WELCOME TO FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH WINNSBORO!
10:50 a.m.
1-11-21 FUMC Updates
Speaking of COVID, I’m sure you all heard the joy in my voice during Sunday’s worship when I reported that quite a few of you have already received your 1st of 2-part vaccine for coronavirus – I hope this means that as more and more people are safe from the virus we’ll start SLOWLY seeing more and more people come back to church! BUT … as my attached devotional addresses (you can watch it on YouTube HERE), HOPE often comes with PATIENCE!
JAMES CLARK’S GRAVESIDE SERVICE: Thursday, January 14, 2 pm, Maple Springs Cemetery in Leesburg. James’ son, Jim, has been extremely sad that we can not all gather the way we WANT to gather to remember and celebrate the people we love, but they are very COVID conscious and want to be sure everyone is safe. Jim has written a beautiful obituary (CLICK HERE to read it) and asks that anyone attending the graveside service wear masks and remain socially distant. To send a note to the family:
Jim and Shana Clark – 2215 Owens Blvd – Richardson, TX. 75082
COME PRAY IN THE SANCTUARY, Tuesday mornings, 9 – 10:30 AM … come to find solace in a safe, sacred space to pray! There will be prayer guides, if you want some help getting started, in the front pew in front of the pulpit (please take them home with you). There is MUCH to pray about!
ZOOM BIBLE STUDY STARTS BACK WEDNESDAY, 1/13 at 10 am! We’re diving into the Book of Acts, chapter 1 this week and everyone is welcome! Want to give ZOOM a try … CLICK THIS “TEST” LINK and try it!! Before joining a Zoom meeting on a computer, tablet, or mobile device, you can download the Zoom app from the Download Center HERE. Otherwise, you will be prompted to download and install Zoom when you click a join link … get the link to join on the website calendar HERE.
HAVE YOU TAKEN THE CORE VALUES SURVEY YET? Your Church Leadership Team will meet this month to begin strategizing this unusual new year and we need your help! Please take this survey which lists 30 CORE VALUES that would typically be associated with churches – we want to find out what our folks see as OUR Core Values! For each value, you’ll mark whether you think we are CONSISTENT in that value, INCONSISTENT in that value, or if you feel it’s a value we SHOULD ASPIRE TO and work MORE toward! You’ll be asked for your email address so everyone can only answer once but your answers are anonymous. When you are finished, you’ll see the current results. Thanks so much for your input!
CAN YOU FIND 1 ½ HOURS, 1 DAY EVERY OTHER MONTH TO SERVE OTHERS? Pat St. MiKlossy is reorganizing our commitment to MEALS ON WHEELS and people in OUR COMMUNITY need your help … just 1 Tuesday every OTHER month from about 11 am to 12:30 … yes, you can make a BIG difference to people who might go hungry without the drivers who deliver the meals. Grab a friend or your spouse and help out – you’ll pick up the meals at Pine Street and deliveries are all local! CONTACT PAT ST. MIKLOSSY if you are willing to serve.
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN MEETING on Thursday, 1/14 CANCELLED … they hope to resume in February as the COVID numbers decrease!
MARK WORSHIP SERIES CONTINUES … the reflection questions from 1/10 are attached (CLICK HERE) … this Sunday we’ll look at the second half of chapter 1. INVITE A FRIEND to join us … share the posts on our Facebook or Instagram!
DID CHRISTMAS COME & GO & YOU MISSED A FEW THINGS IN YOUR KITCHEN? You can order from RADA all year long from our website and the United Methodist Women share ALL their fundraising income with the community!! In 2020 the United Methodist Women gave over $1200 to charities! THANK YOU, UMW!! CLICK HERE to go to our website and connect to the catalog – you can browse, shop, pay and ship all online!
ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN STAY CONNECTED: if you use these resources frequently be sure to bookmark them and save them so you can return to them easily. If you have church friends who do not use any of these resources, PLEASE CALL THEM and keep them updated!
– Weekly emails … you can also find them on the bottom of the website HOME PAGE
– Website
… Calendar
… MARK Sunday morning worship series
… BIBLE TALK weekly Bible Study details
… Audios of sermon messages
– Prayer chain (occasionally used for important all church announcements) … to sign up for FUMC Prayer Team notifications, please visit HERE or send THIS MESSAGE: @pray-now to THIS NUMBER: 81010.
– Facebook has all kinds of updates, not to mention Sunday morning sermons LIVE, or you can go back and watch if you miss one.
– YouTube now has the sermons (not the whole worship service) for anyone who doesn’t use Facebook, now you can watch devotionals and sermons, usually posted a day or 2 after they happen.
– Instagram is also NEW for those of you who like the short & sweet visuals.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Debbie
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1-4-21 FUMC Updates
-What makes us different from other churches?
-What is it that attracts people or turns them away?
-Why are you at this church?
-What are people here looking for?
WON’T YOU PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING YOUR CHURCH? We have 3 opportunities for you to serve God in important ways …
- SUNDAY MORNINGS, 10:30 – NOON, CHILDREN’S CHURCH … we always want to have 2 adults working together when our kids are gathering and now that the holidays are over, we hope the kids will come back when we start the NEW YEAR on January 10th. We will provide the Ministry Safe training and background checks and ideally, we need 3-4 adults who could join as “helpers”! (You don’t have to plan or organize, just be present!) Contact me, please!
- SUNDAY MORNINGS, 10:30-NOON, USHERS … we’d like to bolster our hospitality team and get ready for what I know, will be a deep desire for people to come BACK to church when this pandemic is over. Let us know how often YOU’D like to serve, and we’ll try to be flexible! Again, please contact SHIELA HAYNES, Worship Leader, if you are available.
- TUESDAY MORNINGS, 2-3 hours/week, OFFICE HELP … if you are very organized and good at filing, please contact me directly … we only need 1 person.
UNDERSTANDING SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CHAPTERS IN THE BIBLE, Wednesdays starting 1/13, 10 am ZOOM …Bible Talk starts back into the New Testament chapters that focus on what happened AFTER Jesus died. We’ll begin with Acts 1, then the next week, Acts 2 so mark your calendars – the schedule is attached (CLICK HERE). You can always find sign-in info on the website calendar.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Pastor Debbie
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12-28-20 FUMC Updates
I have sensed a continued weariness as we wait just a little bit longer for the COVID vaccines to get distributed and things to return to some normalcy. But please do not let down your guard because this virus is deadly and destructive, and it spreads very quickly. While we were fortunate to get out of the red danger zone in our 7 county area, I was sad to see Net Health reporting our numbers, the week BEFORE Christmas, went up. We know that after holiday gatherings we will likely see those numbers go up even more so please be diligent in staying safe. Our church will remain open with all safety protocols in place, including wearing masks through the service as attendance and cases pick up again. If anything changes, we will update you.
CORONAVIRIS VACCINES … I hope everyone has done your research on the vaccines (CLICK HERE for CDC info). Jimmie Davis has been in contact with Net Health and they will let him know when the vaccines are available in East Texas … right now, Tyler HAS received a shipment for the health care workers first, but soon, they will be available for nursing homes and seniors and Jimmie will keep us updated.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3rd thru APRIL 4, 10:50 AM … THE GOSPEL OF MARK: this Sunday fasten your seatbelts for a fast-paced, teaching worship series on the Gospel of Mark! This gospel shares a vivid account of Jesus’ ministry, moving quickly from one episode and ministry to another, emphasizing more of what Jesus did than what He said. Mark shares a sense of immediacy, a sense that Jesus’s time on earth was short and that there was much to accomplish in His few years on earth. The forward motion in Mark’s writing keeps us continually looking ahead to the cross and the resurrection! PLEASE SHARE OUR INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK posts on your pages – this is the kind of sermon series that appeals to people differently than a regular series … we’ll be in-person, with masks, and online! Check out the MARK page on the website HERE.
MANY THANKS FOR MY CHRISTMAS EVE SURPRISE: those of you who participated in the Christmas Eve service could probably tell how absolutely shocked I was to receive your generous Christmas THANK-YOU gift! Joanna Horton, the Chair of our Church Council certainly had something to do with that so to any and all of you involved, THANK-YOU!
MANY THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CARES ACTS TAX BREAKS and GIVING BACK TO GOD: it’s not too late to take advantage of this unusual COVID-19 “gift” from the IRS! Many of you are already scheduling regular giving on our website (we pay the fees!) but now, you can also give on FACEBOOK using the DONATE button at the top of the page and there are no fees at all! Check with your accountant for details but here’s the gist of it:
How does the Act impact taxpayers that itemize?
For the first time ever, donors who itemize their deductions can now deduct charitable contributions up to 100% of adjusted gross income (AGI). This change allows donors to maximize donations in a single year and have more control over the impact of contributions on taxable income. Previously, this limit was at 60% of AGI. Giving beyond this 100% limitation may be carried over and used in the next five years.
How does the CARES Act impact those that do not itemize?
Taxpayers who generally do not itemize on their personal return can take a charitable deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions to qualifying organizations on their personal return. This deduction will be an ‘above the line’ deduction and the maximum is $300 regardless of filing status.
DIRECTORY: The picture directory is available and list of active families in the church (or members) … PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS WITH ANYONE, it is for you only! If you want a copy, let me know. I have highlighted in YELLOW those names of people who do not get out or are in assisted living so you can drop a note or make a call … as hard as coronavirus has been on US, just imagine how it must be for those who can’t get out. If you want to update your picture or information, please let me know! AND SEND ME YOUR BIRTHDAYS, PLEASE!
WON’T YOU PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING YOUR CHURCH? We have 4 opportunities for you to serve God in important ways …
1) THIS THURSDAY, 12/31, 10-11 AM … please come help us take down the Christmas decorations so we can get ready to begin a new year! We need a handful of people for ONE HOUR and please don’t assume that “someone else will do it”. That someone else could be YOU! Please contact SHIELA HAYNES, Worship Leader, if you are available.
2) SUNDAY MORNINGS, 10:30 – NOON, USHERS … those of you who have been coming to church know that the same servant-hearted people have been greeting, welcoming, and serving our folks as usher and hospitality for many months. We’d like to bolster our hospitality team and get ready for what I know, will be a deep desire for people to come BACK to church when this pandemic is over. We would ideally love to have people rotate Sundays so let us know how often YOU’D like to serve, and we’ll try to be flexible. Again, please contact SHIELA HAYNES, Worship Leader, if you are available.
3) TUESDAY MORNINGS, 2-3 hours/week, OFFICE HELP … as you know, we decided this fall to begin using a CPA for our accounting and that allowed us to free up a budget for an office manager to use for a Social Media Director. Sarah Sparks is now doing so much to help me with Facebook, the website, and our worship slides but I would love to have someone help in the office on Tuesday mornings for a few hours. If you are very organized and good at filing, please contact me directly … we only need 1 person.
4) SUNDAY MORNINGS, 10:30 – NOON, CHILDREN’S CHURCH … we like to have 2 adults working together when our kids are gathering and now that the holidays are over, we hope the kids will come back when we start the NEW YEAR on January 10th. (The children join us for communion on the 1st SUNDAYS so there is no Children’s Church on the 1st Sundays.) We will provide the Ministry Safe training and background checks and ideally, we’d love to have 3-4 adults who could join as “helpers”! (You don’t have to plan or organize, just be present!) Contact me please!
ZOOM BIBLE TALK STARTS BACK WEDNESDAY MORNINGS, 10 – 11 AM, January 13th … this winter we will study, in-depth, the 4th section of the Bible, THE CHURCH … what happened after Jesus ascended and how did the church grow from Jerusalem into all the corners of the world? The sign-in link is always on the website calendar (HERE) and if you still haven’t been willing to try ZOOM, now might be the time – and NO MASKS are required when you’re tuning in from your home! CLICK HERE for simple instructions if you want to join us!
PLEASE RE-JOIN THE PRAYER TEAM … I have sent a REMIND text invitation to everyone who I know was on the prayer team before we updated our text communication, but you will have to accept the invitation to get the texts. Yes, text messaging rates do apply so please feel free to disregard the invitation. Remember, this is ONE WAY COMMUNICATION, you will not be part of everyone all replying to the same text. If you would like to join NOW, it’s easy … as soon as you click this link, you’ll be reconnected … SEE ATTACHED FOR DETAILS …
https://www.remind.com/join/pray-now.
Don’t get text messages but want to get emails?
Go to rmd.at/pray-now on a desktop computer to sign up for email notifications.
I’m extremely excited about our NEW teaching series on the Gospel of Mark this Sunday … since many of you are still watching online, I’m including, again, the info HERE on how you might be able to watch on your TV at home! If you have a SMART TV it’s simple but if not, an HDMI cable might do the trick!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
Pastor Debbie
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12-24-20 FUMC Update MERRY CHRISTMAS
PLEASE RE-JOIN THE PRAYER CHAIN: the church has moved from a land-line to a cell phone and in the process of merging our REMIND prayer chain text, I ran into some complications that will require everyone to rejoin the group. For the next week, I will send both emails and texts until we can transition fully back to our NEW text messaging. I apologize for this inconvenience but after Christmas, I will send you all a text message that you can accept to re-join the group or IGNORE that text if you do not or cannot receive text messages. Remember, this is ONE WAY COMMUNICATION, you will not be part of everyone all replying to the same text. If you would like to join NOW, it’s easy … as soon as you click this link, you’ll be reconnected … (instructions click here)
Blessing Box $400
Community Resource Center $400
Backpack Food Ministry $1000
Grace and peace,
Pastor Debbie
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12-18-20 FUMC Devotional … the Bethlehem Star
Christmas is only 1 week away and it will be good to return to in-person worship this Sunday, 12/20, and, of course, on Christmas Eve! With all the difficult news we’re hearing, I was so excited when I heard about this unusual cosmic occurrence happening on Monday night … if you’d rather watch the devotional, CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube or CLICK HERE for Facebook.
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The planets Jupiter and Saturn are projected to align so closely (cosmically speaking) on December 21 that they will appear to the naked eye as one bright star. This news has caused some people to consider whether the Bethlehem Star, seen and followed by the Magi, might have been something similar! This event in the sky TONIGHT gives us a chance to think about the meaning of the star in the birth narrative of Jesus, and of how God calls us to Him.
Patrick Hartigan, a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University said “Alignments between these two planets are rather rare, occurring once every 20 years or so, but this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will appear to one another.”
“Exceptionally rare” is an understatement … the last time this happened was in 1623, and before that in 1226, and neither of those was in December. This near alignment won’t occur again, astronomers say, until March of 2080!
And here’s the good news – to see the alignment of the two planets, you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night … NASA says to look for them low in the southwest in the hour after sunset!!
I wonder if God used this unique alignment of planets to lead the Magi to the baby Jesus? Many Bible readers and others have long speculated that such might be the case. Modern astronomers have suggested all sorts of explanations for the event, but attempts to attribute the Bethlehem Star to a natural occurrence, cannot explain the behavior of the star described in Matthew 2 …
The Gospel tells us THAT star remained stationary while the wise men were in Jerusalem then led them not only to Bethlehem but to the precise location of Jesus, where it “stopped over the place where the child was” (Matthew 2:9). Matthew is clearly describing a miraculous phenomenon directed behind the scenes by God, and as difficult as 2020 has been, whether December 21st will be a miracle or merely astrophysics, it DOES shed light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.
Regardless of whether the Bethlehem Star was a natural occurrence or a miraculous intervention of God into the workings of the cosmos, the effect of the star on the Magi was of God beckoning, calling to them!! They dropped everything and left to find the Christ Child!
The star is also a reminder that many of us began our journey toward God because, in some way, God wooed us, drew us toward him through means that we did not immediately recognize as spiritual or divine.
While God does not force us toward him, He will NEVER stop offering us subtle invitations, droplets of grace, to look for him.
This is the grace of God that comes to us before we even go looking for it – it’s His tap on our shoulder when our attention is focused on anything but him, but which becomes the beginning of our deliverance!
I love how the translation from Isaiah 65 in the MESSAGE shares God word to us:
“I’ve made myself available to those who haven’t bothered to ask. I’m here, ready to be found by those who haven’t bothered to look. I kept saying ‘I’m here, I’m right here’ to a nation that ignored me. I reached out day after day to a people who turned their backs on me, People who make wrong turns, who insist on doing things their own way. Isaiah 65:1-2
This verse is not suggesting that God waits passively for us to discover him, but rather that God opens the paths that run toward him BEFORE we start looking for him. This grace is the beginning of bringing us from spiritual blindness to a full relationship with Jesus Christ … we just have to make the slightest move toward him!!
And guess what, our “great alignment” occurs when we are aligned with the call and will of God!!
What we will see on December 21st isn’t the Christmas Star but that doesn’t matter! What matters is if our eyes are open to the wonder and wondering of God! What matters is that we’re looking at the universe and remembering that as John 1, verse 5 tells us … the light that shines in the darkness IS the Light of the Messiah!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Pastor Debbie
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