First Methodist Church Winnsboro

Happy Labor Day! Somehow with school going back so early in August, Labor Day doesn’t see to get to “three-day weekend joy” it used to get but it’s still worth recognizing! Did you know The United Methodist Church has been a part of the labor movement throughout history and is committed to fairness and justice in the workplace?

In the early 20th century the church worked to end child labor; and in the ’50s, during our country’s civil rights movement, we fought for fair wages and better working conditions. We were dedicated to fairness and justice in the workplace then, and we still are today.

When John Wesley founded the Methodist movement during the 18th century, there was no “labor movement” the way we’d understand it today but Wesley preached to and cared for coal miners and other oppressed workers. He also opposed slavery. After Wesley died, his followers continued to work against workplace injustices in rapidly industrializing England, adopting the first Social Creed, which, in 1908, dealt exclusively with labor practices.

So, all that being said … HAPPY LABOR DAY!

This Sunday, The Choir Gets a Break! Danny has been doing such a great job with the choir that they didn’t want to take any time off this summer; so this Sunday, they get to enjoy the worship service! Mary White is going to work with me in worship and we will be blessed to hear her BEAUTIFUL piano playing!

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS MEALS ARE BACK ~ 5:45 in the FLC ~ The last I heard, we are having Salisbury steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans, and your love offerings are greatly appreciated! If you’re invited to deliver a meal to one of our homebound folks, please say yes!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE? Part 2: HELL ~ 6:30 in Wesley Hall Last week we had a speed course in many of the scriptures related to heaven. This week will be much less scripture driven because, well, there aren’t nearly as many scriptures about HELL! If we have time, I DO want to spend a few minutes talking about “End Times,” the rapture and tribulations theories. Very interesting! Hope to see you all there!

WALK TO EMMAUS UPDATE ~ Please be in prayer for JOHN HARGUS who will be attending the next Men’s Walk (September 19-22) and Ann Williams who will be attending the Women’s Walk (October 17-20). If you are still considering being part of this exceptional retreat weekend, let us know ASAP!  FYI, the weekend starts Thursday evening and goes through Sunday. And you’ll hear 15 talks about God’s grace and love with activities that follow. There is singing, LOTS of eating, dress is casual, and the time FLIES by!!

THIS SUNDAY ~ Our worship series on GOD in the MOVIES comes to an end with the movies that was the #1 pick by 70% of the respondents, The Green Mile. This difficult film has so many possible messages but I plan to focus on MIRACLES. I pray God blesses you in His word!

I hope to see you all Wednesday night!

Debbie Lyons, Pastor

First United Methodist Church Winnsboro

301 Church Street, Winnsboro, TX. 75494

CLICK HERE for our Facebook

CLICK HERE for our website

(903) 342-6172 (TEXT 972-896-5254)

IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL SEASON! August-September is a season of transitions as vacations wind down, school shopping gears up, calendars get busy again and Labor Day inches closer reminding us that summer is over. Thanks to all of you who are giving beyond your regular giving to serve the kids in our community! Your gift cards, children’s socks, and undies will go directly to the counselors who KNOW what is needed and who needs it so please bring your donations by the church office or to the ice-cream social by THIS Sunday, August 11.

I hope many of you got to meet CHUCK ROY on Sunday. Chuck is the editor of the Community Chronicle, a monthly newspaper that is distributed through six east Texas counties, reaching about 14,000 people. Many of us met him at the grape harvest; and he came this past Tuesday, then again on Sunday, to prepare for an article he is writing for the August edition on our FARM to COMMUNION TABLE. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Chuck, and I asked him to leave some of his papers and magazine so you can see how “healthy” it is. Not only do the publications use high-quality paper, recruit good advertisers, and have amazing editorials, stories, and articles written by talented writers, their ENTIRE focus is on GOD, FAMILY, and COUNTRY. (And you’ll also see Chuck’s passion for cooking in some great articles for “foodies.”)

BLESSING of the BACKPACKS, this SUNDAY, August 11, 10:50 a.m. ~ Please forgive me for not announcing this sooner, but wow, school goes back on August 15th??!! Please have the kids bring their backpacks on Sunday, and we’ll pray for THEM and bless their backpacks!  

CARE TEAM MEETING ~ Wednesday, August 7, 1:30 p.m., Asbury Hall ~ This is an AMAZING place to serve, even just a little, if you’d like to really make a difference! Communion servers, once a month on the first Sunday to our homebound and assisted living centers, writing cards and notes to those on our prayer chain, delivering a Wednesday night meal to someone who may be eating a frozen dinner otherwise, checking in on pets if someone is in the hospital, etc. Please come ~ we’ll be having a special communion service together!

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN ~ Thursday, August 8, 10 a.m. in Asbury Hall ~ Come connect and serve with other wonderfully mission-minded women of the church. You’re all invited!

BACK TO SCHOOL ICE CREAM SOCIAL ~ Sunday, August 11, 5:30 p.m., Wesley Hall ~ The Family Ties Class is working hard to make this a GREAT night so bring some ice cream, dessert or your favorite topping, and come celebrate (or mourn!) that school is starting back! This is the last day to bring your gift cards, socks, and undies.

MEN ~ Let us sponsor you on your WALK TO EMMAUS ~ September 19-22 ~ I hope you’ll pray about how this time away might impact YOUR faith journey! Application is attached and assistance may be available but please don’t wait to register!

WOMEN ~ The last Emmaus Walk of the year for you is October 17-19. And since this, too, is the last walk of the year at a BEAUTIFUL time of year to get away, please don’t wait to register as the Walk will fill up!

WEDNESDAYS kick back in gear on August 21! Who might YOU invite to come to be part of this awesome new season of Fellowship? 

*Fellowship Meal, 5:45-6:30 pm ~ Our kitchen team is hard at work preparing menus for our AWESOME Wednesday night time together! 

*Desserts ~ Dinner wouldn’t be the same without our incredible homemade desserts and thanks to Bettye Gilbert for coordinating our desserts. She writes to us all: Dear FUMC Members, It is time to add our help to the wonderful volunteers who will be preparing our Wednesday evening meals. I need volunteers to sign up to bring two (2) desserts for the same week each month through May 2020. Remember that if you have need of a substitute, I can get a substitute or take care of it myself. lf you wish to volunteer, please send me an email or call me at 903-342-6698. It is a wonderful thing to add to the meals that are lovingly prepared for the Church Family.

What Happens When I Die? 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. ~ Immediately after dinner, we’ll talk about part 1 of what happens when I die, using the scriptural references to heaven so don’t miss it! August 21, we’re talking about heaven; and August 28, we’re talking about hell.

Our new worship series continues this Sunday with a look at the TRUTH THAT MATTERS in the movie, The DaVinci Code. See you on Sunday!

Debbie Lyons, Pastor

First United Methodist Church Winnsboro

301 Church Street, Winnsboro, TX. 75494

CLICK HERE for our Facebook

CLICK HERE for our website

(903) 342-6172 (TEXT 972-896-5254)

From a production company standpoint, making faith-based movies is a risky decision and this is PROBABLY why there aren’t many good Christian movies out there! But there are a lot of movies that are NOT “faith-based films” that cause us to think … to reflect … to digest some very Christians messages, and that’s what we’ll be talking about on Sundays this August. Those of you who voted picked some VERY challenging films and don’t worry, you don’t have to have SEEN the movies to be totally engaged in the message! This Sunday we’ll talk about the SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. We will also be bringing our FARM to COMMUNION TABLE experience full circle as Mary and Brad share the juice from the grapes we harvested last week!

VACATIONING THIS SUMMER? You can still be “in” church with us! The message is broadcast LIVE at a little after 11 a.m. every Sunday, or you can watch ANY sermon, ANY time whenever you want! Just scroll through your Facebook to the SUNDAY you want, or … if you’d rather LISTEN while you drive, you can also LISTEN on the website to any sermon ANY time! You can even keep up with your giving while you’re gone by going to the website HERE … isn’t technology incredible???

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT A TRIP TO THE HOLY LAND? Have you considered how walking the ground that Jesus walked might impact your faith? How praying the Lord’s Prayer on the Mount of Olives would change the way you pray that prayer forever? Can you imagine reading the scriptures from your Bible in the VERY places that those events happened or how having communion in the Garden Tomb would change YOUR first Sunday forever? I have had several people ask me about putting together a group to go to Israel next year. Might YOU be interested? You might be thinking, “I can’t afford to go!” or “How much walking is there?” or “Is it safe?” If you might be even be remotely interested, please let me know! I have led four groups to the Holy Lands, and I’d LOVE to share this faith changing experience with you. If I don’t know the answers, I know where to go to get them!  EMAIL me!

WE’RE SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOLS! We’re collecting gift cards for our counselors (they know what the kids need but don’t get) and children’s socks and underwear (brand new, in package) ALSO for the kids going back to school who may not HAVE new undies otherwise. If bringing gift cards, we can keep a record IF you make sure the amount and your name is on the envelope please. LAST DAY: Sunday, August 11

WE ARE TESTING A NEW PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE ~ Shiela Haynes has been helping me edit and update the website, and I am so VERY grateful! She has added a new page with current events called HAPPENING NOW. Check it out here! And there is also the CALENDAR if you’re looking further out.

HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR AMAZON SHOPPING TO SMILE.AMAZON.COM yet? PLEASE DON’T SHOP ON AMAZON WITHOUT SELECTING First United Methodist Church Winnsboro AS YOUR CHARITY. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to US! IT DOESN’T COST YOU A THING!!! Instead of signing into your account at Amazon.com, sign into your account on smile.amazon.com, and search for First United Methodist Church WINNSBORO! Certain items are not eligible for the gift and will not result in donations, but MANY are! It’s really easy. Once you sign up for FUMC to be your charity, you’ll see it in the upper left hand corner of your page so just be SURE you sign onto the SMILE page!! https://smile.amazon.com/

READY FOR YOUR WALK TO EMMAUS? There is only ONE men’s and ONE women’s walk left this year, so please get your application back to me ASAP so I can help match you with a sponsor. Walks are held at the Lone Star Baptist Camp (about an hour away). We will leave Thursday at 5 p.m., and come back home Sunday about 6:30 p.m. SCHOLARSHIP MAY BE AVAILABLE, so please ask me if you need some assistance with the registration!

Men’s Fall Walk, Sep 19-22, 2019

Women’s Fall Walk, Oct 17-20, 2019

THIS SATURDAY ~ EXPERTS WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SINGING VOICE! Saturday, August 3, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ~ What a FUN Day this will be to get some professional coaching and have lunch ($20), AND there’s a FREE concert Saturday night at the Winnsboro Cultural Arts Center! Go and bring back those great voices to PRAISE GOD!!  Call for details: 903.342.0686 

COME BE PART OF OUR CARE TEAM! WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1:30 p.m., Asbury Hall ~ How can we love God by CARING for others? If you can write greeting cards (we have the cards and stamps!), serve communion once a month to those who can’t get to church, deliver a meal or two to folks recovering from surgery or stays in rehab, watch a pet while someone is in the hospital, then you can help! Many thanks to Angie Hollingsworth who will be coordinating the WHO-WHAT-WHERE-WHEN people need things. Call her if you have questions: 903-850-2373 or email: allray@suddenlink.net   COME JOIN US!! 

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN ~ Thursday, August 8, 10 a.m. ~ Come hear a great speaker and fellowship with other women!

BACK TO SCHOOL ICE CREAM (and dessert) SOCIAL ~ Sunday, August 11, 5:30 p.m., Wesley Hall ~ The Family Ties class is coordinating this traditional event and it’s also the deadline to bring your school gift cards and/or children’s socks/underwear. There are sign-up sheets for ice cream, dessert or toppings in the choir hall, front lobby, choir and Sunday school classes. Can there EVER be too much ice cream or desserts?

SEE YOU SUNDAY!

Debbie Lyons, Pastor

First United Methodist Church Winnsboro

301 Church Street, Winnsboro, TX. 75494

CLICK HERE for our Facebook

CLICK HERE for our website

(903) 342-6172 (TEXT 972-896-5254)