October 2026 Newsletter
October is going to be a busy and joyful month at Rector First United Methodist Church! As the weather begins to cool and fall settles into Northeast Arkansas, we have several opportunities to worship together, serve our community, welcome our neighbors, and simply enjoy being together.
We start the month with our Rummage Sale, October 1, 2, and 3. There will be plenty to do as we sort, organize, sell, visit with our neighbors, and probably discover a few treasures we didn’t know we needed!
The Rummage Sale is about more than the things on the tables. It’s an opportunity to work together and welcome people from throughout the community into our church. Thank you to everyone who donates, sorts, prices, sets up, works the sale, cleans up, or helps in any other way. Ministries like this happen because people are willing to pitch in together.
Then on Saturday, October 3 at 5:00 p.m., our young people will participate in the Liberty Hills Youth Event. I’m excited about opportunities like this for our youth. Our young people aren’t simply the future of the church. They’re part of the church right now. Every opportunity we have to encourage them, help them build friendships, have some fun, and grow in their faith is worth celebrating.
Our October Sermons
Our Sunday worship throughout October will continue the story of God’s people as they learn what it means to trust God, live faithfully, and move toward a future they cannot always see.
On October 4, we’ll celebrate Holy Communion and World Communion Sunday with Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 and the sermon “More Than Rules.” The Ten Commandments are much more than a list of things we’re supposed to do or not do. They show a people who have been set free how to live in relationship with God and with one another. Before God gives Israel the commandments, God reminds them, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Grace comes first.
October 4 will also include our Blessing of the Animals, at 2 pm. Our pets bring so much companionship, laughter, comfort, and sometimes a little chaos into our lives! This is a wonderful opportunity to give thanks for them and remember our responsibility to care for all God’s creation. Invite your friends and neighbors and bring those beloved four-legged members of the family.
On October 11, we’ll turn to Exodus 32:1-14 for “When We Can’t Wait on God.” Moses has been on the mountain longer than the Israelites expected, and they become impatient. Instead of trusting God, they make a golden calf. It’s an ancient story with a very modern question: What do we do when God doesn’t move according to our timetable? Sometimes our greatest temptation isn’t abandoning God altogether. It’s trying to replace God with something we can see, control, and understand.
On October 18, Exodus 33:12-23 gives us “Show Me Your Glory.” After everything Moses has experienced, he makes an astonishing request of God: “Show me your glory.” Moses wants assurance that God will continue to go with the people. We’ll think together about what it means to seek God’s presence, especially during those times when the road ahead isn’t clear.
Then on October 25, we come to Deuteronomy 34:1-12 and “The Promised Land We May Never See.” Moses stands on Mount Nebo and sees the Promised Land, but he will not enter it. It’s a powerful ending to his story and an important reminder that sometimes the work God gives us is bigger than our own lifetime. We plant seeds whose shade we may never sit beneath. We teach children whose futures we cannot see. We build ministries that someone else may carry forward. Faithfulness isn’t always about seeing the results. Sometimes it’s trusting God enough to do our part and leave the future in God’s hands.
Together, these four Sundays tell quite a story:
More Than Rules
When We Can’t Wait on God
Show Me Your Glory
The Promised Land We May Never See
It’s really the story of learning to trust God, and that’s still our story today.
We’ll finish the month with Trunk or Treat on Saturday, October 31, Downtown, 11-1. I hope we’ll have plenty of decorated trunks, lots of candy, plenty of laughter, and a church full of people ready to offer a warm welcome to the children and families of our community.
Events like Trunk or Treat may seem simple, but sometimes a child’s first experience of a church is discovering a place where people smile at them, learn their name, hand them a piece of candy, and make them feel welcome. That’s ministry too.
As I look at everything happening this month, I keep coming back to the words that describe who we want to be: Following Jesus. Loving People. Sharing Grace. We follow Jesus when we gather for worship and listen again for God’s Word. We love people when we invest in our children and youth, work alongside one another, care for our neighbors, and welcome people into our church. We share grace every time someone encounters the love of Christ through us.
Some of that happens in worship. Some of it happens at a rummage sale. Some of it happens at a youth event. Some of it happens while blessing a dog or cat. And some of it might even happen while standing beside a decorated car trunk with a bowl full of Halloween candy. God has given us many different ways to be the church, and I’m looking forward to experiencing them with you this October.
Rev. Candace
Following Jesus. Loving People. Sharing Grace.