ISSUE 7 | JANUARY 2016 EDITION
THE WOODLANDS UMC
MONTHLY THIS MONTH’S
NEWS:
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Creating a love of learning the Bible
FOCUS ON WOMEN’S MINISTRY 2016 NEW YEAR GREETINGS I want to take this time to extend well wishes in the New Year. The month of January always seems to fly by, and this year is no exception. January is a season of planning for the year ahead at the church, much like it probably is at your house: “What are our goals? How shall we manage our money and time?” Each year we get a new opportunity for a fresh start. I like that! We are in our annual stewardship season, a time when we recommit ourselves to supporting the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. The theme for this year is “Greater,” and I invite you to join us as we seek greater growth, greater discipleship, and greater impact on our world in the year ahead.
Let’s trust God to guide our use of the resources He’s provided to further His Kingdom.
RADIANT BIBLE STUDY:
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NEW ROOTS:
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WOMEN’S WINTER PROGRAMS:
Meet three women who overcame seasons of isolation and loneliness
This issue of The Point Monthly features our thriving Women’s Ministry. I can’t think of a better time than the beginning of the year to highlight the many ways women of all ages are living out their faith and strengthening the fabric of our church. Dori Barber heads up this vibrant ministry. What a creative person – and full of energy! As we greet 2016 with new plans and projects, I encourage you to keep Jesus at the center! Take time to invest in what’s most important — spending time in community with God and with each other, just as Jesus did.
Your Pastor,
Ed Robb
Rooted and Grounded, Lenten Expressions, Staycation
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CHURCH NEWS:
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UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR
Births, Deaths, New Members, Foundation Gifts
STEWARDSHIP 2016
When we partner with God, He helps us achieve things that are so much greater than we could ever imagine. Join us as we seek greater growth, greater faith, and greater impact in the year ahead. Let’s trust Him to guide our use of the resources He’s provided to further His Kingdom. Pledge online at thewoodlandsumc.org/give
WOMEN’S MINISTRY
DEVELOPING A LOVE OF LEARNING THE BIBLE By Nathan Nix
Radiant Bible Study emerged as a response to women in the church asking for a Bible study that was pastor-led. “Many women appreciate being able to learn the Bible and getting to know one of their own pastors better,” says Dori Barber, Director of Women’s Ministry. Radiant is designed to meet ladies where they are, according to its leader Rev. Susan Kent, The Woodlands UMC’s Pastor of Local Missions and Women’s Ministry. “Radiant does this by fusing two formats that have worked well at our church for many years: pastor-led live teaching (similar to Quest Men’s Bible Study) and a traditional small group Bible study,” she says. After Susan teaches each week, ladies break up into either table groups or study groups where they discuss questions related to the material, read Scriptures together, and share prayer requests. How much time a woman has during the week to devote to going over materials determines whether a table group or a study group is the better fit. The former meets for a half hour after Susan teaches and only discusses questions related to her message, whereas the latter will head to a private room for an hour to discuss the workbook study materials from throughout the week as well.
Ladies can show up once a week and listen to a message, have fantastic fellowship with other women and talk through the questions from the message. Others want all of that and to study at home during the week too. Many ladies have told Women’s Ministry they love having a choice. During different seasons of their lives they choose different options. Susan’s goal with Radiant is to “create a love of learning the Bible.” “I want to create an environment that you want to come to and that makes you love studying God ’s Word,” she says. “Usually excitement about Scripture builds when you hear something you didn’t expect or information that is new to you, and then you’re able to share how that relates in your own life with other people.” Since what is being studied changes each semester (though the focus is always on a book or books of the Bible), Radiant isn’t necessarily a one-anddone class. Women can attend each season and still learn something new. That said, Susan’s goal is for women to hear God’s calling on their life through their study of Scripture and small group time and then explore other ways to grow in the church. “Maybe you become a leader at Radiant,” she says, “or maybe you go start your own Bible study or go and
serve in a different ministry. You could stay and always be learning some deeply grounded Scriptural lessons, but we really want you to get so excited about Scripture and what God is saying to you that then you hear Him and say, ‘What am I supposed to do with this now?’” Though recent Radiant classes have grown to close to 300 women, which can be intimidating to newcomers, breaking into small groups really facilitates developing new relationships. “Because we’re sitting in small tables and you’re assigned a small, multigenerational group,” Susan says, “you really are connecting with a small group of ladies and still getting to touch the lives of the larger women’s community. Whether you’re brand new to the church or know every single member, it’s a great study for you.” •
Radiant Bible Study Thursdays, starting January 21 9:30 – 11: 30 a.m. | Wesley Hall or 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. | Asbury Hall Register at thewoodlandsumc.org/radiant Child care and scholarships are available. 3
WOMEN’S MINISTRY
PLANTING ROOTS FINDING CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY AT CHURCH By Nathan Nix 4
EILEEN FENTON Meet three women who made successful life transitions by overcoming isolation. Transitions can be difficult for many people, whether it’s as simple as trying out a new church in the neighborhood or as complex as uprooting an entire family to move across the country for a new job. While learning how to navigate a new city can be accomplished given enough time and practice, connecting with other people can be the most difficult part of a change of scenery. It can be tough to find a place in a community where many have lived for decades and are already settled into routines and circles of friends. Having experienced this sense of isolation personally, Dori Barber, The Woodlands UMC’s Director of Women’s Ministry, felt called to begin a ministry that walked alongside women during these types of transitions. In the fall of 2014, Women’s Ministry launched New Roots. In this Tuesday morning program, women new to the area or going through a transition in their life gather in a safe, welcoming place on the campus of The Woodlands UMC to learn about life in The Woodlands and meet other women going through similar challenges in finding their place in a new community. With the spring New Roots program set to begin on Tuesday, January 26, we wanted to highlight three stories of ladies, all in different stages of life, for whom the class has had a huge impact on their new lives in The Woodlands. The theme that unifies all three stories is connection, which is what New Roots is about at its core. While the practical knowledge is helpful — how to navigate The Woodlands, how to navigate our campus, whom our ministry leaders are and what their departments are about, etc. — the real reason a woman comes to New Roots is because she craves connection and wants to feel a part of something bigger than herself. For each of these ladies, that’s exactly what they found. As they learned Biblical truths about trust, they leaned on each other for help mourning the loss of being close to friends and family. They moved from grief into a season of new beginnings.
(pictured opposite page)
Eileen Fenton and her husband, Walter, moved to The Woodlands in 2014 from Princeton, NJ, where she had been commuting into Manhattan every day for work. After a couple of years of flying back and forth between Princeton and The Woodlands for his job with Good News magazine, Walter suggested they consider moving to Texas. “It was kind of the right time,” Eileen says. “I felt like I’d done all I could do where I was and it was maybe time to step out in faith and make a change.” Upon arrival, The Woodlands UMC seemed like the best fit as far as a home church, especially considering the Good News tie . I n N ew J e r sey, their constant travel had made connection with others difficult. “If I felt part of a community,” Eileen says, “I think it might’ve been the Delta Airlines family! We really wanted to pursue community connection here in an intentional way.” Having decided to take her time in searching for a new job, Eileen and Walter found their Texas roles to be the opposite of what they’d been used to. Whereas Walter had previously worked from home while Eileen commuted into New York City, suddenly she was the one seeing him off in the morning while staying around the house. “I’m like June Cleaver all of a sudden,” she says. “I’m not working. I’m the woman at Starbucks in the middle of the day. It was such an abrupt change to be this lady of leisure, to not know what my next job would be and to not know anyone.” It didn’t help that her inner sense of place was mirrored by a literal disorientation. She says driving around The Woodlands was continuously confusing due to all the trees, a common thing many newcomers to the area experience. “I kept hearing Google Maps say ‘you have arrived’ and I’d be like,
‘But where?’” she says. “I couldn’t find a darn thing! It was really fun and exciting until it wasn’t, until all of a sudden I thought, ‘What if I never find a great job? What if I never find myself here?’” Shortly after this fear set in, she received The Woodlands UMC’s weekly eNews, which happened to be announcing the start of New Roots. “I read this email that literally said exactly how I was feeling,” she says. “‘Are you lost? Do you feel like you don’t know anyone? Are you in the middle of a transition? This is the place for you.’ I thought, ‘I could’ve written that message.’” For Eileen, it was “the right thing at the right time.” “It was so reassuring to me to be meeting other people who felt lost, and — even though I knew it in my head — just to be reminded that this is a phase,” she says. “It will have a beginning, a middle and an end. God is with me in this phase. To be able to walk that journey in a way that was supportive in so many different ways — very practical ways, helping me learn about the church and its programs, the community and its offerings — to do that in a context that approached that transition in a very faith-based way was just amazing to me.” Connecting with women of all ages at New Roots helped the couple accomplish their initial goal of intentionally becoming part of the community. “It’s been a wonderful thing to see the ladies I met in New Roots on Sundays and to also see them outside of specific church events,” she says. “It’s one of those things that helps you feel like, ‘Ok, I’m really connected here. This isn’t just the place I happen to be living for now.’ It helped me get past that stage of just walking in the door, going to the service, and then walking out without really saying hello to anyone.” •
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WOMEN’S MINISTRY
“It’ll meet the needs you didn’t know you had.”
MARY ELLEN ROACH When Mary Ellen Roach and her husband, Cleatis, moved to the area in 2014, it was the first time they’d lived someplace other than Ft. Worth in 35 years. “We were in no hurry to move,” she says, “but the Lord told me one night, ‘You need to go to The Woodlands.’ I had all these (worries) in my mind, but everything has been absolutely, unbelievably perfect. The Lord knows what He’s doing.” Though everything fell into place just right to bring them to the area to be close to their son, Jack, and daughter-inlaw, Karol, starting over again in a new city was daunting, especially given Mary Ellen was in her mid-80s. Even when she heard about New Roots through a letter in the mail, she was still hesitant, thinking it would mostly young women with families. She went anyway, accompanied by Karol. Mary Ellen says when the ladies attending New Roots broke into smaller groups at the first meeting, they were 6
asked to describe their current state in one word. Mary Ellen’s word was “resigned,” due to her anxiety over their move. By the end of New Roots, that word had changed to “grateful.” “It helps everyone to assimilate,” she says of New Roots. “They introduced us to new things in the community. Sometimes your smaller groups would go meet for lunch or coffee. You’d just meet new friends. And I did make a couple of pretty good friends.” Meeting those new friends — many of them indeed much younger than she — proved extremely important when she was diagnosed with cancer not long after the program ended. Though she and Cleatis had been involved in another class at the church, Mary Ellen says she didn’t feel comfortable sharing her diagnosis with such a large group of people she’d yet to really meet. Some of the ladies she had gone through New Roots with learned of her illness and took action.
“ When I was going through the treatments, the girls in the New Roots class — the one that just finished and the ones from the spring that were with me — sent me encouraging emails and notes, prayed for me, and came by to see me.” Mary Ellen recently finished her radiation treatment and is feeling much better. She credits much of that emotional uplift to her New Roots friends. “ I do think N ew Roots girls have contributed to my well-being,” she says. “It’s not just a class — you build relationships.” She encourages any ladies feeling isolated, alone, or disconnected to at least give New Roots a try. “You’ll be so glad you went,” she says. “It’ll meet needs you didn’t know you had. You’ll make new connections … get informed about your community and your church, and meet people from other cultures and other parts of the country.” •
WOMEN’S MINISTRY
“It was so refreshing to hear that there’s a room full of people feeling exactly how you feel.”
ANGIE BAUDOIN Angie Baudoin was stuck in a rut similar to Eileen Fenton’s. She would come to services but never connect with anyone. And this was after casually attending the church for a while and even trying out a Bible study. “I had lived here for four years, so I wasn’t new,” she says, “but I had not connected and dived in.” Like many others, work had taken her then fiancé, Ethan, to The Woodlands in 2010. Shortly thereafter, Angie’s employer arranged for her to transfer to the area as well. At age 30, she moved from the relatively small town of Bossier City, Louisiana, where she had lived her entire life. “Everything I ever knew was in that town,” she says. “It was nothing to walk into a restaurant or a store and see someone you went to school with or an old friend. I missed that sense of community and feeling like this was home.”
In comparison, community in The Woodlands was difficult to cultivate. People always seemed busy with their families or with the circles of friends they already had in place. “Moving to a town this size is kind of a culture shock,” she says. “It’s just different. You feel like a goldfish in an ocean. For the first few years I was here, I hated it. I wanted to go back home. I didn’t have any friends, and I didn’t know where anything was.” When New Roots promotional materials kept “popping up” in her email, her mailbox, and at church, she concluded that “Somebody’s trying to tell me something.” On a whim, she registered for the program one day in her kitchen. “It was out of my character to do something like that, without a friend saying, ‘Hey, come do this!’” she says. That spur-of-the-moment decision ended up being a “game-changer” for Angie.
“It was amazing,” she says. “It was so refreshing to hear that there’s a room full of people feeling exactly how you feel. I didn’t feel intimidated. It was just easy and comfortable. Everybody was so welcoming and friendly.” Over a year later, she and most of the ladies at her table still get together and hang out. In addition, Angie felt more comfortable getting involved in the church community, helping plan the fall New Roots program as well as Rooted and Grounded, the New Roots followup that debuts this spring. •
New Roots Tuesdays, January 26 - April 5 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Jones Library $20 per person Free child care available Register at thewoodlandsumc.org/new-roots 7
WOMEN’S MINISTRY
NEW YEAR NEW OPPORTUNITIES By Nathan Nix
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UNPACK YOUR FAITH
A NEW WAY TO WORSHIP
RECHARGE WITHOUT LEAVING THE WOODLANDS
February will mark the debut of a new Women’s Ministry program called Rooted and Grounded, what director Dori Barber sees as “an appropriate next step” in woman’s journey at The Woodlands UMC following the New Roots class.
This upcoming Lenten season, women at The Woodlands UMC will have the opportunity to add a new experience to their lives as opposed to giving something up. Our Women’s Ministry will offer Lenten Expressions, classes designed to help women discover a new way of worshipping God through creative expression.
Af ter the success of last year ’s Staycation, Women’s Ministry will once again welcome a fantastic guest speaker for a Saturday filled with worship, inspiring messages and connection with other women.
“After you’ve had to lean on the Lord while transitioning into a new community, you’re ready to understand a little bit more what following Him might look like,” she says. Using a curriculum she developed with Dr. William J. Abraham from Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology, Dori will teach ladies how to “unpack the faith” after they’ve unpacked the moving boxes. “Sometimes we don’t know what we believe and why we believe it,” she says, “so we want to give ladies that bigger picture. We unpack what the Kingdom means — how we operate in the Kingdom, what the gifts are we get in the Kingdom, what some of the experiences of joining the Kingdom look like, and more.” Rooted and Grounded will take on a very similar format to New Roots. There will be icebreakers, a lecture, and small group discussions. “Getting to share this material with our ladies will be a personal joy for me,” Dori says, “because it was so significant in my own spiritual growth. Your understanding of God deepens significantly just by thinking through issues on a little bit bigger scale.” •
Rooted and Grounded Tuesdays, starting February 2 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. | Asbury Hall Cost: $20
As Lent has traditionally been a season for reflection, we want to use the arts and have options for women to reflect on Christ as they explore their gifts and open themselves up to God. “These classes are for women who are ready to encounter God in a different way,” says Dori Barber, Director of Women’s Ministry. “We really want to set women free to explore their gifts and to open themselves up to whatever God has for them.” While details are still being ironed out, options will likely include classes on painting with acrylics, writing a spiritual memoir, and yoga as a spiritual practice, all taught in an intimate setting with highly gifted and qualified instructors. “So often God challenges me to experience Him in new ways that are outside of my usual comfortable approach,” Dori says. “I think that using art helps us grow and reflect and see things a little deeper and with more purpose and meaning. At the same time, we will get to better know ourselves and discover what we’re capable of.”
This year, Mary Jo Sharp, an Assistant Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University, will join us. A former atheist who is now committed to spreading the truth of Jesus Christ, Ms. Sharp is the author of the best-selling Bible study Why Do You Believe That? and runs the Confident Christianity apologetics ministry. Staycation is a wonderful time for women to get away from the busyness of life and focus on their spiritual growth without having to worry about all the arrangements that come with leaving town for a weekend. •
Staycation Saturday, April 16 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Harvest Worship Center Cost: $25 Child care provided
While those who have previous training in any of the subjects will still enjoy the classes, they’ve been created with those in mind who may have never tested the waters of their artistic ability. •
Lenten Expressions Mondays, February 15 – March 21 (Not meeting March 14) 10:00 a.m. – Noon Cost: TBD (Due to the workshop nature of the classes, they will cost more than the average Women’s Ministry event, though they won’t be prohibitively expensive.)
Visit our new website for the latest information from Women’s Ministry. Find a Bible study or small group, catch-up on speaker podcasts, or register for upcoming events. Visit: thewoodlandsumc.org/women
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This information removed for online viewing.
This information removed for online viewing.
THE POINT MONTHLY
Is published once a month by The Woodlands UMC. Dr. Ed Robb Senior Pastor
Photographers Ryan Perkins
Mike Sims Editor/Creative Director
Contributing Writers Dr. Ed Robb, Nathan Nix
Scott Brinkmeyer Publication Design/Art Director
Copy Editors Nathan Nix, Sally Bacon
Michelle “Micki” Mensio Project Manager 10
FOUNDATION GIFTS
NOVEMBER 20 — DECEMBER 17, 2015 Establishment of The Gordon and Lynne Turner Scholarship Endowment Fund Lynne Turner In Memory of Genia Alston, Mother of Gail Alston Steve and Becky Hamrick In Memory of Tommy Ault, Husband of Norma Ault Norma Ault In Memory of Tom Causey, Son of Cloy and Barbara Causey Cloy and Barbara Causey In Memory of Lynda Whitley Frank, Wife of Jay Frank Jay Frank In Memory of Joyce Horni Jonathan and Jennifer Breazeale In Memory of Dr. J. Ellsworth Kalas Empty Nest Sunday School Class In Memory of John “Jack” Morton, Father of Dave Morton Harlan and Marie Hartman Marilyn Stinson
In Memory of Kimberly Naugle, Daughter of Bob and Avalyn Naugle Bob and Avalyn Naugle
In Memory of Noah Sawran’s Baptism, Son of Chris and Wendee Sawran Mike and Linda Sawran
In Honor of Joyce and Ken Nesmith OK Quilters Joanne Black Garnet Boldrey Bernice Brown Carole DeFord Phyllis Johnson Ann Lauterbach Caleta Linn Elizabeth McCarty Dee Megee Nancy Miller Connie Norton Minerva Urquizu Mary Lou Prince Emma Reed Margaret Roberts Dutch Swearingen Patsy Tarvin
In Memory of Lorraine Sorum, Wife of Lyle Sorum Dave and Dee Megee Clarence Thompson
In Memory of Bob Reynolds, Husband of Margie Reynolds Margie Reynolds Marilyn Stinson
In Memory of Rhodes Wright, Son of John Wright Jack Powell
FOUNDATION RESTRICTED Society of St. Stephen Endowment Fund Bill and Mickey Nelson
FOUNDATION UNRESTRICTED Steven and Julie Bedingfield Ken and Linda Keith
Make a lasting gift to The Woodlands UMC Foundation. thewoodlandsumc.org/foundation
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NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
N. HOUSTON, TX PERMIT #280
2200 Lake Woodlands Drive The Woodlands, TX 77380
SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS
For details and event registrations, visit thewoodlandsumc.org/register
JANUARY 10 | Woodforest Launch Sunday 10 | Parenting Is Heart Work Begins 10 | Financial Peace University Begins (Sundays) 11 | Upward Cheerleading Begins 11 | Upward Basketball Begins 12 | Financial Peace University Begins (Tuesdays) 14 | Single Life Bowling 16 | Foundations for Marriage Seminar 17 | Decision Sunday 18 | GriefShare Begins 20 | DivorceCare and DC4K Begin 20-24 | Belize Mission Trip 21 | Radiant Bible Study Begins 24 | Starting Point 26 | New Roots Begins 29 | Single Mom’s Night Out
FEBRUARY 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 19-21 | 26 |
Prime Timers Children of The Woodlands Registration Confirmation Crash Course Begins Lenten Expressions Begins Ash Wednesday Women’s Valentine’s Luncheon The Woodlands Methodist School Enrollment Opens Father-Daughter Valentine’s Dance Special Champions Basketball Begins Rebelbase Mission Waco Poverty Simulation Seniors’ Afternoon at the Movies
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