Athens United Methodist Church

3/14 Sunday Service

Our custodian, Ruth Holley, will be retiring effective April 2. If anyone in the church is interested in this position, please contact one of the SPRC members or stop in the church office to pick up an application. We would like to hire a new custodian as soon as possible. Thank you, Diane Blasi, co-chair SP

Something to think about on this sunny day. . .

Sermon Response for March 7: Zacchaeus is a life transformed by the grace and mercy of Jesus. I pray that, as he did for Zacchaeus, Jesus might help you to find within yourselves a willingness to be transformed and a desire to use your wealth to bless our neighbors.

Restarted after issues with the Live Feed Audio

Our church's website, athensumcpa.org is now up and running. Go to it and browse around. There is a special tab for "Sunday School". Pastor Rich has created messages for our Youth. Enjoy!

The world still needs the message of the hope and love of Jesus, perhaps now more than ever. This is one more way that we can share it! This is not to replace A...thens UMC's Sunday livestream but to offer an additional spiritual touchpoint where sharing can happen. Here is your invitation to ZOOM Church! Topic: ZOOM Church Time: Wednesday's from 7:30-8:30pm Join Zoom Meeting via a computer device: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81435299748 or Join via telephone: Step 1: Dial: 1 646 558 8656 Step 2: Enter Meeting ID: 814 3529 9748

November 1 - All Saints' Day. Sermon follow-up Activity: What rules and traditions are you willing to release, if you must, to be people who are about mercy?

I (Pastor Rich) made this short video for the kids of Athens UMC; all who are young at heart may enjoy it too. Please share with your children, grandchildren, friends and neighbors. It's about how God works through evolutionary processes to give animals and plants gifts (adaptations) for making it through the hard winter months. Also about how God has given people the gift of community. Starring: Sugar maple, Gray squirrel, Brown thrasher, and American tree sparrow.

Sermon Follow-up for December 6: Jesus, help us to look upon our neighbors with kindness, and in doing so, experience you.

We appreciate all the extra volunteers it takes to make our Food Pantry function every month! Awesome job everyone!!!!

Virtual Sunday Worship for the Athens United Methodist Church

One of the remarkable things about the spruce bog forest is that everything is covered with life; even deceased trees are completely covered with mosses and lichens that are very much alive. The forest floor is blanketed by a thick mat of green sphagnum moss.

The Masons assembled Trick or Treat bags for the Feed My Sheep Food Pantry being held tomorrow. Won't the kids be thrilled. We thank you so much for your generosity!

WOW! Thanks for all the egg cartons for the Feed My Sheep Food Pantry! We are in good shape at this time and don't need any more. Appreciate your support!!

Read Matt 16:5-12, Matt 14:13-21, Matt 15:22-38, Matt 9:1-8, Matt 12:9-14, and Matt 22:23-46. Consider Jesus' persistent teaching to his first disciples. Consider the ways that they saw Jesus interact with the Pharisees and Sadducees who often challenged him. What is one lesson you think Jesus may have been trying to teach his first disciples in Matt 16:5-12?

I was at the grocery store this morning and heard a loud crash and something shattering. Being nosy, I walked towards the sound and saw some people whispering a...nd looking back to the end of the next aisle. When I walked down that aisle, I saw an older lady had hit a shelf and many things had fallen to the ground and broke. She was kneeling on the floor embarrassed, frantically trying to clean up. I felt so bad for her, and everyone was just standing there staring at her. So I went and knelt beside her and told her not to worry and started helping her pick up the broken pieces. After about a minute, the store manager came and knelt beside us and said, Leave it, we will clean this up. The lady, totally embarrassed said, I need to pay for all this first. The manager smiled, helped her to her feet and said, No ma’am, we have insurance for this, you do not have to pay anything! If you have read this far, I would like for you to give me a minute. Wherever you are, close your eyes, and imagine God doing the same for you! Collecting the pieces of your broken heart from all the blows life has thrown at you. The bill for your faults, sin and folly has already been paid through the precious blood of Christ. God will heal all your wounds. He wants to gently lift you to your feet again, clean up your mess, and pick up all the broken pieces. He wants to heal you! He wants to take care of your soul! We can have that same insurance and it’s called GRACE! Somebody say amen See more

It's Food Pantry Week. Today we received our Central Penn order. They sent us 30 dozens of eggs in a flat. HELP!!! We need egg cartons in order to distribute those 30 dozen of eggs on Thursday. If you have an extra empty egg carton or two, just drop them off in the basket at the Ramp Door in the back of the church. THANKS for your help!!!

Our Feed My Sheep Food Pantry will be open again this month on Thursday, October 29 from 9:00 to Noon and 4:00 to 6:00. A small supply of groceries is available for residents of the Athens and Sayre school districts. Registration and I.D. are required. Distribution is from our parking lot. Please stay in your vehicle.

Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.... She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words: Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her. Love, Meredith We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note: Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love. Love, God Don't say you're too busy to Share this. Just go ahead and do it Suspended Coffees You will all be happy to know this wonderfull story is 100% true, please don't take offence to the reference of God, it's part of the story. Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.