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A PUBLICATION OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
THEWINDOW 1411 BROADWAY | LUBBOCK, TX 79401 | 806.763.4607 | FUMC.COM | AUGUST 2020
What’s Inside Page 02 Opportunities
Page 04 Organ update
Page 05 Singing During Touch Times
Page 06 Youth Missions Week
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH•LUBBOCK
FIRSTLBK
MOVED BY JESUS. LOVING PEOPLE. SERVING ALL.
Our mission is to create a grace-filled environment in which Christ transforms lives.
GREETINGS FUMC FAMILY! Have you ever had the opportunity to stand on the spot of a historic event and had to catch your breath thinking through the significance of that spot? Maybe it was the grassy knoll in Dallas, the battlefield at Gettysburg, or touring Pearl Harbor. It’s in those moments that SENIOR PASTOR for me, history becomes Todd Salzwedel so much more than events we read about and get tested on in class! It becomes real! I’m excited that many of us might begin to explore what it would look like to do just that in Israel! Every step you take there in the Holy Land is an opportunity to not only engage our history as a people, but to explore the roots of our Judeo/ Christian heritage. Often called the Fifth Gospel, the chance to walk where Jesus walked, to worship in the very places we study in the Bible, and take in the sights and smells of the Holy Land truly become a transformative experience unlike anything I have ever been a part of! Now I know there are a whole host of questions that go along with planning such a pilgrimage. On August 23, we will gather to answer as many questions as I can and to share some of my experiences that have shaped my relationship with God and others. I invite you to join me here at the church for this interest meeting whether you are committed to traveling to the Holy Land or not. Even if it’s something that you aren’t sure you could do in the near future, I’m confident you will learn something about the roots of our faith just by attending the meeting. Be sure to invite friends that might be interested in such travel as well! I will look forward to our time together! Later, in future months, I’ll offer some classes that address some of the larger topics regarding the Holy Land including its history, the spiritual makeup of the land, and some perspective on the current issues that continue to confound the residents there.
Trips like these have the capacity to deepen relationships with God and one another. They are simply transformative in nature. The same is true of the events in our lives of our own doing and those that seem to be imposed upon us. The last five months have borne witness to this fact in extraordinary ways. I have had the opportunity to “meet” some of you through digital means only, and our email conversations have been a blessing to me. But they also demonstrate an inherent longing for a basic human need – person-to-person interaction. For a whole multitude of reasons, we might find ourselves cut off or isolated from others not only in times of pandemic, but for other health and personal reasons as well. Nevertheless, it is my belief that we were created for community. While that can take many different shapes, I pray that we are each seeking to fulfill that basic need in sufficient and safe ways. At the same time, it doesn’t take long for a practice (even one that is meant to be short term) to become a habit. Much like we can develop poor habits, we must work hard to cultivate the good and holy habits God calls us to. Carving out time to make God our focus (i.e. worship in person/online), deliberate prayer, and preparing ourselves for what God might be calling us to requires that we adopt an attitude of hope in the midst of such “wilderness” experiences. God is still at work in our lives and the world! Planning a trip to see family or visit the Holy Land, disciplining ourselves to pray with a grateful heart in times we don’t feel grateful, and setting aside our own preferences for the benefit of the other help us to place our trust in God. And my prayer for each of us is that as we are being shaped in these trying times, we are also listening carefully for the guidance of God! I’m blessed to be in the midst of such a cloud of witnesses as we find here at FUMC! And I am confident that God will continue to guide and direct our steps in our desire to experience and build His Kingdom here and abroad! August 2020 | The Window Grace and Peace! Pastor Todd Salzwedel
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With the onslaught of consequences from COVID 19, it is easy to forget that God wastes nothing! The good news is that Shera Atkinson God takes Minister of Spiritual the difficult Formation and circumstancCongregational Care es and uses them in our lives. We grow when we ask questions such as, “What can I learn?” or “How will You use this to Your Glory and for my growth?” Most of us are still asking questions about the pandemic. One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic is that our services are reaching people not only across the nation but even
throughout the world. Another unexpected but positive consequence is that we are learning to expand the way we do ministry. This fall, ministry will continue to occur “in person” as well as via “live Stream”, through “mail outs” and e-mail.
your prayer life. Watch for videos that offer exhortation and encouragement in areas of care ministry, spiritual formation and evangelism and faith sharing. Additionally, new spiritual formation groups will be forming this fall and Bible Studies will be announced soon.
We are excited to have Dr. Sandra Richter rescheduled for the 29th and 30th of August. We are working on the possibility of recording her talk for those who may not be able to attend. While Adult Sunday school is currently open and available, many are not able to be present. Therefore, some classes are meeting through Zoom. In September, there will be a four-week class offered via our Facebook page which will be available each Sunday Morning at 10AM and will then be accessible throughout the following week. You will receive monthly prayer ministry emails to encourage you as well as a “surprise” in the mail to assist you in strengthening and building
My prayer for each of you is that you may grow in the knowledge and wisdom of Jesus Christ even in the midst of a pandemic. May I expand a verse that we all need to remember right now? “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, NOR COVID 19 nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39. Soli Deo Gloria, Shera
New Ministry Opportunity The Women’s Ministry invites you to join in a new twofold ministry to teachers! First, we ask that you set your alarm each day for 12 p.m. for the purpose of praying for our teachers, administrators, staff, students, and parents. Some suggestions include praying for teachers and students to be safe and well, for wisdom as administrators make difficult decisions, and for parents to be engaged and supportive of their children’s education. We serve a God of miracles and we are asking you to pray for a miraculous end to Covid 19. Second, we ask that you contact Shera at satkinson@fumc.com for cards to send to teachers you know and to deliver cards to schools to be placed in the teacher’s lounge. Due to privacy laws we will not be able to send cards to every teacher, but we would love to see as many as possible receive encouragement and the promise of support through prayer! 2
August 2020 | The Window
WELBORN-PAYNE CHRISTIAN LIFE CONFERENCE – SANDRA RICHTER Dr. Richter will be speaking on Saturday from 9-2 in the Christian Life Center and on Sunday in both the 9:30 Contemporary Service and the 11:00 Traditional Service in the Sanctuary at First Lubbock. Dr. Richter will be unveiling her new study in the Epic of Eden series- the Old Testament Psalms.
Sandra Richter will be at First United Methodist Church, Lubbock, August 29 and 30.
The Wellborn-Payne Christian Life Conference of First United Methodist Church has the honor of welcoming Dr. Sandra L. Richter on Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30.
Dr. Richter’s expertise and depth of study in the Old Testament are widely known and respected. She is the author of the Epic of Eden-A Christian’s Entry into the Old Testament series. Also included in her Epic of Eden series offerings are in depth studies of the lives of Jonah, Ruth, and Isaiah. Dr. Richter has the unequaled ability to make real the lives, backgrounds, and places these forefathers of our Christian faith inhabited. To join her in a study is to step back in time and to walk along
with and to see through the eyes of these faith pioneers. Dr. Richter is a graduate of both Gordon-Conwell and Harvard Universities. After teaching extensively at Asbury Theological Seminary, she is currently the Robert H. Gundy Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in California. Please plan on joining us for two days of learning spent with one of the premier Old Testament scholars of our day. A registration fee of $10 for Saturday, August 29, includes a lunch. To register, please visit fumc. com/sandra-richter, or contact Gloria Ashby, gashby@fumc.com.
August 2020 | The Window
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Organ Update I write this to provide a quick update on the organ construction and the organ dedication concert. It is so exciting that the last organ parts are finally here, and we have resumed the final installation process. We hope the installation of the facades, the pipes and the main console can be completed sometime this year. That’s good news. The less exciting news is that we still do not know when voicing and tuning will be completed as the U.S. – Canada border situation is still closed and unknown. Those two processes (voicing and tuning) are the most critical work to complete the project and it is exclusively performed by Letourneau’s voicers. Once it is completed in voicing and tuning, we will most likely have a grand opening to reveal the organ for that Sunday. I also would like to update you about our organ dedication concert previously
The organ facade and pipes at Letourneau in Canada are wrapped and getting ready to ship to Texas.
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August 2020 | The Window
scheduled for September 20th, 2020.
the United States.
We have already moved from February to September this year. We were so looking forward to celebrating and holding the concert with everyone.
The regulation of the 14-day quarantine for international travelers will not help them stay here for a temporary period to practice and perform within 4 – 5 days.
However, my heart is immensely disappointed to let you know that we have decided to cancel the concert and postpone it until 2021.
We apologize that we had to cancel this concert again and I am sorry for any inconvenience.
First, we do not think the organ will be ready by then. Even if it is ready, the instrument won’t have time to get adjusted to the Lubbock climate. When the world was in a shut-down mode, the factory in Quebec was also closed from mid-March through mid-May. Additionally, because of the closing of the Canadian border, non-essential travel is banned at this time. This means Letourneau installers cannot travel internationally. Also, we are also not sure if it would be safe for our dear U.K. friends to travel to
We still do not know what this fall will look like. It is very difficult to foresee and plan ahead at this point. Yet, nothing is more important than our safety. It is devastating and unfortunate to see struggles of our colleagues in fine arts world. We believe that God is in control and pray that God takes good care of each of you! Seung-Won Cho, Director of Traditional Music Ministries
Singing During Tough Times Is it possible to sing during tough times? The short answer is: Yes! As we all know these are incredibly tough times. We also know that tough times can put pressure on the Church and her people. So, I ask; how can we sing during tough times? How can we find our voice amid chaos and emotional upset? I hope to share some thoughts about singing and how worship can help us better find strength in song in a few newsletter articles over the next few months. Before we get into the topic at hand, I want to extend a huge ‘thank you’ to the congregation, church staff, music ministry members and everyone else who I’ve met not included in this list in welcoming my family to Lubbock. I am excited to say that as we have been here now for almost eight weeks, we have felt more and more “at home”. I have loved being a part of worship, playing the organ and piano, and meeting new people every day. I am also eager to see what is around the corner. The continued work on the new pipe organ, and the hopeful, prayerful and careful reopening of other ministries here including the Handbell Choirs and Children’s and Youth Choirs.
Back to our topic: The mere thought of opening our mouths and using our voices at a time like this to sing must sound a little ridiculous, right? We may think there isn’t much to sing about. But that’s where our thinking must change. Have you ever read through the book of Lamentations? It’s an entire poetic lament about a person watching the destruction of his beloved capital city. Historians are fairly certain these “laments” were sung, not simply spoken. Chapter 3 verse 16 is too pictorial to avoid mentioning: “he has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust.” Try speaking that line a few times. Now try singing that line with an accented, rhythmic melody. (Yes, I invite you to do this no matter who hears you!). I’m sure the interpretation changes completely for you. Many other hymns and songs, both sacred and secular, mention grief, turmoil, and hurt. Again, I invite you to speak through the lyrics of these songs, and then listen or sing through the melody, and I am sure the meaning behind the lyrics will change. One in particular are the words to an old hymn from the Genevan Psalter in 1547 titled, “Your Hand, O Lord, in
Days of Old” says the following: Your hand, O Lord, in days of old was strong to heal and save; It triumphed o’er disease and death, o’er darkness and the grave. The tune that these words were originally set to is a bouncy, march-like, confident melody that fits the words so well – it’s as though a promise is taking place. In fact, it is the same promise that is taking place today: God is strong to heal and save and will triumph o’er disease and death, darkness and the grave. In short, sing! Find those moments to lament, pray, rejoice and use that as a basis to sing! I’d like to end out these articles by stating a short line from The Methodist Hymnal from 1966 that was prefaced from the Wesleys to the congregants: “Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of it being heard…and above all, sing spiritually.” Soli Deo Gloria, Matt Johnston Organist and Assistant Director of Traditional Music
The organ facade and pipes arrived from Canada on July 14. There were many parts and pipes that took up a lot of room in the sanctuary. August 2020 | The Window
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August 2020 | The Window
Memorials & Honorariums – July 15, 2020 CHILDREN’S MINISTRY In memory of Robert Bruce by Bill and Irma Davis, Gwen Davis, and John and Gay Rittenberry and family
GORDON MCMILLAN MEMORIAL In memory of Dina Lawrence by Dr. Bryan Smitherman, Ross and Carol-Anne Smitherman
In memory of JoAnn Tilley Knight by Bill and Irma Davis, Gwen Davis, and John and Gay Rittenberry and family
In memory of Larry Neal by Dr. Bryan Smitherman, Ross and Carol-Anne Smitherman
EVERLIVING CHURCH TRUST In memory of Dee Craig and Erik Richards by HI Robinson Sunday School
In memory of Catherine Royalty, and Dee Craig by Dr. Bryan Smitherman, Ross and Carol-Anne Smitherman
In memory of JoAnn Tilley Knight and Dee Craig by Shelah Lile
In memory of Dee Craig by Dr. Bryan Smitherman, Ross and Carol-Anne Smitherman
In memory of Dorothy Nagy by Dwayne and Beverly West
In memory of Dee Craig and Sylvia Taylor by Marilyn Murfee
In memory of Wanda Bryan by Dwayne and Beverly West
MUSIC MINISTRY In memory JoAnn Tilley Knight by Charles and Paula Key
In memory of Nell Luck by Dwayne and Beverly West In memory of George Morris by Dwayne and Beverly West In memory of Virginia Hutcheson by Dwayne and Beverly West In memory of Carrol Johnson by Dwayne and Beverly West
SECOND HELPINGS In memory of Dee Craig and Erik Daniel Richards by Hannah Tipps and Shelby Cox In memory of Dee Craig by Hannah Tipps and Shelby Cox
In honor of Craig and Kathy Curry by Dan and Kay Howard
In memory of Erik Daniel Richards by Hannah Tipps and Shelby Cox
In memory of George Morris by Dan and Kay Howard
In memory of Dee Craig by Mark Bryan
In memory of Bob Hamilton by Bettie Hensley
In memory of Dee Craig by George and Judy Sell
In memory of Robert and JoAnn Knight by Rosemary Bowers Marmon Trust
In memory of Dee Craig by Dr. and Mrs. Lee Johnson
In honor of Craig and Kathy Curry by Robert and Sharen Musselman In memory of JoAnn Knight by Quester’s Sunday School In memory of George Morris by Randy and Sheila Lloyd
In memory of Dee Craig by her loving sister, Beth Horton Dittrich In memory of Dee Craig by Don and Nell Furgeson In memory of Dee Craig by Karen Votava In memory of Dee Craig by Stacey Franklin
Our Life Together – July 2020 CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Alice, Braeden, and Paege Salzwedel on joining First Lubbock July 5 by Dr. Shera Atkinson. The Salzwedel’s are transferring from First United Methodist of Odessa.
service will be in September in Jackson Hole, WY. Her father, Robert Bruce Knight passed away September 21, 2019.
Sympathies to the Craig family on the death of Delia Ann Craig. Dee SYMPATHIES passed away June 25. Dee was a part Sympathies to Guy and Lisa Davis on the of Friends of Music, the HI Robinson death of her mother, JoAnn Tilley Knight. Sunday School class and a member of JoAnn passed away June 19. She was a First Lubbock since November 1968. A member of the Questers Sunday School virtual memorial service was held July 7, class and a member of First Lubbock 2020 in the Bowman Chapel. Dr. Shera since October 1967. A family memorial Atkinson officiated.
Sympathies to Dr. and Mrs. Carl Andersen, Becky and Clark Richards, Mark and Kendra Andersen and family on the death of their grandson, son, and nephew, Erik Daniel Richards. Erik is the son of Clark and Becky Richards, he passed away June 25. Sympathies to Frank and Suzanne Foley on the death of Frank’s father, Wilson Buell Foley. Wilson passed away July 8. The Foley’s have been members of First Lubbock since September 2002. August 2020 | The Window
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WORSHIP SERVICES Traditional
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August 2020 | The Window
1411 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79401 fumc.com The Window is a monthly publication of First United Methodist Church, Lubbock