First United Methodist Church
of Longview
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The Voice
December 23, 2020
We have been exploring "Views of Good News" as our theme for Advent and Christmas this year. I have enjoyed looking through the eyes and lives of those connected with the Birth of Jesus. Tomorrow evening at our Christmas Eve worship services, we will be looking through the eyes of the Shepherds and how they played a critical role in the story of Christ's birth. More importantly, we will be looking a little closer into our participation in the ongoing story of God's grace in Jesus Christ. As Christmas draws closer and our view becomes clearer, I hope we will take the opportunity not just to celebrate but also to more faithfully participate in God's ongoing work of grace in Jesus Christ.

I know this is a crazy season this year. We are doing all we can to provide meaningful and safe opportunities to draw closer to God and one another. We will have two traditional worship opportunities in the Sanctuary at 4:00 and 7:00 PM on Christmas Eve. Both of these worship services will be live-streamed on our website and our Facebook page. We will also have a very meaningful family-friendly children's worship service with glowsticks in the Faith Center at 4:00 PM. In case the crowd is too large to adequately socially distance at our traditional worship service at 7:00 PM, we will also have it live-streamed on the big screen in the Faith Center for any overflow. Additionally, one of our traditional Christmas Eve worship services will be broadcast (edited to 30 minutes) on KLTV at 11:00 AM on Sunday, January 3rd.
Come-and-Go Communion will be available in Nicholson Chapel from 4:30 - 6:30 PM on Christmas Eve with blessed and sealed communion packs. We will also offer communion packs for pickup in the church office until today at 5:00 PM.  

Whether you can join us in person or on our live-stream, I pray that we will draw closer to God and one another this Christmas. May our view be clear and our response faithful and heartfelt. I want to thank our dedicated staff and faithful congregation for how you have responded this year under challenging circumstances. I have never been more blessed to be part of such a faithful ministry! I hope that as you have the ability, you will be generous and faithful in your response to support our church and its ministry to be A Beacon of Hope for All. I also hope that you will allow this season to be a jumpstart to an even more faithful year of ministry ahead.

Merry Christmas, and May God Bless You All!
Pastor Jay 
Where are you connected?
We hope to see you this Christmas Eve at FUMC. However, we will be live-streaming our 4 and 7 PM Traditional Candlelight Worship services. If you will be joining us online, be sure to have a candle ready at home!
*We also ask that you use the Nicholson Chapel doors for Come-and-Go communion!*
Communion packs for Come-and-Go Christmas Eve communion are still available for pick up through the end of business hours today, December 23. These may be picked up in the church office during normal office hours.
Check out this video to see why Ellen gives and how you can help FUMC finish the year strong.
The custodial and kitchen staff would like to thank everyone for the gift card Christmas trees. Each member of our custodial and kitchen staff was generously covered with gift cards to many locations around Longview. We are overwhelmed by your generosity and thoughtfulness.
Join Loren on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM on the Children's Facebook and church-wide Facebook pages during the Advent season for a short Advent video and devotion.
Some of our 6th-grade students took to the streets on Sunday, December 20, to bell carol at church members' homes. While we did not get to as many houses as we would have liked, we think we have started a new tradition! Our thoughts, prayers, and best wishes to all our church family.
Thanks to your generosity and caring hearts, the Haverty’s/Newgate Angel Tree served 123 families and 341 children. This happened due to the work of many volunteers and a community that loves their neighbors. May hope, love, joy, and peace fill your hearts and homes this Christmas season. Merry Christmas!
Life Together at FUMC Longview
Download the FUMC app!

  • Go to either the Android or Apple app store and search for "Church by MinistryOne." Once you have found the correct app (the icon should be purple with a white cross), you will hit "download" or "get."
  • Once the app has downloaded, launch the app.
  • Now you will want to search for "Longview First United Methodist Church." Our church logo and address will then populate. Tap on "More," and then "Select this church."
  • At this point, you will get a pop up asking if you would like to allow the app to send you notifications.
  • Once FUMC is your selected church, you will log in. To do this, tap "Profile," and then type in your email and cell phone number. You will then be prompted to validate your account via text or email. You will select how you want your code sent, and then once the code is received, you will enter the code into the app.
  • Once you are logged in, you will be taken to your profile! This is where you can make changes to your profile (such as phone number changes, address changes, and even add a payment method for giving!).
If you or someone you know is sick or hospitalized and is unable to attend worship with us, please let us know!

Contact the church office at 903-753-4463 or email us at fumc@longviewfumc.org
To submit an article for The Voice, please email Megan Hopper at mhopper@longviewfumc.org. Info must be submitted by Friday at
5 PM in order to be in next week's edition of The Voice.
First United Methodist Church of Longview
400 N. Fredonia St. Longview, Texas 75601
Tel: (903) 753.4463
Fax: (903) 236.7608