Church Blog (Page 4)
February Events
Dear FUMC Family, As I write this email, Ground Hog’s Day is only two days away and there is no rain in our immediate future. Oh goodness, another six weeks of winter! This Sunday in worship, we will receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion as we normally do on the first Sunday of each month. And then following our 11:00AM service, all will be invited to join the family of Victory Harshaw for the dedication of her new Habitat for Humanity house, the dwelling…
Reaching the Community
First Church Family, I pray that you are weathering the winter cold this week. From Friday night through most of the day Sunday, the temperature in our area will not move above freezing. We pray for the poor and homeless among us. We made a large financial donation to Yokefellow Thursday, helping our ministry partner serve the poor. FUMC was richly blessed in 2023. Your stewardship enabled us to fund all of our church’s ministries and finish in the black for the…
Welcome 2024
First Church Family, Happy New Year – 2024! I’m at my desk wondering how many times I’ll still write ’23 on January checks and documents. What a whirlwind the past weeks have been… and how wonderful they were! I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed as meaningful an Advent or Christmas! Thank you to all of those who made that possible, both volunteers and staff! It takes an incredible number of persons to fulfill our desire to offer both powerful ministries and worship services.…
Christmas Season
First Church Family, What a beautiful season of Advent we’re experiencing! I pray that we remember the words of Isaiah’s prophecy, specifically that God comes to those who wait and are prepared for Him. Please take a moment to internalize the following worship announcements: Please remember this schedule and remind each other of upcoming dates and times as the weeks progress. It is an honor to walk with you through the days of Advent and Christmas.Pastor Dave * * * *…
Beginning Advent
First Church Family: Goodness, it’s cold! While winter hasn’t officially begun, you can’t tell it! I pray that you are warm and well. This coming Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent and also the first Sunday of the church year. “Advent” means coming – namely the coming of God into our world in and through the Incarnation. A transformation occurs in our lives every year at this time as we are reminded of how much we mean to God who offered Himself in…
Happy Thanksgiving
First Church Family:I awoke this morning keenly aware of the things for which I’m thankful: *God’s saving activity through Jesus who gives me hope and purpose. *God’s daily presence in my life, encouraging and comforting me. *A precious family that I love and that loves me. *And the incredible opportunity of serving God together through His Church and with you here. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving! With love, Pastor Dave
Bless This Meal 2023
First Church Family: The holidays are just around the corner. Here are a couple of reminders of things that are coming up: Saturday, we will provide 125 families with Thanksgiving meals. Even if you haven’t registered as a volunteer, your spirit will be raised if you swing by the church sometime between 10:00am and 1:00pm on Saturday to experience the gift of giving. Sunday morning will be the first time our “Groovin’” kids playguitars/ukuleles/buckets/African drums for us in worship. Jon Beal and…
Great Commandment
First Church Family, Wow, winter finally got here! But it’s only fall… oh well, I enjoy all of the seasons in our beautiful county! Over the past weeks, we have had a number of visitors at the 9:00AM service who were camping/RVing in our area for a couple of weeks enjoying the beautiful autumn colors. After last Sunday’s service, a couple named Tom and Sue, who had been with us two weeks (actual names are different to protect privacy), waited their turn to have a…
Staff Up-dates
First Church Family, I pray that you are hanging in and putting your trust is God, our Rock, our Sword, and our Shield! I write that because there are so many frightening things happening in our world. I’m praying both for Israelis and Palestinians. There are innocent persons on all sides of that conflict, especially when we remember that it’s Hamas and Hezbollah (and not all Palestinians and Arabs) who are the terrorists. My heart is heavy and goes out to all of them. …
Fall News
First Church Family: Fall is in the air. Over the summer, we re-examined Wesleyan Methodist theology and its focus on grace: the undeserved, unmerited love of Almighty God. We remembered Wesley’s focus on God’s prevenient grace, which goes before us, softening our hearts to God and preparing the way for us. Then, we were reminded of God’s justifying grace, in which God saves (or justifies) us through the life, sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. …