10:50 a.m.
1-9-21 FUMC Updates
Both in Matthew and Mark Jesus told the disciples that it would soon be time for Him to go to Jerusalem where He would suffer and die. Even though the disciples had traveled with Jesus and followed Him for more than 2 years, and even though Jesus tried to prepare them by teaching that He had not come to establish an earthly kingdom but an eternal kingdom, their expectations of Him were still confusing! At one point, Peter, one of Jesus’ most devout disciples, began to rebuke Jesus for having such a fatalistic mindset! But Jesus quickly snapped back saying firmly: “GET BEHIND ME SATAN”.
Sometimes, when it comes to technology I want to say … GET BEHIND ME SATAN! As you know, a week ago, we were able to upgrade some of our broadcast equipment, and that very 1st week, everything went great! Last week, well … let’s just say we had human error (on my part!) AND technology malfunction on the part of Suddenlink not having available the bandwidth to broadcast our HD worship slides. ***SIGH*** We were eventually able to reconnect and broadcast at a lower quality level (you can watch all but the 1st minutes of the sermon here or listen to it all here) but needless to say, Ken and I have both been praying about not turning into “Peters”! God’s kingdom cannot be stopped and we are committed to working harder to make our worship special for those who DO worship online .. we hope our learning curve will get MUCH smaller and we continue to pray that Suddenlink provides the service we need so hang in there with us!
PRAYER QUILT MINISTRY PROJECT: because we had some connectivity issues on Sunday many of you missed the introduction to a wonderful prayer ministry project that was launched this past Sunday and will be completely revealed this coming Sunday. CLICK HERE to help us pray over the 6 prayer quilts being delivered to 6 special people this week, then tune in THIS Sunday, February 14th to get the rest of the story.
BIBLE TALK ENDS AND LENT BEGINS: Wednesday mornings at 10 am … our last winter Bible Talk ZOOM is tomorrow, Wed. 2/10, at 10 am and we’ll be getting ready for the beginning of LENT with a look at Revelation 22: Heaven, I Can Only Imagine. Then starting Wednesdays, 2/17, I will be leading a more conversational Lenten study, an exploration of the Prophets and their role in the Easter story. CLICK HERE for sign-in info and details.
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN: Thursday, 2/11, 10 am, Asbury Hall .. come be part of a great group of women building relationships with one another and growing in their faith! Their purpose is: “to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.” Come join us, masks please.
ASH WEDNESDAY: February 17th, 6:30 PM … believe it or not, it’s time to start thinking ahead to the death and resurrection of Christ! Easter is MORE than a day, it’s a lifestyle because once we accept that Jesus died for us, our lives change! ASH WEDNESDAY kicks off the 6-week season of preparation for Easter … it is a special, sacred service where palm branch ashes are imposed on our foreheads to remind us that God created us from the dust of the earth and we will someday return to dust. But we also know this … God makes BEAUTY from the ashes! If you will be watching from home, please pick up your ashes from the red tub by the office door between Feb. 14 and Feb. 17th, or if you cannot get out, I will mail them to you but please let me know right away.
SUNDAY, MARCH 14th, 10:50 am, DEMONS & DESTINIES … this past Sunday we talked about PARADOX and PARABLES (I attached the chapter 4 reflection questions again CLICK HERE), and this Sunday you will EXPERIENCE a paradox … the message, from Mark 5 is about DEMONS and DESTINIES, but it’s VALENTINE’S DAY so .. we’ll figure out how LOVE leads the way!
Many blessings for a HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Pastor Debbie
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2-2-21 FUMC Updates
It’s February and sadly, for you warm weather fans, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning which means there will be 6 more weeks of winter! But this year, due to COVID-19, there is no crowd on Gobblers Knob – the ceremonies went ahead as planned, but virtually this time around! But don’t worry since 1886, Ground Hog Day will keep coming, every same, the same way it has every year for 135!
As I watched this annual tradition on the news this morning I couldn’t help but think of the movie GROUNDHOG DAY which came out in 1993 … since then, even the dictionary has a secondary definition of Groundhog Day: “a time loop of experience with everyday feeling the same. A time loop of experience with everyday feeling the same. A time loop of experience with everyday feeling the same”.
My devotional this week is a continuation from last week’s message on words that the OXFORD DICTIONARY selected as impactful in 2020 … I wondered if maybe GROUNDHOG DAY should have been I mean added to the list because come on … how many times during COVID have you used the phrase “it’s just another Groundhog Day!”?
As for shadows seen or not, rarely does Phil predict an early spring – in 135 years over a hundred times he’s emerged to announce in Groundhog-ese, six more weeks of winter “is what I see” but if tradition matters – some events feeling the same is comforting!
OUR WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL was posted yesterday on Facebook and on YouTube, but I have attached it here (CLICK HERE) for you as well … I wanted to continue the conversation I started last week on the Oxford Dictionary words of 2020 so I think you’ll find words like “blursday” and “infodemic” interesting!
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF OUR BRAND-NEW WORSHIP BROADCAST? Ken Ragsdale and Kade Martin were hard at work last week looking for ways to improve our online worship experience to make viewing more engaging and, hopefully, to expand our outreach. THEY HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK! If you were in the sanctuary or not watching worship with us on Facebook this Sunday you can watch it on Facebook or here on our YouTube channel to see the difference in quality.
It’s important to understand that online worship, while NEVER being able to replace in-person worship, IS going to be part of making disciples for Jesus Christ in the future. Today, people have a LOT more choice in where they worship online so while some faithful church members do watch their own church services, others have realized they can watch any service they want, anywhere they want! That being said, in this modern age of HD big screen TV’s, surround sound and beaming broadcasts, this moderate investment, made possible from designated gifts of people who saw the importance of digital evangelism in the past, will hopefully impact YOUR worship experience! I also hope more of you will now be excited to click SHARE to your own page so YOUR friends might try something new!
Barna Research has studied this:
“Churched adults logging in for services usually opt for their regular church home (40%), though 23% have streamed services from a different church, essentially “church-hopping” online. One-third of practicing Christians (34% vs. 16% non-practicing Christians) has also virtually attended a church other than their own in the past month; indeed, we see one-quarter of practicing Christians (26% vs. 12% non-practicing Christians) notes that, during the pandemic, this has become typical of their online attendance. This might not be such a departure from pre-COVID-19 attendance habits, as 35% of churched adults and 26% of practicing Christians told us in December 2019 that they usually divide their attendance among two or more churches.
Not only do some churched adults see online worship as an opportunity to try other services themselves, some also see it as a chance to invite friends—whether Christian (22%) or non-Christian (14%)—to “visit” their churches online.”
HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT HOW TO WATCH FACEBOOK OR YOUTUBE ON YOUR TV? There are lots of great “how to” articles and videos out there and you can do this from your phone, tablet, or PC … if you want to know more, check out this video.
WHAT’S HAPPENING? Check the calendar
- Tuesdays: prayer in the sanctuary, 9 am – 10:30 am
- Wednesdays: ZOOM Bible study, 10am – 11:15 am (This week, “God Loves the People You Can’t Stand, Acts 10)
- Sundays: 9:30 am … Coffee and Conversation is meeting in POTLUCK temporarily, and Family Ties is meeting in their Wesley classroom.
ATTACHED ARE THE MARK 4 REFLECTION QUESTIONS: if you’re studying along with us, I’ve attached (CLICK HERE) the Mark 4 … this Sunday we’ll look at the 2nd part of chapter 4 as the parable continue.
Grace and peace – stay safe and be kind!
Pastor Debbie
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1-26-21 FUMC Updates
There are NO WORDS to tell you how much I appreciate what Ken Ragsdale does for our church (AND FOR ME!!) every single Sunday morning! When I moved here in November 2017 and asked if he could record audio of our sermons for the website, he had it done the 1st Sunday I preached! When I asked him if we could broadcast on Facebook LIVE about 2 years ago, he had it set up a week later! Yesterday, when Facebook locked us down because of a “forced log out after a configuration change”, I watched him run up and down from the balcony trying to do everything he could to keep worship streaming and I was so thankful we had someone so passionate about keeping everyone connected in whatever way possible!
Sadly, we couldn’t overcome Facebook on Sunday but as always, the AUDIO recording worked great and it IS on the website if you want to stay caught up on the Gospel of Mark. (CLICK HERE). THE GOOD NEWS? We don’t anticipate this problem again and we SHOULD be back to normal this Sunday!
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL came to me from an article I read about the WORD OF THE YEAR … apparently, dictionary publishers always choose one word that represents the year gone by, but how could they ever pick ONE WORD that would signify what happened in 2020? Well, Oxford couldn’t … I have attached the devotional that shares, from a Biblical perspective 2 words that I wasn’t familiar with! Or you can watch on YouTube or Facebook too.
COVID VACCINE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: As you know, there is a lot of conversation in the news about the new, more infectious strains of COVID starting to spread but the vaccines are coming! (NET Health updates.) I have heard from many of you on the PRAYER TEAM who have taken advantage of the “act now” links to appointments when I learn they are available, but you DO have to act quickly. Net Health has a page that explains who is ELIGIBLE and how to get on a vaccine waiting list there also … CLICK HERE. We are fortunate to have a public health agency that serves our county! Looking for where to find the COVID vaccine on your own? The Texas Division of Emergency Management updates a vaccine map daily indicating exactly where vaccines have been distributed and which vaccines they have. As you can imagine, the vaccines are being used in QUICK-TIME so be ready to go and be diligent in continuing to check the map. Click the OK button in the lower right corner to get to the map. To access the availability map, CLICK HERE.
HAVE YOU TAKEN THE CORE VALUES SURVEY YET? This is the last week you can have YOUR opinions matter as your Church Leadership Team will begin strategizing plans for the future! Please take this survey which lists 30 CORE VALUES that would typically be associated with churches – we want to find out what YOU see as OUR Core Values! For each value, you’ll mark whether you think we are CONSISTENT in that value, INCONSISTENT in that value, or if you feel it’s a value we SHOULD ASPIRE TO and work MORE toward! You’ll be asked for your email address so everyone can only answer once but your answers are anonymous. When you are finished, you’ll see the current results. Thanks so much for your input!
UPCOMING EVENTS: rather than waste your time with ongoing things, you can always go to the website CALENDAR. Yes, the sanctuary is open on Tuesday mornings, 9 – 10:30 for PRAYER and yes, we have BIBLE TALK every Wednesday at 10 AM. (This week we’re looking at what happens when Jesus interrupts your life -Acts Chapter 9)
THIS SUNDAY: we’ll dive into the 1st half of MARK 4, THE PARABLES … I have attached the reflection questions from this past Sunday, chapters 2 and 3.
Many blessings – stay safe!
Pastor Debbie
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1-21-21 COVID Vaccine Info
As you know, the COVID cases in our community are rising rapidly and expected to continue to rise as this new, more infectious strain starts to spread. (NET Health updates.) Net Health has a page that explains who is ELIGIBLE to get the vaccine and you can also get on a vaccine waiting list there also … CLICK HERE. We are fortunate to have a public health agency that serves our county!
Looking for where to find the COVID vaccine? The Texas Division of Emergency Management updates a vaccine map daily indicating exactly where vaccines have been distributed and which vaccines they have. As you can imagine, the vaccines are being used in QUICK-TIME so be ready to go and be diligent in continuing to check the map. Click the OK button in the lower right corner to get to the map. To access the availability map, CLICK HERE.
Pastor Debbie
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1-18-21 FUMC Updates
Today is MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY and with so many other things going on this seems to have “fallen through the cracks”! I did my devotional this morning with King in mind because as Christians, how DO we respond to senseless violence? On this Martin Luther King Day, we need a reminder of the power of NON-VIOLENT expression of ideas more than ever before! We ALSO need to remember that the LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD! You can watch it on FACEBOOK or on YOUTUBE, also attached (CLICK HERE).
TODAY: Monday, 1/18, 11 am – 2 PM … Please support HYPE (Helping Young People Excel) at MLK Park today from 11 – 2 and pick up some CHILI to go in the drive-thru, and make a generous love offering! Let’s show our love and unity as ONE community by supporting this effort!
COMMUNITY CHRONICLE and UPPER ROOMS in the RED BIN by the church office door… I wrote my article for this month’s Community Chronicle on the 23rd Psalm because of the many funerals we have had in the last few weeks. I realized that, while no one had ever asked me to focus my message on this beautiful text until Daniel Davis’ service, it is printed often on memorial bulletins because it offers such comfort … oh, is that important! If you haven’t been coming to church, please come by and pick up your Upper Room devotionals too!
PRAY WITH US ON TUESDAYS, 9 am – 10:30 am: Take a few minutes on Tuesday mornings and come PRAY safely in the sanctuary – our souls need prayer, our country needs prayer, our church needs prayer we ALL need prayer … come and go for a minute or an hour …
BIBLE TALK, WEDNESDAYS on ZOOM, 10 AM: We had a great kick-off to our ZOOM Bible Talk last week as we’re moving into what I refer to as part 4 of the Bible, the growth of the church. This week we’re digging into Acts 2 and we’ll meet SAUL who became PAUL, and we’ll see how God used him to change the world! Sign-in instructions on the website calendar as always.
CHILDREN’S CHURCH PAUSED: With COVID cases increasing so fast we have decided to put our Children’s Church on PAUSE for a few weeks … this is temporary because we DO have a ½ CHILDREN’S MINISTER position budgeted for this spring so we’re looking forward to things getting BETTER! Until then, I’ll be doing a Children’s Moment at the beginning of our worship so the kids can tune in for at least a few minutes with you on Sundays!
MARK REFLECTION QUESTIONS ATTACHED (CLICK HERE): we had a great conversation on Mark 1:14-28 yesterday so take some time and think about what we talked about, (YouTube here if you missed it.) This Sunday we’ll be moving into the 1st part of Chapter 3 so please read chapters 2 and 3 in preparation for this week’s message.
GRACE & PEACE,
Pastor Debbie
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