Small Groups

Pastor’s Study & Prayer Group: Sunday mornings 11:30 AM (In Person). Christian Education Room (B6) Contact Pastor Bob at 607-648-4326 or rclark@nccumc.org for more details to join the group. Everyone is welcome!

Children’s Sunday School: Sundays 9:00-9:45 AM (in person) in the Children’s Sunday School room (B5) Pre-K–Sixth grade (Education side – sign on door). Also, any Middle/High School students who would like to help and mentor our younger students are invited! Volunteers are needed to fill in for teachers as well. Please contact Carolyn Morrison @607-875-4011 with questions or call the church office 607-648-4339 for more information.

Adult Sunday School: Sundays 9:00-9:45 AM (in person) Please contact Dan Fuller@607-648-6837 if you would like more information or call church office 607-648-4339. Please join us for learning & fellowship in the Adult Christian Education Room (B6)

Monday Evening Ladies Group: Monday evening 6:00-7:30 PM. In Person in the Library. Contact Robin Stolarcyk @ 607-743-3471  for more information or call church office 607-648-4339.

Rachel Circle: 10:00 a.m. the 3rd Tuesday of every month in the Disciple Room (B4). All ladies are welcome to attend. For questions please contact Jill Lyon @ 607-765-7556.

Knitting for the Lord: Every Tuesday at 6:00 PM in the KFL room (B2). Everyone is invited to join. For questions please contact Sue Alcott at 607-648-6340 or Jill Lyon 607-765-7556

Upper Room, devotionals available, contact the church office, 648-4339 & we will mail you one. The Upper Room Devotional online: https://www.upperroom.org/devotionals. If you do not pay for long distance you can call 1.615.212.2013 or a free call 1.877.600.7218

Other online devotionals: Our Daily Bread link: https://odb.org/ Girl Friends in God link: https://girlfriendsingod.com/. 

Note: Contact the church office at chenbridgeumc@outlook.com or 607-648-4339 for more information on church groups.

Missions & Fundraisers

The 4th Monday of each month we support the Men’s Rescue Mission on Whitney Avenue by preparing and serving a meal for all to enjoy. Please call Donna and Tom James (607-648-7934) for additional information.

FOOD DRIVE: 4th Sunday food donations are continuing to support CHOW as well as local food pantries. Please leave the food in the fellowship hall on the Missions Cart. No glass please.

We have been supporting the St. Patrick’s Feeding and Clothing Ministry. Location is at St. Cyril’s ON Clinton Street, Binghamton, NY Make some sandwiches, pack some food, help unload CHOW truck! They are open MON.-FRI. and are looking for volunteers on any of those days. The ministry is providing food to an average of 40 families a day (average family of 4 people) They also provide bagged lunches 3 days a week, as St Cyril’s provides for the other two days. In addition, they have a clothing ministry whereby assistance is always welcome.

Knitting for the Lord has prayer shawls & prayer blankets available for those in need please contact Sue Alcott, Lynne Masland or Jill Lyon if you know of someone in need. Knitting for the Lord is once again accepting machine washable yarn. Thank you for all of your help & support in our missions.

Quality Steam Cleaning Fund Raiser for First United Methodist Church of Chenango Bridge. 10% of all work done will be donated to the church. Coupon is available from the church office, or you may just let Quality Steam Cleaning know that it is for our church fundraiser. For all questions and appointments please contact Quality Steam Cleaning: (607) 754-3462 or qualitysteamcln@aol.com.

“Good” Grief

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

If you have ever watched a Peanuts special, then you have heard Charlie Brown’s signature expression, “Good grief.” But did you know there is such a thing we could call “good” grief?

The word for “mourn” that Jesus used is the most severe of all nine Greek words used for grief in Scripture. It is reserved for mourning the dead. And this verse certainly applies in principle to all who mourn any loss.

So, are you mourning today? When you lose someone who is close to you, you don’t get over it like people want you to. You never plan for such a thing. Yet Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” There is a blessedness, or maybe even a happiness, in mourning.

Some good things can come out of mourning. One is that you gain a new perspective. You see things differently. Some of the things that were important to you before are not nearly as important to you now. And some of the things that were not as important to you before become very important to you now.

You get a different view of life and find yourself longing for heaven more. We may think more specifically about heaven because someone so close to us is there. So you long more for heaven. And you find yourself drawing close to God because, quite frankly, there is nowhere else to go.

Can you imagine what might have come of you had you not had hope? Hope in our Savior and what He did on the cross for us. Hope in seeing your loved one again. Hope in teaching your children about the love of God a love so great He sent His only Son to die on a cross so that we may have eternal life with Him and with all those who believe in Christ Jesus. How could we not have hope, knowing the promises that God has given you in His Word?

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, we are commanded, “Do not grieve as those with no hope.” We will see our loved ones again! Heaven is real, and until it is time for us to join God there with our loved ones, we have work to be done here. God has a plan that far exceeds our expectations. Though we may not understand or see the works as He does, we must trust in His ways and use every opportunity to glorify the Lord in everything we do!

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Bob

Finance information: We are once again meeting for Worship but we are still recommending that you mail your offerings into the church. We will dedicate your gifts to God. If you bring your offering into church with you, the usher will direct you to the offering basket.
* Monday’s of every week we will collect, record and deposit any pledges, Donations and Loose Funds. Please mail to the church at: 1st UMC of Chenango Bridge, PO Box 501, Chenango Bridge, 13745.
* Bank Accounts and Expenses will be reviewed weekly to ensure Bills are paid in a timely manner.
* Any financial questions should be directed to David Lewis at 607.727.0250.
* Search for any potential financial opportunities that will provide additional income to meet the continue operation expenses through this unknown period.
God Bless & Stay Safe, FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, CHENANGO BRIDGE-CHURCH COUNCIL