the chimes october 2018 - 1st united methodist...

Have you ever bought a drill? Can I ask you ‘why?’

The answer you may first come up with is that you wanted or needed a drill. But, I don’t think that is correct. If you were to drill a little deeper (pardon the pun), you might realize that is not the case. Unless you just have a tool fetish (you know who are), you didn’t really want a drill.

What you wanted was a hole. Maybe it was a pilot hole. Maybe it was for a doorknob. It might have been for a peephole in the front door. You needed a hole — and the drill was the most efficient way or fastest way to get it.

Have you ever prayed? Why?

Did you want to pray? Did you need something else to do? Did you want to look good to God or the preacher? Did you want to be holy?

Or, is it because what you really wanted was to see God heal someone you love? Or, change the heart of a family member who was far from you — or, far from God? Was it to see a friend set free from addiction to alcohol or so a neighbor might come to faith in Jesus? Was it to receive wisdom for a decision that you were wanting to make, and make it well? Did you pray because you wanted peace in your heart instead of anxiety? Or, hope instead of discouragement? Or, joy in place of weeping?

On Tuesday, October 16th, at 6:00 p.m., I am calling for the church to meet for prayer. I am calling for others to gather for prayer for healing — of the Church; to pray for a revival of holiness of heart and life here in Punta Gorda and Charlotte County; to pray for healing and for salvations.

What: Prayer

Who: anyone who is willing to pray — out loud or silently

When: Tuesday, October 16 at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Historic Sanctuary

Why: so God will do it again — and anoint His Church with His ‘unction’

Would you pray about joining me? Would you join me in imploring God for the unction of His Holy Spirit to well up here? Will you join me in drilling deep into the heart of God and the wells of salvation for a community transformed by God’s grace?

Yours in the Cause of Christ,

Mike

The Chimes The Chimes

file:///Users/christaOCT O B E R 20 1 8

The Chimes October 2018

Offering New Life in Jesus Christ by Seeking, Shaping and Sending Disciples. www.whatis1st.com

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Holiday Survival Guide with practical strategies, encouraging words, helpful exercises, Q/As, and journaling ideas for daily survival through the holiday season

At GriefShare Surviving the Holidays, you’ll meet with other grieving people who have an understanding of what you’re going through. They won’t judge you or force you to share, but will accept you where you are and will offer comfort and support.

Your holiday season won’t be easy; your emotions may ambush you and suck you under at times. But you can choose to walk through this season in a way that honors your loved one and puts you on the path of health and healing.

To register or find out more about GriefShare Surviving the Holidays, please call Melodie Austin, 941.661.0842, by email [email protected] or online, www.whatis1st.com/holidays. Reservations must be made by November 12th.

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We have all heard it over and over again, “holidays are time spent with loved ones.” They mark the passage of time in life, and are part of the milestones shared with family. But if holidays are for being with those we love the most, how do we learn to cope with them when a loved one has died? For many, this is the hardest part of grieving, when we miss our loved ones more than usual. The shared memories, special family traditions and family gatherings are no longer the same and often painful to endure.

While some may choose to attend family gatherings and parties as normal, others may feel more comfortable marking the holiday by going to a favorite movie or restaurant they shared with their loved one or even wish they could skip the holiday months and shoot right into the next year. The holidays often trigger tough emotions like extreme sadness and loneliness making the need for support even greater. While some might feel it is easier to pretend things are okay, people can only pretend for so long.

To be honest, when dealing with grief, it is very natural for people to feel they may never enjoy the holidays again. While it may seem like holidays may never

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been the same, it is possible to bring new meaning to family tradition and celebrations.

For the past few years, the GriefShare program here at 1st Church has provided the Surviving the Holidays seminar to help people who have experienced this loss face the holiday season. Each year, this half day seminar helps participants discover what to expect over the holidays and how to create plans and communicate with family and friends during these very busy weeks.

Our annual Surviving the Holidays seminar held November 17th at 1st United Methodist Church at 9 am offers practical, actionable strategies for making it through the holiday season. At this two-hour seminar, you’ll view a video featuring advice from people in grief who’ve faced the holidays after their loss. You’ll hear insights from respected Christian counselors, pastors, and psychologists. You’ll receive a

SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS RETURNS CHRISTA G. VILLAROSE, MEDIA MINISTRIES COORDINATOR

October 2018 The Chimes


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UMCOR HURRICANE FUND- Many of you are asking how to help those impacted by Florence. Your prayers as well as gifts to UMCOR are the best possible resources to share. We know firsthand the difference those gifts can make, as we first responded in the aftermath and began the long road of recovery–a road we are still traveling today! Please pray for the people of the Carolinas and Georgia. Pray for the first responders and other professionals. Please pray as well for thousands here in Florida who are still living in damaged homes waiting for help.

TEACHER APPRECIATION PROJECT – We are in need of 15-20 people to assist with handwritten notes and prayer reminders to honor our Charlotte County teachers. We will revisit our Cookie treats at a later time this year when we have more bakers available. For more information, please contact Rosie at [email protected].

THANKSGIVING IS COMING! - It's that time of year again, where we are preparing for our Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner! If you have an interest in serving for this event, please contact Sherri O'Connell, either by text, 941.916.4050 or email, [email protected]

JERICHO ROAD FUND - We are accepting Jericho Road fund

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Answers for Big Questions starting Thursday, October 18th at 9 am. No study books or registration necessary. For info, please contact Karen Grant, 613.3423 or Judee Fish, 421.6328.

FALL GAME DAY – United Christian Women will host their annual fall game day on Saturday, November 3rd at 1 pm in the Life Center. Tickets are $7 per person.

SAFE SANCTUARY PROTECTION

POLICY – Safe Sanctuary training is now on the Illuminate Children’s page on our website, whatis1st.com/illuminate, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the three handprints to go to the video. At the end, click the Illuminate logo for the confirmation page link.

JOIN OUR MEDIA TEAM! – We are looking for help with our worship slides during all three services. Training provided. Please contact Christa at the office for more information.

GOOD NEWS CLUB – Get ready! Get set! GO! Good News Club returns to Sallie Jones Elementary School on Thursday, October 18th. The team will meet at 1 pm in room 13 on that day for a final prep meeting. As a reminder, all team members must bring their photo ID and arrive at the school at 2:15 pm.

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donations to help Pastor Earl’s daughter and her family with medical bills. To make a donation, please make your check out to 1st Church with “Greyson” on the memo line.

SHOWER MINISTRY NEEDS – Our current needs include men’s & women’s underwear, sm-lg/ size 6 -10; women’s 2x shirts & pants size 18/20; Men’s t-shirts - sm-xxl; men’s shorts & pants in 28-44 and shoes. All underwear & socks must be new.

CHARGE CONFERENCE 2018 – Our Annual Charge Conference will be held Saturday, October 27th, at Christ UMC, 1475 Center Road in Venice beginning at 9 am. Transportation is available with limited seats - 1st Come 1st Served. Please contact the office to reserve your seat this week.

MEN’S FELLOWSHIP DINNER – All men are encouraged to join us on Monday, October 15th at 6 pm in the Life Center for our monthly Methodist Men’s fellowship dinner. The program will feature our own Hezzie Samons, who will share about his Costa Rican mission trips. The cost for dinner is $9 and reservations are due by October 12th to Wayne Sharp, 612.867.3017 or .

BETH MOORE STUDY – Ladies, join us for our five-week video based Beth Moore Study, God’s

IMPORTANT 1ST CHURCH UPDATES



THIS IS NOT MY STORY: THE PRIMACY OF WORSHIP PART I THE MEANING OF LIFE DR. SHANE R. MCDONALD, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC MINISTRIES

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What is the purpose of existing? What is the purpose of life? Is each person’s intendment unique, or does all of humanity share the same purpose? Many people have pondered this over the years; great debates have been, are, and will be had over this1. Fortunately, as Christians, we know the answer to these questions. The best summation of the answers to these questions that I have found is by the Westminster Divines in their Westminster Shorter Catechism. They wrote these questions and answers to instruct their children in the Christian Faith. They thought this question, “What is the meaning of life?” so important that they made it the first question and answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Q1: What is the chief end of man?

A1: Man’s chief end is to glorify God2, and enjoy him forever3.

The Westminster Divines have gleaned two fundamental jobs for human beings from Scripture. The first is to glorify God. This then begs the question how to glorify God? The Corinthians passage seems to indicate that any and every endeavor we embark upon should be to the glory of God. If the object of our pursuit in no ways brings glory to God, then it is an unworthy quest.

One of the endeavors a Christian pursues in glorifying God is corporate worship. The modern-day parable of the old country Pastor who visits one of his flock who has not attended in several Sundays is a great example of the importance of corporate worship.

The old country Pastor arrives at his parishioner’s house on a cold and snowy evening and knocks on the door. The parishioner invites the Pastor into his house and offers him refreshments. As they sit before a roaring fire in the chimney, the Pastor inquiries about the parishioner’s health, trying to subtly find out why the parishioner had been absent. When it turns out the parishioner is in good health, the Pastor is a little more direct and queries the parishioner about their absence. The parishioner responds, “Well Pastor, I don’t recollect I need to go to church.” The Pastor stands and pokes at the fire and removes a burning ember and sets it upon the hearth. “I reckon, that I can see God’s beauty from my window. I can sing the hymns here by myself, and more in tune. I can read the Bible and study God’s word. And let’s face it Pastor, some of those people who attend church can be quite rude… So, I decided, I would just worship God here at home by myself.” As the parishioner winds down his justifications for not attending he glances over to the hearth, the lone ember has died out, while the fire continued to rage. Just before the Pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the Pastor reached the door to leave, the parishioner said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

John Wesley, in the General Rules of the United Societies, defines worship as a “means of grace.” John Calvin elaborates on the Romans passage in Institutes and the Necessity of Reforming the Church states:

Worship is to acknowledge Him to be, as He is, the only source of all virtue, justice, holiness, wisdom, truth, power, goodness, mercy, life and salvation. We ascribe and render to Him the glory of all that is good; to seek all things in Him alone, and in every want have recourse to Him alone.

Wesley and Calvin both give us some clues to worship and glorifying God. Calvin gives us some ideas as to what worship or glorifying God is all about. Worship is primarily to and for God. It is to acknowledge Him as the source of all things. To quote a modern-day Pastor, “It is not about you.” While worship and glorifying God may not be about the individual person, church, or creed, both the above parable and Wesley acknowledge that the worshiper receives something back when engaged in the right worship of God.

The second part of the answer will be covered in “The Primacy of Worship Part II; From Here to Eternity.”

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1 Adams, Douglas. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Postulated that “The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42.” 2 1 Corinthians 10:31So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Romans 11:36 For from and through him and to him are all things. To Him be glory forever. 3 Psalm 73-24-26 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you! My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is strength of my heart and portion forever. John 17:22,24 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one…Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.



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500,000 volunteers worldwide—with more than 150,000 of those in the U.S.—are involved in collecting, shipping and distributing shoebox gifts.

We encourage you to be involved by picking up one of our green and red shoeboxes, available in the Sanctuary, Life Center and Lenox Fellowship Hall. Fill your own boxes or attend our annual packing party hosted by United 4 Him Youth on Sunday, October 21st starting at 6 pm in the Life Center. Boxes will need to be returned by November 11th to ensure they are included in our Church count. Every box is an opportunity to reach another soul for Christ, bringing them the best news of all this Christmas, “God loves them and so do we!” Will you help us exceed last year’s total?

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD – SHOEBOX TIME IS HERE!

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Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 157 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories. In 2018, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 11 million children in countries like Peru, the Philippines, Rwanda and Ukraine. More than 11 million shoebox gifts were collected worldwide in 2017, with more than 8.8 million collected in the U.S. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.

Anyone can pack a shoebox. Individuals, families, churches and groups fill empty shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys, such as dolls or soccer balls.

During National Collection Week (November 12th – 19th), Samaritan’s Purse will collect the gift-filled shoeboxes at nearly

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5,000 drop-off locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Learn how to pack a shoebox, view gift suggestions, get your Follow Your Box label and find the nearest drop-off location at samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through Follow Your Box and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Shoebox gifts are prepared for overseas shipment at eight major processing centers across the United States. Nearly 500,000 volunteers worldwide—with more than 150,000 of those in the U.S.—are involved in collecting, shipping and distributing shoebox gifts. Shoebox gifts are collected in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Spain, New Zealand and Japan. Nearly



Illuminate Family Happenings:

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CANDY DONATIONS NEEDED! – We are in need of LOTS of individually wrapped candy for our October 31st event. Donation bins are available for you in Lenox Fellowship Hall.

YOUTH EVENT - Student Dare 2 Share Live is coming to Charlotte County! All 6th -12th graders are encouraged to attend the Dare 2 Share

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simulcast on Saturday Oct. 13th. Details can be found in the youth room (LC-6). The first 15 students to register will get a free ticket to this amazing event!

JOIN US FOR WYLDLIFE CLUB! –

Calling all 6th to 8th graders! Join us for WyldLife Club at Punta Gorda Middle School, Thursdays at 3:55 pm in the Cafeteria. For information,

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contact our Youth Minister, Tim Buck, [email protected] or 941.639.3842, ext. 221.

ILLUMINATE MINISTRIES

FUNDRAISER – Have you gotten your “Knee-mail” decal yet? They are available for a donation, and all proceeds will help fund events for kids, youth & families in our community

CARE MINISTRY UPDATE SYLVIA FOY, CAREMINISTRY REPRESENTATIVE

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You are my sunshine…my only sunshine - Remember this upbeat song? Our Care Ministers sense this as they visit many of the residents of care facilities and people who are confined to their homes. People’s faces suddenly beam when they see their Care Minister and the CareMinister’s face reflects a sunny smile back to them. In many cases there are

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no family members close by and a constant person in their life is greatly appreciated.

In June, July and August this year people looking for a bit of sunshine in their life were visited, called or helped 205 times by the Sunshine CareMinisters. Our hospital team visited 40 people. The love of Jesus Christ shone. If you

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would like to help spread this sunshine and make someone happy when skies are gray, indicate your interest on the Sunday Bulletin or call the Church Office.



OUR PASTORS Mike Loomis Senior Pastor

John Bryant Pastor Emeritus

Bob Carlson Assistant Pastor

Bill Grant Minister of Teaching

OUR STAFF

Tim Buck Minister of Youth

Joel Burritt Worship Leader

Charles Clotfelter Facilities Manager

Joey DePetro Custodian, Kitchen Manager

Denise Holcomb Financial Manager

Mary Holloway Pastor’s Assistant

Shane R. McDonald Director of Music Ministries

Lydia McFazden Custodian

Gail Sexton Office Secretary

Kenny Sparks Head Custodian/Facilities

Joyce Tilden Business Assistant

Christa Villarose Media Ministries Coordinator

Tammy Graham Children’s Ministry Director



1st United Methodist Church 507 West Marion Avenue Punta Gorda, FL 33950

the chimes october 2018 - 1st united methodist...

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