Welcome!
December, 2008
Decoration Weekend, 2008
For difficult economic times, everyone was certainly generous to the church and cemetery, and we are very, very grateful! The attendance was good, and the flowers were beautiful. In addition, it gives us pleasure to have the grounds looking good when you come to Homecoming. We realize that for some of you this is the one time of the year you return to Piney Creek, and we want you to always feel welcomed and appreciated.
The attendance at the annual Saturday morning breakfast was the largest ever. We love seeing people reconnect and visit in the church Fellowship Hall while enjoying our country breakfast. Thank you for your kind donations.
(There will be another country breakfast in March. We will let you know the date but keep us in mind.)
The Centennial of Piney Creek United Methodist Church
As mentioned in the last newsletter, our church was established at its present location in 1910, but the church itself was actually founded in 1909 and later moved to the site on Pugh Road. So it has been decided to celebrate its one hundred year anniversary in 2009, in conjunction with the Sesquicentennial of Alleghany County. We are thinking of coordinating this event with Decoration weekend. What do you think???
Preliminary plans are being made for the celebration at this time, and we would love to have input and ideas from you. One thing we would definitely like to have is copies of pictures of the old church, pictures of the Founding members, pictures of previous Decorations especially with dinner on the ground, etc. etc. We would also like to receive any written anecdotes about church events in the past hundred years or about how the church has been a part of your life. The winter months will be a good time to work on this, and we would like to receive your information and ideas by March 31, 2009. Let’s all work together to make this a special celebration.
Christmas, 2008
We had a tree trimming supper on Sunday, November 30. We met at four o’clock, decorated the tree with Crismon ornaments made by our women of the church, and had a fellowship meal afterwards. Our Crismon ornaments are religious symbols and are handmade and beaded in gold and white. They are astonishingly beautiful and continue to give us pleasure.
It was a wonderful evening and gives us much comfort to celebrate the season in this way. Our party for the children will be on Friday, December 17 at 7 p.m.
Christmas Eve Service
This would be a wonderful time for all of you to come and see the church and enjoy fellowship with us. Our service will held at 10 p.m. as always, but this year we are adding a new feature. The gathering for the service will begin at 9:30 with carol singing. You may come at any time from 9:30-10:00 and request your favorite Christmas hymns.
If you have never been to this service, please consider coming. It really adds a special touch to Christmas!
Financial Status of the Church
We have completed the last phase of the work on the church with the sanctuary ceiling being repaired and with the addition of insulation, a new roof and gutters. However, we have a loan balance in excess of thirty-five thousand dollars. We will continue to have fundraisers, but any additional donations would be greatly appreciated.
Please remember that we have a memorial wall in the church vestibule for the purpose of honoring our loved ones.
August, 2008
Church Services
We continue to have church service at 8:45 followed by Sunday School. One change is that we will now have service on fifth Sundays also.
Piney Creek Methodist Church’s Anniversary
In 2010 our church will be ONE HUNDRED YEARS old. As we begin to make plans, we would like to hear ideas from you. Also, if you have pictures or anything of historical significance to the church, please share with us. We are interested in creating a keepsake for all of you.
Structural Improvements
Commercial size guttering has been added to the church. This should help alleviate the problem with leaves and drainage. We continue to work on paying off the loan for the new roof, the insulation, and the gutters.
Please come inside the church and look at all of the recent improvements. We still have needs, but we are making steady progress.