Some people just know how to make you feel at home. They greet you with a warm smile and a handshake or a hug. They may be meeting you for the first time, but they give you the impression that they’ve known you all their lives. These folks have the gift of hospitality. They show genuine interest in you and your family. They make you feel like you’re the most important person in the world. Hospitality isn’t just important when we welcome guests into our homes. It’s also vital when we welcome guests into our church home. Our goal should be to make everyone who enters the doors of our church, especially those who come for the first time, feel as if they are the most important people in the world. Such hospitality doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of every church member taking the responsibility of greeting, welcoming, and making feel at home those who are guests in the house of the Lord. Most churches consider themselves to be friendly and welcoming and I think our church certainly is. But we can always increase the warmth of our hospitality. To that end, I will be preaching a “mini -series” on hospitality during January. It’s meant to be a reminder to all of us, myself included, that we are invited to welcome others, especially the “stranger,” as Christ has welcomed us. I hope we all will make hospitality a priority for our congregation this year. Grace and peace, Don “HOSPITALITY” First United Methodist Church of Gainesville January 2015 Prayer Requests 2 Missions and Ministry 2 Children’s 3 Music Ministries 4 Student and Family Ministries 5 Church News 6 Church News 7 Inside this issue: Rev. Don Yeager, Pastor Worship Services 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. Sunday School 9:45 Rev. Don Yeager Pastor The Informer
Transcript
Some people just know how to make you feel at home. They greet you with a warm smile and a handshake or a hug. They may be meeting you for the first time, but they give you the impression that they’ve known you all their lives. These folks have the gift of hospitality. They show genuine interest in you and your family. They make you feel like you’re the most important person in the world. Hospitality isn’t just important when we welcome guests into our homes. It’s also vital when we welcome guests into our church home. Our goal should be to make everyone who enters the doors of our church, especially those who come for the first time, feel as if they are the most important people in the world. Such hospitality doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of every church member taking the responsibility of greeting, welcoming, and making feel at home those who are guests in the house of the Lord. Most churches consider themselves to be friendly and welcoming and I think our church certainly is. But we can always increase the warmth of our hospitality. To that end, I will be preaching a “mini-series” on hospitality during January. It’s meant to be a reminder to all of us, myself included, that we are invited to welcome others, especially the “stranger,” as Christ has welcomed us. I hope we all will make hospitality a priority for our congregation this year. Grace and peace,
Don
“HOSPITALITY”
First United Methodist Church of Gainesville January 2015
Prayer Requests 2
Missions and Ministry
2
Children’s 3
Music Ministries 4
Student and Family Ministries
5
Church News 6
Church News
7
Inside this issue:
Rev. Don Yeager, Pastor
Worship Services
8:30 and 10:45 a.m.
Sunday School 9:45
Rev. Don Yeager Pastor
The Informer
JANUARY 2015 WORSHIP
Prayer of healing: Velia Hernandez, Bobbie Sanford, Bob Brown, Nancy Noah, David Estes, Betty
Bennett, Kristin Hatton, Marlice Sebade, Jacey Schmidt, Lauren Henley, Rod Miller, Fran Hutcherson, Nancy Simko, Kathleen Heffley, Sam Haines, Larry Noland, Ashley, Raines, Amy Raney, Sara Lambert, Mike Estes, Lee Presley.
Sympathy to: Don Yeager for the death of his mother, Gretchen Yeager; to Lorrie Kitchens for the death of her aunt, Candy Rueffer; Ryan Addison for the death of his mother, Bess Potts. Prayers of continuing support for: Russ Duncan, John Pierpont, Marvin Hogan, Karla Denny, William Mote, Pat Peale, Matthew Mlcak, the NCTC Community, Allen Pierce, Marcos Rodriguez, Eisley Henderson, Pal Hildebrand, James Lane, Nancy Williams, Shirley Skaggs, Harold “Bud” Sutton, Jerry McWilliams, Gloria Pierpont, Lundy Hooten, Sara Billie Tyler, Walter Boeko Jr., Kelly Dill, Becky Haines, Evalyn Jones, William Cowdrey, Madison Clark, Roumaine Mecca.
Military Personnel:
Alisa Davis, Jerry Horn, Ben Davis, Bradlee Brackeen, Stephen Ruzicka, Jason Brown, Craig Fiske,Josh McMullin, Jacob Freeman, Kelsea Stafford Louisiana, John Enderby, James Embrey, Tim Deater, Aaron Krewson.
WE HOLD IN OUR PRAYERS...
Page 2 Miss ions and Min istry
Jan. 4 MINI-SERIES ON HOSPITALITY: “FEEL AT HOME” (Jan. 4, 11, and 18, 2015) Sermon: “Welcoming Strangers” (Matt. 2:1-12) Start of Refresh Worship at 8:30 a.m. Holy Communion
Jan. 11 Sermon: “Welcome to the Family” (Mark 1:4-11) Baptism of the Lord/Renewal of Baptismal Vows
Jan. 18 Sermon: “I’d Like You to Meet…” (John 1:43-51) Theme: Practicing Our Welcome
Jan. 25 Guest Preacher: Rev. J. L. Langley
Several of the committees in the church will hold their first meetings of the year during January. Here are the meeting dates: Jan. 6 Staff-Parish Relations Committee, 6 pm Jan. 20 Finance Committee (time to be announced) Jan. 26 Learning Tree Board, 5:00 pm Jan. 27 Trustees (time to be announced) Feb. 3 Administrative Council, 7 pm
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 CHURCH MEETINGS
Thanks to everyone for your generous gifts to this year’s Christmas Offering for Missions. With your help, we will be able to share God’s love with many people. We will have a report on the total in an upcoming Sunday bulletin.
2014 CHRISTMAS OFFERING FOR MISSIONS
CHILDREN’S DIRECTOR MESSAGE
Welcome to all new families and friends! I hope that you will visit our website for the most up to date and current events go ing o n at F i rs t UM C. Lo g on at : www.firstumcgainesvilletx.com click on ”Calendar and Newsletter” and follow the links. We also have a Facebook page listed as: First United Methodist Church of Gainesville, Texas. Click request to join us!
Our Birthday Kids
1/1 Hayden Grooms 1/2 Gabby Mauldin 1/7 Caden Bryant 1/9 Aiden Boaz 1/11 Chelsea Klement 1/13 Owen Van Deusen 1/18 Elliott Rorhbough 1/18 Richie Jolly 1/23 Emily Cheaney 1/30 Bay Morris 1/30 Meg Morris
Page 3 Chi ldren’s Min istry
C.O.W. & SPECIAL EVENT DATES:
Parent’s Night Out Parent’s Night Out will come back again on Friday, February 13. In February please look for a registration form in the front office or on the Pecan Street table. We had 27 children having a fantastic time in December and they are already asking when the next one is!
C.O.W. & Special Event Dates: Mark these calendar dates for Fall: 1/7 COW resumes 2/4 Spring CONNECTION program begins
2/13 Parent’s Night Out 2/15 COW Choirs sing in Worship 2/17 Mardi Gras 2/18 Ash Wednesday Service
Page 4 Music Min istry
MUSIC AND WORSHIP ARTS CALENDAR
8:30 Accompanist Needed Do you have friends or teachers who play piano? Marilyn Thompson is generously filling in as our Interim Accompanist at 8:30 through Christmas, and we’re searching for a permanent replacement to start in January. If you know of anyone, have them send a résumé to Rebecca at [email protected] or drop it by the church.
Sunday, January 4 – Refresh Worship begins! (Sundays at 8:30) Sunday, January 11 – Variety Show! (5:00 p.m.) Monday-Friday Jan 19-23 – Rebecca out of office Wednesday, January 21 – No Chancel or Heritage rehearsals
Refresh Worship begins Sunday, January 4! relaxed...blended...acoustic...refreshed. Join us Sundays at 8:30 beginning January 4 for a mix of hymns and contemporary music, guitars, piano, and space to learn and experience God.
A Note of Thanks Enormous thanks to everyone who gave of their time, talents, gifts, service, and witness to help make last month’s Festival of Christmas Mu-sic such a wonderful event! Let’s do it again next December, shall we? With Love, Rebecca
Variety Show: Sunday, January 11, 5:00 p.m. Do you sing? Dance? Juggle? Hula hoop? Recite poetry? Sing barbershop? Play an instrument? Sign up with Rebecca to be in our variety show! Email her: [email protected] or call the church office (940) 665-3926.
We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to your Mission Committee for the gift that was given to us earlier this spring. Also thank you for serving God’s people and the work you do. Thanks again, Moss Lake VFD
Church News
Thank you for your donation. Your kindness to the poor is remembered in heaven and celebrated here on earth. M. Bauldin, Exec. Director VISTO
THANK YOU
Special thanks to the Rose family for donating a beautiful changing table for our nursery. It suits all our needs. We Love it.
Thanks to everyone who has returned their commitment cards for the 2015 stewardship emphasis with the theme of “Treasure.” We are on a “record” pace for commitments. Pledges that have been turned in are 85 totaling $406,570. That is a great improvement over the last 3 years.
It’s still not too late to turn yours in. Cards are available on the bulletin tables from the church office if you’ve lost yours or didn’t receive one.
STEWARDSHIP EMPHASIS – “TREASURE”
It is our pleasure to welcome Joe and Jan Nelson as the newest members of our church family. The Nelsons reside in Collinsville and they joined our church on Sunday, Dec. 21, by transfer of membership from another United Methodist church. Joe has already been active in our church, singing in the chancel choir.
WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS
A great big thank you to my church family for all the love and support you have given me during this difficult time. It is very comforting to know you care. Sincerely, Karen Loseke
First Methodist Church
Thank you so much for all that you do for our community and for the students at Chalmers. The shoes you have given our school have definitely been appreciated and have gone to students in need. It has been a blessing to have your generosity each year and help to our students. Thank you again, Britni Dulock, RN, Chalmers Elementary School Nurse
ALTAR FLOWERS
Page 7 Church News
The new sign-up poster for 2015, reserving altar flowers has been placed in the Pecan Street Foyer. The new sign-up poster for 2015, reserving altar flowers has been placed in the Pecan Street Foyer.
NORTHWEST DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TRAINING DAY
This year our church will be hosting the district training day for local church leaders on Sunday, Jan. 25, from 3:00-5:30 pm. The schedule is still being planned, but the day will include workshops on a variety of topics for local church leaders including: SPRC, Trustees, Finance, Lay Leaders and Admin. Council, Children’s Youth, and Family Ministries, Missions, Senior Adult Ministry, and Spiritual Formation for Adults. There is no cost for this event and everyone is invited, especially new members of committees!
Members of the Covenant Bible Study are reminded that the study will resume on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 6:15 p.m. in Room 113. We will be studying Episode 12 in “Living the Covenant.”
COVENANT BIBLE STUDY RESUMES JAN. 7
Remember we will again have Parents Night Out in February for Valentines Day. Keep this in mind, it is always fun for the children and good for the parents.
PARENTS NIGHT OUT
LOST AND FOUND
We have a lost and found department in the office that is growing,. If you or a child has misplaced anything , please check with us in the office.
First United Methodist Church Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage PAID
Permit No. 146 Gainesville, TX 76240
Your Church Staff
Rev. Don Yeager, Pastor Bill Mauldin, Dir. Student /Family Ministry Sharon Nichols, Administration Rebecca Garrett, Dir. Music Ministry Greta Cuellar, Christian Education Director Melodye McLeroy, Organist Jean Smelcer, Receptionist & Dir. Communications Connie Hoberer, The Learning Tree Director New Staff E-mail Addresses: Don Yeager: [email protected] Greta Cuellar: [email protected] Sharon Nichols: [email protected] Bill Mauldin: [email protected] Jean Smelcer: [email protected] Rebecca Garrett: [email protected]
All articles and information for February, 2015 issue of “The Informer” need to be submitted no later Friday, January 23. you may drop off your information to the church office or e-mail to [email protected]
1/2015
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The Mission of First United Methodist Church is to know Christ and make Him known.
