Sometimes a sermon

sticks with a person

beyond the span of a
week. There are several
over the years that remain
pretty clear in my own
memory. I can remember
who the preacher was and
the core message of the
sermon. Most often the
memory is cemented by
the sermon title. Among
those memorable
sermons is one I heard
about eight years ago. We
were gathering for charge
conference, which always
began with a time of
worship. The guest
preacher was one of our
superintendents, Rev.
Dallas Forren. Looking at
the worship bulletin, I
noticed the title of his
message: "Grab that
Snake!" Being a reserved
United Methodist, I was
naturally curious (and
Children and youth (pg. 2)
Note on Stewardship (pg. 3)
Important Dates (p. 4)
Calendar (p. 5)
Vol. 10, No. 10 October 1, 2014
(cont. on pg. 6)
In this Edition




14th Annual Heavens Harvest
Auction and Dinner

The auction has come and gone! What a wonderful evening for us
all. We had an amazing time and we raised enough money to
cover the remainder of the note on the Deen Building. God is
good, all the time! We would like to thank everyone for all the
time and efort they put in to making this year so special. A very
special thank you to Connie Watson for chairing this event again.
You make it look efortless and it could not be done without all of
your hard work and dedication, so THANK YOU from your grateful
church family!






Vol. 10, No. 11 November 1, 2014


K5 Kids
meet from 6-
7pm. Dont
miss the fun,
fellowship
and FOOD!
The Youth Group is meeting Wednesdays
from 6-7p.m. You dont want to miss out on all
the fun. Bring your friends for a great time with
us!
K5 Kids Choir
practics
Wednesdays
at 5:30 p.m.
Come lend your
voice to our
wonderful choir,
then stay for the fun at K5 Kids! We look
forward to seeing you!
K5 Kids
FOOD ITEMS NEEDED FOR THE ANGEL TREE
FAMILIES
This year, we (RMUMC) are going to focus on
the following 3 food items for the boxes we
prepare for each Angel Tree Family:
PEANUT BUTTER ANY SIZE JARS ARE
NEEDED SOME FAMILIES HAVE 4 OR 5
CHILDREN
SOUP THINK SIMPLE VARIETIES (CHICKEN
NOODLE,
VEGETABLE,
POTATO, TOMATO)
CANNED FRUIT
PEACHES, PEARS,
FRUIT COCKTAIL,
APPLE SAUCE
(MULTI PACKS ARE
GREAT TOO)
Be watching for the envelopes we use to
collect money to purchase chickens or turkeys
for our Angel Families!
You can sponsor the purchase of a Chicken for
$5 or the purchase of a Turkey for $10
Just to give you an
idea we used
over 100 chickens
and 45 turkeys in
2013!
Food Drive
With school back in
session we are sponsoring
the Middle School back
pack program once again.
This vital program sends
backpacks flled with food
home each weekend with
students in need. Items
should be easily opened
and consumed by a child
(nothing requiring a can opener). Small
containers and single-servings are helpful, as
well. I was hungry, and you gave me
food. (Matthew 25:35)
A Note on Stewardship and Finances

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you about our fnances.

First of all, thank you again for your generous contributions. It is truly a blessing to be a part of
such a giving congregation!

Unfortunately, we continue to face some very high expenses, and we are still trying to recover
from unexpected costs earlier in the year. Due to these unforeseen expenses, through the 3rd
quarter of this year we have spent $7,637 more than we have deposited. It is a challenge at times
to manage our cash fow, but through the grace of God and your oferings it always works out.

Our church will face some upcoming fnancial challenges as well. In the near future we would like
to advertise more about the church and new pastor, and we need to repair or replace our Church
signs. We pray for Gods guidance and ask that you please continue, or consider and increase, in
your giving.

Again, we want to thank you for your commitment to Gods work at Russell Memorial United
Methodist Church. If you have questions about any of the information provided, please do not
hesitate to contact me at (903) 873-2693 or frosty@powerlabinc.com, or you can contact Jackie
Cockerham at the church ofce.

In His Service,
Frosty Tunnell
Chair, Stewardship Committee

Many hands working hard to
prepare a wonderful meal
for our auction.
Our Presence and Our Gifts
Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19
the early service 44 62 48 48 66
Sunday School 94 90 82 96 90
Traditional Worship 118 107 93 125 101
$7,021.50 $2,650.36 $8,619.74 $5,815.00 $3,494.00
Dates to Remember!
11-1, 8:30 a.m. Day of Visioning
11-3, 6:30 p.m. Special Finance Meeting
11-15, 10:00 a.m. Charge Conference FUMC
Canton
11-22, 11:00 a.m. Neighbor to Neighbor
11-23, NO POTLUCK!!, 12:00 p.m. Hanging of the
Greens, 6:00 p.m. Community Service, First
Baptist Church
11-30, 12:00 p.m. Potluck/Hand Bell Concert

November Worship Assistants

Altar Guild: Fritz Gilbreth (Chair), Theresa Turner, Kathleen
Bobbitt, Lucy Hill, Nelda Currie
Ushers: Carolyn Hawkins (Head), Denny McCormick, Mack
Waller, Mike Roddy
C
a
l
e
n
d
a
r

o
f

E
v
e
n
t
s

f
o
r

N
o
v
e
m
b
e
r

Happy Birthday!
Fritz Gilbreth 11-2
Joe Hess 11-3
Elizabeth Blasingame 11-5
Shirley Reed 11-6
Arthur Galope, Jr. 11-7
Maggie McDonald 11-8
Taylor Hulsey 11-8
Marlene Jordan 11-14
Judy Powers 11-16
Vic Jordan 11-19
Sharon Blazer 11-20
Kathryn Kulwicki 11-21
Jef Aston 11-22
Marilyn Roddy 11-23
Lynn Rowe 11-24
Erin Galope 11-26
Kelly Miracle 11-27
Community Outreach Program
Neighbor to Neighbor Lunch
11 am-1pm
Fourth Saturday of each month
Deen Building - George Hall
OPEN TO ANYONE
WHO CHOOSES TO COME
Please contact Gerda David for
details (214-538-0192).
November
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
Day of Visioning
8:30am-1:00pm
2 All Saints Day
8:30 am Early
Service
9:45am Sunday
School
11:00am Worship

3
10:00 am Prayer
Group
6:00pm Trustees
6:30pm Special
Meeting of the
Finance Commit-
tee
4
6:45pm Cub
Scouts

5
5:30pm K5 Kids
Choir
6:00pm K5 Kids
and Youth
6:00pm Bells
7:30pm Sanctuary
Choir
6
4:15pm Girl Scouts
7
Rotary
8

Supper Club
9 UMW Sunday
8:30 am Early
Service
9:45 am Sunday
School
11:00 am Worship

10
10:00 am Prayer
Group
6:00pm Finance
11
11:00am
Veterans Day
Lunch
6:45pm Bee
Keepers
6:45pm Cub
Scouts
12 Birthday Girls
5:30pm K5 Kids
Choir
6:00pm K5 Kids
and Youth
6:00pm Bells
7:30pm Sanctuary
Choir
13

14
Rotary

15
10:00am Charge
Conference FUMC
Canton

16
7:30am UMM
Breakfast
8:30 am Early
Service
9:45 am Sunday
School
11:00 am Worship
2:00pm Crestwood
17
10:00 am Prayer
Group
6:30pm Day
School

18
6:30pm Tuesday
Evening Bible
Study
6:45pm Cub
Scouts
19
5:30pm K5 Kids
Choir
6:00pm K5 Kids
and Youth
6:00pm Bells
7:30pm Sanctuary
Choir
20
MDS Thanksgiving
Feast
4:15pm Girl Scouts
21
Rotary

22

Neighbor to
Neighbor
Lunch 11 am1pm


23
8:30am Early
Service
9:45 am Sunday
School
11:00 am Worship
12:00pm Hanging
of the Greens
6:00pm Communi-
ty Service FBC

30
8:30 am Early
Service
9:45 am Sunday
School
11:00 am Worship
12:00pm Potluck/
Bell Choir Concert
24
10:00am Prayer
Group
25 26 27
Thanksgiving
28 29
maybe a bit nervous) about the sermon we were about to experience.
When I noticed that the text for his sermon was from the fourth chapter of Exodus, my mind
began to make connections.

The early chapters of Exodus begin to describe the life of Moses and his God-given role in bringing
the Hebrew people out of bondage in Egypt. On Mt. Horeb, Moses encounters God through a
burning bush, and receives the call to participate in God's mission. Like most of us, Moses feels
fearful and inadequate to meet the challenge. He needs afrmation, which God provides in an
interesting fashion. God asks Moses, "What is that in your hand?" Moses replies, "A staf." God
then tells Moses to throw it on the ground. Do you remember what happened? It became a
serpent. What happens next is the real fulcrum of these verses. To use the paraphrase of Rev.
Forren, God tells Moses to grab that snake! I don't know about you, but this is where God runs a
high risk of losing me. It is one thing for me to stand at a safe distance and be awestruck by the
power of God. It is quite another thing for God to say, "step up close, stretch out your hand and
grasp this powerful creation of mine." We are not told how Moses felt at that moment. We are
told that he was obedient, and the snake turned into a staf in his hand.

We don't have to strain to see the meaning of this interaction, nor to gain the application it
provides for our own faith journey. God was not showing of for Moses; God was showing Moses
what could happen if Moses would ofer to God that which was in his hand. The New American
Standard Bible makes the statement even more obvious. Simply remove the narrator's
commentary in verse four and you are left with a complete statement by God: "Stretch out your
hand and grasp it by its tail...that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." Could God do
something powerful through Moses, that the world may know the glory of God? Absolutely! It was
never an issue of God's ability. It was an issue of Moses' willingness.

I don't think there is anything especially relevant about Moses having a staf as opposed to any
other object. Moses was doing the work of a shepherd; what else would be in his hand? The
meaning lies in the command of God to ofer what was in Moses' hand so it could be empowered
by God, and then to take it up so that God's purpose may be accomplished through him. I believe
God asks each of us just what he asked Moses. What is that in your hand? At the moment you
might say, "a newsletter" or "my handheld device on which I am reading my newsletter." If that is
your answer, you may have slightly missed the point. The "staf" in our hand represents the things
we can ofer for God's work: time, talents, resources, etc. And the simple reality is that we all have
something in our hand. And that "something" can be transformed into a testimony to God's power
when it is placed in faith before God.

What is in your hand? Place it in God's presence to be used for His glory, and get ready to grab that
snake!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Dave
(cont. from pg. 1)
Remember in Prayer:

Bennie Scott
Billy Bobbitt
Billy Bruster
Bo & Maxine Clopton
Bret Wortham
Connie Watsons Dad
Connor Mitchell
Chris Cagle
David Cartwright
Dennis Basham
Don Hollister
Ed Winner
Efe Phillips
Garrett Matlock
Gary Keller
Ginger & Joe Hess
Grace Kosub
Methodist Church (RMUMC)
Hannah Wright
Jack Clark
Jane Webber
Jerry Hollister
Jerry Bell
John Eyers
John & Meredith Neil
Joni Tunnell
Julie (Hess) Marical
Ken & Rosa Davis
Londell Green
Margaret Butler
Mimi Miles
Noreen Morley
Norma Hundley
Our Armed Forces, America
Our World
Phil Looney
Preston Bunch
Rick Lutzinger
Rhonda Morrow
Sandra & Mark Brown
Students & Teachers
Theresa Turner
Tom Richardson
Windy Howard




Memorials

In memory of Joyce Miller
given by Judy and Lenna Powers.

In memory of Rev. Bill Lacy
given by F.G. & Becky Hardy.


Russell Memorials very own
Vanna! Thank you, Cathy
Wilcoxson, you did a wonderful job!

The Russell Report
Russell Memorial United Methodist Church
A Family Rooted in Christ and Reaching Out in Love
201 S. Fourth Street
P. O. Box 335
Wills Point, TX 75169

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED








NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #2
Wills Point, TX
Rev. David Cartwright, Pastor Dr. Bob Gilbreth, Music Director
Nancy McDonald, Ofce Administrator Fritz Gilbreth, Organist
Theresa Turner, Ladies Hand Bells Director Mary Keller, K5 Kids Coordinator
Denise Ross, Pianist Jackie Cockerham, Financial Administrator
Ofce Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday
Join us Sunday Morning!
Contemporary Worship @ 8:30 Sunday School @ 9:45 Traditional Worship @ 11:00