Dr. Will Cotton will preach at the 8:30 and 11 am worship services this Sunday. Rev. Katie Meek will preach at the 9:40 am service. For Memorial Day, we will be remembering our heroes lost in the service of our country.   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). 

I am also rejoicing in two other mission ventures that have just occurred. Olivia's Play Date, which was created to raise money for sliding rockers (cost of $2,500 per rocker) at Dell Children's Medical Center was a great success, raising more than $18,500 to date! Our United Methodist Men not only hosted the event and served food, they also sponsored the total cost of a rocker.  Special thanks to Amy and Matt Horn for leading this amazing effort in memory of their precious daughter, Olivia. The other is the conclusion of our Council Oak Preschool for this year. Congratulations to Joy Lewis and her amazing staff for another great year in teaching students to fall in love with Christ and life-long learning at the same time.

 

As you know, there are more mission efforts to come...two weeks of Vacation Bible School, a middle-school mission trip in July, and then 14 people will venture to Panama. I could add the exciting work of our First UMC Backpack Project that ministers to 1200 students (for which our Handbell Ministry raised more than $5,500 at their POPs concert) and the beginning conversations developing in our Greater Round Village for partnership in mission with our city and surrounding area. 

Great things are not only happening at First Church, they are happening beyond the walls through First Church. Thanks for your part in making that happen in the name of Christ. 

Dr. Will Cotton

P.S.  It has been my pleasure to be at celebrations with some of you celebrating the outstanding service of our Mayor, the Honorable Alan McGraw. We are honored to call the McGraws part of our church family. They inspire all of us to reach out and make a bigger difference for Christ and the kingdom through serving people!

Last Sunday, it was announced that a donor had added an additional $10K to our First Match challenge and you accepted the challenge. In just three weeks, you have given $32,794, meeting the first challenge of $20K and the additional challenge of $10K. So we have a total of $62,794 and we have one more week to go.

As you know, these funds will be allocated to three areas: air conditioner maintenance and repair, preventative tree maintenance and care, and enhanced campus security. The estimate to complete everything on the list is $106,700. We have made tremendous progress by matching and exceeding the $30K challenge. In this last week of the challenge, how close can we get to the total needed?

All you need to do is simply choose your amount, take an envelope, fill it and return the envelope!

Friends and Family Game Night -  Wednesday, June 7, 6-9 pm, Family Life Center . 

Friends and Family Game Night is a fellowship event for all ages...children, youth and adults. We will have a variety of board and card games available, but feel free to bring your favorites.

Pizza will be ordered based on the number of folks who preregister. Join us for pizza from 6 - 6:30 pm. If you don't preregister or you're not a pizza fan, feel free to bring your own dinner and/or snacks. Contributions will be accepted to cover the cost of the pizza. We will provide tea. Please register online or RSVP to tammy@fumc-rr.org.

Join First Church member and author, Catherine Bird, this summer for a special study in the Girls of Grace Bible study series,  Building Circles of Grace. For eight weeks, Catherine will encourage moms and daughters (tweens entering grades 5 - 7) as they explore what it means to build and sustain Christ-centered relationships with 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.

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 at 6:30 pm  on Tuesdays beginning June 6. The cost is $25 and registration is open. Moms should register themselves first. Information about your tween will follow. Click here to register.   

Matt Rawle sees Christ all around him and shares what he sees in his book, Hollywood Jesus. Sometimes movies tell a story of salvation, even if the context is not the Gospel story of Jesus. This study examines Jesus figures  in films such as Cool Hand Luke, The Lion King, The Truman Show, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Join this exploration of what happens when pop culture encounters the King of kings and the Lord of lords! 

Location and Time:  Sundays at 9:40 am in Bldg. 5-136. For more information, contact Rev. Dr. Beverly Jones ( beverly@fumc-rr.org ) or Debby Utley ( debbyfaeu@gmail.com ).  All are welcome. 

No pre-registration is needed. Just come! 

The Friends and Seekers Sunday School class starts a six week series Love to Stay by Adam Hamilton on June 11.   Falling in love is easy, but staying in love takes courage, hard work, and lots of grace!   Through a guide book, DVD and discussion we'll explore how, with God's help, we can create and sustain healthy, meaningful romantic relationships across the course of a lifetime.  All are welcome. Join us! 

Location and Time: Bldg. 5-232 at 9:40 am.

Come explore the question, "Why Did God Do It?" in a six week Bible Study. We will look at how science is confirming God's creation of the universe, the intricacies of created life, and how they point to God's love for us. Source book is "The Creator and The Cosmos" by Dr. Hugh Ross. 

Location & Time:  Mondays in Bldg. 5-127 at 7 pm.

To enroll, register online  or contact James Lehrmann at  jameslehrmann@sbcglobal.net .

Women in Mission...

On June 4, the First Church Women's Mission Team will be going to Sager Brown in Baldwin, LA. Thirteen women are going to process relief supplies, mostly health kits and flood buckets, due to the high number of tornadoes and floods throughout the United States. The attendees have paid all their personal expenses for the trip. However, we want to thank those who have aided our efforts through donations for gas, supplies and shipping. Toothpaste, because of expiration dates. is only purchased and inserted as the kits leave so we appreciate those financial contributions. 

Donors include some individuals, the Journey in Faith Sunday school class, and the United Methdoist Women. A special thank you goes to the young people of the 5th grade Sunday school class who donated the toothbrushes, as well as combs and bandaids! We will be taking with us 130 completed health kits for relief efforts. Click to learn more about UMCOR and Sager Brown.