First Methodist Church Winnsboro

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE? This Wednesday night, June 19, 6:30 pm after the fellowship meal (5:45pm) ~ 

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

MUSIC is such an important part of WORSHIP and if you were in Church on Sunday you heard the disappointing news that our Music Minister, JC Waddell, resigned last Monday. I’m sure you’ll feel the same range of emotions I FELT when I got the news but his letter is attached. I told JC when he resigned that perhaps, in the future, things might change and he could come back, and he also assured me he’d still be willing to do solos or play an instrument occasionally. I want to also remind everyone that when JC and Stacy DO come to church, we will embrace them as FAMILY because that’s who they are!! 

WE HAVE A NEW ROOF and WE’RE GETTING A NEW CHOIR ROOM and we’d LOVE your help! I also made this announcement yesterday and wow, what an AMAZING example of how God DOES work for good! If you haven’t been at the church this week to see all the ROOFING going on, it’s been noisy and messy. But wow, these men worked HARD and they worked FAST! You also know that the CHOIR room flooded in that 5” storm of rain a few weeks ago and the insurance adjusters estimate it will be an almost $60,000 renovated, fresh, new choir room when it’s all repaired! 

The GOOD news is that for many years we have paid into our insurance so we only had to pay our deductible, the BAD news is, because it was two separate storms, one HAIL and one RAIN, we have 2 different deductibles of $5000 each or a $10,000, an expense that is not part of the regular budget. BUT … WE ARE GETTING more than $200,000 in needed repairs for only $10,000!

It took about 68,640 shingles to repair the roof, so including labor, that is about $2.24 cents a shingle. This doesn’t sound like a lot BUT, just think … our average attendance is 93 so if we did NOT have insurance we would have to be praying for each person to contribute $1,600! YIKES! THANK YOU GOD FOR INSURANCE! Instead, we only have to pay the deductible and guess what, if all 93 people would only pay $108 sacrificially, in addition to their regular offering, you could say, in actuality, you helped buy 738 shingles to help build the value of most IMPORTANT asset we have as a church!

Imagine … if you were to give, just a little MORE than your regular 10% in the next few months, how good it would feel to say you were part of improving this great church God gave us! I told everyone on Sunday that I SCHEDULE my offering to be drafted for direct deposit right to God, but I wanted to be the FIRST to give my additional check! Won’t you join me and prayerfully consider writing an additional check for $108 or $216 or any amount God is CALLING you to make … please mark ROOF in the memo line … God will be SMILING!

WHEW … a lot going on and the Holy Spirit is on the MOVE!!! See you Wednesday night!!

Debbie Lyons, Pastor

First United Methodist Church Winnsboro

301 Church Street, Winnsboro, TX. 75494

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(903) 342-6172 (TEXT 972-896-5254)

It’s summer! Not officially, of course. That doesn’t come until June 21, but in our hearts and minds, summer started after Memorial Day! Summer is the time when the flowers are in full bloom, the sun rays are beating down, and the bees won’t give up swarming all around! It’s the season when children and teachers are out of school, the time when many families take vacations together, and the time when birds are the new alarm clocks for many people.

There is so much freedom that comes along with this incredible season, especially for teachers and students who get a few weeks to unwind and relax. But it’s also a season that showcases a circle of life! Where will GOD fit into your circle in these short few weeks of summer? How will you stay connected to Church so the “habits” of summer don’t strip away the value you get from being in community with others and with Christ? I hope we have an AWESOME summer together … and I hope it starts this Sunday with our brand NEW worship series!

UPSIDE DOWN: The Greatest Sermon Ever Told ~ Starting this Sunday, we begin a teaching series on the Beatitudes (MAT 5:1-11). While the whole sermon continues through Matthew chapter 7, the Beatitudes are a very special list of commands on how God plans to BLESS us … and please know this … there are conditions to these blessings!

KATHRYN CLARK’S  Celebration of Life ~ Please join us to support James and his family, Friday, June 7, 1 pm in the sanctuary; reception to greet the family following the service in Wesley Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made in Kathryn’s name to the Church.

NEXT WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEAL is WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19 … and we’d love YOUR help please! Thanks to Bettye Gilbert who coordinates our DESSERTS. We need DESSERT volunteers for the three dates of our summer Fellowship meals ~ Wednesday, June 19; Tuesday, July 16; Wednesday, August 21. We have been blessed by the volunteers through the year so let’s give them a break before we plan for the next school year. Betty only needs 6 people to step up and make 2 desserts just one time during the summer. Please call Bettye at 972-342-6698 or email her at bjhh@suddenlink.net.

WE’RE BEING FAITHFUL STEWARDS OF OUR ENERGY COSTS THIS SUMMER ~ Now that the temperatures are rising, we are doing everything we can to manage the high summer costs of electricity. If you are the last one out of the building, please do not turn OFF the thermostat, but please DO turn the AC up to 85-86 degrees. (This is most efficient for the belts and operating system costs.) Also, in Wesley Hall, we do not cool the kitchen or Fellowship Halls in order to keep the classrooms cool, so if you OPEN those doors, please keep them closed. We have also moved small groups meeting in Asbury Hall over to the small classroom in the FLC where there is one small unit that cools just that one room, as opposed to cooling all of Asbury Hall. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, let us know!

SEE YOU ALL ON SUNDAY!