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.

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!

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

You've been rummaging around your attic and garage (at least in your mind, hopefully!), and thinking about what you can bring to be sold at our September 17th Tag Sale, 9AM-2PM. Well, we definitely will appreciate your donations, and also an "all hands on deck" effort to make the event a success. Please contact Jill Bennett to sign up for some of the important tasks that are before us:

• Receiving donations - items need to be organized and tagged at the parsonage
• Staffing a table - have a special interest in things that can help others to find what they need?
• Setup and cleanup - muscles of all kinds welcomed to help!
• Hospitality and outreach - we need to bring the attractiveness and joy of our congregation to people as visitors

Contacting Jill SOON will give us the best chance of a successful event! Thank you for your contributions of treasures, time and talent - all for a great cause!

​❑ 1 hand towel
15 x 25 inches to 17 x 27 inches; Kitchen, cleaning, and microfiber towels not acceptable.

❑ 1 washcloth

❑ 1 comb
Comb needs to be sturdy and longer than 6 inches long; No pocket combs or picks please;
Rattail combs and combs without handles are acceptable with a minimum of 6 inches of teeth.

❑ 1 metal nail file or nail clippers
No emery boards, please.

❑ 1 bath-size soap
3 oz. and larger sizes only; No Ivory or Jergens soap due to moisture content; Do not remove from original packaging.

❑ 1 toothbrush
Adult size only; Do not remove from original packaging.

❑ 6 adhesive bandages
¾ inch to 1 inch-size; Common household Band-Aids.

❑ 1 plastic bag
One-gallon size sealable bag only.
​
❑ $1.00 to purchase toothpaste, (optional additional $1 to help with shipping)

We say we want a good spiritual life, but then we look in the closet, the attic, the garage, and...oops, busted.

Your clutter can serve a good purpose for others, and help to free up your heart and your spirit for the rewards of faith that we're called to receive by Jesus. 

On Saturday, September 17th, 9-2PM, we will hold an event at our 221 Ridge Road parsonage that focused on a tag sale. Yes, it's a fund-raiser, but it's also an opportunity to reach out to our community as they come there. We will need:

• Items to sell - what things are you ready to give new life in other homes?
• Help in setup, organizing, hospitality and selling - gifts of service will matter greatly!
• Being present as the church - for many people visiting that day, this will be their first contact with us. You can help us to show them who we are as the church, in deed and in spirit.

Please contact Jill Bennett with information about what you'd like to donate - we all have something! - and please share with her your ideas for "radical hospitality" that can set our event apart from others as a faith event. If you do not have Jill's contact info, please contact the church office.

As First United Methodist Church Middletown enters the next phase of our relocation efforts, we are recruiting actively for both church members and others in the Middletown area community who would be interested in serving on a Building Committee to begin to consider how to turn our developing plans for a new worship and meeting facility into a physical reality.

People with experience and know-how in building site development and construction will be particularly appreciated, but other skills will be appreciated also. This committee will report to our Board of Trustees, but you do not have to become a trustee to serve on it or lead it.

​If you are a FUMCM church member or friend, or know someone in the area who would be interested in participating in such a project on a volunteer basis, please contact Pastor Barbara Marks via the church office.

Who does it take to build a Habitat house?

Anyone! And everyone.

If you enjoyed last fall's build date for our community's latest Habitat for Humanity build, there are build dates available this month for people who would like to chip in on a team to help bring this home on Summer Street in Portland, CT to completion. Upcoming dates include:

Friday, July 8, 15 & 22
Saturday, July 9 & 23

There is also an upcoming opportunity to help clean and assemble furniture on Saturday, July 16th

For more information see John Blossom or sign up directly online here.

Late in the afternoon of May 11th, a family of six from violence-torn Iraq will be arriving at a New York area airport. They will get a ride to New Haven for their initial orientation to life in the United States, and then get a ride from local Middletown, CT community volunteers to an apartment in our city. An Iraqi-style meal cooked by First UMC Middletown's Nancy Diehl will be awaiting them to pop into the microwave. A wall in their apartment will note the Qibla - the direction towards Mecca that Muslims use to pray. They will be safe, comfortable, with new bedding and furniture, ready to start a new life in our community, with God at their side.

This will be only the first of many moments in which faith communities in and near Middletown, CT will be helping this family, and two other families like them from Syria expected in the weeks ahead. Middletown's multi-faith coalition for refugee resettlement has been preparing the way for them at local meetings, the latest including a briefing from IRIS, the non-profit agency in New Haven that is coordinating refugee resettlement in our state. While almost everything on the extensive checklist for our first refugee family's initial days is in place, your contribution to Christ's radical hospitality will be appreciated for this family and additional families in the weeks ahead. 

Key needs that will be important include:

• Hospitality - getting our new neighbors familiar with local sites and attractions, including our library.
• ESL services - helping all of the family members to develop stronger language skills
• Shopping -becoming familiar with U.S. shopping for food and necessities
• Employment - the father of this family has a career in computer technologies, so awareness of potential job openings will be helpful
• And many more!

While the father is expected to have some English skills, translators from the local Muslim community will be available for other family members who will need help with English. For more information about opportunities to join our efforts to make God's love present and active for these people, please contact Nancy Diehl, Bill Collins, or email us at outreach@fumcmiddletownct.org.

Members of First UMC Middletown have been participating in planning meetings of the interfaith Middletown Refugee Resettlement Coalition for several weeks, now, and the time is coming quickly to help welcome a very special family from Syria to our community on May 11th. A preparation meeting with the coalition will be taking place shortly before their arrival. Your support will be critical to completing the picture of a smooth transition for these people to life in the United States.

This family is challenged not only by the crisis in Syria, but also by their own health and developmental issues, which can be explained privately. We are responsible for contributing to their immediate hospitality, so our support will be a very critical component of their successful arrival. Bill Collins (pictured above, far right) and Nancy Diehl (pictured above, far left) are our church point people for further information. We will have a signup list available in Sunday. Translators will be available as needed. Key needs include:

• Getting to know the area - familiarizing the family with local resources and attractions, including things like getting a library card.
• Grocery shopping - learning the American system of shopping, and how to check out at a store using SNAP food benefits that will be available to the family initially.
• Laundry - navigating a local laundromat, using the machines, inserting money, etc.
• Post Office - writing to relatives overseas will be very important for this family, so knowing how to get and use overseas postage, manage packages, and other options will need support
• Mobile phone - If the family needs a new mobile phone, we will help them to acquire a prepaid phone; if they come with a phone that can operate in the U.S., we will assist with an appropriate SIM card. Explaining data and Internet options available will be important also.
• Photo ID/Driver's License -Helping the family to navigate the Deparment of Motor Vehicles for a photo ID or, if appropriate, a driver's license (they will be provided with Social Security ID separately).

Please join us in welcoming this family, and extending Christ's healing love as members of the greater Middletown faith community!