Jeff Stempien gives the kids a lesson in reflection! A mirror redirects the light. Jesus is our light, that we need to reflect. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 8/7/2025 Where has July gone? Soon we will be talking about going back to school. We have enjoyed these summer days. Jeff Stempien gave the kids a lesson in reflection. He brought a lot of flashlights and a mirror and had the kids shine their light. He showed how a mirror can be used to redirect the light. God sent John as a witness. Jesus was born of the light. We need to reflect Jesus‘s light in the word of Christ, by taking our light and going out to others. Jeff told his kids to live by an example and do something nice for others. Our message today was by Grady Bray. He reflected a story when he and his wife Marjorie lived in warm Springs. He was working with young children who had been diagnosed with mental retardation, a term used at that time. He instead found that 30% of the kids were deaf or hard of hearing, and had normal intellect. Grady felt he was the one that was deficient in dealing with the kids, and learned sign language so he could better communicate with them. He explained that sign language involves thinking, saying words, and putting your body into action. He taught all of us how to sign the word Alleluia! This involves clapping your hands twice showing honor and praise, next making two r’s with your fingers and then two circles, and finally opening your hands upwards, your gift to God. He spoke of the Methodist quadrilateral, the movement of spirit, which includes scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. This was John Wesley‘s approach to theology. Thank you Grady for a wonderful message. He showed us how God in Christ is always with us. People see God through Christ. Our worship service and summer church picnic is coming up soon. It will be 10:30 August 10 at the Climbing Bines, with two of our sister churches. Bring your table service and a dish to pass. It will be a great time. Our Canal boat ride has been rescheduled. Check with Ronald Miller to make sure that you can still make that day. Our ice cream social will be Saturday, August 9 at 2-4 pm at church. Many of us went to see the PYTCO Youth Theatre performance of Seussical, this past week The kids did a great job, with so many singing and dancing numbers. Our Meridyn Whitford was a joy to watch as she performed with the group. See at church at 9 AM Sunday! There will be no service in our sanctuary on August 10 because of the church picnic and service at the outside site.

Grandma Laurie Prinzivalli and Roz Prinzivalli both wore their cute sunflower dresses to church today. Roz was visiting with her parents Melissa and Bryan this weekend! Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 07-31-2025 Pastor Jeannine started the service with the children’s story showing them a fast food bag. She pulled out a fries container from a happy meal and then a larger fries container, and a napkin. She explained that they forgot the burger! She told kids that it’s all right if something is missing. She told them how Jesus visited Mary and Martha. Sister Mary was not helping in the kitchen instead she was listening to Jesus. Jesus told her it was OK. It was fine if she was missing from the kitchen helping her sister and glad Mary was sitting at his feet, listening and spending time with God. This was a lesson from scripture of Luke 10: 38-42. What Mary did was most important because time with Jesus was precious and limited! Pastor Jeannine told another story about how she had a calling to be a pastor in 2012. She was told by someone in authority that she could be a secretary, nurse or a teacher, but not a pastor, because she was a woman. It’s amazing that so close to these current times that her nudge to be a pastor could have been denied her. We need to be with people who encourage us and lift us up, instead of discouraging us. Fortunately, her husband, Phil was with her all the way so that she could meet her dream. We are so fortunate that we have a God of love, grace and forgiveness. God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. Our 200th anniversary Erie Canal cruise was sidelined due to weather. It has been rescheduled to August 20th. If you have signed up and have a conflict, please discuss with Ron Miller. The Hope Walk is August 20. There are white paper bags to decorate in our church gathering area. We ask if you decorate a bag that you contribute five dollars. The bags are filled with sand and a candle is lit at the end of the ceremony and tribute for cancer survivors, and those that have lost their battle with cancer. It is a very touching ceremony. Please come join us at 9 AM on Sundays. We have a loving congregation and pastor!

Pastor Jeannine it’s going to be sharing some messages from Dr. Seuss for the children’s sermons this summer- some Takeaway points for the adults as well! Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 07-24-2025 Pastor Jeannine recalled a child’s book, Horton Hears a Who. In this tale Horton, an elephant, hears a cry for help. He sees dust with people on it. The tiny people are afraid of drowning in the pond, but Horton helps them. People are people no matter how small they are! They all needed help. Our lesson today was based on scripture, Luke: 10: 25-37. This is the familiar Parable of the Good Samaritan. Pastor Jeannine recalled the story of a lawyer who asked Jesus how he could have eternal life. Jesus responded that he needled to love the Lord with all his heart and love his neighbors as himself. If he did this, he would live forever. Who is your neighbor? Jesus wants us to love everyone. We need to love our neighbors as well as our family who are also our neighbors. We need not to let a rift fester with our family. God wants us to be the bigger person to make things right. Pastor Jeannine also recalled the story of a law student who had a seizure and fell in between the tracks of the subway. A 50 year-old construction worker jumped down and covered the man over with his body, seeing someone that needed help, risking his own life. Many other people had walked by or not even notice the situation, but this man saw someone in a desperate situation. The lesson is that we all need to come to people’s rescue when we’re needed We have many local organizations who help care for one another in our community, including the Rotary, Lions club, the Hope walk, Habitat for Humanity, Yates County Christmas, Milly’s pantry, and the Living Well, among many others. There are many nearby opportunities to serve and help others. Mark your calendars. Our ice cream social is at church on August 9 from 2 to 4 PM. And August 10 is our church picnic with Dresden and Milo Center. The service is at 10:30 with a picnic to follow at Climbing Bines. See you next Sunday! See what you can do this week to be a good neighbor.

Today we got to sing happy birthday to our friend and congregation member Meredith Nielsen on her special day. We all love her. She has been a member of the Bluff Point United Methodist Church her entire life. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 07-17-2025 Our lesson and this warm summer day was taken from 2 Kings 5: 1-14. Pastor Jeannine told us about Naaman, a leader of the Syrian army, who was powerful and well respected. He was afflicted with leprosy. A servant girl messenger was sent to tell Naaman to go wash himself in the Jordan River seven times, and his flesh would be healed. He went to the King who told him he couldn’t help him, but sent him to see Elisha. He was again told to bathe in the Jordan River. First, he wouldn’t do it. Was this because of a lack of faith? After finally bathing in the Jordan seven times he was completely healed and his skin was restored. He should have listened to the command! Our lesson is that only God can give us what we need, and not necessarily what we want or when we want it. Miracles will happen. We need to have faith in our faith, and dip into the Bible. Pastor Jeannine told us a story about Muhammad Ali. One time he was on a plane and told to put on a seatbelt- his retort to the stewardess was that Superman did not need a seatbelt. The stewardess quipped back that Superman didn’t need a plane either. She shared with us that she and her husband, Phil have lived in their home for many years. It’s taken them years to redo their house. Some people want a brand new house when they buy their first house, and want everything new in it. It usually takes years for one to accomplish this- we need to be comfortable with what we have and where we are in life. School is out- remember to watch for the kids on the streets that are outside playing and riding their bikes. We’ve enjoyed having several visitors who are vacationing in the area this summer. We hope they will come back and that others will come and join us whenever they can, at our 9 AM Sunday services. All are welcome.

The church was filled on music Sunday! Nice to have several visitors with us! What a wonderful celebration of music! Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 07-10-2025 Our months with five Sundays are ones where we celebrate music Sunday. Ron and Marguerite Miller do a fantastic job putting this event together. Thanks to Kaylee Will for a beautiful piano solo, our adult choir for three patriotic numbers to celebrate the Fourth of July, and our kids choir where Charlotte Tones, Violette Tones, and Meridyn Whitford sang several numbers. They were joined with several other kids with the choir’s last song, When the Saints come Marching In, following Pastor Jeannine around the sanctuary as a marching band! Kerry McLaughlin also performed a special piano solo during the service. Ron Miller played a jivey number, The Wayfaring Stranger. Michele Covert read a poem by Blanche Fingar, our inspirational poet. It was a very patriotic poem, entitled, Born in America. Blanche recalled how proud she is to be an American, where we can live and be free, even though we may not always politically agree, we live in the best country there is! Thanks, Blanche for always being able to put your thoughts into words. We are so lucky to have such talent in our little church, and so glad when others can join us to participate and enjoy. Congratulations to Chris and Stacy Wyant, who will be receiving Keuka College’s Donald and Corinne Stork award for 2025 for exemplary community service. They will be receiving this on August 12 during a luncheon at the college.

Joyce Wiedrich presented the Lee Wiedrich memorial scholarships this year to our Madelyn Mosch and Emmaleigh Stempien. Congratulations ladies! Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 07-03-2025 Happy summer! Today ended up being recognition Sunday at Bluff Point United Methodist Church. Marguerite Miller thanked all of the volunteers that have helped this year with Sunday school and nursery. She also was recognized for coordinating all of the efforts with our children. Their children received Seneca Farms gift cards for participating this year. A good day for ice cream! Dick Smith gave us an overview of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity was started nationally in 1976. It is the 10th largest housing organization in the country and was begun in Americus Georgia. Many people think Jimmy Carter started it. He participated in it through his 90s but was not the founder. The Penn Yan Habitat for Humanity was started in 1989. 25 homes have been completed in Yates County, to date. People wanting these homes have to fulfill many criteria to be selected for a home. They also have to put in hundreds of hours of sweat equity, as well as meet a need. The mortgage ends up being interest free. Many organizations donate items, including Whirlpool, which donates a refrigerator and range to each habitat home. There are many other areas of corporate support. Next week we will be passing the bucket for Habitat for Humanity at church. What a worthwhile organization! Joyce Wiedrich gave scholarships to two college students this year from a fund set up in her brother Lee Wiedrich’s memory. This year the scholarships were given to Madelyn Mosch and Emmaleigh Stempien. Both ladies gave a short synopsis of their college-based goals. Congratulations ladies on a job well done this year. The sermon this week and scripture were from Luke 8: 26-39. Pastor Jeannine told us how Jesus met a demon, Legion. Legion wanted nothing to do with God- Legion was dangerous and wild, and possessed by many demons. God had been very fearful to him. The passage shows that Legion was healed and began hanging out with Jesus. Some of us may be like Legion. We all need God, but sometimes we hide and think we can do things on our own without his help. Pastor Jeannine used an analogy of a lost hubcap. Someone put a sign on a hubcap on the road, please find me. Jesus needs to come looking for us and he is waiting. Many of us have signed up for a ride on the Erie Canal on July 16. We will be going through at least one lock. This year is the 200th anniversary of the Erie canal, which was fundamental in the establishment and prosperity of many towns along its path. Thanks, Ron Miller, for setting this up for us. Happy summer. Be careful of the kids out and about if school is out for summer vacation. Church is not out for the summer though- please come and visit us at 9 AM for our services. All are welcome.

The girls pot flowers and make cards for their dad for Father’s Day. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 06-26-2025 Pastor Jeannine explained to us in her sermon how Paul’s letter to the Romans described Jesus’s amazing work on the cross. She showed how Christ’s work can change a person’s life. We can have peace in our lives. Paul gives us a picture of how we can have peace and hope in the midst of life’s worse difficulties. He stayed with us when we were a gossiper. He stayed with us when we were an addict. He stayed with us when we were a criminal. He stayed with us when we were selfish, when we didn’t help the poor, and when we were a bully. He stayed with us when we were broken, when we were defiant, when we were apathetic. He’s with us all the time, in good and bad times! God cares for us and loves all of us unconditionally. Pastor Jeannine showed the children her pearls. She asked them if they knew how a pearl was made and explained to them that a pearl starts out as a piece of sand. The oyster is irritated by the piece of sand and secretes a substance around the piece of sand to deal with the discomfort, forming over time a beautiful pearl! We have many things in our lives that are difficult, and God shows us a way to deal with the adversity in difficulties in our life to make good. Congratulations to Ron Miller who will be receiving the Sharing the Light Award for all of the diligence and work that he has done for the Hope Walk and so many other things in our community. The kids learned in Sunday school how we deal with adversity to make good in our lives. They also made belief necklaces for themselves, and filled pots with annual flowers for their dads for Father’s Day, along with making cards to give their dads. Don’t forget music Sunday coming up! Our fifth Sundays are filled with music and joy. Come and join us.

Grady Bray is sporting his shirt with flames as wife Marjorie looks on, for Pentecost Sunday! Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 06-19-2025 Pentecost – it sounded like a rush of wind with divided tongues with thousands speaking in many languages. It reminded Pastor Jeannine of Central Park, where the air was sweet. A parade was going on and people in the park were also speaking in many tongues. The Bible in Acts 2: 1-21 tells of many people coming to Jerusalem to join in a special celebration from all over the area. The disciples were in the Upper Room. The Holy Spirit had come with wind and fire. Jesus had told the disciples that the Holy Spirit was coming. God was uniting all into one family. The excitement of Pentecost, the birthday of the church! Everyone was excited, as was Pastor Jeannine‘s granddaughter when she recently had an ice cream cake for her second birthday! Don’t forget music Sunday on Sunday, June 29. Bring a friend, bring a neighbor, bring a grandparent! It is always special. The kids have also been practicing a few numbers for the occasion. Other things to mark on the calendar: our church picnic will be at Climbing Bines on August 10. We will have a children’s carnival for kids age four through 12 on August 27 from 9 to 12. They’ll be a lot of different stations with activities and opportunities to learn about Jesus. More information coming as the date gets closer. Come join us at 9 AM on Sundays. Everyone is welcome.

Look at these Cross Sun catchers that Toni brought for the kids to paint and make in Sunday school - aren’t they sweet? Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 06-12-2025 This past Sunday was Ascension Sunday. Pastor Jeannine told the kids how Jesus had returned to earth and was explaining to the disciples that he was going back up to heaven. Jesus was on the Mount of Olives with the disciples 40 days after his death. This must have been an amazing occurrence since they all knew that Jesus had died, for the disciples once again to see Jesus on earth. Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father. What a gift for us! Jesus’s kingdom is based on love, new life, and the Holy Spirit. Pastor Jeannine recalled a story from the movie UP where a man had his house lifted up by helium balloons because he wanted to see his wife who was in heaven. Even though we would love to meet and be with Jesus, we need to be excited that he is in heaven and he has prepared a place for us. Don’t forget that June 29 is Music Sunday! Please let Ron Miller know if you wish to participate by reading a poem, singing, or playing an instrument. Music Sundays are always special and filled with hymns and music. The kids have been practicing several numbers too. We have Music Sunday every fifth Sunday of each month that has five Sundays. All are welcome!