SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010 "GREAT DAY OF SINGING AND HYMN FEST" AT NORTON UMC

You will not want to miss the "Great Day of Singing and Hymn Fest" scheduled for Norton United Methodist Church at 11:00 am Sunday, July 18, 2010. The Psalter for the day is Psalm 100 -MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE TO THE LORD-

Psalm 100

1Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
3Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

There will be hymn singing, special organ and piano selections along with an opportunity to learn the stories behind several of our most beloved hymns.

The music at Norton UMC is always outstanding and uplifting, so make plans to attend.

BLESSINGS

Blessings on Pastor Ken Taylor who is now in his third year of appointment as Pastor of Norton UMC. After serving two years as a lay pastor, he has completed all the requirements and was recognized at the Holston Conference "Sending Forth Service" on Wednesday, June 16 as a Licensed Local Pastor.

SCHOOL KITS FOR LIBERIA

Norton United Methodist Church participated in the Holston Conference "Hands On" Mission Project by supplying several school kits which were shipped to Liberia.
Each book bag contained:

• 3 composition books (70 sheets)
wide-ruled
• 1 pkg wide-ruled notebook paper
• 1 ½” ruler
• 1 10 pack pencils
• 1 pkg of 10 pens (blue or black ink)
• 3 boxes of chalk
• 1 pack of 2 erasers (rectangular)
• 1 small dictionary (new or used)
• 1 coloring book

Thank You Norton Church for all you do to help others.

The West Norton Bell

Each Sunday morning at around 10:50 am the West Norton Bell rings to help prepare the congregation for a time of worship. The bell was brought to the Norton United Methodist Church at the time of merger with the West Norton United Methodist Church in the early 1990's. Bernard Farmer, a long time member of West Norton led the efforts to have the bell installed and displayed in a proper cupola. Mr. Farmer had seen a belfry in the Ashville, North Carolina area, he contacted a local brick mason to arrange for the construction and soon the bell was ready to ring once again.

Mr. Farmer's mother, Cora Farmer, wrote in her history of the West Norton Church: "The young ladies of the church participated in a contest (around 1910) to raise money to purchase a bell. The one raising the most money was to be given a Bible; however, each did such a good job that all were rewarded with Bibles. Those participating were Miss Margie Ellis (Gilly), Miss Daisy Stallard (Huff) and Miss Lelia Necessary (Yeary)."

We thank God for our rich religious and spiritual heritage.

SOME AWESOME PARTNERSHIPS "in ministry together"

Prior to shipping,the mission kits were displayed at the church. We prayed for the students in Norton who prepared the kits and for the persons in Haiti who were in need of the items donated










A January feature story in the Coalfield Progress about local church efforts to assist persons impacted by the earthquake in Haiti had a significant impact on several students at Norton Elementary School. When the students read the words of feature writer Jodi Deel they were enthusiastic about helping. "Across the world, people of all ages and all walks of life are feeling compelled to reach out and help citizens in Haiti" The story described several projects, but the United Methodist effort to provide "health kits" was something that several of the students felt strongly about supporting. Mr. Scott Kiser, principal, contacted Pastor Ken Taylor about details of the project and in a matter of weeks over 100 health kits were prepared and assembled by the students. Help was provided by the teachers, administrative staff, parents and friends of the students. It was an effort that involved the entire community. The kits contained a number of items including a hand towel, a washcloth, a comb, a nail file, a bar of soap, a toothbrush and adhesive band aids. "On Jan. 12, Haitians' world was turned upside down when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the country, toppling buildings, killing uncounted thousands of people and stirring up mass confusion." says Jodi Deel. The efforts of these great students in Norton, along with the generous contributions of thousands of churches made a difference. Many churches and groups in the region (including the Norton UMC) made donated money to asssit the people in Haiti.It is amazing what we can do when we all work together.

Monday, July 5, 2010

SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2010 OLD TIMEY CAMP MEETING SERVICE

Folks attending Norton United Methodist Church Sunday July 11 will have an opportunity to step back in time several years and experience an old timey style camp meeting service. Wear old fashion clothes or casual clothes. Look in the attic and see if you can find Grandma's bonnet or Grandpa's straw hat. Although we will be inside the building and have all the modern comforts, our spirits will drift back to the turn of the century, to a time before there was a Methodist Church in Norton. The Pastor's sermon, "Come Out of the Wilderness" will be a glimpse at what a Methodist Circuit Rider might have preached to a congregation gathered in the area in the late 1800's.

Norton Church responds to Bishop's appeal for an offering to support Mission Work in Sudan

Norton United Methodist Church recently responded to our Bishop's appeal for an offering to support Holston Conference Mission Work in Sudan. This video explains the project. Thank You Norton Church for your generous response.

SONG FEST at MT. VIEW REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER'S LONG TERM CARE UNIT 10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 10, 2010

For nearly two years now members and friends from the Norton United Methodist Church and The Church of the Good Shepherd have been visiting Mt. View Regional Medical Center's long term care unit one Saturday morning each month for a Song Fest. This project has grown and continues to be a real blessing for the residents. We sing old show tunes from the 20's, 30's and 40's, songs like "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", "Bicycle Built for Two", and "Put On Your Old Gray Bonnet." We sing Patriotic Songs and Spirituals and Hymns and about anything imaginable. Our expert talented music director can play about anything and with cell phone technology we can obtain the words for songs requested in a matter of seconds. This happened at Easter when someone requested "Here Comes Peter Cottontail." We were surprised to learn that the song has about 15 verses. The event is very special and you never know what might happen. The song leader frequently walks amongst the participants carrying a microphone and selects willing and often unwilling persons to sing solo. Music is a powerful gift from God and He can use music to touch us in so many ways. We have experienced persons with severe memory problems begin smiling and start singing along, recalling very word and note of the song. We appreciate the dedicated persons who come every month and share a few hours of time with the residents. We have been told over and over again how much this outreach effort means. One resident invites a friend living in the community and it is so awesome to see the two of them visiting and singing and smiling and having a grand time. So come on over any second Saturday of the month at 10:00 am. Remember that we have outreach worship each Sunday at 10:00 am at Mt. View for residents, friends, family and staff. Holy Communion every first Sunday. Everyone is always welcome.