THE TIE - First United Methodist Church
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First United Methodist Church
325 North Broad St.
Brevard, NC 28712
FEBRUARY 2022
THE TIE
Who to Please?
My call to ordained ministry was not one of those Then he said this: “No matter what you do or
spectacular moments like Paul experienced on the how hard you try, you cannot please
road to Damascus. Rather, it was something I everybody! If you try, you end up not pleasing
wrestled with over the period of several years. anyone…not pleasing yourself…and most
Thankfully, I was blessed with a number of special important, not pleasing Christ.”
people in my life who provided the encouragement
There have been many times, over the years,
and support I needed while sorting things out.
those words ran through my mind. Every tough
Still others became wonderful mentors. One was challenge, every difficult situation, every
Rev. Russ Richardson. Russ and his wife, Lee, had disruptive conflict that would arise, and I would
retired to Waynesville after 40 some years of hear Russ speaking to me again. Sure, pastors
serving as a pastor in the Florida Annual are expected to be different things to people,
Conference. They settled into one of the small but at the end of the day there is only one
churches I served as a rookie pastor fresh out of person I needed to please—Jesus Christ, who
seminary. called me to his ministry in the first place!
Russ was for me like Paul must have been to a That said, ministry has given me a lot of joy
young Timothy. I could ask him about anything. and satisfaction. I am so grateful for the six
And he was always glad to help around the church
churches that Kay and I have served (yes, Kay
—preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and more.
has been right alongside me the whole way),
Several months into my tenure, Russ stopped by and for the many amazing PAGE 06 we have
lay people
the church one morning. Never one to offer been blessed to know and honored to serve.
unsolicited advice, Russ was quick to the point: I can recall so many countless acts of
Announcements, great
Events,
“Mike, there were some things I had to learn the faith, been inspired moreand
timesUpdates
than I can
hard way when I began serving churches. May count, and humbled by thePAGE 07 folks
way many
I offer some advice that might keep you from loved their Lord and their church…
repeating my mistakes?” PASSIONATELY!
>>>
FOR MEMBERS & FRIENDS OF FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, BREVARD, NC
continued
PASSION is a key word when it comes to living There are tough times for churches everywhere;
our faith. Are we at least as passionate about the past few years have been the hardest to be a
following Jesus and building up his Body the pastor in all my time. Even now, we struggle in
church as we are about other things in our lives? some ways to navigate through this Covid
If not, shouldn’t we be? Christ gave his all for us. wilderness, and work through the angst of anger
What are we giving back to Christ? and division in our politics while trying to manage
living with all the uncertainty that lies before us.
Brothers and sisters, I hope you know that we Folks, these are not just tough times, they are
have a great church! In my tenth year as pastor, perilous times.
I am constantly amazed and inspired by what I see
What do we do? Where do we turn? Why not
God doing in our church…and the love of Christ
Jesus Christ? You know, he has never given up
pouring out of our hearts and into the community
on us. Never abandoned or stopped forgiving us.
and beyond. This love, and your faith and
He is that one constant in our lives—his love is
generosity have continued to flow, even during the
true, his grace is sufficient, and his calling is sure.
challenges of recent years. Yes, we are Christ’s
Moreover, he is still looking to you and to me to
people…and so many of you have taken that to
carry on his mission of sharing the Good News.
heart. You are truly a blessing!
He is the one we strive to please... orshould.
Because of you I find it rather bittersweet as I
And never forget you are “CHRIST’S PEOPLE
announce my retirement. This will be at the end of
DRAWN TOGETHER IN LOVE, ALWAYS MOVING
June. After 40 years of answering Christ’s call (37
OUT TO SERVE!”
years serving churches under appointment), it is
time. The hardest part for me is knowing that I will
In the love of Christ,
miss being your pastor. You have been such a
blessing to Kay and me.
Prayer Seminar
Sunday, February 27th
3:00-4:30 PM
The Prayer Ministry, supporting recent feedback from the Visioning Focus Groups, will host a Prayer
Seminar on February 27th. This is in response to the many comments about wanting prayer support in
our major goal of Spiritual Growth.
The format of this seminar will be a whole group, 30-minute gathering in the Fellowship Hall followed by
two breakout sessions. The whole group session will cover Prayer and the Types of Prayer, led by Pastor
Mike Holder.
The one-hour breakout sessions will include one on Silent Prayer and one on Daily Devotional Prayer.
These breakout sessions will be conducted by Rob Field and Tom Lewis from our local Center for
Spiritual Wisdom. We are working on the possibility of a third break out group for parents with children-
TBD
To re-cap:
• Date: Sunday, February 27th
• Time: 3:00-4:30 PM
• Location: Fellowship Hall at Brevard FUMC
• Childcare: will be provided
About Rob & Tom…
Rob Field has been Director of the Center for Spiritual Wisdom, a practice-based Spirituality Center,
in Brevard since its founding in 2016. He was a minister for 22 years; serving St. Philips Episcopal
Church in Brevard for 16 years. Early on, he had a brief career as a journalist. Currently he is teaching
World Religions at Brevard College. His passion is working with individuals to broaden and deepen their
spirituality. He is a certified trainer in Centering Prayer. He led a Centering Prayer Workshop at FUMC
in 2018.
Tom Lewis has a background in private industry and ordained ministry. He was Director of the
Spirituality Program at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta. He has worked extensively with
church leaders from a wide spectrum of geography and theology in the areas of spiritual growth and
renewal. He currently serves as Senior Consultant at the Center for Spiritual Wisdom.
Children's Ministry
"Whoever welcomes a child in my name welcomes me." Luke 9:48
Bring your
children and join
us for S’More Love
on February 20 at Acolyte Schedule
12:15 outside of February 6
Bible--Beecher Allison
the chapel.
(See details on the following page) Candle--Sarah Gray Monk
Cross--Ella Monk
February 13
Bible--Isabella Gibbs
A Matthew 25 Opportunity Candle--Reid McCall
Celebrate 1 Year of Smart Start's "Family Cross--Averie McCall
Connects" program by donating to the February February 20
Diaper Drive! Throughout the month of Bible--Myrick Allison
February, bring unopened packages of diapers Candle--Keira Sullivan
(all sizes) to church to support ALL families of Cross--Davis Holland
newborns in our community. Family Connects
February 27
provides care, resources, and access to families
Bible--Jane Futrelle
of newborns helping to ensure all children are
Candle--Katie Futrelle
enabled to grow in a safe, healthy,
Cross--Rebecca Stroup
and loving environment.
Share some love and support by bringing your
diaper donation to church in February!
Joyful Noise Choir
Age 4 (as of Sept 1, 2021)--2nd Grade
meets on Wednesdays from 4:45-5:30
(We plan to sing in church on February 13!)
Come join us as we
"make a joyful noise to the Lord!"
Sunday School for Adults
Sunday School meets from 9:45—10:45 am each Sunday in the lower level
(unless otherwise noted*)
Classes for children and youth also meet during this time.
Each of our classes provides a unique community that is seeking to know God and grow in faith together.
We hope you will explore these classes or speak to one of our ministry staff about beginning something new!
Welcome to FUMC Sunday School!
The Abiding Light Class is a Bible study class that uses the Bible and Standard Lesson Series as their primary
sources. It is led by long-time Sunday School teacher, Don Myracle, with an opportunity for sharing thoughts and
discussion. Topic for February: "Justice and Adversity"
The Agape Class is a prayer and study group with a strong heart for outreach. They use both books and DVD
series featuring renowned leaders to guide their discussions. Their contact leaders are Debbie Yunker and Dan
& Kathy Hedberg, with shared leadership for planning and facilitating the class. They meet downstairs in the
Wesley Room. February: James Moore's book: "If God Has a Refrigerator, Your Picture is On It"
The Asbury Class* is back with interim guest leader, Nancy Loveland!
The class meets from 9:30-10:30 in the Asbury Room (upstairs in the Education Wing). This class uses
Cokesbury’s Adult Bible Study as their curriculum and is taught by Morris Davis, who is committed to returning
when things become a bit more stable. The class begins with singing from the Cokesbury hymnal and support
for one another with prayer and encouragement. The February Lessons will be looking at "The Spiritual
Practice of Testimony."
The Elective Class* meets in the chapel beginning at 9:30. This is a caring community with excellent leadership
that invites a wide variety of guest speakers, ministers, teachers, and leaders from our community, the college,
and around the world for lecture-style learning, experience, and growth. Their class leaders are John Decker and
Dan White.
Journey: An intentional, focused community—growing in faith, learning from the Word, building relationships
with God and each other. They are made up mostly of (but not limited to) parents with school age children, and
they share leadership that is coordinated by class leaders, Shannon Allison and Brittany Whitmire. They meet
downstairs in the Journey classroom. February Series: "Christianity and the World's Religions" --Adam
Hamilton
Sisters is a class for women who seek to explore their spiritual journey together. The class leader is Anna
Galloway, a certified lay speaker and a counselor in the county schools. They involve themselves in study,
support of one another, and outreach in the community. They are coming back with a series of short term
studies to allow visitors to explore the group on a limited basis.
Special Friends* is a loving, spirited class for mentally challenged adults led by Dick and Judy Hargett. They
love to sing, share Bible stories, fellowship, and worship together. They meet on the upper level and often
attend worship together.
A New Class for young adults and families with young children has begun! Jim and Becky Alderman are
mentoring this group as they get started. We are excited about this new opportunity and hope it might be a place
for our younger adults to connect to their faith and our community! They meet in their classroom downstairs!
January: "Short Stories by Jesus" A video series with Amy-Jill Levine
S'More Love
Bring your children and join us for S’MORE LOVE
on FEBRUARY 20 at 12:15 outside the chapel.
We’ll be roasting hotdogs and making s’mores.
Games and some family friendly competition will follow.
We want to make sure we have enough food supplies in safe
individual bags, so please RSVP by phone or text to
Katrina Cantler (828) 506-7607.
The Child-Family Council can’t wait to see you!
Child-Family Council Instagram
Our church’s Child-Family Council has an Instagram account! Please
follow us at brevard_fumc_child_family to get information and updates
on what’s going on in our children’s ministries! If you prefer that your
child’s photograph not be included in an Instagram post, please text or
call Katrina Cantler: (828) 506-7607.
..
Sympathy & prayers...
for Marsha & Jay Farrell following the recent death of her mother.
for Linda & Kevin Gallo following the recent death of her father.
for Nora & Alan Winchester following the recent death of her mother.
for Kristine Fink Candler, following the recent death of her mother,
Lorraine Fink.
for Don & Linda Hair, following the recent death of Don's brother, Bill.
for Kimberly & Hooper, Allie, Olin, and Lei Williams following the recent
death of Kimberly's father, and the children's grandfather, Al Plemmons.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…for their deeds shall follow them.”
(Revelation 14:13)
Stephen Ministry Welcome Center
Sundays in February
We are celebrating 24 years of Stephen Ministry at FUMC this year!
Look for our kiosk in the ‘Pocket Parlor’ of the Welcome Center
each Sunday in February.
• Stop by to learn more about Stephen Ministry
and/or steps to become a Stephen Minister.
• Share prayer concerns.
• Share joys and celebrations in your life.
Older Adult Ministry
Lunch Bunch continues to be on hold through the month of
February. We had hoped that COVID numbers would be reduced,
but we are going to play it safe for another month.
In the meantime, give Kerry a call if you have concerns,
celebrations, ideas for Older Adult Ministry – or just to say “Hello!”
Kerry Purselle 828-553-7224
FUMC’s Creation Care Ministry @ work
T h e Creation C a r e t e a m w o r k e d c a u t i o u s l y t h r o u g h C o v i d r e strictions during 2021.
T h e first big proj e c t i d e n t i f i e d w a s t o c l e a r t h e l i m b s a n d d e bris accumulated over
m a n y years in th e b e a u t i f u l s ta n d o f t r e e s b e y o n d o u r n e w playground. As with all
p r o j ects, this o n e m u s h r o o m e d! W e d i s c o v e r e d t r e e t r u n k s s mothered with English
iv y and Poison i v y . T h e n , w h en w e g o t c l o s e r i n , w e d i s c o v ered –horrors! – a
m e d ium-to-seve r e i n f e s t a t i o n o f W o o l l y A d e l g i d o n o u r s e v en majestic Hemlocks.
T h a nks to your g e n e r o u s s u p p o r t l a s t s u m m e r , t h e y w e r e c a refully treated with a
s y s t emic produ c t . S i n c e t h e n , M a r y A r n a u d i n , B i l l E s t e r , a n d Kristy Lampe
a t t e nded Hemlo c k R e s t o r a t i o n I n i t i a t i v e ’ s ( H R I ) f r e e H e m l o c k Treatment Workshop
in F lat Rock, so w e w i l l b e a b le t o p r o v i d e o n g o i n g m a i n t e n a nce for our Hemlocks.
Our second big project was to invite the
Creation Care teams from four other
Brevard churches to jointly host an
Electric Vehicle auto show on October 30.
More than 200 people showed up!
Fired up by that success, these five
churches will work together again in 2022
- to host a “Hard2Recycle Day” in April,
- and bring an HRI Hemlock Workshop to
Brevard in early spring.
We’ve also had little projects. For
example, the upstairs Sunday School
classes asked for paper-recycling bins.
We found a blue bin, and then the children
joined the campaign to create and
decorate recycling boxes for each
classroom! (Please admire them the next
time you’re upstairs!)
We have many more ideas – the United Methodist Church also has lots of ideas
[https://www.wnccumc.org/wncc-creation-care-ministry] - so we hope you will join us in 2022
for one - or many - projects designed to help protect God’s Creation.
OUR NEXT TRAINING BEGINS ON
Tuesday, March 1st, from 6:30-9:00 PM.
There will 10 weekly sessions, with
commissioning on Sunday, May 22nd.
If you are interested in becoming a
Stephen Minister, please contact:
Marian Wolf, mwolf2@comporium.net
828-553-4426
Dianne Krause, krauserd@comporium.net
828-884-8960
Kristy Lampe, klampe@comporium.net
704-454-8327
John Decker, jbdecker96@gmail.com
828-577-7726
MARCH NEWSLETTER
DEADLINE: February 17th.
Mailout: February 22nd.
February MELP Schedule
YOUTH
February 6th - FUMC
February 13th - Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
February 20 - No Youth -
February 27th - Brevard Davidson River PresybterianFEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
1 Dan Harris 10 Roberta Ashley 22 AJ Dawson
Jonlyn Parker Lynsy Folckomer 23 Rachel Ahrens
2 Edward Coye 11 James Davis Jay Coan
Frank Eastman Linda Hair Rachel Daniels
3 Paul Folckomer Julia Van Horn Jesse Phillips
Cambelle Healy Emmaline Wayne 24 Robert Eckert
John Phillips 13 Jason Epperson Paul Heidmann
Tom Shetler James Whitcomb Ashleigh Holder
14 Mieke Benepe Marie Miller
4 Melanie Booth-Butterfield Jennie Moser
Craig Burghardt
Eli Habel Pat Ream
15 Chris Dodson
5 Cindy Adams 25 Beth Keener
16 Damien LaForenza, II
Dee Campbell Tom Stroup
Marilyn Lockhart
Tinley Sotirakopulos 26 Jake Nissley
18 Kathy Arden 27 Peter Batchelder
Lei Williams Frank Wolf Sallie Harden
6 Mary Arnaudin 19 Priscilla Chamlee Jonathan Hatter
Larry Leininger Martha Jaye Johnson Ron Koelling
Michael Pratt 20 Mark Habel 28 Scott Baker
Michael Ream Randy Hoover Linda Epperson
Sam Reeves Shirley Rogers 29 Jean Woods
7 Barbara Gibson 21 James Furr
8 Gil Garner Al Strickland
9 Wayne Bowers
Lisa Folckomer
Pat Garner
Barry JonesSTEPPING UP IN 2022
Opportunities for Serving My Ch urch
T h o s e w h o f o l l o w C h r i s t a r e c a l l e d t o b e “ s h a r e r s o f t h e Go o d Ne w s . ” T h a t i s t h e
w a y t h e A p o s t l e P a u l p u t i t i n h i s l e t t e r t o t h e E p h e s i a n s (3 : 6 ). C e r t a i n l y , o n e o f
t h e b e s t w a y s i s t o “ s h a r e ” o n e s e l f i n s e r v i c e ; t o o f f e r o u r s e l v e s , o u r gi f t s a n d
graces, our time, and our hearts.
M o v i n g i n t o t h e n e w y e a r , s e v e r a l o p p o r t u n i t i e s a re a v a i l a b l e t o s e r v e o u r
church. These are:
___ Ushers and Greeters (8:30 & 10:55)
___ Lay Readers in Worship (8:30 & 10:55)
___ D r i v i n g t h e B u s f o r o u r f o l k s a t C o l l e g e W a l k ( 10 : 5 5 )
___ Facebook Broadcast Team (10:55 and other times)
___ Coffee Bar (Sunday mornings)
___ Handy-Person Duties around the Church
I n a d d i t i o n , t h e s e a r e t h e M i n i s t r y T e a m s w e a r e b u i l d i n g t o “d r e a m , ” p l a n a n d
help implement these important ministries:
___ H o s p i t a l i t y ( W e l c o m i n g a n d f o l l o w i n g u p w i t h “gu e s t s ”)
___ Church Life & Fellowship
___ Congregational Care & Caring Ministries
___ Discipleship & Spiritual Life (Studies, Small Groups, Sunday School)
___ Worship & Music
___ Health & Wholeness
___ Communications & Social Media
___ Fresh Expressions (new worship experiences)
___ Creation Care
___ Mission Team
___ Stephen Ministry
___ Other: ______________________________________________________
Also, there are numerous mission ministries in the community to which we can
direct you, including:
___ The Sharing House
___ Bread of Life
___ Habitat for Humanity
___ The Haven
___ Rise & Shine
___ The Children’s Place
___ Others, List: ________________________________________________
Please return or email: Rev. Mike Holder (mholder@brevardfumc.org)
NAME: _______________________________________
EMAIL & PHONE _______________________________Return Service Requested
Brevard, NC 28712
325 North Broad Street
Permit No. 62 First United Methodist Church
Brevard, NC
PAID
U S Postage
BREVARD
Non-Profit
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY
In the event of snow and/or ice, several church
officials will confer by telephone. If the roads
and sidewalks are deemed unsafe, we will
notify you of cancellations by way of TV
channels WLOS 13 and WYFF 4 at the earliest
possible time.
Worship
We will also send out an E-Blast regarding late
starts or cancellations. At all times we will Febuary 6 Febuary 20
practice SAFETY FIRST, and urge you not to Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
Holy Communion
travel if the roads and walking areas are not 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50
Psalm 138
safe where you live.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 6:27-31, 36-38
Call the church office if you would like to be "Follow the Leader"
"Christ Our Savior!"
included on our email distribution list. (series: "Who is Jesus?")
(series: "Who is Jesus?")
883-9025. Rev. Mike Holder
Rev. Mike Holder
February 27
SUNDAY WORSHIP February 13
Transfiguration of Our Lord
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany 2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2
8:30 AM Traditional Worship Jeremiah 17:5-10 Luke 9:28-36
9:00 AM Praise Service Luke 6:17-26 "Mystery on the Mountain!"
"How Shall We Live?" (series: "Who is Jesus?")
10:55 AM Traditional Worship (series: "Who is Jesus?") Rev. Mike Holder
Masks are required in (8:30 & 10:55) Rev. Kerry Purselle
(9:00) Mr. Rivers Smith March 2
the building/worship. Ash Wednesday
"A Clean Heart, O Lord!"You can also read
