 HAPPY NEW YEAR! The new year is the perfect opportunity to start fresh and develop a daily practice of praising God, seeking His guidance, and renewing our trust in Him every morning. As we look ahead to 2025, let this new beginning inspire us to deepen our faith, grow spiritually, and walk confidently with the Lord each day! Thank You for Stocking the Shelves at Mustard Seed Pantry!THE CHOICE TO BE GLAD by Cathe Laurie “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4) Maybe it was the heavy fog that settled in overnight. Maybe it was the supermoon’s effect on my sleep. Maybe it was that only a few people showed up for my small group. Or maybe it was the never-ending barrage of political forecasts and subsequent conversations that made our future as a country seem as gloomy as the weather. Whatever it was … something made me feel weary and sad. Breaking Down Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4) This verse is a real all-timer, one that gets quoted in a multitude of situations. I’ve highlighted and underlined it in my Bible. I’ve read it a thousand times, memorized it long ago, and even quoted it more times than I can count. But I really needed to hear it again. You see, it wasn’t only that the Philippians were having a bad day; that would be one thing. But the situation Paul was facing when he wrote this was full of mess. It would be hard for one of us to even pinpoint a positive part of his life at that point. As he writes to the church in Philippi, he’s sitting in chains in a Roman prison, condemned to death, and nothing he can say will change that. Even the generous donation the Philippians sent him won’t mitigate his sentence. But Paul says again: Rejoice. The cheap version of this is to pretend it’s all fine: I’ve got Jesus, so nothing hurts. But Paul is living out almost the opposite: Everything hurts, but I’ve got Jesus. Paul provides a list of some excellent things to rejoice in: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of commendable … think about these things” (Phil. 4:8) The verb at the end of the verse changes throughout the translations, but the original Greek word logizesthai means to think continually, to contemplate, and to implant them in your heart. One of my favorite translations of the word is “dwell.” Paul is telling the Philippians to count their blessings and live in that space of gratitude and praise. To dwell in the promises of the Lord and His great love for us. The Choice We Make Friends, our minds will find something to focus on. Either we can be consumed by the evil, the anxiety, the mess of it all, or we can rejoice in what is positive and what God has promised to us. So, on those days when we feel the aches and hurts deeply, we must focus our hearts on things and see how beautiful they’re supposed to be. How beautiful they will be, one day. God knows evil is real enough—so real you can stew in it if you choose, fondling your hurts and wallowing in misery. That void will suck you in deep if you let it. OR you can take hold of your mind, turning it instead to the goodness of God. Will you dwell on the darkness you see, or will you choose to think continually on good and establish your heart firmly in the Lord?  Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Thanksgiving baskets! November 22 Blessing Thank you for all your service. Our country is a better place because of you. As many of us enjoy a day off on November 11, let us remember the reason. We will never forget your bravery, honor, and courage!  Harvest Festival was wet but still fun! We thank God for the rain. HELP BLESS OUR NEIGHBORS THIS THANKSGIVING!MUSTARD SEED THANKSGIVING FOOD BASKETS · Canned Sweet Potatoes · Stovetop Stuffing · Gravy Mix Packet · Canned Corn · Canned Green Beans · Canned Cranberry Sauce You may drop off items on Sunday mornings at KFUMC in the narthex.  Come one and all! Invite your family, friends and neighbors to join us at this free community wide event! Enjoy the live music of Tim Porter and Gary Hatch! Take part in hay rides for all ages, a petting zoo, bounce houses, face painting and games for all the kiddos! If you would like more information or if you would like to volunteer, contact Beth Palmer at [email protected] or (830) 459-5847.  HELP BLESS OUR NEIGHBORS THIS THANKSGIVING! MUSTARD SEED THANKSGIVING FOOD BASKETS · Canned Sweet Potatoes · Stovetop Stuffing · Gravy Mix Packet · Canned Corn · Canned Green Beans · Canned Cranberry Sauce You may drop off items on Sunday mornings at KFUMC in the narthex. Emmaus November  As the humanitarian relief and development arm of The United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Committee on Relief – UMCOR –assists United Methodists and churches to become involved globally in direct ministry to persons in need. UMCOR comes alongside those who suffer from natural or human-caused disasters – famine, hurricane, war, flood, fire or other events—to alleviate suffering and serve as a source of help and hope for the vulnerable. UMCOR provides relief, response and long-term recovery grants when events overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on their own. UMCOR also provides technical support and training for partners to address emerging and ongoing issues related to disaster relief, recovery, and long-term health and development.  Are you interested in learning more about how our local church can help in a disaster? Contact Beth Palmer [email protected] (830)459-5847     Times are A-Changin’ When it Comes to Discipleship! With no experience, you can jump in with both feet and be a disciple! Call them small groups, life groups, or Covenant Discipleship Groups. It does not matter. We are just people who “disciple” together. What does it look like to “disciple” together at KFUMC? Maybe you are interested in our various food ministries. Maybe you enjoy making hospital visits. Maybe you are interested in delivering flowers to homebound members. Maybe you would like to offer communion to those in nursing facilities. Maybe you love to sing, but cannot, so you are thinking about joining Haley Montoya’s Sing-a-Long group. Maybe you are good at home repairs. Maybe you love to read to others. Maybe you are a genius when it comes to second-grade math and can offer your skills as a tutor. Maybe you like to fold and sort clothes at Mustard Seed. On September 4th, KFUMC has a new group starting. This will be our 7th group in three short years! We are making a difference in our community, one group at a time!!! If you are interested in meeting some new people, forming new friendships, and “discipling” together, please come to our first meeting to learn more. I will be in room 203, on the second floor of the education building. You do not have to commit yet. Just come and check it out. See you on Sept. 4 at 5:30 PM! Blessings, Rev. Monica O’Donnell  Mega Food PantryWe are so thankful for the San Antonio Food Bank and Amazing Unpaid Servants! Mustard SeedWe love our neighbors!  This week I am having the privilege of sharing with Camp Wesley Campers about all of the wonderful ways that Mustard Seed Ministries serves our community! They are learning about the history of Mustard Seed and about all of YOU! Without your support, Mustard Seed wouldn’t have the impact in our community that it does. Thank you for your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness! Small things, great love! If you would like to know how you can get involved in our food relief efforts, please reach out to Beth Palmer beth.palmer@kfumc or Tina Box [email protected] and we can get you plugged in! We currently need more people to add to our home delivery team. Let us know if we can give you more information. Thank you!     Joy filled the Mega Pantry this week because of all of the amazing unpaid servants, the wonderful food that was delivered by the San Antonio Food Bank, and our awesome neighbors that we had the privilege to share with! And thanks to the the super Girl Scout Troop #672 helping at Mega! Get ready for our BACK TO SCHOOL free event coming this August!  Nurse Theresa and Community worker, Emily, shared information about our Back to School Bash at the Glory Community Garden’s “Burgers in the Garden” event!       Everywhere you look, there is anger and hate being exhibited. In our community, as it is election time. In our state, as we hear about the border crossings. In our country, as protests are being held on college campuses. And throughout our world, fighting in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine quickly come to mind. And these are just a few examples. But Jesus said in John 13:35 that people will know that we are his disciples by our love for one another. So, as Christians we are to act differently than the world. To start, we are to be kind. Here is something I just read on Christian author and pastor Greg Laurie’s blog about being kind… Every now and then, cell phone videos showing someone on a rant pop up on social media or the news. The people in those videos are really upset about something, and they’re screaming and yelling. Don’t be like those people. Ever. You are a child of God, so be known for your generosity. Be known for your love and compassion, not for your anger. The Bible tells us, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29 NLT). If you disagree with someone, that’s fine. But don’t be obnoxious; be nice. I’ve found that the greatest joys in life come from a relationship with God and from relationships with others. Also, some of the simplest joys in life are before us every day. Savor the sunset. Enjoy the meal. Linger with your family and friends. Have fun. All too often, we’re thinking about what’s coming next: “When this comes, I will be so happy. When that happens, it will be so great.” But what about the present moment? Don’t be in such a rush to get to the next thing. I sometimes find myself in a group where everyone is on their cell phone. In such situations, I send everyone a text that says something like this: “Be here now. Let’s put these phones away. Let’s have a conversation with each other.” When you sit down for a meal, don’t take your cell phone to the table. If you’re wearing a watch that sends you alerts, take it off. Have a conversation with the people around you. As followers of Jesus Christ, let’s be known as encouragers, not discouragers. Let’s be known as people who build others up, not as people who tear others down.  MEGA Food Pantry will be early this month due to Memorial Day at the end of May and due to the temperature increase that happens in Texas during the summer, the hours are earlier. Mega will be May 13 from 8-10am.  Mobile Mustard Seed will be May 14 from 9-10am. MAY – SEPTEMBER 2024: FOOD RELIEF DATES - Light on the Hill May 6: Mustard Seed 9-10am May 13: Mega 8-10am May 20: Mustard Seed 9-10am May 27: Closed June 3: Mustard Seed 9-10am June 10: Mustard Seed 9-10am June 17: Mustard Seed 9-10am June 24: Mega 8-10am July 1: Closed July 8: Mustard Seed 9-10am July 15: Mustard Seed 9-10am July 22: Mustard Seed 9-10am July 29: Mega 8-10am August 5: Closed August 12: Mustard Seed 9-10am August 19: Mustard Seed 9-10am August 26: Mega 8-10am September 2: Closed September 9: Mustard Seed 9-10am September 16: Mustard Seed 9-10am September 23: Mustard Seed 9-10am September 30: Mega 8-10am  
Join us at Light on the Hill on Sunday, March 24 from 3 – 5pm for the PALM SUNDAY CELEBRATION! Easter egg hunt, live music, bunny petting area, bounce houses, face painting, crafts area, popcorn and ice cream! All FREE! Bring your family, neighbors and friends! 
Always grateful for our many unpaid servants helping at Mustard Seed Food Pantry!  Join Us, We love our Volunteers!  Calling all Kerrville VolunteersAre You a Volunteer in Kerrville? If so, we'd like to invite you to join in a group photo shoot of Kerrville volunteers THIS Saturday, March 23rd at 2pm at the Museum of Western Art on Bandera Highway. Whether you volunteer on a regular basis or just on a project, we want you to be a part of this celebration that leads up to April's National Volunteer Month. The Mayor will be welcoming the group prior to the photo and there will be light refreshments and complimentary museum tour afterwards. We welcome all ages of volunteers - adults as well as youngsters. In addition, throughout the year we'll be spotlighting those who volunteer for our fabulous non-profits, either in health, education, social services, animal welfare, military or other worthy organizations. We've always felt that Kerrville is the most giving community in the Hill Country. Your participation will help us prove it!  |
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Light on the Hill at Mount Wesley is a Texas nonprofit corporation recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal Tax ID: 83-3263624).
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