Eagle Scout Candidate Takes on Needed Project (5/10/15)
Rakes, shovels, snow blowers, shovels… where do you put them? If you’re a homeowner, you probably store them in your garage or in a garden shed. But if you’re a church, you also need a place to store them. We’re called to be good stewards of all God has entrusted us with… even rakes and shovels. Ever since we moved into our new building in 2008, this has been an issue. Snowblowers, gas cans, and other items have been stored under tarps; hidden away in any...
Read MorePUMC to Celebrate Peace With Justice Sunday (5/31/15)
PEACE WITH JUSTICE SUNDAY MAY 31 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” Matthew 5:9 Pentecost celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit calling for God’s shalom. Peace with Justice witnesses to God’s demand for a faithful, just, disarmed, secure, and peaceful world. In 1980 the United Methodist General Conference created a church-wide Peace with Justice program. Volunteer coordinators were recruited in annual conferences; and...
Read MoreGreater New Jersey Annual Conference to Meet in Wildwood (5/28/15)
This year’s conference for the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference will be held between Thursday May 28 through Saturday May 30 at the Wildwood Convention Center in Wildwood. Annual Conference is a yearly session for clergy and lay members to worship, learn about programs, and conduct the business of the United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey. This year, we will be electing delegates to the Jurisdictional and General Conference of the denomination. The 2015 Annual Conference...
Read MoreWhat is Pentecost Sunday??? (5/24/15)
This Sunday, May 24, marks the coming of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts chapter 2. Pentecost comes 50 days after Easter. Check out what happened during that first Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Christ’s resurrection… Pentecost Acts 2:1-25 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what...
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 MoreGod or Giants? (5/17/15)
Our guest speaker on Sunday May 17 was Scott Rambo. Scott, his wife Meg, and their family have become part of our family as they have joined in our Tuesday night Bible Studies, Small Groups, and Men’s group gatherings during their “furlough” from the mission field. The Rambos will soon return to Africa after an extended stay in the States. They will initially return to Uganda, but will then move to Beni, Congo to teach pastors and health workers. To learn more about the...
Read MoreThings Moms Teach Us (5/10/15)
Pastor Jim’s Mother’s Day Sermon helped us to think about God’s characteristics of love and provision that we see modeled in the example of our mothers. The sermon opened with a video about Anna Jarvis who helped instute Mothers Day. To view the video and learn other interesting facts about Mother’s Day, read This Post. The scripture was from 2 Timothy 1 and Isaiah 66. Open the below Drop Down box to read the passage… Scripture Reading 2 Timothy 1:3-73 I thank...
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 MoreStairway to Heaven (5/3/15)
Pastor Jim’s sermon on the account of “Jacob’s Ladder” as told in Genesis 28 led us to consider that the “Ladder” that Jacob saw in his dream was really a two-way escalator. God is with us! Click the following Play button to start the recording, then scroll down to follow along (the following recording was from the 9:30 AM service). The scripture was from Genesis 28:10-19. Open the “drop down” box to see the text. The version...
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 MoreLiving Water to Connect with an Evening of Praise (5/8/15)
This month’s Living Water Connections on Friday May 8 has been dubbed “An Evening of Praise.” Music from Eddy Mann, Dawson Coyle, Grace Baptist Praise Dancers and the Mt. Ephriam Praise Singers will be featured. Both Eddy Mann and Dawson Coyle are 2015 Kindred Award winners! Eddy is the Worship Artist of the Year and Dawson is the Best new Christian Artist of the Year. Below is a sample from both of these artists. Be sure to check out their YouTube channels for more great...
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 MoreUMCOR Takes Action in Nepal (4/27/15)
On Saturday April 25 at 11:56 AM, a massive 7.5 earthquake struck Pokhara Nepal. In Pitman, most of us were sound asleep (2:00 AM)- many of us fell asleep looking forward to the next day’s Breakfast Buffet and Yard Sale. But in Nepal, lives were instantly changed (and ended). Two days later, on April 27, UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) approved a grant of $90,000 for partner GlobalMedic to bring sorely-needed clean water to Nepal earthquake survivors through distribution of...
Read MoreBishop Calls for Prayer for Nepal and Baltimore (4/29/15)
In response to the earthquake in Nepal and recent events in Baltimore, Bishop Schol (bishop of our Greater NJ Annual Conference), sent the following message reminding us of the need for prayer and calling us to a weekend of prayer for these two specific needs. The message was sent on April 29, 2015… Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, I and United Methodists around the world grieve deeply about the impact of the earthquake in Nepal and the unrest in Baltimore. I call all of our...
Read MoreOur Fathers House Sponsoring Book Fair (4/28, 29, 30)
The Our Father’s House preschool is hosting our Spring Book Fair. The fair will be held over three days: You’ll have three chances to snatch up some great books to prepare for your summer reading: Tuesday April 28 – 8:30-1:30 and 5:30-8:00 Wednesday April 29 – 8:30-2:30 Thursday April 30 – 8:30-1:30 This Book Fair is a Buy One – Get One Free fair. This is a great opportunity to stock up on some books at a great price! It is being held in the Gathering room(on the upper level of...
Read MoreTake a Ride on a Roller Coaster! (4/26/15)
Can you imagine a roller coaster ride that’s not filled with excitement and expectation? Can you imagine a relationship with God that’s not filled with joy and expectation? Pastor Jim’s sermon on April 26 challenged us to learn from children; to take on the same wide-eyed faith that allows us to go where Jesus takes us… Click the following “Play” button to listen to a recording of the sermon (from the 11 AM service), then scroll down to follow...
Read MoreMexico Mission Benefits from Men’s Cooking and Yard Sale (4/26/15)
On Saturday April 25, 2015, the United Methodist Men’s Fellowship served up one of our “famous” breakfast buffets. The buffet was open not only to serve up a great Saturday morning eating experience, but also to help us serve a church in La Palmilla Mexico which needs help to finish the construction of their new sanctuary. The buffet was held in conjunction with a yard sale. Vendors paid for table space, and those proceeds went to the mission. About 110 people dug into the...
Read MoreWhy Are You Here? (4/19/15)
Jesus asks us, “Why Are You Here?” Do we drift along thinking we’re doing the right thing, that we’re on the right path? But Jesus comes along and confronts our complacency. “Why are we here?” “Why do we go to church?” “What do we want in our relationship with God?” To find out more, click the following “Play” button to start the sermon and then scroll down to follow along…. The text was from Matthew...
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