Genesis News and Notes
April 8, 2021
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Christ is Risen, Christ is risen indeed!
Grief. Shock. Doubt. Joy. Peace. The Disciples went through a whole spectrum of emotions when they learned that Jesus was not in the tomb, but alive and risen. Oddly enough, these are some of the stories that I (Amber) love the most in the Gospels. Because in full honesty, I’ve never walked on water with Jesus, or seen a blind man regain his sight or a leper’s skin restored. But, like the Disciples, I have unexpectedly been in the presence of Christ.
Placing ashes on the forehead of an elderly woman. Singing with shy teenagers around at campfire after a day of games. Walking through an empty hospital corridor late night. Holding my own newborn children. Sharing a meal with a homeless person in a church dining room.
Perhaps those of you who returned to in-person worship for the first time this Easter felt the same way. It’s amazing all the places that the Disciples saw Jesus after his resurrection: the garden, the roadway, the private rooms, the lakeshore. Jesus can come to anyone, anywhere by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank God, we serve a risen Savior who’s in the world today!
See you online or in-person!
Peace,
Pastors Amber & Paul
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Website Changes
Our website will soon have a new look! We are in the process of changing web hosts, so the website will be down for a few hours today (4/8/21). It should be back up with a new look by the weekend. At that time, you can still find us at www.genesisumc.com.
If you use the website to stream Sunday morning services, you will still find a link to YouTube and Facebook on the homepage. Look for the colorful icons at the top of the page or scroll down the page to find other links to the Sunday service.
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It has been a blessing to hear the congregation singing again, and this Sunday we will sing together two hymns which encourage us all to sing praises and tell others about the Savior’s redeeming love!
The text to Sunday’s second hymn, “I Love to Tell the Story,” was written by 32-year-old Katherine Hankey in 1868 as she was recovering from a serious illness that had diverted her from her normally active life. Katherine had been born in 1834 in England to a wealthy banker and Christian philanthropist, and at an early age she developed a great evangelical concern for others. She began organizing Sunday School classes for both rich and poor throughout London which resulted in a rebirth of young students who went on to become zealous Christian workers throughout England. Katherine also wrote books such as Bible Class Teachings, a book on confirmation, and books of verses from which all the royalties went to foreign mission projects.
In 1866, Katherine wrote her own tune for “I Love to Tell the Story” and for “Tell Me the Old, Old Story” but they received little notice. The following year at a large international YMCA Convention in Canada, one of the key-note speakers closed his impassioned message to the delegates by quoting the verses of these two hymns. In the audience that day was a noted American gospel musician who had written over 2000 songs and being so moved by Katherine’s words, he immediately composed musical settings for both hymns. A few years later in 1869, a Philadelphia musician and piano dealer named William G. Fischer composed the refrain and the tune that we have come to know for “I Love to Tell the Story.”
On April 18 we will delve into how we as the Church are and can be world blessing, and I can’t think of a better example of someone who reached past her own comfortable existence to affect people of all classes, not only in her city or country, but throughout the world. God sometimes uses what we think is small or insignificant and multiplies it in ways we cannot even imagine!
See you Sunday! - Robyn
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Modern Worship Gathering
April 17th
For several months now, we (your Co-Pastors) have hinted and then talked more openly with Genesis staff and lay leadership about our feeling that we need to develop a more modern worship opportunity as a missional priority for connecting and sharing Jesus with new, younger, more diverse peoples in our community. We have listened to some of you share a longing and desire for this as well. So we believe the time has come to begin prayerfully, intentionally moving this conversation and effort forward! We will have a gathering and conversation on Saturday, April 17th, beginning at 6pm in the Great Hall/Gym. This will be a time of dinner (bring your own takeout), fellowship (socially-distanced and masked), music and worship (led by Rev. Thomas Mitchell from the UTA Wesley Foundation), and prayer and conversation. Anyone is welcome to come, but this is especially aimed at those persons who would desire to attend a modern worship service at Genesis if we were to offer such an opportunity again. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of the Co-Pastors!
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Genesis Youth & Young Adults |
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Trinity Habitat Cowtown Brushup, April 10
There is still time to sign up for this, but we REALLY need to hear from you ASAP. This will be a good time of hanging out while helping out. Contact Debbie Branch @ 682-465-6100 for more information.
Connect with us online.
Join us for worship this Sunday on Facebook Live!
Also, find us on Instagram and Facebook!
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Top 5 Needs
Want more concrete ideas about ways to serve with Genesis? Check out these volunteer opportunities...
#1 - Pray for our church, pray for our country, pray for each other. Please be praying! And if you want to be part of the Genesis prayer team to pray regularly for requests, please contact Pastor Amber.
#2 - It's that time of year to send care packages to our college students before finals! Contact Pastor Paul if you want to help!
#3 - We need folks willing to share practical skills with our high school seniors - easy meal preparation, basic personal finance, basic knowledge of tools and how to use them. If interested, please contact Pastor Paul.
#4 - Willing to provide a meal for a youth or young adult gathering? Please contact Debbie Branch.
#5 - .Do you like to clean out rooms and sort out stuff? We need some of that kind of help! Contact Linda Walker for details.
If you’re ready to get involved in other ways or want more information, please contact Linda Walker (linda@genesisumc.com)
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JFON Is Truly a Blessing!
We are so excited for our custodian Teresa Dominguez as she officially becomes a US citizen. Teresa has diligently been working with Justice For Our Neighbors and taking all the steps necessary for this exciting event in her life. She will officially have her Naturalization Oath Ceremony this coming Monday, April 5th at 8:30am. Way to go Teresa!
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We want to give a big thank you to the weekday office volunteers and others who helped to stuff eggs and put together goody bags for our Easter Sunday celebration. It was a great big help to have all the extra hands. Thank you Cindy Cofield, Elizabeth Jack, Nancy J. Welch, Lynn Zomper, Liz Greer & Connie Davenport.
GUMC Office Staff
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Phone Problems
The church office is experiencing technical difficulties with the phone system. If you have tried calling the office after hours you have experienced this issue. Please be patient with us as we work through this problem. If you call the church office during the day, and don't get through, please try again. Currently, the voice mail system isn't working, nor is the rollover feature which allows us to receive more than one phone call at a time. We are working with our phone company and will update you on our progress. In the meantime, we kindly ask for your patience.
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Genesis Open for In-Person Worship! |
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Our in-person worship continues to welcome those who desire to be in-person with others in our sanctuary on Sunday. We will continue live streaming in our sanctuary for those not comfortable with returning just yet. You can tune in at 10:30 every Sunday morning for live streaming our worship service. For those of you returning to in-person worship, we ask that you arrive no earlier than 10:15 am, as you will not be allowed to gather prior to or after worship. We look forward to seeing you!
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Join Us for Worship on Sundays at 10:30 |
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Pray with our Prayer Team | Sundays at 5pm |
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April 10th - Cowtown Brush Up
April 17th - Modern Worship Conversation
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We have a variety of small groups that continue to meet online throughout the week. Join us to help stay connected to God and others during this time! Contact Linda Walker for details about how to get plugged in!
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Memorial Fund
The Memorial Fund allows you to remember or honor a person or event by providing funds for a current ministry of the church. To offer a memorial or honor gift, you may contact the church, mark a gift accordingly or go to our website, www.genesisumc.com
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Genesis offers electronic giving, which allows you to make donations on a scheduled, automatic basis. To set up electronic contributions, (checking or savings account or credit or debit card) you can come by the church office and complete an authorization form or go to the church website and give online.
Another great way to give is with a quick text message! Simply send a text to 817-697-2824 with the amount you would like to contribute. Make sure to include the dollar sign before the amount. Within a few minutes, you’ll be sent a text with a link to register. Once your registration is complete you will receive a text verification and a receipt via email.
It is important to know that we can depend on financial support from our congregation members to continue the missions that Genesis provides to so many, as we go through the summer, fall and upcoming holidays.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Troy Chapman at 817-292-4551 or email him at troy@genesisumc.com.
Thank you for supporting Genesis!
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Concerns:
Emily Rodgers, daughter of Pamela and Allen Gann
Sylvia Dominey's brother
Redmon Warren
Brandy Sharp, Kaleb Faught's mother
Bob Greer
Jennifer Johnson & Emily Pendergrass, submitted by Pat & George Poyner
Aaron Foster
Peggy Kay Janson, relative of Nancy J Welch & Gayle Kay
Craig Bender, friend of Shayne & Dennis Rasing
Nancy Echols, cousin of Catherine Hix
Sharon Hague
BJ Beesley, friend of Ken Grosgebauer
All those effected by COVID-19
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Genesis United Methodist Church
7635 S. Hulen Street, Fort Worth, TX 76133
817-292-4551
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