FirstNews
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF DALLAS
JULY 2015
Happy City: A Summer Series About fifty years ago, a study was launched by then Dallas Mayor Erik Jonsson simply called, Goals for Dallas (Goals for Dallas. Dallas, TX: Graduate Research Center of the Southwest, 1966). In this assessment, recommended goals and essays on the history and present state of Dallas were collected. Goals ranging from urban planning and design to education and culture and essays on health, welfare, transportation, public safety and education were published as consensus gaining for the City. The ideas and vision set for the city was ambitious and broad reaching: ending the education gap, raising children out of poverty and increasing community safety. As a student of history, I appreciate this kind of future-casting. Page by page, Goals for Dallas read like an invitation. So, we have responded to the invitation with our Summer Sermon & Speaker Series called “Happy City.” What does it mean to be the church in a community with changing dynamics? How do we respond to our neighbors in compassionate ways? Where would we want our children to learn a framework for navigating these waters? Instead of wading in the problems of our community, we will be casting a vision for how FirstChurch can be the church for the city. Education, hunger, social welfare and our community partnerships become vital to envisioning our community as God envisions it. During the Sunday school hour and in our worship services through a deepening study of the Letter to the Church at Ephesus, together, we will find common ground and common purpose! Erik Jonsson closed Goals for Dallas with this statement: “In time, I think we shall be a community not known for its size, its spaciousness, its cleanliness, its tall buildings, or any physical characteristics, but rather as an aggregation of strong, independent, fearless people, who understand their destiny and want to march toward it with vigor and determination.” I think we are that community. More so, I believe that our call is to meet fear with hope, complacency with action and apathy with love. We are the church for the city! –Dr. Andy Stoker, Senior Minister
1928 Ross Avenue | Dallas, Texas 75201 214-220-2727 firstchurchdallas.org Dr. Andrew C. Stoker, Senior Minister
Speakers: 9:45 a.m. in Fiedler Atrium July 12: Stephanie Elizalde, Assistant Superintendent, Dallas ISD and Rep. Helen Giddings, Texas House of Representatives. July 19: Jan Pruitt, President and CEO, North Texas Food Bank and Marc Jacobson, Regional Director, Texas Hunger Initiative. July 26: Jay Dunn, President and CEO, The Bridge and Daniel Roby, Executive Director, Austin Street Shelter. August 2: Wil McCall, President, Leadership Foundations and Larry James, CEO, CitySquare. August 9: Bishop Michael McKee, North Texas Conference and Mike Rawlings, Mayor of Dallas.
FirstChurch Welcomes Our Newest Members
Meredith McKee
Hayes Hall with his parents Brandon and Sarah, siblings Jackson & Maddie, Rev. Alexandra Robinson & Dr. Stoker
Stewart Brown & Natalie Walker
Jason and Katie Myatt
Ruby Cowart (parents Melinda & Ronny) with Dr. Stoker
BIRTHS: Congratulations on the birth of:
DEATHS: Sincere sympathy to the families of:
Harriet Anne “Hattie” Arnold , daughter of Jeff and Michelle Arnold
Jim Goss Dennis Stanton, father of James Stanton Anne Whitaker, mother of Del Whitaker Joy Mallicote Paul Owens, brother of Anna Dunston Tom Martin, father of Michele Horick Bennie, brother of LaVelle Learner Scott Westfall, stepbrother of D’Lynn Irby and Kathy Hess
Elise Noelle Hackleman, daughter of Jon and Katie Hackleman
Junior High Mission Trip: June 22 - 26, FirstChurch junior high students served through mission organization Connect to the Kingdom (C2K), worked reading with kids at Project Transformation, delivered furniture to people coming out of homelessness, worked in CitySquare community gardens and helped scrape and paint a home. It was a busy and rewarding week!
Camp Goodrich: Hands-on arts education for kids Know a kid between ages 9 to 12 who loves art and wants to learn more? Join Teaching g Artist Sam Williamson, senior instructional specialist p at Big g Thought, for this camp filled with hands-on art experiences, museum visits and more! $200. Photography, sculpture (2D & 3D), screen print, daily snacks, T-shirt, art exhibit and reception. July 20 - 24, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. firstchurchdallas.org/camp
Join the Prayer Shawl Team The Prayer Shawl Team lovingly creates handmade shawls to distribute to members of the FirstChurch faith family in times of need. Volunteers of any skill level are invited. Contact Rev. Wally Butts for details at wbutts@ fumcdallas.org. Summer schedule: July 11: 10 - 12 a.m. in UrbanLife; July 20 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at C.C. Young.
Media Volunteers Seeking volunteers high school age and above to help film Sunday worship. Whether you’ve always wanted to be a producer, or are just curious about how it all works, Media Ministry invites you to join their team. It’s a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience and guidance as often as it fits your schedule. No long-term commitment or experience necessary. For more information, please contact Kurt McClinchie at kmcclinchie@ fumcdallas.org.
Women’s Life Group Led by Rev. Blair Thompson, this multi-generational group brings women together for deeper connection with God and one another. Join us for laughter, stories, and meaningful conversation about faith and life. Come when you can, and please bring friends! Free childcare. Bring your dinner. Tea, water, coffee, and cookies provided. Contact Rev. Blair Thompson with questions at bthompson@fumcdallas.org. Wednesdays, July 29-August 19 from 6:15-7:30 p.m. in Room G05.
Back to School Drive
Back to School Drive
Help kids start off the school year with a fresh beginning! Please help us provide school uniform shirts and supplies for DISD students through our partners including JJ Rhoads, CCS and Wesley Rankin. White polo shirts (all sizes), socks (all sizes), school supplies (pens, pencils, paper, markers and crayons). Collection bins located at Reception and Harwood Connection Points and DLC entrance. July 12 - Aug. 16.
Filled with hilarious repartee and heart-stirring tragedy, Steel Magnolias is set in Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle, the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser; an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a “good ole boy.” The sudden realization of their mortality affects the others, but also draws on the underlying strength—and love—which give the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad.
Invisible People - Cardboard Sculpture The July Goodrich Gallery exhibit features cardboard sculpture of Ali Golzab. Join us for a reception July 12 in the gallery from 12 - 2 p.m.
Goodrich Gallery July Exhibit Gallery Hours
Artist’s Statement: According to current estimates, as many as twenty million children are displaced by armed conflicts or human rights violations around the world. I have a strong affinity for these traumatized and abused children because when I was ten years old, I was forced to flee my native Iran due to revolution there and live as an orphan in Sweden until I was reunited with my parents three years later. To me, the plight of child soldiers and children abused as sex slaves escapes notice in the civilized world which causes me to question how civilized we really are. To me, these are invisible people. My choice of material, corrugated cardboard, to create bas-relief portraits of displaced children in their native habitats, reflects their unseen status. Like corrugated cardboard, the twenty million are everywhere yet invisible. I have struggled with my material to create images that are highly emotional. The three-dimensional shapes of the eyes, noses and mouth, the wrinkled clothing, and the shapes of the hands and arms, outlined with Sharpie-lines, are a result of my struggle with the cardboard to capture the empathy we would have for any enslaved people. Although I do not consider myself a political person per se, my goal with “Invisible People” is to create moving artworks that bring up emotions of estrangement and anomie we all experience from time to time.
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - Noon Saturday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday
Variations Tour The 2015 Variations tour took 44 youth and 9 counselors through Oklahoma, Missouri and into Chicago. During their week-long trip, they sang at 3 churches, including the Chicago Temple, the oldest church in Chicago, and a Friday evening concert at The Waterford, a retirement community in Springfield, Missouri. Special highlights included catching the Cubs vs. Reds at Wrigley Field and a group dinner at the world famous Giordano’s Pizza.
Meet Emily & Manny Emily Clark (Secret Agent Thunder) and Manny Martinez (Secret Agent Lightning) will lead FirstKids (rising 1st through 6th graders) Sunday school and undertake TOP SECRET missions this summer to target and meet needs near and far with Mission Possible Kids. What are you most excited about this summer at FirstChurch? E: Interning at FirstChurch this summer is such a blessing. The connections I am making and will make throughout the summer are what I am most excited about. Our church is filled with so many wonderful people with incredible stories, visions and passions. Being able to meet, discuss, and learn from a variety of people is wonderful and really inspires me to be a better person each and every day. M: I can see how the different ministry areas work together and being part of that is a blessing. I am excited for the learning and growth of my ministry throughout this summer; influenced by the pastors, leaders and the members at FirstChurch. I am excited to be part of this family unified in God’s love. What have you learned thus far? E: I have learned that ministry is a lifestyle more than a career. To be in ministry is to humble yourself and live among the people you are working with. I have learned so much about working with other people and about my own style of leadership. M: I’ve been part of a youth mission trip, where I learned from middle schoolers the compassion and the desire to serve. There’s no age to start serving others and consequently the Lord, and being part of the VBS and the children’s ministry team has shaped my way of working with others. I also have the privilege to be a SIM intern, a community of seekers trying to discern their calling while walking along with churches and each other. With this I can assure a growth in my faith, ministry and personal life. What inspired you to want to become a part of the church? E: Having grown up at FirstChurch, I have always found a second family and open arms. The church has allowed me to ask tough questions and discuss difficult topics while focusing on what it means to follow Jesus. The people I have met through my years here have taught me what it means to serve and to love. I was also heavily involved with mission trips and became immersed in the giving world of the church. FirstChurch has given me a place to discover what it means to be a child of God and how to exemplify a lifestyle of giving. I knew that I wanted to be a part of this loving community and sought an opportunity to serve this summer. I was blessed enough to be accepted as a summer intern. M: I have learned that the UMC is aware of the need of God’s love in the community and working with the great teams at FirstChurch encourages me to put my ideas and beliefs into action. I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of a progressive movement such as FirstChurch & the UMC in general. What is your biggest hope for this summer? E: I hope to be a good role model for the kids I am leading and make a difference in the life of the church. I hope that I am representing the love and service that I see around me in a way that inspires other people in the church to reach out and make a difference. M: My biggest hope and prayer is that I can be a blessing to this community, in the same way that I’ve been blessed. And that our ministry paths continue to develop together to truly see the Kingdom of God here. What are your plans once you leave this place? E: Following my internship, I will be moving to Austin to study sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. I am contemplating my call to ministry, and want to connect faith to the outside world in new and unexplored ways. Sociology is my major of choice because we are all a part of society and we are all impacted by society’s rules and structures. Understanding society helps to understand self and how God connects to the world in which we live. M: In the fall, I will continue my educational life, prayerfully moving into a new school closer to my church family and the conference. I would like to continue with the pace that I’ve been walking this journey and it is my hope to encounter more challenges, doors open, lessons and grace to give the best of me to God. What has been the most rewarding thing you have done so far? Why? E: Working with Mission Possible Kids on Sunday mornings has been really great. At times it is a struggle to find the right things to say or do with the kids, but seeing their faces light up and the excitement behind doing missions makes it worth it. Having Manny by my side has been such a blessing, because he fills in the gaps of my thinking and helps relate to the kids in ways that would never cross my mind. The progression throughout the summer and the familiar smiling faces on Sundays is truly rewarding and has taught me a lot about what it means to lead and work with kids. M: It would be hard to say only one rewarding thing. I think knowing each other and growing together is a vital role of the church and I am thankful to do so with the people at FirstChurch. Being part of the logistics in ministry and having such gifted mentors walking alongside me has helped me to grow in my call.
The Columbarium at FirstChurch I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
– John 11:25
Over the next few weeks and months you will be hearing about our intent to create an additional sacred space here at FirstChurch, known as The Columbarium at FirstChurch. You may be asking yourself, What is a columbarium? The word “columbarium” is derived from “columba”, the Latin for dovecote, a compartmented house where doves, the symbol of God’s Spirit and Peace, come to roost. In early Christian times, a columbarium was used as a preferred burial space within the church itself where the faithful could gather for a memorial service. Modern interest in columbaria has risen in recent years, due in part to the rising costs of burial plots and as the practice of cremation has gained popularity. Many churches in our area, including Highland Park and First Richardson UMC’s, have created columbaria for their communities, and we at FirstChurch are in the process of creating one as well. Unlike other communities in the area whose columbaria are located outside, ours will be indoors. Set in a serene space below the Narthex, The Columbarium at FirstChurch will provide a quiet, peaceful place for remembrance, meditation and prayer. There seems to be no more fitting place for the remains of a Christian than a columbarium within his or her church. For
generations, families and individuals have shaped their life in Christ through our community grounded at the corner of Ross and Harwood. In this place, First United Methodist Church of Dallas, all events and seasons of life are taught, celebrated, lived and honored: birth, baptism, confirmation, marriage, worship of God, spiritual growth and, finally, death. The Columbarium at FirstChurch will feature a wall of niches which accommodate urns filled with the earthly remains of any member or former member of the church, ordained Methodist ministers, employees and former employees of the Church, and their families. A task force, appointed by the Board of Trustees has prepared a plan for the space. These plans and more information are currently on display in our Meditation Room, located near the Harwood entrance to the church. This is a self-funded project – meaning there will be no funds used to create the space other than funds collected by those who reserve niches. If you would more information about The Columbarium at FirstChurch, please contact Rev. Wally Butts at wbutts@fumcdallas.org or 214-220-2727, ext. 155.
Vacation Bible School June 15 - 19