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There were 17 people that attended Absolutely Abby at First United Methodist Church DeSoto on Tuesday, May 14, 2013. We started the meeting promptly at 5p.m. Sharon Weyker did the devotion, prayer and a poem on "What is a True American?

What is a True American?

First God! Second Family! Then country! If it's going to be it is up to me! Quitters never win and winners never quit. Tough times never last, but tough people do!

A- ATTITUDE What is your attitude toward others?

M- MISSION Why are you here?

E- EDUCATION We want the best education for you.

R- RELIGION What are your values?

I- INDIVIDUALITY If it is going to be it is up to me. Everybody is important.

C- CIVILITY Remember when we use to say hello to anyone down the street or wave to people that drove by or past you. It is time it has rolled back.

A - ACHIEVEMENT Everyone can achieve!

N - Take the last 4 letters and we all can do things. There is no such word as I can't.

I CAN WITH THE HELP OF GOD!

I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!

Then Abby Kohut who is Absolutely Abby presented on "Take Your Job Search by Storm in 2013.” She told us that we need to be prepared, prudent, being willing to partner, be pliable and be pleased.

Be Prepared:

• Research the company
• Prepare your why's
• Prepare SAR's- Situation, Action, and Results
• Prepare HR questions
• Prepare questions to ask
• How do you support growth? How long have you been here? When will I know if you will hire me? (That should be your last question.)
• What is the one thing would you change in your company?

Be Prudent:

• Never complain about anything or anyone unless no one can hear you except for your cat of dog
• The Weather
• The President
• The Mets or Yankees- or Rangers
• Recruiter turnaround time
• The economy
• Your job or your boss

Be Willing to Partner:

• Partner with Strangers
• Pay it forward
• Job Search Buddy
• Use Linked In

Be Pliable:

• Temp jobs
• Relocation
• Commute
• Hours of the Job
• Start a business

Be Pleased:

Top 10 List You Are Happy for:

• Family
• Kids
• Home
• Light
• Water
• Electricity
• Vehicle
• Friends
• Food
• Health

The following volunteers that assisted in either emailing, calling, advertising, bringing cookies, hospitality, getting the laptop/screen ready, photo's taken were: Brenda LeGard, Linda Tate, Dee Trimble, Larry Phillips, Jeff - Steve Collins son in law, William Weyker and Sharon Weyker.

Others that have started this program within the last 2-3 years are: Rev. Kevin Strempke, Pastor Peter McNabb, Ann Repke, Paul Buckley, Donna Devlin, Pat Thibodeau, Curtis Johnson, Alina Esquivel, Linda Harris, Ginger Williams, Ernanda White, Ron Blackwell, Pastor Brian Dierolf, Rev. Mel Carraway, Mack Christian, Brenda LeGard, Linda Tate, Dee Trimble, Larry Phillips, Steve Collins, Jan McKey, Dee Campbell, William Weyker and Sharon Weyker.

Special thanks go out to many others from the congregation that helped find jobs were: Darryl/Betty Cordell, Cheryl Clardy, Joe Johnson, Nieta Hickman, Elizabeth and Charles Reed, Ann Repka, and many others that are well appreciated.

Our next Job Seekers Ministry will be on Tuesday, September 10, 2013 starting at 10:00a.m. to 11:00a.m. which is going to be always the second Tuesday of the months from September-May 2013-2014. Then the Job Seekers will be ready to start the week out right. If there are any other volunteers that would like to volunteer for this Job Ministry we are always looking for new people sharing their expertise.

After all we have had over 135 job seekers that were interested in the program; 75 people went through the program and over 50 have received jobs. Some of them were Full Time, Part Time, Contract or Temporary jobs.

Tough times never last, but tough people do! Quitters never win and winners never quit! If it is going to be it is up to me!

Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue, somewhere over the rainbow, dreams do really come true.

Last night several tornados touched down in the DFW area, with major damage in the Central Texas Conference. Granbury and Cleburne were severely affected. Granbury neighborhoods are still in lockdown this morning with access restricted to emergency crews. Despite what you may have heard about volunteers being wanted at FUMC Granbury on the morning news today, the neighborhoods are not open right now. Marji Bishir, Associate Director for the Center for Missional Outreach, has been in touch with the Central Texas Conference since early this morning and will keep everyone posted as needs are defined and volunteers are requested.

Click here or on the button below to follow Central Texas Conference news.

CENTRAL TEXAS CONFERENCE NEWS

As of this morning the Central Texas Conference is asking for prayers and donations. North Texans are urged to give to UMCOR US Disaster Response Advance #901670. Checks made out to your church with this designation in the memo line and placed in your church offering plate will go to UMCOR, and 100% of it will be used to help survivors.

DONATE TO HELP

Celebrations will take place in all services
on Sunday, May 19, 2013

Join Christ United Methodist Church Plano on Sunday, May 19 to celebrate 40 years in North Texas! The celebration will take place in all services (8:45 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 11 a.m. sanctuary services and 11 a.m. IMPACT contemporary worship service). Lunch and fellowship in the Christian Life Center will be held after the 11 a.m. service.

40 Years of Worship

May 20, 1973 marked the opening service for CUMC Plano (the first United Methodist Church west of Interstate 75) with 107 adults and children in attendance at Sigler Elementary School. Two years later, CUMC completed construction on its first sanctuary on Glencliff Drive where the congregation would worship until outgrowing the location. In 1991 the church purchased 14 acres for future expansion. The relocation of the church occurred in 1997 to the new property at Coit and Parker Road following Phase I Building completion. In 2010, the church finished the Phase 4 building of a new sanctuary and atrium. In the 40 year history, church membership has grown to over 5,000 members.

A Missional Church

CUMC is a church committed to mission work. Even in the beginning when membership and financial resources were small, they found ways to serve the community. In 1976, CUMC’s Missions Committee backed its first foreign mission endeavor by donating a small amount of money to support Korean missionary work. Since then they have sent mission teams to numerous places, including Bolivia, Africa, Guatemala and Poland. The youth’s first APPA mission trip was to the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky in 1981. Locally, CUMC has been committed to serving Collin County and the surrounding area through programs such as Project Hope, House On The Corner, Family Promise, various food and clothing drives as well as projects that address homelessness.

Dedicated Leadership

CUMC has had only two senior ministers in its 40 year history. The first was Fred Kandeler, who was appointed to start the church in 1973, and worked tirelessly as the church grew to more than 2,000 members. Don Underwood was appointed as Sr. Minister in 1983, leading the church through the relocation to the current campus. Don gave his first sermon at CUMC, "The Right Place at The Right Time" on June 12, 1983.

In addition to leading this large, missional church, Don has written a weekly column that is distributed around the world.

Learn More

Click here for more information about the programs of CUMC.

Christ United Methodist Church is an active and vibrant community of believers. Since the church was founded in 1973, the members of CUMC have been dedicated to a mission of sharing God's love with each other and with those around us. Our ministries are as varied as our congregation and offer something for every age group. Adults can choose from as many as 25 different Sunday school classes, all of which offer opportunities for spiritual growth with fellowship both in and outside of church. Our facility at Coit and Parker Roads gives us the opportunity to reach out to more people and to touch more lives. It will provide a vital place of worship for generations to come!

Please come and see what CUMC has to offer!

Join us for the construction kick-off of the 10th home for CUMC Plano’s House on the Corner

Saturday, May 18, 2013
11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
3101 Coit Rd.
Plano, Texas 75075

Christ United Methodist Church will kick-off 10 years of House on the Corner with a bang! All are invited to celebrate in a surprise viral video event with free lunch, music, entertainment and blessings for the site. The event will take place between 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m., Saturday, May 18 at the southwest corner of Coit and Parker Road in Plano in the parking lot. Enter off of Parker Road.

Each year, Christ United Methodist Church builds a house for a Collin County family in need, in the church parking lot. Every Saturday from May through August, 1,000 volunteers from CUMC, the surrounding community and various faith groups, work to construct the home from the ground up. The home is then moved to its permanent location in East Plano to finalize construction. The family is selected through a rigorous process to determine eligibility. Once selected, the family members work with the volunteers to construct their home. House on the Corner is made possible through generous donations of church and community members, as well as a grant from the city of Plano.

Click here or on the button below for more information about House on the Corner.

On a recent Friday, I saw my first Rangers game of the season. Yu Darvish had 10 strikeouts, and the Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners
7-0.

The start of the baseball season announces that spring is here. And every team ends the previous year looking forward to the next. It all starts over for baseball players and for die-hard Rangers fans.

Would we be so fortunate if the same held true for life! Perhaps the dawn of a new year comes close, but the best that most people can manage is to re-calibrate their focus or desires.

Since the end of January, the North Texas Conference Cabinet has been focused on making appointments of clergy to mission fields and churches. Many of my waking hours and prayers have been devoted to this important work. In the midst of this time, I have found myself wondering if the clergy receiving new appointments or churches and laypeople who are greeting new pastors think of this as a new beginning.

While not a baseball season, it could be the time that clergy embrace new opportunities for spiritual growth, leadership, and living and proclaiming the story of Jesus. For congregations, the possibilities of new visions for telling and living the story of Jesus bring a sense of hope.

I have witnessed it each year: Clergy excited about a new challenge and a new place of service, and congregations eager to welcome a new pastor. Even for those who return to the church they serve and those congregations that see no change in clergy, there can be a sense of a new beginning.

Living fruitful lives as laity and clergy is not an athletic endeavor. As much as I await the day that the Rangers win the World Series, my hope for all of us is that we use this time to become passionate about living and telling the story of Jesus to the people in the communities where we live and serve.

The North Texas Annual Conference meets in the early days of June, and a few weeks later, many clergy and congregations begin anew. My prayer and hope is that you eagerly anticipate God doing something new in you.

I'm sure you've heard the joke, "You might be a United Methodist if you've ever attended Annual Conference and actually enjoyed it."

It's OK. You can call me weird because I'm one of those folks who do like and look forward to Annual Conference. For four years, I was on the planning team and got up close and personal with the workings of Annual Conference. Two of those years, I was planning team chair, which came with the responsibility of timekeeper in an attempt to keep everyone on schedule.

Keeping everyone within their designated time slot is next to impossible. Sometimes people just have more to say, or unexpected guests or events pop up.

The highlight is catching up with pastors who previously served my home church. And visiting and meeting laity from other parts of the conference is a fun way to experience our connection. Worship with inspiring preachers and uplifting music is a thrill, and I come away with a renewed spirit. It is also exciting to learn about ministries going on in other parts of the conference.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think Annual Conference is perfect. And I agree with the majority on the need to improve it.

Two years ago I was part of the Nehemiah Group, created to dissect the way we conduct Annual Conference. Through this process, we began to imagine a renewed Annual Conference gathering. Last year, the group's recommendations were accepted by the Annual Conference.

Now we are ready to embark on the goals set forth by the Nehemiah Group. And this year's Annual Conference Planning Team has put together a conference that will stimulate our imaginations.

At our laity session, we will start using our imagination with a youth-led devotion and a touching memorial to Annual Conference lay members who have died in the last year. We will include a look at the "Culture of Call" and "Laity Ministry Outside the Four Walls," and conclude with a dinner discussion imagining what a church can do if it has no boundaries.

Annual Conference members, be sure to go to www.ntc2013.org and register for the conference and meals, and make a toolbox selection. Come to Annual Conference ready to participate in fellowship, experience inspiring worship, be energized by presenters and start using your imagination to be a part of the world God imagines.

And you, too, can become a United Methodist who went to Annual Conference and actually enjoyed it.

Linda Parks is the North Texas Conference Lay Leader. Contact her at ljparks@aol.com or ntclayleader@ntcumc.org.

Dan Gentry, left, chair of the trustees and building committee, and Ramon Wood, administrative council chair burned the bank note on the church's 3-year-old parsonage.

Forestburg UMC, in the Northwest district of the North Texas Conference, celebrated paying off its 3-year-old parsonage on April 21, 2013 with a note burning and Bring a Friend Sunday.

Northwest Superintendent Marvin Guier and his wife, Kathy, were on hand for the occasion. The church, now led by the Rev. Chuck Jestis, decided in spring 2009 to build a parsonage and become a single point charge (no longer sharing a pastor with other churches) under the leadership of the Rev. E. Sam Campbell.

Ramon Wood, administrative council chair, in his address to the church at the celebration, said the church "had proven that when Forestburg UMC decides to do something for the Lord, you can either get on board or get out of the way." Dan Gentry, trustees and building committee chair, thanked everyone who helped make the dream a reality.

After the service, attendees enjoyed grilled hamburgers with all the fixings.

Are you in a rut with your job search?

First UMC DeSoto, at 310 Roaring Springs Drive in DeSoto, is hosting Abby Kohut from 4:45 PM to 6:00 PM Tuesday, May 14, 2013, on Taking Your Job Search by Storm.

"Absolutely Abby" is a job recruiter who will spill the secrets of the profession at the free seminar.

Register at www.fumcdesoto.org or call 972-223-6118 by midnight May 12, 2013.

Register here

Merry Mobile Methodists, a group that camps together twice a year, observed its 25th anniversary in April. Rev. Byron Myrick, right, participated in singing, part of the worship. Far right, from left: Damon Briggs, Rev. Myrick, Terry Smotherman and Walter Smith got ready to tend to dinner.