First United Methodist Church - Birmingham

IT’S THE WEEKEND 🙌 As a reminder, we are worshipping combined in the Sanctuary this Sunday. Our office will be closed on Monday in observance of the holiday. If you are traveling this weekend, we pray for safe travels and great vibes 😎 and DON’T FORGET to get your Wednesday Night Dinner reservations in before Tuesday!

Mom’s Night Out 🌙⭐️ Join your fellow moms at Blue Saki Sushi TONIGHT at 7PM

Presenting ALL of our Wednesday Night small groups this fall 😱 We’re offering a couple of new ongoing groups and are sharing our monthly options as well. Sign up for a small group (Or two! Or three!) at the link below 💫
https://www.firstchurchbhm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Wednesday-Night-Program-Options-Fall-2024.pdf

Don’t forget - 11AM worship is COMBINED in the Sanctuary this Sunday 🤩 music from both spaces will be featured and we’ll have a very special children’s moment led by Jonathan. Come see us!

Join The LGBTQ Fund at The 26th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival (Sidewalk Film) this week! We're pleased to support the Deep South premier of Sabbath Queen, a documentary feature about embracing complexity and conflict in pursuit of something higher. It follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, who is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny. A self-proclaimed “drag queen rebel,” he searches for spiritual meaning as he establishes an experimental all-are-welcome congregation and creatively reinvents religion and ritual for a challenging, rapidly changing 21st century. Visit sidewalkfest.com to learn how you can see it Sunday, August 25 at First United Methodist Church - Birmingham, and join us for a conversation with Sandi DuBowski after the film!

ALL IN❕We are so excited about the possibilities of matching everyone at First Church with meaningful opportunities for service that correspond to their individual skills and passions through our new survey.

If you have not yet taken the opportunity to answer the survey, we invite you to spend a few minutes of your time doing so now! Click the link below to get started ✨

https://volunteeraccelerator.ministryarchitects.com/FCB/survey.php

The ULTIMATE youth event is this Saturday! 😱🫡 Are you ready?? Bring a friend and join the fun!

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS ARE BACK ON SEPT 4 🙌 You’ll notice our schedule is changing slightly so here are our new start times! Also, a couple of reminders:

1. Didn’t get a chance to sign up in time one week? Or maybe you forgot to sign up and still want to be in fellowship with us? Grab some dinner on your way and join us in the Large Dining Room or at 6:15 for programming! 🤗

2. Did you know we have a fantastic NEWLY renovated playground on site for your kids to play on? 👀 If you have speedy eaters, feel free to bring them out to the playground to combat the zoomies before kids programming begins! *They must be supervised by their parent to be in coordination with Safe Sanctuary*

SIGN UP for Wednesday Nights at the link below ✨
https://firstchurchbhm.fellowshiponego.com/external/form/a0fe8769-31f6-4322-bf65-7012b9703c59

If you forgot to purchase a name tag earlier this year or find yourself in need of a replacement, now is your chance! 🤩 As we look ahead to the fall, we will place another order of First Church name tags. They are $10 each and you can make an order at the link below. ALL orders are due this Thursday!

https://firstchurchbhm.fellowshiponego.com/external/form/d845d54e-f788-4224-9b97-aaa0d0fd049a

THIS SUNDAY❕There is so much happening this week that we want you to know about:

🔘 First up, we are Blessjng the Backpacks during worship in both spaces. If you are a student, teacher, administrator, or are returning to school this fall we are inviting you to bring your backpack or work bag to worship and place them at the altar. We will then offer a blessing for a great return to school!

🔘 We will have an opportunity to hear from our Justice and Mercy partners earlier that morning during the Sunday School hour. We will gather in the Large Dining Room by 9:45am to hear from these partners. All are welcome.

🔘 Lastly, you’re invited to bring your kiddos out to the Hoover Splash Pad at 4:00pm to soak up some end-of-summer fun! You won’t want to miss out.

THIS SUNDAY! 🎸 Join us for a Music Sunday in the Loft service. This service will be our last combined service for the summer, so we hope you will make plans to attend and help us support our Loft musicians and worship team.

ARTS CAMP 2024 🙌 Thank you to those who dedicated their time and energy to these beautiful campers. We can’t wait for next year!

THIS FRIDAY 🛟 Join us for the fun at our July pool party! This is a church-wide event so all are welcome to attend. Meet us at Patriot Park pool in West Homewood at 6:15pm and soak up the end of summer with your church family 🌊

Take a look at all the fun we’ve been getting up to this week 🙌 We are so sad Arts Camp ends tomorrow! BUT DON’T FORGET - we can’t wait to see you at our church-wide pool party on Friday night 🌊

All violence is family violence.

Our prayers are with all those who are impacted by violence and live in fear for their safety. Yesterday’s violence towards former President Trump is inconsistent with the values we hold and the faith we proclaim. We pray that our country’s politics might model ways to maintain peace and respect among those who hold incredible differences of opinion and world views. As people of faith may we turn from hate and harm and seek always for peace.

Jesus said, “Put your sword back where it belongs! All who use swords are destroyed by swords.”
Matthew 26:52a - The Message

Friends, we hope you are planning to join us for a wonderful presentation this coming Sunday during the Sunday School hour. Join church members Renee Harmon, Gladys Schaefer, and Maggie and Justin Banger as they recount a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Greece along with their photos, stories, reflections, and spiritual takeaways. Our location has changed to the Large Dining Room for this Sunday and there will be coffee and lights snack provided. We hope to see you there!

Join us THIS SUNDAY for combined worship in the Sanctuary at 11AM for our Hymn Festival: Sing a New Church into Being, led by our fabulous Sanctuary musicians. We can’t wait to see you there!

*CLAIMED*

FREE to a good home ‼️ You must be able to move it yourself and have a way to transport it. Must be gone before Monday, July 15th at 8:00am!

JULY WORSHIP ☀️ For the next month, we will be worshipping combined in the Sanctuary and Loft. Please refer to this graphic for our schedule to keep up with where we are every Sunday. We’ll see you Sunday! ❤️

ARTS CAMP VOLUNTEERS 💛 Arts Camp could not be possible without our wonderful volunteers. These folks dedicate any amount of time they have during the week to spend time with our kiddos and learn along with them! We are always so grateful for their generosity. And we NEED more hands to help this year! Is that you? Sign up at the link below to get signed up as a volunteer 🙏

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0949AAA928A6F8C61-48865061-arts #/

In the Loft service this past Sunday, shared these words during prayer time as we discussed our priority of Embodying Diversity. We are so grateful for her writing and for her willingness to share it with us!

DID SOMEONE SAY MOVIE NIGHT?! 🍿 Join us for a private screening of Inside Out 2 on July 9th at 6:00pm. We’ll be watching the movie at Birmingham Premiere Lux Cinema (501 Lakeshore Parkway) and tickets are $5 each. Bring your friends, bring the whole family, and come enjoy this new fun film with us! Make sure to get there early to grab your snacks and seats. Get your tickets at the link below 🎟️

https://firstchurchbhm.fellowshiponego.com/external/form/7f1d3810-b296-450a-a4ea-ae78454c1b06

THIS SATURDAY 💕 If you met us at PrideFest or have been wanting to check us out and get to know our community better, come on out to this Saturday and grab a drink with us! All are welcome 🏳️‍🌈

Tomorrow is JUNETEENTH and our offices will be closed in recognition of the holiday 💛 Not sure how to honor Juneteenth past tomorrow? We encourage you to educate and inform yourself on the day’s history and Birmingham’s history, find and continue to support Black-owned businesses, read and center Black voices, and donate to supportive organizations like . We’ve also included some recommendations for reading as you explore the holiday. Feel free to add more in the comments below!

ARTS CAMP IS BACK 💫 Are your kiddos registered?? Click the link below to get them signed up for a jam-packed week of FUN!

https://firstchurchbhm.fellowshiponego.com/external/form/aac9553b-c813-4600-894e-a73df0287902

We doesn’t love a pool party?? 🎉 Join us TONIGHT for a church-wide pool party at Patriot Park Pool! We’ll celebrate the end of an amazing week at Gross Out Camp and have tons of FUN! See you there 😎

Just a few shots from our .citykids week at Gross Out Camp 🦠 If you couldn’t tell, they had such a fun time! Thanks to Verna, her volunteers, and for such a great week 💚

First Church's very own Magic City Tappers were featured on CBS42 for their presence at the Central Alabama Pride, Inc. Parade this past weekend. Shoutout to Kathy Draper and our amazing tap dancers! Watch the segment at the link below.

Magic City Tappers Magic City Tappers

🌈 HAPPY PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈 We had an amazing time marching in the Parade this past Saturday! Birmingham - you are LOVED, you BELONG, and you MATTER 🤍