Weekly Newsletter - September 25, 2025

Click here to view or print the Newsletter

News of the Church

Blessing of the Animals

Bring your furry friends for this special service, where we will bless them and thank God together for their presence in our lives! All creatures big and small are welcome, so join us on Sunday, October 5 at 5:00 pm in the Mulberry Courtyard!

October Worship & Prayer

Next month's Wednesday Night Worship & Prayer will be October 1. Our monthly time of contemplative practices, prayer and worship is a great opportunity to deepen our faith together. Dinner begins in the Fellowship Hall at 5:30 pm, followed by the service at 6:15 pm. We'll see you there!

October Second Sunday Lunch

Our October Second Sunday Lunch is October 12 - bring a side dish or dessert to share and enjoy great food, laughter, and fellowship around the table! This monthly potluck is a great opportunity to connect with each other and with God while sharing a delicious meal. There’s a spot at the table just for you - come and experience the joy of the Lord that is created when we gather together to share a meal!

New Sunday School Group - Next Meeting

The new Young Adults Sunday School Class met for the first time this past Sunday and their next meeting will be Sunday, September 28th - 9:45 am in the Blue Room on the 2nd floor. This group meets every two weeks to align with our youth confirmation schedule and children’s Sunday School. If you’re interested or want to learn more, contact Elisa and Payton. We’re excited to get this going and grow together. Hope to see you soon!

Annual Fall Festival Sunday, October 26!

Our annual community-wide Fall Festival & Trunk-or-Treat will be Sunday, October 26 from 4-6 pm.

Beginning October 5, we will begin collecting candy donations for the trunk-or-treat in the church atrium & narthex! Keep an eye out for volunteer sign-ups - we will need game managers, face painters, trucks, and more.

Save the Date - All Hallows Eve Organ Concert

For the second year, Mulberry's organist Daniel McIntosh will perform a special Halloween organ concert on the evening of Friday, October 31. Be sure to save the date on your calendar - you will not want to miss this chance to hear the spookiest sounds of the season!

A Bicentennial Moment

In anticipation of Mulberry’s upcoming Bicentennial Celebration in 2026, the Leonard Hill Cochran Historical Room presents a moment of Mulberry history.

Below are excerpts from a partial Mulberry history written by the late Ann Henry, Church Historian:

“In 1893, Orville A. Park came to Macon after graduating from the law school at Vanderbilt, taught at Mercer Law School, was an author & historian. He served as Mulberry’s Sunday School superintendent for 41 years plus chairman of the Board of Stewards for 25 years. In 1882, funds were raised to repair the church building and build an addition for the Sunday School. Prior to this time the entire Sunday School met in the sanctuary – children, youth and adults. One of the teachers almost succeeded in drowning out all the other teachers. This addition (referred to as “The Annex”) was a semi-circular or horseshoe shape and the open end was attached to the sanctuary. There was a speaker’s platform with the speaker’s stand facing out toward an area where the entire Sunday School could assemble. Here the S. S. superintendent led the “opening exercises”. The outer rim of the semicircle was divided into classrooms with doors. Those doors let down into the basement below using weights and cords, much like a window. Although this building provided separate room, the classes all continued to meet together. Mr. Park saw the need for dividing the school by grades and began organizing classes according to age and school grade. But there were many problems, students did not want to leave their friends, teachers were accustomed to keeping their students until they died or dropped out. Later teachers and pupils became reconciled and regular promotions were accepted.

The infant class was so large that it was impossible to close the door. It was desirable for them and the rest of the SS for the infants to have their own quarters but the only space available was in the basement which then was made ready and the move completed. One Sunday morning a cord broke and the heavy door fell through the slot in the floor with a resounding crash. Adults fearing that a child had been hurt rushed to the basement. However they were relieved to find that no one was hurt but the teacher, Mrs. Nora Canning and her assistants were terribly frightened. Mr. Park then wasted no time seeing that the doors were replaced with folding doors.”

General Fund

In memory of Susan R. Middlebrooks by Mary Anne and Tom Richardson

Children’s Center

In honor of Thomas Lee Hiles, Jr. by Bonnie and Creede Hinshaw

Sunday Worship

September 28, 2025

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Jack Varnell, preaching

“The Still Small Voice”

1 Kings 19:9-12

Assisting with Worship

Ushers

Bill Stembridge, Becky Kerner, Baxter James, Amy Morgan

Acolytes

Henry Carter, Crucifer

Kate Evans, Candle Lighter

Flowers

The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God in honor of Betsy and Jim Abbott on the occasion of their 60th wedding anniversary! By their sons Jay and Chris Abbott.

11 a.m. Worship Service will be Live-Streamed and available on Facebook and YouTube.

Prayer List

Scott and Wanda Fitzgerald

Nancy and Lowell Belk

Jarrod Heggins

Jimmy Roach

Freeda Chapman

Thomas Marlow

Linda Sankey

Yetta Price

Eddings Smith

Sharon and Tony Marks, sister and brother-in-law of Kathy Welch

Mable Mashburn, Kathy Welch’s mother

Ashley and Mary Hurt

Frances Inzer

Charlotte Barker

Michael Downs, grandson of Harold Downs

Susan McIntosh, Daniel’s mother

Edith Smith, mother of Hinda Ramsay

Ray McIntosh, Daniel’s sister

Martin Magda

Jackie Holtzclaw, Katherine Holtzclaw’s mother.

Kay Harris

Elena Balkcom, Stephanie Henson’s daughter, and her grandson Reed

Kendra Triesenberg

Russell Sanderson, Wende Meyer von Bremen's brother,

Marguerite Pound

Jane Moore

The family of Reed Watts

Tommy Tucker

Deanna Webber

Luis Morales-Hill

The family of David Mitchell

Ruth Beeler, Daniel’s grandmother

Terry Golden, Elisa’s uncle

Joey Weaver

The family of Susan Middlebrooks

Selby Moody

The United Methodist Church, Bishop Robin Dease

District Superintendent Jeff Cook

Our church, its clergy, and its members

Our community of Macon

Coming Up at Mulberry

October 1

Worship & Prayer

October 5

Blessing of the Animals

Full Calendar

On Call Line

478-219-9926

Check out what's going on in Realm!

Be sure to check out the News feature on Realm!

If you need help getting connected, contact the church office at

478-745-8601.

Ainsworth (Adult) Choir Rehearsal

Wednesdays at 7:15 pm in the Choir Room!

We welcome all who like to sing and want to be part of music ministry in worship. Come join us! Please contact Terre Johnson, Director of Music, for questions.

**Nursery is provided during Choir Rehearsal for any parents wanting to join!

Weekly Prayers & Scripture

Week 44: Strength

Day 1. Psalm 31:24 (Morning); Exodus 15:2 (Evening)

Day 2. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (Morning); Psalm 18:35 (Evening)

Day 3. Deuteronomy 8:17-18a (Morning); Psalm 27:14 (Evening)

Day 4. 1 Corinthians 1:25 (Morning); Joshua 1:9 (Evening)

Day 5. Philippians 4:13 (Morning); Psalm 18:2 (Evening)

Morning Prayer of Petition

God of all, you uphold the world by your might, and in your wisdom, you work all things toward good. Call to my mind today the places and people in need of your strength, particularly those who:

are hurting and suffering silently,
are caught in a pattern of addiction,
are actively sinning or moving away from you,
are seeking healing in body or spirit.

May your strength be with me and all those who need you this day. Amen.

Evening Prayer of Gratitude

God Most High, you hold the world in the palm of your hand, and there is not a hair on our head that is not counted by you. Raise in me an awareness of your strength at work in my life, and thank you for:

your forgiveness made real for me today,
your love made known to me today,
your conviction felt by me today,
your joy encountered by me today,
your strength given to me today.

Help me to live out a sense of gratitude to you and live boldly empowered by your strength. Amen.

Taken from The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer

Donation Needs

Macon Outreach Needs

**Plastic Bags**

Cereal

Pop tarts

Canned peas

Canned black eye peas

Canned collards

Jelly

Cases of bottled water

Financial Donations

Cereal

Hamburger helper

Cornbread mix

Condiments

Cake/cookie/muffin mix

Snack items

Daybreak Needs

Volunteers!!!

Canned or fresh fruit,

fruit cups

Applesauce (individual containers)

Jelly

Vienna sausages (4.6 oz.)

1 min. Instant Grits

1 min Instant Oatmeal

Chips (individual bags)

Snack items (individually wrapped)

Gatorade (Powder)

Muscle Cream (Biofreeze, Icy Hot)

Disinfectant Spray/Air freshener

Women underwear (New) M,L,XL

Bug Spray

Aleve (Ibuprofen)

Pine-sol

Liquid Laundry Detergent

Hydrocortisone cream

Dish detergent

Paper towels

Resources & Links

South Georgia Advocate

The South Georgia Advocate, a twice monthly online news publication, is the official news source of the South Georgia Annual Conference and a ministry of the Office of Connectional Ministries.

Click here for the Georgia Advocate

New Creation Resource Toolkit

As part of this year's conference focus of "New Creation", the South Georgia Conference is providing monthly resources designed to empower each of us in our mission of making meaningful connections and living out transformative discipleship. Each toolkit presents a challenge questions & resources tailored to address that challenge.

Click here for the New Creation Toolkit

Have an addition to the newsletter?

Email Millie Thompson at mthompson@mulberrymethodist.org