Hasn’t our weather been fantas-tic! And wasn’t our Easter Cele-bration moving? I’m writing to you early in the morning…the sun has just peaked its head out and the morning breezes are cool and refreshing…and the month of May is on the horizon. I love this time of the year, we’re back on Day-light Savings time and that means I have an extra hour each day to work in my yard…it is a mess, I trying to get things ready to plant some new grass! Well, enough of that…hope your Spring is going well with you! I want to share something that Ford Kinsey sent my way a couple of weeks ago, it’s a clip from Max Lucado’s book When God Whis-pers Your Name. It’s offers us a wonderful way to start each new day. “It’s early, my coffee is still hot and the world is still asleep. The day is on its way and in a few minutes it will be invaded by deci-sions to be made and deadlines to

FIRST UNITED

METHODIST

PASCAGOULA

Inside this issue:

Pastor’s Message”

continued 2

Camp Wesley Pines 2

General Conference

Offering 2

Sunday School Teachers 2

Community of Hope 3

Youth Choir Concert 3

Children’s Corner 4

May’s Special Events 4

Prayer Requests 4

Volume 5, Issue 5

continued ...

be met. Now, I must choose how I will respond to this day (edited)! I choose love…No occasion jus-tifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. Yes, I chose love. Today, I will love God and what God loves. I choose joy…I will invite God to be the God of my circumstances. I will refuse the temptation to be cyn-ical, the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God…and I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. I choose peace…I will live for-given. I will forgive so that I may live! I choose patience…I will over-look the inconveniences of the world…rather than to complain that a wait might be too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray…I will face today’s inconveniences with joy and courage. I choose kindness…I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid…and kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me! I choose goodness…I will go without a dollar before I take a dis-honest one. I will be overlooked be-fore I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness. I choose faithfulness…Today I will keep my promises…I will be the person who God needs me to be! I choose gentleness…Nothing is won by force, I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in

May 2012

Call Debbie Horn to reserve a Sunday to put altar flowers in the church. Debbie may be reached at 769-6826 or 217-3095. Please call after 3:00pm. You are welcome to leave a message if necessary or you may also email her at dhorn@psd.ms.

praise of God. If I clinch my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. I choose self-control…I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I re-fuse to let what will rot rule the eternal. I choose self-control…I will be influenced by God…I will be taught only by Christ! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, good-ness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. To these I commit my day…and if I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek God’s grace. And then, when this day is over, I will place my head on my pillow and sleep in His care!” What a way to live! What a wonderful Lord we serve! Hope to see you in church this Sunday where we will continue our celebra-tion of Easter and God’s gracious love…Serving Christ and you! Bro. Jim

Page 2

New Plantings on Pascagoula St. Spring came early this year and offered us the opportunity to dress up all our flower beds, especially those on Pascagoula St. We are thankful to David Dugas, Michael Marsh, John Fleming, Cynthia Everett, Wes & Sherry Judy and Keith & Anita Belcher for all their hard work. We are also thankful to Dr. Dewey & Carlana Lane for helping out with some of the expenses! All we need now are some volunteers to help water during the hot & dry days of summer! If you would like to volunteer please see Bro. Jim Thanks!

Summer Camp at Camp Wesley Pines The 2012 Summer Camp schedule is out and it is time to sign up your kids for camp! The Jr. High Camp (grades 7-9th) dates are as follows: June 18

-22 or July 16 to 20th. The July date is probably best for most of our kids…talk with Christina and let her know. Camp dates for Older Elementary (grades 4th thru 6th) are: June 4 to 8th, 25 to 29th and July 9-13th and 23-27th. Registration Forms are in the Church Office…once again the Church can pay ½ of registration fee if needed. Elementary Camp fee is $230 and Jr. High is $280, both include a t-shirt & DVD. You will need to pick up the Regis-tration forms ASAP and get them mailed in to Camp Wesley Pines!

“Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105) On Sunday, May 27, we will be hon-oring those who teach our Sunday Classes. We give thanks to God for our teachers and their faithfulness to share the Word of God in growing disciples for Jesus Christ. Pre-school Classes: Ashley Clark, Charlene Powers, the

Anderson family Elementary: Leslie Bowlin, Candice Tisdale, Senicka

Waddell Jr.High/High School: Paul and Lauren wood, Scott and

Melanie Corlew Wesleyan Class: Marian Bishop, Frank Lash, Joy Ezell,

Sue Lash, Ed Chatterton, J.C. Harris Curry Bible Class: Pauline Curry Good Samaritan Class: Earl Greenough, Anita Belcher,

Ray and Lyn Brown, Wes Judy, Deborah Felts Baber-Kates Class: Dewey Lane, Dot Gilmore, Clarence

Whitley Crusaders Class: Joe Poole, Jerry Reeves, Sally Sharlow,

Alice Walker Living Water: Richard Womack, Karen Joplin, Cindy

Whitley Truth Seekers Class: Greg Cronier, Dwayne Coats Sunday Connection Class: Tom Sims, Glen Wood,

Sherry Judy

The 2012 Annual Conference Offering will be in honor and in memory of Mississippi clergy. Our special gifts as Annual Conference will help to fund Pre-82 Pension Benefits here in the Mississippi Conference. We all can call to mind the name of a clergy and clergy spouse who has graced our lives. Resources will be made available to you to use in your church so that all of us -- laity and clergy -- might together give so that these wonderful people will be supported in retirement.

Annual Conference Offerings have ranged in the past seven years from $79,000 to $172,000. We believe that the 2012 Mississippi Conference Offering will be at least $250,000 as we give thanks to God for clergy who have served and loved us. Now is our opportunity to remember and demonstrate our love for them.

Thank you for beginning today to plan for the largest annual conference offering in the history of your church -- for this most worthy cause.

Pastor’s Message continued ...

Community of Hope is our Mission High-light for the month of May. We had the privilege of hearing Marley and Nancy Walker sharing in our April 22 Worship Service about the ministry of Community of Hope. First United Methodist Church

is committed to sharing in the vision and ministry of this out-reach to our community. There will be a Community of Hope work day on Saturday, May 26th starting at 8:00 a.m. Sign-up sheets for this event will be located in Narthex and Sunday School classrooms. Community of Hope believes that a holistic approach to as-sisting those experiencing hardship is the best long term solution as we not only work to meet our clients’ immediate needs, but we will also provide resources and education so that they are equipped to successfully meet their own needs going for-ward. We will partner with our clients to identify the core prob-lem and provide them with the appropriate education and in-struction to address their issues thereby giving them the confi-dence and self-esteem they need to work toward successful achievement. Our endeavor will allow volunteers and communi-ty members from all walks of life to work together to solve local problems as we demonstrate God’s love and Christ’s teachings by healing, helping and serving others. The mission of Community of Hope is… To provide compassionate assistance to individuals, families and children dur-ing times of need or emergency crisis. To provide opportunities for volunteers to follow in Christ’s footsteps by serving community members in need. The purpose of Community of Hope is…

To foster dignity, self-respect and self-esteem as we support members of our community who are working through life’s difficulties. To utilize the talents and expertise of our volunteer network to assist with meeting the many needs in our commu-nity.

Our new worship times are 9:00 - Sunday School, 10:00 - fellowship in the Fellowship Hall, 10:30 – Worship in the Sanctuary!

Page 3

On Friday, June 1st, the Believer’s Youth Choir of Gray United Meth-odist Church, Gray, Georgia, will present a concert in our sanctuary as part of their spring tour to New Orleans. They will be in Pas-cagoula for two nights, Thursday May 31, and Friday, June 1, before moving westward to the Big Easy. An offering will be taken at their concert to benefit our local mis-sion programs. Pencil this event in on your calendars for 7:00pm, June 1, for a fun concert with this youth program.

MAY’S SPECIAL EVENTS Don’t’ forget that on Sunday, May 13th, we will be recognizing our graduates and honoring our Mothers! What a day of rejoicing that will be! Our graduates include: Joseph Hunter, Austin Allen, Robyn Coleman, Elliot Story, and Rebecca Bishop.

Cluster SongFest, Sunday, May 6th, at 6 PM at Dantzler Memorial UMC. What a wonderful way to worship God!

Mission Fundraiser Lunch…Sunday, May 20th following worship. (Raising funds for NC Mission trip in July!)

National Day of Prayer, Thursday, May 3rd, 12 noon at Courthouse! Let’s gather and pray for our nation & leaders!

Prayer Concerns: Please send additional prayer requests to prayers@fumcpascagoula.org or click

PRAYER LINK on our church website.

Penny Fisher (Bro. Jim’s Mom) Tommy McIlwain

Lamar & Betty Spencer David Bardwell

Karen Burkhalter Jeanne McGahie Sonny Shepherd Carmen Mickell

Mike Wood Tim Shepherd

M. L. McCormick Donnie Puckett Jack Womack Donald Dugas

Lou Ann Chilton Phil Cook

Ralph Griffin Francis Haarala Alisha Martin

Jamie Cook Brandon Foster

Elliot Story Fay Wiley

Norman Jardine Carol Hewlett Jack Boreing Johnny Sykes Janet Muncie

Peggy Hamlin Anna Brown

Mary Lee Billy Smith

Robert Kates Nancy Goggin

Ted Wooten Jack Oppie Holly Hays

Ted Brushaber Bradley Sykes Scott Lindsey Jeannie Goff Nick Myers

Celebration Kids will have a Summer Kick-off Swim Party Sunday afternoon, May 20. This will be our last Sunday evening until school re-sumes. We will send out more details closer to

the date.

We have a lot planned for

our Summer!!!

June 1 - Fun Friday Night

6:30pm-10:00pm.

We will have games, crafts, and

lots of food!

Babylon VBS - June 11 - 15.

It will be an evening VBS.

Please save this date!!

We will have a

registration

display set up

for you to

pre-register.