In Memory of Andrea AbbottKathy ByrdJames and Vivian FritzJohn HicksDanny and Judy O’HaraCharlotte WhitesideGail ReedAnnette and Charles RutherfordBetty StewartCharles WinfieldArlen and Doylene BryantSaundra DunnJoe and Jan AndrewsBeth BolgerJohn and Theresa HelmsLinda and Lanny MooreJean Ann Marshall and Rena AsmaskiRoss and Gloria McConagheySusan and Kenneth McGeeOscar and Lena Mae ReederPaul and Tonya McWhirterPauline SlovakCatherine and Marilyn CorriganPat and Steve WrightLarry and Lou Daniel

Special GiftS & MeMorialS Members of First United Methodist Church express our thanks to each of you who have recently given a special financial gift in memory or in

honor of loved ones.

Hal and Georgia GibsonDan and Myrna HokeRichard and LeNora HaynieDeborah MorrisMike and Janet JordanTom and Susan SampleJE JenningsBob and Janet SingerRonald and Rosemary LathamPJ FlandersHenry and Pat OertelLeRoy and Marian KilberSandra and Eugene GardnerEarl and Phyllis PageDonna CarterSue GrossKathy RachalBrian and Terri RuyleRobert and Doloris RobinsonJudd Scott and Jackie StempelSusie Litman

In Memory of Mary HicksJudd Scott and Jackie Stempel

Rainbow ConnectionGarage Sale

June 28, 8:00am til 2:00pmAccepting donation of items to be sold. Bring items to Rainbow dining room by June 23rd. Mark your Calendars

for Vacation Bible SchoolMonday, July 28 -Thursday, July 31

local - lol

lunches of love 2014

July 8 - Aug. 14More than 70 needy children are expect-ed to come to the Family Life Center five days a week for six weeks for lunches and Christian love. Your love and caring makes a difference.

how Can you help?

volunteeRDrive buses Prepare lunch Serve Lunch

Share Bible stories Lead ActivitiesMonday - Friday: 11:45 am - 1:00 pm.

need More Information? Contact Susan Sample

903-860-7079.

MaKe a FInanCIal DonatIon Lunches of Love begins in July and contin-ues through the summer. Money is needed for food and

supplies. Just write LOL on the bottom of your check to

FUMC.

Summer BreakWednesday Night Live Dinners are on summer break. We will gear up again in September. Special thanks to Mar-laneWallace and her Kitchen help. Wednesday Morning

Bible Study BreakThe pastor’s Bible Study will begin

again on June 11.

Ka AdamsLarry AdamsVal AndrewsZoey ArthurLinda BarrettJames BellRick Bender Carol BusheeTerri ColemanStephanie CollvinBennie Connelly

Please Note: Names added to the prayer list will remain on the list for 30 days if needed. They will be relisted by request.

May 28, 2014 Prayer ListJames DuckNelda Easton’s HusbandTyronda EvansVictoria FletcherSally FordGene FrazierGayle FullerJeff GibsonChrist GilmoreSarah HamrickJo Hansen

Gary HazelittBill HolmesNorm HornNadine JenningsBernie KoberBill LacyChris LarsenBea McClainDale McDanielCharlotte MenardLauren Meyer

Kelly NewsomeNina RameyLena Mae ReederOscar ReederNeil ScottHugh StonePeggy Todd

Sympathy to ...family and friends of Lennie Lucile Bailey....Maaike Plantinga on the death of her mother, Neeltje Atsma. ...to John Shaffer on the death of his brother, Peter Shaffer....family and friends of Andrea Abbott.

Emergency Shelter Team Meeting 9:00 amSaturday, May 31

Hurricane season is here and it is time to regroup and complete our 2014 emergency shelter team in place. Our last shelters were opened in 2008.

If you are interested in serving on the emergency shelter team, join us for our first meeting on Saturday, May 31 @ 9:00 am in the Family Life Center, Room 201.

STEPHEN MINISTRY Final Week of Training

Our Stephen Ministers complete their training this week and prepare to be commissioned in worship services on Sunday, June 8. Pray for God to bless their caregiving and to work through them to bring hope and healing to people’s lives.

Session Twenty—Follow Me This session is a time for review and inspiration as our Stephen

Minister trainees prepare to “follow Jesus” in their caregiving journey. They review what it means to be caregivers who are Compassionate, Full of Faith, Skilled, Trustworthy, and Christ-Centered.

With the completion of their training, they are ready to provide quality, one-on-one caring ministry on behalf of our congregation.

Stephen Ministry Commissioning & ReceptionA special reception will be in the Crossroads between services on Sunday, June 8,

2014. Those being commissioned are Nikki Armstrong, Linda Barnhart, Joyce Jones, Linda Sech, Steve Wright and Pat Wright.

Stephen Ministers are Here to Help YouIf you or someone you know could benefit from a listening ear, caring presence, and Christ-centered support of a Stephen Minister, talk to: Pastor Jack or call Jackie Stempel at 903-860-9355 or Mary Bane at 903-860-2193.

Will You Help Send a Youth on a Summer Mission Experience?

San Marcos Work Camp

The youth are making plans to attend the Southside San Marcos Mission ex-perience this summer. They expect to work on 10-15 building projects to help the needy in this community. The projects include painting houses, building porches, and other smaller jobs.

The camper’s funds pay for the building supplies. The cost is $395.00 per camper, hence why we need help.

Our youth work diligently at raising money, and like nothing better than to put the money to a life changing cause.

The Youth would greatly appreciate if you would find it in your hearts to help send us on the San Marcos Mission Experience. The benefits of the residents and our youth are amazing; you are eternally changed.

WORK CAMP BASICS:Every summer, dozens of youth groups from all over the country come to San

Marcos to renovate the homes of disadvantaged local families. They put God’s love in action by getting to work on the homes of the poor,

elderly, or disabled. The homeowners who live in the homes that are renovated all meet federal poverty guidelines and are on social security, disability benefits, food stamps and/or other welfare programs. They are all extremely poor.

The campers do renovations like roof repair or replacement, painting, con-struction for mobility/handicap issues like ramp installation, new flooring and windows, replacing decrepid walls, appliances and so much more.

2014 WORK CAMPERSMaitland Rutledge Ashlyn Woods Iley MendezSavannah Young Jocelyn Tidwell Hayley TullisMcKlayne Cook Maddie Morgan Jake GrafCameron Greenberg Cameron Woods Paul TullisCraig Greenberg Cindy McDonald

Mark Beggs was selected as a Love-lace Scholar by the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. There were 10 first year scholars se-lected from applicants in the United States and Canada. He will be par-ticipating in the annual conference of the Hymn Society this July.

Rainbow Connection PreSchool May 5-9 was Teacher Appreciation Week. The teachers were honored with a breakfast on Monday to kick off the week and a luncheon on Friday to end it. In between they received several small gifts to thank them for being so dedicated to teaching our children in a warm, Christian environment. Monday, May 19, the 3 and 4 yr. olds were treated to a trip to the library to take their favor-ite stuffed animals, babies, or action figures for a library “sleepover.” The furry friends had popsicles and played games all night long according to the library ladies. The children returned on Tuesday to pick up their tired little “friends.” We’ve added a Mother’s Day Out and Summer Camp for school age children to our program. Now accepting registration for Fall 2014 Pre-K Program. Thanks to many volunteers three rooms have been painted and playground has been improved. We are so grateful to all these volunteers for helping us update our building. We are constantly adding and improving.

For more informtion call Pam Williams @ 903-537-4663 or check out our website: http://fumcmv.org/rainbow

We Are Blessed May 18, time was taken to consecrate the digital sign that was donated in memory of Milton Kelley. May the Lord use the sign so that

we may reach others for God’s disciples. May 25, The Upper Room and our new bus was consecrated as well. The Upper Room serves family and friends as they gather for special mo-ments. The bus carries children, youth and adults on mission and ministry adventures.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCHP.O. Box 659, Mt. Vernon, Texas 75457

903.537.3616 Website: fumcmv.org Email: office@fumcmv.org

First United Methodist ChurchHwy. 37 North of I-30PO Box 659Mt. Vernon, TX 75457

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. Postage PaidPermit #30

Mt. Vernon, TX 75457

The

Messenger

Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Jack’s Journal May 28, 2014

Graduation SundayMay 18th, FUMC recognized High School Seniors and Pre-School Graduates.The event was preceded with a Continental Breakfast and table displays representing their lives to this point to be shared with all.

Senior Graduates - Congratulations MVISD Graduates: Alyssa Auringer, Mason Cook, Kristin Decker, Emily Floyd, Triston Hodges, Grant Lowry, Iley Mendez, Zachary Migues, Makayla Morgan, Leah Poland, Maitland Rutledge, Morgan Taylor, Colby White and Ashlyn Woods. May you all be blessed in the paths you take.

Rainbow Connection GraduatesCongratulations Rainbow Connection Graduates: Madeliene Bennett and Dylan Hunnicutt. You have completed all requirements for the Pre-K Pro-gram. Thank you for sharing your Pre-School time with us.

May 11th, God’s Olympians gave a wonder-ful performance in a play called, I am Second, Roadhouse Grill. The story was about a restau-rant owner who always gave to others with the faith that God would take care of their needs. A cruel banker tries to take over the property when the owner fell behind on her loan. An elderly patron of the restaurant has lost her

penny which she tries to find throughout the play. As the banker interacts with the characters, she changes her ways. The elderly patron finds her penny and reminds us all that God seeks his lost lambs. Are you lost? God is seeking to find you.

Mother’s Day Program

If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. — Romans 14:8 NIV

We just celebrated Memorial Day weekend, remembering those who gave the ulti-mate sacrifice for our freedom and honoring those who serve in our armed forces to stand in the gap for our protection and freedom. I was also moved by the Spirit this past Sunday, when we saw the honored responsibility of a military escort of a fallen serviceman as his remains travel to their final home on this earth. We were reminded of our dual citizenship in the nation and in the Kingdom of God. At the end of the 11:00 a.m. service we dedicated the Upper Room and the New Church Bus to the service of God. In all of these moments of remembrance, I personally

remembered of my own mortality and an episode I experienced several years ago.

“You are going to the hospital!” proclaimed my doctor. These are words that many of us may have heard or will hear in the future. These words bring anxiety. After hearing these words, along came sirens of the ambulance--familiar sounds living near the fire and police departments in town at that time--but this time the sirens

were to transport me to the hospital.

Declaring you have unresolved chest pain causes others anxiety and others to jump into action to care for the person in distress. There you lay with the myriad

EKGs, IVs, BP checks, doses of nitroglycerine, etc., with time moving so quickly, yet in slow motion. During these crisis-like times, though, the big question is al-

ways present. The question comes in many forms but interpreted as, “Is this going to be my last breath?”

As I laid on the gurney bouncing along its route to the hospital, I came to a re-newed resolution in my mind. The resolution connects to what Paul declared in the scripture above. As I bounced along, I discovered a peaceful assurance that if this

was my last breath or not, I had the best of the best. Either way, whether seeing the light of a hospital room or seeing The Light, I was in the comfortable presence of

Jesus Christ. Either way I can sing,

And He walks with me and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His Own.

And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.

Celebrating holidays such as Memorial Day helps remind us of the sacrifice of others but it also reminds us of the assurance of the gift of Christ’s sacrifice for our

freedom from sin and death and we are His, always.

Prayer: God of Wonders, thank you for loving us and giving us your Son, Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior that provides the assurance of whether we die or we live we belong to you. Give us the courage and strength to live out that assurance and pass it on to others. May we live this day as the first day of the rest of our life in

You. Amen.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jack