Wesley United Methodist Church 2200 Phoenix, Fort Smith, AR

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1 Wesley United Methodist Church 2200 Phoenix, Fort Smith, AR October 2017 From a Ladder to a Wheel Paul and Barnabas took sides against these Judeans [who insisted Gentiles needed to be circumcised] and argued strongly against their position. The church at Antioch appointed Paul, Barnabas, and several others from Antioch to go up to Jerusalem to set this question before the apostles and the elders. (Acts 15:2 CEB) The instance described in Acts 15 is commonly referred to as the Jerusalem Council. When a significant challenge faced the early church, Paul and Barnabas knew to take it to Jerusalem to get it settled. The question was whether Gentiles had to be circumcised or not. Ultimately the Council decided circumcision was not necessary, but keeping to a prescribed moral code was important. They gave their decision to Paul and Barnabas and sent them back out to share the Good News with more new people. This is a relatively simple administrative structure. It is incredibly simple if we compare it to the average United Methodist congregation today. While the early church was set up in a structure akin to spokes on a wheel, where the spokes (people equipped to share the Good News) spread out from a center (the Council), United Methodist churches are structured more like ladders. If someone has an idea for a new way to reach people, they have to climb each rung of a ladder of approval, where each rung is a committee who has to debate the merits of the idea before passing it up to the next committee. This structure has been enshrined in our Book of Discipline requirements. But it actually does not have to be this way. A few years ago, facing the reality that many UM congregations did not have enough people to serve on finance, trustees, pastor-parish, and administrative council committees (not to mention education, missions, etc), the General Conference voted to allow churches to have the option of moving to a One Council structure. In this structure, the One Council does all the business required of those committees, but more than that, that Council casts a vision for a congregation and equips people to do it. It is a far more agile structure, because now if someone has a new idea for ministry, they go to one committee and the decision is made there. As a result, even though these allowances were made with small churches in mind, many of the largest churches in our denomination have shifted to this as well. It makes sense. A wheel gets you further down the road than a ladder. So we will be trying the One Council model in We will be voting on the nominees put forward for this Council at the Charge Conference meeting which will be held October 8 at Cavanaugh at 5:30 p.m. Any member of the church is invited to come and learn about this structure and vote on the slate of leaders. I hope to see you all there so we can see how this vision fits the mission Jesus Christ calls us to in Fort Smith. Let s get rolling! -Pastor Michelle

2 UMW NEWS AND ACTIvITIES The United Methodist Women fall meeting is on Saturday, October 14 from 10:00am - 2:00 pm at First United Methodist Church, Fort Smith. The guest speaker will be Lynn Baker, National UMW Board of Director. The Power of Bold: Faith, Hope, Love in Action. Early bird registration due by October 6 - $ after the 6th it will be $ I have registration forms. Evening Stars will again have the fence to collect hats and gloves for school children. The Morning Glories group of Wesley United Methodist Women will meet on October 17 in the Rock House at 10:00 am. JoAn McMullin will give the Devotional and Ellen Brown will present the annual Pledge Service to the group. Doris Cruce and Ellen Brown will be the hostesses for the Salad Pot-Luck Luncheon which will follow the program and business meeting. We encourage all members to be present for this special meeting and we invite any women to join us for a visit or to become a member. God bless you. GRIEF SHARE Grief Share meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm (till 7:30ish) at Goddard United Methodist Church. This is a faith based program that is open to all that have a loss and can use some additional information to cope and work thru. United Methodist Men meet at Cavanaugh for breakfast the first Saturday of the month at 7 a.m. Goddard United Methodist Church 1922 Dodson Avenue Fort Smith, AR Phone: *Cindy Peevy: *Jackie Nichols: To donate funds to Hurricane Harvey relief, make checks out to Wesley UMC and put Harvey in the memo, or go to Community Office Hours Mondays, 8:15 to 9 a.m. at Miss Anna s Wednesdays, 8:15 to 9 a.m. at Bob and Ellie s MICHELLE THE PASTOR IS

3 Greetings Greetings! I recently posted on Facebook that I had repaired my first handbell ever; I am now officially a Methodist music director! I would like to take a moment to say how excited I am to be with you at Wesley United Methodist! I hope that you have been blessed by our Chancel Choir s singing the last few weeks! I have been hearing a lot of good compliments, and I have to thank our choir members and Priscilla for all of their hard work!!! Our handbell choir has been practicing hard and will be playing during communion in October. Ringing bells is challenging, but fun! If you are interested and would like to be a part of a fun group, please let me know, and we will find a spot for you! It is hard to believe that we are almost to October; Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas will soon be upon us! I am happy to announce that I have selected a wonderful cantata for this year: The Christmas Story. This year, we will be performing our cantata with the Chancel Choir from Cavanaugh United Methodist. We will have more information on dates and times soon. Chancel choir rehearses every Wednesday at 7:00. We would love to have you join us!!! Yours in Christ, Shane Sanderson. Stress Less during the Holidays Mark your calendar for Friday, November 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to attend a free relaxation seminar in the Wesley Fellowship Hall. Local therapist Rachel Hatfield will provide information on how to reduce your stress, while Pastor Michelle Morris will discuss the spiritual value of mindfulness and sabbath. We will also learn about who essential oils can help tame anxiety in your life. A salad dinner will also be provided. If you are already worried about how to manage the holidays, sign up by sending an to wesleyumcfs@yahoo.com. Back to Two Community Office Hours! Pastor Michelle is back to having 2 times for community office hours. In addition to being at Bob and Ellie s every Wednesday from about 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m., this year she will also be at Miss Anna s on Mondays from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. (except not Labor Day or other Monday holidays). Come join her for a BLT (without the L) at Bob and Ellie s or a bowl of biscuits and chocolate gravy at Miss Anna s, and some conversation at both!

4 PARKINSON SUPPORT GROUP The Out-patient Physical Therapy Department at Sparks Medical Center - Van Buren will be hosting a Parkinson s Disease Support Group meeting at 1:00 pm on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 2020 Chestnut, Van Buren, AR. Kathy Rayburn, Certified Facilitator of Parkinson s for 5 years, will head up the meeting. Kathy is the daughter of our church members, Norma & Harley Strang. LeAnn Karnes, Director of Rehab at Sparks and Melenna Kaundart, PTA, will also be on hand to help with daily home therapy that you can be doing, and to answer any questions that you might have. If you have Parkinson s, or know someone who does, or are a caregiver, come join us! You will be able to talk to someone that knows exactly what you are going through, be it a patient or a caregiver. Charge Conference Mark Your Calendars 1st~Bruce Spencer 8th~Suzanne Gibson 15th~Justin Hayes 22nd~Misty Cates 29 th ~Soren Morris Our annual Charge Conference meeting, where members of our congregation have an opportunity to reflect on the business of the past year, as well as elect the slate of officers for the coming year, will take place on Sunday, October 8 at 5:30 p.m. at Cavanaugh. All church members are invited to attend. This year we will be voting to move to a One Council model of church leadership, which should help us streamline processes for making decisions and be more agile when we need to respond to ministry needs. We will also vision for the future with District Superintendent Stephen Coburn. Make plans to attend this meeting, and we will cast God s vision for us together! TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) is a low cost weight loss group that help those of us that need help with getting better fit and more active. We help support each other ad make great friends while doing so. There are activities, games, and a lesson each week that helps to motivate and teach us what foods are best for our bodies to have energy and stamina. Come on out and meet with us and see if we can help in your weight loss journey. Wednesday morning at 8:30 to 10:00 am in the Fellowship Hall. Donna Vaughn

5 Bishop Mueller Coming for Cavanaugh s Sanctuary Rededication Join the people of Cavanaugh UMC on Sunday, October 29 at 5 p.m. for the rededication of the Sanctuary. Bishop Gary Mueller will preside over our worship service as we recall our past, celebrate our present, and plan for our future. Following the worship service Cavanaugh will have a potluck meal for everyone. Cavanaugh would love to have her Wesley family there to mark this momentous event in our church s life. Want to show your church some love? Want to help make us a welcoming and more efficient place? Then join us starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, October 14 for We Love Wesley Work Day. If there is something that has been driving you crazy about our facilities, this is a day to tackle that project. If nothing is driving you crazy but you want to help, then show up. We will have projects to pick from that require anywhere from a little work to a lot. You can pick from our list (with basic instructions provided) and do your part to spruce Wesley up. If you are around for lunch, we will enjoy a yummy chili lunch. We would love to see you and Wesley needs your love! Ministry...Contact Person...Number Nursery...Cate Brown Greeters Team...Rita Rissinger Usher...Steven Gilbreath VBS...Misty Cates Wesley Mission Statement: To be a vibrant community of faith through which people come to know God, grow in faith, and go into the world to live and serve.

6 TEAMS Know- Grow- Go The Know Team: Rachel Arnold, Priscilla Kjorlaug, Blanche West, Gloria Cates, Carol Tuck, Rick Schmitz, Soren Morris, Titus Schluterman Wesley at work and play - which is which? The Grow Team: Misty Cates, Justin Hayes, Wanda Blaylock, Etta Jensen, Danielle Patterson, Donna Moreton, Wes Arnold, Carmen Flores The Go Team: Austin Olcott, Tracy Olcott, Amy Cates, Andrea Schluterman, Luke Schluterman, Julia Hayes, Chris Humann, Frances Hunt

7 The ARK Team helped celebrate the Creekmore Park Community Pantry s first birthday. For only $8 per meal, you can support the Children s Emergency Shelter and help give some kids a good Christmas. Just buy however many tickets you want, and then on Thursday, October 12, you come to the church from 5-7 p.m. and either drive-thru or dine in for a great dinner. You can get tickets outside the sanctuary, or contact the church office. Thanks for helping Wesley help others! DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT WESLEY'S WEBSITE! has everything you need to stay upto-date on what's happening at Wesley. You can pay tithes, submit prayer requests, view upcoming events, watch sermons, read newsletters, and more! The KNOW Team's goal is to help those inside and outside the church KNOW God or come to KNOW God better through worship and evangelism. BE IN THE KNOW!! The Go Team's purpose is two-fold. Not only do we want to reach out to the community, we want to bring the church together through service and evangelism. Do you have any ideas about how we can reach our community? The Go Team welcomes your input! If you are interested in becoming a member of the Go Team or volunteering for any Mission or evangelism project, please contact anyone listed for more information.

8 Thurs October 5 Finance Committee Meeting 5:30 p.m. Administrative Council Meeting 6:30 p.m. Sat October 7 UMM Breakfast 7:00 a.m. Sun October 8 Charge Conference 5:30 p.m. CUMC Mon October 9 Evening Stars 6:30 p.m. Thurs October 12 Spaghetti Dinner 5:00-7:00 p.m. Sat October 14 We Love Wesley Work Day 9:00 a.m. Sun October 15 Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Service, 6:30 pm Thurs October 19 Young at Heart, 6:00 pm Sun October 29 Cavanaugh s Sanctuary Rededication, 5:00 pm CUMC Fri November 3 Stress Less Seminar, 6:00-8:00 pm October Birthdays November Birthdays: 1-Don 01- Jamison Groves Hayes 13-Linda 2-Jill Morris Wright 17-Madison Hill 3-Barbara 20-Linda Barton Ruple 8-Landon 21-George Miller Jensen 11-Theresa 24-Devin Pendergrass Pulse 12-Brandon 24-Nathan Smith 15-Dakota Cox 15-Cathie Anniversaries Fisher 17-Monroe Moreton 28-Justin & Amy Cates 26-Denver Dunn 27-Matt Fort 29-Will Cates 30-Lil Turner November Anniversaries: 7-Jim & Sharon Bell Olivia Lanae Arnold 9/25/2017