Updates...

See post below (w/elephant) for updated meeting times for Tuesday night.
Also note: No Youth Group this coming Sunday.

Here are the "Goings-On" for this Week...

                                                    (When Life is a Balancing Act!)
Monday, April 30th - 7 p.m. - VBS Meeting
                                
Tuesday, May 1st  - 6:30 p.m. - Trustees Meeting
                               - 7:30 p.m. - Council/Finance/Trustees
                               - 7 p.m. - Chancel Choir practice    


Wednesday, May 2nd - 9 a.m. - Bible Study w/ Pastor Chris
                                    - 4 p.m. - Bowls of Love 
                                                                                                      (Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread, Dessert)
                                    - 8 p.m. - Man to Man 
                                                                                                      (Men's prayer/study/encouragement group)


Thursday, May 3rd - 6 p.m. - National Day of Prayer 
                                                                                              (held w/ community churches at the "Diamond")
                                - 7 p.m. - Bible Study w/ Pastor Chris


Saturday, May 5th - 4 p.m. - Youth Turkey Dinner (fundraiser)


Sunday, May 6th - 8:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Communion Sunday
                            - 9:45 a.m. Sunday School (for all ages)
                              (No Youth Group Meeting)

Who Needs to Know (the latest version)

Save This Date...

This fall, Aldersgate Renewal Ministries (A.R.M.) will be holding a seminar weekend here at F.U.M.C.

Friday Evening Session, October 26, 2012
Saturday Morning, Afternoon, Evening Sessions, October 27, 2012
Sunday Morning Service, October 28, 2012


This is a rare and wonderful opportunity for us to learn more about PRAYER at the "Lord Teach Us to Pray" Seminar.


Please consider making a commitment to be present at these sessions...  you will be personally blessed and you will bless others as well. Invite a friend too!

Vacation Bible School 2012

IncrediWorld "A thrill ride through God's creation"
Sunday - Thursday.... July 15-19, 2012
6-8 p.m.

Mark your calendars and volunteer to help by 
signing up in the "old kitchen"!


P.S.... Next Monday, April 30 at 7 p.m. is a VBS meeting for those interested in helping out.

Worry...

You can tell the size of your God by looking at the size of your worry list. The longer your list, the smaller your God. -Unknown.

I thought that quote (above) was profound. 

So...  we should ask ourselves these questions:

How long is my worry list? 

In light of that list... how big is my God?

Convicting isn't it?

So, then I had to ask... what can we do instead of worry? 
Well, the first thing I thought of was to... pray! "Go to the Throne before the phone!" is an old saying I love. Basically, it means before we go telling other people about our situation/worries/hurts/angers/etc... let us tell God first and let Him handle the situation for us. 


Yes, let us... ask the Lord to help and really give it ALL to Him. He is able and He is bigger than any circumstance. He is more powerful than any force of evil against us. And He does it all with perfect love!

Matthew 6: 25-34... Jesus tells us "Do Not Worry" is this passage of Scripture:

   “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?   “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

UMW Rummage Sale

It is that time of year when we do that spring cleaning and de-cluttering.

So, after doing that fun job why not donate items to a good cause!

If you'd like to donate... you can bring those items to church next week for the annual

United Methodist Women's Rummage Sale.

If you'd like to buy some items... the sale is held on:

Friday, April 27 from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

-and-

Saturday, April 28 from 8 a.m. to NOON.

Missionary Focus: Gladys Aylward

Did you ever have a dream? Gladys did... she dreamed of becoming a missionary. She had to overcome many obstacles to get there... but God made her dreams come true! Why? I think it was because her dream was His dream for her too. This amazing story and life was that of Gladys Aylward.

She was born in 1902 in England and became a domestic worker. She had been turned down for mission school due to her lack of education. But this didn't stop Gladys! Eventually at the age of 28 she saved enough money and bought a one way ticket to China. She took in orphans and cared for them as her own children. (Okay, I really have a special place in my heart for this woman... we adopted our daughter from China in 2007.)

She saved many children when the Japanese invaded China by taking them to safety over the mountain. She never married because she knew that she couldn't marry someone who didn't share her faith in Jesus Christ. Many books and movies have been made about this woman including "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness".

"She was known as 'Ai-weh-deh', (Virtuous One) by the Chinese who grew to love this foreigner they initially distrusted. She lived her life before God and for God and is an example of what He can accomplish using the least of us." - this quote is from a site you can find HERE.

Read a book about her and other heroes of the faith... find it HERE.

Click here to learn more about Gladys Aylward.

Great Quote...

"The people who do things that count

don't usually stop to count them."

Food Bank Ingathering

Next Sunday, April 15 is the "Food Bank Ingathering". You can bring your can or dry goods for the food bank to church service and some lovely person will deliver them all to the food bank here in town. How great is that?!

Youth Soup Sale

This Saturday, April 14 from 9-11 a.m. is a soup sale.

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

We had a great day of worship yesterday!

Thank you, Jesus!

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God.

Jesus claimed He would die and then resurrect from the dead three days later.

Over 500 people were eyewitnesses to Jesus being alive after His resurrection.

You can believe in Jesus and have eternal life.

He IS... THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life!

OUR GOD IS the One True God because He is ALIVE!

CLICK HERE to LEARN HOW TO KNOW GOD PERSONALLY.

Mattress Fund Surpasses Expectations!

Emily Frey led the way in collecting money for Wesley Woods (one of our United Methodist Church Camps). They had a great need for new mattresses and our church helped make that happen by giving over $4,500! Your generosity helped purchase 20 twin mattresses, 10 double mattresses with box springs, 2 SD cards, and 1 set of two-way walkie talkies. Thank you, Church!

See Emily if you want to give and help with other needs on the Wesley Woods wish list. (by April 14th)

HERE is a link to Wesley Woods Camp website.

You can help Wesley Woods another way...

by lending your skills during "Work Week"...

April 28 - May 5

Inspiration Soup Station April Menu

"Bowls of Love" is an Inspiration Soup Station

Every Wednesday from 4:00-5:30p.m.

All are Welcome for this FREE Meal!

April 4 - Goulash, Salad, Garlic Bread, and Dessert

April 11 - Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans, Roll, and Dessert

April 18 - Chicken Noodle Soup, Ham Salad Sandwich, and Dessert

April 25 - Beef Vegetable Soup, Egg Salad Sandwich, and Dessert

April's Scripture Memory Verse

"Jesus said,

'I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.' "

- John 14:6

The FASTING passage for April is: John 14:1-14

Soup Souper Bowl Results

Bob and Betty Walker enjoy a variety of soups before casting their vote.

Congratulations to the winners:

Golden Ladle: Jo O'dell with Potato Soup

Silver Ladle: Sandy Buerk with Baked Potato Soup

Bronze Ladle: Karen Lewis with Mushroom Soup

Thanks to all 16 soup makers... all your soups were so good!

Thanks to the organizers and servers who helped out!

Thanks to those who came, ate, and voted as well!

You helped raise over $800 to send kids to camp this summer!

Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Sunday (a.k.a. Easter) is next Sunday, April 8, 2012!

Community Sunrise Service:

Don't miss the 6:30 a.m. community sunrise service

held right in the middle of town (at the diamond)!

Then attend church to once again celebrate our RISEN SAVIOR, JESUS!

Traditional service is at 8:30 a.m.

Sunday school is at 9:45 a.m.

Contemporary service is at 11:00 a.m.

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday service at FUMC is...

Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 7 p.m

What is Maundy Thursday? Click HERE to read about it.

Palm Frond Cross

We just had a great morning at church... celebrating Palm Sunday!

Everyone got a palm frond... now what can you do with it?

Well, this is one idea... CLICK HERE to learn how to make a palm frond cross.