S TAY C O N N E C T E D AT F I R S T C H U R C H . C H U R C H PA G E 1

IN THIS ISSUE: � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � �� �05 08

� � � �� � � � � � � � � �� �03

Can you get away for lunch? Are you retired? Do you have a day o! ? Everyone is in-vited to attend our kick-o! program for the Second Wednesday Adult Group - SWAG. We will start on Wednesday, October 11 at 11a.m., in Asbury Hall. " e program is not to be missed with presenters from Call Twelve for Action, A Consumer Complaint Resource. Reporter, Nicole Zymek will bring the latest information about scams and other risks for us. " e program starts at 11 a.m., followed by lunch ($6). We ask you to RSVP so we plan the meal accordingly. Please call the church o# ce at 602.263.5013 no later than noon on Monday, October 9, and as always, there will be a swell swag bag for one lucky person to win.

Future dates for your calendar:Wednesday, November 8 - the toe tapping music of Neil HechtWednesday, December 13 - Phoenix Art Museum Docent, Sherry Koopot returns

S.W.A.G. is Back!!!

� � � � � � � � � � � � �� �

V O L U M E 3 1 , N U M B E R 0 9 • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7

F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H O F P H O E N I X

PA G E 2

CATCHING UP WITH

PASTOR KIMBERLY

Summer break? Where? Not at First Church! We had one incredibly busy, fun and service-� lled sum-mer. It really is funny how time � ies when you’re having fun. We’ve had so much fun that the summer just blew in and out like the monsoon season.

We are thankful for Robin Spencer, our parish nurse, who helped us adjust to and beat the summer heat by organizing some awesome fellowship opportunities. It was all about FOOD, FUN, and Fellowship. On " ursday, June 22, we were serenaded by the dynamic musical duo � e Waters (Matthew and Krystal Naegle) as we feasted on delicious summer salads. On Sunday, July 23, our minds were transported to the tropics with Island Breeze Sunday. Between the colorful Hawaiian leis, beautiful � owered and grass skirts, Joshua Elder playing on of ukulele during worship, and delicious fresh fruit popsicles, I am now eagerly looking forward to my upcoming Hawaiian vacation. Island Breeze Sunday is an event we’ll de� nitely have to repeat. If you missed either of these events, don't fret, there's always another event in the planning here!

It was a service � lled month for our First Church youth groups. " e Junior High Youth group, which was comprised of 17 youth and four adults, hit the ground running the � rst week of July as we headed over to Cortez, Colorado for our annual mission trip. While in Cortez we had the opportunity to complete three small construction projects, work with local children, as well as visit the elderly. It was a physical-ly demanding, but spiritually upli# ing week. I am so thankful to have had the help of Youth Volunteer Counselors Rachel Amorin, Jenni Bayardi, and Ron Pinkerton to help in the supervision, transporta-tion, and guidance of the youth. As soon as the Junior High pulled into the church parking lot from Col-orado, Pastor Todd Rogers, Jose Amorin, Aaron Sneathen, Jane Scott, and 24 Senior High Youth pulled out en route to the San Francisco Bay area. Many memories were made in the mission � eld. Pastor Todd remarked that working at Glide UMC was the highlight of their trip.

Another highlight of my summer was having the opportunity to explore the Phoenix Metro area while fellowshipping with the First Church millenials. In June, we had the opportunity to join up with the Par-adise Valley YAL (Young Adult League) at a Diamondbacks game, where we got to know each other and watch the game from a suite. Fun was had by all. In July, we successfully escaped the Agency Escape Room over in Scottsdale. Later this month, we’ll head out for an evening of Laser Tag! If you know any Young Adults looking for Young Adult Bible Study or fellowship please have them contact me for information at kimberly@� rstchurch.church.

Just when the summer couldn’t get any better it was time for the Creative Arts Camp! Jen He! ngton did an amazing job in her second year organizing and facilitating this program, which is not just a camp that our First Church youth take advantage of, but one that continues to be of service to the families and youth in our surrounding community. Once again this year we had over 100 youth age 3-13 years old in both our Arts Camp and our ‘Mini Camp’. " is year's Art Camp � nal projects were even more impressive than last year. " is year's Arts Camp Team included: Matt Marino, Lea and Dave He! ngton, Sam-mi Orwoll, Maren Mascarelli, Becca Gianforte, Elizabeth Leyva, Zack Torres, Sonja Branch, Stevi Shearer, Sarah Tobiason, Susan McHugh, Anna Espinoza, Stephanie Wallace, Gianna and Jonathan Depratti, Lindsey Kapanak, Alice Kanter, Claire Smith, Lori and Pat Martinez, Don Vance, Dan Haw-kins and James Lyons. A special thank-you to Jen He$ ngton and her team!

S TAY C O N N E C T E D AT F I R S T C H U R C H . C H U R C H PA G E 3

First Church Chancel Choir Introduction and Orientation Evening Wednesday, September 6 at 7 p.m. Please join us for an evening of snacks and singing in the choir room. ! is casual, 45-minute event is an opportunity for you to meet the Chancel Choir members, to " nd out who we are, what we are all about, and what it means to be involved in this diverse and amazing group. Snacks and singing will be provided. We would LOVE to see you there!

Most Sincerely, Your Friends from the First Church Chancel Choir Sing Out!

Will you take part in a wonderfully huge and worthwhile endeavor? ! e goal is to feed over 6000 children every day for a year. ! at’s over two million meals. ! e Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) Project has scheduled a Mobile Packing Event at the Phoenix Convention Center-Hall F-South Building during the " rst weekend of December. ! ey hope to have several thousand volunteers participate during those three days! First Church has reserved spaces together for the shi� from 3-5 p.m., on Sunday, De-cember 3. We hope you, your friends, neighbors and family members will join us. Instead of driving to Mesa, you can simply take the light rail to downtown. Our church vans will also provide limited trans-portation. And please know, there are both sitting and standing jobs. As always, you may volunteer at no charge, but the dry food ingredients do cost money, and we need to cover those costs. During the two hour shi$ , each volunteer packs the equivalent of $50, so if you can contribute towards that amount, that would be great. Checks should be made out to First Church and designated for FMSC 12-3-2017. You will need to make a reservation for this event so please contact robin@" rstchurch.church. Deadline to register is November 3. And if you are looking for special gi$ s to give at Christmas, look no further than the Feed My Starving Children Holiday Market Place. FMSC is going to be a lot of fun, and a great way for all of us to be generous. Let’s do this Hope Filled Holiday together.

Feed My Starving Children is Closer to Home in December

Jr. and Sr. High Fall Fiesta Sunday, September 10

Our Junior and Senior High youth groups are back in session a$ er a busy summer of mis-sion trips and Creative Arts Camp. Please have your Junior and Senior High students take part in the Youth Group on Sunday evenings 5:30-7:30 p.m. You can contact Pastor Kim-berly Scott at kimberly@" rstchurch.church, for Junior High information and Pastor Todd Rogers at globaltodd@yahoo.com, for Senior High information. Finally, parents please save the date for the Annual Fall Fiesta/Parent Night Sunday, September 10, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

PA G E 4

ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS

SAN LUIS BORDER MISSION MINISTRY NOVEMBER 1 - 5

UMOM ZOO WALK, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL SIGN-UP, SEPTEMBER 17

If you’ve been interested in attending an adult Sunday School class, but didn’t know which one of our 5 di� erent classes would be a good � t, then our Sunday School sign-up is for you! Sunday, September 17, a� er both the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services, we will have the facilitators from each of the classes: Café and OJ, Faith for Today, Talking it Over, � e Table, and � e Upper Room available in the breezway to introduce their classes, discuss their curriculums and answer questions. Our adult Sunday School class-es are an excellent way to make friends and explore theology in new and exciting ways. If you have any questions, please contact the church o� ce at 602.263.5013.

Please join UMOM to raise money and awareness for the homeless families and individuals in our community. � e walk is September 23, 2017 at the Phoenix Zoo, and it begins at 8 a.m. � e walk o� ers free zoo admission with registration and a fun kid’s zone, food and giveaways! To register go to www.umom.org/event/walk2017 and click on our team name, First Church, Phoenix. Help us meet our goal of raising $1500 by having at least 15 Walkers join in on the fun!

� e pictures above are the home for Anna and her three boys. � ey had nowhere to stay for the short time it would take to raze and rebuild her house. So, working with another church, and thanks to sup-port from our First Church Foundation, we did a major renovation of her home, adding three bedrooms, windows, a bathroom, doors and a beam to ensure the safety of the building. � e photo on the right is their home now. It is always humbling to be able to share the gi� of our time and service. Please consider taking part in making a deserving family's dream come true. We will leave the morning of November 1 and return to Phoenix on Sunday, November 5. Lodging is in San Luis, Mexico and a passport is needed. No construction experience is necessary. Just a willing heart and hands! Space is limited as the worksite will be small. For more information please contact Anne Bettis at anneb417@aol.com.

Before… ...and a! er!

S TAY C O N N E C T E D AT F I R S T C H U R C H . C H U R C H PA G E 5

Sing Out! Join the Praise Choir

If you love the vibe and the energy of the 9 a.m. Contemporary Worship Service, then IT IS TIME for you to get involved in the life of your church right now

Join the Praise Choir!

! is is our modern worship choir, an intergenerational group of singers that lead worship at the 9 a.m. Contemporary Service. Rehearsals are held every ! ursday night at 6:30 p.m. in the Choir Room; we lead worship once a month. Rehearsals begin ! ursday, September 7.

Friendship Club Schedule 2017- 2018 Season ! is is a tentative list of the dates and events of the activities the Friendship Club has compiled for the upcoming season. We will post additional information as each event approaches. We are tentatively scheduling an opportunity to attend a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 16 at 3 p.m. We will need to have a list of interested people before we can purchase tickets. If you are in-terested, please give Carolyn Cooper a call at 602.943.3082. ! e price of the tickets will be approximately $40 each. We will not purchase tickets until we have a list of committed people. Please let Carolyn know by Sunday, September 17. Payment will be due by ! ursday, November 16.

Schedule of Events• Tuesday, October 10th Orpheum ! eatre Tour + lunch

• Tuesday, November 14th Discovery Trip via Light Rail to Sky Harbor Airport + lunch• Saturday, December 16th Mannheim Steamroller Concert at Mesa Arts Center

• Wednesday, January 17th Western Spirit Museum + lunch• Sunday, March 18th Grand Canyon Univ. Ethington ! eatre Musical “Anything Goes”

• Friday, April 20th Arizona Cardinal University of Phoenix Stadium Tour + lunch

Looking forward to a great year with many new people joining us. Please call if you have questions. You can contact Carolyn Cooper 602.943.3082, Jan Hyde 602.944.4817, or Suzanne Haehl 623.979.5449.

! e Foundation Board accepts grant requests from program and mission groups of First Church pri-or to setting their budget for the coming year. All requests for grants from the Foundation are reviewed by the Foundation Board’s Expenditures Committee, the church’s Finance Committee, and the Church Council. Grant requests should be received no later than noon on Monday, October 9. Please contact Russ Morrow at russ@" rstchurch.church to submit a grant request, or if you have any questions.

FOUNDATION CORNER

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � ! � �

AFTERNOON BOOK

GROUP

PRAYER REQUESTS

PA G E 6

JUST ONE Each month, United Methodist Women collect basic items for families in need. It’s called “Just One.” If each of us would bring just one item, think how much that would be! This month they are collecting liquid laundry detergent. Items may be dropped o" at the UMW table on the patio or in

" # $ % & ' ( ) * + , + - . / . 0 1 # 1 2# 3 ' 2 & / & 0 4 1 # $ 5 # ' 6 & 7 4 & 8 ( & ' +9 3 : : 1 & ; < = # < . 2 ( # ' $ < 1 4 = .5 . 0 1 . / % & 5 # ' 8 1 4 ) ; 1 2 . ( # 3 4 4 # : #4 # 8 . 1 $ 2 4 ' & . 8 2 0 = # # / 5 # ' 4 = &> ' 2 4 4 1 8 & + ? . $ = & 0 # $ @ 1 $ 0 & = 1 20 / . 2 2 8 . 4 & 2 = & A 2 B 3 2 4 / 1 C & 4 = & 8 ;& @ & $ < 1 4 = . $ & D 4 ' . # ' % 1 $ . ' )5 . 0 & E ? # 8 & B # 1 $ 3 2 # $ F 3 & 2 G% . ) ; 6 & 7 4 & 8 ( & ' H I . 4 H J K L7 + 8 + 1 $ ' # # 8 M M I +

WEEKDAY SCHOOL NEWS

Prayer Requests

� ! � � � � � � �N O P Q R S T U S P V S V W X Y Z Y [ \ ]^ _ ` a S b _ c Y d W X Y Z Y [ \ e e^ _ S f S S g U P d W X Y Z Y [ \ e h^ P R S \ b P U R W X Y Z Y [ \ e ij P O S N Q k d S Q S V W X Y Z Y [ \ l m^ S V V ` X R Z O S W X Y Z Y [ \ l h What’s Up at Weekday

We are o" to an exciting start for the 2017-18 school year! All of our little people are settling in and getting used to new classrooms and making new friends. Children ages 3 years and up will have class and individual pictures on September 27 and 28. More info will be posted soon. We’d also like to remind everyone that we will be closed on Monday, Septem-ber 4 for the Labor Day holiday.

Duvaid-Adrian Alexander, John Batten# eld, Carolyn Bertram, Thel-ma Bray, Ruthadele Brooks, Theresa Buelow, Louise Carlson, Ge-nia Chopiwskyj, Debby Christy, Patti Clavette and family, Molly Clayton, Kevin Cleveland, Virginia Cloud, Robert Cornelius, John Elwood, Emily, Martha Joe Empson, MaeBelle Famuliner, Jody Sar-gent's father, June Waters Fielder, Grace de la Garza, Ruby Gerick, Aunt Gertie, Darla Goodman, Caroline Hacker, Darren Hendricks, Charlotte Henninger, Mary Hoskins, Susan Hughes, Dan Jackson, Caroline Grace Jada, Vickie Johnson, Maggie Kilpatrick, Hudson Lar-son, Irene Laune, Elizabeth Lemons, Mary Mains, Mary and Mark, John McCain and family, Aubrey Milowski, Dennis Mitchem, Betty Mitchem, Cora Morse, Mila Murlless, Gilbert Peterson, Emma Lou Philabaum, Phoenix, John Pickrell, Muriel Hume-Pieper, Rob Reg-man, Justin Ricciardi, Robert Schoen, Gladys Shaw, The Shroyer family, Jeannette Smith, Bob Smyth, Rick Sneathen, Charlie Strong, Cy Vaughn, Ron Wilson, ministries of First Church, Linkin Park

n S \ \ ` o _ a U V P R W T S p \ q r st h ` S P V [ _ u P Z S^ P R S \ v a o P R R W T S p \ q e e st l ` S P V [ _ u P Z So P V _ O Q R S w P a k S V W T S p \ q e l st i ` S P V [ _ u P Z Sb _ x S V \ ^ P a k [ _ R W T S p \ q e l st e ` S P V [ _ u P Z Sn P V x P V P w P \ U P y P ` W T S p \ q l e st m ` S P V [ _ u P Z Sz Q V Z Q R Q P o O _ Y g W T S p \ q l ] st { ` S P V [ _ u P Z S^ S P R R S \ \ S T d Q \ U W T S p \ q h m st m ` S P V [ _ u P Z S� ! ! � | � � � � � � � �^ P a k P R g b Q a k Q } Q [ S WT S p \ q e h s d P V V Q S g { i ` S P V [~ V P R k P R g ^ _ P R � _ V g _ R WT S p \ q e � s d P V V Q S g { � ) & . ' 2

Leaving a Legacy

PA G E 7

Fry’s - www.FrysCommunityRewards.com. Con-nect VIP card to Phoenix First United Methodist Wom-en, use NPO #80160. ! e UMW receives 4% of total spent using your VIP card. You don’t have to re-en-

roll in September if you’re already enrolled in 2017!

Bashas’ - use gi" cards to purchase groceries. Pur-chase your initial gi" card from UMW, add money to the gi" card at Customer Service or at the checkout BE-FORE ringing up groceries. You may use any form of payment. UMW receives 6% when adding to a gi" card.

COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAMS

UMW shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God, and to experience freedom as whole per-sons through Jesus Christ to develop a creative, support-ive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.

OUR PURPOSE

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN NEWS

One of the great opportunities in life is to be part of something that makes a di$ erence in our world. Support of the First United Methodist Foundation of Phoenix with a charitable gi" leaves a legacy that helps to ensure the continued ministries of First United Methodist Church long a" er we are gone. No matter what your current & nancial status, you can

share in the on-going vital ministries of our church. With additional funding, our ministry opportunities can be broadened. Let your gi" , in whatever form, serve as a lasting witness to your Christian beliefs and convictions.

! e United Methodist Women are starting up for the autumn, winter, and spring seasons. Please join us. Our meetings are focused on topics of interest about women, children, and youth. ! e September meet-ings: ! e Eve Circle meeting is on ! ursday, Septem-ber 14 in Wesley Lounge on the church campus at 7 p.m. ! e Beatitudes Circle also meets on September 14 at 10 a.m., on the Beatitudes Campus. We meet in the second-' oor lounge of the North Plaza building.

! is is a prayer from the Prayer Calendar that UMW uses. "Lord of all creation, we pray for the restoration of homes and the hope to build a new life full of dreams and possibilities. You are our God, who brings justice and love to all. Amen." ! is prayer was submitted by Becky Dean, Global Mission Fellow, outreach coordinator, Ala-bama Rural Ministry.

GOOD NEWS

AT FIRST CHURCH

First United Methodist Church

5510 North Central Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona 85012

SUNDAY SERVICES

9 a.m. contemporary worship

10 a.m. classes for all ages

11 a.m. traditional worship

church office: 602.263.5013

weekday school: 602.230.0646

web: firstchurch.church

email: Info@firstchurch.church

facebook.com/

firstumcofphoenix

facebook.com/weekdayschool

#FirstChurchPhoenix

Twitter: @FirstUMCPhoenix

Instagram: FirstChurch.Church

STAFF TELEPHONE

EX TENSIONS

Mike Pearson 1102

Stephanie Wallace 1100

Jen Heffington 1101

Russ Morrow 1106

Robin Spencer 1107

Kimberly Scott 1108

Joshua Elder 1115

� is is our fourteenth consecutive year to enjoy a Women’s Retreat! If you have never attended in the past, we hope you will join us. We've made it so easy - no packing, no driving out of town, great fellowship, special education, and a delicious catered lunch. Our guest speakers are Katy Fielder, Ph.D., and her partner, Laura Huser, Ph.D. � e theme is “Be Still and Know.” Our mu-sic leader is Nancy Copeland, and worship leader is Peggy Ward. Please reg-ister NOW for our day on Saturday, October 14. We will gather for co" ee at 8:30 a.m., the program begins at 9, and we should conclude by 2:30 p.m. Child-care and # nancial assistance are available. Please return the completed form by deadline-September 13 with your check made out to First UMC for $35.

(please print)

Name: ____________________________________

Phone: ____________________________________

Address: ___________________________________

E-mail: _____________________

Food Allergies: Y / N If yes, please list: ________________________

Childcare needed? Y/ N Names, and Ages: ______________, _____________________________________________________________

5510 North Central Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona 85012