FUMCR Genesis Class

Genesis Class Update for May 2011

2011-06-01T04:08:00.001-07:00

Genesis Class,

Thanks to Daniel C's generosity and organization, we enjoyed a fun night at Dr. Pepper Ballpark last Saturday watching the Rough Riders crush the Corpus Christi Hooks 11 - 2, and we ate a lot of hot dogs!

Christy has been leading a series called When Christians Get it Wrong. It is a great series by Adam Hamilton and has spurred lots of great discussion...so much so that we had to finish last week's discussion this week. This week Kristin will lead it as Eve is being baptized at 9:45.

We need people to volunteer to lead class. Kristin has found lots of materials so that part is already done unless you have something you want to discuss. The current series will run through at least May so we need people starting in June.

Summer Sunday School
Connie Presley is in need of Summer Sunday School teachers. We have helped with this the past two years. It gives the regular teachers a break, and everything is provided for you. She needs help with all ages at all hours on all Sundays of the summer. Let me know if you can help. She needs 10 teachers on the following Sundays at 9:45 so if there is a popular one, we will cancel class and help.
June 12th, 19th & 26th
July 17th, 24th & 31st
August 7th & 14th

Body & Soul
This is a ministry that FUMCR has participated in before but was on hold due to necessary maintenance at St. Luke's where we go serve food to the homeless. Our class committed to every other 3rd Sunday. The program is back up and running now, and we have 4 dates to fulfill. We need 10 people to meet at the church at 3pm to ride buses down to St. Luke's and serve. Everything is ready when we get down there. We cannot take small children with us. One thought was that this be a man Sunday, we will cancel class, and then the ladies and maybe men who don't go can meet at someone's home for fellowship with the kids and possibly some study and meal. I have 4 people for sure so far for our first date. ***This is Father's Day so I need responses by the end of this week May 21. Please respond even if you are "no" so that I can give Joy Anderson fair warning or ask for help from other groups!***

From Joy: Body & Soul Information for all Sunday Schools participating:

1. You will need 10 volunteers to go on your Sundays to serve and do the variety of tasks.
2. Each Sunday will have 2 coordinators who will meet you in the south parking lot of the church at 3:00 p.m. and drive you to St. Paul UMC on the church bus and back.
3. The coordinators will direct the servers as to tasks that need to be done during the afternoon, including handing out toiletries, cleaning the tables, serving the food, sweeping and mopping the floor, taking down tables and chairs, haul out the trash at the close of the day.
4. Each class will be responsible for giving a devotional before the meal. This does not need to be long, maybe 5 minutes, but should be careful to be appropriate for our clients ? homeless people without material possessions. There will be a speaker system you can use to give the devotional.
5. You should return to the church by 6:00 p.m.

June 19:
Price Newton
Brad Shipman
Brad Moulton
Carlo x 1

August 21, October 16, December 18 are our other dates. If you already know you would like to go on one of these, let me know.

Socials
I am working on the next social as a family picnic. We discussed early June, but I don't think I can swing it so maybe September. I will send out more information soon.

Joys and Concerns:
Daniel C's dad continues to have a difficult time with his health and is in a lot of pain.
Matt will be completing his 1st Iron Man in the Woodlands this weekend!
Matt and Christen joined the church last Sunday.
I passed my last certification exam

Amanda

Genesis Class - Roughride Game - May 14, 2011

2011-06-01T04:04:00.000-07:00

We had a great time attending the Frisco Roughrider baseball game!

Genesis Class Update for 2/6/2011

2011-02-14T17:56:00.000-08:00

Genesis Class,

We had two visiting couples this Sunday, which made total attendance 25 people! I'm pretty sure Jeff W. was jazzed about this! Eric and Sara grew up in the area, have a daughter, and recently joined the church. Matt and Christen live in Lake Highlands, have a son, and have been visiting FUMCR for awhile. We were really glad to have both couples in class and hope to see them again soon!

Heath will teach the final lesson in the John series this Sunday. If you haven't experienced one of Heath's lessons, you should really come check it out.

February 20, we will join Ed Frantz across the hall in Room 203 at 11am for a 3 week course Profoundly True...Sometimes Factual. We will explore Bible stories that may be too difficult to accept as fact, but hold profound truths for our lives today.

Missions: Body & Soul, which is a soup kitchen downtown at St. Luke's, should start in February or March. Our class is responsible for filling the volunteer server spots every other 3rd Sunday of the month so start looking at your calendars. Let me know if you have any other ideas for mission projects.

Socials: Daniel C. has offered to organize a Frisco Roughriders baseball game this Spring. He says the best date would be Saturday May 14^th. He did some research and found that there are some fairly reasonably priced group tickets near the bullpen. The cost would be $10 for the ticket, and $7 for all you can eat food, for a total of $17. They have been several times, and it is a great family friendly place.

Jeff and I are also happy to host the family picnic social that we discussed last year. We have a large field at the end of our cul-de-sac with a park for kids to play and a lake where we can do a little fishing or feed ducks. We can bring our grill out and do a picnic potluck and maybe some games/let the kids run and play.

Daniel and I were discussing how we might fit both of these in before it gets too hot. He said there are other options for the game date, and Jeff and I are pretty open as far as dates in May and June. Let me know your thoughts on this.

Joys and Concerns:

Jaclyn is pregnant!

I hope you are all staying warm during our third snow experience this season!!

Photos from the After Christmas Party

2011-02-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from our annual After Christmas party, where we exchange our "worst" Christmas gift received that year. A white elephant exchange after the bustle of the holidays.

If anyone has more photos, please send them to Christy C. and I'll post them.

Genesis Class Update for 1/9/2011

2011-01-12T04:24:00.000-08:00

Genesis Class,

Heath led a discussion on John 7-9 last Sunday. The discussion was focused on Christ’s healing of a blind man and the aftermath of the miracle. As usual, John describes surface level events with a spiritual parallel. We plan to focus on John 10 and 11 next week if you want to read ahead. Our class size has held steady lately around 15 or 16 people which greatly increases the enjoyment and depth of conversation so we hope you join us soon if you have been out for the holidays.

Regarding the officer changing for 2011… Amanda and I have offered to remain in office as presidents if no one else is interested in serving. We did not receive any responses to the last email requesting officer nominations. We are reducing the demand for officers down to presidents and teaching coordinators. Heath & Courtney and Brad & Kristin have volunteered to oversee the teaching coordination; however, we need more volunteers to do the actual teaching...this can be one Sunday, one month, once per month, or however much/often you would like. A recent notice went out to class presidents that the church has just purchased several new curriculum series varying in topic and length. Our class is welcome to these, and the list will be distributed at a meeting in January and placed online. This leads to the next opportunity....

The Intentional Faith Development Team and Dr. Oliphint are asking us to participate in a church-wide study called 24 Hours that Changed the World by Dr. Adam Hamilton. We have used some of his stuff before. It is a seven week study March 13th - April 24th and examines the last days of Jesus' life and how his death changed the world forever. We will be provided with the materials necessary for this series; however we have been asked to send 2 representatives to a curriculum meeting on Sunday, january 23 at 11am or Thursday, January 27 at 6:45pm. Let me know if you would like to represent us. This does not mean you have to teach the whole thing. Brad & Kristin did this last year, and it was an interesting series.

There are enough lessons in our John series to take us through February and half of March and April are taken up with the church-wide series so if you would like to teach, the materials are already prepared.

We also need 2 or 3 volunteers on February 20th to help with "Clean Out the Cabinets" Sunday in order to tidy up the classrooms. Jeff & I will be there, and I'm sure the more help there is the faster we will get everything tidied up.

Socials: Our after Christmas party went well with many “interesting gifts” exchanged. Thanks to Brad & Kristin for hosting! Since we will not be having a social officer, whoever would like to propose the next social is welcome to head up whatever you would like. I propose that we have at least one social per quarter so that would mean April, July, and Octoberish at least.

Missions: Brad M. has offered to oversee this as the contact person, but just like the socials all are welcome to lead or suggest a project.

We are looking forward to another great year with the Genesis Class!

Genesis Class Update for 1/2/2011

2011-01-03T04:14:00.000-08:00

Genesis Class,

Heath led us in yet another riveting discussion on John. We discussed the often quoted “Let he who has no sin cast the first stone” statement made by Christ when confronted with an adulterous woman. As usual, the depth of conversation far exceeds what one might think of alone. Next week focuses on John 9-10 if you want to read before class begins, and we will finish the video for this week since we ran out of time.

The after Christmas party is next Saturday starting at 4pm at Brad & Kristin's. Please RSVP with them as soon as possible and include the potluck dish you plan to bring. The gift exchange starts at 6pm so make sure you bring a white elephant gift individually or as a couple.

The Super Bowl is Sunday, February 6th. In the past we have had super bowl parties; however, we need feedback as to whether or not people are interested in a party this year. Please let me know your thoughts. We

have been invited to join the Twenty Somethings if we choose.

Winter Fest is Saturday, February 5th. I need to respond to the coordinator by Tuesday. She needs volunteeers for 7:45 - 9am and 11 - 12:30 still. Courtney and Kristin have volunteered for the second shift so far.

It is the time of year where officer changes occur. The class has elected to have minimal “officers” in order to circumvent the assumed authority in the class. Basically we are breaking the officers down to a president, co/vice president (to assist in the president's absence and however else they choose to divide responsibilities), and teaching coordinators with one overseeing the big picture of teaching. Brad Shipman has volunteered to keep the hospitality portion of the class, and Heath and Courtney have volunteered to be one of the teaching coordinators. Presidential duties are not difficult but they do require diligence so please discuss the responsibility with your spouse. I can say that it has been a rewarding experience, and I would encourage anyone with the desire to take the reins. The president duties basically include announcements and attendance in class and communication between the class and church administration or people requesting our assistance and with the other officers. The president has also assisted with coordinating socials, missions, hospitality, and lessons in the past, but we are hoping that the overall teaching coordinator will take care of the lesson part. We are happy to have as many teaching coordinators as are interested, and once we know who all is interested they can decide how to divide the year. We will begin the transfer of responsibility in early February, but we will need candidate offers within the next two weeks as the church has requested contact information for all classes so please begin thinking of this soon and respond ASAP.

Joys and Concerns:

Daniel and Kimie are in their second trimester! She is due in June!

Courtney's friend Trica has been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and will have to be treated with chemotherapy.

Brad's cousin will have to have surgery for the growth on his pancreas, but it was benign.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We are looking forward to 2011 with the Genesis Class!

Jeff and Amanda

Welcome Home a Hero, 12/19/2010

2011-01-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

On December 19th, the Genesis Class went to "Welcome Home a Hero" at DFW Airport

Group Photo:

Last year, we handed out candy canes but it wasn't very successful so this year we just welcomed the troops as they passed through. There were over 200 troops coming through DFW on this plane that morning and a small crowd to greet them.

We went out to breakfast afterwards:

This is a fun event we all enjoy doing, and look forward to doing it again next year!

Genesis Class Update 12/5/2010

2010-12-08T04:29:00.001-08:00

Genesis Class,

We had a great turnout this last week so thanks to all who attended, it makes a much better class. We continued on with the series focusing on John. Heath continues to lead a compelling discussion on the subtleties of John and implications for understanding Christ more deeply. Our next lesson will be on John 5-6, so a reading before class would likely spur more discussion as many of the topics raised in class are difficult to respond to immediately. Most of us found ourselves reflecting in class experiencing difficulty in translating profound thoughts into words. This definitely feels like the bible study that we have been aiming for for the past several months, hopefully everyone is learning. -Jeff

We will not have class the following Sunday due to Welcome Home a Hero or the following Sunday (Dec. 26) due to one hour of worship at 11am.

Socials: Watch for an evite from Kristin for the After Christmas Party on Saturday, January 8.

Missions: Welcome Home a Hero Sunday, December 19th. Meet at the church at 7am. Please make sure Brad M. knows if you plan on attending so that he can contact you if anything changes.

Please let me know if you are able to help with Winterfest on February 5.

Joys and Concerns:

Ashley G's father is starting cancer treatment again. He has Non-Hodgkins's Lymphoma that has been in and out of remission.

Brad S's cousin was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Courtney's friend, ReJeanne took her daughter for a colonoscopy and they found a blockage. They think it might be cancer and are waiting for the pathology report.

Jeff and I will be traveling to New York this weekend to celebrate our 4th Anniversary. I also finish all of my hours tomorrow for graduate school. The ceremony is on our actual anniversary, Dec. 16.

Brad and Amanda celebrated 6 years on Dec. 4.

Cat and Daniel ran White Rock on Sunday.

Since we will be out of town, if someone could send a brief email to me so I can distribute to the class and take care of the folder for attendance and announcements, it would be greatly appreciated.

Amanda

Genesis Class Update 11/21/2010

2010-11-22T04:13:00.001-08:00

Genesis Class,

We had a great turnout today at the Young Adult Thanksgiving Potluck! There was a lot of fantastic food! Rodney delivered a short lesson about the history of Thanksgiving. The overall message for the day between Clayton and Rodney is that as Christians we should give thanks everyday, even when it's really hard to think of something to be thankful for. Rodney suggested writing down all that you are thankful for and letting those for whom you are thankful know.

Next Sunday Jeff and I will be in Houston and Heath and Courtney will be out of town visiting family. Please let me know if you plan on being in class on Sunday so we will know whether or not to hold class, and if you would be willing to teach. Heath has materials that you can get from him or you can do something on your own.

Missions:

Welcome Home a Hero Sunday, December 19th. Meet at the church at 7am to combine cars and head to DFW to welcome home the troops. Wear your red, white, and blue. Everyone can head to breakfast afterwards. Please let Brad M. know if you are planning on going so that he can contact you if anything changes since it is all dependent on flights.

Winterfest Saturday, February 5 needs our help...

7:45am-9am 6 greeters to welcome people and help with directions to Cafes, bathrooms, classrooms, and possibly registration

7:45am-9am 6 (2 for each Cafe) to help get drinks and set up for lunch

11am-12:30pm 6 (2 for each Cafe) to help get drinks and clean up

Let me know if you are interested in helping. This is an event for seniors (many who do not got to FUMCR) to come learn about different topics.

Socials:

After Christmas Party at Brad and Kristin's house will be the second weekend in January. Look for an evite soon.

Joys and Concerns:

We did not have an opportunity today, but I know there will be lots of traveling this week.

***NO CLASS ON December 19th (Welcome Home a Hero) and December 26th (one hour of worship)***

Happy Thanksgiving!

Amanda

FUMCR Young Adult Ministry Thanksgiving Potluck

2010-11-14T16:15:00.002-08:00

November 21, 2010 11:00am (During normal class times)
Mays Hall, FUMCR

Evite: CLICK HERE

The church is providing our meats but we are asking all others to bring sides and desserts. Reply to the evite with your dish!

Genesis Class Update 11/14/2010

2010-11-14T16:15:00.001-08:00

Class

Heath began our 11 week series on the study of John. It was a good lesson and taught us to read more deeply into what appears to be simple text. Basically, anything Christ said is multilayered and requires attention. Next week we will take a break from our self taught course and have a Potluck Lunch with our counterparts “twenty somethings.” Men of Faith Men of Honor will be providing the main course lunch and a lesson. The lunch is from 11am to 12:30ish in Mays Hall, downstairs in the education building at the opposite end of the nursery. Amanda sent out an Evite last week asking about food, our class is bringing sides and deserts. Please respond to this so we can prepare.

News

Daniel B. is singing in the Church Christmas Concert on December 4^th at 7:30pm. The concert is in conjunction with Richardson symphony and orchestra.

Winterfest is in need of volunteers for Saturday the 5^th. This organization is designed to assist older church members in daily activities such as computer usage, tax issues, and physical activity.

Our class will be “welcoming home a hero” on December 19^th in the morning. We plan to meet at the church around 7am, please confirm with Brad Moulton if you plan to attend. Hopefully we can carpool to save gas, but the parking is free.

Our after Christmas party is up for a vote. We are debating between the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd weekend in January. If you have any preference please respond to this email, otherwise I will pick one and you will be stuck with it.

Joys and Concerns

Cale is engaged.

Genesis Class Update 10/31/2010

2010-10-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

MISSION

We had the pleasure of Joy Anderson giving an account of service opportunities at the church. She outlined the upcoming Christmas Market from November 12-14. We have a few people signed up to assist in this project but we need more. The church needs cashiers, inventory, and booth attendance personnel. If you cannot attend the event there is another opportunity to assist. The event needs to be advertised so signs in the Richardson area need to be put out the Friday of the event. Email Joy if you wish to help with sign placement. If you work the actual event you will need to attend a half hour orientation on Thursday the 11^th at 7pm. Cat also informed us to wear red shirts to distinguish the workers.

The other event she outlined is the tote bag for homeless around Christmas time. We can all commit to bringing a tote for this project but we can also assist by organizing and delivering the totes. They call the organization “working the bags” and this happens on the 20^th of December.

Body and Soul ministry is still on hold. The church where this is held is still undergoing unexpected renovations. Once this is complete we will commit to a monthly or quarterly attendance.

CLASS

Heath pulled off another excellent discussion on financial matters related to biblical principles. It appears as though we all struggle with similar conflicts on giving and responsibility. It was summed up that the main conflict is between “logic and faith.” Hopefully the discussion will prompt a more giving spirit in all of us.

I finally corned Rodney Whitfield in the service and asked him for direct assistance in developing a bible study in our class. The class today decided to focus on Romans. I plan to meet with Rodney and receive a structured series on Romans with a 10 minute DVD introduction. He said it was good discussion material and will hopefully meet the need for bible study that we have all been looking for.

JOYS AND CONCERNS

Daniel C’s father has returned home in order to recover, our prayers will be with him.
Daniel and Cat have family running in the Marine Corps marathon, good luck to them.
Amanda F’s sister is expecting to give birth any day now!

I hope to see you all next week

Genesis Class Update 10/24/2010

2010-10-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

This is a long one...sorry!

Heath led us in a discussion about Christian giving and tithing on Sunday. A few things came up from the previous discussion about poverty, and we decided that we would like to continue discussing this topic.

Missions: Chris and Jennifer, Daniel and Kimie, and Jeff and I helped with Habitat on Saturday until the tornado sirens began going off. They are an entire day behind due to a previous rain day plus stopping early this past Saturday so they can use a lot help. Email Joy Anderson if you are interested.

Would anyone be willing to organize Welcome Home a Hero for December?

There are a lot of volunteer opportunities coming up so Joy will be visiting the 11:00 classes this coming Sunday to discuss them.

Socials: Thank you to Michael and Amy for hosting the chili cook-off. There was a lot of yummy chili! Jeff and I had to leave early so someone please update everyone regarding the winner.

Jeff and I met with Taylor, the president of the 20 Somethings class, on Sunday. He invited our class to a Thanksgiving potluck on Sunday, November 21st 11am-12:30pm with their class. Rodney has offered to let us have it in Mays Hall and invite all young adults who have visited or joined the church in the past year. The Young Adult Ministry will provide turkeys and stuffing. Men of Faith, Men of Honor will also be providing part of the meal and a lesson for the day. Side dishes and desserts will be needed.

Following the potluck, those who would like to can head over and help decorate the church for Christmas.

We are coming up on the Christmas season, which means it is almost time for our annual After Christmas Party and worst gift exchange in January. If you would like to host this year or have a date preference let me know.

Joys and Concerns:

-The 4th grade Sunday School teacher who teaches opposite Sundays of Jared and Hayley, Janene Whitby, was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

-Courtney's aunt had to have an extensive foot surgery

-Courtney and Heath's cousin-in-law and Sean's good friend, Nick and Natalie, are pregnant and due in April

-Slate is doing well and getting back to where he was prior to his stroke

-My sister will have her baby any day

-The mother of the family for whom the Habitat house is being built was diagnosed with thyroid cancer this week

Class Update 10/10/10

2010-10-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

Daniel C said that the class had a good discussion regarding the documentary "Hell House" last Sunday.

Missions: Joy said that they could use volunteers at Habitat on Saturday, Oct. 16, 23, or 30. Meet at the church parking lot at 7:20 a.m. to ride the church bus to the worksite. Water, snack, and lunch are provided. You will return between 3:00-4:00 p.m. Nov. 6 is listed as a Habitat day, but I guess they are needing more help on these days. I had about half and half for Oct. 23 and Nov. 6 so perhaps we can still get a good group out there. Jeff and I plan to go on the 23rd, but you are welcome to go on the other days...just let Joy Anderson know. Let me know if you plan on attending on the 23rd by this Saturday so I can let Joy know.

Socials: Most people at Sunday school wanted an afternoon time for the chili cookout. Look for an email from Amy with final details.

Joys:
Slate is recovering well after surgery
Cat and Daniel ran their 10th marathon together, on 10/10/10!
I passed my Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Exam on October 8. We made it to West Virginia safely today.

Concerns:
Daniel C father is in New Orleans and will have surgery Wednesday this week to try to remove tumor from his pancreas.
Jeff and I will be back on the road Saturday through Sunday.

Looking forward to seeing everyone October 23 at Habitat or Sunday in class.

Class Update 9/19/10

2010-09-24T15:41:00.001-07:00

Hi Genesis Class,

On Sunday, we continued our discussion about the proposed mosque near Ground Zero. FYI, Good Morning America (on channel 8) is doing a series of segments this week about being Muslim in America. I saw the segment yesterday at about 7:45. I missed it today... Yesterday's segment had a young Muslim man being interviewed. He made a number of points which we had discussed in class, including trying to delineate between the "us" (moderates of all faiths) and the "them" (the extremists, also of all faiths). He was also asked about the violence in the Qur'an and pointed out, as we also discussed, that there is violence in the holy books of all faiths. I'm not sure how long the series of segments will run, but it will probably be on at least through tomorrow.

This Sunday, Daniel and Kimmie Pruessner will be leading our class discussion, as Catherine will be conducting focus group meetings for the Strategic Visioning Committee for the church. Michael and Amy Hammer will be attending the focus group meeting at 11 this Sunday, representing our Sunday School class. The following questions will be discussed during the session:

1. What are your needs that the church is fulfilling? (what are we doing that we should continue?)

2. What are your needs that the church is not fulfilling? (what should we start doing? Is there anything we should stop doing?)

3. What are the unmet needs you see within our church community or the community at large?

4. What needs would you want FUMCR to meet if unlimited time and resources existed? (Dream BIG!)

If you have a specific answer to one or all of these questions that you would like for the Hammers to present to the focus group, please email them before Sunday morning. ( amyspencer@gmail.com and mhammer05@gmail.com ). Now is the time to speak up, as the church determines what our focus should be for the next 5-10 years!

J's & C's:

Keep the Weidenbach family in your thoughts and prayers, as Bryan's father passed away last week.

Slate May’s brain surgery is scheduled for September 29. He will stay in the hospital for several days, along with Heath & Courtney. They feel fortunate to be able to have the procedure done here in Dallas. Please pray for them and look for emails about how we can be helpful to them.

I forgot to ask about other Joys and Concerns in class last Sunday, so if you have any that you'd like to share, feel free to respond to this email.

See you all Sunday,

Class Update 9/12/10

2010-09-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

I think Amanda & Jeff are still in Jamaica (lucky ducks!) so I thought I would send our update.

On Sunday, we began a discussion about the proposed mosque near Ground Zero. We agreed it really deserved another day of conversation, so we plan to continue this week. The discussion was based on a reading from the Thoughtful Christian, which I have attached if you would to read it before class.

We had 2 couples visiting, Chris & Ashley Gordon who just relocated from San Antonio where Chris was in school. They grew up in the DFW area and their folks live in the Metroplex. They are enjoying being back. Chris and Jennifer Ladd have just come to North Texas from Denver. So far, they think it is hot here! They moved here for Chris’ work.

Joys & Concerns-

-Slate May’s brain surgery is scheduled for September 29. He will stay in the hospital for several days, along with Heath & Courtney. They feel fortunate to be able to have the procedure done here in Dallas. Please pray for them and look for emails about how we can be helpful to them.

-Courtney’s friend, Tammy, has a son, Christian, with a form of MS. After a series of tests, they are close to concluding that he does not have Duchenne’s, one of the most devastating forms of MS. Pray that tests will rule out this diagnosis.

-Dean Brown, Price and Kim’s uncle, has been diagnosed with liver cancer and will begin treatment September 20. Please pray for him and his family’s strength during his illness.

Hope to see everyone Sunday!

Class Update 8/5

2010-09-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

On Sunday, we broke into small groups and answered a quiz about our
Christian beliefs. After that we discussed and found out some
pretty interesting differences and similarities among the group. We
had a great turnout in our new classroom...20 people! The room is great with two
doors, no chairs in front of the door, more on the main hallway, and
plenty of space. If anyone would like to help Blaire move the
bulletin board just let her know.

We had another new couple visit us this week. They are currently
visiting FUMCR and checking out all of the Sunday School classes.
Welcome to Daniel and Kimie Pruessner. We are so glad you joined us
and hope to see you again on Sunday!

This Sunday Jeff and I will be in Jamaica, the following Sunday we
will be in Houston for a wedding, and the following Sunday in Houston
for my sister's baby shower. If anyone would be willing to take
attendance, pass around announcements, and send out a brief summary
while we are away that would be great! You can even send me a quick
summary of class, and I will send the group email.

Socials: Watch for an email from KJ about a chili social with maybe
some football in there. She will be needing input regarding dates.

Missions: Let Brad M. know if you have a preference for a Saturday of
Habitat between September 11th and November 20th.

See you all in a couple of weeks!

Amanda

August 29th Class Update

2010-08-31T20:00:00.001-07:00

Genesis Class,

******Genesis Class will be meeting in Room 205 starting this Sunday, September 5.*******

On Sunday, Cat led us in an interesting lesson about religion and pop culture. We watched a Simpsons episode about Christianity and discussed.

We had a new couple visit the class this week. Welcome Lee and Brittany Sawyer! We are glad you came! Hope to see you next week!

Missions: Body & Soul is on hold until October. We are hoping to plan a Saturday to help out with Habitat.

Socials: Discussed a park/picnic social for families. Other ideas and date suggestions welcome.

Joys and Concerns:

Michael's grandmother passed away.

See you all in the bigger classroom on Sunday! What do ya say we fill it up?!

Amanda

Class Update 8/22

2010-08-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

This past Sunday, Cat led a discussion about the United Methodist Resolution on Immigration. This Sunday will most likely be another current issue in a biblical/religious context.

Missions: Let Brad M know if you are interested in signing up for our first Body & Soul Sunday, which is September 19 2-4pm. You will ride a bus from the church to downtown and feed the homeless. Sorry, it is not a kid-friendly environment, but I know some of the moms were discussing ways to arrange childcare so that parents would be able to go.

Baby Evelyn Ann was born last Thursday to proud parents Daniel and Christy!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week, especially those returning to school!

Class Update 8/8/10

2010-08-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

Last week the Wrights continued our series Surprised by Hope. This
week they will finish up the series.

Regarding the possible time/room change, we found out that there is a
Bible School for kids 3 and up at 11am. It's a little different from
9:45, but there is somewhere for them to go. Thank you all for your
feedback. After counting the votes, the best plan for the class as a
whole is to stay at 11am and discuss the issue further down the road.
I will go ahead and request a larger classroom, though.

We discussed a possible social for September or October when the
weather gets a little cooler, which might include grilling, picnic,
park, etc. at either White Rock Lake or our neighborhood, Sprink Park.
Let the Wrights know if you have any other social ideas.

Body & Soul will start September 19 2-4pm. We need 10 volunteers from
our class and have committed to once every other month. Email Brad M.
if you would like to go.

Blaire still needs pictures for the slide show.

Joys and Concerns:
Rebecca and Brandon were headed to Austin last Sunday as her sister
was in labor.
Emily (Kim and Price's) daughter was baptized last Sunday.
Christy is on bedrest and could deliver at any time.

Hope to see you all Sunday!

Class Update 8/1/10

2010-08-04T15:57:00.001-07:00

Genesis Class,

Last Sunday Ben and Ashley led us in our series Surprised by Hope,
which we will continue for the next two weeks. We talked about the
Hope of the Resurrection. This series has been really interesting with
lots of great discussion.

Thank you to Daniel and Cat for hosting our Pool Party last
Saturday...a good time was had by all!

I only have one topic for discussion this week, and I need some
feedback. Rodney Whitfield mentioned that there are studies that show
sometimes full classrooms can make visitors feel like the class is
full, and there isn't any room for them. We had discussed getting a
larger room in the past and hopefully we will be filling up our room
again once summer is over. There has been recent construction to
create some larger rooms so I emailed Elizabeth Wilson. She gave us a
couple of options but mentioned something for us to consider. As the
children in our class get older and start going to Sunday School
instead of the nursery, they will be going at 9:45am. This may become
an issue with our class meeting at 11:00am. I know that we enjoy our
later time, but we do have some kiddos approaching the age at which
they can no longer go to the nursery. Blaire is currently working on
businesses cards for us to have on hand, but we need to make a
decision about time and room before she can print them. We can discuss
this further in class on Sunday, but Elizabeth needs to know by August
10th since the rooms are quickly filling up with other classes and
guest speakers.

Joys and Concerns:

-Brad, Kristin, and Baby Brayden are doing well.

-Slate is doing well, running around full of energy, and as sweet as
ever. Heath and Courtney wanted to thank everyone for all of the meals
and support. We will continue to keep them in our prayers as they make
decisions regarding Slate's care.

-Daniel C got a new job and will start after the baby comes

-Christy is on bedrest until the baby comes...watch for another Care
Calendar soon

Hope to see you all on Sunday...I'm off to meet Baby Brayden!

Amanda

Class Update 7/18/10

2010-07-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

This past Sunday we continued the Surprised by Hope series with a discussion about the resurrection. Ben and Ashley will continue the series this week.

We had a great time at Gilley's this past weekend! Don't forget about the pool party on July 31 at Cat and Daniel's. Please respond to the evite with what you plan to bring.

Joys and Concerns:

-Ben's dad had a big surgery on his foot and has gotten to go home but his recovery continues and he struggles with mobility, especially living in New York.

-Heath and Courtney's 2 year-old son Slate suffered a massive stroke and was admitted to Children's downtown Sunday night. He continues to improve but is still undergoing tests and treatments. A care calendar with updates has been set up for them by Courtney's cousin.

http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/45517

password: 6368

-Brayden Ford was born Monday, July 19 at 4:21pm to proud parents Brad and Kristin. They are expected to go home tomorrow. They also have a care calendar.

http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/45178

password: 4037

-Jeff's granddad was readmitted to the hospital this evening.

God's presence has truly been felt in the Genesis Class this week! We have such an amazing group so full of faith, love, and support!

Jeff and I will be out of town this weekend but hope to see everyone at the pool party!

Amanda

Class Update 7/11/10

2010-07-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

We started a new series on Sunday called Surprised by Hope. Sunday's session was titled Hope for the World. N.T. Wright began explaining his thoughts on how Heaven will actually be on Earth one day, and we as Christians are to be beacons of hope for the world. As I started to get frustrated with a patient today, I actually remembered this...pretty cool feeling! This week Jeff and I will lead The Hope of the Resurrection.

We had a new couple visiting...Brandon and Rebecca Fulenchek. They recently moved to the Richardson area from McKinney and have been visiting FUMCR. So glad to have you both with us!

A couple reminders:

July 17th 7pm Gilley's (free dance lessons and entry until 8pm to see Wade Bowen)

July 31st Pool Party at the Burdette's

August 1st teach Children's Sunday School (still need 3 people ASAP)

Joys and Concerns:

Jeff F's grandad was diagnosed with lung cancer last week. He hopes to begin treatments this week.

Jeff W's grandfather is finally able to get out of the house some since he started his cancer treatments; however, his grandmother seems to be struggling.

Hope to see you all on Saturday!

Amanda

Genesis Class Update 7/4/10

2010-07-05T20:35:00.001-07:00

Genesis Class,

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! The service and music were extremely well done and very moving!

We will be starting a new study this Sunday. Surprised by Hope by N. T. Wright. Jeff and I will lead the first lesson. We have the DVD and participant's guide from Rodney, but there is an optional book that you can purchase if you would like to read along. Here are a few options:

Cokesbury in Plano can order them in 5-7 days for $19.99. You have to tell them that this is the internet price, and they will honor it. I can make one large order if you would like. We probably won't have them for this Sunday, but they will be in before the following Sunday. This is a 6 week series.

Barnes & Noble and Borders for $24.99 Call ahead to see if they have any.

Amazon had them for about the same prices, maybe a little less.

Children's Summer Sunday School

Those of you who have signed up to teach Children's Sunday School this coming Sunday, July 11th should be receiving the teaching materials in the mail. Connie mailed them before the holiday. We still need 3 people for August 1st (1 for 2nd grade and 2 for 6th grade). People who have done this in the past say that it is really easy and really fun! Please let me know ASAP if you can fill the August 1st spots so that Connie can fill them!

Gilley's July 17th

Free country western dance lessons for intermediates (6pm) and then beginners (7pm). I believe if you come in any time after 8pm you must pay the $15 cover and parking. The house band, Chris Rivers starts at 8pm and then Wade Bowen will go on around 11pm. The bull is $5 to ride. They don't serve any food. Getting to Gilley's can be a little tricky so ask for directions if you have never been. The long hallway to Gilley's is around back of the same building as the Palladium Ballroom.

See you all Sunday!

Amanda

Class Update 6/27/10

2010-06-29T22:04:00.001-07:00

Genesis Class,

Rodney Whitfield joined us on Sunday to answer questions and continue discussion about the Methodist Book of Discipline and Resolutions. The week after next, we will begin a series highly recommended by Rodney and Clayton. It is called Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. The author is one of the world's top biblical scholars and Bishop of Durham in the Church of England. It is a 6 week series with about a 15 minute DVD followed by a study guide led discussion. There is also a book that goes with the study. Jeff and I will purchase copies of the book and bring them to class for purchase if you would like. We will let you know how much once we check Amazon and a couple of stores. You do not have to have the book or read weekly, but we will have some books for those who wish to read along for class or while away.

WE WILL NOT BE MEETING NEXT SUNDAY. There is one service at 10am for 4th of July.

Missions:

We still need 2 volunteers to teach Children's Sunday School on July 11th and 3 on August 1st at 9:45.

If Body & Soul gets up and running as planned, our first Sunday to serve will be September 19. We have promised to fill all 10 spots so if you would like to serve that Sunday you can start letting Brad M know.

Lunches for Little Kids still needs a few volunteers. See the following message from Jaclyn and reply to her if you are interested in volunteering:

Need volunteers: July 20,22,29 & August 5. On the dates in July we already have some volunteers, so we only need one or two. The only day we have no volunteers is August 5. We would love it if anyone could help out and fill in these spots. It usually takes about an hour and half to 2 hours. I have gone once and had a lot of fun.

Media:

Blaire and Ryan are working on a video to put on our website about our class. She needs pictures from socials, missions, etc. Please contact Blaire if you have any pictures or would like to provide either an interview or quote about the class depending on the video capabilities.

No joys or concerns this week.

Have a great week!

Amanda

Class Update 6/20/10

2010-06-23T09:48:00.001-07:00

Genesis Class,

Sorry we missed everyone this past Sunday. I hope everyone had a nice
Father's Day!

I heard from everyone regarding Children's Sunday School teaching. We
need 2 people to fill in for 6th grade on July 11th and 3 people to
fill in on August 1st. Please let me know if you can help. This will
be at 9:45am.

We will be going to lunch after class this coming Sunday.

Joys and Concerns:
Ben and Ashley are in Virginia and Cabo until July 3rd for Ashley and
the previous weekend for Ben.

Please let me know if there are any others.

See everyone on Sunday!

Amanda

Class Update 6/13/10

2010-06-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

What a fantastic weekend for the Genesis Class! We celebrated babies
on Saturday night with a great turnout thanks to Ben and Ashley for
opening their home and enjoyed a very interesting lesson from Kristin
and Brad Sunday morning. We looked at a few controversial issues in
the United Methodist Book of Resolutions and learned how to use the
book. We are considering looking at more issues and discussing them
further. I have also contacted Rodney Whitfield for some ideas
regarding a Bible study to begin soon. If anyone has any suggestions,
please let me know.

Missions:
Connie Presley has asked if we can switch to teaching children's
Sunday School July 11th instead of June 27th. If you are signed up for
June 27th PLEASE let me know if this will work for you or not. We
still need 3 more people for August 1st. One with Brad for 2nd grade
and two for 6th grade.

Food items for June are peanut butter, jelly, and macaroni and cheese.

Socials:
July 17th 7pm Gilley's
June 27th Lunch after class (place TBD)
July 31st Pool Party at Daniel and Cat's house
More details to follow.

Joys and Concerns:
Lindsey's parents made it safely from London and will be here for a
month.
Hayley's grandmother made it safely to town and will be here for about
10 days. She is still ill but feeling good and enjoying her visit.
My sister is having a girl, which means everything is going well.

We will be in Houston this weekend so we will not be in class. Happy
Father's Day!

Amanda

Clas Update 6/6/10

2010-06-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

This week Brad led us in the final discussion about What It Means to be United Methodist. Next week we will take a look at some of the hot topics in the Methodist Book of Resolutions.

Price and Kim Newton joined us on Sunday. Price visited a couple of months ago and came back Sunday with his wife. We were so glad to have them in class and look forward to seeing them at the social on Saturday!

Socials: Don't forget our Parents Social/Shower this Saturday, June 12th at 7pm at Ben and Ashley's house. Kids are welcome to come and crash there, if needed, during the social.

Please let me know what date you prefer for our July Social, which will be a pool party at the Burdette's. Saturday, July 24, July 31, or August 7? Once we set this date, we can arrange a few other small get-togethers for the summer so please respond ASAP.

A group of us are planning to go to Gilley's Saturday, July 17th. Free dance lessons begin at 6pm for advanced and 7pm for beginners (this is when we show up). Normally cover is free since they don't start charging until after the dance lessons. Wade Bowen starts playing at 8pm. The dance lessons are fun, and you can ride the electric bull for $5 as well.

Back by popular demand...We will be going to lunch after class on the 4th Sunday of every month. Our first lunch will be Sunday, June 27th. We can pick the place after class, and whoever would like to join us is welcome.

Missions: We are teaching Children's Sunday School at 9:45am on June 27th and August 1st. See below for those who have signed up to teach. If you are not listed and still want to help, I'm sure we can use all of the help we can get. We will still hold our class these Sundays. We still need more people for August 1st so please let me know if you can help.

Brad M is contacting Joy to let her know that we would like to participate as a class every other month in Body & Soul. This is a mission project where you go downtown as a group from the church and serve lunch to the homeless. We must fulfill our obligation of 10 people. We can try to arrange a group babysitter for those with kids. As soon as Joy lets us know our dates, we will send out sign-up sheets.

Jaclyn and Cat brought another volunteer opportunity to my attention and wanted me to forward it on to you guys. This mostly affects people that have some time off during the day, but you can bring kids (as a teaching opportunity or if they are old enough to help hand out bags). This is the Network program that Joy was talking about where they hand out lunch bags to kids that might not have lunch otherwise. They need 4 people for each shift. If you are interested see the sign-up sheet below and contact Jaclyn (weidenbachj@gmail.com)

Joys and Concerns:

-Sean's uncle passed away

-Jeff W's grandfather has been diagnosed with terminal multiple myeloma and is awaiting prognosis

-Daniel C's father's cancer has spread and is also awaiting prognosis

-Jeff F's professor/mentor who was instrumental in his career passed away, and we will be traveling to Austin this weekend for his Memorial Service

-Heath's uncle passed away, and they have traveled to Lubbock for the funeral this weekend

Hope to see you all Saturday!

Amanda

Children's Summer Sunday School Teaching

June 27th

2nd Grade Jeff and Jessica

3rd Brad and Amanda

4th Daniel and Christy

5th Jeff and Amanda

6th Daniel and Cat

August 1st

2nd Brad S and ___________

3rd Ben and Ashley

4th _________ and __________

5th Jeff and Amanda

6th _________ and __________

Class Update 5/2/10

2010-06-20T19:39:00.001-07:00

Connie Presley will be sending me the sign-up sheet to help with the
kids summer Sunday School teaching. They need 2 people each week. I
know members of our class have really enjoyed this in the past, and I
hear they make it really easy.

Connie also needs VBS teachers June 14-18. Ashley is involved in VBS
and can probably answer any questions. Let me know if you are
interested, and I will forward the email to you.

*Please let me know if you plan to be here or out of town the Fourth
of July weekend so we can decide whether or not to have class.

*It was brought to my attention that some people may be out this week
due to Mother's Day. Once again, let me know if you plan on coming to
class so Kristin can plan the lesson. The Nelsons finished up the
Three Simple Rules series last week.

*Please RSVP for the June Shower/Social so we can plan.

*Joys or Concerns
I take my last final exams ever this week. We will be traveling to
Austin this weekend, and

4/18 Update

2010-04-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Rev. Joy Anderson visited with our class on Sunday and told us about lots of mission opportunities in which we can participate as a class, couples, or individuals. Brad M. was headed to the Neighborhood Service Council with Ashley and Cat to check it out today. I'm sure he will be reporting back soon, and we will figure out a way to tell everyone about the mission opportunities and decide as a class what and when we would like to participate. Some things require us to get our name on a list fairly soon. You can also let Brad know if you would like to help out at the rescheduled Amigos Days this Friday or Saturday (if needed).

You should have received an email from Jeff W. about the other topic discussed in class...the future direction of FUMCR.

Don't forget about dropping off your cookies for the Cookie Caper if you signed up and the Radical Hospitality Focus Group on Wednesday evening.

We forgot to do Joys & Concerns as we were so busy sharing information in one hour so please let us know if you have any.

See you all next Sunday as we continue the Three Simple Rules series.

Amanda

4/11/10 Update

2010-04-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

Genesis Class,

Brad S. led us in the discussion about the Three Simple Rules: Do No Harm. Next Sunday Joy Anderson will join us to lead a lesson about mission work and discuss different mission opportunities available to us. The following Sunday we will continue the Three Simple Rules series. Again, if you have suggestions for lessons or would like to lead one Sunday, email Kristin (KristinShipman@texashealth.org) so she can give you the materials or discuss the lesson you want to bring.

Missions:

If you plan on volunteering for Amigos Days this Saturday, please make sure Brad M. (bradleyhmoulton@yahoo.com) knows that you are coming. Volunteers meet at the church at 7:45 a.m. We will take a bus or van to the work site. If someone has to leave early they can take their cars but there is limited parking space unless we string cars out all along the street. We would like as many as possible to ride the van. Lunch is provided, and we will take water and drinks. We will be scraping, painting and doing some outside reapirs. –Joy

Brad M. will be scheduling a tour of the Neighborhood Service Council this week or next with Cat and Ashley as they have expressed interest in attending and will report back to the class.

See Cookie Caper below for details about that.

See Radical Hospitality message below for details about the meeting Jerod and Hayley mentioned on Sunday.

See Children’s Summer Sunday School below for details about that. I would like feedback via email or in class by next Sunday if we want to participate this year and if anyone would like to be in charge of coordinating this. I can help with coordinating if no one wants to, but I know some people mentioned that they wanted to help with small projects along the way when we were discussing officer positions. I also want to make sure we have enough people that are able to volunteer before I commit for us. I believe those that have done it in the past said that it is pretty easy and really enjoyed it.

Socials:

Jeff and Jessica are working on planning the next social. Current ideas include Top Golf and a Polaroid Party (suggested by Canda) that sounds like a lot of fun.

Joys and Concerns:

Hayley’s grandmother had a difficult week with chemo. and radiation.

Hope you all have a great week and are enjoying this beautiful weather (minus the pollen)!

Attachments:

Cookie Caper

Friends,

The Cookie Caper is almost here and we need bakers! We currently have only 61 bakers signed up so far. Last year we had 230, and Joy would love to have that many again this year, if not more!

Each baker will need to bake at least 6 dozen homemade cookies. Bring your cookies in a disposable container to the Bartula Family Life Center on Saturday, April 24 from 12 - 4 p.m. Drop off/drive thru will be available so you can drop them off while you are out and about Saturday afternoon!

The Cookie Caper will be held the next day, Sunday, April 25 from 8:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m. All proceeds from cookies sold will go toward adult work camps, Amigos Days, and other missional causes. Your help and your cookies are greatly appreciated!

Please email Joy Anderson at janderson@fumcr.com to bake 6 dozen cookies for a great cause!

Radical Hospitality

Friends,

We would like to invite you to participate in a 2 hour focus group meeting to further discuss one of the 5 practices – Radical Hospitality. We would like to have you participate in this valuable discussion and brainstorming session. We hope you can join us! Do feel free to contact us if we can answer any questions for you!

Radical Hospitality Focus Group

April 21^st, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Education Bldg Room 206

Lite snacks and beverages provided

Childcare provided – call to request 972-235-0120

We look forward to seeing you on the 21^st!

Jerod & Hayley Hangartner

hayhall@hotmail.com Hayley

jtfit_40@yahoo.com Jerod

Children’s Summer Sunday School

Hi Jeff and Amanda,

Each summer (12 weeks) adults from several of the Sunday School classes sign up to teach a week or two of Sunday School for the elementary kids. (upstairs) Daniel has coordinated this for your class for the past 2 years.

I was wondering if you all would be willing to help us with this again this year? It is very easy – we provide the curriculum and all the supplies are set up in the room for you. All you have to do is show up and enjoy the kids! If you all are willing to help, I can email you a sign up sheet with all the dates on it. If each class has 2 members volunteer each week, we will have it totally covered!

Please let me know if your class would be willing to help again this year, and if so, I will email you a sign up sheet.

Thanks so much!

Connie Presley

Assistant Children’s Director 972-996-0116

March 28 Update

2010-03-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Daniel C. led us in a lesson about Palm Sunday this morning that really helped center us for the upcoming week. Thank you so much! Thank you to those of you who will be representing the Genesis class in the presentation this evening by carrying the cross!

We will be having class next Sunday, which is Easter. Kristin will be looking for someone to lead a lesson either on their own or possibly with materials that she has. You can contact me or her if you are willing.

Missions:

-Brad M. will be setting up a time to tour the Neighborhood Service Council's facility if anyone would like to go with him to find out what specific volunteer opportunities they have for our class.

-Our class will be participating in Amigos Day on Saturday, April 17.

Socials:

Courtney would like to organize a mom's trading event for clothes, toys, and other baby things.

I would like to organize a shower/celebration for our future mothers.

If you are interested in helping with either of these, let us know.

Joys and Concerns:

We had 3 first-time visitors in class today:

-Price N. is a member of FUMCR. His wife, Kim was home with their 8 week-old daughter this morning (there is an extra joy). We look forward to meeting Kim and getting to know their family!

-Chris and Kim H. are also members of FUMCR. Jarod and Hayley were introduced to FUMCR at their wedding and are introducing them to our Sunday School class now. We look forward to getting to know them!

-Slate, Keith and Courtney's older son, is potty training.

-Hayley's grandmother continues her cancer treatments, and is beginning to feel the side effects of them. They are hoping to bring her down from Lubbock for Easter.

-Blaire's sister is pregnant and will be finding out the sex of the baby very soon.

-My sister has a doctor's appointment tomorrow and is hoping they will get to hear the heartbeat(s).

-Many people will be traveling over Easter weekend.

If anyone has pictures from the Super Bowl Party, After the Holidays Party, or Game Night please email them to me or Blaire so we can post them.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Amanda

Planting Flowers March 27

2010-03-28T13:09:00.002-07:00

On Saturday, a few of us met to help plant flowers in the new planter boxes outside the new part of the education building so that they would like nice for Easter. Brad M. has helped with the landscape design, including the boxes. His family and grandmother also donated money to have them built. We also helped take out some stuff in the sculpture garden and plant some fresh flowers over there under the supervision of KJ's dad, Bodie. It was a cool but beautiful morning and lots of fun!

March 21 Update

2010-03-28T13:09:00.001-07:00

Dean Brown led our class today about trusting God and how important struggles are in our lives. Just like Peter failed at times, we too have failures; however, God is always there and has a plan for us. He was the teacher for a previous Genesis class and was so excited that we have formed such a great group.

Howard Kennedy gave a presentation about Neighborhood Service Council and all of the wonderful things they do for Children after school and during the summers. It sounds like there are lots of opportunities for service with the organization that do not necessarily require a lot of time or commitment. Brad M. will be emailing one of the coordinators to get more specifics.

Rev. Fred Trevino explained to the class what he needs regarding 6 guys to carry the cross in and out of the Palm Sunday service next Sunday. He needs you to be there at 6pm. You can stay after class next Sunday and practice at noon or practice at 6pm while the choir practices. They won’t allow people into the sanctuary until 6:20pm so there will be some time. We have 5 guys that are willing to help (Brad S., Heath, Brad M., Jared, Daniel). We need one more. He said it doesn’t have to be guys so if we don’t have another that can volunteer we can use a female volunteer.

Teaching: Kristin is now our teaching coordinator for the second quarter. We need to know if anyone is planning on being in class on Easter. Last year we did not have class. Please let me know ASAP. Rev. Debra Hobbs-Mason has agreed to come talk to the class about the structure of FUMCR and how we can be involved, etc.

Social: I heard that Game Night was a lot of fun last night! Thanks to Eric and KJ for hosting!

Missions: We will be participating in Amigos Days Saturday, April 17. More details to come from Brad on where to meet and what time.

Hospitality: We had a new couple visit last week. I look forward to meeting with them, and Brad S. will be touching base with them.

Joys and Concerns:

-Heath’s studio leader’s father passed away this week. He recently lost his mother as well.

-Hayley’s grandmother was diagnosed with rectal and thyroid cancer while they were on their honeymoon. She has begun treatment. She also lost her husband this year.

-My sister has been trying to get pregnant for about 2 years. She is not saying much about it yet, but is about 6 weeks pregnant.

Genesis Update 2/28

2010-03-16T09:04:00.001-07:00

Rev. Rodney Whitfield led us in a very interesting lesson about what
our global view of the world looks like in the picture on the puzzle
box and how we fit into it.

The officers are currently very busy working on lots of exciting
things. Evite for our next social went out (I will have this put in
the bulletin), Brad M. has spoken with Joy and will be helping plan
some exciting mission opportunities for the class, Daniel updated our
website on the FUMCR site (http://www.fumcr.com/pages/SSGenesis), Cale
and Amy have lined up lots of great lessons for March (which will
appear in the bulletin), and Brad S. is working on greeting
opportunities and business cards.

Joys and Concerns:
Eric's brother got engaged
Christy's dad's eye surgeries are over and were successful
My grandmother turns 90 on Friday

Happy Texas Independence Day!

Amanda

Class Update 2/21/10

2010-03-02T18:12:00.001-08:00

Genesis Class,

This week we wrapped up the series Making Love Last a Lifetime. Thank
you to Heath for leading the lesson and to all of those who have led a
lesson in this series. Next week, February 28, Rev. Rodney Whitfield
will be bringing us the lesson. The title I have his lesson is ?Puzzled.?
He is looking forward to being with us so let's have a big turnout!

Our next social will be a game night in March. You should have
received an email from Jessica about this. Please let Jessica know if
March 20 or 27 works better for you, and if you are willing to host. If you did not receive her email, let me know.

Joys and Concerns:
Jeff and Jessica are expecting! Jessica is due in September.
Brad and Kristin found out that they are having a boy.
Jerod and Hayley got married on Saturday and are off enjoying their honeymoon!
Christy's dad had eye surgery last week and can see well out of that
eye, but he is having surgery on the other eye Wednesday.

See you all Sunday! Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Amanda

Class Update 2/14/10

2010-03-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I filled in as prez this week, so I am sending our update...

We had a small group in class Sunday with several couples out of town and others most likely celebrating Valentine's Day. Heath led us in a video and discussion from the How to Make Love Last a Lifetime series about building and maintaining a faithful marriage. The video was interesting with a few (perhaps unintentional!) funny moments and we had a good discussion with Health presenting several relevant Bible references.

We had 2 visitors, Ryan and Banner. Ryan and Brad M have been friends since they played hockey together. If you see them around, say "hi." :)

As for joys and concerns-

Amanda and Jeff have just returned from Amanda's grandfather's funeral service in West Virginia.

Courtney will have her foot surgery Thursday.

Brad M's coworker was in a very bad car accident and is in ICU. He drives a Smart Car, and sustained head injuries, internal injuries and a broken leg. His family had not been able to visit him yet (as of Sunday).

Kristin and Brad had a sonogram Monday... and IT'S A BOY! The test showed the baby is doing great.

That's it for now.

Have a great week!

Catherine

Class Update 2/7/10

2010-02-10T15:30:00.001-08:00

Genesis Class,

This week we wrapped up the 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations with
Extravagant Generosity led by Kristin. We discussed that this could
refer to money, time, and talents and in order to be extravagant we
must stretch ourselves out of our comfort zones. A huge thank you to
Brad and Kristin for representing our class and leading this series.

Over the next two weeks Heath and Courtney will be leading the last
two lessons of Making Love Last a Lifetime.

On February 28th Rodney Whitfield, who is the Pastor for Young Adults,
will be leading the lesson. Let's have a great turnout for this one!
(Jeff says be there or else...) He is taking suggestions for lessons.
This lesson or one in the future might be about the structure of FUMCR
and how our church works specifically.

We also discussed having Joy Anderson or someone come talk to us about
mission opportunities in the church. Brad is going to look into this.
Stay tuned for the next mission project.

Super Bowl Party was a lot of fun! Thank you to the Daniel and Christy
for having all of us over! Stay tuned for socials that are in the
works, including Top Golf and a family picnic afternoon once the
weather warms up.

Joys and Concerns:
Cale and Amy will be traveling to Cabo Wednesday for Amy's sister's wedding.

Courtney will be having foot surgery either this week or next, which
will be followed by a challenging recovery period.

I have mentioned in the past that my grandfather has been in
congestive heart failure for quite some time and was recently put on
hospice care. My grandparents had to be evacuated from their home over
the weekend as they lost power during the snow storms in West
Virginia. My grandfather passed away early this morning. Jeff and I
will be making the trip for the funeral most likely on Thursday and
hope that the weather will cooperate.

We will not be in Sunday School on Sunday and will need someone to
fill in for us.

We will see you all the following Sunday.

Amanda

Class Update 1/31/10

2010-02-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

We continued in our church-wide study of the "5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations" with this weeks discussion focusing on "Risk-taking Mission and Service". We talked about mission opportunities that are already available through the church, and some others that we might propose. This Sunday, we will conclude this series with the topic of "Extravagant Generosity".

Thanks to all of you who volunteered to help out with the WinterFest event that is hosted by the church's Senior Adult Ministry. I think that I had told some of you that the event is in the Family Life Center, but I had bad info... It was in the FLC last year, but there is a basketball tournament going on there this year, so the WinterFest will be in the main sanctuary building and the education building (where our classroom is). If you volunteered, you should have gotten an email from Glen Meggs on Monday with the details about where to meet at the beginning of your shift. It looks like his list didn't have any meals for us, so if you would like a meal (which they offered to all volunteers), please reply to Glen today if you haven't already, and let him know.

Our Super Bowl party is coming up this Sunday, of course, at Daniel and Christy's house. You should have an evite in your inbox from Jessica which has the details, maps, etc... Hope to see you there!

We didn't have any new J's or C's expressed this week...

We did announce the new slate of class officers for 2010, though!

Class Presidents:

Jeff & Amanda

Teaching Coordinators:

Q1: Cale and Amy

Q2: Kristin

Q3: Catherine

Q4: Heath & Courtney

Mission Coordinator:

Brad M.

Social Coordinators:

Jeff & Jessica

Hospitality:

Brad S. and Ben & Ashley

Media/Information Coordinator:

Blaire

Thank you to all of you for volunteering to serve as a class leader for the coming year!

So, with this message, I'll officially pass the reins to Jeff & Amanda. It has been a pleasure serving as your president for the past year, and I look forward to the continued growth and development of our class!

See you all soon,

Amigos Days-April 2009

2010-01-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

Cale the bus driver!

Steven and Cale working!

Amy and Blaire painting

Michael and Amy helping out

The Amigos Days group!

Class Update 1/24/10

2010-01-30T09:44:00.000-08:00

Good morning Genesis Class,
Last Sunday we continued with the "5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations" series that the church is studying together this month. This week we discussed "Intentional Faith Development". We had a great group (the biggest crowd that I can remember having), and a good discussion about what it means to be "intentional" (not "international") in your faith development, and how we can utilize the opportunities that the church provides. Please join us this Sunday as we continue to study this series, and contribute ideas which will be reviewed by committee as we try to make our church as useful and fruitful as it can be. This week, we'll be discussing "Risk-

Taking Mission and Service".

Speaking of service, this is your last call for volunteers to be "Greeters" at the church's WinterFest event on Feb 6. There are two shifts that they need help with: 7:30-9:30 (breakfast provided) and 10-12 (box lunch provided). Please let me know today if you can help out by being a greeter, and helping people find their way to the various workshops that are going on. I need to let the organizer know how many of us can help out. So far, it is Cale, Kristin and myself.

We also talked in class about volunteering for class officer positions. Please let me know before Sunday morning if you would like to take on one of these roles:

Class President - liaison between our class and the church. Responsible for announcements in class, weekly "newsletter" email to the class, etc.

Teaching Coordinator - responsible for planning the schedule for our lessons/discussions. Not necessarily responsible for actually teaching the lessons, but more for planning them. We discussed the possibility of splitting this responsibility into quarters, with the Welborns volunteering to finish out the first quarter.

Mission Coordinator - responsible for working with the class to decide what mission projects we want to participate in, and then coordinating with the organization (or the church) to make them happen.

Social Coordinator - responsible for working with the class to decide what social events we want to have, and then coordinating the event, e-vite, etc...

Hospitality Coordinator - responsible for greeting/following up with visitors, checking in on class members who have been out, or dealing with hardship, etc...

In light of our conversations on Sunday morning, I would also propose that we create a new class officer position for a Media or Communications coordinator, who could be a point person responsible for updating/maintaining our page in the fumcr.com web site and/or our blog, so that when other young couples are checking out our church, they'll be aware of what a "cool" class we have... :) We got a little bit of a head start on this topic this week, by updating our class page (viewed at http://www.fumcr.com/Genesis ) with some of the same information that is in our class brochure, which will also hopefully be going to print soon. We also added a link on this page to our blog, where Blaire has been posting these weekly updates.

In the event that we have more than one person, or more than one couple interested in a position, we can decide on Sunday if we want to hold an election, or just share the responsibilities.

We had some exciting announcements in class Sunday.

We had Hayley and Jerod in class with us again this week. They have been taking advantage of the "intentional faith development" opportunities in the church by attending an advent series of lessons that Fred Trevino taught for the last couple of months last year. It was good to see you guys in class again. :) Hayley and Jerod are getting married next month! Hayley mentioned a prayer request for her best friend who has a blood clot in her lungs after recently having a baby. It has been tough on the mom because she hasn't really been able to spend time with her new baby.

Our class will be growing this year, as Brad and Kristin and Daniel and Christy both announced this week that they are pregnant! Congratulations!

Daniel and Christy and Jeff and Jessica also became official members of the church last Sunday, too, through the "low stress joining" opportunity that the church provides (so you don't have to walk down to the front during worship...). We are thrilled that you are all now "official"!

Amanda F. has a friend who is a nurse and will be travelling to Haiti to help with the disaster relief, so pray for her safety.

Cale is a proud uncle of a new baby niece!

Cat's dad received some very positive news about his diagnosis this week. The doctors at the Mayo clinic have determined that he doesn't have ALS or MS, as was previously suspected, and believe that with treatment, his paralysis will not get any worse, and will hopefully be at least partially reversed.

I hope to see you all on Sunday, so we can see Jeff "jazzed" again by a big crowd!

You have two deadlines this week. Let me know about WinterFest today, and let me know about class officer positions before Sunday.

See you soon,

Pictures of Cowboy Watching Party December 2009

2010-01-28T08:12:00.000-08:00

PIctures of Pool Party Summer 2009

2010-01-28T07:50:00.001-08:00

Pictures of Serving Seniors May 2009

2010-01-28T07:44:00.000-08:00

Pictures of After Christmas Party 2009

2010-01-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

Class Update 1/17/10

2010-01-24T10:42:00.001-08:00

Hello Genesis Class,

We had a great start last Sunday to the "5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations" series that the church is studying together this month! We had a great turnout, and great discussion about "Radical Hospitality", and what we can/should be doing to make others feel welcome when they come into our church and/or our class. Please join us this Sunday as we continue to study this series, and contribute ideas which will be reviewed by committee as we try to make our church as useful and fruitful as it can be in our community. If you haven't been to class in a while, now would be a great time to jump back in.

Our next class social will be an After the Holidays White Elephant Gift Exchange at Jeff and Jessica's house, Saturday, January 23 starting at 7. Please let Jessica know by email if you'll be attending. I can't wait to see what I get this year! :)

We have had a mission opportunity presented to us, and would like to get a quick poll of the audience to see if we could help out. Our church is hosting an event for the community called WinterFest on Saturday, Feb 6, and needs some "Greeters" to help show the attendees where the various sessions are going on, as they arrive. The details about WinterFest can be found on the www.fumcr.com website. Here's the request that we received from the person coordinating the greeters: The date is Saturday, Feb. 6. Subject to some adjustment, the shift times are 1st) 7:45-9:15 and 2nd) 9:45-11:15.

They currently need 4-6 volunteers for each shift (they already have 8-10 others signed up, so you won't be working alone). This is another great opportunity for exposure for our class, within the church. If you could cover one or both of these shifts, please let me know via return email by tomorrow, so we can let the coordinator know if our class can help them out.

Hope to see you all Sunday morning, and please let me know if you can help with WinterFest...

Class Update 1/10/10

2010-01-24T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hello Genesis Class,

Hope to see you all Sunday morning, and please let me know if you can help with WinterFest...

Class Update 1/3/10

2010-01-24T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hello Genesis Class,

Happy New Year! I'm going to do this week's email in reverse order...

There was a concern--Jessica's grandmother has H1N1 Flu.

Our next class social will be an After the Holidays White Elephant Gift Exchange at the Wrights' house, Saturday, January 23 starting at 7. Jessica sent out the details in an email on Monday. Please let her know if you can make it, so that they can plan accordingly. I'm sure that you each got something good that you won't mind re-gifting! :)

There is still an opportunity to step up and volunteer for one of the class officer positions. Please let me know by email if you are interested in one or more of the positions, and we'll hold elections, and move toward a peaceful transition of power...

Last Sunday, Courtney led a discussion for the chapter "God's Plan for Sexual Intimacy" from the Making Love Last a Lifetime series (thanks, Courtney).

Beginning this Sunday, Kristin and Brad Shipman will be facilitating our class discussions on a series of topics that the entire congregation will be going through at the same time. Below is a note from Kristin about the series:

Next week the series of 5 Practices of a Fruitful Congregation begins. Every group or Sunday School class will be participating for the next 5 weeks. This week and next week every family is supposed to be picking a packet at church. If you are not able to pick up your packet it will be mailed to you (But at a significant cost to the church if they have to mail too many so pick them up if you are able please). The packet will include a devotional book with daily devotionals related to the subject for the week. They are one page front and back and very short. We are supposed to start reading them next Sunday for the next 5 weeks. I want to also encourage everyone who can to attend "Big Church" so they can hear Clayton's sermon series that will be going along with the lesson. In class there will be a video with each lesson and brain-storming sessions utilizing questions that will be provided. Our answers will be submitted to a church-wide committee and actions will be taken with the ideas that pass the committees. I hope that everyone will come and participate so we can represent the young adults in this church and possibly grow our group within in the church and the community.

Class Update Continued 12/20

2010-01-02T11:51:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know that Courtney will be teaching this coming Sunday, continuing from the series "Making Marriage Last a Lifetime."

I wanted to share a few joys I knew about (If there are others, please let us know):
Cale's brother, Drew, flew home from Iraq on Christmas Eve, so Cale is helping him move from Kansas City back to Fort Worth this weekend.
Also, Daniel and Cat are celebrating their anniversary over NY's, and I know they're going somewhere tropical, which is their tradition each year. Congrats to them! I would love to get a tan instead of worrying about icy roads here :)

I think we've talked about repeating our January social with a post-Christmas gift exchange swap, so I hope you're all saving the "best" gifts you've received. If anyone is interested in hosting at their house, let Daniel and Jessica know so we can plan a date to communicate to everyone.

Hope you all had a merry Christmas and that you have a safe and happy New Year's!
~Amy

Class Update 12/20

2010-01-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

Hello Genesis Class,

We had a great time at our 4th Qtr class mission project last Sunday as we greeted troops as they arrived at DFW. The Welcome Home a Hero program was quite impressive, and well organized. Then, we had a delicious brunch at Breadwinners. Thanks to Cat for recommending this as a class project, to Blaire for coordinating it and getting the candy canes organized, and of course to our bus driver, Cale.

Due to holiday travels, etc..., we'll not be holding class this Sunday. Class will resume on Sunday, Jan 3, 2010!

Don't forget to be thinking about volunteering for a Class Officer position for 2010. If you're interested in one of the following positions, please let me know via email. Each could be done by one person, a couple, etc...

Class President

Teaching Coordinator

Mission Coordinator

Social Coordinator

Hospitality Coordinator

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Class Update 12/6

2010-01-02T11:49:00.002-08:00

Hi everyone!

Since Daniel and Cat were busy running a marathon in Memphis this Sunday, you get the pleasure of hearing from me this week:)

Cale led the 4th segment of Making Love Last a Lifetime, titled "After the Honeymoon is Over." This coming Sunday, Dec. 13, Heath May will lead the next segment titled, "The Habits of Unhealthy Marriages."

Also, on Dec. 13, we will be having a social at Daniel and Cat's house to watch the Cowboys party. Details are below, but their address is: 2107 Drake Dr. Richardson, TX 75081

On Dec. 20, we are planning to participate in Welcome Home a Hero at DFW airport, which will be so neat to do right before Christmas when the troops will be happy to be home with their families. More details to come.

Joys and Concerns:
Courney's mom got engaged
Brad and Amanda just celebrated their 5-year anniversary
Christy had a surprise phone interview for a job
Cat and I are running the half marathon this Sunday (Daniel, are you also running, or will you be in the cheering section with Cale?)

One final comment: Heath proposed the idea of a class ski trip since he has a cabin in Ruidoso, NM. Not sure if it's too late to plan and coordinate a group for a long weekend sometime between Jan and March, but if anyone is interested (Cale and I definitely are!), we can get working on that if you let us know what interest there is.

Cale and I will miss everyone in class on Sunday because of my race, but we hope to see a lot of you for the Cowboys party!
Have a great week!
~Amy

Class Update 11/30/09

2010-01-02T11:49:00.001-08:00

Hello Genesis Class,

This week's update will be brief (coming to you from Hercules, CA). We continued in the Making Love Last a Lifetime series last Sunday on the topic of 'What Men wish Women knew about Men'. This Sunday the topic will be 'When the Honeymoon is Over'.

We also had a discussion in class about our participation in the Welcome Home a Hero program, where we'll be greeting troops as they arrive from overseas at DFW for R&R. Even though the flights are all coming in quite early (around 8AM), the consensus was that we still want to participate as a class, and we plan to go on Sunday Dec 20. More details will come, as we'll likely try to set a meeting time at the church and carpool to the airport. We'll probably also try to find a good place for brunch after greeting the troops.

Our next class social event will be a Cowboys watch party at our house on December 13, for the game against San Diego (3:15 kickoff). It will be very informal, come and go, kids welcome, etc... Bring whatever you like to eat and/or drink. We'll load up the magic fountain and provide 65" of HD football viewing (I know, it doesn't compare to 60 yards of HD...).

We had one concern mentioned last week. Courtney's aunt lost a dog last week. Courtney was hesitant to mention it, but those of us who are pet people understand that losing a pet is like losing a family member...

One big joy this week!!! A note from Sean:

Anna Victoria Collins was born November 30, 2009. 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 inches long. Lindsey and I are over joyed and big brother Jackson is very excited. We wish to send all of you our love and joy on this birth of our baby girl and God Bless you all.

Congrats to Sean and Lindsey!

See you all soon,

Class Update 11/23

2009-11-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving week! Last Sunday, we continued the Making Love Last a Lifetime series with a discussion about what women want men to know about women. We will be holding class this Sunday, and the discussion will be about what men want women to know about men, so be sure to be there if you are in town this weekend!

Mission Project:
The consensus from responses to last weeks email indicated that a Sunday would be better for our Welcome Home a Hero participation (our 4th Qtr mission project). We decided in class that Sunday December 20th would be the Sunday that we could have the most participation. Blaire has contacted the coordinator at Welcome Home a Hero, and she mentioned that most of the flights are coming in around 8 AM... I hope that this doesn't hinder our willingness, as a class, to participate. We can discuss further in class over the next couple of weeks.

December Social:
We also discussed in class that a Cowboys watching party may be our best bet for a December social. In looking at the Dec game schedule, it looks like our best bet would be the Dec 13 game against San Diego. Another option might be the Dec 19 (Saturday night) game against New Orleans. If you have a strong preference either way, please let me know. We will offer our house for the location.

Google Group:
We have shifted gears a little with our blog/email group effort. The blog site doesn't seem to want to cooperate with our yahoo group email address, so Blaire has set up a google group, so check your inbox for the invitation to the google group, and click the link in the email to accept the invitation, please. We will start to use this as our main distribution channel.

Joys and Concerns:

Michael H's grandmother in an assisted living place after a stroke. She is having some trouble adjusting to her new living arrangements after having lived in the same house for 90+ years.

Amanda F's grandfather has been placed on hospice care, having had congestive heart failure.

I hope everyone has safe travel if you are going places for Thanksgiving, and look forward to seeing all the rest of you in class on Sunday!

check

2009-11-23T20:20:00.001-08:00

check check 999

Class Update 11/15

2009-11-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, we began the series Making Love Last a Lifetime, which studies the scriptural and spiritual importance of love, marriage and sex. Heath lead the class discussion last Sunday, and will again this Sunday. Thanks, Heath, for sending out the additional material for the first segment. If anyone else would like to lead one of the segments of this series, please let me know. We want to give everyone an opportunity to lead discussions, if they want.

We need to make a decision about whether we will hold class on the Sunday after thanksgiving. A couple of you have let us know that you'll be out of town, but it seems like we may have enough still in town. Can you please send me an email if you plan to be in class on Sun, Nov 29?

December Mission Project:
One more question for you. Our service project for this quarter is to participate with the Welcome Home a Hero program, which greets troops as they land in DFW, which is usually their first stop on US soil as they return from overseas for R&R. The question is, do we want to do this on a Saturday, or Sunday? I think from past experience, it seems like the flights usually come in around noon each day, so if we do it on a Sunday, it may be en lieu of class. So, when you reply and let me know whether you'll be in town for Thanksgiving Sunday, please also let me know if you'd prefer to welcome home heros on Sat or Sun. Once the votes are in, we'll pick which Sat or Sun we'll go.

Group Email Update:
Blaire has been working to get our Yahoo group up-to-date with everyone's email address, so that we can use the group email address, rather than sending to each individual address. So, if you have recently recieved and invitation to join the yahoo group, (and you want to continue to get emails about the Genesis class...), please join the group. Email Blaire at blaire316@gmail.com

Joys and Concerns:

My mom is home and doing much better after having two stents put in to correct the 99% blockage that she had in one of her arteries.

Christy Carlo's mom had hernia surgery on Monday.

Daniel Carlo's dad's surgery didn't go as well as planned. His tumor was too large for them to remove, so they are now exploring other options.

One last thing, Rodney Whitfield will be coming by to talk with our class this Sunday morning at 11.

Class Update 11/1

2009-11-23T19:41:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday, we took a break from the '...Controversies" series, and discussed some of the attributes of and ways to maintain a happy marriage. It was good to have a little bit lighter topic thrown in with the controversies. :) Thanks, Cale, for leading this week's discussion.

I have two questions for each of you, which we'd like to get a reply about within the next day or two. When we polled the class on Sunday, it was determined that several couples will be out of town this coming Sunday, Nov 8. So, first off, we've decided to postpone our TopGolf class social until a later date when more people will able to attend. Now, for the questions.

1. Are you planning on being in class this Sunday, Nov 8?

2. If you are going to be in class, would you like to lead the discussion topic?

The Welborns have plenty of materials for discussion topics, including the Confronting the Controversies series, the FaithLink newsletter, etc... or you could bring a topic of your own if you have something else that you'd like to discuss with the class. Please reply to me and copy the Welborns (addresses above) so that we know if a.) we have someone to lead the discussion, and b.) if we'll have enough people in class to hold a discussion... :) We'll send out another email either tomorrow or Friday letting everyone know whether class will be held.

Please keep the Carlo's families in your prayers. Christy's mom had surgery for a hernia, and Daniel's dad will have surgery on Nov 9 to remove a neuroendocrine tumor from his pancreas.

Please send me a reply if you'll be in class this week and/or if you'd like to facilitate the discussion topic.

Class Update 10/18

2009-10-25T13:42:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, we continued our "Confronting the Controversies" series with Cale leading the discussion on homosexuality. We watched the video clip from Adam Hamilton, and then read through the references in the United Methodist's Book of Disciplines, and a few verses from the Bible as part of our class discussion. This week, Heath May will be leading the class discussion on gun violence. Thanks, Heath, for volunteering to lead class this week! On that note, we need a volunteer (or volunteers) to lead class on Nov 8, and Dec 13. You are welcome to select your own topic, or pick one of the remaining "Controversies" in Adam Hamilton's series. Please send a reply to me or the Welborns if you would like to take one of those Sundays.

We welcomed 4 new visitors and 2 returning visitors in class this week! Daniel and Christy Carlo have been coming for the last 3 or 4 weeks (sorry, I don't think I introduced you when you first visited). We also had first time visitors Danny and Anne Ledbetter, and Hayley Hall and Jerod Hangartner who are engaged to be married at FUMCR in February. It was great to meet you all, and we hope to see you again!

Our social committee will be firing up soon to get our next social event on the calendar (can't go too long without a social!), so if you have any ideas you can send them to Jessica at jbasewright@gmail.com From what I understand, there were some plans being made at the last social, but I haven't heard anything official... :)

We had a few concerns in class this week:

Jessica Wright has a stress line fracture in her foot, which means no running for a while.

Sean Collins' uncle passed away.

Daniel Carlo's father has discovered a tumor, and is waiting for further diagnosis.

The Fletchers are travelling to France (ok, that's a joy, I think, but pray for safe travel!).

The Welborns are also travelling this weekend, to NYC!

Class Update 10/11

2009-10-25T13:41:00.002-07:00

Last Sunday we began the "Confronting the Controversies" series with Amy facilitating a discussion on the Death Penalty. We had a great discussion and many great points and views were shared among the class. This week we will continue the series with a discussion on homosexuality.

For those who don't know, this lesson series is backed by a book and DVD prepared by Adam Hamilton (who is the pastor of a large UM church in Kansas). The materials provide insight into both sides of each controversial topic (7 in total) and talks about where the Bible stands on the issue and does not try to referee who is wrong or right. Feedback on the series and whether the class members enjoy the topics is definitely encouraged & just as a reminder we are not planning to do this series exclusively over the next few months - we could probably use a break from heavy issues every once in awhile.

Joy of the week - Brad & Kristin Shipman joined the church on Sunday! We are on a two-week streak of having someone from our class joining the church!!

Have a great week and see you on Sunday!

Class Update 10/4

2009-10-25T13:41:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the late update this week. Last Sunday, Cale led a class discussion which started on the topic of gender roles in church leadership positions, and we ended up a few other topics along those lines. It is always fun to see where our discussions go when we all get in on the conversation! Cale got the topic idea from a publication called 'Faithlink: Connecting Faith and Life', which is a weekly publication with some interesting topics, so we may pull ideas from it again for future classes.

For the next 8 class meetings, starting this Sunday, we will be going through a series pepared by Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist minister, called, "Confronting the Controversies." The Welborns will be facilitating the topic for conversation for the next two weeks, and then Heath May will be facilitating on October 25.

We will probably poll the class to see how many plan on attending on Nov 1 (day after halloween) and Nov 29 (Sunday after Thanksgiving), so the Confronting the Controversies topics will probably take us through December.

As you read in Cale's message yesterday, we will be participating in a church-wide discussion on Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations starting on January 10. If you are willing or able to attend a two hour training session (as a representative for the Genesis Class) on October 24, please let Cale know as soon as possible. They will be out of town that weekend, but we need someone to pick up the materials from the training session. As Cale mentioned, going to the training session does not obligate you actually teach all of the lessons... :)

We had a few concerns expressed this week:

Amy Welborn has been/will be travelling a bit, so pray for safe travels for Amy, and that Cale doesn't miss her too much...

Cale's brother is enduring some personal struggles.

Courtney May's grandmother has 2 friends who are not doing well.

Eric Hurt will be hunting this weekend.

Class Update 9/27

2009-10-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we wrapped up the "In God's Name" documentary series, which was masterfully presented by Steven & Blaire! It was very interesting to hear from the numerous religious leaders representing nearly every major religious faith & it sparked some excellent discussion. It was kind of a light turnout - with only six in class, although 2 of those were new visitors - Daniel & Christy Carlo.

Over the next 5 weeks, we will be moving to a more self-contained lesson format as opposed to a continuously building series. This week we will be taking a look at Gender & Religious Life - the premise is that a recent survey noted that women appear to be more religious in beliefs and practices than men in the United States... There should be some interesting points and thoughts that will come from this study - so I look forward to hearing from you on Sunday. In the coming weeks we will hit on some controversial topics in current society, what the Bible has to say about them, and as always your thoughts!

One quick note - we are looking for a volunteer to facilitate the discussion in class on October 25, as Amy & I will be out of town that week. We have plenty of resources to assist you, preparation is not a major time commitment and the class almost leads itself when discussion gets rolling. Let me know if you are interested!

Have a great week and see you on Sunday!

Class Update 9/20

2009-10-25T13:39:00.002-07:00

Hi Genesis Class,

Thanks to all of you who helped out with our 3rd quarter service project last Sunday. We got a little bit of work done, and a fair amount of "shooting the breeze" time with each other during the times that they didn't have any tasks for us... Thanks to Blaire for coordinating the project and to Cale for driving the bus (on his birthday!).

This week, we will resume class with the third (of four) segment of the film "In God's Name", with class discussion facilitated by the Beathards.

That's all that I have this week! Cat and I will miss you all this Sunday, as she'll be running a half marathon. So please pray for good weather and a good race for Cat on Sunday.

See you all soon,

Class Update 9/13

2009-10-25T13:39:00.001-07:00

Hi Genesis Class,

This should be a short one (yeah, I've said that before...). We continued our study/discussions about religions of the world with our second installment of "In God's Name" last Sunday. It is interesting to hear the perspectives of some of the religious leaders of the world, and also to hear the backgrounds and perspectives of our own classmates! We will continue with the documentary in our next class meeting, which will be on Sep 27.

This Sunday we will be volunteering at Operation Kindness' Dog Day Afternoon. You all received an email earlier this week from Blaire with some additional details. If you plan on helping out with this service project this Sunday, but haven't already let Blaire know, please email her ( BeatharB@friscoisd.org ) so that she can let the volunteer coordinator know how many of us are showing up. More details about Operation Kindness and the Dog Day Afternoon can be found here:

http://donate.operationkindness.org/site/Calendar/465057697?view=Detail&id=100421

We had one request for prayers for a friend. Amy Welborn's hairdresser (who she's gone to since she was a teenager) had previously battled cervical cancer, but it has returned, and has spread to some other organs.

Hope to see you all on Sunday morning. Don't forget to give Blaire a "heads up" if you are going.

See you soon,

Class Update 9/6

2009-10-25T13:38:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day Weekend. We will resume class this week with our second installment of "In God's Name", which is a documentary of interviews with 12 of the world's spiritual leaders, from a variety of religions. From the first segment that we watched and discussed during our last class meeting, this looks like it will be a very interesting and informative film. We will continue watching and discussing the film over the next 3 class meetings. The Beathards mentioned that it is fairly well segmented, though, so if you have missed, or will miss a week, you should be able to pick back up when you're back in class...

Our next mini-service project is to help set tables tomorrow night for the Laugh and Rejoice event which happens on Saturday. Fred asked if we could be there at 5, but I recommended 5:30... So, if you are able to help, please meet at the Family Life Center (the gym...) tomorrow night at 5:30. They will have pizza delivered (sorry Cat...) at 6:30. They have about 30 tables that will need setting. I think that we will have no trouble getting the work done in that time frame. I have received confirmations from the following couples:

The Welborns

The Beathards

The Hammers

The Burdettes

If you are on that list, but can't make it, or if you're not on that list, but want to help out, please let me know today so that I can give Fred a count for the pizza order.

Our next service project will be volunteering at Operation Kindness' Dog Day Afternoon at Whiterock Lake on Sep 20th. Blaire has learned that we will be helping to coordinate the various "dog contests" that go on throughout the day, so it should be fun, especially for the dog lovers! I'll send out more specifics in next week's email about when and where to be. We will probably want to organize a carpool or two.

That's all that I have, for now...

Hope to see you either tomorrow night, or on Sunday!

Class Update 8/29

2009-09-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

The Welborns

The Beathards

The Hammers

The Burdettes

If you are on that list, but can't make it, or if you're not on that list, but want to help out, please let me know today so that I can give Fred a count for the pizza order.

Class Update 8/23

2009-08-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Genesis Class,

We had a good "wrap-up" lesson on The Shack last week with Marilyn Dickson teaching a lesson about the overall themes of the book. She also shared some interesting background information about the author, as well. It was good to step back and look at the whole book, after having gone through it chapter by chapter.

This week will be the the first week to study "In God's Name: Wisdom From the World's Great Spiritual Leaders". Blaire found the following link that gives some background info about the documentary that we'll be watching and discussing in class. There's a link to a trailer on this page, too, if you want a preview.

http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/Broadcast-Media/Television/In-Gods-Name.aspx

The documentary was produced by the same French brothers who produced the film "9/11", which also aired on CBS. We'll be watching and discussing the film over a span of 3 Sundays, so be sure to be there this Sunday to catch the beginning!

We will not hold class on Sep 6, due to the Labor Day weekend.

Mission Work:
Upcoming service projects:

- Fri Sep 11 - Family Life Center - set tables for the Laugh & Rejoice event which will happen on following night.

- Sun Sep 20 - Whiterock Lake - volunteer at Operation Kindness' Dog Day Afternoon event.

Social Event:
Our August social event is this Saturday night! The pool party at the Beathards starts at 5:30. See evite for additional details. Don't forget your towel (or your swimsuit...).

Class Update 8/16

2009-08-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Genesis Class,

Not a lot to report this week, so this should be short... :)

We had an impromtu "lesson planning" session in class last week. Thanks to Cale for going to the resource center and gathering a lot of potential materials for us to review. One of the studies is titled "Confronting the Controversies", which covers seven hot-button issues, including such topics as abortion, the death penalty, prayer in schools, homosexuality, etc... It has a DVD with about 15 minutes on each topic, and then a guide written by a Methodist minister that would guide the discussions. We'll likely start up this series once we've completed the study on religions of the world. There were also some other materials with lighter topics that we may want to sprinkle in, in case the "controversies" get a little heavy week after week. We'll see...

Don't forget that Marilyn Dickson will be with us in class this week to wrap up our analysis of The Shack. Let's try to have a good showing in class this week, so she doesn't show up and talk to four of us... :)

Our next social is the pool party at the Beathards house on Saturday, Aug 29. Check the evite for details.

We have had 8 volunteer so far to help set the tables for the Laugh and Rejoice event. Set up is Friday, Sep 11 in the Family Life Center. I'll ask Fred what time they want us to show up... probably 6-7ish... I'll let you know.

And of course, the Dog Day Afternoon will be on Sep 20 at Whiterock Lake.

Class Update 8/9

2009-08-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up our class discussion on The Shack this week. A big "Thanks" to Cat and the Welborns for finding and preparing discussion topics for the class. Marilyn Dickson will be leading class on Aug 23, to give her perspective on the book. In the mean time, the Welborns will be leading class this week on a mystery topic, known only to Cale. :)

Starting Aug 30, we will be watching and discussing a documentary about different religions of the world. We'll spend 3 weeks on this discussion, but due to holidays and service projects, they won't be consecutive weeks... They'll be Aug 30, Sep 13 and Sep 27.

Mission Work:
We won't have a lesson on Sep 6, since many will be absent due to the Labor Day weekend. Then, on Sep 20, we'll be volunteering at Operation Kindness' Dog Day Afternoon at Whiterock Lake.

We also have another "opportunity" to serve... Fred Trevino stopped me in the hall this week after class and asked if we'd been approached to help setup for the "Laugh and Rejoice" program that the Senior Adult Ministry is hosting on Sep 12. He asked if our class could help set up tables on the evening of Friday, Sep 11, like we did last year. I told him that I thought that we'd be able to help them out, so please let me know (an email would be fine) if you can help out that evening. There's not much to it, really. They just need people to put the place settings on a bunch of tables in the Family Life Center. It's easy work and they'll feed us pizza when it's done! We actually had fun "serving" in this way last year, and it's good PR for the Genesis class... :) So, let me know if you can help this year.

Social Event:
Our next social event will be a pool party at the Beathards on Sat, Aug 29. Does having a margarita machine at the party obligate us to a Mexican theme? Look for the evite to find directions and details. Everyone bring your own beverages, and an appetizer to share. And don't forget a bathing suit and towel.

Joys and Concerns:
Amanda M's mom had surgery on Friday as part of her treatment for breast cancer. The doctors are optimistic that things are going well and she is making progress, but please continue to pray for her recovery.

Class Update 8/2

2009-08-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

We had another great week of discussion on chapters 14 and 15 of The Shack. This Sunday, we will wrap up with discussion on the last three chapters of the book. Come be part of the discussion, even if you haven't read the book! Marilyn Dickson is scheduled to join us in class on Aug 23 to share her thoughts on the book, and discuss any questions that we have.

We still have openings that need to be filled on the Children's Sunday School sign-up sheet. If you are willing/able to teach on either Aug 23, or Aug 30, please let me know, so I can provide your info to Connie Presley. It's OK if you've already taken a week earlier in the summer. They'll let you teach more than once... :)

Social

Our next class social will be a pool party at the Beathard's house on Aug 29. You should have received an e-vite last week with the details. If you did not receive the e-vite, let me know and we'll get the info to you.

Joys and Concerns

Congrats to Stephen and Blaire, who celebrated their first anniversary on Sunday!

Please pray for Amanda M.'s mom, who has learned that she has breast cancer.

Please pray for Kristin's friend who has moved to L.A. on a moment's notice for her husband's new job.

Class Update 7/26

2009-07-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

We had another good turn out, and good discussion on chapters 12 and 13 of The Shack last Sunday. We actually barely made it through these two chapters. I think that the class discussion format is going really well, and I have enjoyed getting to hear different perspectives on the book, and on the topics that come up in the study guide! As a reminder, though, you don't have to have read the book to contribute to the discussions, so don't let that keep you away from class... :)

There is an update from last week, Marilyn Dickson will be coming by our class to discuss the book/answer questions/give minsterial perspective on Aug 23, rather than Aug 16.

We managed to get a couple more "volunteers" to teach Children's Sunday School, but there are still empty slots that need to be filled the last three weeks of August, so please help out if you can!

Upcoming Social:
Our next class social will be a pool party at the Beathard's house. The tentative date is Aug 29, with more details to come. Look for an e-vite in your inbox once details have been finalized...

Mission Project:
Our next service project will be volunteering for Operation Kindness on Sunday, Sep 20, so we'll "hold class" at Whiterock Lake with a bunch of dogs... :)

Joys and Concerns:
Sean and Lindsey Collins learned that they will be having a baby girl (right around Thanksgiving!). Congrats!

Class Update 7/19

2009-07-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Our discussion of The Shack continued this week, with Amy facilitating discussion on chapters 10 and 11. We had a great discussion with a good sized group, as these chapters brought up some good questions. We've decided to slow our pace a little, and only cover 2 chapters a week, since these later chapters have quite a few good discussion topics, and we don't want to rush through... So, this week, we'll be covering chapters 12 and 13. Also, arrangements have been made for Rev. Marilyn Dixon to teach our class on Aug 16, to give a ministerial perspective on the book. Marilyn is a fantastic teacher, so you won't want to miss that Sunday, even if you haven't read the book!
The Beathards have found a documentary about different religions of the world, which has been brought up as a topic of interest in our class, so we'll be watching it and discussing in class over a few weeks in August and September after we complete The Shack. So, mark your calendars for that.

Announcements:

Don't forget that we will not be holding class on September 20th, since we'll be down at Whiterock Lake for the "Dog Day Afternoon" for Operation Kindness.
Our next class social event will be a pool party at the Beathards house in August (date TBD). We'll send out a poll, or an email to see which date works best, and get that scheduled...

Joys and Concerns:

Congrats again to KJ for passing her exam to be a certified counselor. Now, on to the 3000 hours of internship! If you know of any openings in this field (preferrably paid internships...), please let KJ know.

Class Update 7/12

2009-07-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Announcements:
Our discussion of The Shack continued last Sunday with Cale facilitating discussion on chapters 7-9. Thanks Cale! We had a good sized group for the discussion, which always makes it more interesting to hear different perspectives. I've heard rumors that some have not been attending class because they haven't read the book. Please don't feel like you can't participate in the discussion if you haven't read it. The book study guide is usually just a starting-off point for topics of discussion, so we'd love to hear you're point of view, even if you haven't read the book.

This week, we'll be discussing chapters 10-12.

Connie Presley has sent out a follow-up request for Children's Sunday School substitute teachers for the month of August. There are still openings that need to be filled on Aug 9, 16, 23, and 31. Please send me an email if you can fill in one of those Sundays, so that I can let Connie know. She's counting on us, so please help out if you can.

Mission Project:
Our next class service project is going to be volunteering for the "Dog Day Afternoon" for Operation Kindness on September 20, which also happens to be Cale's 30th birthday! So mark your calendars.

Joys and Concerns:
Congratulations to KJ who passed her certification exam!

Condolences to the Shipman family, as Brad's grandmother passed away last week (funeral was on Monday in Houston).

Pray for Cat, who is directing the drama in this week's Music Makers performance (160 kids learning a musical in 1 week!). Be sure to come see the performance at 9:45 this Sunday.

Hope to see you all on Sunday (even if you haven't read the book!!)

Class Update 7/5

2009-07-12T11:37:00.001-07:00

Not a lot to report this week, so this will be brief... :) I hope everyone enjoyed their July 4th weekend! We will pick back up with our class discussion of The Shack this Sunday with discussions on chapters 7-9. Hope to see a lot of you back this week as we learn together and learn from each other!

Don't forget to mark your calendars for our 3rd quarter service project. We will be volunteering for the "Dog Day Afternoon" for Operation Kindness on September 20.

Class Update 6/28

2009-07-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Our study and discussions about The Shack continued last Sunday with Cat facilitating the discussions about chapters 4-6. These chapters got into the meat of the book, and led to what could be some pretty heavy conversations. We may want to pick up some of these conversations/topics in future classes for more in-depth discussion, once we've completed the book...

Don't forget, we will not be holding class this Sunday, since several will be out of town for the 4th of July holiday. Happy Birthday, America!

When we return to class on the 12th, we'll be covering chapters 7-9, so you have plenty of time to get caught up, if you're behind. :)

Mission Update: Blaire has been working with the volunteer coordinator for Operation Kindness for our 3rd quarter Missions/Community Service project (as voted on by the class last fall). Mark your calendars now for the "Dog Day Afternoon", which will be on Sunday, September 20, from 9-3. We will not likely hold class that Sunday, since it would be pretty late in the event for us to show up after class, changing clothes, eating lunch, etc... Here is a link to a story about the event last year:

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/aug/27/hawaiian-falls-garland-host-operation-kindness-14t/

Note, last year it was at Hawaiian Falls in Garland, but this year it is at Whiterock Lake.

Joys and Concerns:

Please pray for the Millers, as they traveled to Houston on Monday for the funeral of Peter's grandmother.

Congrats, again, to the Mays on the birth of Colin Miles May last Thursday

Class Update 6/21

2009-06-25T07:27:00.001-07:00

Announcements:

We had a great turn out for our first week of our class discussion on The Shack. Thank you to Amy and Cale for facilitating the discussions last week on the first three chapters of the book. This week, Cat will be leading discussion on chapters 4-6. If you haven't started reading, yet, it's pretty easy to get caught up. As we confirmed last Sunday, too, you don't necessarily have to have read the book to contribute to the discussion topics, so don't let that keep you away from class. Also, if you would like to lead the discussions in future weeks (about the book, or other topics once we've finished the book), please let me or the Welborns know.

We will not be holding class on July 5, since several have indicated that they will not be there that Sunday. If you are in town that weekend, Connie Presley has sent out a desparate plea for a few more teachers for Children's Sunday School that Sunday (during the 9:45 hour). If you are willing and able to teach that Sunday, please let me know as soon as possible so that I can pass that on to Connie.

Joys and Concerns:

Amy and her sister have been participating in a twin study, and found out that they are identical twins! :)
Condolences to the Millers on the unexpected death of Peter's grandmother. Please keep them in your prayers.
Congratulations to the Mays on the birth of Colin Miles!

Upcoming Mission Project

2009-06-18T11:07:00.001-07:00

We will be volunteering to help Operation Kindness out on September 2oth at White Rock Lake for their annual Dog Day Afternoon. Visit this site if you want to learn more about what Dog Day Afternoon is: http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/aug/27/hawaiian-falls-garland-host-operation-kindness-14t/

Should be lots of fun, so be sure to mark it on your calendar!

Class Update 6/14

2009-06-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

David continued his "Humility is #2" lecture series last Sunday with discussion about the practical implementation of humility in our lives today. We talked about some modern people or groups of people who we perceive to be humble, and some others who we do not...
This Sunday we will begin our class discussions on The Shack! Amy and Cale will be facilitating the discussions this week on chapters 1-3. It's not too late to pick up a copy of the book, if you haven't already. It's a very quick read. I noticed in the newspaper this week that The Shack is still #2 on the New York Times bestsellers list (paperback). We're also really looking forward to hearing each other's thoughts on the topics and questions from the study guide that we'll use for our class discussions. We haven't seen some of you in a while, so now would be a great time to jump back in if you've been out for a while! :)

Social Event:

Don't forget our happy hour/cookout/pool party tomorrow afternoon! It starts around 5 at our house, so come on by whenever you can. You should have already received an e-vite from Jessica with details and a link to a map. If you didn't get it, let me know and I'll get you the info. Don't forget to bring your bathing suits. We'll have the volleyball net across the pool, so come ready to play! The Wrights are providing hamburgers for the grill, so if you're coming and/or bringing guests, please indicate that on the evite so they have a good count. And bring a snack or appetizer, too. We don't want anyone to leave hungry, right? :)

Joys and Concerns:

The Nelsons officially joined the church Sunday morning! Pierce and Ben were also baptized on Sunday. Congratulations to all of you. It's exciting to see members of our class down front in worship! :)
Heath and Courtney May are due this week. Today, actually! Let us know when the new May comes into the world. We'll be praying for you guys, and look forward to seeing you again, soon.

June 7th Class Update

2009-06-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

We were back in class this Sunday after a couple of weeks off. David continued his lesson series on "Humility is #2" citing examples from the Old Testament (Daniel) and slightly more modern times (Socrates).

Announcements:

A reminder about upcoming class lessons: We will be beginning our class discussions on The Shack in less than two weeks (June 21), with our first week's discussion focusing on Chapters 1-3. Amy has mentioned that they found the book at Costco for less than $10, if you don't already have your copy. We will be using questions from a study guide for the book to facilitate our class discussions, but you don't necessarily have to read the book to participate in the discussion... We just want to see your smiling faces, and hear what you have to say. :) We are really looking forward to learning from each other, and getting to know each other better at the same time!
Thanks to all who have signed up to teach children's Sunday School! Cat and I taught the 4th grade class last week, and it was fairly painless. :) They mail you a lesson/script in advance, so it is really pretty easy. We still have some slots open in Aug, and on the 5th of July, if anyone wants to jump in.

Upcoming Social Event:

We are planning on having our next class social on Friday, June 19. We will have a happy hour/cookout/pool party at our house. Very casual, come-and-go, type event... More details to come... but mark your calendars now!

Joys and Concerns:

Congrats to KJ, who has completed her Master Degree!

Feel free to leave a comment below if you have anything to share with the class.