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May 2012
518 North 19th StreetBirmingham AL 35203
www.firstchurchbhm.com
ConnectionsFirst Church Newsletter
an OPEN place for ALL to WORSHIP, GROW, and SERVE
A World Turned Upside Down
Grace and Peace,
In the fifth chapter of Matthew, Jesus delivers what we now call
the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount. What he teaches in these
powerful statements is that much of what the world teaches us to
value does not lead us into a closer fellowship with God. It is the
meek, not the powerful, who inherit the earth. It is the
peacemakers, not the victorious conquerors, who are called the
children of God.
We also live in a world that sees our differences as reasons to
divide us. The wealthy and the poor live in different worlds and
have no relationship, eventually viewing each other as the source
of their problems. Race, gender, and sexual orientation become
categories we place people in, reinforcing an unspoken message that
because we are different, one must be better than the other. We are
right. They are different, and therefore, wrong.
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he talks about the
body of Christ as a place where all the different parts are valued.
His example is understandable, brilliant, and far-reaching. What
would life be like with-out our left foot, our right eye, our nose
or even our mouth? What would a church be like if everyone who went
there was a right hand? Paul clearly makes the point that our
differences are part of what make us stronger. We cannot function
properly without people who bring something different to our
community.
First Church continues to become more diverse, and part of what
makes that possible is the way the people of First Church value
each individual who walks through the door. The love and grace that
we wrap someone in, whether they are a first-time visitor or a
long-time member, is the tissue that connects the different parts
of the body so that it can function as one.
In the fictitious Gospel of Keith, I would summarize the Body of
Christ at First Church this way, “Blessed are the different, for
they make the body stronger.”
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WHEN GOD SAW the destruction and depravity of the people in
Egypt, God did not bring another flood, rather God sought to lead a
group of people to freedom and to teach them how to live in real
com-munity. If the Hebrew people could learn a new way to live,
they could be a model to help the world learn how to be God’s
people. Everyone would find that they had a place in this
life-giving, manna-sharing, and equality-distributing community.
Together we will journey through Exodus to learn the important
lessons that teach us still today how we can be God’s people.
SIGN UP FOR NEW COMPANIONS IN CHRIST GROUPS BEGINNING IN MAY
EXPLORING THE WAY is the initial six-week group on understanding
and deepening your experience of God. It will help you to ask
questions of faith and discuss relevant issues in a safe place. It
will help you discover (or rediscover) a way of grace, joy, and
peace - indeed, the way of Christ himself. Led by Amy Parsons
Vaughn, this group meets at the Parsonage at 308 Gran Ave.
Homewood, on Tuesday evenings with the first meeting on Tuesday,
May 8, 6:00pm. Sign up by contacting Claudia Burgin at
[email protected] or (205) 254-3186.
FEEDING ON THE WORD is a six-week introduction to the many ways
of meditating and praying with Scripture. It will help you explore
the depths of the Word, learn to listen to God through it, and
allow your life to be shaped by it. Led by Dale Sanders, this group
will meet in the Church Parlor on Tuesday evenings with the first
meeting on Tuesday, May 8, 6:30pm. Sign up by contacting Claudia
Burgin at [email protected] or (205) 254-3186.
May 20 “Letting Go” Exodus 2:1-10
May 27 “Growing Pains” Exodus 5:6-23
June 3 “Leaving Home” Exodus 12:31-42
June 10 “Manna” Exodus 16
June 17 “House Rules” Exodus 20:1-17
June 24 “Tent Meeting” Exodus 25:1-9Exodus 40:34-38
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The daily Bible story time will highlight a couple of the
aspects of an explorer: curiosity, courage, using available
resources, and teamwork, as demonstrated in the life of a Bible
character. During the morning gathering time, we will provide each
group with a real life “explorer” who compliments the day’s Bible
character. Percussion will be led by John Scalici and Claudia Lewis
of Get Rhythm, an interactive rhythm program designed for kids.
There will also be exciting adventures with art, music, and hip
hop.
Register your K - 5th Grade campers NOW on the church website or
pick up a registration form in the Lobby of the Education
Building.
To make this camp a success, we need volunteers of all ages. If
you have only one hour or the whole week, please make plans to join
us! We need shepherds to work as group leaders, helpers with art
and music, helpers to prepare meals, and volunteers to help with
set-up and break-down.
If you’re interested in being a part of this year’s City Kids
ARTS Camp please contact Linda Underwood at
[email protected] or (205) 254-3168 ext. 115.
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START MAKING PLANS TO ATTEND CITY KIDS ARTS CAMP IN JULY!
This year’s theme, EXPLORE, promises to help our kids experience
the world around us
beginning right here at First Church!
Make plans to stay for a church-wide lun-cheon at 12:00pm
Sunday, May 20 in the Large Dining Room. Following the lun-cheon,
our City Kids Choir will present Holy Moses! at 1:00pm in The
Loft.
Holy Moses! features the cast of “Trading Places” as they
explore the details of a He-brew home and an Egyptian palace to
dis-cover the story of Moses. Together we will journey from baby
Moses to the Plagues, the celebration of Passover through to the
Exodus, the 10 Commandments, and end in the Promised Land. You
won’t want to miss our City Kids Choir as they have worked hard to
present Holy Moses!
June 24 “Tent Meeting”
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The April Serve Event was a great success with more than 30
people participating! Members of First Church partnered with
Community Church Without Walls to visit homebound members of the
West End Commu-nity. We divided into three groups with the first
group visiting those living in their own homes. The second group
visited an independent living community for the elderly and
disabled and the third group visited Alzheimer residents of the
Princeton skilled nursing facility. Following the Serve Event, we
joined together for incredible food and fellowship at Urban
Ministry.
Bring your mowers, weed whackers, garbage bags, and gloves as we
clear vacant lots to help bring beauty to West End
neighborhoods.
Want to carpool? We will meet at First Church at 8:30am and
drive togeth-er or you may meet the group at Urban Ministry at
9:00am (1229 Cotton Avenue Southwest, Birmingham, AL 35211)
Optional lunch after serving!
For more information contact Janna Pennington at
[email protected]
or sign up on the Serve page at www.firstchurchbhm.com
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In addition to our May 12 event, we will gather the following
dates and times to Serve together in 2012:
June 23 - CCWW has invited us to take a break from service to
party with them in the Urban Ministry Garden for the 2012 Summer
Solstice Party! This is a summer festival with music, food, arts,
activities for kids, yoga, etc.
July 14 - (9:00am-12:00pm) We will be working at the West End
Library to help with shelving books, cleaning up, and preparing the
Library for the upcoming school year.
August 11 - (9:00am-12:00pm) We will help the staff of Urban
Kids (located at Urban Ministry) clean up from the summer
activities and prepare the space for the new school year.
If you are interested in volunteering at any of the monthly
Serve events contact Janna Pennington at [email protected]
or go to the Serve page at www.firstchurchbhm.com.
Each Saturday that we serve you are invited to meet at First
Church at 8:30am to carpool out to West End or you may meet at
Urban Ministry (1229 Cotton Avenue Southwest, Birmingham, AL
35211)
at 9:00am. We will have a light lunch after each Serve Event for
those who are able to stay.
By now, you may have noticed that First Church is gearing up to
send a mission team to Cienaguita, Panama again this summer. We are
currently raising funds not only to help cover trip costs, but,
like last year, we hope to be able to leave behind a gift to help
with ongoing ministry in Panama. This month we will continue our
fundraising events with a Mother’s Day Breakfast as well as looking
ahead to Dinner Under the Stars. We hope you’ll plan on
participating in these upcoming events as the Panama Mission Trip
is something the entire church can celebrate. We look forward to
this incredible journey and experience with each of you and thank
you in advance for your support!
MOTHER’S DAY BREAKFAST - SUNDAY MAY 13Give Mom the day off and
let the 2012 Panama Mission Team prepare breakfast for you. Come to
church early for a great breakfast and fellowship, all for a great
cause.
DINNER UNDER THE STARS - SATURDAY JUNE 9Enjoy the downtown
Birmingham cityscape from First Church’s rooftop. Relax and relish
appetizers as you watch the sun disappear below the horizon and the
lights from the adjacent buildings cast a soft glow over the night.
Then enjoy an exquisite meal prepared just for you as live music
serenades you throughout the evening. This is an experience you
won’t want to miss!
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Pre-School Arts CampJune 11-13
This will be a mini camp created just for preschoolers with
age-appropriate music, crafts, Bible stories, games, and snacks.
The camp includes children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old.
We are looking for volunteers as well as kids to come and help us
make this camp a success!
Giving BasketThis month for the Giving Basket let’s help our own
City Kids ARTS Camp. They are in need of new pillow cases, acrylic
paint (preferably bright colors), paintbrushes, and medium textile
(this can be found at Hobby Lobby or Mi-chael’s). Donations may be
dropped off in the usual locations: the baskets next to the Chapel
in the Office Building, or next to the Welcome Center in the Lobby
of the Education Building. If you wish to make a monetary donation,
please makes checks payable to FUMC, and put “Arts Camp” in the
memo line (or on the envelope). As always we greatly appreciate
your support of the Giving Basket!
Annual Conference 2012May 31 - June 2 at Birmingham-Southern
College
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to
the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in
all.” Ephesians 4:4-6 (NRSV)
The Guest Speaker will be Rev. Michael Slaughter, Lead Pastor of
Ginghamsburg UMC. Bible Study Leader will be Bishop James E.
Swanson, Sr., Bishop of the Holston Conference. The Memorial
Service will be Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 7:00pm at Trinity UMC.
The Ordination Service will be Friday, June 1, 2012, at 7:30pm at
Canterbury UMC. The Service of Commissioning and Licensing will be
Saturday, June 2, 2012, at 8:30am at Bill Battle Coliseum.
Beginnings Service of PrayerSunday May 6, 8:30am, St. John’s
Chapel
The second of four quarterly church-wide services of prayer in
2012 will be a time of quiet music, meditation, and lifting
concerns in prayer. If you are seeking a quiet space to pray, or
seeking prayers for yourself or a loved one, you are warmly
invited.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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MONDAYS:Zumba - 12:00pm
THURSDAYS:Muffin Men - 6:45am Zumba - 12:00pm
FRIDAYS:Men’s Prayer Breakfast - 6:45am
WEDNESDAYS:Breakfast at Reconciler - 9:20am Prayer Shawl
Ministry - 5:00pm Collision Bible Study - 6:00pm Chancel Choir
Rehearsal - 6:30pm
SUNDAYS:Beginnings - 8:30am Sunday Breakfast - 9:15am Sunday
School - 9:30am College Coffee Hour - 10:00am The Loft - 11:00am
Sanctuary - 11:00am
TUESDAYS:Zumba - 12:00pm Exploring the Way - 6:00pm The Artist’s
Way - 6:30pm Feeding on the Word - 6:30pm
MAY - 16THGarden Club - 11:30am
Executive Council - 6:30pm MAY - 28TH~ Office Closed ~
MAY - 27TH~ No Sunday Evening Activities ~
MAY - 31ST~Youth Week ~
~ Annual Conference ~
MAY - 14THShepherding Council - 6:00pm
MAY - 20TH~ Senior Sunday ~
Church-Wide Luncheon - 12:00pm
City Kids Musical - 1:00pm
MAY - 13THBreakfast Fundraiser - 9:00am
College Lunch - 12:00pm
MAY - 12THServe Saturday - 9:00am
MAY - 10THCollege Study Day - 10:00am
MAY - 6TH~ Confirmation Sunday~
Prayer Service - 8:30am
Bridge Club - 6:00pm
MAY - 3RDSupper Club - 6:00pm
MAY - 8THFinance Committee - 12:00pm
MAY - 17THTheology on Tap - 6:00pm Vincent-Bernhardt -
7:00pm
CALENDAR OF EVENTSMAY
Weekly Calendar
City Kids - 5:15pm Collision - 5:30pm Strengths Finder - 5:30pm
Yoga - 5:45pm
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firstCHURCH
BIRMINGHAM
firstCHURCH
BIRMINGHAM
an OPEN place for ALL to WORSHIP,GROW, and SERVE
518 North 19th Street • Birmingham AL 35203205-254-3186 •
www.firstchurchbhm.com
Senior PastorKeith Thompson
PastorAmy Parsons Vaughn
PastorStephanie Arnold
FIRST CHURCH BIRMINGHAM STAFF
Choir DirectorJim Cook
Loft Worship Blake Hobbs
Music DirectorMark Hayes
Children’s DirectorLinda Underwood
CDC Executive DirectorRobin Pate
College / Young Adults DirectorKatie Gilbert
Youth DirectorJonathan Goss
Administrative Asst.Robin Baker
Membership SecretaryClaudia Burgin
Wedding DirectorNonna Tindal
Operations Director Al Craig
Financial Asst.Peggy West
Nursery DirectorGinger Gambill
