052012 Bulletin Announcements

052012 column calendar

May 13, 2012 Bulletin Announcements

May 13 – 20, 2012 calendar

May 6, 2012 Bulletin Announcements

May 6 – 13, 2012 weekly calendar

Fair Trade coffee and sugar are now being served at First Church!  Join us in the Coffee Cafe on Sunday mornings and enjoy good coffee for a good cause.  Celebrate World Fair Trade Day on Saturday, May 12.  For more information on Fair Trade, visit the website at www.equalexchange.coop.

Stop by the Multi-purpose room on Sunday, May 20 and pick up some free delicious baked goods!  Donations for the baked goods will be used to buy Solar Cookers for women in Africa.  The Solar Cookers use the sun to make the food, rather than firewood, which can be hard to find and dangerous for women and children.  Help us keep women and children safe by using Solar Cookers.  Sponsored by the UMW Mary Circle.

MAY 2012 NEWSLETTER

April 29, 2012 Bulletin Announcements

April 29 – May 6, 2012 calendar

Operation Overboard Vacation Bible School will be held June 11-15, 9am to noon for 3 year olds to 7th grade.  Click here to register for Operation Overboard VBS 2012!

In His Name

FUMC Baggers: In February, 27 volunteers filled 575 bags for Bethesda Mission at Mission Central.  In March, 13 volunteers filled 475 bags.  With the passing away of FUMC member, Margaret Cook , an irreplaceable, committed “bagger” has been lost.  Volunteers are asked to come to Mission Central the third Wednesday of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  See
Eric King for details.

New Hope Ministries:  Donations of brownie and cake mixes and icing can be placed in the receptacles at the main entrance to the church from the parking lot.  Don and Deb Karns will deliver the donated items to New Hope Ministries.

Neighborhood Center:   A game night is held every Tuesday evening at the Neighborhood Center.  Gamers interested in playing board games with the youth can contact Nadine Ogden for details.  697-5045.

Once again FUMC will be sponsoring Neighborhood Center youth to attend church camp. Donations are being accepted to partially or fully fund a NC camper.  See Amy or Nadine Ogden.

Mission Central:  A benefit gala celebration “Elegance in the Warehouse” is being planned in honor of Mission Central’s tenth anniversary.  The event includes a reception, silent auction, and dinner.  The celebration is Saturday, May 12, beginning at 5:30 p.m.  Cost is $100 per person.  For information go to: www.missioncentral.org or contact Mike Ogden 697-5045.

FUMC’s Mission-Minded Members have been busy!

“If you do one trip, you will do 20!”  FUMC member Chuck Kershner challenged the Missions Committee – and the entire church – with this statement. He recently returned from a mission trip to North Carolina where he was kept busy repairing roofs, lawn work and other needed jobs for folks still dealing with Hurricane Irene devastation.  The smiles on the people’s faces are worth more than anything else!  Chuck will be going again to the Onondaga Nation, near Syracuse, NY in July and would love for others to join him. (see VIM schedule in this newsletter)
Buddy and Jeanne Eakin-Miller’s mission trip to Sierre Leone, West Africa, in January provided opportunities to connect with many people even though Jeanne (and Buddy had to stay with her) was quarantined for a majority of the trip due to illness.  They will be in Williamsport in mid-April to assist with repairs from the flooding that occurred in 2011.

Their daughter, Tiffany Holland, traveled with that same group to Sierre Leone and was able to visit our sister church, Calvary UMC, while there. You will be hearing a lot from Tiffany as she is working very closely with her new connections to Calvary.  Be sure to check out the Missions Table in May.  Tiffany will be sharing information on how we can help with the needs of Calvary Church as well as her photos and other information from the trip.  Tiffany plans to return to Sierre Leone in January 2013 to continue her support and leadership in fund raising efforts towards the completion of their wish list.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON TAKING A MISSION TRIP, PLEASE LET THE MISSION COMMITTEE CHAIRS KNOW. FIRST CHURCH WANTS TO SUPPORT YOU!  Mengles: 319-8582 or Ogdens: 697-5045

2012 Altoona District VIM (Volunteers in Mission) Schedule
Contact:  Ron Hoover, 814-232-1237; BandRHoover@gmail.com

Sept. 8-16 – Joplin, MO; rebuild from tornado disaster.  Cost:  $400

Oct. – date and location to be determined.

Calvary United Methodist Church VIM
Contact:  Rev. Jeffrey Fisher, 717-545-0021 (church); jfisher@susumc.org

May 10-12 – Wesley Forest Church Camp, Weikert, PA; clean lakeside cabins and paint summer shower houses.  Cost:  none

July 22-27 – Onondaga Nation, near Syracuse, NY; remodeling homes for Native Americans.
Cost:  $200

August 19-25 – Clearfield County, PA; repair homes for the elderly in Allport, Bigler, and Woodland areas.  Can stay for entire week or several days.   Cost: $10/day or $50/week.

Sept. 29 – Oct. 8 – Navajo Indian Reservation, Shiprock, New Mexico; remodeling homes for Native Americans.  Cost:  $1400

Jan. 13 – 26, 2013 – Sierre Leone, West Africa; visit sister congregations in Sierre Leone; rebuilding.  Cost:  $4,000

Jan./Feb. 2013 – actual dates to be determined.  Nicaragua

July 18 – Aug. 1, 2013 – Uganda, Africa; Watoto Children’s Orphanage in Kampala.  Cost:
to be determined.

April 22, 2012 Bulletin Announcements

April 22-29, 2012 weekly calendar

MISSION COMMITTEE MINUTES – March 6, 2012

Mission Statement for First United Methodist Church Mission Committee:

• To EDUCATE First Church and improve awareness of available local, national and global mission opportunities
• To EQUIP First Church to serve in Mission
• To DEVELOP and support missionaries within First Church—and around the world
• To BE GOOD MISSION STEWARDS

Attending:  Eric King, Debbie Karns, Tiffany Holland, Dave Mengle, Margie Mengle, Chrissy Marshall and Adina Higgins.

DEVOTIONS:  The opening devotions by Dave since Mike Ogden in San Diego.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:  A motion was made by Margie to approve the December minutes and seconded by Eric.  The motion passed.

DESIGNATED SUNDAY:  Every Sunday in the FUMC organization has a designated offering purpose.  Dave has the list.

AMY OGDEN:    Will be going on a short term mission trip to Haiti in July.

WEB PAGE DISCUSSION:  Lynn McKinney to post minutes on the website on a monthly basis.

MISSION TABLE:

• APRIL –  New Hope Ministries; walk is scheduled for 4/22 – the Karns’
• MAY –  Sierra Leone – Tiffany Holland
• June  –  Harrisburg mission trip – Youth department
• July  –
• August – School supplies?

MISSION REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS:

1. Backyard Missions:  Recent projects included cleaning and organizing the closet next to the Christian Fellowship Sunday school class and setting up and tearing down tables and chairs for the Day of Pampering event.  This included some 7^th and 8^th grade youth to participate as well.  Flyers were passed out around our church neighborhood advertising our services.  In our church neighborhood, John planned to pass our batteries as a reminder to change our clocks and the batteries in our smoke detectors.
2. New Hope Ministries:  The fundraiser at Hoss’ earned $2,203.84 (and $1,750.67 was at the Mechanicsburg Hoss’ restaurant); Columbus Day is the next fundraiser there.  The Feinstein challenge is when donations are matched that are made during March and April.  There will be an open house on March 26.  Since New Hope Ministries pantry shelves are bare, all area churches agreed to sign up for certain food necessities.    Our church has signed up for food donations of brownies mixes, cake mixes and cans of frosting.
3. Daystar:  No update
4. Mission Central:  May 12^th is the fundraiser even dinner.  Seats cost $100 each.
5. Bethesda Mission:  There were 575 bags of groceries packed with 27 volunteers helping.
6. UMHC:  No report.
7. Neighborhood Center:  No report.
8. Sierra Leone Initiative:  Tiffany reported that there are three needs.  They are tiles for the floors, a generator and flush toilets.
9. Habitat for Humanity:  No report.
10. Children:  No report.
11. Youth:  No report
12. Missionaries:  No report.
13. McCurdy School:  No report.
14. Operation Christmas Child:  No report.
15. Volunteers in Mission:  Chuck Kershner, from our church, will be going to NC in March.  If interested in participating in any of the other mission trips, please contact Buddy, Jeanne or Tiffany.

Respectfully submitted,

Adina Higgins

Believing, Loving Tweens (4th-6th graders) will be bowling on the Navy Base on April 22, 2012.  Meet in the church lobby at 1:15pm.  Pick up at 4:30pm for anyone not in handchimes.  Cost is $5.  Please give attached permission slip to Norma Lockney.    Permission slip – bowling

April 15, 2012 Bulletin Announcements

April 15-22, 2012 weekly calendar

April 8, 2012 Bulletin Announcements

April 8-15, 2012 weekly calendar