Worship this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. on the Front Lawn | |
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Dear Friends,
What does it mean to love and to be loved unconditionally?
On Sunday, July 16, worship will focus on the sermon titled, Unconditional Love, taken from the Gospel according to Luke 15:11-32.
In this scripture, we hear Jesus tell a story – a parable. A father has two sons. The younger son demands his share of the family fortune, breaks away from the family, and relocates to a far away country. He soon realizes that his share of the family fortune is not enough to support his lifestyle. He finds a job, but his income is not enough. As he struggles to provide for his basic needs, he comes to an awareness of what’s happening to him. So, he decides to lay aside his pride and arrogance and go back home to apologize to his father. Upon his return, he finds out that his father’s love for him far surpasses anything he thought. But, his older brother takes issue with how their father welcomes the younger brother back home.
This story reveals the nature of God and the limitations of human beings. It also tells the story of human existence and our common human experience.
Come worship on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in-person on the Front Lawn of Birmingham First, or online. Sunday School and Nursery Care are available.
On Sunday afternoon we will have our first Annual First Taste Festival featuring food and experiences from the continent of Africa. The event runs from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Drop in anytime for fun and fellowship!
With faith and commitment,
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Rev. Dr. Charles S. G. Boayue, Jr.
Senior Pastor
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Click a button below to watch worship online Sunday at 10:00 a.m. | |
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This Sunday, July 16, Duke Intern Laura Auberry preaches the sermon, “Creatures of God” based on the scripture Isaiah 55:8-13.
In our society, it is often easy to forget that we are creatures of God, shaped to have limits and needs. There are so many messages on social media, the news, television, and even our communities telling us that we can defy aging, have anything we desire, and can even be the perfect human. This has created a culture of ignoring our needs, so that we may truly do it all. In her sermon, Laura will talk about how this timeless passage of Isaiah reminds us as creatures of God to acknowledge and respect our limits.
Come and see what God might have in store for you Sunday, July 16 at 10:00
a.m. at Berkley First in-person or online via livestream, Facebook, YouTube, or BerkleyFirst.org.
Sunday School and Nursery Care are available.
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Watch Worship from Sunday, July 9 | |
If you were not able to attend worship on Sunday, July 9, you can watch a recording of the services from Birmingham First and Berkley First by clicking the buttons below. | |
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Altar Flowers from Sunday, July 9
The Altar Flowers last week were dedicated to the glory of God and in celebration of Ted and Arlene Wanamaker's 65th Wedding Anniversary.
Altar Flowers for Sunday, July 16
The Altar Flowers this week are dedicated to the glory of God and in celebration of in celebration of Sjoerd Dijkstra and Lon Bone's 8th Wedding Anniversary.
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Congratulations
Our prayers of joy and celebration are shared with Stephen and Carolina McShane on the birth of their daughter, Aurora Mercedes on June 27. Proud grandparents are Pat and Diane McShane.
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Sympathies
Our Prayers of sympathy and support are shared with Terry and Beckie Bower and family on the death of Terry's father, John "Jack" Emmett Bower, on Saturday, July 1.
Our prayers of sympathy and support are shared with Sue and Jim VerHage and family on the death of Sue's sister Margaret Misek on Saturday, July 8.
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Voice of Hope is a weekly devotional available to you by phone 24 hours a day. Starting on July 23 and lasting for a week, the Voice of Hope message will be recorded by Greg LaBrake titled, Of Fireworks and Freedom. To listen, call 248-646-6407 and press 2 when your call is answered by our automated system. | |
First Taste: Africa in the News | |
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We have had much interest in our First Taste: Africa event from the news stations and media outlets around the Metro Detroit area. Below is the information on two video segments that aired on Fox 2 and WXYZ-TV this past week. The segments feature the owners of two of the restaurants that will be serving at our event on Sunday; Konjo Me & Little Liberia. In both segments they extend an invitation to First Taste: Africa at Birmingham First!
Be sure to stop by on Sunday to meet these talented chefs and to thank them for helping to promote our event! Click on the buttons below to watch the videos.
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Owner Helina Melaku of Konjo Me talked with Fox 2 during her cooking segment about our First Taste: Africa event. | |
WXYZ-TV featured our First Taste: Africa event with a restaurant display segment with Ameneh Marhaba, owner of Little Liberia. | | |
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Hunger Ministry will be having a Home Produce Table every Sunday from July 16 to September 24 after worship in the Fellowship Hall. Bring any extra items from your garden and drop them off at the Home Produce Table before worship and purchase items brought by others after service to benefit the Hunger Ministry. Buy local and support the Hunger Ministry! | |
Next Chapter of the CLC - Update | |
The Christian Life Center (CLC) is undergoing renovation to prepare for the next chapter! The original flooring has been removed and new flooring will be installed in August. Thank you to those who gave of their time to remove the existing floor. | |
Volunteer Record & Registration Update | |
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Birmingham & Berkley First has a new policy for working with children, youth and vulnerable persons. This new policy asks for volunteers to complete an application, background check release, and provide the names and email addresses of two references who will be asked to fill out a form recommending you as a volunteer. Because most of our ministries involve children, youth or vulnerable persons in some way, all volunteers are being asked to complete this process as soon as possible to bring us into compliance with the new policy. Once the application process has been completed, only the background check release will need to be repeated every three years.
If you volunteer in any capacity with Birmingham & Berkley First please complete the online volunteer application by clicking the button below. Thank you for supporting the safety of the children, youth, and vulnerable adults of our church by participating in this process. For questions, please contact Rev. Susie Hierholzer, Pastor of Discipleship, by email [email protected] or by phone 248-646-1200 ext. 3162.
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This summer, Laura Auberry, Duke Seminary Intern, leads a class about John Wesley and the foundational ideas behind Methodism as well as it’s history. She will lead you through the scripture that was important to Wesley, and review some of his most impactful sermons.
The class meets Mondays, July 17, 24 & 31 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Wright Parlor at Birmingham First. If you have any questions, please contact Laura at [email protected].
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Middle School and High School Mission Trip
The youth of Birmingham and Berkley First spent part of the week meeting our Detroit neighbors. Their smiles tell it all--serving God’s people is both meaningful and fulfilling. We pray for these young people as they continue to discover who God has created them to be.
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Children and Family Ministry | |
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This week was the first session of 45 Christian Summer Missions Day Camp, the next session runs on Thursday, August 17 and Friday, August 18.
This week they made sandwiches and snack bags for The Noah Project and learned about John Wesley during the devotional time. For fun, after all the work was done, they went to the playground, enjoyed Marvelous Marvin’s Arcade and much more!
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Endowed funds generate income that our Mission's Committee distributes to support our mission partners. Legacy gifts are changing lives!
Dhiraj (one of our mission partners in India) was able to purchase new uniforms for nearly 100 students with the endowment money we received this spring. Below are photos of a few of the children from Bangalore sporting their new uniforms. A heartfelt thanks to the Endowment Fund and to the Missions Leadership for this gift that was so helpful to Dhiraj, Kaylee and the students.
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Multicultural Family Center Art Supplies Drive | |
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The Church & Society Ministry is sponsoring an all-church Art Supplies Drive as part of our ongoing support of the Pontiac-based nonprofit Multicultural Family Center (the Center) which provides family focused support services and basic life essentials to families in need (food; clothing; shelter assistance). The Center also offers neighborhood children programs and camp experiences that open up the wonderful world of artistic expression to each child. In support of this children’s art-centered enrichment activity and faced with a very limited budget, the Multicultural Family Center has provided us with a wish list of items needed. Our goal is to provide the Center with 100 items from their wish list.
An Amazon wish list has been created with the items and quantities of the
supplies the Center desires. Click the button below to go directly to the wish list. The items will be delivered directly to the Center. For questions, contact Frank Driscoll by emailing [email protected].
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Thank you from Church & Society | |
Open letter of appreciation to the Birmingham First UMC congregation. | |
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I am writing to express the Church & Society Ministry’s appreciation to all who signed the letter thanking Governor Whitmer for her action on safe gun legislation, and urging her to do more.
Over the three Sundays which culminated on June 18, with the Orange Out The Church event, 255 signatures were applied to the letter!
This far exceeded expectations and is a wonderful show of support for the need to end the deadly threat of gun violence in Michigan and the senseless tragedies from assault weapons which contribute to the unspeakable horror of mass shootings. This need for a ban has become a call to action that can no longer be ignored by our elected leaders.
We are a large church with a loud voice and thanks to the robust support of our congregation, we have taken our rightful place as leaders in the ongoing efforts to end gun violence and make Michigan a safer place for our children and grandchildren.
Thank you, and may God continue to bless our faith community with his saving grace.
Frank Driscoll
Chairperson of Church & Society Ministry
[email protected]
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Welcome Desk Administrative Assistant (part-time): Birmingham First seeks a part-time (8 -12 hours per week) Administrative Assistant for the Welcome Desk. Excellent hospitality skills are needed to interact with members, guests, and staff. Candidates should demonstrate exceptional written and verbal skills, along with the ability to learn new software and online programs. Experience in MS Office Word and Excel preferred. Complete job description and application are available by scanning the QR code. To send an application with resume, email to Mary Feldmaier at [email protected].
Childcare Worker (part-time): Birmingham First is hiring a Childcare Worker to assist in providing a developmentally appropriate, play-based, Christian environment for children. The Childcare Worker is responsible for the well-being of the children under their care. For more information, click the button below or contact Kim Bowyer, Director of Children and Family Ministries, [email protected], 248-646-1200 ext. 3134.
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