August 31st @ Sidney's First UMC!

We brought our summer to an end today with worship and fellowship, learning and sharing and more!

Our worship included dedication of more prayer shawls and

The last Sunday of each month includes a potluck brunch and this month those who ventured down to the fellowship hall were treated to some terrific goodies and the best fellowship in town!!!

Covenant Group West Meets at Camp Comeca!

Pastor Charles and Belinda Alkula attended the first meeting of the 2008-09 Covenant Group West on Thursday and Friday at Camp Comeca, just south of Cozad.

The Covenant Group West is comprised of persons who have attended a Five-day Academy for Spiritual Formation and want to continue the growth in spiritual discipline with like-minded persons.

It was a wonderful time of fellowship and learning, and we look forward to our next gathering!

Conference Historical Center Visit

Terri Raburn, Director of the Nebraska Annual Conference Historical Center, paid a visit to First UMC on Thursday (August 27) to talk to interested people about how best to preserve the story of this congregation.

First UMC will be 130 years old in 2009, and this is the first step in what will be a fantastic year of remembering and visioning!!!

Bible Study at the Parsonage Today

What a beautiful day it is today! And it was with great joy that members of the Tuesday morning Bible study were welcomed to the parsonage for great fellowship, food and fun -- studying the Scriptures!

AND Rilla Draper surprised Pastor Charles with a bag of BUTTONS to add to his collection, so you know Pastor Charles is having a great day today!

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!!!

What a Great Worship Service Today!

The church family at the First United Methodist Church here in Sidney, Nebraska, had a wonderful worship service this morning! The service included a baptism of Gabrielle Maria Rittenhouse. She had family and friends with her, along with her new church family, and we all celebrated her baptism. Isn't she adorable in her lovely dress that her grandmother made for her?

Pastor Charles' Visitor

Here is Kipper Holmead, who visited Pastor Charles at the church office this week!

Isn't he adorable?!

This week in Sidney, Nebraska

The dog days of summer are no where to be found here in Sidney, Nebraska! There are things happening throughout the church and around the Great West District.

Wednesday evening the Ad Board met to discuss the upcoming events and programs. With a lot of important issues needing to be discussed, it was great to have a productive meeting to end the summer.

On Friday, FUMC hosted a funeral for Michael Wiemers (from Potter) being conducted by the Rev. Terry Tomlinson of the Prairie West Christian Church (Methodist/ELCA).

On Saturday, Pastor Charles and Belinda attended a training conducted by Dr. Brian Kottas, the District Superintendant of the Great West District about the L3 Incubator process. The L3, "Loving, Learning, Leading," is a leadership training process for local churches being offered in the Nebraska Conference.

This morning, August 17th, we enjoyed fellowship before, during and after the worship service. We also enjoyed the wonderful singing offered by Carla Brauer and Jennifer Mead from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA).

What a wonderful way to enjoy a Sunday in August: coming together, learning, and worshipping the Living God!

Lay Speaking Basic Course

What a great weekend we are having in Sidney! Five disciples answered the call to learn more about the ministry of Lay Speaking in the United Methodist Church. Marilyn and Curt came from Scottsbluff, Trent came from Potter, Rilla, from Gurley and Belinda was from here in Sidney.

We were joined by Pastor Charles (from FUMC in Sidney) and Charlotte Hickman, a Certified Lay Speaker from Kimball. Together Pastor Charles and Charlotte began presenting the five lessons on Friday evening and continued through mid-afternoon Saturday.

We learned a lot about ourselves, our gifts, and together we look forward to seeing what God has in store for us next! For more pictures, please see www.flickr.com/photos/23030462@N03/sets/72157606637879807

A Wonderful Sunday at Church!

It was another wonderful Sunday at church this morning!

Two prayer shawls were dedicated, so they can be sent to Marie and Benny Hochman's daughter and son-in-law. Their son-in-law experienced a really bad fall during a mountain climbing expedition recently. We wanted them to know that our church is praying for them now and in the days and weeks to come! Bea Dinkel had made both of the shawls, so Pastor Charles asked her to help with the dedication.

We welcomed visitors in our midst.

We celebrated the return of our youth group from their week-long mission trip to St. Louis.

A visiting trombonist added so much to our worship experience!

And, of course, it is always a special Sunday when our church family can celebrate communion together!

Praise be to God... from whom ALL blessing flow!!!

The UMYF Returns to Sidney!

Our youth and their leaders returned on Friday from their mission effort in St. Louis. The tired group had many tales to tell and we look forward to their report in the weeks to come.

Be sure to take a look at the rest of the photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/23030462@N03/sets/