Identity
Who Will Inhabit the
House of Love?
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Facebook Live
Rev. Bud Reeves
Those Who Trust
Better Is One Day
Cornerstone
Remembrance
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Facebook Live and FM 96.7
Rev. Bud Reeves
Duet: “Praise Him! Praise Him!
Communion Anthem: “The Heavenly Table”
Gaye Mings, Breck Cogswell, Soloists
Nancy W. Vernon, Organist
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We will celebrate Holy Communion on Sunday. Gather your elements (bread and juice) and be ready to share in the Lord’s Supper (virtually) with your church family!
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It’s a stereotypical scene from every American family vacation, which usually involves a car trip. Shortly after leaving home, headed for whatever destination, the incessant questioning whine erupts from the back seat: “Are we there yet? How much further? When are we gonna get there?” It’s only stereotypical because it really happens, and often.
I thought about those family moments as I have heard the conversation regarding the re-opening of our community, state, and nation following the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are signs of hope, and many places are seeing the number of new cases and deaths decreasing. Praise God! But that also means that in many places people are pressuring for the release of the restrictions that have flattened the curve of the pandemic so far. I understand the irritation and frustration, but I also want the re-entry into normalcy to be safe and timed appropriately. I believe it will have to be done in stages so that we do not escalate a new round of infections across our country.
So to the question, “Are we there yet?” I will give the same answer I used to give my kids: “No, we are not there yet! We have a long way to go. Just be patient.”
What the re-entry process means for the church is unclear. But we are monitoring all our sources of information and advice, and we will be communicating policies and directions as soon as they become available.
In the midst of this pandemic, many people have made reference and comparison to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1920. Exacerbated by the military troop movements of World War I, the Spanish flu killed 675,000 Americans out of a population of 103 million. A comparable percentage today would be over 2 million deaths. We are currently at about 55,000 deaths. In Arkansas, 7,000 people died from the Spanish flu out of a population of 1.7 million people. A comparable percentage today would be over 12,000 deaths. So far, Arkansas has suffered about 50 deaths. Thanks to advanced knowledge of infectious diseases, dedicated health professionals, and equipment like ventilators that were non-existent a century ago, we have been spared the devastating effects of previous pandemics.
I believe our willingness to take safety measures like hand-washing, social distancing, and wearing masks has also significantly reduced the catastrophic losses of earlier plagues. I am thankful for the courage and good will of citizens and leaders who have led us in this effort.
I was very interested to read, in the context of COVID-19, an article in the Journal of the Fort Smith Historical Society by our very own Dr. Taylor Prewitt, who is as good a historian as he was a cardiologist. In the article “When the Flu Hit Fort Smith,” Dr. Prewitt recounts the history of the Spanish flu in our local and state context. There was a quarantine which shut down schools, businesses and churches in 1918. People wore masks, too, for four weeks in October and November of 1918. After only four weeks, the pressure to let up on the quarantine was too great, and restrictions were relaxed. Oddly enough, the ministers of the community led the charge so they could have worship services again. Following this short quarantine, the most devastating period of disease and death came in the winter of 1918-1919.
Published in September of 2019, Dr. Prewitt prophetically wrote, “Of course, this was not the last pandemic the world will ever see. Will we be better prepared to deal with the next one? Probably not.
“The consensus is that the need for vaccines, medicines such as Tamiflu, hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators would swamp available resources. Ideally, a vaccine could be prepared for whatever new and lethal mutation of the virus may appear, but it will take significant improvement in vaccine preparation and production methods to provide adequate supplies in time to combat an infection that would spread so quickly in our interconnected world. It is hoped that a universal vaccine to influenza can be developed; but until such scientific and technologic improvements appear, we would do well to remember one lesson from 1918: complete quarantine works--but you can’t wait too long to get started.”
We will learn more and discover ways to treat the COVID-19 virus. Eventually a vaccine will be developed. But the battle is far from over. Again comparisons are telling: The Spanish flu pandemic lasted 2 years. The Great Depression lasted 10 years. World War II lasted six years. We have been sheltering in place (only partially in Arkansas) for five weeks so far. As I used to tell the kids, “We have a long way to go. Just be patient.”
In the meantime, we have some great opportunities to be in ministry. The church has not closed. We have just moved our ministry outside the building. (Get the T-shirt!) Our worship services are online and on the radio. We are doing classes through Zoom and Facebook. We are keeping connections by phone, email, text, and mail. We are serving our members and our neighbors through our church and through support of local non-profits. We have ample opportunity to be growing spiritually.
I passionately look forward to the time we can be together physically again. Frankly, you are all better-looking in person! We will be together again-in good time. What I don’t want you to miss is the fact that right now is a good time to be loving your family, going deep in your relationship with God, and re-assessing what is really important in life. It’s good time, because God is good--all the time!
Blessings,
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Senior Pastor
breeves@fsfumc.org
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In years past the summer has offered our youth group great opportunities such as mission trips, worship conferences, and special church events. Though we grieve with the cancellation of most of these things (yes, we CAN and SHOULD grieve when something we love gets cancelled), there are still great things ahead for us.
One phrase that I find myself repeating is
God has something for us in this time.
We won’t be attending Service Over Self. We don’t get to go to Assembly. Our church events are going to look a lot different. But
God has something for us in this time.
In reflecting over the horrendous catastrophe of the Israelite’s exile to Babylon and the destruction of the Temple, (you can read the story in 2 Kings 24 & 25) the author of the book of Lamentations wrote this:
Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended;
certainly God’s compassion isn’t through!
They are renewed every morning.
Great is your faithfulness.
I think: YHWH is my inheritance!
Therefore, I will put my hope in him.
— Lamentations 3: 22 & 23
These verses of anticipation are sandwiched between laments of raw emotion, confusion, and protesting. If you haven’t read Lamentations lately, let me remind you that there’s not a lot of hope to be found… these few verses are some of the only hopeful expressions in the entire book!
Yet we are told in this passage that even amidst our deepest desperation and brokenness, God will not allow evil to get the final word. In fact, the ashes of our tragedies oftentimes become the seedbed of our hope for the future.
In closing, I’d like to remind everyone that it is OK to go to God with your emotions and your confusion. People in the Bible do it all the time, and they set the precedent for us. In your prayers, ask God to help you process all of this. I’m confident that the Holy Spirit will renew the hope that can only come from our life in Christ!
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Director of Youth Ministries
mmings@fsfumc.org
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Logo that will go on pocket
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On Sunday, March 15, the text for the day of worship was the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-42. You may know this story. One sister is sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning from him and enjoying his presence, while the other is so busy she doesn’t even notice the presence of God incarnate in her own living room. That day during my sermon I shared this quote: “America, the land of the high achieving, multi-tasking, speed-aholics. We’re in perpetual motion, never resting, and never quite satisfied…American families are sucked into a vortex of activities and obligations. We pile on appointments, lessons, practices, games, performances, and clubs and then shovel in fast food…western civilization’s high speed, fast paced, goal oriented life has propelled us into a state of minivan mania.”
(Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families
, by Amy Kroecker).
That Sunday was our last Sunday to worship in person. And, wow, have our lives changed since that day! Our state of minivan mania has been forced to a screeching halt. And so, I am starting to wonder whether we want to go back to that frenzied pace we lived pre-COVID-19. I have noticed so many people spending time with their families: playing games, working puzzles, making blanket forts, baking, singing, reading and laughing! I’ve seen us ramping up our personal efforts to connect with God and to connect with God’s people. We are acting more like Mary and less like Martha. Maybe that is not a bad lesson for us to learn.
What do you think your life might look like post-COVID-19? Do we want to go back to mini-van mania, or do we want to live differently? We have an amazing chance to be intentional about living out our priorities when the world restarts. So, would you think about what really is most important in your life? Would you think about what must change?
I think the church will be different, too! I hope we keep our online presence as an option for worship and even for small groups and meetings. But I wonder if our priorities as the body of Christ are realigning, too? I would love to hear your thoughts; how do you envision the church when we relaunch? We have the great opportunity to almost start from scratch, and to reimagine how God might want us to be a community of believers who love God and love people purposely and passionately.
Would you let me know how you envision FUMC in the future? Would you share your thoughts and dreams for how we might be the love of God in a world that really needs it? My email address is below--I would love your input.
For me, it will be really hard not to just get right back in that mini-van. But God has so much more in store for us than a life of busyness. Jesus tells Martha she is distracted and worried by many things, and that Mary has “chosen the better part.” How can we do likewise?
Grace and peace to you and yours,
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#thejoysofquarantine Stella Stites and Greg Washington - “A Mean Game of Yahtzee”
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Executive Associate Pastor
rbkelley@fsfumc.org
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Recently, I heard someone use the phrase “take that basket off your head and let your light shine.” I could not help but think of the song “hide it under a bushel, no…I’m going to let it shine!” I’ve sung that song countless times in my life and I’ve never considered that the bushel basket might be on my head, meaning, if I’m honest, I let the song shape what I perceived as the actual light: holding up my index finger to symbolize the light! Yes, I know better, but visuals play a big part in how we see things evident in our life.
That’s not a very big light, and the truth is I am the light…all of me, the radiance that shines from me, not holding up my finger pretending it’s a candle. So, hearing how we should take the basket off our heads and let our light shine shook me and spoke to my soul.
It is so easy for us to let our light get dimmed, snuffed out, and covered up. A few rough encounters with humanity will do it. Allowing others to define who we are, criticize us, judge us, hurt us, will certainly dim our light. Experiences in life that bring brokenness can cover the light quickly: shattered marriages, estranged relationships, bad mistakes, damaging behaviors. These experiences can make us not only cover our head but hide under that basket.
Matthew 5, beginning in verse 14 says “you are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket.” The Message translation of this scripture puts it this way, “you’re here to be the LIGHT, bringing out the God-colors of the world. God is not a secret to be kept…” It is so easy to place God’s story within the objects by which Jesus taught. It is so easy to understand what we are supposed to be…but feel we can’t because life happens.
The scripture goes on to say “I’ve put you on a hilltop on a light stand…so SHINE! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” Our LIGHT is our life…as crazy and chaotic as it may be. And the darkness of the world needs our LIGHT to give HOPE when the light grows dim. Our light is not a single flicker…but a bonfire of shared light when we are generous with our lives.
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Associate Pastor
deedee.autry@arumc.org
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In Mercy Hospital:
- Staci Goodman
- Denise Jones
Loss of Loved Ones and Friends:
- Randall Johnson—father of Tina (Ron) Wilson, Melissa Wessels and Lynda Gibson.
- Karen Bradberry Davis—daughter of Floyd and Judy Bradberry, sister of Laura (Matt) Cunningham and aunt of Anna and Sean Cunningham
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Phone backgrounds!
Each week, go to our Facebook page or Instagram stories and save a Bible verse background for your phone! This is a perfect time to memorize scripture.
Screenshot the story or save the photo and set as your lock screen.
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“
No regular in-person gatherings of any kind are to be held at least through May 17th.“
https://arumc.org/covid19/guidance-for-clergy/
Sunday, May 3
8:30 am Cornerstone and Roundtable Class, Zoom
9:30 am Connexion Worship, Facebook Live
11:00 am Sanctuary Worship, Facebook Live and FM 96.7
4:00 pm Foundation Board Meeting, Zoom
5:00 pm First Youth, Zoom
6:00 pm Administrative Board Meeting, Zoom
Monday, May 4
2:00 pm Staff Meeting, Zoom
Wednesday, May 6
5:30 pm Evening Prayer, Facebook Live
7:00 pm The Enneagram Journey, Zoom
8:00 pm Youth Bible Study, Zoom
Thursday, May 7
6:30 pm Why? Making Sense of God’s will Class, Zoom
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We cannot wait to use our new church van when we all gather together again! Special thanks to our Memorial fund for making this happen.
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I know that the above statement is true, but I would not be honest if I didn’t at times question why things happen that are bad, tragic and simply out of our control. I have definitely asked God many times over the last 6 weeks, Why??!! I don’t believe that God caused this pandemic to happen, but I also know that God has the power to make it all go away. So why not make it just go away? Why doesn’t God just prevent death, heal the sick, prevent others from contracting the virus, make everything just go back to normal. Well, I don’t know the answer to these questions, but I do believe that God is looking all around and has to be more than pleased with the way that we have responded. By my faith I know that God helps us to find the good in all situations and to act in ways that bring Him goodness and glory.
I have personally seen this goodness in acts of kindness at the church. We asked for people that could sew to make masks, and people volunteered to make masks. We asked for people that can cook and bake for the hungry, and we have volunteers that make food. We asked for people to reach out to those that may be alone or in need of help, and we have people that volunteer to call. We asked for people that can pick up groceries or deliver items to those in need, and we have people that volunteer to go and shop. We asked for people to send cards and notes to those that are shut in or lonely and we have volunteers that make cards. We asked for you to meet by Zoom for meetings and classes, and you figured it out! We asked you to join us for church by Facebook or the radio and there you are, and you have brought friends! We asked you to pray, and you PRAY. I know that this is repetitive, but you get the point. The church asks for your help in our community and for those in our congregation, and you are there.
So yes, if I’m being perfectly honest I am sad that my son, Will, a senior this year, has missed his last months of high school, prom, baccalaureate, maybe no graduation, but I also know that in everything God is good! I am thankful that I have witnessed this goodness all around. This is a sad, hard time for so many in this world, but I know that God sees all of the good being done, and He is pleased. Thank you for being such an amazing church. Thank you for volunteering. We will be stronger than ever before.
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Director of Adult Discipleship
ethames@fsfumc.org
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PASTOR ON CALL
M-F 8:30 AM-4:30 PM:
(479) 782-5068
Weekends and Evenings:
(479) 459-5060
When there is a hospitalization, a death in the family, or any other time you may need urgent pastoral care, we encourage you to use these numbers. The pastors rotate on-call responsibilities to assure that one of them is always accessible.
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FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
200 N. 15th St. Fort Smith, AR 72901
(479) 782-5068 | fsfumc.org
Pastor on Call (479) 459-5060
Email: fsfumc@fsfumc.org
Office Hours: Monday-Friday
8:30AM-4:30PM
Closed for lunch 12:30PM-1:30PM
SUNDAY SERVICES
- 9:30AM Connexion, Facebook Live
- 11:00AM Sanctuary, Radio broadcast on 96.7 FM and Facebook Live
WEDNESDAY SERVICE
- 5:30 PM Evening Prayer, Facebook Live
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In Memory of:
- Agnes Davis by Myrna Sue Lough
- Jane Williams by Carl Corley, Phil and Kimberly White, Jack and Louanna Green, Bob and Janice Powell, Jane Atwood, Mike and Susan McFerran, Bill and Kathy Priakos, Mont and Ann Echols, Jr., Philip and Lisa Thompson, Fran Bateman, Tom and Nancy Robertson, Judge Jim and Dixie Spears, Richard and Jan Beauchamp, Kim Davis, Cynthia Giss, Ted and Virginia Taylor, Robert Cooper, Maude Rogers, Bill and Bonnie Smets, Robert and Donna Skinner, Michael and Debra Thames, Mary Kay Aclin, Larry and Sandra Clark, Mike and Jane Rappeport, Larry and Janet Nelson, Jack and Joann Gedosh, Jerry and Jane Hartfield, Frances Wohlford, Susanna O. Sullivan, Robert A. Young III, and Margaret Graham
- Warren Giss by Ted and Virginia Taylor, Judge Jim and Dixie Spears, Fran Bateman, Mary Kay Aclin, Jack and Louanna Green, Ann Smith, Robert and Judy Dawson, Rebecca Yarbrough, Margaret Graham, Jane Rappeport, Robert A. Young III, Eloise J. Durbin Giss, Noon Civics Club, Carolyn Johnston, Susanna O. Sullivan, and Mont and Ann Echols
- Shirley McDonald by Robert and Judy Dawson, John and Harriett Beasley, and Rev. and Mrs. Aaron Barling
- Judy Temple by Jack Denur
- B.G. Hendrix by Fran Bateman, Robert A. Young III, Jack and Joann Gedosh, Jack and Louanna Green, Robert and Madeline Marquette, and Larry and Sandra Clark
- Arlene Price by Fran Bateman
- Lois Burgess by Jack and Louanna Green
- Dustin Hattabaugh by Larry and Janet Nelson
- Richard Aclin by Jack and Joann Gedosh
- Jim Hayes by Jack and Joann Gedosh
- Hugh Atwood by Jack and Joann Gedosh
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FIRST UNITED METHODIST NEWS published weekly except the last week of the year by First United Methodist Church 200 North 15th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901.
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