God has given every one of us unique gifts so we might strengthen one another and be a blessing to the world. The Gift the World Campaign will help you discover your gifts and learn how you might use them on behalf of others. Over the next three weeks:

BE INSPIRED during worship to understand your giftedness, your call, and your opportunities to serve.

KNOW YOUR GIFTS in one of three ways:

• Sign up for a one-day Gifts for Ministry Workshop, Saturday, May19, 9 – 4 pm, or
• Sign up for a six-week Gifts for Ministry Small Group, Sundays, 4:30 – 6:00 pm, May 20 – July 1, and
• Click here to take the one-hour Gifts for Ministry online survey.

GIFT THE WORLD by using your gifts to serve the church and the world.  If you have questions, contact Reynolds Chapman.

Report on the General Conference 2012: Continuity and Change

Last Friday marked the conclusion of the quadrennial General Conference of the United Methodist Church.  This gathering is the legislative and decision-making body of our church, with 988 delegates sent from all conferences, in the United States and globally.  The General Conference is tasked with a wide variety of decisions, determining the direction of our church.  This year’s conference is significant for the scale and scope of challenges addressed on the agenda, in a time of change for the church globally, and this conference will be remembered both for the decisions made, and for those left undecided.

The major legislative items on the agenda for this General Conference related to the Call to Action and a proposed restructuring of the boards and agencies of the general church. The committee tasked with accepting and recommending a restructuring plan in the first week of General Conference failed to do so, sending no plan to the floor.  An alternative arrangement, called Plan UMC, was advocated from the floor during the second week, approved after much debate, and then sent to the Judicial Council for review, where it was ultimately declared unconstitutional, leaving the General Conference without a viable plan for restructure at the end of the gathering.  This contentious discussion and complex process results in uncertainty for the boards and agencies, because it effectively leaves them with the same structure, but a reduced budget, which had been approved with the expectation of a reorganized general church.

Additionally, the General Conference also decided to:

• Formalize the relationships with a number of historically African American pan-Methodist denominations, entering into full communion.
• Eliminate the guaranteed appointment of elders.  This is a controversial change, as it changes the relationship of clergy to the connection. An added amendment provides some guidelines and structure for this change. 
• Hold a service of repentance, acknowledging the abuse and disrespect given to native people, and move toward reconciliation.
• Make the United Methodist Women an autonomous organization, apart from the mission agency of the general church.
• Create a national plan for ministry to Pacific Islanders.
• Dedicated significant funds to theological education for clergy in the central conferences (global church).
• Remain as a member body in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
• Not divest from investment in Israeli military contractors. 
• Maintain the existing language in the Book of Discipline about homosexuality, acknowledging that all persons are of sacred worth, but denying ordination and marriage to gay and lesbian members, retaining language that states that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” This issue has been debated for the past 40 years in the United Methodist Church, and a proposed amendment that would have indicated that people of good faith disagree on this issue was not approved.

We were able to see more discussion and commentary in real time this year, thanks to social media and a live stream online (now recorded!) of many discussions and presentations.  If you are interested in learning more, check out the hyperlinks in this article, as well as the archives and articles on UMC.org or in The United Methodist Reporter.  The months to come will give a greater sense of what decisions made at General Conference might mean for our local ministry at Duke Memorial, as well as for the larger church.  The democratic process of General Conference can be messy and difficult, but it is our Methodist way of “holy conferencing” that unites people as one church with room for all.

Youth Mission Team Sells Stock and Makes Friends

Our youth (and adult) mission team will serve in two places this summer:

• Appalachia Service Project (June 16-23):  Two work crews will serve in Mingo County, WV, to build relationships and make homes warmer, safer, and drier.

•  Rockfish Service Camp (August 5-11):  Twelve youth and their advisors will work in service agencies in and around Fayetteville, NC, to care for God’s people and creation.  After hours, they’ll enjoy fun, fellowship, and adventure at Camp Rockfish.

To support these mission efforts, the team will sell stock and accept snack  donations before and after worship on Sundays in May.  Please consider investing in our youth and their good work.  For every $50 invested, stockholders will receive a Duke Memorial UMC t-shirt to wear proudly.

 Celebrating a New Candidate for Ministry

The Staff-Parish Relations Committee celebrates with Dustin Rawlings as he has become a recommended candidate for ministry in the United Methodist Church.  Dustin grew up in Durham and recently moved back with his family in order to attend Duke Divinity School.  He feels called to serve as an ordained United Methodist deacon, which will allow him to serve in full-time ministry in a setting that connects the church to the world and its many needs.  The SPRC is proud that Dustin was unanimously approved by our recent Charge Conference, and we hope the congregation will find tangible ways to support Dustin and his family in these years that he is a student on a track to ministry.

Vacation Bible School

Registration is now open for Vacation Bible School at Duke Memorial and will be held June 25th-29th from 9:00-12:15 each day.  Register today for VBS!

Summer Sunday School @ DMUMC

FOR ADULTS:  This summer we have some great teaching series ahead of us during our Sunday school hour!

• June 3-24: Roger Owens – “Spirituality in the New Testament”
• July 1-29:  Presian Burroughs – “Creation Care: Loving Our Non-Human Neighbors”
• August 12-26: Warren Smith – “The Lord’s Prayer”

FOR CHILDREN:  Summer Sunday school will begin on Sunday, June 17th.  Children in K-5th Grades will meet together each Sunday from 9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m. for crafts, games and Bible stories as we learn more about God’s promises and explore the Vacation Bible School theme of SonRise National Park.

Wonderful Wednesdays!

The call for more food and fellowship has been heard!  So mark your calendar for Wednesday evenings during the summer for church-wide fellowship meals beginning June 20.  We will gather in Whitford Hall beginning at 5:30 p.m. for an informal dinner and casual conversation, and we’ll end with a brief time of faith formation for all ages.  Donations will be requested each Wednesday to cover the cost of the meal.  Your RSVP will help us plan for the correct amount of food.  Those with gifts related to food, organization, and hospitality who would like to help make these dinners a success are asked to contact Ginger Thomas to discuss how you can help.

Interfaith Hospitality Network Update

One of our ten guests for IHN last week is a sixth-grader named Rashad. He wrote the following letter, which was published in the Durham IHN newsletter this spring, and it’s a better way for our congregation to see how we touch these lives than my own report would be.

“My name is Rashad and I’m 12. I have one brother and two sisters. My thing is drawing. I want to be a car designer. I LOVE CARS. They are awesome. I like the lotus coupe. They are fast, small and made for speed, like me! I like IHN because the IHN members are nice. About the churchs. Good peepz, Good service. All the churchs are nice and the food is Great!!! The day house director Mrs. Katherine is very nice and so is Mrs. Olive. When I need School stuff I can always ask Mrs. Olive or Mrs. Katherine. Leah is also an IHN helper and she is so fun. We made a crop walk banner. And she took me and my sis to go see a movie that was really kool.”

I pray God’s blessings on all who helped this ministry to homeless families to happen last week, and in the future!   Roger Loyd, IHN coordinator, Duke Memorial UMC

Dinner and Discussion: Housing and Homelessness in Durham

Come learn more about housing and homelessness in our city, and why this is important to us as Christians, at the next Dinner and Discussion. It will be Monday, June 4, from 6-8pm in Whitford Hall. CHILDCARE IS PROVIDED! Click here to RSVP.

10 Volunteers Needed on May 19th!

It’s our turn to supply Habitat construction volunteers again on Saturday, May 19 both in the morning from 8:30-11:30 and the afternoon from 12:30-3:30. We need four volunteers in the morning and six for the afternoon. You can contact Dustin.Rawlings or Laura.Barnard to get involved!  Help build a home for Belvalon Nicholson and her three children (ages 3-13).

Baptism Class

Join Rev. Ginger Thomas for a session about Holy Baptism on Saturday, June 2, from 10:00am – 12:00noon.  In this session, we will talk about the meaning of baptism, the baptism liturgy, and how to celebrate baptism and nurture faith in the years following the baptism.  Please RSVP by emailing Ginger.

Wesley Singers

Wesley Singers is back in action this Spring, and is looking forward to fun rehearsals and three performances in worship.  Rehearsals are on Sunday afternoons in the choir room.  Children K-5th grade and their parents are welcome!  Click here for more information for the spring schedule.

Summer Office Help

As our summer volunteers go on long summer vacations, please let us know if you are available to assist us in the office.  We can use your help with coverage on Wednesdays during staff meeting as well as assistance stuffing bulletins and mailing out postcards!  We appreciate all our volunteers!  Thank You!

Ladder Needed

If anyone has an extra 22 foot ladder they can donate to the church, please contact Joe at (919) 683-3467 Ext. 114.

Contact Information

If you have recently changed your address, phone or email address, please let Patricia Marley (Office Administrator) know.  We are in the process of updating our database.  If you are not receiving the e-newsletter/announcements and would like to be included, send us your preferred email address.  Thanks!

Are you interested in learning more about how we at Duke Memorial can respond to financial crisis assistance situations? Then come to “After the Knock at the Door,” an afternoon workshop for faith leaders who respond to requests for emergency assistance. The event will be Thursday, April 26, from 12:00-4:30pm, in Whitford Hall. If you have questions, contact Reynolds Chapman.

Homecoming

Come and visit us on Sunday, May 6,  2012 for our church Homecoming.   Worship will begin at 10:55am the Sanctuary followed by a covered dish luncheon in Whitford Hall.

Mark your calendar, and invite friends or family to “come home” to Duke Memorial on this Homecoming Sunday!

IHN Week at Duke Memorial:  April 29 – May 6

Please consider the joys of the season of Easter, and how it would feel to be a homeless family at this time of year. Everyone else is happy, it would seem, but your family is facing immense issues and needs help. That’s why there is the Durham Interfaith Hospitality Network, reaching out and welcoming and sheltering these families (as much as it can).

And you are a vital part of helping this to happen on the week of April 29-May 6. Whether you’ve volunteered before or not, please sign up to serve by contacting Roger Loyd with the date and time you’d like to work. Needed are evening hosts (5:30-8:30 pm), overnight hosts (8:30 pm-6:30 am), Evening meal cooks (deliver by 6:00 pm), and people to unload and load the truck on the Sundays (after worship on April 29, and 8 am on May 6).

Please give yourself a chance to experience the joy of helping these families to make it. Thank you.

Vacation Bible School

Registration is now open for Vacation Bible School at Duke Memorial and will be held June 25th-29th from 9:00-12:15 each day.  Register today for VBS!

Sunday Rehearsal for the Wesley Singers

Duke Memorial’s children’s choir for K-5th graders have choir rehearsal on Sundays.  They meet in the choir room, on the 2nd floor behind the sanctuary, from 5:15-6:00pm on Sundays.  All children and their adults are welcome!  Click here for more information for the spring schedule.

“Pack Your Bags” for Urban Ministries!

As you’re packing your bags for summer vacation, remember to pack grocery bags for Urban Ministries! Paper grocery bags with labels telling what items are needed are available on the first pew in the front of the sanctuary. Once your bags are packed, bring them back to the church and put them on the altar rail.

Our New Office Administrator

The Staff-Parish Relations Committee is delighted to report that we have hired a new Office Administrator, Mrs. Patricia McDonald-Marley.  Patricia brings with her over twenty-three years of administrative experience and has worked for many companies ranging from nonprofit, small start-ups to large Fortune 500 corporations. She has broad experience in business administration, project coordination, and administrative office management with an expertise in the area of executive and personal assistance.

Please join us in giving Patricia a very warm welcome to Duke Memorial!

Holy Week and Easter at Duke Memorial!

Thursday, April 5
7:00pm -Maundy Thursday Worship

Friday, April 6
12:00pm -Good Friday: Organ & Readings

Saturday, April 7
4:00pm -A Clarion Sound: Music for Holy Week

Easter Sunday, April 8
9:15am –Breakfast
10am –Egg Hunt
11am –Worship

Food in Durham
Who Eats, Who Doesn’t, & How Do We Respond?

Throughout the year, we will look at the resources and needs regarding various issues in Durham. Our goal is to know the city better, and to learn how we might engage our city and bear witness to Christ’s Kingdom.During the month of March we are focusing on hunger alleviation, food distribution, and nutritional health. We will have our second Dinner and Discussion on this topic on Tuesday, March 27, from 6-8pm in Whitford Hall. To RSVP, click here.

Book Release Party

You’re Invited to a book release reception and a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser. March 25, 3:30-5:00 in Whitford Hall. Join us at a reception celebrating the publication of Rev. Roger Owens’s new book,  Abba, Give Me a Word: The Path of Spiritual Direction and raise money for Habitat for Humanity.  At the reception Roger will read from and discuss his book. Books will be available for purchase at a discount and all of the proceeds will go to support the Habitat for Humanity house Duke Memorial is currently working on.  Come and help us raise $1200 for Habitat!

Recycle your Egg Cartons!

The Children’s Ministry Team is collecting recycled egg cartons for this year’s Easter egg hunt on Sunday, April 8.  Bring your recycled egg cartons to the collection area in front of the church office anytime before Easter Sunday.

Durham CROP Walk
Sunday, April 1st, 2:30pm

The Crop Walk is an annual event to raise awareness of and money for hungry people in Durham and throughout the world. Walkers invite friends to sponsor them on their walk, which begins at Duke Chapel and is about five miles.  A participant’s walk symbolizes the distance a man, woman or child may have to travel daily in a developing country to obtain food or water –thus the motto “Ending Hunger One Step at a Time.” If you’d like to learn more about how you can participate contact Tim Langford or John Legge.

Rooftop Report Meeting

The Trustees along with the Memorial Church Fund Board recently commissioned a study be done of the state of the roof and walls of the church facilities.  Rooftop Systems Engineers will be presenting a report of their findings to the Trustees and all others who are interested on Monday, April 16, at 7:00 p.m. in the Whitford Hall.

Urban Ministries Food Pantry

Please bring in any non-perishable food items and put them on the altar rail in the sanctuary. These items will be donated to the Urban Ministries food pantry.

Durham IHN Board

Durham IHN is looking for individuals who have a heart for homeless families with children.  They are looking for people to help provide leadership within the organization by serving on board committees in the following areas:

• Congregation relations (includes volunteer education and recruitment of new congregations)
• Facilities (includes upkeep, maintenance planning, and future facility selection)
• Marketing and communications (all inclusive such as branding, web, facebook, newsletters)
• Events (annual gala and all other IHN fund raising events)
• Grants (researching appropriate grants to apply for and helping to draft)
• Annual Fund (includes all fundraising except events and grants)

Each committee would be chaired by a board member.  Time commitment would be seasonal but would normally be 2-5 hours per month, and wouldn’t include attending board meetings.  The committees are starting to form NOW as DIHN plans a fundraising campaign along with plans to expand its capacity to serve more families, so please contact Catherine Pleil, Durham IHN Executive Director if interested in participating.

Office Administrator Position

Megan Jones has shared with the Staff-Parish Relations Committee her decision to resign as Office Administrator.  Join us in wishing her well as she seeks new employment.  Please take an opportunity before her last day on April 13 to say farewell to Megan and thank her for her service here.  We are beginning immediately to accept applications for the full-time position of Office Administrator, which includes administrative and communications responsibilities.  If you or someone you know is well-suited for this position, please visit the employment page of the website to see a job description and learn how to apply.

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Good Neighbor Team

The Good Neighbor Team, the group for community outreach and relationship-building, will be meeting this Sunday after the service in the Soul Café for lunch and planning. Anyone is invited! Come find out how you can get involved in the community.

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Join a Music Ensemble!

All ensembles in the music ministry invite you to join them for Lent and beyond.  Just because you see people playing bells or singing in the choir doesn’t mean they don’t need you too!  Use your God-given musical gifts (no expertise required!) to enhance your own worship experience and others’.  Bell director Murray Simpson wants to get the 4^th and 5^th octaves of bells out of their cases.  Lee Galbreath wants to expand her ensemble to an even more Joyful Noise!  And Bradley Naylor dreams of the transformation of worship that a full choir loft would bring to our church.  Speak to someone you see making music in our church today about using your musical gifts for ministry!

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Joy Club Trip: March 14

The next Joy Club trip is a free tour of Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, Wednesday, March 14, 9am –around 2:30pm. We will have lunch at Top of the Hill – sandwiches, salads, entrees like jambalaya, clams, desserts etc. Contact Ann Smith to sign up to join the fun!
Click here >> for the Joy Club Spring Trips schedule.

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Book Release Party

You’re Invited to a book release reception and a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser. March 25, 3:30-5:00 in Whitford Hall. Join us at a reception celebrating the publication of Rev. Roger Owens’s new book,  Abba, Give Me a Word: The Path of Spiritual Direction and raise money for Habitat for Humanity.  At the reception Roger will read from and discuss his book. Books will be available for purchase at a discount and all of the proceeds will go to support the Habitat for Humanity house Duke Memorial is currently working on.  Come and help us raise $1200 for Habitat!

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Durham CROP Walk  |  Sunday, April 1st

The Crop Walk is an annual event to raise awareness of and money for hungry people in Durham and throughout the world. Walkers invite friends to sponsor them on their walk, which begins at Duke Chapel and is about five miles.  A participant’s walk symbolizes the distance a man, woman or child may have to travel daily in a developing country to obtain food or water –thus the motto “Ending Hunger One Step at a Time.” If you’d like to learn more about how you can participate contact Tim Langford or John Legge.

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Henderson Towers

Sewing Machines Needed!
Duke Memorial is partnering with the residents of the Henderson Towers to start a quilting group. If you have a sewing machine to donate or lend to this group, please contact Christine Hodder.

Snacks for Community Service Fair
March 13– They have asked us to snacks for the event. If you would like to help out, you can either sign up to purchase a snack for the event, or help set up the snack station from 1-4pm on the day of the event. Contact Reynolds Chapman.

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Conference Structure

Duke Memorial leaders and
interested members, mark your calendars for Thursday, Mar. 15, for an important session with Bishop Alfred Gwinn from 7:00-8:15 p.m. at Aldersgate UMC in northern Durham.  At this session, Bishop Gwinn will present information about issues related to the change of district lines within our annual conference. Contact Ginger Thomas if you have questions or are interested in carpooling.

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Spring Small Groups Sign up Today!

This spring our small groups are reading Living Without Enemies: Being Present in the Midst of Violence, by Sam Wells and Marcia Owen. Reynolds Chapman, Minister of Adult Discipleship and Witness, shares more about why signing up for a small group this spring is a great opportunity.

Click here >> to read the full story from Reynolds!

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Come Worship with us during this Holy Lent

During the season of Lent the people of Duke Memorial will pray for situations of “wilderness” in our community –suffering, pain, violence, hopelessness, loneliness –asking God to strengthen and journey with those who are in difficult places. On each Sunday in Lent, prayer cards will be given out to guide individuals and families in praying for one another and our community.

The Season of Lent: Did You Know?

Lent

A season of the church year like Advent
Begins on Ash Wednesday
Origin of the word is from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, meaning “spring”
Liturgical color is purple, signifying penitence, humility, and suffering
Three traditional practices emphasized during Lent are: fasting, prayer, and alms-giving
There are 40 days plus 6 Sundays in Lent.
Forty days symbolize Jesus’ trial and preparation in the wilderness after his baptism and before the beginning of his ministry.

Ash Wednesday

The beginning of Lent
Since early Biblical times, ashes symbolize repentance from sin or grief in mourning.
Traditionally, ashes used to make the sign of the cross on the believer’s forehead are the charred remains of palm branches used in worship on the previous Palm Sunday.
Connection of Palm Sunday and Ash Wednesday is appropriate, as Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem led quickly to his death.

Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism and then became a time of penance for all Christians. Three traditional practices emphasized during Lent are: fasting, prayer, and alms-giving.

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Joy Club

The next Joy Club trip is a free tour of Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, Wednesday, March 14. The group will leave from the church at 9am and return around 2:30pm. Contact Ann Smith to sign up to join the fun!

Click here >> for the Joy Club Spring Trips schedule.

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Events Connecting United Methodists

Join other Duke Memorial members for the Durham District Lay Rally, this Sunday, Feb. 26, at 3:00 p.m. at Mt. Sylvan UMC in northern Durham.  Attendees will enjoy hearing a pastors’ choir and words from other lay people in the Durham District.

Duke Memorial leaders and interested members, mark your calendars for Thursday, Mar. 15, for an important session with Bishop Alfred Gwinn from 7:00-8:15 p.m. at Aldersgate UMC in northern Durham.  At this session, Bishop Gwinn will present information about issues related to the change of district lines within our annual conference.

Contact Ginger Thomas if you have questions or are interested in carpooling.

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Sign up for a Small Group!

Find community and grow in your faith by joining a small group this spring! See a listing of times and locations on the small group page >>
If you are interested in hosting a small group, contact Reynolds Chapman.

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 “Who is My Neighbor?” Dinner and Discussion Kickoff

You are invited be a part of the first of our exciting new mission initiatives this year. On Monday, February 13, a “Dinner and Discussion” will be held in Whitford Hall to kick off our mission theme. There will be a dinner (provided by the Boy Scouts) and panel discussion on
“Platitudes vs. Presence: Learning to Be With”
featuring Dr. Ann Stallings Smith, Duke Memorial Stephen Ministry Leader, Kate Bowler, Assistant Professor of American Christianity at Duke Divinity School, and Dan Rhodes, Co-Pastor at Emmaus Way Church. After the panel there will be time for people to discuss the topic together.

This is the first of a series of discussions that will take place throughout the year as part of our 2012 mission theme: “Who is My Neighbor? Listening, Learning, and Living with Our City”. The goal of these discussions is to get to know our city better. We want to learn more about the people, the places, the resources, the needs, the pain, and the hope of Durham. This is fundamental to our Christian witness; in the same way that God became flesh in Jesus to dwell with us, we are hoping that by listening, learning, and living with our neighbors, we will “become flesh” to our city.

The Dinner and Discussion will be from 6-8pm. (Childcare provided!)
Please RSVP today! >>

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 IHN, February 12-19, Listening to Homeless Families

Duke Memorial is hosting Interfaith Hospitality Network families this week. Thanks to everyone who signed up to volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering in the future, contact Roger Loyd. Thanks!

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 Ash Wednesday

Join us on Wednesday,
February 22 for a 7pm
Ash Wednesday Service.

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 Sing Part III of Handel’s Messiah for Easter (yes, YOU!)

The Duke Memorial tradition of singing the “Hallelujah” chorus during Easter worship happily fills the choir loft to overflowing every year. The choir wants you (yes, the person looking at this newsletter!) to sing with us on Easter Sunday. This year, the choir will sing additional choruses from this beloved oratorio during Easter worship, including “Since by man came death” and “Worthy is the Lamb”.

To prepare to sing these amazing choruses with our guest orchestra, you should come to the following parts of Wednesday evening choir rehearsals during Lent:

March 7 (7:45-8:30pm)
March 14 (7:45-8:30pm)
March 21 (7:45-8:30pm)
March 28 (7:45-8:30pm)
April 4 (7:00-8:30pm)

 See you in the choir room, and in the loft!

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Joy Club Spring 2012

Check out the Joy Club’s spring schedule (here >>) Mark your calendars for these day trips and contact Ann Smith if you are able to join in on the fun!

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 Support Group — A Healing Journey

Beginning this Tuesday, February 14th, there will be a 6 week support group called “Healing Journey” for folks who have lost a loved one. The group is sponsored by Stephen Ministry, led by Stephen Leaders Ann Stallings Smith, and will meet in the Lullaby Room for 7-8:30pm. ”Healing Journey” will last 6 weeks (ending on 3/20) and provide a safe place for those who are grieving to share and discover positive ways to deal with their grief. Contact Ann Smith if you are interested or have questions.

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 Summer Opportunities for Children and Youth

See a list of summer opportunities here >>
Check out what’s going on this summer and mark your calendars today!
Questions? Contact Gair and/or Faith!

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 Stephen Ministry

 Training — On February 8, 2012, Stephen Ministry training began for a group of four lay people from our congregation. Stephen Ministries St. Louis developed this training for a caring ministry. Rev. Kenneth Haugk founded this program to train people to give support to those in personal crisis in 1975. There are now 11,000 Stephen Ministry congregations from 150 denominations. Over the next few months, our Stephen Minister trainees will receive extensive training in Christian caring skills.  Some of the training areas they will cover include listening effectively, dealing with feelings, confidentiality, using the resources of Christianity, being assertive and a number of topics dealing with specific life crises. After training and being commissioned, they will join with the current Stephen Ministry group to extend the caregiving capacity of our congregation. Please keep these trainees in your thoughts and prayers. If you have questions about Stephen Ministry, training and caregiving, please feel free to talk to Rev. Ginger Thomas, or any of the Stephen Leaders.

H.E.R.O.E.S. Care — The second training of Stephen Ministers for Heroes Care in North Carolina was at Duke Memorial on January 28. We were very fortunate to have Rev. Brandon Dunman from Missouri to lead this eight-hour session. Trainees were from Durham, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Greensboro, and Fayetteville. The particular training Stephen Ministers have and the H.E.R.O.E.S. Care training equips us to care for military families in the communities where they live. Here are some comments from a few of the trainees:

From Rocky Mount – “My eyes have been opened to what these men and women are going through. I am going back to my congregation and present it to them so that further training can be done. I see a great need for this for our service men and women.”

From Greensboro – “We need to respond and minister within our communities and not just within our churches.  There is a great need in this area.”

The next H.E.R.O.E.S. care training will be in Fayetteville in May.  If you would like to know more about Operation Homefront and H.E.R.O.E.S. care the website is www.heroescare.org

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Announcing Church Day Camp at Chestnut Ridge

Camp Chestnut Ridge, Efland, NC  (about 25 minutes from church)
Monday-Friday, July 2-6, 2012
(camp WILL be open on Wednesday, July 4)
Transportation will be provided from the church (the van will leave at 8:15 a.m. and return at 5:30 p.m.). Registrations is open to children who have completed grades K-8. Camp costs $198 per camper (a $52 discount); includes lunch, snacks, (Chestnut Ridge is famous for its fresh, organic food, most of it raised on-site!) and activities (except horseback riding, optional). During the day, our kids will be mixed in with other day campers by age group, doing age-appropriate activities.

To register your child/ren:
+ Go to www.campchestnutridge.org
+ Under “Sign Me Up,” click Summer Camp Registration “online”
+ Create a new account (or sign in to an account you created previously)
+ Start a new application for Chestnut Ridge Summer Camp 2012
+ Read and continue
+ Enter camper info (new or existing), continue
+ Check the box for “Church Day Camp” at the top
+ On the same page, scroll down to July 2-6 week, check the box for “Church Day Camp—Duke Memorial UMC” and the camper’s choice of “majors” (Majors are for kids in grades 2-8 only; they will do their “major” for part of every day and sample the other activities throughout the week as “electives”)
+ Click “continue”
+ Continue through the registration process.  You can pay for it all now, or pay half now and the rest by May 1.
+ Print and complete the health form, but DO NOT send it in before camp.  Health forms must be delivered with each camper on Day 1 of camp.

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Duke Memorial Weekday School Registration: Feb. 3rd!

Church members can register for DMWS for the 2012-13 school year on Friday, Feb. 3rd at 9:00 am.  We offer classes for children ages 2- Kindergarten.  Children must be the age of the class they are interested in by August 31st.  Please visit our website at www.dmws.org for more information.

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Who is My Neighbor?

This year we will launch a series of initiatives that will help us get to know our neighbors. We will turn our hearts, minds, and actions toward listening, learning and living with our city. Together we will join Christ’s mission to bring peace, hope, healing and justice. Find out how to use your gifts, experiences, and interests for the mission theme by filling out the survey here! >>

Monday, 2/13: Who is My Neighbor? Dinner and Discussion
The first Dinner and Discussion to kick off our mission theme will be Monday, February 13, from 6-8pm in Whitford Hall. There will be food, a panel, and discussion about listening  to and being with our neighbors. We hope everyone can come! Childcare will be provided.

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IHN February 12-19 : Listening to homeless Families

Encounter the living God through meeting your neighbors. Volunteer for IHN by contacting Roger Loyd to indicate your willingness to help, and your willingness to listen. Thanks!

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Parents’ Night Out: Saturday, Feb. 19, 5:00-9:00pm!

The Youth of Duke Memorial intive familes to participate in Parents’ Night Out! Space is avaialbe for 50 children (including 10 in diapers). Drop-off and pick-up at the Soul Cafe. Suggested donation of $10 per child ($25 limit per family) will all proceeds going to support Youth missions and programs!

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This We Believe
A Sermon Series on the Apostle’s Creed
January 15-February 19

The Apostles’ Creed is an ancient and universally recognized statement of Christian belief.  In this six-week sermon series we will look closely at the Apostles’ Creed, and discover that it’s not just a guide to what Christians believe, but how to live as well.
Click to watch Sermon videos online >>

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
January 16, 2012

Duke Memorial will participate again in Durham’s community-wide MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 16, 2012, from 9:30 am – 1:30 pm (lunch provided).  We will meet in the church parking lot and then walk to Bay 7 at the American Tobacco Campus to  join 100 other Durham volunteers. We’ll help the United Way with several projects, from assembling hygiene kits to sorting donations.  There’s something for everyone, ages 5 to 105. Afterwards we will have a short time to debrief with one another.

To sign up, click here and fill out the form on our website. Sign up by December 25, and receive a free t-shirt on MLK Day.  Let’s honor Dr. King’s legacy by making the holiday a “day on” instead of a day off.  Youth: participation in this event will make you service-ready for the ski trip in February! (Childcare provided at Duke Memorial UMC)

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Who is My Neighbor?

This year we will lau nch a series of initiates thatwill help us get to know our neighbors. We will turn our hearts, minds, and actions toward listening, learning and living with our city. Together we will join Christ’s mission to bring peace, hope, healing and justice.

Visit the blog for more information >>

Sunday, 1/22

On January 22, our worship will be centered around the mission theme for the upcoming year: “Who is My Neighbor? Listening, Learning, and Living with Our City.”
Join us to worship together, hear about the focus of Duke Memorial’s mission for 2012, and learn how you can be involved.
Click here for more details >>

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Stephen Ministry
Introduction and Training

An introduction to our caring Stephen Ministry program will be held on Sunday, January 15, at 9:30am in the Parlor (Education Building, across from Bradshaw Room).  There will be a video about the Stephen Ministry program, discussion about the program and what the training includes, and what it is like to be a Stephen Minister. We will also have an introduction to the new HEROES CARE program which ministers to servicemen and/or their families.

Want to learn more about Stephen Ministry?

Blaine Butterworth shares his experience as a Stephen Ministry Leader, challenging us to listen to God’s call in our own lives.
Click here to read the full story >>

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A Slice of Support
Eat Pizza To Support Habitat!

14 churches have partnered to raise $50,000 for a habitat house and we’re calling on you for help! Gather a group of family or friends and head to Durham Pizza Restaurant on Monday January 16 or 25, open 11am-9pm at 4707 Hillsborough Road. 10% of proceeds will be donated to the habitat house! Run into church friends supporting a good cause!

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Epiphany Donations
Welcome Baby!

Thank you for your generous contributions of baby items for Welcome Baby!  Duke Memorial collected 30 packs of diapers and wipes, 25 baby blankets, over 70 new clothing items, 5 containers of formula and over 60 other baby items such as pacifiers, sippy cups, and hygiene products.  The staff and families at Welcome Baby are so appreciative of all of these supplies that will go to help families and new babies in Durham.

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Duke Memorial Members at Croasdaile Village
You are Invited to a Coffee!

Monday, Jan 30
10:00-11:00am
Croasdaile Cafe
Come meet with Ginger Thomas and Roger Owens our pastors and other Church members! We look forward to seeing you!

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An Update from Staff-Parish Relations Committee

At the Charge Conference on December 18, SPRC’s proposal to increase the hours of our co-pastors was unanimously approved. Now, instead of sharing one position, they will share one and one-quarter-time positions and will increase their focus and time on new congregational growth initiatives in the areas of worship, inviting, welcoming, and guest assimilation.  Our co-pastors defined their new responsibilities and duties and we have assigned them new titles that reflect the differing roles. Duke Memorial United Methodist Church will continue to have two equal co-pastors, but effective January 1, 2012 Ginger Thomas became Pastor of the Congregation and Roger Owens became the Preaching Pastor.

Roger will focus primarily on preaching, worship, and strategy.

· The new initiative he will take on is in the area of worship.

· In order to increase the excellence of his preaching, worship planning, and top level strategic planning, he will increase focus on these areas alone and thus release the responsibilities of guest follow-up, work with the Invite & Welcome Team, and most pastoral care to Ginger.

· He will in effect go down to one-quarter-time with this new focus.

· His regular schedule will continue to be Monday through Thursday mornings, with Sunday morning responsibilities and occasional evening meetings.

· This increase of focus and decrease of responsibilities will allow Roger to also give more time and energy to other forms of ministry that he feels called to—specifically writing and teaching for the larger Church, making him a more effective pastor, preacher, and teacher overall.

Ginger will in effect serve in the role of senior pastor, with Roger as her equal.

· The new initiatives she will take on are in the areas of inviting, welcoming, and guest assimilation.

· She will become solely responsible for the previously shared areas of ministry of guest follow-up and pastoral care.  One person doing this work will allow for more focus and effectiveness.

· She will continue to be the pastor responsible for congregational life, leadership in worship, managing staff, administration, and pastoral care.

· She will in effect go up to full-time to accomplish this work.

· Her regular schedule will continue to be Monday through Thursday, but with longer hours.  She will continue to have a primary role in coordinating and leading worship on Sundays.  She will have regular evening meetings and will do more visiting of guests on Sundays and weekday evenings.

Please join with the SPRC and support our co-pastors in their new positions.

Steed Rollins
Chair Staff Parrish Relations Committee

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Email Megan Jones to be added to the e-newsletter mailing list!

Welcome Baby

As we celebrate Christmas and Epiphany we ask that you come bearing gifts for infants in our community. It’s a baby shower in honor of Jesus! Our gifts will be brought to Welcome Baby, a program of Durham County Cooperative Extension, which offers parenting education and support to all area failed with young children. ou cn bring your gifts and place them under the tree in the sanctuary beginning Sunday, December 18. What is needed most are hats and gloves, consumables such as diapers (any size), wipes, formula, food (no glass containers please) and other items such as pacifiers, bottles, zippy cups, and receiving blankets. This year Welcome Baby is also in need of sleep sacks for their Cribs for Kids program.

Love Offering

In the spirit of Christmas, the Staff Parish Relations Committee has decided to take up a monetary collection for a Love Offering to be shared among the staff of Duke Memorial. IT is our hope that you will prayerfully consider making a contribution this holiday season as a token of your appreciation of all the big and small things that our wonderful staff does year round. We also hope that you can do this in the same spirit in which the wise men brought gifts to our savior, Jesus, in celebration of his birth. No gift is too small and, of course, all gifts are tax deductible. Please make you check payable to Duke Memorial and mark it for the Love Offering, sent to the attention of Tim Smith. Your gift can be mailed to the church, dropped off at the church office, or places in the offering plate during Sunday worship.

Deeper Roots, Wider Reach in 2012

It’s not too late to submit your financial pledge to help fund the ministries of 2012. We are 99% of the way to reaching our goal, and your pledge will make a difference! Contact Tim Smith (683-3467 or tinsmith@dukememorial.org) to make your pledge.

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On Sunday, November 27, we were privileged to have a visit from Drs. Sharon and Lynn Fogleman, missionaries whom our church has supported for over 20 years. Their ministry began at Maua Methodist Hospital in Kenya for 10 years, and then they spent 14 years at the Red Bird Clinic in Beverly, KY. They have now felt God’s call to serve as witnesses for Jesus Christ in the new country of South Sudan.
Sharon and Lynn will be using their gifts as physicians to help train Sudanese community health workers to educate villagers in basic health practices. Lynn and Sharon expect these village health workers to pass on life-saving skills for many years to come. In relationship built through Community Health Evangelism, the Foglemans will also seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will, in turn, become disciple-makers.
We are very thankful to be a part of the ministry of the Foglemans. If you would like to contact them, or to be on their email updates, email them at sharonlynnfog@gmail.com.

Stephen Ministry: Learning

Every meeting our Stephen Ministry group is learning new information in continuing education.  Recently we  had a program on “Listening to and Helping Older People” with Milton Hadley, Head of the Chaplaincy Services at Croasdaile Village; another on what scriptures are good when someone needs courage, strength, joy, peace, or hope; one soon on “Handling Anger” by Reverend Kim Porter.

We also attended an Alcoholics Anonymous speaker meeting at Duke Memorial or an Al Anon meeting to learn about those health issues.  Almost anyone could go to Al Anon because it helps you if you have had a family member or friend who had an alcohol problem.

Four of our members– Blaine Butterworth, Phyllis Ponder, Howard Pleasant, and Annette Martin attended an all-day training on H.E.R.O.E.S Care, which helps veterans or their families cope with life problems.

Alternative Gift Market

Looking for a meaningful gift to give this Christmas?  Shopping for someone who has everything?  Eager to express your Christian values?  Then check out the Alternative Gift Market following worship services on December 4^th and 11^th.  Donations can be made in behalf of others (friends, family, teachers, etc.) to organizations such as the Urban Ministries, Interfaith Hospitality Network, Habitat for Humanity, the Good Samaritan Fund and our friends on the Navajo Indian Reservation.  Cards will be available to send to those you’re honoring so they’ll know of your love for them and others.

Donate Non-perishable Food Items to Urban Ministries

Every first Monday we collect non-perishable food items for Urban Ministries of Durham. You can place them at the altar before or after the service. This month Urban Ministries is requesting: peanut butter and jelly,bread, powdered milk, canned meats (tuna, salmon, stews, Spam or Treet), canned soups, dried beans, rice, and pasta, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, pasta sauce and fixins’, canned green and yellow/orange vegetables, Pork ‘n beans and other canned beans, Macaroni and cheese, canned fruit and applesauce, cereals, oatmeal, grits, and other breakfast foods, chips and popcorn, Juices (especially during summer months), teas and coffee, sugar (non-sugar sweeteners, too), flour, salt and pepper, condiments, cookies and candy (not a necessity, but occasionally desired), baby foods, disposable baby diapers, adult diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, hygiene items.

UM Pastors Affected by Hurricane Irene

Since Hurricane Irene swept across the NC coast, many United Methodist pastors have labored countless days with long hours to help restore their communities, churches, and parsonages.  Duke Memorial and other churches in the Durham District are praying for these pastors and offering help for their families.  Please pray for these weary pastors and their struggling families, and consider how you or your group or class can offer creative help.  Suggestions include a donated weekend at a beach or mountain house for a pastor and family to go for rest and relaxation, the donation of funds for movie tickets for a family to enjoy an evening of fun, or other gifts that can offer renewal. For questions or to make donations, contact Ginger Thomas.

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