First United Methodist Church Winnsboro

It’s hard to believe that school starts on AUGUST 16^th … where did the summer go? It was great to see new faces in church on Sunday and it was wonderful to see families back who have been traveling, seeing family and enjoying vacations!  I could really feel YOUR energy on Sunday and I truly believe it comes from the power of the Holy Spirit who is doing incredible things in our church! Aren’t we blessed to be part of it!

Thanks for indulging me on Sunday to explain how to CHECK-IN on your Facebook app when you get to church … believe me, ALL of this is new to me BUT … when you check-in at the church when you get there on Sunday and invite others to come and join us (or tune into the sermon which will usually come at about 11:15) more and more people feel the energy too! I’ve reposted the notes from last week below so you can try it and be ready to check-in on Sunday!

We wrap up our worship series on Daniel this week and how appropriate that Chapter 12 brings us to a GLORIOUS FORECAST! (Call for study notes). We’ll then spend a few weeks on some miscellaneous subjects like spiritual gifts (have you done YOUR inventory? CLICK HERE), and I can’t wait for our next communion Sunday because we’ll talk in depth about this holy sacrament, but we’ll also have an opportunity to harvest some of the GRAPES we’ll use for the juice that day! 

HELLO HARVEST! Saturday, August 18^th, 7am – Noonish … some of you have seen my pictures on Facebook or heard me talk about the wonderful experience I had at Mary White and Brad Scharf’s vineyard a few weeks ago … not only did I meet a lot of people, but it was so VERY rewarding to see these magnificent vines that started as nothing 4 years ago explode with gorgeous, sweet grapes! Mary and Brad have invited us all to be part of the FARM to TABLE harvest, and in OUR case, it will be part of the farm to HEAVENLY table harvest! Not only will we slice the grapes from the vines, (the tools make it remarkably easy!), we will then STOMP some of the grapes and THEN (because we’re Methodist!!) Ken Atkins and some of the guys will be cooking Ken’s FAMOUS barbecue chicken!  Anyone who wants to bring a simple salad, it would be appreciated!  Stay tuned for more details next week!

WATCH FOR A NEW LOOK ON OUR BULLETINS THIS SUNDAY … in order to cut down on the amount of time spent on announcements and make more time for worship, we are going to try to add value to our bulletins by adding more details on activities.  We throw away most bulletins every week and if we’re spending the money to print them, perhaps if they have more information, people will take them home and use them more. Give us a few weeks to see how it goes and then let us know what you think!  (Of course, we also have the weekly email, Facebook and the website!)

MISSED A SERMON? WATCH NOW ON FACEBOOK … I continue to be ABSOLUTELY amazed by technology (and THANK-YOU Kade Martin for saving the day this past Sunday!) … the fact that we can be in little ol’ Winnsboro, TX. and people all over the world can hear a message of Christ??? WOW!! We are, of course, broadcasting live so that people who may not have a faith community connection might find a reason to come and know what that feeling of belonging really is all about … want to help us spread the word???  See the notes on checking in below – and share the Facebook posts to YOUR page!

United Methodist Women invite you to meet our newly Elected County Judge, Lucy Hebron! Thursday, August 9^th, 10 am … everyone is welcome to come meet our new judge as the UMC kicks off a new year! You’ll hear a wonderful faith story and enjoy a great morning of fellowship – don’t miss it!

JOIN THE FREE CONFERENCE CALL: Monday, 8/13, 10 am … We’re so excited to explore NEW SPACES for NEW FACES and this free conference call is designed to help us share and develop NEW IDEAS with church leaders and pastors from ALL over the Conference!! Everyone is welcome to call in – the calls are FREE but you’ll need to download the ZOOM app to participate … CLICK here to download the app so you’re ready for the 10 AM call on 6/11.

GET CONNECTED THIS WEEK: Click here for Calendar details

BEFORE YOU COME SUNDAY …

1. Download the Facebook app from your Apple or Android APP store and make sure your LOCATIONS SERVICE is ON in your settings.
2. Once downloaded, sign into Facebook which will bring you to your own page
3. Scroll down past your picture and your name and your information and just BELOW the words ABOUT PHOTOS   FRIENDS, you’ll see your profile picture, in a circle, and to the right you’ll see WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND … click WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND
4. Scroll down to Check In
5. Here you will see a list of places/businesses near you …

REMEMBER HOW TO DO THIS SO WHEN YOU COME ON SUNDAY YOU’LL REMEMBER!

To check into our church on Sunday when you come on Sunday …

1. Sign into Facebook on your phone
2. Scroll down past your picture and your name and your information and just BELOW the words ABOUT PHOTOS FRIENDS, you’ll see your profile picture, in a circle, and to the right you’ll see WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND … click WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND
3. Here you will see a list of places/businesses near you and First Methodist Winnsboro should be on the top so click that
4. You will then have the OPTION of tagging your FRIENDS so they know you are at 1^st UMC Winnsboro! (Click lots of people you’d like to see the worship service broadcast!!)

5.Click NEXT which will bring you to a map of where the church is located and THEN, write a little something like “So glad to be with all my friends at 1^st Church – come join us!” Or … “IF you can’t be here we’ll miss you but watch the Facebook live stream in about 30 minutes!”

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Thanks so much to PAIGE BABER who made the decorations for the Ice-cream Social and Pot Luck on Wednesday night … the Middle School Ministry raised $261 to get them started for the rest of the school year!  The food was EXCELLENT and we all had a GREAT night!  The pictures are on Facebook and it was a really fun night!

 WESLEY HALL is MESSY right now … IN A GOOD WAY!!  Thanks to the Trustees who are working hard to freshen up the facility with fresh pain and new flooring!  So many people showed up to help remove hardware and baseboards last week in order to keep costs down, and I am oh, so grateful for your willingness to jump in and help!!

I’m also excited to tell you that we will be donating $545 in GIFT CARDS, 1/2 to the Middle and ½ to the High as requested by the Superintendent who explained that the elementary schools get TONS of supplies from the community. Everyone was VERY supportive and I thank you all for your generosity!

This past Sunday, we also consecrated 16 members of our CARE TEAM … our new CARE TEAM is the fulfillment of one of our VISIONS for 2018 and most of these people have been through training to understand the sensitive role they play in LOVING others as God has called US to love Him … and we have room for more!

Some of them will be writing notes and making phone calls to people who can’t GET to church or who have not BEEN here in more than 4-5 weeks (so please let us know if you’re gone for an extended period of time so we don’t worry about you!), some will be going into hospitals and nursing homes, assisted living centers, visiting the homebound and some will be watching pets if someone has to go into the hospital unexpectedly. (We need a few more PET SITTERS PLEASE!)

 Please pray for them all!

Angie Hollingsworth              John Hargus

Clint Cooper                           Cindy Hightower

Betty Craddock                      Pat St. MiKlossy

Art Simmons                           Jo Porterfield

Mary Tom McLemore           Don Beaty

Jerry and Janat Erwin           Sandra Thompson

Mike Ewert                             Sandra Strickland

OUR SERMONS are NOW ON FACEBOOK LIVE EVERY SUNDAY!

Many thanks to Ken and Connor whose technology skills and passion for sharing the Gospel outside the walls of the church have allowed us to broadcast, in a simple format, our Sunday sermons on Facebook.  When the sermon is over, it will post and save so you can go back and send it to a friend, listen again to something you missed, or watch in if you can’t be in church.

We DID NOT PROMOTE this last Sunday as we wanted to see what had to be done (1^st Baptist GRACIOUSLY allowed us the borrow a camera, they have 4, for a few weeks!) but I WILL promote it this week on Facebook.

One of the BEST ways to spread the word that we will be “live” is to use the Facebook app on your Smart Phone and “check-in” on Facebook … when you check-in, Facebook will put up a MAP of where you are and then you can write a post with it, something like: “Seeing all my friends at 1^st UMC Winnsboro – sermon starts live in 30 minutes!” or “Just got to church and the message today is from Daniel 9 – come join us or watch live on Facebook in 3o minutes!”

BEFORE YOU COME SUNDAY …

1. Download the Facebook app from your Apple or Android APP store
2. Once downloaded, sign into Facebook which will bring you to your own page
3. Scroll down past your picture and your name and your information and just BELOW the words ABOUT PHOTOS   FRIENDS, you’ll see your profile picture, in a circle, and to the right you’ll see WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND … click WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND
4. Scroll down to Check In
5. Here you will see a list of places/businesses near you …

REMEMBER HOW TO DO THIS SO WHEN YOU COME ON SUNDAY YOU’LL REMEMBER

 To check into our church on Sunday when you come on Sunday …

1. Sign into Facebook on your phone
2. Scroll down past your picture and your name and your information and just BELOW the words ABOUT PHOTOS FRIENDS, you’ll see your profile picture, in a circle, and to the right you’ll see WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND … click WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND
3. Here you will see a list of places/businesses near you and First Methodist Winnsboro should be on the top so click that
4. You will then have the OPTION of tagging your FRIENDS so they know you are at 1^st UMC Winnsboro! (Click lots of people you’d like to see the worship service broadcast!!)

5.Click NEXT which will bring you to a map of where the church is located and THEN, write a little something like “So glad to be with all my friends at 1^st Church – come join us!” Or … “IF you can’t be here we’ll miss you but watch the Facebook live stream in about 30 minutes!”

LOOKING AHEAD: DEADLINE TO REGISTER is 8/13 HERE or call Susan Anderson at 940-497-2707. … The international Bishop’s Council has been hard at work to redefine the language in our guiding principles (the Book of Discipline) regarding the questions surrounding same sex marriage in our denomination and you are encouraged to learn more … see attached letter from the Bishop.  Read the petition now … CLICK HERE.

GET CONNECTED THIS WEEK: Click here for Calendar details

MONDAY, 1-3 PM …Knitting Group, MOVED TO ASBURY HALL

TUESDAY, 8 am … Quilters, 9 am crafters

      11-noon … NO BIBLE TALK, now on hiatus for the summer

WEDNESDAY, 9 am …Community Women’s Bible Study

Debbie Lyons, Pastor

WHEW, our sermon series on the Book of Daniel took a wild turn this week and I’m so glad we’re all on the ride together!

The focus of the sermon series took a dramatic turn today as we go from a story of biographical HISTORY to apocalyptic PROPHECY.  The first 6 chapters told the story of Daniel’s deportation to Babylon and his adventures in the courts of various pagan kings where again and again, facing danger and death, he had UNSHAKABLE FAITH.  The last chapters detail 4 visions given to Daniel in the last 20 years of his life and let me tell you … the BEST (and the WORST!) … times are yet to come so get ready for a wild ride!!

We’ll dive into DANIEL CHAPTER 8 this Sunday, THE BATTLE GOES ON … call us for the study notes! If you missed the sermon on Sunday it will help you to hear about Chapter 7 as we move into Chapter 8 … as you know, we record most sermons and you can find them on our website.

CITY VISIONING… TUESDAY, JULY 31, 6:30 at the City Civic Center … I am honored to be working with the City Manager and the Superintendent of Schools on this city wide visioning process … our Christian voices matter so come you’re your thoughts on the future of Winnsboro!

LOOKING AHEAD: The international Bishop’s Council has been hard at work to redefine the language in our guiding principles (the Book of Discipline) and you are encouraged to learn more … call us for the letter from our Bishop.

GET CONNECTED THIS WEEK: Click here for Calendar details

MONDAY, 1-3 PM …Knitting Group, Family Ties

TUESDAY, 8 am … Quilters, 9 am crafters

      11-noon … BIBLE TALK, Psalm 23

WEDNESDAY, 9 am …Community Women’s Bible Study

THURSDAY, 8:30 am … Community Women’s Bible Study, Clara Ida Frances Loft: Mary Magdalene

 Debbie Lyons, Pastor

First United Methodist Church Winnsboro

301 Church Street, Winnsboro, TX. 75494

CLICK HERE for our Facebook

I am so VERY excited to tell you that our CARE TEAM is up and running!! This was one of our VISION focuses for 2018 and what an amazing group of people have stepped forward to share God’s love!! We have people who have volunteered to visit hospitals, visit nursing home and our homebound, to be “drivers” to doctor appointment or other errands, write cards, and make phone calls and communion servers!  We have also added a “PET CARE” team so that if someone has to go into the hospital we can make sure that their animals are cared for!! 

We will be having a consecration service in church in a few weeks for these amazing volunteers and we’re organizing a care system now, but if you feel a call to help, we need some additional help in all areas but card writing. Please let us know if you’d like to be plugged in!

BUT PLEASE KNOW THIS … as much as I WISH that I had special powers to know when someone needs extra prayers, or is having surgery or needs some extra help, I don’t know unless you tell me so please let me know if you ever need something!! Our Care Team is excited to get started visiting and staying in touch so please say some VERY special prayers for this group of people called to serve!!

Just another reminder that we are ALL called to “love our neighbors” and with our directory on the website, you can always call or send notes to ANYONE at anytime … people who sit near you and haven’t been in church for a while, people we pray for in church on Sunday, etc. Find the directory on the website …. The PASSWORD is FUMC309.

WE’RE COLLECTING GIFT CARDS for back to school teacher donations …Family Dollar, Dollar General, Walmart or wherever! Since every church and bank in town asks for “supplies” we’re filling in the GAPS and helping the teachers get what they need.  You can drop your cards in the offering plates or drop them at the office through JULY 29^th!

5^th SUNDAY POT LUCK & ICE CREAM SOCIAL … 7/29, 5:30 PM, Family Life Center … bring your favorite covered dish and your homemade ice-cream (although Bluebell would be fine too!), for a fun night of fellowship and summer celebration!  Sign up to bring ice-cream in the Sunday school classes or in the lobby of the church on Sunday.

VISIONING for the CITY OF WINNSBORO: Tuesday, July 31^st, 6:30 PM, CIVIC CENTER …calling all people who LOVE their community and want to see an exciting future for the City! I have been honored to be working with the City Manager, City Council and School Superintendent on creating a new vision and mission statement for the City of Winnsboro. Like we did when we were visioning for our church, our first gathering will give people in the community a chance to dream about the future for the city … YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND!

Have you taken the SPIRITUAL GIFTS TEST yet?  Know your Spiritual Gifts and your passion and joy for serving will explode! To take the test go to our website and then let me know what YOUR gifts are!!  CLICK HERE

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HISTORY?   The United Methodist has a rich history and since 1859, our church has been PART of that history …  CLICK HERE to read the current history information on file. If you enjoy history and would like to consider being a historian for OUR church, please let me know … check out what a historian does HERE.

NEXT FELLOWSHIP DINNER this Wednesday, July 18th, 5:45 PM … bring your friends and join us for SPAGHETTI!!

YOUTH: 6^th through 12^th … it’s DONUTS, DINNER BACK TO THE FUTURE III: Wednesday, 7/18 5:15 – 8:30 … gather your gang and come out to the FLC for an awesome night of fun!!! 

MIDDLE SCHOOL POOL PARTY: Wednesday, August 1^st, 5:30-7:30, Beaty’s Home, 208 Marion … in 2019 the middle school is transitioning to 6-8^th grades and since we don’t have any 5^th graders, we’re making the transition NOW and kicking it off with a SPLASH BASH!!! Parents we’d love your support so when asked to serve, please say yes!!

PLANNING AHEAD: Listening for a “Way Forward” … 8/18, 9am-2:15pm, Carrollton … The Conference Committee on Lay Servant Ministries along with the Board of Laity of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church announces the 4th annual conference-wide laity event on August 18, 2018, at Aldersgate UMC, 3926 Old Denton Road, Carrollton, from 9:00 AM to 2:15 PM. The main focus of the meeting will be to discuss the possible revision of every paragraph of the Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality and explore options that help to maintain and strengthen the unity of the church. Some of our members have already been actively involved in the conversations with the Bishop on this topic and I’m grateful to everyone who is willing to pray about this!!  Let me know if you’d like to ride with me or carpool with others!  For more, see the UMC website HERE

GET CONNECTED THIS WEEK: Click here for Calendar details

MONDAY, 1-3 PM …Knitting Group, Family Ties

      NEXT Monday 7/23, 9 am … Prayer Quilt Ministry, Asbury

TUESDAY, 8 am … Quilters, 9 am crafters

      11-noon … BIBLE TALK, “PSALM 139”

WEDNESDAY, 9 am …Community Women’s Bible Study (through 8/8)

       5:15 pm … Youth (6^th-12^th) Donuts, Dinner and a Movie, The Loft

       5:45 pm … Fellowship Meal in FLC

THURSDAY, 8:30 am … Community Women’s Bible Study, Clara Ida Frances Loft … we have 2 more session until we take an AUGUST break before resuming after Labor Day so please come!

DANIEL CHAPTER 7 this Sunday … call for study notes.