Baptism of the Lord

Scriptures

Acts 10:34-43

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

"Washed By The Water"
Allison Merrill

First United Methodist Church
11am

                 Navigating in a changing world we step into the community with faith as Jesus followers.
​​

​NYAC-We are grateful! We were taken by surprise by our DS last Sunday during our fellowship hour. As you know we are asking for contribution for matching funds of $250 per pledging unit up to $20,000. The Bishop and Cabinet have matched the funds given by the generosity of Tom and Alice Macy to honor my husband David. Please do not give up on your efforts! We need to continue our capitol campaign for necessary mission and building funds. 

​Awaken the Spirit Sunday Mornings Study 9:30 beginning January 19th-where will the light of the Lord lead us in mission 2020. What gifts will you bring/share with our neighbors. Grab a coffee and meet in the classroom. All should attend.

​Trustees Committee – will be meeting on Wednesday, January 15th, at 6:30pm, Thelma Blake's home. Our priority details will be reviewed.

​Human Relations Day – is January 19th.  Gifts to Human Relations Day Sunday support the Community Developers Program and community advocacy through United Methodist Voluntary Services, related to the General Board of Global Ministries, and at-risk teens through the Youth Offender Rehabilitation program, General Board of Church and Society.

​27th Annual Dr Martin Luther King Jr Birthday Celebration-Monday January 20, @ 12:30pm South Congregational Church. Keynote Speaker-Reverend Robert K Hoggard. 

​ 

Are you feeling empty and know that life must have a greater meaning?
Do you want to be part of a growing Church where you are family,
and everyone knows your name?
Then come as you are, bring your family, and worship outdoors,
May 20th – 10 am
as we consecrate our new property on the
corner of Tuttle and Newfield Streets-Middletown CT.
(RAIN LOCATION - Elk's Club, Middletown, CT)
First United Methodist Church
something is happening here!

Days for Girls ​is an organization that provides quality sustainable feminine hygiene kits and education to girls and women in over 75 countries to help reverse the cycle of poverty.  Activities include sewing, ironing, folding, snapping, prepping, etc. Fabric donations are also appreciated. There are no requirements to participate, besides a desire to do so. All are welcome and encouraged to participate. The Sew 'n' Sews meet the second Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m. at Heritage Commons.  Bring a brown bag lunch and join us in supporting this wonderful mission!

Our thanks to everyone for a joy-filled Easter celebration, with bright Easter joy rolling away the stone of our doubts and fears in the light of Christ's resurrection! Flowers, families, young adults, long-time members, wonderful music - what could be better than to experience faith with such warmth and hope. See our photos below.
Easter is just the start of getting our faith rolling for the year. We invite you to keep your Easter joy rolling in the days and weeks ahead:

• Add prayer to your daily life; a devotional reading like The Upper Room can help you to get started.
• Join a study or prayer group.
• Ask about how you can participate in our worship and mission teams
• Share your faith life at home and in our community.
• Reach out for the help that you need to let God heal the dark places in your life.
• Help others to find new light. Listen to them, pray with them, and invite them to worship.

Take it all at your own pace, but remember, Jesus didn't stop at the door of the tomb - Jesus kept on walking. And so can we, a day at a time!

First UMC Middletown worship is great, isn't it? Well, how do we explain this to the world? How can we tell how warm, fulfilling and hopeful our church can be?

This video, posted on both YouTube and our Facebook page, tells the story of a typical day of worship and fellowship at our church. It shows how we grow from an empty room to a people filled with faith, empty the room, and then bring our faith and fellowship to our parsonage. It captures the life of our church, which you can share with others online, and in person. We have a GREAT church, one that seeks to bring God glory every day. Share that joy with others - by sharing this video and all of our messages of hope for the world.

This Easter, when the eggs are found and the baskets are unwrapped, will you still be hunting for something more?
We invite you to get something more from our Easter celebration, filled with joy and meaning, and leave your emptiness behind!
Bring yourself, or invite along family, friends, and neighbors, so that we can all come together to celebrate a life of hope that our faith offers us. You'll discover people who will welcome you warmly, and invite you to explore faith in your own way at your own pace.
Our Easter Sunday Services is April 16th at 10AM, st the Crystal Ballroom, 44 Maynard Street, in Middletown. Come as you are, leave with joy, and consider God's invitation at Easter to a life filled with hope!

PHOTO SLIDESHOW AT BOTTOM OF POST
​
First UMC Middletown had a very special worship celebration this Sunday, as our guest Rev. Ken Kieffer, our outgoing NYAC CT District Superintendent, offered a powerful sermon on Jesus' conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42) which Rev. Ken titled "Trauma Queen." His sermon was a remarkable testimony to the experiences of his own life that invite us to put our own lives' traumas into perspective through faith. A beautiful themed altarscape graced our worship space, and wonderful music and witnesses to grace completed a vibrant morning of faith. Rev. Ken got a sense of what worship is like at "that church at the Elks Club," and he was duly impressed!

After worship, we hopped over to our parsonage for our annual Church Conference chaired by Rev. Ken, which celebrated the life of the church as we conducted our annual business. We lifted up our successful ministries, new ministries being led by Sharon Riley, Jill Bennett, and Rossana Barnaby, our new members, our improved fiscal outlook, and our progress towards purchasing land for a new worship center. We also discussed new global mission projects that we can support that offer God's hope around the world. We have much to be grateful for as we enter the new year, having crossed through the "desert" of transition from our old worship space, and as we prepare to cross the Jordan into a new promised land of growing faith in Middletown. May our horns blow loud and clear at the city's walls! We wish Rev. Ken all the best in his new upcoming assignment, and we thank him for his heartfelt support.

A joyful ​Christmas Concert from "A Wrinkle in Time" will warm the First UMC Middletown 221 Ridge Road parsonage on December 11th, at 3pm.  The concert will be the trio of Marsha Judson, Jerry Jacques and Nancy Fightlin.  Please come and join in this festive time of year.  Please see Marsha Judson for more information. 

Our thanks to everyone who made our Fall Harvest Fair a great success! We had many friends of First UMC Middletown helping and stopping by to look at beautiful hand-crafted gifts and foods, as well as many neighbors and old acquaintances from the community. We are grateful for everyone's contributions, and for all of the joy that warmed up our parsonage on a cool November day. 

Looking for great gifts and treats for your holidays? You and your friends can enjoy a wonderful visit to our Fall Harvest Fair,  at our 221 Ridge Road parsonage on Saturday, Saturday November 12, 9am-2pm. You will find:
 

• Bake Shoppe, Sweet Shoppe, Country Cheese,
• Sew 'n' Sew, Hand Crafted items, Jewelry,
• Silent Auction,
• Christmas Corner and more

It's an open-house tradition at First UMC Middletown that we hope that you and your friends will enjoy. Stop on by, enjoy the fellowship, and celebrate with us our joy for the fullness of the season that God has brought us!