First Church INVITE. Welcome to. First Church. Week of August 20, Market St. Williamsport, PA SUNDAY WORSHIP

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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, small groups (adults) MOPPETS VOLUNTEER MEETING There will be an informational meeting August 31st at 9:30 am at North Campus for new and returning volunteers/workers of the Moppets ministry. Moppets are infants through preschool-age children whose moms are attending MOPS. Meetings are the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 9:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. at the North Campus between September to May. If you are unable to attend, but still are interested in volunteering please call Kelby Hodge at Safe Sanctuary clearances must be completed before volunteering. In addition to volunteers, we are looking for a paid Moppets worker for the year. The responsibility of the paid worker is planning and leading the class in activities or projects during the moppet sessions. All employees working with children must comply with the state law regarding clearances. For more info or any questions, please contact Angie Tobias (Director of Children s Ministries) at Atobias@firstchurch.cc or (570) Welcome to First Church United Methodist Week of August 20, 2017 A DISCIPLE S JOURNEY 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 Wednesdays beginning September 6 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the First Evangelical Center. The group meets in FuseBox B on September 6 th (please bring your children along to class tonight). Then starting September 13 th Children s Ministry takes place at the same time as part of First Night so your children can also grow in their discipleship (Christian Life Center, First Floor). WELCOME BECKY CIABATTARI AS OUR BELL CHOIR DIRECTOR! We are thrilled to welcome Becky Ciabattari as our new Bell Choir Director. Becky has a heart for vital, traditional worship and an amazing music background. She and her husband Bill (also an amazing musician) are eager to make First Church their family s church home. They have 3 children (ages 14, 11, and 9) and it is their hope that First Church will not just be a good place for Becky to use her gifts, but can be a place where the entire family can serve Christ and grow as disciples. Please look for an opportunity to welcome the Ciabatarri family to First Church! INVITE

2 WOMEN S STEP STUDY THE JOURNEY BEGINS The Journey Begins will allow you to begin to experience the true peace and serenity you have been seeking, restore and develop stronger relationships with others and with God, and find freedom from life's hurts, hang-ups, and habits. Every other Monday starting September 11 th from 6:00-7:00 pm at the North Campus. Contact Sandy Hartle Krise at DIVORCECARE SEMINAR/ SUPPORT GROUP DivorceCare is a special 13 week biblical perspective video seminar and support group for people who are separated or divorced. Each session is "self-contained," and you may join at any time. It's a place where you can be around people who understand what you are feeling. If you know someone going through a divorce, make sure they know about DivorceCare - it might just be the best thing you could do to help. Information is available at the information desk or at DivorceCare meets every Sunday night from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in room 104 of the First Evangelical Center starting Sunday, August 27 th. Call Lou Anne Barnhart at to register. DEATH ANNOUNCEMENTS First Church would like to express their sympathy to the family and friends of Martha Winner. Martha passed away on Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 100 years young. BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS First Church would like to congratulate Kevin & Erin Mowrey on the birth of their daughter, Evelyn Joy Mowrey on Friday, August 4, MEMORIAL NORTH CAMPUS In memory of Forest Breitenach by: Dean & Sandy Bussle Average Monthly Service July Average for 2017 TOTAL 781 Financial Stewardship July Year-to-Date Current Fund Income July Year-to-Date Needed Income $828,051 $712,048 STAY CONNECTED AND GET INVOLVED! First Church is a busy place. We want to make sure you aren t missing out on anything. Besides reading the Weekly Newsletter, you can go to to learn all about First Church. The First Glance newsletter, sent every Saturday, briefly highlights some important upcoming events every week. You can also like the First Church Williamsport Facebook page. Stay connected and get involved! TEACH

3 Sermon Outline Grace It Does a Body Good (Kindness) Ephesians 4:29-5:2 and John 15:12-15 I. We are created to be grace and grace. II. We can manufacture virtues for awhile on our own, but not consistently over the course of a life-time unless we God s love and grace in our lives. III. Forms of practical grace such as kindness are how Christ s love in our heart is in the world. IV. To offer grace-filled kindness to the world is to introduce the world to new. V. Kindness is not all about. It is the opposite of selfishness. VI. Kindness is giving practical grace by meeting. Life Reflection: In you God sees someone so beautiful, so wonderful, that God-in kindnesssays, Give me your garbage and I will give you my love. What does this mean to me? Do I realize the true amount of love, grace, and kindness that God has offered me through Jesus? Do I seek to actively offer kindness to others on a regular basis? How can I learn to live a life of kindness embodied in the grace of Christ? What impact could such grace, lived out in acts of kindness, have in the world? Scripture Reflection: Ephesians 4:32a Be kind and compassionate to one another Pastor s Page STEP 1 A Disciple s Journey First Church, I want to officially invite you -ALL of you -to take a step. A significant step. A step with Jesus. When Jesus walked this earth, He always invited people to take concrete steps with Him. Jesus invited people from not knowing Him TO know Him by connecting with Him and other Jesus followers (Step 1). Jesus invited them to learn and discover what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus (Step 2). Jesus invited those followers to embrace their unique, God-given call for the Kingdom of God (Step 3). And then Jesus released those followers to transform the world in His name (Step 4)! First church, THIS is our desire as well. THIS is how we can experience Transformation in Christ, Changing Lives Inside and Out. Now, I know lives are busy. I know the thought of taking a long journey can be overwhelming in the midst of life s trials, noise, and chaos. So today, I am not asking you to take the whole journey at once. Just take a step. One step. Every journey begins with Step 1. So today, if you have not yet taken a FIRST step on this Disciple s Journey, please consider doing so today as we have been encouraging for the past few weeks. 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 a 4 week group gathering on Wednesdays beginning September 6 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the First Evangelical Center. The group meets in FuseBox B on September 6th (please feel free to bring your children along to class tonight). Then starting September 13th Children s Ministry takes place at the same time as part of First Night so your children can also grow in their discipleship (Christian Life Center, First Floor). Life s most amazing journeys all begin the same way with the very first step. Take that step with Christ today. And if you are already a member/full disciple at First Church then please begin to pray about taking STEP 2 which we will be sharing about in the next few weeks. It is SUCH a joy and privilege to take this journey with you First Church. I look forward to what the journey holds in store for all of us. In Christ, Pastor Matt

4 d-fuse* Sunday School will welcome incoming 6 th grade students on Sunday, August 27 th at 9:30 am in the fuse*box student ministry center. d-fuse* SS [6-8] is the discipleship option for 6-8 th grade students and we are introducing d-fuse* SS [9-12] for students in grades These two opportunities follow a typical Christian Educational model, and are focused on discipleship and Bible learning for middle and high students. No fuse* during August fuse* is off Sunday evenings during the month of August as we prepare for the coming ministry year. We will resume on September 10 th for all students in grades SECOND MILE GIVING The Second Mile Giving for August is Bishop s Partners in Mission. The Bishop s Partners in Mission is a campaign to raise $1 million for the United Methodist Church s Imagine No Malaria campaign. And to raise $1 million to eliminate the remaining mortgage at Mission Central in Mechanicsburg. Please make checks payable to First Church with Bishop s Partners in Mission in the memo line. FIRST CHURCH KIDS TUTORING MINISTRY Did you know that First Church has partnered with Cochran Primary School to provide tutoring in the form of homework help and encouragement for students in 2 nd third grade who are recommended by the school s guidance office? It is a special ministry and volunteers are essential in providing this ministry! The commitment is once a week from 3:30-4:30 p.m. If you are interested in more information, please contact Angie Tobias (Children s Ministry Director) at atobias@firstchurch.cc or sign-up on the communication card in the newsletter. First Church is a Safe Sanctuary Congregation and all volunteers would need to comply with the expectations of Safe Sanctuaries. MISSION ITEMS NEEDED Local Food Pantry ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, microwave popcorn. Shepherd of the Streets shampoo, conditioner, towels & wash clothes. 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. BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS AUGUST 27 th A blessing invokes God s benefits; which fill life with joy. To get them off to the best possible start in the school year, kids 5 th grade and younger are invited for a special time of blessing during 11:00 a.m. worship on August 27 th at the North Campus as we pray over the children (and backpacks if they bring them). There will also be a short children s message, VBS songs, kidzone, and other fun; followed by pizza in the lobby immediately after worship. All are warmly invited to this especially kid-friendly service. CHILDREN & YOUTH SEND

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: August13 19: Michael, Jennifer, Myla & Keller Best; Robert Bickel; Jean Binderup;, Peggy & Constance Bird; Jamie & Jeff (Hughes), Olivia, Ashley & Antonio Blackson; Alfredo, Mary Ann, Micaella, Mia, Maria & Marco Blas; Jourdan Boehmer; Mel & Pat Bole; Michael, Natalie, Emily, Joshua, Zachary & Henry Bonislawski; Rob, Lori, Austin & Grace Boos; Chad, Nikki, Elijah, Adalyn & Abram Bower; Dale Bower; Don, Heather, Madyson & Jackson Bower; Jeff & Deborah Bower; Paul & Judy Bower; Ryan, Paula, Addison &Sadie Bower; Scot, Desiree, Cayce & Austen Bower; Mary Bowersox; Chris Boyce; Paul & Patty Braunegg; Bill, Kellie, Tripp, Molly & Mia Breen; Susan Breen; Eric, Amy & Madison Briggs; Sean Brink; Rob & Patty Britton; Robert & Helen Brown; Glenn Burgess; John & Jean Burks; Stephen Burnham. Weekly Worship Attendance for week ending August 13, 2017 TOTAL 747