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Filming St. John
Also
see article in "Witness"
"Filming St. John," a 54 minute "movie" featuring a year's
events at St. John, is finished and will be distributed to each member
family during May. Several copies will be in the church library, to be
shared with visitors or those thinking about membership.
"Filming St. John" begins with
clips of the 2002 onion sales packing, the spring fund raiser, which helps
assure that all apportionments are paid by September. Texas Sweet
Onions, grown and donated by a member farmer, are shipped all over the US
each spring. This year, onions will come from two farmer-members.
United Methodist Men and United
Methodist Women, over the years, have developed into ecumenical groups.
UMM meets each Wednesday morning at the Taco Hut, with devotionals shared in
rotation. UMW meets monthly, and is also an ecumenical group.
"Open House" in the fall is part of
the three month "festival" with an ice cream party, lots of special music
from "opera to mariachi" and "chamber music to the Big Band sound."
Special invitations go out to all new Teach for America teachers in the RGC
and Roma school districts, and publicity reaches all the neighborhoods in
town.
Closing out the Open House programs
is the Annual Beef Barbeque, another fundraiser that involves every member
of the congregation and serves about 1000 plates to friends and neighbors in
a half-dozen towns in tow counties. Last year, our Big Band played in
the courtyard (Susan's Garden) during serving time.
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"Filming St. John" catches the fun and inspiration
of the Christmas program, as well as the NOMADS rehabbing groups who upgrade
homes of elderly and disabled in Starr County. NOMADS live in their RVs parked at the church's RV
pads, usually for six weeks each January and February. They become
fully a part of the church family, and many return year after year.
During Lent, 2007, Bishop Joel Martinez preached
both at the morning worship service and, after a Lenten Meal shared with
FUMC, Rio Grande Conference, he preached a Service of Prayer and Penitence
for both congregations. Both District Superintendents, Rev. Larry
Howard and Rev. Jose Torrez, and both pastors, Rev. Pasha Buck and Rev. Juan
Salas, helped with the afternoon service.
Lent slides into Easter Week, with Maundy
Thursday prayer service, an ecumenical Good Friday service held at the High
School, and finally the Sunrise Service on Easter morning, with St. John and
FUMC alternating worship sites.
"Filming St. John" closes with the 2007 onion
harvest and "memory clips" from last year's onion packing.
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