NEW WORSHIP SERIES
Starting this Sunday!
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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COMMUNITY LEVEL - MEDIUM, MASKS RECOMMENDED on Sun, Sept. 11th |
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CHURCH DIRECTORY TIME! STARTING SEPTEMBER 11th
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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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.
Final call for reservations - please call the church office at 372-2256 by Friday.
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Do you have free time on Tuesday mornings?
Our office staff meets together on Tuesday which leaves our door and phone unattended. Would you be willing to serve one Tuesday morning each month in our front office? The office needs a team of 4-6 volunteers on a rotating basis to greet visitors and answer phones from 9am-12pm on Tuesdays. Lanie, our office manager, will show you everything you need to know to feel confident greeting our guests and callers. She would love for you to join a team of Office Angels to help with this task. Call the church office or send an email to officemanager@fumclr.org to volunteer.
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Third & Fourth Grade Bibles - September 18th
In both worship services on Sunday, September 18th our third and fourth graders will be receiving a Bible in worship as we celebrate their ongoing discipleship journey. If you have a 3rd or 4th grader in your life who would like to be a part of this important faith milestone, please contact Rev. Brittany ( bwatson@fumclr.org). |
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FUMCLR Helping Jackson
An Issue of Racial Equity
Rev. Haley is from Jackson, MS and has this to say, "There is a water crisis in Jackson that is a matter of public health and an issue of racial injustice. 82% of the Jackson population are people of color. Racism left the city flailing without adequate funding to fix the infrastructure causing the crisis we see today. We all remember Flint. We can assist the people of Jackson. Send a donation to the Church, and we will donate to the Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition. This Coalition is made up of 20 grassroots, community based organizations that are making sure the people have clean water."
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Surviving to Thriving Survey
Our church’s vision for the next few years is to help people move from surviving to thriving. Living in chronic survival mode for the past couple of years has left many people burned out and spiritually empty. Yet, we believe that the grace of God can heal us and allow us to thrive again. We need your help measuring how effectively we’re moving from surviving to thriving. Please follow the link below to a survey that will assess our church’s current state between survival and “thrival.” Your input is extremely important for how we can create experiences for spiritual healing and renewal in God’s grace. The survey should take less than 10 minutes, and we are grateful for your time and feedback.
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Support Pride Fest 2022!
FUMCLR is a gold sponsor for this year's Pride Fest on October 15th in Argenta! Our community of faith will have both a booth and parade entry this year. We are looking for a small group or individuals to help with the float and booth! Ideally a small group would volunteer to design and coordinate the design of the float, while many First Church friends volunteer to represent in both the parade and the Pride Fest booth. Central Arkansas Pride is committed to uplifting our local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we are proud to be a community partner. If you would like to participate, please email Lesley (landrews@fumclr.org).
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Conference-wide Young Adult Book Study:
Gather with young adults from around the state for learning and discussion. The book club will be on the 2nd Sunday of each month beginning on Sunday, September 11 from 8-9 pm on Zoom. We'll be reading the book The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone over a three month period and will gather each month to discuss a section of the book. If the cost of the book is a challenge, we can help. If you’re interested in joining us, sign-up here: https://forms.gle/EeHgVwKhLJwwPnxm7.
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We will collect UMCOR School Supply Kits during the month of October to take to Ingathering in November. Stay tuned for the list of items to be collected and the packing party! |
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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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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 pamelarowen@yahoo.com.
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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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 (dfreeman@fumclr.org, 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 (stlarkowski@fumclr.org, 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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Razorback Watch Party, September 10 at 11 am
At Rev. Brittany's house. Football, food, and friends, it's as simple as that. If you are planning to come please:
1) Text Rev.Brittany to RSVP (501-529-2044)
2) Bring a snack to share!
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!
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Sunday night youth (this Sunday 9/11) will be from 3:30-7:30 as we will be participating with youth from around the Central district celebrating Fall at Ferncliff. Please have your youth at FUMC by 3:30 so we can take the van out to Ferncliff where there will be food, fun, and worship, until 7:00, fun activities include: hiking, big deck, 9 square, disk golf, and sand volleyball. We will return to FUMC by 7:30.
Thanks, see you Sunday, Adam
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Congratulations
To parents Liz Oswald and José Azar and grandparents Sarah Spencer and Fred Oswald, following the birth of Carolina Vera Azar Oswald on September 6th.
To parents Mary Katherine and Heath Henderson and grandparents Donna and David Smith, following the birth of Heath Harley Henderson on August 30th. Garret and Piper Henderson are excited to finally meet their little brother!
To Tom and Claudia Utley following the recent marriage of their son Lucas Utley to Samantha Huckabay on August 13th.
Welcome Peashe Wal Baby!
Our adopted Afghan family welcomed their baby girl into the world on Wednesday, September 6. We rejoice with them in her safe arrival. Mom and baby are doing well. We tend to welcome babies with a meal train for the family. Due to dietary restrictions we decided to do a meal train fund. If you would like to participate in the meal train fund, simply mark your donation with “Afghan meal fund”. We will get the money to the family, and they plan to shop at their favorite market, ZamZam. Reach out to Rev. Haley with any questions.
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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 stlarkowski@fumclr.org.
■ 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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