BECOMING AN INVITATIONAL CHURCH

Wasn’t our 175th anniversary fantastic! It was an amazing celebration of our history and tradition, a homecoming for many who had moved away, and a hopeful look forward for a church that still has a bright future. The worship, music, preaching/teaching by Len Sweet, luncheon, displays, everything was just marvelous! Thanks to everyone who had a hand in making it such a great day. We won’t soon forget the “demisesquicentennial.” In preparation for the “demi,” I looked at a number of historical documents. I read some church bulletins from the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. This was the heyday of the church in Fort Smith and America, a sort of Golden Age that is surrounded by a translucent halo whenever we invoke “the way things used to be.” I saw something in those church bulletins I had never seen before, and I was intrigued. Each week they reported the previous week’s Sunday School attendance. Each class, from nursery to adults, had a goal, and the attendance was reported against the goal.  Everyone was accountable weekly and in public! What was even more interesting was that they reported how many personal contacts had been made by Sunday School class members, from elementary to adult classes. Literally hundreds of contacts were being made each week, about half by cards and letters, a quarter phone calls, and a quarter personal visits. These contacts were checking on absent members (Gotta meet the goal!) and inviting new people. Back in the day, First Methodist Church of Fort Smith was averaging over 1,000 people weekly in worship AND Sunday School, and sometimes more in Sunday School than church! I have to believe it was due in large measure to the personal contacts being made by the lay people of the church. I know all the disclaimers. We live in a different culture now. We don’t do Sunday School like we used to. Other small group ministries now perform that function. Yada yada yada. What I took away from that brief glimpse into our history was the effectiveness, if not the necessity, of lay outreach for church growth and health. Whatever else has changed, the power of the personal has not, and I suspect it never will. It’s not enough anymore to be a friendly church. As important as smiling greeters, welcome centers, and good signage are, we simply don’t have enough people walking in our doors to overcome decline. We have to reach outside our comfortable facilities and church friends to invite people who might not normally attend a church function. I recently read an article entitled “4 Clues for Inviting Others to Church Effectively.” Here’s how to do it: (1) Invitations should be about a genuine connection.  Rather than a generic invitation, invite people to an event, sermon series, small group, or social occasion that might be interesting or relevant to them. (2) Invite specifically , to an event at a particular time and place, and include logistics in the invitation. (“I’ll pick you up.”) (3) Be honest about what you know and don’t know. We don’t have all the answers. Rather than bluff, be authentic. It will probably increase the comfort level of the person you invite. (4) Invite with expectant hope , not with a negative or pessimistic attitude. Believe that your friend will respond positively, and that he or she will actually benefit from attending. Communicate the enthusiasm and joy that keeps you coming week after week. I don’t believe church growth is about who has the best show in town. I believe one of the key factors is lay people who are excited and committed enough to do whatever it takes to bring folks into the fellowship. This is not about simply filling the pews back up the way they were a half century ago. Church doesn’t and shouldn’t look like it did when Ozzie and Harriet were America’s family, and the Beatles had not yet invaded America. But it is about making disciples of Jesus Christ, and the church is still the main place disciples are made. It is about connecting people with a community of love and acceptance and security in a hateful and insecure world. It is about people experiencing the reality of grace so they can ensure a future in eternity. We have a church worth experiencing; invite somebody! ________________________________________________ 1 Doug Powe, “4 Clues for Inviting Others to Church Effectively,” Leading Ideas, 9/20/2017.

Rev. Bud Reeves Senior Pastor breeves@fsfumc.org

MISSION SPOTLIGHT

Each month, we’ll feature a short article on one of the many mission ministries of our church. We hope to let our church family know of the ongoing missions and the ways in which they can support this great work.

A FUTURE UNAFRAID

Like many of you, this week I find myself reeling in the undeniable joy we shared on Sunday, Oct. 22nd as we celebrated our 175th Anniversary. What a wonderful day it was! From inspiring worship, to connecting with old friends, a wonderful sermon by our guest Rev. Dr. Len Sweet, and of course a beautiful lunch. “Homecoming” services are more often associated with smaller churches. It’s hard to have a homecoming and noon meal for five or six hundred folks, but we did it! The day really lived up to the hype! And it would not have been possible without the hard work of more people than can be named here - staff and volunteers. After the events Sunday, I had a little time for reflection including ruminating on Sweet’s sermon. 175 years really is an incredible number. Our church is almost as old as our nation itself and was very much at the frontier of America and certainly Methodism. Our church has seen all the modern technologies we enjoy today come into existence including automobiles, electricity, indoor plumbing - thank goodness! Our church’s history pre-dates the Civil War and its people have lived through both World Wars not to mention numerous smaller ones. 175 years are nearly impossible for this young pastor to wrap his mind around. Our church has also experienced denominational upheaval and splits and renaming. Methodist. Methodist Episcopal. Methodist Episcopal Church South. United Methodist. Chapel. Church. First Church. I am also reminded of the host of pastors this church has seen. Even the longest tenured pastors’ time here pales in comparison to 175 years. Consider our history in contrast to modern-day mega-churches which may only be 20 or 30 years old and are centered almost entirely around the personality of one preacher. Our church’s ministry extends well beyond its location, name, facilities, or even pastors. It is God’s constant work among the Methodists of Fort Smith that has yielded ongoing fruit through this church. All that is to say, I feel rejuvenated and I hope you do too. As Sweet reminded us, we have many reasons to be anxious about the future. Pending technological and communication changes will be unparalleled. Education and careers are changing as we speak. And we Methodists, particularly we young pastors, have plenty of reasons to be worried about the future of our church, denomination, and even career. And yet, God has seen this church and even the global church through far more. As we celebrate, I’m reminded just how *small* our place is in God’s history. Perhaps we sometimes take ourselves and even our ministries too seriously - as if everything rises and falls with us. 175 years is a firm reminder that God has done great things long before us and will continue to do so long after us. God’s Spirit has sustained our past and will surely propel us into the future. Why should we fear? “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” - (Matthew 19:26)

Rev. Dane Womack Executive Associate Pastor dwomack@fsfumc.org

175th Celebration Photo credit: Marcus Rachard Photography

TABLE TALK AND THANKSGIVING

With Dr. Len Sweet in town this past weekend to celebrate 175th Anniversary as a church, I was reminded in his teachings that Christian formation is caught more often than taught. Dr. Sweet believes that it's around tables that young people, as well as people of all ages, are formed in Christian thought and practice. We heard this over and over again in his lectures on how to form Christianity for the 22nd century. As I was reflecting on his teachings, I was embarrassed to admit that I often don’t find myself at my dinner table often. Most of my evenings are at church activities, meetings, or community meetings. When I am home, I usually find myself working on my computer or reading for work at my dining table. I love to cook, but rarely cook just for myself. In the busyness of our lives, between work, travel, family commitments, going to the gym, walking the dog, cheering on our kids at their sporting events and concerts, and our community involvement, we rarely have hours to spend cook and eating together. We’ve gotten away from this sacred practice. Thanksgiving is an opportunity, a pause in the busyness of our lives, to join with our friends and family around a table. This year at your Thanksgiving meals, notice what table talk is happening. Is it about family or friends? Is it about weather, politics, or Razorback sports? On the rare occasions that we gathering for a big meal with those dear to us, how are we telling and teaching the stories of Christian faith? I encourage us all to find some time to talk about what really matters beyond the every-changing winds of Mother Nature and Razorback Football. Take the time to tell your family and friends how grateful you are for them and how you see God at work in their lives. In this, we tell and practice the story of God’s grace at work in us and in the world around us in every moment. Have a Happy Thanksgiving telling the stories of God’s grace around your table.

Rev. Sara Bayles Associate Pastor sbayles@fsfumc.org

175th Celebration Photo credit: Marcus Rachard Photography

SERVING OUR CITY AND OUR CHURCH

The month of October was a great month at FIRST YOUTH! We stayed busy with several events including our Canned Food Scavenger Hunt, the 175 th celebration, and our annual Hay Ride. We’re thankful for the opportunities we have to partner with different organizations around our city, as well as different ministries at our church. Will you celebrate the youth and their service with me? Earlier in October, FIRST YOUTH collected canned food for the Community Services Clearinghouse. We drove all around town in a competition to see who could collect the most canned food in the allotted time. A little competition always puts a fun twist on things! Ultimately, our group did good work in collecting food that would be used to feed hungry persons in our area. We also collected toys to be given at Christmas time. Congratulations to our Senior High girls for collecting the most food and toys! If you were at our 175 th celebration, you saw our youth serving up hot plates of delicious food. We’ve got some worker bees in the youth group, don’t we? It made me very proud to see the youth cheerfully serving food, and I know that it made many of you proud, too. A huge THANK YOU goes out to all those youth who helped make our 175 th celebration a special day! We are all learning what it means to serve others as Christ has served us. With selfless love, we believe our service will make a big impact.

Michael Mings Director of Youth Ministries mmings@fsfumc.org

FINANCIAL NEWS

·  Our commitment Sunday for our 2018 giving is coming up November 19. Everyone will get a letter with more information, plus a copy of the volunteer form for 2018, in the mail this week. We will make our financial commitments in an act of worship in services on the 19th, and those who are not there will be contacted by mail. Be praying in advance about what God wants you to do to support the ministry next year.   ·  Last week a letter went out with information about our capital campaign coming up early in 2018. Many in the congregation have received surveys as part of a feasibility study for the campaign. Please fill these out online and return them. If you need a paper copy, they are available in the church office. If you have questions, contact one of the pastors. Let’s help our consultants plan for the most effective campaign possible.   ·  Our third-quarter giving statements just went out. So far for 2017, our contributions are running somewhat behind our expenses. If you can get current with your commitment or give a gift to the ministry of FUMC, we would appreciate it.  Catch up or step up --it’s all to the glory of God!

175th Celebration Photo credit: Dr. Charles Paris

THIS SUNDAY - November 5

8:30 am - Roebuck Chapel - Rev. Bud Reeves Offertory   “Good, Good Father” Georgie Mings, Soloist Nancy W. Vernon Organist   11:00 am - Sanctuary - Rev. Bud Reeves Offertory “O How Glorious Is The Kingdom” Chancel Choir Gaye McClure, Chancel Choir Director, Pianist Nancy W. Vernon Organist   11:00 am - Connexion FLC - Rev. Dane Womack “Come to the Table”  “What a Beautiful Name” “Open Heaven, River Wild”  “I Surrender All” “Set A Fire”

WEEKLY CALENDAR

Sunday, November 5 8:30am Worship, Roebuck Chapel 8:45am Holy Grounds, Narthex 9:45am Sunday School 11:00am Worship, Sanctuary 11:00am Worship, Family Life Center 5:00pm Youth, Loft   Monday, November 6 2:00pm Staff Meeting, Conference Room 6:00pm Women’s Bible Study, Fireside Room 6:00pm Cub Scouts, 3rd Floor 6:30pm Boy Scouts, 3rd Floor   Wednesday, November 8 9:15am Women’s Bible Study, Fireside Room 10:00am Prayer Group, Prayer Room, 2nd Floor 3:30pm Children’s Choir 5:30pm Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel 5:45pm Shared Dinner, FLC 6:30pm Wednesday Night Life, Various Rooms 7:00pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal   Thursday, November 9 7:00am Youth Breakfast Club, Chick Fil A 10:00am Knitters & Knotters, Narthex 12:00pm UMM Bible Study/Lunch, Fireside Room   Friday, November 10 6:30am UMM Bible Study/Breakfast, Fireside Room 10:00am Pacesetters, Fireside Room   Coming up...Sunday, November 12 5:00 p.m. Finance Committee 6:00 p.m. Administrative Board

Pacesetters meets in the Fireside Room at 10:00 a.m. on the following dates:

November 3 — The CEC Children will sing. Blood pressures taken. The program will be given by Allison Dotson from Alma about her induction into National Jr. College Athletic Association, Track & Field Hall of Fame. $5 Lunch Menu: Beef Stew, Cornbread, & Cobbler.   November 17 — The WDS Children will sing. Blood pressures taken. Sherry Marshall from Uniontown will share about being Ms. Senior Arkansas 2017. $5 Lunch Menu: Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, mixed veggies, rolls, cranberry sauce, birthday cake. After lunch there will be a presentation and discussion about personal medical alert systems. Sign-up for the Fall Foliage Trip to Fayetteville. Monday, November 6.  $15.00 covers lunch at Mt. Sequoyah Methodist Center & gas. Leave "C & 16th" parking lot @ 9:00am and will be back approximately 3:30. Call Mardell McClurkin for reservations, 479-461-5209.

Recent Memorials

In Memory of:   Jerry Glen Carter, Jr. by Kimberly and Phil White, Colby, Courtney, Caroline, and Benjamin Beland, Harry Shipley   Juanita Wooten by Jack and Louanna Green, Myrna Sue Lough, Jane Williams, Mary Ellen Fraser and Girls   Brad Jesson by Annette and Pat Phillips   Dr. Robert Janes by Harry Shipley, David and Judy Staggs   David Smith, Jr. by Glenda Brown, Jerry and Jane Hartfield, Susan Chaney   Gean Kukar by Ann and Dick Appleton, Lynnell and Tony Leraris   Bill Hutcheson by David and Judy Staggs   Mary Alice Moore by Shirley Cothren   Jane Wilson by Janice and Bob Powell   Herschel McClurkin by David and Judy Staggs In Honor of:   Rev. Bud Reeves by Family of Sondra Wiggins

FIRST UNITED METHODIST NEWS published weekly except the last week of the year by First United Methodist Church 200 North 15th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901.

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