SHADY GROVE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

Faith-Sharing Team: Develop and encourage faith-sharing opportunities in the church that promote outreach to unchurched people.

You’ve Been Mugged: Takes a mug and church information to visitors homes and welcomes them to Shady Grove.

Lay Speaker:  A lay member of the church who conducts, or assist in conducting, services of worship, and present sermons and addresses when requested either in the home church or in other United Methodist churches.

Van Ministry: Pick up those who do not have a way to come to Sunday School and church.  We also pick up for special events.

Discipleship Team: Develop and encourage study opportunities in the church that promote spiritual growth.

Small Group Studies: Groups of 6-10 people that meet to study the Bible, and related topics in addition to supplying support for each other.  Some of these are on going groups that continue to meet together and change topics.  Other groups will do a study and then break up.

Marriage Classes:  Classes to help couples strengthen their marriages and develop a Christian marriage.

Recovering in Christ:  A biblical and balanced program to help people overcome their hurts, habits, hang-ups and addictions.

Prayer Team:  The team that prays for and follows up on every specific prayer request that comes through the bulletin.  They coordinate all church prayer chains, prayer pagers and prayer events.

Knee Mail:  E-mail prayer list and you are requested to pray for them.

Upper Room Prayer Line: Once a month answer the Upper Room Prayer Line where people from through out the country call for prayer request.  Pray with them and encourage them.

Emmaus Walk: The Walk to Emmaus is a UMC sponsored three-day weekend experience that emphasizes spiritual wholeness through a group experience.  This includes preparation time before the weekend, a real intense time of spiritual prayer, communion and teaching which leads to a real examination of your commitment to Christ, the church and to your call in God.

Sunday School – Adult:  Study the Bible, Spiritual and Social issues.  Each class determines the subject they are studying.

Sunday School – Jr. High:  6^th-8^th grade students discuss the Bible, Spiritual, and Social issues as they relate to them under the leadership of a mature Christian.

Sunday School – Sr. High:  9^th-12^th grade students discuss the Bible, Spiritual, and Social issues as they relate to them under the leadership of a mature Christian.

Sunday School – Elementary Shepherds:  Weekly guiding children grades K-5^th as they rotate through different discoveries of the same Bible Story.  A shepherd is the leader of the age group stays in contact with students.  A shepherd does not prepare a weekly lesson.

Sunday School – Elementary Rotation Teacher:  Bible learning classes of 1st-6th grades that include games, stories, cooking, or crafts, discussions of Bible stories and characters with applications to practical living.  Teacher rotate so

Sunday School – Preschool Teacher/Assistant:  Teaching/assisting in our preschool class ages 3-4.  Preparing the weekly lesson and guiding young minds though our Veggie Tale curriculum. 

Sunday School Secretary – Maintains records of early service and SS attendance and offering.

Nursery Coordinator: Plans and schedules nursery activities and volunteers to ensure our youngest attendees have a safe, clean, well supervised nursery.

Nursery Volunteer:  We have 2 separate nursery spaces for our children 0-2 and children 3-4.  Volunteers assist with child care.  We provide a clean and safe space for our youngest attendees at Shady Grove UMC.  There is always a minimum of 2 adults in each room.

Library Team: Maintain the church library by evaluating and recommending resources, and promoting library use by people of all ages.

Mission Team: Develop and encourage service opportunities in the church that promote missions and ministry.  Identify, train and encourage spiritual leadership in the church.

Benevolence Fund: We provide monetary help for those with short-term needs. 

Christmas for the Kids: Provides Christmas gifts and clothing for children in the Shady Grove area.

Jefferson County Christmas Boxes: A county wide program that provides Christmas food boxes for the needy of Jefferson County.

Hands-On Mission Project: Prepare school kits or food buckets for children in other countries as part of a United Methodist Church effort to help educate them.  Last year over 6,000 buckets were sent to Africa.

Safe Space: Safe Space is an agency and home for abused women and their children in Sevier, Jefferson and Cocke Counties. 

Support for our Troops: Collect and send personal items to our troop serving overseas.

Youth and Adult Mission Trips:  Short-term mission teams that participate in projects around the country that are designed to help the people of the area and introduce various aspects missions to team members.

Breakfast for Kids:  A free breakfast is served to children and others every week before Sunday School. 

Covers of Love: Small blankets are made for children who have been displaced from their homes.  These are distributed to local organizations to be used as needed.

Food Pantry:  Provides free food for those in the Dandridge area who are in need.  Sponsored by the Dandridge Ministerial Association.

Clothes Closet :   Provides free clothing for those in the Dandridge area who are in need.  Sponsored by the Dandridge Ministerial Association.

Habitat For Humanity:  An international organization to eliminate inadequate housing by working with God's people to build modest, adequate homes. 

Change for Children: We collect pocket change from people at church to be used for children project locally, nationally, and worldwide.

UMCOR: United Methodist Committee on Relief mission is to alleviate human suffering – whether caused by war, conflict, or natural disaster – with open minds and hearts to all people.  We supply funds and volunteers as requested.

Holston Children’s Home: A United Methodist Children’s Home that we help support.  There are opportunities for volunteers for certain programs.

Fellowship Team: Develop and encourage fellowship opportunities in the church that promote deeper Christian relationships.

Hospitality Coordinator: Coordinates Hospitality events such as dinners, picnics, and special events.

Parent’s Day Out:  Youth provide child care near Christmas time so parents can have a day away from the children to do shopping.

Weight Watchers:  A weight lost program with coaching and support group.

Wednesday Night Fellowship Meal & Meals for Shut-Ins:  Free Thursday Night Dinner for everyone.  Often followed by small groups or fellowship activities.  We provide/delivery meals to those who can not get out to come and fellowship with us.  Very soon we will have youth, children, and adult Bible lessons offered to deepen spiritual growth.

Blue Shirt Ladies: Ladies meet once a month for fun and fellowship eating lunch at different restaurants in the area.  Often there is a short shopping opportunity. 

The Lunch Bunch:  Monthly meets for lunch at a local restaurant, devotion and fellowship.

Kitchen Crew:  Maintains the kitchen and supplies.  Provides meals on Thursday night and at other special events.

Worship Team: Develop and encourage meaningful worship experiences in the church that allow us to exalt Christ in the world today.

Music Minister: Arranges to have music for all services, leads the Chancel Choir and with the Pastor determines the music for the services.

Chancel Choir:  A vocal group that participates in the worship services as well as civic programs.  The Chancel Choir leads the late worship service.

Children Hand bell Choir Director:  Plans, prepares and teaches children to play hand bells to lead portions of Sunday worship services.

Praise Band:  A team of instrumentalists who play for Praise Services on Sunday nights.

Musicians:  Provide music for worship.

Vocalists:  Provide special music for worship and other special events.

Worship Usher:  The welcoming team that assists people into the worship service by welcoming people, handing out bulletins, overseeing the service in general, and assisting people where needed.

Alter Care:  Creatively decorates and maintains the altar and pulpit area to give visual aids to worship during seasonal times, sermon series, and church-wide emphases.  Also provides the bread and juice for communion.

Audio/Video: A team which provides the sound, projection and future video recording for our services and music activities.

Tape/Video:  This ministry provides either those who miss a weekend, or someone who lives out of the area a chance to get the service by coordinating and producing all the audio visual tapes. (Coming when New Sanctuary opens)

Drama Team:  Provide plays and skits for services and special events.

Story Tellers:  Tells stories to children during Sunday School, Children’s Church and special events.

Finance Team: Promote good stewardship in the church by reviewing and managing the financial resources of the church to help us fulfill or mission and ministry.

Church Treasurer: Performs the treasurer function for the church.

Auditor: Audits the church’s accounting system yearly to ensure the correct records are being maintained in good order.

Biblical Financial Study:  Short term class to help participants learn the Biblical method to manage their finances.  

Financial Counseling:  Trained counselors work with people that need help with finances.

Estate Planning:  Trained counselors work with people to help them with estate planning.

Staff-Parish Relations Team: Determine, recommend and support the necessary clergy and staff leadership needed to help us fulfill our mission and ministry as a church.

Lay Leader: Primary lay representative of the laity of the church.  Works with the pastor to establish ministries that most effectively fulfill the Church’s mission.

Board of Trustees: Review and maintain the physical facilities and resources of the church to allow us to fulfill our mission and ministry.

Building Team: Review the physical facilities and resources of the church and recommend detailed plans and cost estimates for a new building program.

Space Utilization Team:  Assesses current physical facilities, ministry space needs, and future ministry needs and recommends renovations to be completed in phases over a short period of time.

Administrative Council: Support the total mission of the church by providing necessary oversight, resources, and encouragement needed to help our Ministry Teams carry out their duties.

Vision for Ministry Team: Support the total mission and ministry of the church by bringing all Team Leaders together for purposes of communication, accountability, support and planning.

Historian:  Maintains a history of Shady Grove United Methodist Church.

United Methodist Men: Group of men organized to enable outreach in individual and group mission and ministry and to encourage and support spiritual growth, faith development and responsibilities of discipleship.  Men’s work groups helps rebuild and repair homes of those in need.

United Methodist Women:  Group of women organized to encourage and support spiritual growth, missionary outreach, and Christian social action. 

Meals for Needs:  Provides meals when families have special situations such as illness or death.

Jefferson/Cocke County Youth Cluster:  Combined activities with other United Methodist Churches in Jefferson and Cocke counties including hosting a once a year youth rally the last Sunday of October each year.

Wesley Woods Summer Camp Coordinator:  Coordinates the registration, transportation, and fund-raising to send children to Camp Wesley Woods - a rustic Christian adventure camp that encourages children to commit their lives to Christ and grow spiritually. 

Trunk or Treat:  The outreach event that is provided as an alternative to traditional Halloween.  This team of people help with the organization and administration of the carnival style event.

Easter Egg Hunt:  A traditional Easter event for the children.

Resurrection Chaperones: Chaperone teens who attend Resurrection - a spiritual renewal youth weekend retreat in Gatlinburg with 12,000 youth and adults.

Children’s Church:  Children, grades K-2, have their own church service during the last half of the 11 o’clock service.  The leader and assistant provide an educational and inspiring worship experience for them.

Youth Volunteer:  Encouraging youth to grow spiritually, and with evangelism in small groups of students 5-10 kids, participate as a chaperone on youth events such as Resurrection, summer mission trips, one day youth outings and other youth events. 

Vacation Bible School:  A themed weeklong summer program of religious education, skits, puppet shows, arts and crafts, and songs which cater toward elementary aged children.

Journey for Jesus:  Our six week summer adventure.  For six Thursday nights during the summer children ages 4-grade 5 gather for a time of food, fun, fellowship, and story time. 

Day Camp:  This is for ages 4-1^st grade.  Day camp is offered the same week the bigger kids go to Wesley Woods. 

Sing Along Gang:  Our children’s choir for kids up to grade 5 meets on Wednesday nights during the fall.  They prepare for our Christmas program and special music for our worship services.  Look for a year-round choir to begin in January of 2009!

Hospital Support Team:  Provides support for patients and family during surgeries and hospital stays.  

Photography:  Provide photography services for church events.

Technology Team:  Provides technical support for the church’s computers, sound systems, and similar items.

Need a Ride:  Provides rides to church, doctors, or other places for people who do not have a way to get there.

Stephen Ministers:  Lay people who undergo 50 hours of training provided by the Pastor and Stephen Leaders to be able to provide one-on-one Christian care to hurting people in our church and community.

Stephen Leaders:   Lay people who attend a national week-long workshop to learn how to lead and direct the Stephen Ministry at SGUMC.  Responsibilities include teaching Stephen Ministry training session, identifying people who need care, coordinating and supervising caring relationships.

United Methodist Knights:  A group of middle-school aged boys learning to become men in the modern world by learning the age-old values of respect and service to others (what used to be called chivalry). 

United Methodist Knight Volunteers:  Men who volunteer to serve on Sunday evenings and/or participate in occasional weekend activities to chaperone the boys in the UM Knights ministry.

Congregational Care Ministry Action Team– A group of people who will begin studying the issue of how to successfully implement a comprehensive congregational care ministry at Shady Grove.  This group will conclude its work by implementing an action plan to begin this new ministry.  (For members in a crisis, see Stephen Ministry.)

Shut-In Team – People who will develop and participate in a regular visitation ministry to church members who are home bound due to medical conditions.

Annual Events - Rummage Sale, Valentine Banquet, Mother-Daughter Tea, Clean-up Day, Turkey Dinner, Homecoming, Summer Picnic at Cotton's (when the Lake is full).

Angel Food Ministries - Provides food at low cost to anyone, not just the needy.  A regular box provides balanced nutrition and variety with enough food to feed a family of four for an entire week.