First United Methodist Church109 S. HarperPoteau, OK 74953

Non-Profit Org.

Permit No. 40

Poteau, OK 74953

Address Service Requested

VOLUME 18 NO. 4 APRIL, 2010 Serving God 117 Years

Sunday School9:30 A.M.

Morning Worship10:30 A.M.

Church Calendar ................... 2Finance Report ..................... 2Weekly Communion ............. 2Welcome New Members ....... 2Membership Care ................. 2Children/Youth ...................... 3Birthdays, Anniversaries ..... 4Preschool Report .................. 5UMM Pancake Breakfast ...... 5Living Lord’s Supper ............ 5Imagine the Future ............... 5Meet the Team ....................... 6

What’s Inside

The United Methodist News May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.

I Kings 8:29

As I write this article, the “Living Cornerstones for Ministry” cam-paign is drawing to its end. I have heard many positive remarks about the way we have prepared for the future. Many three-year commitments for a new sanctuary have already been received to-taling just over $1.1 million; and we know there are more pledges not yet given. Additionally, the Finance Committee, the Board of Trustees, and the Building Task Force continue to gather informa-tion and plans to be presented to the congregation for approval.

The congregation is invited to participate in a called church con-ference on Sunday, April 25 after morning worship. It will be held in the Christian Family Life Center and chaired by our District Superintendent, the Rev. Darrell Cates. The intent of holding this church conference is to encourage greater participation of all by extending voting privileges to all professing members of the local church. There will be two items of business on the agenda:

• Finance Committee’s plan of action for the building of the new sanctuary;

• Acceptance of a contract bid after advisement from the archi-tect, Building Committee, and Board of Trustees.

There will also be a potluck dinner held with this conference. The church will be providing meat, bread, and drinks. Look for more information as that day approaches.

This is an important moment of transition in the life of this church. Many people have been planning and evaluating, and all have been praying about our future. Thank you all for your minis-try and vision.

Grace & peace,

REV. DR. GREGORY J. TENER

PASTOR TO PEOPLE

Conf irmation SundayApril 18

May the ones who come behind us find us faithful . . .

APRIL CHURCH CALENDARWelcome New Members!WORSHIP BULLETIN DEADLINE:

10 a.m. each Thursday

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE:Third Friday of each month

PAGE 2 APRIL, 2010

We welcomed our newest members on Febru-ary 28th, David, Jennifer and Kara Williams. Be sure and let them know how happy we are to have them as a part of our church family.

THE UNITED METHODIST NEWSPublished by the Communications Committee

Carol Baker, Communications Coordinator/EditorFIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

109 S. Harper, Poteau, OK 74953Telephone 918-647-2217

e-mail: rogers2006@windstream.netwebsite: www.poteaufumc.com

Sunday School 9:30 – Morning Worship 10:30Bishop Robert E. HayesDistrict Superintendent Darrell CatesPastor Rev. Dr. Gregory J. TenerYouth & Children’s Director Kimberly HardawayMusic Director Steve ClarkChurch Secretary Brenda FergusonLead Nursery Attendant Jayla CraigOrganist Wendy KellyCustodian and Door Opener Ted Kilgore

District web page: 222.gbgm-umc.org/mc-dist/

MORNING WORSHIP GREETERS

LITURGISTSACOLYTES 7 Versile Johnson11 Morgan Bandy18 Charlee Gilliam25 Allison Matos

18 Cynthia Stoughton25 Jake McMillin

• SUNDAY •Weekly Communion, 9:10 a.m., Sanctuary

(Except on regular communion Sunday)

UMYF, 5:00 p.m.

• MONDAY • Boy Scouts, 7:00 p.m., CFLC

• TUESDAY •Cub Scouts, 6:00 p.m., CFLCDaisy Scouts, 6:00 p.m., F.H.

• WEDNESDAY •Handbells, 5:15 in Fellowship Hall

Celebration Choir Rehearsal, 6:00 p.m.

• THURSDAY •Girl Scout Troop #4034, 5:30 p.m.

(First and Third Thursday only)

• FRIDAY •Mother’s Day Out, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

1 Living Lord’s Supper Drama, 8 p.m. 2 Good Friday – Church Offices closed.9, 10 Youth 30 Hour Famine10 UMM Breakfast Meeting, 8 a.m., CFLC11 Famine Sunday – Youth lead in worship14 Last Logos Program17 Confirmation Dinner, CFLC18 Confirmation Sunday21 Membership Care Committee Meeting,

1 p.m., CFLC24 UMM Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser, CFLC25 Church Conference, Sanctuary, 11:30 a.m.28 Logos Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, 5:3029 Church Council, 5:25 p.m., J.N. Ross Class

Poteau F.U.M.C. Report for February, 20102010 Average Attendance Figures for February: 173

2010 Budget Requirements: $326,272.00Needed for Budget Each Week: $6,274.47

Needed through February: $50,195.76February Receipts: $27,567.32

February Expenditures: $40,834.10

Card of ThanksThank you for the prayers, love and support

from the church family to our family during Gene’s surgery. This is such a caring congrega-tion!

The Gene Wheat Family

The Membership Care Committee will meet on Wednesday, April 21 at 1 p.m. in the Chris-tian Family Life Center. They reach out to those who are homebound or are dealing with health issues or bereavement. They make a phone call, send a card, or visit in the home and share God’s love with someone.

If there is anyone who could benefit from a vis-it, a phone call, or a card, please let us know.

For more information, call Virginia Stanley (647-2618) or Kay Thomas (647-3491).

Membership CareCommittee

Lilies need to be at the church no later than the afternoon of March 31 with the names that they are in honor or in memory of.

4 Jim and Nancy Shore11 Judy Curtis and Genny Dorsey18 Charles and Marilyn Meek25 Frank and Grace Dehart

APRIL, 2010 PAGE 3

News of Children and YouthBy Kimberly Hardaway

UMYF (C.H.A.O.S.)CHAOS meets Sunday evenings from 5 to 7

p.m. for all youth 6th through 12th grade.

April 4 Easter Sunday. Youth will host an egg hunt

following church on the east lawn. (No evening meeting for C.H.A.O.S.)9, 10 30 Hour Famine Lock-In starts at 5 p.m.

Friday evening and ends at 10 a.m. Satur-day morning. For those fasting the entire 30 hours, the famine begins at 2 a.m. Fri-day morning and ends at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

11 Youth-led Famine Sunday worship. (No eve-ning CHAOS)

18 CHAOS 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (Meal: David and Patty Redhage)

25 CHAOS 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (Meal: Ted and Laurie Bandy)

27 to 29 Set up for Yard Sale. 4 to 7 p.m. Pro-ceeds to benefit the building campaign.

30 Youth Yard Sale in CFLC and parking lot. 4 p.m. to dark on Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

• • •Liturgists Schedule

The liturgist schedule will consist of youth who read the scripture for every Sunday except communion Sunday.18 Cynthia Stoughton24 Jake McMillin

• • •LOGOS Dates

LOGOS is a Wednesday after school program that meets during the school year for ages Pre-K through 8th grade. Important dates: 7 Spring Picnic - Missions: Please bring a

canned food item for donation to food pan-try

14 LOGOS closing celebration and spring wor-ship service, “It All Happened in the City”

Dress rehearsal from 3:45 to 5 p.m. Din-ner at 5:15. Musical worship service at 6:30 p.m.

28 LOGOS Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at 5:30 p.m., CFLC

• • •Mother’s Day Out

Mother’s Day Out is for 1 to 4 year olds on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the nursery

rooms. Cost is $10 per visit.Participants will need to provide a snack sack

with child’s name on it for food and a diaper bag with diapers and wipes.

• • • Monthly Food Drive

Locally there are children who do not get enough to eat on the weekends when school is not in session. We have the opportunity to help supply the food that goes into the sacks sent home with these children each week.

Boxes for collecting the food will be placed in the Chapel room adjacent to the sanctuary, and inside the gym door of the CFLC.

April’s food items: Fruit cups.May will be our last month to gather food

items. We will recess until August.• • •

Summer Camp DatesDistrict Camp for 7th - 12th, June 21 - 25 (Camp forms due April 5th)Sixth Grade Camp, June 28 - July 2 (Camp forms due May 2)Third – Fifth Grade Camp, June 28 - 30 (Camp forms due May 2)First – Second Grade Camp, July 24 - 25 (Camp forms due May 2)Youth Force Mission Work Camp for grades

6th - 12th, July 18 - 25. Camp forms due May 2) This camp will be based out of our Poteau church. Participants will be housed at CASC. The church covers half the cost of all camps for our kids.

• • •Easter Egg Hunt

There will be an Egg Hunt for children up through 5th grade on the east lawn following church. The eggs will be hidden for three groups: Toddler/Preschool, Primary School, and Upper Elementary.

If you would like to contribute candy to stuff in the eggs, please bring to the church by April 8th. The candy should be individually wrapped pieces. Thank you!

• • •LOGOS Spring Musical

On April 14 at 6:30 p.m. the LOGOS children’s choir and youth drama and choir will present an evening worship of music and drama entitled “It All Happend in the City.” This service is the closing service for LOGOS which will resume again in September.

• • •

PAGE 4 APRIL, 2010

4 Dorthea Sue O’Neal 6 Dora Baldwin 7 Dana Wheat10 Jaxon Bradshaw and Jace Bandy11 Drew DeCamp12 Rachel Ware13 Chad Bridges and Ted Bandy14 Jean Whigham and Cindy Woolbright15 Brian Shore and Kylanna Hardaway16 Pat Shelton18 Ron Cofer, Wayne Neuharth, Lily Shore and Kay Thomas19 Melissa Reyes, Katie Cox, and Joshua Mixon20 Brandon Fruen and Jaimie Downing23 Marilyn Meek24 Khia Brookfield26 Mark Barkley and Ashley Plumlee27 Katie Redhage and Laurie Bandy29 Kody Whitehead and Dorothy James

April Anniversaries

April Birthdays

9 Gary and Linda Brown11 Charlie and Katie Rust18 Keith and Patty Wright27 Andy and Aimee Baker28 Preston and Laney Plumlee29 John and Nikki Perry

YARD SALE COMING!The youth sponsored yard sale to benefit the

building campaign will be Friday, April 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 1 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you would like to donate items for the sale, please bring them to the church the week of April 18th to the 25th.

• • •VBS Scheduled for June 1 to 4

This year Vacation Bible School will be held at the First Christian Church. Our theme will be Galactic Blast. Due to Memorial Day weekend, this year’s VBS is a 4-day week. It will begin on Tuesday and conclude on Friday. The next or-ganizational meeting is April 22 at 4:30 in the CFLC. The meeting for everyone helping (both adults and teens) will be May 26 at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary.

• • •30 Hour Famine

On April 9 and 10, the youth and their friends are embarking on a famine experience. Wars and natural disasters all over the world domi-nate the daily headlines, but behind the scenes and far from the spotlight, hunger and prevent-able diseases claim the lives of 25,000 of the world’s children every day.

Right now, more than 1 billion people world-wide don’t have enough to eat. Annually, more than 9 million children under the age of 5 die from disease and malnutrition as a result of hunger. But world hunger is 100% preventable, and teens from First United Methodist Church are ready to be a part of the solution.

They will be joining the efforts of a half mil-lion young people all over the nation who will set aside the usual “stuff’ that fills their daily lives. Instead, they will “Love God, Raise Funds, and Feed the World on an Empty Stomach” – the theme for World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine this year – by going without food and technol-ogy for up to 30 hours to get a taste of what the world’s poorest children and families face every-day. Prior to the event weekend, students raise funds with the knowledge that every $30 they raise can help feed and care for a child for a month. Groups also are encouraged to perform hands-on service projects during the weekend in order to make a difference in their own com-munity as well.

As part of the Famine, these are some of the events our teens will do:

• Host an Ugly Tie Contest. They are on display

in the Chapel room off the main sanctuary with milk jugs under each for you to vote with your dollars and coins (checks are accepted, as well). Each penny = one vote. The ugly tie selected will be worn by Rev. Dr. Greg Tener on April 11, the Youth Sunday following our famine.

• Build a cardboard city on the church lawn during the weekend of the famine where they will sleep during part of their famine. There will also be other visuals placed around the church dur-ing this weekend as an awareness campaign.

• Have a food scavenger hunt to help our local food pantry.

• Some teens have even chosen to approach people for individual pledges in a personal effort to raise funds for hunger. Their personal goals are based on the knowledge that all it takes is a dollar a day to feed a starving child through the World Vision organization.

Our goal is to raise $720 dollars locally. A matching grant available through a philanthro-py foundation will QUADRUPLE that number.

APRIL, 2010 PAGE 5

Summer Sermon SeriesBeginning on Sunday, May 30 and through-

out the summer months, the sermons will be based upon “Questions You Have Always Want-ed to Ask a Preacher.” There will be bulletin in-serts on which you can submit your questions the Sundays after Easter, or you can bring your questions by the church office. Remember, ev-ery question is a good question.

Poteau First United Methodist Men’s

Annual Pancake BreakfastSaturday, April 24, 2010

6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Christian Family Life Center

Pancakes - Bacon - Sausage - Beverages

Adults $3.00 • Children $2.00Proceeds To Benefit Poteau Christian Free Clinic

ByTracey Gilliam,

PreschoolDirector

Preschool will begin April with a great Easter Celebration with children finding treasures in eggs.

This month we will be learning about the let-ters V, W, X, Y and Z. The shapes for the month of April are the oval and the diamond and the colors are black and gray. The April memory verse is “God made us to do good.”

The themes in April will be 1) The Sounds of Spring; 2) People from Different Places; 3) Ani-mals That Change; 4) April Showers Bring May Flowers.

Living Lord’s SupperThe annual Living Lord’s Supper will be

Thursday, April 1 at 8 p.m. in the sanctuary.All our regulars will be back this year. They

are Mark McMillin, Jason Bandy, Alan Ware, Shannon Stubbs, Matt Houston, Mike Lee, Ken Hammond, David Redhage, Tom Kemp, Chad Bridges, Gary Hageman, David Barnes, Randy Matos, and Ronnie Bell.

Alan Ware, Mike Lee, and Ken Hammond have taken part since the beginning. Come and experience this unique dramatization.

Imagine the Future

FAR REACHING MINISTRY BENEFITS:• Creatingwelcoming,usefulspaceforworshipand

ministryisasmuchapartofourspiritualjourneyasanyotheraspectofministry.Imaginehowwon-derful the future will be to experience growth,confidentwewillhaveadequatespacetoaccom-modatemembersandvisitors

• Everyone’sworshipandattendanceexperiencewillbeenhancedbyexpanded,user-friendlyfacilities

• Moreadequateandwelcomingspaceforgreetingmembersandguests

• Improved space for our music ministry and en-largedchancelareatosupportworshipactivities

• Addedstorageenablesustobebetterstewardsofourbuilding,space,andresources

• Improvedsoundandaudiovisualequipmentwilladdtoourworshipexperience

• Coveredentryforconvenience• Encourageevangelismandoutreacheffortswith-

outconcernforourabilitytoaccommodatepeo-plewhetheronSundayorthroughouttheweek.

SANCTUARY KEY FEATURES:• Traditional architecture with brick and stone,

10,000-12,000sq.ft.• Slopedflooringinthesanctuaryprovidingaclear

lineofvisionforworshipparticipants• Paddedpewstoseat300withfourhandicapped

positions• Centeraisleandtwosideaislescreateanintimate

worshipsetting• Choir roomwithstorageandsmallofficeconve-

nientlylocatedtochancelarea• Barrelvaultedceilinginchancelareaaddsspecial

inspirationtodecor• Sanctuarypewseating• Woodfloorinnaveandcarpetedaislesaddbeauty

andenhancesacoustics• Raised, yet approachable chancel area with dual

lecternsforPastorandLiturgists• Raisedchoirareatoseatapproximately29,and16

bellchoirmembers• Recessed and chandelier lighting, adjustable to

enhanceworshipandprograms• Audiovisualequipment,includingframedscreens,

tastefullybuiltintodecor

PAGE 6 APRIL, 2010

Kim HardawayChildren/Youth

Carol BakerPublic Relations

Virginia StanleySpiritual Emphasis

Liz PerryTelephone/Mailing

Ken HammondEducation

Katie ShoreArts and Graphics

Keith Thomas Janet DeSpainEvent Planning

Susan HammondEducation

Peggy TalleyTelephone/Mailing

Rachel WareMedia Presentation

Sheri ZabalaMedia Presentation

Kay ThomasSteering Team Leaders

Meet the Capital Campaign Task Force Chairpersons

Each Colored Leaf =$20,000.00

Commitment Tree

• Highqualitysoundsystem,includingceilingspeak-ers,inthecryroomandnarthex

• Dedicatedspaceforhandbellchoir• Chapeloffmainsanctuary,accessiblebyexterior

door,suitableforpersonalmeditation,smallwed-dings,etc.

• Sacristyforworshippreparation• Storage for worship; costume storage (near sac-

risty• Balcony,accessiblebystairstoseat49maximum• Remove,refurbish,andplaceexistingstainedglass

windowsinthenewstructure.• Belltower

NARTHEX KEY FEATURES:• Wideentryhallleadingtoalarge,openwelcome

center to accommodate approximately 100, fur-nished and appointed for a variety of uses andgatherings

• Marble and wood floor and wood-trimmed col-umns

• Largemulti-useroomtobeusedasBride’sRoom,smallfamilygatherings,etc.withcateringkitchen,cooktop,dishwasher,refrigerator,sink,andcoffeebar

• Cry room with speakers and monitor to observeworship

• Conveniently located restrooms, accessible to allregardlessofphysicallimitations,withbabychang-ingstations

• Covereddrop-off,andentrygardenwithfountain• Existingbelovedsanctuaryartifacts,includingcross

andstainedglasswindows,willbeusedinthenewspace

• Coveredentries• ConcourseconnectingthesanctuarytotheFamily

LifeCenterandEducationBuildingforinteriorac-cesstoallspace

• Allareasaccessibleongroundlevelwithminimumgradechanges

• Landscaping and a Prayer Garden with labyrinthareapartoftheextendedscopeofourplan.