November 2019
What We Did in October
Pastor's Note
In this month of giving thanks, it may be a little cliché to focus on gratitude, but I also think it is very important. Intentional gratitude has the power to transform our own self-centered minds so that we appreciate the gift of life more fully, the power to transform tense relationships with friends and enemies so that we honor and value our neighbors, and the power even to transform our relationship with God, who truly offers us freely given grace for which we can do nothing but be grateful. So, this month in worship we will be exploring how we can make gratitude a more central and lasting focus in all we do.
Much of the inspiration for this sermon series comes from the book “Grateful” by Diana Butler Bass. Bass writes in a truly honest, probing style that brings to life elements of gratitude that help us be more faithful. She notes that “gratitude is a defiance of kindness in the face of anger, of connection in the face of division, and of hope in the face of fear.” If you are looking for a way to dive even deeper into what I lift up on Sunday mornings, her book is a great place to start.
We will also be observing All Saints Sunday on November 3 by remembering those saints in our lives who have passed on this past year. I hope this month brings you many opportunities to remember, celebrate, and give thanks for all the ways we find deeper meaning and value in this journey of life with our Lord. Thanks be to God!
Coming Up...
Saturday, November 2
Daylight Saving Time ends overnight - be sure to set your clocks back by one hour before bed!
Sunday, November 3
11:30 a.m. What Is Christian Advocacy?
4:30 p.m. Meet at Oak Lawn UMC to volunteer with Oak Lawn Community Meal
Monday, November 4
1:00 p.m. DoveNotes
Tuesday, November 5
6:00 p.m. Young Lives
7:00 p.m. Knitting Group
Sunday, November 10
9:15 a.m. Lakewood Way info meeting
Monday, November 11
7:00 p.m. Finance Meeting
Sunday, November 17
9:15 a.m. Lakewood Way info meeting
Monday, November 18
6:00 p.m. Trustees
7:00 p.m. Church Council
Sunday, November 24
3:00 p.m. Charge Conference at Lovers Lane UMC
Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29
Office closed - Happy Thanksgiving! Call (903) 814-4173 if you have a pastoral need during this time.
Sunday, December 1
11:30 a.m. Hanging of the Greens
What Is Christian Advocacy?
Advocacy, or speaking and acting on behalf of those who are marginalized and oppressed, has long been an important hallmark of Christianity. We see examples of advocacy throughout our Bible and it was a very important element of religion for John Wesley and early Methodists. And yet, Christian advocacy has sometimes been misunderstood. Our Church and Society team is hosting a short presentation on Sunday, November 3, right after worship in which we will quickly explain what advocacy is and is not, and then begin a process of gathering feedback on what areas of justice work our congregation would most like to focus our attention on. We hope this work will draw us ever closer to our God, to one another, and especially to those who are hurting in our community.
DoveNotes
Join us on Monday, November 4 in the Fellowship Hall as we enjoy a time of fellowship and crafting! You do not need to be crafty in order to help our DoveNotes ministry, which creates greeting cards for our homebound members and those on our prayer list. We have lots of opportunities for you to share your skills, whatever they are!
Lakewood Way
Over the past couple of years, we have occasionally led a program called Lakewood Way, which is kind of like an adult confirmation program, but where the emphasis is on living out your faith rather than learning about it (though a lot of learning certainly happens from living it out). We are going to start another round of it this winter and spring, which will include two introductory meetings followed by 5 months of personalized spiritual practices you work on at your own pace. There are no regular classes after the two intro meetings, but rather a framework for developing rhythms of life.
Participants in Lakewood Way identify several individual goals that deepen spiritual growth, practice those goals for 5 months, and regularly check in with one another on how it is going.
Patrick will be leading 2 introductory meetings on November 10 and 17, during the Sunday School hour (9:15-10am). The meetings are purely for information; you can decide after them if you want to stick with it or not. But if you are interested in trying it out, please plan on coming to both meetings or contact Patrick if you cannot make those days.
Charge Conference
Thank you to everyone who stayed for our celebration lunch and charge conference several weeks ago. It was the most fun charge conference I’ve been to, partly because of the food and mostly because of how many things you all mentioned you value about this church. We were able to look backward and forward and celebrate much. You are welcome to represent Lakewood UMC at our gathering for final approval of those documents, on Sunday, November 24 at 3:30pm at Lover’s Lane UMC. We will gather with a few other churches and hear from our District Superintendent on her vision for the next year.
Firehouse Committee Update
Thank you to everyone who helped with the Craft Fair this past weekend! This fundraiser is always a fun way for us to engage with our community and make some money to use to help our local schools.
The Firehouse committee met on Sunday and discussed some upcoming opportunities to help students at Dan D. Rogers Elementary, including:
- We will purchase items from a wish list sent to us by Rogers teachers, including several Spanish language books
- We will donate to the Activity Fund at Rogers so that teachers may purchase other items needed in their classrooms
- We will give coats, hats, gloves, books, and gift cards for Rogers students and their families at Christmas - we will ask for some contributions to help with this effort in December
If you're interested in learning more about the Firehouse and its work, e-mail the church office.
We're Collecting Socks and Underwear!
We are collecting new socks and underwear—all ages, genders, and sizes—to benefit Crossroads Community Services! Bring your donations to the church on Sundays or during office hours and place them in our donation box.
Save Your Shoeboxes
If you can believe it, Christmas is coming soon! As usual, we will pack gift boxes for our homeless neighbors served by the Stewpot downtown. We need shoe boxes with completely removable lids to serve as our gift boxes! If you have any of these, bring them by the church, or save them if you buy new shoes! We've already got a pretty good stack of shoeboxes going in the office, so thank you to those who have already donated.
Happy Birthday to...
Noah Robertson 11/1
Kent Olds 11/3
Joan Mayo 11/15
Alan Noel 11/20
Charolette Noel 11/29
This Month, We Pray for...
Gail Baldwin; Marilyn Bourdene; Lynn Bruce; Carole Bryde; Tammy Busby; Linda Castor; Shirley Dunn; Wilma Elrod; Mary Ann Finley; Chris Gann; Bonnie Glanville; Leck and Cynthia Heflin; Michael Hilley; Kathy LaTour; Harold Logan; Jan Logan; Rick Magie; the Mamantov family; Carolyn Miracle; Marie Miranda; Pat Norvell; Jorge Ortiz; Brandon Owen; Pontis Ministries; Kathy Purvis; Connie Riddell; Elizabeth Robbins; Robin Robbins; Ginny Salinas; Beth Saxton; Jeanne Scroppo; Linda Simmons; Alan Smith; Kelly Smith; Travis Smith; Tyler Smith; Chris Venable; Louise Williams; Amy Young