This Sunday November 4, 2018

Rev. Bud Reeves Offertory “We Wait for a Little Child” Caroline Beneux, Soloist Nancy W. Vernon, Organist

Rev. Bud Reeves Offertory “Come, Messiah!” Communion Anthem “Creation Will Be at Peace” Chancel Choir Louann Dooly, Oboe Ryan Jacobs, Percussion Gaye McClure, Chancel Choir Director Nancy W. Vernon, Organist

Rev. Dane Womack “O Come All Ye Faithful”  “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble” “O Come Emmanuel” “Wake Up” “Mystery”

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

We have had a tremendous response so far to our Taking the Next Step Campaign for our annual giving. We have received 271 cards (up over 20 from last year) for a total estimate of giving of $1,331,251. That’s up over $102,715 (8.4%) from last year. Following a successful capital campaign last spring in which many people made three-year commitments, this response is truly remarkable. Thanks so much for your commitment to extravagant generosity! We are still taking estimate of giving cards through the end of the year. If you have not yet turned in an estimate, and you would like to be part of this big victory for our church, you can mail the card in, stop by the church office, or make your estimate online at fsfumc.org. Every commitment, no matter how large or small, is important to our church and to our God. Thanks so much!

HAVE A “PROPHET-ABLE” ADVENT!

Wow! Advent is already here! This has been a fast year. It has been a great year in many respects. We have made some great strides in ministry this year--new members, growth in worship attendance, new and stronger programs, lots of outreach to the community, phenomenal financial response to the two campaigns, and a complete renovation of the Family Life Center. What a year! Now it is time to step back, take a deep breath, and focus on the reality that we celebrate each Advent and Christmas. God is with us, and God sent his Son to save us. We have a month to get ready for the miracle of Christmas. Of course, December is the hardest time of year to get spiritually focused. So many activities crowd our schedules--social events, community functions, school programs, shopping, decorating, cooking, traveling--it’s hard to take a deep physical breath, much less spiritual.  On the other hand, December is a tough time emotionally for many people: those who live alone and don’t have a busy calendar, the poor who cannot afford the material excess of Christmas, the grieving who are facing a holiday without a loved one. For them, Advent and Christmas can be a hard and sad time. Let me suggest four ways you can make a blessed spiritual season out of this Advent and Christmas.  1.  WORSHIP.  Advent and Christmas are great times for worship in the church. We have our Lessons and Carols, our Christmas Eve services, and all of the worship seems especially beautiful this time of year. Our Advent sermons will focus on the prophecies of Isaiah relating to the birth of the Messiah. These great texts speak to the hope of the people of Israel for the Savior God would send-and did-in Jesus! Advent is a season of promise, of great hope, that leads to wonderful joy. Share that with us in church this season! 2.  PRAYER.  The best way to breathe deep into the spirit of Advent is to carve out some quiet time to reflect on the promise and fulfillment of God. We have produced an Advent devotional book written by church members, staff, and pastors that can be a great Advent resource for your personal prayer time. Be sure and pick one up and read these all-new devotional offerings. Take time to sit and read and pray and breathe and feel the presence of the Promise. 3.  THE LONGEST NIGHT . If your spiritual journey has been difficult this year because of illness, death, divorce, or any kind of struggle, I recommend you join us for the Service of the Longest Night on Sunday, December 16, at 5:00 p.m. in Roebuck Chapel. We will share Scriptures, prayers, Communion, and light candles in memory of our loved ones in this beautiful and meaningful service. I find the Longest Night to be a deep breath of God’s grace every year. 4.  SERVE.  There are many ways to focus on God by focusing on others this Christmas. We have already started our Angel Tree project. There are service opportunities in the church and community everywhere you look. At some point, do something for someone else, and you will feel the joy of Christmas. Advent and Christmas are in many ways “the most wonderful time of the year.” But the reason it is wonderful is because God loves us enough to send his Son to Bethlehem as a baby. The words of the prophet ring out the promise: “a Child has been born for us, a Son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) I hope you enjoy this Advent and Christmas of 2018.     I hope it revives your spirit. I hope it renews your soul for a new year of of discipleship in 2019. I hope to see you often this December!

Rev. Bud Reeves Senior Pastor breeves@fsfumc.org

Christmas Poinsettia forms will be available in your Sunday bulletin or in the church office.

A NEW PRAYER MINISTRY

Meets Sundays at 9:30 a.m. This group will pray for the individuals and needs in our congregation and community, particularly prayers for those facing health problems. Meet in the prayer room (room #203, 2nd floor of educational building). For more info, contact Rev. Janice Sudbrink ( jsudbrink@fsfumc.org or 479-782-5068).

MAY WE BE SURPRISED

A few weeks ago our staff did a quick pass through our holiday schedule and plans. We will continue to revisit the details every week. It would be an understatement to say December is a busy time here at the church. You can read about much of our holiday schedule here in this month’s newsletter. I think we have some awesome and worthwhile opportunities coming up including Christmas Eve services, Lessons & Carols, Sunday School with Santa, the Children’s Christmas Re-enactment, and serving our community at the Creekmore Christmas Train Ride. There is even more, much more, than I can summarize here in this article. I hope you find yourself at church in December perhaps more than usual. What a wonderful season of fellowship and joy as we anticipate and celebrate the birth of Jesus! At the same time, I have been struck this month by the waves of disappointing news we have experienced here at the church and as part of our shared, public life. Reports of new or recurring cancer diagnoses and the untimely loss of loved ones as well as multiple mass shootings, the California wildfires, and a contentious political season. It seems we enter this season of JOY, HOPE, PEACE, and LOVE very much aware of our need for something, anything beautiful and good. But busyness will not save us. The peculiar thing about Christmas and the Christmas story is the way we have turned a relatively small thing into a very big thing. An unlikely baby born in a second-rate manger to forgetful parents. There was no crowd, no party save for some sheep and unnamed shepherds. While it might have been a miracle, it was the sort of miracle no one knew about nor celebrated for many years.  We walk a fine line this month. We already feel the pressure building. We will have to be intentional with our time and energy. This party. Those gifts. The calendar will be full and the credit card will be worn out. And yet, where will we find Jesus? Where will we find JOY, HOPE, PEACE, and LOVE? At that meal? Gathered with friends? In the Christmas Eve Candlelight? One of Apostle Paul’s favorite phrases is “mystery.” He refers many times over to the new thing God has done in Jesus in this way. For example, Colossians 1:26, “ the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed.” In this sense, Paul doesn’t mean that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are still unknown to us, but they are in some way hidden, or at least unexpected. God’s work is not obvious. It is only by the will of God, the work of the Spirit that this truth has been shared unto us. And it is by God’s grace that we might respond. I rather like this word “mystery.” In a season of calculation and execution, where everything must be just right, we remember that Christmas is the work of God. It is to us a mystery and therefore not something we can control or manage. And in fact, because we cannot control or manage the goodness of God, that goodness might save us. God’s salvation begins where our control ends. This is the mystery hidden in the unlikely baby in that familiar manger. Happy Advent and Merry Christmas.

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

Our Christmas events have been made available to you on postcard size handouts that will be available for you in your Sunday bulletin and at all worship entrances. They are the perfect size for you to handout to your family, friends and coworkers.

WNL Dates: begins on Wednesday, January 9th . Sign Ups: You can sign up online at  http://fsfumc.org/discipleship/nightlife , or by calling the church office.   ** Books and materials for each class will be provided at the first life group meeting**   Rev. Bud Reeves Study: A Disciple’s Path by Jim Harnish and Justin La Rosa (An additional early Class offered at 4:30 pm with Rev. Don Thrasher) Rev. Janice Sudbrink and Dixie Spears Study: A Bead and a Prayer by Kristin Vincent Rev. Dane Womack Study: Meet the Minor Prophets   Rev. Don Thrasher Study: 6 Things We Should Know About God by Tom Berlin Kelly DeSoto & Gail Oakes CARING THROUGH CARDS B. J. Cobb & Kim Swaim—RE:FORM (YOUTH) Michael MingsYOUTH STUDY: PILGRIMAGE (YOUTH-HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS & JUNIORS) Sally Ware, Karen Wyatt and Kelly Jacimore—CHILDREN

Children’s Choirs Begin Again January 16. All children need to Pre-Register for choir. Choir I (4 years-1st grade) Parlor, Room 201          Choir II (2nd grade—6th grade) Bayliss HalL 4-5:30 pm Choir and Handbells Please contact Nancy Vernon at nvernon@fsfumc.org

FIRST KIDS HAPPENINGS

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!   Everyone is invited to Creekmore Park on December 11th, 5:30-7:30, as our church sponsors the Holiday Express. We will be serving hot chocolate, cookies and trainloads of FUN. We need volunteers to work one hour shifts. Please call Sally Ware if you can help! 782-5068. Sunday School with Santa will be Sunday, December 16th during the Sunday School hour. We will have professional photos, Santa Cookies, Holiday Punch and of course, Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be there!    Families, please drop by with your children, have a cookie and get your photo made before taking your children to Sunday School.   Remember to turn in your Angel Tree gifts by December 2 . If you missed picking up an angel, see Sally Ware.

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FAITH MOMENTS

Over the past few months since I joined the staff, I have become really impressed with the community outreach ministry that our church does to the folks around Fort Smith. Every single one of these ministries is outstanding. Lives are touched by these ministries. God’s Love is being spread around. This past month, I had the opportunity to see the Red Shield Diner at work where we serve dinner on the third Sunday of every month at the Salvation Army Center to the folks who need a hot meal. I had the opportunity to see the Last Sunday Breakfast in action which provides a free warm breakfast to the folks in our community that need it. What is so neat about this breakfast is that donations are also accepted to help the Clearinghouse Ministry in their Backpack Program to help feed the school children on the weekends during the school year. Good crowds from Fort Smith were at both of these meals. At each meal, people’s hungry stomachs were nourished. Our church was represented by folks from the Roundtable Class and folks from the Serve Team one weekend in November providing dinner to the residents of the Community Rescue Mission while their regular cook took some time off for vacation. Again, our church was in action to help our community.   On Thanksgiving Day, November 22, our church sponsored the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner to the Community. At that dinner, we provided a home- cooked dinner to the folks of the Fort Smith Community. In all, approximately 325 people ate dinner in the Fireside Room, took food home, or had meals delivered by church volunteers. This wonderful Thanksgiving Ministry has taken place at our church for years and years.  These types of ministries can be called Community Feeding Missions. They are only a part of what our church does to reach out into the community. I am so proud of our church and its many missions. These types of ministries live out the Gospel “I was hungry and you gave me food” (Matthew 25:35 NRSV). What a way for us to show God’s Love to the Fort Smith Community!

In the hospital: ·  Ted Goodman ( Baptist Health ) ·  Fred Kirkpatrick ( Mercy )

THE GIFT OF COMMUNITY

It tends to be the case that the best gifts we receive are not the material things. Sure, some of God’s great gifts are material, the “daily bread” of life. These provisions certainly should not go without our gratitude and praise. There is a gift that seems almost material to me in our church’s youth ministry, because in many ways, this gift can be felt. It is the gift of community. Over the past semester, it seems to me that God has been increasing the sense of community in our youth group. Maybe this can be expected with time, shared experiences, and laughter. Yet it seems like the church and its ministries are a place where God binds people together in a way that only God can. Communities are a funny blessing. We can praise and lament for them in the same breath. Our students learn this quickly on a long van ride. What a joy it is to sing “Party in the U.S.A” at the top of our lungs! What a great lament we share in car sickness. There are many lessons to be learned about God’s nature of love in a community, aren’t there? I think about the last several months in youth ministry and praise God for the discussions, the events, and the different challenges that have brought our youth together in a community. I look forward to building our sense of community further this month in Bible studies and Christmas parties. If you are a teenager, or if you know a teenager, who would like to share in this gift of community, come join us at FIRST YOUTH! We will be meeting this month on the 2nd, the 9th, for our Christmas party on the 16th, and again on the 30th. Sunday school meets at 10AM on the third floor, and FIRST YOUTH meets in the Loft from 5PM-7PM on Sunday nights. I truly believe that if you share in the experience of Christ with us, you will be blessed by his fellowship, and hopefully ours too.

WEEKLY CALENDAR

Sunday, December 2 8:30 am Roebuck Chapel Worship 8:45 am Holy Grounds, Narthex 9:30 am Prayer Ministry, Prayer Room 9:45 am Sunday School 11:00 am Sanctuary Worship 11:00 am Connexion Worship, 3rd Floor Loft 3:00 pm District-wide Charge Conference, Great Hall 5:00 pm First Youth, Loft   Monday, December 3 2:00 pm Staff Meeting, Conference Room 6:30 pm Scouts, Room 300   Tuesday, December 4 9:30 am UMW Christmas Coffee, Narthex 7:30 pm UAFS Choir Concert, Sanctuary   Wednesday, December 5 10:00 am Prayer Group, Prayer Room, 2nd Floor 10:00 am Ladybells Practice 4:00 pm Children’s Christmas Rehearsal, Sanctuary 5:30 pm Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel 7:00 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm Connexion Praise Band Rehearsal, Great Hall   Thursday, December 6 7:00 am Youth Breakfast Club, Chick Fil-A 10:00 am Knitters & Knotters, Narthex 12:00 pm UMM Bible Study/Lunch, Friends Classroom   Friday, December 7 5:30 pm Round Table Sunday School Class Party, Fireside Room   Saturday, December 8 10:30 am Women’s Christmas Brunch & Cookie Exchange, Fireside Room

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 200 N. 15TH ST.  FORT SMITH, AR 72901 (479)782-5068 | FSFUMC.ORG Pastor on Call (479)459-5060 Email: fsfumc@fsfumc.org Office Hours: Monday-Friday  8:30AM-12:30PM & 1:30PM-4:30PM   SUNDAY SERVICES 8:30 AM Roebuck Chapel 9:45 AM Sunday School for all ages 11:00 AM Sanctuary (Radio broadcast on 96.7 FM) 11:00 AM Connexion, Family Life Center-Great Hall   WEDNESDAY SERVICE 5:30 PM Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel   Nursery is provided during worship services for birth thru Kindergarten age.

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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