First Methodist Church Winnsboro

Thanksgiving is such an important and wonderful family holiday, and it seems to get lost in the rush to move on to CHRISTMAS!  I get it … I’m excited to move on to Christmas too but growing up we always waited until AFTER Thanksgiving to put up our decorations so I’ve followed that tradition!  BUT … if you already started decorating for Christmas, research in the Journal of Environmental Psychology finds people who put up their Christmas decorations early tend to be happier and friendlier!  Psychologists say Christmas decorations are nostalgic and bring people back to simpler and happier times and they say it also helps boost dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter in the brain.  Psychologist Deborah Serani said: “I think anything that takes us out of our normal habituation, the normal day in, day out … signals our senses, and then our senses measure if it’s pleasing or not.”  In any case, I wish you all a very happy THANKSGIVING with your families and friends next week … and I plan to put on MY Christmas decorations this weekend!

NO WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEAL NEXT WEEK, 11/24 … but are you looking forward to all those yummy CHRISTMAS dinners and desserts in December?  As Bettye Gilbert said, the first place everyone goes when they come for Wednesday night meals is the DESSERT TABLE and it will be so very sad if you come one night and there aren’t enough desserts.  We need your help to make just ONE dessert, ONCE a month!  YUP … just make ONE dessert, ONCE a month!  Won’t you please call or email Bettye and say, “This is my church, I’ll do it!” I know no one will complain if there aren’t enough desserts, but we don’t want anyone to be unhappy when all you have to do to help is bring ONE dessert, ONCE a month!  Bettye: 903-850-9417, bjhh@suddenlink.net

HANGING OF THE GREENS: Sunday, 12/21, after church …fa la la la la, la la la la!  Tis’ the season to deck the halls and get ready for the Christmas season to begin!  Advent, the 4 weeks of preparation for Christmas, starts on November 28th so we want to be ready so please stay a few minutes after church, and help us get the sanctuary decorated for Christmas!  Many hands will make this light work so please carry in a box or hang some garland and we’ll be done in NO TIME … we’ll take a headcount of who wants to stay for PIZZA when we’re done so don’t worry … you won’t go home hungry!

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK A SUCCESS!  So many people made crafts, helped with the quilt, baked, transported things to and from the Civic Center, cooked and served lunch, worked the tables at the Festival, and many of you shopped!  Not including the United Methodist Women, we raised about $3500 and we’ve already started sending that money out to the community!  The Crafters met Tuesday and decided to give $500 to the FUMC General Fund, $400 to the Winnsboro Community Resource Center (Food Pantry), $350 to Methodist Children’s Home, $100 to the Blessing Box, and $100 to the Winnsboro Volunteer Fire Department.  MANY THANKS TO YOU ALL!

EAST DISTRICT ZOOM CHARGE CONFERENCE, Monday, 11/29, 6 pm …to discuss the “notice of hearing to consider Chapter 11 plan of reorganization for Boy Scouts of America.” Although we no longer act as the charter organization for a Boy Scout Troop, we have had a troop in the past we are included in the vote.

PLANNING AHEAD FOR YOUR ADVENT?

ADVENT BIBLE STUDY: A Case for Christmas, Wednesdays, December 1, 8 & 15,  6:45 pm after dinner … Have you ever wondered WHY we believe all the scriptures about the birth of Jesus? Why entire religions have been founded on the story of a baby, born to poor parents in a manger, actually was the long-awaited Messiah of all times? Join me for this interactive conversation, and together, we’ll be investigative reporters to celebrate the conclusion of the investigation! The author, LEE STROBEL, unpacks some puzzling questions with some powerful answers, and I’d love for you to join us! Home-cooked DINNER is at 6 PM in the Family Life Center, and love offerings are accepted; then, we’ll dig down into the facts that are the foundation of our faith at 6:45 PM in Wesley Hall! Everyone is welcome!

ADVENT DEVOTIONALS …  the 4 week season of preparation before Christmas starts November 28^th it’s a great time to take a few minutes to read a devotional or do something to recognize the amazing gift we have been given … the gift of forgiveness and eternal life!  The North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church has some great tools for YOU!

CLICK HERE to receive a daily email devotional.

See the Christmas page, https://www.fumcwinnsboro.com/christmas/, for the “Intentional Acts of Kindness”… we’ve often heard the phrase “random acts of kindness.” What if, in this Advent season, we were intentional about doing something for a stranger, a neighbor, or our world on a daily basis?  We might call this Intentional Acts of Kindness.  As we move day by day closer to Christmas, perhaps our giving spirit cultivated by these thoughtful gestures toward others can help us “prepare him room” as Jesus is born to us this Christmas.  Here are 28 suggestions – pick one a day to carry you through Advent or write your own in the space provided!

GRACE AND PEACE!

Pastor Debbie

–       THIS FRIDAY, November 12

… Noon – 1 pm: come to the craft room and help move all the racks, shelves, and boxes of crafts to the Civic Center

… Noon – 2 pm: come to the Civic Center

… and help set up for the show

… bake & bring brownies for the lunch, please cut them and put them in individual baggies, call Don Beaty for questions, 903-342-6767

… bring your cobblers and pies, please price them. Call Betty Craddock for details, 903-975-5639

–       SATURDAY, November 13, 9 am: come to the Civic Center

… 8-9 am … bring your cobblers and pies, please price them, call Betty Craddock for details, 903-975-5639

… 8-10 am … bake & bring brownies for the lunch, please cut them and put them in individual baggies, call Don Beaty for questions, 903-342-6767

… 8 am – 3 pm … contact Carla Chitsey to take a shift behind the tables!  Facebook or 903-347-6012

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEALS resume this Wednesday, November 10 … I hope to see you there!

NEXT TUESDAY, 11/16, 10-11 am…Brother Henry’s Monthly Bible Study … because of construction in ASBURY you’ll meet in Wesley Hall. Attached is the outline for GIVING THANKS.

DON’T FORGET … YOU CAN BE PART OF US RECEIVING UP TO $1,000 in MATCHED DONATIONS!  Don’t forget … if you’ve been wanting to try to set up recurring donations, now is a good time to try because our giving platform, SHAREFAITH, will MATCH up to $1000 through the end of the year. It’s simple to try … CLICK HERE!   together, online, or in the sanctuary!

THIS SUNDAY: it’s the season of Thanksgiving but have you ever given any thought to why SOME people don’t know how to be grateful? We’ll talk about it Sunday, Luke 17:11-19

Pastor Debbie

Many thanks to everyone who helped bring our ANNUAL CHARGE CONFERENCE together last Sunday!  It was great getting to know our new District Superintendent, Cassie Wade, and Jill Hobbs wrote a great song that she and Johnny will sing for us on Sunday. Ken Ragsdale also did a terrific presentation that was funny and informative and he ALSO gave us a challenge …

Every Sunday we gather for worship, IN the sanctuary, and ONLINE as ONE church family! Just because distance or health reasons “separate” us, or because others enjoy the worship experience at home, we’re STILL the church TOGETHER!  Those watching online can post that they’re with us but how often do we in the sanctuary recognize that they are there? On Sundays in the future, Ken challenged anyone in the sanctuary to first, go to your Facebook page and check in on your OWN Facebook page when you arrive at church. 

Second, when the 2 MINUTE COUNTDOWN begins, move over to the FUMCWinnsboro’s Facebook page and comment on the live broadcast that you’re watching in the sanctuary! Community is community so let’s “be together”.

Third,  once the broadcast has begun, click the SHARE button so the broadcast appears on your page and invite your friends to join us!  God’s message on the live broadcast will spread like TONGUES OF FIRE when more people see how you spend YOUR Sunday mornings, so let’s all start sharing God’s love with our friends! THIS is the beauty of social media! 

Last, after church, go back and look at all those who commented and introduce yourself to people in your church family you don’t know! Say hello to the people you have missed!  God has opened up a whole new world for us so let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Ken Ragsdale – WE GOT THIS!!

THIS SUNDAY, 10/10, NOON, Christus Mother Francis Winnsboro…  immediately after church this Sunday please join us at the parking lot at the hospital to pray for the employees and patients … when you arrive, put on your lights and flashers and stand outside your car.

BOOK OF REVELATION, Thursday, 10/14, 9:30 – 11 am, Wesley … our study on the BOOK OF REVELATION has been so exciting for me to see the AH-HA in everyone’s face as we unlock the “codes” and connect the prophecy of the Old Testament to the 1^st century Christian persecution and to the chaotic world TODAY!  The horsemen of the apocalypse, the beasts, the locusts, the hail mixed with blood, whew … THANK GOD He gave this Word to Jesus who gave it to US because the bottom line is simple … THE LAMB WINS!  Next week, chapters 12-14, we are moving into the ultimate battle between good and evil and we’ll unpack the scripture about the woman and the dragon and get ready to meet the antichrist. If you want to watch the recordings of the 1^st few classes, here you go!  (Call me if you’d rather have AUDIOS)

9-16 INTRODUCTION to symbols, codes, and millennialism

9-23 GET READY: the 7 churches & the foundation, chapters 1-3

9-30 THE CHURCH SUFFERS: the 4 horsemen & 7 seals, chapters 4-7

10-7 THEWORLD IS WARNED: the 7 seals and 3 woes, chapters 8-11

BROTHER HENRY’S MONTHLY BIBLE STUDY, Tuesday, October 19, 10 AM, Asbury … everyone is welcome!

CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK IS ONLY 4 WEEKS AWAY AT THE CIVIC CENTER … Saturday, November 13th, 9 am – 3 pm! This is going to be an exciting event because it was canceled last year, and a lot of people are working hard to raise money for the church!

–         CRAFTERS: if YOU have been making things at home, please start making arrangements with Carla Chitsey to bring your things up to the Church!

–         QUILTERS: the quilt being raffled this year is in the lobby of the church & it’s fabulous! Get you tickets, $1 each or six for $5 from Amy Moss!

–         LUNCH TEAM: Don Beaty is coordinating the hamburgers and hotdogs for the lunch and he’ll need volunteers and people to bake brownies! Details will follow.

–         PIE BAKERS: FUMC Winnsboro is FAMOUS for our pies and cobblers so please start planning how many pies YOU can make! Contact Betty Craddock for questions.

–         UNITED METHODIST WOMEN will be selling Rada through the online catalog again this year – no hassle, no stress & you can ship wedding gifts or Christmas gifts anywhere!  (See attached). We don’t have details for what UMW will have at Christmas in the Park but like ANY of your Christmas shopping this year, please don’t wait! With the truck driver shortages and delays in container ships at our ports already, SHOP EARLY! CLICK HERE to browse the catalog.

 This Sunday our UNWAVERING JOY continues as we explore James chapter 4 … can’t wait to be with everyone!

Pastor Debbie