January 1, 2009 Volume 3 Issue 1

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2009 at Couts

Making Bible Study a Priority

Wednesday Nights

6:30 p.m.

(Beginning January 7th)

Esther: It’s Tough

Being a Women

Led by Sarah

Jarrell

Study of Daniel

Led by Dennis

Watters

Precepts Study of

Hebrews

Led by Georgia Orr

Study of

Ruth and Esther

Led by Butch Hott

Study of

Revelations

Led by Virginia

Mayfield

Deep Dive Bible Studies

Mondays 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays 6:30 p.m.

Home of Bill and Cheryl Cerbone At the church-led by Brad Vantine

504 W. Lee

Tuesdays 7:00 p.m. Thursdays 7:00 p.m.

Home of Clint and Pam Collier Home of Rob and Carrie Worsham

241 Southview Court 305 Country Road

From our Pastor-Timothy Jarrell

Letters from Timothy

Couts Methodist Church Endowment Update

Page 2

Letters From Timothy

SOSO or SN?

I find myself at the start of each year

reflecting on a similar question: Will

this year be marked by more same

ole’ same ole’ or something new? On

the surface it sounds like an invitation

to be rid of everything old. Don’t be

fooled! Many things in our life we

did last year and the year before that

are good things we need to continue.

For most reading this our need is not

a system-wide purge and complete re-

start and reorientation of our life.

Most need adjustment, refinement,

and retuning. There are also new

things that need to be incorporated!

The new we need however, is not to

the exclusion of the good-old in our

life. Try pondering these questions

as you start the New Year:

Is there any old in my life

that’s not good that I

need to be rid of?

Is there anything new I need

to incorporate into my

life?

How can I make the “good-

old” better?

I look forward to the best year ever

as we ponder together God’s dream

for us in this new year!

Keep the SON in your eyes!

“I look forward to

the best year ever as we ponder

together God’s dream for us in

this new year!”

Tim Jarrell

“Did you know that” -- friends and members may make special gifts to the Couts UMC Endowment

Fund and designate the earnings of their gifts to support specific needs of the church such as

children’s ministries, music ministries, youth trips, etc All designated endowment gifts will be

administered as a separate portion of the Couts Endowment Fund.

C O U TS S C O UN T DO W N

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Couts Finance Committee has asked

Karey Hatch to facilitate the Dave

Ramsey course. You might ask

“Who is Dave Ramsey?”

Dave Ramsey is financial expert and

coach and New York best-selling au-

thor. A few people in our congrega-

tion have taken his course and have

highly recommended it to our finance

committee and asked them to offer it

t o t h o s e i n t e r e s t ed i n o u r

congregation.

Dave says you can get out of debt the

same way you learned to walk, one

step at a time. You can find out more

information about the course on

www.daveramsey.com

Dave recommends 7 Baby Steps to

begin your Journey to Financial

Peace:

1. $1,000 to start an emergency

fund

2. Pay off all debt using the Debt

Snowball

3. 3 to 6 months of expenses in

savings

4. Invest 15% of household in-

come into Roth IRA’s and pre-

tax retirement

5. College funding for children

6. Pay off home early

7. Build wealth and give!

This 13 week class will be offered at

Couts beginning 11th on Sunday after-

noons from 4-6 p.m. A one hour

make-up class will be offered on

Wednesday evenings from 6:30 –7:30

p.m. for those who could not attend on

Sundays.

The cost for the workbook and class is

$93.00. (single person or a couple can

share the book)

The class will be open to the commu-

nity, as well, so space will be limited.

If you are interested or have questions,

please call Kerry Hatch -

817-598-0083.

13 week class offered

at Couts

Beginning January 11th

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM OUR PRAYER ADVOCATE - ANDY THOMPSON

Two of YAHWEH’S names used in the Old Testament are:

ESH OKLEA (Hebrew) - English—Consuming Fire

EL KANNA (Hebrew) - English — Jealous God

Hebrews 12:28-29 says, ―Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and

so worship God ACCEPTABLY and REVERENCE and AWE, for our God is a consuming fire‖(Hebrew ..ESH

OKLEA).

A quotation from Ignatius Antioch (First Century) says: ―We must either fear His future wrath or love His

present grace—one or the other.‖ Exodus 34:14 ―Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is

Jealous (Hebrew—

EL KANNA), is a jealous God.‖

The English poet Joseph Addison defined jealously thusly: ―Jealously is that pain which a man feels from

the apprehensions that he is not equally loved by the person he entirely loves.‖ This is the kind of jealously that

impels God to pursue us despite our evasions, indifference or waywardness.

I urge you to take time today to think about the way in which God has pursued you—relentlessly, shrewdly,

passionately—through your lifetime. Ask Him to help you recognize how He has been at work. Then pray for the

grace to forsake every love that will compete with your love for Him. (Adapted from Praying the Names of God,

written by Ann Spangler).

A Prayer Breakfast is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2009 from 8- 11 am.

Hope to see you there.

13 Week-Financial Peace University

C O U TS S C O UN T DO W N

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C O U TS S C O UN T DO W N Page 4

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5

CCA Starts back

6 7 Bible

Studies

6:30-8:00

8 9 10

11 12 13 14

Dave Ramsey

Make-up

6:30-7:30 PM

15 16

17

18 19 20 21 22 23

Youth 30

Hour Famine

24

District

Training

Event

9:30 - 3:00

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Prayer

Breakfast

8:00-11:00AM

January 2009

Jr. League practices begin in the gym Couts Leadership Meeting

Dave R

am

sey C

lass 4

:00

—6:0

0

Mu

sical R

ehea

rsal—

2:0

0 –

4:0

0 p

n

Youth Sunday

30 hour

famine

Noon

Retired

Teachers

Emmaus Team

Meeting - FH

Jr. League

Basketball

begins

Jonathan

Stanley

Wedding

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri S

1 2 3

4

9:45 Sunday School

11:00 Worship

5

WISD school

starts

6 7

Mid Winter forms due

Junior High

8 9 1

0

11 Prayer Partners

kick off 12:30

Senior High

12 13 14

Famine forms due

Junior High

15 16 1

7

18

9:45 Sunday School

11:00 Worship

Senior High

19

NO SCHOOL

20 21

Junior High

22 23

30 HOUR FAMINE-

6:30PM

2

4

—

—

25

FAMINE SUNDAY

No Youth

26 27 28

Junior High

29 30 3

1

January 2009

Starting in January the youth is going to look a little different! The junior high youth

(grades 7-8) and the senior high youth (grades 9-12) will be meeting separately. This

schedule change is to help the youth grow spiritually with more age appropriate mate-

rial, and to help them grow closer to each other.

Junior High Youth will meet every Wednesday from 6:30-8:00PM

Senior High Youth will meet every Sunday from 6:00-8:00PM

Please pray for the youth group as we make these changes and as we grow spiritually

and in numbers

It is always comforting to know that someone is always praying for you. If you are willing to be a prayer part-

ner for our youth please let Katie know. For the year 2009 you will be matched with a youth in which you will be

praying for, contact once a week through email, text, or by phone to see if they have any prayer concerns, and send

them cards on their birthday and Christmas. On January 11 at 12:30 there will be a prayer partners kick off where you

get to meet your partner, eat, and share some fellowship time with them. If you are interested in being a prayer part-

ner, please let Katie know.

Page 5 C O U TS S C O UN T DO W N

Looking back - Jingle Jam 2008

Jesus Christ Superstar

May 21-24th - Mark Your Calendars

Couts Begins 15th Season of Broadway Musicals

For fourteen years, Couts has provided the Weatherford and surrounding communities with awesome theatre experiences. The first year a cast of 15 actors performed Godspell, a musical based on the book of Matthew. Other

years there have been performances that included:

Joseph and the Amazing, Technicolor Dreamcoat, Touch of a Child, Children of Eden, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell and Fiddler on the Roof.

This year the performance of Jesus Christ Superstar will be open to adults and youth of our church and community.

Dates to remember: January 11 & 18 - Musical read-through

January 25th and February 1st - Auditions Page 6

C O U TS S C O UN T DO W N

Did you know that CoutsKidz is a sponsor for a child through Compassion International? Our child is Limon Chakrabarti, from Bangladesh. He is 10 years old. We take weekly donations from the children to help with the sponsorship. This is an excellent opportunity for your child to realize that even the smallest of us can make a differ-ence. Please encourage your child to pray for and support Limon! Offerings can be given to

their group leaders or to our Sunday School greeters! Even if you don't have a child in the program, but still want to help out with Limon, donations can be given to the office! Thanks for your help!

Sunday School Join us in Sunday School as we strive to make our children's ministry a place where the life-changing truth of Scripture becomes lifelong reality for every child who walks through our door. January will lead us through the amazing life of Christ and the impact He has made on us all. CoutsKidz Sunday School is for all kids 3 years old to 5th grade.

Now is the perfect to sign up or bring a friend to KidZone. January 7 we will be starting back with a whole new curriculum and program to get ready for our Easter program. See the church office to grab a brochure with information and permission slips!

Page 7 C O U TS S C O UN T DO W N

Allene Bielss

J.T. Cox

Tim Eldridge (nephew of Ron &

Mary Kearney)

Jeanette Grim

Holly Hatch - Allergy tests

Mae Moore

Billie Murrell

Georgianne Simmons

Phil Simmons Sr.

Bruce Stewart

Calvin Stockton

Warren Stockton - tests

Marion Tolin

Leah Western

Marie White

Shirley Woods (Tim’s Cousin)

Mike Young

Ray Witherspoon family - Ray passed

away on December 26th. A Celebration of

Life Service will be held in the next 2

weeks.

Kelly Brown, Billy Burris,

Marsalee Burris,

Matt Couch, Robert Couch,

Warren Crouch, Michael Gillium,

Michael Greene,

Michael Lanier, Cory Jones

Blake Hubbard, Mike Hebert,

Lisa Lanier, Joey Larance,

Kelby Mays,

Jason Nazarenko, Gary Neal,

Robin Sheehan, Eric Skinner,

Doug Yarnell, Thomas Welborn,

Chris Wiggs, Cody Williams,

Craig Wolfenberger, Matt Urban.

Non-profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

Weatherford, Tx. 76086

Permit No. 110

Address Correction Requested

Go Welcome, Equip, Serve, Transform

WE ’ RE ON T HE W EB - V IS IT U S

WWW . CO UTS MET H OD ISTC H UR CH . C O M

Prayer Concerns Our Military January Birthdays

1

January 1 Bob Jenkins George Pendergrass

January 5 Cheryl Cerbone Sue Ensminger

January 6 Robert Morgan

January 7 Monte Martin Robert Miller January 8 Susan Mays Everett Pendleton

January 11 Leta Jester Jennifer Polvado Mary Ann Rooney

January 12 Mai Dingle January 13 Daniel Garza

January 14 Donna DeGrand Lisa Renfro

January 16 Chuck Orcutt

January 17 Ralph Ragsdale

January 20 Marilee Bennett Cissy Coonce January 21 Dovie Barber January 22 Ella Jester January 23 Jean Guess Ricky Torbett

January 27 Charles McNutt

January 28 Sue Claunch

January 29 Pam Collier Grace Pendleton January 30 Jonathan Mays

January 31 Edna Strickland