625 Hamilton Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301

650.323.6167
fax 650.323.3923

info@firstpaloalto.com

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News and Events

Welcome

You are welcome here.

Listen to a greeting from Pastor Michael.

If you would like to explore celebration, service or membership at First Church, I look forward to your phone call. Just click the phone icon below to call me.

Blessings,
Pastor Michael Love



Next Sunday

HeartBodyMindSoul150149.jpgJoin us for Sunday worship at 10:25 am.

Pastor Michael will preach Life-Long Learning.

The reading for Sunday, September 5, 2010 is Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18.

You are welcome here. Listen to a greeting from our senior pastor, the Rev. Michael Love.

September Sermon Series : “Intentional Faith Development”

Exploring one of the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, this series will explain what we can do about the reality that sustaining faith does not come easily or naturally to us. Just as we learned by modeling, instruction and conversation in school, we intentional set about development of our faith life together. You may wish to read along in the companion book for personal growth, Five Practices of Fruitful Living, by Bishop Robert
Schnase.







Rally Day!

SpiritDayB909a150116.jpgCome Kick-Off the new Sunday School year at Rally Day!

Sunday, September 12, 2009 is Rally Day 2010!

Not just a registration event, Rally Day is... a CELEBRATION... a homecoming, a time to welcome the children and youth back to the ministries relevant to them for the upcoming “school” year.

At 9:00 am join us in Fellowship Hall. Parents & Children (Preschool – 12th Grade) come for Sunday School Registration Christmas Musical and Play Sign-ups Adult Education Sign-ups & Morning Munchies New & Returning Students welcome!

At 10:25 am we'll go to the Sanctuary for Singing & Worship & Children’s Procession, Bibles Presented to All 4th Graders, Blessing for Sunday School Teachers, Blessing for all School and Teachers, and Testimonies from Sierra Service Project youth participants

After worship at 11:30 am Join us for Jump Houses and Lunch for the whole church family provided by the Christian Education Council.

See you at Rally Day!



September Issue of Insights is Online!

The September issue of our Insights newsletter is now online.

Click here to read this month's news-filled issue!



Singers and Ringers Wanted

We are looking for a few more singers for Chancel Choir and a few more ringers for our First Methodist Handbells.

Chancel Choir
The Chancel Choir resumes rehearsals this fall on Thursday evenings from 8-10 pm in Kohlstedt Hall, beginning September 9th. If you would like to sing in the choir and/or need more information, please contact Director Mark Shaull via email or by phone (408) 605-0941.

Handbells
If you read music and you are interested, please come and join the fun! Rehearsals start September 9, 2010 and are held on Thursday, evenings from 6:45 pm to 8pm.

For more information please call Debbie Yowell at (650) 380-1334.



September Sermon Series: “Intentional Faith Development”

Exploring one of the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, this series will explain what we can do about the reality that sustaining faith does not come easily or naturally to us. Just as we learned by modeling, instruction and conversation in school, we intentional set about development of our faith life together. You may wish to read along in the companion book for personal growth, Five Practices of Fruitful Living, by Bishop Robert Schnase.




Finding a Well in the Desert - The Rev. Michael Love (Audio)

Listen to Pastor Michael's August 15, 2010 sermon.

The reading was John 4:1-15.

This was the third sermon in the Passionate Worship sermon series.

The book Pastor Michael mentions in the sermon is Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations by Bishop Robert Schnase.




Pastor's Mission Trip to Glide Memorial

Join Pastor Michael and Director of Children and Youth Ministries Keri Onan-Levy for a mission trip to Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.

We have room for 15 Middle School and High School age youth to travel on Sunday October 10, 2010 to prepare lunches for the homeless.

Our service time is 9 to 11:00 am and we will stay for the 11:00am worship at Glide.

You don't want to miss this opportunity to serve and the energetic worship tradition that is Glide.

Travel will be by car to the Daly City bart station and then by bart to Powell Street station. Glide is a short walk from the station.

To sign up, please contact Michael or Keri.

Here are the registration forms:

Adult Signup Form

Minor Signup Form



Safe Sanctuaries Orientation for Sunday School Teachers, Youth Ministry Workers

First Church is committed to the safety of the children in our midst. We are practicing the principals of Safe Sanctuaries, but have not yet had the opportunity to orient all our children and youth workers.

If you are serving in Sunday School, Youth Group or in any other point of ministry with children and youth, you need to attend one of the orientation events being offered.

Orientation events will be held on Sunday September 5, 2010 from 8 to 10:00 am, Thursday September 16, 2010 from 7 to 9:00 pm and Saturday September 18, 2010 from 9 to 11:00 am.

You need only attend one of these dates. If you are unable to attend, please contact Pastor Michael. Additional dates will be added to accommodate full attendance for all who serve our children and youth.



Where Does Your Light Shine?

During June and July you may have seen the big display board in the Narthex lit up with a border of electric lights. In fact you may have contributed one of the many stars in it – or information on a sheet that was highlighted in a star. Each star exemplified how a member or friend of our church serves in the community.

We correlated your community outreach into the following categories: Civic, Community Support, Arts, Helping the Needy, Global, Education, Seniors, Nature, Hospital, Animals, and One-on-One care. More than one individual is involved in each of these categories; and some individuals are involved in several.

We heard from about 50 of you. Beyond the big board with the stars, we have carefully noted the details you provided on separate sheets or interviews. It is being shared with the pastors, hospitality and UMW. Some of you indicated that additional help was needed and welcomed.

Download the summarized results.

We are sure that more of you are involved in these and other ways to serve in the community. We encourage you to add your voice and thus light to help others to know your service – and to get more needed participation.
– Ted Dolton and Michele Conway for the Outreach Committee



Take Off Your Shoes - The Rev. Laurie McHugh (Text)

Read Pastor Laurie's August 8, 2010 sermon.

The reading was Exodus 3:1-12.

This was the first sermon in the Passionate Worship sermon series.

Download a .pdf of this sermon.

Show rest of 'Take Off Your Shoes - The Rev. Laurie McHugh (Text)'...



Missionary Paul Jeffrey is Coming to First Church

Mark your calendars now and plan to attend an exciting evening with the Rev. Paul Jeffrey.

First Palo Alto has a long history of supporting missionaries around the world. In recent years, we have supported Paul Jeffrey. Join us and be inspired as we hear amazing stories and see stunning photographs of Paul’s important ministry as he reaches out to people living in some of the most challenging conditions in the world.

So join us on Sunday, September 12, 2010. Dessert & Coffee will be at 6:45 pm in Kohlstedt Hall. The presentation will begin at 7:30 pm

The Rev. Paul Jeffrey is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church who writes about the work of the church around the world. He is also a senior correspondent for Response, the magazine of United Methodist Women. Paul is an award-winning photographer whose photos and writing chronicle emergencies, from hurricanes to health care, from massacres to indigenous rights, from refugees to ecumenism. Paul also provides coverage of emergencies for Action by Churches Together (the ACT Alliance), a Geneva-based global alliance of churches responding to disasters around the world.

Everyone is invited !

A freewill offering will be taken.

For more information, please contact the UMW president, Lois Hammar.



Unstoppable Hospitality - The Rev. Laurie McHugh (text)

Read Pastor Laurie's August 1, 2010 sermon.

The reading was Luke 13:10-19.

This was the last sermon in the Radical Hospitality sermon series.

Download a .pdf of this sermon.

Show rest of 'Unstoppable Hospitality - The Rev. Laurie McHugh (text)'...



Discovery Worship for Children

DiscoveryWroship150114.jpgCalling all children! You're invited to our new child-friendly, discovery-oriented, worship experience where kids can be all that makes them kids.

Who?
Children in grades K-5

What?
Children’s “hands on” worship held during the 10:25 hour.

When?
Kids will be invited from the 10:25 am worship service and return before the closing.

Where?
Guided to the tree house… A unique worship space created in one of our Sunday School Rooms

Why?
To help children into a child-friendly, discovery-oriented, worship experience where they can be all that makes them kids

Download a flyer about Discovery Worship.



Christian Worship Band Forming

UpstreamFish150109.jpgDeeply committed Christians looking for talented musicians who are comfortable with complex, missional, inclusive theology.

Audition for new worship band to join the launch-team for Upstream, an alternate worship celebration at the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto.

Monthly preview events getting under way, expected full launch as early as Christmas 2010.

We are auditioning guitarists, drummers, keyboards and singers.

Contact The Rev. Laurie McHugh 650-323-6167 x102



Facebook Community Church

FBCC150200.jpgDo you Facebook? Is doing church possible through this medium?

Facebook Community Church is an experiment in creating and deepening Christian community -- a version of the small group for accountability developed so well by John Wesley in the early days of the Methodist movement.

The key practice of these groups was each member responding to the question: "How goes it with your soul?" Possible modern retakes: "Where have you experienced God lately?" or "Where is God pushing you right now?" These questions sound rather like FB's status update prompts, don't they?

Meeting regularly with a small group is crucial to personal transformation, to growing as a disciple of Jesus. Can this happen on Facebook? Let's try!

This won't be a substitute for the face-to-face contact that is so important to Christian community, but it might be an opening for some new form.

Join the group at this link, make it a spiritual practice to respond to a discussion once a week, and stay tuned as this develops. If it doesn't work, there's always the delete key.



First School: Nurturing Our Community's Children

FirstSchoolLogo15081.gif

Are you looking for a preschool?

Enrollment opportunities are available at First School.

Art, drama, music, stories gymnastics, cooking and nature study, with an emphasis on social development and Kindergarten readiness are included.

Part or full-time programs are available to toilet-trained children, ages 2-1/2 to 6 years old. We have a ratio of 1 teacher for each 5 children, and we are open Monday - Friday 7:45 am - 5:00 pm year-round.

First School is licensed by the state of California Social Services Department and is staffed by qualified and experienced teachers.

You are welcome to stop by for a visit and experience our program first hand.

Find us at www.firstschool.org

Contact Michelle Noke at 650-321-3871 for more information.



Follow Us On Twitter

Do you Twitter?

Now you can getting the latest Church updates through Twitter.

Just follow FirstPaloAlto on Twitter.

• Instantly find out when we post new photos and sermons to the web site
• Get reminders about church events
• Be the first to know about new opportunities for fellowship and service
• And more!

Not on Twitter yet? You can sign up for free at www.twitter.com/firstpaloalto



SanctuaryLogo5069.jpg

The First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, California - A Welcoming Church spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties since 1894. We're conveniently located in downtown Palo Alto near the Stanford University campus. Whether you're in the Silicon Valley or on the Peninsula, we want to be your Church home.

We invite you and your family to worship with us any Sunday morning.

Our members come from all over the San Francisco bay area including Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, Campbell, Castro Valley, Cupertino, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Fremont, Gilroy, Half Moon Bay, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Newark, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Stanford, Sunnyvale and Walnut Creek.

Check out our Visitors Information section for more information about the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto




©2000-2010 First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto
Welcome
Listen to Pastor Michael's greeting. You are welcome here!

Next Sunday
Join us for worship at 10:25 am. Pastor Michael will preach Life-Long Learning

The reading for Sunday, September 5th is Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18.

Rally Day!
Join us as we kick off the new Sunday School year!

September Issue of Insights is Online!
Read the latest issue today!

Singers and Ringers Wanted
Join the Handbells and Chancel Choir

September Sermon Series: “Intentional Faith Development”
Exploring one of the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, this...

Finding a Well in the Desert - The Rev. Michael Love (Audio)
Listen to Pastor Michael's August 15th sermon.

Pastor's Mission Trip to Glide Memorial
Join Pastor Michael and Director of Children and Youth Ministries Keri Onan-Levy for a mission trip to Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.