For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
The Men’s Ministry, Tuesday Night Growth Group, Spanish Class, and Young Adult Group are all continuing to meet regularly, with updated times, locations, or schedules, and all invite participation from the church community.
The Fellowship of the Cross would like to thank everyone who helped make our Easter Egg hunt a success on a gray and chilly Easter morning. It is an SUMC “God-sized” goal to engage in intergenerational activities, and this truly took an intergenerational effort.
My name is Mandy Williams, and I am very excited to step into the Coordinator of Christian Education role. I am looking forward to getting to know you all better!
Please join us for an elegant and tasteful Mother’s Day High Tea on Sunday, May 3rd, from 1:00–3:00 pm.
In January, our Leadership Board challenged us all to blur borders and respond to a God-sized goal. The board asked us to create new opportunities for “intergenerational engagement.”
On Sunday, March 15, 2026, I attended one of six meetings hosted by Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball. The Bishop offered these meetings as “Update Gatherings” in order to update clergy and lay members with regard to the restructuring of the Western PA Conference.
A young adult friend with autism suggested “Different, Not Less,” a memoir written by Chloe Hayden, an Australian author/actress/advocate with autism who stars as “Quinnie” in “Heartbreak High” on Netflix. Her character is a high school student with autism. Sharon C., also a member of our NSM team, was also led to “Different, Not Less” by a friend with autism, and provided the book to our SUMC Library Committee. So it sits on our shelves, endorsed by two people from the neurodiversity committee.
A VBS team meeting is set for noon on April 12, in either the Simpson Room or the library. We will gather immediately after the 11:00 am traditional service. All are invited, especially those interested in volunteering at VBS or in preparation for VBS.
News from the Patton Library
In April, the greatest need is pasta sauce and parmesan cheese.
My prayer for you in this season of Easter, as we spend a lot of time in celebration for the risen Christ, is that you remain authentic to your personal faith and the ways you express it. Remain authentic to who Christ has called you to be. Remain authentic to the things that make you uniquely you.
In order to recognize this good news, people are posting examples of what that good news might look like in our own lives. Some of those examples include, “got a B in my Animal Behavior Class,” “scans that show decrease in all tumors,” and my personal favorite (not written by me), “we’re eating lasagna tonight.”
In jest, a clergy friend of mine recently gave me a sticker that says, “Ah s*^t, here we go again.” Those words have echoed through my mind as I have watched closely all the things happening in Minnesota.
A presidential election is approaching. But as I try to summon the energy and imagination to pray into it, my heart keeps taking me in another direction.
In thinking of Michael this week, I made an embarrassing realization. I never made an effort to see what Mike needed or if there was anything a Sunday school teacher could do to better engage with autistic children. I didn’t move to make myself more aware. Could I make my classroom more comfortable for him? Could I introduce activities that would serve his strengths and likes? Could I be more aware of his sensory triggers and the paths to restoring his peace?
August begins with our “Seekers in Sneakers” vacation Bible school and moves quickly toward the first days of school.