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God desires FFUMC to be an intentional, vibrant,  growing faith community transformed through prayer, scripture, worship, and study.

 

ffumclogo God wants us to make a real difference in the lives of our neighbors  and each other as we  invite, accept, connect,  serve,  and share the love of Christ.  
Issue: 47
November 14, 2018
In This Issue
Quick Links
Dear Church Family,
 
Our family and I have been overwhelmed by the love, concern and many, many prayers over the last three months.  Thank you all. P.R. was so touched by everyone's love and kindness. Mondays were our long days at U.T. hospital when he received chemotherapy. We have never seen such beautiful sunrises and sunsets. We talked about the beauty of God's hand and wondered if He was showing us a touch of heaven. We both agreed He was. I hope to be back in church soon and be with my BIG family here on earth. In memory of P.R., if you see someone in the days to come and they do not have a smile on their face, give them yours.
 
Helen Swan
Any adult at FFUMC can join the security usher team. Please consider serving in the way. Contact Steve Krupski  if you are interested in helping on Sunday mornings.
Please help us decorate our Worship Center for the Christmas season by placing your order for red poinsettia(s) today! Poinsettias are in  a 6  1/2" pot are $11 each. They may be dedicated in honor of, or in memory of, a loved one. A dedication list will be printed in the December 16th and 23rd worship bulletins. Please take your plant(s) home after the Christmas Eve services.
 
Orders will ONLY be accepted through Sunday, November 25. Checks should be made payable to FFUMC ($11 per plant) and attached to this order form. Please place completed forms with checks in the box at the Information Desk. Please do not place orders in the collection plate. Thank you!
NOVEMBER 24 AT 9 A.M.
We need serving hearts and strong backs to help decorate our church for Christmas. Please join us on November 24 at 9 a.m. Thanks for giving of your time! 
Friday, Dec. 14
JOY Group Annual Christmas Dinner at Fox Den Country Club at 6:30 p.m.

FFUMC Adults and Friends

You are invited to join FFUMC's JOY group for their annual Festive Christmas Dinner on Friday, December 14, at  6:30 p.m. at Fox Den Country Club

Amount to attend is $32.00 per person.  RSVP by Sunday, Nov. 25 with check made out to FFUMC - (JOY Dinner on memo line). DO NOT place checks in offering plate.  Checks must be given or mailed to Anita Oberdecker,  11112 Joiner Way Knoxville, TN 37934. Please include choice of entree with your check.

Menu will include:
House Salad
Club rolls and butter
Choice of entree:
1.Traditional Turkey Dinner w/Cornbread dressing, Duo of Whipped Sweet and Idaho Potatoes, Green Beans & Cranberry Sauce
 
2.Sautéed Boneless Breast of Chicken with Florentine Sauce

3. Rosemary Roasted Pork Loin Topped with a Red Onion and Cranberry Chutney

Served with # 2 & 3
Whipped Potatoes and French Petite Green Beans with a Julienne of Red Onions and Carrots
 
Dessert: Apple Cobbler with a Scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Coffee and Iced Tea Service
Cash Bar will be available
 
This dinner is open to all FFUMC adults and friends.  Pastor Don  will be our guest, and we would love to have a full room of 50 people to share this festive evening with him.

Blessings,
Anita Oberdecker
Youth
United Methodist  Youth Fellowship   (UMYF)

Questions? Email Chuck Powell .  
Annual CCD Shopping Day  and Dinner   -  Nov.  25
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Information Desk
9:00 a.m. -  Holly Clancy
10:00 a.m. - Ann Walker

Greeters
9:00 a.m. -   Jim & Diane O'Brien 
11:00 a.m. -  Jimmy & Carol Taylor
             
Please contact Lara Burn if you would to sign up to greet on Sundays.

Security Ushers
8:45 a.m. - Harry Pullum
10:30 a.m. - Robin Herrington

Ushers
9:00 a.m. - Doug Hulme, Calvin Harris
& Earl Nall
11:00 a.m. - Need Help!!! 
Sign up with this  link!
Rolling Schedule for 11:00 a.m. Service 
Robin Herrington, Ryan Reddick
& Jason Yarbrough
NEW RESOURCES
First Farragut UMC's Footprints Ministry serves  as a bridge to connect church and home. Click  here  for our current recommendations.
birthday-banner-yellow.gif
Congratulations to the following 
who will have birthdays this week!
 
November:
14  -  Destiny Lokey
           Allison Reese
 15 - Kathy Cleveland
          Susan Lancaster
 16 - Scott Milliken
 17 - Tracy Houser
 20 - Debbie Allen
 21 - John Matson
          Lara Burn
          Tessa Burch-Smith
FINANCIAL PULSE
As of September 30, 2018

YTD Total Contributions:     $421,653.42
YTD Total Expenses:             $431,513.02
YTD Net Operating Total:     ( $ 9,859.60)
YTD Total Capital Gifts:         $ 96,598.50
Stop by and pick up a "Welcome to Your Home  B ucket" for a new neighbor. They are available at the Information Desk.
Attention Kroger Shoppers!
Don't forget to re-enroll!
  If you shop at Kroger, please click here to visit the Kroger Community Rewards secure website and click on "Enroll" to register your individual Kroger Plus card to First Farragut UMC's account 
(EY756).  
 
We received $ 161.06 from your shopping last quarter!
  

Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they should be found trustworthy. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2
 
This Sunday marks the completion of our stewardship campaign with the receipt of your pledges or commitments for 2019 in worship. If you cannot be present, please bring by the church, mail, or share your intention online.
 
Did I say stewardship? A speaker at a conference said we should drop that term in our churches. Why? The speaker offered that to be a steward assumes that the Master is gone, and we are left to our own devices and our own decisions until God "gets back."
 
Indeed, if you think about it, nowhere does the Bible talk about God having abandoned us to our own devices. You find reminders everywhere that God is invested and present, in and among God's people, in the creation itself. In Jesus the whole point of the Incarnation is that God is taking on flesh to be present in a way that is undeniable.
 
And when Jesus ascends into the heavens, the point is not that God is "gone" but rather that God is all the more present now with the indwelling Spirit poured out upon all flesh. Jesus leaves so that we can have God be more present within us!
 
Maybe thinking of ourselves as "stewards" has left us way too open to the temptation to think what we have before us is "ours" instead of "God's." Or maybe we have missed the most essential piece of that Corinthians passage. We are not "Stewards" of God's stuff. We are "stewards of God's mysteries." The mystery of God is that there is always abundance. The mystery of God is that loaves and fish are multiplied, wine is made from water, and all will be satisfied and fed and refreshed.
 
As a recipient of God's gifts of salvation and love - the mystery of Christ - and having all of creation at our disposal, how can we not
respond with a resounding YES! to God's call to be "All in...!"
 
I believe the coming year holds unlimited possibilities in the life of this church. I am excited, and hope you share the excitement of being a servant of Christ for all the future holds. Let's come together - let's commit together, to be
"All in...!" God is not away, but at work in everything right now!

Don

Family Promise

Helping end homelessness,  one family at a time! 
Family Promise Host Week -  Begins Sunday

Please stop by the sign-up board located on Main Street to see where help is still needed.  For more information or to volunteer, contact Steve Krupski at (865) 548-7487 or sjktools@charter.net .
CCD Updates

It's getting closer! CCD 2018 is Sunday, December 2, 1:00-3:00 p.m. 

Our third organizational meeting is Sunday, Noon-1:30 p.m. in the Conference Room
A light lunch will be served. To make lunch reservations, contact Laura Derr at
L_derr@prospectman.com .
 
 
Sign-Up Sheets are on the Missions Table
Please stop by the Missions Table on Main Street to sign-up for volunteer needs for CCD. There are many ways to help before and during the event. You will receive an email reminder for your sign-ups.

Necessities and Gift Center Donations
Again this year we are asking for donations of necessities for our  CCD families: laundry detergent, dish soap, bar of soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, feminine products, diaper and baby wipes.  Please look for the bulletin board on Main Street covered with sticky notes. Ta ke a note or two and return the items to the Necessities box. If you have any questions, contact Beth Hilbelink, bshil@tds.net . Please bring donations to church by November 29.

The Children's Gift Box is out on Main Street. If you purchase a CCD gift for a child or teenager, do not wrap the gift and bring it to church by November 25.

OR you can donate CCD gift items and necessities items from your computer! Just click on the link below and the items you purchase will be mailed directly to First Farragut UMC. Click here

Join us for our Christmas Cantata
December 2 at 10:00 a.m.

We will have one combined service this day.  Sunday School will not be held so we may join together for this special service.
The Angel Tree is on Main Street once again! The recipients of the gifts are students at the Wesley House after-school program. The angels  numbered less than 100 are "clothing" angels and those above 100 are "toy" angels. 

Please take an angel(s) from the tree and purchase the requested gift. There is no need to fulfill every wish. The angel can be used as a gift tag on the wrapped gift. Signing the gift list in the book allows for contact if there is a problem with a gift. All wrapped presents are due back to the church by Sunday, December 9th. Wesley House will pick up the gifts on December 13th. If you have any questions, please contact Ondie Reese at (865) 719-2319 or
(865) 909-9301 or
kenondie@bellsouth.net .
    
CHILDREN

Breakfast with Santa - December 8 at 9 a.m.
Registration now open! Click here!

Want to be "in the loop" on all Children's Wing activities? 
Be sure to join our Facebook group 
(FFUMC Children's Ministry)!
Staff Christmas Gift
Please express your gratitude to our dedicated, hardworking staff. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee encourages members to respond to a staff gift "special offering" in lieu of a Christmas bonus.  Please label your offering "Staff Christmas."  We will divide and distribute this offering to the staff in mid-December.
NAMI Knoxville Support Group
Next Meeting: Tuesday, 
November 20  at 6:00 p.m. 
   
A National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Support Group for the Knoxville area meets at First Farragut UMC on the third Tuesday of every month from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Families and friends of persons with mental illnesses such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia lead and support one another. For more information, contact Joyce Judge at 966-4731.
Church-Wide Christmas Celebration
Wednesday, December 12 at 5:45 p.m.

Don't miss out on our annual Church-wide Christmas Celebration! We'll have dinner, music, and a pageant so awesome and fun that you'll want to bring everyone you know!  This event is open to all ages! Click here to register.
UMCOR Appeal for Cleaning Kits and Hygiene Kits
SUNDAY IS LAST DAY TO DONATE

UMCOR has made a second appeal for the collection of Cleaning
Buckets and Hygiene Kits to respond to Hurricane Michael and its devastating impact on Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. The cost of a Hygiene Kit is about $12. The cost of a Cleaning Kit is about $65. You may bring individual items or a full kit and we will deliver to Oak Ridge office.  The Serving Team will:  provide buckets and lids for Cleaning Kits and large plastic bags for Hygiene Kits and  cover the shipping costs for the kits.  Please bring your donations and leave at Missions table on Sunday. Bless you for responding to this unprecedented need.

Care and 
Prayer 
Concerns

Please remember the following  care 
and prayer concerns  this week:
  • Christian Missionaries Everywhere
  • Richard Bartosik
  • Judy Bensey
  • Karen Blazer
  • Donna Bocik
  • Father of Erica Kay Burnette (dislocated shoulder)
  • Troy Cato (colon cancer, son of Renee Alley's friend)
  • Lee Collins
  • Lisa Davis (brain cancer, Carrie Lawson's friend)
  • Rachel Downs (breast cancer, Randee Schoenike's friend)
  • Kylen Ellis & Michelle (Michelle is Kylen's mom. Kylen has rare form of leukemia.)
  • Marilyn Halas (son Carl  has colon cancer)
  • John Hankins 
  • Charlie Helms
  • Jeanette Krupski 
  • Kris Lane (son-in-law of Steve & Jeanette Krupski)
  • Cheryl Lewis & Family  (chemo treatments continue, friend of Harden Family)
  • Deanne Lucas' sister
  • Phillip Luster (husband of Brenda Bradford's niece)
  • Paula Northcutt (bone marrow donor )
  • Jack O'Brien (stage four lung cancer, Jim O'Brien's brother)
  • Kevin O'Brien (end stage renal failure, Jim O'Brien's brother)
  • Marilyn Oliver (stage four liver cancer, mother of Kerri White's
    co-worker)
  • Michael Rainwater 
  • Jolanda Rice (hospice, Jeanette Krupski's mother)
  • Julianne Schoolcraft
  • Mendi Smitherman (cancer, Barb Collins' friend)
  • Becky Luther Tannehill (breast cancer, Carrie Linn's aunt)
  • Judah Thacker (brain cancer, Molly Veness' friend's nephew)  
  • Mackensie Thomas (daughter of Ashley and David, granddaughter of Pastor Don and Anna)
  • Teresa Tomlinson (kidney failure, Patti Parker's sister) 
  • Trecia Walters (cancer, Mark Overbay's cousin)  
  • Military Personnel & their families
Intermediate and long-term concerns are held in prayer daily through our 
prayer chain and prayer groups. 
If you have a prayer concern, 
please contact 
the church office  at 966-8430 or admin@ffumc.org.
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