Join us for Welcome Home this Sunday
First Church News & Updates - January 19, 2018
 
Welcome Home


We survived the snowmageddon on Tuesday and are now heading back to the 70s for Sunday...just in time for Welcome Home. If you are interested in learning more about membership at First Church, please join us for lunch and a brief program on Sunday at 12:15 pm in the Family Life Center. It includes a Q & A with the pastors, so bring your best questions!

Enjoy this First Church news.
This week in worship...
Sermon Series

Winter Sermon Series: The Biblical Guide to Relationships
If you think that the Bible will give you examples of perfectly developed relationships with proper priorities, you will be severely disappointed. Instead, the Bible testifies to relationships that look a whole lot like ours: love and competitiveness, joy and brokenness, grief and new beginnings, loss and reconciliation. Our need to claim the grace of God for our relationships is described from cover to cover in scripture. This Sunday is entitled, "Father and Son," the story of King David and his king wanna-be son, Absalom. One thing for sure, parenting is not for sissies! See you Sunday.

Sermon:  "Father and Son"
Scripture: 2 Samuel 18:4 - 18

Rev. Dr. Beverly Jones will preach at the 8:30 am worship service. Dr. Will Cotton will preach at the 9:40 and 11 am worship services. 

The Source, our weekly devotional guide, is available on the church website.

Please join us in worship this weekend...Sunday at 8:30 am (Sanctuary), 9:40 am (Family Life Center) or 11 am (Sanctuary).
Words from Will...
Thanks to You
Good news! We have reviewed the year end reports and I am pleased to report that we finished financially in the black for 2017! We were able to set aside a little more than $51,000 to cover past accumulated expenses and are set to have a great beginning to 2018. We retired our columbarium note; sent a gift toward the principal on the sanctuary note; held a successful $84,000 First Match Campaign for trees, HVAC and security; and raised more than $64,000 for Hurricane Harvey relief. This is only part of what has happened among us. I praise God and thank you for great progress!

On Tuesday night, January 23, the Church Council will deliberate over the Finance Committee recommendation for the 2018 budget (we operate on a February 1 - January 31 year). This year's budget will include additional monies for security and building maintenance, as well as seed money for early
Dr. Will Cotton
Dr. Will Cotton
ministry initiatives developed from our new vision. We will continue to be interest only on our Sanctuary note (hoping to pay on the principal as we are able, like this year) and continue to receive monies on our Pave the Way parking lot campaign. Our agreement on interest only with the Texas Methodist Foundation anticipates having a capital campaign in 2019-2022 to bring down our indebtedness. Overall, the budget is on par with 2017. The budget deliberations are open for all to attend. The Church Council will also receive the full slate of our officers for the coming year.

I also want to invite all who lead in any of our ministries to our Leadership Retreat on Saturday, February 3, from 9:00 am -12:45 pm. Breakfast and lunch are included. Come hear a progress report from the Core Vision Team on the new directions developing for First Church, celebrate the ministries of our great congregation, be inspired by our guest speaker, Dr. Tommy Darwin from M Group (the team providing guidance in our vision process), and learn what our leading committees do and how they work. At 1:00 pm, our administrative committees will have their first meeting of the new church year. Everything wraps up at 2:00 pm. Our congregation is preparing to take some historic steps in ministry, just as it has done before.
 
Thank you so much for being the great congregation of faith, hope and love that you are. Continue to pray as we continue to work with our bishop and cabinet to fill the associate pastor position here. Doing things mid-year is tough. I deeply appreciate all who are stepping up to help out during this transitional time - preaching, visiting, counseling and covering all the many needed spots.

Sincerely in Christ
Will Cotton Signature





Dr. Will Cotton
Senior Pastor
Spotlight on...Care Callers
Care Callers

Care Callers...one of First Church's newest Care Ministries
Care Callers is a group of volunteers whose mission it is to follow up with our weekly prayer requests. These Care Callers call those people in the church who have expressed a prayer concern for themselves or a loved one. We offer a caring ear of support and touch others in the name of Christ, who touched the lives of countless souls. If you have ever requested prayers for yourself or others and put your name on our weekly prayer list in the bulletin, you might have wondered if anyone actually prayed for you.
"Thank you for calling me! It means so much that someone from the church would call about my mother." This is a typical response for a Care Caller. Most conversations last only a few minutes, but in that simple, brief phone visit, a lot of love is communicated and people feel cared for.

Would you like to be a Care Caller? All you really need is a phone, a computer, and the willingness to reach out. The time commitment is usually less than an hour per week. For more information, contact Van Dickens, Retired Clergy-in-Residence, at louisianavan@gmail.com.
First Church Leadership Retreat
Leadership Retreat

Leadership Retreat is coming up on February 3
The retreat will be in the Family Life Center from 9 am - 12:45 pm.  Administrative committee meetings will be from 1 - 2 pm. Breakfast and lunch are provided. All that serve in any type of leadership position are encouraged to attend.  So that we can plan for meals, please RSVP by responding to an evite that was sent to administrative leaders or by calling the church office at 512.255.3336. 
Job opening at First Church
Nursery Staff

We are in need of additional paid staff to work in our nursery on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Friday mornings. The days and hours are flexible, so you can still attend a worship service or other activities. If you are 18 or older and interested, please email Rhanda Schrank, rhanda@fumc-rr.org.
Ministry Focus
Children's Ministry
J-Team
First J-Team of 2018 is this Sunday!
3rd-5th graders will meet for J-Team on January 21 from 2-4 pm. We will have Games & Goodies on our campus in the Bldg. 5-232/234. Please plan to enter in the doors by the gazebo and come up the stairs.  RSVP ttammy@fumc-rr.org so we can ensure enough snacks and supplies!  Hope to see you there!

J-Team is a once a month social opportunity for 3rd-5th graders, where the children can fellowship and have fun with other kids from church.  
Other Children's Ministry info...
Student Ministry
Fool's Gold
Fusion: Going for Gold 
Sundays, 6-8 pm
All 6th-12th Grade students are invited to join us on Sunday nights for Fusion, our weekly worship and small group experience for students. Pizza and soda/water are available for $3 at 6 pm in the Family Life Center. Following dinner we will play games, worship and spend time in Small Groups. This Sunday we begin a series  Going for Gold , an Olympics themed series. Taylor Ory will be leading us in worship for the first time as he focuses on
Fool's Gold. See you there!
D-Now 2018: February 23 - 25 
All 6th-12th grade students are invited to join us for D-Now - a  weekend that is full of worship, spiritual growth, community service, and fun! We will be led in worship by Tyler Murphy. Our speakers are Keta and Edward from Somebody Cares Ministry in Malawi, Africa. On Saturday the students will participate in mission recreation with their host home groups. Click for all the details and registration information...
Other Student Ministry info...
  • Camp Eagle: High School is July 22 - 27 (wait list only); Middle School is August 3 - 8.
Adult Ministry
The Challenge of Paul
New Bible Study: The Challenge of Paul
Begins Sunday, February 4, at 9:40 am in 
Bldg. 5- 148. This 10-12 week study is based on a new video series featuring New Testament scholar and Early Church Historian, Dr. Dom Crossan. Dr. Crossan shares his lifelong search for the Paul of history and offers fresh perspectives on Paul that shed light on why he is as relevant today as ever. The study includes videos, teacher facilitated information, discussion and dialogue among the participants. Click here for more information and to register.
Grief Support
Finding Healing and Hope after 
the loss of a loved one  
The ever-changing emotions we experience can catch us off guard, causing us to act out of character or differently than we normally do. We need a support system to help, and while family and friends are vital, they likely don't fully get it. Support groups offer companionship and understanding from others with similar experiences, giving you the opportunity to share your story openly and guilt-free.This group will meet for 8 weeks and includes video clips, printed materials, supportive discussion and prayer in the series which is being led by Ms. Shevawn Walzel and Rev. Dr. Beverly Jones. 
More in Adult Ministry...
MIssion Focus
Heifer Project

Children's Ministry Spring Mission...The Heifer Project
For the entire spring semester, the children's Sunday School offerings will go to purchase livestock for hungry families. All Sunday School classes will be setting a goal to work toward purchasing a particular type of animal (rabbits, goats, fish, or even a heifer!) If you would like to make a monetary donation to help the children purchase animals, mark Heifer Project in the memo line or on your giving envelope. Click for more info...

Heifer International puts faith into action with its time proven principle of passing on the gift.  Every family who receives livestock agrees to pass on one or more of its animal's offspring to another neighbor in need.
Other Mission Opportunities...
This week at First Church
Saturday, January 20
  • 7:00 pm - Bridge Club, Bldg. 5-127
Sunday, January 21
  • 8:30, 9:40 and 11 am - Worship Services 
  • 8:40 am - LifeGroup: Spiritual Growth, Bldg. 4/Payne Cottage
  • 11:00 am - LifeGroup: Parents & Families in Transition, Bldg. 5-124
  • 11:00 am - LifeGroup: Putting Your Faith in Action, Bldg. 5-222
  • 11:00 am - LifeGroup: Young Parents, Bldg. 5-148
  • 11:00 am - Youth Leadership Team, Bldg. 5-223
  • 11:30 am - Alleluia Chorus Children's Choir, Bldg. 4-2
  • 12:15 pm - Chasing Paul in Reverse, Bldg. 5-127
  • 12:15 pm - Welcome Home, Bldg. 3/FLC
  • 5:00 pm - Youth Choir Rehearsal, Bldg. 4-2
  • 6:00 pm - FUSION, Bldg. 3/FLC
Monday, January 22
  • 4:00 pm - Kids of the Kingdom Bells, Rehearsal, Bldg. 3/FLC
  • 7:00 pm - Boy Scout Troop #157, Bldg. 3/FLC
  • 7:00 pm - Adult Christian Education, Bldg. 5-124
Tuesday, January 23
  • 8:30 am - UMM Tuesday Breakfast group, Juárez Restaurant on South Mays
  • 8:45 am - Ring of Joy bell rehearsal, North Suite 
  • 9:30 am - Women's Bible Study, Bldg. 5-122
  • 9:30 am - UMW Deborah Circle, Bldg. 5-232/234
  • 12:30 pm - Brown Bag Theologians, Bldg. 5-124
  • 6:30 pm - Invitation to Psalms, Bldg.5-122
  • 7:00 pm - Church Council, Bldg. 5-127
  • 7:00 pm - Community Bible Study, Bldg. 5-223/224
Wednesday, January 24
  • 6:15 am - UMM Breakfast, fellowship, & devotional, FLC/Bldg.3
  • 9:30 am - Disciple Bible Studies, Bldg. 5
  • 9:30 am - Women's Bible Study, Bldg. 5-232/234
  • 5:00 pm - Revelation Ringers Tins, FLC-East Cry Room
  • 5:00 pm - Revelation Ringers Bronze, North Suite
  • 6:00 pm - HeartSong Choir rehearsal, South Suite
  • 6:00 pm - Writer's Group, Bldg. 5-126
  • 6:30 pm - Disciple Bible Studies, Bldg. 5
  • 6:30 pm - Women's Bible Study, Bldg. 5-232/234
  • 7:00 pm - Jubilation Bells rehearsal, North Suite
  • 7:15 pm - Chancel Choir rehearsal, South Suite
  • 8:00 pm - Ignite, Bldg. 5-220
Thursday, January 25
  • 12 noon - Mom Life, Bldg. 5-122
  • 7:00 pm - Council Oak Bells rehearsal, North Suite
  • 7:00 pm - Orchestra rehearsal, South Suite
Friday, January 26
  • 8:30 am - Round Rock Helpers, Bldg. 4/Payne Cottage, Rm 2
  • 9:30 am - Ministry Of Motherhood (MOM) gathering, Bldg. 5-232/234
  • 8:00 pm - Narcotics Anonymous-Right Stuff, Bldg. 4
Saturday, January 27  

There is always a lot going on at First Church. Visit the website, find us on Facebook or Twitter, and check the  Church Calendar so you don't miss out! 
First United Methodist Church | Round Rock 
512.255.3336 | newsletter@fumc-rr.org | http:// fumc-rr.org
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