Browse through the events that are available in which you can participate! You can also download our App: Realm Connect from the Apple App Store or Google Play. If you need assistance setting up your app, contact Mary Ann Wexler.
Nourish
Learn More
Nourish returns for its second season on Wednesday, September 11. We begin with dinner, followed by our Missions Fair and Children's Art Experience. On September 18, all other programming begins. Registration for dinner will be coming soon! Learn more and register for dinner below.
Worship
Church-Wide Opportunities
Blessing of the Animals
Sunday • October 6 • 2:00 pm • North Lawn
Bring your leashed or crated pets to the North Lawn on Fifth Street for a time of fellowship and blessing for our animal companions! Contact Rev. Meg Peters for more information.
Adult Formation
The First Fifteen
First Fifteen is an intentional practice of spending at least fifteen minutes each day in prayer and reading scripture. If you're ready to begin a new practice, please click on the button below to see a variety of recommended resources to get you started. There are online and print resources, a scripture reading plan you can pick up at church, and an app that parents and kids can use together. For more information, contact Stacy Holley.
Eat, Learn, Grow: The Monastic Heart
Women’s Small Group on Spiritual Practices
Every Other Tuesday • Noon - 1:00 pm • Room 111 • September 24 - December 3 • Lunch Included
In The Monastic Heart: 50 Simple Practices for a Contemplative and Fulfilling Life, Joan Chittester writes, "Monasticism is the single-hearted search for what matters in life. Any life. Every life." She encourages us to explore how spiritual insights and practices of a centuries-old tradition can enrich our present-day lives. Centenary’s women are invited to a small group that will provide an opportunity to discuss and practice spiritual disciplines that help us draw closer to God in community with others who share our interests. We will cover six very short chapters – one per meeting – from Chittister’s book about topics such as solitude, scripture reading and contemplation. (Note we are only covering six, not fifty!) The group will be facilitated by certified Spiritual Director, Nancy Powell. Your registration fee includes six boxed lunches: sandwich, chips, pickle and dessert. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available. You will need to purchase Chittester’s book in time to read the introduction and first assigned chapter before our first meeting (see your confirmation email for more details). Please register by Monday, September 16.
SALT: Women's Book and Bible Study
Begins September 18 • 9:30 - 11:30 am • Room 112
"Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did." In his book Practicing the Way, author John Mark Comer calls us to become apprentices of Jesus. Beginning on September 18, we meet on the first, third and fifth Wednesdays of each month to explore what this means. Facilitated by Amy Lawson.
Disciple Bible Fast Track: Old Testament
Wednesday Nights at Nourish • Begins September 18 • 5:45 - 7:00 pm • Room 115 and on Zoom
This group will cover major themes of the Old Testament using the Disciple Fast Track study material designed to give busy people comprehensive engagement with the Bible over time. You do not need to know anything about the Bible to join this study. We meet for twelve sessions: Sept 18 - Nov 20 then Jan 8-15. Group participants will spend about 30 minutes a day reading and reflecting on scripture in preparation for weekly group meetings, led by Kathy Chaney and Rev. Marilyn Weiler. Cost is $20 for the study guide and you may also want to purchase a recommended study Bible. Books will be available for pickup on September 11 at Nourish. Childcare is available. Please register by Monday, September 9.
Children's Ministry
Bridges Special Needs Respite Night
Respite Nights are for kids kindergarten through 8th grade with special needs along with their typically developing siblings from kindergarten through 5th grade. Our goal is to give parents an evening of respite and kids a night of fun. For more information contact Anna Thomas (
/ext.1332).
Is this your first time? Fill out an application here!
Have you filled out the application and ready to sign up? You can do so here!
Tough Questions
Have you ever felt stumped by a question regarding death and grief or ill-equipped to talk to your kids about such events and topics? We'd love for you to join us as we learn from our panel of experts that will be made up of our own Oliver Helsabeck, Associate Minister of Congregational Care, resource folks from Trellis Supportive Care, and others with extensive experience working with children and grief.
October 20, 5-6:45 pm in Memorial Auditorium
$10/adult, free for kids. Dinner is included.
Children's activities for infants - 5th graders
Angel Tree Helpers Needed
Can you believe it’s time to start preparing for Angel Tree? If you are interested in helping us with this amazing opportunity, we are looking for people to help plug in data, set up trees with angels on them, help people choose and sign out angels on Sunday mornings, organize gifts and pick up assistance! Contact Anna Thomas (336.724.6311 ext. 1332) for more information.
Congregational Care
Carenotes
CareNotes are concise booklets that provide uplifting guidance to those who are hurting. They address topics that include grief, aging, healthcare, mental wellness, family care, spiritual support, and more. Our collection of CareNotes is located on the 3rd floor near the Resource Room.
Flower Ministry
Each week after Sunday worship, the Altar Guild takes the beautiful altar flowers from Centenary’s Sanctuary and creates several small arrangements that are shared with church members and friends who may be homebased, those who may be recovering from surgery, or who just may need a sign of love and care from our congregation. We are in need of someone to help coordinate this congregational care ministry. Volunteers who have a couple hours a week to deliver flowers are also needed. Associate Minister for Congregational Care, Rev. Oliver Helsabeck, will provide the list of persons to receive flowers each week. If you feel a calling to lead this ministry or to help deliver flowers, please contact Oliver.
Centenary Cares
Centenary Cares, a ministry of Shining Light on Mental Health, is a simple way that care and encouragement are extended from Centenary UMC. If someone you know is struggling or has a loved one struggling with mental health, submit the person’s name to Rev. Oliver Helsabeck, Associate Minister for Congregational Care, (336.724.6311 ext. 1357). A member of Shining Light will confidentially deliver a Centenary Cares bag to the recipient. More information can be found here.
For I Am With You: Facing Loneliness in a Disconnected World
Sunday • October 13 • 5:00 pm • Auditorium
Loneliness pervades our society as people have lost connections for a variety of reasons and causes. Join Stephen Ministry and Shining Light on Mental Health for a special program. Bert Sanders, Chaplain at Arbor Acres, will lead the program, aimed at helping people navigate the challenges of loneliness and building and maintaining connections. Music will be provided by Art Bloom, Keith Byrd, and Zakiyyah Niang. For more information, contact Rev. Oliver Helsabeck.
Justice & Reconciliation
Men's Ministry
Missions
Blood Drive
Centenary is partnering with the Red Cross to host a blood drive on Tuesday, October 8 from 12:30 pm – 5:00 pm in the Community Room. If you would like to sign up to donate blood, you may do so by scanning the QR code or visiting our website. If you cannot give blood but would like to volunteer, please email Rev. Meg Peters ( ).
A Bed and A Book
Saturday • October 5 • 10:00AM • Dash Stadium
Join us as we partner with A Bed and A Book. We will be building beds from 10 am - Noon, hotdog lunch included. Email Meg Peters if you have any questions.
Music & Arts
Subscribe to Sightings & Soundings
Check out Centenary’s monthly Music & Arts magazine! Find the latest edition on the Music & Arts page, subscribe by clicking here, or pick up a printed copy from the Music Suite.
Children's Creative Art Experience is Back
There’s still time to register your little ones for CAE! This program includes activities for children ages 2 through 5th grade during Nourish each week. Our 2- and 3-year-olds will wiggle, giggle and grow in a Kindermusik class, and children ages 4+ will have a blast in our Creative Arts Experience exploring singing, chimes, Kindermusik, Orff instruments, drumming, creative movement, drama, visual art, worship leadership and more! Register now by clicking our link below. For more information, contact Virginia Sheffield (Music Ministry Assistant) with any questions.
Calling All Artists
Music & Arts Ministry invites submissions from both youth and adults for our upcoming annual community exhibit, “All Things Bright and Beautiful: A Neighborhood Showcase.” Art will be displayed in the Atrium and 4 1⁄2 Street Galleries from November 10, 2024, to January 5, 2025. Contact Music Ministry Assistant, Virginia Sheffield ( ), for submission instructions.
Faith and Artistry: Seeking the Sacred in Creative Expression
This is a new painting and drawing class tailored to fit your schedule! With Monday night and Thursday morning tracks offered, choose the time that is best for you to discover the wealth of creative opportunities that faith inspires. To learn more and register, click the link below.
Senior Adult Ministry
United Women in Faith
Centenary Ornament
Centenary United Methodist United Women in Faith (UWF) are offering a limited-edition Centenary Sanctuary ornament. The ornaments are hand-painted and made of blown glass. They include a historically accurate depiction of Centenary’s Sanctuary stained-glass windows. The measurements are 5 ¾” (length) x 3” (width) x 3 ¼” (height).
You will have opportunities to pick up pre-ordered ornaments once they arrive.
Cost: $40 per ornament. Cash or check accepted. Must pay at the time of order. Please contact Susan Grubbs ( ) or Heather Bumgarner ( ) to order or for more information.
You may download our order form, print it out, complete it, and return it to the reception desk along with your payment.
Youth Ministry
Fall Youth Sunday School
Maybe your head knows that God is always good, but your hearts not so sure. Or perhaps while reading Scripture, you’ve wondered if our Creator Redeemer went through a personality change—from strictly enforcing the rules in the Old Testament to loving the outcast in the New!
Starting September 8, we’ll discover divine love in the often overlooked and misunderstood passages in Scripture. And you’ll be delighted to find that Jehovah of the Old Testament is the same redemptive and compassionate God we see through Jesus Christ in the New Testament. He has always been and will always be for us! We hope you’ll join us in the Youth Commons for a light brunch and study.
Things Have Changed with David Magee
Sunday • October 27 • 10 am & 5 pm
Centenary Youth Ministry and Shining Light on Mental Health welcome David Magee to our church and community. David is a bestselling author of the award-winning “Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love, and Loss”, a Publisher’s Weekly bestseller featured on CBS Mornings, and other books including his forthcoming memoir, “A Little Crazy” (September, 2024) a sequel to “Dear William” about mental health and finding purpose and joy. LEARN MORE