heaven. We are already looking forward to Pentecost Sunday. In the Sundays between Easter and Pentecost, we find ourselves in a time of transition. We have worked hard to prepare for the whole season of Lent to get our hearts ready for the sadness of Good Friday, and the joy of Easter morning. We celebrated at Faith UMC with people joining the church and being baptized, and for this we give the Lord praise! Now, our church enters into another time of transition, a transition time that comes with the change of pastors. I connect my heart with all the pastors and congregations who are going through a time of transition. We actually connect our lives to the lectionary season, for this time of anticipation of good things to come. Praise be to God for all the grace and patience that surrounds the appointment making process. Faith UMC is praying for all pastors and churches who are going through a time of transition. Even in the best of circumstances, which I really believe we are living at Faith, change is difficult because we are human beings. God's peace to you and to your church if you are also in this time of transition. We are holding on to God's promise, that our future is in God's hands, and that is good enough. God's grace and patience and peace be with you as you also anticipate good things to come for your future and for the future of your church. Much love to each of you going through the process. We are holding on to God's promises and trusting that God's promises are enough to see us through anything that comes. Thanks be to God who holds our future.

Standing at the edge of the Red Sea

We studied John 20 this past Sunday and the scripture that deals with doubting Thomas. Thomas was dealing with what he thought was certain in his friend and leader Jesus Christ. Then came the crucifixion and then the resurrection. It rocked the world of those disciples. They were having a hard time with their faith. What they thought was going to happen was not the way events unfolded. Yet, God provided through Christ to give Thomas what he needed to move him to a deeper place of faith. His response to really understanding finally that Christ was standing in front of him, he proclaimed, my Lord and my God. He moved from certainty to doubt to belief in Christ. Somehow God moved the process along and helped him come to the understanding he needed to trust Christ with everything. Faith has been a key practice for thousands of years. What a time of transition it must have been for the people of God when they were following Moses, headed away from the Pharoah and standing at the shore of the sea. With the enemy behind them and closing in and the water in front of them, surely they must have doubted Moses. In Exodus 13 and 14 you can read their responses to this situation. They asked of Moses, did you bring us here to die? Wouldn't we have been better off to have stayed where we were? In our own times of transition that test our faith, we lean on God to give us greater faith to hold us in the in between times. From certainty, to doubt, to deeper faith and trust, God gives each of us what we need to move us along in our journey. Standing at the edge of the Red Sea would have required some faith to believe that God was going to make a way. But, God did make a way, and the good news for us, is that God still makes a way! Keep the faith!

How are you handling adversity? Jesus is with you too.

     I started out my first day back from vacation with a trip to the bank this morning. At 8:30 a.m. this morning on the way to pick up my dog from the kennel, I stopped in the drive through window at the bank. I saw a man standing at the drive through window doing his banking business, and should have taken a hint. As I pulled up to wait my turn, it was obvious he had a business account and a whole lot to say. If you know me, I hope you really LOL. Some of you are laughing right now, I just know it. I could hardly wait to get my dog from the vet and I found myself tapping the steering wheel and checking my watch, several times.  I thought, I sure am being tested early in the day today. It was obvious this was not going to be a quick stop as I had planned. I kept my cool, but I was so glad to see him walk back to his huge truck that he had parked near the bank that I shouted just a little bit on the inside. It was only 10 minutes but at that moment it felt like an hour. My adversity this morning was just a little bump in the road to start the day. Where was my patience?
    As we think about preparing our hearts for the holy time before us, one of the themes I have been reflecting on is how we handle adversity. At Faith UMC where I serve, there are a number of people who are facing adversity. Big adversities, not a little bump in the road like a minor delay at the bank. The life situations vary a great deal, but there is a common thread of faith, and that is trusting Jesus Christ no matter what comes our way. The world sees our witness in the face of adversity. I see the witness of these folks I serve and I give the Lord praise for their courage and their witness. Yes, we can give the Lord praise when everything in life is going our way. We are all smiles with a good job, a happy family that is getting along, good health, friends you can count on, safe communities, and security and peace on every front. But let the smallest inconvenience break into our routine and we get cranky. When we are at our best, do we stop to give the Lord praise for helping us be at our best? When we need him, we are surely quick to ask for his help. Christ proves to us his power when we are weak. The scripture teaches he is strong. Adversity helps us understand in a personal way the strength Christ will give us when we take our rest in him.
     Another thought about adversity is that you can count on it. Hardships are going to find everybody at some point in time. We cannot control "what comes our way, but we can control "how" we handle what comes our way. I know some people with the best attitude you can imagine in the face of really serious health issues among other challenges. I know that this is only possible through Christ our Lord. Who is the keeper of your peace? I know a young adult who is going through a time of great disappointment. Things have not worked out as he had hoped they would. But he is keeping his faith in Christ. I look forward to his testimony some day of how God is using this adversity in his life to be a building block. I know it doesn't feel like a building block for anything good to come for him right now, but our God is in the business of redemption. I am continuing to trust that God will bring something good from the present situation. I also talked to a grandpa tonight whose great grand daughter who is five years old had a brain tumor removed last week. She is doing well and making progress day by day. When the family stood around her before her surgery started, she told them not to cry because Jesus was with her. That is facing adversity with Christ if I have ever seen it!  We serve a Savior who knows all about adversity, real adversity, and he stands ready to help us in our day to day situations be overcomers, transformers, life givers, life lovers, motivators, optimists, real resurrection people. Christ is the source of our eternal hope.  Thanks be to God! 

Bishop Larry Goodpaster visits in the Winston Salem District

Bishop Larry Goodpaster was our guest at the Winston Salem District Clergy meeting on Tuesday. He shared some ideas with us about the state of the union of the church and new strategies to reach people outside the church. One way is through new church plants. We have between 28 and 32 spots that have been identified as areas that need new churches in our conference. Our hope is to start 7 to 10 new sites each year. Here in the Winston Salem District, we are looking forward to having a new church start come to the Children's Home soon, and we are working on a joint new church start project on the Hwy. 150 corridor with the Lexington District. Our hope is for that to become a reality sometime this year too. Part of the process of planting new churches is to have the right person to help lead each project with adequate preparation and adequate funding to set them up for success. As a conference we are looking to start some sort of funding that will become a permanent source of funding for planting new churches over time so that in 20 years down the road from now, there will be funds on hand to keep starting new churches. A great plan of sustainability. Bishop Goodpaster shared a shocking statistic with us. He said 74% of UMC buildings are located where 16% of the population lives. We as a conference are all about the mission of inviting people to follow Jesus, make disciples and transform the world.

The average age of our church is around 59. A new church is needed to reach a younger generation. New churches do new things to reach newer and younger folks. I kept thinking about the scripture about putting new wine in new skins because if you try to put new wine into an old skin, it will burst. That same truth goes a long way in thinking about making room for the next generation for our church. Those born after 1980 called the millenial generation believe in God more than their parents did at their age, but they don't believe in the church in the same way as their parents do. As a conference we are looking for new venues for the younger generation to plug into Christ. Our goal is to communicate the same good news of Christ in new and creative ways to reach the next generation.

As a church we will have to deal with change for the church to head in a new, positive direction. We pray that God will lead the way to let us hold fast to the gospel, give us the courage to change the things we can, accept the things we can't change, and lean on the Lord for the wisdom to know the difference.

You are invited to be in service on June 5 this year as a Christian with a heart for mission. Rev. Effie McClain invited the whole district to a community gathering on that day their church is hosting called Thunder on Thurmond. A block party to invite the community and this year sponsoring a health fair too.

It was great to have the bishop with us, to share his ideas, and to communicate to us once again that we have a spiritual leader. We praise the Lord for his leadership and vision for our conference.

WS District Plans Power of Three Plug In Event for May

Here are the notes from the Evangelism Task Force to promote leading people to Christ in 2010:

I. We see our primary task as that of offering training opportunities to support churches and individuals in their evangelistic outreach. Our immediate sense is to provide help to churches in meeting their Power of Three goals for professions of faith and membership increase. To do that we are planning a training event on Sunday, May 16, from 3:00-4:30 p.m., location TBA, called “Power of Three-Plug In.” With help from Amy at the District Office, I will receive and plow through the documents presented by churches at their 2009 Charge Conference in reference to the following questions that we were asked to respond to.

- What are your plans for helping the WNC Conference reach 300,000 members by the end of 2012?

- What are examples of things you do to welcome visitors?

- How are you making a difference in someone else's life?

- What are you doing in order to reach people with the love of Jesus Christ?

- Do you have a "plan" for evangelism? What is it?

- What steps are you taking to implement the plan?

The May 16, “Power of Three-Plug In” will seek to present a summary of what other churches are doing to reach their goals. This should be a valuable resource of creative ideas. Discussion would follow a presentation.

Thank you to Rev. Keith Bingham, the new Chair for the Task Force on Evangelism for the Winston Salem District for submitting this great news for us today!
Rev. Evelyn Lemons

Can you cut your computer off at night to think about spiritual things?

Many of you may have decided to take up a new practice or give up something for Lent. Realizing that most evenings I find myself working late on the computer, I decided for Lent to cut off my computer every night at 8:00pm. My hope was to use that time for a spiritual purpose instead of replacing it with more work. I haven't done too well with that part so far. It has only been a week and one day, and it feels like a huge change and limitation already. I had no idea how much I was going to miss it. I usually check emails at night when I come home. Now, if I don't check them before 8:00pm, it will be the next day before I can get to them. Last night, I found myself working on powerpoint for worship on Sunday with our power point person for the week in her home. After a delicous surprise bowl of homemade chicken stew for supper, and before I knew it, it was after 8:00pm. I didn't slam the computer shut and quit and rush the house before I turned into a pumpkin. I had worship stuff for this Sunday that I needed to work on that is special. Our confirmation class is being confirmed Sunday, and I had most of the pictures. We had to cancel confirmation class yesterday because of a threat of snow so that threw us a curve ball for the schedule yesterday. So yesterday my discipline was not that great, I fudged.  Wow, I was not expecting turning off the computer at night to be hard, but it is. It must be the right practice for me for Lent right now, and promises to bring me a challenge and the opportunity to seek the presence of the Lord. You can search for a new spiritual practice to adopt for this season of Lent, or you can also try giving up something. The point of a Lenten spiritual discipline is to allow God to use it in our lives for good, to draw us ever closer to the heart of God. I wish for you much discipline, the power to fight temptation, and the desire to observe a Holy Lent. God be with you.

Protect your right to pray in Jesus Name

I submitted a 250 word version of the article below as a Letter to the Editor of the Winston Salem Journal on Friday. Whether or not it prints, here is the full article for you.

I feel like my rights as an American are under attack. So I went back to the Constitution and specifically the Bill of Rights, and I include here the words of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” I have a reason as a pastor and as a Christian to be upset. A couple of years ago, I was invited to give the prayer before the Forsyth County Commissioners meeting. So I accepted the invitation and I gave the prayer. I don’t remember the exact words, but I prayed like I usually pray. No one told me what I had to say or what I could not say. Then in just a couple of weeks, one of the pastors in our community came under fire for using the name of Jesus Christ in his prayer. Our commissioners have been fighting over this issue since that time. The Christians in our community are not going to stop praying in the name of Jesus Christ no matter what the high court rules. We may not be invited to pray at the commissioners meetings anymore, but we are not going to budge on the issue of praying in the way we believe. That freedom is protected by the First Amendment and we do have a legal right to keep on exercising that freedom. If you tell someone how to pray that is directly violating the first amendment by prohibiting the free exercise of their religion. If someone believes differently than we do as Christians, as an American they have the right to have a different opinion. As a United Methodist pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in Rural Hall NC, I am willing to take a strong stand to support the First Amendment. When I pray, I am going to keep on using the name of Jesus Christ. If you find that offensive, then don’t ask me to pray, but I am not going to back down in being bold for my Savior. I urge the citizens of this county to let your county commissioners hear from you on this issue. I go with Christ, or I’m not going at all. I know I am not alone and our commissioners need to hear your voice too.


I urge the Forsyth County commissioners to appeal the recent high court decision regarding prayer before their meetings. I am not supporting the government to push one particular way of expressing religion on the people, but I am asking for the freedom to practice my faith as a pastor and as a Christian in the way I choose. I urge the commissioners to appeal. We the people, of this county, and of all of the United States, believe that our fundamental right to exercise religion and free speech are rights protected by the constitution and that these are rights that we are willing to fight to keep. Our country was founded on belief that you should be free to exercise your religious beliefs, and that freedom has been something that our nation has shed blood and sacrifice to establish, and our men and women in the armed forces continue to fight daily to protect that freedom. Please don’t let a vocal minority speak for all the people. We the people, still means all the people. Protect our First Amendment rights. It is worth the fight.

God will see us through the Storm

God will see us through the storm.


We have weathered hopefully the worst of the winter storms by now in Walnut Cove, NC. It was exciting for a few days with the threat of ice and snow and freezing rain, and then all three were delivered to us. We were without power for about a day, but some folks just a little ways north of us towards Sandy Ridge NC had about an inch of ice and thousands of people lost power. On a normal day, I have figured out that I take a lot for granted, like heat and running water and lights, and a wireless internet connection, and that without them life is really different fast. In the storm, several folks called and offered for my family to come stay with them, and one even said bring the dog. I had prepared for the storm the best I knew how to prepare, having grown up in a rural community that would lose power occasionally during a storm I had down some of the basics. Draw extra water. Get out flashlights and batteries, and a radio. Make sure there is food in the house. Buy fuel ahead of time and get it in the house before the storm. Charge the cell phone.

Then the storm came. I could hear trees popping in the woods by our house that sounded like explosions as they snapped, and transformers blowing up in the distance. All the usual night lights were off, and it was black outside and quiet. The storm forced our hand to shift into survival mode. All we focused on was how to stay warm, how we were going to heat our food, and how were we going to take care of the other people who needed us during the storm. As the ice started to freeze on the trees, my husband was making a last minute run for kerosene for our back up heaters. Before he could get home, he saw a huge tree fall across the main highway near our house. Thankfully, it didn’t block him from coming home. Is there a spiritual lesson to be learned from going through a crisis with the power being out? Yes. Put oil in your lamp ahead of the storm and before the sun goes down. I think Jesus used that same example about getting oil for our lamp ahead of the time that it would be needed. Spiritually, we may not know when the next storm will come for us. God encourages us through Christ to fill up our lamp with the fuel of the Holy Spirit everyday and to keep our walk with him in good condition. Let God trim the wick and cut away what is no longer useful to let our life burn higher and brighter for him. I got to watch my mother in law really trim away on old wick on an oil lamp that had not been lit in at least 10 years. She didn't cut it exactly straight, but it was close. It looked good enough to me. When she lit the lamp the flame looked like a high heeled shoe. We all got a good laugh over it. Another lesson, better let God do the trimming away from what needs to go in our lives. What may look good enough to us, may still need the hand of God. In the lessons from the storm, God has proven again, He will provide for our needs. Heat, food, light, spiritual comfort, friends, and the list goes on. God is our source and we give him praise for seeing us through the storm, and we give him praise that He will be with us no matter what storm we may face. We praise Him!! Amen.

Praying for the people of Haiti and working on health kits to send to them

Well it happened again. Everytime I watch the news and see the suffering of the people of Haiti, tears fall from my face. I hear yet another astonishing story of how someone survived against all odds, and another person did not. We pray for God's mercy and strength to be with every person who is suffering because of the earthquake there. Our prayers go out to all of the people of Haiti, and to all of those who are working right now to bring them food, water, shelter, medical care and provide security. May the Lord let the people of Haiti know that all over the world, their brothers and sisters in Christ are lifting them in prayer. One of the images from the early reporting sticks in my mind. A reporter asked a family who was waiting for food and water when they expected help to arrive, and their answer will stick with me always, they replied, "When God shows up." The United Methodist Church is being given the opportunity through our connectional system to use it as a means of streamlining support to funnel it to Haiti. Health kits, supplies for children, volunteers and funds are all on the way. I am so proud to know that we have volunteers on the ground right now working in Haiti. We mourn the loss of Rev. Sam Dixon who headed the UMCOR agency. While he was there to work on improving the health care system in Haiti, and was trapped for 55 hours in the rubble, and we are so sorry to learn that he died for the cause he believed in, helping people in the name of Christ. We honor his 32 years of service in the NC Conference and we mourn with his family and with all those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, and for those who still have not received word whether their relatives are alive.


We challenge the United Methodist Church to put their hands in action to help make a difference at the local level by taking up a special offering for Haiti through UMCOR, and for doing hands on projects like putting together health kits. We will have to work quickly because time is of the essence. We have a drop off site coming to Clemmons UMC which is near us, one day next week. We are asking our church family to go by the list we have provided in the bulletin, which came from the conference website, on what to put inside the health kits. We have people from the church wanting to go to Haiti to volunteer. If you are interesting in becoming a volunteer, the reply back from Rev. Mike Collins our mission coordinator for the conference is to go to this site: www.umvim.org/haiti. We pray for him and all of his team who are lauching a huge campaign of support to get help to those who need it most. In the worst of times, God can use this to bring out the best in us. May the name of Christ be praised by the way we respond to the needs of the world around us. Let them know we are Christians by our love. Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.

Rev . Evelyn Lemons