1A sanctuary of Christian hope, love and encouragement in the heart of Sioux Falls.

here@FIRST

united methodist church

Spring 2016

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here@FIRSTIN THIS ISSUE

4 Holy Week Schedule

6 Family Ministry

8 Mayday Sioux Falls

12 Prescription Update

14 Where Have You Seen Jesus?

ADDRESSFirst United Methodist Church401 S. Spring AvenueSioux Falls, SD 57105www.sfumc.org • 605-336-3652

SPRING 2016

Distributed by First United Methodist Church

OUR CHURCH FAMILYWelcome New Members!

December Ruby Wyley

Deaths

December Eugene SeilerHazel ScoularJewell Morrow

February Paula HodgeEric RempferKate Erickson

SERVICE TIMES8:30am TRADITIONALAn inspiring traditional service in the Sanctuary

9:45am UNITYA vibrant multigenerational unity service in the Sanctuary

11:15am MODERNA casual upbeat revival service in the Multi-Purpose Room

Children and Youth Sunday School will be at 9am with Children’s Church at 11:15am. Adult Education will be at 10:45am.

January Richard Plato

January Scott & Char HoyJenna TrefzMarge Blumenauer

February Dorothy Brumm

ATTENDANCE REPORT 12/06/15 74312/13/15 62712/20/15 62912/27/15 308

1/03/16 4211/10/16 3881/17/16 3741/24/16 4401/31/16 452

2/07/16 4642/14/16 5102/21/16 4352/28/16 430

2016 Year to Date Average: 4342015 Year to Date: 493 /

Learn more about our social media. Go to sfumc.org/social media

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The season of Lent is a season of deep reflection as we consider the desert places of our lives. It is a season when the practice and

failure meet us in our own quest for faithfulness to the God of love, peace and justice. The season of Lent is a season when we remember our own humanity and our own mortality as we observe the lives of the disciples and those who have gone before us.

During this season of Lent we have been guided by Adam Hamilton’s book “Revival: Faith as Wesley Lived It”! Lent is a season to revive our hearts and lives in our relationship with Jesus. We walk along with Jesus on the journey to the cross and to the day of resurrection Easter Sunday.

In the 18th century, John and Charles Wesley led a revival of God’s spirit among the people of England. We have been hearing and reading about how the founder of the “Methodist” movement came to experience the new joy of life in Jesus Christ. At the heart of our story is “a heart strangely warmed” to receive the Holy Spirit.

Yet, Wesley didn’t stop at “a heart strangely warmed”. He shared these words as to the

character of a Methodist, “A Methodist is one who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and with all his strength. God is the joy of his heart, and the desire of his soul, which is constantly crying out, ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee! My God and my all!’”

It is my prayer that during this season of Lent each of us would rekindle the grace of faith so that we would live the life of a “Methodist Christian”!

On the Lenten Journey with each of you,

Pastor Bob

EQUIPPING the SAINTSwith Senior Pastor Bob Ruedebusch

Presenting Pastors Taylor and BillOn another note, I am excited to announce that both Taylor Johnson and Bill Schmeling have been appointed by Bishop Bruce Ough as Licensed Local Pastors to First United Methodist Church.

They are appointed to assist with the proclamation of the word, serving the sacraments and help in leading our church to further fruitfulness. Pastor Taylor Johnson Pastor Bill Schmeling

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F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

HOLY WEEK2 0 1 6 S C H E D U L E

PALM SUNDAY DONKEY PARADESunday, March 20, 9:15 am

Wave palm branches and follow Jesus on his donkey around the block

ROAD TO RESURRECTIONWednesday, March 23, 6 - 8 pm

Lenten family-focused time of worship

MAUNDY THURSDAY WORSHIP SERVICEThursday, March 24, 12 - 1 pm, and 7 - 8 pm

The first of the three days of solemn remembrance of the events leading up to and immediately following the crucifixion of Jesus.

GOOD FRIDAY WORSHIP SERVICEFriday, March 25

12 - 1 pm and 7 - 8 pm, Sanctuary6 - 7 pm, Multi-Purpose Room

It is a day that proclaims God’s purpose of loving and redeeming the world through the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

EASTER WORSHIPSunday, March 27

Sunrise Service at Falls Park, 6:30 - 7:30 am Traditional Worship, 8:30 - 9:30 am

Unity Worship, 9:45 - 10:45 am Modern Worship, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

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Calling golfers of all ages and abilities to our

13th Annual Golf Fellowship!Each year, the AMEN’s Fellowship Group of First UMC hosts a golf outing to benefit student missions and outreach projects. This year, we are raising money to offer scholarships for our middle and high school students’ summer mission trip.

Mark your calendars now for June 5 at Spring Creek golf course, and sign up now at the Information Desk. The cost is $50 per golfer. You can organize your own team, or we can do it for you.

FELLOWSHIP is the name of the game, but will your team name be added to our traveling trophy?

Your generous support enables our students to impact our local community and the country for Jesus Christ.

March 5th ended our Winter Basketball Camp, and we cannot express our gratitude enough for all those who played a role in making it a success.

Spencer Swedlund was a driving force in seeing that the program took wings from the very first day the program was introduced. Of course he couldn’t have done it without the help of his dad, Shane.

God’s hand was visible each and every Saturday as the 24 participants learned ball handling, dribbling, and shooting skills. Pastors Bob and Taylor led a 15 minute time of devotion before leaving for the day.

One morning, as a father and son

Upwards Basketball Campwere preparing to leave, the son was overheard begging his dad to bring him back on Sunday so he could attend Sunday School.

Right now we are looking forward to planning our next camp as well as working out all of the details for a league to begin. We would love for you to join us in the great adventure!

What did you like best about basketball camp?

“EVERYTHING!”“The instructors because

they were good teachers!”“Shooting hoops and

learning how to dribble!”

Celebrating!

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Road to ResurrectionWednesday, March 23, 6-8pm Ingathering Fundraising Soup Dinner4:30-6pm, Multi-Purpose Room

For Lent, we will present “Road to Resurrection”. This worship experience is for all ages. We will journey with Jesus leading up to his death and resurrection by gathering at the Triumphal Entry, gathering for the Passover Meal, visiting a jail

cell where we meet a guard and hear from Barabbas, listening to a soldier at the cross, and meeting Cleopas along the Joyful Road. To end the evening, we will gather at the Roadside Diner for snacks and a great “roadside” photo opportunity. Plan to come and bring others with you!

Summer CampsWhen it comes to eating s’mores under starry skies and singing songs around a campfire, little has changed over the years. There’s still no place like summer camp. Camp is a great opportunity

for your kids to learn a little independence but still have plenty of adult supervision.

There is a church camp for every age and every interest. You can find a complete listing of the summer camps in our area at www.dakcamps.org. The early bird registration deadline is April 30.

First UMC will pay for ½ of the early bird price of a camp up to $200 for First UMC members. Just enter the camp code (120201CA) when you register online. Additional scholarships are available with a written request.

--- Family Ministry ---At First UMC we realize families are key to the future of the church, first, because it preserves history from generation to generation and, second, because it is unquestionably the best place to grow disciples. The Next Generation Ministry Team was formed to lead us into the future of Family Ministry. We continue to plan events, and here are a few that are coming up soon.

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Jesus is the one that lights our way! VBS- June 13-17, 9am-noon, “Cave Quest”

This summer we invite all to embark on a VBS adventure that will light your way. It is time to gear up for an over-the-top underground adventure!

Mark your calendars now for June 13-17, 9am-noon, so nothing else gets in the way as we ground kids and adults in the rock-solid foundation of God’s love, a love that takes us through life’s dark times.

Middle School Mission TripKansas City, KS, July 24-28

Middle School youth are also in for a treat this year. They will be traveling to Kansas City to be a part of a great opportunity helping people in a variety of ministries in the Kansas City area.

Along with the ministry experiences and exposure to different people and cultures, they will take in some fun local sites and a Kansas City Royals baseball game!

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High School Mission TripNavajo Nation, June 17-26

Methodist youth from all over the Dakotas Conference will make a major impact on the Navajo Reservation this summer.

The adventure this summer will take them to the Four Corners area and serve the Navajo people through VIM (Volunteers in

Mission) and Navajo Chapter House work sites.

They’ll be based in Shiprock, NM, and will do home repair and various other tasks to serve the people and communities on the Navajo Reservation. They will work for four days at various sites and then travel to Denver for their “play day”. Youth from First UMC are Emily McQuade, Jason Byre, Jadon Kieffer, Spencer Swedlund and Max Larsen.

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Serving Outrageously in Sioux Falls500 people • 25 locations • 3 hours

As we gear up for Mayday Sioux Falls 2016, it’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since our first Mayday Sioux Falls. So many great things have happened in the life of our church since then! Last year, over 250 people came together to Serve Outrageously in Sioux Falls at 25 different locations. We could go on and on about how great the day was, but the people who served and the people that we helped can say it so much better.

• “What a great day – I feel so blessed to help others.”

• “Great to come together and serve and show God’s love to people”

• “The team arrived in their red May Day t-shirts and went right to work washing exterior windows and assisting with putting screens back on. You are SO appreciated! Many, many thanks!!!” ~ Helen Block, Dougherty House

• “Marie and her two nephews were very productive and accomplished a lot! I shared with them our appreciation but I also wanted you to know about their efforts and the wonderful spirit with which they went about their activities!” ~ Gary Tuschen, Carroll Institute

These are just a few of the many comments we received from work sites and S.O.S team members. The day changed lives. And we’re going to do it again…EVEN BIGGER!

Join us on Sunday, May 1, 1–4pm as we rally 500 people to work for 3 hours in 25 different locations!

If you can’t join us that day, there will be many items that need to be donated, and there will also be some days leading up to the event where help will be needed. Watch for more information about our donation needs, and visit maydaysiouxfalls.org or sfumc.org to sign up to be a part of this awesome event.

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It was so sweet to connect with new people in our community. Everyone we met was so friendly and appreciative of our help. Today was a GREAT day to live in Sioux Falls! It was a great blessing to serve in love.

Thank you SO much! I sure hope that they all had a good experience. They sure did make an impact this weekend.

~ Derek DeBates, Bishop Dudley Hospitality House{{

S. .S.Serving Outrageously in Sioux Falls500 people • 25 locations • 3 hours

Save the Date!!May 1

As we gear up for Mayday Sioux Falls 2016, it’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since our first Mayday Sioux Falls. So many great things have happened in the life of our church since then! Last year, over 250 people came together to Serve Outrageously in Sioux Falls at 25 different locations. We could go on and on about how great the day was, but the people who served and the people that we helped can say it so much better.

• “What a great day – I feel so blessed to help others.”

• “Great to come together and serve and show God’s love to people”

• “The team arrived in their red May Day t-shirts and went right to work washing exterior windows and assisting with putting screens back on. You are SO appreciated! Many, many thanks!!!” ~ Helen Block, Dougherty House

• “Marie and her two nephews were very productive and accomplished a lot! I shared with them our appreciation but I also wanted you to know about their efforts and the wonderful spirit with which they went about their activities!” ~ Gary Tuschen, Carroll Institute

These are just a few of the many comments we received from work sites and S.O.S team members. The day changed lives. And we’re going to do it again…EVEN BIGGER!

Join us on Sunday, May 1, 1–4pm as we rally 500 people to work for 3 hours in 25 different locations!

If you can’t join us that day, there will be many items that need to be donated, and there will also be some days leading up to the event where help will be needed. Watch for more information about our donation needs, and visit maydaysiouxfalls.org or sfumc.org to sign up to be a part of this awesome event.

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Each year on Shrove Tuesday, the Chancel Choir at First United Methodist Church hosts a pancake supper in the Multi-Purpose Room, and this year was no different.

Choir members and non-choir friends put up decorations, set up tables and chairs, and most importantly – the cooks put together a great meal of pancakes, sausages, mouth-watering fruit toppings, coffee, juice and water for everyone! It’s an amazing evening where we got to gather and celebrate as a family.

Truly one of the blessings that comes from this event is that we donate the profits to a mission within the church or the community of Sioux Falls.

The funds that were raised with the past two pancake feeds were donated this last summer to Lowell and Hawthorne Elementary schools for purchasing band instruments for children in the 5th grades who could not afford to buy their own. When we approached the principals and band directors at each school, they were overwhelmed with joy at such a generous gift. Each school received $1,500 for their band program!

Thank you for supporting this wonderful missional event!

CHOIR MINISTRYSharing our Love of Music with Children in Sioux Falls

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United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the service arm of the United Methodist Church. UMCOR has a strong presence in many places in this country as well as around the world; many times they are the first organization on the scene when a disaster occurs. One recent example is when the water in Flint, MI, became contaminated with lead, the community of 99,000 residents faced a crisis that left many vulnerable to health problems, stress, and financial strain. UMCOR along with the National Guard and other agencies responded immediately to assist the most vulnerable people in Flint.

Not everyone can get away to the mission field, but all can help by making UMCOR supply kits. These kits provide vital support for the work UMCOR does throughout the world. By donating kit supplies or financial gifts to purchase the supplies, you make a direct, tangible difference in sustaining people’s lives.

Our Ingathering Ministry Team will feature certain kits during each quarter. This quarter, we are collecting items for UMCOR Layette Kits. In April, we will begin collecting UMCOR Health Kits.

You can find a complete listing of kit items by emailing Mary Jane at maryjane@sio.midco.net, on our website or at the Information Center.

METHODISTS IN MISSIONThrough UMCOR

Health Kits Layette Kits

South Sudan 13,440

Tbilisi, Georgia 7,056 588

Baltimore, MD 1,008 504

Odessa, Ukraine 31,584

Amman, Jordan 16,800 784

Port-Au-Prince , Haiti 10,752

Accra, Ghana 1,500

Beirut, Lebanon 11,904 1,764

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PRESCRIPTION UPDATEMissional Church Consultation Initiative — Spring 2016

In the fall of 2013 Bishop Bruce Ough invited our congregation into a consultation process

entitled Missional Church Consultation Initiative. This process has guided us into a new life cycle as a congregation.

Our consultation was held on the weekend of October 3-5, 2014. Since that time we have developed teams to work on each of our five prescriptions. We have worked with coaches who have assisted us in our movement into a new life cycle.

Here is an update of what we have accomplished.

Churchwide Missional Alignment:In January, 2014 we held a service of Repentance, Prayer and Possibilities with Bishop Bruce Ough present. It was a powerful reminder of the gift of God’s love and healing presence. Our focus is “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!”

Pastor Bob worked with a staff alignment prescription coach, and we now have in place a dynamic and gifted staff team to lead us as we create and live into our prescriptions and our new life cycle.

Worship Excellence:Our worship life has been our most challenging prescription of all, but our Worship Impact Team really guided us into a new season of worship. • We updated our worship

experience to include 8:30 Traditional, 9:45 Unity, and 11:15 Modern worship services.

• We’ve experienced increased vitality, energy, passion and clarity of worship style in all our worship services.

• Since the fall, we have grown in our worship attendance by 3-4%, and we continue to see visitors each week.

One area we need to continue working on is sound and visuals in our Sanctuary.

Reaching our “Next Generation” Mission FieldThis team has been hard at work in the new initiative to reach children, youth and their families. • We transformed our curriculum

and spruced up our spaces making them all very welcoming.

• Upward Basketball Ministry launched with 25 children participating in a 5 week basketball camp.

• The Foundation and the Trustees of our church committed $70,000 to finish installing the sprinkler system. Thus the KIDSTOP program can expand from 20 children to 60 children.

“Door to Core” System: Newcomer Readiness 2015 Accomplishments• Completed “3 Big Events” - Mayday Sioux Falls 2015 - Epic Block Party - Heart to Heart Benefit Concert• Increased hospitality with

Connections Team• Increased and more focused

follow up with 1st and 2nd time visitors

2016 Goals• Improved interior signage• Engage more people in serving

on Connections Team• Expand visitor follow up• Engage new members in service,

study, and fellowship• Expand planning teams for

Mayday Sioux Falls 2016, Epic Block party, and other big events

• Develop wish list items (interior signage, tables for Sanctuary and MPR)

We Love Our Neighbors Missional Partnership Summit Heights Apartments is our first missional partner. They offer high quality low-income housing, as well as a variety of services, counseling and a spiritual growth component. We meet every third Friday with the residents.• Our first meeting was a pizza and

movie night last fall• This year we have had several

evenings where we have made a meal with the residents and then participated in games or other activities.

• We provided a Christmas meal giveaway and delivered flowers to all moms on Valentine’s Day.

As we continue to move forward, we are grateful for our prescription teams, our coaches, our staff and each of you for your prayers and assistance through this journey. It hasn’t been easy, but we know that God is leading us into new life and vitality!

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BUDGETED PLEDGES AND GIFTS AVERAGE ANNUAL GIVING

Number of pledgers who increased their

pledge for 2016.

HOUSEHOLD PLEDGES FOR 201632 NEW PLEDGERS

FOR 2016

72

$950,000 $1,000,000 $1,050,000 $1,100,000

2015 2016

252

$2,109

HERE’S ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF YOUR GIVING:

Thank You!Great things are happening here at First UMC. We ended 2015 by fully funding all of our Prescriptions. We feel, as a direct result of the changes we made during the last half of 2015, overall attendance has increased over 3%!

The Finance Committee carefully reviewed our 2015 receipts and anticipated 2016 financial gifts to establish a realistic revenue expectation for this year. The final budget amount of $1,075,002, a 6% increase over 2015, was unanimously approved by the Administrative Board.

With your continued generosity, great things will continue to happen here at First UMC.

$1,075,000

$1, 016,300

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WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN JESUS?Sometimes it is hard to answer that question because we are not looking for Him.

When you start to look, you will be amazed at what you will see and hear. Take these two stories for example…

Kathryn’s StoryKathryn is a 5th grade student at John Harris

Elementary school. Those students have the

opportunity to be a reading buddy to someone in the

lower grades. She was so excited to share the

Christmas Story book that each child was given at the

Family Advent event.

Little did Kathryn know that this would be

the very first time her buddy ever heard the

story of Jesus’ birth!

Kathryn was thrilled and honored to be the

instrument Jesus chose to spread his story to

an entire family.

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WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN JESUS?Sometimes it is hard to answer that question because we are not looking for Him.

When you start to look, you will be amazed at what you will see and hear. Take these two stories for example…

Nature’s StorySinging praises to Jesus out in nature brings each of us closer to our Creator.

Whether it be in the cool breezes or in the sounds of the birds chirping as the message is delivered Jesus is truly present in nature when we take a moment to be still.

Join us as we worship in nature this summer at 9:30 am at Leif Ericson Day Camp.

This service will be in addition to our 3 services held in the church.

• 8:30am Traditional

• 9:45am Unity

• 11:15am Modern

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First United Methodist Church401 S. Spring AvenueSioux Falls, SD 57104-4398605-336-3652

E-mail: fumc@sfumc.orgWebsite: www.sfumc.org

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Join Us in April for a New Sermon Series...

The Classic Exploration of Christian Community

SERMON SERIES with Pastor Bob RuedebuschApril 3 - May 8, 2016 — 8:30 am, 9:45 am and 11:15 am

April 3 Community, 1 Peter 2: 4-10

April 10 The Day with Others, Acts 2:37-47

April 17 The Day Alone, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5; 5:25-28

Life Togetherby Dietrich Bonhoeffer

April 24 Confession and Communion, Romans 12:9-21

May 1 Ministry, Romans 12:1-8

May 8 Pulling it all Together, Philippians 4:4-13

FIRSTUnited Methodist Church