"A Heritage of Values"
This Sunday, November 1st, we will remember and honor church members who have died during the past year. They are Bill Dunivant, JoAnne Schooley, Fred Agee, Jeanne Smith, Neal Conner, Art Frith, Nita Tutwiler, John Black, and Judson Davis. During the 8:30 and 10:30 services, we will name these saints and light candles on the altar in their memory. We will invite members of the congregation to light votive candles on the altar rail in memory of other saints in their families who were not members of Decatur First. The act of remembering the saints surrounds us with a great cloud of witnesses who pull for us to persevere and finish well.
This aerial photo of Decatur First United Methodist Church represents a long history of faithful stewardship. Think with me about the purposes of each part of this building. The sanctuary building was completed in 1898.  Members of that generation gave sacrificially to build a structure in which they and thousands after them would experience and honor the presence and holiness of God. The three-story building to the left of the sanctuary houses church offices, the choir room, Sunday school classrooms, Children’s Church, the Youth Room, and First Grace. It was built by another generation of members who believed ministerial leadership, Christian education, and choral music were vital for training and supporting disciples of all ages and enhancing the worship of God. They gave sacrificially as an expression of this belief.
Between the office building and the sanctuary on the first floor is our welcome center, a conference room, and an archives center. A generation sacrificed in belief that Christian hospitality, holy conferencing, and preserving the memory of those God used to shape this church were essential to the life of faith.
The building behind the sanctuary houses our fellowship hall, kitchen, and two stories of classrooms and spaces to meet. Fellowship, shared meals, Bible studies, mission activities and displays, educational events, community group meals and meetings, bereavement meals, funeral visitations, and inclement weather play all take place in this building. These activities were valuable enough that members gave, and are still giving, to provide a space for them in our church.
The heritage we have today is far more than a magnificent physical structure. We have a heritage of eternal values passed down to us by generations who invested in them. We either sacrifice to maintain and improve ministries that support, grow, and teach these values, or they die with us. Because of the long interruption of in-person gatherings we have had this year, the very ministries that express and preserve the heart and soul of who we are as a church could be in jeopardy. Take heart. They will be sustained and strengthened when God raises up a generation who give because these are our values, and we intend to pass them on. We are that generation. We need your pledge to our 2021 budget.
Yours in Christ,
Hughey
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THE DIRECTORIES ARE HERE!
 We are excited to announce that our new directories have arrived. We will have them available for pick-up on Sunday Mornings at both our 8:30 and 10:30 worship services. For those who are unable to attend in person, we will be contacting you soon to arrange for you to be able to receive your directory as soon as possible. We hope this will be a great way to connect our families in a time when we are not able to all be together. |
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As a part of this year's stewardship campain, "God's Promise in the Wilderness," we have several of our church members sharing testimonies of times in their life that God has been faithful in hard times. We are calling these "Wilderness Wonderings." You will be able to find these Wilderness Wonderings on Facebook and Instagram multiple times a week. You can also find the blog by going to our website: http://decaturfumc.org/ministries/stewardship-blog
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A "Note" from Tommy...
November is typically a month packed with special occasions and remembrances. On All Saints' Day, we will celebrate those who have gone to be with the Lord. Thanksgiving provides a special time to thank God for the ways he has blessed us. We will kick off the Advent season at the end of the month. In addition to these days, we also take time to remember those who have served our nation in a special way. On Sunday, November 8th, we would like to celebrate our service personnel, both past and present. Please forward pictures of any armed forces members or first responders from your families to Jonathan Creekmore at youth@decaturfumc.org by Wednesday, November 4th at noon so that we can include them in a special presentation. Please include their name and what branch or first response team they represent. We will be sharing them during our anthem to celebrate their service.
Tommy Davis, Director of Music
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Navigating Our Digital World
The ways in which we communicate and consume information had already begun to migrate to digital forms before March 2020. Digital communications (e-mail, text, website, social media, etc) are cheaper, more expedient, and require less contact. It is no wonder that usage of it exploded during our current circumstances. Our church has made good use of the tools at our disposal to provide our congregants with timely information about our ministry together. You may have also begun to rely more heavily on digital services to safely communicate, receive products and services, and find your news of the day.
However, along with this increasing internet usage also comes the threat of cyber-crimes including phishing, fake e-mails/websites, and targeted phone calls from scammers. In an attempt to safeguard the privacy and security of our members, I want to remind you to be a mindful user of digital products. Don't open or answer e-mails that you don't recognize. Be cautious of links that come in e-mails. These may seem to come from services you regularly use like Amazon, Wal-Mart, or PayPal. Check the email address to see if it matches the website. Be cautious of a sense of urgency. The bad guys send multiple e-mails and use words like “urgent” to try and trick you into impulsively clicking a malicious link. Also, if you have doubts, contact the company directly to verify that the e-mail is legitimate.
Our church uses Shelby Systems for our database, financial management, and online giving platform. While our church staff may encourage regular giving through this safe and secure online giving portal, we will not e-mail you and solicit funds by asking you to send us gift cards or by directly asking for your credit card information. Another way to be safe is to check the e-mail address (not just the name) the e-mail is sent from. E-mails from church staff will come from (name@decaturfumc.org). Also, Hughey and I occasionally send from our conference accounts (name@umcna.org). You may also see a mass email from our database system Shelby (noreply@shelbynextchms.com). If you have a question about the validity of an e-mail or other communication you receive from us, please don't hesitate to contact us at the church office to confirm it is legitimate. Your online safety is important to us.
Toby
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Poinsettias will be in the sanctuary to help decorate for the Christmas Season. Please specify to whom you wish to dedicate your 10” white poinsettia (in honor or in memory). Place this information with your payment of $20 for each poinsettia (mark checks “poinsettia”) in the offering baskets at sanctuary entrances, or turn it in to the church office. Proceeds will go to the FUMC Flower Guild. Deadline is Monday, November 16th! You may take them after the Christmas Eve service.
Please contact Alyson via email with any questions.
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Please keep the following in your prayers this week:
- Death of church member Judson Davis
- Death of Chet Murphree - son of Charles Murphree and cousin of Ruth Moyers
- Death of Susan Williams
- Richie Williams - Had a stroke due to Covid-19
- Ann Harris
- Wendi (friend of Deb Graham) Chesapeake VA undergoing difficult chemo regimen
- Judy Coon
- Carolyn Swanson, Judy Coon's sister
- Dr. Willis Vickery, Celiac disease
- Tom Winkler’s stepmother has Covid-19 and is now on a ventilator
- Masinah Hawkins
- Lois House, Ken House's mother
- Faye Hovey
- Lanora Brooks Altice, tumor in abdomen
- Avery Jackson - (Neighbor of Laura Berry) Young person: inoperable brain tumor. Began radiation last week.
- Jason LeChance (Brain Mass)
- Doris Ratliff
- Kim Qualls
- Beth Roberts, recovery from back surgery
- Dalton Garner's mother Susan, chemotherapy
- Deborah Stewart
- Sarah Bailey
- Adrianne Irby Ritter, cancer (Faye Irby's stepdaughter)
- Jean Walker's sister, Sandra Campbell, recovering from brain surgery
- Mary Jane Sasser – recovering from surgery for broken ankle
- LaVerne Dollahite
- Our leaders, our citizens, our churches, the state of our Nation, and our World.
- Unspoken
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Tuesday Prayer Meeting
Please join us on Tuesdays at noon for our online prayer gathering. All are welcome to join. We will send out an invite for those meetings a few hours before they begin. If you would like to join our group, please e-mail Toby at tchastain@decaturfumc.org and he will add you to the list. If you cannot make the meeting but have specific prayer requests that you would like lifted up, please submit them to us through THIS LINK. The prayer list will still be included in the weekly e-Tidings. We encourage you to take a few moments when you receive it and pray for those on the list.
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Online and Text Giving
To give online simply go to our website: www.decaturfumc.org then click on the giving tab on the right-hand side of the page or text the word “GIVE” to 256-482-6337. You can also watch this quick video that shows you how to give online.
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Important Email Addresses
Hughey Reynolds, hreynolds@decaturfumc.org
Toby Chastain, tchastain@decaturfumc.org
Jonathan Creekmore, youth@decaturfumc.org
Louise McCallion, children@decaturfumc.org
Cindy McCulloch, cmcculloch@decaturfumc.org
Alyson Quinn, aquinn@decaturfumc.org
Kristin Green, firstgrace@decaturfumc.org
Tommy Davis, tommy.davis@nahacad.org
Ruth Moyers, moyersruth@yahoo.com
Wayne Keller, waynekeller25@yahoo.com
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