The Messenger an edition of The United Methodist Reporter First United Methodist Church Round Rock January 4, 2013 Volume 160 - No. 36 Worship Info Sunday Services Morning: 8:30 am - Sanctuary Blend of Contemporary and Traditional Worship Styles www.fumc-rr.org 071700 Two Sections, Section A Feed my starving children First Church is packing meals in February 9:40 am - Family Life Center Contemporary Worship Style CrossRoads AM 11:00 am - Sanctuary Traditional Worship Style Evening: 6:00 pm-Family Life Center CrossRoads PM - Youth Led Worship Service Holy Communion The Sacrament of Holy Communion is commonly observed at all services on the first Sunday of the month. Altar Flower Dedications You may provide flowers in memory or in honor of a special person or celebration. For more information, contact Wanell Soslow at 255-3336 or [email protected]. More Information Worship information is subject to change. Please check the First Church website at http://fumc-rr.org for the most up-to-date information. First Church is Hosting Site to Pack Meals for “Feed My Starving Children” In our world today, an estimated 925 million people are chronically hungry, though there is enough food in the world for everyone to have adequate nutrition. As followers of Christ, we cannot accept this reality. Christ commands us to respond. In the Family Life Center of First United Methodist Church on February 15 and 16, our church will be hosting an event doing just that: responding. Through a Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) MobilePackTM in partnership with members of New Life Community Church, we will produce 100,000 meals for God’s children around the world. FMSC is a Christian nonprofit hunger relief organization working with volunteers to produce MannaPackTM Rice, a scientifically formulated food formula that is culturally acceptable worldwide. Organizations in nearly 70 countries around the world distribute these meals to children in greatest need. To learn more about FMSC, visit http://fmsc.org. We invite you to join other area Christians in producing these meals. We join members from New Life Community Church to recruit volunteers for this MobilePack event. New Life leaders will also be raising 22¢ for each meal—$22,000 total.You and your family can volunteer to help! In volunteering, adults and children will measure and scoop ingredients, seal bags, and prepare boxes for shipping. Registration will be online in January 2013 at http://fmsc.org/mobilepack.You will be trained on site in the Great Room (Building 5-232) and then spend two hours packing. First Church is thrilled to be the host site for this packing event! We hope that you and your family will join other area Christians in this important service for God’s hungry children. To learn more, please contact Judy Corrigan at [email protected] or Rev. Katie Meek at [email protected]. If you would like to help ABOUT FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN them meet their $22,000 goal, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a Christian nonprofit hunger relief organization that provides food to help complease consider making a munities in developing countries become self-sustaining. FMSC’s approach is simple: volunteers hand pack scientifically special offering. Donations designed meals, which are shipped to partners in nearly 70 countries and used to run orphanages, clinics, schools, missions, may be submitted online at and community feeding programs. http://fmsc.org/mobilepack or mailed to: ABOUT FMSC MOBILEPACK™ Feed My Starving Children, MobilePack™ events enable children and adults across the United States to pack FMSC’s life-giving MannaPack™ meals. ATTN: MobilePack #1302-204 FMSC provides guidance and logistics. And you provide funds, time, and labor to pack the meals! 401 93rd Avenue NW Coon Rapids, MN 55433 GET INVOLVED Checks should be As a MobilePack host, we have committed to providing space for the event and helping by becoming some of the volunteers needed to produce thousands of meals. At just two hours per food-packing shift, your donation of time goes a long way payable to FMSC, memo line MobilePack #1302-204 in this effort. In addition, you can make an online donation directly to your MobilePack event at fmsc.org/mobilepack. Each of the 100,000 meals costs only 22 cents. AED...a life giving and life saving opportunity Table of Contents Submissions/Deadlines...5 What is an AED? An AED or Automated External Defibrillator is a portable device designed for use by the non-medical public to evaluate the heart rhythm of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) victim; and if needed, it will send an electric shock to the heart in an attempt to restore a normal rhythm. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a condition in which the heart suddenly develops an erratic rhythm and stops beating effectively; which prevents blood flow to the brain and other vital organs. An electrical shock delivered by a defibrillator is essentially the only means of restoring a normal rhythm and function to the heart of an SCA victim. But that shock has to be delivered quickly to be effective. Every minute that passes reduces the chance of survival by 10%... after 10 minutes; there is little chance of surviving. Money Matters........................8 Why does First Church need AEDs? Pastor’s Column......................4 Abbreviations..........................4 Adult Ministries........................4 Children’s Ministries............5 Youth Ministries.......................5 Worship Arts.............................5 Joys and Concerns..............8 Congregational Care...........8 Mission and Outreach......8 Calendar.......................................8 AED programs, like we are planning for First Church, the survival rate has increased to over 40%. The reason is placement of AEDs in gathering places such as churches; a rapid response of trained individuals who call 911, initiate Hands-only CPR and utilize an AED as quickly as possible. The international initiative to develop AED programs in communities like ours has proven to be effective in saving lives, and that is why we think First Church deserves an AED program. But saving a life at First Church is not our only goal. We hope to raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, how to recognize it and what to do if you witness one. Perhaps the greatest goal is to provide affordable training in the use of Hands-only CPR and AEDs for everyone who desires to learn, in small groups at our church. continued on page 8 Hopefully we will never need to use an AED at First Church. But SCAs are totally unpredictable, occurring without warning, often to individuals with no known heart disease. It is the leading cause of death in America more deaths than breast cancer, lung cancer, strokes and AIDS combined. An estimated 295,000 Americans suffer an SCA each year. The survival rate is less than 10% and some of those survivors are left with severe neurological deficits. However, in communities that have embraced comprehensive The United Methodist Reporter (USPS 954-500) is published weekly by UMR Communications, 1221 Profit, Dallas, TX 75247-3919. Periodicals Postage Paid at Dallas, Texas and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The United Methodist Reporter, PO Box 660275, Dallas, TX 75266-0275. The Messenger 4 www.fumc-rr.org Congregational Care Adult Ministries and Events It is a practice in which we engage year after year. Maybe it’s losing weight. Maybe it’s quitting smoking or becoming more organized. Perhaps it’s to spend less time at the office and more time with our family. We make them with the best of intentions. And we almost always fail. The New Year’s resolution is a time-honored tradition. The new year, after all, is a time of new beginnings, and what better way to begin anew than by taking stock of our lives and resolving to improve on ourselves? And millions of adults – experts say as many as 70 percent in the United States – began the new year with at least one resolution. Those same experts say, however, that 80 to 85 percent will abandon those resolutions by the end of January. In some ways it’s a sad commentary on our resolve as Americans, isn’t it? There are myriad reasons for our tendency to fail at our annual endeavor to improve. First and foremost, change is difficult for most of us. We’re used to eating what we like, watching TV instead of going to the gym, and so on. And we don’t do those things in an attempt at self-destruction. We do them because they are enjoyable and comfortable. We are largely creatures of habit, and when you combine that with habits that bring us pleasure, well the cost of change can be high. Experts also say we fail most often because we set goals that are too long term. By nature we are beings who are wired for immediate gratification, short-term successes. So eating healthy for a week or losing five pounds is immeasurably easier for us than saying we are going to change our lifestyle forever or lose 50 pounds. But I wonder if there is not more to it than that. I say that because as people of faith, we are all about new beginnings. As the angelic pronouncements of a Savior’s birth echoed off of our gathering on Christmas Eve, we celebrated once again the arrival of the Christ child. It was an arrival that heralded a change the likes of which the world had never seen. No longer was God this mysterious presence who could not be touched. Now God was flesh and blood, just like us. God was touchable, knowable. And because of that, human beings were free to experience God in a real and tangible way, in the person of Jesus Christ. And with that experience came the conviction of change. We see it throughout the Gospel stories of Jesus’ birth and ministry. We see it throughout the book of Acts. We even see it between the lines of Paul’s letters. When people experienced Jesus – whether in the flesh or spiritually years after his death – their lives were changed. They were freed to live their lives in a way that was contrary to their nature, because they were first willing to give their lives to Christ. They weren’t just different. They were better, a walking glimpse of the human being that God envisioned in those first days of creation. They were people who sought to give, rather than to receive. Who longed to build God’s kingdom, rather than build up their own lives. People willing to lose their lives because they were convinced that that’s how they would ultimately find themselves in Christ. Sometimes I think that is our problem with resolutions. They are all about us, not about Christ. We think we should lose weight because we will feel better and look better and have better self-esteem. We think we should be more organized because it would make us more productive and lower our stress level. We think we should work less because it will make for less strife at home. When maybe what we should be thinking about is Christ. Maybe our eating habits are a concern because it is sinful to abuse the very temple that God created in our bodies. Maybe organization is a problem because we are losing opportunities to witness and minister to others. Maybe we should work less because we are fervently building a house on sand, rather than building a kingdom on the solid rock of Christ. So here’s my challenge for you. This year, make a single resolution. This year I will put Christ first. In my family, in my job, in my own life, I will put Christ first. It sounds a little naïve, I know. But I am convinced that if we really put Christ first, then the transformation that only Christ can bring will begin to touch every aspect of our lives. If you’re like me, then you’ve tried it the old way for years. Just this once, why not give Jesus a chance? The Path Novellas...Exploring the Bible’s Shortest Books New Adult Sunday School Class 4 week Bible study begins January 16 by Shannon Richardson They are the often overlooked books within our canon of Scripture.You can read them in 10 minutes or less. Some of them are only a few verses in length. They are the shortest books in the Bible, but big things often come in small packages. When God is the author, that’s especially true. Beginning Jan. 16, Rev. Lee Trigg will lead a four-week exploration of some of these divine novellas. Each week students will delve Whether you are new to First Church or a long time member who has not connected with a Sunday School class, you are welcome to join us. This is not your usual Sunday School class! The Path is an opportunity for occasional Sunday School discussions (perhaps meeting every other week), but it is more a way to create flow and balance for people who are searching for ways to improve their spiritual journeys along with their acts of service. There may be meetings on days other than Sundays. There will be opportunities to serve, both inside and outside the church. This class is in the planning stages, so if you have any ideas or a desire to be included, please contact Shannon Richardson at [email protected]. Women’s Bible Studies Join us on Tuesday mornings, Wednesday mornings or Wednesday evenings for Beth Moore Bible Studies. The Tuesday morning group will begin Breaking Free, an 11 week study about freedom in Christ. This updated study will take you through Scripture to discover the transforming power of Christian freedom. The Tuesday study begins on January 15 at 9:30 am. Contact: Dana Prewitt at 633-4748 or [email protected]). The Wednesday morning and evening groups will begin The Law of Love – Lessons From the Pages of Deuteronomy, a study of the words of Moses as his people were looking for their promised land, much as we look for our promised land. The Wednesday groups begin on January 9 at 9:30 am or 6:30 pm. Contact: Janet Reynolds at 255-7198 or [email protected]. Child care is available for all of these studies. What and How Do Methodists Believe? This 4-week class helps clarify Wesleyan theology and explains how United Methodists arrive at their faith positions. Find out what we mean when we say we’re Methodist. The class begins on January 20 at 11 am. Register online or at the church office. Questions? Contact Judd Parker at 255-9862 or [email protected]. into an entire book of Scripture, finding God’s big message contained in these quick reads. Novellas will be offered at 10:30 am Wednesday morning and at 7 pm Wednesday evenings through February 6. The course also will be offered online. Registration is available online at http://fumc-rr.org. For more information, contact Lee Trigg at [email protected] or at 255-3336. HealthSpeak...free health education programs January topic: Heartburn and gastrointestinal disorders First United Methodist Church is excited to partner with Scott & White Healthcare-Round Rock to bring a series of free healthcare education lectures to the residents of the Round Rock region. The HealthSpeak Education Series will be offered at 11 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The HealthSpeak lectures will cover an array of health topics including heart health, sleep disorders, shingles, stroke, cancer and diabetes. Each monthly presentation will be led by a physician and include a questionand-answer period for participants to delve deeper into the topic. Kicking off the HealthSpeak series January 10 at 11 am is F. Paul Buckley III, MD, FACS, a surgeon at Scott & White Hospital in Round Rock. Dr. Buckley will discuss signs and symptoms of heartburn, common treatments and surgical advances in providing relief for conditions like gastrointestinal reflux disorder (GERD). The February lecture, which will be on February 14, will explore issues, treatments and advances in heart health. The monthly programs will be held in the Community Room, Bldg. 5-127 from 11 am to 12 noon. Questions? Contact Lee Trigg at 255-3336 or [email protected]. Have you tweeted lately? New sermon series... “@God” Have you tweeted lately? If you have, then you are one of the more than 500 million registered users of Twitter who generate more than 340 million tweets each day – little updates, commentaries and rants – all in 140 characters or less. But what can you really say in 140 characters? Turns out God can say a lot. And beginning on Sunday, January 13, we will explore some of those in worship. @God is a new sermon series that will look at some of those God tweets, those verses of Scripture that pack a big message in 140 characters or less. This sermon series will cover all three weekly services. We hope you will join us. Better yet, hop on Twitter and invite a friend. And don’t forget to follow First Church on Twitter, @FirstChurchRR Common Abbreviations Whether you are new to the First United Methodist Church (First Church) family or have been around for years, you may wonder about some of our abbreviations. Here are some of our most common abbreviations. CC............................................................................. Church Council (Administrative Board) COB............................................................................................................................... Council Oak Bells FLC....................................................................................................Family Life Center (Building 3) FUMC............................................................................................ First United Methodist Church TBD................................................................................................................................To Be Determined UMM................................................................................................................United Methodist Men UMW......................................................................................................United Methodist Women WOF...............................................................Walk of Faith (Elementary Sunday School) 5 The Messenger www.fumc-rr.org Children’s Ministries Worship and Worship Arts Walk of Faith...the Healing Miracles of Jesus Rotation Resolve to ring in 2013 It was a wonderful holiday season. Happy New Year! Sign up today for Handbell Rookie Training Camp Walk of Faith In January, the students in Walk of Faith will be learning about the Healing Miracles of Jesus. The workshops of Walk of Faith may focus on one miracle or delve into several of them, including Jesus’ healing of Jairus’ daughter, the raising of Lazarus, and the lame man who was lowered through the roof by his friends to Jesus. The Healing Miracles will be taught in Walk of Faith on January 6, 13, 20 and 27. Be sure and join us for the amazing stories of the miracles and some awesome activities as we make the stories of Jesus the children’s stories, as well! Thanks to our volunteers! Thanks to all of our incredible Walk of Faith teachers and shepherds who led the children through The Christmas Miracles rotation! Walk of Faith in December was a time of learning about the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew and how the dreams of Joseph and the Magi were such an important part of the Christmas story. We would love to talk with anyone who may feel led to volunteer in our preschool area or Walk of Faith for our elementary students. Please contact Gloria Perez at gperez@fumc-rr. org for preschool or Melissa Trigg at [email protected] to volunteer in Walk of Faith. Join us as we share the stories of our faith and the love of Christ with the children of First Church! J-Team - January 13 J-Team will meet at the church for a fun afternoon on Sunday, January 13. We will play games, have a snack, and a devotional. J-Team is our monthly fellowship group for third, fourth and fifth graders and is open to all! Everyone is encouraged to join us and to bring friends. All that is required is a current J-Team registration. We need everyone to RSVP so we can plan for games and snacks. To RSVP or be added to the J-Team email distribution list, please contact Melissa Trigg, elementary coordinator, at [email protected]. Hope to see all third, fourth and fifth graders on the 13th! We had an awesome J-Team Christmas party in December with fun Minute to Win It games and a Christmas movie. Thanks to the kids and parents who joined us for a great time! Closer to Christmas Children’s Ministries hosted their first Closer to Christmas event. Fellowship and fun were enjoyed by everyone! Thanks to all the families that joined us. This this will be an annual event to look for each year. Family New Year’s Eve Party Another new family event this holiday season was our Family New Year’s Eve Party. It was fun to welcome in the New Year with First Church family and friends! Did you like what you saw and heard at Ring Noel 2012? Have you always been curious about ringing? The next Handbell Rookie Training Camp session is scheduled for January/February of 2013! Read more to see if you are a future rookie! The First Church Handbell Ministry is an open ministry. Adults....high school students.....ask yourselves.....are you a handbell ringer wanna be? Have you always wanted to learn to read music? Do you read music, but you’ve never rung bells? Have you rung before but feel you need to dust off your skills? What do you have to lose? Absolutely nothing! There’s no performance required! And you have lots to gain! Handbell teams are fun and provide a safe and comfortable environment for close relationships and witness through the art of handbell ringing. Handbell Rookie Training Camps are 4 - 6 week short-term weekly commitments which allow the participant the opportunity to learn more about handbells with absolutely no strings attached. Participants learn the basics with classes designed to teach music reading and ringing from the very beginning. When the class is over, those involved will be given a chance to join our ministry if so inclined. Childcare is available if reserved. Our next rookie opportunity is now scheduled! The 2013 Handbell Rookie Training Camp will take place in the North Suite (handbell room) of the Sanctuary building from 5:30 - 6:30 pm on the following dates: Mondays, January 7, 14, 28 and February 4. Contact Carla David today if interested! We encourage you to plan to make handbell ministry part of your growing ministry life at First Church Round Rock. We need you . . . and your participation will make a difference in our ministry. Carla David is Director of Handbell Ministry at First Church. If interested, contact her at 255.3336, Ext. 122 or [email protected] . Student Ministries Salt and Light...D-Now is coming soon! Start the New Year right with First Church Student Ministries...worship, study, mission and fun. D-Now, short for Disciple Now, is one incredible weekend of mission, small group study, games, worship rallies and more! We are hosting D-Now on February 1-3. The cost is only $50 through January 13. Sign up now! This is a City Wide D-Now! Several churches are coming together to offer incredible worship rallies led by Justin Cofield Band, and we will have Chad Norris bring us messages on Friday and Saturday night. We are going to look at the ways we, as Christians, are the Salt and the Light for the world. We are expecting more than 500 youth to participate. The energy will be contagious! The weekend begins on Thursday night with a meeting for host home assignments and a schedule for the weekend. Then, on Friday you will meet at your host home and get to know your college leaders for the weekend.You will come to the rally as a group and we will kick off the night with some fun time together with all of the churches participating. Saturday will include a mission project, small group Bible studies led by college students, games, and another rally that night. We will close out the weekend after the 9:40 am worship service on Sunday. Yes, you can bring a friend! We encourage you to bring several friends. Get signed up today! You can find more information and get registration forms online on the youth website or contact the Student Ministry office. Middle School Ministry • • • WNL: Each Wednesday from 6-8 pm. Snack supper is $2. Created by God (for 5th & 6th graders and their parents): January 11-12. $50 registration by January 4. Neon Bible Study: Sundays from 7-8 pm in the Great Room. For more Middle School info... Please contact Mark Rich, Middle School Coordinator, at [email protected] or 255-3336. High School Ministry • • SNL: Each Sunday from 6-8 pm in the FLC. Snack supper is $2. Bible Study: Each Wednesday from 7-8 pm in the Great Room. Free brownies and nachos! For more High School info... Please contact Dan Hunter, High School Coordinator, at [email protected] or 255-3336. Choir Rehearsals are back in swing! Looking forward to Lent and Easter 2013 is being ushered in, and you are being issued a special invitation to come join one of the choirs and/or the orchestra. From children’s choirs to youth ensemble to adult choirs and the orchestra, there is place waiting for you! Easter comes early this year, so new music for Lent and Easter will be handed out at the first rehearsal on Jan. 2. It’s the perfect time to jump in. You can check our website for exact rehearsal times, or you can email or call Dr. Linda Bolding at 255-3336, [email protected]. First Church Choir Heads for Ireland in June Singing at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin Our First Church Choir is going to Ireland! Choir members are very excited about beginning rehearsal on music that they will be singing in Ireland in June. One of their venues will be the famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. They are brushing up on their Irish accent and will be wearing lots of green. It will be a wonderful and exciting time for our choir and we are proud to have them representing First Church. Submissions & Deadline Information The Messenger is mailed to all households on the church mailing list approximately once per month. Copies are also available in the office and worship spaces. Contact the church office if you want to have your name added to the mailing list. The deadline for the February 1 issue is January 21. E-mail articles to [email protected] or provide a hard copy to Betty Robertson in the church office. Submissions may be edited for content or space, but should be provided in a ready-to-publish format. See http://www.fumc-rr.org/newsletters.php for details about format and digital graphic/photo requirements. Contact Betty Robertson with questions or for assistance preparing your item for the newsletter. The Messenger 8 www.fumc-rr.org Congregational Care To whom are you most indebted? AEDs are coming to First Church Is God at the top of your list? Continued from page 1 by Frank Rogers, Finance Committee Most of us have a home mortgage, automobile loan, credit cards, and other miscellaneous creditors to whom we are obligated. If you do not, then you are a fortunate person or have done great planning. Other than take your payment and charge you interest on your loans, what do you really get from these creditors? At this time of the year, I seem to spend more time thinking about what I can do for others and what others have done for me. I think that most of us do this during the Christmas Season. What a great time to be contemplative. My thoughts were more on to whom I owe and for what I owe to God. When put in this vernacular, it brings tears to my eyes. God does so much for each of us. He is the one that comforts when your first child only lives one day. He is the one that changes one’s heart when having marital problems. He is the one that cries with you when your child is diagnosed with a dreadful disease. He is the one that comforts your children and you when they go through terrible divorces. He is the one that wipes the tears when your parents die and you realize that now you are the survivor. He is the one that settles your emotions when your spouse is diagnosed with cancer and she handles it better than you. He is the one that you celebrate when your spouse is cured. He is the one that says “thank you” when you contribute to your church with your time and your money. He is the one that will put his hand on your shoulder at the end of life and say “Well done!” Let me ask you, how many of your other creditors stand with, beside, and in front of you when you have times of need? Very few, if any, do this other than God. As this article is for the month of January, I hope that you and your families had a great and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I also hope that you not only gave thanks to God in prayer but also in monetary and in service terms. First Church does appreciate what each of you do. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 This training will be a gift that you will carry with you everywhere you go, and prepare you to be that person who steps up with confidence to save a life that otherwise would have less than 10% chance of surviving. Imagine what a gift that would be. Like most worthy endeavors this needs funding. With the input of the Williamson Co. EMS we have determined First Church needs four strategically placed AED units to provide quick response when every second counts. We will also need additional equipment and supplies to maintain optimal AED function when needed. We need to provide training for enough responders to assure at least one responder on site whenever the church is being used. Our early estimates suggest at least $2500 per unit, or a minimum of $10,000 will be required. Our amazing United Methodist Men have taken a lead role in making this program a real- ity at First Church. Through their efforts and individual contributions they have already raised $7,500. We need your help to raise the additional funds to bring this lifesaving program to our church, and make it exemplary. Even if we are fortunate enough to never require the use of an AED on our campus, the peace of mind their visible presence brings is priceless. The accessibility of training we have proposed can send countless individuals into the world, ready and capable of saving precious lives. How does one place any sort of value on a gift such as that? If you feel led to invest in this project please contact Terry McCord at [email protected]. If you have any questions or interest in hearing more about the AED Program at First Church please contact Art Caylor at [email protected]. January 7 Children’s Chimes and Bells resume, 4:15 pm 7 Handbell Rookie Training Camp begins, 5:30 pm, North Suite 8 Women’s Book Club, 11:30 am, Bldg. 5-136 8 LEAD First, 7 pm, Bldg. 5-146 8 Nurture Leadership Team, 7 pm, Bldg. 5-118 10 Health Education Class, 11 am, Bldg. 5-127 13 All Youth Parent Meeting, 11 am, Bldg. 5-127 13 UMW Sunday Circle, 12:30 pm, Bldg. 5-124 Stephen Ministry begins new training session 13 J-Team, 2 pm Please pray for our new trainees as they begin this journey 13 Youth Advisory Committee, 4:30 pm 14 Witness Leadership Team, 7 pm, Bldg. 5-122 15 UMW Deborah Circle, 9:30 am, Bldg. 5-127 16 Novellas Bible Study begins, 10:30 am & 6 pm 17 Outreach Leadership Team, 6 pm, Bldg. 5-148 17 Round Rock Emmaus Gathering, 7 pm, Bldg. 5-231 We are so excited to begin a new Stephen Ministry session on January 8 which will end near Easter. Our new trainees are Mark Rich, Trisha Munsch, Shevawn Walzel, Rachel Albin, Mauricio Childress-Usher, and two participants from Bertram UMC, Mary Gurno and Madeline Lewis. Please pray for these trainees (SMITS) as they follow God’s calling to help those who are hurting. For more information, contact Rev. Marion Childress-Usher at 2724086 or Rae Frenette at 255-3336, [email protected]. Mission and Outreach Thanks for supporting Bead for Life! Improving the lives of Ugandan women and children Joys and Concerns Please Pray for Our Missionaries First Church supports the following missionary and invites you to pray for her and her ministry: Beth Wier in the Philippines. We Invite You to Share Your Joys and Concerns Prayer is essential to the ministry of any church. At First Church we solicit your needs and concerns that we might be able to lift them in prayer and call God’s Spirit to be active in those lives and needs. We have several avenues for receiving prayer requests. During worship, you may find a prayer request form in the registration books. Fill in the information, fold it, and place it in the book or the offering plates, and they will come to the pastoral staff on Monday.You may call the church office at 255-3336 during office hours, or e-mail Rev. Katie Meek, [email protected], with your concerns.You may also submit a prayer request to Shannon Sloat, email prayer chain coordinator, at [email protected]. The Sunday Worship Bulletin provides a list of prayer concerns, including those for our First Church extended family. For emergency pastoral care needs outside of church office hours, please call 255-3336 and follow the instructions on the answering machine to send an immediate page to a pastor. First Church is a Stephen Ministry congregation. Learn more at www.fumc-rr.org Our Stephen Ministers are trained caregivers, ready to listen, care for, encourage you, pray with and for you, and help you through a difficult time. To find out more, contact Rae Frenette in the church office at 255-3336 or [email protected]. First Church Calendar Money Matters UMW Sunday Circle thanks you for your purchases at the Bead for Life Shopping Event in December. The total of the Ugandan jewelry sold on December 9 at church was $1,945. It was the UMW Sunday Circle’s privilege to display the beautiful jewelry made by the Ugandan women.Your purchases will help to improve the lives of those women and their children. One Child at a Time. One Heart at a Time. Chris McLain reflects on her missionary journey by Chris McLain It is the week before Christmas as I write this. The songs are declaring the love of God and the joy in our hearts as we anticipate the celebration of our Savior’s birth. We long to more fully experience Christ, not only at this special time, but throughout the year. I am flooded with gratitude as I reflect on all that the Lord has blessed me with financially, physically and spiritually. I am sincerely grateful to be a member of First Church and all that it affords me and countless others. We are a church family that with a wealth of opportunities to learn and grow as we journey with Christ and one another. One of the offerings of First Church that has brought me much joy and gratitude is UMW (United Methodist Women), an organization that offers the opportunity to be in fellowship, study and serve with other Christian women. One of our primary focuses is on women and children throughout the world who are oppressed, abandoned, or struggling to exist and take care of children. It was at a UMW District Meeting that I heard a retired missionary speak about her work in Nepal. As I listened and pondered, I felt the spark ignite and I began to respond to the thoughts of that’s what I want to do.” And she did. Chris shares more about her four years in Swaziland and her One Child at a Time, One Heart at a Time organization online at http://onechildoneheart.org. 18-20 Confirmation Retreat 21 Invitation to the Old Testament begins, 6:30 pm, Bldg. 5-123 22 AIM Committee, 7 pm, Bldg. 5-124 31 D-NOW Kickoff, 7 pm, FLC February 1 - 3 D-NOW Events listed above are open to anyone in the congregation. Regularly occurring weekly and monthly small groups such as UMM, Crafters, and UMW Circles, etc. can be found on the website. All event information is subject to change. Check the website (www.fumc-rr.org) for the most up-to-date information. A key to abbreviations may be found on page 4.