Signs of Love in Action -
FUMC reached out in mission and service to the patients of Connecticut Valley Hospital on Sunday, April 29. Our choir and musicians performed in the chapel on the hospital campus. It was a wonderful time with beautiful, spiritual music and a great way to reach out to the patients in the hospital. Many thanks to Mariane Vogel, Gretchen Streiff, Jehwoo Ahn and the FUMC choir, including Cindy Barclay, Jill Bennett, Alma Clinton, Tom Fisher, Dara Parent, Bob Porter, Doris Swain, Jim Swain, Rachel Titus and Warren Western.

Mission Opportunity!
Space is available on a mission trip to Haiti. Join Stefanie Bennett and the Mountains of Hope team from November 2-9. The cost of the trip is approximately $1,400.00. For more information contact Stefanie Bennett at the church office (860) 346-3634.

Also don’t miss out on these fabulous small group opportunities, which are being offered…

• Coffee & Conversation – C&C – is a small group for young adults on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m. We will meet at Javapalooza on Main Street.
• United Methodist Social Principles Discussion – Do you know the United Methodist position on Abortion, Homosexuality, Environmental Issues, Immigration and other important social issues? Did you know the United Methodist Church even has opinions on these issues? We do and they will be debated and discussed during General Conference in April and May. We will learn about the United Methodist Social Principles and discuss beginning April 22nd. The class will meet during our Adult Education hour on Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m., following fellowship time, in the Brotherhood room. Stefanie Bennett will lead the group. If you would like a copy of the Social Principles you can get one from the church office.
  
  

Please call the church office if you need more information.

Ministry News ~Jill Bennett  

The First United Methodist Church (FUMC) has some long-standing traditions of missionary events. Here are just some of our many outreaches: 

• On the first Sunday of each month we collect cans of tuna and boxes of cereal to supply the Amazing Grace Food Pantry
• In the spring, the United Methodist Women's  Group collects supplies for 50 Health Kits and 50 SchoolBags to supply to Church World Services for their global disaster relief efforts. The kits are packed in boxes for shipping to areas of need all around the world. Many FUMC volunteers are needed to get all the boxes ready for pick-up by the Church World Services truck.
• The women's Sew 'n' Sew group annually makes gifts to be given at the Christmas Party that River Valley Services has for their clients. This year fleece scarves were made for the clients who attended the Christmas Party.

In 2011 FUMC became engaged in some new mission endeavors as follows:

• The first Middlesex Hospital sponsored Men's Health Day was hosted by FUMC. In addition to providing the space for the event, volunteers offered the men who participated a free hot meal and free underwear and socks. This event was so successful at providing health-screening services to uninsured men that the Middlesex Hospital has requested a repeat event this spring.
  
• This autumn FUMC hosted a Sunday night supper at the St. Vincent DePaul soup kitchen. Volunteers cooked a meal, delivered it to the soup kitchen and served it to the guests.
  
• Some of FUMC members took trips to Biloxi, MS and to Plattsville NY to help with rebuilding efforts after storm disasters destroyed so much in these areas.
  
• This year the Sew 'n' Sew group made comfort dolls to be sent to Haiti for the children who have been affected by the earthquake disaster.
  
• This year our church decided not to charge for hot cocoa and snacks at the Christmas Tree Light-Up ceremony on the South Green. There were many community members served by FUMC volunteers who baked snacks and served the hot chocolate. The community responded in kind by giving free will donations. This shared giving was a lovely start to the advent season!

This year some ideas for further community outreach are being discussed. In addition to all of the above endeavors, there has been interest in: 

• FUMC being one of the churches to host overnight shelter for the homeless people who overflow the regular shelter during the winter months.
  
• Volunteer visitors to shut-in church members to bring companionship and news from church.
  
• A minstrel group to visit shut-in church members to bring them music before major holidays or perhaps quarterly throughout the year.  

 

We greatly encourage you to serve using your God-given gifts within the church once you feel more comfortable here. We have opportunities for ushering, reading of scripture on Sunday mornings (serving as a lector), hosting fellowship hour, singing in the church choir, making items for outreach and mission work with our Sew 'n' Sew group, or joining either our United Methodist Men or United Methodist Women groups (see links above). We have sent mission teams to Biloxi Mississippi, and have helped people in Haiti. These are only some of the areas in which we would welcome your efforts and expertise. We also invite you to explore new projects that we have yet to try. Get involved today!