January 20, 2023 E-Newsletter


This week's note from Rev. Bill





What’s Going On Around Church

             Well, both good and bad happened this past week. On the good side, YesuKan and New Horizons have both started back up. The internet issues seem to be getting resolved. We have had some more volunteers in the A/V team. The Monthly breakfasts are getting planned. Our Creative Worship Team is making plans for Lent!
 
             On the bad side, we still have termites in a couple of buildings at the church. Insurance claims are taking a while. And Elizabeth, our new Office Manager, has decided to resign!
 
             Joys and frustrations, steps forwards and steps back – what do we do? It’s easy to praise God when things are going well. Are we just as faithful to praise God’s Name when things take a turn for the worse?
 
             Praising God only when things are good isn’t really praise; it’s just telling God that we’re happy that things went our way. The test of faith comes when we choose to remain faithful even though our senses try to tell us otherwise. 
 
             Have you ever been in a plane on the ground on a grey, sloppy day? You’re still chilled because of getting wet on your way to the plane; you see your luggage getting soaked as they load it into the underbelly of the aircraft; everything seems dreary and miserable. 
 
             And yet not two minutes after the plane takes off, you suddenly burst into clear skies and see sunlight all around you! The wind blows the last remnants of raindrops off the window, and you are blinded by the brilliance of the sun. 
 
             The sun still exists, even when we can’t see it. God still loves us, even if we feel abandoned or empty. Faith keeps on walking, believing that we will get through this eventually. 
 
             We are going to need some more help in the office. If you have a background in finances and/or office management, we need you! We would like to hire someone to work with our church soon, but that may take a bit. And who knows? God may have already provided someone who has the skills (and the time!) that we need in our congregation! 
 
             We are grateful for those who already stepped up to help around the church – fixing broken fountains, tutoring the kids at YesuKan, setting up tables and food at Meals of Hope, running sound and video and computer on Sunday morning. Thank you, thank you, thank you! God is good, and we trust God to provide more workers so that His will is done!

  • Rev. Bill
Service for January 22, 2023

"To Find a Place of Peace"

Psalm 27:1,4-9
On Wednesday's Rev. Bill will be at the church to guide our scripture study that we use to get a "sneak peek" at the sermon message for Sunday!

(THIS WEEK)  Micah 6:1-8

BIBLE LAND PASSAGES TOUR – 
 
 
             Rev. Bill and Kim have spoken with Educational Opportunities, their preferred tour company, and they are setting a date for Sept. 25th-Oct. 7th to cruise through the Mediterranean and visit Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Rome! (Ephesus and Corinth are in there, too!)
 
             This tour will feature Dr. David DeSilva, a United Methodist pastor from Florida and professor of New Testament Studies at Ashland Theological Seminary, as keynote speaker on the ship. We will be on board the Celebrity Apex, built in 2020, and enjoying several days at sea in addition to seeing the Biblical sites!
 
             Tour brochures are being printed up, but if you would like to get booked now you can call Educational Opportunities at 863.648.0383 and tell them that you are interested in tour PF23/A, with Rev. Bill Fisackerly (host number 19032) as your guide. The cost will be approximately $5,000 per person, but includes air fare, on-board gratuities, and two meals a day. 
 
             Looking forward to seeing the pyramids with you!
 
CANOEING THE MOUNTAINS – TUESDAY, JAN. 24th
 
             For those who would like to join in with our study of Tod Bolsinger’s Canoeing the Mountains, we will meet in the church office at 6:00 on Tuesday the 24th to start out discussions. Please read chapters 1 and 2 before you arrive. There are still some books in the office if you would like one!
 
             We will also have a Zoom option for those who prefer. Thank you!
 Rev. Bill
MATCHING GIFT TO BE ANNOUNCED!
 
             We have had a number of people ask if they can set up a “Matching Gift Campaign” to help with our slower summer months financially. We are thrilled! In the next few weeks be listening for details about how you can give to our church and increase your impact with a match!
 
             As your spiritual guide, Rev. Bill would like to remind you that all gifts to this match should come above and beyond your regular giving – we shouldn’t take away from our day-to-day expenses today to pay for tomorrow! If you are in the place financially where you can help with this matching gift, please call Rev. Bill (239.992.1312) to discuss what you would like to do! 
 
       

First UMC Bonita has a variety of ways we can show our love to our neighbors near and far. Maybe cooking and serving food isn’t your thing; instead, you love crafts. Here’s your chance. Cyndie Greenleaf will offer instruction on how to make colorful paper baskets at a session Thursday, January 26, from 10 to noon in the church office. 
These baskets will have a dual purpose: they provide fun fellowship for the crafters, and they can be used as an outreach opportunity by being distributed at events like the monthly free community breakfasts or to nursing homes or other groups. So, wherever your talents lie…cooking or crafting…there’s a place for you!
Guys it's cold out here!
Can we come in and give you the news?
Ok! Princess tell them!
Invasion of little people!
"TOM AND PRINCESS' CORNER"!

The places we go and the things we see!
Burr Burr it was cold out this week!!!
During the week we heard a loud sound! Almost as loud as the time Tom rolled in a Carolina Reaper field! It was so loud and long we ran for shelter. When we peeked out we saw little people on our campus!! Heard someone say it was a fire drill!!!
Yep!! Carolina Reaper!
Sunday was the BEST, we loved seeing all our people, it was Purrr purr fect!!!
  First UMC Book Club

 Book Club Selection for February
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is the First UMC Book Club selection for the Wednesday, February 1, meeting at the Royal Scoop. Books will be distributed before and after Worship this Sunday. Published in 2021, the book is a fictional telling of the lifework of Belle da Costa Greene, the personal librarian to J. P. Morgan, as well as the first director of the Morgan Library & Museum. She was famous for her intellect, style and wit, but as a black woman she was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white. The book shares the lengths she had to go to for the protection of her family and her legacy.

This selection is a Reading Group Kit from the Bonita Springs Library. See Susan Atkinson at church to get your copy. The club meets the first Wednesday of each month at the Royal Scoop, 15 Eighth Street, off Vanderbilt Drive. Come at 1:30 for lunch and/or ice cream or 2 p.m. for discussion. (Note the half hour later change in time to accommodate the bigger crowds at the restaurant during season.)

All are welcome to join the monthly meetings. The only requirement is to enjoy reading and discussing with others what you read. If you have any questions, see Susan Atkinson at church or text her at 239-405-9078.

Happy reading!
We will be meeting on Monday, February 20, at 2:30 PM in Fellowship Hall. All women are welcome!
“Soup-er”  Day Planned
Calling all soup lovers and/or NFL fans, we have a “soup-er” day planned for February 12 when the 2023 NFL Super Bowl will be held.  Pre-pandemic we here at First UMC Bonita held a fun soup event to mark the Super Bowl.  Finally, we’re able to do such events in person again.  The Worship Team and United Women of Faith are combining to organize this for our fellowship time following the worship service on February 12.  Already we have at least seven volunteers to make some hearty, interesting, delicious homemade crockpot soups.  More volunteers are encouraged to make their own specialties for the event. (Please let Susan Atkinson or Betty Suprosky know so we can be prepared.)
Besides filling our bellies with great soup, this event will also be a way to support our free neighborhood breakfasts (the first is being held January 28).  All proceeds will go to support these monthly events.  So, it seems like a win-win (as the Winn Dixie twins say in the TV commercials).  And even if you cannot make a pot of soup, you can also donate by bringing cans of soup or other non-perishable foods that day to be donated to the Bonita Assistance Office for seniors and families in need.
And at church that day, feel free to wear your favorite NFL team shirt whether your team is in the big event or not. Rev. Bill says we might even be able to do the wave in church. After all, no matter what football team you root for, we’re all on Jesus’ team!
The Upper Room

The Upper Room magazine's mission is to provide a practical way to listen to scripture, connect with believers around the world, and spend time with God each day.
PRAYER & CARE
PRAYER and PRAISES
All information and last names will be kept confidential. Our list is updated weekly. If you need us to keep someone on the list, please send their name to prayer@fumcbonita.org.
Please help us keep the prayer list current. Names will remain 8 weeks, please update and resubmit.

Come Pray
Wednesday at 6:30 PM
(Zoom only)

Friday at 9:30 AM
In person in the sanctuary and Zoom

Please feel free to join in prayer, click on the link below!
Altar Flowers

If you would like to honor family, friends, or loved ones for an anniversary, birthday, or memorial, contact the church office for details.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Dennis
Eva
Mike
Tammy
Ken
Shannon G
Barbra
Rick
Dave G
Maureen
Jackie
Joyce, Kenn Kevin
Natalie
Suzy
Sue
Diane
Tom
Orlando
Erinn
James G

PRAISE:


If you have any changes or updates please email:
Prayer@
FUMCBonita.org
SERVE
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HELP NEEDED! FOOD STUFFERS!
 
         On Wednesdays from noon ‘til 4 we host the Meals of Hope food distribution program. This past week we needed some last minute help, because many of the regular volunteers were away!
 
         If you can come to the church at noon on Wednesdays, we could use the help in getting the bags of food prepared to give to the clients who need them. It is not hard work, but come prepared to get warm! (It is outside, after all! But you will be under a tent!)
 
         We could also use more help with the Prayer Team that talks with the people who are coming through – just to let them know that we see them as beloved children of God, and that they are welcome here. If you are able to help with either of these tasks, please call the church office to let us know!