FUMC Edna Newsletter

July/August 2021 FUMC Edna Newsletter

Ready to grow?

“ 30 Again He [Jesus] said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."” (Mark 4:30-32)

What church season are we in now that Lent, Easter, and Pentecost have come and gone? We are in Ordinary Time or Kingdomtide. ‘Say what?, why would the church have a season marking ordinary, boring, dull time? Or as some say the Dog Days of Summer.’

“The term "Ordinary Time" does not mean boring, nothing new, or featureless. Laurence Hull Stookey in Calendar: Christ's Time for the Church (Abingdon, 1996) explains that the term "ordinary" as used in the Christian calendar comes from the way the Sundays outside Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter are numbered with ordinal numbers (first, second, third) instead of cardinal numbers (one, two, three). In Ordinary Time, the Sundays are designated as First Sunday after Pentecost, Second . . ., Third . . .and so on.” 1

Sometimes this season is called Kingdomtide because we learn about the Kingdom of God and what it means to live in the Kingdom. The paraments (fabrics matching the season used in the worship spaces) during this season of Ordinary Time or Kingdomtide are green, corresponding with growth in our Christian journey.

Ready to grow? If you say your faith is a small as a mustard seed, don’t give up; God can and wants to work through you, growing your faith and blessing others. Even small mustard seed size faith acts make a huge difference! For it is not in our power, but in the mighty power of God!

What is God calling you to do or be about? Who is God putting on your heart and mind, maybe in your path to share and tell them of God’s love?

What is God calling this church to do or be about? Who is God putting on this church’s heart and mind, maybe in our path or neighborhood to share and tell them of God’s love?

What is 1 step you will take this week and this summer to grow in your faith?

Ready to grow? Lord, open our minds, our hearts, our hands and prepare our way to grow closer to You and to one another! Amen!

Grace & Peace, Pastor Kelli

1 https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/where-the-term-ordinary-time-comes-from July August 1st ~ Soul Food Thursday, Take Out Plates Only, 1st ~ Education Committee, Moon Building, 3 pm RSVP by Mon., June 28th to Church Office, 8th ~ Back to School Celebration: Blessing of the 11:30 am Backpacks, Bibles to 3rd Graders, Praying 4th ~ Independence Day over Teachers, ISD Employees, and 5th ~ Office Closed in Observance of Students, 9 am & 11 am Independence Day 8th ~ Promotion Sunday, 10 am 11th ~ Education Committee, Moon Building, 9th ~ Finance Committee, Moon Building, 3 pm 5:15 pm 19th - 23rd ~ Summer Youth Camp, Layton 9th ~ Trustees Committee, Moon Building, 6 pm Springs, TX, See JP Strickland for more 10th ~ UMW Covered Dish Luncheon, Fellowship Information, Deadline to Register is 7/5 Hall, 11 am 25th ~ Noisy Offering, Helping Hands, 9 am & 10th ~ Little Church School Board, Parlor, 11 am 5:30 pm 26th ~ Church Council, Moon Building, 6 pm 11th ~ Industrial ISD, Back to School 30th ~ Golden Crescent Food Bank Distribution, 12th ~ Edna ISD, Back to School Volunteers Needed, Shelby Park, 9 am 18th ~ September/October Newsletter Submission Deadline 19th ~ Ganado ISD, Back to School 25th ~ Brown Hearing Center, Parlor, 9 am 27th ~ Golden Crescent Food Bank Distribution, Volunteers Needed, Shelby Park, 9 am 29th ~ Noisy Offering, Blessing Box, 9 am & 11 am

Soul Food, delicious lunch on 1st Thursdays at 11:30 am in the Fellowship Hall, lunch served as take-only at this time. A printed devotional is available with each lunch. Please RSVP by contacting the church office at 782-3561 by the Monday prior to the lunch, so we are able to prepare enough food to accommodate those interested! Wednesday Nite Live Girl Scouts Harmony Chimes Rehearsals 3rd - 12th Grade Resumes September 2021 Resumes in 2021 Resumes Fall 2021 Fellowship Hall & Rm 6 Choir Room Fellowship Hall & Moon Bldg. ======********* ======Chancel Choir Rehearsal Lighthouse #2911 Daisy Troop Resumes in 2021 4 pm Every Tues & Thurs, Resumes September 2021 Choir Room Moon Building 6:30 pm, Fellowship Hall

Men’s Ministry

All men who want to deepen their relationship with Christ are welcome to join us every Wednesday at 6 pm in the Moon Building for Bible study, Training and Prayer for how to become better Men of God. Bring your Bible and a friend!

Stop the Bleed classes on May 19th in Edna and June 30th in Ganado went well. Jackson County VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) is planning another class in the Vanderbilt/ Lolita area in later July. “The general public (with little or no medical training) can be taught how to recognize life threatening bleeding when they see it, intervene by packing a wound or applying a tourniquet, and save a life… all in one hour!” For registration and more info, see Pastor Kelli.

Back to School Celebration is scheduled for Sunday, August 8th 9am & 11am. We will bless backpacks, students, church teachers & assistants, ISD employees, and honor 3rd graders with a Bible.

UMW semi-annual Luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, August 10th at 11am in the Fellowship Hall. The Worship Committee asks Worshippers to bring their coins the last Sunday of each month and drop them in the cans. We chose organizations around the area that could use the financial support as they help those in need.

May: UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief): $116.30 was collected and sent in. June: UMC Missionary Guillermo “Willie” Berman: $74.45 was collected and sent in. Thank you for your support!!

July : Helping Hands, 324 E Main St., Edna, Texas 77957 (361) 782-7543 “Helping Hands has been in [assistance] business for years, doling out food, clothes, gasoline vouchers, and financial help with things like utility bills and doctor and dentist visits, but without funding and donations, they are forced to turn people away. The charity accepts monetary donations in the form of cash and checks, and also takes donations of good, usable furniture, clothing, shoes, nonperishable food items, and other lightly used items. Helping Hands, unlike some other charities, sits and meets with those asking for help, and handles things on a case by case basis. They evaluate income, including food stamps, HUD assistance, and child support, and then help with necessities as they can.” (Jackson County Herald-Tribune)

August: Blessing Box - 24/7 micro food pantry box of non-perishable food outside on the Allen St. side of FUMC Edna. “take what you need, leave the rest for others”.

National Day of Prayer: May 6th Brothers & sisters in Christ from many churches gathered at the Courthouse Gazebo to pray for our community and beyond.

Our Praise Band and a few Dear FUMC, musicians from First Baptist Church, I loved everything in the basket y’all put Edna did a great job together for me! I can’t thank this church leading worship at the Edna community enough for y’all’s endless support. Baccalaureate service on May 16th! I’ve been amazed at how evident the Lord is in FUMC, and am so grateful that God placed me here! Dear FUMC, I’m so excited for the next chapter, but I Thank you for the basket full of won’t forget where my roots were planted. amazing items! I am looking for- Love, Kaylee Hanys ward to college & appreciate your support! Sincerely, Rylan Luedecke

Thank you those Thank you to our Little Church School for the $5,000 donation to who contributed Capital Improvements, which helps blood during the us to continue to pay down our TMF Blood Drive on loan on the Education building May 23rd! roof!!!

Mark your calendars for Back to School Celebration, Sunday, August 8th at both church services The church presents our children who are entering the 3rd Grade with a special Bible. If you have a child entering the 3rd Grade OR you know of a child entering the 3rd Grade, please call or email the church office with the child’s name and their parents’ names. 361.782.3561 or [email protected] SAVE THE DATE: Youth Summer Camp July 19-23, 2021 at Latham Springs Camp & Retreat Center, Waco. For students entering 6th – 12th grade. Revive Youth Movement partners with local churches in offering Spirit-filled, Jesus- centered youth camp for Junior High and High School students with the purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ and bringing revival to the youth of our region. For registration, questions, scholarships info, and more, see JP Strickland. Deadline to register is July 5th!

We had a great Vacation Bible School on May 24th—27th, thanks to you and to God!

Mission Trip 2021 June 11th – 20th was great success, thanks to you and to God!

Meet our mission Family! Elizabeth Guerra & Children

Mission Trip 2021 Thank you and thanks be to God for your tithes and offerings!

In addition to giving by way of the offering plate, especially if you are out of town on Sunday or watching the service: ♥ you can bring your financial gifts to the office (216 W. Main St., Edna), there is a secured mail slot in the door for after hours drop off. ♥ snail mail your check (PO Box 790, Edna, TX 77957). ♥ or add First UMC Edna to your bank’s Bill Pay or similar feature (include your name in the notes/ reference section). ♥ Online Giving is available through Tithe.ly. Please see church website: https://fumcedna.org/ for more information.

“Capital Improvements” the account we set up to pay back the loan for the Education building roof, so if/ when there is left over money it could go towards future capital improvements and not wait until we need to replace the Education Building roof again decades from now.

Loan Update: Original Loan Amount: $95,520 Principal Amount Paid to date: $29,300 Interest Amount Paid to date: $4,764.74 Principal Amount Remaining to date: $66,220

First UMC Edna is currently looking for: accompanist substitutes for our weekly Sunday morning 11am Traditional worship service, while we search for our next part-time Music Director/accompanist. If you are qualified and interested in either position, please contact Rev. Kelli Williamson at [email protected] or call church office at 361-782-3561. Please share this article to help us fill these positions. Thank you!

Live Streaming on Sundays at www.facebook.com/fumcedna

We are experiencing challenges with Live Streaming for unknown reasons, but are still attempting to record and post the live recording each week to our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/fumcedna . You do not need a Facebook account to access this from a computer. Without an account a box may appear asking you to log in, you can click “Not Now” (located at the bottom of the box) and the box will shrink. Do we have your current contact information from you? Please take time to update your email, phone, mobile phone, address (physical & mailing), and date of birth for yourself and your family and your anniversary date. If you’ve had any changes in the past year, please verify that the church office received these updates. You may call or email the church office at: 361-782-3561 or https://fumcedna.org/ Or you may submit your update online at https://fumcedna.org/

Interested in assisting us in worship? (greeter, usher, acolyte, Scripture reader, Holy Communion server, sound system tech, etc.) training is available. Please let Pastor Kelli or the church office know! 361-782-3561.

Check out our up-to-date website! https://fumcedna.org Click “Like” on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fumcedna

For all who volunteer or work with children or youth (Sunday School teachers & assistants, Youth Ministry leaders & assistants, Youth Mid-Winter Retreat, Vacation Bible School, Youth Summer Camp, Nursery, etc.): Training certification lasts two years, and all 3 steps can be done online now. Please register at www.riotexas.org/safesteps . If you have questions, please ask Pastor Kelli. Thank you for loving our children, youth, and God!

Pre-K through 5th Grade Sunday School Classes are collecting items for the FUMC Edna Blessing Box *The box is located on Allen Street outside the Fellowship Hall Building Mark your Calendars - Bring your items to your teacher, the 1st Sunday of Every Month! The Children will help their teacher load the Blessings Box.

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done” Proverbs 19:17

Item suggestions: Pull-tab microwaveable mac-n-cheese, Vienna Sausages or ravioli, pull-tab fruits, tear-open Tuna packages, small jars of peanut butter & jelly, gum, packaged nuts & cheese & crackers, toothbrushes & toothpaste, etc. Prayer Request Grey & Adelaide Ann O’Connor Following God’s Prompting Bentley Bacak Kaden Peebles All Those Affected by the Jimmy Bailey Don Petty Coronavirus Isabelle Beltran Jerry & Kathy Powell Our World Brianna Bergstrom Family of Jimmie Quinn Bruce Birdwell Courtney Rozner Lydia & Richard Chapman Nadine Schmeltekopf Dorothy Cherry Nancy Simons Sue Clark Jenny Smiga Dorothy Davis Jason Smith Frances Dragoo Jessica Spring Pauline Ellis Frank Storz & Family Corinne Garza Patsy Storz Sarah Boxwell James Marlene Tedder Jon Lee Tyler Tesch Michelle Loch Beverly Underwood Alroy Malina Larry Vitek Nancy Melton Lylamae Hutcheson-Williams Melvin Mobley Our Congregation

*Prayer request will remain on the list for 4 weeks unless notified otherwise. You may submit your prayer request to the church office* Names in italics are on-going prayer requests.

If you have a favorite recipe you’d like to share in our newsletters, you may submit them to the church office! Avocado Chicken Salad

Salad Ingredients: 2 large cook chicken breast; shredded or chopped 2 large avocados 1 cup corn 1/4 cup chives, chopped 6 oz lean bacon, cooked & chopped 2 Tbsp dill, Chopped

Lemon Dressing Ingredients: 3 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1 tsp salt or to taste 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions: 1. Place all salad ingredients into mixing bowl. 2. Add dressing ingredients to small bowl and stir to combine. Drizzle over salad and toss to combine.

Secretary Rachel Fuller Music Director Open Position

Praise Band Leader JP Strickland

Custodian Victor Cruz

Nursery Director & Attendants Bertha Medina Frances Lindberg Jasmin Baez Wesley Nurse Lindsey Floyd, RN

First United Methodist Church

216 W Main St PO Box 790 Edna, TX 77957 return service requested

Phone: 361-782-3561

E-mail: [email protected] website: www.fumcedna.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fumcedna