UPCOMING SERVICES AT NORTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH DECEMBER 5, 2010 and DECEMBER 12, 2010

We celebrated the first Sunday in Advent 2010 on Sunday, November 28, 2010. Many people helped decorate the church and the 18 foot tall Crismon Tree, Garlands, Advent Wreath, Wreaths, Bows and over 50 Poinsetta's are all in place. This season of the year is always a special and festive time at Norton United Methodist Church and there are many events scheduled during December and January.





On Sunday, December 5 Harpist Martha Painter will be performing Advent and Christmas music during the 11:00 a.m. service. This is the second Sunday in Advent, "The Season of Love" and it's Communion Sunday. This will be a rare and exceptional opportunity to hear the music of the angels, share in the fellowship of the church and meet up with your friends and family. If you are an early riser you might want to participate in the outreach worship at Mt. View Regional Medical Center each Sunday at 10:00 a.m.












On Sunday, December 12 we will celebrate the third Sunday in Advent with special guests, Jack Beck and Wendy Welch who now live in Big Stone Gap. The Celtic Christmas Fest will be at 11:00 a.m. with a fellowship lunch at noon. Everyone is welcome.

Jack is an acclaimed performer of Scots traditional songs and ballads. He is a recording artist and workshop leader with over 40 years of experience. Wendy, who holds a Doctorate in Folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a renowned storyteller and a published writer. She currently teaches folk-life programs at UVA Wise in SW Virginia and works for the Healthy Appalachia Institute.

THANKSGIVING SUNDAY AT NORTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, November 21, 2010

Join the folks at Norton United Methodist Church for a Thanksgiving Service of Worship on Sunday November 21, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. We are honored to have a guest musician Anna Ruth Wells who is a local and regional "Musical Treasure." She will be playing the autoharp and dulcimer and singing Appalachian Mountain Spiritual Songs and Hymns. It is always a pleasure to welcome Anna Ruth Wells to share her wonderful music. Following the service we will have a soup/salad/sandwich lunch and everyone is welcome. In the afternoon we will begin our church decoration project in preparation for Advent, Christmastide and Epiphany.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 and SUNDAY OCTOBER 10, 2010

Fall Song Fest, Saturday October 9 at 10:00 am for the residents and families of Mt. View Regional Medical Center. Everyone is welcome, expect good times, singing, dancing and a great time of fellowship with the residents.

Morning Worship, Sunday October 10 at 10:00 am (Mt. View Outreach Service) and 11:00 am at the Norton Church. Scripture for the day is Luke 17: 11-19 and the sermon is "Graditude and Grace."







Church Picnic, Sunday October 10 at 5:00 pm at David and Margaret's Place in Big Stone Gap. We will also be having a baby shower for one of our members. Everyone is welcome. The picnics are always awesome.

World Communion Sunday, 2009. Young People listen as Pastor Taylor tells the story of the first communion on the moon

On Sunday July 20, 1969 the first people landed on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were in the lunar lander which touched down at 3:17 Eastern Standard Time.

Buzz Aldrin had with him the Reserved Sacrament. He radioed: “Houston, this is Eagle. This is the LM pilot speaking. I would like to request a few moments of silence. I would like to invite each person listening in, whoever or wherever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the last few hours, and to give thanks in his own individual way.”

Later he wrote: “In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit.’ I had intended to read my communion passage back to earth, but at the last minute Deke Slayton had requested that I not do this. NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madelyn Murray O’Hare, the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly…Eagle’s metal body creaked. I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements.”

NASA kept this secret for two decades. The memoirs of Buzz Aldrin and the Tom Hanks’s Emmy- winning HBO mini-series, From the Earth to the Moon (1998), made people aware of this act of Christian worship 235,000 miles from Earth.

Charge Conference 2010 September 30, 2010

I am old enough and Methodist enough to remember the days of the Quarterly Conference, although as I recall we only held 2 quarterly conferences per year in our church. There was a time when the majority of the business of the local church was conducted at four meetings each year. Gradually over time this structure was changed and at the present time there is one business meeting held annually called a Charge Conference. This meeting allows the church to have meaningful contact with the District Superintendent (called a Presiding Elder in the olden days), is a time elect church officers,set the Pastor's salary, recommend candidates for the ministry and lay speaking, and to present various reports related to the work of the church. Some folks dread these meetings and feel they are outdated and not necessary.

Here's what the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church says about the the matter,the Charge Conference “shall be the connecting link between the local church and the general Church and shall have general oversight of the church [in our case, Administrative] council.” The voting membership in a Charge Conference includes all attending people who are Administrative Council members, and any retired ordained ministers and diaconal ministers who hold their membership with a church. The Discipline encourages us to have the make-up of the council as inclusive as possible, to represent all segments of our congregation, including youth. A Charge Conference is required to be held annually. The district superintendent presides or may designate an elder to preside.

At our charge conference this year, the District Superintendent challenged the participants to answer two questions. There was a wonderful time of sharing and expressing joy about the ministry of the Norton United Methodist Church during the previous year.

QUESTION 1 Who are some of the "somewhere out there" people you and your church are reaching?

Each week 30 or more persons attend an NA group which meets at the Norton Church. The church provides this space but more importantly welcome and validation. From time to time the group is provided with snacks and they are always invited to church functions such as picnics and dinners. Members from the NA present a program and share with the congregation at least two times a year. We held a "Recovery Church" event this year and cooperate with "Celebrate Recovery" and other community outreach activities. On the night of the charge conference a "Recovery Walk" originated from the Norton Cinema and concluded with an evening meal at the Norton Church. Over 40 persons participated in the walk to show support for substance abuse recovery efforts.

The Norton NAMI was organized by two members of our congregation to meet the unique needs of friends and family members of persons who have experienced mental illness. The support group meets monthly an provides vital support, guidance and assistance but most of all understanding and acceptance. The Norton NAMI has plans to sponsor a clergy training event in the region to assist clergy and religious leaders in learning how to provie ministry to persons impacted by mental illness.

The weekly morning worship service at Mt. View Regional Medical Center attracts 20 or more residents each week. It is a unique blessing that some residents have family and friends who attend so that they can experience worship together. We lead a monthly singing event and this has created partnerships with other churches to expand the Christian influence and provide stronger and more effective outreach to the residents of the Center.

For the past to summers we have been in partnership with the First Baptist Church and the Norton Church of God to provide a city wide Vacation Bible School event. The Bible School attracts nearly 100 children and youth each summer.

We have been able to assist 15 families in need by providing tangible support, comfort and assistance. When the church receives a call for help from a community person, we always respond by providing supportive assistance, referral to other sources of help and tangible help if need is demonstrated.

We held a Gospel Singing "Bluegrass Gospel Winterfest" in February to raise fnds for the Wise County/Norton Food Bank. This event provided opportunities for fellowship, networking and worship in addition to money and canned for which was given to the food bank for distribution.

We are learning how to invite other people to attend and participate in the activities of the church. Last year 11 persons became new members of the church and all of these folks are continuing to be very active and involved. Recently a family brought a young man who was living in the domestic violence shelter, he came for 2 Sundays, seemed to really enjoy the fellowship and activity of the church. We are thankful for all opportunities to invite persons into the Kingdom of God.

Over 15 years ago the Norton Church started a community Thanksgiving meal outreach and this continues. Last year over 400 meals were provided. The project now has active involvement from many other churches and the project provides outreach and opportunities for fellowship and networking.

Remembering Worldwide Communion Sunday, 2009

The Methodists of Norton Invite You to the Table of the Lord, Sunday, October 4, 2009 11:00 am at Norton United Methodist Church, 8th Street at Virginia Avenue (downtown , near the historic Norton Hotel)


Sunday, October 4, 2009 should prove to be a phenomenal day for the two Methodist congregations in the city of Norton. The first Sunday in October is observed by many Christians around the globe as “Worldwide Communion Sunday”, an occasion that highlights the unity and solidarity of all Christians.

While both Blackman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Zion, located on Kentucky Avenue and the Norton United Methodist Church on Virginia Avenue were organized in the late 1800’s the two congregations have never held a service of worship together. Sharing a common heritage and connection to the Wesleyan Revival of the 1700’s the congregations are very excited about getting together for worship.
“Throughout the world churches of all denominations, in all nations, in many languages, will all be celebrating the Lord’s Supper and this opportunity for fellowship with Pastor French and his congregation couldn’t come at a better time” says Pastor Ken Taylor of the Norton United Methodist Church. “We need this time to remember that our Lord suffered for us all. The most memorable verse in the Bible begins ‘For God so loved the world…‘ The Lord’s Supper teaches us all about the necessity of unity and fellowship.”

According to Blackman Chapel Pastor Todd French , the church was established in 1892. The Church first met in a private home which was located in the section referred to as “the bottom,” the coke oven section company homes, southeast of Park Avenue between the two major train companies east of the train depot. In 1914-15, the trustees of the Church purchased the parcel of land where the Church is located today. A small framed building was built on the land that was purchased from Norton Land and Improvement Company for $175, listed in Deed Book No. 32, page 8. The trustees at that time were James Foster, Nettie Brice, Lewis Banks, Jannie Foster, and W.O. Bradley. The Pastor was Rev. J.W. Jones. The Church was named Blackman Chapel after Reverend T.H.F. Blackman, who was a pioneer in Church expansion. “ Today the church is experiencing significant growth and has tripled in size during the past few years. Rev. French’s describes his vision “that the Church would seek, as its primary function, to fulfill the Great Commission as commanded by Jesus, in Matthew 28:19-20. The Church is called to be mission-minded reaching out to the neglected, the hurting, the lost and the unsaved. The church should minister to the whole man/woman physically, emotionally, mentally and most of all spiritually. This ministry is to be done within the church, in the community and in the larger society.”

Ken Taylor, a lay pastor, has been the leader of the Norton United Methodist Church for the past 18 months. “We have tried to fully embrace the mission of ’Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors’ and are continuing to learn new ways to reach out and serve the community. Each Sunday at 10:00 am we lead a worship service at the long term care unit at Mt. View Regional Medical Center. Recently we held a “Recovery Church” event for persons with substance abuse issues and we are host to the Norton Narcotics Anonymous Meeting. A support group called Norton NAMI was recently organized to provide assistance to friends and family members of persons with severe mental illness. We are blessed to have the opportunity to participate in various community ministries such as Vacation Bible School events and our members always are involved in the community Thanksgiving Dinner and the RAM event. For the past 31 years our music director, David Barker has led a community wide service called “The Festival of Lessons and Carols” with musicians and leaders from many regional colleges, schools and churches. Norton United Methodist Church is blessed by a rich history dating back over 100 years but our current challenge and mission is learning new ways to serve our community. We have received eleven new members this year and seven persons have been baptized. Our purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The church is a welcoming place, where people find a sense of community, a sense of belong and purpose”

While many things continue to divide the people of our earth, the Methodists of Norton invite everyone to participate in this historic and significant experience. Pastor French will be preaching and singing along with the members of Blackman Chapel. There will be a fellowship lunch at noon and a service of Baptism at 1:30 pm.

Plan to attend World Communion Sunday at Norton United Methodist Church October 3, 2010

World Communion Sunday
As United Methodists we experience the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper as more than mere symbols. In the sacrament of Holy Communion we experience the real presence of the Living Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that Christians need to partake of communion often and with joy.
At Norton United Methodist Church and at our Outreach Service at Mt. View Regional Medical Center, Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and on special holy days, including Maundy Thursday, All Saints Sunday and Christmas Eve.
We practice an open communion. Everyone is welcome at the Communion table, regardless of their church affiliation or membership status. Christ invites everyone who repents of their sin and places their trust in him. All that is required is a willingness to receive the grace of Christ and an awareness of our need for him. There are no special rules regarding the participation of children in the sacrament (a specific age when children are granted access to the Lord’s table). This decision is left up to the parents. In our faith tradition infants are allowed to experience baptism, so it makes good sense that children are also invited to the Lord’s table as soon as they are able to do so. Children seem to be excited by the experience and receive the bread and cup with joy.
On this coming Sunday, October 3, 2010 we will join with Christians around the world for an observance of World Communion Sunday. Come and taste a portion of the goodness of God’s grace. The pastor’s sermon, “The Six Moods of Holy Communion” will explore some of the historic issues related to communion and how the sacrament can become a blessing in your life.