G PARKING LOT CONTRACT AWARDED! United Methodist Church 841 Quapaw Avenue Should you care to make a contribution to the project above and beyond your contribution to our church budget, please designate the memo corner of your check: Parking Lot. All contributions regardless of size are appreciated! October 8, 2014 Building Faith, Bringing Hope, and Reaching Out in Love Hot Springs, Arkansas The contract for our new parking lot was awarded to Cate, Inc. of 2510 Malvern Avenue during a called session of our Administrative Council that met after the 10:45 a.m. service on Sunday, October 5. The total base bid was $95,718.77. Work is expected to begin later this month! From the Senior Pastor Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; Leave to your God to order and provide; In every change God faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end. A person, whose faith was up one day and then down the next, questioned how to get a stronger faith or was this the way it was supposed to be? This is obviously not the way faith is supposed to be! Instead, our faith is to be strong and stable, not shifting or changing by circumstances or emotions. The problem is that many people fail to nourish their faith; therefore, it grows weaker and weaker just like someone avoiding food all together or existing on an unhealthy diet. The spiritual life also needs to be nourished in order to remain healthy and strong, and God has provided a means for this nourishment. He has given us the fellowship and encouragement of other believers, and he has also given us the means of prayer. Just as a human friendship withers and dies without spending time together, even so our relationship with God grows weak when we fail to spend time sharing our concerns or experiences with him and quietly listening to his voice speaking to our innermost being. God has also given us his word found in the Holy Bible. We say the Bible is Holy because God’s word is present in the pages of the Bible. Another way in which we are nourished is through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Here, Jesus meets us as his own and reminds us he abides with us to nourish us with his presence and his teachings. Continued on Page 2 Continued from Page 1 How is your faith? Is it a roller coaster ride? Fellowship with other believers, prayer, Holy Scripture, and Holy Communion are a means of growing a strong faith. I invite you to take time to engage in all four of these. Be still, my soul: your God will undertake To guide the future, as in ages past. Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know The Christ who ruled them while he dwelt below. George E. Rook Debbie’s Doodle’s As most of us know there are many, many life lessons to be learned from reading our Bible daily. I recently found everything you need to know can be learned from Noah’s Ark. Beginning with……Don’t miss the boat. Remember we are all in the same boat. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the boat. Stay fit. When your 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. Build your future on high ground. For safety sake, travel in pairs. Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. When you’re stressed, float awhile. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. And maybe the most important of all; always have a back up plan, i.e. Learn to SWIM. Peace from Perry Thank You Dear Grand Avenue Family...Please accept our heartfelt gratitude for all you did for Terry, our family and me during and after Terry’s illness. The Terry Sims Family UMW Meetings... October 14th 10:00 a.m. Mary Martha/Esther Circle October 20th 6:30 p.m. Deborah Circle For the month of October the Outreach Store is collecting boxes of Macaroni & Cheese! Online Donations If you are interesting in attending a class on how to use the “Donate Online” button on the church website, please call Ana in the Church Office 501-623-5626. This N’ That UMW: Mary Martha/Esther Circle will meet Tuesday, October 14 at 10:00 a.m. Please meet at Louise Hale’s house 103 Deanwood Terrace, call a Circle Member if you need a ride to the meeting. UMM: The United Methodist Men will meet in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 9. The suggested donation for dinner is $5. All men are invited to attend! The program will be announced later. Wheelchair Available: Thanks to the Outreach Store for passing along a donated wheelchair for on site church use! Worship Folder: Each Sunday a large print version of our Worship Folder is available from the ushers. Hearing devices are also available from the ushers. Hospital Visitation: Our Grand Avenue clergy share in hospital visitation. If you would like a visit when you are hospitalized, please contact the Church Office so we will know you are there and would like a visit (501-623-5626). All Saints Sunday will be observed November 2 at the 10:45 a.m. service. This festival commemorates the inspiration we receive from the lives and deeds of those who are now numbered among the faithful departed. As they were true to our Lord in this life, may we also be true and faithful disciples. Let us examine their trials, sufferings and glories so that we might be inspired to boldly follow in the steps of our Lord just as they did. Moments of special remembrance will be observed for those Grand Avenue members who died during the past year. You may also submit names of loved ones who died since November 1, 2013 that you would like to have honored at this special service. Names may be submitted by calling the Church Office or by placing the names in the offering basins. The deadline to submit names is Tuesday, October 28. You may use the form below. PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY NAME OF DECEASED:____________________________________________________________ SUBMITTED BY:_________________________________________________________________ YOUR PHONE NUMBER:__________________________________________________________ LAITY SUNDAY – OCTOBER 19 Laity Sunday, which celebrates the priesthood of all believers, will be Sunday, October 12 with our own Jonnie Nix speaking at both the 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. services. CHARGE CONFERENCE – WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 AT 5:30 P.M. Our 2014 Charge Conference is Wednesday, October 29 at 5:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. All members of the Administrative Council are voting members of the Charge Conference. Everyone, regardless of whether you are a member of the Administrative Council, may attend this annual meeting. MISSION OPPORTUNITIES Our UMCOR trip to Baldwin, La. was a huge success thanks to all who went. Bus driver Jay Leak and navigator Richard Riley… Everyone who worked in the Depot and in the community left a mark of love for those receiving help. The Vespers Service music was led by Bill and Mary Kratz and assisting with the service were Jonnie Nix and Loyd Perry. An extra Thank You to those who contributed to our gas fund to get us there and back…. Our 2015 Mission trip will be June 7-12, and all 15 slots are filled, but there will be a waiting list for those interested. As United Methodist we are all connected through our service to the church and community, something we can be proud of! GAUMC provided morning snacks for the future home owners and the volunteer builders working with HABITAT FOR HUMANITY on Saturday, October 3, 2015. Morris and Shari Coston delivered and served muffins and oranges along with love and prayers to the Habitat for Humanity team working on Oma Street. One new homeowner and two working their “sweat hours” to qualify for their homes now being built were proud to show us where they will be living. We prayed together and shared fellowship on a beautiful fall day. Watch for future opportunities to participate in the excellent mission opportunity. On October 18, GAUMC will focus on HAVE FAITH, END HUNGER work in our church, our community, our nation, and our world. Jesus specifically commanded us to Feed the Hungry. Grand Avenue United Methodist Church has several significant projects that address the issues of hunger in our community. What is your pledge to help? Do you work in the United Methodist Thrift Shop? Do you contribute to the Backpacks for Kids food project? Do you provide necessities for the Area on Aging to distribute to hungry adults in Hot Springs? Are you a liaison to agencies with whom we have a working relationship? Do you pray for MERCY to provide help to those who are hungry and for JUSTICE to solve the problems so nobody is hungry? On Have Faith, End Hunger Sunday, all of those opportunities will be shared. OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD is just around the corner. Kickoff for this annual event will be Sunday, October 25. “GO” boxes containing informational pamphlets will be available beginning that day. Pick a boy or girl, then an age range, and fill the box with school supplies, health items, games/toys that a child that age would love to receive. Include a picture of yourself with a letter to the child, along with a stamped, selfaddressed note card. You just might get a note in return. Last year our boxes were delivered to Mexico and to native American Indian children in the United States. It’s not too early to begin the fun of packing “shoeboxes”. On December 2, GAUMC will cook lunch for the WESLEY FOUNDATION Students of Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. We will journey from Hot Springs to Arkadelphia together, prepare and serve the meal, and visit with approximately 75 college students, showing them we care. PLEASE call Ana in the church office and volunteer to join this team on important mission work. College is a time of intense decision making by students…we can help make those decisions be FOR CHRIST. For the past 5 years, GAUMC has offered FREE TUTORING to area students needing help in a variety of subjects. This year we have a first grader who needs help with letters and “sight words”, a third grader who needs help with math, a sixth grader who needs help with language arts, and a senior in high school who needs help with physics and pre-calculus. Other parents call all the time seeking help. Paid tutoring is very expensive. Did you help your children when they were in school? Can you hold up flash cards and patiently help students memorize times tables or beginning reading words? Can you teach a students how to look back over what they have read to find the answers to questions? Can you be loving and patient with a student who has had bad experiences in school and turn their life around? You are needed on Tuesday nights from 5:00 to 6:30. Call Shari Coston for more information (525-7456 or 282-7824) Non-Profit G U S Postage Paid United Methodist Church Hot Springs, AR 71901 841 Quapaw Avenue Permit No. 170 Hot Springs, Arkansas 71901 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Upcoming Dates... Thursday, October 9 9:30 a.m. Disciple Study 4:00 p.m. Emmaus Send Off - Parlor 6:30 p.m. UMM Friday, October 10 3:00 p.m. Lakefest—Shangri-La Resort Saturday, October 11 9:00 a.m. Choir Rehearsal Sunday, October 12 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:15 a.m. Fellowship 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:45 a.m. Worship 4:30 p.m. Ad Council 6:00 p.m. Worship Monday, October 13 Office Closed 5:30 p.m. Finance-FH Tuesday, October 14 10:00 a.m. Mary Martha/Esther Circle Noon Bible Study 1:00 p.m. Outreach Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. Tutoring Wednesday, October 15 5:30 p.m. Jubilee Bells 6:30 p.m. Choir Practice Thursday, October 16 9:30 a.m. Disciple Study 3:00 p.m. Evangelism-FH Sunday, October 19 8:30 a.m. Worship 9:15 a.m. Fellowship 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 10:45 a.m. Worship 4:30 p.m. Worship-Parlor 4:30 p.m. Congregational Care-FH 6:00 p.m. Worship Monday, October 20 Special Note… 10:00 a.m. Ukulele Band Deadline for the next 6:30 p.m. Deborah Circle Grand Ave News is Tuesday, October 21 October 20th Noon Bible Study 5:00 p.m. Tutoring