Birthdays
9/1
Brad Brown
9/1
Kathryn Shinstock
9/5 Jerri Gay Rushing
9/13 Tim Frazier
9/17 Carol Booth
9/18 Kathie Mason
9/21 Johnnie Shirley
9/21 Joyce Shopfner
9/24 Susan Shirley
Anniversaries
9/17 Mark & Jane Shirley
9/27 John & Pat Harden
“The Church on the Lake”
Worship Opportunities
Sunday
8:30 a.m.
Worship On the Water (WoW)
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Morning Worship Service
6:00 p.m.
Evening Worship Service
Wednesday
6:00 p.m.
Bible Study
Friday
10:00 a.m.
Seekers Prayer Group
14837 Highway 69 N, Northport, AL 35475
9/12 6:00 p.m.
Macedonia United Methodist Church
Schedule of Events
“The Church on the Lake”
Rock Stone, Pastor
14837 Hwy 69 N, Northport, AL 35475
205.339.6360 (Office)  205.792.3301 (Cell)  205.339.6610 (Fax)
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
thechurchonthelakeumc.org
2015
FROM THE ROCK PILE
Are you ready for some football?! That is the battle cry in these parts and indeed for
most of the country right now. It is hard to believe that the simmer is all but over and we are
just a few weeks away from the season of fall. I have to admit that I am ready for a seasonal
change. Fall is my favorite season for many reasons so I’m glad to be leaving the heat and
humidity behind. I just wish that we could find a way to bottle the excitement and
commitment that so many have for their football teams into Kingdom work. Don’t get me
wrong, I too love football and enjoy my time with the County High football team. I just
know that on Saturdays the stadiums will be overflowing, restaurants will be packed, living
rooms and dens with be party central and on Sunday the churches will be all but empty. Let
me encourage you to cheer on your team and enjoy this wonderful time of the year called
football season while making time to Worship the One and Only True God each week on
Sunday. I promise if we all make an effort to be here and actively Worship, God will show
up and bless His people. And that is better than any football game we could ever attend or
watch, I promise you that!
I thoroughly enjoyed the sermon series The Call of God that we began back on July
26 and all of the month of August. This was in conjunction with the districtwide Month of
Sundays, Hearing God’s Call. We ended the month with a district wide event at the Bevil
State Community College. What an amazing night. There were between 325 and 350 people
in attendance. The worship was outstanding, our Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett gave a
beautiful testimony as she spoke about her call to ministry. Then our visiting preacher Brian
Erickson from Trinity United Methodist in Homewood brought a very empowering, thought
provoking and challenging message. In my thirty years of ministry and having been in this
district since 1995 I can honestly say that it was one of the most moving districtwide events
that I have ever attended. There were approximately 30 people who turned in cards desiring
to discern a calling on their life with 5 of those looking into pastoral ministry. That is really
exciting! Having the honor to sit on the Spiritual Transformational Team for this district I
am very proud of the events that we have put together over the past year. If you did not
attend this past event I assure you that you really missed out. One of our strongest attributes
is our connectional system. I can promise you that what we are doing as a district is really
exciting. I believe that under the leadership of our D.S. Roger Thompson we have one of the
strongest districts in the North Alabama Conference. I would love to see us here at
Macedonia UMC, “The Church on the Lake”, become more involved in our district and
more supportive of our districtwide events. Let me tell you right now that you should mark
your calendar for January 29 and 30 for the next one. It will be our Leader Shape 3D event.
The last one we had last January was absolutely amazing, you will not want to miss out.
I am very excited that this month we are starting some new classes on Sunday mornings. We
have some additional Sunday school classes that are forming as well as confirmation
literature for our youth. There is no doubt in my mind that one of the greatest needs of the
church today is Christian education and small groups. While I hope and pray that the
sermons that I share with you are informative, thought provoking and empowering and
continue to help others hear the voice of Christ, sermons alone are not enough. We all need
Spiritual formation, we all need to grow in our knowledge and wisdom and that happens in
small groups. Those are of course Sunday school, Bible studies and any other time they
God’s people get to together to study, discuss and pray together. Please be in prayer for the
new classes and the teachers that we will need to cover those classes. Also be in prayer for
our youth as they begin the confirmation literature. It is my prayer that this begins a season
of deep spiritual formation for all of us here at Macedonia.
Are you making plans to be here for the Bible Challenge that is being sponsored by
the Missions Team? The evening will begin with a covered dish at six and then the
challenge to start soon after. So let me encourage you to bring your favorite covered dish on
Saturday, September 12 at 6:00 pm and get ready for a fun filled evening. After the
challenge the Missions Team will provide ice cream to close out the night. I hope to see you
here! Speaking of missions, thank you all so much for your support of a “month of cans”
that we collected for The Community Soup Kitchen. The back of my Pilot was filled up
twice!!! What a great job! I think I will close this edition of “The Rock Pile” on that high
note. I am sure next month there will be even more great news to share. So until then;
continue to believe, be blessed and become a blessing. Shalom
Prayer Concerns
The Lost and Unchurched, Our Nation, Our Church
Our Homebound: Duffy Hagler, Patty Jean Armstrong, Elsie Guy, Bobbie Morrow,
Corendene Rushing, Betty Tierce
Our Church Family: Johnny Bigham, Deborah Sellers, Jeff & Joyce Turner, Susan
Shirley, Evonne Brown, Joe Ed Brown, Debbie Medders, Sharon Evans, Jean Hallmark,
Abide Team
Friends & Family: Ralph Kahlor, Jake Barrington, Charles Collins, Hope Henry, Haley
Foster, Heidi Shields, David Patrick, David Schafer, Dale Cargile, Mandy Latner, Bobbie
Carter, Jim Tierce, Cathy Jones, Skip Nicholson, Jake Falls, Robert & Pam McCraw,
James O’Neal, Bill Miller, Chuck Cardinal, Alyson Chapman, Mary Bryant, Lester
Sellers, Junior Holeman, Wanda Stripling, Lisa Hughes, Sharon Poole, Dixie Bigham,
Rhonda Poe, Jeanette Collins, Joyce Griffin, Tom Belk, Dixie McCraw, Theresa Sellers,
David Sutphen, Betty Crumbley, Mallory Burkhalter, Ann Renfroe, Robin Beasley,
Jeanette Sellers, Charles McCraw, Diane Ballard, Jason McNeill, Naomia Brown, Shelby
Brown, Willie Lemley
Deep Blue Sunday School
Deep Blue, our new children’s Sunday School curriculum starts today and
we have three classes: Wobblers & Toddlers, Early Elementary and Upper
Elementary. With Deep Blue, children will make Bible stories, Bible
people, and Bible passages a part of their lives. They will also come to
know the Bible as THEIR book and find ways to let the Bible speak to them
today! Come join us for our Deep Blue Adventures!
Bible Challenge
The Bible Challenge is Saturday, September 12th starting at 6:00 p.m. with
a covered dish supper. Please bring your favorite covered dish to share.
Supper will be followed by the Bible Challenge. If you don’t have a team,
please join the fun and play as an individual! And after supper, the
Missions Team will be providing an ice cream social with all kinds of ice
cream treats and toppings. Hope to see everyone there – even if you don’t
participate in the Challenge, please join us for a fun evening!