Neighborhood Center to Visit PUMC (9/14/14)
Michael Landis, the executive director of Camden’s Neighborhood Center will visit PUMC on Sunday, September 14. The Neighborhood Center is one of the missions supported by our church. “Truly I tell you, just as you did it for one of the least of these, who are members of my family, you did it for me” Matthew 25 Neighborhood Center Helps… and They Need Help… For more than 100 years, The Neighborhood Center has offered comprehensive childcare, after school...
Read MoreOrdinary People Set Apart to be Holy (8/10/14)
Pastor Jim’s sermon on August 10 continued our look at the attributes of God. Last week we looked at His Awesomeness and power. This week we look at His holiness. Click the below “Play” button to listen to a recording of the sermon (from the 11:00 service). While you’re listening, scroll down and use the summary to follow along (and don’t forget to try the quiz!). The text for the message was from Isaiah 6:1-8. Click the arrow below to open up...
Read MorePastor’s Ponderings: God’s Amazing Goodness
Friends: As part of my ministry over the years, I have written and prepared many devotionals. I am continuing to write them as the Holy Spirit leads and time allows. The Pitman UMC, where I am proud to be serving as Senior Pastor, will begin posting them on our website. If you would like to be added to the growing email list, please write me and let me you would like to receive these as an email from me. You may email me at: revbolton@pitmanumc.org Grace and Peace, Pastor Jim...
Read MoreWomen’s Conference to be held in Ocean Grove (9/13/14)
Living Proof Live… On Saturday September 13 (beginning at 9:00 AM), renown author and speaker Beth Moore will lead a Living Proof Live event which will be held in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Wayne Indiana. Living Proof Live, sponsored by Nashville-based publishing company LifeWay Christian Resources, will feature Moore’s dynamic storytelling and passionate Bible teaching. Dove-award winning musical artist Travis Cottrell, who also serves as worship pastor of Englewood...
Read MoreDon’t Give Up! (Camp Meeting, 8/3/14)
Don’t Give Up! On Sunday August 3, PUMC was the host church for the Pitman Camp Meeting service in the Pitman Grove Auditorium. Our Men’s praise Team provided the music and our pastor, Rev. Jim Bolton delivered the sermon. Click below to listen to a recording of the sermon and follow along by reading this post… Pastor Jim’s message was on Matthew 11:28-30. Matt 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke...
Read MoreDS Rev. Jisun Kwak Visits PUMC (8/3/14)
Our new District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Jisun Kwak, is busy trying to meet the people and churches of the Delaware Bay district. Our district is made up of 68 churches covering parts of Salem, Cumberland, and Gloucester counties (the district office is in Woodstown). So it’s quite an undertaking for a new District Superintendent to become acquainted with all of the churches in our district. On Sunday August 3, we were honored to worship with Rev. Kwak during our 11:00 service. After...
Read MoreVoices in Praise Choir to Resume Rehearsals on Sept. 18
We’re still in the thick of summer, but if you’re an adult who likes to sing, keep in mind that the first choir rehearsals of the season are just over the horizon. The first rehearsal of the 2014-2015 season will be on Thursday September 18, at 7:00 PM. We rehearse on Thursday nights throughout the season (September through June). The Voices in Praise choir is open to ages High School and above. We sing during the 11:00 service. Our first Sunday of the season will be on Sunday...
Read MoreWhat an Awesome God! (8/3/14)
Pastor Jim’s sermon on Sunday August 3 posed the question, “what is awesome?” We throw around that word so much that we allow it to describe almost anything. Could it be that our trivial regard of God’s True AWESOMENESS has led us to regard God in our own limited terms? Could it be that the God who created the universe is actually awesome enough to care about us? Here’s the audio recording (from the 11:00 service). You can listen to the sermon while following...
Read MoreUMW collecting Cereal for Pitman Food Pantry (8/17/14)
Help Feed Pitman’s Poor! The Pitman food pantry is always in need of food donations, especially during the summer. To help highlight this, our United Methodist Women’s group has been organizing a monthly drive for donations. Donations are requested to be placed in the pantry shopping cart (located in the Fellowship Hall). This month we’re highlighting Cereal and Jelly. Donations can be made at any time, but the monthly UMW donation has been set for Sunday August 17. ...
Read MorePray for Missionaries in Honduras
One of the items topping our national news lately has been the flow of children from Central America to the US who are fleeing the violence and poverty in their homelands. The politics may be controversial, but the story reminds us that we need to be in prayer for missionaries around the world who are our “boots on the ground” ministering to the poor and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. World Gospel Mission (WGM)… Missionaries Joy Phillips and Meg & Scott Rambo have...
Read MorePUMC to Host Pitman Camp Meeting (8/3/14)
The Pitman Camp Meeting is a ministry of the Pitman United Methodist Church, but it is supported by local United Methodist Churches. Throughout the summer, the Camp Meeting service is held in the Grove Auditorium on Sunday evenings at 7:30 PM. Each week is “hosted” by a different church. The host church supplies the speaker (usually their pastor) and the special music (usually from their church’s music team). Next Sunday, on August 3, it is our turn to host the Camp...
Read MoreRed Letter Bibles need to be Read!
Bibles come in all shapes and sizes- paperbacks, leather bound, thin paper, thick paper, pages with big margins, pages with study notes and devotions. And then of course there are many many different translations- King James, New King James, New International, New Revised Standard, New Living, and on and on. Some Bibles have a large font and are thick. Others have a small font but can slip into a pocket. Some Bibles print the words of Jesus in red text. Some Bibles have a family tree and...
Read MoreA Road Trip to Heaven (7/27/14)
What’s heaven like? Pastor Jim’s sermon on July 27 took us into the book of Revelation to take a look at the New Jerusalem as described in Revelation 21:8 – 22:5. The title of his message was, “A Road Trip to Heaven.” Scroll down to the bottom of this post to access the audio recording… Here’s the scripture passage (Revelation 21:8 – 22:5)… Click here to learn more 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as...
Read MorePUMC to Host D.S. Installation (9/21/14)
Effective July 1, the Rev. Dr. Jisun Kwak became our new District Superintendent, Replacing Rev. Richard Nichols (who was appointed as the Pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Moorestown). On Sunday September 21, our church will have the honor of hosting her service of installation as the Superintendent of the Delaware Bay District. The service will begin at 3:00 PM, and a reception will be held in our Fellowship Hall afterwards. Bishop John Schol, the presiding bishop of the...
Read More2014 Lay Leadership Academy to be Held Sept. 12-13
What’s a “Vital Congregation?” Other than being a “buzzword” that’s in the forefront of discussions around the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference, it is a commitment to doing what the church is supposed to be doing: Making Disciples for Jesus Christ. Vital Congregations… The United Methodist Church is seaking to empower local church congregations to become a “vital” part of their communities so that they are better equipped to...
Read MoreTime to Dust Off the Bible (7/20/14)
Time to Dust off the Bible. Do you have any Bibles laying around that you haven’t read in a long time? Is it time to put them to use? Check out Pastor Jim’s sermon from Sunday July 20. The recording at the end of the post is from the 11:00 service. You can scroll down, start the recording, and follow along while listening… The sermon covered 2 Kings 22:1-13. Here’s the text (using the New International Version… note that Pastor Jim read from the Life...
Read MoreJim Hughes to speak at Camp Meeting (7/27/14)
Rev. Jim Hughes will be the “speaker” at next week’s Camp Meeting service. The service is held in the Pitman Grove Tabernacle, starting at 7:30. Jim has a unique style of preaching the Word. Using music, costumes, and drama, Jim draws the congregation into the story of the Bible. We learn how Nicodemus may have felt after his night time encounter with Jesus. We get a look into the motives of Judas. We see the love and invitation of Jesus in a fresh way. Jim has...
Read MorePastor Larry and Pastor Kee begin new Ministries (7/6/14)
There’s a lot of excitement around our church with the arrival of our new pastor, Rev. Jim Bolton. But our previous pastors have moved on and their new churches are welcoming them also. Rev. Dr. Larry Potts (formerly our Senior Pastor) is now serving at the Franklinville UMC, and Rev. Kee Young Yang (formerly our Associate Pastor) is now serving at the St. Paul’s UMC in Bayhead NJ. The church websites of these churches offer a glimpse into the arrival of their new pastors…...
Read MoreThe Voice of God is Calling (7/13/14)
Pastor Jim gave his 2nd sermon at PUMC on Sunday July 13. His text was from John10:1-5 and Acts4:5-12. The title of the sermon was, “The Voice of God is Calling”… John 10:1-5; The Sheep Hear the Good Shepherd… In John 10, Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd. The sheep (us!) hear His voice and recognize that it’s Him. Not only do they recognize His voice, they obey His voice and they are able to tune out all of the other noise and static...
Read MoreNeighborhood Center Bus Destroyed by Fire!
As reported in the June/July edition of the Methodist Relay, the bus used by the Neighborhood center in Camden caught fire and was destroyed. They are in the process of raising $100,000 to purchase a new bus. PUMC supports the Neighborhood Center with our Missions fund. The Neighborhood Center offers after school programs, child care, and summer camp programs for children living in the city of Camden NJ. Camden is one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the country, and...
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