First United Methodist Church of Quitman
You belong here.
Join us this Sunday and discover your place with us.
- The Members of First United Methodist Church
Headlines:
New Website Feature: Phonetree on-line
Does PhoneTree ever call you at the wrong time for you to listen? Do you ever wish you could replay the weekly update message - and pick up some details you missed? Does your recorder just not catch the whole message?
If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, you may be happy to learn that you can now replay our weekly update message by just clicking on an icon. You'll see this button on our home page:
Just click it and you should see a summary of the current week's update - and hear it playing, too. If you need assistance making this function work on your computer, please contact the church office.
Cat: Front Page
FUMC Joins the Army
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This past week we had the opportunity to go to Palestine, TX and join a group for youth from other churches in our conference for UMArmy. This was a great trip for us. We had a total of 12 people who went with our group. Nine of those were people from this church and then we added two youth from Emory and one from Canton to the mix. The highlight of the week was the fact that we were able to complete work on over 30 of the 40 sites that needed something in the Palestine area. Many of these sites needed things such as steps, decks, handrails and (mainly) wheelchair ramps. This was a new experience for many of us to be actually building these various things. The clients were all very gracious and thankful in their own ways and it was enough just to know that we were making a difference in someone’s life.
Each day after we finished our work and got cleaned up, we had programs to fill the time in the evenings. The two that seemed to be the biggest hits for the camp were Monday night when we did square dancing and line dancing. To have a room full of teenagers learning to square dance is really something to behold. All of the youth who participated had a great time. On Wednesday evening we had barbeque in the park and played on a huge slip-n-slide that was set on a hill. This was a huge hit.
Finally, we ended each day with worship. These were services that were very moving and helped to bring the day to a close on a high note. This was a great week and I believe that everyone who was a part of the trip had a great time and learned at least a little bit of what it really means to be the hands and feet of Christ.
To see pictures, click here.
Blake Durham
Youth Minister
FUMC-Quitman
Capital Campaign Dates announced
Now that we have a pretty good idea of what we want to build and where we want to build it, it's time to get serious about how we will pay for our much-needed addition. A capital campaign is planned for the near future, and some key dates for that campaign have been announced:
- Sunday, August 24: Capital Campaign Launch
The campaign will be launched with a Sunday morning roundtable, during which we will see plans for the building as well as details of the capital campaign. - Wednesday, September 3: 2nd Roundtable
Our first Wednesday Night Live! session this fall will be a second roundtable discussion, much like the one held the previous Sunday. - Sunday, September 28: Celebration Sunday
We will wrap up our capital campaign with "Celebration Sunday", during which we will enjoy a barbecue lunch and share the results of our campaign. Sunday, November 9: Ground-breaking
Assuming all goes well with planning and fund-raising, we hope to begin construction in early November!
This church has needed to take this big step for a long time now, and, with all of us pitching in to expand our outreach and increase our giving, we can make this happen. With God's help, we will.
Cat: Building Project, Front Page
Our Members in Mission: Epiphany
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Corsicana Epiphany, #12
A huge, HUGE, thank you goes to all the people of our church that supported the latest Epiphany retreat at the Texas Youth Correction Center in
Corsicana the weekend of July 11-13. Roy and I, as your representatives, had a blessed time with 36 young offenders and approximately 40 fellow
Christian volunteers. It wasn't easy! NO WAY! But it was worth every stressful moment! And we survived! Praise the Lord!
This particular TYC Unit is a "rehabilitation and treatment" center. All the boys who are housed at this unit, have emotional, or psychological problems, yet we found each one that we met to be precious kids! What they needed more than anything is to know God loves them, Jesus died for their sins, and they can be forgiven! Life is not over for any one of them…no matter what their offense.
Our task, as a Team, was to show them God's love and our love….and you helped with your prayers and your gifts of Bibles, meals and agape!
I wish each of you could have been at the family tables when the boys got their agape and their Bibles. Each table had 5 to 6 boys, with an adult table leader, an assistant table leader and a spiritual guide (clergy). Without exception their eyes opened wide and they asked, "Is this mine? Do I get to keep it?" They had such reverence for those paper backed Bibles…all identical and written in kid friendly language! They were thrilled.
The prayer chain was another feature that blew them away…it stretched around the meeting room TWICE…the boys couldn't believe that so many people cared about them…cared enough to pray for them.
At meal-time, it was a game to see who had a meal ticket from the fartherest away! And they did come from Arizona, California, North Carolina and even Quitman, Texas!
All of these young men had done terrible, awful things…but the worse crimes were the ones committed against them! You would not believe the abuse and neglect and way these children of GOD were treated. It would make your heart cry! It did ours.
Just for an example…
There is a fifteen year old boy…a ninth grader…very talented kid who wants to study music in college…who has completed his sentence, yet he is being held at the facility because he has NO WHERE to go if released. Both his parents are incarcerated! He's been held over for thirty days. He needs a foster parent who will agree to take him! Wow!
Thank you again and again and again for stepping up and supporting this effort. At the end of our last chapel service, the boys were invited to step forward, by "family tables" and receive a small wooden cross, signifying that they wished to become disciples of Jesus…they wanted to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. All thirty six boys stepped up and took a cross! All thirty six! Praise the Lord! Three of the boys asked to be baptized.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
Janet McGill - Roy Faubion
Cat: Front Page, MissionsNew Building "Sneak Peek "
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About 120 people gathered during the Sunday School hour on June 22 to enjoy a pot-luck brunch and get a first look at what we're hoping to break ground for this November. Bob Stinson showed drawings of the proposed site plan for our property and the current plans for our new multi-use facility (Phase I of our proposed 3-phase project).
The site plan shows the new facility fronting Goldsmith, sharing a wall with the Fellowship Hall wing of our current building, with a paved accessway running behind the new building, connecting Goldsmith and Robbins Streets. Future growth in worship, educational, activity, and parking space are also represented on the drawings, making almost full use of the properties we own. Click here to view the site plan.
The multi-use facility shows an auditorium-like area that will accomodate over three times the current Fellowship Hall's capacity, with a large platfform that will easily handle special services or other productions. The building also features a large kitchen, three new classrooms, an office, an upstairs media room, restrooms with showers, a consideralbe amount of much-needed storage space, a covered entryway, and convenient access from outside and from our existing building. The plan calls for conversion of the Fellowship Hall into a new Youth center, and includes modifications to today's Friendship classroom. Click here to see the floor plan, as well as elevations and roof plan for the new building.
This "Phase I" project addresses many of the needs we have identified for this church, but not all of them. The bigger picture includes additional phases - revamping parts of the sanctuary, addition of a music and performance rehearsal hall, and classroom expansion - all important projects that depend on successful completion of phase I.
Cat: Front Page, Building Project
Welcome, Durham Family
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The size of the Youth group in this church continues to grow, and all indications are that the trend will continue. It was always the intent to find a full-time Youth Director when the need arose, and we recently realized that the time has come. We are excited and delighted to have found a young man - a family, really - with the experience and sense of purpose that we were looking for. Blake Durham, welcome to Quitman, Tx.
Blake has been involved in youth ministry for 12 years now, full-time for the past 9. A graduate of San Angelo State University, Blake has a degree in Communications, with a minor in Drama. He and Roni have been married for 9 years, and have 3 children: Averi (5), Aspen (2), and Knight (6 months). Blake grew up in Midland, while Roni is from the Oklahoma panhandle.
Blake says, "Roni and I are so excited to be here and to have an opportunity to be part of this church family. We can't wait to get started to know you all."
Blake officially joined our staff on May 1, and the rest of his family will be joining him as soon as school is out. Blake and Roni, we can't wait, either!
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