Now, Cassie is off to the post-graduate world of music, and so we bid farewell to her here in Connecticut. Best of luck, Cassie, our prayers are with you for a bright and fulfilling future, with God's grace upon you! Please visit us when you're in the area again.
Catherine "Cassie" Wilson has been our much beloved music director for only a short time, but in that time she won over our hearts with her passion for music and her willingness to explore the music of our faith traditions together. Our choir was especially thankful for her willingness to work with them at convenient times. We thank Cassie especially for her beautiful trio acapella rendition of "Long Time Traveler" on Sunday with her Wesleyan University friends Torie and Maddie (The Wailin' Jennys version below). We will miss having Wesleyan students in our weekly music mix, and we hope that we will have more in the future through our #FirstMusic guest musicians program.
Now, Cassie is off to the post-graduate world of music, and so we bid farewell to her here in Connecticut. Best of luck, Cassie, our prayers are with you for a bright and fulfilling future, with God's grace upon you! Please visit us when you're in the area again.
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April 16, 2017
Easter Sunday Sermon "Out Of The Tomb" by Barbara Marks Please join us for worship Sunday at 10:00 a.m. at The Elk’s Lodge 44 Maynard Street, Middletown, CT ~ Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4 & John 20:1-18 Announcements Easter Flowers – Remember to take the flowers that you ordered after the Easter Service. Please forward your payment to Nancy Burton or the church office. Special Offering – will be collected for “Days for Girls” throughout the month of April… Please leave your offering in the discretionary plate. 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. Please contact Megan Camp for more information via email at megmariecamp@gmail.com, or in person at Sunday service! Trustee Committee - will meet Wednesday, April 19th at 7pm, at the Parsonage. Please see Bill Collins for more information. SPPR Committee - will meet Wednesday, April 26th at 7pm, at the Parsonage. Please see Sharon Riley for more information. The United Methodist Men - meet at the parsonage for a men’s breakfast Saturday, May 6th, and the first Saturday of each month. Bring a friend! See David Marks or Warren Western for more information. The Sew ‘n’ Sew’s - will meet the second Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m. at Heritage Commons. Bring a brown bag lunch. Please see Barbara Hendershot for more information. Finance Committee - will meet Wednesday, May 10th at 7pm, at the Parsonage. Please see Warren Western for more information. Amazing Grace Donations – can now be brought to church any Sunday. In addition to tuna and cereal, they are looking for donations of oatmeal, coffee and soup. Please contact Marsha Judson with any questions at (860) 346-0005. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom..." ~ Luke 23:42 Two condemned criminals faced death at the side of a man named Jesus, an innocent man, whose crime was being the Son of God, who offered forgiveness, love, healing and hope to them and everyone. How can we not want to be with him as he goes into his kingdom?
Please join us Thursday, April 13th, 7PM, at our 221 Ridge Road fellowship house living room, to experience being with Jesus at his Last Supper and his sacrifice on the cross, both offered to us as the embodiment of God's love for us in Jesus Christ. Stay a while afterwards as you wish for contemplative prayer, and prepare your heart for God's amazing gift of Easter joy. Our much appreciated pianist Catherine "Cassie" Wilson will be performing in a reading/performance of a new musical that she was written for her Wesleyan music program with a collaborator. Titled "If Sand Were Stone," the performance should run around an hour and a half. No tickets!
Saturday, April 8th at 7pm in Beckham Hall (in the building Fayerweather) at Wesleyan. 55 Wyllys Ave. To express your interest in attending, please visit the event page on Facebook for this performance at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1871873489769063/ Congratulations, Cassie! 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.
First United Methodist Church, Middletown is excited to welcome this Sunday Micah Spruance, 14, and his friend Zach Piercy, as the first Christian hip hop offertory performers in our #FirstMusic community music series. Young Christians are finding amazing and creative ways to share their faith walk with others, and the rhythmic poetry of hip hop music produces some of their most powerful and passionate witness.
Micah has been inspired by music since elementary school, singing and learning band instruments, listening to top Christian hip hop performers online, and then starting to compose his own hip hop sounds in the 7th grade. His Christian family has encouraged him in his creative exploration of faith through this sound, and Micah's music was chosen as the top performance out of 500 competitors at a 2014 national competition. Please join us in welcoming and rejoicing in God's gifts shining in Micah and Zach at worship this Sunday, 10AM, at 44 Maynard Street in Middletown, CT. May God's extreme grace rock the house!
With lots of stimulating sights and sounds for family, friends, returning members and visitors, Easter worship at First United Methodist Church, Middletown was an exciting and memorable experience. Our altar was graced with beautiful flowers, a colorful new banner, and a symbolic empty stone tomb. Our musical offerings from Music Director Eric Buggie included a rousing rendition of his original song, "I Have Seen the Lord" (see video clip below), and our youth choir sang "He Rose" for our offertory. There were reminders from Pastor Barbara Marks that the grave no longer defeats us - we can turn from "peekers" into the Easter miracle to full seekers of transformative life in Christ. And, of course, those great Easter treats afterwards! Jesus lives! More photos and video below.
Holy Communion, dramatic readings of the Passion of Christ from the gospels by First UMC Middletown members, and stirring music were important elements of our commemoration of Maundy Thursday in our parsonage. As each member finished a reading, the candle before them was doused, leading to near total darkness at the end of the service. Our Music Director Eric Buggie made the worship service complete with a closing original song, "Can Any Good Come From Death?" As we approach Easter in somber and humble gratitude for the love of God offered to us in Jesus Christ, we can reflect on this service of Tenebrae as a moment of consecration for ourselves, our renovated parsonage, and our church. Easter worship will be at 10AM, 44 Maynard Street. We hope to see you then to celebrate with great joy the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Our Palm Sunday worship service featured First UMC Middletown members of all ages enacting the dramatic and spirit-moving story of Jesus' last days, as told in the Gospel of John. The enactment brought to live the seven major symbols of Jesus' Passion -the palm leaves of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the jar of ointment poured upon Jesus, a bowl of water and towel used by Jesus to wash the disciples' feet, the bread and cup of the Last Supper, the thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas for Jesus' betrayal, the cross and nails of Jesus' crucifixion, the linen cloth used for Jesus' burial. Our members were moving and moved by these performances, and also by music from guests Tim and Josh Pfeiffer, who performed "Were you There, a bassoon solo by Stephanie Buggie, a full choir, and two original songs performed by Eric Buggie, our Music Director. This worship service was living proof that disciples living the story of Jesus are the heart of the church - no matter where the church decides to be the church. More photos below. Our thanks to all for their dedication to Christian faith. "Hosanna!" They shouted as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a young donkey - "Save us, please!" Cries of joy and of promise will sound at our worship service this Sunday, 10AM, 44 Maynard Street in Middletown. Special songs by Eric Buggie and vocal performances by Tim & Joshua Peiffer will add special grace to our Palm Sunday celebration. Come join us!
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