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TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 2019
Special points of
interest:
Electronic giving
Publication
Spire Deadline
Altar flowers
Church calendar
Church Council 2
Announcements 2
Youth News 3
Birthday &
Anniversary Corner 4
Calendar 5
Inside this issue:
Volume 50, Issue 7
@FirstChurchMesa
Download our
FUMC Mesa app! www.firstchurchofmesa.com
THE
SPIRE
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK Ephesians 3:16-17 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
Greetings and blessings in the name of our beloved redeemer Jesus, the Christ.
On behalf of the whole Smith family, we thank all of you for such an incredible, love filled welcome to the community of First UMC Mesa. We feel the warmth of your hearts as well as the heat of Arizona as we settle in to our time of ministry with you, knowing that God will continue to bless our community as we continue to be led by The Spirit. I am reminded by the scripture as Paul prays for the Ephesians that we are to be rooted in the love of God, and that in that love we will be strengthened for the days to come. As Paul prayed for the community of Ephesus, so too I pray for the community of First UMC Mesa. We look forward to the many ways in which God will use us to care for the community around us; work for equality and justice for those who are seeking grace; live into God’s vision of a fully inclusive and equal church for all of God’s children; and proclaim the gospel message in Mesa and throughout the world. Now, more than ever, the world needs God’s love! We are called to be the conveyers of that love into the world at large. As we look to the days ahead of us and the mission to which we have been called, I ask that we all pray for one another, that God may grant each of us the strength in our inner beings to fulfill our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world.
You have received us in love and we will continue the mission that God has before us through the power of God’s spirit, with Christ in our hearts through faith, being rooted and grounded in love.
May the peace of the Lord be with you all! Jesus loves you and so do I!
Pastor Khalif
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Electronic
Giving
Electronic giving is a
direct debit program
where your
contribution is debited
automatically from
your checking or
savings account,
either weekly or
monthly. This is an
easy way to fulfill
your stewardship
commitment, even
when you are unable
to attend church. You
can pick up an
authorization form in
the church office, and
talk to Sia Sikalu for
further details.
CHECK OUT our new
option to give with a
debit/credit card on
our website at firstchurchofmesa.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS CHURCH COUNCIL
Worship Committee Thank you to all who participate in the Fry’s Community Rewards to benefit First Church. Linking your VIP card is easy to do and does not affect your rewards points. If you need help or have questions, please see Peggy Tenney at church of call her at 602-510-2088. Every little bit helps! Missions Ministry Team Do you like to help people? Can you help people “shop” for clothes for themselves and their families? Are you available a few days a month on a regular basis? The Wesley Clothes Closet needs you! Our clothing closets for children and adults are overflowing with donations meant to bless others. We need some folks who are willing to help keep the Clothes Closets open and to help clients find the things they can use. If you can help, please contact Stephanie Winestock at [email protected] or Pastor Anna Bell at [email protected], or call the church office, 480-969-5577 and leave a message for the Missions Committee. Thank you!
Save These Dates! For the Mesa Love Your City Service Day events! The Love Your City Kick-Off is Thursday, September 26 from 4:30-6:00 pm at the Mesa Arts Center Alliance Pavilion. Everyone participating in a project during Love Your City is invited to an expo style kick-off event. This event will feature a volunteer recruitment fair, giveaways, raffles, a volunteer craft, thank you’s from the Mayor and Council and more!
Love Your City Service Day is Saturday, September 28th from 6 am – 1 pm. Love Your City cele-brates the act of giving back to the community that we love! Because First Church Mesa is such an integral part of downtown, your Missions Ministry Team volunteered for a project, and assured the coordinator that lots of volunteers would be available! Why? Because we love our city!
CHURCH OFFICE
HOURS
M-TH:
9 am to 2 pm
PH: 480-969-5577
Lay Servant Ministries Training There are three opportunities for training courses in the East District this fall for Lay Servant Ministries (formerly Lay Speakers or Lay Servants). Participants must begin with the Basic Course. After that, they may take advanced courses in any area.
Date: September 6 –7 at FUMC Gilbert Courses offered: Called to Preach, Teaching Adults
Date: October 11th & 12th at FUMC Phx Courses Offered: Dancing With Words, Life Together in the UM Connection
Date: November 15 & 16th at Grace UMC Courses Offered: Basic Course, Living Our United Methodist Beliefs, Leading in Prayer
You may register online at dscumc.org by clicking on Lay Servant Ministries Training. Participants are responsible for purchasing and reading course text prior to class. Cost is $30 per participant which includes Friday dinner, light Saturday breakfast and Saturday lunch. Rev. Bob Mitchell will be leading the Basic course at Grace UMC, Mesa in November. You should be able to order the participants book at the same site as registration.
All Saints Sunday On November 3, 2019, our church will celebrate the lives of family members and friends that have passed since Novem-ber of last year (2018). We would like your help in securing the names of those you would like to remember on All Saints Sunday. Please call Virginia Berg at 480-655-7722 to place a name on the list.
Wednesday a.m. Bible Study The Wednesday Morning Bible Study, led by Rev. Bob Mitchell, will resume on September 11 at 10 am. We will be studying “Top 10 United Methodist Beliefs” by Don Adams.
Start off each Wednesday with prayer and meditation at 6:30 a.m. in the Stewart Chapel.
Led by Pastor Bob.
Page 3
Publication Deadlines
Sunday Bulletins /
Announcements
Wednesday Noon
Spire Deadline
All articles to be
submitted to the
church office no
later than
September 10th
Flowers
To place flowers on the
Lord’s Table in honor or
memory of someone
special contact the
Church Office at
480-969-5577
United Methodist Women The next meeting will be September 8 at 2 pm in the Assembly Room. Women of all ages are invited to attend. Refreshments provided. Join us! Alll Church Camp October 4-6 at Mingus Mountain Camp! Come join us in the cool pines for a retreat to reconnect with your family and friends! There will be hiking fishing, archery, zip lines, horseshoes, volleyball, arts & crafts, cards & games, singing around the campfire, meditation and prayer and just plain relaxing! $50 for ages 18 and up $40 for ages 12-17 $10 for ages 2-11 Free for under 2 years of age A $50 non-refundable deposit is your reservation for the entire family. Look for sign up sheets in your Sunday bulletins. Trunk or Treat First Church will be hosting a free outreach event to the community on Saturday Oct 26th from 5-7 pm. We are expecting 500+ people to join us. To make this event possible, we will need candy donations and a lot of volunteers. This year we want to increase the number of trunks to 40 vehicles. To host a trunk you can decorate your trunk with as many or few decorations as you would like, and pass out candy to the trunk or treaters. We ask that each trunk provide can-dy for 500. We will also collect candy from the church to refill trunks with candy. We have a friendly competition with prizes for the best decorated trunks.
We also will need volunteers to supervise the games and concessions.
This event is an awesome opportunity to make connections with the community. If you are interested in volunteering for Trunk or Treat please contact Nicholle Hansen at the church office or by email at [email protected].
All events take place Sunday nights from 5 to 7 p.m. in the FLC and include a meal unless otherwise noted. Sept 8 Teambuilding Games Sept 15 Video Games Sept 21 Saturday Service Project at Mesa Urban Garden 8:30-10:30 am Sept 22 No Youth due to Service Project Sept 29 Program: Anxiety presented by Rev. Tina Rees We are launching a new Sunday morning youth program September 8th in room 6 from 10:30-11:30 am. We will have rotating weeks between confirmation class and a youth leadership team. Confirmation will take place the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month. Confirmation students will study a curriculum that teaches about Methodist history and beliefs and prepares youth to become full members of the church. Older youth who have already completed confirmation will serve as mentors to our new confirmation students. The youth leadership team will focus on ways that youth can actively uphold their church membership vows of supporting the church with their prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.
CRAFTY DAYZ HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE
Saturday, November 2nd 9 am to 3 pm
First United Methodist Church 15 E. 1st Avenue, Mesa
Handmade items only Indoors
Free booth space Come and sell your treasures!
Contact Theresa Whitford for information
and to reserve your booth space at: [email protected] (in the subject line, please put Crazy Dayz Fall Boutique)
SPACE IS LIMITED—RESERVE NOW!
Page 4
SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS
09/01 Carroll, Stan
09/01 Kuck, Nichole
09/02 Cummings-John, Yemi
09/03 Huffer, Jeannine
09/03 McAvoy, Donna
09/03 Tatom, Erinn
09/03 Warden, Jim
09/06 Mozurkewich, Emma
09/08 Hakaumotu, Tevita
09/08 Ripley, Jim
09/08 Thuenen, Randall
09/08 Woodcock, Stella
09/09 Peterson, Wanita
09/11 Pirlo, Debbie
09/12 Cummins, Sierra
09/12 Lewis, Terry
09/13 Mayberry, Vanessa
09/13 Mindrup, Raymond
09/13 Vasko, Vera
09/15 Patterson, Betty Jo
09/15 Sellers, Krissi
09/17 Standage, Seth
09/18 Kain, Ryan
09/19 McCraw, Ryan
09/20 Page, Heather
09/20 Stevenson, Sandra
09/21 Bartlow, Jeanette
09/21 Harris, Layla
09/21 Royer, Makayla
09/22 Desenberg, Margaret
09/22 Thuenen, Judy
09/22 Valenzuela, William
09/22 Whitford, Anthony
09/23 Barefoot, Juanita
09/23 Cummings, Abagail
09/23 Whitford, Theresa
09/25 Baum, Ann
09/25 Mussack, Juanita
09/26 Kaleopa, Naiatea
09/26 Lucchesi, Rick
09/26 Phillips, Linda
09/26 Tenney, Peggy
09/27 Grace, Donny
09/27 Kaleopa, Kayce
09/27 Larry, Inez
09/28 Busch, Hannah
09/28 Justice, Alysa
09/29 Losey, Evelyn
09/30 Kopf, Mary
09/30 Robinson, Mason
09/07 Ripley, Pam & Jim
09/12 Hakaumotu, Puii & Tevita
09/13 Sellers, Krissi & Mike
09/16 Thuenen, Judy & Randall
09/27 Blais, Tracy & Raymond
09/29 Losey, Marvin & Evelyn
Kids pre-school thru 6th grade are invited to
join us for children’s worship after the
Children’s Moments in the 9 am service.
Pick-up after church in Room D.
Please note: First Kids does not meet on the 1st Sunday of each
month so that children can spend
Communion Sunday in worship with their
families.
SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARIES
Page 5
Saturday October 26th 5-7 PM Free event open to the community
Trunk or Treating from 5-6 PM
Bounce Houses
Inflatable Slide
DJ SNS World
Meet Maui the Demi God
Cotton Candy
Popcorn
Snowcones
Photobooth
Dunk Tank
Photo Contest
September 9/2 Office Closed—Holiday
October 10/4-10/6 All Church Camp 10/6 World Communion Sunday 10/20 Hymn Sing & Potluck 10/26 Trunk or Treat 5-7 pm
November 11/3 All Saints Sunday 11/25 Foster Youth Dinner 11/28 Office Closed—Holiday 11/30 Hanging of the Greens
December 12/1 Advent Begins 12/8 Christmas Cantata 12/15 Cookies Reception 12/22 First Kids “Happy Birthday Jesus” Party 12/24 Christmas Eve Activities 7 pm Choir Service 8 pm Live Nativity 10:30 pm Candlelight Service 12/25-26 Office Closed—Holiday
THE SPIRE First United Methodist Church
15 E. First Ave. Mesa, AZ 85210 480-969-5577
fax 480-844-2846 Spire Submissions: [email protected]
www.firstchurchofmesa.com Office Hours: 9 am - 2:00 pm Monday - Thursday
Editorial Policies: The mission of The Spire is to be one communication source for the First United Methodist Church of Mesa. Other communication sources include e-mails, the Sunday church bulletins and verbal announcements made at services or other official meetings. Chairpersons of Boards and Committees, coordinators, members and friends of First UMC may submit announcements, information or items of interest that relate to the mission of the church. The Editor shall reserve the right to either accept or reject articles, to edit for space, grammar and accuracy. Currently, the Spire is being published monthly. Deadline for submission of articles are published both in this newsletter and weekly bulletins.
The deadline for submission of articles for the next issue is September 10, 2019 The Spire Newsletter Team Editors & Printers: Katie Mozurkewich & Linda Phillips Assemblers: Irene Risser, Jan MacCarthy, & Margaret Desenberg
THE SPIRE (USMC 944660) is published monthly, by the First United Methodist Church, 15 East First Avenue, Mesa AZ 85210, a nonprofit organization. Periodical postage paid at Mesa AZ 85201-9996.
www.firstchurchofmesa.com
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE SPIRE, 15 E. 1st Ave., Mesa AZ 85210
DATED MATERIAL– DO NOT DELAY
Pastors:
Rev. Khalif Smith
Rev. Dr. Bob Mitchell
Rev. Cecil Lackore - Pastor Emeritus