Weekly Newsletter - June 19, 2025

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News of the Church

It's been a great week of Vacation Bible School at Mulberry Street! We're having so much fun on our Road Trip - on the Go with God! Check out the link below to see what we've been up to this week!

See pictures from VBS here!

Purchase Macon Bacon Tickets!

Mulberry is headed back to the ballgame - join us on July 25 for Country Night at the Macon Bacon! Each ticket includes free hamburgers, chips and a drink. Tickets are $17 each, and for every ticket purchased here, the church will receive $5 back for our Family Ministries! Support our kids & youth while cheering on the Bacon! Link to purchase tickets below

Purchase Tickets Here

Wednesday Night Worship & Prayer

Join us on July 2 for our monthly Worship & Prayer service. Ancient prayer practices meet modern styles of worship. Join us as we explore what it means to pray in many different ways, including prayer stations, guided meditations, journaling and more. Dinner starts at 5:30 and worship begins at 6:15 in the Fellowship Hall.

Meal Train for Jack

As many of you know, our pastor Jack Varnell is having surgery on Thursday, June 19 to resolve ongoing issues related to the kidney stones he has had since Easter Sunday. Jack will be recovering at home for several weeks following the surgery, and we have set up a meal train to help show our care for Jack as he is recovering!

To sign up to bring Jack a meal, follow the link below or visit https://mealtrain.com/e60ozl. Drop-off instructions, contact information & details can be found there as well.

Dates Available for Flowers

There are several openings available in the fall to give flowers for the altar. There are two Sundays in August and one in November which still need flowers. If you are interested, please contact Beth Smith at 478-719-9041.

A place to share happenings in Macon & what the Mulberry community is up to!

Something you'd like highlighted? Email to Millie Thompson.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to our VBS volunteers and workers who have spent all week sharing the love of God with all the children who have walked through our doors! It has been such a great week of learning, dancing, fun and so much more, and we could not do it without your help! Thank you!

Special Thanks to Christi James for acting as our Atrium Entrance Greeter in June. If you would like to participate in this endeavor, please contact Charlotte Kennington, 478.745.860, or email: ckennington@mulberrymethodist.org.

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.

The below are excerpts from The Board of Stewards meeting, January 24, 1913

“The meeting of the Board was called for this date at 7:30 in the evening. The chair was present to preside and opened the meeting with a hymn after which the prayer was offered by the Pastor. Twenty-three members were in attendance.

The treasurer submitted his report as shown below:

Cash on hand $180.66

Payments on assessments $1094.09

Loose change 90.26

Total: $1365.81

Sundry bills & salaries $702.61

Repairs on church & parsonage $661.70

Cash on hand $1.50

Total: $1365.81

Notes outstanding $400.00

Bills due 2/1/13 $600.00

The finance committee approved bills amounting to $53.30 and the board ordered them to be paid. This committee asked the privilege of borrowing money during the year, not to exceed $1500.00 in outstanding notes, should this course be found necessary in meeting the Church’s obligations. The Board consented.

The chairman of the Property committee stated that the spire and steeple were in needs of repairs and that pipes in the basement should be insulated. He was requested to defer action for the present.

A motion was offered by W. S. Deidrich was passed, requiring that the doors to the Sunday School annex be kept locked while services are not in progress.

The Pastor read a list of sixty new additions to the church and announced that he had made tentative plans for a revival in March. He invited the Board to the parsonage for their next meeting to discuss the matter in full. A motion to adjourn followed.”

"The Saints of Mulberry" Recipes

As part of Mulberry's Bicentennial Celebrations in 2026, we are sharing recipes from some of the saints of Mulberry's past.

Mary Sam's Georgia Gumbo by Jessie D. James

2 1/2 C. peeled, chopped tomatoes
1/2 C. diced celery
1/4 C. diced onion (may desire more)
1 1/2 C. cut okra
1 T. salt
1 T. vinegar
1/4 tsp. black pepper
T. sugar
T. butter or margarine

Combine all ingredients. Cook in open pan on low heat about 45 minutes. Good!

Sunday Worship

June 22, 2025

Second Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Payton Stone, preaching

“When the Fire Goes Out”

1 Kings 19:1-15

Assisting with Worship

Ushers

J.B. Easterlin, Bill Jarrard, Tim Anderson, Eric Hefner, Stephanie Henson

Flowers

The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God and in honor of Charlie and Linda Cloaninger, given by Tim and Melissa Anderson

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

Brian and Sonnya Wilson

Barbara Henley

Edith Smith, mother of Hinda Ramsay

Ray McIntosh, Daniel’s sister

Martin Magda

Susan Middlebrooks

Dennis Stewart, Michael Stewart’s brother

Jackie Holtzclaw, Katherine Holtzclaw’s mother.

Sylvia Hathcock

Kay Harris

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

Kendra Triesenberg

Russell Sanderson, Wende Meyer von Bremen's brother,

Anna Waters and the family of Bob Waters

Naomi Gerson

Barbara Wommack

Marguerite Pound

Jane Moore

Jack and his kidney stone procedure

The United Methodist Church, Bishop Robin Dease

District Superintendent Jay and Kay Harris

Our church, its clergy, and its members

Our community of Macon

Coming Up at Mulberry

July 2

Worship & Prayer

July 13

UWF Fundraiser 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 30: Purity

Day 1. Psalm 12:6 (Morning); Matthew 5:8 (Evening)

Day 2. Proverbs 16:2 (Morning); Acts 10:15 (Evening)

Day 3. Psalm 19:8 (Morning); Philippians 2:14-15 (Evening)

Day 4. 1 Timothy 1:5 (Morning); Psalm 18:26 (Evening)

Day 5. Philippians 4:8 (Morning); Psalm 119:9 (Evening)

Morning Prayer of Petition

Righteous God, my heart is often divided when it comes to serving you. Fill me with a spirit of purity so that I can:

turn away from thoughts and behaviors that are set against you,
be patient with people who frustrate me,
respond with grace when things don't go as I expect,
cultivate humility when my stubbornness gets in the way.

Shape my heart to be more like Christ's this day. Amen.

Evening Prayer of Gratitude

Good and gracious God, all day long you work for good in the world and in my life. Allow gratitude to well up in me that I may see how you:

blessed me today in surprising ways,
led me to moments that gave me life,
strengthened me in challenging situations,
cared for me through friends and family.

May gratitude continue to define my heart more and more each day, so that my focus might be on you and your will in my life. Amen.

Taken from The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer

Donation Needs

Macon Outreach Needs

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)

Water

Sugar

Cough & Flu Medicine (Non-Alcohol)

Biofreeze

Disinfectant Spray

Air Freshener

Benadryl

Triple Antibiotic

Ointment

Denture Paste

Cough Drops

Claritin

Dulcolax

Muscle Rub

Hemorrhoid Cream

Bug Spray

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

One Matters Resource Toolkit

As part of this year's conference focus of "One Matters", 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 One Matters Toolkit

Have an addition to the newsletter?

Email Millie Thompson at mthompson@mulberrymethodist.org