Hoover FirstUnited Methodist Church
Reaching out to all people, inviting them to experience the love of Jesus.
"As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit.” (Eph 2:20-22)

Come Home to Hoover First for Christmas!

Sometimes home is not really the physical place where we grew up, but instead, home may relate to a mental or emotional state of refuge or comfort. So, I invite you to come home to this “household of faith”-- a spiritual home where you can find many of the qualities we associate with home.

Many of us have fond memories of home during the holidays-- or least how we would like to remember our home as a warm and comforting place when we were growing up. Home stirs up images of home-cooked meals and extended family gathered lovingly around a table. For others of us, our real-life family didn't match up to this idealized image, but rather, home is what we created for our own children. And finally, for some of us, the search goes on to find a place to belong and to feel “at home.”-- to find that refuge and comfort for which we long.

So, I invite you during this holiday time, to come home for Christmas. Come Home to the joy of a simple Christmas--taking refuge from the commercialization and materialism of the Holidays. Come Home for the Holy Days of the holiday season!  Join us for Christmas Eve Service of Candlight and Communion at 4 p.m., December 24th.  Christmas Day Worship Breakfast is at 9 a.m. and Service is at 10 am.  Everyone is invited to bring a special toy or "childhood object" to share!

Come Home to Hoover First to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. The one who comes to each one of us anew each Christmas. It is through Christ that we can find our spiritual home with God. Come home to Christ.

In the Joy of the Season!

1934 Patton Chapel Road Hoover, AL 35226

www.hooverfirstumc.org

Remembering Ellen

I don't remember the first time that I met Ellen Kepley. Surely, it was within my first few weeks of becoming the secretary at Orange United Methodist Church, but it isn't stuck in my memory. At that time, Ellen was still working at UNC, so she wasn't able to devote as much time as she wanted to the church. She would say all the time, "I can't wait until I can retire and spend my time here!"

That was 1989. The only full-time staff member was Rene Bideaux, the pastor. I had graduated from seminary, but needed a job for a year. The church hired me as secretary, but allowed me to do all that i wanted-- including lead in worship on Sundays and teach 2 year old Sunday school!

My strongest memory of that year of Ellen was actually when I left! She took me to lunch at the Carolina Inn and gave me a beautiful poreclain tape dispenser. What I remember about this is that Ellen was so gracious to me. It also formed my image of her as a "Southern Lady."

But, it was when I returned to Orange UMC two years later as Minister of Visitation, that I came to know Ellen as friend and second mother. From Ellen, I learned the art of hospitality. She taught me a lot about cooking and gardens. I learned about the history of Homestead Road and Orange Church.

Ellen told the story of how her father hauled the logs that built "The Hut." She also said that when she was growing up and Homestead Road was a dirst road, her father could tell you'd been down the road by the tracks in it! What change she saw on that road, in her beloved Chapel Hill, and in her church!

In many ways, Ellen embodied the spirit of Orange Church. I have no doubt that almost any member who joined that church after 1990 will say that she was at the door, greeting them-- standing next to the pastor. During the years when Rene was pastor, visitors often mistook her for his wife! But, often on Sunday afternoons or evenings, Ellen would go home and call everyone who had visited the church. When she would "report" to the staff about these calls, we were always amazed by what she had learned about the visitors!

Ellen had a true gift for making people feel comfortable and welcome. She understood what it meant to people to find a place to "belong" and she wanted Orange Church to be a place where everyone could find a welcoming community and a spiritual home.

When we adopted Jessie, Ellen hosted the church's "baby" shower for us. What was so wonderful about that event is that she hosted it with Velna, her brother's wife, and two "newer" members, Julie Pickett and Debbie Bettis. Ellen was a life-long member of Orange Church, but she always knew that meant that she had responsibility for making "new" members feel welcome.

I was blessed to have Ellen as a second "mother" when my own mother died of cancer. Ellen knew that I needed someone and she reached out to me. For a time, I met her every morning at 6 a.m. to walk. She could have done that anytime with several of her friends, but I appreciated the special care that she so willingly gave me by giving me that time with her.

I had just learned of Ellen's illness a few weeks ago. I had wanted to call and talk with her, but all I could think of to say was "I love you." It seemed like too little to express all that she had given me at a time in my life when I needed so much. I am so grateful that God let me be a part of Ellen's life for a time. I am grateful that Ellen embodied God's love so beautifully in so many ways. Ellen blessed me, but what is more true than anything is that Ellen blessed so very many lives with her smile, her welcoming hand, a plate of food, and most of all her loving heart!

Walk off the Pot Lucks 5 K and Lake Walk

Several months ago, I started a second blog focused on health and wellness issues-- particularly as it relates to Clergy!

The title of this post is a link a post I just published over on wHoly Life about an event that will take place at the Gathering of the Orders for the North Alabama Conference.

I hope that you will visit this link and read more about the event.

If you are clergy, COME AND RUN

If you laity, support your pastor!

Urban Gardening Feeds The Hungry

No sooner did I post the last post about churches & food, than I saw a tweet from Sustainble Traditions : www.sustainabletraditions.com/2011/3/community-gardens-churches-find-their-local-mission


Which included this great video!

Food and Church

A few months ago, curious to see what would land in my inbox, I set up google alert for the words "church" and "food." Hoping to find churches that were doing innovative programming around food and faith, cull through the links that come in the daily email.



Each day, there are anywhere from 15-30 links to news articles, websites and even blog entries. The one thing that all the links have is that they lead to postings that have both the word church and food in them.



Rarely have I received a link to anything that mentions a church educating members about food policy and/or sustainability! Instead, in my very unscientific analysis, the vast majority of articles are about the what churches are doing to meet the food needs of their communities-- usually in the forms of food pantries, soup kitchens, or food give aways. And then, of course, there are the numerous links that merely are mentioning church events in which food will be served!



Some points to ponder....

1. Are churches doing programming related to food "issues"? but just not publicizing it-- so it doesn't make it into the web postings?


2. Are the needs so great in so many of our communities that more and more churches are reaching out with aid in the form of food?


3. Is it just that this community outreach/charity work is much more "reportable"? Articles about churches offering food aid are more interesting to the general public?

So these are just my beginning questions...

Are you drinking the food industry kool aid?

Saw this video today and this is SO funny!