SUNDAYS 8:45, 9:45, 11AM*
SANCTUARY *AND AT FUMCR.COM/LIVE
503 N. Central Expressway P.O. Box 830877 Richardson, TX 75080 972.235.8385 fumcr.com
Senior Pastor Dr. Clayton Oliphint
Director of Communications
Kristen Ceaser
Managing Editor Francy Collins
Graphic Designer
Kyle Henson
Communications & Media Team
SUNDAYS, 9:45AM FUMCR.COM/ONLINE
ON DEMAND YOUTUBE.COM/FUMCR
SUNDAYS, 11AM
WORSHIP & ARTS CENTER
Kevin Burns
Ben Chamness
Eric Czechowski
Rohini Drake
Shandon Klein
Leslie Kring
Claire O'Neil
Tyler Payne Mallory Pickering
Contributors
Rohini Drake
Kay Fisk
John Gilchrist
Dave Grimm
Rev. Allison Jean Rev. Pavielle Jenkins
Blake Lewis
Rev. Sarah Marsalis-Luginbill
First Connections (USPS 022-024) is published five times a year, by First United Methodist Church Richardson, 503 N. Central Expressway, Richardson, TX 75080. Periodicals postage paid at Richardson, TX and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: First Connections, PO Box 830877 Richardson, TX 75083-0877
Do you remember when you were little and grownups would ask you the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Some time ago I was in a conversation with an elementary school teacher. She said she still asks that question today. Do you know what the number one answer is? An Influencer! Of course you could make the point that many professions are influencers in their own way. But what the children are talking about is being a social media celebrity and getting paid for it.
In marketing an influencer has an ability to affect purchase decisions and can add credibility to a brand. Most social media influencers have 10,000 to 50,000 followers (micro-influencers), while those with followers ranging from 500,000 to 1 million (macro-influencers) can make serious money promoting products.
A question for Christians is this: how are you using your influence, or your particular platform, to influence others with the love of Christ? In our October worship series, Influencers, we’ll be reading together through the book of Acts in the New
Testament. In it we’ll discover the rich influence of a small band of believers who didn’t have social media and had very few followers. What they did through their lives changed the world forever, as they went out into the world, led by the spirit of God, and shared the good news of God’s love for all in Jesus. I hope you will join us in October as we read a chapter a day through Acts and think together about how we can share the story of God’s love to influence the world for good.
We are in an exciting season and FUMCR, and I hope you are experiencing something of the momentum I am experiencing. We are seeing higher attendance, more baptisms and new members, and greater participation in the life of our church at every age level. We are blessed with amazing lay leadership in our church, including our Strategic Vision Team, which is always looking
forward. Our mission field is full of great opportunity, and from where I sit, the future of FUMCR looks bright.
What amazing things God can do through us when we allow God’s love to influence our lives. I hope you will enjoy the stories in this issue of First Connections as we continue to see the influence of love of Jesus in so many lives.
In Christ,
Clayton Oliphint senior pastor
3rd
What a simple phrase we may have heard and read thousands of times. Yet hearing it spoken with such excitement and awe actually took our breath away and brought tears to our eyes. A simple phrase that received a simple response, "Yes. Yes, he did."
It might be something that long-time Christians are used to, but this reality is anything but simple - it's transformative! And when someone doesn't know the love of Jesus, has never experienced the God who loves them for who they are - it is life changing!
We had the unique opportunity to meet a young PhD student, new to the United States, who has never known Christians or been introduced to Jesus. After living in DFW for a few months, she began asking where she could find a loving community to call home. A classmate suggested that she check out FUMCR: "Try First Methodist Richardson, I heard they are loving and open."
After engaging with our worship services for a few weeks, she decided to meet with a pastor and began asking questions: “Tell me about Christianity.” What a privilege to start at the very beginning: “God is love!” We shared a few books and a Bible with her, and she began to read the story of God’s love not just for the world, but for her, specifically. These books were filled with underlining and tabs to mark the many pages of remarkable truth she was discovering. Finally, we asked, “Would you consider yourself a Christian?” This led to a powerful baptism and a joyous celebration of new life in Christ!
"I love this story; you know the one where the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to go find the one! That is what Jesus does! That's amazing!"
If you want to start digging into Christianity for the first time, we suggest reading This We Believe by Will Willimon and the Gospel of Mark (it is the shortest!). Schedule time with one of our pastors to continue the journey together!
"Yes. Yes, it is!"
1. the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.
2. an ancient word with biblical roots that speaks to the strength we have when working together.
“Holistic well-being” is how Brittany Melrose, the Executive Director and Campus Minister of the Synertgy Wesley Foundation, describes the way that the ministry seeks to support students. Grace is a student who has experienced this first hand and shares the impact Synergy has had on her by stating, “I kept coming to Wesley because the people here were really welcoming, and it just felt like they were willing to get involved in my life and really support me through my academic journey as well as my religious journey.”
The Synergy Wesley Foundation is a campus ministry that was started on the UTD campus almost 10 years ago by the North Texas Conference. It is a diverse and inclusive community with a mission to reach and grow a rising generation of young Christian leaders for the transformation of the world. The ministry began with Brittany, previously the assistant campus director at UNT, wearing a backpack and comfortable shoes as she walked around the large campus meeting students and building relationships. Since then, the ministry has grown to extend its reach to serve students at Collin College, Dallas College’s Richland and Brookhaven campuses, and other nearby colleges. They have a small apartment across from campus that serves as “home base” for their weekly gathering of about 25 students who come for worship, meals, bible study, and fellowship. But their reach extends well beyond this dedicated but too small space to many more students over the course of each year as they serve others in mission, put on concerts in the center of campus, and offer retreats and programs.
Synergy Wesley has become a resource for and partner with UTD as a missional presence of the United Methodist Church on campus. They try to continuously build bridges with the community and fill gaps in services. The college years are a time of immense change and self-discovery. It can also be a time when students significantly struggle with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. The counseling center is unable to handle the huge demand for services with over 30,000 students on campus, and Synergy helps fill the gap by focusing on mental health. With the understanding that campus ministries are in a unique position to holistically care for students and empower them to connect with God, themselves, and community, they have been awarded two grants from the Texas Methodist Foundation and continue to pursue additional assistance. These grants allow them to provide free therapy for students, as well as seminars led by mental health professionals, support groups, and spiritual direction.
You or a group you are a part of are welcome and invited to support Synergy Wesley Foundation in the impactful ministry they offer college students to live more fully into their call to be and make disciples for the transformation of the world! You may provide prayers, financial contributions, care packages and notes of encouragement for students, or donations towards weekly meals and snacks for their free pantry. To explore these opportunities further, please contact Brittany Melrose at Brittany@synergywesley.org
wesley [din-ner]
Totebags filled with basic toiletries, snacks, socks, hats, and gloves are prepared each Advent season as part of our ministry to those facing homelessness.
We invite you to contribute funds in October. Bags will be filled on December 17 and delivered to area shelters.
Suggested donation: $45/bag
Goal: 1,000 bags
Give: Online at fumcr.com/totebags or by check to FUMCR with "totebags" in the memo line
An annual tradition featuring non-traditional gifts
November 10-12 · fumcr.com/market
For my entire life, I’ve been part of a faith community in some way. I grew up in church, volunteered at church, and now am part of a church staff. If someone were to ask me why I think being part of a church is important, I’d immediately share that one of the biggest parts is the community. My church family has been there to celebrate with me and support me through times of mourning and pain. I know other sources of this kind of support system exist, but the church has always been that place for me.
As churches are growing and evolving after the pandemic, I’ve noticed that I’m starting to find my church community has expanded beyond those I’ve connected with in person to exist in online spaces as well. I wouldn’t have even considered this possibility prior to 2020, but now I can only see these connections growing wider and deeper through online platforms.
The Online Worship service is just one way FUMCR has been able to break down physical barriers for personal connections. People living with disabilities, individuals and families with busy schedules, or those who
can’t find a church in their area now have an option to be part of a faith community online. These inclusive and accessible spaces foster a sense of belonging among a diverse group of people who may not be able to participate in a worshiping community otherwise. FUMCR online ministries are a new frontier in bringing God’s love to those who are seeking encouragement, support, and friendship.
As we continue living into what faith communities look like in our future, I think more of us will find friendship and
support from those whom we’ve met in online spaces. I consider it a blessing that our circles are being drawn wider as we’re able to connect with people outside of our geographic areas. We hear stories we may never have heard before and can develop empathy as we listen to different life experiences shared by our new friends. As someone who has felt the benefit of being surrounded by a supportive faith community, I’m so grateful to be a part of sharing that experience with others who may be looking for it online.
My wife, Charlotte, and I continue to be motivated to support the Skuinskloof School for the children. It’s that simple. We notice how they care for one another - selfless and unspoiled. They have so little, and our care makes a profound impact on their lives. Whether it’s sanitation facilities, classrooms, or an inside place to eat lunch on a hot or rainy day, the small things that we take for granted are monumental in the eyes of these children. Showing these precious children that people from the other side of the world care about them and are willing to travel long distances to make improvements to their school is significant. We are all God’s children!
Skuinskloof School is a rural South African school located in the Limpopo Province. FUMCR has supported the school since 2010, when FUMCR member Jim Myers came to the Mission Work Area Team with information about extreme needs half a world away. He has a ranch not far from the school, which served 85 students and needed proper sanitation facilities,
inside cooking facilities, student transportation to and from school, and teachers’ quarters in order to retain teachers. Four subsequent mission trips resulted in the building of a bathroom (in place of pit toilets), two classrooms, a lunchroom and kitchen (in place of open fire cooking and eating on the ground), and five teachers' quarters. Hands-on work included a lot of painting, repairing ceilings, tiling bathrooms, and building a septic tank for the bathroom among numerous other projects.
After being closed and left to fall into disrepair for nearly two years due to the global pandemic, the school reopened in 2022 with over 200 students. New school management quickly resolved transportation issues, but some of the original 50-year-old infrastructure needs renovation, improvement, and enlargement.
This year the Mission Work Area Team along with Jim Myers developed a prioritized plan to make the necessary improvements to accommodate the growing student population. The plans are divided in three prioritized work contracts.
1. Renovate and enlarge the bathrooms.
2. Repair the roofs and ceilings of the original 50-year-old classrooms.
3. Renovate the original principal’s house and convert it to teachers’ accommodations. We expect construction to start on the bathrooms, roofs, and ceilings later this fall thanks to a generous donation from Jim Myers and Mission Work Area funds earmarked for Skuinskloof. We hope to address the teachers’ facilities next year. A mission trip is being planned for August 2024 to focus on a range of smaller but necessary tasks. Email Tracy Thomas (tthomas@fumcr.com) to learn more.
There is great anticipation for the improvements on the part of Skuinskloof students and staff, whose spirit is best described as selfless. It is amazing how far our dollars can go to make life changing impacts for the students and teachers of Skuinskloof School. Consider these faces. What do they say to you?
Please look for the Skuinskloof School share booth at the International Christmas Market November 10-12.
“We might not be able to change the world, but we can change the world of the children at Skuinskloof.”
- Rev. Joy Anderson
Sometimes, a group interested in providing a solution to an unknown problem finds that elusive opportunity.
Such was the case for FUMCR’s Ark Sunday School Class nearly 40 years ago. In considering various ideas, class members Joyce and Ben Glomb thought about their own experiences when they needed a place to stay for an extended time near M.D. Anderson in Houston. While there, they learned of a housing program for out-of-town patients and caregivers. With the support of FUMCR staff, class members presented the idea of creating a similar program in Dallas to leaders at Sammons Cancer Institute at Baylor Medical Center. Institute leaders expressed an eagerness for this answer to their long-felt need to further support people coming from out of town for cancer care.
December 20, 1985, marked the official opening of the first Ark House apartment, located about a mile from Baylor. According to Glenn Ingram, FUMCR member and chair of the Ark House board, the organization has grown significantly since those early years. “Since that first apartment in 1985, Ark House has grown in every measure. Today, we provide 4,300 - 4,900 nights of housing per year in 16 apartments to people from all over the U.S. and foreign countries who are coming for care at local medical facilities, including Baylor Scott & White, Methodist Health System, Children’s Health, and Medical City. Demand for long-term medical housing in the Dallas area has grown in parallel with major developments in healthcare technology and practice in our area, and our all-volunteer team and systems have expanded likewise.”
Ark House board members attend to all aspects from application processing and scheduling to operations, managing a contracted cleaning service, and fund raising to make Ark House affordable. Everyone who supports and serves Ark House tenants, including some from the original class, gives their time out of commitment to the organization’s mission.
The true measure of Ark House’s success may be best understood from our guests’ comments.
For more information on Ark House, visit arkhousedallas.org
"Our stay with Ark House has been a little heaven on earth after weeks of sleeping in ICU waiting rooms and cots in hospital rooms."
by Blake Lewis, Ark House Board Member
My husband, George, and I joined the church in 2016. We have a blended family of five children, all of whom are married. We have 11 grandchildren who fill our lives with lots of laughter and activity. George is retired clergy of The United Methodist Church, so FUMCR is the first church we had the opportunity to choose for ourselves. I can’t tell you how excited I still am to have made that choice. Attending, studying, serving, or just playing at this church is so much fun as a layperson!
It has been a fun and rewarding pleasure to serve on SPRC for the past four years and has afforded me the opportunity to get to know most of our staff in the positions they hold. Discovering who our staff is and what they do in and around our church has been my greatest honor. The dedication they show through their hard work and long hours may go unnoticed on most days!
The month of October is Clergy Appreciation Month and the perfect time for all of us to reach out to any or all on our staff to let them know we appreciate their time and efforts. I’m sure that you notice, as I do, the incredible acts of love, kindness, and joy that our staff delivers to
by Kay Fisk Chair, Staff Parish Relations Committeeus in some way almost every day! I would like to encourage you to make time to send a note or an email recognizing our awesome FUMCR staff who brighten your day. I’ll bet the music in worship, the smile and greeting of your
favorite staff person, or the sermon or bible study message touched you recently and you were blessed. So thank you for taking some time to let them hear your appreciation!
Estate planning means different things to people in different ages and stages of life. To a young adult, it might be paying off debt, starting a 401K or other longterm investment, and designating a beneficiary. To the young family, it could be investing in life insurance and creating a will that ensures loved ones are taken care of, e.g. who will care for young children. To new empty nesters as well as senior adults, it is assessing what aspects of your estate plan are still valid and what aspects need updating. How do you want your assets to be distributed? How can your beneficiaries get the most out of your assets?
In my professional life, I counsel and advise nonprofit
organizations on strategic planning and development, major and estate giving, board governance, and subscription giving programs. In that role, I have found that people who are considering planned gifts are passionate about the values they want to pass on (more so than about the money they are leaving). They’re appreciative of experiences and opportunities they’ve had and want future generations to have the same. Planned giving is a very practical way to pass your values, your love, and your dreams to the next generation.
My wife, Amy, and I joined FUMCR in 2015. Our daughters, Caitlin and Victoria, are now grown, and we find ourselves
You're invited to an engaging panel discussion on estate-planning goals and leaving a lasting legacy.
Sunday, November 12, at 12pm Tuesday, November 14, at 5:30pm
by John Gilchrist, FAHP, CFRE, CNC, FUMCR Foundation Board Memberas empty nesters who continue to discover meaningful ways to grow in faith and serve our community through FUMCR. We appreciate the foundation built by earlier generations and hope to build on that with our gifts (as well as our prayers, presence, service, and witness - because we’ve been United Methodists since 1994).
A gift to FUMCR through your estate shares your influence and can ensure our church remains a beacon of hope, a place where everyone is welcomed, and an example of Christ-like service in our community and across the world. Don’t you want the next generation to be blessed through FUMCR as you have been? A planned gift is one way to achieve this goal.
Memorial and honorary gifts are a special way to celebrate a life, birthday, anniversary, special occasion, or just to say thank you. Below are the gifts given July 1, 2023 – August 31, 2023.
Roy Naugle by Gilbert and Sandra Young, Dennis Johnson, Madonna Bennett, Rachel Richardson
Martha Aldridge by Carolyn and Larry Lesh; Connie and Greg Moore; Linda and Duke Ligon; Loydell Seward; Bill and Karen Pfluger; Gary and Nancy Gamble; Kay and Rufus Schmidt, Carl, Joe, Kelli, and family; Gloria Scott; the Keprta family; Ruth Aldridge
Joan Huddleston by Ted and Caren Houston, Phyllis Holton, Marilyn Dickson
Dr. John G. Mueller by Elaine Mueller
Mike and Dolores Spence by Amy Spence
Evalin Carol Banzon by Carol Banzon
Members and guests alike are invited to submit prayer requests for the public list, church staff, or pastors/caring team only. fumcr.com/prayer
John Glennie by Kathy Chamberlain
Mary Turner by Marilyn Dickson
Sarah Elizabeth Johnson by Dan and Katrina Gray
Jean Hurst by Dottie Parlapiano, Mrs. Colin S. Bell, Karen Stephenson, Giles Davidson and Dan Waldmann
Don Dickerson by Thomas and Diana Hovey; David, Marty, Brian and Julia Colley; the Dickerson Family
Ken Presley by Alane Leach
Teresa Cave by Mike and Betty Haynes
Caren Houston by Nita and Tom Ulaszek
Our family of faith is honored to lift up the names on our public prayer list as a way to love one another. fumcr.com/prayerlist
