THE COLUMNS. Leading People in New Life with Jesus. Inside... First United Methodist Church. July 11, 2013

Transcription

1 Leading People in New Life with Jesus First United Methodist Church July 11, 2013 Vol. 34:11 THE COLUMNS Inside... Worship Pastor Note Birthdays..4 Prayer List....5 Notes of Thanks UMW....5 Information.6 It is absolutely no secret that First United Methodist Church has been blessed with God-sized success throughout its history. It s also no secret that one of the catalysts to the current success of the church has been impacting, expectant, and powerful worship. From our Sunday morning Traditional and Journey experiences to our Wednesday night Gathering in the Chapel, worship has been a point of pride and success for our church. With that success, there has been an obvious call from God for us to take worship outside of the walls of FUMC and into the world! With an unbelievable response, we had already seen great success through our Radical Christmas and Hope Fest events. With this knowledge and the calling to continue taking worship to the world, the Oasis worship experience (currently held at the Boat House in rural Stoddard County) has shown fruit in ways that could have never been imagined. The Oasis worship experience includes a laid back, casual environment. The night typically consists of ordering food from the full menu offered by the Boat House, worshipping together, hearing an inspiring message and then enjoying a time.. Continued on page 2 Upcoming Opportunities Mondays: UMM, 7 am Wednesdays: The Gathering, 6pm; Choir Rehearsal, 7pm Sat. July 13: Trivia Night for Youth Missions Sun. Aug. 4: Oasis Worship Executive Pastor Brad Aycock and his two super pals (nephew Will, left, and son Daniel, right) do their best Spider-Man impersonations after Oasis Worship on 7/7.

2 The Journey band plays a set during the most recent Oasis worship experience. community of First United Methodist Church. As part of our commitment to taking worship into the world, we have also added a new wrinkle to our Gathering at the Chapel on Wednesday nights. For the rest of the month of July, beginning on July 10, The Gathering will be held in parks throughout the city of Sikeston. The schedule is as follows: Danny Kuykendall delivers an inspirational message during the latest Oasis worship experience. July The Columns July Malone Park July Lincoln Park July The Complex Worship (from page 1)...of fellowship that extends well into the evening. Part of the success has been the overwhelming support of regular attendees of FUMC combined with the willingness of those from outside of our church to come together in this setting. We have seen great fellowship, new members added and even baptisms at our Oasis worship events! At the latest Oasis worship experience, things were no different! The music was great, the message (from Danny Kuykendall) was inspirational and over half of those in attendance were first-time guests! I believe that is an amazing success to add to the list of successes for worship at FUMC. Also, there was a new wrinkle in the Oasis worship experience: it was concluded with a family movie night. This time, it was Spider-Man. The movie was an overwhelming success and only added to the wonderful pattern of fellowship that has been set as the standard for worship throughout the Page 2 Please come and join us for this unique worship opportunity Wednesday nights at 6pm. We would love to share in worship with you as we take continue to fulfill the call of taking worship to the world!

3 A Note From Pastor Geoff This note was taken from Pastor Geoff Posegate s blog post from July 6, You can access Pastor Geoff s blog by visiting paddlingon.blogspot.com on your browser. One of our leaders at our church recently heard a church leader from a different church give a message on "taking America back." In the wake of celebrating the 237th birthday of the United States of America, this particular pastor was decrying the present state of affairs in our land, at least as he saw it. He longed for a return to days gone by, when prayer was allowed in schools, when neighborhoods were safe, when people believed in America and God, and when everyone went to church. Specifically he wanted us to go back to the days of my childhood, in the 1950's and 1960's. So I thought about those days, to which many preachers, politicians, and media voices hearken back. I did grow up believing in our land. My little heart stirred at words like, "We hold these truths to be self-evident..." and "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Specifically I was taught the value of Emma Lazarus' 1883 poem at the base of the statue of liberty, which ends with, "Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free; the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden shore." That still squeezes my heart and causes me to tear up. I believed that these words embodied our nation. This made us different than any other country on the face of the planet. And, yes, my childhood was a good one. I lived in a safe neighborhood. (I grew up middle-class suburban white.) Most everyone I knew went to church. We all believed in America and God. (Usually in that order.) My church was a place of peace and comfort. (To the best of my knowledge Jesus was someone sent to make me behave better.) And all was well, right up until the new boy showed up in the primary Sunday School department. Week after week he sat alone; no one made a move to sit near him or talk to him. One Sunday a group of boys decided to make the newcomer the subject of their taunts. No one stopped them; not the other students, the Sunday School leaders, or me. I was taught to never use the n-word, but here it was - right in the house of God. He was the youngest member of the first African-American family to have the courage to be in our church building, without being on the custodial staff. And that was my first awareness that something was wrong; terribly wrong. Tough news at age eleven...and this became the first mile marker in a journey that for several years would lead me away from my church, away from God, and away from my unexamined good feelings about my country. As our church leader observed after the recent message he heard from another church's leadership, the "good old days" were not good for everyone, and included much that honored neither American values nor God. For all the ideals that form our nation's bedrock, and we have great ones, we haven't fully actualized them always, and we're not quite there yet. Many of the original signers of the document containing the worlds, "all men are created equal," were slave owners, knowing no other reality in their world. As a nation, believing in the "yearning to breathe free," we slowly and systematically denied that to the native Americans who pre-dated us on this continent. And even the revered phrase, "all men are created equal" presumes that women are little more than livestock. Now, against all these cultural struggles, our nation has made great, heroic, and sacrificial strides toward protecting liberty both here and outside our borders. We should be proud of that. In addition, though, for this nation to continue to be a beacon of freedom, we have to be grounded in something beyond us, more important than us, and more powerful than us. Many centuries ago, halfway around the globe, a man journeyed back to his hometown. He was middle-aged, but the standard of lifespans then. He went to a gathering of learning and worship for the men of his faith - Judaism; a gathering known as a synagogue. As was the right of any Jewish male in good standing, he got up to read from the scriptures, and was given a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He read these words: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind. to release the oppressed..." (Luke 4:18, New International Version of the Bible. Sounds a lot like the words at the base of the Statue of Liberty to me.) When he was done and sat back down he said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:20) This is the truth with which this nation and any nation must wrestle: Genuine freedom comes as a gift from God through the blood of the cross of Jesus, and by no other way. Freedom is anchored in this - in that every human being who has ever/does/ever will draw breath is declared worthy of the life, death, and resurrection of God's own son. This is a worthiness that is not earned or achieved, it is given by the unyielding nature of a God whose very identity is love purer than anything human know or create. And any regarding or treatment of a person that veers from that anchoring is a denial of the freedom God demands for all. I love this country. I love that for which it has stood and for which it has bled. It is because I love the USA that my allegiance to this God is higher than my allegiance to it. When we say "one nation, under God," do we really mean it? Do we realize the priority to which we have sworn? In the area of the country in which I live, it is common to see church buildings with one flag pole outside them. Virtually without exception, the flag of the land I love flies highest, with the Christian flag flying beneath it. Most folks take this sight for granted. It crawls all over me. This nation's hope and opportunity to continue to be freedom's beacon on our golden shore is to reverse the positions of those flags and truly let Jesus come first. He is the author of the only freedom that lasts. I'll see you around the next bend in the river. Page 3

4 UMW Notes Day Apart The Southeast District United Methodist Women met at Sikeston First United Methodist Church on June 1 for the Day Apart. Mary Bryant, president of Sikeston UMC, gave the welcome. The opening prayer was given by Pastor Geoff Posegate. The keynote speaker was Diana Revelle, whose program was Definition of Me, a guide for self discovery. Diana is the author of Soaring Thoughts and Shades of Green. Those attending had the opportunity to review and purchase these books. She was insightful and interesting. She said that our task is to consider who we are, how we developed into who we are and to discover the best version of ourselves. The weather was not welcoming with rain, flooding and weather alerts. In contrast, we received many compliments on the program, the food, our church and its hospitality. August Meeting The United Methodist Women will hold their monthly meeting Thursday, August at First United Methodist Church of Sikeston. Officers will meet at 10am. Special guest Holly Rehder, State Representative for District 148, will speak beginning at 11am. Lunch will follow at 12pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. A Few Notes of Thanks Thanks so much for the use of your beautiful church. -The Verseilles Youth Group Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and Charlene Mullins of the Van Buren office wish to say thank you for the housing of the volunteers in the Sikeston area. We really appreciate it. God Bless you for all of your help. -Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri Page 5

5 First United Methodist Church Sikeston, Missouri First United Methodist Church Columns Published every other week by First United Methodist Church, 1307 N. Main St., Sikeston, MO POSTMASTER: Please send change of address to above address. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Worship Pastor s Note UMW C HECK O UT THE W E BSITE! WWW. THEFUNCHURC H. ORG P A S TOR G E OFF S B L OG: Second Class postage paid Sikeston, MO (publication # UMP ) The Columns The Columns are a visual symbol of the history and forward-focused faith of First United Methodist Church of Sikeston. Still standing in downtown Sikeston after the dome church burned in 1968, they represent the hope and determination of the people of this church to serve God and our community. Today, we are encouraged by all those who have gone before us in upholding the faith and Leading People in New Life with Jesus. Upper Rooms The Upper Room devotional guides are available free of charge in our church lobbies. Pick one up for your daily devotion time. Both large print and regular print are available. Information for Guests and New Members Welcome to First United Methodist Church! Regular Worship Opportunities 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Chapel 9 a.m. Sunday in the Sanctuary 11 a.m. Sunday in the Family Life Ctr. Shaping Opportunities All ages at 10 a.m. Sundays Nursery A nursery is provided during Wednesday and all Sunday services and Shaping Hour. It is located east of the lobby by the sanctuary. Please see a greeter for directions. Address: 1307 N. Main St., P.O. Box 682, Sikeston, MO Phone Website: 1stumc@sikestonfirstumc.org Staff Geoff Posegate - Pastor Brad Aycock - Executive Pastor Robin McIntyre - Children s Ministries Nathan Persell - Youth Pastor Sandy Brashear - Business Manager Paullester Walker - Office Manager Ron Payne Interim Faith Growth Coordinator Jill Hopson - Connections Coordinator Elaine Posegate - Senior Adult Ministries Zak McIntyre -Communications Coordinator Ken Nave - Custodian Terry Sapp - Choir Director Judy Nickell - Organist Daniel Sexton - Band Leader Harry Howard - The Gathering Pianist Robin Meadows - Nursery Coordinator Stephen Ministry Church This one-on-one lay ministry aids those facing some of life s trials. Contact the church office or a pastor for details. Next Newsletter Deadline: July 31th Page 6