Edition 4, Vol. 3
THE MOUNTAIN VIEW MESSENGER
March, 2026
FROM PASTOR LAURA
Welcome to March Mountain View Family
The beginning of 2026 brought loss within our church family, as Debbie Wilson went to be with Jesus. I was reminded that as we all grieve her loss together, God binds up the brokenhearted and brings us united to be a family of faith, as we continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus. May our church family continue to pray for the Wilson family.
February may have brought some winter weather our way, but that did not stop us from meeting together. How wonderful it was to come together for a Friday evening worship service, and lift our prayers and praises to God, prior to the pending weather. We are thankful that God gives us the desire to grow in our relationship with Him through worship by music, prayer, teaching of His Word, and fellowship.
The Ash Wednesday service began our Lenten season within the church community. During this season, we embark on a 40-day journey to the cross, getting our minds and hearts focused on recalling the past, reassuring us to focus on our present, and guiding us toward a hopeful future. This preparation encourages us all to repent of any internal sins or practices that we are doing to separate ourselves from Christ, while being refined by the Holy Spirit to partner in helping grow God’s Kingdom. We began our first Bible Study of the year, with the Gospel of Matthew, and what an amazing turnout we had within our congregation. People came hungry to learn about God’s Word and grow in their faith with Jesus.
There is excitement of new relationships forming within the congregation, as we welcome more visitors and the fellowship is flowing. God is blessing our congregation as we stand on His Word and offer His truth, and grow in faith together. May we anticipate the spiritual growth that God has in store for all of us through this year, and how the Holy Spirit is moving mightily through our church family. We invite you to come and join us for worship and ministry gatherings at Mountain View Global Methodist Church, where our mission is to make disciples who fuel faith, build foundations, and embody Jesus Christ in the world.
“The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17
MARCH DATES
Mar 1 – Holy Communion
1 – Pot Luck after Church
4 – Bible Study of Matthew, 5:00 pm
5 – Handmade with Love, 1:00 pm
8 – MVGMM, 8:00 am
9 – Mah Jongg, 1:00 pm
10 – Mountain View Methodist Women, 4:00 pm
14 – Hiking Club, 8:30 am See P.4
19 – Handmade with Love, 1:00 pm 20 – Spring Begins!!!
23 – Mah Jongg, 1:00 pm
26 – Veteran’s Coffee House, 8:30-10:00 am
Pastor Laura’s Office Hours Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
EASTER EGG HUNT, APRIL 4, 1PM, SEE P.5
FEBRUARY
John & Carol Debree
Scott & Danielle
Russ & Terry Didelot
Doris Von Rosen Basket Guild
Linda Brady Mick & Lois Coster
Gene Roe
Harriet Aaron
Phillip & Kay Deal
Jess & Elaine Stewart
Remembering Debbie Wilson by
Making a Difference
While our hearts are broken at the loss of Debbie Wilson, one of her wishes for Mountain View was that we accomplish our goal of repaving the church parking lot in the near future. At the recent Administrative Council meeting, it was decided to ignite a campaign in Debbie’s honor to fund our paving costs, with our goal being the end of June 2026.
Repaving the parking lot is estimated to cost $75,000. Others have donated generously in the past for this worthy cause and to those we say “thank you.” That total to date is $9,970.50.
With the blessing of Debbie’s family, we invite you to join us in honoring Debbie Wilson by donating to this campaign. Please indicate ‘‘Paving” in your check memo or on your envelope to support this cause, and together we will watch Mountain View rise to the goal.
Thank you for your love, support, and for honoring Debbie with us.
The Value In our Paving Fund as of 2/23/26 is $9,970.50
FAMILY COMMITTEE
Join us for a Soup & Chili Potluck after church on Sunday, March 1st!
Please bring your favorite pot of soup or chili to share. We also are requesting some desserts as well.
Thank you!
Hiking Club Goes to Paris
After several great hikes, we are planning a celebration trip to Paris Paris Mountain State Park, that is! On Saturday, March 14th, we plan to hike a loop at the top of the mountain that will put us on the Sulphur Springs, Kanuga and Brissy Ridge trails. As always, the trail will be family friendly even for the kids. The adventure of being in God’s beautiful creation as you climb over roots and rocks, breathing fresh, mountain air is always a good day! Bring guests/family members with you and we’re praying for a sunny day at the end of this cold winter.
If you are planning to attend, we need you to sign-up through the church website so that we know how to arrange transportation by March 13th . If this is your first hike with our club, you’ll receive a survey so that we know your hiking experience and get emergency contact information. Doing this will go a long way toward a good day for everyone on the trail! Meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 14th in the back parking lot of the church, we will gather to give instructions and pray before we caravan to Paris Mountain. We always try to return by 12:00 noon so that everyone can make plans for the rest of the day after a great start on the trail!
Please note: because parking at the top of the park is limited, we will definitely need to carpool! If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to see or email Kerry Barnette, Mary Crowson or Tammy Than.
“Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees and forest sing for joy.” Psalm 96:12
Julie & Dusty Ross
Welcome to Mountain View Global Methodist Church to Julie and Dusty Ross, who joined our church on November 30th, 2025.
Julie grew up in Greenville and went to Winthrop College. She taught school for 27 years and retired in 2004. Dusty, whose nickname was given to him by his dad, is a native of Saluda, NC. After military service in the Army, he graduated from Georgia Southern University and then spent 44 years with a chemical manufacturing company in Greenville.
Julie and Dusty were both living in separate apartment complexes near Pelham Road in Greenville. Dusty was visiting friends at Julie’s apartment complex and they all ended up sitting at the same table at the pool, and the rest is history! They started dating soon after, and were married in 1980. They have two daughters, Evan who lives in Greer, and Leigh who lives in Charleston.
Julie and Dusty both love spending time with family and friends. Dusty enjoys golf, and they both enjoy the YMCA and going to the beach. They are also huge Clemson fans, as both of their daughters graduated from Clemson, and Julie got her master’s degree in reading there.
They are 35+ year residents of the Locust Hill community, where they live near the old schoolhouse on Highway 290 on a property which is shared with Julie’s brother and his wife. A barn near the front of the property is a photographer favorite for weddings!
Julie’s grandfather was a Methodist minister, and both of them are life-long Methodists. After visiting Mountain View GMC, the people, atmosphere, and Pastor Laura made them feel at home. Since joining Mountain View, both Julie and Dusty look forward to becoming more involved in church committees and activities.
Welcome to Mountain View Julie and Dusty!
COMING IN APRIL – EASTER EGG HUNT
Saturday, April 4th @ 1 pm at our church!
All invited. Bring your kids, grandkids, neighbors. If you are interested in helping with refreshments, filling or hiding eggs, small candy or toys to put in the eggs. Please sign up on the website.
MOUNTAIN VIEW GLOBAL METHODIST MEN
March 2026
Our last meeting was held on Boy Scout Sunday, so we got to hear about how the Scouts are doing. One of the Scouts is getting close to earning his Eagle badge, a major accomplishment. It is increasingly difficult to interest boys in scouting with all of the distractions of our world, and we need to keep them in our prayers.
Kerry gave a devotion about the stresses of everyday life and how we are to ‘Cast all your anxiety on Him, because he cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7) That’s certainly good advice in today’s world! We spoke about the passing of Debbie Wilson, and voted to make a donation to the parking lot fund in her name. We will keep her family in our prayers, particularly John, who is so active in the men’s group. We also made a donation to the Triune Mercy Center. It’s important to put our money to work as well as ourselves.
The long-awaited Little Food Pantry is nearing completion and should be placed on our campus soon. We will be soliciting non-perishable donations to stock it with. The Boy Scouts will check it and keep it stocked during their Monday night meetings.
We are putting together plans for a casual meet-and-greet for the men’s club later this spring. We’ll have a cook-out and some fun activities as we get to know each other. This will be on a Saturday afternoon, so all men can attend, and bring a friend, as well! There will be further news about this as we head into Spring. As always, if you have any suggestions for our men’s group, we’d love to hear them!
In His Service, Jay DeBree
Local Outreach-Missions
Veteran’s Coffee House continues Thursday, March 26th 8:30-10:30AM. Invite veterans you meet for Coffee, Conversation and Fellowship.
Your Sunday Dinner with A Twist (SDWAT) 3rd Sunday Mission continues on March 15th (Saturday 14th for preparation) with preparation of 80 meals for the Homeless under the experienced eye of John Wilson and a crew of helpers. That activity continues those Sundays about 2:45PM at 2111 N. Pleasantburg Dr. to package those meals. If you would like to participate in that Mission, give Phillip Deal or Bill Wilson a call.
Our Hot Chocolate Mission for SDWAT continues through the cold, wintery and maybe rainy Sundays, and bring you face-to-face with Greenville’s Homeless. If you would like to help with that Mission, just give Bill Wilson or Phillip Deal a call. You will be blessed.
It may only be MARCH, but August is coming and the North Greenville University Church Fair planning will begin soon. If you have not participated in the two previous events of meeting and greeting 400+ NGU students on a Summer Friday afternoon and think it sounds interesting…. Just give Phillip Deal a call.
Mountain View Methodist Women
Hello to all my sisters in Faith. Well, it had only been 5 or 6 weeks since we all got together, and I now know what that expression "Absence makes the Heart Grow Fonder.” I was so happy to see all of you again at our first meeting of 2026.
As always, we started our meeting with light refreshments provided by Terry and Sis. It being February, they set the table with lots of hearts and even a heart tree and, of course, the food was great too! At this point I have to announce that we lost one of our dearest and most precious sisters, Debbie Wilson. Debbie was a woman of quiet strength and radiant faith. Even in the midst of her illness, she never let it define her instead she let God define her. She loved deeply, her family, her friends, her church, and most of all her savior. Her journey wasn't easy, but she faced it with courage and grace. Though our hearts ache, we take comfort in knowing she is now resting in the arms of Jesus. We love you Debbie and we will never forget you!
My first meeting as President (I was very nervous) but even before the meeting started Terry Didelot presented me a gift from all my sisters. You know how much you’re loved when you get a "COW BELL" for a present so that I can call our meetings to order.
Pam Pasek did our devotion and it was very inspiring. We covered old and new business. As for new business we began discussions on our fundraiser for Spring. Everyone had some great ideas and hopefully in March we will lock one in. We had so much fun in the last couple of years trying themed events that we want to present you all with something to remember. Don't worry I will keep you posted.
Our program was given by Harriet Aaron. Her idea was that with all the new members we should have a "Getting to know you better" experience. She had 4 or 5 questions written down to choose from and even a timer set to 90 seconds so each one of us could get a turn. The questions ranged from 1) how you met your spouse 2) your favorite vacation 3) hobbies 4) children you get the idea, right? The first couple of ladies were a little nervous, but we laughed and awed so much everyone got into it and by the time it was done I have to say thank you to Harriet for thinking of it and am so glad she is in charge of programs - she is a natural! Our own Pastor Laura closed our meeting in prayer.
So, to all our ladies at Mt View Church again I ask you to give some thought to joining our group; there are no signup fees, no badges, no attendance sheets. We just want you all to be part of our JOY in serving the Lord, and enjoying each other's company and if you miss meetings, it's never a problem.
Prayer: Heavenly Father; Wrap your loving arms around every woman who feels weary today. Fill her heart with unshakable strength and a JOY that overflows even in the midst of challenges. Remind her she is never alone, let your peace guard her and let your light guide her path Amen
Patti Jolly, President
HISTORY CONTINUED FROM FEBRUARY
History….. helps us find our place in the fabric of a community.
It’s the 1890s, historic Baptist congregations at Double Springs, Gap Creek, Enoree and Tigerville were in place with several Methodist congregations in the County. The year 1892 welcomed North Greenville Academy (now NGU).
The forests were thinner then, the tree lines fewer, farm lands were terraced and there were “mountain views” up roads already named Groce Meadow, Mt. View, Tigerville and Gap Creek. We were now Mountain View Episcopal Methodist Church South.
Dusty intersections … can we call them communities? …. of Sandy Flat, Jackson Grove, Locust, Marydell, Blue Ridge, Few’s Corner, Tigerville, Glassy, Gowens Ville., Highlands, Lima, Oneal, Tyger and now Mountain View Community anchored by what would become Mountain View School across the road. Our church settled into the “fabric” of our community. No longer would those believers have to travel to Mush Creek, cross the Enoree River to Jackson Grove or Tiger River to Few’s Chapel to worship. Greenville County by 1882 had been divided into Townships and Mt. View Methodist found itself listed in the Highlands Township. Over the decades since, Township names such as Dunklin, Oak Lawn, Fair View, Grove, Austin, Gantt, Butler, Chick Springs, Paris Mt., Oneal, Bates, Highlands, Glassy Mt., Saluda and Cleveland are mostly recognized as a road names.
For $40 our first 2 acres were purchased in September 1892. In the following spring of 1893, our original Sanctuary went up from the labor and material of our members. “A handsome structure in the Methodist concept of the time” was the description. Slightly larger than our current Sanctuary, there were long center pews with shorter pews to each side, initially no electricity, never any water and a wood stove for heat. It was said that men sat on one side, the women on the other except in cold weather when all gathered closer to the stove. Curtains eventually formed spaces for Sunday Schools. Worship? - Maybe once or twice a month. Our very first revival was probably held in August 1893 with “glorious results”. We were 30 years out from the Civil War and the Great Depression was still 30 years into our future. We were self-sufficient, prosperous, comfortable and excited to be “THE” Methodist church in the community. Families and farms were making their mark. Church membership slowly increased. And we worshiped in Our House!
Greer and Travelers Rest were places we might call towns but none were reached by paved roads until the 1930s. We were not isolated but we took care of ourselves here with the few local merchants. In those generations past we were farmers of corn and cotton and wheat and oats. Vineyards were becoming prominent in the County. Water powered mills were never far away for help with the corn and wheat crops. As cotton became a money crop a “cotton gin” became available just across the road from our cemetery. Industry had arrived in Greenville County and would slowly change the employment picture of our farmers.
Getting back to our church ….. From 1892 until 1940 we worshiped and grew in that original building. Along the way, we were served by those Pastors whose photos you see in our Hallway. We were shuffled around to many different “charges” as Methodist congregations and pastor availability changed across the county. Individual church parsonages had not yet gotten a foothold. In 1939 the names “Episcopal and South” were dropped from our name and we became Mountain View Methodist.
By 1940 our 115-member congregation and our needs had outgrown that original Sanctuary. Many early founders and leaders who helped in that construction, now rest in the cemetery. The children and grandchildren of the founders would now make their mark. Plans were sketched by Hubert Lindsey (Rachel Miller’s uncle), materials were donated and purchased and a mortgage arranged. As several scripture verses still encourage us …… WE ARE MAKING A NEW THING!
Phillip Deal – To be continued…………
Music notes
The digital piano once used in the choir room has found a wonderful new home.
Have you ever met someone for the first time and just knew he or she was shining the light of Jesus? This happened to me this past weekend. As you know, we have been asking if anyone could use the digital piano with no takers. This piano has a broken leg and many scratches from being used in ministry at Lake Robinson. But the important part, the heart, of the piano, still longed to bring music.
God sent just the right person to take this piano to a place where it could use its heart (the melodious black and white keys) for the enrichment of many piano students. Mary, the lady who was brightly shining for Jesus, will be using the digital piano at the Phillis Wheatley Center in Greenville to teach children and adults for free or reduced cost to those that desire to learn piano. Mary is the founder of “Daniel’s Keys to Kindness” in memory of her son Daniel, who was a gifted musician and known for his kindness to all.
You may read more about this at danielskeystokindness.com
I feel our church has been given a prelude to ministry in the Overture of a new composition!! God is so good!
Cindy Crain, Choir Director
“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving it.”
Mother Teresa
Contact Information:
Mountain View Global Methodist Church
6525 Mountain View Rd. Taylors, SC 29687 (864) 895-8532
Check out our new website at Mountainviewgmc.org for news, pictures, and much more!!! Look for our google calendar under “What’s Happening” as well as weekly bulletin, monthly newsletter and photo gallery.
We are also on Facebook – Mountain View Global Methodist Church – Taylors, SC
Sunday School – 9:30 am Worship – 10:30 am
