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

Transcription

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

2 Dear Wesley Family, Thank each and every one of my church family for your love and concern during my illness. I am in rehab now but will relocate to Wesley House. Your visits, calls, cards, etc. have meant so much to me. Love, Elizabeth Young Moving can be so difficult but when your church family volunteers to help, it becomes much easier! This donation is made in honor of the following: Mike and Bonnie Gilmer, Brad Gilmer, Rick and Jeff Spears. May God less these thoughtful, loving people. Elizabeth Young Room 19 - Wesley House 1044 Church Street, SS April 5, 2015 Thanks to the Wesley Family for your support at Jack and Kristyn s Western Swing Roundup at the Reillly Springs Jamboree last Saturday night. Happy Trails to You l we meet again! Love, 9:30 a.m. Worship 10:45 a.m. Sunday School Children s Easter Party Wednesday After dinner April 1 2

3 PRAYERS AND CONCERNS Dominic Ayala Jill Barclay Bill Bassham Sherry and Poss Baxter DeLana Beadle Brian Black Cecile Blount Chuck Boston Denise Bridges David Cartwright, Jr. Cletus Brown Jillian Cartwright Carson Bryant Phoebe Carmody Bob Cody Steve and Dicie Rue Cook Kathy Crowson Nell Crowson Mikayla Davis Cristine Dixon Mona Drake Art and Fran Francis Dorothy Easley Barbara Formby Robert and Mary Glover Phyllis Haywood Sandy Heisler Harvey and Crusaders Class Doris Herman Frank Hernandez Magan,Tim and Eisley Henderson Bill Hinchcliff Cheryl Jones Corina Korth Tommy Lewis Michael Matthews Mary Ann McCormick Idalon McCoy Carolyn McKinney Gary Moon Helen Moore Bobbie Moseman Allison, Wade and J.W. Mullinax Terry and Sue Nelson Ricky and Kay Orr Jarod Newton Mary Patty Agnes Ponder Matthew Prochaska JoAnn Prince Micah Reed Randy Roberts Jim and Marty Rose Gina Routon Pat Skauge Ceely Stout Mary Jo and Dale Smith Donna and Dave Spears Pat and Floyd Spears Gary Stribling Allan Thar Tori Jerry Tramel Chrystal Vargas Hunter and Hayden Walker Steven Vickery Juanita Wallace Bo West Natalie White Donna Wilhite Healthy Church Initiative/HCI Team Backpack Buddies North Texas Food Bank Community Chest/Cupboard CANHelp 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 Vivian & Bill Shell Muriel Lucas Sandra McIntire Della Loane Little Acorn School April Newsletter Important Dates April 3 Easter Party (Make up snow day) April 17 Yearbook Money Due April 22 8:00 a.m. Spring Pictures April 28 Pictures of Graduates are due for the slide show April 30 Cap and gown money is due. You do not have to purchase the cap and gown; it s just an option if you want to keep them. Most parents do not buy them but it is your choice. Devotionals March 30 - April 4 Easter Resurrection April 6 - April 10 Jesus Loves the Little Children April 13 - April 17 Forgiveness April 20 - April 24 Jesus Calms the Storm April 27 - May 1 Review all Devotionals In Loving Memory of Jamie Bounds By: Max and Lou Jane Drummond In Honor of Mack and Betty Phillips By: Donna Korth In Honor of Rick and Jeff Spears Mike, Bonnie and Brad Gilmer By: Elizabeth Young A Service of Holy Communion and Darkness 6:30 p.m. Thursday April 2,

4 From Pastor Steve What Was God Thinking? Surely God has a sense of humor! What was God thinking when the thought of the ongoing work of Jesus Christ would be given to us mere mortals--human beings? Why with Judges, Kings, a Savior, Disciples, Apostles, and the like among the Biblical heritage, how in the world did God think Christianity would work with ordinary (and a few extraordinary) leading the Way? Yet, that is exactly what God chose and continues to choose to express the Holy Trinity--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Specifically the events around Holy Week (Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday) tell us how God chose to announce The New Covenant by having His Son, Jesus, crucified, dead, buried, and rising from the dead. Then, days later, Jesus ascending back into heaven and God sending the full power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost! Wow! What a mighty God we serve a contemporary song says! We are The Church. We don t go to church. It s not about us. It is about sharing our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. The latest Healthy Church Initiative book, The Externally-Focused Church, is one I ve read before and I read again last week. In fact, the first Externally-Focused Conference was held in May, 2006 in Longmont, CO, just north of Denver, and I attended it. It still remains as one of the best conferences I ve ever attended, felt close to Christ, and brought home a renewed commitment for the local church to Enter to Worship & Depart to Serve -- being externally-focused! The authors make this statement: It s in outwardly sharing our faith that we gain inward understanding. Simply stated, yet very true. We gather inside these facilities to fellowship, to eat, to study and to learn together, and worship together through music, teaching/preaching, praying, giving, and being part of a smaller growth group (Sunday school, Emmaus Reunion Groups, Choir, children, youth, special studies, etc. It is when we put our faith out for others to know us and to share the love of Jesus outside these facilities that we are best known as Wesley UMC. In Philemon 1:6, Paul the Apostle says, I pray that you may be ACTIVE in sharing your faith, SO THAT you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Oh, my! There s another of one of those important SO THAT s which reminds the world of who we are as the church and why we go to, worship, attend, or are a part of the church. Then we really express our life as a believer by being the presence of Jesus Christ in the world or our neighborhoods. Once again, I ponder: Was God wide-awake when the Church became a priority? In addition, the Apostle Paul had the audacity to call the Church The Body of Christ! Something about working together. Being the hands and feet of Jesus. When a part of the body hurts, we all hurt. That this body has differing functions. One cannot say to the other part, You be the arm and I ll be the leg. I am the head and you are the feet. Crazy stuff! Wild-eyed imagery. Why there are even differing gifts we bring to this Body. The only way this Body is really a body is when the WHOLE body takes a Nobody or Anybody and helps to make them a Somebody. Everybody get this? And this Body, called The Church, can be The Body of Christ wherever it is! What was God thinking? God was thinking this: Well, I made the human being in My image. It is the Crown of all MY Creation. It has love Me, disobeyed Me, rejected Me, even followed after other gods. I d hope Adam and Eve would have understood I made them for relationship and to know that life can be good. I know that the Church can also stray from Me, yet I have an insatiable desire to love it. Like I love my Son, Jesus Christ. Like I love ALL My created humans. Why not bring those folk together to share My love? Then for them to share My love with other humans anywhere! Will the Church work? Aha! Only I know that answer! Men s Emmaus Walk Thursday, April 23 - Sunday, April 26 at Lone Star Emmaus Gathering 6:00 p.m. Thursday, April 30 at Wesley UMC, SS Covered Dish Supper followed by Worship and Communion 4

5 As we reach out...let us remember how much God blesses us every day....let us remember to thank Him every day...and let us remember to always say a prayer for those less fortunate. On behalf of the Outreach/Missions Committee, I would like to thank you for your contributions to not only March s mission emphasis, but January and February s as well. While I do not have any numbers to give you for those two months, I am able to for March (thank you, Bonnie, for counting). Judy, from the Community Cupboard, will receive 44 tubes of toothpaste, 60+ bars of soap, 50 washcloths, several complete comfort kits, and 17 jars of jelly. That is the count as of March 25. The comfort kits items will be given to the homeless. Awesome! April is known, among other things, as Child Abuse Prevention Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In recognition of abused and neglected children across our nation, CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) everywhere will wear blue as often as they can throughout April. Sunday, April 12, you are invited to wear something blue to church. The children will also be handing out blue pinwheels, something that you may see around towns. Our Mission Emphasis for April will be to purchase duffel bags, bags on wheels, backpacks, etc. for children removed by Child Protective Services. Often, these children are removed from their homes with only the clothes on their backs. To make matters worse, they frequently move from foster home to foster home up to 5 times. The few belongings they collect are often thrown into a black garbage bag. Please prayerfully consider purchasing a bag for these children. Perhaps you can team up with someone, or as a Sunday school class make a purchase. Check the back table as you exit church for samples. As always, if you d rather contribute money, jars will be made available for donations. We will observe Domestic Violence Awareness in May, so plan on wearing something purple on the third Sunday. Our mission that month will be to collect more comfort kit items (this time more specially for women). The Outreach and Missions Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 21 at 6:00 p.m. This is an open meeting and all are invited to attend. In Christ s Love, Silvina Healthy Church Initiative meets from 2:00-6:00 p.m. at Kavanaugh UMC in Greenville on Sunday, April 19. Wesley HCI Team will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30 in the Community Classroom. Lily Order Form United Methodist Women are taking orders for lilies to be placed in the sanctuary Holy Week. The cost of each plant is $ Please make checks out to UMW. Deadline to order is March 29. Name In Memory of In Honor of 5

6 The Wesley Witness Wesley United Methodist Church 614 Texas Street Sulphur Springs, TX (903) Church Office (903) Parsonage (903) Fax RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED See us on Wesley UMC, Sulphur Springs or Outreach Committee will meet at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 in the Community Classroom United Methodist Women 1:30 p.m. Tuesday April 21 Program: Donna Korth and Konnie Cross Ad Board Meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday April 28 6