FEBRUARY Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. Disaster Used Clothing Drive

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1 Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors First United Methodist Church 105 North LBJ Drive PO Box 207 Johnson City, TX Website: Angela Bacon * Carrie Anders Youth Coordinator youth@fumcjctx.org * Ronnie Birck Education Director * Cindy Leonard Wesley Nurse Mo-Fr 8-12 & CLeonard@mhm.org ************************* Pastor Lee Romero pastor@ fumcjctx.org Cell: ************************** Worship Services 8:30 a.m. Contemporary Service 10:50 a.m. Traditional Service Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God John Wesley Disaster Used Clothing Drive FEBRUARY 2017 It s almost time for our annual used clothing collection for the survivors of disasters that haven t happened yet. That sounds odd, but after a disaster, the need for used clothing lasts only 24 to 48 hours, and a spur-of-the-moment collection takes much longer than that. So the Seventh-day Adventists collect clothes in advance, sanitize and sort it, then plastic-wrap it and store it in their warehouse until they get the call, then their truck delivers overnight. But to do that, they need clothing early, before the spring tornadoes and floods, and that s where we come in. We in cooperation with dozens of other churches in Central Texas hold our collection campaigns during Lent, which begins March 1 this year. In early April, the Adventists will pick it all up and go to work on it. (You remember last year we more than filled their semi!) Winter is a good time to clean out your closets, and Lent is a good time to donate to a good cause. With your help, we ll set another record, and be a true blessing to hundreds perhaps thousands of people we ll never know, but

2 Our Prayers...Lord Hear our prayers: for those who are ill, grieving, or facing difficult times; for those persons in nursing homes, assisted living and homebound; for our military and civilian men and women serving in harm s way and their families; for our leaders, and children everywhere. Our Presence 1st Service January 1st January 8th January 15th January 22nd January 29th Our Gifts 2nd Service SS NEW ADDRESS... Year to date as of the week of January 28, 2017 Budget Requirements $23,500 Tithes Received $35,921 Suzanne Milner th Street #110 Lubbock, TX Christmas card collection Thank you for supporting Pearl Hedlund s Christmas card collection this year. We received well more than we had expected for a first year, but they'll all go to good use. We ll store the cards until next fall, when they ll come out to be cut up and reassembled by the children and youth as Christmas decorations for tree, table, door, or wherever they can think of. It saves the church money because we won t need to buy as many art supplies, and certainly is better than sending them to the landfill. Undie Sunday You did it again. Just like 2014, we collected socks and underwear for the Central American refugee children coming into South Texas. El Valle District remembered the success we had then, and asked us to do it again for the current surge of refugees, and you did.

3 If anyone is interested in participating in the Daniel Plan Program that includes Faith, Food, Fitness, Focus and Friends please let me know. This is a very fun health and wellness program that includes scripture. I have not set a date or time yet because I am waiting for more people to sign up so please let me know if you are interested. February is Go Red for Women month. Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association's national movement to end heart disease and stroke in women. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 Women, it s time to Go Red. February is Go Red for Women month Here are seven tips that you can do to prevent heart disease. 1. Get active Daily physical activity increases your length and quality of life. If you get at least 20 minutes of moderate physical activity each day, five times per week, you can almost guarantee yourself a healthier and more satisfying life while lowering your risks for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. 2. Control cholesterol When you control your cholesterol, you are giving your arteries their best chance to remain clear of blockages. Cholesterol is a waxy substance and our bodies use it to make cell membranes and some hormones, but when you have too much bad cholesterol (LDL), it combines with white blood cells and forms plaque in your veins and arteries. These blockages lead to heart disease and stroke. 3. Eat better Healthy foods are the fuel our bodies use to make new cells and create the energy we need to thrive and fight diseases. If you are frequently skipping out on veggies, fruit, low-fat dairy, fiber-rich whole grains, and lean meats and fish your body is missing the basic building blocks for a healthy life. 4. Manage blood pressure High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. When your blood pressure stays within healthy ranges, you reduce the strain on your heart, arteries, and kidneys which keeps you healthier longer. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, means the blood running through your arteries flows with too much force and puts pressure on your arteries, stretching them past their healthy limit and causing microscopic tears. Our body then kicks into injury-healing mode to repair these tears with scar tissue. But unfortunately, the scar tissue traps plaque and white blood cells which can form into blockages, blood clots, and hardened, weakened

4 If you have too much fat especially if a lot of it is at your waist you re at higher risk for such health problems as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and diabetes. If you re overweight or obese, you can reduce your risk for heart disease by successfully losing weight and keeping it off. Even losing as few as five or ten pounds can produce a dramatic blood pressure reduction. 6. Reduce blood sugar Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose (or blood sugar) that our bodies use for energy. Your body makes a hormone called insulin that acts like a carrier to take your food energy into your cells. If your fasting blood sugar level is below 100, you are in the healthy range. If not, your results could indicate diabetes or pre-diabetes. Although diabetes is treatable and you can live a healthy life with this condition, even when glucose levels are under control it greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. 7. Stop smoking Cigarette smokers have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. If you smoke, quitting is the best thing you can do for your health. Smoking damages your entire circulatory system, and increases your risk for coronary heart disease, hardened arteries, aneurysm and blood clots. Goredforwoamen.org Cindy Leonard, RN, is a Wesley Nurse with Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. (MHM). MHM s Wesley Nurse program is a faith-based, holistic health and wellness program committed to serving the least served through education, health promotion and collaboration with individual and community in achieving improved wellness through self-empowerment. Learn more at Medical mission to Mexico It s not too early to be planning for it the April mission trip to three tiny villages just across the border in the mountains of northern Mexico, where the only medical care they get is from these twice-a-year mission trips. You don t need medical skills or credentials. The doctors and nurses will do the medical work. We provide the arms and legs to support them. Don t need to speak Spanish, either. It will take five days of your life and $350, which covers your transportation, meals, and accommodations. You ll come back with wonderful memories, a good feeling about what you did, and and

5 Thoughts from the Center Office The last weekend in January I had the opportunity to work on a Walk to Emmaus team. This is a retreat weekend where people can grow in their relationship to God and experience things new and afresh. It is an ecumenical weekend and we see folks from all walks of life. I have been involved with Emmaus since 1991 and am a supporter of it. But this is not about Emmaus this is about the church. During this past weekend, I had someone come up to me and ask me how I would describe our church. I thought it to be an interesting question. This is someone that I didn t really know or have had any conversations with before this. It kind of caught me by surprise so I thought for a minute before answering. By the way this is something I recommend for answering a lot of questions, think before answering. After a moment of consideration, I told him that ours was a church that took God out to the community and invited people into a relationship with Jesus through service, example and Word. And that we also invited them into our church. That ours is a church with a missional heart. That our church tries to share Christ with all ages and backgrounds. Our ministries have opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate in the sharing of Christ. We reach out ecumenically and have people from all denominations and areas of the community participating in the ministries of the church. It is about Christ and being a Christian community. My question for you is: If someone asked you about your church, how would you describe it? Would your answer be similar to mine or would it be something completely different? How do you see our church? Do you see us sharing Christ with the world? Blessings, Pastor Lee

6 Classes FELLOWSHIP led by Bill & Elaine Swiss. The class is studying Max Lucado s God s Story, Your Story. New members and visitors are welcome to join in. The class meets in Fellow Ship Hall, located near the Sanctuary. JOHN WESLEY led by Barbara Hudson. Join the John Wesley Class for a Max Lucado Advent study "Because of Bethlehem", a DVD and handouts. NOMADS Nomads class will be studying Matt Chandler s 12 week DVD series Recovering Redemption. The Bible makes it clear that God wants his people to experience life abundantly. Matt Chandler will guide us in this study to discover why things are is such a mess even for Christians. Through getting to the root of brokenness and the destructive patterns of behavior we will reorient our lives around how to understand and apply the gospel in our lives. SEEKERS The Seekers class is studying God is Good He is Better Than You Think by Bill Johnson. All are invited to join. LIFE WITH GOD - Young Adult/College Age Sunday School Class. It is for single or married adults, college age into their 20 s. As we start out we will do a video/discussion relative to Christian life, in a sometime confusing world. The class will be dynamic and those attending can shape it to the desires of the group. The discussions will initially be led by Pastor Lee. The class meets in the former Nomads room of the Activity Center. If you are not involved in a Sunday School class and you are college age or a young adult, come join us. YOUTH - Join us in the Youth room for a study of the Book of Ephesians. CHILDREN The curriculum used for Nursery, PreK-5th Grade is Planting Faith, Growing Faith. All classrooms are accessed from the hallway February 5, th Sunday after the Epiphany [Green] Isaiah 58:1-9a, (9b-12) Psalm 111:1-10 (UMH 833) 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16) Matthew 5:13-20 February 12, th Sunday after the Epiphany [Green] Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 119:1-8 (UMH 840) I Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37 February 19, th Sunday after the Epiphany [Green] Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 Ps 119:33-40 (UMH 840) I Corinthians 3:10-11, Matthew 5:38-48 February 26, 2017 Transfiguration Sunday [White or Gold ] Exodus 24:12 18 Psalm 99 (UMH 819) 2 Peter 1:16 21 Matthew 17:1 9 Please remember and pray for our nursing home residents, those in the hospital and shut-ins: Delores Bozeman

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9 February 3 Cynthia Keene February 3 Erin Beard February 4 Joy Feuge February 4 Brooke Hobbs February 4 Tricia Keith February 4 David Hamm February 5 Steve Knecht February 5 Charlotte Roemer February 5 Bill Swiss February 5 Eric Mills February 6 Ross Allen February 7 Sadie Broussard February 7 George Culp February 7 Sylvia Dunnaway February 9 Ray Miller February 9 Kathy Romero February 16 Stephen Schmidt February 16 Chris Wiemers February 16 Callie Harris February 17 Irene Broussard February 18 Tom Koch February 18 Jay Hobbs February 19 Will Rutherford February 19 Lee Rathbun February 20 Trevor Ulrich February 20 Terry Weirich February 20 Patti Kamat February 21 Jan Christensen February 22 Charles Schuetz February 22 Aubrie Scott February 22 Morgan Weeks February 26 Diane Miller February 27 Irma Nell Simpson February 27 Shelley Levitt February 28 Donna Sultemeier February 28 Melrose Sultemeier February 28 Tom & Marilyn Walston February 7 Louis & Irene Broussard February 11 Tom & Jeanne Hardy February 12 Joel & Norma Honeycutt February 19 Cynthia & Henry Encina February 22 Ray & Diane Miller February 22 Vernon & Gretchen Birck

10 Return Service Requested Hand folded and sealed with love especially for... February 2017 The mission of the Congregation of the First United Methodist Church is to continue to be a committed fellowship of disciples sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and furnishing a place of Christian worship, programs, services and facilities for its members and the people of the Johnson City area. Worship Services 8:30 a.m. - Contemporary Service 10:50 a.m. - Traditional Service Christian Education: 9:40-10:30 a.m. *************************************************** The church office is open: Monday - Thursday 9-12 & 1-3 Office Phone: Pastor Lee s cell Pastor s pastor@fumcjctx.org Secretary s secretary@fumcjctx.org