January 2022 – By A Road Unknown

January 30, 2022January 30, 2022

Worship — Sunday, January 30, 2022

I was wrong yesterday. The 8:15 service was livestreamed, the 10:30 service will not be. Thanks to Braden Adams for taking care of all of this while I’m under quarantine.

If you want to follow along with bulletin you can follow this link or the link in the menu above.

If you’re having trouble streaming our worship videos, you may want to simply download the entire video to your device and then play it. You can do that by clicking on the link in the Vimeo logo above and then selecting download.

You can make a contribution online via tithe.ly. Other options can be found here.

Previous worship services can be found at abilenefirstumc.org/onlineworship/.

January 29, 2022January 29, 2022

Both Services Tomorrow

To clarify an earlier post: both services will be held in-person. Rev. Pat Ault-Duell will be preaching at both. But only the second service will be livestreamed.

January 29, 2022January 29, 2022

Voices: Understanding Science

“Understanding science doesn’t make God smaller. It allows us to see his creative activity in more detail.” — attributed to Russell Cowburn

I saw this quote on facebook, I haven’t been able to track it down officially, but I did find that Russell Cowburn is Professor of Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, the University of Cambridge. [1]

Whether or not he said it—it is profoundly true.

[1] Sources: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/directory/cowburnr and
royalsociety.org/people/russell-cowburn-11273/

January 29, 2022January 29, 2022

Blinded by the Light

I’m still in Covid-19 quarantine so Rev. Pat Ault-Duell will be filling in tomorrow. Her text is Luke 4:16-30 and her sermon title is “Blinded by the Light.” We’ll have both the Choir and the Bell Choir at the 10:30 service. Our own Wendy Robinson will be coordinating the service. I look forward to being back for communion on February 6, 2022.

Because of my absence, the plan is to only livestream the 10:30 service.

Link to the 10:30 p.m. service: https://vimeo.com/event/1266906

A .pdf bulletin to print out and a google doc bulletin to be read on your phone can both be found here: https://abilenefirstumc.org/bulletin/.

January 27, 2022January 27, 2022

Covid-19 Update

I started showing symptoms of what I thought was a cold last Saturday (January 22, 2022). Turns out it was Covid-19. The CDC’s guidelines now only require 5 days quarantine and then 5 days wearing a mask. But my doctor at the Heartland Health Care Clinic is still recommending a full 10 day quarantine. After consulting with the Chair of the SPRC committee we’ve decided to do that. Rev. Pat Ault-Duell, a retired pastor and former District Superintendent, will be filling the pulpit for me.

January 26, 2022

I Tested Positive for COVID-19

Since Saturday (January 22, 2022) I’ve had what I thought was a cold. I assumed that because Jenny got it first and she tested negative for Covid-19 at work. (There were no tests available at the pharmacy, so I couldn’t get myself tested.) Today Jenny was again tested at work and it came back positive. The pharmacy now has tests, I bought one and it came back positive. I’ve been masking and social distancing, but I have been around a lot of you. The CDC guidelines seem to say that if you’re up on your vaccinations you only need to monitor your health for 10 days. Here are the full guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html

As for me, I don’t really feel sick at all at present. I’m on nothing but the regular medications that I’ve been on for years. I have a call into my doctor. I’ll isolate as long as I need to. If I’m still in isolation on Sunday, we’ll figure something out. As always, prayers are appreciated.

January 26, 2022January 26, 2022

Bible Study: The Holy Spirit

This evening at 5:15, we’ll have a Bible study on the Holy Spirit. You can join us in-person in room 200 or online by going to https://bit.ly/3hyMOhO. You don’t need to read anything ahead of time to participate. (Most people don’t.) We’ll begin with a five-six minute video introduction and then continue the discussion from there. If you want to study the materials ahead of time you can go to https://bit.ly/3r0OEQ0.

If you’re debating whether or not to join us, please consider this testimony from Gregg Root:

“I would like to encourage anyone interested in attending our Bible Study to do so to gain a deeper understanding of the Bible and share in this experience with our group. I’ve been attending this Bible Study via Zoom and have found it to be both engaging and enlightening.”

January 23, 2022January 23, 2022

Worship — Sunday, January 23, 2022

If you want to follow along with bulletin you can follow this link or the link in the menu above.

You can make a contribution online via tithe.ly. Other options can be found here.

Previous worship services can be found at abilenefirstumc.org/onlineworship/.

January 22, 2022

Sunday Morning Worship

Happy Saturday! Tomorrow (January 23, 2022) will feature special music by Jack Hunter, an anthem by the choir, and a sermon in which Jesus may tick you off, but I’m going to try my best not to.

The plan is to livestream both services.

Link to the 8:15 a.m. service: https://vimeo.com/event/1266906

Link to the 10:30 p.m. service: https://vimeo.com/event/1266906

A .pdf bulletin to print out and a google doc bulletin to be read on your phone can both be found here: https://abilenefirstumc.org/bulletin/

January 19, 2022

Bible Study: Gospel

This evening at 5:15, we’ll have a Bible study on the “Gospel.” Christians use this word all the time. If you’ve ever wondered exactly what Jesus meant (and even if you haven’t) this promises to be an informative session. You can join us in-person in room 200 or online by going to https://bit.ly/3hyMOhO. You don’t need to read anything ahead of time to participate. (Most people don’t.) We’ll begin with a five-six minute video introduction and then continue the discussion from there. If you want to study the materials ahead of time you can go to https://bit.ly/3qERmdV.

If you’re debating whether or not to join us, please consider this testimony from Gregg Root:

“I would like to encourage anyone interested in attending our Bible Study to do so to gain a deeper understanding of the Bible and share in this experience with our group. I’ve been attending this Bible Study via Zoom and have found it to be both engaging and enlightening.”

January 17, 2022