PUMC Hosts Regional Day of Learning (2/12/17)
Fourteen years ago, a fire destroyed our downtown church building. It was located in the business district- right in the middle of town. But it had no parking, and its multiple levels and maze of staircases made it totally “non-accessible.” Ten years ago we moved into a new “state of the art building.” It’s located on the edge of town, but its parking lot and accessibility make it well suited to being used for large groups. We are blessed to be a blessing! ...
Read MoreBrady Can in Superbowl. PUMC Souper in Cans! (2/5/17)
It was a record setting Sunday… or at least different in many ways. In the morning, PUMC’ers dressed down in their favorite team jersey garb. Some of us even wore our new PUMC sweatshirts. Pastor Jim wore his favorite Jerry Rice 49’ers jersey. In his sermon (and throughout the service), Pastor Jim turned the popularity of the super bowl into a series of object lessons about how we can be part of God’s Team… of how we can join up with God for a certain victory. ...
Read MoreBLAST Refocuses Trust During Mid-Winter Advance (1/15/17)
On January 15, 2017, BLAST returned from our annual youth retreat, MidWinter Advance (MWA) at America’s Keswick in Whiting, New Jersey. Our group was made up of twenty-five youth, young adults, and leaders. The retreat that was filled with fun, fellowship, and faith. The four-part message, led by the college team, focused on Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your path.”...
Read MoreFrom Poland with Love (1/2/17)
John and Dasia Abromovich are missionaries in Poland, who we have supported for many years. The Abramovich’s work with youth groups, leading Bible Studies and organizing camps. John is from the area (Runnemede, NJ), and both of them have visited PUMC on many occasions. John has been having some health issues which will prevent them from making their usual visit home this year, but they are actively continuing their ministry. Dasia recently emailed the following to their prayer...
Read MoreTrunk or Treat Entertains 900 Guests at PUMC! (10/29/16)
We opened our church for our annual Trunk or Treat on Saturday 10/29/16, and an estimated crowd of 900 people visited our parking lot and Fellowship Hall. Guests could wander through the parking lot to view a variety of decorated trunks, jump in our bouncy house, or just to wander around our grounds on a clear evening. Families then headed inside the Fellowship Hall to bob for donuts, bowl, eat, or just to mingle with other kids and families. Not only was a great opportunity for some family...
Read More2016 Vacation Bible School Leads us out of Out of a Cave! (6/27 – 7/1)
Caves… they’re dark, scary, and they’re easy to get lost in. They’re also a perfect metaphor for the stretches of life where there seems to be no hope.
Thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit (and some faithful human hands), our 2016 Vacation Bible School was a huge success! Kids of all ages learned how to depend on the Light of the World to get through our “caves.”
Youth Challenge Church to Look for God Sightings (6/27/16)
Our Youth Fellowship Group- BLAST (Big Loud Awesome Spiritual Time) led our worship services on Sunday June 26. They led both in music and in Word. Music… The choir and praise team were given the week “off”, and the services’ music was led by guitarist Lance Bird, percussionist Jeremy Andrade, and Bassist Melissa Brown. Other BLAST’ers gathered around the mics to lead the singing. Word… Three passages from...
Read MoreOur Fathers House Graduation (5/26/16)
May and June is a special time in the lives of proud parents; Graduations! Junior High School, High School, College, University… Master’s Degrees and even Doctorate Degrees! All important times for students and their parents. But what about Pre-K??? Competing those first years of school is quite an accomplishment; both for the kids AND for the parents! On the morning of Tuesday May 26 we celebrated this accomplishment and made some lifelong memories as our 2016 four-year olds...
Read MorePreschool Has a Cow… and then Some! (5/1/16)
Our preschool,Our Father’s House, teaches more than “Readin’, Writing, and ‘Rithmatic.” We also teach how to grow in the grace and love of God. Every month, we have taken on a different mission project. In April, we collected and donated $500 to Heifer International. What is Heifer International? Heifer International’s mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth. They help poor and hungry people help...
Read MoreChurches Band Together- Music for Missions (4/10/16)
Music; it’s a gift from God. God gave us music so we could give it back to Him. We use it to teach, to worship, to praise. And, we also use it to support our efforts to feed the hungry and to house the poor. On the evening of Sunday April 10, several local Methodist churches got together to present a concert to raise funds for our mission to La Palmilla Mexico. For many years, the limited financial resources of the church in this town have not been able to reach their boundless love...
Read MoreMen’s Fellowship Retreats and Grows into Leadership (3/11/16)
Sometimes it’s really helpful to shift your focus from the daily routine, and get away to spend some time with friends around a time of learning, worship, and fellowship. And that’s exactly what a retreat is! For the 15th year in a row, our Men’s Fellowship group took a weekend apart and traveled to the Black Rock Retreat Center in Quaryville, PA. It’s a familiar place for us, but each weekend has its own character and its own take-aways of growth and learning. This...
Read MoreOur Father’s House Rocks! (2/25/16)
We need to put Jesus Above All else! Is He greater than your favorite TV star? Is He greater than your favorite athlete? What about music? Is Jesus your favorite Rock Star??? On Thursday Feb. 22 a group from Our Father’s House (our preschool), joined their own “rock band”, picked up their plastic guitars, started out with “ABC Rock” and then moved on by “rocking” to many Spiritual Hits such as: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands I’m Happy...
Read MoreCongregants Get a Dress-Down! (2/7/16)
As soon as we arrived to worship on Sunday February 7 (2016), we knew things would be different. Actually, Pastor Jim always tries to keep us on our toes, but this Sunday he greeted us wearing a Jerry Rice San Franscisco 49’ers jersey! One look around the sanctuary and it was easy to see that something was up when people were wearing clothes emblazoned with names such as Phillies, Eagles, Steelers, and Flyers. It was Super Bowl Sunday, and we were going to change things up a bit to...
Read MorePUMC Celebrates Ministries with Luncheon (1/31/16)
Just a quick glance through our church newsletter (Steeple Notes), or through the “Coming Events” section of our bulletin, or at the Monthly Calendar (see the link on the website sidebar), reveals that this church is “busy.” But being “busy” and “doing things” doesn’t necessarily mean we’re “doing things” that glorify God. But when the Holy Spirit leads us into these activities, we are then participating in the...
Read More3rd and 4th Graders Learn to Be Jesus’ Hands and Feet (1/17/16)
The Third and Fourth graders in our Sunday School are practicing to be the “Hands” and “Feet” of Jesus by making a chain recording their good deeds. We’re hoping that by the end of the year, our chain will reach around the room! Standing in the Gap As we saw in a recent sermon, Ezekiel 22:30-31 uses the image of someone “Standing in the Gap” between God’s love and humanity’s sinfulness. God is calling us to be “priests”;...
Read MoreOperation Shoebox Blesses 11 Million!
In 2015 more than 11 million shoebox gifts were delivered to children in 108 countries around the world. For some of these children this was the first Christmas gift they have ever received. Bible materials printed in 69 languages are included with each shoebox gift; so that every single box represents an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the children and their families. 89 of these boxes came from PUMC. Thanks to everyone who packed a box or donated materials. To God be...
Read MoreMen’s Fellowship Gathers with Pastor Chris Heckert (1/8/16)
The Men’s Fellowship group held their monthly gathering on Saturday January 8. The gathering took place in a brand new year, but our speaker was a familiar face. Joining us was Rev. Chris Heckert, who is now serving as the senior pastor in the Haddonfield United Methodist Church. Pastor Chris was our associate pastor between 2004 and 2006 (during our “tabernacling days” after the fire while we met in the downtown storefront). During his time here he blessed us with...
Read MoreBLAST Serves Breakfast to the Homeless in Camden! (12/28/15)
Our Youth Group, BLAST, took part of their Christmas holiday to visit a homeless shelter! We spent the morning of December 28 at the New Visions Homeless Day Shelter (in Camden NJ) to serve breakfast to the people visiting the shelter. We were also able to take a break from the work in the kitchen to sit down and chat with some that we served. About 15 “BLAST’ers” took part in this experience. After preparing a meal consisting of pancakes, turkey sausage, bananas, coffee,...
Read MorePUMC Welcomes the Savior! (12/24/15)
On Christmas Eve, we held two services. The first was at 4:00 PM and was geared for families with small children. The 7:00 PM service included the choir, praise team, brass ensemble, and the traditional lighting of candles to the singing of Silent Night. Pastor Jim gave a sermon on Luke 2:1-20 and Isaiah 9:6-7 entitled “Believe.” Here are some pictures from the 7:00 service… most of which are taken from the choir loft. The view of the candles from the loft on Christmas Eve...
Read MorePreschool Shines in Christmas Pageant (12/10/15)
Our Preschool, Our Father’s House, presented their annual Christmas Pageant before an adoring crowd of parents, grandparents, and PUMC members. After a welcome and announcements by Pastor Jim and OFH director Eileen Salmon, the kids took over. They took us through the story of Christmas with short songs and lots of energy. The kids presented everything from the Christ Child, Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, magi, angels… and even cows. ...
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