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VOLUME 2014 NUMBER 10 September 29, 2014

701 W. MAIN STREET, BLYTHEVILLE, AR 72315

Dear Friends,

There are no words to express my appreciation for your outpouring of concern following my mother’s death a few weeks ago. Your prayers, your cards, your messages, and your many gifts have all lifted my spirits immeasurably. I honestly don’t know how anyone goes through such a loss without the support of a church fam-ily, nor do I understand how anyone would ever want to. Thank you!

Perhaps this article caught my eye because I’m in

the process of dieting. Perhaps it caught my eye be-

cause our 2014 Jeremiah Plan emphasizes the impor-tance of service and an outward focus for us and our church. Whatever the reason, this article is worth reading. I hope you’ll take the time…and I hope you’ll share its message with others.

Blessings!

The Externally Focused Church:

Diet without Exercise

by Vicki Standley

(Published in the August 31st edition

of the Marion Methodist Newsletter)

The ads proclaim, “Take this diet supplement, eat these foods, don’t eat these foods, drink a lot of water, don’t drink water, only eat ___ (fill in the blank), and the weight will just melt away without exercising at all.” We’ve all seen them in magazines or late night TV, and there’s a part of us that wants to believe it’s true. But if you’ve ever tried a fad diet of any kind that made promises which sounded too good to be true, they probably were. As much as we would like to believe that dieting could be that easy or effortless, the truth is, it’s hard work and a lot of discipline –and exercise is a very necessary compo-nent.

The same is true in our spiritual life. It would be so simple if all we had to do was go to church every Sun-day, serve on a committee, occasionally make a pie or take a Bible study. Our spiritual life would be complete and a ticket to heaven would be in our pocket. While all those things have value, if we don’t flex out spiritual mus-cles in our church and community, our faith tends to be shallow and flabby. We can take numerous Bible studies, but it becomes no more than a lot of head knowledge if it’s never applied outside the classroom. We can bake 100 pies, but if we don’t feed the hungry with the heart of a servant or help the hungry find ways to feed them-selves, our efforts have been fruitless (no pun intended).

Eating a variety of good foods in the proper amounts is essential to our physical health, just as read-ing our Bible, attending worship and being in fellowship with other believers fosters good spiritual health. But we mustn’t stop there. Just as nutrition and exercise go hand-in-hand to keep our bodies in good running condition, exercising our spiritual life by serving within our church and community, being a spiritual mentor for someone who is new to their faith, inviting someone to come to church to learn about Jesus, or handing out sandwiches on a hot summer day are all ways that we strengthen our spiritual muscles as well.

Once we begin to exercise our spiritual life, amazing things start to happen within the church and our community. People become engaged in ministries of all kinds that spread the word of God far outside the four walls of the church and people come to know Jesus in a new and life-giving way. Eric Swanson, co-author of ―The Externally Focused Church,‖ writes, ―What if 100 percent of Christians were ministering in some capacity inside the church or in our communities? Can we even imagine all that would change? Communities would change, churches would change, and those within the church would be changed.” Are we up for the challenge? Are we ready to commit wholeheartedly to applying what we learn in Bible study, in worship, and in fellowship to trans-form the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ? Are we ready to exercise our spiritual muscles and serve the world in Jesus’ name? If we do, the world will never be the same and the depth and breadth of our relationship with Jesus will mature beyond anything we can imagine.

That’s a challenge I want to meet head on. How about you?

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OUR PRESENCE: Where were you?

Week of Aug 25-31: Worship: 132

Sunday School: 42

Week of Sept 1-7: Worship: 151

Sunday School: 62

Week of Sept 8-14: Worship: 196

Sunday School: 63

Week of Sept 15-21: Worship: 128

Sunday School: 49

OUR GIFTS:

Aug 31 $ 5,430.00 (**)

Sept 7 $ 13,044.86* (***)

Sept 14 $ 7,913.37* (****)

Sept 21 $ 12,753.47* (*****)

*Includes Special Account deposits

(**)Does not include: First Faith tuition: $ 3,460.00

(***)Does not include: First Faith tuition: $ 4,445.00

(****)Does not include: First Faith tuition: $ 2,397.50

(*****)Does not include: First Faith tuition: $ 3,008.00

BLYTHEVILLE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

OUR VISION:

A body of faith transformed by grace and empowered

by the Holy Spirit, building the community of God

by sharing the authentic presence of Jesus Christ.

OUR MISSION:

We are making disciples who

make disciples.

Acolyte Items Needed

We are in desperate need of some new items for our acolytes. We need two brass candlelighters, $145 each, and four gold robes, $75 each. If you would like to purchase one or more of these items in honor or in memory of a loved one, please contact the church of-fice at 870-763-3351.

Upper Room Available for Purchase

To help cut back on church expenses, The Upper Room devotionals will now be available for purchase. Small print books are $1.00 each and large print, $1.50 each. The Upper Room will be sold through the church office. If you would like to order a full year’s subscription, visit www.upperroom.org. For more infor-mation, call the church office at 870-763-3351.

A Note from Justin Bell,

Finance Chair

Dear Friends,

The Finance Committee met Tuesday, August 19th, for a regularly scheduled (monthly) meeting. The Committee asked that I write the congregation, to inform you as to what our current financial condition is, and to ask for your help.

The summer months are always the lowest point in our church's giving cycle. While the bills increase, people are away at the lake or with grandchildren or traveling. As we begin to settle into a fall routine, we find ourselves more than $25,000 behind in our revenues, and very much in need of money, both to pay our bills over the next few months and to chip away at our Apportionments.

We are asking for your help. If each member will give additionally to the budget, we will be able to move past this hurdle. With an average church at-tendance of 100 giving households, if each gave $250 we would meet our goal. We know not every-one will be able to give that amount, while others will be able to give more. Please give as you are able, and please be generous.

Thank you.

Justin Bell,

PRAYER CONCERNS & PRAISES

Carolyn Brock

Jack Jackson

The Betty Moore Family

Lou Little Smith

Kathleen Geeslin

Carol Ann Hinson

Janis Page

The Nancy Summitt Family

Hayden Houck

Randy Carney

Mary Ellen Ziolko

Joanie Hess

The Chuck Wilder Family

Phyllis Bloodworth

Bettye Claxton

Glen Duncan

Chloe Dobson (Jennifer Woods’ niece)

Becky Williams

Donna Williams

Bob Lipscomb

Kyra Young

Jeff Nicholson

Luella Little

Sallye Russell

Chuck Skelton

Vaughn Jerome

Autumn Champion

Carla Wells

Riley Cain

Robert “Bob” Byerly

Jimmy Franks

Natalie Eaton

Bellecinda Smith

Current names will be listed four consecutive weeks.

Please call the church office at 870-763-3351 to

retain names longer or to provide other names.

If possible, please provide an address for the name listed. Thank you.

Join us Wednesdays for Oasis

Dinner 5:00 p.m. in Wesley Hall

$5 adults (12 and over)

$2 kids (11 and under)

Wesley Players Rehearsal 5:30 p.m. in chapel

Adult Study 6:00 p.m. in parlor

Chancel Choir Practice 7:00 p.m. in choir room

Oasis Studies

Envision a day, just one day, where you could trust more and fear less. Join us for our continuing study, ―Fearless,‖ by Max Lucado, Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. in the church parlor with leaders Trey Hale and Jeremy Bennett. On Oct 22, we begin our new Oasis study, ―Making Sense of the Bible,‖ by Adam Hamilton, with leader David Lyttle. In this study, Hamilton invites us into an honest conversation about the Bible and helps us consider real questions people ask, such as… * Were Adam and Eve real? * Why is God so violent in the Old Testament? * Is Jesus the only way to salvation? Hamilton addresses these and other often misunder-stood biblical themes leading participants to a deeper appreciation of the Bible so that we might hear God speak through it and find its words to be life-changing and life-giving.

Oct Cooks and Kitchen Assistants

Oct 1 Spaghetti by David Lyttle

Kitchen Help: Genesis Class

Oct 8 Poppy Seed Chicken by Peggy Kenner

Kitchen Help: Inspiration Class

Oct 15 Ham and Mac-n-Cheese by Becky Ramey

Kitchen Help: Staff Parish Relations Committee

Oct 22 Lasagna by Deb and Philip Koonce

Kitchen Help: Seekers Class

Oct 29 Casserole by Tracey Ritchey and Laura Martin

Kitchen Help: Finance Committee

Are you stressed? Pressured? Run-down? If you can relate, save the date! Join Frazzled Females on Fridays, beginning Oct 17, midday. Bring your weary bones and enjoy a fun study and fellowship. All worn-out women are welcome. Check our church Facebook page for more details to come.

Thoughts on the

Leadership Institute

by Jill Mazar

Just a note from a first-time attendee at Church of the Resurrection. Truly a fabulous experience! The speakers were great. Adam Hamilton tackled some tough topics with really thoughtful insight. Worship the last night was huge and glorious—a full orches-tra, choir, communion, wonderful preaching. During the Leadership Institute, I had the pleasure of meet-ing two women, one from Russia and one from Kyr-gyzstan! I was so glad that I had this very practical, yet spiritual experience that I couldn’t wait to get home and share. I hope more folks can attend next year!

Blessing of the Animals

and Dinner and Auction Fundraiser

All creatures, great and small, are invited to our community-wide Blessing of the Animals scheduled for Sun, Oct 5, at 2:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to bring their pets (either crated or leashed) to the west lawn of BFUMC. A special offering and/or donations of cleaning supplies, dog and cat treats and animal toys will be collected for the Blytheville Humane Society, who will bring animals for adoption.

On Sat, Oct 4, the Blytheville Humane Society will be hav-ing their annual spaghetti dinner and auction at First Baptist Church. Dinner is 4:30-6:00 p.m., and the auction starts at 6:00 p.m. This is the Humane Society’s largest fundraiser of the year. Come out and help support the Humane Society and show your love for all God's creatures.

Food for Kids is a community food drive for area children. We are collecting non-perishable, kid-friendly foods, which will be distributed to local schools for children with the need for food while they are home on the weekends. Donations may be dropped off at the Food for Kids collection site, lo-cated outside the church office, or at Hays Grocery through the month of October.

Miracle Team Tailgate Party

It’s football and tailgate time again, and the Miracle Team is combining forces with the Hospitality and Evangelism Teams for their annual Tailgate Party on Fri, Oct 17, 5:00-7:00 p.m. The proceeds from this fundraiser will go to sup-port local missions. Tickets will be on sale soon and can be purchased in the church office or from any Team member. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids 4- to 10-years. Kids under 3 eat free. Come eat a great meal and support a wor-thy cause.

Chickasaws Dine in Wesley Hall

Each Thurs before the Chickasaw’s Fri football game, BFUMC is hosting dinner for the Blytheville team. The din-ners, sponsored by Ben and Courtney Fisher and friends, will continue throughout the football season. If you would like to pitch in and help, contact Courtney Fisher for details or call the church office at 870-763-3351.