After graduating from the University of Georgia, I took a few years “off” to work in campus ministry and discern where God was calling me long-term. It was a beautiful season personally as some of my most treasured friendships, including meeting and becoming engaged to Emma, were nurtured during that season. It also was formative for me as I learned from some great leaders, and also used it as an opportunity to do a lot of focused independent studies into different styles of ministry and leadership. I have many memories from those three years, but there are a few lines that have stuck with me when I think about what it means to lead and do something significant:

1. “You need to be in charge of something” – my boss

2. “Can you recommend a good book on leadership?” – me to the director of our leadership/internship program; “Yes, It’s called ‘The Servant’” – his response

3. “A famous concertmaster was asked what the hardest instrument to play in the symphony is… he responded ‘second violin’; sure the ‘first violin’ parts are more difficult, but what really makes the music come together is when you have someone play ‘second fiddle’ (literally) but play it with the same commitment as your first chair” – paraphrase of a chapter in another book I read on leadership during that time.

I took the first statement as encouragement that I had great potential. I took the second one as a wakeup call that sometimes potential is realized through humility rather than greatness. I took the third to nudge me in the direction that maybe greatness and humility actually have a lot more in common than I realized. Which all brings us to Sunday’s message. When God incarnate declares about himself, “the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and offer his life as a ransom for many”, we should take it as a radical call to reevaluate our lives and our understandings of greatness. I cannot wait to unpack this together!

Here are a few other things to note:

Veterans Day – This Sunday is Veterans Day, and we look forward to recognizing all of our veterans in both services. Thank you for your service!

Please Return Commitment Forms by this Sunday – If you have not filled out a commitment form yet for 2019, there are still plenty available in the Narthex. We believe that by committing to the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness, that we have an opportunity to both grow in our faith and enable our church to reach its full potential! Getting the forms in this Sunday (or Monday morning will work too) will give us a chance to compile the giving and service commitments in a timely manner to properly plan for 2019.

Thanksgiving Dinner November 14th – Our Thanksgiving Dinner is this upcoming Wednesday, and we need to know if you are coming! This is one of my favorite events every year – we will enjoy food and fellowship together, as well as have a brief time of worship and reflection. Reservations are required!

Christmas Festival December 1st – We are actively planning this year’s Christmas Festival, which is not just an event for our church – it is for the whole community to enjoy! If you want to be a part of the volunteer team, we have many areas of need (logistics, setup/breakdown, parking, greeting, etc), so please let us know if you are interested in helping. Shoot an email to cvilleumcga@gmail.com or call the church at 478-953-3090 to get on our list of volunteers.  Anthony

Week of November 11th

Sunday 11/11: Sunday Text (Mark 9) 

Monday 11/12: Sunday Connection (Mark 10)

Tuesday 11/13: Life of Jesus (Mark 11) 

Wednesday 11/14: Wisdom (Proverbs 20)

Thursday 11/15: New Testament Teachings (2 Peter 3) 

Friday 11/16: Story of God’s People (Esther 7) 

Saturday 11/17: Psalm (Psalm 139)