Wesley United Methodist Church 2200 Phoenix, Fort Smith, AR 72901 www.Wesleyumcfs.org May 2019 Newsletter
From Pastor Zeke Page 1 From the Desk of Pastor Zeke Failing Your Way to Success Are you successful? Would your friends, family, coworkers say you are successful? Most often, when you greet someone new the first question out of the box is: “What do you do?” This is a peculiar quandary… Are we as individuals so defined by what we do that it becomes the thing we are most known as? Is what we do and how good we do it the defining thing in our lives? I hope not for all of our benefit. In the book “Falling Upward” Father Richard Rohr perceptively writes: “We grow spiritually much more by doing it wrong than by doing it right. That might just be the central message of how spiritual growth happens; yet nothing in us wants to believe it.” I believe this is true. However, I want to live and act as this is true. In honesty, I really hate to fail. I’m just not too good at it. I brood, reflect, encourage anxiety to build, reflect more, and develop a strategy so that this failure will never happen again. I imagine many of you are similar to this. I have come to experience, personally and within community, that our greatest failures in life have the potential to shape, motivate, commission, and propel our lives radically toward betterment. Unfortunately, these can equally crush you as well. For those who endure and persevere, you will gain character, resolve, and confidence in who you are. Somewhere along the way, our cultures fixation on success at all costs have found its way into the theology of people of faith. This is where belief systems of reward and punishment, divine favor, works righteousness, and hierarchical faith have found root. From my first days as a person of faith, it has been the divine depth of God’s grace that has captivated my life and my heart. Grace is “accepting that you are accepted” (Peter Rollins) at its most basic. Accepting that God loves you and there is nothing you can do about it. When one lives out their faith in light of God’s grace, failure can be transformed into an “opportunity for growth”. Grace is the glue that holds us together when everything else falls apart. (Continued on page 2) Wesley UMC Newsletter May 2019
From Pastor Zeke Cont, UMW News Page 2 (From Pastor Zeke, Continued) It is the safety net when we crash and burn. It is the lens through which the extravagant love of God can be experienced. If you want to learn how to learn to fail your way to success, you got to have a clear understanding of the grace of God. After all, it is only by the grace of God that I can be your pastor. It is only by the grace of God, that we can be the church. It is only by the grace of God that we- broken-down folk that we are- can thrive as people of faith. As people of faith, let us seek to offer ourselves and one another, as much grace as God offers to each of us. In doing so, life with all its failures will be transformed into opportunity after opportunity. - Keep the faith Strong, Zeke United Methodist Women FAITH · HOPE · LOVE IN ACTION NEWS & ACTIVITIES The Morning Glories group of Wesley UMW will meet on Tuesday, May 21, at 10:00 a.m. in the Rock House. Wanda Karnes will give the Devotional, Doris Cruce will present the Program and Ellen Brown and Betty Reather will be the Hostesses for the Pot-Luck Salad Luncheon that will follow the Program and Business Meeting. We welcome you to join us for inspiration, Mission education, food, and lots of good fellowship. If you cannot make it to Morning Glories, Evening Stars will meet May 13, in the Rock House at 6:30pm. There will be a UMW Unit meeting Saturday, May 4, 2019 in the Rock House at 9:30 am. Wesley & Cavanaugh Youth will be taking a canoe trip to the Ouachita River May 17-18. If any youth are interested in going please let Zeke or Denver Dunn know. The 2019 Northwest District Conference will be on Sunday, May 5 at 3:30pm at St. Paul UMC in Fort Smith. Annual Conference will be May 29-June 1 in Hot Springs at the Hot Springs Convention Center. For more information visit www.arumc.org/ac2019/ Wesley UMC Newsletter May 2019
Music Ministry Page 3 Greetings!!! Dear Wesley UMC Family! Thank you to the chancel choir, soloists, and handbell ringers for your beautiful, worshipful, and meaningful gift of music through Lent and the Easter season! As always, thank you to the congregation for your support and appreciation. Thank you to Pastor Zeke for your inspirational and thought -provoking Final Word series of sermons and your gift of music. We couldn’t do it without all of you! As we began the journey through Lent, taking words from the choir’s rendition of He Chose Calvary, we were reminded that He chose Calvary to bring eternal life and to redeem and set us free from sin and shame. We proceeded through Lent with handbell and choir versions of Ah, Holy Jesus and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. We sang the loud hosannas celebrating Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, only to prepare for the events of Holy Week and the solemn service of Tenebrae on Good Friday. Just as the flowers of Spring have burst forth, the handbell choir opened the Easter service with A Jubilant Peal, as we celebrated the risen Christ and the congregation participated in the flower cross. I had never before seen a flower cross done in this way and personally think it is a tradition that should continue and be done in all churches. Christ is Risen…He is Risen Indeed! The choir and handbell ringers are continuing to work weekly on special music to enhance the worship experience here at Wesley. Kathy Plant is scheduled to play a flute solo of “The Stranger of Galilee” this coming Sunday morning. It is always a joy to hear Kathy present her beautiful gift of music to us. We have a small but dedicated and committed group of people participating in music ministry and our door is always open to any of you that would like to join us! The choir and handbell ringers will be taking about a month-long break in the summer months. More information on that will follow. If you would be willing to sing a solo or duet, please let Shane or me know and we will work with you and add you to the schedule. Yours in Christ’s Service, Mary Beth Wesley UMC Newsletter Lenten Service on March 25 @ Vietnamese UMC May 2019
Shoal Creek, Young @ Heart, Farmers Market Page 4 Young @ Heart will have a night of fellowship, Thursday, May 16 at 6:00pm in the Fellowship Hall. Take a virtual trip to the Holy Land with Adam Hamilton as your tour guide! Join the Young at Heart group for a potluck dinner and a movie night featuring "Simon Peter, Flawed but Faithful Disciple." Simon Peter was "an ordinary fisherman who heard an extraordinary call." Bring your favorite dish to share with the group and enjoy a special time of fellowship. All are welcome. If you are interested in volunteering there is a sign-up sheet in the narthex or you can contact Carrie Miller. Our hope is to have enough volunteers that no one has to work more than once a month. A schedule will come out soon. Wesley UMC Newsletter May 2019
Cub Scouts Page 5 April was another action packed month for Pack 19. The District Pinewood Derby races were held on April 6. Andru Hutson won first place in the Wolves, while Owen Williams took first in the Arrow of Light. Little brother Lincoln Williams dominated the Outlaw class. Pack 19 leaders Sam Peterman, Kayla Plank, Monica, Brandon and Tyler Gregory and others organized and ran the races, and we thank them for their efforts. Special thanks goes to Central Christian Church for the use of their facilities. Scouts completed their sale of Blue & Gold sausage, bacon and chicken. They sold 1566 pounds of meat in an effort to raise funds for a new aluminum Pinewood Derby track that will benefit scouts for many years to come. Thank you to Pic-N-Tote #6 for the use of freezer space for this sale. On April 16th scouts headed to TacAir at the Fort Smith Regional Airport for a special look at some really cool planes and some awesome new firefighting equipment in use by the 188th Wing and the airport. Our Tigers and Lions planted their annual flowerbed at Western Sizzlin on Towson Avenue. Stop by there and enjoy there handiwork. We wrapped up the month at Rogers Scout Reservation for the Westark Area Council Family Camp on the 26th-28th. Scouters participated in BB gun shooting and archery, kickball, canoeing, crafts and lots of food, fun and fellowship. As the school year winds down and our summer activities begin, Pack 19 would like to invite any interested child to come try us out, meet the scouts and leaders and begin a lifelong journey in Scouting. Yours in Scoutings Best, Justin Cates Wesley UMC Newsletter May 2019
Easter Page 6 We had a wonderful and reflective Holy Week and Easter Sunday. We hope everyone enjoyed the services as much as we did. Wesley UMC Newsletter May 2019
May Birthdays May 2 Thurs. One Council Mtg, 6:30, Gleaner’s Rm May 4 Sat. UMW Unit Mtg, 9:30am, Rock House May 5 Sun. NW Dist. Conf., 3:30pm, St. Paul UMC May 13 Mon. Evening Stars, 6:30pm, Rock House May 16 Thurs. Young @ Heart, 6:00, Fellowship Hall May 1718 Fri-Sat Youth Canoe Trip, Ouachita River May 18 Sat. Farmers Market Pickup Begins May 18 Sat. UM Heritage Class, 9:00-5:00, Central UMC Rogers May 21 Tues. Morning Glories, 10:00am, Rock House May 29June 1 WedSat Annual Conference, Hot Springs Convention Center ONE COUNCIL MEETING, MAY 2, 6:30, GLEANER’S ROOM Wesley’s One Council Members Lay Leader/Lay Delegate: *Donna Moreton Blanche West (Chair)* Ellen Brown George Jensen Harley Strang Patrice Hulsey Gloria Cates Sydney Fulbright* * member of SPRC subcommittee Wesley UMC Newsletter May 2019 Rich Schmitz (Co-Chair) Amy Cates Jackie Nichols* Carrie Miller* Suzanne Gibson Frances Hunt 1 - Frances Hunt 3 - Harley Strang 7 - Dee Carter 8 - Ricky Hill 11 - Ashley Hulsey 12 - Christopher Moreton 12 - Jake Patterson 17 - Gloria Cates 23 - Peggy Higgins 23 - Shane Sanderson 23 - Joe McKenzie 24 - Lois Stearnes 25 - Clyde Bates 25 - Ron Fulbright 29 - Ette Jensen 30 - Susan Schmitz 30 - Allison Cates 30 - Pauline Longley Anniversaries 13 - Leo & Sarah Patterson 20 - Mike & Suzanne Gibson 21 - Paul & Mary Ross
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