Dear First Methodist Church Family,
 
                  What are we chosen for?  The First Methodist Church family is going to spend the next year answering that question.  And to help us with that, the Administrative Board has secured the congregational coaching services of Spiritual Leadership, Inc.  You can learn more about SLI by going to their website at www.spiritual-leadership.org.
         The first task before us is the establishment of a task force that will work directly with our coaches.  According to the SLI criteria the team will be comprised of 10-12 individuals who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom like those in Acts 6.3-4.  The disciples were seeking a team of people to take over the food distribution to the widows when they said, “Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.  We will turn this responsibility over to them.”  (Acts 6.3-4) Participants should have a burning in their bones when it comes to discerning God’s plan for the next season of this church’s life and ministry.   Participants are expected to be dependable, responsible, and committed to the church and this process.  The task force will also be as diverse as possible when it comes men, women, age, and race.  
The group will meet 8 hours a month for up to a year.  The team will determine if these will be one 8-hour meeting, two 4-hour meetings, or four weekly 2-hour meetings.  In addition, there will be four Friday evening and all-day Saturday events with the SLI coaches present.  The first weekend is July 19-20.
The process for nominating someone to serve on the task force is pretty straight forward.   All one has to do is notify the pastor of their interest in an email or other written correspondence.  There will also be some inserts in the upcoming Sunday morning worship bulletins.  Just follow the instructions and drop your nomination in the basket at the identified location.  Each nominee will be contacted and sent a simple 1-page application to be filled out and returned to the pastor by the end of the day, Sunday, June 9, 2024.  The application consists of the following questions:
1.  Please describe your relationship with Jesus. 
2.  What spiritual gifts do you believe you have for the building up of the body of Christ?  How have you used these gifts?
3.   Describe your sense of God’s purpose for our church?
4.  What is the church’s responsibility to the un-churched community?
5. Please describe a time you served on a team or committee.  What were your specific contributions?
The two SLI coaches, a church leader, and the pastor will pray through the applications and select the team members.  The application is a standard practice of SLI and accomplishes the following.  First, it introduces the nominee to the coaches.  And secondly, it provides a more objective process for team selection.  The team members will be contacted, and the Administrative Board notified. 
You should know the routine from here.  Pray.  First, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to all of us what First Methodist has been chosen for.  Secondly, ask the Spirit to put a fire in our bones for it.  And third, ask the Holy Spirit to identify and/or raise up 10-12 individuals who will help the congregation identify a shared vision and an intentional strategy for making mature, Spirit filled, and Spirit led disciples.  
 
Praying for fire in our bones,
 
Pastor B

Dear First Methodist Church Family,
 
I have some very important information to share with you.  
I preached a message recently titled Chosen for What? where I referenced the prophet, Jeremiah.  God had chosen him to tell the Israelite’s that they were not living faithfully for the Lord and to return to their God.  He obeyed.  But it wasn’t easy.  There were times he wanted to give up.  Listen to what he said about his experience.
“I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me.  Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So, the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long.  But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20.7-9)
Can you imagine having a fire in your bones like Jeremiah when it comes to what God has chosen the people of First Methodist for?  Our ancestors could.
The year was 1886.  A handful of Methodists worshiped in a community building located at sixth and main street, the sight of the former Daily Leader.  The following year a Methodist Episcopal Church South circuit rider by the name of R.W. McKay preached one of their services.  His preaching put a fire in the bones of ten Methodists to dream big and build their own church.  Convinced this was of God, they purchased property at Fourth Street and Grand Avenue on May 29, 1888.  God’s mission for First Methodist Church was underway.  
Does God’s dream for us burn in our bones like it did for The Ten?  Would you like it to?
I have had conversations with multiple church members who are ready for something like this and who think this church is ready for something like this.  The Administrative Board is hopeful that God has chosen us for something so significant that it will put a fire in our bones like it did for those who came before us.  
So, what have we been chosen for?  Let’s find out. I invite you to join us in seeking God about three matters.  First, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to all of us what First Methodist has been chosen for.  Secondly, ask the Spirit to put a fire in our bones for it.  And third, ask the Holy Spirit to raise up 10-12 individuals who will help the congregation identify a shared vision and an intentional strategy for making disciples of Jesus Christ.  
Please begin praying about this today.
More information will be forthcoming in a couple of days.
 
Praying for fire in our bones,
 
 
Pastor B

If you would like to purchase a poinsettia in memory of, or in honor of a loved one, please fill out the form below and return it with your payment to the church office no later than 
Friday, December 16, 2022 !

Poinsettias will be placed in the Sanctuary on Sunday, December 18th and may be picked up Christmas Eve after the Candlelight Communion Service. Poinsettias were ordered in 6-inch pots @ $17.50 ea. (extra order forms are available at the church office)

To purchase you may drop by the office or Mail your check to: First UMC, 307 East 4th Street, Stuttgart, AR 72160

Poinsettia Order Form
Your Name:________________________________________________
In Memory Of:_____________________________________________
In Honor Of:_______________________________________________
Please order ________ @ ($17.50 ea. )
Payment enclosed for _________(poinsettias) Total $ _______

Blessings Church,
 
You are aware that members of our congregation voted to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church at the Church Conference on October 16, 2022.  There are several steps that must be taken before this is complete.  One of those steps is for members to declare their intent going forward.
 
District Superintendent, Edna Morgan, has sent a letter to the congregation explaining this in more detail.  Please read.  It is also time sensitive requiring action by noon on Friday, October 28, 2022.
 
Please reach out to me if you have any questions.
 
Thank you.
 
Bryan Fink
Pastor

Recap of the October 16, 2022, Church Conference


I want to provide a quick recap regarding the Church Conference conducted on Sunday, October 16, 2022, at 4 p.m. in our sanctuary.  The purpose of the church conference was to vote on whether our congregation would disaffiliate from the United Methodist denomination or remain a United Methodist congregation.  One hundred and forty-three members cast their ballots.  The District Superintendent, the Rev. Edna Morgan announced the following results:

For disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church – 117
Against disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church – 26
The motion to disaffiliate carried 81% to 19%.

I am aware that some members of our body are celebrating while others are solemn, sad, and/or in shock.  God says in Romans 12.15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.”  Please be sensitive to one another and continue to pray for one another.  Give each other space and time to process what has happened and what comes next.  1 Corinthians 12.26, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it…”  

If you voted to stay in the United Methodist Church and have questions or concerns about what’s next for you, please contact the District Superintendent Edna Morgan. She wants to be helpful to you.  

The church and I want to be helpful too.  I have had multiple conversations and text threads with members of the body of Christ since last night.  The majority of them wanted those who voted to stay in the United Methodist Church to know that they are still a special part of this body.  They are still loved by the very same people who loved them before the Church Conference.  We want you to worship and participate here just as you always have.   Regardless of your membership status or at least until you know what’s next for you.  I want you to know that I would still be honored and grateful to be your pastor if you would have me do so.  

Thank you to every one of you for living out passages like Philippians 1.27.  “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” I have not seen or heard anyone slander or gossip a brother or sister in Christ.  What I have seen are hearts given a greater capacity to love along with a supernatural ability to treat each other with the greatest of respect and kindness.  It is nothing short of miraculous.  This is what scripture refers to as the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for allowing the Spirit to work within.  

Please be checking your email and social media pages as I will be sharing more information with you about some next steps for those who voted to stay and those who voted to disaffiliate.  For example, we are asked to provide a list of members who want to maintain membership in the United Methodist Church so the district or conference can be in contact with you and connecting you with another local United Methodist congregation.   Likewise, it will be helpful for us to create a list of those who intend to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church and become part of some other Methodist expression.

One quick correction to make you aware of.  Rev. Edna Morgan mistakenly said that we would not be able to make the November 19 Annual Conference but could make the Annual Conference in March 2023.  She wants you to know, that this congregation is very much in play for the November 19, 2022, Annual Conference.

Until next time, “love one another.”

Pastor B

Monday, October 17, 2022
Good morning, Church,
 
Just a quick note on Sunday’s message, “It Could be One of those days, today.”
The Big Idea from 2 Chronicles 7.11-15 is that God acts in supernatural ways when people humble themselves.  That means, putting their pride aside to seek and call on God.  Sometimes, that’s all it takes to turn “one of those days” into “ONE of THOSE DAYS” when the Holy Spirit intervenes.
 
Remember the three stories that illustrated this truth?
There was Jairus the synagogue ruler whose 12-year-old daughter was deathly ill.  Mom and dad had tried everything humanly possible for her, but there was nothing else they could do.
 
Then he was made aware that Jesus, the healer was in town.  Maybe?  Jairus thought it over, but he couldn’t do that.  Jairus was the “ruler of the synagogue”.  He was the presiding officer of the board of elders. He was responsible for the order of the synagogue and the orthodoxy of its members.  He would have been the lead Pharisee in the area and therefore a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court.  Both groups of which were very suspicious of Jesus.  He himself, may have told others to stay away from this rogue Rabbi and his teachings, so he couldn’t very well be seen going to Jesus.  This would damage his credibility among the Sanhedrin and his standing as the religious leader in his community.
 
But this was his daughter.  So, he put aside his pride and sought Jesus.  By the time he finds Jesus he gets word that his daughter just passed away.  Jesus is aware and asks Jairus to take him to her where he raises her from the dead.
 
There was the woman with a menstrual cycle that has lasted for 12 years.  Like Jairus, she has tried everything to find relief and healing.  Nothing worked.  What else could she do.  She too heard Jesus was in town.  So, she put aside her pride and ego to seek Jesus and ask him to intervene.  Long story short, Jesus does and heals her.
 
And then there was the Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in lower Manhattan.  The year 1857.  The church didn’t know what else to do.  They had tried everything to revive their church and grow their church and hopefully God’s kingdom.  But nothing was working.  It was frustrating and depressing.  Finally, Jeremiah, the newly hired staff member without experience said, “I don’t know what else to do. But pray.”  And so, he put his pride aside and invited people to join him in praying for God to intervene one lunch hour a week.  Over a year later there were tens of thousands of prayer groups occurring across New York and other states.  And over 1 million people came to faith in Christ and that little church flourished.
 
Jairus, the woman, and the church tried everything humanly impossible to restore health and wellbeing, to fix a problem, but nothing worked.  With no other option, these people humbled themselves by calling upon God.  And God intervened.
 
The more you and I do something like this, the more we’ll see God act!  I hope you’ll join me this Wed night beginning at 6 p.m. You can pray by yourself, or you can join me and a few others as we pray together.
 
Blessings friends,
 
Pastor B

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. Romans 15:5

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

In all things I will give thanks to the Lord Jesus!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11

1 Cor 2: 12, “We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand what God has freely given us.”

When we affirm our beliefs in the Apostles’ Creed we say,  “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.”

The Holy Spirit came to dwell in the early believers at Pentecost. He comes to dwell in the hearts of believers when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. God speaks to us through His Holy Spirit in our prayers, in our Bible reading, worship, devotional times whenever we are receptive.

Let us pray.
Breathe on us breath of God! Come Holy Spirit come! Show us your will, God. We search for truths in the wrong places. Show us your way, your truth. We think we have a tough decision to make. But, God of us all, you made the toughest decision. You sent Jesus, your Son to die on the cross for our sins.  Holy Spirit, teach us what is the good and perfect will of God. Show us the way, Lord. Amen.

I thought that this would be easy this week; find a scripture passage and write that I BELIEVE IN JESUS! Instead, I’ve looked at a blank page for 3 days and these are my first written words!

John 12:44, “Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me."
John:14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except thru me.”
We continue with the Apostles’ Creed; We believe “in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontus Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead;...”

These may be the most important words of our lives. If these words are not true then our faith has no basis and is dead! Without belief in Jesus Christ, Christianity doesn’t exist, it is dead, a non religion. This is nonnegotiable. Jesus came to the world as a human, fully God and fully human. He came to teach the world how to live and to love. He taught us how to be holy as he is holy. He came that we might be saved from a life of sin and that thru belief in him we have hope of eternal life. Without him the world is lost. THIS WE BELIEVE!

Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your son, Jesus. We thank you for the church and especially for this our home church. Lord, we ask for wisdom and discernment as to your vision and desire for this church. We pray for this church to become all that Jesus wants it to be. It’s in the name of this same Jesus that we pray. AMEN.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”(Ps 19:1)
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

Please pray for me! I am struggling with this process of discernment. It’s in my heart and on my mind all the time! I hope you are struggling, too. This is serious business.

I think that is why I feel led to approach it as a matter of faith. As we state in the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in God - the Father Almighty- Creator of heaven and earth.” We United Methodists join all Christians and the people of all high religions in believing in God. We believe that the one true God is the God of the universe. We believe in the triune God- the three in one- the Trinity. We believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

God is sovereign; He is all powerful, yet not controlling. We believe that God created us as human beings capable and free to make decisions; He gave us free will. This sovereign God of power and might is, also, love, for God is love. Jesus teaches us to love one another, to love God and to love one another as we love ourselves. This divine love is our basis for hope, for openness to the future.

Let us pray!

Our Father in heaven, give us faith. Give us love. Give us hope. God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, hear our prayers. Amen.

CLARIFICATION:

In my message today, I made a statement that may be confusing to some. I said that belief in God is shared by all Christians and other high religions. This is true, but belief in the triune God is distinctively Christian! Not shared with any other religion.

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ear of the wise seek it out.” Proverbs 18:15

During this period of discernment, a difficult and trying time for FUMC, I hope that you are acquiring and seeking the knowledge to make an educated and informed decision.

I pray that we all rely on our faith to keep us strong and grounded. We talk and read so much about us and others and so little about our faith— God the Father, Jesus the Christ, the Holy Spirit alive and active in the world and our lives!

If you are asked today or next week, what do Methodists believe or what do you believe, can you boldly and with confidence share what you believe? For the next few weeks. I plan to share what I believe and some of the fundamental beliefs of Methodism. Most Sundays, we recite the Apostles’ Creed... that will be my guide.

Some questions for thought:
- Do we believe there really is one true God?
- Do we believe that Jesus is the Christ, born of a virgin?
- Do we believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead?

Sunday, when we stand to recite the Apostles’ Creed, let us speak boldly, with conviction and maybe a few tears in our eyes and declare: THIS WE BELIEVE!

Let us pray:

God, we thank you for your love, mercy and grace. We thank you for loving us. Help us to grow stronger in our faith, to know what we believe and to know that you will give us the words to express our beliefs. Help us, Lord, to keep our eyes on you, to love you more dearly and to serve you more completely. Help us, Lord, to live our faith. Amen.

As we move further into the discernment process, let us stay in God’s Word. Ps 119:66
“Teach me discernment and knowledge.”

When the disciples were choosing a replacement for Judas, Acts 1:24 records, “Then they  prayed,’ Lord you know everyone’s heart. Show us...’ “

As United Methodist, we share in holding that the Bible is the primary source for Christian belief. Our Book of Discipline states, “In all matters of faith and morals, the authority of Holy scripture stands supreme.” John Wesley gave us guidelines for understanding and applying the Bible in our lives. It is God’s living Word. It is to be interpreted in the light of tradition and Christian experience with the aid of reason. This is called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral: scripture, tradition, experience and reason. As we seek discernment to stay UMC or to disaffiliate, let us stay in God’s Word and pray for the Holy Spirit to lead us.

Let us pray.

God, we thank you for your Word. We pray, Holy Spirit, that you will lead us to learn the will of God in our lives, our church, the UMC and the GMC. Help us to weigh what we hear and read to discern the difference between truth and error and to know good from evil.

Lord, help us. We are at a crossroad and are struggling to find the way onward. We love you, Lord. We want to serve you and to love you more dearly every day. Guide us. Amen