Dear FUMCLR,
I'm extremely excited about August 28th. We have two very special events planned. I hope you will be a special effort to be a part of this day.
A BIG SING with John Thornburg
First Tradition, our 11:00 worship service, will be a special event called a BIG SING led by Rev. John Thornburg. A BIG SING is a way for the congregation to experience singing in a whole new way. We'll learn new songs and sing old songs in new ways. John is great at helping people who aren't comfortable singing have fun and enjoy the process. John is a nationally know hymn writer and has traveled globally learning with musicians of many different styles. He has also been a mentor of mine for over 10 years, and I'm extremely excited for our congregation to have this worship experience together. You won't want to miss this experience. (We are also planning a great worship service for First Word that day filled with music and prayer.)
Fauré Requiem in Memory of John G. Lile III
At 3:00 pm that day, our music ministry will present the Fauré Requiem. This music composed in 1885 by Gabriel Fauré after his father's death is considered by many some of the most beautiful melodies ever composed. You know how talented our choir and leaders are and I know this will be an incredible concert.
John Lile was a long time member of our church who loved the music ministry. He passed away in 2020, and his family was unable to hold a full memorial service because of COVID cautions. As a way to celebrate John's life, the requiem will be presented in memory of him. We will also be dedicating new hymnals for the sanctuary that were given in memory of John. I hope you'll come to this special concert to remember John and let your heart be filled with beautiful and sacred music.
What a day we have planned. I can't wait to share these two worship experiences with you.
David
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Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem is one of the most famous choral works every written. It is a work of great comfort and solace in trying times. Faure said of his own work that it “is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest." Though a relatively brief piece when compared to its contemporaries, the Faure Requiem truly presents the best that late nineteenth and early twentieth century choral music has to offer.
Our afternoon concert will feature solos from all of our section leaders, congregational hymns, and this magnificent work accompanied by the equally marvelous Casavant organ.
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COMMUNITY LEVEL - MEDIUM, MASKS RECOMMENDED on Sun, Aug. 28th |
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Join us for our final August Lunch and Learns- Wednesday, August 31st
Meet at Noon in First Cup
On the 31st – Overcoming our Fear of Technology
Lesley Andrews will be on hand to share some tips and techniques for all things technology! We'll take a look at a few things specific to the technologies our church utilizes, and we'll also answer any specific questions you bring to the table.
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NEW WORSHIP SERIES - Starting September 11th
The last two and a half years have brought so much disruption to our lives. Even now, as we return to familiar patterns, we can’t fully return to what we consider normal. Maybe we’ve even forgotten what normal is. So, maybe we need to get back to the basics of life and rebuild from there.
This fall at FUMCLR, we’re going back to the basics. Each week in worship, we’ll focus on the basics of our Christian faith. These practices enrich our lives, draw us closer to Christ, and fuel our life’s journey; worship, prayer, study, serving, community, and generosity. With Romans 12 as our scriptural guide, we will rediscover the purpose of these basics and maybe find new ways to practice them. When these practices are our normal, we have a stronger foundation to create all the other parts of our lives, no matter what life brings our way.
Join us each Sunday, starting September 11 at 9:00 and 11:00 and get back to the basics.
September 11 Back to Worship
September 18 Back to Study
September 25 Back to Prayer
October 2 Back to Serving
October 9 Back to Community
October 16 Back to Generosity
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CHURCH DIRECTORY TIME!
Friends - it's been too long since our last church directory! After so many requests, we are finally gearing up for a new one! Starting Sunday, September 11th, Lesley will be in the courtyard taking directory photos from 10-11 am and 12-12:15 pm! Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.
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New Boy Scout Troop
The Quapaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America is working to increase their diversity and inclusion for all youth and recognized a lack of youth program opportunities for kids that live in and around downtown Little Rock. Therefore, they have approached our church about hosting a new scout troop in our building (this is a slightly different arrangement than being a Chartering Organization). This means that as they start a new Cub Scout Troop this fall, they will be meeting in our church at least one night a week. This troop will recruit participants from several downtown schools including our partner school Washington Elementary. In the conversations with the Quapaw Area Council, our church's Board of Trustees was pleased to hear that their values align with our church's mission and value of inclusion as Boy Scouts are open to all boys and girls. They also maintain a rigorous background check and monitoring of all adults who work with the Scouts. We are grateful that Charles Feild, who has worked closely with the Boy Scouts for decades and currently serves on their Board of Directors, has agreed to be our church's liaison to the troop. This is another exciting opportunity for our church to live out our mission of being good neighbors to make Little Rock a place where all God's children THRIVE.
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This year’s special guest speaker is Imam Khalid Latif. Imam Khalid Latif is the University Chaplain for New York University and Executive Director of the Islamic Center at NYU. Imam Latif’s experiences as chaplain at NYU, the New York City Police Department, and at Princeton University, inspired him to work across the divisions of many faith groups. Working closely with Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, Latif co-founded Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership in response to NYU students who sought opportunities to cross faith boundaries. Imam Latif and Rabbi Sarna’s work was featured in Chelsea Clinton’s documentary film “Of Many”. Imam Latif and Rabbi Sarna co-teach a course at NYU titled, “Multifaith Leadership in the 21st Century”
Love Thy Neighbor will also feature the words and songs of Sophia Said, The Interfaith Community Choir, Diya Chakraborty, Adrienne Collins & Band, Sister Deborah Troillett, R.S.M., The Rev. Susan Sims Smith, and Jud Martindale
Join us in person at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church or on The Interfaith Center’s Youtube channel at 6pm on Thursday September 8. We can’t wait to see you!
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Join our Washington Reading Tutor Team
It’s time to organize our tutoring program at Washington Elementary! Below you will find all the details about commitment and how to sign up. Join the legacy of reading tutors at Washington from FUMCLR. Our goal is to have 15 reading tutors this school year. If you have any questions, please contact our lay leader Pamela Owen at [email protected].
The Commitment: Spend one hour per week from the week of October 3rd through the week of March 13th (with two weeks off for winter break) serving as a reading tutor, mentor, and friend to an elementary student.
1. Sign up online by visiting www.arkidsread.org/volunteer and select Washington Elementary as your site. In late August, AR Kids Read will reach back out to you to schedule your exact tutoring times, but daytime school tutoring will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. After-school tutoring times will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 3:30 and 5:30 pm.
2. Complete a background check form.
3. Attend a tutor training session.
4. Start tutoring!
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United Women In Faith is meeting on September 11
On Sunday, September 11, UWF will have their lunch and meeting in the Fellowship Hall after the 11:00 am worship service.
The speaker will be Anna Beth Gorman who is the Democratic Nominee for Secretary of State. Anna Beth has a strong vision and plan for how to expand the office to ensure that all Arkansans can exercise their constitutional right to vote and that Arkansas is seen as a leader in economic and democratic equity. Anna Beth and her husband Colin are members of FUMC LR and call North Little Rock their home.
Also, in 2016 Anna Beth became Executive Director of the Women's Foundation of Arkansas. In her current role as CEO she has led the organization through tremendous growth and expansion, while increasing the investment and impact on Arkansas Women and Girls economic mobility.
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Meal Packing Postponed, Ingathering Save the Date
The meal packing event scheduled for Sunday, September 25 has been postponed. Any money donated will go directly to our Washington Elementary partnership for ministries on Wildcat Way. We are looking forward to our 4th quarter church wide mission project, Ingathering, at the Arkansas Food Bank. Mark your calendars for this Conference wide event on November 12 where all ages are welcome. We will be sending out more information shortly on how FUMCLR will prepare for this hunger and disaster relief event by gathering UMCOR hygiene kit supplies in October.
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Retreat Opportunity for Spiritual Renewal
R3 Retreat: Rest, Rejuvenation, and Resilience
Autumn in the Ozark Mountains
R3 is a retreat to experience rest and rejuvenation while building skills for resilience. While there are several opportunities in life for the first two R’s, rest and rejuvenation, building the third R, resilience, helps people avoid spiritual burnout and emotional exhaustion. This retreat led by David Freeman and Mary Jane Cole will provide an opportunity to experience all three R’s. There will be time each day for light hiking or walking in some of the most beautiful spots in the Ozark Mountains (White Rock Recreational Area and Devil’s Den State Park). The combination of rest, meaningful conversations, and exploring God’s creation will increase capacity for resilient and wholehearted living.
To sign up or get more information, contact David Freeman ([email protected], 501-372-2256 ext. 204)
Dates: September 19-21
Location: Mount Sequoyah Retreat Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Cost: Single occupancy room=$375 per person, Double occupancy room=$275 per person (Includes lodging, transportation, and most meals.)
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Have you joined The Next 200 Birthday Club?
In honor of your birthday or the birthday of a loved one, give a dollar for each year of life. Your entire gift will go to the Perpetual Endowment Fund helping us reach our Next 200 goals. You can place your gift in the envelopes available in the sanctuary pew racks or contact Sonja Taylor-Larkowski ([email protected], 501-372-2256 ext. 209).
Congratulations to August Birthday Club Members with gifts totaling $518:
Melinda Martin
Marie Jordan
Ben Jordan (in memory)
Sophia Lu
Thomas Lu
Samuel Lu
James Bynum
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Bring us your #5’s
Caring for our community by recycling
During one of our June Lunch and Learns, we discovered that #5s can be recycled in Little Rock, but they just can’t be included in our curbside carts. We can help with this! First Church will collect your clean #5 containers and bring them to Natural State Recycling. #5 are things like yogurt tubs, sauce/dip tubs, or to go containers where the opening at the top is larger than the base. Recycling is one of many ways we can be good neighbors.
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Back to School Bash, August 27 from 4-6 pm
Jody's House- 27 Plantation Acres Dr.
Join us for food, games, inflatables, and horseback rides as we say "GOODBYE" to summer and "HOWDY" to a new school year. Come for the whole party or drop by for a hotdog! We hope to see you there!
Questions? Want us to save you a spot? Call or email Rev. Brittany
Razorback Watch Party, September 10 at 11 am
Location:TBD (Let me know if you want to host!)
Football, friends, food, and fun- there's not much else to it! Watch the whole game or just stop in to say hi. We don't have a host for this event yet, so let me know if you might be interested.
Parent Info Meeting, September 11 at 10 am
Come and get a glimpse at what to expect with Kids@First for the next few months. Calendars, forms, questions, and so much more! Kids can hang out in the Cokesbury Center or go the gym for some supervised play!
First Family Sunday School, Sunday, September 4 at 10 am
On the first Sunday of the month we invite the entire family to gather for Sunday school. We will start in the First Cup Cafe and then offer an opportunity for the whole family to play, learn, and grow in faith together.
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August 28 - Pool Party at the Darwin's, 5:00 pm - We will meet at the church Sunday evening and then head to the pool. Youth will return to the church by 7:30 for pickup.
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Congratulations
To parents Justin and Cameryn Burch and grandparent Charles and Kelli Miller on the birth of Archer Henry Burch on August 17th.
Sympathy
To Marian Berry, after the passing of her mother, Claudine Owens, on August 9th.
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5 WAYS TO GIVE
Following are ways you can give your tithes and offerings:
■ Mail: You may still mail to the church office.
723 Center Street, Little Rock, AR 72201.
■ Bank Draft: Contact our Finance Director, Sonja Taylor Larkowski by phone at 501-372-2256 Ex. 209 or email [email protected].
■ Church App: Click Give in the church app. To download text FUMCLR App to 77977. Or search for FUMCLR in your App Store.
■ Text: Text FUMCLR to 77977. Follow instructions in reply.
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Being good neighbors to make Little Rock a place where children THRIVE. |
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