METHODIST MESSENGER C Methodist Messenger NOVEMBER 2013 703 E BOWIE, LULING, TEXAS 830-875-2711 [email protected] IN THIS ISSUE A WORD FROM PASTOR Faithful Witnesses by Pastor Madeline “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 By the time you read this article we will have already started our ‘Faithful Witnesses’ Message Series. I have found that it is not common practice among United Methodist leaders to train congregations to listen and share their faith with others. And yet, this is one of the last commandments Jesus leaves us with, the mission statement of the United Methodist Church, “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Below you will read an excerpt from God Space by Doug Pollock. This illustration is meant to challenge you to see the potential within the community, places we should be willing to go, people we should be willing to meet, so that we may make a difference in their lives, helping to transform desperation into hope. Excerpt (p. 12-14): For many, going to church is as scary as going to a hard-core biker bar might be to Christians. I was invited to do a workshop in a small town north of Boise by several local churches that were trying to figure out how to effectively reach their community. After a couple of hours of teaching, I challenged everyone in the audience to head down to the local bar with my wife and me to Fall Bible Study Schedule Page #2 Fellowship Luncheon Page #2 Harvest Sunday Page #2 UMW News Page #3 Church Work Day Page #3 Wesley Nurse News Page # 4 November Celebrations Page #5 Food Bank Needs for November Page #5 METHODIST MESSENGER A Word From Pastor cont. apply what we’d just learned. I was shocked by the response. Only one hand was raised, and it was the pastor who had arranged our visit. As I probed to understand why these goodhearted people had unanimously declined my offer, they described the bar as a place for carousing, dirty jokes, swearing, drunkenness, smoking, etc. After they finished sharing, I said, “It sounds like you’re describing a bar to me. You didn’t expect them to be singing ‘Amazing Grace’ and baptizing people with Bud Light, did you?” My next question set them up: “How many of you would like to see the people at the bar come to church on Sunday morning?” All hands were raised. I then asked, point-blank, “Who do you think is going to make the first move?” Still no one responded. Both Christians and nonChristians have very real perceptions about one another that keep us from interacting in redeeming ways. It’s been said that the only thing more difficult than getting the church to go to the world is getting the world to come to us. And I believe that God wants Christians to make the first move. It is so important that our witness be authentic, not a sales pitch, but from the heart of our own experience. We must listen for what is truly weighing a person down, so that God can speak more honestly through us to their deepest need. And we must live the faith we proclaim, so that our lives are their own testimony to our faith. As we just addressed in our last series, not many people are going 2 to come to faith through us if we are nothing more than a ‘Christian Atheist’. Saying we believe in God, but living as if He didn’t exist. It’s Jesus’ command to us, to live what we say and make the first move! Offered two separate times: Sundays from 6:30-8:00pm Starting Dec 1st - at the Parsonage - 943 S. Pecan Ave. Thursdays from 10:30am-Noon Starting Dec 5th - in the Church Conference Room. Bible Study Fall Schedule Each of these studies coincide with the message series and will be offered two separate times to allow for those who work to participate as well. Please let me know if childcare is needed. To signup email: [email protected] or call the church office (830)875-2711. COMMUNION OFFERING NOVEMBER 2013 Harvest Sunday The annual Harvest Sunday offering fights hunger in Southwest Texas and across the globe. Faithful Witnesses – 5 Week Study We say we desire to be witnesses of our faith, but often feel we don't know what to say or do. We don't want to come across pushy or judgmental, so we tend not to share at all. This study will help us discover some of the don'ts of sharing your faith, as well as giving us many tools to be authentic witnesses. Offered two separate times: Sundays from 6:30-8:00pm Starting Oct 20th - at the Parsonage - 943 S. Pecan Ave. Thursdays from 10:30am-Noon Starting Oct 24th - at the Church Conference Room. Signs & Wonders Advent Study - 3 Weeks Join me as we study just a few of the amazing signs and wonders God performed to reveal His plan for salvation. Fellowship Luncheon November 17 Jim and Candice Wiester, Chairs James and Robin Nickells, Robin Baker, Shane Williams, Trey and Karla Hicks METHODIST MESSENGER U.M.W. NEWS OctoberMeeting At our last meeting, we brought 66 toothbrushes and 66 travel-size toothpastes for distribution at the Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsville. They are one of the mission focuses of the Southwest Texas U.M.W. We are always so pleased to be able to participate in helping here at home and in other areas also. Thank you to all who participated and a special "thank you" to Ann Wade and Gwen Harris of Wm Taylor U.M.C. for transporting these items. (They are our "U.P.S." as well as loved members of U.M.W.) Decorating the Sanctuary Thanksgiving is late this year and Advent begins Sunday, Dec. 1st, so the Worship Committee and U.M.W. will be decorating for Christmas on Monday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m. It's very rewarding to see the transformation that takes place that evening, and begins our focus shifting to, "the Reason for the Season." Come join us - with several helping it doesn't take long. Everyone is welcome! Packing Care Boxes Each December we send "Care Boxes" to sons and daughters of our church family, away in military service or studying for college finals. They always enjoy the packages and we are blessed at the same time. We will pack them on Monday, Dec. 2, 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. It's tradition that we go to Pizza Hut afterwards and treat ourselves to "goodies" 3 also. You may bring items (cookies, nuts, crackers, candy that travels well or a note of encouragement) and join us in this special time. and bless his name. Psalm 100:4 (KJV) Next Meeting U.M.W. will meet November 14th at 7 p.m. in the home of Jean Kay Robbins. (801 E. Fannin) Pastor Madeline will be cohostess. The nominating committee will present a slate of officers for next year and we will participate in our yearly Pledge Service. We are always so happy to have you come meet with us. If you need directions or a ride, please call Candice (875-2711) or Barbara (875-2663). God loves children and so do we at First UMC Luling! We have a wonderful group of children who regularly attend Sunday School, and during the month of November, we will be using that time to prepare for you a Christmas musical titled Guess Who’s Coming to Bethlehem? So if you are a parent or a grandparent of an enthusiastic and talented child, please continue to bring them to Sunday School as we learn about the joys of Christmas! WORSHIP COMMITTEE TRUSTEES The Worship Committee will be planning advent activities, beginning with Hanging of the Greens on Monday, November 25th, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The first Sunday of Advent is December 1st. The Worship Committee strives to enrich your worship experience at FUMC. WORK DAY SCHEDULED If you would like to honor someone or memorialize them with flowers on a Sunday, please contact Robin Nickells or Jean Kay Robbins. There will also be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex. After the service, you would determine if the flowers either go home with you, or be taken to a shut-in or shared with Seton EBD or Warm Springs. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving , and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him CHILDREN’S MINISTRY A church-wide work day has been scheduled for Saturday, November 16, beginning at 9 a.m. Prior to this work day, jobs will be listed and volunteers can complete the chores on "their" schedule if unable to attend on Nov. 16. LADIES NIGHT OUT On Thurdsay, October 3rd the ladies of FUMC enjoyed an evening out at Carino’s in San Marcos. It was an evening filled with talking, laughter and great food. We hope that you will be able to join us for the next Ladies Night Out. The date will be announced. If you have a suggestion of a favorite restaurant to visit, please let Mignon know. METHODIST MESSENGER SENIOR’S LUNCHEON The Senior’s over 60 had a wonderful lunch here at FUMC on Tuesday, October 8. It was a wonderful time for gathering and seeing those that aren’t able to get around much. We will be holding these lunches quarterly and will provide transportation for those that need it. Please plan on joining us for the next WESLEY NURSE NEWS Hi Everyone, One of my nurse friends shared the story below with me. You can access the American Heart Association information on the differences in men and women and their symptoms of heart disease. It makes you think. A Nurse's Heart Attack Experience FEMALE HEART ATTACKS Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction). Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing heart attack ... you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we see in the movies? Here is the story of one woman’s experience with a heart attack. 4 I had a completely unexpected heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO prior exertion; NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might’ve brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, ‘A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up.’ A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you’ve been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you’ve swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn’t have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation---the only trouble le was that I hadn’t taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m. After that had seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasming), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR). This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws. ‘AHA!!’ Now I stopped puzzling about what was happening -- we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven’t we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, ‘Dear God, I think I’m having a heart attack!’ I lowered the foot rest, dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself ‘If this is a heart attack, I shouldn’t be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else ... but, on the other hand, if I don’t, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in moment.’ I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics ... I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn’t feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in. I then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don’t remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the Cardiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like ‘Have you taken any medications?’) but I couldn’t make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, METHODIST MESSENGER and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stents to hold open my right coronary artery. I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents. Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned firsthand. 1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body not the usual men’s symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn’t know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other antiheartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they’ll feel better in the morning when they wake up ... which doesn’t happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you’ve not felt 5 before. It is better to have a ‘false alarm’ visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might not be! 2. Note that I said ‘Call the Paramedics.’ Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER -- you’re a hazard to others on the road and so is your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what’s happening with you instead of the road. Do NOT call your doctor -- he doesn’t know where you live and if it’s at night you won’t reach him anyway, and if it’s daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn’t carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later. 3. Don’t assume it couldn’t be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it’s unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let’s be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive. http://www.qohf.org/share.html Queen of Hearts Foundation Have a safe, happy and wonderful November! Sincerely, Louise NOVEMBER CELEBRATIONS 01 - Sue Scanland, B Trip Blackwell, B M/M Tommy Webb, A 04 - M/M Key Kolle, A 05 - Larry Hoskins, B 06 - Clyde Wallace, B, Graham Ward, B Louise Watts, B 10 - Heather Boyd, B Scott Jones, B 15 - M/M Jim Dekle, A 17 - Randy Stratton, B 18 - M/M Trey Hicks, A 23 - Carly Ackermann, B Mary Rheinboldt, B 24 - M/M Graham Ward, A M/M Richard Callihan, A Madison Nickells, B 26 - Don Lightsey, B John Blount, Jr., B 27 - Angela Watts, B 29 - Shane Williams, B Callie Jones, B M/M Frank Perfetto,A 30 - Sandra Hendricks, B BABY CRIB NEEDED If you have a baby crib that was manufactured after 2011 and would be willing to donate it to the church please let the office know. We need to replace the cribs in our church nursery. METHODIST MESSENGER 6 First United Methodist Church 703 E Bowie Luling, TX 78648 Sermon Topics: CHARGE CONFERENCE Nov 3 - Week 3: Faithful Witnesses: Listen Nov 10 - Week 4: Faithful Witnesses: Share Nov 17 - Week 5: Faithful Witnesses: Live Nov 24 – Thanksgiving Sunday – “Blessed to Be a Blessing” Dec 1 – Signs & Wonders: Elizabeth & Zechariah Dec 8 – Signs & Wonders – Mary & Angel Dec 15 – Signs & Wonders: Joseph & Angel Dec 22 – Signs & Wonders: Zechariah’s Prophecy Dec 24 – Signs & Wonders: Shepherds & Hosts Dec 29 – Signs & Wonders: Simeon & Anna Jan 5 – Signs & Wonders: Wisemen & Star The Annual Charge Conference will be held on Sunday, November 10th at 2:00pm at Lockhart UMC located at 313 W San Antonio Street. We will be attending with William Taylor, Harwood and Lockhart. There will be a worship service and then an individual church meeting. FOOD BANK NEEDS Monthly needs for the Luling Food Bank are listed in the newsletter to aid you in your shopping. Donation items for November are: Chili or soup, Cornbread mix, Crackers THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY.