THE link
strengthen your faith…put it IN to practice
Knoxville First United Methodist Church October 2010
October is the month autumn hits full
stride
, leaves change color, gardens give up
the last of their bounty, and farmers are in the
fields harvesting. This time also has special
significance in the rhyme of church life. Fall is
when the church conducts its annual
commitment campaign or stewardship drive.
This year’s theme: “More Than Enough” based on
2 Corinthians 9:6-9. The ritual of the commitment campaign has biblical roots. In Old Testament times, portions of the crop were brought into the sanctuary as thanksgiving offerings. These offerings were a means to express gratitude to God who provides everything.
Fall decorations such as corn shocks and cornucopias remind us that God's creation provides food and energy for life. These symbols also remind us of our faith heritage that extends back thousands of years. Every Sunday, when our tithes [a tenth of our income] and offerings are placed on the altar, an ancient tradition is remembered. We no longer bring a bushel of corn or livestock to the altar. We bring money. We have moved from a world of bartering to a world of cash exchange. But the idea is still the same. Our offering is a way of saying, "Thank you, God." We come to church for many reasons. One of them is to give thanks to God for all of God's goodness. For the things we feel thankful for, the blessings of life, our church offering is a tangible expression of our thanks to God.
"Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name, bring an offering, and come into his courts." Psalms 96: 7,8.
Together in Christ,
Pastor Lane
KAMA
As one of our missions, First United Methodist Church helps to support KAMA with a pledge of $4000 per year. This is paid each month from the funds given to our Neighbor Helping Neighbor Mission. Gifts to Neighbor Helping Neighbor this year are not meeting our pledge. Through God’s grace and your support of Neighbor Helping Neighbor, many people are helped as they struggle with job loss, payment of utilities, and many other issues. Please consider a gift to this important mission.
UMCOR Responds To Iowa Flood
After three nights of heavy rainfall in central and eastern Iowa this month, flooding forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes. The effects of the storms were compounded by those of the snowy winter and wet spring and summer that preceded them. UMCOR provided emergency assistance to the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church to meet the needs of communities affected by the flooding. Please give to US Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670, to support those affected by disasters in the United States.
LITURGIST/COMMUNION STEWARDS
Volunteers are needed for liturgists and communion stewards at the 8:30 service.
WOMEN AT THE WELL
“Thank you the Annual Conference for our church”. Those are the words of Melissa to Bishop Julius Calvin Trimble on a Thursday evening early in September of 2009.
Bishop Trimble was leading worship for the Women at the Well United Methodist Church where Melissa is a member. The congregation, supported by apportionment dollars, is located at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville.
The church has begun to meet the spiritual needs of inmates in response to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25:36b, “I was in prison and you visited me.”
Last June at Annual Conference the program received 340 pairs of lovely and comfortable panties for the Stepping Out Closet for women leaving prison. Nothing makes a woman feel quite as good as cute new underwear!
Women at the Well also supports women when they are released from prison in an aftercare/reentry program in cooperation with local churches. Contact Pastor Arnette Pint at
womenatthewell@iaumc.org or leave a message at 515-822-4599 to offer your prayers and volunteer support.
W.I.N.G.S
W.I.N.G.S. (Women Inviting New Growth Spiritually) is a small group that meets every Wednesday at noon. We bring our lunch and then we have a short study. We are starting a new book "Walking in God's Promises-- Sarah" by Elizabeth George. The hardest parts of facing difficult circumstances are letting go of our worries and waiting for God's answers. And though Sarah made mistakes along the way, she willingly allowed God to stretch her and shape her. As we learn to trust in God's promises, we will discover a new courage and confidence that can carry us through all that happens in our lives. Our group is open to anyone who would like to share an hour each Wednesday in a small group Bible study. We meet in the office meeting room at noon on Wednesdays. Think about joining us.
LAITY SUNDAY –
OCTOBER 17, 2010
This is a great opportunity for pastors to see what the Lay Speakers and laity have to offer. You may be pleasantly surprised. I hope you all have big plans to share your gifts with the church. This year’s focus is Disciples Transforming the World – Through Presence. Laity, let’s show that we have many talents to share, and share them with the congregation, the neighborhood, the community, and out beyond the walls.
F.U.N.
Saturday, October 16th at 1335 Hayes Drive, Knoxville at 6:00 p.m. – Hay Ride, Bonfire, Weiner Roast, and Game Night in the Shed. (Please bring a dish and a favorite game to share.)
VOLLEYBALL
Playing in Adult Volleyball... First Team at REC Center? 'Mixed Teams' are women and men together playing on Thursday nights. Register by Oct 6 for games beginning Oct 21 for 8 games. Contact Park Woodle at 641-891-2335 or
pwoodle@iowatelecom.net.
BASIC AND ADVANCED LAY SPEAKING COURSE
The South Central District Lay Speaking Committee will be offering the Basic Lay Speaking and the Advanced Course for Lay Speaking: “You Can Lead in Stewardship”. Classes will be held on Saturday, October 16th, 10:00a.m.-3:30p.m., and Saturday, October 23rd, 10:00a.m.-3:30p.m. The training event will be held at Centerville, Faith United Methodist Church 23851 Highway 5, Centerville. The basic and advanced courses are for persons who are interested in beginning the journey to become a Certified Lay Speaker. You can find the flyer for this event at
www.iaumc.org/pages/details/1573. Reservations are due by Friday, October 1, 2010 to: South Central District Office, PO Box 282, Osceola, IA 50213. Make checks payable to the South Central District Office. Materials will be mailed to you when payment has been received.
KARA POWELL EVENT SPONSORED BY VERMEER CORP
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 - 7:00 - 8:30 pm - Kara Powell free, open to the public event : Sticky Faith: Building a Faith that Lasts
· Where will your faith be in five years?
· Where will your church be in five years?
· What if you could learn solid research-based ideas that could help you, your family, and your church build a faith that lasts?
Based on research conducted at the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary, Dr. Kara Powell will be sharing how you or your church can experience the full life God has for you through worship, service, and a Biblical understanding of the gospel. Come and learn all sorts of practical tips that you can apply immediately to help yourself, your family, and your church develop a faith that sticks for the long-haul.
Thursday, October 7, 2010 - 8:30 am - 4:00 pm - Kara Powell all day seminar, $25 registration includes lunch
Session 1 - Sticky Fundamentals: Connecting the Core of the Gospel with the Core of Who Young Adults AreSession 2 - Sticky Church: Creating a Broad Web of Supportive RelationshipsSession 3 - Sticky Justice: Moving Your Church from Mission Trips to Missional LivingSession 4 - Sticky Families: Helping Parents Own, and Not Outsource, Their Kids' Faith
2010 CHARGE CONFERENCE
Knoxville First United Methodist Church will be hosting a cluster charge conference for six other churches on November 21, 2010.
POTLUCK
You are invited to participate in a pot luck on October 23rd at 6:30 following the chapel service. Please bring a covered dish. Drinks and table service will be provided.
POSITIVE SOLUTIONS
Montgomery Street Preschool along with Crossroads of Pella will be offering a parenting class, "Positive Solutions" on Tuesday nights from October 19 to November 23 here at the church. The class is designed for parents of preschool age children and offers positive solutions to parents for behavior and other issues. Parenting can be hard to do but this program offers tools to parent well while still having fun with your child. The class is open to the public. A minimal charge of $5 per family will be charged to cover materials. Childcare will be provided. For more information call Pam Bettger at 641-628-1212 or email
pambettger@iowatelecom.net.
MSPS HOAGIE SALES
The annual Montgomery Street Preschool Hoagie Sale starts Oct ober 6th. Sales end October 17 so make sure to get your order in for the tasty roast beef, turkey, ham, and cheese sandwiches. They are great for lunches and can be frozen for future meals. Orders can be picked up on Thursday, October 21 after 6pm at the church.
SYMPATHY
Our condolences to Leona Steele and the whole family on the passing of Donald Steele on Wednesday, September 8, 2010.
THANK YOU
We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for Stanton during his last bout with lung cancer. He finished his radiation treatment in late July and had a CT scan on August 30. Everything was okay so his prognosis looks good. Thanks again. Betty and Stanton Metcalf
Thank you to my church family, for all the prayers, cards, phone calls, and visits. It was all deeply appreciated. May God richly bless you.
In Christ’s Love, Rita Hayes
A big thank you to the United Methodist Women for a job well done. Many willing workers made the South Central District UMW annual meeting a success! We fed and were host to over 180 women. Each of you is a real blessing to the Knoxville First United Methodist Church. Bonnie Crook
Dear Methodist Church Pancake Volunteers, Thank you so much for your energetic help at Pitstop Pancakes for the Nationals. Volunteers make things happen! We’re glad to have the warm hospitality that you extend with breakfast. We know that Knoxville is a great place, and we appreciate your part in helping spread the word! Thanks, Chamber Board and Kay Jensen, Volunteer
Thank you, Thank you, Thank You!!! Thank you to everyone that donated supplies to MSPS during our back to school supply drive. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!!! Miss Katie, Miss Nancy, Miss Carrie, and all the MSPS students
COMMUNICATIONS
One of the goals of the church is to take advantage of electronic communication.
To stay in touch with news and events around the church, please visit
http://www.kifumc.org/ and then click on the News Link to obtain current and previous announcements, monthly links, calendar of events, and a list of those scheduled for worship team (greeters, ushers, communion, hospitality, liturgists).
To meet multi-user needs we are now offering an e-mail version of the monthly “Link”. The current paper newsletter will not go away, but we are aware that some would prefer an electronic version. Please contact Heather at 842-3712 or email your information to
fumchurch@iowatelecom.net to be added to the E-News Subscription list and removed from the hard copy mail out list.
The Prayer Chain is a beautiful ministry that requires no time away from home. Our prayer requests are distributed via e-mail, AND WE PRAY. This prayer chain is fast and immediate. If you would like to sign up for the e-prayer chain to receive an email any time a request is made, please contact Heather at
fumchurch@iowatelecom.net or 641-842-3712 with your name and e-mail information.
For those of you who you winter in a different location other than your usual residence, please contact the church office at 641-842-3712 or
fumchurch@iowatelecom.net and let us know your winter address so we can continue to send you the monthly “Link”.
If you or a family member are in the hospital, please notify our church office so pastoral visits can be made as that information may not be released to the pastors otherwise due to the new health information guidelines.
Our Love Offering envelopes inspire the heartfelt desire for giving. Offering envelopes remind and encourage us to support the ongoing ministries of the church! It is a great envelope because it has so many things it can be used for. Love offering envelopes can be used for weekly offerings (in the general fund) or you can designate what you would like the offering to go for by indicating this on the “To Be Used For” line on the back of the envelope. There is also space to indicate if you would like your offering to be in memory of someone.
In-Gathering Kits Mission Project
Sunday October 10th, 2010
Dear Church Family,
Please join us Cinnamon Roll Sunday for our Annual In-Gathering Kit Mission Project 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in West Fellowship Hall. For the next two weeks we are asking for your help in gathering supplies needed to fill the kits and drop them off at the church. Below is a list of supplies needed:
New Hand Towel (15” x 25” up to 17” x 27”)
Bath Sized Soap Bar in Wrapper (3 oz or larger)
Large Sturdy Comb (not pocket sized)
New Toothbrush (in sealed wrapper – adult size)
Nail File/Fingernail Clipper (no emery board/toenail)
New Washcloth
Band-aids (6 each size ¾ inch)
Cloth Diapers
Onesie (NB or 3 month)
Lightweight Pajama’s (NB or 3 month)
We are looking forward to seeing you there and helping us put those kits together. Education Committee
OCTOBER
LECTIONARY SCRIPTURE
October 2-3
Lam. 1:1-6 Ps. 137 2 Tim. 1:1-14 Luke 17:5-10
October 9-10
Jer. 29:1, 4-7 Ps. 66:1-12 2
Tim. 2:8-15 Luke 17:11-19
October 16-17
Jer. 31:27-34 Ps. 119:97-104 or Ps. 19 2 Tim. 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8
October 23-24
Joel 2:23-32 Ps. 65 2
Tim. 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14
October 30-31
Hab. 1:1-4; 2:1-4 Ps. 119:137-144
2 Thess. 1:1-4, 11-12, Luke 19:1-10
In an effort to have the monthly “Link” completed, mailed out, and received in a timely manner, we ask that you please have all of your information that you would like to be included in the “Link” submitted by the 20th of the month prior to publication. You may e-mail it to
fumchurch@iowatelecom.net or drop it by the church office. Thank you.
