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Christian Life Programs, Christian Education,
and Outreach Ministries
The Christian Community Life at EUMC includes many offerings for adults, children, youth and whole families as well as community outreach ministries.
Bible Study and Christian Education Classes
10 am Sunday School for Adults
Class |
Focus of Study |
Pairs and Spares |
"Images of Christ" Adult Bible Studies: Hebrews, the Gospels, and James. |
Seekers |
"Images of Christ" Adult Bible Studies: Hebrews, the Gospels, and James. |
Holmes |
"Images of Christ" Adult Bible Studies: Hebrews, the Gospels, and James. Meets in the Old Library. |
Men’s |
"Images of Christ" Adult Bible Studies: Hebrews, the Gospels, and James. |
10 am Sunday School for Children
Class |
Focus of Study |
Nursery |
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Pre-K |
Monthly Bible Themes |
K-2 |
Bible Lessons for Youth |
3-5 |
Bible Lessons for Youth |
Middle School |
Bible Lessons for Youth |
11 am Sunday School for Adults
Class |
Focus of Study |
Wesley |
"Images of Christ" Adult Bible Studies: Hebrews, the Gospels, and James. |
11 am Sunday School for Children
Class |
Focus of Study |
School-Aged Children |
Exploring Faith Series. Meets in the Middle School classroom. |
High School |
Essential Passages for Youth. Meets in the Youth Room. |
9 am Thursdays
- Pastor's Bible Study meets in New Library
Music Ministry
Music is an important part of our church's worship and ministry. Our vocal and instrumental choirs participate on a regular basis in our worship services and at special events.
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Chancel Choir: Rehearses Wednesdays at 7:30 pm in the Choir Room. Our thirty-plus member adult choir provides anthems and special music for the 11 am worship service and special music for many other occasions, including seasonal concerts and cantatas.
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Joy Choir: Open to the public, this group meets Thursdays at 4 pm September through May in the Fellowship Hall to rehearse familiar songs, both secular and sacred. Joy Choir ministers through song by preparing and presenting programs for the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter seasons. We are not above some dance steps, sometimes wearing hats, blowing kazoos, or dragging boas (usually the women drag the boas). We mainly perform at Chowan, Bertie, Perquimmans and Pasquotank County nursing homes and senior centers, and occasionally at EUMC. We most certainly bring joy to ourselves, but we pray that we bring JOY to our audiences, who often tap their toes, smile, and sing along. We enjoy wonderful fellowship and would love to have you join us!
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Symphonies of Praise Children's Choir: For children age 3-12, meets Sundays from 5-6 pm. Incorporates both singing and creative movement.
Youth Programs
- Acolyte Training: Acolyte training is offered for young people in grades 2 through junior high. Acolytes serve on Sundays and at special services.
- The ARK Child Care: The ARK Child Care is a high-quality, Christian-based child development program. Go to the ARK webpage for more information.
- Boy Scouts: The United Methodist Men are sponsoring a Boy Scout troup at EUMC. There are currently eight Cub Scouts, and they would like to add to their membership. You do not have to be a member of EUMC. Those interested in enrolling their boys aged 5-10 or serving as a scout leader, please contact the pastor.
- Confirmation Classes: Confirmation classes are offered annually for grades 6 and up. Classes meet Sundays at 4 pm.
- United Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF): An exciting group of teens in 6th through 12th grade meets Sundays at 5 pm in the Youth Room. Fellowship includes a meal. Encouraging service and mission among our youth, we enjoy a time of fun and fellowship, and worship and grow through study of the Word, praise through inspirational Christian music, and go out into the world and our community to serve others as Jesus commanded. We strongly encourage our youth to invite their friends and neighbors to join in this time of fellowship, discipleship, and growth. Some special fun events include an annual Youth Pilgrimage in November, a winter ski trip in January, Soup and Sandwich Luncheons, and swim and beach parties.
- Vacation Bible School: Edenton UMC teams with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church, and St. Anne’s Catholic Church for an exciting week-long summer VBS program for children age 3 through 12. Each year the number of children increases, making this an exciting and growing program in our Christian community. VBS dates are announced in early summer.
- Youth Band: For grades 6-12. Meets Sundays at 3:30 pm.
Miscellaneous Programs and Ongoing Activities
- Clown Ministry: Not just about clowning around, the Clown Ministry presents programs to our children and as outreach to local nursing homes.
- Dinner for Eight: Who’s Coming to Dinner? is the premise behind this dinner social event. All dinners are held Saturdays at 6:30 pm. Dates for the 2007-2008 season are: September 29, November 10, January 19, and March 8. A group picnic will be held Saturday, May 31.
- Memorial Rose Garden: This garden is a place of beauty and refuge, where you can view the color and smell the fragrance of the roses. The white arbor garden entrance represents your entrance into the physical world. You travel down the brick path, not always perfect – just as your life. Next is the Circle of Memories, a place to reflect on those you wish to remember. The center medallion contains a dove on top of the cross, which represents the spirits of those ascending to heaven (the dove) through the love of Christ (the cross). The Gazebo offers shelter, where you can rest and enjoy the fragrance. Another intersection contains the church's historic bell from its original church site on Broad Street. At the far end is the Meditation Arbor with benches to rest upon where you can meditate on your path through life and commune with your spirit within. The garden is a place of joy and an uplifting oasis for everyone to experience, as well as a place for wedding pictures or a small ceremony, but always an opportunity to feel the beauty of God’s creation of flowers – your Rose Garden. Forms are available for the Rose Garden Memorial Etched Bricks in the church office or on the poster board by the restored stained glass window.
- Prayer Shawls: Meets Mondays at 7 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:15 am in the New Library. Care and the love of knitting (and crochet) are combined into a prayerful ministry that reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace. Many blessings are knit into every shawl and the finished shawls are blessed during Sunday worship by our pastor. You do not have to know how to knit or crochet to take part in this caring ministry – we are always in need of help in tying and knotting the fringe onto the shawls and – very importantly – getting the shawls delivered to those who need them. Come as often as you like!
- Puppet Ministry: The Good News Puppets practice Wednesdays at 6:30-7:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall.
- Recreation and Sports: Church league softball, basketball, volleyball, bowling, horseshoes, canoeing, Frisbee, double dutch jump roping – if you’re interested in forming a team, gather up a few friends and contact the Program Coordinator to get some of these great social activities going.
- United Methodist Men (UMM): All men are welcome to join us for breakfast in the Fellowship Hall on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 8 am. UMM sponsors many of our annual fundraising efforts as well as our Boy Scouts.
- United Methodist Women (UMW): Our purpose is to know God through Jesus Christ, to enjoy a supportive fellowship, and to promote mission in the ministries of the church. “Walking Rainbows Circle” meets the second Monday of each month at 10:30 am in the Old Library. “Susannah Wesley Circle” meets the second Monday of each month at 10:30 am at the home of a member. “Circle of Friends” meets the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm in the Old Library. Unit meetings are the fourth Monday of each month at 12 noon in the Fellowship Hall. Bring your own lunch; dessert and beverage are furnished. Ladies may choose to belong to a Circle, the Unit, or both.
- Wednesday Night Fellowship Dinners: From September through May, everyone is invited to share an evening meal and fellowship in the Family Life Center. You do not have to be a church member to attend. Each month a different organization within our Church sponsors the dinners, and entertainment or a speaker usually follows the meal. A free will offering is taken to cover the meal expenses.
Working Committees
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Administrative Board: The Board is composed of the financial and business components of our Church’s committee structure and includes the trustees, financial, recording and membership secretaries, historian, wills and endowments, staff-parish relations, communications and publicity, lay leaders and pastoral staff members. It is responsible for envisioning, planning, implementing, and annually evaluating the mission and ministry of the church
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Staff-Parish Committee: Responsible for encouraging, strengthening, nurturing, supporting and respecting the pastor, staff, and their families, including developing written job descriptions for associate pastors and staff members, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of the ongoing ministry and identifying educational needs and plans.
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Council on Ministries: The balance of our Church structure serve under this Council and include the education committee, Sunday School Superintendent and assistants, librarian, stewardship, personal nurturing ministries, hospitality and kitchen committees, worship committee, youth, UMM and UMW, visitation, and age-level coordinators in addition to the lay leaders and pastoral staff members.
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Board of Trustees: Responsible for the supervision, oversight, and care of all real property owned by the local church; for the annual review of the adequacy of the insurance coverage of both property and personnel; for the administration of trusts; and for the annual accessibility audit of buildings, grounds, and facilities.
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Witness (Evangelism) Committee: This very active committee is the welcoming hands of our congregation. From planning the annual Festival of Faith and Homecoming luncheons to serving as kitchen staff for Church and community event meals, the Witness Committee seeks to make community life in our church accessible to everyone. Visitors to our church receive a 3-minute follow-up visit presenting them with a mug with our Church building motif and lots of smiles. Members of the kitchen and hospitality committees work together in many of our hosted events. It is also responsible for the photo directory to keep up to date with the many new faces we welcome into our Church home each week.
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Worship Committee: Composed primarily of ongoing committees and the chairman is charged with seeing to the carrying out of worship in the Sanctuary. The Worship Committee includes music, Altar Guild, Communion Stewards, Ushers, Home Tape Ministry, Sound and Lights. Our Music Ministry is led by our organist/choir director who chooses appropriate hymns, preludes, postludes, music for special occasions, choral anthems, soloists and guest artists. Our children’s choir, Symphonies of Praise, is led by a volunteer who enlists the aid of adult leaders to plan activities, music, creative movement and setting up performances, including our Sunday School pageants. The Altar Guild and Communion Stewards take turns ordering and preparing the elements and cleaning up afterwards. They also change the altar scarves and polish the brass. The Ushers serve not only on Sunday mornings but also as needed for funerals. They distribute bulletins and serve as greeters at the doors to our Sanctuary as well. Our home tape ministry and sound and lights volunteers prepare recordings of worship services for the homebound as well as enhance the worship environment with the audio and lighting. We have several headsets for the hearing impaired to use during worship. In addition to a housekeeper who keeps the Sanctuary clean, our Church Secretary is an important of the Worship Committee and provides the weekly bulletin and supplies necessary for the smooth running of the worship service.
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Committee on Finance: Responsible for providing an annual audit of the financial officers of the local church and its organizations, for recommending proper depositories for the church's funds, and for approving budget and budget changes.
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Stewardship: Responsible for planning and promoting a comprehensive program of stewardship in such areas as stewardship education, proportional giving and tithing, funding the church's ministries, planned giving, time and abilities, economics and money management, and lifestyle.
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Parsonage Committee: Responsible for reviewing the church-owned parsonage to ensure that proper maintenance is initiated and completed.
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Committee on Wills, Legacies, Memorials, Endowment, and Building Fund: As an advisory committee to the Administrative Board, responsible for educating the congregation on opportunities available to support the local church through “second mile giving” by recognizing their church as an important beneficiary for their charitable contributions, as well as a viable beneficiary named in their wills.
Community Outreach Programs
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AA and Al-Anon: EUMC opens its doors to provide meeting space for AA and Al-Anon meetings six days a week.
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American Red Cross: In August 2006, EUMC became certified as a Red Cross Shelter site to assist in providing support during times of emergency and natural disaster. In addition, EUMC regularly hosts Blood Drives in conjunction with the local hospital and community groups.
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Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Ministry: This is our newest ministry which began with EUMC hosting a training seminar for emergency response personnel and law enforcement. On November 1, 2006, churches around our state held candlelight services honoring loved ones and their families afflicted with this debilitating and often misunderstood disease.
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Language Bridges: Language Bridges address the communication needs of the non-English speaking adult Hispanic population of parents served by the Chowan Public School System. A retired Speech Pathologist and Church member started the program in 2001 with six mothers. Over the years, it has expanded to four levels of English, beginner through advanced, taught by a staff of six. Adult men have also joined the classes. Two professional childcare teachers conduct children's sessions with the assistance of high school students. Language Bridges is currently housed at White Oak Elementary School, and enjoys the services of a bi-lingual aide supplied by the Chowan Public School System. The group has initiated an alliance with Center Hill United Methodist Church, a predominately Hispanic/Latino congregation. Language Bridges also addresses a range of participant concerns, such as health, housing, nutrition, family needs, civil laws, taxes, and American culture. Cooking classes are held wherein students and UMW share recipes, techniques, and meals. Classes are offered in small groups (under ten pupils) Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8 pm at White Oak Elementary School. Childcare by professionals is also offered. Classes, texts, dictionaries and childcare are all free.
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Kairos Prison Ministry: “I was in prison and you visited me.” – Matthew 24:36. Kairos is an ecumenical Christian prison ministry. It is an international, lay-led highly structured program for both male and female prisons. Locally, Kairos has been involved as Pasquotank Correctional Institution for the past six and a half years. The Kairos program starts with a weekend event that allows participants to witness Christ’s love through the servitude of the Kairos volunteers. During this weekend event, participants are given the opportunity to experience a religious renewal, accepting God’s call to a life of Christian witness and service during their stay in the institution and beyond. Participants are encouraged to establish strong Christian communities within their institution. Simply put, the mission of Kairos is to “bring Christ’s love to the incarcerated, their families and those who work with them.” This mission is carried out during the event by bringing together 42 residents of the institution for three days of carefully coordinated talks, discussions, chapel meditations and music led by the loving, servant spirit of the volunteers. Following the weekend event, the residents are encouraged to gather weekly for “prayer and share” groups that help to form the Christian community behind the walls of the institution. During these weekends, the residents are introduced to such topics as forgiveness, service and friendship with God, being a product of our own choices, unconditional love and many others. These are foreign concepts for many of the residents. The topics are introduced during the talks and discussions, but just as importantly, they are modeled by the volunteers. Through the meals prepared and served, the prayer chains that we ask you to sign, the children’s letters and the thousands of chocolate chip cookies prepared, the residents begin to see and feel what God’s love can do in their lives. Two other ministries has developed to support the mission of Kairos: Kairos Outside is designed to help the women (wives, mothers and adult daughters of the incarcerated men, and Kairos Torch has been developed to help establish a mentoring relationship between youth offenders and a Christian volunteer. All in all, Kairos is a powerful ministry that truly demonstrates Christian action.
Outreach Representatives
In addition to hosting programs and ministries, many of our members act as representatives to various outreaches such as Habitat for Humanity, Advocacy, Boys and Girls Club, Native American Ministry, Volunteers in School, Chowan Hospital Volunteers, Chowan County Interfaith Disaster Relief Effort, Chowan Food Pantry, missionary support, and global ministries.
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Chowan Food Pantry: The Food Pantry is supported by Edenton United Methodist Church, nine other member churches in Chowan County and an annual donation from the United Way. Participating churches provide financial support as well as members to serve on the board; members serve a three year term and may serve one additional three year term, after which they must retire from the board. At present, there is an at-large board member and a regular board member from EUMC. The Food Pantry has been providing emergency orders of food to the Edenton-Chowan community for over twenty years; in order to qualify for food assistance, applicants must meet eligibility guidelines. Food Bank hours of operation are Monday and Thursday, 9-11:30 AM; it is located on North Broad Street Extended, within the building which houses the Clothes Closet. Those who are in need of food may apply at the Food Bank or be pre-approved through local social service agencies. Edenton UM Church designates the second Sunday of each month as Food Pantry Sunday; those in attendance are asked to contribute non-perishable items.
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