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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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Since we recently observed Father's Day, and we'll soon be celebrating our church's birthday, let's take a look at a famous "father" in the history of the United Methodist Church!

Click on the picture to view the calendar. Calendars are on our website and also included in the monthly newsletters in the Congregational Care Corner.

Saturday

July 29, 2023

9:00 a.m.

Friendly's, Kidder Street, Wilkes-Barre

• Pickup time 1 - 3 p.m. in parking lot
• Dinner ticket = $14
• Purchase tickets in advance by Aug. 11
• To order: call (570)287-3840
• To volunteer: Members should sign up in the church. Also, dessert donations would be appreciated.

> It’s fun to talk to longtime members of our church and to hear about their interesting lives: now AND in the past! Pat and Richard Jones—married in our church 59 years ago!—are no exception. Pat was a former airline stewardess (a “flight attendant” before there were “flight attendants!”) for Eastern Airlines before her marriage. Rich worked for twenty years for an air operated tools company and then another fifteen with Prudential before retirement. He spent his younger years in the Air Force, traveling the world. He and Pat went to school together but never dated; according to Richard, Pat preferred the “boys at the CYC in Wilkes-Barre." However, he lucked out in the end, because after he returned from the service, they started dating and then later married. They proudly have a family of one daughter (deceased), two sons, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren!

> Pat’s favorite place to live is New England, but they’ve spent most of their lives in Wyoming Valley. Their favorite vacations are those spent in Florida with Pat’s brother and sister and their families, and Richard enjoyed bird watching on their yearly trips. They are lucky to have other family members to visit and spend time with, including Rich’s two sisters and one brother and their families.

> Before they were married, Richard was a Presbyterian, but he “saw the light” (just kidding, Rich!) and started attending FFUMC in 1960, or as Pat put it, “for so long that I can’t remember ever attending any other church!” They and their children were very involved in church activities, in the Methodist Youth Fellowship, and Pat was an outstanding former chairman of the Annual Flea Market & Craft Fair. They love our church and feel Pastor Rich is making a difference by being "outgoing and approachable," and ensuring that FFUMC is “friendly, informal, and open to all.” Amen!

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. July's Recipient: The Food Pantry at FFUMC

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

1. First, they'll ask for suggestions from the congregation; entry forms will be in the bulletin and in the Congregational Care Corner.
2. You can make as many entries as you wish---anonymously or by giving your name.
3. All we need on the form is the location of your favorite verse(s)---for example, John 3:16. We'll take care of getting the exact quotation or passage.
4. The Care Team, working alongside Pastor Rich, will provide the remainder of the verses and hope to have this project completed in the fall!

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 bulletins are available each week on our website: look for the tab at the top right corner (computer), OR click on the three-bar menu on the top right corner (cell phone).

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. NOTE: If you haven’t been receiving the newsletter via email, please call the church office to update your contact information.

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 at the church, 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. Please do not use it for any other purpose. Thanks!)

• New - Coloring book version of the Lord's Prayer. Pick one up for a child in your life.

• 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.

• https://www.fortyfortchurch.org/
• past, present, & future events
• outreach programs
• calendar; bulletins; meetings; & newsletters
• news from The UMC

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