W E ARE ON T HE WEB !

WWW . P AMP AF UMC . COM Office Hours:

Monday - Thursday

8:00 -12:00 and 1:00 -5:00

Friday 8:00-1:00

Office phone : 806-669-7411

Email: pampafumc@gmail.com

First United Methodist Church PO Box 1981

Pampa TX 79065

Return Service Requested

Non-Profit Org.

US Postage Paid

Pampa, Texas

Permit No. 187

Up Coming Messages 6/5 - Grace Finds Us

Galatians 1:11-24

6/12 - Made Right in Christ

Galatians 2:15-21

6/19 - Gamily by Faith

Galatians 3:23-29

6/26 - Vacation Bible School Sunday

A community of Christian disciples

proclaiming God’s love and grace through worship and service.

SHARE · TEACH · LOVE · CARE

(FUMC Mission Statement - January 2009)

The prayer of the righteous is

powerful and effective.

~ James 5:16b

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - PAMPA , TEXAS

JUNE 1, 2016

VOLUME 82, ISSUE 11

CONNECTIONS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

DAILY SCRIPTURE 2

TAKE TIME TO PRAY 2

CONGRATULATIONS 2

MEMBER CARE 3

11 IN 11 4

FINANCIAL UPDATE 6

CHURCH CAFÉ NEWS 6

WEEKLY

ATTENDANCE

6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 6

CHILDREN ’S NEWS 7

HEART TO HEART!

Where do I even begin? Sharing my heart with you is such a joy; and that's because of God and you. Today, my heart is overflowing because I have prayer warriors all across the world lifting me in prayer before our Father God. But it's not just the prayers, it is because of the faith behind the spoken prayers. When we pray, we surrender control. We put our thoughts and desires into the hands of God. How do we trust that? It is because God promised to never leave us. We know this because in Romans 12, we are promised new life in Christ. We are told to "present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God". What does that mean? When we are in spiritual worship and/or in our private prayer time, we are to surrender totally to God. And in doing so, the scriptures tells us that "we will be transformed by the renewal of our minds". The renewal of our minds - that's what I had to do to begin to fight this illness called cancer. I had to be strong in faith and not allow Satan to control my mind which would control my spirit. So how did I fight? How do we fight? We speak the words of God against the enemy. We put on the full armor of God and defeat the enemy. We stand firm in the battle. And that's what you helped me to do. When I became weak, you showed up with love and words of encouragement. When fear began to take control, God sent you to remind me of my strength and the family that surrounds me on a daily basis. When you are weak, God says, "I am strong". Those are the same words each of us needs to hear on a daily basis, regardless of the battle we are in. Our God is strong! Our God is Mighty in battle! Our God is Greater than anything the world might throw at us. And with a team that God has formed around each of us, our response is "Yes, we can!".

In Him,

Pastor Ruby

PAGE 2 CONNECTIONS

God desires to be a part of our everyday lives. He longs to show His love for us in special ways. If we will take the time, He will surprise us with special gifts of His love throughout our day. Spend time in the Word and then allow God to show up in any part of your day that He chose. Read a Scripture and then look for God during the day. He will show up. Here are some Scriptures to help you find God in your day.

6/1 Galatians 1:1-12 6/2 Luke 7:1-20 6/3 Numbers 12:1-15 6/4 2 Kings 4:8-17 6/5 2 Kings 4:18-37 6/6 1 Kings 17:8-24 6/7 Psalms 30 6/8 Galatians 1:11-24 6/9 Luke 7:11-17 6/10 Deuteronomy 18:15-22 6/11 Acts 3:17-26 6/12 Jeremiah 28:5-17 6/13 1 Kings 21:1-21a 6/14 Psalm 32 6/15 Galatians 2:15-21 6/16 Luke 7:36 - 8:3 6/17 Numbers 19:10b-20 6/18 Ezekiel 3:22-27 6/19 1 Corinthians 2:1-13 6/20 1 Kings 19:19-21

TAKE T IME TO BE IN GOD 'S

WORD :

Good morning Father God, it is just so great that I get to start my day with You. This morning when You opened my eyes and I saw the ray of sunshine coming through the window, I knew You had already smiled on me and You were telling me that today would be a great day. Thank you so much. God, I am so amazed at the amount of love You show me each and every day. You remind us that we only need to ask, in faith, and You will respond to our prayers. Again, I thank You for that promise of love. Father, sometimes I forget to give You thanks. I ask and ask and ask, and You give; but my response does not always add up to Your gift of love. But You love me still. You know of my weaknesses. You know of my failures and doubts. You know all about me, and You still extend Your arms of love, Your gifts of mercy and grace, and Your abundance of forgiveness. Father, I just wanted to pause and truly give You thanks for all things, especially for the gift of Your Son Jesus. It's in His name that I give thanks and praise. Amen

TAKE T IME TO PRAY , TO G IVE THANKS

Congratulations to Jimmy Townson and Ayriel Coleman, recipients of the Joe and Betty Gordon Scholarship. That are selected and administered by the Board of Trustees

and Amarillo Area Foundation.

Jimmy was also the recipient of the UMW Scholarship.

And a BIG congratulations on completing the first milestone of high school graduation. You are now ready to take your first steps into your next journey. Always know that you have your church family’s love and

support.

PAGE 7 VOLUME 82, ISSUE 9

Church Café in hiatus until fall. We are looking for a new cook. If you know of someone, please let us know.

PAGE 6 CONNECTIONS

2016 Budget $ 612,186.00

Received YTD $ 208,483.99

Expenses YTD $ 225,945.42

As of May 31, 2016

In order to meet this budget we will need

weekly donations of $11,773.00.

Weekly Attendance

May 1 - 153

May 8 - 225

May 15 - 218

May 22 - 177

May 29 - 139

Please join us and help us celebrate

John Warner’s

80th Birthday

June 4, 2016

2:00-4:00

Pampa Chamber of Commerce

*No gifts please

For more information please call

Kerrick Horton 669-3668

How many games, how many faces?

He’s 8 decades old and still running the bases!

The music group ELATION of Stephen United

Methodist Church from Mesquite, Texas, will

appear in concert at First United Methodist Church

in Pampa, TX on Saturday, June 25 at 7:00 pm.

ELATION is composed of 30 youth ranging in age

from 12 to 18. The group was formed in August of

1999 and has shared “GODSPELL” with over 175

congregations in 36 states and Canada throughout

the past sixteen years. So join us for a night of music

based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew.

PAGE 3 VOLUME 82, ISSUE 9

Current Concerns: Kirsten Kuhn Gene & Carol Thompson Bob Carmichael Barbara Vanderpool Nathan Cutter (friend of Teresa Heckman) Cheri Rutledge (Teresa Heckman’s sister) Jill Lewis Madison Haynes – Eldon & Betty Maxwell’s granddaughter – health Sue Campbell Cal Hurst - Ron Hurst’s father A. L. Roden

Those Battling Cancer: Pastor Ruby

Berdena Richardson Clint Miller – Dorothy Miller’s son

Mike McComas ` Donna Burger David Irvin – (Mary Nace’s son) Norman Goad (Pat Terry & Bud Lewis’ nephew)

Lynn Hancock – Pastor at Briarwood Alyssa Crabb – (Jessica Cowden’s friend)

Charlie Lang – (Laurann Gilbert’s brother) Lana Stewart Miller (Tom & Judith Auwen’s niece) Richard Morris (former City Manager) Roger Myers Doris Goad – (Pat Terry and Bud Lewis – sister) Thelma Waters - (friend of Jerry Foote) Jennifer Lewis Clouse - (friends of Bill & Ramona Hite) Brenda Holmes Denver Bruner (Billie Bruner’s son) Vicki Dittman (friend of Pat Terry) Lynn Ferrell - Friend of Beverly Alexander Tatum Schulte Carl Gruben – (friend of Mark Warner - health) Jimmy Adams & Jan Haynes Rebecca Cunningham (Jennifer Hampton’s sister)

Long Term Concerns: Orin & Gwyn Hulsey - health Irvine Riphahn – health Bill Britton – health

Grace Monroe – health Fran Morrison – health Gene & Helen Hall – health

Gladys Vanderpool – health Joyce Loy – health

Jeanne Willingham-health Ramona Hite – health

Tom McKay (friends of Larry and Mattie Norton) Sarah Landry Walston – (Rivest & Nancy Landry’s daughter) Terri Gamblin (Kyle’s mother) Derek Arellano (Daniel Rivera’s nephew) Alexis Shelton - Teresa Heckman’s daughter-in-law Laura Allen – friend of Melinda Stowers - health Nan Goad – (Friend of Betty Maxwell) – car accident

Shannon Taylor - (Betty Maxwell & Shellene Dancy’s niece) - health

Madonna Hubert- (Teresa Heckman’s friend) - health

Jay Holmes- (Rochelle Lacy’s friend) – health Howard Musgrave – (friend of Noreta Treadwell and Howard Wells) – health Gene Barber – Health Diane White - Health Eddie Shelton – Health issues Aaron Lowe – Pastor Ruby’s friend Renee McCullough - Health Ed Innerarity – (Craig Cowden’s uncle) - heart transplant list Jessie Lee Corley & Family Kathleen Chaney – health- (friends of Virginia Dewey) Cletus Jones – (friend of Judith Auwen) Gerald & Joyce Rasco - friend of Virginia Stavenhagen – health Joe Miller (Dorothy Miller’s husband) Rebecca & Murray Stroud – friend of Virginia Stavenhagen Verna Bridwell Smith - Jim Bridwell’s sister Terri Gamblin (Kyle’s mother)

Special Prayer Concerns: Unspoken request Our Schools Our Church War Torn Nations Our Country

Persecuted Believers Local, State, National, and World Leaders Law Officials /Fire / EMS / Other Community

Please call the church office if you have an answered prayer, celebration to share, or an update for your loved one, yourself, or anyone on our prayer list. Please help us to keep the prayer list current. Thank you.

PAGE 4 VOLUME 82, ISSUE 9

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS K IRSTEN - 11 IN 11 UPDATE

As my team and I finish our trek through thigh high weeds and tall grass we see our destination on the side of the grassy mountain: a one bedroom home made of clay and dirt clods for walls and sticks that suffice as the structure. After permission from the son, who also lives in a tiny clay home next door, we open the door and enter into the living room/kitchen/all purpose room. I look up to find an electrical line hanging 3 inches above my head. Cautiously I reach my hand up avoiding the line to find the source of the radiating heat, unsure if it was the electrical line, but settling on the tin roof as the source. After 20 steps into the door (the full length of the living room), I turn right, face to face with the entrance of the only bedroom in the house, sizing to be about 15 ft by 20 ft. As I inhale, the smell of urine and body odor fills my nose.

Pushed up against the left wall is a small, twin bed. Again I look up, but this time without any sign of electrical chords. Our ministry host asks if we can turn on our phone lights. I shine my light to the other corner. Pushed up against the right side of the wall is another bed, but this one looks to be a full. Buried between three blankets is the fragile, bony toothless grin of a 93 year old woman.

At this point my mind is racing. She looks like she hasn't bathed in days, or even moved from bed, quite frankly. Later after our encounter, we find out that this woman used to be a larger woman, who's skin now frames each and every bone in her body. Gogo, or Granny is what we have come to know her as.

Granny explains to us that "she's hungry, she's really hungry". So my teammate, Rick, grabs two oranges from his backpack to peel and give to her. Holly finds a smashed Cliff Bar, but yet we knew that neither of these would satisfy the hunger. You see, this woman needed both physical and spiritual nourishment.

These are some of the most challenging moments for me in the World Race. It's the moment when you feel useless. My mind always battles with the idea that even though the Lord gives us the opportunity to satisfy physical hunger, we never have control of what happens the next day when we aren't there to take care of Granny, or the child on the street, or the orphan at the school.

In this same moment, Sara asks if we can bring lunch to Granny in the afternoon. Thank you Lord for extra time with this sweet woman.

It was in these couple of hours, in between, that God shed some wisdom on this situation for me.

1) Not only did our phone lights bring physical light to her room, but we brought spiritual light in a seemingly dark scenario.

2) BECAUSE I am a temple of God, I along with my team brought Jesus to her... Even though I felt completely helpless. This is the best thing we could have ever "done" for her. It's in these moments God continues to ask me if I trust him beyond what physical control I have of situations. Because in reality, my physical control requires absolutely ZERO faith.

3) However, on the other hand, the Lord was asking that I don't undermine the physical needs we ARE meeting. He is letting us be a part of serving His children and we being good stewards of the resources we ARE given is what He asks of us.

You see, we as Christians aren't superheroes. Sometimes, or most of the time, we can't cater to people's specific needs. But that's because if we were able to solve every problem, where is there room for God? Where is the dependency?

PAGE 5 VOLUME 82, ISSUE 9

God doesn't ask us to be complete problem solvers, He asks us to bring Him to every person we encounter in what-ever way we can.

As Americans, I think sometimes we can be too hesitant or too skeptical when it comes to meeting people's needs. We've read countless blogs and books about the repercussions of when our American hands help to the point of de-pendency. And yes, there's truth to a lot of it. But I think sometimes, as readers, we can over think when in the situa-tion to serve people. We let those books and blogs and stories override what our heart and our mind is telling us to do. I don't think it's something that we mean to do, but I think that it's been glued in the back of our minds. When I think back to the Bible and try to get perspective on how Jesus loved and served people, there are never accounts of Him hesitating. Obviously it's not wise to give a drunk, homeless man straight up cash to spend on whatever he likes, but I also believe that if you call upon the Lord for His discernment in situations, He is going to give it to you. Maybe serving this man well is as easy as buying him a meal, or sitting down with him in his drunkenness and just hanging out. Maybe it looks like going on a walk with him or just giving him a hug.

For Granny, it was providing some sweet potatoes, oranges, and spending some quality time basking in the sun with her sharing Jesus' love in the ways that we had control of in the moment.

Moral of the story: Don't over think or over complicate the love of Jesus!