Order Your Easter Flowers | | |
The time has come to start thinking about adorning our worship spaces with flowers on Easter. Starting Sunday, March 16, forms will be available with ushers or greeters on Sunday mornings or in the main office throughout the week. Please select the type(s) of flower you wish to purchase and indicate any memorial or honorarium you wish to be included in the 2025 Easter Flowers booklet. Payment of cash or check (made out to FUMC Oak Ridge with "Easter flowers" in the memo line) may be submitted with the form in the Sunday morning offering or may be brought to the main office. Forms will not be accepted if they do not have payment with them at the time of submission. The deadline for orders is Thursday, March 27. Please contact Josh Sumter (jsumter@fumcor.org) with any questions.
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Each year around Easter, we visit the homebound members of the congregation to remind them that they continue to be important members of our church. This involves taking a flower to one of our members who is no longer able to physically get to church. Many of these people have been members of FUMCOR for years and years, and it is so very important and meaningful that we stay connected.
These visits take place over Palm Sunday weekend, April 11-13. Volunteers will meet in the choir room on Friday, April 11, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. to pick up flowers and get the name(s) and address(es) of the person(s) they will be visiting. Flowers can also be picked up for visitation during the week if that is a better fit for your schedule.
If you would like to help with this meaningful ministry, we ask that you sign up by March 26. This will allow time for Betty Lou to match the volunteers with the homebound members. To volunteer for Easter visitation, please either sign up on our website, or email or call Betty Lou Alspaugh (865-310-1672, alspaughbl@gmail.com) or Jenny Caughman (865-483-4357, jcaughman@fumcor.org).
| | The Wednesday evening Community Meal Team is in need of dishwashers and cooks. This is a fun group that is doing a lot of good. If you are able to help, please contact Tere Murchio at 973-800-4880 or by email at tmurchio@gmail.com. Thank you! | | Keystone Karaoke Fundraiser | | Regional Construction Mission Trip | | Members from FUMC, Kern, and friends are invited to participate in a short-term construction mission trip in East Tennessee. We are planning to go late this spring for approximately one week. A willing heart is the only criterion for attending. Meals and lodging are provided. Transportation will probably include our church bus and one or two personal vehicles. The cost of the trip will be around $250 per person. Please contact Jim Hardy (mjhardy3@comcast.net) for more information. | | Lenten Guided Lectio Divina | | During Lent a guided Lectio Divina recording will be available on our website and YouTube channel. Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading, and it is a process through which we prayerfully invite God to speak to us through scripture. Each Tuesday, an approximately 15-minute recording will be available to guide you through this sacred process. We will use the same scripture readings that will be the basis for our Sunday sermons. Come on a Lenten Journey to New Life by deepening your prayer life and strengthening your relationship with God through Lectio Divina. Contact Jenny Caughman (jcaughman@fumcor.org) for more information. | | |
Scholarship Applications are now open!
Are you a graduating senior or current college student? Please visit our website to apply for scholarships made available through our church.
Applications are due by April 15. For further information please contact Pastor Denna at dhornby@fumcor.org.
| | Volunteer for Youth Pride Fest | |
 | | The FUMCOR Social Concerns Committee is seeking volunteers to help with the Oak Ridge Youth Pride Fest 2025. As in years past, we're looking for folks from our congregation to help with this annual event to be held Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the First Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge from 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. This year's theme is "Freedom to Express Ourselves." LGBTQIA+ Youth will have the opportunity to experience fellowship and fun in a safe space. Help is needed with check-in, snacks, and activities for all or part of the afternoon. Activity stations will include Art, Games, Drama, Reading/Books, Expression (Selfies), Crafts, Zen-Tango, Face Painting, and more. Our own Rev. Ken Sauer has volunteered to be the "dunkee" in a dunking booth sponsored by the Social Concerns Committee (note that our volunteers may try their luck at "dunking the minister"!). If you can't participate in person, help is being sought to supply snacks for the event as well. To sign up, please contact Greg Smith at smit92611@gmail.com.
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March Special Missions Offering - Sallie McCaskill Scholarship Fund
In March, First Church's special mission offering will support the Sallie McCaskill Scholarship Fund. Sallie McCaskill dedicated her life to education. She was an educated woman who aimed to help college-bound students from Anderson County. McCaskill assisted these students in finding tutors and often provided help herself. When McCaskill passed away in 1993, it was only right that her legacy of supporting minority students continued. Thus, the Sallie McCaskill Memorial Scholarship was established.
To date, over 200 scholarships totaling nearly $300,000 have been awarded to minority students from Oak Ridge High School, with most recipients coming from the Scarboro Community. This money is designated for the first year of college and can be used for any 2 or 4-year program. Students are interviewed by a committee of volunteer adults who assess their academic achievements, leadership roles, and aspirations for the future. The cost of tuition for the program to which the students have been accepted is also taken into consideration. This scholarship program stands out as most of its contributions come from community individuals, with 76 contributors in 2022.
The scholarship fund operates without staff, and apart from some printing and postage costs, 100% of contributions directly benefit students. Last year, four students each received $2,550. Our church has supported this fund for several years and, with your help, we can continue to make a significant impact in assisting deserving students in advancing their education this year. You can contribute to this Special Mission Offering in the same way you make your regular donation. Just remember to mark it as “March Mission Offering” or “Sallie McCaskill.”
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Worship for March 23
Third Sunday of Lent
Scripture Readings:
Isaiah 55: 1-9
Psalm 62: 1-8
1 Corinthians 1: 18-31
Luke 13: 1-9
8:45 & 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship - Sanctuary
11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship - Multipurpose Room
Preaching: Rev. Ken Sauer, Rev. Clair Sauer
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In the Hospital
John Norris (MMC)
Judy Statzer (Parkwest)
Dismissed
Connie Horne
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Our Giving
Offering 3-3-2025 through 3-9-2025: $16,539.50
2025 YTD offering: $304,576
2024 YTD offering: $314,048
March Monthly Special Offering: $905.00
Offering 3-10-2025 through 3-16-2025: $34,055.40
2025 YTD offering: $338,632
2024 YTD offering: $333,427
March Monthly Special Offering: $970.00
Thank you to all of you who mailed in your financial gifts or continued to give online.
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