MARCH 2008
VOL 3 ISSUE 3
MARCH 2008
VOL 3 ISSUE 3
Soaring Eagles
I was looking back at old newsletter information last week and saw that last March I shared with you my apprehension and, to be honest, fear of change. We were at that time praying and planning for the start of the ARISE contemporary worship service and I shared with you my unfamiliarity with contemporary worship and yet our need to begin that type of service. Today as I look back on that feeling and the planning for the start of the ARISE worship experience, I am proud of the efforts from the laity of our church that have been made to make it happen. The service has been well received and we now average 45 worshippers there each week.
I have learned through this and other similar experiences that God will never allow us to sit idly by. There is always a new adventure waiting just around the corner, if we are willing to faithfully take the first step. As March approaches once again, I find myself writing to you about another new adventure on our horizon.
In my sermon on Sunday, February 17th, I shared with you about the new conference-wide capital funds’ campaign, “Offering Christ Today for Tomorrow, for the purpose of starting new churches. Some who were present were able to view a video produced by our conference about this exciting new opportunity. (I apologize to those of you for whom we could not get our technology to function properly at the early and ARISE services.) If you were not present on Sunday, never fear, more information will be made available in the coming days and weeks. There will be other opportunities to view the DVD presentation, or you may borrow a copy of the DVD from the office. If you’d like to view the sermon on this subject, it has been posted on our web site, or audio tapes are available from Bill Parrish (thanks, Bill).
To quote Dr. Mike Lowry (Executive Director of New Church Development and Transformation – Sw Tx Conference), he says, “Offering Christ Today for Tomorrow is truly a work of the Lord. It is a response to the Great Commission, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you…’ (Matthew 28:19-20, NRSV) What is at stake in this great kingdom building effort is no less than the issue of whether or not our children will be Christian.”
Friends, won’t you join me in making this project a reality in Southwest Texas? Our church family will be making a congregational pledge toward this project. May I ask you to assist as well? First, please pray with me for this vital mission. Secondly, please prayerfully consider making a 3-5 year individual financial commitment to the work of creating new places for worship for the future of Methodism in the Southwest Texas Annual conference. If you have questions or want more information, I will be glad to visit with you anytime. What a wonderful opportunity for us. Thanks be to God!
Blessings
Ellen
CONFIRMATION CLASSES TO BEGIN
Reverend Ely will conduct the annual confirmation class for all 6th grade students beginning on Sunday, March 9th. The class is open to all 6th graders or older students who have not had the opportunity to receive this training and be confirmed as full members of the church. Parent class participation will be required for the student to participate. The class will be held each Sunday morning (excluding Easter Sunday), from March 9th – May 4th during the Sunday School hour. The confirmation service will be held on Mother’s Day (May 11th). All parents of 6th graders or other potential students are invited. For more information, please call Reverend Ely in the church office (756-2229).
Graduating seniors of our church should be aware that the deadline for submitting an application for a $750 Scholarship is April 15th. Please note that applications received after this date will not be accepted unless other arrangments have been made between the applicant and the Scholarship Chair.
This fund was established by the generosity of the members of the church to benefit all of our youth and we would hope that all seniors would give it serious consideration.
Requirements for qualifying for this scholarship are very minimal and high school seniors are encouraged to pick up an application at the church office.
Should you have any questions please contact the church office at 756-2229 or myself at 756-7013.
Blessings, Bill E. Foulds
COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE FOR MARCH March 4th 6:00 p.m. SPRC March 11th 5:30 Worship Committee March 11th 6:30 p.m. Trustees March 13th 6:00 p.m. Futures Committee March 18th 6:30 p.m. Finance Committee March 18th 6:00 p.m. Arise! Planning Meeting March 24th 6:30 p.m. Administrative Council March 27th 6:00 p.m. Education Committee March 27th 6:00 p.m. Stewardship Meeting March 30th 12:15 p.m. (approx.)Youth Council Bring a Friend Sunday March 9th Each year during Lent we plan a Bring-a-Friend Sunday so that
others may come and worship with us and experience God’s healing and
redemptive power. This year, the date for this event has been set for
Sunday, March 9th. Although we always welcome and celebrate visitors,
this is a day when we make an intentional effort to invite friends, co-workers, neighbors or others who do not have a church home. Please begin praying now about who you can invite for Bring-a-Friend Sunday. Who do you know that does not have a church home and
is in need of God’s love and the presence of the Body of Christ in their
lives? We all know at least one family who fits this description. Invite them
and come, share the joy of the Body of Christ with them! Mission Opportunity First UMC in Eagle Pass is seeking volunteers of all ages to help rebuild homes of
tornado victims. Lodging, tools, supplies and instruction are provided.
Opportunities are now available through summer ’08. For more information
contact Monica Rich at interfaithcomm@gmail.com or call (830) 773-3409. NURSING HOME MINISTRY Helping present a short church service at the Oaks Nursing Home on
the 3rd Sunday of each month, can cheer the hearts of residents living
there and fill your own heart with gratitude and compassion. Evelyn
Sandner (756-2307) and Jackie Roberts (793-6383) have signed up
volunteers through the month of March but would like to have some new
names to add to their list for the months ahead. If you would be willing to be a (1) song leader (2) pianist or (3) deliver a short (5 min. devotional),
please call one of these ladies to choose a date to participate. You'll be
glad you did! SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT AND RECYLING Many of you are good about bringing aluminum cans to BFUMC's
recycling bin and also taking glass, newspapers & magazines, etc. to the
large container in the Wal-Mart parking lot near the theatre marquee. But
Evelyn and Jackie also challenge you to take some type of carryall bag
to the grocery store so that we can help cut down on the use of plastic
bags! HOLY WEEK & EASTER SUNDAY SCHEDULE This year Easter’s early arrival on March 23rd has caught us all off guard!
This year we will celebrate Easter earlier than any other time since the year
1913! Please take note of the worship activities at our church during Holy
Week: March 16 Palm Sunday – children will sing and bring in the palms (10:50) March 20 – Maundy Thursday service in Sanctuary at 7 p.m. March 21 – Ministerial Alliance Good Friday service at Burnet Presbyterian Church – noon (Rev. Ellen Ely preaching) March 23 – Easter Sunday! 7 a.m. ARISE! Sunrise Service-FLC 8:15 a.m. Traditional Easter Service in Sanctuary 10:50 a.m. Traditional Easter Service in Sanctuary Please plan to bring your family as we celebrate Resurrection! MARCH BIRTHDAYS 2nd Julie Collins 4th Bud Green, Kiley Burton 5th Ruby Glover 7th Julia Lokken, Mary Brown 8th Glenn Mahaffey, Benjamin Johnson, Korlee Carruthers 12th Margaret Brown, Sherrye Faulkenberry, Lori Blend 15th Alice Leech, Margaret Collier 16th Jo Foulds, Hailey Hibler 17th Josh Scott 18th Kathy Snider 19th Jann Barnett, Jill Ringstaff, Jesse Benjamin 24th Jeff Gastineau 26th Avery Donaldson 28th Dorothy James, Frank Stone 29th Ladema Jones, Tim Roberts 31st Mae Brown APRIL BIRTHDAYS 2nd Katie Radford 4th Joyce Bohn 5th Ken Caldwell, Maddie Donaldson 8th Ty Holbrook 10th Sam Garrett 11th Sarah Winn 12th Eddie Snider, Henry Golson 13th Nancy Thompson 14th Seth Collins 15th Nathan Orman 16th Susan Collier, Melody Pauling 18th Taylor Thompson 19th Laura Green 20th Sarah Richter, Devin Farrell 21st Susan Scott 22nd Jennifer Saunders 24th Susie Oughton 25th Ray Johnson 26th Ruth Read 27th Wesley Cain, Lisa Bullock 29th Dee Blue, Ben Rundzieher, Jessica Robinson 30th James Rundzieher The Publisher apologizes for any birthdays left off this list. Please help us
update our records. Call or email and give us your birthday! March brings about anticipation for Spring Break which begins March 17th. But before we leave for break we will have our Easter parties and egg
hunt on Friday, March 14th. And when we come back to school on March
24th it will be SPRING! We have received a very warm and rewarding “Thank You” from the
grandparents of one of our Scholarship recipients. They are so thankful for
the generousity and loving care of Bluebonnet Country Preschool and
FUMC that has given their grandchild the chance to have the love,
kindness and stability that is so needed in his life at this time as they had
lost everything and were afraid he would not be able to continue at the
preschool. We have a waiting list for all our classes for the coming fall. Our Preschool
Board Chair, Nancy Richter reports that the Playground Renovation plans
are being firmed up and should be ready to present to the Admin Council
next month and we are hoping construction can begin on June 1st and
finish by August 1st..
MEMORIAL GIFTS TO FUMC-BURNET The following gifts in memory of friends and family were given in January: Designated Playground Fund In Memory of Russell Milliken by: Ms. Toni Garner, Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Hawley, Ms. Donna Kladstrup,Mr. Bud Green, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Taylor, David & Kathy Chandler, Mark & Susie Chandler, Robert & Gaye Benningfields, Mr. & Mrs. Brad Milliken, Mr. & Mrs. Bill Milliken, Margery & Bill Felps In Memory of Nelda Green: Mrs. Randa Lyda In Memory of Barbara Williams: Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Brown In Memory of Harvey Muegge: Ms. Wanda Ham In Memory of Sonny Mason: Mr. & Mrs. Paul Taylor Designated Joy Choir Fund In Memory of Gus Norman: Mr. & Mrs. Don Hendley Designated Scholarship Fund In Memory of Gus Norman: Ms. Jo Foulds, Ms. Mary Ann Stubbs In Memory of Sonny Mason: Ms. Jo Foulds, Ms. Mary Ann Stubbs In Memory of Russell Milliken: Ms. Jo Foulds, Ms. Mary Ann Stubbs The following gifts in memory of friends and family were given in February: Designated Playground Fund In Memory of Russell Milliken: Ms. Freda Greenfield, Mr. & Mrs. Bennie Greenfield, Mr. & Mrs. Herman
Greenfield In Memory of Marilyn Rundzieher: Cindy Gerdes Undesigated Memorials In Memory of Marilyn Rundzieher: Mr. & Mrs. Tim Roberts, Ms. Gail Oberta Designated Scholarship Fund In Memory of Marilyn Rundzieher: Ms. Mary Ann Stubbs, Mr. & Mrs. Bill Foulds In Memory of Lambo: Ms. Jo Foulds In Memory of Randall Hibler: Ann Wise We need your recipes!! We are gathering recipes to put together a new church cookbook for our
first fundraiser of 2008 for the FUMC/Bluebonnet playground. If you would
like to send your recipes in by email, please submit to
dsclark123@earthlink.net or drop them by the church office. Anyone
interested in helping, please contact Debbie Clark at 355-3219. We need a minimum of 100 recipes to make the book. Thanks to all who
have dropped off their treasured recipes. Feel free to add to the ones
you have already submitted.
Next weekend is Daylight Savings Time. Time to spring forward. I love this time of
year. Spring is coming & with it regeneration & new birth. Look around…new
baby lambs, calves, & other animals. The tender shoots of green peaking
through the brown of winter. Easter is a time for regeneration & new birth. Aren’t
we glad that we are Easter people & not people of the darkness & sorrow of
Good Friday? New life emerging from the darkness of the tomb. The youth will be conducting the ARISE! Service on the 30th of this month.
Dorothy Rowland will again deliver the message. We will have a skit by the youth
& other exciting & high-energy types of worship. As usual the Sr. High students will
be going to Church Under the Bridge on the 3rd Sunday, to serve with Christ’s
hands & feet. We will be watching the “Passion of the Christ” during Sr. High
Bible Study on the 12th. For fun & fellowship we will travel to Austin to watch an
Ice Bats game. We have lots of fun & meaningful activities planned. We’d love
to have any & all who want to attend! Spring Break for our school district is the same as Holy Week this year. I pray that
those of you who will be traveling with your families for vacation during this time
will take some time out to pause & think about what this week is really all about.
Time to pause & reflect that while Christ made the ultimate sacrifice, He was
thinking of each of us…individually & collectively. It’s very hard for me to get my
mind wrapped around this concept. In this busy season of springing forward let’s pause for a few moments &
remember what the Psalm says, “Be still and know that I am God”. Let’s look for
God in the still, small things. In His perfect love, Donna “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love and in faith.” 1 Timothy 4:12 Nurse Ministry Submitted by Marjorie Bronk MARCH, 2008 Late Night Snack Demons Sabotage Diet 2. Starve All Day = Eat all Night. Eat throughout the day so that you don't feel
hungry at night. Starving yourself during the daytime makes you even more
hungry at night. Small, healthy meals during the day will help your overall diet by
keeping your metabolism steady. 3. Drink Instead of Eat. If you feel really hungry, don't automatically reach for
food. Try drinking some hot water, broth or tea to soothe your appetite and fill
your stomach somewhat. Avoid fruit or sweetened drinks as the sugar is not good
for you. Avoid alcohol before bedtime, also. 4. Stay Busy Throughout the Evening. If your downfall is snacking while being a
couch potato get off the couch! Try going for a walk to curb the craving and
burn off calories, too. 5. Replace junk Food With Healthy Snacks. If you must have a late night snack,
make a conscious effort to make it a healthy snack. Turn your house into a junk
food-free zone to help keep temptations at bay. Fruits, vegetables, almonds are
obvious choices to satisfy your craving with fewer calories. Remember Ellen's
comment about the fast food "dollar menu" choices. 6. Make Sure the Dinner you Eat is "protein-heavy" to help stop the carbohydrate
cycle. Protein helps stop the craving for carbohydrates and levels out your blood
sugar. 7. Portion Out Snacks. Portion control is the secret of weight maintenance. All
foods can fit a healthy diet, but only in a serving size that makes sense of your
goals. Example: one ounce of pecans (small handful) has about 190 calories; a
whole cup can have 1480 calories! 8. Learn to Differentiate Between Hunger and Boredom. Are you really hungry or
just need something to do with your hands? The same principal applies to
smoking. Do you smoke from habit or boredom? 9. Se a Snack Time Limit. For example, promise yourself that you will not snack
after 8 PM and then stick to it! REMINDER: Pam Hawley asked that I remind our congregation (especially "new"
members) that we have a good supply of "used" medical equipment available
for use by any one. It is offered on a "loan" basis, unless we identify a permanent
need. Then it can be given to the individual. We have a variety of walkers;
wheelchairs; a variety of canes; bedside commodes; shower chairs; two power
chairs; crutches; raised toilet seats; an over bed table; an IV pole; and an
electric bed. If there is a need, call the Church or Marjorie at 756-2756. 
(Dr. Michael Steelman, January, 2008, Active 8)
Late night snacks may be the downfall of diet plans and ruin the best intentions
to stay on track and lose weight. Our inhibitions are lower at night and make it
harder to avoid things we know are bad for us. A well-planned snack can be a
good thing during mid-morning or mid-afternoon to help spread out calories and
give the body a metabolism jumpstart and energy boost. A late night snack can
be lethal to weight loss plans.
Here are a few tips to help:
1. Brush Your Teeth. This helps curb the appetite and your dentist will thank you!
Only you can change your habits. Remember-all habits can be broken and
replaced with new and healthy habits. Create a healthy habit and keep
repeating it so that your new plan becomes "routine." You will see the difference
as your health improves and this will motivate you to continue. AND REMEMBER,
YOU'RE ALWAYS WORTH IT!
MUSIC NOTES
KID’S CHOIR
Kid's WNL (Wednesday Night Live) choirs will sing on March 2nd during the 10 a.m. celebration when all three services will be combined. Then they will also sing on the third Sundays in March and in April. Perhaps some students can do special numbers on into May and the summer months. I am willing to work with students if parents call me. (793-6383) With so much talent evident in these students, I dislike waiting until fall session of WNL to have them sing for you. They could sing at any one of the 3 services and have my help and support. Thank you families! Jackie Roberts (793-6383)
BELL CHOIR
The Bell Ringers have been thrilled to have another new member. Judy Ritchie has made our #6 steady bell ringer! So many of our former members have had to drop out temporarily due to family, job and health concerns. We pray for them and look forward to the day when they can rejoin us. We will ring on Easter and will soon be practicing new numbers for spring and the 4th of July. Leaders of our music have to always be planning ahead. We thank Kristine Robinson for her leadership and Peggy Barnett for being a great technician. She keeps our equipment in repair. We welcome anyone who'd like to learn to ring. We all can laugh at our mistakes so no one needs to feel intimidated.
JOY CHOIR:
Many are aware that our Choir Director, Rachel Barnes, is doing her student teaching and it won't be long now until her graduation from Southwestern University. She will be keeping her eyes open for a qualified applicant to succeed her just as Matthew Darby did in recommending Rachel when he had to leave. The wonderful news is that Rachel and her fiancé, David Smith, will be marrying in our sanctuary in June. David sings in our choir when he is available. Two young and beautiful voices are so appreciated. Our choir members would love to have new persons joining them. They have been faithful to serve for many years and wouldn't we be sad if we did not have them there to lead us in worship? Are you willing to share your musical talent by joining the Joy Choir?