Ebenezer Methodist Church History 2024
Special Guests December 22nd
We invite you to our Sunday before Christmas service with our special singing guests, The Hickory Music Factory. Help us celebrate the coming Christmas day of remembering the birth of our dear Lord and Savior, Jesus.
We will also take up our annual special offering, Gifts for Christ. Give a little extra in this season of joy as we prepare to enter a new year of service in the Kingdom of God. We thank you for your support in the past year and into the future.
Church Office Closure
Our church office will be closed from Thursday, December 19, 2024 through Friday, January 3, 2025. You may leave a message on our phone, and someone will get back to you. We thank you for your patience.
Christmas Eve Service
We will have a candlelight service on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) at 6:00 p.m. We invite all to come and hear the scriptures about our Savior's birth and celebrate in song with many beloved carols.
Worship Information for Next 2 Weeks
Our website will not be updated while our office is closed. Below is the worship information for the next two weeks.
Sunday, December 29th: Speaker will be Lay Leader Bleaka Hollar. Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-19; 4:3-6. Message Title: Stories of Hope.
Lectionary Readings: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Psalm 148; Colosians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52.
Tuesday, December 31, Crossing Over from 2024 to 2025: At 6:00 p.m. we will have a service by Conference Call. Information will be provided to our members on Sunday, December 29th.
Sunday, January 5, 2025 (Epiphany Sunday): Rev. Simon returns. Scripture: Luke 22:31-34; Luke 21:15-19. Message Title: Begin Again.
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthews 2:1-12.
India Crafts Sale and Soup and Toasted Cheese Bread Fundraiser, Dec. 14 - Report
Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy a bowl of delicious soup shopped through the unique crafts from India that we were selling. We raised over $2300. May God bless you for your support.
Ebenezer has received a donation of boxes and boxes and boxes of craft items from India. Find a truly unique gift or decorative item for your home and enjoy homemade soup and sandwiches on Saturday, December 14 from 9-1:00 p.m. Items for sale include small, large, and whimsically unique vases, candle holders, pottery, jewlery boxes, figurines, picture frames, lamps, clocks, and large and small wall decorations made of metal, wood, and pottery/glass. Below is a picture of some of the items that will be on sale at this event.
Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your fine crafted, unique items in your home for years to come. Proceeds go toward our church budget and ministries. We thank you for your support!
Hanging of the Greens, December 1
On December 1, the first Sunday of Advent, we will decorate our Chrismon tree with symbols of the Christian faith. We hope you will join us for this festive occasion at our 9:00 a.m. worship service as we move into the season of Advent, remembering the first coming of Christ our Savior, and anticipating his second coming as Christ our King.
Festival on the Square, November 25
Ebenezer will be giving away breakfast biscuits and bottled water at the Granite Falls Annual Festival on the Square on November 25 around 6:00 p.m. Our volunteer cooks need to be at Ebenezer around 12:00 p.m. to prepare the biscuits. We will need volunteers to help set up our "booth" at Granite also. Contact Ricky Baker for more information.
Let's begin the Christmas season in high style with this community event, and have a good time visiting with our neighbors at the festival.
Veterans Free Supper -- Saturday, November 16 at 5:00 p.m.
In honor of the veterans in our community, we are preparing and serving a meal of hamburger steak with gravy, green beans, roll and dessert of peach or apple cobbler. Our local veterans and their spouses are invited. Please call the church office to make a reservation at 828-396-2214.
We thank you for your work and sacrifice for our nation by being a member in the armed services of the United States. A short program will be presented during the meal.
EMW Country Store, Nov. 2nd - Report
Thank you to everyone who bought food and stuff at this sale. The women raised over $2700 for their ministry funds. We couldn't have done it without your support. May God bless you for your generosity.
It 's that time again! The Country Store opens on Saturday, November 2nd, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Hunt for a bargain from gently used items, baked goods, and other stuff. Stay for a breakfast biscuit or hamburger or hot dog later in the day.
Proceeds will be used to fund Ebenezer's Methodist Women's group ministries for the coming year. We thank you for your support.
Trunk 'R Treat! Saturday, Oct. 26
Bring all the children you can find and come to our annual Trunk 'R Treat on Saturday, October 26, 5-7:00 p.m. Dress up in scary costumes and come get some candy, enjoy a hot dog, chips, and brownies, cupcakes, or cookies--all for free. Our members will be decorating their car trunks and truck beds with spooky things, and give out lots of delicious candy. Come, enjoy the fun, eat, and have a safe Halloween.
Homecoming/$10K Sunday - Report
We had a wonderful time at Homecoming even though our pianist was out sick. The choir's rendition of This Ole House acapella with lots of clapping from the choir and the congregation was inspiring. Food after the service was plentiful and delicious. We raised $6,720 to pay on our disaffilation! Thank you for all our generous givers.
Come home to Ebenezer this Sunday, October 13th at 10:30 a.m. as we worship our Lord and celebrate another year of multiple blessings from God and service to our members and our community. Invite your friends and family and co-workers to join us, and any previous members you know, and we will feed them a delicious and varied covered-dish lunch after the service.
We also hope and pray that you will give generously this day, so that we can reach our goal of $10,000 over our normal giving. This extra money will go towards paying off our disaffliation loan. May God bless you for your generosity.
Sunday school classes will not meet, but resume next Sunday.
Hurricane Relief Efforts
On Saturday, October 5th, members of the Global Methodist Churches in Caldwell County met at Grace Chapel Global Methodist Church and put together over 400 plates of food and transported them to three places for distribution to flood victims in the mountains. We cut and bagged 687 desserts, and prepared beans to go with slaw and barbecue purchased locally. We thank everyone who participated in the work and made or bought the desserts for this effort.
This Saturday we are meeting at Ebenezer to put small health kits together and prepare more desserts and grilled chicken, etc. for another 250 plates for flood victims. We thank you for all the support you are giving these efforts, and pray that you will continue to help. We are in it for the long haul, because it will take months for things to get back to a semblance of normal in the Western NC/Tennessee areas hit by the flooding and wind damage.
We will be requesting more help, including monetary donations in the future. You may also consider giving to Samaritan's Purse which is very active in the areas damaged by the storms in all the states affected.
Laity Sunday, September 29
Members of the Laity will be speaking this Sunday during the worship service at 9:00 a.m. as we celebrate Laity Sunday. Our guest speakers are Kirk and Irene Austin. Please come and support them as they bring their personal witness to us.
Healing Service, September 22
On Sunday, September 22nd at 9:00 a.m. we will have a special worship service of prayer for healing and wholeness. This service is for healing of every kind, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional. As Christians, we believe God is the source of wholeness in our lives. Therefore, it is appropriate for us to conduct prayers for wholeness and healing. Some of us need healing from broken relationships; some of us need healing from psychological distress; some of us need the gift of physical healing. None of us is exempt from needing God's healing presence in our lives.
Anointing and/or prayer will be offered to all at the end of the service.
Global Methodist Church Combined Worship Service
The Caldwell County Global Methodist Churches invite you to their cooperative worship service to be held at Grace Chapel Global Methodist Church, 4336 Grace Chapel Rd., Granite Falls, NC on Sunday, September 15th at 6:00 p.m. Pastors from the five GMC churches in the county will be participating in the service, and there will be a combination choir, too. Let's show our support for oneanother and give glory to God for helping us to remain to his Word.
New Sermon Series by Pastor Simon
Pastor Simon begins a new series of sermons on August 25 called SUMMER STORIES: Testimonies of Radical Change.
"This four-week sermon series explores the lives of four people who had profound, life-changing encounters with Jesus. We will connect their stories to people we know in our own congregation here at Ebenezer Methodist Church and other modern-day individuals who have had similar experiences."
Meet and Greet for Rev. Simon and His Family - September 8
We invite everyone in our community and throughout Caldwell County to come by between 3-5:00 p.m. on Sunday September 8 to Meet and Greet our new pastor, Rev. Simon, his wife Rev. Eunice, and their daughter, Sarah. Refreshments will be served.
We hope to live in a cooperative way with our fellow Christian believers from all our area churches that will magnify our outreach to the lost everywhere. Pastor Simon's and our congregation's goal is to preach and teach from all of God's Word and show the love of Christ through our ministries as we spread the Good News of salvation in Jesus.
Please stop by to Meet and Greet Simon and his family, and please pray for us and our ministries, as we pray for you and your work for Christ, too. May God bless and empower all his Christian workers, and bring revival to our churches, communities, and nation. Amen.
Community Fun Day! August 10 - Report
Thank you to everyone who attended and helped with our annual Community Fun Day event. The wearther was great, and everyone enjoyed the food, fellowship, and fun. The big snake was a gigantic hit with the boys and girls. The water slide was busy all the time, the petting zoo animals cropped our grass nice and close, no one went away hungry. See you next year!
Bring your friends, co-workers, neighbors and family to our annual pre-Back to School fun day at Ebenezer on Saturday, August 10, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Everything is FREE! We serve hotdogs, chips, brownies, cookies, frozen pops; plus there will be music and many fun things to do, including a water slide, petting zoo, reptile zoo, bouncy house, and more!
This is our way of saying Thank You! to our community for your support throughout the year, and just another way we show the love of Christ to our community. We hope to see you there.
Welcome Rev. Simon Chigumira!
Bring a plate of your favorite dish or dessert to share on Sunday, July 14th for our Welcome to Ebenezer fellowship lunch for Simon and his wife, Eunice and daughter, Sarah.
Simon will begin a sermon series this Sunday called: "Church as It Was Meant to Be." It is time to get back to the basics and begin getting serious again about church, worship, and witnessing for Jesus. We hope to see you there.
Red Cross Blood Drive - Report
Thank you to everyone who came to give blood and help with the drive. The Red Cross collected 21 products at this drive.
Give blood to help save lives and enjoy a delicious spaghetti meal or snacks for free at Ebenezer on Monday, July 22nd, 2:30-7:00 p.m. Please sign-up online at www.redcrossblood.org now or call our office to make an appointment. (Search online using zip code 28630.)
Donors will receive a movie ticket for "Twisters" and be entered into a raffle for a 2025 Ram 1500 Big Horn!
We thank you for your support of this vital service.
Fond Farewell and Thank You to Pastor Ed Stephenson
We offer our thanks for Pastor Ed filling in during our transition from the UMC to the Global Methodist Church. He did a fine job, standing up for and preaching the Word of God with conviction and passion. We pray that he and his wife, Kay, will remain in service to God and that God will continue to bless them where ever they be serving the Lord. Thank you again, Ed and Kay. May the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and give thee peace.
New Pastor Coming in July
Our new pastor will arrive in July. His name is Simon Chigumira, and is originally from Zimbabwe in Africa. He is a U. S. citizen and has lived here for over 20 years.
Simon started as a teacher in Zimbabwe, then was called to the ministry. He received his seminary training at Emory University, and is finishing up his dissertation for his Doctorate of Ministry at Asbury Theological Seminary. He has served in four churches in Louisiania and is married to Eunice, who is also a minister.
We ask you to be in fervent prayer for Simon and our church as we continue to remain true to God's Word, and spread the gospel message and the love of Jesus in our community and around the world.
Father's Day, June 16
We will honor our fathers on Sunday, June 16, during the morning worship service.
Thank you to all our fathers--for their presence, their strength, their protection and support, their love, and their guidance in our lives from birth and into adulthood.
No father is perfect, but the absence of a father from the home leaves a big gap in each child. Only the one true God, our Father in heaven, can fill that gap in a good way. We pray for our fathers, young and old, to lean on God, the Father, for guidance and strength as they raise their children.
The world is a crazy place. Children need a strong and good father to be a role model and friend and leader. Praise be to God for every man who takes on that role, and does not shirk his responsibility to care for and guide his children into adulthood.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
Hamburger Steak Fundraiser - Report
Oops! We ran out of meat again. Thank you to everyone who helped and bought the food at this fundraiser. Our proceeds were around $1200+. This money will help us clean up and prepare the parsonage for our new pastor coming in July. We thank God for you and your support of our ministries.
Join us for a delicious supper of hamburger steak, green beans, etc. and choice of dessert with beverage for a donation to our church on Saturday, June 15, 4-7:00 p.m. Take out is available (no drink). We thank you for your support.
Fish Fry Fundraiser - Saturday, May 18, 4-7 PM - Report
Thank you to everyone who bought plates at our latest fundraiser. We raised another $1500+ to help pay down our disaffilation loan. God bless you all!
It is time again for a Fish Fry at Ebenezer. Plates will include fish (flounder, talapia), French fries or baked potato, slaw, hush puppies and dessert with tea, coffee, or water for in-house plates. Take-out will be avaialble. We are requesting donations to help us continue to pay-off our disaffiliation loan. We thank you for your support.
Smoked Chicken Fundraiser - April 20 - Report
Thank you to all those generous people who bought meals and donated lots of money to our disaffiliation loan fund. We raised over $2800 that went straight to paying down the loan balance. May God bless you for your generosity!
We continue to whiddle down our disafiliation loan with our offerings and fundraisers. The next fundraiser is Saturday, April 20 from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (or until it's gone!). Plates include smoked chicken, green beans, slaw, roll, choice of homemade dessert with tea, coffee, or water. Take out or Eat in. Donations requested. Proceeds will go toward paying off the loan we acquired to exit the UMC. We thank you for your continuted support.
Good Friday and Easter Services
We invite to join us for our Good Friday Service on Friday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m. We will remember and honor the great price Jesus paid that we might be saved from our sins, and observe Communion.
On Easter Sunday, March 31, at 7:00 a.m., we will begin our joyous celebration our Savior and Lord's Resurrection and his power over death. After the service, a free breakfast will be served in the Christian Life Center. Come and celebrate with us.
Easter Egg Hunt and Breakfast Biscuits - March 23rd - Report
We had 20 children and 40 adults come for the fun and food on a somewhat dreary Saturday morning, but that did not stop them all from having a great time.Thank you to everyone who attended and helped. We hope to be able to do it again next year.
Bring your children and the neighbors kids, too, for a fun Saturday morning Easter Egg Hunt on March 23rd from 9-11:00 a.m. with prizes and lots of free candy. Have some fun while learning about the meaning of Easter. Then enjoy a hot breakfast biscuit on us while you are there. Children should be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Red Cross Blood Drive - March 11 - Report
We collected 19 units of blood this time around. Thank you to everyone who participated. May God bless you for your generosity.
Our winter Red Cross Blood Drive will be on Monday, March 11th, 2:30-7:00 p.m. Soup and grilled cheese bread, plus snacks and desserts will be available free to our donors, workers, and volunteers. Please sign-up for the drive now by going to www.redcrossblood.org and enter: Ebenezer UMC to find our drive (our name has not be changed there yet). Or you can call the church office to schedule an appointment. We thank you for your support of this vital service.
Donors in March will receive a $10 e-gift card to a pet supply merchant of choice, and will automatically be entered for a chance to win a $3,000 gift card (5 winners). Terms are listed at rcblood.org/Pets.
New Website and E-Mail Addresses
Our new website is in the process of being re-designed to reflect our name and affiliation changes. The new website address is: www.ebenezerm-church.com. Our new email address is: emcdudleyshoals@yahoo.com. You may begin using both now while we work on closing out the old addresses. Our church is now affiliated with the Global Methodist Church.
Chicken and Dumplings Fundraiser - Report
WE RAN OUT OF FOOD! We had such a good response that we ran out of food. We apologize for that, and will prepare more food the next time. Our community's support has been wonderful. May God bless you all for your support of our fundraisers and your prayers as we work to pay off our disaffiliation loan. After expenses, we raised over $2,000. Thank you!
More delicious food on the way! Come to Ebenezer for Chicken and Dumplings on Saturday, February 17, 4-7:00 p.m. Plates will also include green beans, slaw, roll and choice of a homemade dessert. Beverages included, water, coffee, tea. We are asking for donations that will go towards paying off our Disaffiliation (from the UMC) Loan. We thank you for your support.
Poor Man's Supper Fundraiser - Report
Despite the rainy day, we had a great turnout for this fundraiser. We raised over $3,900. Thank you all for your support! All of the proceeds were paid on the loan to help pay down the principal, along with making our first loan payment. Praise be to God!
Join us for our Poor Man's Supper on Saturday, January 27, 4-7:00 p.m. (or until gone!). The perfect meal for a January winter's day includes pinto beans, dried potatoes with onions, slaw, cornbread with a choice of a homemade dessert, and tea, water, or coffee to drink. We are asking for donations to our church. Funds will be used to help pay down the loan we acquired to finish our disaffiliation from the UMC. We thank you for your support.
Welcome to Rev. Ed Stephenson
Our new interim pastor, Rev. Ed Stephenson, preached for the first time at Ebenezer Methodist Church on Sunday, January 14. He is married to Kay Haire, who he likes to say is not his daughter, but his wife. Pastor Ed earned a degree in Agriculture at Mississippi State, and graduated from Duke Divinity School later after he received his calling into the ministry. Please join us as we welcome him, and help support his efforts as we embark on our new journey as an affiliate of the new Global Methodist Church.
Flame Removed
Our courageous Trustee Chairman, Ricky Baker, climbed aboard a large crane, was lifted up to the top of our steeple, and he removed the UMC flame from the cross. Everything went as planned, and the job was over in no time. Thank you, Ricky.