May God’s wonderful blessings be with each and every one of you, this day and every day.
April 29th, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is going to be a most special day.
Folks who celebrated birthdays in April have the opportunity to offer their Birthday Dimes for Mission, 10¢ for each year being celebrated. These dimes go to support Project Linus as well as Nothing But Nets. Project Linus supports the making of no-sew blankets for children experiencing difficulties in their lives. Nothing But Nets provides bed covering nets that greatly reduce the incidents of malaria. Thank you, April birthday people and those catching up from previous months, for these gifts of love.
On April 29, we also welcome our new Organist and Choir Director, Mr. Sean Lewis. We are very glad to have Sean assume this musical leadership for our church. You will want to meet and greet Sean this Sunday.
Seven new members will also be joining the membership of PUMC on April the 29th. It is a joy and a privilege to receive these folks into the church membership, to grow in faith and serve God together with them. This is a grand blessing, and I am certain that you will want to affirm their joining our church, family member to family member. What a huge blessing this is to celebrate!
The Scriptures for April 29 are: PSALM 23, and JOHN 10:11~18. The sermon is titled, ‘It’s Kind of Obvious, Isn’t It?’ Let’s all make the worship of our Lord the high priority and way of life that God decrees it to be. May our souls be blessed and our lives enriched as we worship together in fellowship and in love.
In just a few days, Saturday, May the 5th, the annual HAM DINNER and Bake Sale will take place. Continuous servings will begin at 4:30. Information and details about the Dinner appear in the current issue of The Messenger, in the Citizen, and at church. Enjoy a wonderful meal. Prepare and purchase a delicious baked
item. Call Karen Waldmann at 860.747.2592 to sign up to work at the Dinner, or make that indication to be of
service using the sign-up chart in the narthex of the church. It’s always a fun event; be part of this fellowship and family time.
Lastly, it is always God’s call to us to give of ourselves, and we do invite those who can join in the INSIDE CLEAN-UP DAY at the church to do so this coming Saturday, April 28, from 9:00 a.m. until Noon. Several areas have been targeted for sprucing up; these have been advertised at church for the past couple of weeks. The Board of
Trustees thanks you for pitching in and helping this Saturday; it is greatly appreciated. That’s a lot taking place in a very short time.
That’s a lot of celebrating, of being blessed, of enjoying one another, of being able to serve and give back. Everyone can’t do everything. But everyone can do something. Let’s worship and welcome and dine and offer and help as God blesses us to do so. And truly, may it all be to the glory of God.
With heartfelt wishes and feelings for you all,
Pastor Waldmann.
Greetings and blessings to you in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
It is my hope that this finds folks well and doing fine.
April 22nd is the Third Sunday of Easter. It is also the Sunday when we celebrate Native American Awareness. A separate offering envelope and information sheet is included in each worship bulletin. Our gifts to Native American Awareness assist Native American ministries within the annual conference, help to provide scholarships to Native Americans attending United Methodist Schools, and expand the number of places where
Native American ministries take place. When you worship this coming Sunday, thank you for your extra gifts
remembering Native Americans. Aspects of the morning worship will focus upon the heritage of Native Americans.
Scriptures shared on April 22nd are: ACTS 3:12-19, and LUKE 24:36b-48. The sermon is titled, “The Best Part of
the Meal.”
We are also privileged to share in the baptism of Ethan Joseph McGettigan during the worship.
Come and be part of the richness of God’s many blessings and call upon us as we worship together in God’s name.
Looking ahead just a little bit, we invite as many as can participate to help with the INSIDE WORK DAY set for Saturday, April 28, 9:00 a.m. until Noon. A complete list of projects to help spruce up the inside of the church is posted in the church narthex. The Board of Trustees appreciates the service that you can give; thank you very much in advance.
Also, the HAM DINNER is fast approaching; it takes place on Saturday, May 5. Servings are continuous and begin at 4:30 p.m. There are several areas of service toward the success of this Dinner that await being filled; those appear, again in the church narthex, and we thank you for giving a little so that this Dinner will be most successful. Thanks for coming and enjoying a delicious meal, and thanks for helping to make it happen.
There will be a big celebration of April 29 as seven new members are received. We thank God for each and every one of these adult children of God, and know that you will want to be at this worship to be of welcome and support to these new members of our church. On April 29, we will also welcome our new Organist and Choir Director, Mr. Sean Lewis. We welcome Sean to this fellowship of faith and look forward to his musical leadership and ministry among us. And, April 29 being that last monthly Sunday, we will gratefully receive Birthday Dimes for Mission, especially from those who celebrated birthdays in April, but also for those who are catching up with the Dimes from previous months. Thank you for those dimes, one for each year of our lives, that go to support Project Linus as well as Nothing But Nets (a mission to provide nets to help reduce the incidents of malaria). Most every week, something special, something to celebrate, some specific way to be of service to God, some joy, something new, some blessing from God is lifted up, is mentioned, is real and present in our lives. These are all tremendously important and precious. This place of worship is an exciting place
because a lot takes place in the name of God for the glory of God. Let us all place ourselves in the midst of all of this. Be thankful recipients of all that God seeks to give. Be humble stewards and disciples of these blessings flowing from God to help them flow to many others.
God bless you each and every one.
Pastor Waldmann.
Greetings and Easter blessings to everyone.
This past Sunday’s Easter worship was a wonderful celebration. Our Senior Choir offered varied and spirited anthems, and so much of the depth of Easter was present and real for the 153 people who worshipped at PUMC.
This coming Sunday, April 15, will be another special time of worship. We will celebrate the music leadership and ministry of David McWilliams, Jr., our Organist and Choir Director for the past 5½ years. This will be David’s last Sunday with us. The Choir again will feature some special music. The Sunday School children will sing a selection accompanied by the Senior Choir, “Every Morning Is Easter Morning.” A time of celebration of David will take place. And a reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. The Scriptures to be shared are: ACTS 4:32~35, and JOHN 20:19~31. Let’s fill the Sanctuary again to offer our thanks and appreciation to David.
And then…at 4:00 p.m. on the 15th…the Jolly Beggars will offer a Concert of Celtic and Irish music. The Jolly Beggars held their first Concert at PUMC in February of 2011, and are back ‘by popular demand.’ This group is comprised of six graduates of the Hartt School of Music, the University of Hartford, several of whom are now teaching in CT schools, all of whom continue to pursue careers in music. Their voices and instrumental talents are superb. But don’t take my word for it…come and hear them for yourself! Tickets are at the door and are $10.oo each; one half goes to the Jolly Beggars, and the other half benefits the church, from which a full 1/10th tithe will go to mission. Refreshments will follow, again in the Fellowship Hall. Enjoy this wonderful group. Bring a friend. Grab your spouse. Call a neighbor and let folks that you know be aware of this event and opportunity to spend a delightful and fun-filled afternoon with the Jolly Beggars.
Our last bit of message to share today is a reminder that our HAM DINNER and BAKE SALE is coming up quickly, taking place on Saturday, May 5. Much more information about this appears in the current Messenger newsletter. The Dinner starts promptly at 4:30 with a scrumptuous menu which includes dessert and beverage. Tickets will be available at the door…should any remain! You might want to call the church office at 860.747.2328 and make your reservation today. Again, a full 1/10th tithe of the proceeds of this Dinner go to mission. We also ask that you sign up using the big chart in the narthex of the church to give some time to help at this Dinner. The Dinner only works well when many readily and willingly give of themselves to this time of fellowship and outreach. Thanks so much for helping the Ham Dinner be a huge success.
May God bless you all and pour out God’s every gift and hope of Easter grace and love to you.
Pastor Waldmann.
Greetings and blessings to everyone.
It is my hope that at this sacred time of the year, we are all thinking of our relationship with Jesus Christ, and how Jesus’ sacrifice for us all might make that relationship one that is deeper and closer to God.
We invite you all to the HOLY THURSDAY worship that begins at 7:00 p.m. in our Sanctuary. The observance of Holy Communion will take place. Scripture lections for the evening are: ZECHARIAH 12:10~13:1, and JOHN 19:17~22. The sermon is titled, “At Golgotha Did Jesus Die.” HOLY THURSDAY is one of the most special times of the year in which to worship the Lord and Savior of our lives. I certainly invite and commend this time together to you.
Sunday, April 8, is of course the glorious EASTER SUNDAY. The worship, of course, begins at 10:00 a.m. How thrilled we are that God has raised Jesus from the dead and in so doing is offering resurrection to each one of us from our sins. Believe…accept the gift…live committed in faith…give God the fullness of our selves in love.
The worship will have a strong musical leadership to it; our Choir will be offering poignant selections, and the sermon will even have musical accompaniment to it to help to tell the EASTER story. Let us fill the sanctuary as God fills our hearts and souls with the EASTER “Sonrise.”
We also want you to know that EASTER SUNDAY is the last day in which the women of our church may register to attend the United Methodist Women SPRING DAY APART. Sixty-five women of the church received information about this. The DAY APART takes place on Saturday, April 21st. Please return your completed registration forms by this Sunday to Karen Waldmann, or call her at 860.747.2592. If you did not receive this information but would like to attend, please call Karen about that as well.
Rejoice and sing…’Christ the Lord is risen today.’
Let us draw near to the cross on HOLY THURSDAY, and then sing Hallelujahs on EASTER, all to the glory of God.
God bless you each and every one.
Pastor Waldmann.
Greetings in the name of the God of us all, who was, and is, and always will be.
I hope that this finds you well and blessed by the Lord.
A “great” person once said that it is impossible to know what we can about God unless we commit the depths of ourselves to the eight days of PALM SUNDAY through EASTER, for in that span lies the fullness of God’s love and grace, mercy and empowerment for our future.
That person actually is very far from “great,” for that person is me!
I have long believed this to be true, and say it over and over again so that no one might miss the blessings of these eight days, that everyone might be filled with the transforming power, sacrificial forgiveness, and sanctifying grace that God pours out at this time.
PALM SUNDAY is this coming Sunday, April the 1st. The Scriptures shared at the 10:00 a.m. worship are: ISAIAH 52:13~53:12, and MARK 11:1~11. The sermon title is: “For Us All.” We will celebrate the Lord’s Table at this worship, doing so at the Communion railing. PALM SUNDAY to me is one of the truly ‘high holy days’ of the Christian year. We are asked to draw very near to Jesus as our Savior goes to Jerusalem to purify the temple and to offer Himself as ransom for our souls. We are asked to commit ourselves with far more than emotion. We are to give God us, fully and completely, and in so doing, help to bring God’s purity to the world. Wave our devoted lives to God as clearly as we wave branches of palm in acclamation of our Lord. Worship is where we are called to be: to come out to meet Jesus; to walk with Him; to follow the Christ closely for all the rest of our lives. “Join all and sing.”
Looking just a few days ahead, HOLY THURSDAY, April 5, is another of those sacred and holy days to which to give ourselves to God. This worship at PUMC, which is set for the 7:00 p.m. hour, remembers the cross, remembers all that God did and does for us through this Passion of Jesus. The Old Testament lection for that evening is ZECHARIAH 12:10~13:1. The Gospel reading is JOHN 19:17~22. The sermon is titled, “At Golgotha Did Jesus Die.” We will again gather as did the disciples of old in the sharing of Holy Communion.
So many of Jesus’ followers and believers fell away at this time, retreated to a distance, watched from a point
of perceived safety, actually, as did Peter, denied their Lord. You and I need seize this opportunity to draw near. The sanctuary beckons to us to once and for all time surrender ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ of our lives. As the hymn asks, “How Can I Keep from Singing,” so its spirit asks, ’How can I keep from worshipping?’ Let God touch us deeply at this worship, at every worship, for the transforming of our souls to the Christ-likeness that God needs us to become.
One cannot know of the fullness of God without the experience of a very close walk with Christ from PALM SUNDAY through EASTER.
One cannot know the depths of living without knowing the fullness of God.
Let God fill us together on PALM SUNDAY and again on HOLY THURSDAY.
To the glory of God, let it be so with us all.
Wishing you the blessings of our Lord,
Pastor Waldmann.
Blessings and God’s grace fill each and every one of your hearts and souls.
I am sending this first Weekly Email for this week…oh, yes — there will be at least one more! — to let you know of a bittersweet matter.
David McWilliams, who has been the Organist and Choir Director at Plainville U.M.C. for some 5½ years, will be leaving that post as well as PUMC. David is doing this for strictly personal reasons. We will miss David terribly and wish him God’s blessings always. This was announced to the congregation on March 25.
David’s last Sunday here at PUMC will be on April 15. There will be a special honoring of David that morning.
The Staff Parish Relations Committee has been moving forward, seeking a replacement for David, ever since we learned of this just two weeks ago. We are hopeful and confident that we will be able to engage a new Organist and Choir Director quickly.
Please keep David in your thoughts and prayers as he ventures out to explore opportunities before him.
Until Weekly Email #2 comes your way, may God bless you each and every one with a wonderful week ahead.
Pastor
Waldmann.
Blessings and peace be to you all.
I hope that you are all well and enjoying the most unusual yet also welcome warm weather and bright sunshine. To me, these bring such renewal and expectation after wintertime, even though this past winter was relatively easy.
March 25 is the Fifth Sunday in Lent. The Scripture lections being shared are: PSALM 51:1~17, and JOHN 12:20~33. The sermon title is: “Adventures in Moving.” Even though the forecast for this coming Sunday is for rain and chilly temperatures, it is my hope that so many will worship and find some of God’s special warmth that fills the soul and kindles the heart.
March 25, the last Sunday of the month, is also the Sunday when we will receive our Birthday Dimes for Mission donations. Folks like me who celebrated a birthday in March are asked to donate 10¢ for each birthday celebrated. My check is ‘getting up there,’ but that just means that it will help Project Linus and other missions just a little bit more. Thanks for bringing your Birthday Dimes this week; and if you are catching up from a previous month, many thanks to you as well.
Without going into detail here, let me just say that every Sunday in April will be a really special time to worship. Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are precious special Sundays. We will also celebrate a baptism, new members joining our church, and other events that will add to and expand upon the overall worships on other Sundays in April. More about all of these will follow in upcoming weeks. Of course, the best way to experience these is not just to read about them here, but to savor them in person! I hope that everyone will truly “be glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” – and will make that decision for God.
May the love of God be with you,
Pastor Waldmann.
Warm greetings and wishes come your way with this Weekly Email.
I hope and pray that everyone is well.
Of first and utmost importance is to share the wonderful news that our District Superintendent, The Rev. Kenneth Kieffer, diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer last August, and who underwent extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments that culminated last December, has been determined to be cancer-free, the results of tests last week. All praise and thanks to God for this blessing. Let us continue to remember Ken in our prayers for his continued recovery and return to the fullness of health.
March 18 is the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Lent is a short season this year with only five Sundays in this season. I am fairly confident that I remember Lenten seasons that lasted for eight Sundays. It’s all a matter of the calendar!
On March 18, the youngest of our Sunday School children will sing the familiar song, ”The B-I-B-L-E.” We are so thankful for them and for these messages that they offer with such spirit and energy.
The Scriptures to be shared on the 18th are:
EPHESIANS 2:1~10
JOHN 3:14~21
The sermon title is: “We Need Not Be Afraid of Heights.”
I hope that the Sanctuary will be filled as we near the close of Lent and soon enter into the sanctify and privilege of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday through the joyous Easter resurrection. God calls everyone to worship the Lord and to find the fullness of life in God. “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”
We will also have the opportunity on March 18 to make ‘second mile giving’ to the One Great Hour of Sharing, and world-wide mission emphasis. A separate offering envelope and information page will be inside each morning worship bulletin. Thank you for your generosity.
March 18 will also be the last day to order Butter Braids. The Easter flower order form also appears as an insert in the morning bulletin. Easter flowers can be ordered through April the 1st at the latest.
The April/May issue of The Messenger’ is in its final stages of being produced. Look for it via. email, regular mail, or pick-up at the church, however you normally receive this. Much exciting information about upcoming events, new ministries, and opportunities to grow in faith and in service are included in this issue. I know that you will find it ‘a good read.’
May God bless you each and every day. And may we bless God each and every day with responses of love and thanksgiving.
Pastor Waldmann
Blessings and peace to everyone receiving these Weekly Email messages.
It is my hope that you are well and doing fine. With spring-like temperatures and flowers already making their way through the soil, how can we not be doing well?!!
Sunday, March 11, is Girl Scout Sunday. And this year marks the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting. Leaders and Scouts from Troops 66021, 60444, and 60478 will participate in and lead much of the morning worship.
One of the special features of the worship will be an ‘open mic’ opportunity for any Girl Scouts, present and past, to come and share what Girl Scouting has meant, how Girl Scouting has made a difference in your life. This is a wonderful opportunity to reflect and remember, and then share a little of what it has meant for you to be a Girl Scout. Think of this opportunity to inspire another person. Think of this chance to raise up the virtues and benefits of Scouting. Think of the blessings that will be received through words shared and influences affirmed. We all hope that many Girl Scouts will want to come and speak a few words of the importance of Scouting in their lives.
Butter braid orders will be received until March 18 only, and Easter flower orders are now being received. Information about both is included in the Sunday bulletin of March 11.
Four Scripture lections will be shared on the 11th:
EXODUS 20:1~17
PSALM 19
I CORINTHIANS 1:18~25
JOHN 2:13~22
Prayers continue to be asked for our District Superintendent, The Rev. Kenneth Kieffer, who will very shortly have follow-up tests to evaluate the effectiveness of the chemotherapy and radiation treatments for the Stage 4 cancer with which Ken was diagnosed last August. Thank you for keeping Ken in your prayers. As soon as we know anything, we will share it with you.
Remember as well to save the cancelled stamps that appear on your mail. John Delin receives these for the Sons of Norway efforts to raise funds, for medical research, I believe. It takes a long time to fill up a small envelope with cancelled stamps! I’ve been doing this since I learned of the Sons of Norway’s project late last year. But I have just about one envelope filled with cancelled stamps, and as these in their small way are sources of help and hope, it’s a joy to save them for John. I wonder how many thousands of stamps we can all save together each year. I know that we can count you all in on this.
Please do ‘Spring forward’ one hour tomorrow, Saturday, for Daylight Saving Time, allowing us to arrive at Sunday School, Adult Bible Study, and then worship rested and on time.
May God bless and keep you all,
Pastor Waldmann
Greetings and blessings to you all.
The little dusting of snow, like confectioner’s sugar, lightly coats our portion of the world. It’s been a wonderfully easy winter, especially when compared to last year. This frosting does add a touch of gentle
beauty, and adds as well one more simple reason to be glad and thankful to God. Saturday’s rain will no doubt erase it all, and will make worshipping God in the Lord’s House an inviting and welcome thing to do and
place to be on Sunday, God’s time of Sabbath.
And what a special worship will take place on Sunday, March 4. The “Call to Action” Leadership Team of PUMC will lead the worship. “Call to Action” will be further shared with everyone. We will all have a better understanding of and commitment for this denominational initiative because of the morning worship.
But it won’t be bland and simply informative. Absolutely not!! The worship will be of a different format using hymns and Scriptures that we believe relate specifically to our church. During our initial “Call to Action”
Leadership workshops, two exercises that we did were (1) for each member of the Team to choose a Bible story that he or she feels relates to our church, if not fully, then at least in good part, and (2) for each member to pick a Hymn that in similar fashion speaks about PUMC. Four of those Scripture lections coupled with four of those hymns will highlight the story of “Call to Action” and how PUMC fits into its vision and will further respond to that vision. The words of other selected hymns will be used throughout the overall liturgy of the worship. Holy Communion will also be shared.
God always calls us to act on behalf of the things of God. “Call to Action” is going to help us focus upon that as it relates to specific characteristics of vital and alive churches.
Join in this worship, and commit yourselves to responding to God’s “Call to Action” to build the Kingdom of God as we “seek first the things of God.”
This second Weekly Email of this week also serves as a reminder to keep our District Superintendent, The Rev. Kenneth Kieffer, in prayer today…at Noon…or if this reaches you afterward, then any time that you can…that the tests that Ken will have early in March as a follow up to his treatments for cancer will show wonderful results.
It also is a reminder to call me at 860.747.2592 or email at clergymantlefan@comcast.net to let me know that you wish to attend an offering of “The Passion of the King.” All details of this are included in the Weekly Email that was sent on Monday, Feb. 26. March 4 is the last day to let me know that you wish to go; tickets will be ordered on that afternoon.
Another ‘sweet’ reason to come to church this Sunday is that Butter Braid Frozen Pastry Dough orders are being received. These are delicious confections that will be delivered on March 30, right on time for special Easter morning/breakfast treats. Thanks for placing your order for these on the order forms in the church narthex. You not only will be helping the church, but you will become known as the host or hostess who really knows how to treat your family, friends, and guests terrifically well!!
May God bless you and keep you, now and always.
Pastor Waldmann.
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