Externally Focused A Note From Our Pastor

Transcription

1 The Newsletter of the First United Methodist Church of Decatur, Alabama January 13, 2016 Externally Focused A Note From Our Pastor I am excited about the two preachers who will proclaim the Gospel at the beginning and end of our Global Impact Celebration (GIC) at Decatur First. The Rev. Dr. Lewis Archer is District Superintendent of the Southeast District of the North Alabama Conference. I have known Lewis since he moved from Maryland to Alabama in He came to work with SIFAT, Servants in Faith and Technology, near Lineville. After SIFAT, Lewis served as pastor in several North Alabama congregations before going as a missionary with the World Gospel Mission to Kenya from Lewis will preach at the opening celebration on Wednesday evening, February 17. The Rev. Dr. Eric Swanson comes to us by way of the Rev. Kelly Clem, our District Superintendent. I had asked Kelly, who was a missionary to Lithuania, to preach at our Sunday worship service. She suggested another preacher instead. She is bringing Eric Swanson to the Northwest District on Friday and Saturday of our GIC to work with churches engaged in a series of training events called Kingdom Come. She offered to ask him to stay one additional day to preach at our Sunday services February 21. Eric accepted. I have two books that Eric Swanson co-authored: The Externally Focused Church and The Externally Focused Quest. I will gladly share the books with you. Eric will preach at Decatur First during the 8:45 and 11:00 services on February 21. Here is sample of Eric Swanson and Rick Rushaw s The Externally Focused Church: There is a movement creeping its way across churches of all shapes, sizes, and denominations. It s gaining ground, and it s getting attention, and it s making a difference. It s slowly changing church statistics. These churches are evaluating what really matters, and they are reaching skeptical, hurt, and broken people through serving. How are these churches changing the relationship between the church and their communities? How are they getting a skeptical society to hear them? They are externally focused, and this is what defines them: They are inwardly strong but outwardly focused. They integrate good deeds and good news into the life of the church. They value impact and influence in the community more than attendance. They seek to be salt, light, and leaven in the community. They see themselves as the soul of the community. They would be greatly missed if they left. Today, whether we like it or not, we have to earn the right to be heard The success of an externally focused church depends on getting involved in the community, creating authentic relationships, and being truly useful. In the process of showing, externally focused churches have discovered, again and again, that people are more willing to listen to their telling. We will be blessed to hear Eric and Lewis during the GIC at Decatur First. In Christ, Hughey Global Impact Celebration - Feb Next month our church will host our third Global Impact Celebration (better known as GIC). We will host foreign missionaries and representatives from agencies and ministries from our area and from other areas. This is a very exciting time in our church, and it is a great time to be inspired and challenged by what God is doing both across the street and around the world. We have excellent speakers for our opening and closing worship services, opportunities to meet our guests, and an opportunity for all of us to serve during our Day of Kindness. Mark your calendars for February 17-21, and get ready to see and be a part of the impact of God's kingdom.

2 Bereavement Luncheon The FUMC Congregational Care Team will host a Bereavement Luncheon at Noon on Thursday, January 28th in the Fellowship Hall. Brad Eades, Bereavement Manager at Hospice of the Valley, will discuss the grief process and methods of coping after the loss of a loved one. He will also provide information on individual grief counseling as well as grief support groups that are available. We invite not only those who are grieving, but also those who are interested in being a part of the FUMC Congregational Care Team to attend. Please RSVP to aquinn@decaturfumc.org or by Monday, January 25th so we can plan adequately for lunch. Congregational Care Team The Congregational Care Team met this week to organize for the coming year. We want to highlight some of the ministries of the Team and ask for your help and support: Share A Dish: This ministry provides meals to members of our congregation during times of both joy and sadness - when a new baby is born, when a death occurs, or on other occasions where a home cooked meal would be appreciated. We need people willing to make casseroles and to make phone calls to families to coordinate the delivery of the meals. Please contact Dell Ward at dmw @yahoo.com or (256) if you would be willing to help. Threads of Love: Faye Hovey knits prayer shawls and cross pocket squares for our shut ins and our members in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. She can provide you with the patterns and instructions if you are a knitter and would like to help. Please call Faye at (256) if you would like to help. Homebound Visitation: Jane Boozer and JoAnn Christopher will be coordinating our Homebound Visitation with Patrick. They need your help in two ways: by keeping them informed of those who need to be visited and/or need support. They also welcome anyone who would like to be a part of the visitation teams. You may Patrick McCormick at patrick@decaturfumc.org or contact Jane at asajaneb@bellsouth.net or (256) or contact JoAnn (256) Home Repair: If you are FUMC member or know of members who have home repair needs, please contact Patrick - patrick@decaturfumc.org. He will work with our team to see if we have volunteers who can take care of the repairs, and if not, we will contact local agencies who provide this help. Welcome Dinner on January 20 The Evangelism Committee would like to invite our new and recent members and visitors to a Welcome Dinner on January 20, We will meet and eat during the First Fellowship Meal at 5:00 p.m. in the Minister's Conference Room on the 3rd Floor. It can be reached by the elevator or stairs by the Fellowship Hall. Come be our guest, and meet some members of Decatur FUMC and learn about the ministries of our church and upcoming events. Please RSVP by ing Shannon Booth at shannon@decaturfumc.org. New Members We are excited to announce the following new members. Please help us welcome them! Bonnie Lindsey comes to us from Hartselle FUMC. Jonathan Green transfers his membership to us from the Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church. Billy Hudson goes from being an associate member of Decatur First (Courtland Presbyterian) to a full member of Decatur First. Kathy & Larry Archer come to us from Russellville FUMC. Bonnie Lindsey Jonathan Green Billy Hudson Larry & Kathy Archer

3 Acolyte Schedule - Jan. and Feb Alexia Claborn Director of Children s Ministries aclaborn@decaturfumc.org Office: ; Cell: Date 8:45 Service 11:00 Service Jan. 17 Bristol Rayne Teal Mary Bibb Pylant, Mary Emma Harper Jan. 24 Bristol Rayne Teal LuLu Underwood, John Benton Claborn Jan. 31 Bristol Rayne Teal Aiden Garriss, Mattie Fite Feb. 7 Bristol Rayne Teal, Susan Floyd Lydia Mathews, Hunter Claborn, Crucifer- John Benton Claborn Feb. 14 Bristol Rayne Teal Miller Roberts, Mary Bibb Pylant Feb. 21 Bristol Rayne Teal Mary Emma Harper, LuLu Underwood Feb. 28 Bristol Rayne Teal, Susan Floyd John Benton Claborn, Mattie Fite Sunday Morning Volunteers Volunteers for Sunday, Jan. 17 Sunday School Pre-school - Leigh Ann Blankenship / Jessica Mitchell K-2 nd Grade - Jami Buckner / Assistant-Ed Kirby 3 rd -5 th Grade TBA / Ginny Pylant Children s Church 8:45 Teacher Alexia Claborn / Assistant Mary Ila Ward 11:00 Teacher Alexia Claborn / Assistant TBA Volunteers for Sunday, Jan. 24 Sunday School Pre-school - 5 th Grade Classes will combine for Heifer International Celebration Party. We will meet in the Rise and Shine Room #305. Children s Church 8:45 Teacher Vickie Earwood / Assistant TBA 11:00 Service Teacher TBA Assistant TBA Thank you for sharing God s word and his love with our children! First Fellowship First Fellowship resumed as a wonderful success! It was so great to see all those precious little faces back after the break. We would like to welcome our new children s choir volunteer, Kathy Archer. Our children are so blessed to have her! Children s Choir is working on songs to share during the opening of GIC. Our lessons are starting right where we left off beginning with Moses as we work chronologically through the Old Testament. Hope to see you at First Fellowship! Heifer International On Sunday, January 24 th during Sunday School, we will have a Heifer International Party to celebrate and reveal the animals we will be able to purchase. Our children have raised $1,050.00! We will meet in the Rise and Shine Room # 305. What a blessing! Volunteers Needed Children s Church teachers and assistants Teachers to rotate once a month for the 3 rd -5 th grade Sunday School Class. First Grace Child Development Center News We want to say a big Thank You to the board members who are rolling off: Jim Greene, Dell Ward and Courtney Tomberlin. New Members that are rolling on are Diane Summerlin, Chairman, Bailey Copeland, Nathan Tomberlin and Stefanie Underwood. Laura Vines Director of First Grace firstgrace@decaturfumc.org Office: ; Cell: We had 98 Students participate in our Christmas program and 308 people that had dinner in the Fellowship Hall following the program. We had 330 people in attendance in the sanctuary for the program. Thanks to John Copeland for setting up the sound system, Steve Armstrong for donating all the paper products for the dinner, and Meg Tanner for heading up the cooking in the Fellowship Hall for dinner. We are off to a great 2016 at First Grace! We have 26 teachers, 102 students on roster, and nine babies on the waiting list. Three students attend through the Kathryn King Scholarship Fund. The FUMC United Methodist Men honors guest speakers to UMM events with a $100 honorarium to the First Grace Kathryn King Memorial Scholarship Fund. Martin Valcarcel Rodriguez spoke at the Jan. 10 Breakfast. We thank them for this donation.

4 Congregational Care Congregational Care is always open to new ideas to meet the needs of our members. We are seeking volunteers interested in serving in the areas of Grief Support Care and Care for Caregivers. Grief Support Care requires volunteers to make periodical brief visits, send uplifting cards, and make phone call that will brighten that individual s day. Care for Caregivers requires the volunteers to relieve a caregiver when needed, make a phone call to the individual, or run an errand for the individual. Hospice of the Valley can provide a counselor to be available to assist the volunteers in whichever area they choose. This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to our community. If interested, please contact Patrick McCormick by or phone. Contact Information: patrick@decaturfumc.org Phone: Find Us On Social Media Like us on Facebook to get up to date information about our church, meetings, changes, prayer requests, photos and more! Manna and Mercy Retreat The Conference is hosting a Manna and Mercy Retreat April at Camp Sumatanga. The cost is $169 per participant. Using Daniel Erlander s book Manna and Mercy, South African pastor Alan Storey developed a retreat as a journey from Genesis to Revelation over the course of two days, with sensitivity to the contexts in which the scriptures were written and of our present day. The Bible is meant to be an instrument of God to enable abundant life for God s creation. Sadly, through the ages it has been read and interpreted in such a way that it has been used as an instrument of human domination and death to cheer on the crusades, support slavery, advocate Apartheid, glorify genocide, sanction sexism, bless war and worship prosperity in the face of the poor, just to name just a few horrors of our human history. During the Manna and Mercy retreat, we will take a fresh look at scripture through the interpretive lens of Jesus life, death and resurrection and God s overall call for each one of us to partner with God in mending this fractured world. The hope is that after we have done so, our interpretations and use of the scriptures will be truly liberating and life-enabling. See more at: month=4&year=2016&day=1&display=m#sthash.t8visxta.dpuf Hilltoppers The Hilltoppers January trip will be a Mystery Trip! Join us on Thursday, January 21 for the mystery and lunch together. We ll leave the church at 10:00 by church bus and travel to our destination. We ll end our time together with lunch which will be the only expense you ll have. Sign-up sheets are in the Sunday School classrooms, the welcome center, and outside the Fellowship Hall. Call Beth with any questions Columbarium Our Columbarium is available to the members and immediate families of Decatur First United Methodist Church. We have available niches in the additional cabinet that was installed last year. We invite you to come by the church to look at the columbarium. For additional information, please contact Committee Chairman Tom Earley at (256) Look what y all did And we can t thank you enough! Thank you so much for your generous gifts of food and donations to buy the food needed to complete the boxes! We had more than we have ever had before! Thank you to my wonderful and faithful helpers, Barbara Ashwander, Dell Ward, and Mary Malone! Thank you, too, to Brother Ashwander and Mike Ward for picking up and transporting 17 heavy boxes and bags to Austinville Elementary to be distributed to the families in need. What a great team our church makes! Jan Dean The Church trustees are trying to identify any members of our congregation who have medical training, i.e., physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, LPNs, EMT techs and those individuals who have had CPR training. If you have any of the above training, please call Alyson in the church office or her at aquinn@decaturfumc.org and let her know this information. Thank you!

5 Youth Dates Sunday, January 17 10:00 a.m. - Sunday School no UMYF Wednesday, January 20 5:00 p.m. - First Fellowship 6:00 p.m. - Bible Study Thursday, January 21 7:30 a.m. Sr High prayer breakfast at Chick Fil A Sunday, January 24 10:00 Sunday School 6:00-7:30 p.m. Destination Unknown Monday, January 25 7:45 a.m. Jr High Prayer Breakfast at Bojangles (rides provided to OPMS) Wednesday, January 27 5:00 First Fellowship 6:00 Bible Study Thursday, January 28 7:30 a.m. Sr High prayer breakfast at Chick Fil A Friday, January 29 DHS Winter Sports Breakfast in Fellowship Hall 6:15 a.m. Cooks arrive 7:15 a.m. greeters and servers arrive 7:45 a.m. clean up arrive UMYF United Methodist Youth Fellowship (UMYF) occurs on Sunday nights. If school is out on a Monday, we will not have UMYF the Sunday night before. We meet on the youth floor (third floor, enter the building on the ally side) at 6:00. Bring your own dinner (fast food or from home) and eat with the group until 6:30 when we ll start our programming. We ll rotate between different activities that may include games, outings, worship, programs and missions! We typically end at 7:30. Jan. 24- we ll start back with Destination Unknown Jan. 31- Game Night Feb. 7- Super Bowl Party at the home of the Earleys Feb. 14- No UMYF Feb. 21- Destination Unknown Fe. 28- Discovery Follow Up Night Decatur High School Winter Breakfast This winter we ll host the DHS winter sports (Basketball, Wrestling and Cheerleading) for breakfast on Friday, January 29. If you are interested in serving in some capacity, please contact Beth (beth@decaturfumc.org). If your company or business is interested in financially sponsoring the breakfast it will cost $250 and your company will receive recognition at the breakfast. Thank you for your continued help in making this ministry a success! Volunteer schedule: 6:15 a.m. cooks arrive 7:15 a.m. greeters and servers arrive 7:30 a.m. serve the students 7:45 a.m. clean up teams arrive It s Time for Boston Butts! The youth are selling Boston Butts for Super Bowl Sunday (February 7)! Each order is $35 and will come with one Boston Butt (8-10 lbs.), eight buns and one bottle of Gibson s red sauce. The money raised will help cut back on costs for the Youth Mission trip to Orlando, July Please see any youth for orders. Return this portion to the youth Customer s Receipt Quantity: ($40 each) Name: Cell #: Order will be picked up by: Sold by (Youth) Youth Boston Butt Sale Sunday, February 7, 2016 Pickup (By Noon) Quantity $40 each due at time of order ALL ORDERS DUE on or before February 1, Beth Green, First United Youth Minister Methodist

6 UPCOMING EVENTS No UMYF Worship Team Practice Monday, Jan. 18 at 6:00 p.m. Women s Bible Study, Courtyard Conf. Room Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 10:00 a.m. Journey Group Wednesday, Jan. 20, lunchtime New Member Dinner (see page two for details) Wednesday, Jan. 20 starting at 5:00 p.m. First Fellowship Meal and Classes Wednesday, Jan. 20 starting at 5:00 p.m. Chancel Choir Practice Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 6:30 p.m. UMM Bible Study, Minister s Conf. Room Thursday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 a.m. UMM Breakfast, City Café Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 a.m. Sr. High prayer breakfast at Chick Fil A Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 a.m. Hilltoppers Mystery Trip (see insert for details) Thursday, Jan. 21 at 10:00 a.m. 805 CANAL STREET N.E. DECATUR ECATUR,, AL PHONE (256) FAX (256) Please place label here U.S. Postage Paid Non-Profit Org. Decatur, AL Permit No. 226 Dr. Hughey Reynolds, Senior Minister, hreynolds@decaturfumc.org Charlie Elliott, Custodian Patrick McCormick, Director of Worship, patrick@decaturfumc.org Melissa Wiley, Housekeeper Beth C. Green, Minister of Discipleship, beth@decaturfumc.org Sandy Callahan, Food Manager Cindy McCulloch, Finance Secretary, cmcculloch@decaturfumc.org Wayne Keller, Accompanist Alyson Quinn, Church Secretary, aquinn@decaturfumc.org Laura Vines, First Grace Director, firstgrace@decaturfumc.org Alexia Claborn, Director of Children s Ministry, aclaborn@decaturfumc.org Ruth Moyers, Organist Shannon Booth, Director of Outreach, shannon@decaturfumc.org Upcoming Worship Services (8:45 & 11:00 AM) VISION STATEMENT: Growing in Christ, Sharing God s Love through Inspiring Worship, Empowering Ministries Equipping Persons for Ministry Promoting Well-Being Sunday, Jan. 17, Rev. Hughey Reynolds, preaching 8:45 and 11:00 a.m. The First Sign John 2: 1-11 Sunday, Jan. 24, Rev. Hughey Reynolds, preaching 8:45 and 11:00 a.m. The Purpose He Claimed Luke 4: Scheduled To Serve Jan. 17 Acolytes: 8:45 a.m. - Bristol Rayne Teal 11:00 a.m. - Mary Bibb Pylant, Mary Emma Harper Ushers: 8:45 a.m. Ronnie Dukes, Mike Ward, Drew Ward and Keith Earwood 11:00 a.m. Lawrence Ford, Jim Norman, Larry Weaver, Sam Houston, Jimmy Ray Smith First Fellowship Jan. 20 Find an opportunity to grow in discipleship through great groups and classes. First Fellowship classes will begin at 6:00 p.m., following the meal at 5:00. The menu for Jan. 20 will be Crunchy Parmesan Chicken, Broccoli with Cheese, Fried Okra, Rolls, Salad Bar/Spinach Salad, Peanut Butter and Jelly and Cheese Sandwiches, and Peach Cobbler with Ice Cream. No Reservations are required!