Volume 8, Issue 8

September 2015

WORSHIP/SUNDAY SCHOOL TIMES

8:45 am Contemporary Worship Service

9:45 am Sunday School

10:55 am Traditional Worship Service

Church Office (936) 564-8308

Fax (936) 564-8582

Email: info@fumcnac.org

Website: www.fumcnac.org

NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 09 - Fall Common

Ground

14 - Primetimers at

10:30 am - FLC

16 - Fall Common

Ground

20 - Coffee with the

Pastors (New Member

Class) at 4:30 pm - Parlor

23 - Fall Common

Ground

30 - Fall Common

Ground

OCTOBER 11 - UMW Sunday

FUMC Charge

Conference at 2 pm -

Parlor

12 - Primetimers at

10:30 pm - FLC

14 - Fall Common

Ground

18 - Coffee with the

Pastors (New Member

Class) at 4:30 pm - Parlor

21 - Fall Common

Ground

28 - Fall Common

Ground

First United Methodist Church 201 E. Hospital Street, Nacogdoches Texas 75961

Office Hours: Mon-Thur: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm; Fri: 8:30 am - 12:00 pm. Closed for lunch 12:00 -1:00 pm

Third Grade Bible Celebration

Common Ground Wednesdays This year, we listened to your feedback and have made a few changes! The purpose, though, remains the same: gather community, build deep relation-ships and grow our faith. We hope you will join us!

Dinner 5:30-6:15 pm Come hungry – there are some great cooks in this church! Dinner is served each Wednes-day at 5:30 pm. We stop serving food at 6:15 pm to give the kitchen staff time to clean up; so don’t be late! There will be child-friendly options. If you don’t like what is being served one week, feel free to bring your own food and join in the fellowship. Each week’s menu will be published in the bulletin. Make sure to RSVP in the office, so we know how much food to prepare. There is a suggested donation of $6 for those who can afford it to help cover the costs.

Studies/Activities 6:30-7:30 pm Classes are an incredibly important part of Common Ground, and this year we are offering a wide variety of them. Some of them have limited space, so make sure to sign up soon!

Sun, Aug 30 is Promotion Sunday. This year’s third grade students will receive their bibles during the Early and Late Services. During the Sunday School hour, all children will engage in festivities celebrating a new Sunday School year and new teachers, and then be dismissed to their new classes. We will gather in room 210, then move to our respective classes.

A Note From The Pastor

I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world? Yes, we’re the church together. The United Methodist Hymnal

What do you picture when you hear the word “church”? What do the people of our congregation or our community picture? How would our church be different if we really lived as though “church” was a gathering of people worshipping and serving God, defined by the life of Jesus ra-ther than our address? I was thinking about this recently after I read an article in Circuit Rider magazine about the Rethink Church campaign going on, and when someone told me what people in the community were saying about our church. “Church” is when we host the TJR teachers for lunch and when we are working together to reach out to those who are hurting. “Church” can happen in all sorts of circumstances. Jessica Kelley wrote, “Buildings provide a home base for countless min-istries of the church, not the least of which is a place to gather for wor-ship. The church itself, however, will not be defined by the height of its steeple but the reach of its compassion, not the number of seats but the number of lives changed, not the shape of the doors but the disciples

that pass through them as they head out into the world to make a difference in Jesus’ name.” There are many great things going on in September. See you at church, or when you are being the church out in the community! Peace,

A Note From The Associate Pastor

“Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.” --- Psalm 111:2

Hi, Church,

It’s that time again. Vacations are over, and Nacogdoches is about to become much more crowded. Make sure you get your Walmart and Kroger trips in now! Ok…ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit – but seriously, we do want to welcome back all the SFA students and wish all of our students and teachers good luck on a new school year. We will be praying for you all as you go about your studies!

Also, with the new semester, I am excited to announce that Common Ground is back, and that there are some exciting changes! This year we have a new structure in order to focus on our goal of bringing people together and growing our community. Any of you who heard my sermon on August 2nd know how important I believe community is. If you haven’t heard it, here’s the link www.fumcnac.org/sermons/080215 (and yes, that’s a shameless plug for our podcast). Friends, community is the basis for the church; it’s us coming together for the sake of the Kingdom! As we grow together, we are empowered by the Spirit to serve. So come, join us at Common Ground. We will eat, study, and fellowship; and most of all, we will have a great time doing it!

Blessings,

Page 2 Newsletter

Page 3 Newsletter

Adult Ministries Methodism 101 with Rev. Dr. Jeff McDonald - Parlor At Annual Conference this year Bishop Huie asked people to tweet a completion to this phrase, “I’m United Methodist because…” There were all sorts of good tweets that went out. I would agree with the state-ments about the importance of being saved by God’s grace and our connectional system. Maybe you are wonder-ing what the major components of United Methodism are or have forgotten since you went through Confirmation in the sixth grade. Come along on an informative journey to learn the history of who we are as people with Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors; the people of the United Methodist Church.

Beginner Cooking with Karen Tucker - FLC Kitchen One thing Methodists can agree on is good food! In this class, you will explore ways to plan and prepare tasty, inexpensive, and easy dishes. We are open to all skill levels, so even if you have never before ventured into the kitchen, come join us. There will be two 5-week sessions, limited to 10 people in each session, and a fee of $3.00 for each class to cover costs. Join us for some culinary fun!!

Psalms and Art with Katie Oliver and Barry Jordan - Room 202 Though we use the Psalms in our hymnals and our devotionals, we rarely hear them preached or discussed in community. As a result, we lose out on these examples of authentic prayer. In this class, we will explore how we can participate in the ancient practice of praying and studying the Psalms through art. There is no artistic back-ground or talent required, nor is there any cost for the class. Please join us for a weekly discussion of the Book of Psalms, as we follow in the footsteps of Christians who have chanted, sung, and recited the Psalms each time they gather.

Covenant Bible Study with Mike Rigsby - Room 204 Has faith seemed a bit dry and worn out lately? Maybe, it’s time for some spiritual nourishment through Bible study. Join us for an in-depth study of the entire Bible that emphasizes the biblical concept of covenant – the enduring commitment between God and people. Through covenant, we learn about God’s call, his love, and his unexpected favor. This class will be 8 weeks and will cover Part 1 of 3. The cost for the class is $20, which co-vers your participant book.

Men’s Basketball/Devotional Group with Gary Wurtz - Family Life Center If you like basketball, fellowship, and/or devotional study, this group is for you. We welcome men of all ages and all levels of basketball ability! Come join us throughout Common Ground, and then if you would like stay even longer. This group continues to meet throughout the calendar year.

Christian Writers’ Fellowship with Dan & Sue Whatley - Room 203 at 6:00 pm If you are interested in writing poetry, fiction, or non-fiction for the glory and edification of our Creator, please join us. Dan and Sue Whatley will be leading the group, sharing their knowledge of writing and publishing, and helping the group develop strategies and goals.

Bell Choir - Room 207

We will be glad to show you a sample of the music we use and demonstrate how easy it is to ring. Rehearsals are

on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm in Room 207.

Continued from page 1 - Common Ground

Page 4 Newsletter

Chancel Choir - Choir Room Join us! Rehearsals are on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm in the Choir Room, led by Tod Fish. We are not all musicians;

we enjoy singing God’s praises.

Youth Ministries Ignite Youth Ministries (New Schedule this fall) 5:30-7:30p JH Youth, 7-8th grade, are invited to the new Ignite JH ministry in the Youth Center. There will be food, drinks, super fun games led by the JH ministry team, a brief message/worship time and discussion groups. An awesome time for JH’ers to grow in their faith in Jesus Christ and make awesome friends in Him! 6:30-8p SH Youth, 9-12th grade, are invited to the new Ignite SH ministry in the Youth Center for wor-ship time led by the youth band, a brief message and small groups for discussion. It will be a meaningful oppor-tunity for SH youth to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ and discover truth and strength to deal with the challenges

of high school life as believers and followers of Him.

Children’s Ministries We are very excited to be launching our new and exciting Deep Blue cur-riculum for Sunday's and Common Ground Wednesday's. These classes will be active, fun and engaging! The kids will be energized by the music, the movement and the Apps. Everyone should love the great way this programming reinforces itself by having Sunday studies and Wednesday reinforcement activities. We are

excited to have some new couples and committed individuals agree to participate in leading this new curriculum this year. Our Preschool-5th Grade classes will have age-appropriate material presenting the same lesson; this makes the family devotional material relevant for the whole family. Here is an overview of September's Scope and Sequence. Sun, Sept 6th - The Earth (Genisis 1:1-19) Deep Blue Curriculum used for Chapel Sunday. Wed, Sept 9th- Godly Play Creation Story – Create and Wonder Deep Blue Devotional Material Sun, Sept 13th- Living Things (Genesis 1:20-25) Deep Blue Curriculum with Video Introduction, Music and then split into age-appropriate groups. September 16th – Wednesday- Movement, App/Music, and intro into Service component with fami-ly Deep Blue devotional Material September 20th- Sunday – In God’s Image (Genesis 1:26-2:4) Deep Blue Curriculum with Video Introduc-tion, Music and then split into age-appropriate groups. September 23rd – Wednesday- Godly Play Adam and Eve –Lab Deep Blue Devotional Material September 27th – Sunday – Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:10-3:24) Deep Blue Curriculum with Video Intro-duction, Music and split into age-appropriate groups. 6th Grade will enjoy Sunday Morning Sunday School with the fresh and relevant Reform curriculum and Sunday Evening Confirmation Classes with Credo. Wednesdays will be fun and active for this class with many opportuni-ties for social bonding. Children's Ministries is excited to see you all on August 30th for Promotion Sunday and September 9th for the launch of Common Ground with Deep Blue.

Continued from page 1 - Common Ground

Page 5 Newsletter

MEMORIALS

TJR Adopt-A-School Program School starts Monday, August 24, 2015, and we are gearing up to begin our Mentoring Program on Monday, September

14. Mentoring is a school-year commitment to one child and involves a time commitment of one-half hour each week. If

you are unable to volunteer but would like to help in other ways, you could do so by making a monetary donation to pur-

chase new underwear/socks or new uniforms for the children or help us with teacher luncheons. Mentoring forms are

available outside the Sanctuary. For more information, contact Patsy Hallman @ 936-564-2712; email: patsyhall-

man@att.net or Sharon Scifres @ 936-462-3359; email: sscifres@hotmail.com.

Dr. Jeff McDonald’s New Sermon Series

Forks In The Road - A Sermon Series from the Book of Proverbs

August 23 RSVP Proverbs 1:1-7, 20-23 August 30 Resist Temptation Proverbs 1:8-19 September 6 Deal in Truth Proverbs 10:9, 11:1, 12:17-20, 14:25 September 13 Choose Your Friends Proverbs 9:13, 22:24-25, 24:1 September 20 Sticks and Stones Proverbs 11:13, 15:1, 21:23 September 27 Get After It Proverbs 6:6-11

Memorial Gifts are Given: IN MEMORY OF: Janiece Campbell, Jerry Lackey, Marilyn Odom

FROM: Ed Cole IN MEMORY OF: Janiece Campbell FROM: Gary & Kathy Robinson, Floyd & Kittie Dobbs

IN MEMORY OF: Mike Robertson,

FROM: LaVerne Creech, Peggy Price IN MEMORY OF: Genell Hall FROM: Christa Cooper IN MEMORY OF: J R Wright FROM: Calvin & Ilaverne Bowden IN MEMORY OF: Monette Thomas FROM: Jimmy & Margie Rodriguez

Welcome New Members Jennifer Blanton

122 Simpson Nacogdoches, TX 75964

Katie Oliver

201 E Hospital St, Nacogdoches, TX 75961

Stacy and Catherine Rouse

1617 Glenbrook St. Nacogdoches, TX 75965

Jane Rouse (Stacy Rouse’s mother)

1617 Glenbrook St. Nacogdoches, TX 75965

Randy and Marcella Coe

511 CR 214 Nacogdoches, TX 75965

Page 6 Volume 8, Issue 8

MISSION NEWS

Thank you for your generosity! We asked you to provide food and monetary help to do the weekend bags to feed the children this summer, and you were wonderful. We had enough food given to provide meals for 75 children on three separate Fridays. We also had

money remaining which we have given to the Love INC “Back-to-School Shared Blessing” and our TJR Adoption Project to provide school uniforms for children in need.

Clean Water for Haiti One dollar bills in the Offering Plate on Sunday mornings will go to Clean Water for Haiti

Project. For more information, visit www.eastdistrictumc.org

Save the Date Service Sunday is September 13. More information to follow.

Announcements FUMCNAC Pictorial Directory

There will be a “make-up date” on Wednesday, September 2 for those who could not make the origi-nal scheduled dates. Please sign up online at http://www.fumcnac.org or call the Church Office - 936-

564-8308.

Chancel Choir Chancel Choir will return Sunday, August 23. The first Wednesday rehears-

al will be on August 26 at 7:00 pm in the Choir Room.

Bell Choir - Bell Choir will resume practicing on Wednesday,

September 2 at 6:00 pm in Room 207.

Page 7 Newsletter

AUGUST 21 - Back-to-School Bash at 7 pm - SFA Rec Pool

30 - Promotion Sunday/Third Grade Bible Celebration

SEPTEMBER

01 - Worship Committee Meeting at 5 pm - Library

03 - Board of Trustees Meeting at 5:15 pm - Library

08 - Children’s Committee Meeting at 5:30 pm - Conf. Rm

SPRC Meeting at 5:30 pm - Library

UMW Circle VI at 6:00 pm - Parlor

09 - Fall Common Ground

10 - Evangelism Committee Meeting at 4 pm - Library

13 - Service Sunday

14 - Primetimers at 10:30 am - FLC

15 - UMW Circle I Meeting at 9:30 am - Library

UMW Circles II & IV Meeting at 9:30 am

UMW Circle VII Meeting at 10 am

16 - Fall Common Ground

17 - Missions Committee Meeting at 6:30 pm - Conf. Rm

20 - Coffee with the Pastors (New Member Class)

21 - UMW Circle III Meeting at 6:30 pm

23 - Fall Common Ground

24 - Church Council Meeting at 5:30 pm - Parlor

30 - Fall Common Ground

OCTOBER

01 - Board of Trustees Meeting at 5:15 pm - Library

06 - Worship Committee Meeting at 5 pm - Library

07 - Fall Common Ground

08 - Evangelism Committee Meeting at 4 pm - Library

11 - UMW SUNDAY

FUMCNAC Charge Conference at 2 pm - Parlor

12 - Primetimers at 10:30 am - FLC

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE The October Newsletter Articles should be emailed to

sharon.b@fumcnac.org by 3:00 pm Wednesday, September 14, 2015.

BULLETIN and E-News DEADLINE Bulletin and E-News should be emailed to

sharon.b@fumcnac.org by 3:00 pm Tuesdays.

ROOM RESERVATIONS If you are planning to reserve a room in the Church

for a meeting, gathering, etc., a request can be made either by completing a Building Use Form that can be found in the

Workroom or online at www.fumcnac.org; scroll down to the bottom of the page and click resources, church forms and then

building use. For more information contact Jim Jenkins at

936-564-8308 or email jim.j@fumcnac.org.

ACCESS ACS To obtain an ACCESS ACS user ID, logon to www.fumcnac.org, click the ACCESS ACS link at the bottom of the page. For more

information, kindly contact Sharon Bright at 936-564-8308 or email sharon.b@fumcnac.org.

Regularly-Scheduled Meetings Mondays:

Men’s Emmaus Reunion Group meets at 7:30 am in the Parlor (1st, 3rd, and 5th Mondays) HRT Emmaus Reunion Group meets on Mondays at 5:15 pm - Barbara LaFour’s

Tuesdays: Celebrate Service Rehearsal at 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary

Wednesdays: Christian Writers’ Fellowship at 5:45 pm YoWe (Youth on Wednesday Evenings) at 5:30 pm-Jr. High Ignite; 6:30 pm Sr. High Ignite Bell Choir Rehearsal at 6:00 pm in Room 207 Chancel Choir Rehearsal at 7:00 pm in the Choir Room.

Thursdays: Grace Emmaus Reunion Group meeting at 8:30 am in the Library

Heart-to-Heart Chorus at 9:00 am in the Choir Room and performances at Nursing Homes at 10:00 am (2nd & 4th Thursdays) - will not meet for the Summer back on September 10. Sundays: Youth Praise Band practice at 4:30 pm in the Youth Lounge Cub Scouts meets at 5:00 pm in the Scout Lodge Youth on Sunday Night 5:30-Youth Open Gym; 6:30 pm-Ignite Bible Study

FUMCNAC CALENDAR

13 - Children’s Committee Meeting at 5:30 pm - Conf.

Rm

UMW Circle VI Meeting at 6:00 pm

14 - Fall Common Ground

15 - Missions Committee Meeting at 6:30 pm -

Conf. Rm

18 - Coffee with the Pastors (New Member Class)

19 - UMW Circle III Meeting

20 - UMW Circle I Meeting at 9:30 am - Library

UMW Circles II & IV Meeting at 9:30 am

UMW Circle VII Meeting at 10 am

PRAYER CONCERNS—UPDATED, Monday, August 17 (am)

For a more up-to-date Prayer List, kindly contact our Church Office—564-8308.

Quinn William (preschool student), Jack Matthews, Jim Morris, James Scott, Alicia Ross (Natalie Anderson’s co-worker), Elvin Ervin, Virginia Kerr, Steve Goldstein, Katherine Beckwith, Carolyn Andrews, C. D. Thomas, Bill Tucker, Mark Brunson, Jim Havard, Jean Smith (Cindy Himes’ mom), Jarrell Grout, Rudy Washburn, Ceceal Dean (Mary Harborth’s niece), Russ Hairston, Rebecca Brimmage (Rev. Jerome Brimmage’s niece), Erik Robberson (Rev. Barbara Robberson’s son), Jake Sanford, Audry Quick, Kittie Dobbs, David Lymbery (Betty Bunch’s grandson), Judy William-son, Doug Smith (Sam Smith’s brother), Preston Turnage, Nathan Begley, Rev. Bettie Kennedy, Jammie Cole (Ray Cole’s mother), Amy Risner, Richard LaBrode, Claudia Whitley, Joey (Sarah Jo Lackey’s grandson), Bettye Johnson (Clint Johnson’s mother), Pete Winder (Ann Murray’s son-in-law), Edward Pawlik, Harold Oldham (Glenn Oldham’s father), Mikayla Payne (Betty Yarbrough’s great-granddaughter), Marylyn Seidel (Lisa Wrench’s mother), Casey Brett Morgan (Pat Stephen-Williams’ daughter), John Mueller (Dawn Stover’s grandfather), Amy Ames (Debra Bankston’s niece), Dorothy Clagett, Judy Hairston, Jim Labosky, Sarah Swofford (Jean Dodge’s sister), Alan Johnson (Clint Johnson’s father), Jimmie Shaw, Avery Lawson, Peggy Thorsen, Roger Van Horn, James Lee (Jo Taylor’s husband), Rachel Turnage, Randy Doan, Pat and John Bingham, Edward Pawlink, Charles Dauphine, Margie Terry, Gale Martin (friend of the Arrant Family), Rosemary Moffatt (Tanya Kelly’s mother), Jewel Garder (Karen Jenlink’s aunt), Danny Quick (Audry Quick’s son), Suzanne Ferguson, Ashley Akin (Mary Akin’s granddaughter), A. L. Mangham, Doug Law, Eddie & Anita Overhultz (friends of Al & Sheila Smith), Payton Ramsey and Hank Curbow.

Our Hearts Go Out To

Kathryn Robertson and family on the passing of her husband, Mike Robertson The family of Juanita Whiteside on her passing (Gary Wurtz’s Aunt) Names will remain on a published prayer list for 90 days. The prayer team appreciates cur-rent updates on requests. Please email your requests and updates to info@fumcnac.org If you know of a member of FUMC who is in the hospital or who will be having surgery, kindly con-tact the Church Office - 564-8308. EMERGENCIES, call 936-585-2294.

The mission of the First United Methodist Church of Nacogdoches is to make disciples through Christ-centered service and outreach. With God’s help, we will do this through witnessing,

teaching and loving.

First United Methodist Church

201 E Hospital Street

Nacogdoches, TX 75961

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

NACOGDOCHES, TX

PERMIT NO. 11

Our Staff

DR. JEFF McDONALD Senior Pastor jeff.m@fumcnac.org REV. TRENT OLIVER Associate Pastor trent.o@fumcnac.org JEFF CAMPBELL Director of Youth Ministry jeff.c@fumcnac.org ELSA JORDAN Director of Children’s Ministry elsa.j@fumcnac.org LISA LABOSKY Director of Preschool lisa.l@fumcnac.org BECCA ANTHONY Asst. Director of Preschool becca.a@fumcnac.org DR. TOD FISH Director of Music Ministry tod.f@fumcnac.org DR. GARY WURTZ Celebrate Worship Leader gary.w@fumcnac.org DR. ANDY PARR Organist andy.p@fumcnac.org SHARON BRIGHT Office Manager sharon.b@fumcnac.org KATHY THOMAS Financial Secretary kathy.t@fumcnac.org JIM JENKINS Building Manager jim.j@fumcnac.org