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February 2013

1/31/2013

1 Comment

 
Welcome to this edition of Grace Notes

a Newsletter from Grace United Methodist Church, Arlington, TX.   This newsletter comes to let you know about happenings at Grace, and to invite you to reflect on your walk with God as you strive to follow Jesus’ summary of  the commandments: to love God, one another, and oneself. 
  
Be ready to imagine the impossible!
*******************************

 “One more day”
 
Think for a moment about a time when you were on vacation. Think about the preparations that were made before the trip. Next, think about how you were relaxing, and enjoying the time away. Now, think about
that last day, packing up, preparing to leave. I don’t know about you but when it comes to that last day, I’m always thinking, “if only I could have just one more day!” 
 
Just as I come to the end of my vacation needing another day, God too needs one more day. He has so much he wants to say to us, so much to give to us, that it takes more than one day. Just because this day ends, doesn’t mean that God is finished. He may just be getting started. 
  
We often get anxious when our days are not flowing as we would like. We think God is not close because we can’t “hear”what he is saying to us. But He is. That is why it’s important to take time to get to know his voice. He is working behind the scenes for us, planning our next moves. He promised that He would never leave
us. 
 
“And then he says, one more day, one more step. See I'm preparing you for myself. And when you can't
hear my voice, please trust my plan I'm the Lord, I see and yes I understand” (I Understand, by Smokie Norful)

 
As we continue moving into this New Year, let’s remember not to rush whatever it is that God is doing in our lives. God knows what we need and he wants us to trust him in the process. 
 
Blessings & Peace,
Pam Pinkerton

Pastors column

Grace to you!

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint  my head with oil; my cup overflows.”   Psalm 23:5 (NIV84)

The Psalmist’s affirmation and testimony to the grace of God was the fact that “a table” was set, regardless of
who was there (friend or foe).  We should be comfortable in knowing that God “meets all out needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus”.
 
Have you ever sat at a dinner table and not eaten the food placed in front of you? Or, more tragically, not even come to the table that was prepared?  What is on my heart as I write these words is simply this; participate,
partake, enjoy, and feast at the table of God’s grace.

 
What does this mean in a practical term? 
1.   Make every effort to sit under, hear, and receive the Word as we teach, preach and expound in it.  That means you should regularly attend Sunday services (which are for you) and Tuesday Bible studies (which are for you). I am overjoyed in the increase of attendance in all of our services,  but I must still encourage you to remain faithful to regularly receiving what God has prepared for you.  Remember, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God!”
 
2.  Make every effort to spend quiet and quality time with God in prayer and reading Scripture. It is amazing how the Gospel of Luke records Jesus “often” going away to quiet places to pray.  Your entire life rest on the grace of God, however, we find that “we have access into this grace through faith.”  The anointing and presence of God in our lives is profoundly increased as we take the time to sit at the Lord’s feet, to learn, grow, and “increase in the knowledge of God.”
 
Let’s come boldly to the throne (this place where mercy and grace abounds) and find the joy that is beyond words.  Come to this prepared table and feast in the presence of God!
 
Get ready for the “Relationship Seminar” (for singles and couples), which is coming on March  9, 2013 at 9am.  This will be a feast as we have special guest, Dr. Clifton Howard and Mrs. Barbara Howard of St. Andrews UMC Arlington.  Included in this seminar, will be a special panel for questions and answers. 
I’m Excited!!!!!

The Life Change series is continuing… What a great series to invest in.  Remember, we exist to, and are, “Seeking to bring people into a life  changing relationship with Jesus Christ, by making disciples through our words and actions in cooperation with God’s grace!”
 
Stay in love with God and each other, 
Pastor Bates
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Sharing Grace
Grace UMC Trail Blazers (ages 50+) 
Meet every 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. Billie Ray, Coordinator
 
The opportunity for spiritual and cultural enrichment is open to both males and females. Anyone who has an opening in their schedule on the 1st and 3rd Thursday morning from 10:30 - 12:00 noon is welcomed to attend.

February  Meetings:

Thursday,  February 7

Meet at the church for the Upper Room Bible study. Followed by lunch at Nagoya Japanese Restaurant, 1155
W. Arbrook Blvd. in Arlington, at 11:45 a.m.
 
Thursday,  February 21 
Meet at the church for the Upper Room Bible  study. Experience More Grace! 

Blessings to you all, 
Billie L. Ray, Lay Leader
******************************
The Grace UMC Choir will be part of the entertainment at the Wesley Foundation Chili Cook-off  February 10, 2013, 5:00- 7:00pm, FUMC Arlington.  Tickets: $5 Individual, $10 per family. 

The Wesley Foundation UTA - seeking to create disciples of Jesus Christ at UTA and raise up a new
generation of leaders for the sake of the church and the world. 

---------------------------- 

News around the church

from United Methodist News Service
http://umns.umc.org

Haiti moves forward after earthquake
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Three years after the devastating Jan. 10 earthquake, more than 1 million of the.
5 million earthquake homeless have new homes, and the country is looking toward long-term development again. The United Methodist Committee on Relief has played a significant role in the nation’s recovery. To learn more, go to the UMCOR website at www.umcor.org.

Methodist school in Haiti to get computer lab
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Methodist school in LeVeque, Haiti, has been chosen as one of 40 schools in rural Haiti to receive a solar-powered computer lab as part of the Haiti Connected Schools Program. The program, created by Inveneo, is one of the largest post-earthquake education-based information and  communications technology deployments in rural Haiti. United Methodist Communications created a partnership with Inveneo to support local church volunteer efforts to put technology tools in developing countries.
 
Embrace military families and give thanks
COVINGTON, Wash. — Encourage active and retired military to wear their uniforms to church on Jan. 20 and for Veterans Day, Memorial Day and other special events. “Get to know military families. Invite them to tell their
stories,” says the Rev. Douglas J. Waite, a U.S. Navy captain retired from the Chaplain Corps and pastor of Cornerstone United Methodist Church. “You will have them with you just two to three years, so don’t waste
time.”

Pastor writes ministry guide for reservists
ORANGEBURG, S. C. — The Rev. Kenneth J. Walden, an elder in the California-Pacific Annual (regional) Conference and chaplain and professor at Claflin University, is the author of the newly published “Challenges Faced by Iraq War Reservists and Their Families.” In a review of the book, Bishop Will Willimon noted, “Ken Walden, from firsthand experience with these veterans, gives solid help to pastors and congregations seeking to minister to those in pain in the aftermath of Iraq.”

Students focus on children, poverty
ST.  LOUIS — Children and poverty was the top choice as the 2013-14 justice priority of the United Methodist Student Movement as determined by voting at Imagine. What’s NEXT, a new student event sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry. More than 560 college students and campus  ministers attended the event, which focused on helping students consider the next faithful steps for their vocations, communities, churches and the world.

1 Comment

January 2013

1/1/2013

0 Comments

 
Welcome to this edition of Grace Notes a Newsletter from Grace United Methodist Church, Arlington, TX. This newsletter comes to let you know about happenings at Grace, and to invite you to reflect on your walk with God as you strive to follow Jesus’ summary of the commandments: to love God, one another, and oneself.

Be ready to imagine the impossible!

*******************************

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

Words: Standing ground while facing pressure; practical steps when enduring through a faith project; the purpose and function of the church; the power of partnership; take time to find the right perspective; trusting the Word.  Do these words sound familiar? As I put together the Grace Notes for this month, those words came to mind. I have received encouragement through those words.

I’m excited to be part of a growing Grace! I don’t know about you but every time I enter this place, I leave feeling encouraged. There is always someone here with a smile, a hug, an encouraging word. We don’t know how people are feeling when they come to Grace; we must do our best to encourage them while they are here. When we receive “our Word” and act upon “the Word” it shows. Encouragement comes through living the Word of God. I’m looking forward to the New Year and all that is ahead for us at Grace. Let’s continue to show others that “the Word” is alive in us.  Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Blessings & Peace,

Pam Pinkerton

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Pastors column

Grace Family,

Jesus is Lord at Grace UMC Arlington!
I really enjoyed the moments and services we shared during the beautiful holiday season. 

Grace UMC Arlington is experiencing the vitality that can be measured numerically, statistically, and spiritually.  I am overjoyed at the increased participation of the members of our Church.  

I want to personally thank the Sunday school ministry team and their cooperation with the Overture to Music coordinator for the outstanding performances of our children during our Christmas Service.  Our first Christmas Eve Candlelight Service was very special and I look forward to continuing that wonderful tradition. 

As we look forward to 2013, I see only growth in every area of our partnership.  Let’s make 2013 the best year ever as Grace UMC Arlington seeks to fulfill its God given purpose and assignment.

January will prove to be full of exciting events and opportunities for spiritual growth.  Mark those calendars and make up your mind to fully participate, in order to maximize the grace of God in your life.

1.    January 8th starts a new Bible Study on Tuesday nights.

2.    January 15th marks the start of the children’s (ages 11-18) confirmation classes.

3.    January 13-20th is our first church wide fast.

4.    January 20th is Commitment Sunday.
 
I have asked the Worship Committee to make special arrangements for two additional days of the Communion Table during the fast.  Our prayer focus will revolve around Colossians 1:9-11. 

Are you ready to see what the Lord has in store for us?  Together, let’s expect what is, “…far beyond all that we could ask or imagine according to his power at work within us”.

Stay in love with God and each other.  Grace to you!

Pastor Bates

Sharing Grace

WHY PRAY?

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

Prayer is a means of grace. A “means of grace” is a practice, ritual, place, or object that provides access to the power and presence of God.  Prayer is a practice that opens our hearts to the power of God’s love that heals and forms our character, damaged by sin, into the image of Christ.  In prayer we make ourselves available to God and God’s love. (To be continued.)

Shalom in Christ

The Grace Prayer Team

Submitted by Deborah Hunte
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What is required of me to be a United Methodist?

Baptism ushers you into the Christian church universal, the family of Christ.  If you have not been baptized  you will be asked to repent of your sins and profess your faith in God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Faith as contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. 

You will be asked to promise to "keep God's holy will and commandants and walk in the same all the days of your life as a faithful member of Christ's holy church." 

Your pastor may require that you participate in a membership class before being baptized or taking church membership vows. 

Look for more Questions and Answers about the United Methodist Church in next month's addition of our newsletter.

Scott Marshall
*************************************

The Trailblazers

Trailblazers, is a spiritual and life enrichment program for those who are age 50+. Our first meeting of 2013 will be held Thursday, January 3 at 10:30 a.m. We will meet at the church. 

The spiritual aspect will be the focus of the first Thursdays of the month. Relevant topics found in contemporary literature will be the topic of our Bible study. 

Life enrichment will be the focus of the 3rd Thursdays of the month - this will include cultural experiences, physical fitness and community service. 

All interested persons are asked to join in getting the Trailblazers up and running once again. We are blazing the trail for others to follow. We want the young'uns to know that, with the Lord on our side; we can keep growing in Grace and making a difference in the world.

Blessings to you all,

Billie L. Ray, Lay Leader
*******************************

Giving 101%

Here is an interesting little mathematical formula. 

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

IS REPRESENTED AS:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 6 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26,

Then

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11=98% and

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5= 96% but

A-T-T-I-T-U-D=E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5= 100%

AND look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4=101%

Therefore, one can conclude with "mathematical certainty" that:  while Hard Work and Knowledge will get close, and Attitude will get you there, it is the Love of God that will put you over the top!

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."  2 Corinthians 13:14.

Scott Marshall
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News around the church
from United Methodist News Service
http://umns.umc.org

2012: Church’s year in review
United Methodists had a busy 2012. They were there to respond to natural disasters, feed the hungry and reach out to others in need. They also elected bishops and at the 2012 General Conference, debated the denomination’s structure and security of appointment for clergy.

The United Methodist News Service has put together roundups on some of the top church-related stories of the year. They include:

·        A year’s worth of disaster response

·        Overview of the debate on church governance

·        The church’s response to hunger

·        What agencies accomplished this year

·        A year in pictures

·        United Methodists of note who died in 2012

Read these and others at www.umc.org/yearend.

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