2022
Youth Mission Trip 2022 – Save the Date!
Youth Mission Trip 2022 – Save the Date!
Registration will be coming soon! All youth (middle and high schoolers, boys and girls) are invited to the Youth Mission Trip 2022 for a time of service and fellowship. Our trip will take place July 24th through 30th in Wilkesboro, NC. Mark your calendars! More details to follow!
2022
Music & Arts Camp – Save the Date!
Registration will be coming soon for the BEST, most AMAZING music & arts camp! Rising 1st through 8th graders are invited to be a part of HLUMC’s Music & Arts Camp from July 18th through the 22nd. Mark your calendars! More details to follow.
2022
Thank you for supporting HLUMC on AmazonSmile!
Shop ‘Til You Drop! Thank you to everyone who designated HLUMC as your Amazon Smile charity. Hawthorne Lane Church received $31.02 for Quarter 4 and a total of $71.37 for 2021. Amazon Smile has the same products, same prices and same features BUT Amazon makes a small donation to our church for every eligible Smile purchase.
Please make HLUMC your Amazon Smile charity for 2022! https://amzn.to/3ANeR7z
2021
Blanket Collection
Jesus came to bring hope, peace, love, and joy to this world and we are challenged to carry that forward. One way we can show the love of Jesus Christ is by sharing warmth with those in need. In addition to helping with Room In the Inn over the next few months we are inviting you to bring a blanket for refugees coming through Charlotte. Preferably a new blanket – at least twin size. Bring it to the church any Sunday for worship OR to the Live Nativity service on Christmas Eve.
HERE is a WORD from the Lord – it’s in the form of warmth and love!
2021
Room In The Inn
Room in the Inn provides shelter and food for homeless neighbors during the winter months (December 1st – March 31st). The program offers people of faith the opportunity to help keep homeless neighbors from freezing on cold winter nights. A greater goal is to provide a more personal relationship to homeless people, at least for a night, and to foster a deeper understanding of the depth and complexity of the issue. Together, we can serve our neighbors in love.
Our church will host 6-8 neighbors every Tuesday night through March in Evans Hall. Volunteer positions include setting up the beds, cooking and serving the meal, helping with laundry, driving the neighbors to and from Roof Above, staying overnight, general hospitality and fellowship, and more! The following Covid protocols are in place.
- All neighbors taking part in Room in the Inn will be vaccinated.
- Vaccinations are suggested for volunteers. Social Distancing is needed for sleeping arrangements. As a result, we are lowering our number of neighbors to eight each Tuesday night.
- Volunteers and Neighbors will have to wear masks at all times, except while actively eating, sleeping, or taking a shower.
Please sign up to help!
Contact Pat Parsons at 704-577-8175 with any questions or concerns.
2021
Kids Extravaganza!
Parents: Do you need some shopping time? Register your kids, age 3 through 5th grade, for our Kids Christmas Extravaganza! We will have games, crafts, wrapping, Bible lessons, lunch, movies, and LOTS of FUN! $20 per child will cover lunch, supplies, and staffing. Reserve your spot today!
2021
Christmas Poinsettias
‘Tis the season when United Methodist sanctuaries around the world bloom into shades of red created by poinsettias! Symbolically, we have Jesus’ life story in one plant. The leaves symbolize the star that led the Wise Men to the newborn Jesus, the red leaves are a reminder of the blood of Christ shed during His crucifixion and the white leaves represent Christ’s purity. With this, the poinsettia represents not only the birth of Jesus, but also Christ’s resurrection.
Help us fill our sanctuary with the color of Christmas! Order your poinsettias for $14 each in honor or memory of a loved one. They will arrive in the sanctuary on December 19th. Please let them spread cheer in the sanctuary through the Christmas Eve services. They are slightly larger this year!
2021
Summer FunDay
Save the Date!!! Sunday Fun Day 2021 is COMING!!!!! 2 Waterslides!!!! Hot dog meal!!!! Great Fellowship and MORE!!!! Please join us at 4pm om August 22nd!!!
2021
Music Camp ’21
HLUMC Music and Theatre Camps are ON! It’s been a long hard year – send your kids to one of the best camps around for music and arts. All of your favorite directors and teachers are ready for singing, drama, media, art design, instruments and everything in between. Sign up now to secure a spot! July 19-23, 9am-3pm. Rising 1st – 8th graders. (Covid changes – more spacing, smaller classes, singing with masks on…BUT we are going to make a MOVIE! How fun is that!)
Email Carrie Wright cwright@hlumc.org if you have questions.
2021
#daringtodream
UPDATE to #daringtodream – June 23, 2021
Forty of us gathered a few weeks ago to begin a discussion about the shape of future ministries at HLUMC. We met for a little over 90 minutes, shared a great lunch, and greater discussion. We will reprise that gathering on July 11. THIS time we will have sub sandwiches! We hope even more will come to share as we dream the dreams that are grounded in the past and imagine the future. We will have small-group discussions around Christian Formation, Missions, Worship, and Building Utilizations/Finances. Bring your ideas, your hopes and join us for this session following worship on July 11. And be sure to check below for information that came out of our last discussion. Hard copies will be available in the sanctuary.
UPDATE to #daringtodream – June 6, 2021
We met on June 6th after worship for almost 2 hours. We began the process of dreaming for the future of God’s kingdom here at HLUMC and in the community around us. We had a great lunch, heard from Pastor Tom and Pastor Carrie about the strategy and purpose and then split up into 4 groups each taking on an area to dream for the future. So far we only have notes but the gathering were great and we enjoyed the brainstorming together. See here some of the ideas that came from the sessions. Next we will gather again – after church July 11th for lunch again. We will challenge ourselves to join a different group and continue the brainstorming. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Worship Dreaming
- LIvestream – upgrade our equipment, enhance our streaming, reach more people, be a service to our members
- Run the sunday service at different times during the week
- Help develop community in person
- Mini sermons
- Outside Worship is good
- Advertise worship services in yard on sign
- Outside concert or Traditional hymn sing
- What is the purpose of online? Is it to eventually get them to participate on sunday morning?
- How to get the feel of outside inside – remove pews HAHA
- More relaxed
- Mixing ages
Spiritual Formation
- Traditional sunday school has gone by way side, still works for some – miller, friendship
- 30 minute sunday school – parents in coffee house
- Energy in this room – different ages
- BIble instruction for children – how to make that happen
- Reaching out to college age – get their perspective
- Daunting to join a class that meets every week – maybe a special class or lecture once a month. Helps people not feel locked in.
- Look at how other churches are doing small groups, online verses in person
- Same content goes out in
Missions
- Find one big idea that centers our church, where everyone can jump in
- like – Adopting a school
- help with after care when children discharged from hospital
- Find something we can be proud of and put our name on
- Keep what we have but pick one big platform
- Food pantry in yard – community exchange of goods
Building/Finance
- Grow the number of givers
- Become more dependent on non congregational giving.
- Other uses for the building – 2nd floor
- Weddings – market the sanctuary
- Grow livestream – banner ads on website.
- Movies on the lawn, food trucks – alcohol
- Only methodist church on light rail – monetize the parking lot
- Service on the light rail schedule
***Here’s a more detailed list from the building dreamers.
Attendees at the June 6th Meeting
Harry Simmons, Anne Muholland, Gene and Kathy Magnarini , Tommy and Dianne Lawing, Russ Ford , Chris, Michelle, Lex, and Caden Jandebeur, Allison Stanley, Keri Kapan, Bill and Sylvia Caldwell, David Turner, Christian Conrad , Meg and Doug Johnson, Joe and Rachel Rempson, Star Stroud, Jones family, David Dorsey, Deloris Varner, Lizanne and Sara Miskelly, Morgan Boyce, Byron Hinson, Kris Dell, Beverly Stewart, Gina Sims, Ed and Linda Sloan
We are in a time of discernment at HLUMC…considering how God has worked through and in Hawthorne Lane folks and then what God has in store for the future. Covid has taught us that there are so many more possibilities than we ever dreamed of. God can and will do amazing things – but they may not look anything like what we have now…or a little of what we have now and a little of whatever we can dream. God’s creation is the limit – which is no limit at all really! What we have been talking about are three things. First – what are the essentials? What do we need to have – the most important elements to being a faith community together? These are what we have come up with:
- Scripture
- Prayer – speaking to God and listening to God
- A way/place to gather as believers to worship God that includes praise, preaching & sacrament
- Community – people who gather together to study, to worship, to be a part of one another lives
- Mission/Service – we are strong believers that church must be a place to serve together
Pastor Tom has been leading a series of sermons helping us see how scripture can guide us in our discernment. One thing to know is that as the general United Methodist Church makes some serious decisions in the future – Hawthorne Lane will remain connected to the current UMC. Below will be our guiding principles (paraphrased from Bishop Ken Carter)
1. The UMC will be based on the scriptures, the creeds, and the doctrinal standards of the UMC.Anyone who says we are not is breaking the ninth commandment. But the bible is not time- and culture-locked. We will grow in our understanding of the Bible and ourselves as we study it together.
2. We will work against injustice, systemic and personal: racism, yes, and any other kind of “-ism” that demeans the worth or belittles our belief that all persons are made in the image of God.)
3. We will guarantee clergy appointments, and encourage ministers to care, equip and lead God’s people. We will not limit the scope and consequence of God’s call based on our imperfect judgments, but will try to help every child of God hear and live-out their call.
4. We will continue to believe in and see the extraordinary result of ordinary people doing their faithful work (obeying Jesus’ command to love their neighbors as he loves—TRS)
5. We will be a church where all are welcome, where all may participate, and where all may lead according to the gifts and graces given them by God.
Next…
Where/when have you experienced God at HLUMC – or another way to ask it – When did HLUMC become THE church for you? A place to worship, grow, and serve? There are large boards in the sanctuary but you can send in your thoughts on social media or right here on this form and the worship team will put them up on the board for you! HLUMC has an amazing past – some incredible God moments have been all along the way – let’s remember them together.
This is what folks said about how they knew HLUMC was THE church…
- Children’s ministry and youth group, esp the wonderful leaders
- The immediate friendliness of the congregation
- 501
- Dedicated and friendly chrisitan family
- Community acceptance, felt included, called by name
- Friendship class accepting of us.
- The people
- The church. – fellowship, service, home for children and family
- Making the sounding board louder for Jesus
- Companions in Christ with Elizabeth graves
- Jim Evans – lessons on grace, emphasis on positivity
- Being married in this church and seeing my children/grandchildren baptized
- Baptism
- Positivity
- Christian friendships, Sunday school and choirs
- Friendly warm place to worship. We now have the best pastor ever
- The loving youth group
- Love and friendship
- Lizanne miskelly – she’s amazing
- 501
- Love the people here
- My kids feel home
- Jim evans
- The junior choir
- Church family surrounding me through cancer
- Sunday school class
- Friends, closeness of everyone
- Born in the church
- Music
- Treehouse room – ms. Karen and ms. Mary
- Children’s ministry taught my children love of God, known by leaders
- I love my church because everyone is a friend
- Teachers of the word
- People and pastors
- 501
- 501
- Music ministry with so many options and active people
- Relatability of Tom sharing his journey during first meeting for baptism
- 1st mission trip to georgia
- Pastors
- David Dorsey
- Friends, classes bible studies, pastors, BBQ
- Best choir/praise team
- Youth leaders
- Children’s directors
- Tim armstrong playing and singing
- Sara miskelly
- Entire congregation participates in service
AND THEN…
Where and how is God calling us into the future?! Let’s brainstorm together! All ideas are welcome – no matter how crazy they might seem. Already we have on on board ideas about repairs, a zipline, and youth only worship. What dream is God putting on your heart? Again – you can post them with sticky notes, post pictures, put them on social media or put them on this form and a worship team member will put them up for you. Remember – there is no unacceptable answer – dream big!
Here are some of our FUTURE ideas!
- Reach out to community
- More youth led Mission Work
- Dedication of teachers of the Word
- A place where all are welcomed and celebrated
- More diverse
- A continued children’s ministry that is strong
- A church where the whole family is served
- A special effort to maintain contact with college age
- Staying traditional and to roots but still accepting everyone
- Take a small group out to start an extension of HLUMC with coffee house style worship
- Dedicated authentic and friendly christian family that is intentionally accepting of all who seek jesus
- Turn chapel into a cry room
- Love
- A place for college kids to come back to
- Vibrant children’s ministry
- A gathering place for the community. To get out from our screens and be together
- Love, acceptance, positivity
- Continue beautiful lawn events
- A light for truth in an increasing secular world
- Missions
- Teaching and education
- Do everything you can to keep HLUMC open and functional for all who will enter
- Sunday school classes start again
- Start a youth version of 501
- Church is a safe place for all people
- My kids continue here for years
- What is the marketing plans for future
- Safe place for God’s children
- Summer music camp, youth mission
- Church home to many families
- Less music, more time to preach
- Stay strong as this kind of church, opportunities to serve, open minded
- A willing membership to step up to do what needs to be done without being asked
- Growth
- Find a way for children and youth to balance church with secular activities
- Spiritual growth
- Way to serve
- Authentic worship
- Family and community
- Community
- Incorporate old and new
- Reach out to members who have stopped coming
- Play one gospel hymn every Sunday
- More online things
- Daily shout out
- Members more inviting
- Youth and kids participate more.
- Do something online m-th at noon
- Ask people to share more
- Share faith
- Continue to grow in worship no matter what form of worship
UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS
- A time to discuss the future of the church: June 6th after worship. Lunch provided. Text Pastor Tom or Carrie if you want to join in. tsteagald@hlumc.org, cwright@hlumc.org