Friends, due to an error on my part, my Friday email didn't make it out yesterday. Thank you for your understanding.

Easter has come. Hallelujah! Christ has risen and we are now in Eastertide, also known as the Great 50 Days of Easter. As we welcome the Holy Spirit, sent by Christ as he ascends to heaven, let us look toward Pentecost Sunday (this Sunday, May 19). Pentecost means "fiftieth." Don't forget to wear red!

This extended season gives us time to rejoice and experience what we mean when we say Christ is risen and that we, as the church, are the body of the Risen Lord. It’s a season for focusing on the core doctrines and mysteries of the faith and for preparing for the ministries the Spirit has empowered us to undertake in Jesus’ name.

Let's strive together for BRAIN HEALTH in 2024!

Prayer Beads is on pause for now. I will let you all know when we resume meeting. In the mean time...

Chrismons Meeting

Monday, May 20 | 5pm

Children's Joy Center

We are going to get together on Monday, May 20th to nail down some plans for the Chrismons for this year leading up to Christmas.

We've got some brand new doves who flew in to get all sorted, some kits to examine, and other things to discuss and decide. Please do come and help the cause if you are interested and able.

You may also donate to the revitalization if you wish below.

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church & Parsonage Museum Guided Tour

Friday, May 31 | 12pm | $20 per person

Let's continue to explore our city's incredible history together! Hop on the church bus and see one of the most visited historic sites on the Civil Rights Trail, right in our own backyard!

Don't forget to eat lunch before the tour.

The preserved Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church appears as it did when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served as its pastor, from 1954-1960. The church was the site of mass meetings to organize the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott. The parsonage has been restored to also reflect its state when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family lived there during Dr. King’s pastorate from 1954-1960. The parsonage was bombed several times during the fight for civil rights, but fortunately no one was injured.

The Widows' and Widowers' Lunch Group has had some wonderful get-togethers. We would love for you to join us!

Widows' & Widowers' Lunch Group

If you are a widow or widower, we hope that you'll join in for our next lunch outing together.

This is an opportunity to walk together in a commonality, having hope together for the future. It's also a wonderful way to find community among others who find themselves also at a sometimes uncertain new chapter in life. We hope to see you there!

NEW ADDITION TO THIS TRIP! See below.

Kentucky Christmas

December 1-5, 2024

Trip includes:

• A Visit to Kentucky Horse Park**
• Ark Encounter Museum
• Derby Museum Barn & Backside Tour
• Louisville Slugger Museum
• Kentucky Trail Tour
• Culinary Arts & Cooking Demo at "Cooking at the Cottage"
• Mines Cavern Tram Tour
• Lodging at Hampton Inn Louisville/Williamstown
• Bus Transportation
• Yummy Food (4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners)
• Fabulous Fellowship with New & Old Friends
• Daily Devotions Curated to our Travels
• Snacks, Water and Clever Quips from Adrian at Every Turn

Pack your bags, cause we are going on a bus trip to Kentucky this December. We'll travel together in comfort and style, with good food and fun along the journey.

Hay! It’s for horses... We’ll enjoy the Derby Museum Tour, where we will make our own fascinators & Derby hats and traverse the Kentucky ....Trail.

We'll study culinary arts when we enjoy a demo at Louisville’s premier cooking school, Cooking at the Cottage.

Swing, batter! Get your pitching arm ready for the Louisville Slugger Museum. We’ll do touristy things like check out - by tram ride - the 17 miles of manmade mining tunnels underneath Louisville. The Mega Tram is an adventure rich in history, geology, mining, & more!

We’ll dive into our own holiday Genesis when we visit the Ark Encounter Museum, a life-size Noah’s Ark. As if the ship weren't amazing enough alone, ChristmasTime at the Ark offers a magnificent experience, including the brilliant lights display, live Christmas concerts, reenactments, carousel rides, and several delightful dining options.

We’ll be staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites with breakfast included each morning of our stay.

And the newest addition to the trip: a visit to Kentucky Horse Park, including the International Museum of the Horse, American Saddlebred Museum, and an up-close Stall Side chat with the horses!

Pricing:

Double Occupancy: $1250 pp

Single Price: $1700

Deposit of $250 per person due to secure your spot

The Festival of Wisdom & Grace

AUGUST 19-22, 2024

A conference for finding purpose and renewal in the second half of life

Held annually, the Festival of Wisdom and Grace invites participants to explore how we flourish as we age and how we navigate transitions, live into our talents and passions and cultivate our relationship with Christ. 

In 2024, we will explore the theme “Wesleyan Roots” and enjoy worship, workshops, recreation, entertainment, learning and plenty of time for fellowship. Our keynote speaker for the event is Dr. Ashely Boggan D., and our conference preacher will be Bishop Lawson Bryan. 

You will also have time to explore Lake Junaluska and enjoy the gardens and places of meditation, lakeside trail and more.

A note from Adrian: This is a conference for church leaders and for lay people alike. The years that I have gone to this festival, I have come away renewed and restored. I have also made incredible friends. It energizes me for the work that I get to do with all of you. I would love to bring you along with me. If you are planning to come, please let me know.

And I am proud to share that the play I wrote for the 2023 Sacred Arts Festival, John Wesley: A Foundation for Our Fellowship, is going to be featured at the Festival of Wisdom & Grace. I'm not sure when at this point, but I'll let you know when I do know.

Making Waves: Where Adventure Meets Faith

March 1-8, 2025

All aboard the Holland America Nieuw Statendam with a round trip journey through the beautiful Tropical Caribbean. The itinerary includes a half day at Half Moon Cay (a private island), a Sea day, Grand Turks, Amber Cove, Sea Day, and Nassau.

Intermittently, we would also be studying brave and bold people in the Bible.

Pricing for the cruise alone ranges from $1200-$1759 per person, depending on location of the room.

Lots of perks, lots of fun, living in luxury - in paradise...

HELP NEEDED

Email Macio to answer the call for a/v help today!

Projects Needed!

for the Fix-It Shop

Wednesdays, 9am-12pm

Broken lamp or chair leg? Bring it to the Fix-it Shop! The Fix-it Shop repairs minor issues you have with household items. The group meets on Wednesdays from 9am-12pm. Come by during their hours of operation and fill out a ticket. Alternatively, you can leave your item at the door of the Fix-It Shop with a note that details your name, phone number and issue you'd like addressed. The Fix-It Shop only charges for materials used, not labor, which they give of freely and lovingly. The Fix-It Shop is in the lower level of Wesley Hall. Technically it is Room 106, though there is no room sign. Just look for the sign that says: Fix-It Shop.

Ushers, Hosts & Greeters Needed

Joseph Ministry is seeking volunteers to be ushers, hosts & greeters for memorial services & visitations held at FUMC.

If you are willing to have your name added to the list of volunteers for memorial service door ushers and greeters, please contact Lucy Jackson.

To volunteer to be a visitation host or greeter, please contact Millie Rocheleau.

When a memorial service or visitation is held, volunteers receive an email with details about the services. Those who are available to assist with the scheduled service would reply to the email.

Thank you for helping us to meet this immediate need.

First School is seeking teacher's aides (part time, paid position).

Ideally, aides work Monday through Friday, but a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule could be worked out. Hours would be 9:00am-1:00pm (or until 2:30pm, if desired).

Email Ginnie Wilkerson, First School Director, if interested.

Speakers & Other Events Around Town

History Lives On: Preserving Alabama's Rosenwald Schools

October 2, 2023 - June 1, 2024 

Second Floor Gallery, Alabama Department of Archives & History

In the early twentieth century, Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears Roebuck & Co., used his extensive financial resources to transform the landscape of public education in the rural, segregated South. Inspired by Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) President Booker T. Washington’s efforts to expand Black education, Rosenwald collaborated with Washington to pilot a community-matched grant program to fund the construction of six schools in central Alabama. The success of the program led Rosenwald to establish the Rosenwald Fund. Between 1917 and 1932, nearly 5,000 new schools were built in fifteen southern states, including more than 400 in Alabama. 

The exhibit is the culmination of an ongoing Auburn University research project entitled Realizing Rosenwald. Visitors will learn not only about the individuals who started the Rosenwald Schools and the buildings themselves, but also about local communities across Alabama who worked to raise funds and to build and sustain these schools over generations.

The exhibit will also explore today’s efforts by community members and alumni to preserve Alabama’s remaining historic Rosenwald buildings and the rich legacies they represent. History Lives On: Preserving Alabama's Rosenwald Schools was created by Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design & Construction in partnership with the ADAH. 

Chair Yoga with Uschi Kling at the Armory

Started January 11 | Thursdays | 12:30-1:30pm

$5 per class

For those of you who took (and loved) Angela Sherbine's yoga class, Angela has recommended Uschi Kling's chair yoga at the Armory. To book in for class, call the Armory at 334-625-2581.