Top 5 @ SPUMC
This past Sunday, Rev. Ron kicked off our Lenten worship series, Words that Changed the World, with a a message on Jesus's first sermon as recorded in the Gospel of Mark (1:14-15). In a world where Rome was the reigning power, there were all kinds of responses among the various groups within Judaism as to how to remain faithful. The Zealots ("Rise up to overthrow!"), the Herodians ("Go along and get along!"), the Essenes ("Escape this corrupt world by retreating to the desert!") and the Pharisees ("Follow Torah rigorously so that God's Messiah will rescure us!") were all part of Jesus's audience and among his disciples. Jesus brought a vision of a God who had already drawn near and was inviting them to be part of this alternative Kingdom that was ruled by the power of sacrificial love and not the power of ruthless might. Rev. Ron in turn invited us all to be part of this revolution of love in our time and place, one faithful act of mercy and justice at a time.
WORDS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD is our worship theme for Lent and we will be focusing on the core message of Jesus (Sermon on the Mount, Kingdom of God, Parables, Final Words). The series will begin Sunday, March 9 along with lots of Bible studies and classes that week including: The Message of Jesus, The Parables, Defying Gravity: A Wicked Good Lent, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning and A Knit-Along Bible Study. Check out our Lent page for more details and to sign up.
THE ASP TALENT-SERVICE AUCTION takes place on March 23, 6-8:30pm. Come to Fellowship Hall to see the first items that have been brought in and get a brochure of all that’s been donated so far. Please think about what talent or service YOU can donate. All proceeds go toward the 2025 Appalachia Service Project in June. Donation forms are at the Welcome Center and in Fellowship Hall. Contact Rev. Lee with Questions.
On Tuesday, March 25 at 7pm we will wrap up our discussion of Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum. Faye Belt, whose story figures prominently in the book, will be our guest speaker and you are invited to join us for what promises to be an informative and inspiring evening. Feel free to come if you are curious to learn more about this important local history, even if you haven’t read the book or been part of our earlier discussions. A few additional used copies of the book are available in Fellowship Hall for just $16.
On Sunday, March 2 we packed 22,000 meals for hungry school children in Fellowship Hall. This fun, intergenerational event was full of families, couples and singles and lots of first-timers (125 people!) during the 2-4pm shift where we packed 12,000 meals. Then 50 youth came in for the second shift and packed another 10,000 meals. We'll hear back in the next month or two what part of the world our meals will travel to and we'll let you know. A big thank you to all who came out and to Becky & Rick Clapp for coordinating the whole thing.
