We are so excited about our progress toward our goal! Half way is so very good and on behalf of all of us I thank each of you.   This is a wonderful beginning!  Not all of our commitment cards for the expansion of our building campaign called GOD’S STORY, OUR STORY: GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN have been turned in though, but we hope they will be in by May 20th, the time of our First Fruits Offering. This will be the day we announce the total of our commitments and match it with our $2 million goal.  Every person’s commitment and one time gifts are very important to the future ministry of this church.

If you have not returned your card please do so as soon as possible.  There are extra cards in the sanctuary pews. Or if you would like the church office mail you one please call and let the staff know.

Please remember, this is a “family of faith” goal and we can reach it ONLY BY ALL OF US GIVING a gift to honor God and sustain the ministry for generations to come.  It will be amazing when we all step out in faith how we will realize that God steps out too!  God wants to show our love with our ultimate faith.

If there is any way I can be of assistance in your discernment process, please do let me know.  Just give me a call or email me.

Blessings, Bert

Rev. Dr. Bertha “Bert” M. Potts, Senior Pastor

Try One of Our Prospective Members Gatherings!

Monday, May 14   6:45 pm.

Monday May 21    6:45 pm

Room 206, Main Building

This is an informal time to visit with our Senior Pastor, Dr. Bert Potts, ask questions about Methodism, our congregation and work out any Baptism, transfer and other membership issues you might have.  There is no expectation that you must be ready to join to come, just know this is a time to get acquainted.  Everyone is welcome in the Family of Faith!

 NOW WE HAVE A GREAT SUNDAY COMING UP
 AS WE CELEBRATE MINISTRY SUNDAY

Wow!  What fun we had at our Vision Celebration event on Sunday afternoon.  We all loved the ponies, the media presentations coming from Spirit Act and Kepha productions and the sharing of testimonials, the music, the ringing of the bells and the FOOD!.  Some of us even had our photos taken at the special photo scene painted by Vic Ward.  The displays on our history and our building plans were interesting.  The table décor was out of sight!!! And having the petitions moved helped us have more room and we could even see the sun coming in from the setting sun. It was a very good day!!!  Thanks to all who participated and all of the  outstanding leadership.  It is now a great memory but one that helps remind us to be grateful for all the gifts passed on to us by making certain we pass on special gifts to those who follow us in future days.  Well Done, First United Methodist Church!

Now, what about this Sunday?  Just what is MINISTRY SUNDAY?  With the leadership of Jim VanDerwiele and Janie Johnson a great worship service is being planned. Every one of our major ministries will be highlighted in a creative and personal way.  You will be surprised at the way this celebration comes together so you will not want to
miss this Sunday.  Instead of a regular sermon the “witness” will be shared about our various ministry areas throughout the service.  We will have not just one preacher for the day but MANY.  You will learn interesting things about our ministries and how they touch people’s lives.  You will also learn new things like, “ Did you know that we now have a new name for our YOUTH MINISTRY?”  Come on Sunday and find out what it is.

This celebration of ministry will be in all of our three services.  It will be an exciting day so don’t miss it!!!

Blessings
Bert

What fun and excitement fills the air as our congregation begins to get all of our plans together for our capital campaign. We have an important reason to come together and make our commitments to raise up our new building expansion. We need more space for Sunday School classrooms, we need more modern restrooms for those with physical challenges, more elevators and a portico to drive through so folks can find their way into the building without getting soaking wet! There will be other gifts to our ministries as we expand but hospitality is at the heart of it all! We need a central place to greet each other and sign up for ministries, not to mention helping newcomers feel welcome!

I hope you are marking your calendar now to be part of the April 22nd event. It is the one time we are trying to get all of us together in the Christian Activity Center. Some of us forget how many of us there are in this family. Now is our chance to enjoy each other, celebrate life in this family of faith and prepare ourselves for making our commitment to the capital campaign. Every one of us is important to our future. Every one of us has been given a place in this family of faith. Please do be praying every day for our congregation to come together with boldness and confidence as we seek to pass on to future generations this church we all love so very much.

By the way, if you have period clothing for Land Run days, why not wear them on that day?

Blessings, Bert

Reverend Bertha “Bert” Potts

Every day I receive an “inspirational quote” on my blackberry.  Some days I really laugh because the quotes are so funny (but true)!  This is one I recently received.  It is by John Steinbeck.  “Ideas are like rabbits.  You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” How I have found that to be true.

We see evidence of that in our ministry, don’t we?  One person has an idea and then it spreads to another and then suddenly we have ideas being born like rabbits!!! And sometimes we handle them all well and sometimes we just sit down and say, “WOW! This is more than I can handle!” (But somehow God helps us find a way!)

Yesterday that was the way it felt for some of those on the team to begin working on the white houses across the street.  We have decided to mobilize our congregation to do much of the work ourselves to save money and to build fellowship and a sense of connection.  We will need painters and deck builders, folks who can hang shutters, repair porches and railings and lots of yard work.

Others, including students and Board of Director members of The Wesley Foundation UCO, will come in after we do our basic structural work and do the things folks like to do when they move in to a new place – make it home!  We will certainly ask if any of them want to help us with some of the above work as well.  Folks in the conference and all of us will be invited to help with new furniture, games, monitors, etc. so that students will have what they need to build a charming, welcoming and delightful place to do planning and have some quiet, down time in the midst of their busy lives.  Their staff will also have a nice place to meet and work.  Our building will be housing their large gatherings and we are hopeful other churches in the district will be the place for new gatherings for UCO students.  We are excited to remain the host church and happy to join our sister churches to partner in expanding the UCO campus ministry.  Yet…the ideas…just keep coming!  Some of us could say nothing but “Wow” when we looked at the possibilities and the work ahead!  One person said, “My head is spinning!”

On top of all of this planning our Board of Directors at UCO and some of us are working hard to pull off a great event with Bishop Robert E. Hayes, Jr.  He has agreed to preach at the UCO Wesley service at 8 pm on Thursday evening in our sanctuary, March 29th.  We are arranging to move the supper which starts at 7 pm to our CAC so that we can have more people attend. What would it be like to have 100 students eating and sharing in worship?  I would say it would be GREAT! I want to be a part of making that happen.

Ideas, they are just bursting around here.  On top of all of the other ministries happening we are in the midst of a capital campaign to raise funds for expanding our facilities and a part of that includes making a DVD.  What fun that will be when the camera crews come and film us on Sunday,  March 11th.  Please come a be a part of that day!

Yes, ideas are like rabbits.  Enjoy this great time of excitement and creativity!  God is very much alive and well in our relationships.  Do remember as we walk these days of Lent to “Not just give up, LIFT UP!”  Jesus has given us the way to share the Good News of the Gospel.  Let us enjoy doing that, every single day!

Reverend Bertha “Bert” Potts

This sermon series will focus on the unique way Jesus gave himself for others.  When we think of him dying on the cross it is tempting to focus on what we need to give up to follow, too.  In fact Lent is often perceived as a time to suffer with Jesus.  We say,  “Let’s give up chocolate during Lent. That will help us feel some pain and then we can identify with Jesus.”  The truth is giving up certain foods can cause us pain!  But when we get deep inside the story everything Jesus did was about lifting up others by whatever sacrifice he made!

That is what we need to do as well. Whatever we give up needs to be about lifting others up.  Sometimes that means getting healthy ourselves, focused and ready to serve.  In the long run we are better able to help others.  Sometimes it means redirecting our lives, using our God given talents but in new and different ways.  Sometimes it means simply becoming more open to what God wants of us and letting that voice, which comes so many times in a whisper, cause us to follow wherever we are asked to go.

Here are the sermons for our Lenten journey together.  Just as Advent was a journey with all those who were part of Jesus’ birth.  Now we journey with Jesus, the grown man and leader who showed us how to know our purpose and how to live out that purpose.