Mark your calendars for April 20th form 10am to 1pm at CCFUMC. Click below to see the quarterly update from our wonderful Coastal Bend United Women in Faith. For the full pdf version of this newsletter, click the link at the bottom of the screen.
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We're taking it old school! We're having some technical difficulties with our mailing provider so we're going to send newsletter the old school way. Please see the PDF below with important dates. Links are also provided below. If you have trouble accessing any of the links, please contact Brittani Fletcher at brittani@coastalbendumc.org. Basic Lay Servant Class Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZDB4XUSHfzHiIrX7_0ms1GbKe6eC5Rj_wI5P4J57u26aWZQ/viewform Scholarships: GBHEM- https://www.gbhem.org/scholarships/scholarships/apply/ UMF- https://umhef.org/scholarships/ Clergy Tax Webinar - https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/calendar/event/clergy-stay-on-top-of-your-taxes-2024 District Calendar - https://coastalbendumc.org/calendar1.html Grant Outreach Program
Scholarship season is ending in for UMC based scholarships and we are blessed to see how these funds are at work in our Coastal Bend Churches. Meet Harley Mathews and Bella Marez from St. John's and Kelsey Memorial UMC in Corpus. In 2022 they both were awarded scholarships from the RioTexas Scholarship fund. If you have any college students in your congregation, encourage them to apply for a scholarship. Meet Harley Mathew! He is a Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Master of Divinity. I am a second year divinity student. I love spending time with my wife Amanda; reading, collecting records, and learning the rhythms of having four seasons. I am thankful to work at the school library and volunteer time to a student-sourced lending library as well. Amanda and I love attending and serving at Wall Street United Methodist Church in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Meet Bella Marez! Bella is a Freshman at the University of Texas-Austin, College of Natural Sciences studying Bio Chemistry.
I am a lifelong member of Kelsey Memorial UMC in Corpus Christi. I currently stay connected to the church by participating in the UT Methodist Campus Ministry, Texas Wesley. During the current 88th Legislative Session, I intern for State Representative Chairman Todd Hunter. When I am not busy I enjoy spending time with my friends and exploring Austin. Cash found himself and his human outside the gym of Beeville First United Methodist Church. As the weather began to change for the cold front, Cash’s human was afraid that the no dog policy at the shelter would mean that they would be facing the freezing temperatures on the streets alone.
Bonnie, one of the shelter volunteers from the church, saw Cash and his human outside. She went outside and listened to them. Cash is a trained service dog, Bonnie knew there was a way to make this work, so she called a local vet who donated a few kennels to be used during the shelter. In early 2022, Beeville city commissioner asked Pastor Adrienne if the church was able to open their doors during the cold front for the homeless. She heard reports of the problems faced by Pastor Dean during the makeshift shelter of “snowmageddon 2021” Pastor Dean had made sure the doors were open to the community by staying at the shelter most of the time. Despite having the space, Pastor Adrienne told the commissioner that Beeville FUMC would not be able to open their doors. Her no was full of thoughts about the scarcity of both supplies and people. In 2022, Beeville FUMC adopted the unofficial motto: Because we adore God, we help and spread God’s light wherever we can. This policy has led to a new way to build relationships with their neighbors as well as use of their facilities. It is known that at Beeville FUMC whether you want a coffee, snack, food, or just to connect over puzzles - when their doors are open, you are welcome. This open door policy has brough in so many people that even their Wesley Nurse Mary is known by the community. Word on the street is, “go see Mary, she will help you.” In opening their doors this way, they have noticed an increase in community members seeking help. As forecasts this past Christmas showed freezing temperatures, the County Emergency Manager called church member Richard Perry, who trained and helped local fire victims, helped with disaster recovery in Florida, and has worked to make the church a Red Cross outpost. Richard convinced Pastor Adrienne that there was something the church can do to help and spread God’s light so the shelter was opened. How could she say there was no room in our inn? Especially now as she thought about those neighbors by name. Despite it being Christmas weekend, the church and community came together in abundance. The cold weather shelter was able to house 30 neighbors during the cold front and fed an additional 15-20 during the day. One shelter guest shared how her heater went out and the landlord couldn’t send anyone out until after Christmas. Cash helped decorate the makeshift shelter Christmas tree and found something under the tree for him. Cash took Pastor Adrienne up on the personal invitation to come next door and worship Christmas morning along with a dozen other shelter guests. Since Christmas, Cash has moved into the apartments next door to the church. The church members have helped make sure his human has water turned on, a bed, a rocking chair, and dishes. Cash comes over to the church and notices those puzzle pieces that drop to the floor. Cash’s human is helping around the church doing what she can to spread God’s light. God does amazing things when we agree to help and spread God’s light where we can. It is February which means that it is time to celebrate Black History Month. Although we celebrate black lives year-round, recognizing Black History month is important to seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans. As United Methodists, we stand against racism and work towards racial justice. Part of doing so is educating ourselves and our people on these issues and on the history that occurred. Many United Methodist entities have compiled resources to celebrate Black History Month. Below you’ll find liturgy, prayers, activity journals, and so much more to help honor and celebrate Black History Month this February. Thy Kingdom Come (TKC) is an outreach ministry of St. John's UMC in Corpus Christi. It welcomes a unique community. The mission is to “reach people who are part of the alternative culture and give them an option to worship in a unique and meaningful way.” TKC is the only heavy metal worship community in Corpus Christi.
Currently, TKC meets on the second Sunday of each month at 7pm. They meet in the church's Fellowship Hall and stream their gatherings to Facebook. Those in the community also share online meditations and Bible study each month. Noah Lozano is a part of TKC. He says TKC is learning from its past successes. At the same time, they want to reinvigorate their ministries to reach more people. “Recently, we have had some personnel changes that, while challenging, have given us the opportunity to reach inside and find different options and roles for all of the members of our church family.” Many of our churches are reopening their facilities for in-person ministries. As we do so, it is important to learn from our past successes. This is also a chance to remember the needs of our communities. We'll need creativity and deeper relationships to serve faithfully. We can trust God equips us for this ministry. Continue to pray for local ministries like TKC. We all need the prayerful support of our connection as we face post-pandemic ministry challenges. Click the icons below to follow TKC on Facebook and Instagram. As we cautiously begin to gather in person again, there are many opportunities to join in fellowship in the Rio Texas Conference. Click below for more information.
Stay connected online with your church throughout the week with these advent resources. Rethink Church has created an Advent challenge. Each day, they post an Advent-related word on their social media sites. You are invited to comment what that word means to you or to post a photo that reflects the meaning of the word. This is a great and easy way for your church to use social media to reflect on Advent. United Methodist Communications has developed an album of Advent graphics for your use. Available for download, these ready-to-use resources make planning your online activity easier. Use the links below to get started. The Rio Texas and Michigan conferences have collaborated to produce two Advent resources. They've produced a wonderful daily Advent reflection. Each reflection includes a related image, guiding scripture, questions and nativity photos from around the world. The second resource is an Advent Bingo card. These resources offer a chance to generate conversations with your online community. The congregation at Refugio UMC has had a long dry spell as they were hit hard by Hurricane Harvey and were just getting on their feet when Covid-19 arrived on the scene. Accordingly, they have been reluctant to host events like their Annual Bazaar fearing they would not have enough help. However, under the current leadership of Lee Ann Dye-Barker they stepped out in faith and experienced a wonderful response to their Annual Bazaar on Saturday, November 13th. I can’t tell you what a joy it was to see many cars parked on the street when I drove up and many people having a wonderful time inside. As Lee Ann said, “Just hearing the laughter coming from the kitchen, as preparations were being made, would have been worth it all." Under the leadership of Chef Lenny Anzaldua, a delicious turkey dinner was enjoyed by all! The silent auction, homemade crafts and baked goods put the “top hat” on the event. Congratulations my friends! To God be the Glory! -Karen Boehk |