What’s Inside

First United Methodist Church109 S. HarperPoteau, OK 74953

Non-Profit Org.

Permit No. 40

Poteau, OK 74953

Address Service Requested

YEAR 23 VOLUME 10 OCTOBER, 2015 SERVing gOd 122 YEARS

The United Methodist News

The United Methodist NewsPASTOR TO PEOPLE

REV. JIM PERKIN

Sunday School9:30 A.M.

Morning Worship10:30 A.M.

Church Calendar .....................2Prayer Concerns .....................2 Finance Report .......................2News of Youth .........................3Bible Study ..............................3Welcome New Members .........3Missions Report ......................3Preschool Report ....................3Cards of Thanks .....................4Birthdays, Anniversaries .......4Fall Festival .............................4

Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have established all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter. – Psalm 74:16-17

This past Sunday, many of us left our homes and spent time outside as we watched the rare supermoon lunar eclipse. Slowly the earth’s shadow crept across the surface of the moon until there was just a dark reddish glow left to look at. And then, just as slowly, the bright moon that we are used to started to show again.

What got to me Sunday night was that most other days, I’m not outside staring into the stars. I want to see these extraordinary events, but I bet I miss a lot of neat things in the ordinary as well. God, in the greatest displays of creativity ever, created and set into motion moons and stars, meteors and eclipses, day and night, light and darkness, summer and winter. God’s creativity is on display all around us every day. The problem is, most days, I just don’t look up to see it.

I’m at my desk at the office right now. Out my window I see two birds chasing each other on the lawn, some trees just barely starting to lose their green, but the leaves still hanging on. I don’t see a cloud in the sky but can see the shadow of our church building creeping across the parking lot, while the crickets are still playing their nighttime song.

See God’s creativity at work. Right now. Where you are. Look up!

On the Journey with you,

Pastor Jim

MissionsPancake

Breakfast

October 117:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Come and havebreakfast before Morning Worship!

Proceeds go for Christmas gifts for LeFlore County children whose parents

are in prison.

ACOLYTES

WORSHIP GREETERS

LITURGIST

CHILDREN’S MOMENTS

PAGE 2 OCTOBER 2015

THE UNITED METHODIST NEWSPublished by the Communications Committee

Carol Baker, 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 a.m. • Morning Worship 10:30 a.m.Bishop Robert E. HayesDistrict Superintendent Larry BaumanSenior Pastor Rev. Jim PerkinDirector of Youth Ministries Kimberly HardawayDirector of Music Ministries Mary Lynn PerkinAdministrative Assistant Reenea ThompsonLead Nursery Attendant Jayla CraigOrganist Bill KingCustodian Phil Smith

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

5 Women of Faith, 10:30 a.m. Church Charge Conference, 6 p.m. 7 Church/Community Dinner, 5:15 p.m.11 Missions Pancake Breakfast, 7 to 10 a.m.17 Neighborhood Breakfast, 7:30-10:30 a.m21 Membership Care, 12 p.m.24 Treble Choir Concert, 7 p.m.25 Treble Choir Concert, 2 p.m. Church Halloween Carnival, 5 p.m.28 Youth to Haunted House

OCTOBER CHURCH CALENDAR• SUNDAY •

UMYF (CHAOS), 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.Pastor’s Bible Study, 5 p.m. (see page 3)

• MONDAY • Christian Preschool Monday – Thursday8:30 - 11:30 a.m., Education Building

• TUESDAY •Cub Scouts, 6 p.m., CFLCBoy Scouts, 7 p.m., CFLC

• WEDNESDAY • JAM Children’s Program, 3:15 p.m.Handbell Choir Rehearsal, 5:15 p.m.Celebration Choir Rehearsal, 6 p.m.

• THURSDAY •Senior Café, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., CFLCPastor’s Bible Study, 1 p.m. (see page 3)

Missions Report

Poteau F.U.M.C. Report for August 2015Average Attendance Figures for August: 153

2015 Budget Requirements: $340,000.00Needed for Budget Each Week: $6,538.46

Needed through August: $209,230.74August Receipts: $29,236.25

August Expenditures: $31,613.39 New Building Fund Figures:

Deposits: $1,911,521.44; Expenditures: $2,579,646.18

4 Nathan Murray and Waylon Murray11 Brady Perry and Burke Perry18 Sadie Perkin and Lexe Pickle25 Maggie Wheat and Kendy Traywick

4 John and Mandy Mitchell11 Mike and Karen Hahn18 Jerry and Mary Ford25 David and Patty Redhage

4 Kim Hardaway11 Mary Lynn Perkin18 Krissy Manning25 Jim Perkin

Prayer List(As of September 27, 2015.}

To add to or remove a name from the list, call the church office at 918-647-2217.

Nursing Home/Homebound:Slim Durham, Maxine Nyberg Health:Maria Burnett, Bill Cartwright, Perry Carter,

Bob Durrett, Cherri Chastain, Mary Folsom, Grady Garner, Peggy Gartner, Jean Gaylor, Bob-bi Gilham, Vickie Gillion, Ann Halloran, Donna Jackson, Allen and Jane Ann Inge, Walter and Lorene Johnson, Colton Knight, Lloyd and Dana Lee, Arlene LeMaster, Don Lindeinier, Sandra Lum, Jake McMillin, Liz Merrill, Sharon Mik-kelson, Dorthea O’Neal, Kallie Peck, Jean Potts, William Quarry, Lucy Richmond, Joe Sabatuc-ci, Richard Sockey, Charles Saviers, Jim Shore, Jackie Tosto, Dorothy Watkins, Ann Young.

Bereavement:The Sam Coggins family.Military and Law Enforcement:Ashlin Hensley, Jared Baughn, Kyle Kinman,

Taylor Baughn, Tyler Berlin, Victor Murray, and all our military and law enforcement.

Terri Martin

OCTOBER 2015 PAGE 3

Missions Report

Welcome New Members!News of YouthBy Kimberly Hardaway

UMYF (CHAOS) meets Sunday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. and is for all youth 6th through 12th grade.

October Calendar: 4 Regular youth meeting (Meal: Holt/Young)11 TBA (Heifer trip canceled)18 Regular youth meeting (Meal: Whigham)25 Church Halloween Carnival 5 to 7 p.m.28 Attend Poteau Haunted House as a group

to support the local police department. Meet at the church at 7 p.m.

November Calendar: 1 Fall Hayride at Gilliam’s Farm, 5 to 8 p.m.

(Boys bring drinks; girls bring chips)

By Judy PeersonOctober is a transition month not only in our

days of warm afternoons and cool nights, but also in the changing foliage of trees from bright greens to darkening reds, yellows and bright or-ange. Everything on earth is in prepareation for what is to come later on.

This is true for our mission team. We have supplied many groups and individuals with aid to help them with aspects in their lives. We gave $400.00 to Poteau High School to help students who could not afford their ACT test fees as well as $200.00 to the Poteau Adult Education Pro-gram for those students who could not afford the GED test fee.

Now in our transition time, the mission team is in fundraising mode to be able to continue the work we set out to do. Our largest project looms before us . . . buying Christmas gifts for LeFlore County children whose parents are in prison. Oftentimes these children are living with neigh-bors, foster parents or a relative. Their wants are not extravagant and are more of need than desire. We try to buy a gift of clothes and then a toy for each child.

The fundraisers for this project are a pan-cake breakfast on Oct. 11th from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the CFLC. Come early on Sunday before Sunday School or Church and have breakfast. Tickets are $5.00 and $3.00. Also the proceeds from chances to win a quilt at the Fall Festival on Nov. 6th will be used for this cause. Please come to the Festival or donate a ticket for the quilt and support this worthwhile project.

The youth room upstairs, is welcoming dona-tions (used or new) of the following: floor lamps, cafe/bistro table sets, Keurig machine, 50”+ flat screen TV. • • •

FALL CARNIVALBags of individually wrapped candy dona-

tions would be appreciated.

The Membership Care Committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the Christian Family Life Center. Their meeting time is from 12 to 1 p.m.

They try to stay in contact with those in need through cards, phone calls and visits.

If you know someone they need to add to their list, please contact the church office or call Kay Thomas at 918-647-3491.

Membership Care Committee

Sundays at 5 p.m. 4 Matthew 15:21-28 – A Canaanite Woman11 Mark 11:12-21 – Cursing of the Fig Tree18 No Session - Fall Break25 Luke 17:11-19 – Ten Lepers

Thursdays at 1 p.m. 8 Matthew 15:21-28 – A Canaanite Woman15 No Session - Fall Break22 Mark 11:12-21 – Cursing of the Fig Tree29 Luke 17:11-19 – Ten Lepers

Bible Study

We officially welcome David and Kathy Robertson as our newest members. They joined on September 27 but have attended regularly for a long time.

Be sure and let them know how happy we are to have them as members of our church family.

ByTracey Gilliam,

Preschool Director

Preschoolers will be learning the memory verse “God has been good to me” in October. They will be discovering that the season has changed from summer to fall.

Weekly themes will include Fire Safety, Au-tumn Leaves, and Pumpkin Surprises. The let-ters for October are F, G, H, and the shape is a triangle. The numbers are 4, 5, 6 and the color is orange.

Preschool will be closed the week of October 12th for Fall Break.

1 Joe K. Thomas 2 Peyton Stubbs and Darla Fox 3 J. J. Hall and Maggie Wheat 5 Pamela Cox, Cindy Brody and Linda Lancaster 8 Andrea Traywick, Mark Zabala, Reenea’ Thompson, and Kayla Alexander 9 Andrea Skelton13 Phyllis Kemp15 Tiffany Mason, Judy Curtis, Patrick Harman16 J. L. Ford17 Drew Baker19 Krissy Manning20 Jack Hornbuckle, Stephen Cherry and Layni White22 Tracey Gilliam, Garrett Klutts and Louise Reynolds24 Alison Sparks, Jim Shore and Lisa Barnes25 Wilson Klutts26 Rozelle Hardaway28 Susan Oehlschlager and Justin Pickle29 Katie Shore30 Ruth Ann DeCamp and Bob Reed31 Bill Cupp, Ben Curtis and Kendra Yandell

PAGE 4 OCTOBER 2015

October Anniversaries

October Bir thdays

Help make our birthday and anniversary lists complete. If we do not have your family members’ birthdays and anniversaries, please give the of-fice that information by calling 918-647-2217.

Cards of ThanksGreetings to all my church family.Thanks so very much for the lovely birthday

card and to read all the names and re-read them was a joy! To hear from all of you was wonder-ful! I ask God every day to continue to bless the church.

I miss all of you.Much love!

Mrs. Virginia Kidd

Thanks to all who helped prepare the funeral dinner for our family. It was good.

Also thanks for the servers - Linda Lee, Carol Baker and Dorothy Gail James.

We love you,Ruth Ann, Dale and Pam

The Upper Room devotional guides for Sept.-Oct. are on the table in the Narthex.

Soundboard Operator WantedThe church is looking for a new volunteer or

a team of volunteer soundboard operators for worship services and special events. If you are tech savvy and would like to serve the church in this manner please contact Pastor Jim. Some operation of a soundboard experience would be helpful but further training on the system will be given to the new operator(s).

Chicken Dressing, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans,Cranberry Sauce, Hot Rolls, Pumpkin Upside Down Pie or Assorted Cakes,

Coffee or Tea(Carry-outs Available)

Proceeds to benefit local and global missions.

Please get on the church email list if not on already. Email the church office at rogers2006@windstream.net. You will receive announcements and information that comes up between newslet-ters.

Are You On The Email List?

10 Mike and Linda Lee18 Cody and Sarah Bradshaw28 David and Gerry Roberts

O, God, who hast folded back the mantle of the night to clothe us in the golden glory of the day, chase from our hearts all gloomy thoughts, and make us glad with the brightness of hope, that we may effectively aspire to unwon virtues, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

– An Ancient Collect, A.D. 590