“Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the CHURCH is so delightful!”
The weather outside HAS indeed been frightful these past couple of weekends, but Auburn First UMC remains as warm and inviting as ever! And we are now in the midst of the Advent season, as we await the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As you may know, Advent marks the beginning of a new church year. That’s why last Sunday (December 2nd, the first Sunday of Advent) we began our worship service with a brief “year in review” presentation…an overview of all the ministry that the disciples at Auburn FUMC have been engaged in over the last year. We called this presentation “Auburn By The Numbers”–read on to see how we’ve been busy transforming the world for Jesus Christ in 2018.
$1,077
That’s how much we raised on Easter Sunday to benefit local missions like Project Response and the Giving Hope Cancer Fund of Nemaha County.
34
That’s the number of UMCOR health kits we purchased and packed for Annual Conference in June.
11
That’s the number of youth we sent on a mission trip to Heifer Ranch in Arkansas to learn about global poverty.
$330
That’s how much this congregation raised for UMCOR during Iris’ baby shower!
10
That’s the number of young people in our congregation who either attended or worked at Camp Fontanelle (which is our local United Methodist summer camp) in the last year.
$483.61
That’s how much our congregation helped raise in October for the “Out of the Darkness” suicide prevention fundraiser
3
That’s the number of prayer walks we did with Auburn Presbyterian this summer, as we covered our whole community in prayer.
30
That’s the number of backpacks full of school supplies that we, in collaboration with the Presbyterians, donated to Auburn Middle School in August.
130
That’s the number of Nemaha County preschoolers who attended Preschool Pumpkin Day at Lord’s Acre.
11
That’s the number of college students we’re sending care packages to this year.
$906
That’s how much money was raised for UMW at this year’s soup supper.
$3,400
That’s how much was raised for local and global hunger projects through pumpkin sales this fall.
365
That’s the number of days each year where the people of Auburn First United Methodist Church share God’s love with the town, the county, and the world.
It’s been a wonderful year, Auburn FUMC! Let’s bring it to a wonderful close later this month as we celebrate Christmas Eve on December 24th. Our worship service will be at 4:00 pm, and will feature Holy Communion, special music, a children’s story, and candlelight singing. (And our special Christmas offering this year will go to benefit Camp Fontanelle and the Auburn Backpack Program–two fabulous ministries that are dedicated to changing children’s lives for the better!)