Middle School Singers Take a Field Trip to PUMC! (12/16/15)
The Pitman Middle School Chorus, under the direction of our own Sue Crispin, presented their annual Christmas concert in our sanctuary on Wednesday December 16. The chorus was about 25 strong, and they presented a selection of familiar secular and spiritual songs. After the concert we all joined together in the Fellowship Hall for a lunch of ham, macaroni / cheese, and of course- cupcakes! During the weekdays, “Sue Crispin” (PUMC Music Director), takes on the role of...
Read MoreChoirs Shine the Light of Christ during Cantata (12/13/15)
Our choirs and praise team presented our annual candelight Christmas Cantata on the afternoon of Sunday December 13. The title of the cantata was “A Light Still Shines.” Here are portions of the forward which is provided in the book: Christmas is a modern day miracle of ancient origin. Two thousand years of human history have not diminished the importance nor the implications of the Incarnation and the joy of that event will resound for millennia to come. As we celebrate the...
Read MoreMen’s Group Enters the Gates with Thanksgiving (12/12/15)
Our United Methodist Men’s Fellowship held our monthly gathering on the morning of December 12, and we considered Psalm 100. This familiar Psalm teaches us that “Theology (knowledge) leads to Doxology (worship).” Our guest speaker was Gino Curcuruto, a chiropractor/pastor/father and devoted Christian. Gino and his family recently moved from Pitman to Philadelphia, with the intent of planting churches in his South Philly neighborhood (or wherever God is leading them). The...
Read MorePreschool Kids Learn How to Brush Up! (12/1/15)
A Dental Hygienist from Washington Township Dental Associates visited our Preschool (Our Father’s House) to show the kids how to take care of their teeth. She presented a fantastic program for the children and gave them a “goodie bag” that they could take home. No, the “goodie bag” didn’t contain leftovers from Halloween! But the toothbrushes and the other contents in the bag will reinforce the need of proper dental hygiene. Here are a couple of...
Read MorePUMC Marches in Pitman Christmas Parade (11/28/15)
On the Fourth of July, crowds line Broadway and a parade of floats heads north towards our church. On Thanksgiving weekend, a smaller (colder) crowd lines Broadway as a parade of floats heads south from our church. And we joined the parade with a float of our own! It was a warm evening, even if a bit drizzly. But the moisture didn’t dampen our enthusiasm and joy of kicking off the Advent season. As we rolled through the center of town, we sang Christmas Carols and joined with the town...
Read MorePreschool and Elderberries Bridge Generations (11/18/15)
The Our Father’s House held our annual Thanksgiving Program on the morning of Wed. Nov.19. The sanctuary was packed with proud parents and grandparents watching their children do… well…what kids do best: being kids! After a lot of rehearsal, the classes of our preschool pulled off a delightful selection of short songs (complete with motions, laughter, and even a few moments where the “performers” yelled out to get their parents’ attention). About 40...
Read MoreMen Rake Up! (11/14/15)
The Men of our church got the chance to get together on Saturday for two seemingly different activities. First we gathered at the church for a Bible study on Romans chapter 1. After that, we “gathered” at a local park to rake leaves. The leaf raking was our participation in Pitman’s “Clean Communities” project in which civic and church groups work to clean up an assigned roadway or piece of land. For us, money earned from this morning of work helps pay for our...
Read MorePUMC Celebrates 130th Anniversary with a Special Sunday (11/1/15)
On November 10 1885, the “Pitman Grove Methodist Episcopal Church” was “organized”, and what we now know as the “Pitman United Methodist Church”- was born. Our church is now 130 years old! On November 1 2015 we celebrated! Our usual 9:30 and 11:00 services merged into a single 10:15 service of worship, and we all got together in the Fellowship Hall afterwards for a covered dish luncheon. It was a homecoming of sorts, and Pastor Jim’s sermon was...
Read MoreYouth Gop, Goo, and Have a BLAST!!! (10/18/15)
When’s the last time you ever heard of teenagers wanting to spend MORE time in church? Well, that’s what’s happened at PUMC! Our BLAST Youth fellowship used to meet on Sundays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM on Sunday. But the kids wanted MORE time and asked Youth Director Kate Dilks if they could start meeting a 1/2 hour earlier. So, we’re starting at 6:00 now! Under fresh leadership and under a renewed spirit, our youth group is growing. We’re also keeping...
Read MoreBreakfast & Trunk or Treat: AM for Mexico and PM for Pitman! (10/24/15)
Saturday October 24 was really an all day affair in our Fellowship Hall and Parking Lot! In the morning we held a Breakfast Buffet and Yard Sale to raise funds to support our friends’ church in La Palmilla Mexico. In the evening we just threw a party and had some fun by inviting the community to our annual “Trunk or Treat” night. Here are the details… AM- Breakfast Buffet and Yard Sale The breakfast buffet was organized by our United Methodist Men’s...
Read MoreHooks and Needles for God Pre-Prayer New Blankets (10/25/15)
Hooks and Needles for God is a group that makes prayer shawls, baby blankets, and baby hats. We are continuing to make and give prayer shawls to people who need a healing touch or a warm hug from God. During the service on Sunday October 25 we laid our latest collection of blankets and shawls on the altar rail and the congregation prayed over them. These blankets will be given to children being baptized. Shawls will be given to people in hospitals, to shut-ins… to anyone needing an...
Read MoreHundreds Get a Shot at PUMC! (10/21/15)
What does October bring to mind. Time for Halloween? Cooler weather? Falling leaves? How about flu shots! In recent years the Gloucester County Department of Health has provided a series of free flu shot clinics. This year, 37 different clinics were held. As in recent years, our church’s Fellowship Hall served as one of the clinic locations. The clinic was held on the morning of Wednesday October 21, from 9:00 to 10:30. The clinic was open for only 90 minutes, but they expected...
Read MorePUMC Packs Friendly’s! (9/17/15)
For each month since June 2015, we have been taking advantage of the Glassboro Friendly’s “Fun Raiser” program to raise funds for our missions projects. The turnouts on these nights has been fantastic! Our church has packed the restaurant (jump starting their business on those nights), Friendlys has Packed us with some good food, AND- we’ve even been able to raise some funds which will help our church feed the hungry and house those still trying to recover from...
Read MoreMissions Update from La Palmilla (8/11/15)
Our missions trip to La Palmilla ended several weeks ago, but missions leader (and PUMC’er) Jennifer Andrade has remained in Mexico for a few more weeks. She recently sent the following update… Missions in La Palmilla, Veracruz, Mexico… Missions and ministry are alive and well in the rural village of La Palmilla! This past July, a Mission Team, sponsored by our church, went to La Palmilla for a week to work alongside of our brothers in Christ on the continued...
Read MorePUMC Canoes and Kayaks at Parvin State Park! (8/1/15)
On a beautiful Summer morning, you need to spend some quality time with family, friends (and “church family”)… and, it’s an extra bonus if you can enjoy some of the great outdoors and taste some of God’s creation at the same time! That’s what a group of us did on Saturday 8/1/15. About 15 of us (all ages) traveled to Parvin State Park, rented canoes or kayaks, and spent some time on the lake (yes- none of our boaters spent any time IN the lake!). We got...
Read MorePUMC’ers take Mission to La Palmilla (7/15/15)
Our mission team has safely arrived in La Palmilla Mexico! For the next two weeks they will be working with our Mexican friends to help complete the construction of their sanctuary. The church in La Palmilla is a United Methodist Church that’s bursting at the seams. There’s not a lot of funding for a construction project in that village, but there is a lot of love for Christ and a lot of desire to share His Word. One of the Mission Team members, Chris Valianti, posted the...
Read MoreYouth Lead the Way!!!
Sometimes adults think of youth as “so and so’s son or daughter” or of a demographic that we somehow need to attract and create programs for. But the people we call “Youth” are a dynamic part of our church. Recently we have seen three examples of their leadership and how they have contributed to our church and its mission. The list could go way beyond these three items, but here’s a taste of the contributions that they are always making… 1: ...
Read More2015 Vacation Bible School Goes to Nazareth! (6/22-26)
Our Vaction Bible School in June of 2015 took over 100 kids on a trip back in time to see what Jesus was like as a child. We went to Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, and visited with his mom, Mary. We also went into the market place and made some crafts, ate some authentic food, and talked to people who may not have always believed in Jesus. There were fun and games to play as well, one of our favorites was to crush “grapes” (water balloons) with our feet just like how they made wine and olive...
Read MoreElderberries Bloom at Longwood Gardens (5/29/15)
Seniors Group Visits Longwood Gardens… The Elderberries and Elderberry-want-to-be’s went to Longwood Gardens on Friday, May 29. Longwood Gardens is a landmark of beauty along route 1. Its grounds display God’s beauty in a variety of ways. As we strolled through Longwood’s greenhouses, outdoor gardens, and water displays we were reminded of the wonder of God’s awesome creation. ———————– Here are a few pictures...
Read MoreAbramovichs Send Update on Mission in Poland (6/1/15)
John and Dasia Abramovich are missionaries in Poland, using their gifts to teach the Bible to children and youth. John grew up near Pitman, and Dasia is from Poland. John and Dasia are both very familiar to PUMC as they have visited us and taught Bible studies during their recent “furloughs” in the States. They recently sent the following update message… Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)....
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