First United Methodist Church of Pottstown, PA

The One You Feed

firstumc — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:46:51 +0000

“An old Cherokee told his grandson, “My Son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth.” The boy thought about it, and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?” The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed.”

Special Guest Preacher – Feb. 19th

firstumc — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:39:15 +0000

The Rev. Katie Mulligan, a Presbyterian minister from New Jersey, and the leader of our Spiritual Life Retreat in March will be our guest preacher on Sunday, February 19th. Because of this, we will only have one service on this Sunday at 10:15 am.

Spiritual Life Retreat – March 16-18, 2012

firstumc — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:57:13 +0000

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that this measureless power comes from God and not from us. We are troubled in every way, but not distressed; see no way out, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; cast down, but not destroyed; always carrying in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be visible in our body. For while we live, we are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be visible in our mortal flesh. Therefore, even though death is at work in us, so too is life.” – 2 Corinthians 4:7-11

Pastor Will is planning a retreat for the members and friends of First UMC at Kirkridge Retreat Center on March 16-18. The cost will be approximately $225.00 for two nights lodging and five meals. If you are interested, please let him know asap and make a deposit to reserve your space. We are close to having the 12 people we need to make this happen, and a maximum of 20 people can attend.

Consultation at First UMC

firstumc — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:44:39 +0000

In order to help us discern our future as a church, the Church Council has decided to hire Bill Tenny-Britain of 21st Century Strategies to work with us in the coming months. Bill has extensive experience working with a variety of churches. After speaking with Pastor Will, Bill submitted a proposal to our church. As he states in it: “Historic downtown churches have had to deal with a changing neighborhood and culture as well as the flight of many former and potential members into the suburb and exurb churches. In addition, the previous focus group experiences have not led to the expected changes and growth, so a spirit of malaise is common. Add to that the general cultural shifts that have made the “church-going norm” a thing of the past and First Methodist may feel like it’s in the midst of a perfect storm.”

The Church Council is looking forward to working with Bill, but we need all active members of the church to participate in this effort for it to be a success. The first part of this will be the collection of information from church attendees and leadership throughout the month of February. Then, from March 23-25, Bill will be with us in Pottstown to meet and consult with church groups, leaders and members before issuing a final report to us. Nightly meetings will also be held at this time for ALL church members to attend. Please plan now to be a part of this important event.

Life Groups

firstumc — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:29:04 +0000

Currently we have two Life Groups. Randy & Leslye Blackwell host a group at their home on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month which runs from 6:30 to 7:45 pm. Pastor Will and Lori and Brad Musson host a group at their homes on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month at 7 pm. Please see Pastor Will for more information on how these Life Groups can help deepen your faith.

Help the Pastor Serve

firstumc — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:43:16 +0000

Pastor Will is starting a monthly visitation program with all of our church shut-ins and home-bound members. If you know of anyone who should be added to our shut-in list, please let the pastor know asap.

Also, please call Pastor Will anytime you know of someone who is in the hospital or ill, so he may provide pastoral care to those in need.

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