WELCOME TO FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH WINNSBORO!

All are welcome at Winnsboro’s First Church so dive on in! We are a warm and welcoming congregation where you can meet people, celebrate life, grow deeper, stronger in your faith and turn energy into action that transforms the world. EVERYONE is invited and if you’d like us to meet you at the door, email us HERE and we’ll be there! 
 
Sunday Morning Worship
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

10:50 a.m.

 
CLICK HERE to go to our FACEBOOK page for updates and to
watch past Sunday services and/or devotionals.
 
 
Looking for a Sunday Small Group?
 
 
 

We’re easy to find in Winnsboro!

 

8-27-18 FUMC Updates

Posted on Aug 27, 2018 in HomePage |

As school goes back and the days begin to get a little shorter, I start looking forward to FALL! This is such a great time of transition and after Labor Day, things kick back into gear in a BIG way! On September 5th, Wednesday night Fellowship dinners start back, choir rehearsals start back, and ALPHA starts … and on September 19th the Wednesday morning Women’s Bible starts back!  Mark your calendars!
 
I can not BEGIN to tell you how excited I am about ALPHA starting!  I have seen more than 800 people go through this discipleship making program and in almost EVERY case, people’s lives are enriched tremendously! When Jeannie Montgomery, (someone from a past class) saw we were doing Alpha in Winnsboro, she said … “Alpha was instrumental in developing my deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian! I loved the format of small group discussions and developed life long friendships.” PLEASE take a moment to register here, or reply to this email and let us know you’ll be joining us as we are training small group facilitators and want to be ready!  All kids, K – 12 will have classes that night WITH us so invite all your friends who have kids to come too!  
 
We’ll also start a NEW worship series on September 9th which is designed to be very non-threatening for people who may be thinking about checking out our church.  Don’t think the messages won’t be deep … oh, they WILL, but our GOD IN THE MOVIES series will have something for everyone and you won’t have to seen any of the movies to get the GOD message!
 
SPIRITUAL GIFTS and SERVICE: we have received 14 forms back from people who have shared their passion for places to serve but I’d sure love to hear from a few more people!  God has plans for our church and it will take ALL of us to use the gifts He has given us to reach the people and serve the people for Jesus Christ. Come know the joy and let us know where you might want to plug in! (SEE ATTACHED)
 
LAITY DAY in the EAST DISTRICT … Saturday, September 8, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. First UMC Sulphur Springs… this is always an exciting day for laity to gather from around East Texas to brainstorm TOGETHER ideas for the growth of the church. Members of the North Texas Conference leadership team are there to help facilitate the conversation on NEW FACES-NEW SPACES and this is essential if the Church is to make new disciples for Jesus Christ. (SEE LETTER FROM BISHOP ATTACHED)
 
SEE THE CHURCH CALENDAR for regular weekly activities and meeting schedules.
 
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, 
and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3 
 
Debbie Lyons, Pastor
First United Methodist Church Winnsboro
301 Church Street, Winnsboro, TX. 75494
CLICK HERE for our Facebook

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8-24-18 FUMC Updates

Posted on Aug 24, 2018 in HomePage |

How exciting to have a chance to talk about SPIRITUAL GIFTS this past Sunday … I really struggled with whether or not to share a brief description of all the gifts but so many people said they appreciated knowing and recognizing how other gifts interact with their own! Whew, it was a lot to cover but after taking the gift inventory online (CLICK HERE) it probably means a lot more! 
 
I hope you all received a handout after church asking you to let us know where God might be guiding you to serve … when you’re using your spiritual gifts you’ll feel JOY so this is definitely something worth exploring!  I’ve attached the form again and I’m asking you to bring the forms back to church on Sunday, leave them with an usher, or feel free to drop them off by the office! 
 
MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL PARENT and PIZZA MEETING … Wednesday, 8/22, 6:00 PM, FLC … parents and kids, please come to our KICK-OFF  to talk about all our plans for this semester, starting Wednesday, September 5th  … we want LOTS of input and we’ll be talking about: Sunday mornings, an exciting program we have planned for Wednesday nights, social activities, mission opportunities, etc.
 
ALPHA COMING SEPTEMBER 5th … I am so VERY excited to be bringing this incredible program to Winnsboro and please know, this is a GREAT opportunity to invite friends who may not have a church home! This 10 week course will start with our fabulous fellowship meal, then have an engaging video, followed by small group conversation … the weekly topics SOUND basic and oh, they are anything but basic! We do ask that you REGISTER HERE because we are training small group facilitators and we’ll need to know how many groups to have.  PLEASE REGISTER!  Then, watch for our FACEBOOK posts (which you will see often!) and SHARE them on your own page … it’s the most affordable promotion we have when we share with friends!
 
HAVE YOU BEEN ON A WALK TO EMMAUS? Please let me know!
In 1994 I went on a 3 day spiritual journey that changed my life! The Walk to Emmaus (which, by the way has very LITTLE walking!) was developed by the United Methodist UPPER ROOM as a non-denominational discipleship journey to help people grow in their faith and become leaders in the church. If you remember, after Jesus rose from the dead, He met some of His followers returning home and they did not recognize Him (Luke 24:13-35) and on this spiritual retreat, participants focus on knowing what it TRULY means to have a personal relationship with Jesus.  If you have been on a walk to Emmaus, let me know when and where!
 
UPCOMING WORSHIP SERIES:
 
BELONGING to a TABLE OF GRACE: 8/26, 9/2 …these next 2 Sundays are transitional Sundays and people are winding down from summer and not yet settling into “after Labor Day” routines. I hope you’ll be sure to join us as we talk about the simple elements used at the communion table … the bread and the juice.  We will serve juice on September 2nd from the grapes we harvested!
 
GOD at the MOVIES: 9/9-9/30 … the 1st few weeks after Labor Day are the SECOND most important Sundays for us to welcome and invite NEW people to church!  (New Year resolutions bring the MOST visitors!) For this reason, the fall worship series should be non-threatening, applicable to people’s lives and thoroughly engaging and what better way to do all those things than to talk about MOVIES! Movies have a way of communicating God’s fingerprints in POWERFUL ways and we’ll look at POPULAR movies that most people are either familiar with or can watch on NetFlix or On-Demand. But don’t worry – we’ll show short, meaningful snippets of each film, enough to communicate the GOD MESSAGE and give everyone the WHOLE picture in a short time.
 
Thanks so much for returning your SPIRITUAL GIFTS FORMS  .. and don’t forget to REGISTER FOR ALPHA! 

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8-7-18 FUMC Updates

Posted on Aug 7, 2018 in HomePage |

It’s hard to believe that school starts on AUGUST 16th … 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 18th, 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 9th, 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 1st 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 1st 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!


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8-1-18 FUMC Updates

Posted on Aug 1, 2018 in HomePage |

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 (1st 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 1st 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!”

 

Want to help us spread the word??? 

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 1st 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 1st 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

 

This Sunday we dive into Daniel Chapter 9:9-18 and it’s ALL about CONFESSION: It’s Good for the Soul! STUDY GUIDE available, just call the office … 903-342-6172
 

Debbie Lyons, Pastor

 


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7-24-18 FUMC Updates

Posted on Jul 24, 2018 in HomePage |

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.

THIS SUNDAY NIGHT 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!  THE MIDDLE SCHOOL will be hosting this super fun night so be generous with your love offerings … the money will be used for their FIRST POOL PARTY!
 
MIDDLE SCHOOL (6th-8th), POOL PARTY, WED. 8/1, 5:30-7:30, Don and Judy Beaty’s house … it’s MUCH more fun with FRIENDS so kids … bring your friends!
 
GIFT CARDS FOR OUR TEACHERS: we’re collecting gift cards for the middle and high school teachers …Family Dollar, Dollar General, Walmart or wherever! You can drop your cards in the offering plates, drop them at the office or bring them to the POT LUCK.   

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

 


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