׉?ׁB!בCטHHu׉׉ 7cassandra://GKFIloiOASobdGP8dkUCJoEtkDSAjLIYpeT4r9UkFVI`$t׉ 7cassandra://INJOb0Zx3Oh5QMLVnYY7hsho1h-stKKCyFOZttrxxVcG`׉ 7cassandra://NrmnPwDvXcq_vZHOjs3PHy5mmVS_SowOb1MArg6PQ2E`׉ 7cassandra://zlMWMeOr-de8cx9eDGRkBgCvWf3MPYYo2HFI4qTR0_YЈt͠_O/ |wvטHu׈(QB׈E_O/ |wp׉ESeptember 2020 Newsletter 2200 Phoenix Ave, Fort Smith, AR 72901 What’s inside: A note from Pastor Zeke Connecting with our Community Series Recipe: Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding ׉ 7cassandra://NrmnPwDvXcq_vZHOjs3PHy5mmVS_SowOb1MArg6PQ2E`_O/ |wq_O/ |wpבCטHu׉׉ 7cassandra://UraiRygDcxeqJrrFaV7LNhh8v2jhs_swqfU_qmcJtio+`$t׉ 7cassandra://wUEUCMuYp0oBlslHV-EmBJwQs64zVk1PRSxGZtxCw0c͔`׉ 7cassandra://HtO3gHCRJ2B8ttqN7oBAkpdoA6RUrBC_L9xJ_wAjaR0(7`׉ 7cassandra://eps3NP36k30KciheXHomMk8XVzbmEBuPPwKi68sf3a0͠_O/ |wyטHHu׉׉ 7cassandra://Ohb1puJ1HldiL4gsEF47SdZy5OM3Zp3ZgEuIts_PxtU`$t׉ 7cassandra://WyiSgAbcwdTI3iyahTVipCounEZ5WpqcPZGqk0KfYxkͧ`׉ 7cassandra://y-N8Uvfywr6lH2TRaTRVA7VGTHiKwpP-WvscSvAeKGE)`׉ 7cassandra://Dm_cckBUML8Dpn7FjtxKmoRbC3RtzbEEXc_bSxwpd6M͌$͠_O0 |wzנ_O0 |woՁ̭9ׁHhttp://www.arumc.zoom.us/ׁ ׁ Јנ_O0 |w~} 9ׁH"http://www.rvrfoodbank.org/donate.ׁ ׁ Јנ_O0 |w} ̰̈9ׁHmailto:zeke.allen@arumc.orgׁ ׁ Ј׉EFrom Pastor Zeke Page 1 From the Desk of Pastor Zeke “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all time, having all you need, you will abound in every good work” - 2 Corinthians 9:8 I believe there is a big difference between existing and living. I feel like, in the past six months, there have been a lot of people just merely existing- people who have hunkered down and tried to just weather the storm. The tough thing is the storm is sticking around and around and around. That concerns me greatly. There is a lot of loneliness and isolation among people and that can cause a myriad of complications. We have seen it manifested among some of our own church family. When I think about people who are truly living rather than just existing, I think beyond things people are doing. To live is as much a state of being as it is a state of doing. In the passage above, it speaks about “having all you need”- note it does not say “all you want”. There is a big difference between what we want and what we need. People who truly live have more closely aligned their wants with their authentic needs. They have a sense of fulfillment and joy. I believe faith plays an integral role in clarifying what it takes to truly live. There can be an inward spiritual work which helps us prioritize life. When that inward work, through faith, is allowed to proceed; the results are beautiful. In this, balance is more closely achieved and, with balance comes joy, peace, fulfillment, confidence, and power. My hope, for all of us, is that we will all truly live our God-gifted lives. In doing so, we will all be transformed from the inside out. Keep the Faith Strong, Zeke Wesley UMC Newsletter September 2020 ׉ 7cassandra://HtO3gHCRJ2B8ttqN7oBAkpdoA6RUrBC_L9xJ_wAjaR0(7`_O/ |wr׉E Bible Study, RVRFB, Webinar, Cub Scouts Pastor’s Bible Study If you are interested in taking part in Pastor’s Bible Study Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm, email Pastor Zeke at zeke.allen@arumc.org. He will email you a link for Zoom along with detailed instructions on how to connect. Each week he will teach on the scripture he will preach on the following Sunday. You will grow in your knowledge of scripture and enhance your worship experience on Sunday mornings. River Valley Regional Food Bank Food banks rely heavily on volunteers to keep their doors open and operations running. Unfortunately, RVRFB has not been able to utilize volunteers due to COVID but that has not stopped them or slowed them down. They are still supplying food to thousands of hungry people in our community. Thanks to the food bank we are able to supply backpack bags to children at Carnall and Cavanaugh Elementary Schools at little or no cost to us. If you would like to support the food bank there are a couple ways to do so. Monetary donations are always welcome. You can mail or drop off your donation to 1617 South Zero St., Fort Smith 72901 or donate online at www.rvrfoodbank.org/donate. You can also become a Social Media Ambassador by Following the food bank on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and share the food bank’s posts and stories. Follow the food bank on Facebook at RVRFoodBank. Wesley UMC Newsletter Page 3 Connecting with our Community Series 200,000 More Reasons and The Delta Project initiatives of the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas, invite you to participate in an upcoming series of webinars aimed at helping individuals connect with their communities. The webinars will take place on three consecutive Wednesdays - September 9, 16 and 23, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. via Zoom video conferencing. There will be three different webinars in this series, each focusing on an important element of alleviating poverty in Arkansas: • Understanding Poverty • Understanding Literacy • Ministry WITH Our Neighbors Arkansas United Methodist Bishop Gary Mueller, along with Dr. Jay Barth, Chief Education Officer for the City of Little Rock, and the Rev. Shantell Hinton Hill, equity officer with the ALICE Project and the WinRock Foundation, will host the first webinar in the series on Understanding Poverty. To register visit www.arumc.zoom.us/ webinar/register Cub Scouts Interested in joining Cub Scouts? Wesley is proud to say we host Pack 19 at our facility and they are always welcoming to boys and girls. With COVID, programs have slowed but if you have a child interested in joining contact Justin Cates. September 2020 ׉ 7cassandra://y-N8Uvfywr6lH2TRaTRVA7VGTHiKwpP-WvscSvAeKGE)`_O/ |ws_O/ |wrבCטHu׉׉ 7cassandra://1viESdiEzFqI8i6DGj_L1Al9HWkq6VMqlezBZn-ddH0`$t׉ 7cassandra://meE-mkudwts0drn2Bwfa6fbY6T8TahrbgxvoO0N5hsEg`׉ 7cassandra://P7W0VNc47FI0akhWKAeNd9gsgEnWu-gZdfKXK2oo4EA`׉ 7cassandra://rAXEim9IFav4i84GeVoF9pSXam2G8Ttt8NhXI-XeG1M͠_O0 |wנ_O0 |w9ׁHmailto:Wesleyumcfs@yahoo.comׁ ׁ Јנ_O0 |w49ׁH mailto:carrielynn12983@gmail.comׁ ׁ Ј׉ERecipe Page 2 Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding Ingredients 1 (12-oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened 2 cups milk 1 (5-oz) box instant French vanilla pudding mix 6 to 8 bananas, sliced 2 bags chessmen cookies Directions Line the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The Wesley UMC Newsletter goes out at the first of each month. If there is anything you would like submitted in the newsletter, please send the information to Carrie Miller (carrielynn12983@gmail.com) or the church office at Wesleyumcfs@yahoo.com. Wesley UMC Newsletter September 2020 ׉ 7cassandra://P7W0VNc47FI0akhWKAeNd9gsgEnWu-gZdfKXK2oo4EA`_O/ |wt׈E_O/ |wu_O/ |wt,September 2020 Newsletter_O,(QB3