FIRST THINGS SEPTEMBER, 2016
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
501 Church Street, Sweetwater, TN 37874
423-337-7903
Email: office1@sweetwaterumc.org
Website: www.sweetwaterumc.org
Church Staff:
Ron Fisher, Pastor Anne Wilson, Administrative Asst.
Jacqueline Mason, Children’s Minister Melinda Hendricks, Custodian
Crystal Ragan, Youth Minister Patricia Richesin, Organist
Larry Orr, Senior Adult Minister Janet Standridge, First Kids Director
Margareth Urias, Music Minister All Christians, Ministers
“Glorifying God—Offering Christ
Making Disciples—Serving Others”
REFLECTIONS from PASTOR ron
Becca & I just got moved into the
parsonage. I am grateful to Pam Morris,
Chair of Trustees and the many volunteers
who prepared the house for our arrival.
Pam arranged for the furniture to be moved
out to make room for our things. Pam &
many volunteers cleaned and painted the
parsonage. Our furniture was moved to
Sweetwater on Monday, August 22. The
movers brought two truckloads of furniture
to the parsonage and left about 11:30 pm.
We were worn out but not as exhausted as
the movers.
It will be a while before we get
things in order at the parsonage. We have
plenty to do at our house in Lenoir City as
we approach "Closing Day" which is on Au-
gust 29. We have lots of stuff to sort
through and much cleaning to do. The buy-
ers were scheduled to do a walk through
on Sunday, August 28. My real estate
agent called and said the date was
changed to Thursday. I immediately be-
came overwhelmed wondering how we
would get it done. The prayer I turned to for
strength was, "Give us this day our daily
bread." This is the prayer I have been pray-
ing since I began preparing my house to be
put on the market.
Life is filled with overwhelming mo-
ments. Instead of losing heart we must fo-
cus our sight on God who empowers us at
all times in life including those times that
overwhelm us. The words of the Apostles
Paul come to mind, "I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me."
Each day is filled with challenges
and struggles. Let's remember to look into
the face of God before we face the day.
The song, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,
reminds us, “Look full into his wonderful
face and the things of earth will grow
strangely dim in the light of his glory and
grace."
Many blessings,
Ron
ENGAGE, The Event of the summer
Bring your family and friends and join us for a wonderful Combined Wor-
ship Service in the FLC on Sunday, August 28 at 10:30 am featuring Doug
Richesin, Beth Burkey, Michael Rodgers, the Chancel Choir, the Worship
Team and the Men’s Choir. Following the service, everyone can enjoy
food and drinks, displays, games and other activities. Also at this event
you can sign up for WNC Small Groups. Bring a chair and join in the fun!
MUSIC & WORSHIP
HYMN SING NIGHT
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
7:00 PM IN THE SANCTUARY
The Chancel Choir and Men’s Choir would like to
invite you for the third annual Hymn Sing Night on
Sunday, September 20
th
at 7:00 pm in the Sanctu-
ary. We will be singing many of the wonderful
hymns that proclaim the majesty and glory of our
God and tell of the wonderful love of Jesus Christ.
Please invite friends and family to join us on that
special night of worship.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT CONNECTION
BEGINS ON
SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 IN THE FLC
It’s always so exciting when we begin our Wednesday Night Connection (WNC)
sessions with activities for all ages to include the whole family! You can come to enjoy a
nice meal prepared by members of our congregation and have fellowship with old and new
friends, followed by a variety of interesting Bible studies available for adults of all ages.
The youth, grades 6-12 can join us for dinner and then resume their own activities including
Bible study and fun activities with the Youth Director, Crystal Ragan.
The children, K-5th grade, can attend choir with Miss Margareth and this is open to all chil-
dren in the community. This semester they will be preparing for the musical “All About that
Baby” to be performed on Sunday, December 4th at 5:00 pm in the FLC. This group also
can attend WEB (Wednesday Evening Bible) with Miss Jacqueline for Bible studies, fun
crafts and play time.
There are sessions for the tots, ages 1-4, for preschool Bible studies and preschool choir.
They love being a part of the musical in December too.
We even have a nursery for the babies.
So please plan to come for a very enjoyable family night. You are welcome to attend all or
part of the activities. The time schedule is below.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT CONNECTION SCHEDULE
Sep 7—Preschool Bible (1-4) begins on Wednesdays from 4:30-4:45
Sep 7—Preschool Choir (1-4) begins on Wednesdays from 4:45-5:00
Sep 7—Children’s Choir (K-5) begins on Wednesdays from 5-6:00
Sep 7—WNC (Wednesday Night Connection) begins on
Wednesdays with a meal at 5:30 pm. Adult Bible Studies
will begin on Sep 14.
Sep 7—WEB (Wednesday Evening Bible) for children (K-5)
@ 6:15.
The Nursery for the little ones is available every Wednes-
day evening.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT CONNECTION
SMALL GROUP ADULT BIBLE STUDIES, FALL 2016
The Call: The Life and Message of the Apostle
Paul- by Adam Hamilton
Follow the journeys of Paul, beginning with his dra-
matic conversion as he spread the Gospel through
modern-day Greece and Turkey to the early church
sites, and explore Paul’s conversations with the Ro-
mans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippi-
ans, Colossians, and Thessalonians. In this six
week study, you are invited to experience faith
through Christ’s greatest teacher and missionary.
Facilitator: Ron Fisher 6 weeks. Audience: All
Beautiful Mess—Sherry Surratt and Tracey
Eyster
As much as women desire to become mothers,
sometimes the challenges and circumstances are
not what they ever expected. Being a mom is won-
derful, but it’s also hard. Moms wonder: Am I
enough? How can I love today when my child is de-
liberately disobeying me? How did I get in this
mess, and why can’t I get it together? Motherhood
is a beautiful mess. And, regardless of the season,
it requires balance and time management with the
strength of a CEO! Along the way, women often
feel like they’ve lost themselves and wonder what
God is doing in their lives or if they are getting any-
thing right. This study helps each mom discover (or
remember) that she is the mom God chose for her
children, and she is a beautiful mom. Facilitators:
Beth Killingsworth and Hannah Camp Audience:
Moms with young children *Will be held at Beth
Killingsworth’s house on Wednesdays from 6:00-
7:30
Good and Bad Girls of the Bible- by Liz Curtis
Higgs (No book needed- just a bible).
Examine the lives, situations, and personalities of
eight women from the bible. Some of these women
play prominent roles in the bible, while others are
barely mentioned. Yet, each of them have some-
thing to teach us about what not to do, as well as
how to live a better life in Christ. The design and
questions discussed will have people look at their
own lives and see how we can learn from our own
mistakes. Facilitator: Tony Martini 8 weeks. Au-
dience: All
Armor of God- Patricia Shirer
All day, every day, an invisible war rages around
you. A cunning, devilish enemy seeks to wreak
havoc on everything that matters to you—your
emotions, your mind, your family, your future.
But…….when the enemy meets a woman dressed
for the occasion, he fails miserably. Join Patricia
Shirer in this study that will challenge you to suit up,
stand firm, and secure victory in your life. Facilita-
tor: Kristi Correll 7 weeks. Audience: All
Teach Us To Want—Jen Pollock Michel VIDEO
SERIES including discussion guide-
We all wa
