Ames UMC

Welcome

Welcome to the website of Ames United Methodist Church. While we are a small country church, we seek to connect people with the gospel and the life that God intends for us. The purpose of this website is to give you a little taste of who we are and invite you to stop in, sit a while, and join us while we worship and grow with our Lord.

Pastor Marty and the Ames Church family

Newsletter

Ames/Harmony Charge Newsletter

May/June 2011

Taking Methodist Fundamentals into the Future

An excerpt from the March 18, 2011 issue of The United Methodist Reporter by UMR Columnist Donald W. Haynes

God’s character is love. Over and over again Wesley preached from and referred to the text: “We love because God first loved us” (I John 4:19).

If, then, our salvation is rooted in God’s character and that character is unrelenting love that surpasses any human love, then we believe that everyone can be saved.

A Methodist fundamental is that God’s love is for all humankind, not just the Elect.

God wills all his children to “come home.”

Wesley preached to “awaken the soul” of his listeners. Sensing God’s tenderly calling us, we can repent of our sins and receive God’s saving grace. Our journeys are very different. Some have no conscious memory of accepting Jesus as personal savior because of the Christian nurture in family and home church. For others, it is a dramatic, identifiable moment. The Greek word for repentance is “metanoia,” which means turning and going a different way. Repentance is quite different from remorse, which leaves us wallowing in our guilt. Wesley called this the “threshold” through which we step, a volitional acceptance of God’s amazing grace and forgiving love. This experience of grace is another Methodist fundamental.

Perfecting grace is our pilgrim journey as the Holy Spirit leads us to let God, in Charles Wesley’s words, “breathe…thy loving spirit into every troubled breast. Let us all in thee inherit; let us find that second rest.” He concludes this “love divine, all loves excelling” as setting “our hearts at liberty.” We can always backslide (another Methodist fundamental!) but perfecting grace does make us “more like the Master.”

To insure our growth in grace, Wesley employed what he called “means of grace.” This leads us to what he called “holiness of life and heart,” our final Methodist fundamental. The list varied, but Wesley always included “searching the scriptures,” prayer, frequent communion, and what he called “holy conversation.”

To echo A.B. Davidson, “The vision bears upon the future and must be preserved; it is of common interest to all, learned and unlearned.” Wesley gave us this vision in our powerful Methodist fundamentals; it’s up to us to learn them and bear them into the future.

New Group Homes Near Denton

The Board of Child Care is building two new group homes near Denton. Two introductory meetings will be held for interested people from local churches to hear more about the opportunity for ministry these group homes bring. They will be on Thursday May 12. The first will be at St. Mark’s UMC in Easton at 5:30p.m. The second will be at Kent Island UMC in Chester, at 7:30p.m. Each meeting will last about one hour.

Save the Date for the Threshermens Show

The youth group will be making funnel cakes at the Eastern Shore Threshermen Show again this year. The Show goes from August 5-7. Anyone interested is welcome to come out and help during that weekend.

Tornado Relief Assistance for Alabama

Recent tornados have wreaked a path of death and destruction in the south and Alabama was especially hit hard. North Alabama Conference is asking for assistance during this time.

If you want to give an offering, please give through UMCOR’s website, or make a check out to the North Alabama Conference labeled with the Advance number 3021326. I encourage you to follow the conference website, or find North Alabama missions on Facebook at www.facebook.com/missionsnal

This is a trying time for many, and we are called to, with God at our side, help to heal a hurting world. We will release any further information as we receive it. God bless.

-Rev. Matt Lacey, Director of Mission

Finance Letter

Dear Ames Church Family,

Grace and Peace to you in the name of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ! What a wonderful thing to be part of God’s family and be connected through our church family. The purpose of this letter is to communicate some things going on at the church so that you are kept informed, namely in the area of the projected building expansion and a proposed change in Ames’ contribution to pastoral expenses.

First, the building committee is moving ahead in its charge to obtain preliminary plans, gather estimated costs, and create a financial funding plan for the proposed building expansion project. When these pieces are in place, another church conference will be scheduled for any persons to voice opinion and for members to vote on the “go-ahead” for the project. As noted in the approved resolution of March 16^th, the cost of the project will not exceed $75,000 nor will it entail putting a lien on the current property.

Second, the Staff/Pastor/Parish Relations Committee has made a recommendation to change the current 50/50 split between Ames and Harmony churches for meeting pastor compensation and salary expenses. The recommendation is to change to a 55/45 split with Ames picking up 55% of the expenses. According to a policy written and unanimously approved by both churches a few years back, the pastor expenses would be split solely on the basis of the average worship attendance at each church. Currently, Ames has an average attendance of 46 and Harmony has an average attendance of 36.5; therefore the proposed split is in accordance with the previously approved policy. This change will require Ames to pay an additional $315 per month toward pastoral expenses, with a proposed start in May. Finalization of these changes will be made within the joint finance and respective administrative council meetings.

The $315 is not seen as an undue burden on Ames, as the current monthly average of giving through offerings and tithes is   $ xxxxx , with the average monthly expenses totaling about   xxxxx  . There are enough funds at this time to meet this change.

As always, we strive to be good stewards of all the resources God has given us and to work in partnership with our sister church in Harmony. If you have additional questions, feel free to ask the Lay Leader Harley Speir, Finance Chair David Smith, or Pastor Rebecca Kelly.

In Christ’s Service,

Rev. Rebecca Kelly                          Harley Speir                            David Smith

Pastor                                                   Lay Leader                               Finance Chairman

Ames Building Project is Moving Forward

In March, the church conference at Ames unanimously approved moving forward to get proposed plans, preliminary budget and preliminary funding plan for the addition of a new kitchen, restroom and storage space to be extended form the current fellowship hall. The proposed building project committee is moving forward with gathering information and have come up with the following floor plan for the addition of the kitchen and expansion space. An informational question and answer meeting will be opened to all interested later in May prior to holding the final church conference for approval to move forward with the breaking ground. All will be able to attend the church conference but only church members will be able to cast a vote for the building plan.

Keep an eye on the bulletin for the date of that informational meeting. In addition, questions may be forwarded to any of the committee members: John Kanarr, Jean Bradley, Bill Towers, Harley Speir, and Glenn Collison.

Angelfood Calendar

Contact

The office is open Wed. and Fri., from 9 a.m. to 12p.m.
Office phone number is 410-673-1805.

Please call office by Wed., for any announcements or prayer needs to be put in the bulletin.

Deadline for bi-monthly newsletter is in the office by noon on the last Monday of the even numbered month.

To contact the church office by phone, call 410-673-1805, or parsonage at 410-673-2411

or email ameshumcoffice@yahoo.com

Our mailing address is: Ames UMC- P.O. Box 145 – Preston, Md. 21655

History

Ames Church United Methodist Church

Ames Church had its origin in the Oaks School House near Hobbs. Rev. W.Z. Crouse rode from Preston on horseback and held church services in the school. In 1876 the present church was built on land donated by William G. Horsey. Saulsbury Hobbs, W. H. Willey, and William Seth Evetts were members of the building committee. The Rev. William C. Ames, whose name the church bears, dedicated the church in 1877 and served as the first pastor. A little later the same year, it became a part of the Caroline Circuit of the Methodist Protestant Conference. In the 1930s, the Oaks School was bought by Ames Church and moved into Hobbs as a community building. Ham and oyster suppers, Christmas pageants and birthday parties were held in the old building until it was sold in the late 1980s.

The original church has been remodeled three times and new pews added. The original arrangement had two aisles. In 1956 the Sunday school attendance grew and a new room was added to the back of the auditorium with money and labor donated by local people. Curtains divided the room for three classes. Three more Sunday school rooms were added in 1961. In the late 1980s the first indoor plumbing was installed and the old outhouse moved. At the same time, one large room and a kitchen were made from the several small Sunday school rooms.

Brother churches on the charge with Ames have been Piney, Burrisville, Prospect, Thawleys (in Hickman), Grace (Denton), St. Lukes and Harmony. At the time the church was on the charge with Burrisville, in the 1920s and 1930s, the parsonage was located in Hobbs.

The church, though small by most standards, is growing and thriving here in the 21st century. The history of all successful churches is a commitment to growth and to spreading the Gospel. Throughout the Eastern Shore there are numerous small churches that have lost membership and now stand vacant beside the roads. With the help of God and the time and talents of the members and pastors, this will not be the fate of Ames.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 – Men’s breakfast at Harmony at 7a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 – Men’s breakfast at Harmony at 7a.m.

Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 – “Winter-Grass” Bluegrass Concert to benefit Ames UMC building fund at 2p.m. at the home of Bill and Gail Towers (26299 Sennett Rd., Denton, MD). Inside event, bring a lawn chair, food will be available. Bands performing are Flatland Drive, New & Used Bluegrass and Ray Sheridan. Cost is $10 donation at the door. Snow date is Feb. 5, 2012.

Music CD featuring Sunshine Band and Children’s Choir available to purchase for $15. Proceeds benefit Ames building fund.

Prayers

Directions

Located at the juncture of Sennett Rd and Hobbs Rd, southeast of Denton; if traveling north toward Denton on MD 404, turn right onto Sennett Road and travel 1.7 miles until it intersects with Hobbs Rd.

For GPS directions, enter 26405 Hobbs Rd, Denton, MD

For more directions, go to www.mapquest.com

Small Groups

Small groups are forming!

• Young Adults Group (ages 18-29): This group plans to focus on discovering God’s plan for our lives and growing in faith. They are currently doing a study by Andy Stanley called “Discovering God’s Will.”  For more info and meeting dates contact Kelsey Moran or the church office.
• Youth Group for teenagers plans to meet the first Sunday of every month. For more information contact Tammy Lednum at tammysmithlednum@hotmail.com
• Emmaus Reunion Group meets after morning worship at Ames every 3rd Sunday.
• Men’s breakfast group meets every other Saturday at Harmony at 7a.m. See calendar for dates.