Church members and community friends gather on Sundays at Conklin Forks United Methodist Church for worship at 9:15 a.m. Pastor William Puckey provides scripture based sermons, altar invitations, and regularly scheduled communion services. On scheduled communion Sundays, trained laity serve communion to area nursing home residents.
Our choir, our pastor, and many talented parishioners bless us with music each week. A very special children's time with a mini-sermon is provided for our youngest friends. Although we gather to worship Jesus Christ, attendees of our Sunday services also actively participate in food collections for Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW), and various charitable activities in support of our community's needs.
Sunday school classes are held following the worship service, beginning with music and singing, followed by classes at 11 a.m. The Word of God is shared in two adult classes, a youth class, and an elementary class. Lessons and related Bible verses are studied and material is provided to take home for further review.
Our Sunday School program supports many mission outreach projects. Charitable support is provided to CHOW, the Children's Home, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the Heifer Project, Red Bird Mission, and Church World Service. We support the Gibson family's missionary service in the Ukraine with a regular monetary contribution. Our children enjoy delivering gift certificates and gift baskets to elderly and shut-ins during the holiday season. Bi-monthly, our Committee on Education sponsors a Family Night with food, fellowship and fun for church and community members.
Willing Workers Class has been a tradition in our church. It began many, many years ago, representing a social gathering for the adult Sunday school class. One of the stained glass windows in our sanctuary was provided by them! The Willing Workers meet monthly and work toward church improvements.
Our church family continues to work for Christ in our community with a welcome to newcomers. When potential new church attendees are identified, our "Bread and Plant" ministry is activated. Volunteers pay a visit to the home and deliver homemade bread or a plant to welcome the family. Church parishioners host a monthly community breakfast, with any income raised being put toward our general fund. An "SOS" fund is maintained at Conklin Forks UMC to support our community in times of need. This fund allows us to provide monetary contributions to families who have lost homes in such disasters as fire, flood, or who simply are in financial need. An organized "Family Ministries" program is in place to see that "sunshine" baskets and meals are provided to those recovering from or suffering illness. This ministry also provides food and volunteers to serve at funeral dinners for parishioners who have lost a love one.
Each week a bible study open to the charge and presented by the
Pastor is held in the Fellowship Hall.
Recently, many parishioners participated in the "40 Days of Purpose" program, studying The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren. Six small groups participated with an average of 10 individuals in each group. Following the conclusion of the program, many groups, including one youth group, have continued to meet. Along with their Bible studies, they are focusing on various ministries such as support to US Military groups, missionaries, flood victims, monthly coffee hours following worship, and building remodeling fundraising.
