If we watch the news on TV or

Internet, it doesn’t take long to become

discouraged.

Spending more time away from

our friends and family can increase our

propensity to become discouraged.

Spending more time WITH fam-

ily can increase our propensity to lose

our patience and all sorts of other reac-

tions. I do believe God does have a

sense of humor.

God is using COVID-19 to bring

about good in the world. I thought I

would take some time to list some of

the ways God is at work.

1. “Across the country, young people are helping deliver groceries and prescriptions to those in need. Faced with an empty home during an extended period of social dis-

tancing, The New York Times reports that people are opting to foster or adopt pets in increasing numbers.

2. As restrictions on bars, restaurants,

and shops increase, small busi-nesses are evolving.

3. In pursuit of cheer, some have opted to rewind to the holiday sea-

son. Good Morning America re-ported that the #LightsForLife hashtag is inspiring people to re-string their Christmas lights.

4. Retirement homes and nursing facilities across the country are limiting visitations for residents. Instead, facilities are requesting cards and letters be sent to lift their population's spirits. People have taken the ask to heart, sending drawings and notes to their local nursing homes, with USA Today sharing examples.

5. Disneyland closed this month amid novel coronavirus safety con-

cerns. But while the park is closed, its surplus of snacks will be do-nated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

6. After footage of penguins wander-

ing Chicago's Shedd Aquarium stole everyone's hearts, other ani-mal organizations followed suit. At this very moment, you can watch

livestreams and virtual tours from aquariums, zoos, and animal sanc-tuaries across the globe.” (https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/g31813228/happy-news-stories-2020/ )

7. The environment is becoming healthier for people all over the world. Do a Google search of Los Angeles smog and Venice canals.

8. “A new study has found that some 20 percent of non-Christians have become interested in reading the Bible ever since the coronavirus pandemic began to sweep across the globe. The poll, commissioned

by pro-Israel ministry group “The Joshua Fund “and conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, inter-viewed 1,000 Americans—Christian and non-Christian—to find out more about their spiritual reactions to the crisis. Notably, some 44 per-cent of Americans polled said they see the global coronavirus pan-demic and economic meltdown as a “wake-up call for us to turn back to faith in God,” and as “signs of coming judgment.” In addition, one-in-five non-Christians (21.5 percent) polled said the crisis is

causing them to “start reading the Bible and listen to Bible teaching and Christian sermons online even though they usually don’t.” This group is also inclined to “search online to learn more about Bible

(Continued on page 6)

From Pastor Aaron about VANS

Hello Kernstown UMC,

I pray that each of you are staying at home and are healthy. You are a

very generous congregation who love to show your love for God by serving

the needs of others. I have to be cautious about sharing needs with you be-

cause your giving is so generous. Today, I would like to share with you a way

in which you can give financially, and in other ways, to SOW God into our

community.

Below you will find an email message sent to me from Jennifer Hall, who

is the Director of the Valley Assistance Network, which is a non-profit a part

of United Way in Winchester.

(See VANS on Page 4.)

Pastor’s Message

May 2020

Page 2 May 2020 Newsletter

Hi KUMC!

It’s Cindee here – just wanted to

say hello since I haven’t gotten to meet

all of you yet. I have gotten to meet a

few of you in person already and I’ve

seen some of you on ZOOM! Many

others I’ve talked to on the phone or

via email – and I’m sure you’ve been

seeing lots of emails from me, blowing

up your inbox daily!

I look forward to meeting every-

one and getting to know each of you

more.

My time with Dee Dee felt like a

whirlwind with the COVID-19 crazi-

ness, but she was so organized and

helpful, kind and patient – she made

the transition for me as smooth as

could have been!

I know many of you may feel

some uneasiness as I know she leaves

‘big shoes’ for me to fill. I want you to

know that I feel very strongly God

brought me to this position, that He

was in control and lined it all up for

my benefit — and I can only assume

your benefit as well – that there is

something I can do for you through

Him, and that this is a good fit for us

all.

It continues to be my humble

hope and prayer that I may rise to the

call, trusting Him more and allowing

Him to guide me.

Not surprisingly, I have also al-

ready experienced so many ways in

which He is blessing me through

YOU! Words cannot do justice for

how truly grateful I am and how happy

I am to be here with you! ♥ A little about me…. I was born

and raised here, living in Stephens

City my whole life. I still live with my

parents and we attend Stephens City

UMC where we are members. At

SCUMC I help with our slideshow

and sound for Contemporary Service.

(See Introductions on Page 3.)

Bradley Charles 5/01 Selena Littman 5/01 Kelly Henshaw 5/04 Ryan Michael 5/04 Jacob Henshaw 5/05 Brendan Nutry 5/05 Steve Straight 5/05 Michael Morgan 5/07 Mary Kathryn Clark 5/08 Bette Cossentine 5/08 Sonya Hess 5/10 Honor Holland 5/10 Priscilla Minor 5/10 Jacob DeHaven 5/11 Victoria Morris 5/11 Charlotte Notzelman 5/11 Krista Baker 5/12 Brian Henshaw 5/12 Jo Anne Carper 5/13 Steven Dobbin 5/13 Jerry Chapman 5/14 Carroll Fuller 5/14 Hillary Nesselrodt 5/14 Stacey Shull 5/14 Stacey Umbenour 5/14 James Ambrose 5/15 Brenda Long 5/15

Carroll Palmer 5/15 Michelle Scott 5/16 Scott Keeler 5/17 Stephen Vann 5/17 Ellen Sankovich 5/18 Lisa Yowell 5/18 Chrystal Morris 5/19 Todd Wise 5/19 Jackie Rhinaman 5/21 Brooke Snapp 5/21 Haden Walker 5/21 Jayne Craig 5/23 Hunter Eastep 5/23 John Elder 5/24 Jo-Ann Larrick 5/25 Mitchell Ruckman 5/25 Jean Snider 5/25 Austin Shipp 5/26 Marilyn Stelzl 5/27 Russell Creswell 5/29 Linda Fuller 5/29 Lesley Rickard 5/29 Gary Tisinger 5/29 Ed Clevenger 5/30 Mike DeHaven 5/30 Kevin Ecker 5/31 Breanna Wilhelm 5/31

Name Anniversary Date Years Married Scott & Karen Ridder 5/01 27 David & Kristy Donohoe 5/03 22 William & Lisa Yowell 5/10 28 Gary & Loretta Lantz 5/11 52 Steve & Cheryl Spurr 5/11 Roy & Mary Walker 5/12 42 Ric & Sandy Dunkle 5/16 39 Lee & Ruth Folger 5/16 29 Mark & Pamela Lipscomb 5/18 35 Matt & Sandy Duvall 5/22 William Tumblin & Madonna Sponaugle 5/30 16

May Happy Birthdays!

May Happy Anniversaries!

Hello, from

Cindee

Page 3

I have two sisters, one older and

one younger. My older sister, Amee,

lives with her husband, Steven, and

their two Pomeranian pups (Bella and

Bear – my niece-pup and nephew-

pup!) in upstate New York at Fort

Drum. Amee comes home to stay with

us often while Steven is traveling.

My younger sister, Julee, lives in

D.C.; she loves the busy city life! She

has a culinary degree from Johnson &

Wales in Charlotte, NC and is cur-

rently working at a restaurant in

Georgetown.

My sisters were both born in

South Korea and adopted as babies!

People always ask if they were biologi-

cal sisters before being adopted, but

they weren’t.

My mom’s parents have always

lived just about five minutes down the

road from us, and my dad’s mom

moved from Middletown to The Vil-

lage at Orchard Ridge after my grand-

daddy died three years ago. My grand-

parents have always been very involved

in our lives so I have strong relation-

ships with them.

I graduated from Sherando in

2007, and went on to Bridgewater Col-

lege where I majored in Family and

Consumer Sciences and minored in

Spanish (in actuality, my Spanish is

now 9 years out of practice!).

While at Bridgewater, I per-

formed with the Dance Team, took

classes in Interior Design, got to travel

to South Africa, and graduated summa

cum laude. (So I’m a nerd!). For two

summers during college, I was a coun-

selor at Camp Overlook which I

LOVED!

I love music and play piano and

am working to learn guitar. I’ve always

enjoyed doing art and have dabbled in

cake decorating as well. I love the

beach and reading and photography

and… that’s really enough about me!

I hope you feel like you know me

a little better now and I can’t wait to

get to know you!

Love in Christ, Cindee

Thank You

Dear Church Family,

Sandy and I want to thank

you so much for the love

shown to us as we grieve the

loss of my niece Suzi Nesmith.

The beautiful cards, email

messages and calls from you

have been such a blessing to

us.

We are so grateful for

each of you and the love you

have shown to us.

With love, Ric and Sandy

Thank You

Dear Care and Connect and Church Family,

I want to thank you for thinking of me by sending me lots of pretty cards throughout the year.

The Easter card you sent with its pretty flowers and message was especially nice.

I'm praying the coronavirus ends soon and we can get back to our normal lives.

Brighter days are ahead. Warmest Blessings,

Paulette

Introductions

From Page 2

Page 4 May 2020 Newsletter

Please prayerfully consider how

the Lord may call you, or not,

to give to this charity organization.

Thank you.

Joy & Peace,

Pastor Aaron

EMAIL from Jennifer Hall of VANS:

Pastor Aaron,

I wanted to share some resources

that you can pass along if people need

assistance during this difficult time.

Here are a few ways we can help:

1. United Way NSV launched an

online COVID-19 Resource

Site to provide comprehensive

resources in a central location:

https://www.unitedwaynsv.org/

covid-19-resources. The site

grows daily with new resources

including updates to agency ser-

vices, food pantries, mental

health services and tips to man-

age finances during this crisis.

It’s in Spanish too! Please share

the link with anyone who may

benefit!

2. Valley Assistance Network

(VAN) has streamlined our pro-

gram to meet the growing de-

mands and influx of requests for

assistance. With the changing

climate and many nonprofits

having to close their doors, our

resource and referral program is

more important now than ever.

VAN serves as a central entry

point for people needing assis-

tance, similar to 211 programs

in other community. We screen

clients and make electronic re-

ferrals to partners. Not surpris-

ingly, the biggest needs are rent

and utilities. The easiest way to

connect with VAN is to fill out

an intake on our website,

“www.unitedwaynsv.org/van-get-

help” and a trained case man-

ager will respond. They can also

call (540) 773-3178.

3. A few churches have reached

out to ask about ways to best

help our community during this

time. If you have existing funds

to utilize, please consider donat-

ing to the COVID-19 Relief

Fund to help our neighbors in

need. United Way NSV

launched the fund to provide

flexible resources to organiza-

tions to address the immediate,

unmet needs of working families

due to sudden loss of income. It

is incredible to see the commu-

nity unite for these efforts, and

we’re already seeing immediate

impact!

4. In less than two weeks,

UWNSV has distributed over

$40,000 to eight partner agen-

cies, including Faithworks, High-

land Food Pantry, Salvation

Army, and AbbaCare. 100 per-

cent of the funding will help

ALICE families cover essentials

like rent, utilities, childcare, and

food. United Way NSV is

matching donations dollar for

dollar up to $50,000! We are

just $7,000 away from reaching

50K!

Here are other ways you can encour-

age people to help:

5. Collect food and supplies for

Bright Futures or Shenandoah

Area Agency on Aging’s Meals

on Wheels program

6. Make masks the hospital, non-

profits, or your neighbors

7. Donate blood.

8. Have children make cards for

homebound seniors and those

in nursing homes

9. Pray for our local nonprofits.

Consider making a financial gift.

Many agencies are not operat-

ing, and those working directly

to meet COVID-19 needs re-

quire more resources to do so.

While most agencies are not

able to accommodate volun-

teers, VAN has a few openings

for remote volunteers to help

with resource navigation and

money management. If you

have staff or know a volunteer

who wants to give back in this

way, please connect with me.

I hope you will find this informa-

tion helpful. Please let us know if

there is anything we can do to assist

you and your congregation. We are all

navigating these unchartered waters

together!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hall

Director of Community Engagement

United Way NSV

Valley Assistance Network

411 N. Cameron St. Suite 210

Winchester, VA 22601

Telephone: 540-773-3178

VANS

From Page 1

Thank You

Please let everyone know how

much I appreciate their prayers.

Prayers that they and their

families are safe and well.

God Bless.

Peace be with you! Florence

Page 5

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3

9:00 Birthday Breakfast

9:00 Sunday School

9:30 Kids Choir

10:20 Worship

11:35 Youth Choir

6:00 Banner Youth

4 5

1:30 Disciple Group

6

5:30 TOPS

6:00 Hand Bells

7:00 Choir

7

National Day of

Prayer

9:00 TOPS

9:00 Staff Meeting

Committee Night

Health Ministry

8 9

8:00 Men's Breakfast

9:00 Scrapbooking

10

Mother's Day

9:00 Sunday School

9:30 Kids Choir

10:20 Worship

11:35 Youth Choir

6:00 Banner Youth

11 12

10:00 UMW

1:30 Disciple Group

7:00 Men's Group

13

1:00 Intercessory

Prayer

5:30 TOPS

6:00 Ringers

7:00 Choir

14

9:00 TOPS

Executive Meetings

15 16

17

9:00 Sunday School

10:20 Worship

11:35 Youth Choir

12:00 Finance Mtg.

6:00 Banner Youth

18

Noon – Newsletter

deadline

19

6:30 Disciple

Women's Retreat

20

5:30 TOPS

6:00 Hand Bells

7:00 Choir

21

9:00 TOPS

7:30 Church Council

22 23

24

9:00 Sunday School

9:30 Youth Choir

10:20 Worship

11:35 Kids Choir

6:00 Banner Youth

25

Church Office

Closed

26

1:30 Disciple Group

7:00 Men's Group

27

1:00 Intercessory

Prayer

5:30 TOPS

6:00 Hand Bells

7:00 Choir

28

9:00 TOPS

9:00 Folding

Fellowship

29 30

31

Pentecost

9:00 Sunday School

9:30 Kids Choir

10:20 Worship

12:00 5th Sun. Luncheon

6:00 Banner Youth

SOUND SYSTEM CAMERA

5/3

Steve Spurr Steve Spurr

5/10

Steve Spurr Steve Spurr

5/17

Steve Spurr Steve Spurr

5/24

Steve Spurr Steve Spurr

5/31

Steve Spurr Steve Spurr

DATE GREETERS USHERS ACOLYTE SCRIPTURE

READERS

COMM.

ASST.

STEEPLE

BELL

RINGER

NURSERY OFFERING

COUNTERS

5/3 Ric Dunkle

5/10 Lisa

Dawson

5/17 Nancy

Tisinger

5/24 Stacey Park

5/31 Steve Ayers

May 2020 Calendar Kernstown United Methodist Church

3239 Valley Pike, Winchester, VA 22602-5303 // 540.667.7298 www.kernstownumc.org // Pastor Aaron Winslow Fitch: afitch@kernstownumc.org

prophecy and God’s plan for the fu-ture of mankind, and have more spiri-tual conversations with family and friends,” according to the study. As for the Christians, four-in-ten (40.1 percent) of the respondents said they are “reading the Bible more than ever, watching or listening to Bible teaching and Christian sermons online since they cannot go to church.” (https://www.lightworkers.com/pandemic-has-led-to-reading-the-bible/) The Holy Spirit is doing good things

at Kernstown UMC as well. First, the

KUMC Staff (Donna, Cindee, David, and

Jonathan) have been working behind the

scenes doing great work to make sure

KUMC’s presence on the internet is top

notch. David has been playing the piano

and producing the Happy Hymnal Hour

every weekday at 5:00 pm.

Jonathan has been producing encour-

aging videos and teaching/preaching vid-

eos from home for our Youth. Also, Jona-

than has been sending care packages to

the Youth to lift their spirits.

Second, KUMC church members

have been working behind the scenes as

well, Steve Spurr operating the camera

and sound system and Chris Tarbell play-

ing his guitar and singing every week dur-

ing online Sunday worship.

Kim Tarbell has sung a few times.

Rich & Cathy Lichvar, Mike Henshaw,

Lorraine Shelton, and Cathy and JR have

read for us during worship.

I’m probably forgetting someone, and

if I am please remind me! Hundreds of

people are watching what we do at

KUMC online each week!

I was told that a person who is cur-

rently an atheist has been watching the

Sunday worship services and has been

enjoying them. God is at

work in more ways than we

can realize.

COVID 19 is serious and

we must continue to pray for those on the

front lines fighting this pandemic. We

must continue to pray for everyone who is

currently sick from COVID 19 and ask

God to heal them.

We must continue to pray for the

family members and friends who have lost

loved ones because of COVID 19.

We must continue to pray for our

elected officials, and everyone who works

in government offices.

As we take time to remember that

God is IN us, God is WITH us, and God

is FOR us, we will be able to do two

things:

First, we will be able to continue to

pray without ceasing for the above and

more prayer request.

Second, we will not lose faith, hope,

and love.

Praise God! Joy & Peace, Pastor Aaron

Pastor’s Message

From Page 1

Aaron Fitch, Pastor

Charles Harless, Pastor Emeritus

Carolyn Carney, Lay Leader

Cindee Steele, Administrative Assistant

Jonathan Holland, Youth Director

Kelly Henshaw, Chancel Choir Director

Cathy Lichvar, Treasurer

Doris Miller, RN, Parish Nurse

Vicky Maphis, Nursery Attendant

David Landrum, Pianist/Organist &

Hand Bell Conductor, Music Director

Donna Funk-Smith, Communication/

Technologies Coordinator

What’s Inside: Pastor’s Messages 1 Birthdays & Anniversaries 2 Meet Cindee 2 Love Week 3 Thank Yous 3 & 4 Calendar 5

KERNSTOWN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Return Service Requested

3239 Valley Pike Winchester, VA 22602-5303 Phone: (540) 667-7298 www.kernstownumc.org Follow us on Facebook!

NON-PROFIT

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 66

Winchester, VA