Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
Our People, Our Ministries — The people who make our youth ministry Read the story on page 8
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Our Church, Our Missions
Impact | Ministerio Hispano
The Bigger Picture
Serving our neighbors around the world
Jesus Fuente de Vida, crecimiento espiritual y integración social
Apportionments — Critical to the United Methodist Connection
IMPACT | Magazine Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
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Impact | Missions A glimpse on our mission trips
16 Impact | From the Pastor One church, one family, one future
17 Impact | Ministerio Hispano Dentro del Miniserio Jesus Fuente de Vida
18 Impact | Bigger Picture
Apportionments – Critical to the United Methodist Connection
19 Impact | Events
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Impact | People
2018 Youth’s Annual Fall Retreat in Bridgeport on Labor Day Weekend.
Learn about FUMC-Denton’s Events
On the Cover: Y outh members during retreat Photo by Brian Lain
&
Editor’s Note
IMPACT Magazine: The Happiness of Loving and Being Loved
“There is only one happiness in this life, to love and to be loved.” —George Sand
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hrough love, we can see changes in the lives of people we barely know. We can feed the urge to making a difference in one’s life. We can witness the IMPACT we can have in the world. God loves us unconditionally and so we should not only love Him above all, but love our neighbors unconditionally. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” —John 15:12 Every day, we can see the impact that this church family has in the world—the people we help feed, the message we help spread, the
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seeds we plant. I listen to stories, first hand, of people who give their hearts and their time to brothers and sisters, near or far, without asking for anything in exchange. Members of this church family, fueled with faith and courage to open their hearts, minds and doors to people in need. They make a difference. They are the positive IMPACT that this world needs—to Shine God’s Love into Every Life. You will read about the IMPACT of our ministries in this beautiful and encouraging publication. I invite you to dive into the wonderful stories of our youth and our mission trips. — Martha Ware, Managing Editor
Martha Ware, Managing Editor
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IMPACT Content
First United Methodist Church of Denton, Publisher Alan Heath, Executive Editor Martha Ware, Managing Editor Erika Dorsey, Graphic Designer Martha Ware, Photography
IMPACT | Missions
FUMC-Denton members and locals working on construction site during ODIM mission trip to Guatemala in 2014.
Our Church, Our Missions
Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
3 Story by
Martha Ware
M
ethodists are known for their emphasis on a personal faith, lived out in concrete ways in the world. They have played an important part in the building of our nation. The United Methodist Church, its annual conferences, missionary conferences and local congregations have a global mission agency called the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM.) Its purpose is to connect the church in mission. The GBGM equips and transforms people and places for God’s mission around the world. One of its main responsibilities is to connect the various parts of the “big church.” FUMC-Denton is very active in support of local, regional, national and international missions. With open hearts and open minds we live our goal of shining God’s love into every life by building a Christian community where people become deeply committed to
serve our neighbors around the world. As a missional church, we have played a major role in starting missions such as Interfaith Ministries and the citywide recycling program. We also helped Habitat for Humanity build its first houses in Denton. We are active in our neighborhood, driving and supporting missions such as Alternative Gifts Fair, Crouch Memorial Prayer Garden and Tomas Rivera Elementary. Beyond our community, we support Angel Tree, Heifer International and UMC Saratov, Russia. Via the Mission Corner, we support missions, organizations and programs such as Our Daily Bread, Interfaith Ministries, FunStop, FUMC-Denton Vacation Bible School and Denton Community Food Center. Mission trips are a great way for our members to extend their service to different communities in need.
Our church provides opportunities for all ages, including adults. In 2013 and 2014 we organized mission trips to Saratov, Russia and Guatemala and made a real difference in those communities. In 2017, youth and adults from our church went on a mission trip to Costa Rica. The first mission trip to Saratov, Russia was in the summer of 2011. In 2012, our church made the decision to enter into a covenant partnership with Saratov UMC as it worked to complete its church building. Since then we helped finish out their sanctuary and remodeled restrooms and meeting rooms through both volunteer work and donations. Last year, our former Children’s Director Brandi Southwell, along with members Janet and Dennis Fisher, went to Saratov to introduce and train shepherds for Godly Play. WWW.FUMC-DENTON.COM 3
IMPACT | Missions Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
Godly Play is a Bible-based curriculum that allows the children to hear the story, see the story, create things that illustrate the story and re-enact the story using three-dimensional materials from the story box. It is a creative and imaginative approach to nurturing young children in the Christian faith. Attending the training were four adults and an interpreter, who ended up far more interested in the program than he did in translating. It was their children’s first experience with Sunday school and a very successful one. “They are very happy. The children are inspired by the creative part of the program. The better we tell the stories, the better they respond to them and develop their skills,” said Vladislava, Saratov UMC Pastor Dmitri’s wife, who is now leading
the program in their church. “Godly Play, for example, was brought to our church and now other Methodist churches in Russia want to adopt our experience. This is a very good program and in Russia, there is nothing else like it,” she added. Our church has been assisting the Organization for the Development of the Indigenous Maya (ODIM) since 2010. In 2014, we supported the medical clinic in San Juan la Laguna and helped with construction of a new clinic in San Pablo la Laguna. ODIM serves the
Mayan people living in the Lake Atitlan region of the country. In the same year, the team worked on the construction of a house made of concrete blocks. Enough money was raised to also purchase a toilet and make a bathroom of sorts in this tiny little house. The owner and his family were in tears when they were told about it. Indoor plumbing is a rarity there. Most feel lucky to have a shack made of bamboo stalks, with spaces between the poles, doors consisting of a piece of cloth and
“Godly Play, for example, was brought to our church and now other Methodist churches in Russia want to adopt our experience. This is a very good program and in Russia, — Vladislava there is nothing else like it.”
2017 Senior High mission trip to Chavies, Kentucky in 2017.
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IMPACT | Missions Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
roofs made of pieces of tin,” said Katy Dawson, who has participated in some of the mission trips to Guatemala. Rev. Don Lee went to Guatemala with the group. “Four years ago I journeyed to Guatemala with a mission team from our church to work with ODIM. Our team consisted of medically trained personnel and several volunteers who would be doing ‘grunt’ work building a house for a family in the community. It was exciting to see the two medical clinics set up by ODIM, one in San Pablo, the other in San Juan. The area is impoverished and the clinics are doing some incredible work helping people in the community receive the kind of medical care they need. ODIM even runs a “Mommy and Me” program that provides prenatal care and other support for new mothers. On my end, I got to help build a house, brick by brick. I am so proud of our ongoing partnership with ODIM! It is tempting to consider the immense need in the world as something we can do little about. The truth is, there is always good we can do to bless others. Our little mission team not only provided medical care for a great many residents who otherwise could not afford it, we built a home for a family, and in the process we discovered the world is much smaller than we had imagined. For me, the words Jesus speaks in John 3:16 took on
Top: FUMC-Denton youth during Middle School mission trip to Quest Ranch and the Hill Country. Bottom: Kent Carpenter in one of the youth mission trips.
Board of Directors. Last year, she and her family (nine people in total) traveled to Guatemala once more (she and her husband Bob had gone in 2014 as well). They also travelled there again this year. “The experience of going to Guatemala and living their lives for a short while is incredible! I think it is hard for Americans to understand the poverty of the villages in Guatemala, which are the focus of ODIM. People live on so little,” said Mary. “I have received more from those people and the whole experience during the Guatemala trip than I could ever give,” added Katy Dawson.
“I think it is hard for Americans to understand the poverty of the villages in Guatemala which are the focus of ODIM. I have received more from those people and the whole experience during the Guatemala trip than I could ever give.” — Mary Harris greater import when I think of God’s loving ‘the world’ so much God sent Jesus. God is still sending Jesus… we just have to decide to go,” Pastor Don said. Another one of our members, Mary Harris, is now part of their
Molly Tampke, another longtime FUMC-Denton member, said that she has some enduring memories. “Seeing some of the Maya staff go to school on the weekends, driving two hours on a twisting road up a mountain, while during the week
working at the clinic, has been inspiring. Attending school presents a real sacrifice for them. We have learned of two of them who completed their Registered Nurse degrees.” As Joel Enright, volunteer coordinator with ODIM said: “The team from FUMC-Denton make a big contribution to our mission of providing high quality health and housing services in Guatemala.” WWW.FUMC-DENTON.COM 5
IMPACT | Missions Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
Our church has supported Heifer Project’s work for many years, typically donating one or two Arks of animals each year. On the mission trip to Heifer headquarters in Arkansas, participants visited Heifer Ranch to gain a deeper understanding of the positive impact of animals given to families. Red Bird Mission (RBM) is a mission of the United Methodist Church located in Beverly, Kentucky. The mission has been in existence since 1921 when it’s Christian school began serving students in the Appalachian Mountain region of southeastern Kentucky. The school currently serves students in Pre-K through 12th grades.
housing improvement program where work camp volunteers bring hope to low-income families through home repair. Volunteers and the individuals and families they serve are both also blessed by the relationships that are built. There is a community resale shop of donated goods that provides affordable clothes, shoes, housewares and furniture at reduced rates. FUMC-Denton supports these artisans by selling their handmade wooden items, toys, jewelry, Christmas ornaments and household items at our Alternative Gifts Fair. Donna Gregory, a long-time FUMC-Denton member, remembers when she first got involved with
Hayden Biggerstaff and friends from the youth group doing some construction work in Chavies, Kentucky.
Since that time many other ministries have grown out of the mission. There has long been a large community outreach helping feed the hungry, providing training for young mothers in proper child care practices, elder care, and dental/medical care to those in need in the tri-county area. There is also a community 6 SHINING GOD’S LOVE, TRANSFORMING LIVES
supporting RBM assisting Mike Mizell at the Heifer Fair (which developed into the Alternative Gifts Fair) where they supported and sold RBM merchandise. Back in 2017, a large group of our members, adults and youth, traveled to Costa Rica with Pastors Mauricio Orozco and Deana Mason. Mauricio is originally from Costa Rica and had
the desire to help his old church, the first one he preached at once he became a pastor. After speaking with the current lead pastor, Carlos Gonzales, he and Deana organized the trip with high schoolers from our youth ministry. About 26 people headed to Costa Rica and spent about 10 days there. They had some fundraisers to buy materials and help with costs but each one paid for their own trip expenses. The original plan was to start building a second floor in the church, Fuente de Gracia, upon their arrival but due to an unusual amount of torrential rain, they could not immediately get to that task. They worked on some painting and remodeling first until the roof could be removed so they could start building the second floor. By the time they left, all the concrete for the second floor had been poured. They also left funds with the pastor so they could continue the project. Members of that church were very excited and thankful for all the work that was done during this trip. Everyone stayed in the church while there and their pastor’s wife cooked the meals for the participants. It was not all work though. They had a little time to explore the area and get a taste for some of the country’s beauty, such as the hot spring waters (they come from the volcano) where they had “mud baths” and experienced many natural pools with different temperature waters. They also had a good time at one of the resorts on the beach. Mauricio said that, “Our youth and adults who participated in this mission trip were incredible. They were in a foreign country, helping people they’ve never seen before, and they worked hard and were extremely committed to it all.” Some locals helped with the work as well and Mauricio, his daughter and son helped to interpret from Spanish to English which made relationships easier. “There was this little boy who would come every morning to sell
George Lopez working in a house in Orange, TX after hurricane Harvey.
Cynthia Rives also working in Orange, TX after Harvey.
bread. At first, our folks got a little concerned about buying the bread because they didn’t know how it was made. Over time though, after I welcomed the boy and tried his bread, everyone warmed up to the little one and bought bread from him every day. Overall it was a productive, interesting and fun trip.” said Mauricio. But the impact of our mission trips does not stop there. It goes beyond the communities that we help. It impacts the members who volunteer for these missions. Janet Fisher, organizer of the Saratov, Russia mission trip, said that it is amazing to see the impact that our church can have on that community. “They used to worship in the living room of a house and now they have their own sanctuary.” Our members also participate in disaster relief mission trips, like one in Orange, TX. After Hurricane Harvey last year, neighbors and strangers united to help victims in different ways. Many loaded up their boats and drove down to rescue people and animals from flooded houses, some packed trailers full of food and
flooring, cleaning up of yards still littered with stuff, hanging sheetrock, rebuilding porches, wheelchair ramps and steps, etc. There were 29 youth, college students and adults that participated the week after Christmas. They all heard heartbreaking stories and many of them had received no help whatsoever at that point. In July of 2018, a few members of our church traveled to help at a refuge for asylum seekers (La Posada Providencia) in San Benito. People from Ukraine, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Guinea, Eritrea, Congo, Gabon and other countries were brought by ICE every day. Volunteers did yard work, taught English and held a Fourth of July celebration complete with fireworks and water balloons. Dale Tampke, FUMC-Denton member and volunteer, also spent a morning as an observer in an immigration court. Now in November, they are going back. Mission trips are a great way to Shine God’s Love into Every Life, near or far. We become the hands and feet of Jesus for the transformation of the world.
water and many, including a group from FUMC-Denton, traveled to Orange, TX and helped to rebuild. They went through a humbling experience. “What was harder for me was the emotional part of seeing so many destroyed homes with piles of memories in trash heaps in front of them,” said Molly Tampke. Led by Dale and Molly Tampke,
“Jesus speaks in John 3:16 took on greater import when I think of God’s loving ‘the world’ so much God sent Jesus. God is still sending Jesus… we just have to decide to go.” — Pastor Don Lee the group performed several tasks, including working on drywall and painting. Their goal was to help people get back into their homes. Our youth’s Christmas mission trip was also to Orange and Beaumont. They did a lot of cleanup including pulling out carpets and
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IMPACT | People Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
Our People, Our Ministries + D’Andre Smith
Rev. Deana Mason
Matthew Iaia
Djenane and Gilbert Leal
These are the people who make our youth ministry. Story by Martha Ware
“T
o grow as a group, growing closer to each other and to God so that more people will experience God’s love.” This is the vision statement of our United Methodist Youth Fellowship (UMYF.) And this vision not only bonds them all together but encourages them to commit to be inclusive and to share God’s love by worshiping, praying, singing, learning and playing together. This vision leads them to reach out to those who are in need, no matter who or where they are. FUMC-Denton’s UMYF is an active group of 13-18 year olds who gather on Wednesdays and Sundays for a variety of activities including choir rehearsals, mission trips planning and coordination, Bible studies, events and fellowship. When associate pastor for children and youth Rev. Deana Mason moved here as a junior high student, our Youth Ministry was already going strong. Our Credo Choir, our
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Our youth at Bridgeport.
youth choir, celebrates 50 years of ministry this fall. That itself is a strong statement on our youth ministry.
“I have always had a passion for youth ministry. My experience in youth ministry is why I am who I am today,” Deana said. Prior
IMPACT | People Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
On left: Mike Eubank, youth ministry volunteer, D’Andre Smith, youth ministry intern and Alex Nance, volunteer. Center: Matthew Iaia, Youth Council president and Gilbert Leal, youth ministry member during one of youth activities. On right: Rev. Deana Mason having fun during the shaving cream war.
to becoming Children’s Director, Deana volunteered in youth ministry. Once she became a pastor, she had a call from God that just wouldn’t let go even though she loved being the Children’s Pastor. On February of 2012, Deana's first steps in youth ministry began with conversations with all of the youth, letting them know that this was their ministry not hers. “I empowered them to create a ministry that provided them with something that they desired to be a part of. This has changed over the years as the youth have changed and their leadership styles have changed. Sometimes they plan things that don’t work out the way they imagine, but we, the church, provide a safe place for them to fail—a place where they can evaluate and come up with a new plan,” said Deana. Many of our youth have been attending our programs since they were small children—like Matthew Iaia. Matthew's parents started attending FUMC-Denton when they got married. His dad was raised
Catholic and his mom was raised Baptist and both decided to come to this church, so Matthew has been attending this church since he can remember. Matthew is currently the Youth Council president and oversees youth activities. He has been elected for next year as well. From their regular Wednesday activities to trips, he is the go-to leader for anything related to youth. He
“This church prepared me well for what is to come, for the changes I am about to go through in life. I’ve learned to build relationships, to make connections with people, because one never knows how people can help you in the future. It will be hard to go away from this church since it has been constantly in my life and it won’t be easy to find another home church,” Matthew said.
“I empowered them to create a ministry that provided them with something that they desired to be a part of…. Sometimes they plan things that don’t work out the way they imagine, but we, the church, provide a safe place for them to fail—a place where they can evaluate and come up with a new plan.” — Deana Mason was the mission chair for four years before becoming the council president. He will be a senior next year and wants to go to the University of Houston to study business.
Gilbert Leal started to attend FUMC-Denton back in 2015. When one of his friends and one of his nurses told him about our church, he decided to check it out. “We just liked it!” said Gilbert. WWW.FUMC-DENTON.COM 9
IMPACT | People Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
He joined our Children’s program for a short period of time and then “moved up” to our youth group. “People are really nice in the church so I started to wonder how it would be to go to the youth group,” he said. His mom, Djenane, had a great first impression of the church, not only because people were really nice, but because she felt included. She was so glad to see how the program was tailored to the youth group, an experience very different from the one she had as a teenager. “I grew up going to a traditional church, where there was something that they kind of called ‘youth’ but it was really not. It was very traditional. You would come in, sit down at a desk and listen to the adults talking. It was all about listening, all about their teachings. No games, no fun, nothing but listening. And for me it was a breath of fresh air when my son said he wanted to go to the youth group. He was so excited and motivated. I never had to ask or tell him he had to go. When he wanted to go and he was still learning about God and it was in a safe environ-
ment and fun… I thought…yeah, we found a place. It was so important to me that he felt he could get connected in a way I could never do!” said Djenane. But the program goes much beyond first impressions. It is built
“I’ve seen some youth shut off their parents, their families. They don’t have a connection or people to fall back on, so who do they turn to? I just feel like it’s a better life if you are able to have this kind of bond with the church and a youth group.” — D’Andre Smith to support the modern teenage life. Teens go through numerous classes, have homework, extra curricular activities and more. Sports, arts, music and many of other activities. So much stuff goes through their minds such as acceptance, changes, emotions and exhaustion. It is tough in school these days. “Kids have been going through major depression, suicide rates are up, it’s no joke. Kids have a million things going through their minds. If you are not part of a youth group it
Left: Kayla Spurgin participating in paint war games at the 2017 Fall Retreat in Bridgeport. Center: D’Andre during 2016 FUMC-Denton’s Fall Kick-Off. Right: Gilbert by the classroom doors at Rivera’s Elementary that he helped decorate before STAAR tests. 10 SHINING GOD’S LOVE, TRANSFORMING LIVES
can be even harder. I’ve seen some youth shut off their parents, their families. They don’t have a connection or people to fall back on, so who do they turn to? I just feel like it’s a better life if you are able to have this kind of bond with the
church and a youth group,” said D’Andre Smith, Youth Ministry’s intern. Back in 2006, D’Andre came to this church trying to achieve a merit badge for Boy Scouts. He was raised a Jehovah’s Witness. He was going for a merit badge and a friend of his, going for the same one, told him about FUMC-Denton. His friend was already a member of this church and said that all they had to do to get the badge would be one year of confirmation. “So I thought…all I have to do is a year,
I could do that. The year was so impactful through the people I met, the relationships I created and the adults who were around me. Everything was so impactful… it was very meaningful. I felt compelled to just keep on going. We started with a class of 32, lost a few during year, but the bonds I was creating with the church and the people… I just couldn’t stop,” D’Andre added. He started as a youth, participating in everything. “I participated because my mother was a single mother and worked a ton while I was a kid, so I knew that if I wanted to go on any extravagant trips or anything, it would have to be with Boy Scouts or the church. So, I tried to go on as many trips as possible. If I had to fundraise day and night, it was what I had to do.” After graduating from youth in 2014 he took a year off, per Conference requirements. He then started to work at CDO and FunStop for a semester. “It was fun and I am still close to those kiddos.” He became a youth intern in 2015. D’Andre has lots to do as a youth intern. He sets up or breaks down for events, takes care of paperwork, plans events with our Youth Council when Deana cannot meet with them, and much more. “I feel like I have been very fortunate because I have been able to have a lot of free rein and she has given me the ability to work on the basis of trial and error. ‘Just make sure you learn a life lesson when you make mistakes,’ she tells me. The weeks when she’s gone I kind of carry that ‘boss’ title around, and it’s kind of fun,” he adds. All the fun they have helps youth to love Wednesdays and Sundays nights. Gilbert seems to really love it too. “When we come to our meetings, we first gather and chat, eat, play some games, and also do activities that are more centered around God. Our youth group is very welcoming. When someone new attends, we don’t try to avoid them, we try to welcome and include them.”
Matthew seems to agree with Gilbert on how welcoming the group is, and thinks the life discussion groups are very cool. “It’s very interesting to see what the younger kids will talk about, things that they joke about. We, in my age group, know topics can become very serious, like depression, for example. We wouldn’t think that middle schoolers would be dealing with depression but it’s more common that one would think.” Although Deana and D’Andre lead the discussions, Matthew is always available to talk to his youth peers if they want to. “When I think about what to say, especially on sensitive topics, I think, ‘what would Jesus do, what would He say?’ When someone struggles with something, you can’t just blow it off and say they will get over whatever, they will be ok. You have to relate and help the to figure out what is going on their lives and find solutions. I try to put it into Jesus perspective and represent what Christianity is about, helping others in need.” Deana and D’Andre facilitate the conversations and make sure they don’t go too off the topic. They start the conversations but youth carry them for about an hour, sometimes even longer. The older ones feel that passion to help. They want to advise the younger ones and some of the younger ones have so many questions. It’s a great experience for both older and younger youth. “On a typical summer Wednesday night, for example, we have a two-hour hang-out time, just letting our hair down, talking, playing basketball, doing whatever. At the beginning of each year, we ask the group to think about topics they would like to cover, write them down and we will draw a theme each Wednesday. And that will be what they will talk about. It is amazing, because the group ranges between sixth graders to seniors so everyone taps into the conversation. It’s great because there are some situations that sixth graders might
Top: Gilbert playing bubble soccer during Fall Kick Off in 2016. Center: D’Andre and Alex. Bottom: Matthew at one of the youth’s mission nights in Monroe Building.
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IMPACT | People Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
not have gone through, might not know how to handle. They will get input from teenagers who have been through many of the same experiences.,” said D’Andre. Even though Gilbert doesn’t tell his mom Djenane what they talk about in the discussion group because it’s very confidential, she feels good because she knows there are adults who are part of the discussions. It makes her feel comfortable to know that if there is something he doesn’t want to talk to her about, he will talk about it with people she trusts, because Deana and D’Andre are always there. “He has an outlet because the fact of the matter is life is not the same as when we were growing up. These kids are experiencing things that are way above their emotional and developmental stage in life. I know some parents don’t feel comfortable with the fact that their discussions are confidential, but I am ok, I trust Deana, D’Andre and the volunteers,” she added. “Our youth feel safe when they are together! They feel God’s love when they are together and they are on fire for Jesus. They don’t keep that to themselves, so, they reach out to new youth in a big way because they are always focused on bringing new youth to Christ. Their hospitality is outstanding, knowing that together they can support each other,” said Deana. Kyle Biggerstaff, long-time FUMC-Denton member, has been a youth counselor in this congregation for about 10 years. “Why do I keep doing it? Our youth are passionate about serving others and worshiping God. Unlike most adults, our youth sing with gusto. They share the message of God in ways that are meaningful to their everyday lives. They give their time beyond what almost any adult will give. These youth are the example that God asks us to be. They are the example that points the way for me,” he said. Gilbert just loves it! “If I’m having a bad day, for example, the group will cheer me up and make 12 SHINING GOD’S LOVE, TRANSFORMING LIVES
me feel better. It is a very supportive group,” he said. He has also experienced supporting someone in the group. As one of his youth friends went through a rough patch with the death of a family member, he tried to be there for her and make sure she was ok, that she was not alone. “You know that if you are the one having the struggles, someone will always be there for you.” he added.
group. They meet for an hour, led by volunteers. On Sunday nights they first have Credo (choir) rehearsal around 4:00 pm, led by director Will Chandler, and from 5:30 to 7:30 pm they have their youth program. There are lots of different activities like theme nights, rec nights, family groups (each grade gathers and does their own thing, like go grabbing pizza, playing laser tag, or anything they choose. The
Youth during Rec Night group game in the gym.
“I’ve had many touching moments during my time with youth and I think my most touching moments come when the youth reach out to me when they are struggling and allow me to be their mentor, their listener, their cheerleader. My heart feels happy when our college students reach out to me to share something awesome that they have done. For instance, Rebekah Cheek texted us when she did a mission project at school and it turned out she was the only one able to use a drill. That was because of her experience on our youth mission trip,” Deana said. D’Andre said that they have Sunday School class at 9:40 am every Sunday and are split up by age
main goal of Sunday night is bonding, having fun, coming together as a group. It’s about fellowship. Once a month they do have a 30-minute worship service led by each grade. All of them have something in common: They love mission trips! There are three mission trips every year. One for high school and college age folks during Christmas break. There are also middle school and high school trips during summer. The youth group uses a rotation to pick the location for each year. This year, the high schoolers went to Kentucky for the Appalachian service project and middle schoolers went to Gonzales, TX, through UMARMY. Middle school has a three year rotation and high school
four. That way they can go to different places each year. They have local, national and for high schoolers, international locations. Gilbert has participated in many mission trips, camps and retreats, the last one in July when he went to Gonzales, TX. There, they were divided in teams—red, purple and white. He was in the red team and Djenane, his mom was in the purple team. While Gilbert’s team built shelves, scraped and painted, Djenane’s team gardened. “It was a lot of hard work. There was a community garden which was fully overgrown with weeds. We had to clear all of it. Wow! It was a lot but we got the job done. And that was all on the first day! On the second day, we were at a Christian action center where we scraped all the old paint off of the railings and pipes and then painted it. And on the third day, there was this old white house, I think it was a Catholic church in the community and it was dilapidated and kind of not looking its best,” she said. “Some of us cooperated with the other groups. If we finished early, we would go help other teams finish their projects. Whenever you are in another city, you see what people need and you want to help. You are not only helping them, you are helping yourself because it feels like you are actually making a difference,” added Gilbert. Djenane said that this was her third mission trip. She loves to know that they are helping to build a community, that it’s making a change in the world, being the hands and feet of Christ. “It does get hot; we get tired. But seeing those kids doing it all with pleasure is amazing. It’s great to listen to the
Theme Night/Scavenger hunt. From left to right: Haley Cansler, Madye Hurst, Megan Hollister, Conner Hughes, Liam Daly, Ben Ross and Karen Wheeler.
conversations amongst youth during dinner. They talk about their accomplishments in helping the community and that gives them a sense of purpose,” said Djenane One of Gilbert’s favorite mission trips was the Heifer Project in Arkansas. He enjoyed milking the goats, going to the global village and visiting the farm where they grow blueberries, tomatoes and cucumbers. Djenane went on that mission trip as well. She remembers a night when they took them on a tour to
“But seeing those kids doing it all with pleasure is amazing. It’s great to listen to the conversations amongst youth during dinner. They talk about their accomplishments in helping the community and that gives them a sense of purpose.” — Djenane Leal
visit different regions. “When you walk through the global village you might walk through a section that looks like Thailand. As you keep walking and you see another section that looks like Zambia. The students and the adults got to see how people live in these different regions. They then put your name in a lottery and you will basically “live” in one of these regions. So, we got to spend the night in a concrete hut. Some groups lived in the slums. The best part about it was seeing everyone working together. They gave us resources like a little bit of rice and a potato. Now, how is this going to feed so many people? So, what was nice was that you could see some of the students trading, like a potato for two carrots, or putting all the rice and vegetables together. That’s how we survived the night. It put things into perspective because you WWW.FUMC-DENTON.COM 13
IMPACT | People Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
are only there for a day and half but it is someone’s reality,” said Djenane. Gilbert added that although the parents were there, they had to pretend to be either adults with dementia or babies, and were not allowed to help with the cooking or house care. So, youth had to take care of the adults. He also said that the experience was very eye opening, because “it’s very different when you actually see something you’ve just heard about." Matthew loves everyone in the group and thinks that the mission trips are a great opportunity to connect on another level and see God in each one of the participants. “Everyone is really accepting of other people, which is not normal in our society. People tend to judge others based on what they wear and other things like that. In youth everyone accepts you because we all believe in God. We all have the similar connection,” Matthew said. Matthew went to the Appalachian Mission trip during summer. “People needed many different things done in their homes. I went with my group to the house a family of six, a really old cabin (1930s) and the upstairs floor was sloping to the sides. The bedroom shared by two of the girls was there. So, all their stuff stayed on the lower sides. We leveled the floor. We took some 2x4s, measured the room from the highest point in the middle, cut tapered strips of wood and screwed those down to fill the whole room. We also added some blocks around the edges to make sure everything stayed in place.” Another group had to tear out the insulation of a house and replace it. Yet another group had to fix rotted wood in a trailer and so on. Giving up on other fun stuff that he could be doing during summer vacation is not an issue for Matthew because he really likes to help people. Even though he doesn’t consider himself very skilled on construction projects, he likes to help as much as he can. “When kids 14 SHINING GOD’S LOVE, TRANSFORMING LIVES
younger than me see me working on projects, I feel like I’m setting a good example.” He also thinks the mission trip experiences are very eye-opening. Seeing the need and providing for that need is really rewarding. “Whenever we finish working on a house during our mission trips, the feeling of satisfaction is unbelievable” Matthew explained. “My graduation year we did an Appalachian project trip to Tennessee and that was very impactful to me. To see people living in poverty is very mind-bending. I had seen pictures but when I got there, reality struck,” said D’Andre. At the end of the project, we shed some tears. We
It is a FUMC-Denton only retreat. There is a winter retreat during Jan/Feb which is open to all churches in the conference. It’s almost a preview of summer camp. “They love to go and meet friends who they meet only during the retreats,” said D’Andre. There are some other specialized retreats. The confirmation class, where they experience different worship communities and youth council have their own retreats where they plan for each quarter activities. And then there are the middle and high school summer camps. Through the year youth fundraise to help with costs. “Money should
“Everyone is really accepting of other people, which is not normal in our society. People tend to judge others based on what they wear and other things like that. In youth everyone accepts you because we all believe in God. We all — Matthew Iaia have the similar connection.” just did a roof job but the woman was so grateful that it touched us all deeply. We feel great when we see that we are changing someone’s life but they definitely change ours as well.” Youth also have local missions and have just kicked off a new mission project. They were the recipients of Angela Sacarello’s (late FUMCDenton’s member) card making supplies and with Shelby Benton’s help, mission adult leader for the youth ministry, help the group began to carry on her ministry of creating cards for homebound members, those in the hospital and others in need of being lifted up by a beautiful creation. “This is a fitting project for a group so driven by mission work,” said Deana. And we can’t forget another favorite: The retreats! Youth participate in different retreats, the major one being the three-day Memorial Weekend Fall Retreat in Bridgeport.
never be an issue if they want to go to a retreat or camp. If they show interest, we will get them there,” D’Andre added. Matthew likes the retreats, especially because he loves the church friends he has made along the years at FUMC-Denton. It’s also when he takes a step back from his busy life and thinks about God and how he is relating to all these people. “That’s how faith and friendship can grow,” he said. “Bridgeport camp is my favorite place in the world and I feel certain there are many youth who would say the same thing! Whether it is summer camp, mid- winter, fall retreat or any other excuse to head out there, we love being in that setting together! It provides so many opportunities for learning, playing and worshipping at the cross. Together we can spend quality time with each other!” said Deana. Gilbert wants to encourage other youth to come visit on Wednesdays
IMPACT | People Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
2016 Youth Fall Retreat, paint wars.
and Sundays and if they like it, join the group because he believes the lessons learned are very valuable for your future. “You learn how important it is to help out.” Matthew believes the group also helps a lot because one can talk to friends in the same age group, open up in a conversation. “Sometimes peers are better to talk to than adults,” he said. But he also knows how important the adults’ role is in youth and thinks that volunteering with youth is a cool way for the adults to connect and serve within their church. “Some of the adults, like my mom, volunteer for many years and have seen us grow up in the church and our changes over time,” he adds. Djenane also wants to encourage other moms to bring their youth in. “Many moms want to find things for their youth to do, but want to feel safe and comfortable about the environment. If you want your child
to learn about God and want them to have fun in a safe environment, this is the place. They have theme and mission nights, they learn how the theme is connected with service. It’s a great plug to connect them with the church and community.
“If you want your child to learn about God and want them to have fun in a safe environment, this is the place.” — Djenane Leal It’s so nice to see them laughing and getting along. None of this could happen without Deana, D’Andre and Alex. The parents are also very close and it’s wonderful to be able to talk to other moms and dads. It’s so important that our children see that we are involved in their Christianity!
It’s not something that we only talk about, it’s something that we, as parents, participate in. I am here as much I can be. I help out as much as I can because it’s important for me to be an example for my son so he can do the same for his college peers and his family when he is a father.” Djenane said. Deana’s dream for the ministry is to continue to provide a safe place for youth to be themselves. She dreams of students reaching out to their friends, not just to invite them to church but to lead them to Christ. She dreams that students will be aware, as their adolescent development will allow, of the emotional and spiritual needs of others. “I’d love to hear stories of how they prayed with someone in their school for healing emotionally, spiritually and physically. I’d love to see social media status that reads “I told my friend about Jesus today!” she ended.
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IMPACT | From the Pastor Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
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IMPACT From the Pastor
One Church, One Family, One Future
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n the early days of education, the one classroom schoolhouse was the norm. The older, more advanced students helped the younger students with their studies. The one classroom model contributed to a sense of community among the children and helped keep costs down. The downside? It limited class size and made it difficult for the one teacher to give individual students the attention they needed. By necessity, the one classroom schoolhouse would eventually be split into two schools, one targeting younger students, the other targeting older students. Later this morphed into our modern day education system with multiple schools focusing on the age-based groups of elementary, middle and high school. Of course this meant that students, classes, grade levels, and teachers didn’t always know what the others were doing. Perhaps this was the impetus behind school wide rallies, broadcasted classroom announcements, school newspapers, and Friday night football.
— Rev. Don Lee, Lead Pastor
16 SHINING GOD’S LOVE, TRANSFORMING LIVES
One church, one family at FUMC-Denton.
The same can be true for the large church. In the old days, when the church was smaller, families used to assemble at a single hour in one space for worship. You pretty much knew everyone in the church. When a church grows as large as FUMC-Denton (1750 members), it’s not feasible to know everyone or everything happening in the church. Despite the size of FUMCDenton, we are working to keep our different services and our diverse church family connected through media, fellowship gatherings and shared mission opportunities. While you will hear the gospel preached in Spanish, English and, on a more simple level targeting children, the Gospel message of God’s love in Jesus Christ remains the same and consistent. You are given the opportunity to contribute to the Mission Corner, church wide events like Rise Against Hunger and the Alternative Gifts Fair. You’ll
be invited to fellowship gatherings with your church family such as Share the Harvest and Night in Bethlehem. Despite our size and diversity, FUMC-Denton continues to “Shine God’s love into every life.” While we are a large church, we are one church and one family, with one future. One of the ways you can keep informed is to sign up to receive my weekly email, monthly newsletter and Bi-Annual IMPACT magazine. Information on who to contact is provided below. Martha Ware, Director of Marketing and Communications – mware@fumc-denton.com Alan Heath, Church Administrator – aheath@fumc-denton.com — Rev. Don Lee, Lead Pastor
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IMPACT | Ministerio Hispano Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
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IMPACT Ministerio Hispano
Jesus Fuente de Vida, crescimento spiritual y integración social
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irad cuán bueno y cuán delicioso es habitar los hermanos juntos en armonía! Es como el buen óleo sobre la cabeza, el cual desciende sobre la barba, la barba de Aarón, y baja hasta el borde de sus vestiduras; como el rocío de Hermón, que desciende sobre los montes de Sion; porque allí envía Jehová bendición, y vida eterna. Salmo 133 Nuestro ministerio hispano cumplió cuatro años el pasado Julio. Con más de 50 miembros, el ministerio es muy activo en nuestra comunidad, ofreciendo servicio de adoración a las 12:30 pm todos los domingos, un estudio bíblico también los domingos a las 11 am y un estudio bíblico los jueves a las 7:00 pm. Dirigido por el pastor Mauricio Orozco, el ministerio ofrece muchas oportunidades para el crecimiento espiritual y participa
Martha Segundo durante la Fiesta Latina en 2018.
Norberto Y Alma Espinoza, miembros del Ministerio Jesus Fuente de Vida.
en la integración social de sus ministerios con nuestra familia de la iglesia americana y la comunidad de Denton. Algunas de las formas en que el ministerio busca la integración con la familia de la iglesia y la comunidad local son los eventos que promueve y participa, como la noche deportiva, organizada por ellos el segundo y cuarto viernes de cada mes. También participan activamente
en los eventos de la “gran iglesia”, como el inicio del otoño, Compartir la cosecha, Feria de regalos alternativos y Noche en Belén. Los predicadores y oradores invitados ofrecen diversidad en los estilos de adoración y el ministerio ha ayudado a uno de sus miembros a encontrar su verdadera vocación. Martha Segundo se convirtió en un pastor asociado certificado y predica con frecuencia en los servicios del ministerio. “El ministerio me ayudó a confirmar el llamado que tenía y que no sabía cómo empezar. La iglesia me abrió las puertas para que siguiera mi vocación,” Martha Segundo. Norberto Espinoza y su esposa Alma comenzaron a asistir a los servicios dominicales del Ministerio Jesús Fuente de Vida hace dos años. Les gusta la diversidad de mensajes y predicadores. Como Martha siempre dice en sus mensajes, “Nuestros brazos siempre están abiertos para nuestros miembros, amigos y cualquier persona que quiera unirse a nosotros”. A lo que el pastor Mauricio agregaría: “Ven, te esperamos. Dios tiene una palabra para cada uno de nosotros. Bendiciones.”
Miembros del Ministerio Jesus Fuente de Vida en la Fiesta Latina ofrecida a todos los miembros de la Iglesia Metodista Unida de Denton en 2018.
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IMPACT | Ministerio Hispano Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
Continued from page 17
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity! It is like the fine oil upon the head that ran down upon the beard, upon Aaron's beard, that ran down upon the hem of his garments; like the dew of Hermon that came down upon the mountains of Zion”… Psalm 133 Our Hispanic ministry celebrated four years last July. With more than 50 members, the ministry is very active in our community, offering a worship service at 12:30 pm every Sunday, a Bible study also on Sundays at 11:00 am and a Bible study on Thursdays at 7:00 pm. Led by Pastor Mauricio Orozco, the ministry offers many opportunities for spiritual growth and participates in the social integration of their ministries with our American church family and the Denton community. Some of the ways in which the ministry seeks integration with its church family and the local community are the events that it promotes and participates, such as the sports night, organized by them on the second and fourth Friday of each month.
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They also actively participate in the events of the “big church,” such as the Fall Kick-Off, Share the Harvest, Alternative Gifts Fair and Evening in Bethlehem. Preachers and guest speakers offer diversity in styles of worship and the ministry has helped one of its members find her true calling. Martha Segundo became a certified associate pastor and frequently preaches in this ministry services. “The ministry helped me confirm the calling I had and was not sure how to start. The church opened the doors for me to follow my calling.” said Martha Segundo. Norberto Espinoza and his wife Alma began attending the Sunday services of the Jesus Fuente de Vida Ministry two years ago. They like the diversity of messages and preachers. As Martha always says in her messages, “Our arms are always open for our members, friends and anyone who wants to join us.” To that Pastor Mauricio would add: “Come, we are waiting for you. God has a word for each one of us. Blessings.”
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— Martha Ware, Managing Editor
IMPACT Bigger Picture
Apportionments —Critical to the United Methodist Connection
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United Methodist congregation does not stand alone. We are part of a connection or network of churches around the world that are identified not by its many parts, but by being part of a marvelous whole. One of the important aspects of “connection” is our methodology for supporting the ministries of The United Methodist Church beyond the local congregation. We call this “apportionments,” but we also refer to them as “benevolences.” This system proportionally allocates the churchwide budget to conferences and local churches. Each local congregation is part of an “annual conference.” FUMC-Denton is part of the North Texas Annual Conference. Every four years, our international church holds a general conference. Part of the work of that conference is to determine the budget for the general church for the next four years. Each annual conference is then assigned a proportion of that budget which is combined with the
18 SHINING GOD’S LOVE, TRANSFORMING LIVES
annual budget of the conference. A portion of the amount is then allocated to each local congregation in the conference. “Together, through our connected congregations, we accomplish what no single church, district or annual conference could ever hope to do alone. In this way, each individual, each family, each congregation gives a fair share for the church’s work. We combine our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness to make a significant difference in the lives of God’s people.”—UMC. org. For a detailed description of the various funds supported by apportionments, click on over to http://www.umc.org/how-we-serve/ apportioned-funds. How are apportionments calculated for each local church? Every conference has the freedom to determine the formula for determining apportionments. In our conference, the apportionment budget is set at the annual conference in June of each year. Using a formula which
includes factors for both membership numbers and local church budget numbers, the conference assigns an amount for the following year in the fall based on the prior year membership and budget numbers. The apportionment budget for FUMC-Denton is $175,643 for 2019. For comparison, the amount was slightly less in 2018 at $169,036. To put this in perspective, our apportionment is approximately 7.5% of our total budget. One of the pastors I worked with several years ago had a very simple definition of the word “apportionment” as it relates to the church. “It is a portion meant for others.” And it is our portion added to those of thousands of other United Methodist congregations that provides the resources to support our mission “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
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— Alan Heath, Executive Editor
IMPACT | Events Volume 4 Issue 2 | Fall 2018
Experience IMPACT at FUMC-Denton December 5, 12, and 19 Advent Vesper Services Cole Chapel Bring a sack lunch to eat at 11:30 am in Flinn Hall Lounge before the Advent service, which replaces the Noon Bible Study through the Advent Season.
December 24 Christmas Eve Services All services will feature Communion and candle lighting. 3:00 pm – Traditional service 5:00 pm – Family service 7:00 pm – Traditional service 11:00 pm – Traditional Service
January 27 Chili Cook-Off Monroe Fellowship Building Lots of fun, food and fellowship. Chili to-go will also be available in Miller Center. 11:45 am – 1:00 pm
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IMPACT
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FUMC-Denton Service Times
Worship with Us It’s our members who make FUMC-Denton a welcoming church. We hope you will join us. Visit our website www.fumc-denton.com to learn more about the different services.
Sunday Worship Schedule: 7:30 am – First Meal A free breakfast for those in need followed by an informal worship service. Located in Monroe Fellowship Building.
8:30 am – Traditional Worship Traditional, formal worship service featuring liturgy, organ-led hymns and choral music. Located in the Sanctuary.
9:45 am – Mosaic Worship (Contemporary service) An informal service in a relaxed, contemporary setting with a praise band. Located in Monroe Fellowship Building.
9:45 am – Sunday School classes for all ages each Sunday
First United Methodist Church of Denton 201 S. Locust Street | Denton, TX 76201 (940) 382-5478 | (940) 381-9124 (FAX)
www.fumc-denton.com
11:00 am – Estudio Biblico en Español 11:00 am – Celebration Worship (livestreaming and televised on Charter 191 and Verizon 39) Incorporates elements found in traditional worship supporting the Bible-based preaching of our lead pastor. Located in the Sanctuary.
11:00 am – Open Worship A place to experience God’s radical love, in a community that is uniquely Denton. Located in Flinn Hall.
11:15 am – 3rd Day Family Service (third Sunday every month) A family service, designed to help children find their place in worship. Located in Monroe Fellowship Building. 12:30 pm – Jesus Fuente de Vida (en Español) Un servicio de alegría, alabanza y adoración para toda la familia. Un tiempo de gratitud con cantos vibrantes donde la presencia de Dios toca tu alma. Ubicado en Flinn Hall.