First United Methodist Church P. O. Box 457

Jefferson, TX 75657 903-665-3268

www.jeffersonfumc.com March 2016 Volume 28, Issue 3

Jim Reiter, Pastor .................................................................................................................. jim.reiter@jeffersonfumc.com Paula Youngblood, Administrative Assistant .................................................................................... fumc305jef@aol.com Melinda Boyd, Accompanist & Choir Director ........................................................... melindasstudioofmusic@gmail.com Zeb Mathews, Song Leader ................................................................................................. zebulonmathews@gmail.com Lisa Barnes, Children’s Church & Nursery Coordinator ...........................................................................pocolisa@att.net

“From Ashes to Fire”: The Lenten Pilgrimage to Easter… and Pentecost

Our Lenten Journey to Easter (and Pentecost) continues this month – leading up to and through the significant and meaningful days which are Holy Week. Slated activities include:

A continuation of our “Bridges & Barriers” Lenten series (in Sunday morning worship and Tuesday evening Bible Study [at 5:30 in the Friendship classroom])— focusing on the “Seven Deadly Sins” and the counterbalancing, corrective virtues/remedies which God wants to inspire in our hearts and living. (Several constraints have us publishing one of these messages in this month’s issue. See the Pastor’s column on page 2.)

A “Holy Thursday” Service of Holy Communion, March 24 @ 6:30 PM in the Sanctuary

A “Good Friday” Service, March 25 at 6:30 PM in the Sanctuary

Easter Sunday Celebrations, March 27

9:00 AM @ Smithland & 11:00 AM @ FUMC, Jefferson

“Easter People” will be the focus of Sunday morning messages through the Season of Easter —leading up to Pentecost Sunday, May 15. The Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13) will be our focus as we explore the qualities of those whose lives are informed and inspired by Christ’s resurrection.

Don’t forget the second-mile Lenten offering! 100% of the receipts from this year’s collection

(which will be received between Ash Wednesday and the Sunday after Easter) will be divided equally between local and regional/global mission commitments of our Church: 50% will go to local outreach efforts we

support (like the “Blessings of Grace” food pantry, the Ministerial Alliance assistance fund, and the

Pastor’s Discretionary account), and 50% will go to our “apportionments” (those commit-

ments we have to the larger outreach efforts of our United Methodist connection)

3/27 “Easter People”

4/3 “Easter People Know God as a Heavenly Father”

4/10 “Easter People Exalt God”

4/17 “Easter People Experience Life on Earth as in Heaven”

4/24 “Easter People Know God’s Provision”

5/1 “Easter People Forgive”

5/8 “Easter People Follow the Shepherd”

“Making God’s Love Real in Marion County!”

Page 2

From the Pastor’s Desk…

Time and some other considerations have me delivering this message on gluttony here rather than through the regular Sunday morning worship forum.

It could be argued that my motivation here is grounded in the desire to avoid public discussion of a "deadly sin" or attitude from which I so obviously suffer. (After all, at least 5 times over the last decade, I have lost 30 - 40 pounds so as to arrive at the ideal weight prescribed by the charts—all of which is to say that I have effectively lost [and found] one whole me over the last 10 years!)

As much as that might be a consideration (and I sure wouldn't put it past the "adversary" in me, as Greeley calls it), other grounds for caution come as I read a favorite mentor, Dr. Tony Campolo (in his reflections on the Seven Deadly Sins):

Of the sermons I wish I had never preached, none elicits more regret than a sermon on the subject of gluttony... I regret preach-ing that sermon, not because I believe that sins should not be boldly condemned, but because the public condemnation of glut-tony is an unfair and cruel thing to do. The cruelty was not appar-ent to me at the time. When I preached the sermon, I was con-vinced that the obesity of those in the congregation was due to a lack of willpower... I was unaware back then that most obese peo-ple despise their fatness and suffer emotionally because of their tendency to overeat.

I had no understanding of the complex factors contributing to a problem which afflicts so many.

Against this caution, then, and through, a channel which has us properly focusing on ourselves and not those around us, I'd like to proceed with a short reflection on "Gluttony" — employing much of the outline we have had in our other discussions of the "deadly sins" and their counterpoising virtues:

I. Defining "Gluttony"

It's tempting, even as the discussion to this point suggests, to associate "gluttony" with food and issues of weight. The problem, though, is that food is not the only thing we can obsess about and overin-dulge in. Moreover, just as greed knows no socio-economic boundaries, gluttony ob-serves no standards of weight or waist-line. Finally, there

is the frustration that, as with “lust,” appe-tite is not the issue as much as inordinate, uncontrolled appetite and desire. (God, in fact, invites us to eat and feast—giving the church a meal as a central act of worship and the image of banquet as a guiding metaphor of Heaven.)

Against these cautions, we might venture a "straw man" definition: "Gluttony is a self-centered (prideful) and inordi-nate indulgence of the body at the expense of our greater health, our neighbor, and our relationship with God." (Here, the definition allows us to include substances beyond food—including drink, tobacco, television... even the seemingly posi-tive, like inordinate exercise.) Might be helpful here to sound our definition against another—as, for example, Rev. Vic Pentz's (former pastor of First Presbyterian, Houston): "Gluttony is putting into your body things that are not good for it, or putting in your body things that are good, but in such excessive quantities that they become damaging."

II. Gluttony's "Deadly" Ways:

No need to argue too long: binge eating/dieting has its health risks, alcohol destroys lives, smoking kills the smoker and loved ones taking in the secondary smoke.

And, then, there's the Biblical witness—where birthrights and blessings are lost, for example, because individuals “think with their belly,” (cf., Esau in Gen. 25: 24ff.)

For the ways it kills us and deprives others... and for the ways it turns our appetites into our "god" (cf, Phil. 3:19), glut-tony is a "deadly sin."

III. However, for every "Deadly Sin" there is at least one Coun-terpoising "Living Virtue". In the case of gluttony, there are self-control, justice, and temperance.

I like the way the children’s book Seven Lonely Places, Seven Warm Places: The Vices and Virtues for Children, (Cincinnati: St. Anthony Press) puts it:

"Gluttony is a big hole that you can't fill up. Gluttony makes you look at the box of chocolate chip cookies and think, 'Yes, yes, yes... they must all go not beside me, not next to me, but inside of me... The whole world belongs inside me.'"

"Justice divides your peanut butter sandwich into a zillion parts for the children who don't have any lunch... [It] is the place where you see everyone must have what they need. "

"With temperance, the world is a great and won-derful place and you need only a small bit of it so there will be some left over for all the other people and for tomorrow."

With You, in the Ongoing Pilgrimage from the "Lonely" Places to the "Warm" Places, I am...

"Gluttony vs Self-Control" (Part 6 of Pastor's Lenten Series on "Seven Deadly Barriers/Sins, Seven Life-Giving Bridges/Virtues")

“Making God’s Love Real in Marion County!”

Page 3

Between issues of “The Spire”…

Catch us on Facebook: “First United Methodist Church of Jefferson, Texas”

Catch us at the FUMC Web Site (at www.jeffersonfumc.com)

February Happenings…

Our new Permanent Endowment Fund has grown over 10 times the original gift in less than four years due to the generosity of several FUMC Jefferson member families. Starting at $3,300, the funds now total nearly $38,000 in that short period of time. By next year, we may be able to consider drawing small annual amounts to support our ministries within our community.

Your family can choose to become a donor to keep building the endowment—to facilitate the growth of future ministries and care for our buildings and campus (for items not covered by the church’s annual operating budget). Please consider including your church in your estate planning and annual giving above and beyond your tithe/pledge to the operating budget.

Contact the church office, Pastor Jim, or an Endowment Committee member for more information. We have a brochure and you can learn more at

www.heartspringmethodistfoundation.org.

—Bob Thomas, Endowment Committee President

Permanent Endowment Growing The United Methodist met Sunday,

February 21 for a luncheon and meeting. Vicki Richie presided. New officers were elected and plans for meetings and projects for the year were discussed and approved. We urge all women of our congregation to take part in this organi-zation. Your participation, large or small, is greatly appreciated.

Our next meeting is Sunday, April 10 after Church. New officers are Karen Gleason, President, Vicki Richie, Vice-President, Leah Cooper, Secretary and Treasurer, Imogene Bass. May our purposes nurture us and help relieve the suffering of others, in his name.

Special thanks to Vicki Richie for her hard work as previous president and continues to serve in UMW.

—Karen Gleason, UMW President

United Methodist Women

Page 3

Over thirty individuals, representing the diversity of the county, gathered in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday, February 20 for a poverty workshop hosted by “Creating Opportunities in Marion County.” (“COMC” was a product of FUMC plannings a

year ago and has a number of FUMC members on its “steering committee/board,” including President Shirley Partridge.) Dr. John Cooper of Texas A&M led the group in an analysis of a recent community survey as well as a comprehensive discussion of the socio-economic timeline of the area.

The steering committee will con-tinue to work with Dr. Cooper and representatives of the “Texas Rural Leadership Program”—striving for a balance between those who are ready to “roll up their sleeves and get some things started” and those advocating the development of a more strategic and sustainable plan for engaging the needs of area impoverished.

More information about COMC can be found at their web site, www.creatingopportunitiesmarioncounty.org/

Dr. John Cooper

Eighteen church leaders and members gathered in the Fellowship Hall on Monday evening, February 22 to hear a presentation about the “Vibrant Church Initiative” by Rev. Mike Tyson from the Center for Clergy Excellence of our Annual Conference. Churches entering the program go through an intensive period of data collection, study, and interviews on the way to a “consultation weekend” in which congregational strengths are celebrated and opportuni-ties for growth and develop-ment are shared. Those churches in our Conference which have engaged the pro-cess and the “prescriptions” flowing from the process have seen marked growth in numbers and/or internal sprit. A follow-up meeting of the Administrative Board will be held after Church services on Sunday, March 6 — to determine our next steps as a congregation.

The house was packed for our first (of many to come) “Fifth Sunday Gospel Sing,” Sunday even-ing, January 31—followed by a time of visiting and snack-ing in the Fellowship Hall.

Special thanks to Melinda Boyd, Zeb Mathews, Shelby Herndon, Roy Richie, Don Oatman, Lynn Daugherty, our Sanctuary Singers… and so many other talented guests (brought in by Melinda) for all their labors in or-ganizing and pre-forming!

You won’t want to miss our next “Fifth Sunday” on May 29!

Church family dinners were held at both the Smithland Church (on Sunday, February 14) and the Jefferson Church (on Wednesday, February 17). Cajun fare was served up in Smith-land while Italian was the menu in Jefferson. Pictured left are Skip and Lisa Barnes, winners of the “Oldie-wed

Game” in Jefferson — just one of several activities that brought laughter and joy to the evening in Jefferson. (Among other things, those attending learned that Pastor Jim “runs like a girl!” Just ask Kathy!)

With help from Tina McNeely and Paula Youngblood, Mason McNeely

and Bekah Youngblood (pictured right) raised over $550 for Summer

Youth activities—via the annual Mardi Gras parking lot “fundraiser”

on Saturday, February 6.

“Making God’s Love Real in Marion County!”

Page 4

WE VOW TO UPHOLD THE CHURCH...

Note: It is a joy and honor to join you in prayer (and praise!) for those you love. Because we want our prayer list to be up-to-date, requests will be maintained on our prayer lists for three weeks —unless an update/request has been received otherwise!

With Our Prayers...

Winston Lemmon Janie McCay

Frances Ford Montgomery Jamie Nelson

Morris Pentecost Susan Perkins

Joyce Rutz Robert Swanson Charlotte Teske

Genny Alfia Milton Bass Lottie Call Norman & Ruby Callison Hazel Chastain Ann Clampitt Linda Cotton Doug Eastham Paul & Carol Harrell

For Members of Our Church Family...

Lisa Boone Laura Braddock Anita McAlexander Brown Jackie Cross Lola Hope Duncan Tiffany Evers Jim Finstrom C J & Alex Fortune Marshall Fortune Friends at Cypress Place Friends at Magnolia Place Bettye Fry Eddie Hindsman Randy Keith Thomas Leming Christian Lewis Yvette Mathis

Wanda McGovny Anne McMullen

Michael McNeely Bob Oatman

Beth Patterson Jewel Perry

Walter Plumley Jimmie Ramsay

Martha Ramsay Payton Ramsay

Justin Richie Dal & Susanne Smith

Ed Smith Amy Van Essche Mozelle Watson

Bill Westbrook Andrea Whitaker

For Our Extended Family…

February Receipts (thru 2/21)

Year-To-Date (thru 2/21)

Needed for Budget $13,739.96 $27,479.92 Received for Budget $23,396.52 $35,833.56

With Our Gifts...

With Our Service...

March’s Servants in Morning Worship

LITURGISTS Mar. 6 Amy Phillips Mar. 13 Karen Gleason Mar. 20 Kay Brookshire Mar. 27 Ann Tillman

GREETERS/USHERS Mar. 6 Shirley Partridge & Genny Alfia Mar. 13 Preston & Ellen Taylor Mar. 20 Karen Gleason & Imogene Bass Mar. 27 Skip Barnes & Mike Phillips

MONEY COUNTERS Mar. 6 Amy Phillips, Skip Barnes, Jean Maranto Mar. 13 Imogene Bass, Tina McNeely, Jean Maranto Mar 20 Mary Alice Oatman, Vickie Smith, Jean Maranto Mar 27 Skip Barnes, Mary Alice Oatman, Jean Maranto

NURSERY VOLUNTEERS Mar. 6 Leah Cooper & Lisa Barnes Mar. 13 Kay Brookshire & Lisa Barnes Mar. 20 Joyce Rutz & Lisa Barnes Mar. 27 Francene DePrez & Lisa Barnes

Page 4

With Our Presence

Sunday School Worship Feb. 7 12 45 Feb. 14 12 57 Feb. 21 13 60 Feb. 28 N/A N/A

For Those Who Mourn and Grieve… The family of Wilma Jean Walker (sister-in-law of

Genny Alfia and Barbara Hampton)

Mar. 1 Robert Cooper Mar. 3 Kevin Jones Mar. 5 William Smith Mar. 6 Skip Torrans Mar. 9 Bruce Teske Mar. 12 T. J. Wallace Mar. 14 Charlie Gallant Mar. 17 Norma Rich Mar. 18 Sarah Jones Mar. 19 Ian Ansley Mar. 27 Ellen Taylor Mar. 28 Samantha Anderson Mar. 30 Frances Montgomery & Garrett Huntington

Praising God for Those Born in March...

Praising God for…

Milton & Imogene Bass who will celebrate 68 years of marriage on March 21!

MEMORIALS

In 2014 the Finance Committee adopted a Memorial Fund Policy. This action formalized the following rules and procedures for receiving and disbursing gifts:

Gifts may be either undesignated or designated to Children's, Youth, Missions, Worship and Music Ministries or to Facilities Improvement.

Designated gifts will be in agreement with missions, ministries, policies and needs of the church.

Memorial gifts will not be used for regular budget items. The Finance Committee will manage donations and

determine the use of undesignated gifts. Memorial gifts may be transferred to the Endowment Fund. Timely personalized thank-you letters will be sent to donors. The bereaved family will be notified of these gifts, but

not of the amount. Donors will receive a tax statement soon after the end

of the calendar year. Memorial gifts will be acknowledged in a program in-

sert on All-Saints Sunday.

Since January 1, 2015 our church has received over $6,500 in memorials.

—Don Oatman

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Page 6

First United Methodist Church

P. O. Box 457

Jefferson, TX 75657

Please Expedite Dated Material

Address Service Requested

EASTER LILIES... If you would like to place an Easter Lily in memory or in honor of a loved one, please fill out the form below (or one of those in a coming Sunday morning bulletin) and return it to the Church Office or place it in the offering plate. (Or, you can call the church office and convey the information over the phone!) Cost of each lily is $10.

Deadline is Thursday, March 17. YOUR NAME(S): _________________________________________________________________________ IN MEMORY OF: _________________________________________________________________________ IN HONOR OF: _________________________________________________________________________

“Carebridge” Ministry... This is an exciting time for our Carebridge

Ministry. We have expanded our ministry to include cards, phone calls, and visits in addition to our bimonthly communion ministry. Nineteen church members have volunteered their time in this endeavor. The willingness shown at the January kickoff luncheon was truly inspiring.

The communion teams served members here in Jefferson, Marshall, and Longview in February . Our next scheduled communion is April.

Visits from the visitation teams will be made in the other months, with cards and calls monthly. This way our members, who cannot attend church on a regular basis, if at all, will hear from their church family every month. They will know they are loved and missed.

If you want to join this ministry, we are always open to more volunteers. Just give me a call (903)601-1164 or contact the church office.

—Amy Phillips, Carebridge Coordinator

Children’s Church/Nursery...

“Jesus’ Care”

Security is very important to small children. These little ones need to know that their needs will be cared for. We will be emphasizing God’s care for His children (that is a great lesson for all of us). God provides so much for us and each little child is im-portant to Him. Jesus is concerned about even the smallest, most insignificant, weakest among us. Jesus even says that if a man desires to enter Heaven, he must view himself as if he were a helpless child.

Our key verse this month is “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” (Mark 10:14)

If you are interested in seeing our curriculum, please come by some Sunday after church. I will show you how easy it all is to utilize. I will also show you how the preschool & nursery rooms are coming along!

Lisa Barnes, Nursery and

Children’s Church Coordinator

Lay Servant Ministries & Training Leading, Caring, Communicating: these words

characterize what lay servants (formerly “lay speakers) do in ministry (within their local congregations and beyond) as The United Methodist Church engages the world of the twenty-first century! Pastor Reiter will be leading one of the workshops (on Leading in Prayer) at this month’s training event, March 4-5 at Lakeview Baptist Assembly in Lone Star.

For more information (about Lay Servant Ministries or this training opportunity), you are encouraged to call Pastor Jim.