Opportunities To Serve The Community | | |
We are pleased to share that we will be launching our first-ever Summer Shoppe in June of 2025. The focus of this Shoppe will be to provide food and hygiene items to families referred to us by local school systems. Summer is particularly challenging for many families facing food insecurity, as fewer resources are available to assist them during the summer months. If you would like to sponsor a family, $200 will cover the cost of food and hygiene supplies for a family of 4 to 6, or you may contribute an amount of your choosing. We are appreciative of every donation.
If you would like to make a physical donation*, we are looking for the following items:
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Laundry Pods
Bob's Laundromat Gift Cards
Razors
Toothpaste
Deodorant
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Shampoo
Conditioner
Body Wash
Bar Soap
African American Hair Care products
| | *If you are making a donation of any of the goods listed above, please drop them off in the Shoppes Room, which is 306. | | The Wednesday evening Community Meal Team is in need of dishwashers and cooks. This is a fun group that is doing a lot of good. If you are able to help, please contact Tere Murchio at 973-800-4880 or by email at tmurchio@gmail.com. Thank you! | | |
The Morgan-Scott Project is a mission of FUMC that provides food for those in need in Morgan County.
We receive food from Second Harvest Food Bank on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The Monday and Wednesday deliveries are stored in the Church Mission Room. All of that food, along with the Friday delivery, is loaded on the church box truck and taken to the Morgan-Scott Project at Deer Lodge. Monday and Wednesday, we start moving the delivery into the Mission Room at around 9:00 a.m. and are usually done by 10:30 a.m. Friday starts at 8:00 a.m. for packing and loading, and is also done by 10:30 a.m. Those making the delivery to Deer Lodge are usually back about noon.
We currently need two or three people that are able to help one day a week. Ladies and gentlemen are welcome, but must be able to lift and carry boxes weighing 30 pounds. We try to keep a three person crew each day, so lifting the occasional heavier box can be shared.
For more information or to volunteer, please contact Ted Willgrubs at 414-852-7006.
| | Buddy Benches and Bottle Caps | | |
Four years ago, FUMC, in partnership with the Kiwanis Club of Tellico Village, started collecting plastic bottle caps for the club's “Buddy Benches” program. To date, FUMC has received five "Buddy Benches." Additionally, “Buddy Benches” have been installed in seven other Oak Ridge locations. A bench requires 200 pounds of bottled caps plus a $425 donation to cover the cost of manufacturing and transporting the bench. FUMC’s support for the “Buddy Bench” ministry has prevented an estimated 3,600 pounds of plastic from being sent to local landfills.
Maxine Schultz has been coordinating FUMC’s efforts to collect plastic bottle caps and transfer the bottle caps to the Kiwanis “Buddy Bench” Coordinator. Soon, however, Maxine and Bob will no longer have the facilities to continue collecting and transferring the collected plastic bottle caps. Thus, FUMC needs a new Bottle Cap Coordinator. For additional information, please contact Maxine or Bob Schultz by email (maxbob38@comcast.net), phone (865-482-0080), or text (865-719-3230). Thanks be to God for the support of this congregation and our many friends and partners.
| | Raleigh Ringers in Concert | | |
Please plan to join us next Saturday, June 21, at 3:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room for a free concert given by the Raleigh Ringers.
Founded in 1990, The Raleigh Ringers is an Emmy-nominated, internationally-acclaimed concert handbell choir based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The group has been dazzling audiences with unique interpretations of sacred, secular, and popular music, including rock ‘n’ roll tunes for which the group has become noted, along with original compositions written specifically for The Raleigh Ringers.
Under the direction of David M. Harris, The Raleigh Ringers has performed in 39 States and the District of Columbia, as well as in France, England, and Canada. They have also appeared live on the nationally syndicated “Bob and Tom Show” radio show and on the “Hour of Power” at the Crystal Cathedral in California. In addition to eight albums, The Raleigh Ringers has released two full-length holiday concert videos.
The Raleigh Ringers performs on one of the most extensive collections of bells and bell-like instruments owned by any handbell ensemble in the world. The current grand total is 35 octaves composed of 377 individual pieces of equipment. To hear a sample of The Raleigh Ringers’ music, to see a concert schedule, or to learn more about the group, visit their website. Please contact Josh Sumter (jsumter@fumcor.org) for more information.
| | New Grief Support Group Begins in July | | |
The death of a loved one impacts every dimension of our lives. Trying to avoid the impact of such a loss only deepens our loneliness and sense of isolation. But there is a way toward healing and hope when we join with others who are grieving and willing to help “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) in a safe, confidential setting.
Beginning Thursday, July 17, FUMC will offer a 7-week Grief Support Group for those who have lost loved ones or suffered other losses. The group will meet each Thursday, from July 17 through August 28, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m., in Room 203.
Co-facilitators of the Grief Support groups are Gielda Reese, a retired school teacher who lost a 14-year old daughter to cancer, and retired pastor Bob Cantrell. The public is invited to attend. Attendance is limited. Registration is encouraged. For more information or to register, contact Pastor Ken Sauer at (865) 483-3675 or ksauer@fumcor.org.
| | Chapel Pipe Organ Project | |
 | | As you have passed by the chapel for the past few weeks, you may have noticed the doors are closed more often than usual. This is because the chapel is currently undergoing a transformation. In May, a team of volunteers travelled to Chapel Hill, NC, to dismantle and transport a small pipe organ for our chapel. It is this organ that lies in parts across the Chapel. On June 7th, another team of volunteers removed the altar platform at the far end of the chapel to make room for the pipe organ installation and to allow for maximum flexibility in the space. Milnar Organ Company, the firm that maintains our sanctuary organ, will send someone on Monday, July 28, to help guide yet another team of volunteers to reconstruct the organ in our chapel. Once the organ is installed, the chapel will be rearranged to maximize usable space and encourage greater use of our beautiful chapel. Please email Josh Sumter (jsumter@fumcor.org) if you have any questions or would like to volunteer to assist with the next phases of the project. In the meantime, your patience is appreciated as the project continues.
| | | |  | Camp Wesley Woods is excited to announce that due to the high demand, we are opening an additional 1-Week Basecamp-Mini Session, July 6-11! Campers in grades 4-10 will run, swim, climb, play, and most importantly - grow closer to God at summer camp. For more information or to sign up, visit our website or call our office (865-448-2246). We look forward to seeing you in the Woods. | | |
June Special Missions Offering -
Family Resource Center
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This month’s special offering will benefit the Family Resource Center of Oak Ridge. Housed in Willow Brook and Glenwood Elementary Schools, the Family Resource Center (FRC) offers a wide variety of services to our Oak Ridge Schools students and their families. Student programs include Food for Kids (which is organized and coordinated by volunteers here at FUMC, along with volunteers from other churches), school supplies, a clothing closet, and tutoring programs. The FRC also offers community resource networking, case management, and emergency assistance to families in need, covering rent, utilities, medications, gasoline, food, clothing, and transportation. Other adult programs include parenting and budgeting classes, as well as job skills and resume assistance.
According to the FRC’s website, its mission “is to assist 'at-risk’ children and their families in the prevention and eradication of problems that interfere with their ability to become fully functioning and independent members of their community.”
The Family Resource Center is a vital community resource right here in Oak Ridge. Please give generously to support its crucial mission!
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Worship for June 15
Trinity Sunday
Scripture Readings:
Proverbs 8: 1, 22-31
Psalm 8
John 16: 12-15
Acts 8: 26-39
Romans 5: 1-8
8:45 & 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship - Sanctuary
11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship - Multipurpose Room
Preaching: Rev. Clair Sauer, Rev. Ken Sauer
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In Sympathy
Christian love and sympathy are extended to the family of Rodney and Denise Anderberg following the death of Rodney's mother, Dawn, on May 28, 2025.
In the Hospital
None that we are aware of at this time.
Dismissed
Jerry Johnson
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Our Giving
Offering 6-2-2025 through 6-8-2025: $43,920
2025 YTD Offering: $648,259
2024 YTD Offering: $595,753
June Monthly Special Offering: $1,261
Thank you to all of you who mailed in your financial gifts or continued to give online.
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