Hey McFarland, Pastor Wayne here. This has been a crazy week in our area. We have seen tornado devastation not too far from us in Middle Tennessee primarily in the area between Nashville and Cookeville. We have heard the stories of tragedy and survivors from the tornadic outbreak and we remember how the tornadoes in 2011 affected us. In the midst of the local news that we have seen the appearance of the current strain of coronavirus appear in both Tennessee and Georgia. It has been both concerning and disconcerting as we attempt to make sense of it all.
Jesus reminded us that our primary task is to love God and love neighbor. This past Sunday, I asked you to give (over and above your giving to support the ministries of McFarland UMC) to support the disaster and recovery ministries of UMCOR in the Tennessee Conference. With attendance being a little lower than normal on Sunday, you gave $147.00. We will continue collecting for tornado relief funds through the end of the month. You may give by check or cash by mail or in the Sunday offering, mark your check for “tornado offering.” You may also give online by clicking on the GIVE NOW link at the bottom of this page and choosing “360 – UMCOR Projects.” If you give online, please scroll down to the memo text entry box and let us know that you are giving to “TN Tornado Relief.”
We will collect a special UMCOR Sunday offering to support the administrative costs of UMCOR on March 29 so that all of the relief offerings can go to the area of need without having to support administration. UMCOR is one of the things that we do right as a global church and the annual UMCOR (formerly One Great Hour of Sharing) offering makes sure that what 100% of what you give for disaster relief goes to disaster relief and not to administrative overhead. On March 29, you may give by check or cash (mark you gift for OGHS) or you may give online via the GIVE NOW link at the bottom of this page and choose “303 – One Great Hour of Sharing”
In addition, we have been given the same assignment for this year’s Annual Conference “Hand on Mission” emphasis as last year. If you recall, these were home buckets. Last year, I sourced the prices for bulk purchase of the needed items to go into the buckets themselves and Barbara and I.O. were able to get the buckets donated by Lowe’s for a price around $18 per bucket. While I haven’t priced the items (yet), I’m hoping to have those numbers soon. We will give you options for Cash, Check, and Online giving,
“Love the Lord your God, with all of you heart, your soul, your mind, your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” It is the Great Commandment. At McFarland UMC, we can do that in so many ways. If you can help online, then scroll down to the “GIVE NOW” button below. We thank you and appreciate your help as we seek to live into the Kingdom of God.
