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A PUBLICATION OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
THEWINDOW 1411 BROADWAY | LUBBOCK, TX 79401 | 806.763.4607 | FUMC.COM | NOVEMBER 2019
What’s Inside
ARE YOU READY FOR 2020? Answer: Not hardly! We have two months! Two months of the holiday season, starting with All Saints Sunday, followed shortly by Thanksgiving, Advent, then Christmas.
Page 02 Missions
Two months to plan how you want to be a servant, a generous giver, a “rope holder” for people this season and into the new year. Two months to process goals for 2020… personal, spiritual, organizational goals.
Page 06 Church Breakfast
SENIOR PASTOR
Page 08
Craig Curry
First youth
Two months to catch up on promises made for 2019… promises to self, promises to others, pledges to give and serve. Two months to let God speak to us about new directions for 2020… stretching projects, shaping routines, new forms of ministry.
My prayer is that we all use these two months well, that we listen to God first, and that we courageously finish 2019 well and launch into 2020 with fresh momentum. See you in Worship!
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Pastor Craig
Our Life Together
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.
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HELPING HANDS
September Work Day
BEFORE
A big thank you to everyone who helped with Helping Hands in September. Our group gave a fresh coat of paint and repaired a concrete ramp for a resident who is wheel-chair bound. Be watching for opportunities to serve with our next Helping Hands project in the spring. To find out more, visit fumc.com/helping-hands or contact Frank and Kathy Phillips, frankandkathyphillips@ gmail.com.
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AFTER
MONTHLY MISSIONS FOCUS
FOOD OUTREACH
Community Thanksgiving
For the last 27 years, First LBK has been providing an opportunity for community through our Community Thanksgiving Meal. Over the years the meal has provided opportunities for friends, families, college students, and many others to join together around a table and share in a traditional turkey meal. Our 2019 meal will welcome people from all walks of life into our Christian Life Center to share a meal, serve one another, and build community. Please join us in prayer and preparation for this year’s event 1. Please begin praying for those who will join us to share in a community meal. 2. Pray for those who will volunteer their time to serve and feed their neighbors. 3. Pray for connections to be made and our community to be strengthened through these connections. 4. Pray for the needed donations and volunteers that will allow this meal to fulfill its purpose. For more information, contact Sara Lattimore, slattimore@fumc.com. To sign up to volunteer visit, fumc.com/thanksgivingvolunteer.
Mission Offering Celebration The gifts have been counted and the Missions Team wants to say, thank you for all who participated in our Fall Mission Offering through prayer and financial gifts. We were just short of our $25,000 goal. We raise just over $23,000 to support the outreach and missions this fall. Your gift and prayer matters as we seek to share Jesus through our mission and outreach programs. Thank you to all those who gave financially and who felt called to engage
in the Outreach opportunities. God is moving at First LKB and you are responding. Thank you! We aren’t finished yet, we still need volunteers and people willing to join in the missions through their participation and gifts. Is that you? Is God calling you to get connected in some way? Please reach out to our Director of Missions Sara Lattimore at slattimore@fumc.com or call the church. She is here willing to help you find a way to plug in at First LBK and in our community!
MISSIONS: LOOKING FORWARD Thanksgiving Meal Volunteer sign ups online, to sign up a large group please email Sara Lattimore Christmas Box Food Vouchers Christmas Missions Offering South Plains Food Bank Service Day Honduras Mission Trip Last call for anyone who is interested in joining our mission team to Honduras over Spring Break. March... Please contact Sara Lattimore, slattimore@fumc.com for more information.
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Bob Chilcott’s
REQUIEM MUSIC FOR ALL SAINTS
hosted by First United Methodist Church Jeannie Barrick, soprano Frank Rendon, tenor Clint Barrick, organist
Seung-Won Cho, conductor FUMC Chancel Choir and Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, November 3 • 5 p.m. St. John’s United Methodist Church 1501 University Avenue • Lubbock
Free admission • Reception to follow Childcare available
Vesper
CONCERT
SERIES
t Nigh in em h e l Beth
Dece
mber 15
HOMEBOUND MINISTRY IN NEED OF LAY SHEPHERDS The Homebound Ministry is searching for volunteers to become shepherds to our members who no longer are able to attend worship. Many of these are still in their homes and others are living in facilities throughout the city. These visits let our Homebound members know they aren’t forgotten and for many of them this is the only contact with our church as this time in their lives. The visits are done at your convenience and as often as you like. If you feel this is a ministry opportunity that you are interested in please call Shera Atkinson’s office,763-4607 or contact Marisue Smith,786-8037.
Stay Connected! FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH • LUBBOCK
FIRSTKIDS
MOVED BY JESUS. LOVING PEOPLE. SERVING ALL.
charge Tuesday • November 5 5:30 p.m. • Choir Suite The Church Council will meet for their final meeting of the year. It will constitute the annual Charge Conference session, presided by2019 our Superintendent, Don Boren. 4over November | TheDistrict Window
Visit fumc.com/events
Click Here!
WELCOME THE HOLY ONE
Shera Atkinson Minister of Spiritual Formation and Congregational Care
What does it really mean to welcome Jesus into every area of our lives? We will celebrate Advent this year by offering a multifaceted experience called Welcome the Holy One. This experience will include a weekly prayer focus announced in worship, a daily reading from our Advent book, “The Advent Mission�, and a weekly study guide and meditation
as well as some sermons that will touch on this topic. The weekly study guide and meditation will be available in each of the worship venues as well as online and you may purchase the advent book at the education intersection beginning November 10. Join with others for all or part of this Advent journey and participate in welcoming Jesus into all of your life.
LOOKING AHEAD
Dr. Sandra Richter to lead Welborn Payne Christian Life Conference Biblical scholar and teacher Dr. Sandra Richter will lead our Welborn Payne Christian Life Conference next year on April 18 and 19, 2020. A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Harvard University, Dr. Richter holds the Robert H. Gundry Chair of Old Testament at Westmont College. She combines history, archeology, geography, and ancient Near East languages to bring the Old Testament to life. Dr. Richter is the author of the Epic of Eden series including Epic of Eden, Ruth, Isaiah and Jonah. She will be previewing her new study on Psalms and First LBK will be the first to experience the study. Be sure to save the date for this exciting event!
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ALL-CHURCH BREAKFAST
All-Church Breakfast November 10 9:45-10:45 a.m. Memorial Hall
Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend an all-church breakfast that features our adult Sunday school classes on November 10, from 9:45-10:45 a.m. in Memorial Hall. There will be a sit-down breakfast with a short program presented by Craig Curry, other staff and lay people. After the breakfast, there will be an opportunity to visit Sunday school class tables and learn more about their classes. Further, there will be opportunities to learn about other ministries of our church. God meant to fulfill His missional purpose through a community, and in a community people are connected. Here are four benefits that you get from being part of a church community. • Growth Being part of a church community brings edification, correction and encouragement that ultimately lead to stronger and more mature Christians. We grow best in Christ when we have brothers and sisters who fast-track our spiritual maturity by being a helping hand.
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• Purpose Deep inside, we all want to be part of something bigger than us. When we become part of a church community, this is exactly what happens. In a church community, we serve a purpose and in serving that purpose, we grow in significance and belongingness. • Fun and Enjoyment Church is not about rituals, practices and rites. It is primarily about enjoying a relationship with our loving God and then enjoying fellowship with fellow believers. One of the best ways to form community is by becoming part of an adult Sunday school class. Have you decided that going to Sunday school is a big waste of time? Maybe you started skipping because you were constantly running late on Sunday mornings, or perhaps you started a new church and just never got connected with a class. There are lots of reasons why connecting with a small group or class can benefit your life. For example:
• Develop a Sense of Belonging Even the biggest churches seem smaller when you attend adult Sunday school. Sunday school or class is just the thing for getting to know people one-on-one. People tend to listen and leave in “big church,” but small groups usually linger in classrooms and get to know one another personally. Before long, you’ll start recognizing familiar faces in the sanctuary, soon you’ll fit right in! • Get to Know Your Community Better Where’s the best place to get an affordable, stylish backto-school haircut? Who’s available to cut grass during the summertime, or babysit for your date nights? Sunday school is a great place to get to know people, places, events, and other local conveniences. There may not be a dentist in your class, but you can bet there will be at least one person in there who knows one! • You Can Ask Questions! Sermons are one-way communication. In Sunday school class, you can ask questions. What are spiritual gifts? Why do we still
follow some Old Testament laws but not others? Sunday school is where you can ask those pressing questions and gain a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the Bible and what it means for our daily lives. • Join Others in Prayer for Specific Needs Do you often leave church feeling like you still have needs that are unmet? In Sunday school, class members talk about their lives. They share their needs, goals, and worries with one another, and they take time to pray for the needs and concerns of individuals. • Get Different Perspectives on the Bible & Faith Because Sunday school allows for open discussion and questions, you can gain perspective from a number of different people — all from different backgrounds and differing walks of life. You can even choose what group you fit best in.
• Socialize Your Kids in a Safe & Nurturing Environment Are you in desperate need of some “adult time”? During Sunday school, you can place your kids with loving, nurturing caregivers, while you get some one-on-one with big people. Your kids will thrive there, learning fun Bible stories that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Kids learn how to sit still, pay attention to the teacher, ask questions in an orderly fashion, and even share books and toys — all the skills they need to succeed in school and in life. – Shera Atkinson Minister of Spiritual Formation and Congregational Care
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FIRST YOUTH
HIKING & CORN MAZE
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We had such a fun time on our Middle School Hiking Day!
Fall Community Groups are in full swing! Middle & High School groups are growing in faith over food and fellowship. Questions? Contact Kirk or Emily! We also use the GroupMe app for group messaging. If you would like to be added to our group, please talk to Kirk or Emily!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MORE DETAILS
@FIRSTYOUTH_LBK
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FIRST YOUTH @FIRSTYOUTHLBK
High School
COMMUNITY GROUP
Oct. 23 // Nov. 6 // Nov. 20 // Dec. 11n n6:45-8 p.m. // Market Street (19th & Quaker)
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Give Electronically!
First LBK has three ways to securely give electronically.
1. Computer Go online to FUMCLubbock.SecureGive.com or follow the “Online Giving” link from fumc.com.
2. Smartphone Download the SecureGive app on your smartphone, or go fumc.com/giving.
3. Kiosks SecureGive Kiosks access either of the two in the church using your credit or debit card • Just outside the business office • At the CLC Welcome Desk
@fumclbk
@fumclbk 10
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Our Life Together – October 2019 CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Brittany and Ryan Todd on the birth of their son, Theodore Lee Todd. He was born October 14. Theodore has a big brother, William, who is five-years-old. NEW MEMBERS Congratulations to William Sommer on joining FUMC by Profession of Faith in the 11 contemporary service with Rev. Bailey Barkley.
Sympathies to Craig and Kathy Curry, their children and grandchildren, Jesse and Christan Davis, Matt and Katie Kresge, Autumn Valdo, and Colton and Cass Curry and great grandchildren Jude and Jo Kresge on the death of Kathy’s mother, Sammie Jean Pittman Speer. Sammie passed away October 7. A memorial service was held October 10 at First United Methodist in Seminole officiated by Dr. Craig Curry. The family has asked any donations be made to the MD Anderson Cancer Research.
Sympathies to Gene Rankin and family on the death of Becky Rankin. Becky passed away October 9. A memorial SYMPATHIES service was held October 15 in Sympathies to JoAnn Knight on the death Bowman Chapel officiated by Dr. David of her husband, Robert Knight. Robert Wilson. Becky was a member of the passed away September 21. A memorial Homebuilders Sunday School and a service will be held Saturday November member of FUMC June 2000. She was 9 at 11a.m. at Carillon Chapel. 93 years old. Sympathies to the Flanagan family on the death of Sue Flanagan. Sue passed away October 5. A memorial service was held Tuesday October 8 in Bowman Chapel officiated by Dr. Shera Atkinson. Sue had been a member of the Ambassadors Sunday School and a member of FUMC since October 2010.
Congratulations to Judge Les Hatch Judge Les Hatch was recently elected chair of the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas. Judge Hatch presides over the 237th Judicial District Court for Lubbock County.
on many boards including the Carillon Retirement Community. Judge Hatch and his wife, Mindy, have two children. Hayden, who is an attorney in Austin, and Mindy Caldwell who teaches Kindergarten in Richardson. Judge Hatch is the son of Tim and Tommie Hatch.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Judge Hatch has been a member of Texas A&M University and a law degree FUMC since 1974. from Texas Tech University School of Law. He has won many awards including the Distinguished Service Award, Texas Tech University School of Law in 2016. He has also served
Memorials & Honorariums – October 15, 2019 BOY SCOUTS In memory of Dick Craig by Mike and Sharon Bennett EVERLIVING CHURCH TRUST In memory of Todd Quisenberry by Wayne and Claudette Culp In memory of Robert Knight by Jay and Debbie Davis In memory of Robert Knight by Quester’s Sunday School In memory of Jimmie Mason and Larry Neal by Steve and Olive Hester In memory of Robert Knight by Lou Diekemper In memory of Robert Knight by Bob and Dana Craig and Alan and Ruthanne Davidson In memory of Suzan Headrick by Mike and Sharon Bennett
GORDON MCMILLAN CONSOLE FUND In memory of Horance and Allene Woodward by Gary Woodward MUSIC MINISTRY In memory of Dr. Pat Thomas by Charles and Paula Key In memory of Dr. Pat Thomas, brother of Ann Williams, by Tim and Tommie Hatch In memory of Sammie Speer by Charles and Paula Key In memory of Sammie Speer by Generations Sunday School PRAYER GARDEN In memory of Robert “Red” Tipps who passed away October 13, 2011 by Hannah and Shelby TV MINISTRY In memory of Sammie Speer by Bob and Dana Craig
In memory of Sammie Speer by Dan and Kay Howard FRIENDS OF MUSIC In memory of Larry Neal by James and Kay Nance In memory of Suzan Headrick by James and Kay Nance
TREASURED TIMES NEEDS YOU! We have clients waiting but cannot take them due to the lack of volunteers. We need your help! This ministry is a respite care for those taking care of someone with dementia or Alzheimer. It takes place on Wednesdays from 9:30 until 1:30 at FUMC. If you have a heart for helping others, we are looking for volunteers to help with our client load of eight. Each participant must have a friend (volunteer) with them at all times. We also need other volunteers to help with arrival and dismissal as well as floaters to do whatever is needed. Please email Challa Goedeke, cjgoedeke@hotmail.com or call 806.799.7421, 806.319.0575 or email GeorgeAnn Benson, bensonga@aol.com or call 806.786.8015.
TREASURED TIMES An Alzheimer’s & Dementia Respite Ministry
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FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH•LUBBOCK
FIRSTLBK
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MOVED BY JESUS. LOVING PEOPLE. SERVING ALL.
Lubbock, Texas Permit No. 594
1411 Broadway Lubbock, TX 79401 Return Services Requested
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH•LUBBOCK
FIRSTLBK
FIRSTLBK
MOVED BY JESUS. LOVING PEOPLE. SERVING ALL.
WORSHIP SERVICES Traditional
8:30 a.m. Connect - Sanctuary 9 a.m. Bowman Chapel 11 a.m. Sanctuary
Contemporary
9:30 a.m. Christian Life Center 11 a.m. Christian Life Center @fumclbk @fumclbk 12
November 2019 | The Window
1411 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79401 fumc.com The Window is a monthly publication of First United Methodist Church, Lubbock