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I See It

There are few things worse than realizing you made the wrong choice. It happens to all of us. The hard part can be recognizing the chances we missed opportunities to make a better choice. This morning, we’re going to look at a story in the Bible that reminds us of the importance of listening to those warnings and signs that can keep us from the bad choices. Let’s learn how to recognize it when “I See It.”

Click here to watch. We’ll be live on Facebook at 11:00, or you can watch at any time on Facebook or Youtube.  

Here is some information to help you participate if you’re joining us online:

• The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “We gather this morning as those who trust God.”
• Today’s songs are “Be Thou My Vision” and “Seek Ye First.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
•  The Bible reading is Luke 16:19-31. 
• Please let us know how God is moving in your life. You can leave a celebration and/or prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Getting lost isn’t a good feeling. If you’ve ever been truly lost, you know how scary and frustrating it can be. We get lost in our spiritual walk, too. This morning we’re going to be talking about how hard God works to make sure we don’t stay lost. This message can really help someone who feels off course or unsure about things right now. Invite a friend and join us as we talk about being “Lost and Found.” Click here for the live stream. 

We’ll be live on Facebook at 11:00, or you can watch at any time on Facebook or Youtube.  

Here is some information to help you participate if you’re joining us online:

• The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “let us worship God together.”
• Today’s songs are “This Is the Day” and “I Love to Tell the Story.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
•  The Bible readings are Luke 15:1-10.   
• Please let us know how God is moving in your life. You can leave a celebration and/or prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Most of us don’t like storms. It’s understandable to be afraid when things are raging out of control and there’s a potential for danger. Storms are a part of life. Everyone endures difficult seasons, but God promises that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Have you known that to be true? Today, we’re going to talk about why it’s true. We’ll also talk about how to endure a difficult season when it’s hard to remember the truth of God. Joy is Coming Soon for you. Join us to talk about it, today. 

We’ll be live on Facebook at 11:00, or you can watch at any time on Facebook or Youtube.  

Here is some information to help you participate if you’re joining us online:

• The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “O Lord, our God, we will give thanks to You forever!”
• Today’s songs are “He Has Made Me Glad” and “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
•  The Bible readings are Psalm 30 and John 11:17-37.  
• Please let us know how God is moving in your life. You can leave a celebration and/or prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Do you feel invisible sometimes? Does anyone see me? Most people have people in their lives who make them feel special. As much as we relish that feeling, someone loves us even more than that. God loves us in ways that we can’t always understand. If you don’t know God’s love in your life, join us today, because we’ll talk about how to strengthen your knowledge of God at work in your world and build that relationship. Someone sees and understands you. Join us to find out more. 

We’ll be live on Facebook at 11:00, or you can watch at any time on Facebook or Youtube.  

Here is some information to help you participate if you’re joining us online:

• The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “Let us praise God who is with us always.”
• Today’s songs are “This is the Day” and “Glorify Thy Name” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
•  The Bible readings are Galatians 4:1-7 and Matthew 12:46-50. 
• Please let us know how God is moving in your life. You can leave a celebration and/or prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Announcements for July 17 – 24:

Joys and Concerns for Prayer: 

• Recovery and Healing for our city after the mass shooting
• Bill, Melissa, and their family as they grieve the loss of their son/brother William
• Medical Healing in our church family: 
  • • •  Dick – recovering from a medical procedure
      • • Corey R. – ongoing health problems
        • Paul S. – (Birney’s son) recovering from an accident
• The War in Ukraine 
• The political and social divisions we face as a nation
• That God will keep using us to help those who are struggling to meet their needs during these times of soaring prices and high stress

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Food Pantry: God continues to bless others because of your generosity! 
  • Needs this week: fresh produce, cereal, milk, and eggs. 
  •  Consider driving for deliveries. We need more people to share this work. Please consider whether you might be able to give 15-20 minutes after service or any time that’s convenient for you. 

Our church Street Team will be launching soon. The charge of the Street Team is to walk the neighborhood and meet our neighbors. They will listen to our neighbors’ hopes and concerns, share information about our church and events, and pray with and for the community. The team will do walks at least twice a month, but they can go whenever members can go. We are planning our first walk this Saturday, July 23. If you can give us one hour of your time between 11:00 and 1:00, it will be a blessing. If you are interested in being a part of this effort to get to know our neighbors, see Pastor Scott or Melissa. 

Please help with our ongoing work to paint the Fellowship Hall. There is a lot of trim work and second coats to apply to different spots. If you can give some time on a Wednesday evening or Saturday morning to help, see Dick or Pastor Scott. 

Worship on the Lawn/ Church picnic is in TWO WEEKS! Please let us know what you’d like to contribute to this special Sunday in the life of our church family. The church will provide hamburgers and hot dogs. We need people to sign up for appetizers/snacks, side dishes, desserts, and drinks. Please let us know in the comments below what you might bring. 

Important Dates/Events Coming Up: 

• August 7 – Worship on the lawn and church picnic 
• August 28 – Back to School Sunday

Most people want to be people of their word. We work hard at saying what we mean and doing what we say. Everyone knows the disappointment of dealing with someone who does not keep their word. That’s why knowing that God promises us important things is transformational. God keeps promises. God never fails. Building your life on God’s promises changes things. Over the next few weeks, we will explore God’s promises and their impact on our lives. Join us and discover a new hope.

Click here to join us live on Facebook at 11:00, or you can watch at any time on Facebook or Youtube.  

Here is some information to help you participate if you’re joining us online:

• The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “Lord, in your mercy, hear our cries.”
• Today’s songs are “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and “Standing on the Promises.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
•  The Bible readings are 2 Peter 1:3-11 and John 14:1-7.
• Please let us know how God is moving in your life. You can leave a celebration and/or prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Everyone has standards. Things have to measure up for us to have some degree of satisfaction. Do you have a standard for how well you live your life or whether a certain decision is best? It seems strange, but many people claim Christ without thinking of any such standard. Fortunately, we serve a God of grace, but we know that our standard isn’t anything goes. How do we understand what it means to live striving toward a life like Jesus? Join us this week. 

We’ll be live on Facebook at 11:00, or you can watch at any time on Facebook or Youtube.  Click here to see the video.

Here is some information to help you participate if you’re joining us online:

• The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “We will love our neighbor as ourselves.”
• Today’s songs are “Be Thou My Vision” and “Open My Eyes That I May See.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
•  The Bible readings are Amos 7:7-17 and Luke 10:25-37.
• Please let us know how God is moving in your life. You can leave a celebration and/or prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

“Have a blessed day!” or “#blessed!” It’s become common to use these and other sayings like them. However, does this reflect the best understanding of what it means to be blessed by God? Some folks mistakenly believe that blessings are only material things. Others think that being blessed means that God loves them in a way that God doesn’t love others. If these

ideas aren’t correct, then what does it mean to be blessed? Join us this Sunday as we talk about the meaning of blessing and how it is a part of a life of faith. This is a busy Sunday as we’ll be taking a moment to honor Juneteenth and Father’s Day, also. 

We’ll be live on Facebook at 11:00, or you can watch at any time on Facebook or Youtube.  

Here is some information to help you participate if you’re joining us online:

• The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “This blessing lives in the story beneath the story. “
• Today’s songs are “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “Seek Ye First.” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
•  The scripture reading is Matthew 5:1-12.
• Please let us know how God is moving in your life. You can leave a celebration and/or prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Pentecost. The Holy Spirit breaks into the world in a way that had never been seen. It transforms a group of devoted followers without a leader into a movement that would change the world. When we think of all the ways that the world needs change at the moment, how open are you to the Spirit’s presence and leading? It’s not a simple question. Letting God lead takes faith, courage, and love. Do you think you’re ready? Join us as we explore the idea of “Breathing Fire.”

We’ll be live on Facebook at 11:00, or you can watch at any time on Facebook or Youtube.  

Here is some information to help you participate if you’re joining us online:

• The response to our interactive opening prayer is, “Jesus promised, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
• Today’s songs are “Sweet Sweet Spirit” and “Spirit of the Living God” Look up the words online, and you can sing along.
•  The scripture readings are Acts 2:1-21 and John 16:7-15
• Please let us know how God is moving in your life. You can leave a celebration and/or prayer request in the comment section so that we can celebrate God’s kindness and discern God’s will with you.
• Share an offering in our app in Givelify or send a check to the church.

We’re looking forward to worshipping with you. Have a blessed Lord’s day, everyone!

Announcements for May 30-June 4:

Joys and Concerns for Prayer: 

• • The Uvalde Texas school shooting
• Healing and grief for our city:
  • Families laying loved ones to rest
  • Healing for those wounded
  • Healing comfort for everyone traumatized
  • Strength for those who are working to provide aid
• Medical Healing: Corey R., Jessica (Provy’s cousin’s wife); Paul (Birney’s son).
• Travel: Provy 
• The War in Ukraine 
• The political and social divisions we face as a nation
• That God will keep using us to help those who are struggling to meet their needs during these times of soaring prices and high stress

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Food Pantry: God continues to bless others because of your generosity! 
  • Needs this week: Our primary needs this week are fresh produce, milk, and eggs. 
  •  Consider driving for deliveries. We need more people to share this work. Please consider whether you might be able to give 15-20 minutes after service or any time that’s convenient for you. 

Our church Street Team will be launching soon. The charge of the Street Team is to walk the neighborhood and meet our neighbors. They will listen to our neighbors’ hopes and concerns, share information about our church and events, and pray with and for the community. The team will do walks at least twice a month, but they can go whenever members can go. If you are interested in being a part of this effort to get to know our neighbors, see Pastor Scott or Melissa. 

Important Dates/Events Coming Up: 

• June 12 – Graduation Celebration: if you know someone who is graduating from any level of education, submit their name to have them acknowledged and prayed for during our celebration next week, June 12. Simply see Pastor Scott or email the church at firstchurch@firstumcbuffalo.org. 

• June 21 – Bishop Webb will be hosting a virtual conversation for the laity: This will be a live webinar on Vimeo on Tuesday, June 21 at 6:30 p.m. Bishop Webb will explain some recent developments in the denomination and plans in the annual conference. 

• Save the Date – August 7th – Worship on the lawn and church picnic