InsightMarch 2014

2

How You Can HelpWe want Insight to tell the story of WMUMC. We need your ideas, your words and your pictures. Here’s how you can be a part of telling our story...

Your Ideas: Do you have a great story idea? We want to hear it. Please email it to communications@williamsumc.org

Your Words: Is there a budding journalist in your family? Send your two page, double spaced, first person columns to communications@williamsumc.org.

Your Pictures: Do you have high quality photos you want to share? Please send your pictures in jpeg format to communications@williamsumc.org

Articles and pictures must be submitted by the first Friday of the previous month. All articles will be edited for spacing and content.

Need Weekly Updates?Check out the Sunday morning bulletin and join us online through our website, facebook and twitter.

welcometowilliams.org (new website coming soon!)

Contributing WritersRev. Brad Morgan, Rev. Sherri Waters, Margy Chaufty, Patsy Morriss and Russell Martin

Pastoral Staff

Senior Pastor Rev. Brad Morgan

Associate Pastor Rev. Brian Brooks

Associate Pastor Rev. Sherri Waters

Associate Pastor Rev. Dale Vickers

Associate Pastor Rev. Fred Smith

Evangelism Rev. Ron Drye

Church Address4000 Moores Lane Texarkana, Texas 75503Tel: 903.832.8663

Sunday Worship TimesTraditional 8:15am and 10:30am

Contemporary 10:30am

3

04 Letter from the Pastor

05 Lent & Holy Week Calendar

07 Confirmation/Alive @ Five

08 The Homerun That Wasn’tRev. Brad Morgan

10 Food PantryPatsy Morriss

11 Impact Student MinistriesRussell Martin

12 Williams School Snow Day

13 A Letter To Our ParentsRev. Sherri Waters

14 Faith Insights with Pastor BradPastor Brad & Margy Chaufty

4

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Welcome to the Spring Insight. We hope that this edition of Insight empowers you on your faith journey as we approach Easter. As I write this, the temperature is still below freezing. As I look out my window, the trees and flowers are without bloom. The birds are sparse, and we are definitely in winter. I am hopeful that when you receive this, the weather is sunny, the birds are singing, and the flowers are beginning to bloom. In this transition of spring from winter, I hope that you are reminded of the transforming grace we have in the love of Jesus. The love of Jesus can literally transform our lives from death to life.

Since the early days of the Christian faith, Christians saw parallels between the approach of Spring and Easter. In the changing of seasons, as new life bursts forth from the dormant winter, they were reminded of the Resurrection narrative of the gospels. The life giving power of Jesus was symbolically represented in the rhythm of the seasons. English speaking churches call this time of transition Lent. Lent is derived from the Anglo–Saxon word lenten, which means “spring.” During this season of transition and new life, Christians prepare to receive the resurrection story into our hearts again at Easter.

Lent was also a season in which new Christians were initiated in the faith and in which those who for some reason had left the faith had a way to return. This process of preparing new members for baptism and allowing estranged members to return was built into the Christian year as the season of Lent. Lent remains an exciting time for people to hear and receive the Christian message again. Like Spring, it is a time of discovery of new life and a time to be renewed. At Williams Memorial United Methodist Church, we have several ways that you can enter this discovery of new life this Lent. I encourage you to enter into a lenten discipline. You can give something up or take something good on. Observe in nature around you the possibilities of new life and the hope of the gospel made known in worship, prayer, service, and study. In this lenten season, I encourage you to make time each day to prepare your heart for the faith, hope and love that our Lord Jesus Christ can bring to each of us. I hope that the stories in this edition of Insight inspire you to that end.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Brad

Letter from the Pastor

7 Week Series Starting February 26

5

March 5 Ash Wednesday Services7am and 6pm Worship Services

April 13 Palm Sunday Services10:30am Sanctuary Service Children’s Processional

April 14 Holy Week Service6pm Sanctuary Service

April 15 Holy Week Service6pm Sanctuary Service

Arpil 16 Holy Week Service6pm Sanctuary Service featuring Williams Memorial UMC Student Ministries

Arpil 17 Holy Week Service6pm Sanctuary Service featuring the Williams Memorial UMC Choir

Arpil 18 Holy Week Service6pm Sanctuary Service of Darkness

Arpil 20 Easter Sunday8:15am & 10:30am Sanctuary Services10:30am Xperience Service

Sermon Series: Parables of Grace

Mar 16 New Horizons Matthew 9:10-17Mar 23 Rest For Your Soul Matthew 11:25-30Mar 30 Casting Seed Matthew 13:1-9Apr 6 Stumbling Block or Stepping Stone? Matthew 18:1-7Apr 13 Graceformation Matthew 20:1-16

Lent & Holy Week

Upcoming Series

6

December

“Believe in God”“Believe in God”, a painting by third

grader, Charlotte Bedford, is on loan

to us in the Welcome Center. Charlotte

and her grandmother, Betty Miller, were

discussing issues of faith, and Charlotte

chose to express her love of God through

this painting. Often, while we are doing a

project with a young person, there are

opportunities to discuss our faith and

answer questions that arise. Art is one way to express ourselves, but working on a car or

cleaning a yard together can offer those opportunities, too. It is good to share our faith.

We are grateful that Charlotte chose to share her art with us this month.

April 19

Designated areas for

age groups up to fourth grade

11:00am WMUMC 2014Vacation Bible School

Free Coffee & Cappuccino 7-10am Monday-Friday

July 21-24

Kick Off PartyJuly 20, 2014

7

Confirmation Sunday April 27, 2014

On April 27th, seventeen students will be confirmed at the 10:30am worship service in the Sanctuary. We will all be celebrating this important time in the lives of each family as the confirmands are welcomed into full membership with Williams Memorial United Methodist Church.

Trace Brooks Georgia Cobb Jackson Cobb Chris Druhan Palmer Duke Megan Harrison Jackson Hlavinka Conner Laird

Andrew LeGrand Olivia Lower Luke Mueller Drew Powell Olivia Rochelle Reed Russell Blake Slade Bobby Smith Haley WoodOur confirmands have been preparing for their confirmation through weekly classes, trips to worship with other

denominations, mission projects, volunteering for Community Cafe’ and worshiping with our Impact Youth group.

Alive @ Five

8

My son John’s first hit in a baseball game was a long time coming. But, late in the night of May 12, 2010, the wait was worth it. John Thomas was in his first season of baseball that year. We had been appointed to St. Paul United Methodist Church in Bridge City, Texas. Bridge City is a community in which children are born with a glove in their hand. And, baseball and softball are sacredly passed from generation to generation. So, it was a bit challenging for John to catch up because his first season was in kid pitch baseball. He had never been in a game before. The first couple of games he looked like he was totally lost. The coaches even discussed having him play down at coach pitch and learn for a season because they were worried he might get hurt in the box. A stubborn father, I refused and explained that he would learn. But, when he got in the box for his at bats under the lights, he seemed to freeze. He was not sure what to do.

In light of the challenge, we set about practicing almost daily. We were in the backyard working on batting with just a few baseballs, and I was getting frustrated that John Thomas could not even hold the bat right. Not only did John not know

what he was doing, I must confess that I did not know what I was doing. But Archie, our across the street neighbor, overheard our training session of frustration and came over calmly with some white whiffle balls and took some time to coach us in the fundamentals. “Use your left hand to guide the bat and your right hand for power. Generate speed from the toque of your body. Swivel your hips through the ball to generate bat speed and power.” Archie introduced us to a world that we were not familiar with. That season, my arm almost fell off. We tossed literally thousands of those little white whiffle balls from every possible angle to help John learn how to hit a baseball. For months, every day that it did not rain, we were batting and fielding. We were persistent in what seemed like a hopeless task.

There was progress, eventually, back in early April. John Thomas made contact but was thrown out. As the games progressed, he got more confident in the box. He was hit by two pitches, but he did not complain. With tears in his eyes, he was tough and got on base. His coaches were great. They kept him engaged and kept helping him develop understanding for the game. He developed a good eye for the ball and walked several times. But, he had not gotten a hit!

What my wife Laura and I did not appreciate during this odyssey was the level at which the parents, coaches, and team mates were encouraging him. As each game without a hit passed, the parents and teammates support and encouragement grew. “You can do it John.” “Hit it like you do in practice.” They were incredibly supportive of him. They did not put

him down or make fun of him, they simply expected him to hit. Their encouragement made a profound difference!

Waiting, hoping, and expecting with every at bat. The season was passing by. Night after night we encouraged and coached, but nothing happened. Then suddenly on Wednesday, May 12, all of that changed. It was a close game. In his first at bat, John had gotten on base on a hit by ball during the second inning. He was able to get in and score. He was fast and ran the bases well. When John Thomas came up to bat in the bottom of the fourth, his team had just pulled ahead 9-7. A teammate was on second, but the game was still up for grabs. We would need as many runs as possible because the other team got one more at bat.

We were anxious because he was up to bat with a playoff spot on the line in what might be the last inning. John Thomas took the first pitch, a ball. I commented to Laura, look at his feet and torque, he’s going to hit something. We were ever hopeful. John Thomas sat on the second pitch, a beautiful strike and then slapped his head for passing on such a good ball. He was frustrated. He just needed to relax. I told him, “Let it go, it’s okay. Focus on the next pitch.” Even another mom hollered, “It’s okay John Thomas, you can do it.” So many people were pulling for him. The next pitch was in the same place, high and outside but close to the strike zone. I’ll never forget that sound! John Thomas got all of it. He sent a screamer down the right field line.

As it passed over first base, it went over the bag. The umpire and first base coaches exchanged glances.

The Homerun That Wasn’t by Rev. Brad Morgan

9

What was the call? I’ve never been so happy to hear an ump call “fair ball.” John Thomas got a hit! Then the unthinkable happened, the ball carried all of the way down the line passed the right fielder and carried all of the way to the fence. John Thomas did what he had been trained to do. He rounded first, passed first, and headed to second. He was fast. As he came to second base the right fielder was scooping up the ball and making the throw to the cut off man.

John got the sign to go to third. The teammate had scored. We would win the game. But, coach Darrin knew this might be John’s only chance. It would be close, but as John rounded second he sent him home! Laura and I and the other parents were standing now. John slid in just under the throw. He was safe!

It was pure pandaemonium on our sideline. Sure, we may have just won the game. But, it sounded like we had won the World Series. A boy who had worked so hard all season and had kept a positive disposition had gotten a hit. And, not just a hit but a homerun! John ran around past the dugout and gave Laura and I a hug. All of us parents were cheering him, and his teammates all gave him high fives and patted his back. When they did the team cheer, they cheered one, two, three, John Thomas Morgan! All of the work. All of the effort counted when it mattered. All of the striving for a seemingly unachievable goal became realized in that one moment. The realization of potential produced joy.

As we settled down and got into the car, we were filled with joy. John said sheepishly, “You know what Dad? My run did not even count.” “What?” I replied. “My run was the sixth of the inning. Only five count.” He was right, but I said, “It would always count in my book! It was the most important home run that didn’t count.” And, we all laughed. I think John smiled for a week.

Our journey toward God often leaves us feeling like a baseball player

who is striking out at the plate every time we are at bat. Maybe we get walked occasionally and can see the base path. But, we are far from living as God would have us live. Words like faith, hope, and love are admirable virtues but not actually way we live our daily lives. By God’s grace, each one of us has the ability to be made whole by God’s love. But what does that love look like? I think it looks and feels a lot like unexpectedly hitting a home run.

Firstly, persistence matters. If you pray for God to come into your life and situation, but do not continue daily to read scriptures, surround yourself with others who know about God and accept their encouragement and coaching, how do you expect to be made whole? We live in a time where the expectation of instant gratification is assumed. But, God’s grace becoming real in our lives is often experienced over the long run. In the Confessions of Saint Augustine, Augustine attributes the prayers of his mother for helping him convert to the Christian faith. She prayed for

over a decade before he converted. Persistence matters.

Secondly, look for those God sends to help. There are others who will encourage and help you as you pursue living out your faith. There are members of your local church, counselors, pastors, and people who have known you along the way who are like loving parents, good coaches, and helpful neighbors. They are pulling for you! They will be excited for you and encourage you in your

journey. And yes, in those moments when you live into the wholeness God has for you, they will celebrate with the angels in heaven that you have been found.

Finally, the lesson for my son John was not that he was going to become a great Major League Baseball player if he just worked hard enough. No, the lesson was that when you give your effort and heart to something the journey toward that goal is a reward. And, occasionally along the way it can all come together in a wholeness that blesses not only you, but those who journey with you and encourage you.

Unlike John’s homerun, God has already given us union with himself through the divine action of Jesus Christ. We simply have to join our human action to God’s divine action in the world. It takes persistence, but there are others on the journey who will encourage us. When we let God into our whole lives, there will be pandaemonium on the sidelines and great celebrations in heaven.

“It takes persistence, but there are others on the journey who will encourage us. “

by Rev. Brad Morgan

10

short of food and could use some donations. I can help with this, I thought. I know what people like, and I know what we provide. I went to the grocery store the next day and filled my cart with canned vegetables (because they’re good for you), boxed macaroni and cheese (because it’s popular), canned chili (because it was on special) and canned fruit (because it’s my favorite). As an afterthought, I grabbed a few items to prepare dinner that evening.

I wheeled my heavy cart to the check stand and asked the cashier, a pleasant young woman with a lovely smile, if she would mind ringing my personal items up separately so I would have a receipt for the items I was donating. “No problem,” she assured me.

“Is this for Williams Memorial?” she asked. I replied that it was indeed.

“That’s where I get my groceries,” she said. “My kids love to eat at Community Café, especially when they have lasagna. They love that lasagna.”

She went on to offer to bag my items in paper bags, since that’s what we use on Monday nights, and she even gave me some extra bags. She had to scan each of my five dozen vegetable cans because I had mixed the contents of the cases. I thought it wouldn’t matter because they were all the same price; she knew, of course, that the store needed to know how many of which particular vegetable they had left. I was apologetic, but she assured me that it was no problem at all. She provided me with a level of customer service that made me feel as if she cared about me.

I left the store feeling as if this young woman and I were co-conspirators in God’s plan. It was a good feeling. I invite you to show up at the food pantry around 5:30pm` on any Monday and experience it for yourself.

Though I considered the Society of St. Stephen Monday night grocery distribution a good ministry for our church, I never thought about actually participating in it. Then Lisa Ledwell recruited our New Beginnings Sunday School class to adopt a Monday each month in order to give the hardworking organizers like Sharon Ward and Lisa Mitchell a little break. We would need 10 people every fourth Monday evening. I have to admit I wasn’t really excited about it. I wanted to help, though, so I signed up.

It’s been a true blessing, and only partly because the New Beginnings class is full of fun-loving people who have a good time no matter what they’re doing. It has also been a chance to meet and get to know some of the Society of St. Stephen clients. They represent every age group and every ethnicity present in our community, and they deal with challenges ranging from physical or mental disabilities to simply too many mouths to feed on a modest paycheck. Most express their gratitude freely. Many offer blessings to our class members and our families.

In case you’re not aware, we stopped making up boxes for our clients a while back. We now shop with them individually. There are guidelines; each client, for example, gets one box of cereal. The client chooses the type of cereal, though, which makes sense when you think about it. A mother of young children will usually choose Lucky Charms or Frosted Flakes. An older person is more likely to want Raisin Bran or Total. Giving our clients choices provides for the most effective use of our limited resources.

Speaking of limited resources, I was in a meeting not long ago when Sharon mentioned that the pantry was running

cereal

canned tomatos, fruits, soups &

vegetables

oatmeal

granola bars

peanut butter

crackers

canned chicken & tuna

macaroni & cheese

{NEEDS}

Society of St. Stephen Food Pantry

11

Impact Student Ministries

Mission Dinner Theater 3.14.2014Third Day Concert

3.23.2014Outdoor Games

3.30.2014Mission Dinner Theater

4.4.2014Poverty Sim Experience

5.11.2014Mother’s Day Bunco

1 John 4:11 “Since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.”

The youth invite you to take in dinner and a play. On March 30, as part of this year’s Mission Dinner, the youth will be presenting “The Case of the Frozen Saints.” The play is a one act production about a church that has died, and the helpless investigator who is called in to solve the case.

Tickets for dinner and the play are $15. Dinner includes pork loin, potato salad, baked beans, bread, tea, and banana pudding for dessert. Spaces are limited. Children in Alive at 5 will have their own meal of pizza and then come over to see the play.

A presentation of the play only will be Saturday the 29th at 5 p.m. Tickets for the Saturday show are $5 in advance or at the door.

Tickets are available online at wmumcimpact.org, Sunday Mornings in the Welcome Center, or by contacting the church office. If you have any questions contact the church office 903-832-8663 or email students@williamsumc.org

Upcoming Events

12

Williams School Snow Day January 2014

13

An Open Letter to the Parents of young children in church

I am so proud of you for bringing children of all ages into the sanctuary. I know it is difficult. I see you, sometimes arriving weary from the effort of getting a family ready to come, and then working toward the process of teaching children to worship with family and friends gathering in this place. I want you to know that I am grateful that you extend to the whole church this precious process. Our worship services are richer for having the noise of children. It is the sound of a church that is alive and growing.

I sometimes see you worry that the noise of a child will disturb other worshippers. I want you to know that the sounds are welcome! The sound of a hymnal dropping on the floor always makes me smile. It means that the book is being used. It does not matter to me if it is the support for an impromptu art project, or if the words are being read. Many times, the way we learn scripture, theology and prayer is through the words of the hymnal.

When I see a child with their parent’s face in their hands asking a question, I know that they are

engaged in the service, even if it seems the question is not relevant. If children are not included early in their lives, they miss the rich opportunity of growing with the values that make the generations mesh together rather than separate.

In the weeks to come there will be a couple of glider rockers in the sanctuary, so that you can be

comfortable staying in the sanctuary to comfort your child, rather

than removing them from our fellowship. There will

be a changing table in the women’s

restroom as well.

I know that there are many in the congregation who will reach out to you to encourage you as you nurture and teach these

wonderful children. When I

was young, there was a man who

made certain that he had a pack of gum in

his pocket that he shared with children. It helped us stay

focused, and know that we were welcomed as valuable members of the

congregation. I encourage all worshippers to find creative ways to encourage parents and welcome children.

Parents, thank you again for bringing your precious children to worship.

Sherri Waters

God’s Children A Letter from Sherri Waters

14

During a recent recording of the “Faith Insights” radio show, Pastor Brad interviewed Margy Chaufty about her faith and how it has changed her life.

Pastor Brad: What kind of faith tradition did you grow up in?

Margy: I did grow up in a church. We belonged to a Central Christian Church in Ponte, Oklahoma. That is where I gave my life to Jesus when I was twelve. Then, when I graduated from high school, my parents moved to Ponka City and Iwent off to Oklahoma State to college. So I have a foundation.

B: Oh, excellent. Excellent. And then, in your early childhood and life, and in your student life, too, what would have been some of those events that shaped your faith?

M: Well, Ponte being a very small town in that generation, our churches came together and shared teens, because we were small. So they borrowed teens from each other. So, like our group would go to the Episcopal church early in the morning and be their choir. They would take and feed us breakfast, then drop us off at our different churches. And our churches were very active, after football games where the get-togethers were always at a different church every Friday. And so we just kind of went from church to church, and it wasn’t strong differences and diversity in denominations. So that just kind of was a good thing. For I even went at Sunday evenings and played the piano for the Baptist church, because they didn’t have anyone. So they just, we just bonded as Christians.

Brad: Oh, wonderful. And in that fellowship between different denominations, in that fellowship with all Christians, what did you find to be some of the commonalities that tie us together in our Christian faith?

M: Of course, Jesus. You know? We just focused on Jesus and serving Him, believing in Him. And they just all nurtured us in the faith. I know one time, as a child, my daddy played cards with the veterans. And another child told me, well, your daddy’s sinning. He’s playing cards. Well, my next-door neighbor was Reverend Hit, was the pastor of the Baptist church. And I went over and I was all in tears, and he put me up on his lap, and we talked about it. And he said, “Does your daddy think it’s wrong?” And I said no. He said “then, the sin is when you think it’s wrong and you do it anyway.

B: Oh, wow.

M: So it was those kind of things that let us bond and not be diversified.

B: Right, right. What a beautiful time in your life. How did that faith grow and become nurtured in your young adult life?

M: Well, I think we find in kids that go off to college, we kind of fall away from the church. And I wasn’t any different. I worked and had to. We were a very poor family at that time. And I had to work, and my daddy, he wanted me at home as much as I could. So I would work and I would drive that forty-five minute drive from Stillwater to Ponca City and back. So I wasn’t really in church much. And then I met Ed and we got married and had two babies and went to school. And when you have children, you come back. And we began to attend church. Ed not so much as I did with the kids. But when Kari Jo, our daughter, our first-born was six years old, I took her to church and she had such a good time. And she came home and she just ran up to her daddy and she said “Daddy, I have so much fun at church without you.” And that’s not what she meant, but the words out of the mouth of babes, Ed attended the church thereafter. Because he did not want his children having fun without him at church. So, in that period then we became very active and we attended, because our children pulled us back.

B: Well, later in life, I know you would lose one of those children. How did that shape your faith?

M: Well, Ron was born with an obstruction in his urinary tract. We discovered it three days before his first birthday. And so, there were just so many little miracles along the way that nurtured our faith, and I could see God’s presence. I could see Jesus holding me up, being with us. And then when he was thirteen, he got his daddy’s kidney. And things kind of fell apart because the occupation, he was in forestry, they were self-insured. And even though the government picked up most of the bill because it was a family donor, our insurance from the company was the twenty percent. So Ed lost his job. So we moved here. And were so nurtured and immediately came to Williams when it was on Reading. And we were just surrounded with love and lifted up. Our children were loved and very active. So that just kind of carried us into a new phase of our faith. And through the years, actually, he did really well. I brought him into the world and Ed gave him 26 more years. And he was an attorney here in town. And when we had his service, it packed the church.

Faith Insights with pastor Brad

15

I did not even think about how much loved he was. But it packed the church, and those people have been so kind. But I think what came out of that, and he was at M.D. Anderson, and my role changed. I wasn’t the mama who could say “you will do this, you will do that.” He had a wife and he was an adult. He was 39, he could make his own choices. And I just kept saying, “Oh, God, why am I here? What is my purpose? I’m so confused.” I would pray and I don’t know how to help him and what to do. And I went to the library in the basement of the hospital. And I checked out this book “Wish You Well.” Which was just a fictional book, and I thought, okay, I’m going to read something and it’s just going to take me and surround me where I can forget about it for a while. Wrong. This book was so packed with emotion, and children losing the people they love, and not understanding and there was one page in this book where the little girl turned to her grandmother’s friend, and she said “Why does God take all the people we love?” and he said, “I think it’s to remind us to love all we can for as long as we can.” And I knew instantly my prayer was answered and I was to love all I could for as long as I could, which Ed and I did. When he did die, we both vowed to each other we weren’t going to ask God why. We were just going to say, what are we to learn and how are we to use this. And through different phases of actually Jesus talking to me, I became a Stephen Minister. And realized

that yes, I loved him all I could for as long as I could, but it wasn’t to stop with Ron. I was to love others and care about others. So, it was a learning experience from the time he was born. And not that my other children didn’t play a part, because they did. And we also decided that

although we loved Ron, and of course we had a void, and you never know what day it will hit you

that you feel it more than another day, but our focus was going to be on our

living children. And so God just kind of carried us through, and I can

honestly say I had some very personal experiences with the Holy Spirit. I know one day, I went into the grocery store, and everyone you meet, they want to know how Ronnie is. And when I cry, my face shows I’ve cried all day long.

And I thought, this just started an emotion in me, and when I

crawled in the car, I just cried out and I said “Okay, Holy Spirit, if I cry,

I’m heading to the hospital, Ronnie’s going to know. And I don’t want him to

know I cried. I’m going to slowly count to ten. Please take these tears away from me.” And it did.

And before I got to about eight, I could honestly feel the peace flow over me and took the tears away. And I could smile and be happy and enjoy the moment with Ronnie all day long.

B: Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing all these parts of your testimony. They’re beautiful, and it’s a blessing that God has worked in this way.

FAITH INSIGHTSWITH PASTOR BRAD

tune in to 107.1 on sunday mornings at 7:30am for faith insights with pastor brad eries

4000 Moores Lane Texarkana, Texas 75503