8/21/24

Kayaking Trip, Wesley Kona Ice

FUMC Newsletter 8/21/24

Worship

Topic: Getting Lost
Speaker: Rev. Zach Moffatt
Time: 10:00am
Also available on WKSR Radio 100.9 at 10:00am, YouTube & Facebook Live!

Announcements

Thank you to those who donated signs and bows to help welcome students to Pulaski!
This Sunday, August 25th is our Youth Kayaking trip! Join us at the Youth House at 3:30 pm for an afternoon of fun kayaking Richland Creek.
There will be no Youth Group Sept 1.
Courageous Girls has been delayed until October.
In honor of our current Sermon Series, “God in Everyday Moments,” we are inviting you to email or text photos of yourself and/or your family participating in everyday moments to share with the congregation.
- This Week’s Topic: Getting Lost
- Email: info@fumcpulaski.com
- Text: 931-292-2159

Verse of the Week

Genesis 8:22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease.”

Upcoming Events

W 8/21

@5:30 Roots Meeting
@5:30 Social Talks

TH 8/22

None

F 8/23

None

SA 8/24

None

SU 8/25

9@:00 Sunday School
@10:00 Worship
@3:30 Youth Kayaking Trip
@7:00 Theology on Tap

M 8/26

@8:15 Monday Morning Prayers
@5:30 Young Adult Team Meeting
@6:30 SPRC Meeting

TU 8/27

@5:00 Wesley Gathering
@5:30 Girl Talk
@6:30 Work in the Garden

W 8/28

@5:30 Social Talks
@5:30 The Table Programs Meeting

What's Up With Wesley?

Wesley students had fun meeting new students and sharing snow cones Tuesday evening!

The group will resume meeting this Tuesday at 5pm in Fellowship Hall. Thank you to all who have agreed to provide a meal for Wesley!

If you’d still like to sign up, email Rev. Laura lauramcmasters@fumcpulaski.com or call the Church Office.

Disciple Bible Study

Thursday, August 29th we will begin our Disciple Bible Study Class #1. Join us each Thursday from 5:30-7:00pm for the next 8 months as we read through and discuss the entire Bible--Genesis through Revelation. Books are on sale now in the church office for $40.00, but don’t let that stop you. If you can’t afford it, the church will help cover the cost. Join us as we dive deep into Holy Scripture, build relationships, and grow in our walk with Christ.

What's Growing On?

Holy, Okra, Batman! One day this week, Ruby picked a full trash bag of okra! The garden is still producing an abundance of vegetables, and the guests at Matthew 25 are very appreciative.

Special thanks to the following folks who are keeping the garden alive and well: Amber Brown, Ruby Harwell, Kim Hammond, Brant Harwell, and Shay Sanderson.

Hey, Youth Families!

This Sunday, August 25th is our Youth Kayaking trip! Join us at the Youth House at 3:30 pm for an afternoon of fun kayaking in Richland Creek!

Theologian of the Month

Our first Theologian of the Month is none other than Rev. John Wesley (1703-1791). Wesley is most famous for founding the Methodist movement in England in the mid to late 1700s. While Wesley is known for writing thousands of documents in his lifetime including sermons, letters, articles, and even books, three of his most famous teachings continue to influence theologians and Christians today. 1) Christianity is not an individual religion. Wesley firmly believed you cannot be a Christian on your own. Wesley once said we are to grow in “social holiness.” Which leads us to number 2. 2) Wesley taught that our main duty as disciples is to love God and love our neighbor. Wesley believed in a practical theology. If our theology doesn’t lead us to love, we must rethink it.

The Methodists put love into action by building hospitals in mining towns, schools in rural areas, and orphanages in cities. Wesley called on Methodists to oppose slavery, long before the abolition movement in England or the Americas took hold. Wesley called on Methodist to abstain from alcohol, not because drinking alcohol is sinful, but because the more alcohol that was consumed, the higher the grain prices went up, which led to more expensive bread. In fact, Wesley told all of the Methodist societies that we must follow 3 General Rules: Do No Harm, Do Good, and Attend Upon the Ordinances of God. Wesley was notorious for teaching that faith is about connecting the head and heart.

True belief isn’t shown by simply uttering creeds, but by living the way of holy love. 3) Wesley believed in a life-long process for salvation. Known now as the 3 experiences of grace, Wesley taught about God’s Prevenient, Justifying, and Sanctifying grace. Prevenient grace leads us to God. Justifying grace is us responding to God’s grace through Jesus Christ. Sanctifying is the work of discipleship, where we grow in God’s grace and mercy, deepening our trust in God’s goodness and love. Throughout our life, Wesley believed we could be made perfect in love—not on our own, but by grace—where God’s love is shed abroad in our hearts to where we “perfected in love.” As he writes in his sermon entitled “Scripture Way of Salvation,” “So that the salvation which is here spoken of might be extended to the entire work of God, from the first dawning of grace in the soul till it is consummated in glory.”

Book of the Month

Our first Book of the Month is Good and Beautiful and Kind: Becoming Whole in a Fractured World. A simple, yet soul healing read, Pastor Rich Villodas tackles a problem we all have dealt with. He writes, “Hostility, rage, and offense is the language of our culture. How did we lose goodness, kindness, and beauty? And more important, how do we get back to them into our lives.” Throughout this book, Villodas weaves stories from his time as a pastor and the wisdom of the saints of our faith, into providing practical steps in how we embrace what God intends for all of creation: to live a life of goodness, kindness, and beauty.

Share your suggestions by emailing info@fumcpulaski.com with the subject line “Book of the Month.” Be sure to include the Title, Author, and an explanation why you like the book and/or how it helped transform you. You might see your pick as our next Book of the Month!

Opportunities to Serve

Prayer Shawl

September 9th @ 10:00am in The Fellowship Hall

Participants will meet to make prayer shawls for members of the congregation and community.

Nursing Home Worship

September 9th @ 9:30am

Join Alicia Gordon and Pastor Zach as they travel to local nursing homes to lead songs and lift up the elderly members of our community. Meet in the Fellowship Hall at 9:00am to participate.

Circle of Care

Thursdays @ 9:00am in The Fellowship Hall

Join Circle of Care in boxing & delivering hot meals to our neighbors. Anyone is welcome to show up and serve! No commitment required.

RFD Food Collection

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