February, 2010

Please call or email the church office with your articles and upcoming events: 903-583-3314 email: office@fumcbonham.org

web site: fumcbonham.org.

Special Offering Sundays

The United Methodist Church is connectional. We stay connected through our district, conference, and general church support of outreach and missions. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is one example of that connection. Six times during the year United Methodist congregations celebrate church-wide Special Sundays with offerings. Your offering of God’s gifts allows us to share in important ministries around the world. For more information about these Special Sundays, visit www.umcgiving.org. In addition the North Texas Conference also asks that we help support the ministries of Golden Cross, the Methodist Mission Home in San Antonio (destination of last year’s youth mission trip) and the Methodist Children’s Home in Waco. To accommodate these special offerings, the communion rail offering has been designated for each month. Sunday we will use the communion rail offering to support Golden Cross which supports medical services for those in need of healing who cannot otherwise receive it. Celebrate your health and access to health care by giving generously to the communion offering this Sunday.

            Special Offerings at the Communion Rail

            January - Haiti Relief

            February - Golden Cross Sunday

            March - One Great Hour of Sharing

            April - Native American Ministries Sunday

            May - Peace with Justice Sunday

            June - Conference Mission Emphasis

            July - Feed My Sheep

            August - Feed My Sheep

            September - Golden Cross Sunday

            October - World Communion Sunday

            November - Methodist Mission Home, San Antonio

            December - Methodist Children’s Home, Waco

Super Sunday School Family Feud

Who are you rooting for? The Saints? The Colts? Come root for your favorite Sunday School class as they compete in questions about "What makes United Methodists different? This Sunday at the Sunday School hour, we will be sharing fun and fellowship and a little friendly competition among the Sunday School Classes as we play "Family Feud: United Methodist Family-Style." In recognition of all the attention geared to the gridiron, we’ll be participating in some games of our own. Two teams comprised of the various Sunday School classes will compete in answering questions about "United Methodism." They will try to think like the lay leadership of our church and we’ll see who has the most matches. We’ll have Food! Feuding! And Fun!

Upward Basketball

            Upward Basketball continues every Saturday at the Family Life Center. We invite everyone to come and enjoy a game or two. This is a ministry of our church to our community. The children and volunteers are having a great time. We have devotionals and the fellowship is wonderful. Come on out and join us at the Family Life Center.

            The Upward Awards Ceremony will be next month, March 2.

United Methodist Women

Monday, February 8

6:00 p.m.

Family Life Center

Breakfast at the Heights

Schedule for February

 

Feb. 7 - Chris Wood & the Scouts

Feb. 14 - Liz Talbert & Volunteers

Feb. 21 - Gwen Murray & Free Agents

Feb. 28 - Liz Talbert & Family Sunday

           

The Beggar’s Corner

Sharing the Gospel is like one beggar showing another beggar where they may both find bread

—Martin Luther

"Roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy" (1 Pet. 1:13-16, The Message)

The Church leadership met last Monday night to vision and choose three focus areas for our church for the coming year. The group prioritized these areas: Children’s ministries, Bible study and Spiritual Formation, and Youth and Young Adult ministries. We are looking for people to serve on task forces to set goals and serve in ministries geared to these areas. I am eager to get a cross-section of people on each task force; unless everyone in the church supports the focus, the program will not be sustainable. If you are interested in serving on any of these Task Forces, please let me know. The process will look something like this for each task force: We pray and plan, God provides, we adjust to join God at work. So, "roll up you sleeves," put your mind in gear...And let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness." Amen.

Lord, as you will; and as you know, have mercy.

Blessings,

Liz

Choir News

As we begin February the choir is meeting at 6:30 pm, Wednesdays in Fellowship Hall. We are beginning rehearsals on the Easter Cantata, "Joy in the Morning".

On the isle of Patmos, John, the beloved disciple, mused and reflected, "How can I tell the marvelous story of our Lord’s life, death, burial and resurrection?" The answer became the Gospel of John, the basis of "Joy in the Morning."

Super Celebration Sunday

Please remember to pray, complete your "Plan of Giving" Card, and bring it to church Sunday morning to be placed on the altar during the worship service!

Lenten Bible Study Begins

Noon, Thursday, February 18

Noon on Monday, February 22

We will be meeting in Fellowship Hall at noon on Mondays during the Lenten season. We will be studying and discussing 1 Corinthians. Please join us.

The First United Methodist Preschool Closes

The Preschool closed its doors at the end of January. Many factors played a role, but the biggest one is the fact that the church was not a major influence or support in its operation. In the final weeks there were not enough staff to keep it operational and not enough students to support the program. We are not closed due to construction-but since there is no heat, that is a blessing. We are not closed due to deficiencies from the state licensing authorities-we were visited and only one deficiency having to do with moving temporarily across the street to the Family Life Center without notifying the state licensing agency was cited. I am reminded of this truth, "unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24). A new weekday childcare program will be explored as part of the focus on children’s minstry.

United Methodist Women

United Methodist Women are making prayer shawls for the UMW Assembly to be held in St. Louis, Missouri. The shawls may be sewn with fabric, knitted or crocheted with suggested size of 65 inches long and 32 inches center back. If you would like to help the UMW with their mission project, please turn your finished shawls into the church office before February 18th so that the shawls may be blessed on Sunday, February 21st by Liz. The consecrated shawls will be mailed by March 1 so they may be placed on display during the UMW Assembly. After the event the shawls will be distributed to Global Missions Institutions and persons in physical and/or spiritual need. Mary Campbell from our local group will be attending the Assembly in St. Louis. We are asking you in the spirit of Faith-Hope-Love in action to use your skills to share warmth and love with others.

            Our vision is turning faith, hope and love into action for women, children, and youth around the world who may be hungry, abused or oppressed. We are working to dismantle the systems that created these conditions. We have a strong commitment to helping women grow in faith, hear God’s call in our lives and find ways to offer ourselves.

            Please join us at our meeting this Monday, February 8, 6:00 p.m. at the Family Life Center.

Non profit Organization

US Postage PAID

Bonham, Texas 75418

Permit No. 148

Military Prayer List

Rebekah Cowley, USMC                                             Andrew Jones, US Navy, Oklahoma

Patrick Kelley, USMC                                                 Michael Page, USMC, North Carolina

Wendell Smith, US Army, Iraq                                     Douglas McDonough, US Army, Iraq

Robert O’Neill, US Army, Iraq                                     Shawn Thomas, US Army, medically retired

Cherie Thedford, US Army, Virginia                             Jesse Grace, USAF, Nevada

Daniel Herman, US Army, Hawaii                                 Tanner Boyer, USAF, Texas

David Hodge, US Army, Iraq                                       Ben Walker, USMC, Hawaii

Tyler Boyer, USAF, Afghanistan                                   Sean Compton, US Army

Mark Olinger, US Army, Virginia                                  Patrick Horton, US Army

Jeff Nichols, Iraq                                                          Nathan Anderson, USMC, Iraq

Kevin Littrell, USMC, California                                   Ryan Campbell, US Army

Carl Foster, US            Army Rangers                                      David McDonald, US Army

                                               

Prayer Concerns

Connie Petrich, Mildred Lindsay, David Glasscock, Juanita Blalock, Emily Sanderson, Francis Moody, Louise Moore, Ruth Stevens, Tom McDonald, Mary Lou Kissinger, John Lindsey, Jimmy Martin, Ray Lovelace, David Turner, Terrie Echols, Cindy Cook, Callie Caylor, John Winn, Lou Horn, Paula Galyon, Juanita Jamieson, Susan Hicks, Vurlenda Hill, Rhett Fregia, Hazel Simmons, Ed MacConnell, Kathy Ball, Phil Holman