Advent Study Group

The first Sunday of Advent came to an enthusiastic conclusion with the first meeting of the Advent study group.

We are studying While We Wait:Living the Questions of Advent by Mary Lou Redding.

Everyone is welcome to join this short-term study in the weeks leading up to Christmas. We will be meeting next week, December 7th, Monday, December 15th and Sunday, December 21st, all beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Our journey through Advent has begun: Praise be to God!!!

Shoes for the Navajos, "the count"

Following the worship and fellowship this morning, Bea Dinkel led Dan & Marilee Rowan, Shirley Oliverius and Pastor Charles in sorting, counting and boxing up the shoes, boots and other footwear that had been donated in the past few weeks.

We are thrilled to say that 400 pairs of footwear are ready for shipment to the Navajo people in the Four Corners area. We are sending these items to United Methodist Churches on the Navajo Nation. It was a joy to accept shoes from the Oshkosh and Llewelyn United Methodist Churches to add to this effort.

We hope to have another shipment ready in two weeks.

To see all the pictures from this ministry, please see this link.

First Sunday of Advent at the First UMC of Sidney!

The beautiful dawn of today was followed by an exciting day of learning, worship, fellowship and mission.

The morning worship was begun with the Steve Mika family lighting the first Advent candle. We were blessed in dedicating shoes for the Navajo People and food for the Salvation Army community food pantry. A prayer shawl for Carrie Reynolds was presented by the congregation as Carrie prepares to leave Sidney for pharmacy school in Tennessee.

Special music was shared this morning in several ways. First, Janet Rosenbaum and Tara Long offered God praise with a flute duet. Then, during the offering, Courtney Shabram-Beach lead a choir of four adults and five children in "Here I am to Worship," in American Sign Language (ASL). What a blessing to have such talented people willing to offer themselves in God's service!

Our fellowship lunch followed the worship service and what a bounty we shared! We are blessed to have a place to worship and fellowship and are eager to journey together through Advent as we prepare to receive our King once more.

More Advent pictures are at this link.

The dawn of Advent 2008

Dawn broke clear and windy over the First UMC this morning! What a glorious beginning to the new church year!!!

Here is a prayer to go with you into the new year:

The Canticle of Zechariah (from Luke 1:68-79)

Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Israel;
He has come to His people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
Born of the house of His servant David.

Through His holy prophets He promised of old
That He would save us from our enemies,
From the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers
And to remember His holy Covenant.

This was the oath He swore to our father Abraham:
To set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship Him without fear,
Holy and righteous in His sight
All the days of our life.

You, My child shall be called
The prophet of the Most High,
For you will go before the Lord to prepare His way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our Lord
The dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
And the shadow of death,
And to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Amen.

Getting set for Advent

Some of the work needed to prepare the church for Advent was being done on Saturday. Thanks to Arlene Christensen, Mae Talich and Shirley Oliverius for their help in making our church ready for the new year!

A Message of Love and Thanksgiving

Today we received a message of Thanksgiving greetings and thanks from Arlene Christensen's friend in Oregon, Marvie. She forwarded the lovely picture above of her wearing the prayer shawl that we dedicated and blessed for her in a worship service in the sanctuary earlier in the month. (Arlene had made this lovely shawl specifically for her dear friend Marvie.)

Praise be to God for sisters and brothers in Christ who love one another and keep one another in prayer!

The Curtain Rod Brigade at the FUMC!

Cindy and Wayne Phillips were at the church today with their curtain rods.




Their not-so-secret mission is to successfully install new curtain rods and then hang curtains in the round-table room downstairs in the church. Stay tuned to see the outcome of our intrepid duo's mission!

Update on Navajo Shoe Donation Project

Here's the latest picture of how many shoes have been collected for the Navajo Shoe Donation Project. Praise God for faithful folks who are willing to help those less fortunate than themselves.

Prayer Shawl Given Today

The ninety-first prayer shawl of 2008 was given today to Bobby Wallace of Sidney. This shawl was made by Arlene Christensen with love and tonight surrounds Bobby with the love of the First United Methodist Church.

Pastor Charles and Belinda's Eleventh Wedding Anniversary

Praise God for a lovely anniversary celebration!

It was a beautiful day in this corner of the Kingdom. Belinda got a permanent in her hair. Charles worked all the day, getting ready for the church's big annual meeting next week on December 2nd.

We received some lovely anniversary cards in the mail... from family, church family and friends!

Tonight Charles surprised Belinda with her favorite flower: A yellow rose! They enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant. All in all, it was a lovely day!

UMYF at the Post Commander's House

Yesterday our youth were involved in the decoration of the Fort Sidney Post Commander's House. They signed up to decorate one of the children's bedrooms, and what a great job they did!

See more pictures at this link.

And the Children Shall Lead the Way!!!

Today is Christ the King Sunday, the ultimate (last) Sunday of the church year!!!
And next Sunday, November 30th, is the beginning of another church year, the first Sunday of Advent.

Between now and then, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. During the children's message, we were reminded that not all of God's children have enough to eat, so we need to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world.

The children were given gifts of food items, and then they were guided to the food collection grocery cart out in the church's welcome area, where they were able to put their gift items into the cart. Their food donations will go to our local Salvation Army for immediate distribution to area families.

Before the 10:00 a.m. worship service, Alex Biberos and Ryan Aurich stopped by Pastor Charles' office with their faith-slogan rocks they had just made for him in Sunday School. What a delightful surprise for pastor!

Praise be to God for children (and their parents/leaders) who lead the way and show us how to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world today!!!

The Youth Shall Lead the Way!!!

Today is Christ the King Sunday, the ultimate (last) day of the church year. Next Sunday will be the First Sunday of Advent.

To help us experience a more meaningful Advent journey this year, our United Methodist Youth Fellowship (UMYF) Group made church members
Advent candle kits.

Beginning Sunday, November 30th, we can light the candle and read the first daily prayer provided in the kit... while the candle burns down the first "notch." The next day, we can light the candle and pray the second prayer provided... while the candle burns down to the second "notch."

These Advent candle kits will help guide us during our Advent journeys toward the reality of Christmas 2008.

Praise be to God for the youth (and their youth leaders) who lead the way!!!

Christ the King Sunday, 23 Nov 08

Today is IT: Christ the King Sunday!!! This is the ultimate (last) Sunday of the church year. As you know, this next Sunday will begin the church year all over again with the first Sunday of Advent.

Pastor Charles placed a "throne" up front in both the chapel and sanctuary, to help us visualize and think about the throne of Christ the King. He preached about that Judgment Day that is to come. The question is "Will we be judged 'sheep' or 'goats?'" In other words, each of us will be judged as to whether or not we loved God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength AND if we loved our "neighbors" as ourselves! Are we going to be on the "right" side of Christ the King who will invite us home to heaven or ... not?

At the 8:00 a.m. worship service, Pastor Charles displayed a Judgment Day painting (that is above). For more information about this painting and its symbolism, you can go to this link. (As a reminder, you can double-click on any picture of this blog, and the picture will get a lot larger.)

See more picture from today at this link.

The Morning United Methodist Women's Circle

It was an energetic group of ladies who assembled in the "round table" room this morning for the monthly meeting of the church's United Methodist Women's (UMW's) Morning Circle.

Marilee Rowan presented the program called, "Five Kernals of Corn" and Delores Stasch presented a wonderful talk on the World Thank Offering and the UMW's mission projects around the world.

And of course everyone enjoyed the treats and warm fellowship on this chilly Nebraska morning!

Shoes for the Navajo People

The "Shoes for the Navajo Mission" effort is picking up steam. The result is visible for all to see in the Welcome Center of the First United Methodist Church.


Bea Dinkel says that the goal is 1,000 pairs of shoes. It certainly looks like we just might make it!

Evening Circle Meeting of the United Methodist Women

Tonight was the United Methodist Women's (UMW's) evening circle's meeting. It was a great gathering from beginning to end! Edie Baumbach was recognized with a corsage for mission by Arlene Christensen. The program was presented by Bea Dinkel and featured the "Charter for Racial Justice."

The Church is Alive!

The life of the church never sleeps! From evening to morning, the church (the members) are active in the Lord's service.

This morning, members of the Son-rise Bible Study arrived at 6:30 a.m. for their time of fellowship and study of the Word. As they left this morning for the day ahead, they took with them the joy that comes from God's people being together. Now they are active in being the church in the world!

A Prayer Shawl for Mary Kreinbring

Pastor Charles Alkula visited Mary today and presented her with a beautiful prayer shawl from her church family. Mary was deeply touched by this special remembrance, which was lovingly made by Arlene Christensen.

UMYF Soup Supper

Following the "Community Thanksgiving Sing," many of the assembly made their way down to the fellowship hall for the UMYF Soup Supper, and what a treat it was!

There was a great assortment of soups and other treats. The fellowship hall was filled with a wonderful assortment of aromas and the sounds of fellowship!

P.S. The birthday cake was presented to our very own Jordan S. Happy 16th birthday to her!

For more pictures, please visit this link...

2008 Community Thanksgiving Sing

The "2008 Community Thanksgiving Sing" was held in the sanctuary of the First UMC tonight. It was a thrill to see so many supporting this exciting ministry! With ten area churches being represented, the event offered an insight into the diversity within our community.

To see more pictures, please visit this link.