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am writing this month’s newsletter as we wrap up an exciting week of Vacation Bible School. It was an inspiring week including an outstanding Cokesbury curriculum titled “Hero Central.” This year’s mission goal was collecting resources and funds in support of Fort Smith’s Little Red Pantry program. You have surely seen these small red boxes in yards, a few around the church, where folks in need can pick up dry goods including food, diapers, or toiletries. The boxes regularly run out and need replenishing. This was a great way to teach our VBS kids about our community needs and how they can be involved. Each day shopping baskets were filled with food donations while our 5th and 6th graders would deliver and fill up the boxes.
Mercy is the Christian call to respond to those in need - immediately. When we see those who hunger or thirst or need care or attention, we are not called to deliberate or wonder or worry about their situation. We are called to meet their needs as best we can as quickly as we can. Of course we think of the story of the Good Samaritan. This is the logic behind the Little Red Pantry. No one thinks or expects the Little Red Pantry is a long-term solution to food insecurity in Fort Smith. The Little Red Pantry is a stop-gap, an immediate solution to that day’s problems. And surely we are called to such work! It is critical that we teach our children to be merciful in every way possible. I hope they learned a lesson in mercy at VBS.
Justice is also a Christian call to care for our neighbor in need. But justice asks a harder question. Not what are the immediate needs before you and how can you meet them? But what systems are in place that create so many people with such dire needs? That’s a much harder question. God’s call to justice has nothing to do with criminals’ punishment (e.g. “the justice system”). God’s justice envisions a just community - a fair and reasonable society. Not that all things will be equal, but that we engage our minds and resources and even privileges to help create the world that God imagines, a world where no one is in need. Is that possible? What a difficult question and task! Should we fill the Little Red Pantry? Of course! But as capable and knowledgeable adults, we are also called to ask harder questions of our community and of ourselves. Why are these people hungry? How can we help shape our community toward just ends? In what sense? I admit I have little interest in tackling those questions! It’s much easier to fill the Little Red Pantry or volunteer for a couple of hours. But I am convinced God has called us to both mercy and justice.
I am inspired by our children who are learning to serve those in need immediately before them. May we do the same. But may we also contribute to the world such that the number of those in need before us is growing smaller and smaller.
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I must confess, I love to-do lists. My church to-do lists has 16 sub-sections and my personal has 9. I have a special app that syncs on my computer and phone so I can always have my to-do list on hand. My to-do list is a magic-making, powerful, fun, and comforting part of my every hour. Indeed, it may be my favorite thing. I cling to it like it was a magic wand as if it would guide my every step.
Last Spring, the Lewis Center for Church Leadership published an article, “Is Your Vision a Mural or To-Do List?” Naturally, to-do list in the title peaked my curiosity, so I saved the article, on my “to-read” sub-sectioned list. I keep coming back to this article found here: https://www.churchleadership.com/leading-ideas/vision-mural-list/.
The gist of the article is that churches often get distracted in the lists of all they do/want to do that they forget to be present and alive in their own community in the moment. How true is this for most to-do list lovers, myself included.
I re-read this article every few weeks, while clinging to my to-do list, and enjoying the Unexpected Project Murals downtown. How vibrant colors pop off of old buildings and bring new life in our community. The same way too, a church’s vision, or even our personal vision, can bring new life into our community. It's not easy abandoning the beloved to-do list, even for a few hours, for something so bold and bright. But if we can be present in our community as we are called to be, great things will happen. This July, join me! Lets put down our to-do lists for just a few minutes or hours to be present in our community. Let’s be bright, vibrant, and bold for the sake of the kingdom.
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SPOTLIGHT ON FSFUMC MISSION: Knitters and Knotters
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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.
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Every Thursday morning around 10:00am in the Narthex you will find a faithful group of ladies with knitting and crochet skills that have produced prayer shawls and sleep mats for adults and children. The group originated with the help of Rev. Janice Sudbrink in 2006. Herself a knitter, she joined with other knitters to create this sisterhood of women providing a much needed service. Along with knitters also came the members skilled in crochet.
A few years ago the schools contacted the church and asked for sleep mats, as many of the children had nothing to lay on at nap time. The instruction for the mats was found on the internet included a three step process of cutting plastic bags into strips, looping the strips together to make the plastic yarn, crocheting the yarn into plastic mats that were waterproof, but able to be washed, dried and reused. In the last few years, over 500 mats for children have been distributed at local schools and preschools. Many of the homeless population sleep on the ground. So we began recycling plastic bags and asking for members to contribute bags to the cause. We have made an assembly line of the three step process so there is always a job that can be done, even if you have no crochet skills. One of our ladies who makes the adult mats for our river valley homeless and has just made her 154th mat since the group began.
The Prayer Shawls are made in every variety possible and are a donation of the provider. These are beautiful pieces that are distributed by Rev. Sara Bayles as she visits our hospitalized members and shut-ins. They are labeled as a First United Methodist Church gift. Then they are blessed in a group prayer before they are distributed. On the last Thursday of the month we have a covered dish luncheon. If you are interested in helping with either Mats or Prayer Shawls, contact Rev. Sara Bayles. If you would like to donate plastic bags, we are always looking for colorful bags. Monetary donations also provide funds to order colored bags.
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Thanking all Heroes!!
VBS was an amazing week! We averaged 140 children, 45 teens and 50 adults daily, not to mention the members who made delicious snacks for the hard working volunteers and teens or people who stepped up and purchased t-shirts, so that every single child received one and wore it proudly!! Thank you to all those who helped with the VBS Giving Tree; we were blessed by your generosity.
Each morning, the children loved the guitar playing Pastor Bud, greeting them and praying for them. The skits were awesome and we were fully entertained by Captain Shield (Heather Aguilar) and the puppet, Flame (Kelly DeSoto).
The stations for drama, music, science, art and snacks were outstanding and the children heard the Bible stories through several different ways to help re-enforce the VBS theme!
The real Heroes that week were the wonderful children who came each day and experienced that with God, we can Do Good, Seek Peace and Go After It! (Psalms 34:14b) God is our power and strength and we can call upon the scripture lessons from the week to be stronger in our faith and be comforted by God!
Our 5th and 6th graders (Club 56) worked in the mission field each day. They worked at Antioch, sorted food at the Clearing House, served lunch at Community Rescue Mission, played with children at the Lincoln Daycare, and filled the Little Red Pantry Boxes throughout town ten times! These children experienced what it is like to serve others and be a Hero right here in our own community.
What each child takes with them when they leave FSFUMC VBS are the lessons on the Power God has and gives to each of us to discover our strength in Him! They also leave with music in their hearts, a bag full of treasured art projects, an invitation to come back and worship with us, and a Chick-Fil-A gift card. The themes of each session will help them to remember that with God in our Hearts, He will give us the Courage, Wisdom, Hope and Power that we all need to be Heroes for Him!
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SERVICE OVER SELF
You never know how big of an impact just one week can have on a person, especially when that week is spent living out the gospel of Jesus Christ. Mission trips, even if only one week long, stand as great opportunities to have our eyes opened to the great needs of people around our world and the great joys that come with putting others before ourselves. Recently, our church sent out a group of Senior High girls on mission to Memphis, TN, to put a roof on a house in the Orange Mound neighborhood.
Sure, it may sound comical and foolish, sending a small group of girls into the ghettos of Memphis to do construction work that they’ve never done before. But let’s remember 1 Corinthians 1:27…
“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
I believe that God knew exactly what he was doing when he formed our mission team. Together we put in a week’s worth of hard work on a roof. We built an amazing relationship with the homeowner, Mrs. Pat, and her grandson, Traymon. We learned about the racial division in Memphis, and we did our small part in building race relations in the Orange Mound neighborhood. We worshipped our hearts out, lifting our voices, our hands, and our souls to our loving Creator. All this was done to glorify our Heavenly Father!
If you see Abby Harris, Georgie Mings, Mercy Trahan, Faith Rossi, or Cee Cee Hollimon, be sure to ask them about their trip to Memphis with Service Over Self. I think that they’ll be happy to testify to what God did in their lives in just one week.
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Leigh (Ryan), Rylee and Meg Norton on the death of Leigh's grandfather and Rylee and Meg's great grandfather, Edward John Borengasser.
Dane (Jill) Womack on the death of his cousin, Chad Russell Wooldridge.
Diane (Dennis) Wing on the death of her aunt Opal Faye Long.
Shirley Cothren on the death of her aunt Billie Langham Colvard.
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Touching Heaven: Great Prayers of the Bible
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom-I Kings 3:5-14
8:30 am - Roebuck Chapel - Rev. Bud Reeves
Offertory “Everlasting God”
Tucker Gulstad, Soloist
Nancy Vernon, Organist
11:00 am - Sanctuary - Rev. Bud Reeves
Communion Anthem “O Lord, My God”
Offertory “Come Dwell in Solomon’s Walls”
Chancel Choir
Gaye McClure, Chancel Choir Director
Nancy Vernon, Organist
11:00 am - Connexion FLC - Rev. Sara Bayles
“God of Wonders” “Blessed Be Your Name”
“10,000 Reasons” “Follow You” “Great is Our God”
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Sunday, July 2
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 Devo/Games/Fun, Loft
Monday, July 3
2:00pm Ageless Grace, Fireside Room
6:30pm Boy Scouts, 3rd Floor
Tuesday, July 4
Church offices closed
Wednesday, July 5
10:00am Prayer Group, Prayer Room, 2nd Floor
5:30pm Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel
6:00pm Church-wide Picnic, FLC Gym & Outside
7:00pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, July 6
10:00am Knitters & Knotters, Narthex
12:00pm UMM Bible Study/Lunch, Fireside Room
Friday, July 7
6:30am UMM Bible Study/Breakfast, Fireside Room
10:00am Pacesetters, Fireside Room
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Pacesetters meets in the Fireside Room of the Family Life Center these dates:
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- July 7 - Dr. Husarek, Head of Music Dept. at UAFS will give a program on the music of Scott Joplin. NO blood pressures taken. The C.E.C. children will visit and sing. $5 Lunch menu: Jambalaya, corn, salad, and cream pie.
- July 21 - Mr. Gerald Lyons, new Director of the National Cemetery in Fort Smith, will give the program about the latest news about burials, etc. Blood pressures will be taken. $5 Lunch menu: Parmesan chicken, herb & butter noodles, steamed broccoli, and birthday cake.
Call (479)782-5068 if you need a ride. Everyone is welcome to attend. Invite a friend!
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In Memory of:
Iris Bates by George & Carole Beattie, Shirley Cothren
Dr. Robert Janes by Elizabeth & Chip Paris, George & Carole Beattie, Jim & Dixie Spears
Dr. Harold Mings by George & Carole Beattie
Jay Thompson by George & Carole Beattie
Gordon Apple by Shirley Cothren
Dr. Ted Skokus by George & Carole Beattie, Sue Plattner-Smith
In Honor of:
Philip & Anna Brown by Jim & Wanda Foster
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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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