News
December 26, 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- Takeover! (Sammi’s Corner)
Here’s the second part of last week’s history lesson, as promised! (If you missed part one, go back to last week and check it out before reading this part!)
Part 2:
Our fun fact this week is that the 12 Days of Christmas song was actually not originally published as a song at all! The extended lyrics and tune that we are familiar with today were actually added about 130 years later! It was first created as a rhyme or a chant, similar to nursery rhymes that we’d teach to our children today, except this one had a VERY important purpose!
This rhyme came to be at a time in history when monarchies decided which religion their followers would be, and those with differing beliefs would be put in prison, tortured, or even killed. At that time, while Christianity was the decided-upon religion, denominational differences were not allowed. All people at that time were mandated to be protestant, meaning that being Catholic or Orthodox was not allowed according to the government, despite also being branches of Christianity. The practitioners of these Christian denominations were forced to convert or to practice their faith in secret.
Those who chose the latter actually used this rhyme to help provide a religious education to their children so they could explain the story of the Bible through the lens of their own belief system. It was often taught by a parent to a child in the form of a memory game, to teach them, in a covert way, the important points of their faith. For example, the two Turtle Doves represented the Old and New Testament, the five golden rings represented the Pentateuch, the 12 drummers drumming represented the Apostles’ Creed, and so on!
As time went on, this rhyme was picked up in Protestant circles as well, and eventually it became simply a useful memory tool to teach all types of children about the Christian faith, regardless of their parents’ denominational affiliation.
Thankfully, we do not currently face religious persecution today, with no need to create gift-related code names for our faith, but the items listed in this song can still act as a wonderful reminder that our faith is a GIFT! Each piece of Scripture is written down for us, from God with love. The 10 Commandments are a gift, The Gospel accounts are a gift, all of it is a gift! Ironically, this song, originally meant to speak in code, loudly tells us of the plainest truth of all- the greatest gift is, was, and always will be Jesus, our partridge in a pear tree.
Congregational Prayer Requests
(Please join us in lifting up the following items in prayer!)
PRAYER QUILT IN THE NARTHEX
None
DEATHS
None
PRAYERS FOR OUR SPECIAL CARE
Elizabeth Vick, Bob Young, Selena Alderman, Carolyn Allen, Bill Carpenter, Ruth Clark, Mary Anne Cooper, Laura DeNinno, Yvonne Fischer, Cathy Fuentes.
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)
Brenda and Jim Unsworth 1/27
SENIOR MILESTONES (Celebrating 80+ birthdays)
Diane VanDyke 12/27
Laura DeNinno 12/29
Carol Aby 12/30
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
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Join Us for the First Sunday of the New Year
Join us this upcoming Sunday (the 4th), for a great new year’s sermon by our own Sammi Burkhart. We’re diving into the book of Exodus to look at a familiar story with fresh eyes as a model for deepening our faith in 2026. We hope to see you there!
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Ron Rhode is Back on the Organ!
Ron will be returning to the organ keyboard to accompany the classic (1923) silent film Safety Last at the Orpheum Theatre. The performance will take place on January 4 at 2:00. If you’ve not seen him play at one of these, you’re in for a fun time!
Tickets are available directly from the Orpheum Theatre website and will also be available the day of the performance at the box office. Please note there is a small handbag policy, so plan accordingly.
-Anne Bettis
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UMCOR Mission Group
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 Tami Smith for more information. (twolandarch@gmail.com)
New Small Group- Men’s Monthly Meetup
Finance Committee Monthly Update
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Van Drivers Needed
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Behold the New Christmas Decorations!
Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary (Psalm 96:6)
Our new Christmas decorations are a visible reflection of the generosity and cheerful spirit that fills our community. Your contributions have truly made this transformation possible, and we celebrate not only the beauty in God’s house but also the loving hearts behind every gift. Thank you!
This year marks the first exciting installment of even grander plans for our sanctuary’s festive decor. Join us for the next chapter! Phase 2 of the Decorations campaign is underway, and your continued support will help us realize an even more splendid vision next Christmas. Donate by clicking this link https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z2EJcampaign/C-15ZY4 or however you typically donate to the church. (Just make sure you indicate the donation is for Christmas decorations if using other means.
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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 January 4. 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.
