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We're so glad you decided to visit.
Welcome! Each week begins with our Sunday morning radio
program on FM 100.1 at 9:00 A.M. Listening to this thirty minute
program will start your week with uplifting music and Biblical Christian
teachings. At 10:00 A.M., Sunday School begins with fellowship and
instruction for all ages. In Sunday School you'll make new
friends, study the Bible and learn how to better live your beliefs.
Our worship service begins at 11:15 and includes wonderful music, prayer
and Biblical preaching.
Summer is here and we have lots of activities:
Youth Summer Fun Kick-Off- Sunday, June
1st at 6:15. Come enjoy hamburgers with all the fixin's, games and
special activities. Bring your bathing suit and a towel.
Vacation Bible School, June 08-12.
We going to the beach every night for a beach party. Come at 6 and
party until 8:30. Children of all ages are invited to come and
have fun.
Wednesdays Exploring with Gale, 9:00 AM
- 2:00 PM. Equipment needed: backpack with water shoes, umbrella
or rain gear, freshly filled water bottle, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses,
bathing suit, towel, comfortable shoes and clothes.
Wednesday Night Bell Choir: Members
meet at 5:15 upstairs in the Faithful Messenger Sunday School Classroom.
Please Check with Shay,
shay@washingtonfirstumc.com about practice times and dates.
Wednesday Night Suppers are the
highlight of everyone's week during September through April. They started September 19th. Wednesday night meals are catered by our
Kitchen Saints. The cost for the meals is only $5/person with a
maximum of $15 for a family. Seniors 65 or older pay only $4 per person. Reservations can be made at the
office, 706-678-7116, by Tuesday. After a delicious meal, there are
programs for children, youth and adults as well as chancel choir practice.
We will break from our suppers during the school break (Wed., April 9)
and resume Wed., April 16.
For Men Only: The United Methodist Men's Fellowship
meets in the Fellowship Hall the first Sunday of each month at 8 A.M.
All men are invited to attend. At UMM Breakfasts we enjoy
programs by guest speakers as well as by our talented members. In
the spring the UMM hosts a golf tournament. We enjoy chicken
barbeques in addition to regular meetings. UMM have a lot of fun
together, working on projects around the church and conducting
fund-raising events. This active group of dedicated men contributes to
the dynamic life of our church in many ways. Our next
meetings is Sunday, April 6 at 8 AM in our beautiful new fellowship
hall.
For Women Only: We have two UMW
Circles (groups of friends) which meet September through May. The
Cornelia Johnson Circle meets the first Tuesday night of each month. The
Seekers Circle meets on the second Thursday night of each month.
Both of these circles enjoy outings and fund-raising events. The
Seekers' Circle conducts fund-raisers throughout the year and at the
beginning of this school year gave away over 80 filled book-bags to
local students. This year the Cornelia Johnson Circle is focusing on
missions. At their Fall meetings they reached out to our local
community at
God's Marketplace, Inc. In addition they reached out to neighbors
overseas in the Sudan, Africa, by collecting and shipping 29 blankets
and Bibles. They will host a table at the Tour de Georgia bike
race on Wednesday, April 23, at 7 am with lots of delicious breakfast
goodies.
For Men and Women: If you love to
sing, please consider joining our Chancel Choir led by our Minister of
Music, the accomplished, Shay Harris. Both men and women sing in our
Chancel Choir which practices on Wednesday nights at 7 PM. Our
wonderful music program is one of our greatest strengths. Shay selects
music with an emphasis on diversity, blessing everyone during
worship and
special music programs.
For Children and Parents:
Mothers' Morning Out is for children 18 months to 5 years old. It meets on
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM to 12 noon. We have two adults taking
care of our children. Our primary focus is to love and care for the
children and provide each one with a safe, encouraging environment.
This year the cost is $45 per month for one (1) day per week and $75 per
month for two (2) days per week. For more information please call Denise
Moore or Tena Blakey, 706-678-7116 and leave a message.
Preparing
Pre-school children for a successful and productive life is
dear to our hearts. Our Pre-Kindergarten was started in the
1940's and many of the leading citizens of Washington attended pre-K
here. In addition to daily lessons that prepare them for school
and encourage better people-skills, our children take field trips.
Our Pre-K excels in many ways and you can read about this excellent
program under the Pre-K heading. This year our dynamic, Christian-based
pre-K presently has seventeen (17) 3 and 4 year-olds. We have
space for a few more children so if you are interested in enrolling,
please contact our Director, Betsy Strother at 706-678-7116.
For Older Children Only: Children old enough to
attend school up to 10 years old enjoy activities throughout the year.
This summer they enjoyed many fun, meaningful experiences. Our children went to Pump-It-Up, Memorial Park in Athens and enjoyed
VBS. In addition the children continued their "Many Smiles" ministry
linking the hearts children of all ages. Children's Choir,
in which children from our entire community are invited to sing, starts
at the beginning of school and ends with school year. They will break
during Spring Holidays and will begin again on Tuesday
afternoon, April 15. Participants in Children's Choir prepare excellent programs at Christmas and in the Spring.
KidsClub meets Wednesday nights after fellowship suppers;
at this children
have a special time of fellowship. Denise Moore and Michelle
Porterfield have many things planned to help grow our children's love for
God and others. Their 2007 focus which was memorizing Bible verses
continues into 2008.
For Youth Only: Activities for youth
occur throughout the year. Our youth director is Mark Bryngelson
who receives lots of help from parents and our terrific information
coordinator parent, Wendy Swann. During the school year on Sunday
afternoons our youth enjoy lots of activities most of which are held at
Bell Cottage, our recently refurbished youth center. This year we
are trying something special: Youth Signing Team. Denise Moore directs
this group and if you are interested please contact her at 706-678-7116. At 6:15 PM our weekly UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship)
meetings begin with fellowship followed by dinner provided by parents
and friends. Later the youth split into two groups: middle school
and high school, where they study the Bible and discuss how to be better
Christians. Wednesday nights after Fellowship Suppers find the
youth fellowshipping and enjoying programs. During the Fall
football season, Fifth Quarters begin immediately after home football
games and offer safe and fun places to gather. This year Fifth
Quarters were at Bell Cottage - immediately after the game.
Soon we'll plan our summer activities. They always prove to be
lots of fun for all. Come check us out!
For Seniors only: We have an active group of
seniors that go on trips and out to dinner. Lewis and Ann Cook
invite your ideas for outings and fun. They enjoy going to the
mountains, out to eat and shopping.
Outreach is a priority at Washington First!
The
Community Food Pantry was housed in the basement of First United
Methodist Church for at least 20 years. This year, 2007, it was
moved to one of the buildings in the God's Marketplace, Inc. complex.
The Grand Opening of the expanded Community Food Pantry was
Friday, August 10 from 10-12. The beautiful new
facility is located on E. Robert Toombs Ave. Several groups joined us in this expansion
including Washington Presbyterian, The Church of the Mediator,
Episcopalian, and Independence UMC, as well as individuals and
groups in the community. God's Marketplace, Inc. added a Thrift
Store whose Grand Opening was Friday, October 19. We are
thrilled by the support and ministry opportunities this new community
project provides and we are pleased to be part of the initial planners
who planted God's Marketplace, Inc. We welcome everyone to be a part of
in this new ministry. Already our goals for helping have been
exceeded beyond anything we would think or ask. We are grateful to
God to have the opportunity to be a blessing to our community,
reaching out in Jesus' name with food, clothing and helping services.
Last fall, we joined
other groups and hosted a
concert on the square,
September 22, featuring contemporary, Christian singer Melanie Hart
from 6:30-8:30. It was wonderful. Other talented
artists included Dr. Lisa Allen,
a professor at ITC who led us in worship and local talents, Michael Moore
and Carla Thaxton Brown. The air around the square was
filled with praises to God.
Angel Tree Christmas Outreach is a ministry in which the entire community
participates. We join with other churches, schools and service
organizations to deliver presents to children and to feed families at
Christmas. This past year, 2006, we delivered presents to 300 children and fed
130 families Christmas dinner. This year Laura Toburen, Outreach
Chairperson at FUMC, decided to limit the number of participants to
assure that an excellent job could be done. Presents will be
delivered on Saturday, Dec. 9.
Another
outreach in association with Action Ministries and Wilkes
Ministers United, is the Transition House
where a family gets the opportunity to make a new start. We always
look for additional opportunities to reach out in love representing
Jesus to our community!
In addition in 2007 we were involved in two
restoration projects. First, we finished the restoration of Bell Cottage, our
Youth House, to provide a safe place for our youth to meet.
Second, we are still in the process of
restoring our beautiful stained glass windows in the sanctuary.
We constantly look for ways to keep our buildings safe, clean
and fresh.
In 2008 we have been looking
for even more ways to bless others. We have started a ministry to
the inmates in the Pre-Release Prison. We hope to bring them hope
and connect them in a dynamic way with Jesus Christ. Do you have some ideas on how
we can be greater blessings and glorify God in this community? You are invited to come, experience and join in our
excitement about God's love for us all!
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