Apex United Methodist Church June 6, 2021
Welcome All. Love All. Serve All. | 100 S. Hughes Street, Apex, N.C., 27502 | 919-362-7807 | www.apexumc.org
Welcome! Please check in for worship using the APEX UMC STAFF Church Center app on your phone, tablet, or at the kiosk in Crossroads or the Christian Life Laura Katherine Stern Lead Pastor Center (CLC). If you are a first-time guest,
please fill out our online Connect Card; the link Laura Johnson will be shown with a QR code on the screens Teaching Pastor during announcements. Sheila Ahler Worship: We have traditional services at 8:15 and 11:00 a.m. in the Associate Pastor Sanctuary and a contemporary service at 9:35 in the Christian Life Center (CLC). Ed Gunter Congregational Care Pastor Children’s Ministry: Our Children’s Ministry is virtual through June 6, then will take a break for the summer. Find out more at Todd Arant apexumc.org/children. Our ministry consists of: Traditional Worship Arts • Stepping Stones: Nursery for birth-3 years • Foothills: Sunday School for preschoolers Ellen Griffin • BaseCamp: Sunday School for K-5th grade Children’s Ministry
• Children’s Church: Preschool-2nd grade (during worship) Brad Hoffman
Facilities Youth Ministry: Our Youth Ministry is on summer break. Visit our website at apexumc.org/ym. Kara Matthews • Sunday Evenings: During the youth school year, dinner begins Senior Adult Ministry at 6 p.m. in the CLC gym. Programming is from 6:30-8 p.m. Jacqueline Schechter Please pray for: All serving in the military; Benjamin Webb; Communications Charlotte Reynolds and family; David Kelder. Confidential prayer requests can be made online at apexumc.org/prayer. Corey Vevera Contemporary Worship Arts Congratulations to our high school and college graduates! We are pleased to be able recognize you in worship today. Deborah Wade Nursery
Norma Wallace Children’s Ministry
Will Wilson
Custodian
Joette Winberry Organist
CONTEMPORARY ORDER OF WORSHIP 9:35 a.m., Christian Life Center June 6, 2021
* Please stand as you are able.
WELCOME
* SONG OF PRAISE This is Amazing Grace
PASTORAL PRAYER
OFFERING Lead Me to the Cross
CHILDREN’S MOMENT
SCRIPTURE LESSON 1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20
MESSAGE Ella Volpe
* SONG OF RESPONSE Wake Up
* SENDING FORTH AND PASSING THE PEACE
Worship Arts Director: Corey Vevera
Worship Leaders: Youth Praise Band
AV Support: Brian Fahs, Donna Colville TRADITIONAL ORDER OF WORSHIP — GRADUATION/YOUTH SUNDAY 8:15 and 11:00 a.m., Sanctuary June 6, 2021
* Please stand as you are able
ENTRANCE AND PRAISE
WELCOME
PRELUDE Holy, Holy, Holy Helman Jubilate Ringers
PASSING THE PEACE
CALL TO WORSHIP God Is Our Refuge Pote Youth Choir
* GREETING Psalm 138:1-2 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; Before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; For you have exalted your name and your word above everything.
* HYMN OF PRAISE Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing UMH 400
* OPENING PRAYER Holy God, we praise your name, for your grace sustains us and your word strengthens us. Grant us eyes to see what cannot be seen and to gaze on what is eternal. May we revel in your work and be a visible witness of your invisible kingdom. Amen.
THE WORD PROCLAIMED
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as Your scriptures are read and Your word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what You say to us today. Amen.
FIRST LESSON 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 Pew Bible, NT page 181 The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!
ANTHEM Love Divine Burrows Youth Choir
CHILDREN’S MOMENT
SECOND LESSON 1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20 Pew Bible, OT page 251 The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!
MESSAGE Ella Volpe
RESPONSES AND OFFERINGS
SONG OF RESPONSE Creation of Peace Miller Youth Choir
* THE APOSTLES' CREED I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
* GLORIA PATRI Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
THE LORD’S PRAYER Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
GIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY The Gift of Love Krug Jubilate Ringers
* OFFERTORY RESPONSE Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heavenly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
* HYMN OF SENDING FORTH This Is My Father's World UMH 144
* BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
POSTLUDE General Announcements
Parish Discontinuation Webinar Recording Available: On May 19, church leadership hosted a Zoom webinar outlining the cooperative parish discontinuation plan and what discontinuing the parish will mean for Apex UMC. You can watch a recording by registering at apexumc.churchcenter.com/groups/classes. You will receive an email with the recording within 24 hours. Questions? Email [email protected].
New to Apex UMC? We want to connect with you! Please take a moment to fill out our Connect Card at apexumc.org/connectcard. We hope you enjoyed your visit and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Worship
Checking in to worship: For the past several weeks, we have used Church Center to check in to worship. We have kiosks in the CLC and Crossroads for your convenience, but we encourage everyone to download the Church Center app on your smartphone or tablet. Not only can you check-in with just a few clicks, but you can see and register for events, keep up with your groups, and browse the church directory. Check in opens one hour prior to the start of each worship service. If you check in on your phone, you don’t have to check in at the kiosk. Also, one person can check-in their entire family. The Church Center app is available for Android or iOS devices.
Spiritual Discipline for June - Service: Many Americans spend their lives working themselves into a place where they can be served more than serve. As the saying goes: “It’s good to be queen [or king]!” Our culture sees the blessed ones as those who get waited on and served. And few among us aspire to be the maid with the job of serving and blessing others. In Genesis 18:18 the Lord says, “Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.” God’s trajectory is to bless the earth through his people. And to show them exactly what he has in mind, he comes to earth as one who serves (Luke 22:27). Jesus is God with us. And he calls us to serve (Matthew 22:37-39). This is not religious rhetoric that we simply endorse as a good rule of thumb. The Christian discipline of service is the way the world discovers the love of God. We are the way God blesses the earth.
Service Challenge: Become a Sunday Servant by signing up to serve with one Sunday ministry (worship, A/V, youth, children). Each week in worship we'll highlight different ways you can serve and invite you to complete the Serve in Church form at apexumc.org/serve and indicate how you can serve God and others through the church.
Connect
Summer Book Club: Join Pastor Laura Johnson and Pastor Kara Matthews in a summer book club on The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile. This study will help you draw closer to God as you learn more about yourself and those around you through the lens of the Enneagram. The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system, and this book explores it with an emphasis on Christianity spirituality, leading you into places of spiritual discovery and helping you grow into the wise, compassionate person God created you to be. This 6-week study will meet via Zoom every other Wednesday at 7 p.m., June 2-Aug. 11. Register at apexumc.churchcenter.com/groups/classes.
Summer Bible Study: Theological divisions, rapidly changing culture, social unrest - sound familiar? This was the historical context into which Paul wrote his Letter to the Galatians, laying the foundation for our Christian understanding of hope, salvation, and purpose. The wisdom Paul offers in this letter has much to offer us Christians who seek to follow Jesus in our modern-day world. Join Pastor Laura Johnson in a 7- week Bible study on Galatians this summer and ponder anew how the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for you, for our church, and for our world. The study will be a hybrid course, where participants can join either in-person or online, and it will meet on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m., June 8-July 20. Register at apexumc.churchcenter.com/groups/classes. Upper Room: The May-June Upper Room devotionals are now available to pick up in a bin outside the entrance to Crossroads under the overhang.
Involve
Office Volunteers Needed! As the church campus begins to open back up to greet visitors and members and support staff, we need volunteers to share their time and talents. We are planning on opening the office back up in early July from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday-Thursday. If you have an interest in joining the team of office volunteers, please email the AUMC church office at [email protected].
Adopt-a-Highway: Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 12, and join us as we continue a 30-year commitment to keep Apex the “Peak of Good (and clean) Living!” We will meet at the Peak at 8:30 a.m. and finish around 10 a.m. Register online at apexumc.churchcenter.com/registrations. Contact Chris Finch at [email protected] for further details.
Western Wake Crisis Ministry Summer Stock Up! This summer when school is out, no child should go without. More than 6,200 children in WWCM’s service area participate in free or reduced lunch programs and you can help ensure those children won’t go hungry during summer break. WWCM is holding a stock- the-shelves food drive during May and June to ensure all have enough to eat over the summer. Their goal is 50,000 pounds of food donations by June 11! See an updated list on our website at apexumc.org/wwcm. Place items in the marked bins in the Crossroads Circle. Thank you!
Feed the Kids: FTK provides weekend food bags to food-insecure students in Western Wake County and supplies COVID relief support of 200 bags of food every other week to families in need. Current needs: any individually packaged foods, but especially breakfast items (individual cereal/oatmeal/grits) and individual fruit packs. Place items in the Feed the Kids bin in the Crossroads Circle. Thank you!
Invest
Pastor’s Corner from Pastor Laura Katherine: Thank you for your prayers as we move toward discontinuing the cooperative parish model. A few questions and answers are below to keep in mind as we work through this process. What are we striving toward? With the charge conference vote, the discontinuation will begin on July 1. The goal for each church/campus is to be independent with its own separate governing board(s) and decision-making processes. The further goal for the cooperative parish is to move from an immediate family to an extended family. How will we discontinue? In phases. The majority of leadership will be moved from the parish to local campuses/churches. Two teams will remain after July 1 – parish council – now parish council transition team and finance team – now finance transition team. There are remaining tasks that will have to occur before the parish fully dissolves. These tasks will need to occur no later than Jan. 1, 2022. These tasks include: 1) Disbursement of all shared finances. 2) An agreement on what and how to support the work of Fiesta. 3) All shared services and contracts have to be separated. 4) Deciding which ministries will continue to be shared (ie AOSP) and what those shared arrangements will look like.
General Fund Offerings: July 2020-April 2021 fiscal year-to-date, Apex campus. • General Fund Offerings: $1,512,740 • Total Expenses: $1,543,372 • Difference: -$30,632
Financial Update: Every time we give to Apex UMC we are making a way for others to experience the love of God that we have experienced here. We desire to provide you with full transparency and clarity regarding the finances of the church. To see our current financial status, please visit our website at apexumc.org/finance. If you have questions, contact Pastor Laura Katherine at [email protected] or our finance office at [email protected]. High School Graduates
Justin Adams, son of Cheryl Web Bass, son of Bill and and James Adams, is Lainey Bass, is graduating graduating from Garner from Apex Friendship High Magnet High School and plans School and plans to attend the to attend North Carolina A&T College of Engineering at State University. North Carolina State University.
Peyton Brown, daughter of Alex Bryant, son of Kathy Jason and Heather Brown, is and Paul Bryant, is graduating graduating from Apex from Apex Friendship High Friendship High School and School and plans to attend plans to attend North Carolina Campbell University and major State University to study in environmental science. fashion and textile management.
Jonas Ciliento, son of Kelly Corey, daughter of Sam Russell and Tara Ciliento, is and Allison Corey, is graduating from Apex graduating from Apex Friendship High School and Friendship High School and plans to attend Western plans to attend North Carolina Carolina University. State University.
Sophia DeBruhl, daughter David Dilday, son of Mark of Gina DeBruhl, is and Emily Dilday, is graduating from Grace graduating from Apex Christian School and plans to Friendship High School and attend East Carolina plans to attend North Carolina University Honors College and State University. major in biology.
Jack Flynt, son of Elizabeth Benjamin Harmon, son of and Mike Flynt, is graduating Tony and Kim Harmon, is from Apex Friendship High graduating from Apex High School and plans to attend School and plans to attend the University of Alabama. North Carolina State University.
Samuel Loeffler, son of Guy Emma McCoy, daughter of and Nicole Loeffler, is Pam Steele, is graduating graduating from Enloe High from Holly Springs High School and plans to attend School and plans to attend Virginia Tech, College of Limestone University where Engineering. she will play lacrosse and plans to study business or health sciences.
Matthew McFeaters, son of Andrew McLamb, son of Kevin and Mindy McFeaters, Chad and Jennifer McLamb, is is graduating from Apex graduating from Panther Friendship High School and Creek High School and plans plans to attend the University to attend Wake Technical of North Carolina at Community College. Greensboro.
Collin McLamb, son of Chad Avery Muir, son of Justin and and Jennifer McLamb, is Anne Muir, is graduating from graduating from Panther Apex High School and plans to Creek High School and plans attend the University of to attend Wake Technical Alabama to study business. Community College.
Janie Musselwhite, Benjamin Nightingale, son daughter of Holly and of Trevor and Shawn Anthony Musselwhite, is Nightingale, is graduating graduating from Middle Creek from Apex Friendship High High School and plans to School and plans to attend the attend North Carolina State University of North Carolina at University to study business. Charlotte.
Joshua Nightingale, son of Matthew Nightingale, son of Trevor and Shawn Trevor and Shawn Nightingale, Nightingale, is graduating is graduating from Apex from Apex Friendship High Friendship High School and School and plans to attend plans to attend the University the University of North of North Carolina at Charlotte. Carolina at Charlotte.
Megan Parks, daughter of Briley Peacher, daughter of Elizabeth and Michael Parks, Keith and Jill Peacher, is is graduating from Grace graduating from Apex High Christian School and plans to School and plans to attend attend Elon University to Virginia Commonwealth study exercise science. University to study criminal justice, crime scene investigation.
Lucy Ridout, daughter of Samantha Rink, daughter of Glen and Veneshia Ridout, is Judy and Lee Rink, is graduating from Apex graduating from Apex Friendship High School and Friendship High School and plans to attend the University plans to attend Western of North Carolina at Carolina University to study Wilmington to study biology. engineering.
Claudia Risner, daughter of James Roberds, son of Mike Rebecca and Steve Risner, is and Lisa Roberds, is graduating from Apex graduating from Apex High Friendship High School and School and plans to attend the plans to attend Elon University of North Carolina at University. Charlotte.
Emily Storment, daughter of Claudia Telke, daughter of Margaret and John Storment, Craig and Carrie Telke, is is graduating from Apex graduating from Apex High Friendship High School and School and plans to attend the plans to attend Meredith University of North Carolina at College to study elementary Chapel Hill to major in biology education. on the pre-med track.
Zach Umstead, son of Ella Volpe, daughter of Lori Michelle and Darren Umstead, and Tom Volpe, is graduating is graduating from Apex from Apex High School and Friendship High School and accepted a contract with plans to attend Appalachian Carolina Ballet. She will State University. graduate with an Associates of Science in Business Administration from Wake Technical Community College this summer and is deferring her acceptance to North
Carolina State University.
Joshua Wallace, son of Avery Weaver, daughter of Norma and Bob Wallace, is Wayne and Melanie Weaver, is graduating from Middle Creek graduating from Apex High School and plans to Friendship High School and attend Wake Technical plans to attend the University Community College. of South Carolina to study nursing.
Ryann Weaver, daughter of Patrick Weller, son of Eric Wayne and Melanie Weaver, and Courtney Weller, is is graduating from Apex graduating from Apex Friendship High School and Friendship High School and plans to attend the University plans to attend the University of South Carolina to study of South Carolina to study nursing. business.
Carynne White, daughter of Jackson Williams, son of Craig and Carissa White, is Laura and Jim Williams, is graduating from Panther graduating from Holly Springs Creek High School and plans High School and plans to to attend North Carolina attend Virginia Tech to study State University. engineering.
College Graduates
Jacob Carpenter, son of Hugh and Toni Carpenter, graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Sports Science with minors in Chemistry and Neuroscience. He is taking a gap year in preparation for medical school applications.
Amanda Coole, daughter of Dan and Lisa Coole, graduated from the University of Georgia with a dual Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems and Marketing. She is working in sales for AT&T.
Philip Kayser, son of Kathy and Mark Kayser, received an MD from Wake Forest School of Medicine. He will now complete a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Kentucky.
Abby Strickler, daughter of Tish and Jeff Strickler, graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Fashion and Textile Management, concentrating in Brand Management and Marketing, with a minor in Business Administration. She started her own online Boutique called Peak Lane and hopes to open a store in downtown Apex. She also continues to work as a group fitness instructor.
Rachel Sykes, daughter of John and Ann Sykes, graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and a minor in Business Administration. She is moving to Charlotte to join Deloitte as a Solution Engineering Analyst.
Christopher Wallace, son of Norma and Bob Wallace, graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He is living in Columbia, SC, and is an Account Executive at XPO Logistics.
Paige Wilkins, daughter of Mandy and Charles Wilkins, graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Therapy. She is working for Easter Seals, Inc., in Wilmington and completing pre-requisites/applications for graduate school.