As the name describes, this is extending the love and prayers of Jesus Christ and His church outside our building's walls and into the homes, nursing facilities and hospitals where our church family need attention. Occasional visits are made by the 'extended care minister' to simply touch base, spread the love of Christ, perhaps share the Lord's Supper, and provide support to the extent the caregiver is capable. An extended care minister witnesses to Christ's love by their presence and their prayers.

• Home visits
• Communion for home-bound folks
• Hospital visits
• Deliver Prayer Quilts
• Nursing/Rehabilitation visits
• Deliver eJoice Newsletters (we are going to have hard copies printed for this)
• Share the love of Jesus Christ

Contact us for help or to get involved!

HOME GROUP REPORT

Lake Cities United Methodist Church just launched its second Home Group, following the success of another Home Group that was formulated last year. Home Groups serve the church well in that they provide a setting for new members to become better integrated into the larger church. They also provide a learning environment for those who do not belong to a traditional Sunday School class.

Each group is bounded together by similar interests or stations in life. Lake Cities first Home Group is made up of younger families and individuals who have similar interests and needs. Likewise, the church’s second group is made up of older families who have similar needs.

Home Groups are launched at the home of the pastor. After matching new families with established families, the pastor sends out an invitation for interested individuals to attend a first meeting. At the first meeting, a model is presented for future gatherings which include a meal and a time for study. Participants are then asked if they would like to continue to meet and vote accordingly.

Each meeting starts with a meal. After a time of fellowship everyone gathers for a spiritual lesson. Each meeting lasts no longer than two hours. All family members are encouraged to attend, including children. At the end of the meeting, participants set the date and place for the next meeting. It is encouraged that families meet in private homes to develop personal relationships in a Christian setting. It is also encouraged that these groups meet at least once a month. The structure and setting of these meetings are designed to be simple and non-intrusive.

Oversight of these groups fall under the staff of the church. Study material is provided by the church or is endorsed by the church. Costs for materials are shared by the participants.

What makes Home Groups different from Supper Clubs? While each group hosts a meal, Home Groups have a different focus. Home Groups are support gatherings for the whole family. They devote time at each meeting for religious study. They are composed of the same group over their lifetime and work similar to a Sunday School class. Supper Clubs, on the other hand, are groups designed to promote fellowship opportunities with the various members within the church. They do not have lessons and change in participants from meeting to meeting.

What makes Home Groups different from Emmaus Reunion Groups? While each group meets as a small gathering, Home Groups are different than Reunion Groups in that they are open for everyone to attend, not just those who have been on an Emmaus retreat. Another area of difference lies in that Reunion Groups are more concentrated on spiritual support, while Home Groups focus on relational support.

Home Groups, while seemingly new, are actually historical in the United Methodist Church. Author Julie Gorman in her book Community That Is Christian notes:

"Outstanding in the history of small group influence is the name of John Wesley . . . For Wesley, the small cell was central to the church . . . These small groups promoted unity, quality, control, and fellowship and became sites for progress reports, praying . . . and enabling members to grow. Methodism brought this small group network across the ocean to the New World.”

Reverend Dave Browning notes in his book, Hybrid Church, “Small groups are a side door into the church . . . some people are attracted by the small fellowships and then find their way into the public worship service.”

In comparison to Sunday School, Home Groups is yet another option to discover a safe and alternative way for fellowship and religious study within the church. Like Browning, Lake Cities UMC view these groups as yet another way to help people become more involved in the church.

If you are interested in joining a Home Group, please email Pastor Rene’ Lawson at rlawson@lakecitiesumc.org. If you are interested in joining a Supper Club group, please email Pastor Dyan Dietz at dyan@lakecitiesumc.org.

Girl Scout Troop 3876 put together a terrific bulletin board for the Lake Cities Food Pantry to encourage people to donate much needed protein items to the Food Pantry. Make sure to check out the display outside the church office and take a "grocery bag" as a reminder for item(s) you plan to donate. Requested items include canned chicken, tuna, spam, chili and peanut butter.

We need your help with our school supply drive. LCUMC is collecting pkgs. of 12x18 colored and manila construction paper. You may drop off donations at the church anytime before Wednesday August 17th. For more information, contact pastor Dyan at dyan@lakecitiesumc.org.

Thursday, August 4 - 6:30 pm

Our last summer movie night is Veggie Tales fan favorite night! But in order to decide what to show, we need your votes. So, if you are a Veggie Tales fan, grab a ballot off the Children's Ministry bulletin board and let your voice be heard. Then, join us on August 4 for a screening of our top three choices.

Glengomely Methodist Irish Choirin Concert Saturday, July 9

The N. Ireland youth choir will return to our church for a concert July 9 at 7:00 pm in the Family Life Center. You will be blessed by these 50 voices. Please bring your friends!

We Need You!

We will be hosting a potluck dinner for the choir before the concert & would appreciate your good cooking. We need vegetables, main dishes, desserts. We will need them at the church by 4:00 pm on July 9. Please contact Janie at 940-321-3493 if you can help.

May 2011 Used Eyeglasses Collection Month

Sponsored by Lake Cities Lions Club

Lake Cities Lions Club is asking for your help during the month of April to collect used eyeglasses for the needy. In 2010, the Texas Lions Eyeglasses Recycling Center distributed over 500,000 pairs of eyeglasses to the needy in the U.S. as well as to distribution centers in the Republic of Ghana, Nigeria, and Brazil.

Lions have been collecting glasses for over 75 years. The used eyeglasses are collected and sent to one of the world-wide distribution centers (ours is in Midland, Texas). At the center, the eyeglasses are cleaned, and using a lensometer, the prescription is read and printed on the outside of the plastic bag holding each pair of glasses. The glasses are boxed, ready to be sent to a clinic in a developing country—or like this year to evacuees who lost or broke their glasses. Children’s glasses are especially needed!

You can donate used glasses at Lake Dallas City Hall and Corinth City Hall, First Security Bank, NorthStar Bank, Wal-Mart, NCTC Corinth Campus, at Laughlin Law & Title, at schools in the Lake Dallas School District, at Lake Cities Medical, and at local area churches (Lake Cities Methodist, Corinth First Baptist, Hope Lutheran, Antioch Christian, and Faith Methodist in Corinth).

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

LCUMC's Easter Egg Hunt is on Saturday, April 16.

As always, this is open to the community so there will be lots of kids and lots of smiles! That means we need LOTS AND LOTS OF CANDY. So, please consider donating a bag or two of pre-wrapped candy (including chocolate). Collection boxes are located in the fellowship hall and in the back of the sanctuary.

Our families, friends and community and have been impacted in various degrees by the recent deaths of two Lake Dallas Independent School District students. In an effort to provide practical information with a Christian perspective of these tragic events, Lake Cities United Methodist Church is presenting a special session Sunday, March 27th starting at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary located at 300 E. Hundley Drive in Lake Dallas TX (map).

This session will help educate you regarding:

• High risk groups for suicide
• Signs of someone at risk of teenage suicide
• How to respond to those at risk of teenage suicide

This session will be presented by Pastor Rene’ Lawson, senior pastor at Lake Cities United Methodist Church. Private discussion will be available after the session for anyone needing additional assistance.

All are invited to attend and child care will be provided.

We especially welcome and encourage Junior High and Senior High students, as well as any parents or other adults who wish to participate from AROUND THE COMMUNITY - ALL are welcome.

It is that time of year again, when we are thinking of the coming season of Lent.

In keeping with the tradition of this congregation, we will be inviting congregation members to fast on Ash Wednesday, March 9th donating your grocery “savings” to our food pantry. We will be serving our usual “break the fast soup supper” after the Ash Wednesday service. If you are able to donate a Crockpot of soup or a dessert, please call the office and let Suzie know.

In addition, we will be putting together our annual Lenten devotional booklets, so we are in need of your help. Our theme this year is “answered prayer.” If you have experienced an answer to prayer in your life, and would like to have it included in our booklet, please write a paragraph or two about it, along with a scripture passage that fits.   You can drop it by the office or put it in the collection plate on Sunday. You may also email it to Martha decaturrann@yahoo.com or Suzie secretary@lakecitiesumc.org.