In This Issue Welcome To Our Church Page 2 Bible Study Classes , Prayer Requests Page 3 Church Staff / Upcoming Events Page 4 A Pastor’s Story Page 5 God Sighngs Pages 6 & 7 Being Free Page 8 A Leer from RUMC Trustees Page 9 Vacaon Bible School 2018 Page 10 July 2018 Birthday’s & Anniversary’s Page 11 Our Mission Here at RUMC, it is our Mission to Win people to Jesus Christ; to Train believers to become Growing Disciples; and to Send Disciples to Im- pact our Community and the World for Jesus Christ. 8002 US HWY 301 SOUTH RIVERVIEW, FL 33578 CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: Monday thru Friday, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM PHONE: 813.677.5995 FAX: 813.671.3871 EMAIL: [email protected]WEB: riverviewflumc.org It Takes All God’s People To Do God’s Work! Won’t You Join Us ! RIVERVIEW FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ~God’s Servant To Our Community~ JULY 2018 “BELL” NEWSLETTER
Transcript
In This Issue
Welcome To Our Church Page 2
Bible Study Classes , Prayer Requests Page 3
Church Staff / Upcoming Events Page 4
A Pastor’s Story Page 5
God Sightings Pages 6 & 7
Being Free Page 8
A Letter from RUMC Trustees Page 9
Vacation Bible School 2018 Page 10
July 2018 Birthday’s & Anniversary’s Page 11
Our Mission
Here at RUMC, it is our Mission to Win people
to Jesus Christ; to Train believers to become
Growing Disciples; and to Send Disciples to Im-
pact our Community and the World for Jesus
Christ.
8002 US HWY 301 SOUTH RIVERVIEW, FL 33578
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: Monday thru Friday, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
It Takes All God’s People To Do God’s Work! Won’t You Join Us !
RIVERVIEW FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
~God’s Servant To Our Community~
JULY 2018 “BELL” NEWSLETTER
Welcome to First United Methodist Church of
Riverview, RUMC for short.
We are a congregation with deep roots in Florida history and United Methodism. Our church began in 1846 not far from
where it is located, today. For 171 years our congregation has been worshipping God and serving the Riverview community.
Our mission statement reads, “Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of Riverview and Beyond” That
means we are focused on encouraging one another to serve Jesus Christ in personal and unique ways. At RUMC we have
groups and ministries for all ages. Worship is the central and most important act of a Christian.
We invite you and your family to our “Wonderful Wednesday's” fellow-
ship potluck supper, bring your favorite dish and join in. Other groups
include: The Youth group, who also meet on Wednesday evenings at
6:45, We also have Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts; United Methodist Wom-
en and United Methodist Men. We also offer Dave Ramsey’s Financial
Peace University (FPU) two times throughout the year.
Riverview First United Methodist Church offers Restore Food Pantry
and Thrift Store Outreach Ministry to our Community. Hours of Opera-
tion are: Tuesday’s & Thursday’s from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. This
institution is an equal opportunity provider and is open to the public.
2 WHERE FAITH………...
Faith Groups: 9:00 - 9:55 a.m.
Relationships and Refreshments (R&R): 10:00-
10:25
Worship Celebration: 10:30 a.m.
Hispanic Service: 12:00 Noon
1st & 3rd Sunday’s: Traditional / Choir-led
2nd & 4th Sunday’s: Contemporary /Praise Band
5th Sunday’s: Youth Praise Team
*Children’s Church Is Offered
The Celebration of the Lord’s Supper is observed
the First Sunday of each month.
Sunday
Manage Your On-Line Giving
Scan the QR Code Above Using
Your Smart Phone or Tablet.
Contribute TO RUMC Via AmazonSmile
If you shop online with Amazon, be aware that Riverview First United Methodist Church is now registered with Ama-zonSmile. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible smile.amazon.com purchas-es to our church.
Just log into Amazon via the AmazonSmile link and indicate that Riverview First United Methodist Church is your chari-ty of choice. Every time after that when you log into Amazon through smile.amazon.com a portion of the monies from your purchases will go directly to the church.
COME AND JOIN OUR BIBLE STUDY
CLASSES!
Women’s Small Group Bible Study
*On Vacation Until September 10th, 2018
Ladies! You are invited to come join us!
Mondays, Room #6, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30.
Questions? Please call Diana Williams,
facilitator, 677-3261 please leave mes-
sage.
Pastor’s Bible Study on Wednesday
night’s at 6:45 PM in the Church Library.
“Journey” Bible study class/ discussion
group, invites you to attend! The class
facilitator: Connie Mosley. Classes will
meet in Room #8 at 9:00.
The Gleaners Class under the tutelage of
Earl Lennard meet each Sunday in the
church library. Our current studies are
Tradition and Wisdom and how these
things apply to our daily living.
We use the Adult Bible Studies from the
Uniform Series International Bible Studies
for Christian Living.
There is a lot of discussion and finding
every ones opinion on the given lesson
and sharing our thoughts with each other.
Women’s Bible Study
On Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in
Room # 6.
Christians Connecting with Christ
Wed., 7:00 PM in Room # 8.
For all those needing God’s Love and healing. If you or a loved one needs
We look forward to having our New Pastor, Rev. Louis Telcy and Family with us on Sunday, July 1st, 2018. Im-mediately following the service we will have a “Welcome Lunch” and a “Pound the Pastor” Table in Bill Crichton
Hall. We will be serving Cuban Sandwiches and Soup.
Church Office Closed
The Church Office will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th, in observance of Inde-pendence Day. Happy 4th of July!!!
Fellowship Dinner & Free Spaghetti
The First Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM of each month. Please invite your Family and Friends and join us in Fellowship! Free Spaghetti is also being served.
RUMC & Metropolitan Ministry
Every Saturday Lunch Meals will be served in Bill Crichton Hall at 11:30 PM until 12:30 PM. RUMC will gladly accept any donations of hygiene items and toiletries to give out on Saturday’s to our guests. Thank you in advance!
Everyone Is Welcome!
The Journey Bible Study Class will meet on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM in Room # 8, also on Wednesday evenings in Room # 8 at 7:00 PM. Please join us!
Christians Connecting With Christ
Will meet in Room # 8 at 7:00 PM on Wednesday evenings.
UMM & Trustee Meetings
First Tuesday of each month at 6:00 PM the UMM have their meeting and the
Trustee’s will meet at 7:00 PM in the Church Library.
Church Council Meeting
The next Church Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 10th, 2018 at
6:30 PM in the Church Library. All are encouraged to come!
Please Join Us!
We will be serving Water Melon in Bill Crichton Hall immediately after Church
Service on Sunday, July 15th, 2018.
Back to School Ice Cream Social
We will have a Back to School Ice Cream Social on Sunday, August 12th, immedi-
ately following Church Services in Bill Crichton Hall.
English Classes
Lay Pastor Norma Encarnacion will resume teaching English Classes in
August 2018.
RESTORE Food Pantry & Clothing Store (Open to the Public) RESTORE Food Pantry and Clothing Store is open for business on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.
A Pastor’s Story……... I remember well the day that I started in ministry as a pastor at my first church. It was both an exciting day and a daunting day. We always are excited about starting any new endeavor in life and certainly being a pastor in a new town and in a new church is no exception. I remember pulling into the parking lot of the church and because I had not yet been given keys to the building, I had to wait until other staff people arrived. I remember it gave me time to pause and to think. Many thoughts went through my head and I asked myself questions like, “how will I fit in here? Will the peo-ple accept me? How will my wife be accepted by other women in the church? What truly is expected of me?” I am sure there were other questions too but as I sat there I remember thinking how awesome it is to be called by a church to lead them but also how lonely it can feel. Well that was a number of years ago and thinking back on that moment has made me very thankful for the brothers and sisters in Christ that have not only welcomed me but made me feel like part of the family at my church. There are many little things that I could point to that made me feel this way but this article will be an at-tempt in telling you 5 ways that I truly felt welcomed as a pastor and maybe these are things that you can do to help welcome your own new pastor. We all desire to feel loved and wanted and your new pastor is no different.
Being Invited To Things
This one may sound simple but when you are the new person in town (and I was in a very small town) you of-ten don’t know the culture yet that your are dealing with. For example, I was called into a small farming community and there are things that happen in a farming community that are far different than being a pastor in a larger city. I re-member being invited to a local FFA (Future Farmers of America) auction and not really knowing what to expect. It was held at the high school and I expected to walk into a small gathering of maybe a couple hundred of people but when I got there it seemed that most of the town was there. You see this was not just a fundraiser to raise money for some farm kids but rather a way of life in this community. You didn’t even need to have any connection to farming to be part of this event. I remember being there and realizing and understanding that this is a big event to these peo-ple. Other examples are less grand in scale but still very important. Just being invited over for dinner or to meet some-one for lunch is important in getting to know people and to start to develop some friendships that will not only help you in ministry but help you to feel wanted in the town.
Pray For Your New Pastor and Tell Him That You Are Praying
There is something that is so reassuring to know that other people are specifically praying for you. This is en-couraging for at least 2 reasons. First, it is so encouraging to know that there is spiritual maturity in this new flock of people in that they are praying for you. And second, it is nice to know that these new people care and love you enough to pray to God for you. Both of these reasons will be important to your new pastor.
Love Him And Honor His Family
This can be done in so many ways. It is good to be reminded that when your new pastor arrives his family also arrives with him. This can be terrifying for both the pastor’s spouse and also for any children that they may have. They probably have relocated to a new place and job that will have many eyes watching them. Love them all and show them that you accept them. One way to show this love early is in their transition to your area. Many churches think they are helping the new pastor in the relocation process but fall short. Help them physically move into their new parsonage or house. This just doesn’t mean to invite the youth group over to cart things in for an hour but have people there that are not only physically capable but also willing to go the extra mile. Have people there to not only carry the bed into the bedroom but to be willing to put the bed together, the mirrors on the dressers…you know what I mean. This should also include helping them out with meals not only for a night or two but really help smooth out this transition.
Don’t Compare Your New Pastor To The Last Pastor
Even if you are saying things in a positive way it is not good to be comparing one pastor to another. Each pas-tor brings their own set of spiritual gifts and abilities that God has given them to this job of shepherding the local church. Embrace that and don’t compare them outwardly as it can bring in some unhealthy expectations.
Tell Your New Pastor Your Name Often
This is especially important in a church with more than a hundred people. Your new pastor wants to be able to remember your name but joining a church with 200 or more people is difficult especially in the first few months. This may seem like a little thing but it will help your pastor not only remember you but to make them feel at ease as they learn many names and faces.
There are obviously many more things that I could list but these might get you started. If you have never moved into a new job or area where you don’t know anybody this may be hard to understand but the first few months of a new pastor is often filled with many difficulties and challenges. I have been at my current church for just over 6 years and some of the people that went out of their way early in my arrival have become some of my closest friends and fel-low servants in my ministry. We all desire to feel loved and wanted and your new pastor is no different. Go out of your way to let him/her know that you are truly thankful that they are there to pastor your church. You will bless them by doing this.
About 15 members of our congregation have been partici-pating in a process called “Great Beginnings”—a process designed
to prepare RUMC for our upcoming clergy transition. We have already met twice in May at St. Andrews UMC with other transitional churches and with District and Con-ference personnel. These meetings have provided support and discussion to help us as we bid farewell to our retiring Pastor Merritt and prepare our church for the coming of our new clergy--Pastor Louis Telcy.
One of the exercises at our first May meeting was to identify “God Sightings” within our church. Collectively, we were able to identify several recent events in which it was clear that God played an active part. Some of these that came to mind include:
The concentrated effort ten years ago to turn unused buildings and extra class rooms into our RESTORE food bank and thrift store.
The free carwash over two weekends eight years ago that converted pledges into funds to assist the husband of one of our members get the cancer testing and treatment he needed.
The effort to start a Metropolitan Ministry meal program on Saturday mornings, and serving people in our community with meals on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings.
The creation of an after-service prayer ministry of anyone in need of directed individualized prayer.
Vacation Bible schools and Easter egg hunts for children over the years.
Various Boy Scout Eagle projects and Girl Scout Gold Star projects over the years that have added to the beauty and functionality of our grounds and cam pus.
The growth of a vibrant Hispanic congregation that has proven to be an indis- pensable lifeblood for our church, including their support for English As a Sec ond Language Training—a service much in demand in our community.
Our most recent “God Sighting” happened on Sunday, June 10th at the retire-ment luncheon for our departing pastor—someone who has clearly meant so much to many in our congregation.
Several of us recently attended the 2018 Conference retirement ceremony for clergy, which occurs as part of Annual Conference activities. Of course, we were there to acknowledge and support Pastor Merritt. However, as a precursor to that event, a parade of banners was called. Each church with a significant milestone—25 years of service, 50 years of service, 100 years of service, etc.—was represented by its own homemade banner. The oldest church in the parade was founded in Florida in 1843, and it was celebrating 175 years of service.
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God Sightings Continued
That reminded us that Riverview First United Methodist Church was founded in 1846—as the first Methodist church in Hillsborough County—and that RUMC will cele-
brate 175 years of service in 2021, God willing.
In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to keep the doors open finan-
cially here at RUMC. The congregation continues to shrink and to age, and our buildings and infrastructure are aging along with us. We have a large campus and an average at-
tendance right at 100 persons, a number that continues to shrink. Revenues are holding constant but are never enough to pay our salaries, maintain our facilities, and meet our
connectional responsibilities. We need to reverse these trends soon or face serious deci-sions about the vitality of our church and its mission.
The solution to the problem is not that we all dig deeper and give a little more—
although that would certainly help in the short term. We know from experience that
many members give generously not only to the General Fund, but to other causes and missions of our church (like the Building Fund, the Florida Children’s Home, Youth Camp,
RESTORE, etc.). This is not really a Stewardship appeal. It is really an appeal for pa-tience and understanding of the changes that must inevitably come to insure our surviv-
al.
With the advent of a new pastor, we at RUMC have an opportunity to review our worship structure and our community outreach programs, and then to make changes as
appropriate to improve our overall vitality and effectiveness. The intent of any change will be to increase the relevance of RUMC to the Riverview community, to win people to
Christ, to train new believers to become disciples, and to impact our corner of the world
on behalf of our Savior.
And yes, we do need more money to allow us to meet our financial obligations. As you have read, the trustees have issued a call for people to help with grounds and build-
ing maintenance. There is a need for Communion stewards, for counters, and for help in the children’s ministry. And, Rolinda will need helpers for Vacation Bible School in Ju-
ly. There is always a need for members who can support their church with their pray-ers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.
We will need everybody’s help throughout the rest of the year to help the church grow and prosper. We still want to see our 175 year anniversary banner wave in 202
Finance Committee: Mike Plett, Carole Bradley, Mindy Williams,
Alan Maldonado, David Burt, Vollie Rifner, Connie Mosley, John Nelson
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Being Free
True freedom has little to do with circumstances, and much more to do with our own state of
mind. Scripture tells us that whoever Christ has set free is truly free indeed, and the freedom that
we gain through Jesus is more powerful and lasting than any chains of this life that might try to im-
prison us. Many of you know that our son, Ryan Butler, is currently serving out a prison sentence
at Lancaster State Prison in Trenton, Florida near Gainesville.
As a result of his conviction and sentencing under the law, he has lost many of the rights of freedom that he used
to take for granted; many of the same freedoms that we all probably don’t even think twice about as the great privilege they
truly are. Ryan is not free to come and go as he pleases. If he feels like walking outside and getting a little fresh air he
can’t just step out the door. Most of his daily activities are decided by someone else, and he can only dream of the day
when he will be able to get up in the morning and ponder what he will do with his “free time”. In prison, a person has a lot
of time to think, and to regret, and even to hope and dream, but in a prison cell there is no such thing as “free time”.
Even your time is temporarily owned by someone else. And yet, as ironic as it may seem, there are many people
who were once imprisoned by a pattern of actions they had fallen into that led to their incarceration, who have finally found
a taste of freedom in the most unlikely of places, behind steel bars. Many people who have fallen into a life of addictions
and crime have unknowingly traded the freedom of their soul to fuel their vices.
They have become slaves to their next “hit” of whatever it is they have become addicted to, and even though they
live in the “free world” outside the prison walls, they are anything but free. For some of these victims of their own poor
choices, coming to prison has been an escape from their bondage to their former life. It is not that they chose to get arrest-
ed and be sentenced, but sometimes it is a blessing in disguise if they will choose to see it that way. Once they are cut off
from the addictions that once held them in a death grip, they experience a freedom that they never felt while they were un-
der the influence of their out of control lifestyle. They discover that freedom is a state of mind, and that it is possible to be a
prisoner even though no one is imprisoning you, and also to be a free person even when you are locked behind bars.
The Apostle Paul spent time in jail. Some of his most inspirational scriptures were written while he was a prisoner.
His only crime was that he would not be silent about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even while he was in chains and behind
bars, his mind and heart and soul were truly free, because whoever has been set free by the Son is free indeed. (John
8:36) It is a freedom that cannot be taken away by anyone or anything of this world.
We have to examine our own lives and ask ourselves if we are allowing anything of this world to hold us prisoner,
to lock us behind worldly bars that keep us from our freedom in Christ. We have all heard the phrase: “Freedom isn’t Free”
and its usual meaning that we need to remember and thank all those who sacrificed a part of their lives for the freedom we
have in this great country of ours. And we need also to remember that Freedom in Christ came at a price that was paid by
Jesus on the cross. It is a difficult task to remain free in Christ when we are out here in the so-called “free world’.
There just are so many temptations to sinful thoughts and actions that we have all the materials we need to build
our own prison cell for our souls. Our only chance is to chain ourselves instead to the cross of Christ, and let ourselves
become prisoners of the Gospel so that our souls can be truly free no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. I
have written a song about our son Ryan’s ongoing experience in prison called: “Being Free”. The chorus which is the main
idea behind the song goes like this: “You can’t stop my heart from beating, you can’t stop my mind from dreaming, you
can’t stop Love, from breaking through these walls, and you can’t stop my soul, from being free.”
Thank you for all your prayers for Ryan, and please pray for all those who are not yet prisoners of the Love of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Rick Phillips
From the Trustees of RUMC
Brothers and sisters of Riverview United Methodist Church, The Trustees have been
working diligently to maintain and spruce up the property of RUMC. We have been working
on the parsonage getting it ready for our new pastor to move in, in June. We still have a few
things to do to get the parsonage completed. We are also working on the church campus to
make it more inviting and safe for all visitors to the property.
The Trustees of RUMC would like to give every one the opportunity to give service to
your church. There are numerous projects that we could use help with, some large and some
small. Some of you may incorrectly think that Joe Cornell is the church’s maintenance man,
Joe’s duties are custodial. He does do minor maintenance tasks for us, the more major tasks
are left to us the Trustees to either take care of ourselves, find someone to volunteer to take
care of the task or to hire a contractor to do make the repair. So, if you see something that
needs attention please advise one of the Trustees or leave note in the Trustees’ box located
in the church office.
We will start by asking for volunteers to spend some time each week riding the church-
es lawn mower. Spring is upon us and the grass will soon need to be mowed weekly. If you
have an hour or two, weekly or even monthly and you can drive a car, you could help by rid-
ing our mower. Other maintenance projects include sanding and painting the hand rails
around the sanctuary, changing lightbulbs from florescent to LED in Crichton Hall, re-
surfacing the ramp on the front of the sanctuary, plus more.
We are also going putting together a list of projects that need funding. If you could
help by funding the project. With funds that are not part of the general budget of RUMC we
could buy material or get a contractor to complete the project. The Trustees are putting to-
gether a list of projects along with a budget for each. Once we have a few projects with
budgets, we will publish the list. Then hopefully we will have members to step up and take
on these projects.
Thank You,
RUMC Trustees
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www.southerncompanychorus.org
COME SING WITH US! WOMEN OF ALL AGES ARE INVITED TO JOIN US!
Southern Company Chorus Rehearsals:
Mondays: 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
REHEARSAL LOCATION
Riverview United Methodist Church
8002 US Hwy 301 South Riverview, FL 33578
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VBS IS COMING SOON!
STARTS: MONDAY, JULY 16TH THRU FRIDAY, JULY 20TH, 2018
