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 Mike’s Corner

I’m so happy to be a part of your community and serve as your pastor. I look forward to getting to know you and hearing about your hopes and dreams – your aspirations – for yourselves and this beautiful faith community.

This Sunday, I’d like to reflect on the aspirations of the founders who created and signed the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago. They, too, had big aspirations for their lives and their community, yet they fell short of their ideals. This week, we will reflect on the importance of having ideals to strive for, as well as on offering grace to ourselves and others when we don’t quite live up to them. Whether it’s the ideal of socioeconomic equality or perfectly loving all people, there are ideals that we innately know are good and appropriate to strive for, and we should continue to work on them even when we sometimes miss the mark.

I look forward to sharing some thoughts on this and hearing your perspective as well.

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 Jerry Cochran. Jerry is the father of our Children and Youth Director, Julie Cochran. 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 Betty Pritts, who passed on June 16. Services will be on Sunday, July 5, at 3 p.m., at Catalina UMC in Tucson.
First Church is also saddened to announce the death of Ronda Hair, who passed on June 23.

PRAYERS FOR OUR SPECIAL CARE

Selena Alderman, Carolyn Allen, June Becker, Bill Carpenter, Ruth Clark, Mary Anne Cooper, Delora Cornelius, Laura DeNinno, Yvonne Fischer.

OTHER

None

PRAYERS FOR OUR CHURCHES

Mission Bell UMC- Glendale

Mountain View UMC- Cottonwood

(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 patricia@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)

Jim and Lynda McCoy 7/12

Terry and Rosemary Lutz 7/13

Cliff and Rita Hotchkiss 7/21

Steve and Suzanne Haehl 7/28

SENIOR MILESTONES (Celebrating 80+ birthdays)

Ann Flaherty 6/25

Lyn Warder 6/27

Donna Andrist 7/3

Bill Carpenter 7/4

Merrill Davison 7/5

Elizabeth Vick 7/9

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Join Us in Welcoming Pastor Mike!

Please join us for Pastor Mike’s welcome celebration this week, which will take place during our First Sunday Social Hour time!

The celebration will take place July 5th @ 10:00 am, Asbury Hall and will be a time of yummy food, community, and a chance to connect with our new pastor.

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UMCOR Disaster Relief Offering

Our church has made the decision to pivot our July communion offering to support UMCOR’s efforts in Venezuela after the recent earthquake. If you would like to support UMCOR ahead of time, you can click this donation link and select “Venezuela Earthquake” under the gift designation tab.

https://gbhem-umc.my.site.com/hemgm/s/donate-to-campaign?id=a3fPo000000D49p

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Summer Voice Classes for Adults

Do you love to sing? This class is free of charge and appropriate for all skill levels, whether you’ve never sung before or are already an accomplished singer. No prior experience or training is necessary. The class begins Thursday, July 9, and will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-7:30 p.m., in room 106, through Tues-day, August 11, for a total of 10 sessions. To sign up, or if you have questions, contact Dr. Elizabeth Leyva at elizabeth@firstchurch.church or contact the church office. Space is limited so sign up today!

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Madison School District Shoe Drive

Our church has organized a shoe drive for the month of July that will benefit students in the Madison School District. These shoes will go to students who are homeless, refugees, or simply low – income, to help make this school year successful for them. We are accepting all sizes of new children’s shoes.

Three ways to participate:

• Purchase and bring to the narthex on Sundays or to the church office.
• Order shoes online and have them shipped directly to the church office (5510 N Central Ave.)
• Donate financially and we will use any funds given to purchase additional shoes for the drive

Click here to donate:

https://firstchurchphoenix.churchcenter.com/giving/to/shoe-drive

Thank you for your generosity and for supporting this project!

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Iglesia Aliento Summer Camp

Iglesia Aliento will be hosting a summer camp for kids Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from July 7-22, from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. There will be music, food, and more, so please don’t miss out on the fun! They are looking for volunteers as well as participants. If you would like to sign up to help or know of a child who would enjoy the camp please let them know!

If you would like to volunteer, sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWrIlAcAvEb8GfKllEjox2U3qplzd5B74G3iCqKq5K_2a9zw/viewform

Donations can be sent here: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZMEK/campaign/C-16E7T?access=tile_direct&source=qr

To register a student, please click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc856yV3BpCD1B8fKCaoNs1v20AEtyuHRJUYdnpW8SW6mMx8Q/viewform

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Justa Center Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteers are wanted at Justa Center to talk and visit with people. Contact Merrill Davison at (602) 674 – 3061 for more information or to schedule a time to go!

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Reminder- Wear Your Nametag!

This is a friendly reminder to please be mindful about wearing your nametag once Pastor Mike gets here, as it will help him to get better acquainted with our congregation.

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UMCOR Missions Trip

One final trip to the Sager Brown UMCOR Depot is planned for September 20-25. This adult mission trip to Baldwin, Louisiana, is the “next time” you’ve been waiting for! Come along to the hub of relief supply operations, which responds to disasters in the U.S. We are headed back one last time before the depot closes at the end of 2026. Volunteer opportunities include working on relief kits and serving in the local community. Thanks to Janet Spiker’s leadership and our Foundation for approving coverage of some expenses, this is an experience you don’t want to miss! Spaces are limited, and the July 14 registration deadline is approaching. Interested or just want to learn more? Contact Janet or the church office today!

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Seasons of Giving

Summer Choir

First Church Logo Shirts

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From your Lay Leadership Development Committee (Nominations)

Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual gifts are just that – gifts, given to Christian believers for the building up of the whole body of Christ. They are not given for personal gain, but for ministry in the world. Learning about the spiritual gifts we have, as well as helping our congregation learn about their gifts, can be useful when we pair it with opportunities to engage our community. Such gifts of God’s Spirit include wisdom, shepherding, exhortation, helping, discernment, faith, and compassion.

The following links are to learn more and to discover you own spiritual gift.

https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/equipping-leaders/spiritual-gifts

https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/spiritual-gifts-inventory/en

What’s next? After you discover your gift, pray to God to enhance and use your gift, call the pastor, tell a friend.

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Reminder- Text Message Updates are Available!

If you’d like to opt into text message news and updates from our church, please contact the office to be added onto the text list!

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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 July 5. We look forward to seeing you!

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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.

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.

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First Church Business Directory Updates

Business Directory July 2025

Here is an updated first church business directory.

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.

1. Enter (888) 599-4262 in your cell phone text messaging program and type GIVE $_ as the message (example: type “GIVE $20” to give twenty dollars).
2. You will receive a reply with a link to enter your contact and bank information.
3. After you complete the registration, you will receive a verification text as well as a receipt by email.
4. For future giving, simply send a text message with GIVE and 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.