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For over 150 years, we have been a church who loves the Lord Jesus Christ,

and we look forward to sharing the good news with you.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."

Psalm 34:8

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• Saturday
• August 26, 2023
• 9:00 a.m.
• Friendly's, Kidder Street, Wilkes-Barre

The first Kids' Cooking Class will be for ages 5-11 and the second will be for ages 12-16. All classes will be held Saturdays at 11 a.m. for an hour and a half. If your kids are interested, please use the sign-up sheet in the chandelier room.

• Wednesday Evening
• August 30, 2023
• 6:30 p.m.

Forty Fort UMC will be hosting a women’s retreat on Saturday, September 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It will feature discussions with an author, potter, and Christian psychologist on the topic of gratefulness. It is free to the community!

Due to the historical significance of FFUMC, The Susquehanna Historical Society is planning to hold their annual meeting here on September 28. We need volunteers to prepare coffee, donuts, and sandwiches for lunch, and to give tours and welcome our guests.

Editor's Note: I was so excited to see their daughter that I realized later that I had cut off the tops of Scott & Jennifer's heads!!! No matter---seeing little Natalie's 😊 was more important!

> Back to the interview! Our August "Getting to Know Us" features our favorite sleep-deprived parents---the Raves, and their new baby daughter, Natalie! Parishioners may recognize them from their frequent roles as liturgists. The family currently lives in Plains, though Scott is originally from the Back Mountain, and Jen is from Bear Creek. Jen works as a key account manager for a tech company that services the travel industry. Scott works in human resources for a nonprofit.

> They met doing community theater in a 2013 production of It's a Wonderful Life, and both are still involved in the local theater community. Scott has performed in and directed productions with community theater companies from Scranton to Hazleton. Jen has been spending time behind the scenes the last few years, costuming and directing youth workshops at KISS Theatre Co. When not on stage, Scott enjoys hiking, and Jen can be found crafting or reading during Natalie's naptime.

> They love to travel and took the "trip of a lifetime" when they went to Hawaii for their honeymoon, specifically, the island of Kauai. "Everything was so green and beautiful, and the beaches were stunning! We would love to go back again someday and to bring Natalie with us, " reported Jen.

> Scott and Jen started attending services in the early summer of 2021 and became members in early 2022. Pastor Rich married them in September of 2022 in the church.

> Jen said, "We had spent years trying to find a church that felt comfortable for both of us. We had been raised in two very different Christian faith communities and knew we wanted a place that we could call home to grow and raise our family in. With FFUMC, we feel like we found that home and an amazing community that we are blessed to be a part of. We would encourage anyone interested in attending that they should certainly give worship service here a chance as the people are very welcoming and the messages from Pastor Rich's sermons stay with you long after the service ends."

> Say hello to the Raves when you see them in church or if you're lucky enough to "catch them" in any of their upcoming productions!

Each month, we designate a group or charity for a love offering; it's a way to bring us together as a community and provide spiritual and financial support to those in need. Please consider making a love offering donation in the offering plate or by mail. August Recipient: "Meals on Wheels"

One of the goals of the Congregational Care Team is to create a Favorite Bible Verse Devotional for our members---a project that they will be working on this summer. Entry forms are in the Congregational Care Corner.

• Make as many entries as you wish---anonymously or by giving your name.
• All we need on the form is the location of your favorite verse(s).
• The Care Team will provide the remainder of the verses and hope to have this project completed in the fall!

Please click on the Food Pantry Newsletter --- emailed to church members on July 24th with everything you need to know about our latest community outreach effort. Printed copies of this newsletter are available in the Congregational Care Corner.

Our choir sings beautiful music to praise God and to edify the congregation. Led by Mary Scheib (organist and director), they practice every Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. New members are always welcome!

Free at lunchtime? We'd love to see you every Wednesday at noon in the lounge for our "Bible Study" and spiritual formation group led by Pastor Bradshaw & Rev. Santos. PLEASE NOTE: There is no Bible study if there's a vesper service (evening prayers) during that week.

Please call the office if you want to be a member of the prayer chain or added to the list of people for whom they pray.

Church newsletters (which include a monthly calendar) are available in print form in the Congregational Care Corner. They can also be found on our website and Facebook page. We have been sending them to those with email addresses.

💡TIP: When you receive the newsletter by email & there's a sentence at the top that says to "OPEN THIS EMAIL IN A BROWSER," please do that --- it's easier to read the newsletter in a browser.

The "Knit Wits" is a group that meets every Tuesday from 1-3 p.m. to make prayer shawls for those in need of comfort in our church and in our community; they also make winter hats and scarves. Call the office if you'd like to help.

This group meets every Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. to recycle plastic grocery bags and re-purpose them into waterproof mats for the homeless. Call the office if you'd like to help.

1. Any purchase made for the church must be accompanied by a voucher. Blank vouchers are available in the chandelier room near the mailboxes.
2. When you leave a room, please don't forget to turn off the lights, close the water faucets, and lower the thermostats.
   

To show love, encouragement, & support to parishioners during a critical time in their lives, the Congregational Care Team will help with the following: visitations; Meals That Heal; rides to an appointment, when possible; and special projects at the direction of the pastor. Call the office or Pastor Rich for assistance OR to join the Care Team!

Congregational Care Corner - Stop by the table to check the resources provided by the Congregational Care Team. (This table is reserved for only the Care Team, so please don't place any other items there. Thanks!)

• New - Coloring book version of the Lord's Prayer.
• New - Food Pantry information sheet

• New - Information on "Shared Ride" transportation

• CEO - The Commission on Economic Opportunity: Any member or visitor of our church who has daily living needs (rent, food, heating oil, etc.) should contact the CEO, a great local organization that responds to basic, material needs of children, adults, and seniors in poverty. Click HERE.
  

• Dial 211: PA 211: Get Connected. From help with a utilities bill, to housing assistance, after-school programs for kids, and more, you can dial 211 or text your zip code to 898-211 to talk with a resource specialist for free. Click HERE.

• Dial 988: If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, a new phone number was recently implemented to connect you with mental health and behavioral services. People who call, text, or chat with 988 will be directly connected to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Callers will receive phone-based support and connections to local resources based on their specific needs. For more information, go to dhs.pa.gov and search for 988.

• Family & Caregiver Support Group - Alzheimer's Association (Greater Pennsylvania Chapter)
• Offers peer or professionaly led groups for caregivers and others dealing with Alzheimer's
• All support groups are facilitated by trained individuals.
• Meetings are held once per month on the first Thursday of the month at 10:00 a.m.
• 4 East Center Hill, Dallas, PA 18612 (The Meadows) - (570)675-8600

• Veterans - The Care Team has created a Veterans Support Services booklet for its parishioners and their families. It contains vital information that is not specifically medically related. Veterans and their families may not be aware of these services if they haven't had any direct association with the VA Hospital, or if they don't have online access to any of their resources.Paper copies can be found in the Congregational Care Corner.

Click on and then complete the short form below. If you have already completed one during a Sunday service, thank you!

Pastor: Richard Bradshaw

Email: FortyFortUmc@gmail.com
Website: https://www.fortyfortchurch.org/
Location: Forty Fort United Methodist, 26 Yeager Avenue, Kingston, PA, USA
Phone: 570-287-3840
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Forty-Fort-United-Methodist-Church-138113291741