Pastor’s

Corner

2

Save the Date 3

Announcements

4

Recap of Wacky

Wednesdays

5

School Supply List 6

Word Search 7

FUMC Staff Contact List 8

THE SP RE

J U L Y 2 8 , 2 0 1 3

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V O L U M E X X X 1 1 I S S U E 1 5

@firstbeaumont FUMC Beaumont

FUMCBeaumont.org

Farewell from Terri

Dear friends,

I wanted to send this note to all my friends at

FUMC to say goodbye. You see, I've sold all my

businesses and am retiring. I will be moving

home to Ohio to be with my family again after

many years. I have lived in the south for 42 years

but I long to be with family. I will be gone before

August first. This all happened very suddenly so

I wanted to be able to say goodbye to as many of my dear

friends as possible. For 18 years First Methodist has been my

church home. You were with me during John's long illness and

death, and also during this difficult year of illness for me. I have

made so many close friends in Cornerstones class and

especially the chancel choir. I have loved singing under Renee

who has been a dear friend. And I thank the pastors for their

many visits. I want to thank those who prayed for me and sent

cards, flowers, food, and anything else I needed. I will miss you

all terribly and pray God blesses each and every one of you.

Love, Terri Mullins

FUMC has a subscription to Right Now Media which is a

collection of thousands of video bible studies you can access

from your computer, ipad, and smart phone. These are bible

studies by Max Lucado, Francis Chan, and many more. To

access the bible studies send your email to

janawindle@fumcbeaumont.org. You will then receive an

invitation to join, and create your own password to access

these bible studies. There is no cost to you. Try it out!

Online Bible Studies

Estate Sale

There will be an estate sale July 26 and 27. See the website fumcestatesales.org

for details, address and pictures .

I have prayed this week and I have pondered this week, asking myself over and

over, “What is the Christian response to the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case?” I

was not in the court room. What I know of the proceedings comes from having

followed them in the media. I did not hear presentations from the lawyers or the

witnesses. I do not know what went on in the jury deliberation room or how the judge

issued rulings in the courtroom. I know I prayed for all of them as the trial progressed

and I continue to pray for Trayvon Martin’s family and for George Zimmerman and

his family. I am going to respect the judicial process and trust the work of the jury

because I think that is what it means to be a good citizen.

My questions come from wondering what it means to be a person of faith. This

case, as do so many others, reminds us that we still live in a very broken world.

George Zimmerman may well be a free man, but will he ever be really free? He will

live with the knowledge that he took a life for the rest of his life. A young black

teenager died after going to the store to get a snack. What does that say about ongoing

violence, fear, suspicion, racism, and crime in the culture in which we live? Don’t we

all share responsibility for creating or allowing such a culture? I am reminded that

minority mothers have been having conversations with their sons again this week

which I never had to have with my son and I am reminded that the need for such

conversations is wrong.

What I know for sure is that people of faith cannot let this time pass without

hearing again Christ’s call to us to love God with all we have and are, to love our

neighbors as we love ourselves, to be people of courage rather than fear, to live and

tell the gospel story, to seek to be people of compassion, to pray for the peace of

Christ that passes all understanding, and to speak boldly and prophetically to forces

within this culture that perpetuate violence and hatred. I did not have to have a

conversation with my son like the one that millions of mothers must have this week.

The conversation I need to have with my son and my daughter is to invite them to join

me in courageously and faithfully shaping a world where no children have to confront

public authorities in fear simply because of the color of their skin. I know God

expects at least that of me as a person of faith.

Karen

P A G E 2

SAVE

THE

DATE

July-August 20th

Pack-a-Backpack Drive

July 22-July 26th

Drama Beats Camp

at FUMC Beaumont

August 2nd-August 4th

Youth Retreat

August 17th

Kairos Kitchen

@ 5:00PM

August 25th

Backpack Dedication

@ 10:00 AM

Did you know...

We need host homes for the nights of August 26 & 27, 2013 nights. Host

homes save the Church expenses for a motel room, but more important it gives us

an opportunity to interface with this very uplifting Ministry. Merle and I cannot

say how much we have gotten from hosting them. Please let me know if you can

be a host for this visit. We will need 2 homes. If you can not host this time let me

know if you could host another time. Please contact me at Jimebooker@aol.com

or 866-2459 or 782-3560.

It is that time once again for all of us to help those less fortunate get their

children ready for school. All children need new clothes, shoes, backpacks, and

school supplies to be ready to begin a successful year of learning. Our backpack

drive has begun and will continue until August 20th. Last year we filled 112

backpacks. Let’s try to pack as many backpacks as possible and I know it will be

greatly appreciated by the children and their families. We are a Caring Church

with Big Heart, so let’s do our best! We are concentrating on grades Kindergarten

through Third grade. You will find a school supply list on the display table in the

Narthex. I invite all of you to take part in this worthy mission project. Put a SMILE

on a child’s face! Financial Contributions will be appreciated as well.

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of

my family, you did it to me.”

Matthew 25:40

Phyllis Beaumont

Director of Involvement Ministries

*School Supply list is located on page 6

P A G E 3

Pack-A-Backpack

Needed Host Homes

P A G E 4

General Fund

UMW Board meeting will be

held August 26 at 10:00 am in

Room 122. The next general

meeting will be announced at a later time.

Youth News

UMW News

Marvin Hay recently welcomed his first born

grandson . Parents, Lucas and Stephanie, named him

Abel.

It’s a Newborn!

The Franklin House is collecting items to distribute to

those in need. If you are looking to clean out your

closet and be apart of a great cause this is where you

need to go. At the moment, they are asking for summer

clothes to be donated. The Franklin House can be

located at 5670 Concord Rd., Beaumont, TX 77708.

For further information contact: Delia Reagan at

(409) -499-1031

P.S. Delia Reagan expresses her appreciation.

Franklin House

There will be an estate sale July 26 and

27. See the website fumcestatesales.org for

details, address and pictures .

Estate Sale

In memory of Wilda Beck from: Billie Crockett

In memory of Engelking’s Sister, Margaret M., from:

Charles & Frances Alberto

In memory of Betty & Dale Karaff from: Ramos Family

Kairos Kitchen

SOP Back-to-School

In memory of Marline Coody on her birthday (my mother)

from: Christina Coody Joyner.

In memory of Lucie Aldridge from: Jim Aldridge.

Lakeview Camp Scholarship

In appreciation of Jim & Helen Balfanz, James & Anna Lee

Ruby, and Marianne Kondo from: Christina Coody Joyner

Thank you to all the youth who helped with VBS. You

did a wonderful job. We had 18 youth helpers for

VBS this year. Great!

We have some wonderful artist in our group. We had

12 youth attend painting with a twist it was great fun!

These are a few of the masterpieces!

Back to school retreat is Aug 2-4 at Lake Livingston.

Be sure to bring a swimsuit and towels. We had a few

people forget to pack suits last year. Meet at the

church at 5 pm on Friday. We will be planning

activities for the school year.

New Address Listed

Elaine Williamson : Summer Place Room 309, 2485

S. Major Dr. Beaumont, TX 77707

Nadine Hester: 4341 Effie St. Bellaire, TX 77401

P A G E 5

Recap of Wacky Wednesdays

P A G E 6

FUMC Beaumont Disciple Search

P B Q W J Y J H A H T P S C D

R A P Z E G M Y P H N I H Y T

J R E N N H A M A B M P Q E Q

A T J E H E T D Y O S A D U J

M H O G F O D T N G R G T L Z

E O A S B A J Y A T H O M A S

S L Z L E J U I X M U I O C P

X O H U W X Q X E U P G P G F

M M S H E K B A P T G I G R E

X E U X R L N V I E L R Q J N

F W Z Q D V A O I I T P E U S

M V D Y N C E V H A X E V U O

L K B Z A N H P G C C T R H U

A J K U G L M C C X M I A K G

S A I H T T A M K O P Q Q F V

ANDREW BARTHOLOMEW JAMES

JOHN JUDAS MATTHEW

MATTHIAS PETER PHILIP

SIMON THADDAEUS THOMAS

P A G E 7

The Spire Publication No. USPS 238-400 Published bi-weekly by: First United Methodist Church

701 Calder, Beaumont, Texas 77701 POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: First United Methodist Church P.O. Box 3247, Beaumont, TX 77704

Dated MaterialDated MaterialDated MaterialDated Material----Please Expedite!Please Expedite!Please Expedite!Please Expedite!

Periodicals Postage Paid at

Beaumont, Texas

SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT SPIRE: August 2, a.m.

FUMC Staff Phone # List: Pastor: Karen Dorris- 832-428-5040 (Cell)

Associate Pastor: Ben Burnside- 832-514-0680 (Cell)

Youth Director: Jana Windle- 409-656-2148 (Cell)

Communications Specialist: Danai Strother- 281-256-5319 (Cell) 409-832-0295 ext 16 (Work)

Church Involvement Director: Phyllis Beaumont- 409-201-5225 (Cell)

Office Administrator: Gladys O’Brien- 409-781-7266 (Cell)

Financial Secretary: Susan Clark- 409-730-6533 (Cell)