Francis Street First United Methodist Church 12 TH & Francis Streets, St. Joseph, Missouri 64502 (816) 279-7466 Email: fran1stumc@fran1st.com Website: www.fran1st.com www.facebook.com/fran1st November 2018 Veterans Sunday November 11 ~ 11:00 a.m. is the 100 th anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending WWI. We will join others around the city and world in ringing the Bells of Peace at 11:00 am. Come be a part of this special service of commemoration, hope, and prayer for peace. Thanksgiving Sunday November 18 ONE SERVICE 10:00 a.m. Thanksgiving Dinner 11:00 a.m. After the service Adults - $10.50 Children - $5.00 (age 12 & under) Pay at the door Reservations due by Monday, November 13. Reservation sheets are available in the bulletins, or call the church office. 1 SUNDAY SCHEDULE 8:45 Early Worship 9:30 Sunday School Fellowship time 10:45 Late Worship Holy Communion 1 st Sunday of the month Saturdays 5:00 Lantern Healing Service 4:30 Fellowship time Bible Sunday November 16 Bring your favorite Bible, one that has special meaning for you. Our Mission: To lead people to actively follow Christ. United Methodist Mission: The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world
THE WITNESS NOVEMBER 2018 Sequels are always a challenge. Just ask Hollywood. Our first Halloween party was a wonderful experience for the church and the kids. It would be hard to repeat. So we did it better starting with an expanded crew of volunteers. They made each activity fun and special for every kid attending. Sherril Lewis started us off by providing Halloween bags & prizes. Mike & Carol Perry took charge of preparing the meal. Mark Sheehan served drinks. Sherry Henderson, Jane Sachs and their friend Tina handled tattoos (provided by Susan Gentry) and registration. Mike Gentry and Pastor Lydia took the pictures. Becky Hickok, Quentin Garrett, and Cindy Allen took care of the crafts. Nancy Reed stopped by to cut some leaves, as well. Kelly Barr brought her kids and got the party started. Michael handled the cake walk, and the two older girls, Auburn and Autumn took care of the Ring Toss and Bean Bag Throw. Karen Gibson and Jamie Butner along with a little help from James manned the Fishin Hole. Bud Barr helped out at the ping point table. All the candy that the congregation donated let us make sure that each child had a bag of treats to take home. And the number of kids participating actually grew a bit even though some of our regulars had other commitments that day. The main take away from both parties is that kids want more than candy out of trunks or buckets. They love playing with people who love them for who they are. Halloween III will remember that. Thanks Candy Sheehan for this report, and for coordinating this event! 2 Have you turned in your 2019 Giving Estimate? It s never too late, but sooner would help the Finance Team better plan next year s budget. Your gift counts! Please drop it in the offering plate or mail it to the church office. Hanging of the Greens, when we decorate our church for the Advent and Christmas season, will be Saturday, December 1, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Come help and enjoy the fellowship! Rilla Henman; Pat Kiddle; Norma Laukemper; Virgie Chandler; Becky Hickok; Marilyn Wise s son Brian; Jennifer Tanguay s mom, Tammy; Bill Gentry; Ted Crail; Diane (Iola Arn s daughter); Travis (by Lynette); Carolyn (by Maggie Williams); Tom Maldari; Linda Haupt (by Debbie Larzelere); Destiny (Wickie s granddaughter); Ashton DeWeese Pastor Lydia can be reached at pastorlydia@fran1st.com or 816-510-0871.
THE WITNESS NOVEMBER 2018 FROM THE PASTOR Let s Learn to Dwell in Hope Our neighbors preparations for Thanksgiving started early this year. Because our neighbors love the Halloween and Thanksgiving celebrations, they put lots of efforts and time with decorating their house something that Scott and I were never good at but needed to learn to experience the meaning of Thanksgiving in full. Last year, observing how our neighbors replaced the orange garlands with the white Christmas ones, I caught myself thinking how brief the season of Thanksgiving really is. Let s think of November as a particular season of gratitude. November begins with All Saints Sunday and ends with Christ the King Sunday. This month, we will be reminded that God dwells here and desires to be close to us, telling us of HOPE that is always there, even in the midst of mourning and pain. As we go from Sunday to Sunday this month, it s tempting because of the social and cultural pressure to slip into the coming Christmas mode, but wait and try to dwell in hope in this month that will take us to the season of Advent before Christmas. How can we slow down to sense hope? Breathe it in with the frosty morning air and find it in the multicolored leaves. Some of them are still up on the trees when more leaves are already under your feet covering the ground. This is how nature works. This is how our world is ordered: through dying, the new life will come. The leaves have to die first to come up again in the freshness of the spring. I know, many of us are facing the signs of aging and pain; some of us are losing relatives and friends. Let s hope and pray for the coming renewal of our lives and souls. Keep your eyes on the signs of change and slow down at the Thanksgiving table with family and friends to thank God for all that you have. Dwell in hope. With Thanksgiving Blessings, Pastor Lydia 3
THE WITNESS NOVEMBER 2018 Nuts for Sale ~ 1 lb packages Hurry!! The last order will be made November 13. Pecans, pieces ($11.60), halves ($12.00) English Walnuts ($9.20) Black Walnuts ($13.20) Almonds, slivered ($8.80), sliced ($8.60) Also gifts tins, party trays, and sweet treats. Great for holiday baking or for gifts. Contact Virgie or Candy to see the catalog & place your order. Thank you EK and Best Wishes in Branson We were sorry to receive EK s resignation letter recently as Early Service Music Director. We will miss the time and energy he has devoted to this ministry. His last Sunday was October 28. A thank you celebration was held during the Fellowship Time between services. We are excited that EK has been hired as an actor/musician in the musical Smoke on the Mountain in Branson and wish him well. We are also thankful that EK and Gwenda will continue to worship with us as time permits. Candy Sheehan, SPRC Chair 4 Collin Gentry, will be performing in Central High School s production of The Drowsy Chaperone, a musical within a comedy, November 9 & 10, 7:00 pm for all shows. They have spent many hours rehearsing for a great show and they would love to see you there. Tickets are available online or at the door. Also Congratulations to Collin for qualifying as a National Merit semifinalist. Approximately 16,000 students were announced as semifinalists. They represent the top one percent of U.S. high school seniors form each state. He will now compete to become a finalist which will be announced in the spring. Erica Butner is performing in Lafayette High School s production of You re a Good Man Charlie Brown this weekend. She will also be performing in Robidoux Resident Theatre s production of A Christmas Carol: The Musical, December 7-9 at the Missouri Theater. Tickets are available online or at the door.
The Witness NOVEMBER 2018 Giving Opportunities Beyond Our Walls During November, our focus is paper/personal hygiene products and foods for Thanksgiving/Christmas dinners. Please bring these or other items, to the table in Kemper Hall and they will be delivered to the InterServ Food Bank. THANK YOU to the congregation for your generosity. The Open Door Food Kitchen Crew had a lot of fun serving on Halloween --- Ringing the Bell at East Hills Mall for the Salvation Army will be Tuesday & Wednesday, December 18-19, from 10 am to 6 pm. Sign-up sheets for times will be at the Thanksgiving Dinner or contact Fred or Ann Hannah to get first pick. Fred Hannah, and David & Sherril Lewis will be singing with the St. Joseph Community Chorus Dec. 16, at 3:00 pm, and Dec. 17, at 7:30 pm. The 80-member chorus will present Christmas at the Cathedral at the St. Joseph Cathedral, 519 North Tenth St. Tickets are available from the members above, on the website www.stjoechorus.org, or at the door. 5 Preparation of the December newsletter will begin November 22. E-mail items to slewis8706@aol.com or deliver them to the church office newsletter mail box. Thanks, Sherril Lewis.