Wesley United Methodist Church 2200 Phoenix, Fort Smith, AR

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1 Wesley United Methodist Church 2200 Phoenix, Fort Smith, AR September 2017 Meanwhile, the boat, fighting a strong headwind, was being battered by the waves and was already far away from land. Very early in the morning he came to his disciples, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified and said, "It's a ghost!" They were so frightened they screamed. Just then Jesus spoke to them, "Be encouraged! It's me. Don't be afraid." (Matthew 14:24-27) I must admit, Hurricane Harvey snuck up on me. I heard about it as a tropical storm, not far off the coast of Texas, and that it would likely make landfall as a category 1, maybe a category 2. It was even a couple days after it made landfall that I came across the first set of photos. I was a little slow on the uptake. But once the photos started coming, I (like probably many of you) became overwhelmed by the devastation. Why won t it move? Why is it just sitting there dumping rain on Houston? Then I started reading the statistics, like those published in an article in the Washington Post that said if you took the amount of water that was dumped over Houston and put it in New Orleans (in comparison to what happened from Katrina), it would reach the 12 th story of a building! And there were still 2-3 more days of rain to come! We are not used to storms surprising us with their force because we have all this technology at our disposal. People in Jesus day couldn t plan days in advance, but they could look at the sky and feel the air and read the signs of bad weather on their skin. That worked in a lot of places. You know where it didn t work? On the Sea of Galilee. When you visit that sea/lake, a good tour guide will point to a set of hills that have a valley between them. It is called the Valley of the Wind, because storms actually get caught between the hills and then get sort of sling shot down the valley and around a curve and are suddenly over the Sea of Galilee. So you could go out on a boat on perfectly calm waters with sunny skies above and then suddenly find yourself in real peril. So much of this passage where Jesus walks on water parallels what life is like in the face of Harvey. The disciples are going about their business, doing what they are supposed to do - just like many people in Houston were doing, and certainly many of us far removed from the storm path. All of a sudden, there was threat and storm and destruction. And maybe people have been away from Jesus long enough not to recognize him, or maybe they just don t expect him to be in the midst of the storm with them, walking right to them. And yet there he is. Jesus is walking on the water in Houston. He is walking in the form of all the people who grabbed their boats and went to rescue people. He is walking as people who have put their own lives at risk to help their neighbors. And he is walking as all the relief organizations and volunteers who are headed to or already in Houston. UMCOR (The United Methodist Committee on Relief) is already there. And UMCOR will be there for years to come. And we will be there too. We are there not just in our prayers, but because when the call came out to gather hygiene kits and cleaning buckets, we offered a place for that to happen, and we will put together the needed kits that come from our congregation. We say we are the hands and feet of Jesus. In this moment, we get to prove it. And we get to be feet that walk on water and help settle the storm. Our prayers are with you, Texas and Louisiana. And we are coming to help. Grace and peace, Pastor Michelle

2 UMW News & Activities The Morning Glories group of Wesley United Methodist Women will meet on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 10:00 am in the Rock House. Wanda Karnes will give the devotional, Wanda Clark will present the program, Betty Reather and Iris Hightower will be hostesses for the pot luck salad luncheon that will follow the program and business meeting. We invite any youth/adult woman to visit our group and learn of the mission work in the state and in the world. God bless you. Doris Cruce 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, members of Wesley United Methodist! I am so excited to be joining you to work with our Chancel and Handbell choirs! My hope and goal is to help build meaningful worship experiences for our congregation. I am an Arkansas native who has grown up and lives in the River Valley. Finding music at a young age, I studied piano and was a member of the band program at Mansfield High School. I was also a member of my church choir as a youth. After graduation, I studied computer programming before switching to vocal music major. I completed my Bachelor of Music education at the University of Central Arkansas. After the passing of my father in 2003, I was able to study in-residence at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to earn my Master of Music in Choral Conducting. My career has included teaching general and vocal music for elementary and high school, and my experience has ranged from Arkansas to Oklahoma to Texas and back. In addition to teaching, I also spent one year working as the website coordinator for the American Choral Director s Association in Oklahoma City and three years running the Community Center for the Van Buren Housing Authority. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love working with people, especially young people. I love to joke and have fun, but I also believe in hard work when it is time for it. My interests include cooking, travel, the outdoors, playing card games and hanging out with my hometown classmates. I believe in honest communication, so feel free to approach me at any time if you would like to talk to me. I would love to hear from you! Sincerely, Cavanaugh is under Renovation Shane Sanderson Cavanaugh UMC is undergoing renovations of its Sanctuary. For the months of July and August (at least) they will be worshipping in their Fellowship Hall while its paneling is removed and drywall goes up, and the carpet is replaced. Please keep this work in your prayers. We will have a sanctuary rededication service that is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 29. Bishop Gary Mueller will preside, and a potluck will follow the service. 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 3rd~Amy Cates 10th~Frances Hunt 17th~Sydney Fulbright 24th~Iris Hightower 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. 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 Eclipse Trip! Ministry...Contact Person...Number Nursery...Cate Brown Greeters Team...Rita Rissinger Usher...Steven Gilbreath VBS...Misty Cates August 21, 2017 Thanks Wesley UMC Jeff City for amazing hospitality! 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 Local Response to Hurricane Harvey Wesley is serving as a collection depot for cleaning and hygiene kits through Tuesday, September 12. On Thursday, September 14 we will need to move what we have collected to First UMC Fort Smith. Pastor Michelle needs to know if someone with a truck and a few people with good backs are available that day to load and unload what we collect. Please contact her at or michelle.morris@arumc.org. You can also give to Hurricane Harvey relief by making a check out to our church and putting in the memo Hurricane Harvey, or go to And of course, keep all those affected in our prayers. 200 Hygiene kits donated by Goddard UMC Next Leadership Development Class Starts September 12 Starting Tuesday, September 12, Pastor Michelle will begin teaching the second class of folks who seek to grow in their skills of discipleship. We will study 4 books: Covenant Bible Study (a 28 week thematic look at the whole Bible), Toxic Charity, Living Our Beliefs: The United Methodist Way, and Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics. We will also train in problem solving and learn about our spiritual gifts. We will meet over the course of a year. Cost for all the books will be $60 and can be paid out over the course of the year. We will meet every Tuesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Cavanaugh Fellowship Hall. Bring a bag lunch and come learn how to be effective servants of Jesus Christ! The Know Team: Rachel Arnold, Priscilla Kjorlaug, Blanche West, Gloria Cates, Carol Tuck, Rick Schmitz, Soren Morris, Titus Schluterman 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 Thank you to everyone who gave homemade goodies to the Farmers at the Fort Smith Farmers Market! 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 ser- 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 Mon September 4 Labor Day - Church closed Thurs September 7- Sat September 9 Michelle out of office Tues September 12 New Leadership Development Class, noon CUMC Hygiene/Cleaning kits due to Wesley Thurs September 14 Hygiene/Cleaning kits due to FUMCFS Tues September 19 Morning Glories Meeting 10:00a.m Wed September 20 Lets Do Lunch CUMC Thurs September 21 Young at Heart Sun September 24 Baptism of Olivia Lanae Arnold - 9:30 Service Wed September 27 - CORLI Leadership Institute Fri September 29 Thurs October 5 Finance Committee Meeting 5:30 p.m. Administrative Council Meeting 6:30 p.m. Sun October 8 Charge Conference 5:30 p.m. CUMC September Birthdays November Birthdays: 1-Don 01- John Groves Rissinger 03-2-Jill Dennis Morris Hulsey 03- Chris Humann 3-Barbara 06- Jerry Ruple Huey 8-Landon 12- Shawn Miller Cox 11-Theresa 20- Hailey Pendergrass Cox 12-Brandon 20- Meghan Howard Smith 15-Dakota 22- Doris Cruse Cox 23- Wes Arnold 15-Cathie 26- Chris Fisher Hulsey 17-Monroe 26- Suzanne Moreton Gibson 26-Denver 30- Kathy Dunn Plant Anniversaries 27-Matt Fort Will Monroe Cates & Donna 30-Lil Moreton Turner 20- Harley & Norma Strang Denver November & Syla Dunn 26- Anniversaries: James & Kathy Plant 7-Jim & Sharon Bell