Methodist Messenger 2013

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.