Come enjoy a Potluck dinner, caroling, and visit with Santa!

Bring your family and friends and Enjoy the Fun!

Fairview UMC Choir & Friends Present:

 “The Christmas Season”
Sunday, December 3, 2017, 6:00 p.m.

 Amidst the fun of the annual Christmas festival, people are struggling to find hope, love, peace, & joy. It takes a child named Gracie, to help them recognize, receive, and share God’s gift of Light…..His son Jesus!

 Caroling
Beautiful Music
Children Participation
Violin Solo
Refreshments

 Fairview United Methodist Church
3901 Hamill Rd. Hixson, TN 37343

 This is an original play written by Magge Hudgins. Magge teaches at the Center for Creative Arts. She has performed and directed at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre and performed in off off Broadway in New York.

Lindsey Burgess will play the piano for the musical.  Lindsey is the pianist at Grace UMC and teaches music in the Hamilton County School System. 

The Fairview Choir has performed many musicals and dramas, but this is the first original play they have performed.

Gleanings…

How many ways can you think of to say, “thank you”?  Worship for the month of November will focus on thankfulness and the things we can be thankful for.  Each week will address a different aspect of our relationship with God.  Preparing for this series has led me to examine my life for the times when I have experienced the touch of God and the ways that I responded.

To say that my life has always been a bed of roses is laughable.  Thankfully, this is not a confession so I don’t have to reveal how many incidents were my fault.  At the same time, it would be incorrect to say that I have not experienced many blessings along the way; again, not because of something I did, or did not do.  This is probably true of your life, too.

Helping my granddaughters to develop the practice of saying, “thank you” has reminded me of my own journey.  Needing to be thankful in a world that seems to worship self-reliance can be difficult to understand.  The sense of entitlement can also make us wonder why we should be expected to express thankfulness.  Yet, it is an aspect of love that binds us together.  It helps us to form groups that nourish and support its members.  It helps us in our need and it gets us outside of ourselves.

Rick Warren, noted pastor and author, opened his book, The Purpose Driven Life, with these words: “It is not about you.”  Instead, it is all about God.  While we love the sense of thankfulness that goes with Thanksgiving Day, we cannot fully appreciate the day until we come to grips with the truth that all we have is the result of God’s blessing.  Regardless of what we may be experiencing in our lives, God is there to celebrate with us or mourn with us; laugh with us or cry with us; run with us or carry us when our strength is gone.

The Spirit of Christmas Present in Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol, calls to Scrooge to “Come and know me better.”  When we get to know God, we find the one who always has us close to God’s heart.  We grow, then, to understand the events of life are invitations to get to know God better.  With that reality before us, we learn to rely more and more on God’s presence—even to desire it.

My prayer is that as we explore the things we are most thankful for, we will see ways to invite others to experience God’s gifts and join with us in thankful worship and praise.  Start a new practice with me this month and say, “thank you” every day to someone who least expects it.  It just might change a life.  See you Sunday and bring a friend.

Grace and peace,

Braxton ><>

November reminds us to count our blessings.  So, we say…..THANK YOU!….. to the employees of Life Care Center of Hixson.  We appreciate all you do to take care of our congregation and others in the community.   We will take homemade bread, cookies, and treats to the employees in November.  We encourage you to join us and say “Thank You” to someone in your life during this season of Thanksgiving.

Gleanings…

The longer I live, the more I see me doing some of the same things my parents used to do.  The latest activity I have noticed is the way I cut things from the newspaper.  As I look at the paper, I see articles that I want to read again and share with others.  Serving as a pastor, I am always on the lookout for articles that I pray will help me carry out my calling.  By now, you can see where this is going.  As I get to write this monthly column, I find that I want to share them with you.

The latest headline to catch my eye is 9 behaviors that will definitely make you an irresistible person*.  Knowing that I can use all of the help I can get, I read on.  Here is a synopsis of the nine behaviors the author identified.  Irresistible people…

• are nice to you.  No airs, no pointing to their own success, no one-upmanship; they have a confidence in who they are that comes across as kindness.
• know their worth.  They know their greatest attribute and it allows them to appear quiet, resolute, and confident.  We enjoy their company.
• make you feel comfortable.  They do not ask you to be someone you are not and they do not try to change you.  They look for the good in you.
• avoid drama and negativity.  Nobody likes pessimistic, down-beat types.  We like to be around people who lift our spirits.
• elevate others.  They love to give compliments.  They share the credit and are quick to share a kind word or help out.  They make life pleasant for others.
• don’t compete; they collaborate.  They do not look around to size up the competition, but with the intent to find others with whom they can build a partnership.
• are not afraid to be vulnerable.  We desire deeper, more sincere connections with others and their willingness to talk about the tough parts of their lives allows us to share ours.
• accentuate their strengths.  Stronger, intentional words impact our moods and help us to live with confidence.  Playing up one’s talents versus complaining about weaknesses changes how others perceive us.
• make an effort.  They make the effort to look presentable.  They take the time to prepare before meeting.  They are gracious and it encourages others to do things with a little more effort, too.

Did you notice the relatedness of these qualities?  To me, they present an image that is remarkably like that of Jesus.  Go back and read through the list again, but this time replace “irresistible people” with “Jesus” making changes for singular versus plural.  Did you notice how you found yourself nodding and thinking, “Yes, that’s what Jesus is to me”?  Now, can you imagine what others will think about Jesus when they see these qualities in you?

The world needs more of Jesus; how wonderful that we can share him through these little efforts to be nice to others.

Grace and peace,

Braxton ><>

*Article printed in the Times Free Press and is the work of Susie Moore, Greatest’s life coach and is edited for brevity.

 

Sunday October 8th, 2017 – 11:00 AM

Worship and Sing Praises to God!  All are invited to join this special service and fellowship.

Gleanings…

As we have just completed a month-long study of the book, Get Their Name, I think it is appropriate to ask, “So, what did you learn?”  Many who took time to read the book and participate in small group studies and worship during August reported there was very little that was new information.  For the most part, the book reinforced what we already knew—if you want to reach new people, you must talk with them.

Simple enough in concept, but reportedly more difficult to implement which is why the authors took the time to write this book.  Their experience was much like our experiences.  People know this is what they must do, but there are so many things that get in the way of actually doing it.  The result is that few uncommitted people hear there is an answer for the hurts, struggles, and hopelessness in their lives

I expect that if pain, unending struggle, and hopelessness were all we had to look forward to day after day, we might think we were living in hell.  Imagine what it’s like for those who have not experienced the love of God.

Here, then, are a few things I pray we learned from our month-long study.

1. Every follower of Christ Jesus has a story of how they experienced healing, help, and hope when she or he needed it most.  Many of us have shared these stories but only with other Christ followers.
2. Other people are going through the same difficulties that we experienced and were helped out of.  They need to hear our stories so that they might have hope and be encouraged to share their stories.
3. Most people will only share their story once they are convinced no one will make fun of them or think they are weird.  In other words, only with those who have gained their trust.
4. Trust grows within a committed relationship.  Taking the time to get to know someone shows we care.  Showing we care opens the door for an offer of a relationship with God.  God wants to give His love to all.

Whatever we can do to foster a relationship so that people are open to hearing about God’s love is well worth the effort.  As we have discussed, feeling isolated is like living in hell and no one wants or deserves that.

May God lead you to someone today who needs to hear your story.  May you help them to know and to love God as you have.

Get their name.

Braxton ><>

We had such fun and wonderful fellowship at our church picnic & Ice Cream Social! Here are some photos from the event!

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It’s Grandparent’s Day and we’re here to say,  We love our grandparents in a major way.  So sit right down and take a seat,  enjoy your day and all the treats!

Grandparents Day Celebration  Sunday, September 10, 11:00 a.m. Worship Service and Celebration Soup and Salad Lunch after church Community Invited! Free Family pictures and Treats for grandparents!

A Grandma’s heart is a patchwork of love!

Grandchildren don’t stay young forever, which is good because grandfathers have only so many horse rides in them.

The best babysitters, of coarse, are the grandparents.  You feel completely comfortable entrusting your baby to them for long periods of time, which is why most grandparents flee to Florida!

Grandparents are as necessary to a child’s growth as vitamins.

Grandma – the original “laptop”

Grandfathers are for loving and fixing things.

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children 

—Proverbs 17:6

National Grandparents Day has more than one origin. Some people consider it to have been first proposed by Michael Goldgar in the 1970s after he visited his aunt in an Atlanta nursing home, Spending $11,000 of his own money in lobbying efforts to have the day officially recognized, he made 17 trips to Washington DC over a seven-year span to meet with legislators.

Others consider Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, a housewife in West Virginia, to have been the main driver for the day of observance. Throughout the 1970s McQuade worked hard to educate the people about the important contributions senior citizens made and the contributions that they would be willing to make if asked. She also urged people to adopt a grandparent, not for one day a year and not for material giving, but for a lifetime of experience.

In any event National Grandparents Day was finally signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. Marian McQuade received a phone call from the White House to advise her of this event. Many people believe that National Grandparents Day was inspired by her efforts. A presidential proclamation on September 6, 1979, made this day official – it designated Sunday, September 9, 1979, (being the “first Sunday of September following Labor Day”) as National Grandparents Day.

Each year the President is requested to issue a proclamation to: designate the first Sunday in September after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day; and to call on people, groups and organizations to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Gleanings…

For my column this month, I am using the Epilogue from the book we will be studying for the month of August.  I want everyone to have some idea of the intention behind the sermon series and study, and why it is important.  You will/did receive a copy of the book, Get Their Name, on July 30 at the close of worship and I encourage you to read it and then participate in the discussions that will take place during your small group time.  As always, I welcome your ideas for how we can be our best at sharing God’s love with new people.

Grace and peace,

Braxton ><>

EPILOGUE (from “Get Their Name” by Bob Farr, Doug Anderson, and Kay Kotan, pg. 103-105)

The idea of reaching people we do not know is not a Farr, Kotan, Anderson idea.  The idea of reaching people we do not know for the sake of Jesus Christ is inherently a biblical idea.  One of the Bible’s themes is that God wants to reach people.  And throughout history, God has always used people to reach other people.  God is not an isolated God.  God thrives in community.  The very nature of God is the Trinity.  Three in one.  One in three.  Community and mystery.  Let us walk through the Bible briefly to identify this theme of reaching new people.

Genesis 1: God created people, called them good, and blessed them with abundance.  God wants good things for all people.

Genesis 3: We human beings always think we know better.  And we decide it is all about us.  Otherwise known as the great fall or the great sin.

Genesis 7: God creates a new thing.  We called it the great flood.  Noah is selected to do a new thing and raise up new people.

Genesis 12: God selects Abraham to do a new thing and raise up new people.

1 Kings 10: God selects kings, the most famous of whom are David and Solomon, to do a new thing and raise up a new people.

Isaiah 49: This tine God sends prophets, some of them minor and some of them major, to shout into the desert, to do a new thing and raise up a new people because the people have not listened.

Luke 2: God takes a radical step and sends God’s only begotten son.  To do what?  To do a new thing and raise up a new people.

Matthew 16: Jesus does pretty well until he attends the finance committee meeting and tells them he is going to do a new thing and raise up a new people.  The people in power decide no way!  They did what people always do and made it all about them.  They forgot the mission.  They took matters into their own hands.  Within three weeks, Jesus is dead on the tree.

Matthew 28: Jesus comes back to everyone’s surprise and tells them to go into all the world and do a new thing and raise up a new people.

Acts 9 and Ephesians 2: The clergy have decided it is all about them.  They forget the mission.  And they determine this new thing is only for the Jewish Christians.  But the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit remind everyone that all are missionaries and all are gifts of God.  We call this the priesthood of all believers.  It is about the mission.

Revelation 5: At the end of the day, it is God’s desire that every people and all persons come home to God.  Every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.

In this quick skimming of the Bible, you will notice a theme.  God wants to reach new people and do a new thing.  You also will notice that about every give hundred years or so, God has to raise up a new people to do a new thing because those who had been handed the mantle decided it was all about them and forgot the mission.

Just for a moment, think back five hundred years.  Where does that place us?  In the Protestant Reformation!  God raised up a man named Luther and told him to do a new thing and raise up a new people.  The Protestant Reformation produced our mainline denominations.  So here we are with all the old methods not working and a very inwardly focused church.  And we believe God is trying to raise up a new people to do a new thing.

Are you willing to be in the new movement, to be a new people, to do a new thing?  Are you willing to put a candle on the light stand for all to see and take it out from underneath the bushel basket where only those who know can see?  Get their name.  Start a conversation.  Build an authentic relationship that leads to the possibility for a faith conversation that might lead someone into the faith community of God.  Remember, God desperately loves you, and God desperately loves all the world.  So, get their name!  Write it down.  Follow up.  And go beyond creating new relationships between ourselves, others, God, and the community of faith.  Never forget the mission: “to make (new!) disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

It is our prayers that this book will be a helpful tool to get your church out of the building and into the mission field.

Bob, Doug, and Kay