The Flame

Back to School Bash Returns to FUMC AllenBy Rev. Maxie Moore, Welcoming Ministries

Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself!

For the past two years, FUMC Allen has partnered

with Allen Community Outreach (ACO) and other

community agencies to provide back-to-school

services to families served by ACO. Again this year,

FUMC Allen hosts the Back To School Bash on

Saturday, August 24. Our goal for the event is not only

to provide school supplies for our children but also to

furnish as many services as possible to help families

off-set the cost of getting their children ready for class.

At the 2012 event, we distributed 60 car seats, 72 bike

helmets, and 362 backpacks to elementary, middle school,

and high school students. Nurses performed 50 blood

pressure screenings with 16 referrals for high blood

pressure. Our police department trained 100 children

and 25 adults on “Stranger Danger,” and volunteers

served a meal to more than 600 people.

In all, we served 157 families whose 368 students

received school supplies. We provided new shoes

to 334 students, a cost underwritten by a generous

donation of more than $6,000. Each family received

a supply of toiletries, which included shampoo, soap,

deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste donated

by our congregation. Stylists were available to

provide free haircuts.

This year, we plan to involve more community agencies

and churches. We need your donations of school supplies

and other back-to-school items as well as volunteers

ready to serve. To participate in this ministry or let us

know of agencies or businesses who might be interested,

contact Rev. Maxie Moore, [email protected].

May we continue to show God’s love by supporting

this community-wide ministry to help our neighbors.

First United Methodist Church of Allen 601 S Greenville Ave Allen, TX 75002 www.fumcallen.org

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Vacation Bible School Makes an IMPACT!By Mary Freeman, Children’s Ministry

Vacation Bible School (VBS) in the hot summer months is always such a fun time of year for the children. VBS originally started in urban areas where children, out of school with nothing to do, were taught in pubs during the summer. Later, a group of ladies took advantage of buildings that were closed during the day, using them to meet with the children in their neighborhoods and teach them about Jesus. The impact that these ladies made years ago is still alive and well today.

The IMPACT program was initiated in 2012 by

Rev. Todd Harris to help our congregation live

out their passion for mission. People have signed

on as leaders of different grassroots efforts that

support people and organizations around the

world. Because the children of our congregation

want to be a part of this great effort, we created

IMPACT VBS: Kids IMPACTING Kids for Jesus.

Last year at VBS, our children learned

about Allen Community Outreach, Project

Transformation, dental health issues in the

Appalachia Mountain region, Juntos Servimos in

Mexico, and The House of Hope in Honduras.

They heard testimonies and saw photographs

of people who have traveled to and worked in

these places. They worked on projects to help

support these missionaries and made items for

the children in each part of the world. Each day,

the children prayed for others.

This year, our VBS theme is IMPACT VBS: The

Year of Jubilee! Our children will learn about Old

Testament celebrations practiced throughout

the world. These celebrations, defined by God,

correlate to events of the New Testament.

Children will explore the different regions that

honor these customs where God’s instructions

are still celebrated today.

We’ve moved our VBS dates to August 5-9. The

VBS staff determined they needed more time

after school was over in June to prepare for our

celebration with the children. In the past, older

children participated in day camp at Chuck and

Ada Williams’ farm, a long-standing and much

appreciated tradition. With a move to August,

the outside temperatures will be too hot to have

day camp outside. So this year, we will all stay

together inside at the church campus.

Come get to know the children of our church

and our community. Meet new friends while

celebrating God and his Holy Word. Because

IMPACT VBS is unique to our church, we enjoy

the creative process of planning our impact. To

join our planning team, contact the Children’s

Ministry office, 972.727.8261 x311.

The FlameIn this issue:Back to School Bash Returns to FUMC Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Vacation Bible School Makes an IMPACT! . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Kids IMPACT Water Aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Change The World Weekend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Living Life Church Celebrates a Season of Firsts . . . . . . . .3

Boy Scout Project Creates Space and Saves Money . . . . .3

Special Needs Ministry Celebrates Our Youth . . . . . . . . . .3

Chancel Choir Travels to New York City . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Great Adventure Weekend: My Experience . . . . . . . . . . .4

Great Adventure Weekend: My Point of View . . . . . . . . . .4

Confirmation 2013: My Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Change The World WeekendBy Pam Chevrefils, Lay Leader

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

The vision for Change the World

(CTW) Weekend--May 3-5, 2013--was

to not only engage our congregation at

FUMC Allen in serving our neighbors

but also to reach out and include

other churches, businesses, and service

organizations in the Allen area.

David Wuensch, chair of the Missions

Team, and the 12 member CTW

committee set out early to accomplish

this goal so that for one weekend,

FUMC Allen would serve as a

command central where volunteers

could check-in, finalize assignments,

and receive assistance, as needed.

The command team kept volunteers

moving and motivated, and as a

result, we accomplished our goal

to aid our neighbors, both locally

and globally. Together, we gathered

needed items for our military and

shipped out 130 pounds of supplies

and gifts in 23 boxes to deployed

soldiers. Allen Community Outreach

benefited with a monetary donation

of $900, 691 pounds of food, and

254 bags of clothing. Volunteers

assembled 91,800 meals for Kids

Against Hunger, enough food to

feed 251 children for an entire year.

Hope’s Door, a shelter for battered

women and children, received 20

bags of materials. Our volunteer

work teams helped 18 local home

owners with home repair and lawn

projects. Our children hosted 13

lemonade stands that raised more

than $800 for charity. Volunteers

drove eight routes for Meals on

Wheels. Recreational Ministries

sponsored a shoe collection for Allen

Family Promise, and Daisy Girl Scout

Troop #5578 alone collected 27

pairs of children’s shoes, 15 pairs of

women’s shoes, and 5 pairs of men’s

shoes. And this is just a sampling of

the work completed.

Our thanks to the The Rotary

Club of Allen Sunrise, The

Rotary Club of Allen, Allen High

School Key Club, Allen High

Noon Lions Club, Boy Scouts of

America Eagle Trail District, Girl

Scouts of North East Texas, The

Genesis Group, GC Solutions,

Ace Fencing, Shokrete, McKinney

Tees and Sports Apparel, Allen

Stake of LDS, Good Shepherd

UMC, Creekwood UMC, Living

Life Church, FUMC Allen, and

the 1,408 volunteers who

served that weekend.

While the work of Change the

World Weekend helps many, our

work is not done: Our neighbors

still need us! As servants of Christ,

we are to live intentionally as the

hands and feet of Christ, who was

and is our greatest example

Living Life Church Celebrates a Season of FirstsBy Rev. Abe Smith, Senior Pastor, Living Life Church

Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Boy Scout Project Creates Space and Saves MoneyBy Tim Bell

What started out as a dream for the church six years ago is finally coming to reality!

With so many events going on at

FUMC Allen, we always have a need

for more storage. The garage next to

the Ministry Center was completely

packed, and we needed more room.

An influx of Boy Scouts from Troops

328, 306, and 207 approached Larry

Wright looking for projects for their

Eagle Scout rank, which spawned an

idea. Several meetings later followed

by lots of planning, fundraising, and

Special Needs Ministry Celebrates Our YouthBy Rev. Maxie Moore, Welcoming Ministries

We have much to celebrate in how our young people are reaching out into our community and beyond.

During the school year, many of our

youth serve as buddies each month

for our special needs ministry, APT

G : A Place to Go. In 2012, several

of our youth served as counselors

at Summer Events for Exceptional

First United Methodist Church of Allen 601 S Greenville Ave Allen, TX 75002 www.fumcallen.org

First United Methodist Church of Allen 601 S Greenville Ave Allen, TX 75002 www.fumcallen.org

Kids IMPACT Water AidBy William Hogg, Student

Last spring, as my friend Brody

and I were playing, we talked

about helping poor people. My

church, FUMC Allen, was talking

about IMPACT so I thought that

it would be good to try and

make an impact by helping the

poor somehow.

Together, we researched

different charities and found

Water Aid. We were shocked to

learn that up to 2,000 people die

each day due to water-related

diseases. something we take for

granted.

We were awarded an IMPACT

grant to get us started in

supporting Water Aid. We

sold water and chips at our

community pool and raised just

under $90. In December, we

approached our principal, Mr.

Andrew Benesh, about getting

our school, Olson Elementary:

Home of the Otters, involved.

FUMC Allen assigned to us

an IMPACT coach, Melissa

Guerrero, to help us on our way.

The school coach let us run

W’Otter Aid Day, where pupils

could play water-carrying games

to help us get a feel of what some

children must do just to survive.

We have shared our story with

two Rotary Clubs in Allen and

have raised $1,565, which will

help provide clean water for life

for up to 60 people!

Want to donate? Visit www.

f i r s t g i v i n g . c o m / f u n d r a i s e r /

KidsImpactH2O/wOtterAid or

scan this QR code with your

smartphone:

Living Life Church Celebrates a Season of FirstsBy Rev. Abe Smith, Senior Pastor, Living Life Church

This scripture, often referred to as

the Great Commission, is Jesus’ final

instruction to the disciples. In a sense, it

was the Son of God telling them “I have

started a good work in the world and

through me, you have the authority to

continue this work. Now go and share

the gospel…go and make disciples.”

Living Life Church is one example

of FUMC Allen’s commitment to

living out the great commission of

making disciples. Since its launch

in January 2013, Living Life Church

has celebrated its first baptism,

participated in missions, has more

than 60 people participating in small

group Bible studies, and is growing

in worship attendance. This summer,

the church will experience its first

Student Life trip, Vacation Bible School,

Feed the Need, and other missional-

focused ministry opportunities.

Living Life Church is one opportunity

where disciples are committed to making

disciples. Reread the scripture and ask

yourself daily, “What opportunities do I

have to make disciples for Jesus Christ?”

Boy Scout Project Creates Space and Saves MoneyBy Tim Bell

hundreds of hours of volunteer work,

we’re starting to see the idea pay off!

Planned and organized by church

volunteers and Eagle Scout

candidates--Braden Howell, Shane

Mooring, Ethan Bell, Garrett Cole

(Troop 328), Dakota Lambert (Troop

207), and Jon LeCroy (Troop 306)--

the expansion of the Ministry Center

garage is almost finished. This amazing

project could not have been possible

without the guidance of Keith Carper,

chair of the Board of Trustees, serving

as the project manager.

Once completed, the new garage

addition adds a space of 35 feet by

28 feet. That’s 980 square feet of

additional storage as well as a new

sidewalk and privacy fence. New brick

and siding on the existing structure

offers a more attractive presentation

from the road and provides storage

for the scout troops so that we were

able to remove the various sheds on

the property, further increasing the

appearance of the lot.

To top it all off, Joel Wood (Troop

328) also squeezed in the renovation

of the patio seating area behind the

Wesley House while the garage

project was underway.

Special Needs Ministry Celebrates Our YouthBy Rev. Maxie Moore, Welcoming Ministries

Kampers (SEEK) camp, a special-needs

week at the Bridgeport Camp and

Conference Center in Bridgeport, TX.

SEEK Camp is a fantastic experience

that includes water games, volleyball,

and basketball for kids to have fun

while learning about the Lord in a

non-denominational setting

In June 2013, seven of our youth

returned as SEEK Camp counselors:

Greg Hockaday, Brady McQueeney,

Brad Hockaday, Evan Kizer, Brennan

Fairchild, Ashlynn Fairchild, and

Glynn Gallaway.

First United Methodist Church of Allen 601 S Greenville Ave Allen, TX 75002 www.fumcallen.org

Chancel Choir Travels to New York CityBy Ruth Swingle

On May 9, several members of

the FUMC chancel choir and

the Allen Symphony Chorus

departed the DFW airport at

7:30am to travel to New York

City to join a 180-voice chorus

that would present a once in

a lifetime presentation of the

Brahms’ Requiem, under the

direction of Donald Neuen, at

Carnegie Hall.

Work for this trip started in the

summer 2012 with a retreat at

Lake Lavon. Weeks of rehearsals

followed with two performances in

April 2013. In New York, the work

continued with nine hours of intense

rehearsals, a learning experience for

everyone. We all now know what

“think till your brain sweats” really

means! It was hard work but so

rewarding and fun!

The Mother’s Day concert was

amazing! Our director, Rev. Rusty

King, prepared the Allen choirs so

well that we were able to not only

soak up a lot of knowledge but also

enjoy the city. As a group, we were

able to attend the Broadway musical

“Chicago.” Many took in additional

Broadway shows and the sights of

New York City, including the Top

of the Rock, Empire State Building,

the Statue of Liberty and Ellis

Island by ferry, the 9/11 Memorial,

Central Park, and museums! Many

enjoyed shopping, and the food was

definitely enjoyed by all.

This experience was rewarding in

many ways with the added benefit

of feeling and learning the passionate

music of Brahms. We are so blessed.

Five Boy Scouts from FUMC Allen charters, Troop 306 and Troop 328, and one from Troop 207 combined their Eagle project efforts and teamed with the FUMC Allen Board of Trustees to expand the storage capabilities of the Wesley House garage. Through garage sales and other projects, the scouts raised the funds and the manpower to pour a foundation, raise the walls, put on a roof, and purchase the siding.

Great Adventure Weekend: My Point of ViewBy Marina Goodwin, Class of 2013

Great. Adventure. Weekend.

These three simple words have

made an incredible impact on

my life. There is something

special about a youth retreat:

something special about setting aside the numerous

distractions that consume our lives and using that

time to develop a deeper relationship with God. Great

Adventure Weekend (GAW) provides so many ways

to do this through powerful worship services, deep

discussions within family groups and cabins, fellowship

during group games, sharing meals with old and new

friends. . . honestly, the list could go on and on.

I have personally experienced all of these aspects of

GAW every single year I’ve attended. This year was my

final GAW, and it was unrivaled by any other year. As a

senior, it is hard for me to understand that soon all of

these experiences I have waited so long for will pass

before I even realize it.

Throughout the entire weekend, it did not occur to me

that it would all soon be over. It did not occur to me as I

planned the lessons for GAW, as we said a prayer before

loading the bus, as I lead my family group in discussions,

as we worshiped together, as we played group games,

as we shared meals, as we watched the talent show, as

the juniors roasted the seniors, or as we roasted Hugo.

It finally hit me as the seniors sat in front of the entire

youth group and gave their testimonies that this was

my final GAW, and I would never have this time back.

Great. Adventure. Weekend. At the start of the weekend,

these three words simply represented the same old

youth retreat I went on every year, but as I spoke in front

of the youth group, my second family for the past six

years, I realized that these words actually mean so much

more to me. They represent precious time spent with

my closest friends, building a deeper relationship with the

Lord and creating memories that I will cherish forever.

Confirmation 2013: My PerspectiveBy Swazey Dickson, Confirmand

Confirmation helped me a lot.

Not only was it fun to hang

out with my friends, but it also

helped me get closer to God

by learning about Him. Every

Sunday, I met with my group and we started with just

talking about a topic. We learned things about the Bible

that we never knew before and got to tell our parents

all about it when they picked us up. We learned about

special holidays in the church, and we have studied the

stories in the Bible more now that we are older.

Confirmation has helped me get through a lot of

things. When I’m upset, I can always talk to my group,

Ms. Susan, or my faith partner, Ms. Melinda. I like faith

partners because they are someone who helps you get

through confirmation and lead you to being an official

member of the church: they are someone who you can

talk to and have fun with.

Confirmation gave me somewhere I could go to solve

a problem or learn something new about the Bible and

meet new people; it gave me the chance to learn how

to be a good disciple of God. It has helped me mature

and grow in my knowledge and see new things and new

people, which we did on our retreat. Confirmation is

something I will always remember, and it is one of my

favorite things about church.

When I was in Sunday school, I always looked forward

to going to confirmation, learning more about my faith,

and being with kids my age. Through confirmation, I

have confirmed my faith in God. I am thankful that I

was able to have this time to learn, and I am thankful

to Ms. Melinda and my other teachers and friends.

Confirmation is a big responsibility, but I am glad I chose

to take part in it; it has been one of my best church

experiences.

First United Methodist Church of Allen 601 S Greenville Ave Allen, TX 75002 www.fumcallen.org

Great Adventure Weekend: My Experience By Janice Hewitt, Adult Volunteer

When Hugo asked if I would volunteer

at Great Adventure Weekend (GAW), I

was honored but concerned. What was I

getting myself into?

The first night really set the tone for the

whole trip. We met with our family groups

and were swept up immediately in the

competition for the “Most Spirit Award.”

My “Jolly Green” family group surprised

me and everyone else that night, thanks

to the quick thinking of Laura Ragsdale,

the team’s resident cheerleader. We

quickly hoisted another team member,

Brady McQueeney, up in the air, and

won! The energy and enthusiasm (in one

word: LOUD) was impressive, and right

then, I knew this was going to be a great

weekend.

Our guest speaker, Youth Pastor Matt

Tuggle from Highland Park UMC,

provided very insightful points that

made for great conversations within

our family groups. He is truly an

outstanding speaker, and we were

very fortunate to have him there to

lead and inspire us that weekend.

So much planning goes into a

successful retreat, and it was amazing

to see first hand the work of Rev.

Hugo Magallanes and Susan Hale.

Reserving the camp, scheduling

transportation, and assigning cabins

to youth and chaperones is quite a

task. But they also planned detailed

activities throughout the weekend.

We also had time to goof around and

really express ourselves within our

small groups.

GAW is an amazing experience that truly

brings everyone closer. I learned a lot

from my amazing family group and cabin

mates, and I hope to be a part of GAW

every year.

The Flame Issue 02 JUNE 2013