Attention Sunday School Classes, UMW Circles, Small Group and all those who like to cook…we need people to help provide dinner each Sunday evening for our Youth.  Your group can cook and serve a meal, donate money and someone will buy the food, or drop off the food and we’ll serve it.  Teenagers love to eat, so we need a lot of groups that would be willing to help feed the Youth of our church throughout the year.  We’ll serve about 40-50 youth each Sunday night.  Contact Kelley Holden at kelleyandchris@att.net or 693-2625 for more details and available dates.

We are so excited to begin to pursue the option of writing our own church-wide devotional from the experiences of our own congregation.  We are currently requesting submissions for a Franklin First UMC Devotional to have out for our Lenten season. For this devotional we’d like to highlight our core values of Prayer and Presence.  As you think about your devotional thought, keep these overall themes in mind.  The best devotions are written from our personal experiences.  A personal story draws us in, creates space in our hearts to feel what the author is writing and inspires us to become more of who God wants us to be.  Off the cuff, consider these ideas to get those creative juices flowing:  How Prayer is More Powerful Than my Mid-Morning Cup of Coffee, or When God Showed Up Dressed Like a Cranky Toddler…it’s your life, so make it personal.  Don’t know where to begin?  We’ve thought of that too and have included a “How To” section in the Resources area of our web site.   http://www.franklinfumc.org/resources/daily-devotional/devotional-writing/ to get you moving.  Then when you’re ready to submit, you can use our simple web form:  http://www.franklinfumc.org/resources/daily-devotional/devotional-submission-form/ or drop it by the office.

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Join us in helping our Volunteers in Mission (VIM) office in Guatemala help provide education scholarships to children in their neighborhoods.

Each year the VIM office received requests to help with the financial burden that disadvantaged families face each year of sending their children to school.  These requests come by the hundreds from all over the country of Guatemala.  With your help we can make a difference.  Stop by the Fellowship Hall at Franklin First UMC this weekend to view of board of the children we’d like to help with the cost of school.  You’ll see a picture of the child, along with a little about their family.  Simply remove the picture of the child you would like to sponsor and contact Vona in our staff offices to let her know.  The school year in Guatemala begins in January, so our timely response is critical.  Scholarships begin at $400 for an entire year and can be given annually, bi-annually or quarterly.  We have been in mission in Guatemala for 12 years and have witnessed the power of these scholarships first hand.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.

The Psalmist calls for peace in Jerusalem. As I read it this morning, I see it as a prayer for my family and the friends that are so important in my life. I see it as a prayer for the church where God has planted me. If this were our prayer each day… would our households become strong towers of peace that shine light in a world that experiences way too much darkness? Would our church family…the community of faith we call Franklin First United Methodist Church… would we stand as a family united in the peace of Christ, devoted to boldly following where the Holy Spirit leads us day after day, year after year? It is humbling to realize what God has entrusted to us. As imperfect and wounded as we are – God still chose the church to be the body of Christ in the world. That humbles me. It begs me to pray this prayer for those in my household, for those friends I hold so dear and for the community of faith where God has planted me. “May peace be with you. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.” This is my prayer for all of us today.

In Him,
Rev. Vona Wilson