PUMC Prepares Events for Easter! (4/16/17)
Easter! Resurrection Day!!! It’s likely the most joyous day on the Christian calendar. We have eternal life because Christ rose from the dead. The empty tomb deserves a lot of celebration. And like any other year, we’re not letting Easter slip by unoticed. We’ve planned a host of events for all ages to observe this special day and the special week that leads into it. Starting with Palm Sunday (April 9) and concluding with Easter Sunday (April 16), here are the...
Read MoreGod’s Gonna Trouble the Water on Palm Sunday! (4/9/17)
Both services on Palm Sunday will be led by our choirs, and their message will begin with the announcement that “God is gonna trouble the Water.” The services will feature a cantata called “A Journey to Hope.” So how can “trouble the water” be a picture of hope??? The Bible relates several accounts of where water was “troubled” to give hope and healing to those who had faith. Water can be many things. Water can represent nourishment, or...
Read MoreWhat Should We Pray For???
We hear a lot about prayer. Prayer is a big part of developing a relationship with God… it’s a huge part of being a Christian. But what do we pray for? Can we “bother” God with trivial requests like asking for a good parking spot? What about praying for someone’s health; maybe it’s God’s will that this person not get well. Should we pray anyway? Can we pray for ourselves? What can we pray for??? Some of these are difficult questions, and we...
Read MoreMen Retreat to Strengthen their Mission (3/17/17)
The Mens Fellowship group followed a tradition this year; we went on a retreat to Black Rock. This was our 16th annual retreat. Routine? Not really! Every time you open yourself up for an encounter with God, something different is likely to happen. The topic of this year’s retreat was “Being a Man with a Mission”, and we explored how our “mission” plays out in our personal, family and church lives. Retreats aren’t just “book learning” or...
Read MorePastors Ponderings: Dump it all In!
Pastor Jim submitted the following thoughts on 3/20/17 regarding our commitment. Do we trust God enough to follow His instructions to give our all? Or do we hold back and keep some for ourselves just in case God doesn’t come through? Greetings Friends: PLEASE READ: Isaiah 58:11 & 13a… “The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never...
Read MoreOur Father’s House Book Fair is Coming! (4/3/17)
Our Father’s House Preschool will host our Spring Scholastic Book Fair in April. Here are the days and hours where you can visit and pick out some great books: Monday, April 3 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM Tuesday April 4 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM AND 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Wednesday, April 5 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM Thursday, April 6 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM The fair will be held upstairs in the Gathering Room of the Pitman United Methodist Church. This fair is a Buy...
Read More2017 Easter Egg Hunt is ready to Hatch! (4/15/17)
April 15! What unpleasant duty does that date conjure up? IRS??? Well, think again… what PLEASANT event does that date also mean? Saturday April 15 is the date of our Eighth Annual Easter Egg Hunt! April 15 means EGG! From 11:00AM until 1:00 PM our parking lot and Fellowship Hall will be the site of some Eggciting Activity- Lunch, a “special presentation” (magic show?), and of course, the Big Hunt on our lawn. The Easter Egg Hunt will be held Rain or Shine! Last year,...
Read MoreGod Reigns and the Son Shines!
Why do bad things happen to good people? Is God really in control? Does He care???
On March 24, 2017 our Signboard said: “Forecast- God Reigns, and the Son Shines!”
No matter what happens, God is still in control and Jesus is ready to shine into our lives… if we let Him…
Pastors Ponderings: Running into a Burning House!
Pastor Jim submitted the following thoughts on 3/18/17… Greetings Friends: PLEASE READ: Matthew 9:35-38 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the...
Read MorePastors Ponderings: Who is St. Patrick?
Pastor Jim submitted the following on 3/17/17… Greetings Friends: A very Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all! Below is a brief yet informative article about Patrick and this day. I cannot take credit for it other than I received it from Christian History Institute, of whom I am a member. I hope you are blessed by this humble offering about a wonderful Saint of the Christian Church. Pastor Jim We all Know St. Partick’s Day… but what about St. Patrick Himself??? ON...
Read MoreWhat is UMCOR Day? (3/26/17)
There’s an earthquake… there’s a drought…. there’s a Tsunami… there’s an epidemic… What do we do when terrible things happen to people? Do we just sit by and say “Oh, that’s such a shame.” Or do we actually do something to relieve the suffering? UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) may sound like the name of some stuffy committee. But it truly is the driving force of our church’s response to suffering anywhere...
Read MorePraise Band Concert Raises the Roof! (3/12/17)
It was a Sunday evening. Most of us had already gone to church that morning. But on Sunday 3/12/17 nearly 200 local Methodists gathered at PUMC for a Praise and Worship Concert. The silent auction before the concert and the love offering taken during the concert will be donated to our friends in La Palmilla Mexico to help them complete the construction of their new sanctuary. We are sending a mission team to LaPalmilla this summer (July 22-August 1). For years, this thriving church has been...
Read MoreGod’s Love Story (2/12/17)
Valentine’s Day! Love!!! What is Love? More importantly, what is God’s Love? In this sermon Pastor Jim took a look at the book of Hosea to see a demonstration of what God’s love looks like.
God is crazy in love with you. Will you return that love? Will you accept Him into your heart? He wants to forgive you and begin a relationship with you right now. What does this story in Hosea teach us about that love?
Everybody is a Player on God’s Super Team (2/5/17)
Super Bowl Sunday… Things were a little different in church on this particular sabbath. Pastor Jim wasn’t wearing his usual clergy robe. Instead he was trying to look like Jerry Rice with his red 49’ers jersey. The service listed in the bulletin looked a bit strange too: things like “The Huddle Up”, “A Time Out”, and the “Coin Toss” marked the schedule. We were surrounded by object lessons, and Pastor Jim’s sermon put them to use,...
Read MoreNew Church Picture Directory is on the Way! (3/14/17)
Mother’s Day is coming…what better gift than a beautiful family portrait! LifeTouch will be taking portrait pictures to include in our next Picture Directory on March 14 & 15, 21 & 22 and April 11 & 12 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. (APPOINTMENT REQUIRED) in the Gathering room (2nd floor). Please use the button below to schedule your appointment now. Your appointment will take approximately one hour. NO purchase of the photos are necessary but please do have them taken to be...
Read MoreTwo Wings Helping Angels of God!
Angels of God is a ministry that seeks to help people by providing little used clothing and other household items. People can shop the Angels of God “store” (on Broadway in Pitman), pick out what they need, and then “check out” without paying. Although not directly connected with PUMC, we have been supporting this important ministry in many ways over the years. Currently, two collections for Angels of God are being made in our church: Our Angels of God Small...
Read MoreSoup ‘n Salad Lunch Looks for Spring! (3/5/17)
Spring will come soon!!! After the 11:00 AM service we’ll be treated to a Soup (and beverage) lunch. Everyone is invited. We will provide the soup and beverages, but we hope that you will bring your favorite salad or dessert (as a “covered dish”). If you don’t bring any salad or desert, you’re welcome anyway! Share Soup and Shared Ministries… There will be a freewill offering for Shared Ministries. What is...
Read MorePUMC Using Daffodils to Fight Cancer! (3/19/17)
Spring is arriving! And one of the first tastes of the new season is the emergence of those yellow flowers through the soil. Daffodils! They’re beautiful, they are harbingers of warmer weather, and- they can be used to fight one of the deadliest diseases afflicting mankind; Cancer. We’re selling mini pots of daffodils to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The daffodil pots are being sold for $10 each. A nice round number. But note that we’re able to purchase...
Read MoreThread ‘n Yarn Ministries Extend God’s Love (2/19/17)
Colorful Ministry on Display When we arrived in church on Sunday February 19, the altar rail was draped with a huge collection of beautifully knitted, crocheted and quilted items. Over 75 of them were laid on the altar so that we could lay hands on them in prayer. These items are used to extend God’s love, through PUMC, through blankets and shawls, to those who are in need. Each item was lovingly created over the last 6 months by the Hooks ‘n Needles ministry and the Scrappy...
Read MoreLenten Devotional for 2017
Members from four local churches have come together to produce a Daily Devotional for this year’s Lenten season. The booklets were published in hardcopy form and distributed within the participating churches, but electronic copies of the devotions are presented here. If you want a printed copy, visit or contact one of the participating churches: Evangelical UMC (Clarksboro) Zion Community Church (Clarksboro) Trinity United Methodist Church (Mullica Hill) and Pitman United Methodist...
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