April, 2020

Volume 24 Issue 4

First United Methodist

Church of Seminole

IN THIS ISSUE:

From the Pastor 1

News 2

News 3

News 4

Calendar 5

Contact Info 6

THE CHURCH

CONNECTION

ATTENDANCE SS Worship Mar. 1 38 56 Mar. 8 33 51 Mar. 15 36 56

AVERAGE SS — 36 WORSHIP — 55

First, and foremost we are publishing an April newsletter because at some point and time, life is going to return to normal. Our church schedule and events will return. We are publishing a newsletter with everything after April 12th included but please know that the return of said events will be dependent upon what is recommended by our government both state and federal. It will be different if we are unable to have a worship service on Easter Sunday, but it WILL STILL BE EASTER and we will celebrate the resurrection whether we can gather in the sanctuary or not! Therefore, here is something to consider as we prepare for Easter! “Margaret Sangster Phippen wrote that in the mid 1950’s her father, British [Methodist] minister W.E. Sangster, began to notice some uneasiness in his throat and a dragging in his leg. When he went to the doctor, [Sangster] found that he had an incurable disease that caused progressive muscular atrophy. His muscles would gradually waste away, his voice would fail, his throat would soon become unable to swallow.” “Sangster threw himself into his work in British home missions, figuring he could still write, and he would have even more time for prayer. ‘Let me stay in the struggle, Lord,’ he pleaded. ‘I don’t mind if I can no longer be a general but give me just a regiment to lead.’ He wrote articles and books and helped organize prayer cells throughout England. ‘I’m only in the kin-dergarten of suffering,’ he told people [who felt sorry for him.] Gradually Sangster’s legs became useless. His voice went completely but he could still hold a pen [albeit] shakily. On Easter morning, just a few weeks before he died, [Sangster] wrote a letter to his daughter. In it, he said [the following words]: ‘It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and have no voice to shout, ‘He is Risen!’—but it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout.’”

[Adapted from a sermon illustration by Rev. Bobby Scobey]

We will raise our voices on Easter Sunday and shout “He Is Risen!” be-cause we will be reminded that sickness, suffering, and even death no longer have the final word because Jesus has conquered all of them! That, my friends, is truly the amazing news of Easter! In Christ’s Peace, Pastor Mark

THE CHURCH CONNECTION Page 2

We receive an offering during communion for

the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. This fund al-

lows us to provide assistance…mainly $20 Wal-

mart cards…to those who come by the church.

You can place your offering on the communion

rail on the first Sunday of each month.

COMMUNION OFFERING

April 5th—Palm/Passion Sunday—regular Sunday morning schedule April 8th—Soup & Sermon—Noon (St. Mark’s Episcopal) April 9th — Maundy Thursday April 10th — Good Friday

Holy Week begins with the events of Palm Sunday (April 14th) and ends on Holy Saturday (April 20th). We cannot be prepared for the Easter event without walking through the days of Jesus’ last week on earth! Here are opportunities for worship during Holy Week.

SOUP & SERMON

Monday through Friday

12:10pm

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

A different church hosts each day. Their

preacher will provide a short sermon and then

they will provide the lunch. Come everyday for

this wonderful fellowship.

Wednesday is Methodist Day!

CITY WIDE SUNRISE SERVICE

Sunday, April 12th

Maple Grove Cemetery

6:45 am

THE CHURCH CONNECTION Page 3

Pastor Mark is excited to announce that a new Bi-ble Study will begin in May. It is entitled “The Old Testament Made Simple” and will be taught by one

of Mark’s mentors in the faith and his former Youth Minister…Mr. Ron Hitt. In talking with Ron, the study focuses on people, events and time periods of the Jewish Scriptures and makes it easier for a person to remember the Old Testament. There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex, or you can contact the church office via phone or email. It should be a great class, so I hope those not otherwise engaged in a Bible study here at the church that you will consider signing up for the class. On that same note, please know that the regular Adult Bible Study class will continue to meet with Tony Crouch giving leadership to it. Tony is a phe-nomenal teacher and so if the above class doesn’t interest you, then come and participate in Tony’s class. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed in either.

Our regular three-day session of Annual Conference has been changed for this year. Here is the proposed schedule for 2020 (please note that times and dates may change). Annual Conference will be split into two meetings which will be three days in length. The first meeting date is May 27th and we will be meeting at St. Luke’s in OKC. Specific times will become available at a later date. On the 27th, we will conduct a short business meeting, plus have the Memorial Service, celebrate our clergy retirements and end the day with the Commissioning Service (which celebrates clergy moving closer to ordination as full ministerial members of the UMC). The two-day meeting will be November 20-21 and will be held at Church of the Servant in OKC. We will conduct business, hear reports and end the time together with the service of Ordination (the service where clergy be-come full members of the UMC). Please be in prayer for our Annual Confer-ence meetings.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

New Bible Study Begins May 6th

Page 4 THE CHURCH CONNECTION

Because of several mitigating facts (mainly COVID-19 and the complications in air travel the virus brings), General Conference WILL NOT be held in May of this year. It has been determined that General Conference will convene in 2021. Please continue to be in prayer about the issues that will surround GC. Another year will allow us time to continue to lift up those issues and the de-cisions surrounding them before God’s throne plus it will give us another year to listen for God’s voice instead of our own.

CLEANUP DAY. . . THANK YOU, YOUTH, FOR ALL YOUR HELP!

The Free Medical Clinic has suspended operations until the end of April due to COVID-19. After the time, a determination will be made if the clinic will be reopened or if it will continue to be closed because of the pandemic. We will continue to provide meals to those who attend the clinic when it is reopened. Until then, we will suspend preparing and taking meals and will resume when the clinic reopens.

GENERAL CONFERENCE

FREE CLINIC MEALS

SUNDAYS. . .

9:15am Communion

9:30am Sunday School

10:45am Worship

3:00pm Disciple Bible Study

2nd & 4th SUNDAYS. . .

9:00am Breakfast

WEDNESDAYS. . .

5:30pm Children/Youth Meal

6pm SMASH (Children)

6pm Youth

6pm Adult Bible Study

7pm Joybells Practice

1st & 3rd THURSDAYS. . .

12:30pm Free Clinic Meal

APRIL, 2020

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

3 4

5

PALM SUNDAY

6

Holy Week

7 8

Soup & Sermon Methodist Day

9

MAUNDY THURSDAY

10

GOOD FRIDAY

11

12

13 14

15 16

17

18

19

20

21 22

23 24

25

26

Breakfast

27 28

23 30

Page 5 THE CHURCH CONNECTION

Are you and your family not listed in our birthday and anniversary lists?

We would love to include you! Turn your dates in to the office.

04 — Dale & Roxie Auld

06 — Jack & Lajuana Tinsley

18 — Larry & Linda Hampton

25 — Steve & Lisa Schoaps

04 — JaNene Day

11 — Brett Gowdy

14 — Sharlene Hammons

17 — Mark Hallum

17 — Dava Peters

26 — Nolan Decker

910 W. Wrangler Blvd.

P. O. Box 1314

Seminole, OK 74818

Phone: 405-382-2016

E-mail:

office@seminolefumc.com

Website:

seminolefumc.com

Facebook:

Fumc Seminole Oklahoma

Okla. Conference Website:

okumc.org

Heartland District e-mail:

heartlanddistrict@okumc.org

First United Methodist

Church of Seminole

CHURCH STAFF

Bishop — Dr. Jimmy Nunn

Heartland D.S. —

Rev. Victor McCullough

Senior Pastor………Rev. Mark Watson

Minister……All the Congregation

Custodian………………..Esther Gomez Liturgical Colors…….Charlotte Horton Music Director…………...Sandy Peters Nursery…………………….Janice Brink Office Manager………Donna Magruder Organist…………………..David Larson Student Ministries Dir…. Shana Jones Sunday School Supt…..Lola Davisson Treasurer………………….. Mark Schell

First United Methodist

PO Box 1314

Seminole, OK 74818-1314

C H U R C H N E W S

2nd & 4th

SUNDAYS

@ 9am

If you would like to put anything in the newsletter, please have it

in the office by the 25th of the month.

OUR SYMPATHY. . . to the family of

RUBY MORGAN