It is Well with My Soul!
It Is Belle With My Soul! During the worship services on Sunday May 18, the Alleluia Bell choir played an arrangement of the hymn “It is Well with My Soul.” The musical arrangement was was difficult to play but it was also very engaging. It incorporated many moving parts on top of the melody, and obviously took the Bell Choir many nights of rehearsal in order to play this piece. “Saved Alone… What Shall I Do?” This hymn was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873. ...
Read MoreBombshells and Candles
The “Morning and Evening” devotional by Charles Spurgeon had an interesting entry about Psalm 39:1 on March 14. This verse says, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.” Here are a few quotes from this devotional article… “Fellow Pilgrim, say not in your heart, I will go hither and thither and I shall not sin. For your are never so out of danger...
Read MoreElderberries Surprise Event! (5/28/14)
Our Senior Adults group, the Elderberries, will hold an event on Wednesday May 28 at 11:30AM. Where are we going? What are we doing? Put your faith in the Spirit and don’t miss out! There is a signup sheet in the Narthex. For more information about the Elderberries, click here. For more information about this event… show up!
Read MoreMens Fellowship Gathers with John Abramovich (5/9/14)
Our United Methodist Men’s Fellowship group gathered this morning (Saturday 5/10) to hear the teaching of John Abramovich. John and his wife Dasia are serving the Lord in Poland by organizing youth camps and by leading Bible Studies. We have been supporting them for years and are blessed through our connection with the Abramovichs. John and Daisa have been in the US for the past few months, but will soon return to Poland. This morning, we were blessed to learn from John’s Bible...
Read MoreLiving Water Connections- Breath of Life! (6/6/14)
PUMC will host the monthly Living Water Connections evening on Friday June 6 from 7:00 PM until 11:00PM. If you’re a “Young Adult” (the definition is up to you…) stop by and enjoy some good food, inspiring music, and fun times with new friends. Also enjoy the “low cover charge”— the evening is FREE OF CHARGE! This month’s Connection will feature the Breath of Life Tour hosted by Ken Jackson (see the flyer below). Stop by and check it out!...
Read MoreOur Father’s House Pre-K Nears Graduation (6/4/14)
The 2013-2014 school year is quickly approaching its end. As the Our Father’s House school year draws to a conclusion, we look forward to honoring our 4 year olds. Some of them have been with us for 3 years! On Tuesday June 3, the 4 year olds will enjoy a picnic with their families from 9:00-noon at Atkinson Park (formerly Bethel Mill Park). On the next morning- June 4- we will hold our graduation ceremony! Please continue to keep the students (and teachers) of Our Father’s House...
Read MoreNew Life for the South Seaville United Methodist Church
One June 10, 2011, fire destroyed the South Seaville United Methodist church’s building. But after a period of transition, their new building is nearing completion. At PUMC we can identify with this story; our building burned down in 2003, and we moved into our current building in 2007. But as our pastor said during the night of the fire, “Our building may be burning down, but my church is standing behind me.” (or words to that effect…) A church is not a building;...
Read MoreMens Fellowship to Gather with John Abramovich (5/10/14)
On Saturday May 10, the Men’s Fellowship will hold our monthly meeting… sorry- “gathering” in the Potter’s Hand Room. Our gathering will begin at 7:30 AM and we’ll wrap up by 9:00. This month we’re privileged to have John Abramovich as our Bible Study Leader. John and his wife Dasia serve in Poland equipping and preparing young people with camps and other learning experiences. John is originally from South Jersey and Dasia is Polish. They are...
Read MoreTransition? New Pastors? God’s already got us covered! (5/3/14)
In the United Methodist church, pastors are appointed to a church for one year. Usually, pastors are re-appointed to their current church, but true to our heritage of serving with “circuit pastors”, change is inevitable. All appointments in our conference begin on July 1. In the weeks leading up to that date, things can get pretty hectic for the churches which are changing pastors. A “dance of dominoes” begins where pastors move from parsonage to parsonage and...
Read MorePUMC Celebrates the Life of Dr. Ed Blackman (5/7/14)
Our church lost one of it’s “pillars” when Ed Blackman went home to be with his Lord on Friday May 2 (obituary). He is survived by his wife Marge. Ed and his wife Marge were long time members of our church and led in many capacities over the years. They have led not only in official office capacities and in organized ministries, but both of them have and continue to touch the lives of so many of our members. Most of us carry memories of Ed’s witness and...
Read MoreOur Father’s House Mission Updates (4/28/14)
A life in Christ is a life lived in love. A life lived in love is one that gives. As we teach our children the “ABCs,”we also need to teach them how to give and love. At Our Father’s House, Mission is part of the curriculum. Here’s an update on the mission projects that Our Fathers House is conducting…. We have completely finished collecting for our mission project with Heifer International. As a school, we collected a total of $732. With that money, the...
Read MoreWhat’s YOUR Easter Story? (4/27/14)
Our sermon during the services on Sunday April 27 was given by Kimberly Dybeck. Kim is a seminarian student who is serving an internship with PUMC. During her time with our church she has coordinated our small groups and has been a huge inspiration. In a few weeks, her education will take her to another internship assignment, but we will always be grateful that she became part of our family. We were also blessed that she had the opportunity to share her first sermon with us…...
Read MorePUMC Members Raise Awareness of Autism (4/27/14)
PUMC members John and Heidi Hoenge were both athletic growing up, and so when their son was born they expected that he would in some way excel in sports. But, their thinking was too small. God had plans that were bigger than football or basketball; their son was born with autism. April is National Autism Awareness month, and the Hoenges shared their story during the service on April 27. They reminded the congregation that we are all part of the big jigsaw puzzle of God’s creation. ...
Read MoreUrban Promise Shares Trek with PUMC (4/27/14)
Experiencing God’s Creation beyond the Asphalt Jungle… On Sunday April 27, Jim Cummings and Jeff VanderKuip visited PUMC to give us an update on how God is working through them to minister to the needs of the youth in inner city Camden. Jim is the director of Experiential Learning at Urban Promise, and Jeff leads the Urban BoatWorks program where kids learn how to build wooden boats (and to have the courage to put them on the river and to ride in the boats they built!). Back in...
Read MorePUMC History Re-visited
What we are doing TODAY is far more important than dwelling on the past, but it is helpful to remember the “cloud of witnesses” who preceded us. Knowing where we’ve been can help light to path forward to where God is calling us.
Read MoreMen Set to Clean Up Again! (4/26/14)
The United Methodist Men’s Fellowship will participate in Gloucester County’s “Clean Communities” program on Saturday April 26. This time, the county has selected projects in Paulsboro. The last time we did this, Pitman was the selected site and we picked up trash along Lambs Road. But this time, we’re “making a road trip” (not only literally, but also figuratively). Check out the post about our last Clean Community morning- Click Here. We...
Read MorePUMC Gives Wings for Redbird (4/20/14)
Somebody Needs to Help These Poor People! Years ago, PUMC member Don Beckett and his wife were driving through the hill country of Appalachia. Surrounded by poverty, Mrs. Becket said “somebody needs to help these poor people!” Years later, Don had lost his wife, but he never lost his wife’s plea on behalf of the poor children in Eastern Kentucky. In 2013 a team from our church journeyed to Red Bird Mission, which is in the center of the Redbird Mission Conference of the...
Read MoreJesus Faced Down Death! (4/20/14)
Google can answer everything! Want to know how long a twinkie will last? Google it! Want to know whether it’s called Duct Tape or Duck Tape? Google it! But if you want to know anything about death and where someone goes when they die, you’ll get a 404 error- answer not found! But Google is actually trying to do something about that… what can we do to extend life and maybe even eliminate death itself? A 2013 article in Time Magazine reports that Google is working on a...
Read MoreEaster EGGcitement!!!- Easter Egg Hunt (4/19/14)
For weeks, the PUMC congregation donated bags of candy. On the day of Maundy Thursday, the Elderberries (our Senior Adult group) gathered together to fill 2600 plastic eggs with candy. Then the day of our annual Easter Egg Hunt arrived on Saturday morning, and over 200 children were in our church! What’s an Easter Egg Hunt at PUMC? If you’re a kid, it’s a bit of everything! First you get a chance to decorate your own “Hunting Bag.” But if you’re...
Read MoreCommunity Sunrise Easter Service (4/20/14)
Many in our community began their Easter Sundays by attending the community Sunrise Service which was held at the Alcyon Lake Park Pavilion. This year’s service was coordinated by the First Presbyterian Church of Pitman, and the service was led by their pastor, Rev. Pat Weikart. Several other local pastors took part in the reading of litany and scripture. The Presbyterian Church’s bell choir led the music. The scripture readings focused on God’s protective and life giving...
Read More