Monday, January 31, 2011

WEATHER-RELATED CANCELLATIONS


On weekdays, when Knoxville Schools have a weather-related closure or early dismissal, all evening events and activities at the church are cancelled.

FEBRUARY WORSHIP TEAM

February 5-6, 2010

Assisting with Services:
Praise Band
Saturday – Pat Whitlatch
Sunday 1st Service – Larry Scott
Sunday 2nd Service – Joel Johnson

USHERS:
Saturday - Brenton and Shirley Trabert & Mike and Dorothy Larson
8:30 – Marvin Brooks, Brent Hanna, Jim Hicks, Roger DeYoung, Don Otto, Sam Rathmel, and George Werts
10:45 – Trey and Julie Purvis and John and Julie Mavin

GREETERS:
Montgomery Street
8:30 – Mary Dee Dykstra
10:45 - Tom and Lori Bailey
Fourth Street
8:30 – Mel and Louise Dennison
10:45 - Judy Fee

HOSPITALITY:
8:30 – Darlene and Dick Rose


February 12-13, 2010
Assisting with Services: Liturgist Brent Hanna and Praise Band

USHERS:
Saturday - Brenton and Shirley Trabert & Mike and Dorothy Larson
8:30 – Marvin Brooks, Brent Hanna, Jim Hicks, Roger DeYoung, Don Otto, Sam Rathmel, and George Werts
10:45 – Trey and Julie Purvis and John and Julie Mavin

GREETERS:
Montgomery Street
8:30 – Billie Gilkerson
10:45 – Jim and Jill Findley
Fourth Street
8:30 – Joel and Barb Johnson
10:45 - Jay and Jacki Olson

COMMUNION:
8:30 – Jim and Sharon Young

HOSPITALITY:
8:30 – F.U.N. Group


February 19-20, 2010
Assisting with Services: Liturgist: Jim Butler and Praise Band

USHERS:
Saturday - Brenton and Shirley Trabert & Mike and Dorothy Larson
8:30 – Marvin Brooks, Brent Hanna, Jim Hicks, Roger DeYoung, Don Otto, Sam Rathmel, and George Werts
10:45 – Trey and Julie Purvis and John and Julie Mavin

GREETERS:
Montgomery Street
8:30 – Christa Belknap
10:45 – Folmer and Norma Petersen
Fourth Street
8:30 – Larry and RoseAnn Rowley
10:45 -

COMMUNION:
8:30 - Jack and Bonnie Crook
HOSPITALITY:
8:30 – Jim and Sharon Young


February 26-27, 2010

Assisting with Services: Liturgist: Susan Helmers and Praise Band

USHERS:
Saturday - Brenton and Shirley Trabert & Mike and Dorothy Larson
8:30 – Marvin Brooks, Brent Hanna, Jim Hicks, Roger DeYoung, Don Otto, Sam Rathmel, and George Werts
10:45 – Trey and Julie Purvis and John and Julie Mavin

GREETERS:
Montgomery Street
8:30 – Brian and Katie Bishop
10:45 – Leona Steele and Melody Walters
Fourth Street
8:30 – John and Darlene Scott
10:45 -

COMMUNION:
8:30 – John and Pat Haney

HOSPITALITY:
8:30 – John and Darlene Scott

JANUARY 29-30 ANNOUNCEMENTS

IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

HOSPITALIZED: Lisa Bell and Josephine Wilson.
RECOVERING AT HOME: Marilyn Simpson, Paul Umble, and Chuck Walter.
ADDITIONAL PRAYERS: Ruth Jones, Worth Stevenson, Frances Caswell, Bob Sherwood, Thurman Floyd, Maxine Harrison, Dorothy Porter, Mary Durham, Bishop Julius Trimble, Reverend Bill Poland, pastors, church staff, our nine discovery groups and group leaders, and our service people and their families.


THIS WEEKEND

DISCOVERY GROUPS
Discovery groups have been set for this spring. We will be doing more Discovery Groups in the future if you missed the opportunity this time around. For those of you who are enrolled in Discovery Group, study guides are available in the chapel for Saturday service as well as in the church office window ledge this weekend. Please stop by and pick them up.

COLUMBIA UMC SOUP SUPPER
Columbia UMC is hosting their annual soup supper on January 29 from 5-7 p.m. at the Community Center. Chili, vegetable beef, and oyster stew will be available as well as turkey and ham sandwiches. A free will offering will be collected.

WHERE TO NOW TRAVELERS
Planning meeting for 2011 travelers will be at 4:00 p.m. in WFH on Saturday, January 29, followed by 5:00 p.m. van ride to annual soup supper at Columbia, IA. Cost of transportation $1.00 per person. Calling Committee will call soon for reservations. We welcome newcomers, only requirement age 55 or over. If you would like to be on the calling list, phone Christa at 842-5452.

NEW THIS WEEK!

CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Joel and Barb Johnson on the birth of their grandson, Jacob Michael Hadfield.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Happy birthday to Palmer Krichau who turns 80 on January 31st!

COMMUNION
There will be no communion the weekend of February 5-6th and it will instead be rescheduled to February 12-13th due to Pastor Riggle being on vacation.

MEDICAL MISSION TRIP
Diane McCombs will be going to Honduras on a medical mission trip leaving February 25th from Iowa and will not be returning until March 6th. Although she is limited on luggage space if anyone would like to send something with her to give to the children or families of Honduras let her know either by email tdmccombs@iowatelecom.net or 828-7613 and leave a message. Please pray for Diane and her group to have a safe and successful trip.

THE AMERCIAN CANCER SOCIETY’S DAFFODIL DAYS
One of the first flowers of spring, the daffodil is the symbol of hope. Make a donation and receive beautiful daffodils for yourself or share them with someone special. Contact Bonnie Crook, 828-8750, of Pat Haning, 842-2790. Orders must be placed by Monday, February 14th.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY DEDICATION
On Saturday, February 5th at 10:00 a.m. Habitat for Humanity will be dedicating a new home at 514 W. Montgomery, Knoxville.

FAMILY FUN NIGHT
Please plan to join us for a Family Fun Night full of family friendly entertainment on Friday, February 18 from 6-8 pm. We will be starting off the evening with a light meal. We will take the fun upstairs to the sanctuary where the children will sing a song or two just before 7. At 7 pm Jim Austin will take the stage with his Comedy Magic Show. All of this food and entertainment for a Free Will Donation! There will also be a goodie basket fundraiser to help support the work of MSPS. Please invite family members, neighbors, and anyone else to this great family event.

ONGOING NEWS…


CONFIRMATION CLASS
Confirmation class originally scheduled for February 6 has been changed to February 13.

KITCHEN ITEMS
If you have dishes or pans in the church kitchen, please pick them up as soon as possible or they will be donated to the Almost Free Shop. Dorothy Danner

HOW TO DEVELOP TIPPERS INTO TITHERS
South Central District is hosting How to Develop Tippers into Tithers on Sat., Feb. 5, 2011 at the Family Life Center in Albia from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you are interested, please contact the church office or Pastor Brent.

ATTENDANCE/GIVING
January 22-23, 2011 –
Worship attendance: 197
Giving: $3785

LECTIONARY: February 5-6
Isaiah 58:1-9a Psalm 112:1-10 1 Cor. 2:1-12 Matt. 5:13-20

THIS WEEK…
Sunday January 30, 2011
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School
6:30-8:00p Confirmation Class – EFH

Monday January 31, 2011
10:00-11:00a Discovery Group – Library
1:00-3:30p KAMA—Act Cntr
3:00-6:00p Almost Free Shop

Tuesday February 1, 2011
7:00a Early Birds—Hardee’s
9:00a Staff Meeting
9:00a-Noon Almost Free Shop
3:00-4:00p Discovery Group – Conf Room
6:00-8:00p Cub Scouts - WFH

Wednesday February 2, 2011
Noon-1:00p Wings – Conf Rm
1:00-3:30p KAMA—Act. Center
4:30-5:30p Girl Scouts – Preschool Rm
7:00-8:30p Book Study – EFH

Thursday February 3, 2011
8:00a Late Birds—Mr. C’s
12:30p UMW Exec. Mtg –EFH
1:30p UMW Gen. Mtg –WFH
6:00-7:00p Discovery Group – Library

Friday February 4, 2011
9:00a-4:00p Almost Free Shop

Saturday February 5, 2011
NEIGHBOR HELPING NEIGHBOR
9:30-10:30a Discovery Group – Library
10:00a-4:00p How to Develop Tippers into Tithers – Albia
5:30p Chapel Service

Sunday February 6, 2011
NEIGHBOR HELPING NEIGHBOR
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School


Assisting with Services:
Jack and Bonnie Crook & Praise Band

USHERS:
Saturday - Brenton and Shirley Trabert & Mike and Dorothy Larson
8:30 – Brian Bishop, John Burnett, Jack Crook, Jerry Jordan, Adam Norris, Larry Rowley, Jim Uitermarkt
10:45 – Chuck and Mary Belle Day

GREETERS:
Montgomery Street
8:30 – Greg and JoAnn Lee
Fourth Street
8:30 – Joyce McCarty

COMMUNION:
8:30 – Larry and RoseAnn Rowley

HOSPITALITY:
8:30 – Doris and George Werts

Friday, January 28, 2011

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

New life in Christ is more than just obeying these commandments, as important as they are. New life in Christ comes as we accept the gift of God's justifying grace through Jesus Christ. February is a time for all United Methodists to affirm that gift and to offer it to everyone.


Long-term relationships go through cycles: ups and downs, hills and valleys, good times and bad. That's true in our spiritual life, too. For many of us, our spiritual life begins with a very powerfully personal relationship with Christ. We can feel like we are on top of a mountain and have laid claim to the most important thing in all the world. And that strong and powerful feeling can stay with us and propel us for months and even years.

But I don't think I have ever found anyone who has said that they have been able to maintain that state of spiritual ecstasy throughout the entire course of their life. Sooner or later, we find ourselves in a spiritual valley.


I talked to a woman the other day who explained her situation exactly like that. 'Yes, it's true,' she said, 'I've been away from church for a long time. But you know, it goes deeper than that. I've not really had much of a spiritual life for a good number of years now. I don't know why. I used to be on fire for the Lord. I couldn't get enough of church. I read the Bible all of the time and prayed all the time too. I found ways to serve Christ every single day. But I guess the 'newness' of it all wore off and I just lost interest.'


But then she said, 'I feel something stirring in me again. Could it be the Holy Spirit? And I feel like I want to come back and start walking on my spiritual journey again.'


She really put into words what all of us experience if we enter into a relationship with the Lord. It doesn't stay on the mountaintop forever. There are valleys and great stretches of desert. We could very well 'drop out' and even move in a different direction.


But those down cycles don't last forever and more often than not there come brand-new stirrings in the heart. What would it mean for you to 'fall in love all over again' with the One whom Revelation 2:4 calls our 'first love'? This is a great time to come back home to the Lord, your first love, and renew at an even deeper and more seasoned level the most important relationship any of us will ever have in life.
-Norman Neaves, 'The Church of the Servant,'
Oklahoma City, in Thrust, August 12, 1998


CONFIRMATION CLASS
The confirmation class originally scheduled for February 6 has been moved to February 13.











One of the first flowers of spring, the daffodil is the symbol of hope. Make a donation and receive beautiful daffodils for yourself or share them with someone special. Contact Bonnie Crook, 828-8750, of Pat Haning, 842-2790. Orders must be placed by Monday, February 14th.







Make SHARE a part of your new year. SHARE is a nonprofit food buying organization that offers good, nutritious products at a reduced cost through a volunteer-run, community-based distribution system. Everyone is welcome to participate. There are no membership fees or income eligibility requirements. SHARE offers tasty, nutritious grocery packages (including meats, produce, and other grocery items) at half the retail cost in exchange for 2 hours of volunteer service in the community. Choosing where you volunteer is up to you – any good deed qualifies. Food is ordered and picked up monthly. For more information on registration and food pickup dates as well as other information about the program contact Cora Rathmel at 641-828-7017 or visit the website at http://www.shareiowa.org/.


A free bowling party for all our friends and neighbors will run from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 20th at the Fairlane Bowling Alley in Knoxville “Home of the Big Pocket”. The FUN committee has reserved all of the lanes at Fairlane Bowl.












Coaches vs. Cancer is a fundraising game at Knoxville High School. It is the 3rd annual event at KHS aimed at raising awareness and money for the American Cancer Society through the promotion of one of Knoxville’s home basketball games. The event will take place on Saturday, February 5th at the KHS vs Carlisle game. Please consider being a part of this event by attending February 5th as we pack the gym in PINK in support of this fundraiser or donating something for the silent auction the night of the game. Contact Jim or Angie Uitermarkt at 641-842-5546, 641-891-0066, or 641-218-8437 if you have questions or would like to donate for the silent auction.

The Board of Church and Society of The Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church is conducting an essay contest and will present three $500 scholarships. The is open to students who are high school juniors or seniors during the current school year (2010-2011) and who live in Iowa or attend an Iowa high school. Students need not be members of a United Methodist Church nor any other religious body. "Immigration Reform" is the topic for this year's essay contest. Essays must me less than 1,000 words and sent to Paul Linn by e-mail at linnchurchandsociety@gmail.com before Mach 21, 2011. Also include a brief summary of activities that you have participated in your school or community including efforts for social justice. Awards will be presented during Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in June of 2011.



Attica United Methodist Church will be holding its annual soup supper on Thursday, February 17 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Oyster and potato soup will be available as well as chili and homemade pie. A free will donation will be accepted.









The next Education Cluster meeting will be on Thursday, February 10th at 6:30p.m. in the conference room.





Good Friday Day Camp for ages preschool through 5th grade Friday April 22. More details to come next month.







VBS has been tentatively set for Sunday, July 24 through Thursday, July 28. Please consider signing up to be a volunteer for this great event. More information will be available in the next couple of months.

 

Please plan to join us for a Family Fun Night full of family friendly entertainment on Friday, February 18 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. We will be starting off the evening with a light meal served from 6:00-6:45p.m. in West Fellowship Hall. Then we will take the fun upstairs to the sanctuary where the children will sing a song or two just before 7:00p.m. At 7:00 p.m., Jim Austin will take the stage with his Comedy Magic Show. All of this food and entertainment is for a Free Will Donation! There will also be a goodie basket fundraiser to help support the work of MSPS. Please invite family members, neighbors, and anyone else to this great family event.

 
Enrollment for the 2011/2012 school year will be opened up to the public on March 1st. Classes will be offered for 2 year olds, 3 year olds, and 4/5 year olds. Class ages are determined by the age the child is on September 15, 2011. If you or someone you know is interested in preschool please stop by MSPS or call 842-2193.








Condolences to the family of Betty McLaughlin who passed away on January 4, 2011.

Condolences to the family of Marvin Brooks and Helen Stevenson on the death of their brother.

Condolences to the Dick Cushman family on the passing of his father.


Condolences to the Melinda O’Field family on the passing of her grandmother.

Condolences to Gary Mason and family on the passing of his sister.


Condolences to the Mary Bellamy family who passed away on January 16, 2011.


Condolences to the Sharon Rigg family on the passing of her uncle.

 

We had a total of 456 people ringing in Knoxville from 23 different churches and 8 organizations for a total of 650 hours. First United Methodist Church had a total of 70 people ringing for 131 hours of these hours. Thank you so much for generously giving of your time and money. We are truly blessed and our community will be helped in many ways. Total raised in Marion County for 2010 is $37,394.95! Ninety (90%) of this money comes back to Marion County. The other ten (10%) goes for disaster relief.



For years the Ingathering Board prayed that each year when the different sites reported how many kits and the total value of everything on Ingathering Day it would be valued at 1 million dollars! This past year we came so close to that goal, $984,916. They were excited that maybe next year we will be able to meet that goal! We reach so many people that need our kits. Thank you for supporting this mission project. It makes a difference in their lives. Sincerely, Loretta Kono


FEBRUARY LECTIONARY SCRIPTURE
February 5-6
Isaiah 58:1-9a Psalm 112:1-10 1 Cor. 2:1-12 Matt. 5:13-20


February 12-13
Deut. 30:15-20 Ps. 119:1-8 1 Cor. 3:1-9


February 19-20
Lev. 19:1-2, 9-18 Ps. 119:33-40 1 Cor. 3:10-11, 16-23 Matt. 5:38-48


February 26-27
Is. 49:8-16a Ps. 131 or Ps. 62:5-12


CAMP WESLEY WOODS
Friday, April 8 –Saturday, April 9 Volunteers In Mission Work Weekend No cost, free will donation. Come for the day to help out with work projects around the camp. Evening sessions with Des Moines area missions.


Sat., June 4 - Summer Kick-Off
No cost, free will donation taken at meals. Bring the whole family to start the summer off right! Enjoy games, camp activities, a BBQ dinner and worship service lead by our 2011 summer staff.


Sat., July 20 - Wesley Woods-stock
No cost, free will donation taken at meals. All youth are invited for a day of games and local Christian bands. Our first year ever for this event!


Fri., Oct. 21-Sat., Oct. 22- Women’s Retreat
$55/person. Enjoy a relaxing weekend with an interspiritual speaker, energizing worship, good food, and great fellowship.



John Wesley on Justifying Grace and New Life in Christ
Henry H. Knight IL


SUPPOSE YOU HAD A TERMINAL ILLNESS but did not know it. You would think everything is normal because everything seems normal, until at some point you looked at your life from an entirely different angle. Then, what once seemed so nat¬ural would be seen for what it really is: symptoms of a sickness unto death.


Perhaps, if you found yourself in this condition, you could mitigate the symptoms and try to live as healthy a life as possible under the circumstances. But you cannot cure the disease. To do that, you need outside help—you need a physician.


This is our spiritual condition as seen by John Wesley. Sin is not only in our intentions and in our actions; it is a disease that has infected our very being. Though we have been created in the loving image of God, sin corrupts that image in such a way that it touches every aspect of our lives. When we come to realize that the things which seem so normal in our culture—possessing more than we need while ignoring the needs of others, centering our lives on things rather than on God, choosing self-gratification instead of self-giving—are but symptoms of this fatal disease of sin, we recognize our need for a physician.


Our problem is worse yet, for we are alienated from the very physician who can cure us! We have, after all, ignored many of the warning signs. We have tried to pretend we were all right, even when there were indications to the contrary. Like a person who doesn't want a physical for fear of what he or she may find, we would rather keep the doctor at a distance and pretend all is well.


Fortunately, we have a physician who is not content to see us destroy our lives— and those of our neighbors—in this way. This physician takes the initiative: "God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). It is here that the analogy breaks down. At this point, we have to speak of the wonder of a love almost beyond imagining. Charles Wesley put it this way:


O Love divine: What hast thou done!
The' immortal God hath died for me!
The Father's co-eternal Son bore all my sins upon the tree.
The' immortal God for me hath died,
My Lord, my love is crucified.


We may be sinners standing before a holy God. We may be creatures standing before our Creator. But we are loved by God, even unto death on a cross. Our lives have an infinite worth because an Infinite God has loved us so much.


Through the cross, we are justified and forgiven. John Wesley calls justification a rel¬ative change, a change in our relationship with God. The gap separating us from God has been bridged. We accept this gracious gift through faith, trusting in what God has done for us in Christ for our justification. Our relationship with the physician is restored.


Just as we might walk through the door of a clinic, trusting in the physician, so we walk through the door of justification, trusting in Jesus Christ. It is then that the Holy Spirit can begin to cure the disease of sin. The resulting transformation that turns us in the direction of ever-increasing health is the new birth, the restorative process is sanctification, and the sign of health is a growing love for God and our neighbor. Wesley calls this a real change, an inward renewal by the power of God, the beginning of new life.

A Time to Call for Commitment to Christ
Bishop Coyner
THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY often includes Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the season of Lent. It also includes the Valentine's Day celebration in our U.S. culture, which we can affirm as United Methodists, but our Wesleyan tradition challenges us to expand our concept of "true love." As followers of Jesus Christ, the Shema of the Old Testament expresses our true love: "You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). This is the first of the Ten Commandments, and it reminds us that we owe our first love to God.


The Wesleyan revival in England and America was a call to individuals to make their commitment to Christ in what Wesley understood to be the "justifying grace" of God, which restores our relationship with God. Our Wesleyan way of discipleship affirms that God's grace saves us and begins our process toward sanctification or wholeness. Becoming a follower of Christ is not our doing; it is our response to what God has done for us in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Many United Methodist congre¬gations begin Lent by placing a large, rough-hewn wooden cross in the sanctuary. Such a stark reminder of the sacrifice of Christ is a call to receive God's justifying grace.


February is a month when United Methodists can offer this new life in Christ to all who stand outside of a relationship with God. For some congregations, this might include an Ash Wednesday worship service that reminds us we are "dust" and we need to "repent and believe the gospel." For other congregations, the month of February can be a time for revival services, for Lay Witness Missions, or for other times of repentance and renewal.


February is a good time to teach the Ten Commandments to our children and youth and to use them in worship services for all ages. Elton Trueblood has written those commands in a helpful, positive style:


Above all else love God alone;
Bow down to neither wood nor stone.
God's name refuses to take in vain;
The Sabbath rest with care maintain.
Respect your parents all your days;
Hold sacred human life always.
Be loyal to your chosen mate;
Steal nothing, neither small nor great.
Report with truth your neighbor's deed;
And rid your mind of selfish greed.


New life in Christ is more than just obeying these commandments, as important as they are. New life in Christ comes as we accept the gift of God's justifying grace through Jesus Christ. February is a time for all United Methodists to affirm that gift and to offer it to everyone.

Monday, January 24, 2011

JANUARY 22-23 ANNOUNCEMENTS

IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
RECOVERING AT HOME: Marilyn Simpson, Paul Umble, and Chuck Walter.
ADDITIONAL PRAYERS: Ruth Jones, Worth Stevenson, Frances Caswell, Bob Sherwood, Thurman Floyd, Maxine Harrison, Dorothy Porter, Mary Durham, and our service people and their families.

PRAYER CHAIN MINISTRY
Contact Dorothy Danner at 641-842-2557.

THIS WEEKEND
THIS WEEKEND IS DISCOVERY WEEKEND
All of us want to experience the power of God in our daily life and American Christians rate “the spiritual growth of one’s family and self” as the top priority that congregations should be addressing.  Discovery Saturday, Kevin Glesener, Chaplain at Vermeer will lead worship service and Discovery Sunday worship services will be lead by Bill Poland, District Superintendent of the South Central District, both will provide fresh insight and spiritual leadership to the congregation.  Discovery Weekend invites us into a process that meets our need to grow spiritually.

THIS WEEKEND IS HEIFER PROJECT COLLECTION
Heifer’s mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, we empower them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self reliance and hope. A special collection is taken the fourth weekend of every month.

WWW.KIFUMC.ORG
FUMCHURCH@IOWATELECOM.NET

NEW THIS WEEK!

CONDOLENCES
Condolences to the Mary Bellamy family who passed away on January 16, 2011.

Condolences to the Sharon Rigg family on the passing of her uncle.

CONFIRMATION CLASS
Confirmation class originally scheduled for February 6 has been changed to February 13.

COLUMBIA UMC SOUP SUPPER
Columbia UMC is hosting their annual soup supper on January 29 from 5-7 p.m. at the Community Center. Chili, vegetable beef, and oyster stew will be available as well as turkey and ham sandwiches. A free will offering will be collected.

LECTIONARY: January 29-30
Micah 6:1-8 Ps. 15 1 Cor. 1:18-31 Matt.5:1-12

ATTENDANCE/GIVING
January 15-16
Worship attendance: 186
Giving: $3824

THIS WEEKEND WE WELCOME GUEST PREACHERS!
Saturday: Reverend Kevin Glesener, Chaplain at Vermeer Corporation, Pella
Sunday: Reverend Bill Poland, District Superintendent, South Central District

ONGOING NEWS…

KITCHEN INVENTORY/CLEANING HELP NEEDED
Help is needed to take kitchen inventory as well as clean the kitchen on January 24 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. If you have any questions, call Dorothy Danner at 641-842-2557. (P.S. There will be cookies!)

KITCHEN ITEMS
If you have dishes or pans in the church kitchen, please pick them up as soon as possible or they will be donated to the Almost Free Shop. Dorothy Danner

HOW TO DEVELOP TIPPERS INTO TITHERS
South Central District is hosting How to Develop Tippers into Tithers on Sat., Feb. 5, 2011 at the Family Life Center in Albia from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you are interested, please contact the church office or Pastor Brent.

WHERE TO NOW TRAVELERS
Planning meeting for 2011 travelers will be at 4:00 p.m. in WFH on Saturday, January 29, followed by 5:00 p.m. van ride to annual soup supper at Columbia, IA. Cost of transportation $1.00 per person. Calling Committee will call soon for reservations. We welcome newcomers, only requirement age 55 or over. If you would like to be on the calling list, phone Christa at 842-5452.

THIS WEEK…
Sunday January 23, 2011
HEIFER PROJECTWEEKEND
DISCOVERY WEEKEND
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School

Monday January 24, 2011
9:00-Noon Kitchen Inventory/Clean Up
1:00-3:00p KAMA—Act Cntr
2:00p Mary Bellamy Funeral Service – Chapel
3:00-6:00p Almost Free Shop
6:00-7:30p Free Clinic – Act Cntr
6:00-8:30p Habitat for Humanity – EFH

Tuesday January 25, 2011
7:00-8:00a Early Birds – Hardees
9:00a Staff Meeting
9:00a-Noon Almost Free Shop
6:00-8:00p Cub Scouts
7:00p Junior Optimists – EFH

Wednesday January 26, 2011
Noon Wings – Conf Rm
1:00-3:30p KAMA—Act Cntr

Thursday January 27, 2011
8:00a Late Birds – Mr. C’s

Friday January 28, 2011
9:00a-4:00p Almost Free Shop
5:30p F.U.N Dinner and Movie - WFH

Saturday January 29, 2011
7:00a-Noon Cub Scouts - WFH
5:30p Chapel Service

Sunday January 30, 2011
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School
6:30-8:00p Confirmation Class – EFH

WELCOME VISITORS…

We welcome you and invite you to participate in all activities of the church. Listed are all of the events taking place in our church this week. We realize that newcomers may not be familiar with all the programs or people of the church so for explanations and more complete descriptions we encourage you to visit our website at, www.kifumc.org or email fumchurch@iowatelecom.net, or call 641-842-3712.

We are family friendly with a well equipped nursery, a full play room, and bathroom for your use. Please feel free to use our family oriented nursery. These areas are sound proof from the sanctuary, but you can turn on the speakers and hear the service if you would like. Large print bulletins are available for the 8:30 service.


Assisting with Services:
Liturgist: Larry Scott & Praise Band

USHERS:
Saturday - Brenton and Shirley Trabert & Mike and Dorothy Larson
8:30 – Brian Bishop, John Burnett, Jack Crook, Jerry Jordan, Adam Norris, Larry Rowley, Jim Uitermarkt
10:45 – Chuck and Mary Belle Day

GREETERS:
Montgomery Street
8:30 – Frances Kirkwood
Fourth Street
8:30 – Margaret Edwards

COMMUNION:
8:30 – Jim and Sharon Young

HOSPITALITY:
8:30 – Sam and Cora Rathmel

Monday, January 17, 2011

JANUARY 15-16 ANNOUNCEMENTS

IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
RECOVERING AT HOME: Marilyn Simpson, Vivian Nash, Paul Umble, and Chuck Walter.

ADDITIONAL PRAYERS: Worth Stevenson, Francis Caswell, Bob Sherwood, Thurman Floyd, Maxine Harrison, Dorothy Porter, Mary Durham, and our service people and their families.

PRAYER CHAIN MINISTRY
Contact Dorothy Danner at 641-842-2557.

THIS WEEKEND
SUNDAY IS HUMAN RELATIONS DAY
The Human Relations Day offering supports Youth Offender rehabilitation programs, Community Developers self-improvement programs and United Methodist Voluntary Services – community work and advocacy that challenge oppression and injustice in the United States and Puerto Rico. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.

SUNDAY IS BLANKET SUNDAY
Oh how good a warm blanket feels! All of us know the feeling. A blanket can ease pain, up-lift spirits, and make the world seem brighter during disasters that have devastated areas around the world. In such situations, blankets become a tool of survival. The United Methodist Church is a great provider of blankets through UMCOR and our church is doing its share to ensure that blankets will be there when needed. A special offering will be taken for blankets during Blanket Sunday. Show your passion and care to help warm another human being by donating to this mission.

WWW.KIFUMC.ORG
FUMCHURCH@IOWATELECOM.NET

NEW THIS WEEK!

CONDOLENCES
Condolences to the Melinda O’Field family on the death of her grandmother.

Condolences to the family of Marvin Brooks and Helen Stevenson on the death of their brother.

Condolences to the Dick Cushman family on the death of his father.

Condolences to Gary Mason and family on the death of his sister.

HOMEBUILDERS
Homebuilders meeting will be on Thursday, January 20th at Godfather’s at 11:30.

KITCHEN ITEMS
If you have dishes or pans in the church kitchen, please pick them up as soon as possible or they will be donated to the Almost Free Shop. Dorothy Danner

WHERE TO NOW TRAVEL ALERT
Planning meeting for 2011 travels will be at 4:00 p.m. in WFH on Saturday, January 29, followed by 5:00 p.m. van ride to annual soup supper at Columbia, Ia. Cost of transportation $1.00 per person. Calling Committee will call soon for reservations. We welcome newcomers, only requirement age 55 or over. If you would like to be on the calling list, phone Christa 842-5452.

ANNUAL SOUP SUPPER
Columbia UMC is hosting their annual soup supper on January 29 from 5-7 p.m. at the Community Center. A free will offering will be collected.

F.U.N. DINNER AND MOVIE
All our friends and neighbors are invited to a free dinner featuring F.U.N. cookbook recipes and the movie “Evan Almighty”. The meal will start at 5:00 p.m. with the movie to follow at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, January 28th in WFH.

LECTIONARY: January 22-23 Isa. 9:1-4 Ps. 27:1, 4-9 1 Cor. 1:10-18 Matt 4:12-23

ATTENDANCE/GIVING
January 8-9, 2011
Worship attendance: 188/Giving: $6116.20

ONGOING NEWS…

KITCHEN INVENTORY/CLEANING HELP NEEDED
Help is needed to take kitchen inventory as well as clean the kitchen on January 17 and January 24 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. If you have any questions, call Dorothy Danner at 641-842-2557. (P.S. There will be cookies!)

BOOK STUDY: I REFUSE TO LEAD A DYING CHURCH
God has called all leaders, lay and clergy, to lead healthy, growing spiritual movements and this is what this book is all about. I invite you to join me in refusing; ever again, to lead a dying church… The book study group’s first meeting will be Wed., Jan. 19 at 7:00 p.m. We have a limited number of books available at a discount price in the church office. Plan to join us for this inspiring study.

HOW TO DEVELOP TIPPERS INTO TITHERS
South Central District is hosting How to Develop Tippers into Tithers on Sat., Feb. 5, 2011 at the Family Life Center in Albia from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you are interested, please contact the church office.

THIS WEEK…
Sunday January 16, 2011
HUMAN RELATIONS DAY
BLANKET SUNDAY
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School 6:30-8:00p Confirmation Class - EFH

Monday January 17, 2011
9:00-Noon Kitchen Inventory/Clean Up
1:00-3:30p KAMA—Act Cntr
3:00-6:00p Almost Free Shop
6:30-7:30p Work Area Mtgs
7:30-8:30p Church Council Mtg – WFH

Tuesday January 18, 2011
7:00a Early Birds—Hardee’s
9:00a-Noon Almost Free Shop
6:00-8:00p Boy Scouts
7:00p Junior Optimists – EFH

Wednesday January 19, 2011
Noon Wings – Conf Rm
1:00-3:30p KAMA—Act. Center
4:30-5:30p Girl Scouts – Preschool Room
6:00p Book Study
6:00p Band Rehearsal – Sanctuary

Thursday January 20, 2011
8:00a Late Birds— Mr. C’s
11:30a Homebuilders – Godfathers

Friday January 21, 2011
9:00a-4:00p Almost Free Shop

Saturday January 22, 2011
DISCOVERY WEEKEND
HEIFER PROJECTWEEKEND
9:00-11:00a Leadership Training Event – WFH
5:30p Chapel Service

Sunday January 23, 2011
HEIFER PROJECTWEEKEND
DISCOVERY WEEKEND
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School

Assisting with Services:
Liturgist: Pat Haney & Praise Band


USHERS:
Saturday - Brenton and Shirley Trabert & Mike and Dorothy Larson
8:30 – Brian Bishop, John Burnett, Jack Crook, Jerry Jordan, Adam Norris, Larry Rowley, Jim Uitermarkt
10:45 – Chuck and Mary Belle Day

GREETERS:
Montgomery Street
8:30 – Jim and Sharon Young
Fourth Street
8:30 – Connie Davis

COMMUNION:
8:30 – John and Pat Haney

HOSPITALITY:
8:30 – Marvin and Joyce Brooks

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28th In WFH
BETTER-THAN-AVERAGE BEEF BURGER (MUCH BETTER AND FREE!!), CHIPS, VEGGIES, AND DRINKS SERVED STARTING AT 5:00 P.M. POPCORN AND BEVERAGES WILL BE SERVED NON-STOP FROM 5:00 TO 8:00 P.M. THE FREE MOVIE WILL BEGIN AT 6:00 P.M.

Sponsored By:
First United Methodist F.U.N. Committee

Monday, January 10, 2011

JANUARY 8-9 ANNOUNCEMENTS

IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
DEATHS: Betty McLaughlin
RECOVERING AT HOME: Tim DenBesten, Vivian Nash, Paul Umble, and Chuck Walter.
ADDITIONAL PRAYERS: Marilyn Simpson, Worth Stevenson, Francis Caswell, Bob Sherwood, Rita Hayes, Thurman Floyd, Maxine Harrison, Dorothy Porter, Mary Durham, and our service people and their families.

PRAYER CHAIN MINISTRY
Contact Dorothy Danner at 641-842-2557.

THIS WEEKEND
CINNAMON ROLL/MISSION SUNDAY
Please join us for Cinnamon Roll/Mission Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in WFH on Sunday, January 9th. We will be having a special project for all ages to work on and a mission project that will span the month of January. Don’t miss out!

F.U.N. MEETING ON SUNDAY
F.U.N. meeting following Cinnamon Roll Sunday at 10:15 a.m. in EFH on January 9th.

THIS WEEKEND IS FOOD DONATION
The second weekend of the month is food donation weekend. Please be a part of this wonderful ministry by dropping off your canned goods and/or other nonperishable items in the basket in the Narthex.

http://www.kifumc.org/
FUMCHURCH@IOWATELECOM.NET


NEW THIS WEEK!

CONDOLENCES
Condolences to the family of Betty McLaughlin on her passing on January 4, 2011.

HUMAN RELATIONS DAY IS JANUARY 16, 2011
The Human Relations Day offering supports Youth Offender rehabilitation programs, Community Developers self-improvement programs and United Methodist Voluntary Services – community work and advocacy that challenge oppression and injustice in the United States and Puerto Rico. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.

BLANKET SUNDAY IS JANUARY 16, 2011
Oh how good a warm blanket feels! All of us know the feeling. A blanket can ease pain, up-lift spirits, and make the world seem brighter during disasters that have devastated areas around the world. In such situations, blankets become a tool of survival. The United Methodist Church is a great provider of blankets through UMCOR and our church is doing its share to ensure that blankets will be there when needed. A special offering will be taken for blankets during Blanket Sunday. Show your passion and care to help warm another human being by donating to this mission.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING JANUARY 22, 2011
A leadership training event is scheduled for Saturday, January 22 from 9-11:00 a.m. This event is put on by The Leadership Development Committee of the church and is for all leaders of the church. If you are a chair, president, facilitator, or member of a committee, cluster, taskforce, or team we need you to attend. If you are interested in becoming a leader in one of our ministry areas, we invite you to attend.

KITCHEN INVENTORY/CLEANING HELP NEEDED
Help is needed to take kitchen inventory as well as clean the kitchen on January 17 and January 24 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. If you have any questions, call Dorothy Danner at 641-842-2557. (P.S. There will be cookies!)

LECTIONARY: January 15-16
Isa. 49:1-7 Ps. 40:1-11 1 Cor. 1:1-9 John 1:29-42

ONGOING NEWS…


BOOK STUDY: I REFUSE TO LEAD A DYING CHURCH
God has called all leaders, lay and clergy, to lead healthy, growing spiritual movements and this is what this book is all about. I invite you to join me in refusing; ever again, to lead a dying church…this entails six critical choices: Choosing Life Over Death, Choosing Community Over Isolation, Choosing Fun Over Drudgery, Choosing Bold Over Mild, Choosing Frontier Over Fortress, and Choosing Now Rather Than Later. The book study group’s first meeting will be Wed., Jan. 19 at 7:00 p.m. We have a limited number of books available at a discount price in the church office. Plan to join us for this inspiring study.

F.U.N.
A free dinner and movie for all of our friends and neighbors is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Fri., Jan.28th in WFH.

HOW TO DEVELOP TIPPERS INTO TITHERS
South Central District is hosting How to Develop Tippers into Tithers on Sat., Feb. 5, 2011 at the Family Life Center in Albia from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you are interested, please contact the church office.

ATTENDANCE/GIVING
January 2, 2011
Worship attendance: 136
Giving: $6889

THIS WEEK…
Sunday January 9, 2011
FOOD DONATION WEEKEND
MISSION SUNDAY
CINNAMON ROLL SUNDAY
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School
10:15a F.U.N. Meeting - EFH

Monday January 10, 2011
1:00-3:00p KAMA—Act Cntr
3:00-6:00p Almost Free Shop
6:00-7:30p Free Clinic – Act Cntr

Tuesday January 11, 2011
7:00-8:00a Early Birds – Hardees
9:00a Staff Meeting
9:00a-Noon Almost Free Shop
6:00-8:00p Boy Scouts
7:00p Junior Optimists – EFH

Wednesday January 12, 2011
Noon Wings – Conf Rm
1:00-3:30p KAMA—Act Cntr
7:00p Lay Speakers – EFH

Thursday January 13, 2011
Homebuilders – TBA
8:00a Late Birds – Mr. C’s
9:00a Rachel Circle – Sally’s
2:00p District Office Path 1
6:30p Leadership Development Mtg – Conf Rm

Friday January 14, 2011
9:00a-4:00p Almost Free Shop

Saturday January 15, 2011
2:00-4:00p Reserved - WFH
5:30p Chapel Service

Sunday January 16, 2011
HUMAN RELATIONS DAY
BLANKET SUNDAY
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School
6:30-8:00p Confirmation Class - EFH

Assisting with Services: Liturgist: Brent Hanna & Praise Band

USHERS:
Saturday - Brenton and Shirley Trabert & Mike and Dorothy Larson
8:30 – Brian Bishop, John Burnett, Jack Crook, Jerry Jordan, Adam Norris, Larry Rowley, Jim Uitermarkt
10:45 – Chuck and Mary Belle Day
GREETERS:
Montgomery Street
8:30 – John and Pat Haning
Fourth Street
8:30 – Judy Paulsen
COMMUNION:
8:30 – Terry and Cindy Fenoglio
HOSPITALITY:
8:30 – F.U.N. Group

Thursday, January 6, 2011

JANUARY 2011 NEWSLETTER

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…. Ecclesiastes 3:1

As we start 2011, we look forward to where God is leading us. This year we are implementing new programs and encourage all to join in on these growth opportunities. One of these is a monthly insert from the pamphlet A Year with John Wesley and Our Methodist Values, [see insert] prepared by the

Board of Discipleship in response to The United Methodist Council of Bishops call that the Church engage in intensive study of and reflection on our Wesleyan theology, polity, and practice. Throughout the year we will be publishing a monthly installment that will consist of a Wesleyan Scholar teaching point on a Wesleyan theme followed by a corresponding practice reflection by Bishop Michael Coyner. Process these thought provoking articles with your spouse, your Circle, Sunday school class and others as you make these concepts authentic to your faith practice.

Another new program emphasis in 2011 is geared toward intentional faithful development thru bible study and small groups. Small groups have been an area of growth for many persons in our church in the past, and I sense a growing hunger in others to discover a more fulfilling spiritual life. On January 22 & 23 weekend services special guest preachers will share an exciting word about a dynamic spiritual growth opportunity, Discovery Sunday. Don’t miss this wonderful life changing opportunity to connect deeper with God and others.

As we look to 2011 as a new positive beginning, let us remember the encouraging words of St. Paul “….but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” Philippians 3:13

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Lane


HOW TO DEVELOP TIPPERS INTO TITHERS

South Central District is hosting How to Develop Tippers into Tithers on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at the Family Life Center in Albia from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This seminar is being led by Jim Griffith, assessor, trainer, and coach for new and turn around churches. This event will cover: Principles of Giving, Rethinking motives for Giving, and Helping people to Grow in their Giving. The cost is only $100 per charge. At the end of the day each team will return home with an organized strategy for their year-round stewardship effort. Churches who have implemented this strategy have, on average, increased their giving by 23%!


Coaches vs. Cancer is a fundraising game at Knoxville High School. It is the 3rd annual event at KHS aimed at raising awareness and money for the American Cancer Society through the promotion of one of Knoxville’s home basketball games. The event will take place on Saturday, February 5th at the KHS vs Carlisle game. Please consider being a part of this event by attending February 5th as we pack the gym in PINK in support of this fundraiser or donating something for the silent auction the night of the game. Contact Jim or Angie Uitermarkt at 641-842-5546, 641-891-0066, or 641-218-8437 if you have questions or would like to donate for the silent auction.


The Iowa United Methodist Foundation offers a number of scholarship opportunities to college-bound Iowa Methodists. Methodist scholarships exist to assist members of the faith in attending college and achieving their educational goals. Applications and criteria are currently available at www.iumf.org. Applications and all required material must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2010 to be eligible.


STUDY: I REFUSE TO LEAD A DYING CHURCH
God has called all leaders, lay and clergy, to lead healthy, growing spiritual movements and this is what this book is all about. I invite you to join me in refusing; ever again, to lead a dying church…this commitment entails six critical choices: Choosing Life Over Death, Choosing Community Over Isolation, Choosing Fun Over Drudgery, Choosing Bold Over Mild, Choosing Frontier Over Fortress, and Choosing Now Rather Than Later.

The author, Paul Nixon, coaches pastors and churches of many denominations across North America, with a special interest in new church development and multi-site congregations in urban areas. The book study group’s first meeting will be Wednesday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m. We have a limited number of books available at a discount price in the church office. Plan to join us for this inspiring study.


HUMAN RELATIONS DAY IS JANUARY 16, 2011
The Human Relations Day offering supports Youth Offender rehabilitation programs, Community Developers self-improvement programs and United Methodist Voluntary Services – community work and advocacy that challenge oppression and injustice in the United States and Puerto Rico. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.


BLANKET SUNDAY IS JANUARY 16, 2011
Oh how good a warm blanket feels! All of us know the feeling. A blanket can ease pain, up-lift spirits, and make the world seem brighter during disasters that have devastated areas around the world. In such situations, blankets become a tool of survival. The United Methodist Church is a great provider of blankets through UMCOR and our church is doing its share to ensure that blankets will be there when needed. A special offering will be taken for blankets during Blanket Sunday. Show your passion and care to help warm another human being by donating to this mission.


F.U.N. ACTIVITIES
F.U.N. meeting following Cinnamon Roll Sunday at 10:15 a.m. in EFH on January 9th.

A free dinner and movie for all of our friends and neighbors is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Friday, January 28th in WFH.







EDUCATION CLUSTER
Thanks to everyone that attended the Sunday School Christmas Program! It was a great success and the children had a great time acting out the Christmas story.

Please join us for Cinnamon Roll/Mission Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in WFH on Sunday, January 9th. We will be having a special project for all ages to work on and a mission project that will span the month of January. Don’t miss out!



On Friday, February 18, 2011 Montgomery Street
Preschool will be having their annual Family Night. This
year the event is open to the church family and the
community as well as the MSPS families. We will be
having a light meal at 6:00 p.m. followed by a comedy
show by Jim Austin at 7:00 p.m. There will also be
baskets of goodies that will be raffled off. It should be a fun event for the entire family so mark the date on your calendar!




Condolences to the family of Bob Jahner who passed away on December 7.

Condolences to the John Haning family on the passing of his brother, Robert.





Thanks to everyone who delivered poinsettias to our shut-ins.
Sharon Young

Can you imagine 92 beautifully wrapped gifts lined up on tables, ready to be sorted and delivered? Thanks to your generosity, we are making

Christmas a whole lot brighter for 10 needy families this year. A special thanks to Folmer for all his help in making my project a lot easier. I LOVE THIS JOB. Bev Sterling

Thanks to everyone who served coffee and to those who furnished cookies for first service. Hospitality Committee

Christmas dinner this year was a test of our faith and many prayers because of the weather. Again our Lord provided and the people came. We served 130 meals, 100 at the church and 30 meals to shut-ins and friends of our guests. Thank you for your generous donations of food and money. A special thank you for our church family who braved the weather to help cook, serve our guests, deliver the meals, and clean up. You are the people make our mission possible. Sam and I are grateful for our church family. May the grace of the Lord be with you all. Coramarie and Sam Rathmel

Dear Friends, I want to say “thank you” to all my friends at the First United Methodist Church in Knoxville who remembered me with birthday and holiday greetings this year. All are very much appreciated! Thanks again! Dorothy Templeton

Happy Holidays! May this Holiday Season be filled with family, fun, and all your favorite festivities! Many thanks for all you do for the residents of Westridge Nursing and Rehab! Thank you! Have a wonderful, happy, and healthy New Year! Your Friends at Westridge


CHURCH WORLD SERVICES BLANKETS+
Church World Services gratefully recognizes First United Methodist Church for your support for emergency response and development around the world through Church World Services. An honor certificate was received as a sign of gratitude for support in 2010 and is now displayed on the bulletin board outside of the church office.


HEIFER INTERNATIONAL
Heifer International gratefully recognizes Knoxville First United
 Methodist Church with a certificate for participating in the Animal Crackers program. Because of your contributions, families struggling with hunger and poverty will receive the gift of healthy animals and training in their care. The thank you certificate is on the bulletin board outside the main office.


A YEAR WITH JOHN WESLEY
A Year with John Wesley reveals and makes plain the essence of John Wesley’s life and witness and the dynamic and transforming power of the early Methodist movement. A Methodist way of living becomes accessible through these great themes expressed in contemporary language and in contemporary situations. Those who read and reflect upon these pages will gain understanding of United Methodist theology, polity and practice, but even more significantly, they will learn what it means to walk with Christ in our contemporary world. Please look for these articles each month in the monthly newsletter “The Link”.

A leadership training event is scheduled for Saturday, January 22 from 9-11:00 a.m. This event is put on by The Leadership Development Committee of the church and is for all leaders of the church. If you are a chair, president, facilitator, or member of a committee, cluster, taskforce, or team we need you to attend. If you are interested in becoming a leader in one of our ministry areas, we invite you to attend. Mark your calendars and join us as we strive to move forward as faithful disciples.





Coming the weekend of Jan. 22 - 23 Dynamic guest preaching for these weekend services. Plan to join us!
Discovery Sunday launches a six-week Bible study and prayer development experience involving individuals from the congregation who choose to participate. Discovery Groups help individuals discover the power of prayer and what Jesus taught regarding spiritual growth. Consisting of not more than ten persons each, the groups meet weekly for one hour, using the study guide "Spiritual Growth Insights from Mark's Gospel". Discovery Groups have been used effectively in hundreds of North American churches during the past ten years. People want to experience the power of God in daily life. According to a George Gallup study printed in Emerging Trends (a publication of Princeton Religion Research Center), American Christians rate "the spiritual growth of one's family and self as the top priority that congregations should be addressing.


JANUARY LECTIONARY SCRIPTURE
January 1-2
Isa. 60:1-6 Ps. 72:1-7, 10-14 Eph. 3:1-12 Matt. 2:1-12

January 8-9
Isa. 42:1-9, Ps. 29 Acts 10:34-43 Matt. 3:13-17

January 15-16
Isa. 49:1-7 Ps. 40:1-11 1 Cor. 1:1-9 John 1:29-42

January 22-23
Isa. 9:1-4 Ps. 27:1, 4-9 1 Cor. 1:10-18 Matt 4:12-23

January 29-30
Micah 6:1-8 Ps. 15 1 Cor. 1:18-31 Matt.5:1-12


JANUARY 2011

John Wesley on the Dedicated Christian Life
Randy I. Maddox

ONE OF THE CENTRAL THEMES running through the breadth of John Wesley's writings is the importance of dedicating oneself—heart and life—to God, following the model of Jesus Christ.

Wesley imbibed this emphasis from his parents. His studies reinforced it. As recorded in the opening of A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, Wesley read Jeremy Taylor's Rule and Exercises of Holy Living and Dying when he was twenty-three, which led him to "dedicate all my life to God; all my thoughts, and words, and actions." Shortly after, he read Thomas a Kempis's Imitation of Christ, which helped him to see that giving "all my life to God (supposing it possible to do this and go no farther) would profit me nothing, unless I gave my heart!' This classic text by Kempis had such an impact on Wesley that in 1735 he issued an abridgement titled The Christians Pattern as one of his first publications.

Occasionally, "works righteousness" characterizes this emphasis of the early Wesley, with the implication that he set it aside when he came to appreciate God's "free grace" in 1738. However, this is a misunderstanding of the freedom grace brings. For Wesley, the grace of God is not only the unmerited mercy by which we are free from the guilt of our sin, but it is also the power of the Holy Spirit poured into our lives, setting us free for renewed obedience to God. If there is anything distinct in Wesley's preaching about the importance of submitting to God's ways after 1738, it is the stronger emphasis that "every command in holy writ is only a covered promise," as he put it in his fifth discourse on the Sermon on the Mount (par. II.3). Wesley reminds his hearers in this sermon of God's promise in Jeremiah 31:31 to write the covenant on our hearts. The God of grace does not set aside the law; rather God gra¬ciously enables our fulfillment of it.

While God's grace is freeing, it is also resistible. Wesley stressed this balance in his classic sermon "On Working Out Our Own Salvation," affirming that it is only because of the power of the Holy Spirit that we can work out our salvation, but adding that we must join as "workers together with God" in this journey. In other ser¬mons, Wesley makes clear that God graciously invites us to be fellow workers not only in our own salvation, but also in God's larger redeeming work in the world. As a means of encouraging his people to embrace this call, dedicating the whole of their lives to God, Wesley printed an extract of The Christian Pattern repeatedly through¬out his ministry.

The mature Wesley also came to appreciate that the interactive nature of God's empowerment and our response meant that the dedication of oneself to God, like every other dimension of the way of salvation, was open to breach as well as to deep¬ened commitment. This awareness led him in 1755 to introduce in the Methodist societies a practice of regular renewal of one's dedication to God, adapting Richard Alleine's covenant renewal service. This service soon became a yearly staple of Methodist life and has proven for many an effective means of deepening dedication to God.

A Time to Renew Our Covenant with God
Bishop Coyner

THERE IS NOTHING MAGICAL about the flip of the calendar from the old year the New Year, even though eighty-eight percent of all Americans make New Year's resolutions each year. In the United States before 9/11, the number-one resolution was to "lose weight." After 9/11 that changed to "spend more time with my family.” Somehow, even American culture senses a need for a change, a fresh start, and a new beginning.

As United Methodists, the month of January offers us the opportunity to make that new beginning in the Wesleyan tradition by reaffirming our covenant with God. Scripture teaches us that God's covenant with us is eternal and calls us to recommit our lives to God. In Jesus Christ, we see the fulfillment of the promise in Jeremiah; 31:31-34 of a new covenant, written upon our hearts.

Wesley wrote a Covenant Prayer that can be used in a variety of worship and educational settings. It is number 607 in The United Methodist Hymnal:

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low by thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things

to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

January is also a good time to invite people to join a Covenant Disciple Group, and many congregations offer training for new officers and leaders who begin serv¬ing in the New Year. Some congregations offer a New Year's Eve Watch Night Service as a way of helping people to reaffirm their covenant with God. One helpful model is the "Covenant Renewal Service" (The United Methodist Book of Worship, page 288), but it is possible to use elements of this service on Sunday mornings in January, too.

Dan Benedict reminds us of our need for such a time of covenant renewal:

At the heart of Christian devotion is a sense that we are not our own, but that through God's claim upon us in Christ through baptism, we are God's servants. From time to time, Christians need to make a solemn renewal of the covenant, lest we hold back from God what we once gave to God but over time have hoarded for ourselves.

Let January be a time for renewing your covenant with God, both individually and as a congregation.

Hymn by Charles Wesley

Come, Let Us Use the Grace Divine

Monday, January 3, 2011

JANUARY 2, 2011 ANNOUNCEMENTS

IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

RECOVERING AT HOME: Vivian Nash, Paul Umble, Chuck Walter, and Palmer Krichau.

ADDITIONAL PRAYERS: Worth Stevenson, Francis Caswell, Bob Sherwood, Rita Hayes, Thurman Floyd, Maxine Harrison, Betty McLaughlin, Dorothy Porter, Mary Durham, and our service people and their families.

PRAYER CHAIN MINISTRY
Contact Dorothy Danner at 641-842-2557.

E-PRAYER CHAIN
If you would like to sign up for the e-prayer chain to receive an e-mail any time a request is made for a prayer, please contact Heather at fumchurch@iowatelecom.net or 641-842-3712 with your name and e-mail information.

THIS WEEKEND
This Sunday is Communion. The United Methodist Church has an open communion. All are invited to join in the celebration of God’s love!

This Sunday is Neighbor Helping Neighbor Sunday - A special collection is taken the first weekend of every month. These funds go through KAMA to help community needs. Please mark your check memo and/or envelope to identify this purpose to contribute.

WWW.KIFUMC.ORG
FUMCHURCH@IOWATELECOM.NET

 
NEW THIS WEEK!

BOOK STUDY: I REFUSE TO LEAD A DYING CHURCH
God has called all leaders, lay and clergy, to lead healthy, growing spiritual movements and this is what this book is all about. I invite you to join me in refusing; ever again, to lead a dying church…this commitment entails six critical choices: Choosing Life Over Death, Choosing Community Over Isolation, Choosing Fun Over Drudgery, Choosing Bold Over Mild, Choosing Frontier Over Fortress, and Choosing Now Rather Than Later. The book study group’s first meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7:00 p.m.

CINNAMON ROLL/MISSION SUNDAY
Please join us for Cinnamon Roll/Mission Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in WFH on Sunday, January 9th. We will be having a special project for all ages to work on and a mission project that will span the month of January. Don’t miss out!

F.U.N.
Meeting following Cinnamon Roll Sunday at 10:15 a.m. in EFH on January 9th.

A free dinner and movie for all of our friends and neighbors is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Friday, January 28th in WFH.

THANK YOU
Christmas dinner this year was a test of our faith and may prayers because of the weather. Again our Lord provided and the people came. We served 130 meals, 100 at the church and 30 meals to shut-ins and friends of our guests. Thank you for your generous donations of food and money. A special thank you for our church family who braved the weather to help cook, serve our guests, deliver the meals, and clean up. You are the people make our mission possible. Sam and I are grateful for our church family. May the grace of the Lord be with you all. Coramarie and Sam Rathmel

Dear Friends, I want to say “thank you” to all my friends at the First United Methodist Church in Knoxville who remembered me with birthday and holiday greetings this year. All are very much appreciated! Thanks again! Dorothy Templeton

Happy Holidays! May this Holiday Season be filled with family, fun, and all your favorite festivities! May thanks for all you do for the residents of Westridge Nursing and Rehab! Thank you! Have a wonderful, happy, and healthy New Year! Your Friends at Westridge

ONGOING NEWS…

2ND SERVICE USHERS NEEDED
If you are interested in being an usher for second service on Sunday, please contact Deb Harvey at 842-2032.

HOW TO DEVELOP TIPPERS INTO TITHERS
South Central District is hosting How to Develop Tippers into Tithers on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at the Family Life Center in Albia from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This event will cover: Principles of Giving, Rethinking motives for Giving, and Helping people to Grow in their Giving. The cost is only $100 per charge. At the end of the day each team will return home with an organized strategy for their year-round stewardship effort. Churches who have implemented this strategy have, on average, increased their giving by 23%! If you are interested in attending, please contact the church office.

LECTIONARY: January 8-9
Isa. 42:1-9, Ps. 29 Acts 10:34-43 Matt. 3:13-17

ATTENDANCE/GIVING
December 24, 2010
Worship attendance: 259

December 26, 2010
Worship attendance: 135
Giving for week ending 12/26/10: $6271.05 THIS WEEK…

Sunday January 2, 2011
COMMUNION
NEIGHBOR HELPING NEIGHBOR
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School
Monday January 3, 2011
1:00-3:30p KAMA—Act Cntr
3:00-6:00p Almost Free Shop
7:00p 4H Club – Act Cntr
Tuesday January 4, 2011
7:00a Early Birds—
Hardee’s
9:00a Staff Meeting
9:00a-Noon Almost Free Shop
6:00-8:00p Boy Scouts - WFH
7:00p Junior Optimist – YR
Wednesday January 5, 2011
Noon Wings – Conf Rm
1:00-3:30p KAMA—Act. Center
6:30p MSPS Board–
Conf Rm
Thursday January 6, 2011
8:00a Late Birds—Mr. C’s
Friday January 7, 2011
9:00a-4:00p Almost Free Shop
Saturday January 8, 2011
7:00a Methodist Men Mtg.
– Mr. C’s
Sunday January 9, 2011
FOOD DONATION WEEKEND
MISSION SUNDAY
CINNAMON ROLL SUNDAY
8:30 & 10:45a Worship Services
9:30a Sunday School
10:15a F.U.N. Meeting -
EFH

Assisting with Services: Liturgist: Brent Hanna & Praise Band

USHERS:
Saturday - Brenton and Shirley Trabert & Mike and Dorothy Larson
8:30 – Brian Bishop, John Burnett, Jack Crook, Jerry Jordan, Adam Norris, Larry Rowley, Jim Uitermarkt
10:45 – Chuck and Mary Belle Day

GREETERS:
Montgomery Street
8:30 – Don and Marie Rodgers
Fourth Street
8:30 – Bonnie Crook and Merna Furney

COMMUNION:
8:30 – Jack and Bonnie Crook

HOSPITALITY:
8:30 – Billy Gilkerson