Newberry United Methodist Church

Member of God's Country Cooperative Parish

Marquette District
Detroit Annual Conference

WELCOME TO THE NEWBERRY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH WEBSITE.

Having come from the beginnings of the town in 1883, being founded and promoted by missionary monies, today the doors of the Newberry United Methodist Church (NUMC) swing constantly to and fro with the activities of its mission service to each other, the community, the nation and the world. Its love is felt throughout the community; it stands as a witness to the love of Jesus Christ, which motivates it to care. It is a church that thinks it is friendly and its friendliness is visible. Its great desire is to have every person of the church, and whoever comes through its doors, be involved enough to experience the love in the active life of the church, working, playing, and fellowshipping together.

CONTENTS
Gallery
News
History

GALLERY

NEWS top

Fall Sunday School Classes
Fall Sunday School Classes will begin September 13, 2009 for both children and adults. The children meet at 10:15am right after worship service on Sunday morning. The adults meet at 10:30am.

FREE COMMUNITY MEAL
Newberry continues to offer Free Community Meals. They strive to serve tasty, nutritional meals with a kind smile and words and with God’s love. They serve from 4:00-6:00, and plenty of parking is available. A ramp inside the north door and an elevator chair make the dining area and rest rooms available to all. All are invited to join us for our once a month get-togethers. Upcoming dates for meals are: August 19, September 16.

Newberry UMW
The Newberry UMW meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 11:00a.m. and is hosted at a member’s home. The hostess furnishes the dessert and beverage. Everyone brings a sandwich cut to put on the serving plate to be shared. A business meeting is conducted, Bible study and then lunch. Anyone is invited to participate. The NUMW fellowship is terrific! If you don’t already attend, please do.

Newberry UMC will have a Stewardship Campaign “Seeking Something Better” beginning Sunday, September 13, 2009. This year we are inviting our congregation to participate in a more comprehensive renewal: an invitation to participate in a quest for the renewal of our whole relationship with God and the church. The congregation will be receiving a devotional booklet containing a devotion for each day of the campaign.

PB&J PLUS
This year our PB&J has added a PLUS to our program. Folks participating in the program may have a choice between macaroni and cheese and other food items. One week the additional choice was spaghetti with pasta, green beans, and applesauce. Another offering was pizza dough mix, pizza sauce, cheese, corn, and peaches. We are working with the Sault Saint Marie food bank to purchase additional food items. The program begins the week school is out and finishes the week before school begins in the fall. The program is open to families whose children receive either free or reduced cost lunches during the school year. This program is FREE to participating families.

"Spiritual Adventures"
Spiritual Adventures classes will begin again the week of September 14th. Each group decides on the day and the times of the meetings. We will offer the following classes:

Live Like Your Were Dying: A study based on Tim McGraw’s award winning country and western hit by the same name. What would you actually do if you lived as thought you were dying?
Outdoor Spiritual Adventures: Will study God’s creation and its connection to hunting and fishing.
Angels: Many people have an interest in Angels. Come and explore the scriptures and experiences some have had of angels.
Contagious Christians: How can we
A second study on Prayer. Join us for a continued study, or perhaps new study for you, on prayer.

You may call the church (293-5711) to register for classes and additional information. The classes are 6-10 weeks in length. Book prices vary from approximately $8 to $15.

HISTORY top
The Newberry Methodist Church had its beginnings in September 1883, just two years after the Marquette-Mackinaw Rail Road was completed.

At the Detroit Annual Conference on September 18, 1883, a new district was created, the Sault Ste. Marie District, and our first Methodist minister, Gary M. Bigelow, was appointed. Included was one hundred dollars in missionary money to start a church for the Newberry-Dollarville charge. These are two small communities about one mile apart located in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the Tahquamenon River. The first church, built within one year, was on Newberry Avenue. The original building has been The Newberry News headquarters since a new church was completed and dedicated on October 5, 1890 at 110 West Harrie Street, just one block West of Newberry Avenue.

The first parsonage was built on the east end of the church lot on West Harrie Street in approximately 1885 and later moved to make room for the new church building mentioned above. A new parsonage was completed in 1908 at 201 West McMillan Avenue and remained in use until the present parsonage, located right next door to the church, was donated by Mr. Phillip Hamilton in loving memory of his wife in 1981.

Many changes occurred in the years to follow. The dedication of our Christian Education Building took place in 1962. This was a very welcome addition as our Sunday school grew to 200 students with the “baby-boomers” following WWII and space was needed for social functions as well. Following that was the replacement of our church with the current building in 1980. Shortly to come was the office addition and then the bell tower in 1982.

Along with the erection of our current church building in 1980 another historical event took place. We joined with six other Methodist churches in a surrounding radius of 55 miles to form God’s County Cooperative Parish. One of the founders is Rev. Audrey Dunlap who is a continuing member of our congregation. Rev. Dunlap has just completed a historical book on the first 25 years of G.C.C.P.

For over sixty years the congregation has been making and selling our well known pasties which have a unique history all their own in the Upper Peninsula. Also in 1982 began the Ecumenical Marketplace Bible School which proved to be very successful and popular and continued through 2003.

We look forward to a long and continued history of the Newberry United Methodist Church and invite all to join us in the spiritually growing experience.

Newberry United Methodist Church
110 W. Harrie St.
Newberry, MI 49868
(906)293-5711
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