let’s go explore! · 2019-08-06 · august 2019 volume 66, issue 8 page1 worship on sundays at...

August 2019 Volume 66, Issue 8 Page1 Worship on Sundays at 10:30 AM

Let’s Go Explore!

When I was a kid I really enjoyed the weekends. My father would take us on nature outings so we could spend time in forests, rivers, mountains or the wilderness. I remember with excitement my older brother’s invitation “Let’s go explore!” How happy and excited I was to discover a new place and enjoy the company of my siblings. This new time here at Des Moines First is another opportunity to explore and I am excited! I am eager to discover what God has prepared for us and I feel very blessed to begin this journey of exploration with all of you. My childhood exploration adventures with my family were filled with good memories of joyful experiences and at the same time, challenging moments. It is like that anytime we have a new adventure in life but if we have faith in God we will never lose the excitement of a new time. In Isaiah 43:19 the Lord says “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” This is a time of exploration for us; a new adventure. Are you ready? Let’s walk together to discover what God has prepared for us!

Pastor Edgar

2 - THE LIGHT August 2019

Our Farewell to Pastor Eric

On Sunday, June 30th First Church said goodbye to Pastor Eric Guy. After six years of ministry at First Church Eric is now serving as the pastor at Aldersgate UMC in Urbandale. During worship the Mabaan choir sang and Twila Glenn preached. After worship there was a good old-fashioned potluck held in Fellowship Hall followed by a short program. Several gifts were presented to Eric including one from the children of First Church and the children of the Creative Center for Young Children (CCYC). There was also a skit presented by members of the transition committee.

We wish Eric all the best as he begins his ministry at Aldersgate.


Welcome to Pastor Edgar and Laura

On Sunday, July 7th First Church welcomed our new Pastor Edgar Solís and his wife Laura. During worship members of various ministries shared with Edgar their work and asked for his support. He was also given a stole as a welcome to First Church and gifts from the children of First Church and the children of CCYC. After worship members and friends gathered in Fellowship Hall for a dessert buffet and conversation. We welcome Edgar and Laura to First Church.


There have been many changes among our church family members since the last church directory was published. Rather than using a professional photography company, the upcoming directory will use more informal snapshots. During the last 2 weeks of August and the first 2

weeks of September, there will be a “photo station” set up to take a picture of you/your family. We will also ask you to update your contact information and share a short statement of how the church is affecting your life in a positive way. You may also send a digital copyright-free photo of you/your family to the church office. For this option or for more details please contact Jacque at [email protected] or (515) 279-2473.

Watch for more details in the bulletin.

Give the Gift of Camp

The children of the South Sudanese (Mabaan) UMC, our Central District mission congregation, would love to attend summer church camp at Camp Wesley Woods. Can you help? Can you contribute to the scholarship fund?

Bwanne, age 13, was able to attend camp last summer. She reports, “Wesley Woods Camp was a fun and educational camp. We prayed for each other and other people in our lives. I had an amazing time!” The cost for Outpost Camp (ages 9-17) is $415/week. Younger children, ages 6-9, attend a three day camp at a cost of $210.

Thanks for your support of the Mabaan children to attend camp. Please send your gift of help, payable to Iowa Conference UM Camps, with “Mabaan” on the memo line, to Iowa Conference Camp Office, 2301 Rittenhouse Street, Des Moines, IA 50321.

Thank you!

mailto:[email protected]


Mark your calendars! On Sunday, October 6th at 3:00 pm we will be having a church hockey game outing at Wells Fargo Arena. After the 2018-19 season and a playoff run that took them into the second round, the Iowa Wild was named the American Hockey League team of the year. This year promises to be an exciting one too. The game on October 6th will feature the Wild and one of their fiercest competitors, the Milwaukee Admirals. We hope you will join us for this fun all-church outing. Ticket information will be available soon.

Let’s go Wild!

Mabaan English Language Learning (ELL) First Church provides English Language Learning classes for members of the Mabaan community. The various classes have taken a break for the summer but classes will resume the week of September 15th. Classes are open to anyone wanting to learn to speak and read English. We want to thank Adele McDowell, Lesley Gesaman and Emily Schaumburg for

teaching and Betty Stout for serving as Coordinator. If you would like to teach or would consider being a substitute teacher, please contact Betty at [email protected]. We need your help!



Worship Volunteers Ushers for August Ned Johnson & Craig Strayer (Head Ushers) Rick Broman, Ron Roulet Delvin Sadler (Balcony) August 4 Reception Desk Ann Herteen Greeter Junella Schultz Information Desk Will You Volunteer? Contact the Church. August 11 Reception Desk Will You Volunteer? Contact the Church. Greeters Don & Trudy Gurnsey Information Desk Tiffany & Alan Bomer August 18 Reception Desk Lucille Nichols Greeters Dean & Sally Hosfelt Information Desk Ann Herteen August 25 Reception Desk Tiffany & Alan Bomer Greeters Tom & Donna Gruis Information Desk Tom Gruis

SUMMER CHOIR: August 11, and September 1

Summer Choir will rehearse at 9:30 AM and sing at the 10:30 AM worship service on that same Sunday. NO AUDITION REQUIRED. Friends and families are welcome. Music, coffee and continental breakfast will be provided.

SUMMER BELLS: August 18

Summer Bells will rehearse at 9:00 AM and play at the 10:30 AM worship service on that same Sunday. Ringers of all ages, all levels are welcome. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Call Tin-Shi at 244-6209. Music, coffee and continental breakfast will be provided.


The Music Ministry at First Church consists of the Chancel Choir, the Whitechapel Chimes and special music by guest musicians.

The Chancel Choir is a dedicated group of singers. We sing from our heart to provide leadership for congregational singing. We offer an anthem during the worship service 2-3 weeks of the month, and we also provide special seasonal music at Christmas and Easter. Practice is once a week on Thursday evening, from 5:30-7:00 PM, September through May. During our practice time, we often talk about what the text of the music means and the message we want to convey to the congregation. Currently we have 8 to 10 members. In the summer months, we have Summer Choir. We invite all who would like to participate to join us. This group practices on the Sunday morning that we sing, an hour ahead of the service, to become familiar with the music, and have some time to catch up over a light breakfast. The WhiteChapel Chimes is our handbell choir. You will recognize us by the white gloves we wear. We have a 4-octave set of handbells and a 2-octave set of hand chimes. Our bells were cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in England. (Which was the same bell foundry that cast a couple of famous bells – Big Ben, and the Liberty Bell.) This group has their practice every Thursday evening 7:00 to 8:30 PM, September through May, and plays once a month in worship. We have about 8 members in this group. We also have a Summer Bell Choir, practicing and learning the music on the Sunday that we play in the service. Anyone is invited to join with us during the summer. It helps if you can read music and ask that you RSVP to Tin-Shi so that bells can be assigned ahead of time. (Food and fun included here as well.) Our music ministry also includes Special Music by guest musicians, an Advent Music Series, and a Lenten Music Series. Watch for these, you won’t be disappointed! We hope you will join us to sing and ring! The remaining summer choir schedules:

Summer Choir at 9:30 AM on August 11th and September 1st

Summer Bells at 9:00 AM on August 18th

Submitted by Shelley Miller


AMOS regularly organizes research action teams to find concrete, specific, and winnable solutions to the problems plaguing families in our community. These volunteer, citizen-led issues teams are formed out of the small group house meeting process AMOS organizes every two to three years. Issues grow out of this bottom-up, grassroots process of listening and telling our stories. In the last LIGHT, we reviewed basic principles of AMOS. Here are actions achieved over the last few years: Healthcare and Mental Health

Helped secure passage of a three-year funding bill for mental

healthcare in the 2017 Legislative session,

Saved hundreds of Iowans from bankruptcy through the expanded charity care agreements reached with six major Central Iowa hospitals.

Fought for passage of the "Kathleen Brown bill" in the Iowa State Legislature that ensures our state's in-home daycare providers are paid promptly and accurately.

Juvenile Justice Reform

Initiated Let's Talk, a school mediation program now in more than ten Des Moines Elementary and Middle Schools that helps students learn how to resolve conflicts peacefully before they escalate into larger problems for the students, the schools, or the community.

Launched a racial profiling project with the ACLU and the Des Moines Chapter of the NAACP to document cases of racial profiling as they occur in central Iowa.

Observed over 300 juvenile delinquency court cases in Polk County as part of the AMOS Court Watch initiative to help ordinary citizens keep an eye on justice.


Workforce Development

Created Project IOWA, a workforce intermediary that has trained and

placed over 300 formerly impoverished central Iowa residents into career track, living wage jobs with Iowa companies like Vermeer, Bridgestone, Mercy Medical Center, and Sauer Danfoss in Ames. Learn more at projectiowa.org.

Transportation

Helped expand transit access to hundreds of low income and refugee families living at the Deer Ridge apartment complex in Des Moines by bringing key stakeholders to the table and working to create the political will to implement a solution.

Infrastructure Improvements

Increased voter turnout to ensure passage of a local option sales tax for critically needed infrastructure improvements to Des Moines Public Schools.

Won multi-million dollar upgrades to prevent flooding in the Southeast Bottoms neighborhood of Des Moines.

Secured 65,000 square feet of land on the Des Moines riverfront to build the largest open-air skate park in the United States. The city of Des Moines donated the land, and AMOS was awarded a Leadership Grant from the Des Moines Community Foundation in support of this effort. Learn more at dsmskatepark.com.

Leadership Development

Trained thousands of ordinary Central Iowans in effective leadership

development skills that build strong communities, strong congregations, and strong civic organizations.

Interested in more information?

Contact Eloise Cranke, Wanda Wendt, or Jacque Coulson.


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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 10:30 AM Mabaan

Prayer Group – Room 103 LL

7:00 PM Foxhall AA

10:30 AM Mabaan Prayer Group – Room 103 LL

3:00 – 8:30 PM Meal Prep - Kitchen

6:30 PM FUMC serves Central IA Shelter – 1420 Mulberry St.

6:00 PM Mabaan Women’s Worship – LL #103

10:00 AM Mabaan Bible Study– Room 103 LL

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Communion, Food

Pantry Sunday 10:30 AM Worship 12:30 PM Mabaan

Worship


3:15 PM CCYC Tutoring – CR1



11:30 AM Theology of the Ordinary – CR1



7:00 PM Foxhall AA




12:00 PM Mabaan –

First Partnership Meeting

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 9:30 AM Choir Practice 10:30 AM Worship 12:30 PM Mabaan

Worship



6:30 PM Outreach Meeting – CR1

9:00 AM Staff Mtg 10:30 AM Mabaan


6:00 PM CCYC Meeting – CR 1

6:30 PM Capitol City AA





7:00 PM Foxhall AA


1:30 – 7:00 PM Trinity Meal Preparations - Kitchen

4:45 PM FUMC serves at Trinity (CFUM Supper Club)- 1548 8th St, DM



11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Peace Pole Painting Class – Fellowship Hall

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 9:00 AM Bell Practice 10:30 AM Worship 12:30 PM Mabaan

Worship



6:30 PM MEPEC Meeting – CR1

LIGHT Articles Due 10:30 AM Mabaan





10:30 AM Mabaan


7:00 PM Foxhall AA




Mabaan Graduation

Celebration

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 10:30 AM Worship 12:30 PM Mabaan

Worship

10:00 AM Meal Prep -

Kitchen

10:30 AM Mabaan

Prayer Group

12 – FUMC serves at

Connection Café,

815 High St., DM


5:00 PM Finance Mtg 6:00 PM Church

Council

9:00 AM Staff Mtg 10:30 AM Mabaan






7:00 PM Foxhall AA





DEADLINE FOR THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF THE LIGHT IS AUGUST 20th

Get Acquainted Meetings

Want to get to know Pastor Edgar in an informal, friendly get-together? The Hospitality team is organizing opportunities to meet and share with Pastor Edgar and his wife, Laura in small groups. It will be easier for them to meet a few people at a time and it will give you a chance to visit and learn more about them.

Some of these get-togethers will be in host homes while others may be at other locations. Watch the bulletin for specific times and places convenient for you to reserve your place since space may be limited. If you would like to host a get-together either at your home or at the church please contact Jacque Coulson at 279-2473 or [email protected]

1001 Pleasant Street

Des Moines, IA 50309

(515) 244-6209

DMFirstChurch.org

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

DES MOINES, IA

PERMIT NO. 4308

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED


let’s go explore! · 2019-08-06 · august 2019 volume 66, issue 8 page1 worship on sundays at...

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