Newsletter

Life in Christ

A Publication of First United Methodist Church of Cameron, Texas

A Revolution in Seven Verses: Luke 13:10-17

Walter Wink, in his book Engaging the Powers, suggests that Jesus' action in this Gospel text represented a revolution happening in seven short verses. In this short story Jesus tries to wake people up to the kind of life God wants for them. He often talks about the Kingdom of God where people have equal worth and all of life has dignity, but in the latter part of His ministry, He begins to act this out. In the midst of a highly patriarchal culture Jesus breaks at least six strict Jewish cultural rules:

1. Jesus speaks to the woman. In civilized society Jewish men did not speak to women. Remember in John 4 where Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, she was shocked because a Jew would speak to a Samaritan. And when the disciples returned, the Scripture records, "They were astonished that He was speaking with a woman?" In speaking to her, Jesus jettisons the male restraints on women's freedom.

2. He calls the woman to the center of the synagogue. By placing her in the geographic middle, He challenges the notion of a male monopoly on access to knowledge and to God.

3. He touches her, which revokes the holiness code, the code which protected men from a woman's uncleanness and from her sinful seductiveness.

4. He calls her "daughter of Abraham," a term not found in any of the prior Jewish literature. This is revolutionary because at the time it was believed that women were saved through their men. To call her a daughter of Abraham is to make her a full-fledged member of the nation of Israel with equal standing before God.

5. He heals on the Sabbath, the Holy day. In doing this He demonstrates God's compassion for people over ceremony, and reclaims the Sabbath for the celebration of God's outreaching and non-discriminating goodness to all people.

6. Last, and not least, He challenges the ancient belief that her illness is a direct punishment from God for sin. He asserts that she is ill, not because God willed it, but because life happens, and bad things happen to good people.

T. S. Eliot, one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, liked to tell about a sign outside a baker's shop advertising bread for one dollar a loaf. You go into the shop, he said, hungry for bread and imagining the fresh smell of bread right out of the oven that would assuage your hunger. However, to your dismay you find that inside the shop all that is for sale are copies of the sign advertising bread. Eliot suggested that the Church is often too much like that shop.

In attempting to reach out to the world and awaken people to the kind of Holy life God wants for them, we often offer the world substitutes for the fire of the true and living God, rather than offering the world the experience of the presence of the true and living God. Jesus also calls us to start a revolution, by bringing the Word of God (the Gospel) to the world. But to do so we must first start with our self, because we can’t talk about and explain salvation to someone, unless we have first experienced and received it.

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CAMERON AREA MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE THRIFT SHOP SALE

On Saturday, August 21, 2010, the Thrift Shop located at 300 S. Houston Ave. will hold its largest sale of the year. The sale is coordinated with the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. The sale will last from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. Each customer of the shop will be given a grocery bag which they can fill with any clothing and bedding items they wish for only $2.00 a bag. All monies raised from this sale will go towards replenishing the pantry supplies of the Thrift Shop for the months to come. Everyone is invited to participate & shop.

There will be hotdogs served for those wishing to contribute one non-perishable item to the Thrift Shop pantry supplies Anyone bringing a non-perishable item for the pantry or donating $1.00 to purchase a food item will be awarded a hotdog and the trimmings. The hotdogs are being supplied by the men and women of the Primera Inglecia Bautista Church as their charitable service to the Thrift Shop. The hot dogs will be served from 10:00 until they run out of hotdogs. Also water will be available for $1.00

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Crayola Crusade – thru August 22^nd
We will be collecting school supplies through Sunday August 22^nd in preparation for the beginning of School.
Each year many children begin the school year without the school supplies they need. Your gift will help the children of Cameron ISD have the supplies they need for their education. All you have to do is go by the store and pick up some supplies and bring them to church with you. The children will need,

· Notebook paper

· Composition notebooks

· Pencils, pens, glue, scissors, rulers, crayolas

· Backpacks

· Pencil boxes

· Construction Paper

You can drop off your donation on Sundays in the Sanctuary or during the week at the Church Office. If you are unable to go to the store and purchase the supplies but would like to participate in the Crayola Crusade, you can make a monetary donation.

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COMING SOON!!!!

Ever wish God spoke as clearly as your girlfriends do? Wish you could hear him that well? Wish talking to Him was fun like that? Between cell phones, kids, and the static of life, a lot of us real girls have gone spiritually deaf. Discover over twenty ways God speaks to us, and learn to dial into the power of divine conversation while laughing out loud with Tune In. Hear God as Jesus worships through the disciplines of prayer and fasting. Or listen in as Job deals with the highs and lows of life. Daniel developed a great inner ear for the voice of God, as Mary did while raising Jesus. God may not distract you with a burning bush or leave you for days inside a whale-but you can still hear His voice. You just need to Tune In to it. (From: “TUNE IN: HEARING GOD’S WORD THROUGH STATIC”)

Coming soon: an exciting new opportunity for study and fellowship for the women of FUMC and friends. Come and learn more about this opportunity for spiritual growth and fellowship: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18^TH ---- 6-7 P.M. AT THE FLC. Childcare available. Bring a friend. You won’t want to miss it!!

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UMW presents

“DIVINE DINNERS” Frozen Casserole Sale

We’re Backkkk!!!Dinner can be only a few steps away when you purchase a “DIVINE DINNERS” frozen casserole from the UMW. Casseroles are available for pre-order sales from Pat Camp, Brenda Barton, or any UMW member-- or the Church Office. We will have 200 casseroles for sale so “first come first serve”!

There will be a choice of 3 casseroles: Chicken Spaghetti, Sausage Crepes, and King Ranch Chicken. One size will be available: 4 servings for $12 . Orders must be prepaid when placed.

Deadline for orders will be August 20th or when sold out..TURN ALL ORDERS IN TO THE CHURCH OFFICE OR PAT CAMP BEFORE August 20th…No orders accepted without order form and payment. Casseroles must be picked-up on Sunday, August 29th at the Methodist Fellowship Hall at 12 noon. They will be Frozen!!

We will need a lot of help with the preparation of the casseroles. If you want to help please contact Pat Camp . Donations will be welcome and will help to cover the cost of preparation of casseroles.

Try our “Divine Dinners” and tell your friends to contact us too….

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YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!!!

D’Ann Williams will be leading a new Bible Study for women of FUMC and the community this fall. A meeting to sign-up and learn more about the study will be WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18^TH AT THE FLC , 6-7 P.M. Childcare will be available. Bring a friend and be a part of this exciting new program. If you are unable to make the meeting you may sign up with Martha in the office so books can be ordered. Bible Study will begin on Wednesday, September 8, 6-7 p.m. at FLC.

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MISSION FOCUS BIRTHDAYS
Aug 4: United Church Women

Fellowship Western Province,

Solomon Islands

Aug 5: UMC ministries to Aug 5: Timothy D Boyle

Women in Crisis, Ho Chi Min City,

Vietnam

Aug 6: Taiwan/Asian Church Aug 6: Nancy Carew

Women’s Conference: Cambodia, James Dwyer

Lao and Vietnamese church Women Seija Terry

Project Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

Aug 7: Atlantic Street Center, Aug 7: Nozomi Brownell

Seattle, Washington Jeanne Ntambo

Aug 8: Houchen Comm Ctr El Paso, Tx Aug 8: Mary Danner-Smith

Meg Koach

Nkemba Ndjungu

Aug 9: Forthspring Inter Community Group-Springfield Methodist Church: Restorative justice work with youth, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Aug 10: Asia Methodist Youth Network Aug 10: J. Jamison Brunk, Kendra G.

Dunbar, Tshala Mwengo

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                                        Scriptures: Revelation 7: 9-14    John 11: 32-44

                                      Hymns: “We Will Glorify”, “For All the Saints ”,

                                           “Holy Ground”, “In Unity Lift Our Song”

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Sunday, November 1,

Daylight Saving time Ends:

Be sure to set your clocks back one hour.

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The church is hosting a Fall Festival on Nov 1^st.

The time is 5:00 – 6:30 – AGES 5^TH GRADE AND UNDER

Face painting

Soda ring toss

Cake walk

Hay stack

Spider ring toss

Bean bag toss

Fishing game

Pumpkin painting

There will be a meal of BBQ, Chips, Drinks, Desert for all First United Methodist Church Members.

Come join the fun.

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VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED

TO WORK AT THE THRIFT STORE

NOV 3, 4, 5, & 6 FROM 9A.M. – 11 A.M.

THANKSGIVING FOOD NEEDED FOR THE THRIFT STORE

Cranberry Sauce, Cornbread Mix, Evaporated Milk, Sweet Potatoes, Canned Pumpkin, Chicken Broth, Cake Mix, Green Beans, Corn.Items may be taken to the Thrift Store at 121 N Houston, Tuesday thru Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Ladies, please join us for the next UMW meeting which will be held

Monday, November 9^th 6:30 at the FLC.

We will finalize our Bazaar plans.

The program will be brought by Melissa Williams.

Remember to bring your Thank Banks.
Hope to see everyone there.

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Two men were chatting about the energy crisis.

“Which of our natural resources do you think will become exhausted first?” one man asked his friend.

“The taxpayer,” the other man said.

:-))))))))))))))))))