October 2024 Edition VOICE A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM SKIDAWAY ISLAND METHODIST CHURCH G.R.O.W. A Note from Rev. Hale Bishop “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” - 2 Peter 1:3 When we join the church, we make a sacred pledge to support it through our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Keeping this pledge is essential, but our journey of faith doesn’t begin and end with a commitment—it calls us to ongoing growth and maturity. In our recent series on the Epistle of James, we were reminded of the call to spiritual maturity—a call to continuously grow in our faith, moving toward perfection. Over the years, I’ve used the acronym GROW as a guide for deepening our walk with Christ. True growth requires regular reflection, assessing where we are in our faith, and making intentional decisions to move forward. G – Gain Faith often begins by being passed on to us by parents, friends, mentors, or teachers. At this stage, our faith is a reflection of those who have invested in us. However, this is just the starting point of our spiritual journey. R – Refine As we mature, we move beyond the faith we’ve inherited and begin to take personal ownership. This is when we delve deeper, refining our understanding and growing in a more personal and meaningful way. O – Own At this stage, our faith becomes fully ours. We not only understand it, but we live it, and we are now in a position to share it with others, helping to nurture and establish faith in their lives. W – Walk With a deep and personal faith, we are called to step out of our comfort zones. Walking in faith means actively sharing our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness, continuing to grow as disciples of Christ in every aspect of our lives. Growth is not a one-time event—it is a continual process. Let’s take time to evaluate where we are and make the decision to move forward in faith. Blessings, Hale
Mark your calendars for these special upcoming Wednesday Night Dinners! Wednesday, October 9 at 5:45 pm: Come join us for an evening of BINGO and prizes in the Pavilion! The menu for the night will be: Smoked pork loin, cucumber salad, corn casserole, Savannah red rice, and dessert. Wednesday, October 23 at 5:45 pm: Yeehaw! This evening we will gather in the Pavilion for Western night. Plan to wear your jeans and flannel and test your knowledge of Western trivia after dinner. The menu for this evening will be: Chili with topping, baked potatoes, green salad, toppings: butter, green onion, cheese and sour cream, and dessert. To sign up for any of these scan the QR Code or visit our website.
Each Monday from 5:00 - 5:45 pm Join us as we come together each Monday now through November 4 from 5:00 - 5:45 pm in Giddens Chapel to pray for our nation. This prayer service will be a beautiful blend of personal and guided prayer. Grief Care Group Meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 4:00 pm in the Parlor and is led by Brooke Chambers P.A.C.K. Donations With fall and a new school year in session, now is a great time to help shop for PACK with end of season sale items and, of course, fall clothing for 3T and 4T girl clothes: light weight jackets and sweaters, underwear, pajamas/gowns, socks and shoes, and clothes for play, day care/pre-K and church. Keep in mind that everything must be new and should have tags attached. Items may be brought to the church office. SIMC Prayer Team Did you know that SIMC has a prayer team that faithfully lifts up in prayer the requests that are shared? Prayer team members are part of an email chain and receive prayer request information via email. If you would like to be a part of our prayer team, please call the office or email michelle@skidawaymethodist.org. Bright Eye-Deas Low Vision Group Wednesday, October 9, 2024 from 10:00 to 11:30 am Welcome back to our members and we extend an invitation to all newcomers who are challenged by visual limitations. The goal of the group is to help those with visual challenges to be aware of all resources available to our population to assist in adapting as needed. This support group is free of charge and open to all with visual challenges and their support persons. If you have questions, please contact Kay Higby at 248-227-1800. For those who would like to join us for lunch following the meeting, please contact Anne Jeanblanc at 912-598-0879. This month the group will begin using the Grief Share curriculum aimed to help you manage your emotions, gain clarity, and find answers to your questions as you walk through the grief process. For over 25 years, this curriculum has served as a road map to those grieving process their emotions and experience and cope with their loss. Exercise Classes Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Bailey Hall If you didn’t know our church offers exercise classes three mornings a week in Bailey Hall! We have hired a new fitness instructor and everyone is welcome. Classes can be tailored to individual abilities. Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday Pilates Class: 9:00 - 9:45 am Sit Fit: 10:00 - 10:45 am Meet the Need We have a couple of current needs Meet the Need Amazon wish list! (Heads up! - The Amazon link expires weekly so if the QR code doesn’t work when you try to use it, email Emma and she will send you the most current link). Family Promise is requesting mattress protectors that are water and bed-bug proof for the shelter where we recently donated meals. The families who stay at the shelter get to take the mattress protectors with them when they leave at the end of their stay. Winter Jackets - With the cold coming, missions committee member, Dean Helms, will be collecting jackets and coats to deliver to multiple different organizations in the Savannah area including Union Mission, Old Savannah City Mission, Family Promise, Chatham Savannah Homeless Authority and more!
In Children’s Church we will be learning about Moses. We will learn that: We can choose to be thankful. We can love God and others. We can turn to God when we are lost. We can go to God when we need rest. We look forward to seeing your children on Sunday mornings! Fall Festival November 3 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm We are gearing up for the Fall Festival! We are busy getting our carnival games and prizes ready. We need many hands to make this event a success. Look for the sign-up sheets or scan the QR code for ways you can help prior to the event and on the day of the event. This is a huge community outreach for us and your help is needed. You do not want to miss the joy in serving!
In this section of The Voice we highlight one of the many partnerships of SIMC so you can get to know about our outreach programs and needs in the community. Our monthly mission highlight for October is Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, was founded in 1993 with a mission to spread joy and hope to children in need around the world through the gift of shoeboxes filled with toys, hygiene items, and school supplies. These simple gifts are shipped outside the United States to children affected by war, poverty, natural disasters, famine, and disease. The initiative began with a straightforward idea: to bring a tangible expression of God’s love to children who might never receive a gift. Over the years, it has grown into one of the largest Christmas projects globally, delivering millions of shoeboxes to children in over 170 countries. participate by packing shoeboxes, organizing collection events, and raising funds to sustain the initiative. Local churches play a crucial role in this effort, helping to distribute the shoeboxes and provide follow-up programs, including discipleship classes for children and families. Their involvement ensures that the gifts are not just items but tools for outreach and connection. The impact of Operation Christmas Child extends beyond providing physical gifts; it serves as a powerful outreach tool. Each shoebox is accompanied by a booklet that shares the story of Jesus, allowing recipients to experience the love of God in a personal way. Their mission emphasizes collaboration with local partners to reach children within their own communities, fostering spiritual growth and support. This approach not only delivers gifts but also encourages lasting relationships between local churches and the families they serve, often leading to further assistance, such as medical care and disaster relief. Operation Christmas Child embodies a mission of compassion, hope, and faith, transforming the lives of countless children. By providing local partners with shoeboxes filled with love, it creates an opportunity for communities to come together and make a meaningful impact. This initiative showcases the power of generosity, spreading joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ during the Christmas season and beyond. The success of Operation Christmas Child is rooted in the incredible support from volunteers and donors worldwide. Millions of individuals, families, and groups Scan the QR code to find out more info such as how to pack a box, which items to include, and more! Want to pack a shoebox? Here are important dates! October 13 - Operation Christmas Child kickoff Sunday. There will be a table set up in Narthex with 300 boxes available to take home October 14 - November 17 - Return boxes to SIMC If you would like to make a purchase of suggested items, scan the QR code.
Skidaway Island Methodist Church The Women’s Ministry at Skidaway Island Methodist Church is designed to engage women of our church and community in spiritual, social, and service opportunities. For questions about any of our ministry opportunities, please contact Rev. Michelle Johnson at michelle@skidawaymethodist.org or call the church office at 912-598-8460. Ladies Book Club Outing Wednesday, October 25 from 8:30 am - 4:15 pm Beaufort, SC Our Ladies Book Club is headed to Beaufort, SC! After reading Trouble the Water and receiving an invitation from the author, Rebecca Dwight Bruff, to visit Beaufort, our ladies have pulled together an outing that will focus on the life of Robert Smalls. We will depart the church at 8:30 am on Wednesday, October 23 and will travel on the church bus. We anticipate being back at the church around 4:15 pm. The cost is $35 plus lunch. For more information, or to register, scan the above QR code. A Foundation of Faith A Note from Rev. Michelle Johnson For two weeks in October, Pastor Rob and I, along with our spouses, will be on a Journeys of Paul land and sea trip in Greece and Turkey. We have a group of 20 traveling as part of a larger tour group. We will see many of the places Paul traveled as he shared the gospel of Christ, including Ephesus, Corinth, Athens, Philippi, Thessaloniki, and also hear from guest lecturers about the impact of Paul in those areas. I’m excited for what I will see, experience, and learn as I deepen my understanding the spread of Christianity in the early centuries. I’m also reminded of the impact each of us can have on the spread of the Gospel. On each of Paul’s missionary journeys, he widened his impact as he went further to share the message of Christ. While we might not be sent out on missionary journeys, we do have the responsibility to share Christ and his love in every aspect of our lives. When we all commit to share Christ, the impact is multiplied! Rev. Michelle Ladies Christmas Tea We’re excited to announce that this year’s Christmas Tea will be held on Saturday, December 7th from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Last year was an event enjoyed by all and a truly special start to the Advent season for the over 100 women who attended.Be sure to keep an eye out on the weekly Thursday emails and next month’s Parish Voice for registration information.
54 Diamond Causeway Savannah, Georgia 31411 (912) 598-8460 www.skidawaymethodist.org ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Rev. Hale Bishop Senior Pastor hale@skidawaymethodist.org Emma Johnston Youth & Program Director emma@skidawaymethodist.org Melissa Gillenwater Communications Coordinator publish@skidawaymethodist.org Rev. Michelle Johnson Executive Pastor michelle@skidawaymethodist.org Susan Donovan Director of Children Ministries susan@skidawaymethodist.org Ashley Saprrito Controller asaporito@lacpa.net Paul Chant Director of Music Ministries paul@skidawaymethodist.org Debbie Platt Office Manager office@skidawaymethodist.org
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