Hickory Bend United Methodist Church » News

370 Visitors!

Emalie — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:26:28 +0000

We had about 370 visitors to our website last month. Actually, we had 370 visits, not really 370 visitors. I’m assuming some people have visited many times, and others only once.

Thanks to Stephanie and Wes, our website is an amazing tool for reaching people around the world. That’s 370 visits, not including those of us who post on the website! (The website ignores us when it recognizes our computers.) We posted a story about a visitor who told us about the inspiration he felt from his sergeant in Somalia. I wrote about his description of the sergeant, I heard from a sergeant in Kabul, Afghanistan. I’m not sure how he found our website, but he said his wanted to be that kind of sergeant. In the past year, we have also heard from an author we mentioned.

So google us! Go to google, and type in hickory bend umc. You’ll find a world of information and inspiration. If you want to post articles, it’s very easy. See Stephanie, Wes, or one of the Youth. You can click on years of the newsletters, listen to a sermon you missed or one you want to review. You can click on the calendar and see pictures of events at the church. You are probably mentioned or pictured on the website, so check yourself out!

Here are some of the stats from January 20:

Most Active

Where is that star?12 Views

About 10 Views

Council 5 Views

Hickory Bend UMYF 5 Views

There is a Word Cloud on the website. A Word Cloud finds the words we use the most on our website and makes them larger and darker. What does this Word Cloud say about Hickory Bend UMC? The largest and boldest words are: audio, fellowship, Donelson, Jesus Christ, Methodist, Outreach, Worship, Recording, Service, Youth, and Welcome. Interesting, isn’t it? If those words describe us, it’s no wonder we have so many visitors.

HBUMC Christmas Party!

caldwecm — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:18:11 +0000

December 14, 2011
5:00 pm	to	8:00 pm

Dear Santa,

Mom said it would be a good idea to write you a letter to ask if you can come to our HBUMC Christmas Party on Dec. 14, 2011 please? Mr. and Mrs. Adair have offered to cook some of the dinner that evening, 2 appetizers, a main dish and a dessert, (YUM!!!) It would be a real treat for the kids, old AND young, if you could plan to stop by to have a few pictures made with us!

Please check your calendar and let me know if a visit would be possible. Ms. Debbie at church want’s to put a hint about the special guest (that’s you!) in the next newsletter.

Thanks so much, and I am so excited for Christmas to come!!! HBUMC loves to celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus and remember his gift to us as we have fun with giving gifts to each other.

Love,

C C

HI CATHY,

I WOULD BE HONERD TO ATTEND YOUR CHRISTMAS PARTY AT HICKORY BEND UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.

I HAVE BEEN KEEPING AN EYE ON THE ’LIL’ ONES THERE AND THEY ALL SEEM TO HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD (AND MOST OF THE ADULTS TOO); SO I’LL SEE YOU THEN!

LOVE,

SANTA

Everyone is invited to join us Wednesday Dec. 14 at 5:30pm for the annual HBUMC Christmas party. Please bring a covered dish to share for the dinner and we will have a wonderful time of celebration!

Wednesday night menus now in Good Grub link

caldwecm — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:32:17 +0000

From now on the Wednesday night sign up lists will be posted in the Good Grub heading. This should free up some space on the front page of the web site.

Also, this is will be the first Wednesday of the month, so it will be an “open” pot-luck. Bring any dish you want, or just come and contribute to the basket, but do come and join us for a wonderful meal, fellowship, bible study, and choir. Next week, Oct. 13, our theme will be “Oktoberfest”, so pull out your cookbooks and find your favorite Oktoberfest dish.

See you Wednesday.

Wednesday Night Fellowship

caldwecm — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:10:25 +0000

September 1, 2010

September 1, 2010 Wednesday Night Fellowship “Kick Off” Pot Luck

Yes folks, not only is it “Football Time” in Tennessee…..it’s time for the Wednesday night fellowship to begin at Hickory Bend UMC.

Dinner, Bible Study, HBUMC Band, and Chancel Choir will be meeting on Wednesday night, so come join us for a terrific middle week rejuvenation of your spirit.

We are going to begin with a “Pot Luck” theme. A few cooks have already ‘checked” in with entries.

Main Dish

Chuck Wagon Bean Casserole

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Chicken Rice Casserole

Salad

Layered lettuce salad

Vegetable

Carbohydrate (bread, corn, potatoes)

Desert

1 surprise desert

Sweet and Un-sweet tea, water

Please sign up and let us know what we you plan to bring so we can fill in the gaps.

Dinner is at 5:30. Bible Study at 6:00.

See you Wed. night.

Blanket Brigade

admincw — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:32:22 +0000

March 27, 2010
9:00 am	to	12:00 pm

Hickory Bend Blanket Brigade will meet on March 27th at 9AM. We hope you will join us.

Our crafty ladies have been hard at work since the inception of the Blanket Brigade 2 years ago. Collectively the group has provided over 60 lap blankets to the patients at Alive Hospice. While we work independently year around it is during the cold winter months when the lion’s share of the work gets done. We have some in the group that do the majority of the work and it can become costly to provide all the supplies on top of their time involved in making the blanket.

For this reason I appealed to the congregation over a year ago for donations of yarn. As usual, Hickory Bend responded over and above the call of duty and we soon had boxes of yarn to work with. However, with the number of blankets produced the surplus has been used up, and in order to continue, each blanket maker will again have to assume her own cost.

So if you would like to be a part of this worthy cause but don’t know how to crochet or knit you can help by donating yarn. It doesn’t have to be newly purchased nor be a full skein. We’ve made some beautiful items with just scraps from several skeins. So clean out your closets and drawers. Or on your next trip to Walmart or Hobby Lobby you can pick up a couple of skeins.

If you are unsure of colors and would prefer us to pick the yarn, I would suggest purchasing a gift card from either of those stores and bring the card to me. That way when someone wants to purchase some yarn they can use the card and then pass it on to the next person without having to be exchanging money all the time.

If you are interested in helping just let me know. You can bring any donations to the church and leave them in the choir loft with my name on it. And if you want to learn to knit or crochet then join us the last Saturday morning of each month and one of us will get you started. Try it…you might find you like it!!

Trustee Meeting Set for Wed March 10

admincw — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:30:16 +0000

March 10, 2010
5:00 pm	to	6:00 pm

The Trustees will Meet on March 10th at 5:30.

Worship Committee Meeting Set for March 3rd

admincw — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:27:18 +0000

March 3, 2010
5:00 pm	to	5:30 pm

Please note that the Worship committee will meet Weds March 53rd at 5PM. Please come out we would love to have you.

Leadership Training

Emalie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:03:36 +0000

This year, at District Leadership Training, our youth met with other youth groups to learn and grow, and to meet new friends. We were invited to share the stories of our youth group, our mission trips, our mini missions, our potato bars, and our Sunday night meetings. Dr. Jack Radcliffe, the presenter before us, had spoken of all the things a youth group needs to flourish. Gabby whispered to me, “We have it made!” Of course, I had been thinking exactly the same thing. I looked across the room to Courtney, and I knew she agreed. Our youth had so many stories about the congregation at Hickory Bend. As I listened to the retelling of our experiences, I realized anew how much love we receive from our church family. I was overwhelmed with renewed gratitude for the steady, strong support of our congregation, and renewed pride in the many service projects we have completed.

As we concluded our presentation, I asked Dr. Ratcliffe to close our meeting.Dr. Jack looked down at the floor, looked at our youth, looked at the group, took a breath, shook his head, leaned forward, and said, “These are young people who are deeply loved by their congregation.” Everyone in the group nodded in agreement. The girls were obviously delighted that others could understand the joy and pride they feel in their church.

I was surprised that this was so obvious to people who had never visited our church or met our congregation!

Let’s think about this. We are so richly blessed to have the congregation we have!

I knew that some of us would probably miss worship at Hickory Bend the next Sunday, because we would be at Warmth in Winter. I also knew that our church would be talking about giving. In the Children’s Time, Mrs. Shari was going to ask the children to pledge to give coins to the church regularly. She would be asking them to do more than just ask their parents to give them money, but to work for the money they gave.

You are the inspiration for the children. You know they want to be like you and do the things you are doing. For those of us going to WiW, before we arrive Friday night, please write Mrs. Shari a note, and tell her whether or not you will pledge to give to the church regularly. We will leave these notes on the pulpit for Mrs. Shari. For those of you who are not coming to WiW, please give your notes to Mrs. Shari Sunday morning. She will be able to report to the children that we are pledging, too. Please give an example of the ways you might be able to earn your gift to the church. Let the church know specifically what your are thankful for in our congregational life. Pledge a small amount that you know you can actually give regularly. Mrs. Shari will not reveal your pledge amount. She will not use your name, unless you tell her you want her to reveal it. You will be an inspiration to the children, and, I suspect, to some adults, too.

I am so grateful for each of you!

Grace, Peace, Love, and Hope,

Emalie

The Hickory Leaf – February 2010

admincw — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:01:00 +0000

Get the latest Hickory Bend UMC Newsletter February 2010

Caroling One Last Time

Emalie — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:53:12 +0000

For years, Lilli Parker has led carolers to Cloverbottom to deliver gifts from Hickory Bend members to the residents of Cloverbottom. Now, this is one cherished Hickory Bend tradition that sadly, must end. Cloverbottom Developmental Center, long scheduled to close, is at last, and in fact, closing its doors for the last time.
Over the years, it has been clear that the residents who are the last to live at Cloverbottom are increasingly fragile and vulnerable. It is a joy to be a small part of their lives, inviting our friends to Vacation Bible School or visiting at Christmas. We will miss the friendships our children have developed with Cloverbottom residents, and the inspiration of observing their caretakers at work.
We certainly pray for the residents during this difficult transition. We also pray for those who are losing their jobs during this move. Most of all, we pray for better care for those who live so near to us, and whom our Lord called, “the least of these”, our brothers and sisters in Christ.