TEACHERS & TOPICS | MEMBER NEWS | CHURCHWIDE NEWS
SAVE THE DATE | MINISTRY NEWS | GIFTS AND MEMORIALS
THIS SUNDAY’S WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Traditional Worship | Dr. Tim Bruster | 9:30 & 11:00 am | Sanctuary | A Christmas Festival of Music
DiscipleChurch | Rev. Brooks Harrington | 8:30 am | Leonard Memorial Chapel
Chapel Communion | Dr. Len Delony | 10:30 – 11:00 am | Leonard Memorial Chapel
Special Music: Elizabeth Wills
eleven:eleven celebration | Charles Gaby, MA, LPC | 11:11 am | Wesley Hall
Click here to download our 2013 Christmas Inside Out schedule of programs, events and worship opportunities!
“Outside the Expected”
Dr. Tim Bruster, Senior Pastor
Dear Friends,
Christmas Inside Out is our theme this Advent season. Advent isn’t just a season for looking inward as we prepare ourselves to receive anew the One whose birth we prepare to celebrate. It is also a time to turn from the inside out. It is a time to get outside of ourselves—outside of our own concerns. This turning inside out is the theme for much of what we are doing during these weeks leading up to Christmas. In our sanctuary worship I’ll continue my series of sermons looking at moving from the inside out. Read the rest of Dr. Bruster’s blog here…
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TEACHERS & TOPICS
Classes Meeting on Sunday, December 8
Aldersgate Couples | Room 333 | 9:30 am | Assembling Hygiene Kits | First Street Methodist Mission
Cana Disciples | Room 332 | 9:30 am
Covenant | Room 331 | 9:30 am | Dr. David Grant
Creative Couples | Room 321 | 9:45 am
Downtown Singles | Room 340-341 | 10:50 am
Foundations | Room 336 | 9:45 am
Genesis Couples | Room 351 | 9:45 am
Good Neighbors | Room 334 | 11:00 am
8:30 am In-Depth Bible Study | Room 350 | The Letters of Paul: When, Where & Why | Dr. Lamar Smith
Inquirers | Room 352 | 9:30 am | Dr. Lamar Smith
Journey | Room 230 | 10:00 am
Koinonia | Room 224 | 9:30 am | History of Christmas Carols | Dorothy Hudson
Loyalty | Room 334 | 9:30 am | Christmas Story | Ken Holze
New Horizon Singles | Room 231 | 9:30 am |Christmas Celebration/Singing and Feasting | Gwen Genuis & Betty Pope
New Passages | Room 352 | 11:00 am
Partners | Room 320 | 9:45 am | Class Discussion: Curriculum for 2014
Sojourners | Room 335 | 9:30 am
Trinity Fellowship | Room 340-341 | 9:30 am | There Is A Season for All Things | Mary Weathers
Twosome | Room 154 | 9:30 am | Dr. Jim Riddlesperger
Veriditas | Room 272F | 9:30 am | Book Study: Jesus for the Non-Religious
Wesley Bible | Room 350 | 9:30 am | Dr. Ron Ballard
WEB Q&A
Q: What is the fastest way to find what I’m looking for on our new website?
A: If you’re not sure where to find something specific on our new site, just type what you’re looking for in the red search bar in the upper right hand corner of the home page. You’ll get a list of search results and you can find what you’re looking for there. Remember, “pages” are where you find basic information about the program or ministry; “posts” are updates if you’re looking for current or time sensitive information.
MEMBER NEWS
12.19 & 12.20 CHILI LUNCHES
11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Wesley Hall
2013 marks our 27th year of offering a hot meal, gracious hospitality, and an opportunity to send a photograph and Christmas cards to loved ones.
Sign up to help online here! For more information, contact Lisa Bodley (chililunch2013@gmail.com) at 817/692-5431.
12.9 – 12.15 FIRST RESPONDER APPRECIATION PROJECT
The Hospitality Team invites FUMC members and friends to share hospitality with others by baking goodies and taking them to local fire and police departments Dec. 9 – 15. Pick up containers and instructions in the Welcome Center Dec. 1 and 8 from 10:30 – 11:11 am or contact Sammye Dunn (sammyelou9@gmail.com).
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MINISTRY NEWS
CHILDREN | ADULTS | YOUTH | MISSION | CCT | CCM | MWA | FIRST7TH | OUTREACH
Polar Express Party
12.8 | 5:30 pm | Wesley Hall
Join this December installment of Good Book Club — and our annual family Christmas celebration around Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg. Meet in Wesley Hall to watch the movie, read from the book, drink hot chocolate, and much more. And YES! Kids are invited to wear their pajamas!
12.17 & 12.18 Preschool Christmas Programs
2-year-olds | 10:00 am | 3′s, 4′s, & Pre-K | 11:00 am | Wesley Hall
There’s really nothing like the joyful sound of young children singing their favorite Christmas songs with all their hearts to amp up your holiday spirit. Join us for these sweet expressions of Christmas joy.
For more information on any of the Children’s Programs, please contact Nikki McInnis (nmcinnis@myfumc.org) at 817/339-5086.
SIGN UP FOR ADULT ADVENT STUDIES!
Click here to download a PDF of our 2013 Advent Studies Brochure!
(Brochures also available in the Adult Education Office and Welcome Center).
12.6 UMC Tarrant Area Singles Christmas Dinner Dance
6:30 – 11:00 pm | Wesley Hall | $20 per person | Reservations due 11.29
Join us for dinner, dancing and fun with friends! Grab your single friends and invite them to enjoy a live band with lots of Christmas music. Contact Cindy Young (cyoung1952@att.net) at 817/228-5971 for reservations or more information.
12.11 Wednesday Night Theology Academy
6:30 – 8:00 pm | Wesley Hall | Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles
Death and Afterlife: New Testament
Senior Pastor Dr. Tim Bruster will host this exciting series of theological discussions for laity featuring professors from SMU Perkins School of Theology. Each guest lecturer will present timely topics & differing perspectives on current theology & issues being addressed in today’s seminary environment.
12.9 Scripture & Spirits: Christ and Christmas Culture
7:00 – 8:00 pm | Rodeo Goat | 2836 Bledsoe & Currie | Ft Worth, TX
Christians complaining about secular Christmas? Boring. Instead, let’s focus on our favorite portrayals of Christmas in pop culture. What gets it right, what makes us think, and what shapes our attitudes towards the most magical time of the year.
Join us for our spirituality and pop culture discussion group as we enjoy some delicious food and drink and discuss what it means to live the good life.
Scripture and Spirits is a collaboration of First7th & FUMCFW Young Adult Ministries. For more information, contact Rev. Gena Anderson (ganderson@myfumc.org) or Pastor Lance Marshall (lmarshall@first7th.org).
12.15 COSTA RICA MISSION TRIP MEETING
10:20 – 10:55 am | Room 154
The 2014 Costa Rica Mission Trip is scheduled for July 11 – 21. Contact Rev. Chuck Graff (cgraff@myfumc.org) at 817/339-5065 for more details.
12.8 Progressive Dinner
Justin Youth Building | 4:30 – 8:30 pm
It’s too late to make reservations for the dinner, but all are welcome to come to the Justin 7:00 pm for desserts and the White Elephant Gift Exchange. Contact Brenda Kegans (bkegans@myfumc.org) with any questions.
1.18.14 – 1.20.14 Revolution Weekend
7th – 12th graders | Glen Lake Camp & Retreat Center (Glen Rose, TX) | $125 for students | $75 for guests | $75 for chaperones
Register and learn more here!
12.5.13 – 2.27.14 ROOM IN THE INN Volunteer Training
Room in the Inn provides shelter to 12 single homeless men on Thursday evenings during the coldest (December, January & February) & hottest months (July & August) every year. Room in the Inn is primarily run with the help of volunteers who set up the facility, prepare the beds, make the meal, stay overnight and transport our guests to and from the Day Resource Center. Call Rev. Page Hines at 817/339-8881 or Elizabeth Becker at 817/339-886 to receive same week volunteer training.
Perhaps it is our own childhood memories of Christmas joy — and the excitement of surprises and gifts — that inspire us to give gifts to those who might not otherwise experience much joy at Christmastime. This year we’re celebrating that impulse — and turning it Inside Out.
Look for our Buckets of Joy, displayed throughout the church and act upon whichever giving suggestions suit your fancy. Bring your gifts to Room 147 between 9:00 and 12:30 each Sunday of Advent, and we’ll distribute your generosity to those in need. To view or download a list of giving opportunities — or to make a donation to the Bucket of Joy initiative, click here.
For more information about Buckets of Joy or FUMC Outreach Ministries, contact Nancy Tully (ntully@myfumc.org).
12.21 PETER MAYER CONCERT
7:30 pm | Wesley Hall | Tickets $20 online
Peter Mayer writes songs for a small planet—songs about interconnected- ness and the human journey; about the beauty and the mystery of the world.
Whimsical, humorous, and profound, his music breaks the boundaries of “folk”, and transcends to a realm beyond the everyday love song, to a place of wonder at the very fact of life itself.
Tickets available online here and at the door.
No new news this week, check back next time or visit the CCM page on our website.
Sunday, December 8:
(The second Sunday of Advent)
Christmas Festival!
9:30 and 11:00 am | Sanctuary
FUMC Fort Worth Choral Union accompanied by Full Orchestra
Featuring: Randol Bass’s sparkling “Gloria,” J.S. Bach’s “Dona Nobis Pacem,” and the celebrated carols of John Rutter .
Sunday, December 15
(The third Sunday of Advent)
A Family Advent Music Experience
9:30 and 11:00 am | Sanctuary
Featuring Children’s and Youth Choirs and The Fifth Street Bells, this will be a truly intergenerational experience of music that invites a community experience of inspirational fun.
Sunday, December 22
(The fourth Sunday of Advent)
America’s Classic Carols, featuring The Adoramus Vocal Ensemble
9:30 and 11:00 am | Sanctuary
Originally written as Christmas cards, these classic American carols by Alfred Burt will meld nostalgia with our anticipation of Christmas.
Tuesday, December 24
Christmas Eve
7:00 pm | FUMC Fort Worth Youth Choir
9:00 & 11:00 pm | FUMC Fort Worth Choral Union Featuring soloist Christian Teague
Our traditional Christmas Eve music and worship experience with carols and Christmas songs to herald our celebration of the birth of Christ.
12.9 SCRIPTURE & SPIRITS:
CHRIST AND CHRISTMAS CULTURE
7:00 – 8:00 pm | Rodeo Goat
2836 Bledsoe & Currie | Ft Worth, TX
Christians complaining about secular Christmas? Boring. Instead, let’s focus on our favorite portrayals of Christmas in pop culture. What gets it right, what makes us think, and what shapes our attitudes towards the most magical time of the year. Join us for our spirituality and pop culture discussion group as we enjoy some delicious food and drink and discuss what it means to live the good life.
Scripture and Spirits is a collaboration of First7th & FUMCFW Young Adult Ministries.
For more information, contact Rev. Gena Anderson (ganderson@myfumc.org) or Pastor Lance Marshall (lmarshall@first7th.org).
To learn more about this exciting new FUMC Fort Worth ministry, go to www.first7th.org.