www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 1

Date: June 26, 2020

Worship with Us on Sunday Mornings!

We would like to invite you to come and join us for our Sunday morning service.

Sunday Worship Time 10:00AM – Facebook Live

Posted on http://facebook.com/RevRayPage/live

Join us - No Facebook Account Needed

First United Methodist Church Purpose:

Bring Build Send

As believers in Christ as the Son of God, and the Bible as the inspired word of God, we:

▪ Glorify God through worship

▪ Build strong relationships in the church family

▪ Grow in the knowledge of the truth as revealed through Jesus Christ

▪ Serve people as a reflection of the love of Jesus Christ, and

▪ Spread the Good News of the Gospel so that others may come to salvation though

grace

First Church | FUMCL | eRevelations

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 2

SERMON CORNER This Week’s Message: - Nothing but the Truth What Scripture says about Scripture is an important factor in its trustworthiness. The very nature of God – the eternal, true, inspired Word of God – demands that we not only believe what it says, but also trust its truths to lead us in the right paths in this life and ultimately to a blessed hope in the life to come. The apostle Peter gave three wonderful aspects of the nature of Scripture to help us in our understanding and strengthen our trust in God. Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-21

Next Week’s Message: - God and Country

We’re in a season of time when loving God and Country is not always easy. Our country is turning their back on God, it seems, at every turn. As Christians, can we love both God and Country? Scripture: Psalm 33:12-22

Ray McDonald’s Blog | Thoughts and Reflections

Rev. Ray writes a devotional thought Monday through Friday each week. You can

sign up to receive his posts by e-mail by going to his blog page at

www.raymcdonald.wordpress.com

Follow Rev. Ray:

Twitter twitter.com/RayMcDonald (@RayMcDonald)

Facebook facebook.com/ramonmcdonald

Blog Page raymcdonald.wordpress.com

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 3

SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

First Church Building Closed

First Church Building Closed

9:00 AM 2nd Cup Sunday School

10:00 AM Online Worship

11:30 AM Breakfast Club SS Class

11:30 AM Pastor Trevor’s Sunday

School Class

First Church Building Closed

First Church Building Closed

eRev &

Bulletin

Deadline

7:00 PM Bible Study on Zoom

First Church Building Closed

7:00 PM First

Church Prayer

Time on Zoom

First Church Building Closed

6:30 PM Staff

Parish Committee Meeting

First Church Building Closed

Website: Please check out our new and improved website at fumcl.org. If you see any mistakes or think something should be on the

site that is not, please let the office know at office@fumcl.org. We will try to perfect the site as we develop it. Thanks!

Follow First UMC:

Google+ gplus.to/fumcl

Twitter twitter.com/RayMcDonald (@RayMcDonald)

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FirstUMCLaurelMD/

Upcoming Events

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 4

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 5

Together we are stronger. There is so much we can accomplish when we come together in

Christ’s name. Please consider ways in which you can get connected with your church

family and with our community.

Can you?

• First – stay safe and healthy! Call your neighbor, family member, co-worker and check on them. Pick-up groceries for them when you go to the store, maybe prepare an extra meal to deliver to those who are most at risk when exposed to COVID-19.

If you are looking for ways to volunteer with minimal contact or in a controlled

environment:

• Maryland Food Bank is in need of volunteers Visit https://mdfoodbank.org/ways-to-give/volunteer

• Capital Area Food Bank https://capitalareafoodbank/covid19response/

See the ‘How To Help’ link on the page

• Make Masks for local hospitals/nursing homes - for example see: https://umms.org/ummc/coronavirus/how-you-can-help/masks

There is a link on the page to Joann Fabrics with instructional videos and guides.

Nobody can do everything,

but everyone can do something!

Interested? For more information on these please see Debbi Schneider or email (com@fumcl.org or deborahjschneider@yahoo.com) (please include FUMCL Volunteer Opportunity in the subject).

Together, with and through Christ,

we can accomplish amazing things!

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 6

Tuesday Bible Study!

Join us for the Tuesday Bible Study at 7:00 pm live on

Zoom as we Study: The Gospel of Luke 8:1.

Hope to see you there!

If you need the logon info, contact office@fumcl.org

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 7

Altar Flowers 2020

The Flower Calendar for 2020 has been posted on the easel

located in the main entrance area at the bottom of the ramp

If you are interested in ordering flowers, please provide your

name and Loving Honor of or In Loving Memory of and

that/those person’s name(s).

Cost: Cross Arrangement: $20 - Vase: $20

Please make all checks payable to: ALTAR SERVICE GUILD

Checks may be placed in the offering plate, marked ATTN: Altar Service Guild, or may

be turned in at the church office.

Thank you for your continuing support of this mission of the Altar Service Guild.

Julie Hildebrand – Treasurer

Let Us Put a Smile on Other’s Faces Join Our Congregation Care

and Outreach Team by delivering

Flowers to Church Family Members

that are Homebound or Unable to

Join us for other Reasons.

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 8

Join us Sunday at 10:00 am live on Facebook at

https://http://www.facebook.com/RevRayPage/live

All services will be posted to: http://fumcl.org/worship/worship-services/

Hope to see you there!

9

Join us for online Sunday School

at 1 pm live on Zoom

Will resume next week 7/5

Class info is on our website - www.fumcl.org

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 10

7 PM First Church's Connect Time

Weekly on Monday, Thursday, Friday

Description: Join Zoom Meeting

Contact the Church Office for Login Info

Zoom gatherings will resume their normal week on the

6th of July.

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 11

Tithes and Offerings

Malachi 3:8

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.” “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’” “In tithes and offerings.”

How do we determine the amount we give in the weekly offering to God at our church? Is there a formula we use? Is it a set amount – independent of

other factors? We often take up tithes and offerings each Sunday (by-the-way – we are still in need – during the pandemic – of your donations to help

the life of the church).

The tithe was established in the Old Testament as the amount due God from His people. Here are a couple of passages.

Leviticus 27:30 – A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.

We’re told that to not bring the tithe to God is robbing God.

Malachi 3:8-11 – 8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse — the whole nation

of you — because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty,

“and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from

devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty.

The promise of God is that He will bless those who tithe and even protect their work (their crops). This sense of God being with us as we honor Him

with our tithe is throughout the Bible.

Genesis 28:20-22 – 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and

clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and

of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

A tithe or tenth is mentioned in the New Testament also as the standard for giving. It is used as a given or righteous act when folks were challenged

to do this but to have a pure heart as well (read Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42 & Luke 18:12).

Recently I have been reading Nehemiah and his journey. When he returned to Jerusalem he found that the people had neglected the bringing of the

tithe to the place of worship.

Nehemiah 13:10-12 – 10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the

service had gone back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed

them at their posts. 12 All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and oil into the storerooms.

In the early Christian Church many were devote Jews and so a tithe would have been part of their religious practices. But they also practiced alms

giving or giving beyond the tithe to the poor and needy.

Acts 4:34-35 – 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

So how do we figure out what we give to God through the church in our tithes and offerings? Are we a percentage giver? Do we give what we think

best? Do we give what we think we can afford? Do we only give if we attend a particular Sunday/month (seems like some do this because as

attendance goes down in the summer so does our giving)? Do we give according to how well the preacher/pastor does on a given Sunday? Do we

give to the percentage we agree with what the church is doing?

Here’s a chart that will help us do the math. I have listed a yearly household income and what 5% and 10% of that income would be weekly.

Income – – – – 5% – – – – 10 %

$ 25,000 – – $24.04 – – – $ 48.08

$ 50,000 – – $48.08 – – – $96.15

$ 75,000 – – $72.12 – – – $144.23

$100,000 – -$96.15 – – – $192.31

$125,000 – – $120.19 – – – $240.38

$150,000 – – $144.23 – – – $288.46

$200,000 – – $192.31 – – – $384.62

So – what is our annual household income and what do we give weekly? Are we honoring God with our gift or offering? Are we robbing God?

Are we giving unto God’s work what God has asked of us? How about some thoughts and comments on this subject?

I wonder how many read this entire article or even began it once they saw it was about our tithes and offerings? I would love to read your comments.

Just something for us to think about today as we go on our way.

P.S. – I am taking a week off from writing my weekday blog. See you again on July 6th.

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 12

Help Fight Cancer!

Relay for Life of Laurel has been cancelled

but the fight never ends…

Please help raise the funds needed to fight cancer.

Please consider making an online donation to our church team:

The Barracudas.

Click here to view the TEAM page for BARRACUDAS If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?team_id=2475646&pg=team&fr_id=95768&s_locale=en_US&et=D2Fjn-r6-EfOoYLNLkOjXg&s_tafId=2277449

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 13

YOUR MEMORIAL COMMITTEE

The Memorial Committee here at First Church was established many decades ago. Early on, church members thought that it was important to remember those that preceded us in the journey to heaven. Their charter was and still is that when members and friends of First Church pass on, those that wished to memorialize their family and friends could make Donations to the church. The donor’s desires were and still are that these donations be used to advance the word of Jesus Christ through improvement of the House of GOD.

All these years later, the members of the Memorial Committee (currently Pat Elliott, Jane Hanfman & Jim Welsh) have strived to fulfill these wishes. With the help of those who have Gone on before us, we have been able to help with many a project here at the church. We feel it is our calling to continue this plan. In the relatively recent past, this committee has made contributions to the exterior sign on Main Street, the stained glass windows, and the television in the Grand Entrance.

Currently, there are 35 names on our list of those that have preceded us on the journey to Heaven. If you would be interested in seeing this list, or are a family member of a memorialized loved one and/or have an interest in being involved with this ministry, please contact one of us.

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 14

www.fumcl.org | 424 Main Street, Laurel, MD 20707 | Tel: 301-725-3093 | office@fumcl.org 15