Pledge Sunday – November 19th
Pledge Sunday will be November 19th. Please place your pledge card in the offering plate or in the box outside the church office. Pledge cards are available at all entrances of the Sanctuary.
“Thanksgiving.”
“Count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
The other night I was having trouble sleeping. Some people say that sleeplessness is a part of the aging process, but I am too young for that to be true, so there must have been another reason. Pretty soon I was having a real pity party. In my mind I was going through a long litany of problems and things that were wrong in my life. Then all of a sudden the words of a song I thought I had long forgotten came into my mind. Try as I would, I could not get those words out of my consciousness.
Those words were: “Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.” I began to do that and pretty soon I realized just how much God has blessed me. The next thing I knew it was morning. When I awoke I wanted to finish my list. I soon realized it could not be finished. God’s blessings are really without number.
Maybe what I came to understand is the true meaning of what Thanksgiving really is. Beingthankful for the good things God gives us and not allowing the problems that we incur to become the things that control us and give us our identity. When we dwell entirely on the negative we lose sight of the positive.
By the way here are some things that topped my list:
- Jesus Christ – God loved me enough to send His One Begotten Son to be my savior.
- The beauty of creation – God looked at all God had made and indeed it was very good. (Genesis 1:31) That goodness has not been overcome.
- First Galax United Methodist Church – I am blessed to serve a church that loves the Lord and cares for one another.
- The portion of health I enjoy – my health problems are not nearly as bad as they could be.
- Family – I thank God for those who love, sometimes in spite of me.
I am also very thankful for friends, for our combined Worship Service, for our Future Committee who are looking at ways the church can improve over the years, and for my upcoming Retirement.
May we begin to count our blessings and realize just what God has done for us. May we do tis not just on the fourth Thursday of November, but each and every day we live.
-Richard
New Pastor Expectations Survey
With the retirement of Richard it is time for the Staff Parish committee, with input from the congregation, to identify the traits we want our new pastor to possess. Staff parish developed the following survey that will help us reflect on pastoral skills that 1) positively impact the future of our church; 2) assist with the growth of our church; and 3) are important to our personal spiritual growth.
Children’s Ministry – THANK YOU!
A big THANK YOU! To all the volunteers from FUMC & Mt. Olivet UMC for donating your time, to the members who donated pudding, jello, and the Galax Fire Department for providing some water fun. This great event could not have happened without you!
Camp Dickenson Benefit Golf Tournament – 08/09/2017
Camp Dickenson Benefit Golf Tournament
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Draper Valley Golf Club
Camp Dickenson is a United Methodist Church Camp that will serve 400 children, youth and adults this summer. Summer camp provides a wide variety of activities for campers to enjoy – including swimming, hiking, crafts and canoeing. In addition, Bible study and worship are a part of each day at summer camp.
We invite you to be a part of the 23rd Annual Camp Dickenson Benefit Golf Tournament. We are in need of both sponsors and prizes. Your participation will help make the tournament a success. The funds raised through the golf tournament will support our Camp Dickenson year round ministries. Camp Dickenson shared the love of Christ with over 400 campers in 2016. That number will be even higher in 2017. A week at camp changes the life of campers. We invite you to be a part of changing lives. All sponsor names will be prominently displayed on appropriate signs and banners. A listing of all sponsors and prize donors will be provided to each golfer.
$500 and above – Major Sponsor
An individual, group or company making a gift of $500 or higher will be recognized with a banner at the registration area of the golf tournament.
$100 – Hole Sponsor
An individual, group or company making a gift of $100 will be thanked with a sign placed on the golf course.
$75 – Cart Sponsor
An individual, group or company making a gift of $75 will have a sign placed on a golf cart in your honor.
For more information on the tournament refer to: http://www.campdickenson.com/golf-tournament.html
Life Line Screening – 09/01/2017
Life Line Screening, a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings, is pleased to offer a preventive health event at Galax First United Methodist Church on 9/1/2017. Five screenings will be offered that scan for potential health problems related to: blocked arteries which is a leading cause of stroke; abdominal aortic aneurysms which can lead to a ruptured aorta; hardening of the arteries in the legs which is a strong predictor of heart disease; atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat which is closely tied to stroke risk; and a bone density screening, for men and women, used to assess the risk of osteoporosis. Register for a Wellness Package which includes 4 vascular tests and osteoporosis screening from $149 ($139 with our member discount). All five screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete. There are three ways to register for this event and to receive a $10 discount off any package priced above $129, please call toll-free 1-888-653-6441 or visit http://lifelinescreening.com/communitycircle or text the word circle to 797979.
CHILDREN’S BIBLE STUDY: David and Goliath
CHILDREN’S BIBLE STUDY
WHEN: August 27th
TIME: 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: FUMC Room 109
Join us for crafts, snack, and the story of David & Goliath!
UMW News August 2017
The UMW will meet on August 8 the at 10:00am with a guest speaker–Debbie Hill, our district social action coordinator. Followed by lunch at RJ’s. We hope to see you there.
“Something to Ponder.”
There was a pastor who had a storefront church. The pastor’s church was called Almighty God Tabernacle. On a Saturday night several weeks ago, this pastor was working late and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about 10:00 PM, but his wife did not answer the phone. The pastor let it ring many times. He thought it was odd that she did not answer, but he decided to wrap up a few things and try again in a few minutes. When he tried again she answered right away. He asked her why she had not answered before and she said that the phone did not ring at their house. They brushed it off as a fluke and went on their merry way.
The following Monday the pastor received a call at the church office, which was the phone that he had used on Saturday night. The man he spoke with wanted to know why he had called on Saturday night. The pastor could not figure out what the guy was talking about.
Then the man said “It rang and rang, but I didn’t answer it.” The pastor remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that he had intended to call his wife.
The man said: “That’s OK. Let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did I prayed, ‘God, if you’re there, and don’t want me to do this give me a sign now.’ At that point the phone started to ring and when I looked at the Caller ID it said, ‘Almighty God’ and that was sign enough for me.”
-Richard
UMW News July 2017
On June 24th around 30 people attended our Wytheville District UMW Social Action event. Galax Police Chief Rick Clark and Kevin Kemp from Carroll County sheriff’s department presented very informative program on human trafficking and drugs in our area. Many thanks to them for giving of their time to be with us. Our next UMW meeting will be July 11th at 10:00 am in the UMW room. Pastor Richard will have the program and we will plan to have lunch at The Cafe in Fries following the meeting. Please make plans to attend.
