Pastor's Note
First, thank you to everyone who has helped around the church while I have been out on paternity leave. I have enjoyed some very enriching time with baby Lucy! It has been a blessing for Erin and me as we grow in caring for Lucy and transitioning to a time when we will both be working. While I am eager to jump back into everything, I am grateful to know that our church truly celebrates the ministry of all Christians, as is evident in the way you have offered extra gifts and talents in worship, care, and mission while I have been away.
I am also excited that you have had the chance to hear from some of my colleagues. There are still two more guest preachers that you will hear from this month. Justin Hancock is on staff with the Missional Wisdom Foundation, helping guide ministry through intentional living communities around Dallas. I have had the pleasure to know him and hear him preach on several occasions and he is one of the smartest, funniest preachers I know. (Plus, he and his wife are expecting a baby soon, so be sure to congratulate him!) Marcus Jones is the director of the Wesley Foundation of Wichita Falls, serving Midwestern State University and Vernon College. I have gotten to know him through our work as adult sponsors of the North Texas Conference youth leadership team. Marcus is passionate and insightful and recently returned from a gathering of young adult Methodists from around the world in South Africa. You are in very good preaching hands for the next several weeks!
Finally, on September 30, I plan to do a sermon called Tackling Tough Questions. In order for it to work, I need some of your questions about faith, the Bible, or anything religion based. I will collect the questions until right after worship on Sept. 23, and then prepare to address some of them on the 30th. You can email me questions or write them out and leave them in the office or in an offering plate over the next several weeks. I look forward to seeing what questions you have, and if all goes well, I plan to do this again every 5th Sunday of the month!
Coming Up...
Tuesday, September 4
7:00 p.m. Knitting Group
Sunday, September 9
Guest preacher: Rev. Justin Hancock
3:00 p.m. Disciple Fast Track first meeting
Thursday, September 13
7:00 p.m. Disciple 4 first meeting
Sunday, September 16
Guest preacher: Marcus Jones
2:00 p.m. Dallas Pride (see below)
Monday, September 17
6:00 p.m. Trustees
7:00 p.m. Administrative Council
Monday, September 24
9:00 a.m. District Committee on Ordained Ministry
1:00 p.m. DoveNotes (see below)
7:00 p.m. Nominations Committee
Saturday, September 29
Reconciling Congregations potluck to welcome Union (more information to come)
Patrick is on Paternity Leave!
Patrick is on paternity leave with his new daughter, Lucy! He will be back in the pulpit on Sunday, September 23, and in the office on Monday, September 24. In the interim, please enjoy the guest preachers he has lined up, and if you have a pastoral emergency do not hesitate to contact the church office or call (903) 814-4173.
Bible Studies Starting Back Up
Two of our small group Bible studies are starting back up for the fall. Newcomers are welcome! Contact Patrick for more information if you are curious.
Disciple Fast Track - Starts Sept. 9, meets every Sunday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Disciple 4 - Starts Sept. 13, meets every Thursday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Pride Parade
The Dallas Pride Parade will take place on Sunday, September 16. All the local Reconciling congregations will march together, and Lakewood will have its own float within that contingent. The theme will be coordinated with the other churches. Pride is always a fun and sparkling (literally and figuratively) experience, so we hope you will join us! Contact the church office for more information.
Rev. Michael W. Waters at FUMC Garland
The United Methodist Women at First UMC Garland invite you to a special appearance by Rev. Dr. Michael W. Waters at First United Methodist Garland on Wednesday, September 19 at 6:30 p.m.
Dr. Waters is the Founding Pastor of Joy Tabernacle African Methodist Episcopal Church Dallas and author of Stakes Is High: Race, Faith and Hope for America. He is a dynamic and powerful speaker on a topic of great importance to our time and our community, and we’re inviting everyone to attend.
Admission is free. Dinner is also available at 5:30 p.m. Cost for dinner is $5.00 for adults, $3.50 for children, or $15.00 per family. Anyone wishing to join us for dinner must RSVP to the church office (972-272-3471 or office@fumcgarland.org) by Monday, September 17.
DoveNotes
Join us on Monday, September 24 at 1:00 p.m. in the Harmony Classroom for an afternoon of card-making! DoveNotes is our way of staying in touch with our homebound members and people on our prayer list—we send them handmade cards throughout the year. You don’t have to have any crafting skills to have fun with us, just come along!
From the Choir Loft - Favorite Hymn Stories
One of the favorite hymns of our congregation is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (UMH 140). The following gives the background of this hymn and how came to be written.
Thomas Obediah Chisholm was born in a log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky in 1866. He received his education in a little country schoolhouse, and at age 16 began teaching there. He became a Christian at age 27, and with no college or seminary training was ordained to the Methodist ministry at age 36. He served as a Methodist minister for a year, but ill health made it impossible for him to continue. He moved to Vineland, New Jersey, where he opened an insurance office.
Always interested in poetry, Chisholm wrote hundreds of poems during his lifetime. He was inspired by Lamentations 3:22-23 to write the text for “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Those verses read, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Chisholm experienced that faithfulness. He suffered ill health most of his adult life, and never made much money––but he said, “God has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care which have filled me with astonishing gratefulness.”
Chisholm sent the words to “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” to his friend, William Runyan, and Runyan wrote the music for this hymn. Runyan was a friend of Dr. Will Houghton, the president of Moody Bible Institute, and “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” soon became Houghton’s favorite. Dr. Houghton invited George Beverly Shea, an unknown singer at the time, to sing hymns on the Institute’s radio station. Shea, of course, included Dr. Houghton’s favorite hymn in his repertoire.
Billy Graham, then a student at Wheaton College, became familiar with George Beverly Shea (and this hymn) through those radio broadcasts, and invited Shea to become part of his ministry. It was through their work that this hymn became popular internationally.
Even though he suffered ill health for most of his adult life, Chisholm lived to the ripe old age of 94. During his later years, he lived in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, a Methodist camp meeting town, where he died in 1960.
Copyright 2007, Richard Neill Donovan
Happy Birthday to...
Eva Cherry 9/6
Cindy Estee 9/10
Phillip Stauble 9/24
Ed Larroca 9/30
This month, we pray for...
Kathryn Bagley; Gail Baldwin; Lynn Bruce; Carole Bryde; Linda Castor; Fred Dallas; Shirley Dunn; Wilma Elrod; Buford Finley; Mary Ann Finley; Jean Fowler; the family of Glenn Hastings; Leck and Cynthia Heflin; Harold Logan; Jan Logan; the Masullo family; Carolyn Miracle; Marie Miranda; Mike Miranda; Tim Miranda; Pat Norvell; Jorge Ortiz; Brandon Owen; Pontis Ministries; Susan Price; Kathy Purvis; Elizabeth Robbins; Robin Robbins; Dillon Rosten; Ginny Salinas; Beth Saxton; Debbie Schwartz; Jeanne Scroppo; Linda Simmons; Alan Smith; Kelly Smith; Travis Smith; the family of Patricia Stowe; Chris Venable; Betty Watson; Louise Williams; the people of Guatemala