10/30/24

Thank Yous, All Saints Sunday

FUMC Newsletter 10/30/24

WORSHIP

Topic: Poco a Poco
Speaker: Rev. Laura McMasters
Time: 10:00am
Also available on WKSR Radio 100.9 at 10am, YouTube & Facebook Live!

Verse of the Week:

2 Corinthians 3:18: "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory”

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Church-Wide Fall retreat has been postponed.
Thank you to UMW for all of your hard work at UMCOR yesterday and for delivering our UMCOR supplies to the warehouse.
A big thank you to the volunteers joining us for the upcoming Youth Retreat: Laine Murray, Christy Kemp, & Stephen Wilson!
We had over 20 students at the Youth Halloween Party! Good job, youth and parents!
Theology on Tap had 29 participants! What a fun night!
This Sunday is All Saints Day when we will honor loved ones who have gone before us.

EVENTS

Today, 10/30
- @5:30pm Table Planning Meeting
- @6:30pm Chancel Choir Practice
Tomorrow, 10/31
- No Events - Happy Halloween!
Friday, 11/1
- No Events
Saturday, 11/2
- No Events
Sunday 11/3
- @9:00am Sunday School
- @10:00am Worship - All Saints Day
- @12:00pm Bible Beans
- @5:00pm Youth Group
- @5:00pm Courageous Girls
Monday 11/4
- @8:15am Monday Morning Prayers
- @3:30pm Social Talks
Tuesday 11/5
- @8am-4pm Election Day Prayer Vigil in the Sanctuary
- @5:00pm Wesley Gathering & Young Adult Meeting

Trip to UMCOR

Thank you to the ladies who travelled to UMCOR yesterday to deliver supplies and work in the warehouse! You are a blessing.

What's Up With Wesley?

The Wesley Group had a blast handing out candy and playing “hockey” with the kiddos at Boo Out yesterday. Their theme was the movie Inside Out.

Election Day Prayer Vigil

Our sanctuary will be open for any who would like to come and pray before or after they cast their vote on Election Day, November 5th, 2024 between 8:00am and 4:00pm. Holy Communion will be available for any who would like to partake. During 11:00am and 1:00pm church staff will be available for any who would like someone to pray with them.

November 7th - Chamber Chili Cook-Off

First UMC will have a booth at the Chamber Chili Cook-off on Thursday, November 7th, and volunteers are needed from 4pm-8pm to engage & converse with guests, serve food, and share about the blessings of ministries happening through First UMC. Food served will be Daniel's chili, Steve's cornbread, and Stephanie's cookies! Talk to Rev. Laura to volunteer! Text 931-309-6156 or email lauramcmasters@fumcpulaski.com

Hey, Youth Seniors!

You are invited to join us for a new small group opportunity called Senioridous! November 6th at 6:30pm Life after high school can be difficult, exciting, confusing, and unclear all at once. Join us as we talk about the next stage of life, leaving behind high school and entering young adulthood. This is a program where High School Seniors will meet together as a group and with a mentor from our church family. Church Family, you are invited to begin praying if you would like to serve as a mentor for our High School Seniors.

Youth Fall Retreat

Nov 8-10th FUMC Youth will be going to a retreat in Eva, TN. Please keep them in your prayers! A big thank you to the volunteers joining us: Laine Murray, Christy Kemp, & Stephen Wilson!

Friendsgiving

Join us November 17th at 11:15am in the Fellowship Hall as we celebrate the blessing of friendship. Bring a dessert, salad, or casserole to share and invite someone you’re grateful for.

Theologian of the Month

Our Theologian of the Month for October is St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556). St. Ignatius is most known for being the founder of the Catholic movement known as the Society of Jesus—more commonly known as the Jesuits. In 1521, he was gravely wounded in a battle against the French. While he was recuperating, he read a biography about Jesus. St. Ignatius was converted to Christianity A year later, he made the decision to pursue the priesthood. At the altar where he re-devoted his life to Jesus, he laid down his noble vestments and his sword and put on an old tunic—symbolizing his transition from chivalrous warrior to follower of the Prince of Peace named Jesus. St. Ignatius is most known for creating the Daily Examen. The Daily Examen is a prayer in which one is invited to look throughout their day and give thanks. Give it a try throughout October and see what fruit is bears for your spiritual life. It goes like this: Prepare by finding a comfortable position. Grab a journal and a pen if you want to write it down. Start by making a list of anything and everything you are grateful for that day. It could be a simple as a hot cup of coffee, a good book, or your family. Walk through your day asking the Holy Spirit to highlight it clearly. Notice what stands out. What emotions or moments stand out to you? When did you feel close to God? When did you feel far away from God? Talk to God. What might God be trying to tell you about those moments? Ask for forgiveness for the times you weren’t at your best. Look forward to tomorrow. What are you excited about? What are you nervous about? Give all of those things to God and ask for God’s will be done. Close by taking a few moments of silence, seeking God’s voice and God’s peace.

Book of the Month

Our Book of the Month for October is Eugene Peterson’s The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way. Many of us know Eugene Peterson as the great evangelical theologian who authored The Message interpretation of the Bible. In this book, Peterson shows how the ways of those who came before Jesus of Nazareth—Abraham, Moses, Davide, Elijah, and Isaiah—revealed and prepared the “way of the Lord” that became incarnate and complete in Jesus Christ. Throughout, Peterson calls into question the many “ways” followed by the contemporary American church, showing the stark relief how what we have chosen to focus on—consumerism, celebrity, charisma, and so forth—obliterates what is unique to the Jesus way. Here is an excerpt from the first chapter. “I want to counter the common reduction of ‘way’ to a road, a route, a line on a map—a line that we can use to find our way to eternal life; such reduction means the elimination of way as a metaphor, the reduction of way to a lifeless technology. The Way that is Jesus is not only the roads that Jesus walked in Galilee and to Jerusalem but also the way Jesus walked on those roads, the way he acted, felt, talked, gestured, prayed, healed, taught, and died. And the way of his resurrection. The Way that is Jesus cannot be reduced to information or instruction. The Way is a person whom we believe and follow as God-with-us.” This book is a must read for any who wish to follow the Jesus Way—the way of truth, mercy, compassion, hope, and life-giving love.

Opportunities to Serve

Matthew 25 Thrift Shoppe

Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday 9am-3:15pm

Community RFD

RFD meets every 3rd Wednesday at 5:30pm to pack boxes and the following Saturday at 8am at the Giles County Ag Park to distribute them.

There are so many ways to get involved! Ask us about The Table Praise Band, the Young Adult Team, Youth Events, and more...

RFD Food Collection

RFD (Rural Food Delivery) is collecting donations in The Fellowship Hall. The item of the month is canned soup & chili. Please drop off these & other non-perishable food items on the shelf in The Fellowship Hall.

Community RFD is a non-profit organization that provides boxes of food at no cost to struggling families in Giles County. Some of our congregants regularly volunteer with RFD