The Good News Bears

Balls were hit, balls were caught, errors were made, many laughs and smiles, runs were scored...high fives all around!

The first season for the Good News Bears was a success. Our goals were simple: to have fun, fellowship, to compete and share the Good News in our community. We met all of these goal and more! We finished with 6 wins and 1 loss. The one loss proved costly as it was to the other 1 loss team in the league and we finish second in the league on the tie breaker.

Wins and losses aside...each week we had outstanding fan support from friends, family and the church. We also collected shampoo and peas for Hill Country Community Ministries from the Bears, our fans and opponents.

We had our share of scrapes and pulled muscles during the season and I am happy to report that Leon is recovering well from the unfortunate line drive @ 3rd. Despite the bumps and bruises we will play again for the summer. The Bears begin play again on June 5th and what does that mean for our opponents?.....GOOD NEWS!

More fun with You Tube

Lorna sent this to me in email. Enjoy.

You Tube Fun

The last few days I have been inspired, yet again, to pick up my guitar and learn how to play. While searching for songs and chords on the net, I came across a blog from a worship leader in North Carolina. Alastair Vance maintains a blog that I can't stop watching. Live to Worship is his blog and it is filled with You Tube videos of him playing worship songs. I highly recommend you check out his blog.

And then if you want to go off on tangents, go out to You Tube and type in Chris Tomlin, or Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing or Mercy Me or any hymn, worship song or Christian artist. Watch the video and then click on the Related Videos and see where that takes you. Before you know it you will find that you have spent a hour or more watching videos and wonder if you were a character in Lost and somehow slipped into a crack in time.

Ok...This time is for real. I am putting myself out there. I am going to learn how to play and will be playing at church before the end of the year.

Top 10 List

It has been a very long time since my last post. Much has happened in the life and times of GNUMC since late March. I am presenting a recap in the form of a Top 10 list.

Top 10 reasons I love Good News United Methodist Church!

Number 10: United Methodist Women’s Silent Auction. A great event, great items donated for auction and a great time had by all. Thanks to Cedar Park United Methodist for the use of their church!
Number 9: Sunday School For All Ages. On Sunday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 the church is abuzz with laughing and singing kids & wonderful discussion at youth and adult classes, but THE place to be is the nursery! Alicia and Amy have the toddlers laughing and playing.
Number 8: Breakfast on 2nd Sunday. This has become a real crowd pleaser plus it is raising needed funds for the Youth Mission Trip. You can count on full tummy, fellowship and a late start to worship with Pastor Bob weaving through the crowd saying “time for church!”
Number 7: Methodist Class Tuesday night. We are completing the first installment of the Methodist 101 class on May 20th. We have learned about John Wesley and the Methodist Movement, the early Methodist church after the Revolutionary War, the history of the church in the 1800s and 1900s and foundational beliefs of the Methodist Church. Watch the church calendar for the next class!
Number 6: Supporting Story Book Project. On Mother’s Day we collected books to support the TIFA Storybook Project of Texas. The Storybook Project allows incarcerated parents to engage in the reading development of their small children and provides an opportunity for meaningful contact between the child and the parent. Thank you Pat Roberts for bringing this opportunity to serve to our church.
Number 5: United Methodist Men BBQ. On Friday and Saturday May 17/18 the UMM smoked over 100 lbs of brisket, sausage and chicken, prepared gallons of beans and coleslaw and created meals for many, many families. All to support the Youth Mission Trip and the added bonus of the church workday to clean up the land for VBS. Thank you Brette Riley for organizing the event and all of the UMM who planned and participated.
Number 4: DMFY (Digital Ministries for Youth). David Luscombe and the youth produce entertaining digital shorts.
Number 3: Singing “We are the Church Together” with a big smile. Ok, ok… it is a simple song with a simple melody, but the message is spot on. Plus looking back and seeing Richard towering over the other youth doing the hand gestures to the song and laughing and then looking at his dad, Pastor Bob, doing the same is sight I will not soon forget.
Number 2: Vacation Bible School. VBS is June 23rd – 27th. You have to see it and be a part of it to understand how much fun it is. The kids have a blast for 5 days and the adults who volunteer get to be a kid again!
And the Number 1 reason I love Good News UMC. Our Mission: To offer the children, youth, and families of Cedar Park/Leander the opportunity to encounter the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ in our worship, small groups, special events, and daily lives so as to transform the world one relationship at a time.

Sunday FUN

One of the strengths of the Good News UMC is its Sunday FUN program. This is because of the incredible dedication of the teachers and parents. This program truly fulfills our mission to give children an opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ. I am of the belief that this opportunity does not need to stop just because school is out for the summer. However, those teachers who have been teaching all year do need a break. We need volunteers to continue this important ministry for the months of June, July, and August.

Now, I know what you're thinking - volunteering will mean 12 weeks of extra preparation, cleaning up Elmer's Glue, and sweeping up glitter. But, this is not the case. We would like to invite you to participate in a summer program where you will only have to teach one Sunday a month. Each month will emphasis one Bible story per month. Each Sunday's activity will then relate to this story. For example - one Sunday the children will do a craft, the next the children will learn music, the next will be a drama acting out the story, and so on. So, as a teacher, if you pick one of the activities, you will only have to teach three times during the summer. And by the end of the summer, our children will know three Bible stories inside and out.

If you would like to volunteer or if you would like more information, please contact Lindsay Funk, or just respond to this post and I will try to answer your questions. Thank you for considering how you can help us fulfill our mission of giving the children, youth, and families of Cedar Park/Leander the opportunity to encounter the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. And, thanks again to our wonderful Sunday FUN teachers.

Pastor Bob