Download July 2014 Newsletter - First UMC Brazoria!

Every Sunday
9:30AM, Adult Bible Study
9:30AM, Youth Group Sunday School
10:30 AM, Worship Celebration with Children’s Church
At Home:
Debbie Rasco
Dorothy Kees
Assisted Living/Nursing Facility:
Sophie Anderson ........................................ Fredericksburg Nursing Home
Ann DeSteiguer .................................................The Legacy in Bay City, TX
Dan Hutson ............................. Mount Joseph Senior Village, Concordia, KS
Claude McClendon ....................................... Sweeny House in Sweeny, TX
Kittie Stanger ................................... Country Village Care in Angleton, TX
Tom Ward .................................... TEJEDA Veteran’s Home, Floresville, TX
Sunday 6:00PM, Youth Group Meeting
Nursery Available
Sermons Available on DVD upon request
https://www.facebook.com/FUMCBrazoria/app_599788450050788
“2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Colossians 4: 2
If you would like to send a card or letter to any of our homebound members please call the office
(979/798-2220) or email ([email protected]) for their addresses.
https://www.youtube.com/user/FUMCBrazoria
and family characteristics, even through many generations. Thus, for example, it can account for two
people born on the same date but with very different personalities, or why several family members
born on different dates still share common traits and appearances.
Can Christians believe in astrology? The Bible provides the ultimate answer - "no."
Several proscriptions against astrology clearly demonstrate its ineffectiveness against the word of the Lord.
In Daniel 2, 5, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers are all ranked together as being unable to
interpret King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The prophet in Isaiah 47:13 proclaims, "Let your astrologers come
forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month… they cannot predict the disasters to come,
they cannot save themselves." And although Matthew in 2:1-12 describes the wise men as finding Bethlehem and the
birth of the Christ child through following a star, he also says that they were warned against returning
to King Herod not through their knowledge of the stars, but rather by a dream sent by God.
What, then, should guide our lives and determine our future? There is a hymn which answers this
question best:
"Praise to you, O Christ, our Savior,
You are the Word who calls us out of darkness,
You are the Word who leads us into light,
You are the One who speaks to us today,
You are the One who leads us to our future,'
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ!"
A longer version of this article was presented at Trinity Theological College as part of its 55th Thanksgiving Celebrations from Oct 3-6, 2003.
Dr. Laurel Means is a Lay Member to the Annual Conference, Discovery United Methodist Church, in Chaska/Chanhassen, Minnesota. She visited Singapore
recently with her husband, Dr Gordon Means. He is the son of the late Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Paul B. Means, pioneer Methodist Missionaries in Sumatra and Singapore
,
:
.
.
6th
May 320 am
@ 8:
It is time once again for our annual school supply drive. We will be taking
donations from July 20th – August 17th. You may drop your donations off in the
Church foyer on Sundays or bring them by the church office Monday thru
Wednesday, between 7:30am – 4:30pm.
.
The United Methodist Men monthly Prayer Breakfast is
on Saturday, July 19th at 7:30am. All men are welcome to
join in the food, fellowship, and prayer. We encourage you
to bring a friend.
.
The Youth and Children’s end of year
party was rescheduled for July
13th following the worship
service. Hot dogs and popcorn
will be served. We are also providing a
The Tuesday Morning Prayer Group mailed out fifty-two greeting cards in May. Each member
personally signed each card and prayed for each person on the prayer list. This ministry
continues to bless and comfort those who are celebrating a mile stone, grieving the loss of a
loved one, suffering from and illness, or working through a difficult time. The Group meets
every Tuesday morning at 10am in the Choir Room. All are welcome. Our prayers are not
bound by denomination.
Those wishing to add a person to the prayer list may fill out a request card during Sunday worship,
or email Julisa by 8:30am at [email protected]. Include the recipients mailing address if you would like
a card mailed.
“A day hemmed in
prayer, is less likely to
unravel!"
~ Author Unknown
The regular monthly
Prayer Shawl meeting
scheduled for Ju ly 4 th i s po s tp o ned in
preparation for the knitting/crochet class.
For more information, please call Linda Kay
Nall 798-5185, Linda Carol Anderson 7989608.
Carolyn Shaw is hosting
July’s Game Night on
Saturday the 21st at
6pm. Come enjoy an
evening of fellowship, food, and games.
You are welcome to invite a friend.
This year First United Methodist Church of
Brazoria
is
combining
vacation
bible
s c h o o l w i t h t h e F i r s t Presbyterian church of
Brazoria. Join us at the Presbyterian campus July
7th through J u l y 1 1 t h f r o m 8 : 4 5 a m t o
1 2 : 0 0 p m . Students ages pre-K through 12th grade
are welcome to attend. You can register your child or yourself as
a volunteer on line by at http://2014.cokesburyvbs.com/brazoria,
or on our VBS Facebook page at https://a.pgtb.me/mPxXQQ . We
look forward to seeing you there.
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit Number
25
First United Methodist Church
409 Lazy Lane
Post Office Box 9
Brazoria, Texas 77422-0009
979.798.2220 Office  832.248.6884 Pastor’s Cell 979.798.2226 Fax
Website: www.BrazoriaFUMC.org
Reverend Ricky Georgetown, Senior Pastor
[email protected]
Julisa DuBois, Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
FUMC Brazoria
409 Lazy Lane
P.O. Box 9
Brazoria, TX 77422
++++++++++++++++++++++++
TIME DATE MATERIAL
Free
Sponsored by:
FUMC Brazoria
A Welcoming Congregation
Remaining Faithful by our prayers + Presence + Gifts + Service + Witness
Serving, Loving, Growing…
Can Christians believe in astrology?
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
5 Weeks
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF BRAZORIA, TEXAS
Open to All Youth
For Information Call
Linda Nall 979/798-5185
RSVP appreciated - 979-798-2220
Since 1836
By LAUREL MEANS
ARE you a dragon? A horse? A Gemini? A Librian? Astrology uses these signs to describe you by judging
the positions and qualities of the stars and planets according to their influence on events or human
personality - in fact, upon all areas of life, including the future.
Astrology sees our world as a miniature mirror of the world up above - a microcosm of the macrocosm. It
works on the premise that, if you can understand what the stars and planets mean, you are better prepared
to deal with life. As human beings, we often feel the need for such reassurance. Astrology is based on various
predictors. In Western systems, it depends upon 12 star constellations called the zodiac (Aries, Taurus,
Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces) and their interaction
with the seven planets - traditionally seen as revolving around the earth.
In Chinese Ming Shu, the 12 animal signs and their pairing as yang/yin were originally configured from
the 12-year cycle of the planet Jupiter. Time is the central factor in making predictions from these, usually
starting with the moment, hour, and date of birth within one of the signs. Whatever an individual's
horoscope calculates on this basis then determines not only personality but also such things as career,
family, wealth, or sickness.
For Christians, there is something wrong here. Where is God in all this? Surely, the love and protection,
which comes from the Father, the reassurance that He is eternally present in our lives, is the far greater power. Isn't
this enough to doubt what astrology proposes to offer? Unfortunately, for many it is not enough. What better
arguments for Christians, then, against believing in astrology than a theological one or the Bible itself? And
Christians even have science on their side.
First of all, astrology is based on determinism. Its predictors claim to shape life and personality in
binding constraints. Could someone born under the sign of Gemini, or the year of the Rat, for example,
become other than a teacher? Yet, theologically speaking, our Lord granted us free will, freedom of choice.
That is one of the bases for our belief, even though the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, knows what
that choice will be. And through prayer the Lord has granted us the power to change - to heal, to receive
wisdom towards making the right choices, to lead others to become disciples of Christ - even to perform
miracles.
Moreover, astrology is a human, not a divinely inspired system. To look at its methods more closely
uncovers many errors, prejudices, superficialities - problems Thomas Aquinas pointed out in his Summa Theologica
eight centuries ago, when the first heated debate over Christianity and astrology began.
We are often so human that we are willing to compromise. Scientifically speaking, the notion of a geo-centric
universe is false. Planets do not revolve around the earth, the system upon which astrology depends for its
predictions.
An Italian astronomer named Copernicus in 1480 theorized that our world was actually helio-centric - that
the earth and the other planets revolve around the sun, a fact proved by Galileo with his invention of the
telescope in 1550.
Consider, too, the notion of celestial influence on human personality. That notion has clearly been
superseded by the discovery of DNA. Cell biology is capable of tracking as well as predicting individual
Every Sunday
9:30AM, Adult Bible Study
9:30AM, Youth Group Sunday School
10:30 AM, Worship Celebration with Children’s Church
At Home:
Debbie Rasco
Dorothy Kees
Assisted Living/Nursing Facility:
Sophie Anderson ........................................ Fredericksburg Nursing Home
Ann DeSteiguer .................................................The Legacy in Bay City, TX
Dan Hutson ............................. Mount Joseph Senior Village, Concordia, KS
Claude McClendon ....................................... Sweeny House in Sweeny, TX
Kittie Stanger ................................... Country Village Care in Angleton, TX
Tom Ward .................................... TEJEDA Veteran’s Home, Floresville, TX
Sunday 6:00PM, Youth Group Meeting
Nursery Available
Sermons Available on DVD upon request
https://www.facebook.com/FUMCBrazoria/app_599788450050788
“2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Colossians 4: 2
If you would like to send a card or letter to any of our homebound members please call the office
(979/798-2220) or email ([email protected]) for their addresses.
https://www.youtube.com/user/FUMCBrazoria
and family characteristics, even through many generations. Thus, for example, it can account for two
people born on the same date but with very different personalities, or why several family members
born on different dates still share common traits and appearances.
Can Christians believe in astrology? The Bible provides the ultimate answer - "no."
Several proscriptions against astrology clearly demonstrate its ineffectiveness against the word of the Lord.
In Daniel 2, 5, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers are all ranked together as being unable to
interpret King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The prophet in Isaiah 47:13 proclaims, "Let your astrologers come
forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month… they cannot predict the disasters to come,
they cannot save themselves." And although Matthew in 2:1-12 describes the wise men as finding Bethlehem and the
birth of the Christ child through following a star, he also says that they were warned against returning
to King Herod not through their knowledge of the stars, but rather by a dream sent by God.
What, then, should guide our lives and determine our future? There is a hymn which answers this
question best:
"Praise to you, O Christ, our Savior,
You are the Word who calls us out of darkness,
You are the Word who leads us into light,
You are the One who speaks to us today,
You are the One who leads us to our future,'
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ!"
A longer version of this article was presented at Trinity Theological College as part of its 55th Thanksgiving Celebrations from Oct 3-6, 2003.
Dr. Laurel Means is a Lay Member to the Annual Conference, Discovery United Methodist Church, in Chaska/Chanhassen, Minnesota. She visited Singapore
recently with her husband, Dr Gordon Means. He is the son of the late Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Paul B. Means, pioneer Methodist Missionaries in Sumatra and Singapore
,
:
.
.
6th
May 320 am
@ 8:
It is time once again for our annual school supply drive. We will be taking
donations from July 20th – August 17th. You may drop your donations off in the
Church foyer on Sundays or bring them by the church office Monday thru
Wednesday, between 7:30am – 4:30pm.
.
The United Methodist Men monthly Prayer Breakfast is
on Saturday, July 19th at 7:30am. All men are welcome to
join in the food, fellowship, and prayer. We encourage you
to bring a friend.
.
The Youth and Children’s end of year
party was rescheduled for July
13th following the worship
service. Hot dogs and popcorn
will be served. We are also providing a
The Tuesday Morning Prayer Group mailed out fifty-two greeting cards in May. Each member
personally signed each card and prayed for each person on the prayer list. This ministry
continues to bless and comfort those who are celebrating a mile stone, grieving the loss of a
loved one, suffering from and illness, or working through a difficult time. The Group meets
every Tuesday morning at 10am in the Choir Room. All are welcome. Our prayers are not
bound by denomination.
Those wishing to add a person to the prayer list may fill out a request card during Sunday worship,
or email Julisa by 8:30am at [email protected]. Include the recipients mailing address if you would like
a card mailed.
“A day hemmed in
prayer, is less likely to
unravel!"
~ Author Unknown
The regular monthly
Prayer Shawl meeting
scheduled for Ju ly 4 th i s po s tp o ned in
preparation for the knitting/crochet class.
For more information, please call Linda Kay
Nall 798-5185, Linda Carol Anderson 7989608.
Carolyn Shaw is hosting
July’s Game Night on
Saturday the 21st at
6pm. Come enjoy an
evening of fellowship, food, and games.
You are welcome to invite a friend.
This year First United Methodist Church of
Brazoria
is
combining
vacation
bible
s c h o o l w i t h t h e F i r s t Presbyterian church of
Brazoria. Join us at the Presbyterian campus July
7th through J u l y 1 1 t h f r o m 8 : 4 5 a m t o
1 2 : 0 0 p m . Students ages pre-K through 12th grade
are welcome to attend. You can register your child or yourself as
a volunteer on line by at http://2014.cokesburyvbs.com/brazoria,
or on our VBS Facebook page at https://a.pgtb.me/mPxXQQ . We
look forward to seeing you there.
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit Number
25
First United Methodist Church
409 Lazy Lane
Post Office Box 9
Brazoria, Texas 77422-0009
979.798.2220 Office  832.248.6884 Pastor’s Cell 979.798.2226 Fax
Website: www.BrazoriaFUMC.org
Reverend Ricky Georgetown, Senior Pastor
[email protected]
Julisa DuBois, Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
Michael & Susan Wier
P.O. Box 324
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
++++++++++++++++++++++++
TIME DATE MATERIAL
Free
Sponsored by:
FUMC Brazoria
A Welcoming Congregation
Remaining Faithful by our prayers + Presence + Gifts + Service + Witness
Serving, Loving, Growing…
Can Christians believe in astrology?
Brazoria, TX 77422
5 Weeks
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF BRAZORIA, TEXAS
Open to All Youth
For Information Call
Linda Nall 979/798-5185
RSVP appreciated - 979-798-2220
Since 1836
By LAUREL MEANS
ARE you a dragon? A horse? A Gemini? A Librian? Astrology uses these signs to describe you by judging
the positions and qualities of the stars and planets according to their influence on events or human
personality - in fact, upon all areas of life, including the future.
Astrology sees our world as a miniature mirror of the world up above - a microcosm of the macrocosm. It
works on the premise that, if you can understand what the stars and planets mean, you are better prepared
to deal with life. As human beings, we often feel the need for such reassurance. Astrology is based on various
predictors. In Western systems, it depends upon 12 star constellations called the zodiac (Aries, Taurus,
Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces) and their interaction
with the seven planets - traditionally seen as revolving around the earth.
In Chinese Ming Shu, the 12 animal signs and their pairing as yang/yin were originally configured from
the 12-year cycle of the planet Jupiter. Time is the central factor in making predictions from these, usually
starting with the moment, hour, and date of birth within one of the signs. Whatever an individual's
horoscope calculates on this basis then determines not only personality but also such things as career,
family, wealth, or sickness.
For Christians, there is something wrong here. Where is God in all this? Surely, the love and protection,
which comes from the Father, the reassurance that He is eternally present in our lives, is the far greater power. Isn't
this enough to doubt what astrology proposes to offer? Unfortunately, for many it is not enough. What better
arguments for Christians, then, against believing in astrology than a theological one or the Bible itself? And
Christians even have science on their side.
First of all, astrology is based on determinism. Its predictors claim to shape life and personality in
binding constraints. Could someone born under the sign of Gemini, or the year of the Rat, for example,
become other than a teacher? Yet, theologically speaking, our Lord granted us free will, freedom of choice.
That is one of the bases for our belief, even though the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, knows what
that choice will be. And through prayer the Lord has granted us the power to change - to heal, to receive
wisdom towards making the right choices, to lead others to become disciples of Christ - even to perform
miracles.
Moreover, astrology is a human, not a divinely inspired system. To look at its methods more closely
uncovers many errors, prejudices, superficialities - problems Thomas Aquinas pointed out in his Summa Theologica
eight centuries ago, when the first heated debate over Christianity and astrology began.
We are often so human that we are willing to compromise. Scientifically speaking, the notion of a geo-centric
universe is false. Planets do not revolve around the earth, the system upon which astrology depends for its
predictions.
An Italian astronomer named Copernicus in 1480 theorized that our world was actually helio-centric - that
the earth and the other planets revolve around the sun, a fact proved by Galileo with his invention of the
telescope in 1550.
Consider, too, the notion of celestial influence on human personality. That notion has clearly been
superseded by the discovery of DNA. Cell biology is capable of tracking as well as predicting individual