Even our little ones help with communion at Bluff Point UMC! Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 01/015/2026 What a beautiful Epiphany Sunday! This week Pastor Jeannine talked to the children about being chosen. Like myself, she was picked last for sports teams. People that are chosen last often have hurt feelings. One way to fix this is to count off, that way no one gets chosen last. We are all chosen for God‘s family. Everyone is in God‘s family. No one is first or last! Our scripture this week was from Ephesians 1: 3-14. People at this time had a hard time seeing God‘s love. However, God chose them before the world began, and before they were even born. God knows every hair on your head. God chose us in Christ. God chose us and loves us unconditionally. Pastor Jeannine asked us if we have ever said no to God’s plan. When you accept God’s plan and faith it’s not scary. Pastor Jeannine asked us if we have ever said no to God‘s plan. When you accept God‘s plan in faith it’s not scary. We also have unconditional love in our church. Church is an extension of our family, bringing the love of Christ forward. Pastor Jeannine reinforced that God always loves you. God sent his son which is the greatest gift of all and reinforces our faith. Things coming up: A baked potato bar on January 24 at 4 to 5:30 PM at church. There’s a sign up for different topics to magnify your potato! We have also been invited to join Dresden church with Roy Litteer get a community dinner on Wednesday, January 28 at 6 PM. Stay warm these cold winter days and be safe walking on ice. We don’t want any falls or injuries! See you in church at 9 AM on Sunday!

Violette Tones show shows off the blessing tree that she made in Sunday School. She was able to write most of the words herself without even asking the spelling! The blessing tree has ornaments and tags with the things that the children chose that they are thankful for. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 01/08/2026 This Sunday was the first Sunday after Christmas. It was a cold, bitter day, but one that we saw many people venture out to church. Pastor Jeannine talked with the children, asking them what was the significance of the light from the alter candles at the beginning of the service. It is that we bring the light of Jesus into our service. As we extinguish the light at the end of the service after bringing it to the back of the church, it signifies bringing the light out to others as we leave for the week. Pastor Jeannine also lit the advent candles of love, hope, joy, peace, and the Christ candle as she started the service. Pastor Jeannine‘s sermon focused on the gospel of John. The scripture was from Matthew 2: 13-23. You wonder often why bad things happen to us. Why did God let the terrorist attack on 9/11 happen? Why did innocent people have to suffer? John‘s teaching deals with who Jesus is and why he did what he did. John begins with the verse, In the beginning with the word and the word was with God, and the word was God. And his verses show us there is proof that Jesus is God. Pastor Jeannine explains that Jesus isn’t just a word it is the word! All things were made by him. In him was life. And the light was the light of men. Jesus brings an answer to all of life‘s questions. God doesn’t always remove the chaos, but it can take most evil and awful pains and tragedies and transform them. We have a lot of chaos and dust in our lives that the Lord will transform if we let him! Thank you choir for a beautiful rendition of the song- Mary did you know? We are lucky to have such a beautiful choir under the direction of Ron Miller. Happy New Year from everyone at Bluff Point United Methodist Church. We hope that you will join us in this bright new year for 9am Sunday services!

The girls made angels from angel food cake on Sunday School Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 01/01/2026 Christmas is upon us and soon it will be a brand new year! Many beautiful Christmas songs and a festive choir anthem were sung in church, as well as the congregation listening to more of the meaning of the Christmas story. Pastor Jeannine also had an interactive story with the children about the angels involved at the time of the birth of Christ How do we get the message of the difference that God makes to others? We reflect especially this time of year all that Christ has brought to us within our church family. Pastor Jeannine‘s message reflected on Joseph and Mary. Mary and Joseph were pledged to be married. Things became complicated when Joseph found that Mary was pregnant. At that time pregnancy outside of marriage could be punished by stoning and death. Joseph went through quite a turmoil, but Joseph chose compassion over the law. An angel appeared and told him not to be afraid- that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was to be named Jesus. Mark your calendar for Saturday, January 24. There will be a baked potato bar dinner from four to 5:30 PM at church. Our evening dinners are always a lot of fun. Congratulations to our Cady Brady who was named Penn Yan youth ambassador during the recent Starshine program. She is a junior at Penn Yan Academy! See you at church at 9 AM on Sunday! All are welcome.

Norm Hunt and Sherri Hunt light the third advent candle of love. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 12/25/2025 Merry Christmas to all. This past Sunday was Sunday of joy. Pastor Jeannine asked the children what they wanted for Christmas. Did they want a doll, socks, toys, underwear, or a book? These might be popular gifts under the tree, but they don’t compare with the gifts that we received from Jesus. She told them of the gifts that Christ gave. Sight for a blind man, restoration of hearing for someone deaf, giving someone lame the ability to walk. Jesus gave the gift of faith. The scripture was from Matthew 11: 2-11. Pastor Jeannine asked the adults how they found themselves in the Advent season…how is your mood, does a grief or worry have you down? Does the singing and merry-making make us hide our anxiety, or do we use the Christmas spirit to cover up deeper problems? Perhaps we feel isolated. Jesus‘s power is the power of healing grace. Mercy is in the heart of Jesus’s missions. It is in his teachings. The arrival of the Messiah showed us the power of Jesus‘s love. Pastor Jeannine showed how Jesus is at work among us today and those that accept this will know God‘s blessing most of all. Christmas Eve candlelight service is Wednesday, December 24 at 7 PM at church. All are welcome to join. We will be undecorating the church following the service on January 4.

See my pretty little wreath? The nursery kids made sweet wreaths to put on their doors at home. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 12/18/2025 The second Sunday of advent... The special time of Jesus birth is getting closer as Mary and Joseph inch closer to the stable and the manger. Pastor Jeannine shared with the children, showing Mary and Joseph going toward the stable, led by a star, not a GPS! John the Baptist was preparing, wearing his camel hair robes, and eating locusts and honey, anticipating the birth of Jesus- he continued to baptize people in his work. Scripture today was from Matthew 3: 1-12. John appeared in the wilderness with scorpions and snakes. It was a dangerous place, cursed by God- it was a battle with evil forces. Pastor Jeannine asked us where we felt our wilderness was today. Is it in school, social media, or in lonely lives? What Elijah predicted came true. There are many people longing for something, but not always sure what it is. There is a way out of the wilderness. We need to turn to God when things get bleak. We need to save ourselves from the wilderness. John‘s message to us did lead us to hope, and in the knowledge that everyone is worthy. Our Sunday school children and nursery children were busy this past Sunday. Meghan Reay help the children make beautiful wreaths. The older children made ornaments under the direction of Marguerite Miller after their Bible lesson. Thank you to everyone who helped with distribution for Yates County Christmas. Many people from our church were there to help for four days, providing children with socks, underwear, games, toys, toothpaste, hats, mittens, blankets or quilts, books, and an outfit which were distributed to hundreds of local families and children. What an amazing mission. Our sincere condolences to the family of Bruce Westerdahl who recently went to join his Lord and beloved wife Nancy in heaven. Bruce was a pastor at our church for many years and a great friend. He and his wife Nancy participated with so many church events, even after he retired. He had a loving heart, and so enjoyed singing in the choir and also perform solos in Church, before moving to be near his daughter in Virginia. Our Christmas Eve candlelight service will be at 7 PM on Wednesday, December 24. It is always a beautiful service filled with music and carols. We hope many will join us from the community to celebrate the birth of Christ.

All our little angels in our Angel choir had two musical numbers that brought joy and smiles from the congregation. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 12/11/2025 We had 101 people in our congregation this past Sunday. It was great to see the church pews filled! We have Music Sunday on the 5th Sunday of each month with 5 Sundays. The next will be in March 2026. Pastor Jeannine talked with the kids about the gift God gave us- Jesus! She told them we need to be prepared. Some of us bake, sing and light candles to prepare for Christmas. She pointed out the empty stable in our church. The wise men, Mary and Joseph, and the Shepards are on their way traveling. They will travel towards the stable awaiting the birth of Jesus. They will also move around in the church as they get closer to our stable! Thank you to everyone who gave of their time to participate in ringing the bells for Yates County Christmas-on a beautiful 50° day. We also have many who will be helping with distribution. Music Sunday was special. Marguerite and Ron Miller put in so much time with the choirs to make for a wonderful service. The choir sang several numbers. Meridyn Whitford sing a solo, Kaylee Will, granddaughter of Chris and Stacy Wyant, played a piano solo. Gene James gave a beautiful rendition of the Lord‘s prayer. Michele Covert read a poem, entitled The Engine, written by Blanche Fingar. What a poet she is! What a special service it was from beginning to end! On music Sunday, we also pass the bucket to raise funds for a local organization. This month the buckets were passed for Yates County Christmas. Many things going on at church. Don’t forget to bring hats, mittens and scarves for our mitten tree. We also will be having an angel tree family. Keep posted! Please come and join our wonderful country church. 9 AM Sundays! It was nice to see the church all decorated for Christmas!

The kids are getting ready for music Sunday. They love to sing, and we love, listening to them! Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 12/04/2025 We hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. Now we are into the advent season. Where has the year gone? Our service this past week started with Donna Johnston talking to us about Yates County Christmas. The distribution is December 2-4 at the Benton fire Hall. Distribution includes helping a family when they shop for hats, gloves, socks, underwear, an outfit, books, toys, a coat, and blanket or quilt. Last year 278 families including 657 kids in Yates county were served. What a wonderful mission that our church is proud to be part of. Pastor Jeannine asked the children if they ever had trouble thinking of what to pray for. She told them a good way to remember was to put their hands together with their thumbs toward them. The thumb is to pray for people who are close to us. The pointer finger is to pray for teachers and parents. The long finger is to pray for our leaders. The ring finger is to pray for those sick or need, and the pinky finger (not to be forgotten) is to pray for yourself. God wants us to pray. He may sometimes trip us to get our attention! Our church has an active prayer chain. We make phone calls to all our prayer warriors. Pastor Jeannine feels praying is one of the most important things we can do as it does change things. The scripture was from Colossians 1: 11-20. In this passage, Paul was in prison-society he prayed and had faith with a positive outlook even when he was in a bad situation. We should pray in the knowledge of God, even when we don’t know the outcome. We need to continue our faith that God sent his son to us. Come join us in our faith based church at 9 AM Sunday service!

We have an active prayer shawl ministry started years ago by Nancy Wilmott. Our congregation prays over these beautiful shawls, and then they are given to the person they were chosen for. Today two ladies mentioned friends that are in need of prayer and chose a prayer shawl especially for them. Hopefully these prayer shawls will give them strength and show the love of those who are caring and praying for them. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 11/27/2025 Pastor Jeannine started the service today telling the children about Abraham Lincoln. She gave the children all a penny, and asked them who was on the penny… (concurrently the last penny was minted this week in the United States although there are still millions in circulation). Abraham Lincoln was president during a difficult time in our history. He felt he could not fail because of the assistance of a divine being. Pastor Jeannine asked the children how they would spend $100,000 if they had it. She showed them a picture of her favorite candy bar. Some of the kids said they would buy chicken nuggets, others said they would buy slime. One child said that he would help others. God gave his son to us to help us and show us the way. The scripture this week was from Luke 21: 5-19. It to be a rather dark passage, discussing the destruction of a temple and foreboding the end of times. The positive thought in the passage tells that not a hair and your head will perish if you stand firm in your faith. We have hope in Christ. Pastor Jeannine told the story of the movie, Poseidon Adventure. The ship overturned, and the only way out was going up to the bottom of the ship, and the back to the front. The Pastor on board gave instructions and those that listened and followed were saved from disaster. The world can be a scary place, but in faith we can tackle it. Monday Bible studies at 3 PM will be on the topic of experiencing Christmas. Everyone is free to join. Don't forget to bring your mittens, hats, and scarves for the mitten tree! Feel free to join in on ringing the bells for Yates County Christmas from 9a-4pm in front of Tops supermarket Wednesday, November 26. This is the day that Bluff Point United Methodist Church joins in this mission every year, raising money for distribution at Yates County Christmas. Music Sunday is coming soon! Everyone has been practicing for the Gala musical event on November 30 at church at 9 AM. Bring your family to enjoy this special service. As you can see our church is thriving. There have been recent rumors circulating again that our church is closing. This certainly is not the case. We are an active, loving church. We thrive in coming together to worship and to support the larger community. We offer Sunday school and nursery to our younger members, and are happy to have several young families among us. We welcome visitors. Come join us Sundays at 9:00 am.

A salute to our veterans on Veterans Day Sunday. Remembering those who weren’t in church today and also those that will celebrate in heaven. Thank you for your service. Article by Joyce L. Wiedrich 11/20/2025 Thank you, Laurie Prinzivalli for a wonderful Veterans Day service. Laurie reminded the children of what a veteran is, a person that has served our country in one of the United States services, including the Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, Air Force, Army, and more recently, the Space Force. Joyce Wiedrich and Dana Schillinger brought the Christian and American flag forward is the rest of the veterans in Church followed them. The music for this Sunday was all patriotic, as was the choir anthem. Laurie discussed about the Christian and the American flags. The American flag is a symbol of freedom. We can go where we want to go. We can live where we want to live. We can dream our dreams and say what we want to say. Veterans gave us freedom of speech, freedom to assemble, the right to vote and freedom of religion. The Christian flag gave us freedom in Christ, freedom from hate, freedom from regret, and freedom from bitterness. The scripture from 2 Timothy 2: 3-4 told us how Paul was a veteran Christian. He passed the torch to Timothy. Laurie reviewed a series of E words. A soldier needs to enlist, a soldier needs to endure and engage. We may not all choose to be in the military, but we can all serve in God‘s army and follow Jesus. Music Sunday is coming up on November 30. Please invite your neighbors and family to join us. Chris Wyant put a bag for collection of plastic caps on the back table. A crazy cap lady from Penn Yan is collecting plastic caps, which can be recycled and used to make benches. Please bring your collections in so they may help make a bench! A correction on the recent BPUMC newsletter. The Christmas Eve service on December 24 will be at 7 PM! Thank you for all that signed up to ring the bells the day before Thanksgiving at Tops market. There are still opportunities to join your fellow church members in this activity, which is one of our missions! Don’t forget to bring your mittens, hat, and scarves for the mitten tree. These will also be distributed at Yates County Christmas. Come join us at service at 9 AM on Sunday!