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First Church News & Updates - May 5, 2017
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Appalachian Psalm
by Tom Lough/Arr. Jon Paige
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Two big events this weekend...the POPS 2017 Handbell Concert is Saturday evening and the First Church Crafters Spring Fling Craft Sale is on Sunday morning!
Last Sunday, our Choral Union performed Applachian Psalm, written by First Church member, Tom Lough. They were accompanied by Samantha Miller on guitar and Rae Frenette on bass. It was beautiful, so we want to share it with you again.
Enjoy this First Church news!
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Have you ever wondered why people say some of the things they do in difficult times? Some are helpful, but many are not! "Everything happens for a reason." "You must not have been praying right." "You must have some unforgiven sin that caused this." So how do we cope during difficult times and how can we be truly helpful to others when those things happen to them? Surprisingly, one of the best places to get wisdom for those times comes from the sacred story of Job. So during the month of May, the pastors are sharing Adults Say the Darndest Things based on the book of Job. Watch for unique use of music and drama along with intriguing angles of preaching. This is a series you will want to invite friends to, as it deals directly with some of life's peskiest questions.
Sermon Title: "God and Satan Playing Craps"
Scripture: Job 1:1-12
Dr. Will Cotton will preach at the 9:40 and 11 am worship services this Sunday. Rev. Katie Meek will preach at the 8:30 am service.
The Source
, our weekly devotional guide, is available on the
church website
.
Please join us in worship this Sunday at 8:30 am (Sanctuary), 9:40 am (FLC), or 11 am (Sanctuary).
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Fir$t Match...the Spring 2017 Capital Matching Campaign
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First Church has been presented with a challenge in the form of a $20K donation!
Now is a great time to give
above and beyond your pledged giving.
Knowing this congregation, we expect to match and exceed this challenge, your generous donations will go toward three specific needs that have been identified by our church leadership and staff. $40K will be a great start, but you will notice that the total needed for these three projects exceeds that amount.
How big of a bite can we take out of the total need of $106,700?
- Care and preservation of our trees. First Church has many historic oak, pecan, and cottonwood trees among others across our picturesque campus. It is important to care for them aesthetically but also from a safety perspective. Earlier this spring, one of our elm trees in the south parking lot fell due to some wind gusts during a Sunday morning worship service and totaled a vehicle. We don't want that to happen again! Total needed: $21,900.
- Air conditioning. Did you know...the church uses almost 50 AC units (170+ tons) plus the Sanctuary's chiller (160 tons) and its 14 air handlers to keep our facilities cool and comfortable in the sultry Texas heat? In the past fifteen months, we implemented a formal preventive maintenance program and have replaced several AC units but still have older equipment that is in need of repair and/or replacement. Summer is just around the corner with the hottest months of the year ahead of us. Total needed: $19,500.
- Security. Our campus regularly hosts a variety of church and community related events, seven days a week, during both daytime and evening hours. Periodically, we also host some events that occur overnight. With several different buildings, including a preschool, on campus with many entrances, it is imperative to provide a safe, healthy, and secure campus for our staff, our volunteers, our children, and our visitors, as well as to provide oversight of our special campus. Total needed: $65,300.
So let's give! Starting on May 7, there will be 500 envelopes in three locations, each one labeled with an amount from $1 to $500. They will be located in the foyer of the Sanctuary, the foyer of the FLC and in Building 5. All you need to do is simply choose your amount, take an envelope, fill it and return the envelope!
Get creative on how you will fill your envelope. Think outside of your own wallet. Can your child have a lemonade stand to fill theirs? Can you sell your comic book collection? Can your Sunday school class get together for dinner and collect funds to fill an envelope? Can your group have a garage sale? Accept the challenge to take more than one envelope! Take one for a group in which you are involved (Bible studies, choir, fellowship groups, etc.) and encourage a group gift.
The envelopes are not the only way to give.
- Give online:You can give online at myFirstChurch. Choose First Match as the fund to which you want to give. If you want to specify that your gift go to a particular area, just write Trees, AC or Security in the Optional Description box.
- Text to Give: Text FUMCRR FirstMatch (specify amount) to 73256. If you want to specify your text gift go to a particular area, please send those instructions by email to finance@fumc-rr.org.
Join us on Sunday to hear more about the First Match campaign and to pick up an envelope, or two. Give Joyfully! Give Abundantly! Give Often!
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VBS registration is now open but closes very soon! Register today!
It's time to start planning your summer! Make sure you have Maker Fun Factory VBS on your calendar. Your child, ages 5-10, can attend either June 12-16 or June 19-23. They can even invite their friends to register!
We are still accepting donations! Donations will be used to purchase supplies and provide scholarships for children who may not be able to attend otherwise.
Camp Triumph is back!
Also this summer, we will have Camp Triumph sports camp on campus for "after VBS" camp Monday-Thursday, 12 noon to 4 pm both weeks. Children can be dropped off at 9 and picked up at 4! We hope this will help children of working parents to attend VBS!
Camp Triumph will also hold a morning sports camp on our campus July 24-28, 9 am to 12 pm!
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J-Team is this Sunday...the last one this
school year!
Hope you can join us for the end of year event on May 7, 2-4 pm! We will meet at the new
Joanne Land Playground at Old Settlers Park to play and fellowship together! The address is 1371 Harrell Pkwy. Please send a water bottle with your child and don't forget to apply sunscreen! Check in will be with Tammy Parks and the J-Team volunteers. We hope you can join us in celebrating a fun J-Team year! RSVP to
Tammy@fumc-rr.org.
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Building Circles of Grace
We want to share a very special Bible Study opportunity for tween girls, entering 5th -7th grades, and their mothers. Join church member and author, Catherine Bird, this summer for a special preview of the next study in the Girls of Grace Bible study series,
Building Circles of Grace. For eight weeks, Catherine will encourage moms and daughters as they explore what it means to build and sustain Christ-centered relationships with what Catherine calls circles of grace...the relationships that we develop beyond our relationship with God. Some of the toughest experiences we encounter as young girls (and moms, too) are a result of the people we choose as friends.
How do you respond with grace to a bully? How do you cope with the loss of a friendship? Can you really make a difference by putting Jesus first when it's not the cool thing to do?
Building Circles of Grace: A Joint Bible Study for Tween Girls & Their Moms invites moms and daughters to discuss all of these questions and more.
This study will not be available in bookstores until August 2017, so moms and tween girls are in for a special treat with this early preview! Catherine has a few surprises along the way, including a copy of the new book when it is hot off the presses! Moms and tween girls will also have an opportunity to participate in exclusive launch activities leading up to the new book release. Space is limited, so register soon!
The classes will meet
on Tuesday evenings,
6:30-8:00 pm, beginning June 6 and ending
Aug 8 (not meeting
July 4 and 11). Moms should register themselves first. Information about your tween will follow. The cost for the course is $25 and registration is open online.
Click here to register.
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Tool Training is this Sunday!
On
Sunday, May 7,
drops of grace® will be leading all students going on Summer Mission Trips in their annual Tool Training. It will be from
4-6 pm
in the parking lot by the FLC and Volleyball Court. You can come by and complete the training any time between
4 and 6 pm
, it will take you about 30 minutes to complete.
This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get used to the tools they will be using on Summer Mission while also learning about the safety required for each tool. Even if your student has done this training before, we strongly encourage them to still attend. All students that participate will be able to sign up for their van for Mission Trip as well. We hope you will join us as we begin to get ready for Summer Missions, we can't wait to see what God will do this year!
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Middle School Welcome Party: Early Bird Deadline is
May 8
Our Middle School Welcome Party is coming up
May 12-13
. This is an annual event to welcome our current 5th grade students to the Student Ministries Program. It is open to grades 5-8, and is an all night event. We will play games at the church in the Family Life Center followed by worship and pizza. After that we head to Main Event from 2-5 am where we have the entire facility to ourselves. You can play arcade games, go bowling, or even play laser tag! We return to the Family Life Center for breakfast before parents can come and pick up their students. The deadline for the early bird rate of $30 is this
Monday, May 8. The cost is
$40
May 9-10
. Deadline to register is
Wednesday, May 10
. We are also in need of adult volunteers for each of our 4 shifts. When you register your student you can also sign up to be an adult volunteer. Click here for more info and to register for the event.
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Other Student Ministry Info...
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The Lydia Circle - A United Methodist Women Circle
The
Lydia Circle
is the evening circle of United Methodist Women. We will have our May meeting
May 9 at 7 pm
in Payne Cottage. We extend an invitation to the women of our church to become involved in this wonderful ministry. UMW is the largest and oldest women's organization of any kind in the world. Our circle is new and growing, come make new friends, pray, laugh, and care with us. Friends at church are a treasure. For info, contact Patti Ruth,
512-944-5339
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Lay Servant Ministries (LSM)
Two LSM courses will be offered on the first weekend in June at First UMC in Temple, TX.
The basic course, which is foundational for all LSM courses will be led by Bill Johnson, LSM co-director of the South District. It will meet from 9 am to 4:30 pm on June 3, 2017, and from 2 to 5 pm on Sunday, June 4, 2017.
The advanced Lay Servant course,
Leading Bible Study, will be moderated by Barbara Foster. This course will meet from 8:30 am to 5 pm on Saturday and from 2:30 to 4:30 pm on Sunday.
Anyone may attend an LSM course, regardless of church affiliation, but UMC members who seek certification must have had the basic course. For further information or to register for either course contact: Barbara Foster at bfoster2015@yahoo.com or 214-755-0749 or Bill Johnson at billjohnson@embarqmail.com or 254-290-6980.
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Other Adult Ministry Info...
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Spring Fling Craft Sale on May 7
First Church Crafters invite you to join them on Sunday, May 7, at the Gazebo for their annual Spring Fling Craft Show. Since January, they have been creating, crafting and embellishing items into beautiful and unique gifts just for you. From spring wreaths to gorgeous necklaces to adorable wall hangings...there is something for everyone! Best of all, the proceeds from our sales go to missions.
Don't miss this fun shopping opportunity!
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Other Mission & Outreach Info...
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This week at First Church
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- 5:30 pm - POPS Dinner, Bldg. 3/FLC
- 6:30 pm - POPS Concert, Bldg. 3/FLC
- 8:30, 9:40 and 11 am - Worship Services
- 8;30 am - Spring Fling Craft Sale, Gazebo
- 11:00 am - God and Family, Bldg. 5-208
- 11:00 am - God and Me, Bldg. 5-218
- 11:00 am - Youth Leadership Team, Bldg. 5-223
- 11:40 am - Alleluia Chorus rehearsal, Bldg. 5-234
- 2:00 pm - J-Team, off campus
- 6:00 pm - FUSION, Bldgs. 3 & 5
Monday, May 8
- 6:00 pm - Venture Crew, Bldg. 4/Payne Cottage
- 7:00 pm - Boy Scout Troop #157, Bldg. 3/FLC
- 8:30 am - UMM Breakfast, Egg and I Restaurant, La Frontera
- 9:30 am - First Church Crafters, 115 Winsted
- 12:30 pm - Brown Bag Theologians, Bldg. 5-136
- 7:00 pm - LEADFirst, Bldg. 5-122
- 7:00 pm - Nar-Anon, Bldg. 4-6
- 7:00 pm - Nurture Team, Bldg. 5-122
- 7:00 pm - UMW Lydia Circle, Bldg. 4-2
Wednesday, May 10
- 6:15 am - UMM Breakfast, fellowship, devotional - FLC/Bldg. 3
- 5:45 pm - Heartsong Choir rehearsal, South Suite
- 6:30 pm - Wednesday Women's Bible Study, Bldg. 5-232/234
- 7:15 pm - Chancel Choir rehearsal, South Suite
Thursday, May 11
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8:30 am - Round Rock Helpers, Bldg. 4-2
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9:15 am - COP Mother's Day Tea, Bldg, 3.FLC
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9:30 am - Ministry of Motherhood (MOM), Bldg. 5-232/234
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8:00 pm - Narcotics Anonymous-Right Stuff, Bldg. 4
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9:30 pm - Middle School Welcome Party begins, Bldg. 3/FLC
Saturday, May 13
- 7:00 am - Middle School Welcome Party ends, Bldg. 3/FLC
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Blessings,
Betty Robertson
Communications
First United Methodist Church Round Rock
First Church exists to share the love
of God in Jesus Christ.
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First United Methodist Church | Round Rock
512.255.3336 |
newsletter@fumc-rr.org | http://
fumc-rr.org
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