Welcome! Many times in our lives we are asked to “step out in faith.” We hesitate to live our faith because deep down inside we think God is as limited as we are. But if the Israelites can go through the Red Sea on dry land, then there is no problem too big for our God — our problem is our lack of trust. This day, we pray you will feel God’s presence and the warmth of Christian fellowship as you worship with us . . . and your faith will grow to trust our Savior in all parts of your life. Please see the minister or one of the elders if you have any questions about our congregation.

            If you are visiting with us today, please fill out a visitor card and place it in the offering plate.

 The senior youth will meet this afternoon at 4pm.

            It’s next week! The youth of our church will hold our annual youth service next Sunday. Be sure to come out and join with our church in worship. Tommy Burleson will also be here to accept our support for the hospital in Malawi.

            It’s almost here! We will be taking pictures for the new pictorial directory on September 19^th and 20^th from 2 – 8 PM. Betty Conley will be in the narthex after worship with a sign-up sheet so you can reserve a time for your portrait. We want to include all our members . . . so tell everyone to make their reservation soon.

            The MMM Sunday school class has placed a basket in the fellowship hall and narthex to help hurricane victims. Please consider how you can help in this time of need.

            Rehearsals for our Christmas cantata entitled Appalachian Winter will begin this Wednesday, September 6, at 6:45pm and will continue every Wednesday night and after church on the last Sunday of the month. Please see Laura for more information and music.

            It’s time to “Stop Hunger Now!” We are participating in the “Stop Hunger Now” event on Saturday, September 23, at Higgins United Methodist Church in Burnsville, from 9am until noon. “Stop Hunger Now” is part of the world-wide ministry “Rise Against Hunger.” This ministry provides nutritionally sound, culturally appropriate, low cost meals to children through schools in Third World countries. Because volunteers pack the food, each meal only costs 29¢. Ages 4 to 104 are welcome! If you would like to participate in this wonderful ministry, please sign up on bulletin board outside the church office. We have raised enough money for one table . . . let’s try for two! Please make your checks out to the church with “stop Hunger Now” in the memo line

            Mayland Fellowship will meet on Sunday evening, October 8, at the Banner Elk church. A catered dinner by Loaves and Fishes will be served at 5:30 in the Fellowship Hall (all donations for the meal will go to the Mayland Fellowship Scholarship Fund), followed by a brief business meeting and program in the sanctuary. The business meeting will include election of new officers. Retired Presbyterian minister Maggie Lauterer and husband Zach Allen will present a program of mountain instrument music. Maggie plays the dulcimer and Zack plays the banjo. The gathering should be over by 7:30pm. Come join us!

            Remember The River ministry in Johnson City by dropping your travel-sized shampoo and soap in the collection basket outside the office.

            Make sure you have a 2-Cents-A-Meal jar! Every time you sit down to eat, drop two cents into the jar and make a difference. Our youth are sponsoring this program to show how the Lord can turn just a little into big blessings.

            Mitchell County has announced a new emergency notification service available for local citizens. Known as Hyper-Reach, the service provides warnings and notifications about local emergencies, hazards, and threats to county residents. Hyper-Reach uses telephone calls, text messages, email, and TTY/TDD services to send these alerts. In order to receive the messages, residents have to sign up for the service, which is free to anyone who enrolls. Go to the Mitchell County website (www.mitchellcounty.org) and follow the instructions on the front page or call (828) 688-5988 to enroll. You do not have to own a computer or smart phone to receive the alerts. If you need assistance with signing up for this service please call Misty Sparks at (828) 688-4771.

 Carolyn Adkins is the head usher for September

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          There is no attendant present to care for children during worship and other events. The nursery will be available for use by parents should a child become restless during worship. We have “busy bags” hanging in the narthex for children to take into the sanctuary. We encourage families with young children to begin using these bags.

           We ask that a parent accompany his/her child should the need arise to leave the sanctuary during worship. Safety concerns and insurance regulations require that children not be unattended on church property.