We
invite you to join us on Sunday, July 6th, when we will be welcoming our new
pastor, Enock Yatri, at a special coffee hour following our service that Sunday.
We hope to see you as we welcome Pastor Enock into our church family. News and Upcoming Events
First United Methodist Church
of Ansonia
Celebrating Our 157th Year in 2008!!
Our Mission: We are children of God who follow Christ. We celebrate our Wesleyan heritage through worship, music, and the Sacraments. Our Church family blends a history of generations of faithfulness, and continues today through the enthusiasm of children and a close fellowship working together. Our hope is to be supportive of others through local and global missions. In openness and love, we seek to share the Word and expand the fellowship of Christ. We look forward to continued opportunities to care for and nurture God’s children through faith in Christ.
Upcoming Events in 2008
Download
or View the latest Spire newsletter
in .pdf format by clicking below (you must have Adobe Reader on your PC to open
the file):
Come Welcome Our New Pastor
We
invite you to join us on Sunday, July 6th, when we will be welcoming our new
pastor, Enock Yatri, at a special coffee hour following our service that Sunday.
We hope to see you as we welcome Pastor Enock into our church family.
Neighborhood Lawn Sale
Saturday, July 12th 9am-1:00pm
We provide the space, you provide the tag sale items.
Cost $15 for a 10' space using your table; $20 for a 10' space using our table.
Visit the Sunday School's lemonade stand to benefit the CT Humane Society and UMW's table to benefit local missions.
Any questions, call the church office at 734-0374
(In case of rain or extremely hot weather, the sale will be moved inside. We also reserve the right to ask you to remove any items for sale that we may feel are inappropriate)
Chicken BBQ and Peach Fair
Sunday,
August 24th
4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Menu
BBQ Chicken, fresh corn on the cob, cole slaw, peach shortcake dessert & beverage
Adults: $12; children (6-12) $6
Children under the age of 5 eat free with dinner ticket
We are no longer permitted to use the parking lot across the street from the church (former attorney's office)
The Holbrook side entrance will be used only as an emergency exit, until repairs are made
The next Trustee's meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 2nd
THANK YOU!
To those who helped with our annual outside clean-up on May 18th.
To Pete and Maureen Fasino and Mike and Lisa Fasino (Chick and Mae's daughter) for preparing and donating the profits of the chili dinner and the gift baskets that were auctioned off on June 14th - over $700 was raised!
To members of the Dorchester Committee and the church who organized and donated items for the Pasta Dinner on May 17th; over $500 was raised for the Scholarship Fund.
An additional $310 was raised on Father's Day for the Dorchester Fund which will keep our fund going strong!
To Roy Tidmarsh for continuing to fill in as our organist and for providing the delicious cake for Dorchester Sunday.
To those many "behind the scenes" people who help on a regular basis without recognition.
NEW THIS YEAR:HAITI MISSION
We
will be collecting donations for the
Haiti has been recognized as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with the average salary being a little over one U.S. dollar per day. The small village of Furcy is situated 30 miles south east of Port-au-Prince, accessible only by 4-wheel vehicles, foot or horse. The site is absolutely spectacular, sitting on a ridge line overlooking valleys and mountains. The village has a small Methodist church and school as well as a recently completed medical clinic. The village of Furcy has no running water, no electricity, very little food and the homes are smaller and more run-down than the sheds that many Americans store garbage cans and lawnmowers in.
Some statistics on Haiti:
Only 55% of primary-school age children attend school
One-third of Haiti's youth (aged 15-24) are illiterate
Haiti's literacy rate is 80%
A Haitian's life expectancy is 54 yrs.
The majority of the Haiti population do not have access to safe medical care or sufficient food
There is one doctor to every 10,000 patients in Haiti
(Sources: Child Alert Haiti, report released by UNICEF, 3/22/06 and USAID, UNICEF, Haiti Consumer Information)
Haiti
and Friends of Furcy Brochures
To download an informational brochure click the links below:
"Friends of Furcy" or the Mission in Haiti
(File are in .pdf format; requires Adobe reader)
To donate to Friends of Furcy or for more information, contact:
Friends of Furcy
c/o Wethersfield UMC
150 Prospect St.
Wethersfield, CT 06109
Phone: 860-529-2025
WendyVencuss@wethersfieldchurch.org or TomVencuss@wethersfieldchurch.org
Please
see Fran C., our new mission coordinator if you would like more information on all our missions and ways you can help!
Food Pantry
As an outreach mission within our Valley
community, our church has established a food pantry on our church premises. It
will be open the last Saturday of every month from 9am-11am for families served
by the Parent/Child Resource Center. We look to our church family and their
extended families to support this new mission project through your participation
and food donations.
Suggested items for donation:
If you need assistance or would like to refer someone
for Food Pantry assistance, please speak with a member of the UMW
Come and Join our Book of the Month Club
The
Book Club is nearing its first anniversary and we have shared wonderful
fellowship and wonderful books in the past year. We have shared discussion of
the following books:
The books that were reading selections from the Book Club's first year are available for loan at our church library. Please feel free to sign one out and enjoy at your leisure.
Contact Pam P. or Ruth B. or call the church office if you are interested. Please join us!!
Sunday School News
The Sunday School will again plan on having a lemonade stand at the community
lawn sale in July to benefit the Humane Society. Please start saving old
newspapers or pick up some dog bones, cleaning products, etc. to benefit the
Humane Society.
Vacation Bible School will
be held week of August 4-8. See
J. Steeves for details.
Congratulations!
To Jennifer and Andrew Gephardt on the birth of their twin girls, Katherine Dana and Amelia Jean, born January 21, 2008. Proud grandparents are Nelson and Barbara Tchakirides.
Become a Volunteer for
Volunteering for Wesley Village can be a highly rewarding experience. Operated by United Methodist Homes, Wesley Village in Shelton provides a wide range of opportunities for volunteers ages 12 and older to assist seniors. Help is needed in many areas, including recreation, music, shopping, arts and crafts, transportation via wheelchairs and the pet therapy program. If you have time to help others and want to make a difference, please call Barbara Quinn, Wesley Village Director of Volunteers at 203-944-8292.
Altar Flowers
WE WISH TO THANK all who have purchased altar flowers for Sunday worship. Many Sundays are open for those who wish to give flowers in memory of loved ones, or to celebrate births and anniversaries. Our florist recently raised the price to $20, and we regret that we must pass along this additional cost to our members. We thank you for your continued support
Visit Our Library
The Church Library has many books now available for
borrowing. The books are located on the main floor, end of the hall, meeting
room. Please feel free to browse and sign out a book. If you are interested in
joining the bookclub please see Pam or Ruth.
Click here for Listing of books
The booklist is in .pdf format; requires Adobe Reader Use this link to download a free copy if you don't already have it on your PC www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Wesley Village Wish List
Bishop Wicke Health Center collects an assortment of items for resident programs and activities. The UMW will be happy to accept donations of:
For a complete listing see the UMW bulletin board.
Amazon.com Link through A.C.T.
If you visit Amazon.com, please visit the A.C.T. website first - www.act-spooner.org. A special link to Amazon.com is available. If you make a purchase with this special link to Amazon.com, A.C.T. will receive a percentage of your total price paid at no additional cost to you. Thanks for keeping A.C.T. in mind in this way.
Mailboxes In Church Parlor
Since
we no long have sufficient pieces of mail to qualify for the postal bulk postage
permit, mailboxes will be set up in the church parlor. Those who live close by
and can attend worship can pick up the Spire when they come to worship.
Those who live outside the area, or are homebound or cannot attend worship, will
continue to receive the Spire by mail.
Clergy Access to Hospitalized Patients
The Federal HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) has changed clergy access to patient status in health care facilities as well as information that is printed and shared. Protecting the privacy of patients is of primary emphasis. Clergy can no longer look at a patient's chart or access a hospital's census to see if a church member or constituent is receiving care. "Without permission from the patient, clergy cannot tell others about an individual's condition, print the name in the bulletin, or identify the patient in spoken prayer. Doing so could make the pastor liable for breaking a patient's confidence.
Hospitalized parishioners can help make sure their spiritual needs are met by letting their pastors know that they are going to be in the hospital or by asking for them in an emergency situation."
Coffee Hour
Please consider our ongoing need for coffee hosts. The sign-up sheet is posted
on the rear bulletin board.
Bulletin Board Pin Ups
Do you have something you would like posted on one of our bulletin boards?
Sign up lists
Thank you notes
Community flyers
Special requests
If so, please drop your copy off in the secretary's box in our church office and we will promptly display your information on one of our two bulletin boards.
Prayer Chain
is being updated to especially include new people/couples who wish to be part of this important and vital ministry on behalf of others. There are two prayer chains, one that begins at 9:00 a.m., and the other at 5:30 p.m. Prayer joys and concerns are passed from one member of each chain to the next member on the chain. We lift up others before God.
Volunteer!
There
are many blank spaces on the sign up sheets on the parking lot bulletin board.
We need lay readers, coffee hour hosts and
greeters.
Won't you please find a date that fits into your schedule and sign up?
Williams Sound Hearing
Assist System Installed
The church has purchased and installed a Williams Sound Hearing Assist system. If you would like to try a unit to see if it would enhance the worship experience for you, please see Ruth B. or the pastor.
May
the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
The rain fall softly upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the Palm of His hand.
-An
Irish blessing
Please join us for worship
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Date last updated: 07/05/08