Amity

United Methodist Church

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CHURCH LIFE

Music  | Fellowship  | Outreach  | History

United Methodist Women  | United Methodist Men | Senior Fellowship  | Altar Flowers

Music

Organ, Piano, Chancel Choir, Guest Artists and Congregational Singing 
all raise a joyful noise to our Lord!

Adults

Chancel Choir practices every Wednesday from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. If you enjoy sharing your faith through music, adults and teens are invited to join us. God loves a joyful noise!  Newcomers are always welcome!

 Children

 Children in a choir stop being spectators and become active participants in the worship life of the church!

Children’s Choir & Handchimes – Starting Sept. 7!

We invite all children ages Kindergarten through 5th grade
to join our Children’s Choir & Handchimes.

Children’s Choir 5:00 - 5:25 p.m.

Handchimes 5:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Sunday Evenings

Kindergarten - 5th Grade

¨ To provide music - with fun and fellowship - in a structured and safe Christian environment.

¨ Simple music theory for understanding.

¨ Children will sing on scheduled Sunday mornings.

¨ To incorporate handchimers to play along with the Chancel Choir during Christmas and other special times.

¨ Need commitment from parents and children.

¨ Most music learned will be Christian based-other fun songs will be learned from time-to-time.

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  Fellowship 

Fellowship opportunities abound at Amity  

Combining mission with fellowship, Amity is proud to host movie night with "The Great Debaters" in our fellowship hall on Sunday, September 21, at 5:30 p.m.  Flier


Mark and Save the Date

Sunday, September 21, 2008 5:30

"The Great Debaters"

 

The Great Debaters (http://www.thegreatdebatersmovie.com/) is an inspirational movie, made in 2007, starring Denzel Washington.

"The film, loosely based on a true story, revolves around the efforts of debate coach Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) at historically black Wiley College to place his team on equal footing with whites in the American South during the 1930s, when Jim Crow laws were common and lynch mobs were a pervasive fear for blacks. In the movie, the Wiley team eventually succeeds to the point where they are able to debate Harvard University." (Taken from, and credit to Wikipedia).

On Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 5:30 pm Amity's missions small group will be hosting a fundraising event which will include both dinner and a showing of this movie. Further, final, and more complete event details will be forthcoming, but please mark your calendars now and consider inviting extended family, friends and acquaintances to join you for this time of inspiration, breaking bread together, fellowship, and perhaps discussion.  Look forward to seeing you there.

 

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Outreach

Amity is active in reaching out to our community

The Inter-Faith Council (IFC) provides shelter, food, direct services, advocacy and information to people in need. Various Amity ministries serve dinner in the Community Kitchen at 100 W. Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill on the 4th Friday of the month.

Soup Kitchen Serving Schedule IFC Web Page   |   IFC Needs   |   Special Offerings

Volunteers Needed

Friday, September 26, 2008 

The Community Kitchen is among the many services that IFC provides to the less fortunate in our community.

No Amity group is assigned this month so in addition to volunteers, we need a coordinator.  Please contact Roger Shumate (732-5378, ((rcshumate@cs.com) if you can spend less than two hours this month helping our less fortunate neighbors (5:30 - 7:00 pm).

Last month’s generous response to the plea for volunteers to feed guests at the Inter-Faith Council (IFC) showed the true spirit of Christian love!

Prison Ministry  “I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:36.  You are invited to join with other Amity members who participate in the Prison Ministry at Orange County Correctional Center in Hillsborough.  We will carpool from Amity, leaving at 7:00 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. service. 

The names of those attending must be submitted to the prison one week prior to the service. Contact Roger Shumate (732-5378) for more information. 

Dates in 2008: Feb. 10, May 11, August 10, Nov. 9

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History

Amity is proud to count the Rev. Vernon Tyson as a former interim pastor here. 
Rev. Tyson's Ministry of Justice and Reconciliation

HOMECOMING 
What a wonderful celebration we had, Sunday, April 6! 
Click here for Souvenir Booklet

April 6, 1958 – April 6, 2008

HISTORY OF AMITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

As the result of the new church building spurt of the 1950’s, the Rev. A. Mickey Fisher was selected by the NC Conference to build a new Methodist church in the north Chapel Hill area. The Rev. Fisher and the NC Conference acquired a parsonage at the then numbered 18 Williams Circle where he held services in the basement of the parsonage.

The new church was first called the North Chapel Hill Methodist Church. “United” was not added until the merger with the United Brethren Church in 1974. As the initial membership grew, the fledgling church decided on the permanent name of Amity United Methodist Church. The name Amity, which means “friendship” or “friendly”, was recommended by charter member Lois Farrell.

Amity received its charter on April 6, 1958 when the membership grew to 31 members.  Rev. Chancey D. Barcliff, the Durham Superintendent, preached the organizing sermon. Methodist churches in Orange County were in the Durham District at that time.

The new church purchased six acres of land at the current address, 825 North Estes Drive and built a cinderblock chapel in 1958-1959.  This building, called the “Tree House,” is used for service-type activities of the church, including scouting and YMCA after-school programs. 

Since its inception in 1959, the annual Christmas Tree Sale has provided funds for many worthy purposes.  The Halloween “pumpkin patch” at Amity is also a popular Chapel Hill tradition.

Amity’s caring, loving congregation has continued to grow under the fifteen pastors following Rev. Fisher. A sanctuary and classrooms were added in 1968, and a fellowship hall and additional classroom in 1993. In 1989, a parsonage was purchased at 503 Tinkerbell in the Colony Woods subdivision of Chapel Hill.

Following Jesus’ great commission, the members of Amity are reaching out to make disciples of Jesus. In addition to our small Bible Study Groups, the congregation helps the hungry at the Interfaith Shelter, conducts a prison ministry at the Orange Correctional facility, supports Habitat for Humanity, Forty Boxes of Food, and have taken advantage of many other mission opportunities.

These opportunities are a blessing to the members of Amity.  The church has developed into a very happy family of God! 

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United Methodist Women 


UMW at Amity meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at 12:30 p.m. Refreshments are served. All women are invited to join us for fellowship and a program. Click here for a list of planned programs in 2008.
 

Monday, September 8 at 12:30 p.m.

All women are invited to join us at Amity for fellowship and a program: "Say 'Welcome' - offering Hospitality," presented by Sybil Skakle.  Please join us.              Nancy Klatt, President 942-5318 

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United Methodist Men

United Methodist Men’s Breakfast
Sunday, August 10 @8 am

United Methodist Men will enjoy breakfast at 8:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall next Sunday, August 10. Please join us for this special time of food and fellowship, which is normally held on the second Sunday of the month.

If you would like to help organize this special time of food and fellowship for men in the church, please contact Roger Shumate at rcshumate@cs.com or 732-5378.

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Senior Fellowship Ministry

A monthly Senior Fellowship Outing is a great way to enjoy companionship and travel in "style" (Amity's bus) to a variety of local attractions.  Watch this space to learn about each month's adventure, which will also be posted with a sign up sheet on the hall bulletin board and mentioned in the weekly bulletin insert.

April’s Senior Fellowship Outing was at the Tobacco Museum and/or Old Mill in Wilson, NC, with lunch at Parker’s BBQ in Wilson. Click here for a report on our great time!  Return to top


Altar Flowers

Celebrate the special people or events in your life, beautify our church, and enhance our worship experience by placing flowers on our altar. Open dates include August 3, 10, 17, 24; September 7, 28; October 19, 26; November  2, 29, 16, 30.  Please reserve your special date by writing your name and phone number on the Flower Chart in the back hall or calling Kim Batson at the church office (967-7546).  A notation will be made in that Sunday’s bulletin and you are free to take the flowers home after Sunday worship.

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Rev. Tyson’s Ministry of

 Justice
&
Reconciliation 

Our former interim pastor, Rev. Vernon Tyson, was honored by the North Carolina Council of Churches on Tuesday, May 13, 2008.  He is one of three men who received their 2008 Distinguished Service Award for leadership roles in working “sacrificially for the dignity and equality of all God’s children and for the full inclusion of all in church and in society.”

Following the ceremony, Rev. Tyson returned to Shelby, NC where filming continues of the movie based on the book by Rev. & Mrs. Tyson’s son Tim, “Blood Done Sign My Name.”  This autobiographical account recalls the 1970 racial murder of Henry Marrow, the racial unrest that followed the acquittal of three white suspects, and Rev. Tyson’s ministry of reconciliation during that period.

Gastonia native Jeb Stuart, son of a minister himself and screenwriter of “Die Hard” and “The Fugitive,” is writing, directing, and producing the film.  

Rick Schroeder, whose credits include “Silver Spoons” and “NYPD Blue,” is playing Rev. Tyson. Click here for a side-by-side picture of the two.  

The Shelby Star has an excellent series of articles about the filming of the movie, which can be accessed by clicking here.  

Click here for press release.

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