NOTE FROM THE PASTOR Cast Your Nets to The Other Side

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Marshall Stevenson
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1 F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H N E W S L E T T E R A P R I L / M AY

NOTE FROM THE PASTOR Cast Your Nets to The Other Side One of my favorite post Easter stories comes from John 21. It takes place a few days after Easter.

2 NOTE FROM THE PASTOR Cast Your Nets to The Other Side One of my favorite post Easter stories comes from John 21. It takes place a few days after Easter. Jesus already appeared to the disciples twice now. One day Peter and a few other disciples decided to go fishing. It seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do. They spent most of their adult lives fishing. Their time following Jesus around Galilee seemed to have come to an end, so they returned to fishing. Sadly, they weren t very successful. They fished all night and they didn t catch a single fish. They were discouraged and frustrated, and then just after dawn they heard a man standing on the beach asking them if they had any fish. When they honestly replied that they did not, he told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat because there they would find fish. So, figuring it wouldn t hurt to try, they cast their nets to the other side. They couldn t even haul the nets into the boat because they were so full of fish. Immediately, they recognized that this stranger on the beach was the risen Jesus and they rushed to the shore to meet him, built a fire, and feasted on fish with him. I love that the disciples were at a loss for what to do now that Christ had risen. They returned to something familiar, to what they knew. Unfortunately, they discovered that their skill of fishing didn t quite work out for them anymore. Imagine, how they felt when they saw this strange man give them a ridiculous suggestion of casting the net to the right side of the boat. They were experienced fishermen. Who was this person telling them what to do? They were the ones fishing in the boat while this man was standing on the shore. Their problem was that they were fishing from the wrong side of the boat! The man told them to simply cast their nets to the right side of the boat. Like all fishermen at the time, the disciples were fishing from the left side of the boat. This was because the steering apparatus was located on the right side of the boat because most seamen were right-handed. First century fishermen would seldom have fished the right side of the boat because they were conscious of tangling the nets and possibly losing their catch, something any fisherman wanted to avoid. And yet the disciples found, when they allowed the risen Jesus to change their old fishing habits, they received an abundant catch. We are so like those disciples returning to fishing. We celebrate this Easter season while going about our old habits, routines, and patterns of life. Like the disciples, we too return to what we know. Jesus didn t rebuke the disciples for returning to their old way of fishing. Instead he offered them a small but significant transformation, a twist on the old way that had huge results. The risen Jesus offers us a twist on our old way of life. God calls us to respond to the Resurrection with fearless love that transforms even our smallest habits and routines and ways of life. Notice, that the disciples didn t argue with the man on the shore. They immediately cast the net to the right side of the boat without hesitation. They fished all night and caught nothing and weren t too proud to try another suggestion from a complete stranger. John was the first to recognize that the man was Jesus and Peter jumped into the lake and swam to Jesus. When the disciples couldn t haul in their bounty of fish, perhaps they were reminded of the time Jesus multiplied the five loaves and two fishes and fed 5,000 men plus women and children. What would it look like for you to fish on the other side? What would it look like for you to go about your everyday life responding to the call of the risen Christ? Cast your nets to the other side. Allow familiar ways to be transformed by resurrection love. Enjoy the Spring once it finally gets here! In Christ, Pastor Scott MOTHER S DAY LUNCHEON AT FIRST UMC Bring Mom/Grandmom/Sister, to First Church for a Mother s Day Luncheon on Sunday May 13th at noon! Contact Courtland Gardner if you can help set up before and/or cleanup afterwards. More info to come in Sunday bulletins! SATURDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY Please note, the next two Bible Studies will be held on Saturday, April 28th, and on Saturday, May 26th. Start time is 8 AM. Both Bible Studies will be held at the Perkasie Dunkin Donuts. BLOOD DRIVE AT FUMC FRIDAY APRIL 20TH Help save a life! The American Red Cross will hold a Blood Drive here at First Church on Friday, April 20th from 2 PM to 7 PM. Make an appointment today! Visit the Red Cross website: enter sponsor code: Perkasie, or call the First Church office. 2

3 Perkasie Fire Company Presents Business of the Year Award to First Church Sunday April 8,

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CHURCH FAMILY FELLOWSHIP GATHERING On Wednesday, April 11, we had a very nice evening of fellowship with soup and chili and lots of homemade bread and great desserts.

THANK YOU FROM PASTOR DORN Thank you to everyone who gave of their time to help out with our Tenebrae service back on Holy Thursday, March 29th.

Jazz & Joe Concert in the SpiritLight Sanctuary. Thursday, May 17th, starting at 7 PM! Light refreshments will be served.

6 CHURCH FAMILY FELLOWSHIP GATHERING On Wednesday, April 11, we had a very nice evening of fellowship with soup and chili and lots of homemade bread and great desserts. If you missed this event, we re going to be having more of these gatherings. Watch for the dates in your bulletins! THANK YOU FROM PASTOR DORN Thank you to everyone who gave of their time to help out with our Tenebrae service back on Holy Thursday, March 29th. Many hands made light work, and there were a lot of moving parts. We could not have gotten it all done without you! JAZZ N' JOE EVENT - BRUCE KAMINSKY & FRIENDS ENSEMBLE Mark your calendar! Jazz & Joe Concert in the SpiritLight Sanctuary. Thursday, May 17th, starting at 7 PM! Light refreshments will be served. HIGHLAND PARK Highland Park is celebrating their 125th Anniversary this summer! This year s Youth Camp theme is Whatever Your Will, and runs from July 29 to August 5. Brochures are available on the Narthex and SpiritLight tables. There are several Highland Park events planned this summer with the Park Ladies Auxiliary, as well as Highland Park Cottage Owners Association Concerts. Keep an eye out for future bulletins and flyers on the church bulletin board! CHURCH ORGAN The church organ pitch is slightly flat which does affect having any special music with other instruments, even the piano. We have been given an estimate of $1,500 to $2,000 to bring the organ to standard pitch. Any donations would be appreciated and should be marked as Organ Fund. Please see Robert if you have any questions. PEW REMOVAL As previously announced, the first pew on the right side of the sanctuary was removed to accommodate the Praise Band for the Holy Thursday service. The 9 AM SpiritLight service will be moved to the main sanctuary when adequate sound and video equipment has been installed. Until then, the 9 AM service will remain downstairs. The pew and screen have been safely stored for future reinstallation, should that need arise. PASTOR SCOTT ON VACATION Please be aware that Pastor Scott will be on vacation from Monday April 16th to Thursday April 19th. For emergencies, Pastor Westhoff at Tabor UMC will be on call. Please note: there will be no Wednesday morning Bible Study and no Confirmation class on April 18th. Bible Study and Confirmation class will resume the following Wednesday, April 25th. CONFIRMATION CLASS Pastor Scott holds Confirmation Classes every Wednesday night at 5:30 PM (except April 18th). On Wednesday, May 2nd, the confirmands are going on a Historic Church Field Trip. Confirmation will take place during Traditional Worship on Sunday, June 3rd. MAGAZINES AND BOOKS FOR HOSPITAL PATIENTS GVH is now accepting books, paper and hardback. Please bring your donated magazines and books to the glass case outside the church office. Magazines must be no more than a year old, address labels must be removed MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES: GREETERS AND USHERS If you like to say hello to people each Sunday, don t hurry to your seat, but stay to greet anyone coming in, especially visitors. And if you are willing to help someone to their seat or to take up the offering, we are looking for some people who would like to be called Ushers. Just contact the office to let us know that you are willing to help with these ministries. F.I.S.H. CAMPAIGN 2018 Our new total is lbs.! Updated Pantry List: Hot chocolate, Laundry Detergent, toothpaste and brushes, Broth and Gravy, Hot and Cold Cereal (13-18 oz), Juice (64 oz.), Canned Pasta, Meal Helpers, peanut butter (16 oz. size), corn, spaghetti sauce and canned tomatoes. PERKASIE HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING 2018 SEASON The Historical Society Spring 2018 meetings begin at 6:30 PM here at the church. For reservations, contact Pat Gahman. For late cancelations, contact the church office. Tuesday May 1st: History & How Bonsall Baseball Bats of Perkasie are Made by Jeff Bonsall 6

7 YF NEWS Leaders Needed: Lois Groff and Donna McCarthy will be retiring from YF duties at the end of the school year in If anyone would like to step up and learn more about being a YF leader, contact Donna, Lois, or the church office. We thank Lois and Donna for their years of selfless service to the YF. CHURCHWIDE SPECIAL SUNDAYS WITH OFFERINGS (GIVING SUNDAYS) Churchwide Special Sundays with offerings enable United Methodists like you to offer refuge in times of disaster, promote peace and justice, provide scholarships and student loans, reach out to the community, teach skills to encourage self-sufficiency and share the love of Jesus Christ with God's people everywhere. Native American Ministries Sunday (third Sunday of Easter) nurtures mission with Native Americans and provides scholarships for United Methodist Native American seminarians. Peace With Justice Sunday (first Sunday after Pentecost) enables The United Methodist Church to have a voice in advocating for peace and justice through a broad spectrum of global programs. FUMC ONLINE GIVING First Church has made available to our membership an online giving program. We have installed a link on our website, that will enable you to donate online. Just log on to the website, left click on the button Give Online in the header at the top of the page, and follow the instructions. You may pay via credit card, debit card or ACH bank transfer with a one-time gift or recurring weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or annual gifts. A receipt is generated immediately via . We hope you will find this a convenient way of giving, especially if you are unable to attend church. These are trying times financially for First Church and your continued support is needed. Did You Know? Perkasie Park Camp Meetings were first held there by Presbyterians. But, in August, 1883, Evangelicals, Methodist and United Brethren held meetings. (1400 teams of horses were recorded on a Friday of camp week.) 7

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 501 Market Street Perkasie, PA 18944-1467 Sunday Worship Schedule Church Office Hours 9:00 AM 10:30 AM Contemporary

Attendants Alanna Jones Administrative Assistant Edmund Schonheiter Custodian Find Us on Facebook!

8 FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 501 Market Street Perkasie, PA Sunday Worship Schedule Church Office Hours 9:00 AM 10:30 AM Contemporary Worship Traditional Worship Tuesdays through Fridays: 9 AM to 1 PM Closed Mondays Pray Down at High Noon Let s all pray The Lord s Prayer every day at noon and expect great things! Pastor Scott Dorn Jac Filer Lay Leader Robert Creager Organist/Choir Director Melinda Krpata Worship Leader Jennifer Fabey Leanne Lightcap Nursery Attendants Alanna Jones Administrative Assistant Edmund Schonheiter Custodian Find Us on Facebook! A p r i l / M A Y h i g h l i g h t s In this issue: Blood Drive Friday April 20th, 2-7 PM Prayer and Praise Night Saturday June 9th at Perkasie Fire Hall Mother s Day Luncheon Sunday May 13th Graduate Recognition Form Our mission: Embrace our community with God s love Make disciples to share in doing simple things for God s kingdom 8

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C O N F I R M A T I O N S U N D A Y A T F U M C J U N E 3, 2 0 1 8 F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H N E W S L E T T E R J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 8 NOTE FROM THE PASTOR Spring Cleaning