August 3, 2018
Paradise Valley United Methodist Church
Donate Food and Backpacks Sunday
This Sunday, you're invited to donate food to homeless families served by UMOM New Day Centers and backpacks and school supplies for children and youth served by one of our mission partners, Wesley Community Center. Thank you for being God's love in action!
Pastor's Message

  Dear Friend in Faith,

Why read the Bible? That’s actually a fascinating question to consider. The Bible has been a bestseller for centuries. Almost all of us (89% of Americans) own one or more Bibles.

Yet many of us feel we don’t know the book terribly well, the many stories of scripture that have shaped our faith tradition. According to Lifeway Research, 20 percent of us have read the entire Bible at least once. Some 15 percent claim to have read half of the Bible and 30 percent have read just a few passages or stories. The Bible is really a library, a collection of material written over the course of 1500 years by dozens of different authors. It contains such a wide variety of literature and reflects so deeply the human struggle to understand God and be faithful.

We might read the Bible because it is a book that continues to form our lives and our civilization. Perhaps another reason...


Christopher Wurpts: Local Pastor
Just in case you missed it, last Sunday Desert Southwest Conference District Superintendent Susan Brims presented Christopher Wurpts with his “license to preach” and announced his appointment to PVUMC by Bishop Robert Hoshibata. As of August 1, 2018 , Christopher is our new Associate Pastor of Modern Worship and Discipleship at PVUMC. In addition to supervising the Ignite worship service, he supervises the Living and Learning, Missions, and Diversity ministry teams. Christopher will also assume various pastoral duties. Congrats, Christopher!
Sunday Worship at PVUMC
Paradise Valley United Methodist Church (PVUMC) invites you to worship with us this summer at 9:30 am in the sanctuary and at 11 am in the chapel. Download the 9:30 am bulletin here. The Ignite service at 11 am is bulletin-free!

See the website calendar at pvumc.org/calendar for all our children's, youth and adult classes meeting on Sunday mornings, during the week and all year long.

This week's NEW Seven Weeks of Summer Looking Ahead includes an updated calendar from August 5-August 18 as well as highlights of upcoming events and programs during AUGUST and SEPTEMBER.


Prayer Requests
 Submit prayer requests using our online request form, email prayer@pvumc.org or call the church office at 602.840.8360. Your request will be shared with our 200+ list of prayer warriors on email. If you haven't been receiving prayers, and are already on the prayer team list, please make sure you add " prayer@pvumc.org" and our new prayer chain coordinator's email, " ddoran@pvumc.org" to your safe sender and recipient lists. To make sure the E-News gets to you, add " paradisevalleyumc@gmail.com" to your email list of safe recipients.
Back-to-School for Children and Youth on August 19
This Sunday, at the 9:30 am worship service, our children, youth and their parents have been invited to sing with the Chancel Choir. Come at 8:30 am if you'd like to join the choir for this Sunday only to sing the anthem, "Peace Like a River." It will be a joyful noise! VBC children sang this at Family Night and it was a hit! We'll also have all the info you need for our back-to-school activities, including the Bible Blast, Mini-Singers and Acolyte training. Read More
Desert Scroll Changes Announced
The Marketing and Communications Ministry Team conducted a short survey in June to ask you how you receive information from the church, how easy or difficult it is to find information in all the places we share it, and whether or not you subscribe to the weekly From Paradise E-News. Nearly 75 percent of the 110 respondents said they DO subscribe, and that's good news! The Desert Scroll newsletter was among the top five ways you get information, equal to the E-News, also good news. Even so, the church and our team announce that change is coming.
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Job Opening: Children's Minister
The church seeks a part-time Children's Minister to oversee the childcare ministry, work with the Children’s Ministry Team to plan and lead Sunday School and coordinate special events like Vacation Bible Camp and the Easter Carnival. You will be expected to recruit and train volunteers for children's ministry programs. Contact Rev. Brenda Smith , 602.840.8360, ext 141, for a job description and/or to submit your resume or visit our website .
Wanted: Aides and Assistants
Paradise Valley United Methodist Church Preschool is currently hiring Assistant Teachers and Aides for the 2018-19 school year. The Preschool serves families with children who are 12 months old and steady walkers up through Junior Kindergarten. The Preschool provides a play-based learning environment that equips each child with the knowledge, skills, and values to be a life-long learner.

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  Did You Miss the Sermon Last Week? Listen online.
If you missed last week's sermon, you can listen online at LISTEN: Previous Sermons.

Back-to-School Kick-offs August 19
Check your Looking Ahead bulletin insert Sunday for a handy list of dates with all our Back-to-School activities for children this August. NEXT Sunday is our Back-to-School Blessing Sunday and the last day of Summer Sundays. On Sunday, August 19, our regular children's classes begin at 9:30 am and the youth have their annual fall kick-off for students entering 5th-12th grade. Come to the Fellowship Center AFTER 9:30 am worship for a light lunch/brunch and get all the info you need to start the year off right. This is a family event for all youth families. Invite a friend to join you! If you are interested in teaching a children's class, preschool to 4th grade, please come to the Teacher Orientation on August 11. Email Rev. Brenda Smith to learn more.

NOTE: Childcare is availa ble with a 48-hour reservation for all our
events and classes on campus. Call 602.840.8360, ext 134.