January2015 firstconnection

First

ConnectionJANUARY 2015

On the Cover: Rev. Donnie Wilkinson as a wiseman during

Live Nativity, December 7, 2014.

First Connection is a publication from:First United Methodist Church of Alexandria

2727 Jackson StreetAlexandria, Louisiana 71301

(318) 443-5696www.fumca.org

We would love to hear from you! Please send us your Feedback, Questions, Comments,

Story Contributions, Photos, News or Ideas.

Senior Pastor: Rev. Donnie Wilkinson, [email protected]

Editor: Julie Bacon, [email protected]: Bill Sumrall, [email protected]

A Word from Rev. Donnie.......................................1FUMCA Ministries & Missions .............................2New Members...........................................................8The Well: Here I am Lord........................................9Louisiana 5 Day Academy.....................................11Gathering Menu.....................................................14Live Nativity photos................................................15Birthdays & Attendance.........................................16Kitchen Talk............................................................17

First

ConnectionJANUARY 2015

Contents

Our Mission:

Our Vision:

Our Journey:

Our Practices:

To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Meet Friends. Meet God. Discover Life.

http://www.fumca.org

mailto:?subject=

mailto:bsumrall%40fumca.org%20?subject=

As we begin 2015 together, I want to invite you to not make New Year’s Resolutions. Instead, I hope you will create a Rule of Life.

What is a Rule of Life? A Rule of Life is a tool that has been used by individuals and communities for millennia to help them create a vibrant life with God.

One of the best definitions I know comes from Marjorie Thompson in her book Soul Feast:

“A rule of life is a pattern of spiritual practices that provide structure and direction for growth in holiness…It fosters gifts of the Spirit in personal life and human community, helping to form us into the persons God intends us to be.”

Growing in holiness simply means becoming more and more a person whose life is characterized by the fruit of the Spirit being present in your life. Would you like to be filled with more love? More joy? More peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control?

This is what God wants for you. God’s dream for your life is for you to more and more fully become the person you were created to be.

But you cannot fully become that person through your own effort. For us to fully become the person God intends us to be, we need God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. This is where a Rule of Life comes in.

When we create a Rule of Life, we set our intention to live in loving reliance on God. It gives us a pattern of life that helps us draw near to God each day and receive the grace, strength and forgiveness we need.

Quite often, New Year’s resolutions are little more than pie in the sky wishes. A Rule of Life is different. A Rule of Life is a plan that will help you grow in your relationship with God and experience the abundance of life Jesus has promised.

Starting January 4, 2015, we will begin a new sermon series that will give you five crucial spiritual practices for your Rule of Life. I invite you to make the commitment now to be present each Sunday so that you can begin putting them into practice in your own life.

Grace & Peace,

Rev. Donnie WilkinsonSenior Pastor

PS—One of the things I am most grateful for is the privilege of being your pastor. Thank you for an incredible 2014!

A Word From Rev. Donnie

Rev. Donnie

January 2015 | CONNECTION 1

Don’t Make Resolutions this year - Create a Rule of Life

2 January 2015 | CONNECTION

Ministries

Missions

Do you know what ministries & missions First United Methodist Church has to offer? Some pre-existing ministries & missions have been revamped and some have started fresh from scratch. Take a look at a few of the ministries & missions FUMCA has to offer.

H2O: HELPING TO OVERCOME HOMELESSNESS The H20 Ministry takes place the 4th Thursday of each month at Emmanuel Baptist Church. Items that members of FUMCA have donated are taken and put out for the homeless to select. Other agencies and churches are also involved. There have been about 50 to come each month. We have noticed how they look out for each other and are appreciative of what they get. We have gotten to learn some of their life stories. Even though their living

arrangements are not stable, they are thankful for people taking the time to listen to them and offer help. It has been a blessing for us to meet them. Bill and Evelyn Morris are the coordinators for H2O. You may email Evelyn at [email protected]

ALTAR GUILDThe sanctuary altar guild helps ready the church for Christmas by providing the tree in the sanctuary

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and the candles for the Christmas Eve service.

Tidying the sanctuary each Sunday during the rest of the year is shared by many faithful ladies on this committee.

Katherine Douzart and Gladys Miller are the 2015 coordinators for Altar Guild. Candy Brame was the 2014 coordinator. You may email Katherine at [email protected] or gladys@[email protected]

LIVE NATIVITYLive Nativity is a drive-through nativity scene of the first Christmas featuring Christmas music, candlelight, and live animals. The event is free and open to the public.

The 2014 Live Nativity featured a camel, turkeys, chickens, cows, horses, sheep, goats and a bunny. Over one hundred church volunteers participated in the Live Nativity event, whether it was with set-up, tear down, support behind the scenes or participating in a role the night of the event. Nine hundred and nine people attended the drive-through Live Nativity.

Suzette Harpe is the coordinator for Live Nativity. You may email her at [email protected]

THANKSGIVING MEALOn Thanksgiving Day, First Church hosted a traditional Thanksgiving Meal for our community.

Approximately 100 people attended lunch in our Fellowship Hall that day. We also sent more than 40 meals to the home bound and to the LSUA men’s basketball team. Before going home, all of our guests were encouraged to take to-go boxes for that evening and most did. At the conclusion of the meal, our leftovers were transported to the Salvation Army for their afternoon meal and that food was greatly appreciated. We fed approximately 200 people (possibly more) either directly in our church or indirectly by supplying the Salvation Army.

It is so difficult to measure the success of an event like this. While we have an idea of the number of meals served, it is impossible to calculate the profound impact a delicious meal served by a loving friend in a warm and welcoming environment can have on someone. I have no doubt that many lives were touched this Thanksgiving through the generosity of First Church and the unconditional love expressed through the volunteers who helped prepare, serve, and clean up after the meal. I am sincerely grateful and humbled to be a small part of an awesome team that helped put this together.

It is my hope that we may be able to grow this ministry into a quarterly community meal in 2015. At the very least, we are committed to doing the Thanksgiving Meal again next year.

Mike Wood and Wayne McConnell are the coordinators for the


…continued on page 4

Thanksgiving Meal. You may contact Mike at [email protected]

LAUNDRY LOVESeveral years ago I had the opportunity to chaperone a small student mission group to serve the inner city Houston homeless population. Needless to say, that experience touched me in a way I could not forget. I knew that someday I wanted to get connected in my own community to serve those who were underprivileged. That one day came during a casual conversation in Donnie’s office that ultimately led to the launching of Laundry Love. I am humbled to be a part of this small ministry that touches lives in a very different way…who would ever guess a Laundromat would be a place where people who are otherwise unlikely to ever meet gather to talk, laugh, enjoy good food, share God’s love AND leave with clean laundry?

Stacey Debevec and Randy Miller are the coordinators for Laundry Love. You may email Stacey at [email protected] or Randy at [email protected]

CHRISTMAS CHEERDr. Seuss made the Grinch part of our social consciousness and we all know Grinches that lurk out there on the fringes every Christmas Season, telling us that what we do doesn’t make a difference and that the people we reach out to don’t really need the help. The Grinch says things like, “They have nicer stuff in

their house than me, why should I be helping them.” The Grinch hardens our hearts and closes our minds. What does this have to do with Christmas Cheer? The Grinch tries to make us believe that Christmas Cheer is a drop in a bucket ministry; a one-shot outreach that doesn’t even make a ripple that lasts longer than the wrapping paper.

So, why do we do Christmas Cheer? Why, year after year, do we continue this outreach into our community? Why, after touching over thousands of children and hundreds of families, don’t we stop and focus on more day-to-day problems? Because Christmas Cheer provides us with a Grinch Free zone (with the exception of our friendly Grinch-man, Johnny Kiesewetter, of course) as well as providing us and our church family the opportunity to share the blessings we experience and even take for granted year-round with families in our community who need a blessing. And as with anything, when we think we are the ones providing the blessings, it is often us who receive the BIGGEST blessing.

This year alone, our church family will touch the lives of 120 children and 76 families through Christmas Cheer. And this doesn’t include the joy and blessings that are received by YOU, the people who pray for this ministry, buy the gifts, sort the gifts and deliver the gifts. Those blessings are countless! Those aren’t ripples, but WAVES of God’s grace and blessings that flow back to us all!

We’ll leave you with a prayer and,

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…continued from page 3

of course, a song. And the song is called “The Change,” written by Tony Arata and recorded by Garth Brooks:

And I hear them saying you’ll never change thingsAnd no matter what you do it’s still the same thingBut it’s not the world that I am changing I’ll do thisSo this world will know that it will not change me

The prayer is a prayer that was handed out to each delivery person on December 13th. It says:

Lord, keep us from trying to distinguish between the deserving and the undeserving poor. Help us work to alleviate suffering and injustice wherever we find it, trusting that the rest is up to you. Amen (Common Prayer-a Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals)

Make Christmas Cheer part of your family’s Advent Traditions next year and every year after that.

DC Sills and Janice Williams coordinate Christmas Cheer. You may email DC at [email protected]

A Servant Ministry Team was created in December 2014, to help coordinate & strategize different ministries at First United Methodist Church. A Ministry Fair will be held in Spring 2015 for everyone seeking to find their perfect niche in serving the Lord. Thank you for serving others with Christ’s love!

Are you interested in serving, have ideas to help with planning the 2015 Spring Ministry Fair, or would like to know more info about the Servant Ministry Team? Contact Clara Woolf, [email protected] she is the Director of Hospitality & Service at First United Methodist Church in Alexandria. You may also contact her at the church office at (318) 443-5696. ☐

H2O: Bill and Evelyn Morris

Altar Guild: Gladys Miller (on left) and Candy Brame. Not pictured is Katherine Douzart.

Christmas Cheer: Janice Williams (left) and DC Sills

Live Nativity: Suzette Harpe

Thanksgiving Meal: Wayne McConnell (left) and Mike Wood

Laundry Love: Stacey Debevec and Randy Miller pictured throughout opposite photo set on page 4.

Meet the faces:(top to bottom)



Photo above: Thrive Youth at the Cenla Food Bank for their service project, Saturday, December 6, 2014.

Photo on left: Mosaic by Falvey Smith; presented to the 50/50 Sunday School Class. In loving memory of Marilyn Blount by the Blount Family.

Graphic on top right: “Chosen” the Youth’s current Sunday and Wednesday night series.

Graphic on bottom right: “He Did What?” the Youth’s upcoming Sunday and Wednesday night series beginning at the end of January.

Things happening around the church...


Things happening around the church...…continued on page 13


welcomes our new members!

Marlene Hicks was baptized on Sunday, November 23.

Sally Moras joined at The Well service on Sunday, November 23.

Todd Fingleton joined our church family with his twin 5 year old daughters Abbey (left) and Alice (right) on Sunday, November 30.

Amanda and Jeremy Biehl joined on Sunday, December 7 with their son, Rohen (picture not available).


People who decide to run for public office readily raise their hands and say

“Here I am, vote for me.” They make promises, they make friends along the way and they believe with their whole heart that they are the right person for the job. And I am sure that it would be super easy to be disheartened and lose faith when you feel that you have been led by God to take the step to become a public servant only to lose the election.

Recently, our country, state, parish and city made decisions as we exercised our right to vote. Some candidates won, others did not. While talking with a candidate’s wife and expressing my upset that her spouse did not win his election, the response that I received was, “We know that God has other plans.” A truer statement was never made, and it made me think, “Isn’t that what faith is all about? Knowing that, at the end of the day, it is not our will, but God’s, that will be done.”

Lots of money, time and effort is spent every couple of years by candidates to persuade us that they are the best person for the job. We then cast our votes to elect officials who we believe will represent our best interests. In contrast, as Christians, God casts His

vote for us EVERY DAY as the people who will represent His best interests here on earth. God campaigns for us daily and we often mount counter-campaigns trying to push our own agendas, often times forgetting that we are even in the running for being the hands and feet of God here on earth. But thankfully, God is a patient campaign manager, and continuously pushes and nudges us to walk the road He has laid before us. It is easy to believe that “I’m not the one”, “God surely can’t be calling me to do this” or the old favorite, “Someone else will take care of that.” But none of those statements are true. What is true is that God is in the trenches every day, campaigning for us to be the best person for the job. He provides us with opportunities to prove Him right daily. We simply have to raise our hand and say, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”

Through the Scriptures, God has given us a few great campaign slogans to keep us on track,

and it all starts with exercising our faith daily and connecting with God in worship:

Isaiah 6:8, ESV And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Hebrews 13:21, NLT May He equip

Here I am, LordBY DC Sills, The Well Worship Leader




you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 2:10, NIV For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Jeremiah 32:27, NASB Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?

Jeremiah 29:11, NIV For I know the plans I have

for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Philippians 2:13, ESV For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

No direct mail or yard signs involved in this election, because God casts the ONLY vote. And all we have to do is be ready for His call. Open yourself to His call through developing faith practices, doing good works and, of course, setting time aside to worship Him. ☐


WOODWORTH -- Participants will focus on “Missional Living for the Hope of the World” at the Louisiana 5-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation.

The 5-Day Academy’s fourth annual retreat is scheduled for Feb. 8-13, 2015, at The Wesley Center in Woodworth, LA.

Academy founder Rev. Donnie Wilkinson, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church of Alexandria, explained what missional living would be like during an interview Dec. 2, 2014. “The vision of life that Jesus has given us is a life that inspires hope,” Wilkinson said.

“It’s a way of living in community together -- that community of spiritual practices -- a community that reaches out in compassion to the world, a community that’s

committed to justice. But anytime there is community, there are people, and whenever you have more than one person, you have interpersonal relational dynamics,” he said.

“And so, our two faculty this year, Elaine Heath from Perkins School of Theology and Wil Hernandez from the Henri Nouwen Legacy Society, are going to talk about those two aspects of how we can live in a way for the hope of the world -- Jesus’ vision for the world,” Wilkinson said.

The 5-Day Academy is an off-shoot of the Upper Room Academy for Spiritual Formation that began in 1983. The Upper Room retreat, however, meets eight times over a two-year period. In founding the 5-Day version here, Wilkinson wanted to give people a taste of the Upper Room retreat’s rhythm of study, prayer, worship and reflection to those who cannot afford the time or cost to attend the Upper Room’s

retreat.

Dr. Elaine Heath and Dr. Wil Hernandez are both widely sought speakers and authors, Wilkinson said.

“Elaine will be talking about what it means, a vision of life for living in community with others, what that might look like,” he said, adding she will present “a vision for ways that individuals can participate in communities, start new communities that are based on a contemplative vision of the world, a way rooted in prayer, in Scripture reading, in service and compassion, what does that look like lived out in community.”Wilkinson said that Hernandez will be “talking about the way that we can individually relate to other people and help them experience God working in their lives, being a spiritual companion to others ... telling in what ways can we partner with individuals,” he said.

Upcoming

Louisiana 5 Day Academyoffers ‘light for the world, light for each other’

BY Bill Sumrall, Communications Assistant




“We have the community relationship and then also the individual relationship,” he noted. “Light for the world; light for each other.”

One of Henri Nouwen’s works, “The Return of the Prodigal Son,” was 66th on a list of 100 best Christian books cited by “The Church Times,” an independent Anglican weekly newspaper founded in 1863. “Dr. Hernandez is going to be sharing with the Academy insights, wisdom, from the life and teaching of Henri Nouwen,” Wilkinson said.

“Henri Nouwen was one of the most influential spiritual writers of the 20th century. His books played a very important role in my own discernment of my call to ministry, reading books like ‘The Prodigal Son’ and ‘With Open Hands’ and, a great book, ‘Letters to Marc About Jesus: Living a Spiritual Life in a Material World,’ primarily on prayer,” Wilkinson added.

“God used those books in a powerful way, to open my heart and mind up to the movement of the Spirit in my own life and Henri Nouwen continues to touch people through his writings -- they have a timeless sort of quality and 20, 30, 40, 50 years, people will be reading Henri Nouwen’s books.” Nouwen left teaching at an Ivy League school to follow the call of Jesus and went to live in Canada’s

L’Arche community, part of a network of communities that are made up of people with profound physical and developmental issues, Wilkinson said, acknowledging such concerns are also addressed by First United Methodist Church of Alexandria’s Buddy Camp and Buddy Church ministries.

Wilkinson said that Heath’s book, “The Mystic Way of Evangelism,” has “played an enormous role in helping the church discover a new yet ancient way of introducing people to Christ ... not by trying to sell them Jesus but by allowing Christ to transform our own hearts, so that people ask what is it about you, what is this I see in you, I want to experience that for myself, so it’s not marketing Jesus, it’s living Jesus, in a way that is winsome, in a way that draws others,” he said. Last year’s 5-Day Academy retreat drew 34 attendees, both clergy and lay people from various denominations who ranged from their 40s up to 95 in age.

So far, 30 people have r e g i s t e r e d

this year, which Wilkinson described as a mix of clergy and lay people in their 30s to “well-seasoned citizens,” hailing primarily from the South -- Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, with room for 60 total. For those registering before the start of the new year, there will be a slight discount in cost. All room and board and meals are included for the week long retreat.

Returning in 2015 is Elise Eslinger of Dayton, Ohio, compiler and editor of the Upper Room Worshipbook, who served as worship/music coordinator for the 5-Day Academy in 2014. “She’s fabulous, she is an incredible worship leader,” Wilkinson said.

“In Jesus’ life, there were times where He was engaged in the everyday affairs of life and then there were times when he withdrew with His disciples to a quiet place where they could reconnect with God,” he said.

“Jesus told them to come away to a quiet place and find rest for your souls -- and that’s what the 5-Day Academy is, it’s an invitation from Jesus to come away to a quiet place and find rest for your soul, an opportunity to disconnect from everyday responsibilities and to focus on our relationship with God. Ultimately, only our relationship with God endures; everything else fades away, everything else comes to an end.”

Wilkinson participated in the two-year Upper Room Academy for Spiritual Formation at Camp Sumatanga, Ala., “and, as a part of that experience, wanted to bring a taste of that back to Louisiana ... this was my project that I brought back.”

For some people, it’s just not possible to attend four times a year across two years, “so I wanted to give people an experience of the (Upper Room) Academy because it was so meaningful to me,” he said, adding Louisiana 5-Day Academy has “a great leadership team” from Arkansas


JAN 7 - Wed. Choir practice resumes


Safe Sanctuary TrainingFOR WHO? We ask anyone who is involved with our children’s program or our youth program to attend this training. This includes volunteers for any and all youth and children programing such as Buddy Camp and VBS.

WHEN? Saturday, January 17 from 10a-noon

WHERE? At church

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? Contact Elizabeth Garvin at [email protected] or (318) 443-5696.

Jan. 7 The Gathering resumes for 2015

...More happenings around the church.…continued from page 7

First Kidz - Children’s Choir



and Louisiana “who will help create a space where people can experience the presence of God and hear a word from God for their life.”

For more information about the upcoming Louisiana 5-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation, please go online to www.la5day.com

or contact Rev. Wilkinson by email at [email protected] or call (318) 542-1022. ☐


Live NativityD e c e m b e r 7 , 2 0 1 4

Birthd

ays1Corey Eggers

2Martha CrenshawElise Pearce

3Selena Dollar

4Connor CascioColton Mayo

5Noel LeeMargaret Norman

6David MoorheadCharlot Morrison

7Heather Berry

8Beatrice Jeter

10Steve AutreyPamela McCabeErika Sams

11Lily DorianSteven HarrisAlex St. Romain

12Jackie JeaneBrittany Partain

13Isabel Collins

14Douglas DavisAnn LowreyWally MorrisAlley Wheelis

15Sheila Harris

18Connor Debevec

19Owen Brown

20Glyn Miller

21Sam GassiottLynn HendersonJohn PeytonEdward Rundell

22Jim ClintonPatti Daniel

24Carol Stanford

26Andrew CrenshawChristopher Hathorn

27Annie DeWittCornelia DeWittAnne-Marie OwensKeith PattonMary Vizzier

28Tim BlankenbakerGordon Roach

29Larry Rau

30Rose CrumpKen McKenzieJackson Williams


November 16, 2014November 23, 2014November 30, 2014December 7, 2014

AttendanceChurch

224240243291

Sunday School

107103102108

Birthd

ays BY Wayne McConnell

Happy New Year, as we begin a new year together let’s continue to be thankful of our blessings that God has bestowed upon each of us and

our congregation as a whole. We have accomplished a lot of good in God’s name and 2015 promises to be full of opportunities to do more. There is much to be done within our All Things New Campaign goals. I feel that God has laid upon my heart to help this church (congregation) find a way to feed the hungry. Nobody deserves to be hungry. Hopefully, the Capital Campaign funds can help us create the infrastructure that will allow this to happen.

I hope that you have enjoyed eating the menu items that came from Inglewood Farm, local and organic. Please consider purchasing their produce, eggs, and pasture-raised pork; this will support our local farm economy. As it is said “you are what you eat,” so don’t be fast, cheap or fake.

I wish you and yours only the best in the coming year May God hold you & yours in the palm of his hand. We have much to do, take care of yourself, break bread with a stranger (thus making a friend), and may you know God’s Peace.

Got questions about life

2015

#TryAlphaalphausa.org

in January


Kitchen Talk

Live Nativity 2014

January2015 firstconnection

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