PASTOR'S ARTICLE

What a wonderful early fall it has been at our church.  I am praising the Lord for the blessings He has bestowed upon us. Last month, we announced the hire of our outstanding new music director, Daniel Shafer.  

This month, we are pleased to share that the Lord has enabled us to hire a new youth director.  Ellie Wooten, with help from her husband Nathaniel, will be leading AMMY as was announced in worship on September 11th.  Ellie, who grew up in the Methodist Church in Cochran, GA, is a schoolteacher in Jackson County (where she was named Teacher of the Year) and has extensive experience leading 4-H groups.  Nathaniel is a trooper with the Georgia State Patrol.  How grateful we are that God has assembled such a wonderful staff at Ashford!

The last few weeks at Ashford provide a picture of the ways He is working in our church.  Some of the highlights:

• 32 Ashford men and youth gathered at Jackson Lake for a lowcountry boil and a strong message on purity given by Dr. Harris Malcom.

• Our Care Team showered love and hospitality upon a member in the wake of her mother’s death.  The desserts served at the bereavement meal had been baked by Ashford’s youth.

• More than 70 adults are participating in weekly Bible studies at Ashford including the Women’s Sunday Night group, the Women’s Monday Morning group, DISCIPLE I, and the Thursday Morning Mens’ group.  This is in addition to our very strong Sunday School program with great participation across all age groups.

• The children’s ministry hosted a Slip and Slide event kicked off with a lesson from Philippians 2 and the good news that Jesus loves us so much He ‘slid down from heaven’ to save us, humbling Himself and being obedient all the way to the cross.

• Several missions projects have been undertaken including advance purchase of supplies for Operation Christmas Child, a school supply drive, and the collection of essential items for people in need.

Looking ahead, we will be holding revival services October 2nd-4th with services at 7:00 p.m. each night.  There will be a fellowship meal before each service, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The theme will be “Inside the Ark…Inside My Heart.”  I am blessed to be your pastor.  Please pray for the Lord to keep us in the center of His will.

- Robert

Sunday Worship Schedule

9:00 am Worship Service

10:00 am Adult Sunday School

11:00 am Worship Service

​

Ashford offers two traditional worship services at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The format of these services are identical, with the exception that there will not be a choir or children's church offered at the 9:00 a.m. service.  

The 9:00 a.m. service offers Holy Communion on the first Sunday of each month for those who wish to partake of the sacrament on a more frequent basis. 



The 11:00 a.m. service will be streamed through our YouTube page, Ashford Memorial Methodist Church. You can find it at this link: Ashford YouTube Channel. The 9:00 a.m. service

WILL NOT be streamed on YouTube.

​

REVIVAL AT ASHFORD

Sunday, October 2nd-Tuesday, October 4th

All are invited to Ashford's Revival to be held October 2nd-4th. The theme for these services will be "Inside the Ark...Inside My Heart." Pastor Greene will preach and special music will be provided by our choir each night. Nursery will be available each night.

Christian fellowship will be a significant part of the Revival, and we will share a meal together in the fellowship hall at 6:00 p.m. prior to each nightly service. Please begin praying for these revival services. We hope you can attend and feel free to bring a friend!

Sunday, October 2nd:

• 6:00 p.m. - Chili & Soup Covered Dish Supper

• 7:00 p.m. - Worship Service

Monday, October 3rd:

• 6:00 p.m. - Supper catered by Hot Thomas BBQ

• 7:00 p.m. - Worship Service

Tuesday, October 4th:

• 6:00 p.m. - Supper catered by Barberitos

• 7:00 p.m. - Worship Service

​

PLEASE RSVP ON SIGNUP GENIUS FOR DINNERS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

​CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS

​

Update from the AMMC Board of Directors:

The Lord continues to bless our church family as we make progress with church facilities and staffing.

1. New Youth Leader- We are excited to announce the hiring of Ellie Wooten as our new Youth Leader to conduct the middle and high school programming. Ellie is originally from Cochran, GA and was raised in the Methodist Church. She has worked as a 4-H camp counselor including lead counselor at Rock Eagle and Camp Burton on Tybee Island. Ellie graduated from the University of Georgia with Masters of Education and currently teaches in Jackson County. Ellie is pictured with her husband Nathaniel. Nathaniel grew up in Athens in the Methodist Church. Nathaniel has a degree in Criminal Justice from the University if North Georgia and currently serves as a Georgia State Trooper. We are very excited to have Ellie join the church staff and both Ellie and Nathaniel provide their fine Christian examples for our youth.

​

​

​

​

​

​

2. Church Facilities Improvements- Your feedback on the Building Project Survey was very helpful in guiding this process. It was clear that the church family prioritizes updating the annex (rear wing of the church) before constructing a new building. The Building Committee, led by Barry Beers, has made fine progress on plans to update the annex. The committee has been working with architect, Robert Smith, to finalize plans to include a more accessible rear ramp and entry, an expanded choir room, an ADA restroom on the main floor, and an ADA elevator lift between floors. These plans will soon be presented to several builders to obtain bids. Upon completion of the annex renovation, the Building Committee will proceed with work on plans for an additional fellowship building on the lot behind the church.

​

3. Landscaping Improvements: After the church office was moved into the Murray House (yellow house), the old church office (white house) became the Youth House to include the middle and high school Sunday school classes, the Sunday evening AMMY programs, and a fellowship space. The grounds around this house were quite overgrown with large trees that had to be removed. We are now undertaking an extensive landscaping project around the house to provide an attractive and usable space for the entire church family. This project is being led by one of our high school youth, Daniel Elder, as his Eagle Scout project which is being overseen by several board members.

​

Each of these wonderful updates would not be possible without the support of the entire congregation, so we sincerely thank you. You entrust this Board of Directors with your gifts, so we want to be good stewards of those resources and keep you updated on their use. We are so thankful to all of you for your support and love for this church. Please know that our board welcomes any feedback or suggestions on any projects or programs at Ashford.

God Bless,

Patrick Lucas

President- AMMC Board of Directors 

​

CARE Team will meet on Wednesday, September 28th at 10:00 a.m.

Sunshine Girls for September are Lonna Hanley and Pat Huff. The Sunshine Girls provide meals to Ashford families in times of death, birth, or illness. Please keep the church office informed of anyone needing a meal. If you would like to volunteer, please sign-up on SignUp Genius.

Christmas Candlelight Service practice will begin on Sunday October 2nd at 5:00 p.m. We welcome anyone who would like to join the choir for this annual Ashford tradition! Please see Daniel Shafer or Laura Smith for more information.

Board of Directors will meet on Wednesday, October 5th at 7:00 p.m.

​

Save the Date

October 9th: Laity Sunday

October 15th: Oconee Fall Festival/Youth Parking Lot Fundraiser

October 30th: 5th Sunday Breakfast

October 30th: Ashford Annual Meeting during the 11:00 a.m. Service

​

​BIBLE STUDIES

​​

Monday Morning Ladies Bible Study

Our next bible study will be on the book of Hebrews. We will use Jen Wilkin’s book, Better.  It can be ordered on Amazon or Lifeway. We will begin this study on August 15th at 10:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Lane Downs will be leading the study. We hope you will join us.

Men's Bible Study will meet in the fellowship hall on Thursday mornings at 7:00 a.m. This is an unstructured study with no guides or videos. All you need is your Bible and the desire to study the word of God. Pastor Robert will lead this study which is open to men college age and older. 

Sunday Evening Women’s Group will begin the Kristi McLelland study, The Gospel on the Ground, on Sunday, September 11th. The 7 week study will be held from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Sunday evenings. Dinner will be provided. All are welcome. Let Ellen Elder know if you plan to attend this study.