News
October 3, 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
This week instead of our regular Pastor David’s Corner, I’d like to highlight our recent lunch with the Beatitudes retirement community. Several members of staff as well as some committee members were in attendance. Please see below from Colleen Mcmanus:
“On Tuesday this week, the Foundation Board, with support from the Congregational Care Committee and Church Staff, hosted a luncheon at the Beatitudes for many of our church members who reside there. It was wonderful to see so many of our church friends in person! The event was emceed by John Holmes, and Pastor David led us in prayer before the meal. There were brief presentations on the work of the Foundation, the work of the Congregational Care Committee, and what’s going on at church. We celebrated Communion together, and Pastor David closed the event with another prayer. Several in attendance said how much they appreciated the love and caring support of their church and suggested we could perhaps do this kind of thing again!”
More photos are able to be viewed on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17SRiwkhuE/ (This link should work even if you do not have a Facebook account).
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 Pam Pugh. Pam is the daughter of a cousin of Susan Sneathen. We invite you to stop, tie a knot, and pray for healing, grace and comfort.
DEATHS
None
PRAYERS FOR OUR SPECIAL CARE
Judy Humbert, Barbara K. Johnson, Vickie Johnson, Ronda Klein, Betty Luallin, Terry Lutz, Ray McFarland, Marge Needham, Gerry Oliver, Jean Oliver.
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
SENIOR MILESTONES (Celebrating 80+ birthdays)
Karen Gajer 9/23
Jean Rupley 9/23
Margaret Scargall 9/23
Barbara K. Johnson 9/24
Jean Oliver 9/25
Stephanie Grainer 9/27
Don Hillegass 10/1
Jim McCoy 10/1
Janet Nelson 10/5
Mary Price 10/5
John Beaver 10/6
John Reinhold 10/8
Maurie Halle 10/10
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Just So You Know- No New Good News Edition Next Week
This is just a quick head’s up that next Friday there will not be a new edition of The Good News. I (Sammi) am going to be on vacation. This is my first vacation since I started working here a little over a year ago and I am very excited about it, (I’m getting to reunite with all my friends from back home that I grew up with) but that means that I will be away from my work computer. I tried to make sure that this episode of The Good News is extra comprehensive and has everything you’ll need to know for the next couple weeks and more. As always if you have questions about anything, though, please ask the church office! They’re always happy to talk to you.
See you all when I get back!
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Who’s Who?
Welcome to “Who’s Who?” – a temporary reoccurring column where we’ll interview our staff and church leaders so you can get to know them a little better and connect on a deeper level.
This week’s spotlight is Sammi Burkhart, our Director of Marketing, Outreach, and Communications!
Church Questions
Fun Questions
Spiritual Questions
Lura Turner Homes Workship Day
WeekDay School Updates from Beckie:
“Weekday School has had a busy 2 months getting to know new friends and teachers. We had an apple/grape theme, we made apple crisp, painted with apples and are drying raisins to make grapes.
Upcoming Blood Drive
Ordering Christmas Greens
Religious Trauma Online Course/Book Study
As some of you may know, our own Sammi Burkhart is a published author. Our church will be hosting a free book study and discussion group over Zoom on Wednesday evenings starting October 22nd. This is perfect for anyone who has religious trauma themselves, who has a loved one that has experienced religious trauma, or anyone who does not have religious trauma but is simply interested in learning more about the topic. To RSVP, please fill out this form (https://forms.gle/mJesTo7efP7zNpZm8), call or email the church office or contact Sammi directly to sign up (sammi@firstchurch.church). Books are available for purchase, but if you want to participate and cannot afford/ do not want to buy one, please email Sammi and she’ll send you a PDF of the book you can use instead.
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Iglesia Aliento Invitation
Iglesia Aliento has invited our congregation to join in on their celebration of the anniversary of their official church launch. This event will take place on October 12th at 12:30pm at their church (701 S 1st St.). The event will include a worship service as well as some fun cultural elements like traditional food, mariachi, latin caribbean music, and other activities. Please RSVP to our church office by October 1st so that we can provide Iglesia with accurate numbers of who will be in attendance. Our church vans are also available if anyone needs a ride there, please just let us know in advance so we can plan for it. We look forward to celebrating our siblings in Christ and their ministry.
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First Church Tutors Complete Eight Years of Helping Students Succeed
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received, to serve others…”
— 1 Peter 4:10
First United Methodist Church (FUMC) OASIS Tutors are excited to announce that we have completed Eight successful years of partnership with the Madison School District through the OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring Program! This nationally acclaimed non-profit organization promotes literacy by helping children in grades K-3 improve their reading, writing, and communication skills.
Mrs. Kim Gullo, Madison OASIS Tutor Facilitator for many years, retired in May of 2025. We hail her for her outstanding leadership, dedication and commitment she exhibited to help all students succeed, as well as her patience and support as she encouraged all tutors to make a difference in a child’s life. We will dearly miss her!
Presently, the Program is being run by Quisha Breiling, Madison School District Director of Community Education. Lizeli Hernandez is now the Volunteer Coordinator.
We begin by extending our heartfelt gratitude to all of our dedicated tutors – your time, talents, and patience have blessed many students and families. Through your faithful service, you continue to embody Christ’s call to serve others.
Lynn Welch is among our loyal volunteers. Now entering her second year in the Program, Lynn has made a significant impact on her student’s growth. She shares her experience below:
“My first-year tutoring experience was both a humbling and inspiring experience. My second-grade student was very shy with an amazing mind. Watching the rise of her confidence throughout the year especially her writing detail, spelling, and expression in her reading and writing was so rewarding. The Oasis program provides the foundation to prepare and personalize weekly sessions. I loved every minute with my student, learned how to adjust for my student’s learning style and am eager to begin a new tutoring year.” – Lynn Welch
As we prepare for the 2025-2026 school year, we are seeking more volunteers to continue this great ministry. If you are interested in the OASIS Tutoring Program, or want to learn more about volunteering at any of the Madison schools, please contact the Church Office at 602-263-5013 or reach out to Marie Morais Garber at 602-448-0419.
Thank you.
In His Service,
Marie Morais Garber
FUMC OASIS Tutor Coordinator
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Fall Festival
You’re invited to our church’s fall festival October 26th at 4:30pm. It’ll be a fun time filled with games, food, candy, and even bounce houses and dunk tanks! This is a wonderful outreach opportunity for our church, so please invite your friends and neighbors!
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Trunk or Treat is Almost Here — We Need YOUR Help!
Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 26! Starting Monday, October 6, you can drop off candy at the front office during the week or bring it on Sundays to the candy donation buckets in the narthex.
We also need volunteers to help run games, supervise bounce houses, and staff the dunk tank (if you’d like to be dunked, see Jessica!). To volunteer, please contact Jessica or Julie, or use the sign-up link on the Church Center app.
Note: We are no longer using SignUpGenius. If you need help accessing Church Center, see Jessica!
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First Church Foundation – Did You Know (Final Part)
Mr. J: Wow this has been a very helpful discussion about the First Methodist Foundation history, organization, purpose, and function.
Ms. A: I hope this dialogue has proven helpful in understanding the foundation. Though the foundation has a long and strong tradition, it has only endured with the care of numerous board members, each bringing to the table a variety of abilities and strengths. Given our diversity, we all have a common interest in supporting our purpose of acquiring, holding, managing, and expending our reserves for the benefit of First United Methodist Church.
Mr. J: And during our discussion, I learned that the Foundation provides an excellent method of securing my legacy in our community. You helped me begin to understand how I want to be remembered. I can make current financial gifts to the foundation, I can establish a gift to the foundation in my trust or will, or I can purchase a lifetime annuity that names the foundation as the ultimate beneficiary.
Ms. A: I should add that the strength of the foundation is significantly enhanced by the thoughtful and loving generosity of those who have given, whether during their lifetime of through their trust. Without their foresight, we could not provide the church and community support as we do today.
Mr. J: Okay, tell me again, how do I make a connection to the foundation? *
*If you are wondering the same thing that Mr. J is wondering in this story, please consider talking with your estate planning professional. There are brochures in the church office with more information about First Church’s Foundation, and as always, our foundation board members are always happy to answer any questions you might have.
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Sammi’s Corner
(Heehee sorry about the heading name; I couldn’t resist.) Anyways, Pastor David asked me to share my social media strategy with all of you. How we use different platforms, which tools are features are helpful and which are outdated, and how people can better support our accounts. I was initially going to write it here, but it ended up being basically a mini essay and I don’t wanna make everyone scroll through that to get to the rest of the news if they’re not interested. If you’d like to read it, please click here.
And, of course, feel free to follow us on our social media if you’re not doing so already:
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Spiritual Gifts Assessment
Are you interested in helping serve at our church but don’t know what to do? Or maybe you’ve always dreamed of doing big things for God but never knew where to start? The United Methodist denomination is offering a free spiritual gifts assessment resource that can help you determine what your strengths are and how you can use them to serve God. Click here to take the quiz: https://www.umc.org/en/content/exploring-your-spiritual-gifts.
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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 Hearing System Update
Survey Results Are In
Blood Drive Results
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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
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 October 5. 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 $40. Email the church office for more information: info@firstchurch.church.
Afternoon Book Group
The Afternoon Book Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of most months at 1:30 p.m. in room 116. We welcome all who love to read and discuss and travel the world through books.
The next meeting is scheduled for September 23rd. The book for September is Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson.
Visit our website https://FirstChurch.church and click on the “Give” button at the top of the home page, or scan the QR code at the bottom of this message with your mobile device for a quick and easy link to the giving page. You can set up a recurring frequency or give when you want to by making a one-time gift using your checking or savings bank account.
You may also give electronically using your bank’s bill pay service.
Another way to give electronically is Text-to-Give with your debit or credit card.
- Enter (888) 303-7535 in your cell phone text messaging program and a dollar amount without including a “$” 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.
