From the Pastor… (Page 10)
First Day of Autumn
First Church Family, Blessings to you on this first day of Autumn! The temperature is supposed to dip into the 40s tomorrow night. I can’t wait for that! I pray that you are living life to its fullest as we move into the final quarter of 2021. We are healthy as a congregation overall, and are striving to not let fear paralyze us over virus concerns. We continue to invite persons to join us for in-person worship. The vast majority of…
Slowing Down
First Church Family, It’s good to have settled back in after some days away. I’m using this brief message to share several important updates with you: Ivey is away with family this week, so many phone calls will be going to our staff voicemails. We will respond to your messages while she is away. The office will be back up and running this coming Monday. The wave of the Delta variant of COVID has forced us to slow down returning…
Living Water
Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water,so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”John 4:13-15 NRSV Water…
Trip to Greece
First Church Family, I’m away in my favorite country other than our own, the beautiful country of Greece. I studied here in college, and later in graduate school, and then was able to be here with my daughter several years ago. Greece has an incredibly significant history. It was the birthplace of medicine, philosophy, theater, and democracy. And it has significance to our faith. The Apostle Paul established the Church at Corinth and wrote two lengthy treatises to members of that church…
September News
Dear First Church Family, I pray this newsletter finds you in good health and spirits. This past week has had its share of bad news: chaos and death in Afghanistan after our troop withdrawal, pain and loss in Haiti in the after-math of a powerful earthquake, flash flooding in western North Carolina and Tennessee that took lives and destroyed property, and rising COVID numbers in our community and state. I shared recently that September is one of my favorite months…
Trust in God
First Church Family, Monday is my sabbath. It is then that I take care of my gardens, catch up on devotional reading, and spend time with my family and friends. This past Monday I worked outside, canned vegetables for the winter, and caught up on some family things. But also, I monitored the plight of Haitians trying to recover from its latest challenge, watched in disbelief as Afghanistan was quickly turned back over to an oppressive regime, received information that our…
VBS Report
First Church Family, This week our Christian Life Center has been abuzz with children participating in our first Vacation Bible School in two years. The experience has been wonderful. Titled: “Rocky Mountain Railway,” together we have learned about the power of God, which is available in all areas of our lives. Many thanks to our Tara Hatton and Jamie Jones for their wonderful leadership; to our Danny Clark, who has gotten our facility ready to receive our volunteers and children…
Summertime News
First Church Family, What a wonderful respite we have had from the heat this week! Though I know the temperatures are going to rise again, this week has made me look forward to fall. Over the past days we have hired exceptional replacements for our Melanie Anderson and her assistant in our Robbins Preschool. Kendra Stuebe, from Christ Methodist Church in Hickory, will serve as our New Director and Lead Teacher. She has experience in the field and appropriate degrees and credentials. Our own…
August Message
Dear First Methodist Family, In Psalm 40, David writes: I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. For the past weeks, we’ve remembered the promises of God, and how they bless our lives. God’s promises…
VBS Registration
First Church Family, I pray that this note finds you in good health and spirits. So many members of our church family have been on vacation, travelling, and entertaining family and friends on weekends that our in-person congregation looks different each week. But every week, new faces are appearing, and FUMC family members are welcomed back. I pray that if you haven’t returned since the pandemic, that you will do so soon! A few updates: food for both Yokefellow and our CCC&TI campus ministry (microwaveable heat…
July Message
First Church Family, When I begin a note to you with those words, I am not just using them figuratively. We are the family of Christ here in Lenoir and are meant to love, pray for, and care for one another. It is an honor to be a brother to all of you! July is upon us, and with it the Independence Day holiday. This year, July 4 comes on a Sunday. We will worship in one service together, at…
4th of July Weekend
First Church Family, I pray you are having a safe and enjoyable lead up to the 4th of July weekend. I am looking forward to Sunday, when we will actually worship on Independence Day, at 10:00AM in our beautiful Sanctuary. The service will focus on God’s presence with us through Holy Communion. We will sing patriotic Christian hymns, and have our FUMC orchestra play patriotic music. Please don’t miss it. I’ve been asked if we could say the “Pledge of Allegiance” during the service.…