Volume 6, Number 10
Catch the Spirit
March 13, 2013
I love March! It just might be my favorite month of year. The grass is turning greener. Flowers are beginning to bloom. Jackets are put in the closet and are replaced by shorts, t-shirts, and my favorite kind of footwear, Chaco Sandals. And then there’s March Madness (What can I say? I’m a HUGE basketball fan)… But of all things, my absolute favorite part of March is taking students on one of our Spring Break Mission trips! Next week, 56 students and leaders will depart for Denver, Colorado, and Vicente Guerrero, Mexico, to serve. It’s incredible to witness a group of kids, from a generation known largely for being entitled and lazy, give up comfort to make the name of Jesus known in the world. They’ll build houses, feed the homeless, play with impoverished children, and assist the elderly, all for the cause of Christ. Wow! This year, the theme for our Spring Break Mission Trips is Do // Love // Walk. We’ll spend the week reflecting on these words from the prophet, Micah: No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 NLT) Each day, we’ll challenge students to examine what it means to live out the words of Micah in their daily lives. We’ll focus on the three action phrases Micah puts forth: • Do What is Right (Luke 10:25-37): “Do the right thing.” That’s a phrase I heard from my parents a fair number of times growing up. But what does that mean? Often, the answer is much more complex than just not doing the wrong things. • Love Mercy (Luke 6:27-36): God has shown us incredible mercy. We deserve punishment, yet He gives blessing. We deserve death, yet He brings life. It is because of His great mercy that we also should show mercy to others. • Walk Humbly with Your God (Philippians 2:5-8): Oftentimes, we think and act like we have it all together. When we think of ourselves as already perfect, how are we ever to recognize our need for God? We must humble ourselves before Him. Over the next week, please include our students in your daily prayers. Pray that the Holy Spirit would make them aware of opportunities to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God as they serve the people they encounter in Denver and Mexico.
Andrew Brown Associate Director of Student Ministries
Holy Week Services This year Sequoyah UMC will host the United Methodist Holy Week Services, Monday, March 25th, through Friday, March 29th. Services will take place at noon each day in the Sequoyah UMC Sanctuary, with a light lunch following at 12:30 p.m. Each day a different United Methodist pastor will be sharing the Holy Week message. Be sure to catch Dr. Pulliam’s message on Wednesday, March 27th, along with a special presentation by the Senior Saints. Sequoyah UMC is located at 1910 N Old Wire Road in Fayetteville. Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday:
A Lenten Journey of Love Week Four – March 10-16 A Week of Good Deeds! Do something especially nice for three or four people this week. Give a gift - pie, cake, flowers, books, etc. Invite someone to dinner. Do something that is gift-wrapped in your love.
Rev. Terry Gosnell of Trinity UMC Rev. Jim Johnson of Sequoyah UMC Dr. Steve Pulliam of Central UMC Rev. Nan Nelson of Wiggins UMC Rev. Rashim Merriwether of St. James UMC
Christ in the Passover God commanded it. Israel celebrated it. Jesus fulfilled it. Jesus’ Last Supper was actually a Jewish Passover. Jews for Jesus will re-create the traditional Passover service and explain how it foreshadowed Jesus’ death and resurrection in a presentation called “Christ in the Passover” at Central on Sunday, March 24th, at 5:00 p.m. in the Great Hall. You’ll gain wonderful insights on how the pieces of God’s plan of salvation fit together, and you’ll remember this visual display of the Passover pageantry for years to come. Join us for Christ in the Passover from Egypt to Calvary to what it means for us today. No registration is required and there is no cost to attend. Childcare will be provided.
Charge Conference A called Charge Conference has been set for Thursday evening, March 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the Wesley Chapel. The purpose of the conference is to hear a recommendation from the Staff-Parish Relations Committee regarding the establishment of the compensation package for Central’s new Senior Pastor. Our episcopal leader, Bishop Gary Mueller, and our District Superintendent, Rev. Mackey Yokem, will be present and share information about Central’s new Senior Pastor and to lead the conference. All members of the Administrative Board are voting members of the Charge Conference and are asked to attend. Maundy Thursday Service of Light Into Darkness Come as you are! Everyone is invited to the Maundy Thursday service on March 28th in the Sanctuary at 7:30 p.m. This meditative service of candlelight, communion, music, and readings focuses starkly on the events of Holy Week. Those attending will be unexpectedly moved as the quiet but intense story unfolds and our world becomes dark. For more information, email
[email protected], or call 479-442-1824. Childcare will be provided. Red Cross Blood Drive to be Held at Central Did you know that one pint of blood can save up to three lives? The Red Cross depends on public support to help people in need. Central will be hosting a Red Cross blood drive on Monday, March 25th, from 1:00 - 6:00 p.m. in CAC Sideroom 1. All who are able are encouraged to participate.
Due to the Spring Break Holiday... There will be no Wednesday Night Live next Wednesday, March 20th. WNL will resume the following week.
Journey to the Cross: An Interactive Experience Experience Holy Week in a whole new way. An interactive Stations of the Cross will be available on Good Friday, March 29th, between 1:00 and 8:00 p.m. in the Student Ministries Worship Center. This experience will give you time to pray and meditate on Christ’s journey to the cross. Each station will feature a different interactive experience that will immerse you in Christ’s redemption and love. You may come at any time between 1:00 and 8:00 p.m. and stay for as long as you wish. This event is highly recommended for everyone, elementary-aged children to adults.
Record of Our Stewardship General Operations Needed each week Received this week Property Maintenance Needed each week Received this week Count Me In! Received this week Life-to-Date
3/10/13 $ 68,971 $ 43,846 $ 4,994 $ 1,726 $ 94,875 $ 2,662,807
Palm Sunday Processionals All interested children and families are invited to be a part of the Procession of Palms, to take place at the beginning of both traditional worship services on Sunday, March 24th. Those wishing to participate should meet in the Sanctuary Narthex ten minutes prior to each of these services. The procession will take place during the singing of the opening hymn. After the hymn, palm branches will be placed on the chancel rails and everyone will return to their seats. For more information, contact Fenner Russell at frussell@ centraltolife.com or 442-1824. Trent Trumbo Memorial Easter Feed Central is hosting the M&N Augustine Foundation’s 20th annual Trent Trumbo Memorial Easter Feed on Saturday, March 30th, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This event is for the elderly, needy, lonely, unemployed, homeless, or anyone who wants to share a meal in fellowship. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED. Last year we served over 5,000 meals. Please join us in making it a success and a blessing to the community. For more information, please contact Glenn Miller at 799-7797, or
[email protected].
Six Great Services on Easter Sunday This year there will again be SIX great services of Worship Celebration on Easter Sunday at Central! Traditional services will be held at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary with an additional traditional service being added in the same location at 9:40. Contemporary services will be held at 8:30, 9:40, and 11:00 a.m. in the Great Hall. As in past years, we need a number of people who attend the 11:00 a.m. and 9:40 a.m. services to shift to the earlier services at 8:30. Please give prayerful consideration to being among those who make this important shift. By doing so, you will not only help yourself with parking and easier entrance and exit, you will enable guests and visitors who come to the later services to experience radical hospitality and find a place of worship amongst us. Easter will be another great day at Central! Thank you for your help in making it happen. Spring Walks to Emmaus The Heart of the Ozarks Emmaus Community is part of the worldwide Walk to Emmaus spiritual renewal program intended to strengthen the local church through the development of Christian disciples and leaders. The experience begins with a 72-hour short course in Christianity, comprised of fifteen talks by lay and clergy on the themes of God’s grace, disciplines of Christian discipleship, and what it means to be the church. The course is wrapped in prayer and meditation, special times of worship and daily celebration of Holy Communion. The “Emmaus community,” made up of those who have attended an Emmaus weekend, support the 72-hour experience with a prayer vigil, by preparing and serving meals, and other acts of love and selfgiving. The upcoming Men’s Emmaus Walk will be held April 18 - 21, and the Women’s Emmaus Walk will be held April 25 - 28, both at Mt. Sequoyah Conference and Retreat Center in Fayetteville. The cost to attend the walk is $175. For more information about the upcoming walks, contact: Men’s Walk - Bruce Johanson -
[email protected] Women’s Walk - Kristen Shepard -
[email protected]
Imagine No Malaria Lent Fundraiser As you probably know, malaria claims a life in Africa every 60 seconds and causes economic and human trials for those who survive. The Imagine No Malaria initiative puts our faith into action by empowering the people of Africa to build capacity and infrastructure through prevention, education, treatment and behavior change. In addition to the United Methodist Foundation of Arkansas’s current pledge to match dollars raised by local churches for Imagine No Malaria, anyone who sends an email during Lent to malaria@umfa. org that says “I support Imagine No Malaria”, will increase the giving to the Imagine No Malaria initiative by $1. We encourage you to take a moment and take this simple action.
Senior Pastor’s Lenten Day Apart Wednesday, March 20th, has been designated as our Senior Pastor’s Day Apart for this year’s Lenten season. On this day Rev. Holifield will be spending the day in prayer and fasting for the Central Family. If you would like for him to pray for a special need or concern on that day, you may write him a brief note and drop it in the mail or bring it by the Church Office. You may also email him at
[email protected]. He will need to have all prayer concerns in his hands by noon on Tuesday, March 19th, in order to have them before his departure. You are invited to join him in prayer and fasting on this special day.
2013 Music Scholarship Available Central UMC is pleased to announce that applications are being received for a scholarship award from the Music Scholarship Fund, which is made possible by an endowment gift. The amount of the scholarship depends on market conditions but should range this year between $500 - $750. This scholarship is open to students who are Arkansas residents and are either graduating high school seniors or college undergraduates enrolled in a four-yearaccredited college or university. Applicants should also be majoring in music, music education, or a related field with potential for a career in music ministry. The application may be accessed at www.centraltolife.com, under the “Music and Worship” tab in the “Ministries” section, or interested persons may contact Fenner Russell at
[email protected] or 479-442-1824 for more information. The completed application must be postmarked no later than April 30, 2013. Scholarship award decisions will be made by July 16, 2013.
Infant Baptisms Brent and Gilly Kestner will present their infant daughter, Everlee Ann Kestner, in Christian Baptism at the 8:30 a.m. worship service in the Sanctuary, this Sunday, March 17, 2013. Rodney and Caroline Kestner are the paternal grandparents and Jeanne Kestner is the paternal great-grandmother. Kevin and Jennifer Kestner will present their infant daughter, Emma Kate Kestner, in Christian Baptism at the 9:40 a.m. worship service in Central’s Activities Center, this Sunday, March 17, 2013. Big brothers are Jack and Cole Kestner and Ella Kestner is the big sister. Rodney and Caroline Kestner are the paternal grandparents and Jeanne Kestner is the paternal great-grandmother. Hospitalizations WRMC - Ruth Vickers, Julie Conrow, Kent Rice MD Anderson - Houston - Fred Porter Mayo Clinic - Rochester, MN - Bobby Davis
HealthSouth - Alfred Gordon
Home Hospice - Floyd Harris
Note – Due to privacy laws, our pastors are unable to access hospital admission records as they have in the past. For our pastors to know you are in the hospital, please inform the Church Office or let the hospital admission officials know you are United Methodist.
Sympathy to Dean Mangum in the death of his brother, Bubba Mangum, of Arkansas City, AR. Here We Grow Again... Jeremy & Abby Forbis Jeremy and Abby transfer their membership from Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis. Jeremy is a Certified Financial Planner with Anchor Point Financial, Inc., and Abby is a Speech Pathologist. They have three children: Bowen, who is four, and twins, Cecilia and Truitt, who are one.
Brad & Kathy Workman Brad & Kathy transfer their membership from Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Huntsville, AL. Brad works in Software Management for Bentley Systems, and Kathy is a retired school teacher. They have two grown children.
Calendar of Events Sunday, March 17 8:00 8:30 9:15 9:40 9:40
Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room) Traditional Worship Celebration (Sanctuary) Truth Seekers Class (Wesley 307) Sunday School Contemporary Worship Celebration (Great Hall)
9:45
College and Careers Class (Wesley 206) Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room) Traditional Worship Celebration (Sanctuary) Contemporary Worship Celebration (Great Hall) Ozark Bronze (Ed Bldg 109)
10:30 11:00 11:00
5:30
Monday, March 18 10:00 5:00 5:30 6:30
Good SAM Meeting (Wesley 306) TOPS (Wesley 304) JuBELLation! Handbells (Ed Bldg 109) Men’s Step Study (Wesley 304)
Tuesday, March 19 6:30 6:30 9:00 11:30 6:30
Men’s Bible Study - Broyles (3263 N. College) Men’s Bible Study - Conner (Wesley 310) Worship Team Meeting (Wesley 303) Community Meals (Great Hall) M&N Augustine Easter Feed Planning Meeting (CAC Sideroom 1)
Wednesday, March 20 10:30 6:30 7:00
Senior Saints Choir (Wesley 102) Contemporary Worship Team Rehearsal (Great Hall) Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
Thursday, March 21 10:00 11:30 5:30 6:30 7:30
Community Meals Bible Study (CAC Siderooms 1 & 2) Community Meals (Great Hall) Celebrate Recovery Snack Supper (SMB Café) Celebrate Recovery Worship (SMB Worship Center) Celebrate Recovery Groups (SMB 2nd Floor)
Check out our website for all the details on what’s happening with Central Student Ministries! www.centraltolife.com/students No StudentLife Next 3 Weeks There will be no StudentLife each of the next three Sundays due to Spring Break and Easter. Enjoy the time with your families. We will return to our regular StudentLife meetings on Sunday, April 7th. CSM Nerf Wars (8th-12th Guys) | April 19th On Friday, April 19th, we’ll be holding our first ever CSM Nerf Wars for all 8th-12th Grade Guys. It’s exactly what it sounds like! Grab your Nerf guns and join us for a night of incredible fun. More details to come! Mountain Man Weekend | May 3rd-4th On May 3rd & 4th, we will be holding our Second Annual Mountain Man Weekend for all 8th-12th Grade Guys (and their Dads). More information will be coming soon, but we promise lots of outdoorsy goodness. Mark Your Calendars! Central Student Ministries Summer Missions Registration for our 8th-12th Grade Summer Missions has begun! This Summer, we’ll be taking two separate Summer Mission Trips: • Ozark Mission Project (June 23rd-29th | Winfield UMC in Little Rock) • SOS114 (July 14th-20th | Orange Mound Neighborhood in Memphis) Cost for each trip is $275 ($100 Deposit | Scholarships Available). More Information/Online Registration available at: www.centraltolife.com/students
Easter Lilies An array of white Easter lilies will adorn the Sanctuary and Great Hall on Easter Sunday, March 31st. If you would like to purchase one of these lilies in honor or memory of someone, please send a check for $12.50, along with the name and relationship of the person you wish to honor or memorialize, to the church office, or online at www.centraltolife. com/lily. Make your check payable to Central UMC, mark it “lily”, and drop it in the offering plate or mail it to: Central UMC, Attn. Susan Meek, P.O. Box 1106, Fayetteville, AR 72702. The deadline is Monday, March 25th. Those providing lilies may take them following the 11 o’clock services on Easter Sunday. Lilies left on Monday will be distributed to persons residing in our nursing homes.
Lord’s Day Celebration Sunday, March 17, 2013
5th Sunday in Lent 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Traditional Services - Sanctuary
Message
The Bold Assertions of Jesus Rev. J. Anthony Holifield V. I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
9:40 & 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Services - Great Hall
Message
The Bold Assertions of Jesus Dr. Steven K. Pulliam V. I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
To Reach the Pastor on Emergency Call this Weekend, Call 479-799-7473
