june newsletter · 2020-05-29 · 2020 june newsletter mature love casts out fear thoughts and...
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June Newsletter2020
Mature Love Casts Out FearThoughts and Updates from Pastor Doyle
The Red River
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” -- 1 John 4:18
Over the past couple of weeks, several different faith leaders have said that in the current suspension of the usual order of things, we are free to live and act in another way -- hopefully the way of Christ. Indeed, this is a great approach for us to have in these unusual, upending times.
Yes, all aspects of life as we have known it have been affected in some way. Yes, there are difficulties and concerns. But there are also many possibilities and opportunities for us to be disciples and do Christ-like ministry!
Let’s focus not on fear, but on Christ-like love.
We all want things to “get back to normal” and by that we mean we want to have a vaccine or cure for CoronaVirus so that we can move about and assemble and work and play with no restrictions and no fear of pandemic.
Although we do not yet have a vaccine, governors and mayors are cautiously in the process of re-opening our society. Unfortunately, the “church” and mass events like concerts and sports are of such a nature that these are the last things that will be reopened.
Both the State of Tennessee, and our Bishop, have respectively set guidelines for re-opening in-person activities for communities of faith. Bishop McAlilly has set June 21 as the earliest tentative date for any United Methodist church in our area to restart in-person worship. He asked that our local leadership prayerfully, and thoroughly, go over all the guidelines, attendance limits, and other restrictions as we consider our local situation and logistics. I, as pastor, will take all that into consideration before making any decisions.
Our staff and Church Council have meet via an internet video meeting. After looking over the stages of reopening, and examining our particular context here at White House-First, the consensus was that we are not ready to reopen in-person worship at this time.
We will re-start in person worship as soon as we can do it both faithfully, and safely.
We are living in fluid times. It is our natural inclination to want to know more details and specifics and times. When we don’t have these desired certitudes, we can go one of two ways. We can let fear overcome us, or we can overcome fear with faith. We are people of faith! And we claim the Biblical affirmation that mature love casts out fear!
In this difficult season of transitions, let us excel at loving one another as Christ loves us. Let us put our personal needs as secondary to meeting the needs of others, especially the most vulnerable. By faith we can fulfill the command of our Lord Jesus Christ to love, serve, and care for one another.
In closing, I share this prayer from Barbara Glasson, president of the Methodist Conference, Britain.
We are not people of fear: We are people of courage.
We are people who protect our safety:
who protect our neighbors’ safety. We are not people of greed: we are people of generosity.
We are your people God, giving and loving, wherever we are, whatever it costs
For as long as it takes wherever you call us.
And the people of God say, Amen.
Grace and Peace,Lloyd Doyle, pastor
Hello from the Music Ministry!
The living spirit of God continues to manifest in the music at White House FUMC! The Chancel Choir and Water's Edge have continued to meet in small, safe groups to record at the church. A few recordings are now available on the app and website under the Music Tab! Feel free to listen and worship as we continue to upload familiar hymns and contemporary musics.
The ensembles have also held regular meetings each week to continue fellowship, see each other's faces, and hear each other's voices. Though the novelty of video conferencing has dulled, the greatest importance lies in keeping in touch; something that was once easy within the walls of the church!
Sunday morning streams continue, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Come drop by with a song you want to hear! Sam's library of hymnals grows larger and larger as he tries to accommodate the music YOU want to hear on a Sunday morning. Find the worship on the White House FUMC Facebook page.
Lastly, you are still capable of making your own music! Contact Sam Hagler if you are interested in recordings, musical activities, or private lessons to fill your time with fulfilling musical skills. He is, himself, learning to play the accordion. What a card.
Do well in the Lord, and KEEP SINGING!!
-Sam Hagler, WHFUMC
Our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences
to Ted and Sue Brown at the death of Ted’s aunt,
Ann Bittendender;
and to Glen Varner at the death of his brother in St. Louis.
WELCOME Liam Jameson Paige
born May 3, 2020
Congratulations to Michelle Paige and to grandmother, Sandra Baskin.
Hey all! First and foremost, I hope and pray that all of you are doing well and staying safe. I’ll start off with some news from the youth ministry. We have set the date for our video of our graduating seniors as June 14th so be on the lookout for that as we celebrate this great achievement! We have also decided that our twice weekly zoom calls will continue on through the summer until we can meet again!
More than just news and updates, I also wanted to add a word of encouragement. As CoronaVirus continues to attack the world, it’s easy for us to down or to get lonely. It’s hard to imagine the end of this pandemic and we have no idea when we will return to normalcy. While we don’t have any control over that, we do have control over what we do during these hard times. I encourage you all to encourage one another. Zoom, FaceTime and phone calls are not ideal, but they are all ways in which we can still have Christian fellowship with one another. We have an incredible community at White House First United Methodist Church and the building being closed cannot stop that! Reach out to people, love on people, stay connected with each other. Different people are affected in different ways by this pandemic and we have no way of knowing who all is going through what. But we can do our part in helping each other through this! A simple text message or phone call can make someone’s day or even their week. I encourage you all to continue to be the church. As the great hymn says, the church is not a building, it’s a people. We are the church and we can continue to give hope and encouragement to one another every single day. I love each of you and am praying for you. I hope this finds you well and, please, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Blessings and Peace,David Cowan615-337-6032
CONGRATULATIONS to Hannah Potts on being named the salutatorian
of the Class of 2020 at White House High School! We are proud of you, Hannah!
Life and Ministry Go On! Well we have all heard the quote “Life Goes On,” and we are all living in a time where the quote has never been more true! Yes, we are under a world pandemic. Yes, things seemingly have come to a stop … at the very least it has majorly changed for some, others only a little… But … no matter what … the TRUTH remains … “Life
does go on” and so does the ministry offered to our families! Last month this page contained the schedule of meetings with the children through Zoom on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This will continue until we get the approval of our leaders to resume meeting in person. So to remind you, I have Zoom meetings scheduled for:
• Pk-3rd grade on Sundays at 10 a.m. and Tuesday at 6 p.m.• Preteens on Sundays at 11 a.m. and Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Parents: watch for weekly emails to access the zoom invitations to the gatherings and other information that hopefully is a benefit to parenting in these times and always.
IDEAS FOR SOME FAMILY FUN! • Step by Step Painting:
• https://stepbysteppainting.net/2018/01/02/step-by-step-canvas-painting-instructions/• Go to the Zoo … yes that’s right … Did you know you can find almost any zoo on Facebook and see
videos of the animals? It’s really cool. Here are a few of my top three favorites:• https://www.facebook.com/stlzoo/• https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoZoo/• https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo/
• Join the Yoga practice the church provides through Facebook.The leaders post a video practice every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. It is a private group on Facebook but simply request to join and one of us will welcome you in.• https://www.facebook.com/groups/605981772941118/
• Host a Dance party • Set up a Zoom dance party with friends and family• Neighborhood dance party: Have the kids make up flyers for the neighbors and put the flyer in their
mailboxes inviting them to join the dance party on a certain date and time. Then at that date and time, take the radio outside and and turn up the music and dance! Celebrate life together!
When more information becomes available about how our summer will shape up, I will fill you in about summer plans … like VBS and more.
1 - Don Eden 2 - Stefan Bobot 2 - Cyndi Fuhrer 3 - Ben Reynolds 5 - Suzanne Peterson 7 - June Taylor 7 - Allyson Trimmer 9 - Kevin Corbin 10 - Ben Taylor11 - Bob Hronek 11 - Charles Howell12 - Bo Thompson 12 - Frank Trimmer12 - Eddie Ray Wilson 14 - Mike Knake
Church Info: S U N D A Y
W O R S H I P S E R V I C E S
WorshipServices8:15a.m.inthefellowshiphall 10:30a.m.inthesanctuary
SundaySchoolforallages 9:30a.m.
C H U R C H
S T A F F
Rev.LloydDoyle,Pastor Email:[email protected]
FrancieTrostle,DirectorofChildren’sMinistryEmail:[email protected]
DavidCowan,YouthInternEmail:[email protected]
SamHagler,ChoirDirectorEmail:[email protected]
BeckyCurtis,OfIiceManager Email:[email protected]
C O N T A C T U S
3403Hwy31WWhiteHouse,Tennessee37188
615.672.7400 Website:whitehousefumc.org Email:[email protected]
ChurchOfIiceHours: Monday-Thursday8:00a.m.-2:30p.m.
14 - Carson Reid 15 - Drake Holcraft19 - Leslie Qualls 19 - Joey Soporowski 19 - Ken Wright20 - Cassandra Hastings 21 - Christie Gossett23 - K.T. Weaver24 - Michaela Willbanks 26 - Jonathan Qualls 27 - Jake Soporowski 27 - Venesa Strother29 - Betsey Jones 29 - Ayden Weems
Stefan Hofer
To add a request to the prayer chain, please contact
Peggy Royster at 451-1922.