First United Methodist Church of Johnson City

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First United Methodist Church of Johnson City Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors First United Methodist Church 105 North LBJ Drive PO Box 207 Johnson City, TX 78636 830-868-7414 Website: www.

8-12pm & 1-5pm 512-771-8783 CLeonard@mhm.org ************************* Pastor Lee Romero pastor@ fumcjctx.org Cell: 361-205-5421 ************************** Worship Services 8:30 a.m. Contemporary Service 10:50 a.

Stay in love with God John Wesley How to make your life smaller MARCH 2019 Around or after retirement age, many of us are faced with the need to make our lives smaller. How do we do that?

) roundtable discussion at noon, Tuesday, March 5th, in the Activity Building. We ve spent a lifetime accumulating more stuff.

1 First United Methodist Church of Johnson City 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 Director youth@fumcjctx.org * Ronnie Birck Education Director * Cindy Leonard Wesley Nurse Mo-Fr. 8-12pm & 1-5pm CLeonard@mhm.org ************************* Pastor Lee Romero pastor@ fumcjctx.org Cell: ************************** Worship Services 8:30 a.m. Contemporary Service 10:50 a.m. Traditional Service Sunday Christian Education Classes 9:40-10:30 a.m. Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God John Wesley How to make your life smaller MARCH 2019 Around or after retirement age, many of us are faced with the need to make our lives smaller. How do we do that? Gretchen Sanders of the county extension office will tell you how or help a relative do it at our Ministry with Older Adults next lunch-and-learn (free lunch!) roundtable discussion at noon, Tuesday, March 5th, in the Activity Building. We ve spent a lifetime accumulating more stuff. As we moved our families into larger homes, all that stuff has come with us, and the added room let us bring in new stuff, too. Old stuff went into storage, where we still had it. Then the kids leave the nest. We move into a smaller house to enjoy retirement less upkeep. Eventually, we may move into the kids spare bedroom, or into a retirement community. As we go, what do we do about all our stuff? What must we part with and what can we keep? How do we know what s best to keep? How do we measure value monetary or sentimental? Our kids have their own stuff and don t want much of ours, however highly we may value it. Estate auction? Yard sale? Goodwill? Kids Lunch Club In another month, the Kids Lunch Club our summer program to feed hungry children when school lunches aren t available will face the first of its annual deadlines. We ll need to have nine teams of volunteer cooks committed in order to fill out the schedule. Without nine teams in April, no lunches this summer. We have to cancel the program. Marilyn Walston has been recruiting volunteer teams, and has had surprisingly good success with it, but she s not to nine yet, and that means we re not off the hook yet. If you ve considered helping feed children three times during June and July, but have held back to see whether you were needed, you can stop holding back. You are needed. Without you, the next newsletter story about the Kids Lunch Club may be a very unpleasant one.

Harriet Wheatley Scholarship Competition is open to members of the First United Methodist Church who desire to further their education beyond the high school level.

Guidelines for the Scholarship and the Application Form are available from the Church Office as well as the High School Counselor s Office. Through the generosity of Mrs.

2 Harriet Wheatley Scholarship Competition is open to members of the First United Methodist Church who desire to further their education beyond the high school level. Each applicant must exhibit Christian leadership qualities as evidenced by active participation in church related activities. Guidelines for the Scholarship and the Application Form are available from the Church Office as well as the High School Counselor s Office. Through the generosity of Mrs. Harriet Wheatley, this scholarship was established in 1974 to help worthy young people further their education. Applications are due in the Church Office by noon on Monday, April 1; a copy of your High School transcript and attendance record must accompany the application. Border still a crisis Now that the caravan of almost 2,000 refugees has been dispersed from Piedras Negras, across from Eagle Pass, the border crisis for our Hill Country District is past. Not so. The situation was a crisis before the caravan arrived, with hundreds of refugees on the streets, unable to get into packed shelters, and with no ability to work and feed themselves. That was the crisis we and other churches in the district responded to in December and January, and while the caravan is gone, those people are still there. Still living in the elements. Still hungry. As we said when the emergency started, it wasn t going to be over soon, and it isn t. The Rev Becky Ballou and her volunteers from the First United Methodist Church in Eagle Pass, and the Methodist-supported Mission: Border Hope, now are returning to the continuing task of providing the refugee families with warm clothes, blankets, and sleeping bags, because night-time temperatures have frequently been in the 30s. And there s the daily job of trying to feed the migrants, especially the children, who make up about half the headcount. All that is on top of Mission: Border Hope s basic job of supporting the poor in Maverick County, where the poverty rate is 40%. Back when the federal government shut down and stopped their paychecks, the poor included the Border Patrol agents and their families, which received clothing, food and diapers from the Methodists. So their job isn t over, and that means neither is ours. With all the Rio Texas Conference s resources focused on refugees in the Rio Grande Valley, Becky has only our district to lean on for support, and in this district, our church has been the spark-plug. Last week, we sent all the clothes and supplies we had gathered down to Eagle Pass our third shipment since December first so our storage is empty again. We re still collecting, and still counting on your help, just as the cold, hungry families on both sides of the border are counting on us. EASTER LILY ORDER Please indicate below the number of lilies you would like to order and how you would like to have your lily listed in the bulletin. Your Name IN HONOR OF IN MEMORY OF I would like to order $10.00 each for a total of $ I have included $ PLEASE LIST MY LILY(IES) AS FOLLOWS:

As members of this congregation, we pledge to faithfully participate in its ministries by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness. Our Prayers.

serving in harm s way and their families; for our leaders, and children everywhere.

$58,416 Tithes Received $40,896 Pancake Supper Our New Member Mary Bell PO Box 2113 Johnson City, TX 78636 Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 10th Thank you for your help with the Backpack

3 As members of this congregation, we pledge to faithfully participate in its ministries by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness. 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 February 3rd February 10th February 17th February 24th Our Gifts 2nd Service SS Year to date as of March 2, 2019 Budget Requirements $58,416 Tithes Received $40,896 Pancake Supper Our New Member Mary Bell PO Box 2113 Johnson City, TX Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 10th Thank you for your help with the Backpack feeding program. We are currently sending bags of food home with 28 kiddos at the school every Friday. For the month of March, we are asking for donations of canned vegetables (ie, corn, green beans, peas, carrots, ect.). Tuesday, March 5:30pm in the Activity Center ~*~ Ash Wednesday Service Wednesday, March 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary Easter/Lent Service Schedule April 14th - Palm Sunday April 18th - Holy Thursday Reenactment of the Lord s Supper with Communion served at 7:00 pm in the Activity Center. Childcare will be provided. April 19th - Good Friday Service at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary April 21st - 7 am Easter Sunday Sunrise Whittington's Mountain - 8:30 am Easter Sunday Early Service in the Sanctuary - 9:40 am Potluck Brunch with Easter Egg Hunt for children - 10:50 am Easter Sunday Late Service in the Sanctuary

4 Who says we do a good job on the border? Would you believe the United Nations? In February, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees sent a fourperson team to the Texas border to look at the immigrant situation, and in particular to investigate reports refugees in Piedras Negras were being treated poorly. They found food and other supplies were largely coming from non-governmental sources churches and non-profits especially the Mexican Catholic Church which was getting much of its support from the Eagle Pass First United Methodist Church and the church-sponsored Mission: Border Hope which in turn were largely supplied by the Hill Country District an effort led by the First United Methodist Church of Johnson City! The UN team said everyone they talked to in Piedras Negras was praising the Methodists, so they paid a visit to the Rev Becky Baxter Ballou, for a pat on the back and to find out why the Methodists alone were delivering so much to the refugees. That s what churches are supposed to do, she explained. The Bible says Jesus told us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and care for the immigrant. If we re going to claim we follow Him, we have to do as He tells us. Ballou already was in crisis mode, providing food, clothing, blankets, diapers, and sleeping bags to the hundreds of refugees already in Piedras Negras when a caravan of 1,800 more arrived. Her volunteers had been able to take only small amounts at a time over because of Mexican customs laws. Finally, she was able to work through the wife of the governor of Coahuila state to get permits to take large loads. The first truck delivered across the rive just hours before the caravan arrived. Because the Mexican government wouldn t allow direct help from US sources, Becky turned her loads over to the Catholic Church in Piedras Negras, which was allowed to help the migrants. The refugees had been promised by the caravan organizers and the Mexican government they d be bused to the border where they could go the US Port of Entry and make their legal application for asylum. Instead, they were locked in an abandoned manufacturing plant, surrounded by barbed wire and federals in riot armor. Tensions grew over the weeks, eventually leading to a mini-riot by some men trying to get out, followed by the federals tear-gassing the building. The Mexican authorities said they would process the refugees for work visas, to allow them a year to live and work in Mexico, then either apply for Mexican or US admission. They were offered bus rides to jobs and housing in other cities. The UN reps said there are lots of jobs in Saltillo and Monterrey in the interior, and some went there. Others were taken to Matamoros, Reynosa, and Ciudad Acuña. Piedras is a poor city, where entry-level labor earns $4 a day. Matamoros and Reynosa are cartelcontrolled, where refugee kidnappings and shakedowns are refined businesses. Those two cities are in Tamaulipas state, which the US State Department ranks equal to Afghanistan and North Korea for traveler safety. Ciudad Acuña is across from Del Rio. Pastor John Fluth of the First United Methodist Church there says jobs in Acuña are scarce, and affordable housing even scarcer. The refugees are locked inside a community center, which, given the level of violence in the city, may be the safest place for them. On our part of the border, the situation is fluid changing daily. What doesn t change is that the refugees are lied to by both governments, prevented from applying for asylum legally, unable to return home, and unable to live in the border towns. The common condition is victimization of the already-miserable. As Rev. Ballou said, these are the people Jesus told us to help if we are going to claim to follow Him. We have put policy arguments and politics aside, and are doing as He tells us.

Thoughts from the Center Office Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This session was convened to specifically address the United Methodists denominational stance on human sexuality.

They each had a different format on what the denomination would look like in regards to human sexuality and the understanding of LGBTQ lifestyles.

5 Thoughts from the Center Office Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 ESV As I write this article, the Special General Conference of 2019 is in session. This session was convened to specifically address the United Methodists denominational stance on human sexuality. The general conference has been in session for several days and is closing, today, as I write this. There were three plans put forth by the Commission on a Way Forward. They each had a different format on what the denomination would look like in regards to human sexuality and the understanding of LGBTQ lifestyles. From all accounts, and unless something drastically changes before the close of the session, the General Conference has accepted the Traditional Plan from the Commission on a Way Forward. This essentially retains the current denominational stance on human sexuality. We will provide more information with more exact details once the conference is concluded and information is disseminated. As a colleague of mine shared, no matter which plan was accepted or endorsed, there are people who would be hurting. Our prayers go out to our brothers and sisters who are hurting and pray that God s peace and grace be with all. God we ask for direction and clarity as we move forward. As I write I am also preparing to head out to Hughes Kairos #44 to share God s love and grace in a dark place, the Hughes maximum security prison. We as FUMC Johnson City will continue in the ministries that we have been and are being called to in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. God s Blessing, Pastor Lee The Family of Roland Hartmann wishes to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and visits during his illness and passing. The kindness shown by our Church family helps remind us of the many blessings we receive on a daily basis. Thanks to Pastor Lee, also thanks to all who provided food for the reception and to June and Will, Kay and Jim, Nadine, Barbara, and Wendy for kitchen and clean up duties. Your kindness will be remembered. God s blessings to all. Doris, Russell, Rodney, Sophie, and families It s disaster time again! Disaster Used Clothing Drive time, that is. You recall that every winter during Lent we, joined by other Hill Country churches, collect used clothing and, just before Easter, the Seventh-day Adventists come by with their semi and collect it all from us and our partner churches. (usually it takes two trucks.) The Adventists take it to their warehouse and clean it, sort it, package it and store it to await a disaster in which used clothing is needed, and then they fill the same trucks and are parked outside the shelter when the survivors come out the next morning offering clean, dry clothes to replace the ones they slept in overnight. Why not wait until there s a disaster? Because the need for used clothing only lasts a day or two. That s not enough time to run a collection campaign and deliver it to those who need it before they don t need it anymore. If it s not ready to deliver when the hurricane or fire of tornado hits, it s going to be too late to do any good. That s why we team up with the Adventists. We do the initial collection, and they do the hard work. So does our part really matter that much? The Adventists tell us the Hill Country Methodists annual collection gives them the most and the highest quality clothing they get all year.

M ARC H L EC TIONARY Sunday School Classes March 3, 2019 Transfiguration [White or Gold] Exodus 34:19-35 Psalms 99 (UMH 819) 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Luke 9:28-36 (37-43) FELLOWSHIP led by Bill &

March 6, 2019 Ash Wednesday [Purple] Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Psalms 51:1-17 (UMH 785) 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 March 10, 2019 1st Sunday in Lent [Purple] Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Psalms

6 M ARC H L EC TIONARY Sunday School Classes March 3, 2019 Transfiguration [White or Gold] Exodus 34:19-35 Psalms 99 (UMH 819) 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Luke 9:28-36 (37-43) FELLOWSHIP led by Bill & Elaine Swiss. New members and visitors are welcome to join in for a study on Andy Stanley Guardrails. The class meets in Fellowship Hall, located near the Sanctuary. March 6, 2019 Ash Wednesday [Purple] Joel 2:1-2, Psalms 51:1-17 (UMH 785) 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Matthew 6:1-6, March 10, st Sunday in Lent [Purple] Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Psalms 91:1-2, 9-16 (UMH 810) Romans 10:8b-13 Luke 4:1-13 March 17, nd Sunday in Lent [Purple] Genesis 15:1-12, Psalms 27 (UMH 758) Philippians 3:17-4:1; Lk 13:31-35 JOHN WESLEY led by Barbara Hudson. If you do not have a class, please join us in the Johns Wesley room for a Jim Cymbala video-based Bible study on Life-Changing Prayer. SEEKERS The Seekers class is studying The Book of Romans. We welcome know-it-alls because the rest of us certainly are in the don't-know-it-all category. Join us no matter who you are. YOUTH - All 6th 12th graders join us in the Youth Room for our study on The Book of Jonah. CHILDREN PreK-5th Grade is studying Lets Follow Jesus. All classrooms are upstairs accessed from the hallway by the church office. March 24, rd Sunday in Lent [Purple] Isaiah 55:1-9 Psalms 63:1-8 (UMH 788) 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9 Please remember and pray for our nursing March 31, th Sunday in Lent [Purple] Joshua 5:9-12 Psalms 32 (UMH 766) 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Dolores Bozeman, Doris Hartmann, home residents, those in the hospital and shut-ins: Elnora Kneese, Yvonne Leonard, Irma Nell Simpson

Potatoes originated approximately 7,000 years ago in the Andes in South America, and were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers.

7 A Note from your Wesley Nurse If anyone would like to come to our GriefShare group this Tuesday March 5 th at 10AM or 7PM please let me know. This is a God filled program that provides hope and healing for those that are grieving. March is the month for Nutrition. Here is a little something about potatoes. Potatoes originated approximately 7,000 years ago in the Andes in South America, and were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers. It s believed that Irish immigrants brought potatoes with them to the United States in the early 1700s, but potatoes didn t become an important food source in the US until the 1800s. According to an article published in 2013 in Advances in Nutrition, historically, fresh potatoes were consumed daily by most Americans. Over the past 50 years, fresh potato consumption has declined by almost 50%, while processed potato consumption increased by two-thirds. (French fries or potato chips) The change is due to the increased availability of French fries, other frozen potato products. Potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, and niacin and they contain the minerals potassium, copper, manganese, and phosphorus. In fact, white potatoes contain more potassium per standard serving than any other vegetable. Include the skin when you prepare potatoes, and they re also a good source of fiber. Potatoes even contain a variety of phytonutrients, nutrients produced by plants that help promote overall health. Potatoes are also low in saturated fat and sodium, two nutrients that, when consumed in large amounts, are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Potato Myths Eating potatoes causes obesity. The assumption that potatoes are an energy-dense food may be based on their high carbohydrate content, which contributes approximately 95% of the total calories, but that doesn t mean that eating potatoes causes weight gain. In fact, a 3-oz serving of baked potato, including the skin, has only 94 calories compared to a 3-oz portion of cooked pasta with 158 calories or a 3-oz portion of cooked brown rice with 112 calories. Potatoes aren t a good source of protein. In fact, one medium-sized baked potato contains 4 gm of high quality protein. The quality of the potato protein, which reflects its digestibility and amino acid content, is between 90 and 100 and is higher than any other commonly consumed vegetable protein. People with diabetes shouldn t eat potatoes. According to the nutrition guidelines for people with diabetes, there is no one ideal eating pattern and each person needs to individualize his or her food choices. The recommendation is that carbohydrate from vegetables (including potatoes), fruit, whole grains, legumes, and dairy products is encouraged instead of carbohydrate from other foods, especially foods high in added fat, sugar, and sodium such as cookies, candy, sweet treats, and crispy snack foods. Potatoes can fit within carbohydrate recommendations for meals and snacks for people with diabetes. Potatoes are empty calories with no nutritional value. One medium-sized baked potato with skin contains 28% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C, 27% for Vitamin B6, 26% for potassium, 19% for manganese, 15% for fiber, 12% for folate, 12% for niacin, 12% for magnesium, and 12% for phosphorus. By Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDE, CPT, CHWC 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

Happy Anniversary! Brandon & Angie Sultemeier March 22 Bubba & Paula Moeller March 27 Dan & Bonnie Holland March 30 Happy Birthday!

Schwartz March 19 Taryn Fry March 21 Marjorie Heard March 22 Lance Odiorne March 23 D'Lee Pickett March 24 Happy Birthday!

March 8 Tommy Sultemeier March 11 Mary Thurlkill March 12 Brenda Youdan March 12 Truett Fry March 13 Wendy Sultemeier March 13 Alexis Urbanovsky March 13 Harris

10 Happy Anniversary! Brandon & Angie Sultemeier March 22 Bubba & Paula Moeller March 27 Dan & Bonnie Holland March 30 Happy Birthday! Traci Smith March 8 Bubba Moeller March 9 Paige Rutherford March 9 Justin Bacon March 10 Michael Knudson March 10 Tom Mills March 10 Abby McCulloch March 19 Blaine Schwartz March 19 Taryn Fry March 21 Marjorie Heard March 22 Lance Odiorne March 23 D'Lee Pickett March 24 Happy Birthday! Sandi Thompson March 1 Becky Weisenbaugh March 2 Tex Riley March 3 Kevin Jacks March 4 Katy Odiorne March 6 Merlyn Saxton March 6 Addison Allen March 8 Jan Philips March 8 Tommy Sultemeier March 11 Mary Thurlkill March 12 Brenda Youdan March 12 Truett Fry March 13 Wendy Sultemeier March 13 Alexis Urbanovsky March 13 Harris Greenwood March 15 Paul Axtell March 16 Ty Klepac March 16 Willow Grote March 18 Carrie Anders March 25 Kristen Dahmann March 27 Tracy Scott March 27 June Dahmann March 28 Trace Riebesehl March 29 Hailey Fox March 30 Alayna Runnels March 31

A Place to Grow in Christian Love First United Methodist Church PO Box 207 Johnson City, TX 78636 Return Service Requested Hand folded and sealed with love especially for.

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.

*************************************************** The church office is open: Monday - Thursday 9 am - 12 & 1-4 pm Office Phone: 830-868-7414 Pastor Lee s cell

11 A Place to Grow in Christian Love First United Methodist Church PO Box 207 Johnson City, TX Return Service Requested Hand folded and sealed with love especially for... March 2019 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 am - 12 & 1-4 pm Office Phone: Pastor Lee s cell Pastor s pastor@fumcjctx.org Secretary s secretary@fumcjctx.org Youth Coordinator: youth@fumcjctx.org Education Director: education@fumcjctx.org Visit our Website:

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

FEBRUARY Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. Disaster Used Clothing Drive Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors First United Methodist Church 105 North LBJ Drive PO Box 207 Johnson City, TX 78636 830-868-7414 Website: www.fumcjctx.org Angela Bacon secretary @fumcjctx.org * Carrie