THIS SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 1, 2019
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“
The One About Stocking Up
Before The Party
”
Matthew 25:1-13
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Rev. Bud Reeves
Offertory
“O Jesus, Blessed Lord”
Sandy Hunt, Soloist
Nancy W. Vernon, Organist
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Rev. Bud Reeves
Offertory
“Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning”
Communion Anthem
“Draw Near”
Chancel Choir
Gaye Mings, Chancel Choir Director
Nancy W. Vernon, Organist
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Rev. Roy Beth Kelley
“Even So Come” “In Christ Alone”
“Because of Your Love”
“What a Beautiful Name”
“Your Love is Extravagant”
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There is a branch of psychology often used in counselling called “Family Systems Theory.” I have had a little training and decades of experience dealing with family systems. Churches are like family systems, too, only with more people. The theory says that a system tries to achieve
homeostasis,
which really means normalcy, peace, harmony, and tranquility in relationship to one another. But there are usually events that inject anxiety into the system, upsetting the equilibrium. These may be good events--a marriage, birth, new job, or a child leaving home. These events may be negative--illness, death, divorce, addiction, etc. The system reacts to these events by trying to restore homeostasis, through denial or rejection of the problem or person, or by reconciliation and resolution of the problem.
We recently took Abby to college. That is a good thing. But her leaving upset our family system; it put stress on our
homeostasis.
Carey and I are having to adjust to this new reality. (Actually, pray for Zoe, Abby’s dog. She is taking it hardest of all!) It’s all good, but it’s a process.
The church as a family system rarely experiences
homeostasis.
There is always something to upset the peace and tranquility we treasure. There is always sickness, death, and trouble in the church family. We have experienced staff turnover recently; that produces systemic anxiety. There is uncertainty in the national organization of the United Methodist Church. While that doesn’t bother most of us, for some of us it is unsettling, to say the least.
Then there are all the anxiety-producing realities that are outside the sphere of our control: politics, pollution, climate change, violence at home and abroad.
How do we cope, survive, or even hopefully thrive in an anxious system?
1.
Take each day one day at a time.
We can’t function if we worry about everything that
might
happen. Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34) Do the best you can each day; lie down at night and rest; start again tomorrow.
2.
Keep one eye on the horizon.
While taking each day one at a time, keep glancing at the far horizon. There is a bigger picture, a greater vision, a further goal. Don’t forget that each day is an incremental step toward a preferred future.
3.
Maintain a non-anxious presence.
In these anxious times, it is important to keep enough distance between ourselves and events so that we can see things from an objective perspective. The poet Kipling spoke of being able to “keep your head when all around you are losing theirs.” This is as important as it is difficult to do.
4.
Never give up.
When your life, your job, your church, your world feels like walking through a swamp, keep slogging through. If you stop, you will sink for sure. Progress is being made, even if you only see it in the rear-view. Don’t quit. After a year of war in which he saw his country on the brink of destruction and despair, the great Brit Winston Churchill said he had learned one lesson: “never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in.”
Life is full of stress, trouble, and anxiety. But life is also full of God, and God gives us grace and strength and peace and hope. God’s best work is often done in anxious systems. Remember Calvary?
There’s an old story about a preacher who was flying on a plane, and mid-flight the captain came on the intercom and announced that passengers needed to stay in their seats and fasten their belts because they expected some turbulence up ahead. Shortly after that, it was like some meteorological mutt had grabbed the plane and was shaking it like a rag toy. People were holding on to their seats with white knuckles, reaching for the barf bags, and weeping in fear.
Across the aisle from the preacher was a little girl who seemed to be in another place. She was calmly reading a book and seemed unaffected by the anxiety around her.
When the plane finally landed and was taxiing to the terminal, the preacher leaned over and said to the girl, “I noticed you didn’t seem scared at all through the storm back there. How could you be so calm?”
The little girl answered, “Why should I be scared? My daddy is the pilot of this airplane!”
In life, there will always be turbulence up ahead. But it’s OK. We are secure. We know who is flying the plane. If we can trust the Pilot, then we can live and work and serve and rest and thrive even in a system filled with anxiety.
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Senior Pastor
breeves@fsfumc.org
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We used to have a beautiful wisteria in our backyard. Wisteria are those unusual plants that have woody stems and lots of purple flowers. They love to climb. I have even begun to see them climbing all over wooded land, reminding me of kudzu. Apparently, they are considered an invasive species in some areas. But, I love them! The one that we had was planted against our fence, and it grew across the top of the fence and had latched onto it for support. It was planted in a narrow triangular patch of soil at the intersection of two concrete sidewalks.
One summer, the wisteria was doing it’s thing; it was covered with purple flowers and green leaves. The plant seemed perfectly healthy. However, its stem started to pull up out of the soil, and when we investigated the whole thing came up out of the ground. The roots were falling apart, and it had been hanging onto the soil by a thread of a root. The plant did not survive many more days. I was flabbergasted that the plant could look so beautiful on the outside and have no root system at all.
One of my all-time favorite scripture passages is found in Ephesians and talks about having strong roots in the love of Christ.
As a result of having strong roots in love, I ask that you’ll have the power to grasp love’s width and length, height and depth, together with all believers.
I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19, CEB).
What a beautiful thing to imagine being so rooted in Christ’s love that we might be filled entirely with the fullness of God! When we are rooted in Christ’s love, not only are our own lives different, but we are able to bear spiritual fruit in the world. There are so many ways to grow our roots, and the church helps with that in all kinds of ways. Our roots grow through worship, engaging with scripture, attending to spiritual disciplines such as prayer, learning with small groups and serving others. Another profound way to develop deeper roots of faith is through spiritual retreat.
My faith walk was greatly impacted by attending The Walk to Emmaus, a 72 hour experience sponsored by the Upper Room. The retreat is described as “an experience of Christian spiritual renewal and formation that begins with a three-day short course in Christianity. It is an opportunity to meet Jesus Christ in a new way as God’s grace and love is revealed to you through other believers.” The purpose of this course is not just to grow our roots in Christ, however; the purpose is also to equip believers to bear fruit in the world through Christian action. If your interest is piqued, please check out
emmaus.upperroom.org
. There is an upcoming women’s walk October 3-6 to be held right here in Fort Smith at St. Scholastica, with a men’s date pending. I would be thrilled to talk with you more about this opportunity to grow (
rbkelley@fsfumc.org
). My prayer for us all this day is that we might have strong roots in the love of Jesus Christ that we might go into the world in Christ’s name.
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Executive Associate Pastor
rbkelley@fsfumc.org
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Sunday, September 1
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
Monday, September 2
Labor Day
Church Offices closed
Tuesday, September 3
11:00 am Staff Meeting, Conference Room
Wednesday, September 4
11:00 am CCM Training Meeting/Lunch, FLC116
5:30 pm Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel
6:00 pm Pastor’s Summer Bible Study, Friends Class
6:30 pm Connexion Band Practice, Great Hall
7:00 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, September 5
10:00 am Knitters and Knotters, Fireside Room
5:00 pm Foundation Board Meeting, Friends Class
Friday, September 6
10:00 am Pacesetters, Fireside Room
Saturday, September 7
12:00 pm Shoal Creek Camp Birthday Party, Shoal Creek Camp
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FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT...
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Thank you to 39 great 2019 Music Campers:
Jasmine Bear, Mason Jane Brubaker, Noah Bubbus, Emory Cross, Alec Hassler, Ethan Hunt, Livia Pryor, Jag Richardson, Maya Wisley, Eliana Colbert, Josie Mankin, Kennedy Mumme, Raquel Nash, Cameron Smith, Neva Aguilar, Tucker Gulstad, Tristan Henehan, Nicholas Ragsdale, Finnegan Ridgley, Katherine Apple, Madelyn Ham, Holley Wisley, Ruthie Aguilar, Madeline Alt, Darcy Chidester, Hayes Childers, Paige Faldon, Dane Poole, Kaitlin Swaim, Thomas Veatch, Sophie Grace Weiler, Caroline Beneux, Vann Childers, Isabel Grey, Addison Ham, Claire Hassler, Schuyler Henehan, Macy Poole, Stella Stites who worked so hard to make a
$2,200 gift to ANTIOCH
possible.
Thank you to great adult helpers
: Breck Cogswell, Kelly DeSoto, Kim Swaim, Betty Mabray, Becky Faldon, Heather Brubaker, Cindy Peevy, Trish Ragsdale, Wilma Hill, Mardell McClurkin, Randy O’Kelley, Rowland Vernon, Ann Crabtree.
YOUTH HELPERS
: Madison Jaronitski, Gracie Weidman; Emily Autry, Sara Mulhurn, Micah Alt, Elizabeth Gordon, Vivian Apple, Emma Gulstad
STAFF
: Rev. Roy Beth Kelly, Sally Ware, Debbie Hicks, Trevor Hardcastle, Diane Wing, Jeannine Thomas, Regina Butler, Beverly Fielding, and Justin DeWitt.
We loved the new stage! We learned a lot about food insecurity and ANTIOCH. We learned all about “The Lost Boy”, the story of Jesus in the temple at age 12 teaching all who would listen. We had a great week!
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Children’s Choirs Begin Sept. 18th!
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!
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Director of Music Ministries
nvernon@fsfumc.org
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This month FIRST YOUTH is off to another adventure at New Life Ranch in Concord, OK. We’ll be attending our second annual Fall Retreat with other youth groups from our district. I speak for myself and our students when I say that we’re excited to disconnect from school and cell phones to connect with God, our youth group, and the beautiful outdoors.
With a recent 80’s pop culture revival, our theme for the retreat this year is 80’s Ancestors. Our theme verse comes from Hebrews 11:2, “Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.” It’s all about standing on our past so that we can be firm in our present. We should always remember and praise God for the ways that he worked in the past, while seeking for a fresh and new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We’ll be talking all about that at New Life Ranch this month!
Please be in prayer for our retreat! We’re setting out to build our faith and build up our group. To God be the glory!
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Director of Youth Ministries
mmings@fsfumc.org
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A big mission that our church provides is the “Last Sunday Breakfast” which we have in the Fireside Room every month. In reality, it is a multiple mission. The breakfast feeds our neighborhood community, is a fellowship meal for our congregation, supports the “Meals for Kids Backpack Program” which feeds the hungry children in our schools through the Community Services Clearinghouse, and provides the medical services of blood sugar and blood pressure checks for church members and neighborhood guests. All leftover food is then distributed among the feeding ministries in the Fort Smith area.
In talking with Jane Stauffer, a volunteer in the “Last Sunday Breakfast”, the mission has been running for over 20 years. It first started by the Chapel Class as “The Backpack Breakfast” as a way to make money to donate to the Clearinghouse for the “Meals for Kids Backpack Program”. In its first 10 years, the members of the Chapel Class would purchase the food, cook the food and offer it to the church members on the last Sunday of every month. Church members made financial donations for the breakfast and all the money donated would go to the Clearinghouse.
In 2008, Rev. Janice Sudbrink brought up the idea to the class of feeding the neighborhood. This would invite persons in the downtown area and the immediate surrounding area of the church that do not have access to food on Sundays. As a result since that time, the breakfast was expanded, the name was changed to “Last Sunday Breakfast” and the guests from downtown and the neighborhood were fed free. Food was ordered, purchased, and delivered to the church by the Chapel Class. The food served to our downtown and neighborhood guests is purchased through a church grant. The food bill is divided by ⅓ paid by the Chapel Class and ⅔ paid by the church grant. Each month the money donated at the breakfast continues to go to the Clearinghouse Backpack program.
In the last eleven years, the breakfast has had other volunteers come and help the Chapel Class with this special ministry. There are usually around 18 to 20 volunteers for each breakfast. The volunteers arrive at 7 am on that Sunday and serve in many ways. The hours of the breakfast are 8:30 am to 9:45 am in the Fireside Room of the Family Life Center.
Please come and enjoy our Last Sunday Breakfast each month. Our thanks to the Chapel Class and to all the other volunteers who serve God in it. What a blessing from God that this multiple mission ministry has been to the Fort Smith community!
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Minister of Adult Discipleship
dthrasher@fsfumc.org
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Starting Wednesday, September 11
in the Great Hall
We will kick-off WNL for fall with another Pack Shack event from 6:30-7:30 pm. We plan to pack 20,000 meals to be used in local hunger relief and for the children and youth of our neighborhood partner schools. See more details on the church
website.
Truckin Delicious will be on hand from 5:30 - 6:30 pm so folks can purchase dinner before Pack Shack. Their food truck will be located under the breezeway between the Narthex and the Family Life Center.
Wednesday Night Life Classes
September 18 - November 6, 2019
** Books and materials for each class will be provided at the first life group meeting*
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Living Through Personal Crisis - Conference Room
Led by Rev. Don Thrasher. All of us have or will experience some sort of crisis in our lifetimes. As Christians, how do we cope and deal with crises in our lives? This video series by Dr. Robert Morgan utilizes a workbook (“Crisis 101”) and his book “The Red Sea Rules,” which will give us the spiritual tools that we need to deal with all kinds of crises. Suggested donation: $20 per set of books.
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Caring Through Cards - Aldersgate Classroom//Room M105
Led by Rev. Janice Sudbrink, Kelly DeSoto, Gail Oakes, and Jeanne Starr. This class will include an inspirational devotional, fun and fellowship as well as making handmade cards. These cards will be sent to those 80 and over and used by our Congregational Care ministry. No particular skills required -- just a desire to touch the hearts of others.
Spiritual Journaling - Conference Room//Led by Rev. Don Thrasher. Have you ever wanted to journal spiritually on a daily or weekly basis? The book, “Spiritual Journaling: Recording Your Journey Toward God” by Robert Peace will be used as our resource book. There will be some homework to experience the practice of journaling. Note: Please purchase a spiral bound one subject notebook for use in the class. Suggested donation: $10 per book.
The Faith of a Mockingbird - Room M303//Led by Rev. Roy Beth Kelley. This is a study by Matt Rawle (including watching the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird”) based on Harper Lee’s book. It will utilize Lee’s beloved characters to explore our place in the world and God’s story as well as what it means to live out a hopeful faith in a broken world. Matt Rawle’s book, “The Faith of a Mockingbird” will be used as our resource book. Suggested donation: $10 per book.
Christianity and World Religions - Room M301//Led by Rev. Dr. Bud Reeves. This updated study by Rev. Adam Hamilton explores four major world religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism - and compares the beliefs of each with those of Christianity. In examining these major world religions and beliefs of their followers, we are urged to build bridges with others so that we might grow in our faith, seek peace in our world, love our neighbors, and find positive ways to share the Gospel. Suggested donation: $10 per book.
All the Best Questions (and Some Answers, Too!) (YOUTH)//Led by Michael Mings
Author and Pastor Jeremy Steele has spent his career answering teens' questions about faith, life, and the world--and
All the Best Questions!
brings all the toughest questions he's gotten together in one book...with some answers, too. From theology to science,
All the Best Questions!
will help young people get answers to the questions they're afraid to ask--and give them the tools they need to wrestle with their own answers. There are no easy answers to these questions, but together, we'll think critically and learn from each other.
Faith Journey (CHILDREN)//Led by Sally Ware
Nursery available for age’s 0-Kindergarten with Ms. Linda and Ms. Kerri. We will continuing on our Faith Journey for children 1st through 6th grades. There will be mission projects, games, snacks and fellowship.
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Pastor on Call:
Monday through Friday, 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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In Memory of:
- Ralph Perryman by Patsy Perryman
- Frances Ann Jones by Patsy Perryman
- Brenda Mendenhall by Ronald & Rebecca Yates
- Don Jones by Patsy Perryman, Christopher & Cynthia Kenna
- Herschel McClurkin by David & Betsy Ferris
- Albert Newton by Fred Williams, John & Harriet Beasley, Robert & June Harrower, Dr. & Mrs. Steve Kilpatrick, Whit’s Marine, Inc., Peter & Kay McBrady, Benton & Phyllis Daniels, Sallie Ladage, Don & Shirley White, JP & Marsha Willis, David & Joy Armbruster, Thomas Godwin, Paula Lloyd, Jim & Janice Hail, David & Betsy Ferris, Mont & Ann Echols, Randy & Jane Bittle
- Dr. Richard Aclin by Fred & Marsha Hindman, Bob & Janice Powell, Kelly & Marilyn Newton, Dr. James & Janet Ellis, Ray & Jane Morgan, Priscilla Harper Cook & Family, Jack & Louanna Green, David & Leanne McClanahan, David & Betsy Ferris
In Honor of:
- Dolores Chitwood by Jack & Louanna Green
- Mardell McClurkin by David & Betsy Ferris
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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-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
Nursery is provided during worship services for birth thru Kindergarten age.
WEDNESDAY SERVICE
- 5:30 PM Holy Communion, Roebuck Chapel
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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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