Grab a cup of coffee or have lunch with a friend. Shop at one-of-a-kind boutiques for flowers, jewelry, gifts, chocolate, spices, and works by local artists. You might be surprised at all the great things downtown Topeka has to offer. Any time you choose to spend your money downtown, you are making community support a priority. 

Join us for dinner on  September 27th  at 5:30 p.m. to kick off the new season of classes! Pageant practice and most adult offerings begin October 4th, but we couldn't wait to have dinner with you. Everyone is welcome to come relax and enjoy this fellowship meal with our church family. Thank you to Michael Turner for being our volunteer chef for our first meal.

Please consider hosting a meal as an individual or group.  You can choose the menu or ask Michael Turner for ideas. The menu can be as elaborate as meatloaf and mashed potatoes to as simple as chili dogs with a salad bar. You can prepare the food yourself, or if you know of a good caterer, you can make arrangements to order the food. You will not be responsible for the cost of the meal.  This opportunity to be in service to each other takes a small time commitment, but goes far toward building community. Contact Allison Brewer  learn more. Please also contact Allison if you have any dietary restrictions you need us to consider.

Meals will cost $8 per adult and $4 per child (12 years and under), with a maximum cost of $25 per family. Children age two and under are free.  To R.S.V.P. for dinner or volunteer to prepare a meal, please visit our website. 

If you are interested in:

• connecting with your church family
• staying up-to-date with the happenings at church
• registering for a book study and purchasing your book online
• viewing a member list for your Sunday School class or committee
• making your financial gift online

Topeka First United Methodist can help you do all of these things...online. Your PC, Mac, or smartphone can help you Connect, Grow, and Serve with us.

Watch for our new Tech Talk articles in the newsletter in the coming weeks.  If you are not already performing these functions on your PC, Mac, or smartphone and would like to have this access, click here. T hen click on "Need a Login" and follow the directions. An email will be sent to you requesting that you set up a password. 

Once you have your login you can go to our website,  click on Church Connection Portal, click on the blue button that says, "Click here to log in to Church Connection Portal," and login using your email address and the password you created. Start exploring.

If you want to access this information from your SmartPhone, you will need to go to your app store and download the free "ACS Church Life" app. You can then log in to your app using the same email address and password you just created.

If you have any trouble with this, you are always welcome to call Tina Boles at the church office, 785-233-8100.

The heart of faith rests in our personal relationship with God. We develop that relationship over time through study, prayer, and sharing faith stories with one another. Spiritual growth is for all ages and gives us the opportunity to discover who we are becoming as people of faith. Join others and invest in your relationship with God by joining a small group on Sunday morning.  Our adult classes are kicking off their Fall studies this Sunday and welcome you to join. The link below will share more about our adult classes that meet at 9:30 and their location.

Alice will facilitate a four-week book study of "Life in a Jar," on Mondays September 18th and 25th and October 1st and 8th, 10-11 a.m. in Room 106. Alice will be able to add extra flavor to this study by sharing her adventures in Poland and adding personal thoughts on Irena's life. You do not have to have the book read, just bring it with you to the first study. 

Love and Logic is a commonsense approach that teaches parents skills to cultivate confidence and good decision-making in children by offering choices, empathy, and respect while adults avoid anger, threats, warnings, or lectures. Love and Logic is easy to learn and can be put to use right away; it changes lives and raises responsible children. Come and learn how to take some of the power struggle out of parenting using the Love and Logic Way.

Erin Corbin, a school counselor, will facilitate the eight Wednesday evening sessions: October 4,11,18, November 1,8,15, 29 and December 6. Childcare for Kindergarten and younger is available upon request. Registration is due by September 27th or until class limit of 12 is reached. The cost of the workbook is a gift from the church. You may register on our Church Connection Portal.

The Great Plains Conference (the organizational body of all United Methodist Churches in Kansas and Nebraska)  has set a goal of making and collecting 5,000 cleaning kits (flood buckets) for those impacted by the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida.

 

Churches in the  Topeka District are thus asked to contribute at least  300 cleaning kits for distribution by UMCOR. Pastor Jeff is hoping we will lead our community in the collection of cleaning kits for flood relief. Would you consider providing a cleaning kit?

 

Instructions for cleaning kits can be found on the UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) website. Please take a look at the packing list watch the instructional video to learn how to assemble a cleaning kit. Most of the items can be found in a discount retailer or dollar store.

Please bring your assembled cleaning kit to church. We will take the cleaning kits to the Great Plains Conference office, which will then deliver the kits to UMCOR.

Topeka North Outreach (TNO) is one of the help organizations that our church supports. Volunteers from our church and the other TNO partner churches will again make bierocks to raise money for their many ministries.

We will start taking orders this Sunday, September 17th, so look for the sign-up sheet in the Celebration Room. Orders will be taken until October 1st. When your bierock order is ready, you can pick it up at church. The bierocks come frozen in ziplock bags. You can save them in your freezer until you need a convenient family dinner, or take them out one at a time for an easy lunch. 

We will start production on Thursday, September 14th, and will continue baking on September 21, and 28, and October 5th.  Meat and roll makers will start at 8 a.m. and rolling and assembling will start at 9 a.m. It is work, but it is also pleasure as we work together. Former bierock ladies are eager to start and we invite anyone new to join us. We will be finished before noon. Bring a rolling pin, if you have a favorite!

Hey Runners/Walkers! For the third year, we are planning to have a church team in the Miracle on Kansas Avenue Rescue Run 5K, held this year on Saturday, November 25, 2017. This is a timed run, which makes a couple laps around the downtown area and right by our church just before the Miracle on Kansas Avenue Parade. The Run is a fundraiser for the Topeka Rescue Mission. Although it is timed, it is mostly a fun run and some people are just walking the route. If you have never done a 5K, this is a perfect race for you and if you start training now, you can do it! Don't worry if you aren't the fastest--every team member helps!

If you would like to join the church team, click here to visit their website , click on the "Register Here" button, then click on "Register Teammate," then look for "Topeka First United Methodist" on the drop down menu, and use our Team Password "Wesley1". The early-bird entry fee is $20. If you have any questions, e-mail Randall Hodgkinson.

"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2.

There are two opportunities for you to help us, as a church, fulfill our commitment to serve the children and families of State Street Elementary School. First, we are getting close to the start of our WAFFLE program for the 2017/2018 school year and  at least 2 more volunteers are needed to complete our team . More volunteers would be VERY welcome. We really don't want to turn any families away from this program. Just  one hour  of your time on Late Start Fridays is needed. We start Friday, September 8th.  Check out the video in this link to find out just what we do at WAFFLE. Please contact Jaena Greenwood at 785-220-8796 to learn more or get involved.  

The second opportunity is becoming a Lunch Buddy. Chris Stewart from The Bridge shared information at all three services last week. If you are wanting to get involved at State Street, this is also a great opportunity. This program asks for just  30 minutes of your time one day a week  to meet with, and have lunch with, a child at State Street. Take a look at the video in this link for more information. You can also contact Christ Stewart at 785-215-7735.

Great News! The bells have retuned from being refurbished and they are shiny and ready to ring this fall. Have you,your child, or your youth ever thought that it might be fun to try ringing those shiny bells on a Sunday morning? If so--or if you would like to know more about it--please contact Sharon Fick at 785-845-0366 or  send her an email.

Openings are available now for new ringers. Previous instrumental experience is always helpful, but not required. I would like to start a children's choir again for those in 3rd grade and above. Children's rehearsals would be on Wednesday evenings, but the time is still being determined. We need at least six children to have a successful choir. They must be capable of standing and paying attention for one hour in order to participate. The fall commitment for children is September though the children's pageant in December. Youth 6th grade through high school rehearse at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. There is a beginning adult bell choir on Wednesday evenings from 6-7 p.m. and an advanced bell choir on Thursday evenings at 6-7:30 p.m. For more information contact Sharon Fick.

Watch for Children's bulletins in church that tie into the Bible story we have during Sunday School.  Additionally, parents can pick up a devotional at the check-in desk that will give their whole family ways to dig deeper into the Bible story that we studied that week.