First United Methodist Church News
November 25, 2018
     Our congregation hopes everyone had a meaningful Thanksgiving. We have been posting little notes this past month on a cork board to say what we are thankful for. This past Sunday Leta Sage gathered the notes and read them to us.  We learned most of us are thankful for our church, our families, good health or improved health, friends and the freedom we enjoy. 
      We learned that Pat Humphries, formerly of Dublin, celebrated her 90th birthday recently.  She looked healthy and happy in the photos I’ve seen. 
     Our Church is decorated for Christmas now and it looks wonderful.  Our sanctuary seems to be made for this glorious season.
     “Cookies for the Troops” are due at First Methodist on December 16.  Bring one dozen large cookies made without nuts and put them in a gallon size zip lock bag.  If you have no plastic bags, I will donate a box of one gal. zip bags if you will bring the cookies.  Put two bags in the boxes provided by our church.
     The West District of the Central Conference of the United Methodist Church has three points of collection in our area for our cookies and they are: Central Methodist in Brownwood, Graham First Methodist, and Dublin First Methodist. The destinations for the filled boxes are Dyess Air Base in Abilene and Goodfellow Air Base in San Angelo.  Pastor Ken Lunsford and Ray LaBaume have taken pickup and trailer loads of cookies for the past two years!
     The food pantry is short on some items and we could use donations.  Items needed are: cream soups, canned broth, peanut butter, jelly, dried pinto beans (1 lb. bag), rice in 2 lb. bags, corn bread mix, canned fruit, canned chicken, tuna, or chili, Ramen, oatmeal, and instant potatoes.  Or give a check and mark “food pantry” in the corner and we’ll shop for you.
     I gave the scripture reading from John 18:33-37 and Rev. Ken Lunsford took his lesson from these verses and titled his sermon “What Is Truth?”
     Pilate could find no fault in Jesus.  He summoned Jesus and questioned Him.  Pilate asked, “What have you done?” Jesus replied, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world.” “So, you are a king?” Pilate asked.  Jesus tells him, “I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth.”
     Our first allegiance is to Christ. That shouldn’t be a radical idea.  But in today’s world it is.  Our first duty is not to our political party, not to the opinions of family, friends, or neighbors.  But to Christ.  That is a risky thing to say from a pulpit in 2018.  There are some people today who confuse their political views with their loyalty to Christ.  They brand anyone who disagrees with them as enemies of the Gospel.  We’ve seen it before in the battle to end segregation. In their view it was God’s will to keep the races separated.
     Be careful when you baptize your political views.  Remember to ask what would Jesus do?  Don’t misunderstand. Christian people ought to be involved in politics and voting.  Just don’t expect the Kingdom to come through the dealings of politicians. Pontius Pilate was a cautious politician, trying to come up with a compromise that would satisfy everyone he was dealing with. He was not pursuing truth.  For truth is found in choosing Kingdom values over earthly values.
Thanks for reading, if you are not already going to a Bible based church, we would welcome you at First United Methodist Church, 630 Highland Ave., Dublin, TX.  Our motto is “Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open doors.   And we subscribe to “Making Disciples for Jesus Christ for the betterment of the World. 
FUMC Vision Statement: Seek new ways to grow the works of God through reaching out to others by sharing His love; mercy; and compassion in worship and growing spiritual relationship with Christ. Reach Up and Out!
 
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First United Methodist Church News
November 18, 2018
 
     Sunday afternoon, the 11th, Pastor Ken Lunsford drove Martha Starnes, Barbara Stevens, and me to Cross Plains for the West District Charge Conference.   The First United Methodist Church there was our host and they were gracious.
     A large choir was formed from two of the largest churches in our district and my oh my, could they sing.  The church was packed to capacity and we stood and sang traditional hymns like we were raising the roof.
     Lisa Neslony, District Superintendent, preached a fiery sermon and the Holy Spirit was truly among us.  It took a couple of days for my feet to touch the floor again!
     This past Sunday our congregation was fortunate to have Joseph and Amy Cisneros sing a duet for us. They sang, “What Have I Done?”  Joseph played his guitar and it was wonderful.   Later, Joseph sang a solo of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”
     Several members of Joseph’s family came to church to support their brother and Amy, his wife.  There were two sisters, a sister-in-law, a brother-in-law, and numerous little children. 
     Community Table is next week, and we need volunteers and you need to work the calories off.  Also, won’t Taco Soup taste good after all that turkey.
     Keep baking cookies for our military, you can freeze them till the collection date of Sunday, December 16. Please no nuts in the cookies. Packing boxes and labels are already here at First Methodist.
     Laura Leatherwood read our scripture from Hebrews 10:11-18. 
     Rev. Ken Lunsford repeated a story from over thirty years ago.  In Salonika, Greece many of the pending court trials could not be held as planned because mice had eaten the files in the civil court archives.  The evidence against many alleged criminals had disappeared.  The records were permanently destroyed.
     Our lesson from Hebrews carries a similar message. Christ, through His death on the cross, took away our sins as if they had never existed! 
     Our sins were made white as snow. “For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”  Are you among those people who are being made holy by the work of Christ?
     Pastor Ken and I attended the community Thanksgiving Service at Double N Cowboy Church on Sunday night.  Several ministers spoke during the service and offered prayers, read scripture, and a poem.  Rev. Jimmy Holleman preached the message.  We enjoyed the sermon and the music.
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First United Methodist Church News
November 11, 2018
 
     Our church office will be closed on November 22; Thanksgiving Day. 
     Community Table for November is on the 28th, we will serve Taco Soup.  There will be lots of yummy desserts to choose from and hot coffee to go with them.  In December, the Community Table will be move up to the 19th, which is one week early because of  Christmas. Please let everyone you know about this one-time change.
      Sunday, December 16, “Cookies for the Troops” are due here at First United Methodist, 630 Highland Ave. Dublin.  Place one dozen large cookies in a gallon size zip lock bag.  Please no nuts in the cookies. So, let’s bake those cookies and let our troops know that they are loved and appreciated.
     Our congregation extends sympathy to the families of Wayne Sorrells, La Nell Hamilton, and James Williamson.
     James and Leta Sage’s son, Keith, was sick enough to be in the Seguin hospital.  The young man and his family are in our prayers.
     Laura Leatherwood told us her daughter Elise, and granddaughter Gracie, have been very sick with a virus.  So sorry mommy and baby both have tummy problems!
     Prayers for Frank Gaitan, who has undergone surgery.
     Betty Lusk came to church walking with long braces to help her knees. She reminded me of someone from “Star Wars.” 
     Irene Sohm happily announced that her friend, Angie Melton, had made a remarkable turnaround in the hospital and was much better.  Praise God for his grace and mercy.
     Our scripture lesson was Mark 12:38-44.  The story of the poor widow is in these verses.
     As Jesus was teaching, He said to watch out for the legal experts that walk around in long robes and show off by saying long prayers.
     Jesus was sitting in the temple across from the collection box.  He witnessed a poor widow put two small coins worth a penny into the box.  Jesus called His disciples to Him to say, “the widow has put in more than anyone else because she gave everything she had.” 
      The wealthy and well-off people giving at the temple treasury shared their abundance, but the poor widow gave all she had in the world.  That means her gift was more significant to God than Bill Gates and Warren Buffett’s billions!  Because God measures not how much we give, but how sacrificial is our giving.
      The widow’s gift was an act of devotion from someone who had suffered hurt and loss. But she had no bitterness or anger towards God for her situation. She was at peace with God.
      Please Give to the Dublin Goodfellows and Dublin Salvation Army, especially during this Holiday Season. Give sacrificially!
Please Note:  The Dublin Ministerial Alliance will be hosting the Annual Community Thanksgiving Service at the Double N Cowboy Church on Highway 6 East of Dublin on Sunday November 18, 2018 at 6:30PM.  All are invited!
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First United Methodist Church News
November 4, 2018
      D J Klutts served as Worship Leader and told the congregation the number of people served at Community Table on Halloween night was 282.  Let me tell you the spaghetti sauce was a prize winner! I would like to see more people come to the fellowship hall to eat, but we deliver to folks are shut-ins, or have no transportation.
     D J read a thank you card from the Christian Women’s Job Core; Laura Leatherwood regularly takes a meal to the ladies on behalf of our church. D J also read the scripture lesson from Mark 12:28-34.
     Barbara Stevens daughter, Donna Graf, continues to improve from her injuries. Donna must have the dead tissue scraped away from the rope burns on her arms and it is very painful.
     Neva tells us her daughter went to see a Gaither concert in the metroplex, but the daughter became ill and fainted.  That stopped the show and nurses and paramedics who were present attended to her till she taken to a hospital for care.  She has recovered.
     November birthdays are; Judy Lunsford, Alford Havens, Nancy Wooldridge, Gene Klutts, Ken Lunsford and Jeannie Wendt share one, and next is Juanita Duncan.  Lawrence and Pat Outlaw have an anniversary on 11-23.
     The deadline for Christmas Child shoeboxes is Sunday.
     Thursday, November 29 at 10:00 a.m. is “Hanging of the Greens” here at First United Methodist Church.  That means we decorate for Christmas.  If want to revive the Christmas spirit be here to help. 
      Rev. Ken Lunsford preached on “Where Is God’s Kingdom?”  I was privileged to hear this sermon and I was really moved by it.  I’m sending a copy of it to our children.
      When one of the legal experts asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus replied, “Our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The second is this, you will love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.”
     Most of what we hear these days is about the kingdom that is to come, the Second Coming. We hear about the end of time.  We see bumper stickers saying; “Jesus is coming, and boy is He mad, or are you ready?” But there is another kingdom that was a central theme of Jesus’ teaching.
     Jesus’ first sermon began with: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.” Most of His parables begin with “The Kingdom of God is like this or the Kingdom is like that.  Most of His references are to a kingdom already here. It appears to me the Kingdom of God is not only an existence to come, but a state of mind here and now.  The Kingdom exists wherever God reigns in human hearts and God is love. Where God is, there is Love and where Love is, there is God! You cannot hold onto anger, prejudice, or bitterness and claim citizenship in Christ’s Kingdom.  Remember the Great Commandment!
 
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