First United Methodist Church

Service Times

9am Contemporary | 11am Traditional

Family Devotions – Week of July 6

Friday, July 10


Thursday, July 9


Wednesday, July 8

Tune in each Wednesday night at 6pm, as we take a trip back in time to past VBS through the years. Join us for songs, skits, experiments, and more! We will feature a new VBS theme each week.

Previous Week’s:

Cave Quest – July 1, 2020

This week’s theme:

We are going back to 2015 with Everest VBS! Download the bible points and Everest Rock Candy Activity.


Tuesday, July 7

John 13:34 “Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Each Tuesday, let’s take time to bless someone. We can bless our family in fun easy ways that will make them feel special and happy! This week let’s bake!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 1C Butter (room temperature)
  • 1C Sugar
  • 1/2 C Brown Sugar
  • 2 1/2 C Flour
  • 2 beaten Eggs
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 C Chocolate Chips

First, wash your hands! & preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Use a hand mixer and cream together the butter and sugars. Add vanilla, eggs and water while mixing.

In another bowl, mix the flour, salt and soda. Gradually mix this into the wet ingredients until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop Tablespoons of the batter on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, take out of the oven and cool.


Monday, July 6

It’s Movie Monday! Join us on Rightnow Media to watch the following selection.

Jesus at the Temple of the Good Samaritan, Episode 9 – The Parable of the Good Samaritan 

Do you know what a Samaritan is? Do you think you could be one? Watch this story about the Good Samaritan and see the good deeds that he did. 

Devotion from Tonya Tolson, Diversity Committee Chair (July 3)

Emily

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

I am the proud mother of two kind and creative adult children. Nicholas is now 30 years old and Maya is 26.

When we lived in Harlem NYC, their father and I were fortunate to send Nick and Maya to a great public elementary school in the Upper Eastside.

When Maya was in first grade, one day she came home excitedly and asked me if she could have a playdate with Emily, a classmate learning with down syndrome experience.  As part of a NYC education program, special children like Emily were mainstreamed into classes like Maya’s.  But, unlike Maya, she would stay same teacher and teaching assistant for two years, instead of one.

When I called Emily’s mother to ask if a playdate was possible, to my surprise, she wept, and said that no student had ever asked Emily for a playdate.  Emotional, I confessed that since we lived in Harlem, children rarely came to our home from the Upper Eastside.  I told her, if it were easier for her, Maya and I could come to their home. She said no that wouldn’t be necessary.  Her husband, Emily’s father, would be happy to bring her over.

She had some reservations, though, and told me that there were a lot of things Emily was allergic to and could not eat, especially peanut butter.  If she had an allergic reaction, she would need a shot right away, or else there would be dire consequences.  She said she would provide me with the necessary medicine, just in case.  I reassured her that I would listen carefully and write down everything she told me to do.

When Emily arrived one afternoon with her father, our home was well prepared.  Her father, a kind and peaceful man, brought her pouch of juice, snacks, and medicine, and informed me that she had already eaten.  I asked him if would like to stay, and he said no.  He wanted to walk around Harlem, a place he always wanted to visit. 

Maya and I placed a quilt in the middle of our living room floor with some toys and games for Emily and Maya to play.  I also sat with them a bit to see if they needed anything,  I don’t remember Emily talking an awful lot, but what I do remember the most was feeling her infectious joy.  Also, for me, it felt like we were all somehow communicating, telepathically.  Emily was so happy to be with us, and Maya and I were overjoyed to be in her company and to have her in our home.  The love and joy was so magical that at times it brought me to tears.

I learned so much from Emily and Maya that day.  Because of who they were as little girls, I experienced, for an eternal moment, what it means to be a child entering the kingdom of heaven.

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

~Tonya Tolson, Diversity Committee Chair

A Message from Pastor David

Dear Church Family,  

I am writing to let you know about several job eliminations that occurred within our church staff this week.  

As I mentioned at our Town Hall meeting last week, we are currently in a season of restructuring. This was made necessary by the unexpected Pandemic and season of isolation that has followed. In preparation, our church leadership spent several months reflecting on who God has called us to be as a church as well as the different ways doing church has changed in this new season. Ultimately, they arrived at reducing the staff budget by 15%. We feel this will help us be faithful in our stewardship of the church family.  

We recognize this reduction impacts real people and their families; known, loved and cherished members of our Church community. Each of these men and woman have faithfully served our church family. They have blessed us and contributed to the foundation of ministry that serves our community. We are grateful for the work they have done. We grieve at their departure from our paid staff and pray for them. In the interests of confidentiality, we are unable to celebrate them publicly in the way we would have preferred and they rightly deserve.  

In the coming weeks, we will be in prayerful consideration of the future of these ministries. We invite the lay leaders of these ministries to share their sense of God’s calling for the future. Please be in prayer for sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  

Thank you for all you are doing to support our family. Thank you for your prayers. May God bless us in the coming days.  

Peace,
Pastor David Miller

Inua Highlight

This key mission continues to serve, learn, and grow in its ministry to young adults in Kenya! Here are a few important updates:

  • 220 youth have started the fourth cycle of the Inua program.
  • This program is the first using the accelerated 2-year cycle approach.
  • Through the temporary closing of the salon connected training program due to Covid, Inua youth were able to remain employed by reworking the business and marketing plans to ensure continued growth in the future.
  • The Inua team is busy working on new fundraising opportunities for 2020 with the Inua 5k being postponed to spring ‘21.
  • Lauren Berlin, our Program Director, has done a wonderful job staying in touch with current partners and sharing the great work Inua continues to do.