GrowingTogether by First United Methodist Church of McKinney

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2010

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SHARINGTHEHEART.ORG

ADULT DISCIPLESHIP AT FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Reaching Higher “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 3:18)

Growing Deeper

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Crown Jewels on Earth

he Bible reminds us that the short answer to the question, “What does God want from us?” is this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30). The journey that takes us there is the path of discipleship. The work of God in us as we yield our agendas to God’s priorities builds the life of love to which Christ calls us. Long ago, when God’s people needed an encouraging word about their future, the Lord reminded them of who they were and of the great promises that went with it: “The Lord their God will save 2

them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown” (Zechariah 9:16). Did you know that you, as a child of the King of kings, are considered a jewel in the crown of God? And God continues to polish these priceless gems with his blessing until they sparkle with the fullness of God’s glory. One of the ways this “polishing” is accomplished is through our reading, hearing, and studying the Bible together and on our own. As we learn and grow and put into practice what the Bible teaches us, God uses us to reflect his light clearly and purely into the world, so that all might recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord. As we approach and enter the

holiday season, use the opportunities highlighted in this issue to open new avenues for God to shine through you. The world will no doubt glitter with glitz this season. We’ll be focusing on a simple manger and a merciful Savior—the greatest source of the most dazzling light ever known. Let’s continue to learn and grow together, and to sparkle and shine with God’s great love and grace. Rev. John Harman Adult Discipleship Pastor

Join the Journey Growing

“Join the Journey has helped me get to know First United Methodist Church and connect with other folks who are new.

New Times

Join the Journey

Special Study

f you are new to First United Methodist Church, you’ll find the Join the Journey experience to be an opportunity to make a meaningful connection. It is specially designed to be a place to start at FUMC. The regular Join the Journey quarter ends on November 21 and will begin its standard curriculum for newcomers again in January. Between these sessions, join Pastor John Harman on Sundays at 10:05 in Room C210 for a special Christmas series, “A Savior for Everyone.” Every year at First United Methodist Church, we celebrate a season of anticipation and preparation for Christmas called Advent. We believe that the birth of Christ all those centuries ago was the fulfillment of God’s gracious plan for us—a plan for which the world had been preparing for generations. We experience our own celebration of this great blessing on the world by preparing ourselves to encounter Jesus our Savior in a spiritually significant way. But it’s not easy in our world today, is it?

Christmas

This 5-week study will explore the Christmas story by focusing on the extraordinary “backstory” presented by the New Testament gospel writers. How did God prepare the way for Jesus’ arrival, and what can we learn that will help us prepare our hearts for Christmas? We’ll connect, learn, and grow together each week. And don’t worry if you need to come and go: each week’s study will stand alone enough to accommodate the realities of travel, family, and holiday schedules. Come when you can, but don’t forget that this study is also designed to help us all have a spiritually rich season in the middle of the hectic pace. If you are ready to engage the Christmas season as we celebrate it at FUMC (which is in the glow of God’s glorious grace) then Join the Journey! See the weekly schedule below, visit sharingtheheart.org/join-thejourney for more information about this ongoing experience for visitors and new members, or email Liz Greenwell if you have questions (lgreenwell@sharingtheheart.org).

November 28

As It Is Written: The Backstory of Christmas (Mark 1:1-15)

December 19

A Christmas To-Do List (Luke 1:57—2:21)

December 5

Be Prepared This Year (Luke 1:1-25)

December 26

It Was Worth the Wait (Luke 2:22-38)

December 12

The True Spirit of Christmas (Luke 1:26-56)

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Join Dr. Jim Palmer for 3 weeks in December

A Class for Confirmation Parents

The popular 3-week class The People Called Methodist with Dr. Jim Palmer is back this holiday season. If you are new to the United Methodist Church or just curious about some of the history, doctrine, and organization of the denomination, we invite you to join in this informative and interactive experience.

Parents of children in this year’s Confirmation Class have a new opportunity to connect, learn, and grow. It’s an adult Sunday school class called Credo, and it tracks week-to-week right along with the topics that the Confirmation students are discussing.

The class will meet on Sundays December 5, 12, and 19 at 10:05 a.m. in the Conference Room. It is open to all and sure to be an especially helpful place to connect and learn for our many visitors during the holiday season and for those considering church membership. All you need to do is visit sharingtheheart.org/people-calledmethodist to register, or stop by and sign up at the Information Desk on Sunday morning. There is no cost to you—we just want to know that you’re coming. See you there!

Discover Your Gifts for Serving The 5-week Gifts Plus class is especially designed for those who are looking to understand how God has equipped them for Christian service. Every Christian is called to ministry service and has been given gifts for that service. A helpful step for many is the opportunity to engage the important questions, “What are my gifts? What am I passionate about in life?” Discover your personality style and passions, and how you can naturally and joyfully use your gifts for God. That’s what Gifts Plus is all about, and you’re invited to join this next session! Gifts Plus begins on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 11:10 a.m. in Room C200. See the Short-term Studies area of www.sharingtheheart.org/adults for registration details. Men and women of all ages are welcome!

This allows parents to connect with other parents, to learn and grow as disciples themselves, and to be able to connect with their child about what they are learning. By discussing and learning about the same subjects as their children each week, Credo helps parents to understand, to reinforce, and to have points of conversation about what it means to be in relationship with God and to be part of a church family.

Many parents participate in rotating leadership in various parts of the Confirmation program, so the Credo experience is designed to accommodate come-and-go needs. We hope that all of the parents of our Confirmation Class can participate regularly because of the obvious benefits to families the class offers, but Credo is a good fit also for those who are able to attend only occasionally. Credo meets weekly at 9:00 a.m. (the same hour as Confirmation Class) in Room A250, located above the sanctuary. No need to register, just come join in!

Faith Connections Faith Connections is an interactive basic Bible study that meets every Sunday morning at 9:00 am in c210 and is usually led by Adult Discipleship Pastor John Harman. As we prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, we will take a break from our study of the Book of Revelation (to resume Jan. 16).  Nov 14 “A Reasonable Thanksgiving” (Psalm 138)  Nov 21 “Prepare the Burnt Offering! Getting Ready for the Thanksgiving Table” (Leviticus 1)  Nov 28 – Dec 19 “Come, Long-Expected Jesus: Christ in the Old Testament Prophets and Psalms” We wait expectantly during the season of Advent, preparing again to receive and celebrate the birth of Jesus our Messiah. But what were the people of God expecting before Jesus came so long ago? Join Faith Connections on Sundays as we explore the unfolding promise and plan of God to bless the earth with Christ. Though long-expected, Jesus was full of surprises!

Compass Compass, which meets Sunday mornings at 9:00 in C205, starts a new book series October 31. The book is Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? by Philip Yancey. The study will continue for six weeks. Here’s what one reviewer said about the book: “Yancey strikes a moving chord with this book that is more full of yearning and wonder than it is of easy answers. Prayer, he writes, is our partnership with God, our chance to join forces with God’s power to confront suffering and evil head-on. Yancey is candid about his nagging sense of failure in prayer, but the book is suffused with a cautious hope; he writes of his growing confidence and joy as his prayer life has deepened from a spiritualized to-do list to a conversational communion with God.

What Are Classes Studying? See below for information from four adult classes... BOOMERS—A250 at 10:05 am

SOLO ACT—A225 at 10:05 am Nov 7 What Does Titus Teach about Bible Times and Today?

Nov 7