Top 5 @ SPUMC

#1 A SUNDAY OF CELEBRATION!
In week 4 of our Meeting Jesus at the Table Lenten series, we turned our attention to two parables that Jesus told about seating charts and guest lists (Luke 14:7-14). Rev. Ron preached about how hospitality is transformational and not transactional, always about mutuality in relationships and not pecking orders or exclusion. Our study guide authors put it this way: “We are invited to root our relationships in faith and love and more than anything, in trust – trust in the God who can open our doors and expand our tables, who can free us from worrying about how we will be compensated or what will be offered in return.”

In other worship news, we had such a joyful morning. We baptized two 8 month-olds (Chase & Elle ) and a 4 and a 6 year-old brother and sister (Oliver & Charlie). We also welcomed 4 new members into our church (earlier in the week we thought it might be 10 or more until sickness, bad backs and travel changed some plans!). Our kids showed up in their PJs and were awarded with Pop-Tarts in Sunday School as part of our Daylight Savings ritual. We experienced wonderful music all morning long from bells, to cello, a fabulous anthem by the choir (“For Everyone Born”) and even Tracy moving from behind the drum kit to singing out front with guitar in hand.

#2 ASP AUCTION
THE ANNUAL TALENT/SERVICE AUCTION to benefit the 2024 youth mission to Central Appalachia will take place on Sunday, March 24 at 6pm. It’s a super fun evening with semi-competitive bidding for a good cause. Free desserts, beverages and childcare are available. You WANT to be here! We’re seeking Donations of services & talents (baked goods, meals, yard work, vacation home getaways, etc.). Donation forms are available at the Welcome Desk and Mission corner in Fellowship Hall. Help us raise funds for our Youth and College Students taking part in the Appalachia Service Project this summer. Any questions? Contact Rev. Lee.

#3 HOLY WEEK & EASTER SCHEDULE
PALM SUNDAY, March 24: Services at 8, 9:15 & 10:45am; Children’s Palm Procession at 9:15am.

MAUNDY THURSDAY, March 28: Meal at 6:30pm and Service at 7:15pm in Fellowship Hall. Come enjoy a simple meal of soup and bread. Worship will flow right out of the meal and take place at the tables.

GOOD FRIDAY, March 29: Community Stations of the Cross Service at Manresa at Noon. Evening Service at SPUMC at 7pm in Sanctuary with choir and cello. Childcare is available Thursday and Friday evening.

EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA: March 30, 9am – 11am. Don’t miss this great intergenerational event on March 30, 9am which is fun for the whole family. Do some crafts, play some games, enjoy snacks, and bring a basket for the Egg Hunt that starts promptly at 10am. Help is needed with hiding eggs at 8am that morning. This event is rain or shine. Questions? Contact Erica.

EASTER MORNING WORSHIP: Services at 6:30am in Garden, 8am Traditional, 9:15am Contemporary & 10:45am Festival Service (with Brass) in the Sanctuary. Families with Young Children looking for a more relaxed space (tables and floor space for kids to participate in worship with kid-friendly, quiet activities) are invited to worship together in Fellowship Hall at 9:15 and 10:45am. The service from the Sanctuary will be simulcast to Fellowship Hall and facilitated by a worship leader. Families are also welcome to join us in the Sanctuary – your choice! Childcare available at 9:15am & 10:45am.

#4 THE NEW DIRECTORY IS (FINALLY) HERE!
After some technical snags and a printing delay, the new Church Directory is now available at the Welcome Desk or in Fellowship Hall. Suggested donation is $5-10 just to cover our printing costs. We know it is already out of date because a) We have so many people who have started coming in the last few months and b) A few of you may have intended to get your picture taken or send one in but just never got around to it. Fear not! We’re planning to put out a Directory Supplement in the next six months, so contact Meg if you want to be included. Also, if we had a mistake from our database that made its way into the Directory, we apologize as we tried to be as accurate as possible. Contact Beth with name, address or phone number edits.

#5 2023: A YEAR OF RESILIENCE
On “State of the Church Sunday” (January 28), Rev. Ron preached on the word that he thought best captured the spirit and tangible signs of hope and progress we experienced last year as a congregation: RESILIENCE. Drawing on the story of Nehemiah and the returning exiles rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem gate by gate and stone by stone (Neh. 2 & 3), Rev. Ron pointed to the many markers of resilience we experienced in 2023. We experienced significant growth in our small group ministries (new and returning), welcomed 29 new members, came back to “full strength” in our missional outreach sending a team back to Costa Rica, holding 2 Garage Sales, hosting 2 Winter Relief weeks and more. Children are returning to Sunday School and both UMYF and ASP saw increased participation.

We re-established a partnership with Asbury Town Neck UMC (the joint Thanksgiving Service was truly a highlight!), saw consistent growth in worship attendance and experienced moments that felt like a return to our pre-Covid days (the Family Christmas Eve Service overflowing with 500 people, Easter Extravaganza, S’Music & S’Mores). On the financial front, we made great strides, too. We knew it was going to be a “transitional year” with a “$156,000 Hole” to fill in our budget (no more PPP funds) so we developed a conservative spending plan and projected that we would need to use $70,000 in reserve funds. The good news is that our giving went up by $70,000 and we only ended up draw on less than $10,000 of our reserves. So many reasons to be grateful, so much to look forward to as we enter 2024.