First United Methodist Church 10a.m. Sunday Worship ADVENT WORSHIP SERIES During the Holy season of Advent 2018, we will be taking a journey through the Gospel story of Christ s birth, as we read along together in the book titled The Journey, by Adam Hamilton. Each Sunday sermon will follow the theme of a chapter which coincides with the Advent themes of hope, peace, joy, and love that appear in our candle lightings. All individuals, Sunday school classes, ministry groups, small groups, and Bible studies of First United Methodist Church are invited to join this church-wide book study and read along in this book during the month of December.
Please join us each Sunday of Advent as we walk the road to Bethlehem together and journey closer and closer to our Christ! Sunday, December 2 Chapter 1: "Are we ready?" Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36 Sunday, December 9 Chapter 2: "Are we faithful? Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 3:1-6 Sunday, December 16 Chapter 3: "Are we filled?" Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 1:39-55 Sunday, December 23 Christmas Cantata Chapter 4: "Are we prepared?" Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-18 Children's Christmas Pageant & Family Service 5:00 p.m. Traditional Candlelight Service 9:00 p.m. Advent Sermon Series Book Book orders for The Journey by Adam Hamilton are available for pickup at the Info Center on Sunday, December 2, after worship. If you are interested, a limited amount of books are available for purchase for $5.00 per book. Scholarships are also available. Poinsettia plants will be available for purchase beginning December 9 for display in the sanctuary on Christmas Eve in memory, honor, or celebration of a special person or event. Complete the form in your Sunday bulletin and along with payment place in the offering plate or the church office during the week. Deadline is Sunday, December 16. Christmas Poinsettias
Watch Pastor Ani's Sermons Been out of town or on vacation? Watch Pastor Ani's previous sermons on our YouTube channel firstumcmodesto or our Facebook feed each week. Heifer Living Gift Market Sunday, December 2, 2018 Fireside Room after worship This is no ordinary gift! Giving an animal is like giving someone a small business, providing wool, milk, eggs and more. Animal donations can provide families a hand up, increasing access to medicine, school, food and a sustainable livelihood. Stop by the Fireside Room after worship and purchase a gift for someone on your Christmas list that will change the world! Contact Carrie Castillon at carrie6893@sbcglobal.net for details. Leadership Summit / Annual Conference Saturday, December 8 Fireside Room 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Join Pastor Ani and the church council chairpersons, elected committee chairpersons, elected committee members, ministry leaders, and department staff persons for the quarterly Leadership Summit and Annual Charge Conference, where all members are invited to hear annual reports and vote on the Membership Report, Election of Officers, and Pastoral Compensation Report for 2019. United Methodist Women Christmas Tea Brunch Thursday, December 6 Fireside Room 10:00 a.m. All women are invited to attend the annual UMW Christmas gathering. Join them in the Fireside Room for a scrumptious Christmas Tea Brunch hosted by the UMW Executive Board followed by a heart-warming Reader s Theatre. It will be a wonderful morning of fellowship, fine food and entertainment. No reservations needed. We hope to see you there! Fellowship Groups Saturday Seekers Saturday, December 1 9:30 a.m. Frost Bakery Enjoy the fellowship and discussion of Born on Third Base by Chuck Collins. All women of the church are welcome. Nifty Needles Christmas Luncheon Tuesday, December 4 10:00 a.m. Fireside Room Join this group of women for their annual salad potluck luncheon and white elephant gift exchange. Come and be merry! BRAGG Book Reading Group Tuesday, December 4 6:30 p.m. Home of Sharon Misaki Come and discuss the book A gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
Tuesday Study Group Tuesday, December 11 1:30 p.m. Home of Margaret Taro Join in an afternoon of discussion and fellowship. UMW Christmas Cookie Sale Sunday, December 23 Fireside Room after worship No time to bake your favorite Christmas cookies? Let the United Methodist Women help you with your holiday baking! A vast array of fresh homemade cookies will be available for your choosing. You will be able to select your own cookies, have them weighed (sold by the pound) and be on your way in just no time at all! These make great gifts plus wonderful treats for your own holiday gatherings. Don't miss out on this tasty fundraiser for UMW mission projects locally and worldwide! Coffee & Conversation Christmas Gift Collections United Methodist Women Distribution Sunday, Dec. 16 While you re out and about doing your holiday shopping, why not pick up some socks and/or gloves for our friends at Coffee and Conversation? UMW has set a goal of 250 pairs of socks and 125 pairs of gloves. Drop off your donations in the narthex basket on Sundays or the office during the week by December 13. Coffee & Conversation Ministry Distribution Sunday, Dec. 23 Help the Coffee & Conversation Ministry give our C&C friends a Christmas gift pack of small travel/hotel size shampoo, conditioner, lotion and soap. If you would like to donate any of these items, please see Barbara Barker on Sunday morning or drop them off in the narthex or church office during the week. Staying Safe at Church - What every church member can do! Sunday, December 16 Fellowship Hall 11:00 a.m.
Know where the AED is located and attend training to learn how it works. All trustees, ushers, Sunday school teachers, staff and anyone else interested are encouraged to attend a short training session on the use of the automated external defibrillator. Feeling safe in church comes when we are willing to think through that which we would rather take for granted. It is important for all of us to be prepared and actively participate in the safety of our congregation and ourselves. Art Restores Teens Program Mondays Room 25 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. The Art Restores Teens program strives to enhance the quality of life, develop community and share the love of Christ for those who have experienced any form of trauma or negative life event through the use of art. As with all ministries at FUMC, we are always looking for volunteers to work with the teens, prepare art supplies for weekly projects and donate snacks and treats for weekly meetings. For further information contact Joni@firstumcmodesto.org.
Sunday, December 9 Fellowship Hall after worship December 2 Betty Nichols December 3 Linda Ray Ed Willhide December 4 Judy Church Luke Kaanon December 5 Lana Moore December 7 CJ Duncan December 12 Marlene Cowan December 13 Joan Theaker December 14 Frank Randolph December 16 Les Lighthall. December 17 Madeline Ayers Miriam Jorgensen December 18 Delaney Goetz December 19 Elsa Dubberly December 24 Cynthia Fores December 25 Bob Harper December 28 Nina Tharp December 30 Ken Avila Brian Eagles December 31 Jacquelyn Wells
We offer abundant praise and thanksgiving to this year's Home for the Holidays chairperson, Diana Scott, and all those faithful stewards who helped plan, organize, and serve. It's hard to count up days, weeks, months, and the hours that so many of you put in to make this year's Home for the Holidays a wonderful community event and prelude to the Christmas season. Together we welcomed hundreds of people to our festively decorated church and deliciously famous Apple Orchard Brunch. The tally is still being totaled, so stay tuned for the total financial outcome from this special Christmas tradition! A Dinner Feast at the Berberian Salvation Army Shelter Dear Church Family, On October 30, a group of friends, tied together by their love of reading, cooked up enough baked ziti to serve an army. Some brought their kids to help fill in the necessary amount of hands needed to serve 150 men & women at the Salvation Army s shelter. I m referring to my book club. I approached them with this idea last year and they accepted with a unanimous YES! They enjoyed the experience so much that they all agreed we should do it again. Fast forward to October 2018, we found ourselves again serving our brothers and sisters in need. As we had experienced the first time, we were met with happy, grateful people, appreciative of our efforts. Thanks to additional cakes provided by Judy Church and Lana Moore s daughter, we served a delicious dinner of baked ziti, salad, rolls and a variety of tasty desserts. I highly recommend considering this important and fulfilling mission for your own group or family! Judy Church has a great collection of recipes to help you get started and can provide the amounts of food and beverage that you will need to purchase. There s no need to be concerned or anxious that you can t pull this off - get a group together and enjoy the gift of giving! Happy Holidays, Jennifer Ward
@ First United Methodist Church Children's Sunday School Kindergarten - 5th Grade from 10 a.m. Worship High School 9th - 12th Grade Youth 11:30 a.m. Room 34 Adult Sunday School Sundays in December Conference Room 9:05 a.m. To coincide with our Advent sermon series we will have a DVD bible study and discussion on The Journey by Adam Hamilton. Dec. 2 - "Mary" Dec. 9 - "Joseph" Dec. 16 - "Mary's visit to Elizabeth" Dec. 23 - "Nazareth to Bethlehem" Dec. 30 - "The Manager" Sunday, December 9 Library 9:00 a.m. The Spirit Sunday School study group will meet one Sunday in December in the church library. Contact Carrie Castillon at carrie6893@sbcglobal.net. All are welcome!
Midweek Moments with God Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. Library Experience a deeper appreciation of the Bible and find its words to be life-changing and lifegiving as we read through the book, Making Sense of the Bible, by Adam Hamilton. All ages are welcome! Men 2 Men Group Wednesday, December 12 7:30 a.m. Library An early morning men's Christ Care group. First United Methodist Church Benefits of Year-end Giving The year is quickly coming to an end and 2019 will be here before we know it. Many times we get caught up in the holiday season and planning for the next year, and we forget about making year-end gifts to our church and beloved United Methodist ministries. These gifts, large or small, are important to ministry and could be as simple as an addition to our John Wesley Society Endowment Fund, memorial fund, or a supplement to special projects or programs our church is already doing. There are many ways you can make a gift before the end of the year that will provide you with valuable benefits and help further the work at First United Methodist Church Modesto. All 2018 financial gifts to FUMC must be received in the offering plate, church office, online through our website, or be postmarked on or before December 31, 2018. Gifts received after December 31, and gifts postmarked after December 31, will be recorded as gifts in January 2019. Contact Ron Kellogg at trkellogg1046@gmail.com for more information regarding the John Wesley Society Endowment Fund. Thank you for your generosity and support! *The John Wesley Society of FUMC is a chapter of the California-Nevada Annual Conference New Smartphone Giving App Make secure donations to the church online with the new GIVING+ app. Download the free
app GIVE+ from iphone App Store or Android Play Store. Once download is complete, search First United Methodist Church by ZIP code 95354. Click on create an account or use Give Now. Support FUMC when you shop! Already shopping online with Amazon? Visit the link below and choose Modesto First United Methodist Church as your nonprofit to support, then shop as usual. A portion of eligible purchases will be given to FUMC! smile.amazon.com Visit escrip.com and register in the program. It only takes a few minutes and from then a portion of your purchases with escrip merchants will automatically go towards First United Methodist Church.
Tiny Tots Preschool
First United Methodist Church 850 16th Street Modesto, CA 95354 209.522.9046 Sign up for our newsletter and other announcements on our website www.firstumcmodesto.org. Follow Us