11-17-2009 Newsletter

The Children’s Birthday

First United Methodist Church Rosenberg, Texas

Party for Jesus

will be held Saturday, Dec. 5, from 3:30-5 p.m. Come enjoy free games, crafts, face painting, goodie bags, the true story of Jesus’ birth and more. If you would like to volunteer to help, please talk to Elizabeth Fairfield.

(11-08) Terrie Bradley, Wayne Morris, Linda Moody, Elaine Bergman (11-15) Becca Hyde as she attends a youth worker’s convention in Atlanta, Bill Castillo, the Bates and Clayton families, Bob Whitley, Al Liebman and family, Larry Bolton, Selma Danklefs, Henry Wittneben, Debra Radowick’s father, Maddie (a second grader in Mandy Growns’ classroom at Campbell Elementary who has a brain tumor)

Christopher Bailey Jason Berdou Scott Cayton Jason Johnson Jeremiah Judkin Rachel Miller Dannielle Pope Needler Cash Radowick

Food pantry items for November are soup and meals in a can (chili, spaghetti, beef stew). The pantry is in need of almost everything! Please make a donation if you can. Thanks!

First United Methodist Church

(11-01) Scott Davis, Susan Scarborough

Sanctuary: 1127 Third Street Mailing address: 1106 Fourth Street Rosenberg, Texas 77471

prayer team efforts

Phone: 281-342-3333 or 281-232-3246 Fax: 281-342-3333

Concerns: (10-25) Robert Hill, Beau and June McGuire, Linda Seay’s

Web site: www.fumcrosenberg.net

Please Pray For One Another

Check us out in color!

The first Advent Craft Day for children is set Sunday, Dec. 13, from 1-4 p.m. in the fellowship hall. Make plans to be here!

www.fumcrosenberg.net

November 17, 2009  Volume 24, Issue 44

Ramblings: Look for joy to celebrate As always, first things first. I want to give a big “Thank You” to Rev. Joel Salas, Sr. for filling in for me while Misty and I were off at parents weekend at UNT. I have heard nothing but compliments about the services and I am thrilled (but not surprised) that everything went so well. One of the things I like about the United Methodist Church is our connection to each other. Being able to call upon qualified, quality people to help out is a blessing that many churches do not know. I should also thank my in-laws for taking the kids all weekend and my parents for feeding the dogs. With everything covered at home and at church, this enabled Misty and me to have a very rare weekend away together. While there was a lot of driving, there was also a lot of time spent with our oldest son and that made up for the driving part. On Saturday night we returned to the hotel after supper. The place we stayed was a big four-star resort and golf club (priceline.com is really great). The beds were really comfortable and we were looking forward to getting a long night’s sleep. I knew we didn’t have to get up early to go to church since we were going to the 11 am service at FUMC Denton. It was going to be wonderful. Misty quickly fell asleep and I was watching tv and then it started. Our room was right above the patio at the back of the hotel. The patio looks out over the golf course and swimming pool. Starting about 10 pm the group that was out there started getting riled up. Obviously this was a wedding reception. The band played. The people rejoiced. They danced. They sang. They screamed. They partied. They settled down. They started back up. (Well, you get the idea). They kept at it for a long time. They didn’t have a care in the world. They were just happy.

However, their happiness didn’t translate well to me. I wanted to go to sleep. I had checked into this fancy hotel so my slumber would be peaceful. I wanted to rest, not celebrate something I really didn’t know anything about. And yet, they kept at it. I didn’t really get upset when 11 pm passed and the party was still in full swing. I didn’t get upset when it passed midnight. But as the party and noise actually increased as the clock crept towards 1 am, I was starting to get more than a little annoyed. Couldn’t they understand how rude they were being? I thought about calling the front desk to complain. I thought about just calling the police. I thought about throwing a bucket of ice water on them from my window. I didn’t do any of that. Instead, I prayed. I thought about what I had been teaching the past month about being content with what I had. I prayed that God would help me find the joy, peace, and contentment that I needed. Then it happened. While I was praying about finding contentment, I realized how lucky I was. I was with the person I love more than anyone or anything in the world. I was in a palace of a hotel. I was warm, dry, full, healthy and blessed. Suddenly the noise didn’t seem so bad. I started thinking about the day nearly twenty years ago when Misty and I had exchanged vows and started on the journey of being husband and wife. I started remembering how it felt to be so incredibly happy and excited. I realized that if those kids on the patio felt that way, they deserved to express that joy. I’ll bet God was happy that night. He wants to share in the joy of our lives. The question is: will we go looking for joy to celebrate or be mad when our plans are interrupted by other’s joy. IGS, John

Opportunities To Serve Tuesday, Nov. 17: 5:30 p.m. - Young Families 7:00 p.m. - Women’s Prayer Group Wednesday, Nov. 18: 9:00 to noon - Mother’s Morning Out 5:00 p.m. - Children’s Choirs 6:15 p.m. - Handbells 7:30 p.m. - Sanctuary Choir rehearsal Thursday, Nov. 19: 6:30 p.m. - Women’s Growth Group 7:00 p.m. - Praise Team rehearsal 7:30 p.m. - United Methodist Men’s dinner and meeting Friday, Nov. 20: 10:00 a.m. - 49ers games and lunch 6:30-9:30 p.m. - Parents Night Out 6:45 p.m. - Convoy of Hope rally at Calvary Episcopal Church Saturday, Nov. 21: Anahuac Work Day 7:30 a.m. - Volunteers arrive at Convoy of Hope event Sunday, Nov. 22: 8:30 a.m. - Blended Worship Service 9:40 a.m. - Sunday School for all ages 10:50 a.m. - Traditional Worship Service 5:00 p.m. - Hanging of the Greens service NO YOUTH TONIGHT! 6:00 p.m. - Growth Group meeting Monday, Nov. 23: 9:00 a.m. - MOMS 10:30 a.m. - Prime Chimers 7:00 p.m. - Lay Leadership Committee meeting 7:00 p.m. - Boy Scouts Tuesday, Nov. 24: 10:00 a.m. - Growth Group meeting 7:00 p.m. - Special Administrative Council meeting 7:00 p.m. - Women’s Prayer Group

And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6

FIRST CHURCH STAFF JOHN R. BLACK………………………………………….…...Pastor ADRIANE GRAY…………………………….....Nursery Coordinator DEBRA RADOWICK……………..…....…. Administrative Assistant KRIS WOLDY……………..………….…..………..…Music Director JOSE LUNA ……………………….……..………...Church Custodian GAYNELL PSENCIK………………….…..…….Financial Secretary JESSICA MYERS………………….…………………..…….Organist BECCA HYDE………………….…………………..…Youth Director

Hey, Youth!

The Convoy of Hope Volunteer Rally is Friday, Nov. 20, at 6:45 p.m. in the gym at Calvary Episcopal Church, 806 Thompson Road, Richmond (across from the YMCA). Volunteers need to be at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, and the gates will be open to the first guests at 10 a.m.

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Christmas is just a few weeks away and we once again have the opportunity to show our staff how very much we appreciate all that they do for us throughout the year. We are collecting the love offering earlier so that we can distribute it before Christmas, so we ask that you prayerfully consider your gift and bring it before Dec.13. Thank you for your part in this gift of love and thanks to our hardworking staff. ~~ SPRC

Staff Christmas Love Offering

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Join us Sunday, Nov. 22, at 5 p.m. as we decorate the sanctuary for the Advent Season.

It is my personal belief that everyone should have one friend who is just flat out crazy fun. You know, that one person who makes you do things you never thought you would do...and you have fun the entire time! For me this would be my best friend, Tara. I've done a lot of goofy stuff with Tara...like play Sardines in Wal-Mart at 2 am...just because she is so good at coming up with fun things to do! But my favorite thing that Tara does is text me. Ok...that sounds lame. But here's what she does...she just texts the words "You in?" That's it. You don't know what you are signing up for, you just have to trust that it is going to be alot of fun...and it always is! Last time she texted this to me it was followed by "Pack a bag with warm clothes." Now that was a fun trip! So, I know what you are thinking, do you seriously just go off and do whatever with Tara without knowing what the plans are? You bet! Ok so maybe it wasn't that easy at first (for those of you who know me you might have noticed that I like to know what's going on AHEAD of time) but I learned to trust Tara. And while we always have fun, we always have a very safe and wholesome kind of fun. We go camping or make late night runs to stores. Sometimes we go to the lake or beach for the day. Sometimes its a shopping trip or a movie. Sometimes its going to some new restaurant with weird menu items (try cold duck feet). Hanging out with Tara is always a good time. But you can't pause...you can't wait to see what is going on. You are either in or you are out. You are either participating or you are observing. Our Christian lives our like that too. James 1: 22-25 says "But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law...being not hearers but doers who act-they will be blessed in their doing." We cannot just sit around and let things happen to us. We MUST be active! We MUST be participating! Observing is inactive...it's watching the work of others. But participating is all about the doing! I know that sometimes that can be scary. I mean...you have to trust that what you do will have a good outcome. That if you make the leap of faith to be a do-er someone else will be there to catch you. But I promise you that if you will make the leap to be an active, participating member of our youth group and our church then I will be there! A lot of people will be there! God will be there to catch you and bless you! Don't miss out on everything you were made for because you were too scared to act! So the next time you have the choice to observe or participate remember these words: "I am in...I am all in!" Be Brave In His Love, Becca Youth This Week: NO YOUTH SUNDAY! There will be no youth this week! Please attend or help with the Hanging of the Greens service!

The first Sunday in Advent is Nov. 29. 

FUMC Women’s Celebration invites you to our

Christmas Gala Featuring Christian comedian Karen Mayer-Cunningham

A B.I.G. Event - Our Youth collected 65 non-perishable food items for Helping Hands during their Sunday scavenger hunt. Way to go!

A HUGE thank you to everyone for supporting this year’s Pumpkin patch and Children’s Ministry. More than 5,000 people visited the Pumpkin Patch and 1,752 children enjoyed field trips. Our total profit this year was $9,352.50. Thank you again for all your support! ~~ Elizabeth Fairfield

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 8 First UMC Fellowship Hall $5 per person Olive Garden catered meal and dessert will be served Call today to reserve your ticket! 281.342.3333 Nursery available upon request

June Gammage sends a note of thanks to her church family for all the love and support she received during her recent hospital stay. She says “thanks” for all the prayers, phone calls and assistance!