Challenge

Challenge

How has God made a way for you this week?
Or, how can God make a way for you? 
What is your red sea?
There is no obstacle big enough,
no red sea too deep,
no dead end that God can’t make a way for you. 

Exodus 14:19-31



Member Spotlight

Member Spotlight

Marsha Beckermann
 
September 17, 2017
Marsha Brandt Beckermann was born in Houston and married Raymond Beckermann in 1977.  Marsha and Raymond joined FUMC Taylor in December of 1980. Marsha and Raymond have two sons, Christopher and Daniel, two daughters-in-law, Michelle and Amber, and two grandsons, Brandt and Turner. 
 
In 1960, she moved to Seabrook just 5 blocks from Galveston Bay.  Just days before the Hurricane Carla made landfall, Marsha had a dress up birthday party with 10 or so of her friends.  In the photo taken at the party, the girls all went a sheltered side of the house, but still all the veils and dresses were blowing one direction.  That night, just before dark, the National Guard came around with bullhorns saying all families had to evacuate or the National Guard would move them. 
 
Marsha’s parents loaded up Marsha and her brother, David, plus the dog and cat.  They went to her paternal grandparents’ house in Wallis.  By the second day, there was no electricity and they were pummeled with rain and wind, but Marsha remembers that time fondly because of several things. 
 
First, her father taught them how to take a bath in one quart of water, which he had learned in the navy.  “I thought that was the coolest thing,” says Marsha.  Also, their grandmother taught them how to play Canasta with 3 decks.  There were so many cards that young Marsha could barely hold them.  And the experience of seeing the hurricane, especially the eye of the hurricane, was an experience Marsha will never forget.
 
The heavy rain and winds stopped, and sunshine came out.  Her father said, “Y’all go out with me.”  They looked up in the vortex of the storm.  Thousands of birds were flying desperately, caught in the eye wall.  Within 15-30 minutes, the winds picked up and started slamming the other side of the house. 
 
When they got back to Seabrook, their house was spared, and only lost 3 shingles, but all around were the effects of the hurricane.  Debris was piled up 10 -1 5 feet high.  Spears of glass and even grass stems were blown through telephone poles.
 
In 1961, President Kennedy announced the goal of putting a man on moon.  This goal brought very exciting times to Marsha’s community because NASA began to build the space center at Clear Lake.  Seven astronauts and their families were members of Marsha’s church:  Seabrook Methodist Church.  Scott Carpenter’s son was in Marsha’s 6 or 7th grade class.  For show and tell, Astronaut Carpenter sent space food samples – astronaut squeeze packages of peaches and chicken salad.
 
Marsha’s maternal grandmother got her interested in nutrition as a young child.  In the 1930s, her grandmother was conscious of spending the grocery money to buy whole wheat bread and whole grains.  She continued her interest in health and nutrition her whole life.
 
Once her grandmother brought home ten pounds of organic carrots.  Marsha started salivating because she knew there would be carrot juice.  Her grandmother said, “They have to be scrubbed first.”  She put little Marsha up on a step stool, and Marsha kept going until they were finished.
 
Marsha took art lessons from a retired commercial artist, Mr. Fred Weis.  He offered free lessons and all supplies to any kid in the neighbor who wanted to come.   Marsha found she loved art.
 
When she started university at SW Texas State in San Marcos (now Texas State), she first studied art but she found academic art to be stifling.  “I don’t want to produce art on demand for a grade for a professor,” she says. 
 
At SWTS, she also was studying German, and during the summer, she and a friend decided to go to Germany.  They signed up to be in a work exchange program but when the government cancelled the program, they decided to go anyway. They each had $300 in travelers’ checks and they would stay until they ran out of money.  They lasted 11 weeks.  Their moms and dads were amazed.
 
After that summer, she transferred to UT and she changed her major.  In 1974, she got a BA in Psychology.  During her senior year, she started exploring job opportunities and found a BA in Psychology was rather limiting.  She switched over to a pre-med track and filled her electives with microbiology, bio chemistry, and human nutrition.  After a year’s break, she came back in January ’76 and got a BS in Biochemistry and Nutrition in ’77 and later become a registered dietician. 
 
In October ’78, Marsha was hired at UT.  She was the first registered dietician for residence halls at UT, she managed five kitchens and 6000 students until 1990.
 
During that time, Marsha implemented many innovations in the kitchens, including computerizing the entire recipe and food service operation.  She supervised the student workers who coded recipes and developed nutrition program tours for students who led tours through the residence halls.  She was featured in a report on the CNN show “On the Menu.”
 
The sports nutrition niche becoming de rigeur in 1980s.  Marsha became very interested in pursuing that area in her career.  She went and introduced herself to Food Service Manager of Longhorn dining room.  He was interested in computerizing his system, so he created a job for Marsha, and she was able to pursue her interest.  They had to do some extensive remodeling of the Longhorn Dining Hall so that she would have an office and a ladies’ room.  She became the first sports nutritionist at UT.  Marsha worked as a sports nutritionist until her retirement.
 
The next time you see Marsha a big hug, and congratulate her on all her accomplishments and all the gifts she brings to Taylor FUMC.  You might even be able to twist her arm and get her to fill you in on all the interesting tales that wouldn’t fit into the Member Spotlight!
 
Written by Robin McKinley


A Season to Celebrate

The life of Christ from the manger to resurrection and Pentecost will be presented in a cantata by the choir of the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Taylor on Sunday, Sept. 10.

“A Season To Celebrate,” by Allen Pote will be performed at the 10:30 a.m. service. The choir is under the leadership of the church’s music director and organist Debbby Vester.

“This musicale is beautiful and fun,” Vester said. “We invite the public to join with us for this event.”

The approximately half-hour cantata will feature choral numbers and solos. There will also be a repeat appearance by The Three Wise Men, weary travelers who are bickering their way by camel to Bethlehem.

Portions of the cantata have been presented by the choir during various of the church seasons. This will be the first time they have performed the entire program at one time.

The First United Methodist Church is located at 907 West Lake Drive in Taylor. The Rev. Sela Finau is the church’s pastor.



Challenge

Challenge for this week
What ordinary place became your holy ground this week?
Where did you meet God?
Challenge inspired by the story of Moses at the burning bush.
God told Moses to remove his sandals from his feet because he was standing on holy ground.
The ground all around us is holy, but did you meet God as Moses did at the burning bush?
What is God calling you to do?
Exodus 3:1-15
 


Challenge

Our challenge for this week:
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi.
Challenge inspired by the story of Shiphrah and Puah
and how they changed the world; Exodus 1:8-2:10.  
 
Change begins with you. This week, you have an opportunity to help those impacted by Hurricane Harvey by giving through UMCOR monetarily, make flood buckets, volunteer, or give some other way. See earlier communication or this week’s connexion e-news for more information. You also have an opportunity to serve at Shepherd’s Heart Food Pantry this Saturday, 9/2, by serving with your church, FUMC Taylor, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 


Responding to Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey Help

Many of you have asked how you can help.

First and foremost, please pray for all those impacted by the storm. 

As announced on Sunday, UMCOR – United Methodist Committee on Relief is the official agency of The United Methodist Church that responds to disasters. UMCOR works with other agencies to determine the location of the most needs. While I am aware there are various avenues through other organizations and groups who are all trying to provide support to the people in the affected areas, we will utilize our methodist connection. This Sunday, September 3, we will take up a special collection for UMCOR to be given to the Harvey Relief and Recovery effort.

If you choose to give monetarily online, please go to the 

UMCOR website here and you can credit our local church by selecting it. 100% of your donation will go to the relief effort. 

We will also assemble flood buckets. You can find the supply list here

. You may assemble your bucket(s) or bring your supplies to church either on Sunday or during the week. 
Please see the attached flyer/image on how you can help. Also, please read

Bishop Mike Lowry’s blog to the conference or go directly to the Central Texas Conference website by clicking here for updates. 

Thank you for your generous hearts in giving.

Grace and Peace be with you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!


Member Spotlight, Jean Stevens

Member Spotlight
Jean Stevens
August 27, 2017

 
Lois Jean Clark Stevens was born in Beverly, Kansas during the Great Depression.  Her family teases her that when she was born it created a deep depression all over the world.  The family moved to WaKeeney, Kansas when Jean was five years old.  Her father was an International Harvester dealer, and her mother was a housewife and active in the church.  She has an older sister, Beth Galloway.

Jean got her degree from Texas State College for Women, now Texas Women’s University.  While at the university, Jean heard a choir that so moving that she changed her major from education to music education and she’s been involved with music ever since.  She didn’t major in music because a recital was required and she didn’t want to do that.  She did accompany many recitals of other music students.  After graduating, she taught music in public schools for 3 years.

While she was living in Brian and teaching music in the public schools, Jean went with a friend to a Texas A&M yell practice.  There she met a handsome young man named Leland.  After that, she only had one date with one other person.  The rest were with Leland.  She and Leland married in August 29, 1953.

They have four children.  Beth Ann, William Wesley (Bill), Jeanette, and Leland Clark (Lee).  Beth lives in New Mexico, Jeanette in Houston, Bill in Austin and Lee lives near Dallas.  The kids grew up in Houston, but after they had flown the nest, Leland got a job in Taylor, and Jean and Leland moved here.

When they first came to the Taylor FUMC, they received a warm welcome, especially from Debi Tucker.  “I like the friendliness and caring of Taylor FUMC.  People really care,” Jean reports.  She loves Bible Study.  “I look forward to Mondays,” she says.

Jean played piano and organ for worship services at Taylor FUMC for 24 years, as well as many duets.  Though it is difficult for her to choose a single favorite, she says “I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry” is her favorite hymn because she loves the words to it.  You can find it in The Faith We Sing, No. 2051, and the first verse goes:

“I was there to hear your borning cry,
I’ll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.”
 
Jean started playing piano so young she doesn’t even remember starting to play the piano.  “We had a piano in our house,” she says.  “I took lessons in the first grade, but I didn’t learn how to read music so my mother took me out of those lessons.  In the third grade, I started again, and started learning how to read notes.” 

Jean played the oboe the high school band, but says she could never get a decent sound out of it.  “I sounded like a snake charmer,” she laughs.  Piano was always her primary instrument and she accompanied choirs in high school and choirs and UIL solos.

Her friends describe her as musical, likeable, and ready to laugh.  Even talking to Jean for a short time, you will notice she has that light-hearted spirit that leads to a ready laugh.

The most fun she’s ever had was doing musical things.  Her family is very musical although they all had their own teachers.  “I have accompanied my children but I never taught them.  I didn’t want their musical practice to be compared with make your bed,” she says.

While living in Houston, Jean accompanied a musical group called “The Classics”.  They sang Broadway-type music and sang for conventions and other events.  They rehearsed at Jean’s house, so her kids heard them practice.  Once, Beth went to a performance, and said in surprise, “Mother, you’re really good!”

Sometimes things happened in the performances that led to Jean being a stronger person.  Once when accompanying The Classics, Jean performed on an upright piano.  There was a vase on the piano that wobbled as she played.  Her eyes had to share time between the music and the vase to keep track of it!  “I had fear and dread that it would fall over on me during the performance,” she laughs.

Another time, the performance piano was so out of tune that she had to look down at her fingers on the keys to make sure she was playing the right keys.  The women sang in tune and the piano played out of tune.  The group could do nothing but laugh about it.

“Most performances were okay, just sometimes things happened that we were not expecting,” Jean says.

Among Jean’s hidden talents are the quite diverse skills of dramatic reading and water skiing.  When she was in high school, she gave a dramatic reading and went to state and got a 1.  “That talent is pretty well hidden because I wouldn’t be able to do that now,” Jean grins.  And her other talent is water skiing, although she hasn’t done that for a while.

If she had the chance to travel she would like to go abroad.  “I’ve never been to Europe and I would like to go to England and Italy.  I would like to see where Shakespeare grew up in Stratford on Avon,” she says.

We are so blessed to have Jean in our congregation.  Give her a hug and your thanks for her many years of service the next time you see her!

 
Written by Robin McKinley


Challenge: Practice Forgiveness

Our challenge for this week:
Practice Forgiveness!


Challenge: Read the book of Genesis

Our challenge for this week is to finish reading all of Genesis.


Challenge

From Genesis 32 and our message this past Sunday, Jacob wrestled with God.
How and where have you encountered God this week?
Have you wrestled with God?
How have you been blessed by God today?