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First Uni ted Methodis t Church of
Johnson Ci ty
“Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors””
MAY 2019
“Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God”
John Wesley
First United
Methodist Church
105 North LBJ Drive
PO Box 207
Johnson City, TX 78636
830-868-7414
Website: www.fumcjctx.org
Angela Bacon
*
Sarah Allen
Adult Ministries
Coordinator
Carrie Anders
Youth Coordinator
*
Ronnie Birck
Education Coordinator
Education
@fumcjctx.org
*
Cindy Leonard
Wesley Nurse
Mo-Fr. 8-12pm & 1-5pm
512-771-8783
*************************
Pastor Lee Romero
pastor@
fumcjctx.org
Cell: 361-205-5421
**************************
Worship Services
8:30 a.m.
Contemporary Service
10:50 a.m.
Traditional Service
Sunday
Christian Education Classes
9:40 - 10:30 a.m.
Kids’ Lunch Club
It’s a go again this summer — our program to provide lunches for local children three days a week in the summer, when the school lunches are not in session.
The original idea was to feed low-income kids, and we do, but we also learned they’re reluctant to come if they see it as a charity for the poor, so we opened it for any child who comes in. Plus the adult who brings them. Any youngster who wants lunch gets it.
The menus change day to day, but it’s all nutritious yet kid-friendly food, including pizza, spaghetti, hot dogs, ice cream, and more.
Marilyn Walston did a great job filling out the schedule with volunteer cooking teams, but some of the teams still need another cook or two to lighten the load on the existing volunteers. Raise your hand and we’ll ask you to help prepare lunch two or three times in June and July. With enough hands, it’ll be easy for everyone.
In past summers, the numbers of diners has fluctuated between 10 and 60, with little warning which it would be. We’re changing the schedule this year to try to fix that. We’re serving Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays…the middle of the week…to avoid the days often tacked onto weekends for trips and vacations. We know we’ll have big crowds on Vacation Bible School days, because they’re invited to have lunch with us, and as usual any youth we catch playing basketball will be invited inside, too.
Some of the teams still need an extra hand, though, so please raise yours.
Speaking of Kids’ Lunch Club…
You remember we feed children’s brains as well as their tummies in the summer, by providing books for them to read, and take home, even keep if they like them that much.
And the bookshelves get worked over pretty well, too. Most of the books come back, but not all, and we’re fine with that. But it depletes the collection over the course of
a summer, and now we need to re-fill the shelves.
Please check your shelves for books your own kids (or grandkids) have outgrown, and help us pass them on to a new generation of readers. Anything from pre-school picture books through high school age.
As members of this congregation, we pledge to faithfully participate in its
ministries by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness.
Our Prayers...Lord Hear our prayers: for those who are ill, grieving, or facing difficult times; for those
persons in nursing homes, assisted living and homebound; for our military and civilian men and women serving in
harm’s way and their families; for our leaders, and children everywhere.
Our Presence…
1st Service 2nd Service SS
April 7th 41 53 37
April 14th 82 87 76
April 21st 148 123 200
Our Gifts…
Year to date as of April 27, 2019
Budget Requirements $116,832
Tithes Received $100,511
Different border need
Bruce Ballou, husband of Rev Becky and chief volunteer, found that in the border colonias, the extremely poor
clusters of rural residents all along the border, some families were so poor they couldn’t afford furniture for their houses. Where do they sleep?
Same place they sit: on the floor. Bruce didn’t think children in America ought to grow up sleeping on the floor, so he began building bunk beds for them, and asked if we could help. Pastor Lee and Dave
Hamm built one and we were considering building more to take to Bruce, then we found a source for Army surplus bunk beds for less than the materials
would cost us. With your backing, we can get a child off the floor and into a bed for $75. As soon as
we have the money, we’ll buy a trailer-load.
So why spend that money on kids at the border when we have poor people here at home? Because we know about the colonias, and haven’t found that same need here. If you know of a need for kids’ beds
here, we’ll fill that need first. Until then, we’re collecting money to get kids up off the floor, and
we’ll see where the beds go when we get ‘em.
Wheelchair ramps
Our master builders did one a few weeks ago for a man south of Blanco who was stuck in his home without it, because his wife had difficulty maneuvering him and his chair in and out of the house. The good news is the ramp returned his freedom of movement to him; the bad news is his wife had an eye on some yard work for him.
We’re about to do another one, but this time it’s actually off our turf, in Ingram. Another group was supposed to have built it a few months ago, but the crew disbanded and so we were asked to pick it up. We looked at the site and found we could build it shorter and simpler than the other crew had planned, and set about making it happen. By the time you read this, we should have our design worked out, our materials in hand, and probably the pre-build in Dave Hamm’s shop completed, leaving only the trip to Ingram to assem-ble the parts on-site.
If you’d like to join us, we’d be happy to have you, whatever your skill or ability level.
Treats for Troops
It’s that time again — time for our children to fill goodies boxes for Ft Hood soldiers stationed abroad. As always, our deadline for mailing is Flag Day, June 14th, to arrive over there by the 4th of July.
Our kids will do the work, but they’re depending on you to come through with the box contents: snack foods (that don’t melt), video games and movies, personal toiletries, individual-sized canned foods, music
CDs, batteries, Zip-loc bags, and lots more. If you need ideas, Angie has a long list of suggestions. Or give her a check and we’ll do the shopping for you. Just be sure you do it…the deadline is sooner than
you think.
CHILDREN & YOUTH BOOK DRIVE
Kids lunch club and the JC Community Preschool are in need of books!!
A donation box is set up in the office, if you can help.
Please see Sarah Allen
We are starting Fellowship Dinner Groups!
Each group will consist of people from
1st and 2nd service, who
will gather together to share a meal and enjoy
fellowship with each other once a month.
They can choose
to rotate homes each month or meet at a
restaurant. All can be decided within each group.
To sign-up,
please email: [email protected]
or call Sarah Allen 512-948-5419.
All are invited to join us for BINGO
on Wednesday, May 8th at 10 am
in the Activity Center.
Ministry with Older Adults
goes low-profile
No, the Ministry with Older Adults isn’t going away. We’re just not emphasizing so much the older adult part.
The point was made everything we’ve been doing and planning for older adults could appeal to some who don’t consider themselves older adults, but would be put off by thinking the activities are only for old people. Everything the group’s done is suit-able for not-so-older adults, whether it’s for their own enjoyment or for assistance with family mem-bers. Besides, not all us older adults consider our-selves all that old.
So the older adults group will still function, still do its activity planning, still aim at having a couple of activities every month, just as we've been doing. We just won’t call them “older adult activities”. If you’re not one but still want to go to the movies with us, or play bingo, or come to a lunch-and-learn roundtable, you’ll be welcome. We don’t ID.
Moms Connect
Join us every Tuesday
for a bible study and
fellowship with other moms.
Tuesdays at
6:00 pm
in the
Fellowship Hall
Border ministry takes new turns
Our border ministry has had some changes in the past month, mostly in response to changes in US policy and practice concerned asylum-seekers.
Customs and Border Protection began processing and releasing refugees in greater numbers, cutting down on the number waiting across the river, but increasing demands on our folks on this side who help them get a meal, a change of clothes,
and a bus to San Antonio. A hundred or more a day began coming through Eagle Pass, where our pastor there, Becky Baxter Ballou, and a couple of volunteers gave them a bit of help to get through town and on their way. At the same time, they began releasing about 50 a day through Del Rio, giving pastors there time to organize before ramping up to the same levels as Eagle Pass.
We helped get food, clothes, diapers, health kits, and money to both cities, but the need is ongoing and has only increased. The Del Rio pastors persuaded the city to lease them a building for an overnight shelter for migrants moving through, but they have to renovate it before use. In Eagle Pass, the Catholic church has begun helping Becky a bit, but none of the others are pitching in.
The newest development is that in Eagle Pass, the numbers have risen beyond the CBP’s ability to process asylum-seekers and deliver them to the bus station, so they cut rides to the bus station. Now Becky’s volunteers have to check by at the CBP office regularly to see whether there are any refugees milling about outside, trying to figure out how to get out of town.
Some of the help for Eagle Pass came directly from Johnson City; some indirectly. The Seventh-day Adventists, our partners in the annual Disaster Used Clothing Drive, delivered a truckload of clean, sorted, packaged clothes to Becky. She thanked them profusely for their gift, but they said most of the clothes originally had come from the Methodist collection last winter…they just stored it for a year. The next day, the same Adventist truck was in Johnson City, picking up this year’s clothes to get ready for the next disasters.
Disaster Used Clothing Drive
It’s done for another year, and successfully, too, despite a severe complication.
The done part came when the Seventh-day Adventists came by in their truck and loaded up at our church, then our volunteers went with them to help load at the Baptist and Christian churches. Had a good haul, too. Not a record, but a respectable total, which was just fine considering the complication.
The complication was that even before we started our collection on Ash Wednesday, we already had been collecting used clothes for the Methodist Mission: Border Hope in Eagle Pass, which at that time was aiding the asylum-seekers stuck on the Mexican side of the border, and suffering in their Central American summer clothes as our North American winter caught them unprepared.
Happily, you came through with enough clothing for both needs. We were able to keep the refugees warm and at the same time help the Adventists prepare for the tornadoes, floods, fires, and hurricanes we can expect later this year.
That two-collections-at-once complication came full circle, too. The truck which picked up our collection for the coming year’s needs had come straight from Eagle Pass, where it had delivered clothing from last year’s collection for the migrants being released by the Border Patrol.
Thoughts from the
Center Office
“15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and
walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them,
“What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces down-
cast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem
who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet,
powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rul-
ers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped
that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Luke 24:15-21a
This scripture I have always found interesting. It speaks to our human nature and how we react. Cleopas
and his friend are headed back home to a place called Emmaus. As they are walking Jesus comes up to
them and asks them what is going on. As I read Cleopas asks him in a sarcastic town; “Are you the only
one that doesn’t know what is going on?” Well, what do you think…
As we heard the question on Easter Sunday; “Where are they, where are we looking for Jesus?” The plans
that they had for Jesus; “the prophet, powerful in word and God and all the people.”…”but we had hoped
that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”
You see they were caught up and looking at it from a human perspective not a God, not a Jesus, perspective.
They were only worried about Israel, about themselves. Do we ever do that with God? Are we are only
concerned with how God is dealing with us and our situations. How do we wrestle with ourselves and with
God?
Do we forget John 3:16-17?
“16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to
save the world through him.” John 3:16-17
Wherever we go whatever we do, let us not forget that Jesus came into the world to not only save us, but the
entire world. Let us carry that message during this Easter season, and all our days to come.
God’s Blessing,
Pastor Lee
A Note from your Wesley Nurse
Our chair exercise group is still going strong and helps us with strength and balance. Come join us.
Our Spring GriefShare is helping those that need support and comfort during their difficult time of loss. This is
a wonderful God filled program. We will provide GriefShare again in the Fall. If you know anyone that could
benefit please let us know.
May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Jude 1:2
Did you know that Blanco county is 3rd in Texas for highest number of conscientious exemptions. And this does not count home schooled children.
What is a Conscientious Exemption?
In accordance with Texas Administrative Code §97.62, Texas law allows for an exemption from immunizations for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief. To claim an exemption due to reasons of conscience, a student's parent or legal guardian must request, sign, and submit an official DSHS affidavit form to the child's school. The affidavit is valid for two years.
Note: Students who haven't received the required immunizations for reasons of conscience may be excluded from school in times of emergency or epidemic declared by the Texas Commissioner of Health.
Texas school and child-care facility immunization requirements are determined by the state legislature and set by the Texas Department of State Health Services, in conjunction with the Texas Education Agency.
Maintaining adequate immunization rates in schools is critical to preventing disease outbreaks and ensuring the health of Texas children.
Children and teens need to stay on schedule to get the best protection possible.
No parent wants to protect their child halfway. So they need to stick to the schedule.
Vaccines can keep children safe from 16 harmful diseases. And they need every dose to help protect them. Did you know:
There are 626 reported cases of the Measles in 21 states which is the report from 2019 only. This number is expected to rise. This is the second-greatest number of cases reported in the US since measles was eliminated in 2000. The majority of measles cases are in New York City and New York state, which are primarily among the unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities and associated with travelers who brought measles back from Israel. Measles is highly contagious and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. If one person has it, up to 9 of 10 people around them will also become infected if they are not protected. This virus can cause serious health complications, such as pneumonia or encephalitis, and even death.
What can we do to prevent Measles? CDC encourages parents to get their children vaccinated on schedule with the MMR vaccine.
Department of state health services<[email protected]
Cindy Leonard, RN, is a Wesley Nurse with Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. (MHM). MHM’s Wesley Nurse program is a faith-based, holistic
health and wellness program committed to serving the least served through education, health promotion and collaboration with individual and community in
achieving improved wellness through self-empowerment. Learn more at www.mhm.org.
MAY
LECTIONARY
May 5, 2019
3rd Sun of Easter [White or Gold]
Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)
Psalm 30 (UMH 762)
Rev 5:11-14
John 21:1-9
May 12, 2019
4th Sun of Easter
Mother’s Day (USA) [White or Gold]
Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23 (UMH 754 or 137)
Rev 7:9-17
John 10:22-30
May 19, 2019
5th Sunday of Easter [White or Gold]
Acts 11:1-18
Psalm 148 (UMH 861)
Rev 21:1-6
John 13:31-35
May 26, 2019
6th Sun of Easter [White or Gold]
Acts 16: 9-15
Psalm 67 (UMH 791)
Rev 21:10, 22-22:5
John 14:23-29
May 30: Ascension Day [White or gold]
Acts1:1-11
Psalm 47 (UMH 781)
Eph 1:15-23
Luke 24:44-53
Please remember and pray for our nursing
home residents, those in the hospital
and shut-ins:
Dolores Bozeman, Doris Hartmann,
Elnora Kneese, Yvonne Leonard,
Irma Nell Simpson
Sunday School Classes
FELLOWSHIP – led by Bill & Elaine Swiss.
New members and visitors are welcome to join in
for a study on Andy Stanley “Guardrails”. The
class meets in Fellowship Hall, located near
the Sanctuary.
JOHN WESLEY – led by Barbara Hudson. Please join
us in the John Wesley room for a David Jeremiah
6-session video study, “Overcoming”. He explores
the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18 and provides
practical ways for believers to equip each piece and
persevere from a place of victory in Christ.
SEEKERS – The Seekers class is studying “The Book
of Romans”. We welcome know-it-alls because the
rest of us certainly are in the don't-know-it-all
category. Join us no matter who you are.
YOUTH - All 6th—12th graders join us in the Youth
Room for our study on “Women of the Bible”.
CHILDREN – PreK-5th Grade is studying “Lets Follow
Jesus”. All classrooms are upstairs accessed from
the hallway by the church office.
Tom Hardy
May 15
Harper White
May 18
Porter Dunnaway
May 19
Brady Liesmann
May 19
Donna Felps May 21
Langdon Odiorne
May 21
Denise Porter May 21
Erin Dahmann
May 22
Ingrid Moursund
May 23
Lillian Sanders
May 23
Tommy Levitt
May 25
Shannon Riebesehl
May 25
Randy Rutherford
May 28
Dick Wiemers
May 28
Mason Roberts May 1
Levi Urbanovsky May 1
Glenn Sultemeier May 4
Sawyer Lynn
May 7
Barbara Scaife
May 7
Cage Schnitz May 7
Kathy Knudson
May 8
Whitney Walston
May 8
Marlene Edwards
May 9
Carol Summy May 10
Norma Honeycutt May 13
Brit Odiorne
May 13
Kay Culp May 14
Autumn Moursund
May 14
Ann Godwin
May 15
Happy Birthday!
Happy Anniversary!
Edward & Cynthia Keene
May 6
Jim & Kay Odiorne
May 10
Jim & Ruth Ann Spencer
May 15
Mitchell & Holly Liesmann
May 18
Shane & Jerry Ann Buck
May 21
Tommy & Amber Fry
May 22
Our Prayer Group
is meeting
May 1st @ 6 pm
in the Prayer Chapel
by the basketball court.
Everyone is welcome!
First United Methodist Church PO Box 207 Johnson City, TX 78636 Return Service Requested
May 2019
Hand folded and sealed with love especially for ...
Worship Services
8:30 a.m. - Contemporary Service
10:50 a.m. - Traditional Service
----------------------------------------------------
Christian Education: 9:40 - 10:30 a.m.
***************************************************
The church office is open: Monday - Thursday 9 am - 12 & 1 - 4 pm
Office Phone: 830-868-7414 Pastor Lee’s cell 361-205-5421
Pastor’s email: [email protected] Secretary’s email: [email protected]
Adult Ministries Coordinator: [email protected]
Youth Coordinator: [email protected] Education Coordinator: [email protected]
Visit our Website: www.fumcjctx.org
The mission of the Congregation of the First United Methodist Church is to continue to be a
committed fellowship of disciples sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and furnishing a
place of Christian worship, programs, services and facilities for its members and the people of the
Johnson City area.
“A Place to Grow in Christian Love”
