Life often feels very unpredictable. Have you seen the weather forecast for this week? It was 80 degrees on Sunday, and there’s snow predicted for Wednesday evening. And we know that could change by tomorrow. While walking the Prayer Labyrinth, the staff had a similar discussion. The twists and turns often feel unpredictable unless we can see the bigger picture. If you can only see a portion of the path, you might begin to feel lost or overwhelmed. But with the goal in mind, things become more manageable, even if parts of the path have a lot of rapid turns. 

It makes me think of Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." God created the path. God has the big picture. God guides our steps no matter what twists or turns are up ahead. We might not have the whole picture. Honestly, our human brains would make a mess with it if we did, trying to put our own plans into action. We see the portion of the path that is manageable to us; we know the goal in Christ. We just have to trust the path that God is leading us down.

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! Explore with us the hope that Easter and possibilities can bring.

Wishing you abundant blessings,

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. Because of the Putnam County Spring Break, our children and youth will not meet this week (April 3).

The menu for April 3 is meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls/cornbread, and cheesecake. 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 Tuesday.

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 on 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. Thank you!

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 the month. 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. 

It's hard for us in USA to fathom the living conditions in many places on the earth. Pastor Rick and his team knew it would be tough—physically and spiritually—to reach the remote village they had been lifting up in prayer. To share the Good News of Jesus Christ there, the group had to scale steep mountains, cross rivers full of rocks and stones, and push through dense bamboo and vegetation. Their journey deep into the jungles of the Philippines was hot, tiring, muddy, and slippery...

Please click here for a video, pictures, and the rest of the story.

The Staff Parish Relations Committee would like to announce Luke Spurgeon as our new Minister of Youth & Young Adults. Luke is currently an active member of United Methodist Temple, Beckley but has family roots in Hurricane. He will begin his position at Forrest Burdette in mid-May.

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.

Former member Todd Masman passed away on August 9, 2023, and the family has asked us to announce that his memorial service will be April 13, 2024 in Buckhannon, WV at his alma mater WV Wesleyan College. Those who would like to attend may visit the family’s memorial page on Facebook, called “In Memory of T. Todd Masman,“ for information on the service as well as the link for people to be able to see the service live streamed.

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!

4/1—Kristen Corley, Brooklyn McCoy

4/2—Judy Cleveland, Alex Dean, Paul Landin, Michael Myers, Tom Turner

4/3—Ryan Anders, Virginia Clark, Missi Fisher, Clay Jackson, Jacqui Meeks, Doug Pitzer, Allison Weiss

4/4—Charlie Johnson

4/5—Amy Crook, Ella Grant, Cooper Holland                                

4/6—Mark Akers, Michael Fruth, Carl Proffitt

4/7—Mckenzie Myers, Amy Nitzel, David Shanklin