What’s Inside

I want to take a moment to say how much I appreciate this congre-gation. During this time of the building project, you have shown great patience with parking, rearranging space, and sharing that space with others. Any hurdles regarding worship and/or space are being worked through. Your suggestions are important to me and the leadership of the congregation.

The annual Church Conference meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 11 at 6 p.m. This is our time to hear reports from the various committees, vision for the future, and approve the 2011 budget. Our District Superintendent, the Rev. Darrell Cates, will be with us. A light supper will be served at 5:30.

November also brings the beginning of the holiday season. The week-end of Thanksgiving is also the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is the four week church season which anticipates the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. The followers of Christ use this time of preparation with re-flection and anticipation of Christ’s final glory. My sermon series for Ad-vent will be based on a book that many churches have been using for the past few years. Advent Conspiracy asks the question, “Can Christmas still change the world?” The purpose of the book is to help the Church make the celebration of Jesus’ birth a joyous celebration, rather than a retail nightmare that drains our pocketbooks and spirits. The sermons are:

Nov. 28: “Worship Fully” – because Christmas begins and ends with Jesus

Dec. 5: “Spend Less” – and free yourself for things that truly matter;Dec. 12: “Give More” – of your presence, your hands, your words, your

time, your heartDec. 24: Christmas Eve – “Love All – the sick, the marginalized, the

poor in ways that make a difference. Since we will be thinking about filling the Advent season with compas-

sion, I would want you to know that our Christmas Eve offering supports mission efforts. This year, that offering will be used for two United Meth-odist missions, the Heavener Hispanic Fellowship and Nothing But Nets. This second area provides treated mosquito nets for children in Africa to help eradicate the disease of malaria.

First United Methodist Church109 S. HarperPoteau, OK 74953

Non-Profit Org.

Permit No. 40

Poteau, OK 74953

Address Service Requested

VOLUME 18 NO. 11 NOVEMBER, 2010 Serving God 117 Years

Weekly Communion9:10 A.M.

Sunday School9:30 A.M.

Morning Worship10:30 A.M.

Church Calendar ....................2Welcome New Members ........2Happy 100th, Opal .................2Finance Report ......................2Children/Youth .......................3New Sunday School Class ....3Pastor’s Study .......................3Membership Care ..................3United Methodist Women .....4Birthdays, Anniversaries ......4Preschool Report ...................4Salvation Army Volunteers ...4

The United Methodist NewsPA S T O R T O PE O PL E

REV. DR. GREGORY J. TENER

NOVEMBER CHURCH CALENDARWORSHIP BULLETIN DEADLINE:

10 a.m. each Thursday

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE:Third Friday of each month

PAGE 2 NOVEMBER, 2010

Happy Birthday!

THE UNITED METHODIST NEWSPublished by the Communications Committee

Carol Baker, Communications Coordinator/EditorFIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

109 S. Harper, Poteau, OK 74953Telephone 918-647-2217

e-mail: rogers2006@windstream.netwebsite: www.poteaufumc.com

Sunday School 9:30 – Morning Worship 10:30Bishop Robert E. HayesDistrict Superintendent Darrell CatesPastor Rev. Dr. Gregory J. TenerYouth & Children’s Director Kimberly HardawayMusic Director Steve ClarkChurch Secretary Brenda FergusonLead Nursery Attendant Jayla CraigOrganist Wendy KellyCustodian and Door Opener Ted Kilgore

District web page: www.gbgm-umc.org/mc-dist/

MORNING WORSHIP GREETERS

ACOLYTES 7 Jaydon Bandy14 Demi Gilliam21 Charlee Gilliam28 Versile Johnson

14 Brandon Durant21 (Adult Reader)28 Keely Carsello

• SUNDAY •Weekly Communion, 9:10 a.m., Sanctuary

(Except on regular communion Sunday)

UMYF (CHAOS), 5 p.m.11 Week Study, 5 p.m. Education Bldg.

• MONDAY • Boy Scouts, 7 p.m., CFLC

• TUESDAY •Cub Scouts, 6 p.m., CFLC

• WEDNESDAY •Logos Program, 3:30 - 6:15 p.m., CFLC

Celebration Choir Rehearsal, 6 p.m., Ed. Bldg.

• THURSDAY •Girl Scouts, 5:30 p.m. (Nov. 18th)

• FRIDAY •Mother’s Day Out, 10 to 1 p.m., Ed. Bldg.

5 UMW Fall Festival 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. 7 Pastor’s new study begins, 5 p.m., Ed. Bldg.11 Dinner before Church Conference, 5:30 p.m. Church Conference, 6 p.m.13 UMM Breakfast Meeting, 8 a.m., CFLC17 Membership Care Committee, 1 p.m., CFLC18 “Women on Fire” Group, 7 p.m., CFLC24, 25, 26 – Church offices closed for holiday28 Afternoon Worship Service at the Oaks, 2 p.m.

Poteau F.U.M.C. Report for September, 20102010 Average Attendance Figures for September: 131

2010 Budget Requirements: $326,272.00Needed for Budget Each Week: $6,274.47Needed through September: $238,429.86

September Receipts: $26,191.01September Expenditures: $35,310.52

New Building Fund Figures:Deposits: $542,904.69

Expenditures: $318,451.70Balance: $224,452.99

7 David McNair and Versile Johnson14 Marvin and Janet DeSpain21 Bill and Linda Lancaster28 Jean Gaylor and Andi Burton

LITURGISTS

Welcome New Members!We happily welcomed a new family into mem-

bership recently. Dustin and Ashley Green and baby daughter, Lillian, joined the church on October17.

Be sure and let them know how happy we are to have them in our church family.

A note regarding your checks to the church: When writing your checks, be sure and desig-nate what the check is intended for, otherwise it will go into the general budget. Thank you.

Opal Middlebrooks will be 100 years old on November 16. At 2 p.m. on that day, the people at the Oaks will gather to celebrate with a birth-day cake.

Everyone is invited to join them and wish Opal a happy birthday on this wonderful occa-sion.

NOVEMBER, 2010 PAGE 3

News of Children and YouthBy Kimberly Hardaway

New Sunday School Class

Pastor’s New Study

UMYF (C.H.A.O.S.)CHAOS meets Sunday evenings from 5 to 7

p.m. for all youth 6th through 12th grade. The schedule is as follows:

NOVEMBER 7 Hayride at Gilliam’s 5 to 8 p.m. (Boys bring

drinks, girls bring a bag of chips.)14 CHAOS 5 to 7 p.m. Meal: Linda Lee21 No CHAOS28 Lead in worship at Oaks Healthcare Center.

Meet at church at 1 p.m.

DECEMBER3, 4 Babysitting offered for parents to do holiday

shopping5 Shopping at Pinnacle Hills in Rogers, Ark.

Leave at 12:30 p.m.; return at 9 p.m.• • •

BABYSITTING OFFERED FORHOLIDAY SHOPPING

As a service to the parents of our community, CHAOS would like to offer babysitting. Hours are Friday, Dec. 3rd from 4 to 10 p.m. and Sat-urday, Dec. 4th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please provide a sack dinner for your children if length of stay would require a meal. Please provide a diaper bag if children are not potty trained. There is no fee for this service, but donations will be accepted.

• • • LOGOS DATES AND THEMES

LOGOS is a Wednesday after school program that meets during the school year for ages Pre-K through 8th grade. 3 CAMPOUT! Wear your camo and bring a

lawn chair. 7 Middle School handbell choir will lead in

worship10 Sport Night – Wear your favorite sport

team!17 Thanksgiving24 No LOGOS due to Thanksgiving break.Dec. 1 – Movie Night – Practice up on your act-

ing skills

For the Christmas service led by the children on December 15th, the elementary children will all have a costume provided. The middle school

The Membership Care Committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. in the Christian Family Life Center. They reach out to those who are homebound or are dealing with health issues or bereavement. Under the direc-tion of the pastor, volunteers may offer Holy Communion to those who desire to receive it. They make a phone call, send a card, or visit in the home and share God’s love with someone.

Church members are encouraged to let us know of persons who are in need of our care. For more information, call Virginia Stanley (647-2618) or Kay Thomas (647-3491).

Membership Care CommitteeMeeting November 17th

will dress in a variety of costumes that we are currently in the process of collecting. If you have a costume that would look like a souvenir (i.e. Mickey Mouse costume from Disneyworld vaca-tion, etc.), please let Kim know.

• • • MOTHER’S DAY OUT

Mother’s Day Out is on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Nursery Rooms of the Educa-tion Building. Cost is $10 per visit for children ages 1 to 4.

Note: No snack or lunch will be provided. Par-ticipants will need to provide a snack sack with child’s name on it for food and a diaper bag with diapers and wipes if needed.

Cindy Darneal has started a young adult Sun-day School class. They are meeting in the office area and are using the study, Following Jesus: Steps to a Passionate Faith. The book is one that many small groups have used and came highly recommended.

A new Sunday evening study will begin Nov. 7 in the Education Building at 5 p.m. This is an 11 week study of the eight core Scripture sto-ries that provides a great overview of Scripture. The study is video based and is used with the study book, Crossings Journal. It helps provide perspective on God’s activity throughout history and in our own experience of God today.

The study books are available in the office and are $12. If you don’t have time to pick up your book this week, do a quick read through of Gen-esis 1 – 11.

1 Keely Hambrick and Fredrick Ritchie 3 Wesley Garrett 5 Kaycee Quarry 7 Ronna Bell and Demi Gilliam 8 Sue Travis 9 Elizabeth Perry, Linda Lee, Martha Renfro and Roxanna Moore10 Sterling Brookfield and Kay Sullivan11 Jean Gaylor and Nikki Perry12 Deanna Reed, Allison Matos and Bessie Moreland13 Brad DeSpain, Justin Barnes and Jenny Harreld15 Randy Matos16 Opal Middlebrooks and Christy Oehlschlager17 Lance Owen19 Elissa Bridgman, Cynthia Stoughton and Jamie Gilliam21 Henry Hardaway, Jennifer Cravens and Nina Sizemore23 Mary Ford25 Ed Brody26 Connor Bandy27 Kela Miller, Stephen Fruen and Samantha Fruen28 Charlee Gilliam29 Artheia Hageman

PAGE 4 NOVEMBER, 2010

November Anniversaries

November Birthdays

20 Randy and Libby Bridgman R.L. and Janet Socket22 Mark and Sheri Zabala26 Alan and Clyda Ware28 Ted and Christie Williams

ByTracey Gilliam,

PreschoolDirector

In November the preschool students will be learning about the letters G and H, the num-bers 5 and 6, the colors yellow and brown and the shape square.

They will also be learning that God wants us to love and care for others. The memory verse for November is “Let us love one another.”

United Methodist WomenBy Mary Ford, President

The Fall Festival date is Friday, Nov. 5. This year the hours will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In addition to our popular bake sale there will be vendors for all sorts of gift items, products and health services, etc. A caricaturist will be there, and there will be lots of arts and crafts. Several different people have committed to bringing jewelry to sell and there is really too much to list here.

There will be a lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. of beans, cornbread and a drink for $5.00. Then from 4:30 to 6:30 there will be a meal of stew, cornbread and a drink for $5.00.

At 3 p.m. there will be a drawing for a beauti-ful quilt donated by Margaret Monks. Donations on the quilt are $2 each or 3 for $5.

Remember, we always need lots of baked goods, candies, jellies, etc. for the bake sale, so please plan to help us out.

It is our hope that this will be a successful fundraiser for missions. We hope to see you there.

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these . . .”

Matthew 25:40, KJV

Salvation Army PoteauService Unit,

Fall 2010Seeking Volunteers

The Salvation Army Poteau Service Unit invites volunteers to assist in ringing the bells of Christmas for 29 days this holiday season, from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. Volunteers must be 18 yeas of age, or be accompanied by an adult.

Churches, schools, social, civic or service organizations, and individuals may visit or call the location or phone numbers listed below to schedule dates and times to partic-ipate. Call now to reserve your preference.

All funds raised during the Red Kettle Campaign will remain in LeFlore County to provide social services within LeFlore Coun-ty. Please assist the Salvation Army in “do-ing the most good.”

Contact Kim Beitzell, Salvation Army Thrift Store, 400 Dewey Avenue, Po-teau; 918-647-8780 or Mr. Louis Gill 918-647-4765 .