Wesley Witness. December Texas Street, Sulphur Springs, TX Phone Fax

Transcription

1 Wesley Witness Wesley United Methodist Church December Texas Street, Sulphur Springs, TX Phone Fax

2 Notes from the Lay Leader and from the Ad Board Chairman It has been a blessing to serve our church in these positions in We attended the Charge Conference in Greenville, Sunday, November 8, with several of our church members. It warmed our hearts to see so many dedicated Methodists in one room! The Methodist Church is not dead, it is alive and well in our church and in so many like us! We have to be open to new ideas and try to reach the unchurched and unsaved in ways we may not have tried before. I believe our pastor is always open to new ideas and he truly has a heart for people. He loves God and he also loves people. And isn t that what we are called to do? As Joe said Sunday, We need to give em Jesus! It has been an honor to serve as your Board Chairman the past year. Jim Skagss will take this position for next year and I know he will do a great job. I have agreed to be your Lay Leader for next year and it is my prayer that we will do great things at Wesley. If you are called on to serve, please prayerfully consider that God may be calling you to do great things. I saw a sign on a local church s billboard and it said, If you are not dead then you are not done. I think that means our age is no excuse for not serving our church and the fact that we may have served in many positions before just gives us the experience to do so again. Each of us can pray for our church and for our pastor every day. Let us all become prayer warrior now and in the future. Lou Jane Drummond, Lay Leader Max Drummond, Board Chair Dear Wesley Family, Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers and cards for Maxine and Lloyd Hiller. We appreciate you more than you know! The Hiller Family What is Advent? The season of Advent, which comes comes from the Latin word adventus meaning coming or visit," begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year for Christians. [Liturgical -- from liturgy, which means the forms and functions of public worship.] During Advent, we prepare for, and anticipate, the coming of Christ. We remember the longing of Jews for a Messiah and our own longing for, and need of, forgiveness, salvation and a new beginning. Even as we look back and celebrate the birth of Jesus in a humble stable in Bethlehem, we also look forward anticipating the second coming of Christ as the fulfillment of all that was promised by his first coming. The color for Advent has traditionally been purple, signifying penitence and royalty. This year our theme is It s A Wonder-full Life, using the movie by the same name to explore Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Join us as we prepare our hearts to receive the Newborn King, Jesus Christ. Memorials In Loving Memory of Gene Alley By: Margaret Campbell Max and Lou Jane Drummond In Honor of Jo Watts By: Lou Jane Drummond and Shirley Glossup In Honor of Norma Gadt By: Lou Jane Drummond and Shirley Glossup In Honor of the Volunteers who worked for Bonnie while she was on vacation. By: Bonnie and Mike Gilmer 2

3 Update on Healthy Church Initiative (HCI) Our HCI self-study is in full swing. The date has been set for our consultation weekend: March 4-6, The team met last week and divided up more tasks that have to be completed six weeks prior to this weekend. Here s what we have learned so far: 1. We have received our Stats from the General Council of Finance and Administration. It goes back 20 years and includes info about our membership, average attendance, baptisms, Sunday School attendance, total expenditures, etc. In 1995, we had 535 professing members. In 2013, we had 188 professing members. Our total expenditures in 1995 were $273,343 and in 2013 expenditures were $261,944. The full report will be available for review when we have completed our assignments. 2. We have received our Mission InSite Report which is a demographic study of our community, specifically, a 5-mile radius around our church. It is provided by the Conference and uses 2010 Census data. This info will be used by the Consultation Team to determine trends in population and what we need to do to reach out to make disciples for Christ within our community. 3. We are updating the church s written history. This includes detailed info about property acquisition and building programs. Very detailed info is needed about finances and participation in groups other than just attending church. The team will be going out to Community Reps to ask specific questions about how they view Wesley UMC and what we can do for the community. Lots of work being done. 4.Here s what we need from you: A Discipleship Survey will be handed out in the next weeks. It is easy to do and we need everyone to do one. It helps us figure out where you are in your spiritual walk. Please take one per person. 5. Then you will be given the opportunity to answer a Congregational Survey. This is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO FOR THIS STUDY!!!! It is your chance to tell us what you think about Wesley. Yes, we need the good, the bad and the ugly. It is online for those who have computer access: ntchci2015. We will set up laptops in Wesley Hall for those who would like to take the time to answer this survey while at church. We will also provide paper copies for those who do not want to do this online. 6. If you have questions, please ask. The team consists of Pastor Steve, Jim Skaggs, Stanley & Mary Lou Foster, Mary Ellen Kirkland, Dorothy McCaig, Donna Korth, Marieke De Witte and Dicie Rue Cook. We have asked Lou Jane Drummond, Diane Dixon, and Joe Clark to help with aspects of the study. This is a huge process and if we want to see Wesley grow and thrive, it is going to take all of us, including you!! 7.Our Mission: To make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world. How are we accomplishing this: Invite, Disciple, Serve. 3

4 2015 Fall Roundup 4

5 5

6 From Pastor Steve Listen! Do You Hear Them? One of the more solemn Christmas carols we sing is Henry W. Longfellow s I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. I remember singing that carol and wondering, What was going inside Longfellow when he composed these lines? So, now many years later and weathered with several years of living under my belt, I discover from Robert J. Morgan s book, Then Sings My Soul, Book 2: 150 of the World s Greatest Hymns Stories the answer. Longfellow was a professor of literature at Harvard. He first lost his wife to a fire in their home and then his youngest son, Charley, ran off to fight for the North in the Civil War. He was quite a hero. He was injured twice in fighting for his country with the second injury sending him home to recuperate. Longfellow sat by Charley s side and nursed him back to health. It was in these moments and reflections on the trauma of Civil War he wrote these lines of fear and then hope: And in despair I bowed my head: There is no peace on earth, I said. For hate is strong and mocks the song, Of peace on earth, goodwill to men. Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead nor doth He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men. It soon will be Christmas We still face fears and yet we hope. We still have men and women fighting for what is right. The news media flashes daily images of hurt and pain and suffering--all around us. Sometime I wonder, Will my children and grandchildren live in a world of love or hate? I once wondered how someone could live so long as a child. I was surrounded by family, neighbors and community growing up in a small town. Most of my extended family will never experience my hazy, crazy, lazy days of summer. Where we invented games and entertained one another on rainy days on each other s porches. Our parents had to call us in at night to clean up and to go to bed, not be glued to a video game or some gadget. The days of Red Rover, Kick the Can, Playing Marbles and Hide-and-Go-Seek are distant memories now. We did not have a lot of stuff. We had loads of fun, friends, and family time. Reading and Writing and Rithmetic, Taught to the tune of a hickory stick still rings in my ears (as do the numerous licks I received being the instigator of trouble!). To say, Those were the days is my way of recalling the good, the bad, and the ugly of my childhood days. Yes, I was scarred by bicycle wrecks and sports injuries like most boys, but I have healed over the years and longingly hope for some of this childhood play for more and more youth in Believe it or not, my Christmas stocking was always one of my Dad s clean work socks filled with candy, nuts, and fruit. And like the young folk this year, I was always thrilled to receive such treats. Ah, memories Longfellow s words set to music by John Calkin is melancholic. It is somber. Yet, I remember it. It builds to an ending that declares: Till ringing, singing on its way, the world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chant sublime, of Peace on earth. Good will to men. Yes. There it is. Do you hear them? Can you picture them ringing in your mind? Those BELLS! It might be the Salvation Army bells. It might be bells hanging on doors in businesses, churches, or home. Yes, those BELLS! For those of us, believers, we will face our fears and still embrace HOPE that is found in our faith in Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, our Savior. When we recall the angels message to those shepherds in the fields, we hear, anew. those BELLS: For unto you is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. This is the Good News which emboldens us to face our fears and yet be hopeful this year and forever. Christmas at Wesley is a joyous time. Our singing, our eating, our helping our neighbors enjoy Christmas in the Gospel tradition. It s a Wonderful Life has been and will always be our theme from Advent through Epiphany. Celebrate Christmas with gusto! Share the glad tidings of great joy with all. But find a quite place and with me Ring the Bells. Hear those BELLS. Give and receive gift. With the rest of our staff, Dicie Rue and I heartily say: Merry Christmas, Ya ll! The best is yet to be. Just keep listening for those BELLS! December Mission Emphasis To Be Announced 6

7 and 2015 Report of the Nominations Ministry Leadership Area 2016 Administrative Board Chair...Jim Skaggs Assistant Chair... Pastor...Steve Cook Recording Secretary...Brenda McKinzie Lay Member of Annual Conference...Diane Dixon Alternate Lay Member of Annual Conference...Mary Lou Foster Lay Leader...Lou Jane Drummond Administrative and Program Ministry Leadership Committee on Staff Parish Relations Chair...Didi Thurman Committee on Finance Chair...Pam Hollingsworth Financial Secretary...Diane Dixon Church Business Manager/Treasurer...Cheryl Spears Board of Trustees Chair (Elected by the Board of Trustees). Outreach Chair...Silvina Epperson Worship Ministries Chair...Mary Ellen Kirkland Multimedia Team Leaders...Stanley Foster/Rick Spears Congregational Care Ministrry Care Ministries Co-Leaders...Diane Dixon/Shirley Glossup (Homebound, Nursing Home, etc.) Bereavement Ministries Chair...Dorothy McCaig Fellowship Ministry...Carol Ann O dell Archives and History...Mary Lou Foster Membership Secretary...Konnie Cross Head Usher...Max Massey United Methodist Women President...TBD United Methodist Youth Representative...Mattie Thurman Christian Discipleship (Education) Ministries Sunday School Superintendent...Joyce Davis Assistant Sunday School Superintendent...Joe Batty Youth Sunday School Ministries...Amanda Clark Children Sunday School Ministries...Marieke dewitte/dicie Rue Cook Wednesday Night...Mariek dewitte/gloria Batty/Mary Ellen Kirkland Ministry Staff Church Secretary...Bonnie Gilmer Youth Ministry...Amanda Clark Music Minister...Joe Clark Child Care Ministry...Julie Weir/Kara Lane Church Business Manager/Treasurer...Cheryl Spears Leadership Development Committee Members at Large to the Administrative Board Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Ilene Massey Ricky Batty Mary Lou Foster Tim Henderson Ron Sills Marisa Jones Betty Phillips Rachel Lewis 2016 Committees Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development Minister - Chair...Steve Cook Co-Chair...Lou Jane Drummond 1 Young Adult (Required by Discipline) and 1 Youth (Optional) Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Stanley Foster Vera Skaggs Mary Logan Paul Clark Max Drummond Carol Ann O dell Allie Thurman Committee on Staff Parish Relations No Less than 5 or More Than 9 1 Young Adult Required by Discipline 1 May be Senior High Youth Lay member to Annual Conference...Diane Dixon Lay Leader...Lou Jane Drummond Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Gina Wilder Didi Thurman Max Massey Danny Prochaska TBD Mary Lou Foster Board of Trustees Chair (Elected by the Board) Pastor.Steve Cook Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Hendrik dewitte Garrett Glass Don Gadt James Clark Stanley Foster Kathy Darrow Doyle McKinzie TBD Committee on Finance Chair...Pam Hollingsworth Lay Leader...Lou Jane Drummond Pastor...Steve Cook Administrative Board Chair...Jim Skaggs Trustee Chair... Business Manager/Treasurer...Cheryl Spears (Ex-officio) Financial Secretary...Diane Dixon Konnie Cross Donna Korth Emily Glass 7

8 2015 Report of the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee (Continued) 2016 Committees Outreach Chair...Silvina Epperson Class of 2016 Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Betty Phillips Marieke de Witte Jim Skaggs Joyce Davis Vera Skaggs Cheryl Spears Ilene Massey Dicie Rue Cook TBD Worship Ministry Team Leader...Mary Ellen Kirkland Pastor...Steve Cook Minister of Music...Joe Clark Multimedia...Stanley Foster/Rick Spears/Jeff Spears Head Usher...Max Massey Organist...Carol Ann O dell Pianist...Mary Ellen Kirkland Communion...Sandy Heisler Church Secretary...Bonnie Gilmer Education Ministries Sunday School Superintendent...Joyce Davis Assistant Sunday School Superintendent...Joe Batty Pastor...Steve Cook Fellowship Chair...Carol Ann O dell and Crew Donna Korth Little Acorn School Lou Jane Drummond Steve Cook Trustee Chair 2015 United Methodist Women The United Methodist Women of Wesley, Sulphur Springs, had a busy and productive year. We had guest speakers from Hearts of Hope, CASA and Saf-T. All of these agencies were given monies to assist in their ministries. We also collected a large basket of personal items for the Women s Shelter. A fundraiser was held on Palm Sunday where baked items, stews and casseroles were available for purchase by donation. We received $ Easter lilies were for a net profit of $ Our pledges have been paid in full plus a gift to C.C. Young Home. We attended World Day of Prayer and District Day Apart. We were pleased to have Pastor Beverly Olsen with an uplifting message about women s role in God s plan. Our big project was preparing 80 Health Kits to be used by UMCOR. These were delivered to Annual Conference in June. Each June we have a White Elephant Sale which is a fun fundraiser. We netted $368. At the district meeting in September we gave $240 to assist in preparation of more Health Kits for UMCOR. Two of our long-time members (Algarine Jordan and Elizabeth Young) went home to the Lord during The current membership is 21 dedicated women. The welcome mat is always out for the women of the church! 8

9 PRAYERS AND CONCERNS Rhonda Alley Dominic Ayala DeLana Beadle Van Bell Carson Bryant Cassie Cavaliere Steve and Dicie Rue Cook Judy Cheeten Surene Cody Ty and Jamie Funderburk Joyce Davis Frances Daniels Robert and Mary Glover Cristine Dixon Bonnie Gilmer Magan,Tim and Eisley Henderson Jayne Glenn Doris Herman Frank Hernandez Mindi Horne Bill Hinchcliff Marvin and Louise Jones Shelly Huff Charles Johnson Christa and Victor Kasztelanski Dana Jordan Tommy Lewis Mary Ann McCormick David Mahand Zane Magan Sue Miller Gary Moon Allison Mullinax Wade Mullinax J.W. Mullinax J. T. Mullinax Ricky and Kay Orr Sandra Parker Remy Pibe Donna and Dave Spears Harold Rogers Stan Rogers Pat and Floyd Spears Marty Rose Ceely Stout Elton and Louise Stewart Allan Thar Braden Tinsley The Thompson Family Tonya - Olga Foster s Grandmother The Family of Maxine Hiller Healthy Church Initiative/HCI Team Chrystal Vargas Community Chest/Cupboard Backpack Buddies North Texas Food Bank Holy Highway Girls Home Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center Dallas Bethlehem Center Wesley-Rankin Community Center Way of Salvation UMC, Mytischi, Russia Our Country and Our Leaders Military Personnel and their Families EMS, Fire Fighters, Hospital Personnel New additions to the prayer list are in BOLD Note: Names added to the prayer list will remain on the list for 30 days. They will be relisted by request. Please help us to keep the list current WESLEY HOMEBOUND Doris Rawls Mary Burks Dell Cline Billie Newsom Bobbie Holder Bill Shell Muriel Lucas Sandra McIntire Della Loane Lloyd Hiller December Birthdays and Anniversaries Stephen Andersen Dec 2 Vera Skaggs Dec 3 Frances Daniels Dec 4 James Clark Dec 4 Rachelle Sills Dec 11 Bill Shell Dec 12 Leigh Moseman Dec 17 Carol Ann and Gaylon O dell Dec 19 J.C. Clark Dec 21 Louise and Marvin Jones Dec 23 Carol Lortz Dec 24 Dicie Rue and Steve Cook Dec 24 Gaylon O dell Dec 25 Stanley Foster Dec 28 Vernice Penny Dec 28 Ronny Darrow Dec 28 Carol Ann O dell Dec 30 Poinsettia Order Form United Methodist Women will be taking orders for poinsettias beginning November 15. The deadline for orders is December 6. The cost of each poinsettia is $10. Please make checks payable to UMW. Name In Memory of In Honor of Total Poinsettia(s) Ordered Little Acorn School December Newsletter Important Dates Dec 11 All hearing and vision screening turned in Dec 15 Pajama and Movie Day Dec 18 Christmas Party Dec 21 - Jan 1 Closed for Christmas Jan 4 School Resumes (Day Care ONLY) Teachers will have a sign up sheet for the Christmas Party!! Little Acorn staff wishes you and your family a Merry Christmas! 9

10 Little Acorn School Overview 2015 Jan 13 State inspection. The only write up we had was the pea gravel on the playground. Angie ordered 24 yards to put on the playground to bring it up to code. Feb 3 Board Meeting Feb 13 Valentine s Party Feb 23, 25, and March 5 Snow days - we made these up the same days SSISD made up their missed days. Mar Closed for Spring Break Apr 2 Easter Party Apr 22 Lifetouch - Spring pictures May 4-8 Teacher Appreciation May 8 Muffins with Mom May 28 End of the Year Program Jun 9 Beginning of Summer Program Jun 19 Passed Fire Inspection July 24 Assessment to see what star facility we would be. We stayed a Four Star Learning Facility. Aug 21 Carpets cleaned. Aug 25 First day of school. Sep 1 Began cookie dough fundraiser Oct 6 Board meeting Oct 9 Donuts with Dad Oct 30 Fall party Nov 20 We will have our Thanksgiving Feast Dec 18 Christmas Party Dec 21 - Jan 1 Christmas Break We have 9 employees We have 50 enrolled North East Texas Choral Society presents A Celtic Christmas December 12 & 13 First United Methodist Church Sanctuary Saturday Sunday Sunday December 12 December 13 December 13 at at at 7:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Tickets on Sale Now! Purchase online or at Local Banks Tickets available from Choral Society Members and in the Church Office 10

11 The Wesley Witness Wesley United Methodist Church 614 Texas Street Sulphur Springs, TX (903) Church Office (903) Parsonage (903) Fax See us on Wesley UMC, Sulphur Springs or United Methodist Women Christmas Party Noon Tuesday, December 15 at Betty Warren s Home Bring a Salad Be at the church at 1130 a.m. if you need a ride to Betty s house. Staff/Leaders Dinner Hosted by Pastor Steve and Dicie Rue at The Cottage 5 p.m. Sunday, December 13 11