Wesley United Methodist Church 2200 Phoenix, Fort Smith, AR

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1 Wesley United Methodist Church 2200 Phoenix, Fort Smith, AR November 2017 Though we can t think alike, may we not love alike? - John Wesley Jehu departed from there and encountered Rechab's son Jehonadab. Jehu greeted him, and asked, "Are you as committed to me as I am to you?" Jehonadab responded, "Yes, I am." "If so," said Jehu, "then give me your hand." So Jehonadab put out his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot. Jehu said, "Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD." So Jehu had Jehonadab ride with him in his chariot. (2 Ki. 10:15-16 CEB) While most of us observed a somewhat wet Halloween, a few may have noticed something else that day. It was Reformation Day, the day that usually marks when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg, kicking off the Protestant Reformation. This year was particularly notable, because it was actually the 500 th anniversary of that momentous day. We struggle with how to understand that day now. While we are recipients of the benefits of that split as Protestants, we also wonder if such a division of Christianity is a good thing. John Wesley wondered the same thing, and he wondered it aloud in his sermon on a Catholic Spirit, in which he looked at the passage of Scripture from 2 Kings above and wrestled with our Christian division. Generally, he preached that we should acknowledge that we all share a faith in Christ and a call to love others for Christ, and that unites us, just as Jehu and Jehonadab are united. He also felt we needed to reflect on what constitutes a heart of zeal for the Lord. So in that sermon he posed several questions that Christians should ask ourselves, including: Is thy heart right with God? Dost thou believe his being, and his perfections? His eternity, immensity, wisdom, power; his justice, mercy, and truth? Dost thou believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God over all, blessed for ever? Is he revealed in thy soul? Having absolutely disclaimed all thy own works, thy own righteousness, hast thou submitted thyself unto the righteousness of God, which is by faith in Christ Jesus? Is God the centre of thy soul? The sum of all thy desires? Hmmm. I am not so sure I can truly affirmatively answer these questions, especially every minute of the day. Honestly, there are times when God is not the sum of all my desires. I suspect each of you also struggle with these on some level as well. And that is why we are looking for new ways to connect our lives to God, through such things as Wesleyan small groups. It will also be a charge of the One Council in 2018 how do we help people truly grow in their relationship to Christ? Because here is the truth. We live in a world that encourages us right now to be suspicious of one another, and even to hate people who disagree with us. But our Christian faith actively works against that worldly pull. The forces of division are strong right now, so our forces of unity have to be all the more focused on Christ and Christ s love for all. I invite you to share with me what helps you connect with Christ, and let s see what vision we can have for our church in the coming year. Let s find a way to have zeal for God, and to be committed to one another to take each other s hands and ride along in life with them and Christ. Pastor Michelle

2 UMW NEWS AND ACTIVITIES The United Methodist Women Unit meeting is Saturday, November 4 at 9:30 a.m. at the Rock House. All interested women are encouraged to attend. Patrice Hulsey and Iris Hightower attended the NW District UMW meeting at First UMC Fort Smith on October 14. Evening Stars asks us to fill the fence in the main hallway with hats and gloves for school children. Evening Stars will also meet Monday, November 13 at 6 p.m. in the Rock House. The Morning Glories group of Wesley United Methodist Women will meet on November 14 (one week earlier than usual due to Thanksgiving) in the Rock House at 10:00 am. Iris Hightower will give the Devotional and Doris Cruce will present the annual World Thanks program which involves a donation of monies that the members have collected all year. Wanda Blaylock and Rosie Jones will host the Salad Pot- Luck Luncheon that follows the program and business meeting. We will be considering our nominations of persons to receive the Special Mission Recognition during our UMW Sunday in We are still collecting Best Choice labels - we appreciate your help in this project. 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: 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 Music Notes... Greetings!!! As we enter November, we approach the time of year when we stop and give thanks for all with which we have been blessed. I would like to say that I have been truly blessed by God bringing to me to this church to serve. I truly enjoy working with our Chancel Choir and our Bell Choir. It has been a learning experience in some ways. However, as I recently posted online, it always seems that on nights when I am feeling tired, exhausted, or frazzled at the edges, rehearsing with our musicians here always refreshes me. I am really proud of our choir's hard work on the anthem. This year's anthem is difficult, to be sure. Nevertheless, our singers are tackling it a little more every week, and I am impressed with the progress we have already made. Our ringers are enjoying the success of learning music for the holidays to add to our regular services and our Cantata and Christmas Eve services. Remember, God cares more about the soul than about the sound. If you are interested in singing with us but feel that you may lack ability, come try us out for a few rehearsals. You might just fall in love with it!!!! Yours in Christ, Shane Sanderson. Hanging of the greens Wesley s annual hanging of the greens, when we decorate the sanctuaries for Christmas, will be Sunday, November 26 at 4 p.m. The more people we have to help, the faster the work goes. We will also have a warm, yummy soup dinner to share together as we work. Please make plans to participate in this meaningful ministry! Wesley Family, Thank you so much to everyone who has helped with meals and sent prayers and concerns my way over the past few weeks. It has all been so greatly appreciated and felt. With all of your love, prayers and support it makes this lengthy recovery that much easier to handle. Many Blessings, Carrie Miller

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. Cut, Cut, Cut and Burn Every single day. You will find that you'll lose weight And can stay that way! Cut and Burn is an ongoing focus in TOPS. The plan is simple: Members define, make, and continue small changes--namely cutting 100 calories per day plus burning an extra 100 calories per day--resulting in small, sustainable weight losses that add up to SUCCESS! Now that Thanksgiving is on it way and shortly after that Christmas, its a good time to come with us on this journey and help to curb those extra 10 to 15 holiday pounds. Wouldn't it be nice to say I lost 10 over the holidays instead of I gained an extra 10lbs. Come visit with us on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 for a quick encouraging weight loss program that is all about helping and encouraging each other to have a healthy lifestyle. Happy Thanksgiving to you and May God bless you! See you lighter on Wednesdays! Darla Vaughn

5 Goddard United Methodist Church Saturday, November 18 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Brunch Provided Please RSVP to Ministry...Contact Person...Number Nursery...Cate Brown Greeters Team...Rita Rissinger Usher...Steven Gilbreath VBS...Misty Cates On behalf of the ASU mobile food pantry, Samantha Black invites Wesley to collect boxes of Instant Mashed Potatoes between now and Thanksgiving. She will take them back to campus after break. Thanks! 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 Thanks, Wesley! Due to your diligent support of the spaghetti dinner, we raised $1089 for Christmas for the kids at the Children s Emergency Shelter! Thank you to everyone who sold/ bought tickets, to the Fulbright-Hayes family for running the show, to Linda Organ for the cake, WOW ladies for cooking assistance, Golden Corral and Dominoes for support, and children and youth for delivery help. Wesley s One Council At charge conference in early October, Wesley voted to move to a One Council model of leadership. This Council will be the main visioning arm of the church, and will handle the work of Finance, Trustees, SPRC, Education, etc. These are the people the nominations committee recommended to serve on this Council, and at Charge Conference they were voted in: Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Justin Hayes George Jensen Harley Strang Patrice Hulsey Gloria Cates Amy Cates Tracy Olcott Jackie Nichols Carrie Miller Suzanne Gibson Rachel Arnold Blanche West Frances Hunt Rick Schmitz Sydney Fulbright Lay leader/delegate to Annual Conference: Donna Moreton Alternates: Ellen Brown, Patsy Hendrickson Please hold your One Council in prayer as they seek to do the will of God for Wesley. 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 Remember to collect hats and gloves for area kids in need and pin them to our lattice in the hallway! Wesley s second annual community Thanksgiving Meal will be Wednesday, November 22. Communion will be offered at 5:45 p.m. and the meal will start at 6 p.m. We need people to help cook the sides, to volunteer to donate desserts, and to sit with our neighbors as hosts of tables. If you can help, sign up outside the sanctuary or send an to wesleyumcfs@yahoo.com. Let s make a warm place for our neighbors this holiday! Cavanaugh thanks Wesley for your Chairs, your Presence, and your Gifts at our (Sanctuary Rededication) Service! 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 Fri November 3 Stress Less Seminar 6:00-8:00 pm Sat November 4 UMM Breakfast 7:00 a.m. CUMC UMW Unit Meeting 9:30 a.m. Rock House Sun November 12 Coffee with the Bishop 3:00 p.m. FUMC Fort Smith Mon November 13 Evening Stars 6:30 p.m. Rock House Tues November 14 Morning Glories 10 a.m. Rock House Wed November 15 Let s Do Lunch 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. CUMC Thurs November 16 Young at Heart 6:00 pm Wed November 22 Community Thanksgiving Meal 5:45 p.m. Sun November 26 Hanging of the Greens 4 p.m. Upcoming December Events Sat December 9 Morris Family Open House 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (drop in) Sun December 10 Christmas Cantata 7 p.m. Sun December 24 Morning Worship 9:30 a.m. CUMC Carols and Candles 5 p.m. Wesley Carols and Candles 6:30 p.m. CUMC November Birthdays November Birthdays: 1-Don 02- Jill Groves Pulse 08-2-Jill Landon Morris Miller 12- Brandon Smith 3-Barbara 15- Dakota Ruple Cox 17-8-Landon Monroe Miller Moreton 11-Theresa 20- Martha Pendergrass Watson 12-Brandon 26- James Watson Smith 15-Dakota 26-Denver Cox Dunn 29- Will Cates 15-Cathie Fisher 17-Monroe Moreton Anniversaries 26-Denver Dunn 07-Jim 27-Matt and Sharron Fort Bell 29-Will Cates 30-Lil Turner November Anniversaries: 7-Jim & Sharon Bell Be sure to ask these 2 Blessings in Disguise about Reverse Trick-or-Treating and the family with the donkey who won Halloween 2017!