The
Caller
“We know that in everything God works for good
with those who love God, who are
Called according to God’s purpose”
Roman 8:28
First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville
Our Mission: To make Disciples of Jesus Christ in this multicultural community by reaching out to all. Our Vision: To nurture, equip, &
transform people to be more like Jesus Christ. Our purpose: to inspire people to be more like Jesus Christ.
January-February 2013
Volume 51, Number 1
Greetings
First
Church
Faith
Community:
Heather Carter-Rimbach photo
Happy 2013! The New Year is upon
us. Our Children, Youth and Young
Adults led us in worship on the last
Sunday of December 2012 with the
theme, “I Won’t Go Back.” I won’t go
back to the ways I used to be.
The wonderful thing about a New Year
is that it gives us an opportunity to
start with a clean, fresh slate. First
Church, we are not going back, but
moving forward. Let’s walk into the
future with expectations of how God is
going to work through us to Build
God’s Kingdom.
Our Church Theme for 2013 is:
“Build! Build on the Foundation of
Jesus Christ.”
The Scripture with our theme is:
I Corinthians 3: 5-11.
“
What then is Apollos? What is Paul?
Servants through whom you came to
believe, as the Lord assigned to each.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God
gave the growth. So neither the one
who plants nor the one who waters is
anything, but only God who gives the
growth. The one who plants and the
one who waters have a common pur-
pose, and each will receive wages
according to the labor of each. For
we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s
building. According to the grace of
God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and
someone else is building on it. Each
builder must choose with care how
to build on it. For no one can lay
any foundation other than the one
that has been laid; that foundation is
Jesus Christ.”
This Lenten Season, I am inviting the
congregation to join me on the 21 day
Daniel Fast. We will begin the fast at
12 noon on Sunday, March 3 and end
it at 12 midnight on Saturday March
23. In keeping in alignment with God
and our 2013 theme, our purpose for
this fast will be “Building our Spiritual Bodies.” So prayerfully consider
our focus of this fast and see: what
areas of your spiritual life do you need
to Build Up? Is it your prayer time? Is
it your Bible study and devotion time?
Is it your worship time? Is it your witness time- sharing your testimony? Is
it your talent time- using your talents
to serve God and others? Is it your
gifts – giving God financially what is
due to God and not the leftovers?
I invite you to be in prayer with me
over these next few weeks leading up
to the fast. I would also invite you to
go online to the Daniel Fast website to
get information about what foods you
can and cannot eat while on the fast.
The website is www.daniel-fast.com.
Most men and women on the Daniel
Fast find it helpful to journal during
their consecrated time of prayer and
fasting. Write expecting the Holy Spirit
to partner with you as you seek to
Build a greater level of intimacy with
God.
As we seek to follow Jesus Christ,
our foundation is critical. We need an
anchor that keeps the soul steady and
sure when the billows roll. That anchor is Jesus Christ. We need a foundation that will not shake in shaky
times. Christ Jesus is that foundation.
We need a cornerstone from which all
construction flows. Christ is the head
and the cornerstone.
I am committed in leading us to Build
our faith and Build our temples
(bodies) on Christ the Solid Rock. We
will work all year in ministry building
strong as we build up the body of
Christ on the foundation of Jesus
Christ. Our Purpose here at First
United Methodist Church: “To Make
Disciples of Jesus Christ in the multicultural community by reaching out to
All” will continue to be a guiding force TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY FOR
THE WONDERFUL BLESSINGS
as we Build.
THAT WILL COME FROM THIS
FAST.
My Hope is BuiltA
Blessings,
Blessings,
Pastor Joan
Pastor Joan
Lenten Devotional Booklet
A FUMCHY Lenten Devotional Booklet
will be used during this Lenten Season
as an aid in our devotional life during
Lent. This booklet will contain short devotions for each day from Ash Wednesday, February 13 through Easter Sunday, March 31 written by members of
our church family.
Each day there will be scripture verses
for us to look up and read in our Bibles;
the devotional reading and a prayer. It is
our hope that many of you will want to
use this worship aid during Lent.
We are in need of contributors for the
booklet. If you would like to write a
Lenten devotion, please let the church
office know. You will be assigned a
scripture and given directions and a
deadline for submitting your finished
devotion. The Caller Ministry
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Community Observance Day
A Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day worship service was held at FUMCHY on
Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 3:30 p.m.
Our theme for this service was built
upon Dr. King’s emphasis on his
“Beloved Community.” We all benefited
from learning more about Dr. King and
his views and methods of operating. Our
theme for this year’s observance was
“Teamwork in Health: Church and Community Continuing King’s Dream.”
Through a series of brief speeches, four
persons representing different groups
within the community provided a five (5)
minute speech that highlighted one view
of King and actions occurring or not occurring today to continue implementing
that view. The Caller Ministry
Our
Year
From Bethlehem to Jerusalem:
Lent Begins Wednesday, February 13
Anniversary Celebration
We celebrated two hundred and twenty
(220) years of praise and worship during
the month of November 2012. It was an
extraordinary occasion. During our anniversary month, our Sunday worship services were led by several of our distinguished former pastors: Rev. Dr. Rodney T. Smothers, Rev. Thomas C.
Starnes and Rev. Dr. Louis Shockley. It
was a time to reflect, worship, fellowship, pray, praise and thank God for our
many blessings.
As we begin our Lenten observance
it is important to remember the birth
o f
C h r i s t .
The gospels of Matthew and Luke
give us a glimpse of the earthly birth
of our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in a
little town called Bethlehem. It was
only a few weeks ago that we celebrated the birth of our Lord.
However, John takes us in a different
direction. John’s gospel actually begins with the creation itself. Jesus
was with God from the beginning;
and during the season of Lent, we
walk with Him as He journeys to Jerusalem. This becomes a time of reflection. We remember His giving sight to
the blind and strength to the legs of a
disabled person. These were true
miracles; however, the greatest miracle of all is that Jesus gave mortals
the power to become the children of
God. This is a time of reflection on
what we are directed to do to obtain
the parenthood of God.
Micah makes it very clear in the 6th
chapter of his book, 8th verse. God
has shown us what the Lord requires
of us: act justly, love mercy and walk
humbly with God. Read it, and I think
you will find the past of God that can
make us the children of God.
Let us return to the prologue of John.
John reminds us that Christ was with
God in the beginning even when God
created mankind. God took dust from
the earth and formed us. “We are
dust and to dust we will return.” But
if we live by Micah’s instruction and
follow the teachings of Jesus, if we
repent- turn away from our human
ways- and believe the gospel, we will
become children of God.
So let us begin our pilgrimage with
Jesus on the journey that takes us
from Bethlehem- the place of Jesus’
birth- to Jerusalem- the place of His
death and resurrection.
We began the month with Saturday
Night at the Movies. There were movies
for every age. The second weekend we
fellowshipped and learned creative, fun
Line Dances. We had a Talent Show on
the third weekend that left us inspired. Our final celebration was the
Anniversary Banquet. The banquet was
a unified, delightful celebration. There
were 200 in attendance. Pastor Ian was
a gracious MC. The place was stunning;
the program was eloquent; the meal
was delicious; and the service by Reid
Temple staff was gracious. The Prince
George s Youth Jazz Orchestra with
vocals was uplifting and breathtaking.
Cheek to Cheek Jazz Group s musical
performance was fantastic. We celebrated persons with membership at First
United Methodist Church of Hyattsville
with 50 years or more. What a joy!
Praise God! We concluded our anniversary celebration the last Sunday in November with Bishop Forrest C. Stith s
stirring message. Anniversary Sunday
worship services opened with an exceptional musical program. We were
blessed with beautiful, inspirational music from our choirs that included previous choir members from years past.
The superb sounds of the Reunion Bell
Choir rang throughout the sanctuary
with melodious music. We had a wonScripture: John 1:1-14
derful celebration. Praise God!
’
’
’
Prayer: Dear God: We thank you for the
wonderful gift of salvation that you have
given us in Christ Jesus. Please help us
to prepare our lives that we might live
according to His teachings and to walk
We look forward to our 225th celebra- faithfully with Him, as He continues His
tion. If you missed the 220th celebra- pilgrimage to Jerusalem, death and restion, please mark your calendar now for urrection. Amen!
November 2017.
Sandra Chambers
Pastor Guy
Thanks to Pastor Joan Carter-Rimbach,
the anniversary committee and you for
making this an incredible and memorable celebration.
Pastor Joan’s and HIV/AIDS’
Ministry Congregational
Challenge
The World Health Organization
(WHO) campaign for HIV/AIDS is now
focusing on “Getting to zero by 2015:
zero AIDS-related deaths and zero
new infections and zero discrimination.” HIV testing and eliminating HIV/
AIDS stigma and discrimination are
critical to attaining this goal.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) recommends that
everyone from the ages of 13 to 64 be
tested, at least once in their lifetime. It
may seem like 13 is so young to be
tested, but 26% of new HIV infections
are occurring in persons from 13 to 24
years old- primarily in the AfricanAmerican and Hispanic communities.
50% of young people who are infected
are not aware of their status and continue behaviors that spread the disease. We cannot afford to lose another generation to AIDS. We need to
talk to and educate our youth on HIV/
AIDS and this should begin at home.
We may think, “oh not my child,” and
it may be hard to talk frankly and
openly about this topic. However, we
must do this! This is real, and we have
a responsibility to protect and educate
our youth.
Stigma is a major barrier to the elimination of HIV/AIDS. Stigma prevents
people from being tested, because
they worry about what people will
think or say. It keeps those who are
HIV positive from seeking medical
care and possibly infecting others.
Continued from previous column
tested by the next World AIDS Day,
December 1, 2013! Pastor Joan is
asking FUMCHY in regards to HIV/
AIDS to be “positive that we are negative!” Perhaps, some members of the
congregation may not be comfortable
being tested at FUMCHY by the HIV/
AIDS Ministry; however, please get
tested somewhere this year. You may
also discuss this with your healthcare
provider and/or ask any member of
the HIV/AIDS Ministry for the location
of other testing sites.
Continued in next column
Phyllis Ramberg
In this issue,
The Caller Spotlight shines on
Phyllis
Ramberg. She celebrated her 84th
birthday this past
April;
and
Phyllis,
along
Stigma and discrimination also pre- with her late husvent us from providing the support that band Charles,
we as Christians, should give to those
joined FUMCHY nearly 55 years ago.
afflicted with HIV/AIDS. The fear of
They raised 5 children at FUMCHY
isolation, rejection and revulsion is
and now have 15 grandchildren and
very real among persons with this dismany great grandchildren. Phyllis has
ease. Many of us fear, avoid or reject
served on the choir for nearly all of her
those with HIV/AIDS out of not knowyears as an active member. When
ing how the virus is transmitted. For
asked what gives her a sense of joy
example, HIV/AIDS cannot be spread
and peace, she responded: “Praying
through a hello, a handshake or a
to the Lord in the way of music.” Prior
hug. Sometimes we worry about what
to retirement, she provided for her
friends or colleagues might say and/or
family utilizing her creative gifts includare confused about supporting someing dressmaking, a tailor apprenticeone with a different lifestyle.
ship, and working with the children of
the Shalom School of Performing Arts
with arts and dance.
As a longtime Hyattsville resident,
Phyllis demonstrates her devotion to
the city and to serving others as a volunteer with the Hyattsville Aging in
Place (HAIP) organization. This organization is dear to her heart and
seeks to help Hyattsville residents 60
As people of God, we are to be like
and over stay in their homes and stay
Christ, which is to accept and love all
people, just as they are. People with active in the community.
HIV/AIDS are not “throw away people.” They are those that you may
work with, live in the community with,
be related to or be your friend. They
are our brothers and sisters, and we
are their keepers. Let us support and
love those who are ill. The ongoing
presence of this disease in our world
requires us to be God’s ministering
vessels and messengers of His infinite
mercy and love. We must fight together to get to zero. Please let us be
the guiding light as we do the followPastor Joan and the HIV/AIDS Ministry are issuing a challenge for ing acts! Get tested! Get involved!
everyone in the congregation to get HIV/AIDS Ministry
The HIV/AIDS Ministry offers free and
confidential HIV testing on the third
Saturday of each month from 1 to 3
p.m. at the church. This ministry uses
the OraQuick test which takes a saliva
sample from the mouth. No syringes/
needles are used. The results from
this saliva sample are available in
about 20 minutes. The next scheduled
testing dates are: February 16, March
16 and April 20, 2013.
SENIORSPOTLIGHT:
Pastor Joan photo
She offers advice to the next generation and to future seniors saying:
“Hold your breath and dive in.” She
shares that: “Though we will all have
tragedies and suffering, there is a
Plan along the way.” Phyllis believes
that reading the scriptures daily provides a strong guide for enjoying each
day. We value her membership and
contributions to the choir and congregation of the First Church family. We
are glad to celebrate Phyllis’ life in
t h i s
i s s u e .
The Caller Ministry
Surviving the Holidays:
Allaying Our Fears,
Building Our
Understandings
A highlight of
Sunday, December 16, 2012,
the third Sunday
of Advent, was
“Coping with
Stress, Health,
and the Holidays.” This
workshop was
sponsored by
Dr. Davis photo
the First Church Cancer Support Group.
and loneliness many of us face during
(not family or a friend) in sharing
the Christmas holidays, she welcomed
your
the revealing misgivings, affirmations,
and questions that emerged. Such con- • Thoughts and your feelings.
cerns included fears regarding cancer
• Anger is normal. However, extreme,
testing and the cycle of recurrence and
aggressive responses to anger are
remission; resistance to caregiving, esunacceptable.
pecially in the case of husbands; men’s
resistance to support groups; dealing • Meditation techniques – for examwith anger; and achieving the space we
ple, breathing techniques – can be
need in grappling with the loss of a
powerful coping mechanisms.
spouse or parent.
• A defined mindset about sharing
Dr. Davis reminded us that uncertainty
personal space helps. Sometimes
is a fact of life. She also reminded us
the appropriate response is to rethat individual responses to stress difmove oneself from the situation.
fer, support groups may not work for all
people, and self-awareness is key. Her • Remember, choose healthy coping
recommendations for managing stress
mechanisms. Overeating is a noeffectively include the following:
The participants suggested several
ideas for future planning. These in• Faith is a potent coping mechanism. cluded joint meetings between the Cancer Support Group and the new Men’s
• Enjoy the here and now. Nothing in
Prostate Project; identifying salient differences in men’s and women’s adaplife is a guarantee.
tive behaviors before initiating such
• Acknowledge uncertainties in care
meetings; and introducing a series of
stress management workshops as a
giving. Learn how to help.
general First Church prevention meas• Come together and talk about is- ure.
Pastor Joan Carter-Rimbach began the
workshop with a heartfelt prayer memorializing Barbara Ann Holloman, a First
Church cancer survivor who transitioned on Sunday, December 9. First
Church celebrated her life and services
on Saturday, December 15. Pastor
Joan and Dorrett Carroll, who leads the
Cancer Support Group, honored Barbara’s commitment to this group, her •
passion for life, and our challenge to
continue her work. Both encouraged us
to keep her husband Bill in our prayers
and to be there for him as he copes with
•
Barbara’s passing.
The opening prayer was an excellent
•
introduction to the workshop, which featured Dr. Kimberly M. Davis, Georgetown University Research Assistant
Professor of Oncology and Psychology,
and Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, director of
the AAKOMA Project and Georgetown
University Assistant Professor of Psy- •
chiatry and Behavioral Services.
Dr. Davis’ open, caring, and engaging
manner set the tone for thoughtful, energetic exchanges among the partici- •
pants. After addressing the stresses
sues. This is an important strategy
In ending the workshop, Dr. Brelandin itself.
Noble distributed “Some Quotes for
Take the time in caregiving to get to Peace,” a mini self-care reference
know the person. What are his or guide, and a listing of the top 12 stress
her preferences? What does he or busters and ways of preventing longterm burnout. E-mail Dorrett Carroll
she fear?
[email protected] to obtain a
Accept people where they are and copy of this information.
as they are.
Please remember always and especially
during the holidays: “Have courRemember the true meaning of
age for the great sorChristmas. The Christmas holidays
rows of life and paare fraught with traditional activity/ tience for the small
rituals and unwelcome guests. De- ones. And when you
cide what works for you, not your have laboriously accomplished your daily
relatives or friends.
task, go to sleep. God
Victor
Effective helping can be sending a is awake,”
card, offering a meal or a ride to Hugo.
church, or giving personalized gifts
(e.g., a memory jar).
Dr. Breland -Noble photo
Avoid isolation. Identify someone The Cancer Support Group
with whom you feel comfortable
YOUTH NEWS
22nd District Maryland State Scholarships Are Available For 2013-14 School Year
Are you looking for scholarships to help pay for your college education for the 2013-2014 school year? Are you planning to attend a Maryland state college, university or post-secondary career, vocational or professional school or have
a unique major that is not offered in Maryland? Do you live in the 22nd District in Maryland? Well, if you answered yes to
all three questions, most of the 22nd District Maryland state elected officials are currently accepting applications for
scholarships to help you pay for your education for the 2013-2014 school year!
Generally, current 22nd District high school seniors and full-time and part-time, degree-seeking undergraduate and
graduate students are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Students attending a private career, vocational or professional school are also eligible to apply.
Scholarship applicants must plan to attend a Maryland state college or university or career school. However, if your major is unique- not available at a Maryland school- then if the Office of Student Financial Assistance certifies in writing
that your major is unique, you may be still eligible to apply for these scholarships. All questions regarding unique majors
may be addressed to Sue Koch by telephone 410-767-3155 or E-mail [email protected].
When evaluating a student’s application, the state elected official’s scholarship selection committees usually will consider academic achievement, financial need and commitment to higher education. These scholarships may range from
approximately $200 to $2500 annually. Some scholarships may be awarded for four years for full-time and eight years
for part-time students without the need to reapply if satisfactory academic progress is maintained.
According to Senator Paul G. Pinsky’s website, the 22nd District in Maryland includes Hyattsville, University Park, Riverdale Park, Berwyn Heights, Edmonston, Greenbelt, New Carrollton, Lanham, Riverdale Heights, Beacon Heights and
Woodlawn. If you are not sure if you live in the 22nd District, then please call 301-970-5200 or visit http://mdelect.net/.
If you live in Maryland, but not in the 22nd District, then please call your state elected officials to see if they are offering
scholarships. Please contact the following offices if you are interested in applying for the 22nd District Maryland state
elected officials scholarships for all of the scholarship application requirements for the 2013-2014 school year.
22nd District Maryland
elected official
Telephone
Website for specific application requirements for each 22nd District Maryland state elected official
Website listed
deadline to
apply for
Senator Paul G. Pinsky
301-858-3155
www.senatorpinsky.org/site/scholarship
April 4, 2013
Delegate Anne Healey
301-858-3961
April 15, 2013
Delegate Tawanna Gaines
301-858-3058
www.delegatehealey.com/
scholarships.php
tawannagaines.org/scholarship.html
Delegate Justin Ross
301-858-3652
www.justin ross.us/scholarship/ross
April 27, 2013
April 1, 2013
The Caller Wants To Celebrate FUMCHY Students’ Accomplishments In 2013
In 2013, The Caller would like to celebrate FUMCHY students’ achievements and honors- elementary to college- in
each issue. To accomplish this, your help is needed beginning with the March/April The Caller.
To have a student’s name included in this “Student Special Accomplishments” article in each issue, please E-mail
[email protected] the following information to The Caller by the deadline date of each issue. 1. Student’s name; 2.
Parent’s or guardian’s name(s); 3. Name of school; and 4. Indicate the type of award earned, e.g., Dean’s List, Honor
Roll, Principal’s List, Academic, Attendance, Athletic, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, and/or Community Awards, etc.
With your help and support, we can congratulate and celebrate our FUMC students' accomplishments in each and
every issue of The Caller!
Both articles in the YOUTH NEWS were written by The Caller Ministry.
2012
Committee
Finance Report
on
Last fall, the “draw” period of our construction loan was over, and we had
received the final increment of our
loan, bringing it to the maximum of
$300,000. By the end of last year, it
was apparent that not all pledges were
being honored. Since this threatened
our ability to pay the loan off soon, and
at the same time, complete our
RENEW construction, a careful survey
of monies received was made by our
Treasurer after first reconciling income
records with the Financial Secretary.
During 2012, the Treasurer paid down
the loan principal so that the balance
as of the end of September is about
$51,800. We do intend to pay off the
loan soon; but we had to curtail further
RENEW work. The Capital Campaign
pledge period ends this December,
except for some who may choose to
continue. In March, a summary of
RENEW work through 2011, including
expenses and receipts, was made
available at Church Council: $271,000
of RENEW work was done; $210,000
of pledges was received; and $13,000
interest was paid on the loan.
The first three months of 2012, Finance was still preparing a 2012
budget that was finally approved in
March. A down-turn in giving in 2011
necessitated paring all budget requests severely. Even then the budget
included use of surplus to break even.
In April, Finance prepared a time-line
for the rest of the year and into January 2013. In June, the internal audit
was completed and filed with the Baltimore Washington Conference. During
the summer, we were alerted to possible cash-flow problems. While cash
did get short, our Treasurer was able
to handle it. July saw a Sunday with
no electric power; this resulted in meager receipts. In September and October, budget requests for 2013 were
collected. A draft budget was prepared, very preliminary this early.
However, by taking into account a further down-turn in giving in 2012, it
already shows that 2013 must have a
smaller budget than 2012.
Jim Langworthy and J D Williams
Human
Relations
Day Was
January 20
Human Relations Day is one of the
The Caller Will Recognize
Congregation’s Special
Awards In 2013
Have you earned an award at work or
in the community recently?
Was
something written about you recently
in a publication? If so, this year The
Caller would like to celebrate the congregation’s special achievements in
each issue. To accomplish this, your
help is needed beginning with the
March-April issue of The Caller.
To have a person’s name included in
this “Members In The News ” article in
each issue, please E-mail
[email protected] the following
information to The Caller by the deadline date of each issue. 1. The person’s name; 2. Organization presenting/publishing the award/article; and 3.
Please indicate the type of award/
article published earned, e.g., Outstanding Service, Community Service
Honors, Special Project Award, etc.
With your aid and assistance, we can
congratulate and affirm our congregation’s accomplishments in each and
every issue of The Caller!
The Caller Ministry
six church wide Special Sundays with
offerings of The United Methodist
Church. Human Relations Day
strengthens United Methodist outreach
to communities in the United States
and Puerto Rico, encouraging social
justice and work with at-risk youth. It
was celebrated on the Sunday before
the national observance of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, which this
year was on January 20. The placement of the offering on this date
serves as a call to “the church to recognize the right of all God’s children in
realizing their potential as human beings in relationship with each other,”
The United Methodist Book of Discipline.
This day of social action and raising
awareness aims to heal social ills at
the national level. The offering receipts will be divided as follows: 57%
of the offering goes to the Community
Developers Program; 33% of the offering goes to the United Methodist Voluntary Service, both of which are administered by the General Board of
Global Ministries. The remaining 10%
goes to the Youth Offender Rehabilitation Program which is administered by
The General Board of Church and Society.
Your gifts to Human Relations Day
provide avenues to restored relationships through these ministries. It’s
time to think and support justice, to
become radical in changing lives and
changing the world. Please make
checks payable to First United Methodist Church, and please give generously.
The Caller Ministry
Thanks Box
For the comforting cards and messages sent after my husband’s death,
my grateful thanks.
Natalie Ferrara (written in December
2012)
Men’s Health Series:
Men’s Prostate
Awareness Church
Training
The third and fourth sessions of the
Men’s Prostate Awareness Church
training will take place on Saturday
February 2 and March 2, 2013 from 10
to 11:30 am in fellowship hall. This program is designed to make men more
aware of the dangers of cancer in general and prostate cancer in particular.
Men are use to toughing it out and
sometimes don’t go to health professionals when they do not have symptoms and/or are sick. African American
men are at higher risk for prostate cancer and need to make an informed decision about screening. Screening
means looking for signs of disease
even when you have no symptoms. All
men are encouraged to attend these
meetings on these dates.
United
Methodist
Men
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
“For God has not given us a spirit of
fear and timidity, but of power, love and
self discipline,” 1 Timothy 6, NLT.
FUMCHY Walls Have Ears?
"Why?" asked the nervous pilot.
A reliable and confidential source reported to The Caller Ministry recently
that The First United Methodist
Church’s walls appear to have ears.
This source said that these walls have
heard some amazing, astounding, astonishing, and absolutely awesome
things being said in the sanctuary. The
walls supposedly indicated that,
“Everyone in the FUMCHY community
needs to hear these statements again.”
What are these statements? The Caller
Ministry is glad that you asked. Here
are the statements that the walls indicated that they wanted to be heard
again.
During a Children’s Sermon, the following statements were made by our
youth to describe God. “God is nice.”
“God is wonderful.” “God is creative.”
“God is a genius.”
FUMCHY community inquiring minds
may be wondering, what statements
will the walls hear next that they want
to be heard again in The Caller MarchApril 2013 issue? Well, the FUMCHY
walls said that, “You will just have to
wait until this issue to find out.”
The Caller Ministry
"Because I'm going to take pictures!" yelled
the photographer. "I'm a photographer, and photographers take pictures."
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
A Time To Laugh
After a long pause, the "pilot" replied: "You mean
you're
not
my
instructor?”
From MountainWings.com
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That's the figure that our credit card processor
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much they are supposed to transfer to our bank
account.
Nearly 55 trillion dollars.
It takes one thousand thousand to make a million.
It takes one thousand million to make a billion.
Our super-secure hi-tech credit card processor
says that we have approximately 55 trillion dollars, give or take a few billion.
I laughed heartily when I saw that figure.
“There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. . . I naturally assumed their system had experienced
a serious glitch and that MountainWings isn't
a time to laugh,” Ecclesiastes 3:1 and
4a, NLT. Let’s laugh more in 2013! The alone with periodic computer problems.
Caller Ministry
Pack A Parachute?
A photographer for a national magazine
was assigned to take pictures of a great
forest fire. He was advised that a small
plane would be waiting to fly him over the
fire.
There have only been 14 donations for the onemonth period. The average donation is $25 to
$50. The actual figure should have been closer to
$550.00 than 55 trillion dollars.
It was 100 billion times more than it should have
been.
I sat laughing loudly at an obviously ridiculous
computer glitch when I heard a voice speak softly
The photographer arrived at the airport just in my spirit:
an hour before sundown. Sure enough, a
small Cessna airplane was waiting. He "That's your heavenly bank account."
jumped in with his equipment and shouted,
I stopped laughing.
"Let's go!"
"Sell what you have and give to those in
need. This will store up treasure for you in
heaven! And the purses of heaven have no
holes in them. Your treasure will be safe,
no thief can steal it and no moth can de"Fly over the north side of the fire," said the stroy it. (Luke 12:33, NLT)
photographer, "and make several low-level
passes."
From MountainwingsWings.com
The tense man sitting in the pilot's seat
swung the plane into the wind and soon
they were in the air, though flying erratically.
FUMCHY Youth and
Children’s Ministries Presents Gospel Skate Night
*February 14, 2013- 7:00 p.m. until
10:00 p.m.
*Lanham Seabrook Skating Rink
990 Lanham Severn Road
Lanham, Maryland 20706
*Only $12, including skates
*First 20 people to sign up are free!
*Skate all night while enjoying the
latest in gospel music and skating
*Fellowship with other members or
just come and support our children
*All ages are welcome.
*For more information, please contact
the Church office 301-927-6133 or
Sharon Milton 301-404-6628 or Email [email protected].
Thursday, July 4 - Independence Day generous food donations are greatly
needed and appreciated.
Monday, September 2 - Labor Day
For January and February, we need
Monday, October 14 - Columbus Day you to choose from the following list:
Observance
baby food, beef stew, cocoa, coffee,
cold cereals, dry milk, fruit, grits,
Thursday, November 28 - Thanksgivgelatin, jelly, macaroni and cheese,
ing Day
oatmeal, pancake mix, pancake
Friday, November 29 - Church closed syrup, pasta, pasta sauce, peanut
butter, pork and beans, pudding, rice,
Wednesday, December 25 - Christ- tea, tuna, red, green and yellow
vegetables.
mas Day
Wednesday, January 1, 2014 - New All food must be canned or dried and
in sealed containers to meet health
Year’s Day
department requirements. It should
————————————————-- be brought to the church and placed
in the Help by Phone box.
Original Tuskegee
Airman To Speak
At FUMCHY
Faith Unseen Seen
3:17-19)
We are thrilled that LeRoy "Boots" (Hebrews 3:17Battle, Sr., documented original TusYour tree seems to be bare,
kegee Airman will speak at FUMCHY
on Sunday, February 10th, after the No fruit can be found anywhere.
11:00 a.m. service in fellowship hall
as a part of our Black History Month All efforts seem to fail
Celebrations.
As if there‘s no water in the well.
The source of nourishment is gone;
Check your storage and there is
none.
Still with God, there is celebration
Because my source is my salvation.
Holidays for 2013
I shall rise and remain a man
Please make a note of the following
holiday schedule. The building will be
closed on these days, so all groups
and organizations should plan meetings and activities accordingly.
For on the “Solid Rock” I stand.
Written by R. Franklin Childs, Jr.
Help-by-Phone
Tuesday, January 1, 2012 - New Help by Phone is a ministry to people
Year’s Day.
in need in Prince George’s County.
There are a number of food pantries
Monday, January 21 - Martin Luther
throughout the county where people
King Birthday Observance
can come to get help. Many churches
Monday, February 18 - Presidents’ and other organizations help to stock
these pantries through food donaDay
tions. The cost of food continues to
rise and summer time is always busMonday, May 27 - Memorial Day
ier with children out of school. Your
November 12, 2012
Thank You FUMCHY!
Happy New Year FUMCHY Community! Thank you for your The Caller creative and wonderful submissions in 2012!
Over 400 copies of The Caller are printed with each issue. This is an excellent opportunity for the FUMCHY community
to find out about your ministry’s plans and events before the scheduled activity. In addition, in 2013 Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about your ministry’s activities are now being distributed to the media on a regular basis.
The 2013 deadline for all articles and suggestions for The Caller is the first of the month before the 2013 issue is
printed. Please E-mail all 2013 submissions to [email protected]. The Caller March-April 2013 issue deadline is
February 1, 2013. The Caller May-June 2013 issue deadline is April 1, 2013. Please send all submissions to
[email protected] by these deadlines. It is hoped that by changing the deadline, the FUMCHY community will
receive The Caller closer to the beginning of the month of the publication date.
Please let The Caller Ministry and the PSA Ministry help you communicate your FUMCHY Ministry’s activities to the
community by following this new deadline in 2013. The Caller Ministry appreciates your positive, uplifting and encouraging submissions to The Caller Ministry and the FUMCHY community! The Caller Ministry
New Church Van Is Needed
We are in desperate need of a new church van. Our Trustees have found one that they would like to purchase for the
church. The cost of the van is $33,500. The Trustees have budgeted $16,500 for this. We are looking for people who
can help match that figure of $16,500. I know that we can do this together. I believe that we will have our new church
van by March. I'm believing that God will make this possible from our individual donations. I'm asking you to pray on
this for what amount you can donate. Make your check payable to First
UMC and write "new van" on the memo line. You can give on Sunday
mornings during worship or mail or bring it to the church office during
the week. Please pray with me and give Thanks to God for what will
happen, as we will Build our faith and trust in God.
Blessings, Pastor Joan
2012 Angel Tree Report
Thank you for your support for making this year’s Angel Tree Project a success. We have been doing
this at First Church for 17 years– since 1995.
Thank you to the volunteers who called the families, the church members who bought gifts, and the
youth who helped in sorting out the gifts. We started with 56 children from 24 families and ended up with
47 children from 21 families. One family did not want to participate, and we could not reach two families.
The families came to the church to pick up their gifts. There was no party this year.
Mfon Umoren, Angel Tree Coordinator, Missions Ministry Team
The Current FUMCHY Pillars Of The
Church With The Future Pillars
Of The Church
Sharon Milton photos