Acolyte Ministry Training (9/20/16)
Worship is nothing but a jumble of notes and words unless the Holy Spirit is there. In Matt 18:20, Jesus said: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Acolytes help us recognize and celebrate God’s presence among us during our services of worship. The symbolic lighting of the altar candles ushers in the spirit of worship. And at the end of the service, the “unlighting” of the candles and removing of the flame reminds us that...
Read MoreFall 2016 Small Groups are Set to Kick Off!
Over the years, Pitman United Methodist Church has offered to its congregation small groups that based their existence on building relationships with one another and with God. Some groups lasted several years, and some ended after their courses of study were completed. Small groups are part of God’s plan for spiritual maturity! “Two are better than one…. If they fall, one will lift up the other…” Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”...
Read MoreSpecial 10:15 Service will Remember 9-11 (9/11/16)
Can it be that it’s been 15 years already? Most of us remember that fateful day when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, a third crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth into a field outside of Shanksville, PA. This anniversary isn’t anything to celebrate, but it is something to reflect upon. And so on Sunday September 11, we will hold a single worship service at 10:15. Sunday School (all classes) will NOT be held this week. However, nursery will be available....
Read MoreYouth 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 MorePitman Camp Meeting Begins 2016 Summer Schedule (6/26/16 – 8/28/16)
For 146 years, Christians have gathered in the “Pitman Grove” to hear the word of God and to worship our Creator and Savior. This year’s season of the Pitman Camp Meeting is already underway and will continue throughout the summer on Sunday evenings. The services are held at 7:30 p.m. in the William (Bud) Moore Auditorium located in the center of the Grove area, and are lead by various pastors and music teams from the Methodist Churches in the area. Here’s the schedule…
Read MoreHoly Week Events Prepare for Resurrection Day (3/20/16 – 3/27/16)
Easter Sunday is quickly approaching! In order to celebrate the resurrection, we need to experience everything that led up to that glorious morning. On Palm Sunday, March 20, we considered the beginning of this Holy Week when our Lord entered Jerusalem. Our choirs led us through a special worship where to journeyed from the palms, through the cross, and to the empty tomb. During this special week, PUMC is providing some special opportunities to prepare ourselves for the majesty of Easter...
Read MoreChoirs set to Lead Palm Sunday Worship (3/20/16)
Can it be Palm Sunday already? Didn’t we just celebrate or Lord’s birth??? Yes- we’re there. The Lord is coming! On Sunday March 20, we will “sing hosanna” to our Savior by worshiping in music. During both services, our Choirs and Praise Team will lead a musical journey through Holy Week. Traditional hymns and contemporary praise music will be sung by the choirs. The music to be “presented” will be familiar to most of the congregation, so sing...
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 MoreAsh Wednesday Service (2/10/16)
The Christian calendar has taken us from Advent, through Christmas, through Epiphany, and now we have reached Lent. Everything from the birth to the wise men leads us to this time that climaxes with the resurrection of our Savior on Easter Sunday. The season of Lent is a time of reflection: How is our relationship with God? Am I obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit? Am I growing closer to Christ? And, if not, what’s getting in the way? Pastor Jim’s Lenten sermon series is...
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 MoreDress Down Sunday!!! (2/7/16)
Wear your favorite team jersey to church this Sunday!!! No, this isn’t an “April Fools” joke- it’s February… not April! Did you know that worship is supposed to be FUN, UPLIFTING, and REAL??? Formalities can lead us to a reverent attitude, but sometimes they can also seal us off into something that’s not genuine. And so on Sunday Feb. 7, we’re not going to be irreverent, but we are going to suspend the “dress code” and do things a bit...
Read MoreSnowed out! Missing Church This Morning??? (1/23/16)
Snowed out!!! After getting pounded for the past 36 hours, our roads, parking lots, and sidewalks are covered with snow. Moving about and navigating our sidewalks would be unsafe, so we took the unprecedented (?) step of cancelling our Sunday Morning Activities. So today is a day to dig out and clean up. But aren’t you missing going to church? For those who wouldn’t think of excluding Morning Worship from their Sunday routine, this morning feels kinda weird! Maybe even a bit...
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 MoreChristmas Eve Services (12/24/15)
Christmas is finally upon us! We will celebrate the eve before Christ’s birth with two Christmas Eve services. Family Service, 4:00 PM The fist service will be a casual family service and will be held at 4:00 PM. The service will feature carols and Bible readings. Traditional Candlelight Service, 7:30 PM The second service will begin with our annual “Christmas Band” and the singing of many favorite Christmas Carols and Praise Choruses. The choir will sing and...
Read MoreMiddle 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 MoreSpecial Combined Service (12/27/15)
“Greeting cards have all been sent… the Christmas rush is through…” The Christmas preparations and celebrations will be over… and we’ll be resting up from all of the activity. The last Sunday of the year will have a different feel at PUMC. Instead of our usual two-service schedule at 9:30 and 11:00, we’ll hold a single service at 10:15 AM. ~ Sunday, December 27 ~ 9:30 AM: Continental Breakfast goodies in Fellowship Hall 10:15...
Read MoreCommunity to Observe Thanksgiving (11/24/15)
The Pitman Council of Churches will host a Community Thanksgiving worship service on Tuesday, November 24 at 7:00 PM. The service this year will be held at the Mary, Mother of Mercy Church on Pitman Ave. Notice the schedule change: The service is held on TUESDAY instead of the usual Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Pastor Jim’s 7:00 PM Bible Study will NOT be held. The other Tuesday night activities will continue as usual. ...
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 MorePitman Camp Meeting Ready to Begin 2015 Summer Season (6/28/15)
This post is for the 2015 season! For information on the 2016 season, click this button: 2016 Camp Meeting Schedule The 145th annual summer Pitman Camp Meeting will be held again this summer, and it will open on Sunday June 28. The final Sunday will be on August 30. The services feature pastors and musical groups from the area churches. It is a time of informal Praise and Worship which begins at 7:30 PM in the Pitman Grove Auditorium. Here’s the...
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