Weekly Newsletter - January 1, 2026

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News of the Church

Church Office Holiday Hours

The church office will be closed on: Thursday, January 1; and Friday, January 2.

Regular office hours will resume Monday, January 5. Though the church office will not be open, the dedicated on-call line is available for any emergency or urgent need. The on-call number is: 478-219-9926.

You are Invited!

7 Week Sunday School Class (January 4 – February 15, 2026)

10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Working Out Your Salvation! (Phil 2:12)

Teacher: Creede Hinshaw

2nd Floor, Education Building (enter by atrium, follow signs)

Coffee, Juice, Biscuits

For more information: Call or text Creede Hinshaw (912-713-5191) or email at hinnie@cox.net

January Worship & Prayer

Join us for Worship & Prayer on Wednesday, January 7 at 5:30 pm to start 2026 with this monthly time of prayer & worship together. We will share a meal and then move into a time of meditation, silent prayer & modern worship. Dinner begins at 5:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall, and worship begins at 6:15.

Sunday Worship

January 4, 2026

Epiphany Sunday

Rev. Jack Varnell, preaching

“The First Essential of Life”

Luke 10:38-42

Assisting with Worship

Ushers

Becky Kerner, Baxter James, Amy Morgan, Bill Stembridge

Acolytes

Ellis Bridges, Crucifer

Emily Stansfield & Ruth Stansfield, Candle Lighters

Communion Servers

Bruce & Dee Stanfield

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

Prayer List

Scott and Wanda Fitzgerald

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

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,

Jane Moore

Tommy Tucker

Deanna Webber

Luis Morales-Hill

Ruth Beeler, Daniel’s grandmother

Terry Golden, Elisa’s uncle

Joey Weaver

Carol Pope and the family of Mickey Pope

Chris and Jay Abbott and the family of Jim and Betsy Abbott

Nancy Belk and the family of Lowell Belk

Dennis Kersey and the family of Dana Kersey

The family of Betty Cox

Luis and Janice Morales-Hill's great-granddaughter, Carter

Michael Slonecker

The family of Jean Weatherford

Bert Thompson

Ashley Hurt

Joan Godsey

Barbara Wommack

Shirley Griffin

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

January 7

Worship & Prayer

January 11

Second Sunday Lunch

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 6: New

Day 1. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Morning); Psalm 40:3 (Evening)

Day 2. Colossians 3:9b-10 (Morning); Psalm 119:50 (Evening)

Day 3. Matthew 9:17 (Morning); Isaiah 43:19 (Evening)

Day 4. John 13:34 (Morning); Psalm 96:1 (Evening)

Day 5. Matthew 19:28 (Morning); Psalm 104:30 (Evening)

Morning Prayer of Petition

God of new birth and new life, second chances and new beginnings, on the cusp of the ending of one year and the beginning of another, I invite you to continue your work of making me new. As I enter a new year, I pray:

for that which I need to leave behind in order to embrace something new,
for big decisions that I need to make,
for areas of my life where I hope for new opportunities,
for habits that I hope to prioritize,
for areas of my faith that I want to grow in.

As you make all things new, I pray that your Holy Spirit would work in me to reshape me, that I may live in a new way for you this year.

Evening Prayer of Gratitude

God of endings and beginnings, you have been at work in my life, and there is new work yet ahead that you intend to do in me. As I reflect on the ending of one year, and ready myself for that which is new, I see the ways that you have been at work in my life. I name and thank you for the ways that you used this past year to:

teach me,
challenge me,
care for me,
bless me,
strengthen me.

As I move forward in faith to a new leg of my journey, I take with me all that you have and are doing in my life. I pray that you would give me the eyes to see and the heart to receive the way that you are daily at work for me and for my good. 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