1st United Methodist Church Weekly Update - June 3, 2022 |
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FOLLOW US & JOIN US THIS SUNDAY FOR WORSHIP LIVE AT 9:15 & 11 AM
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This Sunday: June 5, 2022 |
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Message: "Re-Wilding"
Pastor Mike Loomis
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Most of you will remember that early this year, Pastor Bob announced his retirement.
What you may not know is the latest on his relationship with us at 1st Church.
Soon after Bob announced his decision, some of us realized two things. First, it would not be easy for Bob to go from 90 mph to full STOP. Second, we have specialized needs for our congregation’s spiritual growth, especially in the area of discipleship and small groups.
It would be unreasonable to expect an incoming Assistant Pastor to be able to do what Pastor Bob has done, and to add the responsibility of discipleship and small groups. So, we began to think about how we might best staff our church for the future.
As we spoke with Bob, it became clear that he could continue to play a vital, though less-intensive role in the ministry of 1st Church.
Therefore, we are pleased to announce that, effective July 1, Pastor Bob will continue with us as our Part Time Pastor of Congregational Care. His primary focus will continue to be to provide care for those who are hospitalized or in other forms of crisis. In addition, he will work alongside our Care Ministry team, along with our congregation, to ensure visitation of those in nursing homes, long term care facilities, or home-bound.
As needed, Pastor Bob will assist with funerals and memorials, weddings, and help with leading worship as well as preaching on occasion.
We are excited for what we believe will be a great benefit for our congregation, as well as for Pastor Bob.
*Anyone remember the comedy by the same name? Bill Murray played ‘Bob,’ a troubled patient who follows his therapist on vacation
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Tickets for Pastor Bob's celebration will be for sale this Sunday after each service. |
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Watch for messages this weekend this weekend about weather and Praise in the Park; check both Facebook and email!
Our 8:00 am worship service, "Praise in the Park" is held at Gilchrist Park, weather permitting. If we are changing the location to the Sanctuary, we will send out an email on Saturday night.
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Special Announcement from Pastor Mike |
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Dear 1st Church Family:
It is with great pleasure that we announce that we have hired an Assistant Pastor who will begin at the end of June. Her name is Angela Hinchman. She is passionate about Jesus, discipleship, and spiritual growth. Angela will begin her ministry with us at the end of June. Along with her husband, Christian, and their three children, Ella (17), Aliana (14), and Caleb (9), she will be moving from Holland, Michigan.
Angela grew up in the Reformed Church in America. She has been a short-term missionary, as well as having various ministry roles. She has a B.A. in Humanities/Religious Studies from California State University, Sacramento, and has had coursework at both Fuller Theological Seminary and Western Theological Seminary. She is the author of Come, Gather at the Table, an 8-week study on discipleship.
We want to thank all who have been praying as we have searched for the right person to fill this important role within our church.
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Dear Church Family,
As you can imagine, finding a home sight unseen can be pretty difficult. We are looking for help to find a home for Angela and her family to rent for 6 months while they look around the area for a home. If you or someone you know has a seasonal home that could be rented from the end of June to the end of December, please contact Kathy Butgereit in the church office. We would certainly like to make this transition as easy as possible for Angela and her family.
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Your library volunteers, Shelby DeCapite, Dina Enzor, and Lynda Platt, are currently finishing up our book by book survey of our church library collection and hope to very soon add new titles to our Methodist topic shelf. We will highlight new books in future communications of The Bridge.
A small multimedia shelf unit has been added to our room and you can now find CDs & DVDs at this new location.
Please come to the library and check out a book for your Christian walk. Our Check Out policy is on the Honor system. NO need to worry about bar codes! We encourage you to check out by just taking the book home and returning it by three weeks. There is a basket on a small cabinet right inside the door where you can return your books when you are finished.
BOOK TITLES recently returned to our library include Billy Grahams’ “Angels” and a fiction book by Francine Rivers!!
Inspired by the recent sermons by Pastor Mike and the Harmony Bible Study class focus on the “Five Marks of a Methodist,” we are sharing a list of some book titles currently available on the nonfiction Methodist shelf in the library:
A Firm Foundation: Hope and Vision for a New Methodist Future
Living Our Beliefs: The United Methodist Way by Kenneth L. Carder
Proclaiming Grace and Freedom: The Story of the United Methodism in America
Meet the Methodists: An Introduction to the United Methodist Church by Charles Allen
John Wesley by V.H.H Green
New Adventure in the Meaning of United Methodist Membership by Ron Kerr
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Parents' Night Out - June 17 |
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While parents go out to spend some quality time together, kids will watch "A Turtles Tale," eat dinner, make a turtle-y awesome craft, and play! Parents' Night Out will be 4-7pm, for toddlers through 5th grade. Registration required! To register, email Becca: becca@whatis1st.com |
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A part-time nursery worker is needed to work every Sunday from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm. If interested, please contact Becca, becca@whatis1st.com.
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We Need Sunday School Teachers! |
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Our Children's Ministry is in need of elementary Sunday School teachers. If you are willing to serve, please contact Becca: becca@whatis1st.com
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Have you heard? Our Teens are planning a mission trip to Tennessee this Summer! Preparations are well underway for this 8-day work trip. Students have already started meeting for training sessions and they are currently doing some "homework" to prepare for the trip.
If you would like to help our mission team in a specific and meaningful way, we have a unique opportunity you may want to invest in. While on our mission trip, we will be sleeping on air mattresses in a church about 30 minutes north of Nashville. We will purchase these mattresses along with pillows and blankets when we reach our housing site and use them during our stay. Then we plan to continue our long-standing tradition of donating these air mattresses, pillows, and blankets to a local shelter at the end of our time of service. If you would like to help pay for a pillow, blanket, or mattress which will be donated to a shelter in the greater Nashville area, then check out the following list.
We suggest the following donation amounts:
- $10 for a pillow or blanket.
- $20 donation will buy a basic twin-sized mattress.
- $60 donation will purchase a raised twin mattress that comes with its own internal electric plug making it so much easier for the homeless shelter to keep them inflated.
Please prayerfully consider helping in this tangible way by making a donation towards the purchase of one or more of these items for our Teen Summer Missions Team. Donations can be made online under Youth Mission Trip or write that in the memo of your check.
Thanks again for investing in our teens and helping them fulfill the great commission. Matthew 28:19&20
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A Note from the United 4 Him Youth Group |
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In a time long long ago (Pre-pandemic) in a land not all that far away (Port Charlotte), we'd meet friends at the movie theater. We would buy our tickets and popcorn, and then engage our minds, eyes, and ears on the sights and sounds of the latest feature film showing on the BIG screen. Does anyone else remember those days?
Well, our teens enjoyed the chance to do something most haven't done in a couple of years, go to the movies! They got to laugh alongside their friends on this field trip of sorts when they went opening weekend to see the movie "Family Camp". This movie was so much fun to watch! The students talked about their favorite scenes some after the show, it was great!. Oh, the theater popcorn was yummy too!
This film was written and directed by Christian filmmakers who cast Christian comedians and lifelong friends Tommy Woodard and Eddie James as the main stars of the film. Many of our students, along with 86% of those who have already watched the movie rate this a "Must See" Film. If you are able, we recommend that you go out to see and support this Christian film as the message is excellent and the film is top-notch!
Click HERE to watch the movie trailer. |
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Heather is a multiple suicide-attempt survivor who believes
"if you wake up breathing, that's your proof to keep going."
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for all ages and the 2nd leading cause of death for youth and young adults between the ages of 10-34.*
- A person dies of suicide every 11 minutes.*
- If a young person gets the help they need, they are less likely to be suicidal again.
- Asking about suicide lowers anxiety, opens up communication, and reduces the risk of impulsive acts.
*(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2021)
Heather Palacios is the founder of WONDHERFUL, INC a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to saving the lives of those who are struggling thru mental crisis. She speaks at high schools, colleges, churches, businesses throughout the US to reach the nearly 1.8 million people who attempt suicide each year.
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Crafter's Group - Come Join Us! |
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WE NEED Anyone who can sew on a button, crochet, knit, draw, design, or has ANY creative talent! We work together while enjoying each other's company.
We have made the following items:
*Baby blankets for Careline Pregnancy Center
*Crocheted octopus for preemie babies
*Greeting cards for our own Care Ministry team
*Walker bags for the veteran's home
*Activity mats for those suffering from Dementia and Alzheimer's donated to nursing homes locally
We meet in Room 9 every Wednesday from 1-3:30 pm.
Contact:
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Volunteers needed for Crossroad Academy |
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Every 3rd Saturday of each month volunteers from 1st Church cook food and take it to Crossroads Hope Academy to bless the young men who are residents there. We desperately need more volunteers to either cook food and/or help deliver the meal to Crossroads. We meet in the Church parking lot every month at 11:30 and load the food and go together to Crossroads. This ministry truly is a blessing to those we serve. If interested, please call Gail LaGro at 941-613-1745. |
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Receive Texts from 1st Church |
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1st Church Family... We are trying to improve our communication within the congregation and also looking for a way to keep everyone seeking devotionals each day. If you would like to receive daily devotionals from 1st Church or receive important communications, please sign up by calling the church office 941-639-3842. This will allow us to text you these messages and make it easy for you to receive them. |
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Hi Church friends and family-
Happy June! I hope everyone had a blessed Memorial weekend. The patriotic events and ceremonies at Laishley Park were both beautiful
(all those American flags waving in the breeze) and moving. Although it was warm out, it was a perfect time to chat with "neighbors" while walking around the park.
While many of the groups and Bible studies are coming to a close for summer months, we continue to need prayer for several concerns. Please continue to pray for our church and a peaceful transition. Our new Assistant Pastor Angela and her family will be here the end of the month, so pray for safe travels and still need prayer for affordable housing for them. Plans are underway for Pastor Bob's celebration on June 23. Check in The Bridge for details. Tickets will be available this Sunday after each of our 3 services. Don't forget our Celebration service on Sunday, July 3rd. There will be one service at 10 o'clock in the Life Center. A.picnic and children's activities will follow the service to celebrate the beginning of our New Life in Christ!
While we sometimes have bad things happen in our week, we know we need only to read God's word to be reminded that we can seek and find hope. John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. " Jesus tells us "take heart." He doesn't say ignore your trouble, but rather acknowledge it with the courage we can have in Christ.
Psalm 34:1-18 "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. The Lord is near when we get bad news, are hurting, afraid, or feeling alone. He is not upset with us or disappointed; He is near! We only need to call His name and listen. We are blessed!
I'm praying for you!
Rosie Young
Worship Coordinator
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The Eighth Note – Music Ministry in a Minute! |
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Greetings Everyone,
The Chancel Ringers will be going on Summer vacation from June 16 to September 7.
Regular rehearsals will resume on September 7.
The Chancel Choir will continue to rehearse and sing through the Summer. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Thursdays at 6:30PM in the Choir Room and sings Sundays at the 11:00AM Service.
Please contact David Bellows for more information or questions.
Soli Deo Gloria!
David Bellows
Director of Music Ministries
This Sunday's Music - Pentecost Sunday, June 5, 2022 - 11:00 AM Service
Prelude: Spirit Song – D. Wagner
Chancel Ringers and David Bellows, Director
Opening Hymn: 465 Holy Spirit, Truth Divine
Offertory Anthem: Every Time I Feel The Spirit – L. Shackley
Closing Hymn: 603 Come, Holy Ghost, Our Hearts Inspire
Postlude: Veni Creator: Dialogue sur les grands Jeux – N. de Grigny
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Discipleship Opportunities |
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View a complete list of groups at 1st Church HERE
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A gathering of men who seek a more complete Christian understanding of the teaching of Jesus. Men of Faith meet in Lenox Hall on Thursdays from 9-10:30am under the leadership of Pastor Bill Grant. The group uses the daily study guide, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, as a start for each weeks' discussion. The daily study guide is available free at the gathering. Many of the group come from other churches, so invite your friends. |
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2022 Bible Reading Schedules |
We want to encourage you to join us as we once again read through the Bible. Start your new year off right by committing to read God's Word!
Download the 2022 reading guide HERE.
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Worship Service Information |
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If you are planning on attending our services please remember the following:
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Masks are now optional for those that are fully vaccinated.
- Social distancing is still encouraged. Families may sit together, but please leave three seats between you and others not in your family.
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If you are feverish or not feeling well, we ask that you stay home and join us online on our Facebook and YouTube channels.
At this time, you may only enter the Life Center through the main entrance facing the Fellowship Hall courtyard. All other exterior doors will be locked. We'll see you Sunday!
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Join us this Sunday at 8 am for Praise in the Park! Open to everyone, this is your opportunity to join us for "in-person" worship as we enjoy God's scenery from the lawn of the beautiful Gilchrist Park Pavilion, weather permitting of course. If it is or has been raining (or is too cold), Praise in the Park will relocate to our historic Sanctuary. Time may not always be sufficient to get the word out, so in case of inclement weather, please proceed to the Sanctuary.
Please plan to bring your lawn chairs and/or blankets, and, yes, we will be asking you to practice social distancing. Don't forget to join our "Praise in the Park" group on our Church App! As a reminder, our outside services are always subject to change due to the weather. Please make sure you are connected with us through the app, our email list, or social media to receive our updates concerning schedule changes. See you Sunday for Praise in the Park!
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FOLLOW US & JOIN US THIS SUNDAY FOR WORSHIP LIVE AT 9:15 & 11 AM
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Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9am - 4pm
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