WOW Vacation Bible School

July 10, 2014 Uncategorized Comments Off

WOWTagVerCMYK

Our annual Vacation Bible School theme this year is Workshop of Wonders (WOW): Imagine and Build with God!  The program takes place the week of August 4th through the 8th.  We meet each day from 9:00 a.m. to Noon (ending on Friday is a little later because of our closing program).

The children will be using their creativity and imagination to build their faith by meeting people from the Bible who used what they had to produce something amazing with God!  It will be a week filled with lots of great stories, music, crafts and snacks!  All children age three through grade 6 are invited to join the fun.  No need to be a member of Hope UMC, everyone is invited.

There is no cost for the program but registration is required as space is limited.  You can pick up a registration form at the church office Tuesday through Friday 9:30 to 12:30 or call to have one sent to you (323-7584) or print one out here  (2014_VBS_REGISTRATION_FORM) and send it in.  Registration can also be done online at the Hope UMC Cokesbury site.

Mission u – Coming Soon

July 9, 2014 Uncategorized Comments Off

Are you looking for a break from the usual? Are you interested in a mission study on the Roma people? Or how the church is responding to support persons with disabilities? Are you looking for a time of spiritual respite? Then Mission u is for YOU! Please register – it is not too late. You will be glad you did. The leaders are well versed in the topics they will present and there will be an opportunity to be in fellowship with others in the New England UMC family.

Mission u (formally School of Mission) 2014 will be held on July 25-27th at the University of Southern NH. From the Mission u website:

Mission u is an opportunity to study current issues impacting society based on recent mission study topics. Mission u is open to members and non-members of United Methodist Women. Each Misssion u event offers classes on topics covering three themes:

v  Spiritual Growth: How Is It with Your Soul?

v  Geographic: The Roma of Europe

v  Issue study: The Church and People with Disabilities

This is a weekend devoted to mission study, spiritual formation study, and fellowship. Attendees choose from one of the three studies offered. The children/youth topic will be addressing the church and people with disabilities. My granddaughters will be attending the children/youth class and I will be participating in the adult spiritual growth study. All groups gather together for meals, fellowship, and worship each day. The accommodations are comfortable and air controlled. For additional information you can see me. Registration forms will be available on the mission table in fellowship hall after June 1st. I hope you all will consider a weekend away for learning, fellowship, and maybe even some needed respite

~Fay

Farmers’ Market

July 9, 2014 Activtiy, Missions Comments Off

As you perhaps know, Hope is sponsoring a “cooperative” booth at the Belchertown Farmers’ Market on the common on Sundays from 11am-3pm, starting Sunday, June 29. Hope’s Market Tent will offer fresh veggies, eggs, local cheese, plants, jams, and perhaps more grown or made by our congregation and select local

carrotsfarms. The church will receive a $5.00 fee +10% of each vendor’s sales. Best of all, you can stop by on your way home from church and get fresh food for lunch or dinner!

Are you interested in becoming a vendor through the church’s booth? Contact Joanna Page (413-218-2932) or Meg Lanphear (323-7368) for details.

This is one way in which our church can participate and be visible in the community, provide local and healthy food, and hopefully provide some fresh food to disadvantaged families following the market.

June 29th, 9am Service, S.T. Nagbe UMC, Monrovia, Liberia

June 29, 2014 Worship No comments

Today we were blessed to attend the 9am service with our own Julie Jonassen at the keyboard co-directing the choir.   Choir Director Mr. Sawie Davies and assistant director/keyboardist Sam Dargbel welcomed her with warmth and Christian love.   The choir sang a beautiful version of ‘As long as you are there’ with Sam singing solo and playing the keyboard.  Julie played and the choir led the congregation on; ‘Rock of Ages’, ‘Jesu, Jesu’, ‘Breathe on me oh breath of God’, ‘This is my song’, and ‘Trust and Obey.’   We felt so welcomed by our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Monrovia.

 

 

 

 

 

from Monrovia, Liberia

June 23, 2014 Education, Missions, Music, Uncategorized No comments

Hello everyone,  here’s a special update from Julie and Rick in Monrovia.  This past Sunday (June 22nd) we attended church at the Seven Trown Nagbe Methodist Church in Monrovia.  We attended the 9am service. Julie and I arrived early enough to also attend an adult bible study class for about 20 minutes. There were about 30 people in the class!   Next up was service, which felt like home, or as Rev. Aida likes to say maybe our ‘second home church.’   We felt right at home with the worship service.  The choir ( which included a drummer!) was wonderful and filled with spirit.  When the pastor asked if any first timers were there would they please stand up and tell a little about ourselves we were surprised to find two other visiting Methodists from Kentucky!   Everyone was so nice and welcoming.   Julie and I made some nice connections.  I am guessing there were about 200 people in the service but they all said the 11:00 service had more attending. It was wonderful.

Next up – District Superintendent for Monrovia Dr. Samuel Browne picked us up and took us to another church about 2 miles away.  This one was down a treacherous road to a small empty shell of a church.  There were about 30 people in the service and an amazing women’s Gospel choir of nine that stunned both Julie an I with there spirit and singing.  Julie and I were both dancing in the front of the church to the sung prayer session!

Next up was a trip to First United Methodist Church in Monrovia, one of the oldest in the country.  It was wall to wall people as the church celebrated ‘child of the year.’  At one point we were asked to come up front and tell a little of our story. There were a lot of ‘thank you’ and ‘praise the lord’ heard when we finished.   Before we could sit down we were whisked off again  by Rev. Browne, this time for a 90 minute (or was it 2 hours?) journey out ‘into the bush’ to a Methodist school that had been built by that very same congregation.  We were invited to be guests of honor at the dedication ceremony for their new junior high building.  The women’s group from the First UMC had raised all the money for the new wing.  It was a treat to see such fellowship first hand!

 

Julie and Rick’s Mission in Liberia

June 6, 2014 Activtiy, Missions, Travel, Uncategorized Comments Off

Julie and I at the Ball

We are so excited that our own Julie Jonassen and Rick Rabe will be traveling to Liberia this month with a team of UMass Medical School faculty.  They will be helping to install a computer system at the University of Liberia that will be used for the training of desperately needed doctors.  Julie and Rick will also be making contact with a United Methodist church in Liberia and bring them our greetings and a prayer quilt that was made as a gift for them.

Please take a few minutes to read the press release from UMass Medical School that gives some interesting information about the trip and what Julie and Rick will be doing.

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