First Things. Back to Sunday School Checklist. Promotion Sunday (Children & Youth) Kids Crosses. Blessing of the Backpacks. Bibles for Grades K & 3

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1 F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H First Things 101 E. First North Street Morristown, TN Phone: (423) Fax (423) fumc@fumcmorristown.org V O L U M E 6, I S S U E 0 8 A U G U S T fumcmorristown Back to Sunday School Checklist Worship Times 8:15am Traditional Worship (Sanctuary) 9:15am Sunday School for All Ages 10:30am Traditional Worship (Sanctuary) 10:30am The Connection (Gym) Bus Ministry Regency Pick-up times 9:00am & 10:15am Promotion Sunday (Children & Youth) Kids Crosses Blessing of the Backpacks Bibles for Grades K & 3 Children s Ministry Open House Safe Sanctuaries Training Return to Regency 11:45am Newsletter Online The newsletter is posted online at See page 4 for more details

2 P A G E 2 Neighborhood Meetings Begin August 7 These one hour gatherings are a great opportunity to meet our new pastors and talk about plans and goals for FUMC. Meetings will be in homes and/or at the church. Light refreshments will be served. Sign up for a gathering in the narthex or in the gym on Sunday morning or in the church office during the week. Who: What: When: Joyful Hearts Jonesboro, TN Thursday, August 17 Cost: $12 plus lunch on your own at The Black Olive Buses will leave the church at 10:00am. Sign up and pay $12 in the church office by August 11. *Joyful Hearts is not age restrictive. Everyone is invited to participate! Traditional Music Fall Kickoff Potluck Chancel Choir & Carillonneurres members AND INTERESTED SINGERS!! A potluck party to kick off our musical year. Bring your favorite dish to share August 13 at 6pm Where: Susan and Chris Capps House 1525 Timber Crest Drive Rehearsals start (in the Music Room) Chancel Choir: Wednesday, July 26, at 7:15pm Carillonneurres: Wednesday, August 9, at 6pm Dear First UMC Morristown, It is interesting to see those words: First UMC Morristown. It is still incredible for me to realize that this will be my church home for the next several years. Have you ever received a gift that you didn t even know you wanted, until you got it? My sister is one of those people who puts a lot of thought into giftgiving. She wants to find the perfect gift for everyone in her family. I on the other hand, will walk into a store and buy the first thing that I believe will fit the bill. For the past 5 years, I served as a District Superintendent of the Johnson City District. While serving on the Cabinet with the Bishop, eleven other District Superintendents and the Bishop s Assistant, I have seen God s activity in the process of appointing pastors. There were times during the appointmentmaking week where we felt absolutely stuck. We would discuss and argue about certain situations for hours. Many times, we went to bed knowing we had a lot of moving pieces to put into place. Then miraculously, we would gather again the next morning and it was as if God laid out His perfect plan. I had often thought Chuck Starks would retire from FUMC Morristown. This was a church that wasn t on my radar because I thought your pastoral leadership was settled for a long time. Once it became apparent this was where I was going to be appointed, I could not think of a place I would rather be. You are the gift I did not even know I wanted. One of the lessons I learned, is that planning on my part is important. But even more important, is what God might have in mind. I have to trust that this is where God wants me to be. I ask for your patience as I assume this role. I am going to make a lot of mistakes. I am terrible with names. You will need to remind me of your name many more times than you would with any other pastor. But I promise you, I will do my very best to serve God here in Morristown and I can already tell that I will grow to love you. God bless you, Walter F I R S T T H I N G S

3 V O L U M E 6, I S S U E 0 8 P A G E 3 It hardly seems possible that 1997 was twenty years ago. For most people the summer of 1997 was probably just like any other summer. For me, along with nine of my friends, it was a monumental summer for us, at least one week of that summer. It was the summer that the ten of us said, yes to following Jesus Christ, and not because our parents wanted us to. It wasn t even because all our friends were doing it. We joined Pearisburg First United Methodist Church that August Sunday morning because we knew we had encountered a special love from God through Jesus Christ and through the church. Our confirmation class was a week-long adventure through the Holston Annual Conference, and a day at Lake Junaluska, to learn more about our heritage, our connectional system, and our theology. We also spent the week in hotel rooms and restaurants talking about Scripture and asking the crazy faith questions of the almost 7 th Confirmation Class of grade brain. Our congregation prayed for us and spent time making sweet little agape gifts for us that would randomly pop up on our pillows at night or in our seats on the bus. I still have my box full of the small gifts from that special week. On August 13, we will meet with our confirmands and their families to begin our Confirmation class. While we won t be using the same technique to journey through this time, we will be learning the same lessons and asking the same questions together (and hopefully more questions than we knew to ask 20 years ago). If you are a youth or if you know a youth who has not gone through confirmation class yet, but may be interested, please send that young person to me so we can get them involved. I hope we will all put our Confirmands on our prayer lists for the next few months so that they might feel God surrounding them in love, as well as this congregation. We are adding the names of the confirmation-aged students to the Cross ministry for FUMC. Also, if you are a crafty/artistic person and you have an idea for a small agape gift to make our students, please let me know. It would be special experience to have small gifts for our students at different times. There is no greater gift than helping a person come to know Jesus and no greater responsibility than helping a person come to know Jesus. While Walter, Chris (youth director), and I will be with these young people week-toweek, it is the responsibility of the entire congregation to uphold the charge given to us when we baptize our children: Do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love. We are so excited to journey with our Confirmands and our whole church family! ~ Asa Welcome Chris Jacobs Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries Chris Jacobs is our new Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. He has done ministry with college students, middle and high school youth, even elementary students in South Korea! He and his pretty wife, Lauren, have been all over the world and love doing anything and everything outdoors, especially with their crazy two dogs. If you like collecting vinyl records, traveling, quoting funny movies, or eating anything drenched in sauce, then you ll love Chris. Welcome to FUMC and Morristown, Chris and Lauren! Confirmation Class 2017 Parent/Student Meeting Rising 6th Graders Sunday, August 13 9:15am Community Room Any middle or high school student who has not previously been through Confirmation and is interested in learning more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus, is invited to join. Led by Walter, Asa and Chris.

4 P A G E 4 Back to School Event: Giant Slip & Slide August 20, 1-3pm Honey Creek Farms For Children & Youth Food Games Fun! ALL STUDENTS will move up to their new grade-level Sunday School classes for the school year! Sunday School teachers will lead kids to their new classes. Parents are welcome to attend. Students and Education Staff are invited to bring their backpacks, briefcases, totes, or tool belts to the 10:30am services for a special blessing to begin a new school year surrounded in prayer! Find out what to expect this year in Children s and Youth Ministry! We will discuss our vision, classes, schedules, and policies at this brief meeting. This is a great time to ask questions and find ways to get involved. The congregation will have an opportunity to select a cross with a child s name on it. We ask that you pray for that child for the entire school year. Get connected with a child you don t know well! All rising Kindergarten and 3rd grade students will be presented with a NEW Bible! If your child is in a different grade and doesn t have a Bible please contact Lisa. Parents are invited to join the kids upstairs during Sunday School. Come and meet the teachers and see what your kids are learning in Sunday School. Parents Day Out Open House Sunday, August 13 2pm (Sanctuary) Classes are available for children ages 9 months-pre-k and meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. Registration forms are still be accepted and are available in the church office. Fall Session starts August 15 & 17. Contact Patty Lawson or Linda Cantwell at for more information. Kids Choir & Bells Kick-Off Wed., September 6 There is no better way for kids in our church to be involved in serving the church than to participate in Kids Choir. We lead in worship in all of the worship services over the course of a year and have a fun time learning about Christ s love and how to worship Him through music activities. Watch for more information! F I R S T T H I N G S

5 V O L U M E 6, I S S U E 0 8 P A G E 5 Young adult acoustic guitarist & vocalist needed! They would need to commit to Wednesdays 6-7:30pm from August 9 May 2018 (excluding holidays, winter break, and special events) for $100/week. New Sunday School curriculum and vision are in the works. Adult leaders needed. FUMC s Youth Ministry is officially called YOUTH CITY from now on! Social media accounts coming soon! Parent Information Meeting on Sunday, August 6, at 2pm. Wednesday Night Worship begins August 9th, from 6-7:30pm. Adult Volunteers needed! Special Events calendar on the way! A few big & well executed events throughout the school year. This Fall, Crossroads will be a hub for youth community & fellowship. A master plan for renovation is in the works! Construction to begin around September. Revelation Youth Choir Kickoff Sunday, August 13, 4:44pm New in the Library There are several new contemporary books in the library, donated by Patisa Kielau. Softly and Tenderly by Sara Evans is a beautiful story of lost and found relationship that make us ponder our own relationships. Providence is a story that reminds us that if we allow Him, God can use anything, even our past and the memories it holds for good. Some of the other new contemporary fiction books donated by Patisa are: The Beach House; A Beautiful Fall; My Foolish Heart and A Mile in my Flip-Flops, both by Melody Carlson; Surrender Bay; & Nothing but Trouble. Come by and check the new fiction books, on the front new book spinner and table. Are you a youth who enjoys singing and a fun environment and want to get to know other members of the youth group? Please come and give Revelation Youth Choir a try. We meet most Sunday nights during the school year and over the course of a semester. We will lead worship in each of our church s worship services. We will also lead worship in the annual Love Feast service held in December. And new this year Revelation Handbell Choir Open to all youth grades :44pm Handbells are a great way to learn to read music and improve upon the skills you may already have. You will also learn to play a new musical instrument and make beautiful music. Come, give handbells a try.

6 P A G E 6 Ministry Spotlight: Jamie Lambert Tell us about your family? Jamie Lambert was recently hired as our interim Worship Leader for The Connection service. Enjoy getting to know a little more about him in the interview below. How did you become involved at F i r s t U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t Church? How long have you been here? We were invited to attend The Connection Service by Brian and Christy Gair about 6 years ago. My wife's name is Kim and she works as an Account Executive at TIS Insurance Services in Knoxville. We have three daughters, Emily, Kaitlin and Chelsey, and one son, Chase. Tell us a little about your day job and your other music groups? We own the Pizza Inn here in Morristown. That's where much of my time is spent. I also sing with a local southern gospel group, Gloryland Way Quartet. In addition, I sing in a Statler Brothers tribute group, American Pride. We travel all across the United States performing Statler Brothers tunes like Class of 57, Do You Remember These, and Elizabeth. You're a busy guy. What made you decide to accept the position? I've been involved in Christian music since I was 14. The church had a need, and I felt like with my experience it would be a way in which I could serve. What do you look forward to about your position as Worship Leader in The Connection? So far it s been a pleasure to be your worship leader and I am excited to see what God has in store for us in the coming months. United Methodist Women Elizabeth Circle will meet August 3, at 10:30am at Regency. Alice Starnes is Chair. Deborah Circle will meet August 8 at 6:00pm in the Cornerstone building. Barbara Crawford and Julie Compton are co-chairs. Mary Martha Circle will carpool to the Conference Social Action Workshop on Saturday, August 12, at Fairview UMC in Maryville. They will also carpool to the District Extravaganza on August 26 at FUMC White Pine. Ruth Circle will meet August 15, at 11:30am in the Community Room. Carolyn Jarnigan from Food on Foot will present the program. Bring a sandwich and a drink. Cookies will be provided. Bev Moon & Betty Purkey are co-chairs. Harvest Table for Missions Welcome New Member Lisa Weikel joined our church family on July 2 by transfer from Abington UMC in Abingdon, VA. Welcome to the FUMC family! We welcome your home-grown fruits and vegetables (and eggs) to our table for others to purchase (for a donation). Everyone is invited to participate! All donations will go toward local mission projects. F I R S T T H I N G S

7 V O L U M E 6, I S S U E 0 8 P A G E 7 Looking Ahead The Finance Team will meet Tuesday, August 8, at 5:30pm in the Community Room. Church Council will meet Tuesday, August 15, at 5:30pm in the Cornerstone building. Deadline for the September newsletter is August 16. Please your completely written articles including pictures to fumc@fumcmorristown.org or bring them to the church office. Worship at FUMC Traditional Worship 8:15am & 10:30am (Sanctuary) and The Connection 10:30am (Gym) Congratulations to Jonathan & Kelci (Brewster) Thompson on the birth of Woody Eugene Thompson on June 23. Condolences to Arturo Reyna in the death of his father, Arturo Reyna, on June 10. Mr. Reyna will be taken back to Mexico for burial. The family of Donna Dearing. Donna passed away on June 22. Funeral services were held June 24. Susan Frazier in the death of her sister-in-law, Shelby Henard, on June 25. The family of Billy Lewis. Billy died June 27. A Service of Remembrance was held on July 1. Tiffanie Pollock in the death of her father, Eldridge Bridges, on June 30. A graveside service was held at the VA Cemetery in Strawberry Plains. August 6 Communion One Unholy Wrestling Match Traditional Worship: Walter Weikel Wrestling with God The Connection: Asa Majors August 13 Dreams Realized/Expectations Dashed Traditional Worship: Walter Weikel Dysfunctional Family The Connection: Asa Majors August 20 The Big Reveal Traditional Worship: Walter Weikel A Tender Reconciliation The Connection: Asa Majors August 27 Trouble in Paradise Traditional Worship: Asa Majors I Drew Him Out of the Water The Connection: Walter Weikel Our Discipleship Together June 06/04 06/11 06/18 06/25 Worship Sunday School Budget Offering $12,498 $12,390 $9,550 $21,142 Have you remembered the church in your will? Faith Promise $124 $50 $635 $1,165

8 First United Methodist Church 101 East First North Street Morristown, TN Reaching, Growing, and Serving RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Super Slide Sunday