PUMC 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 to Celebrate Student Sunday (11/29/15)
United Methodists celebrate Student Day on the last Sunday in November. Why? What is Student Sunday and why should students be lifted up? “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.” — Psalm 25:4-5, NSRV Studying; either the truths of the Scripture or the world around us is a key part of our growth. We learn to interpret God’s will and we learn skills that enable...
Read MoreOur Father’s House is Ready for 2015 Book Fair! (11/10/15)
Our Father’s House (our Preschool) has set up our annual Fall Book Fair and we’re ready to go! The Book fair will be held in the Gathering Room (2nd floor of education wing). It will be open on the following days and hours… Tuesday 11/10 8:30-1:30 AND 5:30-8:00 PM Wednesday 11/11 8:30 – 2:30 Thursday 11/12 8:30-1:30 Notice that there are evening hours on Tuesday. So if you work during the day but you attend our Tuesday Night Bible Study (or...
Read MoreHay! Our Father’s House Enjoys Zimmerman Farms (10/20/15)
Hey! it’s the Fall, almost Halloween, and the days are getting crisper and cooler. Apple cider and pumpkins are drawing us to the great out of doors. And- Hey! Hay somehow gives us a special feel for this time of year. Anyhay, all of that makes for a more appropriate picture than sitting indoors would make, so the kids of Our Father’s House took a “Field Trip” to Zimmerman’s Farm Market – located on Salina Road in Sewell, NJ. Our Father’s House is our...
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 MoreBreakfast Buffet and Bake Sale to Help OFH Families! (9/26/15)
The morning of Saturday September 26 will be a busy time at PUMC! We’re getting together so we can help families afford to send their children to our preschool, Our Fathers House. We’re doing a couple of things to raise funds for our preschool’s Scholarship Fund. Many families depend on this to provide their youngsters with a quality Christian-oriented education. Our preschool offers classes for 2, 3, and 4 year olds (including an all-day pre-K program). Breakfast...
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 MoreSecond Grade Sunday School Class Does First Class Act! (5/3/15)
Clothe the Naked, Feed the Hungry… As a mission project for Lent, the First, Second, and Third Graders of our Sunday school class collected canned goods and donated them to the Angels of God. Angels of God is ministry in Pitman providing clothing and food to the needy. Earlier in the year we collected coins and gave a large donation to them as well. They were so excited to see our children being generous to people in need. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice...
Read MoreOur Father’s House Celebrates the Class of 2015! (5/27/15)
It wasn’t just a “Graduation”… it was a celebration. A celebration of a program, of teachers, of parents, and of children. Divided into classes named “Busy Bees,” “Friendly Yellow Fish,” and “Friendly Orange Fish,” a total of 37 four-year olds marked the end of their experience in Our Father’s House and the anticipation of the next phase of their education. It is our prayer that these precious children not only learned how to...
Read MoreThe After People (Stephen Ministers)
The following was taken from a flyer in the church narthex… People often ask, “What exactly is a Stephen Minster?” One way to to put it is that Stephen Ministers are the After People. Stephen Minsters are there: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 After the phone call you hoped you’d never get… After the divorce papers are served and the bottom falls out of your life… After the funeral, when everyone has left and the emotions you’ve held at bay come crashing...
Read MoreHooks ‘n Needles Serves up Hugs ‘n Prayers During Sunday Worship (5/10/15)
On Sunday May 10, the Hooks and Needles for God group filled the altar rail with a colorful and soft array of blankets. Hooks and Needles makes these blankets to be given to people in times of special need; illness, births, or just when someone needs to know that the church is surrounding them in prayer. During the service, members gathered around the altar rail to pray over these blankets. The people receiving these blankets is not yet known (by us anyway…), but the prayers were made...
Read MoreBLAST Sends a Response to Trinity UMC’s Food Challenge (5/3/15)
The Trinity UM Church in Clayton challenged our youth group (BLAST) to raise 400 lbs of food for the Pitman Food Pantry. It was to be collected in 4 months. Here’s the post about The Challenge. Well, PUMC answered the challenge and ended up doubling the 400 lb goal in less than 1 month. We’ve still got 3 months to go, So- we’re raising the goal to ONE TON! Here’s the Post about the New Goal. BLAST put together the following slideshow as an “official...
Read MorePUMC Surpasses Food Collection Challenge! (4/26/15)
Flocked! BLAST is Challenged! On Sunday March 15, the Youth Group of the Trinity UMC in Clayton challenged our BLAST Youth Group to raise 400 lbs of food for our local Food Pantry. The 400 lbs was to be raised within 4 months and donated to the Pitman Food Pantry (Click Here for more information on “The challenge”). On Sunday April 26, members of our Youth Group announced that we had raised over 800 lbs of food (and by the end of the day that number had risen to over 1000). ...
Read MoreWorld H_nger Can’t be Solved Without You! (5/2/15)
The signboard message said: WORLD H_UNGER CAN’T BE SOLVED WITHOUT YOU Really? it’s up to ME to solve a big problem like world hunger? No- it’s not up to YOU alone, but you are needed. It’s as if each of us has a piece of the jigsaw puzzle and the problem can’t be solved unless each of us contributes what we’ve been entrusted with. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much...
Read MoreOur Father’s House Knows that “Jesus is the Way” in May (5/1/15)
In each month of this school year, Our Father’s House (our pre-school) is featuring a verse from the Bible and then putting that verse in action through mission. Here’s what’s happening in Our Father’s House during May…This month’s verse is John 14:6… “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ” NIV This Month’s Mission Project… We will close out...
Read MoreHooks ‘n Needles Group Spins Yarn and Gives Hugs
Hooks and Needles for God (Crochet/Knit) A new knitting ministry, called “Hooks and Needles for God” has been surrounding people in our church family with love. Since the end of February 2015, we have given 10 prayer shawls to people who needed a healing touch or a warm hug from God. These shawls have been prayed over while being made and by our group as we meet. We have also given out 6 baby blankets to children being baptized and 24 baby hats to the newborns in Elmer hospital....
Read More