June 3 - September 2
8:45 a.m. Coffee Bar in the fellowship hall
9:00 a.m. Sunday School
10:00 a.m. Blended Worship in the sanctuary        

July 22
Annual Church  Picnic
at Mill Mountain Shelter
after the worship service 

July 22-29
Interfaith Hospitality Network 

August 25
Yard Sale

Sept. 9
Kick Off Sunday

Mark this date on your calendar as the day we kick-off our fall activities.  Join us for a day of worship, food, fun and the beginning of our education, music and fellowship programs.

“I sure have missed seeing you!”
(overheard in the hallway of South Roanoke Church)

     That has been a frequent exchange among us over the past two years that we have shared in two Sunday morning worship services.  This is the result of an unintended (but not totally unanticipated) consequence of our decision to provide two different styles of worship each Sunday.  Some of us have preferred “contemporary and informal" at 9:00 a.m. while others of us have preferred the more traditional and liturgical form of the 11:00 a.m. service.  Some of us have also appreciated the earlier hour of worship at 9:00 a.m..  In meeting our goal to fulfill our congregation’s worship needs as well as provide the best of both worship styles in order to attract new members, we have necessarily found ourselves seeking ways creatively to be together with one another.

     In response to this need (and in light of the usual “summer slowdown” when our volunteers are granted well-deserved rests from the regular season of church activity) the desire was expressed for us to be together for worship during the summer.  I have deeply appreciated the careful and diligent work of the Council on Ministries and the “Blended Worship Task Group” appointed by them for their guidance and planning of our joint service this summer:

Blended Worship Service 
10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary
June 3—September 2, 2007

     What is a “blended” service?  This term may well mean different things to different congregations.  Our Task Group, Council and Administrative Board have been pivotal in helping us to define its meaning for our congregation.  Our worship this summer will seek to provide a balance of selected traditional hymns with organ and contemporary songs with guitar, bass and drum.  Some Sundays may involve the projection of slides on a screen for music and sermon illustration purposes.  I invite you to actively worship with us this summer with the goal that each of us may find moments of worship that will be particularly meaningful while we also patiently affirm others who may find more meaning in other moments of worship.

The Christian apologist Tertullian heard what folks were saying about the early church:  “See how they love one another!”  We have missed seeing one another.  That is a genuine expression of our Christian community.  As we praise God together this summer it is my prayer that it will be our love for one another rather than our personal preferences of style, hour or music, that will order our worship.

CHANGE IN PLANS FOR SUMMER

Interfaith Hospitality Network

Our excursion will be to Marion, VA on June 7 to visit the newly renovated Lincoln Theatre and the General Francis Marion Hotel. We will have lunch (on your own) at the hotel restaurant.

Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer
has announced the anticipated appointments of:

Rev. Robert H. Garner
to Boones Mill Church, Boones Mill
and
Rev. Cheryl Harrison-Davidson
to Fairview Church, Roanoke 

ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC
Following the 10:00 a.m. Blended Worship Service
on Sunday, July 22 

We will meet at the shelter on Mill Mountain
(near The Star)

Bring your lawn chairs and/or blanket, a side dish or dessert (1 or 2 according to your family size).  Main dish will be provided by Family Ministries.                   

Balls and outdoor games are welcome.
Kickball anyone? 

COME TO ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
at the Civic Center  June 10-14

 FOR EXCELLENT PREACHING:

11:15 a.m.  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
(June 12, 13 and 14)

Rev .Trevor Hudson

Dynamic South African Methodist Pastor who developed the “Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope” program, which continues today, to help young South Africans reflect upon the meaning of their faith in the experience of apartheid.

7:45 p.m.  Wednesday, June 13

Rev. Michael Slaughter
Service of Evangelism
Pastor of the rapidly growing
Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church,
Tipp City, Ohio. 

TO LEARN HOW THE CHURCH CAN GROW:
“LET’S GET GROWING EXPO”
ON EVANGELISM 

In response to the Kansas tornado disaster of May 4-5 your church has contributed $250 from our 2007 church budget “National Needs Response” to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Your faithful support of our annual budget as well as our Lenten and Advent Offerings makes this response possible.
 

FROM OUR “FEASIBILITY STUDY COMMITTEE”

  Chair of Council on Ministries Andrew Sherman Chair of Committee on Finance Mark Hall Chair of Staff-Parish Relations Committee Ross Jeffries Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees Tom Ruble Co-Lay Leader Patty Oshida

   Update presented by Committee Chair Andrew Sherman to Administrative Board on May 6, 2007

   The directive of the Administrative Board to the Feasibility Study group was to better align our staff, programs and finances. To that end, the Feasibility Study members have met every 2-3 weeks for the past four months.

   During this time we have been compiling information from within and without our church. Our information gathering has taken two streams of consideration: member participation through Sunday School-led sessions and conversations with individual members, and analysis of our budget and the budgets of 7 area Methodist churches.

   At present, four questions have driven this process: What brought you to SRUMC and why do you stay? Who are we and what defines us? What programs do you favor? What do we do that has special meaning for you? What service orientation do you prefer? What are the gains and losses from doing each style?

   Sessions have been completed with the Wimmer and Wesley classes. Andrew will meet with the Aldersgate class for the next two Sundays and will conclude with a follow-up session with the Pathfinders class. Each of the Sunday School classes is given a compilation of their comments to verify accuracy and garner feedback. On June 3 at 11:00 a.m., a congregation-wide session will be held in the Fellowship Hall following the 10 a.m. service for any and all as a conclusion to the input process.

   The second stream of information gathering has considered our financial future. At present it is unlikely that our financial future will grow as robustly as it has in the past 5-6 years. We currently have 5-6 families who contribute nearly 25% of our budget. These sources are not indefinitely guaranteed. Further, our incoming membership is not at present replacing the money that we have lost through deaths. The committee has stated that we need to stabilize if not reduce our budget growth in the future unless we begin to see a significant increase in our membership. However, given our demographic position, we are unlikely to see large increases in membership since there are no new large housing developments around us.

   Our hope is that within the next 3-6 months we will provide the Administrative Board and various church committees with a comprehensive list of recommendations that will suggest programmatic changes, financial savings and staff alignments that will support the program and financial recommendations. At that point, it will be the decisions of those committees as to which recommendations are adopted and abandoned.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

FALL 2007-2008
Weekly Programming For Children:

· MONDAYS ~ 1:30—2:45
Jelly Bellies for 2 1/2—Pre K

· TUESDAYS ~ 4:00—5:30
Junior Mints ages K—2  

· THURSDAYS~ 4:00—5:30*
Peanut M&M’s for 3—5 graders * fun days end at 6:00 and are the 1st Thurs.

Each program offers music, games, cooking, bible & FUN.

Check your August bulletins for start dates.

GRADUATES

We are saying “good luck” to our three seniors as they prepare for college in the fall.
Ashley Glover - who will be attending Randolph Macon
Lucy Jennings - who will attend Emory and Henry.
Salina Davidson - who will attend Auburn University.

SUMMER FUN

WET N WILD ~ we are planning a wet ‘n wild day on June 20th.

If you would like to join us sign up outside of Paula’s office.

YOUTH - WEEKLY OPPORTUNITIES

In staying with our summer schedule of years past, this year’s opportunities will include:

TWO FUN DAYS A WEEK ~ schedule will be posted on the youth bulletin boards and will be planned for all weeks except mission week, Lake Junaluska, and 1 week in Aug. ~ when Paula will be out of town. The schedule will typically include a Tues & Fri activity.

MISSIONS

As you know our Mission Project is July 7th—14th, 2007.

Total cost is $150.00 plus spending money and money for meals on the road. We will be in Biloxi, Mississippi. We will be working on construction projects, painting, landscaping, etc. We are in the process of raising money through the Youth for Hire Projects. I hope that you will plan to join us for this wonderful opportunity.

SURGE

Well we have a week planned for Summer Camp. It is technically called a “weekend” as we will be gone from Thursday—Sunday, July 26th—29th, 2007

Cost is $225.00 for room and board + $25.00 to help cover additional costs for a total of $250.00.

YOUTH 4 HIRE

Projects are coming in for weekends to the end of the school year as well as some during the afternoons. We will raise money for youth missions and Lake Junaluska.

2 SUMMER RETREATS

DATES ~ (To Be Announced)

1. YOUTH LEADERSHIP will be planned for Aug.
    Cost will be $30.00

WELCOME! We're glad to have all who have joined us for this time of worship. Especially to our guests and visitors, we welcome you to South Roanoke and to our fellowship. We invite those who have no church home to make South Roanoke your church and add your witness to ours. 

BLOOD DRIVE WILL BE HELD in our fellowship hall on Thursday, May 31 from 10:00-4:00. Please call Penny Haynes, 344-4437 if you would like to volunteer to make sandwiches or cookies, or if you would like to work as a volunteer the day of the drive. 

DEADLINE FOR ARTICLES for the July issue of the Tower Times is June 15. Send articles to Kate Macdonald at kmacdonald@benefitsmanagement.com. Articles can be sent at any time prior to the deadline. 

YOUTH FOR HIRE has begun. The youth are available on weekends from April 28-June 17 and the weekdays until July 7th to complete projects around your house for a donation to our summer mission trip and summer camp. The youth have experience in landscaping, raking, weeding, mowing, painting, cleaning out garages, just to name a few. Let us help you tackle those “spring-cleaning” projects. Call Paula, 344-4437 to schedule your project now. 

ALL MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION ARE INVITED to discuss the future worship service orientation and the programmatic needs of SRUMC on Sunday, June 3rd at 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Please
attend to express your thoughts and opinions. The Feasibility study members greatly value our congregation’s concerns. 

CHANGE IN PLANS FOR SUMMER: We would like to announce that there will be no formal week of Vacation Bible School as previously scheduled for June 18-22. Instead, we would like to extend an invitation to our children age 3 through fifth grade to experience our version of Vacation Bible School, themed Avalanche Ranch, each and every Sunday this summer during our Sunday School time, 9:00 a.m.—9:45 a.m., from June 3 through September 2. Each Sunday morning at Avalanche Ranch the children will be introduced to a Bible Point and Treasure Verse of the day. At our Sing and Play Stampede, the children will sing songs such as “God is Good,” “This is The Day,” “The Great Adventure,” and “Worship You Forever,” to name just a few. Each Sunday will also spotlight one of the following: Chadder’s Wild West Theater, Cowpoke Crafts and Missions, or Wild Bible Adventures. Just as always with our VBS friends are welcome! Start spreading the word and plan to gallop on in to the Ranch on June 3!