Rodger D. Garbs

First United Methodist Church of Marshall December 27, 2011 Volume 12 No. 2 Connections

From Rev. Rodger D. Garbs

Glory to God in the Highest!

2011 has been an amazing year, and we have so much to

celebrate. The Holy Spirit has enabled us to produce astounding

fruits. Two areas of ministries in particular, television and First

Connect, have been bold commitments from the church that

God is using for His Glory.

The upgrade of the television ministry now gives us five dif-

ferent recording studios in the church (Sanctuary, CLC, Beard

Hall, Pairs „n Spares classroom, and the John Gordon Control

Room.) We hope to offer this new multi-media ministry oppor-

tunity to ETBU and Wiley, as well as the community. FUMC

Marshall will lead the way in multi-media ministry for future

generations.

The effort to start a new, excellent contemporary service has

also proved to be a blessing. The change in worship times with

an additional service brought about some anxiety, but the com-

mitment has proven itself worthy. The church was already ex-

periencing growth with Sunday School attendance up 16% over

last year. Worship attendance increased from 2009-2010 a total

of 20% and an additional 5% in 2011 through August.

AND, since starting the new service on August 22nd:

Worship attendance as increased 21% (242 to 294)

Nursery has increased 67%

Pre-K through 1st Grade Sunday school up 38%

1st-6th Grade Sunday School up 13%

New Members during new service: 9 adults and 10

children

These fruits of the spirit are remarkable and should be cele-

brated by all. Thank you for your prayers and support. Glory Be

to God.

God has blessed FUMC Marshall in 2011 because of our

faithfulness and willingness to follow Him. We have stepped

out of the boat, focusing only on Jesus. I pray we will not take

our eyes off of Christ and our purpose as a church. We should

remain positive, confident and faithful to our calling, trusting

only in our Lord and Savior. I pray God will continue to bless

us in 2012.

Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth, Peace, Good Will

Toward Men!

Your Pastor,

Bible Verses for the New Year

Begin the New Year meditating on these encouraging Bible verses

chosen to inspire a fresh new walk with God and a deeper commit-

ment to living the Christian faith.

New Birth - A Living Hope—1 Peter 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great

mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the res-

urrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (NIV)

Hope for the Future—Jeremiah

29:11 "For I know the plans I have for

you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster,

to give you a future and a hope. (NLT)

A New Creation—2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have

passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)

A New Heart—Ezekiel 36:25-27 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on

you, and you will be clean. Your

filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I

will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a

new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give

you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will

obey my laws and do whatever I command. (NLT)

Continued

I have often been asked the question,

“Jordan, how do you know you are sup-

posed to be in youth ministry?” I simply re-

ply, “because I can stay up all night at a

lock-in with junior high kids and love every

minute of it.”

When most people witness 40 junior

high boys and girls hanging out in a gym,

they see hormones raging and they smell

stuff like dirty socks and Axe body spray. I

see young men and woman who are at an

exciting time in their lives hungry to find

their place in the world they know. In Jesus‟

ministry he was adamant in giving young

people a voice in the church and in ministry.

When I spend time with 12 to 14 year old

kids it pushes me to seek God more fre-

quently, especially when asking for pa-

tience ;). Also it humbles me and bonds me

even closer with them when I see myself in

their awkwardness.

We had a great time at our junior high

lock-in. Wish you had been with us. There

were FORTY (40) kiddos with well over

half of them as first time visitors. God is

moving in our youth, and I invite you to

come check it out for yourself.

Jordan "JoJack" Jackson,

Director Youth Ministries

cell 817-733-7979

jordan@fumcmarshall.org

Kids Korner

Blessings, Sandy Craig, Children’s Director sandy@fumcmarshall.org

The children's Christmas program was fantastic! The

kids did a marvelous job

and I‟m so proud of them!!

We also had a great Birth-

day Party for Jesus after-

wards to celebrate! There

were even dancing elves! ;)

Special thanks to Charlee

Garbs, Lori Miller, Robert Miller, Austin Miller, Cath-

erine Mottershaw, Stacy Bone and all the parents! We

couldn‟t do what we do without the help of all of these

awesome people!!

I hope your holiday season is wonderful and filled with

a whole lot of Jesus! The real reason for the season and

all else that we do!!

reConnect resumes Wednesday, January 11th 5:00 Dinner in Beard Hall (NEW TIME)

6:00-7:30 Children‟s programming on 3rd floor

Kid‟s Rock area for K-6th graders

Nursery available for ages birth - 4 years on

first floor by Lafayette entrance.

Greetings and blessings to you during this joyous season. I

hope this newsletter finds you full of joy after celebrating

Christmas with friends and family. As we look forward to

2012, I wish you a year full of God moments and blessings

to you and your family.

I am happy to announce that the 1st-3rd grade children of

our church have some exciting news. Allison Jimmerson has

graciously volunteered to teach their Sunday School class

and Courtney Duncan will be helping Allison. What a joy

this is and I know the children will grow to love Allison and

Courtney. Please take the time to welcome these special

women to our Sunday School team. Thank you, Allison and

Courtney.

As life occurs, events come up that may cause our Sunday

School teachers to miss a Sunday. If you would like to be on

my “Sub for Sunday School” list, please let me know. I

would greatly appreciate it.

Reminder - In January, we will once again have a training

session for those wishing to become a facilitator for Grief-

Share. No previous experience is required. Facilitators need

only to start discussions (with questions provided) and be in

charge of each session. Facilitators are not asked to counsel.

Please prayerfully consider being a part of this ministry.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Because of HIM,

Charlee Garbs, Education Director

charlee@fumcmarshall.org

God’s Social Network

Designated Funds: Dec 1-18 Totals

Building Fund $890.00

Choir Fund $227.00

Everliving Trust $150.00

Faith Promise $6,237.00

First Connect $950.00

Food Pantry $907.00

FUMC Day School Memorials $10.00

Heritage of Faithfulness $35.00

Mission - Fire Victims $500.00

Misc.-Chair, Baptistry, Advent

Wreath

$1,924.29

Misc. D/S playground wk $560.00

Music Memorial $250.00

Organ $20.00

Staff Christmas Bonus $8,590.00

Society of St. Stephen $12,592.50

TV Ministry / Audio Studio $50.00

Women's Bible Study $50.00

Youth Dept $100.00

Total $34,042.79

General Operating Fund

December 18, 2011 Year-to-Date

Received $ 7,244.38 $ 764,368.76

Required $ 15,081.00 $ 769,131.00

Difference $ (7,836.62) $ (4,762.24)

Attendance

Sunday School: 196

Worship Total: 208

Traditional - 82 First Connect - 126

First United Methodist is

manning the Food Pantry

January 23-27, 2012.

Hours will be 10am-2pm.

Three volunteers, mini-

mum, will be needed each

day. We appreciate any help you can give,

whether it's a four-hour or two-hour shift.

Please consider participating in this local

ministry! Call 903/938-0009 or email

Rebecca Seacry, rpsearcy@gmail.com.

Thank you very much!

reConnect

Our Wednesday reConnect dinner and activities will begin January 11th. Dinner service begins at 5pm.

Many, many thanks to all of those who contributed

to the beautiful Festival of Lessons and Carols! To

the singers, readers, ringers, instrumentalists, cooks

and cleaners: I appreciate each of you, and I believe

God was glorified through our efforts.

Chancel Choir will resume rehearals on January

11 at 6:00pm. We are always looking for new and

returning members. Come join us for singing, fun

and fellowship (we have lots of all three!)

N o t e s N o t e s N o t e s

Mark Crim,

Director of Music Ministries

music@fumcmarshall.org

Congrats Madison! Madison Ledbetter, a member of

the church, graduated from South

Texas College of Law on Saturday,

December 17, 2011.

SOCIETY of ST. STEPHEN

Each Year We Shop on FAITH

There is always much to be thankful for

during the Christmas Season. We have a

special privilege of helping the neediest

children in our community during our annual

Christmas Project for Society of St. Stephen.

Now it is time to praise God for what he

has done through this ministry for the local

children and families. The members of this

wonderful congregation came together and

showered the love of Jesus on a record number

of disadvantaged people this year. We helped

93 families, over 380 people and gave out 170

boxes of food and 2,100 gifts (mostly cloth-

ing).

Volunteers, I thank you for personally con-

tacting each family to obtain clothing sizes and

for personally shopping for the 300 kids. It all

takes a tremendous amount of time and effort

and each of you played a vital role. It is such

an inspiration to witness your good works in ac-

tion! Thank you so very much for your gracious

help and support!

We were also blessed with volunteers to

help fill the food boxes and with distribution.

I thank each one of you for your time and help.

A special thanks to Keith Feille and

Ken Petersen. Keith did a masterful job

as always for his organization and distribution

and Ken provided 170 hams and boxes.

On behalf of Society of St. Stephen, I

would like to extend a deep, heartfelt thank

you to everyone who supported and blessed

this ministry with your financial gifts. Without

your contributions, Society of St. Stephen

would not be possible. God has so richly

blessed this church with cheerful givers and a

people with passion to help others. Each year

we shop on faith and never once have our

financial needs not been met. I am over-

whelmed by your generosity.

The members of this church are a blessing

to this ministry, this community and His King-

dom. Jesus said, “What you have done for the

least of these, you have done for Me”. By

showing these families the love of Christ

through this ministry, you have provided much

more than just gifts and food, you have shown

them the true meaning of Christmas. May God

richly bless each and every one you.

In His service,

Sharon Knoerzer

Cookies for Soldiers

Wed, Jan. 4th, 9am

Cookie Bakers Needed.

REMEMBER IN PRAYERREMEMBER IN PRAYERREMEMBER IN PRAYER OUR MILITARY and THEIR FAMILIES:

Corey Burton

Kelly Risner Burton

Derek Cottrell

Brandon Fitzgerald

Quade Kelley

Christopher Loftin

Johnathan Massey

Luke Moncla

Dominick Pondant

Brandon Pricer

Luke Purcell

Troy Reaves

Jason Woodley

HOMEBOUND:

Bennye Almond

Norman Bynum

Jerry Cothron

Dorothy Davis

Gene & Gerri Elliott

Earlene Flowers

Joe Gordon

Betty Norman

Lorena Pyle

LaVera Roberts

Nancy Watson

Margaret Weaver

Jim & Elizabeth

Williams

NURSING HOMES:

Paul Hintz

Ahlene Reavis

Norma Simmons

Jerry Tomlin

Dorothy Rose

Williams

ASSISTED LIVING:

Ella Brunson Juanita Green T9C Jordon Anne Kerr Barbara Thames Bonnie Timmins Patty Vaughn

Names will remain on prayer list for two weeks unless otherwise requested and updated.

Laurie Fyffe Charley Rae Furrh Bob Hardwick Kenny Henigsmith Richele Langley Amber Mayo Richard McBrayer Roscoe Meek Betty Norman Patsy Ponder Lemoine Reedstrom Don Stroupe Joann Warbritton Mike Wood

01 Frank Basalyga

Dianna Jackson

02 Jim Harris, Jr.

04 Liz Brooks

Preston Reaves

Murray Wells

06 Amanda Warwick

09 Peggy Henderson

10 Jack Mottershaw

12 Richele Langley

Sam Page

13 Scott Carlile

14 Robert Ross

15 Laura Adair

Pepper Hall

Ray Willis

16 Charles Armstrong

Jeff Floyd

18 Ryan Strotheide

19 Scotty Collins

Thomas Krudewig

20 Ron Collins

22 Dick Brassell, Jr.

23 Jeff Mottershaw

24 Monte Bacon

Joseph Gordon

Jill McCathran

Sandy Wood

25 Brenson Cherry

Dallas Harris

26 Sharon Knoezer

J.R. McCrary

28 Ken Conwell, Jr.

Sarah Sinclair

29 Mike Wood

Jim Ammerman

30 Joy Berry

Sarah Craig

Tristan Gage

Jeff Seal

Consider volunteer posi-

tions when making your

New Year‟s resolutions!

Office Angels

Newsletter Team

Membership Records

Children‟s Area

Youth Area

Greeters

Missions . . .

Bible Verses —continued

Forgetting the Past—Philippians 3:13-14 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am

still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forget-ting the past and looking forward to what

lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God,

through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (NLT) Learning from Past Mistakes—

Hebrews 12:10-11 Our fathers disci-plined us for a little while as they thought

best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No dis-cipline seems pleasant at the time, but

painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for

those who have been trained by it. Wait on the Lord—Psalm 37:7

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret

about their wicked schemes. (NLT) Isaiah 40:31- Yet those who wait for the

LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and

not become weary. (NASB) God's Timing is Perfect—Ecclesiastes

3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom

what God has done from beginning to end. (NIV)

Each New Day is Special—Lamentations 3:22-24 The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mer-

cies we have been kept from complete de-struction. Great is his faithfulness; his

mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" (NASB)

When one is swimming through the journey of grief, life seems to be too much. Every move one makes, every word spoken is many times just too much to bear. When I first experienced the loss of a loved one, people were expected to mourn for a little while and then “move on”. Grief support groups and grief recovery seminars were not available. I muddled through not knowing the many physical and emo-tional symptoms grief causes. Many times I thought I was going crazy. And I probably was!

A few years later I had the privilege to work for a hospice home health company. The most meaningful part of my job was meeting and getting to know the patients and families needing hospice services. So many times I experienced a terminally ill patient looking up and seeing wonders that we cannot yet see. I was with my mother when she died and a few moments before her final breath, her eyes opened wide with a look of joyful wonder. I believe she was seeing heaven.

When hospice patients died, their families continued to need the support the hospice provided. I was able to attend The American Academy of Bereavement and there received additional grief support training to help these families. For several years I facilitated support groups for adults and for children.

Life took us on a different path for a few years but I al-ways felt this push - this nudge and finally realized that God was telling me to continue with grief support groups. He is so amazing! He brought long time friends to train Debbie and Charlee and me in the GriefShare program.

I have been blessed beyond measure to share this painful

time with so many beautiful people. Watching the group that

has just concluded the first GriefShare cycle move towards

living again has been remarkable. Not only has this group

learned to deal with their grief, they have learned to share

and to support one another and most importantly they have

seen that God is present and that heaven is real. Linda Endicott

God tells us so many times and in so many ways to

turn to Him in times of sorrow. I decided to explore

GriefShare to see how Christians were led and sup-

ported with a Christ-based program. I see God's hand

and wisdom in this program. It is great! Debbie Bates

GriefShare facilitator training coming in January 2012. We will be offering two

sessions of GriefShare in the Spring. One session will be held on Thursday afternoons,

1:30-3:00pm and the other session will be on Thursday evenings starting at 6:00pm

Please consider serving as a facilitator. Contact Charlee, Debbie or Linda.

Non-Profit Organization

U. S. Postage

Paid

Permit #106

Marshall, TX 75670

First United Methodist Church 300 E. Houston St.

Marshall, TX 75670-4175

Address Service Requested

Email: office@fumcmarshall.org

Web: www.fumcmarshall.org

903-938-6622, M-F 8:30am-4:30pm

Thank you for your love offering to sup-port the Staff Christmas Bonus pro-gram! We are grateful to serve our Lord and this congregation. Bless you all and Happy New Year!