October 31, 2025

News

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

Please see below for a message from the Conference bishop:

Beloved Desert Southwest and New Mexico Conference United Methodists,

Greetings in the name of Jesus, the Bread of Life.

This coming weekend on November 1^st, 42 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not receive their benefits because of the ongoing government shutdown. This is according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website that says that “the well has run dry.”

SNAP is a federal program often called “food stamps” that provides low-income families with monthly benefits in order to afford healthy food. This will yet be another dire effect of the shutdown which is already in its fourth week. November 1^st will mark one month in this impasse that has already resulted in the furlough of about 900,000 federal employees with another 2 million working without pay. Families of these workers are gravely affected while the essential government services of transportation, health and safety are put in jeopardy which in turn affects our personal and community lives.

In Matthew 14 we find the disciples going to Jesus with the need to feed a hungry multitude in the midst of their own hunger. Their proposition was to send the crowd away to find food for themselves to which he responds, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” (Matthew 14:16, NRSVUE) and from the little food that they could find, the multitude was fed.

Beloved, this is our call to action at this time. Give them something to eat. I know that resources may feel inadequate and the need is great. And, we have our own needs. But I am wondering if this shutdown cannot be another Matthew 15 moment where the few who had little were able to feed the multitude.

October 31^st is traditionally celebrated as Halloween with an exorbitant amount spent on costumes worn and candies to be given away.

What would it look like if rather than spending on candies and costumes, we would donate money instead to local food pantries, many of which are ran from our churches?
If you can’t forego giving out candies and dressing up because of tradition, which I respect, what about matching the amount you spend on them and donating that to food pantries?
What about instead of giving out candy, you would give basic, healthy grocery supplies to children and families who come to your door? Or perhaps a gift card to buy groceries or gas? Maybe do that on top of giving out candy if you are able.
If there are families affected by the shutdown in your own congregations and communities, ask them what they need and see how you and the church can come alongside them.

In the Desert Southwest Conference, we are convening and strategizing with food pantries and ministries throughout the Conference about how to meet this need. Here’s how you can take part: learn more and register to join the zoom on this link.

In the New Mexico Conference, we are connecting with food pantries that serve communities throughout the Conference to see how we can best respond as needs evolve. We’ll provide more guidance once we know more. For now, the most efficient way that you can help is to donate financially to the food distributors for many of our UMC food pantries. The links are – Road Runner Food Bank in NM: rrfb.org or El Pasoans Fighting Hunger in TX: elpasoansfightinghunger.org

Beloved, I pray that we would be the answer to the very words we regularly pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.” May we the church be to our hungry siblings the embodiment of Jesus, the bread of life who promised that whoever comes to him will never be hungry and whoever believes will never be thirsty (John 6:35). May it be so.

Sincerely,

Bishop Carlo A. Rapanut

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 Velia Amparo-Rivas. Velia is a member of FUMC and the mother-in-law to Dawn Torres-Rivas. Another prayer quilt displayed in the narthex this morning is for Stephanie Souza. Stephanie is a friend of Mary Alice Brown. We invite you to stop, tie a knot, and pray for healing, grace and comfort.

DEATHS

None

PRAYERS FOR OUR SPECIAL CARE

Mary Lou Salyer, Susan Secrest, Buzz and Liv Stevens, Loraine Stewart, Brenda and Jim Unsworth, Elizabeth Vick, Bob Young.

OTHER

None

PRAYERS FOR OUR CHURCHES

Shepherd of the Hills UMC – Sun City West

Shepherd of the Hills UMC- Phoenix

Spirit of Hope UMC – Peoria

(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)

Jim and Jan Hyde 9/2

Bob and Connie Bailes 9/9

Grant and Audrey Clayton 11/3

Clark and Jamie Dove 11/6

SENIOR MILESTONES (Celebrating 80+ birthdays)

Ilah Pickrell 10/23

Sandy Fox 10/26

Rosemary Lutz 10/31

Sarah Shafer 11/3

Kurt Heidenga 11/5

Edward Becker 11/7

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Fall Fest Recap Video

Thank you to all who showed up to our fall fest outreach event, donated candy, or even just covered us in prayer. It was a hugely successful event with hundreds of kids and families on our campus having fun. Please enjoy this recap video of just some of the special moments these families got to have.

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Lura Turner Homes Workship Day- Update

We had a wonderful workship day with Lura Turner Homes! Fifteen volunteers from our church spent the morning digging up planters, planting fresh plants, installing shelves, trimming bushes, sweeping sidewalks, clearing debris, and playing bingo with residents. Thank you to all who were involved and thank you to the mission’s committee for organizing this event!

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All – Church Conference

Join us November 13th at 7:00pm as we celebrate the ministry of First Church with our West District Superintendent. Goals for 2026 will be approved as we welcome leadership in to serving positions and lift up our accomplishments from 2025. All members of First Church are welcome to attend and vote on matters of the church.

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Van Driver’s Needed

First Church is seeking volunteer drivers to assist those unable to drive to attend worship Sunday mornings. Contact the church office at 602-263-5013 for more information on how you can make First Church available to others.

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New Member Class

If you are interested in joining the church, please come by on November 16th 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 Cathy Fuentes at 602-263-5013 Ext: 100 or email cathy@firstchurch.church, so that we can prepare your new member packet.

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Phoenix Pride Outreach Update

This weekend our church did our annual outreach event with Phoenix Pride. We had a rather big Pride team this year: Me (Sammi), Stella Fleming (we were present on both days), Lorin Burno (day 1), and Sujey Viera (day 1), and Arie Zakaryan (day 2). It was a beautiful and cathartic event, as always, with people sharing their trauma with us, crying, hugging us, and praying with us.

Before the event even started, I had the opportunity of showing God’s love with a fellow vendor who was setting up his booth near us. He shared his struggles with religious trauma and being kicked out of his church and kicked out of his family upon realizing he was gay. I was able to give him a hug, share resources with him to help him reconnect with his faith, and he told me later I inspired him to try and find a church. (He also asked me if I was an angel, which definitely made my eyes water a bit.)

An unexpected joy that has come with consistently showing up for Pride and Rainbow Fest year after year has been people recognizing and remembering us. From the little things like people walking by saying to their friends “omg it’s that church, they’re like a regular church, but cooler,” and the person coming up to us saying “I had hoped you guys would be back- I look for you now at every event!” to the more deep and personal interactions: (I’m still not over the fact that at Rainbow Fest earlier this year a woman who was recently widowed came up to us explaining she and her wife had met us at Pride earlier that year, and as this woman died, she was holding onto the little crocheted heart we gave her, because it was comforting her on her literal deathbed. I don’t think anything else will ever top that for me.)

It was a joy to tell people about our church, about Axios, and about how Jesus loves them no matter what, to help connect people with resources to help them rekindle their faith, and to encourage them towards finding a safe faith community that will meet them where they’re at.

A side benefit of all this was some amazing networking with vendors as well! I was able to connect with so many incredible companies, small businesses, organizations, nonprofits, and even a couple other churches as well, many of whom expressed interest in partnering with us for future projects, outreach events, marketing opportunities, and more. This event will definitely create some very exciting connections and opportunities for us in the future.

I want to say thank you to all who support our presence at Pride and Rainbow Fest each year. Everything gets very hectic on my end of things as I get into frenzied planning mode, people donate their time to make it happen, and the church has been generous with its resources to help support these projects. And every year, after the dust settles, (both metaphorically and literally- the Pride Festival grounds are *insanely* dusty and I usually end up having trouble breathing for days after. Lol.), I walk away being shocked at everything we accomplished, and more importantly everything GOD accomplished. The presence, the impact, and the opportunity to change lives that He has allowed us to participate in every year is earth shattering, and it really is an honor to share in that work. Thank you all for your prayers, your support, and everything else. Our church really is out here changing lives.

Love, Sammi

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Advent Book Study

What Do You Want for Christmas? by James W. Moore is a short, inspirational book designed for Advent study and reflection. Moore invites readers to look beyond the commercial side of Christmas and instead consider the deeper spiritual gifts that God offers through Christ—such as hope, peace, love, and joy.

Weekly session includes a theme with scripture readings and reflection questions that encourage personal application and group discussion. As we prepare for Christmas participants are invited to realign their priorities and rediscover the true meaning of the season.

Join us in the Welsey Lounge for four weeks beginning Tuesdays December 2, at 11:00 a.m. The book costs about $11 and available through your favorite book distributor.

Please contact the church office to sign up or sign up online using this link: (https://firstchurchphoenix.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3246189)

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Finance Committee Quarterly Update

FINANCE COMMITTEE QUARTERLY UPDATE
Your Finance Committee values providing information about First Church’s operating fund with the quarterly statements we send to every contributor. We all share the goal of keeping our programs vital, fulfilling our commitments to mis-sions and the work of the church in the larger world, and reaching out to help those in need as Christ taught us. We hope inclusion of this information will keep you informed and perhaps inspire you to participate more fully in the minis-try of First Church. Please feel free to contact a member of the Finance Commit-tee or our Business Administrator with questions about our operating fund. Thank you for your generosity and support of First Church.
Through September 30, 2025
What we’ve received: $ 923,836
What we’ve paid: $ 996,959
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Income over expenses: $- 73,123

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Ordering Christmas Greens

It’s that joyful time of year— Fresh Christmas Greens are available to order anytime through October 31st! You can place your order at the patio table on Sundays, from any choir member, or by calling Don Richardson at 602-997-1205. Your generosity supports the phenomenal music our church is known for, while adding a festive spirit to your home or business. Thank you for helping us keep the music alive this holiday season!

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Elder Fraud Prevention Presentation

Our church’s Foundation invites you to a seminar on Elder Fraud here at the church. It’s been arranged for a representative from the Arizona Attorney General’s office to present on this important topic at 10:00am November 1st. We will be taking reservations due to space limitations. Please contact the church office at (602) 263-5013 to RSVP. You won’t want to miss this event!

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New Christmas Decorations Donation Link

As many of you heard on Sunday, our church is raising money for new Christmas decorations for the sanctuary. If you are interested in donating, you can do so using this donation link https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z2EJ/campaign/C-15ZY4 or however you’d typically donate to the church. (Just make sure you indicate the donation is for the Christmas decorations if using other means). Thank you for your generosity in supporting this project, and we can’t wait to see what the sanctuary looks like with the beautiful new decor.

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First Church Business Directory Updates

Business Directory July 2025

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.

YTD January – August Actual Giving $536,269

YTD January – August Budgeted Giving $627,399

Variance ($82,085) – 14.5%

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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 November 2. 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 November 18th. The book for November is The Women by Kristin Hannah.

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.