Greetings Everyone!  I hope that you will allow me a moment of preaching before I get to the Ruffin news, in light of today's anniversary.  Today, of course is September 11, 2009.  Can you believe that it has been 8 years since that tragic day in our Nation's history?  Where were you when you heard the news?  How did it change you?  How did the events of that day speak to you, and what did it mean for your faith?  For just a brief moment, we remembered that God is our source of comfort, God is the one who sustains us when we are hurting and when we are down.  People flocked to churches, realizing that our faith was the only thing to get us through.  But then things went back to "normal".  What if we maintained that same spirit, remembering that God is the one who protects us, and God is the one we should be turning to when we are hurt?  I bet church attendance would be much higher, not just in Ruffin, but everywhere.  And the reason for that?  We all have pains and anxieties that we should be turning to God for.  9/11 was one of the most horrible events that any of us will ever witness, but even in the midst of all that pain and suffering, God was working and God was with us.  Let us be reminded of that.  Let us never forget to turn to God, to trust in God, and to love God. 
 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ."
God consoles us in our afflictions.  God consoles us when we are alone and hurting.  Let us not only turn to God in times of tragedy, but remember that God should be our comfort and the one whom we praise when things are going well too!

With all that in mind... on to the news <><

Ruffin UMC Calendar

September 13- (Sunday) Charge Conference reports are due at the 11:00 service.
We will also have a brief Administrative Council meeting after church on Sunday.
The youth will have a Guitar Hero party with Fairview UMC in Elon.  Youth Kids, meet at the church at 4:15.  Tacos will be served!  We will be home at around 8:30 Sunday night.  Come dressed as your favorite band or rock star.  The best costume gets a prize!

September 16- (Wednesday)- 6-8pm Christian Believer Bible Study

September 19- (Saturday)- 8:30-10, Angel Food Distribution.  If you have ordered Angel Food this month- please be at the church to pick up your order at this time.  Food that is left over will be given to a family in need.   In addition, if you would be available to help with Angel Food distribution or ordering, we could always use some more assistance.  If you would be willing to help, please contact Holly Hockett.
Saturday night- 1954 Class Reunion

September 23 (Wednesday) - 6-8pm  Christian Believer Bible Study

September 24 (Thursday)- 6pm UMW Evening Circle Meeting

September 27 (Sunday)- 11am- Charge Conference.  Our wonderful District Superintendent, Rev. Sam Moore, will be preaching, and we will celebrate all that Ruffin UMC has accomplished in the past year, as well as celebrating our goals for the year to come.  Afterwards we will have a baked potato luncheon in the fellowship hall.  On Sunday there will be a sign up list at the back of the church for items to bring to the luncheon.

September 30 (Wednesday)- 6-8pm Christian Believer Bible Study

October 3 (Saturday)- 10-2- UMW Bake Sale

October 7 (Wednesday)- 6-8pm Christian Believer Bible Study

October 11- (Sunday) - Homecoming with Rev. Mark Wimmer as our preacher!  There will be a luncheon (yum!) afterwards in the fellowship hall.



News:

Mark your calendars for November 14th.  We will be having a special event for the women in our church and in our sister churches.  We will have a guest speaker to talk about gratitude, and soup and sandwiches will be served.
Please remember, once again, that Charge Conference forms are due this Sunday, the 13th at 11:00 service.  Thank you so much to all of you who have turned your forms in already, and to all of you who have forms to fill out!  Without your work and dedication we would never be able to get it all done.  So I really appreciate all that you do.
A special thank you to Betty Collie for all of her work on the new pictorial directory!  
I will be working, once again this week, on updating the church website.  I would love for us to have a new activities page, or a page with special interests.  If you have a picture that you would like to submit, or maybe news about an award or a new grandbaby (wink wink to all of our new grandparents) please let me know, as I would love to put those on our church website.  In addition, I would love for us to have a recipes page, just for fun, so if you have a fantastic recipe you would like to submit, just email those to me, and I'll be sure to get them on the website.


As far as I know, that is all the information that I have for now (I'm sure I'll think of something else as soon as I send this email)... so I will bid you adieu.  Be sure to check out our church website. http://ruffinumc.yolasite.com!

Have a Blessed Day <><

Love and Peace
Laura Wittman