10:50 a.m.
5/4/22 FUMC Updates
I got back from vacation last night and I am very grateful for having some time to relax at the beach in Alabama, but also so very grateful to everyone who helped while I was gone. A great big thanks to Brother Henry for preaching, providing pastoral care, and for honoring Jack Cowser’s life this past week. To Tina Satterwhite and all those who helped with the Senior Luau, I can’t wait to see all the pictures! It is so difficult to miss important days and events, but so many of YOU are why FUMC is such an amazing church, and it is YOUR commitment to prayer, presence, gifts, service, and witness that makes God smile day after day!
I hope to see everyone tonight at our Wednesday Night Fellowship Meal tonight, 5/4 at 6 PM.
I also hope you’ll join me at NOON this Thursday, 5/5 at the National Day of Prayer at the City Civic center … many churches and many of our neighbors will gather, with purpose, for an incredible worship experience, singing and prayer so don’t miss it!
Vote Saturday, May 7th … not only will we be voting on our City Council, School Board, and some very important City Bonds but there are 2 important STATE amendments on this ballot (CLICK HERE) “Prop 1 would adjust the taxes paid toward public schools by those 65 years old and older and people with disabilities to match the same percentage as everyone else. This would mean lower payments for people in these two groups. Prop 2 would raise the homestead exemption for school property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000, This exemption reduces the taxable value of qualifying properties. This means a homeowner with a primary residence valued at $100,000 currently has to pay taxes on only $75,000, $100,000 minus $25,000. If the new amendment were to pass, that homeowner would pay taxes on $60,000, $100,000 minus $40,000.” NPR NEWS
This Sunday, May 8th, is MOTHER’S DAY and ASCENSION SUNDAY … the Easter season comes to an end when Jesus bodily ascends into heaven and asks his followers to be his WITNESSES. There are no better WITNESSES to the risen Christ than mothers who teach their children about His love so let’s all gather together for this special day.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
East District Annual Meeting: Sunday, May 23rd, 3 PM, FUMC Sulphur Springs … this is a business meeting for all churches in our area to prepare for the Annual Conference. Everyone is welcome, no registration is required.
North Texas UMC Annual Meeting: June 5-7 at First UMC Richardson: all churches in North Texas gather to do the business of the church. CLICK HERE for details and registration. If you want a pre-conference workbook, please order one through the registration process.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Debbie
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4/18/22 FUMC Updates
What a wonderful Easter it was – HALLELUJA, CHRIST IS RISEN! It seems that all the spiritual work we did during Lent all came together as we were reminded that the resurrection really DID change everything for us! It was great to see so many families together, some new faces and some people we haven’t seen in a long time! I have reached out to some I met but if YOU know of people who were in church yesterday, please let me know so I can send them a note.
This week is our last KiDs Beach Club at the Intermediate school and I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have had the chance to “make Jesus cool at school”! This truly IS a labor of love for all the greeters and the Surf Team Leaders who meet every week at the school to love, teach and serve the 3rd-5th graders. Thanks to everyone who helped buy Bibles and snacks, who wrote NOTES, and prayed for all our kids! Thanks to EVERYONE in this congregation who sees the value of making disciples, serving our community, teaching our children the love of Jesus, and supporting this ministry! The school has already invited us to start again in the fall!
I will be leaving to go on vacation this Sunday and will be back in the office on May 4th. Brother Henry has graciously agreed to preach on the next 2 Sundays and receive pastoral care calls, and Heather will be managing the office phone, 903-342-6172. This phone is used as a LANDLINE so please do not text that number … if you need to reach her, please call and leave a message if there is no answer.
There will not be an email next week so watch Facebook or see the calendar for details.
COMING UP: See the calendar for details
Every Monday, 8 am, Hope Café … Men’s breakfast with Brother Henry
Every Monday, 1 pm, FLC … Knitters and Stitchers
Tuesday, 4/19, 10-11 am, Wesley Hall … Brother Henry’s Bible study in (study questions attached)
Every Wednesday, 3 PM, Asbury Hall … Crafters
Wednesday, 4/20, 6 pm, FLC … Fellowship Meal we’ll have these meals weekly through the end of May (smothered pork chops this week!)
Saturday, 4/23, 10:30-11:30 am, Wesley UMC, Greenville …Bishop’s meeting, click here to reserve your spot: https://ntcumc.org/bishop-meetings
Thursday, 4/28, 9 am – 3 pm, SEW DAY, contact AMY MOSS for info, amy.h.moss@gmail.com
AND IT’S BAAAAACK …. THE SENIOR LUAU!!
Tuesday, May 3rd, 5 – 7 PM
For many years one of our gifts to the community has been to host a SENIOR LUAU for the kids – this is a GREAT event that says WE CARE! During the 2 years of the pandemic, we have missed doing this but it’s BACK!! Tina has been organizing this event for a while so she knows what we need – reach out to her and say, “It’s my church – what do you need?” Contact Tina Satterwhite: rajuncajun@peoplescom.net
NATIONAL PRAYER DAY
Thursday, May 5th, NOON – 1 PM, Civic Auditorium
Please mark your calendar for this very special time of worship and prayer – prayer DOES matter and when all the community and all the churches gather together, there is a spiritual energy that’s amazing!
GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME … thanks be to God!
Pastor Debbie
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4-11-22 FUMC Updates – Easter is almost here!
I was filled with so much joy last week as all the people I love most in the world gathered together for my daughter Lyssa’s small, intimate wedding in Orlando! After a whirlwind week of constant going, going, going, I’m excited to go, go, go THIS week as the holiest week of the year continues …
HOLY WEEK BEGINS!
Thursday, April 14th, 6 pm … Holy Thursday, the Last Supper: join us in the sanctuary as we remember the LAST SUPPER Jesus had with His disciples. We’ll immerse ourselves in a reflective, fresh discovery of what you might think are common scriptures so I hope to see you then!
Friday, April 15th, 4 – 6 pm … Good Friday, come and go personal meditation time: as we remember the day that Jesus was beaten, scourged, humiliated, and nailed to a cross to suffer and die for us, try to find a few minutes to stop by the sanctuary and sit quietly, or pray through the meditation guide that will walk you through the last 12 events of Jesus’s life: from sentencing to being placed in the tomb. Stay 5 minutes or areas long as you want.
Sunday, April 17th … EASTER! More people go to church on Easter Sunday than ANY other day of the year so we’re throwing open our doors and welcoming lots of people: family members, friends, and hopefully lots of new people!
… 6:45 am Sunrise Service at Ragsdale’s, 270 CR 4228, Winnsboro: coffee and donuts will be ready at 6:30 so throw on your jeans, bring a jacket and sunglasses and come to celebrate the risen Christ as the sun rises in the east! The weather forecast is terrific … SHARE OUR POSTS on your Facebook page and invite YOUR friends! (From the water tower at TX 11 and FM 852, so west 3 miles, right on 4228)
… 10:50 am Traditional Service in the sanctuary: what a great morning it will be as Mary White kicks off worship with the organ playing CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY!! It will be a glorious celebration and the message, “This Changes Everything” might just change the life of someone YOU know so invite someone! Please remember how difficult it is for someone who is not a regular churchgoer to come to a new church and wonder what to do! If you see people you don’t know – invite them to sit with you, make room, and introduce them to your pew neighbors! And yes, please leave the good parking spots and back rows for our guests!
MANY, MANY THANKS …
… to the one who left a lovely card taped on my front door after church last Sunday that brought me more JOY than I could have ever imagined!
… to Don Beaty and the kitchen crew for a fabulous TACO DINNER with the Kids Beach Club families last week
… to Bettye Gilbert and the dessert makers for all the fabulous desserts last Wednesday
… to all of you who brought LOTS of stuffed Easter eggs for the egg hunt
… to our very own Heather Warren for overseeing Kids Beach Club and the Easter egg hunt while I was gone
… to Jerry Calvert for organizing the blood drive and to everyone who donated
… an early thanks to Julie Lewis and Elaina Ragsdale for the beautiful Lenten altarscapes we’ve enjoyed this season and the quick work they will do after Good Friday to convert the chancel from darkness to light in time for Easter
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN, 4/14, 10 AM in Asbury … all women of the church are invited to come as Joanna Horton presents a conversation about keeping your brain healthy.
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3-30-22 FUMC Updates
Weddings are on my mind! Last weekend Conner and Cheyenne Ragsdale got married at the Ragsdale’s home, and it was a beautiful evening celebrating the love of two people who are starting their new lives together! Next Wednesday morning at 10 AM, I will be celebrating my youngest daughter Lyssa, her marriage to the man she has been waiting for her whole life. Matthew is wonderful and everyone in our family already feels like he’s part of our family, and I am so excited for them both! Lyssa and Matthew are getting married in a small, intimate family wedding in Orlando, but the day before, we’re all going to Disney World to SURPRISE my grandson who will be turning 10 – he has no idea we’re all going to be there! Next week will be FULL of love and joy and I am overflowing with happiness to all be together.
I’ll be out of town next Monday through Friday but Heather will be here most of Monday-Wednesday, and Pastor Sue Gross will be on call, 903-767-6339. Email Heather your prayer requests: communications@fumcwinnsboro.com
AND NOW – THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT …
Wednesday, April 6th, 6 PM … Taco Dinner and Egg Hunt, and if you haven’t RSVP’d this FRIDAY is the deadline so please, just do it now, PLEASE!
Click here to make a reservation now or call 903-342-6172
As of today, we have 23 Beach Club people coming (12 children, not part of our church!) and 27 FUMC people who have RSVP’d so thank you so very much!
Why is this important? Our kitchen team and bakers work really hard to make everything special and to be sure there is plenty of food – with the cost of food going way up, we want to be good stewards and prepare for everyone so please help us. but please help us be sure to have enough food and enough eggs for the after-dinner egg hunt. We are, of course, asking our KBC families to RSVP also but I hope we can count on YOU to help.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO BROUGHT EGGS! We still need yours so bring them Sunday!
WON’T YOU PLEASE HELP HEATHER GET THE EGG HUNT READY? Heather will be here in the office next M-Tu-Wed to help with the egg hunt, and she will be at the FLC at 4:30 to make sure there is plenty of time to get 3 sections of eggs set up for 3 age groups out by the volleyball nets. She will need some help so please email her if you can be there early: communications@fumcwinnsboro.com
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Saturday, April 9th, 10-3 PM, First Baptist Winnsboro … thanks to Jerry Calvert for coordinating this Blood Drive! GIVING BLOOD IS EASY AND YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE … go here to make an appointment or take your chance and just go!
LOOKING AHEAD to HOLY WEEK?
– Sunday, April 10, 10:50 am … Palm Sunday, children will meet in the lobby by 10:45.
– Thursday, April 14th, 6 pm … Holy Thursday, the Last Supper
– Friday, April 15th, 4 – 6 pm … Good Friday, come and go personal meditation
– Sunday, April 17th …
… 6:45 am Sunrise Service at Ragsdale’s
… 10:50 am Traditional Service in the sanctuary
THIS SUNDAY: have you ever felt like you were at a dead end? This Sunday get ready because the DRY BONES come alive! Ezekiel 37:1-10
Please say a prayer for my family, and especially for Lyssa and Matthew!
Pastor Debbie
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3-24-22 FUMC Updates … Easter is only 22 days away!
This Sunday is the 4th Sunday of the 6 week season of Lent … which means Easter is right around the corner!
“Chr-easters”, as I have heard people who only go to church on Christmas and Easter affectionately described, is EXACTLY why Christmas and Easter are so important! Yes, we as faithful Christians regularly come to church to worship God in a special way on these special “big” holidays, but we’re called to MAKE DISCIPLES FOR JESUS CHRIST, and where do we do this? On “big” Sundays like Christmas and Easter. We not only invite people to come to sit with us and share in the celebration, but we also welcome people and make them feel they ARE part of our church family.
Who is God putting on YOUR heart to invite to “come and see” what’s going on here at FUM? Don’t worry, you just have to sprinkle the seed … then let GOD do the rest!
THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE OFFERED TO SERVE AS USHERS! We’d like to have a few more people so if you’re a friendly, welcoming person, please contact Carolyn Stewart HERE to get plugged in 1 or 2 Sundays a month! You’ll need to be at your door by 10:30 am to open doors and greet people, and stay a few minutes after church to be sure everything is in order.
UPDATE on the CHALK CLASS: THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 6-7 PM, $10 … you’ll be blown away by Stephanie Bright’s creativity (https://www.facebook.com/
vintagechalkdiy ) and she will be offering a Chalk Paint class, using stencils, so you can create your own project. All supplies will be furnished. Call Carla Chitsey, 903-975-2643, or email the church office FUMCwinnsboro@gmail.comto save your seat.
NOW COLLECTING FILLED EASTER EGGS: we’re excited to be planning an EGG HUNT for our kids and the Beach Club kids on April 6th so help us plan for a super fun night and bring us your eggs now! There will be boxes in the church lobbies, and also by the office door so let’s gather LOTS of eggs together!!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEAL AND EGG HUNT, April 6th, 6 PM … have you made your reservations yet? I see that many of you HAVE and thank you so much! You can take a picture of the CODE in the picture below OR click here to make a reservation now, but please help us be sure to have enough food and enough eggs for the after-dinner egg hunt. We are, of course, asking our KBC families to RSVP also but I hope we can count on YOU to help.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE in WINNSBORO, Saturday, April 9, 10-3 … we’re happy to partner with First Baptist to promote and support this VERY important community blood drive. Scan the code on the picture below or CLICK HERE to make an appointment.
LOOKING AHEAD to HOLY WEEK?
– Sunday, April 10, 10:50 am … Palm Sunday, there WILL be a children’s processional!
– Thursday, April 14th, 6 pm … Holy Thursday, the Last Supper
– Friday, April 15th, 4 – 6 pm … Good Friday, come and go personal meditation
– Sunday, April 17th …
… 6:45 am Sunrise Service at Ragsdale’s
… 10:50 am Traditional Service in the sanctuary
THIS SUNDAY: our Lent worship series continues with a message to be REDEFINED. We’ll see how 2 powerful and important men had their lives turned upside down by an amazing God! (1 Samuel 16:1–13; John 9:1–41)
HAPPY SPRING!
Pastor Debbie
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