SPECIAL NOTE: Assuming there is no rain today, the office and Vienna Road parking lots will be resealed and repainted. These lots will be inaccessible throughout the day on Friday, August 1, and possibly into Saturday. Please utilize the parking available at the Chamber of Commerce, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, or Faith Lutheran Church if you need to access FUMC today and tomorrow. | | Interactive Worship Starts Sunday | | Beginning this Sunday, August 3, we will have a 4-week sermon series focused on the Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition. Throughout this series, we will worship together through intergenerational, interactive experiences. Conversational messages between the pastors will be reinforced with opportunities for personal reflection and prayer stations. There will be time to get to know each other better and connect more deeply with our Creator as we worship together. Please contact Pastor Clair (csauer@fumcor.org) for more information. We are excited to grow with you through this special worship experience! | | |
Burgers and Bluegrass tickets are all sold out! But if you were hoping to support First Recovery at this fundraising event on September 21, you may be able to buy tickets at the door, weather permitting. Watch for more information as the event approaches.
Even if you aren't able to make it to Burgers and Bluegrass, you can still support First Recovery and the new endowment that will provide enduring funds for this vital ministry. A few weeks ago, a challenge was issued from a donor who will match every dollar donated up to $50,000. We are already over halfway there! Only $22,800 is needed to seed the First Recovery endowment with $100,000!
If you would like to donate to the First Recovery Endowment, follow this link (enter the amount you wish to donate in the "Fundraising Events - First Recovery Endowment" line).
Thank you for helping us secure the impact of First Recovery for years to come!
| | The FUMC Young Adults Sunday School class is hosting their first event, the "Glizzy Gala," this Sunday, August 3, at 1:00 p.m. Join them on the front lawn for hot dogs, treats, lawn games, and lively conversation. The Young Adults group is for congregants in their 20s and 30s, but anyone is welcome to come and enjoy food and fellowship as we bid farewell to the not-so-end of summer! | | |
Youth Sunday School occurs in the loft weekly at 10:00 a.m. and will be led by young adult teachers, Clayton Scarborough, Fiona Boyd, and Shane Miller. One more teacher is needed, so if you would like to help, please contact Pastor Denna (dhornby@fumcor.org). Curriculum is provided.
Our senior high youth group leaders met and decided to change the time for youth group meetings. We will meet for youth group on Sunday afternoons from 3:00–5:00 p.m. Fellowship time is from 3:00–4:00 p.m., with a lesson and prayer station from 4:00– 5:00 p.m. This new schedule allows families to have lunch together before youth group begins, while also allowing young drivers to get home before nightfall.
Additionally, Senior High youth will meet after school for coffee at Starbucks on Mondays from 3:00–4:00 p.m.
If you feel a call in your life to help with our youth ministry, please reach out to Pastor Denna (dhornby@fumcor.org).
| | Coffee in the Community Is Back at Calamity's | | The Emory Valley Center ladies look over sale items. | | |
Dottie Thompson decided it was time to send her daughter, Cathy, and Cathy’s housemates from the Emory Valley Center for a weekend getaway in the mountains, because it had been twelve years since their last vacation. Dottie’s idea was simple—collect donated items and set up a booth at the Oak Ridge Flea Market to fund the trip. She never expected the response she got from the people of First Church. Multiple rooms in Dottie’s home were filled with donated items—fine china, books, toys, sports equipment, you name it! “The generosity and goodwill from the Church have been overwhelming,” Dottie says. In addition to numerous items, Dottie has also received monetary donations and even a mountain cabin for the women to enjoy during their getaway. Special thanks to Elaine Graham, who volunteered her estate sale and auction services and expertise to ensure the sale would be a success, which it was. The sale generated over $2,200, with some larger items still to be auctioned!
“The ladies will get their vacation,” Dottie celebrated. For the first time in twelve years, thanks in great part to the generosity of FUMC, Cathy and her friends at the Emory Valley Center will enjoy a vacation this fall in Gatlinburg.
| | New Stephen Ministry Training | |
August Special Offering -
First Recovery
| | This month’s special offering will benefit the First Recovery ministry. Though we are in the midst of a fundraiser to establish an endowment for First Recovery, this monthly offering will support First Recovery's ongoing services. First Recovery offers help, hope, and healing to individuals struggling with substance misuse disorder. Ministries like First Recovery show us how faith-based healing, recovery coaching, and peer encouragement can be transformative. They offer a blueprint of second chances rooted in spiritual care and human dignity. First Recovery is a vital and growing ministry that serves a significant need in our community. Your support is greatly appreciated! | |
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Worship for August 3
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Scripture Readings:
Luke 9: 57-62
8:45 & 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship - Sanctuary
11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship - Multipurpose Room
Preaching: Rev. Clair Sauer, Rev. Denna Hornby
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In Sympathy
FUMC mourns the loss of Sue Ward, mother of First Church's former Director of Music, Tim Ward. We ask for prayers for Tim, Terri, and all of Sue's family and friends. A funeral service will be held in Durham, NC, this Saturday, August 2. Sue's obituary can be viewed here.
In the Hospital
Jerry Johson
Discharged
Terrell Horne
Janice Lovelace
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Offering 7-21-2025 through 7-27-2025: $11,881.93
2025 YTD Offering: $810,641
2024 YTD Offering: $747,686
July Monthly Special Offering (Second Harvest Food Bank): $2,145
Thank you to all of you who mailed in your financial gifts or continued to give online.
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