Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Volume L February 2017 Number 2
First United Methodist Church, 1610 Prince St., Conway, AR, 72034
The Witness Before we know it, the liturgical
season of Lent will arrive, and with it a plethora of religious practices to help us prepare for the celebration of Easter. Among these practices are feasting, fast-ing, joy, worship, contemplation, prayer and hope.
Lent is a period of 40 days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “lencten,” which means “spring.” In 2017, Lent runs from Wednesday, March 1, through Saturday, April 15. Easter Day is Sunday, April 16.
Today we will give you a “mark your calendars”-type introduction to the Lenten season at Conway FUMC. In communications during March, we’ll give you more information about activi-ties scheduled during Holy Week and on Easter.
As an overall theme during the season, the pastoral staff at Conway FUMC is preparing a sermon series called “Through.” This is in conjunction with our year-long focus on the inspired teachings of John Wesley to guide us into “True Religion.” Paraphrases of Wesley’s sermons, reflection questions, and our pastors’ sermons are posted at truereligion.conwayfumc.org.
Ash Wednesday worship will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, in the Sanctuary. It will follow a free meal at The Well in the Fellowship Hall from 5:30 to 6:20 p.m. Ash Wednesday is intended to be a time for us to confess our sin before God within the commu-nity of faith. The use of ashes has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship.
The Imposition of Ashes is a powerful nonverbal way of participating in the call to repent. It is traditional to save the palm branches used in the previous years’ Palm Sunday and burn them ahead of time to use for the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service.
WAYS TO OBSERVE
LENT Many people choose to “give
something up” for the Season of Lent. This discipline of self-denial or fasting helps to focus our attention on things that truly matter. Giving something up can reveal the little idols in our lives and help us see what we value as much or more than God.
Another way to observe Lent is to add a discipline, taking on a practice that will engage our hearts with the heart of God. Following are some ways that you can take on a practice during Lent:
Lenten Prayer Stations Each Wednesday beginning
March 8, our Chapel will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. The space will be designed for activities in prayer. Children and adults are encouraged to spend quiet time in this space as they draw closer to God in this season of Lent. Stations will include opportunities to write, draw, walk, and create through prayer. Instruc-tions will be provided outside the Chap-el each week.
Women’s Lenten Bible Study Beginning Wednesday, March 1,
Join the wom-en at FUMC for an 8-week Lenten study that will explore Jesus’ road to the cross by hearing the unique perspectives of characters who are often overlooked in the scriptures. We will be meeting from 10 to 11:15 a.m. every
Wednesday beginning March 1 in the Basement Courtyard. Childcare will be provided. Books will be available to pick up in the Staff Workroom beginning Wednesday, Feb. 22. If you have ques-tions, contact Pastor Lauren.
Children
and Family Devotionals
for the Season The “Ask, Seek, Find” devotional book provides 40 seek-&-find ac-tivities for chil-dren to explore each day leading
See LENT on Page 8
LENT TO INCLUDE PRAYER, STUDY Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper Planned Feb. 28 The Conway FUMC MidYouth would like to invite their church family and the community to enjoy a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, in Great Hall. Shrove Tuesday is the day be-fore Lent begins where you can eat all you want before going into the season of fasting leading up to Easter. The Pancake Supper will include great food, great fellowship and great fun for the whole family as we have our own Mardi Gras right here at Conway FUMC. There is no charge for this event. This is the end of the church sea-son of Epiphany and is a way to celebrate and feast before the fasting of Lent starts.
PAGE 2 - CONWAYFUMC.ORG
Conway First United Methodist Church was proud to host a special guest on Wednesday, Feb. 1, and Thursday, Feb. 2 – an inflata-ble replica of a female blue whale! Students and teachers in all the first-grade classes in the Con-way School District came to FUMC to take a tour of the inside of the whale. They also learned more about whales in general by watching a PowerPoint presentation and seeing a real whale vertebrae. A face painting station was also set up.
The display is part of an outreach effort from the University of Central Arkansas chapter of the National Science Teachers Associa-tion. Professor Jerry Mimms of UCA said the program started in 2005. Since then, about 30,000 students from 94 schools have toured the
A Whale of an Exhibit! Photos by Shannon deKunffy
whale. Future visits for this particular inflata-ble whale are to North Little Rock schools later in February, and to Greenbrier in April for Earth Day. Professor Mimms is a science education instructor at UCA, and says the traveling exhibit gives his students a chance to interact with children.
The association also has a model of a giant cell that can be toured, and they are working on a heart/lung model. The inflata-ble whale is 93 feet long, which Professor Mimms says is the average size for a female blue whale – the males are a few feet smaller on average. If the inflatable whale were a real whale, it would weigh 170 tons, he said.
In addition to the Conway first-graders, the students at Conway FUMC’s Early Childhood Center were able to take the tour and get whales painted on their faces. They even took silly photos with whale-related signs and masks. During MidYouth activities on Feb. 1, our MidYouth members took a tour and held a devotional time inside the inflatable whale.
MidYouth devotion
Pastor Lauren took the tour! Face painting
ECC students on tour
The Whale!
CONWAYFUMC.ORG -- PAGE 3
SPECIAL FOUR-PAGE INSERT!
SUMMER AT CONWAY FUMC
The staff at Conway FUMC is happy to offer this publication to help you with your calendar scheduling for Summer 2017.
Please make note of all the activities planned for people of all ages.
We hope to see you here!
SUMMER FEEDING
Our Summer Feeding program will get under way the first week after school is out for the summer. We will be making sack lunches for 50 to 60 kids at the Brier-wood Apartment Complex twice a week. We will need help making sandwiches, packing lunches and deliver-ing the lunches both days that we serve each week. In early April, we will put out more information about how to volunteer. Keep an eye on the church commu-nications and social media. You can also contact Kisha Bumpers, [email protected], for more in-formation.
SUMMER KICKOFF! PARTY ON THE PAVEMENT MEETS NEIGHBORHOOD MOVIE NIGHT
Join us as we gather for dinner and a movie in our parking lot on Friday, June 2. We will begin the evening by gathering out-side to eat a meal together, and then we will watch a family friendly movie on our inflatable, big screen! As a part of this event, we will make a special effort to invite our neighbors to join us, and we hope that you will bring friends and family to this event. This will be a perfect way to introduce others to the faith community you’ve grown to love. So bring a friend, bring a lawn chair or a blanket, and we’ll see you as we celebrate the beginning of summer! More details to come, but be sure to mark your calendar!
PAGE 4 - CONWAYFUMC.ORG
May 2017
May 5-6 Confirmation Retreat
May 5-7 Toad Suck Daze
May 14 Mother’s Day
May 17 Children’s Choir Picnic 4:30 to 6 p.m., Laurel Park
May 21 Confirmation Sunday
May 24 Music Department Picnic 6:30 p.m., Beaverfork Park
May 28 Memorial Day weekend
June 2017
June 1 Pentecost
June 2 Dinner and Movie on the Parking Lot
June 4-9 Junior High Mystery Trip
June 5-8 CAMP Mission Trip in Little Rock
June 6-27 Little People’s Story Time 10 to 11 a.m.
June 18-21 Arkansas Annual Conference
June 19-22 Summer Musical Camp 8 to 11:30 a.m.
June 25-July 1 Ozark Mission Project
June 14-July 12 MidYouth Summer Hang Time OZARK MISSION PROJECT 2016
MIDYOUTH CAMP 2016
MAY & JUNE
CONWAYFUMC.ORG -- PAGE 5
July 2017
July 4 Fourth of July holiday
July 8-15 Senior High Boston Mission Trip
July 14 Mission Committee Trivia Night
July 17-21 WOW Camp For Grades 1-4
July 24-28 Youth Assembly at Hendrix College
July 30 Fifth Sunday Program, 10 a.m.
TRIVIA NIGHT 2016
JULY & AUGUST August 2017
August 1-6 Youth Week
August 13 Back to School Blessings Sunday
August 14-18 Mission opportunity to help with Kindergarten lunch at Ida Burns Elementary School
BACK TO SCHOOL BLESSINGS 2016
PAGE 6 - CONWAYFUMC.ORG
FUMC WOW CAMP July 17-21 for children entering
grades 1st - 4th Online Camp Registration will
begin March 1. Cost is $15.
Scholarships are available by request. Sign up will also be available outside
Pam’s office in room 107 Mid-Youth and older students are
invited to volunteer. We also offer internships for youth
ages 15 and older. Contact Pam Lentz at
LITTLE PEOPLE’S STORY TIME Tuesdays — June 6 - June 27
10 to 11 a.m. Story Time provides active storytelling, music, a snack, and crafts for young children. Stories and activities are aimed at children entering Kindergarten and younger. All ages are invited. Children must be accompanied
by a parent or childcare person.
SUMMER MUSICAL CAMP June 19 - 22
“Table for Five ... Thousand” Open to young people who have finished
second grade through high school If you have an actor/singer/dancer in your family who needs an outlet for their talents, send them to our summer mu-sical camp! We meet from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on Monday through Thursday and learn a whole production in that time. Everyone will work on singing and speaking parts, instrument parts and simple choreography. Nothing will be too hard. By the end of four days we will have a musical production to share with our church congregation in an evening performance. This is a FREE opportunity to make some wonderful summer memories. The only requirement is that those who sign up commit to attending every day of rehearsals. Watch for a sign-up genius coming soon or contact Linda Ball in the FUMC Music Department at [email protected].
STORYTIME 2016
MUSIC CAMP
WOW CAMP 2016
In Memory & In Honor
CONWAYFUMC.ORG -- PAGE 7
In memory of Vivian McGibbony by: Jazzercise Lite of Conway, Gary Joe & Carolyn Lewis, Betty Nixon In memory of David Pearce by: Ron & Patsy Ross In memory of Andy Scarlett by: Rick Willbanks, Ron & Patsy Ross In memory of Fannora Gardner by: Tom & Patsy Desaulniers In memory of Chris Wren by: Greg & Pam Wren In memory of Connor Aist by: Greg & Pam Wren In memory of Steve Ellis by: Koi-nonia Sunday School Class, Waddy & Gay Moore In honor of Kish Jones by: Charles Pittman In honor of Chesney & Clark Brun-er by: Greg & Pam Wren In honor of Beckett & Parker Blanchette by: Greg & Pam Wren In honor of Walker & Wren Wills by: Greg & Pam Wren In honor of Anna & Baby Boy Vi-cory by: Greg & Pam Wren In honor of Chesney Bruner by: Jere-my & Emily Walter In honor of Alec Bumpers by: Jere-my & Emily Walter In honor of Lex Dunaway by: Jeremy & Emily Walter In honor of Tyler Cole by: Jeremy & Emily Walter
Conway FUMC Safe Sanctuary Certification Going Paperless Conway FUMC Safe Sanctuary Certi-fication is going paperless. Starting Feb. 20, you will be able to complete most of your Safe Sanctuary Certification online.
Currently, you are able to view the training video and take the quiz on our web-site. We will be adding our questionnaire and covenant to complete as well. Another big bonus that will become available is the ability to enter your background check information directly to the company that runs them.
We hope these features will be more convenient for our volunteers.
The only paperwork that will need to be turned in to the office will be for volunteers who will travel with our MidYouth and Youth programs. The Child Maltreatment form will still need to be printed, signed, notarized, and brought to the church.
The ability to print off this one form will also be available on our Safe Sanctuaries page.
FUMC to Help With Bookcase Project
The Conway Bookcase Project Com-mittee would like to invite you to donate new or gently used pre-school children’s books to some deserving children.
Please place your donated books in the collection box located in the Conway FUMC Sanctuary building hospitality area between Feb. 15 and April 1. The books will be presented to the children at the Bookcase Project’s Awards Ceremony at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 23, at the Faulkner County Library. We are building lives and futures: One Child at a Time. Thank You! Jim Davidson, Chairman
Help Us Find Missing Book From Joyce Miller:
A coffee table-style book “The His-tory of the Jews” was left on the table in the church library a couple of months ago. Inside on the first page was inscribed “To Joyce Mil-ler With Thanks.”
The book was given to me by the Jewish community at Fort Leavenworth, Kan-sas, Chapel a number of years ago at a seder to which Bill and I were invited.
The book is particularly precious to me, and it is now missing. If the book is found, please notify Colleen Holt in the church office. Thank you!
Church News Briefs
New Administrative Assistant Chosen We wel-come Danielle Adkis-son to the position of Administrative Assis-tant. Danielle is a member of the church and currently works as a teacher at our Early Childhood Center (ECC). She also works as an assistant in the area of Lay Ministries, and she will continue in this position in addition to her new responsibilities. Danielle will start on Feb 20. We look forward to all that she will bring to help us fulfill our mission. Danielle’s email address is [email protected].
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (USPS 625-840) 1610 PRINCE ST. CONWAY, ARKANSAS 72034 501-329-3801
The Witness is published monthly by First United Methodist Church 1610 Prince St., Conway, AR 72034. Periodicals postage paid at Conway, AR POSTMASTER: Send address changes to “The Witness,” c/o Colleen Holt, editor; First United Methodist Church, 1610 Prince St., Conway, AR 72034
WWW.CONWAYFUMC.ORG FACEBOOK.COM/CONWAYFIRSTUMC
Senior Pastor — Michael Roberts Associate Pastor — Lauren DeLano Dir., Music/Worship Ministries — Janet Gingerich Director, Children’s Ministries — Pam Lentz Director, Lay Ministries — Kisha Bumpers Director, Youth Ministries — Zach Schrick Director, MidYouth Ministries — Rod Hocott Assoc. Dir., Music (Children) — Linda Ball
Praise Band Director — Nick Garrison Organist — Betty Cohen Administrative Assistant — Danielle Adkisson Business Assistant — Margaret Taverner Supervisor, Hospitality Ministries — Ed Spears Financial Assistant — Laura Bounds Communications Assistant — Colleen Holt
Contact staff by email at: first initial of first name plus last name
@conwayfumc.org
Example: [email protected]
Our Core Purpose: To cultivate faithful and fruitful disciples
of Jesus Christ.
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH STAFF DIRECTORY
up to the celebra-tion of Easter. Children learn bible stories that help them under-stand the im-portance of East-er and the story of the Resurrec-tion. You can pick up a book at any of our hospi-tality areas.
“Passing It On” is also available
to families. This devotional book pro-vides parents with materials to use dur-ing Lent, Summer, Back to School, and Christmas. These family devotionals include talking points for children,
youth, and adults so all ages can be in-cluded in the time of gathering. Each 4-week set of devotionals highlights pray-ers, symbols and weekly challenges that represent the season.
Books are available in Pam’s office. A $5 donation is appreciated to help with the cost of books.
Brag on Jesus 4 Adults Coming Sunday, April 2
Each year, the MidYouth go on a retreat called “Brag on Jesus,” where they learn how to share their faith with others. It is clear that this retreat and all that they are taught throughout the year positively impacts them because they are great at inviting their friends to worship and events at our church!
On Sunday, April 2, from noon to 2 p.m., the MidYouth will help Pastor
Lauren lead our congregation in a work-shop about sharing our faith. We will have small group conversation and par-ticipate in activities, so that we might feel more confident in inviting people into our faith community.
MidYouth: If you are a MidYouth interested in helping Pastor Lauren lead this workshop, don’t forget to contact Pastor Lauren or Rod to let them know you want to help! You can help lead the workshop even if you’ve never been on a Brag on Jesus Retreat. If you have more questions before you commit, contact Pastor Lauren.
Adults: If you are an adult (includes anyone 8th grade or older) interested in learning more about how to Brag on Jesus, mark your calendars for this event and be on the lookout for more information coming soon!
LENT from Page 1
