In the US, we are experiencing a total eclipse of the sun. The last time it happened was 2017, and the next time will be 2044. In our area, it will be 94% of an eclipse. It is an awesome sight (with the right eye wear)! I can remember as a kid using a paper plate and a piece of cardboard with a hole punched into it to watch the shadow move across the light orb on the plate. Today, we have special glasses. You can tell by our selfie with the glasses on that we couldn’t see what we were taking (haha)! I wish you could hear the joyful sounds of the COM children on the playground behind us. Their enthusiasm for the eclipse is tremendous!

The eclipse reminds me of the grandeur of God’s creation and moves me to pray and repeat Psalm 8. I invite you to read the Psalm and give God praise for the magnificence of creation.

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;

what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?

Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.

You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet,

all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

—Psalm 8

Pastor Joe (hiding behind the eclipse glasses with Karen White and Katie Spencer)

Sundays at 10:30 a.m., join us in person,

or participate in our live-streamed worship service

on either our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/forrestburdettemumc

or our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/ForrestBurdette/videos

Sunday School classes for all ages begin at 9:15 a.m.

Instead of a Lenten Devotional written by the laity of the West Virginia Conference, we have prepared for you a devotional series beginning on Easter and concluding with Pentecost. What comes after Easter, one might ask? Of course the answer is: Possibilities Ahead! Throughout this Easter season, I pray you will discover many possibilities that lie ahead. And I hope this devotional helps guide your personal discipleship journey with scripture, meditation, and prayer. I am grateful to be spending this season with you, as we consider the Possibilities Ahead for mission and ministry! —Kristi Wilkerson, Conference Lay Leader

To view the daily devotionals on the Conference website, click here. To have the devotionals sent to you via email, click here to subscribe.

Wednesday evening classes begin at 6:30 p.m., and dinner is served at 5:30. The menu for April 10 is chicken pot pie with chocolate cake for dessert. Dinner is free; donations are accepted (meals run apx. $10 per person). Please sign up at the Connection Center desk, or call the church office by Monday.

As a congregation, we want to show our love and appreciation for David Westfall’s ministry with the youth and young adults of Forrest Burdette from late June 2022 through December 2023. Following worship THIS Sunday, April 14, we will hold a reception in David’s honor and pray blessings upon him as he continues to teach and work on his PhD in Education through WVU. Please bring cards for David to the reception and if you’re able either include a love offering with your card or place a check to Forrest Burdette with the memo “love offering” in the offering plate.

JOY Fellowship will hold our monthly covered dish lunch on Thursday, April 18, at 12:00 p.m. Bring a friend and your favorite dish to share. Our special guests will be our own Jill Gilbert and John Marra, owners of J & J Bee Farm. They will talk about the importance of bees, the bees’ jobs within the hive, the hive itself, and how we can help the bees. You'll want to BEE there, so join us!

2024 is the 27th year of Celebration of Mission Event gatherings to support our Conference Mission Ministries. This year, our district supports Ebenezer Community Outreach Center, The House of the Carpenter, and Volunteers in Mission. Tangible needs are:

Ebenezer (ECOC): Playdough, children’s toothbrushes & toothpaste, toilet paper

House of the Carpenter: shampoo, deodorant, feminine hygiene items, dish soap

Please bring your donations to the Connection Center by the morning of April 21.

Calling all High School seniors (and their families): it’s time to apply for the Rev. Charles and Alma Thompson Scholarship. The scholarship is for post-secondary education. Please contact the church office to receive an application form. The deadline is May 12.

May is Forrest Burdette’s Month at the Cupboard. The sign-up board to volunteer at the Christian Community Cupboard in May is up and ready for you in the narthex! Forrest Burdette is responsible for staffing the Cupboard every Tuesday and Friday in May. This adds up to 9 days, so many hands are needed. Service time is apx. 9:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m. Please consider being a part of this ministry to our community. See Marvin Thompson (681-292-2739) or Steve Cook (304-521-3371) with questions.

This month, we are collecting HYGIENE ITEMS for our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.

• Soap (in original packaging)
• Washcloths
• Combs (sturdy ones)
• Nail Clippers/Manicure Sets

You can drop off your items in the OCC collection box at the Connection Center throughout April. Cash donations are also welcome – we can use the funds to purchase these items in bulk at great prices! For more info, contact Beth Sauvageot or Jackie Adkins. 

...Dave Wickerham, returning by popular demand after his captivating performance on the Harrah Symphonic Organ last spring. He will present “Music from the Million Dollar Movies” on Sunday, April 21, 3:00 p.m. Admission: $15; students are free.

Nine Rivers Laity Educational Event, formerly known as Lay Academy, is set for May 3-4, 2024, at Forrest Burdette UMC. This is a 2-day (Friday evening—Saturday all day), in-person event. Please pick up a brochure behind the Connection Center desk for more information, or click here.

CAMP FIRELIGHT Vacation Bible School, June 16-20, 2024

“Whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

Save these dates, and look for opportunities to offer your gifts and talents during VBS!

4/8—Jennifer Weiss Blower, Kristy Bowyer, Chris Brown, Morgan Brown, Karen Campbell, Karlee Edwards, Gail Samson, Kristin Smith, Clarence Woodworth

4/9—Alan Clegg, Ryan Clegg, Rusty Ellis, Ainsley Hollaway, Austin Miller, Nathan Wendel

4/10—Donna Landin, Harold Walker

4/11—Brad Hall, Aidan Martinez, Priscilla Simmons, Barbara Wyatt

4/12—Joe Ann Gyke, Bailey Hill, Joseph Rogowski

4/13—Andy Burns

4/14—Carol Rowsey