THIS SUNDAY
January 5, 2020
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Rev. Bud Reeves
Organ Offertory: “
The Coventry Carol”
Linda Chapman, Guest Organist
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Rev. Bud Reeves
Anthem:
“On This Day Earth Shall Ring”
Organ Offertory:
“The Coventry Carol”
Chancel Choir
Gaye Mings, Chancel Choir Director
Linda Chapman, Guest Organist
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Rev. Roy Beth Kelley
“Angels We Have Heard On High”
“O Come All Ye Faithful”
“How He Loves”
“We Three Kings”
“How Many Kings”
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Happy New Year, everybody! I hope your holidays were wonderful. We had a great December at the church. I appreciate all the many folks who gave of themselves to provide extra hands for all the extra activities--musicians, singers, greeters, feeders, and many more. We had some wonderful experiences of worship and fellowship, and we reached out in significant ways to our neighborhood and our community.
I also appreciate all the gifts that were given to support the church in 2019. It will take a few days to get the reports all together, but we will be sharing those soon. But mostly I am grateful that we ended the year in a great way, and 2020 promises to be another great year (now the 177th!) of ministry for First United Methodist Church.
Looming large on my horizon at the beginning of the year is a long-awaited trip to the Holy Land. Carey and I and eight others from our church will join about 25 other pilgrims from Arkansas to journey to Israel from January 6-16. It is my third trip to the Holy Land, but it has been a while, and this trip offers some new places and a new teacher/leader to interpret the trip. Plus, it’s the first time Carey has been, and I can’t wait to see the reaction from her and the other first-timers when they see the places where so many Biblical events happened. The Holy Land is truly an amazing place, and you can bet I will be spiritually fired up when we return.
I know much will be made by punsters like myself about 2020 being a “year of vision.” (Get it? 20-20? Vision? Oh, well…) I have been at this church for 4 ½ years, and I want to do some intentional work this year with the congregation and our leaders on discerning God’s vision for our church in the future. I know God will give us the vision for our mission if we seek it. I hope we see the way clear to become more of the church God wants us to be. I hope that outside of the church, we can see the way clear toward peace in our nation, in our denomination, and in the world. There has to be a better way. I know there are new things to see that will make us better people and better disciples of Jesus. I have this hope because we just celebrated the greatest news of all: “God is with us!” Thanks be to God; that is always true.
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Senior Pastor
breeves@fsfumc.org
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Are you tired of money stress? Then you’re ready to join more than five million people whose lives have been changed by
Financial Peace University
(FPU)! This nine-lesson course taught by Dave Ramsey, Chris Hogan and Rachel Cruze helps you work a plan to nail a budget, defeat debt, and free yourself from money worries! You’ll join a small group for discussions and lessons—all rooted in biblical wisdom and common sense. FPU includes your member workbook and a free year of Financial Peace Membership, with online tools created to support your journey. For more info, contact Carey Reeves at 479-387-8186.
Preview: January 19th from 3:00-5:00pm
Classes: January 22-March 18th from 6:30-7:30pm
(The membership is one per couple if married. All other memberships are one per individual)
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THANK YOU FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT
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The Children’s Choirs Annual Re-enactment of Christ’s Birth was presented December 8 to a very appreciative congregation. Thanks to the children’s beautiful singing and ringing and the generosity of everyone who came, we sent a check for $620 to the Arkansas United Methodist Children’s Home. A SPECIAL thank you to our loyal van drivers who transport children every Wednesday:
Anna and Philip Brown, Carolyn and Charlie Hubbard, Tracy and Gary Keifer.
A heartfelt thank you to
Kim Swaim, Rylee Norton, Linda Dooly, Lucy Gist and Debbie Hicks
who help every choir day! We are very grateful for
Kelly DeSoto, Sally Ware, Trevor Hardcastle, Dan Thomas, Rowland Vernon and Regina Butler
for logistical assistance.
The Chancel Choir presented its annual Lessons and Carols on December 15 in our sanctuary and on December 18 at Methodist Health and Rehab. Thank you to every singer who worked so hard to prepare for this program. The Ladybells presented their annual Lessons and Bells to the Pacesetters on December 20. Including handbell numbers, solos and readings, our Pacesetter program always make us feel the Christmas spirit of love.
As the New Year begins, we wish you peace, love and joy and God’s music in your heart!
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Director of Music Ministries
nvernon@fsfumc.org
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- Cory and Jessica Snow and Brittaney Hubmann —New Members
- Jacob Ward and Rebecca Sook—Transfers
- Jimmy Harris—Profession of faith (photo not available)
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Cory and Jessica Snow and Brittaney Hubmann
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Jacob Ward and Rebecca Sook
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Loss of loved ones and friends:
- Jeremy and Jamie Napier and family on the death of Jeremy’s step father, Darris Johnson.
- Earline Cheyne and family on the death of Earline’s daughter Jane Cheyne.
- Charlie and Jeri Moffett and family on the death of Charlie’s mother, Betty Cross.
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Sunday, January 5
8:30 am Roebuck Chapel Worship
8:45 am Holy Grounds, Narthex
9:30 am Prayer Ministry, Prayer Room
9:45 am Sunday School, Various Locations
11:00 am Sanctuary Worship
11:00 am Connexion Worship, Great Hall
5:00 pm First Youth, Loft
Monday, January 6
9:00 am AARP Tax Aide Training, Fireside Room
2:00 pm Staff Meeting, Conference Room
6:00 pm Cub Scouts, Room 309
6:30 pm Scouts, Room 300
7:00 pm Men’s Dart League, Youth Loft
Tuesday, January 7
8:30 am BSF Leaders Meeting, Room 312
9:00 am AARP Tax Aide Training, Fireside Room
Wednesday, January 8
9:00 am AARP Tax Aide Training, Fireside Room
9:30 am WDS and CEC Chapel, Roebuck Chapel
10:00 am Ladybell Practice
5:30 pm Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel
6:30 pm Connexion Band Practice, Great Hall
7:00 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, January 9
9:00 am AARP Tax Aide Training
10:00 am Knitters and Knotters, Aldersgate
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CONGREGATIONAL CARE TEAM AT WORK WITH VIP'S
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Everyone in our church family is a VIP—a Very Important Person—to God and to the church. But when life circumstances prevent a person from attending regularly, he or she may feel left out, disconnected from the church. Our new Congregational Care Ministry meets the need for connection with our members who are homebound or in assisted living or nursing home facilities.
Our Congregational Care Ministry began when Rev. Reeves asked Rev. Janice Sudbrink and Jeanne Starr if they would be interested in starting a group of laity to provide assistance in the area of pastoral care.
Janice and Jeanne attended training at the Church of the Resurrection and then began recruiting members for the team. Our team visits, makes phone calls and sends cards to our church members in nursing homes, assisted living, retirement centers, and to the homebound.
Prayer is a vital part of our Congregational Care Ministry. If you would like to join us on Sunday morning for prayer, we meet at 9:30 in the prayer room. Prayer cards are sent out by Patty Payne. We are working with the Caring Through Cards Wednesday Night Life class to make extra cards for our Congregational Care Ministry.
If you know of someone in our church you feel would welcome a visit, please contact Janice or Jeanne and let her know. Our team is represented in all three services on Sunday. Our nametags identify our team. Please feel free to reach out to one of us. This is a list of our Congregational Care Ministry members:
Sandra Adams
Gail Oakes
David Adrion
Patty Payne
Jack Green
Cindy Peevy
Louanna Green
Mary Prewitt
Jeanne Ledbetter
Jeanne Starr
Larry Nelson
Suzie Tommey
Sally Matthews
Rev. Janice Sudbrink
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WNL Classes Beginning January 22, 2020:
4:30 PM—Pray Like Jesus: Rediscovering the Lord’s
- Prayer by Don Underwood with Rev. Janice Sudbrink and Connie Adrion
6:30 PM—
- Making Sense of the Bible by Adam Hamilton with Bud Reeves
- The Shortest Books of the Bible study with Roy Beth Kelley
- Emotionally Healthy Spirituality with DeeDee Autry
- Financial Peace University with Carey Reeves
- Card Class with Jeanne Starr and Gail Oakes
- Youth: The Absolute Essentials with Michael Mings
- Children: Faith Journey 1-6th grade with Kelly DeSoto
Sign-up sheets coming soon!
If you have any questions check out FSFUMC.org or call the church office at
(479) 782-5068.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook for updates!
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"THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS" JOHN 1:5
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Happy New Year, Church! What a wonderful Advent and Christmas season we have had! It is a little bit jarring, though, to put the Christmas lights and decorations away and to experience the cold and darkness of January. When we leave for work, it is dark; when we get home from work, it is dark. I tend to get cranky and want to hunker down inside. Depression can certainly be worse during the winter. However, the light of Christ is shining brightly all around us even when our lives feel the darkest! It seems like there are so many unexpected ways the light of Christ breaks in on us: a message of love from a friend, a devotional that speaks directly to us, a good laugh or even a good cry.
Here at FSFUMC, we are praying that you will experience more of God’s presence in your life every day, and we are dedicated to providing some help for your journey. New classes begin this month on Wednesdays, and they offer us ways to learn and grow in our faith. New service and mission ministries within the church and out in our local community are available for 2020. Won’t you strive to see and share the light of Christ in a new way this January? All the details are on the church website, or please email me for more information. Also if you are grieving and would like to be a part of a group that goes out to lunch periodically just to enjoy a meal and support one another, would you please email me? Finally, I hope you enjoy the blessing below.
A Blessing for the Long Nights
God’s peace to you in the twilight,
in the long winter night.
God’s comfort to you in sadness,
in the mournful places of your soul.
God’s courage to you in your weakness,
facing turmoil, facing trial.
God’s love to you in your pain,
in the sadness of the small one who weeps inside of you.
God’s presence to you in your loneliness,
in the dark, empty corners of your heart.
God’s peace, God’s comfort, God’s love,
God’s blessing be yours.
(from
Christ Beside Me, Christ Within Me, by Beth A. Richardson)
Peace and grace to you and yours,
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Executive Associate Pastor
rbkelley@fsfumc.org
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One thing that I love about being Christian is that we can always say with great confidence that
the best is yet to come
. I hope those words are more to us than a nice thought or wishful optimism, because if there is truth in the Gospel there is truth in that affirmation. Maybe just reading those simple words, the best is yet to come, has already lifted a burden off of your shoulders. After all, as we find ourselves in the calamity of today, our hearts need the comfort of resurrected hope in Coming Salvation.
If you’ve been to a youth ministry in the past 30 years, you’re well aware of the tune “
Big House
”. It’s a well known fact that this song will never go away. Besides for all the “la la la’s”, the song finds its roots in the words of Jesus to his disciples in John 14: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
There is no comfort like having the Holy Spirit affirm those words to us. In carrying on the spirit of Advent we continue to celebrate and anticipate those special days to come. Indeed,
the best is yet to come.
But what about now?
Wouldn’t it be negligent to allow ourselves this comfort but not work to see that the world knew this comfort as well? It seems that the more we anticipate our future, the more we neglect the moment.
I see this all the time and know it full well for myself. When I was in elementary, I couldn’t wait to go to junior high! Then when I was in junior high, I couldn’t wait to go to high school! Then when I was in high school, I couldn’t wait to go to college! Then when I was in college, I couldn’t wait to start working! I guess retirement is next!
I love looking at the horizon. It’s beautiful. It’s good. At times the best thing for us to do is to sit and stare at the what’s beyond. Other times ask for us to sit across from a person and listen to their story. Christ possesses a mystical balance in our past, our present, and our future. May we simultaneously increase our anticipation for the Coming Kingdom as well as our joy in life today. Amen.
In Christ,
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Director of Youth Ministries
mmings@fsfumc.org
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It was Thursday, August 29, 2018. I just crossed the state line on I-40 from Tennessee into Arkansas. I made a stop at the Arkansas Welcome Center. I took a deep breath, got back into my Chevy Trax, said a quick prayer, and took a leap of faith as I started to drive to Fort Smith. As an almost senior adult, I never thought that God would guide me to serve way out of state for a Deacon appointment. Yet, God did and I followed that call.
Four hours later as I entered the Fort Smith/I-540 exit from I-40, I said yet another quick prayer and took another deep breath as I drove into Fort Smith. I did not know a single person except the staff members and some church members that I met during my on site interview that previous July 25. I felt that God had called me here to a “Big Ministry Adventure” for a season of my ministry.
Within a few days, I was settling in my new apartment as well as settling in my new position here at the church as the Minister of Adult Discipleship. For the next 17 months, my focus was on serving in my areas of ministry here - Adult Christian Education and Community Missions plus other kinds of ministry that I was asked to do. I have never done this kind of Missions to this extent before and I am proud of the 21 missions that our church sponsors. I felt like God was calling me here to first listen, then to second learn, and third, plant seeds. With God’s help, I have been able to do all three. My prayer is that the seeds will one day take fruition.
Most everyone here knows about the story of the Holiday Cactus. It was given to me by my mother when I moved to South Carolina to begin out of state Deacon ministry. For the first couple of years, it bloomed every November. In 2010, it stopped blooming but I tried to take care of it for the next seven years. After I moved here to Arkansas in 2018, Nancy Vernon put the cactus in ICU and nursed it for two weeks.
Last year on December 3, it started to bloom for the first time in eight years and was in full bloom by Christmas.. In 2019, it began to bud and bloom in mid November and was in full bloom on December 3. What caused the full bloom in 2019? We changed its position. In order to fully bloom in ministry, God is now calling me to change my position.
January 19, 2020, will be my last Sunday here at Fort Smith First United Methodist Church. As I move on to the second part of my “Big Ministry Adventure”, I want to say how much I have loved living and serving in Fort Smith. I also want to say how much I have loved the congregation and the staff here at our church. This 17 Month part of the Adventure provided great times, new experiences, some rest of my life friendships, and a wonderful place to call home. You all helped me start to bloom. I am so grateful to God and to you all.
Somewhere between late January to late February, I will drive up I-540 to I-40. I will then say a quick prayer of Thanksgiving, take a deep breath, and then go where God is calling me to serve next. I will look back over my time in Fort Smith with love, gratefulness, warm memories, and a smile. Thank you, God, for this part of my “Big Ministry Adventure”.
It has been a joy to serve Christ with you here.
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Minister of Adult Discipleship
dthrasher@fsfumc.org
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PASTOR ON CALL
M-F 8:30 AM-4:30 PM:
(479) 782-5068
Weekends and Evenings:
(479) 459-5060
When there is a hospitalization, a death in the family, or any other time you may need urgent pastoral care, we encourage you to use these numbers. The pastors rotate on-call responsibilities to assure that one of them is always accessible.
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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-4:30PM
Closed for lunch 12:30PM-1:30PM
SUNDAY SERVICES
- 8:30AM Roebuck Chapel
- 9:45AM Sunday School for all ages
- 11:00AM Sanctuary (Radio broadcast on 96.7 FM)
- 11:00AM Connexion, Family Life Center
Nursery is provided during worship services for birth through Kindergarten age.
WEDNESDAY SERVICE
- 5:30 PM Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel
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In Memory of:
- Ron Powell by Ted and Virginia Taylor, Bob and Nadine Miller, Michael Willis and Lori Hardin, Philip and Anna Brown, David and Joanne Phillips, David and Joanne Phillips, Thomas and Susan Webb, John and Harriet Beasley, Alan Lewis and Nancy Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Gary Kurtz, Dan and Vonda Ovaitt, Geraldine Reeter, Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Stephens, Carolyn T. Jenkins, Jackie Simpson, Marvin and Linda Mumme, Dr. Larry and Sue Grace, Jack and Louanna Green, Ruth Davis, Larry and Sandra Clark, Duane and Martha Carolus, Rev. and Mrs. Aaron Barling, Lynn P. Nancarrow, Robin Nordin, Marlin and Janet Fretheim
- Richard Aclin by George and Carole Beattie, Bob and Nadine Miller, Discussion Class—FUMC
- Dr. A.D. Jenkins, III by Bob and Nadine Miller
- Myra Ward by Bob and Nadine Miller
- Ralph Perryman by Bob and Nadine Miller
- Rebecca Phillips by Bob and Nadine Miller
- Betty Cup by George and Carole Beattie
- Larry Oakes by George and Carole Beattie
- John Jones by George and Carole Beattie
- Albert Newton by George and Carole Beattie
- Dorothy Doville by George and Carole Beattie
- John McOlvin by George and Carole Beattie
- Elizabeth Mila Jimenez by Dr. James and Barbara Saviers
- Judy Staggs by Charles and Karen Still, Terry and Joann McFerran, Bob and Nadine Miller, Dr. James and Barbara Saviers
- Jim Hayes by Jack and Louanna Green, John and Kimberly Mcfarland, Ted and Virginia Taylor, Michael Willis and Lori Hardin, Philip and Anna Brown, Donnie Pendergraft, Fran Bateman, Kim and Jean Bercher, Warren and Cynthia Giss, Jane Williams, Paul and Phyllis Hamilton, George and Carole Beattie, Discussion Class—FUMC, Dr. James and Barbara Saviers
- Hugh Atwood by Bob and Janice Powell, Mike and Susan Schulte, Randy and Jane Bittle, Bob and Jan Cooper, Kelly and Marilyn Newton, Pat and Charlotte McGowan, Jack and Louanna Green, Susanna O’Sullivan, Philip and Anna Brown, George and Carole Beattie, Discussion Class—FUMC, Dr. James and Barbara Saviers, Marlin and Janet Fretheim
- Champ C. Hinton by Richard and Ann Appleton, Lankmark CPAs, PLC, Paul and Suzanne Henson, Ed and Ann Endicott and Family, Mr. and Mrs. William Stell
In Honor of:
- Robert Dawson by Benjamin and Caroline Beland
- Tommy and Blanche Donoho by Ted and Ginger Taylor
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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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