MAY 2, 2023

MESSAGE FROM THE PASTORS

Dear Friends,

Ricky: As you have probably heard It was announced this past Sunday in worship that I will be moving to a new appointment this summer. I will be forever grateful for the years of ministry we shared during these "unprecedented times" (Remember when we used that word all the time!). My next assignment will be as the Dean of the Chapel and Director of Church Relations at Millsaps College.

Also, you may remember that I had to postpone my previous Navy training deployment in February due to my father-in-law's health. That deployment is now scheduled to begin June 11 and last the remainder of the month. So, my last Sunday in the pulpit will be June 4.

I am excited for you all to get to know your new incoming senior pastor, Rev. Jimmy Criddle. He is a great preacher and a very experienced pastor. You will love him and his family.

Katie: I'm excited to be staying and continuing in ministry with you at Clinton First United Methodist Church this next year. We have great plans and I can't wait to see how we can be the Kingdom of God to our town and surrounding areas. I hope you will join me in giving Ricky thanks for his time here at the church over the coming weeks. While we grieve Ricky leaving, I am excited for Jimmy to be joining our staff as the senior pastor. I hope you're ready to give him a warm welcome in July!

We'll see you Sunday!

Katie and Ricky

[email protected]

TOP 3 AT FIRST UMC

CONGRATS TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

By. Nick Flatt

On Sunday May 7th, we will have our Baccalaureate Service in the sanctuary at 10 AM. Please note, this is a joint service that all members are invited to worship at. We won't have kids or youth Sunday school that day, but adult classes are encouraged to discuss with their members and make that decisions individually! The building will be open before the worship service. Church members are invited to view the seniors' tables in the gym prior to the service from 9-9:45 am.

Due to Baccalaureate Services, Methodist Mens' Breakfast has been moved to May 21. Please RSVP to Bob Pavy for your meal ($5 per plate)! Anthony Wilson will be the guest speaker.

HANDBELL CHOIR

On Wednesday, May 10, the Children’s Bell Choir, and the adult Angelicas Ringers will present their annual spring concert in the family life building at 6pm, immediately following Wednesday night supper. We will be playing a variety of music, most of which you will be familiar with. There are different skill levels of bell music and many different techniques that will be demonstrated at the concert. We have 5 complete octaves of handbells and 3 octaves of hand chimes. I hope to see you all at this event.

FAMILY FUN EVENTS

By. Katie Giedd

We are excited for summer here at First UMC and you can best believe we will be having fun all summer long! Here's our summer family event schedule - make sure to save the dates and keep an eye out for our kids and youth communications so you don't miss a sign up! And don't worry - if you don't have a kid in that age range, don't let that stop you from coming! All events will be family friendly, no matter the age! Feel free to reach out to Katie, Nick, Nikki or Lauren with any questions you have!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER

MENU:

JOIN US FOR FELLOWSHIP DINNER!

The serving line opens at 5:15pm and closes at 5:45 pm. Reservations must be in by NOON on Monday prior to the Wednesday night dinner.

Adult Meal - $8.00
Salad Bar - $8.00
Potato Bar - $5.00
Kids Meal - $5.00
Pizza - $2.00 per slice
Family Maximum - $30

MENUS:

NOTE: ALL MEALS ARE SERVED WITH A DESSERT

May 3rd

Chicken Pot Pie, Green Beans, Side Salad, Dessert

May 10th

BBQ Sandwiches, Baked Beans, Slaw, Potato Salad Dessert

Make Your Reservation

MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

SUNDAY SCHOOL SHOUTOUT

By. Sam Corson

Youth Intern

How have I seen God move in Sunday school?

I have seen the students fall in love with hearing the Bible be read.

Normally when we read our passage of scripture, everyone’s eyes will glaze over and a message is given to explain what the passage means. Nick, the youth director, and I decided to shake things up from this normal model.

One morning we decided to take the youth outside in the church garden. Sitting outside the walls we noted the singing birds and the early spring flowers coming up. Our goal was to hear the Word be read aloud to us and we were to prayerfully and mindfully receive it. Nick told them to actively listen to what God may have to say as we listened and meditated on the Word.

We turned on our JBL speaker and listened through Psalm 139 multiple times. As our listening came to a close, many of the youth who would normally remain silent spoke up. They confessed that they had not meditated on scripture like this before. They were reminded of the importance of sitting in the presence of a knowing and loving God and receiving his Word. They were reminded of hearing the word of God outside the church walls. Profoundly, one student pointed out the unraveling and deepening of meaning in the text by hearing it multiple times throughout one’s life.

We have practiced this mode of Sunday school on multiple occasions since this Sunday and the youth always look forward to it. I have seen their hearts be slowly transformed by a love for God’s Word.

CONGREGATIONAL CARE

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If you have a prayer request or if you, or someone you know, has a need complete a short request form (click on button). These requests will be reviewed by our Pastoral team.

Please review the prayer list download. If you would like to add to the prayer list please continue to use our digital form for submission which can be accessed by clicking on the link in this email or on our website.

Prayer Request Update: If you have requested a loved one or friend to be placed on the church wide prayer list, and they no longer are needing prayers, please call the church office or email [email protected] for removal. The people who are on the Church Prayer Request are added by the request of church members.

Pastoral Care Line 601-460-0570

Download Prayer List