March 1, 2018

Worship with Us

Sunday

10:00 a.m. - Sunday School

11:00 a.m. - Worship Service

5:00 p.m. - Jr. High Youth

6:30 p.m. - Youth Snack Supper

6:30 p.m. - Sr. High Youth

Wednesday

5;15 p.m. - Children’s Choir Rehearsal

5:45 p.m. - Wednesday Night

Dinner

6:30 p.m. - Gravity / Youth

6:30 p.m. - Children’s Bible Study

6:30 p.m. - Adult Bible Study

6:30 p.m. - Chancel Choir Rehearsal

Phone: 903-389-2225 www.fumcfairfield.org

Pastor

Dr. Richard Heyduck

Youth Director

Scott Grow

Director of Music

Mykle Ann Wright

Organist

Cynthia Outlaw

Secretary

Tonya Roberts

Noah's Ark Director

Cynthia Outlaw

The Staff of

First UMC Fairfield

First United Methodist Church

The Servant Preparing for Easter Last year we had a tremendous Easter celebration. We had over 400 in attendance. Now, it might not have felt that way, especially if all you experienced was a single worship service. We had that many people between our three services – sunrise, 9am and 11am. I’d like to do that again this year. It’ll take people – you! – stepping up like you did last year. How can you “step up?”

The first thing you can do is pray. Pray that God will draw people. There are two groups of people to pray for in this regard: insiders and outsiders. The insiders are those who are already members of the church. If we have all our members come Easter Sunday – and no one else – we’ll have over 500! Outsiders are those who don’t have a church home. (More on that last bit in the next point.) Pray for people who are not connected to any church to come join us Easter Sunday.

We also need prayer for what we do that day. We need prayer for the preaching (and preacher), for the music (and musicians), for ushers, greeters, technicians, and nursery workers. We’re not out to just have a bunch of people here. Our mission is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ.” As a preacher, I want whatever I say to be true to the Gospel and said in a way that people can hear. I also need my voice to work all morning, i.e., not laid low by allergies or anything like that. We also need prayer for our musicians. Our instrumentalists are stretched as it is. Some play with constant hand pain. Pray for their strength, ability, and stamina. It’s also a good idea to pray for God to raise up more musi-cians. We could use pianists, guitar players, drummers, etc.

A second thing you can do is invite people. You’re already praying for God to bring people. Now you put yourself at God’s disposal to be his agent in connecting people to the church. You can do this verbally, through telling them of what’s happening. You can do this on social media. Best of all, you can actually bring people with you. Remember: our mission is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ.” It’s NOT our mission to empty other churches. If all the other churches in the area are full on Sunday, that’d be great! There are plenty of people out there who aren’t currently involved in any church (though they may have a historic connection with some church) that you can invite. As you pray, ask God to show you who these people are that he wants you to connect with.

Third, pay attention. When you’re here on Easter Sunday (and any other time!) pay attention to the people around you. Keep a sharp eye out for people you don’t know or who may be new. Sure, it might be that it turns out someone you welcome as a newcomer has been a member longer than you. In our quest to make people feel welcome (a key step in “making disciples of Jesus Christ”), we may make some mistakes. Most of us aren’t blessed with perfect recall of names and faces. We have to work on it – and tolerate occasional errors. But it’s important enough to connect with people that we’re willing to do it.

We cannot fulfill our mission – either the specific mission of bringing people in on Easter Sunday, or the larger mission of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of

the world” – unless every member, every body part, is fulfilling its role. We cannot do it without you. So I’m praying for you this Easter that, among other things, you’ll experience the tremendous joy of being used by God to accomplish his kingdom purposes here and now.

Senior Sunday, April 29th

Graduating is a very important milestone that we

would like to share with you.

Chris Fulcher Kealie House

Madelyn Gallegos Banner Monico

Kamri Griffin James Reed

Noah Van

If you have a 2018 graduating senior that is not on this list, please

contact the church office at 903-389-2225 or email Scott Grow at

scott@fumcfairfield.org.

Spring is always a busy time of year! In March, GloriBells will be ringing on March 4. The Chancel Choir will be leading you in Worship. They will also have special musical selections on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. The Children’s Choir will be singing with the Chancel Choir on Easter. The GloriBells will also be playing that Sunday. It will be a wonderful Easter! I hope you can make one of our Services that day.

The GloriBells will be playing the first Sunday of each month through May. We will end our season play-ing at the nursing home on Reunion Street. The Children’s Choir has truly been a blessing this year. The kids are always so excited to sing and praise the Lord.

As always, there’s still room for YOU in our music programs! If you feel you are being called to help in music, please let me know and I can find a place for you! God Bless,

Mykle Ann

FUMC FAIRFIELD SCHOLARSHIP

Fairfield First United Methodist Church provides a monetary scholarship to one of its graduating seniors who has demonstrated outstanding service to our church, as well as to their school and community. This single scholarship is being funded through the generosity of the United Methodist Men, the United Methodist Women and anonymous donors from the congregation.

The scholarship process involves an application which is reviewed by a selection committee of FUMC members who will determine the recipient. The scholarship will be awarded at our Senior Banquet and may also be presented at the Fairfield High School’s award’s assembly in May. Our congregation’s 2018 seniors will receive information about the scholarship in the near future, including an application.

Any members who wish to contribute to this scholarship may submit checks made out to Fairfield United Methodist Church with a notation on the memo line “Senior w2Scholarship.”

Sunday Servers Dates March 4 March 11 March 18 March 25 April 1

Acolytes

Mason Copeland Cole Coufal

Landon Cockerell Mason Copeland

Bella Grecu Dafne Haigler

Cameron Cockerell Anderson Cruce

Carolyn Dunlap Lily Steward

Counter Mike Steward Josh Varner Seth Anderson Bobby Daniel Loften Dunlap

Lay Readers

Donna Senter Ava Grecu Ellen Jones Emma Copeland Kevin Benedict

Ushers Jenny Calame, Steve Grecu, Sonny Schick, Von Wade

OFFERING

February 4 February 11 February 18 February 25

$11,050 $ 5,817 $ 4,496 $

Estimated Monthly Expenses $40,000 to $45,000

Total $21,363(as of printing)

Happy Birthday!

Date Name(s)

3/2 Karla Keaton

Riley Ralstin

Amanda Moore

3/3 Paige Emmons

Jacob Day

Cooper Cole

Angela Bonner

Lauren Scott

3/4 Steve Rash

Taylor Thorne

3/6 Lisa Horton

Timothy Gillen-Hall

3/7 Parker Varner

Madison Alexander

Karen Micheletti

3/8 Andy Jones

3/10 Amanda Jones

3/12 Catherine Scott

Date Name(s)

Christopher Scott

Rileigh White

3/13 Jason Scott

3/15 Kara Doyle

3/16 J.B. Mason

3/17 Asher Young

Earline Swain

3/19 Kayla Grecu

3/20 Judy Schick

Matthew Defriend

3/21 Mason Daniel

Camille Grow

3/22 Grayson Holcomb

3/23 Dylan Lott

Jane Owens

Craig Dunlap

3/24 Patricia Pratt

3/25 Katherine Wade

Date Name(s)

3/26 Dianne Murden

3/27 Nicole Crawford

Debbie Rash

3/28 Paul Sandlin

Kenna Coufal

Jeffrey White

Nathan Dunlap

Brownie Utley

3/29 Preston Scott

Michael Steward

Jake Robertson

3/30 John Epp

Donnie Farris

Jake White

Nicole Hughes

3/31 Claire Haden

Summer Camp Registration

That's right, as previously mentioned, registration for summer camp 2018 is already open! We will be attending week 4, July 8th-14th, and you can register online at https://lakeviewmcc.org/summer-camp/parents/. Once you register make sure to chose pay by check and then let Julie Myers or Scott Grow, scott@fumcfairfield.org, know that you have registered so we can keep you informed of fundraisers and pass along important information to you as we get closer to time for camp.

If you have multiple kiddos going, or think you might need some help covering costs for summer camp, it is important for you to register now so that you will then be able to apply for scholarships through the camp. These scholarships are limited so make sure to register early if you think this will be a need!

Shoe Drive Update: Hey everyone just wanted to let you know that between the schools, church, and preschool we were able to put together 69 total bags of shoes. This means we raised a total of 1,725 pairs of shoes that will give people in Haiti a new lead on life. Thank you for your support!

Friday March 9th- 12:30-10 p.m. Pinstack $15 - Laser Tag, Bowling, Arcade, Rockwall all you can eat!

Sunday March 11th- Game night for youth- join in for some nerf related mayhem

Thursday March 15th- 3-5 p.m. Game night

Friday March 16th- movie night- Black Panther - Time TBD

Our Annual Cake & Pie Auction will be coming soon! Get ready for some goodies!

Memorials & Honorariums

Gifts to Capital/General Building Fund

In memory of Kirby Thornton by Heidi Owens, Greg & Katherine Jackson,

Mark & Jane Phillips, J.R. Corne

In memory of Tom Tedrow by Danny & Carolyn Robertson

In memory of Joe Clark by Danny & Carolyn Robertson

In memory of Billie Pearson by Danny & Carolyn Robertson

In memory of Roy Casey III by Danny & Carolyn Robertson

In memory of Jean Born by Danny & Carolyn Robertson

In memory of Carol Bonner Hallbauer by Danny & Carolyn Robertson

In memory of Myrtle Walthall by Danny & Carolyn Robertson

In memory of John Perona by Danny & Carolyn Robertson

In memory of Lyle Red by Gary & Marilyn Toothman, Charlene Ezell,

Sam & Billie Bournias, Jerry & Jenny Calame, Jane (Tillie) Owens

Gifts to Noah’s Ark Fund

In memory of Charlcie Utley by Danny & Carolyn Robertson

**Remember to indicate the person or persons for whom your memorial or honorarium is dedicated and to what fund it is to be

credited: General, Capital Building, Choir, Youth, Music, etc.

Wednesday, April 4th Noon

50+ will not meet in March, but will resume April 4th.If you’re over 50, bring a covered dish and join others for lunch

in the Fellowship Hall. You don't have to be a member of FUMC to attend. Bring a friend!

Free Income Tax Service for all Ages

For the 4th year Taxaide volunteers will be preparing tax returns at FUMC, every Thursday from 9am - 2pm, starting Feb 8th through April 12th. Please bring your photo IDs, social security cards, last year's tax returns and 2017 tax documents.

If you have any questions please email janephillips00@yahoo.com.

If you are interested in furnishing a meal for someone in our church family who is in temporary need,

please call the church office at 903-389-2225 and leave your name and number or sign up in the

church foyer.

Thank you, The Nurture Committee

March 07 Chicken Puttanesca 14 No Meal Spring Break 21 Balsamic Beef 28 BBQ Chicken

April 04 Cranberry Orange Pork 11 Greek Chicken with Tzatziki 18 BBQ 25 Chicken Scallopini

Contribution Statement If you do not receive your contribution statement, please let me know.

I will get it to you as soon as possible. Thanks, Lela (254) 472-0014

SPOTLIGHT ON FAMILY MINISTRIES

Have you heard of our new outreach program, CROSS TRAINING? It’s a wonderful Christian environment for kindergarteners through 5th graders to attend after school on WEDNESDAYS from 4-5:15 p.m. They receive help with their homework, story time with devotional, healthy snacks and fun physical activity in the gym.

About 20 children, 10 from our church and 10 from the community, are attending each week; some of them are Spanish speakers. Several students stay for the Children’s Choir that meets from 5:15 – 5:45 p.m. Most of the children ride the bus to FUMC from school.

Three – four students sit at a table in the Youth Common Area upstairs with one adult volunteer. Many teach-ers (Terry Dunlap, Karen Micheletti, Donna Senter, Suzanne Leadbetter, Betsy Monico, Trish Kingsley and Julie Ann Medford) from our church assist with their areas of expertise. Other volunteers include Mike Steward, who also helps with homework and serves as a male role model and Tracy Awalt who coordinates snack volunteers. Nicole Crawford arranges for 2-3 high school youth from FISD Beta Club to also help tutor the students. The high school youth get to add this community service to their resumes for college.

God laid the idea for this program on Julie Steward’s (775-771-8198) heart. She was a latch-key child during her Jr. High years as her mother finished a nursing degree, and felt the need for this opportunity in our community. The absence of a YMCA or other after-school program leaves youth open to obvious dangers and temptations when home alone, but some parents are left with no alternatives for after-school. Julie met with Coach Carroll Cain, principal of Fairfield Elementary, and sent intermediate school teachers a letter describing the program asking them to refer children who were falling through the cracks. This successful program started in September 2017.

Julie’s vision for this program is for it to benefit more students as volunteerism allows and to involve several other churches by designating one day a week for each church to host, so that the whole week could be covered. It’s open to the whole community so pray for this new ministry, tell others & find a way to VOLUNTEER (bring snacks, assist in an activity).

Church Office and

Noah’s will be closed Friday, March 30th

STRENGTH AND ENCOURAGEMENT

Patsy Ahlfinger

Katie Anderson

Sharon Anderson

Dale & Eunice Barker

Prissy Bautista

Debbie Blair

Billie Bond

Joe Bond

NeKeisha Chin

Eleanor Clark

Jimmy & Paula Clark

Donny Cockerham

Juliette Coleman

Bill & Jan Collins

Sheri Cuba

Julie Curington

Shelia Dove

Arthur Griffin

Luke Harris

Bob & Frances Henley

Nick Henley

Mary Heyduck

Phyllis Hunt

Reed Jackson

Gina Jameson

FUMC PRAYER MINISTRY

Betsy Keller

J.B. Mason

Randy Mitchael

Sue Montgomery

Harold Moore

Jimmy Onstott

Margaret Orand

Oliver Osborn

Chris Perona

Shara Rickett

Carolyn Robertson

Judy Schick

Gwen Schlabra

Vito Schlabra

Larry Smith

Lester Smith

Mary Smith

Jerry Speed

Jesse Terry

Carolyn Thorne

Gary Toothman

Megan Turner

Keith Wedige

PERSONS IN LOCAL NURSING HOME FACILITIES

Jeane Beasley

Claudine Gibbs

Edith Gillen

Norma Helm

Don McLeod

Bob Pearson

Eva Beth Shinn

THE MEN AND WOMEN SERVING IN OUR ARMED FORCES

Ryan Aiken

Dalton Barker

Daniel Barker

Damon Box

Jordan Burton

Robert Cortez

Brandon Cruce

Kyle Grecu

Brady Jackson

Chris Marr

Brandon Read

Ty Salazar

Mike Steward

The worship services are available on CDs. Worship CDs may be picked up at the church office. If they are not available,

please tell the church secretary and she will make sure you get one.

Sermons are available for listening on the Church web site: www.fumcfairfield.org/media/sermon-audio

Breakfast Sunday, March 11th 7:30 a.m., Fellowship Hall

First United Methodist Church 201 North Mount Street Fairfield, Texas 75840 903-389-2225 www.fumcfairfield.org

Non-Profit Organization

Bulk Rate U.S. Postage

PAID

Fairfield, TX

Return service requested

Time value mail please expedite

We thank God for………………….

Easter Egg Hunt

Wednesday, March 28th After A.W.E.

Ages 3 through 5th gr.

Children will meet in A.W.E. Kids classroom

If you would like to contribute “stuffed eggs,” a collection box will

be placed in Narthex.

Palm Sunday

Children Wave Palms Sunday, March 25th at the

11:00 a.m. service. All interested children meet in your Sunday

School Classroom

Will sing Sunday, March 25th 11:00 a.m. Worship

Come hear the wonderful voices!

SATURDAY March 24 We thank You Lord for a place in which to worship!

SUNDAY March 25 Oh, God give us words to say to help others find You -please! MONDAY March 26 Give us a good nights sleep, tonight, Lord, please! TUESDAY March 27 God, give us the strength that we need today! WEDNESDAY March 28 Dear God, thank You for giving us the things that we’ve asked in the last few days - we know You love us! THURSDAY March 29 Help us each day as we try to wit-ness for You, our God!

FRIDAY March 30 Forgive us Lord, for the times we’ve forgotten Your love this month.

SATURDAY March 31 Oh, our God, we thank You again, and Always, for drying our tears.

Call To

Prayer

First United

Methodist Church

201 N. Mount

Fairfield, Texas

March 2018

THURSDAY March 8 Thank You Lord for a glass of iced tea, even on a cool day, thank You! FRIDAY March 9 Remember today to thank our God for having someone to love, Yes! SATURDAY March 10 Dear God, take care of us today in Your love! SUNDAY March 11 We have so many things for which to thank our God - how about our lives? MONDAY March 12 Take time now to pray for our pastor who needs our support. TUESDAY March 13 Ask God today (and everyday!) to bless and keep Your children safe! WEDNESDAY March 14 Pray today for God to show you His will in your life! THURSDAY March 15 Today, accept what He says about His will for your life!

FRIDAY March 16 Pray today for a precious friend, who’s always there for you! SATURDAY March 17 Do you see your neighbors every-day? Pray for them now!

SUNDAY March 18 Remember your parents today in God’s love. MONDAY March 19 Thank You Lord for something decent to watch on television. TUESDAY March 20 We thank You, today Lord, for Your never - ending mercy towards us! WEDNESDAY March 21 Dear God, we treasure our time alone with You - thank You.” THURSDAY March 22 Oh my God - oh my God - how can we say we love You in one sen-tence?

FRIDAY March 23 Dear God, again, we praise You for giving Your Son for our Salvation!

THURSDAY March 1 Its one liner time again - tell God now “I love You Lord and I will do Your will!” FRIDAY March 2 Thank You Lord for all you’ve given me over all my years! Yes! SATURDAY March 3 We thank You today Lord for Christian television that shows us Your truth! SUNDAY March 4 Help us Lord to do more in Your name as we live each day. MONDAY March 5 Guide us this week Lord and help us to do for others! TUESDAY March 6 Thank You Lord for quiet days to be able to think only of You and Your love! Yes! WEDNESDAY March 7 Lord, help us today to speak kind words to those who don’t know Your love.