2017
A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR LINDA
Our stewardship focus, The Ripple Effect, reminds us that the choices we make and the gifts we commit to God’s church can have a real and lasting effect on others’ lives. It is a grace and a blessing that we get to work sideby-side with God to bring ripples of love, compassion, service and Truth to a hurting world. We’ve prepared the stories and information in this magazine for you to reflect upon as you and your family prayerfully consider how God is calling you to respond to the grace and blessings you have received. Here, you’ll see statistics, percentages, budget summaries and evidence of detailed, faithful stewardship, and all of that is an important part of the work of God’s church in the world. But I encourage you also to open your heart to the stories of real people whose lives are being blessed by your generosity and by God’s grace. Think about the way McFarlin’s ministries of Worship, Discipleship and Missions affect one life or one family today, and how that ripple effect flows into tomorrow and tomorrow and over and over again, transforming generations and, eventually, the world. I am so blessed to serve with you and am looking forward to celebrating with you in worship on Commitment Sunday, November 5.
“ I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.� Mother Teresa
2
THE RIPPLE EFFECT BEGINS WITHIN THE WALLS OF OUR CHURCH… Jesus asks us to create ripples in the world around us – ripples of love and grace, healing and forgiveness, mercy and justice. Ripples that bring the hope and new life that we find in Jesus to people and a world that need them. This ripple effect begins within the walls of our church and quickly spreads to the Norman community and well beyond our borders. It is during worship that Jesus begins inviting us, both as individuals and as a church, to create ripples, to disturb what is with a heart toward what may be. Worship forms the core of God’s call and plan for our lives. It is where we hear the Good News of the Scriptures proclaimed, and where we are moved and inspired by the hymns and music of the saints who’ve gone before us. It is where we join our voices and hearts together in prayer, and where we profess our faith. In worship we come to Christ’s table to remember His death and resurrection, and we share in the ripples of baptismal waters. When we come together as one body, one community of faith, one family, we have opportunities to share stories of how God is at work in our midst, stories like Joy’s. Joy Foster is a long-time member of the McFarlin family and also a member of our Alzheimer’s Support Group. “It is a lifeline,” Joy says. “It is something that people need. This is not a short-term problem. Dementia can last for years, and we don’t want people to give up. There’s no other place to turn. I knew about the support group, but didn’t need it until my husband started showing signs of dementia. I came to the support group to see what they had to offer; it was a place where you could be frank and honest with what you were dealing with. No one would make a judgment, it was safe. I depended on it for my existence.” It was nearly 10 years ago when Joy began attending the support group, and it’s been five years since she and her husband Harlan were last able to have a conversation. “There’re all kinds of dementia,” she explains, “and they don’t all have the same symptoms. Thankfully my husband’s last words were, ‘Thank you’ and ‘I love you.’ You can’t beat that with a stick.”
“
“I depended on it for my existence.”
Joy and Harlan’s story continues, and we will continue to share in their story because we are one family of faith. The difference that McFarlin’s support group is making in their lives is significant. Our giving, sacrifice and faithfulness create a “ripple effect” difference for each and every one of the men, women and children who shares in the ministries within the walls of our church.
4
...AND IT QUICKLY SPREADS... 1,120
People Gather to Worship each Sunday
415
First-Time Guest Connections
3,188
Children, Youth & Adults Engaged in Discipleship Ministries
471
People Served by 25 Congregational Care Ministers
254
Children, Youth & Adults Who Lead Worship in Our Choirs
672
Hours of Rehearsal by Vocal & Handbell Choirs Preparing for Worship
6
...TO THE NORMAN COMMUNITY... A year ago, as part of the Vision 2020 aim to address significant needs within our Norman community, McFarlin joined with Adams, Jackson and Madison elementary schools to initiate a mentoring program and Mobile Food Pantry for students and families. Thanks to your service, generosity and time, both ministries are growing in exciting, life-changing ways. Kindergarten mentor and McFarlin member Susan Carruth explains it like this, “Teachers need to know that there are people out there who are willing to support them and give them a little boost, and that’s what we do.” In addition to mentoring at Adams Elementary, Susan has long been involved in McFarlin’s Prayer Shawl Ministry, so when tragedy struck the school earlier this year, Susan was able to reach out to comfort grieving teachers. Two young children and their grandmother were killed in a car accident, and Susan recalls, “Those teachers were with those children eight hours a day, and they were devastated. I thought, ‘There’s not a thing I can do for them, but I can take them a prayer shawl.’ I don’t know if they’ve ever worn them, but I can tell you that each time they see them, they’re reminded of God’s love for them.”
“Who knows how long it might improve their lives or encourage them to do something else … to keep going?”
At Madison Elementary School, volunteer Denise Sober serves in the PTA and as the school’s resource coordinator. Her children have attended Madison for seven years, and she describes the challenges the school faces in serving a highly diverse, often struggling student population. For example, students there speak a range of more than 30 different languages! Due to economic hardships facing many Madison families and a high concentration of children whose parents are international graduate students or Ph.D. candidates at OU, Madison leaders have struggled to get parents involved in school programs. “Once I got a glimpse at what our teachers go through on a daily basis and how invested they are in our kids, I wanted to partner with that,” says Denise. “Now that we’ve partnered with McFarlin, we’re bridging the gap. It’s so encouraging and provides so much hope. We don’t have to minimize our ideas and the direction we want to go with our school, or slow it down onto a 10-year path. All because we have McFarlin to come and carry the torch with us.” Our partnerships with these schools were born when their respective leadership teams invited McFarlin to walk alongside them in serving students and families. This past year McFarlin joinedwith Irving Middle School, too, and opened new opportunities for our ministry to grow. Each of these schools has high numbers of children depending on free or reduced-priced lunches, and this is where our Mobile Food Pantry has created a significant ripple effect. McFarlin volunteers in this ministry have worked hard to build relationships, to be consistent and warm in their service so that students, families and educators feel welcomed and know that McFarlin is committed to serving in love. (continued)
8
Richard Dennis has been a member of McFarlin just shy of five years. He’s a retired teacher and principal, and when we began the Mobile Food Pantry, Richard felt it was a ministry God was calling him to be involved with. He recalls one night earlier this school year when he and Pastor Wendi were standing by the Mobile Food Pantry truck in a school parking lot, and a woman with a noticeable limp approached them. It wasn’t until she got close enough to greet them that they realized she was someone they already knew. She had visited the Mobile Food Pantry a few weeks earlier and told Richard about an upcoming surgery. He and Pastor Wendi had prayed with her that her surgery would be a success. She had returned simply to thank them and to let them know that the surgery had indeed been successful. “It was just so rewarding, it’s hard to express,” Richard recalls. “It’s an emotional connection. If there’s just one more organization or one person that can offer that helping hand, I know it lifts them up. Who knows how long it might improve their lives or encourage them to do something else … to keep going?” “The amazing thing about your partnership with Madison is that you all have met real, physical needs,” Denise says. She sits on the edge of her seat, smiling ear to ear when she talks about the ripple effects of our mentoring and Mobile Food Pantry. “You’ve helped put food on the table. You’ve helped a mom who didn’t know where their food was going to come from tomorrow feed her children tonight. When you hand that Popsicle to that kid with a smile and a fist bump, and say, ‘Hey, we’re happy you’re here!’ it creates a spark in them that lets them feel like they belong somewhere … that they’re a part of a community.”
158,524
Pounds of Food Ordered from the Regional Food Bank
$73,827
Helped 378 Families Through Utilities Assistance Program
42,000
Pounds of Potatoes Distributed by UMM to Area Food Pantries
950
People Attend McFarlin-Hosted 12-Step Meetings
7,854
Families Served by McFarlin’s Food Pantry
202
Out-of -State Missionaries Hosted at McFarlin
10
... WELL BEYOND OUR BORDERS. God is working in and through the people of McFarlin to answer needs well beyond Oklahoma through life-changing missions. Whether responding to hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast, Florida and Puerto Rico, or serving in the Southwestern U.S., Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, Guatemala or Tanzania, we’re making a ripple effect difference in the lives of thousands of people. In fact, serving in mission is the ripple effect in motion. In spring, McFarlin’s House from the Ground Up team of 25 adults traveled to Pharr, TX, to lay a foundation and construct a home for Maria Gonzalez and her three children who had been displaced by tropical storms and were living in a dilapidated trailer. A few weeks later, 114 students, college students and adults followed to complete the project, host two Vacation Bible Schools and repair a community center and church. “Nobody truly believes that a team of middle and high schoolers is better at repairing a house than a team of construction workers,” says Katie Maloan, a senior at Norman North High School and member of McFarlin’s Spring Break Mission team.
“We do this not because it is logical, but because it is exemplary of God’s love and our place in it.” “Nobody would say that trucking over a hundred people down to South Texas is the most costeffective or efficient way to replace some drywall or repurpose a church. Despite all of this, McFarlin prioritizes our Spring Break Mission and has bent over backwards for over 24 years to send students down to the Rio Grande Valley. We do this not because it is logical, but because it is exemplary of God’s love and our place in it, “ says Katie. McFarlin has a long tradition of fostering top-quality music ministry. This summer, our youth vocal and handbell choirs embarked on their annual mission trip, traveling, performing and leading worship across Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. In addition, they offered music and service to residents in retirement communities and assisted living facilities. “Even before the music started, when the choirs were setting up equipment, they could sense the interest and anticipation of the residents,” recalls Libby Waldenville, Director of Children’s Music and Handbells. “It was such a blessing to be able to offer them our music and then afterwards give them each a hand-knitted prayer square to remind them that God’s love is always with them.” (continued)
12
Also in summer, we sent a scout team to meet with Pastor Umba and Ngoy Kalangwa in Tanzania to assess how McFarlin might deepen our partnership with them. The team met with teachers and administrators at Wesley pre-k and primary schools, who shared with us the great need they have for additional classroom space and transportation for the children, as well as updated teacher resources, a computer lab and science equipment. Drs. Bill Blum and Robert Holbrook, both of McFarlin, met with the doctor and nurse at the small clinic operated by the Kalangwas to discuss how dental and medical teams could expand the scope of services provided. Pastor Umba took the team to meet with the Maasai tribe in the villages of Mangai and Mitupili where the Kalangwas initiated water well projects, built a church and started a school.
“Thanks to God’s people serving ... poverty and praise, hardship and hope exist side by side.” Finally, in July McFarlin sent a team of high school juniors and seniors to the outskirts of Guatemala City to the village of Sumpango where they worked with children with HIV/AIDS. “It could be a place of despair, but it isn’t,” says Scott Meier, Director of Student Ministries. “Thanks to God’s people serving in schools, churches, an orphanage, and family support organization, Sumpango is a place where poverty and praise, hardship and hope exist side by side.”
$44,558
Raised for Tanzania Projects
325
Pounds of Beads Collected for the Maasai Women’s Small Businesses
$17,618
Raised for Hurricanes Harvey & Irma relief
$10,100
Raised for Puerto Rico Disaster Relief
508
Relief Kits Assembled & Distributed in Houston, TX
14
2017 FINANCIAL REVIEW MINISTRY EXPENSES Administrative Support $170,060 Apportionments $387,833
5.2%
Staff-Related Expenses $1,681,847
11.9%
15.1%
51.4%
16.4%
Program Ministries $494,847 Care & Upkeep of Facilities $535,950
SOURCES OF REVENUE
Commitment Card Pledges..................... $ 2,205,000 Non-Pledged Contributions.................... $ 500,000 Designated Gifts.......................................... $ 201,802 McFarlin Foundation .................................. $ 136,418 Easter & Christmas Offerings................... $ 80,000 Miscellaneous............................................... $ 62,500 McFarlin Endowment Fund..................... $ 44,964 Offering Plate Gifts.......................................$ 40,000
“Giving, for followers of Christ, is a heart issue, a spiritual issue, a holy response to the grace we’ve received. When we invest our time, our energy and our financial resources in God’s church, that is where our hearts will land, and it is from there, from that holy sweet place, that The Ripple Effect flows.” -Pastor Linda Harker
16
IMAGINE ‌ WHAT GREATER DIFFERENCE OUR CHURCH, COMMUNITY COMMITTED TO GROWING IN 25
If each child in our nursery and elementary school ministries (225 kids) gave a quarter every Sunday ($2,925), we could help 15 more families keep the lights on through our Thursday Utilities Assistance Program!
If parents of our nursery and elementary children gave $5 more each week alongside their children, we could use the $58,500 to dig five new water wells in Tanzania or add one more Mobile Food Pantry truck!
If 50 McFarlin students packed a home lunch once a week instead of eating out, they could give over $14,000 to repair seven additional homes on the Spring Break Mission in South Texas!
If each of the 919 adults in McFarlin Sunday school classes and small groups gave up the equivalent of two trips to Starbucks each week, their gift could cover our programming budget, freeing up $477,880 to improve our facilities and grow our outreach ministries!
COULD WE MAKE IN AND WORLD IF WE OUR GIVING IN 2018? Just imagine how God might be calling you & your family to make a ripple effect difference through the life & ministries of McFarlin this coming year! 18
0936 xoB OP ,ehcapA ta ytisrevinU S 914 4843.123.504 07037 KO ,namroN
gro.cmunilrafcm.www
McFarlin United Methodist Church 419 S University at Apache, PO Box 6390 Norman, OK 73070 405.321.3484 www.mcfarlinumc.org