OCTOBER November 1 - Stewardship Celebration

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1 Lytle United Methodist Church P.O. Box 608 Lytle, Texas (830) Lytleumc.com OCTOBER 2015 The Lord slapped me in the face on the latest Walk to Emmaus. It happened in the chapel at Mt. Wesley as I, an Assistant Spiritual Director, was listening to the Spiritual Director read the story of the Prodigal Sons. As she read about the first son, and gave her testimony, I reflected on my own time away from God, and the incredible joy I experienced when I finally came home. But then she moved on to the older son, the one standing, joylessly out in the field, away from the party, and that s when God reared back and hit me. I had become the older son! Oh I was not resentful of younger sons coming home, by no means, but somehow I had stopped rejoicing in being in constant communion with the Father. I take some comfort in knowing I m not the only Christian to take this misstep. Jesus, speaking to the church at Ephesus in Revelation says, I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. Well, after my cheek stopped burning, I did indeed repent, and have begun to climb back up into the joy of the Father. Thank God He has provided the ladder. Grace and Peace. Scott November 1 - Stewardship Celebration During our 40 Day spiritual growth emphasis, we have become more aware That when we accept Jesus call to Follow Him, He begins to live in us, and we in Him, and we begin to be transformed from the inside out. We are transformed in our thinking, our desires, our wills, our relationships and our finances. We are called to be good stewards of the time, talents and treasures that God has provided us. On Sunday morning November 1, we will celebrate the ministry that has been enabled through our giving, and the lives that have been changed through tithing. At the end of the service that day, God s people will be invited to come forward to make a financial faith promise for the coming year. New and Revised Lytle Area Mission Project Saturday, November 14 It s not just for youth anymore, and it s not just home construction anymore. It will include yard work projects, painting projects, providing food for the Saturday night dinner, providing snacks/refreshments during the day, home improvement projects, etc. In other words, L.A.M.P is for everyone! We will meet in the fellowship hall at 7:30 AM for breakfast tacos and a time of prayer, then head off to various worksites. We will complete the day with a dinner at the church at 6 PM. God commands us to love our neighbors, and to witness to the Good News through our words and our actions. See you Saturday, November 14. The Church Needs Some Help The church is behind in its apportionments to the general church, and had to borrow $3000 to afford payroll in October. If you are behind in your pledge and could catch up, we would really appreciate it, or if you could give a little more it would really help. Thank you. The Church Finance Committee

2 Be Part of a Small Group Bible Study Wed. Mornings at 10 AM At the Bennett s home Contact: Bill or Marty Bennett (210) Sunday Mornings at 10:15 AM At the church Three different adult classes, plus classes for youth and children Wed. Evenings at 6:30 PM At the Farmer s home Contact: Linda Bahlmann (210) Sunday Evenings at 7 PM At the Keith s home Contact: Michelle Keith (210) Wed. Evenings at 7 PM At the Martin s home Contact: Scott Martin (210) Church Schedule October Women s Walk to Emmaus #1808. October 3, Saturday - Quilt Club, 8 AM to 6 PM. October 4 - Life Chain, 2 to 3 PM. October 5, Monday - Food Pantry, 6 to 7 PM. October 8, Thursday - Quilt Club, 6-9 PM. October 9, Friday - Kononia Emmaus Community gathering at 7:30 PM, here in Lytle! October 11 - Church Picnic, 4 to 7 PM, at the home of Brad and Nan Boyd. October 12, Monday - United Methodist Women s Annual Fall Trip. Meet at 9 AM. October 17, Saturday - Adopt a highway Pick-up Day. Meet at the church at 7:30 AM. October 19, Monday - Food Pantry, 6 to 7 PM. November 1 - Stewardship Commitment Sunday. November 8 - All Saints Sunday. November 9, Monday - Annual Food Pantry Food Fair November 10, Tuesday - Meeting to develop the church budget for November 14, Saturday - Lytle Area Mission Project (LAMP). November 15 - Forum Gathering and Church Conference, 4 PM at Pearsall UMC. 4 UNITED METHODIST YOUTH FELLOWSHIP SCHEDULE October 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat October 11: We will have a parent / youth meeting for those interested in going on the Mission Trip next year. Church picnic afterwards at the Boyd s. If you need a ride out there, we will take you. Life Chain 2:00 pm-3 pm 11 Parent Meeting for Mission Trip 2015, 3:00pm 3:45pm Church Picnic at the home of Brad and Nan Boyd 4:00 7:00 p.m Taco Sunday Adopt a Highway Trash Pick-up 7:30 am -? October 17: Highway Trash Pickup. Breakfast tacos are provided. This is a great way to help make our church visible to the community and a good way to get N.H.S. service hours. We are usually done by 9:45 am. Other Important Dates November 14: Lytle Area Mission Project (L.A.M.P.) Feb 5 7, 2016: Spiritual Retreat at H.E.B. Foundation Camp.

3 Emmaus Gathering at Lytle UMC on October 9 The monthly gathering of the Koinonia Emmaus Community will be at Lytle UMC on Friday, October 9. This will also be the welcome home celebration for the new pilgrims from Women s Emmaus Walk #1808, held from October 1 to 4 at Mt. Wesley in Kerrville. Thank you to all our church members who were part of the team for this walk, and the pilgrims connected to our church: Jennifer Guzman, Annette Nixon, Jenny Smith (Connie Norton s sister) and Linda Stewart. Be sure to be at the community gathering to worship God, greet friends, welcome new friends, and celebrate the completed walk. The Koinonia community is made up of Emmaus people, from many denominations, who join together on the second Friday of each month (7:30 PM) for a praise-filled community gathering. Walk to Emmaus is a once-in-alifetime three day spiritual renewal weekend, and more information, as well as a full list of walks and applications, can be found in the information rack in the church entranceway. We would like to thank all who supported Walk #1808 with their participation, prayers or with gifts. The next Kononia sponsored walk will be the Men's walk, April 28 - May 1 at Mt. Wesley, led by our own Jim Rhoades. Team applications need to be turned in before the Nov. 13 gathering. Adopt a Highway Pick-Up Day, Saturday, October 17 at 7:30 AM Our church has adopted highway 463, starting from the Lytle water tower and heading out beyond Lake Shore Estates, and we are responsible for picking up litter four times a year. Our next Adopt a Highway Day is Saturday, October 17. We will meet at the church at 7:30 AM to watch a short mandatory safety video and eat breakfast taco provided by the church. We will then head out to clean up as a service to our community. We should be done by around 9:30 AM. Fall Spiritual Growth 40 Day Campaign Follow Me: A Call to Die, A Call to Live: Sept. 13 through Oct. 18 Week 1: The Call Matthew 4:19-20 Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will Week 2: Be Transformed John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches Week 3: Delight in God John 6:35 I am the bread of life. He who comes to me Week 4: God s Will for Your Life Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit Week 5: The Church Ephesians 4:15-16 From Him the whole body grows Week 6: Our Mission Matthew 28:18-20 Go and make disciples Food Pantry Food Fair Monday, November 9 To help those in need to have a thankful thanksgiving, our church is doing our 2 nd annual Food Fair. On Monday, November 9, a truck from the San Antonio Food Bank will be in our church parking lot around 2 PM with 11 pallets of food. We won t know what the pallets contain until we get them, and we will have to separate them and bag them in preparation for handing out the food from 5 to 7 PM. We could use lots of help between 2 and 5 PM to bag the food, and from 5 to 7 PM to hand out the food. Please come and help! Regular Food Pantry Ministry Continues to Serve Our workers have been terrific, but we can always use more. Just come at 5:30 PM to help prepare for the 6 to 7 PM rush on the first and third Mondays in October (October 5 and 19). We will again be handing out canned goods, as well as frozen meats and fresh fruits and vegetables, to over 90 families. Thank you for supporting the Methodist Food Pantry.

4 ALL Saints Day On Sunday, Nov. 8, we will be celebrating the lives of church members, and other loved ones of our church family, who have died during the past year. During our annual All Saints Day, roses will be brought forward as a memorial. Please contact Rev. Scott Martin if you would like to participate in this special ceremony. Life Chain, Sunday, October 5 This year s Life Chain took place on October 5, from 2 to 3 PM, on main street. The purpose of the chain, a yearly event, is to visibly show that the church is united in its Biblical stand for the sanctity of unborn human life. We would like to thank all those who participated this year. For more information, please talk to Linda Martin. Forum Gathering and Church Conference, November 15 Our church has been partnered with several churches in the Comino Real Forum, which runs along 1-35 from Lytle down to Laredo. The pastors of the ten churches in this forum have been meeting since the spring, but the plan is to have a gathering of church members as well. This will be an opportunity to plan joint missions, to share ideas and struggles, and to form friendships. We will also, as a small part of the gathering, be formally approving our church budget and nominations report. The gathering will be on Sunday, November 15 at Pearsall UMC. The gathering will start at 4 PM and will include a snack supper. Please mark this date on your calendar now. This gathering is for everyone! Prayer Concerns Bethel Kay and Family death of her brother Diana Jackson severe arm/shoulder/neck pain Katie Jackel recovering from successful surgery Summer Mathis hearing problems Dorothy White recovering from heart procedure Franklin Wanjura Sr. broken hip and complications Marcia Wade diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren's syndrome Scott Martin and Family death of Carol, his aunt Louis Solis (church lawn keeper) failing eyesight and health Family of Michael Ellis Bethel Kay Bateman s nephew to have heart valve replacement Laura (Bethel Kay s sister-in-law) gall bladder surgery Sylvia Sosa Kim Baehr (friend of Nortons) stage IV breast cancer Bethel Kay Bateman improving after fall, having tests Tiffany Moreno recovering from infection after giving birth Wayne VanWinkle--health Bella Paul--3 year old with cancer Cecilia Saucedo (Mally Gonzalez niece) cancer Brigitte Koelher (friend of Mally Gonzalez) cancer Sandra Meeks diagnosed with rare form of cancer Stephanie Keith post-polio syndrome Leo Mendoza (friend of Becky Escalante) leukemia and liver cancer Frenchy Grant for comfort and peace For our country and for our faithful witness as Christians Barbara Delosh stage 4 lung cancer Krista Soria stage 4 cancer Deana Brown Parkinson s Gene Gunn s daughter and granddaughter Bonnie Lou Roberson persistent health problems, in hospice care Mike and Cindy Williams our missionaries on the Arabian Peninsula Dustin and Mallary Covington our missionaries in India Our president and government Our military and their families For persecuted Christians around the world For victims of human trafficking and for an end to human trafficking Our Church Family Soldiers and Civilians Working with the Military William Meyer Marines Chris Saindon friend of John Martin, Navy Forrest Keith Kevin Keith s son, Navy Kyle Pringle Army Joe Brauchle Army Josh Orbinati Michele Brown s nephew, Coast Guard Craig Wolf Air Force Jonathan Heiman Navy Jon and Brianna Hartwig Army, Jill Daggs daughter and son-in-law Jessica Wehner (Gene Gunn s granddaughter) Army

5 Thank you to Martha Hastings for a wonderful donation to the Memorial Fund in memory of Joan Ernest Thank you to Chuck Bayne for a very generous donation to the Food Pantry Transformed from the Inside Out By being born again, we become followers of Christ and new creations by the power of the Holy Spirit. But what happens next? Do we instantly become perfect as a result of that connection [with Christ]? Do we see all of our problems solved and begin living as Jesus would in every facet of our lives? Obviously not. As Christians, we still struggle with sin and doubt, trials and rebellion. Yet we re not the same as we once were. When Jesus lives in us and is with us; we live in Him and are with Him. As a result, from the moment we accept Jesus call to follow Him, He begins to transform everything about us from the inside out. David Platt Follow Me Workbook, page 44 Transformed Mind, Desires, Will and Actions, Relationships and Purpose The United Methodist Women, October 12 field Trip The United Methodist Women are taking a trip for their monthly meeting in October, which will be on Monday, October 12. They will meet at the church at 9 AM and travel to San Antonio to visit the Alamo. After lunch, they will be returning to Lytle. All of the women of the church are invited. For more information, talk to UMW president Linda Stewart at (210) Guy s Group Meeting, Monday Nights The Guy s group meets regularly on Monday nights from 7 to 9 PM in the fellowship hall kitchen, backyard and youth building for a time of fellowship, mentoring, and study. The group also participates in fellowship activities, like fishing trips and family bowling nights, and mission work, including community mission project and repair jobs around the church. Come and be part of this great group of Christian men. Quilt Club A quilt club, headed by Debbie Bacon meets in the fellowship hall on the 2 nd Thursday of each month, and the 1 st Saturday. For more information, please contact her at (830) Youth Breakfast Taco Sales Bowing to hungry demands, the youth group has instituted Last Sunday breakfast taco sales as a regular monthly activity. They will be selling your favorite breakfast taco before Sunday school on the last Sunday of every month. The next sale is on October 25th.