News
March 1, 2025
Worship Online with Us
If you are unable to attend our Sunday morning worship services in-person, please join us online. We stream both services Sunday mornings live at 9 and 11 a.m. and both are available to watch later if you can’t watch live. We also have many previous services available to watch if you missed one. Please don’t forget to let us know you are watching with the “I’m Here” button at the top of the page.
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Pastor David’s Corner
Lent has traditionally been a time for fasting from foods, behaviors, and other things that bring us pleasure, to remind us of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. As we approach this season, I encourage you to think about other things you might let go of—fear, judgment, anger, loneliness, hate—and instead take on expressions of hope, compassion, happiness, friendship, and love. These are the things that reflect the heart of Christ in our lives.
During Lent, starting March 23, our worship services will explore The Wonder of I Am. We’ll focus on the powerful ways Jesus describes Himself—such as the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd, and more. I invite you to bring a friend, family member, or acquaintance to experience God’s goodness and grace with us at First Church. Together, we’ll have a blessed Lent!
See you in church!
Pastor David
Congregational Prayer Requests
(Please join us in lifting up the following items in prayer!)
PRAYER QUILT IN THE NARTHEX
A prayer quilt displayed in the Narthex this morning is for Lori Good. Lori is a friend of Diane Gara Weiner. We invite you to stop, tie a knot, and pray for healing, grace and comfort.
DEATHS
First Church is saddened to announce the death of Beverly Sutton who passed on February 13, 2025. Services are scheduled for Today at 1 p.m. at Paradise Memorial Garden located at 9300 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale 85260
PRAYERS FOR OUR SPECIAL CARE
Barbara Johnson, Vickie Johnson, Ronda Klein, Betty Luallin, Ray McFarland, Mary Lou McWilliams, Shirley Myer, Brenda North, Gerry Oliver, Jean Oliver
PRAYERS FOR OUR CHURCHES
Christ Community UMC – Avondale
Community Church of Buckeye – Buckeye
(Got a prayer request? Need someone to pray with? Need support? Our congregational care team is here for you! Please contact the church office to have them forward your request to the congregational care team, fill out the form on our website https://firstchurch.church/prayer-requests/, or reach out to the congregational care team directly by emailing deby@firstchurch.church.)
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Congregational Celebrations and Praises
(Please join us in praising God for these celebrations!)
WEDDINGS
Stephen Walden to Tiffany Fang 12/13
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES (Celebrating 50 or more years of marriage)
Buzz and Liv Stevens 2/19
SENIOR MILESTONES (Celebrating 80+ birthdays)
Barbara Harvey 3/3
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Reminder About Scholarships
A friendly reminder to any students who will be applying for a college or graduate school scholarship through our church this spring that the application deadline date is March 17th at 4:00pm. Late applications will not be able to be considered by the scholarship committee, so make sure to get them in early! https://firstchurch.church/scholarship-application/
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Friendship Club Outing
The Friendship Club sign ups to attend the Little Women event are now closed. For those that registered, please remember that the event will be taking place on March 9th. Attendees will meet in the Centennial Room at church at 12:15pm.
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Soup Supper
Per usual, our Ash Wednesday service (March 5th) will be preceded by a 5:00pm soup supper to raise money for the missions committee. Tickets are $10 dollars and will include soup, salad, cornbread, dessert, and a beverage of your choice. Tickets will be sold outside on the patio on Sundays and will also be available for purchase during the week through the church office. Please contact Mindy Smidt with any questions.
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Workship Day Postponed
We would like to inform you that the WorkShip service event originally scheduled for March 30 has been postponed. This decision will allow us to explore more opportunities to impact the community and First Church.
A special thank you to our Missions/Social Justice Committee for bringing this outreach initiative to the congregation’s attention.
-David Rennick
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Feed My Starving Children Trip
On February 15th, a big group of people from the church attended Feed My Starving Children, an organization that ships food to impoverished people worldwide. We packed 98 boxes of food, which is enough to feed 58 children every day for a year! Thank you for all who were able to attend. You made a difference in so many lives!
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Giving Report
We had a month of good giving! Thank so much for all your continued generosity towards our church.
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Tools of the Soul Retreat (Hosted by United Women of Faith)
On March 15th, starting at 8:30am, our church’s United Women in Faith groups will be hosting a retreat led by Mary Hollan focused around self – compassion and life balance. These important topics will be explored through music, crafting, meditation, and community. For those who are interested in signing up, registration is now open; please contact the church office to let them know you will be coming. The fee to attend is $30.
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A Note From Girl Scout Troup #3462
“Girl Scout Troop #3462 would like to thank you all for your continued support and help! Thanks to your generosity our troop was able to finish the cookie season on a high note with over 3,000 boxes sold and 120 packages donated to the church food pantry plus 20 packages we will bag up to put in the nursing home Easter Baskets. The next generation thanks you for your belief in them! – Stevi”
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Sunday Social Hour
Please join us for our First Sunday Social Hour Gathering every first Sunday of the month between services at 10 a.m. in Wesley Lounge. The next one will be March 2nd, hosted by the church’s The Table class. We look forward to seeing you!
Axios Unaltered (LGBTQ+ Small Group)
Axios Unaltered is our resident queer small group that meets every week here at the church for a time of discussion, Bible study, and prayer, as well as service projects to support the community. If you are LGBTQ+, please join us on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. to connect with other like-minded individuals and grow in your faith. Contact Sammi Burkhart, visit axiosunaltered.com, or search @axiosunaltered on social media for more information.
Young Adult Small Group
This is a small group for anyone in our church 18-40 looking to dive deeper into their faith and connect with other younger people. We meet every Sunday afternoon in room 102 at 3:00pm for a time of community, Bible study, and prayer (and if anyone away at college would like to join in, contact Sammi Burkhart for a Zoom link to participate virtually). Come join us in the book of Romans.
Community Yoga Classes
First Church offers two weekly yoga classes to our community. Classes meet Tuesdays, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m., and Thursdays, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. The cost is $12 per class or four classes for $40. Email the church office for more information: info@firstchurch.church.
Afternoon Book Group
The Afternoon Book Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of most months at 1:30 p.m. in room 116. We welcome all who love to read and discuss and travel the world through books.
Join the Mission’s Committee
The Missions Committee invites you to join them, supporting and organizing mission projects to serve our community and be transformed in service to God. They meet at 6:30 p.m. on the 2nd Tuesday of the month via Zoom. If interested, please contact Tami Smith.
Business Directory (Attention Business Owners!)
Our church has a business directory for all church members to receive a complimentary listing if they are self-employed, an independent contractor, or a business owner. This will be a classified ad-style listing with one sentence about what you do, including your contact information. This will enable our members to support one another when looking for a business professional. Please email info@firstchurch.church with your information if you would like to be included.
Visit our website https://FirstChurch.church and click on the “Give” button at the top of the home page, or scan the QR code at the bottom of this message with your mobile device for a quick and easy link to the giving page. You can set up a recurring frequency or give when you want to by making a one-time gift using your checking or savings bank account.
You may also give electronically using your bank’s bill pay service.
Another way to give electronically is Text-to-Give with your debit or credit card.
- Enter (888) 303-7535 in your cell phone text messaging program and a dollar amount without including a “$” sign as the message (example: type 20 to give twenty dollars).
- You will receive a reply with a link to enter your contact and debit or credit card information.
- After you complete the registration, you will receive a verification text as well as a receipt by email.
- For future giving, simply send a text message with the amount you wish to give. That’s it!
Check Your Spam and Junk
Sometimes email from our Church’s domain, “.church” isn’t recognized by all email providers. Please check your spam and junk mail folders periodically to see if something from First Church or other senders to your address might be filtered out of your inbox.
