News
January 16, 2026
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
It’s both a tradition and an intention.
At the beginning of each New Year, we summon the ambition to set goals and resolutions for personal and purposeful success. Yet somewhere along the way, we either find reasons to celebrate staying the course—or we discover that our best intentions have quietly shifted.
This past year, I thought, “It shouldn’t be too hard to read a book a month.” Little did I know how wrong I was. Between the balance of family and work, finding extra moments to read was few and far between. But thanks to a shared homework time, we discovered a simple gift: everything could pause so my daughter could read while Mom and Dad joined in, turning pages of our own.
One book stood out—one that didn’t take long to read, yet became a meaningful standard for measuring the balance of life. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho follows the journey of a young shepherd searching for wealth so he can purchase a herd of sheep. His pilgrimage carries him across the desert, where he encounters a king, Bedouins, a beautiful princess, and a person of wisdom—each offering guidance and support along the way.
Long story short—and hopefully without a spoiler—the young shepherd discovers that the treasure he has been seeking ultimately resides within him. True value and worth are not found in material possessions. Rather, they live in the spirit of possibility within us, revealing beauty, abundance, and potential.
We are all on a journey of some sort. It’s easy to ask, “What is it you are searching for?” Yet the journey itself brings challenges, because the invitation calls us to look within and recognize what we reflect. I have found that the gift often reveals itself not only in self-reflection, but in looking upon others—and in discovering who I am becoming along the way.
May this New Year bring you moments for reflection, opportunities to set goals and resolutions, and the grace to embrace how the steps we take toward growth can lead us along a path of renewal.
Happy New Year,
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 Richard Suyderhoud. Richard is a friend of Mary Alice Brown. A second prayer quilt displayed in the narthex this morning is for Rod Hilton. Rod is the neighbor of Susan Sneathen’s sister. 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 Brenda Unsworth, who passed on December 29, 2025.
PRAYERS FOR OUR SPECIAL CARE
Gerry Oliver, Jean Oliver, Bonnie Rheaume, Mary Lou Salyer, Susan Secrest, Buzz and Liv Stevens, Jim Unsworth, Elizabeth Vick, Bob Young
OTHER
None
PRAYERS FOR OUR CHURCHES
Ajo Federated Church- Ajo
Calvary UMC – Phoenix
Chino Valley UMC – Chino Valley
(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!)
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES (Celebrating 50 or more years of marriage)
None
SENIOR MILESTONES (Celebrating 80+ birthdays)
Pat Jones 1/1
Sondra Trasente 1/2
Diane Raden 1/3
Peggy Ward 1/3
Suzanne Haehl 1/9
Doni Cunningham 1/10
Audrey Patterson 1/10
Jerry Harbin 1/12
Marge Needham 1/17
Ursula Wolf 1/20
Betty Cornish 1/21
Mary Lou Salyer 1/21
Linda O’Conner 1/23
William Devine 1/23
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Weekday School Exciting News
Our Weekday School would like to share some exciting news. They recently hosted a food drive for St. Mary’s Food Bank and were able to raise 547 pounds of food! Our church is so proud of them for their kindness and care for the local community.
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Pilgrimage to Eternity- Lent Book Study
Our church is offering a lent book study this year centered around the memoir Pilgrimage to Eternity. The group will meet Mondays from 11:oo a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to discuss, reflect, and pray. Please contact the church office to sign up or register online here: (https://registrations.planningcenteronline.com/signups/3396953). This group will not be reading through the book during our meetings, some please come having read the assigned material in advance.
From the bulletin: “This Lent, you are invited to walk a sacred journey of faith and reflection with Pastor David.
Join us for a weekly retreat inspired by A Pilgrimage to Eternity by Timothy Egan, a moving account of his 1,000-mile pilgrimage from Canterbury to Rome. Through Egan’s storytelling, we will explore what it means to journey—physically and spiritually—toward God, hope, and renewal. Each week, we will gather to read, reflect, and pray together, allowing this ancient pilgrimage to guide our own Lenten walk. Whether you are seeking deeper faith, quiet reflection, or meaningful community, this pilgrimage is open to all.
This Lent, let us travel together—step by step—toward eternity.”
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Helping Hands Milestone
Our church has a group called Helping Hands that was born out of Central United Methodist Church and was transferred over to First Church after the closure. This faithful group has continued to meet regularly for seven years focusing on their mission: creating heart shaped pillows for cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center. This winter, Helping Hands reached an extraordinary milestone—they have now created and delivered 2,000 pillows to patients in need of comfort and encouragement. We give thanks to God for their dedication, compassion, and ongoing ministry.
If you are interested in knowing more about Helping Hands, please contact Diane Gara Weiner or Deby Campbell.
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New Member Class
If you are interested in officially joining the church, please come by on February 8th at 10:00am for a quick new member class! Pastor David will welcome prospective members, answer any questions you may have, and share expectations of membership. If you plan to attend, please call or email the church office so that we can prepare your new member packet.
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UMCOR Mission Group- Sign Ups Close the 21st!
Interested in joining a mission group going to UMCOR to be love in action? The United Methodist Committee on Relief is an organization that provides humanitarian relief in times of disaster. Our church has reserved spots the week of April 19, 2026, at the UMCOR Depot/Sager-Brown in Baldwin, Louisiana to pack emergency aid kits and other items to help people in need. Please contact Janet Spiker for more information or to sign up!
Men’s Monday Meetup- Update
Upcoming Blood Drive
www.donors.vitalant.org (Blood Drive code: firstunited).
Finance Committee Monthly Update
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First Church Business Directory Updates
Here is an updated first church business directory.
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Giving Report
Here is an updated giving report from Carrick Sears. Thank you to everyone for your continued support.
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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 February 1. 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.
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 $40. Email the church office for more information: info@firstchurch.church.
Afternoon Book Group
The Afternoon Book Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of most months at 1:30 p.m. in the library. We welcome all who love to read and discuss and travel the world through books. The next meeting is scheduled for January 27. The book for January is The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox.
Visit our website https://FirstChurch.church and click on the “Give” button at the top of the home page, or scan the QR code at the bottom of this message with your mobile device for a quick and easy link to the giving page. You can set up a recurring frequency or give when you want to by making a one-time gift using your checking or savings bank account.
You may also give electronically using your bank’s bill pay service.
Another way to give electronically is Text-to-Give with your debit or credit card.
- Enter (888) 303-7535 in your cell phone text messaging program and a dollar amount without including a “$” 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.
