Gratitude, Accounting and Planning€¦ · 01/01/2020 · forever.” A good way to reflect on your gratitude is to remember a joy or a hard moment when God’s presence was made

January 2020 Volume 67, Issue 1 Page1 Worship Sundays at 10:30 AM Mabaan at 12:30 PM Diferente at 4:30 PM

Gratitude, Accounting and Planning

As we end 2019 it is time for us to show gratitude, find balance and begin planning for what is to come. As we move toward the future let’s give thanks to God. “For the Lord is God and his mercy endures forever.” A good way to reflect on your gratitude is to remember a joy or a hard moment when God’s presence was made manifest in your life. If you can identify a specific moment I invite you to express your gratitude to God with worship, praise and concrete acts of gratitude. To reflect and take a good account of this year we need to ask, “How fruitful has my life been in terms of serving others, helping the needy and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who need hope?” I have found that it is really helpful when taking account to get a number and ask how many? How many people did I serve? How many people received a word of hope from me? How many times did I help my family, my friends, my church? How many times did I do good to others? Let’s keep in mind that as we reflect and take an accounting of our own fruitfulness, the results must remain in our own internal reflection and in our personal communion with God. What about planning? Should a Christian ever plan? The Bible says in James 4:13-16 (NRSV) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” Some people could misread the passage and think that the verses mean that there was little value in planning because we’re just a vapor here and tomorrow we’re going to blow away. However if we read carefully the rest of the section, we can understand that planning is really important if we commit the whole process to prayer, and ask “God is this plan your will for me (us) at this time?” I invite you to give thanks to God, take an honest account of your Christian journey and open space in your life for planning according God’s perfect will. May God’s presence be with all of us, may God’s wisdom and guidance help us turn our dreams into reality during 2020. Amen!

Pastor Edgar

2 - THE LIGHT Sunday Worship at 10:30AM January 2020

Mabaan Worship at 12:30 PM Diferente Worship @ 4:30 PM

“As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness?” Do you recognize these words? When you became a member of First Church you answered that question by responding I will. When you joined First Church you took membership vows. When you said “I

will” you made a solemn promise to God and to this congregation. You promised to pray for the church. You promised to be in worship. You promised to give of your financial resources. You promised to serve others. And finally you promised to witness to your faith. Those are important promises that when kept help us stay on our Pathway to Discipleship. Since October as a part of our growing in discipleship I have been focusing my writing on each of the promises that you made when you said “I will.” It is my hope that as you read the articles you will reflect on the vows you took and ask yourself if you are keeping those promises. If you are…fantastic. If you aren’t I would ask you to think about what you need to do to be faithful to those promises. I will serve God and others. “As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness?” The United Methodist Book of Discipline states “All Christians are called through their baptism to this ministry of servanthood in the world to the glory of God and for human fulfillment.” God wants to transform this world but God does that in and through the lives of ordinary people who become agents of God’s love. In order for us to experience the life that God calls us to we must shift from being simply recipients of grace to channels of grace to others. We no longer keep the love of God for ourselves but find ways to share it with others. As followers of Jesus you have been given various gifts that are to be used in the church. Have you discovered your gifts? The apostle Paul reminds us that there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit. Each gift you have been given makes a difference; no gift is insignificant nor is any gift more important than another. In the body of Christ, each gift matters. When you use the gifts you have been given you become a coworker with God in the transformation of the world. How can you discover your gifts?

Pray. Ask God to lead you. Use the gifts you believe you have been given. Consider taking a spiritual gifts

inventory to discover gifts you may not have realized you have. After you think you have discovered a gift, confirm it through service. If using that gift makes you happy and makes you feel fulfilled, continue using it!



Think about your spiritual gifts and what your role might be in the body of Christ. Think about the church and the roles in which you see people serving. Ask yourself Might this something I am called to? If you are already serving, ask yourself, Am I serving out of my giftedness? Do I love what I’m doing? Do I feel God’s work in and through me? Consider also serving outside of the church…

Help prepare and serve a meal for those in need. Participate in a mission trip. Visit those who are sick or lonely.

The list is endless. If you need ideas, speak with someone on the Mission Outreach Ministry Team. Albert Schweitzer once said “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” Will you faithfully participate in the ministries of the church by serving God and others? I will.

Christine

Team First Church showed their grateful hearts. Don delivered 108 food pantry items in December.

God Bless Us Everyone! Trudy & Don Gurnsey

Church Family Photo Album Update

Question: When will we receive the Photo Album? You may have asked that question.

Answer: The publishing has been delayed because we are now fortunate to have additions from the Mabaan and Diferente congregations. However, you will have an opportunity to preview your picture and other content prior to its printing in early 2020. In the meantime, you can still submit your digital picture if you haven’t yet done so to [email protected].

Happy New Year!



In 2020 First Church will be celebrating its 175th anniversary! It will be quite a year. You will learn more about it but for now please mark your calendar for the following important events.

March 1st we will begin our celebration. Bishop Laurie will be here to preach and worship will be followed by a special After Church Coffee.

June 28th we will have an organ concert at 4:00 pm. The concert will feature Kent Tritle. Kent is the Director of Cathedral Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. He also serves as the Director of Choral Activities and is a member of the organ faculty at the Manhattan School of Music. In addition he is a member of the graduate faculty of The Juilliard School. Kent is the organist of the New York Philharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra.

December 6th we will have a celebration dinner and program. In addition to these important dates we are also anticipating the following:

Sharing bits of our history and thoughts about our future weekly in the bulletin Having a special plaque dedication service at the location of our first building at 5th and

Walnut. The plaque is currently being designed by a company in New York. It will be attached to its new location when the building is complete.

Being a stop on the Sherman Hill Walking Tour Creating a DVD about First Church Having a float in the Iowa State Fair Parade

Activities and events are being planned by members of our History Committee, Arnie Brown, Ned Johnson. Pastor Edgar and Christine are also assisting. If you would like to help with any of events, please speak with Christine. A special thanks goes to Kara Smith for her work on developing our celebration logo. You will be seeing it a lot in 2020! When those first few pioneers started a Bible Study in a log cabin on the Raccoon River they could have never have dreamed what the future would hold. During 2020 we are going to honor our past while at the same time look forward to our future. We hope you will join us as we celebrate what First Church has been, what it is, and what through God’s guidance, it will become!

Christine



Worship Volunteers

Ushers for January Head Ushers Ned Johnson & Craig Strayer Mike & Emily Schaumburg Delvin Sadler (Balcony)

January 5 Greeter Mike Lilly, Don & Trudy Gurnsey Information Desk David & Betty Stout

January 12 Greeters Mike & Dal Grooms Information Desk Jacque Coulson

January 19 Greeters Dean & Sally Hosfelt Information Desk Jacque Coulson

January 26 Greeters Tom Gruis & Abby Darrington Information Desk Tom Gruis



I grew up at First church and my mom would shuffle all of us to youth choir week after week. She found success with three of her four children, as they all enjoyed performing with various musical groups. Yep! I was number four and not really interested in what my siblings did. While I don't enjoy the performance side, I do enjoy the listening side. Each Sunday the music provides a peaceful time of reflection. I am glad the members of the choir and bell choir had mothers/fathers who taught their children the enjoyment of singing and ringing. Thank-you for the music that you provide each week. Your time and talents are appreciated!

Submitted by Laura Strayer

HELP FOR HARD TIMES

Scriptures offer timeless comfort and wisdom. Rachael Keefe (http://beachtheology.com/) rewrote one of her favorite psalms to express her own prayer to remember that God is present in all times and places. God sees our wholeness when we see only brokenness, and God’s love remains steadfast through everything. May you will find hope and comfort in these words as well.

If you want to learn more to improve your mental health, contact Jacque Coulson [email protected] or Pat George [email protected].

A Version of Psalm 139 for the Hard Days

By Rachael Keefe

O Lord, you have been with me all along; you know me.

You know when I want to give up and when I am full of hope; you know my thoughts and my feelings even if I deny them.

You are with me when I greet the day with enthusiasm and when I don’t have the energy to get out of bed. I am not a mystery to you.

Before I can express myself, or know how I feel, you accept me as I am in every moment.

You are ready to catch me if I fall, lift me up when I am low, and hold onto me when I am anxious or afraid.



It’s hard to imagine that you love me all the time; sometimes I forget how amazingly strong your love for me is.

Where can I go where you are not already there? Where can I go where your love is not already waiting for me?

If I am filled with joy and energy overflowing, you are with me. If I lose my way in the depths of sorrow, you are with me.

If I push myself to the limits of endurance in body, mind, or spirit, even in those moments, you love me. You wrap me in your steadfast love and don’t ever let me go.

If I give in to the despair and cannot see your love and everything fades away, even in my worst moments, your love still shines; the bleakest of my moods and the depths of my pain do not extinguish your love for me.

It is true that you made me in your image. I praise you, for I am fiercely and beautifully made. I am part of your creation and all that is yours is priceless.

My life – my brokenness and my wholeness – are not hidden from you and have never been.

You have known me all along. Your desire for me is a life filled with love and a future filled with hope. You do not withhold these things from me.

It is hard to think like you do! When I try to understand your love, I am overwhelmed.

I try to count the ways you love me and there is no end. Your love has more facets than I can imagine.

I wish you could take this illness from me! I wish you could take away my despairing moments, the thoughts of worthlessness, and the pain of it all.

Some say that these are a punishment for my sins. I do not believe it! You see me whole while others see only my brokenness.

Allow me to see myself as you see me. May I also see others as you see them.

May my life reflect your love. May I forgive those who judge me and know so little of your compassion.

When you search me – my thoughts and my heart – may you see the fullness of who I am, all the strengths you have given me, the intricate person you created me to be... I know there is illness in me, but that is not all of who I am.

Lead me into the wholeness you create in me, and teach me to love with your love, starting with myself then encompassing all my neighbors.

Used with authors permission.



CAT Survey

Executive Summary of the Congregation Assessment Tool (CAT) Results for the First United Methodist Church of Des Moines, provided by Ryan Christenson, Associate Director for Congregational Excellence of the Iowa Conference of The United Methodist Church. September 23, 2019

First UMC completed the Congregation Assessment Tool (CAT) in April of this year at the request of your district superintendent, Rev. Dr. Heecheon Jeon. He named you as one of the five priority churches in the district because of your high potential for ministry. Additionally, the CAT became an important tool in the midst of your pastoral change—helping everybody get a clearer understanding of the church’s current reality. The church had a good response rate—53 people representing 62% of your average worship attendance. Church leadership received an in-depth interpretation of the results on September 16. This summary attempts to share the main insights and areas of emphasis identified by those leaders.

Drivers and Insights. The CAT survey provides a sense of your church’s “drivers” that indicate what members of the church focus on; measures of vitality such as energy, satisfaction, and flexibility; and strengths and next steps. None of these measures are “good” or “bad” in themselves, but rather they help everybody have a clearer sense of a current reality from which you can make better decisions. First, First UMC shows five drivers with a high degree of focus along with three drivers of moderate focus, indicating the unique make-up of the church that shapes its identity, patterns, values, and behaviors. These patterns formed over decades and are not the result of any one pastor or event. Finally, these drivers indicate the degree of focus, not whether people perceive that they are happening or not.

The drivers of satisfaction are:

1. Persons who serve as leaders in our church are representative of the membership. (High)

2. Our Pastor articulates a clear vision for our church and keeps it before the people in a compelling way. (High)

3. Our church provides opportunities for education and formation in a variety of ways so that I can find one that fits my complex lifestyle. (High)

4. In important decisions in our church, adequate opportunity for consideration of different approaches is usually provided. (Moderate)

5. Our church changes its program from time to time to meet the changing needs of its members. (Moderate).

The drivers of energy are:

1. The whole spirit in our congregation makes people want to get as involved as possible. (High)

2. Our church prepares our members for ministry by helping them discern their gifts. (High)

3. Our church tends to stay very close to established ways of doing things. (Moderate)



Following the conversation with leaders, we named a few insights from these drivers. First, you likely feel the impact of the decisions of the General Conference and Annual Conference. I recommend rediscovering your local church’s agency in discerning your identity and vision for your future. Second, you expect your pastor to cultivate and articulate a vision for your church. Over the next year, I encourage Pastor Edgar Solis to help discern a clearer picture of God’s preferred future for your church. Lastly, you acutely feel the mood of your leaders. When your pastor and leaders are positive and encouraging, you can feel more positive. Priorities: New People, Younger People, and Worship. The church had the opportunity to consider how much more energy to put into different areas of ministry, and First UMC folks chose the same top two priorities as 97% of the other churches that have taken the CAT:

1. Make necessary changes to attract families with children and youth to our church.

2. Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to reach new people and incorprate them into the life of the church.

Also, your fourth priority showed a much higher focus than most other churches: “Deepen our sense of connection to God and one another through stronger worship services.”

Over the next year, I encourage your church to discover your best ways to reach and connect with God, each other, and new people—holding onto the best of your practices and being flexible with everything else. Strengths: Hospitality, Conflict Management, and Readiness for Ministry. Your church showed excellence in several areas of ministry, and I encourage you to leverage these strengths as you move forward. When considering if “members in our church have been prepared to personally welcome guests in worship services,” 93% showed some form of agreement. Also, your church scored above average for churches in your ability to work through conflict in healthy, constructive ways. Lastly, your church scored above average compared to other churches in helping members discern their gifts for ministry and giving people the opportunity put those gifts to work in the church and in the world. Be Curious and Take Steps Together. At the September 16 meeting, we agreed that the Council, Pastor, and Staff would discern and propose next steps. Watch for more information in the weeks and months to come. Lastly with an assessment or time of self-learning, one can easily turn to be critical. Instead, I encourage the church to adopt a posture of curiosity—listening to God, each other, and yourself. This is an opportunity for discovery and growth, continuing to press onward towards the purpose God has set before us.

“Let’s run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus faith’s pioneer and perfecter.”

– Hebrews 12:1-2a





Sunday Monday Tuesday Wed. Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 New Year’s

Day

Office Closed

10:30 AM Mabaan Prayer Group – Room 103 LL

3:00 – 8:30 PM Meal Prep - Kitchen

5:30 PM Chancel Choir 6:30 PM FUMC serves

Central IA Shelter – 1420 Mulberry St.

7:00 PM Foxhall AA 7:00 PM WhiteChapel

Chimes


6:00 PM Mabaan

Women’s Worship – LL #103

10:00 AM Mabaan Bible Study– Room 103 LL

4:00 PM Mabaan Choir Practice – LL #104

6:00 PM Mabaan Language Class – LL #103

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Food Pantry Sunday 9:15 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM Worship 12:30 PM Mabaan Worship 2:30 PM Mabaan English

Language Learning – CR1

4:30 PM Diferente! Worship Service – Sanctuary

5:00 PM Mabaan Choir Practice – LL #103/104

PICASSO CONFERENCES – CR2

10:30 AM Mabaan

Prayer Group – Room 103 LL

3:15 PM CCYC Tutoring – CR1


10:30 AM Mabaan


1:30 PM CCYC Violin Lessons - LL



11:30 AM Theology of the Ordinary – CR1




5:30 PM Chancel Choir 7:00 PM Foxhall AA 7:00 PM WhiteChapel

Chimes



6:00 PM Mabaan

Women’s Worship – LL #103

9:00 AM Christmas Decoration Clean Up




12 13 14 15 16 17 18 9:15 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM Worship 12:30 PM Mabaan Worship 2:30 PM Mabaan English


3:00 PM Mabaan – First Partnership Meeting – CR2


5:00 PM Mabaan Choir

BACH CONFERENCES – CR2



6:30 PM Outreach Meeting – CR1


9:00 AM Staff Mtg 10:30 AM Mabaan



6:00 PM CCYC

Meeting – CR 1 6:30 PM Capitol

City AA








Chimes



1:30 – 7:00 PM Trinity Meal Preparations - Kitchen

4:45 PM FUMC serves at Trinity (CFUM Supper Club)- 1548 8th St, DM

6:00 PM Mabaan Women’s Worship – LL #103


11:00 AM Mabaan English Language Learning – CR1



19 20 21 22 23 24 25 9:15 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM Worship 12:30 PM Mabaan Worship 2:30 PM Mabaan English




Martin Luther King Day

Church Closed for holiday

LIGHT Articles Due








Chimes




11:00 AM Mabaan English Language Learning – CR1



26 27 28 29 30 31

9:15 AM Sunday School 10:30 AM Worship 12:30 PM Mabaan Worship 2:30 PM Mabaan English





10:00 AM Meal Prep -

Kitchen

12 – FUMC serves at

Connection Café, 815

High St., DM


5:00 PM Finance Mtg 6:00 PM Church Council

9:00 AM Staff Mtg 10:30 AM Mabaan


1:30 PM CCYC

Violin Lessons - LL






Chimes





In this Issue:

Gratitude, Accounting and Planning

175th

Anniversary Information

Disciple Life

Help For Hard Times

CAT Survey

and much, much more!

DEADLINE FOR THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF THE LIGHT IS JANUARY 20th

1001 Pleasant Street

Des Moines, IA 50309

(515) 244-6209

DMFirstChurch.org

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

DES MOINES, IA

PERMIT NO. 4308

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Documents

Gratitude, Accounting and Planning€¦ · 01/01/2020 · forever.” A good way to reflect on your gratitude is to remember a joy or a hard moment when God’s presence was made