Recently Facebook was throwing up on my page some memories from a year ago. Last year at this time, Carey and I and several of our church members had just returned from a wonderful trip to the Holy Land. I have been so grateful that we got to make that trip when we did. Little did we know what was coming!

This time last year we were just beginning to hear reports of a strange virus coming out of China. Within a few weeks, the virus would spread world-wide. Activities began to shut down, and the world, our nation, our community, and our church quickly pivoted to a new normal. The tragedy of the virus brought on an economic disaster, and those realities were exacerbated by racial tensions and a tumultuous election process. In years to come, we will look back and think, “How did we survive that year?” The sad part is, many didn’t--over 400,000 in our country, over 2 million worldwide, so far.

But when we ask, “How did the church survive that year?” the answer will be “Very well, by God’s grace.” Through all the challenges of 2020, our church remained strong. Our people were faithful. Our staff were creative. God continued to bless us. We adapted to new normals of virtual worship, classes and meetings. We figured out how to do children’s and youth ministries from a distance, and ministry continued to happen.

I am particularly thrilled to report that the financial support of the church remained strong in 2020. Not having in-person services for over half the year (and even when we went back to in-person during the fall, attendance was sparse), one might think our offerings would suffer. They did, but only a little. We received 87% of the contributions in 2020 that we received in 2019. The good news is, with so many activities cancelled or moved online, we only had 84% of the expenses we incurred the year before. So the church ended the year on solid financial footing. And we received 95% of the estimates of giving for 2021 that we received for 2020. So the year ahead is looking good for ministry. Thank you so much for your support of the transformative ministry we are about at FUMC!

This is not to say that the last year was not a struggle. Everyone knows it has been, on so many levels. Last year we entered pandemic mode in the middle of Lent. In some ways, it seemed like Lent never ended. Our Easter and Christmas celebrations had their beautiful and spiritual moments, but they were certainly unusual and different from anything we had ever experienced.

We are about to enter into another season of Lent, and I can’t help wondering what the next year will bring. The pandemic is not over. The CDC is projecting over half a million American deaths by the end of the spring. We may approach the death toll in the nation and Arkansas to rival the 1918 flu pandemic. Economic recovery will take some time. We have not resolved the issues of injustice that erupted last year. And political discord did not evaporate with the election of a new administration.

But there are signs of hope. Across America and the world, millions of people are receiving vaccinations. The CDC also projects the curve of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths to start going down by the end of February. As soon as we have a sure trend into a safer situation, we will resume in-person services, and our congregation will gradually come back. Your church staff will continue to do our best to lead our ministry in ways that are fruitful, effective, and transformative. I am so excited about our new vision and mission statements and our discipleship system. These are going to move us forward. I believe we are coming into a time of great opportunity.  

One of the leadership publications I read, Leading Ideas, had an article recently about 4 capacities that will lead churches to multiply their ministry. These qualities are certainly present in our church, and I want to work so that they will become the predominant factors in our ministry. They include:

 

I believe the soil has been prepared through this year of trials for a great harvest to come. I believe we need to hear the call of Jesus from Luke 10: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” We are those laborers. When we look back in a year, what will it mean when we say, “What a difference a year makes!”

Covid-19 has forced the church outside its comfort zone. We have been forced to adapt, be creative and rely on God in entirely new ways to continue to grow in our faith and share the love of Christ with others. One of those new ways is the creation of a private Facebook group. The FSUMC Online Campus was launched in September 2020 and has now grown to over 300 members, thanks to you all! Although most of our members are local to the Fort Smith area, so far we have community members from 11 states from Colorado to North Carolina. 

The vision for the Online Campus is to reach new people locally and abroad who do not yet know Jesus and to deepen the faith of those who do know Jesus. The goal is to provide the same online tools to grow in one’s faith that would be available within the walls of the church and to develop a community of support during the journey of discipleship. These tools include: resources to help us worship, pray, engage with a small group and serve the community without necessarily gathering in person. The goal is to reach people we were reaching before the pandemic as well as new people near and far.  

More than ⅓ of the world’s population, 2.7 billion people, are active on Facebook each month. The question many would ask is “Why would we need a private Facebook group if we already have a church Facebook page and are already steaming worship on Facebook live?” Author and pastor Nona Jones explains that the Facebook page is our online front porch; it helps us to increase the church’s reach to the public and is for surface level posts and information. Facebook Live is a way that the church opens the front door; it helps us to engage the audience. The Facebook group is the church’s online living room and is the place to build relationships. Groups help to deepen engagement.

My favorite part of the Online Campus is the weekly prayer wall where people post their prayer concerns and praises and others leave prayers and offer support by commenting. My second favorite part of the Online Campus are the units. You can check out these great resources by clicking “units” at the top of the Online Campus Facebook group’s page. You will find Bible studies, the Higher, Deeper, Broader Discussion Guides, Dismantling Racism resources, all the information you need for a Prayer Beads Class, some funny cartoon videos about John Wesley, and even the “Believe, Love, Obey” discipleship system.

The Online Campus is not simply a project for “Covid days.” Our digital presence will continue to be more and more important as a means for discipleship and evangelism. Even after the pandemic ends, people who cannot walk into our church need to hear the Gospel message and experience community. Digital platforms will continue to help us reach members and non-members alike who are out of town for a weekend or who live across the globe. Digital platforms are vital for those who are sick, confined to home or have disabilities and cannot be present. Digital platforms are a huge evangelistic tool for people to “come and see” who we are and who Jesus is without feeling threatened or put on the spot. Finally, digital platforms are legitimate communities of faith. Relationships are built and people come to faith through online worship and gatherings.   

If you are not yet a member of the FSFUMC Online Campus group, please click the link below, answer one simple question, and join in the fun! If you are already a member, thank you -- and please invite your friends and family to become part of the community.

Even in the worst of times, God finds new ways to draw us closer. The online platforms that we are using have broadened our mission field impact immeasurably. We can literally go to the end of the earth with the message of Good News of Jesus Christ, and we don’t even have to leave our homes to do it.

P.S. You will be interested to see the results of a survey we conducted in November regarding the Online Campus—view below.

P.P.S. Please contact me if you would like a Facebook lesson.

I am a member of: FSFUMC - 87.5%

Gender: Male - 18.75% Female - 81.25%

Age: 18-25 6.25%

Live within 20 miles of Fort Smith? Yes 93.75% no 6.25%

How often do you look at posts on the FSFUMC Online Campus?

Which do you choose to engage with least?

I have found connection and support through the Online Campus?

I have gained knowledge to help me grow in my faith.

The knowledge I have gained if any has been about (select all that apply)

I feel closer to Christ because of the Online Campus

In her article 'The Value of Children’s Literature', Martha Crippen says, “Giving children access a variety of children’s literature nurtures growth and development of their personality and social skills. Exposing children to quality literature can contribute to the creation of responsible, successful, and caring individuals.” If you would like to read more of Martha Crippen’s article you can find it here: 

    Throughout the pandemic, we’ve all experienced great loss. There have been losses of life, income, safety, health, opportunity, and sanity (kudos to all you parents who have helped your kids with online schooling!). We grieve these losses, and will appropriately continue to grieve them for many years. Amidst these losses, I hope to encourage you by sharing some of the wins that I’ve seen recently. I’m amazed by God’s redeeming grace, and the way that he continues to move: “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

Last month, the Arkansas Conference provided me with the wonderful opportunity to attend the Perkins School of Youth Ministry for the third year. At PSYM, I took the final class that will count towards my Youth Ministry Certification in the United Methodist Church. The course was United Methodist Studies, where I learned the ins and outs of UM history, polity, and doctrine. I had the honor of learning from Dr. Ted Campbell, Dr. Priscilla Pope-Levison, and Bishop Max Whitfield, who are all world-class teachers and experts in Methodist studies. It is such a privilege to be a part of this faith renewal movement we call Methodism! 

In December, our church suspended all in-person gatherings. We are all aware of how difficult this has been. I commend all of the faithful teens and youth parents who have shown “true grit” in their discipleship throughout this process. We have started an all out study on Proverbs where we share devotional content each morning, study Proverbs on Sunday evenings, and we also send out a family devotional on Proverbs so that parents and teens can have faith conversations and pray together. Several parents have shared glory sightings with me about the discussions they’re having with their teens, or the “ah-ha” moment their youth told them about. The Spirit is continuing to stir up this young generation of believers!

To recap last month’s article, we will be participating in a coordinated act of kindness over the next 11 months. What better way to show our love and share God’s love! For this months’ project we will continue sharing our love with local healthcare workers at Mercy and Baptist Hospitals. Hopefully everyone was able to catch the news story or read in the newsletter that with the help of donations from Wal-Mart we were able to provide totes filled with yummy snacks, candy and cards to healthcare workers at Mercy and Baptist Emergency Room Departments, Intensive Care Units and Covid Floors. The totes all had a piece of paper taped to the bottom that said “Please call First United Methodist Church when this tote is empty and we will fill it back up.” Our hope is that during the next few weeks to months we can continue providing them with this small token of our appreciation for all that they are doing for our community and for those that are ill. They are overworked, stressed and tired! The positive feedback that we have gotten so far from this act of kindness has been remarkable. Everyone is so appreciative and thankful! So this is what we need from you: please purchase any type of snack, chip, granola bar, candy, etc., and bring these items to the church. We will continue to fill up the totes as long as we have supplies to do so. You can bring these to the church Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30 (we are at lunch from 12:30-1:30). You can also make a monetary donation if this is easier for you. Please mark these donations as healthcare worker donations.

Sunday, February 7th is Serve Sunday, and we will hold a virtual and socially distanced prayer day for medical personnel and those who are ill. Please gather at Mercy Hospital at 2:00pm. in the parking lot facing the Emergency Department (near Panera Bread). We will immediately travel to Baptist Hospital at 3:00 and pray again. Please park in the parking lot in front of the main entrance on Towson Avenue. We will hold up signs of encouragement and literally surround the patients and medical staff with prayer. If you are unable to make it in person, please join us on our Facebook page to pray virtually. Invite your friends and family. We will of course remain socially distant and safe! Looking forward to a great month of Supporting the Fort, Loving God and Loving our Neighbors.

       Go to amplifymedia.com. This will take you to the main page. In the right hand corner there is a person icon in the top right corner - click on this and then go to subscriber log in.

       It will say "no account yet....enter access code." The access code that you will enter is FDNYJB. Next enter the basic information that it requires. This will complete your registration. You can use Amplify on your computer, iPad, phone, or Roku on your tv.  

There are so many resources on this site for all

We also welcome Jeff Gist as our new Fort Smith Church League Baseball Commissioner. Sign up forms will be available online and in the church office. Children must be 4 years by July 1, 2021 and may not be 16 before May 1, 2021 to be eligible to participate. If you have questions for Jeff please call him at 479.462.7283 or email him at jgpginc@gmail.com.

M-F 8:30 AM-4:30 PM: (479) 782-5068

Weekends and Evenings: (479) 459-5060

200 N. 15th St.  Fort Smith, AR 72901