THIS SUNDAY
March 29, 2020
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Facebook Live
Rev. Roy Beth Kelley
Whom Shall I Fear
Endless Alleluia
Oceans
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Facebook Live and FM 96.7
Rev. Bud Reeves
Anthems:
“O Savior of the World”
“Thy Holy Wings”
Gaye Mings, Soloist
Breck Cogswell, Flute
Nancy W. Vernon, Organist
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WE’RE NOT CLOSED! - Rev. Bud Reeves, Senior Pastor
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One of my standard leadership techniques, which I have used with our own leaders in the church, is called a SWOT analysis. It is a discussion of our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It’s a good way to get at the big picture of a church, organization, or community. Lately, however, I feel like we have been dealing more with TWOS, not SWOT. The Threats seem to predominate, and the Weaknesses are apparent. Operating out of an organizational deficit, we grab for some Opportunities, hopefully to regain some Strength in the end.
We have had many discussions lately about changes going on in our midst:
- Security concerns on our church campus that have led to new policies about the openness of our buildings (not such an issue now that all in-person meetings are suspended)
- Upcoming separation of the United Methodist Church into two denominations (now put on hold by the postponement of our General Conference)
- Worldwide pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, which has led to sickness, death, the isolation of people, and economic catastrophe (drama unfolding daily, if not hourly)
Actually, I wouldn’t just call these changes. It seems like we are living in a time of upheaval. Dealing with these disruptions to our equilibrium can be quite overwhelming at times.
The Church has found itself at the center of upheaval at many points in our history. In fact, COVID-19 is simply the latest in a long line of plagues in which Christians have been called to respond. Saint Dionysius the Great was Bishop of Alexandria in the 3rd century C.E. One of his claims to fame was the compassionate response he led to the sick and dying in the midst of an epidemic in Alexandria. He wrote almost 2,000 years ago, “The plague is a schooling.”
We have certainly been on a learning curve in our church and community lately, haven’t we? Here are some of the things I’ve been learning (or confirming again).
The best thing we can do is trust in God.
God is greater than any form of evil, huge or microscopic. We can depend on God’s love and faithfulness in our time of trial. Rely on your faith, and you will come out on the other side.
We are experiencing new forms of community.
What it means to be the church is changing before our eyes: live-streamed worship services, meetings and classes over the computer, social distancing. Wow. But whatever changes we experience, one thing is abundantly true. We still need the community of the church. We have heard so many expressions of gratitude for our attempts to stay connected. We may never go back totally to “the way we were,” but that’s OK. We may even improve our connected community in the process.
In the midst of this crisis, we have abundant opportunities for ministry.
Just staying connected with one another is an act of faithfulness. We can do acts of mercy for those who cannot get out to take care of basic needs. We can be in prayer for those hurting in this pandemic. We will continue to worship virtually until we can get back together physically. You can still invite your friends to join us! The church is not closed. Our staff is hard at work doing all we can to be about our mission. Our church members are busy praying, connecting, and helping in any way they can. It’s really quite an amazing time to be the church of Jesus Christ.
In my moments of anxiety (and I confess to some), there is one truth that I hold on to:
God is with us
. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “If
God is for us
, who can be against us? ...Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In my moments of anxiety, I am called back to trust through the words of the wonderful hymn:
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In ev'ry change faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav'nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
I love you, church! Let us know if you have needs. I’ll see you soon.
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Senior Pastor
breeves@fsfumc.org
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CONNECT WITH US IN WORSHIP AND STUDY!
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Our worship experiences during this time of social distancing will be as follows:
Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.
Evening Prayer Service from Roebuck Chapel. Connect on Facebook at Fort Smith First United Methodist Church, @fsfumc.
Sundays, 8:30 a.m.
Adult Bible Studies. If your class has been doing the ABS curriculum, or if you just want an adult Sunday School class, join the Cornerstone Class via ZOOM on your computer or phone. Contact David Phillips dppdds1@gmail.com for an invitation.
9:30 a.m.
Connexion Service live on Facebook at Fort Smith First United Methodist Church, @fsfumc. After 10:30-ish, it will be available on the church Facebook page.
11:00 a.m.
Sanctuary Service live on Facebook at Fort Smith First United Methodist Church, @fsfumc. After 12:00-ish, it will be available on the church Facebook page as well. Sermon manuscripts and videos will continue to be posted on website, fsfumc.org/weeklysermons.
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FIRST YOUTH has looked a lot different lately, as do most things. Sure, we may not be gathered together physically, but a strong sense remains that we are together in spirit. Communication is up, we’re still finding weird ways to have fun, and we are steadily spuring one another to continue onward on our pilgrimage of faith.
Last month we began a daily devotional group message where we send morning prayers and reflections, as well as a midday prayer for the needy. Both youth and their parents post words of encouragement and good wishes. Our hearts have been warmed by the Holy Spirit time and time again as the words we share seem to be exactly we need to hear. God has been working through this crisis, as bad as it is, to remind our group of how important our connection is.
Our youth group also had a really fun time competing in an At Home Scavenger Hunt! Some of the challenges included finding a Christmas decoration, dressing up in as many clothing items of the same color as you could, and even drawing portraits of John Wesley! I think John Wesley would be honored to have his selfie shared so many times. For your entertainment, here are some of the pictures our youth students drew. Maybe I’ll start a funnies column for the church newsletter with some of our youth students. Enjoy & God bless!
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Director of Youth Ministries
mmings@fsfumc.org
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Last month, I had no idea what social isolation or Covid-19 were. Now, our whole world’s focus has shifted. We have had to work on the fly to transform every aspect of ministry so as
not
to gather together. The question for us followers of Jesus has become how do we live as disciples of Jesus Christ when we can’t “go” or “gather”?
Saturday morning at 7 a.m., I went to the Neighborhood Market and found myself staring at a long shelf--empty except for three or four packages of toilet paper. However, I wasn’t the only one staring at the shelf; there was another customer there, and he was closer to the t.p. than I was. I looked at him. He looked at me. And he said, “Go ahead -- you go first!” Interestingly, all my local shopping experiences have been calm. People have treated each other respectfully even in the face of stress and anxiety. On the other hand, I have seen reports of people treating clerks rudely and running and grabbing supplies from stores.
I ran across an interesting article about varying reactions people had during the outbreak of the Black Death during the 1300’s. Katie L Hodges-Kluck writes: “Medieval responses to the pandemic varied. In many European cities, social chaos, fear, and mistrust were widespread. In Syria, by contrast, we find the example of a community that united in its response to the pandemic.”
The details and comparisons to this day are fascinating (and the article is a short read, too)! Hodges-Kluck writes that the Muslims, Christians and Jews of Damascus cried out to God for their city’s protection, and she concludes Damascus had a significantly lower rate of fatalities than other cities.
The way we react is our choice. But to make the right choice, to respond the way Jesus would have us respond, we have to follow hard after Jesus and his way -- even if it means staying home and being rather than going and doing. The struggle is real, but we still have work to do for God. We can still connect with people. We can still worship. We can still pray. We can still study. We can still love God. We can still love people. I’m trying hard to not be distracted by the anxiety of it all. I find myself clinging to my stress-reduction verse and repeating it often:
“Perfect love casts out fear.”
1 John 4:18
God was with us before we heard of this virus; God is with us now; God will be with us through it all. May we open our hearts and minds to receive this perfect love of God -- free for every single one!
Grace and peace,
P.S. - Email me if you or someone you know needs t.p. or other items (seriously), or email me if you just want to talk. rbkelley@fsfumc.org
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Executive Associate Pastor
rbkelley@fsfumc.org
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American poet, Mary Oliver, writes in her poem, “Sometimes:”
Instructions for living a life;
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
So many of us rush through life, just trying to get through the day checking off our to-do list. When we talk about our friends and family, and work to describe them, many times we aren’t sure what to say about them. “He’s a good guy,” or “She’s a great mom,” but what do we ever really know about the people that fill our life?
It occurred to me when reading the lines from Oliver’s poem. These words were instructions telling me how I can change my perspective. How might practicing these three simple things amp up my ability to celebrate someone’s life? As a pastor who desires to equip others, how can living by these instructions give me clarity when helping others find their place in the community of faith? And there really is no better time than now to perhaps change our perspective in how we live our life.
Pay attention.
This calls us to truly be present and listen to those we are around, to even hear what they may not be saying. To pay attention to what it is someone may want us to know about them, to be aware of the Spirit they possess, the kindness they may demonstrate, the energy their presence brings.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Being astonished means that we are surprised, amazed, astounded by something or someone. I think being astonished also means we need to be curious; to ask questions, to want to know more, to wonder what all the possibilities may be. Being astonished also challenges us to check our opinion, and to simply receive what we have experienced and not be closed off or discount the feeling of surprise.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
I don’t believe this means to gossip; but rather to celebrate someone’s gifts, talents, abilities, and attributes. To tell about what gifts someone may possess means that we are taking the initiative to make connections, enable partnerships, bring about the blessing of someone being able to share their gifts and talents.
Tell about it.
I believe these instructions speak directly to our spiritual life and our life as a community of faith. What if we were to take serious practicing our ability to pay attention, be astonished, and tell about it? It could be that the first century Christians were practicing this very thing when we read in Acts 2 how they became the church. In a blink of the eye we have been pushed to consider how we are the church, since in this time of pandemic, we have to be the church where we are, Not in the physical structures in which we like to gather. The 1
st
Century Christians again have something to teach us:
“Everyone around was in awe – all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.” Acts 2: 43-47
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Associate Pastor
deedee.autry@arumc.org
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In Mercy Hospital:
Loss of Loved Ones and Friends:
- Dan and Marilyn Hendrix and Robin and Donnie Von Hemel and family on the death of Dan and Robin's father, B.G. Hendrix
- Roger Price and family on the death of his wife, Arlene Price
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“
No regular in-person gatherings of any kind are to be held at least through the end of April.“
Sunday, March 29
8:30 am Cornerstone and Roundtable Class, Zoom
9:30 am Connexion Worship, Facebook Live
11:00 am Sanctuary Worship, Facebook Live and FM 96.7
Monday, March 30
2:00 pm Staff Meeting, Zoom
5:30 pm Community Garden Steering Committee Meeting, Zoom
Tuesday, March 31
6:00 pm Social Justice Book Club, Zoom
Wednesday, April 1
5:30 pm Evening Prayer, Facebook Live
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STATIONS OF THE CROSS-UPDATED
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In the past during Holy Week we have had artwork available in Roebuck Chapel for you to view as you reflect and pray on the life and death of Jesus. This year, however, in light of everything going on with COVID19 we will do things a little differently. We will invite you to participate in this service through Facebook or through a link that we will share with the congregation. We are all being called to be patient, understanding and flexible during this period in our lives. Thankfully, we are able to get creative and continue to celebrate the life and death of Jesus, no matter what!
The Stations of the Cross are a remembrance of the final scenes of the life of Jesus. By considering artistic renderings of these challenging moments, we are invited to reflect and pray on the life and death of our Lord. Typically, the Stations of the Cross are made available in Lent and/or during Holy Week as we spiritually prepare for Easter.
The artwork was made by members of our congregation. I want to thank those that have used their gifts to help others worship our Lord. We have some very talented artists among us. Stay tuned for more information!
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Director of Adult Discipleship
ethames@fsfumc.org
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- Mike and June DeWitt—Transfer
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PASTOR ON CALL
M-F 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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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-4:30PM
Closed for lunch 12:30PM-1:30PM
SUNDAY SERVICES
- 9:30AM Connexion, Facebook Live
- 11:00AM Sanctuary, Radio broadcast on 96.7 FM and Facebook Live
WEDNESDAY SERVICE
- 5:30 PM Evening Prayer, Facebook Live
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In Memory of:
- Ron Powell by J.T. Maloney
- Jim Hayes by Dick and Ann Appleton
- Hugh Atwood by Dick and Ann Appleton
- David Byers by Lori Hardin and Michael Willis
- Judy Staggs by Rev. Aaron and Nell Barling
- Agnes Davis by Mrs. Thelma Carter, Susan Chaney, FUMC Uplifters Class, Mary Lee Kulin, Rev. and Mrs. Aaron Barling
In Honor of:
- George and Carole Beattie by Bob and Janice Powell
- Sally Ware by Dick and Ann Appleton
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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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