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

In the Gospel of John, we read about a friend of Jesus named Lazarus. Lazarus becomes ill and dies while Jesus is away. When Jesus receives the news, he does not leave immediately. Instead, he remains where he is for a couple more days.

When the time seems right to return, Jesus tells those around him, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The “sleep” Jesus speaks of his death. When he arrives in Bethany, he is met by Lazarus’s two sisters, who are grieving and upset that he did not come sooner to help their brother.

Foreshadowing the Easter resurrection, Jesus goes to Lazarus’s tomb and speaks life into the silence—and Lazarus rises from the dead. Many who witness this miracle are amazed, and Jesus is further revealed as the Son of God.

This saying, “Our friend has fallen asleep,” invites us to reflect: To what have we closed our eyes? Is there injustice we have ignored? Is there a need for eyes to see and ears to hear more clearly?

These questions lead us toward Easter as we journey in grace. God’s grace in Jesus awakens us from the slumber of complacency and distraction. It opens us to become fully engaged, alive to the presence of God among us.

This Easter, we too will hear our names called and be invited to come forth into newness of life.

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

The prayer quilt displayed in the narthex is for Mary Watson. Mary is a friend of Patsy Jones. We invite you to stop, tie a knot, and pray for healing, grace and comfort.

DEATHS

None

PRAYERS FOR OUR SPECIAL CARE

Laura DeNinno, Yvonne Fischer, Barbara Harvey, Barbara K. Johnson, Vickie Johnson, Ronda Klein, Betty Luallin, Terry Lutz, Ray McFarland.

OTHER

None

PRAYERS FOR OUR CHURCHES

Dove of the Desert UMC- Glendale

Maryvale UMC- Phoenix

Faith UMC- Phoenix

(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)

None

SENIOR MILESTONES (Celebrating 80+ birthdays)

Terry Lutz 3/18

Fred Moor 3/20

Cheryl Figgs 3/22

Norma Hinton 3/27

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Groups and Gatherings Committee- Get Engaged!

Do you have a knack for bringing people together? Do you like planning a great movie night for your friends, or family activities after the big game? If so, we have a great way for you to serve your church!

We’re developing a Groups and Gatherings Team to plan events and activities for our church throughout the year. The team will be able to plan as few or as many events as they’d like, with no pressure, and will have support from church leaders when needed.

Unlike our established administrative committees, there are no regularly scheduled meetings, no minutes to take, and no reports to present! The team will meet/communicate as needed to share ideas and plan some fun events for our church and the community, including things like board game nights, movie nights, outings to go to dinner, attend a theatre performance, or whatever else sounds fun to you!

Does this give you some ideas? If you are looking for a way to serve that is creative, flexible, and FUN, please email Sammi at sammi@firstchurch.church to join today. Thank you for bringing more engagement to our church!

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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 April 5th for Taste of Easter. 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. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24. The book is Flights of the Wild Swan by Melissa Pritchard.

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) 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).
2. You will receive a reply with a link to enter your contact and debit or credit card 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 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.