Category: Mission - First United Methodist Church, Middletown, CT

School Supplies Needed!

8/17/2018

It’s that time of year! As students prepare to go back to school, there are some who do not have access to the necessary school supplies. We are asking for donations of school supplies like: pencils, erasers, crayons, pencil boxes, notebooks, backpacks, etc. for our youth attending the Middletown Public Schools. We can help by providing some of these basic supplies to support our local families within our community. Please bring your donations to church August 19th & 26th. Help support our local schools and ensure that all students have the resources to be successful this school year!

Days for Girls Mission Embraced by Sew 'n' Sews

6/28/2017

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!

Thank you Sew 'n' Sews!

Help David Hurlburt's Mission Project Team!

6/26/2017

We thank David Hurlburt, our pianist Patty Hurlburt's son, for his musical contributions to our worship services, and for his devotion to Christian service. David is planning to join a mission trip to Mingo County, West Virginia, one of the poorest counties in the Appalachian Mountains region of our country, from July 30th – August 6th, with a team of 14 (11 high schoolers and 3 leaders).

David says, "I am excited to go to Mingo County, West Virginia on a mission trip this summer.I want to help the people there who are in poverty, and however God wants to use me.I would appreciate your support and prayers." Mission trips like David's help to change young lives in ways that bring them to Christ in powerful ways.

Please offer your prayers for David, and, if you can, please make a contribution to his mission team's financial goal to support their mission from donations. Thank you, and good luck, David!

Donate to David's Mission Team

Send the message of faith in Pentecost!

6/3/2017

You know from our Pentecost worship service how important is it to share faith with others - people who we invite through God's Holy Spirit to join us in worship are the logs that our faith is meant to set afire in Christ, so that we can be a strong and faith-filled church. We are here not just to sustain one another in faith - we are here to transform the world through faith!

In your Sunday church bulletin we included a greeting card. We encourage you to send it to someone who you know needs to be touched by faith - not necessarily a friend, but someone who you know needs to be touched by God. The card is attractive, and it should make it easy for you to touch one person or one family with the invitation to be present in the warmth of God's love this summer.

Do you know ONE person or family who needs to be touched by God? For the price of a postage stamp - or less- you can encourage that person to be transformed by God through our church.

If you want to send this card to MORE people, feel free -below is the Microsoft Word file to print it out. Ask the church office for help if you need it. If you're visiting this post as a member of another church, feel free to adapt this design to your own outreach efforts. A church on fire is a church that invites other people to be set on fire. Let's do it!

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Facing Opioid Abuse: You Can Help to Spread God's Hope

5/31/2017

When [the man possessed by demons] saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" ~ Luke 8:28

Good people can be possessed by powers greater than themselves that drive them to insanity, and death. In Jesus' time, people saw these powers as demons. Today, we are afraid to call out the demons that affect our loved ones - until, sometimes, it is too late. Addiction to prescription drugs, especially opioid painkillers, is sweeping through our community like wildfire, and leading people to cheaper and more dangerous "street drugs" such as impure heroin.

What does Jesus have to do with opioid abuse? It is up to us to answer the Gerasene demonaic's question to Jesus through faith, for today's people in need. On Wednesday, June 14th, at 6.30PM in the Elks Lodge Crystal Ballroom, First United Methodist Church Middletown is hosting Ginger Katz, a renowned national speaker on the effects of drug overdoses on everyday families like hers.

The death of her son by drug overdose is repeated again and again in our community, and has touched families in our church. Our hospitals, schools, social programs and law enforcement can do only so much to help these people in need. We can help through letting people who we know hear Ginger Katz' words of love and hope, to refer people who hear her to appropriate support, and to pray with them for healing and hope.

HOW TO HELP
Please join our Brighter Visions ministry team in spreading the word about this event. You can print the poster below to give to friends and family, or email it to them. You can pray for the success of this event. You can attend the event, and let people know that you're attending on Facebook. You can share this link to the event summary/

The power of God in Jesus released the Gerasene demonaic from his demons. Though faith and devoted service to our community, we can help God do the same, today.

Get the Event Poster

First UMC Middletown Hosts National Speaker on Drug Abuse

5/12/2017

Ginger Katz, a renowned national speaker and author, will tell the very moving story of how drug abuse killed her son, and discuss how we can prevent such tragedies, at a community forum in Middletown on Wednesday, June 14th, from 6:30PM. to 8:30PM, in the Elks Lodge Crystal Ballroom, 44 Maynard Street, The event is sponsored by the Brighter Visions community outreach and support program of First United Methodist Church, Middletown, in cooperation with Elks Lodge #771. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to speak with event coordinators afterwards for prayer and referrals.

Prescription painkiller abuse is at record levels today, affecting families in Middletown, Connecticut and elsewhere with overdoses, deaths, and ruined lives as never before. Virginia (“Ginger”) Katz knows the heartbreaking truth behind those statistics - she lost her son Ian to a drug overdose in 1996, and founded The Courage to Speak Foundation, Inc., to spread her personal story of loss and renewed hope to parents, children, teens, and adults of all ages.

Ginger’s story is like the story of so many families. "Ian hid his pain.” she said. “I tell all the kids, "Get it out! Don't bury it! There are people out there able to help. If you can talk to your parents, do so. If not, find three adults you can trust who will help you sort things out". Communication is the key to the solution, she observes, and she offers many practical approaches to courageous conversations in the family that can help to break the cycle of drug abuse and denial.

“Whether you are someone with a loved one who you know is abusing painkillers or other drugs, or whether you are just concerned for them or others in our community, this evening can be a turning point for you,” said Barbara Marks, Pastor of First United Methodist Church Middletown. “People in our own church community have lost loved ones very recently to drug overdoses - it can happen to anyone, at any time. We are here to help people to find the strength for a brighter vision of their future.”

Download Event Poster

NYAC Leader David Gilmore Leads Worship this Sunday

5/10/2017

This Sunday, May 14th, will be a very special day in the life of our church. Our 10AM worship service will be blessed with the preaching and inspiring leadership of Rev. David Gilmore. Reverend Gilmore is appointed to the cabinet of the New York Conference as the Director of Church Development and Revitalization. In this role he is responsible for planting new churches; identifying, equipping and empowering emerging leaders (clergy and laity); supporting and nurturing the creation of new ministries; offering one-on-one consultations with churches; and, providing consultations and recommendations for churches seeking to become vital.

Rev. Gilmore is excited to be meeting us, and will be seeking an understanding of our church's commitment to dynamic new growth. We encourage everyone who if a member or friend of the church to hear and to speak to Rev. Gimore, so that the good work that we have started in bringing new life to our church may come to full fruit!

Still hunting for Easter joy? Keep it rolling with us!

4/18/2017

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!

Welcome Middletown's New Refugee Family!

4/6/2017

Our church's participation in the Middletown Refugee Resettlement Coalition continues, as the coalition welcomes a new refugee family to our community. Our latest family comes from Syria, and their young children will appreciate gifts of children's books especially. Best age ranges: 1-4 years.

The family will also benefit from gift cards for local grocery stores and pharmacies for food and general supplies. The family follows "Halal" guidelines for their foods (similar to Kosher food guidelines), to the gift cards will allow them to make the most appropriate choices according to their traditions.

If you have any donations for the family, or questions about how you may participate in the coalition's work, please contact John Blossom

UMCOR Sunday: One great hour of sharing changes the world

3/24/2017

United Methodist Committee on Relief - UMCOR - makes sure that every cent contributed to relief efforts goes to those relief missions - and not administrative overhead. How does UMCOR do it? Once a year, UMCOR asks for a special donation from United Methodists around the world to pay for that administration. Then, when we need to swing into action, they're ready! Please consider bringing a special donation this Sunday for UMCOR, or contribute online for the "One great hour of sharing" now, at:
http://www.umcgiving.org/ministry…/one-great-hour-of-sharing.
May you be blessed for sharing and caring!