Information on Ash Wednesday and Lent

Information Regarding the Observance of Lent
Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday
and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes form the Anglo-Saxon work lecten, which means
“spring.” The season is a preparation for celebrating Easter. Historically, Lent began a
period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for
penance by all Christians.
The First Sunday describes Jesus' temptation by Satan, and the Sixth Sunday
(Passion/Palm Sunday),Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his subsequent
passion and death. Because Sundays are always little Easters, the penitential spirit of
Lent should be tempered with joyful expectation of the Resurrection.

Information Regarding the Service of Worship for Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday emphasizes a dual encounter: we confront out own mortality and confess
our sins before God within the community of faith. The form and content of the service
focus on the dual themes of sin and death in the light of God's redeeming love in Jesus
Christ.
Depending upon circumstances, this service may be held early in the morning, before the
work and school day begin; an noontime, perhaps observing fast with the deletion of the
regular noon meal; or early in the evening perhaps following a shared sacrificial meal
of bread and water.
The visual environment should be solemn and stark. Purple is the most traditional color
throughout Lent; but on Ash Wednesday gray, with its suggestion of ashes, is especially
appropriate. Dark earth colors or any somber hues are also appropriate. Rough, coarse
textures such as burlap – sackcloth and ashes – suggest the character of the day and
season.
The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and
Christian worship, the Imposition of Ashes can be a powerful nonverbal and experiential
way of participating in the call to repentance and reconciliation. This practice is the
historic focus of Ash Wednesday observance and gave the day its name. It is traditional
to save the palm branches from the previous Passion/Palm Sunday service and burn
them ahead of time to produce the ashes for the service.

Taken from The United Methodist Book of Worship, Fourteenth Printing, 2003, Nashville, The UnitedMethodist Publishing House. Pgs 320-321.

This Week's Classifieds...

Communion Helpers/Stewards Needed...
We are looking for a few good Christians to help prepare communion one month a year. Please contact Miriam Bounds if interested.
She can be reached at 254-765-3526

Audio/Video Technician...
Are you good with video? Would you like to be involved in taking worship to those who can't attend because of illness or injury? We may have a place for you! If you would like to be a part of a new ministry here at First Church that records, copies, and distributes video of our worship events please call or come by to see the pastor.

Summer Camp Scholarships...
As stated last week, we are looking for donations to assist with the cost of the youth and children wishing to attend Summer Camp.
Peace and Grace, J

February 15, 2009
Do you remember summer camps? Do you remember the fun you had? Do you remember how much you learned from your counselors and leaders? Do you remember the life changing time you and your children have had at camp?
You may have noticed a poster in the Family Life Center announcing the registration for Glen Lake Camp, our conference camp. I am so excited to tell you that several of our youth and children are wanting to attend Glen Lake Camp this summer. That being said, it will cost our children around $200 and our teen's about $252 to attend. (This is only the registration cost by the way.) Though they haven't come to us to ask for help, I would like to see us offer scholarships to these youth and children who would like to attend. I would hate to hear that one of our “little ones” didn't have the chances we had simply because of finances. I hope you will pray about contributing to a fund to pay for camps!
Peace and Grace, J

February 8, 2009
What a great start we have had for our Bible Study on Wednesday nights. We had snacks, fellowship, laughs, and some really great discussion. From now till Easter we are studying the Gospel of Mark. This week we discussed where and when it came from, who wrote it and how it is to be read.
I know that many of you wanted to be there but where unable to attend this week, so I will pass on the assignment so you can be prepared for this coming week. Your assignment, read the gospel of Mark, all of it, in one sitting if possible. I know, your asking “What!!” But it's only about 25 pages or the equivalent of a chapter or two of a modern novel. This is how this piece of literature we call a Gospel was intended to be read, like a modern movie. We don't watch 5 minutes of a movie today and 10 minutes tomorrow; no, we watch it all to get the whole story. I invite you to do that this week with the Gospel of Mark. Then I look forward to hearing your reaction Wednesday night. I'll see you then.
Peace and Grace J

February 1, 2009
Here we go!!!!!! It's time to grow. I know, many of you think that “to grow” means to get bigger, i.e. more people in the pews and I must admit, I like that too. At Kirvin, to worship with 4 is one thing but to worship with 12 is quite another. And at Wortham, 40 is nice but to worship with 120 is quite another matter entirely. So, when I say “grow” it's OK to think of numbers, after all numbers represent people and the church is the best place to “make disciple of Jesus Christ” so having more people in church is a good thing.
BUT.... I'm not only talking about bottoms in seats on Sunday morning when I say it's time to grow. What I mean is spiritual growth. Are you in the same spiritual place you were last year? If so you are not growing and what is the opposite of growing? Dying. So, are you growing or dying?
Either way, starting this week I want you in our Wednesday Bible Study. We will be studying the book of Mark and your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to read the first Chapter of Mark between now and Wednesday. I hope to see you there. And by the way, if you are there I won't think you're dying, instead I'll assume that you are there to continue your spiritual growth.
Peace and Grace J

January 25, 2009
Last week I had the opportunity to hear from our new Bishop, Mike Lowry. He was speaking on the need for a sabbath in each of our lives: a time of rest, a time of reflection, a time of personal devotion, a time of personal growth with God... What I found when I sat under his teaching was a great man of God full of wonderful wisdom and wit and an ability to connect with a congregation in a profound way.
Why am I saying all this you may ask? Because you have the opportunity to hear Bishop Lowry today. He will be preaching at the closing worship of the Waco District 2009 Leadership Summit in Waco today. I hope you will make it a priority to hear your new Bishop today.
Peace and Grace J

January 18, 2009
We've finally done it! Our date is finally set for our first ever leadership retreat. I am still working on the location but it will be away from the church but within a few miles of here, likely Tehuacana or Mexia. If you are on any committee or hold any position within the church this is an event for you. We will work together to plan ahead for the year to come, look at how we will continue to grow, and set for the a plan to incorporate all our members into the working Body of Jesus Christ.
In addition to and as a great preparation for our local event, the Waco District will also be holding a training event for church leaders next Sunday and I hope you will consider attending. I will have details for you if you are interested. Peace and Grace J

January 11, 2009
Since I am writing this a matter of hours after writing last weeks “words”, I don't think there is anything new I can tell you yet. I bet I had a great time at the Congress on Evangelism and I'm sure that I'm glad to be home. I also bet you had a great week and I really appreciate all that Brad did for you while I was gone.
I guess the only thing left is to remind you that the new leadership the church elected in the Fall of 2008 has now taken effect. The new leadership will be getting together some time this month to spend some time looking at and planning for the future of the church. I hope we will all be in prayer for our leaders, (church, city, state, federal...) as we look toward the future of our church, city, state, federal.
Peace and Grace J

January 4, 2009
Over the next week I will be in Nashville, TN at the United Methodist Congress on Evangelism. This will be the second time I have attended this meeting in the past 5 years. The previous time I attended I was pastoring the churches in Evant and Purmela and came back to those churches revived and rejuvenated. I look forward to the same this year.
During my absence I encourage you to call upon Rev. Brad Brittain at 254-625-2435 if you have a pastoral need. As many of you already know Brad is the Sr. Pastor of FUMC Mexia and a good friend of mine.
I will be keeping up with you all while I am gone and praying for you as you begin your new year.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to travel and attend the great continuing education event. I'll see you Sunday.
Peace and Grace J

December 28, 2008
Thank you. Thank you to all of you in this church for the many gifts you have given your your pastor and family this season. Some pastors expect such gifts and say nothing when they have been received. Some pastors refuse such gifts thinking it is the honorable thing to do. Still others try to give back some trinket to 'repay' you for such gifts. I know I have received mason jars full of powdered drink mixes (hot chocolate, cider...) with cute little bows before. To be honest, none of these seen to truly say what is needed as well as the simple words.... THANK YOU.
Rather than giving some simple gift or trinket that will clutter you cupboard Renee and I will be giving a gift in your name to the Methodist Mission Home in San Antonio. This Methodist ministry is known for its work with adoption and care of unwed mothers as well as its work with young adults with disabilities, particularly the deaf and had of hearing, through the Southwest Center for Higher Independence. If you would like more information on this great ministry I invite you to visit their web-site at http://www.mfrs.org/.
Thank you again for your gifts, but more than that thank you for allowing us to serve you as pastor and family in this wonderful church in this wonderful community. I hope you have a great new year and I look forward to being a part of it.
Peace and Grace J

December 21, 2008
A note to the Kirvin folk!
I want you to all know how much I enjoy serving you as your pastor and this weeks service is “just for you”! Why you may ask? Because the Wortham folk are celebrating a musical Christmas this week. When we are all done here and you have had a chance to check the animals and grab a bite to eat I hope you will make your way to the Wortham church at 11:00 for “Joy to the World”, arranged by John Leavitt with additional Orchestration by Tehuacana's own Bill Ferris.
I hope you all have a very merry Christmas this year.
Peace and Grace, J

December 14, 2008
The angels came and said “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”-Luke 2:14.
Then I look around at all the people stressing over finances, rushing from one store to store to get the gift they just have to give, running from party to party because they have to go, struggling to take care of the family, the job, the volunteer activities.... it is just exhausting. Is there any peace in that?
Then I look around the world and see wars, hunger, rampant crime, disease, terror, ... Is there any peace in that?
Then I look at my own life... and see much of the same things. We live in a peace-less time as the world sees it. Maybe just maybe Jesus didn't bring peace to us as the world sees it but rather Jesus brought peace to us in a different way.
The author of our study, says that we as Christians enjoy three types of peace: the peace that Christ offers to all at salvation – to know our sins are forgiven and our relationship with God has been restored, the peace of knowing that we are not alone, especially in the difficult times – God is always with us, and the peace we bring through the power of Christ bestowed upon us. - God wants to use us to be peacemakers.
So this year do 2 things for me, 1)- stop for a little while each week and get away from the hustle and bustle of the silly season and recognize the special season, and 2) – be a peace bringer, a peacemaker, give peace to another.
Peace and Grace J

December 7, 2008
I once saw a paining of a 1st Century carpenter's shop where the child was playing with the father's tools. The toddler happened to be holding three spike nails from the father's bench. Cast across the room was a shadow from the window in the form of a cross. What a vivid image of the future of that son of a carpenter. If you were to look closely at the back of the “12 Days of Christmas” insert you would see an empty manger with the shadow of a cross cast upon it. A little closer to home, if you were to look at the empty stable behind the altar you would see looming behind it a cross. Today as we light candles and think of little baby Jesus, we partake of Communion. The beginning that is the end, that is the beginning. I guess that is why we call it “The Mystery of Faith.”
Today we will light the candle of Peace. Last week we lit the candle of Hope. We celebrate the birth of Christ because the Eternal God of all Creation came to us on a cold night in Bethlehem in the form of a baby named Jesus. We find our hope and peace in the fact that God not only came to us, but that God, in the form of Jesus, lived, died, rose again, and is coming back one day. That is Advent in a nut shell, Christ was, is, and is to be. We celebrate that Christ came and we rejoice that Christ will come again.
Peace and Grace J

November 30, 2008
AHHHHHHHHHH the beauty of Advent. I know of no other time of year that the church is decorated in such beauty. I know you will all want to be here tonight to share the beauty of this place with the community at our 5th Sunday worship service.
As I mentioned in last weeks article, Advent is a time for new starts and change. We have a new look for the bulletin, a new look in the sanctuary, and soon we will have a new look around our homes as we decorate for the season. One other “change” that we see this time of year is generosity. We tend to give more to charity, to the needy, to others. For some reason we tend to focus on other more than ourselves. I wonder if that has anything to do with us remembering that Christ is coming back? That is what advent is about, the return of Christ. We prepare our hearts and lives for Christ's return.
How wonderful it would be if we remembered this fact all year! Would be able to feed more of the hungry? Would we be able to heal more of the sick? Would we be able to provide more clothing for the needy? Would we visit the sick and imprisoned more? Just something to think about.
Peace and Grace, J

It is amazing to me how Christmas seems to get earlier and earlier every year. Wal-Mart was converting the Garden Center to “Santa Land” before the Halloween decorations were taken down. In Hillsboro this past Spring I walked into a store at the Mall and they already had their Christmas decorations out (OK they are a Christmas store but you get my point.) Any way you want to look at it, Thanksgiving is upon us and the Christian year is coming to a close. Between this Sunday and next Sunday we will celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends and families then we will return to church as Advent begins. Decorations will be going up, trees will be decorated, and “Christmasy” songs will be sung. But most of all, we will spend a month celebrating the coming of Christ into our lives.
Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year. Like Lent, it is a time of reflection and preparation. Like New Years Eve, it is a time of resolutions and changes. This year I hope you will begin reflect on what you might want to change. Maybe you know that you could be more regular at church. Maybe you could be more consistent with your giving. Maybe God has been calling you to start a new ministry here in the community. Maybe you haven't completed something you know you need to do... and the list goes on.
This year, may Advent be a time to prepare our hearts and lives for the coming of Christ. May we expect something great to happen in our community, in our church, in our homes, and in our lives as we prepare for the coming of our King.
Peace and Grace, J

Here are a few of the Articles from our recent bulletins. Each of these have to do with our Charge Conference and the future of our congregation. let me know if you have any ideas:

I have heard many of you say how special this years Charge Conference was. I agree! This was a great time of sharing together our past and looking to our future. Thank you to all of you who took the time to make Sunday night a priority. If you were here I hope you heard a vision for the future as we talked about last years goals and accomplishments, the goals and leaders for the coming year, the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, and the Bishop Lowry's 3 P's. Over the next several weeks I will be outlining each of these in this section of the bulletin.
To start, let's look at the goals that were set for 2008 and how we have done with them.
Build strong relationship with residents of the community ( The congregation visited door to door in 2008, Fish Fry and Fall Festival, Quilters group, Ladies exercise class, youth and children activities, all reach out to the community.)
Have a VBS (We did not have a VBS in 2008 but are committed to having one in 2009)
Continue to be committed to mission outreach (the Charge has given over $2500 to UMCOR, we have and continue to give to the Food Pantry, we have a presence each week at the Nursing Home...)
I look forward to a great year ahead.


As promised we continue to look at where we have been and where we are going as a follow up to our recent Charge Conference. A large part of the Conference was focused on the 5 Practices book by Bishop Schnaze. This is a little excerpt from what was mentioned about it:
In the year ahead I see God leading us further and further into the community as we seek to offer Christ to a world full of unchurched people in need of God’s grace. In order to do this we as the people of God must make the following steps a priority:
We must get serious about our own faith development. In a sense, we must become intentional about our faith development. We can’t offer what we don’t have. We can’t give what we don’t know that we have received. To focus on our own spiritual growth and faith development we will offer a mid-week Bible study beginning in February in addition to our already developed Sunday School program.
We must make our stewardship of the resources God has given us a priority. You may want to call it Extravagant Generosity if you have studied the 5 Practices book. This Spring we will begin a time of focusing on our giving, what it means to give, why we give, why a tithe is important,…
This covers only 2 points of the book. We'll look at more next week.


...Continued from last week!
Below is the rest of the excerpt about the 5 Practices book that was discussed at Charge Conference.:
We must do better at inviting and receiving newcomers to the church. Some may call it radical hospitality, others may call it just being friendly but we need to take it to the next step. How we will do this is up for debate but we can begin on the streets here in Wortham and continue right here in the pews of the church
We must become passionate about our worship. Bill, Linda, and the pastor cannot do it all. You must come to worship prepared to encounter the risen Christ. We must all come to church ready, willing, and expecting change to take place in our lives and in the lives of those in the community.
We must step out of our comfort zone in ministry to others. You might hear of Risk-Taking Mission and Service or you might be asked to go on or receive a group for a mission trip. What ever it is you and I must be willing to reach out beyond the walls of the church, beyond the confines of our property, outside of our community, across the state and national boundaries, and into the world where Christ has called us to make a difference.

Here's to a great year behind and a wonderful year ahead!!!!
Jay