CONNECT www.firstmethodistgrapevine.org
26 facebook.com/fumcgrapevine
4 @grapevinefumc
pinterest.com/fumcgrapevine
20 youtube.com/FUMCGWorship
firstmethodistgrapevine.org/truthcast
24
4
The Church at Work e-zine (electronic magazine) is designed to give
you a glimpse into the stories being lived out through the ministries of First United Methodist Church Grapevine. Lives are being touched and changed forever, and we want you to hear the story.
8
17
12
4
Kids Against Hunger
8
Refreshed by The Well
12
Are We Making a Difference?
17
Coffee & Praise
20
ยกCosta Rica!
24
Healing & Wholeness
26
Waiting for Answers
30
A New Vision
33
Lent 2014
If you have feedback about the e-zine or a story to tell, please contact: Dr. Cindy Ryan cindyr@fumcg.org, 817-481-2559 x222 or Melissia Mason melissiam@fumcg.org, 817-481-2559 x109 The Church at Work || 3
Kids Against Hunger
By Joni Lehmann
Every six seconds a child dies due to hunger and related causes. 1.02 billion people do not have enough to eat – more than the populations of USA, Canada and the European Union. It is estimated that 684,000 child deaths worldwide could be prevented by increasing access to vitamin A and zinc. source: www.kidsagainsthunger.org
4 || The Church at Work
T
hese staggering numbers touched hearts at FUMC Grapevine and led the church to get involved with Kids Against Hunger, an organization that packages highly nutritious, life-saving meals for starving and malnourished children and their families in developing countries and the United States. On January 20, the church held its first MLK Day of Service to benefit Kids Against Hunger. Volunteers packaged 22,032 meals!
K
enda Diehm first became aware of Kids Against Hunger through her friendships at St. John the Apostle United Methodist Church in Arlington. She shared a video of the organization’s work with the United Methodist Women (UMW) Exectuive Board last summer to gauge its interest in getting involved. Due to the $5,000 start-up fee, the UMW involved the church staff, who embraced the idea. The January communion offering served as the first step in raising the necessary funds. Almost the entire amount was donated in that first attempt, according to Miriam Ward, UMW president.
T
he goal of Kids Against Hunger is for its meals to provide a stable nutritional base from which recipients can move their families from starvation to self-sufficiency. The meals consist of a highly-nutritious vitamin-fortified soy-rice casserole. The non-profit was incorporated in 1999. Its network consists of the International Headquarters office located in Bloomington, Minnesota (a suburb of
Minneapolis), a Division in Mankato, Minnesota, and close to 100 independent non-profit food packaging “satellites” across the U.S. and Canada. St. John’s in Arlington serves as the satellite campus for Tarrant County. Since its launch, Kids Against Hunger has provided over 200 million meals for children and their families in more than 60 countries through the efforts of hundreds of thousands of volunteers. Last year alone over 40 million meals were distributed. The organization’s goal is to eventually eradicate world hunger.
A
fter careful planning and promotion by the UMW, approximately 150 volunteers helped make FUMCG’s initial effort a great success. UMW members were on hand to help unload, set-up and clean up, as well as provide snacks for the volunteers. A video explaining the procedure was shown to the volunteers prior to the packaging. “I loved seeing the children involved,” Miriam Ward shares. “Moms wanted a mission project in which the entire family
The Church at Work || 5
Kids Against Hunger is not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group and does not discriminate on any basis when distributing its meals. The organization is entirely comprised of volunteers. Donations are not used to fund salaries. Kids Against Hunger has distributed food to...
Argentina - Armenia - Belize - Bolivia - Burkina - Faso - Burundi - Cambodia Cameroon - Canada - Chad - Chile - Colombia - Congo - Cuba - Dominican Republic - Ecuador - El Salvador Ethiopia - Federated States of Micronesia - French Guiana - Gabon - Ghana - Guatemala - Haiti Honduras - India - Indonesia - Israel - Jamaica - Kenya - Liberia - Mali - Malawi Mexico - Myanmar/Burma - Nicaragua - Niger - Nigeria - Palestine - Panama Papua New Guinea - Peru - Philippines - Romania - Sao Tome & Principe - Senegal - Sierra Leone - South Africa - Sudan - Swaziland - Tajikistan - Tanzania Thailand - Tobago - Togo - Trinidad - Uganda - USA - Vietnam - West Timor Zambia - Zimbabwe 6 || The Church at Work
could participate. Our volunteers now want to do it again!” The meals packaged by FUMC Grapevine were distributed to areas in which the need is the greatest at the current time. In addition, a few packages were sent with the Kenya and Costa Rica mission teams on thier February trips. Ward hopes this becomes an annual project for MLK Day and noted that another packaging day is being discussed that will involve the youth over the summer. Some of the participants in the first project included scout groups and high school students earning community service hours. “It was a very rewarding experience,” Ward concluded. “I was blessed to be a part of it.” W Joni Lehmann has been a member of FUMC Grapevine since 1999. She enjoys participating in Kenda’s Wednesday evening bible study, Suddenly Single and the Campus Angels ministry. She has served as a writer for the church e-zine for the past year. Joni works as the Associate Director of Communications for the Big 12 Conference.
The Church at Work || 7
Refreshed by The Well By Debbi Reecer
8 || The Church at Work
Close your eyes and picture yourself drawing up a fresh bucket of water from a well. You can almost taste the clean coolness, and it evokes a sense of calm..
T
his is the vision of The Well, the women’s
women could just be replenished,” says Ann
ministry at FUMC Grapevine. This year
Hailey, who now leads the committee of 14
The Well celebrates its 10th anniversary.
women who coordinate The Well events.
What began as a local event with about
“We wanted women to not have to cook or
100 attendees, mostly from our church,
clean… they could just show up and be
has now grown into average attendances
refreshed.”
in the hundreds. The Well attracts highly recognized Christian speakers such as Thelma Wells, Carol Kent and recently Jen Hatmaker – who topped the attendance record of 435 women from DFW and surrounding areas.
A
t first the speaker list only included
women who were within driving distance because The Well was not in the church budget for funding. But as the events grew in popularity, they attracted more and more attendees, and people willing to
“Early on, Associate Pastor Dr. Cindy Ryan
donate funds. Now, The Well is a beneficiary
had a vision for a women’s ministry where
of the church gala and auction, and also The Church at Work || 9
individual donors who are passionate
former member of FUMCG and a friend
about the ministry.
of Ann’s, came to a Well event when
Not only has it drawn the attention of those who participate, but The Well has also built a reputation with Christian speakers from around the country to come to FUMCG to share their stories and their faith. Ann jokes that she was given the gifts of gumption and gab from her dad,
she was visiting. She went back to San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo Presbyterian Church and started a Well there, using the same model. “They continue to refresh women there, and we compare notes on speakers and ways to continue to grow our ministries,” Ann says.
longtime Gideon Bob West, so she’s felt the
Attendees pay a very reasonable $25 to
calling to contact speakers’ organizations
get a great sit-down dinner, followed by
and build the speaking circuit.
the presentation. When you look across
“Now we’ve had so many speakers from so many different places that I don’t have to
the room, you see women in their 20s, on up to their 80s, and from all walks of life.
beg them to come,” Ann notes. “They say
“I tell our speakers we have seekers,
they like how the ministry is being handled
veteran Christians, married, single,
and how it speaks to the hearts of women,
divorced women,” Ann says. “Women
so they’re very willing to be a part.”
have their girlfriends, but we also need
O
other women to encourage us along the
ther churches have even shown an interest in The Well. DeeDee Hill, a
10 || The Church at Work
way and expand our relationships with God. The Well is a safe place to do that.”
Interested in learning more about The Well? Contact one of the committee members below and visit The Well’s page on the church web site for upcoming events! Ann Hailey
A
nyone who’s been around a few years has an appreciation for how the ministry has
grown, including its outreach to the Hispanic
Trudy Hughes, staff liaison Carol Howe
women in the church. “Honestly, I thought I was going to arrange speakers for a couple of years and then turn it over to someone else,” Ann notes. “But God has prepared me to be able to set the tone of who’s going to be there, and then He’s in charge of how it all turns out.” And when she hears a woman say “it’s just what I needed,” she knows He drove the local vision to exactly the right place. W
Karen Watson Deb Scheiwe Sharon Walker Wendy Merrill Jana Howell Karen McCurdy Amy Gravitt Micah Basiti
Debbi Reecer has been a member of FUMCG since 1997. She serves on the Campus Angels and Angel Food teams. Debbi and her husband Rich attend the Open Door Sunday School Class and worship at the 11:00 AM service. They have a son, Matt, who is a student at Texas Tech University.
Debbie Klein Donna Chabot Sally Itz
The Church at Work || 11
Africa – Kenya – Meru – People’s lives...
Are we making a difference? By Ed Crater
12 || The Church at Work
W
e have been going to Meru for
old to mid-20’s who made the trip to the
nearly eight years. Our first visit
Meru Childrens’ Home, where members
was in 2006 to explore how we might
of our church contribute funds to provide
establish some relationships and begin
three meals per week. During those meals,
planning how we could help people in
project team members from the Bishop’s
that area. This was our first international
office take note of who is new, who is sick,
“village.” Our repeated trips nearly twice
and who is making progress.
per year have cemented friendships and expanded our influence.
During our visits, we spoke with three boys who are success stories among
What do we see now as a result of our
these kids. They shared their message
efforts? Lives have been changed;
about recovery with the kids who are still
progress is being made toward self-
existing on the streets and addicted to
sufficiency; learning has been exchanged;
glue. Their message was simply that they
and the results are contagious.
can have a different life. We saw about eight youngsters, ages two to nine, among
There are many great stories from our
the street kids. The new director of the
recent trip to Kenya, and I encourage you
Childrens’ Home made sure that as many
to reach out to our mission team members
of them as possible were allowed to stay
for their favorites. Here I will only touch
at the Childrens’ Home to get them off the
on a few highlights of where we saw life
streets and to begin their recovery.
changing impact. Hillary, who was one of e spent two
W
the first street kids to be
afternoons with
rescued, is now in the
the Meru street kids
equivalent of 10th Grade
(glue kids). There were
(Form 2) and is looking
about 75 kids each day
forward to going to college
ranging from two years
in a few years. The Church at Work || 13
We also met a little seven year old boy living at the Childrens’ Home who is one of the first rescued from the streets as part of a new strategic plan to help the street kids. He is a bright-eyed smart little boy who thoroughly enjoyed being a helper with our visit and saying hello to his friends who are still on the streets. These lives are being changed.
O
ur church sponsored two health clinics, serving over 1,000 people
who had medical and dental needs. Our team members worked alongside the clinicians for two long but rewarding days.
D
uring the first trip to the village of Ntumburi, the team saw children
standing in line out in the sun or the rain as some women cooked lunch over an open wood fire inside a rickety lean-to. Contributors to our Meru village committed to build a cafeteria building at the school, and that project is nearly completed. What had been six classrooms of 100 students eating outside with no electricity has become one of the best schools in the area with over 400 students, electricity into the
Health Clinics
classrooms and office, and a nearly completed cafeteria.
14 || The Church at Work
Progress on the Cafeteria at Ntumburi
W
e spent a delightful day with over
Our team noticed that as these kids grow
150 of our 182 AIDS orphans
up, we need to find a way to continue our
supported by individual members of our
support so they can go to university or
church. Letters were exchanged, pictures
to trade school and develop themselves
were taken, and stories were shared. We
sufficiently to make their own impact as
even played a few games... since kids are
adults.
kids anywhere in the world! The laughs and smiles were really uplifting to us as we still dealt with jet lag and long days.
T
he guest house, which includes a cornerstone foundation block dedicated
AIDS Orphan Day
The Church at Work || 15
Guest House
to Ken Diehm, is making good progress. The training/dining room is completed
I
s our presence in Meru making a difference? No doubt! We continue to
and functional. The first floor guest
listen to the needs of the people we meet,
rooms are completed. The second floor
and decide what we can do to help. It is
framework is up with walls to follow. The
a blessing to us as we see the combined
third floor foundation is in place with the
efforts changing lives and making lasting
support beams set to begin construction.
improvements. W
This guest house will provide a source of income to support local mission projects.
Our next mission trip to Kenya is July 8-20. If this sounds like your calling, please join in. Contact Trudy Hughes for more information about this trip. trudyh@fumcg.org, 817-481-2559 x150
Ed Crater and his wife Kim have been members of FUMCG since 2002. This was his first trip to Kenya. Ed has been active in church leadership, serving on the Finance Committee, as an usher and communion server, with Handyman on Call and local mission days. Ed is currently serving as the church’s Lay Leader for 2014.
16 || The Church at Work
Coffee & Praise!
A Welcome Sunday Morning Addition By Pam Fry
T
he seating consists of folding chairs
“Some people think that this type of
rather than pews and the walls
service appeals mostly to young people,
aren’t graced with beautiful stained
but I don’t think that’s the case,” says
glass, but for those who prefer praise
Tanya Lippe, who attends the service
music in worship, the Family Life Center
with her husband Kary and their young
has become their sanctuary. The Coffee
children. “I think it just depends on what
& Praise service, added to our church’s
type of music speaks to your soul,” she
worship line-up in December, was well
added. Among the group of some 80-
received from the start, and continues to
100 attendees, there are singles and
grow in attendance.
couples, families with young children
The Church at Work || 17
and grandparents worshipping with their
I
adult children and their grandchildren.
of the Family Life Center floor. Soon, the
Regardless of age, the group has
growing attendance pushed back the
embraced the return of a praise music
moveable wall dividers to fill a larger part
service at FUMC Grapevine.
of the FLC with more chairs and more table
and teens, empty-nesters, senior citizens
nitially, a small number of chairs and some round tables were set up on half
seating. As the service grew in popularity,
A
fter years of worship in the sanctuary,
the music also evolved. Jordan Nix provided
the 9:00 AM contemporary service
excellent direction as song-leader, and
ended as the church began a new
taught the congregants new songs of
worship service
praise. Then, a
schedule last April.
full Praise Team
The large seating
and Praise Band
capacity of the
developed around
sanctuary dwarfed the
him, adding more
number of attendees
instrumentalists
at the contemporary
and singers as well
service; and after the
as a big-screen for
schedule change, they scattered among
the lyrics, and we welcomed back familiar
the other service offerings.
faces and songs both on stage and in the congregation.
Prompted by comments solicited by the church leadership in the months following
In addition to the return of a familiar
the new service schedule, a small group
worship style, attendees were genuinely
of church members and staff worked hard
happy to reunite with friends with whom
to offer an opportunity to attend a praise
they worshipped for years at the old 9 AM
music service once again. Thus, the new
service. Perhaps O.C. Hailey said it best
9 AM Coffee & Praise Service was born.
when he joined the Coffee & Praise Service, stepped to the front of the group to make
18 || The Church at Work
announcements and said “Where have
guitars and electronic keyboards have led
you all been?”
worshippers “back to the heart of worship,” where “it’s all about You, all about You
The gathering has evolved into a full
Jesus.”
worship service with music, a message from one of our pastors, announcements
So next time you walk through the
and monthly communion. The music
Family Life Center at about 9 AM, and
style, the fellowship and even a cozier
you’re greeted by strains of “The Heart
venue have appealed to many attendees.
of Worship,” “The Revelation Song” or
Several people who had previously
“Blessed Be Your Name,” join us, pour
worshipped at the Heritage Campus
yourself a cup of coffee and sing praise to
joined the Coffee & Praise crowd, noting
God, and you too will be blessed. W
that this service feels a lot like the smaller services there. As the service grows and evolves, it’s evident that praise-style music and worship have a place in our church, and praise teams armed with
Pam and her husband Herb have been members of the church since 1991. Pam has served in many different capacities at the church over the years, and currently serves on the Prayer Team, as a volunteer with the Never Go Hungry Casserole Ministry, and attends Kenda’s Serendipity Bible Study. She and Herb are members of Journey’s Foundation Sunday School Class.
The Church at Work || 19
¡Costa Rica! By Wren Robinson
Aside from my experiences in local missions and a secular trip to Russia & Romania in 1979, I haven’t had the blessing of serving in a mission capacity to another country until this trip to Costa Rica. While I was much too young to appreciate another culture back in ’79, God truly blessed my heart on this trip to a beautiful country full of beautiful kind-hearted people. 20 || The Church at Work
C
osta Rica lies between Nicaragua
in the Guanacaste province. We flew into
to the North and Panama to the
Liberia which is the capital of Guanacaste
Southeast with the Caribbean Sea to
and travelled by taxi to Las Juntas –
the East and the Pacific Ocean to the West.
approximately 48 miles. We settled into
It is a country of around 4.8 million people.
our rooms (cabinas) Saturday evening at
There are two seasons – wet and dry. The
the Hospedaje El Encanto and enjoyed a
dry season basically runs from December
good night’s rest.
to March with March being the hottest month. The high temperature was in the
The downtown area of Juntas is easily
low 90’s (Fahrenheit) for most of the week
traversed on foot. The church is just a
and interestingly, the hottest part of the day
few short blocks from the cabinas and
was between 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM.
the pastor’s house just a few more blocks beyond that. We awoke Sunday morning
There are seven provinces including
and walked to the pastor’s house for
Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia,
breakfast and then on to the church
Limon, Puntarenas, & San Jose. Cantons
for worship. It was obvious that these
(spanish: cantones) or counties are a
Christians are passionate, hard-working,
second-level administrative division.
and sincere people. While the services
According to Wikipedia, “A unique feature
were in Spanish, we worshiped in Spirit
of the cantons is that they are the only
and Truth and truly experienced God at
administrative division in Costa Rica that
work in each of us!
possess local government in the form
of them chosen via municipal elections
I
(Concejo Municipal).”
reaching the lost, feeding God’s sheep,
of municipalities (municipalidad). Each municipality has its own mayor (alcalde) and several county representatives, all
fell in love with Pastor Roberto, his wife Ana, and daughter Bitia. Their love for God and His children is self-
evident. Roberto truly has a passion for and ministering to those in need.
The people of Costa Rica are referred to as Ticos (tee-coe) as opposed to Costa
While their means are slim, we have been
Ricans. Reverand Roberto Berrantes is the
given a wonderful opportunity to share
pastor of Iglesia Evangelica Metodista in
in this ministry. The church building is
the gold-mining town of Las Juntas located The Church at Work || 21
a renovated movie theater and originally
they do and truly a blessing to work with.
had a sloped floor and balcony. Work to
Roy is a Christian but Chunche has yet to
renovate, I believe, began back in 2010 by
make a profession of faith. They are both
Woodmount UMC of Reidsville, NC. By the
hard workers with light-hearted and kind
time FUMCG visited under Dr. Ken Diehm
demeanors.
in 2011, the floor had been leveled and work begun to transform the balcony into
Anecdotally, Chunche literally means “that
education space.
thingamajig” or “whatchamacallit”. As a parent, I can relate to
Woodmount UMC
those times when you
visited just days
run through everybody’s
before our trip and
name until you get to
nearly finished
the right one. I guess
the decking on the
this happened so much
steel floor joists of
that it just stuck with
the upper level .
Chunche. The story
Our work involved
was told that at one
finishing the floor
time the river came
deck and walls as
out of it’s banks and
well as decking the outside overhang above
the fire department was rescuing town
the front entrance of the church, along with
folk. In distress the mother exclaimed to
some small odds and ends. The church
the firemen, “Don’t mind me, get all the
from North Carolina is very grateful for
chunche’s out of here!”
our help in this project and it has made a wonderful difference to work in tandem with
There’s no doubt that God is at work in Las
them.
Juntas and it was an honor to have served. I made wonderful friends and now have an
The two outside churches are not the only
extended family. W
ones at work. The Las Juntas congregation agreed to hire two local workers to help in the process, at a cost of around $600 each per week. Roy is a welder and his cousin Chunche is a carpenter both gifted at what 22 || The Church at Work
Wren Robinson joined the staff of FUMC Grapevine as Director of Worship Arts in 2006. Wren directs many of the choral and instrumental programs at the church, including overseeing all worship services, Children’s Worship Arts and ensembles. Wren is also active in Iron Men. He and his wife Jill stay busy entertaining their grandbabies and doing home renovations.
The Church at Work || 23
Healing
Service of
& Wholeness By Rev. Annette Sowell
N
ine year old Philip placed his
wholeness. Then, all three of the prayer
small hand on mine, just above
team members moved on down the altar
the wrist. I was kneeling at the
rail to the others awaiting their touch
altar of our church. It was our weekly Saturday night service of Healing and Wholeness. Philip was one member of a three-member prayer team who ministered to me every Saturday night. While he laid hands on me, an adult member of the prayer team anointed my forehead with oil – making the sign of the cross – and the third member, also an adult, prayed for my healing and 24 || The Church at Work
and prayer. Philip did not come to Sunday School or Sunday Church because he didn’t like either. But he never missed a Saturday night service of Healing and Wholeness. I can still see the bright hope in his eyes the night he asked to be part of a prayer team, “...not to pray, Pastor. I just want to touch them.” And, then, there was
the night he said, “I can pray the prayer
Wholeness may come instantly or it may
tonight.” And, so, the words: “Loving God,
take time or it may not happen the way
enter into this your child and heal all that
we want, but it will happen.
is broken,” slipped softly from his young lips to my waiting ears, on the wings of the
The amount of faith one has or does not
Holy Spirit. I have no words to describe
have is irrelevant to the outcome. God
those holy moments.
will do what God will do.
Someone asked me if I thought Philip
We could count on the atmosphere to
understood what was happening. I do not
always be calm, serene, confidential and
know. I know I did not always understand
reverent.
it myself. But we all came to understand some important things about healing and wholeness:
W
hatever it is we struggle with can be brought to wholeness. Our need may
be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational or concern for another.
We, the prayer team and the seekers, were made more whole - every time.
T
he Prayer Ministry Team of FUMC Grapevine wants to offer you this same atmosphere of
healing and wholeness. We will hold our first Service of Healing & Wholeness on Sunday, March 2, at 6:00 PM in Founders
Healing is God’s business. The prayer
Chapel. Another will follow on Holy
teams and the seekers are simply making
Saturday, April 19. Come to the altar... be
themselves available to God.
blessed... be healed. W
Annette Sowell is a retired United Methodist minister with 25 years experience in the Central Texas Conference. She has specialized certifications in Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Direction. Annette’s husband, Jesse, is a professor of Religion and Philosophy at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. They have three children and nine grandchildren. They have been at FUMC Grapevine since 2007.
The Church at Work || 25
Waiting for Answers
By Curtis Jones
H
ospital waiting rooms are
a simultaneous rush of hope, joy, and
interesting places. Sometimes
uncertainty. We received a phone call the
you are waiting for a friend or family
previous day. After 18 months of foster
member’s medical update or diagnosis
parent training and certification activities,
result, while other times you are
our contact at the Methodist Children’s
anticipating news of great joy
Home indicated a two-day old
or health confirmation. It’s often
baby girl was in need of an
a place of reflection and prayer.
immediate placement and that
Whatever the circumstance that
it was a long-term scenario
has brought you to that specific
(6-12 months) as both parents
place and moment in time, your
were currently incarcerated.
life often changes course based on the information received
We had been preparing for this
while inside that room.
moment that was now upon us. However, faith is an interesting concept as
On a summer afternoon in 2010, I found myself sitting in a waiting room at Parkland Hospital with my wife, family, and a couple of friends, experiencing 26 || The Church at Work
it often motivates us to do things beyond what we think we can do, or go beyond where we think we can go. My wife, Lisa, had been inspired by Ken Diehm’s
sermons, many of which had discussed
Within 48 hours of Maggie’s arrival
how it was not only wonderful to serve
into our lives, our home suddenly had
many in a small way, but was also just
a crib, diapers, baby clothes, baby
as important to be very intentional in
blankets, baby monitors, and lots of baby
helping a single individual or family and
formula! We were surrounded with love,
make a significant impact in their life
support, and Babies R Us gift cards from
or circumstance (the birth of our church
our Sunday School class and friends
Village concept). We had prayed for this
throughout the church. As we made
foster parenting opportunity, trained for
adjustments in our daily routines, our
its requirements, and now the moment
family was continually blessed by the
was here. So why was I experiencing this
support from our congregation. However,
combination of emotions in the Parkland
our journey was just beginning and we
Hospital waiting room?
would come to rely on our faith even stronger to get us through some of the
As this six-pound, bundled-up baby
challenging times that were ahead.
appeared from around the corner being pushed in a stroller that seemed way too big for her little body, our lives changed forever. While I didn’t doubt that God’s
A
fter about three months, we heard through the Methodist
Children’s Home that Maggie’s birth
hand was involved in our situation, I
mother was now located in a minimum-
certainly couldn’t see how this was to
security facility and was interested in
play out or the exact role my family and
arranging visits with Maggie, Lisa and
I were to play in this situation. However,
our social worker. Again, a wide range
I stood back and watched how God can
of emotions rushed through our veins
work if I remain faithful... and just stay
as we prepared for the initial visit. What
out of the way.
was God’s plan here? How do we discern The Church at Work || 27
God’s will versus our own hopes and dreams for this baby girl?
M
aggie has three older biological sisters that were
living with their grandmother at the time. Through biweekly visits to the correctional facility, Lisa and Maggie’s birth mother formed a connection and a relationship began to emerge. But make no mistake, these Thursday morning drives caused great uncertainty and anxiety for Lisa.
During Maggie’s first Christmas, a special visit was arranged where our entire family and social worker met with Maggie’s other siblings, birth-mother and grandmother at the correctional facility for an hour or so. Lisa’s Bible Study class purchased
In these visits, Lisa was
gifts for the three girls and
regarded as the caretaker,
grandmother, which we
and Maggie’s mom was
were able to deliver. Though
the real mommy. After
it seemed awkward, God
months of caring for this
had created an opportunity
precious child, it was hard
for our family to show love
not being the real mommy,
and compassion to another
even for a couple of hours.
family that needed to feel
During this time period, she remembered hearing Cindy Ryan talk about “breath” prayers, and would repeat over and over again, “I can do all things
His presence. We had very little in common with each other, with the exception of a common love for little Maggie.
through Christ who strengthens me,” as she retrieved Maggie from the car seat and
During the next visit, Lisa was informed
carried her behind the secured areas into
by the birth-mother that she wanted to be
the meeting room in the facility.
reconciled with Maggie shortly after her prison release later that spring. We were devastated, but tried to prepare, as this
28 || The Church at Work
was a potential and probable outcome of our foster parenting engagement.
Again, why is faith hard? What is God’s plan in this circumstance? Are we to have a role in reconciling this broken family? Will we be part of Maggie’s future? Or is our path to move on to the next child who will need a temporary home?
After the birth-mother was released, it became apparent that she would struggle to keep out of trouble, which led us into serious soul-searching and prayer regarding our desires versus God’s will
A
s our family life story continues, I’m beginning to realize that my
faith often has me asking more questions
in the decision to either help reconcile or
than providing answers. It’s taught me that
attempt to adopt.
when I’m in the proverbial “waiting room,” God is at work. If we continue to have a
As we attempted to stay faithful and
spiritual relationship, worship, and serve
open to the Holy Spirit, it was amazing
while we wait, God’s plan will take us to
the people, counsel, and opportunity that
places we never dreamed and bring joy in
God put in our path during those critical
things that never seemed possible! W
months. A scenario eventually presented itself in which we would be able to permanently adopt Maggie in January of 2012.
Curtis and his wife Lisa have been FUMCG members for more than 15 years. Both have held multiple leadership roles within the church. Currently Curtis, Lisa, Alyssa and Adam are part of the 9 AM praise team. Curtis leads the Two by Two adult class.
A New “Vision” for COM A
new “Vision” you understand, but what’s a COM? It’s a group at FUMC Grapevine called the “Council on Ministries.” Unless you have served before, you may not know what they do. It takes lots of groups to run our church. They can be divided into two categories, administrative ones and programmatic ones. Administrative groups handle finance, physical properties, nominations and personnel. All of the programmatic groups are members of the “Council on Ministries.”
By John Erickson
youth ministry.... just to name a few. There are over 170 ministry opportunities that are a part of FUMC Grapevine. That’s a lot for the Council on Ministries to look after, but new COM Chair, Allen Barraclough thinks that they can do more. As he explains it, “All of these ministries do wonderful things here in Grapevine and around the world, but there is so much need all around us and so much potential to do good things with all the people in our congregation. We can do better.”
“All of these ministries do wonderful things here in Grapevine and around the world, but... We can do better.”
Who are these groups? Local missions, such as Day of Missions and Handyman on Call; food ministries like Feed Our Kids, God Can and Be Our Guest; Kairos Prison Ministry, Project Read, all of our local and international “Villages,” Scouting ministries, children’s ministries, Cancer Support Group, discipleship, and 30 || The Church at Work
With that in mind, a special “Visioning Conference” for members of the COM was called on January 12, 2014. Almost 40 members attended and were challenged to look beyond their individual ministries to dream about what could be done if we all worked together to meet the needs of
God’s children in our church, in Grapevine and throughout the world.
F
ollowing some heavy brainstorming, flipchart paper covered the walls of Leach Hall with innovative and spiritled visions. In all, there were 46 separate items. Then, everyone voted on their favorite top five choices. We want to share with you the top items that were discussed in the COM Visioning Conference. We think you’ll be amazed, as we were, at the visions and dreams that lay before us. The following list is in priority order by the number of votes, which appears in parenthesis after each item. • Launch a Spiritual Formation Initiative for all ages and the entire community, with its own designated building (21)
• Better integration of bilingual families with ministries for families, youth and children; be more proactive in reaching out and welcoming ethnic groups (10) • Provide a Pre-School for economically disadvantaged or bilingual children (8) • Greater involvement and better support of the Chancel Choir (8) • Establish a teaching ministry to empower other organizations to reach out to our community as FUMC Grapevine does (7) • Expand/engage ministries of the church to support older adults (7) • Develop a college-age ministry outreach (6)
• A new youth center / ministry for young adults – post high school (15)
• Develop a marketing strategy to increase Sunday School/Bible study participation (6)
• To get 100% of our church attendees/ members to commit to at least one ministry activity in the next 2 years (12)
• Invite people to join the church or accept Christ (6)
• Enhance FUMC Grapevine’s presence and outreach in local community activities / Main St. Days, Grapefest, parades, football games (10)
• Recruit a unified media support team (5) • Involve/reach a broader spectrum of men in the community through Iron Men (5)
The Church at Work || 31
• Provide support/training for the “Sandwich Generation” (5)
• Attract more families with children and youth (2)
• Develop discipleship training activities for the 11:00 AM Sunday hour (4)
• Involve a broader spectrum of volunteers in church (2)
• Help the Thrift Shop to really find/meet specific needs (4)
• Be more transparent about church finances (2)
• Improve interaction/communication between ministries (4)
Whew! That’s quite a list!
• Be more welcoming during the week and on Sunday mornings (3) • Do a better assessment of feeding the hungry and providing other basic needs (3) • Church-wide study of “My One Word,” including Bible and small group studies (3) • Find new and innovative ways to keep church members connected (2) • Establish a process to engage/ articulate expectations of membership/ discipleship (2) • Provide inter-generational community opportunities within and outside the church (2) • Have a clear understanding of partner ministry opportunities in the community (2)
32 || The Church at Work
But the discussion didn’t stop with having dreams. At the next COM meeting on January 28, several of these visions were already incorporated into the plans of specific ministries for 2014. We look forward to spending the coming years fulfiling our dreams for ministry! W
If you have interest in any of these visions or if you think the COM may have overlooked an important need, please contact John Erickson, COM Vice Chair at 817-656-1940 or johnerickson@flash.net. John Erickson and his wife Sarah have been members of FUMCG since 1996. He has served as the lay leader over Adult Discipleship, and is active in the Chancel Choir, Fishers of Men and the Seekers Sunday School Class. He has also served on the Finance Committee, Staff-Parish Relations Committee and been a Lay Member to Annual Conference. John serves as the Vice Chair of Council on Ministries.
Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is on March 5. This marks the beginning of the season of Lent. The imposition of ashes is a traditional way of marking the beginning of Lent and reminds us that we are all in need of God’s forgiveness. Christians use this day to begin this season of spiritual self-examination. We will have several opportunities for you to worship that day:
• Come & Go Imposition of Ashes 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM in Founders Chapel
• Chicken Spaghetti Supper provided by the United Methodist Women 5:30-6:45 PM in the Family Life Center
• Family Lent Workshop 5:45-6:45 PM in Room 1009 & 1012 of the Family Life Center
• Worship in English led by the Confirmation Class 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary of the Downtown Campus
• Worship in Spanish 7:00 PM in Founders Chapel
Lenten Devotionals Leaders of our church have written devotional thoughts to be shared daily through the season of Lent. We will have printed devotional booklets available starting Sunday, March 2. The readings begin on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and occur daily (except Sundays) through Holy Saturday, April 19. You may also access the daily readings on the 10 & 10 blog at www.firstmethodistgrapevine.org/10and10.
www.firstmethodistgrapevine.org/lent The Church at Work || 33
Together, we can make a huge difference!
www.firstmethodistgrapevine.org/stewardship
First United Methodist Church Grapevine Downtown Campus: 422 Church Street | Grapevine, TX 76051 | 817-481-2559 Heritage Campus: 4344 Heritage Avenue | Grapevine, TX 76051 | 817-571-1111
www.firstmethodistgrapevine.org