First United Methodist Church

Hughes Springs, Texas

Abide Together

This month our church will be starting its journey through the Abide program. The program lasts a year and seeks to help revitalize smaller churches. We will be looking both at ourselves and our mission field to find ways to better act as God’s agents in our community and find ways to spread the good news of God’s love to others.

Please remember the members of the committee in your prayers. We are still forming and there is still space if you would like to come on the journey. The members would greatly appreciate both your prayers and your input during this journey.

In 2023, this congregation will turn 150 years old, wouldn’t it be great if that anniversary found this church alive and thriving. This can happen if we all work together.

We have a great opportunity with this new program. Unlike some other programs that were really designed for larger congregations, this program is meant to work with congregations our size.  This plus the fact the program is being brought to the district by our new Bishop after having shown success in his previous Annual Conference, gives me great hope in what it can do for us. The Bishop believes in this program enough that the Conference will be covering the cost of the program.

Let us abide together and move forward into the future answering the call of Christ to carry his message to the world.

God’s Grace be With You

Pastor Bill Laubenberg

Men’s Breakfast

On May 2, 2017, twenty-eight men across the area plus 6 men from our church cooking enjoyed a great Breakfast and were blessed by a message given by James Samples.

We meet again on June 6, 2017 at 6:30 am. Come on out and join this great fellowship. Bring a friend or more with you. You will truly be blessed!

Larry Cannon

This breakfast is open to all MEN from anywhere, any denomination and friends.

Please remember to call the Church Secretary’s office to add or remove anyone from our prayer list that is printed each week.

Shoe Box Mission: Donations accepted. Please see or call Mavis Boyd for information: 903-588-0280

they are scary

We will be glad to include a listing of your church meeting or activity in the newsletter, but remember that Debbie must have the information before the first of the month in order to have it in the newsletter.

Online Giving

We are checking to see if there is an interest in setting up an on-line giving program for the church. Heart Spring Foundation, a Methodist foundation, offers to help set this up for congregations at no cost to the church. If you think this is something you might be interested in, please call or email the church office. We are not committing ourselves to anything, just trying to find out if there is an interest.

Proverbs teaches us: “The righteous considers the cause of the poor.” (Proverbs 29:7) This mission project continues to reach those in our community who have a need. We served over 50 clients on the warm spring day in April. We are beginning to focus on the changes to our distribution process beginning in July. We are notifying our clients the times will change from the morning to 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. We will continue to serve on the third Thursday of each month. Some clients told us they actually prefer the afternoon distribution time. We hope to make the transition to our new process as smooth for our clients, as well as our faithful volunteers.

Lyn Baker

COMMUNICATION

If you are scheduled to enter a hospital please let the church office know. Need name of hospital, city and date of check in. This will help Pastor Bill be able to be with you in your time of need.

If you or a family member is unexpectedly admitted to the hospital, please give the church office the same information.

We are on this journey together and communication is key.

Pastor Bill

Office Needs

The church office is not on the prayer phone chain. Because of this, sometimes we miss information about members’ prayer requests or joys to share.

If you have a prayer request or know of one, please call (903-639-2131) or email hsfumc@yahoo.com, the church office. If you call after office hours, please leave a message on the voicemail.

This will help us to know when one of our church family has a special need.

If you have a Thank you to include in the newsletter, please send it to the church office.  You may bring it by or email it to me.

Thank you, Deb Kelley

YOUNG CHRISTIAN METHODISTS

Our new young people’s youth group will continue to meet through the summer. We are still working on a name. the current leader is Young Christian Methodists, but the floor is still open. During the summer months, the plan is to have movie nights/parent’s nights out every other week. On the other weeks, we will be having Bible lessons; music; arts and crafts; and fun. During the next couple of meetings, we will be working on creating Father’s Day cards. The group is open to all elementary and pre-elementary youth. Come enjoy and bring friends. If you would like to help with refreshments, please let Dianna know.

Youth Studies

Youth meetings have finished meeting for the Summer months. We will resume on August 24

THANK YOU

I would like to say thank you to each of the workers that worked tirelessly for the kids at VBS.  Thank you to: Cathy Zachry, Lynn Cates, Mary Wallace, Amy Laubenberg and Dianna Laubenberg

 Carly McCain

First United Methodist Church of Hughes Springs –

Thank you so much for your prayers, thoughts, kind words of comfort, visits, phone calls, and presence at the memorial services for Myrle Hall.  The food, cards, donations, beautiful plants, and love were appreciated. We will hold your kindness close to our hearts and may God bless you,

The Hall and Cody Families

Thank you to Ms. Betty Harris who spent two days in the office helping me.  She still thinks she didn’t do anything, however, I was buried in paperwork and filing. Ms. Betty helped me with the filing.

Thank you so much Betty.

Scripture Readings for June