First Church INVITE. Welcome to. First Church. Week of October 8, Market St. Williamsport, PA SUNDAY WORSHIP

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Transformation in Christ Changing lives inside and out (Romans 12:1-2) First Church Williamsport, PA 17701 570-322-3572 office@firstchurch.

(live streamed message) 4:30 pm Celebrate Recovery WEDNESDAY WORSHIP 5:00 pm 601 Market St.

SERMON ARCHIVE UPDATE PODCASTING Our sermons are now available as a podcast!

We will reopen for regular office hours on Tuesday, October 10th. REGULAR CHURCH OFFICE HOURS Monday Thursday 9:00 a.m.

1 Transformation in Christ Changing lives inside and out (Romans 12:1-2) First Church Williamsport, PA Check us out at Donate SUNDAY WORSHIP 8:00 am Traditional 9:30 am Blended 11:00 am Contemporary 601 Market St. 11:00 am Contemporary 1157 Market St. (live streamed message) 4:30 pm Celebrate Recovery WEDNESDAY WORSHIP 5:00 pm 601 Market St. First Night meal, fellowship, music, brief message, children s ministries, fuse* (youth ministries), First Friends (special needs group) & adult small groups. SERMON ARCHIVE UPDATE PODCASTING Our sermons are now available as a podcast! We are now utilizing a service called Podbean, which saves our sermons as audio clips and also distributes the feed to itunes. To listen and/or subscribe to our sermons, please visit firstchurchwilliamsport.podbean.com/ or visit our page on itunes under "Podcasts" by searching "First Church Williamsport." Thank you for your patience as we transition. CHURCH OFFICE The Church office will be closed on Monday, October 9th in observance of Columbus Day. We will reopen for regular office hours on Tuesday, October 10th. REGULAR CHURCH OFFICE HOURS Monday Thursday 9:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m. Friday 9:00 a.m. Noon Welcome to First Church United Methodist Week of October 8, 2017 MEET THE PASTORS New to First Church? Take a few minutes on October 15 th to meet one or more of the pastors and let us help you get connected with First Church. After 8:00 and 9:30 service, First Evangelical Center - Room 206 After 11:00 service, Christian Life Center - in the back of Stryker Hall After 11:00 service, North Campus - in the lobby DISCIPLE S JOURNEY STEP 1 We invite you to connect with God and others here at First Church through A Disciple s Journey Step 1. If you are not yet connected as a member in full discipleship at First Church, this 4 week group will guide you as you begin your next step in your journey of discipleship. A Disciple s Journey Step 1 is for you if you wonder what connecting in faith in Jesus Christ is about or if you wish to connect in full discipleship at First Church as a new disciple/member. Pastor D.G. Giordano leads Step 1. Your next opportunity to take this step will be on Sunday mornings beginning October 29 th from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in room 202 of the First Evangelical Center. Nursery and Sunday School take place at the same time for all ages, so your children can also grow in their discipleship as you grow in yours! To register for A Disciple s Journey Step 1, please sign up on the communication card that is in your newsletter, or contact the church office. We will be delighted to welcome you to Step 1! SECOND MONTHLY COMMUNION OFFERED A second monthly communion will be offered in the First Evangelical Center Sanctuary on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 12:00 p.m. until 12:30 p.m. Be sure to join us on Tuesday, October 10th! INVITE

Therefore, offer your UPDATE: HURRICANE RELIEF Thank you everyone who donated thus far to the recent hurricane disaster relief effort initiated by our UM District and UMCOR!

2 NEW ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS Join us starting Sunday, October 15 th at 9:30 a.m. in the College Area/Fellowship Hall of the First Evangelical Center as Terry Girdon leads us through a Max Lucado Study of Romans. GET F.I.T. (Faith Inspired Transformation) God s Word instructs us to care for our bodies: physically, emotionally, spiritually. Therefore, offer your UPDATE: HURRICANE RELIEF Thank you everyone who donated thus far to the recent hurricane disaster relief effort initiated by our UM District and UMCOR! To date we have completed 39 Cleaning kits and 139 Hygiene kits!! Your response has been heartwarming. We will be accepting monetary and kit item donations through TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10 th so it s not too late! Please bring your last minute items to the church office on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10 th (please note the church office is closed on Monday, October 9 th for Columbus Day). Hopefully we can reach 50 and 150! TEACH SEND bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him. Rom 12:1 Ladies, join us as we delve deeper into what it means to honor our Creator by caring for our bodies through exercise, nutrition and faith transformation from the inside out! All ages and ability levels welcome! Wednesday evenings 6:00-7:00 in the Lobby of the First Evangelical Center. Wear comfortable exercise clothing and shoes. Bring water bottle, exercise mat (optional) and a friend! SECOND MILE GIVING The Second Mile Giving for October is Helping Hands at First Church. This fund is to provide emergency assistance to those experiencing economic crisis or difficulty. Please make checks payable to First Church with Helping Hand in the memo line. MISSION ITEMS NEEDED Local Food Pantry coffee, tea (regular), powdered milk, sugar canned milk. Shepherd of the Streets gel shaving cream (both men s & women s), disposable razors (both men s & women s), toilet paper. Donations for these missions may be left in the baskets at the following locations: Christian Life Center - the Market Street entrance; First Evangelical Center - the Ross Street entrance; North Campus - Lounge. Come enjoy an animated musical comedy about a fast talking Koala s attempt to save his theater through the grandest singing competition ever. With all the antics and mishaps, life will never be the same. [copyrights prohibit mention of the movie s name]. On the North Campus big screen 6:00 pm Saturday, Oct. 21 st. Loads of popcorn and snacks! Drawings for Cinema Center free passes. UPCOMING EVENTS

PART TIME CHILDREN S MINISTRY ASSISTANT POSITION We are accepting applications for a part time (4hours a week) position for a Children's Ministry Assistant.

WELCOME JAKE BAIR, OUR NEW CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP LEADER Jake s primary responsibility involves leading the praise team and creating a worship culture at the CLC, but Jake is also involved in other

He has served on the Salt and Light Youth Ministry Team for the last 2 years and is very excited to begin ministry with us. Please pray for Jake and support him as you are able.

3 PART TIME CHILDREN S MINISTRY ASSISTANT POSITION We are accepting applications for a part time (4hours a week) position for a Children's Ministry Assistant. For more information, contact Angie Tobias (Director of Children's Ministry) or the church office. All applicants must comply with safe sanctuaries and must provide clearances. WELCOME JAKE BAIR, OUR NEW CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP LEADER Jake s primary responsibility involves leading the praise team and creating a worship culture at the CLC, but Jake is also involved in other ministries that include contemporary music, such as Celebrate Recovery and First Night. Jake is from Montoursville and is a recent graduate of Messiah College. He has served on the Salt and Light Youth Ministry Team for the last 2 years and is very excited to begin ministry with us. Please pray for Jake and support him as you are able. He is eager to make connections with people, especially CLC worshippers, so one way to support him is to take some time to get to know him. STAFF HAPPENINGS Fuse* families join Josh Tobias, Director of Student Ministries, on Sunday October 15 th for a PG gathering. Why PG, you ask? Parents and Guardians have a chance to ask questions, to hear the why behind the how of our ministry with your kids, and to interact with other parents of teens and pre-teens. This gathering will occur from 7-8 pm in the FEC Sanctuary. Please enter the building at the Ross Street door. Fuse* student ministries, in partnership with Curtin Intermediate School, is participating in #socktober as we try to knock the socks off of poverty in Lycoming County. Socks are said to be the most needed but least donated items to homeless shelters. We are a collection point for NEW socks that will be donated to local poverty fighting agencies who can distribute to those in need. You can help our students and community by donating new socks to this effort during the month of October. Our students will be sorting and packing all of the socks that were donated, from both First Church and at Curtin Intermediate School, during the first weeks of November as part of our Students in Service discipleship opportunity. CHILDREN S MINISTRY VOLUNTEER MEETING Monday, October 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Christian Life Center (CLC) room 109 will be the Children s Ministry Volunteer Meeting. We will be looking at the winter and spring 2018, specifically Christmas. CHILDREN/YOUTH

4 Sermon Outline Law and Grace Deuteronomy 1:26-28, 34-36, I. The book of Deuteronomy is part of our. II. When God s people have received God s truth and grace, what does that mean for how they should? III. What Deuteronomy 1 teaches us: A) What is with the human heart B) What God s is IV. The real problem of the human heart is not reality of God, it is not God. in the law or V. People want truth Jesus wants truth. VI. When our hearts are wrong, there are 2 different ways it is expressed: A) The first response of the Israelites is B) The second response of the Israelites is to get VII. We can God to get things, or we can God to get God. Life Reflection: Do I ever think of Deuteronomy being part of my story as a God follower? Do I trust that God is who God says? Why or why not? Do I see law and grace as complementing one another? Or contrasting one another? Can I relate more easily to issues related to law or grace? Why? How do we live in God s grace and God s truth at the same time? What impact do God s law and God s grace have on how I live? How much do I trust God? Do I trust in where God is leading me? Scripture Reflection: Deuteronomy 1:35-36 No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly. Pastor s Page READING THE BIBLE First Church, Few things are more important to our soul than being filled with God s Holy Word. And yet it is not something that comes very easy to us. I have asked Pastor Janet to share the following message about reading the Bible as it relates to our current sermon series. Do you ever have trouble understanding the Bible when you try to read it? Most people experience that at some point. It can be hard to develop a habit of reading the Bible when it is hard to understand. Throughout this current sermon series on God s law and grace, you may notice that we at times depart from our usual practice of using the New International Version (NIV) in worship. Instead, we are using the NIrV. The r stands for readers. This version is a little easier to understand. It is a great choice for reading Scripture with children or for anyone who just wants to experience a simpler and sometimes clearer translation of Scripture. The Worship Design Team thought that it would help us to hear Deuteronomy more clearly as we go through the Law & Grace sermon series. You can check out the NIrV using online tools, such as Another tool that can be helpful in reading Scripture is a free app called YouVersion developed by LifeChurch.tv. This app allows you to have Scripture at your fingertips any time you have your smartphone with you. You can choose from multiple translations and can even set it to read to you. If you are pressed for time, YouVersion allows you to listen to Scripture as you drive to work or do other things. And if you have children, check out YouVersion s Bible App for kids. Reading God s Word doesn t need to be difficult or frustrating. The Psalmist wrote, Your words are very sweet to my taste! They are sweeter than honey to me. (Psalm 119:103 NIrV) May we too find that Scripture is sweeter than honey and that the more we read it, the more we love it. May we be a people filled with the sweetness of God s holy Word! And experience the life that it offers. We hope this current sermon series will give all of us that very opportunity. In Christ, Pastor Matt

FIRST CHURCH Williamsport, PA 17701 Phone: 570-322-3572 We re on the Web! www.firstchurch.cc and NC = NORTH CAMPUS (1157 Market St.) MAIN CAMPUS CLC = Christian Life Center (601 Market St.

5 FIRST CHURCH Williamsport, PA Phone: We re on the Web! and NC = NORTH CAMPUS (1157 Market St.) MAIN CAMPUS CLC = Christian Life Center (601 Market St.) FEC = First Evangelical Center () CYCLE OF PRAYER: October 8-14: Ben Landon; Doug & Bessie Lane; Brian, Erin & Amy Lander; Don, Deb & Krista Leathers; Jeff LeCrone; Liz Lehman; Pam Lewis; Courtney, Alexander, Evelyn & Jackson Linn; Joshua Lisson; Nathan Litz; Marsha Lloyd; Sharon long; Joe & Flicka Losch; Pete, Missy, Abby & Jake Loudenslager; Peg Lowmiller; Ray & Sharon Lukas; Mike, Melissa, Elizabeth, Madelyn & Nathan Lundy; Christopher, Anne, Eleanor & Nelson Macdonald; Ken & Lynne Maietta; Howard & Loraine Manley; Steve, April & Andrew Manley; Dave & Kathy Marcello; Michael, Bethany, Genevieve & Juliet Marcello; Mitch & Elizabeth Marcello; Glen, Hershey & Xavier Marks; Brian, Erin & Kennedy Marsh; Ben, Jess, David, Miles & Noah Marzo; Ellen Maule; Jim & Donna Maule; Bob & Donna Maxwell; Brent & Allisyn Maxwell; Genny Mayer. Weekly Worship Attendance for week ending October 1, 2017 TOTAL 881

First Church. Welcome to. First Church. Week of October 15, Market St. Williamsport, PA SUNDAY WORSHIP

First Church. Welcome to. First Church. Week of October 15, Market St. Williamsport, PA SUNDAY WORSHIP Transformation in Christ Changing lives inside and out (Romans 12:1-2) First Church Williamsport, PA 17701 570-322-3572 office@firstchurch.cc Check us out at www.firstchurch.cc Donate SUNDAY WORSHIP 8:00