THIS SUNDAY OCTOBER 6, 2019

“Judaism” Mark 12:28-31

8:30 am Roebuck Chapel

Rev. Bud Reeves Offertory “The Wayfaring Stranger” Randy O’Kelley, Soloist Nancy W. Vernon, Organist

11:00 am Sanctuary

Rev. Bud Reeves Offertory “Hear, O Israel” Anthem “O God, You Are My God (Psalm 63) Chancel Choir Gaye Mings, Chancel Choir Director Nancy W. Vernon, Organist

11:00 am Connexion

Rev. Roy Beth Kelley “Come Thou Fount” “Gracefully Broken” “Your Love Awakens Me” "King of My Heart" “Jesus We Love You”

A NEW STEP FOR OUR FOUNDATION

I am very excited about the new step the FUMC Foundation has taken to offer community grants to help other non-profits do the work of the Kingdom in our community. This is what foundations are supposed to do! We are blessed with a wonderful Foundation, funded for over 50 years by many generous donors. Each year, the Foundation supports the ministry of the church, providing money to fill the “gap” between our annual contributions and our expenses for ministry. This has ranged from $100K to over $200K since I have been here. This is such a blessing, because it means we do not have to contend with budget cuts, staff layoffs, etc., that could hamper our ministry. However, the Board of Directors last year approved a 4% spending policy, which means that 4% of the total value of the available endowed funds may be expended each year. This is a conservative figure in line with most charitable foundations. That means that we actually have more money to spend than we need to make up the difference with our church’s operational ministry. What a blessing and opportunity to do even more for the cause of Christ! So this year we are able to make a round of grants detailed in the accompanying article. This is a major step that will hopefully do several things: (1) help more people in our community have better lives and to share the love of Christ more effectively, (2) illuminate the wonderful asset that our Foundation can be for the ministry of Christ in our church and community, (3) encourage other church members to consider our foundation when making estate plans (Either Patti Cox or I can have that conversation with anyone interested.), (4) raise the level of community awareness of FUMC as a great church (Amazingly, not everyone in town knows that!). Very few churches have the blessing and opportunity that we have in our Foundation. Indeed, even our own Foundation has been a “well-kept secret,” doing good behind the scenes for years. We are so grateful to all the saints who have made our Foundation a reality, and we believe now it is better to be transparent about the good it does and to make the Foundation an even stronger aspect of our ministry.  Immediately, of course, the question comes up: If we have all that Foundation money, why do we keep asking people to give to the church? First, even if we used all the available Foundation money just on ourselves, it would only be about 15% of our annual budget. But mainly, our continued emphasis on generosity in financial support of the church is not primarily to pay the church’s bills. It is to develop people spiritually. Generosity is a spiritual discipline, and even if we had a Foundation large enough to pay all of our bills, we would still ask people to be generous, for the sake of their souls. We’ll be saying more about that in the weeks to come!

Rev. Bud Reeves Senior Pastor breeves@fsfumc.org

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Arianna Garcia—Confirmed and new member. Zach Hocott—Reaffirmed his faith but already a member. Logan Hocott—Baptized and new member. Davie Rains Hocott—Child of Zach and Logan—Baptized. Wesley Mock—Baptized—Son of Matthew Mock and Jackie Cronkhite

Arianna Garcia

Zach, Logan, and Davie Hocott

Wesley Mock

FUMC FOUNDATION AWARDS OVER $99,000 IN COMMUNITY GRANTS

For the first time ever, the FUMC Foundation has invited local non-profits to apply for community grants that will make life better and share the love of Christ with people in Fort Smith.   In the spring of this year the Board of Directors of the Foundation adopted a mission “to establish a community grant program to support the ongoing and new ministry of the church without impact to the annual budget of the church.” The vision is “to shine the light of Christ (Matthew 25:40) in the community, region and world through a grant program designed to empower and engage others in meaningful mission.”   The Board adopted funding priorities which include: Projects within FUMC not addressed in annual budget which enhance the ministry of the church; Projects designed to help marginalized populations in our community; Projects which address basic human needs – for example projects to alleviate hunger, provide clean water and address other environmental needs; to combat homelessness; to create safe environments for children, and the like; and, Projects with matching funds or additional sources of financial support. This summer 14 non-profits applied for grant funds, and 12 were approved for funding. The 2019 Community grants include: $31,000 for the new playground for the Weekday School and Child Enrichment Center at FUMC. $1,298 to the Good Samaritan Clinic for a new washer/dryer. $2,000 to the Sack Lunch Program for milk purchases for children. $5,000 to the Single Parent Scholarship Fund to support scholarships. $7,500 to the Community Rescue Mission to replace the commercial oven in their kitchen. $16,000 to UAMS to help fund Alzheimer’s caregivers training workshops. $2,500 to United Way for the Imagination Library program, providing books for underprivileged children. $10,000 to Community Services Clearinghouse for the backpack feeding program for school kids. $3,000 to the St. Anne Society/Good Samaritan Fund to give assistance to local citizens for rent and utilities. $6,000 to Interfaith Preschool for three full scholarships for children. $12,000 to Next Step Homeless services to provide skills training and support for homeless women. $3,000 to Antioch Youth and Family Services for support with their food pantry. Total funding for these community grants totaled $99,298. Many people will be helped and lives improved through these ministries in our community. The First United Methodist Church Foundation was formed in 1967, and through the generous gifts of generations of donors has grown to about $11 million dollars. Significant support is given each year to the ministry of FUMC. The current Board of Directors is dedicated to making good use of this wonderful asset to share the love of Christ and improve lives in the Fort Smith community and beyond. Questions may be directed to Patti Cox, Executive Director of the Foundation, or to Bud Reeves, senior minister.

IN OUR PRAYERS

In Mercy Hospital: Ron Powell In Fayetteville VA Hospital: Ray Morgan   Loss of loved ones and friends: Mike (Kaye), Matt, Amy and Scott Ichniowski and family on the death of Mike’s mother and Matt, Amy and Scott’s grandmother, Marie Ichniowski. Alex (Cathryn) and Rollins Hoge and family on the death of Alex’s sister and Rollins’ aunt, Miranda Hoge. Jeanne (Charles) Ledbetter and family on the death of the father of Mike (Lori) McOlvin, Cindy (Kevin) Poynter, Becky (Greg) Gosnell, and husband of Susie McOlvin, John McOlvin

WEEKLY CALENDAR

Sunday, October 6 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, Great Hall 5:00 pm First Youth, Loft 5:00 pm Staff Parish Relations Meeting, Conference Room   Monday, October 7 2:00 pm Staff Meeting, Conference Room 6:00 pm Women’s Bible Study, Friends Class 6:00 pm Cub Scouts, Room 309 6:30 pm Scouts, Room 300   Tuesday, October 8 8:30 am BSF Leaders Meeting, Room 312 10:00 am UMW Circle: Deborah, Fireside 10:-00 am UMW Circle: Ruth, FLC 101 10:00 am UMW Circle: Rebekah, home of Martha Paris 7:00 pm UMW Circle: Mary, home of Margaret Thompson   Wednesday, October 9 9:15 am Women’s Bible Study, Fireside 9:30 am WDS and CEC Chapel, Roebuck Chapel 4:00 pm WNL Early Group, Conference Room 5:30 pm Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel 5:45 pm WNL Shared Meal, Fireside 6:30 pm WNL Groups Meet, Various Locations 7:00 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm Connexion Band Practice, Great Hall   Thursday, October 10 10:00 am Knitters and Knotters, Fireside Room 6:00 pm UMM monthly meeting, Fireside Room   Sunday, October 13 12:00 pm Fall Welcome Lunch, Fireside 2:00 pm John McOlvin memorial service, Roebuck Chapel

FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT

Now is a GREAT TIME to join Chancel Choir, Children’s Choirs or Handbells. Watch the newsletter or contact: nvernon@fsfumc.org for more info. Do YOU make a joyful noise unto the Lord? Join us!

Nancy W. Vernon Director of Music Ministries nvernon@fsfumc.org

“I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU WELCOMED ME.” MATTHEW 25:35

Well, friends, I have been a resident of Fort Smith and a part of First United Methodist Church for three months now! Time has flown! I’ve found the bathrooms and a few secret hiding places in the church. I’ve tried many amazing local restaurants, and I even ran into Rooster Cogburn downtown today. I have met so many wonderful people, and I’m beginning to remember your names. You have welcomed me and my family like we were already a part of your family from day one. So, I want to encourage you to do likewise for guests who arrive at our worship services and events. Part of our job as followers of Jesus is to invite others to hear the good news that Christ has to offer the world. We can begin to do that by welcoming guests who arrive for worship or other church events. At our most recent Share Team meeting, we talked about how awkward being welcoming can be. It can be especially awkward for people like me who are introverts. So, I write this month to give you a few tips to make welcoming strangers who aren’t yet friends second nature for us all. Circle of 10: Greet anyone, member or guest, who comes within ten feet of you. Make a special effort to greet people you don’t already know within your “circle of ten.” Rule of 3: Please do not talk to people you know for the first three minutes after the service. Talk only to those you don’t know or people you know are guests. It takes guests about three minutes to exit the church after worship, and we want to connect with them before they leave. Here are some great conversation starters: Offer a handshake and say, “Hello, my name is ____, and your name is? If you think you know the face but can’t recall the name, try this: “Hello, I’m ___. I believe I’ve seen you here before but I don’t know that we’ve had the opportunity to meet. What is your name? (Or just be honest, and say: “Have we met before?”) Don’t be embarrassed if you’re greeting a member and don’t know the person’s name -- or be offended if someone doesn’t remember yours. We need to offer grace to one another, just as we would new people. (Welcoming Ministries Training Manual and Planning Handbook, 2010, 282). If you have time for extended conversations, these are great questions to get to know people: Tell me about your family. Are you new to the area? What brought you to our church today? Do you know others who attend this church? Do you have questions about the church? Thank you for welcoming me! Keep up the terrific work welcoming all the people God brings through our doors. Peace and grace,

Rev. Roy Beth Kelley Executive Associate Pastor rbkelley@fsfumc.org

FIRST YOUTH

The 1980’s are not a time that our youth remember, but I’ve ridden in the van with youth long enough to know that they can belt out Journey, Whitney Houston, and the ever popular “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” . They weren’t there for the 80’s, but the 80’s are remembered through song, Ferris Bueler, and the best neon colored clothing. Our theme for Fall Retreat was 80’s Ancestors . It was all about not throwing away the past and not clinging to it like it’s the only thing that ever happened. Together we learned to stand on our past to make for a better present. The past serves as the foundation that we establish our lives and our faith upon. All of our past mission trips, all of our nights in worship, all of the times when God’s Spirit has been so near, they are meant to build us into the people we are today. Aside from our messages and worship led by the Arkansas Tech Wesley praise band, we had a lot of time to enjoy the outdoors at New Life Ranch. Students could hike, play sports, float on canoes, and enjoy fishing the creek that runs through the camp. Nature ministers to the spirit in a very special way! Our next traveling adventure is in November as we attend the ACCYM event Refuge at Shepherd of the Ozarks. It’s a very beautiful time to be in the hills of Arkansas as the leaves are changing. Guest speaker Devon Arredondo and worship leaders Fox & Foal are sure to move and inspire! Sign ups are open now for 6th-9th graders!  May God continue to pour out the richest of blessings on our congregation and the youth of our city!

Michael Mings Director of Youth Ministries mmings@fsfumc.org

FAITH MOMENTS

Our church does so much in feeding ministries for the city and the community of Fort Smith. There are two such ministries that I want to highlight this month. They are “Food at First” and the “Sack Lunch Program”. On the third Saturday of every month, we have volunteers from our church distribute food boxes to folks from our community. This program is called “Food at First”. The program was developed around eleven years ago and it provides four different boxes of food including a family meal box, a vegetable box, a seafood box, and a snack box. These boxes provide good food for people with mental or physical disabilities who are under the BOST program or the Arkansas Family Support Program. They receive it at minimal cost.  Our church folks can also order the nutritious food on the Second Sunday of each month during the Holy Grounds time in the Narthex. There is a variety of delicious food in each box that fill up a freezer. Members of our church can buy a box (Family costs $31, vegetable costs $13, seafood costs $22, and a snack costs $24). What a great way to reduce our monthly grocery bills! After the boxes are ordered on the Second Sunday of each month, they can be picked up on the Third Saturday of each month from 9 AM to 9:30 AM in the Great Hall of the Family Life Center. If you are interested in ordering a box of food, please do so. If you are interested in donating funds to help this food ministry to people with mental or physical disabilities, please make your check out to “Fort Smith First United Methodist Church” with the memo “Food at First”. Another special feeding ministry is the ‘Sack Lunch Program”. This ministry was started by St John’s Episcopal Church here in Fort Smith. Several churches including ours have volunteers that serve within it. The ministry is now located in the building across the street from the Community Rescue Mission. It provides a sack breakfast and a sack lunch to folks who need it from all across our area. Not all of the folks are homeless that receive such meals. Some may be undergoing difficult financial times and need the meals to help them. We have volunteers from our church to help make the breakfasts or lunches. We also have volunteers who help serve the meals. The usual cost of our community providing the meals to the Fort Smith area is $54,000 per calendar year. If you are interested in donating funds to help this meal ministry, please make your check out to “Fort Smith First United Methodist Church” with the memo “Sack Lunch Program”. If you are interested in volunteering for either one of these feeding ministries, please contact me here at the church. Both are some of the ways that we can share God’s Love to the people of the Fort Smith area.

Don Thrasher Minister of Adult Discipleship dthrasher@fsfumc.org

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.

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 thru Kindergarten age.   WEDNESDAY SERVICE 5:30 PM Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel

RECENT MEMORIALS

In Memory of:   Albert Newton by Gammill, Boyd & Anderson, P.A., Jerry and Jane Hartfield, Larry and Janet Nelson, Larry and Sandra Clark, Rebecca Yarbrough, Richard and Ann Appleton, Roberta Holder, Ruth Davis, Susan Chaney Boyd Saviers by Mary Ellen Jesson Brenda Mendenhall by Robert and Janet Cooper Dr. A.D. Jenkins, III by Mary Ellen Jesson Harry Shipley by Mary Ellen Jesson Larry Oakes by Joel and Sandy Parker Myra Ward by Joel and Sandy Parker Ralph Perryman by Gary and Tracy Keifer, Patricia Payne Rebecca Phillips by Marry Ellen Jesson Richard Aclin by Bob and Debbie Vlasis, Floyd and Judy Bradberry / Laura Cunningham / Karen Davis, Jack and Carolyn Magness, Jane Williams, Jerry and Jane Hartfield, Jr., Joel and Sandy Parker, Larry and Sandra Clark, Mary Nan Carter, Mick and Carolyn Moore, Rev. Aaron and Nell Barling, Richard and Ann Appleton, Taylor and Mary Prewitt, Ted and Virginia Taylor Sam Houston by Larry and Janet Nelson

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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