First United Methodist Church

404 Azalea St.

Lake Jackson, TX 77566

979-297-3046      FIRSTCHURCH@LJFUMC.ORG

First United Methodist Church of Lake Jackson is a place where you can truly belong! Whether you are just beginning to explore the faith or have been a Christian for a very long time; whether you have stayed on the fringes of church life in the past or are already involved in ministry; FUMC is a church family that values you. As a community we care for one another, knowing that through our ministry we experience Christ's presence among us.


We hope this website provides you with a better understanding of our ministries and inspires you to share your God-given talents to fulfill the mission of Christ in our church, community and world.

This year’s stewardship theme is, “What Does GOD Need from ME for FUMC in 2023?” As you can tell this is a question along with a challenge. 2022 was hard with all the changes and it doesn’t help that they came on the heels of the COVID pandemic. I firmly believe God is still good and continues to guide us through the changes. In challenging times we are faced with hard questions; none harder than, will we stay the course and keep the faith or give in and give up? I have been encouraged during my time with you all so far and greatly appreciate how so many have stepped up and kept going through all the challenges. 


Our verse for stewardship this year is: “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). In this verse, we are called to follow God by walking in God’s love, and in the example of Jesus, who offered himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. The challenge then is to let God’s love flow through you in everything you do. As UM people of faith, we do this through our membership vows, through our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.


We vow to pray for the church, for First Church for sure, but also for the entire UMC. Our vows start with prayer because it is in prayer that we not only speak to God but we hear from the Lord, as well. The next vow is that of presence. We vow to be present in the life of First Church, to attend worship, Sunday School, potlucks, and other events. The call of presence is that, if we aren’t sick or out of town, we do our best to be present. 


Gifts is the third vow. Gifts is two-fold; it is talking about how God has gifted us spiritual and financially. We each are gifted spiritually, the gifts of the spirit come from Romans 12:6-8 and include: prophecy, service, teaching, giving, leading, encouragement, and compassion. Being generous with these gifts in the life of First Church is the first part of the vow about gifts. The second part is about our financial gifts. As with spiritual gifting, we are also each gifted by God with the money that we have. So, too, we are asked to be generous with our financial gifts. This vow is tied with the fourth vow of service. I say this because it is through our spiritual gifts that we serve. The ways to serve are many at First Church, volunteering with a ministry or committee is a great way to serve the Lord. 


Witness is the last, but not least, of the vows. Witness is all about others seeing God at work within us. People in our life have a chance to see Jesus through our actions and words. They see this through the other four vows, as well. They see us as we pray, as we go to church, as we are generous in our spiritual and financial gifts, and as we serve. As we live out our vows, others see God in us and, by seeing God in us, God can spark in them an interest in coming to faith or renewing their faith in Christ. 


Our challenge this year is to lean into our membership vows. Yes, I know this is about stewardship, about making a commitment to give money towards the church’s budget; however, it is also about committing to live out each of the vows. Not just being generous with our financial gifts but with our spiritual gifts, our prayers, our presence, our service, and our witness. Please fill out the enclosed Estimate of Giving card and return it to the church. If you prefer, you can scan the QR code with your camera app and complete your card online. There are also links to the online card in the weekly emails, our web site (ljfumc.org) and on our Facebook page. I look forward to facing the challenges of 2023 with you as we pray, worship, give, serve, and witness together. May God continue to bless you and yours throughout this year. 


Please click here and you will be directed to the location to where you can submit your pledge information for this year!


Thank you for your support!


Pastor Wade

 

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