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Breakthrough Prayer
God, dispel my casual attitude about following Jesus, and may your Spirit's power motivate me to enlist in whatever spiritual training I need to become battle ready on your behalf. Amen.
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GOOD NEWS!
Elevator Update
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We are happy to report that after weeks of searching for long-outdated parts, the elevator is operational again!
Please note that the elevator will be out of commission for several days in the early Fall to modernize it and bring it up to code.
| | Helpers are needed for the first Food for Kids distribution of the new school year. Food boxes will be packed in the Multipurpose Room on Monday, August 24, beginning at 12:00 p.m., and delivered to the schools on Tuesday, August 25, at 8:30 a.m. For more information, please contact Cara Weigel (rcweigel@comcast.net). | | Would you like to know more about the United Methodist Church and especially First Church? Join us for First Church 101 on Sunday, September 6, after the 11:00 a.m. services to learn more about all the ministries and missions happening in and through FUMC. We will meet in the Welcome Center at 12:00 p.m. Wear your walking shoes! We will take a tour of our campus, meet church staff, and answer your questions. We look forward to sharing this time with you! Contact Pastor Denna (dhornby@fumcor.org) for more information. | | |
Join the Senior Adult Luncheon on September 16 at noon in the Fellowship Hall. The cost is $15, and reservations are due by September 10. Call the church office at 865-483-4357 to reserve your spot today!
The September presentation is by Randy Hemann. Randy has been City Manager in Oak Ridge since November 1, 2023. Since his arrival, the City has adopted a Strategic Plan, completed improvements to facilities such as the Library and City Council Chambers, and begun planning repairs to the pool and construction of a new Animal Shelter and Fire Station. Randy also helped form the Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation that has attracted over $10 billion in investments and will generate 3,000 new jobs. He has also been involved in steering the community to create forward-looking plans to guide and encourage future improvements.
Before coming to Oak Ridge, Randy spent almost 40 years in City Management and downtown development in multiple North Carolina communities including Mooresville, High Point, Oxford, Salisbury, Kinston, and Benson. He led projects for new police and fire stations, parks, and libraries, and a $36 million baseball stadium. In Salisbury, he led two downtown master plans that resulted in over $70 million in investment and the designation as one of 10 Great Neighborhoods in the US by the American Planning Association.
Randy is a native of Huntington, West Virginia. He earned a BA in Political Science at Marshall University and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from East Carolina University. Randy has been married to his wife, Paula, for 40 years, and they have one son and three grandchildren.
| | Senior Travelers September Trip | | |
Are you interested in taking a monthly day trip from Oak Ridge to area destinations and events? Join our first “Senior Travelers” event visiting the Mennonite community at Muddy Pond, TN, on September 17. Our neighbors in Muddy Pond will be making sorghum the old-fashioned way—with a horse and cane press. We will see a demonstration of sorghum making, be able to taste some, and have the ability to purchase it as well. There is also a variety store, leather shop, Muddy Mug coffee shop, and "The Country Porch" where we can have lunch. There is no fee for this trip, so just bring cash for lunch or any goods that you would like to purchase. Many homemade items will be available for purchase at the Muddy Pond businesses. Some of the shops take credit cards, but cash works best at the Pond.
We will depart our parking lot at 9:00 a.m. on September 17. Our goal is to return by midafternoon. We have 14 seats available on the church bus. Please email Pastor Denna at dhornby@fumcor.org to reserve a seat.
| | Young Adult Leadership Group | | |
We celebrate this small group studying The 21st Century Christian by Michael Moynaugh and Michael Adam Beck, led by Pastor Denna. This group is composed of (mostly younger than 30 years old) United Methodist leaders in the making!
Our study has included profound discussions on showing Christ’s love in practical ways, building relationships, sharing the story of Jesus, and the forms of Christian community. Specific conversations have surrounded doing good, meeting people where they are, providing safe spaces, and what expressions of church look like.
This group dedicated themselves to study and dialogue. Please give them your gratitude and support as they continue to grow into the people that God is creating them to be!
Pictured:
Johnson Dhanasekaran, Kali Bargiel, Fiona Boyd, Robyn Maker, Julia Sedgwick, Duncan Frazier, Josh Sumter, Ben Vaigneur, Mallory Vaigneur, and Ella Morton. Not Pictured: Clayton Scarborough, Sarah Lively.
| | Music Ministry Happenings | | Starting this Sunday in the traditional services, you may be wondering where the adult choir has gone after the processional hymn. If you turn your head to the right, you'll see them there in the West transept. This change is due to the ADA noncompliance of our altar and choir loft. Discussions are underway about how best to make the altar and choir loft accessible to all people regardless of physical ability. Until a solution is reached, our adult choir will sing from the transept and warm up in the chapel so that all our singers can fully participate. Making the altar and choir loft ADA-compliant will help us live more fully into our church's welcome statement. | | Bible Study Opportunities | | |
The Open Loft is back! If you are a youth in 7th-12th grades, you and your friends are invited to hang out in the Loft any Wednesday afternoon that school is in session between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. Youth can relax, work on homework, play games, and enjoy one another's company.
Student Lunches are in full swing! All Juniors and Seniors are invited to First Church each Thursday at 11:00 a.m. for a hot meal. Lunch is $4/person, but no one is ever turned away.
The Youth Group meets each Sunday afternoon from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Loft.
For more information about youth activities or other Next Gen Ministries, contact Billy Price (bprice@fumcor.org) or CJ Huskey (nextgenassistant@fumcor.org).
| | Connect with Realm Connect | | |
Through First Church's new Church Management System, Realm Connect, you are able to update and add personal information on your own, upload profile pictures, view financial statements and giving at any time, and see pictures and contact information for other church members (an online, on-demand church directory)!
Follow the links below to get signed up and for step-by-step directions in setting up your Realm Connect account. If you have questions, call the church office (1-865-483-4357) anytime during regular business hours.
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The Oak Ridge Girl Scout service unit (ORSU) is pairing with Funds2orgs to do a community-wide service project. The project involves collecting used/discarded shoes. This has the environmental impact of removing shoes from the landfills and recycling them for reuse globally. The project has the potential to earn some funds, which the ORSU will designate for TORCH, the local organization supporting the homeless.
The formal shoe collection began August 1. If you are "spring" cleaning or discarding usable shoes, please bring them to the collection bin in First Church's Welcome Center.
The ORSU goal is to collect 2,500 gently worn, used, and new shoes, which is about 2,500 lbs. of waste kept out of landfills that will also earn $1,000 for TORCH! So start collecting and spreading the word.
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August Special Offering -
Music Ministry
| | For the month of August, the special offering benefits our church's music ministry. We are blessed each week with talented musicians—both paid and volunteer—who commit their time and talents to enhance our worship of God, benefit our church, and serve our community. While even modest music ministries require a surprising amount of funding, ours is a vital and multi-faceted ministry that offers opportunities for singers and instrumentalists of all ages and abilities. We have a huge variety of services, events, and projects planned that will inevitably require some funding outside the provisions of the normal budget. A peek at some of the planned events can be found in Harold Hartman's most recent Church Council report. Your gifts to the special offering will help us keep our ministry going so that we can continue to bless you all and the community in new and exciting ways. We are so grateful for your support! If you would like to support the August Special Offering, follow the link below or mail a check to: First UMC, 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Notate “monthly offering” in the memo line. | |
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Worship for August 23
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
Scripture Readings:
Matthew 16: 13-20
Romans 12: 1-8
Psalm 138
Isaiah 51: 1-6
8: 45 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship - Sanctuary
11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship - Multipurpose Room
Preaching: Rev. Denna Hornby
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In Celebration
Please help welcome Aidy Mae Price, born to Billy and Lara Price on August 15, 2026. Big brothers Eden, Woods, Graham, and Merrick are excited to welcome baby Aidy into the world!
In Sympathy
Please be in prayer for the family and friends of Phyllis Jacobson, who joined FUMC on May 10, 1959, and died on April 30, 2026. A celebration of life will be held at FUMC at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 22. The family will receive friends beginning at 10:30 a.m.
In the Hospital
None that we are aware of at this time.
Dismissed
Linda Battle
Donnie Macklin
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Offering 8-10-2026 through 8-16-2026: $43,034.70
2026 YTD Offering: $916,091
2025 YTD Offering: $878,482
August Special Offering (Music): $13,880
Thank you to all of you who mail in your financial gifts or continue to give online.
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