Love Your Neighbor. Jesus taught his disciples this simple but profound statement. Imagine what could happen if each day we sought opportunities to love our neighbors. We can show love by visiting that friend suffering with health issues, collecting canned goods for Intown Cares, and teaching Sunday School to our children. At Haygood, we are beginning our 2025 stewardship journey utilizing the theme Love Your Neighbor.
Haygood is truly impacting lives. Since 2023, we have welcomed more than 120 new members to our church and baptized 33 people. Our Wednesday Night Suppers average 130 people. At our Rise Against Hunger events, we pack more than 21,000 meals. At Vacation Bible School this summer, our team ministered to 120 children — one-third of whom were new to our community! Haygood supported 21 youth and adults to serve in Guatemala on their annual summer mission trip. Our sanctuary renovations, completed in July, provide a more hospitable, accessible, and loving space for God’s people to gather and worship.
Looking forward, we are excited for the new ways God is calling us to serve.
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As a loving and flourishing congregation, we support our new members and our congregation in their faith journeys. We are planning to hire a discipleship coordinator to match this growth. Our Staff Parish Relations Committee has identified Caroline Enright as the perfect fit. Caroline has served at Haygood for five years, is passionate about shepherding God’s people, and is pursuing ordination as a deacon in the United Methodist Church. On her journey to ordination, Haygood will increase her salary to cover the North Georgia Annual Conference benefits, including insurance, housing allowance, and retirement.
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As Caroline transitions to support Haygood’s discipleship at all levels, she will maintain some children’s responsibilities. We plan to fill her role with an exceptional full-time children’s minister to direct our programming.
Our current assistant children’s minister, Tess Welch, will answer her call to ordination and begin serving churches in Kentucky in July 2025. Her position has helped our Club 345, a weekly small group of 3rd through 5th graders, triple in size! We will continue to fund her position at its current level.
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Our worship has been positively impacted through the Children’s Choirs that lead worship eight times a year. To inspire and nurture our youth in a comparable manner, we are offering Harmonics, a new music ensemble for 6th through 12th graders. Tim Spraggins, whose passion is meaningful and accessible worship, will direct Harmonics for 10 hours per week. Tim requires an assistant for five hours per week to accompany rehearsals, performances, and provide administrative coordination.
Our pledge goal is $1 million annually. By giving to our SHINE Budget by November 17, you enable us to cover our operating expenses while expanding the important ministries we do each day. Giving has never been easier. To make your gift, simply scan the QR code or visit GIVE — Haygood Memorial United Methodist Church.
For your convenience, when you give online, you can choose to make a one-time gift or recurring gift. Our giving platform supports various payment methods, allowing you to contribute using a credit/debit card or through an ACH payment directly from your bank account.
In 2025, we are excited for what God has in store for Haygood as we love our neighbors and shine His love into the community.
Won’t you join us on Sunday, November 17, for our Stewardship Celebration Service at 11 a.m. and Chili Cook-Off at noon?
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Mark 12:31