First United Methodist Church
of Longview
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The Voice
March 6, 2019
Ash Wednesday
A Change of Season

As this article goes out in "The Voice," we have entered a new season in the Christian Year. Today is Ash Wednesday and it marks the beginning of the season of Lent. If you are reading this and it is not too late, I highly encourage you to join us for our Ash
Wednesday Service at 6:00 PM in the Faith Center tonight.

During Lent, both Pastor Becca and I will be preaching from the Psalms. These passages speak to our attempts to communicate with God about our experiences of life and our desire for a real experience of God in our struggles, our joys, and all our in-betweens. We groan for God to guide us in a faithful journey of life.

Last week, the called General Conference of the United Methodist Church left many wondering where this would lead us and what would be the ultimate outcome of this “conferencing.” We find ourselves in the midst of ongoing discernment regarding how the church moves faithfully as we seek to reach all of sacred worth. At the same time, we find ourselves struggling with how to understand God’s will for our practice and ministry in a highly charged atmosphere regarding human sexuality and scriptural interpretation. For many, this is a difficult season of either too much change or not enough. Many struggle with the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

As all of this swirls around, we are called to a sacred time, a holy season, where we seek to draw closer to God and God’s will for our individual lives and our communal witness together. As we enter into Lent, I pray that this will not be just another change of
season, but an entry into a hope-filled season of change in our hearts and lives that leads us to a more authentic, impactful, and fruitful season in Christ. As some are mired in a perspective that this is an uncomfortable time of uncertainty, I pray that we will
experience a season of hope and promise in a loving and gracious God that calls each of us and all of us together to participate in a transformational season of change for our world.

I invite you to join us in an exciting season of change during this Lenten Season. See you at church!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Jay
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Scripture this week:

Psalm 91
Lent is a season of learning and leaning into God in intentional ways, and we are able to first lean into God by learning to trust Him. This week's scripture is a Psalm of entrance and departure liturgy from the Temple - an assurance that God is with us outside of the traditional "Holy places" that seem so safe.
Wednesday, March 6th - Hotdogs, bag of chips, fruit, dessert.
*Please note - this is Ash Wednesday, and children will be eating with their parents in the Faith Center. Kids Blitz does not begin until AFTER the Ash Wednesday service. We will end Kids Blitz at 8:00 PM.

Wednesday, March 13th - NO KIDS BLITZ! Spring Break week.
Upcoming Dates
Ash Wednesday service: in the Faith Center,  March 6. Children stay with their parents for dinner in the Heritage Room AND during the Ash Wednesday service. After the service, they will join Loren and their teachers for their regular Wednesday night activities.

The District Pre-Teen Mission Camp (SummerSlam!) for 4th through 6th graders will be  June 18 - 21. This year, St. Luke's Methodist Church in Kilgore is hosting this event.

Vacation Bible School will be held  July 15 - 19 from 9:00 - 11:30 AM.
Summer Mission Trip Sign Ups
It’s summer time! And at FUMC, we want you to know about all the awesome summer activities that you (or your kids) can be a part of this year!

Part of what we do each summer is Mission Trips. The registration for both Big House and SOS is now LIVE, so click the link below to register your child(ren) or yourself to attend one or both of these awesome mission opportunities.

Donations for Asbury House

Each month Asbury House is collecting one type of item to help stock their shelves! In March they are collecting broad-tipped, washable markers ! You can bring your donation items to the church office during the week or drop them off at the Welcome Center on Sunday mornings in the Asbury House boxes!
Life Together at FUMC Longview
Join us for Wednesday night dinners, where Chef Michelle and her staff are sure to whip up a delicious meal!

March Menu

March 6 - Drinks: Coffee, tea, water
To start: Side salad
Meal: Chicken dumplings with roasted baby carrots and a warm dinner roll
Dessert: Cookies
Kids: Hot dogs, chips, fruit, juice, and dessert

March 13 - Drinks: Coffee, tea, water
To start: Green salad with fixings
Meal: Beef and chicken fajitas, refried beans, rice, and a side of chips and salsa
Dessert: Broken glass jello
NO KIDS MEAL - SPRING BREAK

March 20 - Drinks: Coffee, tea, water
To start: Green salad with fixings
Meal: Lasagna in red sauce with steamed broccoli and garlic toast
Dessert: Lemon meringue pie
Kids: Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, green beans, juice, and dessert

March 27 - Drinks: coffee, tea, water
To start: Green salad with fixings
Meal: Dorito taco salad and tortilla soup
Dessert: Strawberry pretzel salad
Kids: Tacos, beans, fruit, juice, and dessert
Thank you to all who contributed cupcakes for the Rusk State Hospital's Birthday Party on February 8th - it was over-the-top! Each guest received at least 3 cupcakes! It was like the loaves and fish - we were blessed with more than we hoped for!

Blessings, Patty McLeroy - UMW Social Action Chair
Family Promise of Longview (LIHN) Gala - March 29

Every year we strive to improve our auction at our gala. Our goal is to offer quality items that will create enthusiastic bidding. There will be something for everyone in a wide price range. Favorite items in the past have been: new electronics, antiques, jewelry, restaurant gift certificates, spa packages, weekend packages, books, airline tickets, hand-crafted items from talented artists, tickets to sporting and cultural arts events, gift baskets, etc...

If you would like to donate an item for our auction, contact of FUMC's Family Promise Church Coordinators (Patty McLeroy) and/or Doris Ramaly at (903) 234-8343.

Please make your auction donations by Friday, March 15, 2019.

Please make plans to join the fellowship and fun on March 29 as we raise funds to assist children and their families who are going through the crisis of homelessness!

Tickets are $50.
To submit an article for The Voice, please email Megan Hopper at mhopper@longviewfumc.org. Info must be submitted by Friday at 5 PM in order to be in next week's edition of the Voice.
First United Methodist Church of Longview
400 N. Fredonia St. Longview, Texas 75601
Tel: (903) 753.4463
Fax: (903) 236.7608